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/y . . 
 20th Century History 
 
 OF 
 
 Butler and Butler County, Pa. 
 
 AND 
 
 Representative Citizens 
 
 Edited and Compiled by 
 
 JAMES A, McKEE 
 
 Butler. Pa. 
 
 History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples' 
 
 Published by 
 RICHMOND-ARNOLD PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 Geo. Richmond, Pres. C. R. Arnold Stc'y and Ticas. 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
 1909 
 
v^^ 
 
 xV 
 
PREFACE 
 
 I HE aim of the publishers nf this volume and of the author of 
 the history lias been to secure for the historical portion thereof 
 full and accurate data respecting the history of the county from 
 the time of its early settlement, and to condense it into a clear 
 • -™,,_.™, find interesting narrative. All topics and occurrences have been 
 
 ^ ^^^^1 included that were essential to this object. 
 
 The reviews of resolute and strenuous lives which make up the biographical 
 part of tills volume, and whose authorship is for the most part independent of 
 that of the iiistoi-y, are admirably ciilrulated to foster local ties, to inculcate 
 patriotism, and to emphasize the rewards of industry dominated by intelligent 
 purpose. They constitute a most appropriate medium for perpetuating personal 
 annals, and will be of incalculable value to the descendants of those commemorated. 
 Tliese sketches, replete with stirring incidents and intense experiences, are 
 flavoied with a strong human interest that will naturally prove to a large portion 
 of the readers of the book its most attractive feature. In the aggregate of per- 
 sonal memoirs thus collated M'ill be found a vivid epitome of the growth of Butler 
 County, which will fitly supplement the historical statement, for its development is 
 identified with that of the men and women to whom it is attributable. 
 
 Tlie publishers have endeavored to pass over no feature of the work slight- 
 ingly. Init to fittingly supplement the editor's labors by exercising care over the 
 minutest details of publication, and thus give to the volume the three-fold value 
 of a readable narrative, a useful work of reference, and a tasteful ornament to the. 
 library. We believe the result has justified the care thus exercised. 
 
 Special prominence has been given to the portraits of representative citizens 
 which appear throughout tlie volume, and we believe that they will prove not 
 its least interesting feature. We have sought in this department to illustrate 
 the different spheres of industrial and professional achievement as conspicuously 
 as possible. To all those who have kindly interested themselves in the prepara- 
 tion of tills work, and who have voluntarily contributed most useful information, 
 or rendered other assistance, we hereby tender our grateful acknowledgements. 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS. 
 Chicago, Marcli. 190!). 
 
NOTE 
 
 All the biographical sketches published in this volume were sub- 
 mitted to their respective subjects or to the subscribers, from whom 
 the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or correction 
 before going to press ; and a reasonable time was allowed in each case 
 for the return of the typewritten copies. Most of them were returned 
 to us within the time allotted, or before the work was printed, after 
 being corrected or revised; and these may be regarded therefore as 
 reasonably accurate. 
 
 A few, however, were not returned to us ; and, as we have no means 
 of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we cannot vouch for 
 their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and to render this work more 
 valuable for reference purposes, we have indicated these uncorrected 
 sketches by a small asterisk (*), placed immediately after the name of 
 the subject. They will all be found on the last pages of the book. 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS. 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page. 
 
 TOPOGEAPHICAL FISATURES AND illXEK^U- DEPOSITS 21 
 
 Advance of Civilization Along the Waterways — The County Created, Named, and Surveyed — Organization 
 of Counties — Topography — The Soil, Valley and High Land — Elevations Above Tide Water — Thomas Col- 
 lins' Salt Well— Webster Wilson's Well— John Negley Well— Eccentricities of the Oil Fields— Coal Fields 
 — Other Mineral Deposits — Lead Mines — Forests — Archeology — Epidemics, Floods, and Storms. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Settlement or Western Pexxsylvaxia 41 
 
 Indian Occupation — Early Maps — The Original People — The First White Men — Washington's Journey — 
 England Takes Action — Cause of Indian Dissatisfaction — Cliristopher Gist — Frederick Post — Post Returns 
 to the Delawares — Kaskaskunk — Pakanke — Glikkikin — Rev. John Rothe — Settlements up to 1804 — Pioneer 
 Settlers — Pioneer Anecdotes and Adventures — Destruction of Kittanning — The Story of Massy Harbison — 
 Gen. Richard Butler. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Land Titles . 80 
 
 Naming of Pennsylvania — Extinguishment of the Indian Title — The Erie Triangle — Boundary Line Dis- 
 putes — Ferguson's Wanton Act — The Depreciation Lands — The Donation Lands — Drawn by Lottery — The 
 "Struck" District — The Settlement Law of 1792 — Robert Morris — Agrarian Troubles — The Shooting of 
 Maxwell— The End of the Laud Jobbers— The JlcKee and Varnum Case. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Organizatiox of Butlek CorxTY 90 
 
 Accounts with Allegheny County — Location of County Seat — Original Townships — A New County Proposed 
 — Present Division of Townships — Another New County Proposition — Transactions of the County Commis- 
 sioners — Tax on Bachelors — The Northwestern Railroad — Dispute of Bounty Claims — 1804 and 1908 Com- 
 pared — Commissioners' Clerks — Conscience Money — Public Buildings — The Court House of 1884 — Court 
 House of 1908— County Jails— The First Stone Jail— Recent Jail Escapes— Capture and Death of the Biddle 
 Brothers — The County Home — The Temperance Cause — W. C. T. U. — Non-partisan Temperance Union — 
 Loyal Temperance Legion — Population Statistics. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Political History 143 
 
 Senatorial and Representative Districts Established — First Elections — A New Judicial District — ^Fourteentii 
 Congressional District Established — Campaign of 1828 — Case of Hugh Lee — Constitutional Amendments — 
 Twenty-fifth Congressional District — Anti-slavery Movement — The Know Nothing Party — Anti-Adminis- 
 tration Party — The Republican Party — The New Representative District — Apportionment of 1871 — The Con- 
 stitutional Convention — Changes in 1874 — Vote on Prohibition Amendment — Campaign of 1890 — Judicial 
 Campaigns of 1892-1902 — The Union Party — Vote for President Roosevelt— New Primary Election Law — 
 Congressional Districts — Senatorial Districts — Representative Districts — Judicial Districts — Public Officials 
 — Appointment of Court Officials. 
 
12 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 The Oil and Gas Industries K'9 
 
 Early Oil Discoveries — Petroleum Used as Medicine — its Commercial Possibilities Eealized — Oil Company 
 Formed — First Shipment to Europe — Early Oil Wells — The Parker's Landing Field — Petrolia, Karns City 
 and Fairview — Greece City — Troutman Farm — Millerstown Field — The Bald Ridge District — Thorn Creek — 
 Thorn Creek Extension — Reibald Field — The Hundred-foot District — Brownsdale and Cooperstown — Speech- 
 ley Field — The Pipe Lines — Producers and Refiners — Natural Gas as a Fuel — Deepest Well in the County 
 — Nitro-glycerine — Flannegan's Well-cleaner — Accidents and Tragedies of the Business — Death of Holland 
 — Butler County Woman Killed — Miscellaneous Incidents and Sketches — -A Loaded Porker — William Smith 
 —The Montcalm Letter — Dune Karns — Richard Jennings — Taylor & Satterfield — Plummer's Ride — The Pro- 
 ducers' Protective Association — Beating the Railroad Company — Parker City — The Devil's Half-acre — The 
 Wickedest Man in the World — The Agrarian Trouble at Renfrew — Wilson's Iron Derrick — Fortunes That 
 Were Missed — The Lawyer Pumper — The "Spotty " McBride Well — Hoffman's Luck — Oil Country Honor — 
 Oil Men's Outing Association— Prices of Crude Oil — A Disastrous Fire — Thomas W. Phillips. 
 
 e 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Bench and Bar 221 
 
 Early Court Officials — Early Courts — Origin of "Buckwheat County"- — First Quarter Sessions Court — Civil 
 Gases and Other Court Business — Division of Townships — Cattle Marks — The Court in 1805-06 — Contempt 
 of Court Case — Probate Court Created — MeJunkin-Halleek Tragedy— Court Dockets Written Up— Bredin 
 Appointed Judge — Mohawk Murder Trial — Election of Judges — The Nellis Murder — Duff Trial — Constable 
 Ferguson Killed— Court of 1853— Election of McGuffin — Cooper Murder Trial — Addlington Murder Trial — 
 Hoekenbury Trial — Sehugart-Martin Trials — Constitution of 1873 — Judicial Contest of 1884 — Arrest of Coun- 
 terfeiters — Harbison-Monks Baby Case — Lee Murder Trial — Hasler Murder — Judicial Contest of 1893 — 
 Election of 1902— Catherine Miller Case— McGrady Tiial— The Hoffman Case— Ground Hog Case— The 
 Kreditch Murder— McLaughlin-Hemphill Tragedv— The Schmidt Murder— The Bennett Riot— The Bench; 
 Biographical Notice— The Bar- Biographical Notice^The Butler Bar in 1908. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Transportation Facilities . . . 
 Public Roads — Stage Lines- 
 
 CH AFTER IX. 
 
 Agriculture 280 
 
 Pioneer Methods — Primitive Appliances — Butler County Farmers Progressive — Agricultural Societies — The 
 Butler Driving Park and Fair Association — Millerstown Fair Association — Chicora Dairy Park and Fair As- 
 sociation — North Washington Agricultural Society. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Military History 290 
 
 Early Militia Organizations — Butler Invincibles — War of the Revolution — Butler County's Line of Descent — 
 Military Organizations to which the First^ Settlers Belonged — Revolt of the Pennsylvania Line — A Hero of 
 Stony Point — The Critchlow Brothers and Thomas Scott at Saratoga — War of 1812 — ^Butler Volunteers at 
 Erie — Organization of the Second Infantry — The 13Sth Infantry — Rough Treatment of a Tory — Mexican 
 War — Civil War — The Various Commands — ^Bounty Act — Balaam Association — Jubilee Meeting — Soldiers' 
 Monuments — Spanish-American War — Departure of Mth Regiment — Death of Private Watters — Patriotic So- 
 cieties — Roster of Company E, 15th Regiment — Names of VoIunteer^s — National Guard — Roster of Company 
 L, 16th Regiment — Company G, 21st Regiment. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Medical Profession 3.,3 
 
 The Old Doctor — Some Borough and County Physicians — Homeopaths — Osteopathy — Registered Physicians- 
 Butler Medical Association — Typhoid Fever Epidemic — Relief Society Organized— Ladies' Auxiliary Commit- 
 tees — Dr. Batt's Work— Hospital Established — Supply Rooms — Diet Kitchen — Clara Barton's Visit Relief 
 
 Fund — History of the Water Supply — Financial Report— Butler County General Hospital— Nurses' Trainins 
 School. * 
 
CONTENTS 13 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Banks .wcd Baxkinc 359 
 
 First Banking Institution — First National Bank — John Berg & Co. — Butler Savings Bank — Butler Savings 
 and Trust Co. — Butler County Kational Bank — Farmers' National Bank of Butler — Guaranty Safe Deposit 
 & Trust Co.— Standard Trust Co.— First National Bank of Harrisville— First National Bank of Zelienople— 
 Citizens" National Bank of Slippery Eock — First National, Slippery Rock — Mars National Bank — First Na- 
 tional Bank of Bruin — Citizens' National Bank of Evans City — Lyndorn National Bank — Harmony Savings 
 Bank — Commercial Bank of Harmony — Prospect Savings Bank — Millerstown Savings Bank Association — Mil- 
 lerstOTvn Deposit Bank — Butler County Bank — Fairvjew Banks — Argyle Savings Bank, Petrolia. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The Press 370 
 
 Newspapers and Eilitors of the Past and of tlie Present. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Educatiox 385 
 
 The First Sdiools— Progi'ess of Education— Important Legislation— Teachers' Associations, Etc. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Public Utilities 393 
 
 Roads and Bridges — Electric Railways — Telephone and Telegraph — Bell Telephone — Postal Telegraph Com- 
 jiany — People's Telephone Co. — Speechley Telephone Co. — Butler and Coylesville Telephone Co. — Burton Tel- 
 ephone Co. — Slipperv Rock Telephone Co. — Saxonburg Telephone Co. — Butler County Telephone Co. — Harris- 
 ville Teleplione Co.— Pittsburg ami Butler Telephone Co.— Portersville Telephone Co. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Butler Borough 400 
 
 Founders of Butler — Ti;e County Seat — First Sale of Lots — Original Maps — Dispute about Title — First Set- 
 tlers — Incorporation of the Town — First Public School Tax — Fire Department Considered — Extension of 
 Borough and Street Lights — Light and Fuel Companies — Fire Insurance Companies — Water Companies — 
 Railroads — Telegraph Lines — Board of Trade — Business Men's Association — Grocers' Association — Chamber 
 of Commerce — Public Buildings — Taverns and Hotels — ilanufaetures — Machine Shops — Brickyards — Build- 
 ing and Loan Associations — Churches — Schools — Religious and Charitable Societies — Graveyards and Ceme- 
 teries — Postmasters. 
 
 CHAP'?ER XVII. 
 
 The Townships 487 
 
 ]?ln(iKAPHICAI 605 
 
Index 
 
 Biograpbical 
 
 Page 
 
 Abernethy, Dr 33i 
 
 Abrams, Edward E 611 
 
 Adams, George 1459 
 
 Adams, Josiah 784 
 
 Adams, Leander 1281 
 
 Addison, Hon. Alexander. . . . 239 
 
 Aggas, Warren 607 
 
 Agnew, Dr 326 
 
 Agnew, Hon. Daniel 240 
 
 Akins, Andrew M 900 
 
 Albert, Peter W 1473 
 
 Alehorn, Dr. James P 337 
 
 Aldinger, F. Augustus 1078 
 
 Alexander, Thomas 613 
 
 Allen, Charles W 958 
 
 Allen, Gideon E 1485 
 
 Allen, W. L 1097 
 
 Allen, William S.' 656 
 
 Allison, Robert L., M. D 1347 
 
 Altvater, William G 1320 
 
 Anderson, John P 691 
 
 Anderson, Ora H 1185 
 
 Anderson, Robert M 1029 
 
 Angell, C. D 172 
 
 Angert, Joseph 889 
 
 Armbruster, J. George 984 
 
 Arner, William C 1411 
 
 Arnold, William 1195 
 
 Ash, Isaac 249 
 
 Ash, Joseph 982 
 
 Atwell, J. Clinton, M. D 718 
 
 Atwell, Samuel 263 
 
 AtweU, William J 1198 
 
 Avery, S. S 253 
 
 Ayres, Gen. William 243 
 
 Bachman, Charles B 1141 
 
 Bachman, William 959 
 
 Badger, Frank W 895 
 
 Badger, Sumner B . . . 975 
 
 Bailey, Dr. Raymond W 343 
 
 Baker, Everett M., M. D 1073 
 
 Baker, James W 667 
 
 Baker, Thomas M 255 
 
 Baldwin, George 743 
 
 Balfour, John 1451 
 
 Paye 
 
 Ball, Joseph 1450 
 
 Bancroft, Prof. P. S 1275 
 
 Barber, Dr. Walter 337 
 
 Barber, William 1423 
 
 Bard, Jackson E 766 
 
 Barker, Enos r 1068 
 
 Barklev, William J 939 
 
 Barnard, Carlton H 831 
 
 Barney, H. M 1418 
 
 Barnhart, Andrew W 878 
 
 Barnhart, Charles H 1134 
 
 Barnhart, Rudolph 903 
 
 Barnhart, Victor A 1009 
 
 Barron, Joseph ■ 1391 
 
 Bartlej^, James M 675 
 
 Bartley, Naaman F 1241 
 
 Hartley, William J 1420 
 
 Bastian, David G 1244 
 
 Bauer, Charles 983 
 
 Bauer, George 1166 
 
 Beachem, Charles 1229 
 
 Beam, Samuel A 1409 
 
 Beattv, George M., M. D 1141 
 
 Beattv, Dr. J. W 335 
 
 Beck, Frank S 862 
 
 Beck, Joseph L 862 
 
 Behm, Augustus H 1007 
 
 Bell, Hon. Elmer E 954 
 
 Bell, Dr. Harrv A 329 
 
 Bell, Samuel 1313 
 
 Bell, Samuel 943 
 
 Bell, Dr. Sylvester D 329 
 
 Bennett, David T 804 
 
 Bennett, William L 808 
 
 Beringer, John 1100 
 
 Berry, O. P 1430 
 
 Bicker, Herman L 660 
 
 Bicker, John F 663 
 
 Binsack, Henrv 902 
 
 Black, Alfred' J 943 
 
 Black, A. T 255 
 
 Black, George A 250 
 
 Black, John A 722 
 
 Black, Newton 254 
 
 Black, William H 256 
 
 Blair, Marion E 7G0 
 
 Page 
 
 Blakeley, Col. Archibald 246 
 
 Blakeley, Col. William 246 
 
 Blaney, Cyrus E 748 
 
 Book, Charles H 1266 
 
 Book, William F IISO 
 
 Boos, Jacob 779 
 
 Borland, Charles R 1348 
 
 Bovard, J. Chambers 1152 
 
 Bovard & Sons, J. C 1152 
 
 Bowers, Augustus 1259 
 
 Bowser, D. L 629 
 
 Bowser, Ross M 1021 
 
 Bowser, S. F 257 
 
 Boyle, J. C, M. D 1129 
 
 Braham, Samuel L 1003 
 
 Brandberg, C. J 993 
 
 Brandon, Matthew H 643 
 
 Brandon, Washington D 257 
 
 Brandon, J. Emory 91i) 
 
 Brandon, Jacob C". 911 
 
 Brandon, William S 907 
 
 Braunan, Isaac R 659 
 
 Brediu, Edward M 245 
 
 Bredin, Hon. James 647 
 
 Bredin, Hon. John 240 
 
 Bredin, Joseph B. 664 
 
 Bredin, Dr. Stephen 329 
 
 Brennan, William J 849 
 
 Brewster, Alexander 671 
 
 Bricker, Hiram C 989 
 
 Brieker, Dr. McCurdy 329 
 
 Brittain, James F 250 
 
 Brower, Dr. B. H. B 337 
 
 Brown, Charles M 1050 
 
 Brown, C. N 204 
 
 Brown, Henry J 1140 
 
 Brown, Peter P 1282 
 
 Brown, Robert H 973 
 
 Brown, T. H 995 
 
 Brown, William E 989 
 
 Brown, Dr. William H 341 
 
 Brunermer, George A 857 
 
 Buchanan, James C 1423 
 
 Buffington, Hon. Joseph 243 
 
 Buhning, Henrv 1291 
 
 BuUard, Dr. Henry 335 
 
Page 
 
 Burc-haid, Dr. H. C 335 
 
 Burk, John A 1236 
 
 Burke, Richard 826 
 
 Burton, William J 994 
 
 Butler, Albert E 987 
 
 Butler, Gen. Richard 75 
 
 Bvers, .Fohn -.1386 
 
 Byers, Dr. John E 328 
 
 Byers, Josiah 1468 
 
 Caldwell, James B 1101 
 
 Caldwell, John B 1306 ' 
 
 Caler, Wilbert L 1398 
 
 Campbell, Andrew G 1298 
 
 Campbell, James 1 755 
 
 Campbell, John S ; 1289 
 
 Campbell, John Sheppard.... 947 
 Campbell, Mrs. Josephine. .. .1066 
 
 Campbell, N. W 256 
 
 Campbell, O. P 1107 
 
 Campbell, T. Chalmers 1010 
 
 Campbell, Dr. Willard B 1065 
 
 Campbell, William 1306 
 
 Campbell, William, Sr 1090 
 
 Carpenter, John L 1374 
 
 Cashdollar, William S 1117 
 
 Chandler, George N 797 
 
 Christie, .lames L., M. D 869 
 
 Christie, Samuel Plummer. . .1442 
 
 Christley, Alfred M 260 
 
 Christlev, Curtis 1 1012 
 
 Christley, Laurell E 378 
 
 Christlev, William 1346 
 
 Christy,' Alfred W 761 
 
 Christy, Dr. J. L 338 
 
 Clark," Julian A 1318 
 
 Clark, .T. B 255 
 
 Clay, S. G 1368 
 
 Cleeland, David L 692 
 
 Clevis, L. J 253 
 
 Clinton, E. DeWitt 1277 
 
 Glutton, Frank 1251 
 
 Cluxton, Dr. F. C 335 
 
 Cochrane, Calvin C 870 
 
 Cochran, Joseph H 1058 
 
 Colbert, W. H 255 
 
 Colestock, .Joseph 671 
 
 Collins, Isaiah 668 
 
 Collins, .John 1348 
 
 Collins, Rev. Patrick K 1134 
 
 Conley, James R. P 1339 
 
 Conley, Robert J 10o\ | 
 
 Cook^M,,. TlM.inlcV r!^';^^!!;i-JS4 
 
 Coo|i.r. .\|.Ih-s a 1453 
 
 Cooper, .lospph B 966 
 
 Cooper, Thomas F 1179 
 
 Cornelius, Alexander M 259 
 
 Cornelius, William M 253 
 
 Coulter, Dr. G. W 338 
 
 Coulter, Hunter E 930 
 
 Coulter, John W 264 
 
 Cowden, Dr. John 328 
 
 Cowden, Dr. John V 328 
 
 Cowden, Dr. William R 32S 
 
 Page 
 
 Coyle, James, Jr 761 
 
 Craig, L. H 848 
 
 Cramer, John 926 
 
 Cranmer, .John T 1074 
 
 Crawford, Dr. Frank 329 
 
 Crawford, Joseph A 780 
 
 Crawford, Walter G 253 
 
 Cress, Milton 1476 
 
 Criswell, David S 1463 
 
 Criswell, John A 1077 
 
 Criswell, Joseph 1310 
 
 Critchlow, Henry C 762 
 
 Cromling, Henry 1411 
 
 Cross, John A . ! 1093 • 
 
 Grouse, Philip 843 
 
 Crowe, John 840 
 
 Cubbins, William H 798 
 
 Culberson, W. Clark 1446 
 
 Cummings, Paul 256 
 
 Cummings, Stephen 738 
 
 Cunningham, Dr. Abelard V.. 931 
 
 Cunningham, A. M 254 
 
 Cunningham, David C 245 
 
 Cunningham. Francis W 929 
 
 Currie, Wjlliam B 654 
 
 Cypher, .John C 737 
 
 Cypher, Philip 742 
 
 Dale, David E 814 
 
 Dambaeh. Adam J 1165 
 
 Dambaugh, .Jacob 1026 
 
 Dart, D. W 1327 
 
 Daubenspeck, G. F 838 
 
 Daubenspeck, Philip 870 
 
 Daughertv, Joseph S 849 
 
 Daughert'v, W. H 1443 
 
 Davidson, A. W 1414 
 
 Davis, Dr. Harry M 333 
 
 Davison. Mrs. Priscilla 1017 
 
 Davy, F. H 1004 
 
 Dean, Harold E 839 
 
 DeColiere, Dr. Henri 328 
 
 Delia ven, Robert L 768 
 
 Dennison, Dr. B. E 335 
 
 Dennv, James M 253 
 
 DeWolf. Charles L.. M. D 890 
 
 DeWolfe, Dr. EM G 338 
 
 DeWolf e. Dr. Henrv C 325 
 
 Dickey, David M . ." 844 
 
 Dindinger, Hon. John 900 
 
 Dipner, Charles 766 
 
 Dipner, John L 773 
 
 Dipner, William 766 
 
 Dittmer, .Joseph J 697 
 
 Divener, Charles 847 
 
 Dixon, Winfield S 1290 
 
 Dodd. Samuel T 1385 
 
 Dodds, David B 1003 
 
 Dodds, Ernest J 813 
 
 Dodds, John S 965 
 
 Dodds, Thomas J 643 
 
 Dombart. Nicholas A., M. D.. 990 
 
 Donaldson Brothers 759 
 
 Donaldson. Clifford C 759 
 
 Donaldson, Harry A 759 
 
 Page 
 
 Donaldson, William P 7.59 
 
 Donley, Joseph T 255 
 
 Double, Henry Perrj' 1254 
 
 Double, Joseph ....". 635 
 
 Douthett, Detmore W.. 1023 
 
 Douthett, William 6 801 
 
 Dower, John H 730 
 
 Drake, Dr. Nannie B 341 
 
 Drane, Philip A 1351 
 
 Drushel, Henry Edwin 945 
 
 Duff, Dr. P. S 341 
 
 Duffy, Peter nZG 
 
 Dunbar, Charles 1 1002 
 
 Dunbar, Daniel L 1091 
 
 Dunbar, Solomon II43 
 
 Duncan, Gilmore A., D. D. S..1365 
 
 Duncan, Nelson B 1292 
 
 Duncan, Sample C 1233 
 
 Dunlap, Mulvain 1314 
 
 DuPanchell, Dr 327 
 
 Eagal, Orenzo W 1483 
 
 Eakin, Robert 1399 
 
 Eastman, Frank il 255 
 
 Eberhart, Andrew 681 
 
 Eberle, C. P 882 
 
 Eberle, H. W 762 
 
 Ehmer, J. Andrew 868 
 
 Ekas, Chester A 1436 
 
 Elliott, .James M 773 
 
 Elriek, Dr. J. H 333 
 
 Elriek, John M 1040 
 
 Elriek, Richard E 1060 
 
 Emmerling. Dr. Charles 326 
 
 Emrick, William J 964 
 
 Endres, Adam 876 
 
 Engelhart, Ernst F 895 
 
 Evans, J. Bernard. 1150 
 
 Evans, Silas H 796 
 
 Evans, Walter 798 
 
 Everts, J. H 778 
 
 Ewing, Mrs. Ellsworth 1468 
 
 Eyles, Fred 874 
 
 Falkner, Matthew 1442 
 
 Falkner, Samuel '. 1434 
 
 Fehl, Casper 958 
 
 Fennell, Philip S 789 
 
 Ferguson, John 988 
 
 Ferrero, Eugene 249 
 
 Fetzer, Charles A 614 
 
 Fiedler, Dr. Daniel W -. . . . 1479 
 
 Fiudley, William C 260 
 
 Fisher, Robert ' 878 
 
 Fleeger, A. F 648 
 
 Fleeger. Isaac M 966 
 
 Fletcher, E. Jl 698 
 
 Flick, John H 721 
 
 FoUett. James S 68a 
 
 Forcht, George 917 
 
 Forquer, Benjamin J 1364 
 
 Forquer, Francis J 1222- 
 
 I'orquer. William A 254 
 
 Forsvthe, Pavi.l 1032 
 
 Foster. Dr. J. ( ' 343 
 
16 
 
 Page 
 
 Foster, Dr. Julia E 34L' 
 
 Foster, Dr. W. V. 335 
 
 Foster, William 6S7 
 
 Fox, George H 626 
 
 Fox, WilUam J 644 
 
 Frazier, Thomas A 1131 
 
 Frederick, Jacob 820 
 
 Freehling, John G 703 
 
 Freehling, Theodore H 712 
 
 Freehling, William T 1216 
 
 Friekenstein, Dr. Theo 326 
 
 Frishkorn, Frederick A 768 
 
 Galbreath, lion. James M 840 
 
 Galbraith. John 243, 373 
 
 Galbreth, Samuel W 697 
 
 Gallagher, Dennis L 791 
 
 Gallagher, Robert E., D.D.S... 92.3 
 
 Gallaway, John F 1435 
 
 Gamble, W. E l^'l^ 
 
 Gerard, Claude 1230 
 
 Gerlach, Charles 1040 
 
 Gerner. Henry 1467 
 
 Garroway, J. L 1057 
 
 Gillespie, Otho J 1462 
 
 (iillgrist, James A 1469 
 
 GiUiland. E. L 1344 
 
 Gilliland, John A 676 
 
 Gilmore, Hon. Alfred: 248 
 
 (Jilmore, Hugh 1359 
 
 Gilmore, John 243 
 
 Gilmore, Jlou. Samuel A 248 
 
 Gilmore, W. E 902 
 
 Glenn, James S 1133 
 
 Glenn, Samuel W 1063 
 
 Goehring, Charles E 873 
 
 Goehring, W. H 819 
 
 Goerman, C. I 1480 
 
 Goldthorp, Thomas J 1281 
 
 Goucher, Henderson H 259 
 
 Gould, Perry E 937 
 
 Grabe, William H 1327 
 
 Graham, Hon. George H 1458 
 
 Graham, Harry L 1257 
 
 Graham, Hugh C 250 
 
 Graham, Dr, James 325 
 
 Graham, John 245 
 
 Graham, John A 896 
 
 Graham, John C 264 
 
 Graham, Matthew 1196 
 
 Graham, Orin P 1260 
 
 Graham, Dr. Samuel 327 
 
 Graham. Thomas J 953 
 
 Graham, Walter L 1076 
 
 Grav, Carson G 1457 
 
 Grei>n, Paul K 642 
 
 Greenert. John 749 
 
 Greer, John B 2.56 
 
 Greer, Hon. John M 1444 
 
 Greer, Matthew S 970 
 
 Greer, S. W 1038 
 
 Greer, Thomas H 256 
 
 Gregg, John A...; 1089 
 
 Gregg, Ralph 1278 
 
 Grenet, Henry F 1332 
 
 Grimm, George F 1163 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Groom, Andrew D 662 
 
 Grossman, Ashley W 834 
 
 Grossman, Dr, Eliza 341 
 
 (Jrossman, Harrison B 834 
 
 Grossman, Js'athaniel S 628 
 
 Grossman, R. J., M.D 660 
 
 Gundlaeh, Conrad 668 
 
 Hall, Amos 809 
 
 Hall, Amos M 1484 
 
 Hallaek, Marshall Ney 754 
 
 Hallstein, John A 1150 
 
 Halstead, John L. M., M.D... 1429 
 
 Hamer. G. D 254 
 
 Hamilton, Fred J 1299 
 
 Hannner, Gustave 1456 
 
 Harden, Dr. E. E 343 
 
 Harper, Gyrus 855 
 
 Harper, Dr. David 335 
 
 Harper, Dr. Mary E 341 
 
 Harris, Dr. Edward H 341 
 
 Hartmau, Hon. Joseph 605 
 
 Hartenstein, Louis 1365 
 
 Hartung, George M 1082 
 
 Harvey, Elridge 1482 
 
 Hays, Hon. Thomas . . . .' 630 
 
 Hazen, Hon. Aaron L 242 
 
 Hazlett, Dr, Frank L 330 
 
 Hazlett, Leslie P 617 
 
 Hazlett, Leslie E 676 
 
 Hazlett, William 373 
 
 Heck, George B 653 
 
 Heim, Martin 934 
 
 Heineman, Charles M 1304 
 
 Heineman, Henry C 1304 
 
 Heiner, John H 618 
 
 Heist, Leonard 896 
 
 Helfrich, J, George 704 
 
 Heller, George F 717 
 
 Heller, Henry E 724 
 
 Helmbold, John E 1463 
 
 Henninger, John E 910 
 
 Henon, Thomas H 1404 
 
 Henry, William 1283 
 
 Hensiiaw, Henry W 1209 
 
 Herman, Charles 715 
 
 Heroid, Lewis A 1081 
 
 Kerr, Charles E 1305 
 
 Herrit, John H 689 
 
 Hervey, Joseph W 1007 
 
 Heyl, Asa Waters, D.D.S 1178 
 
 High, Dr. Warren E 330 
 
 Hillard, Daniel E 1191 
 
 Hillard, .Jonathan B 1293 
 
 Hilliard, John W 1413 
 
 Hinehberger, Joseph B 1180 
 
 Hindman, DeLoss L 1137 
 
 Hindman, H. C 1297 
 
 Hindman, John 1171 
 
 Hindman, Robert S 1383 
 
 Hines, George W 861 
 
 Hines, James M l467 
 
 Hines, William P 1390 
 
 Hobaugh, John S 825 
 
 Hoch, A. A 1354 
 
 Hoeh, Hon. Ralph W. E, , 8S3 
 
 Page 
 
 Hoekeuberrv, B. M 1486 
 
 Hockenberry, Harvey D., M.D. .1378 
 
 Hotrmau, Harry N 216 
 
 Hogan, Ben 213 
 
 Hogg, Robert 1074 
 
 Holbein, Joseph E 1102 
 
 Hoon, Clark W 814 
 
 Holland, James F 204, 206 
 
 Hoon, Thomas R 620 
 
 Hoon, William T 960 
 
 Hoover, Michael 1383 
 
 Hoover, Dr. Nicholas N 330 
 
 Hosf ord, Charles F 1445 
 
 Howard, George E 804 
 
 Howard, Dr. Lyman L 338 
 
 Huff, F. J 1045 
 
 Huflfman, .L W 748 
 
 Humi.lir.'v, .Ims.^i.Ii A 256 
 
 Hun,|i|.ivv. Sh,Tin:in C 1478 
 
 HumpliivN, W'llln,,,, 1385 
 
 Huntir, William W 1452 
 
 Kuselton. B. C 1118 
 
 Hutchinson, James W 937 
 
 Hutchinson, Darius L 1259 
 
 Hutchison, James W 260 
 
 Hutzler, William C 753 
 
 Hyle, C. Ferd ,. 987 
 
 Ifft, George 792 
 
 Iflft, George N 373 
 
 Tfft, Henry John 960 
 
 Iman, Mrs". Martha E 1174 
 
 Irvin, Samuel P 249 
 
 Irvine, Dr. William 334 
 
 Irwin, George B 1377 
 
 Irwin, Robert S 1221 
 
 Ivell, Eobert 1 298 
 
 .Tack, D. H 253 
 
 Jack, Jedediah 248 
 
 Jack, R. P 1318 
 
 Jackson, John H 264 
 
 Jacobs, George M 774 
 
 Jamison, Archibald T 1202 
 
 Jamison, William E 777 
 
 Jennings, Richard 209 
 
 Johns, Isaac N 621 
 
 Johnson, Albert C 253 
 
 Johnson, Harry Lee 731 
 
 .Johnston, C. C 1068 
 
 Johnston, John 1046 
 
 Jones, Dr. Mary L 341 
 
 Kabel, Martin S2S 
 
 Kaltenbach, John W 976 
 
 Kamerer, Samuel H 1428 
 
 Karns, Sheridan C 809 
 
 Karns, Stephen D 208 
 
 Kauflfman, George A 1038 
 
 Kauffman, W. L 696 
 
 Kaylor, G. W 1426 
 
 Kaylor, Isaac 1434 
 
 Keasey, Henry C 686 
 
 Keasey, Webster 832 
 
 Keck, Henry 020 
 
 Keck, .Jacob 917 
 

 •Page 
 
 Keek, Theo. C. H 
 
 .... 264 
 
 Keister, Winfield S 
 
 . . . . 785 
 
 Kelley, John C 
 
 
 Kelley, John K 
 
 . . . . 253 
 
 Kelley, Thomas J.. 
 
 ....1093 
 
 Kelly, Dr. Albert A 
 
 .... 334 
 
 Kelly, David P 
 
 .... 978 
 
 Kellv, Milton H 
 
 ....1481 
 
 Kellv. S. 
 
 .... 821 
 
 Kennedy, C. H 
 
 . . . . 932 
 
 Kennedv, Charles L 
 
 ....1085 
 
 
 
 Keiiiirdv, ].. rivde 
 
 ....1132 
 
 Keiin..,lv, I'rtrr H 
 
 . . . . 675 
 
 Konii.'dv Willi.-im 
 
 
 Kennedv William J 
 
 1174 
 
 Kennedv, Hon. Wm. JI... 
 
 ....1210 
 
 Kepple, A. D 
 
 ....1397 
 
 Kepple, William L 
 
 ....1320 
 
 Kerr, Levi T 
 
 . . . . 1368 
 
 Kerr, Thoma.s E 
 
 ....1018 
 
 Kesselman, William 
 
 
 King, Philo L 
 
 ....1447 
 
 Kinsev, William P 
 
 ....1102 
 
 Ivirker, James W 
 
 . . . . 248 
 
 Kirkpatriek, David L 
 
 ....1023 
 
 Kiskad.l..ii. J. (■ 
 
 .... 1455 
 
 Kis,.n, .h.lii! 11 
 
 ....1059 
 
 Kle.-iii.-iiiii, K'iid.ilph J 
 
 . . . . 767 
 
 
 .... 633 
 
 Klinoler, Herman J 
 
 .... 6.33 
 
 Knaell, George H 
 
 ....1025 
 
 Knaiif. A. H 
 
 ... .1331 
 
 KnnuM.. J„l,n 
 
 . . . . 932 
 
 Kllonv,^ (■|,:,rl,.s K 
 
 ....1163 
 
 Knox, .l;,ni<'^ M 
 
 .... 753 
 
 Koillrl', ,1c, hii K 
 
 
 Kodi, John U 
 
 .... 844 
 
 Kohler, Frank X 
 
 . . . . 261 
 
 Korona, Manuel A 
 
 ....1426 
 
 Kramer, Michael 
 
 .... 786 
 
 Krause, Philip P 
 
 ....1474 
 
 krause, Eobert 
 
 ....1068 
 
 Krause, William 
 
 . . . . 853 
 
 Kribhs, Rev. John A 
 
 ....1207 
 
 Kri..s>, Ilriiiv I- 
 
 ....13.54 
 
 Knit. Ant, .11 
 
 696 
 
 Kutsrh, .\ll„.|t 
 
 ....1300 
 
 Kutsvh. .Joseph 
 
 . . . . 754 
 
 Kyle, D. J 
 
 .... 253 
 
 Kyle, Robert W 
 
 ....11.56 
 
 h-ukrv. WiUiain E 
 
 ....1270 
 
 Laiiil.inL; Hms 
 
 207 
 
 Laily, All.|]v^^ .1 
 
 . . . . 684 
 
 Laiiy, i:ih.iit 
 
 .... 677 
 
 Lasli.i. III-. \V. W 
 
 .... 337 
 
 Lauftcr, ■/.. l> 
 
 ....1049 
 
 Laughner. Samuel N 
 
 .... 767 
 
 Lawrence, Peter K 
 
 ....1477 
 
 Leake, Dr. E. N 
 
 . . . . 341 
 
 Leehner. John 
 
 ....1037 
 
 Leech, Lott I 
 
 ....1144 
 
 Leedom, J H 
 
 .... 853 
 
 Leedom, P. W 1471 
 
 Lemmon, Andrew 123S 
 
 Page 
 
 Lcidecker, F. W 743 
 
 Lensner, H. W lUSfl 
 
 Lerner, Henry H 722 
 
 Leslie, Samuel A 1454 
 
 Leslie, Samuel McBride 1057 
 
 Lester, William J 648 
 
 Lewis, John A 1236 
 
 Linn, L. G 253 
 
 Litzinger, Lewis P 265 
 
 Lloyd, Col. David D 1083 
 
 Lloyd, R. Russell 963 
 
 Logan, David Henry 1403 
 
 Logan, James C 709 
 
 Logue, Patrick 843 
 
 Love, Sample 1039 
 
 Lowrie, Walter 138 
 
 Lowrie, Walter H 245 
 
 Lowry, Col. Alexander........ 944 
 
 Lowry, John F 863 
 
 Lowry, Porter W 638 
 
 Lusk, Dr. Amos 336 
 
 Lusk, Dr. Joseph S 336 
 
 Lusk, Dr. Loring 336 
 
 Lusk, William H 795 
 
 Luton, W. W 1197 
 
 Lynn, Dr. George 325 
 
 Lyon, Edwin 249 
 
 Lynn, Dr. H. C 326 
 
 Lyon, Thomas H 250 
 
 Lytle, W. F 1177 
 
 McAdoo, Dr. Geo. K 328 
 
 McAlpin, Dr. Jasmine 341 
 
 Mc-P.ride. Tir. ( ■. F 3-'9 
 
 McHvHl.., >;.]. l-rnncis 244 
 
 Wcl'.ii.l,'. K:,,;,|, L 7(17 
 
 Mc-Hihl.'. , I. .1.11 M 1059 
 
 McKride, .Michael ■■5il 
 
 McBride, Kerr H 1164 
 
 McCafferty. William 1354 
 
 McCall, Josiah P 611 
 
 Mc(;andless, Hon. Charles 241 
 
 McCandless, Dr. Geo. A 337 
 
 McCandless, Humes A 627 
 
 McCandless, James W 1274 
 
 Mc(.:andless, Jennings C 847 
 
 McCandless, .loseph M 1037 
 
 McCandless, Joshua J 642 
 
 McCandless, Dr. Josiah 33s 
 
 McCandless, J. R 1173 
 
 McCandless, 0. G 255 
 
 McCandless, Capt. William H..1343 
 
 McCMrrier, John 1160 
 
 M.rhristy, Dr. C. A 338 
 
 .M( ( 'lall^rtv, James S 881 
 
 -McClelland', Charles S., M.D...1119 
 
 McClure, Robert M 249 
 
 McCollough, Andrew W 1183 
 
 McCollough, David 1404 
 
 McCollough. N. C 926 
 
 McCollough, Peter 863 
 
 McConnell. Dr. W. W 1071 
 
 McCoy, John H 1138 
 
 McCrea, D. F 970 
 
 McCune. W. D., M.D 1474 
 
 McCurdv. Dr. R. L 333 
 
 Page 
 
 McDermitt, Areus 246 
 
 McDonald, Duncan 1345 
 
 McDonahl, William T 1198 
 
 McDowell, James A 929 
 
 McDowell, W. J 1464 
 
 McDowell. William 11.59 
 
 McElroy, James H., Sr 850 
 
 McElvain, Nelson 1192 
 
 ilcParland, A. B. C 255 
 
 MeFarland. Thomas D 1471 
 
 McFarlin, Caleb B 1462 
 
 MeFarlin, Caleb B„ Jr 1428 
 
 McFerrin. Chas. A 254 
 
 McGaffic, W. H 826 
 
 ilcGarvey, .lames 854 
 
 McGeary, William B 813 
 
 ilcGinnis, William 803 
 
 ilcGuffin, Hon. L. L 241 
 
 McGuirk, Dennis P 1 269 
 
 -McGuirk, Thomas H 1357 
 
 Mcliitire, C. E 1017 
 
 .Mclntyre, William 1475 
 
 .McJunkin. Hon. Ebeuezer .... 24] 
 
 Mc.Junkin, Hon. Ira 617 
 
 McJunkin. James B 258 
 
 -McJonkin. Hon. J. David 626 
 
 McJunkin. Dr. Isaiah 326 
 
 McKain. John 1212 
 
 McKain, Silas 1212 
 
 ilcKay, Samuel 887 
 
 McKee, .Tames A 607 
 
 McKee, Dr. James C 331 
 
 McKee, James F 993 
 
 ^k-Kee. James W 1325 
 
 .McKee. .Tohu S., t>.]) 1:140 
 
 :\IcKee, Josiah D ,so2 
 
 McKeown, John 207 
 
 McKiiincv, Henrv B 774 
 
 M.KiniK-y. .Joseph M S20 
 
 -McKinucv. .Samuel liiil 
 
 -McMahon, Daniel 1270 
 
 .Mc.Mah,,n. I). J 1336 
 
 .Mc.Michacl. Dr. Josiah 3.34 
 
 .McMichael. Hon. John 242 
 
 -McMiclii,,.!. Robert .John, M.D. 1360 
 MrMi,-li:,rl. y.,;,-i^ 1230 
 
 -M. -Mill. Ml. in, .hicksou 333 
 
 AI.-.Muir:n. .Mrs. .Margaret 1317 
 
 .\lc.\allv. .lames M 982 
 
 McXamara. John R 858 
 
 ilcQuistion. Levingston 257 
 
 McQiiiston. William A 838 
 
 JlcSweeney, Edward 253 
 
 MacTagga'rt. John E 738 
 
 ilagee, William A 814 
 
 ilaharg, James X 1108 
 
 Maizland, John 1378 
 
 Maltby, Albert E., A.M 1406 
 
 ifanu. Dr. Jesse E 341 
 
 JIanny, Joseph 710 
 
 Marbiirgcr. George W 1190 
 
 Marburger. John 1157 
 
 ?ilarkel, Lawrence O 1 168 
 
 Marks. Robert A 11 89 
 
 Marshall, A. A 619 
 
 .Marshall. Henrv X 255 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 .Marshall, .Jamos T lOtIS 
 
 .Marshall, John D 26U 
 
 .Marshall, Keiiucilv 253 
 
 M;u-tiii, Mrs. SaiKv A 122:j 
 
 ■Martin, Hon. .). Norman 241' 
 
 Martin, William H 263 
 
 Martin, William T 1207 
 
 Martsolf, Henry 6.30 
 
 Martsolf, Lewis 1223 
 
 Mates, .Tames B 2.59 
 
 Maurhoff, Alfred 1002 
 
 Maxwell, Leslie Q 255 
 
 Maxwell, R. L 253 
 
 Ma.xwell, Dr. Thomas M 332 
 
 Mavs, Peter 1 1400 
 
 Meiikin, .Tohn A 1374 
 
 Mceder, Albert H 884 
 
 Meeder, Edwin 924 
 
 Meek, .James 749 
 
 Meldreu, Jacob L 209 
 
 Menken, Henry 1447 
 
 Merkley, E. N., D. 342 
 
 Merkley, W. A., D. 342 
 
 Metz, Andrew B 1328 
 
 Metz, Dr. A. H 337 
 
 Michael, William 1 1130 
 
 Milford, .John J 759 
 
 Miller, Andrew 1460 
 
 Miller, C. E 625 
 
 Miller, Charles R 1032 
 
 Miller, Ellsworth 1211 
 
 Miller, Eugene G 253 
 
 Miller, Fred E 1149 
 
 Miller, Dr. Gotleib 326 
 
 Miller, G. Wilson 1071 
 
 Miller, John F 1208 
 
 Miller, John P 925 
 
 Miller, Peter 1480 
 
 Miller, William H 1333 
 
 Millirou, George 957 
 
 Milliron, James A 1459 
 
 Mitchell, Alexander 258 
 
 Mitchell, Erman B 253 
 
 Mitchell, Hon. John H 247 
 
 Mitchell, Joseph 250 
 
 Mitchell, Louis Z 245 
 
 Monks, Martin 1012 
 
 Montag, Henry Ernest 1406 
 
 Montag, J. E 1131 
 
 Moore, James N 259 
 
 Moore, Dr. .7. W. F 330 
 
 Moore, .John L 889 
 
 Moore, Lorenzo G 888 
 
 Morgan, Edward 1109 
 
 Morgan, Samuel 644 
 
 Morrison, James H 1124 
 
 Morrison, W. J 801 
 
 Morrow, Dr. Clara E 342 
 
 Morrow, David R 996 
 
 Moser, J. G 1363 
 
 Moyer, Abrara W 867 
 
 Mu'ntz, John N 786 
 
 Murphv, Frank H 263 
 
 Murrin, A. P 1379 
 
 Mnrrin. Hugh T 1379 
 
 Page 
 
 Murrin, John 1031 
 
 Murrin, .John F 861 
 
 Murrin, .Joseph T 1252 
 
 Murrin, William Z 1031 
 
 Mutual Cpal Mining Co 1204 
 
 Myers, Charles M 737 
 
 Myers, Henry J 1450 
 
 Negley, Edgar H 265 
 
 Negley, John H 247 
 
 Negley, WilUam C 1275 
 
 Nelson, Alfred B 1057 
 
 Neubert, Emil F 1190 
 
 Neubert, Oliver 1172 
 
 Neu, Peter 930 
 
 Neyman, Dr. A. M 326 
 
 Neyman, Markle J 1226 
 
 Nicholas, O. H 875 
 
 Nicklas, Mrs. Mary W 822 
 
 Nixon, Simeon 819 
 
 Northime, L. C 1057 
 
 Oakes, Scott 723 
 
 Oesterling, Edward L 1050 
 
 Oesterling, Eli 1097 
 
 Oesterling, Fred L 709 
 
 Oesterling, John 904 
 
 Oesterling, Leonard, Jr 915 
 
 Oesterling, Leonard, Sr 915 
 
 Oesterling, Lewis B 911 
 
 Oesterling, William 957 
 
 O 'Hara, James 1305 
 
 Ohl, Charles Adam 1417 
 
 Oliver, Henderson 1397 
 
 Orr, John 742 
 
 Orr, .Joseph H 741 
 
 Orton, George W. P 1358 
 
 Orton, William H 650 
 
 Ostrander, Loree L 1460 
 
 Owens, Dr. James 333 
 
 Painter, Howard 1 263 
 
 Painter, .J. M 262 
 
 Palmer, Dr. Orriu D 836 
 
 Park, Albert A 938 
 
 Parker, C. H 1074 
 
 Passavant, Charles S., Jr.... 678 
 
 Patterson, Dr. A. M 771 
 
 Patterson, Dr. Ella A. H 341 
 
 Patterson, Prof. Gaylord H. . 777 
 
 Patterson, John W 755 
 
 Patterson, Dr. R. L 334 
 
 Patterson, Walter S., M. D... 716 
 
 Pearsol, Samuel H 250 
 
 Pearson, Dr. Benjamin 338 
 
 Peffer, Alfred Z . .' 1303 
 
 Peffer, Fred 868 
 
 Penfield, R. S 682 
 
 Peoples, James A 1243 
 
 Peoples, John P 1243 
 
 Pf abe, Henry 1469 
 
 Phillips, Thomas W 219 
 
 Pickard, William H 1380 
 
 Pierce Brothers 698 
 
 Pierce, James R 698 
 
 ■ Page 
 
 Pierce, Thomas M 698 
 
 Pistorius, Jacob 825 
 
 Pistorius, Peter 718 
 
 Pollock, B. L 256 
 
 Polm, Charles 784 
 
 Poole, R. A 1016 
 
 Powel, Dr. Anna H 342 
 
 Powel, Dr. B. B 342 
 
 Powell, John Wesley 1425 
 
 Poyrell, William V 622 
 
 Pringle, William 1045 
 
 Prugh, Rev. Peter C 1319 
 
 Purucker, John E 827 
 
 Purviance, Frank S 254 
 
 Purviance, Col. John 243 
 
 Purviance, Lewis K 249 
 
 Purviance, Gen. John N 245 
 
 Purviance, Parker C 263 
 
 Purviance, Hon. Samuel .\ . . . 244 
 
 Purviance, William A 831 
 
 Purvis, Dr. Gracy F 343 
 
 Purvis, Joseph L 641 
 
 Purvis, Samuel G 884 
 
 Pun-is, Samuel G 1111 
 
 Purvis, William B 263 
 
 Quirk, Michael 844 
 
 Quinn, Harry M 832 
 
 Rader, B. J 673 
 
 Rader, Lewis 1044 
 
 Rader, William H 1477 
 
 Ralston, Everett L 925 
 
 Ralston, Dr. James H 918 
 
 Ralston, William A 25."i 
 
 Ramsey, Ba.\ter R 1334 
 
 Ramsey, William H 1203 
 
 Randall, James N 1326 
 
 Randolph, Dr. W. J 327 
 
 Rape, William 1010 
 
 Ray, Perry F 1417 
 
 Reiber, Aaron E 261 
 
 Reiber, A. E 996 
 
 Eeiber, Ferdinand 261 
 
 Reiber, George 724 
 
 Beihing, William H 1124 
 
 Reith, Joseph 1410 
 
 Renick, Adam H 803 
 
 Renick, Jacob G 875 
 
 Renno, E. J 833 
 
 Richards, A. C 867 
 
 Richardson, Dr. N. M 3.38 
 
 Riddle, W. H. H 807 
 
 Rieger, Andrew 883 
 
 Rieger, Charles 894 
 
 Rimp, Charles 1168 
 
 Ritner, Henry A 613 
 
 Roach, Thomas V 1420 
 
 Robb, Albert W 1429 
 
 Roberts, Hon. Samuel 240 
 
 Bobinson, Eli D 606 
 
 Robinson, George E 263 
 
 Robinson, Hon. Thomas 622 
 
 Rockenstein, A. F 822 
 
 Roessing, W. P 828 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Rosebaugh, Andrew C 690 
 
 Roth, John M 253 
 
 Roth, Lewis M., D. D. S 945 
 
 Ruch, Reuben F 1438 
 
 Rudert, Paul 1149 
 
 Ruff, Albert 1108 
 
 Rumbaugh, Jacob B 1125 
 
 Rumberger, Dr. C. C 335 
 
 Rumberger, William F 1251 
 
 Runkle, James G 856 
 
 Russell, Huston 1094 
 
 Russel, S. Nelson 1144 
 
 Sager, William J 1251 
 
 Sankey, Lewis C 807 
 
 Sarver, A. H 974 
 
 Satterfield, John A 210 
 
 Sauter, Martin 1428 
 
 Sauter, Theodore 1428 
 
 Say, John C 981 
 
 Sehaef er, Eugene 1021 
 
 Schaffner, John 1267 
 
 Schaffner, Samuel, Sr 744 
 
 Sehenck, Elmer W 609 
 
 Sehenck, George 736 
 
 Sehenck, Theodore L 729 
 
 Schilling, Alexander 1084 
 
 Schilling, Herman 977 
 
 Schlagel, Samuel 653 
 
 Schlegel, Gus 723 
 
 Schmidt, Dr. F 337 
 
 Schnur, George W 887 
 
 Schoeffel, Andrew 1312 
 
 Schoenfeia, Charles 692 
 
 Schoentag, Charles F 1334 
 
 Schultz, Stephen F 1089 
 
 Schwalm, Henry 1073 
 
 Sehwalm, William 1073 
 
 Scott, Albert T 260 
 
 Scott, Dr. George H ; 332 
 
 Scott, John Calvin 1396 
 
 Scott, Dr. .John M 606 
 
 Scott, Robert P 257 
 
 Scott, Winfield S 933 
 
 Searing, George" 1067 
 
 Seaton, Amos 1339 
 
 Seaton, Elias 1233 
 
 Seaton, William G 1241 
 
 Sell, John G 1470 
 
 Shaffer, William H 1353 
 
 Shakely, Elias 1139 
 
 Shannon, John F 1112 
 
 Shannon, Matthew W., Jr 1082 
 
 Shanor, John J 655 
 
 Shepard, William 1052 
 
 Sheridan, John J 953 
 
 Sherman, Casper 1066 
 
 Sherwin, Samuel 1412 
 
 Shiever, .Joseph F 1180 
 
 Shira, C. C 1086 
 
 Showalter, Hon. Jos. B., M. D. 331 
 
 Shryock, Dr. Louisa M 341 
 
 Shufflin, T. J 839 
 
 ShuU, J. P 834 
 
 Sibert, Bernard B 129'2 
 
 Page 
 
 Siebert, William 1142 
 
 Sipe, W. 1 909 
 
 Sitler, Alpheus 1448 
 
 Slagle, John A 1242 
 
 Slater, Mary A 1116 
 
 Slater, William 816 
 
 Sloan, Berton Eugene 1391 
 
 Sloan, David J 1224 
 
 Sloan, Edward C 1049 
 
 Sloan, Foster 1384 
 
 Sloan, Harvey A 1433 
 
 Smith, Albert 1395 
 
 Smith, Albert W 1204 
 
 Smith, Charles A 695 
 
 Smith, Dan 202 
 
 Smith, John W 1157 
 
 Smith, George W 244 
 
 Smith, Leonard 1373 
 
 Smith, Thomas V 1021 
 
 Smith, WilUam 207 
 
 Smith, William, D. 342 
 
 Snaman, Harry B 635 
 
 Snell, William J 1003 
 
 Snow, N. S 803 
 
 Snyder, Ernest U., M. D 1257 
 
 Snyder, Harvey 250 
 
 Snyder, John Harvey 1420 
 
 Snyder, Samuel B 254 
 
 Spang, George A 1167 
 
 Spargo, John S 1473 
 
 Spear, William L 1043 
 
 Speer, Dr. Matthew W 337 
 
 Spithaler, Martin 1179 
 
 Spohn, Philip J 899 
 
 Sproul, Hugh 1313 
 
 Squire, Dr. E. P 335 
 
 Staekpole, R. L., M. D 1451 
 
 Staff, William 1352 
 
 Stalker, Henry B 1195 
 
 Standard Coal Mining Co 1203 
 
 Staples, John 940 
 
 Stearns, Ernest L 1229 
 
 Steel, Mrs. Eva M 1343 
 
 Steele, Asa C 702 
 
 Steele, Hugh G 683 
 
 Steen, James H 791 
 
 Steighner, Barney 870 
 
 Steigher, Christian 888 
 
 Stein, Dr. Charles 326 
 
 Stein, John 959 
 
 Stein, Louis 967 
 
 Stein, William A 1389 
 
 Stepp, Lawrence H., M. D 1147 
 
 Stevenson, John 1035 
 
 Stewart, Frew H 919 
 
 Stewart, Furman 1437 
 
 Stewart, George C 256 
 
 Stewart, Robert W 1064 
 
 Stewart, Thomas T 1446 
 
 Stickle, William P 1419 
 
 Stokey, Charles 619 
 
 Stokey, Henry W 637 
 
 Stoops, Stephen 792 
 
 Stoops, William C 997 
 
 Storey, William 1392 
 
 Stoughton, Lester G 750 
 
 Page 
 
 Stoughtou, Oliver W 1270 
 
 Stoughton, Solomon R 1001 
 
 Stracke, Louis F 827 
 
 Strohecker, Charles J. D 712 
 
 Struthers, James F 890 
 
 Strutt, John G 833 
 
 Sullivan, Charles A 250 
 
 Sullivan, Hon. Charles C 609 
 
 Sullivan. Col. John M 246 
 
 SulUvan, John Q 249 
 
 Sullivan, Moses 250 
 
 Sutherland, Dr. J. H 335 
 
 Sutton, D. Harper 1155 
 
 Sutton, James M 998 
 
 Sutton, Dr. John C 342 
 
 Sutton, John H 952 
 
 Swain, William A 690 
 
 Sweeney, Timothy 1234 
 
 Sweesy, Alpheus 773 
 
 Taggart, Charles 790 
 
 Taggart, Samuel N 1484 
 
 Tavlor, Alexander 864 
 
 TaVlor, Elias K 1254 
 
 Taylor, R. B 215 
 
 Tebav, James Hall 1217 
 
 Teba'v, John H 1332 
 
 Templeton, Samuel H 1390 
 
 Terwilliger, Egbert A 789 
 
 Thieleman, Christian H 1016 
 
 Thomas, Dr. George D 333 
 
 Thomas, Owen J 638 
 
 Thompson, Andrew R 1123 
 
 Thompson, David M 1225 
 
 Thompson, E. C, M. D 1399 
 
 Thompson, Gill M 1414 
 
 Thompson, Harvey D 732 
 
 Thompson, Hon. James 246 
 
 Thompson, John H 253 
 
 Thompson, Hon. Col. John M..1072 
 
 Thompson, Joseph C 1470 
 
 Thompson, Hon. Nelson H 1480 
 
 Thompson, Oliver D 259 
 
 Thompson, Solomon E 1336 
 
 Thompson, William C 262 
 
 Thompson, William G 246 
 
 Tlirower, John E 1465 
 
 Timblin, William 245 
 
 Timmonv, Joseph T 253 
 
 Titlev, Robert S .1110 
 
 Totteu, Frank 1427 
 
 Trautman, John 760 
 
 Trautman. Louis P 853 
 
 Trimble, Robert 1165 
 
 Trimble, Samuel C 1148 
 
 Troutman, Adam 11«6 
 
 Troutman, Albert C 1026 
 
 Troutman, George A 662 
 
 Troutman, Henry N...'. 981 
 
 Troutman, J, Henry 650 
 
 Troutman, W, J 934 
 
 Turner, Harry T 80S 
 
 Turner, Dr. .John F 329 
 
 Turner, Samuel E 1120 
 
 Twaddle, .John C 1201 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Vance, James B 1043 
 
 Vanderlin, Joseph C 258 
 
 Vaiulykc, Eli 1465 
 
 Van Dyke, Jaekson Me 1372 
 
 Vogeley, Theodore 1268 
 
 Wade, Robert M 1210 
 
 Wagner, Henry 744 
 
 Wahl, Henry 1098 
 
 Wahl, William 1441 
 
 Waldron, Hon. William S 1099 
 
 Walker, Clarence 261 
 
 Walker, Lewis P 907 
 
 Walker, Nathaniel 772 
 
 Walker, Samuel 264 
 
 Walker, Samuel 668 
 
 Walker, Capt. Samuel 673 
 
 Walker, Samuel R 716 
 
 Walker, WilUam G 710 
 
 Wallet, Henry D 1457 
 
 Walter. Charles E 741 
 
 Walter, George 741 
 
 Walters, Charles T 1377 
 
 Wasson, E. L., M. D 1366 
 
 Wasson, John H 1410 
 
 Watson & Williams 779 
 
 Watson, Edwin A 1184 
 
 Watson, Roy A 779 
 
 Watson, William 968 
 
 Webber. W. C 1449 
 
 Weigaud, Charles 1466 
 
 Weigand, George 1466 
 
 Weisz, Isaac M 649 
 
 Welsh. Dr. George 337 
 
 Welsh. Henr? C 1265 
 
 Page 
 
 Welsh, William J 1116 
 
 Werner, Augustus F 1031 
 
 Wetzel, Andrew Fred 1343 
 
 White. George R 261 
 
 White, Lawrence M 1483 
 
 Whitener, Valentine 1258 
 
 Whitmire, John 729 
 
 Whitmire, Robert J 783 
 
 Whitmire, Thomas 1 730 
 
 Wiek, C. Foster 1235 
 
 Wiek, Eugene E 1045 
 
 Wick, Leonard F 1216 
 
 Wiek, Lewis C 1405 
 
 Wick, W. S 1011 
 
 Widger, James C 1430 
 
 Wier, Samuel R 1472 
 
 Wiegand, Edward K 816 
 
 Wigton, John H 1359 
 
 Wiles, John C 837 
 
 Wiley, James 721 
 
 Wilhelm, Rev. Jacob 952 
 
 Wilkewitz, Godfrey 1476 
 
 Williams, Andrew G 258 
 
 Willfams, Charles C 779 
 
 Williams, John C 810 
 
 Williams, Dr. Olin A 341 
 
 Wilson, Alexander 765 
 
 Wilson, George N 1352 
 
 Wilson, Dr. Harry M 856 
 
 Wilson, James S 756 
 
 Wilson, John H 946 
 
 Wilson, John Milton 1357 
 
 Wilson, Thomas 1372 
 
 Winter," Edward 735 
 
 Winters, Frederick J 1112 
 
 Page 
 
 Winters, W. D 784 
 
 Wise, Henry M 909 
 
 Wise, Israel M 711 
 
 Wise, James E 1025 
 
 Wise, Levi M 264 
 
 Wise, WilUam H 1191 
 
 Witte, Frederick W 655 
 
 Wohlgemuth, Louis 1035 
 
 Womer, John E 1367 
 
 Worrall, George 796 
 
 Wuller, Charles B 682 
 
 Wuller, Daniel 216 
 
 Yost, Andrew 684 
 
 Youkers, Albert W 667 
 
 Young, Aaron S 1253 
 
 Young, Breaden 1129 
 
 Young, Charles 1075 
 
 Y'oung, Dallas M 783 
 
 Young, Elmer E . 260 
 
 Young, Col. Sam 373 
 
 Young, William J 641 
 
 Youkins, Daniel 749 
 
 Youkins, John 621 
 
 Zehner, Edwin 1294 
 
 Zehner, Frederick 893 
 
 Zeigler, Alfred 1215 
 
 Zeigler, Gottlieb M 815 
 
 Zeigler. Ira S 948 
 
 Ziegler, A. C 1030 
 
 Ziegler, Alfred H., M. D 701 
 
 Ziegler. Capt. Jacob 371 
 
 Ziegler. W. G 704 
 
 Zimmerman, Dr. George M.... 326 
 
Tnoex Of uieois. 
 
 Alameda Park, Butler 4l'9 
 
 Barnhart Mill, Chicora 307 
 
 Beam Hotel, Zelienople 339 
 
 Bird's-eye View of Butler — Looking East from But- 
 ler County National Bank 429 
 
 Bird's-eye View of Butler — Looking West from 
 
 Butler County National Bank 429 
 
 Boydstown Reservoir of the Butler Water Co., Butler 233 
 Dr. Boyle's Eye and Ear Hospital, Butler 567 
 
 B. P. O. E. Building, Butler .537 
 
 Broad Street School, Butler 389 
 
 Building Used for High School, Renfrew 537 
 
 Butler County Court House, Built in 1807 251 
 
 Butler County Court House of 1853 233 
 
 Butler County Court House of 1877 233 
 
 Butler County Jail, Butler 233 
 
 Butler Engine and Foundry Company, Butler 775 
 
 Butler General Hospital, Butler ' 339 
 
 Butler Roller iUlLs 283 
 
 C. H. Barnhart 's House and Shop, Butler 339 
 
 Commercial Hotel, Butler 13(52 
 
 Concordia Home, Marwood 339 
 
 County Infirmary 155 
 
 Country Club House, Butler 233 
 
 Eau Claire Academy 537 
 
 English Lutheran Church, Butler 461 
 
 Episcopal Church, Butler 461 
 
 First Brick School Building, Butler 389 
 
 First Presbyterian Church, Butler 461 
 
 First School House— Built in 1808 115 
 
 First Steel Jacket Kiln 193 
 
 German Lutheran Church, Butler 461 
 
 German Lutheran Church, Zelienople 537 
 
 Goehring & Richards Building, Butler 567 
 
 Grammar and High School, Mars 511 
 
 Harmony U. P. Church 29 
 
 Home of Alexander Hunter in Ireland 115 
 
 Hotel Nixon, Butler 251 
 
 I. 0. O. F. Building, Butler 233 
 
 Knights of Pythias Home, Harmony 59 
 
 Log Cabin, Built by Manassas Dugan 59 
 
 Lowry House, Butler 115 
 
 McBi'ide Well 193 
 
 McCollough Barnard & Co.'s No. 1 Well and the 
 
 Harry N. Hoffman Well 193 
 
 M. E. Church and Parsonage, Connoquenessing 307 
 
 Mechling Hotel 59 
 
 M. E. Church, Butler 251 
 
 Monastery at Herman Station 29 
 
 Muddy Creek Falls 59 
 
 New High School, Butler 389 
 
 North Washington Academy 537 
 
 OM Graveyard at Harmony 29 
 
 Old People's Home, Zelienople 155 
 
 Old Witherspoon Institute 511 
 
 Orphans' Home, Zelienople 307 
 
 Present Butler County Court House 251 
 
 Public School, Bruin 511 
 
 Public School, Evans City 537 
 
 Public School, Renfrew 511 
 
 Public School, Zelienople 307 
 
 Rapp's Seat, Harmony 59 
 
 Residences — 
 
 E. E. Abrams, Butler 349 
 
 William Arnold, Bruin 1194 
 
 S. L. Braham, Harrisville 1062 
 
 Jacob Dambaugh, Zelienople 1027 
 
 Lewis A. Herold, Center Township 1080 
 
 J. C. Kelley, Butler Township 349 
 
 William B. McGeary, Butler 349 
 
 James W. McKee. Butler 1323 
 
 The Reiber Home, Butler 349 
 
 W. H. H. Riddle. Butler 567 
 
 Charles Rimo, Summit Township 1169 
 
 W. F. Rumberger, Butler 1249 
 
 Residence and Greenhouses of Geo. W. Schnur, 
 
 Summit Township 886 
 
 Philip J. Spohn, Summit Township 898 
 
 John Stevenson, Parker Township 1034 
 
 Sullivan Residence, Butler 349 
 
 Henry C. Welsh, Penn Township 1263 
 
 Second Presbyterian Church, Butler 389 
 
 Shooting of Cowden Bros.' No. 2 Well, Fenuelton. . . 193 
 
 State Normal School, Slippery Rock 511 
 
 St. John's Lutheran Home and Orphanage, Mars. .. 155 
 St. John's Reformed Church on Eberhart Farm, But- 
 ler Township 29 
 
 St. Patrick's Church, Sugar Creek, Donegal Town- 
 ship 339 
 
 St. Peter's Catholic Church, Butler 461 
 
 St. Paul's Catholic Church, Butler 461 
 
 St. Paul's Orphan Home 155 
 
 St. Paul's Parochial School, Butler 389 
 
 Stone House, Brady Township 59 
 
 Store of Charles R. Borland, Harrisville 339 
 
 The Walter and Graham Mill 283 
 
 United Presbyterian Church, Butler 389 
 
 United Presbyterian Church, Eau Claire 115 
 
 United Presbyterian Church, Fairview 29 
 
 View of Evans City 307 
 
 Waldorf Hotel and Barn, Evans City 115 
 
 West Sunbury Academy 511 
 
 White Oak Springs U. P. Church, Connoquenessing 
 
 Township 29 
 
 Y. M. C. A. Buililing, Butler 251 
 
U.)u.c/ta. 
 
Risiory of Butkr County. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES AND MINERAL DEPOSITS 
 
 Advance of Civilization Along the Waterways — The County Created, Named, and Sur- 
 veyed — Organization of Counties — Topography — the Soil, Valley and High Land — 
 Elevations Above Tide Water — Thomas Collins' Salt Well — Webster Wilson's 
 Well — John Negley Well — Eccentricities of the Oil Fields — Coal Fields — Other 
 Mineral Deposits — Lead Mines — Forests — Archeology — Epidemics, Floods, and 
 Storms. 
 
 The history of the territory of which 
 Butler County forms a part presents a 
 variety of startUng incidents, although 
 none of the historic events of the hundred 
 years preceding the advent of the white 
 settlers happened within the present lim- 
 its of the county. At various times the 
 territory has been successively under the 
 sovereignty of Great Britain, France, 
 Great Britain again, Virginia, the United 
 States, and lastly Pennsylvania. 
 
 ADVANCE OF CIVILIZATION ALONG THE WATER- 
 WAYS. 
 
 A glance at the map of western Penn- 
 sylvania will suggest to the thoughtful 
 reader the fact, and the reasons for the 
 fact, that Butler County was not the thea- 
 ter of any of those great actions which 
 shaped the destiny of the Great West and 
 the entire National domain. The chief vil- 
 lages and strongholds of the aboriginal in- 
 
 habitants were along or near the great 
 waterways, and when the European ex- 
 plorers came into the country in the be- 
 ginning of the eighteenth century, they fol- 
 lowed these natural highways. It thus 
 resulted in this region as well as all others 
 settled before the era of railroads, that 
 the early homes and operations of the 
 white men were along the navigable 
 streams. The Allegheny River on the east, 
 the Beaver on the west, and the Ohio on 
 the south enclose Butler County in an ir- 
 regular oval, in the interior of which are 
 only small streams tributary to the larger 
 rivers, and not navigable for the small 
 boats of pioneer commerce. 
 
 Hence, during the periods of the French 
 occupation, the long contest of the English 
 for dominion, and during the Revolution, 
 when events of far-reaching effect were oc- 
 curring along the valleys of the Allegheny, 
 and Ohio, and later when the pioneers 
 
22 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 pushed into the valley of the Beaver, the 
 territory lying between the streams was an 
 unbroken wilderness. During this time it 
 was the wild retreat of the Indians who 
 fell upon the outposts of civilization, and 
 was probably the home of a few white men 
 who had adopted the life of the savages 
 and were living among them. 
 
 When William Penn came to America in 
 1682 to establish a form of government 
 for his new possessions, the territory was 
 divided into three counties, namely : Bucks, 
 Philadelphia and Chester. The latter in- 
 cluded the present limits of Delaware 
 County and all of the territory southwest 
 of the Schuylkill Eiver to the extreme lim- 
 its of the province. The limits of the other 
 counties were defined in a similar manner 
 as to the west and northern boundaries. 
 As the pioneers pushed their way into the 
 forests to the westward and northward, 
 new counties were erected from time to 
 time to accommodate the needs of the peo- 
 ple. 
 
 In the line of descent, Butler County is 
 the daughter of Chester County, as will be 
 seen l)y reference to the table of the or- 
 ganization of counties. The first county 
 to be taken from the territory of Chester 
 County on the west was Lancaster, which 
 was erected under the authority of an act 
 of the provincial legislature in May, 1729. 
 The western limits of Lancaster County 
 were defined as the extreme limits of the 
 province. As civilization advanced west- 
 ward, other new counties were erected 
 from time to time in the order named: 
 Cumberland, Bedford, Westmoreland, Al- 
 legheny, and Butler. 
 
 After the purchase of the Indian land 
 in 1784, the territory west and north of 
 the Allegheny and Ohio Eivers was at- 
 tached to Westmoreland County. In 1787 
 Allegheny County was created on the west 
 of Westmoreland, and the northern limits 
 of the county extended to the northern 
 boundary of the state, including what is 
 Tiow Erie County, and all of the territory 
 
 west of the Allegheny Eiver and north of 
 the Ohio. This territory included all of 
 the present limits of Butler, Lawrence, 
 Mercer, Crawford and Erie Counties, and 
 parts of Armstrong, Beaver, Venango, and 
 Warren Counties. 
 
 THE COUNTY CKEATED, NAMED AND SURVEYED. 
 
 The act of the legislature creating But- 
 ler County was passed March 12, 1800. 
 The county is named in honor of General 
 Eichard Butler, who was killed at St. 
 Clair's defeat, a biographical sketch of 
 whom appears in another chapter. It is 
 bounded by Venango on the north, by 
 Armstrong on the east, by Allegheny on 
 the south, and by Beaver, Lawrence and 
 Mercer Counties on the west. Its geo- 
 graphical center is in latitude 40 degrees 
 45 minutes north, and longitude, 2 degrees, 
 47 minutes and 30 seconds west of Wash- 
 ington, D. C. Its area is 814 miles or 
 529,960 acres, divided into thirty-three 
 townships, and these are subdivided into 
 seventy-one election precincts. The popu- 
 lation of the county in 1908 (estimated) is 
 about 79,000. 
 
 The year following the act creating the 
 new county, commissioners were appointed 
 to run the county lines. The persons ap- 
 pointed for this purpose were Samuel Eip- 
 pey, Henry Evans, and John McBride, 
 surveyors, and Beatty Quinn, as axeman. 
 After this commission had made their re- 
 port, the legislature appointed another 
 committee to locate- the county seat. They 
 were Isaac Weaver, John Hamilton, Thos. 
 Martin, James Brady, and Presley Carr 
 Lane. The place selected by them is the 
 present site of the borough of Butler, and 
 is within four miles of the center of the 
 county, as the act provided. The present 
 limits of the county as determined by the 
 surveys of 1854 are as follows : Beginning 
 at the mouth of Buffalo Creek at Free- 
 port; thence westward twenty- three miles 
 to a corner on the west side of Alexander's 
 district adjoining Beaver County; thence 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 23 
 
 along said line and Beaver County north- 
 ward twenty-three miles to a corner where 
 the streams of Muddy Creek and Slippery 
 Rock unite ; thence along the Mercer Coun 
 ty line north fifteen degrees east, fifteen 
 miles to a corner near Harrisville; thence 
 eastward fifteen miles to a corner near the 
 Allegheny Eiver near Emlenton; thence 
 southward about thirty miles along the 
 Armstrong County line to the place of be- 
 ginning. 
 
 The first settlers of the county who came 
 into the territory previous to 1800 were 
 Scotch-Irish and Pennsylvania Germans 
 who came from tlie eastern part of the 
 state. ]\Iauy of the men had been soldiers 
 in the War of the Revolution and had pur- 
 chased tracts of land in the donation and 
 dejoreciation district upon which they 
 made settlements. These were followed 
 by a large number of Irish emigrants who 
 came in from 1800 to 1820, and these were 
 followed by the Germans, who came in 
 1838. 
 
 TOPOGRAPHY. 
 
 The chief and central figure in the to- 
 pography of Butler County is the great 
 dividing ridge between the waters of the 
 Allegheny on the east and the tributaries 
 of the Beaver on the west. This crest of 
 the great water sheds sweeps through the 
 eastern part of the county in a general 
 direction nearly north and south. It en- 
 ters the county in Middlesex Township, 
 runs northeast through Clinton and Jef- 
 ferson Townships to Dilks' Station on the 
 Butler branch railroad, and thence north- 
 ward in almost a straight line to Middle- 
 town in Concord Township. From the lat- 
 ter point it extends northward to North 
 Washington and the village Annisville 
 and rounding in a semi-circle the head- 
 waters of Slippery Rock creek passes close 
 to Eau Claire, and thence northward to the 
 county line, along which it runs in a west- 
 erly direction, when it again sweeps to the 
 north and runs off along a line between 
 
 Mercer and Venango Counties. Two 
 prominent ridges coming in from the west 
 meet the great divide near Middletown. 
 The most northern of these is that which 
 lies near Muddy Creek and Slippery Rock, 
 and runs nearly due east from the Law- 
 rence County line through Worth, Brady 
 and Clay townships. The more southern 
 of these ridges is that which separates the 
 waters of Muddy Creek and Connoquenes- 
 sing. It passes close to Portersville and 
 Prospect and runs nearly northeast 
 through Center and Concord Townships 
 to its junction with the great divide. The 
 height of these dividing ridges reaches 
 about 1,500 feet above tide water, and they 
 are approximately 600 feet above the Al- 
 legheny River at Parker. 
 
 The center of the drainage system of 
 the northern part of the county is at Mid- 
 dletown. In its immediate vicinity are the 
 headwaters of Slippery Rock Creek, Mud- 
 dy Creek, Bear Creek, Buffalo Creek, and 
 Kearns' branch of the Connoquenessing. 
 The northern part of the county is princi- 
 pally drained by Muddy Creek and Slip- 
 pery Rock Creek on the west and Bear 
 Creek on the east and their tributary 
 streams. The southern half of the county 
 is drained by the Connoquenessing Creek, 
 which is formed by the confluence of sev- 
 eral branches near Butler borough and 
 flows in a general direction a little south 
 of west through Butler, Penn, Forward, 
 and Jackson Townships to the Beaver 
 County line. While the general direction 
 of the stream is almost in a straight line, 
 it makes many bold sweeps to the north 
 and south, and with one or two exceptions, 
 all of its branches enter it from the south. 
 The branches on the south are Thorn 
 Creek, Glade Run, Breakneck Creek and 
 Brush Creek, along the western limits of 
 the county. The tributaries on the north 
 are Yellow Creek and Little Connoquenes- 
 sing, the latter flowing in from the north- 
 east a little above Harmony, after running 
 a general parallel course for many miles. 
 
24 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 In the southeastern section of the county 
 the small streams flow into Buffalo Creek 
 on the east and Bull Creek on the south, 
 and thence drained into the Allegheny 
 River. Prohably nine-tenths of the drain- 
 age of the county, however, is westward 
 into the Beaver River. 
 
 THE SOIL VALLEY AND HIGH LAND. 
 
 There is comparatively little valley land 
 in the county. A broad and beautiful val- 
 ley has been carved out by the Connoque- 
 nessing in the vicinity of Harmony and 
 Zelienople,. and the soil is there derived 
 from the lower coal measures and is very 
 rich and strong. This region is the garden 
 spot of the county, and is probably one of 
 the richest agricultural sections in the 
 state. Well defined terraces exist here 
 that do not appear elsewhere in the county 
 to the knowledge of the geologist. They 
 occur at twenty, sixty, and one hundred 
 and ten feet above the stream, but can only 
 be traced for a short distance along the 
 valley. 
 
 Some fine bottom lands appear along the 
 valley of the Slippery Rock from Anan- 
 dale westward, and in the valley of Muddy 
 Creek from Clay Township west to the 
 Lawrence County line. Outside of the val- 
 leys mentioned and a small amount of 
 bottom land along the tributaries of these 
 streams the arable soils of the county are 
 derived from what the geologists call the 
 barren measure rocks. The streams cut 
 down into the lower coal measures, but- 
 leave the hillsides so rugged that cultiva- 
 tion is rarely attempted. The farming 
 lands lie back from the streams on the 
 highlands comi^osed of the barren meas- 
 ures, and from this it results that a large 
 portion of the county has a light soil and 
 requires constant fertilization. 
 
 Prof. I. C. White, author of the geolog- 
 ical report on this district including south- 
 ern Butler County, says upon this subject, 
 that the farmers have very little in their 
 favor with which to begin, and hence the 
 
 use of fertilizers is necessary to secure a 
 paying crop. The lower barren measure, 
 from which nearly all of the soils of the 
 district are derived, contain very little 
 limestone, and hence the small amount of 
 calcareous matter originally in the soil has 
 nearly all been used up by the annual ex- 
 traction of the crops, so that the land is 
 literally famishing for lime. The northern 
 section of the county is better situated in 
 this particular than the southern. Along 
 the Slippery Rock Creek in Slippery Rock, 
 Worth, Brady, Cherry, Mercer and Ma- 
 rion Townships, much of the land is very 
 much improved by the presence of lime- 
 stone which outcrops in this section, and 
 has been used in the past thirty years to 
 a large extent for agricultural purposes. 
 Prof. Chance, in the second geological sur- 
 vey, divides the soil of the northern section 
 of the county into four classes : First, the 
 soil of the bottom lands, found on Muddy 
 Creek and Slippery Rock and their 
 branches ; second, the liighlands of the bar- 
 ren measures, varying from a very thin, 
 loose soil to a hard tough clay, much of it 
 good farming land adapted to grazing, but 
 needing a liberal application of lime ; third, 
 the highland of southern Brady, Clay, Con- 
 cord, and Fairview Townsliips, formed 
 by the outcrop of the Mahoning and Free- 
 port sandstone; and fourth, the soil 
 formed from the disintegration of the 
 shales and sandstone of the lower produc- 
 tive coal measures, varying much in qual- 
 ity as the coal measure rocks vary in 
 lithological character. 
 
 ELEVATIONS ABOVE TIDE WATER. 
 
 The surface of the county is broken by 
 liills and valleys, the latter forming in the 
 courses of its numerous streams. The ele- 
 vations are decided, being higher in the 
 northern than in the southern district of 
 the county. At Butler Junction near the 
 southeast corner of the county the eleva- 
 tion is 768.7 feet, and at Emlenton Station 
 in the Allegheny Valley, near the northeast 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 25 
 
 corner of the county, the elevation is 905.1 
 feet above ocean level. Within the county 
 the following levels have been ascertained, 
 the measurements being track levels at the 
 various railroad stations: Southeast of 
 Butler are Buffalo, 766.4; Harbison, 
 801.66; Monroe, 840; Sarvers, 1,026.8; 
 Cabot, 1,200.9; Marwood, 1,224.2; Dilks, 
 1,307; Great Belt, 1,260; Herman, 1,300.6; 
 Brinker Station, 1,301.6; Sunset, 1,317.1; 
 Butler, at tlie West Penn Depot, 1,008 feet ; 
 corner of Butler County National Bank on 
 Main Street, 1,077 feet. 
 
 Northeast of Butler are Chicora, 1.195 
 to 1,210 feet; St. Joe, 1,400; Carbon Cen- 
 ter, 1,170; Greece City, 1,286; Modoc, 
 1,277; Argyle, 1,161; Petrolia, 1,175; Cen- 
 tral Point, 1,184; Karns City, 1,204; Stone 
 House, 1,089; Harts' Well on the Say farm 
 in Parker Township, 1,407; Bruin, 1,104; 
 High Point near Lawrenceburg, 1,096; 
 Fairview, 1,247; High Point near Middle- 
 town, 1,420; Columbia Hill in Allegheny 
 Township, 1,471; Hill near the southwest 
 corner of Donegal Township, 1,430. 
 
 North of Butler Borough the level at 
 Unionville in Center Township is 1,330 
 feet; at West Sunbury, 1,400; North Wash- 
 ington, 1,500; Eau Claire, 1,520; Annan- 
 dale, 1,490; Venango Summit, near Eau 
 Claire, 1,554; high point near Annisville, 
 1,530; and Murrinsville, 1,440. 
 
 West and northwest of Butler the level 
 at Prospect is 1,330 feet; at Portersville, 
 1,360 ; at West Liberty, 1,190 ; at Slippery 
 Rock Borough, 1,300 ; at the northwest cor- 
 ner of Mercer Township, 1,450; at the cen- 
 ter of Slippery Rock Township, 1,.300; at 
 the middle of the west line of Brady Town- 
 ship, 1,470; at the angle of the west line 
 of Worth Township, 1,350; at the center 
 of Muddy Creek, 1,.375; and at Harris- 
 ville Borough, 1,340. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that 
 the highest point in the county is a knob 
 near the village of Eau Claire in Venango 
 Township, which is 1,554 feet above ocean 
 level, and the lowest point is at Buffalo on 
 
 the Butler branch railroad in the south- 
 eastern corner of the county. 
 
 Lake Erie is 573 feet above ocean level ; 
 Kittanning at the curb outside of the Cen- 
 tral House, 809.94; the Tarentum Depot 
 on the West Penn Railroad, 778 feet; and 
 Allegheny City on Sycamore Street, 
 741.40. From these levels the relation of 
 Butler County to Lake Erie and lower 
 Allegheny Valley levels may be known. If 
 speculation may be indulged in with any 
 show of reason, and if the theory advanced 
 by geologists is correct, it may be said that 
 the Allegheny and the Beaver Rivers once 
 flowed from 500 to 800 feet above their 
 present levels, and that the Connoquenes- 
 sing. Slippery Rock, Muddy Creek, and 
 other local creeks from 800 to 1,200 feet. 
 In the lowering of the river and creek bot- 
 toms to depths far below their present bed, 
 mighty agencies were at work. Instead 
 of being mere conveyancers of clays, they 
 were hewers of rock, leaving great ravines 
 in the high plateaus, and preparing a way 
 for the ice mountains which rolled over 
 this section, pulverizing the massive sand- 
 stones and grinding the hard lime rock 
 into bowlders. The terraces and canons 
 tell very plainly how this system of valley 
 making was carried out, while the drill 
 brings to light the method of filling up, 
 which raised the river and creek bottoms 
 to their present levels. 
 
 THOMAS Collins' salt well. 
 In the search for oil in Butler Coimty 
 the earth has been bored in some places 
 to a depth of over 4,000 feet, as in the 
 test well on the Smith farm in Winfield 
 Township. In very many places the drill 
 has penetrated to a depth of 1,500 to 2,000 
 feet, showing the geological structure and 
 the coal formations in the various town- 
 ships. Among the earliest operations of 
 this kind was a salt well driven by Thomas 
 Collins in 1811-12, to a depth of seventy 
 feet, on the James Kearns farm in Butler 
 Township. This well was near the road 
 
26 
 
 HISTORY Oi" BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 leading from Butler to Cbicora on what 
 was known as the "Salt Lick." An out- 
 crop of coal in the same locality made the 
 location desirable for the manufacturing 
 of salt, and accordingly this industry was 
 carried on for a number of years. Petro- 
 leum was known to the pioneer settlers by 
 the Indian name of Seneca oil, and was 
 highly valued for its reputed medical vir- 
 tues. A small flow of oil was obtained in 
 this old salt well, which was sufficient to 
 give its flavor to the brine and even to the 
 salt produced. The pioneers did not real- 
 ize the value of their discovery and the 
 salt well was finally abandoned on account 
 of the oily flavor it gave to the manufac- 
 tured salt. 
 
 WEBSTER Wilson's well. 
 In 1824 Webster Wilson of New Brigh- 
 ton drilled a salt well in Lancaster Town- 
 ship about 2,600 feet above the confluence 
 of Yellow Creek and Connoquenessing. 
 This well was drilled to a depth of 339 
 feet, and for a long time salt was manu- 
 factured by the panning system. Some 
 idea of the slow progress made in drilling 
 a hundred years ago may be had from the 
 record made at this well. Water-power 
 was used to drill and a year's time was 
 taken in drilling to the depth of 339 feet. 
 The drillers seldom got more than two or 
 three feet in a day, and often only a few 
 inches. Wilson's record of the well shows 
 coal at a depth of fifty-three feet, fire clay 
 at fifty-nine feet, hard sandstone at sixty- 
 nine. Clarion coal at 150 feet, Piedmont 
 sandstone at about 210 feet, five feet of 
 coal at 255 foet, and underlying the coal 
 three feet of fire clay. Nothing below the 
 fire clay was found except shale till the 
 bottom of the well was reached. The ab- 
 sence of ferriferous limestone in this well 
 may be accounted for by its being cut out 
 by a hard bluish-white sandstone which 
 occupied its place. In drilling the old salt 
 well at Harmony a vein of good coal was 
 found forty-five feet below what is known 
 
 as the Darlington or Upper Kittanning 
 coal location. 
 
 JOHN NEGLEy's well. 
 
 A salt well was drilled at Butler about 
 1832 by John Negley, who invested about 
 $8,000 in the enterprise. The site of this 
 old well was a point on the south bank of 
 the Connoquenessing Creek about two hun- 
 dred feet west of the Main Street bridge, 
 near the old mill dam. Salt water was 
 found at a depth of 800 feet, and a salt 
 factory was established on the pan system, 
 which was continued for many years. Coal 
 for fuel was taken from the bank on the 
 hill above from the same veins that are 
 now operated by John M. Muntz. Foot 
 power was used in drilling the salt well, 
 and eighty ten-foot hickory rods took the 
 place of a rope or cable. The hole was 
 only two and one-half inches in diameter. 
 The enterprise was abandoned after a few 
 years, on accoimt of the brine being insuffi- 
 cient. Had the well been drilled 300 feet 
 deeper, as subsequent borings have shown, 
 an inexhaustible supply of salt water 
 would have been found. The drillers were 
 engaged for three years in drilling the hole 
 to the depth of 800 feet, and during that 
 time met with many discouragements, on 
 several occasions having their tools stuck. 
 
 In 1857 the Orr salt well in Buffalo 
 Township was drilled, but the flow of brine 
 was small, and in 1858 it was sunk one 
 hundred feet deeper, when a vein of water 
 equal to twenty gallons per minute was 
 struck. 
 
 ECCENTKICITIES OF THE OIL FIELDS. 
 
 The eccentricities of the Butler oil fields 
 have proved that geologists know com- 
 paratively nothing of the origin of this oil 
 or of the gas reservoirs with which it is 
 associated. For almost forty years the 
 geologists and the operator have been pre- 
 dicting the exhaustion of oil and gas in 
 Butler County, notwithstanding the con- 
 tradiction of their predictions by the dis- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 27 
 
 coveries of new deposits. Oil and gas are 
 inseparable companions, and where one 
 exists so does the other. Like coal depos- 
 its, they give out in time, and as new 
 mines must be opened to supply the de- 
 mand for coal, so new wells must be drilled 
 to supply that for oil and gas. Wonderful 
 exhibitions of the vagaries of the two 
 fluids have been witnessed ever since the 
 beginning of production in the Butler 
 County fields. The pioneer wells in the 
 Parker Township fields were drilled to 
 the Third or Venango County sand. Out- 
 side of the Martinsburg region several 
 sands have been discovered, such as the 
 Fourth sand at Karns City, the Bradford, 
 the Gordon, the Snee, and the Hundred- 
 Foot and within the last ten years, the 
 Speechley sand has been developed in Con- 
 cord and Washington Townships. In more 
 recent years wells have been discovered in 
 the Berea sand in Muddy Creek Township. 
 Early in May, 1886, the Fisher Oil Com- 
 pany drilled a well on the Reott farm near 
 Herman Station to a depth of 2,650 feet 
 with the object of tapping the Gordon sand 
 that is found in Washington County. At 
 a depth of 2,400 feet the Bradford sand 
 was struck, or 140 feet below the Fourth 
 sand. At 2,641 feet the shell of what 
 would correspond with the Gordon sand 
 was struck, but neither oil nor gas were 
 obtained. The well on the Criswell farm 
 was drilled to a depth of 3,500 feet, and 
 the well on the Smith farm in Winfield 
 Township to 4,000 feet, without other re- 
 sults than to further display the freak- 
 ishness of the oil-bearing sands in Butler 
 County. In the Bald Ridge field the Third 
 and Fourth sands come together, and 
 equally as strange phenomena are observed 
 in other sections of the county. 
 
 COAL FIELDS OF THE COUNTY. 
 
 HISTORY, CANNEL COAL BEDS, FEEAKS EARLY 
 
 OPERATIONS, OPERATIONS IN 1908. 
 
 A brief history of the coal fields and 
 deposits of Butler County may be of in- 
 
 terest, on account of their freakishness, 
 and because of the extent of the operations 
 being carried on at the present time. 
 There are five distinct veins of coal known 
 to the geologists in Butler County. They 
 are the Upper Freeport, the Lower Free- 
 port, called the Freeport group ; the Upper 
 Kittanning and the Lower Kittanuing, 
 called the Kittanning group ; and the Clar- 
 ion coal, the latter being found below 
 the ferriferous limestone. The first two 
 groups are found above the ferriferous 
 limestone. These groups are known as the 
 lower productive coals and are found in 
 every township in the southern half of the 
 county, and with a few exceptions in all 
 of the townships in the northern half of 
 the county, the outcrop showing along the 
 hillsides of all of the streams. 
 
 In addition to the above groups, there 
 are small areas covered by the Bakers- 
 town, the Galitzin, and the Brush Creek 
 coals, belonging to the upper series, the 
 Eichenhauer freak series and the Sharon 
 coal in the western part of the county, and 
 what is known as the Slope vein in the 
 northern tier of townships. The geologi- 
 cal survey of 1837 located the Upper Free- 
 port coal at Freeport and the Kittanning 
 coal at Kittanning on the Allegheny River. 
 The second survey in 1876 located the 
 Lower Freeport and it was discovered that 
 beneath the Upper Kittanning vein there 
 was a second vein which had the appear- 
 ance of cannel coal. The Kittanning group 
 extends aci'oss the county, varying from 
 two to five feet in thickness, and rises out 
 of the bed of the Connoquenessing Creek 
 seven miles above Harmony. The lower 
 vein is forty feet below the creek at Har- 
 mony, and does not appear at the surface 
 until Beaver County is reached. After the 
 Kittanning group reaches Beaver County 
 it becomes a cannel known as the Darling- 
 ton coal, and it there reaches its great 
 thickness of from ten to twelve feet. 
 
 The Freeport group outcrops along the 
 streams in the southern half of the county, 
 
28 
 
 lilHTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and iu a few places in the northern half, 
 and is the coal that has been most mined 
 for domestic consumption by the farmers 
 and by the private operators in the early 
 history of the county. 
 
 The Clarion coal is seen on Rough Run 
 and does not again appear iu the southern 
 half of the county until the western limits 
 are reached, and there it is very thin. In 
 the northern half this bed of coal is found 
 in Marion and Washington Townships, 
 and is of a workable thickness. 
 
 The Brookville coal appears on Rough 
 Run in Winfield Township, but does not 
 reach workable dimensions, and in tlie 
 northern half of the county it is mined in 
 Venango Townshiji. 
 
 The Bakerstown coal has its origin from 
 the town of that name in Allegheny Coun- 
 ty, and is develoj^ed along the head of 
 (xlade Run and Breakneck Creek, in south- 
 ern Butler County. 
 
 The Brush Creek coal belongs to the 
 ujiper coal series, and is seen along the 
 hills of Brush Creek in Cranberry Town- 
 ship, and in one or two other places in the 
 county. It is 527 feet below the Pittsburg 
 coal and seventy-five feet above the Upper 
 Freeport. This coal occupies the place of 
 the Galitzin coal of Cambria and Somerset 
 Counties, and the name is applied in sev- 
 eral localities in Butler County. 
 
 One of the freak beds of coal is found on 
 the Semiconon branch of the Little Conno- 
 quenessing Creek, and is from two to five 
 feet thick. It is a rich bituminous coal 
 much prized as a fuel, and occurs fifty feet 
 above the Upper Freeport and twenty-five 
 feet below the Galitzin or Brush Creek. 
 This vein is called the Brush Creek coal in 
 the geological reports of the state, but the 
 author of the reports has doubts whether 
 it is the same. 
 
 The Eichenhauer coal in Lancaster 
 Township belongs to none of the groups 
 mentioned, and is purely a local coal. It 
 is a new feature to the geologists, intro- 
 duced between the Lower Freeport and the 
 
 Darlington or Kittanning group, and is 
 found on the Eichenhauer farm and a few 
 farms surrounding it. Seven feet of work- 
 able coal was found on the Eichenhauer 
 farm, which was mined until the coal dip- 
 ped below the water level of the creek, and 
 the operations were then abandoned. The 
 same vein was also mined at the mouth of 
 Crab Run. In the latter township a bed of 
 this coal has been mined for many years 
 on the Coulter-McCandless farm. 
 
 The Brookville coal is found in Marion 
 Township 120 feet below the cannel coal 
 beds, and the Clarion coal is found in 
 workable thickness in Washington Town- 
 ship. A thin outcrop of the Upper Free- 
 port appears on a high knob iu Venango 
 Township, and in this locality the Brook- 
 ville coal appears to take the place of the 
 Lower Kittanning. Venango Township 
 also presents a freak in the form of a de- 
 posit of limestone ore forty feet above the 
 Brookville coal. 
 
 Brush Creek coal is encountered in 
 Donegal Township near Chicora, and the 
 Upper Freeport vein also appears in this 
 locality. 
 
 In Mercer Township in the northwest 
 section of the county the Harrisville vein 
 appears, and has been mined extensively 
 for over thirty years. What is known as 
 the Burnett coal appears in Mercer, Mar- 
 ion, Venango, Cherry, Allegheny, Parker, 
 and Washington Townships, and forty-five 
 feet below the Burnett vein is the Slope 
 vein which is a series of coal which has 
 no classification and appears to be un- 
 known to the geologists. 
 
 The Kittanning group which is visible 
 throughout the entire northern half of the 
 county, reaches an abnormal thickness in 
 Washington and Cherry Townships, and 
 in the eastern section of the county. Near 
 Kaylor City in Armstrong County a de- 
 posit of this coal has been found which is 
 eleven feet thick, but its area is small. 
 Throughout Butler County the coal varies 
 from three to six feet. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 31 
 
 A duplicate of the Darlingtou coal is 
 found at the mouth of Breakneck Creek, in 
 Jackson Township, and has been mined 
 extensively in recent years. The Welsh oil 
 well record in Jefferson Township locates 
 ten feet of Darlington coal in that district, 
 but this record is not believed to be cor- 
 rect. At the point where the well was 
 drilled the Darlington coal was found 146 
 feet below the level of Thorn Creek, and as 
 the yein has never been worked in that lo- 
 cality, its exact thickness is not known. 
 
 CANNEL COAL. 
 
 The cannel coal beds of Butler County 
 belong to the Kittanning group, which be- 
 comes the Darlington cannel coal in 
 Beaver County. The deposits are irregu- 
 lar in the southern part of the county, be- 
 ing found at the Kearns farm in Butler 
 Township, at the Weaver farm in Forward 
 Township, in Jackson Township, and 
 above the Eichenhauer coal in Lancaster 
 Township. In Forward Township a small 
 bed is found above the Freeport coal, 
 which is out of the regular place for the 
 cannel. In all of these localities the cannel 
 beds are thin and the coal impure and of 
 little merchantable value. 
 
 The cannel coal reaches its greatest 
 thickness and conmiercial value in the 
 northern section of the county where the 
 beds vary from three to eight feet in 
 Washington, Venango, Marion, Cherry 
 and Center Townships. 
 
 EAELY OPERATIONS. 
 
 Coal mining was carried on at an early 
 date in the county. The drilling of the salt 
 well on the Kearns farm in Butler Town- 
 ship in 1811-12, was the means of opening 
 a coal bank at the same place. The Har- 
 mony Society operated mines at the mouth 
 of Yellow Creek as early as 1815, to sup- 
 ply fuel for the colony and to operate the 
 salt manufacturing plant. In 1832 a mine 
 was operated south of the creek in the 
 
 present limits of Butler Borough. Coal 
 was mined and coked at Winfield furnace 
 in the fifties, and similar operations were 
 carried on on Bear Creek and Slippery 
 Rock as far back as the thirties. 
 
 The Muntz Mines of Butler are probably 
 the oldest operations in the county. As 
 early as the thirties coal was mined at an 
 opening near the creek bank west of the 
 Main Street bridge, and it is said by the 
 older residents of the town that coal was 
 mined here as early as 1810 and 1812. This 
 mine was first operated by John Negiey, 
 who was a pioneer of Butler, and came 
 into the possession of John Gr. Muntz in 
 1851. John M. Muntz, the present pro- 
 prietor, took charge of the mine in 1872, 
 and is the present operator. Other mines 
 in the vicinity of Butler were the Lavery, 
 Schatfner and Bredin, which supplied fuel 
 for the town for many years. 
 
 In the fifties coal was mined on the 
 Daniel Heck and Eli Eagal farms near 
 LTnionville in Center Township, which 
 proved to be of value for coking pur- 
 poses. Coke was manufactured at these 
 mines and hauled to Prospect for use at 
 the foundries which were in operation at 
 that place. About the same time the prod- 
 uct of the mine on Walker's Run in Buf- 
 falo Township was being hauled to Natrona 
 to the salt works and shipped from Free- 
 port to Pittsburg by boat. The Cable 
 mines in Connoquenessing Township on 
 the Little Connoquenessing Creek were 
 operated extensively for many years and 
 supplied fuel to Harmony and Zelienople, 
 as well as the surrounding farmers. Many 
 other small mining operations were carried 
 on in the county, and at one time the mines 
 were so numerous and the competition so 
 sharp that the farmei's could buy their 
 winter supply of fuel at the banks for two 
 cents per bushel. 
 
 Tlie advent of natural gas as a fuel 
 drove the private coal banks out of busi- 
 ness, although there are yet many in oper- 
 ation throughout the county. 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 LARGE OPERATIONS. 
 
 The mining of coal on a large scale in 
 the county had its inception with the com- 
 ing of the railroads. As early as 1855 
 Hugh McKee and Thomas White of Butler 
 explored the cannel coal heds in AVashing- 
 ton and Venango Townships, and leased a 
 large tract of land for the purpose of 
 developing the territory. They had asso- 
 ciated with them F. G. May of New York 
 City. At that time there were no facilities 
 for marketing the coal and railroads within 
 the limits of the county had not been 
 thought of. 
 
 The next move was made by Benjamin 
 Niblock of Youngstown, Ohio; James M. 
 Bredin, then of Butler, and Thompson 
 Kyle, of Harrisville, who leased 50,000 
 acres of land lying in Mercer, Butler and 
 Venango Counties. The lands in Butler 
 County lay in Mercer, Marion, Cherry, 
 Washington, Venango, Allegheny, and 
 Parker Townships. The royalty paid to 
 the land owners for these leases was ten 
 cents per ton. 
 
 They then associated with them the firm 
 of Wick, Wells & Company, of Youngs- 
 town, Ohio; Shryock, Reynolds & Gill, of 
 Meadville, Pennsylvania; Cunard & Mc- 
 Henry, of London ; . and Jackson, of New 
 York, and organized the Mercer Mining & 
 Manufacturing Company. This company 
 then opened mines at Pardee, in Mercer 
 County, and at Harrisville, Mercer Town- 
 ship, in Butler County. 
 
 In 1868-69 this company built the 
 Shenango & Allegheny Railroad from She- 
 nango to Pardee, and in 1872 the line was 
 extended to Harrisville and Brancliton. In 
 January, 1876, an extension of the line was 
 completed to Hilliard, in Washington 
 Township, and other extensions into the 
 various coal fields were made in 1880, 1882 
 and 1883. In the latter years the connect- 
 ing line was built from Branchton to 
 Butler. 
 
 The coal enterprise was undertaken on 
 the supposition that the so-called Harris- 
 
 ville vein, four feet thick, was the principal 
 mining vein of coal in that locality. On 
 investigation it was found that a second 
 vein of good mining coal existed in Bull 
 Valley in Cherry Township. This vein is 
 from five to six feet thick and is called the 
 Burnett vein in honor of the man who first 
 located it. In the same valley the Slope 
 vein was subsequently discovered, and has 
 proved to be one of the most valuable 
 coals found in the region now reached by 
 the Bessemer Railroad and its various 
 branches. The mines in this region were 
 operated for a number of years by Mr. 
 Burnett, who then sold out to a Philadel- 
 phia company. The Harrisville mine was 
 operated by C. A. Jewell, who in 1882 
 opened the Oneida mine in Center Town- 
 ship. Both of these mines have been ex- 
 hausted. Following the development of 
 the Harrisville mine the Union Coal & Coke 
 Company operated a mine at Gomersol, in 
 Cherry Township. Other mines were the 
 Allegheny, the Buckeye, and the Eichbar, 
 and the Erie Coal Companies operated 
 mines in the vicinity of Anandale and 
 Hilliard. The Stage mines at Claytonia 
 were opened in 1894 and later Steele & 
 Blair opened the Standard Mine on the 
 Bessemer Railroad. 
 
 OPERATIONS IN 1908. 
 
 In 1908 there were twenty-five coal com- 
 panies operating in Butler County employ- 
 ing about 2,"000 men. The total production 
 of the mines for 1907 was about 865,000 
 tons. The principal operators in the dis- 
 trict are The Great Lakes Coal Company, 
 the Erie Coal & Coke Company, the Goff- 
 Kerby Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and 
 the H. K. Wick Coal Company, of Ydtiugs- 
 town, Ohio. Among the independent oper- 
 ators are W. K. Hamilton, Harry Hamil- 
 ton, C. B. McFarland, the Turner Coal 
 Company of Greenville, P. D. Sherwin of 
 Butler, George Stage of Greenville. But- 
 ler is in the third bituminous district with 
 Armstrong, Clarion, Beaver, Lawrence 
 
AND Et]PRBSENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 and Mercer Counties, and with the excep- 
 tion of Armstrong County has the largest 
 production of any county in the district. 
 The Butler district has been remarkably 
 free from strikes and the various forms 
 of labor troubles that the operators in 
 other districts have encountered. The dis- 
 trict has also been remarkably free from 
 mine disasters and the usual run of acci- 
 dents caused by mine explosions and gas. 
 This is accounted for from the fact that all 
 the mines in the county are above the 
 water level, and are almost entirely free 
 from gaseous formations. The coal mined 
 along the Bessemer Railroad and the 
 Western Allegheny Railroad is all of a 
 superior quality for steam purposes and 
 the entire output of the mines is shipped 
 north for distribution along the Grreat 
 Lakes. 
 
 In addition to the above compaiii 's, the 
 New Castle Coal Company and the Filer 
 mines, having openings in Mercer County 
 close to the line, are taking coal out from 
 under farms in Butler County, the value 
 of which is not included iu the reports of 
 the production for this county. In the 
 southeastern corner of the county the 
 Clark Coal & Coke Company have an open- 
 ing just across the line in Armstrong 
 County, and their main entries run into 
 the coal lands in Butler County. This 
 company has several thousand acres of 
 coal land leased in Buffalo Township. The 
 Kerr Coal Com])any, a branch of the Gug- 
 genheimer interests, also have a large 
 block of coal lands in Buffalo Township 
 adjoining the Armstrong and Allegheny 
 County lines, which was purchased out- 
 right from the farmers. This company 
 has an opening at Lane Station on the 
 Butler Branch from which the coal in But- 
 ler County will be mined. Along Buffalo 
 Creek and Walker's Run the small mines 
 operated by Wright, Kelley, Yeanig, and 
 Beckman are still in operation and furnish 
 fuel to the villages and farmers in the 
 surrounding country. 
 
 The mines operating were as follows: 
 The Sharon Coal & Lime Company, In 
 Slippery Rock Township, operating the 
 Buhl Mines Nos. 3 and 4, employed 177 
 men. Their output was 98,400 tons. 
 These mines are on the Wolf Creek Branch 
 of the Pennsylvania Railroad. 
 
 The Goff-Kirby Company of Cleveland, 
 Ohio, were operating in Marion and 
 Venango Townships at Anandale Station 
 and Murrinsville under the title of Butts 
 Cannel Coal Company. They employed 
 253 men, and the output of their Anandale 
 mine No. 2 was 165,000 tons, and of their 
 No. 3, 36,000 tons. 
 
 The Bessemer & Lake Erie Coal Com- 
 pany, operating the Jefferson mine, em- 
 ployed 120 men and liad an output of 
 86,000 tons. 
 
 The Erie Coal & Coke Company em- 
 l)loyed eighty-nine men in their Keystone 
 Mine No. 1 and had an output of 77,500 
 tons. 
 
 The Lochrie Brothers Coal Company at 
 Argentine employed eighty men in their 
 Pennsylvania Mine No. 1 and had an out- 
 put of 59,000 tons. This company is oper- 
 ating in Washington and Venango Town- 
 ships. 
 
 The Standard Coal Mining Company at 
 Argentine employed eighty-nine men and 
 had an output of 57,000 tons. 
 
 The Nellie Coal Company employed 
 seventy-eight men at their Nellie Mine in 
 the same district, and had an output of 
 49,000 tons. 
 
 The Mutual Coal Mining Company em- 
 ployed seventy-one men at the Royal Mine, 
 in the Argentine district, and had an out- 
 put of 43,768 tons. 
 
 The Chicora Coal & Coke Company at 
 Chicora, on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road, employed fifty men and had an out- 
 put of 40,906 tons. 
 
 F. A. Mizner employed fifty-nine men 
 at the Grant Mine in Venango Township, 
 and had an output of 31,625 tons. 
 
 George Stage & Son employed forty- 
 
34 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 three men at the Stage Miue at Claj'tonia, 
 and had an output of 18,000 tons. 
 
 The Pittsburg Coal & Fuel Company 
 operating the Wahlville No. 2, in Jackson 
 Township, employed thirty-five men and 
 had an output of 15,340 tons. . 
 
 Samuel Sherwin operating the Kinkade 
 Mine near Karns City employed forty-six 
 men and had an ouput of 13,216 tons. 
 
 The Maines Coal Company operating the 
 Maines Mine in Center Township, three 
 miles north of Butler, employed seventeen 
 men and liad an output of 8,884 tons. 
 
 The Erie Coal Mining Company em- 
 ployed twelve men at their Claytouia mine, 
 on the Bessemer Railroad, and had an out- 
 put of 7,420 tons. 
 
 Thomas Evans, lessee of the Butler 
 Coal & Coke Company, employed twenty- 
 two men at the Jamisonville mine, in the 
 Bessemer Railroad, and had an output of 
 6,824 tons. This mine is now operated by 
 Mariana & Smith. 
 
 The Grace Coal Company employed 
 twenty-five men at the Evans City shaft 
 on the main line of the Baltimore & Ohio 
 Railroad, and had an output of 5,500 tons. 
 This mine is now operated by the Turners, 
 of Greenville. 
 
 The Hallston Coal & Coke Company em- 
 ployed fifteen men at the Hallston mine on 
 the Bessemer Railroad, and had an output 
 of 4,784 tons. 
 
 The Branchton Coal Company employed 
 seventeen men at the Branchton mine and 
 had an output of 973 tons. 
 
 P. D. Sherwin employed fifty-eight men 
 at the Sherwin mines on the Bessemer 
 Railroad, and produced 23,000 tons. This 
 mine is on the Dr. McCandless farm in 
 Clay Township. The same operator em- 
 ployed thirty-three men at the Enterprise 
 mine at Karns City and had an output of 
 10,000 tons. The Enterprise mine is on 
 the Taylor and Riddle farms and has been 
 in operation since 1886. 
 
 The future of tlie coal business in Butler 
 County is full of promise. The operations 
 
 for the past thirty years have all been con- 
 fined to the northern half of the county 
 and it is only recently that large mining 
 operations have been carried on in the 
 townships south of Butler. The Wahlville 
 and Evans City mines on the Baltimore & 
 Ohio Railroad are the only ones of im- 
 portance in this section, while the Kerr 
 Comi^any and the Clark Coal & Coke Com- 
 pany are operating in the southeastern 
 corner of the county and have their open- 
 ings in Armstrong County. The full ex- 
 tent of the coal beds in the southern town- 
 ships have not been defined, except as they 
 are located by the drill in operating for 
 oil. These records are not reliable as to 
 the exact thickness of the vein, but they 
 are known to var}^ from three feet to at 
 least eight or ten feet. All of the coal 
 mined in Butler Comity is of an excellent 
 quality both for fuel and steam purposes, 
 and the close proximity of the fields to the 
 Pittsburg district makes the future pros- 
 pect very bright. 
 
 IRON ORE AND LIMESTONE. 
 
 The maker of the Universe used a lavish 
 hand when he created the mineral re- 
 sources of Butler County. The develop- 
 ment of the petroleum and gas fields cre- 
 ated wealth never dreamed of by Croesus, 
 and no sooner had this wonderful source 
 of riches begun to decline than men began 
 to delve into the hills in search of minerals, 
 with results that are astonishing to the 
 expert mineralogist and almost unbeliev- 
 able to the ordinary layman. The extent 
 of the coal beds and their development in 
 the last years has been already commented 
 on. Iron ore and limestone are taken to- 
 gether for the reason that the only deposits 
 of iron ore to be found in the coimty are 
 on top of the ferriferous limestone and 
 these deposits were worked as early as 
 1805. It was not until one hundred years 
 later that the true value of the limestone 
 was discovered and this many years after 
 the old "tea kettle" furnaces had been 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 35 
 
 dismantled aud the mannfaotiire of iron 
 in the county abandoned. 
 
 According to the geological maps of 
 Pennsylvania the entire area of Butler 
 County is underlaid with a bed of ferrifer- 
 ous limestone that varies from eighteen 
 feet at the Harrisville mines in the North- 
 west section of the county to twenty-eight 
 feet at AVest Winfield in the Southeast 
 section. This limestone outcrops along 
 the hills of Slippery Rock and Muddy and 
 Wolf Creeks in Muddy Creek, Brady, 
 Cherry, Washington, Venango, Marion, 
 Mercer, Slippery Rock, and Worth Town- 
 ships. In the Northeast section of the 
 county the outcrop is in Allegheny and 
 Parker Townships, aloug Big Bear Creek 
 and Little Bear Creek, while the only out- 
 crop in the Southeast section is along 
 Rough Run in Winfield Township. Fol- 
 lowing the direction of the Harrisville and 
 Brady's Bend anticlinals, this bed of lime- 
 stone dips to the Southwest at the rate of 
 seventeen feet to the mile, and in the vicin- 
 ity of Butler Borough is two hundred and 
 fifty feet under the surface. In the South- 
 ern tier of townships it is from three to 
 four hundred feet, and in the Northern 
 part of Allegheny County it is six hundred 
 feet beneath the Pittsburg coal. 
 
 The only other limestone in the county 
 is known as the Crinoidal, and is found in 
 but one locality. That is, at the top of the 
 hill, one mile East of Sarvers Station in 
 Buffalo Township, near Buffalo Presbyte- 
 rian church. The Crinoidal is found five 
 hundred and fifty feet above the ferrifer- 
 ous limestone, near the top of the hills and 
 has little merchantable value. 
 
 EARLY FURNACES AND OPERATIONS. 
 
 The pioneers soon discovered the fer- 
 riferous limestone and the deposits of iron 
 ore that accompany it and a number of 
 small furnaces were early established 
 along the valleys of the Conuoquenessing, 
 the Sli]ipery Rock, Bear Creek and Rough 
 Run. The iron ore at these places was 
 
 found in pockets and in sufficient quanti- 
 ties for the small operations of that day, 
 and the limestone proved to be of an ex- 
 cellent quality for fluxing purposes. 
 
 The first furnace was built in the Con- 
 uoquenessing valley by Dr. Detmar Basse 
 Muller, and was in operation as early as 
 1805. It was just outside the limits of 
 Butler County, at the mouth of Pine Run. 
 The product of this furnace was manufac- 
 tured into stoves and farm implements for 
 the use of the residents of the Conuoque- 
 nessing Valley in Butler County long be- 
 fore Pittsburg was thought of as an iron 
 town. 
 
 Mount Etna furnace was built in 1822 
 on Slippery Rock Creek by Dr. John 
 Thompson, who came from New Lisbon, 
 Ohio, and purchased a large tract of land 
 in Slippery Rock Township. He erected 
 a cold blast charcoal furnace for the manu- 
 facture of pig iron, and in 1823 he erected 
 a forge for the manufacture of bar iron, 
 built a saw-mill and a grist-mill, employed 
 many men and did an extensive business. 
 Financial difficulties overtook him in 1829 
 and the property was sold at sheriff's sale, 
 David McJunkin becoming the purchaser. 
 Thompson afterward returned and paid 
 every dollar of his indebtedness. McJun- 
 kin operated the property for about seven 
 years and then rented it to Ephraim Rose, 
 John Near & Co., and Robert McGowan, 
 successively. William S. Bingham also 
 operated the furnace before it went out of 
 blast in 1810. The capacity of the plant 
 was fifteen tons a week and the iron was 
 hauled to Pittsburg at a cost of five dollars 
 per ton. The location of this old iron 
 plant is at Etna mills on the Butler and 
 Mercer Road. 
 
 HICKORY FURNACE. 
 
 The second furnace to be built on the 
 Slippery Rock was at the site of Kiester's 
 mill, a few miles further up the creek from 
 Etna furnace, and was known as Hickor;y 
 furnace. Joseph C. Swearingen, who 
 
36 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 owned five hundred acres of land in the 
 vicinity of the old Slippery Rock park, 
 built the furnace in 1836 and projected a 
 large business, which ruined him finan- 
 cially. The property was sold to Charles 
 C. Sullivan, of Butler, and William Stew- 
 art, who rented the plant to William Jack. 
 After a few years the owners took charge 
 and under the management of Stewart the 
 property was operated at a profit. The 
 Kiester grist-mill, now operated by S. M. 
 Cheesman, was built in 1843 by Stewart 
 and Sullivan. Robert Allen operated the 
 old furnace for a few years before it went 
 out of blast in 1860. (iood iron was made 
 at both the Etna and Hickory furnaces, 
 but they were driven out of the market by 
 the competition of concerns having better 
 advantages for shipping. 
 
 M.\EION FURNACE. 
 
 Marion furnace was built in 1850 by 
 Robert Braden and James Kerr in the 
 present limits of Marion Township. It 
 was a cold blast, charcoal furnace, and was 
 the third one built in the valley of the 
 Slippery Rock. The capacity of the fur- 
 nace was about eighteen tons per week, 
 and the product was shipped to Pittsburg. 
 The owners operated the plant until 1862, 
 when it was abandoned. 
 
 MAPLE AND KENSINGTON FURNACES. 
 
 The first operations on Bear Creek were 
 in 1844, when George and James Bovard 
 built Maple furnace. It was a stone stack, 
 cold blast, charcoal furnace, but was after- 
 ward run with a steam engine. In 1847 
 the property was purchased by Henry 
 Graff of Pittsburg, and in 1854 M. S. 
 Adams became the owner and operated the 
 plant until 1865, when it was abandoned 
 on account of scarcity of ore. This fur- 
 nace produced about forty tons of iron per 
 week and gave employment to thirty to 
 forty men. 
 
 Kensington furnace was built in 1846 by 
 Church, Carothers and Crawford and was 
 
 operated by them for five years. It was 
 a charcoal furnace and had a capacity of 
 six tons of iron per day. It was aban- 
 doned for the same reason as Maple fur- 
 nace. The iron ore in this locality is 
 irregular in its formation and runs to 
 pockets. Both these furnaces are in Alle- 
 gheny Township. 
 
 WINFIELD FURNACE. 
 
 Winfield furnace on Rough Run in Win- 
 field Township, was built in 1844 by Will- 
 iam Spear, who operated it until 1856, 
 when the property was purchased by the 
 Winfield Coal & Iron Company. Soon 
 after William Stewart, who had success- 
 fully operated Hickory furnace, became 
 owner and conducted the business until 
 1864, when the enterprise was abandoned. 
 The original furnace was a thirty-foot 
 stack set on a twenty-foot base, and was 
 fired with charcoal, which was manufac- 
 tured on the furnace property. The blast 
 was first run by water power and later by 
 steam. Its capacity was about forty tons 
 of iron per day, which was hauled to Free- 
 port and shipped by rail or boat to Pitts- 
 bui-g. To the casual observer of the day 
 the closing of the furnaces on Bear Creek 
 and Rough Run was the expiring act of 
 the iron industry in Butler County and 
 tliere was little to be hoped for in the 
 future. Destiny had other things in store 
 for the county and fifty years later the site 
 of the "tea kettle" furnace was to be the 
 scene of a great industrial activity. 
 
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIMESTONE. 
 
 About the time the last furnace was 
 closed in Butler County the oil fields began 
 to attract attention and for thirty years 
 the iron ore and limestone beds were for- 
 gotten. In the meantime there had been 
 wonderful development in the Pittsburg 
 district in the manufacture of iron and 
 steel, in railroads, in the construction of 
 public roads, and the manufacture of Port- 
 land cements. All of these industries used 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 37 
 
 immense quantities of lime and limestone 
 and they began to look about for a source 
 of supply. One of the first men to see the 
 possibilities of the limestone business in 
 Butler County was Webster Keasey, of 
 Winfield Township, who was raised near 
 the site of the old furnace. 
 
 THE WEST WINFIELD EAILKO.'U). 
 
 In 1890 Joseph Brittain, of Butler, who 
 was then carrying on a number of enter- 
 prises in the county, went to Eough Run 
 to buy timber to be manufactured into 
 railroad ties and billstuff. Webster Kea- 
 sey met him and pointed out the possibili- 
 ties of the lime, coal, and fire clay indus- 
 tries at the old furnace site, if a railroad 
 could be built into the place. Brittain was 
 a man of action and was quick to formulate 
 a plan. He purchased the Henry Keasey 
 tract of laud, which adjoins the furnace 
 property, that day and the next day he 
 closed a deal with the manager of the fur- 
 nace property in Pittsburg by which the 
 latter agreed to furnish $40,000 and Brit- 
 tain $40,000 to build a railroad from the 
 Butler branch to Winfield furnace. Armed 
 with this agreement Brittain went direct 
 to the head men of the Pennsylvania Rail- 
 road Company at Philadelphia and pre- 
 sented his proposition. The next day he 
 came away with a contract which bound 
 the railroad company to build the branch 
 road within a stipulated time. The strange 
 part of the story is that Brittain did not 
 have a dollar in cash when he closed the 
 contract with the railroad company, and 
 he had no financial backing; his part of 
 the contract was to be paid in railroad ties. 
 Brittain died before the road was com- 
 pleted and his enterprises failed, with the 
 single exception of the railroad. 
 
 In 1891 the Rough Run Manufacturing 
 Company purchased the Henry Keasey 
 farm of 177 acres adjoining the furnace 
 tract and erected a salt works, which they 
 operated until 1893, when the business be- 
 came unprofitable; the plant was closed 
 
 down and the laud was leased to the lime 
 company. 
 
 The limestone industry had its inception 
 in 1893 when Webster Keasey and J. A. 
 Ransom leased the tract of the Rough Run 
 Manufacturing Company and opened the 
 mine that is in operation at the present 
 time. Later the Acme Lime Company, 
 Limited, was organized with J. A. Ransom 
 president, J. J. Haas secretary and treas- 
 urer, and Webster Keasey superintendent. 
 
 The lime company operated three kilns, 
 one patent steel jacket kiln, one steam 
 drill, and one stone crusher with a daily 
 capacity of two hundred tons of crushed 
 stone. The daily capacity of the kilns was 
 six hundred bushels of burnt lime. Hous- 
 ton Brothers of Pittsburg were the suc- 
 cessors of the Acme Lime Company, and 
 they in turn disposed of the plant to the 
 A. G. Morris Lime & Stone Company of 
 Tyrone, Pennsylvania, which had formerly 
 been a competitor of the West Winfield 
 Company. The Morris company has a 
 capital of two hundred thousancl dollars 
 invested in the plant that is now in oper- 
 ation, and the daily output is ten acres of 
 raw stone and from three to five cars of 
 burned lime. The raw stone is used for 
 fluxing purposes in the manufacture of 
 iron and steel and of late years a large 
 percentage of the output of this mine is 
 used in the construction of State highways. 
 
 The ferriferous limestone at this point 
 is twenty-eight feet thick and the lower 
 edge of the stratum is twenty-five feet 
 above the water level of Rough Rim. Its 
 analysis shows ninety-six per cent, of car- 
 bonate of lime, and it is considered one of 
 the best gray limes in the country. The 
 strata is the same as that of Bufifalo fur- 
 nace and Brady's Bend, and extends from 
 the northeast to the southwest through 
 Winfield and Buffalo Townships. The 
 limestone in West Winfield is being mined 
 the same as coal, and the Morris company 
 is one of the largest plants — the only one 
 of its kind — in the world. At this point 
 
38 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tlie limestoue lies iu three separate veins, 
 and has developed an abnormal thickness 
 of twenty-eight feet. The two lower veins 
 are being mined, and the top vein is left 
 iu as a roof. The value of this limestone 
 deposit may be estimated in a rough way 
 by anyone who cares to make the calcula- 
 tion. The land owner is paid a royalty of 
 three cents per ton for the raw stone. 
 Estimating the weight of the limestone at 
 one hundred and forty pounds per cubic 
 foot, the value per acre varies from one 
 thousand dollars to twenty-five hundred 
 dollars, depending on the thickness of the 
 stratum. 
 
 OTHER MINERAL DEPOSITS. 
 
 The wealth of this part of the county iu 
 minerals cannot be estimated by the value 
 of the limestone. In addition to the fer- 
 riferous limestone, six veins of coal are 
 found above the limestone which run from 
 two feet six inches to foiir feet. These 
 veins are the Upper Freeport, Lower Free- 
 poi-t, and Upper Kittanning Coals, while 
 the Clarion coal bed lies twenty-five feet 
 beneath the limestone. The Summit iron 
 ore underlies the Freeport coal, and was 
 the source of supply of the old Winfield 
 furnace and the Buffalo furnace in Arm- 
 strong County. This iron ore was also the 
 supply for the Brady's Bend operations in 
 the middle of the last century, and out- 
 crops in Clarion County. The Buhrstone 
 iron ore is also found in this locality under 
 the lower Kittanning coal. The Mahoning 
 sandstone is found in the upper strata, and 
 the Homewood sandstone is found twenty- 
 five feet above Rough Run. 
 
 The Clarion County fire clay is also 
 found, and varies from ten to fifteen feet 
 in thickness. This vein of fire clay is also 
 being operated as is also the Homewood 
 sandstone, and is a source of large profits 
 to the owners of the land. 
 
 In the northwest section of the count, 
 limestone was developed in a small way at 
 an early date and was used for fluxing pui-- 
 
 poses at the old furnaces, and by the farm- 
 ers for fertilizing purposes on their land. 
 
 About 1895 the attention of the superin- 
 tendent of mines of the Carnegie steel in- 
 terests was called to the limestone forma- 
 tion along the Bessemer Railroad in Butler 
 County as a possible source of supply for 
 the Carnegie Steel Mills. Then an in- 
 vestigation of the territory and an analysis 
 of samples of the ferriferous limestone 
 showed that the limestone of Slippery 
 liock, ^fcrcci- and Cherry Townships was 
 ;i(liiiii;ilil>- suited for manufacturing pur- 
 posi's, and tliat it contained ninety-six per 
 cent, of carbonate of lime. Following out 
 the suggestion, the Carnegie company 
 leased a large block of territory and 
 opened the mines at Wick Station and 
 Harrisville Station on the Bessemer Rail- 
 road, which now furnishes employment for 
 a large number of men and is one of the 
 principal sources of supply for the United 
 States steel industries. The limestone 
 stratum at this point is only a few feet 
 beneath the surface, and is obtained by 
 first stripping the soil from the top. 
 These operations are among the most ex- 
 tensive of the Carnegie interests. 
 
 Ochre was found along the Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek at an early day, and was used 
 in mixing j^aints. A frame house erected 
 by Walter Lowrie where the jail now 
 stands was painted with this yellow clay 
 ground in oil. 
 
 LEAD MINES. 
 
 Lead is said to exist along the valley of 
 the Connoquenessing, although the geolo- 
 gists have never been able to locate it. 
 The early pioneers related stories about 
 the Indians who came to Butler as early 
 as 1820 and offered to tell the settlers 
 where to find lead on payment of a sum of 
 money. These Indians, it is said, went 
 down along the creek below Butler and re- 
 turned with all the lead they could carry 
 and took it home with them. They would 
 not allow anybody to go with them when 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 39 
 
 they were mining their lead, and the white 
 men were never able to discover its loca- 
 tion. As late as 1850 an Indian of the 
 Cornplauter tribe is said to have come to 
 Butler and stopped at the old Beatty Hotel 
 over night. The next morning he went 
 down along the Connoquenessing Creek 
 alone and returned in the evening with aU 
 the lead he could carry. The next day he 
 returned by stage to his lionie. Day's 
 "Historical Collections of Pennsylvania" 
 says that a lead mine existed at an early 
 day near Harmony, and that the first set- 
 tlers in that section of the county found a 
 small furnace that the Indians had used in 
 melting the lead. No white man has ever 
 been able to discover these lead dejjosits 
 which were known to the Indians, and 
 whether or not they are phantoms is left 
 to the reader to judge for himself. 
 
 With the exception of the southeastern 
 townships, a tract in Parker Township, 
 and a few groves in other townships, the 
 pine and the hemlock are absent. Vast 
 forests of oak, elm, chestnut, walnut, ash, 
 hickory, maple, and other hard wood trees 
 abounded in every township in the county, 
 and for many years was the source of a 
 great lumber supply. In. the matter of 
 orchards, the apple tree holds first place, 
 the peach tree second, while the pear and 
 the ]>lum are cultivated to a large extent. 
 Much of the territory in the county is fitted 
 for vine culture, but little attention is 
 given thereto. Thirty years ago extensive 
 vineyards were planted in Butler County 
 which flourished for a few years. The 
 vines were attacked by a blight which con- 
 tinued until this branch of industry has 
 been abandoned. 
 
 There are one hundred species of mam- 
 mals known in Butler County, and the list 
 of birds includes three hundred and thirty 
 species, of which one hundred and fifteen 
 are natives. The panther was the lion of 
 the wilderness whose scream was as famil- 
 
 iar to the pioneer as the bark of a dog is 
 to the i^eople of the present day. Many 
 stories of adventure are told concerning 
 the "painter," several of which are re- 
 lated in the adventures of the pioneers. 
 Contradictory stories are told about the 
 last panther killed within the limits of the 
 county. Some say it was in 1856, some 
 place it earlier, and some later. The bear 
 grew to gigantic stature in this district, 
 and the wolf attained his greatest strength, 
 and both animals were a source of danger, 
 loss and trouble to the early settlers. The 
 county was a paradise for hunters, who 
 found along the deer-licks enjoyment and 
 profit. It was the practice of the hunters 
 in the winter time to hunt deer and carry 
 their carcasses to Pittsburg where they 
 were sold for cash. Adam Brown of For- 
 ward Township, who was considered a 
 great hunter of his day, shot forty-eight 
 deer in one winter, and hauled them to 
 Pittsburg on a sled. Jacob Ekas was an- 
 other deer hunter equally as famous, and 
 many others could be mentioned. The 
 greed of the hunters led to the annihilation 
 of the deer and the bounty laws tended 
 toward the extermination of the wild ani- 
 mals. The otter and the beaver abounded 
 on Bear Creek and on Muddy Creek, but 
 they have long since disappeared. The 
 last of the otter tribe vanished from Bear 
 Creek about 1872 and a few years later 
 they had disappeared from Muddy Creek. 
 The birds, however, have largely held 
 their own, and are still with us. In Novem- 
 ber, 1881, a golden eagle measuring seven 
 feet from tip to tip was captured in Penn 
 Township by Elijah T. Phillips. The owl, 
 the hawk, and other predatory birds are 
 numerous, but the species are kept from 
 increasing by the hunters. Game birds and 
 song birds are protected by law. 
 
 AECHEOLOGY. 
 
 Butler County is not without interest 
 from an archeological point of view. On 
 the site of old Indian towns along the old 
 
40 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Indian trails, and even in places where no 
 signs of Indian habitations were found by 
 the early settlers, arrowheads, stone chis- 
 els, and other reminders of the original 
 inhabitants of the land are frequently 
 brought to light. As late as 1907 arrow- 
 heads were found in the northern part of 
 Connoquenessing Township and in many 
 other localities in the county similar dis- 
 coveries have been made where Indian 
 camps and villages are known to have ex- 
 isted. In 1893 a butternut tree and butter- 
 nuts were found petrified within a rock in 
 the outcrop south of the Connoquenessing 
 Creek, opposite the borough of Butler. 
 When that tree was covered with sand, or 
 when the sand was converted into rock, are 
 secrets of nature which invite the attention 
 of the scientist. A few years later in ex- 
 cavating for the foundation of the Broad 
 Street School building in Butler, the work- 
 men discovered a petrified log at the depth 
 of twenty-five feet and a section of a laurel 
 bush of gigantic size, which had doubtless 
 been the growth of some prehistoric age. 
 
 FLOODS AND STORMS, AND EPIDEMICS. 
 
 High waters in the creeks in the county 
 have not been unusual, but the damage 
 
 was genei-ally confined to buildings on the 
 lowlands, and the bridges across the 
 streams, and no lives were lost. The flood 
 which carried away a large portion of 
 Petrolia was the most disastrous one 
 known within that period. The drouths 
 of 1854 and of the summer of 1894 were 
 the most serious in the history of the 
 county entailing heavy losses on the farm- 
 ers, and rendering water exceedingly 
 scarce by drying up many of the streams. 
 The tornado which carried away part of 
 Coaltown, and the rainstorm of June 21, 
 1872, which damaged a few houses in But- 
 ler are the only disastrous visitations of 
 the elements worthy of mention. In 1832 
 the locusts ravaged the county and again 
 in 1849 they threatened the crops, but dis- 
 appeared during the last week in June of 
 that year. The frost of June 5, 1859, was 
 one of the disasters of the middle of the 
 century which effected the entire county. 
 Fruit was killed and the prospects of a 
 harvest were dashed to the ground. 
 
 In 1838 scarlet fever and catarrhal fever 
 were epidemic in Butler and vicinity, and 
 the typhoid fever epidemic of 1903-4 is the 
 subject of a separate article in this 
 work. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 
 
 Indian Occthpation — Early Maps — The Original People — The First White Men — Wash- 
 ington's Journey — England Takes Action — Cause of Indian Dissatisfaction — 
 Christopher Gist — Frederick Post — Post Returns to the Delawares — Kaskaskunk 
 — Pakanke — Glikkikin — Rev. John Rothe — Settlements up to 1804 — Pioneer Set- 
 tlers — Pioneer Anecdotes and Adventures — Destruction of Kittanning — The Story 
 of Massy Harbison — Gen. Richard Butler. 
 
 There appears to be much mystery as to 
 who the original inhabitants of Western 
 Pennsylvania were. The only evidences 
 of the Indian occupation found here by the 
 pioneers from 1790 to 1800 were the old 
 Indian trails and the traces of Indian vil- 
 lages to be found in various part of the 
 county. The Senecas were the occupants 
 of this part of the State south of Lake 
 Erie, but at the time the tide of immigra- 
 tion reached the east bank of the Allegheny 
 the country was claimed by several tribes, 
 including remnants of the Delaware, the 
 Shawanese, Munceys, and Senecas. These 
 tribes, under the leadership of the Tory 
 Scotch-Irishmen, Simon Girty, Alexander 
 McKee, and Captain Elliott, were allies of 
 the British during the Revolution. 
 
 EAELY MAPS OF THE COUNTY. 
 
 The maps of the Historical Society of 
 Western Pennsylvania published in 1875 
 show the Indian towns of what is now But- 
 ler County to have been Cushcushking, on 
 Wolf Creek in the present limits of Slip- 
 pery Rock Township; Kaskaskunk, west 
 of Holyoke Church in Center Township 
 near the Franklin Township line; Sakonk 
 
 on the west line of Alexander's District, 
 where it intersects Connoquenessing Creek 
 near Harmony; and another Indian town 
 named Sakonk, which stood near the mouth 
 of the Beaver River. Logstown was lo- 
 cated on the northeast bank of the Ohio, 
 a few miles southwest of the southwest 
 corner of Butler County; and Shannopin 
 Town stood across the Allegheny River 
 opposite the Indian town of Allegheny. 
 The map does not mention Murdering 
 Town which stood north of Amberson's 
 Bridge on Connoquenessing Creek; the 
 Indian village that at one time existed near 
 the mouth of Breakneck Creek ; the Indian 
 village in Buffalo Township on the Jacob 
 Simmers farm ; the Indian town that once 
 existed in the northeastern section of the 
 county near the present town of Bruin; 
 the Indian village in Franklin Township 
 about one mile south of Prospect on the 
 old White farm; nor the Indian camps 
 that were known to exist at Buhl's Mill in 
 Forward Township, near Mechaniesburg 
 in Worth Township, and on the present 
 site of Harrisville in Mercer Township. 
 Nor is any mention made of the old Indian 
 camping place on the Kearns farm in But- 
 
42 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ler Townshij) at what is now known as the 
 Transfei-, nor the Indian camp within the 
 present limits of Butler borough on the 
 site of the courthouse. A small band of 
 Indians lived in the village near Bruin as 
 late as 1796 when the first settlers came to 
 that district, and a small band of Moravian 
 Indians lived in a village near West Lib- 
 erty as late as 1812. 
 
 No mention is made of the Indian trails 
 or paths leading across Butler County, of 
 which there were a large number. As 
 early as 1750 there was known to be an 
 Indian trail or great path leading from 
 Philadelphia across the mountains to Kit- 
 tanning on the Allegheny River; and 
 thence west to the Ohio line, probably 
 passing the town of Kaskaskunk north of 
 Butler. A path led north from Kittanning 
 along the river bank to Franklin and traces 
 of an old north and south path were found 
 in Buffalo Township by the early settlers. 
 The old Venango trail led from the forks 
 of the Ohio River north through Cran- 
 berry and Jackson Townships, passing 
 Murdering Town and in the vicinity of 
 Prospect and Harrisville. Traces of this 
 path are yet to be seen qn the west line of 
 the Greer McCandless farm in Connoque- 
 nessing Township. The old Logstown 
 path, followed by George Washington and 
 his party in 1753, came up Beaver River 
 and Connoquenessing Creek and inter- 
 sected the Venango path at some point 
 near Murdering Town. Another old path 
 existed in early days leading from Mur- 
 dering Town along the banks of the Con- 
 noquenessing Creek to Butler, and thence 
 east toward Kittanning. The early set- 
 tlers of Butler Township and the southern 
 part of the county say that an Indian trail 
 once existed leading from the present site 
 of Butler directly south to the present site 
 of Pittsburg. Many of these old Indian 
 trails were marked on the Colonial and 
 State documents as being the property of 
 the Cornplanter Indians, and they were 
 used by these ti'ibes when the pioneers 
 
 first came to occupy the land in the county. 
 The narrative of Massy Harbison indi- 
 cates that an Indian settlement of some 
 proportion existed at an early day on the 
 Connoquenessing Creek north of Butler, 
 but there are no records to show who in- 
 habited the place. 
 
 THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE. 
 
 While the Senecas, the Delawares and 
 the Shawanese occupied the territory west 
 of the Allegheny River and north of the 
 Ohio at the time the first white men came 
 into the country, they were by no means 
 the first inhabitants of the land. A tradi- 
 tion about the origin of the Delaware In- 
 dians is of interest at this point on account 
 of the fact that this nation of Indians occu- 
 pied the territory, of which Butler County 
 is a part, prior to emigrating to the east- 
 ern part of the State. When the English- 
 men first came to the shores of An>erica 
 they found that the Lenni Lenape occupied 
 the shores of the Delaware River in Penn- 
 sylvania, hence the name Delaware In- 
 dians. In the Indian language Lenni 
 Lenape means the ' ' original people. ' ' The 
 tradition is that many centuries ago the 
 Lenni Lenape came from west of the Mis- 
 sissippi River. When they reached the 
 shores of the Mississippi they fell in with 
 the Mengwe, or Iroquois, wlio were also 
 of western origin, and had come from the 
 far west near the source of the Mississippi 
 River. They found that the country east 
 of the Mississippi River was occupied by 
 a people called the Allegewi, who lived in 
 fortified towns and occupied all the terri- 
 tory as far east as the Allegheny River. 
 The Allegheny River and the Allegheny 
 Mountains derived their names from this 
 tribe of people, who were said to be tall 
 and stout and many of them of gigantic 
 stature. Vestiges of these people are yet 
 to be seen in the historic mounds of south- 
 ern Ohio and in Allegheny County in 
 western Pennsylvania. 
 
 The Lenape requested permission of the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 43 
 
 AUegewi to occupy the country, but the re- 
 quest was refused. After a loug- council, 
 however, the chiefs of the Allegewi granted 
 permission for the strangers to cross the 
 river, pass through the country, and oc- 
 cupy the lands to the eastward. When the 
 Allegewi saw the numbers of the strangers 
 passing the river they became alarmed and 
 assailed and destroyed many of those who 
 had reached the eastern shore. A long war 
 ensued in which the Allegewi were driven 
 out of the country never to return. The 
 Lenape called the Mississippi River the 
 Namaesi Sipu, or the river of fish. After 
 the Allegewi had been conquered, the 
 Lenape and the Iroquois divided the terri- 
 tory, the former occupying the lands south 
 and along the Ohio River, and the latter 
 the country in the neighborhood of the 
 Great Lakes. 
 
 The conquerors lived in harmony for 
 many generations. Finally a band of 
 hunters of the Lenape tribe crossed the 
 Allegheny Mountains and discovered the 
 great rivers and bays of the Susquehanna 
 and Delaware, going as far east as the 
 Hudson. After a loug absence they re- 
 turned to their people and told of the dis- 
 covery of a new land which abounded in 
 game, fish, fowls and fruit, and in which 
 no inhabitants lived. The Lenape imme- 
 diately emigrated to the new country, 
 establishing their principal towns on the 
 Delaware River, and occupying the coun- 
 try as far as the Hudson River and south 
 to the Potomac. All of their nation, how- 
 ever, did not cross the Mississippi River, 
 but some remained behind, and because of 
 the wars with the Allegewi they became 
 frightened and went to the far west. They 
 thus became divided into three parts, those 
 that inhabited the Atlantic coast, those 
 that inhabited the land between the Alle- 
 gheny and the Mississippi, and those west 
 of the Mississippi. The Lenape that occu- 
 pied the Atlantic coast were divided into 
 three tribes, called the Turtle, the Turkey, 
 and the Wolf. The Minsi, or Wolf tribe, 
 
 formed a barrier in central Pennsylvania 
 between their nation and the Iroquois on 
 the north and became known as the "Mon- 
 seys." Forty tribes of Indians are said 
 to be traceable to the Lenape, among which 
 is the Shawanese. The latter tribe are 
 said to be of southern origin and came 
 from the basin of the Cumberland River 
 to the Susquehanna Valley in Pennsyl- 
 vania in 1673. In 1698 seventy families of 
 this tribe settled on Conestoga and Pequea 
 Creek under their principal chief, Opessa. 
 They followed the west branch of the Sus- 
 quehanna River and in 1728 were in the 
 Ohio region. In 1832 the whole tribe occu- 
 pied the tributaries of the Ohio in what is 
 now western Pennsylvania and eastern 
 Ohio, and there is no doubt but that many 
 of the Indian villages and camps in Butler 
 County were occupied by these people 
 either as hunting lodges or principal places 
 of residence. The Delaware Indians who 
 inhabited western Pennsylvania, or at least 
 that part of the State west of the Alle- 
 gheny River, were no doubt descendants of 
 that part, of the Lenape family that re- 
 mained east of the Mississippi River when 
 the principal part of the tribe emigrated 
 to the Atlantic coast. 
 
 Notwithstanding the facts that the In- 
 dians of the iVllegheny River were well 
 known to the French soldiers in 1753-59, 
 the names of but few have been preserved 
 in the pages of American history. Custa- 
 loga and Kiassuta, or Guyasutha, the 
 hunter, were the great chiefs here in the 
 middle of the eighteenth century. Wash- 
 ington met the first at Venango on French 
 Creek in 1753, and the latter was one of his 
 guides on that historical expedition. Both 
 of these Indians after proving recreant to 
 the French became earnest supporters of 
 the British, and during the Revolution 
 took part in many a bloody foray into the 
 settlements east of the Allegheny River 
 and Mountains. Early historians do not 
 mention the fact that about the time Wash- 
 ington made his visit to Fort Venango, one 
 
44 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 of the principal Indian towns was Kas- 
 kaskunk in the present limits of Butler 
 County, which was then inhabited by the 
 Delaware Indians under the noted chief 
 Pakanke, and the celebrated warrior and 
 Indian orator, Glikkikkin. 
 
 THE FIRST WHITE MEN. 
 
 The pioneer white men of western Penn- 
 sylvania, as they were also of the Missis- 
 sippi and Ohio Valleys, were the French. 
 Their claims to the right of possession 
 were based on the discoveries of LaSalle, 
 who, about 1669-1670, started south from 
 the Great Lakes, struck the head waters 
 of the Allegheny River, and followed that 
 stream to the Ohio and thence to the falls 
 at Louisville, returning to Canada the 
 same year. 
 
 In 1749 Gallissionere, the governor of 
 Canada, organized an expedition which he 
 placed under the command of Capt. Pierre 
 Joseph Celoron, the object of which was to 
 connect the French possession in Canada 
 with Louisiana by a chain of forts reach- 
 ing from the lakes to the Ohio Eiver and 
 thence south. Advancing by way of Lakes 
 Erie and Chautauqua, and Conewango 
 Creek to the Allegheny Eiver, Celoron pro- 
 ceeded down that stream to the Ohio. In 
 descending the Allegheny, he crossed the 
 northeast and the southeast corners of 
 Butler County, and this therefore takes 
 I'ank as the first white exploration of west- 
 ern Pennsylvania. Celoron took formal 
 possession of the country in the name of 
 Louis XV., King of France, and buried 
 leaden plates at certain points as evidence 
 of possession. One of these plates was 
 buried at the junction of the Allegheny 
 and Monongahela Elvers. The mathema- 
 tician, geographer, and chaplain of this 
 expedition was a Jesuit priest named Eev. 
 Joseph Peter de Bonnecamp. 
 
 In 1753, four years after the first French 
 expedition, the French erected a fort at 
 Erie called Presque Isle, one at Waterford 
 called Fort LeBoeuf, and took possession 
 
 of John Frazier's cabin at the mouth of 
 French Creek on the site of Franklin. 
 Upon the crest of this cabin they placed 
 the flag of France, and left the place in 
 charge of a half-breed French officer 
 named Capt. Chabert de Joncaire. Fort 
 Machault, called Venango by the English, 
 was erected in the spring of 1754. 
 
 English jealousy being aroused by these 
 proceedings. Governor Dinwiddle, of Vir- 
 ginia, sent Maj. George Washington, aft- 
 erward immortalized in American history, 
 to learn from the French commandant his 
 intentions, and to jorotest against the 
 French occupying the Allegheny Valley, to 
 which the English laid claim. Early in 
 1754 the governor of Virginia sent a small 
 force to the confluence of the Allegheny 
 and Ohio Eivers and commenced the erec- 
 tion of a fort for the purpose of heading 
 off the French, but the latter descended 
 the Allegheny Eiver, drove the English 
 away, and completed the fort, which they 
 named Duquesne. This was the beginning 
 of the long and bloody contest known as 
 the French and Indian War, which closed 
 in 1759, with the expulsion of the French 
 from western Pennsylvania. The Pontiac 
 conspiracy in 1763 resulted in widespread 
 havoc and wiped out the three forts north 
 of Port Pitt. The last mentioned was gar- 
 risoned by the English until tlie Revolu- 
 tion, when the Americans became master 
 of the country. 
 
 WASHINGTON 's JOURNEY. 
 
 In 1753 Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia, 
 as above noted, sent George Washington 
 to the French post at Venango and Fort 
 LeBoeuf. Washington carried letters of 
 instruction dated at the city of Williams- 
 burg the 30th day of October and he set 
 out on his journey the same day. He em- 
 ployed a French interpreter and upon the 
 14th of November arrived at Will's Creek. 
 Here he engaged Christopher Gist, one of 
 the most noted pioneers and woodsmen 
 upon the stage during the troublous times 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 45 
 
 from 1750 to 1783, and also four others as 
 servants. The party then proceeded to 
 the mouth of Turtle Creek, which point 
 they reached on the 22d of November, and 
 from there they went to the forks of tlie 
 Ohio, now the site of Pittsburg, and Wash- 
 ington spent some time in viewing the 
 river and the land between the Allegheny 
 and the Mouongahela, which he thought 
 extremely well situated for a fort. The 
 party then proceeded down the Ohio River 
 to Logstown, where Washington met the 
 Half-King Taunac Harrison, who gave 
 him much information concerning the 
 French and the route he must pursue to 
 meet their commandant. On the 30th of 
 November, W'ashington and his party, ac- 
 companied by the Half-King, left Logs- 
 town and proceeded to Venango where 
 they arrived on the 4th of December. 
 Washington described Venango as an old 
 town situated on the mouth of French 
 Creek on the Ohio River. It appears from 
 this entry in W^ashington's journal that 
 the Allegheny was called the Ohio at this 
 period, which accounts in a measure for 
 some of the confusing statements about 
 the location of Indian towns in the early 
 histories. At Venango the English found 
 the French colors hoisted at the house of 
 John Frazier, an English subject, and 
 Washington immediately repaired there to 
 learn where the French commandant re- 
 sided. There were three French officers 
 at Frazier 's house, one of whom was said 
 to have command of the Ohio, but they 
 told the commissioner of the English that 
 there was a general officer at Fort Le- 
 Boeuf, now Waterford, Erie County, and 
 advised Washington to apply there for an 
 answer to his inquiry. The officers at 
 Venango told Washington that it was the 
 intention of the French to take possession 
 of the Ohio, and added with an oath that 
 they would do it, although they knew that 
 the English could raise two men to their 
 one. In his journal Washington says that 
 "the French pretended to have an un- 
 
 doubted right to the river from the dis- 
 covery made by one LaSalle sixty years 
 previous to that time, and that the rise of 
 this expedition is to prevent English set- 
 tlement on the river or the waters of it." 
 Washington journeyed on to Fort LeBoeuf 
 where he arrived on the 11th of December 
 and remained until the 16th, holding an 
 unsatisfactory conference with the com- 
 mander Legardur LaPierre. 
 
 On the journey to Venango, ^Vashington 
 and his party traveled from Logstown to 
 Murdering Town on the Connoquenessing 
 Creek in the present limits of Butler 
 County, and thence followed the old 
 Venango trail, which traverses the western 
 section of the county, probably passing the 
 vicinity of Prospect and Harrisville. On 
 the return trip the party reached Venango 
 on the 22d of December, where they were 
 obliged to give up their horses on account 
 of the weakened condition of the animals 
 after making the long and arduous jour- 
 ney. Washington, being anxious to make 
 a report of his expedition as quickly as 
 possil)le, left the rest of the party at 
 Venango and with Christopher Gist as his 
 sole companion, started on foot for the 
 forks of the Ohio. On the second day they 
 reached Murdering Town, and it was on 
 the evening of this day that Washington 
 had an adventure with an Indian, which is 
 briefly touched upon in his journal. Wash- 
 ington's journal says at this point that it 
 was the intention to leave the trail at 
 Murdering Town and steer across the 
 country to Shannopin Town, an Indian 
 village situated on the east bank of the 
 Allegheny near the forks of the Ohio. It 
 is probable that they intended using the 
 old trail that existed at an early day, and 
 which ran from the forks of tlie Ohio north 
 through what is now Cranberry and Jack- 
 son Townships, intersecting the Logstown 
 trail at or near Murdering Town — called 
 the Venango trail. 
 
 Just after they had passed Murdering 
 Town, Washington and Gist fell in with 
 
46 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 a party of French Indians, and the inci- 
 dent which is casually alluded to in Wash- 
 ington's journal, is related at some length 
 in the journal kept by Gist. According to 
 Gist, they arrived at Murdering Town 
 about two o'clock in the afternoon. Gist 
 says that at Murdering Town he met an 
 Indian who called him by his Indian name 
 and pretended to be glad to see him. The 
 Indian accompanied them on their journey 
 and when about two miles from Murdering 
 Town he remarked that he could hear a 
 gun from his cabin, and steered the party 
 in a more northerly direction. The Indian 
 also remai'ked that he could hear two war 
 whoops and acted altogether in such a 
 suspicious manner that both Washington 
 and Gist became uneasy. Washington re- 
 marked that they would stay for the night 
 at the next water. They came to the 
 water, passed it, and came to a clear 
 meadow where the Indian made a stop, 
 turned about, and discharged his gun 
 directly at Washington. His aim was un- 
 steady and both Washington and Gist 
 escaped injury, although they were close 
 together. Gist wanted to kill the Indian, 
 but yielding to the persuasion of Washing- 
 ton, they captured him, made him make a 
 fire for them and pretended that they were 
 going to camp at the spot for the night. 
 They relieved the Indian of his gun and 
 told him to go to his home, which was but 
 a little way off, and said that they would 
 follow him to his cabin in the morning. 
 Gist followed the Indian until he was out 
 of the way and then he and Washington 
 set their compass and traveled all night, 
 arriving at the head of Pine Creek in Alle- 
 gheny County about daylight in the morn- 
 ing. The clear meadow mentioned in the 
 narrative is supposed to have been in the 
 vicinity of Buhl's Mill and the route fol- 
 lowed by Gist and AVashington must have 
 passed very near the location of Evans 
 City. 
 
 It thus seems a fair inference that 
 Washington's life was imperiled on the 
 
 27th of December, 1753, and that it was 
 near or upon the waters of the Breakneck 
 that the incident occurred. He arrived at 
 Williamsburg on the 16th of January, 
 1754, and made his report to Governor 
 Dinwiddie. This concluded the first im- 
 portant public service of George AVashing- 
 ton. 
 
 ENGLAND TAKES ACTION. 
 
 The English government, having learned 
 of the designs and operation of the French 
 on the Allegheny and the Ohio Rivers, re- 
 solved to oppose force with force, and in 
 the spring of 1754 began the erection of 
 a stockade and fort at the forks of the 
 Ohio, now the city of Pittsburg. Ensign 
 Ward was in charge of this work. Before 
 he had completed his stockade the French 
 came down the Allegheny River and drove 
 him away. The French and Indian War 
 followed, in which the Indians were at first 
 allied with the French, and later with the 
 English, and concluded with Pontiac's con- 
 spiracy in 1763. 
 
 CAUSE OF INDIAN DISSATISFACTION. 
 
 In order to combine the efforts of the 
 colonies in this war, a conference was held 
 at Albany, New York, in July, 1754, which 
 was attended by the chiefs of the Six 
 Nations, two commissioners on the part of 
 the Council of New York, and two on the 
 part of the Province of Pennsylvania, the 
 latter being Robert Morris and Benjamin 
 Franklin. The result of the conference 
 was unsatisfactory to the Council, but 
 Franklin and Morris secured from the Six 
 Nations a great part of the land in the 
 Province of Pennsylvania to which the 
 Indian title had not become extinct. By 
 this sale the Delawares, the Shawanese, 
 and the Munseys found all of their land 
 on the Juniata, the Susquehanna and the 
 Allegheny Rivers sold from under their 
 feet, which the Six Nations had guaran- 
 teed to them on their removal from the 
 eastern waters. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 47 
 
 Previous to 1754 the Six Nations and the 
 Delawares on the Atlantic coast had been 
 at war with each other and the latter had 
 been conquered. A treaty of peace was 
 made in which the Six Nations guaranteed 
 the Delawares, the Shawanese and the 
 Munseys certain lands on the river above 
 mentioned in consideration of their re- 
 moval from their former homes in the east. 
 This act of the Six Nations in selling the 
 land in central and western Pennsylvania 
 was highly dissatisfactory to these tribes, 
 and was a partial cause of their alienation 
 from the English. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF KITTANNING. 
 
 The destruction of the Indian town on 
 the east bank of the Allegheny River at 
 Kittanning in 1756 by Colonel Armstrong- 
 was a part of the operations of the army 
 of the Province during the war with the 
 French and Indians. Eng Shingas, the 
 Delaware chief who met Frederick Post at 
 Cushcushking in 1758, was in this battle, 
 as was also Captain Jacobs, the latter be- 
 ing killed. An excellent description of the 
 destruction of Kittanning is given in the 
 narrative of the Kirkpatrick family in this 
 work. 
 
 The Indian town of Kittanning was used 
 as a sort of storehouse by the French, and 
 was a central point from which the Dela- 
 wares, the Shawanese and the Mimseys 
 made forays into the central and eastern 
 part of the State, causing widespread de- 
 vastation among the frontier settlement. 
 So desperate had the situation become that 
 the authorities of the Province about this 
 time offered a bounty of 150 Spanish dol- 
 lars for the scalp of every male Indian 
 that was killed by the frontiersmen, and 
 half that amount for a female or a child. 
 To the credit of the frontiersmen and set- 
 tlers, be it said, there is no record of an 
 Indian being wantonly killed for the sake 
 of securing the bounty. The destruction 
 of Kittanning was a severe blow to the 
 Indian tribes in western Pennsylvania, 
 
 and they retired subsequently to the terri- 
 tory west of the Allegheny River of which 
 Butler County is a part. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER GIST. 
 
 Christopher Gist, who accompanied 
 Washington on his expedition to Venango, 
 was a native of England and first became 
 known in North Carolina as a good sur- 
 veyor, a bold and skillful woodsman, and 
 an intrepid explorer. As agent for the 
 Ohio company he made a journey to the 
 wilderness west of the Allegheny in 1750, 
 went as far as the Scioto and Miami 
 Rivers in Ohio, and was the first explorer 
 of Kentucky. He was again with Wash- 
 ington in the Fort Necessity campaign in 
 1754, and was chief guide of Braddock's 
 army. In 1756 he went south and enlisted 
 the Cherokees in the English interests. 
 He became Indian agent in the south for 
 the British government, and died some- 
 where in one of the southern States. He 
 had three sons who were men of note, one 
 of them being a colonel in the Revolution- 
 ary army. 
 
 FREDERICK POST. 
 
 The next appearance of white men 
 within the limits of Butler County was in 
 1758, when Frederick Post, the Moravian 
 missionary and political messenger, was 
 sent among the Indians west of the Alle- 
 gheny River, north of the Ohio, to detach 
 them from their friendly relations with the 
 French. His topographical references con- 
 nect him with the Indian towns of Butler 
 County, but he does not always distinguish 
 between the headquarters town of the 
 savages and their hunting town or lodge 
 of the same name. Post was acting in the 
 capacity of a spy, and was at Venango, 
 August 8, 1758. His companion on this 
 trip was Pesquetum, and from a minute 
 made in his journal on August 8, they 
 intended to visit Cushcushking in the Slip- 
 pery Rock district. On August 10 they 
 learned from an English trader, whom 
 
48 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 they met, that they were then within 
 twenty miles of Fort Duquesne. On the 
 12th they came to an old town on the Con- 
 noquenessing Creek and there heard that 
 Cushcushking (written Koshkoshkung, 
 Cushcushkee, and otherwise) was fifteen 
 miles distant. Post sent a messenger to 
 Cushcushking with four strings of wam- 
 pum to announce his arrival. It appears 
 that he was well received by the Indians 
 at Cushcushking, and that here he met 
 several Indians of the Shawanese tribe 
 from the Wyoming Valley who knew him. 
 The principal chief at Cushcushking was 
 King Beaver who lodged Post and his 
 friends in a large house and entertained 
 them royally. In the evening Beaver 
 called on the preacher to say that a council 
 ordered the men to be summoned but that 
 they could not assemble for five days. 
 Later ten chiefs came into the house and 
 sat by Post's fire until midnight. The 
 13th of the month appears to have been 
 Sunday, and Post did not transact any 
 business on that day. The following day 
 he resumed his mission among the savages 
 and witnessed fifteen French mechanics 
 building houses for the very people who 
 were promising to aid the enemies of their 
 benefactors. 
 
 During the next few days some time was 
 spent in speech-making and festivities, and 
 on the 17th of August a space in the center 
 of the town was cleared and prepared for 
 holding the council. About noon two mes- 
 sengers from the Duquesne savages ar- 
 rived, accompanied by a French captain 
 and fifteen soldiers. The messengers 
 wish Post to go at once to Duquesne where 
 representatives of eight nations wished to 
 speak to him. The Indian representatives 
 with the soldiers were Kuckquetackton and 
 Killbuck, and their treatment of Post was 
 so formal and cold that King Beaver took 
 the preacher to his own wigwam. The five 
 days having expired the council was 
 opened on August 18th, the visitors being 
 addressed by King Beaver, King Shingas 
 
 and Deleware George. On the following 
 day, the 19th, the council was concluded 
 and on the 20th Post, accompanied by 
 twenty-five mounted men and fifteen men 
 on foot, set out from Cushcushking for Sa- 
 konk. Here the messenger was received 
 with hostile demonstrations, which were 
 only allayed by the interposition of the In- 
 dians accompanying him. On the next 
 evening fifteen savages from Cushcushking 
 arrived at Sakonk, bringing the number of 
 male Indians up to 120, and on the 22nd 
 twenty savages of the Shawanese and Min- 
 go tribes appeared, who informed Post that 
 lie was wanted at Duquesne. The next day 
 Post left Sakonk and proceeded to Du- 
 quesne by way of Logstowu, arriving at the 
 French fort on the 24th. While the French 
 officers watched Post closely at the meet- 
 ings held with the Indians at the fort, and 
 suspected the object of his visit, they did 
 not once violate French courtesy by order- 
 ing him off. Post placed so much reliance 
 in French honor that on the 27th of Au- 
 gust he was back in Sakonk on his way to 
 Cushcushking. King Shingas and nine- 
 teen other savages accompanied him to the 
 Indian town. On the 29th a party of nine 
 Tawa Indians arrived at Cushcushking on 
 their way to the French fort, and on Sep- 
 tember 1st, the savages began to consider 
 the proposals for alliance with the English 
 submitted by Post. When they suggested 
 that the main object of the English was 
 to get possession of their lands. Post called 
 on God to witness that such an idea was 
 never entertained by his employers. He 
 also made other statements that the In- 
 dians did not believe but which they did 
 not dispute, being willing to deceive the 
 English as they were then deceiving the 
 French. On the 3rd of September a treaty 
 of friendship with the English -was signed 
 by the following named counselors and 
 chiefs : King Beaver, Captain Poter, Awa- 
 kanomin, Delaware George, ^Macomal, 
 Cushawmekwy, Pisquetumen, Killbuck, 
 Keyheynapalin, Tasucaniin, Popauce, John 
 
AND KKPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 49 
 
 Hifkomeu, AVasbaocautaut, and Cocbqua- 
 caukehlton. 
 
 On September 8tb Post left Cusbcusb- 
 king, accompanied by Tom Hickman and 
 Pisquetmnen. He reported at Fort Au- 
 gusta September 22, 1758, witb a long story 
 of Indian treacbery and narrow escapes 
 and cbarging bis Indian companion Pis- 
 quetumen witb being a perfidious scoun- 
 drel, wliicb cbarge would seem, from subse^ 
 quent events, to bave been not altogetber 
 witbout some foundation. 
 
 POST EETURNS TO THE DELA- 
 WAEES. 
 
 In tbe latter part of October, 1758, a 
 council of tbe Five Nations witb tbe Gov- 
 ernor of tbe Province and otber represen- 
 tatives of tbe. Englisb was beld at Easton, 
 Pennsylvania, wbicli was attend 'd by 
 Post. After tbe council was over, Post re- 
 turned to tbe Delaware towns west of tbe 
 Allegbeny Eiver; under escort. The es- 
 cort left Mm at tbe Allegheny Eiver and 
 on their way back to Easton were am- 
 bushed and killed by the very Indians who 
 had pretended friendship to tbe English. 
 Pisquetumen was concerned in this treacb- 
 ery. 
 
 Kaskaskunk — Pakanke, Glikkikin. 
 
 The first white men to set foot within 
 the limits of Butler County were, so far 
 as is known, Christopher (iist and Major 
 George Washington, when they made the 
 expedition to Fort Venango in 1753, and 
 they were followed by Frederick Post, the 
 Moravian missionary and political messen- 
 ger of the English in 1758. It would ap- 
 pear from tbe evidence available on the 
 subject that the next expedition of white 
 men did not occur until after tbe Eevo- 
 lution, and about 1790. Loskiel's History 
 and Map of the Missions of the "Church 
 of Jesus Christ of North America" which 
 was published in 1794, gives some light on 
 this subject. 
 
 The first Moravian missionaries were 
 sent out in 1732 and established missions 
 in the eastern part of Pennsylvania in the 
 vicinity of Bethlehem and on tbe Susque- 
 hanna Eiver. David Zeisberger, who was 
 one of the early missionaries of that so- 
 ciety, was among the Indians at Onondaga 
 in 1750, and in 1767, Zeisberger and two 
 converted Indians named Anthony and 
 John Papunbank came to tbe Seneca tribe 
 at a town on tbe Allegheny Eiver north of 
 Fort Venango, called Goschgoscbuenk. 
 The town was described as containing 
 three villages under tbe connnand of a 
 blind chief named AUemewi. The mission- 
 aries succeeded in converting the chief and 
 a woman of the tribe said to be 100 years 
 old. In tbe following year, 1768, Zeisber- 
 ger and a fellow missionary named Got- 
 lieb Senseman, returned to Goschgoscb- 
 uenk with three Indians named Anthony, 
 Abraham and Peter, and in the following 
 two years established a mission on the 
 west side of the Allegheny River at an 
 Indian town named Lawunakhannock. In 
 1770, trouble arose at this Indian town be- 
 tween tbe Seneca tribe of Indians and tbe 
 Cherokees. A treaty that had been made 
 lietween the tribes had been violated by 
 tbe murder of two or three Cherokees by 
 tbe Senecas. The Cherokees caught two 
 of the Seneca warriors, cut their fingers 
 off, and sent them home with this mes- 
 sage : "Now because you will not bold the 
 chains of friendship with your bands, we 
 will cut them off and send you herewith a 
 specimen." During his visit to Lawunak- 
 hannock in 1768, Zeisberger had met Pa- 
 kanke, the chief of the Delawares, at Kas- 
 kaskunk, and Glikkikin, tbe noted warrior, 
 who bad become converted, and when the 
 trouble arose in 1770, Pakanke requested 
 the missionaries and their friends to come 
 and live with him. Accordingly on tbe 
 17tb of April, 1770, the two missionaries 
 set out with sixteen canoes loaded with 
 their Indian congregation and converts, 
 and all of their baggage, descended the Al- 
 
50 
 
 FirSTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 legheny River to the Ohio, theuce to the 
 mouth of Beaver Creek or Eiver, and from 
 there ascended that stream to the falls of 
 the Beaver, where they arrived on the 3rd 
 day of May. They then took the overland 
 route to the village of Kaskaskunk in But- 
 ler County, and were met on the road hy 
 Glikkikin, who had provided horses for 
 them. After ,two days' journey they ar- 
 rived at the Indian town and were made 
 welcome by Chief Pakanke. Shortly after 
 their arrival the missionaries and their 
 followers established the mission of Frie- 
 denstadt, or the "Town of Peace." Here 
 they built bark huts, erected a large hut for 
 meetings, and cultivated crops. The mis- 
 sion of Friedenstadt, according to Los- 
 kiel's map, was located on Beaver Creek 
 in what is now Lawrence County, near the 
 present site of New Castle. This map does 
 not locate the town of Kaskaskunk nor 
 any of the Indian villages and towns in 
 western Pennsylvania, except where mis- 
 sions were established. The blind Chief 
 Solomon was baptized at Kaskaskunk by 
 one of the missionaries, probably Zeisber- 
 ger, as he was the leader. Glikkikin, who 
 had previously been a great warrior, be- 
 came tired of this pursuit, and after his 
 conversion declared his intention of taking 
 up his residence with the missionaries at 
 Friedenstadt. This decision on the part of 
 Glikkikin caused a quarrel between him 
 and Pakanke. The old chief became re- 
 conciled, however, and about a year later 
 his son was baptized by one of the mission- 
 aries. Zeisberger and Senseman were aft- 
 erwards adopted by the Delaware tribe 
 and wielded a great influence over the In- 
 dians of western Pennsylvania and east- 
 ern Ohio. 
 
 KEV. JOHN EOTHE. 
 
 Rev. John Rotlie appears to have suc- 
 ceeded Zeisberger and Senseman at Frie- 
 denstadt and in 1773, when the congrega- 
 tion decided to move to Gnadenhuetten on 
 the Muskingum River in Ohio, he led the 
 
 party that traveled overland, while the 
 old people and the invalids traveled by 
 way of boat down the Beaver River to the 
 Oliio, and thence to tlie mouth of the Mus- 
 kingum. 
 
 It is proper to mention something of the 
 work accomplished by Rev. Eothe at this 
 point, as part of his labors among the In- 
 dians was performed in this county and 
 his remains lie at rest in the little ceme- 
 tery at Prospect. He first came to Nain 
 in the vicinity of Bethlehem in 1753, and 
 was one of the missionaries sent to Frie- 
 denshuetten on the Susquehanna River in 
 1765. He established a congregation 
 among the Indians a short distance from 
 Friedenshuetten at an Indian town named 
 Tsehechschequaununk, and in 1772 when 
 the congregations at these two points de- 
 cided to move to Sclioenbrun in Ohio. Rev. 
 Rothe and another Moravian missionary 
 conducted this expedition. Part of the ex- 
 pedition went by boat down the main 
 stream of the Susquehanna, and then up 
 the west branch to its head waters. Here 
 they were met by the overland party led 
 by Rev. Rothe and the united company, 
 composed of 240 persons, seventy head of 
 oxen and as many horses, proceeded 
 through the forests to the Allegheny River 
 at Kittanning. A description of this pas- 
 sage of the wilderness is a thrilling narra- 
 tive. Mrs. Rothe and her young child ac- 
 companied the expedition. The path led 
 through the forests and, over blind roads. 
 On one occasion Mrs. Rothe 's horse fell 
 and pitched her headlong, but she escaped 
 without serious injury. On another occa- 
 sion she fell into a morass and was res- 
 cued with difficulty. At Kittanning boats 
 were btiilt and the expedition was divided, 
 part going by the way of the Allegheny and 
 Ohio Rivers, and part under the leadership 
 of Rev. Rothe, traveling across the coun- 
 try to Friedenstadt, which point they 
 reached, after many hardships, on the 5th 
 of August. Their route lay through But- 
 ler County and no doubt followed the old 
 
HARDWARE STORE OF F. A. FRISHKORX. ZELIEXOPLE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 51 
 
 ludian trail from Kittauiiiiig to the Ohio 
 line, which lay some distance north of the 
 borough of Butler, and probably passed 
 Kaskaskunk. The passage of the wilder- 
 ness was attended with many hardships 
 and some casualties. Several of the mem- 
 bers of the party died from exhaustion, 
 among the number being an Indian boy 
 who was a cripple. The boy had recently 
 been converted and expressed to his pas- 
 tor, Rev. Rothe, his great joy in his new- 
 found ]-eligion, and his willingness to die. 
 
 While at the mission station on the Sus- 
 quehanna River, Rev. Rothe baptized the 
 noted Indian chief, James David, on the 
 18th of May, 1755. Chief David was one 
 of the leaders of the Indian settlement at 
 Friedenshuetten, and a member of the 
 "Cajuga" tribe. After conducting the 
 congregation from Friedenstadt to the 
 Muskingum River in 1773, Rev. Rothe re- 
 turned to eastern Pennsylvania and be- 
 came the pastor of a Lutheran congrega- 
 tion at York, Pennsylvania, where he lived 
 until his death. He took a prominent part 
 in colonial affairs during the Revolution 
 and was one of the first chaplains to the 
 United States Congress. He also assisted 
 Zeisberger in translating the New Testa- 
 ment and the Innnns into the Delaware In- 
 dian language. In the latter part of the 
 nineteenth century his remains were 
 brought to Butler County by his grandson, 
 Rev. David Luther Rothe, and interred in 
 the Lutheran cemetery in Prospect by the 
 side of his son, Col. David Rothe. 
 
 Col. David Rothe commanded an eastern 
 regiment in the War of 1812, and was a 
 member of the State Legislature from Le- 
 high County before removing to Butler 
 County. He settled at Prospect and be- 
 came the progenitor of the Rothe family 
 of Butler County. 
 
 THE CONVERSION OF GLIKKIKIN. 
 
 Previous histories accredit Frederick 
 Post, the Moravian missionary, with being 
 at some of the Indian towns in the present . 
 
 limits of Butler County in 1758 or shortly 
 thereafter. The Indian towns which he 
 visited were i^robably Kushkushkee on 
 Wolf Creek in Slippery Rock Township, 
 and the Indian town on the Connoqueness- 
 ing Creek above Amberson's, known as 
 "Murdering Town." Day's "Historical 
 Collections of Pennsylvania" mentions the 
 Indian town, Kaskaskunk, as being located 
 eight or ten miles northwest of Butler, but 
 which was really located in Center Town- 
 ship a short distance west of Holyoke 
 Church, and says that this Indian ^^llag•e 
 was the home of Pakanke, a noted chief of 
 the Delaware tribe of Indians who inhab- 
 ited this district about the time Post made 
 his visit to the western joart of the state. 
 Glikkikin, who was a great warrior and an- 
 orator, resided in the same village, and 
 when he heard that the ^Moravian mission- 
 aries were at "\^enango and coming into 
 the countr^^ to teach the Indians, he went 
 to refute them. Glikkikin was a Canadian 
 Indian and had been initiated into the 
 Catholic Church by the priests of Canada, 
 and was acting as a sort of educator 
 among the Indians with whom he lived. 
 A converted Indian named Anthony ar- 
 ranged a meeting between Glikkikin and 
 the Moravian missionary (who proved to 
 be David Zeisbei'ger), at Murdering Town. 
 Anthony invited the missionary and the 
 Indian orator to dine with him with the rp- 
 sult that Glikkikin was converted to the 
 Moravian faith. Loskiel's "History of 
 Missions in North America," published in 
 1794, relates the incident about Zeisber- 
 ger converting Glikkikin and also states 
 that about a year afterwards a son of the 
 great Pakanke was baptized. 
 
 SETTLEMENTS UP TO 1804 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 From 1773 to 1790 the only white men 
 to come within the limits of Butler County 
 were the frontier scouts, such as Cajitain 
 Brady, Captain Crawford, John Harbison, 
 James Amlierson and such hunters as 
 cared to risk their scalps for the sake of the 
 
52 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pelts of the beaver and otter they could 
 catch during the trapping season. Cush- 
 cushking was occupied' by the Seneca In- 
 dians and Kaskaskunk by the Delawares 
 until after the Revolution and roving 
 bauds of Shawanese occupied camps and 
 villages within the limits of the county. 
 They were all allies of the British and ene- 
 luies to be feared by the most adventurous 
 frontiersmen. 
 
 After the close of the Revolutionary War 
 the revival of the migratory and land- 
 hunting spirit of the older counties as well 
 as the renewal of immigration from for- 
 eign lands, caused an influx of settlers to 
 that section of the state north of Allegheny 
 County and west of the Allegheny River. 
 Although the land was not open for settle- 
 ment until 1795, there were adventurous 
 spirits among the pioneers who made their 
 appearance within the boundaries of But- 
 ler County as early as 1790. This advance 
 guard was composed of hunters and trap- 
 pers whose purpose was to spy out the 
 land, and at the same time make a profit 
 out of the furs to be obtained from the wild 
 animals that then abounded in this region. 
 These men usually came here in the begin- 
 ning of the hunting season, and returned 
 at its close to their homes in the eastern 
 counties, to anarket the product of their 
 trap and gun. 
 
 The Delaware and Shawanese tribes of 
 Indians who had inhabited the greater part 
 of Butler County, were hostile and op- 
 posed to the westward march of civiliza- 
 tion, and made the life of the hunter a 
 hazardous one, but a tribe of the Senecas 
 who had a village in the county near Slip- 
 pery Rock Creek were friendly to the 
 whites, and many of the luinters and trap- 
 pers were kindly received by them. The 
 treaty of Greenville. made in 1795 removed 
 all the Indian tribes from the territory ex- 
 cept a small band whicli lived in the village, 
 near West Liberty, that were friendly to 
 the whites, and remained in that vicinitv 
 as late as 1812. 
 
 There are many conflicting stories told 
 about who were the first white men to set- 
 tle in the county, and in the absence of ab- 
 solute records, the statements given by 
 their descendants must be taken as within 
 reasonable bounds of accuracy. The first 
 men who came into the county for the pur- 
 pose of becoming permanent settlers were 
 David Studebaker and Abraham Snyder, 
 of Westmoreland County, who crossed the 
 Allegheny River at Logan's Ferry, in the 
 fall of 1790, camped for the night on the 
 site of Butler borough and then proceeded 
 to the village of the Seneca Indians on 
 Slippery Rock Creek, where they remained 
 for the winter. The original party that 
 left Westmoreland County was composed 
 of twelve persons who started out for the 
 purpose of exploring the extreme western 
 part of the county, for Westmoreland 
 County then extended as far west as the 
 Ohio line and as far north as Erie. AVhen 
 the}' ari'ived at Logan's Ferry they were 
 told stories about the Indian depredations 
 against the whiteskins in the territory west 
 of the Allegheny River and all the party 
 except Studebaker and Snyder returned 
 home. 
 
 The two hunters remained with the In- 
 dians about three months, spending the 
 time in hunting and fishing and exploring 
 the county. They then returned to their 
 liomes near Greensburg and in 1792 David 
 Studebaker again came to Butler County, 
 bringing with him his youngest sister as 
 housekeeper. They took possession of the 
 little cabin in Worth Township built by 
 the hunters the previous year and became 
 permanent settlers. After a time the 
 young girl, unable longer to endure the 
 loneliness of the forest, begged her brother 
 to take her home. Her brother complied 
 with this re(]uest, and brought back an 
 older sister to take her place. David Stu- 
 debaker 's father was Joseph Studebaker 
 of Westmoreland County, who in early boy- 
 hood was taken captive along with his 
 younger sister by the Indians, and held by 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 53 
 
 tbem for nine years. The sister grew up 
 to be a young woman among the Indians, 
 became quite a favorite with them, and was 
 treated with the utmost courtesy and civil- 
 ity. Shortly before her brother was re- 
 leased by the Indians she was thrown from 
 her pony while riding through the woods 
 and instantly killed. Joseph Studebaker 
 was liberated at a place called Muskingum 
 in southeastern Ohio in 1764, returned to 
 the settlements in Pennsylvania and took 
 a part in the War of the Revolution. He 
 came to Butler County, made his home 
 with his son, David, in Worth Township, 
 and died there in 1815. 
 
 James Glover, a Revolutionary soldier, 
 born in Essex County, New Jersey, about 
 1754, came to Butler' County in 1792, and 
 in the fall of that year erected a cabin at 
 Deer Lick in what is now Adams Township. 
 He occupied this cabin until 1796, when 
 he entered four hundred acres of land, be- 
 came a permanent settler, and remained in 
 the county until his death in 1844. Glover, 
 who was a blacksmith, after the Revolution 
 settled in Pittsburg, where he worked at 
 his trade. He subsequently purchased a 
 farm in what is now the heart of the north 
 side of Pittsburg, and in 1815 or 1816 he 
 leased this farm in perpetuity for $75 per 
 year, retaining the ownership after he 
 came to this county. The Glover lease and 
 a few others of a similar character caused 
 the legislature of Pennsylvania to pass a 
 law prohibiting leases in perpetuity. 
 
 Peter McKinney, who was a noted hun- 
 ter, and a soldier in the Pennsylvania Line 
 during the Revolutionary War, built a 
 cabin in what is now Forward Township in 
 1792. It is said that in his youth he came 
 with his parents from Ireland, and that 
 he was left an orphan before he had 
 reached maturity. He was a drummer and 
 fifer in the War of the Revolution, and. 
 afterwards saw service in the Indian trou- 
 bles, and was a drummer in Capt. Abra- 
 ham Brinker's Company, raised in Butler 
 County in the War of 1812. Mr. McKin- 
 
 ney was married at Braddock field, West- 
 moreland County, in 1791, to Mary Shorts, 
 who came with him to Butler County. His 
 daughter, Elizabeth, is said to have been 
 the first white child born in the county, 
 the date of her nativity being March 23, 
 1792. His wife died in 1839 and his own 
 death occurred in 1844. Petersville, in 
 Connoquenessing Township, now the bor- 
 ough of Connoquenessing, was named after 
 this pioneer. 
 
 Another pioneer who is said to have 
 come to the county in 1792 was Patrick 
 Harvey, who settled in Clinton Township. 
 He was guided to the location by John 
 Harbison, the Indian scout and spy who 
 afterwards came to the couuty, and they 
 mai'ked the boundaries of the farm they 
 had selected by blazing the forest trees. 
 The following year Harvey went into 
 Sugar Creek Township, Armstrong 
 County, and selected a farm on which his 
 cousin, John Patton, afterwards settled. 
 In the spring of 1794 he returned to his 
 Butler County farm that he had selected 
 two years previous, and in May, 1795, he 
 broxight his family to their new home 
 where a year later his third child, Martha, 
 was born. His wife died in 1831, his own 
 death occurring in 1849. 
 
 David Armstrong came to Worth Town- 
 ship in 1794 from Westmoreland County, 
 bringing with him his son George, and his 
 daughter, Rebecca. They made their tem- 
 porary home in a wigwam until fall, when 
 the father and daughter returned to West- 
 moreland County, and the following year 
 the entire family came to Butler County 
 and settled on the land held during the 
 winter by the son. 
 
 A pioneer hunter named Daniels came 
 into the county in 1794, built a cabin and 
 cultivated a small garden on the laud in 
 Marion Township afterwards owned by 
 Robert Vanderlin. He was scared away by 
 the Indians before the arrival of the other 
 settlers. 
 
 Thomas Girtv and his wife Ann. and 
 
54 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 their son Thomas, were among the first 
 settlers of Connoquenessing Township. 
 Thomas Girty was a brother of the notori- 
 ous George, James and Simon Girtj% and 
 his death is supposed to have occurred 
 some time previous to 1803. Various ac- 
 counts of tlae Girty family and the death 
 of Mrs. Ann Girty have been published in 
 previous histories, none of which are cor- 
 rect. The account given in the sketch of 
 the Girty family in this jmblication has 
 been verified by Mr. A. McCollough of 
 Butler, and others who have taken pains 
 to hunt up the true story. The story of 
 Ann Girty 's death, told in another part of 
 this chapter, was related in 187.5 by David 
 Shannon, who was one of the pioneers of 
 Connoquenessing Township, and who was 
 at Mrs. Girty 's funeral. 
 
 In 1793 William Elliott, John Elliott and 
 John Dennison, three land hunters from 
 Wilkin sburg, came into Butler County and 
 took up 1,400 acres of land in Middlesex 
 Township. William Elliott, in order to se- 
 cure more than the allotment of 400 acres, 
 selected the tracts of land amounting to 
 1,400 acres and located the other members 
 of his party on them to hold them for him. 
 
 James Hall, Abraham Fryer, James 
 Harbison and William Hultz, hunters from 
 east of the Allegheny Mountains, came 
 into the county January 10, 1793, by way 
 of Logan's Ferry, below Tarentum, and 
 camped in the forests of Middlesex Town- 
 ship. The next day they marked their 
 camping place by engraving their names on 
 the trees, and returned to their homes. A 
 year later they returned to Middlesex 
 Township, and settled on land on and 
 around the site of their former camp. Dur- 
 ing their absence George Hays, Thomas 
 Martin and James Fulton came into the 
 township and selected land, thus becoming 
 the first settlers there. 
 
 During the year 1795 Samuel and 
 Thomas Cross, Jacob and John Pisor, 
 Henry Steintorf, settled in Worth Town- 
 ship. James Hemphill, Rudolph Barnhart, 
 
 Adam and John Hemphill, Jacob Barn- 
 hart, Sr., and Jacob Barnhart, Jr., made 
 settlements the same year in Donegal and 
 Fairview Townships, around the site of 
 Chicora. James Hemphill, who was a 
 noted hunter, with Rudolph Barnhart, had 
 been in the county the previous year and 
 marked out the land. Samuel Wallace set- 
 tled in Fairview Township in 1795, and 
 Robert Elliott in Buffalo Township; Ed- 
 ward Graham located on land in Concord 
 Township; George Bell settled in the vi- 
 cinity of Bell's Knob, and Archibald Kel- 
 ley built a cabin in Parker Township. 
 
 Dvii'ing the years 1795 and 1796 James 
 McKee and William Kearns came to But- 
 ler Township; Daniel McConnell, William 
 McConnell, Williarn McNees and Benja- 
 min Jack came to Worth Township ; Aaron 
 Moore and John McCandless settled in 
 Franklin Township; Dunning McNair, a 
 land speculator, and John Ekin settled in 
 Connoquenessing Township ; William 
 Thompson and Silas Miller, a noted hunter, 
 were early settlers of Middlesex Township; 
 John Parker, the pioneer and progenitor 
 of the Parker family at Parker's Landing, 
 settled in Parker Township; and Eli 
 Scholar settled in Lancaster Township. 
 
 PIONEER ANECDOTES AND ADVEN- 
 TURES. 
 
 THE EATHBUN FAMILY. 
 
 Clark Rathbun, who was a native of New 
 England, moved to Pennsylvania and en- 
 gaged in the milling business on the 
 Youghiogheny River above Elizabethtown. 
 Previous to 1797 he purchased a tract of 
 land in what is now the southwestern part 
 of Penn Township, Butler County, and 
 erected a cabin and brought hither his son 
 Thomas and his daughter Ruth, the latter 
 being a girl of about thirteen years of age. 
 Leaving his two children to keep posses- 
 sion of the place, he returned to Allegheny 
 County, to his business of milling at Rob- 
 bins 's mill during the winter. After a 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 55 
 
 short stay, Thomas became weary of liv- 
 ing in the woods, and desired to return to 
 his father's and attend school. The plan 
 was talked over, and Ruth consented to it. 
 Accordingly, Thomas returned to his for- 
 mer home, and Ruth kept house alone for 
 three months, her only companion being a 
 large faithful dog. The nearest neighbors 
 lived two miles from the cabin, and as the 
 house was secure against wild beasts, she 
 had no fear of robbers. Wolves howled 
 about the dwelling at night, and all her 
 surroundings were of the wildest character 
 conceivable, but the girl remained at her 
 post showing a magnanimous courage and 
 self-sacrifice that has been the wonder and 
 admiration of her descendants. The fol- 
 lowing season the Rathbun family took u]> 
 their abode in the wilderness, and lived 
 here a few years, after which nearly all 
 of the members went to Ohio. Ruth Rath- 
 bun married Robert Brown, who was one 
 of the first settlers of Penn Township. 
 They were the parents of thirteen children, 
 all of whom grew up to maturity, and be- 
 came residents of the county. Mrs. Brown 
 died in 1850, and her husband in 1853. 
 
 AMBERSON AND THE INDIAN. 
 
 Among the celebrated Indian scouts that 
 patrolled the woods in northwestern Penn- 
 sylvania previous to 1792, when the terri- 
 tory was opened for settlement, were 
 James Amberson, James Jeffries, and 
 Capt. Samuel Brady. Amberson after- 
 wards settled in Forward Township in the 
 Connoquenessing Valley and was one of 
 the pioneers of that district. These Indian 
 scouts had all the hatred of the Indian that 
 was possessed by Brady and other noted 
 frontiersmen, and in their estimation there 
 was no more harm in killing an Indian 
 than in destroying a noxious animal. The 
 story is related that many years after the 
 Indian tribes had left Butler Coimty, Am- 
 berson and a companion were out one day 
 in the woods near the old Venango trail 
 that passes through a portion of Forward 
 
 Township, and that they saw a big Indian 
 approaching along the trail alone. Am- 
 lierson proitosed to his companion that 
 they kill the Indian, to which the compan- 
 ion objected. After some parley about the 
 matter, Amberson got his way and the In- 
 dian was accordingly shot and his body 
 was hid in a hollow tree not far from the 
 trail. The act was a wanton murder, but 
 the old Indian scouts and frontiersmen did 
 not regard the killing of an Indian in the 
 light of a crime. 
 
 CAPT. SAMUEL BKADY. 
 
 That Captain Samuel Brady, the famous 
 scout, was often in the forests of Butler 
 County in 1780 and 1781, is substantially 
 a matter of historical record. At that time 
 General Broadhead was the commander 
 at Fort Pitt, and Brady was depended 
 upon by him to undertake hazardous en- 
 terprises against the Indians. His success 
 in these enterprises, and his daring ex- 
 jiloits in general, aroused the jealousy of 
 the officers at the fort, and it was a long 
 time before they could be convinced that 
 his methods of wai'fare against the sav- 
 ages were more effectual than their own. 
 They were, however, finally convinced of 
 the fact from the following circumstance. 
 
 General Broadhead having organized a 
 force to punish the Indians who had been 
 guilty of massacring the settlers of Se- 
 wickley in ]780, Brady, owing to the jeal- 
 ousy of the officers as above referred to, 
 was not allowed to accompany the troops. 
 He obtained permission, however, to or- 
 ganize an independent party. With five 
 white men and a friendly Indian scout, he 
 set out and in a short time located the war 
 party of which he was in search at the In- 
 dian camp near Kittanning. Making a 
 cautious approach after dark, he waited 
 until the morning and then, with the first 
 |)ale light of dawn, made his attack, seven 
 rifles ringing out simultaneously and with- 
 out warning in the morning air. The In- 
 dians, who were gathered around the camp- 
 
56 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 fire, exulting over the scalps and spoils 
 taken at Sewiekley, were effectually sur- 
 prised, five of them dropping dead on the 
 instant. Another, as it was afterwards 
 ascertained, was mortally wounded, though 
 he escaped for the time being. After a 
 short pursuit Brady and his men returned 
 to the fort with the canoes and other prop- 
 erty of the Indians, while soon after the. 
 soldiers came in empty-handed to report 
 that the enemy had escaped them. It is 
 said that they henceforth recognized 
 Brady's superiority as an Indian fighter. 
 There is another story which has to do 
 with the escape of this famous scout from 
 a party of Indians who were pursuing him, 
 by leaping twenty-three feet across a deep 
 chasm. There has been some dispute as 
 to the location where this remarkable leap 
 took place. It is said by many to have oc- 
 curred somewhere on Slippery Rock Creek, 
 while others have placed it on Bear Creek. 
 "Wherever it was, he successfully leaped 
 from one bank to the other of the stream, 
 to the great mortification of the pursuing 
 savages, who were close behind, and who 
 thus saw one of their most feared and re- 
 lentless enemies escape them to prove a 
 thorn in their flesh on many a subsequent 
 occasion. This is said to have occurred 
 in 1781 or 1782. 
 
 THE RESCUE OF ISAAC ZANE. 
 
 The first white man to set foot within the 
 present limits of Butler borough appears to 
 have been Isaac Zane, who was a promi- 
 nent character on the frontier of western 
 Pennsylvania and Ohio in the days pre- 
 vious to the Revolution. Zane was born 
 in Virginia in 17.53, and when nine years 
 of age was taken prisoner by the Wyandot 
 Indians and carried to Detroit. He grew 
 up with the Indians and when a young man 
 was employed by the government. About 
 the time of the Revolution Zane and a 
 party of frontiersmen were sent on a mis- 
 sion to some of the forts in New York 
 State. They came to old Fort Venango 
 
 in Pennsylvania, where they made a flat 
 boat and descended the Allegheny River to 
 Pittsburg, passing old Fort Duquesne and 
 Logtown on the Ohio River and reaching 
 the mouth- of the Muskingum River at 
 [Marietta without any serious adventure. 
 Here they decided to proceed up the Mus- 
 kingum River to Detroit and thence to 
 Erie. They were warned, however, that 
 such a course would be dangerous on ac- 
 count of the Indians being on the war path. 
 Disregarding the warning, they set out, 
 but had not proceeded more than a day or 
 so on their journey when the party was 
 captured by a band of Delawares, and 
 Zane was selected as the prisoner to be 
 taken back east to the Indian rendezvous 
 near Kittanning, Pennsylvania. In their 
 route to Kittanning they passed the pres- 
 ent town of Coshocton, Ohio, struck the old 
 Indian trail at the mouth of Connoqueness- 
 ing Creek on the Beaver River, and thence 
 followed the creek past "Murdering 
 Town," near Amberson's bridge, and ar- 
 rived at the present site of Butler in the 
 evening, where they camped on the hill on 
 the site of the court house. 
 
 It appears that Zane was well known 
 among the Indians of Ohio, and when the 
 fact of his capture was ascertained, an In- 
 dian girl, presumably one of the Wyandot 
 tribe, undertook to accomplish his rescue. 
 She followed the Delaware war party 
 across the trackless forests of eastern Ohio 
 from the Muskingum River to Butler, a 
 distance of almost two hundred miles and 
 overtook the party at the camp here in 
 the evening. ' She held a parley with the 
 chief of the war party and persuaded him 
 to release Zane and allow her lover to re- 
 turn to Ohio. After his return to Ohio, 
 Zane married the Indian girl, and it is said 
 that many families in the vicinity of Zanes- 
 ville or Marietta point with pride to the 
 fact that they are descendants of this 
 noted couple. After the Revolution Zane 
 settled on a large tract of land near Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio, where he died in 1816. Howe's 
 
AND BEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 57 
 
 "Historical Collections of Ohio" states 
 that Zane's wife was a half-breed French 
 girl from Canada, but does not naention the 
 roruantic rescue above related. The story 
 of the rescue was published in recent years 
 in the newspapers of Marietta, Ohio, and 
 its authenticity was uncpiestioned at that 
 time. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF KITTANNING. 
 
 The following account of the rescue of 
 Fort Shirley, the destruction of the Indian 
 town of Kittanning, and the adventure of 
 James Kirkpatrick with the Indians is 
 taken from a manuscript in possession of 
 J. D. Kirkpatrick, of Renfrew, Butler 
 County, who is a grandson of the pioneer 
 mentioned in the narrative. The Kirkpat- 
 rick family were in the Allegheny Valley 
 about the time that the Harbison family 
 located at Reed's Station, opposite Free- 
 port, and were no doubt among the earliest 
 settlers in the territory west of the Alle- 
 gheny River. In the Kirkpatrick narra- 
 tive, the last murder by Indians is said to 
 have occurred in April, 1791, while the 
 raid on Reed's Station, according to the 
 story of Massy Harbison, occurred in 1792. 
 These are discrepancies for which the 
 reader of local history can make due al- 
 lowance. Both narratives are authentic, 
 and the Kirkpatrick story is published for 
 the first time in a history of Butler Coiinty. 
 The narrative reads as follows: 
 
 "After the defeat of Braddock on the 
 Monongahela, the incursions of the Indians 
 into the frontier settlements of Virginia 
 and Maryland became mere frequent and 
 bold. Indeed, so terrible had become their 
 ravages that most of the settlers had fled 
 for protection, either to the nearest stock- 
 ade forts, or to the older settlements east 
 and south of the mountains. 
 
 "Emboldened by the success of their 
 forays into these provinces, the savage 
 hordes swept over the border into Penn- 
 sylvania, and laid waste the beautiful val- 
 ley of the Juniata and the Kiskimiuitas, 
 
 carrying away whole families of women 
 and children prisoners to their towns north 
 of the Ohio, while statistics show that up- 
 ward of 1,000 white settlers were killed 
 during these incursions. 
 
 "Washington had been recently ap- 
 pointed Commander-in-Chief of all the 
 forces then raised or to be raised, in the 
 colony of Virginia. But the militia laws 
 of the province were so inadequate to the 
 enforcement of proper discipline that he 
 had a sorry time bringing to subordina- 
 tion the beggarly array of recruits who 
 reported for duty after an urgent call. At 
 this time there came to the young com- 
 mander heart-rending appeals from the 
 border for protection. He was deeply 
 moved at the deplorable condition of the 
 helpless people, and resolved that a speedy 
 and decisive blow should be struck at their 
 stealthy and deadly foe. 
 
 "Scouts had brought in word that tracks 
 of a numerous band had been discovered, 
 tending toward Fort Duquesne, and an es- 
 caped prisoner reported that they were 
 hostile Delawares and Sliawnees, that 
 Washington's former ally, Shingis, and 
 another chief called Captain Jacobs, were 
 their leaders, and that they had a rendez- 
 vous on the Allegheny, twenty-five or thirty 
 miles above Fort Duquesne, called Kittan- 
 ning, whither they carried their prisoners 
 and plunder. Colonel John Armstrong, 
 of th.e Pennsylvania militia, undertook the 
 punishment of this murderous band. He 
 took with him Washington's beloved friend 
 and neighbor. Captain Hugh Mercer, who, 
 the year before, had been severely wounded 
 at Braddock 's field and from the thicket, 
 where he lay disabled, had witnessed the 
 atrocities of the Indians. 
 
 "With 280 picked men, well mounted, 
 and with relialsle scouts in advance, they 
 marched rapidly and silently over the 
 mountains and through the forest to the 
 Allegheny River. 
 
 "Irving says they kept on till they 
 reached the Ohio. This is a geographical 
 
58 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 error, unless he applies the name to the 
 Allegheny, which prior to 1748 was called 
 the Ohio, as well as the river below Pitts- 
 burg, by the Seneca s and several other 
 tribes. Yet as early as 1753 Washington, 
 in the report of his mission to Venango, 
 designates the north fork of the Ohio as 
 the Allegheny, and other contemporary 
 writers do the same. Setting out, as Arm- 
 strong's party did, from Fort Shirley in 
 the Juniata Valley, and celerity and se- 
 crecy being the essence of tlic undertaking, 
 their most direct and secluded route would 
 be through the defiles of the mountains, in 
 or near the Coneniaugh region, and thence 
 through the valley of the Kiskiminitas to 
 the Allegheny. 
 
 "On the 7th, in the evening, being within 
 six miles of Kittanning, the scout discov- 
 ered a fire in the road and reported that 
 there were two or at most four Indians at 
 it. It was not thought advisable to sur- 
 prise those Indians at that time, as if one 
 should escape the town might be alarmed. 
 So Lieutenant Hogg, with twelve men, was 
 left to watch them, with orders not to fall 
 upon them till daybreak, and our forces 
 turned out of the path and passed by with- 
 out disturbing them. 
 
 "It was afterward a cause of wonder- 
 ment and chagrin to M. Dumas, then in 
 command at Fort Duquesne, and to his red 
 allies, that so large a force of mounted 
 men could march undiscovered into their 
 enemy's country, where Indian scouts and 
 detachments of French soldiers were con- 
 stantly on the alert. 
 
 "It was a clear moonlight night in Sep- 
 tember when the avengers neared the end 
 of their perilous ride. They were guided 
 to the town by the whoops and yellsof the 
 savages, who had just returned from an- 
 other murdering foray, and were celebrat- 
 ing their triumphs with the hideous scalp 
 dance. It would require the pen of Hugo 
 or the pencil of Dore to do justice to this 
 weird and awful scene, in which the wai-- 
 riors, fantastically decorated with feathers, 
 
 beads and war paint, circled about a great 
 hre in the monotonous dance, carrying 
 aloft on the ends of poles the variously 
 colored scalps of their recent victims. 
 Armstrong's men had secreted their horses 
 some distance back in the woods, and had 
 cautiously made their way on foot to a 
 dip in the land about 100 yards from the 
 place. Here they were ordered to 'lie 
 still and hush' till moonset. From this 
 cover they had a full view of the horrid 
 spectacle. 
 • "The stalwart dancers went round and 
 I'ound, and as the moonlight and firelight 
 gleamed suddenly on the snow-white 
 tresses of an aged woman lifted high by a 
 sinewy arm, the fury of the white men 
 could hardly be restrained. But, remem- 
 liering that the success of the attack de- 
 l)ended upon its being a complete sui'prise. 
 they controlled their wrath. The savage 
 rites were long, but they ended at last, and 
 such Indians as had huts retired to them, 
 and those who had not, built fires in a 
 neighboring cornfield to protect them from 
 the myriads of gnats that infested the 
 place, and lay down there to rest. The last 
 guttural 'Ugh! Ugh!' had died away and 
 all slept heavily. But there was another 
 weary wait for the white men till the moon 
 set and the fires burned low. 
 
 Armstrong's attack. 
 
 "Historj^ says that as the first streak of 
 dawn revealed the outlines of the lodges, 
 Armstrong divided his men into two par- 
 ties and they made a simultaneous attack 
 upon the corn field and the village. Chief 
 Jacobs being roused by the first shot, 
 sounded the war whoop, and the braves in 
 the field, although surprised, hearing the 
 cry of their chief, fought desperately till 
 several of their number were killed. But 
 Armstrong's report says: 
 
 " 'As soon as day appeared and the 
 town could be seen, the attack on the corn- 
 field began, through which our people 
 charged, killing several of the enemy, and 
 
LOG CABIN, BUILT BY MANASSAS DUGAN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 61 
 
 eutered the town.' The lodges, some thirty 
 in number, were set on fire, and Chief 
 Jacobs and his people, within, ordered to 
 surrender. They refused. But as the fire 
 made headway, many of them rushed 
 from their burning homes. A few escaped, 
 but many were killed and scalped after 
 their own fashion. Among the latter were 
 Chief Jacobs and his giant son, said to 
 have been seven feet high. The women 
 and children fled to the woods, says Irv- 
 ing, Bancroft and Lossing, but older ac- 
 counts state that many of them perished 
 in the town. 
 
 "Armstrong's account of the affair, 
 which he sent by an express to Governor 
 Denny in Philadelphia, and which is found 
 published in the Portsmouth (New Hamp- 
 shire) Gazette for October 7, 1756 (a copy 
 of which is in possession of Mr. Joseph 
 Porsythe of Pittsburg), relates that 
 Jacobs 's squaw was killed and scalped as 
 she attempted to escape through a window, 
 and says further: 
 
 " 'The Indians had a number of spare 
 arms in their houses, loaded, which went 
 off as the fire came to them, and quantities 
 of gunpowder, which had been stored in 
 every house, blew up from time to time, 
 throwing some of their bodies a great 
 height into the air.' 
 
 "Armstrong also says that 'a squaw was 
 heard crying in one of the burning houses.' 
 It is therefore inferred that she, and per- 
 haps others of her sex, perished in the 
 flames, as the leg of a child was blown by 
 one of the explosions into the midst of the 
 white troops. The discharge of spare guns 
 and the heavy explosions referred to, at- 
 test how well French emissaries kept the 
 savages supplied with the munitions of 
 war. 
 
 "In the action seventeen of the whites 
 were killed, thirteen wounded and nineteen 
 missing at roll call. Among the wounded 
 were Colonel Armstrong and his second- 
 in-command, Captain Mercer. It does not 
 appear from the various accounts of the 
 
 affair that the faithless Shingis was pres- 
 ent at the destruction of Kittanning. It 
 is probable that he had gone to Fort Du- 
 quesne, as his tribe was accustomed to 
 transport thither their most valuable pris- 
 oners and booty, and it is known that they 
 obtained from the French commandant at 
 that place part of their supplies. Arm- 
 strong's dispatch to Philadelphia also 
 says: 
 
 " 'Seven English prisoners were re- 
 leased and brought away, who informed 
 the colonel that besides the powder (of 
 which the Indians boasted they had enough 
 for ten years' war with the English) there 
 was a great quantity of goods burnt, which 
 the French had made them a present of 
 but ten days before.' 
 
 "The timeliness of Armstrong's attack 
 is proved by further testimony of the res- 
 cued prisoners, given in his Philadelphia 
 dispatch : 
 
 " 'The prisoners also informed us that 
 that very day two bateaux of Frenchmen, 
 with a large party of Delaware and French 
 Indians, were to join Captain Jacobs, to 
 march and take Fort Shirley; and that 
 twenty-five warriors had set out before 
 them "the preceding evening, which proved 
 to be the party that had kindled the fire 
 the night before; for our people returning 
 found Lieutenant Hogg wounded in three 
 places, and learned he had in the morning 
 attacked the supposed party of three or 
 four at the fire, according to order, but 
 found them too numerous for him. He 
 killed three of them, however, at the first 
 fire and fought them for an hour, when he 
 lost three of his best men and fled, the 
 enemy pursuing them. Lieutenant Hogg 
 soon after died of his wounds.' " 
 
 Ai-mstrong relates further concerning 
 the Kittanning raid: 
 
 " 'Captain Mercer, being wounded in 
 the action, was carried off by his ensign 
 and eleven men, who left the main body in 
 their return to take another road, and were 
 not come in when the express came away. 
 
62 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER C!OUNTY 
 
 He liad four of the recovered prisoners 
 with him, and some of the scalps.' 
 
 "At the foot of Armstrong's dispatch 
 the Gazette adds : 
 
 ' ' ' Since receiving the above return from 
 Fort Lyttleton, we are informed Captain 
 Mercer and twenty-five persons are re- 
 turned safe, which makes up the missing, 
 and the four released prisoners.' 
 
 "The Gazette account has been freely 
 quoted because it differs in some particu- 
 lars from that in the histories, and con- 
 tains information not to be found there. 
 Also, because it is direct from the com- 
 mander of the expedition, who presumably 
 gave an accurate report. It is surprising 
 that the historians are content to com- 
 ment upon the signal blow suffered by the 
 enemy in the loss of their most famous 
 leader and their depot of supplies, but 
 make no mention of the very important im- 
 mediate results of that blow, viz. : the scat- 
 tering of the assembling forces destined 
 for the attack on Fort Shirley, and that, 
 too, at the last critical moment, for had 
 Armstrong's troops arrived in the vicinity 
 of Kittanning twelve hours " later they 
 would in all probability have been cut to 
 pieces, and Fort Shirley, with its meager 
 garrison would have fallen into the hands 
 of Jacobs, as did Fort Granville, or Fort 
 Granby, as Armstrong calls it, the preced- 
 ing year, and the Juniata Valley would 
 have been laid as waste and desolate as 
 was Wyoming twenty-two years later. 
 
 "It was daylight when the work of de- 
 struction was finished, and the sun rose 
 upon the smoking ruins. There was not a 
 moment to lose, for, says Armstrong's re- 
 port : 
 
 " 'A body of the enemy on the other side 
 of the river fired on our people, and being 
 seen to cross the river at a distance, as if 
 to surround our men, they collected some 
 Indian horses found near the town to carry 
 off the wounded and retreated, without go- 
 ing back to the cornfield to pick up the 
 
 scalps of those killed there in the begin- 
 ning of the action.' 
 
 "Taking with them the released pris- 
 oners, the troops hurried back to the woods 
 where their horses were corralled, mounted 
 in haste, and made their way homeward as 
 silently and cautiously as they had come. 
 The fact that a body of the enemy fired 
 upon Armstrong's party from the opposite 
 side of the river seems further to confirm 
 the testimony of the rescued prisoners con- 
 cerning the proposed attack upon Fort 
 Shirley. It is reasonable to suppose that 
 tliey were a body destined for the expedi- 
 tion, arriving thus early at the rendezvous. 
 
 "The astonishment and alarm of the 
 Ohio tribes at this direful visitation of the 
 colonists put an end to their outrages for 
 some time to come. On the frontier a feel- 
 ing of security was, in a measure, restored, 
 and the settlers in large numbers returned 
 to the homes they had abandoned. It is 
 pleasing to note in connection witli this 
 daring exploit of Armstrong's militia that 
 the populous town of the white men, with 
 the foundries and rolling mills, and its 
 beautiful homes and churches that now cov- 
 ers the site of the old Indian rallying place, 
 has not been rechristened, but retains the 
 musical Delaware name of Kittanning. 
 Keckewelder, the best authority on Lenni 
 Lenape significations, says it is a corrup- 
 tion of Kithan-uick, which means the main 
 stream, or on the main stream, and with 
 the Delawares denoted the stream as well 
 as the town. 
 
 "It is also in accordance with the eter- 
 nal fitness of things that the county of 
 which Kittanning is the capital, bears the 
 name of Armstrong in honor of the man 
 who, by a signal act of retaliation, opened 
 the way for its settlement. The corpora- 
 tion of Philadelphia presented Colonel 
 Armstrong with a piece of plate, and also 
 gave to him and to each of his officers a 
 silver medal and to every private' in the 
 troop a medal and a small present of 
 
AND BEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 money in recognition of their intrepid con- 
 duct on the expedition. 
 
 ADVENTURE OF JAMES KIBKPATRICK. 
 
 "The treaty of Fontainbleau did not 
 bring to the borders the tranquillity so 
 earnestly hoped for, and not until after the 
 close of Pontiac's war was there actual 
 safety for settlers beyond the shadow of 
 the forts. After a few years, however, the 
 remnants of such tribes as remained north 
 of the Ohio, being now at peace with the 
 English emigrants, and tempted by the 
 cheap and fertile land, began to push far- 
 ther west and north of the manor tracts 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
 "With these came James Kirkpatrick, 
 of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, bring- 
 ing with him his wife and three children, 
 the youngest not yet a year old. They 
 crossed the Allegheny River at a point 
 where, a quarter of a century before, had 
 stood the Indian town of Kittanning. Here 
 they piled their household effects on the 
 backs of pack-horses and pushed into the 
 wilderness some ten miles beyond and to 
 a little stream called Cherry Run. 
 
 "With the help of a distant neighbor 
 Kirkpatrick built a cabin and began to 
 clear his land. Encouraged by the quality 
 of their purchase he and his wife toiled 
 cheerfully, for both were young, buoyant 
 with health and hope, and charmed with 
 the novelty of their woodland life. The 
 elder children, too, were happy as linnets 
 in the midst of their surroundings, and as 
 the ax was lustily plied, watched with 
 eager interest the swaying of each tree, 
 and heard with boisterous shouts the crash 
 when the great trunk shook the earth with 
 its fall. 
 
 "So the boundaries of the clearing ex- 
 tended farther and farther as time went 
 by, and the crops grew apace in the rich, 
 new soil. A few Indians remained in a 
 camp not many miles away, but they were 
 friendly, and sometimes came to the col- 
 onists to barter moccasins and furs for po- 
 
 tatoes, turnips and other products of the 
 soil, and the latch string of the pioneers 
 was always out to the few travelers who 
 passed their way, but beyond an occa- 
 sional party of surveyors, a hunter or a 
 militia man or two going or coming from 
 the blockhouse district, they had few vis- 
 itors. 
 
 "Born of religious parents, the young 
 people kept up in their new home the pious 
 observances to which they had been al- 
 ways accustomed. Indeed, their isolated 
 situation gave new fervency to their devo- 
 tions. It so happened on the morning of 
 the 28th of April, 1791, a day ever after 
 memorable to them, that George Miller, 
 who was the first white man who had set- 
 tled in this section, coming in 1766, and 
 another militia man, had stopped at the 
 cabin. Young Kirkpatrick, as was his 
 habit, before beginning work for the day, 
 read a chapter in the Bible, and all pres- 
 ent knelt in prayer. 
 
 "As they arose from their knees, one 
 of the militia men hearing some stir out- 
 side, opened the door to ascei'tain the 
 cause. As he did so, an Indian standing 
 near the house, fired at him, inflicting a 
 terrible wound in his side. He was falling 
 •out of the open door when his companions. 
 Miller and Kirkpatrick, springing forward, 
 dragged him in and barred the door. Mil- 
 ler then barricaded the window with bed- 
 ding, table and such other articles of house- 
 hold furniture as would help to make it 
 bullet-proof, while Kirkpatrick, seizing his 
 rifle, ran up the ladder to the loft and be- 
 gan shooting through a loophole in the 
 chucking. Having been entirely engrossed 
 with the labors of his farm, and not ex- 
 pecting hostility from the Indians at that 
 late date, he had run no bullets for some 
 time, and so had but few in his pouch. He 
 had not fired many rounds, when a shot 
 aimed by the assailant sped through the 
 crack above the large wooden door latch, 
 struck the innocent baby, and it fell back, 
 bleeding and gasping. 
 
64 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 "At this moment Kirkpatriek called 
 down the ladder to his wife to mold some 
 bullets as fast as possible, for his supply 
 was nearly exhausted. There was no time 
 now to wash blood stains from the cruel 
 wound or to pillow the drooping head upon 
 her throbbing breast; no time to give way 
 to a mother's yearning or anguish — only 
 time to lay, with trembling hands, the tiny, 
 limp form in the sugar-trough cradle, that 
 might never again rock him to slumber; 
 only time to snatch with nervous haste the 
 lead, the mold and the ladle for melting 
 from the rude shelf, rake the embers from 
 under the back log and essay her difficult 
 task that her husband might save their 
 lives or sell them as dearly as he could. 
 
 "It was easy enough to melt the lead on 
 the glowing coals, but the shaking fingers 
 could not guide the molten stream into the 
 throat of the mold. Seeing this, the 
 wounded militiaman, holding together with 
 one hand the gaping edges of his wound, 
 crawled to the fireplace, and with the other 
 hand steadied the ladle for her. In this 
 way they filled and emptied the mold many 
 times over, while Miller, having secured 
 the house as well as he could, stood at the 
 foot of the ladder, trimmed the bullets, 
 loaded the spare gun, passed it up to Kirk- 
 patriek, took his empty one, loaded it and 
 exchanged, loaded and exchanged again 
 and again. 
 
 "Counting the shots and the intervals 
 between them, the white men judged there 
 were three assailants. After a time, how- 
 ever, the shots were less frequent and far- 
 ther off. They concluded from this that 
 one of the Indians was either killed or 
 badly wounded. The other two had by 
 this time moved to the edge of the clearing 
 and far enough away from the house to be 
 seen from tlie loop hole. One of them had 
 just fired his piecfl, the charge burying 
 itself in the log near Kirkpatriek 's head. 
 The other one was in the act of loading. 
 Kirkpatriek now for the first time having 
 a chance to take a deliberate aim, leveled 
 
 his rifle and fired ; his bullet struck the 
 ramrod out of the Indian's hand and en- 
 tered his body. He threw up his arms and 
 fell to the ground, but scrambled to his 
 feet again and tottered into the woods. 
 The other one ran away at full speed and 
 firing ceased. 
 
 "When the besieged white men opened 
 the door and looked warily out,' an Indian 
 lay dead in the yard with a bullet hole 
 through his head. Assured that they were 
 at last alone, every effort was made to al- 
 leviate the sufferings of the wounded man 
 and child. But the soldier was beyond all 
 aid ; he lingered in great agony until near 
 noon, when death came to his relief. The 
 baby lay breathing feebly and white as 
 marble. The brave husband could not 
 tarry to soothe the grief of his wife or the 
 terror of his children, but hastily prepared 
 to carry them to a place of safety, lest the 
 savages might return in greater numbers 
 and massacre them all. 
 
 "A white boy, at that time a prisoner 
 with the tribe among whom the three In- 
 dians were living, after his escape told 
 Kiikjiatrick that they had expected to find 
 hiiii aloiic with his family, and that but one 
 of the tlnee returned to camp. Kirkpat- 
 riek collected as many of his effects as 
 could be packed on the horse behind his 
 wife and children, and taking Miller, the 
 surviving militiaman, as guard, hurried 
 his family off by a circuitous route to the 
 block house at Hannahstown; the mother 
 carrying her wounded child on a pillow 
 upon her lap. It was a dangerous and 
 painful ride of nearly forty miles, and 
 scarcely had they entered the sheltei'ing 
 walls of the fort when the baby boy 
 breathed his last. 
 
 "As far as there is any record, this was 
 the last murderous attack liy Indians upon 
 a settler's home in western Pennsylvania. 
 There have been published no less than 
 four different versions of the story, in- 
 cluding the one in Massy Harbison's book, 
 which Mr. J. T. Kirkpatriek, a grandson 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 65 
 
 of the pioueer James Kirkpatrick, pro- 
 nounces incorrect in several particulars. 
 It is believed the account here given is the 
 true one, as it was obtained directly from 
 Mr. J. T. Kirkpatrick, who had it from his 
 grandparents, who were actors in the 
 scene. 
 
 "The scene of the tragedy is on the old 
 road running north from Kittanning. A 
 jaunting party passing through that re- 
 gion some time ago, found the old cabin 
 still standing, for the woodmen of those 
 days builded better than they knew. It is 
 true, the clapboard roof, as clapboards will 
 do, had curled up like fur on the back of 
 an angry cat ; the sash was gone from the 
 small, square window, and the door from 
 its hinges, but the four log walls and the 
 chinking were almost as perfect as when 
 young Kirkpatrick built it." 
 
 THE GIRTY TRAGEDY. 
 
 Among the first settlers who came to the 
 northern part of Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship was Thomas Girty, his wife Ann, and 
 his son Thomas, Jr., who located near 
 Whitestown about 1795 or 1796. The elder 
 Girty died some time previous to 1803, and 
 was probably buried at Girty 's Run in Al- 
 legheny Coimty, where the family came 
 from. The tax duplicates of Butler 
 County issued by the commissioners of Al- 
 legheny County in 1803, show .that Thomas 
 Girty, a single man, was assessed with four 
 hundred acres of land in Connoquenessing 
 Township, besides other personal prop- 
 erty. The young man lived on the farm 
 with his mother, and because of the belief 
 among the settlers that they were relatives 
 of the notorious Simon Girty, the family 
 was avoided, and many false stories have 
 been told about them. 
 
 During the absence of Thomas Girty, 
 Jr., in Ohio in 1803, Davy Kerr, who was 
 a squatter on the four hundred acre tract 
 of land taken up by the Girtys, went one 
 night to the cabin where Mrs. Ann Girty 
 lived, determined either to drive her off 
 
 the premises or scare her so that she 
 would leave him in undisputed possession 
 of the land. Before going to the cabin he 
 had armed himself with a horse-pistol 
 which he had loaded with buckshot. He 
 stated the purpose of his visit to Mrs. 
 Girty, and when she refused to leave made 
 threats of violence, at which Mrs. Girty 
 seized a burning firebrand from the fire 
 and struck Kerr in the face. In the fight 
 that ensued Kerr shot Mrs. Girty in the 
 breast, inflicting wounds from which she 
 died six weeks later. Because of the feel- 
 ing that existed against the Girty family 
 in the neighborhood, and partly because a 
 settlement had been arranged, before Mrs. 
 Girty 's death, Kerr was never prosecuted 
 for his crime and shortly afterwards he 
 gave up his claim to the land and left. So 
 bitter was the feeling against Mrs. Ann 
 Girty that the trtistees of Mt. Nebo Ceme- 
 tery, near ^Vhltestown, refused to allow 
 her to be buried at that place, and slie was 
 interred on the farm where slie lived. For 
 many years this grave was marked by a 
 fence made of chestnut rails and the spot 
 was avoided by children because they be- 
 lieved that Mrs. Girty was a witch, and 
 capable of working great mischief in the 
 neighborhood. Thomas Girty, Jr., the son, 
 never returned to Butler Comity after the 
 death of his mother, and he lived and died 
 in Adams County, Ohio. 
 
 The suspicion that this Girty family was 
 connected with the notorious Simon Girty 
 was correct, although the Girty family in 
 Butler County could never be charged with 
 anything more serious than attending to 
 their own business and living a quiet ex- 
 istence. Howe's "Historical Collections 
 of Ohio" says that the original Girty fam- 
 ily lived in Pennsylvania and that the elder 
 Girty was a man of violent disposition, 
 given to drinking, who abused his wife and 
 family so much that his wife deserted him 
 for a young pioneer in the neighborhood 
 named' John Turner. It was alleged that 
 in order to get rid of the obnoxious Girty, 
 
66 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Turner knocked him on the head. Girty 
 left four sons, viz.: George, James, 
 Thomas, and Simon. All of the sons were 
 captured by the Indians during Brad- 
 dock's campaign and were subsequently 
 adopted by various Indian tribes, with the 
 exception of Thomas. George was adopted 
 by the Delaware Indians and died in a 
 drunken tit. James was adopted by the 
 Shawahese, became notorious on the fron- 
 tier, and met a violent death in Kentucky. 
 Simon was adopted by the Seneca Indians 
 and became the notorious white renegade 
 who was so much feared and hated by the 
 pioneers. Accounts differ as to how Si- 
 mon met his death, one authority saying 
 he was hacked to pieces by Colonel John- 
 son's mounted men at Proctor's defeat, 
 and another that he died at Maiden about 
 1815. The white renegades, Simon Girty, 
 Col. Alexander McKee, and Captain El- 
 liott, were at the battle of Fallen Timbers 
 —1794 — with about seventy Canadians, but 
 did not take part in the fight. 
 
 Thomas Girty was one of the white men 
 that was a prisoner at Kittanning in 1756 
 when Col. Armstrong made his famous ex- 
 pedition and destroyed that Indian strong- 
 hold. He subsequently settled on Girty 's 
 Eun in Allegheny Coimty, and when the 
 territory of which Butler County is a part 
 was opened for settlement, he came to this 
 county. It was alleged that during the 
 Revolution and the Indian wars Thomas 
 Girty was as vicious as his brothers in his 
 treatment of the white settlers, and that 
 his wife Ann made the bullets with which 
 he shot down the frontiersmen in their 
 fight with the Indians. 
 
 A sister of the Girty men was married 
 to Israel Gibson and came to Butler 
 County with her husband previous to 1800. 
 She died in 1801, and was the third person 
 buried in the Mt. Nebo Cemetery, where 
 two years later the ofiScials of the ceme- 
 tei-y would not permit her sister-in-law to 
 be buried. The Girty tract lay west of the 
 Franklin Eoad and about one mile south 
 
 of Whitestown. After the death of Mrs. 
 Girty, Israel Gibson lived on the farm, 
 and in later years it was known as the Ab- 
 diel McClure farm. It is now known as 
 the Coates farm. 
 
 ■ It is said that Thomas Girty was at one 
 time loyal to the colonies, and that he was 
 employed as a scout along with James Am- 
 berson, James Jeffries and Capt. Samuel 
 Brady. For some reason he turned 
 against his former compatriots and became 
 an outlaw. 
 
 m'kEE and ELLIOTT. 
 
 "While Butler County was not the field of 
 any of the fiendish barbarities committed 
 by the renegades, Simon Girty, Alexander 
 McKee and Captain Elliott, it is a fact, 
 however, that this territory was the ren- 
 dezvous and hiding place of the maraud- 
 ing tribes of Indians who terrorized the 
 frontier and the Cumberland and Tusca- 
 rora Valleys during the Eevolution and 
 for a number of years later, and who were 
 led by these white men. McKee and El- 
 liott were residents of Path Valley, Penn- 
 sylvania, previous to the Eevolution, 
 where both men were leaders of the Tory 
 element among the settlers. On account 
 of their sympathies with the British, they 
 were compelled to leave the valley, and 
 both men joined the Shawanese tribe of 
 Indians and became leaders of the Indian 
 tribe in all the depredations that were com- 
 mitted in western Pennsylvania during the 
 period of the Eevolution, and which were 
 chiefly instigated by the British. They 
 married Indian wives, adopted Indian hab- 
 its, and became as ferocious in their treat- 
 ment of the white settlers as the Girtys. 
 In consideration of their treachery, McKee 
 was given the rank as colonel and Elliott 
 the rank of captain in the British army, 
 and after the Eevolution both men were 
 a]ipointed agents for the Indians by the 
 British government and were stationed in 
 the southern part of Canada. 
 
AND REPfiESEXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 67 
 
 THE STORY OF MASSY HARBISON. 
 
 The story of Massy Harbison and her 
 terrible experiences with the Indians is 
 one of the most thrilling narratives in the 
 annals of tlie west. AVhile the capture of 
 Mrs. Harbison took place in Westmore- 
 land County, the terrible exj^eriences of 
 the several days that followed and her es- 
 cape from the Indians took place in But- 
 ler County, and is an authentic narrative 
 of adventure within the territorj'^ of the 
 county. It has been published before, but 
 its inherent interest and its value as an il 
 lustration of the hardships and perils that 
 sometimes fell to the lot of the early set- 
 tlers in this region, entitle it to republica- 
 tion in this volume. 
 
 White was the daughter of Ed- 
 ward White, a Revolutionary soldier, and 
 was born in Amwell Township, Somerset 
 County, New Jersey, March 18, 177vi. Af- 
 ter the establishment of peace in 1782, the 
 family removed west and settled at Red 
 Stone Fort, now Brownsville, in the Mo- 
 nongahela Valley. In 1787 Massy White 
 was married to John Harbison with whom 
 she removed to the headwaters of Char- 
 tiers Creek, in Westmoreland County. 
 John Harbison was an Indian scout and 
 frontiersman and was with St. Clair's army 
 in Ohio in 1791, when the latter met defeat 
 by the Indians. 
 
 The Indians, who had been the allies of 
 tlie British, during the Revolutionary War, 
 afterwards continued to harass the white 
 settlers along the Ohio and Allegheny 
 frontier. So great were tlieir atrocities 
 and depredations that the government in 
 1790 again inaugurated hostilities against 
 them. During the period from this date 
 until General AVayne's victory, in 1794, 
 and even after that until the treaty of 
 Greenville in 1795, numerous murders were 
 committed and many persons taken pris- 
 oners. Along the Allegheny River and 
 near the boundaries of what is now Butler 
 County, a number of outrages were com- 
 
 mitted in 1791. In March of that year a 
 Mr. Thomas Dick and his wife, living near 
 the mouth of Deer Creek on the east side 
 of the River, were captured, and a young 
 man who lived with them was killed and 
 scalped. Four days later a l)and of In- 
 dians appeared at the house of Abram 
 Russ, two miles further up the river, pro- 
 tested their friendship, and asked for food. 
 Having been received kindly, the Indians 
 turned on their benefactors, massacred 
 four men, a woman and six children. Sev- 
 eral persons escaped and the news of this 
 slaughter was quickly carried through the 
 scattered settlements and the inhabitants, 
 taking with them only such articles as 
 could be hastily gotten together, fled to 
 James Paul's, on Pine Run. By sunrise 
 on the 23d of March there were between 
 seventy and eighty women and children col- 
 lected at this retreat, and all but four of 
 the men had left in pursuit of the Indians. 
 Massy Harbison and her two children were 
 among the number who sought safety at 
 James Paul's. After the murder on the 
 night of March 22d, 1791, above the mouth 
 of Bull Creek, from Pine Creek these peo- 
 ple proceeded to a point on the eastern 
 l)ank of the Allegheny River, a mile below 
 the mouth of Kiskiminetas, and opposite 
 the side of Freeport, and there erected a 
 block house to which all the families who 
 had fled from the neighborhood returned 
 within two weeks. Here they remained in 
 safety during the summer, although sev- 
 eral murders were committed along the 
 river and David McKee and another 
 young man were killed and scalped within 
 seven miles of the blockhouse. This block- 
 house received the name of Reeds Station. 
 Soon after the several families were pro- 
 vided for at the blockhouse in the spring of 
 1791, John Harbison, the husband of Massy 
 Harbison, enlisted in the six months' serv- 
 ice in Captain Guthrie's company, went out 
 in the expedition against the Indians, under 
 command of the unfortunate General St. 
 Clair. He did not return until the 24th of 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 December, and when he came home he 
 brought a memento of St. Clair's defeat 
 in the shape of an ugly wound. On his re- 
 covery from his wound Harbison was ap- 
 pointed as spy and ordered to the woods 
 on duty in March, 1792. AVhile no depre- 
 dations had been committed during the 
 winter, the inhabitants at Reed " Station 
 feared trouble, and resorted to the spy sys- 
 tem as a protection against the Indians. 
 Having faith in the woods rangers to pro- 
 .tect them, the settlers moved out from the 
 blockhouse in which they had so long been 
 confined and scattered to their habitations. 
 Mrs. Harbison lived in a cabin within sight 
 of the blockhouse and not more than two 
 hundred yards distant from it. The spies 
 in their long detours through the forest 
 saw no signs of Indians, and nothing to 
 alarm them. They frequently came to the 
 Hai'bison cabin to receive refreshments and 
 lodging and Mr. Harbison came home only 
 once in eight or ten days. It appeared that 
 Mrs. Harbison had apprehensions that 
 something terrible would happen and she 
 had entreated her husband to remove the 
 family to some mgre secure place. On the 
 night of the 21st of May, 1792, two of the 
 spies, James Davis and a Mr. Sutton, came 
 to lodge at the Harbison cabin, and at day- 
 break on the following morning when the 
 horn was blown at the blockhouse, they 
 got up and went out. Mrs. Harbison was 
 awake when the spies left the cabin, saw 
 that the door was open, and intended to 
 rise and shut it, but fell asleep again. 
 While she slumbered Davis and Sutton re- 
 turned, and after fastening the cabin door 
 returned to the blockhouse. The woman 
 awoke to find herself in the hands of a 
 band of savages, who pulled her from the 
 bed by her feet. The terrible events that 
 followed are best narrated by Mrs. Harbi- 
 son. 
 
 In her narrative, she says: "I then 
 looked up and saw the house full of In- 
 dians, every one having his gun in his left 
 hand and his tomahawk in his right. Be- 
 
 holding the dangerous situation in which 
 I was, I immediately jumped to the floor 
 upon my feet, with the young child in my 
 arms. I then took up a petticoat to put 
 on, having only the one in which I slept; 
 but the Indians took it from me, and as 
 many as I attempted to put on, they suc- 
 ceeded in taking from me, so that I had 
 to go just as I had been in bed. While I 
 was struggling with some of the savages 
 for clothing, others of them went and took 
 the two children out of another bed, and 
 immediately took the two feather beds to 
 the door and emptied them. The savages 
 immediately began their work of plunder 
 and devastation. What they were unable 
 to carry with them, they destroyed. While 
 they were at tlieir work, I made to the door 
 and succeeded in getting out with one child 
 in my arms and another by my side; but 
 the other little boy was so much displeased 
 at being so early disturbed in the morning 
 that he would not come to the door. 
 
 "When I got out, I saw Mr. Wolf, one 
 of the soldiers, going to the spring for 
 water, and beheld two or three of the sav- 
 ages attempting to get between him and 
 the blockhouse; but Mr. Wolf was uncon- 
 scious of his danger, for the savages had 
 not yet been discovered. I then gave a 
 terrific scream, by which means Mr. Wolf 
 discovered his danger, and started to run 
 for the blockhouse. Seven or eight of the 
 Indians fired at him, but the only injury 
 that he received was a bullet in his arm, 
 which broke it. He succeeded in making 
 his escape to the blockhouse. When I 
 raised the alarm, one of the Indians came 
 up to me with his tomahawk, as though 
 about to take my life; a second came and 
 placed his hand before my mouth and told 
 me to hush, when a third came with a lifted 
 tomahawk and attempted to give me a 
 blow; but the first that came raised his 
 tomahawk and averted the blow; and 
 claimed me as his squaw. 
 
 "The commissary and his waiter who 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 69 
 
 had been sleeping in the store-room, near 
 the blockhouse, being aroused by Mrs. 
 Harbison's scream and the report of the 
 Indian's guns, attemjited to make their 
 escape. The commissary succeeded in 
 reacliiug the blockhouse amid a rain of 
 liullets, one or two of which cut the hand- 
 kerchief which he wore about his head. 
 The waiter, on coming to the door, was met 
 by two Indians who fired at him, and he 
 fell dead. The savages then set up their 
 tremendous and terrifying yells, and 
 pushed forward and attempted to scalp 
 the men that they had killed, but they were 
 ]irevented by the heavy fire which was kept 
 up through the port-holes of the block- 
 house. 
 
 "In this scene of horror and alarm." 
 says Mrs. Harbison, "I began to meditate 
 on escape, and for that purpose I at- 
 tempted to direct the attention of the In- 
 dians from me, and to fix it on the block- 
 house, and thought that if I could succeed 
 iu this I would retreat to a subterranean 
 lock with which I was acquainted, which 
 was in the run near which we were. For 
 this purpose I began to converse with some 
 of those who were near me, respecting the 
 strength of the blockhouse, the number of 
 men in it, etc., and, being informed that 
 there were forty men there, and that they 
 were excellent marksmen, they immedi- 
 ately came to the determination to retreat 
 and for this purpose they ran to those who 
 were besieging the blockhouse and brought' 
 them away. They then began to flog me 
 with their wiping-sticks, and to order me 
 along. Thus what I intended as a means 
 of my escape was the means of accelerat- 
 ing my departure in the hands of the sav- 
 ages. But it wos no doubt ordered by a 
 kind Providence for the preservation of 
 the fort and its inhabitants, for, when the 
 savages gave up the attack and retreated, 
 some of the men in the house had the last 
 load of ammunition in their guns, and 
 there was no possibility of procuring more, 
 
 for it was all fastened up in the storehouse 
 which was inaccessible. 
 
 "The Indians, when they had flogged me 
 away along with them, took my oldest boy, 
 a lad about five years of age, along with 
 them, for he was still at the door W my 
 side. My middle little boy, who was about 
 three years of age, had by this time ob- 
 tained a situation by the fire in the house, 
 and was crying bitterly to me not to go, 
 and making bitter complaints of the depre- 
 dations of the savages. 
 
 "But these monsters were not willing to 
 let the child remain behind them; they 
 took him by the hand to drag him along 
 with them, but he was so very unwilling to 
 go, and made such a noise by crying, that 
 they took him by the feet and dashed his 
 brains out against the threshold of the 
 door. They then scalped and stabbed him 
 and left him for dead. 
 
 "A¥hen I witnessed this inhuman butch- 
 ery of my own child, I gave a most inde- 
 scribable and terrific scream, and felt a 
 dimness come over my eyes next to blind- 
 ness, and my senses were nearly gone. 
 The savages then gave me a blow across 
 my face and head, and brought me to my 
 sight and recollection again. During the 
 whole of this agonizing scene I kept my in- 
 fant in my arms. 
 
 "As soon as their murder was eiTected, 
 they marched me along to the top of the 
 bank, about forty or sixty rods, and there 
 they stopped and divided the plunder 
 which they had taken from our house, and 
 here I counted their number, and found 
 them to be thirty-two, two of whom were 
 white men painted as Indians. 
 
 "Several of the Indians could speak 
 English well. I knew several of them well, 
 having seen them go up and down the Alle- 
 gheny River. I knew two of them to be 
 from the Seneca tribe of Indians, and two 
 of them Munseys; for they had called at 
 tlie shop to get their guns repaired, and 
 I saw them there. 
 
70 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 "We then went from this place about 
 forty rods, and they then caught my uncle, 
 John Currie's, horses, and two of them, 
 into whose custody I was put, started with 
 me on the horses toward the mouth of the 
 Kiskiminetas, and the rest of them went 
 off toward Puckety. When they came to 
 the bank which descended toward the Alle- 
 gheny, the bank was so veiy steep, and 
 there appeared so much danger in descend- 
 ing it on horseback, that I threw myself 
 off the horse in opposition to the will and 
 command of the savages. 
 
 "My horse descended without falling, 
 but the one on which the Indian rode who 
 had my little boy, in descending, fell, and 
 rolled over repeatedly, and my little boy 
 fell back over the horse, but was not mate- 
 rially injured. He was taken up by one 
 of the Indians, and we got to the bank of 
 the river, where they had secreted some 
 bnrk canoes, under the rocks opposite the 
 island that lies between the Ki,skiminetas 
 and Buffalo. They attempted in vain to 
 make the horses take the river. After try- 
 ing for some time to effect this, they left 
 the horses behind them and took us in one 
 of the canoes to the point of the island, and 
 there they left the canoe. 
 
 "Here I beheld another hard'scene, for, 
 as soon as we landed my little boy, who 
 was still mourning and lamenting about 
 his little brother, and who complained that 
 he was injured by the fall in descending 
 the bank, was murdered. 
 
 "One of the Indians ordered me along, 
 probably that I should not see the horrid 
 deed about to be perpetrated. The other 
 then took his tomahawk from his side, 
 killed and scalped him. When I beheld 
 the second scene of inhuman butchery, I 
 fell to the ground senseless, with my infant 
 in my arms, it being under, with its little 
 hands in the hair of my head. How long 
 I remained in this state of insensibility 
 I knew not. 
 
 "The first thing I remember was my 
 raising my head from the ground, and mv 
 
 feeling myself exceedingly overcome with 
 sleep. I cast my eyes around and saw the 
 scalp of my dear little boy, fresh bleeding 
 from his head, in the hand of one of the 
 savages, and sank down to the earth again 
 upon my infant child. The first thing I re- 
 member after witnessing this spectacle of 
 woe was the severe blows I was receiving 
 from the hands of the savages, though at 
 that time I was unconscious of the in- 
 juries I was sustaining. After a severe 
 castigation, they assisted me in getting 
 up, and supported me when up. 
 
 "Here I cannot help contemplating the 
 peculiar interposition of Divine Provi- 
 dence in my behalf. How easily might 
 they have murdered me. What a wonder 
 their cruelty did not lead them to effect it. 
 But instead of this, the scalp of my little 
 boy was hid from my view, and in order 
 to bring me to my senses again, they took 
 me back to the river and led me in, knee- 
 deep. This had the intended effect. But 
 'the tender mercies of the wicked are 
 cruel.' 
 
 "We now i^roceeded on our journey by 
 crossing the island, and coming to a shal- 
 low ])laee where we could wade out, and so 
 arrive to the Indian side of the country. 
 Here they pushed me into the river before 
 them, and had to conduct me through it. 
 The water was up to my breast but I sus- 
 pended my child above the water, and, 
 through the assistance of the savages, got 
 safely out. 
 
 ' ' From thence we rapidly proceeded for- 
 ward, and came to Big Buffalo. Here the 
 stream was very rapid and the Indians had 
 again to assist me. When we had crossed 
 this creek, we made a straight line to the 
 Connoquenessing Creek, the very place 
 where Butler now stands, and from thence 
 we traveled five or six miles to Little 
 Buffalo, and crossed it at the very place 
 where Mr. B. Sarver's mill now (1836) 
 stands, and ascended the hill." 
 
 [The foregoing paragraph is ^ quite ob- 
 scure and misleading. The Indians, of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 71 
 
 course, did not go to "the vei'y place where 
 Butler now stands" and then retrace their 
 way to Little Buffalo. They crossed Little 
 Buffalo on the way to the Connoquenessing 
 at the place where Sarver's mill stood in 
 later years, and where now is Sarversville. 
 They undoubtedly crossed the Connoque- 
 nessing where the Cunninghams afterward 
 built their mill, and where now stands the 
 George Walter mill in Butler borough, at 
 the foot of Washington Street. At this 
 place the rocks originally projected far 
 over the water, and the narrow chasm 
 could be easily spanned by a log. The 
 crossing was a favorite one with the In- 
 dians, and the rocks on either side of 
 the creek bore hieroglyphic inscriptions. 
 These rocks were recently destroyed in 
 grading for the tracks of the Bessemer 
 Railroad.] 
 
 The journal continues: "I now felt 
 weary of my life, and had a full detei- 
 mination to make the savages kill me, 
 thinking that death would be exceedingly 
 welcome when compared with the fatigue, 
 ci'uelties and miseries I had the prospects 
 of enduring. To have my purpose effected, 
 I stood still, one of the savages before me, 
 and the other walking on behind me, and 
 I took from oft' my shoulder a large pow- 
 der-horn they made me carry, in addition 
 to my child, who was one year and four 
 days old. I threw the horn on the ground, 
 closed my eyes and expected every moment 
 to feel the deadly tomahawk. But, to my 
 surprise, the Indians took it up, cursed me 
 bitterly and put it on my shoulders again. 
 I took it off the second time and threw it 
 on the ground, and again closed my eyes 
 with the assurance that I should meet 
 death; but, instead of this, one of the 
 savages again took up the horn, and with 
 an indignant, frightful countenance, came 
 and placed it on again. I took it off a 
 third time, and was determined to effect it, 
 and therefore threw it as far as I was able 
 to over the rooks. The savages immedi- 
 ately went after it, while the one who ha'l 
 
 claimed me as liis squaw, and who had 
 stood and witnessed the transaction, came 
 up to me and said, 'Well done, that I did 
 right and was a good squaw, and that the 
 
 other was a lazy •, he might carry 
 
 it himself.' I cannot now sufficiently ad- 
 mire the indulgent care of a gracious God, 
 that, at this moment, preserved me amid 
 so many temptations from the tomahawk 
 and the scalping-knife. 
 
 "The savages now changed their posi- 
 tion, and the one who claimed me as his 
 squaw went behind. This movement, I be- 
 lieve, was to prevent the other from doing 
 me an injury; and we went on until we 
 struck the Connoquenessing at the salt lick 
 about two miles above Butler, where was 
 an Indian camp, where we arrived a little 
 before dark." 
 
 [This camp was in the ravine which 
 opens into the valley near the Kearns 
 farm. The distance from Butler is con- 
 siderably less than two miles.] 
 
 "The camp was made of stakes driven 
 into the ground, sloping, and covered with 
 chestnut bark, and appeared sufficiently 
 long for fifty men. The camp appeared to 
 have been occupied for some time. It was 
 very much beaten, and large beaten paths 
 went out of it in various directions. 
 
 "That night, they took me from the 
 camp about three hundred yards, where 
 tliey cut the brush in a thicket and placed 
 a blanket on the ground, and permitted me 
 to sit down with my child. Then they 
 pinioned my arms back, only with a little 
 liberty, so that it was with difficulty I man- 
 aged my child. Here in this dreary situa- 
 tion, without fire or refreshment, having 
 an infant to take care of, and my arms 
 bound behind me, and having a savage on 
 each side of me who had killed two of my 
 dear children that day, I had to pass the 
 first night of my captivity. 
 
 "The trials and dangers of the day I 
 had passed had so completely exhausted 
 nature, that, notwithstanding my unpleas- 
 ant situation and my determination to 
 
72 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 escape if possible, I insensibly fell asleep, 
 and repeatedly dreamed of my escape and 
 safe arrival in Pittsburg, and several 
 things relating to the town, of which I 
 knew nothing at the time, but found to be 
 true when I got there. The first night 
 passed away, and I found no means of 
 escape, for the savages kept watch the 
 whole of the night, without any sleep. 
 
 "In the morning, one of them left us to 
 watch the trail or path we had come, to see 
 if any white people were pursuing us. 
 During the absence of the Indian, who was 
 the one that claimed me, the one who re- 
 mained with me, and who was the mur- 
 derer of my last boy, took from his bosom 
 his scalp and prepared a hoop, and 
 stretched the scalp on it. * * * j med- 
 itated revenge ! While he was in the very 
 act, I attempted to take his tomahawk, 
 which hung by his side and rested on the 
 ground, and had nearly succeeded, and 
 was, as I thought, about to give the fatal 
 blow, when, alas! I was detected." 
 
 The Indian who went upon the lookout 
 in the morning became Massy Harbison's 
 guard in the afternoon, asked her many 
 questions concerning the whites and the 
 strength of the armies they proposed send- 
 ing out, and boasted largely about the In- 
 dians' achievements the preceding fall at 
 the defeat of St. Clair. He gave the 
 woman a small piece of dry venison, but, 
 owing to the blows she had received about 
 the face and jaws, she was unable to eat, 
 and broke it into pieces for her child. On 
 the second night (May 23), she was re- 
 moved to another station in the same small 
 valley or ravine, and there guarded as she 
 had been the night before. When the day 
 broke, one of the Indians went away, as 
 upon the preceding morning, to watch the 
 trail, and the other fell asleep. 
 
 Then Massy Harbison concluded it was 
 time to escape. Slu; thought of the ven- 
 geance, but found it was impossible to in- 
 jure the slee])ing savage, for she could 
 effect nothing without putting her child 
 
 down and she feared that if she did it 
 would cry and defeat her design of flight. 
 
 She contented herself with taking from 
 a pillow-case of plunder the Indians had 
 stolen from her house a short gown, hand- 
 kerchief, and child's frock, and so made 
 her escape. The sun was about half an 
 hour high. She at first, to deceive the 
 Indians, took a course leading in an oppo- 
 site direction from her home, and then 
 went over a hill and came to the Connoque- 
 nessing about two miles from the place 
 where she had crossed it the day before 
 with her captors, and went down the 
 stream till about two o'clock in the after- 
 noon, over rocks, precipices, thorns, briars, 
 etc., suffering great pain, as her feet and 
 legs were bare, but fleeing on unmindful 
 of it, to put as great a distance b'etween 
 herself and the savage enemy as was pos- 
 sible. She discovered, by the sun and the 
 running of the stream, that she was going 
 from, instead of toward home, frnd 
 changed her course. She ascended a hill 
 and sat there until the evening star made 
 its appearance, when she discovered the 
 way she should travel the next morning, 
 and having collected some leaves, she made 
 a bed, lay down and slept, although her 
 feet, being full of thorns, caused her much 
 pain. She had no food for herself or 
 child. At daybreak, she resumed her 
 travel toward the Allegheny River. Noth- 
 ing very material occurred during the day. 
 
 "In the evening" (we again quote from 
 Massy Harbison's narrative), "about the 
 going down of the sun, a moderate rain 
 came on, and I began preparing for my 
 bed, by collecting some leaves together, as 
 I had done the night before, but could not 
 collect a sufficuent quantity without setting 
 my little boy on the ground; but as soon 
 as I had put him out of my arms he began 
 to cry. Fearful of the consequences of his 
 noise in this situation, I took him in my 
 arms and ])ut him on my breast imme- 
 diately, and he became quiet. I then stood 
 and listened, and distinctly heard the foot- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 73 
 
 steps of a man coming after me, in the 
 same direction I had come! The ground 
 over whicli I had been traveling was good 
 and the mold light. I had, therefore, left 
 my footmarks, and thus exposed myself 
 to a second captivity. Alarmed at my 
 perilous situation, I looked around for a 
 place of safety, and, providentially, saw 
 a large tree, which had fallen, into the 
 tops of which I crept, with my child in my 
 arms, and there I hid myself securely un- 
 der tlie limbs. The darkness of the night 
 greatly assisted me, and jirevented me 
 from detection. 
 
 "The footsteps I heard were those of a 
 savage. He heard the cry of the child, and 
 came to the very spot where child cried, 
 and there he halted, put down his gun, 
 and was at this time so near that I heard 
 the wiping-stick strike against the gun dis- 
 tinctly. 
 
 "* * * All was still and quiet; the 
 savage was listening, if, by possibility, he 
 might again hear the cry he had heard be- 
 fore. My own heart was the only thing 
 I feared, and that beat so loud that I was 
 a])preh('iisive it would betray me. It is 
 almost iiiijiossible to conceive or to believe 
 the wonderful effect my situation pro- 
 duced upon my whole system. 
 
 "After the savage had stood and listened, 
 with nearly the stillness of death, for two 
 hours, the sound of a bell, and a cry like 
 that of a night owl — signals which were 
 given to him from his savage companions 
 — induced him to answer, and, after he 
 had given a most horrid yell, which was 
 calculated to harrow uj^ my soul, he 
 started and went off to join them." 
 
 After the retreat of the ludian, Mrs. 
 Ilaihison concluded that it was unsiife to 
 remain where she was until morning, lest 
 a second and more thorough search should 
 be made, which would result in her re- 
 capture, with difiSculty arose and traveled 
 on a mile or two. Then, sinking down at 
 the foot of a great tree, she rested until 
 
 daybreak. The night was cold, and rain 
 fell. 
 
 On the morning of the iifth day of her 
 suffering and strange experience, Massy 
 Harbison, wet and exhausted, hungry and 
 wretched, started again on her way toward 
 the Allegheny. About the middle of the 
 foi'euoou, she came to the waters of Pine 
 Creek, which falls into the Allegheny about 
 four miles above Pittsburg. She knew not 
 at the time what stream it was she had 
 reached, but crossed it and followed a path 
 along its bank. Presentl.y she was alarmed 
 at seeing mocassin tracks, made by men 
 traveling in the same direction she was. 
 After she had walked about three miles, 
 she came to a fire burning on the bank of 
 the stream, where the men whose tracks 
 she had seen had eaten their breakfast. 
 She was in doubt whether the men were 
 white or Indians, and determined to leave 
 the path. She ascended a hill, crossed a 
 ridge toward Squaw Run, and came upon 
 a trail. "W^iile she stood meditating 
 whether to follow the path or seek her way 
 through the underbrush, she saw three 
 deer coming toward her at full speed. 
 They turned to look at their pursuers. 
 She looked, too, and saw the flash of a gun. 
 She saw some dogs start after the deer, 
 and, thinking that the chase would lead by 
 the place where she stood, fled, and con- 
 cealed herself behind a log. She had 
 scarcely crouched in her hiding-place be- 
 fore she found that, almost within reach 
 of her outstretclied hand, was a nest of 
 rattlesnakes. She v/as compelled to leave, 
 and did so, fearing that she would be ap 
 l)rehended by the hunters, whom she sup- 
 jiosed wei-e Indians. 
 
 The woman now changed her course, 
 and, bearing to the left, came to Squaw 
 Run, which she followed the remainder of 
 the day. During the day it rained, and so 
 cold and shivering was the fugitive, that, 
 in spite of her struggles to remain silent, 
 an occasional groan escaped her. She suf- 
 
74 
 
 IISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 fered also intensely from hunger. Her 
 jaws had so far recovered from the blows 
 of the Indians that she was able to eat 
 food, if she could have procured it. She 
 picked grape-vines and obtained a little 
 substance from them. 
 
 In the evening, she came within a mile 
 of the Allegheny, but was ignorant of it. 
 There, under a tree, in a tremendous rain- 
 storm, from which she sheltered her babe 
 as well as she could, she remained all 
 night. 
 
 Upon the morning of the fifth day 
 (Sunday, May 27), she found herself uu- 
 al)le. for a considerable time, to arise from 
 the groimd, and when, after a long strug 
 gle, she regained her feet, nature was so 
 nearly exhausted, and her spirits so com 
 pletely depressed, that she made very slow 
 progress. After going a short distance, 
 she came to a path, which, as it had been 
 traveled by cattle, she imagined would 
 lead her to the abode of white people, but 
 she came to an uninhabited cabin. Here 
 she was filled with a feeling of despair, 
 and concluded that she would enter the 
 cabin and lie down and die; but the 
 thought of what then would be the fate of 
 her babe spurred her courage. She heard 
 the sound of a cow-bell, which imparted a 
 gleam of hope. Pushing on with all of tlie 
 strength she could command in the direc- 
 tion from which the sound came, she ar- 
 rived at the bank of the Allegheny, oppo- 
 site the blockhouse, at Six Mile Island, 
 and was safe. Three men appeared on the 
 opposite bank, and, after some delay, 
 caused by the suspicion that she was sent 
 there as a decoy from the Indians, one of 
 them, James Crozier, came over in a canoe 
 and took her to the south side of the river. 
 Crozier had been one of the nearest neigh- 
 bors of Massy Harbison before she was 
 captured by the Indians, but so greatly 
 was she altered by the horrors she had 
 witnessed, the cruelty practiced upon her, 
 and by exposure, fatigue and starvation, 
 that he did not know hfer. 
 
 When she landed on the inhabited side 
 of the river and found herself secure, the 
 brave woman, who had endured so much, 
 gave way under the terrible strain, and was 
 carried to the fort by the people, who came 
 running from it to see her. During the 
 terrible six days, in which she had seen 
 two of her children murdered, had herself 
 been severely beaten by the inhuman sav- 
 ages, and had suffered the keenest anguish 
 and despair, she had not shed a tear ; but 
 now that danger was removed, the tears 
 flowed freely "and imparted a happi- 
 ness," reads her narrative, "beyond what 
 I have ever experienced before, or expect 
 to experience in this world." 
 
 After careful treatment Massy Harbison 
 recovered her health and senses. Two of 
 the women in the fort, Sarah Carter and 
 Mary A. Crozier, drew the thorns from her 
 feet and Mr. Felix Negley, who had the 
 curiosity to count them, found that one 
 hundred and fifty had been removed. Aft 
 erward more were taken out at Pittsburg. 
 At the request of the magistrates of Pitts- 
 burg, Mrs. Harbison made a deposition 
 detailing the atrocities committed by her 
 captors, which was soon afterward pub- 
 lished in all the leading newspapers 
 throughout the country. The truthfulness 
 of Massy Harbison's story was attested 
 to by Robert Scott, an early pioneer of 
 Butler who was on the Allegheny River 
 from 1790 to 1800. Subsequently "A Nar 
 rative of the Sufferings of Massy Harbi- 
 son from Indian Barbarity," communi- 
 cated by herself, was edited and published 
 in 1825 by John Winter. This publication 
 run through four editions up to 1836, and 
 the narrative has been incorporated in 
 Brack enridge's "Recollections of the 
 West" and other histories of Western 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mrs. Harbison met her husband in 
 Pittsburg and shortly after went with him 
 to Coe Station in Westmoreland County. 
 After the lands northwest of the Alle 
 gheny were opened for settlement they re- 
 
CEX. RU.'HARD liTTLER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 75 
 
 moved to Buffalo Township, Butler 
 County, where John Harbison carried on 
 a mill for a nimiber of years. The de- 
 scendants of Massy Harbison still reside 
 in Buffalo and Clinton Townships, some 
 of them only a few miles distant from the 
 place where she was captured and her chil- 
 dren murdered on the 22d of May, 1792. 
 The location of the old Massy Harbison 
 farm in Buft'alo Township has been known 
 in later years as the Weaver farm. The 
 children of John and Massy Harbison 
 were John, James, Betsy, Peggy, William, 
 Mattie, Thomas, Nelly Jane, IBeujamiu, 
 and Sina. Two were killed by the Indians, 
 and John was the child she carried in her 
 arms at the time of her escape from the 
 captivity of- the savages. He grew to 
 manhood, went west, and died at tiie age 
 of eighty-eight. 
 
 The Imnters who were after the deer 
 seen by the woman on the fifth day of her 
 adventure were James Anderson and John 
 Thompson belonging to the detail known 
 as spies. Had her thoughts not been de 
 ferred by the rattlesnakes she would have 
 discovered them to be friends and escaped 
 a day which felt like eternity. 
 
 GEN. RICHAKD BUTLEK. 
 
 The following sketch of the life of (ren. 
 Richard Butler was written in 1893 by 
 Dr. Egal, State Librarian of Harrisburg. 
 who was the ablest historian of his day in 
 Pennsylvania. It has been published in 
 previous histories of the. county, but its 
 value is inestimable and it is worthy of 
 preservation. 
 
 "Richard Butler, the eldest child of 
 Thomas and Eleanor Butler, emigrants 
 from the North of Ireland, was probably 
 born in what is now York County, Penn 
 sylvania, April 1, 1743, although most 
 biographers state he was born in Ireland. 
 He was educated at the school of Rev. Mr. 
 Allison, Chester County, and studied the 
 profession of law. He served as an en- 
 sign in Capt. James Hendrick's Company, 
 
 of the First Pennsylvania Battalion, in 
 Col. Henry Bouquet's expedition of 1764, 
 and there received his first experience in 
 the military art. At the outset of the 
 Revolutionary struggle he entered the 
 Pennsylvania Line as major of the Eighth 
 Regiment, commissioned July 20, 1776; 
 was promoted lieutenant-colonel March 12, 
 1777, ranking from Au,gust 28, 1776, and 
 transferred to lieutenant-colonel of Mor- 
 gan's rifle command, June 9, 1777, whom 
 he afterward succeeded, and distinguished 
 himself on many occasions. This regiment 
 was made up of picked men detached from- 
 the several regiments of the Pennsylvania, 
 Maryland and Virginia Line. He was 
 considered by Washington and General 
 Wayne one of the ablest partisan officers 
 of the Revolution and most familiar with 
 Indian life and affairs. It is said that he 
 knew several Indian dialects, and had been 
 requested by the commander-in-chief to 
 compile an Indian vocabulary. 
 
 "AVhen General Burgoyne advanced 
 against General Gates, WasMngton sent 
 Butler's Rifles from the banks of the Dela- 
 ware to protect the flank and rear of Gates 
 from the Indians under Brant; and after 
 participating most efficiently and suc- 
 cessfully in the battle of Saratoga, Octo- 
 ber, 1777, were ordered back to Washing- 
 ton's headquarters. The same regiment 
 distinguished itself at the battle of Mon- 
 mouth, June, 1778, and when AVashington, 
 in a dispatch to Congress, animadverted 
 on the conduct of Gen. Charles Lee on 
 that occasion, he also stated that 'Colonel 
 Butler's was the only command which 
 lired a gun.' He was promoted colonel of 
 the Ninth Pennsylvania, and under his 
 command this regiment took a prominent 
 and honorable share in the capture of 
 Stonv Point; and St. Clair to Reed, in a 
 letter dated July 25, 1779, says: 'My 
 friend. Colonel Butler, commanded one of 
 the attacks and distinguished himself.' 
 
 "After the revolt in the Pennsylvania 
 Line, the Ninth Regiment generally reen- 
 
76 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 listed under their old colonel and his cap- 
 tains in the Fifth Pennsylvania, who com- 
 manded it during the campaign under 
 General Wayne in the south. Of his 
 career in that department we have extant a 
 characteristic letter to Gen. William Irvine, 
 published in the first volume of 'Pennsyl- 
 vania in the War of the Revolution. ' Gen. 
 Henry Lee, in his ' Memoirs of the War in 
 the Southern Department of the United 
 States,' alludes to the incidents referred 
 to in that letter as follows : 
 
 Wliile in his camp before Williauisbmg the British 
 general learned that we had some boats and stores on the 
 Chickahominy River. Hither he detached Lieutenant- 
 colonel Sinifoe, with his corps and the Yagers, to de- 
 stroy them. This service was promptly performed; but 
 the .\nicric:in general, having discovered from his ex- 
 ploring parties the march of Simcoe, detached on the 
 2(ith, Lieutenant-folonel Butler, of the Pennsylvania 
 Line, iln- i.-ihiw iir.I '^c.iiiul and rival of Morgan at Sara- 
 tov;;!. I lir liilr ci.riis, under Majors Call and Willis, and 
 tlie r;i\:(li\, wlii.li c|i,| niit in the whole exceed one hun- 
 dred and twenly rtl'crtivos, composed Butler's van. 
 Major Mael'lieison of Pennsylvania led this corps, and 
 having mounted some infantry behind the remnant of 
 Armand's Dragoons, overtook Simcoe on his return near 
 Spencer's plantation, six or seven miles above Williams- 
 burg. Tlie suddenness of MacPherson 's attack threw the 
 Yagers into confusion; but the Queen's Rangers quickly 
 deployed, and advanced to the support of the Yagers. 
 
 ('a]l and Willis had now got up to MacPherson 's 
 ^\i[i|MMi «illi till i? riflemen, and the action became fierce. 
 Lieulrnaiit l,..llar. at the head of a squadron of Sim- 
 cue V lliissais, fell on .Armand's remnant and drove it 
 out of line, making Lieutenant Breso and .several privates 
 prisoners. Following his blow, Lollar turned upon our 
 riflemen, then pressing upon the Queen's Rangers; and 
 at the same moment. Captain Ogilvie, of the Legion 
 Cavalry, who had been sent that morning from camp with 
 his troops for the collection of forage, accidentally 
 appeared on our left flank. The rifle corps fell back in 
 confusion upon Butler, drawn up in the rear with his 
 Continentals. Satisfied with the repulse of the assailing 
 troops. Lieutenant-colonel Simcoe began to retire; nor 
 was he further pressed by Butler, as Cornwallis had 
 moved with the main body, on hearing the first fire, to 
 shield Simcoe. 
 
 "In October following, in view of 
 Colonel Butler's valuable services prior 
 to and at the capture of Y'orktown, he was 
 honorably designated to plant our flag 
 upon the British works after the surrender 
 of Cornwallis; and though Colonel Butler 
 detailed for this purpose his ensign, Maj. 
 Ebenezer Denny, being probably partial to 
 him as coming from his own town, Carlisle, 
 
 where the families were near neighbors, 
 yet Baron Steuben, unexpectedly and of- 
 fensively, appropriated this honor to him- 
 self, and Colonel Butler that night 'sent 
 the arrogant foreigner a message, as 
 everyone expected, and it took all the in- 
 fluence of Rochambeau and WashingtoH 
 to prevent a. hostile, meeting.' In this 
 business, however, we have the following 
 statement, according to which the baron's 
 conduct was approved: When the com- 
 missioners were discussing and arranging 
 the terms of surrender, Lafayette, whose 
 turn it was next to command the trenches, 
 marched with his division to relieve the 
 baron. The latter lefused to be relieved, 
 iirging that having received the flag, the 
 rules of European warfare' secured him 
 the right to retain the command until the 
 surrender of the place. Lafayette ap- 
 pealed to Washington who, after consult- 
 ing Count Rochambeau, and other foreign 
 officers, informed him that the baron was 
 entitled to the command, and must retain 
 it until the matter under discussion should 
 be decided. 
 
 "On a plan of Carlisle, made in 1764, 
 tbe Butler home is then and there indi- 
 cated as being on lot 61, A\'pst Main Sti'eet. 
 W^e have some letters written by him, and 
 afterwards by his widow, as well as let- 
 ters which we carefully copied from the 
 originals now among the archives of the 
 Historical Society of Pennsylvania, writ- 
 ten by him to a friend. Gen. William 
 Irvine, then commissioner of public ac- 
 counts in New York, and they indicate 
 Carlisle as his home. These letters, which 
 are dated at Carlisle, besides some written 
 by him thither when absent in the field of 
 military service, extend from September, 
 1782, to July, 1789. In September, 1789, 
 his letters begin to be dated at Pittsburg, 
 and the last one we have, posted from 
 Pittsburg, is in August, 1790. It was the 
 next year that he was killed in battle. We 
 are thus particular, as these facts are not 
 generally known, and in order to estalilish 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 77 
 
 the claims of Carlisle to liim as beiug a 
 resident and citizen of the place the 
 greater part of his life. 
 
 "After the close of the Revolutionary 
 War. and when residing in Carlisle, the 
 public service repeatedly called his atten- 
 tion and presence elsewhere, especially to 
 Port Pitt, on business relating to the In- 
 dians, with whom he was well acquainted, 
 and a very trusted commissioner of the 
 Government among them, and hence he 
 was generally and favorably known in that 
 place. As an evidence of this statement, 
 we will here mention what might now be 
 regarded as a small matter, but, in the 
 olden time, it was intended as a marked 
 compliment and tribute to a great and 
 popular man. Brackenridge, in his ' Recol- 
 lections,' speaking of taverns and tavern- 
 keepers of Pittsburg, says: 'When I can 
 first remember, the sign of General Butler 
 ke])t by Patrick Muriihy, was the head 
 tavern, and the first hotel in the town, just 
 as the i)ainted portrait of Washington or 
 Lafayette or Jackson, or Perry, was often 
 hoisted at the front of a public house to 
 dignify and distinguish it, and to attract 
 patronage. Throughout these many years 
 a street in Pittsburg bears his name. 
 Many" a partial parent called a sou after 
 him. General O'Hara, of Pittsburg, gave 
 the name of Richard Butler to one of his 
 sons, with whom we were intimately ac- 
 quainted, whose family we often visited 
 at Guyasutha Place, and where still re- 
 sides his only living daughter, Mrs. Will- 
 iam M. Darlington. Butler County, as 
 well as the town of Butler, was named in 
 honor of the general, and the same honor- 
 able name has been conferred on counties, 
 and towns, and townships in other sections 
 of the Union.' 
 
 "But what had been his character and 
 public services'? We answer briefly: He 
 ^as a brave and intrepid soldier, quick to 
 perceive duty and as quick to perform it, 
 and be possessed in a high degree the at- 
 
 tachment of iiis men and tlie confidence of 
 Washington. 
 
 "Colonel Butler was at Fort Mcintosh, 
 now Beaver, on the 29th of September, 
 1785. as his will, to which we shall pres- 
 ently refer, was dated at that place. 'The 
 will,' writes Judge M. C. Herman, of Car- 
 lisle, to whom we are indebted for some of 
 the facts here given, ' appears to have been 
 written hurriedly, and on the. eve of some 
 dangerous expedition, for he says': 
 
 Being in perfect health and senses think it niv duty 
 (as I am going far from my family, and into some 
 degree of danger more than generally attend at my 
 happy and peaceful home), to make such arrangement of 
 my worldly affairs as I wish and desire may take place 
 in ease of my death, which I hope for the sake of my 
 family, the Great and Almighty God will avert. 
 
 "Upon the return from this expedition. 
 Colonel Butler remained at Pittsburg, and 
 owning considerable property in that 
 neighborhood, he was quite prominent in 
 securing the formation of the new county 
 of Allegheny. The Supreme Executive 
 Council of Pennsylvania, appointed him, 
 September 30, 1788, lieutenant for that 
 county, and on the 2nd of October follow- 
 ing, the General Assembly appointed him 
 commissioner, with Col. John Gibson, to 
 [)urchase from the Indians their claim to 
 the triangle on Lake Erie. In November. 
 1788, in connection with his brother, Will- 
 iam Butler, James Robinson and Daniel 
 Elliott, made purchase of the reserved lots 
 opposite the town of Pittsburg. He was 
 commissioned one of the judges of the 
 Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny 
 County, November 21, 1788, which he re- 
 signed in December, 1790, having been 
 elected to the Assembly from the district 
 composed of Allegheny and Westmoreland 
 Counties. 
 
 "Upon the expiration of his term of 
 service in the Assembly, Colonel Butler re- 
 turned to Pittsburg. The failure of Gen. 
 Josiah Harmer's expedition against the 
 western Indians occurred in the autumn 
 of 1790. Gen. Arthur St. Clair was then 
 
78 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 appointed commander-in-chief of the 
 United States army. Colonel Butler was 
 appointed major-general, and second in 
 command, and fell, when that army was 
 defeated on the Miami, in the bloody battle 
 fought against the allied Indians under 
 Brant, on the 4th of November, 1791. The 
 expedition had originally numbered about 
 2,000 men; on the day of action it had 
 been reduced to about 1,400, and of this 
 force 913 were killed, wounded and miss- 
 ing. A battalion of artillery was almost 
 entirely destroyed. St. Clair was a great 
 civilian and brave soldier, but, like the 
 unfortunate Braddock, i^robably did not 
 sufficiently understand and appreciate 
 Indian warfare, or his army may not have 
 been properly trained and disciplined to 
 meet such a foe ; and many believed that if 
 Butler had had the command, the result 
 would have been dififerent. Two of his 
 brothers. Cols. Thomas and Edward But- 
 ler, were also in the disastrous battle in 
 which the general had fallen, and the first 
 was severely wounded. Maj. Ebenezer 
 Denny, the aid-de-camp of General St. 
 Clair (he had previously been the aid-de- 
 camp to General Harmer, after whom he 
 named his eldest son, and he named his 
 youngest son after St. Clair), gives a de- 
 tailed account of that battle in his military 
 journal; and his son. Dr. William H. 
 Denny, in his admirable memoir of his 
 father, thus speaks of it : 
 
 After General Butler had received his first wound, he 
 continued to walk in front, close along the line, with his 
 coat off and his arm in a sling, encouraging the men, 
 and retired only after receiving a second wound in the 
 side. The commander-in-chief sent Major Denny, with 
 his compliments, to inquire how he was. He found him 
 in the middle of the camp, in a sitting posture, supported 
 by knap-sacks; the rifle balls of the Indians, who now 
 surrounded closely the whole camp, concentrated upon 
 that point. One of the wounded general's servants and 
 two horses were shot here. He seemed, however, to have 
 no anxiety, and to the inquiry of the aid-de-camp, he 
 answered that he felt well. Whilst making this reply, a 
 young cadet from Virginia, who stood by his side, was 
 hit on the cap of the knee by a spent ball, and cried so 
 loudly with the pain and the alarm, that General Butler 
 actually shook his wounded side with laughter. This 
 satisfied Major Denny that the second wound was not 
 mortal, that the General being very fleshy, the ball might 
 
 not have penetrated a vital part. He always believed 
 that he might have been brought away and his life 
 saved. Probably Ms own aid-de-camp, Maj. John Mor- 
 gan, may have offered to bring him off, as was his duty, 
 and the wounded General declined, conscious that Ms 
 weight and helplessness would only encumber his brave 
 voung friend for no use. and hinder him from saving 
 iiimself. 
 
 "About the time to which reference is 
 here made, it is reliably stated that the 
 youngest brother, Capt. Edward Butler, 
 removed the general from the field and 
 placed him near the road by which he knew 
 the army must retreat, and on returning 
 to the field found his other brother, Maj. 
 Thomas Butler, shot through both legs. 
 He then removed him to the side of the 
 general, who, learning that the army was 
 in retreat, insisted on being left alone, as 
 he was mortally wounded, and that he 
 should endeavor to save their wounded 
 brother. He consequently placed Thomas 
 on an artillery horse captured from a re- 
 treating soldier, and taking a sad leave of 
 their gallant and noble brother, 'they left 
 him in his glory.' A letter from Edward 
 Butler to his Brother Pierce, of Kentucky, 
 dated Fort Washington, now Cincinnati, 
 November 11, 1791, says: 
 
 Yesterday I arrived here with our worthy brother. 
 Major Thomas Butler, who is illy wounded, he having 
 one leg broken and shot through the other. I hope, 
 however, he will do well. He has borne the hard fortune 
 of that day with the soldiery fortitude you might have 
 expected from so brave a man. We left the worthiest of 
 brothers, Gen. Richard Butler, in the hands of the sav- 
 ages, but so nearly dead that, I hope, he was not sensible 
 of any cruelty they might willingly wreak upon him. 
 
 "We do not know just when he died or 
 how he died. All we know of his end is, 
 that, out of regard for the welfare of 
 others, and with a heroic and self-sacrific- 
 ing spirit, he desired to be left behind. 
 His desire was granted, sadly and reluc- 
 tantly, and we, too, can only hope that he 
 was not conscious of any savage indignity. 
 In the autumn of 1793, General Wayne, 
 who had succeeded General St. Clair, in 
 his expedition against the allied Indians, 
 obtained possession of the ground on which 
 the Americans had been defeated in 1791. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 79 
 
 which he fortified and named Fort Recov- 
 ery. Here he carefully collected, and with 
 the honors of war, interred the bones of 
 the slain of the 4th of November, 1791. 
 
 "Sixty years after the death of General 
 Butler, his nephew, Col. E. G. W. Butler, 
 son of Col. Edward Butler, received his 
 Uncle Richard's sword, a 'Toledo,' from 
 Gen. W. L. Gaither, of Maryland, who said 
 it had been presented to his ancestor. Ma- 
 jor Gaither, by General Butler, after his 
 brothers had left him, and handed down 
 through two generations with the injunc- 
 tion of the former, 'never to wipe from 
 the blade the blood of Butler.' It was 
 given to Colonel Butler because of the 
 efforts of his father to save the life of its 
 gallant owner, and by its side rests the 
 sword of his wounded brother, Thomas, 
 given to Colonel Butler by his eldest son, 
 because the father of the former saved his 
 father's life. Both bear the motto, in 
 French: 'Draw me uot without just 
 cause'; and on the other side : 'Sheath me 
 not without honor.' 
 
 "Col. William D. Wilkins, son of the 
 late venerable Judge Ross Wilkins, of 
 Michigan, has the military journal of Gen. 
 Richard Butler during the campaign of 
 1791. at the back of which are recorded the 
 roster of officers for duty, and also General 
 Butler's mess account and memoranda of 
 expenditures. The order of battle and 
 march was being entered at the very mo- 
 ment of the attack by the enemy, and the 
 change in the handwriting, from a very 
 fair caligraphy to the nervous, blotted 
 writing of an agitated and excited man, is 
 quite significant. 
 
 "Then follows a hiatus of several days 
 and the series of orders recommences at 
 
 Fort Washington, now Cincinnati, to 
 which the -army fell back after its defeat, 
 with a melancholy list of the killed and 
 wounded, in which Butler's command (em- 
 bracing the first and second Pennsylvania 
 levies and battalion of Kentucky miUtia) 
 suffered fearfully. The book is a very 
 curious picture and record of the ancient 
 military life, discipline and manners of the 
 DeKalb and Steuben period, and shows 
 General Butler to have been a skillful, 
 judicious and accomplished officer, well 
 versed in his ijrofession, thoughtful of the . 
 welfare of his men, and solicitous for the 
 honor of his country. 
 
 "Gen. Richard Butler's will,* as stated, 
 was dated September 29, 1785, and is re- 
 corded at Carlisle. In it he mentions his 
 wife Mary, and children, William and 
 Mary, the rearing and educating of whom 
 is entrusted to his wife. His estate con- 
 sisted of a 'house and lot in Carlisle,' 
 'furnitiire, plate, etc.,' tract of land 'war- 
 ranted in the name of John Beard, situate 
 on Plumb Creek, Westmoreland County, 
 adjoining land of the late Col. George 
 Croghan'; tract of land in Allegheny 
 County; lots in Pittsburg, adjoining lots 
 of William Butler; one thousand acres of 
 hmd, being a donation of the State of 
 Pennsylvania, and six hundred acres of 
 land, a donation of the United States in 
 Congress — 'these donations are for my 
 services as colonel in the Army of the 
 United States, ' and other property, includ- 
 ing 'horses, cows and farming utensils at 
 and near Carlisle.' The executors named 
 in his will are his wife Mary, his brother 
 William, his 'respected friend Thomas 
 Smith, Esq., attorney-at-law, Carlisle, and 
 my friend John Montgomery, Esq.' " 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 LAND TITLES 
 
 Naming of- Pennsylvania — Extinguishment of the Indian Title — The Erie Triangle- 
 Boundary Line Disputes — Ferguson's Wanton Act — The Depreciation Lands — 
 The Donation Lands^Drawn by Lottery — The "Struck" District — The Settlement 
 Laio of 1792 — Robert Morris — Agrarian Troubles — The Shooting of Maxwell — 
 The End of the Land Jobbers — The McKee and Varnum Case. 
 
 It is conuixmly supposed that Pennsyl- 
 vania was so named by her founder in 
 honor of himself. As a matter of fact, 
 Penn wished to call his province New 
 Wales, but King Charles II. objected. In 
 view of the fact that the country was heav- 
 ily timbered, Penn proposed the name 
 Sylvania. The king agreed to this as a 
 portion of the title, and to do honor to the 
 distinguished admiral, the father of Will- 
 iam Penn, he prefixed the word Penn to 
 Sylvania, and named the jjrovince Penn- 
 sylvania. Admiral Penn at the time of 
 his death had claims against the crown 
 amounting to sixteen thousand pounds, or 
 about eighty thousand dollars. It was in 
 liquidation of these claims that the title 
 to all of the lands in the charter limits of 
 Pennsylvania was vested in William Penn. 
 The charter conveying the magnificent 
 province dated March 4, 1681, is the 
 foundation of all land titles in the State. 
 The province contMined al)out thirty-five 
 million, three hundred and sixty-one thou- 
 sand, six hundred acres. The final adjust- 
 ment of the charter boundaries with Vir- 
 ginia, Maryland and New York did not 
 take place for many years after the grant- 
 ing of the charter. Penn died in 1718, and 
 
 by his will, made in 1712, he devised his 
 lands, rents, etc., in trust to his wife, Han- 
 nah, to dispose of so much as was neces- 
 sary to pay his debts, and then to convey 
 forty thousand acres to William Penn, Jr., 
 his son by a former wife, and the rest of 
 his vast estate to his children by his sec- 
 ond wife. The title was vested in them 
 until 1778, when it was assumed by the 
 State or colony. 
 
 EXTINGUISHMENT OF INDIAN TITLE. 
 
 The first Indian purchase after the char 
 ter was made by William Markham, a 
 relative of the proprietor, in July, 1682, 
 and secured the right to a small territory 
 about the size of Bucks County. In 1683, 
 1684, and 1685 deeds were executed for 
 small parcels of land west of the Schuyl- 
 kill and on the Susquehanna. 
 
 In 1686 the deed for the much disputed 
 "walking purchase," of which one of the 
 boundaries was "as far as a man can go 
 in one day and a half," is said to have 
 been obtained. Other lands were pur- 
 chased from the Indians in 1696, and in 
 subsequent years, but the lands freed from 
 their claim were of comparatively small 
 extent prior to 1718. The most important 
 
AND RRPRKSENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 «1 
 
 i-eliiKluishment of Indian titles were made 
 by deeds and treaties executed in 17;i6, 
 1749, 1754, 1768, and 1784. It is with the 
 last of these treaties that the reader of the 
 history of Butler County is most con- 
 cerned. The Indian title to the land north- 
 west of the Allegheny River was extin- 
 guished by the treaty of Fort Stauwix in 
 1784. Since the year 1768, when the first 
 treaty of Port Stanwix was made, the 
 northwestern boundary of the Indian pur- 
 chases in the State ran from the Susque- 
 hanna on the New York line to Towanda 
 Creek, tlieuee to the head of Pine Cireek 
 in Lycoming County, and down the xVUe- 
 gheny and the Ohio to the west lines of the 
 State. The purchase of 1784 included all 
 of the lands in the State except a triangle 
 in Erie County, embracing the present 
 counties of Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Elk, 
 Cameron, Potter, Kane, Warren, Forrest, 
 V^enango, Crawford, Mercer, and Law- 
 rence, and parts of the counties of Beaver, 
 Erie, Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, 
 Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming, Tioga and 
 Bradford. 
 
 Distinguished men represented the 
 riiitcd States at the treaty of Fort Stan- 
 wix, among whom are Gen. Richard But- 
 ler, Oliver Wollcott, and Arthur Lee. 
 General Lafayette was also i^resent. The 
 Indian tribes represented were the Mo- 
 liawks, Onondagas, Senecas, Cayugas, 
 Tuscaroras.'and the Cornplanter band of 
 Senecas. Among the chieftains present 
 were Coru])lauter and Red Jacket. The 
 latter was opposed to joeace and made a 
 war speech, which Lafayette said was a 
 masterpiece. Cornplanter saw the folly of 
 waging a war single-handed, and exerted 
 all of his powers for peace. After a long 
 •■onference, the treaty was signed on the 
 L'"2d of October. 
 
 THE ERIE TBIANGLE. 
 
 What is known as the triangle of the 
 northern part of Erie County was not 
 within the charter boundaries of the prov- 
 
 ince. This tract containing an area of 
 202,187 acres was by the cessions of New 
 York in 1781, by Massachusetts in 1785, 
 and by Connecticut in 1786, left out of the 
 jurisdiction of any particular State. AVhile 
 surveying the donation land of northwest- 
 ern Pennsylvania, General Irvine dis- 
 covered that the northern charter boun- 
 dary of the State would strike Lake Erie 
 so as to leave but a few miles of lake coast, 
 and that without a harbor in the State. In 
 consequence of his representations a move 
 ment was set on foot to secure from the 
 Indians and the United States the cession 
 of the triangle to Pennsylvania. This 
 cession was secured in 1792. 
 
 BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTES. 
 
 The settlement of boundary lines be 
 tweeu Pennsylvania and surrounding colo 
 nies w^as attended with much difficulty. 
 Had the claim of Lord Baltimore of Mary- 
 land been conceded, the line would have 
 been run twenty miles or more north of 
 the present boundary, and Pennsylvania 
 would have lost about three million acres 
 of her most fertile land. Had Penn's 
 claim been conceded, the consequences 
 would have been still more serious to 
 Maryland. She would have lost all of her 
 territory north of Annapolis, including the 
 site of Baltimore and several other towns, 
 which includes about two-thirds of the 
 area of the State. The existing boundary 
 known as Mason and Dixon line was run 
 in the years 1767 and 1768, and the agree 
 ment was ratified by the king in 1769. 
 
 The controversy between Virginia and 
 Pennsylvania in regard to the ownership 
 of territory assumed its most important 
 aspect about the time the Maryland ques 
 tion was settled. The Pittsburg region 
 appears to have first been the subject of 
 controversy in 1752, when Thomas Penn 
 wrote to the governor of the province de- 
 siring him to enter into any reasonable 
 measures to assist the governor of Vir 
 ginia to build a fort at the forks of the 
 
82 
 
 HISTORY OF BIJTI.P]R COUNTY 
 
 Oliio, and take some acknowledgmeut 
 from him that this settlement should not 
 be made use of to prejudice the rights of 
 the proprietor of the country. 
 
 Governor Diuwiddie, of Virginia, on tlic 
 19th of February, 1754, announced his in- 
 tentions of biiilding a fort on the Ohio to 
 oppose the encroachments of the French 
 and offered the men who were to be en- 
 gaged in the work over and above their 
 pay two hundred thousand acres of land, 
 one hundred thousand acres of which 
 should be contiguous to the fort, and the 
 other one hundred thousand on or near the 
 river. This proclamation was transmitted 
 to Governor Hamilton, of Pennsylvania, 
 and the latter replied that, having inquired 
 into the extent of the province westwardly, 
 lie had the greatest reasons to believe that 
 the lands intended to be granted were 
 within the limits of the province of Penn- 
 sylvania. Governor Dinwiddle was equally 
 firm in his belief that the land and fort 
 were within the jurisdiction of Virginia, 
 and thus it came about that the region 
 around Pittsburg became the bone of 
 double contention. England and France 
 went to war about it, and Virginia and 
 Pennsylvania began a controversy which 
 endured for more than twenty years, in 
 the course of which much ill blood and 
 angry feeling were displayed. The matter 
 was not finally settled until 1782, when the 
 present line betweer. Pennsylvania and 
 West Virginia was agreed upon, which is 
 an extension of j\l ison and Dixon's line. 
 The line was not completed and perma- 
 nently marked until 1784. 
 
 The new purchase of 1784 was confirmed 
 by the Wyandotte and Delaware Indians 
 January 21, 1885, and soon after settlers 
 began to flock into the territory from the 
 west branch of the Susquehanna. It was 
 not until 1795 that the early pioneers 
 crossed the Allegheny River and pene- 
 trated the vast wildernesses of Butler 
 County and the territory lying north to 
 Tiake Erie. 
 
 The record of the treaties made with the 
 Indians after the famous "walking pur- 
 chase," reflects no great amount of credits 
 on the white invaders of the country. The 
 new comers from the north of Ireland had 
 no thought for the original occupiers of 
 the land, and, as proved by their deter- 
 mined opposition to Penn's surveyors and 
 rent collectors in the Gettysburg country, 
 did not even respect the claims of the pro- 
 prietors of the province where such claims 
 interfered with their own interest. Strong 
 and warlike and without mercy in war, 
 they marched forward to occupy the land 
 and began the commencement of the end 
 at the neighboring town of Kittanning on 
 the Allegheny River. Then followed 
 treaties which were broken with impunity 
 by the whites whenever it was to their in- 
 terest to do so, while the Indians were held 
 to a strict compliance with them. The first 
 treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768 was an 
 affair of this kind. The colony or pro- 
 prietary then got a show of title eastward 
 to the Allegheny south of Kittanning. In 
 1878 the title became vested in the State of 
 Pennsylvania, and from that period to 
 1794 the war was between her citizens and 
 the Indians. 
 
 As the years passed by, the Indians 
 realized the plans of the invaders, and 
 determined to hold in check the advance of 
 the white race. They expressed them- 
 selves plainly, but the aggressive people 
 of trade and commerce disregarded the 
 warning, and pushing forward their ad- 
 vantages, brought on the Indian wars that 
 terrorized the western section of the State 
 for half a century. The first organized 
 attack made by the English-speaking colo- 
 nists in the vicinity of Butler County was 
 that on the Delaware Indian town at Kit- 
 tanning. This attack was made by three 
 hundred and seven soldiers under Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Armstrong in September, 
 1756. The Indian town was burned and 
 with it many Indian women and children. 
 
 The colonists lost seventeen killed, thir- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 83 
 
 teen wounded, and nineteen missing. A 
 number of whites held captives by the In- 
 dians were released. 
 
 feeguson's wanton act. 
 
 In 1796 while John Gibson and William 
 Ferguson were en route to Butler County 
 they discovered a canoe full of Indians on 
 the river near Brady's Bend. More than 
 one of Ferguson's relations had been mur- 
 dered by the savages, and as a consequence, 
 he bore no love for the redskins. Here 
 was an opportunity for revenge, and avail- 
 ing himself of it, he fired on the party and 
 killed one of the savages. He then fled 
 toward Butler County and made his 
 escape. The following year John Alexan- 
 der and Hugh Gibson settled permanently 
 on land selected in the limits of the county 
 the previous year. Soon after their ar- 
 rival, two giant Indians presented them- 
 selves at the cabin door. Hugh Gibson, a 
 boy of fifteen, was alone at tlie cabin and 
 was very much scared, but the Indians 
 merely asked for something to eat and 
 when their hunger was satisfied with some 
 cucumbers and cake furnished by young 
 Gibson they passed on. 
 
 As late as 1818 the Cornplanter Indians 
 visited Butler County for their annual 
 hunt during the winter season. As the 
 animals would fall, the wild hunters would 
 dress them carefully and then hang the 
 carcass high up in the branches of a tree 
 beyond the reach of wolves, and in places 
 where bears would not venture. In later 
 years straggling Indians from the Seneca 
 reservation visited the county, but after 
 the murder of the Wigton family in 1842 
 by Mohawk, the representatives of the In- 
 dian tribes avoided Butler County. 
 
 THE DEPRECIATION L.4NDS. 
 
 Before the title to the region northwest 
 of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers and 
 Conewango Creek had been secured, the 
 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was tak- 
 ing steps for disposing of these lands. 
 
 During the later years of the Revolution 
 the value of the bills of credit issued by 
 Pennsylvania, as well as those issued by 
 Congress, gradually depreciated until 
 they fell to a mere nominal value. Conse- 
 quently great losses were experienced by 
 the holders of the State certificates. The 
 officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania 
 line and the State troops especially suf- 
 fered, as they received the certificates in 
 payment for their services. Disputes con- 
 stantly arose in relation to the deductions 
 to be made from the face of the cer- 
 tificates. To remedy this inconvenience, 
 the State legislature on the 3rd of April, 
 1781, passed an act fixing a scale of depre- 
 ciation varying from li/o to 75 per cent, 
 for each mouth between the years 1777 
 and 1781. According to which the accounts 
 of the army could be settled. Unable 
 otherwise to pay its troops, the State gave 
 the officers and soldiers cei'tificates in con- 
 formity with the prescribed scale, which 
 were made receivable in payment for lands 
 sold by the State. These were called 
 ' ' Depreciation Certificates, ' ' and the lands 
 thus purchased were called the "Depre- 
 ciation Lands." 
 
 In order to provide for the redemption 
 of these Depreciation Certificates, an act 
 was passed on the 12th of March, 1783, 
 which described the boundaries of the 
 Depreciation Lands. The boundary began 
 at a point where the western line of the 
 State crosses the Ohio River; thence up 
 the said river to Fort Pitt; thence up the 
 Allegheny River to the mouth of Mahoning 
 Creek; thence by a west line to the west- 
 ern boundary of the State; thence south 
 by said boundary to the place of begin- 
 ning, "reserving to the use of the State 
 3,000 acres in an oblong not less than one 
 mile in depth, from the Allegheny and 
 Ohio Rivers and up and down the said 
 rivers from Fort Pitt as far as may be 
 necessary to include the same; and a fur- 
 ther quantity of 3,000 acres on the Ohio 
 River on both sides of Beaver Creek, in 
 
84 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 eluding Fort Mcintosh." The surveyor 
 general of the State was instructed to 
 cause the aforesaid tract of land to be laid 
 out in lots of not less than two hundred, 
 nor moi-e than three hundred and fifty 
 acres each, numbering the same lots 
 numerically on the draft or plat of the 
 country aforesaid, and "shall as soon as 
 the same, or one hundred lots thereof, are 
 surveyed, together with the secretary of 
 the land office and receiver general, pro- 
 ceed to sell the same lots under such 
 regulations as shall be appointed by the 
 Supreme Executive Council. The full con- 
 sideration bid at such sales shall be paid 
 into the receiver general's office either in 
 gold or silver, or in the certificates afore- 
 said, upon full payment of which consider- 
 ation and the expense of surveying, to- 
 gether with all fees of the different offices, 
 patents shall be issued in the usual form 
 to the several buyers or vendors and the 
 different sums in specie that may be paid 
 into the receiver general's office, shall be 
 by him paid over to the treasury of this 
 State for the purpose of redeeming such 
 certificates as may remain nqsatisfied at 
 the end of such sales." 
 
 The northern boundary line of the De- 
 preciation Lands passed east and west 
 almost centrally through Butler County, 
 through the center of Donegal, Oakland, 
 Center, Franklin, and Muddy Creek Town- 
 ships, passing close to the village of North 
 Oakland, Holyoke Church, and south of 
 the village of Portcrsville. It was about 
 four miles uortli of the borough of Butler. 
 The southern half of the townships above 
 mentioned and all of the townships in the 
 southern part of the county including But- 
 ler Borough were included in these lands. 
 
 The Depreciation Lands were divided 
 into districts which were assigned to a 
 deputy surveyor and the dividing lines 
 ran southward from the northern boundary 
 line to the Allegheny or Ohio River, as the 
 case might be, and were parallel. The dis- 
 tricts were named after the surveyors, and 
 
 are numbered from east to west beginning 
 at the Allegheny River. The first district 
 in Butler County is known as Elder's dis- 
 trict, and extended about four miles west 
 of the eastern boundary of the county. 
 The territory comprised the eastern sec- 
 tions of Buffalo, Winfield, Clearfield, and 
 Donegal Townships to the northern boun- 
 dary. The second district was known as 
 James Cunningham's, and was the largest 
 district in the county. It extended from 
 the western boundary of Elder's district 
 ten miles west to a point about one-half 
 mile fi-om the western line of Middlesex, 
 Perin, Butler, and Center Townships, and 
 in addition to these townships included 
 part of Oakland, all of Summit, Jefferson 
 and Clinton, and parts of Donegal, Clear- 
 field, Winfield and Buffalo. The area of 
 this district within the limits of Butler 
 County was approximately 150,000 acres, - 
 and within the limits of Allegheny County 
 nearly as much more. West of the Cun- 
 ningham district was Jones' district, which 
 comprised part of Franklin Township, 
 all of Connoquenessing, Forward and 
 Adams Townships, including the villages 
 of ]\It. Chestnut, Prospect, Whitestown, 
 Connoquenessing, and the town of Mars. 
 The fourth district was Nicholson's, and 
 the fifth district was Alexander's, the 
 dividing line between the two being about 
 four miles east of the western boundary 
 of the county, and dividing the townships 
 of Cranberry, Jackson, Lancaster, and 
 Muddy Creek. Evans City is in Nichol- 
 son's district, and the towns of Harmony 
 and Zelienople and the village of Middle 
 Lancaster are in Alexander's district. 
 Other districts were created in a similar 
 manner extending to the western boundary 
 of the State. As a rule the western dis- 
 tricts were much smaller than those of 
 Butler CoTinty. 
 
 THE DONATION LANDS. 
 
 By a legislative act passed March 7, 
 1780, the faith of the State was pledged to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 bestow upon the officers and privates of 
 the Federal army belonging to the State, 
 certain donations and quantities of land 
 according to their several ranks, to be sur- 
 veyed and divided oflf to them severally at 
 the close of the war. 
 
 For the purpose of effectually comply- 
 ing with the intention of the act, the legis- 
 lature on the 12th of Alarcli, 1783, or- 
 dained "that there be and there is hereby 
 declared to be located and laid off a cer- 
 tain tract of country beginning at the 
 mouth of Mahoning Creek; thence up the 
 mouth of the Allegheny River to Cone- 
 wango Creek; thence due north to the 
 northern boundary of this State; thence 
 west by the said boundary to the north- 
 west corner of the State; thence south by 
 the western boundary of the State to the 
 northwest corner of the Depreciation 
 Lands, and thence by the same lands east 
 to the place of beginning, which said tract 
 of land shall be reserved and set apart 
 for the only and sole use of carrying into 
 execution the said resolve." 
 
 The act provided that all officers and pri- 
 vates entitled to land as aforesaid, should 
 make their respective claims for the same 
 within two years after peace had been de- 
 clared, and in the case of failure to make 
 such application in person or in tliat of 
 their legal representatives within one year 
 after their decease, then it may be lawful 
 for any person or persons to apply to the 
 land office, locate and take up sucli ]iarts 
 or parcels of land upon such terms as the 
 legislature shall direct. 
 
 The legislature passed an ■,\c\ on the 
 24th of :\Iarch, 17S5, providing tliat tlie 
 Donation lands should be laid off in lots 
 of four descriptions, one to contain five 
 hundred acres each, another three hun- 
 dred acres each, another two liuiidred and 
 fifty acres each, and another two hundred 
 acres each, with the usual allowances. 
 
 The allotment made for major-generals, 
 brigadier-generals, colonels, captains, and 
 two-thirds of the lieutenant-colonels, was 
 
 five hundred acres each. Regimental sur- 
 i^eons, surgeons' mates, chaplains, majors, 
 and ensigns, were allotted three hundred 
 acres each. One-third of the lieutenant- 
 colonels, sergeants, sergeant-majors, and 
 (luartennaster-sergeants were allotted two 
 hundred and fifty acres each. Lieuten- 
 ants, corporals, drummevs, fifers, fife- 
 majors, drimi-majors and privates, were 
 allotted two hundred aci-es each. 
 
 DRAWN BY LOTTERY. 
 
 A lottery was provided for the impar- 
 tial distribution of these donations. Each 
 applicant, if a major-general, should draw 
 four tickets from the wheel containing the 
 munbers on the five hundred acre lots; if 
 a brigadier-general, three tickets; if a 
 colonel, two tickets; if a lieutenant-colonel, 
 one ticket from the wheel containing five 
 hundred acre lots, and one from the wheel 
 containing the numbers of the two hun- 
 dred and fifty acre lots ; if a surgeon, chap- 
 lain or major, two tickets from the wheel 
 containing the numbers on the three hun- 
 dred acre lots; if a captain, one ticket from 
 the wheel containing the five hundred acre 
 lots ; if a lieutenant, two tickets from the 
 wheel containing the two hundred acre 
 lots; if an ensign, or surgeon's mate, one 
 ticket from the wheel containing the three 
 hundred acre lots; if a sergeant,, sergeant- 
 majo]-, or quartermaster-sergeant, one 
 ticket from the wheel containing the two 
 hundred and fifty acre lots ; and if a drum- 
 mer, drmn-major, fife-major, fifer, corpo- 
 ral or private, one ticket from the wheel 
 containing the numbers of the two hundred 
 Mere lots. 
 
 The Donation Lands in this county lie 
 in the northern and northwestern portion 
 and are comprised of Districts No. 1 and 
 No. 2. District No. 1 is composed of parts 
 of Franklin, Clav, Bradv, Mnddj Creek 
 and Worth Townslilps, and District No. 2 
 is composed of ]>avts of Cherry, Clay, 
 A\ashing-tou. Brady, and Slippery Rock 
 Townships. 
 
HISTORY OK BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 THE "struck district. 
 
 Under the law of 1785, an agent was ap- 
 pointed whose duty it was to explore the 
 Donation and Depreciation districts, ex- 
 amine the quality of the lands, and espe- 
 cially to report such as was in his opinion 
 unfit for cultivation. Tliis duty was at- 
 tended to by General Irvine, who explored 
 Butler County, and reported that a part 
 of the second division of the Donation 
 Lands was generally unfit for cultivation, 
 and in consequence, the lots included in it 
 were withdrawn from the lottery and from 
 this circumstance it was known as the 
 "Struck District." 
 
 A portion of the "Struck District" is 
 in Butler County, and comprises the 
 northeastern quarter, which in the last 
 forty years has been the most valuable 
 portion of the Butler, or lower oil region. 
 A large proportion of the lauds in Butler 
 County thus reserved from the distribu- 
 tion of the soldiers, were originally as val 
 uable as those in any part of the donation 
 tract, and the oil development which came 
 later made them the richest lands in the 
 county. The "Struck District" com- 
 prised what is now Allegheny, Venango, 
 Marion, Mercer, Parker, Pairview, Con- 
 cord, and parts of Donegal, Oakland, Cen 
 ter, Clay, Washington, Cherry, and Sli]* 
 pery Rock Townships. 
 
 The lands in the "Struck District" were 
 disposed of by warrant and patent the 
 same as other lands of western Pennsyl- 
 vania under the settlement law of 1792. 
 These lands were sold by the State to the 
 settlers from April 3, 1792, to the 28th of 
 March, 1813, for $20 per one hundred 
 
 THK SETTLEMENT LAW OF 1792. 
 
 The lands in the triangle in Erie County, 
 the "Struck District," and the residue of 
 the lands in the depreciation and donation 
 districts, including the greater portion of 
 them not taken up by the claims of the 
 
 officers and the soldiers of the Revolutiou- 
 arv army, were oifered for sale under the 
 act of the 3rd of April, 1792, which is 
 known as the Settlement Law of that 
 year. The price of the vacant lands within 
 the purchase of 1768, excepting such lands 
 as had been previously settled on or im- 
 proved, was reduced to the sum of fifty 
 shillings for every one hundred acres, and 
 the ]:)rice of vacant lands within the pur- 
 chase of 1784 and lying east of the Alle- 
 gheny River and Conewango Creek, was 
 reduced to the sum of five pounds for 
 every hundred acres. All of the lands ly- 
 ing north and west of the Ohio and Alle- 
 gheny Rivers, including Butler County, 
 except those appropriated to public or 
 charitable uses, was offered for sale at 
 seven ])ounds, ten shillings, or ttventy dol- 
 lars, for every one hundrecl acres, witli an 
 allowance of six per cent, for roads and 
 highways. This purchase act implied ac- 
 tual settlement of the land and improve- 
 ments such as is now enforced in home- 
 steading United States lands. 
 
 The Indian wars to which reference has 
 been made in a previous chapter rendered 
 it impossible for the pioneers who located 
 warrants imder the old acts, or bought 
 lands under the act of 1792, to effect a 
 settlement in this county prior to the proc- 
 lamation of the treaty of Greenville ne- 
 gotiated by General Wayne in 1795, and 
 as a consequence the homestead or im- 
 provement sections of that act were nulli- 
 fied by the circumstances of the case, and 
 later by the acts of speculators, until 1805, 
 when the United States Court, through 
 Chief Justice ^Marshall, gave a judgment 
 on the main question, the lesser points in 
 the controversy being settled by legisla- 
 tive enactments. 
 
 Much controversy arose out of the act 
 of 1792 between the actual settlers and 
 the land speculators, or jobbers as they 
 were called, in Butler County. Tlie job- 
 bers claimed that non-compliance with the 
 provisions of the law requiring settlement 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 87 
 
 to be made within two years after the pas- 
 sage of the act, forfeited the right of own- 
 ership. On tlie otlier hand the settlers 
 contended that settlement was impossible 
 prior to 1796, because of the Indian war, 
 and that two years succeeding passiflca- 
 tion should be allowed for the making of 
 actual settlements and improvements pre- 
 scribed. There was great diversity of 
 opinion upon the bench as to the meaning 
 of the act, and the controversy was finally 
 carried up to the United States Supreme 
 Court. 
 
 ROBEBT MORRIS. 
 
 Robert Morris, the Revolutionary pa- 
 triot and Washington's secretary of the 
 treasury, became a large owner of Butler 
 County land, and many of the laud owners 
 of today hold title through this celebrated, 
 but unfortunate, patriot. Morris was the 
 holder of a large amount of the depreci- 
 ated scrip redeemable in western Pennsyl- 
 vania lands, and influenced 1)y .Tjiuk's Cun- 
 ningham, one of the survey o is df I he de- 
 preciated lands, and afterwards liis agent, 
 located a great ntmiber of warrants in the 
 present limits of Butler County. This he 
 was able to do by a process which, al- 
 though undoubtedly conti'ary to the spirit 
 of the law of 1792, was not in violation of 
 any of its provisions. The warrants were 
 made out in the year 1794 in the names of 
 sundry citizens of Lancaster Couuty, 
 Pennsylvania, most of them Germans, aud 
 then assigned to Morris. The latter paid 
 the monej's demanded, and eventually se 
 cured patents to most of the tracts of land, 
 but they bore on the maps of the surveyors 
 the names of the Lancaster County men, 
 obligingly lent for the purpose of assist- 
 ing the speculator. Morris located three 
 hundred and eleven warrants in Cunning- 
 ham's district, which had been issued to 
 men who served in the Pennsylvania Line 
 of the Continental army. The area cov- 
 ered by these warrants embraced about 
 90.000 acres of land in the northern part 
 
 of the district including the site of the 
 borough of Butler. This wholesale sys- 
 tem of land purchase was carried on in 
 other counties until loaded down with real 
 estate, the patriot lost all, and from 1796 
 to 1802 was in a debtor's prison. He died 
 May 8, 1806. 
 
 AGHAKIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 Litigation concerning title to land was 
 more common within the limits of the Cun- 
 ningham district than elsewhere in Butler 
 County. Robert Morris' effects were sold 
 in 1807 at marshal's sale in Philadelphia, 
 and the warrants for the Butler County 
 lauds went into the hands of Stephen Low- 
 rey of Maryland and other speculators. 
 Lowrey's purchase consisted of one hun- 
 dred and seven warrants, which covered 
 many tracts on which the pioneers had 
 many permanent improvements, and the 
 real troubles between the contending spec- 
 ulators and the holders of the land began. 
 Many of the settlers who had no warrants 
 for the land were summarily dispossessed 
 of their squatter homes by the land job- 
 bers, and others were compelled to make 
 terms as best they could. The feeling 
 against the speculators ran very high, and 
 considering the character of the frontiers- 
 men with whom they had to deal, it is sur- 
 prising that war did not result from the 
 controversy other than that which was 
 carried on in the courts. As it was, much 
 ill feeling was engendered and on one oc- 
 casion at least blood was shed. 
 
 THE SHOOTING OF MAXWELL. 
 
 The agrarian trouble on the Duffy farm 
 west of the borough of Butler in 1815 was 
 the direct outcome of the persecutions of 
 the settlers by the land speculators which 
 had been going on relentlessly for a period 
 of almost twenty years. The land in ques- 
 tion was part of the Morris estate which 
 had been purchased by Stephen Lowrey, 
 and the latter claimed ownership in 1815. 
 Previous to this time the farm had been 
 
H^ 
 
 1 1 IS TORY OF BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 entered by Abratuim Maxwell ou the 
 ground that no i)revious settlement had 
 be6d made on the tract in accordance with 
 the act of 1782, and he was advised by his 
 attorney, AVilliam Ayres, Esq., of Butler, 
 that his claim was valid. He accordingly 
 built a cabin on the ground and made quite 
 an extensive clearing. The land was cov- 
 ex'ed, however, by one of Morris's war- 
 rants which liad been taken out in the 
 name of Christian Stake, and was one of 
 the 107 tracts which came into the hands 
 of Lowrej' at the sale of Morris's estate. 
 In the spring of 1S14 Maxwell leased the 
 property" to Samuel Robb, and soon after- 
 ward Lowrey brouglit suit of ejectment 
 against the owner and the lessee and ob- 
 tained a judgment in the United States 
 court at Philadelphia. By reason of the de- 
 fendant's default of appearance, the order 
 of ejectment was placed in the hands of a 
 d(']m1y iii;irslial iiamcd Parchment, wlio 
 made )}r('i)aratioiis f.' disjjossess Robb. The 
 hitter refused to give peaceable possession, 
 and he was backed in his decision by the 
 farmers in the surrounding country, many 
 of whom had located ou land claimed by 
 Lowrey and had suffered or expected to 
 suffer ejectment. The officer did not then 
 attemjit to use violence, but one morning 
 in 0<-tober, 181.5, he returned to Butler 
 with an organized posse for the purpose 
 of carrying out the order of the court. The 
 officer and his posse assembled at the old 
 hotel on South Main Street, where the Wil- 
 lard Hotel now stands, and there met a 
 number of farmers from the surrounding 
 country, all of whom were bitterly opposed 
 to lancl jobbers in general, and Lowrey in 
 particulai'. Both parties were armed with 
 rifles. When the officer and his posse in- 
 cluding the land owner, Lowrey, started 
 out upon the road leading along the creek 
 to Maxwell's cabin, they were closely fol- 
 lowed by the farmers, who were deter- 
 mined to oppose the- ejectment of Robb. 
 The two parties met again at Robb's cabin, 
 where. Robb iriet them iit the door and re- 
 
 fused the deputy marshal possession. The 
 members of the officer's party, the ai-med 
 farmers, and the little squad of men and 
 boys from the village who had followed 
 the contestants to the spot from curiosity 
 to see what tlie oulecmie would be, crowded 
 around Parcliineiit and Uolib. When they 
 heard the refusal of ti:e latter to yield to 
 the officer's demand, and saw that no im- 
 mediate effort was to be made to take 
 forcible possession of the premises, they 
 fell back and broke into little groups to 
 talk over the situation. Lowrey and Max- 
 well were standing close together convers- 
 ing by the side of a rail fence which ran 
 from the cabin to the public road when 
 the confused sound of the many voices 
 was suddenly pierced by the sharp crack 
 of a rifle. Maxwell cried out, "I'm shot; 
 I'm shot," and fell to the ground. Per- 
 sons whose attention was not immediately 
 drawn toward Maxwell saw a man, rifle 
 in hand, bounding through the bushes up 
 the hillside. Excitement and consterna- 
 tion prevailed among the group of men 
 at the cabin. Maxwell was apparently dy- 
 ing, and his friends believed that the mur- 
 derous shot was tired by one of Lowrey 's 
 followers. The farmers excitedly abused 
 Lowrey as tiie instigator of the crime, and 
 threatene<l violence, and for a time it 
 looked as though a serious riot would re- 
 sult. The arguments of the cooler heads 
 among the crowd finally prevailed, and 
 the land speculator and the officers were 
 allowed to depart in peace. Maxwell's 
 wounds were of a serious nature and his 
 life hung in the balance for many days, but 
 he finally recovered, and at the end of two 
 months was removed from Robb's cabin 
 to his own home a few miles distant. 
 
 The fact that Maxwell was shot led to 
 the belief that one of the land speculator's 
 party was guilty of the crime, but later 
 when all the circumstances were reviewed, 
 it became the opinioji of most of the people 
 that the man who fired the shot was 
 one of the farmers who sympathized with 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 Maxwell and that he was eudeavoriug to 
 kill or at least wound, Lowrey. In the 
 confusion he accidentally shot Maxwell, 
 who was the chaniiiion of the squatters. 
 It was never positively known who fired 
 the shot, though it is said that Abraham 
 McCandless, at one time sheriff of Butler 
 County, who died in 1893, was ]u-esent at 
 the tra.i^edy and with a playmate, Jacob 
 Brinker, saw and recognized the man who 
 fired the shot but whose identity, however, 
 they never revealed. 
 
 This occurrence was the means of 
 changing most radicall.y the policy of the 
 land speculators. Up to this time they 
 had almost invai'iably dispossessed the 
 settlers of their land by suits of ejectment, 
 but after the shooting of Maxwell almost 
 all of the contested claims for lands were 
 compromised, the farmer being allowed a 
 certain portion of the tract on which he 
 was settled for his improvement, or 
 granted the whole upon payment of a 7iom- 
 inal sum of money. 
 
 TflE END OF THE LAND JOBBERS. 
 
 Prom the close of October, 1815 to July, 
 1818, the land speculators resorted to 
 compromise and arbitration rather than 
 to law. In July, 1818, Dunning McNair, 
 of Glade Mills, then called Woodville, gave 
 notice through the papers pu1)lished in 
 Butler that as Colonel Stephen Lowrey 
 made sales and received money for lands 
 in the Cunningham district, which were 
 the property of Robert Morris and said 
 McNair, buyers in the future should deal 
 directly with him, as he could not conceive 
 bv what authoritv Mr. Lowrev had the 
 
 right or power to interfere. This notice 
 was continued unanswered until March 
 17th, 1819, when Stephen Lowrey pub- 
 lished a friendly caution in the same 
 paper, in which he invited all persons in- 
 terested to call upon him in the town of 
 Butler when he would show them in whom 
 the title to the lands was really vested. 
 
 Owing to the reversion of the lands to 
 the State under the acts of 1792, 1795, and 
 1799, the time for applying for donation 
 land was extended to 1810. In the mean- 
 while the board of property, misconstru- 
 ing the act of April, 1802, placed tickets' 
 for the bad land in the wheels from which 
 tiic soldiers drew. 
 
 THE m'KEE and VARNUM CASE. 
 
 Under the act of reversion, Andrew 
 McKee bought two hundred acres in the 
 second Donation District, for which a pat- 
 ent was issued February 8, 1804. Enoch 
 ^^arnum claimed the greater part of the 
 tract as a settler and improver of 1797, 
 and the State Supreme Court decided in 
 his ffivor some time prior to 1823. The 
 legislature accepted the law but in justice 
 to McKee, who held a patent from the es- 
 tate, an indemnity was granted to him. 
 Thus the claim of the actual settler was 
 recognized and the error of the board 
 ])roperly corrected. The question of 
 squatter sovereignty slept until after the 
 oil fields were opened, when it was re- 
 vived in several localities, the most not- 
 able case occurring at Renfrew in the days 
 of the oil excitement. This case grew out 
 of the ownership of the Purviance land 
 and was the most stirring agrarian trou- 
 ble since 1815. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ORQANIZATION^OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Accounts ivith Allegheny County— Location of County Seat— Original Toivnshtps-A 
 New County Proposed— Present Division of Toivnships— Another New County 
 Proposition — Transactions of the County Commissioners— Tax on Bachelors — The 
 Northwestern Railroad— Dispute of Bounty Claims— 1804 and 1908 Compared— 
 Commissioners' Clerks— Conscience Money— Public Buildings— The Court House 
 of 1884— Court House of 1908— County Jails— The First Stone Jail^-Recent Jail 
 Escapes— Capture and Death of the Biddle Brothers— The County Home— The 
 Temperance Cause— W. C. T. U.— Non-partisan Temperance Union-Loyal Tem- 
 perance Legion — Popxdation Statistics. 
 
 The act of the legislature of Pennsyl- 
 vauia, erecting Butler County, was ap- 
 proved March 12, ISOO. The act also pro- 
 vided for its attachment for administra- 
 tive purposes to Allegheny County, and 
 descrihed its boundaries as follows: Be- 
 ginning at a locust ti-ee on the south side 
 of Buffalo Creek; thence along the Alle- 
 gheny line twenty-three miles, to Alex- 
 ander's District; thence due north twen- 
 ty-three miles along that line and Beaver 
 County to a corner near the confluence of 
 Muddy Creek and Slippery Eock; thence 
 north tifteen degrees east fifteen miles 
 along the Mercer County line to a white 
 oak tree in the Third Donation District; 
 thence due east along the Venango County 
 line to the Allegheny River; thence due 
 south along the Armstrong County line to 
 the place of beginning. 
 
 The county was named after General 
 Richard Butler, who was killed at St. 
 Clair's defeat, and a sketch of whose life 
 has been given in the preceding chapter 
 of this volume. 
 
 ACCOUNTS WITH ALLEGHENY COUNTY. 
 
 The transcript of accounts between But- 
 ler and Allegheny Counties from May 7, 
 1800, to December 3, 1803, shows that the 
 sum of $5,528,901/2 was collected in the 
 townships of Butler County, all of which 
 was expended by the commissioners of 
 Allegheny County in the manner set forth 
 in the itemized statements contained in 
 records now in the possession of the 
 commissioners of Butler County. At the 
 close of 1803 the total receii^ts from 
 Butler County aggregated $5,079.51, and 
 the expenditures on account of Butler 
 County were $5,52S.90yo, showing an in- 
 debtedness to Allegheny County of 
 $449,391/2, which the commissioners of 
 Butler County agreed to pay at the time 
 the settlement was made. The settlement 
 of the accounts between the commission- 
 ers of Allegheny Count}^ and of Butler 
 County appears to have been attended 
 with some difficulty, as the transactions of 
 the commissioners of Butler- County show 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 91 
 
 as Jate as September, 1812, that the dis- 
 putes liad not all been settled. 
 
 The tax levj^ in the original township 
 of Connoquenessing- in 1800 was $176.99; 
 in 1801, $204.06; in 1802, $450.53;. and in 
 1803, $452.92, or a total of $1,234.50 for 
 the four years. 
 
 In Middlesex Township the tax given 
 for the four years was as follows: $183.58; 
 $284.28; $438.09; and $444.53; a total of 
 $1,350.48. 
 
 In Slippery Rock Township the tax 
 amounted to $.345.98; $214.50; $281.36; 
 and $341.33 ; a total of $1,183.17. 
 
 In Buffalo Township the tax amounted 
 to $82.53; $108.80; $135.15; $161.01; a to- 
 tal of $487.49. 
 
 LOCATION OF THE COtTNTY SEAT. 
 
 The original act provided that the 
 county seat was not to be at a greater dis- 
 tance from the center of the county than 
 four miles. The year following the pas- 
 sage of the act the governor appointed 
 Samuel Rippy, Henry Evans, and John 
 McBride surveyors, with Beatty Quinn as 
 their axeman, commissioners to run the 
 county line. After these commissioners 
 had performed their duties and made the 
 proper report the legislature appointed 
 John David, William Elliott, and Samuel 
 Ewalt commissioners to locate the county 
 seats of Armstrong, Butler and Mercer 
 Counties. 
 
 A supplementary act was passed April 
 6, 1802, authorizing the governor to ap- 
 point a commission who would locate the 
 seats of justice in Armstrong, Butler and 
 Mercer Counties, and the executive act- 
 ing under this authority appointed Isaac 
 "Weaver, John Hamilton, Thomas Morton, 
 James Brady, and P. Carr Lane. 
 
 The next step taken toward establish- 
 ing the county seats was under the act 
 of March 8, 1803, in which John McBride, 
 William Elliott, and John David were ap- 
 pointed trustees for the county, and au- 
 thorized to survey three hundred acres on 
 
 the north side of Connoquenessing Creek, 
 near the site of Cunningham's mill, agree- 
 able to the grant and obligation secured 
 from Samuel Cunningham, John Cunning- 
 ham and Robert Graham. The trustees 
 were authorized to lay out a lot, or lots 
 of laud not exceeding five acres for county 
 buildings, the residue in town lots which 
 were to be sold at public sale. Under this 
 act the grounds for the county buildings 
 were laid off and the first sale of lots was 
 held August 10, 1803. (See Butler Bor- 
 ough.) 
 
 ORIGINAL TOWNSHIPS. 
 
 When the first commissioners of the 
 county took charge of affairs in 1804, they 
 found the four townships named in the 
 statement of the Allegheny County com- 
 missioners to be sufficient for the purposes 
 at that time. These townships were Con- 
 noquenessing, Middlesex, Slippery Rock 
 aud Buffalo. The inhabitants of the 
 county were not satisfied with the division 
 of townships, and in February, 1804, a pe- 
 tition was presented to Judge Moore, then 
 holding court in Butler, praying for a 
 change in the order of townships. Tlie 
 ]ietition stated: 
 
 ' ' That Middlesex Township at present extends from 
 the southern boundary to the township of Slippery Roek, 
 a distance of more than twenty-three miles * » » and 
 we pray your honors to ereet that part of Middlesex and 
 Buffalo Townships south of said northern boundary into 
 separate townships. 
 
 This petition was signed by John Quinn, 
 Patrick McGee, Bernard McGee, Hugh 
 McGee, Robert Maxwell, Robert Kennedy, 
 William M. Kennedy, Joseph Sutton, Da- 
 vid Sutton, Daniel Sutton, James Guffey, 
 John David, David Kerr, Matthew Wig- 
 field, John Bittiger, Henry Sofire, and 
 James Shields. The court held the peti- 
 tion under advisement until the May term 
 of court, 1804, when this endorsement was 
 made: "The court considers that the ne- 
 (H'ssity of acting on this petition is super- 
 seded by an appointment of viewers at the 
 present session to divide the whole county 
 
92 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of Butler into separate districts to be 
 erected into townships. — J. Moore." 
 
 Another petition for the erection of 
 townships was presented May 15, 1804. 
 This petition represented that the inhab- 
 itants of the county at large labored under 
 a great inconvenience for want of a suffi- 
 cient number of townships in said county, 
 and that they therefore prayed the hon- 
 orable court to appoint suitable persons 
 to lay out a competent number of town- 
 ships, and make report of their proceed- 
 ings at the next session of court. The 
 signers of this document were Matthew 
 White, Jacob Mechling, James Bovard, 
 John Negley, William Ayres, John Gil- 
 more, Robert Hays, David Dougal, Josiali 
 Crawford, John McCandless, Alexander 
 White, Samuel Kinkaid, Samuel A. Rippy, 
 William Skeer, William B. Young, James 
 Thompson, John McBride, John David, 
 William Elliott, -Samuel Cunningham, 
 Henry Evans, and William Wasson. Pur- 
 suant to this petition Judge Moore ap- 
 pointed John Cunningham, John David, 
 and Barnett (xilliland a committee to in- 
 quire into the propriety of* granting the 
 l^i'ayer of the petitioners, and to execute 
 all other acts and duties required by the 
 act of assembly in such case ])rovid('d. 
 
 At the session of court held in August, 
 1801, the committee named tondored their 
 report, in which they stated that they are 
 of the opinion that it is absolutely neces- 
 sary that the county should l)e divided 
 into a convenient number of townships, 
 and submitted plan No. 1 and plan No. 2 
 for the consideration ancrdetentiinatiou of 
 the court. This report was ciKlovsed by 
 John Parker who was then holding court 
 in Butler, and continued under advisement 
 vmtil the next session. Plan No. 2 referred 
 to in the report sliowed nine divisions, 
 each seven and three-fourths miles square ; 
 one division thirteen miles, ninety-eight 
 perches by five and one-half miles; one 
 division ten miles by five and one-half 
 miles; one division in the northwest cor- 
 
 ner of the county ten miles by five and 
 one-half miles; and one division in the 
 northwest corner five miles one hundred 
 and fifty-two perches on the north line by 
 five and one-half miles on the east line. 
 The only township name given on the re- 
 port is "Slippery Rock." 
 
 Report No. 1, or the minority report, 
 was drawn to a scale and the townships 
 named as follows: Connoquenessing in 
 the southwest corner, Middlesex next, and 
 Buffalo in the southeast corner. In the 
 second tier Mulder, Butler and Counaught; 
 in the third tier Muddycreek, Heidelberg, 
 and Clearfield; in the fourth tier Slippery 
 Rock and Parker; and in the fifth, or 
 northern tier, Mercer in the northwest cor- 
 ner and Venango in the northeast corner. 
 The minority report was practically 
 adopted, but amended so far as the names 
 were concerned, and the divivsion of town- 
 ships a])i)roved November 15, 1804, by 
 .Judge Parker. The names of the town- 
 ships, as amended, were: Cranberry, Mid- 
 dlesex and Buffalo in the first tier; Con- 
 no(iuenessing, Butler and Clearfield in the 
 second tier; Muddycreek, Center and Don- 
 egal in the third ; Slippery Rock and Par- 
 ker in the fourth; and Mercer and Venan- 
 go in the fifth tier, making in all thirteen 
 townships. Previous to this time the 
 county had been divided into six election 
 districts, and these districts were super- 
 seded by the new order of townships. 
 
 During the years intervening between 
 1804 and 1853, six additional townships 
 were created, making in all nineteen. A 
 line extending from the west line of But- 
 ler to the Connoquenessing Creek and 
 thence along that stream to the east line, 
 divided the original Butler Township into 
 North and South Butler. Connoquenes- 
 sing Township was divided by a noi-th and 
 south line, creating East Connoquenessing 
 and West Connoquenessing. Muddycreek 
 was similarly divided, and the east half of 
 the township was given the name of Frank- 
 lin. A north and south line divided Slip- 
 
AND IIKPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 93 
 
 l)ery Rock Township, and the eastern half 
 was given the name of Cherry. Allegheny 
 Township was created out of the eastern 
 half of Venango, and AVashington and 
 Fairview composed the other two town- 
 ships. 
 
 ()u .Jime lb, 1847, a jietition for the erec- 
 tion of a township out of i)arts of Middle- 
 sex, South Butler, Craulicrry, and East 
 C(Uinoqucne.ssing-, to be called Ringold 
 Township, was signed by ninety-three resi- 
 dents of those districts and presented to 
 court. This petition was met by seven 
 counter-petitions from the old townships, 
 supplemented by an account of the large 
 meeting held at Breakneck, now Evans 
 City, to protest against the establishment 
 of such a township. The opposition was 
 led by Samuel Marshall, Andrew Boggs, 
 Joseph Johnson, David Garvin, and Dan- 
 iel Boggs, residents of the southwest por- 
 tion of the county. 
 
 From the records it appears that in 1849 
 the school directors of Middlesex and 
 Cranberry Townships flatly refused to 
 create a sub-school district for the accom- 
 modation of the citizens of those two 
 townships. On the 10th of March the mat- 
 ter was considered at a meeting held at 
 A. M. Brown's store and a petition 
 was prepared to be jjresented to court 
 asking for the erection of a new township, 
 and for the increase of school districts. 
 The petitioners submitted a plat of the 
 territory and asked the court to order the 
 establishment of a new township and name 
 it "Ringold." The court did not take 
 kindly t(i this petition and marked it with 
 his (lisa|>])i-oval. 
 
 A NEW COUNTY PROPOSED. 
 
 The snub inflicted by the court on the 
 southwestern portion of the county burned 
 in the breasts of its citizens for a number 
 of years, and the desire for a change in 
 the division of the townships took another 
 shape in 1849, when a proposition was 
 made to the Legislature to create a new 
 
 county to be named Lawrence out of parts 
 of Beaver, Mercer, and Butler Counties. 
 The measure received little support from 
 Butler County people, who were pleased 
 with Butler County as it stood, and the 
 movement finally resulted in the creation 
 of Lawrence County out of parts of 
 Beaver and Mercer, the territory of Butler 
 County remaining intact. 
 
 In 1853, on the petition of citizens of 
 Buft'alo, Middlesex and Cranberry Town- 
 ships, the Legislature passed an act cre- 
 ating ten townships out of the three 
 named. The governor did not' sign the 
 act, but referred the question of the griev- 
 ances of the citizens to the courts of But- 
 ler County. 
 
 PRESENT DIVISION OF TOWNSHIPS. 
 
 In the meantime there was growing dis- 
 satisfaction in the county over the division 
 of school districts, and the townships, and 
 a movement was undertaken which re- 
 sulted in the division of the county into 
 the thirty-three districts that exist to- 
 day. The new movement was born in a 
 little schoolhouse in which the late Maj. 
 Cyrus Anderson, of Butler, then presided 
 as teacher. The miserable condition of 
 the building was called to the attention 
 of the directors who were unable to afford 
 relief until new townships or districts 
 were formed, one of which at least they 
 could govern. A petition was drawn up 
 and circulated for signers and the work 
 of the reconstruction of the county begun. 
 On the 18th of June, 1853, a petition bear- 
 ing forty-five signatures was presented to 
 coui-t asking that the prior petition of the 
 l)eople of Buffalo, Middlesex and Cran- 
 berry Townships be denied, and that the 
 act of the Legislature erecting ten town- 
 ships be set aside. The prayer of the 
 petitioners was granted, the court ap- 
 pointing three viewers to devise a plan 
 for the division of the county into town- 
 ships. 
 
 A petition of sundry citizens of the 
 
94 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 county asking for the division of the 
 county into townships five miles square 
 was presented to court on June 18, 1853. 
 The signers set forth that the petitions 
 from the people of Buffalo, Middlesex and 
 Cranberry Townships to the State Legis- 
 lature asking that ten townshij^s be erected 
 out of the three named, were granted, and 
 that an act was passed in accordance with 
 the prayer of the petitioners; that the 
 governor did not approve of that act, but 
 remanded the whole question to the courts 
 of Butler County, and that now the people 
 of Butler County desire their disapproval 
 of the petitioners' prayer as it would re- 
 sult in" the division of the county into 
 forty-three small townships. 
 
 The signers of this remonstrance asked 
 the court to order that the whole county 
 be divided into townships, each as nearly 
 five miles square as possible. The court 
 acquiesced in this opinion and the same 
 day — June 18, 1853 — appointed Hugh Mc- 
 Kee, Samuel M. Lane, and James T. Mc- 
 Junkin commissioners to inquire into the 
 propriety of granting the petition and to 
 make a draft of the townships and of the 
 division lines proposed, as well as of the 
 lines of townships proposed to be altered, 
 and to make a report before the next term 
 of court. On November 19, 1853, the com- 
 mittee filed their report and opinion which 
 were presented to Judge Agnew and asso- 
 ciate judges. The report of the committee 
 is an elaborate document in which is set 
 forth the advantages of the new division 
 of townships, and which also considers 
 the objections urged in connection with the 
 disarrangement of school districts. The 
 committee found it necessary to ascertain 
 the exact dimensions of the county by 
 actual survey, which was done by Hugh 
 McKee. 
 
 According to this survey the county 
 averages twenty-four miles and a fraction 
 east and west, and thirty-three miles and 
 a fraction north and south. To carry out 
 the wish of the petitioners to create town- 
 
 ships five miles square would, it was said, 
 leave a fractional range of townships on 
 two sides of the county, and a ground for 
 future complaints, but by dividing the dis- 
 tance and approximating the direction of 
 the order of court, five ranges of town- 
 ships north and south, and seven east and 
 west were secured, making in all thirty- 
 three townships. Thirty-one of the town- 
 ships are almost five miles square and con- 
 tain about twenty-four square miles, the 
 other two, owing to the diagonal north- 
 western boundary line of the county, vary- 
 ing a little from that size. The expense at- 
 tending the proposed division which was 
 one of the objections urged against it, was 
 estimated by the committee at $600, or an 
 average of about eight cents to each tax- 
 able. The report was signed by Hugh 
 McKee and James T. McJunkin, the other 
 member of the committee being absent, 
 but was not immediately acted ujoon by 
 the court. David Scott was appointed 
 viewer to succeed Mr. Lane, and on March 
 6, 1854, signed the final report which was 
 presented and considered by the court on 
 March 29 that year. This provided for 
 the establishment of thirty-three town- 
 ships, all except three being nearly twenty- 
 four square miles in area. The township 
 of Mercer having four unequal sides lacked 
 about one-third of a proportionate area, 
 while the townships cf Slippery Rock and 
 Worth, owing to the division of the tri- 
 angle lying to the north and west of them, 
 contained a little more territory than an 
 equal proportion. The triangle contained 
 about six square miles, and it was appor- 
 tioned to the two -townships named, each 
 of which would lack a fraction of being 
 the regular size without such addition. 
 The order of court approving this division 
 and creating the townships was signed 
 March 29, 1854, and the thirty-three town- 
 ships are named in order, beginning at 
 the northwestern township of the northern 
 range and running cast, as follows: Mer- 
 cer, Marion, Venango, and Allegheny in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 95 
 
 the first tier; Slippery Rock, Cherry, 
 Washington, Parker in the second ; Worth, 
 Brady, Clay, Concord, and Fairview in 
 the third; Muddycreek, Franklin, Center, 
 Oakland, and Donegal in the fourth; Lan- 
 caster, Connoquenessing, Butler, Summit, 
 and Clearfield in the fifth; Jackson, For- 
 ward, Penn, Jefferson, and Winfield in the 
 sixth ; Cranberry, Adams, Middlesex, Clin- 
 ton, and Buffalo in the seventh. 
 
 Under the new order of townships an 
 election of township officers and justices 
 of the peace was ordered to be held April 
 28, 1854, under the act of that year. 
 
 At the March term of court, 1854, a 
 petition was filed asking for the modifica- 
 tion of the line between Slippery Rock and 
 Worth Townships. This petition was 
 signed by Stephen Morrison, A. H. Boyle, 
 A. Murphy, Thomas Kelly, Jr., John W^ 
 Martin, Thomas Kelly, A. G. Dennison, 
 John Stonghteu, William Gallagher, 
 Thomas Boyle, C. Nussell, John Stoughten 
 and John Brant. 
 
 On March 6, 1854, a remonstrance 
 against tlie order of survey signed by 
 forty-six citizens was filed, showing the 
 whole plan to be disadvantageous to a 
 large number of citizens. A long list of 
 reasons are given in this remonstrance, 
 the sixth of which is as follows: "We 
 apprehend that the surveyors in their 
 hurry to finish their work and influenced 
 perhaps by the representations of a few 
 individuals lying north of the line, have 
 unintentionally done injury and incom- 
 moded the whole township by accommo- 
 dating a few at the expense of thirty or 
 forty men." 
 
 NEW COUNTIES PROPOSED. 
 
 The dissatisfaction over new township 
 lines took shape again in a proposition to 
 carve part of a new county out of Butler 
 County territory, which was presented to 
 the Legislature in April, 1854. An act 
 passed the House of Representatives and 
 
 was carried through the Senate providing 
 for the erection of a new county out of 
 parts of W^estmoreland, Allegheny, Arm- 
 strong and Butler. The plotters succeeded 
 in getting the bill through the House and 
 the Senate without the knowledge of the 
 people of Butler County, but they could not 
 win any real support in Butler County, 
 and hence the project fell through. 
 
 In February, 1856, the committee of the 
 Legislature on new counties reported a 
 bill for the erection of parts of Allegheny, 
 Butler and Westmoreland into a county 
 to be named Madison. According to this 
 bill the townships of Middlesex, Clinton 
 and Buffalo would have been detached 
 from Butler County. 
 
 In January, 1861, a bill was introduced 
 in the Legislature annexing the Anderson 
 farm in West Deer Township, Allegheny 
 County, to Butler County. The people of 
 Butler were inclined to ignore additions 
 as well as subtractions and this project 
 met the fate of its predecessors. 
 
 The last attempt to filch territory from 
 Butler County occurred in 1871, when the 
 people of East Brady asked for the forma- 
 tion of a new county out of parts of Arm- 
 strong, Butler, Clarion, and Venango 
 Counties. This was at the time the Great 
 Western Iron Works were iri operation at 
 Brady's Bend, and the development of the 
 oil fields along the Allegheny River had 
 reached Parker's Landing and the nortli- 
 eastern section of Butler County. The 
 Northwestern Independent, a paper pub- 
 lished by Clark Wilson at Parker, was the 
 official organ of the agitators. In June, 
 1872, a bill authorizing the change of 
 boundary between Butler and Armstrong 
 Counties was defeated in the House of 
 Representatives, and shortly after the 
 agitation about a new county ceased. 
 Since that time the question of forming 
 new counties out of Butler and parts of 
 surrounding counties has been agitated 
 several times, but no definite movement 
 has ever been made. 
 
96 
 
 [[STOKY OF BUTLKK (X)UNTY 
 
 IKANSACTIONS OF THE COUNTV COMMIS- 
 SIONERS. 
 
 Tile lirst meeting of the cominissiouers 
 of Butler County v/as held November 9, 
 1803, in a log house on the site of the 
 Nixon Hotel on South Diamond Street, 
 which was afterward used for holding- 
 court and such other public purposes as 
 was required until the erection of the 
 county building. Two of the commission- 
 ers, Matthew White and James Bovard, 
 took the oath of office on that date, but 
 Jacob Mechling, the third commissioner, 
 did not qualify until November 16, on 
 which day the organization was completed 
 and a term of four days begun. The time 
 seems to have been employed in making 
 estimates and adjusting a variety of busi- 
 ness relative to the establishing of the 
 office. On November 21, Mr. Mechling 
 reported that districts Nos. 1 and 2 were 
 laid off and the lines surveyed by Thomas 
 Grimes at a cost cf $5. Commissioners 
 Wliite and Bovard reported that districts 
 Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 had been laid off by John 
 Cunningham at a cost of $15. These dis- 
 tricts were laid out under the act of 
 Assembly of April 4, 1803, providing for 
 the appointment of justices of the peace. 
 On November 28, the commissioners were 
 at Pittsburg consulting with the commis- 
 sioners of Allegheny County in regard to 
 transferring the official records to Butler 
 County, but little seems to have been ac- 
 "complished prior to December 8, 1803, 
 when duplicates of the records were re- 
 ceived from Allegheny County showing 
 the receipts and disbursements in the four 
 townships of Butler County. The next 
 item of business in December was the issu- 
 ing of the first wolf order to John Cooper, 
 the collector of Buffalo Township. At the 
 same time a contract was entered into 
 with John Negley for "a place to accom- 
 modate the courts of justice of the town 
 of Butler." 
 
 Toward the close cf December the com- 
 
 missioners again visited the commission- 
 ers of Allegheny County for the purpose 
 of obtaining certain books and copies of 
 records, but seem to have failed in their 
 mission. They returned, however, with a 
 ('oi)y of Reed's Digest which proved very 
 . useful to David Dougal, the commission- 
 ers' clei'k. With so much written law at 
 hand the commissioners were able to 
 transact any public iiusiness that came be- 
 fore them, and the first public contract of 
 importance appears to have been the 
 awarding of the contract on January 16, 
 1804, to Samuel Meals for iron work of 
 the "Public Prison." The tax duplicates 
 of the several townships were issued on 
 April 11, the amounts being: 
 
 For Slippery Rock $ 364.00 
 
 For Middlesex 480.32 
 
 For Buffalo 166.32 
 
 For Connoquenessiug , 465.27 
 
 Total $1,475.81 
 
 From the beginning of 1804 to October 
 25 of that year the county commissioners 
 rented a room for office purposes from 
 William B. Young, to whom they paid 
 $6 rent on that date. 
 
 In November, 1804, James Scott took 
 the place of Jacob Mechling as a commis- 
 sioner, and with Messrs. White and Bovard 
 composed the board. The business of the 
 mouth seems to have been the drawing of 
 warrants to the judges and clerks of the 
 general election held in October. 
 
 TAX ON BACHELORS. 
 
 An important item in the transaction 
 of the county commissioners in December 
 was the petition of Hugh Smith for relief 
 of the disabilities under which single men 
 labored at that time. The tax on single 
 blessedness was 75 cents, but Hugh could 
 now protest, and on tlie certificate of 
 Squire Robert Galbreath, that he was mar- 
 ried before the date of the petition. The 
 commissioners exonerated him from the 
 payment of an unjust tribute. The trans- 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 97 
 
 actious of tile couuty •■ommissioiiers did 
 not require all of tlieir time, as will a]> 
 pear from the record made by Clerk David 
 Dougal at the close of 1804. Ou the 29th 
 of December the clerk credited Commis- 
 sioner White with ninety-four days' serv- 
 ices, Bovard with one hundred three and 
 one-half days, Scott with eleven days, and 
 himself with eighty-three days. 
 
 On January 4, 1805, the question of esti- 
 mates was disposed of, and a tax levy of 
 $2,500 waa ordered. On the 17th of the 
 month John Negley received $28.89 for his 
 services as treasurer of Butler County, 
 from x\pril 11 to December 31, 1804, being 
 at the rate of $40 per year. In February 
 John Negley received $50 in full for rent 
 of courthouse from February 1, 1804, to 
 February 1, 1805. John Negley was re- 
 ap])ointed treasurer for the year 1805, 
 and required to give a bond in the sum of 
 $3,000. In March, 1805, William McDon- 
 ald, the coroner, held an inquest on the 
 body of a child named Catherine Barrick- 
 man at the house of Benjamin Thomas, 
 and was paid $15.14 for his services. Dur- 
 ing this year the work of redistricting the 
 county into thirteen townships appears to 
 have been completed, and the commission- 
 ers paid David Dougal, James Bovard and 
 James Scott, surveyors, Edward Grimes, 
 George Scott and Alexander White, chain 
 carriers and blazers, for their services in 
 surveying and establishing the township 
 line. In April the tax duplicates for the 
 year were issued as follows : 
 
 Slippery Rock Township $ 351.81 
 
 Mercer Township 161.84 
 
 Parker Township 178. .53 
 
 Venango Township 116.28 
 
 Donegal Township SOo.eSio 
 
 Clearfield Township 118.45 
 
 Buffalo Township 170.17 
 
 Middlesex Township 232.71 
 
 Butler Township 262.55 
 
 Center Township 273.33 
 
 Muddyereek Township 260.48 
 
 Connoquenessing Township 312.891/2 
 
 Cranberry Township 153.34Vj 
 
 Total $2,798.n2Vi 
 
 The total tax levied was $2,798,021/2. 
 
 A distinction seems to have been made 
 in the amount of the tax levied in the 
 various townships, but for what purpose 
 the records do not state. In the firat four 
 named townships the rate was six mills, 
 and in the others five mills. 
 
 In May and June public roads appear 
 to have taken the time of the commission- 
 ers. A road was viewed from McClure's 
 in tlie direction of Beaver and from the 
 Mercer County line through Zelienople to 
 the Butler County line. This road after- 
 ward being known as the Pittsburg and 
 Franklin Pike. 
 
 On the 9th of November, Abner Coats 
 qualified as county commissioner and took 
 the place of James Bovard. John Negley 
 was reappointed treasurer, and William 
 Campbell was paid $13.50 for making two 
 jury wheels. 
 
 The making out of tax duplicates, or- 
 ders for auditors, jurors, etc., and the pay- 
 ment of election judges and clerks kept the 
 commissioners busy in the early part of 
 the year. The tax duplicates issued in 
 May were as follows : 
 
 Slippery Rock $519.46 
 
 Mercer 243.38 
 
 Parker 278.89y2 
 
 Venango 180.94 
 
 Donegal 312.39 
 
 Clearfield 198.06V- 
 
 Buffalo 263.38 
 
 Middlesex 306.82 
 
 Butler .• 450.501/2 
 
 Center 383.25 
 
 Muddyereek 386.46 
 
 Connoquenessing 332.271/2 
 
 Cranberry 260.56 
 
 In August the commissioners awarded 
 a contract for cutting the State Road 
 through Butler County, while the month 
 of September was given to the issuing of 
 warrants and pajTiient for jury services, 
 and witness fees and other expenses con- 
 nected with the Circuit Court. William 
 Elliott, John McBride and John David, 
 who were the trustees in the matter of the 
 county seat lots, delivered their trust to 
 
98 
 
 ISTOliY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 cpiiiinissioners White, Coats and Scott ou 
 Juu(! 19, 1806. Ou November 7, the com- 
 missioners paid David Dougal $20 for 
 drawing a map of Butler County for the 
 use of the commissioners. Contracts were 
 awarded for the construction of a bridge 
 over Connoquenessing Creek at Butler 
 and for other bridges in the county during 
 the same month, and constituted the last 
 items of business recorded in the first 
 minute-book kept by the cormnissioners. 
 
 Jacob Smith qualified as county commis- 
 sioner on December 2, 1806, and took the 
 place of Matthew White. Nothing of im- 
 portance was transacted during the re- 
 mainder of the year. 
 
 The most important item of business at 
 the opening of 1807 was the awarding of 
 a contract on January 6 to Alexander Hill 
 for the building of the courthouse. This 
 contract was sealed and approved by the 
 court on the 18th of the month. Ou the 
 7th of March, Abraham Brinker was ap- 
 pointed commissioner vice Jacob Smith, 
 hut there appears to be no record of the 
 resignation, removal or death of Smith. 
 Under date of April 14, Mr. Coats was 
 paid $2 for "laying out courthouse and 
 going to Justice Scott's on business re- 
 lating to courthouse." The county jail 
 received some attention in the same month 
 as the bill of John Negley for carpenter 
 work and materials on jail building was 
 ordered to be paid. 
 
 The organization of the Board of Com- 
 missioners in 1808 contains the names of 
 Abner Coats, John Negley, Francis Ander- 
 son as commissioners, and Walter Lowrie 
 clerk. A warrant was drawn in February 
 to John Purviance for rent of courthouse 
 from March, 1808, to March, 1809, for the 
 sum of $50, while on March 12 George 
 Young was paid $15 for courthouse rent 
 up to April, 1808. Another item paid was 
 a bill of D. C. Cunningham to the county 
 commissioners for $2 for legal advice. In 
 the fall of 1808, James Scott succeeded 
 Abner Coats as commissioner, and on 
 
 October 27, 1809, Thomas Dodds and 
 Joseph- Williamson qualified as the suc- 
 cessors of Negley and Anderson. During 
 the years of 1808 and 1809 much of the 
 time of the commissioners was occupied in 
 the erection of the courthouse, the con- 
 struction of bridges and the opening of 
 public roads in the county. 
 
 Walter Lowrie qualified as county com- 
 missioner in October, 1810, and with 
 Joseph Williamson and James Scott 
 formed the board. The principal work 
 done by the board was fixing the budget 
 for 1811 and making a schedule of values 
 of land, horses, cows, mills and stills for 
 the guidance of assessors. The estimate 
 of expenditure for the ensuing year was 
 $4,800. Samuel Williamson was appointed 
 treasurer, his bond of $6,000 being signed 
 by John Negley and Samuel Deniston. 
 
 The records of the commissioners' office 
 for 1811 say that the commissioners were 
 engaged in April "in compromising" 
 with Alexander Hill the builder of the 
 courthouse for $600, and gave him a draft 
 on the Bank of Deposit and Discount at 
 Pittsburg. In October William Balph was 
 elected commissioner to succeed James 
 Scott, letting contract for the State Road 
 and issuing warrants formed the work of 
 the officials up to December, when the 
 board settled with John McGinnis for fin- 
 ishing the sheriff's office. 
 
 The accounts with Allegheny County, as 
 closed in 1803, had never been settled, and 
 in September, 1812, commissioners Will- 
 iamson and Lowrie visited Pittsburg for 
 that purpose, but their mission proved a 
 failure. In October, Robert Martin was 
 elected commissioner, also Ephriam Har- 
 ris vice Lowrie, resigned. They with 
 William Balph formed the board on 
 January 1, 1813, with Robert Scott clerk. 
 
 The term of Harris expii-ed in Novem- 
 ber, 1813, and James McKee qualified as 
 his successor. Robert Scott was continued 
 as clerk at $1.23 per day. The auditors 
 appointed in the fall of 1813 were John 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 99 
 
 Christy, Robert Lemmon, and Moses Sulli- 
 van, who reported an account up to 
 January 1, 1814. 
 
 Nothing out of the routine of issuing 
 orders was accomplished until October 29, 
 1814, when the contract for building a 
 bridge at Amberson's on Connoquenessing 
 Creek was considered. On November 8, 
 John Negley gave a bond for the com- 
 pletion of this bridge. At this time John 
 Ciiristy qualified as commissioner in place 
 of "VMUiam Balph whose term had expired. 
 It appears that a new jail building was in 
 process of erection by John Negley at this 
 time, the work having been begun in 1812 ; 
 That a new bridge at "race grounds" was 
 contemplated and three bridges were built 
 at Slippery Et)ck on the State Road. 
 
 The race ground mentioned was known 
 in later years as Stehle's field and was the 
 baseball ground up until 1902, when the 
 ground was plotted into lots and sold. It 
 is now that part of the west end of the 
 city which is bounded by Pillow Street, 
 Race Street, and Fourth Avenue. 
 
 The expenses of the county in 1815, as 
 shown by the five hundred and ten war- 
 rants issued, aggregated $3,466.47, a large 
 part of which represented coui't expenses 
 and election expenses. On November 4, 
 William Campbell took the oath of office 
 as the successor of Robert Martin whose 
 term had expired. The new jail building 
 having been practically completed John 
 Negley, who also furnished the floor and 
 partitions for the second story of the 
 courthouse, received on the latter contract 
 the sum of $175. 
 
 During the year warrants for $42 were 
 given to John Ralston, John Burkhart, 
 Daniel Graham and John Burtner for the 
 scalps of fourteen wolf puppies, while 
 John Reniston received $8 for a full grown 
 wolf head. The principal item of public 
 improvement was the completion of the 
 bridge over Wolf Creek, which was built 
 by Daniel Foster for the county. In 
 November, Thomas McCleary qualified as 
 
 commissioner to succeed James McKee, 
 whose term expired. The expenses of the 
 county for the year, as shown by the 
 auditor's report, were $5,858. 
 
 The important events of the year were 
 the completion of the county jail by John 
 Negley, which had been in course of con- 
 struction for five years, and the plastering 
 of the courthouse later by John Dunbar. 
 The expenses of the county for the year 
 were $4,074.35, which inclucled the repairs 
 of the public buildings and the final pay- 
 ments on the county jail. Francis Fryer 
 was elected commissioner in October and 
 took the place of John Christy whose term 
 had expired. 
 
 Comparatively little business was trans- 
 acted in 1818; the county disbursements 
 being $3,986.92yo. No public improve- 
 ments were made during this year. Abra- 
 ham Brinker qiialified as commissioner in 
 November and he with McCleary and 
 Fryer formed the board for the ensuing 
 year. 
 
 During 1819 a new bridge was built at 
 Harmony by David Townsend at a cost of 
 $399, also one at Bassenheim and one at 
 Zelienople. Robert Lemmon qualified as 
 county commissioner in November, 1819, 
 and John Dodds qualified as commissioner 
 in 1820. The disbursements of the county 
 for the two years 1819 and 1820 were 
 $3,080.57 and $4,752.28, respectively. On 
 November 6, Thomas McCleary was ap- 
 ]Kiiuted clerk to the commissioners to suc- 
 ceed Robert Scott. The commissioners 
 reserved the right to dismiss him at the 
 close of three months if his work was not 
 satisfactory. The salary of the clerk for 
 that year was fixed at $100. 
 
 The expenditures for the county in 1821 
 were $3,390,101/2- John Brandon was the 
 new commissioner elected in October, and 
 in November Robert Scott was restored to 
 his old position as clerk. An account for 
 coal supplied to the county for the years 
 1820 and 1821 was settled and a warrant 
 drawn to Martin and Bowers. 
 
100 
 
 IIIS'I'ORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The construction of a bridge atLowrie's 
 mills was decided upon in 1822 and repairs 
 on tlie courthouse and jail were author- 
 ized. On November 4 the commissioners 
 organized with Messrs. John Dodds, John 
 Brandon, and John Coo vert, the last 
 named being the new member. William 
 Gibson was appointed treasurer for the 
 ensuing year. The appointment of John 
 Walsh as clerk to succeed Robert Scott 
 was made November 29. The expendi- 
 tures for the year were distributed by 592 
 warrants aggregating $3,589.80V2- 
 
 One of the items of expense for the year 
 1823 was a warrant drawn to John Bran- 
 don for "goose-qiiills" bought in Simon 
 Reed's store. 
 
 The case of William Hogg, who had 
 been drawn for grand jury service in June, 
 was adjudiralrd by tlir <'(iiimiissioners in 
 July, it ai)pears that Hogg had been dis- 
 charged from service on the grand jury on 
 account of being a Scotchman or an Eng- 
 lishman who never became a citizen. Hogg 
 demanded pay for his services, which was 
 at first refused, but at a later hearing of 
 the case the commissioners issued the 
 warrant. 
 
 Tn July, William Purviance surveyed a 
 number of outlots east of the borough of 
 Butler, which were sold by the commis- 
 sioners in October. These outlots now 
 constitute a part of the town east of •Mc- 
 Kean Street, and compose some of the 
 most valuable proY)erty in the city. 
 
 John McQuistion was elected commis- 
 sioner to succeed John Dodds, whose term 
 had expired and the new board organized 
 on the 5th of November. John Sullivan 
 was appointed treasurer for the ensuing 
 year, and Hugh McLaughlin was author- 
 ized to make certain repairs on the court- 
 house. An item of exjjense incurred by 
 the commissioners' office was the purchase 
 of two pairs of snuffers and a box of 
 candles. The business of the year closed 
 with the payment of the contractors for 
 the Lick bridge over the Connoquenessing 
 
 at what is now known as the Transfer 
 north of Butler, and the improving of the 
 Harmony bridge. The expenses of the 
 county for all purposes that year were 
 .$3,755.58. 
 
 The commissioners of 1824 had in mind 
 the education of poor children in the com- 
 munity whose parents were not able to 
 provide for such education. Among the 
 items for that year is one for $6.43 to 
 William Reed "for schooling poor chil- 
 dren." Later in the year another warrant 
 was drawn to John Alward for the same 
 purpose. On the 5th of November, Hugh 
 McKee qualified as commissioner to suc- 
 ceed John Brandon, and William Gibson 
 was appointed as clerk to succeed John 
 Walsh. • 
 
 The most important item of business 
 transacted by the commissioners in 1825 
 was the adoption of a uniform standard 
 •for the triennial assessment. On Novem- 
 ber 25 the board was composed of Robert 
 Scott, Hugh McKee and John McQuistion. 
 
 In January, 1826, Isaiah Niblock, of 
 Butler, was appointed treasurer, his salary 
 being based on one and one-half per cent, 
 of the expenditures. This appointment 
 was strongly opposed by John McQuis- 
 tion, a member of the board of eoimiiis- 
 sioners, but the reasons for the opposition 
 are not given. It is probable that the 
 opposing member did not believe that min- 
 isterial and secular work could be com- 
 bined, the new incumbent of the treas- 
 urer's office being a minister of the gospel 
 and pastor of the Associate Reformed 
 Church, now the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler. The same year the 
 commissioners entered into a twelve-year 
 contract with Andrew Marshall to keep 
 the Harmony bridge in repair for that 
 term at the stated consideration of 
 $312.50. At the close of October, David 
 Dougal qualitied as commissioner and suc- 
 ceeded John McQuistion. The disburse- 
 ments of the countv for this year were 
 $4,456.91. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 101 
 
 In February, 1827, Samuel A. Purviance 
 was appointed clerk to the commissioners. 
 A bridge over Connoquenessing Creek 
 opposite the borough was completed by 
 John Stephenson and the courthouse was 
 subjected to general repairs by the author- 
 ity of the board. John McNeese was 
 elected commissioner in October to suc- 
 ceed Hugh McKee. The expenditures of 
 the county for the year were $6,198.40, as 
 certified by the auditors, Robert Martin, 
 Maurice Bredin and Joseph Bryson. 
 
 From January 1 to October 29 in 1828, 
 sufficient business was transacted to oc- 
 cupy the time of commissioner Scott for 
 eighty-three days, Dougal for eighty-one 
 and one-half days, and ]\I('Xeese for fifty- 
 eight days. The clerk, Samuel S. Purvi- 
 ance, was employed in the office for one 
 hundred nine and one-half days of his sec- 
 ond term down to March 6, 1828, and 
 sixty-one days additional to October 29. 
 Alexander Graham succeeded Scott as 
 commissioner, October 29, and served six- 
 teen days before the close of December. 
 Cliristian Mechling was appointed clerk 
 for a short term on October 28. At the 
 close of the year, Treasurer Thompson re- 
 l)orted a revenue of $6,710.98, of which 
 $1,437.6.312 were unexpended. 
 
 The question of appointing a treasurer 
 was decided January 21, 1829, when James 
 Thompson was chosen and he served until 
 the reorganization of the board of com- 
 missioners in October, when Francis Mc- 
 Bride was appointed to succeed him. 
 Jose]:)h McQuistion was elected commis- 
 sioner to succeed David Dougal and 
 John N. Purviance was reappointed clerk 
 at a salary of $75 per year. He had 
 previously been appointed clerk in Febru- 
 ary to succeed Mechling, the short-term 
 appointee of the previous year. 
 
 Public roads and bridges occuiued most 
 of the time of the commissioners during 
 the year 1830. Among the roads opened 
 was one from James McCandless' house 
 to the brick meeting-bouse in Connoque- 
 
 nessing Township, and the State Road 
 from Kittanning to Evans's Ferry on 
 French Creek received some attention, in 
 August. Among the bridges projected 
 was one opi^osite the former home of Det- 
 mar Basse Muller ; one over Muddy Creek 
 near Kennedy's mill, one over Wolf Creek 
 and one over Slippery Rock Creek where 
 the graded road from Butler to Mercer 
 crosses that stream. In October, John 
 McCandless qualified as commissioner as 
 successor to McNeese. The salary of 
 Clerk Purviance was increased to $90, and 
 the financial reports show receipts to the 
 amount of $6,574.57, of which $699.86 re- 
 mained in the treasury. 
 
 In January, 1831. Francis McBride 
 was appointed treasuier and William 
 Avres was em])Ioved as attorney at salary 
 of $25. 
 
 It appears that the associate judges had 
 something to do with the classilication of 
 merchants for taxable ))ur))(>ses al)0ut this 
 time. One of the items on the minute-book 
 of the commissioners is the record of a 
 meeting held with the merchants of the 
 county who appealed from the tax classi- 
 fication made by the commissioners and 
 the associate juclges of that year. 
 
 It may appear strange that one of the 
 commissioners had to go to Pittsburg to 
 l)rocure iron and nails and other supplies 
 for the use of repair of jail and court- 
 house, and attend to having the same 
 hauled from Pittsburg. In August of that 
 year Bennett Dobbs was emploj^ed to place 
 sheet-iron on the western wall of the 
 ])i-ison room of the jail. Previous to this 
 time there appears to have been no iron 
 work on the inside of the prison except 
 that provided for the doors and the win- 
 dows which was of a very light character. 
 During the year the Breakneck Creek 
 bridge, opposite Boggs' house, was con- 
 structed by Sylvester Ash, and contractor 
 Charles DufTy began work on the l)ridge 
 over the Connoquenessing at the Salt 
 Lick noi-th of Butler. At the reorganiza- 
 
102 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLPIR COUNTY 
 
 lion of the board iu October, William 
 Pillow qualified as commissioner and suc- 
 ceeded Alexander Graham. John N. Pur- 
 viance was reapjjointed clerk at a salary 
 of $1 per day. Andrew Sproul was ap- 
 pointed treasurer in December, and Will- 
 iam Ayres was succeeded as attorney by 
 Samuel A. Purviance and the salary fixed 
 at $25 per year. Auditor William Moore 
 reported a revenue of $6,946.07, and a 
 balance in the treasury for the year of 
 $1,278.57. 
 
 In March, 1832, the commissioners 
 awarded to George Miller, of Butler, the 
 contract for repairing the courthouse and 
 the plastering thereof to Philip Varnum. 
 About the same time a new roof was 
 ordered to be placed on the jail. B. G. 
 Gall and A. Ziegler were given a contract 
 to build a bridge over the Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek at Harmony. Eohert Graham 
 qualified as commissioner in October to 
 succeed Joseph McQuistion, and William 
 Campbell, Jr., was appointed clerk at a 
 salary of $70 per annum. The fiinances of 
 the county were in excellent shape that 
 year and showed a balance over expendi- 
 tures of $670.56. The total receipts for 
 the year were $8,394.57. 
 
 Charles C. Sullivan was appointed at- 
 torney to the commissioners in 1833 at a 
 salary of $25 and Andrew Sproul was 
 appointed treasurer. John Vanderlin was 
 elected to succeed John McCandless as 
 commissioner and William Campbell, Jr., 
 was reappointed clerk at a salary of $1 
 per day. Toward the close of the year 
 George Miller was appointed treasurer to 
 succeed Andrew Sproul and John Mc- 
 Lelland was appointed attorney to suc- 
 ceed Charles C. Sullivan, the salary re- 
 maining at $25 per year. The receipts 
 for the year were $5,614.10 and the bal- 
 ance unexpended, $224.83. 
 
 In 1834 the commissioners were John 
 McCandless, Robert Graham and Joseph 
 Graham, the latter having been elected to 
 succeed William Pillow, whose term had 
 
 expired. The expenditures for the year 
 were .$6,802.94 and the receipts from taxes 
 $6,446.33, showing an indebtedness of 
 $356.61. 
 
 William Campbell, Jr., was reappointed 
 clerk, George Miller treasurer and John 
 McLelland attorney, for 1835. In April of 
 that year Moses Crispin was employed as 
 janitor of the courthouse and bell-ringer. 
 It was the duty of the bell-ringer not only 
 to ring the courthouse bell for the sessions 
 of court, but to ring it on Sunday morning 
 to indicate the hour for church services, 
 and this custom existed as late as 1883, 
 when the courthouse was destroyed by 
 fire. After the completion of the new 
 courthoiase in 1885, the custom was not re- 
 vived. In October, Hugh Stevenson was 
 elected commissioner to succeed Robert 
 Graham, whose term had expired, and 
 Jacob Zeigler was appointed clerk to fill 
 the vacancy caused by the resignation of 
 Campbell. Under date of October 17 this 
 minute was recorded in the transactions 
 of the commissioners, "employed in fight- 
 ing with Joseph McQuistion." The cause 
 of the battle and its result remain untold. 
 It appears that John Vanderlin was then 
 a member of the board. 
 
 Early iu 1836 John N. Purviance was re- 
 appointed counsel to the commissioners 
 and the salary increased to $35. John B. 
 McGlaughlin was appointed treasurer and 
 the salary of that office fixed at two per 
 cent, on the tax levy. Nathan Skeer quali- 
 fied as commissioner to succeed Vanderlin 
 at the organization of the board in Octo- 
 ber. The auditor's report shows a rev-, 
 enue of $8,314.59, and a balance in the 
 treasury of $1,136.12. 
 
 William Criswell was elected to succeed 
 Joseph Graham as commissioner in this 
 year, and John N. Purviance was re- 
 appointed counselor at a salary of $30 per 
 annum. Bridge matters formed an im- 
 portant item in the year's business and 
 contracts were awarded for a bridge over 
 the Connoquenessing below Butler, one 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 103 
 
 near Boyd's mill, one at Malachi Richard- 
 son's and one at Gilleland's. The treas- 
 urer's receipts for the year amounted to 
 $8,372.16, and the balance unexpended was 
 $2,743.47. 
 
 Jacob Shanor qualified as commissioner 
 October 28. James Frazier was appointed 
 treasurer and Jacob Zeigler clerk. These 
 appointments were made in January. The 
 treasurer's receipts for the year were 
 $8,177.28, and the unexpended balance at 
 the end of the year $1,005.84. 
 
 In January, 1839, Jacob Zeigler was. 
 chosen clerk and counselor to the com- 
 missioners, his pay as clerk being $1.25 
 per day, and as counselor $30 per annum. 
 This arrangement was not of long dura- 
 tion, for on January 8, George Zeigler was 
 appointed clerk at $1.25 per day, John N. 
 Purviance counselor at $35 per annum, 
 and Jacob Mechling, Jr., treasurer at 
 three and one-half per cent, on the tax 
 levy. The change in the clerkship was 
 caused by the election of Jacob Zeigler as 
 prothonotary. Thomas R. McMillen qual- 
 ified as commissioner in October, as the 
 successor of Nathan Skeer, whose term 
 had expired. The sum audited for 1839 
 was $8,030.47, including $166.76 advanced 
 by the treasurer to meet bills against the 
 county. 
 
 The appointments made in 1840 were: 
 E. ^1. Bredin, attorney; William Camp- 
 bell, treasurer; George AV. Zeigler, clerk; 
 and John ^IcCollough, bell-ringer. Toward 
 the close of October, George Miller quali- 
 fied as commissioner to take the place of 
 Criswell. The receipts of the county for 
 the year were $9,403.83. 
 
 Tlic ;i|)|K>iiitniciils made by the com- 
 missiiiMcrs ill 1S41 were: x^ndrew Cams, 
 treasurci': W'illinin Tiinblin, clerk; George 
 W. Snnth, attorney; and William John- 
 son, bell-i'inger. The bell-ringer appears 
 to have been a boy of rather tender years, 
 for one of the incidents of the year was 
 the receipt of a petition from leading citi- 
 zens of Butler borough against continuing 
 
 a boy of William Johnson's years as bell- 
 ringer and custodian of public buildings, 
 and recommending the employment of 
 John McCollough, Jr. The commissioners 
 acquiesced in this petition without delay 
 and McCollough was duly installed as 
 bell-ringer. In August of this year John 
 Ross was awarded a contract for painting 
 the courthouse and public offices. 
 
 TIE VOTE FOB COMMISSIONER. 
 
 The elections held in October of 1841 re- 
 sulted in a tie vote for county commis- 
 sioner, and the contest that resulted was 
 heard on November 10 by commissioners 
 McMillen and Miller sitting with the Court 
 of Quarter Sessions. The claims of Mc- 
 Curdy and Moyer, two of the contestants, 
 were set aside, and John Ray, of Donegal 
 Township, was chosen, the new member 
 taking his seat on November 20. The rev- 
 enues" of 1841 amounted to $9,237.52, all 
 of which were disbursed. The school fund 
 then amounted to $254.15, or $111.66 from 
 unseated land tax, and $142.49 paid by 
 former treasurer. 
 
 In January, 1842, the trustee of 
 the Butler Academy owed the sum of 
 $2,457.70. This sum included $1,101.36, 
 the amount of John Negley's judgment, 
 and $150 subscribed toward the support of 
 the institution. 
 
 Under the constitution of 1838 the office 
 of county treasurer became elective and 
 the first election held in the county after 
 the new law went into effect was in 1841, 
 when Andrew Cams was chosen county 
 treasurer for the term of two years. He 
 presented his certificate of election in 
 October, and qualified January 1, 1842. 
 Alexander S. McBride was appointed 
 clerk, George W. Smith attorney, and 
 Samuel R. Williams bell-ringer, for the 
 year. In October, John Ray was reelected 
 commissioner and Abraham Moyer, who 
 was one of the defeated candidates in the 
 contest of 1841, was also elected commis- 
 sioner, and with Thomas R. McMillen 
 
104 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 formed the board for tlie ensuing year. 
 Tlie warrants issued foi- the vear repre- 
 sented $8,309.75. 
 
 In the early i)art of 1843 Alexander Mc- 
 Nair was appointed attorney at a salary 
 of $:25 ]jer aniumi. and John Gold bell- 
 ringer at a sahn y of *.j(). Maniicf Bredin 
 qualified as conniiissicaier on O('tol)er 14. 
 The total treasurer's credit amounted to 
 $11, 077. 21 ; and the value of warrants, 
 .$7,292.47. 
 
 Daniel Coll qualified as treasurer on the 
 1st of January, 1844, and Alexander S. 
 M(d>ride was ieapi)()iiite(l clerk, and John 
 Gold bell-ringei-. On Odnher 26, W. W. 
 l)od<ls (jualified as (■(ii!iini>sioiier. 
 
 The board of commissioners in January, 
 
 1845, consisted of W. W. Dodds, Maurice 
 Bredin and Abraham Moyer. The firm of 
 Gilmore & Purviance were appointed 
 countv attorneys, and the reappointment 
 of Alexander S. McRride Clerk, and John 
 Gold bell-ringer are ineiilioned. Thomas 
 H. Bracken was elected commissioner at 
 the October election, and took the place 
 of Abraham Moyer. 
 
 John Bredin, Jr., was appointed clerk at 
 the meeting held the 1st of January, 1846, 
 Oren Baldwin attorney, and John Gold 
 bell-ringer. In A])ril, David Douthett was 
 apiiointed commissioner as the successor 
 of Maurice Bredin, and on October 24, 
 Lewis Z. Mitchell was appointed mercan- 
 tile appraiser under the act of April 22, 
 
 1846. This was the first appointment 
 made for this position. John Anderson 
 qualified as commissioner on the 27th of 
 October as the successor to David Douth- 
 ett, who had lieen appointed to fill a 
 vacancy. 
 
 George W. Crozier was appointed clerk 
 to the commissioners in January, 1847, 
 and the salary increased to $1.50 per day. 
 John Borland was a{)]iointed attorney 
 and John McCollough bell-ringer. At the 
 October election Joseidi Douthett was 
 chosen to succeed Commissioner W. W. 
 
 Dodds, and William Timblin was ap- 
 l)ointed mercantile appraiser. 
 
 Andrew Simpson succeeded Bracken as 
 a member of the board in 1848, and imme- 
 diately after the organization of the board 
 a resolution was adopted changing the 
 system of fuel contract for the public 
 buildings. The resolution was as follows: 
 "That the coal should be shipped by those 
 who will supply it at four cents per bushel 
 and not take more than four hundred 
 bushels from any one at any one time; 
 also to supply the jail in the same way." 
 
 The year 1849 appears to have been one 
 of disasters and floods. An entry refers 
 to the floods of July and speaks of county 
 bridges being damaged at Amberson's, at 
 Robb's, and one on Breakneck Creek. 
 George W. Crozier was reappointed clerk, 
 and John Sullivan counsel and mercantile 
 appraiser. Thomas Kelly was elected 
 commissioner this year to succeed An- 
 derson. 
 
 In January, 1850, George W. Crozier 
 was reappointed clerk, and John McCol- 
 lough bell-ringer, and William Timblin 
 attorney, at a salary of $25 per year. The 
 board was composed of Thomas Kelly, 
 Andrew Simpson and Joseph Douthett. 
 Thomas Welsh was elected commissioner 
 in October to succeed Joseph Douthett, 
 and at the organization of the board in 
 November, James Wliite, of Prospect, was 
 appointed mercantile appraiser. 
 
 The appointments made by the commis- 
 sioners in 1851 were: James A. McNair, 
 clerk; Arcus McDermit, attorney; and 
 William Williamson, bell-ringer. McNair 
 resigTied as clerk in October, and John 
 Sullivan was appointed to fill the vacancy 
 at the last meeting of the old board. 
 James Mitchell succeeded Andrew Simp- 
 son as commissioner on October 28, and 
 on the last day of the year John Greer, 
 of Prospect, was appointed mercantile 
 a])praiser. 
 
 The principal business before the com- 
 
AND iJKlMIKSKNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 missioners iu 1852 was the buildiug of a 
 new courthouse. In January John Sulli- 
 van was appointed clerk, Ebenezer McJun- 
 kin, attorney, and John McCuUough, bell- 
 ringer. On the 28th of May of this year, 
 Architect Barr was in consultation with 
 the commissioners over the plans for the 
 proposed new courthouse. Subsequently 
 the commissioners, Kelly, Welsh and 
 Mitchell, spent twelve days visiting the 
 comity seats of Lawrence, Beaver, Alle- 
 gheny, AVasliington, Green, Fayette, Blair, 
 and Indiana counties to obtain information 
 relative to the courthouse buildings, and 
 (Continued to give this subject their atten- 
 tion until July 16, when they awarded the 
 contract to William Bell, of Warren, Penn- 
 sylvania. John Miller succeeded Thomas 
 Kelly as commissioner in November, and 
 David ]\IcDonald was appointed mercan- 
 tile appraiser. 
 
 THE NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD. 
 
 There are no changes in the appoint- 
 ment of the commissioners in 185.3, until 
 the close of January, when George W. 
 Grozier was appointed temporary clerk. 
 The Northwestern Railroad, which was the 
 first project of the kind started in Butler 
 Comity, was a subject of consideration by 
 the county commissioners in March, 1853. 
 It was proposed to build this road from 
 New Castle to Butler, and thence to Free- 
 port. On the 31st of March, the commis- 
 sioners unanimously agreed to siibscribe 
 $250,000 to the capital stock of the North- 
 western Railroad Company, as recom- 
 mended and found by the grand jury, and 
 in accordance with the act incorporating 
 that comjiany. This resolution was duly 
 signed by the commissioners, and the 
 clerk, John Sullivan. The Northwestern 
 Railroad Company afterwards failed and 
 the road was never completed, while the 
 commissioners of the county were involved 
 in Htigntion over the i-ubscription made to 
 the cajiital stock of the concern. 
 
 At tills time the commissioners were also 
 
 engaged in watching the progress of the 
 new courthouse, and in making repairs on 
 the jail so that their positions were any- 
 thing but sinecures. One of the sanitary 
 acts of this period must be credited to the 
 board ; this was the construction of a 
 sewer fi-om the jail to the creek, which was 
 the first improvement of this class made 
 in this section of Pennsylvania. Another 
 important item of business transacted by 
 the commissioners in this year, was the re- 
 districting of the county into thirty-three 
 townships, and the establishing of the 
 township lines. At the October election, 
 William C. Campbell was elected commis- 
 sioner to succeed Welsh. 
 
 Pursuant to the action taken the pre- 
 vious year the commissioners issued rail- 
 road bonds in October, 1854, to pay for the 
 subscription to the capital stock of the 
 Northwestern Railroad Company, and in 
 the same month a contract was made for a 
 new courthouse bell. John Kennedy was 
 elected commissioner and qualified in No- 
 vember. 
 
 The new courthouse was finished during 
 the summer of 1855, and the commission- 
 ers were engaged in purchasing furniture 
 and office fixtures for it. There is no 
 minute to the effect that contractor Bell 
 ever finished the structure, or of its ac- 
 ceptance by the commissioners, but a min- 
 ute recorded on December 7, 1855, in re- 
 gard to the cleaning of the interior of the 
 courthouse, indicates that Bell had ob- 
 sei'ved a notice to finish his contract. Sam- 
 uel Marks was appointed clerk for that 
 year. 
 
 In January, 1856, the commissioners re- 
 appointed Samuel Marks, clerk, E. McJvm- 
 kin, attorney, and John MeCollough, bell- 
 ringer. In August,- Architect Barr and 
 Contractor Bell met with the commission- 
 ers and made the final settlement for the 
 construction of the new courthouse. 
 
 General dissatisfaction seemed to exist 
 over the affairs of the Northwestern Rail- 
 road Company, and in February, 1857. 
 
106 
 
 HISTORY OF BITTLP]R COUNTY 
 
 John Graham was appointed agent of the 
 county and ordered to visit Philadelphia 
 to attend a meeting of the directors of the 
 Northwestern Railroad, on March 3d, and 
 find out the condition and policy of that 
 corporation. Little satisfaction was ob- 
 tained at this meeting, and towards the 
 latter part of the year the members of the 
 board visited the directors at Pittsburg. 
 On March 11th of that year Contractor 
 Bell was given a warrant for the final pay- 
 ment of work done on the courthouse. 
 Samuel P. Irvine was appointed clerk. 
 
 Anxiety about the intentions of the rail- 
 road company prevailed in 1858 and occu- 
 pied considerable time of the county com- 
 missioners. Bridges at Evansburg, Black's 
 mill, Bovard's mill, and Zelienople were 
 i-e)3aired or built during the year, and 
 mention is made of a law suit in which the 
 commmissioners were interested, being 
 tried at Pittsburg. Subsequently the case 
 is referred to as Duberry vs. William Har- 
 bison, Charles McClung, and Butler Coun- 
 ty. 
 
 In ISGO tlie board was composed of 
 William Harbison. Charles INlcClung, and 
 Thomas McNfCse. Sanuiel P. liviue was 
 reappointed clei-k, and appointed attorney 
 for the board. Irvine resigned the clerk- 
 ship in August, and Samuel Marks was 
 appointed. 
 
 The board in 1861 was composed of 
 Matthew Greer, Thomas McNeese, and 
 Charles MeClung. William S. Jack was 
 api)()Jiited clerk, and John 'M. Thompson 
 attorney. On April 30tli Jack resigned and 
 enlisted for service in the war, and John 
 H. Niblock was appointed his successor as 
 clerk. 
 
 The board in 1862 was Abner Bartley, 
 Matthew Greer, and Thomas McNeese. 
 John H. Niblock was reappointed clerk, 
 but resigned in March, and Harvey Col- 
 bert of Butler was appointed his successor 
 and continued in the office until the close 
 of 1866. Early in 1862 mention is made of 
 the relief work of the board, and on Julv 
 
 olst of the commissioners agreeing to give 
 each volunteer in three companies of nine 
 months' men,. $25.00 each as soon as mus- 
 tered in. On August 26th this bounty was 
 paid to the soldiers of Capt. Anderson's 
 company. In October, John M. Thompson 
 having resigned to enter the United States 
 service, Charles McCandless was chosen 
 attorney. Commissioner Greer attended 
 the court of Pittsburg for several days 
 during this year in the matter of the rail- 
 road suit, and was credited with 209 days' 
 service from January 1 to December 31, 
 together with 36 days' service in 1861, as 
 against 477 days of Mr. McNeese. 
 
 DISPUTE or BOUNTY CLAIMS. 
 
 The payment of bounties to soldiers ap- 
 pears to have been the cause of trouble in 
 1863, when certain citizens who resided 
 near the line of Lawrence County, suc- 
 ceeded in imposing on the commissioners 
 of Butler County, and were paid bounties 
 they did not deserve. In April, 1863, a 
 meeting of the commissioners of Lawrence 
 and Butler Counties was held to settle 
 some dis]iuted jioints about soldiers' boun- 
 ties, and detoimine on which side of the 
 line certain claimants for bounty lived. 
 To avoid further trouble in the matter it 
 was suggested that on whichever side of 
 the line the home was, the land could be 
 assessed in that county, and the soldier 
 paid the bounty from the treasury of that 
 county. A meeting was held at Porters- 
 ville, September 17th to fix the boundary 
 line, when Messrs. Sutton, Wilson, Greer 
 and Bartley were appointed to take the 
 southern end of the line and James For- 
 rest, Thomas McNeese and Harvey Colbert 
 the northern end. Samuel Leason was 
 elected commissioner to succeed Thomas 
 McNeese in October, and with commis- 
 sioners Bartley and Greer brought the 
 business of the year and the boundary line 
 question to a satisfactory close. 
 
 No changes were made in the appoint 
 ments for 1864, and in February a tax 
 
AND REPKESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 107 
 
 oi' lifteen mills on assessed value of prop- 
 erty was authorized; being four mills 
 for county purposes, three mills for state 
 purposes, and eight mills for railroad 
 charges. The auditors for the year 1864 
 apparently did not associate the 314-day 
 services charge by the commissioner's 
 clerk with the increased work of the times ; 
 but the commissioners did. At the close 
 of their report auditors John H. Cratty, 
 Vi'. H. H. Riddle and Simeon Nixon made 
 the following note: "AVe, the undersigned 
 auditors of Butler County, having exam- 
 ined the foregoing account of the commis- 
 sioners' clerk of Butler County, do report 
 that Congress must either make more days 
 in the year, or we shall compel the com- 
 missioners to commute his rations." The 
 commissioners evidently did not agree 
 with the auditors, for Harvey Colbert was 
 reappointed clerk two days after the re- 
 port was tiled. The report of taxables in 
 the county for 1864 showed that there were 
 216 citizens of the county assessed live per 
 cent, of their incomes under the law pro- 
 viding for an income tax. A. C. Christy 
 was elected a member of the board in Oc- 
 tober, 1864. 
 
 Under date of March 15, 1865, a minute 
 was entered which recalls a tragic na- 
 tional event. It reads as follows : "Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, president of the United 
 States, was shot last night in Wasliington 
 City by an assassin, and died this morning 
 — requiescat in pace." 
 
 The fight against the railroad company 
 was carried on this year by commission- 
 ers Bartley and Leason. In October Will- 
 iam Dick was elected commissioner to suc- 
 ceed Abner Bartley. 
 
 In January, 1866, the commissioners re 
 appointed the old officers, but in the latter 
 part of the month Clerk Harvey Colbert 
 resigned, and George W. Kneiss was ap- 
 pointed to succeed him. In November a 
 vacancy was caused in the office of county 
 treasurer by the death of W. E. Moore, and 
 
 J. Christy Moore, of Center Township, 
 was appointed to fill the vacancy. 
 
 The tax rate of 1866 was eight mills, or 
 nine mills lower than the rate of 1865. 
 This rate was continued for 1867. 
 
 In May, 1867, the commissioners re- 
 ceived bids for the erection of a new jail 
 and sheriff's residence, and on June 14th 
 the contract was awarded to S. G. Purvis 
 & Company of Butler. There were no 
 changes made in the appointments this 
 year. Charles Hoffman was elected com- 
 missioner at the October election. 
 
 At the meeting of the board in January, 
 1868, the clerk's salary was placed at 
 .$700 and the attorney's was still held down 
 to $25; but the bell-ringer had his pay in- 
 creased to $150. James M. Lowe was the 
 commissioner elected in October. 
 
 The new commissioner elected in 1869 
 was John S. Campbell. In September of 
 that year George Kneiss resigned as clerk 
 and Thomas B. White was appointed to fill 
 the vacancy. On November 6th of this 
 year the board elected a president in the 
 person of Charles Hoffman, he being the 
 first to serve under that title. One of the 
 transactions of the commissioners for the 
 year was to discard the old digest pur- 
 chased in 1804, and to purchase a new edi- 
 tion of Purdon for the office. 
 
 The transaction of the commissioners in 
 'January appears to have been fixing a tax 
 levy of seven mills and awarding the con- 
 tracts for printing the auditor's report to 
 John H. Negley for $50. Railroad matters 
 came up again in February, and in that 
 month the commissioners borrowed from 
 the First National Bank for ninety days 
 the sum of $1,500, and in March a warrant 
 for $116,798 was is.«ued to Robinson, 
 banker, for railroad bonds and coupons. 
 This transaction seems to close the busi- 
 ness between the commissioners and the 
 old Northwestern Railroad Company. In 
 November, James Lowe was chosen presi- 
 dent of the board, and before the close of 
 
108 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the year W. H. Black was appointed attor- 
 ney, and the clerk and bell-ringer were re- 
 appointed. An estimate of the expendi- 
 tures for the current year was placed at 
 $40,000. 
 
 In April, 1871, Thomas B. White re- 
 signed as clerk to the commissioners to 
 become postmaster of Butler, and William 
 J J. Spear succeeded him as clerk. In June 
 the commissioners had imder considera- 
 tion the claims of John M. Thompson and 
 Charles McCandless for defending Butler 
 County in the case of Lawrence County vs. 
 Butler County growing out of the subscrip- 
 tion of the Northwestern Railroad Com- 
 l^anv. The claim, which was a bill for a 
 fee "of $10,000, was finally tabled until 
 "equitably adjusted either by law or com- 
 promise." In July when the trial was re- 
 sumed, James Bredin was employed to 
 represent Butler County, the consideration 
 being a fee of $500 and traveling expenses. 
 
 The use of iron in the superstructure of 
 hiidgcs in the county is first mentioned in 
 tlie tiaiisaction of the commissioners in re- 
 gard to liridge work in 1872. The records 
 say tliat the new iron bridge in Cherry 
 Township was completed in October and 
 an iron Imdge at Harmony near tCnslen's 
 was also finished. 
 
 The commissioners appear to have led 
 a strenuous life during 1872. Part of the 
 trouble was caused by a threat to proceed 
 according to law against collectors who 
 neglected to pay off their tax duplicates 
 before January 1, 1872. On January 8th, 
 a record is made that every one having 
 business with the office had fault to find 
 with everyone and everything. Mention is 
 made at this time of the overseers of the 
 poor and from the entry it appears that 
 the poor people of the county were sent to 
 Dixmont Hospital in Allegheny County. 
 In March, the financial embarrassment of 
 the county treasury was relieved by an 
 unexpected draft from Harrisburg, which 
 enabled the commissioners to lift an over- 
 due note of $600 held by Mrs. S. C. Sulli- 
 
 van. In June it appears that one-half the 
 jurors were excused and the conamission- 
 ers hurried payments to them, saying, 
 "they are no use here — the sooner they 
 are discharged the better for the county." 
 On the 22nd of June an entry states that 
 on the previous day the hardest rain that 
 the oldest citizens remember of had fallen 
 in the southwestern part of the county, 
 taking away bridges and doing much dam- 
 age to fences and grain. Heavy rains in 
 August of that year damaged bridges and 
 delayed the rebuilding of those that had 
 already been destroyed by the floods in 
 June. 
 
 It would appear from an entry made on 
 October 29th, that the residents of Clear- 
 field Township were keeping up the Irish 
 reputation as lovers of a strenuous life 
 and combat. After settling with the wit- 
 nesses in attendance at court, the commis- 
 sioners caused the following entry to be 
 made on the minute book : ' ' The witnesses 
 are all from Clearfield, and a hard set 
 of fellows they are to get along with." 
 And again under date of October .31, 
 "Court in session. Trying Dutchman for 
 burning a barn near Saxonburg ; found him 
 guilty, being out only fifteen minutes." 
 
 The matter of the $10,000 fee for legal 
 services claimed by Thompson and Mc- 
 Candless was under consideration in this 
 month, and on December 22nd arbitrators 
 were appointed. On the 28tli of Decem- 
 ber Judge Kerr, James F. Robinson and 
 Judge Mitchell met under the appoint- 
 ment, but nothing was accomplished. Rob- 
 ert Barron became a member of the board 
 in November, 1872, and on the 25th of the 
 month John B. McQuistion was appointed 
 clerk to fill the vacancy caused by the 
 death of William L. Spear, which occurred 
 on November 24th. 
 
 The board in 187.3 was composed of 
 James P. Christley, Robert Barron, and 
 Benjamin F. Garvin. The most important 
 item of business transacted was the carry- 
 ing out of the order of court made in Sep- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 109 
 
 tember, to have all books and dockets re- 
 bound, and such dockets as were mutilated 
 transcribed and bound. In order to meet 
 payment of bills and current expenses, a 
 temporary loan of $2,448 from John Berg 
 & Company, with the understanding that 
 the money was to remain in the bank "to 
 be drawn out as needed." 
 
 The board in 1874 was composed of 
 Jolm C. Riddle, James P. Christley and 
 Robert Barron. E. J. Cratty was ap- 
 pointed clerk to succeed John B. McQuis- 
 tion, and Thomas Robinson as attorney to 
 succeed W. H. Black. The business of the 
 commissioner's office for the year appears 
 to have been unimportant and consisted of 
 routine work. 
 
 James C. Donaldson was the new mem- 
 ber elected in 1875, and was the last officer 
 elected under the old law, which required 
 one commissioner to be elected each year. 
 At the meeting of the board held in Feb- 
 ruary, I. S. P. DeWolf was chosen clerk at 
 a salary of $700 per year, and Clarence 
 Walker, attorney, at $40 per annum. In 
 June, George Maxwell of Center Town- 
 ship was appointed clerk to succeed De- 
 Wolf. Affairs about the courthouse were 
 enlivened on the night of October 18th, 
 by an attempt made by burglars to blow 
 up the safe in the treasurer's office. The 
 attempt proved a failure, in so far as get- 
 ting the safe doors open was concerned, 
 and the force of the explosion wrecked the 
 inside of the office. As a consequence of 
 the damage to the doors of the safe, pay- 
 ment of warrants was checked for a few 
 days until experts could be sent for and 
 the doors of the safe opened. The bur- 
 glars were never apprehended. 
 
 Under the new law, which provided for 
 the election of three commissioners to 
 serve for three years and for minority rep- 
 resentation on the board, the following 
 were cliosen at the fall election held in No- 
 vember, 1875, and qualified on the first 
 Monday of Janiiary, 1876, to serve until 
 the first Mondav of January, 1879 : Rob- 
 
 ert Barron, J. T. Donaldson, and William 
 A. Christy. Samuel McClymonds was ap- 
 pointed clerk for the term of three years. 
 
 In March tlie dispute about the treas- 
 urer's salary for the year was in progress, 
 the board offering $2,250, believing that 
 this was the legal interpretation of the 
 court's decision in the matter. The case 
 was appealed to the Supreme Court and 
 that tribunal decided in favor of the treas- 
 urer, fixing the salary on the percentage 
 basis. In June, 1876, the removal of the 
 old courthouse cupola was decided upon, 
 and a new one fitted as a clock tower or- 
 dered to be constructed. The clock for 
 this structure was not to cost more than 
 $900, of which the county was to pay $300 
 and the borough of Butler $600. 
 
 In January, 1879, the board of commis- 
 sioners was composed of J. C. Donaldson. 
 James Gribben and Jonathan Mayburry. 
 Samuel McClymonds was reappointed 
 clerk, and H. W. Nichols was appointed 
 janitor, or bell-ringer, to succeed the vet- 
 eran janitor, John McColIough. Clarence 
 Walker was reappointed counsel. 
 
 The board in 1882 was' composed of 
 Charles Cochran. George W. Hays and 
 James Collins. At the election held in 
 November, 1881, T. I. Wilson was chosen 
 minority member of the board, but nm 
 death occurring prior to January, Collins 
 was appointed to fill the vacancy. Samuel 
 T. Marshall was appointed clerk and 
 Thomas Robinson, attorney, and the com- 
 mission of the treasurer, J. H. Miller, was 
 fixed at four per cent, of all money paid 
 out to the amount of $55,000, and one-half 
 per cent, of any sum over that amount. 
 The courthouse having burned down in 
 December, 1883, the commissioners at a 
 meeting held in March, 1884, levied a tax 
 of five mills for county purposes and two 
 mills for building purposes. In June of 
 this year, Architect J. P. Bailey was al- 
 lowed four per cent, for plans, specifica- 
 tions and superintendence of the proposed 
 new courthouse, and in August the pro 
 
110 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ceeds of the insurance on the old building, 
 amounting to $23,500, were set apart for 
 the new building, together with about $19,- 
 500 from the duplicate tax list of 1884, 
 and two mills per cent, on duplicate for en- 
 suing six years. In December, 1884, the 
 board authorized the issue of $65,000 in 
 bonds in blocks of $6,000 annually, the in- 
 terest not to exceed four per cent. The 
 commissioners do not seem to have been 
 unanimous on the bond proposition, as Mr. 
 Collins voted against it. The contract for 
 the erection of the courthouse was awarded 
 to R. B. Taylor on the 2ud of December 
 and on the 3rd of the month the sum of 
 $21,933.33 was received from the insurance 
 company, together with $329 interest. 
 
 An item of importance at this time was 
 the order of Judge Hazen to have the old 
 record book rebound and copies made of 
 those that had been mutilated. 
 
 The commissioners who qualified on Jan- 
 uarj^ 5, 1885, were J. C. Bredin, John C. 
 Kelly, and J. M. Turner. Robert N. Em- 
 ery was appointed clerk in January, but 
 resigned in March and was succeeded by 
 F. M. Shira. Dr. Linn, who was appointed 
 first county physician in 1879, was reap- 
 pointed in 1885. S. F. Bowser was ap- 
 pointed attorney. The principal business 
 of the commissioners for the year was the 
 completion of the courthouse, and routine 
 office work. Gas was introduced as fuel in 
 the public offices for the first time, and the 
 commissioners seem to have had some 
 doubt about the ultimate success of the 
 venture, for they state in their records 
 that the new fuel was taken on trial. Rob- 
 ert N. Emery, who resigned as clerk in 
 March, was afterwards appointed court- 
 house watchman, and in February, 1886, 
 Samuel T. Marshall was reelected clerk to 
 succeed F. M. Sliira. Nothing of impor- 
 tance was recorded during the remainder 
 of this term. 
 
 The new board, in January, 1888, was 
 composed of A. J. Hutchison, John C. 
 Kelly, and B. M. Duncan. Samuel T. Mar- 
 
 shall was reelected clerk, Newton Black 
 attorney, and Samuel Graham jail physi- 
 cian. 
 
 On January 7, 1889, Enos McDonald was 
 chosen clerk to succeed Samuel T. Mar- 
 shall, and on the 10th of January, 1890, 
 John Humphrey was appointed commis- 
 sioner to succeed John C. Kelly, who had 
 resigned. 
 
 The board in 1891 was composed of John 
 Humphrey, Samuel T. Marshall and J. C. 
 Kiskaddon. On the 2nd of February, 
 Isaac Meals was elected clerk, and served 
 through the term of three years. 
 
 The board in 1894 was composed of S. 
 W. McCollough, Richard Kelly, and 
 George W. Wilson. Isaac Meals was re- 
 elected clerk. Richard Kelly died in the 
 latter part of July, 1895, and John IMitchell 
 was appointed to fill the vacancy. 
 
 In January, 1894, the board of commis-- 
 sioners was composed of S. W. McCol- 
 lough, Richard Kelly, and George W. Wil- 
 son. The appointments made by the board 
 were Isaac Meals, clerk; Adam Kamerer, 
 janitor; J. M. Painter, attorney; and Dr. 
 J. W. Miller, jail physician. Dr. Miller 
 died during the latter part of the year, and 
 Dr. S. M. BipjDus of Butler, was appointed 
 to fill the vacancy, and reappointed in Jan- 
 uary, 1895. There were no changes in the 
 api^ointments in 1896 and the board closed 
 its work in December of that year with a 
 good record. 
 
 The board was organized in Januarv, 
 1897, with John Mitchell, president; D. H. 
 Sutton, secretary; and Harmon Seaton 
 composing the third member of the board. 
 J. C. Kiskaddon was appointed chief clerk 
 and L. E. Shira, transcribing clerk ; George 
 E. Robinson was appointecl attorney, and 
 Dr. S. M. Bippus was reappointed jail 
 physician. Adam Kamerer was contin- 
 ued as courthouse janitor in 1897 and 1898, 
 and in January, 1899, Dr. J. W. F. Moore 
 was appointed jail physician. Adam Kam- 
 erer, the courthouse janitor, died in 1898, 
 and was succeeded by Hugh Morgan. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 111 
 
 The rebuilding of the county jail in 1898, 
 the purchase of the county farm, and the 
 erection of the buildings thereon, in 1899, 
 occupied the attention of this board for a 
 greater part of their time, and these duties 
 were discliarged with a fidelity that reflect 
 much credit on the individual members of 
 the board. 
 
 In January, 1900, the board was com- 
 posed of John W. Gillespie, J. J. McGar- 
 vey, and John A. Eichert. J. C. Kiskad- 
 don was reappointed clerk. Porter Lowry 
 attorney for three years, at a salary of 
 $400 per year, and Hugh Morgan, janitor 
 of the courthouse. The most important 
 business transacted by the board during 
 the year was the completion of the build- 
 ing at the County Home, and the installing 
 of the inmates. In January, 1901, the 
 board appointed Joseph Graham superin- 
 tendent of the County Home at an annual 
 salary of $500, Mrs. Joseph Graham, ma- 
 tron, 'at a salary of $300, and Dr. A. M. 
 Neynian, physician, at an annual salary 
 of $225. The tax levy for this year was 
 four and three-fourths mills for county 
 purposes, and one and three-fourths mills 
 for the expenses of the poor district, and 
 the pajTuent of bonds and interest on the 
 County Home. 
 
 On June 25th, 1902, Solomon Dunbar 
 was appointed commissioner to fill the va- 
 cancy caused by the death of John W. Gil- 
 lespie. 
 
 The commissioners who qualified on the 
 1st of January, 1903, were James L. Pat- 
 terson, Robert McClung, and Greer Mc- 
 Candless. The appointments made by the 
 board at their first meeting were as fol- 
 lows: E. L. Ralston, attorney for the 
 term of three years, at an annual salary of 
 $400; J. C. Kiskaddou was reappointed 
 clerk at a salary of $800 per year; E. A. 
 McPherson, janitor of the courthouse; Dr. 
 L. R. Hazlett, jail physician, and Miss 
 Laura B. McClung and Mary J. Patterson, 
 transcribing clerks. 
 
 Dr. A. M. Neyman was reappointed phy- 
 
 sician of the County Home, and the salary 
 increased to $400 per year; Joseph Gra- 
 ham was reappointed superintendent, Mrs. 
 Graham, matron, and ]\Iiss Mary Graham, 
 assistant matron. S. ^I. Wright was ap- 
 pointed engineer. 
 
 In January, 1904, Dr. L. R. Hazlett was 
 appointed physician to the County Home 
 at a salary of $400 per year ; Howard Gra- 
 ham was appointed farmer at a salary of 
 $25 per month; Jennie Wilson, laundress 
 at a salary of $5 per week ; Sadie English, 
 cook, at a salary of $1 per day ; and S. M. 
 Wright was continued as engineer. Dr. . 
 W. B. Clark was appointed jail physician, 
 and Miss McGlung and Miss Patterson 
 were continued as transcribing clerks in 
 the commissioners' office. 
 
 On the 2nd of January, 1905, the com- 
 missioners in the minutes of their meeting 
 noted the death of Robert McClung, one 
 of their members. On the 14tli of the 
 month Jolm T. Kelly was appointed to fill 
 the vacancy. 
 
 James Scott was appointed farmer at 
 the County Home and Edward Sloan was 
 continued as engineer. With these excep- 
 tions the officials appointed the previous 
 year were continued. On account of the 
 increased clerical work in the cormnission- 
 eis' office, caused by the county poor dis- 
 trict and the County Home, the salary of 
 the commissioners' clerk was increased 
 this year to $950. 
 
 William Seibert, N. S. (Jrossman, and 
 G. F. Easley qualified as commissioners in 
 1906, and composed the board at the close 
 of 1908. The appointments made by the 
 l)oard in January, 1906, were Robert K. 
 Grossman, clerk; James B. Mcjunkin, at- 
 torney; Dr. MeCurdy Bricker, physician 
 to the County Home ; Dr. W. J. Grossman, 
 jail physician ; Laura McClung, Irene Eas- 
 ley, and Emma Seibert, transcribing 
 clerks in the commissioners' office; E. A. 
 McPherson, janitor of the courthouse ; and 
 Harry Grieb, caretaker of the courthouse 
 clock. The appointment of su}ierintend- 
 
112 
 
 liisToin OK p.ijtlp:k county 
 
 eiit of tlir County Home was passed over 
 until l''cl)iiiaiy 1, and 0. W. Stoughton 
 was ajipointed superintendent at a salary 
 of ^iu)t\ ])er year, and. Mrs. O. W. Stough- 
 ton, matron, at a salary of $350. Dr. Mc- 
 Curdy Bricker died in the early part of 
 1908,'and Dr. ,J. C. Caldwell was appointed 
 ))hysi('ian to tlie County Home to fdl the 
 vacancy. 
 
 A lar.^c amount of business was trans- 
 acted l>y the board of eoimnissioners dur- 
 ing tlie term, including the repairs on the 
 courthouse, a large amount of bridge work, 
 and the macadamizing of a number of pub- 
 lic roads under the direction of the State 
 Highway Department. The first petition 
 for improved roads under the new law was 
 filed with the county commissioners March 
 6, 1906, and was for a road in Mercer 
 Township, but the first work done was on 
 the Three Degree Road leading from the 
 Plank Road to Bredinville, south of Butler, 
 in 190(). Since that time the Franklin 
 Road has been completed in Center Town- 
 ship, a road to Buffalo Township, two 
 roads in Mercer Township, a road from 
 Valencia to the Allegheny County line, and 
 three miles of the Butler and New Castle 
 road in Butler Township. The record of 
 the present board is one of hard work and 
 a faithful performance of their public duty. 
 
 Previous to 1890 the county commission- 
 ers were paid a salary of $2.50 per day, 
 for each day they were actively engaged in 
 the duties of their office. In the latter 
 year the General Assembly passed an act 
 increasing the pay of these officers to $3.50 
 per day, and in 1906 a new act went into 
 effect which fixed the salary of the com- 
 missioners at $1,200 per year. 
 
 1804 AND 1908 COMPARED. 
 
 The tax duplicates issued by the county 
 commissioners in April, 1804, amounted 
 to $1,475.81, distributed among the four 
 townshi])s. In 1905, the tax lew amounted 
 to $2,798,021/,. distributed among the thir- 
 
 teen townships, as shown in the table given 
 in this chapter. In 1906, the number of 
 taxables given in the county was 1,644, 
 and the tax levy was $4,116.30, distributed 
 among the thirteen townships as given in 
 the table published in 1906. The total val- 
 uation of taxable property is not given in 
 any of the transactions of the commis- 
 sioners' office, but it did not exceed $400,- 
 000 during any of these years. 
 
 In the table given below will be found 
 the number of taxables, the total value of 
 all taxable property, the amount of money 
 at interest, and the value of all taxable 
 real estate in the county, given by town- 
 ships, for the year 1908. It must be re- 
 membered, however, that the valuation of 
 real estate for taxable purposes in the 
 county rarely exceeds 50 per cent, of the 
 market or cash value, and that the real 
 value of the real estate in the county ap- 
 proximates forty-six to fifty million dol- 
 lars. The table below is taken from the 
 return made by the coimty commissioners 
 to the secretary of the commonwe'alth in 
 1908: 
 
 1908. 
 
 Total Value 
 
 Number of all Monev Value of all 
 
 of Tax- Taxable at Real Estate 
 
 ables. Property. Interest. Taxable. 
 
 .\dams Tp 412$ 420,260,$ 132,830$ 395,076 
 
 Alleghen.v Tp 339 294,819 22,544 266,722 
 
 Buffalo Tp 425 516,243 55,262 493,306 
 
 Butler Tp 1,028 905,259 127,986 846,955 
 
 Brad.T Tp 187 178,978 30,667 167,608 
 
 Clinton Tp 326 470,730 70,031 442,542 
 
 Cla.v Tp 444 418,235 63,114 287,107 
 
 Center Tp 310 414,687 32,730 388,836 
 
 Clearfield Tp 316 343,042 32,237 322,809 
 
 Cherry Tp 349 315,055 32,102 293,203 
 
 Cranberry Tp 310 466,724 164,514 442,603 
 
 Connoqueness 1 n g 
 
 Tp 345 360,782 87,084 335,770 
 
 Concord Tp 437 430,648 146,960 391,723 
 
 Donegal Tp 453 355,749 59,340 326,809 
 
 Forward Tp 353 421,029 211,791 400,.329 
 
 Fairviow Tp 494 378,412 77,660 342,844 
 
 Franklin Tp 311 349,174 39,843 325,451 
 
 .Tefferson Tp 429 531,907 127,574 496,855 
 
 .Jackson Tp 424 489,524 133,855 456,777 
 
 Lancaster Tp 295 351,702 49,442 329,406 
 
 Marion Tp 330 266,926 36,127 246,098 
 
 Mercer Tp 219 220,791 41,916 200,139 
 
 Middlesex Tp.... 427 492,511 216,229 449,396 
 
 Muddy Creek Tp.. 258 296.161 9.413 281,864 
 
 Oakland Tp 342 372,031 72,255 35.3.033 
 
 Penn Tp 545 529,761 202,343 480,821 
 
 Parker Tp 338 283,037 21,534 260,315 
 
 Summit Tp 520 541,148 113,898 509,613 
 
 Slippery Rock Tp.. 486 437,335 39,437 397,885 
 
 Venango Tp 464 307,765 39,099 274.7.58 
 
 Washington Tp... 563 428,310 78,670 383,315 
 
AND RKPRESKNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 113 
 
 WiuBeld Tp. . . 
 
 . . . 4S1 
 
 0.>S,S49 
 
 159,902 
 
 .^00.018 
 
 Worth Tp 
 
 . . . 275 
 
 :i»S,423 
 
 38,599 
 
 
 Bulh-r lioi-ough 
 
 ... 7,010 
 
 8.087,412 
 
 1,724,669 8 
 
 .-I'u'.r.'M 
 
 Bnliii V.n,;.... 
 
 188 
 
 90.527 
 
 24,184 
 
 
 l:ii 
 
 89,775 
 
 17,941 
 
 78.350 
 
 Call'i\ l;-!" 
 
 V2-i 
 
 53,412 
 
 
 45.433 
 
 En ill ■; li. 1;. V. 
 
 441 
 
 266,727 
 
 losiisi 
 
 231.237 
 
 
 124 
 
 79,526 
 
 17,103 
 
 08,390 
 
 
 106 
 
 42,384 
 
 20,574 
 
 34.474 
 
 ii:<: :• i.' 
 
 2B3 
 
 103,418 
 
 84,615 
 
 143.293 
 
 11,11- .-. ,.!• r-i 
 
 130 
 
 88.570 
 
 144,153 
 
 73.830 
 
 K:ll;i- ' r. . i... 
 
 125 
 
 51,560 
 
 21,620 
 
 44.064 
 
 CUi.-i.i r...... 
 
 208 
 
 214,543 
 
 293,008 
 
 177.150 
 
 M;ii- pH-i-.i, 
 
 455 
 
 354,773 
 
 106,910 
 
 320,853 
 
 rr.,.|i-l l-r- 
 
 163 
 
 86,745 
 
 69,066 
 
 73.710 
 
 Po;l r-vi;i' i;. 
 
 1., 6(i 
 
 61,136 
 
 22.803 
 
 54.170 
 
 i'uli-l.a i;..,-,'. 
 
 . 141 
 
 61,001 
 
 27,819 
 
 48.821 
 
 "v;, !;:'■,'"' 
 
 ,'. .' :5()4 
 
 210,769 
 
 171,105 
 
 182.702 
 
 Sax.iMii.ii- r.nr, 
 
 ... 101 
 
 126,213 
 
 124.958 
 
 11-3.248 
 
 Val.ii, ia r.i.ro. . 
 
 105 
 
 78,380 
 
 36,447 
 
 72.993 
 
 West S n n b u 
 
 r y 
 
 
 
 
 Boro 
 
 . . . 100 
 
 66,638 
 
 18,980 
 
 38,855 
 
 ,Wo St L i D e 1- 
 
 
 
 
 
 Uoro 
 
 ,^ 78 
 
 62,889 
 
 7,382 
 
 37,447 
 
 Zelienoplo I'.oi-j 
 
 . . . 465 
 
 393,271 
 
 235,220 
 
 357,941 
 
 Total 
 
 ...25,229 $ 
 
 24,855,792 
 
 $6,456,366 $23. 
 
 ,119.696 
 
 The number of acres of cleared land in 
 the county in 1908, 398,903; number of 
 acres of timber land, 77,316 ; value of real 
 estate, exempt from taxation, $1,806,815; 
 number of horses and mules, 10,624 ; value 
 of horses and mules, $577,208; number of 
 neat cattle, 11,480; value of neat cattle, 
 $207,773 ; value of salaries and emoluments 
 of office, $971,115; value of stages and 
 omnibuses, $4,142 ; amount of tax assessed 
 for county purposes in 1908, $99,425; ag- 
 gregate amount of state tax assessed, 
 $25,842. 
 
 commissioners' clekks. 
 On the 16th of November, 1803, David 
 Dougal was appointed clerk to the county 
 commissioners and served until January, 
 1808; since that time the following ap- 
 pointments have been made : Walter Low- 
 rie, 1808-9-10 and 11; Robert Scott. 1812- 
 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20; Thomas McCleary 
 was appointed in 1821 and his salary fixed 
 at $100 for the year; Robert Scott was 
 again appointed in 1822 and 1823; John 
 Welsh in 1824; William Gibson in 1825; 
 Campbell Purviance in 1827; Christian 
 Mechling, 1828 and 1829; Mechling re- 
 signed February 17, 1829, and Nelson Pur- 
 viance was appointed at a salary of $50; 
 
 1S;U)-31 and 32 Nelson Purviance filled the 
 api)oiutment, beginning at a salary of $90 
 per year, which in the latter year was in- 
 creased to $1 per day; William Campbell 
 was appointed for the years 1833-34 and 
 35. His salary was at first $70 per year, 
 the second year it was $1 per day, and the 
 third year $1.25 ]Der day. Jacob Zeigler 
 was appointed in 1836; George W. Zeig- 
 ler in 1840; William Timbliu, 1841; A. S. 
 McBride, 1842-43-44; John Bredin, Jr., 
 1845; George W. Crozier in 1847; James 
 A. McNair, 1851; John Sullivan, 1851-52 
 and 53; Thomas Robinson, 1854; Samuel 
 Marks, 1855-56-57; S. P. Irvine, 1858; W. 
 S. .lack, 1861; John Niblock was appointed 
 in the latter part of 1861 to fill the vacancy 
 caused by the resignation of Jack. In the 
 early part of 1862 Niblock resigned and 
 Harvey Colbert was appointed; Colbert 
 was reappointed in 186.3-64-65-66; George 
 Kneiss, 1867 and 68; in 1869 Thomas B. 
 White. White resigned April 8, 1871, to 
 become postmaster of Butler, and William 
 Spear was appointed to fill the vacancy. 
 Spear died in December, 1872, and J. B. 
 McQuistion was appointed for the re- 
 mainder of that year and for 1873. Eli 
 Cratty in 1874 and 75 ; I. S. P. DeWolf was 
 appointed February 13, 1875, and on May 
 21 J. B. Storey was appointed; Samuel 
 McClymonds, 1876-77-78-79-80 and 81; 
 Samuel T. Marshall 1882-83 and 84; Rob- 
 ert N. Emery, 1885, resigned in March and 
 F. M. Shira was appointed. Samuel T. 
 Marshall, 1886-87 and 88, resigned in De- 
 cember and Enos McDonald was ap- 
 pointed; 1889, and 1890, Enos McDonald; 
 1891-92-93-94-95 and 96, Isaac Meals; 
 1897-98-99-1900-1-2-3-4-5, J. C. Kiskaddon ; 
 1906-7 and 1908, Robert K. Grossman. 
 
 CONSCIENCE MONEY. 
 "Happy is the man that keeps a good 
 conscience." The following incident is re- 
 lated by Rev. Loyal Young, deceased, in 
 his book entitled "From Dawn to Dusk," 
 
114 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and wbicli is a record of events that hap- 
 pened in a busy life of fifty years, most of 
 which was spent in Butler. Rev. Young- 
 was pastor of the First Presbyterian 
 Churcli of Butler from 1832 to 1867, and 
 the incident that he relates happened in 
 1850. On his way to prayer meeting on 
 the evening of May 29th of that year, he 
 passed the postoffice and received a letter 
 post marked Cincinnati. The letter was 
 written with a pen, but in imitation of 
 print. On opening the letter Rev. Young 
 found enclosed bank bills amounting to 
 $240. The following note, also in imita- 
 tion of print, was attached to the bill: 
 "Rev. Loyal Young, I am told you are an 
 lionest man. This money belongs to the 
 county of Butler. Pay it to the county 
 treasurer." There was no name signed to 
 the note and no way of identifying the per- 
 son who had sent the money. Rev. Young 
 held the matter under advisement and the 
 following day he handed the money to the 
 county commissioners as the proper 
 medium through which to put it in the pos- 
 session of the treasurer. The commission- 
 ers afterwards handed Rev. Young $10 as 
 a donation for his services in helping to 
 save the county the money. Rev. Young 
 accepted the money with reluctance, but 
 never felt satisfied that he had done so, 
 and his own mind was never completely at 
 ease until he had paid back the money to 
 the county treasurer with interest. He ar- 
 gued in his own mind thus: "If this $240 
 belongs to the county, it all belongs to the 
 county; and though the commissioners 
 have a right in the circumstances to make 
 a donation, the receiver can hardly be jus- 
 tified in retaining a dollar of what the 
 sender of the money desired to go to the 
 county." In writing about the circum- 
 stance Rev. Young concludes with these 
 words: "When a dishonest act has been 
 secretly perpetrated and restitution made, 
 why need any one know it but the perpe- 
 trator and his all seeing Maker?" 
 
 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 
 
 COURTHOUSES. 
 
 B^'rom the organization of the county un- 
 til 1807 the business of the courts was 
 transacted in rented quarters. The ses- 
 sions of the court were held in a log build- 
 ing that stood on the south side of the Dia- 
 mond on the present site of the Nixon 
 Hotel, and the court records and dockets 
 were kept at various houses in the town. 
 In 1807 a brick courthouse was built on the 
 site of the present building. It was a 
 plain, but substantial liuilding, having east 
 and west gables and a wooden cupola in' 
 the center of the roof, in which was hung a 
 bell, which is said to be still doing duty 
 upon one of the churches in Prospect. The 
 original building was in the form of a rect- 
 angle and stood on the property line, fac- 
 ing the east. North and south wings were 
 added, which were used for the county of- 
 fices. The courtroom was on the first floor 
 ■ and was paved with brick. The bar was 
 separated from the audience room by a 
 high wooden partition and a rail that was 
 almost the height of a man's head. The 
 furniture was plain and substantial as be- 
 fitted the time. The north wing of the 
 building was divided into two offices, the 
 one facing Main Street, being occupied by 
 the county commissioners, and that in the 
 rear by the registrar and recorder. These 
 offices had an entrance from ]\Iain Street 
 and from the North Diamond. The south 
 wing was divided in the same way, the 
 front office being occupied by the prothono- 
 tary, and that in the rear by the sheriff. 
 In addition to the Main Street and Dia- 
 mond Street doors, the sheriff's office had 
 a door that opened into the court room 
 inside of the bar. In the rear of the build- 
 ing was a large yard with a brick wall 
 aroimd it, about eight or nine feet high. 
 This yard was .paved with brick and con- 
 tained the coal house and a number of 
 small outbuildings. The second floor of 
 
U. V. CHURCH, -EAU CLAIRE 
 
 HOME OF ALEXANDER HUNTER IN IRELAND 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 117 
 
 the main building was divided into four 
 apartments for the use of the grand jury, 
 jury rooms and waiting rooms. This 
 building was used for school purposes in 
 its early history until school buildings 
 could be provided in the borough. It was' 
 also frequently used for holding relig- 
 ious services by congregations without a 
 regular bouse of worship of their own, and 
 for holding Sunday schools which were or- 
 ganized at an early date. 
 
 The records of the county commission- 
 ers show that on January 6, 1807, the con- 
 tract for erecting this building was let to 
 Alexander Hill, and that from February 
 7, 1807, to September 8, 1809, he was paid 
 the sum of $4,793.34, less $325.27 deducted 
 by the referees for arbitrators to whom 
 the ditferences between himself and the 
 commissioners were submitted. A num- 
 ber of disbursements Avere made in 1824 
 for doors in the jail and courthouse, glaz- 
 ing windows and placing extra irons in 
 and around the jail. Just when the north 
 and south wings were built, it is not defi- 
 nitely known, but old residents of the town 
 who can remember something about the 
 first courthouse say that they were not 
 built until some time after the original 
 building was erected. 
 
 This building answered the purposes of 
 the county until 1851, when the question of 
 erecting new public buildings in Butler was 
 presented to the county. As has always 
 been the case when extensive improve- 
 ments were suggested, the proposition met 
 with some opposition on the part of the 
 tax-payers. The fact that the public build- 
 ings of the county were not located near 
 its geographical center had been the cause 
 of com])]aint on the part of some of the 
 residents in the country districts, and on 
 January 26, 1852, the opponents of the 
 scheme to rebuild the courthouse met at 
 the Associate Reformed Church near West 
 Sunbury, and organized by electing John 
 Miirrin president, Thomas C. Thompson, 
 Capt. James Stewart, Robert MeCandless, 
 
 John Prior, William Carothers, Alexandei- 
 Gallagher, vice-presidents, and George 
 Boyd, J. W. Christy, S. S. Mahard, Allen 
 Wilson and Patrick McBride, secretaries. 
 A series of resolutions were adopted, the 
 gist of which was that were new buildings 
 to be erected, the center of the county 
 should be selected, and the commissioners 
 should be empowered to purchase a tract 
 of land in such central position, and plot 
 the area not required for public purposes 
 into lots. The friends of this proposition 
 saw in it an easy method of obtaining new 
 buildings without increasing taxation ; but 
 they did not consider the vested interests 
 of the people of Butler. This removal of 
 the public building to the center of the 
 county would have located the county seat 
 at or near the present site of Holyoke 
 Church in Center Township, the location 
 originally selected by the committee ap- 
 pointed by the governor of the state in 
 1800 to locate the coimty seats of the new 
 counties that had been erected that year, 
 but which was changed to Butler at the 
 suggestion of the Cunninghams. 
 
 The question of removing the county 
 seat seems to have been seriously consid- 
 ered throughout the county, and on the 
 19th of February, 1852, an anti-removal 
 meeting was held at Butler, which was pre- 
 sided over by John White of Franklin 
 Township. At this meeting it was decided 
 to take active and aggressive measures 
 toward preventing the removal of the 
 county seat to another location and to that 
 end township committees were appointed 
 to olitain signatures to a petition which 
 was to be presented to the legislature on 
 the subject. 
 
 The petition, bearing nmnerous signa- 
 tures, was presented to the legislature, 
 and in May that body passed a bill author- 
 izing the commissioners of Butler County 
 to borrow $20,000, at six per cent, for a 
 period of twenty years to be expended in 
 the erection of public buildings. The act 
 also provided that the lenders of the sum 
 
118 
 
 IliSTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of money meutioned should not be subject 
 to taxation for that sum. This action of 
 the legislature settled the county seat re- 
 moval project for all time, and insured 
 the erection of a new courthouse at Butler. 
 
 After the passage of this bill by the leg- 
 islature and its approval by the governor, 
 the board of commissioners secured the 
 services of Architect Barr, and after- 
 wards, in their official capacity, spent 
 twelve days visiting the county seats of 
 Lawrence, Beaver, Allegheny, Washing- 
 ton, Green, Payette, Blair and Indiana 
 Counties, examining their buildings. As 
 the result of this trip the commissioners 
 decided to build a more imposing and cost- 
 ly edifice than was at first contemplated, 
 and this measure met with more opposition 
 on the part of those who favored the 
 county seat removal scheme. It was ar- 
 gued by the opposition that a much 
 clieaper building would answer the pur- 
 pose just as well and that a great amount 
 of money would thus be saved to the tax- 
 payers. Nevertheless bids were received 
 for the proposed building, and on July 16, 
 1852, the contract was awarded to William 
 Bell for $37,000. This amount was in- 
 creased by extras to $40,000. After its 
 completion the new courthouse was re- 
 garded as one of the largest and best pub- 
 lie buildings in western Pennsylvania, and 
 remained the pride of the county for more 
 than a third of a century. 
 
 Work on the new building was com- 
 inciiced in 1853, but it was not completed 
 until 1855. During the period of construc- 
 tion of the new courthouse, court was held 
 in the basement story of the old Presbyte- 
 rian Church on East Jefferson Street, and 
 the county officers had their quarters in 
 various parts of the town. A writer in the 
 Butler Eagle in the latter part of the eight-, 
 ies thus describes the courthouse of 1853: 
 
 "It was built of excellent materials, native sandstone 
 and brick, the stone work being cut in a substantial man- 
 ner, and of a style of architecture which possessed great 
 dignity and beauty. The Goddess of Liberty with scales 
 so delicately balanced in her right hand and the sword 
 
 of .Justice in the other so ingeniously carved on the front 
 gable was suggestive and the statue of Gen. Eichard 
 Butler, who fell at St. Clair's defeat in 1791 and after 
 whom the town and county were named, was admired by 
 all who viewed the structure. So much was this statue 
 prized that when it became necessary to remove the 
 building somewhat, it was carefully lowered and finally 
 placed on the comb of the roof in front of the improved 
 court house of 1877. This improvement was made in the 
 fall of 1877 under the sujiervision of the then board of 
 commissioners, J. C. Donaldson, Eobert Barrens and 
 W. A. Christy. The improvement cost about .$10,000. It 
 consisted of a new roof and a change in the shape of the 
 ceiling, replastering, frescoing and a modification of 
 the cupola with the addition of a clock. It was much 
 improved in appearance, but was still not large enough 
 for present uses. Malcolm Graham, then of Butler, had 
 the contract. With the purchase of additional buildings 
 for some of the oiBees, it. would have answered the needs 
 of the county for perhaps fifty years. This idea would 
 have lieen probably carried out had the building not 
 been destroyed by fire December 11, 1883." 
 
 The courthouse of 1853 stood back 
 from the property line of the street some 
 distance, and was surrounded by an iron 
 picket fence about six feet high. A simi- 
 lar iron fence at one time surrounded the 
 Diamond Park on the east side of Main 
 Street. At the time of the controversy 
 over the removal of the county building to 
 a central location the population of the 
 county was a little more than thirty thou- 
 sand and the population of Butler borough 
 according to the census of 1850 was 1,148. 
 
 The addition of the town block in the 
 cupola of the courthouse in 1877 was the 
 beginning of a new era in the customs of 
 the people of Butler. Previous to that 
 time the ringing of the courthouse bell at 
 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings called the 
 people to divine services held in the vari- 
 ous (?hurches. This custom had prevailed 
 for many years and the official bell-ringer 
 for probably a quarter of a century was 
 John McCollough, who was janitor of the 
 courthouse, and who is still residing in 
 Butler. The old courthouse bell had a 
 magnificent tone, and on a clear day could 
 be heard nine or ten miles from the town, 
 and after the establishing of the clock in 
 the cupola it was the custom of the country 
 people for four or five miles out of town to 
 set their time-pieces by the striking of the 
 
ANJ) RKPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 119 
 
 hour by the "Town Clock." This bell was 
 destroyed in the fire of December 11, 1883, 
 The custom was not revived after the new 
 t'onrthouse was completed. 
 
 THE COURTHOUSE OF 1884. 
 
 Immediately after the fire of December 
 11, 1883, the commissioners set about to 
 get temioorary quarters for the court and 
 county offices. The basement of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church was secured for the 
 holding of court, and it was so used for 
 the ])alance of the December term of Quar- 
 ter Sessions, which was in session at the 
 time of the fire. The county offices were 
 established in ditferent parts of the town 
 for the time being, oi' until the commis- 
 sioners could provide places for them. 
 After some discussion and examination 
 the English Lutheran Church building, 
 formerly Witherspoon Institute, was 
 leased for a term of two years, and was 
 nccujiied by the court and county officers. 
 
 At the March term of the Quarter Ses- 
 sions Court held in 1884, the first legal 
 step was taken toward the erection of a 
 new courthouse. During the session of 
 the regular term of court the connuission- 
 ers presented ;i |)aper to the court an- 
 nouiiciiiL; the dcsl ruction of the courthouse 
 by fii'c and iircdiiipanied with the state- 
 ment of the financial condition of the 
 county. Jvidge James Bredin, who was 
 then presiding, submitted the question to 
 the grand .jury of which James D. Ander- 
 son, of Penn Township, was foreman. The 
 court amplified his remarks on the subject 
 by suggesting to the grand jui-y the wis- 
 dom of erecting a commodious and substan- 
 tial building. The grand jury in their final 
 presentment to court reported favorably, 
 and advising the county commissioners to 
 proceed with the rebuilding of the court- 
 house with whatever enlargements might 
 be found necessary for tlie aceommodatio]] 
 of the public business and recommending 
 that they avail themselves of the services 
 of experienced architects. In tlieir pre 
 
 seutment, the jury expressed the belief that 
 such a building could be erected at a cost 
 of $85,000. 
 
 The recommendation of the grand jury 
 and the suggestion of an $85,000 building 
 caused opposition, and when the question 
 was again submitted to the grand jury at 
 the June term of court, Judge McJunkin, 
 who was then presiding, discouraged the 
 proposition to erect an expensive building 
 and expressed his views on the subject to 
 the grand jury. This grand jury, of which 
 the late Nathan M. Sfater, of Butler, was 
 the foreman, reported in favor of the new 
 Iniilding, but placed the probable cost at 
 $50,000. Some question having been 
 raised as to the regularity of the drawing 
 of the jury for the March and June ses- 
 sions, nothing further was done until the 
 September court, when the question was 
 again referred to the grand jury, of which 
 Henry Buhl, of Forward Township, was 
 the foreman. This grand jury recom- 
 mended that the new courthouse be built 
 of stone or brick, or sucli materials as the 
 commissioners of the county, after dili- 
 gent search and inquiry of good mechanics 
 and master workmen, think best, and the 
 jury further recommended that the com- 
 missioners use all economy possible in the 
 construction of a durable and sufficient 
 building. 
 
 In the meantime James P. Bailey, of 
 Pittsburg, had been selected as architect 
 and the general plan of the building agreed 
 upon. Three months were occupied in 
 preparing the plans and specifications. 
 Sealed bids were invited by )uil)li<'ation for 
 the erection of the building wliich were 
 opened by S. T. Marshall, clerk of the 
 commissioners, on the 13th day of Septem- 
 ber, 1884, in the courtroom and in the pres- 
 ence of the judges of the court, and a 
 large number of citizens. The bids, of 
 which there were fifteen, ranging from 
 $117,700 to $182,000. were read aloud by 
 Jacob Zeiglei-, of the Butler Herald, and 
 wiM'c transcribed on the conunissioner's 
 
r_>() 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 minute hook by the ch^-k of courts, W. B. 
 Dodds. ■ 
 
 The coniniissioners left the matter open 
 for discussion for some time after the bids 
 were opened, and tliey iinally awarded the 
 contract to R. B. Taylor, who was the low- 
 est bidder and invited him to enter into a 
 contract. Taylor's bid of $117,700 in- 
 cluded all the work except that of fresco- 
 ing, heating apparatus and the furniture 
 for the bench and bar. Nothing was done 
 by the commissioners until the meeting of 
 the December court, when a bill of equity 
 was filed on the part of those who were op- 
 posed to erecting such an expensive build- 
 ing. A preliminary injunction was 
 granted, as prayed for, by Judge McJun- 
 kin, and on their petitions to court, Taylor, 
 the contractor, and Bailey, the architect, 
 were permitted to become co-defendants 
 to the bill with the commissioners. Upon 
 this, rules to show cause were issued and 
 answers were filed. After hearing, the 
 rules Avere made absolute. The December 
 grand jury, of which D. R. Kennedy, of 
 Muddycreek Townslii]i, was foreman, pro- 
 tested against the erection of the court- 
 house on the Bailey plan as being too ex- 
 pensive and extravagant, condemned the 
 stone walls proposed and wanted a fire- 
 proof building erected at the cost of $76.- 
 000. The old board of commissioners re- 
 tired at the close of 1884, and the new 
 board, composed of John M. Turner, of 
 Parker Township; J. C. Bredin, of Clay 
 Township, and John C. Kelly, of Adams 
 Township, took ther seats on the first Mon- 
 day of January, 1885. The litigation over 
 the contract for the new courthouse was re- 
 sumed by Bailey and Taylor, who took out 
 a writ of error and the ease was heard on 
 January 23, 1885, in the Supreme Court, 
 then in session in Philadelphia. After a 
 hearing this tribunal dissolved the injunc- 
 tion granted by the courts of Butler 
 County, at the cost of the plaintiffs. After 
 some further delay the commissioners 
 
 ratified the contract entered into by the 
 old board with Bailey and Taylor. 
 
 Owing to the delay caused by the legal 
 controversy over the letting of the con- 
 tract, work was not begun on the new 
 building until April 6, 1885, and was com- 
 ]ileted in July of the following year. 
 
 COURTHOUSE OF 1908. 
 
 When the new courthouse was completed 
 and occupied in 1885, it was imagined that 
 the county would be amply provided for 
 for at least fifty years. The constant in- 
 crease in population and the consequent 
 increase in business of the court of the 
 county in the last twenty-five years created 
 the necessity of enlarging the quarters of 
 the public officers and providing means for 
 the adequate protection of the county dock- 
 ets and court records. On the 1st of 
 March, 1906, N. S. Grossman, William Sei- 
 bert, and G. F. Easley, county commission- 
 ers, employed J. C. Fulton, of Uniontown, 
 Pennsylvania, as architect to prepare 
 plans and specifications for the remodel- 
 ing and enlargiiig of the courthouse. On 
 March 8, 1907, a contract was let to George 
 Schenck, of Butler, and work was com- 
 menced in the same mouth. The repairs 
 included the moving of the side walls out 
 to the street line, the addition of a third 
 story, a new roof, and the fire-proofing of 
 the vaults in all the offices of the first 
 floor, and in the basement. The total cost 
 of the improvements was about $155,000, 
 to provide for the payment of which, the 
 commissioners issued bonds to the amount 
 of $125,000 on October 1, 1907, and the 
 second issue of bonds on October 1, 1908, 
 to the amount of $30,000. On May 8, 
 1907, the documents of the various offices 
 of the courthouse were removed to the 
 sixth floor of the Butler County National 
 Bank Building, where quarters were pro- 
 vided during the time that the repair work 
 was being done. 
 
 The heating plant in the new building 
 
AND RF.PRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 was installed by the Armstrong Warming 
 and Ventilating Company, of Pittsburg. 
 The decorating was done by the William 
 G. Andrews Decorative Company, of Clin- 
 ton, Iowa; the marble wainscoting and 
 tile floors by the Logan Company, of Pitts- 
 burg; the tire-proofing by the Expanded 
 Metal Fire Proofing Company, of Pitts- 
 burg; the fixtures by the Morreau Gas Fix- 
 ture Manufacturing Company, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio ; the counters by the Art Metal 
 Construction Company, of Jamestown, 
 New York; the furniture by A. H. An- 
 drews Company, of Chicago, 111.; the slate- 
 roofing by Carl Barnard, of Butler, and 
 the gutters and valleys by J. G. & W. 
 Campbell, of Butler. The building was 
 completed and ready for occupancv the 
 middle of October, 1908. 
 
 When the first steps were taken to 
 wards the remodeling of the courthouse in 
 March. 190(), an advisory committee com 
 posed of five members of the bar and two 
 local contractors were appointed to assist 
 the commissioners and architect in prepar- 
 ing the plan and specifications. This com- 
 mittee, which rendered valuable an(^ ac- 
 ceptable services, consisted of Hon. James 
 M. Galbreath, Alexander ^^litchell, Levi M. 
 Wise, Everett L. Ealston. and S. F. Bow- 
 ser, of the bar, and George Schenck and 
 Ed. Weigand, of the local contractors and 
 builders. 
 
 The courthouse of 1908 is an edifice that 
 the i)eople of Butler County can call the 
 attention of the passing stranger to with 
 some pride. The interior is well finished, 
 the decorations beautiful, and the mural 
 paintings illustrating historic place§ and 
 scenes in the county, show an artistic taste 
 in keeping with the, age. The building is 
 well heated, well lighted, and absolutely 
 fire]n-oof. Compared to its predecessors 
 it is a magnificent palace, but yet not out 
 of kee]iing with the dignity and the impor- 
 tant y)osition the county holds in the com- 
 monwealth, and it will long stand as a 
 
 credit to its builders and the public spirit 
 of the citizens of the county. 
 
 COUNTY JAILS. 
 
 According to Brackenridge's "History 
 of Western Pennsylvania, ' ' the first prison 
 in Butler was Bowen's pig-pen, which 
 stood a short distance east of the log house 
 in which the first court of the county was 
 held in 1803._ The first jail of which there 
 is any definite record in the county was 
 built by Abraham Brinker and stood on 
 the corner of South Washington Street 
 and the Vogeley Alley, on the site now oc- 
 cupied by the residence of Mrs. Schultz. 
 This old building was constructed of logs 
 and brick and was used for many years as 
 a cabinet-maker's repair shop, and was 
 only torn down about the beginning of the 
 present century. From the records of the 
 transactions of the county commissioners 
 in 1804, it would appear that work liad 
 been commenced on the public building, 
 for on January 16th a warrant was drawn 
 to Samuel Meals for "iron work on the 
 public prison." In May of the same year 
 James Blashford was paid for carpenter 
 work done on the jail, and on the 7th of 
 Jnne the connnissioners settled with Abra- 
 ham Brinker for building the jail "accord- 
 ing to agreement." Later in the year war- 
 rants were drawn to William Freeman for 
 plank used in the jail, and to Matthew 
 Thompson for making spikes. In the fol- 
 lowing year Benjamin White was paid for 
 thirty logs and one thousand brick, for 
 the county jail, and in 1806 Paris Bratton 
 was paid for building a picket fence about 
 the jail lot. This old log building appears 
 to have answered the purpose, of a public 
 prison until 1817. when the new stone jail 
 was finished. 
 
 THE FIRST STONE JAIL. 
 
 From the same records in the commis- 
 sioners' office it appears that John Negley 
 of Butler began the erection of a stone jail 
 
122 
 
 HISTOKY OF BUTLER dOUNTY 
 
 on the site of the present jail in 1812. 
 From various causes the work was delayed 
 and the building was not completed until 
 1817. This building answered the pur- 
 poses of the county for almost half a cen- 
 tury, and was not replaced \mti\ 1867. In 
 1821 the commissioners authorized the jail 
 doors to be covered with sheet iron and in 
 1830, sheet iron was placed on the west 
 wall of the prison room, and other repairs 
 were made to add to the security of the 
 building. The iron used in these repairs 
 was secured with much difficulty and was 
 liauled from Pittsburg on wagons. 
 
 The old prison was a gloomy enough af- 
 fair, and while it would not be regarded as 
 a safe place in which to keep criminals of 
 the present day, it answered its purpose 
 very well. During these years the jail 
 yard was surrounded by a stone wall and 
 the prisoner?; were allowed to exercise in 
 the yard for an hour or so every day. The 
 old prison was provided with a dunegon, 
 which was located in the basement, and 
 was used only for the safe keeping of des- 
 perate criminals. A large iron ring was 
 fastened in the stone floor of this dungeon, 
 to which heavy iron shackles were fast- 
 tened, and when the prisoner was thus se- 
 cured he had little chance of escape. It is 
 said that Mohawk was confined in this part 
 of the jail a part of the time while he was 
 kept a prisoner, and after his execution 
 the iron shackles and manacles were kept 
 hanging on the wall and were a source of 
 terror and wonder to the bad boys of the 
 town who heard many weird stories about 
 them. 
 
 In May, 1867, the county commissioners 
 awarded a contract to S. G. Purvis & Com- 
 pany of Butler for building a new jail. 
 The stone prison was enlarged to its pres- 
 ent dimensions and the sheriff's residence 
 was built on the street line in front of the 
 prison. AVith some repairs and additional 
 cells constructed of boiler i^late, this prison 
 lasted until 1S9S. wlien the interior was 
 torn out and the building remodeled. 
 
 On the 5th of January, 1898, the county 
 commissioners opened bids for the con- 
 struction of the jail and sheriff's residence 
 and the contract was awarded to the Van 
 Dorn Iron Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, 
 for $19,924. On March 4th of the same 
 year the commissioners issued bonds to 
 the amoimt of $20,000 at three and one- 
 half per cent, interest to pay for the ex- 
 penses of remodeling the jail. The stone 
 work on the prison was sublet to George 
 Schaftner of Butler and the contract for 
 the carpenter work and finishing was let 
 to George Schenck of Butler. While the 
 building was being repaired, Sheriff W. 
 B. Dodds kept his prisoners in the Mercer 
 County jail. The new prison is provided 
 with two tiers of cells and will accommo- 
 date about forty prisoners. On the third 
 floor there is located a separate apartment 
 for women and children and a hosjiital 
 room for the care of the sick. The entire 
 building is brick, with the best sanitary ap- 
 pliances, and compares favorably with 
 similar prisons in the state. 
 
 RECENT JAlh ESCAPES. 
 
 During the existence of the old jail 
 built in 1867 there were a number of jail 
 escapes and deliveries, the most important 
 of which was that of May 4, 1892, when 
 James F. Mills (the murderer of Dugan), 
 James Britton, Jesse Smith, T. J. Black, 
 Charles Miller and Joseph Gibson suc- 
 ceeded in "jimmying" the locks of their 
 cells and escaping to the roof of the build- 
 ing and thence to the street. Mills, Brit- 
 ton and Smith were recaptured, and the 
 others have never been heard of since. 
 
 When the new prison was built in 1898 
 it was guaranteed to be "pig tight and 
 bull strong." In fact it was supposed to 
 be so secure that it would be impossible 
 for anyone to break out. As a matter of 
 fact no one has broken out, but there have 
 been a number of clever escapes effected 
 with the aid of outsiders. 
 
 Tn Mav, 1902. Clvde Adams was conlined 
 
AND RB^PRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 123 
 
 in the county jail on the charge of larceny. 
 On the evening of May 7th his escape was 
 accomplished in a clever manner while the 
 family of Sheriff Hoon were in the parlor 
 of the jail residence and fancied that 
 everything about the prison was secure. 
 Adams was assisted by his sweetheart, 
 i\Tag,i>ie TTouck, who was a domestic em- 
 ployed by tlic slieriff's family, and by Lee 
 foovert and Abbie Houck, who were on 
 the outside of the jail. The conspii-ators 
 had arranged their plans so that Maggie 
 Houck managed to secure the keys to the 
 prison when no one in the sheriff's family 
 was watching her, and unlocking the prison 
 dooi-, allowed Adams to walk out of the 
 front door of the sheriff's residence. 
 Adams was met on the outside by Coo vert 
 and the two girls, and the party made 
 their escape into Ohio. Subsequently 
 Adams and Maggie Houck were married 
 and they were living in the vicinity of 
 Youngstown when they were apprehended 
 and brought back to Butler. Adams 
 pleaded guilty to the charge of jail break- 
 ing at the December term of court of 1902, 
 and was sent six months to the workhouse. 
 His wife and her sister, Abbie Houck, 
 stood trial on the charge of assisting a 
 prisoner to escape, were found guilty and 
 sentenced to pay tines, which they served 
 out in jail. Coovert entered the plea of 
 voile covtendre to the charge against him, 
 and was sentenced to three months to jail. 
 
 On the night of January 14, 1906, John 
 Mininger broke jail by sawing the bars in 
 one of the windows and letting himself 
 down to the street by means of a rope. He 
 had ]ireviously secured tools and saws 
 from an unknown source and had tam- 
 pered with the lock on his cell door. 
 
 John Rushnough escaped on the night 
 of May 9. 1906, by the use of a skeleton key 
 with which he unlocked the iron doors lead- 
 ing into the hall of the sheriff's residence 
 and relocked them again as he passed out. 
 This escape was accomplished in a clever 
 
 manner and the prisoner was never ap- 
 prehended. 
 
 A daylight delivery took place on Sep- 
 tember 14, 1906, when Jerry Hall, who was 
 in jail on the charge of horse stealing, and 
 Larry Campbell, who had been committed 
 on the charge of larceny, succeeded in 
 "jimmying" the door from the men's cor- 
 ridor into the elevator shaft of the prison 
 and di-opping down to the first floor. This 
 was accomplished about dinner time, and 
 when the attendants at the jail went to 
 give the prisoners their dinner and opened 
 the door into the elevator shaft, the two 
 prisoners rushed out, gained the street, 
 ;ind succeeded in making their escape. 
 
 THE CAPTURE AND DEATH OF THE BIDDLE 
 BROTHERS. 
 
 THEIR CRIME. 
 
 During the winter of 1901 the city of 
 Pittsburg and the suburban towns were 
 terrorized by a series of robberies, hold- 
 ups and murders committed by a gang of 
 desperate characters who made the city 
 their headquarters. On the morning of 
 April 12, 1901, the residence of Thomas H. 
 Kahney, who lived at Mt. Washington, 
 Pittsburg, was entered by masked burglars 
 who attempted to chloroform Mrs. Kah- 
 ney and shot and instantly killed Mr. Kah- 
 ney. This robbery was the boldest that 
 had been committed that year and the 
 murder was wanton and uncalled for. The 
 leaders of the gang of robbers were sup- 
 posed to be Ed Biddle and his brother, 
 John Biddle, and their accomplice was 
 Walter Dorman. These men were under 
 suspicion for the Kahney murder, and on 
 the day following the murder, County De 
 tective* Robinson, of Allegheny County. 
 Officer Fitzgerald of the city detective 
 force of Pittsburg, Inspector Gray, of the 
 police force, and Patrolman Wess of the 
 police force, went to a house where they 
 had been informed that three men and m 
 
124 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 woiriau were in hiding, who were wanted 
 by the officers. The officers entered the 
 house and arrested John Biddle without 
 any trouble. They then went up to the 
 second floor where they found Ed Biddle 
 and a woman named Jessie Bodyne. A 
 figlit ensued in which revolvers were used, 
 and Officer Fitzgerald was instantly killed, 
 while Ed Biddle was shot twice and dan- 
 gerously wounded. Having secured their 
 prisoners the officers went immediately to 
 a house on Webster Avenue, where they 
 found Walter Dorman and Jennie Seebers 
 and arrested them. 
 
 Ed Biddle was taken to Mercy Hospital 
 where his wounds were treated and after 
 his recovery was taken to the Allegheny 
 County jail and confined there with his 
 brother "Jack" and Walter Dorman. 
 Jack Biddle was tried for the murder of 
 Thomas H. Kahney and Ed Biddle was 
 tried on the charge of being an accomplice. 
 They were convicted and sentenced to die 
 on December 12, 1901. Walter Dorman 
 turned state's evidence at the trial and re- 
 ceived a penitentiai'y sentence. After his 
 conviction and sentence, Ed Biddle sent a 
 plea to the governor asking that he be not 
 hanged on tlae same day with his brother, 
 but that the executions take place on sepa- 
 rate days. In compliance with this peti- 
 tion, the governor changed the time for the 
 execution of Jack Biddle to January 14, 
 1902, and that of Ed to January 16. In 
 the meantime a plea for commutation of 
 sentence to life imj^risonment was pre- 
 pared and sent to the gov-ernor and a re- 
 prieve was granted to February 25th for 
 the execution of Jack Biddle, and Febru- 
 ary 27th, 1902, for Ed Biddle. Jessie Bo- 
 dyne and Jennie Seebers, the two women 
 who were arrested with the Biddies and 
 Dorman, had been released on their own 
 recognizance by the coui't, their being no 
 charges against them. 
 
 THE ESCAPE. 
 
 Pending tlie e.xecution of their sentence. 
 
 the two Biddle men were confined in mur- 
 derers' row in the Allegheny County jail, 
 at Pittsburg, and were under heavy guard. 
 Having previously sawed the bars of their 
 cells and having been supplied with re- 
 volvers and ammunition, the two Biddle 
 men broke out of their cells early on 
 Thursday morning, January 30, 1902, 
 overpowered the prison guard and made 
 their escape through the house of the war- 
 den of the jail, onto the streets. Before 
 leaving the prison they had locked the 
 prison guards in the cells that they had 
 vacated, and had supplied themselves with 
 citizens' clothing taken from the guard's 
 wardrobe. After leaving the jail the two 
 convicts went to a house in Allegheny 
 where they remained all day in hiding and 
 until late that night. The escape of the 
 Biddies was not discovered until after 
 daylight on Thursday morning, and then 
 it was found that they had been assisted 
 in their escape by Mrs. Kate Sofifel, wife 
 of Peter K. Soffel, the warden of the jail, 
 and that she had supplied the jirisoners 
 with the steel saws, the revolvers, and the 
 keys with which they had unlocked the 
 doors of the prison into the warden's resi- 
 dence and thence made their escape to the 
 street. Mrs. Soffel was said to be in love 
 with Ed Biddle "and as she had disap- 
 peared and could not be found, it was 
 believed that she had gone away with the 
 fugitives. The entire police force of the 
 city of Pittsburg and the detectives of 
 Allegheny County were put to work on the 
 case, but were unable to find any trace of 
 either of the Biddies or of Mrs. Soffel. 
 
 It afterward developed that the fugi- 
 tives after escaping from jail had gone 
 to a house in Allegheny where they met 
 Mrs. Soffel, and remained until Thursday 
 night. They then left the city by way of 
 the Perrysville Road, and at Etna they 
 stole a horse and sleigh and drove over the 
 Plank Road to Cooperstown in Butler 
 County. They arrived at the boarding- 
 house of J. A. Snyder, in Cooperstown, on 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 125 
 
 Friday moruing, January 31, where they 
 called for breakfast and had their horse 
 fed. From Cooper stowu they drove over 
 the Plank Road to Butler, crossed over to 
 Spring-dale, and drove in the direction of 
 Herman Station. They turned, however, 
 crossed over the Lookout Avenue bridge 
 to the north side, drove out Penn Street 
 to Mercer Street, thence to New Castle 
 Street, and thence followed the New Castle 
 Road to Mt. Chestnut, where they arrived 
 at the hotel of James J. Stevenson a little 
 after noon, and called for their dinner. 
 After they had eaten their dinner Mrs. 
 Soffel and Ed Biddle, who represented 
 themselves to be husband and wife, retired 
 to a room on the second floor of the hotel, 
 while Jack Biddle remained on watch on 
 the outside. 
 
 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 The Pittsburg oflScers were entirely at 
 sea on Friday morning, and no trace of 
 the fugitives laad been found in Allegheny 
 County. Butler County officers did not be- 
 lieve that they would attempt to escape 
 through Butler County, and when the re- 
 port came from Cooperstown that two 
 men and a woman had been seen at that 
 place, who were believed to be the Biddle 
 brothers and Mrs. Soffel, the story was 
 laughed at. About half past eight o'clock, 
 Edward Brown, of Cooperstown, called up 
 Harry T. Rattigan of the Herald office at 
 Butler, on the telephone, and told him that 
 the Biddies had passed through Coopers- 
 town on their way toward Butler, and 
 asked him to notify the officers. An hour 
 later Frank HoUiday, of Cooperstown, 
 drove into Butler, and notified Deputy 
 Sheriff J. R. Hoon that he had seen the 
 Biddies on the Plank Road on their way 
 to Butler, and that they were only a short 
 distance behind him driving in. A posse 
 was organized, consisting of Deputy 
 Sheriff J. R. Hoon, Chief of Police Robert 
 Ray, Aaron E. Thompson, and Frank 
 Holliday, and the pursuit was conuueneed. 
 
 The rig driven by the fugitives was easily 
 traced from the peculiar manner in which 
 the horse was hitched to the sleigh and 
 from the fact that the parties in the sleigh 
 did not have lap robes, although it was 
 a bitterly cold day. The Butler posse fol- 
 lowed the fugitives toward Herman Sta- 
 tion, but finding that they were off the 
 trail returned to Butler and took up the 
 trail again at New Castle Street in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 In the meantime the Pittsburg officers 
 were notified and at three o'clock in the 
 afternoon Detectives John Roach, A. H. 
 Swinehart and Charles McGrovern, of the 
 Bureau of Detectives of Pittsburg, arrived 
 at Butler on the Bessemer train and were 
 met at the depot by J. A. Snyder, of 
 Cooperstown, with a team and sleigh ready 
 for the road. The county commissioners 
 of Allegheny County had offered a re- 
 ward of $5,000 for the return of the two 
 Biddle men dead or alive, or $2,500 for 
 either one of them. The Biddies were 
 known to be men of desperate character, 
 capable of committing any crime to effect 
 their escape, and it was believed that they 
 would die before they would allow them- 
 selves to be recaptured. The Pittsburg 
 officers had the death of Fitzgerald in mind 
 and a long list of crimes committed by the 
 Biddies, and they came prepared for a 
 desperate encounter. The officers were 
 armed with Winchester repeating shot- 
 guns loaded with buck-shot, and each man 
 carried his revolver in his pocket. By this 
 time the trail of the fugitives was easily 
 found, and the Pittsburg posse left at once 
 in tlu' direction of Prospect, traveling over 
 the New Castle Road. At Mt. Chestnut 
 tiiey inquired at William Watson's store 
 and were told that a rig answering the de- 
 scription given had passed the store a little 
 after dinner going in the direction of Pros- 
 pect. The posse drove on to Prospect, 
 where they met the Butler officers, but at 
 that point the trail had been lost. The 
 tiled horses were changed at this place 
 
126 
 
 FilSTORY OF BIJTT.ER COUNTY 
 
 for fresh ones and the officers telephoned 
 to the surrounding points in the county 
 endeavoring to pick up the lost trail. 
 While they were waiting, a telephone mes- 
 sage from Mt. Chestnut said that the 
 Biddies had just left the hotel at Mt. 
 Chestnut, going in the direction of Pros- 
 pect. The two posses then started back 
 toward Butler together. 
 
 Wliile this pursuit was going on Mrs. 
 Soffel and Ed Biddle were resting quietly 
 at the Stevenson Hotel in Mt. Chestnut 
 and Jack Biddle was keeping watch on the 
 outside. When the second posse passed 
 Mt. ( 'liestnut, Jack Biddle hitched up the 
 horse and sleigii, called his couii:)amons, 
 and they left Mt. Chestnut, following the 
 New Castle Road. Ignorance of the roads 
 in the country and the general direction 
 in which they were traveling caused them 
 to keep the main road, and to drive 
 directly to their death. About a mile from 
 Mt. Chestnut they stopped at the farm 
 house of J. F. Wagner, which one of the 
 Biddies entered and stole a shot-gun, but 
 fortunately could find no ammunition. 
 They then went on, and about midway 
 between Mt. Chestnut and Prospect at a 
 dip of the road, near the farm of Elliott 
 Robb, they encountered the officers. 
 
 When about one hundred yards from the 
 Biddies the officers identified the rig and 
 immediately got ready for action. The 
 horses were placed in charge of J. A. 
 Snyder, and the two posses formed a line 
 across the road and called for the fugi- 
 tives to halt. Ed Biddle rose in the sleigh 
 and fired his revolver at the posse, and a 
 general battle ensued, in which both Ed 
 and Jack Biddle were mortally wounded 
 and Mrs. Soffel was slightly wovmded by 
 a shot from a revolver. Deputy Sheriff 
 Hoon took charge of the prisoners and 
 they were brought to Butler and lodged in 
 jail about six o'clock in the evening. The 
 shooting took place about five o'clock in 
 the evening, and as the prisoners had to 
 be hauled a distance of seven miles through 
 
 a blinding snowstorm which had come up, 
 their condition was a pitiable one when 
 they arrived in Butler. The two Biddies 
 were taken to the third floor of the jail 
 where they were given surgical attention, 
 and Mrs. Soffel was taken to the Butler 
 County General Hospital where she was 
 kept under guard. Realizing that death 
 was near at hand, Ed Biddle asked for a 
 priest, and Rev. Father Walsh, of Butler, 
 was sent for and hfeard his confession on 
 Friday night, and the confession of Jack 
 Biddle on Saturday afternoon. Jack Bid- 
 dle died at 7 :35 p. m. on Saturday, Febru- 
 ary 1, and Ed Biddle died at 11 o'clock 
 Saturday night. 
 
 The news that the Biddies had been cap- 
 tured reached Pittsbiirg about 6 o'clock 
 Friday evening, and caused the greatest 
 excitement. The Pittsburg newspapers 
 chartered a special ti-ain and about 10 
 o'clock in the evening arrived in Butler, 
 bringing with them all the newspaper re- 
 ))orters available in the city, the chief of 
 |)olice of Pittsburg, and a number of the 
 officers of Detective Bureau of Allegheny 
 County, as well as a number of extra tele- 
 graph operators sent out by the Western 
 Union and the Postal Telegraph com- 
 ]5anies to handle the news. That night all 
 the telegraph wires leading out of Butler 
 were kept hot and inquiries came pouring 
 in from newspapers all over the United 
 States, asking for an account of the battle. 
 During the two days' following special 
 writers from Chicago and New York 
 papers were on the ground and artists 
 from several of the large weekly ilhas- 
 trated papers of the country were here 
 taking pictures of the various places at 
 which the Biddies had stopped and of the 
 battle-gromid. 
 
 On Sunday, February 2, Coroner John 
 U. Jones held an inquest on th§ bodies of 
 the Biddle brothers, wliich was attended 
 by Jolm R. Henninger, district attorney 
 oif Butler County, and A. M. Christley, 
 and William Z. Murrin on the part of 
 
AND REPKESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 127 
 
 Sheriff Tlioruas E. Hooii. The jury was 
 composed of William A. Stein, Louis B. 
 Stein. Jacob Keck, Esq., J. A. Walter, 
 A. M. Flack and Harry T. Rattigau. The 
 witnesses before the inquest were John 
 Koach, A. H. Swinehart, A. E. Thompson, 
 Frank Holliday, J. A. Snyder and Deputy 
 Slieriff J. R. Hoon. Previous to the hold- 
 iuii- of the inquest an autopsy was held by 
 Dr. J. C. Atwell and Dr. McCurdy Bricker, 
 wliich was witnessed by Drs. George K. 
 McAdoo. J. J. Schultis, W. C. McCandless, 
 (i. J. Peters, .1. McAlpin, R. H. Pillow and 
 J. r. Boyle. 
 
 ED BIDDLE A SUICIDE. 
 
 The evidence presented before the in- 
 (luest was that when the posse met the 
 Biddies on the road, Ed Biddle pulled a 
 revolver and began to shoot. Then the 
 shooting became general on both sides. 
 The autopsy revealed the fact that after 
 sliooting at the officers Ed Biddle had 
 turned his revolver on himself and inflicted 
 a wound in the region of the heart that 
 would in itself have proved fatal. The 
 verdict returned by the coroner's jury 
 aftei- hearing all the evidence, was that 
 Ed Biddle had come to his death by a gun 
 shot wound inflicted by himself, and that 
 Jolm Biddle had come to his death while 
 i-esisting arrest. The jury relieved the 
 officers of all responsibility and com- 
 mended them for their brave conduct. 
 The fact that the Biddies intended to 
 clieat the gallows in the event that they 
 failed in making their escajje from jail 
 was developed after the inquest, when on 
 examining their clothing a quantity of 
 strychnine pellets were discovered hidden 
 in the waistband of Jack Biddle 's trousers. 
 
 On Sunday evening the liodies of the 
 Biddies were placed in the corridor of the 
 residence part of the jail and the doors 
 opened to the public. For three hours a 
 continuous stream of people passed the 
 coffins of the dead desperadoes. On Mon- 
 day. Februarv .3, the bodies were taken to 
 
 Pittsburg by the Butler County officers 
 and turned over to the officials of Alle- 
 gheny County. Subsequently a contro- 
 versy arose over the reward offered by 
 the commissioners of Allegheny County, 
 the Pittsburg officers putting in a claim 
 foi- all of it. The Butler County officers 
 contested the claim and carried the matter 
 into the courts of Allegheny County, but 
 a settlement was agreed upon and the re- 
 ward was divided among all the officers 
 connected with the capture. 
 
 Mrs. Softel, who had taken such a prom 
 inent part in the escape of the Biddies, 
 was kept at the Butler County General 
 [losjutal until she had recovered from the 
 shock brought on by the exposure to the 
 inclement weather on Friday, January 31, 
 and the bullet wound she received in the 
 breast, and was then returned to Allegheny 
 County. She was tried on the charge of 
 assisting the Biddle brothers in escaping 
 from jail, convicted and served her sen- 
 tence in the jjenitentiary. Subsequently 
 she attemjited to go on the stage in a play 
 entitled "A Desperate Chance," but was 
 refused admission to the theaters in west- 
 ern Pennsylvania, and her cai-eer as an 
 actress was doomed to failure. Several 
 dramas were written in which the escape 
 of the Biddle brothers and their subse- 
 (|uent capture was used as the basis of the 
 jilay, but they did not meet with popular 
 approval. 
 
 In May, 1902, some persons who were 
 su]iposed to be friends of the Biddle boys, 
 or else sentimentally inclined, erected a 
 stone marker at the roadside where the 
 Biddies were shot in Franklin Township. 
 On Decoration Day this stone marker was 
 decorated with flowers. The residents of 
 the conunuuity did not appreciate this 
 niemorinl. and the marker was taken away. 
 
 THE COUNTY HOME. 
 
 Prom the formation of the county until 
 1898 each township and borough was con- 
 stituted a separate poor district and pro- 
 
]28 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 vided for the care of the paupers and in- 
 digent persons within their respective dis- 
 tricts. While this arrangement had its 
 advantages it proved unsatisfactory in 
 many ways and in 1898 the county com- 
 missioners submitted the question of erect- 
 ing a county home to a vote of the people 
 at the spring election held on February 15. 
 While the proposition was vigorously 
 opposed in some localities it was carried 
 by a good majority in the county and im- 
 mediate steps were taken toward purchas- 
 ing a farm and erecting suitable buildings 
 on it. On December 24, 1898, commis- 
 sioners John Mitchell, Harmon Seaton and 
 D. H. Sutton employed Owesley and 
 Boucherle, architects of Youngstown, 
 Ohio, to prepare plans and specifications 
 for buildings. In the meantime the ques- 
 tion of a suitable site was under discussion 
 and the commissioners were offered the 
 choice of three or four locations; one of 
 these was the Wall farm near Evans City, 
 another was the Stevenson and Bach farms 
 on the Baltimore «fc Ohio Railroad at the 
 present site of East Butler, and the third 
 was the John Doerr farm in Butler Town- 
 ship south of the borough line. The 
 Adams farm at Wick Station on the 
 Bessemer road was also offered. On Janu- 
 ary 25, 1899, the commissioners considered 
 a resolution to the effect that the John 
 Doerr farm of two hundred acres could 
 be purchased at the price of $70 per acre. 
 The board was hopelessly divided on the 
 resolution and the vote stood Mitchell and 
 Seaton for and Sutton against it. It was 
 argued by the opposers of the Doerr farm 
 location that it was too far away from the 
 railroad and that it would be difficult to 
 I)rorure and maintain a sufficient supply 
 of water. An appeal was taken from the 
 action of the commissioners by D. H. Sut- 
 ton and others and the matter was brought 
 before Judge John M. Greer for a hearing. 
 A number of witnesses from surround- 
 ing counties were put on the stand by the 
 opposition to show that the Doerr farm 
 
 was not a suitable location and after a 
 lengthy hearing the court decided that it 
 did not have jurisdiction in the matter 
 and that the choice of a location lay with 
 a majority of the board of commissioners. 
 On March 20, 1899, the commissioners 
 passed a resolution to the effect that the 
 Doerr farm be purchased and at the same 
 time issued bonds to the amount of $15,000 
 for the purchase of the farm. Pending 
 the issuing of the bonds the commission- 
 ers secured a temporary loan of $8,000 
 to apply on the first payment on the farm. 
 On the 5th of April the commissioners 
 employed Owesley and Boucherle as archi- 
 tects to supervise the constriaction of the 
 building and on the 28th of June the archi- 
 tects' plans were adopted. Bids were ad- 
 vertised for and opened on July 25, 1899, 
 for the erection of the building. The fol- 
 lowing bids were received at that time : 
 
 William Feigle of Butler $61,798 
 
 Henry Schenek of Erie 67,611 
 
 Constable Bros, of Erie 65,985 
 
 G. Krutt & Co., Findlay, Ohio 63,657 
 
 Thomas Lightbody, Youngstown, Ohio 57,876 
 
 George Schenek, Butler 56,590 
 
 Edward Duiibaugh, Evans City 64,260 
 
 Fred Rausher, Butler 61,726 
 
 On the basis of the above bids and cer- 
 tain changes in the plans amounting to 
 $1,132, making a total of $57,722, the con- 
 tract was awarded to George Schenek, of 
 Butler, for the erection of the buildings. 
 Other contracts awarded were the heat- 
 ing and ventilating to McGinnis, Smith & 
 Co., of Pittsburg, for $23,511; electric 
 wiring to the Youngstown Electric Light 
 Company, Youngstown, Ohio, $3,286; 
 plumbing to Frank Huff, of Butler, for 
 $4,372; sewage system to C. F. L. Mc- 
 Quistion, of Butler, for $4,250; water 
 tower and tank to C. F. L. McQuistion, of 
 Butler, for $1,850; combination electric 
 light and gas fixtures to the Butler Light, 
 Heat & Motor Company, for $904. On 
 August 22, 1899, the plans for the build- 
 ings were presented to the court for ap- 
 proval. Judge Greer took, exceptions to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 129 
 
 the location of the buildings on the north- in the regular estimate. The total cost of 
 
 western corner of the farm, favoring a the farm and buildings to the county was 
 
 location on the Saxonburg Road, and took about $132,000. 
 
 occasion to say that he was powerless in When the county farm was opened for 
 
 the matter as the question of location lay the reception of inmates in October, 1900, 
 
 entirely with the commissioners. The Joseph Graham, of Whitestown, was in- 
 
 commissioners were not unanimous on stalled as superintendent and farmer, and 
 
 m;iny other matters pertaining to the pur- Mrs. Joseph Graham as matron, and Dr. 
 
 chase of tlic county farm and the erection A. M. Neyman, of Butler, was appointed 
 
 of the l)nildings as well as the matter of physician. Hiram Gillespie was employed 
 
 the location, and on the resolution select- as engineer December 11, 1900, and re- 
 
 ing the present location of the buildings mained until January, 1904, when he was 
 
 Commissioner Sutton voted nay. On succeeded by S. M. Wright. Edward 
 
 Se])teraber 29, 1899, the commissioners Sloan is the present incumbent. In Janu- 
 
 isKued bonds to the amount of $100,000 at ary, 1904, Mrs. Mary Graham was ap- 
 
 3'.. per cent, for the purpose of paying the pointed assistant matron, and the same 
 
 expenses of building. The estimated cost year Dr. L. R. Hazlett was appointed 
 
 of the buildings and improvements upon physician. In January, 1906, Oliver W. 
 
 which the bond issue was based is as fol- Stoughten was appointed superintendent 
 
 lows: to succeed Joseph Graham, who had re- 
 
 Buiidiugs $57,872 signed, and Mrs. Oliver Stoughten was 
 
 piTmbin ''"'' ^■^""'^""S -l'l]l appointed matron. Dr. McCurdy Bricker 
 
 Sewage"^. ................. .'! ..'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 4*200 ^'^s appointed physician, and at his death 
 
 storm sewer 1,000 in 1908 Dr. J. C. Caldwell was appointed 
 
 Water tower and tank 2,000 fo fill the vacancv 
 
 Electric wiring 1,683 "* "" ^"*^ VdCdU(y. 
 
 Water well 237 
 
 Inspector's services 200 THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE. 
 
 Architect 's services 4.925 ,^.|^^ ynoneev temperance worker in But- 
 
 On August 14, 1900, commissioners ler County was John Welsh, a soldier of 
 awarded the contract to Fred Winters the Revolution, who settled in Connoque- 
 for the masonry of a barn and the con- nessing Township about 1800. He was for 
 tract for the superstructure to Cooper many years a total abstainer, and was one 
 Brothers, of Valencia. The buildings were of the early advocates of the temperance 
 completed in October, 1900, and on the movement. The year 1829 saw the begin- 
 25th of that month the poor from the iiing of temperance agitation in the county, 
 north end of the county were received and a county temperance society being organ- 
 installed in the new home. ized at Butler February 9, with Rev. John 
 The buildings are constructed of brick Coulter as president. Another was organ- 
 with Berea stone trimmings and are ized the same year at Mount Nebo Church 
 equipped with every modern appliance for at A^^iitestown, which was presided over 
 the comfort and security of the inmates, by Rev. Reid Bracken, with Robert Walker 
 When the commissioners settled with the as secretary and Matthew McClure treas- 
 contractor on September 11, 1900. extras urer. This society had twenty-four mem- 
 were allowed to amount to $10,056. At the bers enrolled on April 28, 1829, who 
 same time a bond issue was made to the pledged themselves against supporting 
 amount of $1,600 bearing SVo per cent, in- any man for office who was known to be 
 terest to pay for the additional expenses an habitual drinker of liquor. The action 
 and buildings that had not been counted taken by this society is probably the first 
 
130 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 iiiovciiu'iit t;il«Mi l)y tlic tciiiperanee peoplf 
 in the wiiv nl' jissocialiiii;- temperance witli 
 polities. ■ 
 
 All tinti-teiiiperiince society was formed 
 ill (oneonl Township. August 21, 1830, 
 with Andrew Chiistie [)resident and John 
 Christie sccretai-.\ . 'I'he movement gained 
 votaries in (■\<mv lownsliip liefore tlie 
 .lose of 1S;!0. while tile Tiieol.ahl .Mattliew 
 idea of ti'iiip.'niiice. as inculcated in Ire 
 land, spj-ead rapidly throughout the comi- 
 ties of this commonwealth. 
 
 A tem])erance wave swept over tlie 
 county in IS.'Jl and 1832, when William 
 Campbell and Matthew S. Lowrie visited 
 every house in Butler and tendered the 
 pledge, which was generally signed by the 
 w(mien and children. Another pledge was 
 l)resented to the people of the borough in 
 183G, and was signed by a majority of the 
 residents of tlie town. These recurring 
 temperance waves coTitinued from 1829 
 until 1840. each organization taking a 
 share in teaching the wisdom of abstain 
 ing from strong' drink, and each was cred- 
 ited with the accomplishment of mucii 
 good. The movement received a tem- 
 l)()rary setback, however, in the ]iolitical 
 compaign of 1840 and 1844, which aj^pears 
 to have demoralized the county socially 
 and many of the converts to temperance 
 returned to their old convivial ways. In 
 T848 the moralists again resinned hostili 
 ties and attacking the evil of strong drink 
 with fresh, vigor soon saw encouraging re 
 .suits. 
 
 rKMl^EKANCK ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 Butlei- Division No. 207, Sons of Tem- 
 |)ei-anee, was organized in April, 1848, by 
 Robert Carnahan. This was followed by 
 the organization of township and borough 
 branches throughout the county and ulti- 
 mately by the organization of the youth 
 into temperance companies. 
 
 The Boys' Hope Section, Cadets of 
 Tcmyx'iance, was organized in April, 1850, 
 
 but the organization died out before the 
 close of the year. 
 
 I'hc Independent Order of Good Tem- 
 plcis was a secret order organized for the 
 purpose of carrying on temperance work. 
 Seveial lodges were organized in Butler 
 County, and the society at one time had a 
 laigc membersiii)). ^\■hile the (rood Tem- 
 l>lcis accomiilished much good, yet the 
 li<pior trallic giew and prospered from 
 Near t(> >ear with little abatement of the 
 evils arising therefrom. Finally many of 
 the earnest women of the county became 
 enlisted in the temperance cause and of- 
 fered themselves as soldiers of the new 
 crusade which had its inception at Hills- 
 l)oro, Ohio, in December, 1873. The 
 "Woman's Crusade" led to the organiza- 
 tion of the "Woman's Christian Temper- 
 ance Union" in 1874, which spi-ead through 
 Pennsvlvania the following year and in- 
 vaded Butler (!ounty in 1880.* 
 
 The ]uoneei- branch of the "Woman's 
 ('hristiau Temperance Union" in Butler 
 < 'ounty was organized at Harrisville, July 
 22, 1S80. with eleven members. On No- 
 vember 23, 1881, the Butler County 
 Woman's Christian Temperance Union 
 was organized in the First Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler by Mrs. Frances L. 
 Swift, president, and Mrs. Ellen M. Wat- 
 son, secretary, of the State W. C. T. U., 
 with but seven members. Miss Mary E. 
 Sullivan was elected president of the 
 county union, and Mrs. Nanny D. Black, 
 secretary, both of Butler. While a vice- 
 president was named for each township in 
 the county. The local Woman's Christian 
 Tcmi)erance Union of Butler Borough was 
 organized by Miss Mary E. Sullivan in the 
 Ignited Presbyterian Church, February 
 13, 1882, with fourteen members. Miss 
 Sullivan and Mrs. Black were elected 
 president and secretary of the local union. 
 At the close of the first year a second call 
 was sent out for a county W. C. T. U. con- 
 vention to be held in Butler and in re- 
 sponse to this call about thirty women met 
 
AN I ) \l I':i MIESKXTAT I \' K ( ! ITIZKNS 
 
 131 
 
 ill the First Piesbyteiiau Church in Biat- 
 Ut, November 6, 1882, when the State 
 organizer, Miss Narcissa E. White, as- 
 sisted by Mrs. Frances L. Swift, reorgan- 
 ized the county auxiliary to the State 
 W. C. T. U. Mrs. Elizabeth R. Daine, of 
 iJiiffalo Township, was elected president 
 of the county union, and Miss Mary E. 
 Sullivan corresponding sccretarj'. Mrs. 
 Xanny D. Black was elected reciordiug sec- 
 retin y, Miss Aggie Shaw, of Ilarrisville, 
 trciisuier. and Airs. A. G. Brown, of Ren- 
 frew, vice-president. At the State con- 
 \eMtion held at Oil City, October 11 and 
 1 ■_'. 1882, the Butler union was represented 
 liy ^Irs. N. A. Bryson and Mrs. Isaiah J. 
 Mclhide, and the Harrisville union by 
 Mrs. Chester and Mrs. Webster. The 
 woi'k of the organization was continued 
 for the next live or six years until nearly 
 every part of the county had been reached, 
 and over five huudreil members had been 
 enrolled in the various local unions. 
 
 The South Side Branch of Butler was 
 organized Octobei- 18, 1888, with Mrs. 
 .lames S. Henry, president; Mrs. J. H. 
 Xegley, vice-president; Mrs. A. Stewart, 
 corresponding secretary; Mrs. L. Ij. 
 Christy, recording secretary; Mrs. T). L. 
 .Viken, treasurer; and Mrs. T. Steen, dele- 
 gate to the county convention. 
 
 The Central Branch of Butler was or- 
 ganized December 4. 1888, witli Mrs. M. E. 
 Xicholls, president; Mi-s. Lizzie K. Ayres, 
 vice-president; Mrs. I. J. McBride, cor 
 responding secretary; Mrs. M. K. Byers. 
 recording secretary; and Mrs. U. D. 
 Fisher, treasurer. 
 
 The Young Woman's Chi-istian Temper- 
 ance Tnion, an auxiliary of the Woman's 
 ('liristian Tem])erance Union, organized 
 its lirst branch in Butler County at Har- 
 risville. May 8, 1884, Mrs. Mary B. Reese 
 being the organizer. On March 7, 1885, 
 a branch at Butler was organized contain- 
 ing eighty-two members. In the same 
 year unions were organized at Evans City, 
 ( "enterville, and 1 'nioiiville. and during the 
 
 following year at Concord, Prospect, 
 Bethel, Jacksvilte, North Hope, and Mil- 
 lerstowu. Local temperance work was 
 carried on by these unions in every part 
 of the county, and the object of those en- 
 gaged in the agitation was partially 
 achieved but the membership of the organ- 
 ization was finally absorbed by the older 
 unions, after the division of 1889. 
 
 The sixth annual convention of the But- 
 ler County Union was held at Butler 
 November 2-3, 1887, and was presided over 
 by Mrs. Prances L. Swift, Mrs. E. R. Dain 
 having died June 11, 1887. Mrs. S. M. 
 McKee, of Butler, was elected president, 
 and Mrs. J. B. Showalter, of Millerstown, 
 coiresponding secretary. Mrs. L. J. Mc- 
 Kinney, of Myoma, was chosen recorder, 
 and Mrs. Lizzie K. Ayres, of Harrisville, 
 retained as treasurer. The following year 
 a campaign was prosecuted against the 
 granting of license, but without other re- 
 sult than the accumulation of a debt, the 
 stirring up of local strife, and the crip- 
 pling of the xmions in means and influence. 
 Previous to 1888 the Butler Coimty Union 
 had always declared itself to he non- 
 partisan, but in the annual convention in 
 November of that year, a motion to revive 
 such action was defeated, owing to the de- 
 sire on the ]iart of many and both jiarties 
 to keep the distnrlnng element of politics 
 out of the convention, if possible. Mrs. 
 Lucy H. A\'ashington, of Port Jearvis, 
 New York, presided at the election of 
 officers at this convention, at which time 
 Mrs. J. B. Showalter was elected presi- 
 dent and Mrs. S. M. McKee corresponding 
 secretary. Mrs. M. J. Earhart, of Petro- 
 lia, was elected delegate to the national 
 convention held at New York City that 
 year. The event of the year 1889 was the 
 vote on the prohibitory amendment, and 
 the campaign that preceded it. The county 
 union took an active part in this campaign, 
 and in several places the Young Women's 
 Unions drilled the Loyal Temperance 
 Legions, and marched the children singing 
 
IIISTORV OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ou the streets and past the polls, while 
 banners and mottoes were placed wherever 
 they were allowed. This agitation led to 
 a majority for the amendment in this 
 oounty, but it was defeated in the State. 
 
 Nine delegates were sent from Butler 
 Coimtv to the State convention in Phila- 
 delphia, in October, 1889, and Mrs. N. C. 
 Core, of Butler, was the delegate to the 
 national convention at Chicago held in 
 November of that year. The event of the 
 State convention in October was the re- 
 fusal of Mrs. Frances L. Swift, Mrs. 
 Ellen M. Watson and Mrs. J. D. Weeks to 
 accept reelection to offices in the State 
 union, and the subsequent passing of that 
 organization into the hands of those identi- 
 fied with Miss Frances Willard's policy 
 of endorsing prohibition wherever it might 
 be foimd. This event and the subsequent 
 adherence of the National Union to its 
 position induced Mrs. J. Ellen Poster, the 
 leader of the opposition to withdraw from 
 the convention in Chicago, along with thir- 
 teen delegates from Iowa. 
 
 The position taken by the National 
 Union at Chicago was the subject of much 
 difference of opinion among the women of 
 the Butler County Union, and the County 
 Convention held at Butler November 21, 
 
 1889, was marked bj' the secession of thir- 
 teen members who did not agree with the 
 position taken by the National Union. 
 Prior to this disagreement the condition 
 of the Butler County Union is shown by 
 the following figures: Number of unions, 
 37; paying members, -187; moneys raised, 
 $1,607.30; juvenile unions, 14; member- 
 ship, 604. The results of the disagree- 
 ment in the convention of 1889 were noted 
 in the reports of the convention held in 
 
 1890. The number of unions in that year 
 reported was twenty-five, and the member- 
 ship 4.35, a loss of twelve local unions and 
 fifty-two members; nine juvenile organ- 
 izations were reported with a membership 
 of 315, while $1,349.83 were raised for 
 tempetanee purposes. 
 
 At the County Convention held at Mars 
 in 1891 two new local unions were re- 
 ported, while the Loyal Temperance 
 Legion contained 569 members. In 1892 
 twenty-five unions were reported, and the 
 principal work done was the circulation of 
 petitions for the anti-narcotic bill, for the 
 signing of the Brussels Treaty, and for 
 the closing of the World's Fair on Sun- 
 day. In 1893, twenty-two active unions 
 were reported, petitions were circulated 
 for the closing of saloons on Memorial 
 Day, for the local option bill against the 
 repeal of local prohibitory laws, and for 
 the Pennsylvania Sunday law. Mrs. A. M. 
 Rice, of Petrolia, was sent as a delegate 
 to the National Convention at Chicago 
 tins year. The County Convention of 1903 
 was held in St. John's Reformed Church, 
 Butler, and the following officers were 
 elected: Mrs. M. D. Dodds, president; 
 Mrs. J. W. Orr, of Bruin, vice-president; 
 Mrs. M. S. Templeton, of Butler, corre- 
 sponding secretary; Mrs. L. C. Wick, of 
 Butler, recording secretary; and Mrs. 
 A. M. Rice, of Petrolia, treasurer. The 
 presentation of banners to unions showing 
 a certain increase in membership was one 
 of the features of this convention. 
 
 The convention of 1894 reelected the old 
 officers with the exception of vice-presi- 
 dent. A department of railroad work was 
 established this year, and Mrs. T. J. Steen, 
 of Butler, was elected superintendent of 
 the department. At the convention held 
 in 1895 the only change made in the officers 
 was in vice-president, Mrs. Harry M. 
 Greenlee, of Butler, being elected to that 
 position. 
 
 In 1896 the convention was held at 
 Petrolia, at which Mrs. A. M. Rice, of 
 Petrolia, was elected president; Mrs. 
 M. D. Dodds, vice-president; Mrs. M. S. 
 Templeton, corresponding secretary; and 
 Mrs. Florence Wick, recording secretary. 
 
 At the convention held at Butler in 
 1897 Mrs. Rice was continued as president, 
 Mrs. Eli Miller, of Butler, was chosen vice- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 ]33 
 
 president, Mrs. Templeton was continued 
 as corresponding secretary, Mrs. M. M. 
 Sutton was elected treasurer, and Miss 
 Bertha A. Bottner, of Petrolia, was elected 
 corresponding secretary. 
 
 In 1898 the convention was held at 
 Mars, and the old officers, were continued. 
 The following year the convention was 
 held at Slippery Rock, at which Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Dunwoody was elected correspond- 
 ing secretary, in the place of Mrs. M. S. 
 Templeton. The County Convention in 
 1900 was held at Zelienople at which four 
 Loyal Temperance Legions were reported 
 organized in the county with a total mem- 
 bership of 200. Butler County was re- 
 ported third in Loyal Temperance Legion 
 work in the State for that year. The 
 officers elected in 1900 were Mrs. C. E. Mc- 
 Intire, of Butler, president; Mrs. Eli 
 Miller, vice-president; Mrs. R. M. Moone, 
 corresponding secretary; Miss Maud Mc- 
 Chononds, of Slippery Rock, recording 
 secretary; and Mrs. M. M. Sutton, treas- 
 urer. 
 
 At the convention held in Butler in 1901, 
 Mrs. C. E. Mclntire was continued as 
 president, Mrs. C. D. Greenlee was chosen 
 vice-}nesident, Mrs. R. M. Moone corre- 
 sponding secretary, and Mrs. J. W. Mc- 
 Kee, of Biitler, treasurer, a position which 
 she still holds. 
 
 In 1902 Miss Maud McCljTnonds was 
 elected president, Mrs. C. E. Mclntire 
 vice-president, Mr&. E. E. Bell, of Butler, 
 corresponding secretary, and Mrs. 0. M. 
 Russell, of Butler, recording secretary. 
 
 In 1903 the superintendent of foreign 
 work in the county reported a mission 
 started among the foreigners at Lyndora. 
 This department has continued to circu- 
 late teni]ierance literature among the for- 
 eign-speaking element in the county, con- 
 sisting of tracts and pamphlets published 
 in foreign languages. The officers elected 
 for the ensuing year were Miss Maud Mc- 
 Clymonds, president; Mrs. J. H. Heiner, 
 of Butler, vice-president; Mrs. E. N. Mc- 
 
 Adoo, of Butler, recording secretary; 
 Miss Adelaide Robinson, of Butler, corre- 
 sponding secretary. 
 
 The officers of the county society elected 
 in 1904 were Miss Bertha A. Bottner, of 
 Petrolia, president; Mrs. Ethel Coulter, 
 vice-president; Miss Cora E. White, re- 
 cording secretary; Miss Adelaide Robin- 
 son, corresponding seci-etary; and Mrs. 
 J. W. McKee continued as treasurer. 
 
 The officers elected in 1905 were Miss 
 Bertha A. Bottner, continued as president ; 
 Mrs. C. E. Mclntire, vice-president; Mrs.. 
 L. C. Wick, recording secretary; Miss 
 Maud McClymonds, corresponding secre- 
 tary; and Mrs. J. W. McKee continued 
 as treasurer. 
 
 The twenty-fifth Annual Convention of 
 the County Union was held in the First 
 Presbyterian Church of Butler, September 
 20, 1906, on the anniversary of the organ- 
 ization of the Butler County Union. A 
 special program had been prepared and 
 the event was celebrated in an appropriate 
 manner. The officers elected for the en- 
 suing year were Miss Bertha A. Bottner, 
 president; Mrs. F. B. Denman, vice-presi- 
 dent; Miss Maud McClymonds, corre- 
 sponding secretary; Mrs. W. L. Kelley, 
 recording" secretary ; and Mrs. J. W. Mc- 
 Kee, treasurer. 
 
 The officers elected in 1907 were Miss 
 ]\raud McClymonds, president; Mrs. Will- 
 iam Cooper, vice-president; Miss Bertha 
 A. Bottner, corresponding secretary; Mrs. 
 P. D. Denman, recording secretary; Mrs. 
 J. W. McKee, treasurer. 
 
 The officers in 1908 are Miss Virginia 
 Cookson, of Evans City, president; Mrs. 
 J. C. Toy, of Mars, vice-president; Mrs. 
 E. H. Cronenwett, recording secretary; 
 Miss Bertha Bottner, corresponding secre- 
 tary; and Mrs. J. W. McKee, treasurer. 
 The department superintendents ar^e as 
 follows: Foreign work. Miss Mary Mc- 
 kee, of Butler; Sabbath observance, Mrs. 
 M. P. Forsythe, of Butler; flower mis- 
 sions, Mrs. E. H. Cronenwett, of Butler; 
 
134 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 scientific tempeiauce uud narcotics, Mrs. 
 Frank Miliei", of Slippery Rock; prison 
 and jail work, Mrs. Harriet Cooper, of 
 Butler; literature and press, Miss Bertha 
 Bottner, of Petrolia. 
 
 The work accomplished by the temper- 
 ance women of the county in the past 
 twenty-seven years is to be admired for 
 the wonderful persistence with which they 
 pursued their object. The Butler County 
 Union materially assisted the State Union 
 in 188") in having the "Temperance Edu- 
 cation Law" passed and by their zeal in- 
 <luced the court to close every drinking- 
 place in the county. They have waged in 
 cessant warfare on narcotics and liave 
 been the means of procuring legislation 
 preventing the sale of cigarettes and to- 
 bacco to minors under the age of eighteen, 
 [u 1881 there were forty-five saloons in the 
 county. In 1885 there were none, and in 
 1894 there were none, and chiefly through 
 the influence of the temperance workers the 
 number of drinking places in the county in 
 1908 was limited to half the numbej' there 
 were twenty-five years ago. 
 
 The great Murphy meetings of 188(i aiul 
 1887 were inaiiircstiitions of the power of 
 the movement at that time, while the grad- 
 ual moulding of imblic opinion in opposi 
 tiou to the liipior traffic has been princi- 
 pally due to the untiring agitation of the 
 temperance unions. The battle for the 
 prohibitory amendment in 1889 was lost to 
 the state, but in Butler County a majority 
 of 2,423 votes in favor of the amendment 
 was given. The vote by districts in the 
 county is given in a table in the political 
 chapter. 
 
 The County Union has accomplished 
 much good through its departmental work 
 and is carrying on a eamjiaign of education 
 with unabated vigor. One department of 
 this work is the circulating of temperance 
 literature among the foreign speaking resi- 
 dents of the county and the establishing of 
 night scliools among the foreigners for the 
 teaching of the English langmige, temper 
 
 ance, and good citizenship. Through the 
 efforts of this department assisted by the 
 Y. M. C. A., the night school for foreigners 
 was established at Ijyndora in 1906, which 
 is now supported by the citizens of Butler 
 and the Standard Steel Car Company. 
 
 In 1908 there were fourteen local unions 
 in the county as^foUows: Bethel, Browns- 
 dale, Bruin, Butler, Connoquenessing, 
 Mars, Chicora, Myoma, Petrolia, Slippeiy 
 Rock. Springdale, Unionville, Zelienople, 
 and ilai'mony. The total membership was 
 about five hundred. 
 
 W'lieu the tiiirteen members of the 
 County W. C. T. U. seceded, and left the 
 convention of November 21, 1889, held at 
 Butler, the seceders held a convention the 
 same day at which a declaration was read 
 in the meetii^- by Mrs. N. C. Core, in which 
 the following leading points were set forth: 
 That while the society held a neutral posi- 
 tion between Church and State, its mem- 
 bers were a unit in opposing intemperance. 
 That for some years the original central 
 idea was being undermined by a political 
 idea, and that since the convention appears 
 to adiiei'e to views which cannot be other- 
 wise than damaging to the best interests 
 of the cause, it is necessary to organize a 
 non-sectarian and a non-political associa- 
 tion. The document as read was signed by 
 Madames N. C. Core, Isaiah J. McBride, 
 M. K. Byers, M. E. Nicholls, F. Bailey, R. I. 
 Boggs, D. Garrett, K. H. Miller, J. R. 
 Afiller. Cynthia Gilmore, Tj. K. Ayres, and 
 Patton Kearns, wilh the blisses Mary E. 
 Sullivan, Celia Culil)isoii, and Margaret 
 Wick. After the reading Madames J. L. 
 Henry, M. J. Fay, E. S. Bartley, and Miss 
 \j. B. Young signed the declaration. That 
 evening Mrs. M. E. Nicholls presided over 
 a meeting of twenty-seven non-partisan 
 workers who organized a bureau of corre- 
 spondence with Mrs. Nicholls president. 
 Miss Young, secretary, and Mrs. Byers, 
 treasurer. The actual organization of the 
 
AND REPRBSPJNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 135 
 
 Woman's Christian Temperance Alliance 
 was not effected until September 18, 1890, 
 when Mrs. Ellen J. Phinney, president of 
 the National Alliance, came to Butler and 
 organized the Bntler ('ounty Alliance. The 
 officers then elected were: Mrs. Margaret 
 J. Earhart, of Petrolia, president; Mi-s. J. 
 B. Showalter, of Cbicora, vice-president ; 
 Mrs. M. E. Nicholls, of Butler, correspond- 
 ing secretary; Miss May Hopkins, record- 
 ing secretary; and ]\liss L. E. Young, 
 treasurer. The title then adopted for the 
 new association of temperance workers 
 was Woman's Christian Tem])t'rance Al- 
 liance. 
 
 The second contcrciirc was held X<Acm- 
 ber 6, 1891. and resulted in the clioic' of 
 Mrs. J. B. Showalter, for president; Mrs. 
 M. ,1. Earhart. vice-president; Mrs. Emily 
 Robinson, of Butler, corresponding secre- 
 tary; Mrs. E. J. Calvert, recording secre- 
 tary; and Miss L. E. Young, treasurer. 
 The third conference held at ]\Iillerstown 
 in 1892 resulted in the re-election of the old 
 officers, with the exception of recording- 
 secretary, Mrs. U. D. Fisher, of Butler, 
 being chosen for tliat position. 
 
 The fourth conference was held at I hit- 
 ler in September, 1893, when the following 
 named officers were chosen: President. 
 Mrs. Isaiah J. McBride, of Butler; vice- 
 president. Mrs. N. C. Core, of Butler; cor- 
 responding secretary, Mrs. J. E. Byers. of 
 Butler; recording secretary, Mrs. V. I). 
 Fislier; and treasurer, Miss L. E. ^Oung. 
 
 NoN-r.virnsAN tempekance union. 
 The Non-Partisan Temperance Union of 
 Butler, which appears to have been oi-gan- 
 ized Sei)teniber 19, 1890, was the Woman's 
 Christian Temperance Alliance under a 
 new name. The officers chosen by the Non- 
 Partisan Union were Miss L. E. Young, of 
 .Butler, president; Mrs. J. E. Byers, of 
 Ruller, secretary; and Mrs. U. D. Fislier. 
 ti'easurer. The organization was extended 
 during the next few years to other ])ai-ts of 
 the countv. and local unions were eslah 
 
 lished at Chicora, Karns City and in Fair- 
 view Townshij). These unions eventually 
 died out, and on account of the removal 
 and deaths of a number of the leaders of 
 the County Union, the latter organization 
 was finally abandoned. The last officers 
 elected by the Non-Partisan Union in 1899 
 were Miss L. E. Young, president; Mrs. J 
 E. Byers, secretary; and Mrs. D. L. Clee- 
 land, of Butler, ti-easurer. 
 
 LOVAL TEIMPERANCE LEGION. 
 
 The Jjoyal Temperance Legion, which 
 was an auxiliary of the W. C. T. U., was 
 organized for juvenile work, and at the 
 County Convention of the W. C. T. U. held 
 at J\fars in 1898, the County Loyal Temper- 
 ance Legion was organized with the fol- 
 lowing officers: President, G. A. Bailey; 
 vice-jiresident, Harry Flowers; recording 
 se<'ietary. Newton Eppinger; correspond- 
 ing secretary, Artemesia (roddard ; treas 
 urer, Bert Little. .\t tlie same time the fol 
 lowing superintendents of departments 
 were appointed: literature, Annie Sander- 
 son ; flower mission, Maud Staples ; mercy, 
 Delia Elliott ; railroad, Jessie L. Otterman ; 
 county superintendent, Mrs. A. G. Otter- 
 man. At the convention held May 17, 1899, 
 Harry Flowers was elected president ; Ray 
 Goddard, vice-president; Bertha Weigle, 
 corresponding secretary; and Bert Little, 
 treasurer. Jessie Otterman was continued 
 as superintendent of railroad work; Agnes 
 Staples was appointed superintendent of 
 Hower mission; Luella Baker, superintend 
 cut of the department of mercy; and Miss 
 Jennie E. Dean, music director. AVliile the 
 Butler County Legion was third in the 
 state in 1899, the organization was aban- 
 doned in a few years, and its work was 
 taken up bv one of the departments of the 
 County W." C. T. U. 
 
 SI'ATISTICS OF eOPULATION. 
 
 The following table exhibits the popula- 
 tion of the county by townships and bor- 
 oughs at each decennial census since its 
 (irnanizatiou : 
 
HrSTOKY OF Bl'TLKR COUNTY 
 
 'ICS OF POPULATION. 
 
 Adams Township... 
 Alleghep.v Township. 
 Brady Township 
 
 Butler, .")iti Ward 
 
 Butler Township 
 
 Bruin Borough 
 
 Center Township 
 
 Centerville Borough 
 
 Cherry Township 
 
 Clay Township 
 
 Clearfield Township 
 
 Clinton Township 
 
 Concord Township 
 
 Connoquenesslng Borough. 
 Connoquenesslng Towns'p.] 
 
 Cranberry Township 
 
 Donegal Township 
 
 Eau Claire Borough 
 
 Evans City Borough 
 
 Fairview Borough 
 
 Fairvlew Township 
 
 Forward Township 
 
 Franklin Township 
 
 Harmony Borough 
 
 Harrlsville Borough 
 
 Jackson Township 
 
 Jefferson Township 
 
 Karns City Borough 
 
 Lancaster Township 
 
 Marion Township 
 
 Mars Borough 
 
 Mercer Township 
 
 Middlesex Township 
 
 Mlllerstown Borough 
 
 Muddy Creek Township. . . 
 
 Oakland Township 
 
 Parker Township 
 
 Penn Township 
 
 Petrolia Borough 
 
 Portersville Borough 
 
 Prospect Borough 
 
 Saxonburg Borough 
 
 Slippery Rock Borough. . . 
 Slippery Bock Township.. 
 
 Summit Township 
 
 Valencia Borough 
 
 Venango Township 
 
 Washington Township. . . . 
 West Liberty Borough. . . . 
 West Sunbury Borough. . . 
 
 Winfleld Township 
 
 Worth Township 
 
 Zelienople Borough 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Registry 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Esti- 
 
 o£ Vot 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 mated 
 
 ers for 
 
 3ao. 
 
 IS.-JO. 
 
 1841). 
 
 i.sr.ii. 
 
 1860. 
 
 1870. 
 
 1880. 
 
 1890. 
 
 1900. 
 
 1008. 
 
 1908. 
 
 
 
 
 
 866 
 
 873 
 
 1,156 
 
 1,817 
 
 1,610 
 
 1,455 
 
 291 
 
 
 
 
 
 881 
 
 890 
 
 2,287 
 
 1224 
 
 1,004 
 
 lioso 
 
 216 
 
 
 
 
 
 701 
 
 600 
 
 772 
 
 729 
 
 721 
 
 655 
 
 131 
 
 582 
 
 i'.6i2 
 
 Y.826 
 
 
 1,205 
 
 1,495 
 
 1,263 
 
 1,131 
 
 1,121 
 
 1,525 
 
 305 
 
 
 580 
 
 861 
 
 T'.14S 
 
 1,399 
 
 1,935 
 
 3,163 
 
 8,734 
 
 21548 
 ill 
 
 ■4,675 
 4,215 
 4,845 
 3:175 
 5,495 
 
 "ill 
 
 969 
 
 635 
 
 1,099 
 
 472 
 
 '768- 
 
 1,389 
 
 '2,622 
 
 'l,i98 
 
 "984 
 
 1,667 
 
 1,297 
 
 1,591 
 
 1,045 
 
 570 
 147 
 209 
 
 972 
 
 'l,322 
 
 ■l,834 
 
 ■l,495 
 
 "829 
 
 "843 
 
 "986 
 
 1,665 
 
 ■886 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .^68 
 
 418 
 
 448 
 
 993 
 
 1,075 
 
 215 
 
 
 
 "625 
 
 "976 
 
 "967 
 
 903 
 
 1,161 
 
 1,433 
 
 1,021 
 
 1,190 
 
 238 
 
 
 
 
 
 1,039 
 
 1,062 
 
 1,036 
 
 1,076 
 
 1,134 
 
 1.620 
 
 324 
 
 515 
 
 "617 
 
 1,1 03 
 
 'l',924 
 
 869 
 
 847 
 
 1,056 
 
 '841 
 
 813 
 
 1,025 
 
 205 
 
 
 
 
 
 1,021 
 
 1,132 
 
 1,048 
 
 918 
 
 900 
 
 1,065 
 
 213 
 
 
 
 
 
 855 
 
 926 
 
 1,654 
 
 1,138 
 
 'ill 
 
 '■ttt 
 
 If 
 
 977 
 
 1,944 
 
 2,692 
 
 2,5 is 
 
 1,098 
 
 'l',65i 
 
 "1496 
 
 "1,593 
 
 960 
 
 1,080 
 
 216 
 
 765 
 
 1046 
 
 1,822 
 
 2,23(; 
 
 931 
 
 945 
 
 983 
 
 909 
 
 981 
 
 i;065 
 
 21s 
 
 91)0 
 
 1,085 
 
 1,615 
 
 1.174 
 
 999 
 
 852 
 
 2,156 
 "333 
 
 1,617 
 
 "637 
 303 
 
 1,204 
 
 ■1,266 
 235 
 
 1,520 
 4.50 
 
 1,495 
 265 
 
 304 
 
 2^^ 
 53 
 
 
 
 
 I'.ots 
 
 Xioi 
 
 1,67s 
 
 3,930 
 
 1,996 
 
 1,437 
 
 1,630 
 
 326 
 
 
 
 
 
 1,020 
 
 1,025 
 
 1,133 
 
 1,724 
 
 1,515 
 
 1235 
 
 247 
 
 
 
 
 Viif) 
 
 860 
 
 1,047 
 
 1,047 
 
 990 
 
 924 
 
 1,055 
 
 231 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 414 
 
 497 
 
 585 
 
 645 
 
 945 
 
 169 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 352 
 
 386 
 
 386 
 
 319 
 
 555 
 
 111 
 
 
 
 
 
 1,117 
 
 1,1.37 
 
 1,267 
 
 1,154 
 
 1,406 
 
 1,505 
 
 301 
 
 
 
 
 
 1.457 
 
 1,234 
 
 1,214 
 701 
 
 1,600 
 '427 
 
 1,422 
 265 
 
 1405 
 365 
 
 281 
 
 
 
 
 
 1436 
 
 1,653 
 
 1,070 
 
 946 
 
 834 
 
 1,035 
 
 207 
 
 
 
 
 
 789 
 
 850 
 
 
 965 
 
 II? 
 
 l:!^ 
 
 iti 
 
 64i 
 
 ■■77! 
 
 1,233 
 
 1,29(5 
 
 "545 
 
 "478 
 
 
 "697 
 
 684 
 
 760 
 
 152 
 
 010 
 
 1,231 
 
 1,692 
 
 2,259 
 
 1,034 
 
 1,010 
 
 1,106 
 
 1,078 
 
 1,541 
 
 1,500 
 
 300 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 407 
 
 1,108 
 
 1,162 
 
 950 
 
 1,452 
 
 285 
 
 868 
 
 l,3i7 
 
 1,998 
 
 1,142 
 
 1,694 
 
 972 
 
 790 
 
 785 
 
 799 
 
 945 
 
 189 
 
 
 
 
 
 919 
 
 926 
 
 1,039 
 
 1,198 
 
 940 
 
 1,195 
 
 239 
 
 659 
 
 "945 
 
 1,364 
 
 "76!> 
 
 1,170 
 
 1,309 
 
 2,510 
 
 1,710 
 
 1,317 
 
 910 
 
 182 
 
 
 
 
 
 914 
 
 837 
 
 1,131 
 1,186 
 
 1,814 
 546 
 
 Hit 
 
 1,945 
 475 
 
 389 
 95 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 "198 
 
 216 
 
 190 
 
 196 
 
 270 
 
 54 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 271 
 
 362 
 
 343 
 
 561 
 
 510 
 
 102 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 295 
 
 319 
 
 258 
 
 307 
 
 500 
 
 100 
 
 865 
 
 'l',54i 
 
 ■1,567 
 
 I'.irto 
 
 ' ' 99.3 
 
 "879 
 
 1,667 
 
 ■1,247 
 
 'l,266 
 
 ■l',746 
 
 ■348 
 
 
 
 
 
 939 
 
 1,304 
 
 1,266 
 
 1,287 
 
 1,260 
 149 
 
 1,840 
 270 
 
 368 
 54 
 
 3.5.S 
 
 ■499 
 
 "822 
 
 V.473 
 
 "836 
 
 "962 
 
 V,322 
 
 ■l,i47 
 
 1,342 
 
 1,385 
 
 277 
 
 
 
 
 l,(io:! 
 
 993 
 
 996 
 
 1.287 
 
 1,351 
 
 1,508 
 
 1,800 
 280 
 
 360 
 56 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 "216 
 
 "243 
 
 ■238 
 
 ■'254 
 
 305 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 
 
 1,134 
 
 1,121 
 
 1,092 
 
 1,087 
 
 1,395 
 
 1,680 
 
 336 
 
 
 
 
 
 928 
 
 893 
 
 1,076 
 
 939 
 
 837 
 
 1,090 
 
 218 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 387 
 
 497 
 
 639 
 
 963 
 
 1,650 
 
 330 
 
 "l93 
 
 14,683 
 
 22.371 
 
 30.346 
 
 35,594 
 
 36,510 
 
 52;536 
 
 55,339 
 
 56,962 
 
 79,920 
 
 15,984 
 
 The total population ot the county in 1800 was 3,916. 
 The figures given in the column 1908 are estimated on the 
 basis of five of a population for each registered voter. The 
 number of registered voters in the county as returned bv 
 the registry assessors In June, 1908, is given in the last 
 column. 
 
 Centerville Borough given in the above table is now Slip- 
 pery Rock Borough, and It will be noticed that Butler 
 Borough Is dropped in the last three columns and Butler, 
 1st, 2d. 3d, 4th and 5th Wards substituted. The popula- 
 tion of Butler Borough in 1900 was 10.853. and the esti- 
 mated population In 1908. 21.305. These figures do not 
 Include the population of Lyndora in Butler Township nor 
 the foreign population of Red Row. The total number of 
 voters registered In the borough in 1908 was 4,361. 
 
 The statistics ot population of 1900 gives the number 
 of white males in the county as 26,492, and the white 
 iVinnles as 27,361. The foreign population was 3,109, and 
 Hie coloiMl population 119 The estimates of the foreign 
 
 population in 1908 vary from 12,000 to 15,000. about 60 
 per cent of which are in the district surrounding Butler 
 Borough. 
 
 In 1880 the vilage of Eldorado had a population of 53 ; 
 Modoc, 127; Greece City. 142: Forestville, 233; Hllllard, 
 lie; Mechanicsburg. 52; Middletown. 94; Martlnsburg, 
 287 ; North Washington. 147 ; Petersville. 90 ; Sarversville. 
 :!7 ; Troutman, 320 ; Unlonville, 44 ; West Liberty, 63 ; and 
 Whitestowu, 90. In 1900 many of these villages had dis- 
 appeared and others had been converted into boroughs. The 
 population of Evans City, originally called Evansburg, 
 .jumped from 68 in 1880 to 637 in 1890, and to 1,200 in 
 1900. Forestville has decreased in population, while the 
 villages of Eldorado, Greece City, and Modoc have almost 
 entirely disappeared. The population of these villages is 
 included In the census of their respective townships. Mar- 
 
 tlnsburg has been converted into a borough and the name 
 changed to Bruin, and Its population has Increased from 287 
 in 1880 to about 750. Petersville has been changed to 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITlZExNS 
 
 137 
 
 ng Borougl 
 880 to 43S 
 
 aud has increased In population 
 
 West Liberty Borough has been 
 
 of 1900. and its population is now 
 
 Couuoiiueoessing BoroUi 
 
 from ■ 
 
 created since the 
 
 305. Other boroughs that have been created 
 
 are Mars, with a population of about 1,200. Valencia witt 
 
 a population of 270, Eau Claire with a population of 4,50 
 
 and West Liberty with 2S0. 
 
 Gallery Borough was created under a charter granted 
 .lune 6. 1905. and is not included in the above table. The 
 population in 1900 was included in .\dams Township, and 
 tlie estimated population in 1908 is 300. No return was 
 made by the registry assessor of the voters for 1908, and 
 I he number of taxablcs for that year were 111. 
 
 SOME NOTABLE PIONEERS. 
 
 David Dougal was one of the be«t kuowu 
 citizens in Butler County throughout his 
 long and eventful career, and his name is 
 inseparably linked with its histoiy for a 
 period surpassing the allotted life of man. 
 He was a native of Franklin County, 
 Pennsylvania, born near Fannetsburg, 
 September 23, 1778, and was the sou of a 
 Presbyterian minister. He obtained a 
 good English education, and in early man- 
 hood left home and went to Huntingdon, 
 where he clerked in the prothonotary's" 
 office. Here he studied the art of survey- 
 ing, afterwards went to Pittsburg, and 
 later to Kentucky, where he acquired a 
 taste for adventure and free outdoor life. 
 He next went to Detroit and acted as clerk 
 in a trading post, meeting hundreds of In- 
 dians there, and subsequently spent some 
 time among ttie Indian tribes of Ohio.- 
 These associations had a marked influence 
 on his character that remained with him to 
 the day of his death. He finally returned 
 to Huntingdon, whence, about the year 
 1800, he came to Butler County. Upon the 
 organization of this county he was ap- 
 pointed the first clerk of the board of 
 county commissioners, and later served 
 one term in that body. At the first sales of 
 lots in Butler borough, Mr. Dougal proved 
 his faith in the new county seat by purchas- 
 ing several lots, some of which he owneil 
 until he died. He was one of the pioneei- 
 merchants of the town for a short time, but 
 soon abandoned merchandising to pursue 
 the more congenial vocation of a surveyor, 
 which profession he followed until tlie in 
 firmities of old age compelled him to retire 
 from active life. He loved nothing so well 
 as to roam through the primitive forest, 
 running lines, establishing corners and 
 blazing trees to mark boundaries. He did 
 
 the greater part of the early surveying in 
 this county, and his wonderful memory re- 
 tained in old age the most precise and 
 exact knowledge of lines and surveys made 
 by himself during the first years of the 
 county's history. He was recognized by 
 courts and lawyers as a high and almost 
 infallible authority on such matters. 
 
 Mr. Dougal was the agent of Stephen 
 Lowrey, and later of his daughter, Mrs. 
 Sarah Collins, wdio inherited a large por- 
 tion of her father's lands in this county, 
 and he continued in this capacity for the 
 heirs of Mrs. Collins until his retirement 
 from active business. This responsible 
 position afforded him the opportunity of 
 acquiring property, and he became quite 
 an extensive land owner. Scrupulously 
 honest in all his dealings ; correct and care- 
 ful in his business habits; possessing an 
 extensive and valuable fund of general in- 
 formation, fine conversational abilities and 
 remarkable mental power, he commanded 
 the respect of the best people of the com- 
 munity. There were few branches of 
 scientific lore in which he was not well 
 versed. In pleasant weather Mr. Dougal 
 would sit in front of his modest home on 
 South Main Street and converse with those 
 who chose to listen or be entertained. His 
 manner of speech was calm, deliberate and 
 dignified, and his subjects were history, 
 l)olitical economy, geography, geology, 
 topography, climate and astronomy. He 
 possessed an extensive and accurate knowl- 
 edge of the last mentioned science, and was 
 always happy when gazing at the starry 
 firmament or discoursing upon its won- 
 <lrous beauty and grandeur. His store of 
 local history, too, embraced the minutest 
 details of the annals of Butler County 
 from its erection until the year of his 
 death. 
 
138 
 
 in STORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 With all tliesc advantages he was, 
 nevertheless, a peculiar ami ecct'iitiic char 
 acter, and is principally remenihcicd by 
 the present generation because of the man- 
 ner in wliich he lived. Though he possessed 
 plenty of this world's goods, and might 
 have enjoyed the usual comforts of life, 
 he refused to improve his i^roperty, and 
 persisted in living in one of the smallest 
 and plainest of the frame buildings in 
 Dougal's row until he removed to his farm 
 in Summit Township, a few years prior to 
 his death. Surrounded l)y rubbish of all 
 kinds, including his surveying instruments. 
 maps, charts, books, etc., with a few broken 
 chairs and a bed that defied des<'rii)tiou. 
 he despised and discarded modern fash- 
 ions and modes of living, and seemed to 
 take a ijeculiar delight in the slovenly dress 
 and unrestrained life of the rudest pioneer 
 backwoodsman. Nevertheless, when occa- 
 sion re(|uired, he would appear as a well- 
 dressed gentleman in refined society, and 
 was thoroughly familiar with all the cour- 
 tesies pertaining to it. Though he lived 
 witli the most rigid frugality, he was not a 
 miser, but was generous, kind and charit- 
 able to the poor and needy. If his tenants 
 could not pay their rents, he permitted 
 them to remain or move away without 
 molestation. 
 
 This gifted, strange and eccenti-ic man 
 never married, and died on his farm in 
 Summit Township, November 8, 1881, at 
 the extraordinary age of 10.3 years, leaving 
 much valuable property to relatives, and 
 also to some fr-iends who cared for him in 
 his declining age. In a]»))earance he was 
 tall and erect in cai'riage, grave, serious 
 and dignified in bearing, and remarkably 
 independent in thought and action. Not 
 only to the severe simplicity of his mode of 
 living, but to the wonderful evenness of his 
 temper, which he rarely suffei-ed to be ruf- 
 fled by any excitement, was largely due 
 the uniformly good health be enjoyed 
 throughout his life and the great longevity 
 he attained. Mr. Dougal was pre-eminently 
 
 a peacemaker, ilis opportunities as a sur- 
 veyor were always used to settle disputes 
 and avoid litigation, and, as the natural 
 result of this policy, he was often appealed 
 to by disputants as final arbiter. In poli- 
 tics,, he was a Whig, until the formation of 
 the Republican party, and ever afterward 
 a Republican. While he did not profess 
 any particular religious faith nor attend 
 church, he was a firm believer in the funda- 
 mental principles of Christianity, and had 
 an utter contempt for the man who treated 
 the forms of religion with levity. The 
 leading minds of Butler County looked 
 upon liim not only as a learned man, but 
 a philosopher, and his name will be re- 
 spected as long as a single one of those who 
 knew him best is left to do justice to his 
 memor3^ 
 
 Hon. Waltek Lowrie was one of the 
 most distinguished sons of Butler County, 
 and none of her citizens ever attained 
 greater eminence or labored in a broader 
 field. He was born in Edinburgh, Scot- 
 land, December 10, 1784, and came to the 
 United States with his parents, John and 
 Catherine (Cameron) Tjowrie, in 1792. 
 The family settled in Huntingdon County, 
 Pennsylvania, whence they removed to 
 what is now Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County, in 1797. Here his parents spent 
 the remaining years of their lives, his 
 mother dying in J 8.37 and his father in 
 1840. Their children were as follows: 
 Matthew B., who removed to Pittsburg, 
 became quite a prominent man of that 
 city, and served as mayor several terms; 
 Walter ; John L. ; Ann, who married An- 
 drew Porter; Elizabeth, who first mariied 
 John Stevens, and aft^r his death, Robert 
 S. Whann; Jane, who became the wife of 
 William Porterfield; and Catherine, who 
 mai-ried Andrew McCaslin. John Lowrie, 
 Sr., owned a farm and a grist- and saw- 
 mill, and was one of the prosperous citi- 
 zens of the county. He was one of the 
 founders of Scrubgrass Presbyterian 
 Church in Venango County, and a man of 
 
WALTER LOtTRlE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 139 
 
 sturdy cliaiacter, excelleut moral traits 
 and hi.!"!! mental qualities. After clearing 
 up his farm and living upon it for about 
 forty years, lie died there, and is buried 
 ill Scniliiiiass Presbytei'ian cemetery. 
 
 'i'lic subject of this sketch was reared 
 ii))oii iiis latlier's farm, and his primary 
 education consisted of an occasional term 
 at a subscription school and home instruc- 
 tion of winter nights. His parents being 
 ilevout Presbyterians, AValter was care- 
 fully trained in that faith, and at an early 
 age entered u]ion a course of study with 
 the ministry in view, and pursued the 
 Latin, (Ireek and Hebrew languages un- 
 der Rev. John McPherrin. He came to 
 Butler in 1807 to engage in teaching, was 
 soon after appointed clerk in the commis- 
 sioner's office, was later elected a member 
 of the board, and also filled the office of 
 justice of the peace, thus commencing a 
 public career that lasted continuously for 
 almost thirty years. In the meantime, he 
 and his lirother Matthew B., opened a 
 store in Butler, which was conducted prin- 
 cipally by clerks, the greater part of his 
 time being devoted to his public duties. 
 In 1811 he was elected on the Democratic 
 ticket to the Legislature, and the following 
 year to the State Senate. He was reelected 
 to the latter, and served in that body 
 seven years. In 1818, while still a member 
 of the State Senate, he was elected to the 
 United States Senate, and served in that 
 body with ability and distinction for six 
 years. This period was one of great in- 
 tei'est in the history of our country'. Such 
 distinguished men as Webster, Clay, Cal- 
 houn, Randolph and Benton were members 
 of the Senate, and among these eminent 
 statesmen Walter Lowrie occupied a posi- 
 tion of hoiioralile ])rominence. His stanch 
 integrity won their confidence, while his 
 practical judgment led them to seek his 
 advice and rely upon his opinions. He 
 was regarded by the Senators who knew 
 him best as an authority upon all questions 
 of political history and constitutional law. 
 
 Dining the discussion of the celebrated 
 Missouri Compromise, he made a speech 
 of great power and force of argument, in 
 which he took strong grounds against the 
 extension of slavery, and uttered a vigor- 
 ous protest against the establishment of 
 slave labor upon a single foot of free terri- 
 tory. His influence in the Senate was not 
 only that of a statesman, but also of a 
 Christian. He was one of the founders of 
 the Congressional Prayer Meeting, as well 
 as of the Congressional Temperance Soci- 
 ety. For a long time he was a member of 
 the executive committee of tlie American 
 Colonization Society, also of the Senate 
 committee on Indian affairs. At the ex- 
 piration of his senatorial term, in March, 
 1825, he was elected secretary of the Sen- 
 ate, an office which he held for twelve 
 years, resigning it in 1836 to become secre- 
 tary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign 
 Missions, which, under his vigorous and 
 sagacious policy, was built up fi-om an ob- 
 scure institution to its subsequent imiwr- 
 tance and prosperity. He brought to his 
 new field of action the same strength of 
 mind and earnestness of purpose that had 
 characterized his previous career, and be- 
 came the efficient head of a great mission- 
 ary work. His labors only terminated 
 with his death, which occurred in New 
 York City, December 14, 1868. 
 
 Senator Lowrie was twice married. His 
 first marriage occurred in 1808, to Amelia 
 ^IcPherrin, a daughter of Rev. John Mc- 
 Pherrin, his preceptor, and one of the 
 founders of the Presbyterianism in Butler 
 County. She died in 1832, and he after 
 ward married Mary K. Childs. The chil 
 dren of his first marriage were as follows : 
 John C. ; Matthew S., an early member of 
 tlie Butler bar; Mary, who married Sam 
 uel Baird, a merchant of Pittsburg; Eliza : 
 Walter M. ; Jonathan Roberts, a well re 
 membered attorney of Hollidaysburg : 
 Reuben P., and Henry M. John C, Wal 
 ter M., and Reuben P. became mission 
 aries of the Presbyterian church. Reu 
 
140 
 
 1 [STORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ben P. fell a victim to overwork in the 
 enervating climate of China, and Walter 
 M. was murdered by Chinese pirates, 
 August 19, 1847. Rev. John C. Lowrie, 
 D. 1)., spent two years on missionary work 
 in India, when he returned to New York 
 and was appointed assistant to his father 
 in the office of the Board of Foreign Mis- 
 sions, and after his father's death he suc- 
 ceeded him as secretary, which position 
 he filled continuously for several years. 
 Senator Lowrie exhibited a rare example 
 of obedience to the dictates of duty in re- 
 signing the secretaryship of the United 
 States Senate, and accepting that of the 
 Board of Foreign Missions. He relin- 
 quished a home surrounded by every com- 
 fort, a position of ease and large emolu- 
 ment, the society of a wide circle of emi- 
 nent men, with whom lie was on tei*ms of 
 the closest intimacy, for a life in humble 
 quarters, in a city with which he was im- 
 familiar and to assume an arduous posi- 
 tion, the remuneration of which was 
 scarcely sufficient to sustain him. Not- 
 withstanding his many varied talents, he 
 was a modest and unassuming gentleman, 
 whose public career was marked by the 
 same rigid morals and principles that 
 guided his private life. 
 
 Rev. John McPherrin was one of tlie 
 founders of Presbyterianism in western 
 Pennsylvania, the pioneer minister of that 
 denomination in Butler County, and the 
 first pastor of the Butler church. He was 
 a native of what is now Adams County, 
 Pennsylvania, born November 15, 1757, 
 whence the family removed to Westmore- 
 land County. His preparatory studies 
 were pursued under Rev. Robert Smith, 
 D. D., of Pequea, Pennsylvania, and he 
 graduated at Dickinson College in 1788. 
 He studied theology under the direction of 
 Rev. John Clark, of Allegheny County, 
 and was licensed to ])reacli by the Pres- 
 bytery of Redstone, August 20, 1789. On 
 Se])tember 22, 1790, be was ordained by 
 the same Presbytery, and installed pastor 
 
 of the congregations of Salem and Unity, 
 in Westmoreland County, where he re- 
 mained until 1803, In the meantime, how- 
 ever, he had visited this portion of the 
 State on a missionary tour, coming here 
 in the summer of 1799 and preaching to 
 a congregation under the spreading 
 branches of a large tree that stood near 
 the site of Concord Presbyterian church, 
 in what is now Concord Township, Butler 
 County. Several of his audience requested 
 him to name the embryo church, which he 
 did, calling it "Concord," the title it has 
 borne to the present day. 
 
 In 1803 Mr. McPherrin returned to this 
 county and accepted calls from Concord 
 and Muddy Creek churches, both of which 
 he took charge of the same year. In 1805 
 be became a member of the Presbytery of 
 Erie, and continued to minister to the con- 
 gregations mentioned until 1813, when he 
 resigned the Muddy Creek charge, having 
 been installed pastor of the Butler church 
 April 7, 1813, in connection with the 
 church of Concord. It is also said he was 
 pastor of Harmony church for several 
 years. He remained pastor of Butler and 
 Concord churches until his death, which 
 occurred at Butler, February 10, 1822. 
 Before coming to Butler County, Mr. Mc- 
 Pherrin was married to Mary Stevenson, 
 a daughter of John Stevenson, of Wash- 
 ington County. His cliildren were as fol- 
 lows: Amelia, who married Walter Low- 
 rie ; William ; Samuel ; John ; Clark ; 
 Mary, who married John Sullivan; Eben- 
 ezer; Josi'ab, and Anderson. 
 
 Rev. Isaiah Niblock, D. D,, was one of 
 the pioneer ministers of what is now 
 known as the United Presbyterian church 
 of Butler. He was a native of County 
 Monaghan, Ireland, born in the year 1794, 
 studied divinity under Rev. John Dick, 
 D. D., professor of theology in the United 
 Sessions church, Glasgow, Scotland, and 
 was licensed to preach in 1817. The fol- 
 lowing year he emigrated to New York, 
 and preached in Philadel])bia in the fall 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 141 
 
 of 1818. SooD after he crossed the Alle- 
 gheny Mountains on horseback, arriving 
 in Pittsburg on the 20th of December, 
 1818, where he was appointed to supply 
 vacancies for three months in this section 
 of the State. Three days later he came to 
 Butler and preached in the courthouse on 
 the last Sunday of the year. He continued 
 to preach as a supj^ly until April 23, 1819, 
 when he received a call from the congrega- 
 tions of Butler and White Oak Springs, 
 which he accepted, and after filling his 
 previous engagements, was ordained and 
 installed as their pastor by the Monon- 
 gahela Associate Reformed Presbytery, 
 and preached his first sermon as pastor of 
 the Butler church on the third Sunday in 
 May, 1819. This pastorate continued for 
 more than forty-five years, or until his 
 death in Butler, June 29, 1864, although 
 he was unable to preach for nearly five 
 months preceding that event. When Mr. 
 Niblock became jiastor of the Butler 
 church it consisted of but one elder and 
 nine communicants. Under his ministry 
 there were added to the Butler, White Oak 
 Springs and Union congregations about 
 1,100 members. He baptized about 2,000 
 children and adults, and imited in mar- 
 riage more than 200 couples. After com- 
 ing to Butler, Dr. Niblock was married to 
 Rachel Alexander, of Pittsburg, who be- 
 came the mother of six children, viz. : 
 Mary J.; James; Alexander; John, a 
 United Presbyterian minister; Hugh; Mrs. 
 Maria Zimmerman, and Harriet. 
 
 Rev. William White, D. D., the honored 
 and respected rector of St. Peter's Protes- 
 tant Episcopal Church of Butler for half 
 a century, was a native of Stewartstown, 
 County Tyrone, Ireland. He was born 
 March 18, 1811, and grew to manhood in 
 his native land. In 1832 he came to Pitts- 
 burg, Pennsylvania, and entered the West- 
 ern LTniversity, graduating from that insti- 
 tution in 1834. He graduated from the 
 General Theological Seminary of New 
 York in 1837, was ordained a deacon l)v 
 
 Bishop Onderdonk, in Christ Church, 
 Philadelphia, the same year, and was sent 
 to take charge of the Preeport and Butler 
 congregations. In 1838 he was ordained 
 a priest by the same bishop, and remained 
 in charge of both churches mentioned until 
 1842, when he gave up the Freeport charge 
 and confined his labors to Butler and vicin- 
 ity. Dr. White was married October 7, 
 1840, to Mary Bredin, a daughter of James 
 Bredin, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to whom 
 have been born six children, as follows: 
 .:binie; Isabella; Thomas, an Episcopal 
 minister of East Albany, New York ; 
 George R., attorney at law at Butler; 
 James B. and William, both deceased. For 
 several years Dr. \\niite combined with his 
 parochial duties those of a teacher in the 
 old Butler Academy, and many of the lead- 
 ing men of Western Pennsylvania look up 
 to him with pride as their preceptor. He 
 continued as pastor of the Butler congre- 
 gation until 1877, when the infirmities of 
 advancing age induced him to lay down the 
 burden, although he occasionally per- 
 formed the offices of his sacred calling in 
 the adjoining counties of Armstrong and 
 Clarion until his death. For nearly sixty' 
 years his name was closely associated with 
 the religious and educational life of Butler 
 County, and few of its citizens have won- 
 to a greater degree the unbounded love and 
 confidence of the whole people than tliis 
 venerable patriarch whose rare usefulness 
 throughout that period was gladly ac- 
 knowledged by all. 
 
 Rev. Loyal Young, D. D., was pastor of 
 the Presbyterian Church of Butler for 
 nearly thirty-five years, and his name is a 
 familiar one in many of the homes in But- 
 ler County. He was a son of Robert and 
 Lydia (Gould) Young, of Charlemont, 
 Franklin County, Massachusetts, where he 
 was born July 1, 1806. Wlien Loyal was 
 five years old his parents removed to 
 French Creek, Harrison County, Virginia, 
 lie obtained a good English education in 
 till- schools of that localitv. entered Jeffer- 
 
142 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 son College, in 182t), and graduated from 
 that institution in the fall of 1828. After 
 teaching a private family school in Vir- 
 ginia one year, he entered the Western 
 Theological Seminary, at Allegheny City. 
 Pennsylvania, and was licensed to preach 
 the gospel by the l*resl.vter\ of Ohio, June 
 21, 1832. On the 2r)tli oi' ( )ct()her following, 
 he was married to Margai'et P. Johnston, 
 a daugliter of Rev. Robert Johnston, the 
 first pastor of the Scrubgrass Presbyterian 
 Church, Venango County, to which union 
 were born seven sons and one daughter. 
 Four of their sons, Robert J., Watson J., 
 Torrence F., and James W.. were soldiers 
 in the Union Army. 
 
 Mr. Young came to Butler County soon 
 after he was licensed to preach, his first 
 sermon in Butler lieing delivered August 
 29, 1832. The following summer he 
 preached as a candidate, and was ordained 
 and installed as the third pastor of the 
 Butler congregation, by the Presbytery of 
 Allegheny, December -i, 1833. For nearly 
 thii'ty-five years he labored faithfully and 
 assiduously in building up the church. 
 During his ministry here he baptized about 
 800 children and adults, united in marriage 
 over 200 couples, and nearly 450 persons 
 were brought into the Butler church. He 
 delivered his farewell sennon May 10, 
 1868, and the same month took charge of 
 French Creek and Buckhannon churches in 
 West Virginia. He remained at French 
 Creek eight years, and was then installed 
 as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church 
 
 of Parkersburg, in the same State, which 
 position he filled five years. His next 
 charge was the Winfield, Point Pleasant 
 and Pleasant Flats churches of West Vir- 
 ginia, which he ministered to from 1880 to 
 1885. He then removed to W^ashington, 
 Pennsylvania, and became a supply for a 
 few years. Here his wife died December 
 29, 1887, and soon after he returned to But- 
 ler, where he continued to follow the min- 
 istry up to within a few weeks of his 
 death, which occurred October 11, 1890. 
 
 While pastor of the Butler church, in 
 1858, the degree of D. D. was conferred 
 upon him by Washington College. Dr. 
 Young was twice moderator of the Synod 
 of Plttsl)urg, once of the Erie Synod, and 
 re)>vesente(i the l*re<l)ytery at the (leneral 
 Assembly several times. He was also the 
 author of the following works : * * Commen- 
 tary on the Book of Ecdesiastes. " "Hid- 
 den Treasure," "Interviews With In- 
 spired Men," "Communion," and "From 
 Dawn to Dusk." A few weeks before his 
 death he completed a conunentary on the 
 Book of Proverbs. To Dr. Young more 
 than to any other man was due the estab- 
 lishment of Witherspoon Institute at But- 
 ler. He was the guiding spirit in calling 
 the convention which brought that school 
 into existence, in preparing the charter, in 
 raising money, and placing the Institute 
 on a solid foundation. He was its princi- 
 pal for ([uite a long pei-iod, and his name is 
 closely interwoven with its early growth 
 and progress. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 POLITICAL HISTORY 
 
 Senatorial and Representative Districts Established — First Elections — A Neiv Judicial 
 District — Fourteenth Congressional District Established — Campaign of 1828 — 
 Case of Hugh Lee — Constitutional Amendments — Tiventy-fifth Congressional Dis- 
 trict — Anti-slavery Movement — The Knoir Nothing Party — Anti-Administration 
 Party — The Republican Party — The New Representative District — Apportionment 
 of 1871 — The Coi/sfitiitifiual Convention — Changes in 1874 — Vote on Prohibition 
 Amendment — Ca m pan/i/ of 1890 — Judicial Campaigns of 1892-1902 — The Union 
 Party — Vote for Picsidcni Roosevelt — New Primary Election Law — Congressional 
 Districts — Senatorial Districts — Representatirc Districts — Judicial Districts — 
 Public O-fflcials^Appointment of Court Officuds. 
 
 lu addition to exercising a fostering 
 care over her own internal political affairs, 
 Butler County has played an important 
 part in the various congressional, sena- 
 torial and judicial districts to which she 
 has belonged. Her citizens have ever val- 
 ued and protected their political rights and 
 have exercised them in the manner whicli 
 to their minds was best calculated to con- 
 serve the highest interests of tlie nation 
 and the state. 
 
 The act of the legislature creating Butiei- 
 County was approved March 12, 1800. Be 
 sides defining the boundaries of the county, 
 this act made temporary provision for her 
 political status by assigning her to the 
 same senatorial district as Allegheny, 
 Washington, and Green Counties. The 
 rejjresentative district was made up of 
 Beaver, Butler, Mercer, Crawford, Erie, 
 Warren, and Venango Counties and was 
 entitled to two representatives in the gen- 
 eral assembly. 
 
 Under the Constitution of 1790, then in 
 force, the members of the State Senate 
 
 were elected every three years and tiie 
 meml)ers of the House of Representatives 
 every year. No member could serve more 
 than four years in seven. Elections were 
 held on the second Tuesday in October of 
 each year, save for President and Vice- 
 President of the United States, which were 
 held in November, as at present. The 
 terms of service of state senators and rep- 
 resentatives began on the fourtli Monday 
 of October. 
 
 The state Capitol was at Lancaster and 
 the Senators and Representatives, as well 
 as other citizens having business there, 
 usually made the journey on horse-back, 
 that being the only mode of conveyance 
 outside of walking, previous to the estab- 
 lishment of a stage-coach line and the 
 canal. Occasionally a prudent member 
 took his own provisions with him. 
 
 The act above referred to also provided 
 that : 
 
 "Tlie inhabitants of thai |.:ii( of the .-oiinty of 
 Butler in Elder's district of the defirei-iatod lands, who 
 heretofore held their eh^etions at the town of Freeport. 
 shall be annexed lo the distriit known bv the name of 
 
144 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 McClure's district and vote with the inhabitants thereof 
 at the house of Andrew McClure. And the inhabitants 
 of that part of Butler County in any of the donation 
 districts, who have heretofore held their elections at the 
 town of Freeport shall be annexed to what is called 
 Buchannan 's district and vote with the inhabitants 
 thereof. ' ' 
 
 SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 The act of April 2, 1803, assigned Butler 
 County to the sixth judicial district with 
 Beaver, Mercer, and Erie Counties, of 
 which the Honorable Jesse Moore was the 
 first presiding judge to sit in Butler. 
 
 ELEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 
 
 An act of the General Assembly of April 
 11, 1803, divided the state into eleven con- 
 gressional districts, the eleventh district 
 being composed of Allegheny, Beaver, But- 
 ler, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Warren, 
 and Erie Counties. 
 
 FIRST ELECTIONS. 
 
 The first general election in the county 
 was held in 1804, at which members of con- 
 gress, representatives to the general as- 
 sembly and county commissioners were 
 voted for. The same year at the election 
 held on the first Monday in November, 
 presidential electors were voted for. 
 
 The candidates for Congress were J. B. 
 C. Lucas, Democratic Republican, and 
 James O'Hara, Federalist. The latter was 
 a resident of Pittsburg, a Revolutionary 
 soldier, and, as the name of his party indi- 
 cates, an adherent of the Hamiltonian idea 
 of a strong government. That his ideas 
 were not well received in Butler County 
 may be seen from the records of the vote 
 cast in the six election districts into which 
 the county was divided at that time. Lucas 
 received 408 votes in the county and 
 O'Hara 118. 
 
 The election that year in the first dis- 
 trict was held at the home of Ezekiel Bre- 
 -din, formerly James Buchannan 's, where 
 William Gault, Jacob Smith, and Ephraim 
 Harris were judges. In the second district 
 the polling place was at the residence of 
 Alexander Ramsey, the judges being Ben- 
 
 jamin Fletcher, W. I^urgeson, and James 
 Coulter. The judges of election and poll- 
 ing places are not recorded for the third 
 and fourth districts. The judges of the 
 fifth district were W. Johnson, Samuel 
 Duncan, and Moses Bolton. The place of 
 holding election is not mentioned. In the 
 sixth district the judges were, Abdiel Mc- 
 Lure, William Campbell and George Shan- 
 non. At Butler the judges were William 
 Ayres, John Cunningham, and John Gil- 
 more. There were no returns from the 
 fourth district. 
 
 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 
 
 Candidates. Dist. Dist. Dist. Dist. Dist. Dist. 
 
 Confjress — 
 
 John B. C. Lucas 32 T6 188 . . 61 51 
 
 James O'Hara 32 6 63 . . 9 8 
 
 Assembly — 
 
 James Bovard 92 
 
 George Robinson 32 46 84 .. 60 58 
 
 Jacob Mechling 50 76 78 . . 25 4 
 
 Abner ■^ftycock 32 22 80 . . 43 58 
 
 John McBride 32 8 196 .. 43 66 
 
 Jonathan Coulter 32 34 50 . . 25 5 
 
 J.icob Perree 12 6 51 . . 7 5 
 
 John Negley 102 
 
 Commissioners — 
 
 Abner Coats 12 . . 40 60 
 
 .lames Scott 18 42 121 . . 4 2 
 
 Francis Kearns 1 .. 72 .. 23 3 
 
 David .\rmstrong 27 3 
 
 Hugh Lee 13 40 1 
 
 Wililam Brown 3 .. 53 .. .. 1 
 
 At the election held for state senators in 
 the county in 1805, David Martin received 
 207 votes and Samuel Ewalt 149 votes. The 
 election, however, seems to have fallen to 
 the lot of one of the other counties in the 
 district, and Butler County did not elect a 
 state senator until 1811. 
 
 The following year Jacob Mechling of 
 Butler was elected to the legislature, re- 
 ceiving 229 votes in this county. Abner 
 Laycock received 232 votes and Francis 
 McLure 231 votes. 
 
 A NEW JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 By an act of the legislature approved 
 February 24, 1806, the sixth judicial dis- 
 trict was reconstructed, Butler County be- 
 ing placed in the same district with Mercer, 
 Butler, Venango, Crawford, and Erie. The 
 same act provided for the holding of court 
 in Butler on the first Monday in March, 
 June, September and December of each 
 year, for terms of one week. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 145 
 
 The act of March 21, 1808, put Alle- 
 gheny, Beaver aud Butler Counties in the 
 same senatorial district, and Allegheny and 
 Butler Counties in the same representative 
 district and entitled the two counties to 
 four representatives. 
 
 The act of April 4, 1809, changed the 
 time of holding court in Butler to the sec- 
 ond i\Iondays of the months given above. 
 An act was also passed in 1809 to validate 
 the acts of justices of the peace from the 
 erection of the countv in 1800 to November 
 1, 1808. 
 
 Francis McLure and Samuel Ewalt ap- 
 pear to have been the candidates for state 
 senate in Butler County in 1809, but failed 
 of election in the district. The same year 
 John Negley of Butler was elected repre- 
 sentative.. 
 
 In 1810 James Patterson, the candidate 
 for representative, received a majority of 
 the votes in this county, but failed of elec- 
 tion. In the same year Walter Lowrie of 
 Butler was elected to the legislature and in 
 1811 to the state senate. He was re-elected 
 in 1814 and elected United States Senator 
 in 1818. 
 
 THE FOURTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 
 
 The Legislature of 1812, on March 20, 
 passed an act apportioning the State into 
 fifteen congressional districts. Butler and 
 vVUegheny Counties constituted the Four- 
 teenth District. The political machinery 
 of those days was much simpler than at 
 present. The candidates ran largely on 
 their personal merit and popularity, and 
 as the representatives of the political 
 ideas and principles which were then di- 
 viding the people into parties. The Demo- 
 cratic-Republicans, who were followers of 
 Jefferson, were in a majority in the county 
 for many years. Sometimes a candidate 
 would achieve success by sheer dint of 
 personal popularity, this more frequently 
 hapi)ening when too many candidates 
 from the leading party sought the same 
 office. The "scrub race," however, gradu- 
 
 ally fell into disrepute, as was inevitable, 
 and served to pave the way for the dele- 
 gate system which succeeded it and which 
 continued in operation almost until the 
 close of the last century, when it too gave 
 way to the system of nomination by popu- 
 lar vote now in use. 
 
 As an indication of the tendency toward 
 the delegate method in 1814, an advertise- 
 ment which appeared in the Pittsburg 
 paper of that year is of interest : 
 
 " At a general meeting of the Democratic-Republican 
 delegates from the different townships of the county 
 of Butler, held at the Court House in the town of 
 Butler, on the 4th day of .luly, 1814, for the purpose 
 of putting in nomination suitable persons to be sup- . 
 ported at the next general election, the following persons 
 were unanimously agreed upon : Governor, Si-non 
 Snyder; Assembly, John Potts. It was resolved, That 
 Hugh McKee and Robert Scott be delegates to meet 
 two delegates from Allegheny County at Mr. .Tames 
 Carnahan's at such time as may be agreed upon; ;ind 
 that they be instructed to support .Tohn Potts fm- a 
 member of the House of Representatives in tlie State 
 in conjunction with three mendiers fnjin Allrulicny 
 County; and :ils.. .-ift.-r :i .-Miifi imr,. ^^iIl| j|,. ,1-1, y,i|,.'s 
 from Alleghenv l'.iiili(\ in |i,t m n ,!i.i:i.i'i ,, -m :ilili> 
 
 person to be Mi|.ii,.rt,',i imi ,1 M.ni 1 1 ( .i,j,.. iHuti 
 
 this district. Il.-alvc i. I'li.it tli,- |iiiir,'r,|inL;> -if (liis 
 meeting be signed by the cliairm;!!! :iim1 sr.'ictuiy tiiid 
 published in the Pittsburg papers. ' ' 
 
 The minutes of the meeting were signed 
 by Robert Martin as chairman aud Robert 
 Lemmcm as secretary. Mr. Potts who was 
 a citizen of Butler County was elected to 
 the Assembly. 
 
 John Gilmore was elected representa- 
 tive to the General Assembly from Butler 
 County in 1816-17-18-19 and in 1821. In 
 the year last mentioned he was chosen 
 speaker of the House. He was a candidate 
 for state senator in 1821 and again in 
 1825, but was not elected, although he re- 
 ceived a majority of the votes cast in the 
 county. 
 
 Moses Sullivan, a brother of Hon. 
 Charles C. Sullivan, was elected repre- 
 sentative in 1822 and 1823, and state sen- 
 ator in 1824, serving three terms in the 
 Senate. 
 
 In 1825 the congressional district was 
 composed of Beaver, Butler and Arm- 
 strong Counties, and Robert Orr was 
 
mSTOKY OF BirTl.EK COUNTY 
 
 elcctf'd to ('ou}Xvess, n-ceiviiig .j,1.j7 votes 
 ill the district. The vote on the jsroposed 
 ( 'oMstitiitiotial Aniemhnent of tliat year 
 was (i24 for and (i!H against tiie amend- 
 ment. At tlie same election Jt)hn Brown, 
 James Powers, William Beatty and Will- 
 iam B. Foster were elected representatives 
 from the district composed of Allegheny 
 and Butler Conntics. William Beatty was 
 a citizen of ISullcr ('ounty and was re- 
 elected in ISJd and ISl'7. Mo.ses Sullivan 
 w;is elected State Senator in 1825 from 
 the district conii)o.sed of Allegheny, Beaver 
 and Bntler Counties. 
 
 i;.\MP.\KJN OF 18'_'8. 
 
 The campaign of ISL'8 saw three tickets 
 in the field. Tliey were known as the 
 ".\inerican System," "Independent," and 
 "Jackson." William Pnrvianee, of But- 
 lei', was a candidate for the Assembly on 
 the iirst named ticket, Eobert Stewart on 
 the second, and dames .McKee on the third. 
 iMcKee was elected, receiving ?,;2b() votes 
 in the district, of which 720 were given 
 him in Butler County. The vote of the 
 county was 1,068 for Andrew Jackson and 
 ()10 for John Quincy Adams, a majority 
 of 458 for "Old Hickory." The campaign 
 of tliat yeai- was marked by much bitter- 
 ness of feeling and many heated discus 
 sions over the relative merit of the oj^pos- 
 ing presidential candidate. Occasionally 
 there was violence resorted to on the part 
 of some over-rash champion of "Old 
 Hickory," which was usually met in kind 
 by the advocates of Adams, but no serious 
 damage was done outside of a few bloody 
 noses and blackened eyes. The spirit en- 
 gendered by that campaign is forcibly 
 expressed in a toast expressed on the 4th 
 of July and on training day. It is as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 Notwithstanding the free expression of 
 ich strong sentiments personal enooun 
 
 ter> and deeds of violence were rare as 
 the result of political differences. 
 
 IFIK (WSK OF HUGH LEE. 
 
 The case of Hugh I.ee, of Butler County, 
 attracted general attention in tlie legis- 
 lature in ilarch. 182!». Lee had filled the 
 otlice of justice of the peace from 1808 
 to 1S2!) and was charged with l>eing an 
 alien. This ch.irge was carried forward 
 from court to court and ultimately came 
 before tlie legislature for adjudication. 
 Lee refuted the charge with the evidence 
 that he had been naturalized in New 
 Orleans prior to coming to Butler County. 
 After a lengthy discussion the legislature 
 disposed of the matter by adjourning the 
 debate by a vote of 54 to 28. Lee com- 
 |)leted his term as justice of the peace in 
 1830, and was not again molested by his 
 pei'secutors. 
 
 By the act of April 29, 1829, Butler and 
 Beaver Counties were made a senatorial 
 district, and Butler County created a rep- 
 resentative district entitled to one member 
 of the House of Representatives. 
 
 The opposition to Free Masonry, due 
 l)rimarily to the disapjiearance of William 
 ]\f organ in 182(1, ajipears to have been the 
 leading issue in Butler County in 1830. A 
 meeting of the "antis" was held at the 
 courthouse on February 6 of that year 
 and presided over by General Ayres. An- 
 other meeting was held on February 17, 
 at which George W. Smith was chosen as 
 a delegate to the State Anti-Masonic Con- 
 \entiou, and a Committee of Vigilance was 
 a]iix)inted. 
 
 In 1832 the State was again apportioned 
 into Congressional districts and Butler 
 County was placed in the same district 
 with Armstrong and Clearfield Counties. 
 William Ayres, the candidate for Congress 
 from Butler County that year received 
 1,254 votes in the county, but failed of 
 an election in the district. 
 
 .\t the October election in 1835, Butler 
 County cast L780 votes against the pro- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 14? 
 
 posed CoiLstitutioual Coiiveutiou to be 
 held in 1838, and 541 votes in favor of it. 
 William Ayres and Tlionias Denny were 
 chosen senatorial delegiitcs and Samuel A. 
 Pmviance representative delegate. 
 
 The campaign of 18oS was an exciting 
 one in Butler. Previous to the election 
 in October, tlie Whigs raised a flag on the 
 Mechliug corner,- concealing their project 
 so well under the cover of darkness that 
 the Democrats did not discover it until tin- 
 uext morning. A Whig tiag in IJutlcr in 
 1838 was out of the question, and as soon 
 as the amazed Democracy discovered the 
 streamer flaunting deliance in the morning 
 breeze, they immediately removed it with- 
 out ceremony. The chief actor in the re- 
 moval of the flag and the flagiiole was 
 Paulhemas, the blacksmith. 
 
 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS. 
 
 The Constitutional amendments sub 
 mitted at the election in 1838, received a 
 majority of ],fi71 votes in the county, the 
 vote for them being 2,383 and against 
 them 712. Under the new Constitution the 
 offices of recorder and prothonotary were 
 made elective, and at the election of Octo- 
 ber 11, 1839, candidates for these offices 
 were voted for. for the first time. Joseph 
 McQuistion and William Walker, candi- 
 dates for register and recorder, received 
 1,219 and 1,093 votes I'espectively, while 
 Jacoli Zeigler and John Levis received 
 1,318 and 1,021 votes respectively for 
 prothonotary. For academy trustees the 
 vote was: John Gilmore and Rev. Loyal 
 Young. 1,146 votes; John Duffy and Dr. 
 James Graliam received 1,143 votes. 
 
 At the election held in October. 1840. for 
 members of Congress, Joseph Buffington 
 received 2,100 votes; William Wilkin s 
 1.804 votes, and David Tarbox 5 votes. 
 Buffington was afterward elected to Con- 
 gress in the district in 1842 and served 
 two terras. 
 
 Ilih; TWKXTV-KIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 
 
 The Act of Assembly of March 25, 1843, 
 placed Butler County in the Twenty-fifth 
 Congressional District, with Armstrong, 
 Indiana and Clearfield Counties. The Act 
 of A])ril 14 of the same year placed Alle- 
 gheny and Butler Counties in the Twenty- 
 fourth Senatorial District, which was en 
 titled to two members, while Butler 
 County was continued as a Representative 
 District, with one member. 
 
 THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT. 
 
 A new ticket was in the field in 1844. 
 The Anti-slavery and Liberty men organ- 
 ized in that year at ;i meeting hehl at the 
 courthouse at which John Waldron pre- 
 sided and John Smitli was secretary. One 
 of the resolutions adopted asserted: 
 "That in organizing a Liberty party in 
 Butler County we do it from the sense of 
 duty to Grod and are determined to sup- 
 port no man or party in the management 
 of political affairs further than measures 
 and men in office are governed by the 
 Bible, which we take as our supreme law 
 tfl" which all otlier laws must conform." 
 
 In the election that followed, the Lib- 
 erty party candidate, John Shryock, re- 
 (^eived 146 votes for county commissioner, 
 while Dodds, the Democrat, received 2,103, 
 and Bracken, Whig, received 2,066 votes. 
 
 The Anti-Masonic advocates were active 
 in 1846 and placed a full ticket in the nom- 
 ination under the title of the Anti-Masonic 
 Whig Party. In March, 1847, the people 
 voted on the Option, or fjiquor Law, giving 
 1 ,960 votes for the sale of liquor and 1,225 
 against such sale. The same year a new 
 road law was voted for and resulted in 
 695 votes for the new law. and 1,771 for 
 the old law. 
 
 On July 29, 1848. the Free Soilers and 
 Free Laborites held a meeting at Porters- 
 ville to prepare for the conventions of 
 their party, but little was accomplished. 
 
148 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER (BOUNTY 
 
 The siiiiie year the charter of the Colum- 
 bia Bank was the cause of much discussion 
 and a debate in the Assembly at Harris- 
 burg in March. 
 
 The anti-slavery movement appears to 
 iiave been gathering some force in Butler 
 County in 1850. In October of that year 
 an anti-slavery meeting was held at Cen- 
 treville, now Slippery Rock Borough, for 
 the purpose of considering the provisions 
 of the new Fugitive Slave Law. The meet- 
 ing was presided over by John Hays and 
 Thomas Stephenson, and a committee was 
 appointed to draft a petition to Congress 
 for the repeal of the law. 
 
 The Free Soil element were active in the 
 campaign of 1853 and succeeded in defeat- 
 ing the Democratic candidates for judge 
 of the Supreme Court in the county that 
 year. The decrease in the total vote of 
 1853 over the preceding year was 1600, the 
 Democratic party suffering the most from 
 the defection of the Free Soil element. The 
 vote cast on October 11, for Thomas A. 
 Budd, Whig candidate, for .judge of the Su- 
 preme Court, was 1952, for John C. Knox, 
 Democratic candidate, 1835, and for Will- 
 iam A. Stephenson, Free Soil candidate, 
 95. The Wliig candidates that year were 
 successful for both the state and county 
 offices. 
 
 THE KNOW NOTHING PAKTV. 
 
 The first election in the county held after 
 the organiaztion of the thirty-three town- 
 ships and the four boroughs of the county 
 brought into light the dangers of introdu- 
 cing "isms" into politics. While the Know 
 Nothing Party had a state ticket that year, 
 it secretly gave its support to the Whig 
 candidates, and by tliis means defeated the 
 Democratic ticket. In the local election the 
 Know Nothings supported those candidates 
 in the Whig and Democratic tickets, who 
 were members of their (so-called) "dark- 
 lantern organization," or whom they be- 
 lieved to be in sympathy with it. 
 
 The Wliig candidate for governor re- 
 ceived 2955 votes. William Bigler, the 
 
 Democratic candidate, 2381, and Ben R. 
 Bradford, the Know Nothing candidate, 
 fourteen. The highest Know Nothing vote 
 cast for assemblyman was sixty-one for II. 
 F. Aderhold, while W. McClelland, T. 
 Barry and John Cowden each received sev- 
 enteen votes. Samuel A Purviance, Whig 
 candidate for Congress, received 2903 
 votes against 2367 cast for 0. D. Palmer^ 
 Democrat. In county affairs, John McKee, 
 Democrat, received 2675 votes for sheriff, 
 against 2553 cast for J. A. Gibson; Mat- 
 thew F. White received 2732 votes for pro- 
 thonotary against 2445 cast for his Wiiig 
 opponent, Nathan Brown. This vote was 
 reversed in the battle for register and re- 
 corder, I. S. P. DeWolf, Whig, being vic- 
 torious. John Graham, Democrat, was 
 elected clerk of courts. Jacob Bentel, 
 Whig, was elected coroner and William 
 Smith, Whig, auditor. The vote for the 
 proposed liquor law that year was 2301 for 
 the law and 2293 against it. 
 
 The full strength of the Know Nothings 
 was represented in the vote for Thomas H. 
 Baird, candidate for judge of the Supreme 
 Court, who received 1189 votes. The total 
 Whig vote cast was 2955 and the total Dem- 
 ocratic vote 2381. 
 
 THE ANTI-ADMINISTKATION PARTY. 
 
 B"'ollowing the example of members of the 
 legislature, a large number of citizens 
 signed a call for a union meeting to be held 
 at Butler March 19, 1856, at which the 
 "Anti-Administration Party," or "Union- 
 ists for the sake of the Union," was or- 
 ganized. This meeting was largely at- 
 tended by members of both the Wliig and 
 the Democratic Party, and was the begin- 
 ning of the Republican Part}' in Butler 
 County, as it now exists. The campaign 
 of that year was one of the most exciting 
 in the history of the state. Party spirit 
 ran high, and the battle for political su- 
 premacy was waged fiercely in every dis- 
 trict. Butler County was the scene of many 
 torch-light processions and campaign ral- 
 lies. The entire interest of the campaign 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 149 
 
 oenteretl on the presidential contest, the 
 leading candidates being James Buchanan, 
 of Pennsylvania, Democrat, and John C. 
 Fremont, Republican. The result of the 
 election was an unexpected and disagree- 
 able surprise to the Democrats. While 
 Buchanan was elected president, the Re- 
 publicans carried the state and county 
 ticket, and for many years after political 
 honors in the county were more evenly di- 
 vided between the two great parties. The 
 vote cast for president was as follows: 
 Fremont, Republican, 3401; Buchanan, 
 Democrat, 2648; Fillmore, Know Nothing, 
 67; Fillmore (repeaters), 14; Samuel A. 
 Purviance, Republican, received 3092 votes 
 for Congress ; James A. Gibson, Democrat, 
 2581 ; Alexander Wardlaw, Know Nothing, 
 thirteen. For state senator, John R. Har- 
 ris, Republican, received 3090 votes; John 
 H. Negley, Democrat, 2562. For the legis- 
 lature, A. W. Crawford, Republican, re- 
 ceived 3101 votes; DeLorma Imbrie, Re- 
 publican, 3103; George P. Shaw, Repub- 
 lican, 3102; Thomas J. Lavton, Democrat, 
 2565 ; Charles H. Shriner. Democrat, 2566 ; 
 Jacob Criss, Democrat, 2566. For district 
 attorney, Eugene Ferrero, Republican, re- 
 ceived 3106 votes ; James M. Bredin, Dem- 
 ocrat, 2546. For associate judge, Thomas 
 Stephenson, Republican, received 3070 
 votes; Jacob Mechling, Jr., Republican, 
 3011; Samuel Marshall, Democrat, 2617; 
 J. Bovard, Democrat, 2549. For county 
 commissioner, P. Hilliard. Republican, re- 
 ceived 3003 votes; J. W. Martin, Democrat, 
 2644. For county surveyor, David Scott, 
 Republican, received 3114 votes; Charles 
 Cramer, Democrat, 2529. For county 
 aiiditor, William S. Waldron, Republican, 
 received 3050 votes ; R. B. Maxwell, Demo- 
 crat, 2565. For academy trustees, Archi- 
 bald Blakeley, Republican, 3052 votes; 
 Thomas H. Bracken, Republican, 3051 ; W. 
 C. Pollock, Democrat, 2552; William Bor- 
 land. Democrat, 2554. 
 
 The Know Nothing Party, which had 
 cut considerable figure in the politics of 
 
 the county in 1854, fell into decadence and 
 at the October election, 1857, the total vote 
 polled by this party for Hazelhurst, their 
 candidate for governor, was fifty-three. 
 David Wilmot, the Republican candidate 
 for governor, received 2,831 votes and 
 William F. Packer, the Democratic candi- 
 date, 2361. 
 
 The People's Reformed ticket of 1858 
 presented the names of James Kerr, of 
 Harrisville, for Congress; R. J. Gregg, of 
 Buffalo Township, and John O. Jack, of 
 Center Township, for the legislature. 
 Thomas Dodds of Connoquenessing for 
 commissioner, and William McKinney of 
 the same township for auditor. 
 
 THE REPUBLICAN PABTY. 
 
 The Republican party again swept ttie 
 county in 1860, when the campaign was 
 formerly opened in Butler by a ratification 
 meeting held to ratify the nomination of 
 Abraham Lincoln, the presidential nomi- 
 nee of the party. The bitterness of the 
 campaign survived the election and indi- 
 vidual members of the minority party wex"e 
 proscribed for their political views. In 
 1862 the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 
 decided that the act of extending the right 
 of suffrage to soldiers in the field was un- 
 constitutional. The legislature the follow- 
 ing year off'ered an amendment to the Con- 
 stitution providing a remedy for this in- 
 justice to a volunteer army and the amend- 
 ments were voted on at a special election 
 held in August, 1863. The vote in Butler 
 County was 2,679 for the amendment and 
 1,237 against it. The vote for governor 
 the same year was for Curtin, Republican, 
 3.328, and Woodward, Democrat, 2,054. 
 
 THE NEW KEPEESENTATIVE DISTRICT. 
 
 In 1857 Butler County was constituted 
 as a separate representative district, and 
 elected two representatives. The repre- 
 sentatives under this arrangement elected 
 fi'om the county were W. W. Dodds, John 
 M. Thompson, William S. Graham, 
 
150 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 TJiomas Robiusou, iliram C McCoy, 11. 
 W. (Jrant, aud in 18(io, Julia H. Negley aud 
 William Hazlett. iu 1804 the district was 
 enlarged by the addition of Lawrence and 
 -Mercer Counties and was entitled to four 
 representatives, all the counties voting 
 t'ui- the nominees. In this year William 
 Hazlett and John 11. Negley of Butler, 
 Samuel McKinley of Lawrence County 
 and Col. Josiah McPherrin, a native of 
 Butler, but a resident of Mercer County, 
 were the successful candidates. Ln 1805, 
 John II. Negley and Capt. Henry Pillow 
 of lUitler were elected, as were also Mc- 
 Kinley and McPherrin. 
 
 The returns of the presidential election 
 of 180-1 show that the civil and military 
 vote of Butler County for president was 
 for Lincoln, 3,475, and for McClelland, 
 2,937. The returns of Marion Township 
 which gave Lincoln fifty-three and McClel- 
 lan 102 votes came in too late, so it was 
 alleged, to be counted. 
 
 hi 1808 Louis Z. Mitchell, Democrat, le- 
 ceived o,317 votes for Congress and Dar 
 viu Phelps received 3,3H() in this county. 
 
 THE APPORTIONMENT Ul-' 1871. 
 
 The legislature made a new apportion 
 ment of the state in 1871, in which Butler 
 County was placed in a representative dis- 
 trict with Beaver and Washington Coun- 
 ties. Capt. (}eo. W. Fleeger, of Butler, 
 was one of the memhers elected under this 
 apportionment, 
 
 .\t the same session of the legislature 
 Butler County was placed in the twenty- 
 sixth Senatorial District with Beaver and 
 Washington t'oinities. This arrangement 
 only lasted until a convening of the con- 
 stitutional convention in 1873 and the 
 legislature of the following year reappor- 
 tioned the state to carry out the provisions 
 of the new constitution. 
 
 THE constitutionaIj convention. 
 'Phe questiim of calling a c(mvention to 
 revise the state constitution was submitted 
 
 to the peoiJle at the fall election in 1872, 
 and was Ci^i'ried in Butler County by a de- 
 cisive majority, the vote being 3,377 for, 
 and 490 against it. Ueneral John N. Pur- 
 viance and Louis Z. Mitchell of Butler 
 were chosen delegates from this county, 
 and the convention thus provided for met 
 in the city of Philadelphia, in 1873, and 
 concluded its labors on November 3d of 
 that year. The new constitution, except 
 wherein otherwise provided, went into 
 effect January 1, 1874. This constitution 
 j)rovided for the election of state senators 
 every four years instead of every three 
 and members of the House of Representa- 
 tives every two years instead of every 
 year. It also provided for biennial in- 
 stead of annual sessions of the general as- 
 sem})ly aiid fixed the date of meeting for 
 the first Tuesday of January of every sec- 
 ond year. The date of holding the general 
 election iu the state was changed from the 
 second Tuesday of October to "the Tues- 
 day next following the first Monday of 
 November," of eacli year. In order to 
 make effective the provision of the new 
 constitution changing the terms of state 
 senator from three to four yeai-s, the legis 
 lature of 1874 reapportioned the state, 
 placing Butler and Armstrong Counties in 
 the Forty-first Senatorial District, and 
 providing that at the general election of 
 that year the senator should be chosen in 
 the disti-ict for a term of two years and 
 that at the general election of 1870 the 
 senator should be elected for four years. 
 This apjiortionment is still in force. 
 
 I iKJcr the act of 1874 Butler County be 
 caiiic a representative district alone and 
 entitle(l to two members. The Congres- 
 sional api)ortionment made the same year 
 placed Butler in the Twenty-sixth Con- 
 gressional district with Mercer and Craw- 
 ford (bounties. 
 
 CHANGES IN 1874. 
 
 The alinonnal increase of population 
 caused by the development of the Butler 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 151 
 
 County oil field, from 1869 to 1874, 
 changed the manners and customs of the 
 people and gave rise to new conditions in 
 local politics. The men who followed the 
 oil excitements were usually self-assertive 
 and independent in character and were dis- 
 posed to consider men and measures ratii- 
 er than party lines in the political cam- 
 paigns of tlic hist quarter of the century. 
 While the I{e])ul)lican party had a nominal 
 majority in the county for the fifteen years 
 previous to this time and the majority kept 
 increasing as the population of the county 
 increased, the independent element in tlie 
 oil country exercised such an influence as 
 to he able to elect dark horses or a Demo- 
 crat who was favora))le to their inti?rests 
 at the most unexpected times. The in- 
 crease in the husiness of the Courts having 
 kept i)ace with that population, the (jues- 
 tion of electing two judges for the district 
 was ])resented at the Republican primary 
 held in 1874. The legislature had recently 
 passed an act authorizing the election of an 
 a<lditiunal law jmlgf in Uutler County and 
 Moil. Charles AlcCandless had been ap- 
 poined to fill the position until the fall elec- 
 tion. At the Republican primary election 
 of that year more votes were recorded 
 than had been cast by both i)arties at the 
 preceding fall election. 
 
 Wht'U the result of the primaries in this 
 county was presented to the conventions 
 held in Butler it was found that the vote 
 foi- Charles McCandless exceeded that for 
 Mr. McJunkin by forty-one. The friends 
 of Mr. ^fcJunkin were dissatisfied with the 
 results and held a convention opposite the 
 Wilhird House and nominated him. The 
 regular Republican nominees in tlie dis- 
 trict were Charles McCandless, of Butler, 
 and Hon. L. L. McGuflfin, of New Castle, 
 while the Democratic nominees were 
 James Bredin, of Butler, and John Mc- 
 Michael, of New Castle. Mr. McJunkin 
 thus became the choice of the independent 
 Republicans. Party lines were obliterated 
 for the time and the contest resulted in 
 
 the election of Judges McJunkin and 
 Bredin. 
 
 , While the Prohibition sentiment had re- 
 ceived moi-e or less encouragement in the 
 county since 1830, no ticket was placed in 
 the lield until 1876, when the temperance 
 peoi)le of the county nominated John 
 Brandon, of Conno(|U('iiessing Township, 
 for the assembly, and .lohii 0. Christy for 
 associate jvidge. The Republican vote of 
 the county at the fall election of 1876 was 
 5,643 ; the Democratic, 4,830 ; Prohibition- 
 ist, 57 ; and the Greenback Party, 21. The 
 battle of that year was for representatives 
 in the state legislature and the vote cast 
 was the largest in the history of the 
 county down to that time. R. A. Mifflin 
 received 5,424 and William Irvine 5,359 
 votes on the Republican ticket. Geoi'ge H. 
 Graham received 5,076 and James Hum- 
 ))hrey 4,779 votes on the Democratic 
 ticket. Brandon, the Prohibition candi- 
 date, received sixty-six votes and Christy 
 seventy-six votes. 
 
 Two years later the Democrats turned 
 the tables on the Republicans on the legis- 
 lative ticket by electing George H. Graham 
 and James Humphrey. In 1882 the legis- 
 lative ticket was split, the Democrats 
 electing "Uncle Jake" Zeigler, and the 
 Republicans Joseph T. Donly. 
 
 The judicial campaig-n of 1884 was one 
 of the bitterest in the history of the county 
 and was marked with many sensational 
 features. The Republican nominees were 
 John M. Greer of Butler and A. L. Hazen 
 of New Castle, while the Democratic nom- 
 inees were Hon. James Bredin of Butler 
 for reelection and John MeMichael of New 
 Castle. The independent Republicans of 
 Butler nominated Hon. E. McJunkin. At 
 the same time a half interest in the weekly 
 Times was purchased and one-half of the 
 paper was devoted to the interest of Judge 
 McJunkin 's cam|)aign and was edited by 
 Fiank Eastnum of Butler. Capt. George 
 W. Fleegei- was the Republican candidate 
 for Congress in the district composed of 
 
152 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Butler, Mercer and Crawford Counties, 
 and he came in for a share of the vitupera- 
 tions and invective that were heaped on 
 the opposers of Mcjuukin's campaign. 
 The campaign was carried on with such 
 bitterness as to estrange friends and was 
 the cause of libel suits being instituted 
 against the local paper ; but after the elec- 
 tion the suits were never pressed and were 
 finally dropped. 
 
 The election resulted in favor of A. L. 
 Hazen and John McMichael, the candi- 
 dates from the Lawrence County end of 
 the judicial district, while Capt. Fleeger 
 was elected to Congress. 
 
 Being dissatisiied with the result of the 
 election Judge Bredin instituted a contest 
 which was heard in Butler and finally de- 
 cided in favor of Hazen and McMichael. 
 
 In 1887 the State legislature reappor- 
 tioned the congressional district and But- 
 ler County was placed in the Twenty-fifth 
 District with Beaver, Lawrence, and Mer- 
 cer Counties, and the same year the legis- 
 lative apportionment was made which is 
 still in force. Under this apportionment 
 Butler County constitutes a single district 
 and is entitled to two members who are 
 elected every two years. 
 
 THE VOTE ON THE PROHIBITION AMENDMENT. 
 
 The question of amending Section 1, Ar- 
 ticle 19, of the constitution, so as to pro- 
 hibit the manufacture, sale or keeping for 
 sale of intoxicating liquors, was submitted 
 to a vote of the people at a special election 
 held June 18, 1889. The proposed amend- 
 ment was vigorously discussed in a cam- 
 paign of several months previous to the 
 election, and while the proposition was de- 
 feated by a majority of 190,000 votes in 
 the state, Butler County gave a handsome 
 majority in favor of the amendment. The 
 vote by districts was as follows: 
 
 For. Against. 
 
 Butler, 1st Ward I9s 4:! 
 
 Butler, 2(1 Ward U4 f>2 
 
 Butler, 3fl Ward : 14:'. 82 
 
 Btitler, 4tl) Ward 14r, 48 
 
 Butler, 5th Ward Itj5 
 
 Adams Township N 91 
 
 .\dams Township S ! . ISti 
 
 Allegheny Twp 1.5.5 
 
 Bald Ridge 105 
 
 Brady Twp 99 
 
 Buttalo Twp 110 
 
 Butler Twp 66 
 
 Center Twp 105 
 
 I hcrrv Twp. N 7H 
 
 Cherry Twp. S 112 
 
 Clearfield Twp ' 3.5 
 
 Clinton Twp 188 
 
 Concord Twp 19.5 
 
 Connoquenessing Twp. N 7.5 
 
 Connoquenessing Twp. S 70 
 
 Cranberry Twp 69 
 
 Clay Twp 157 
 
 Donegal Twp 125 
 
 Fairview Twp. E 86 
 
 Fairview Twp. W 127 
 
 Forward Twp 137 
 
 Franklin Twp 112 
 
 Jackson Twp. E 26 
 
 .Tackson Twp. W 29 
 
 ■Jeflfei-son Twp 68 
 
 Lancaster Twp 31 
 
 Marion Twp 120 
 
 Mercer Twp 169 
 
 Middlesex Twp 117 
 
 iluddycreek Twp 150 
 
 Oakland Twp 114 
 
 Parker Twp 223 
 
 Peun Twp 182 
 
 Slippery Rock Twp 147 
 
 Summit Twp •. 38 
 
 Venango Twp 147 
 
 Washington Twp. N 45 
 
 Washington Twp. S 122 
 
 Winfield Twp 51 
 
 Worth Twp U(i 
 
 Centerville Boro 71 
 
 Evans City Boro 72 
 
 Fairview Boro 44 
 
 Karas City Boro 32 
 
 Harmony Boro 38 
 
 Chicora Boro " 116 
 
 Prospect Boro 59 
 
 Petrolia Boro 56 
 
 Saxonburg Boro 1 
 
 Sunbury Boro 49 
 
 Zelienople Boro 31 
 
 •16 
 
 CAMPAIGN OF 1890. 
 
 Tbe Congressional campaign of 1890, as 
 well as that for governor, was one of the 
 never-to-be-forgotten iiolitical fights of the 
 county. The Republican party had nomi- 
 nated George W. Delamater of Meadville 
 for governor, who was distasteful to a 
 large element of the part.y throughout the 
 
AND representative: CITIZENS 
 
 153 
 
 oil country. The Democratic nominee was 
 the late Robert E. Pattison, ex-governor of 
 tlie State. Lewis Emery, Jr., an independ- 
 ent Republican and antagonistic to the 
 Delamater wing of the party, took the 
 stum)) for ex-Governor Pattison. The dis- 
 affection within the ranks of the Republi- 
 can party that year spread into the Con- 
 gressional districts, and the Twenty-fifth 
 District, of which Butler County was then 
 a part, had a three-cornered fight on be- 
 tween Thomas R. Phillips, the regular Re- 
 publican nominee, E. P. Gillespie, of Mer- 
 cer, the Democratic nominee, and Alexan- 
 der McDowell, of Sharon, Independent. 
 The vote at the fall election resulted as 
 follows : Pattison for governor, 4,722 ; 
 Delamater, 4,097; John D. McGill, Prohi- 
 bition, 418. Pattison 's majority over 
 Delamater, 625. For Congress, E. P. Gil- 
 lespie received .3,837 votes; T. R. Phillips, 
 3,773; McDowell, 1,326; AV. P. Braham, 
 Prohibition, 318. Gillespie's majority over 
 Phillips, 111. Gillespie was elected in the 
 district. Two years later Mr. Phillips was 
 elected to succeed Mr. Gillespie, and re- 
 elected in 1894. 
 
 The Judicial Campaign 1892-1902. 
 
 In 1892 a vacancy was caused on the 
 bench in the seventeenth judicial district 
 bj' the death of John McMichael. lion. 
 Norman L. Martin, of New Castle, was aj)- 
 pointed to fill the vacancy until the next 
 election, which was held in November of 
 that year. The candidates were Hon. John 
 M. Greer, of Butler on the Republican 
 ticket, and Norman L. Martin of New Cas- 
 tle on the Democratic ticket. Mr. Greer 
 was elected and became assistant law judge 
 of the district. Septeml)er 1, 1893. Butler 
 County was constituted as a separate ju 
 dicial district, and known as the Seven 
 teenth. the same number it held under the 
 old apportionment, until the act of 1901 
 was passed, which constitutes Butler Conn 
 ty as the Fiftieth district. 
 
 At the judicial election held in l!»t)2. 
 
 Judge Greer was a candidate for re-elec 
 tion, but was defeated at the Republican 
 primaries by James M. Galbreath, who be- 
 came the party candidate. The Democi'atio 
 candidate was Hon. Levingston McQuis- 
 tion, of Butler, and the campaign that pre- 
 ceded the election was one of the hardest 
 contested in the history of the district. 
 
 1896. 
 
 In the presidential election of 1896, when 
 the free coinage of silver was the absoi'b- 
 ing question before the public, Butler 
 County voters were intensely interested. 
 McKinley, Republican, received 6,807 
 votes, while W. J. Bryan, the free silver 
 Democrat, received 4,947 votes. The vote 
 cast for the other tickets in the field were 
 as follows: Levering, Republican, 285; 
 Bryan, People's i)arty. 79; Mitchell, So- 
 cialist Labor, 3; Bentley, National, 46; 
 Bryan, Free Silver, 101; McKinley, Inde- 
 l^endent, 14; Palmer, Jefferson Party, 26. 
 
 The same year the Republican candidate 
 for Congress, J. J. Davidson, of Beaver 
 County, received 26,529 votes in the dis- 
 trict, against 17,050 cast for the Demo- 
 cratic candidate, J. G. McConeghy, of New 
 Castle, and 1,034 cast for the Prohibition 
 candidate, Ralph P. Allen. Mr. Davidson, 
 the Congressman elect, died in January, 
 1897, and Dr. J. B. Showalter, of Butler 
 Countv, was appointed to fill the vacancy, 
 and at the election held April 20, 1897, was 
 elected for the unexpired term. The vote 
 cast for Showalter at this election was 12,- 
 221 in the district, against his Democratc 
 competitor. Dr. Salem Ileilman, of Sharon, 
 who received 6,222. The vote in Butler 
 C(mnty was 3,1.34 for Showalter, and 1,530 
 for Heilman. 
 
 The Senatorial contest in the 41st Dis- 
 ti-ict in 1896, resulted in a warm contest 
 between W. B. Meredith, Republican, of 
 .\rmstrong County, P. R. Burke, Democrat, 
 of Karns City, Butler Countv, and W. H. 
 Ritter, Citizens' Ticket, of Butler. The 
 three-cornered fight was caused by dissat 
 
1;~.4 
 
 HISTOKY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 isfaftion among tlie Republicans of Hittlrr 
 County over the result of the Senatorial 
 conference held in Butler, at which Mer- 
 edith was nominated. Meredith was elect- 
 ed by the small majority of 581 over his 
 closest comjjetitor. The vote in the dis- 
 trict being as follows: Meredith, 9,423; 
 Burke, 8,842; Ritter, 1,358; Sherrard, Pro- 
 hibition, 99. Tlie vote in Butler County 
 was as follows: Mereditli, 3.945; Burke. 
 5,144; Ritter, 1.205; Sherrard, ciglity. 
 
 Some life was infused in the caiiiiiaign 
 of 1898 by a factional (^uan-el in the iJepub- 
 lican party, in which the re-election to the 
 Legislature of James N. Moore was made 
 an issue. Moore secured his nomination 
 and also his election after one of the most 
 bitter fights that the county has witnessed. 
 The same yeai- the choice of the Re]Hil)lican 
 party for Congress was Dr. J. i>. Showal- 
 ter, who was candidate for rei'ie<*tion, and 
 the choice of the Democrat was M. L. Lock- 
 wood, of Zelieuople. Lockwood carried on 
 an aggressive campaign, and succeeded in 
 reducing his competitor's majoritv in But- 
 ler County to 286. The vote in the Con- 
 gressional district was as follows: Sho- 
 walter. 1S.220; ].o<-kwood, 15,271; J. A. 
 Bailey. i'rohi))iti(m, 2.(»0(!. Showaiter's 
 majoritv over Lockwood in the district, 
 2,949. "The vote of Butler County was, 
 Showalter, 4,675 ; Lockwood, 4,389 ; Bailey, 
 343. Showaiter's majoritv over Ijockwood, 
 286. 
 
 In 1900 Showalter was again the nomi- 
 nee of the ii'cpuhlican ]>arty and Lockwood 
 was the choice of the Democrats in the dis- 
 trict. The campaign was as full of sensa- 
 tional features as that of 1898, and Lock- 
 wood succeeded in reducing his oppdnent's 
 majority in Butler County to 693. The 
 vote in the District was, Showalter, 23,831; 
 Lockwood, 19,64L Showaltei-'s nuijoritv. 
 5,190. hi the county, Showalter rcM'cived 
 5.93!) votes and Tjockwood, 5.24(). 
 
 Tu the Forty-first Senatorial District, in 
 1900. .\. (1. Williivms. of Butler, was the 
 clioice of tli(> Re])ublicans for the lienor; 
 
 and James S. Gallaghei-, of FreejKirt, was 
 the Democratic candidate. Gallagher con- . 
 ducted an unusually aggressive campaign, 
 and though defeated, swejjt the majority 
 of his competitor below that usually given 
 to the Republican candidate in the district. 
 The vote in the district was, Williams, 11,- 
 676; Gallagher, 8,810; in the county, for 
 Williams, 5,887; for Gallagher, 4,902. Will- 
 iam's majority in the district, 2,866; in the 
 county, 985. 
 
 There was very little change in the vot- 
 ing on the Presidential ticket in 1900 over 
 that of 1896 in the county, the principal 
 contest being for Congress and State Sen- 
 ate. The vote for President was as fol- 
 lows: . McKinley, Republican, 6,303; 
 Bryan, Democrat, 4,465; Woolej% Prohib- 
 ition, 492; Mallory. Socialist Labor, five; 
 Barker, People's party, seven; Debs, So- 
 cialist, thirteen. Al(d\iiilev's majoritv over 
 Bryan, 1838. 
 
 ACT OF 1901. 
 
 The act of the legislature in 1901 reap- 
 portioning the congressional districts, 
 ))1aced Butler County in the Twenty-second 
 District witli Westmoreland County. The 
 first election held under this arrangement 
 in 1902 resulted in the election of George 
 F. Huff of Greensburg, and his subsequent 
 ela-tion in 1904 and 1906. The vote in the 
 district in 1902 was Hutif, Republican, 18,- 
 827; C. M. Heineman, Democrat, 13,084; 
 Woodburn, Prohibition. 778. The vote in 
 Butlej- Countv was for Huff, 6,007 ; Heine- 
 man, 4,590; Woodburn, 200. The vote for 
 Congress in the district in 1904 was Huff, 
 21,547; C. M. Heineman, Democrat, 9,824; 
 C. D. Greenlee, Prohibition, 1,536. The 
 vote in the county was Huff, 5,898 ; Heine- 
 man, 3,068; Greenlee, 410. In 1906, Huff's 
 vote for Congress in tlie district was 15,- 
 924; S. A. Kline, Democrat of Greensburg, 
 10,102; Kerr, Prohibition, 35; Stull, So- 
 cialist Labor, 523; Kline. Lincoln party, 
 458. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 157 
 
 THE UNION PABTY. 
 
 The Union party filed nomination papers 
 in tile county in 1901. Tlie papers were 
 si.^ned by F." A. Grace, H. 1.. Brandon, F. 
 E. Brandon, George M. Graham and 
 Frank Lavery. At the election in Novem- 
 ber, John Henninger, Democrat, was 
 ftlect(Ml district attorney and George M. 
 Graham, Independent Republican, was 
 electe<l cU-rk of courts. 
 
 The disclosure of frauds in connection 
 with the cvcction of the State capital at 
 Harrisburg and the dissatisfaction gener- 
 ally felt throughout the state in regard to 
 the management of the state treasury 
 were the causes of a political upheaval in 
 the state which landed William H. Berry, 
 a Democrat, in the state treasurer's office, 
 this being the first time in almost fifty 
 years that a Democrat had been elected to 
 that office. Berry's campaign was re- 
 garded as something of a joke, but the re- 
 sults at the election were a disagreeable 
 surprise to the Republican party in the 
 state. The vote east in Butler County was 
 as follows: Plummer, Republican, 3,796; 
 Berry, Democrat, 3,159; Berry, Prohibi- 
 tion, 678; Berry, Independent, 523, Berry, 
 Lincoln party, eighty-one; Ringler, So- 
 cialist, thirty-three; Ding-man, Socialist 
 Labor, nine; Plummer, Citizens, eighty- 
 five. Berry's majority over Plummer. 644. 
 
 eONTEST OF 1906. . 
 The contest for governor in the state in 
 1906 was very bitter and Butler County 
 had its share in the exciting events of the 
 campaign. Lewis Emery, Jr., who was 
 the Democratic candidate, and also the can- 
 didate of the Lincoln party, was remeiu- 
 bered in Butler County by the old-line Re- 
 publicans as the man who had deserted 
 the party in 1890, and supported Gov- 
 ernor Pattison. The vote at the election 
 was as follows: Edwin Stewart, Repub- 
 lican, 3,813; Lewis Emery, Jr., Democrat, 
 2,537; H. L. Castle, Prohibition, 375; Stew- 
 art, Citizens ticket, eighty-one; Emery, 
 
 liincoln party ticket, 609; Emery, Refer- 
 endum, six; Emery, United Labor, ten. 
 The campaign was distinguished by the 
 vitriolic attacks made by Homer L. Castle, 
 the Prohibition candidate, on Mr. Emery. 
 
 THE VOTE FOE PKESIDENT BOOSEVELT. 
 
 The presidential campaign of 1904 was 
 an unusually quiet one. Neither of the old 
 parties indulged in the campaign methods 
 that had been mucli in use in the past fifty 
 years. The vote cast for presidential 
 electors was as follows: Roosevelt, Re- 
 IHiblican, 6,596; Parker, Democrat, 3,183; 
 Swallow, Prohibition, 511; Socialist Labor, 
 Corrigan, eighteen ; Debs, Socialist, eighty- 
 :<even; Parker and Davis, Independent, 
 four. Roosevelt's majority over Parker 
 was 3,413, the largest majority ever given 
 a presidential candidate in the county. 
 
 In the congressional campaign of 1894 
 the vote cast in the district was as follows: 
 Thomas W. Phillips, 22,156; Joseph Van- 
 derlin, 10,435 ; Joseph White, Prohibition, 
 1,475; William Kirker, Peoples party, 
 L919; Thomas W. Phillips, Independent, 
 six votes in Butler County. 
 
 THE NEW PBIMAKY ELECTION LAW. 
 
 The primary election law passed by the 
 legislature February 17, 1906, provided 
 for a uniform system of holding primary 
 elections by all parties in the state. Un- 
 der this system the primary elections held 
 in 1908 caused unusual interest in Butler 
 County oil account of nominating candi- 
 dates for Congress and State Senate. 
 Butler County Republicans presented the 
 name of Hon. J. D. Mcjunkin of Butlei 
 for Congress, while Westmoreland County 
 presented Hon. George F. Huff for re 
 election for the fourth term. Huff's cam 
 paign caused considerable feeling among 
 the Republicans in Butler County because 
 of an agreement entered into by the party 
 leaders of the district at the time the new 
 apportionment was made, by which it was 
 understood that Westmoreland County 
 
158 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was to have the Congressmau for three 
 terms and Butler County for two terms in 
 the ten years that the apportionment 
 would exist. Colonel Huff having been 
 elected for three terms and then announc- 
 ing himself as a candidate for the fourth 
 term was the means of bringing about a 
 bitter contest in "which the Westmoreland 
 County candidate won. 
 
 The Democrats of the district nominated 
 Thomas A. Kline of Greensburg for con- 
 gi'essional honors. 
 
 In the senatorial district a sharp con- 
 test was waged at the Republican prima- 
 ries between Hon. 6. W. McNeese of Arm- 
 strong County, who was a candidate for 
 reelection, and Hon. Thomas Hays of But- 
 ler, who had previously served three terms 
 in the legislature. Mr. Hays not only had 
 a majority in his own county, but defeated 
 McNeese and Armstrong County, and be- 
 came the Republican nominee for the dis- 
 trict. The Democrats nominated Dr. R. J. 
 Gros.sman, of Butler for senatorial honors 
 and the county thus had the distinction of 
 having both candidates in the senatorial 
 field. 
 
 A. M. Chri.stley. of Butler, was elected a 
 delegate in the tw-enty- second congres- 
 sional district to the Republican National 
 Convention at Chicago, which nominated 
 William H. Taft for i>resident, and Lev- 
 iiigston McQuistiou of Butler was chosen 
 a deh'gate in tlie sani" district to the Dem- 
 ocratic National Convention at Denver, 
 which nominated AVilliam J. Bryan for 
 president. 
 
 C0NGKESSI0N.\L DISTRICTS. 
 
 Since the organization of the county 
 there have been eight apportionments 
 made of Congressional districts, and at 
 various times Butler County has been in 
 the same district with nearly every coimty 
 in the western jiart of Ihe State. 
 
 ill 1800 the UJeveuth Congressional Dis- 
 trict was comjiosed of Allegheny, Beaver, 
 
 Butler, Mercer, Crawford, Venango, War- 
 ren, and Erie. 
 
 In 1812 Butler was assigned to the four- 
 teenth district with Allegheny County. 
 
 In 1825 Butler, Beaver and Armstrong 
 Counties composed the district. 
 
 In 1832 another change was made and 
 Butler, Armstrong, and Clearfield Coun- 
 ties were assigned to the same district. 
 
 In 1843 Butler, Armstrong, Indiana and 
 Clearfield Counties constituted the district. 
 
 In 1874 the Twenty-sixth Congressional 
 District was composed of Butler, Mercer, 
 and Crawford Counties. 
 
 In 1887 the Twenty-fifth Congressional 
 District was composed of Butler, Beaver, 
 Lawrence and Mercer Counties. 
 
 In 1901 Butler and Westmoreland Coun- 
 ties constituted the Twenty-second Con- 
 gres.sional District. This apportionment 
 still exists. 
 
 SENATORIAL DISTRICTS. 
 
 In 1800 Butler County was assigned to 
 the senatorial district with Allegheny, 
 Washington and Green Counties. 
 
 In 1808 Allegheny, Beaver and Butler 
 Counties composed the district. 
 
 In 1829 an act of legislature was passed 
 ci-eating a senatorial district out of Bea- 
 ver and Butler Counties. 
 
 In 1843 Allegheny and Butler Counties 
 constituted a senatorial district, and was 
 entitled to elect two members. 
 
 The act of 1871 created the twenty-sixth 
 senatorial district out of Butler, Beaver 
 and Wa-shington Counties. 
 
 The act of 1874 created the forty-first 
 senatorial district out of-Butler and Arm- 
 strong Counties, and the act of 1906 made 
 110 change in the district. 
 
 REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS. 
 
 In 1800 the representative district was 
 composed of Butler, Beaver, Mercer, Craw- 
 ford, Erie, Warren and Venango Counties. 
 
 In 1808 But lei- County was assigned to 
 the district with Allegheny County. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 159 
 
 In 1825 by an act of the legislature But- 
 ler County was continued in the same dis- 
 trict with Allegheny County. 
 
 In 1829 the legislature constituted But- 
 ler County a district by itself and entitled 
 to one representative. 
 
 In 1843 a reapportionment of the state 
 was made and Butler County was contin- 
 ueil alone as a district, and entitled to one 
 representative. 
 
 In 1857 Butler County alone constitutcil 
 the district and membership was increased 
 to two. 
 
 In 1864 the district was enlarged by add 
 ing Lawrence and Mercer Counties and en- 
 titled to four members. 
 
 In 1871 Butler, Beaver and Washington 
 Counties constituted a legislative district 
 and was entitled to hnw members. 
 
 In lS7r. Butler County alone constituted 
 the district and was entitled to two mem- 
 bers. This apportionment still exists. 
 
 JUDICIAL DISTRICTS. 
 
 In 1803 the sixth judicial district was 
 composed of Butler, Beaver, Mercer, and 
 Erie Counties, with Hon. Jesse Moore as 
 presiding n^^dge- 
 
 In 180(i the district was composed of 
 Butler, Mercer, Venango, Crawford and 
 Erie Counties. 
 
 In 1873 under the new apportionment of 
 the state, Butler County constituted the 
 Seventeenth Judicial District with Law- 
 rence County attached. 
 
 In 1893 Butler County alone became the 
 seventeenth district and Lawrence County 
 became a separate district. 
 
 In 1906 the legislature passed a judicial 
 apportionment act in which Butler County 
 was constituted the Fiftieth Judicial Dis- 
 trict. 
 
 PUBLIC OFFICIALS. 
 
 United States Senators. — Walter Low- 
 
 ;, who was a resident of Butler, served in 
 
 e United States Senate from March 4, 
 
 1819. to March 4, 1825. At the expiration 
 
 of his tei-m as a United States Senator he 
 was elected secretary of the Senate, which 
 position he held until 1836. He resigned 
 his position in the Senate in that year to 
 accei)t the secretaryship of the Presbyte- 
 rian Board of Foreign Missions, which un- 
 der his vigorous and sagacious policy was 
 built up from an obscure institution to its 
 su-bsetjuent importance and prosperity. 
 
 John H. Mitchell, formerly a resident of 
 Butler County, was elected United States 
 Senator from Oregon for three successive 
 tertus beginning in 1872 and was a member 
 of that body when his death occurred in 
 1905. 
 
 Representatives in Congress. — John Gril- 
 more, of Butler, 1829 to 1831; William 
 Beattv, of Butler, 1837 to 1841; Joseph 
 Butfington, of Kittaning, 1843 to 1845 ; Al- 
 fred Gilmore, of Butler, 1849 to 1851; 
 Samuel A. Purviance, of Butler, 1855 to 
 1859; Ebenezer MeJunkin, of Butler, 1871 
 to 1874; Col. John M. Thompson of But- 
 ler, 1875 to 1878; Capt. George W. Fleeger, 
 of Butler, 1885 to 1887 ; Thomas W. Phil- 
 lips, of New Castle, 1893 to 1897 ; Dr. Jo- 
 seph B. Showalter, of Chicora, 1897 to 
 1903; George F. Huff, of Greensburg, was 
 elected from the 22nd District composed of 
 Butler and Westmoreland Counties in the 
 fall of 1902 and was reelected in 1904 and 
 1906. 
 
 James Thompson, a native of Butler 
 County, served two tenns in Congress from 
 Erie County, Pennsylvania; he was elect- 
 ed in 1846 and reelected in 1848. 
 
 William G. Thompson, who was a broth- 
 er of Col. John M. Thompson, was elected 
 from the 5th District of Iowa and served 
 in the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth Con- 
 gresses. 
 
 Augustus M. Martin, who was a native 
 of Connoquenessing Township, Butler 
 County, was a member of Congress from 
 Indiana in 1892, and was one of tlie dis- 
 tinguished attorneys of that state. 
 
 Presidential Electors. — James G. Camp- 
 bell, 18.56; E. MeJunkin, 1864; Dr. S. D. 
 
160 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Bell, 1888; E. E. Abrams, LSiHi; .lolin H. 
 Negley, 1904; A. W. MeCol lough. 1!)()8. 
 
 Federal Appointees. — John M. Sullivan, 
 of Butler, revenue collector, 1867 to 1882 ; 
 Alexander W. Crawford, consul at Ant- 
 werp, Belgium, in 1861; Edwin Lyon, con- 
 sul at Elpasso, Mexico; Hugh McKee, sui'- 
 veyor of the territory of Kansas, 1858; 
 Charles McCandless, chief justice of New 
 Mexico, 1877; Samuel Black, governor of 
 the territory of Nebraska, 1859; Matthew 
 N. Greer, of Buffalo Township, clerk in the 
 Document Room in the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, 1908; James U. Campbell, mar- 
 shall of the Western District of Pennsyl- 
 vania; John N. Purviance, R. L. Maxwell, 
 and H. H. Goucher, registers in bank- 
 ruptcy; J. W. Kirker, provost marshal, 
 1863 to 1865; Jolm H. Negley, enrolling 
 officer, 1861; John C. O'Donnell, appointed 
 post-master of Pittsburg in 1894; James 
 B. Mates, census enumerator, 1890; James 
 W. Hutchison, commissioner in bank- 
 ruptcy, 1904 to 1908; James H. Tebay, of 
 Zelien()])l(', and Benjamin R. Williams, of 
 Butler, I lilted States Revenue Service in 
 1908; (ieoigc Sutton, a native of Penn 
 Township, was chief inspector in the 
 United States postal service for a district 
 comprising five southern states, with head- 
 quarters at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1908. 
 
 State Officials. — John Gilmore, treasurer 
 in 1841 ; Moses Sullivan, president of Canal 
 Commission in 18.35; John N. Purviance, 
 auditor general, 1845 to 1851 ; John M. Sul- 
 livan, deputy secretarjr of state, 1855 to 
 1858, and assistant clerk of the State Sen- 
 ate from 1847 to 1850, chief clerk from 
 1852 to 1853, and deputy superintendent of 
 common schools from 1858 to I860; John 
 Gilmore, speaker of the House in 1841; 
 James Thompson, speaker of the House in 
 1835,- associate justice of the Supreme 
 Court, 1857 to 1867, and chief justice, 1867 
 to 1872; Walter H. Lowrie, associate jus- 
 tice of the Supreme Court. 1851 to 1857, 
 and chief justice from 1857 to 1863 ; Sam- 
 uel A. Purviance, attorney general, 1861; 
 
 Jacob Zeigler, transcribing cierk of th«> 
 Senate, 1843, assistant clerk of the House 
 in 1858, and chief clerk of the senate in 
 1871; James M. Carson, reading clerk of 
 the Senate, 1896 to 1897 ; Porter W. Low- 
 ry, reading clerk of the senate, 1903 ; James 
 N. Moore, journal clerk of the House, 1904 
 and 1906, and assistant clerk of the House 
 in 1907; Carl Shanor, of Prospect, jour- 
 nal clerk of the House, 1903; O. G. Mech- 
 ling, Butler, ])astor and folder in the 
 House, 1907; Frank Staufter, Butler, as- 
 sistant door keeper in the House of Rep- 
 resentatives, 1900; Jefferson Burtner, 
 chief clerk in the auditor general's office, 
 1890 to 1908. 
 
 County medical iiisjiector for the State 
 Board of Health. Dr. IT. D. Horkenbeny, 
 of West Sunbury; deputy factory inspect- 
 or, J. C. McClymond, of Portersville ; mem- 
 ber of the State Board of Agriculture. W. 
 TL H. Riddle. 
 
 Delegates to the Constitutional Conven- 
 tion. — William Ayres and Samuel A. Pur- 
 viance to the convention of 1838 ; Louis Z. 
 Mitchell and John N. Purviance to the con- 
 vention of 1873 (James H. Walker and 
 Samuel A. Purviance were delegates-at- 
 large to the .same convention); Porter W. 
 Lowry, Levingston McQuistion and M. F. 
 Leason to the convention of 1891. 
 
 State Senators. — Walter Lowrie, 1811 to 
 1819; Moses Sullivan elected in 1824 and 
 served three terms; ^Viliialll Purviance in 
 1836; Charles C. Sullivan. ]S41 and 1S44; 
 William Hazlett, 1849; John R. Harris, 
 1856; Charles McCandless, 1862; James 
 Kerr, 1868; John M. Greer, 1876 and 1880; 
 Joseph B. Showalter. 1888; Andrew G. 
 Williams, 1894; Capt. Thomas Hayes, 1908. 
 
 Representatives. — On account of the va- 
 rious changes in the apportionment of the 
 coimty, it is difficult to obtain absolutely 
 reliable data about the representatives to 
 the legislature elected from the county pre- 
 vious to the Constitution of 1873. The fig- 
 ures used in the list following indicate the 
 vear in which the election was held and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 161 
 
 the ^ember elected served in the session of 
 the year following. The representatives 
 elected since 1804 are as follows: John 
 McBride, 1804; Jacob .Mecliliug. 1805. 1806, 
 1807 and 1808; John Nagley, 1809 and 
 1820; Walter Lowrie, 1810; James Potts. 
 1814; Andrew Christie, 1815; Jt.hn Gil- 
 more. 1816-17-18-19-21 (Mr. Gilmore was 
 elected speaker of the House in 1821) ; 
 Moses Sullivan, 1822 and 1823; William 
 Beatty. 1825-6-7; James McKee, 1828; 
 William Purviance, 1830-31; Joseph Brv- 
 son, 1832; Samuel Kerr, 1833-34; George 
 W. Smith, 1835; Samuel A. Gilmore, 1836- 
 37; Samuel A. Purviance, 1838; George 
 Potts, 1839; Isaac S. Pearson, 1840; Sam- 
 uel M. Lane, 1841; Joseph Cummings. 
 1842-43; Joseph Cross, 1844; William Haz- 
 lett, 1844; Joseph Cross, 1845; D. H. B. 
 Brower. 1845; John R. Harris, 1846; Jacob 
 Zeigler, 1847 ; Robert Hansen. 1848 ; D. H. 
 B. Brower, 1850; William Stewart and R. 
 B. McCombs, 1853-54; Alexander W. Craw- 
 ford, 1855-56-57 ; W. W. Dodds, 1857 ; John 
 :\I. Thompson. 1858-59; William M. Gra 
 ham, 1859-60; Thomas Robinson. 1860; 
 Hiram C. McCov, 1861-62; H. W. Grant, 
 1861-62; William Haslett, 1863-64; John H. 
 Negley. 1863-64-65; Henry Pillow, 1865; 
 James T. McJunkin. 1867; Alexander Les- 
 lie, 1868-69; George W. Fleeger. 1870-71; 
 Dr. Jos. S. Lusk, 1871-74-76; David Mc- 
 Kee. 1872-73; William S. Waldron. 1872; 
 A. L. Campbell, 1873. 
 
 Previous to 1873, Butler, Lawrence, and 
 Mercer Counties formed the Representa- 
 tive District. Under the new Constitution 
 of 1873 Butler County became a separate 
 district and entitled to two members. The 
 constitution also provided for biennial ses- 
 sions and election of representatives every 
 two years. Representatives elected from 
 the county since that time are as follows: 
 1876 R. A. Mifflin and Dr. William Irvine; 
 1878 James Humphrey and George H. Gra- 
 ham; 1880 Dr. S. D. Bell and William P. 
 Braham; 1882 Joseph Donley and Jacob 
 Zeigler; 1884 Joseph Hartman and J. M. 
 
 Leighner; 1886 Josiah M. Thompson and 
 J. B. Showalter; 1888 Joseph Thomas, Jr., 
 and R. I. Boggs ; 1890 Andrew G. Williams 
 and Josiah M. Thompson; 1892 James B. 
 Mates and David B. Douthett ; 1894 David 
 B. Douthett and James N. Moore; 1896 
 John Dindinger and James N. Moore; 
 1898 John Dindinger and James N. Moore; 
 1900 .lames 1',. Mates and Nelson Thomp- 
 son; 1902 A. M. Douthett and Thomas 
 Hays; 1904 Dr. W. R. Hockenberry and 
 Thomas Hays; 1906 Ira McJunkin and 
 Rev. J. M. Dight; 1908 Dr. E. G. Wasson 
 and Ira McJunkin. 
 
 President Judges.— Vuder the old sys- 
 tem the president .iudges of the state were 
 commissioned during good behavior. The 
 Constitution of 1838 fixed the term at ten 
 years, and in 1851 the office became elect- 
 ive instead of appointive. The judges un- 
 der the old and new systems are as fol- 
 lows, being named in the order of their 
 commission: Jesse Moore, February, 
 1804; Jonathan Roberts, 1818; William 
 Wilkins. 1821; Charles Shaler, 1824; John 
 Bredin, 1831; Daniel Agnew, 1851 and 
 1863; Lawrence L. McGuflfen, 1863; 
 Charles McCandless (appointed) 1874; 
 Ebenezer McJunkin, 1874; James Bredin. 
 1874; Aaron L. Hazen, 1884; John M. 
 Greer, additional law judge in 1892, and 
 president judge of the Seventeenth Dis- 
 trict, September 1, 1893, Lawrence County 
 being created the Fifty-first District with 
 Aaron L. Hazen president judge; James 
 M. Galbreath, present incumbent, was 
 elected in 1902. 
 
 John McMichael of New Castle was 
 elected additional law judge in the district 
 in 1884 and served imtil his death in 1902. 
 Noi-nuin L. Martin, a member of the New 
 Castle Bar, was appointed to fill the va- 
 cancy until the succeeding election, at 
 wliich Hon. John M. Greer of Butler 
 County was elected an additional law 
 judge. 
 
 Associate Judges. — The associate judges 
 of the state were at first commissioned bv 
 
162 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the governor to serve during life, but in 
 1838 the constitutional term of service was 
 fixed at five years, and the officers de- 
 clared to be elective. The first associate 
 judges of Butler County were Samuel 
 Findley, John Parker and James Bovard, 
 who were commissioned in 1803. John 
 Duffy was commissioned in 1840 and Chris- 
 tian Buhl in 1845. Under the new law the 
 first elections were held in 1851 and Sam- 
 uel Marshall and John McCandless were 
 chosen. Jacob Mechling, Jr., and Thoma's 
 Stephenson were elected in 1856; James 
 Kerr and James Mitchell in 1861 ; Joseph 
 Cummings and Thomas Garvey in 1866. 
 The death of Judge Cummings and the ap- 
 pointment of Hiram C. McCoy as his suc- 
 cessor in 1870 disturbed somewhat the or- 
 der of judges. Samuel Marshall defeated 
 McCoy for the office in the fall of 1870, and 
 when the latter 's term expired in 1871, 
 Daniel Fiedler was elected. In 1875 Sam- 
 uel Marshall was reelected and in 1876 
 Robert Storey was chosen to succeed Judge 
 Fiedler. Abraham McCandless was 
 elected in 1880, A. D. Weir in 1881, and 
 Jacob Keek in 1885. The Supreme Court 
 in 1885 decided that the new legislation 
 abolished the office of associate judge in 
 the different judicial districts, and Mr. 
 Keck did not qualify in Butler County. 
 
 District Attorneys. — The office of dis- 
 trict attorney in Butler County was not 
 created until 1851. Previous to that time 
 the prosecuting attorney for the common- 
 wealth was known as deputy attorney gen- 
 eral, and tlie incumbents were appointed 
 by tlie governor. Under the old law the 
 office was first held by John Gilmore and 
 he was succeeded in the order named by 
 Charles Wilkins, Robert Moore, John Bre- 
 din, W. W. Fetterman, Samuel A. Gil- 
 more, John N. Purviance, Dunlap Mc- 
 Laughlin, Parker C. Purviance, John Gra- 
 ham, John Negley, and E. McJunkin. Un- 
 der tlie law of 1850 the following named 
 persons have filled the office: John H. 
 Negley, 1850; Archibald Blakely, 1853; 
 
 Eugene Ferero, 1856; James W. Kirker, 
 1859; Robert M. McClure, 1862; W. H. H. 
 Riddle, 1865 ; John M. Greer, 1868 ; J^rdi- 
 nand Reiber, 1871; Levingston McQuis- 
 tion, 1874; W. A. Forquer, 1877; A. M. 
 Cunningham, 1880; S. B. Snyder, 1883; 
 Charles A. McPherrin, 1886; Aaron L. 
 Reiber, 1889; Ira McJunkin, 1882; A. M. 
 Christley, 1895; Jacob M. Painter, 1898; 
 John R. Henninger, 1901; Samuel Walker, 
 1904; Albert C. Troutman, 1907. 
 
 Sheriffs.— T\iQ Constitution of 1790 pro- 
 vided that the office of sheriff was an elect- 
 ive one, and the first incumbent of the 
 office elected in Butler County was John 
 McCandless, in 1803. His successors in 
 the order named have been : Eliakim An- 
 derson, 1806; William Campbell, 1809; 
 Samuel Williamson, 1812; James McKee, 
 1815; Henry Evans, 1818; William Beatty, 
 1821; Abraham Maxwell, 1824; John 
 Welsh, 1827; Jacob Brinker, 1830; Fran- 
 cis McBride, 1833; John Pollock, 1836; 
 John B. McLaiaghlin, 1839 ; James G. 
 Campbell, 1842; George W. Reed, 1845; 
 Andrew Kearns, 1848; Arthur McGill, 
 1841; John McKee, J854; Abraham Mc- 
 Candless, 1857 ; John Scott, 1860 ; William 
 0. Breckenridge, 1863; James B. Storey. 
 1866 ; Harvey D. Thompson, 1869 ; John T-. 
 Kelley, 1872; George AValter, 1875; John 
 Mitchell (appointed to fill vacancy), 1877; 
 William H. HofTman, 1878; Thomas Don- 
 aghy, 1881; Peter Kramer, 1884; Oliver C. 
 Redic, 1887; William M. Brown, 1890; A. 
 G. Campbell, 1893; W. B. Dodds, 1896; 
 Thomas R. Hoon, 1899 ; xMartin L. Gibson, 
 1902; A. M. Campbell, 1905; John B. Cald- 
 well, 1909. 
 
 The Deputy Sheriff's appointed since 
 1893 were as follows: A. M. Campbell, 
 1893; T. James Dodds, 1896; J. Rainey 
 Hoon, 1899; A. 0. Hepler, 1902; Curt Vor- 
 ous, 1904 and 1905; T. James Dodds and 
 Curt Vorous, 1909. 
 
 Prothonotaries. — Prior to 1839 the pro- 
 thouotaries were appointed by the gov- 
 ernor- for terms of three years. Since that 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 163 
 
 time the office, has been elective. Down to 
 1850 the incuflibents of the prothonotary's 
 office discharged tlie duties of the clerk of 
 courts, but in that year the office of clerk 
 of courts became a separate one, its in- 
 cuuibent being elected every three years. 
 The first prothouotary of Butler County 
 was William Ayres, who was commis- 
 sioned by the governor July 4, 1803. His 
 successors have been Jacob Mechling in 
 1809; John Negley in 1818; William Camp- 
 bell, 1821; John Neyman, 1824; William 
 Stewart, 1827; Peter Duffy, 1833; John 
 Sullivan, 1836; Jacob Zeigler, 1839; Jacob 
 Mechling, Jr., 1842; James McGlaughlin, 
 1845 ; C. E. Purviance, 1848 ; John T. Bard, 
 1851; Matthew F. White, 1854; Nathan 
 Brown, 1857; Allen Wilson, 1860; William 
 Stoops, 1863 ; James B. Clark, 1866 ; Cyrus 
 E. Anderson, 1869; Eli Conn, 1872; James 
 H. Tebav, 1875; Alexander Russell, 1878; 
 Matthew' N. Greer, 1881 ; William M. Shira, 
 1884; J. W. Brown, 1887; reelected in 
 1890; S. ^l. Seaton, 1893; R. B. Thompson, 
 lS9(i; J. N. :\lcCollough, 1899; John B. 
 Clark, 1902; William A. Lowry, 1905; J. 
 M. CJruikshank, 1909. 
 
 The deputies appointed since 1893 are; 
 Alexander Russell in 1894; Angle Thomp- 
 son, 1897; Kenneth McCollough, 1900; H. 
 E. Stewart, 1903; S. M. Seaton, 1903; 
 John B. Clark, 1906; John Clark and Miss 
 Lulu Cruikshank, 1909. 
 
 Clerk of Courts. — Previous to 1850 the 
 duties of the clerk of courts were dis- 
 charged by the prothouotary. In that year 
 the office of the clerk of court became a 
 separate one, the incumbent being elected 
 every three vears. Louis Z. Mitchell was 
 elected in 1851; J. Graham in 1854; Mr. 
 Graham died while in office and W. K. 
 Potts was elected to fill the Vacancy ; Emil 
 Maurhoff, 1857; Robert A. Mifflin, 1860; 
 Watson J. Young, 1863; Frank M. East- 
 man, 1866; Jefferson Burtner, 1869; John 
 H. Sutton, 1872; Louis N. Cochran, 1875; 
 W. A. Wright, 1878; W. B. Dodds, 1881; 
 Reuben McElvain. 1884, reelected in 1887; 
 
 Joseph Criswell, 1890; reelected in 1893; 
 Isaac Meals, 1896; William P. Turner, 
 1899; W. H. Campbell (appointed to fill 
 vacancy), in 1901; George M. Graham, 
 1901; L. E. Christley, 1904; R. M. McFar- 
 land, 1907 ; R. M. McFarland, 1909. 
 
 Treasurers.— John Negley, 1804; John 
 Potts, 1807; Samuel Williamson, 1810; 
 William Campbell. 1813; Hugh McKee, 
 1816; John Gilkey, 1819; William Gibson, 
 1822 ; John Sullivan, 1823 ; Isaiah Niblock, 
 1826 ; James Thompson, 1828 ; Francis Mc- 
 Bride, 1829; Andrew Sproul, 1832; George 
 Miller, 1833; John B. McGlaughlin, 1835; 
 James Frazier and Jacob Mechling, Jr., 
 1839; William Campbell, 1840; Andrew 
 Kearns, 1841, was the first treasurer 
 elected under the new law; Daniel Coll, 
 1843; Isaac Colbert, 1846; Michael Zim- 
 merman, 1848; Samuel C. Stewart, 1850; 
 John Martin, 1851 ; William B. Lemmon, 
 1853; James Kearns, 1856; Samuel Marks, 
 1857; .lames Deer, 1859; George W. Reed, 
 1861; Nathaniel Walker, 1863; William 
 E. Moore, 1865; J. Christey Moore (to 
 fill vacancy), November, 1866; Hugh Mor- 
 rison, 1867; John Haney, 1869; Francis 
 Anderson, 1871; Joseph F. Campbell, 
 1873; David Cupps, ]875; J. H. Miller, 
 1878; A. L. Craig, 1881; J. A. McMarlin, 
 1884; Amos Seaton, 1887; James S. Wil- 
 son, 1890; John T. Martin, 1893; Cvrus 
 Harper. 1896; Daniel Rankin, 1899; W. S. 
 Dixon, 1902; Thomas Alexander, 1905; 
 S. C. Trimble, 1909. 
 
 Tlie deputy treasurers appointed since 
 1900 are John Rankin, 1900; C. W. Dixon, 
 1903; J. A. Kiskaddon, 1906; Homer 
 Dixon, 1909. 
 
 Commissioners. — The county was gov- 
 erned bv the commissioners of Allegheny 
 County "from 1800 to 1803. Those who 
 have held the office in this county since the 
 latter year are as follows; 
 
 Matthew Wliite and James Bovard, No- 
 vember 9, 1803, and Jacob Mechling, No- 
 vember 16, 1803, formed the first board; 
 James Scott, 1804 and 1810; Abner Coats. 
 
164 
 
 lllsroKV OF UrTLKK COUNTY 
 
 November U, I8O0 ; Jacob iSuiitli, Deceiu 
 her 2, 1806; Abraluuii Blinker, March 7, 
 1807; Jolm Negiey and Frauds Andersou, 
 1808 and 180!>; Tlumia.s Dodds aud Joseph 
 Williamsou, October -27, 1809; Walter 
 Lowiie, October, JSIO; William Balpii, Oc 
 tober, 1811; Ifobcrt Martin, October, ISIU 
 .•ind 1815; Kpliraini Harris, October, 181L', 
 vice i.owrie, resigned; .James McKee, Jau- 
 narv, I8I;!; William ('ami)bell, November, 
 I8I0; Thomas McCleary, October, 1816; 
 F. Fryer, October, 1817; Abraham Brin- 
 ker, November, 1818; Robert Lemmou, Oc- 
 tober, 1818; J. Dodds, November, 1820; 
 Jolm Brandon, October, 1821; John Cov- 
 ert, Novembei', 1822; Hugh McKee, No- 
 vember, 1824; liobert Scott, November, 
 1825; John MeQuistion, November, 1825; 
 David Dougal, October, 1826; John Mc- 
 Nees, October, 1827 ; Alexander Graham, 
 October, 1828; Joseph McQuistion, 1829; 
 John McCandless, 1830; Wrlliam Pillow, 
 I80I; Robert Graham, 1832; Joseph Gra- 
 ham, 1835; Hugh Stephensou, 1835; Na- 
 than Skeer, 1836 ; William Criswell, 1837 ; 
 Jacob Shannon, October, 1838; Thomas R. 
 McMillen, October, 1839; George Miller, 
 1840; John Ray, November, 1841; Jolm 
 Ray, October, 1842; Abraham Moyer, Oc- 
 tober, 1842: Maurice Bredin, 1843; W. W. 
 Dodds, 1844 ; T. H. Bracken, October, 1845 ; 
 David Douthett, appointed iu April, 1846, 
 to succeed Bredin; John Anderson, Octo- 
 ber, 1846; Joseph Douthett, October, 1847; 
 Andrew Sim])son, 1848; Thomas Kelly, 
 1849; Thomas Welsh, October, 1850: 
 James Mitchell. October, 1851; John Mil- 
 ler, November. 1S52; William C. Campbell, 
 1853; John Kciiiicdv, 1854; Andrew Boggs, 
 1855; P. HillianI, 1856; Isaac Robb, 1857; 
 William Harbison, 1858; Charles McCluug, 
 1859; Thomas McNees, I860; Matthew 
 (Jreer, 1861; Abner Bartley, 1862; Samnel 
 Leason, 1863; A. C. Christie, 1864; Will- 
 iam Dick, 1865; Jolm W. Brandon, 1866; 
 ('harles Hoffman, 1867; James M. Lowe, 
 18(i8; John S. Campbell, 1869; William L. 
 Bartlev, 1870; Benjamin F. Garvin. 1871; 
 
 Robert Barron, 1872; James P. Christley, 
 1873; John C. Riddle, 1874; James C. Don- 
 aldson, 1875. 
 
 Under the article of tlie Constitution of 
 1873. providing for the election of three 
 commissioners, to serve three years, and 
 r()r the minority representation on the 
 board, the following named were chosen 
 in Xovember, 1875: Robert Barron, J. C. 
 Donaldson and William A. Christie, to 
 serve until January, 1879, when James 
 Gribbeu, Jonathan Mayburv aud J. C. Don- 
 aldson (lualified. In" the fall of 1881, 
 (•harles Cochrane, George W. Hays and T. 
 L Wilson were elected, but the last named 
 died prior to January, and James Collins, 
 appointed to fill the vacancy, took the oath 
 of office as the third member; J. C. Bread- 
 en, John C. Kelley and J. M. Turner were 
 elected in 1884; A. J. Hutchison, John C. 
 Kelly and B. M. Duncan, in 1887; John 
 Humphrey was appointed to succeed Kelly, 
 ic-signeil, January 10. 1890; and he with S. 
 V. ilarshall and J. C. Kiskaddon. were 
 elected in November, 1890. In 1893, S. W. 
 McCollough, Richai'd Kelly and George W. 
 Wilson were elected; in 1896, John Mit- 
 chell, Harmon G. Seaton and D. H. Sut- 
 ton ; in 1899, John W. Gillespie, J. J. Mc- 
 (Jarvey and Jolm A. Eichert; on June 20, 
 1902. Solomon Dunbar was appointed to 
 till the vacancv on the board caused by the 
 death of John" W. Gillespie; in 1902, j"ames 
 1j. Patterson, Robert McClnng and Greer 
 ^icCandless were elected; on January 14, 
 1905. John T. Kelly was appointed to fill 
 the vacancv caused bv the death of Rob- 
 ert McClung; in 1905, N. S. Grossnuvi, 
 William Seibert and G. F. Easley were 
 elected. In 1909 the Board is composed of 
 J. C. Kiskaddon, president; Charles Kei- 
 ger, secretary; W. H. Grabe; clerk, W. B. 
 Scott, witli three transcribing clerks — ]\Iiss 
 ^label S. Graham, Miss Catherine Reiger 
 and ^Tiss Jennie Martin. 
 
 Coroners. — William McDonald, commis- 
 sioned October 4, 1803; Robert Stewart. 
 1806; Isaac Evans. 1809; James McKee, 
 
AND KKPUESKNTATfV'E t^ITlZENS 
 
 165 
 
 1812; Couuell liogers, 1815; William Gib- 
 son, 1818; David Shannon, 1821; Jacob 
 Briuker, 1824; George Miller, 1827; Robert 
 St. Clair, 1830; James Spencer, 1833; 
 Thomas McKee, 183(); James Hoou, 
 1839; Matthias Cypher. 1842; George 
 W. Crozier, 1845; James \^niite, 1848; 
 Archibald Critchlow, 1851; Jacob Bentle, 
 1845; Neal Duffy, 1857; John Letcver. 
 1860; W. Brewer, 1863; James Kearns. 
 1866; George Burkhart, 1869; Diivid Kirk 
 Patrick, 1872; W. E. Conn, 1875; J. J. 
 Campbell, 1878; William Kennedy, 1881; 
 William Campbell, 1884; Alexander Stor- 
 ey, 1887; John Kennedy, 1890; G. M. Gra- 
 ham, 1893; John L. Jones, 1896; reelected 
 in 1899; Dr. J. C. Atwell was a^jpointed to 
 fill the vacancy caused by the death of John 
 L. Jones, April 22, 1902, and was elected 
 at the November election of 19(t2; Dr. W. 
 S. Patterson, 1905; Dr. R. 1.. Stackpole, 
 1909 (deputy, Fred Poessing). 
 
 Register and Recorder. — Prior to 1839 
 this office was an appointive one. and dur- 
 ing the first fifteen years of the county's 
 existeuce was administered by the pro- 
 thonotai'y. On July 4. 1803, William Ayres 
 was commissioned protlioiiotary, clerk of 
 the court of oyer and tenuiuer, clerk of 
 quarter sessions, clerk, of the orphans' 
 court, recorder, register of wills, adminis- 
 trator of oaths of office, etc. Jacob Meeh- 
 ling succeeded Ayres in January, 1810, in 
 all these capacities; but in 1818, Robert 
 Scott became register and recorder. The 
 incumbents, appointed or elected since that 
 time, are named as follows: Maurice 
 Bredin, 1832; John Welsh, 1836; William 
 W. Brandon, 1838; Joseph McQuistion 
 (first election), 1839; Wijliam Balph, 1842. 
 reelected in 1844; James T. McJunkin, 
 1848, reelected in 1851; Isaac S. P. DeWolf. 
 1854 ; Adam Ekas, 1857 ; Cvrus E. Ander- 
 son, 1860; James S. Kennedy, 1863; Sim- 
 eon Nixon, 1866 ; George W. Kneiss, 1869 ; 
 Matthew N. Greer, 1872 ; James D. Ander- 
 son, 1875; H. H. Gallagher. 1878; H. W. 
 Christie. 1881: M. H. Bverlv. 1884; H. A. 
 
 Ayres, 1887; David E. Dale, 1890; J. S. 
 Wick, 1893; W. J. Adams, 1896, reelected, 
 1899; J. P. David, 1902; Porter Wilson, 
 1905; Julian Clark, 1909 (deputy, E. I. 
 Brugh). 
 
 Jury Commissioners. — William A. Chris- 
 tie and Charles McClung, 1867; John A. 
 Brown and Peter Emery, 1870; T. W, Ken 
 nedy and John M. McCandless, 1873; Sam- 
 uel Balfour and Thomas Jameson, 1876; 
 Hugh MeCrea and ,1. W. Monks, 1879; Dan 
 iel Wallett and Rolx-it McChmg, 1882; Z. 
 McMichael and Frederick Henuinger, 1885; 
 W. F. Campbell and Charles Rielly, 1888 ; 
 William R. Patterson and John McCaffer- 
 ty, 1891. George H. Graham was appoint 
 ed commissioner, vice John McCaft'erty. 
 deceased, in November, 1892, to serve until 
 January 1, 1895. James Griffen, H. W. 
 Nicholas, 1894; Nicholas died in March. 
 1896, and A. 0. Everhart was appointed to 
 fill tlie vacancy. A. 0. Everhart and 
 Charles Redick were elected in 1897 ; A. D. 
 Nicholas and John D. Christie in 1900; A. 
 0. Everhart and A. J.. Cooper in 1903; 
 Dale Thorne and John Leise, in 1906; Dale 
 Thorn and John Leise, 1909. 
 
 Surveijors. — Prior to 1850 this office was 
 an appointive one. David Dougal, James 
 Scott and James Bovard were the first sur- 
 veyors who performed work under the or- 
 der of the commissioners. Their success- 
 ors have been James Irvine, Thomas Gra- 
 ham, 1809 to 1814; William Pui-viance. 
 1823; Hugh Conway, 1827; James Iloge, 
 James Dunlap, appointed in 1839 ; Thomas 
 H. Tjyon and Peter Murrin, served prior to 
 18.50- William Purviance, 1853; David 
 Scott, 1859; W. D. McCandless, 1862; Na- 
 than ^L Slater, 1865. 1868, 1871, appointed 
 to fill vacancy in 1875, and elected in 1880; 
 F. Wilt, 1874 (died in office) ; James M. 
 Denny, 1877 and 1880; B. F. Hilliard, 1883 
 and 1886; C. F. L. McQuistion, 1889 and 
 1892; F. E. McQuistion, 1895; Isaiah Meals. 
 1898; B. F. Hilliard. 1901; C. F. B. Awtey. 
 1904; reelected in 1907; C. F. B. Awtey. 
 1909. 
 
166 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 County Auditors. — 1896, W. S. Moore, 
 O. R. Tliorne, F. P. McBride; 1899, J. W. 
 Patterson, P. H. Sechler, J. A. McGoweii; 
 1902, Howard C. Hazlett, W. D. Deitrieh, 
 George S. Huselton; 1905, ^V. B. Scott, 
 George N. AYilson, David Cupps; 1909, II. 
 E. Heberlin, E. W. Thompson and Robert 
 A. White. 
 
 Superintendent of Count.r Home, 1909, 
 O. W. Stoughton. 
 
 Early Justices of the Peace.— The jus- 
 tices of the First Election District of But- 
 ler County, from 1804 to 1838 were as fol- 
 low: Meizer Tannehill, Jacob Smith and 
 Ephraim Harris, 1804; William Adams, 
 1805; Thomas Elder, 1806; Hugh Lee, 
 1808; Hugh Henderson, 1809; James Mc- 
 Kee, 1812; Robert Reed, 1820; W. Mc- 
 Michael and Andrew Donaldson, 1824; 
 John Reynolds, 1826; Samuel E. Harris, 
 1828; Samuel Kerr, 1830; John Murrin, 
 1834; John Nenl and Thomas Stephenson, 
 1835; Joseph Justice. W. H. McGill and 
 Alexander McBride, 1S36; William Jack, 
 1837 ; Henry C. Linn and John Black, 1838. 
 In 1820 this district comprised Mercer and 
 Slippery Rock Townships. 
 
 The justices of the peace for tlie same 
 period in the Second District wei-e : Jacob 
 Mechling, 1804; Washington Parker and 
 John Stewart, 1805; A. Young, 1808; 
 Matthew B. Lowrie, 1812 and 1813; John 
 Christy, 1815; Joseph Kerr, 1817; John 
 Murrin, 1823 ; Andrew Donaldson and Ben- 
 jamin Fletcher, 1827; William Turner, 
 1828; David Kelly, 1834; Levi Duchess and 
 John Anderson, 1835; Jacob Hilliard, 1836; 
 and Josiah Fletcher, 1838. 
 
 In District Number 3 the justices of the 
 peace were: William Johnston, James 
 Bovard and James Scott, 1804; Thomas Gil- 
 christ and Samuel Kinkaid, 1805; Reuben 
 Ayres and Patrick Hagerty, 1808; Walter 
 Lowrie, 1809; Joseph Williamson, 1812; 
 William Hutchison and William Campbell, 
 1813; Robert Scott, .1815; Samuel Kin- 
 kaid, John Neyman and John Duffy, 1816 ; 
 
 Abraham Brinker, 1817; William Robb, 
 1818; Maurice Bredin, 1821; Thomas Mc- 
 Cleary and Francis McBride, 1825 ; James 
 McCurdy and John Sweeney, 1826; Daniel 
 McLaughlin, 1827; Moses Hanlen, 1828; 
 James Cunningham, 1829; Hugh McKee, 
 is;i(i; David McCandless, 1832; John Mc- 
 Clelland, 1834; Robert Carnalian, 1835; 
 Bennet Dobbs, 1836; P. C. Purviance, 1837. 
 In 1815, the townships of Butler, Centre, 
 Clearfield and Donegal, were included in 
 this district as well as some other territory. 
 
 The justices of the peace in District 
 Number 4 were: Robert Galbreath and 
 Francis Anderson, 1804 ; John David, 1806-. 
 Owing to changes in 1807 it does 
 not appear that justices were elected 
 or appointed for this district. William 
 Campbell, 1822; Isaac Lefever, 1825; 
 James Potts, William Walker, John Dodds 
 and James Brown, 1829; W. R. Elliott, 
 1830; William Dixon and Johnston White, 
 is:!.-); Kmil Maurhoff, 1838. This (listri<-t 
 coiiiprised Buffalo, Clearfield, Butler and 
 Middlesex, in 1822, Clearfield and Butler 
 Townships being detached from the Third 
 District. 
 
 The justices of the peace in District 
 Number 5 were: Roljert Hays, 1804; 
 Stephen Stone, 1806; Joshua Stoolfire, 
 1810; Christian Buhl, 1813; Robert Boggs, 
 1820; John Oakley, 1822; Daniel Belts- 
 hoover and Robert Brown, 1823; William 
 McLean (resigned in 1836), and Jacob 
 Grossenor, 1824; William Simpson and B. 
 G. Goll, 1825 ; Andrew White, 1827 ; Sam- 
 uel Kirk, 1832; James Frazier, 1823; Dan- 
 iel Graham and John Henry, 1836; David 
 Spear, 1837; W. Cunningham and Henry 
 Umstead, 1838; T«iomas Fletcher,. 1839. In 
 1810, Cranberry Township constituted the 
 Fifth District;" in 1813, Connoi(uciicssing 
 Township, then organized, was added, and, 
 in 1820, these two townships with Middle- 
 sex and Butler formed the district. 
 
 In District Number 6 the justices of the 
 peace were: Eliakim Anderson, 1804; 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 167 
 
 John Brackney, 1805; A. Biyson and 
 Thomas Christy, 1808; William Dodds, 
 1812; Robert Martin, 1815; Thomas Sul- 
 livan, 1819; Thomas Christie, 1820; John 
 Thompson, 1827; Henry Dufford, 1830; 
 Robert Hampson, 1813; George A. Kirk- 
 patrick, 1832; Thomas Stewart, 1835. 
 
 Commissions were issued to the follow- 
 ing justices of the peace in the county in 
 1907 : George Graham, Fairview Bor- 
 ough ; W. F. Lytle, Butler Borough ; T. H. 
 Wheeler, Harmony Borough ; P. P. Brown, 
 West Sunbury Borough ; A. R. Thompson, 
 West Sunbury Borough; M. J. Leonard, 
 Chicora; James F. McKee, Prospect Bor- 
 ough; A. D. Groome, Parker Township; 
 W. P. Day, "Fairview Township ; J. P. Gett- 
 man, Lancaster Townshija; 0. P. Graham, 
 Cranberry Township; Isaac N. Wright, 
 Cranberry Township; W. H. H. Camp- 
 bell, Venango Township; Solomon Pon- 
 tius, Donegal Township ; W. P. . Hig- 
 ^ins, Oakland Township; John P. McCoy, 
 Cherry Township: J. T. Black, Marion 
 Township; James .McMicliacl, Clay Town- 
 ship; Philip Hilliai'd, Washington Town- 
 ship: Charles Snyder, Harrisville Bor- 
 ough ; John A. Eichert, Jackson Township ; 
 H. L. Allen, Allegheny Township. 
 
 In 1908 commissions were issued to the 
 following justices of the peace : Zenas Mc- 
 Michael, Zelienopie Borough; Joseph Cris- 
 well and James M. jNIcNally, Butler Town- 
 ship; J. N. McBride, Franklin Township; 
 John S. Campbell, Cherry Township ; John 
 C. Dight, Adams Township ; John W. Kal- 
 tenbaugh, Penn Township; W. H. Bovard, 
 Slippery Rock Township; P. G. Groome, 
 Washington Towmship; J.'W. Heslop, Ma- 
 rion Townshi]>; John Blair, Venango 
 Townshi]); U. H. Book, Cherrv Township; 
 P. H. Davy, Butler Borough; Geo. W. Hu- 
 sdton, Chicora ; Alexander Lurting, Mars 
 Borough; Carl Butzer, Petrolia Borough; 
 A. J. Smathers, Evans City Borough; H. 
 M. Wise, Harmony Borough; S. W. McCol- 
 lough, Fairview Township; Charles Ifft 
 Mercer Township. 
 
 APPOINTMENT OF COURT OFFICIALS. 
 
 Since 1893, the following court officials 
 have been appointed by the various judges 
 sitting on the bench: 
 
 Court Criers. — B. L. Hockenberry, ap- 
 pointed in 1894 and served until Septem- 
 ber, 1902, when he resigned and J. S. 
 Campbell was appointed to fill the va- 
 cancy; Joseph Criswell was appointed in 
 1903, and William H. Walker, June 9, 
 1906. 
 
 Court Stenographers. — Ed. S. Riddle, 
 appointed December 11, 1894, by Judge 
 Greer, and reappointed January 1, 1903, 
 by Judge Galbreath; Miss Ada Findley 
 was appointed assistant court stenogra- 
 pher January 9, 1903; Miss Georgie Chris- 
 tie was appointed assistant court stenogra- 
 pher May 4, 1908, to fill the vacancy caused 
 liy the resignation of Miss Findley. 
 
 Court Auditors.— 1893, Frank Stauffer; 
 1894, W. C. Findley; 1895, Harry L. Gra- 
 ham; 1896, Raymond L. Cornelius; 1897, 
 E. H. Negley; 1898, F. H. Murphy; 1899, 
 Kennedv Marshall; 1900, John W. Coul- 
 ter; 1901, T. James Dodds; 1902, John H. 
 Jackson; 1903, Charles B. Adams; 1904, 
 Charles H. Miller; 1905, James B. Mates; 
 1906, Thomas Watson ; 1907, Samuel S. At- 
 well. 
 
 Tipstaves appointed by the court since 
 1893.— At the March tei'm of court, 1895, 
 the following ai)p()intnu'iits were made: 
 John Mitchell, John Shaffuer, Elias Boyer, 
 and Robert McElhaney. In August of the 
 same year John Mitchell resigned and 
 James C. Welsh was appointed to fill the 
 vacancy. In 1898 the court made the fol- 
 lowing appointments : Hugh Morgan, Rob- 
 ert Harbison, and Christ Henchberger. In 
 1900, W. W. Maxwell, 0. P. Campbell and 
 R. 0. Lewis were appointed. In 1903, Jo- 
 seph Henchberger, Harmon Seaton, Capt. 
 John G. Bippus and F. M. Renno. The 
 same year the court fixed the compensa- 
 tion of these officers at $2 per day. At the 
 December term, 1905, W. H. Aber and 
 George W. Campbell were appointed to 
 
168 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 fill the vacancy caused by the resignation McMarlin were appointed and the same 
 of F. M. Renno and Joseph Henchberger. year the pay of these officers was increased 
 111 ]i)07 W. H. McCandless and James A. by order of court to $2.50 per day. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES 
 
 Early Oil Discoveries — Petroleum Used as Mediciiie — Its Commercial Possibilities 
 Realised — Oil Company Formed — First Shipment to Europe — Early Oil Wells — 
 The Parker's Landing Field — Petrolia, Karns City and Fairvieiv — Greece City — 
 Troutman Farm — Millerstoivn Field — The Bald Ridge District — Thorn Creek — 
 Thorn Creek Extension — Reibald Field — The Hundred-foot District — Brownsdale 
 and Coopersto'wn — Speechley Field — The Pipe Lines — Producers and Refiners — 
 Natural Gas as a Fuel — Deepest Well in the County — Nitro-glycerine — Flanne- 
 gan's Well-cleaner — Accidents and Tragedies of the Business — Death of Holland — 
 Butler County Woman Killed — Miscellaneous Incidents and Sketches — A Loaded 
 Porker — William Smith — The Montcalm Letter — Dune Karns— -Richard Jennings 
 — Taylor £ Satterfield — Plummer's Ride — The Producers' Protective Association 
 —-Beating the Railroad Company— Parker City— The Devil's Half-acre— The 
 Wirli'drst M<(ii i)i the World — The Agrarian Trouble at Renfreiv — Wilsmt's Iron 
 Derricl.- Fniimics That Were Missed — The Lawyer Pumper — The " Spottif" Mc- 
 Bridc W(ll--IIoli'iiuiii's Luck — Oil Country Honor— Oil Men's Outing Association 
 -Prices of Crude Oil — A Disastrou.s Fire — Thomas W. Phillips. 
 
 Petroleum was lirst discovered within 
 the present boundaries of the United 
 States about 1627 or 1629 by the Francis- 
 can Father, Joseph de la Roche D'Allion, 
 who located a bituminous spring at Cuba, 
 in Allegheny County, New York. Little 
 attention seems to have been paid to the 
 mattei- at the time, however, but occasion- 
 ally, at lon.i^- iiilorvals, we hear of other oil 
 discovciics, as, for instance, in 1()!»4, when 
 Eele Hancock and Portlocli obtained pat- 
 ents for making "oile" out of a peculiar 
 kind of rock. Again, in 1761, we find that 
 oils were distilled from bituminous shale 
 for medical purposes. 
 
 About the middle of the Eightccntli ccn 
 tury the presence of oil in the region now 
 
 included within Butler, Armstrong, and 
 Venango Counties seems to have attracted 
 the attention of some of the French officers 
 commanding forces in the Norlli western 
 territory. Among them was Ca])taiii .fon- 
 caire, commander of the Frencli c.xix'dition 
 down the Allegheny in 1749, who located 
 an oil spring above Fort Venango on the 
 Allegheny. According to a formei-ly ac- 
 cepted account, Contrecoeur in the follow- 
 ing year, in his official dispatches to Mont- 
 calm, makes mention of the presence of oil 
 in this field and describes an Indian cere- 
 monial which seemed to furnisu proof that 
 some, at least, of the Indians in his day 
 were tire-worsliipers. This letter, the au- 
 tlienticitv of wbiHi Iihn been ilenied (see 
 
I7i) 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 account of its origiu in the article entitled 
 ■ ' The Montcalm Letter, ' ' in the latter part 
 of this chapter) read as follows: 
 
 " I would flesire lo nssiire jou that this is a inn-il 
 delightful land. Some of the most astonishing iiaiiinil 
 wonders have been diseovtipd by our people. While 
 descending the Allegheny, fifteen leagnis l.elow the 
 mouth of the Conewango and three above the Ven.-mgi) 
 (French Creek), ne »ere invited by the cliief uf tin- 
 Seneeas to attend a religious ceremony of his tribe. 
 We landed and drew up our canoes on a point where 
 a .small stream entered the river. The tribe appeared 
 unusually solemn. Wo marched up the strea n about a 
 half league, where the company, a band it appeared. 
 had arrived some days before us. (iiganlii- hills begirt 
 us on every side. The scene was really sublime. The 
 great chief then recited the conquests and heroism of 
 their ance.stors. The surface of the stream was covered 
 with a thick scum, which, upon applying a torch at a 
 given signal, burst into a complete conflagration. At 
 the sight of the flames the Indians gave forth a tri- 
 umphant shout that made the hills and valleys reecho 
 again. Here then, is revived the ancient fire-worship of 
 the East; here then, are the children of the Sun.'' 
 
 In 1779, when Broadhead's division of 
 General Sullivan's army was advancing 
 against the Seneca Indians, signs of oil 
 were observed and reported in various lo- 
 calities along the Allegheny River. 
 
 In the vicinity of Titusville, on the west 
 side of Oil Creek, there have been found 
 evidences of somewhat primitive oil opera- 
 tions in a number of pits — several hundred 
 in all — sunk in the flats of the creek, and 
 measuring each about seven feet in length 
 by six in depth and four in width. These 
 pits had a clay bottom and were walled 
 with halved logs. When the debris was 
 cleared from them by the early discoverers 
 they gradually filled with water, on top of 
 which floated a thin coat of oil. The In- 
 dian Cornplanter could give no account of 
 their origin, nor has any definite informa- 
 tion ever been ascertained in regard to it. 
 
 THE OIL USED AS MEDICINE. 
 
 The Indians and early white settlers 
 made use of the oil for medicinal purposes. 
 Fn 1806 a man named Carey obtained it 
 from Oil Creek and sold it under the name 
 of Seneca oil. It was found serviceable 
 in rheumatism, in weakness of the stom- 
 ach, in curing bruises and .sore breasts, and 
 
 as a gentle cathartic, and had been pre- 
 viously credited with these valuable prop- 
 erties, in 1789, by Jedediah Morse, in the 
 American Universal Geography, published 
 at Charlestowu, Mass. That its virtues 
 were not generally known is proved by the 
 fact that when General Hays, of Franklin, 
 subsequent to 180(5, shipped several bar- 
 rels of the oil by wagon to Baltimore, the 
 merchant to whom they were consigned 
 emptied them into Chesapeake Bay. 
 
 ITS COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES REALIZED. 
 
 The distillation of petroleum had been 
 carried on in Truscovitch, Austria, as early 
 as 1810, and in 1853 one Schrenier first 
 used it for illuminating purposes; but the 
 lirst practical method of refining was in- 
 troduced by an Austrian named Toch, wlio 
 built a refinery at Tarentum for Peterson 
 and Dale. It was about half a century ago 
 that interest in this i»eculiar product be- 
 gan to assume a jiractical form. A prize 
 of $1,000 was offered l)y S. Kier for the in- 
 vention of a lani}) that would burn the oil, 
 and in 1857, largely through the efiforts of 
 Nevin & McKeowu, it began to be known 
 as an article of commerce. 
 
 In the meanwhile efforts were being 
 made to find some practical method of ob- 
 taining a large and steady sujiply of the 
 product. In 1858 a well in Canada was ex- 
 cavated by pick and shovel to the oil sand, 
 and in the same year a well 400 feet deep 
 was drilled by T. AV. Nevin and Co. at 
 Greensburg, Penna., though without suc- 
 cess. The pioneer producer was found in 
 Col. Drake, who in 1859 drilled the first 
 well on Oil Creek, Venango County. Thus 
 it a])pears that J. M. Williams, who exca- 
 vated the Canada \yell above mentioned 
 was the first man on this continent within 
 the historic period to dig down to the pe- 
 troleum ; T. W. Nevin was the first to drill 
 expressly for it, and Colonel Drake was 
 the first to drill for it with success. 
 
 The era of commercial activity in this 
 field began at once after the success of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 171 
 
 Colonel Drake. In P^ebruary, 1860, the 
 Butler Oil Company was organized to drill 
 for oil in the vicinity of Butler. The mem- 
 bers of the company kept the project pretty 
 quiet at first and the press took little no- 
 tice of it, as all felt that they were tread- 
 ing on uncertain ground, and they wished 
 to blare no trumpets that might only serve 
 to emphasize and advertise a possible fail- 
 ure. There were not wanting others, how- 
 ever, to take the risks involved in view of 
 a possible great reward, and almost daily 
 reports of new discoveries, some on farms 
 in various parts of the county, fed the ex- 
 citement until the oil fever was endemic 
 over the greater part of this region. 
 
 In the meanwhile developments were 
 proceeding on Oil Creek that commanded 
 the attention of the country, and indeed, of 
 the world. 
 
 OIL COMPANY FORMED. 
 
 At a meeting held in Zimmerman's Hotel 
 in Butler, January 19, 1861, a company 
 was organized to develop the oil sand in 
 the neighborhood of Butler. The proceed- 
 ings of the company were very dignified 
 and were conducted with a due apprecia- 
 tion for all the proprieties, William Camp- 
 bell presided at the meeting, and J. G. 
 Muntz acted as secretary. Committees 
 were appointed to draft articles of asso- 
 ciation and select a site for operation. 
 The company began business under the 
 title of the "Butler Pioneer Oil Company," 
 and on February 5, 1861, commenced oper- 
 ations on the lot near the brewery south- 
 west of the boroiTgh, and drilled a well to 
 the depth of 800 feet without striking oil. 
 Believing their enter))rise to be a failure, 
 the comjiany abandoned the well. This 
 well was located on the Negley property 
 between Water Street and the Connoque- 
 nessing Creek in the third ward of Butler 
 borough, and a short distance from Wal- 
 ter's Mill. 
 
 The next oil company organized in But 
 ler County wtis the Enterprise Oil Com 
 
 pany at Prospect in 1862. Rev. A. H. 
 Waters was president of this company and 
 A. W. McCollough, secretary. The unoffi- 
 cial stockholders were J. K. Kennedy, John 
 W. Forrester, D. C. Roth, G. B. Warren, 
 Mrs. Ann Bredin, all of the Prospect neigh- 
 borhood, with E. McJunkin, Jacob Zeigler 
 and James T. McJunkin, of Butler. This 
 company drilled three wells at Harris' 
 Ford on Slippery Rock Creek, one of which 
 had a good showing of heavy oil. The 
 wells were drilled wet and failed to pan 
 out. The company final) v abandoned these 
 wells. 
 
 FIRST SHIPMENT TO EUROPE. 
 
 The credit of making the first shipment 
 of petroleum to European markets belongs 
 to H. Julius Klingler and John Berg, of 
 Butler. In 186;] Messrs. Klingler and Berg 
 were engaged in shipping oil from the 
 Venango County field to Pittsburg. The 
 oil was shipped in barrels and transported 
 from Titusville or Oil City by means of 
 fiat-boats, and when tlie cargo reached 
 Pittsburg, the barrels were stored in large 
 freight yards near the boat-landing. The 
 shipment of the first cargo of oil to Eu- 
 rope was the result of "pernicious activ- 
 ity" on the part of the authorities of the 
 city of Pittsburg. Many finns were en- 
 gaged in shipping oil to iPittsburg by boat 
 and storing it in freight yards from whence 
 it was subsequently shipped by railroad to 
 eastern markets. Many thousands of bar- 
 rels of oil were stored in the yards within 
 the city limits, and the residents of that 
 portion of the city became alarmed for fear 
 of a fire. The city authorities investigated 
 the matter and ordered the owners of the 
 oil to move it. This order suggested the 
 idea to Messrs. Klingler and Berg of ship- 
 ping a consignment of oil to London and 
 seeking a market for it there. According- 
 Iv they loaded one thousand barrels on to 
 the cars at Pittsburg, shipped them to Phil- 
 adelphia, and thence by clipper to Liver- 
 pool, England, where they were consigned 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 to Boult, En^lisli jhkI Bj'andoii. who 
 boiijilit tlio oil l)y the ton. 
 
 KAKLY OIL VVELUS. 
 
 The tirst oil well in the uppvv lieldis of 
 Butler Coxmty was, it is said, drilled on 
 the Joseph Meals farm in Washington 
 Township, later the Dr. A. ^F. Hoover 
 farm. It was drilled by hand to a depth of 
 three hundred feet, and was al)andoued on 
 account of a flow of water, which stopped 
 further operation. In 1889 a well was 
 drilled within seventy-five feet of this oil 
 well, which was a good producer and on the 
 same farm and on the Shira, Clark, Bell, 
 Miller and other farms, producing wells 
 were ol)tained in 1893 and 1894. 
 
 The first oil well in the Millerstown field, 
 now Cliicora, was drilled in 18()1 to a depth 
 of two hundred and fifty feet, but the com- 
 pan>- were from nine liundred to eleven 
 hundred feet short in their calculations 
 and consequently failed of their object. 
 
 (Jrcal excitement was caused in January, 
 1865, by the oil discoveries on Slippery 
 Rock Creek. On February 2, Dr. Egbert, 
 the oil operator of Franklin who had leased 
 thousands of acres on the Slippery Rock, 
 completed a well near Harlansburg that 
 yielded a barrel of oil everv thirtv minutes.. 
 In INIarch, 1865, the Smith "and Collins well 
 on the Campbell farm on Slippery Rock 
 Creek, was drilled in and operated as a 
 mystery. Some claimed it to be a hundred 
 barrel producer, and others rated it as 
 high as two hundred. The same year a 
 heavy producer for the time was struck on 
 Muddy Creek and one by the Clark Com- 
 pany near the village of Wurtemburg, just 
 outside of the western limits of the county. 
 In May, 1865, a well was drilled 071 the 
 Robert Glenn farm in Marion Township, 
 then owned by Robert Vandi-riin and at 
 the same time a well was drilled at Buhl's 
 Mill in Forward Township, on Connoquen- 
 essing Creek. 
 
 The Sunbury Oil Company drilled a well 
 at West Sunbury immediately after the 
 
 Civil War, and nuule their first sale of oil 
 at Pittsburg in Se])tember, 1866, receiv- 
 ing eleven hundred dollars for the first 
 [)rodiict of their two wells in Butler Coim- 
 ty. The oil was ])arreled and hauled to 
 J*ittsl»urg bv wagon. 
 
 In August, 1865, the Butler Oil Com- 
 pany leased twelve thousand acres of land 
 between the village of Martinsburg (now 
 Bruin), and ]\Iillerstown, and controlled 
 the land from Millerstown to Herman in 
 Simimit Township. This company drilled 
 five wells, not one of which reached the 
 Butler sand, and thus in an ocean of oil 
 they found disappointment. The territory 
 held l)y this company subsequently pro- 
 duced some of the largest wells found in 
 the Butler field. The company dissolved 
 after this experience, but later its members 
 were found identified with more success- 
 ful operations. 
 
 C. D. Angell who in 1867 was operating 
 on the Island property at Scrubgrass, came 
 into Butler County and found every indi- 
 cation of oil on a line extending to Har- 
 mony through Bull Valley and Prospect, 
 and in a western direction on a line be- 
 tween Rayiiiilton in Venango Comity and 
 Sli]>p('ry Ikock in Butler County. In later 
 yeai-s Angell ))ecame identified with the 
 Butler County fields and was one of the 
 largest producers in the district. 
 
 In 1868 the Jacobs Oil Company was or- 
 ganized by Butler men, being named in 
 honor of Captain Jacob Ziegler, who never 
 for a moment lost faith in Butler County 
 as an oil field. This company entei-ed the 
 field of Martinsburg, and drilled a well 
 which started to flow at the rate of sixty 
 barrels per day after it had been shot, and 
 was the first paying well produced in the 
 limits of Butler County. This well was 
 purchased by Robert Black in 1872 for $4,- 
 000, and continued a small producer until 
 1880. 
 
 THE P.^KEr's L.\NDING FIELD. 
 
 In the year 1860 Thomas McConnell, W. 
 D. Robinson, Smith K. Campbell, and Col. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 173 
 
 J. B. Finley, purchased tAvo acres of land 
 on tlie west bank of the Allegheny River 
 about ninety rods north of Tom's Run, 
 from Elishn Robinson, Sr., and organized 
 the Foxbiiig Oil Company. A well was 
 drilled to the depth of 4()() feet, when an ac- 
 cident occurred, which obstructed the o^i- 
 erations for a few days. In the interval 
 the war broke out and the excitement in^ 
 cident thereto stopped all further proceed- 
 ings and the well was abandoned. 
 
 Subs('(iueiitly the same ])arties purchased 
 one liundicd acres known as tlie Tom's 
 Run tract from Mr. Robinson, and in 1865 
 a well was drilled which wa.s. the first pro- 
 ducer in that locality. It is a remarkable 
 fact that the well drilled in 1860 was on 
 territory that the ojierations of subsequent 
 years proved to be dry. Had the well been 
 completed in 1860 it would probably have 
 prevented all future devei<ii)ments in that 
 region for many years. The well complet- 
 ed in 1865 was known as Clarion No. 1, and 
 yielded eighteen barrels a day until 1869, 
 when it became a twenty-five barrel pro- 
 ducer. In July, 1869, there were twenty- 
 five ]iroducing wells at Parker's Landing 
 yielding 310 barrels daily. At the close 
 of that month there were twenty-two wells 
 rigging and eighteen wells drilling, so that 
 the total in August was sixty-four. The 
 old town of Lawrenceburg was invaded by 
 the vanguard of operators and drillers be- 
 fore tli(> close of Augiist and many Butler 
 men went thither to share in the work and 
 profits. Oil agreements were printed in 
 the newspapers of Butler and everything 
 pointed towards busy days. By the middle 
 of November, 1859, there were 1,058 wells 
 in the Parker and Lawrenceburg field. The 
 first oil fire in the district was reported No- 
 vember '21. when the Enterprise well above 
 the Landing was destroved. This well was 
 the j.rojiei-tv of J. W. Christy, Col. John 
 M. Thompson, Allen Wilson, W. K. Potts, 
 and other Butler men. 
 
 The Valley well at Church Run on the 
 Fulerton-Parker farm, was completed in 
 
 January, 1870, and was owned by M. E. 
 Adams, John Scott, John M. Thompson, 
 George Purviance, B. C. Huselton, and 
 William McClung. The Barnes and Ter- 
 rell well near by and the new well above 
 the mouth of Bear Creek were also com- 
 pleted in January, 1870. Before the close 
 of the month a five-barrel well was struck 
 at Martinsburg on the Farren farm, which 
 was known as the Berg well. This well was 
 owned by S. D. Karns, Herman J. Berg, 
 and others. The Atlantic well in that 
 neighborhood owned by Patrick McBride 
 and others was reported in February, 1870. 
 
 The Thorn Creek Oil Company was or- 
 ganized February 2, 1870, with Harvey Os- 
 borne, president; Francis Laube, secre- 
 tary; E. A. Helrabold, superintendent; E. 
 F. Aderhold, treasurer; J. M. Dowler and 
 H. T. Markel, auditors, and R. M. Douthett 
 and James Gribben, business managers. 
 This company operated in the Parker and 
 Martinsbui-g district and brought in the 
 "Maple Shade" near Risk Village, the 
 "Isabel" on Thorn Creek, the "Walnut 
 Shade" on the Fox farm, near Emlenton, 
 and the "Church Run" well on the Mar- 
 shall farm above the Valley well. These 
 wells came in in March, 1870. Then fol- 
 lowed the "Golden Gate," the "Shep- 
 herd," near Lawrenceburg, the "Wyona" 
 on the Farren farm, the "Number 12" 
 south of Bear Creek, the "North West,'' 
 the "Cataract," the "Eclipse," and other 
 wells. The "^Golden Gate" was owned by 
 Butler men. 
 
 In April, 1870, oil was discovered on the 
 Aaron Beery farm in Middlesex Township. 
 James Sutton and other Butler County 
 men brought in some wells on the Anchor 
 farm on Fowler Run, and the Smith and 
 Stewart well on the Fowler farm weic 
 brought in in April. The Glade Run and 
 Cherry Valley Oil Company was organ 
 ized in April and began active operation 
 in the Parker Township field. Among the 
 wells brought in were the "Dingbat" near 
 the old furnace on Bear Creek, the "Hoo- 
 
174 
 
 [IISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ver" aud the "California." These were 
 followed by the "Rush," the "Washing- 
 ton," and the Turk and Shii-a wells, all 
 in the first half of the year. In August 
 the Parsons Brothers struck oil near Far- 
 rentown on the Martinsburg Road and 
 brought in three wells that were fine pro- 
 ducers. Dr. Guthrie and William Gill of 
 Butler brought in the "Millbrook" well on 
 the Conelly farm. Dr. Cowden and Jacob 
 Ziegler of Butler bi-ought in the "Estella" 
 on the Logue fai'm, and Dr. Cowden, S. H. 
 Bailey, and Newton of Portersville, drilled 
 the "Udora" No. 2 on the Bailey farm. 
 Other wells drilled were the "Nancy 
 Adams" on the John B. Leonard farm, 
 and the "Mullen," or "Glory Hole," were 
 twenty-barrel producers. McGee and At- 
 well drilled the Ida May well on the Far- 
 ren farm in 1870, and Gen. John N. Pur- 
 viance of Butler owned the Oak well on 
 the Robinson farm. 
 
 The Cherry valley well drilled in Ve- 
 nango Township in November, 1870, to a 
 depth of 650 feet, showed the same sand 
 as the Parker's Landing field. The Wolf 
 Creek Oil and Salt Testing Company, of 
 Centerville, of which C. 0. Kingsbury was 
 president, began operations late in 1870, 
 and the Thorn Creek Oil Company organ- 
 ized the same year, began operations in 
 Parker and Venango Townships. 
 
 The Wolf Creek well No. 1 was drilled 
 in 1870 for a Centerville syndicate, but 
 was abandoned at a little over 800 feet. 
 The tools were stuck in the well, the fish- 
 ing tackle lost, and a heavy flow of gas 
 drove the drillers away from their work. 
 On one occasion the pressure of gas in this 
 well raised a cohmin of water one hundi*ed 
 feet above the derrick, and nothing was 
 done to control the flow of water and what 
 was probably one of the strongest gas wells 
 struck in the county was literally drowned 
 out. In 1871 the same company drilled at 
 a point in the hollow near the creek two 
 miles northwest of Centerville (Slippery 
 Rock) to a depth of 1,42.3 feet, obtaining a 
 
 small show of oil and gas. This well was 
 productive of some geological knowledge, 
 but was a financial failure. 
 
 The first well drilled in the southwest- 
 ern section of the county was on the Mul- 
 ler farm near Zelienople in 1870. This 
 well was drilled to a depth of 825 feet and 
 then abandoned. Twenty years later the 
 Harmony and Lancaster pools were de- 
 veloped in the vicinity of the Muller well. 
 
 A man named Whann, who had been a 
 partner of J. A. Satterfield at Pithole, 
 made the second attempt to find oil at Mil- 
 lerstown in 1870. He got the rig partly 
 up when a two-inch plank fell on the head 
 of the contractor and put a quietus on 
 operations for two years. 
 
 In 1866 a well was drilled on the Adam 
 Ritzert farm in Oakland Township, which 
 showed the existence of oil and lead many 
 people to predict that Butler County would 
 yet prove an extensive oil field. The drill- 
 ing of new wells around Martinsburg 
 (Bruin) in August, 1871, and the extension 
 of the field southwest towards Karns City 
 and Petrolia showed that the time for pre- 
 dicting was past, and that oil reservoirs 
 existed in many places throughout the 
 county. During this year the Borland well 
 was drilled on the Robert Black farm, the 
 famous Bennett well on the Stone House 
 farm in Parker Township ; two wells were 
 drilled by Badger and Karns on the Stone 
 House farm, the Heiner well was com- 
 pleted on the Say farm, the Lambing well 
 on the Fletcher, and a well on the Martin 
 farm. 
 
 PETROLIA, KARNS CITY AND FAIRVIEW. 
 
 The Campbell farm became the front of 
 operations in November, 1871, when a six- 
 ty-five barrel well responded to the drill. 
 This was followed by a well on the Walker 
 farm adjoining Campbell, which became a 
 noted producer, and was purchased in 
 May, 1872, by B. B. Campbell and the 
 Walker brothers. These wells were the 
 beginning of the village of Argyle, which 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 175 
 
 was one of the mushroom oil towns of 
 Fairview Township. Within six years the 
 R. D. Campbell and the A. L. Campbell 
 farms were celebrated for at least a dozen 
 of great wells that made fortunes for their 
 owners as well as the fanners. 
 
 The "Maple Shade" well was completed 
 on the Widow Hutchison farm in Parker 
 Township south of Bear Creek early in 
 the spring of 1872 by A. W. McCoUough. 
 It started off with 100 barrels a day and 
 for a time was known as the largest pro- 
 ducer south of the creek. 
 
 Other wells completed in 1872 were the 
 Lambing well on the Shakely farm, the 
 "Lib," "Walnut," the "Fannie," and the 
 Collins No. 2 on the Milford farm, and 
 the wells on the Jamison farm. The suc- 
 cess of the "Maple Shade" well on the 
 Hutchison farm led to an invasion of the 
 territory around Martinsburg, and the suc- 
 cess of the Columbia Oil Company on the 
 Reddick farm, and the wells drilled on the 
 Wilt farm, Campbell, Shepherd, the Mat- 
 thew Cannon tract, the Martin farms, and 
 others south of Martinsburg, pointed to 
 an extension of the field. 
 
 A scramble for leases resulted in large 
 profits to the land owners. James Say 
 leased his 100 acre farm at $200 per acre, 
 and one-eighth royalty, while other farm- 
 ers were equally as fortunate. In April, 
 1872, the Lambing brothers struck a hun- 
 dred-barrel well on the Gibson farm near 
 Fairview, and the McPherson well on that 
 farm proved a paying property. Around 
 the village of Argyle land was sold from 
 $500 to $1,000 per acre. The principal 
 operators in this district were the Lambing 
 brothers, B. B. and A. L. Campbell, J. B. 
 Findley, C. D. Angell, McKinney and Nes- 
 bitt, and McPherson and Blaney. 
 
 During the year 1872 the scouts of the 
 oil army were locatiug and drilling wells 
 in advance of the Parker field. A well was 
 drilled on the John Smith farm in Cherry 
 Township, on the David Stewart and the 
 Rumbaugh farms in Washington Town- 
 
 ship, on the J. H. Hindman farm in Clay 
 Township, on the W. C. Campbell farm in 
 Fairview Township, at Ralston 's Mill in 
 Concord Township, at Millerstown in Don- 
 egal Township, at James Stephenson's 
 Mill in Summit Township, and along 
 Thorn Creek. The greatest advances were 
 made in Fairview Township. The well on 
 the W. C. Campbell farm produced a little 
 oil and turned out to be the greatest gas 
 well that had been struck in oildom up to 
 that time. The "Fanny Jane" was struck 
 in May, 1872, and in four months' time the 
 town of Petrolia had sprung up with a 
 population greater than that of the county 
 seat. In the same month oil was found on 
 the S. S. Jamison farm two miles north of 
 Boydstown in Concord Township, and the 
 town of Greece City sprung up like a 
 mushroom in the night. This was the first 
 oil discovered in the Connoquenessing Val- 
 ley. The Bonny Brook well at Brinker's 
 Mill in Summit Township, now East But- 
 ler, was completed in June, 1872, but 
 proved a disappointment to its owners. 
 The McClymonds farm, now the site of 
 Karns City, became famous as. an oil cen- 
 ter the same year. 
 
 In December, 1871, Cooper Brothers 
 leased fifteen acres of land from Hugh P. 
 McClymonds and fifteen acres from Sam- 
 uel L. Riddle. The first well was located 
 ill the valley near the line between the two 
 leases on the McClymonds land. In June, 
 1872, this well was producing 120 barrels 
 a day. On the 29th of May, "Dune" 
 Kearns had leased for a bonus of $200 an 
 acre and one-eighth royalty, the entire 214 
 acres of the McCljononds farm, the owner 
 reserving the Cooper lease and fourteen 
 acres around the farm buildings. On the 
 first of June Mr. Kearns also leased on 
 the same terms 204 acres of the Saml. L. 
 Riddle farm, the owner reserving the Coo- 
 per lease and ten acres about the farm 
 buildings. At this time oil was selling at 
 $4 a barrel, and there was a fierce compe- 
 tition among the operators for the McCiy- 
 
176 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 monds farm. This was finally compro- 
 mised on June 18, 1872, when McClymonds 
 sold his farm for $60,000, reserving his 
 farm buildings and the surface of four- 
 teen acres. The purchasers were 0. G. 
 Emery, "Dune" Kearns, William Thomp- 
 son, William Parker, and John H. Haines. 
 Soon after a town sprung up which was 
 named Karns City in honor of "Dune" 
 Karns, who was at that time the largest 
 individual operator in the Butler County 
 field. He was also the promoter of the 
 Parker and Karns City Railroad, and in- 
 teicstcd in a number of the pipe lines that 
 were laid from the Butler County field to 
 the Allcglienj' river. Within the year 
 Fairview Township had three booming oil 
 towns. They were Petrolia, Karns City, 
 and Fairview. 
 
 GKEECE CITY. 
 
 The Morrison well on the S. S. Jamison 
 farm in Concord Township came in Au- 
 gust 22, 1872, and started to flow at the 
 rate of about 700 barrels a day. Within a 
 few hours, however, the rig caught fire and 
 about 200 barrels of oil were consumed be- 
 fore the well was under control. The yield 
 soon dropped to 300 barrels, then to 200, 
 and in the latter jiart of August the well 
 was producing only 150 barrels a day. This 
 well was believed to be the third sand when 
 it was first struck, but later development 
 proved it to be the first fourth sand well 
 developed in Butler County. Greece City 
 sprung up as if by magic, and in the fall 
 of 1872 the surrounding country was dot- 
 ted with derricks and drilling wells and a 
 number of gushers were brought in during 
 the winter. The field proved freakish, 
 however, and the wells soon became ex- 
 hausted. The Oil Man's Journal of Au- 
 gust 31, 1872, referring to the large strike 
 at Greece City, recognized the fact that the 
 theories of "Uncle Jake" Ziegler concern- 
 ing the oil regions of Butler County were 
 correct, and that the Morrison well should 
 
 be regarded as the beginning of Butler 
 Coimty's new oil development. 
 
 TROUTMAN FARM. 
 
 The beginning of the developments on -the 
 Troutman farm and Modoc city was in 
 March, 1873, when a fourth sand well was 
 tapped. In regard to the discovery of the 
 fourth sand, Hon. A. L. Campbell, who was 
 one of the largest operators in the terri- 
 tory, and who was a life-long resident of 
 Petrolia, made the following statement in 
 a letter published in 1894 : 
 
 " In the latter part of the summer of 187H Foster 
 Hinrlman, William Banks, Charles C. Stewart, and John 
 H. Gailey drilled a well on the Scott heirs farm near 
 the corner of McEleer and .1. B. Campbell farms west 
 of Karns City, and when deep enough as they thought, 
 there was but little show of oil. Tack, Morehead and 
 Company had finished No. 1 McEleer nearby where I 
 was superintendent of the farm and part owner, and 
 had kept a record of the strata as the well progressed. 
 Charles C. Stewart was around frequently when I took 
 samples of the stratas, and he claimed that in their 
 well tbey did not finish in the same sand as we had in 
 McEleer No. 1, which showed for a fair producer. 
 Gailey and Company concluded they were down and 
 dry, all agreeing to that opinion except Mr. Stewart, 
 and on a proposition to drill the well deeper Mr. Gailey 
 refused to pay any more expense. Stewart and Banks 
 came to my office at Argyle with their measurements 
 and consulted my register and the samples I had taken 
 at No. 1 McEleer. From the calculations and investiga- 
 tions made that day it was decided their well was 
 not deep enough. Drilling was begun again, and before 
 oil was obtained all tlic .iili.-r-. li;i.l s..l.l tlicir interests 
 
 to Stewart. After drillint; in s,,i Icptli. sixty-nine 
 
 feet I think, oil was shu,!. m irhul nfh Kcards was 
 called the fourth sand. AVi-i .if ilii^. kv]\ a short 
 distance we were drilling No. 'J McI^Icct. :iii(I soon were 
 finished in the fourth sand. W.^ thru piillid „ut No. 1 
 McEleer and drilled her down. W'l ii:ii.l ifioii to each 
 of our men to say nothing about Uic fmirtli sand, but 
 it was not many days until Mr. Jennings and all others 
 in the neighborhood began drilling their wells deeper. 
 The man that first risked his money in the enterprise 
 is entitled to the credit, and he was Charles C. Stewart, 
 now of Brady Township, Butler County, I believe. ' ' 
 
 Since the publication of the above, Mr. 
 Stewart and Mr. Campbell have died. 
 There may be honest differences of opin- 
 ion as to whom credit is due for the discov- 
 erj^ and first development of this sand, but 
 there can be no conflict as to the wonder- 
 ful influence they had in stimulating the 
 oil business. The fourth sand fever raged 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 177 
 
 tliroughout tlie eiitire di.striot affected, and 
 nearly every operator hurried on the work 
 of deepening his old wellss and drilling new 
 ones. Around Petrolia, Karns City, Trout- 
 man, Modoc and Greece City, the excite- 
 ment continued to grow and there were 
 periiaps never so many large wells struck 
 in so short a period in a limited area in 
 the historj' of the oil industry. During 
 tlie autumn of 1873 and the year of 1874 
 wells ranging from 100 to 4,000 barrels a 
 day were reported in quick succession. 
 
 The first well in Washington Township 
 was developed contemporaneously with the 
 first at Greece City. Three montlis after 
 striking the sand the owners tubed it when 
 it yielded seven barrels a day. One hun- 
 dred and fifty rods southwest of the old 
 well another well was drilled into a closer 
 sand which pi'oduced five barrels per day 
 for nearly two years. On the David Shira 
 farm east of the Rumbaugh, James Frazier 
 and James iNIonroe struck a four-barrel 
 well. A. Sheidemantle drilled a well on 
 the Alfred Shira farm and other parties 
 drilled on the Alexander Clark and on the 
 D. F. Campbell farms. These were the 
 pioneer development in the oil fields of 
 this township, which in later years pro- 
 duced some of the largest wells in the 
 Speechley district. 
 
 The forerunner of the oil developments 
 in Forward Township was the Evans well 
 wliich was drilled in 1872 aliout 2,(100 feet 
 above Buhl's bridge on Connoquenessing 
 Creek. This well was drilled to a depth 
 of 62fi feet when it was abandoned. The 
 well on the Denny lands in Winfield Town- 
 ship was drilled in November, 1872, when 
 a flow of gas was struck. David Morrison, 
 Curtis Jamison, Daniel Denny and Will- 
 iam Stewart were the projectors and own- 
 ers of this well. 
 
 Several wells were drilled in the vicinity 
 of Millerstown in the fall of 1872. The 
 Preston McKinney well drilled to a depth 
 of 1,600 feet was dry, while the Lincoln 
 well on the McClymonds farm, tlie Carpen- 
 
 ter brothers' well and the Brown and 
 Stoughten well on the W. C. Adams farm, 
 a^well on the Banks farm, and Preston and 
 Xesbit's well on the Smith farm, were 
 small producers. 
 
 Dr. Findley, Wm. Yeates, Thomas Con- 
 uell, Sr., Dr. Taylor and E. S. Golden and 
 others, composing the Euresco Oil Com- 
 pany, l)egaii oil (Icveloinuents on the Peter 
 Millei- farm soutlieast of Petrolia and on 
 the McGarvey farm in December, 1872. Be- 
 fore the close of the year a well was drilled 
 on the Boyd farm in Clearfield Township 
 and one on the Stephen McCue farm across 
 the line in Armstrong County. Before the 
 close of the year a well had been completed 
 on the Storey far-m one mile east of Bueua 
 Vista, and other wells had been completed 
 on the Jamison farm and in Fairview 
 Township. 
 
 J'n January, 187o, a well was drilled at 
 Bonny Brook in Summit Township to a 
 depth of 1,040 feet, when a heavy flow of 
 salt water was struck. Interest in the 
 Petrolia field was stimulated by a 500-bar- 
 rel gusher on the J. B. Campbell farm, and 
 on the P)laney farm near Argyle there were 
 nine i>r()ducing wells. The Spider well be- 
 tween Petrolia and Fairview was drilled in 
 February, 1873, and produced 150 barrels, 
 and the Karns well forty rods east of 
 Karns City came in at 140 barrels. 
 
 H. Jj. Taylor & Company who began op- 
 ciation in Butler County in 1871 and 
 owned 300 wells, among them being the 
 ■'Ross," which produced 2,000 barrels a 
 day. sold their forty producers in the Pe- 
 trolia, Millerstown and Karns Citv fieldx 
 in 1874 for $100,000. 
 
 The old Divener well of 1873 which 
 yielded 1,400 barrels a day at the beginning 
 and 700 barrels for a long period was the 
 cause of the iNIillerstown stampede. 
 
 Tn February, 1873, Berg and Lambing 
 drilled a well on Bonny Brook in Summit 
 Township to a depth of 1,500 feet without 
 striking oil. The same year the old Rimi 
 bangh well two miles northwest of North 
 
178 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ington, was drilled in March, and oil 
 )und at 1,265 to 1,365 feet. This well 
 
 Washii 
 was found 
 
 produced seven barrels a day for a long 
 time but the expense of freighting the prod- 
 uct to Parker ate up all of the profits, and 
 the well was abandoned after it had been 
 drilled to a depth of 1,690 feet. In 1876 
 or 1877 Trumbull and Croll drilled a well 
 west of the old Rumbaugh well on the same 
 fai-m, and got a four barrel producer, 
 which was a profitable investment at that 
 time. Other wells were drilled along the 
 south branch of the Slippery Rock Creek 
 but without results. 
 
 MILLERSTOWN FIELD. 
 
 The famous Millerstown district, in Don- 
 egal Township, was opened in April, 1873, 
 when A. W. MeCollough, A. L. Campbell, 
 and Charles Heweus drilled the Shreve 
 well on the Adam Stewart farm. The con- 
 tractors of this well were Kingsley and 
 Shreve, and it was for one of the drillers 
 that the well was named. The Shreve well 
 was a good example of how fortunes are 
 sometimes missed in the oil country. The 
 work of grading for the foundations for 
 the derrick was commenced in the winter 
 time, and the first location was near a 
 spring on a hillside. Someone familiar 
 with the local conditions suggested to the 
 owners of the well that they had chosen a 
 bad location to drill in the winter time, as 
 the spring from which they expected to get 
 water for their boilers always froze up 
 and went dry. Acting on this suggestion 
 the location was changed to lower ground 
 along the bank of the run where there was 
 plenty of water close to the well. This well 
 came in for eighty-five barrels, and of 
 course the owners felt well repaid for their 
 trouble. The following summer other par- 
 ties secured a lease and drilled on the first 
 location made for the Shreve well, and to 
 the utter amazement of everybody in the 
 district the well came in for 1,200 barrels 
 per day. Like the famous Col. Sellers, the 
 
 owners of the Shreve well had a million 
 in sight and didn't know it. 
 
 The Shreve well was the pioneer of that 
 district and to it must be credited the be- 
 ginning of the Millerstown field. This well 
 was followed by the McFarland & Com- 
 pany well on the Thorn farm, Parker, 
 Thompson & Company on the Barnhart, 
 and James M. Lambing on the Forquer 
 farm. South of the village were the Green 
 wells on the Johnson tract, the Gillespie 
 wells operated by J. Birchfield, the Hemp- 
 hill tract operated by McKinney, Gailey 
 & Company, and the Egbert lease on the 
 Widow Hemphill farm controlled by Duffy, 
 McCandless, Stoughton and others. All 
 these wells tended to change Millerstown 
 from a wayside village into a bustling oil 
 town, and inside of a year it had a popu- 
 lation of four or five thousand people. 
 
 The same year Hart and Konkle drilled 
 a well near the old distillery on the Mc- 
 Candless farm about half a mile northwest 
 of Butler. It proved to be a heavy gas 
 well, but had no oil. The owners of this 
 well offered to sell it to Col. Thompson 
 and others of Butler for the price of the 
 casing, but the offer was refused. 
 
 The Zeigler and Mylert well at Greece 
 City was struck in the third sand on June 
 7, 1873, and immediately began to flow oil 
 and gas. The gas caught fire from the 
 boilers and the flames caught two work- 
 men — James Wherry and James Crowley 
 — who received fatal burns. 
 
 The Meade wells on the Neu farm in the 
 southwest corner of Donegal Township, 
 were drilled in 1875 to an average depth 
 of 1,565 feet. The Bulger well on the same 
 farm was drilled the same year and 
 reached the third sand at 1,555 feet. The 
 extension of the Millerstown field south 
 and the striking of these wells gave rise to 
 the booming oil town of St. Joe. Plum- 
 mer, three miles west of Millerstown ; Dan- 
 ville, a mile from St. Joe, and Greer, a 
 postoffice named for North Oakland Sta- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 179 
 
 tion ou the Narrow Gauge railroad, were 
 oil towns that developed from the Millers- 
 town field. 
 
 A well drilled on the McClymonds farm 
 December 4, 1875, for Mattison and Mc- 
 Donald struck the third sand at 1,390 feet 
 and produced an amber green colored oil 
 at the rate of seventy-five barrels per day. 
 This well was opened 1,244 feet above 
 ocean level. The fourth sand was found in 
 this well at 1,490 feet, or 246 feet below(?) 
 ocean level. 
 
 The three Woodward wells ou the Mc- 
 Clymonds farm were drilled in 1875 for 
 George G. Stage, J. R. Woodward and 
 James Shakeley. One of these wells 
 yielded 1,900 barrels a day at the start, 
 and the others were good producers. The 
 Carbon Center field, south of St. Joe, was 
 developed in 1875, when the Forcht No. 1 
 came in at 100 barrels a day. 
 
 The Gibson and Ecock well on the Pron- 
 siuger farm was opened about 1,382 feet 
 above ocean level and struck a fifteen foot 
 bed of limestone at a depth of 285 feet. 
 The mountain sand was reached at 568 
 feet, the first sand at 825 feet, the second 
 sand at 1,160 feet, and oil sand i-ock at 
 1,402 feet. The drill penetrated the oil 
 sand rock sixteen feet, bringing the explo- 
 ration to 1,418 feet, or 36 feet below ocean 
 level. 
 
 Two miles northwest of Parker in Al- 
 legheny Township the Coliunbia Oil Com- 
 pany completed a well on the Reddick 
 farm January 10, 1876. At 1,277 feet the 
 drill struck a pocket and dropped to 1,280 
 feet. The elevation of this farm is 1,485 
 feet above the ocean, while the third sand 
 was found at a depth of 1,250 feet, extend- 
 ing twenty feet from the soap-stone to the 
 slate beds beneath. This well yielded fif- 
 teen barrels per day for some months, but 
 decreased to three and one-half barrels in 
 August, 1876. 
 
 Tlie centennial year witnessed a crude 
 oil advance from $1.55 a barrel to $4. It 
 also witnessed the market threatened by 
 
 the striking of a 125 barrel well near 
 Greece City, and beheld the consolidation 
 of oil-refining interests and pipe lines and 
 activity in every part of the field. During 
 the year 1877 there were 1,002 wells drilled 
 in the Butler-Armstrong field, while 171 
 dry holes were struck, the total production 
 being 9,904 barrels per day. 
 
 The Eastern Belt theory was developed 
 in 1878 by the completion of a well on the 
 Mrs. Kaylor farm near the east line of 
 Fairview Township, by George H. Graham 
 and Samuel Banks. This well was known 
 as the "Ghost," and while its owners sold 
 it for a good price the buyers made a poor 
 bargain. The Eastern Belt theory gave 
 rise to the oil town of Kaylor City, which 
 is just over the line in Armstrong County. 
 
 Venango Township came in for an ex- 
 ploration in 1878 by the drilling of the 
 Prentice well on the James Higglns farm 
 Tiear the second coal bank. This well \^as 
 drilled to a depth of 1,600 feet and pumped 
 a small quantity of oil, but not sufficient 
 to pay expenses. Forty feet below the 
 level of the coal bank a thick bed of lime- 
 stone was struck in this well. 
 
 The pioneer well in the Six Points 
 neighborhood in Allegheny Township was 
 drilled on the Chambers land two miles 
 east of the village in 1871. No oil was ob- 
 tained in this well. In 1877-78 a number 
 of wells were drilled to the third sand, 
 which was reached at a depth of 1,200 feet 
 below the ferriferous limestone. A moun- 
 tain sand two hundred feet deep resting 
 on twenty-five feet of loose grain salt- 
 water rock was discovered in these wells. 
 The oil produced by the fifty-foot was 
 lighter in color but of a greater gravity 
 than that produced by the third sand. 
 
 THE BALD KTOGE DISTRICT. 
 
 After the drilling and operation of tlie 
 extensive oil belt reaching from Parker's 
 Landing to St. Joe south of Millerstown 
 ceased, Butler County was practically neg- 
 lected by the oil scouts who had all moved 
 
ISO 
 
 HISTOKV OF BUTLEK (JOUNTY 
 
 U, til.- Iini.lf..nl li.'l.l. 'riK' IJnia Wi.li;t" dis- 
 trict .soiithwfst of DiitU-r liad its iiu-t'iitinii 
 in July, 1880, when Keiber aiid Husseltoii 
 of Butler leased 780 acies in Penn and 
 Foi'wjjvd Townships, and started to drill 
 a well at the iiiterseetioii of the Angel 
 Iwentv-two and a half dej^iee line on the 
 ilohert M(d<.'c lanii and the (Jreece City 
 line near l'>ald liidgc, now l{<'nfrew. W. 
 ('. Neelv (ontraclcd t.. diiil the in-oposed 
 well at $1.<M» per fool and hold one-fonvth 
 of the i|;3,250 of stock. Owing to the 
 scarcity of water the location was cliauged 
 to a ])oint on the Sniitli farm 1,100 feet 
 south and drilling was counnenced Sep- 
 tember 1, 1880. Oil was struck at 1,620 
 feet, but the drilling was continued to the 
 depth of 1,750 feet,"and the work was fin- 
 ished at a six-barrel well March 8, 1881. 
 
 In April, 1881, the Bald Bidge Oil Com- 
 pany was incorporated, the stated capital 
 being $16,000. No. 2 well was commence.! 
 in .June, 1881, and completed the 1st of 
 October. After being shot it made sixteen 
 1)arrels. No. 3 was drilled on the Crowe 
 farm in B"'orward Township in November, 
 
 1881, and the same month Simeox and 
 Myers began drilling a well on the Hamill 
 farm. This well was completed March 20. 
 
 1882, and came in for 100 barrels. Up to 
 December 19, 1883, forty-seven wells were 
 drilled in this field of which thirty-seven 
 were producing 642 1)arrels a day. 
 
 Early in 1882 the ^IcCalmont farm at 
 McCalmont station north of Eenfrew was 
 purchased by Agnew and Egbert for $104,- 
 000. This farm contained 1,110 acres and 
 I)roved to be one of the most valuable 
 tracts in tlie Bald Ridge district. The For- 
 rest Oil Company purchased a tract from 
 Simeox and Myers, A. Sheideraautle com- 
 pleted a well on tlie Webber farm in 1882, 
 and Yeagle and Campbell completed a well 
 (m the Smith farm in August, 1883. 
 
 The Bald Ridge Oil and Transportation 
 Company was cliartered May 24, 1881, the 
 charter being signed by Governor Hoyt 
 ;ind Secietai'v (Mav. The capital stock, 
 
 $10,1 KM I. \\:is <livided into 320 shares of $50 
 each, all of which were held bv J. D. Mc- 
 .lunkin. .loiin S. Campbell, Ferd Reiber, S. 
 11. r.'arsol. W. 1). Brandon, W. H. Hoif- 
 man. W . II. Kitter„R. P. Scott, (I. W. Flee 
 ger, .lolm X. Patterson, D. A. Heck, H. A. 
 krug, Jr.. (leorge Krug. Henrv Bauer, 
 Philip I'.iuier, and B. C. Iluseltoii, M. Rei- 
 hci-. Sr., Harvey (,'olhert, Henry Kitenrail- 
 ler. Simon ^■etter, .lacoh Reiber, and J. A. 
 1 l.iw'k. O. I ). Thompson, 11. L. Westermann, 
 and \V. C. Neely. In August, 1882, the 
 compan>- sold their leases and equipment 
 to Phillips Brotliers for $160,000. After 
 this sale a jiipe line was extended south 
 of Petrolia to the new field, and the coun- 
 try from Reibold Station to Butler was 
 invaded by sju'culators seeking leases of 
 land. About the time that the Bald Ridge 
 Oil & Transportation Company made their 
 sale to Phillips Brothers another sale was 
 made in which Simeox and Myers dispjosed 
 of a half interest in their Bald Ridge leases 
 fo]- $75,000 to the Forrest Oil Company 
 and Richard Jennings & Son. This field 
 may be said to have been really opened in 
 the fall of 1881 by the Simeox" and Myers 
 100-barrel well and the Sheidemantle 600- 
 l)arrel well. Previous to that time the well 
 that had been drilled were southwest of 
 the town of Renfrew. The Phillips Broth- 
 ers also secured the Wallace faim and be 
 gan drilling on it in December. 1SS2, and 
 developed one of the most valuable farms 
 in the district outside of the McCalmont 
 tract. 
 
 In March, 1882, John Johnson of Tem 
 pleton, sold seventy acres of land at the 
 junction of the Butler Branch of the Pitts 
 'burg & Western Railroad at Butler for $6, 
 000," the purchasers intending to establish 
 a town at that point and drill for oil. Th<' 
 entei-prise proved to be a failure. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1882 the drillei-s 
 on the Stewart farm in Winfield Township 
 struck the greatest gas vein discovered in 
 the county down to that time, and in the 
 fall of 18*82 wells were completed on the 
 
AND REPRESENT ATI \^E CITIZENS 
 
 181 
 
 W. Bruwu farm and the Maliood lanus in 
 the Bakl Ridge district. The well ou the 
 Webber farm near Evans Citj' yielded over 
 2,000 barrels in twelve days ending August 
 9, 1882, and was the opening of a new dis 
 trict. 
 
 In December, 1883, the company leased 
 2,000 acres in Cranberry and Adams Town 
 shij^s adjoining Allegheny County, and 
 early in 1884 began drilling near tlie Will 
 iani Tliiehnan saw-mill. 
 
 THOKN CKEEK. 
 
 Tlie Thorn Creek field owes its devt'lop 
 ment to the foresight of Thomas W. l^hil 
 lips, who had operated extensively in what 
 is known as the Bullion field in Venango 
 County and afterwards in the Troutmau 
 district. When the general exodus i)egaii 
 to the McKean County oil fields, Mr. Phil 
 lips did not join the throng, but remained 
 in Butler County. He conceived the idea 
 fhat oil in large quantities would be found 
 near the Bald Ridge wells and in 1881 be- 
 gan leasing on an extensive scale southwest 
 of Butler on Conuo(|uenessing and Thorn 
 Creek. The first wells drilled were small. 
 but the character of the rock in which the\ 
 were found confirmed the theory that a 
 rich deposit was near and on August IG, 
 1884, he was rewarded bj^ striking a well 
 on the AVilliamson Bartley farm which 
 proved to 1)e the largest well foimd dowu 
 to that time. It began producing at the 
 rate of forty barrels an hour and was in 
 creased by deeper drilling to 180 barrels 
 per hour. Its greatest day's production 
 was fully 4.000 barrels, and was equal to 
 any of the wells struck in the nortliern 
 fields of the county. 
 
 The striking of this well caused a staiii 
 pede from the upper fields and in a short 
 time Thorn Creek was the scene of one of 
 the largest excitements since the days of 
 ^ilillerstown. Extensive operations were 
 carried on in this field by Mr. Phillips and 
 others and in a few months the ])roductiou 
 had reached 16.000 barrels a dav. The 
 
 I'hillii)s gusher attracted attention all over 
 the country and special excursion trains 
 were run from Pittsburg to the well. 
 The Semple, Boyd and Armstrong No. 
 
 5 on the Marshall farm was the next gush- 
 er recorded in the county. It was drilled 
 through the sand October 25, 1884, but ow 
 ing to the quantity of salt water present it 
 made no show of oil. The owners of the 
 well though not ex])ecting much from this 
 pa it of the field, refused an offer for their 
 well from Mr. Philliits and proceeded to 
 luive it shot as the final act in the drama 
 in which they expected to lose a lot of 
 luoney. When the well was shot it began 
 to flow at the rate of 400 to 500 barrels 
 per hour and the lack of faith on the part 
 of the owners in not putting up tankage 
 was punished by the loss of over 2,500 bar 
 rels of oil. It is said that at one time dur- 
 ing the day the well flowed at least 500 
 barrels an hour or 12,000 barrels a day. 
 It was by all odds the "Jumbo" of wells 
 in the Pennsylvania oil field. A correct 
 gauge of this well was never obtained, but 
 it is said that the pi]>c line ronipany al- 
 lowed the owners credit for Ki.ddii barrels 
 of oil per day. It gradually decreased and 
 in a short time fell to the 500-barrel level 
 and from that point it decreased still lower 
 to a small pumper. The well has long since 
 been abandoned. The shooting of this well 
 was one of the phenomenal sights of the 
 oil country, and is described in the chapter 
 devoted to nitro-glycerine and torpedoes. 
 
 In November, 1884, following the Ann- 
 strong No. 2 on the Marshall farm, Phillips 
 Brothers were drilling six new wells on 
 the Bartley and Dodds farms. Christie 
 brothers had eight wells and other oper- 
 ators iTi the field were Boyd and Semple, 
 Conner and Fishel, Greenlee & Company, 
 Gibson & Company, Fisher brothers, Boyd 
 
 6 Company, Lappe & Company and a host 
 of small operators were hovering around 
 the outer edges of the pool. In I)ecember 
 there were twenty-four wells completed, 
 including three dry ones, on the Wallace, 
 
182 
 
 IJSTOKY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Marshall, Bartley, Dodds, Henderson, 
 Brown and Webber farms, while twenty- 
 nine new wells were cniiuiu'm'ed on these 
 farms and on the Patterson, McCandless, 
 McCormick, Kennedy, and adjoining lands. 
 The Fisher Oil Company began operations 
 on the McJunkin farm east of Butler, C. 
 Eliasou on the Leibler farm in Butler 
 Township, and Showalter and Hartman 
 near the old fair ground southwest of the 
 borough of Butler. 
 
 The second well of importance struck on 
 the Bartley farm reached the fourth sand 
 October 11, 1884, and began to flow at the 
 rate of forty barrels an hour. On the 13th 
 the well was drilled deeper and made 150 
 barrels, and on the following day it was 
 yielding 250 barrels an hour, or at the rate 
 of 6,000 barrels a day. The owners of this 
 well were Henderson W., Calvin G., and 
 Thomas (j. Christie, of Butler, who had 
 leased twenty-eight or thirty acres adjoin- 
 ing the great oil lease of the Phillips 
 brothers. This was the largest strike of 
 the district until the Armstrong No. 2 
 which came in about ten days later. 
 
 The famous McBride well in the Bold 
 Kidge field was shot December 12, 1884, 
 when a flow of 200 barrels an hour fol- 
 lowed the torpedo. Before the close of the 
 month the Producers' Association pur- 
 chased the leases, wells and equipments of 
 McBride and Campbell, Christie brothers 
 and Phillips and Simpson. 
 
 The summer of 3884 brought in another 
 field in Butler County when the Grand- 
 mother well was completed for Bolard, 
 Greenlee and Smith, one mile west of Sax- 
 onburg. This well became a great gusher 
 and was the foundation of Golden City. 
 The fields about Saxonburg and Jefferson 
 Center were developed later. 
 
 In 1885, owing to the uncertainties of 
 the oil field, the once busy towns of Philip 
 City and McBride City in Penn Township 
 fell into decay, and Hooks City in Parker 
 township began to boom. Philips City 
 sprang up after the striking of the first 
 
 Phillips well in the Thorn Creek field in 
 August, 1884, and flourished for over a 
 year. The striking of the McBride well on 
 the Plank Road on Thorn Creek gave rise 
 to McBride City which was named in honor 
 of the owner of the well. Philip City has 
 long since passed into oblivion and the 
 building of the Bessemer Railroad up the 
 valley of Thorn Creek rescued McBride 
 City from a similar fate. It is now a sta- 
 tion on the railroad. 
 
 In the spring of 1885 Hooks brothers 
 drilled a well on the Kelly farm in Parker 
 Township and found oil in the boulder 
 rock. The well was torpedoed and became 
 a 100-barrel producer. In August of that 
 year there were fourteen producing wells 
 at Hooks City yielding 500 barrels, and a 
 flourishing little town had sprung up in the 
 vicinity of the first well. At the close of 
 September, 1885, the Ott farm east of Mil- 
 •lerstown was the most active place in that 
 field where Westerman & Company had 
 brought in a 100-barrel producer. Owen 
 Brady was operating the same year south- 
 east of Millerstown, and Joseph Hartman 
 was operating on the O'Brien farm. 
 
 One of the freaks in the Thorn Ci'eek 
 field was developed on the Mangel farm 
 on May 17, 1885, when Conners and Fishel 
 completed a well, without any show of oil. 
 The well was then cased to shut off the 
 salt water and rigged up for pumping and 
 for several days a steady stream of salt 
 water was pumped. On the 21st of May 
 oil began to flow at intervals through the 
 casing, and shortly after a flow of sixty 
 barrels per hour was recorded. It became 
 a 1,000-barrel well and was one of the larg- 
 est struck that year. 
 
 In June, 1885, there were 147 producing 
 wells in the Thorn Creek field, many of 
 which were pumping from ninety to 120 
 barrels a day. The Armstrong No. 1 was 
 yielding about 1,000 barrels a month, and 
 at the close of July the production of the 
 entire field had decreased to 2,800 barrels 
 a day. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 183 
 
 The Midnight Mystery was drilled in 
 September, 1885, by the Leideckers of But- 
 ler in Winiield Township. The well was 
 worked as a mystery and for twenty-one 
 days the oil scouts could not learn whether 
 the new well was a gusher or a dry hole. 
 The well was completed on September 10th 
 and a week later it yielded thirty-five bar- 
 rels in nineteen minutes. Many tracts 
 were leased in the new field and extraor- 
 dinary prices paid which did not justify 
 the operators. 
 
 In November, 1885, a well was drilled in 
 Middlesex Township for Dr. McCandless, 
 Charles Neely and others, which was a 
 small producer, and in the same month the 
 Pittsburg Producers Company completed 
 a well on the John Balfour farm in Adams 
 Township west of Mars, which began to 
 flow at a depth of 1,400 feet. This well 
 was the inception of an extensive field that 
 was developed west of Mars in Adams and 
 Cranberry Townships and extending al- 
 most to Hendersonville. 
 
 During 1885 efforts were made to ex- 
 tend the Butler County fields in Brady 
 Township where a well was drilled on the 
 William Mayer farm near West Liberty to 
 a depth of 1,400 feet. No oil was obtained, 
 but the well produced a small supply of 
 gas. Early in 1886 Sincox and Myers, 
 who were among the first operators in the 
 Bald Ridge district, leased a tract of 1,000 
 acres in Center Township, and drilled a 
 well on the John Byers farm. This well 
 proved a failure and the leases were aban- 
 doned. 
 
 The Jefferson Township field was devel- 
 oped in May, 1886, by the Extension Oil 
 Companv, which was composed of R. B. 
 Taylor, 0. K. Waldron, Loyal S. Mcjun- 
 kin, W. P. Roessing, J. A. McMarlin, and 
 others, who drilled a well on the W. J. 
 Welsli farm. This well produced 100 bar- 
 rels a day for a short period and was the 
 beginning of later developments which ex- 
 tended over a wide area in that township. 
 
 THORN CREEK EXTENSION. 
 
 Thinking that the belt from Thorn Creek 
 would extend nearly east and west, Thomas 
 W\ Phillips, who opened up this field, leased 
 a large body of land embracing about 15,- 
 000 acres extending east to the Armstrong- 
 County line, and drilled wells to test his 
 theory. Small wells were obtained in a 
 number of tests, but no outlet was found 
 for the Thorn Creek belt. Retaining this 
 body of leases when the Thorn Creek field 
 began to wane, Mr. Phillips returned and 
 looked for a southwest extension of the 
 field in August, 1886. The first well was 
 struck on the Critchlow farm in that month 
 which produced 120 barrels a day, and 
 opened up the Glade Run field. This field 
 increased in richness towards the south- 
 west, and in 1887 Mr. Phillips struck a 
 number of wells producing over 100 barrels 
 per hour. His largest month's production 
 in this field averaged about 6,000 barrels 
 per day and his production that year from 
 this and other fields reached 1,100,000 bar- 
 rels, notwithstanding the fact that half of 
 liis production was shut in for the last two 
 months of the year. The number of his 
 wells in the Thorn Creek field and exten- 
 sion numbered 125, while he held 7,500 
 acres in leases. He sold this production and 
 leases in June, 1890, and then turned liis 
 attention to the development of the leases 
 which he retained east of Thorn Creek. In 
 that year he obtained paying wells in Jef- 
 ferson Township, and in January, 1891, 
 struck the Fisher farm well north of Jef- 
 ferson Center, which flowed 135 barrels an 
 hour. In July, 1892, he struck a well on 
 the Wolf farm which started flowing at 
 forty barrels an hour and increased to 125 
 when drilled deeper. The following month 
 he drilled on the Barr farm adjoining, and 
 got a well that produced fifty barrels an 
 hour. In June, 1893, he struck a well on 
 the Eichenlaub farm near Herman Sta- 
 tion, which produced forty barrels an hour, 
 and opened up the Herman field. 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 liLAKK I;L'N I'iKLli. 
 
 Tliis tieid may be said to have beeu 
 opened in 1886, as a southwest extension of 
 the Thorn Creek fiekl when the 125-barrel 
 well on the Critchlow farm was completed 
 by Mr. Phillips. The Phillips interests 
 were bought in 1890 by the Southern Oil 
 Coiiijiany, and the district became a verit- 
 able oil center for several years. Wells 
 were drilled on the Critchlow, Spithaler, 
 Hyde, Markel, Widow Croft, and other 
 farms, some of which produced over 100 
 barrels per hour, and many of them 350 
 bai-rels a day. 
 
 KKIBOLD riELD. 
 
 'I'he Keibold tield came into prominence 
 in September, 1887, when the Beam well 
 No. 6 was drilled into the sand. About the 
 middle of the afternoon of September 14, 
 the well yielded ten barrels an hour when 
 the drill was twenty-four feet in the sand, 
 six barrels of which came from the one 
 luiiidred-foot. At three o'clock a flow of 
 iL'ii barrels was recorded, and five minutes 
 later the force of the flow was so strong 
 that it lifted the tools in tlie hole imtil the 
 temper-screw struck the walking-beam. 
 When completed the well flowed 140 bar- 
 rels an hour. This well was about 600 feet 
 west of No. 5, drilled by the same company, 
 which was producing eighty-five barrels an 
 hour when No. (i was coinmeiiced. Other 
 |)roducing wells in this district at that time 
 were Peifl'er No. 2, Coast and Company 
 No. 2, Root and Johnson No. 4 and 5. and 
 the Phillips wells, and the total production 
 of the field was about 9,000 barrels a day. 
 
 The development on the Henry Lonitz 
 farm one and one-half miles west of Sax- 
 ouluirg in October. 1887, was one of the 
 surprises of the oil field. Bolard, Smith 
 aii<l Greenlee completed a well September 
 1, which produced sixty barrels per day. 
 Golden and McBride's well yielded 200 
 barrels in October, and then Bolard, Smith 
 and Greenlee's No. 2 came in with a gusher 
 
 producing 2,500 barrels a day, at a depth 
 of 1,767 feet. 
 
 The extension of the development up 
 Glade Run began in 1887, and the first 
 wells were obtained on the Nancy Adams 
 farm that year. These wells were obtained 
 in the Hundred-Foot, and were the first 
 demonstrations of how to handle water 
 wells in connection with oil. 
 
 The "Mystery" well on the H. D. 
 Thompson farm in Center Township was 
 drilled in June, 1887, and attracted much 
 attention for some time. The well was 
 drilled by Albert and Morrison, and a 
 show of oil was obtained, but the hopes of 
 its promoters that a new field would be 
 (le\-((loped were never realized. 
 
 THE HUNDREO-IOOT DISTKICT. 
 
 What is known as the " Hundred- Foot" 
 field in Connoquenessing Township was 
 opened in the spring of 1889, when John A. 
 Steele drilled the first well on the Irvine 
 .Vnderson farm on Connociuenessing Creek. 
 This well in-oved to be a good producer. 
 Acting ou the theory that the field extend- 
 ed in the direction of Little Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek, Steele employed Leslie P. Haz- 
 lett, Escj., to take up a tract of land in the 
 vicinity of Graham schoolhouse near the 
 White Oak Springs Church. Hazlett 
 leased a block 800 acres, one of the con- 
 siderations being that the first well should 
 be drilled within half a mile of the school- 
 house. This well was drilled on the W. M. 
 Humphrey farm by Mr. Steele, and came 
 in for a])Out 500 barrels a day in the Hun- 
 di-ed-Foot sand. This well opened up one 
 of the most prolific Hundred-Foot fields in 
 the county. Operators flocked to the field, 
 and in a short time hundreds of wells were 
 drilled on the Humphrey, John Brandon. 
 Thomas Graham, Hiram Graham, Knaiiff, 
 Amberson and Tj. P. Hazlett farms, many 
 of which produced from 500 to 900 barrels 
 a day. One of the most^valuable farms in 
 the district was the Peter Eader, which 
 produced over 1,000,000 barrels of oil. The 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 185 
 
 Humphrey farai produced approximately 
 the same amount, and the farms next in 
 importance were the Brandon and Haz- 
 lett. The field extended from the Ander- 
 son farm along Big Creek to the mouth of 
 Little Connoquenessmg, and up the Little 
 Connoquenessing to tlie Graham school- 
 house. The field was at its height during 
 the summer of 1890, and the following win- 
 ter, but the wells declined rapidly, and in 
 the course of four or five years the terri- 
 tory was practically abandoned. Opera- 
 tions have been carried on on a small scale, 
 and some small wells obtained in the 
 search for an extension of the field, but 
 no large wells have been struck in the dis- 
 trict witliin recent years. 
 
 BKOWXSDALE ANU (^OOPERSTOWN. 
 
 The principal developments in Butler 
 County in 1892 were confined to Jefferson, 
 Cranberry, Lancaster and Penn Town- 
 ships. The Brownsdale field in Penn 
 Township was opened that year. A 750- 
 barrel well was struck in January, 1893, 
 on the Johnson fai-m and this was fol- 
 lowed by wells on the Anderson, Blair, 
 Marsh, Critclilow, Warner, Heckert, S. 
 Thompson, and William Thompson farms. 
 
 The Sutton well on the Hemphill farm 
 near Zelienople, completed in November, 
 1891. was an index to the extension of that 
 pool. It yielded twenty-five bands a day 
 at tlie start, and the Kiiciss well on the 
 Cunningham farm, which came in soon 
 aftei", produced four hundred barrels. 
 
 Henshaw and Company drilled a well on 
 the Muddy Creek field in November, 1891, 
 which yielded forty barrels a day, and was 
 then the largest well that had been struck 
 in that field. 
 
 In January, 1892, the production of the 
 Harmony and Zelieno]ile fields amounted 
 to 5,000 barrels a day. with twenty-one 
 strings of tools running and eight new rigs 
 building. The pi-incipal operations at that 
 time were on the O'Donnel. five miles 
 southwest of Zelienople. on the Knauff and 
 
 Cunningham farms on whilt is known as 
 the Island, on the Home farm, on the Fan- 
 ker farm. In what is specifically known 
 as the Harmony field. Golden and Com- 
 pany had drilled their No. 3 on the Shiever 
 farm, and struck a 400-barrel producer, 
 wliile their No. 2 on the same farm was 
 showing up at the rate of 250 barrels a 
 daj'. The Eicholtz farm was the scene of 
 operations by the Evans City Oil Company 
 and the Kennedy Company. 
 
 Another pool was opened in 1893 south 
 of Evans City on the R. J. Conelly farm 
 in Adams Township. In September of 
 that year a well that had been drilled on 
 this farm in 1890 and abandoned, was 
 cleaned out for Burk and Company and 
 started pumping. Gibson and Gahagan 
 drilled a well on the Robert Anderson 
 farm through the hundred foot to a lower 
 sand, but without success. A dry hole was 
 drilled on the Wagner farm in the Browns- 
 dale field in the same vear, while a number 
 of wells drilled by T." W. Phillips & Com- 
 pany in the McCalmont district proved to 
 be fair producers. In the Washington 
 Townslii]) field new wells were drilled on 
 the Alexandei- Bell, R. 0. Shira, Geo. 
 Meals and Sanmel Shira farms. An ex- 
 tension of the Petersville district was also 
 worked that year by the Forest Oil Com- 
 pany, and the same concern was engaged 
 in operations at Mars Station. A well 
 drilled on the Reiber farm, and the Reiber 
 and Bradner well on the Knauff lands 
 northwest of the Thompson farm, were 
 fair producers. 
 
 In 1893 operations were revived in the 
 old Greece City district by the Grocer's 
 Oil Co., Stewart & Co., and Matthew Bow- 
 ers, who found fair producers on the San- 
 derson and Clymer farms east of the old 
 town of Greece City. An attempt to find 
 a northern outlet for the hundred foot was 
 made by Charles Hazlett, who drilled a 
 well on the Jacob Shiever farm near 
 Wliitestown without success. P. C. Fred- 
 erick struck a fair producer the saine year 
 
186 
 
 HISTORY OF BIITLEK COUNTY 
 
 iu tlie viciuity ol" Jlendersonville in Cran- 
 berry Township, and wells were found on 
 the Byers farm, and on the Pontius farm 
 east of Chicora. The Tebay well near 
 North Washington and two miles in ad- 
 vance of developments, was completed iu 
 December, 1893, and proved a paying one. 
 Other successful ventures of the same year 
 was Purviance & Company's well on the 
 Shorts farm in Connoquenessing Town 
 ship. The Phillips Company's wells on the 
 Eichenlaub and Oertell farms at Herman 
 Station, and the well on the William Pol- 
 hemus farm in Center Township. 
 
 The Brownsdale field in the Hundred- 
 Foot district proved to be one of the best 
 producing territories of the last decade of 
 the century, and took its name from the 
 hamlet of Brownsdale. Its developments 
 to the southeast and the successful out- 
 come of the Reiber and Bradner ventures 
 in Middlesex Township in 1893-4 brought 
 the territory into wide prominence, and 
 was the means of developing the Coopers- 
 town field, which occupied the attention of 
 producers until 1898. The Cooperstown 
 field was the direct result of a long and 
 continuous effort under very discouraging 
 conditions made by Reiber and Bradner, 
 and which ended in the striking of a pay- 
 ing well on the Knauff farm. In Septem- 
 ber, 1894, this firm was offered the sum of 
 $250,000 for their holdings, which they re- 
 fused. Scores of operators flocked into 
 the territory, and the quiet village of 
 Cooperstown took on the activity of a 
 booming oil town of the early seventies. 
 Operations spread into Adams Township, 
 and on the east into Clinton Township, 
 and the most sanguine anticipations of the 
 operators were more than realized. The 
 deepest producer in the county was drilled 
 in this district on the Campbell heirs' farm 
 in Middlesex Township by McJunkin and 
 Brandon in January, 1894, to a depth of 
 2,005 feet. The drill penetrated the fourth 
 sand at this depth and the well started to 
 produce 120 barrels per day. 
 
 The same month a well was drilled on 
 the widow Brown farm in the Brownsdale 
 district to a depth of 2,750 feet, but proved 
 a dry hole. At 2,675 feet in this well the 
 Speechley sand of the Venango group was 
 struck with a show of oil and gas, and the 
 led sand was also found for the first time 
 ill this field. 
 
 SPEECHLEY FIELD. 
 
 The Cooperstown field was the last of 
 tlie large developments in the county up 
 to the close of the century, and it was 
 predicted that the end of the oil industry, 
 so far- as Butler County was concerned, 
 was almost in sight. In 1900 the fourth 
 sand districts of Concord and Washington 
 Townships furnished a genuine surprise 
 when a well was struck in Campbell Hol- 
 low in the Speechley sand. This was the 
 beginning of the Speechley field which in 
 the course of four or five years produced 
 over 3,000,000 barrels of oil. A rush was 
 made for the district by operators, and 
 large prices were paid for lands through- 
 out the entire district. 
 
 The next pool of importance opened in 
 the county was the Spotty McBride well 
 in Butler Township in 1905. McBride ob- 
 tained a block of 215 acres and drilled a 
 well on the Dr. 0. K. Waldron farm which 
 turned out to be a 2,500-barrel gusher. 
 The field proved to be limited and the 
 wells of short duration. Efforts to find a 
 northeastern outlet were awarded in 
 1907-8 by wells on the Frazier, McCand- 
 less, and White farms near Alameda Park 
 in Butler Township. These wells are over 
 two miles northeast of the McBride gusher. 
 
 The Pennelton field was opened in 1906, 
 by the Cowden brothers, of Butler, who 
 have produced a number of good wells. 
 Nothing phenomenal has been struck in 
 the district, but a number of paying wells 
 have been brought in by the various oper- 
 ators in this field. 
 
 The Petersville pool belongs to the freak 
 class and cannot be accounted for bv anv 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 387 
 
 law of oil formation. This field was 
 opened in 1906 and continues to produce 
 some paying wells, though the territory 
 was drilled over in 1889-90 at the time of 
 the Little Creek excitement. 
 
 The Muddy Creek field had its inception 
 in January, 1908, when the Prospect Gas 
 Company drilled a well on the Wallace 
 farm northwest of Prospect for gas, and 
 was rewarded with a paying oil well. 
 Land was taken up rapidly, and large 
 bonuses paid for leases, but the field has 
 not yet produced any very large wells. 
 
 The Hoffman well on the Dodds farm 
 south of Thorn Creek in Penn Township 
 came in for 250 barrels a day in May, 
 1908, and was the inception of a drilling- 
 boom in that locality. The Hoffman well 
 was considered a rank wildcat, and the 
 lucky strike was the means of booming 
 prices for land in that district. Several 
 good wells have been ol^tained, but none 
 of them have equalled tlie production of 
 the first one. The South Penn Oil Com- 
 pany, The Phillips Gas & Oil Company, 
 Culbertson & McKee. and McColIough & 
 Bernard have brought in good wells in the 
 district. 
 
 Center Township in the vicinity of 
 Oneida Station was the scene of opera- 
 tions in the winter of 1907-8 on the 
 O'Brien and Hewings farm, but nothing 
 has been developed to indicate a very ex 
 tensive field. 
 
 THE PIPE LINES. 
 
 In the early days of the oil excitement 
 at Titusville and Oil City, the problem 
 of storing the production and transport- 
 ing it to the markets was a serious one to 
 the producer. Most of the production was 
 barreled at the well and shipped to Pitts- 
 burg on flat-boats or carried elsewhere by 
 the railroad, and thousands of men and 
 teams were given employment hauling the 
 barreled oil from the wells to the shipping 
 point on the Allegheny River and on the 
 railroad. When the development reached 
 
 Parkers Landing and the northeast corner 
 of Butler County in 1868, the wagon and 
 the flat-boat were the only means of trans- 
 portation and only two small pipe lines 
 were in operation in the upper district at 
 Pithole and the Shaffer farm. The story 
 of the early pipe line companies, their 
 struggles for existence, the consolidation 
 of the small lines for the protection of 
 their interests, out of which grew up the 
 most gigantic trust in the world, is 
 familiar history. As Butler County was 
 the field of the early beginning of the in- 
 dependent pipe line companies, so it 
 became the battle-ground in later years of 
 the most determined and successful oppo- 
 sition that the Standard Oil Company 
 have ever met. 
 
 According to the Oil Well Driller, the 
 first suggestion of a pipe line as a means 
 of carrying oil w«is made by Gen. S. D. 
 Kearus in 1860. He proposed to lay a line 
 from Buining Spring in West Virginia to 
 Parkersburg, a distance of thirty-six miles, 
 and carry oil by gravity. This line was 
 never built, and it was several years be- 
 fore the first pipe line was in operation in 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 The first attempt to start the pipe line 
 Imsiuess in Pennsylvania was in 1862, 
 when the state legislature attempted to 
 pass a bill authorizing the construction 
 of a pipe line from Oil City to Kittanning 
 on the Allegheny River. This line would 
 liave cut the edge of Butler County. 
 Strangely enough this bill met with such 
 ojiposition from the oil country teamsters 
 that its promoters abandoned all attempts 
 to pass it at that term of the legislature. 
 It was argued against the bill that there 
 wei-e four thousand or five thousand team- 
 sters employed in the oil country hauling 
 oil and that the building of a pipe line 
 would ruin their business and impoverish 
 their families, and besides, would throw 
 many laborers out of employment. 
 
 The credit of building the first pipe line 
 in the state belongs to Samuel VanSyckle. 
 
188 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 who built a line iu 1865 from Pithole to 
 the Miller farm near Titusville. This line 
 was four miles long, and carried eight 
 barrels of oil per day. The construction 
 of the line envolved VauSyckle iu debt and 
 in 1866 the venture was considered a 
 failure. 
 
 In 1866 Ileury Harley constructed a 
 pipe line from Benninghoff Run to the 
 Shaffer farm. This line met with a fierce 
 opposition from the oil country teamsters, 
 who blamed Harley for impoverishing 
 them and ruiiiiun their business. Violence 
 and incendiarism wcil' lesorted to. Har- 
 ley 's oil tanks were burned, and his pipe 
 line was torn up and disjointed. Harley 
 was a man of determination, however, and 
 not easily scared. Detectives were set to 
 work and in a few weeks twenty men who 
 were the leaders of the riot of teamsters 
 were lodged in jail in Franklin. This put 
 an end to the teamsters' opposition, and 
 the pipe line proved a success. 
 
 The first free oil pipe line bill was 
 passed by the legislature in 1868 bj^ con- 
 sent of Thomas A. Scott, who was at that 
 time the "Political Anaconda" of the 
 Pennsylvania Railroad. This bill gave the 
 right of free pipe lines in eight counties 
 of the state, namely : Allegheny, Arm- 
 strong, Butler, Clarion, Venango, Craw- 
 ford, Warren, and Forest, with the proviso 
 that no pipe line should enter the city of 
 Pittsburg or Allegheny. The purpose of 
 this proviso was to keep the pipe line 
 owners from using the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railroad at Pittsburg. 
 
 Following the passage of the free oil 
 pipe line bill, S. D. Karns built a line 
 from Parker's Landing to the Allegheny 
 Valley Railroad on the opposite side of 
 the Allegheny River. The same year 
 Parker, Thompson & Com))any built a line 
 west of the river and the following year 
 Fulerton Parker joined Karns under the 
 name of The Karns & Parker Pipe Line. 
 After about a year of competition the two 
 
 companies combined under the name of 
 The Union Pipe Line. 
 
 With the extension of developments into 
 the Butler County oil fields other pipe lines 
 were organized. The GJrant Line, a com- 
 petitor of The Union Pipe Line Company, 
 was organized at Pai-ker by Col. D. B. 
 Allen and Thomas McConnell. 
 
 The Fairview Pipe Line Company was 
 organized in 1872 and built a line from 
 Fairview to Karns City in Butler County. 
 
 The Relief Pipe Line Company built a 
 line from Karns City and Petrolia to 
 Parker's Landing in 1872, and in 1874 and 
 1875 the line was extended to Millerstown, 
 now Chicora. 
 
 The Butler Pipe Ijine Company con- 
 structed a line from the Butler county oil 
 field to the loading-racks at Parker's 
 Landing in 1872. 
 
 The Cleveland Pipe Line Company was 
 organized by S. D. Karns in 1873, and 
 constructed a line from Karns City and 
 Petrolia to Parker's Landing. 
 
 Vandergrift and Foreman constructed 
 a line about the same year into Concord 
 Township and the Greece City field. One 
 of the com) )eti tors of this line was The 
 Mutual Pij.e Line Company organized in 
 1871 and doing business in Butler, Arm- 
 strong, Clarion and Venango Counties. 
 
 In 1872 the legislature passed a bill re- 
 pealing the Scott proviso in the free oil 
 pipe line bill of 1868, which allowed pipe 
 lines in only eighty counties, and passed a 
 new free pipe line bill. The next two or 
 three years saw a wonderful development 
 in the pipe line business. Short compet- 
 ing lines were constructed all over the oil 
 field and competing companies waged war 
 on each other to the point of cutting rates 
 to a figure where they did business at 
 a loss. This condition of affairs soon 
 worked havoc among the competing pipe 
 lines as well as among the producers. All 
 of the pipe line companies paid for their 
 oil in certificates and the producer was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 189 
 
 often at a loss to know whether the cer- 
 tificates were good or not. To make mat- 
 ters worse the producer was reduced to 
 the choice of taking the certificates or not 
 running his oil. The conditions in the 
 Butler County field were far from satis- 
 factory, and were the causes of many 
 financial disasters among the competing 
 pipe line companies as well as hardships 
 among the producers. This unsatisfac- 
 tory state of affairs led to the consolida- 
 tion of the interests of the Mutual Pipe 
 Line Company and Vandergrift & Fore- 
 man, in one united pipe line system. 
 
 The advantages of the consolidation of 
 the smaller lines quickly commended itself 
 and the organization of The United Pipe 
 Line was the first step taken toward estab- 
 lishing for all times the question of trans- 
 portation of oil by pipe line. 
 
 The United Pipe Line bought or com- 
 bined The Warren Pipe Line, The Oil City 
 Pipe Line, The Antwerp Line, The Penn- 
 sylvania Transportation Company, the 
 Clarion Division of the American Trans- 
 fer Company, The Prentice Pipe Line, and 
 the following lines in Butler Coimtv: The 
 Cleveland (Karns), The Union, The Grant, 
 The Relief, The Mutual Pipe Line Com- 
 pany, Vandergrift & Foreman and the 
 Columbia Conduit Company. The latter 
 company was organized in 1875, and had 
 constructed a line from Pittsburg to the 
 oil fields at Millerstown. This was the line 
 built by Dr. Hostetter. The United Pipe- 
 Line Company conducted the business 
 until 18S4, when it was taken over by the 
 National Transit Company and became 
 part of the Standard Oil Company. 
 
 The Western and Atlantic Pipe Line 
 Company began business in 1887 and in 
 1888 built loading-racks at Mars on the 
 old Pittsburg and Western Railroad, now 
 the Baltimore and Ohio in this county. 
 This line was known as the Western and 
 Atlantic and the Craig, Elkins and Kimble 
 Company. It was sold to the National 
 
 Ti-ansit Company in 1889 and the loading- 
 racks and tanks at Mars have since been 
 abandoned. 
 
 From the combination of the Mutual 
 Pijie Line Company and the Vandergrift 
 and Foreman interests in 1875, there grew 
 in fifteen years the great giant of all com- 
 binations, The Standard Oil Company. 
 Whatever may be said about the business 
 methods of the "Octopus" and the man- 
 ner in which it dealt with competing com- 
 panies and the independent producer and 
 refiner, the effect of the combination was 
 to place the oil-producing business on a 
 substantial cash basis. The pipe line com- 
 panies jiaid cash for the oil, and the 
 producer knew that if he had a thousand 
 barrels of oil in the line or in the tank 
 that it represented so much money at the 
 current price of oil. The new system did 
 away with the old pipe line certificate of 
 uncertain value and substituted a cash 
 value regulated by the market. 
 
 The pipe line combination fixed the price 
 of oil and this led to dissatisfaction among 
 the independent producers and refiners 
 and the consequent organization of inde- 
 pendent companies. The most prominent 
 and aggressive of the independent com- 
 cerns in the field today is the Pure Oil 
 Company, which was organized in 1895 
 under the laws of New Jersey with a capi- 
 tal stock of $1,000,000. The incorporators 
 were David Kirk, Jerome B. Aiken, M. L. 
 Lockwood, of Zelienople, C. H. Duncan, 
 W. A. Dennison, Thomas Westgate, James 
 W. Lee, Adolphus A. Hoch of Chicora, 
 Ferdinand Reiber of Butler, Lewis Walz, 
 Rufus Scott, Lewis Emery Jr., M. Mur- 
 phy, W. L. Curtis, Thomas W. Phillii)S, 
 and Clarence A¥alker of Butler. 
 
 The officials of the company were, David 
 Kirk, president; Clarence Walker, secre- 
 tary, and C. H. Duncan, treasurer. 
 
 The Butler Pipe Line was constructed 
 in January, 187.3, from Greece City in Con- 
 cord Township to the loading racks at 
 
190 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Parker's Lauding. The promoter and 
 head of the company was William Parker. 
 The time for the first run of oil from the 
 wells above Boydstown to the receiving- 
 tanks at Parker was five hours and thirty- 
 five minutes. 
 
 The Allen and McConnell line was com- 
 pleted from the Grant farm to Parker in 
 1873. 
 
 The first trunk line was placed in 1875, 
 from Carbon Center in Butler County to 
 Brilliant Station near Pittsburg, a four- 
 inch pipe being used. Following the con- 
 struction of the Carbon Center line, a line 
 was constructed from Bear Creek in But- 
 ler County to the first pumping station at 
 Hilliard, in Washington Township. This 
 line was extended fi-om Hilliards to Cleve- 
 land, a distance of 110 miles. Following 
 the construction of these two lines other 
 trunk lines were built from the Pennsyl- 
 vania field and other oil fields to Philadel- 
 phia, Baltimore, and Tidewater. These 
 were the McKean and Philadelphia line, 
 with Baltimore branch, the Olean and Buf- 
 falo, the Olean and New York, the Rexford 
 and Bayonne, N. J., the Morgantown, West 
 Virginia and Philadelphia, the Mellon line 
 from Greggs to Linwood, and the United 
 States Pipe Line from Titusville to 
 Athens. 
 
 The United States Pipe Line Company, 
 or Producers Line, was organized in 1892, 
 and began the transportation of oil early 
 in 1893. This company was the first to 
 prove the fallacy of the idea that refined 
 oil lost its color when sent through pipes 
 in hot weather, and during the first year 
 of its existence transported many millions 
 of gallons through its lines to the seaboard 
 with satisfactory results. 
 
 The cost of carrying a barrel of oil from 
 Pithole to New York in 1865 was $5.55. 
 From the Butler County fields by way of 
 Pittsburg was $4.59 per barrel. Today the 
 price is $.50 or less from any part of the 
 region to the seaboard. The price by rail 
 and pipe line has been the same since 1879. 
 
 PRODUCERS AND REFINERS. 
 
 The Producers and Refiners' Pipe Line 
 Company, which is the principal competi- 
 tor of the Standard Oil Company in the 
 Butler County field, are operating a line 
 from Trail Run, Ohio, to Sistersville, West 
 Virginia, thence to Pine Grove Station, 
 thence to Tayloi'stown Station, Pennsyl- 
 vania, thence to Washington Junction, 
 Pennsylvania, thence to Primrose, and 
 from Primrose by way of McDonald, 
 Noblestown, Oakdale, to Adams Station in 
 Butler County; from Adams Station to 
 Butler, from Butler to Karns City, and 
 from Karns City by way of Dotter's Sta- 
 tion to Oil City, and thence to Titusville, 
 where it intersects with the United States 
 Pipe Line. 
 
 NATURAL GAS AS A FUEL. 
 
 The two great sources of natural gas on 
 this continent are along the western slope 
 of the Apalachian Mountains and the great 
 Cincinnati Arch. The Apalachian gas de- 
 posits occur in the small folds of the anti- 
 clinals, which exist in the strata as they 
 rise toward the Allegheny Mountains from 
 the synclinals that lies to the westward. 
 The gas deposits of Butler County are 
 found in the first, second, third and fifth 
 oil sands, the Speechley, the Warren, the 
 Bradford, Tiona sands. The Butler gas 
 sand and the Hundred-foot belong to the 
 Butler Venango group and are known as 
 tlie most productive gas sands in the 
 United States, because of their vast ex- 
 tent. The first, second, and third sands 
 exist in Butler, Armstrong, Clarion, Ve- 
 nango, Crawford, and Forrest Counties, 
 and in Armstrong, Westmoreland, Alle- 
 gheny and AVashington Counties; the up- 
 per layers are known as the Murraysville, 
 or salt sand, and the Hundred-foot. The 
 Hundred-foot is divided into the Thirty- 
 foot, and Fifty-foot and the lower layer 
 into the Gordon, the Gordon stray, fourth 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 191 
 
 and fifth sands, the Baird and Elizabeth 
 sands. 
 
 The thick layer of sandstone north of 
 Pittsburg lies two or three hundred feet 
 above the first sand, and outcrops in the 
 hilltops of Butler and Venango Counties. 
 This is known as the Mountain sand, and 
 south of Pittsburg becomes the "Big In- 
 jun." It is productive of oil in some 
 localities. 
 
 Natural gas as a fuel was used at Fre- 
 donia, New York, as early as 1824. In 
 tearing down an old mill the workmen dis- 
 covered inflamable bubbles on the waters 
 of Canodonay Creek. They took the hint 
 fi"om this discovery and drilled a one and 
 a half-inch hole into the limestone rock in 
 the bottom of the creek, and the gas fol- 
 lowed the hole. The supply of gas ob- 
 tained from this source was utilized in the 
 town and furnished fuel for about one 
 hundred houses and for the new mill for 
 many years. 
 
 The light-house at Erie was lighted by 
 natural gas in 1831 from a burning spring 
 that existed in the vicinity. A cone-shaped 
 tower was built over the spring which col- 
 lected the gas, and it was carried to the 
 light-house by means of wooden pipes. 
 
 In the early days of the oil developments 
 at Oil Creek, natural gas was used for fuel 
 at the drilling and pumping wells as early 
 as 1862, but it was ten years later before 
 it was generally used for domestic and 
 manufacturing purposes, and piped any 
 distance from the wells to the place of con- 
 sumption. 
 
 "Sketches In Crude Oil" by John J. Mc- 
 Lauren gives John Criswell of New Castle 
 the credit of producing the first natural 
 gas and utilizing it for manufacturing 
 purposes in Butler County. Criswell 
 drilled a salt well near Slippery Rock in 
 1840 and at a depth of 700 feet struck a 
 flow of natural gas which he used to heat 
 the pans at his salt factory. 
 
 In 1872 a well was drilled on the W. C. 
 Campbell fann near Fairview to a depth 
 
 of 1,335 feet for oil and was abandoned on 
 account of a flow of gas and salt water. 
 After the well had been abandoned for 
 some two months the pressure became so 
 strong that it blew the water entirely out 
 of the hole and in the autumn of the same 
 year a company was formed to utilize the 
 gas. This was done by laying a line of 
 31/2-inch casing from the well to Fairview, 
 a distance of two miles, and thence to 
 Petrolia, two miles from Fairview. Pres- 
 sure of the well on a steam-gauge was 
 eighty-one pounds and it had an escape 
 through a six-inch pipe. The noise of the 
 escaping gas could be heard a distance of 
 two miles from the well. 
 
 The correspondent of the "Titusville 
 Herald," under date of September 3, 1873, 
 gave a graphic account of this remarkable 
 well: 
 
 " The roar of the escaping fluid was equal to the 
 sound of Niagara, and the iron tools that penetrated the 
 rock were raised and tossed in the hole with as much 
 ease as a skiff is rocked on the surface of an angry 
 ocean. So strong was the gas giant that one man might 
 have held the tools out of the hole without the aid of 
 an engine. It would toss a hundred pound rock to the 
 height of forty or fifty feet, and an ordinary club 
 when launched in the upward stream would be tossed 
 seventy ■ or eighty feet. For a few weeks this well 
 shrieked and howled and whistled, making night hideous 
 and day tedious with its ceaseless yells until the arms 
 of science opened to receive the wasting fuel. When 
 finally controlled, this well supplied the towns of Argyle, 
 Fairview, Karns City, and Petrolia, besides furnishing 
 fuel for forty pumping and drilling wells, eight pump 
 stations, two hundred gas burners, and forty cooking 
 stoves, all of which were supplied from seven miles of 
 pipe line." 
 
 This well was drilled by the Lambing 
 Brothers in April, 1872, and soon after the 
 gas began to flow the well was accidentally 
 lighted. The flames rose to a height of 
 seventy-five feet and could be seen a dis- 
 tance of ten miles. To extinguish it the 
 contractor spent $500, which was finally 
 accomplished after several days' hard 
 work, by smothering the blaze with clay. 
 
 So far as is known, the Campbell well 
 was the first gasser to be utilized for do- 
 mestic purposes, and the gas piped to any 
 distance from the well. It is claimed that 
 
192 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the Newton well at Titusville was drilled 
 in 1872, and in August of that year the gas 
 was piped to Titusville, where it was util- 
 ized in the dwelling houses and in the 
 mills. It is probable that the Butler 
 County well was under control and in use 
 a couple of months before the Titusville 
 well was struck. 
 
 About 1873 Hart and Conkle drilled a 
 well on the McCandless farm about a half 
 a mile northwest of the borough of Butler, 
 and struck a tremendous flow of gas. This 
 well was accidentally lighted and burned 
 for years, the fuel being allowed to go to 
 waste. The owners of the well offered to 
 sell it to Col. John M. Thompson and Hon. 
 Charles McCandless, of Butler, for the 
 price of the casing, but the offer was re- 
 fused. The possibilities of natui-al gas for 
 fuel and lighting purposes was not appre- 
 ciated at that time, and inability to con- 
 trol the well induced the Butler parties to 
 turn down the proposition that contained 
 a fortune. Twelve years later a company 
 was organized to supply the town with 
 natural gas, but in the meantime the Hart 
 and Conkle well had been drowned out 
 with water. In the latter jjart of the eigh- 
 ties the Standard Plate Glass Company 
 of Butler drilled a well for gas within 
 three hundred feet of the old Hart & Con- 
 kle well, which was a complete failure. The 
 water had evidently destroyed the gas pool 
 in that locality. 
 
 About the same year that the Hart and 
 Conkle well was drilled Butler parties 
 drilled a well on Wolf Creek at the Woolen 
 Mill, which was one of the largest gas wells 
 struck in the county tliat year. This well 
 blew and whistled for months, finally 
 catching fire and destroying the rig. The 
 flaming torch burned fully one hundred 
 feet in the air and lighted the surrounding 
 country until water finally drowned out 
 the flow of gas. The pressure of gas in 
 this well was so strong that it permeated 
 the ground for many rods around it, and 
 when a crowbar was driven into the soil 
 
 a blue flame would shoot uj) for several 
 feet. 
 
 In November, 1874, the famous Harvey 
 well was struck, at Lardin's Mill, in Clin- 
 ton Township. Gas was obtained in lieavv 
 quantities at 1,145 feet. At 420 feet the 
 "Blue Monday" and "Lightning Rock" 
 was reached and it required six weeks of 
 drilling to pass through tue one hundred 
 feet of this hard, white limestone. Sand- 
 stone and gas showed at a depth of 1,115 
 feet, and a heavy flow was struck at 1,145. 
 The gas from this well was conveyed a 
 distance of 150 feet in a six-inch iron pipe 
 from which it discharged with the force 
 of steam. The well was located between 
 abrupt hills in a valley about three hun- 
 dred feet wide, and in the night time when 
 the gas was burning the surrounding val- 
 ley looked like a self-feeding furnace. As 
 described by J. Cunningham, of Taren- 
 tum, the United States Signal Service 
 officer who visited the place in February, 
 1875, at night, the scene was incomparable. 
 When he came within its immediate influ- 
 ence he saw the trees wrapped in light and 
 their trunks and branches silvered to their 
 tops by the great torch — a burning flame 
 fifteen feet wide and forty feet high — 
 throwing into brilliant illumination the 
 hundreds of interested faces. This, with 
 the intense heat and brilliancy, and the ter- 
 rific noise of the escaping fluid, made a 
 sight not soon to be forgotten by any who 
 witnessed it. When this well was finally 
 brought under control a gas pipe line was 
 laid from the well to the Spang and Chal- 
 fant Mill at Etna, a distance of about sev- 
 enteen miles. This was the first pipe line 
 laid to convey gas for manufacturing pur- 
 poses in the tjnited States. 
 
 In 1875 John Burns drilled a gas well at 
 St. Joe to a depth of 1,600 feet. This well 
 was on the Duffy farm and is known by 
 some as the Duffy well, by others as the 
 Burns well. Its mouth was 1,298 feet 
 above ocean level and when the well was 
 enclosed with 5-ys-inch casing, with a cap, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 195 
 
 the pressure was strong enough to lift the 
 casing. To avoid damage the gas was al- 
 lowed to escape. The gas in this well was 
 piped to Freeport and the pressure at that 
 place on the line was 125 pounds. The out- 
 put of this well averaged 12,000,000 feet of 
 gas per day and was considered the larg- 
 est well of that period. 
 
 The Delamater well, one half mile from 
 the Burns well, was an oil producer in the 
 third sand. When the owners drilled be- 
 low the third sand they lost a ten-barrel 
 oil well and struck what appeared to be an 
 inexliaustible reservoir of gas. 
 
 The Denny wells in the northeastern 
 corner of Winfield Township were drilled 
 for oil about 1872, but became great gas 
 producers and were the forerunners of 
 some of the largest gas wells in Western 
 Pennsylvania which were afterwards 
 drilled in that township. These wells were 
 drilled by the Denny brothers, who owned 
 the Denny Mills, and William Stewart, 
 who at that time owned the furnace tract. 
 The gas from these wells was used at the 
 mill and the dwelling houses for over a 
 quarter of a century. 
 
 What is known as the Saxon City gas 
 well was drilled at Cabot Station in 1874 
 to a depth of 1,857 feet. The gas from this 
 well was piped to Etna and Sharpsburg 
 and it proved to be one of the most con- 
 sistent producers in the Butler Countv 
 field. 
 
 Middlesex Township was the scene of 
 operations for oil and gas in 1875, when a 
 well was drilled on the J. B. Mahan farm, 
 one and one-half miles east of Glade Mills. 
 At a depth of 1,420 feet an amber oil was 
 found in a thick bed of white sand stone. 
 The well showed a production of five bar- 
 rels but was drilled to 732 feet, where the 
 flow of oil was increased to ten barrels. A 
 heavy flow of gas was also found from 
 1,732 to 1,745 feet. Blood red slate was 
 found at 1,880 feet, and this formation 
 continued to 1,930 feet, when drilling- 
 ceased. 
 
 The Chantler No. 1 was drilled in Clin- 
 ton Township two miles south of the Jef- 
 ferson Township line, where gas was 
 struck at 1,340 feet. Another well was 
 drilled on the Westerman farm just south 
 of the Chantler, where gas was found at 
 1,340 feet, and oil and gas at 1,495 feet in 
 the second sand. The product of these 
 two wells was piped to the mills at Etna. 
 About 1886 a well on the Criswell farm in 
 the same township was drilled by Klingen- 
 smith for the Standard Plate Glass Com- 
 pany of Butler to a depth of 3,500 feet. 
 
 In 1875 a gas well was drilled on the 
 Robert Thompson farm two miles south of 
 St. Joe at Carbon Center in Clearfield 
 Township. This well was drilled to a 
 depth of 1,558 feet and for four months 
 produced eight barrels of oil per day from 
 the third sand. It was afterwards drilled 
 to the fourth sand, when the oil gave way 
 to a heavy flow of gas. The well caught 
 fire and burned the rig down and after it 
 was controlled it was turned to account as 
 fuel for the boilers in that section of the 
 Clearfield and Donegal oil fields. 
 
 The Jack well at North Washington 
 struck gas in the fourth sand at a depth 
 of 1,500 feet, and was the first gas well in 
 that section. Its volume decreased fifty 
 per cent, the first year, although it was the 
 only well in that locality. 
 
 In 1877 a gas well drilled on McMur- 
 ray's Run in Marion Township which pre- 
 sented the same phenomena as the Jack 
 well. This well was drilled for oil, by 
 Emerson and Bronson, but their enter- 
 prise was rewarded by a flow of gas and 
 water. The latter produced in a cohimn 
 reaching about thirty-five feet above the 
 derrick. 
 
 The discovery of gas in the _ Phillips 
 Brothers' well on the McJunkin farm, 
 about one mile and one-half east of the 
 borough of Butler, promised the citizens 
 of that town a cheap and clean fuel. This 
 well was drilled in 1882, and gas was 
 struck at a depth of 1,000 feet. It was the 
 
196 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 introduction to later wells that were 
 drilled on the McCrea farm on the hill 
 south of the town in 1886 and 1887. 
 
 In 1887 the Fisher Brothers drilled a 
 well to the gas sand on the McCrea farm 
 just outside of the borough limits. The 
 well filled up with water and appeared to 
 be a failure. It afterwards came into the 
 possession of David Kirk, who bailed the 
 water out and was rewarded by the larg- 
 est flow of gas struck near the town since 
 the Hart and Conkle well. Kirk after- 
 wards promoted the Mutual Gas Company 
 of Butler, which supplied the town with 
 light and fuel. The well on the McCrea 
 farm was sold to the Shenango Gas Com- 
 pany and the gas was piped to New Castle 
 in the fall of 1887. 
 
 The Mahoning Gas Company drilled a 
 well on the Shields farm in Mercer Town- 
 ship in 1886 and other wells in Slippery 
 Rock Township which supplied the towns 
 in the northwestern part of the county and 
 in Mercer County with fuel for more than 
 twenty years. 
 
 The greatest gas producer ever drilled 
 in Butler County was on the Casper Fruh- 
 ling farm in Winfield Township in 1889. 
 This well was drilled by A. W. McCollough 
 of Butler, who in the previous year had 
 taken up a large block of leases in Win- 
 field, Clinton, and Buffalo Townships foi 
 the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company. The 
 company drilled a dozen or more wells and 
 in 1889 completed the Fruhling farm well 
 and the well on the John Cruikshank farm. 
 The former j^roduced 15,000,000 feet of 
 gas daily and the latter 12,000,000 feet. 
 The gas in these two wells was found in 
 the lower member of the hundred foot or 
 the Venango first sand, or the second sand 
 and fifty foot of the Parker field. Two 
 large pipe lines were laid from this field to 
 the'Plate Glass Works at Ford City on the 
 Allegheny River, while two more lines 
 were laid to Butler borough by the Home 
 Natural Gas Company and the Standard 
 Plate Glass Company. This was the great- 
 
 est gas reservoir ever opened in Butler 
 County. Many pools have been opened 
 since which have proved good producers, 
 but nothing has ever, equalled the Fruh- 
 ling and Cruikshank wells. A few miles 
 east in Armstrong Coimty the Phillips Oil 
 Company struck the famous Kerr farm 
 well in the Speechley sand. Tiiis well pro- 
 duced 30,000,000 feet daily, and was the 
 largest well in the Butler and Armstrong 
 district. 
 
 DEEPEST WELL IN THE COUNTY. 
 
 The deepest test well for gas ever 
 drilled in the county was that on the Rob- 
 ert Smith farm in Winfield Township. 
 This exploration was made by the Pitts- 
 burg Plate Glass Company under the 
 direction of A. W. McCollough of Butler 
 in 1891. The mouth of this well is found 
 at the top of the Mahoning sandstone, 
 1,351 feet above ocean level. The ferrifer- 
 ous limestone is reached at the depth of 
 475 feet; the mountain sand or "Big 
 Injun" at 852 feet; the bottom of moun- 
 tain sand at 1,032 feet; the top of Butler 
 gas sand at 1,372 feet, and the top of the 
 hundred-foot or Venango first sand at 
 1,514 feet. A good flow of gas was struck 
 in the lower member of the hundred-foot, 
 and through it an eight-inch hole was 
 drilled which was cased with 614-inch 
 casing so as to carry off the gas into the 
 Ford City pipe line. 
 
 Meantime a six-inch hole was drilled 
 through the lower strata of the Venango 
 sand and the drill passed on through the 
 interval of the Warren group, the Speech- 
 ley, the Bradford, the Kane and the Wil- 
 cox, deep into the Chemung sands without 
 encountering gas or oil or finding a matrix 
 for either. The last 1,500 feet were 
 drilled through easily, only a shell being 
 struck at intervals until a depth of 4,000 
 feet was recorded and operations were 
 suspended. The bottom of this well is 
 2,649 feet below ocean level, being almost 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 197 
 
 500 feet deeper than any well ever drilled 
 in the county. 
 
 In January, 1893, Guckert and Steele 
 drilled a well on the Beighley farm a mile 
 and one-half northeast of Harmony, and 
 struck a gas pool at the top of the Butler 
 gas sand. This well showed a pressure of 
 150 pounds and was the beginning of ex- 
 tensive operations in the southwestern 
 part of the county in which the Breakneck, 
 Glade Run and Thorn Creek oil fields took 
 a prominent part. 
 
 In November, 1893, the Citizens' Gas 
 Company drilled a well on the Bauldoff 
 farm near Herman Station in Summit 
 Township proved a good fourth sand 
 gasser, and the same year the Brown and 
 Brewster wells on the Alexander Brewster 
 farm in Center Township showed the ex- 
 tension of the gas fields in a new direction. 
 The second well on that farm had a rock 
 pressure of 1,600 pounds. The gas from 
 these wells was piped to Butler and util- 
 ized by the various fuel companies and 
 the glass works. 
 
 It is nearly always the ease that where 
 an oil field is found there is a correspond- 
 ing gas pool not far away. Oil and gas 
 were undoubtedly formed and placed in 
 the sand rocks by the same agency. The 
 process that filled the oil rocks also filled 
 the gas rocks. They run parallel and so 
 long as oil is found within the domain of 
 Butler County, gas will be found in the 
 same vicinity. Many gas wells in Butler, 
 Warren, Venango, Armstrong and Wash- 
 ington Counties have been producing gas 
 ever since wells in the same locality have 
 been producing oil. Gas wells have often 
 been abandoned because the pressure has 
 so decreased that they could not force the 
 product through the lines as against wells 
 of higher pressure. The introduction of 
 the gas-pump in the last fifteen years has 
 worked a revolution in the manner of pro- 
 ducing and transporting natural gas, and 
 has made it profitable to deliver gas from 
 wells of light pressure. At the present 
 
 time to abandon a gas well when it ceases 
 to be strong enough to force its way 
 through the pipe line would be like aban- 
 doning an oil well because it had ceased 
 to flow. 
 
 The first accident resulting from the use 
 of natural gas for fuel and lighting pur- 
 poses in the county occurred in Pairview 
 about 1875, and resulted in the death of 
 Mrs. Robert Patton and the serious injury 
 of Rev. I. D. Decker. The gas pipe line 
 which was laid from the famous Lambing 
 well on the Campbell farm through Pair- 
 view to Petrolia passed in front of the 
 Patton house. Through some fault in the 
 laying of the line gas escaped in the winter 
 time and worked its way under the frozen 
 ground into the cellar of the Patton liouse. 
 One evening Mr. Patton went to the cellar 
 on an errand carrying a lighted lamp in 
 his hand. An explosion followed which 
 wrecked the house, instantly killed Mrs. 
 Patton, and seriously burned Mr. Decker 
 about the face. Mr. Patton was seriously 
 injured, but recovered. 
 
 A similar accident occurred in Butler in 
 1886, when the residence of John Gates on 
 Lookout Avenue was destroyed by an ex- 
 plosion of gas, and John Gates, Jr., was 
 killed. Through improper piping the gas 
 had escaped from the main line on the 
 street and worked its way in the winter 
 time under the frozen ground under the 
 cellar of the Gates house. Young Gates 
 had gone to the cellar on an errand with 
 a lighted lamp in his hand, when the ex- 
 plosion occurred. The house was built of 
 brick and young Gates was crushed to 
 death by the walls falling in on him. 
 
 It has been twenty-six years since 
 natural gas came into general use for 
 domestic and manufacturing purposes, al- 
 though it was used for fuel at the wells 
 in the oil country as early as 1860. In 
 1882 the total value of gas produced in the 
 United States was $215,000, Pennsylvania 
 producing $75,000 of this amount. For 
 the first ten years the increase in con- 
 
198 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 sumption was slow. In 1907 the output in 
 the United States reached the enormous 
 total of 388,842,562,000 cubic feet, an 
 equivalent of nineteen and a half million 
 tons of coal. The value of this output in 
 round numbers was $46,800,000. Penn- 
 sylvania's share of this product was 
 $18,000,000, and the state stood first in the 
 production of natural gas. West Virginia 
 was second, and Ohio third. The con- 
 sumption of natural gas is increasing at 
 the rate of ten per cent, per year, and it 
 is estimated that the value of the output 
 for 1908 will be about $56,000,000. About 
 forty per cent, of this output belongs to 
 Pennsylvania and the balance is dis- 
 tributed among the other gas-producing 
 states. The southwestern states are com- 
 ing to the front and will play an important 
 part in the future. The value of the 
 natural gas produced in Butler County 
 can only be approximated from the fore- 
 going figures, as there are no statistics at 
 hand on the subject. At the close of 1908 
 there was more gas in sight and more 
 developed territory than in the laistory of 
 the natural gas business. 
 
 NITRO-GLYCERINE. 
 
 The discovery of nitro-glycerine dates 
 back to 1846, when a patient European 
 chemist. Professor Ascania Sobrero, liit 
 upon a new compound by mixing fuming 
 nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and common 
 glycerine. At first he didn't know it was 
 loaded. Neither of the three ingredients 
 is an explosive by itself and the product 
 of the three looks harmless, having the 
 appearance of lard oil. The first dis- 
 coverer found that it would burn in lamps, 
 emitting a gentle white light. Concussion 
 proved that the meek-looking stuff was an 
 explosive more powerful than gunpowder 
 or gun-cotton. Strangely enough, it was 
 first put up as a homeopathic remedy for 
 headache, because a few drops rubbed on 
 any part of the body would cause a severe 
 headache. It is still prescribed as a medi- 
 
 cine, but its commercial value is found in 
 its us? as a high explosive. It was first 
 used as a high explosive in Europe in 1861 
 by Alfred B. Noble, a Swedish engineer, 
 at Ilelenborg, Sweden. 
 
 A small consignment of nitro-glycerine 
 shipped to New York City as a specimen 
 accidentally exploded in the street. This 
 accident caused widespread comment 
 among the newspapers as to the cause. 
 Investigation solved the mystery, and 
 miners and contractors gradually learned 
 its value for removing rocks and for 
 heavy blasting. A five-pound jar of the 
 stuft' was suspended against the side of 
 the steamer "Scotland," sunk off Sandy 
 Hook, and exploded. It cut a fissure 
 twelve feet wide along the side of the ves- 
 sel, and nitro-glycerine was used there- 
 after in clearing up wrecks. The de- 
 structive power of nitro-glycerine has 
 been fully demonstrated by its use in the 
 mining regions and in the oil country. It 
 has played an important part in the pro- 
 duction of oil, but its use was not gener- 
 ally adopted until about twenty years 
 after its first discovery. 
 
 The unrelenting foe of oil wells is 
 ])araffine. It clogged and choked some of 
 the largest wells on Oil Creek and dimin- 
 ished the yield of other wells in every 
 quarter of the field. It incrusts the veins 
 of the rocks and the pipes, just as lime in 
 water coats the tubes of a steam boiler 
 or the inside of a tea kettle. 
 
 At first the operators steamed their 
 wells, and later benzine was used with the 
 same results. Some genius patented a 
 liquid that would boil and fizz and remove 
 all the paraffine attached, cleaning the 
 tubing as much as caustic-soda scours the 
 waste iii]»(' of a sink. All of these methods 
 were limited in their scope and worked 
 satisfactorily as a rule in the shallow 
 wells. The idea of exploding powder at 
 the bottom of the holes drilled for oil oc- 
 curred in 1860. Powder had been used in 
 water wells with good results, and the idea 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 199 
 
 of trying tlie experiment with oil wells 
 suggested itself to Henry H. Dennis, who 
 drilled the first well at Tideoute in 1860. 
 Dennis had struck the tools in drilling the 
 well. He procured three feet of two-inch 
 copper pipe, plugged it with wood at one 
 end, inserted a fuse-cord, and exploded 
 the charge in the presence of six men. 
 The hole was full of water and oil, and 
 after the explosion the smell of oil was so 
 much stronger that people ])assiiig the 
 well noticed it. The same year William 
 Reed developed the idea of tlic K'ccd tor- 
 pedo, which he used in a number of wells. 
 The torpedo was made of tin casing and 
 filled with gunpowder. This torj^edo was 
 used in the A. W. Raymond well at Frank- 
 lin, and it was expected that "Cold- 
 stream" Barry, who built the first tele- 
 graph line between Pittsburg and Franklin 
 through Biitler County would fire the shot 
 by electricity. Barry failed to get there, 
 and an attempt to explode the torpedo 
 with a fuse failed. Reed went on with his 
 experiments, and in 1863 made a can 
 strong enough to resist the pressure of 
 the water and let it down the Criswell well 
 on Cherry Run. Failing to discharge it 
 by electricity, he exploded it by sliding a 
 hollow weight down a string to strike a 
 percussion cap. 
 
 The experiments with the torpedo dem- 
 onstrated the fact that the yield of oil had 
 been increased by exploding powder hun- 
 dreds of feet under the water, and in 
 November, 1864, Col. E. A. L. Roberts 
 applied for a patent for "a process of 
 increasing the productiveness of oil wells 
 by causing an explosion of gunpowder or 
 its equivalent, at or near the oil-bearing 
 point in connection with superincunil)ent 
 fluid-tamping." He claimed that the ac- 
 tion af a shell at Predei'icksburg in 1862 
 which exploded in the mill-race suggested 
 to him the idea of bombarding oil wells. 
 He constructed six torpedoes and arrived 
 at Titusville in January, 186.5, and made 
 the first test of his process in the Ladies' 
 
 well owned by Captain Mills. Two tor- 
 pedoes were exploded at the Ladies' well, 
 and subsequent experiments proved the 
 Roberts torpedo to .be a success. Reed, 
 who made the first torpedo in the oil coun- 
 ti-y, John F. Harper, William Skinner, and 
 others who had been experimenting along 
 the same line from 1860 to 1865 filed appli- 
 cations for patents and commenced pro- 
 ceedings against Colonel Roberts for inter- 
 ference. The suits dragged for two years 
 in court and were decided in favor of 
 Roberts, who secured the patent that was 
 to become a grievous monopoly in the oil 
 country. Roberts organized a company in 
 New York to construct torpedoes and 
 carry on the business extensively. During 
 1867 many suits for enfringement of the 
 Roberts patent were entered, and Roberts 
 seemed to have the courts on his side. He 
 olitained injunctions against all of the par- 
 ties using his i^a tents and compelled the 
 operators to come to his terms. 
 
 The operators were at first skeptical 
 as to the advantages of the Roberts 
 method, fearing that the torpedoes would 
 destroy the wells. In December, 1866, the 
 Woodin well, a dry hole on the Blood 
 farm, received two shots, and started to 
 l)ump eighty barrels a day. Roberts sub- 
 stituted nitro-glycerine for gunpowder 
 al)out 1867, anrl established a factory at 
 Titusville. The torpedo war became gen- 
 eral and uncompromising. The Reed 
 Company which had continued to manu- 
 facture torpedoes, were driven out of the 
 business by the Roberts injunction. The 
 monopoly charged $200 for a medium shot 
 which was an exhorbitant price, even for 
 that day of high finance in the oil country. 
 
 The war with Roberts resulted in an 
 army of "moon lighters" invading the 
 country, who made a business of manu- 
 facturing torpedoes and shooting wells at 
 night. The Roberts crowd hired emis- 
 saries to spy on these nocturnal well- 
 shooters, and many of them were arrested 
 and sent to jail. About two thousand 
 
200 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 prosecutions were threatened, and most of 
 them begun, against producers accused of 
 violating the law by engaging "moon 
 lighters." An imposing array of coun- 
 sel was engaged by the torpedo company 
 and the defendants were represented by 
 attorneys of international reputation, 
 among the number being Keller and Blake 
 of New York, and Gen. Benjamin F. But- 
 ler. Most of the individual suits were 
 settled, the operators making such terms 
 as they could. By this means the Roberts 
 brothers and their torpedo company rolled 
 up millions of dollars. 
 
 The Roberts patent was re-issued in 
 Jime, 1873, perpetuating the burdensome 
 load upon the oil producers until after 
 1883. Col. E. A. L. Roberts died in Titus- 
 ville in March, 1881. The litigation over 
 the patent and infringements attracted 
 widespread attention. He was responsible 
 for more lawsuits than any other man in 
 the United States, and a week before his 
 death he said that he had expended a quar- 
 ter million dollars in torpedo litigation. 
 His brother. Dr. Walter B. Roberts, was 
 a partner in the torpedo business, and was 
 actively engaged in the management of the 
 company. Hg was elected mayor of Titus- 
 ville in 1872, and had an ambition to serve 
 his district in Congress. He succeeded in 
 his profession and in the management of 
 his business, but he was never able to gain 
 his goal in the field of politics." He was 
 once a candidate for Congress in his dis- 
 trict, but the. oil producers, whom the 
 vexatious torpedo suits had irritated to 
 the point of exasperation, opposed him 
 and caused his defeat. 
 
 Gradually the quantity of explosive in 
 a torpedo has been increased in order to 
 shatter a wider area of oil-bearing rock. 
 From five pounds of gunpowder which 
 was used in the first torpedo the amount 
 had been brought up to more than one 
 hundred quarts of nitro-glycerine for a 
 single shot. In such instances the glycer- 
 ine is lowered into the well in cans, one 
 
 resting upon another at the bottom of the 
 hole until the desired amount is in place. 
 A cap is adjusted to the top of the last 
 can, the cord that lowered the nitro- 
 glycerine is pulled up, a weight is dropped 
 upon the cap, and an explosion equal to 
 the force of a ton of gunpowder ensues. 
 In a few seconds a shower of water, oil, 
 mud and pebbles ascends, saturating the 
 derrick and pelting broken stone in every 
 direction. 
 
 One of the most graphic scenes ever 
 witnessed in the oil country occurred at 
 the Semple, Boyd and Armstrong well in 
 the Thorn Creek field, in Butler County, 
 in 1884. This well was drilled on the Mar- 
 shall farm and reached the sand October 
 25, 1884. It had all the appearances of a 
 dry hole, but the owners concluded to try 
 a shot before abandoning the well. The 
 scene that followed is thus described by 
 Frank H. Taylor: 
 
 " On October twenty-seventh, 1884, those who stood 
 at the brick school-house and telegraph-oflfices in the 
 Thorn Creek district and saw the Semple, Boyd & Arm- 
 strong No, 2 torpedoed, gazed upon the grandest scene 
 ever witnessed in Oildoin. When the shot took effect 
 and the barren rock, as if smitten by the rod of Moses, 
 poured forth its torrent of oil, it was such a magnificent 
 and awful spectacle that no painter 's brush or poet 's 
 pen could do it justice. Men faniiliar with the wonder- 
 ful sights of the oil country were struck duml) with 
 astonishment, as they beheld the mighty display of 
 Nature's forces. There was no sudden reaction after 
 the torpedo was exploded. A column of water rose 
 eight or ten feet and fell back again, some time 
 elapsed before the force of the explosion emptied the 
 hole and the burnt glycerine, mud and sand rushed up 
 in the derrick in a black stream. The blackness gradu- 
 ally changed to yellow; then, with a mighty roar, the 
 gas burst forth with a deafening noise, like the thunder- 
 bolt set free. For a moment the cloud of gas hid the 
 derrick from sight and then, as this cleared away, a 
 solid golden column half a foot in diameter shot from 
 the derrick floor eighty feet through the air, till it 
 broke in fragments on the crown-pulley and fell in a 
 shower of yellow rain for rods around. For over an 
 hour that grand column of oil, rushing swifter than 
 any torrent and straight as a mountain pine, united 
 derrick floor and top. In a few moments the ground 
 around the derrick was covered inches deep with petro- 
 leum. The branches of the oak trees were like huge 
 yellow plumes and a stream as large as a man's body 
 ran down the hill to the road. It filled the space 
 beneath the small bridge and, continuing down the hill 
 through the woods beyond, spread out upon the flats 
 where the Johnson well is. In two hours these flats 
 wore covered with a flood of oil. The hill side was as 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 201 
 
 if a yellow freshet had passed over it. Heavy clouds of 
 gas, almost obscuring the derrick, hung low in the 
 woods, and still that mighty rush continued. Some of 
 those who witnessed it estimated the well to be flowing 
 five-hundred barrels per hour. Dams wer*? built across 
 the stream, that its production might be estimated; the 
 dams overflowed and were swept away before they could 
 be completed. People living along Thorn Creek packed 
 up their household goods and fled to the hillsides. The 
 pump station, a mile and a half down the creek, had to 
 extinguish its fires that night on account of gas. All 
 fires around the district were put out. It was literally 
 a flood of oil. It was estimated that the production 
 was ten thousand barrels the first twenty-four hours. 
 The foreman, endeavoring to get the tools into the 
 well, was overcome by the gas and fell under the bull- 
 wheels. He was rescued immediately and medical aid 
 summoned. He remained unconscious two hours, but 
 subsequently recovered fully. Several men volunteered 
 to undertake the job of shutting in the largest well ever 
 struck in the oil region. The packer for the oil saver 
 was tied on the bull wheel shaft, the tools were placed 
 over the hole and run in. But the pressure of the 
 solid stream of oil against it prevented its go.ng lower, 
 even with -the suspended weight of the two thousand 
 pound tools. One thousand pounds additional weight 
 were added before the cap was fitted and the well 
 closed. A casing connection and tubing lines connected 
 the well with a tank." 
 
 Nitro-glycerine continues to be the 
 agency for removing paraffine and increas- 
 ing the flow of oil wells. Methods of han- 
 dling it have changed in the last twenty 
 years, but the operation in the main is the 
 same as used in the seventies. In recent 
 years the tin tubing that encased the old 
 torpedo has been discarded and the nitro- 
 glycerine is now poured into the hole out 
 of a bucket or a can, and allowed to per- 
 meate the crevices of the rock at the bot- 
 tom. It is then exploded by the use of a 
 squib and a go-devil. This method is used 
 where there is no water in the well or 
 where the water can be bailed out easily. 
 
 FLANNEGAN S WELL CLEANER. 
 
 Many devices have been invented to re- 
 move paraffine without the use of nitro- 
 glycerine, but none have proved of suffi- 
 cient merit to take the place of the old tor- 
 pedo or become generally used throughout 
 the oil country. The most notewortli^ in- 
 vention of recent years is that of Francis 
 B. Flannegan, a native of Butler, who is 
 now a resident of Washington City. About 
 
 1896 Mr. Flannegan patented an electric 
 appliance for removing jDaraffine from oil 
 wells and experimented successfully on a 
 number of wells in Butler County. This 
 appliance consisted of an electric coil 
 about six feet long and three inches in 
 diameter which was used as a heater. To 
 the end of the heater was attached a reel 
 of copper wire, and this was lowered to 
 the bottom of the well. The copper feed 
 wire was then connected with a dynamo 
 and the paraffine in the rock was melted 
 by heat. The electric appliance was then 
 removed and the paraffine was then 
 pumped or bailed out. Flannegan had his 
 dynamo and machinery mounted on a four- 
 wheel truck so that it could be easily re- 
 moved from one location to another, and 
 he apparently had a fortune staring him 
 in the face. Although the experiment 
 proved successful in a number of cases in 
 Butler County, the inventor was never 
 able to perfect his machine so that it could 
 be used in all kinds of territory. 
 
 .OCCIDENTS AND TKAGEDIES OF THE BUSINESS. 
 
 Torpedoing wells is a hazardous busi- 
 ness. A professional well shooter must 
 have nerves of iron, be of temperate habits 
 and keenly alive to the fact that a care- 
 less movement or a misstep may send him 
 flying into space. Notwithstanding all the 
 care taken in the handling of the treacher- 
 ous stuff, it has left a long list of acci- 
 dents and tragedies in its wake throughout 
 the entire oil country. It never gives any 
 warning, is quick as lightning, and the first 
 intimation that the community has of an 
 impending tragedy is a shivering shock 
 that indicates that a life has been snuffed 
 out, and that there is probably nothing left 
 of the unfortunate victim but a few shreds 
 of flesh and clothing. The first fatality 
 from its use in the oil regions befell Will- 
 iam Munsen in the summer of 1867, at 
 Renno. Munsen was a well owner, and 
 had a factory where he made torpedoes un- 
 der the Reed patent. His new industry 
 
202 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 went along quietly for months, but one 
 morning in August he was seen entering 
 the building and shortly after an explosion 
 occurred that tore the building to atoms 
 and utterly annihilated Munsen. The force 
 of the explosion was felt at Oil City, three 
 miles away, where houses trembled on 
 their foundations, windows were shattered 
 and the people were driven into the streets, 
 horror-stricken. 
 
 Three years later a tragedy occurred in 
 the Scrubgrass region near the northern 
 edge of Butler County, which is familiar 
 history to the residents of the Parker and 
 Karns City fields. R. W. Redfield, an 
 agent for a torpedo company, hid a can 
 of glycerine in the bushes in Augiist, 1870, 
 exiDecting to return the next day and use 
 it. Mrs. George Fetterman while picking 
 berries saw the can and, thinking it con- 
 tained lard oil, handed it to her husband. 
 Fetterman poured some of the stuff into 
 a vessel and sent it to his wells which he 
 was operating. A day or two later, notic- 
 ing a heated journal on one of his engines, 
 he put a little of the supposed oil on the 
 axle with the engine in rapid motion. A 
 furious explosion followed which wrecked 
 the engine house and stunned three men 
 who were at work on the derrick. Fetter- 
 man's body was found terribly mangled, 
 with one arm torn off and his head crushed 
 into a jelly. The mystery was not solved 
 until some one thought of investigating 
 the oil can and found that it contained 
 nitro-glycerine. 
 
 Probably the first accident in the Butler 
 County field happened in Bear Creek Val- 
 ley, two miles below Parker, in 1874. John 
 Osborne, a youth who was well known and 
 well liked, was driving a buckboard loaded 
 with nitro-glycerine down the valley, when 
 the cargo let go at a rough place on the 
 road. The concussion was felt for three 
 miles, and when the frightened people of 
 the community went to investigate the 
 cause of the explosion, they found a deep 
 liole in the road, and scarcelv a shred of 
 
 the boy, horse, or buckboard to be found 
 anywhere. 
 
 Alonzo Taylor was the next victim and 
 his death occurred at Troutman in the 
 summer of 1875. Taylor had placed a tor- 
 pedo in a well, and the drop weight had 
 failed to explode the percussion cap. He 
 then drew up the torpedo, got it safely out 
 of the hole, and took it to a hill nearljy to 
 examine the priming. This was a risky 
 business and had cost several men their 
 lives. A few seconds after his arrival at 
 the hill a stunning explosion occurred, and 
 Taylor's body was found badly mangled. 
 The torpedo in this case was made of giant 
 powder, instead of nitro-glycerine. The 
 damage to surrounding property was not 
 very great, as giant powder expends its 
 force downward. 
 
 In 1878 Gotham's Nitro-Glycerine Fac- 
 tory was located along Bear Creek near 
 Petrolia. On the morning of October 27, 
 W. 0. Gotham, John Fowler and Harry 
 French went to their usual work at the 
 factory. An explosion occurred during the 
 forenoon which tore Fowler into shreds, 
 mutilated French and landed Gotham's 
 dead body in the creek, fifty yards away. 
 The factory was reduced to kindling wood. 
 Gotham had a family and was widely 
 known throughout the oil country. The 
 other two men were strangers .to the com- 
 munity. 
 
 One of the best known shooters in the 
 Petrolia district in 1877 was Dan Smith. 
 Familiarity with danger makes people 
 careless, and this led to the undoing of 
 Smith, who was employed by the Roberts 
 Torpedo Company. A teamster was em- 
 ployed to haul the glycerine from a fac- 
 tory in Venango County to Petrolia, where 
 it was stored in an abandoned coal bank. 
 Smith and the teamster had been in the 
 habit of tossing the glycerine cans from 
 one to the other in loading and unloading 
 their wagon, like the teamsters in the city 
 do brick. The driver would toss the cans 
 to Smith, who would catch them and carry 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 203 
 
 them into the magazine. One morning in 
 January, 1877, the two men wei'e seen 
 driving to the magazine with a heavy 
 wagon loaded with glycerine. Shortly 
 after a terrific explosion was heard. All 
 that could be found of the two men was 
 buried in a cigar box. It was presumed 
 that they had been tossing the cans and 
 that a misstep or a slip had caused the 
 tragedy. 
 
 After the Petrolia accident, Butler 
 County was remarkably free from nitro- 
 glycerine tragedies for over ten years. In 
 1889 Humes Brothers had a factory and 
 magazine in Bean Hollow, about a mile 
 and one-half south of Butler Borough. On 
 the morning of the 10th of December, 1889, 
 James Woods and William Medill, two 
 experienced shooters, went to the maga- 
 zine to get a load of nitro-glycerine for 
 their wells. About ten o'clock a fearful 
 explosion was heard which broke window- 
 glass and caused the houses to tremble in 
 Butler. Twenty minutes later an eighteen- 
 year-old boy ran to the Court House and 
 told the tragedy that had occurred at the 
 nitro-glycerine magazine. The boy had 
 been at the magazine and had left just a 
 few minutes before the explosion occurred. 
 Nothing could be found of either men, ex- 
 cept a few pieces of flesh which could not 
 be identified, and the only evidences of the 
 existence of a magazine was a large hole 
 in the ground along the side of which lay 
 four dead horses. The factory building 
 which stood across the run from the maga- 
 zine was wrecked, but was subsequently re- 
 built and used as a factory for five or six 
 years. 
 
 Six years later almost to a day a similar 
 explosion occurred at the same factory and 
 magazine which snuffed out the lives of 
 two Butler men. On the 4tli of December, 
 1895, George Bester of Butler, an oil well 
 shooter, went to the Humes magazine to 
 get a load of nitro-glycerine. Louis Black, 
 a boy of about twenty years of age, went 
 with Bester as a companion. An explosion 
 
 occurred in which Bester was almost, 
 totally annihilated, Black's body mangled, 
 the horses killed, and the nitro-glycerine 
 factory reduced to a pile of kindling wood. 
 The left arm of Black was found in the top 
 of a tree three hundred feet from the scene 
 of the explosion, and the tire off of one of 
 the wheels of the wagon was found 
 wrapped around the limb of a white oak 
 as tightly as though it had been a coil of 
 rope, one hundred yards away. The sup- 
 position is that Bester was removing a can 
 of glycerine from the shelf in one of the 
 magazines when the explosion occurred. 
 About seven hundred pounds of glycerine 
 were stored in the magazine about fifty 
 yards from the one that exploded, and pro- 
 tected by a steep bluff of the hill. Had 
 this magazine let go, the amount of dam- 
 age done would have been immense. The 
 force of this explosion almost caused a 
 panic in Butler. Houses trembled on their 
 foundations, window glass was broken all 
 over the town, the plaster was loosened on 
 the McKean Street school building, caus- 
 ing a panic among the chilaren. The John 
 Shaftner house on the hill south of the 
 town was badly damaged, and his barn was 
 moved almost a foot off its foimdation. 
 George Bester was twenty-eight years of 
 age and had a wife and two small children. 
 Black was a single man and lived with his 
 parents in Butler. 
 
 On the 17th of December, 1901, the town 
 of Butler was shaken by an explosion of 
 nitroglycerine which occurred at the 
 magazine on the Bredin farm about a mile 
 southwest of the town. Thomas L. Ed- 
 wards, a partner of James F. Holland, and 
 Charles D. Parker, a shooter employed by 
 the Pennsylvania Torpedo Company, went 
 to the magazine about four o'clock in the 
 afternoon to prepare their loads for work 
 on the following day. The two men were 
 last seen as they were driving out of town 
 with their wagons in the direction of the 
 magazine. The people who went to the 
 scene of the ex]ilosion found the dead 
 
204 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 horses lying beside a great hole in the 
 ground where the magazine had once 
 stood. The only thing found by which the 
 two unfortunate men could be identified 
 were a few bits of clothing and a few 
 pieces of human flesh and bones. The 
 force of the explosion shook the houses Ln 
 Butler, broke window glass, and broke the 
 glass in the store front of Cooper's tailor 
 shop on the corner of Main and Diamond 
 Streets. Edwards was about forty years 
 of age and had a wife and three children. 
 He was a native of Armstrong County, 
 but had resided in Butler for a number of 
 years and was among the best known 
 shooters in the district. Parker came to 
 Butler from Virginia, where he had been 
 employed in the torpedo business and had 
 resided in Butler but a short time. He 
 left a wife and two small children. 
 
 C. N. Brown, known as "Brownie," was 
 one of the oldest and best known shooters 
 in the Butler County field. He had been 
 with Fred Hinman at Petrolia and for 
 twenty years had shot wells in every field 
 south of the Venango County line. He 
 came to Butler in the nineties, purchased 
 a comfortable home and decided to quit the 
 business. In April, 1897, he went to Evans 
 City to shoot a well on the Ramsey farm, 
 which was to be his last job. It was in 
 truth, for while carrying two cans into the 
 derrick an explosion occurred which 
 wrecked the derrick, and snuffed out 
 "Brownie's" life as quick as a flash. He 
 was one of the most popular men that ever 
 rode a torpedo wagon and was known 
 from one end of the district to the other 
 as "Brownie, the torpedo man." He had 
 a wife and several children, who are still 
 residing in Butler. 
 
 DEATH OF HOLLAND. 
 
 The last fatality in the torpedo business 
 in Butler Coimty happened November 29. 
 1907, when James F. Holland of Butler 
 was killed at Boydstown. Holland had 
 gone to shoot a well for Squire Higgins on 
 
 the Whitmire farm, near Boydstown, and 
 had delayed his work until about four 
 o'clock in the evening, until after the 
 school children had left the public school 
 building, which was near the well that he 
 intended shooting. The shot had been 
 successfully lowered, and the go-devil 
 dropped, but for some reason the torpedo 
 did not explode. Holland had gone back 
 to the derrick to ascertain the cause of the 
 trouble, and was accompanied by Higgins 
 and Irvine Whitmire. It was almost dark 
 by this time, and the men were working 
 with the aid of a lighted lantern. Holland 
 had left a couple of cans partly filled with 
 glycerine on the derrick floor, and for 
 some imaccountable reason these exploded. 
 Holland was hurled under the bull wheels 
 and so badly injured that his death occur- 
 red within an hour. Whitmire was thrown 
 thirty feet out of the derrick and badly in- 
 jured, but subsequently recovered. Hig- 
 gins was stunned by the force of the explo- 
 sion but received no serious injury. Hol- 
 land was one of the best known shooters in 
 the Butler County field, and was regarded 
 as one of the most careful and reliable men 
 in the business. He was about fifty-five 
 years of age, and had a wife and two chil- 
 dren. 
 
 A WOMAN KILLED. 
 
 In the history of the oil country and the 
 handling of torpedoes, there have been but 
 two women who lost their lives from ex- 
 plosions of nitro-glycerine. One of these 
 occurred at Tideoute in 1873, and the other 
 at Butler in 1890. One morning in April, 
 1873, the little town at Dennis Run, half a 
 mile from Tideoute, was shaken by an ex- 
 plosion. The explosion occurred at a 
 frame structure on the side of the hill oc- 
 cupied by Andrew Dalrymple as a dwell- 
 ing and engine house. Dalrymple was a 
 moonlighter, and had been engaged in 
 manufacturing torpedoes at night at his 
 house to avoid detection by the Roberts 
 spotters. He was probably filling a shell 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE. CITIZENS 
 
 205 
 
 at the time the explosion occurred.' it 
 knocked the tenement house into spUuters, 
 killed Dalrymple outright, and injured 
 Mrs. Dalrymple so badly that she died a 
 few hours later. She was unconscious 
 when found, and was never able to tell 
 how the accident happened. The first per- 
 sons to reach the place after the explosion 
 were surprised to hear a feeble cry arising 
 from beneath the rubbish. Two feet under 
 the pile of splintered boards and timbers 
 they found the Dalrymple baby, twenty 
 months old, alive and intact with scarcely 
 a scratch on its body. Further seai'ch re- 
 vealed the unconscious mother and the 
 dead father. Kind-hearted people of 
 Tideoute took charge of the little orphan, 
 who was later adopted by a wealthy fam- 
 ily of the town, and grew up to be a l)eauti- 
 ful young woman. 
 
 On the evening of April .30, 1K9(). the 
 people of Butler heard an explosion wliich 
 had the sound of nitro-glycerine. The 
 sound of the explosion came from the 
 south side of the creek in the vicinity of 
 the plank road, and the people at once 
 started for the magazine at Humes' fac- 
 tory, expecting that another accident had 
 occurred there. It was soon discovered, 
 however, that Mrs. Annie Edwards, who 
 lived alone near the toll gate, was found 
 dead in her yard, and that the explosion 
 had occurred at her house. It was the cus- 
 tom at this time for oil well shooters to 
 drive to the Thorn Creek and McCalmont 
 fields to hide their empty cans in fence 
 corners and various places on their way 
 back to town, instead of driving back to 
 the magazines, which were a considerable 
 distance off the road. An investigation 
 revealed the fact that Mrs. Edwards had 
 found several of these empty nitro-glycer- 
 ine cans and carried them to her liouse. 
 How the accident happened is not known. 
 It is presumed, however, that Mrs. Ed- 
 wards was on the side porch of her house 
 and had attempted to knock the top off a 
 can with a hatchet. Fragments of the cans 
 
 and hatchet were found in the vicinity, and 
 Mrs. Edwards' dead body was found in the 
 yard forty feet from the porch. It was 
 evident that her pet cat was by her side 
 when the explosion occurred, for its dead 
 body was found a few feet away from Mrs. 
 Edwards. Mrs. Edwards was about eighty 
 years of age, and was connected with one 
 of the pioneer families of Butler. She pre- 
 ferred to live alone, and being ignorant of 
 the deadly nature of glycerine, was uncon- 
 sciously the means of her own death. She 
 lived on the property now owned by the 
 estate of W. A. Marks on the Plank Road. 
 
 Numberless hairbreadth escapes have 
 been reported in the handling of nitro- 
 glycerine, many of which sound almost 
 like fairy tales. Once in a while a shooter 
 goes through the experience of having an 
 explosion and living to tell about it. One 
 of these was John McCleary, who was 
 known from Bradford to McDonald as one 
 of the best men in the business. While fill- 
 ing a shell at a well in Washington County 
 in 1881, the well flowed and threw down 
 the shell. The glycerine pi'omptly ex- 
 ploded and wrecked the derrick. When 
 McCleary saw the trouble coming he took 
 to his heels and ran. The first explosion 
 knocked him down and covered him with 
 mud. He rose to his feet just as four cans 
 on the derrick floor cut loose and the force 
 of the second explosion carried McCleary 
 fifty feet farther and filled his back full 
 of hemlock splinters. He fell stimned and 
 bleeding, but was not seriously injured. 
 He lived to shoot many more wells and 
 finally met his fate like the general run of 
 oil well shooters, while placing a torpedo 
 in a well in one of the southern fields. Mc- 
 Cleary was known as "Jack" and oper- 
 ated extensively in the Butler County 
 fields from Parker to Thorn Creek. 
 
 The placing of a torpedo in a well that 
 is likely to make a flow of oil or salt water 
 is a dangerous piece of business. Charlie 
 Ford, who was a well known shooter of 
 Butler in the latter part of the eighties. 
 
206 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 had an experience of this kind wlnle shoot- 
 ing a well for the Krug Brothers east of 
 Butler. Ford was filling the shell when 
 the well suddenly began to flow. There 
 were several men in the derrick at the time 
 who immediately ran for their lives. Ford 
 had his nerve with him, however, and un- 
 hooking the bail of the torpedo shell, he 
 waited until the flow raised it out of the 
 hole, and then grasping it in his hands, 
 carried it to the corner of the derrick and 
 set it down in a safe place. He was almost 
 overcome by the gas and could not resume 
 his work for some time, but when the well 
 ceased flowing he replaced the torpedo and 
 made a successful shot. Ford's nerve was 
 doubtless the means of saving several lives 
 as well as his own, and he, too, like Jack 
 McCleary, ultimately met his fate while 
 handling this dangerous stuff. 
 
 One of the most remarkable escapes that 
 happened in the oil region is credited to 
 James F. Holland, whose death is men- 
 tioned above. Holland on one occasion 
 took a load of nitro-glycerine from his 
 magazine near Butler into the edge of 
 Armstrong County, where he was to shoot 
 a well. It was in the winter time and the 
 roads were covered with snow and ice. 
 The well was located in a deep ravine and 
 was reached by means of a road that de- 
 scended along the side of the hill. In mak- 
 ing the descent of this hill Holland's 
 wagon suddenly skidded sidewise and went 
 over the bank, spilling the glycerine cans 
 along the side of the hill for several rods. 
 Nothing daunted by this adventure, Hol- 
 land righted his wagon and proceeded to 
 gather up the cans of nitro-glycerine and 
 carry them back to the road. In this oper- 
 ation he slipped once and fell, and the two 
 cans he was carrying rolled for some dis- 
 tance. He finally succeeded in getting his 
 wagon reloaded, and shooting the well 
 without any further mishap. 
 
 On another occasion Holland was driv- 
 ing down the McCalmont hill at McCal- 
 mont station at night, with a heavy load of 
 
 nitro-glycerine on his wagon, when his 
 team became unmanageable. The horses 
 dashed down the hill and across the rail- 
 road tracks at McCalmont station just as 
 the passenger train, which was overdue, 
 for Butler, whistled for the crossing. The 
 hind wheels of the wagon had barely 
 crossed the tracks when the train dashed 
 by, and Holland breathed a sigh of relief. 
 Had the train struck the wagon the results 
 would have been terrible, as the coaches 
 were heavily loaded with people traveling 
 to the county seat. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS AND 
 SKETCHES. 
 
 The following incidents of the Butler 
 County oil field and brief sketches of a 
 few of the men who were prominently 
 identified with the operations from Parker 
 to Millerstowu forty years ago will be 
 found interesting to many of the readers 
 of this volume. Most of the incidents 
 were published in the newspapers at the 
 time, and all of them are familiar history 
 in the oil country. The names of Freder- 
 ick Prentice, Captain Vandergrift, George 
 V. Foreman, "Dime" Karns, Lambing 
 Brothers, Satterfield and Taylor, C. D. 
 Angell, George W. Delamater, John Pit- 
 cairn, Thomas W. Phillips, Isaac Phillips, 
 John McKeown, and many otliers are in- 
 delibly linked with the early history of 
 oil in Butler County. Among those who 
 came into the field later were the McKin- 
 neys, James Guffey, John Gailey, M. L. 
 Lockwood, Dr. J. B. Showalter, Hon. 
 Thomas W. Hays, George H. Graham, 
 A. L. Campbell, and others who were 
 natives of the county. Andrew Carnegie, 
 the great steel baron, was once associated 
 with the early history of oil in Butler 
 County, being a stockholder in the Colum- 
 bia Oil Company, and at the same time 
 superintendent of the Allegheny Valley 
 Railroad. 
 
AND REPBESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 207 
 
 A large share of the credit of opening 
 the Butler County field is due to James 
 Lambing, who drilled the "Ursus Major" 
 well in 1871, on the B. B. Campbell farm 
 near Martinsburg. Heavy tools were used 
 in this well for the first time in the oil 
 country, and the driller was Charley 
 Cramer. The tool-dresser was A. M. 
 Lambing, who is now a well-known priest 
 of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pitts- 
 burg Diocese. The Lambing brothers 
 came from Armstrong County, and at one 
 time were the heaviest operators in the 
 Butler field. 
 
 A prominent figure in the early days 
 was John McKeown, who was known all 
 over the oil country as one of flie largest 
 operators and one of the wealthiest men 
 in the oil business. McKeown started in 
 the Parker's Landing field without a 
 penny of money, and the only resources 
 he had was a supply of Irish pluck and 
 an indomitable courage. He drilled the 
 first well on the Widow Nolan farm at 
 Millerstown, and subsequently operated 
 at Modoc, Petrolia and Martinsburg. He 
 joined the exodus to Bradford where he 
 was the partner of Hon. Thomas W. Hays. 
 From Bradford he went to McDonald and 
 was one of the largest operators in that 
 field. He died at the age of fifty-three, 
 leaving a fortune estimated from three to 
 ten million dollars. McKeown started as 
 a i^oor boy and worked his way to the 
 front rank of producers and financiers of 
 the country. Although a millionaire he 
 disliked the ostentation and display of 
 wealth and had a fancy for disguising 
 himself when transacting business where 
 he was not known. On one occasion he 
 dressed as a laboring man and went to 
 consult Dr. Agnew, a Philadelphia spe- 
 cialist, in regard to his health. He ex- 
 plained to the physician that he was a 
 poor man and unable to pay a large fee. 
 The physician performed , the services 
 asked, and charged a fee of ten dollars, 
 which the patient was to pny when he had 
 
 earned the money. The next day Mc- 
 Keown returned dressed in a business 
 suit, introduced himself and gave the 
 astonished doctor a check for $100. On 
 another occasion he went to Baltimore to 
 purchase some real estate which was be- 
 ing sold at a forced sale to satisfy cred- 
 itors. McKeown deposited a million dol- 
 lars in the Baltimore bank, disguised 
 himself as a farmer, and attended the sale. 
 The mortgagor expected to buy the real 
 estate at a nominal siim, much less than 
 its real value, and when the stranger 
 began bidding the other buyers, who were 
 on the ground, intimated to the farmer that, 
 he had a good deal of nerve and inquired 
 if he had the money to put up for his bid. 
 The farmer replied that he usually had 
 the cash to pay for what he purchased. 
 The block was finally knocked down to the 
 stranger for $600,000, and he astonished 
 the creditors by calling uj? a local bank and 
 producing the cash inside of a half hour. 
 
 William Smith, who drilled the first well 
 for Colonel Drake at Titusville in 1859, 
 was born in Butler County in 1812. He 
 learned the blacksmiths' trade at Free- 
 port, worked for a while at Pittsburg, and 
 in the forties moved to Tarentum where 
 he was' employed making tools for Sam- 
 uel M. Kier, and drilling salt water wells. 
 "V^niien Colonel Drake took the contract to 
 drill his well he found it difficult to get a 
 practical borer to sink it. He went to 
 Tarentum and engaged a man to drill the 
 well, but the driller failed to make his 
 appearance. He made the second trip to 
 Tarentum and was referred by F. N. 
 Humes, who was cleaning out salt wells, to 
 William Smith, who was a blacksmith and 
 maker of drilling tools. Smith accepted 
 the offer to manufacture tools and drill 
 the well and took with him his two sons, 
 James and William. One of the sons sub- 
 sequently purchased a farm in Winfield 
 Township, Butler County, upon which he 
 resided until his death. 
 
 One of the operators in the Millerstown- 
 
208 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 petrolia field in the seventies was George 
 W. Delamater of Meadville. His father 
 was Hon. George B. Delamater, was a 
 prominent banker and oil operator of 
 Meadville, who represented that district 
 in the State Senate in 1869. The son, 
 George W., operated at Petrolia, entered 
 politics, was elected mayor of Meadville 
 and State senator, and in 1890 was the 
 machine candidate for governor on the 
 Eepublican ticket against Robert E. Pat- 
 tison. Delamater was opposed by such 
 men in his own party as Lewis Emery Jr., 
 Joseph W. Lee and a host of independent 
 oil producers and the campaign of that 
 year was one of the most bitter in the 
 political history of the county. Delamater 
 was defeated for governor and Butler 
 County for the first time in many years 
 gave the Democratic candidate for State 
 office a majority. Delamater was ruined 
 financially by this campaign, and subse- 
 quently went to the northwest and started 
 life anew as a lawyer at Seattle. About 
 1906 he gave up his practice in Seattle 
 and returned to Pittsburg, where his 
 death occurred under sad circumstances. 
 
 THE MONTCALM LETTER. 
 
 No latter day work on petroleum, no 
 book, sketch or magazine article of any 
 pretensions has failed to reproduce part 
 of a letter purporting to have been sent 
 out in 1750 by Joncair, the commander 
 of the French fort at Duquesne, now 
 Pittsburg, to General Montcalm, com- 
 mander of the French possessions of 
 Canada. It has been quoted as throwing 
 light on the religious character of the In- 
 dians and offered as evidence of their 
 affinity with the fire worshipers of the 
 East. J. J. McLauren, author of 
 "Sketches in Crude Oil," who was 
 familiar with the early history of Frank- 
 lin, and the upper oil country, has de- 
 clared this story to be a "fake." Butler 
 County's interest in the story is due to 
 the fact that a Butler County boy was one 
 
 of the authors of the "fake." Franklin 
 has been dubbed the nursery of great men, 
 and the one that gave birth to the Mont- 
 calm "fake" letter first saw the light of 
 day in Butler County. According to Mc- 
 Lauren a young lawyer opened an office 
 in Franklin about seventy-five years ago 
 and soon took a leading rank among the 
 members" of his profession. The same 
 year a talented young minister was called 
 to the pastorate of the Presbyterian 
 Church of Franklin. The two young men 
 became fast friends, and cultivated their 
 literary tastes by writing for the village 
 paper. Among others they prepared a 
 series of fictitious articles based upon the 
 early settlement of Northwestern Pennsyl- 
 vania which were designed to whet the 
 appetite for historic and legendary lore. 
 In one of these sketches the alleged letter 
 to Montcalm was included. The average 
 readers supposed the minute descriptions 
 and bold narratives to be rock-ribbed 
 facts, and at length the French com- 
 mander's letter began to be reprinted as 
 actual history. One of the two writers, 
 who coined this interesting fake, was 
 Hon. James Thompson, the eminent jurist, 
 who learned the printing trade in Butler, 
 practiced law in Venango County, served 
 three terms in the State legislature, one 
 in Congress, was district judge for six 
 years, and sat on the Supreme bench for 
 fifteen years, serving as Chief Justice the 
 last five years of his term. Judge Thomp- 
 son's literary co-worker was the Rev. 
 Cyrus Dickson, D. D., who resigned his 
 first charge in Franklin in 1848, and re- 
 moved to the east, where he gained dis- 
 tinction in the pulpit and as a forceful 
 writer. The Montcalm letter is referred 
 to in the opening of the chapter on oil 
 and gas. 
 
 "dunc" kaens. 
 One of the picturesque figures in the 
 Armstrong-Butler oil district was Stephen 
 Duncan Karns. With his two uncles, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 209 
 
 Karns operated the first West Virginia 
 well at the mouth of Burning Spring Run 
 in 1860. He gained experience in drilling 
 wells with his father, who operated the 
 salt wells at Tarentum. The firing on 
 Fort Sumter puj an end to the opera- 
 tions on the Kanawha River in West Vir- 
 ginia, and young Karns enlisted in the 
 United States service for three years and 
 did not get hack to Pennsylvania until the 
 close of the war in 1865. In 1866 he leased 
 one acre of land at Parker's Landing from 
 FuUerton Parker and drilled a well. This 
 well produced a barrel of oil a day at the 
 start, and in the course of a few months 
 increased its production to twelve barrels, 
 incidentally made its owner twenty thou- 
 sand dollars. Karns next leased a farm 
 from the Miles Oil Company of New York 
 that had an abandoned well on it. He 
 drilled this well to the sand and got a 
 twenty-five-barrel producer. This well 
 settled the question of oil south of Parker. 
 His next venture was the leasing of the 
 Parren farm on Bear Creek and the Stone 
 House farm of three hundred acres in 
 Butler County. In 1872 he had an income 
 from his wells amounting to $5,000 a day. 
 He bought the Cooper well on the Mc- 
 Clymonds farm, a mile south of Petrolia, 
 which the owners had abandoned, drilled 
 it deeper, and in two days had a hundred- 
 barrel flowing well. The town of Karns 
 City sprung up like a mushroom in the 
 night and was named in his honor. Karns 
 promoted the Parker and Karns City Rail- 
 road, built pipe lines, controlled the Ex- 
 change Bank, the Parker bridge and for 
 a year or more was the largest producer 
 in the oil region. He built a fifty thousand 
 dollar mansion on the Allegheny River at 
 Glen Cairn, kept a string of race horses, 
 and played the part of a royal host. He 
 went to Europe and was at Paris during 
 the siege. Returning from Europe he 
 built the Fredericksburg and Orange Rail- 
 road in Virginia. The drop in the pi'ice 
 of crude oil to forty cents in 1874 and 
 
 various financial losses compelled Karns 
 to surrender all of his property to his 
 creditors and the man who was worth 
 millions in 1872 and 1873 was obliged to 
 start life anew. In 1880 Karns induced 
 E. 0. Emerson of Titusville to start a 
 cattle ranch in Western Colorado, and for 
 sLx years the former oil king superin- 
 tended the ranch. Emerson had bought 
 the Riddle farm at Karns City from 
 Karns for eleven thousand dollars. He 
 deepened one well — supposed to be dry — 
 to the fourth sand. He struck a six hun- 
 dred-barrel gusher and sold the property 
 for $90,000. Karns returned from the 
 West, practiced law for a while at Phila- 
 delphia and then came to Pittsburg, where 
 he published a Populist paper. When 
 Coxy's "Army of Commonweal" marched 
 through the "Smoky City" Karns walked 
 at the head of the parade. Karns lived a 
 more or less spectacular existence until 
 his death, but never regained his fortune. 
 He was known through the oil country as 
 "Dune," a name that is familiar to every 
 one in the Butler county fields. 
 
 RICH.IBD JENNINGS. 
 
 Richard Jennings and his brother-in- 
 law, Jacob L. Meldren, did much to de- 
 velop the territory east of Petrolia. Jen- 
 nings came from England to Armstrong 
 County about 1850 and located at Queens- 
 town. Meldren bought the farm at the 
 head of Armstrong Run on which the 
 noted Armstrong well was drilled in 
 1870. It opened the "Cross Belt" which 
 ran at right angles to the main lines and 
 upset the theories of geologists and oper- 
 ators. This cross belt was remarkable for 
 mammoth gushers and extended from 
 Petrolia into Armstrong County. Richard 
 Jennings was one of the largest operators 
 in this district and laid the foundations 
 for the large fortune which he left to his 
 sons who are now carrying on the busi- 
 ness. The sons operated in the McDonald 
 field and are now prominent in the bank- 
 
210 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ing business in the city of Pittsburg. The 
 story is told of Richard Jennings that in 
 the days of the Petrolia excitement he sent 
 his foreman, Daniel Evans, to secure the 
 Daugherty farm on the southern edge of 
 the town. This farm was owned by two 
 maiden sisters, and all efforts to lease it 
 had failed. Faithful to his duty, the fore- 
 man knocked at the door of the Daugherty 
 residence and engaged board for a week. 
 Before the week expired he was engaged 
 to the elder sister and had the pleasure of 
 securing the lease of the farm for his em- 
 ployer. He reaped a harvest of green- 
 backs in due course of time from the prop- 
 erty, and his widow, who died recently, 
 left an estate valued at more than 
 $100,000. 
 
 Inspired by the success of Evans, an- 
 other gay and festive operator attempted 
 to lease a farm from a maiden lady near 
 Millerstown. After he had exhausted 
 every art to get the lease he hinted at 
 matrimony. The indignant lady exploded 
 like a bomb-shell, and seizing a broom 
 compelled the bold visitor to beat a hasty 
 retreat minus his hat and gloves. 
 
 TAYLOE AND SATTEEFIELD. 
 
 Among the large operators of the Butler 
 County field in 1870 were Taylor and Sat- 
 •terfield. Their policy was to buy lands 
 tested by one or more wells and avoid the 
 risk of wild-catting. In this way they ac- 
 quired productive farms in every part of 
 the field from Parker to Millerstown, and 
 their transactions footed up millions of 
 dollars annually. They established banks 
 at Petrolia and Millerstown, employed an 
 army of drillers and pumpers, and in com- 
 pany with Vandergrift and Forman, John 
 Pitcairn, and Fisher Brothers, they built 
 the Fairview pipe line from Argyle to 
 Brady, which was the nucleus of the 
 National transit system of oil transporta- 
 tion. Capt. J. J. Vandergrift, George V. 
 Forman, and John Pitcairn were asso- 
 ciated with them in their producing oper- 
 
 ations in 1879, which extended to the 
 Bradford field, and grew to such magni- 
 tude that the Union Oil Company was 
 formed in 1881 with $5,000,000 capital. In 
 1883 Forman was i^aid a million dollars 
 for his holdings in this concern in Alle- 
 gheny County, which up to that date was 
 the largest individual sale in the region. 
 All of its properties were eventually sold 
 to the Forrest Oil Company, and the 
 Union Oil Company went out of existence. 
 John A. Satterfield remained in the oil 
 business after the dissolution of the Union 
 Oil Company, and eventually turned his 
 attention to banking in Buffalo. He was 
 born in Mercer County, served four years 
 in the Civil War, and in 1865 opened a 
 grocery at Pithole with James A. Waugh 
 as a partner. Later he engaged in the 
 oil business, coming to Parker in 1870 and 
 to Millerstown in 1873, where he resided 
 for four years. His work in the Butler 
 fields increased his reputation for honesty 
 and enterprise, and at the time of his 
 death he occupied a position among the 
 leading financiers of the country. 
 
 PLUMMEe's EIDE. 
 
 In the days of the Millerstown excite- 
 ment there was a lively scramble for 
 leases, and various operators had cast 
 longing eyes on the Divener farm, two 
 miles south of Millerstown. The farm con- 
 tained two hundred acres and the Bennett 
 well, which came in for 300 barrels on the 
 Boyle farm, made the Divener farm very 
 desirable. The Divener couple were old 
 and childish, and not wishing to move out 
 of the house in which they had resided for 
 many years, they positively declined to 
 lease or sell. Lee and Plummer were two 
 young men from New Castle who were 
 looking for leases in the new field, and 
 were on the anxious seat in regard to the 
 Divener place. One morning Plummer 
 overheard an operator tell his foreman to 
 offer three hundred dollars an acre for the 
 Divener farm. Plummer lost no time. He 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 211 
 
 mounted a fast horse and rode at a gallop 
 to the Divener house and offered the old 
 couple $200 an acre for their land, one- 
 eighth of the oil, and permission to stay in 
 the house. The aged pair consulted a 
 moment, and accepted the offer. The ink 
 was not dry on the lease when the foreman 
 rode up, but Plummer met him at the gate, 
 and informed him that it was "too late." 
 The first well drilled by Lee and Plummer 
 on this farm paid for the entire expense 
 of the lease in thirty days, and they subse- 
 quently sold their holdings to Satterfield 
 and Taylor for $90,000. With a fine sense 
 of appreciation the first well was labeled 
 "Plmnmer's Ride to Divener," and in the 
 estimation of the Millerstown hustlers, it 
 discounted "Sheridan's Ride to Winches- 
 ter." Lee and Plummer were among the 
 few operators in the field who could quit 
 when they had a good thing. Dividing 
 their money after the sale of their lease, 
 they said good-bye to the oil field and went 
 back to New Castle, where they engaged 
 successfully in business that did not have 
 so many elements of chance. 
 
 THE producers' PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION. 
 
 The imsatisfactory condition of the oil 
 business in 1874 led to the organization of 
 producers' protective associations, and the 
 inauguration of a shut-down in the entire 
 oil field. Operations were suspended all 
 along the line and for a couple of months 
 scarcely any oil was produced. The pur- 
 poses of the movement might have been 
 carried out but for the violation of their 
 agreements on the part of some of the 
 operators who had pumping wells. Some 
 of these operated their wells at night and 
 shut them down in day time and when this 
 became known it practically broke up the 
 association. Some of the operators who 
 carried out their agreement were financial 
 losers by the operation on account of their 
 wells being flooded with water and prac- 
 tically ruined. 
 
 In 1878 another movement was made to 
 
 organize the independent producers, and 
 what was known as the Petroleum 
 Producers' Association was organized 
 throughout the entire oil field. The pur- 
 pose of this organization was to buy, sell 
 and transport crude petroleum, and for a 
 number of years it had a wide influence in 
 the oil coimtry. The association built pipe 
 lines, erected tankage and went into the 
 business of buying and selling petroleum 
 on a large scale. It built a seaboard pipe 
 line and for a number of years was ah 
 active competitor of the Standard Oil 
 Company. Branches of the association 
 were organized at Petrolia, Karns City, 
 Millerstown, and Troutman in Butler 
 County. Among the active members of the 
 Petrolia Association were George H. Gra- 
 ham and Hon. Thomas W. Hays, and the 
 promoters of the Karns City Association 
 were Alexander McDowell, A. J. Salis- 
 bury, A. W. Gordon and E. V. Rigney. 
 Each of the associations had from eighty 
 to one hundred members, all of whom were 
 extensive operators in the Butler County 
 field. 
 
 BEATING THE RAILROAD COMPANY. 
 
 The independent producers and pipe 
 line operators in the seventies often had 
 trouble in obtaining cars to ship their oil. 
 Discrimination was indulged in by the 
 Pennsylvania Railroad Company, of which 
 Andrew Carnegie was then superintendent 
 of the Allegheny Valley division. The 
 Armstrong and Butler County producers 
 who were shipping oil fi'om Brady's Bend 
 had made complaint to the railroad com- 
 pany about their treatment in the matter 
 of distributing cars for shipping oil and 
 their request liad been treated with indif- 
 ference, and in some cases ignored. The 
 oil operators of that day were men of re- 
 sources. They quietly gauged their tanks 
 and when they were full, run the oil onto 
 the ground. They then presented the bill 
 for the oil at the current market price to 
 the railroad company. The railroad com- 
 
212 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pany saw the point made by the operators, 
 settled the bills and thereafter furnished 
 cars when asked for. 
 
 The last shut-down in the oil county oc- 
 curred in 1886 at the time the Thorn Creek 
 field was at its height, and the Phillips and 
 Armstrong gushers had been spouting oil 
 at the rate of several thousand barrels per 
 day. Tlie price of crude petroleum went 
 down to $.621/0, and in the hope that a sus- 
 pension of operations and limiting the pro- 
 duction would stimulate prices, the move- 
 ment was inaugurated. The price of crude 
 petroleum dropped to $.52 in 1891 and 
 since that time it has gradually increased 
 to $1.78, which has been the price paid by 
 all the pipe line companies for the last two 
 years. 
 
 PARKER CITY. 
 
 A¥hen the advance guard of the oil army 
 reached Parker's Landing in 1869 there 
 was nothing there but a few houses, and a 
 ferry across the river. In a comparatively 
 short space of time there was a full-blown 
 city under a city charter, large business 
 blocks, banking houses, opera houses, daily 
 newspapers, an oil exchange, and Ben 
 Hogan's Floating Palace on the river 
 bank. Part of the resident portion of the 
 city extended into Butler County. Ben 
 Hogan's place was too tough for the town, 
 which was noted for its toughness, and one 
 night the guy ropes that held the palace 
 to the shore were cut with an axe and 
 Hogan, his collection of vile women, 
 gamblers, and blacklegs floated down 
 stream never to return to Parker. 
 
 The oil exchange at Parker attracted a 
 large number of speculators in oil, and it 
 was really one of the show places of oil- 
 dom. ■ Someone has said that it is as dan- 
 gerous to speculate in kerosene as it is to 
 start a fire with it. This proved true with 
 the oil exchanges, of which there were sev- 
 eral in Butler County. Many fortunes 
 were lost in the Parker Exchange and a 
 few made. George Darr was the agent 
 
 and Thomas B. Simpson was the largest 
 operator. Daniel Goettel is credited with 
 engineering the largest bull movement in 
 the history of oil at this exchange. The 
 patrons of the exchange were representa- 
 tive young men from all over the United 
 States, many of whom have since become 
 prominent in the affairs of the State and 
 Nation, and the names of some are famil- 
 iar to every liousehold in the county today. 
 Christ Ball and Henry Loomis were two 
 brokers who cleared up $60,000 in one year, 
 which was a snug fortune in the seventies. 
 A young German farmer of New York 
 State staked all his money on the market 
 one day and made $22,000. He retired to 
 New York State, bought a farm, and the 
 oil country and the oil exchange knew him 
 no more. 
 
 With the exodus to Bradford trade 
 slackened, and the Parker exchange met 
 the same fate as the boom city. The build- 
 ing was sold for ground rent, and the 
 $5,000 library was removed to Oil City. 
 Tlie expensive paintings and furniture 
 sold for a pittance and the Wall Street of 
 Parker has long since only existed in 
 memory. 
 
 THE devil's half ACRE. 
 
 What is known as the Devil's Half Acre 
 was a small lease in Penn Township owned 
 by Judge James Bredin of Butler, for 
 which there was a lively scramble by the 
 operators. When the Thorn Creek field 
 was opened up in 1884 it was discovered 
 that about a half acre of land lying on the 
 old Pittsburg Turnpike had no apparent 
 owner, and on account of this lack of own- 
 ership it was called the "Devil's Half 
 Acre." The oil developments made the 
 half acre valuable property and the oper- 
 ators began to look around for the owner. 
 It was then discovered that the piece of 
 ground had originally belonged to a tract 
 owned by Judge Bredin, and that when he 
 had sold the tract five years previous, a 
 sti-ip of ground amounting to about half 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 213 
 
 an acre had been conveyed as a right of 
 way to another tract of land that lay back 
 from the public road. In the subsequent 
 years both pieces of land had been con- 
 veyed to other parties, the half acre was 
 never used for the purpose for which it 
 was intended and the circumstances sur- 
 rounding the first sale had been forgotten. 
 Bredin received a handsome bonus for the 
 lease of the half acre, and the operators 
 were rewarded by a paying well. 
 
 Another instance of land becoming val- 
 uable that had been considered worthless 
 occurred in the Hundred-foot District in 
 Connoquenessing Township in 1889. About 
 1880 the heirs of Daniel Graham sold a 
 tract of land on Little Connoquenessing 
 Creek and when the deed was executed the 
 new purchaser discarded about fifteen 
 acres of the tract lying on the creek bot- 
 tom as being utterly worthless. The 
 ground was covered with rocks, brush and 
 rattlesnakes, and was not considered fit 
 for pasture land. The property was as- 
 sessed as vacant land and the Graham 
 heirs kept it without much thought that it 
 would ever prove valuable. The striking 
 of the gusher on the Humphrey fann and 
 the subsequent development on the Bran- 
 don and other farms brought the fifteen- 
 acre tract into prominence and a large 
 bonus was paid for the lease of the ground 
 and sevei'al large .wells were drilled on it. 
 The heirs of the Graham estate subse- 
 quently realized a neat fortune out of the 
 land that had been discarded as worthless. 
 
 "the wickedest man in- the wobld." 
 A sketch of the oil country from 1860 to 
 1890 would be considered incomplete with- 
 out mention of Ben Hogan, who flourished 
 during the palmy days of Oil Creek, Par- 
 ker and Petrolia. Nearly all of the mush- 
 room oil towns were infested with a crowd 
 of sports, gamblers, and plug-uglies who 
 stole, gambled, carroused and did their 
 best to break all the commandments at 
 once. Hapless wretches were driven to 
 
 desperation and fitted for the infernal re- 
 gions, while lust and liquor goaded men 
 to frenzy, resulting sometimes in homicide 
 or suicide. The chief of the sinners in 
 catering to this class of people was Ben 
 Hogan, who had a reputation as wide as 
 the oil fields and called himself ' ' the wick- 
 edest man in the world." Hogan had been 
 a prize fighter on land and a pirate on the 
 seas, a bounty jumper and a blockade run- 
 ner during the Civil War, and for one of 
 his crimes had been sentenced to death. 
 He was pardoned by President Abraham 
 Lincoln, and in the summer of 1865 he 
 came to Oil Creek and ran a variety show 
 at Pithole. His companion and mistress 
 was "French Kate," who was said to be a 
 Confederate spy during the days of the 
 Civil War, and a leacier of the demi-monde 
 of Washington City. The character of the 
 place that the pair ran at Pithole was so 
 malodorous that the authorities drove 
 them out of the county, and they were next 
 heard of at Parker in 1872, where Hogan 
 built what was known as the "Floating 
 Palace." This palace was built on boats 
 and anchored on the Allegheny River 
 bank, and was consequently out of the 
 jurisdiction of the local authorities. He 
 ran a dance hall, sold whiskey, and made 
 himself so generally obnoxious that he was 
 forced to leave, and in the winter of 1873, 
 he came to Petrolia, where he opened an 
 opera house and conducted a gilded palace 
 of sin known as " Hogan 's Castle." Ho- 
 gan put on airs, dressed in a loud style and 
 would have been elected burgess of the 
 town but it is said that the election board 
 counted him out. The "castle" became so 
 notorious that a newspaper took up the 
 cudgel against Hogan and forced him to 
 leave Petrolia. From Petrolia he went 
 west and there engaged in some swindle, 
 after which, in 1875, he returned to the oil 
 region and followed his old occupation at 
 Elk City, Bullion, Tarport and Bradford. 
 His residence was of short duration in all 
 of these places, but he met with financial 
 
214 
 
 IISTOiiY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 success and was about to depart for Paris 
 when lie met in New Yorlc City tlie con- 
 verted drunkard, Charles Sawyer, ilogan 
 was deeply impressed with Sawyer's 
 preaching and became convevted. He 
 signed the pledge, quit drinking and from 
 that time until his death he devoted all of 
 his time to evangelistic work and in trying 
 to offset as far as possible his former mis- 
 deeds. 
 
 After Hogan's conversion he married 
 "French Kate," who also professed re- 
 ligion at the time, but it didn't have any 
 very lasting effect with her as she eloped 
 ■with a tough a couple of years later. 
 Evangelist Moody met Hogan and advised 
 him to go into the Evangelistic work. Ho- 
 gan traversed the oil country, visiting all 
 the towns where he had formerly conduct- 
 ed his dens of vice, and conducted evange- 
 listic meetings at which he told of his con- 
 version and his desire to lead a better life. 
 He visited Butler in 1893 and held several 
 large meetings in the old opera house. 
 When Hogan came to the oil country in 
 1865 it is said that he could not read nor 
 write, and that all the education he ever 
 had was given him by "French Kate." 
 He made good his promises to Evangelist 
 Moody and so far as is known he led a 
 consistent Christian life for many years 
 previous to his death. 
 
 THE AGEAEI.4N TROUBLE AT RE>'FEEW. 
 
 A lease fight that attracted general at- 
 tention all over the country and obtained 
 almost national notoriety by publication 
 in the newspapers occurred at Renfrew in 
 the Bald Ridge district in 1883. David A. 
 Renfrew had leased a tract of land in Penn 
 Township south of the Connoquenessing 
 Creek and west of the Meridian road to the 
 Bald Ridge Oil Company. The oil com- 
 pany subsequently sold the lease to Sim- 
 cox and Myers. The surveyors employed 
 to run the lines of the lease discovered a 
 strip of land containing about six acres 
 which was not described in the titles to anv 
 
 of the adjoining tracts. The six-acre strip 
 immediately became the subject of conten- 
 tion, three parties claiming the land. 
 David A. Renfrew claimed it by right of 
 l)urchase, Charles C. Sullivan of Butler 
 claiuied a part of it, having secured a pat- 
 ent from the state, and the third claimants 
 were the heirs of William Purviance, .who 
 had surveyed and owned the original 
 tract. The Purviance heirs were repre- 
 sented by Miss Elizabeth Purviance, J. F. 
 Purviance, Miss S. S. Purviance, H. C. 
 T'urviance, W. A. Purviance and B. F. 
 I'urvianee. The Purviance family had 
 taken possession of the tract and were liv- 
 ing in a building that had been erected on 
 the premises. The other claimants to the 
 title entered a suit of ejectment and the 
 Purviances were ordered to vacate, which 
 they refused to do. Simcox and Mj^ers 
 demanded pdsscssitm of the lease, which 
 was icruscil lluMii. and they called on Ren- 
 frew to assist in dispossessing the tenants 
 of the property. One morning a posse 
 composed of David A. Renfrew, John Ren- 
 frew, Edward Alshouse, Porter Phipps, 
 J. J. Myers, Hugh Strawick, A. A. Dickey, 
 F. Stroup, Simeon Phipps, James Ross, 
 John Renfrew, Grant Anderson, Samuel 
 Ross and Charles Ileeter, went to the lease 
 to dispossess the tenants who were then 
 holding possession. The Pui'viances had 
 prepared for trouble, barricaded the doors 
 of the house, and offered a strong resist- 
 ance to the posse. The posse battered 
 down the doors of the building, overpow- 
 ered the inmates, and by force of numbers 
 carried them off' the premises. Among the 
 inmates of the house were Miss Elizabeth 
 and Miss S. S. Purviance, who were 
 roughly handled in the process of eviction. 
 Criminal suits followed in which the men 
 engaged by Renfrew in evicting the ten- 
 ants were indicted for riot and assault and 
 battery, and cross-suits were instituted 
 against various members of the Purviance 
 family. The litigation was also carried on 
 in the civil courts in the form of ejectment 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 215 
 
 suits, but the Purvianee family lost tlieir 
 claim to the six acres, which proved to be 
 one of the most valuable oil leases in that 
 part of the Bald Ridge district. 
 
 The proceedings at the time the evic- 
 tion was made developed into a riot and 
 was the most exciting agrarian trouble 
 since the Maxwell affair in 1815 mentioned 
 in another chapter. 
 
 Wilson's ikon dkreick. 
 
 The idea of substituting iron for wood 
 in building oil derricks has been attempted 
 several times, but was never successfully 
 carried out until the latter part of the 
 nineties, when Amos C. Wilson, of Butler, 
 secured a patent for building derricks 
 from sections of pipe. The legs of the der- 
 rick were fitted into metal sockets and so 
 arranged that the pieces could be easily 
 put together and taken apart and the 
 braces and girders were made of the same 
 material. Wilson erected one of his der- 
 ricks on a lot near the Walter's Mill in 
 Butler and drilled a well with it, and sev- 
 eral other tests were made of the derrick 
 in the Pennsylvania oil fields, but they 
 never became popular, and Wilson finally 
 abandoned his plan of placing his inven- 
 tion on the market. 
 
 FORTUNES THAT WERE MISSED. 
 
 No story of missed fortunes in the oil 
 country is more interesting than that of 
 the Lambing brothers, who were among 
 the heavy operators that followed the in- 
 land developments from Parker's Land- 
 ing in the early part of the seventies. They 
 drilled the famous Campbell gas well and 
 in 1872 owned leases on 16,000 acres of 
 land in Concord, Fairview and Parker 
 Townships, and had drilled the Ralston 
 Mill well in Concord Township. When the 
 Ralston well was completed it filled up 
 with water and there were no indications 
 of oil. The well stood in that condition 
 for about twenty months when the casing- 
 was purchased by Kittanning parties. In 
 
 the meantime there had been a decline in 
 the price of crude oil, the Lambing broth- 
 ers had became financially embarrassed 
 along with many other producers and had 
 given up their leases. When the workmen 
 undertook to pull the casing out of the 
 Ralston well they discovered after they 
 had pulled up about half of it that two or 
 three sections were split. This suggested 
 that the water had not been cased off, and 
 that probably the well was good for some 
 oil if it were properly cased. The new 
 owner skirmished around and got new 
 pieces of casing to replace the sj^lit sec- 
 tions and re-cased the well. The water 
 was then bailed out and to the surprise of 
 everybody concerned, the well made 120 
 barrels a day. Had the Lambing brothers 
 discovered the split casing when the well 
 was drilled, their holdings would have 
 been worth a million dollars to tliem. 
 
 THE LAWYER PUMPER. 
 
 One of the notable characters that came 
 to the Millerstown field in 1873 was M. 
 Augustus Perry. Perry was a New Eng- 
 lander by birth, and in the early days of 
 the Oil Creek excitement had come to 
 Titusville with $1,100,000.00. Along with 
 other capitalists from the east he engaged 
 in producing and speculating and event- 
 ually lost his entire fortune, and at the 
 time mentioned he was pumping on the 
 Shreve well for $2.50 a day. Perry was a 
 man of education, a lawyer by profession, 
 and had exceedingly fine literary tastes. 
 He still had faith in his lucky star and was 
 looking forward to the day when he would 
 regain his lost fortune. 
 
 R. B. TAYLOR AND DAN WULLER. 
 
 An instance of how fortunes are some- 
 times made in the oil fields occurred in the 
 Hundred-foot District in Connoquenessing 
 Township in 1889. R. B. Taylor of Butler, 
 who was a well known contractor and 
 builder, had secured a lease on the Daniel 
 C;il)le farm on Little Connoquenessing 
 
216 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Creek. When he attempted to organize a 
 company to drill on the lease he met with 
 many discouragements from old operators 
 who had no faith in the location of the 
 lease. Taylor finally drilled the well him- 
 self, with the exception of a one-eighth 
 interest that was carried by another party, 
 and struck a gusher that flowed over 500 
 barrels a day. After the well had pro- 
 duced enough of oil to pay the expenses 
 of the lease and the drilling, Taylor sold 
 out for $90,000. 
 
 Another instance occurred in the Coop- 
 erstown field in 189.3. Daniel Wuller of 
 Butler was a well known druggist and at 
 that time was operating some in the local 
 oil fields. One night he had been out with 
 some good fellows and the next morning 
 he awoke with a queer feeling in his head 
 and a faint recollection of the proceedings 
 of the evening before. When he balanced 
 his cash he found that he had paid $250 
 for a lease in the Cooperstown field and 
 that the fellows who sold him the lease 
 were spending his money and enjoying a 
 hearty laugh over the manner in which 
 they had done up the druggist. The lease 
 was considered "no good," and when 
 Wuller attempted to form a company to 
 drill it he was laughed at. He decided 
 to turn the tables ou the practical jokers 
 and proceeded to drill a well himself. The 
 first well came in good and others followed, 
 and in the course of a few months Wuller 
 sold out at a clean profit of $50,000. 
 
 THE "spotty" M 'bride WELL. 
 
 The decline of the Speechley field in 
 Washington and Concord Townships was 
 followed by the usual crop of predictions 
 that Butler County had produced her last 
 oil pool, and that the shades of oblivion 
 would soon cover the entire district. In 
 the winter of 1904-5 Isaac L. (Spotty) 
 McBride leased a block of 215 acres of 
 land in the southwestern section of Butler 
 Township about three miles from Butler, 
 and located a well on the 0. K. Waldron 
 
 farm. After much hard labor and many 
 disappointments he formed a partnership 
 with P. F. MeCool, Harry Hinchberger, 
 and Mike Finnegan, and let the contract 
 for the drilling of the well. McBride had 
 been in the oil country for over thirty 
 years and had more than the usual run of 
 bad luck. He had drilled numerous dry 
 holes, and when he undertook the drilling 
 of the well on the Waldron farm he was 
 obliged to work on the well as a driller in 
 order to carry his one-fourth interest. 
 The well was completed May 9, 1905, and 
 began to flow at the rate of 2,500 barrels 
 per day. It was by all odds the largest 
 well struck since the days of Thorn Creek, 
 and " Spotty 's" fortune was made. A 
 mad scramble for leases followed the 
 striking of the well, and fancy prices were 
 paid. The Simon Barrickman farm of 
 forty acres was leased for $11,000 and the 
 eighth royalty. Two thousand dollars 
 were paid for twenty acres of the Samuel 
 Schlagel farm, and $10,000 for the Ihmsen 
 farm, while equally as fancy prices were 
 paid for other farms in the vicinity. 
 After the McBride well had flowed about 
 30,000 barrels of oil the owner sold the 
 property for $200,000. Spotty 's one- 
 quarter interest represented a neat profit 
 of a little more than $50,000, and he is 
 now living on "Easy Street." 
 
 The McBride pool proved to be a freak 
 of the first water. Other wells were 
 drilled but all of them turned out to be 
 small producers and the entire field was 
 a money loser to nearly every one but the 
 owners of the first well. 
 
 In May, 1908, Harry N. Hoffman, a 
 pumper for the Southern Oil Company in 
 Penn Township, secured a ten-acre lease 
 on the Dodds farm, on which he proposed 
 to drill a well. About twenty-two years 
 ago an operator named Jones had obtained 
 a lease on the same piece of land and 
 erected a derrick. Before the drill was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 217 
 
 started a dry well or two had been drilled 
 in the neighborhood, and Jones concluded 
 that his was a losing chance. He accord- 
 ingly gave up his lease and sold the rig 
 without drilling. Hoffman knew about the 
 location and always had faith in it. When 
 he secured his lease and started to drill 
 he had to give up his job with the oil 
 company, and when he tried to get finan- 
 cial backing he was met with polite re- 
 fusals and some few intimations that he 
 was crazy to drill on the location that he 
 had solicited. Nothing daunted, he mort- 
 gaged his home for all it would carry, bor- 
 rowed all the money he could get from 
 other sources to pay the contractors, and 
 on the day that the well reached the top 
 of the sand he stood to lose every penny 
 he had saved in twenty-five or thirty years' 
 work or make a fortune. When the driller 
 started to run the last bit, the hole was 
 apparently as dry as the proverbial "pow- 
 der horn." Hoffman was sitting on the 
 anvil in the derrick watching the tools de- 
 scend their hole, and remarked to the 
 drilling crew, "Well, boys, I am all in." 
 "Never say die until the last bit has been 
 drilled," replied the driller, who really 
 felt sorry for Hoffman. Sure enough, 
 when the bit came up in the course of an 
 hour it was dripping with grease, and be- 
 fore the day was over the Hoft'man No. 1 
 was flowing at the rate of 250 barrels a 
 day. The Hoffman well opened an ex- 
 tensive pool in Penn Township which has 
 produced a number of wells in the 100- 
 barrel class, but none of the wells have 
 equalled the first gusher. Hoffman was 
 offered $30,000 for a half interest in the 
 well ten days after it was struck, but re- 
 fused to sell. He drilled other wells on 
 his lease and is on the high road to for- 
 tune. The striking of the gusher caused a 
 scramble for leases and high prices were 
 paid for land in the immediate vicinity of 
 the well. 
 
 OIL COUNTRY HONOR. 
 
 Much has been written and said about 
 
 the code of honor among oil men in the 
 oil country twenty-five or thirty years ago. 
 An instance occurred in connection with 
 the Hoffman well which brings the sub- 
 ject down to the present date. Newton 
 Maharg owns a fann adjoining the Hoff- 
 man lease on the Dodds tract. When 
 Hoffman started to drill his well he went 
 to Maharg and asked him for a ten-acre 
 lease to protect his well. Maharg had no 
 faith in the venture, and refused the lease, 
 but not wishing to discourage Hoffman, he 
 said, "Go ahead with your drilling, and 
 if you get a well I will give you a ten-acre 
 lease for nothing, and all I will ask is the 
 usual royalty." Hoffman took Maharg at 
 his word, and when the gusher came in 
 he went after the lease and got it, although 
 it would have been several thousand dol- 
 lars to Maharg 's advantage to go back on 
 his word. The land surrounding the two 
 leases sold as high as $200 an acre, and 
 Maharg could have easily received the 
 top price for the asking. 
 
 THE OIL men's outing ASSOCIATION. 
 
 Tlie Oil Men's Outing Association had 
 its inception in 1886, when the employes 
 of the National Transit Company and 
 their friends held a picnic at Slippery 
 Rock Park on the Bessemer Railroad. 
 The affair was such a pronounced success 
 that it was decided to hold an outing every 
 year and include all the oil men and their 
 friends in the entire oil field. The place of 
 liolding the annual outing was changed to 
 Conneaut Lake, and a permanent organ- 
 ization was effected. One of the features 
 is the publication of the Oil and Gas Mag- 
 azine which is devoted to oil region 
 reminiscences, and contains much valuable 
 information about the oil business. The 
 officers of the association in 1908 were 
 J. W. McKee, president ; Hon. E. L. Was- 
 son, vice-president; C. R. Watson, secre- 
 taiy and treasurer; Charles H. Olliver, 
 chairman of the executive committee, with 
 the following active members of the com- 
 
218 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 mittee: William M. Starr, Samuel C. 
 Redic, Z. P. Lauffer, J. K. Wood, M. M. 
 MeKinney, H. A. Evans, and Dr. W. R. 
 Cowden. 
 
 The production of Pennsylvania crude 
 petroleum in 1859 was 1,873 barrels. In 
 1860 it was 547,439 barrels, and the high- 
 water mark in production was reached in 
 1891, when 35,742,152 barrels were pro- 
 duced. 
 
 The lowest monthly average price of 
 crude petroleum in 1859 was $20 per bar- 
 rel. It dropped to $2.75 in 1860 and to 
 $.10 in 1861 and 1862. The $4 mark was 
 reached in 1864 and the average price for 
 the year was $9,871/2. The highest monthly 
 average for the same year was $12,121/^. 
 In 1874 the price declined to $.55 and the 
 production was 11,000,000 barrels. The 
 steady decline in the price of crude oil 
 caused financial disasters in the oil coim- 
 try, and Butler County suffered along 
 with the others. It has been said that dur- 
 ing the period of depression that over 
 2,000 executions were issued by the sher- 
 iffs in the oil country, and this county had 
 its proportionate share. 
 
 PRICES OF CRUDE OIL. 
 
 The average price of pipe line certifi- 
 cates of Pennsylvania crude petroleum as 
 well as the price in January of each year, 
 is given below : 
 
 Price in Yearly 
 
 Year. .Tanuarv. average. 
 
 1860 $19.25 ' $9.59 
 
 1861 l.OU .49 
 
 1862 10 1.05 
 
 1863 2.25 3.15 
 
 1864 4.00 8.06 
 
 1865 8.25 6.59 
 
 1866 4.50 3.74 
 
 1867 1.87'.. 2.41 
 
 1868 1.95 3 621/. 
 
 1869 .5.75 5.631A 
 
 1870 4.521/0 3,86' 
 
 1871 3.821/, 4..S4 
 
 1872 4.021/.. 3.64 
 
 1873 2.60 1.83 
 
 1874 1.20 1.17 
 
 1875 1.03 1.35 
 
 1876 1.80 2.5614 
 
 1877 3.53 ^^ -.42 
 
 1878 1.43 1.19 
 
 1879 1.03 .85% 
 
 1880 1.10% .941/2 
 
 1881 95y2 .85% 
 
 1882 83% .78% 
 
 1883 ' 93% 1.05% 
 
 1884 1.11 .83% 
 
 1885....; 70ys .87y8 
 
 1886 88% .7114' 
 
 1887 *. 70 .66% 
 
 1888 9114 87% 
 
 1889 86% .94% 
 
 1890. 1.05% .86% 
 
 1891 7414 67 
 
 1892 62%' ..55% 
 
 1893 .53% 64 
 
 1894 79% .83% 
 
 1895 99 1.35% 
 
 1896 1.42-% 1.17% 
 
 1897 88 .75% 
 
 1898 65 .91% 
 
 1899 1.17 1.29% 
 
 1900 1.66% 1.35% 
 
 1901 1.19% 1.21 
 
 1902 1.15 1.23% 
 
 1903 .' 1.52% 1.59 
 
 Since 1904 there was a steady advance 
 until March 9, 1907, when the price of 
 credit balances was quoted at $1.78. There 
 has been no change since. 
 
 A DISASTROUS FIRE. 
 
 The first disastrous fire in the oil region 
 occurred at the Merrick well near Rouse- 
 ville, April 17, 1861, at which forty-two 
 men were more or less seriously burned, 
 nineteen died from their injuries, and two 
 were incinerated on the scene of the fire. 
 One of the victims of the tragedy was 
 Henry R. Rouse, one of the pioneer oil 
 operators of that region, and the man for 
 whom Rouseville in- Venango County is 
 named. The ]\lerrick well had been drilled 
 in on the day of the fire, and started to 
 flow at the rate of two thousand barrels a 
 day. Two or three hundred people had 
 gathered around the well to watch it flow, 
 when suddenly there was a tremendous 
 explosion. The oil and gas took fire and 
 those who were able to get away from the 
 place fled for their lives. Among the vic- 
 tims were two strange men who had come 
 that day from Oil City, each carrying a 
 valise. They were among the missing, and 
 when the fire was under control their 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 219 
 
 charred bodies were found near the well. 
 Who they were has never been learned. 
 Among the nineteen who were fatally 
 burned was James Walker, of Butler 
 County, and among the list of injured 
 were Levi Walker and John Glass, both 
 of Butler County. 
 
 THOMAS W. PHILLIPS. 
 
 Tlie development of the oil field of But- 
 ler County and the oil business generally 
 in western Pennsylvania owes more to 
 Hon. Thomas W. Phillips than any other 
 man living or dead, since the beginning 
 of oil operations in 1859. Mr. Phillips is 
 a native of Lawrence County and a resi- 
 dent of New Castle, and much of his suc- 
 cess and prominence in the development of 
 the oil field have been attained in Butler 
 County. Mr. Phillips went to Oil Creek 
 early in the sixties in partnershixi with his 
 brother Isaac, followed the developments 
 down the river to Parker and thence into 
 Butler County, and in 1873 the Phillips 
 Brothers were among the large producers 
 in the Parker and Troutman field. When 
 the financial panic struck the country in 
 1873 the Phillips Brothers met with finan- 
 cial reverses which threatened them in 
 bankruptcy. At that time they owed about 
 $800,000, and they had about $2,000,000 qf 
 property throughout the oil country which 
 would have been sold at a sacrifice, but the 
 creditors at a meeting held in Parker City 
 decided to give the two brothers ten years' 
 time in which to pay their obligation, and 
 appointed them trustees to take charge of 
 the estate. A situation which would have 
 appalled less courageous men only served 
 to bring out their strong character, and 
 with magnificent energy they launched into 
 oil-producing on a vast scale on a plan 
 which was originated by Thomas W. 
 Phillips, and in the short term of fifteen 
 years the entire indebtedness of $800,000 
 was paid off. In the meantime, Isaac 
 Phillips had died and the greater part of 
 
 the burden fell on the aurviving brother. 
 When the exodus of oil men to Bradford 
 began, Thomas W. Phillips remained in 
 Butler County and gave his attention to 
 the development of the Thorn Creek field, ' 
 Glade Run and Thorn Creek extension, 
 and it was in these fields that he had made 
 the money to pay the losses of 1873. He 
 not only paid his indebtedness, but ac- 
 cumulated a handsome fortune in addition 
 and established the business now being 
 conducted by the Phillips Gas and Oil 
 Company. Mr. Phillips had been inter- 
 ested in every movement for the protec- 
 tion or improvement of the producing in- 
 dustry, and the producers and operators 
 of western Pennsylvania owe him a debt 
 of gratitude for his watchful care in 
 thwarting hostile legislation. When the 
 movement was undertaken to limit the pro- 
 duction and thus reduce the excessive 
 stock of oil on hand, Mr. Phillips refused 
 to curtail operations until a satisfactory 
 provision, which he proposed, was made 
 to compensate and protect the labor en- 
 gaged in the industry by setting aside 
 •2,000,000 barrels of oil for its benefit. 
 
 Mr. Philli|is came into public life promi- 
 nently in 1880, during the Garfield cam- 
 })aign. He conceived and planned the 
 Republican text book of that campaign, 
 tlie first ever published, and was its finan- 
 cial backer. His work in this campaign 
 brought him into prominence in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and in the subsequent contest in the 
 legislature for United States Senator he 
 i-epeatedly i-eceived votes in the open con- 
 vention of both Houses. In the fall of 
 1890, owing to the dissatisfaction existing 
 in the Republican party over the manner 
 in which the successful candidate for Con- 
 gress obtained his nomination, Mr. Phillips 
 was prevailed upon to be an independent 
 candidate and nominated at a convention 
 of representatives of the district held at 
 Harmony. He was defeated at the fall 
 election, but he ran such a large vote that 
 he received the party nomination in 1892 
 
220 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and was elected* by the largest majority 
 ever given in the Twenty-fifth District, 
 which was then composed of Beaver, But- 
 ler, Lawrence and Mercer Counties. Mr. 
 Phillips was reelected in 1894, and in 1896 
 declined a nomination to give his time to 
 the labor commission of which he was then 
 a member. While a member of the House, 
 Mr. Phillips was a member of the Commit- 
 tee on Labor, and also that on Merchant 
 Marine and Fisheries. In the extra session 
 of the Fifty-third Congress he introduced 
 a bill for the free coinage of silver based 
 on the natural law of supply and demand, 
 believing that there has been no sensible 
 silver legislation since the Rebellion. This 
 bill was favorably commented on by the 
 
 press and men of recognized financial abil- 
 ity. At the second session of the Fifty- 
 third Congress he introduced the bill 
 authorizing the appointment of a non-par- 
 tisan commission to collate information on 
 the labor and industrial problems and was 
 made a member of the commission which 
 afterwards performed valuable services. 
 Although past three score years and ten, 
 Mr. Phillips takes an active interest in the 
 affairs of the company which bears his 
 name, and in 1908 he represented his dis- 
 trict in the Republican national convention 
 at Chicago, and was one of the three dele- 
 gates from Pennsylvania who voted for 
 Roosevelt on the first and only ballot 
 taken. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 BENCH AND BAR 
 
 Early Court Officials — Early Courts — Origin of "Buckwheat County" — First Quarter 
 Sessions Court — Civil Cases and Other Court Business — Division of Townships — 
 Cattle Marks — The Court in 1805-06 — Contempt of Court Case — Probate Court 
 Created — McJunkin-Halleck Tragedy — Court Dockets Written Up — Bredin Ap- 
 pointed Judge — Mohawk Murder Trial — Election of Judges — The Nellis Murder — 
 Duff Trial — Constable Ferguson Killed — Court of 1853 — Election of McGuffin — 
 Cooper Murder Trial — Addlington Murder Trial — Hockenbury Trial — Schugart- 
 Martin Trials — Constitution of 1873 — Judicial Contest of 1884 — Arrest of Coun- 
 terfeiters — Harbison-Monks Baby Case — Lee Murder Trial — Easier Murder — Jur- 
 dicial Contest of 1893 — Election of 1902— Catherine Miller Case — McGrady Trial — 
 The Hoffman Case — Ground Hog Case — The Kreditch Murder — McLaughlin- 
 Hemphill Tragedy — The Schmidt Murder — The Bennett Riot — The Bench; Bio- 
 graphical Notice — The Bar — Biographical Notice — The Butler Bar in 1908. 
 
 For some time after the erection of But- 
 ler County the legal affairs of the dis- 
 trict were administered by the courts and 
 the attorneys of Pittsburg, Butler County 
 being attached to Allegheny County, for 
 administrative purposes and composing a 
 part of the Fifth judicial district. Since 
 the beginning of the administration of jus- 
 tice in the county, many men have sat on 
 the bench, and many more have appeared 
 as attorneys at the bar and as prosecutors 
 and defenders in a long list of cases that 
 go to make up the civil and criminal docket 
 of her courts. The early judges and attor- 
 neys compare favorably with the bench 
 and bar of today in point of learning and 
 ability. The early judges were usually 
 men of education, dignified, courteous, and 
 always gentlemen. The reading of law 
 books was limited and as their libraries 
 
 were usually small, they were unable to 
 draw the nice distinctions which enter into 
 the mysteries of the practice of the profes- 
 sion today. In the absence of law and 
 precedent they fell back on their common 
 sense, which is the basis of all law, and 
 the records made by these early jurists are 
 bright lights in the history of the country. 
 The early lawyer was handicapped in 
 the same manner as the jurist, and it was 
 his custom to find a principle to fit the 
 case, or a precedent, and failing in either 
 to rely on impassioned eloquence to con- 
 vince the jury, more susceptible then than 
 now to the almost irresistible influence of 
 magnetic oratory. Politics and the law 
 were closely allied in those days and the 
 early lawyers were good speakers on the 
 stump as well as eloquent advocates before 
 the bar, and when they assembled at the 
 
222 
 
 HISTORY OB^ BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 county seats their tilts in. court, and out, 
 were listened to with admiration by their 
 friends. They were usually a hard-worked 
 set of men. Until the advent of the stage- 
 coach they were compelled to ride the cir- 
 cuits on horseback, journeying from 
 county to county as their duties called 
 them, undergoing many hardshijjs and 
 oftentimes in danger. The lawyer was 
 usually his own clerk and he was com- 
 pelled to write out his briefs in longhand, 
 with a goose-quill pen, and oftentimes dur- 
 ing the session of the court, s^Dent the en- 
 tire night in preparation of legal papers 
 and documents, wliicli are today turned 
 over to the skillful stenographer and type- 
 writer. There were no printed blanks in 
 those days and all forms of legal pajDers, 
 documents, deeds and conveyances, had to 
 be written with the pen and involved an 
 immense amoimt of labor. 
 
 As might be exjDected from their sur- 
 roundings, the lawyers of the early day 
 were men of intellect, self-reliance, and 
 marked individuality, and filled with the 
 idea of being leaders among their fellow 
 men. In fact, the early lawyer was always 
 a politician and he was compelled to take 
 an active part in the political affairs of 
 his district. Butler County produced her 
 share of this class of men among her 
 pioneers, as witness the names of Col. 
 John Purviance, Gen. William Ayers, 
 Samuel A. Purviance, John Nelson Pur- 
 viance, Samuel A. Gilmore, George W. 
 Smith, Charles Craven Sullivan, and 
 others who were prominent in the county 
 in the first fifty years of her existence. 
 
 The forties and fifties produced another 
 set of men who were prominent in state and 
 national affairs and who took a leading 
 rank among the legal profession of the 
 state, in the latter half of the century. The 
 names of Hon. Ebenezer McJunkin, Louis 
 Z. Mitchell, Hon. Charles McCandless, and 
 Col. John M. Thompson form a galaxy 
 that had few equals and no superiors in 
 the courts of western Pennsylvania. 
 
 EAKLY SHERIFFS OF THE COUNTY. 
 
 The early officials of Butler County were 
 a self-reliant lot of men of vigorous body 
 and mind, and trained to the hardships of 
 a frontier and backwoods life. They had 
 a rough set of men to deal with, as is 
 shown in Brackenridge's narrative, but 
 they had the physical ability to cope with 
 the emergencies. John McCandless, the 
 first sheriff of the county, was said 
 to be a man without fear, and it was some- 
 thing unusual for the sheriff or the deputy 
 to carry arms. 
 
 James McKee, who was the fifth sheriff 
 of the county, never carried a weapon or 
 a pair of handcuffs. 
 
 James Gilmore Campbell, who was sher- 
 iff of Butler County in 1843, was a man of 
 great physical strength and undoubted 
 loyalty to his country. On one occasion a 
 stranger who was visiting in the town was 
 discussing politics in front of the old court 
 house with a party of men and took occa- 
 sion to express his disgust for the Repub- 
 lican form of government, and his prefer- 
 ence for the government of England. 
 Campbell promptly knocked him down, 
 and then informed him that if he wished 
 to express tory opinions the best place for 
 him was across the Canadian line, where 
 he had come from. 
 
 One of the sheriffs in the fifties, it is 
 said, was deficient in education, and think- 
 ing that he would please the court he al- 
 ways attempted to write his official returns 
 in the Latin terms used in court practice. 
 During one of the sessions of coui't pre- 
 sided over by Judge McGuffin, the court 
 issued a process for the arrest of a witness 
 who had failed to_ answer a subpoena. The 
 papers were placed in the hands of the 
 sheriff and the party was traced to Muddy 
 Creek Valley, whei*e the sheriff found him 
 sitting on a stump, in the midst of a 
 swamp. The swamp had overflow^ed with 
 water and there was no way of getting at 
 the fugitive except by a boat. The sheriff 
 returned to Butler and made a return of 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 223 
 
 the writ on the back of which he made the 
 following endorsement to the effect that 
 the party named in the writ was "In 
 swampmn, up stumpum, non-est-cuma- 
 tum." This return convulsed the court 
 and the members of the bar, but Judge 
 McGuffin gravely received it and dis- 
 charged the sheriff from further duties in 
 the case. 
 
 EARLY COURTS OF THE COUNTY. 
 
 The first Court of Common Pleas and 
 Quarter Sessions held in Butler County, 
 under the Act of April 2, 1802, was pre- 
 sided over by Hon. Jesse Moore, who was 
 a fine specimen of judicial dignity and a 
 great stickler for the observance of court 
 rules. Judge Moore was a gentleman of 
 the colonial pattern, mild, faithful and 
 firm, who administered justice for justice 
 sake. He had a high sense of the dignity 
 to be observed among the members of the 
 bar outside, as well as in the court room, 
 which, however, was often upset bj^ the fim 
 loving attorneys. 
 
 Henry M. Braekenridge, who came to 
 Butler from Pittsburg in 1803, as clerk to 
 Gen. William Ayres, the first prothonotary 
 of the county, and who was also one of the 
 early members of the Butler County bar, 
 being admitted to practice in 1815, in his 
 "Recollections of the West," thus de- 
 scribes in part the first court held in But- 
 ler: 
 
 "The first court held in Butler drew the 
 whole population to the town, some on ac- 
 count of business, some to make business, 
 but the greater part from idle curiosity. 
 They were at that time chiefly Irish, who 
 had all the characteristics of the nation. 
 A log cabin, just raised and covered, but 
 without windows, sash or doors or daubing, 
 was prepared for the hall of justice. A 
 carpenter's bench, with three chairs upon 
 it, was the judge's seat. The bar of Pitts- 
 burg attended, and the presiding judge, a 
 stiff, formal and pedantic old bachelor, 
 
 took his seat, supported by two associate 
 judges, who were common farmers, one of 
 whom was blind of an eye. The hall was 
 barely sufficient to contain the bench, bar, 
 jurors and constables. But few of the 
 spectators could be accommodated on the 
 lower floor, the only one yet laid; many, 
 therefore, clambered up the walls, and 
 placing their hands and feet in the open 
 interstices, between the logs, hung there 
 suspended like so many enormous Mada- 
 gascar bats." * * * 
 
 John McQuistion Smith, who was born 
 in Butler Borough in 1828, and is now 
 probably the oldest living native born citi- 
 zen of the town, has an excellent recollec- 
 tion of people and events previous to 1850. 
 He says that the log cabin above mentioned 
 stood on east Diamond Street on the site 
 of the Nixon Hotel. As he remembers the 
 building, it was a two-story log affair, with 
 a hall-way through the middle. This build- 
 ing was used as a court house until the 
 first court house was built. A pig-pen, be- 
 longing to a man named Bowen, which 
 stood on the same lot about where the 
 residence of Clarence Walker now stands, 
 was on the occasion of this court used as a 
 temporary jail. Mr. Smith dug the foun- 
 dation for the Walker house in 1851, and 
 he remembers tearing up the foundation 
 of an old pig-pen that stood in the alley. 
 The first actual jail erected in Butler was 
 a log building that stood on the corner of 
 the Vogeley Alley and South Washington 
 Street, on the ground now occupied by the 
 residence of Mrs. Shultz. 
 
 ORIGIN OF "the buckwheat COUNTY." 
 
 The early attorneys who came here from 
 Pittsburg to attend upon the sessions of 
 the court were much given to telling stories 
 and cracking jests about the poverty of 
 Butler County and her people. It was 
 these same lawyers who, in later years, 
 when the Butler Hotel tables added to their 
 bills of fare the toothsome buckwheat cake, 
 
224 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 conferred upon Butlei' County the title of 
 "the Buckwheat Comity," which name has 
 been perpetuated up to the present time. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST QUARTER SESSIONS 
 COURT. 
 
 The first record of the Court of Quarter 
 Session is dated February 13, 1804. The 
 commission of Hon. Jesse Moore as presi- 
 dent judge of the Court of Common Pleas 
 of the counties of Butler, Beaver, Mercer, 
 Crawford, and Erie, was read, as well as 
 those issued to Samuel Findley and John 
 Parker as associate judges of Butler Coun- 
 ty. The following attorneys were then ad- 
 mitted to practice for the courts, on mo- 
 tion of Steel Semple, William Irwine, Alex- 
 ander W. Foster, William Wilkins, Isaac 
 Mason, Henry Haslett, Thomas Collins, 
 Henry Baldwin, Cunningham S. Semple, 
 John Gilmore and James Mountain. Steel 
 Semple was then admitted upon motion of 
 Thomas Collins. On February 14, Joseph 
 Shannon was enrolled as a member of this 
 bar, and William Nellis and William Mc- 
 Donald were appointed constables. 
 
 FIRST GRAND JURY. 
 
 The first grand jury empannelled in the 
 county was at the May Session of court, 
 1804, at which the same judges presided. 
 From the number of indictments for as- 
 sault found at this term, it is inferred that 
 the pioneers of Butler County were im- 
 bued with the same spirit of combat that 
 is found among the foreign element in 
 Lyndora in 1908. 
 
 CIVIL CASES TRIED. 
 
 The first civil case tried in the county 
 was that of Sturgeon's lessee and Robert 
 Willowby vs. Thompson. The suit was 
 for possession of four hundred acres of 
 land, the outcome being the confession of 
 "lease, entry and ouster," plaintiff suf- 
 fering non-suit and jury paid by William 
 Ayres. This case was tried at the May 
 term, 1804, before Judge Moore and his 
 
 associates. On May 19th a "deed poll" 
 was acknowledged from John McCandless, 
 sheritf, to the president and directors of 
 the bank of North America for twenty 
 tracts of land in this county. 
 
 TAVERN LICENSES GRANTED. 
 
 The granting of tavern licenses seems to 
 have been one of the duties imposed on the 
 early Courts of the county. At the May 
 Session, 1804, John Moser, Robert Gra- 
 ham, George Bowers, and William Brown, 
 of the town of Butler, and Guy Hilliard, 
 Robert Boggs and Matthew White, of Con- 
 noquenessing Township were recom- 
 mended to the court as proper persons to 
 keep tavern and licenses were ordered to 
 be issued to them. As the population of 
 the town of Butler in 1804 was less than 
 five hundred, the number of licenses grant- 
 ed to hotel keepers would appear to be ex- 
 cessive under present conditions. In Au- 
 gust of the same year tavern licenses were 
 granted to Robert Reed of Slippery Rock, 
 David Sutton of Middlesex, and Benjamin 
 Garvin of Connoquenessing Township. 
 
 DIVISION OF TOWNSHIPS. 
 
 Previous to this time Butler County was 
 subdivided into four town.ships, viz.: Buf- 
 falo, Middlesex, Connoquenessing, and 
 Slippery Rock. In 1803 six election dis- 
 tricts were created in the county, the com- 
 missioners being Jacob Mechling, James 
 Bovard and Matthew Wliite. At the Au- 
 gust term of court, 1804, the county was 
 divided into thirteen townships, as follows : 
 Cranberry, Middlesex, Buffalo, Connoque- 
 nessing, Butler, Clearfield, Muddycreek, 
 Center, Donegal, Slippery Rock, Parker, 
 Mercer and Venango. Nine of these town- 
 ships were approximately eight miles 
 square, and four of them in the northern 
 part of the county were irregular in 
 shape. During the years intei'vening be- 
 tween 1804 and 1853, six additional town- 
 ships were erected, making in all nineteen. 
 A line extending from the west line of But- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 225 
 
 ler Township eastward to the Connoque- 
 nessing Creek divided tlie original Butler 
 into north and south Butler. Connoquenes- 
 sing Township was divided by a north and 
 south line, and Muddycreek similarly di- 
 vided, the eastern half being given the 
 name of Franklin. The eastern half of 
 Slippery Rock Township was set apart as 
 Cherry, and the other townships created 
 were Allegheny, Washington, and Fair- 
 view. 
 
 CATTLE MAEKS REGISTERED. 
 
 On account of their cattle ranging the 
 woods in the early days, the settlers adopt- 
 ed marks for the purpose of identifying 
 their stock. At the August term of court 
 in 18U4, Benjamin Zerber registered his 
 cattle mark, which had then been in use for 
 five years. The mark is described as fol- 
 lows: "A crop of the right or off ears to 
 wit : one-fourth of the ear cut off. ' ' 
 
 THE COURT IN 1805-1806. 
 
 The court was formed in 1805 with Hon. 
 Jesse Moore as president judge and John 
 Parker and James Bovard associates. John 
 McCandless, the first sheriff of the county, 
 took the oath of office in October of that 
 year. In February, 1806, associate judges 
 Findley, Parker, and Bovard were present, 
 and they, with Judge Moore, formed the 
 court. Among the jurors at that term of 
 court were Philip Hartman, Robert Lea- 
 son, A. McMahan, and Thomas Dougan. 
 
 Hon. Jasper Yeates, Judge of the Su- 
 preme Court, was present in September, 
 1806, and judge of the Circuit Court of 
 this county, and Hon. Thomas Smith pre- 
 sided here in the same capacitv in Septem- 
 ber, 1807. Hon. H. H. Breckenridge of 
 Pittsburg presided as circuit judge at the 
 September Session of court in 1808. March 
 6, 1809, John Gilmore, who was the first 
 prosecuting attorney of the county, or 
 deputy attorney general, resigned, and 
 Charles Wilkins was appointed to fill the 
 vacancy. 
 
 Chief Justice William Tilghman pre- 
 sided as circuit judge in September, 1809, 
 and in 1810 John Gilmore was appointed 
 prosecutor. 
 
 CONTEMPT OF COURT CASES. 
 
 The early judges and officers of the court 
 appeared to have a due regard for the gen- 
 tler sex. The court records of May 11, 
 1811, show that Sarah Shorts was adjudged 
 to be in contempt of court for not obey- 
 ing a subpoena in the case of Hays vs. Ash. 
 There is no record that she was ever pim- 
 ished for the disobedience, and it is said 
 that her sex saved her from the wrath of 
 the court. At the November session in 
 1811 John Elliott, William Downing, Hugh 
 Flemming and Ben. Fletcher had attach- 
 ments issued against them for not respond- 
 ing to subpoenas and in 1813 this derelic- 
 tion on the part of witnesses became so 
 common as to make the adoption of strin- 
 gent measures necessary to secure their at- 
 tendance. 
 
 At the May term of court, in 1815, Will- 
 iam Martin was found guilty of an assault 
 on Sheriff Samuel Williamson, while the 
 latter was in the execution of his office, and 
 was fined ten dollars, with three months 
 imprisonment and compelled to furnish a 
 bond of five hundred dollars to keep the 
 peace — especially toward Samuel William- 
 son, Esq., and to pay all the costs of the 
 prosecution. 
 
 Samuel Roberts took his seat as presi- 
 dent judge in the court of Butler County 
 November 9, 1818. His associates were 
 Judges Parker and Bovard. The commis- 
 sion of William Wilkins as president judge 
 of the 5th judicial district, of which But- 
 ler County was part, was read in open 
 court April 2, 1821. 
 
 In October, 1824, Charles Shaler pre- 
 sided as judge with John Parker and 
 James Bovard associates. 
 
 PROBATE COURT CREATED. 
 
 Owing to deaths .occurring among the 
 
226 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pioneers probate business was added to the 
 work of the court in this year (1824). 
 
 THE m'JUNKIN-HALLECK TRAGEDY. 
 
 The year 1824 was marked by an unfor- 
 tunate tragedy in the county. In the latter 
 part of June, a young man named Frank- 
 lin B. Halleck, who had been boarding at 
 Mechling's tavern in Butler, left owing 
 a day's board. Mechling swore out a ca- 
 pias, which was placed in the hands of the 
 sheriff, who started in pursuit of Halleck. 
 It appears that Halleck 's route lay through 
 what is now Brady Township, and as the 
 sheriff was passing the house of David Mc- 
 Junkin he met the latter, who was just 
 starting on S, hunt. He ordered McJunkin 
 to pursue the fugitive, and the latter did 
 so. Overtaking Halleck, McJunkin com- 
 manded him to halt. The command being 
 unheeded, McJunkin raised his rifle and 
 fired, the ball striking Halleck near the 
 spine, and inflicting a wound from the ef- 
 fect of which he died eleven days later. 
 McJunkin was arrested on charge of mur- 
 der. At the trial he was found guilty of 
 voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced 
 to two years confinement at hard labor in 
 the penitentiary at Philadelphia. 
 
 COURT DOCKETS WRITTEN UP. 
 
 In April, 1828, Judge Shaler ordered a 
 complete index from the continuance dock- 
 et to be made and a copy of the execution 
 docket from February, 1813, to April, 
 1824, to be written. An abuse was cor- 
 rected in January, 1829, when Judge Sha- 
 ler ordered that no executions could be is- 
 sued upon a judgment on a bond given to 
 the treasurer for surplus moneys which 
 might become due by purchases of land 
 for taxes until scire facias should first is- 
 sue. In July of this year William Stew- 
 art, clerk of the Orphans' Court, was or- 
 dered to make a copy of the Orphans' 
 Court docket from 1803 to July 11, 1829, 
 in a legible hand. 
 
 BBEDIN APPOINTED JUDGE. 
 
 In 1831 John Bredin, of Butler, was ap- 
 pointed judge of the district, and with his 
 associates presided over the courts of But- 
 ler County until 1851. 
 
 THE COOLY MUKDEB TRIAL,. 
 
 September 11, 1833, Robert B. Cooly was 
 found guilty of murder in the second de- 
 gree and sentenced to seven years in the 
 penitentiary of the western district at Al- 
 legheny. 
 
 From 1833 to 1840 the records of the 
 court show no cases of special importance. 
 John Parker and James Bovard were as- 
 sociate justices during this period and at 
 the September term, 1840, John Duffy 
 qualified as associate judge, thus placing 
 three Irishmen, all natives of the same 
 county in Ireland, on the bench at the 
 same time. 
 
 In November, 1841, John Ray was 
 chosen by the court to fill a vacancy on 
 the board of county commissioners caused 
 by a failure to elect in the preceding Oc- 
 tober election. 
 
 THE MOHAWK TRIAL. 
 
 The celebrated trial of the Common- 
 wealth vs. Samuel Mohawk, charged with 
 the murder on Saturday, June 30, 1843, 
 in Slippery Rock Township, of Mrs. James 
 Wigton and her five children, was begun 
 December 13, 1843, before Judges John 
 Bredin and John Duffy and the following 
 named jurors : John Brandon, Isaac Boyer, 
 Henry Barnliart, Robert E. Hays, John 
 Olliver, Robert Hay, Robert Lemmon, 
 Samuel Marshall, George A. Kirkpatrick, 
 .Tohn Gilmore, AVilliam Cunningham, and 
 John Dull. The trial, which lasted several 
 days, during which forty-eight witnesses 
 were examined, resulted in a verdict of 
 guilty, a sentence of death, and the hang- 
 ing of the murderer in Butler, March 22, 
 1844. 
 
 The crime for which Mohawk paid the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 227 
 
 extreme penalty of the law was one of the 
 most horrible in the history of the state, 
 and created such excitement among the 
 people of the entire county that it was 
 only through the most earnest efforts of 
 those upholding the supremacy of the law 
 that a lynching was prevented, and his le- 
 gal conviction and execution rendered pos- 
 sible. Even after his trial and conviction 
 a posse of citizens was organized in the 
 northern jaart of the county and started 
 for Butler with the determination to take 
 the prisoner from the authorities and hang 
 him. Word had been received in Butler 
 of the intentions of the party and James 
 G. Campbell, who was then sheriff, with 
 the assistance of the late Judge Ebenezer 
 McJunkin, the late John H. Neglay, and 
 other citizens of the town, organized a gar- 
 rison and barricaded the jail. They were 
 assisted in this work by Capt. McCall, a 
 retired army officer, who was at that time 
 living in the property recently occupied by 
 St. Paul's Orphans' Home. The party of 
 countrymen came as far as the old Sleppy 
 Tavern on the Sunbury Road, where they 
 were met by a delegation of citizens from 
 Butler, who gave them assurances that the 
 dignity of the law would be maintained and 
 that Mohawk would be executed according 
 to the order of the court. Having their 
 fears allayed, the party disbanded and 
 went to their homes. 
 
 Samuel Mohawk, who was a Cornplauter 
 Indian, was born December 25, 1807, on 
 the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. 
 He attended a Quaker school in his youth 
 and subsequently engaged in hunting and 
 farming. He was married about 1832 to 
 Lydia Kypp, from whom he secured a di- 
 vorce, and he afterwards married Sara Sil- 
 verheels, a member of his tribe. On the 
 day before the murder he made his ap- 
 pearance in Butler, where he put up at 
 Brinker's Tavern, and spent his time 
 drinking. It is supposed that he came to 
 Butler from Pittsburg, as was the custom 
 of the Indians at the headwaters of the 
 
 Allegheny River to go to Pittsburg on 
 rafts and to return to their homes either 
 by way of the old Franklin through the 
 western part of Butler County, or over 
 the Pittsburg and Butler Pike through 
 Butler. On the same evening he left But- 
 ler, taking the stage for the Stone House 
 Tavern, at the intersection of the Frank- 
 lin Pike and the Butler and Mercer Pike. 
 The same evening he appeared at a tav- 
 ern in Prospect, and on account of his un- 
 ruly and ugly disposition caused by drink- 
 ing, he was thrown out of the house. He 
 is supposed to have spent the night in the 
 vicinity of the Stone House, and the next 
 morning he proceeded to the house of 
 James Wigton. What occurred there is 
 best told in the words of his confession of 
 the crime committed by him. It is as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " Openotl tlip door, entered niid saw the noman, asked 
 her for a ax; she said she had none; then asked her 
 for a knife, which she gave me, and I cut at her, and 
 I think I hit her on the arm. She attempted to escape, 
 went out of doors, I followed, she returned into the 
 house and tried to close the door on me, but I pushed 
 it in with both hands and entered. She went out 
 again, I followed and caught her about five rods from 
 the door. She succeeded in taking the knife from me 
 and threw me, but she held the knife while I held her 
 wrists. In the struggle the knife cut the back of 
 my head, when I pushed the woman otf and struck her 
 with my fist. She said, ' you mustn't kill — I'll give you 
 money,' but I took up a stick of some size and struck 
 her on the head, when she fell. I then took a stone, 
 struck her and thought she was dead. I went into the 
 house with the same stone, saw a child of five or six 
 years of age which I struck and killed; saw another 
 small child in the cradle, which I killed at once, then 
 heard a child crying up stairs, went up with a stick 
 and struck the three children on the head and next 
 went to the spring to get a drink; went back to the 
 house and heard a child crying up stairs, got a large 
 stick, and went up stairs, struck one of the children, 
 on the large bed, that was moaning, and it made no 
 more noise. On coming down, saw the woman moving 
 and struck her with a stone on the head three times." 
 
 At the very time that this fearful crime 
 was being committed, James Wigton, the 
 husband and father of the family, was at 
 his father's house, less than a mile distant. 
 The murder was discovered before his re- 
 turn by Lemuel Davis, who, with his wife 
 and son, had arrived at the Wigton home 
 
228 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 to help him with some hoeing. The alarm 
 was given and the entire neighborhood was 
 aroused. Suspicion at once pointed to 
 Samuel Mohawk, who had passed Joseph 
 Kennedy's house that morning and had 
 thrown a stone at a young son of Ken- 
 nedy's. Pursuit was organized, and the 
 murderer was captured, after a struggle, 
 at the house of Philip Kiester, of which 
 he had taken forcible possession, after 
 terrorizing and putting to flight the 
 women, there being no men at home. 
 
 After his capture he was taken to the 
 Wigton home, where he confessed his 
 crime. A determination on the part of 
 those present to lynch him was only over- 
 come by the strong appeals of a few of the 
 cooler headed present. After being 
 turned over to Sheriff Campbell, he was 
 taken to Butler, lodged in jail, and in the 
 course of a few months tried for the mur- 
 der, found gTiilty, sentenced, and executed 
 in the manner set forth. Although Mo- 
 hawk confessed his crime, and made a pro- 
 fession of religion before his execution, his 
 body was denied burial in any of the ceme- 
 teries of Butler, and it was interred in a 
 secluded spot near the St. Paul's Orphans' 
 Home, in what is now called Oakland 
 Place in the northeastern section of Butler 
 Borough. 
 
 THE NELLIS MUBDEK. 
 
 In January, 1844, Elijah Nellis was tried 
 for the murder of his wife, Margaret, 
 whom he had strangled. He was convicted 
 of murder in the second degree and sen- 
 tenced for twelve years to the penitentiary. 
 
 COTJET OF 1845. 
 In June, 1845, Christian Buhl qualified 
 as associate judge, and with Judges Bre- 
 din and Duffy, composed the court. 
 
 ELECTION OF JXTDGES. 
 
 A Constitutional amendment was 
 adopted in 1850, making the office of presi- 
 dent judge and associate judges elective, 
 
 and fixing the term of the former at ten 
 years, and the latter at five years. This 
 amendment was made effective by an act 
 of the Legislature approved April 15, 
 1851, and providing for the election of pre- 
 siding and associate judges. 
 
 Daniel Agnew was appointed judge of 
 the district in 1851, and elected under the 
 new law in 1853, for a term of ten years. 
 
 THE DUFF MURDER TRIAL,. 
 
 November 5, 1851, John Duff was tried 
 for the murder of his twin brother, Will- 
 iam. The State was represented by the 
 late John H. Negley, then deputy attorney 
 general for the county, while Smith and 
 Mitchell appeared for the defense. The 
 evidence developed the fact that the ac- 
 cused had repeatedly made threats against 
 his brother's life. A verdict of guilty of 
 murder in the first degree resulted, fol- 
 lowed by a motion for a new trial, which 
 was granted in January, 1852. At the sec- 
 ond trial the murderer withdrew his plea 
 of not guilty and pleaded guilty to murder 
 in the second degree. He was sentenced 
 to the penitentiary for a term of eleven 
 and one-half years, and served his full 
 time. 
 
 CONSTABLE FERGUSON KILLED. 
 
 In 1853 Constable Ferguson was killed 
 in what is now Jefferson Township, while 
 attempting to arrest Casper Lampartner. 
 Lampartner and his wife, Emeranza, were 
 tried for the murder at the May term of 
 court. The former was convicted, but aft- 
 erwards made his escape from jail and was 
 never recaptured. His wife was acquitted. 
 The state was represented in this case by 
 John H. Negley. 
 
 THE COURT IN 1853. 
 
 In June, 1853, the court consisted of 
 Hon. Daniel Agnew, president judge, and 
 John McCandless and Samuel Marshall, 
 associate judges. The particular event of 
 this term of court, which is remembered 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 229 
 
 by the older citizens, was the charge of 
 Judge Agnew to the jury that tried the 
 case of the Commonwealth vs. Francis 
 Croft. Croft was indicted for plowing up 
 a burial ground, but owing to a defect in 
 the act of the assembly of, 1849, providing 
 punishment for such desecration, the judge 
 directed the jury to bring in a verdict of 
 acquittal. This, however, did not prevent 
 the learned judge from expressing his 
 views on the question of desecrating grave 
 yards. 
 
 THE COOPEK MUEDER TRIAL. 
 
 George Cooper, who was the keeper of 
 a hotel at Glade Mills, became involved in 
 a quarrel with Matthew Ramsey on the 
 night of October 9, 1856. A crowd had 
 gathered at the hotel on election night, and 
 during the evening- Ramsey had become 
 boisterous. In endeavoring to preserve 
 order in his house, Mr. Cooper attempted 
 to eject Ramsey and in the scuffle struck 
 him on the left temple. Ramsey died from 
 the effects of the blow, and Cooper was in- 
 dicted for murder, tried before Judge Ag- 
 new, and acquitted. 
 
 A change was made in the associate 
 judges in 1856, and Jacob Mechling, Jr., 
 and Thomas Stevenson took their places 
 on the bench, with Judge Agnew. 
 
 There appears to have been no events 
 of importance recorded until June, 1860, 
 when a record was made of the first con- 
 viction of the county for selling liquor 
 without a license. In December, 1861, 
 James Mitchell and James Kerr were the 
 associates of Judge Agnew. 
 
 m'gUFFIN elected JUDGE. 
 
 In December, 1863, Hon. Lawrence L. 
 McGuffin, who had been elected to succeed 
 Judge Agnew, presided, his associates be- 
 ing Judges Kerr and Mitchell. Another 
 change was mkde in the associate judges 
 in December, 1866, when Joseph Cum- 
 mings and Thomas Garvey qualified. 
 
 the addlington murder trlal. 
 
 The trial of John B. Addlington, charged 
 with the murder of Sydney B. Cunning- 
 ham and Mr. Teeples at a dance in Por- 
 tersville, on the night of December 25, 
 1866, was begun March 6, 1867, before 
 Judges McGuffin, Cummings and Garvey. 
 The state was represented by W. H. H. 
 Riddle, E. McJunkin and L. Z. Mitchell, 
 and the defendant by C. McCarthy, 
 Charles McCandless, John N. Purviance, 
 John M. Thompson, and T. E. J. Lyon. 
 The trial continued until March 21, and re- 
 sulted in a verdict of guilty of murder in 
 the first degree. In 1868, upon a rehear- 
 ing, Addlington pleaded guilty to murder 
 in the second degree, and was sentenced 
 to a term of twenty-five years in the peni- 
 tentiary. After serving six years, he re- 
 ceived a pardon, owing partly to the fact 
 that others concerned in the tragedy had 
 never been brought to trial. Addlington 
 died about 1898 at the Soldiers' Home, in 
 Erie, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Cunningham and Teeples, who were the 
 innocent victims of this tragedy, were resi- 
 dents of New Castle, and were attending 
 the dance, which was held at a hotel in 
 Portersville. It appeared that Addlington 
 was jealous of the attentions paid by one 
 of his neighbors to Mrs. Addlington, and 
 that he went to the party for the purpose 
 of taking vengeance on the destroyer of 
 his home. A fight started in the office of 
 the hotel, the lights were put out, and in 
 the darkness a free-for-all melee occurred. 
 When order was restored, Cunningham 
 and Teeples were found on the floor, both 
 mortally wounded. 
 
 the hockenberry trial. 
 The trial of Zachary Taylor Hocken- 
 berry for the murder of Nancy Ann Mc- 
 Candless, October 3, 1868, took place be- 
 fore Judge McGuffin nnd associates, April 
 19, 1869. The Commonwealth was repre- 
 sented by District Attorney John M. Greer 
 and E. McJunkin, and the accused's attor- 
 
.•50 
 
 HISTORY OB' BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 ueyK were John M. Thonii)son aud CHiarles 
 McCaiidless. A verdict of guilty was re- 
 turned April 28, a sentence of death was 
 pronounced Septemhcr 10th by Judge Me- 
 Guffin, and carried into effect December 
 7th, 1869, when Hockenberry was hanged 
 at the Butler jail. His crime was caused 
 })y jealousy. Intending to disfigure the 
 face of Miss McCandless, he tired at her 
 with a ritie through a window, while the 
 family were sitting at supper. His aim 
 was too true, however, and instead of dis- 
 figuring the object of his affections, he 
 killed her instantly. 
 
 SCHXJGART-MAETIN TRIALS. 
 
 In July, 1869, Philopoena Schugart was 
 found guilty of murder in poisoning her 
 •husband, Jacob Schugart, of Butler Bor- 
 ough. Owing to there being some doubt 
 of her sanity, the death penalty was not in- 
 flicted, and she was sent to Dixmont Asy- 
 hmi. 
 
 In the following January, Joseph Mar- 
 tin, charged with being her accomplice, 
 was acquitted. The Commonwealth was 
 represented in these two cases by District 
 Attorney John M. Greer. 
 
 CONSTITUTION OF 1873. 
 
 The Constitution of 1873 provided that 
 "whenever a coimty shall contain forty 
 thousand inhabitants it shall constitute a 
 separate judicial district and shall elect 
 one judge learned in the law and the gen- 
 eral assembly shall provide for additional 
 judges as the business of such district may 
 require. Counties containing a ]u)]iulati(>n 
 less than is sufficient to constitute separate 
 districts shall be formed into convenient 
 single districts, or, if necessary, may be 
 attached to contiguous districts as the gen- 
 eral assembly may provide. The office of 
 associate judge not learned in the law, is 
 abolished in counties forming separate dis- 
 tricts, etc." In accordance with this 
 amendment, Butler County having more 
 than forty thousand inhabitants, was 
 
 erected into the Seventh Judicial District 
 in 1874, with Lawrence County attached. 
 Associate judges were elected until 1885, 
 when the question arising, the supreme 
 court decided that Butler County being a 
 separate judicial district and entitled to 
 the presiding judgeship, the office of asso- 
 ciate judge was abolished in the county. 
 The business of the courts of the Seven- 
 teenth Judicial District having increased 
 to such an extent that an additional judge 
 was necessary, the Legislature of 1874 
 ]iassed an act creating an additional law 
 judge for Butler and Lawrence Counties, 
 and Hon. Charles ^McCandless was accord- 
 ingly appointed additional law judge to 
 serve until the next succeeding election. 
 
 In the fall of 1874 Hon. E. Mcjuukin 
 and James Bredin were elected judges for 
 the district and took their places on the 
 bench January, 1875. By casting lots 
 Judge McJunkin became president judge 
 of the district and Judge Bredin addi- 
 tional law judge. Judge McJunkin had 
 resigned his seat in Congress to accept the 
 office of judge, and Col. .John M. Thomp- 
 son was appointed to fill that vacancy. 
 
 THE JUDICIAL CONTEST OF 1884. 
 
 The candidates for judicial honors in 
 1884 were James Bredin, John M. Greer, 
 Ebenezer McJunkin, of Butler, and John 
 McMichael and Aaron L. Hazen, of New 
 Castle. The vote of the two counties was 
 as follows : John McMichael, 7,252 ; Aaron 
 L. Hazen, 7,199; John M. Greer, 7,054; 
 James Bredin, 5,345, and Ebenezer Mc- 
 Junkin, 3,784. The returns of each county 
 showed that James Bredin received 4,457 
 and John M. Greer 4,288 votes in Butler 
 County alone, and on this showing the for- 
 mer claimed to have been elected judge of 
 the Seventeenth District in opposition to 
 the certificate of the canvassing board, who 
 declared John McMichael and Aaron L. 
 Hazen, who were the Lawrence County 
 candidates, the judges-elect. 
 
 The political canvass that jireceded this 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 231 
 
 election was one of the bitterest in the his- 
 tory of Butler County. Judge Bredin was 
 a candidate for reelection on the Demo- 
 cratic ticket, and Judge McJunkiu, who 
 had been a candidate at the Reijublican 
 primaries for reelection, was defeated by 
 John M. Greer. Judge McJunkin then ran 
 as an independent candidate at the fall 
 election with the result that all the Butler 
 County candidates were defeated. Owing 
 to the contention arising that Butler Coun- 
 ty alone constituted the Seventeenth Ju- 
 dicial District, and that she had a right to 
 elect at least one law judge for that dis- 
 trict under the act of August 7, 1883, 
 Judge Bredin began a contest. The mat- 
 ter was heard before a court which con- 
 vened at Butler December 22, 1884, and 
 which was composed of Hon. Henry Hice 
 of the Thirty-sixth Judicial District, Hon. 
 James B. Neale of the Thirty-third Judi- 
 cial District, and Hon. Samuel S. Mahard, 
 of the Thirty-fifth Judicial District. The 
 question submitted was, whether Butler 
 County alone constituted the Seventeenth 
 Judicial District, and her right to elect at 
 least one law judge for that district under 
 the act of August 7, 1883. In that act But- 
 ler Coimty was set apart as the Seven- 
 teenth district; Lawrence County was at- 
 tached for judicial purposes, and the elec- 
 tion of two judges, one of whom must re- 
 side in New Castle, was ordered. The 
 election of November, 1884, was held under 
 this act. Judges Hice and Mahard held 
 that Butler County, under the act of 1883, 
 did not have the right to elect one judge 
 for her courts, but that with Lawrence 
 County she should elect two judges, whose 
 jurisdiction was equal in both counties. 
 Judge Neale dissented from this opinion 
 and so the petition of James Bredin was 
 dismissed. No appeals having been taken, 
 commissions were issued to the Judges 
 McMichael and Hazen. Judge Hazen be- 
 came the president judge of the district, 
 and resided in Butler, while Judge Mc- 
 
 j\lichael became the additional law judge, 
 and resided in New Castle. 
 
 THE AKREST OF COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 During the latter part of the year 1887, 
 and the beginning of 1888, a great deal of 
 counterfeit money was placed in circula- 
 tion in the northern part of Butler County. 
 After considerable work on the part of the 
 secret service officers, United States Mar- 
 shall McSweeney and deputies acting on 
 previous information, made a raid in the 
 northern part of the county in February, 
 1888, and succeeded in capturing a num- 
 ber of persons engaged in counterfeiting, 
 with the appliances used in their illegal 
 business. Several of those arrested were 
 well-known residents of Butler County and 
 the arrests were the sensation and talk 
 of that year. The men were all taken to 
 Pittsburg, where their trial took place and 
 a number of them sent to United States 
 prisons; others against whom there was 
 no evidence to connect them with the 
 crime, were discharged. 
 
 THE HARBISON-MOJTKS BABY CASE. 
 
 The celebrated baby case got into the 
 courts of Butler County in 1887 and was 
 not closed until the following year. Rob- 
 ert Harbison and his wife were residents 
 of the southeastern section of tlie county 
 and connected with prominent families. 
 Following the birth of their child trouble 
 arose between the two, the matter coming 
 into the court in August, 1887. On the or- 
 der of Judge Hazen, who was on the bench 
 at that time, the child was placed in the 
 father's care. A few days later, however, 
 Mrs. Harbison succeeded in abducting her 
 child and fled with him to Kansas. She 
 was assisted in getting away by her 
 brothers, Martin and John Monks, and 
 Wendell Hickey. The abduction was fol- 
 lowed by the arrest of the two Monks boys 
 and Hickey for contempt of court, but they 
 were released on bail so that they could 
 
232 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 produce the child in court. On the 12th 
 of May, 1888, they produced both the in- 
 fant and the mother. 
 
 The legal battle that followed was one 
 of the most interesting witnessed in the 
 courts of Butler County in the last quar- 
 ter of the century. The father was repre- 
 sented by Hon. Charles McCandless and 
 Col. John M. Thompson, while ex- Judge 
 
 E. McJunkin, James M. Galbreath, and S. 
 
 F. Bowser represented the mother, infant 
 and young men. After a hearing Judge 
 Haze'n discharged the writ of habeas cor- 
 pus and remanded the defendants to the 
 sheriff's custody, except the infant, which 
 was ordered to be placed in the keeping of 
 its father. At this point the mother de- 
 clared she would never surrender the 
 child, which she was holding in her arms 
 at the time, and the judge ordered Sheriff 
 0. C. Redic to enforce the order. He ac- 
 cordingly went to Mrs. Harbison and de- 
 manded the child, which she refused to 
 surrender. Not wishing to get into a 
 struggle with the woman in the courtroom. 
 Sheriff" Redic refused to proceed further, 
 and the court then authorized him to depu- 
 tize some one to carry out its orders. Act- 
 ing on this suggestion. Sheriff Redic sum- 
 moned the child's father. Having this 
 power conferred upon him, Harbison at- 
 tempted to grasp the infant from its 
 mother's arms, but the frantic mother held 
 on stoutly, and he was unable to carry out 
 his purpose. At this point in the proceed- 
 ings the scene in the courtroom was verg- 
 ing on a riot. Public symj^athy was with 
 the mother and infant, and a sentiment was 
 growing among the large crowd of men as- 
 sembled in the courtroom that boded no 
 good for the court and the officials who at- 
 tempted to carry out the inhumane order. 
 Strong men left the court in tears, pitying 
 the law that could countenance such bar- 
 barity, and even the lawyers for the prose- 
 cution became abashed and asked the court 
 to direct Mrs. Harbison's brothers to take 
 the babe from their sister. Luckilv the 
 
 judge did not respond to this request, and 
 for a little while there was calm in the 
 courtroom. Another writ was issued or- 
 dering the surrender of the child, but the 
 brave mother defied the court and was or- 
 dered to jail. Along with her they sent 
 her two brothers and young Hickey. The 
 case was taken up again on Saturday, May 
 14th, and when the plaintiff arrived in But- 
 ler to continue the case against his wife, 
 be met here a crowd of angry neighbors 
 and a large crowd of determined citizens 
 whose looks portended trouble of a serious 
 nature if any attempt was made to force 
 Mrs. Harbison to surrender her baby. The 
 incarceration of the mother and baby in 
 the local jail had been the talk of the 
 streets for two days and the angry crowd 
 that had assembled were on the verge of 
 riot. Harbison's determination to obtain 
 his child was somewhat shaken in the fore- 
 noon, but his friends and counsel urged 
 him on. Mrs. Harbison and her baby were 
 again brought into court, and the deter- 
 mined woman, hearing the rumor that was 
 current that the sheriff would be compelled 
 to take the child from her, had procured a 
 chain and padlock, with, which she secured 
 the child to herself, declaring that if it was 
 taken from her it would be over her dead 
 body. When court adjourned at noon 
 mother and baby were again returned to 
 jail while the situation in the courtroom 
 and on the streets was most critical. Open 
 threats of violence were made and the an- 
 gry mob were determined that if Harbison 
 sent his wife and baby to prison again 
 he would not get out of the town that night 
 and that the woman and baby would not 
 remain in prison over Sunday. Some of 
 the cooler-headed friends of Harbison got 
 hold of him at the noon hour and per- 
 suaded him to dismiss his counsel, which 
 he did, and later he became a client of 
 John M. Greer. Mr. Greer became active 
 in his endeavors to settle the case and 
 when court called at two o'clock he asked 
 that his client's petition and all rulings 
 
i 
 
 llllll 
 
 
 
 
 I 1 1 J 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY COURT HOUSE OP 1S53 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY COURT TIOTiSE 
 OF 1S77 
 
 COUNTRY CLUB HOUSE, BUTLER 
 
 BOYDSTOWN RESERVOIR OF THE BUTLER 
 WATER CO., BUTLER 
 
 L O. O. F. BUILDING, BUTLER 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY JAIL, 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 235 
 
 under it be set aside, and the mother and 
 infant, the two Monks boys and young 
 Hickey discharged from jail. It was a wel- 
 come denouement for Judge Hazen and 
 he did not neglect to express his gratifica- 
 tion at the pleasant turn of affairs. The 
 baby in this case is now a prominent 
 farmer in Clinton Township. 
 
 THE LEE MURDER TRIAL. 
 
 The trial of Thomas E. Lee for the mur- 
 der of John McCall at Evans City on the 
 night of October 31, 1889, commenced in 
 December following. The state was rep- 
 resented by Hon. Charles McCandless and 
 District Attorney Charles A. McPherrin, 
 while Thompson and Son and W. A. For- 
 quer appeared for the defendant. The 
 evidence showed that McCall was killed 
 while participating at a ball given by a 
 secret order known as the Junior Order of 
 United American Mechanics. Lee was 
 found guilty of murder in the second de- 
 gree and sentenced to a term of six and 
 one-half years of solitary confinement in 
 the penitentiary. 
 
 JAIL DELIVERY IN 1892. 
 
 A jail delivery occurred on the night of 
 March 4, 1892, during the term of Sheriff 
 William Brown, the escaping criminals be- 
 ing James F. Mills, the murderer of Peter 
 Dugan, with James Brittain and Joseph 
 Gibson, colored, and Jesse Smith, T. J. 
 Black and Charles Miller. Brittain was re- 
 arrested at Callery and Black at Renfrew 
 the day after, while Smith was caught on 
 March' 6th. The capture of Mills was af- 
 fected about a week later after an exciting 
 chase through the northern part of the 
 state. Mills was returned to Butler where 
 his trial took place on March 21st. The 
 capture of the other criminals was also 
 finally effected. 
 
 THE MILLS MURDER TRIAL. 
 
 Peter Dugan, who was a pumper on the 
 Welsh farm in Connoquenessing Township, 
 was killed on the evening of December 22, 
 
 1891, while sleeping in his boiler-house. 
 Suspicion pointed to James P. Mills, who 
 was a pumper on the adjoining lease and 
 who had been seen with Dugan late that 
 afternoon. The two men had been at Ren- 
 frew and had been drinking. A ten-year 
 old boy, who was sleeping in the boiler- 
 house with Dugan at the time, was awak- 
 ened by a noise and saw Mills leave the 
 boiler-house. Dugan 's head had been 
 crushed by a blacksmith's hammer. Mills 
 was arrested on the charge of murder and 
 tried at the March term of court, 1892. 
 The Commonwealth was represented by 
 District Attorney Aaron E. Reiber and S. 
 F. Bowser, while Porquer, McQuistion, Mc- 
 Candless and Thompson defended the ac- 
 cused. The last named lawyer protested 
 that the court was not legally convened, 
 raising the point that unless a case was in 
 progress, at the close of the second week of 
 a quarter session's term, the term could 
 not be extended beyond two weeks. In 
 proof of this claim he presented a ruling 
 that was made in 1850, when another mur- 
 derer named Mills was brought to justice. 
 Attorney Reiber and Judge Hazen opposed 
 this logic, and the court ordered the jury to 
 be impaneled. Two days were taken up 
 in securing a jury, and several days more 
 in the trial of the case. The counsel for 
 the defense succeeded in saving the pris- 
 oner's life, but they could not save him 
 from the penitentiary, where he was sent 
 for twelve years. Mills' plea in his own 
 defense was, that he was drunk and had 
 no knowledge of committing any crime, and 
 his attorneys set up the plea of "acute al- 
 coholic mania," which probably had some 
 effect on the jury. Mills completed his 
 sentence in the penitentiary and is still liv- 
 ing. 
 
 THE MURDER OF MRS. H.iSLER. 
 
 The murder of Mrs. Hasler and her 
 daughter Mrs. Flora Martin by Harper 
 Wliitmire took place near St. Joe Station 
 December 5, 1893. Whitmire was a son- 
 
236 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in-law of Mrs. Hasler, and the evening pre- 
 vious to the murder had been visiting at 
 the Hasler home. After committing the 
 crime Whitmire walked to the residence of 
 his brother near Greece City, where he told 
 what he had done. He then went to the barn 
 and committed suicide, thus relieving the 
 county of the onus and cost of the prose- 
 cution, the only legal action being taken by 
 the coroner. 
 
 COURT ORDERS. 
 
 In 1899 Judge Greer made an order 
 clianging the time of holding the June term 
 of Quarter Sessions Court, from the 1st 
 Monday of June to the 3rd Monday of May, 
 and the time for the meeting of the grand 
 jury and the holding of License Court was 
 changed to correspond with the Quarter 
 Sessions Court in May. Previous to this 
 time the License Court had been held in 
 March and the new arrangement caused 
 the closing of the hotel bars in the county 
 on the 1st of April to the 1st of July in 
 that year. Under the new order the hotel 
 licenses did not go into effect until the 1st 
 of July. This order of court was effective 
 until June 11, 1903, when Judge Galbreath 
 made an order changing the time of hold- 
 ing Quarter Sessions Court back to the 1st 
 Monday of June, and the time for holding 
 License Court to the March term. 
 
 THE JUDICIAL CONTEST OF 1893. 
 
 The death of Judge McMichael in 1892 
 caused a vacancy on that bench and Hon. 
 Norman L. Martin of New Castle was ap- 
 pointed assistant law judge to serve until 
 the next succeeding election. At the elec- 
 tion held in November of that year, Judge 
 Martin was opposed by John M. Greer, of 
 Butler and the latter was elected. In the 
 following year, 1893, Butler County alone 
 was designated as the Seventh Judicial Dis- 
 trict, and Lawrence County as the Fifty- 
 third District. Judge Greer thus became 
 l>resident judge of Butler County and 
 Judge Hazen returned to Lawrence County 
 as president judge of that district. 
 
 THE ELECTION OF 1902. 
 
 In the spring of 1902 Judge Greer was 
 candidate for the nomination of his party 
 and was opposed by James M. Galbreath. 
 The campaign will go down in history as 
 one of the hardest primary election fights 
 in the county. The Democratic nominee 
 for judge was Hon. Levingstone McQuis- 
 tion, who was opposed for the nomination 
 by Everett L. Ralston and J. D. Marshall. 
 At the election held in November James 
 M. Galbreath was elected. 
 
 THE CATHERINE MILLER CASE. 
 
 For five years following the Mills case 
 there were no murder trials in the courts 
 of Butler County. On June 9, 1898, Mrs. 
 Catherine Miller was indicted for the mur- 
 der of her husband, John W. Miller, of Cen- 
 ter Township. The case was called for 
 trial on the 17th of June before Judge 
 Greer and the defendant, through her at- 
 torney, J. D. Marshall, entered a plea of 
 guilty of murder in the second degree, 
 which was accepted by the court. She was 
 sentenced to twelve years in the peniten- 
 tiary, but only lived about six months after 
 her sentence. The circumstances of the 
 case are as follows:, John W. Miller was 
 a farmer, about seventy years of age, and 
 lived with his wife, who was a few years 
 his junior, on a small farm in Center town- 
 ship. One morning a neighbor called at 
 the house on an errand and found Miller 
 lying at the foot of the cellar stairs in a 
 helpless condition, his head terribly cut and 
 other marks of violence upon him. Miller 
 died a few hours later from the effects of 
 his injuries but before his deatli told that 
 Mrs. Miller had pushed him down the cel- 
 lar stairs. The arrest of Mrs. Miller fol- 
 lowed and a court trial was avoided by the 
 defendant entering a plea of guilty of mur- 
 der in the second degree. 
 
 THE m'gRADY MURDER TRIAL. 
 
 A murder trial that attracted attention 
 and created much sj^mpathy for the defend- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 237 
 
 ant was that of James McGrady in 1902. 
 McGrady, who was a policeman in Butler 
 Borough, shot John Miller while attempt- 
 ing to make an arrest in the Island district 
 on the night of December 1, 1902. Miller, 
 whose real name was John Bitte, died in 
 the hospital the next day and McGrady was 
 arrested on the charge of manslaughter. 
 The case was called for trial December 10, 
 1902, and December 12th the jury returned 
 a verdict of guilty. On account of exten- 
 uating circumstances in the case Judge Gal- 
 breath sentenced McGrady to serve two 
 years imprisonment in the county jail. 
 
 THE HOFFMAN CASE. 
 
 One of the most peculiar cases ever tried 
 in the county was that of Henry Hoffman, 
 of Connoquenessing Borough, who was in- 
 dicted on May 21, 1903, on the charge of 
 manslaughter. Hoffman is a member of a 
 religious sect which believes that disease 
 can be cured by the laying on of hands and 
 prayer, and that the services of doctors 
 and the use of medicines are unnecessary. 
 In May, 1903, several children in the Hoff- 
 man family were taken ill with scarlet 
 fever, and on the 18th of the month Myrl, 
 a son, aged two and a half years, died, it 
 was alleged, without medical attention, the 
 father contenting himself with the laying 
 on of hands and prayer. The matter was 
 reported to the county authorities who had 
 Hoffman indicted and the ease was called 
 for trial on the 16th of September. Dis- 
 trict Attorney John R. Henninger repre- 
 sented the commonwealth and S. F. Bowser 
 the defendant. Judge James M. Galbreath 
 was on the bench. The case was stubbornly 
 contested on both sides, and on September 
 19th the jury returned a verdict of guilty 
 of manslaughter, as indicted, and recom- 
 mended the defendant to the mercy of the 
 court. The same day Mr. Bowser, for the 
 defendant, made a motion for a new trial 
 and the arrest of judgment, pending the 
 hearing of the motion. Hoffman was re- 
 
 leased on bail, and on the 4th of x\ugust, 
 1904, Judge Galbreath handed down an 
 opinion refusing the new trial. Hoffman 
 has never been called into coui't for sen- 
 tence and the case remains open on the 
 docket. 
 
 THE GROUND HOG CASE. 
 
 What is known as the Ground Hog Case 
 in the criminal courts of the county orig- 
 inated in Venango Township. Newton 
 Tannehill, Howard Rumbaugh and Fred 
 Hall were out in the fields shooting at a 
 mark with a rifle. Tannehill saw an ob-, 
 ject moving behind some bushes at a long 
 range, whicli had the appearance of a 
 ground hog, and fired at it. When the 
 party went to look for their quarry, they 
 found that the object they had seen was an 
 Italian named Ajanto Isabella, and that he 
 was fatally wounded. The shooting took 
 place on the 5th of September, 1904, and 
 the Italian died the same day. On the 9th 
 of September the grand jury returned a 
 true bill against the hunters on the charge 
 of murder, and the case was called for trial 
 on the 16th. It became apparent early in 
 the trial that the shooting was purely acci- 
 dental, and a verdict of acquittal was ren- 
 dered. 
 
 A BRUTAL MURDER. 
 
 The murder of Mary Kreditch by her 
 husband. Max Kreditch, was one of the 
 most brutal crimes ever committed in But- 
 ler County. Mrs. Kreditch kept a board- 
 ing house in Lyndora and her husband 
 spent his time drinking. On the night of 
 December 20th, 1906, Kreditch became en- 
 raged because his wife reproved him for 
 drinking and struck her a terrible blow on 
 the head, killing her almost instantly. He 
 displayed the greatest indifference when 
 arrested and told the officers that the 
 woman was his wife, and that he could do 
 as he pleased with her. Kreditch was 
 placed on trial March 16th, 1907, before 
 
238 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Judge Galbreath, and the same day the 
 jury returned a verdict of guilty of mur- 
 der in the second degree. The case for the 
 commonwealth was conducted by District 
 Attorney Samuel Walker and the defend- 
 ant was represented by William H. Mar- 
 tin, Harry L. Graham and Howard I. 
 Painter, who were appointed by the court. 
 The attorneys for the defendant in this 
 case received a fee of fifty dollars each 
 from the county, which was the first fee of 
 the kind paid by the county under the act 
 of Assembly, which provided that the com- 
 monwealth shall pay a fee of one hundred 
 and fifty dollars to the attorneys for the 
 defendant in a murder trial, where the de- 
 fendant has no means to provide private 
 counsel, and the court is obliged to appoint 
 counsel to defend the prisoner. Since the 
 trial of the Kreditch case the supreme 
 court has declared the act unconstitutional. 
 Kreditch was sentenced sixteen years to 
 the penitentiary and received his sentence 
 with the same stolid indifference that he 
 displayed at his trial. 
 
 THE m'i.AUGHLIN-HEMPHILL TRAGEDY. 
 
 The trial of John B. McLaughlin for the 
 murder of William J. Hemphill in 1905 
 was one of the real tragedies of Butler 
 County. The two men resided in Clinton 
 Township on adjoining farms and were 
 close neighbors. Both were prosperous 
 farmers, l^seful citizens, and respected by 
 the community in which they lived. Hemp- 
 hill's farm buildings were separated from 
 one of McLaughlin's fields by a public 
 road, and it appears that the latter was 
 greatly annoyed by his neighbor's chick- 
 ens making a running ground of his field. 
 On the morning of May 5th, 1905, Mc- 
 Laughlin went to the field and shot several 
 of his neighbor's chickens that he found 
 there. Hemphill was employed with sev- 
 eral men repairing his house at the time, 
 and when his attention was called to the 
 shooting of his chickens, he left his work, 
 crossed the public road into the field where 
 
 McLaughlin was. There were no eye-wit- 
 nesses to the tragedy that followed. The 
 men employed at the Hemphill house 
 heard a shot fired, and looking toward the 
 men, saw Hemphill lying on the ground 
 and McLaughlin walking away, carrying 
 a shotgun in his hand. Hemphill was car- 
 ried to his home, where he died in a few 
 hours from the effects of his wounds. Mc- 
 Ijaughlin did not wait to see the results of 
 the shooting, but came directly to Butler 
 and surrendered himself to Sheriff M. L, 
 Gibson. The fact that both men were 
 married and had families of small chil- 
 dren made the tragedy the more deplor- 
 able. 
 
 McLaughlin was indicted on the charge 
 of murder and on June 7th the grand jury 
 returned a true bill. The trial of the case 
 was postponed to the September term and 
 on the 18th of September it was taken up 
 before Judge Galbreath. The Common- 
 wealth was represented by District Attor- 
 ney Samuel Walker, S. F. Bowser and 
 Levi M. Wise, and the defendant's coun- 
 sel were Hon. John M. Greer, William Z. 
 Murrin and Joseph B. Bredin. Every step 
 of the trial was bitterly contested and not 
 since the trial of Mills did a murder case 
 attract so much public attention in the 
 county. Two days were taken up in the 
 selection of a jury and three days in the 
 trial of the case. On September 24th the 
 jury returned a verdict of guilty of mur- 
 der in the second degree and McLaughlin 
 was sentenced to fourteen years in the pen- 
 itentiary. The terrible ordeal he had gone 
 through and the nervous strain he was sub- 
 jected to during his trial, impaired Mc- 
 Laughlin's health and he died in prison 
 within a year after his sentence. 
 
 THE SCHMIDT MURDER. 
 
 One of the most brutal and uncalled for 
 murders in the county was committed on 
 March 6, 1902, near Cabot Station, in Win- 
 field Township. Henry B. Schmidt and 
 his wife were an aged couple that resided 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 239 
 
 on a farm a short distance from the sta- 
 tion. On the night mentioned, between 
 the hours of ten and twelve o'clock, three 
 masked men broke into the house, shot Mr. 
 Schmidt in cold blood, bound and gagged 
 Mrs. Schmidt, and ransacked the house for 
 money. Mrs. Schmidt was found in a piti- 
 able condition the next morning and while 
 she was able to tell what had happened, 
 she was unable to identify any of the mur- 
 derers; though diligent search was made, 
 the men who committed the crime have 
 never been apprehended. 
 
 THR BENNET RIOT. 
 
 The Jerry Benuet affair forms an inci- 
 dent in the history of the county on ac- 
 count of the nature of Bonnet's crime, and 
 the serious consequences that followed. On 
 the night of September 13, 1902, Bennet, 
 who had a bad previous reputation, com- 
 mitted a criminal assault on the eight- 
 year-old daughter of John H. Wagner of 
 Butler. The scene of the crime was near 
 the West Penn depot and the criminal was 
 caught in the act. Cool-headed citizens 
 prevented Wagner from killing Bennet on 
 the spot, and with the aid of the police, 
 Bennet was hurried to the county jail for 
 safe keeping. The affair happened about 
 eight o'clock in the evening, when there 
 was a large crowd of people on the streets, 
 who, fortunately for Bennet, did not know 
 the nature of his crime. In a few minutes 
 after Bennet was locked up an angry mob 
 had surrounded the jail and gathered in 
 the streets in front of the courthouse. 
 Threats of lynching were made, and the 
 leaders of the mob proposed battering 
 down the doors of the prison, taking the 
 prisoner out by force and hanging him to 
 a lamp post. 
 
 Anticipating trouble, Sheriff Thomas R. 
 Hoon prepared to resist the mob and pro- 
 tect the prisoner. By ten o'clock the mob 
 was beyond the control of the local police 
 and an assault was made on the residence 
 part of the jail. The front door was bat- 
 
 tered down with a piece of heavy timber, 
 used as a battering-ram, and every win- 
 dow in the front part of the building was 
 broken by stones and brick-bats hurled by 
 the rioters. Sheriff Hoon, who was a phys- 
 ical giant, displayed a courage possessed 
 by few men as he stood in the doorway, 
 unarmed, vainly attempting to persuade 
 the rioters to disperse. He was hit with 
 stones and roughly handled, but held his 
 ground, and the mob did not get beyond 
 the street entrance. A shot fired by one 
 of the jail guards had the effect of dispers- 
 ing the crowd, and in a few minutes only 
 the curious and a small body of the rioters 
 remained about the county buildings. 
 
 The attack did not last twenty minutes, 
 but in that time the residence part of the 
 jail was wrecked and several members of 
 the sheriff's family had narrow escapes 
 from serious injury. Fearing that the 
 leaders of the mob would return and at- 
 tempt to carry out their threat to blow up 
 the prison with dynamite, Sheriff Hoon se- 
 cured rifles and ammunition from the local 
 military company and placed a strong 
 armed guard about the jail. The rioters 
 did not return and at midnight the streets 
 were quiet. The guard remained on duty 
 at the jail all night and the following day 
 (Sunday), but no further attempts at vio- 
 lence were made. 
 
 Two days later, September 16th, Bennet 
 went into court and entered a plea of Holle 
 coiitendre to the charge made against him, 
 and was sentenced to fifteen years in the 
 penitentiary by Judge Samuel Miller, of 
 Mercer, specially presiding. 
 
 THE BENCH. 
 
 Before the organization of Butler Coun- 
 ty, when, as previously intimated, her ter- 
 ritory was attached to Allegheny County 
 for judicial purposes, thus coming under 
 the jurisdiction of the court of the latter 
 county, the presiding judge of the District 
 was the Hon. Alexander Addison, a native 
 
240 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of Scotland, who, in 1794, aided the authori- 
 ties in quelling the "Whiskey Insurrec- 
 tion." In performing this service he made 
 many enemies. Judge Addison was fear- 
 less and determined and in 1802 refused 
 to permit an associate judge to charge the 
 jury after he had delivered his address. 
 For this offense he was summoned before 
 the higher courts which dismissed the com- 
 plaint against him. His enemies were not 
 content, however, with the decision of the 
 court and the matter was carried to the leg- 
 islature. He was impeached by the House 
 of Representatives, tried by the Senate, 
 found guilty as charged and sentenced to 
 removal from office. His enemies secured 
 ample revenge as he was disqualified from 
 again filling any judicial position in Penn- 
 sylvania. He died in Pittsburg November 
 27, 1807. 
 
 The successor of Judge Addison was the 
 Hon. Jesse Moore, a native of Montgomery 
 County, who was commissioned president 
 judge of the Sixth Judicial District of 
 Pennsylvania, April 5th, 1803. Previous to 
 that time he had practiced law for some 
 years at Sunbury, Penna. Judge Moore 
 was said to be a solemn, dignified and aus- 
 tere man both in his official and private life. 
 Dressing after the fashion of the colonial 
 days, and punctilious in observing the old- 
 time manner, he adhered to the old-time 
 dress coat, knee-breeches, buckles and 
 stockings as well as the powdered wig and 
 buckled shoes which caused him to be long 
 remembered by the early settlers of the 
 county. He presided over the Courts of 
 Common Pleas in Butler County from 1804 
 to 1818. His death occurred Deceinber 21, 
 1854. 
 
 Hon. Samuel Roberts was appointed 
 president judge of the district including 
 Butler County in 1818 and held the office 
 until his death in 1820. He was born in 
 Philadelphia, December 8, 1763, and was 
 admitted to the bar in that city in 1793. He 
 practiced in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, previ- 
 ous to his appointment to the bench. 
 
 Hon. William Wilkins was the successor 
 of Judge Roberts. He presided in Butler 
 County from April 2, 1821, until July, 1824. 
 
 Hon. Charles Shaler was commissioned 
 judge of this district July 5, 1824. His 
 term of office was marked by a large 
 amount of litigation and his rulings, espe- 
 cially in land cases, disclosed an intimate 
 knowledge of the intricacies of the law. 
 
 Hon. John Bredin was born in the town 
 of Stranorlar, Donegal County, Ireland, in 
 1794. He came to Butler County with his 
 parents in 1802 and at the age of sixteen, 
 he went to Pittsburg and took a position as 
 a clerk in a general store. He purchased a 
 tract of wild land in what is now Summit 
 Township, Butler County, when he was 
 eighteen years of age, and in 1817 he was 
 employed as a clerk in the prothonotary 
 office in Butler. He began reading law un- 
 der Gen. William Ayres and the year 1824 
 found him in the newspaper business with 
 his brother Maurice, combining law and 
 journalism until 1830. He was appointed 
 president judge of the judicial district in 
 1831 and filled the position with marked 
 ability until his death in 1851. His associa- 
 tion as a student with General Ayres, who 
 was a well-known lawyer and land owner, 
 gave him an insight into the land business 
 and an acquaintance with the early land 
 laws that proved of great value to him, not 
 only in his practice, but in the discharge of 
 his duties on the bench. For more than a 
 quarter of a century he was regarded as an 
 authority in land title disputes. 
 
 He was married in 1829 to Miss Nancy 
 McClelland of Franklin, Venango County. 
 
 The president judge of this district from 
 1851 to 1863 was Hon. Daniel Agnew, a son 
 of Dr. Agnew, who was one of the early 
 practicing physicians in Butler and at Har- 
 mony. Judge Agnew was afterwards asso- 
 ciate justice and chief justice of the su- 
 preme court of Pennsylvania. He was a 
 man of eminent ability as a lawyer and a 
 jurist and his decisions were very rarely re- 
 versed on appeals. After his retirement 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 241 
 
 from the supreme bench he removed to 
 Beaver, Penna., where he died. 
 
 Hon. Lawrence L. McGuffin was presi- 
 dent judge from 1863 to 1874. His te»m 
 was marked by a number of important 
 criminal and civil trials, among which were 
 the Addlington murder trial from Porters- 
 ville in 1867, and the trial of Zachary Tail- 
 or Hockenberry for the murder of Nancy 
 Ann McCandless in October, 1868. Judge 
 McGuffin was deservedly popular, an able 
 lawyer and made an excellent record on the 
 bench. . 
 
 Hon. Charles McCandless was born in 
 Center Township, Butler County, Novem- 
 ber 27, 1834. He was educated in the com- 
 mon schools of the county and at the old 
 Witherspoon Institute in Butler, which was 
 then one of the leading academies in West- 
 ern Pennsylvania, and after leaving school 
 read law in the office of his uncle, Charles 
 C. Sullivan. He was admitted to practice 
 in June 14, 1858, and became a partner of 
 his preceptor. This partnership continued 
 until 1860 when Mr. Sullivan died and Mr. 
 McCandless succeeded to his large practice. 
 He was elected to the State Senate in 1862 
 for a term of three years and in 1872 was 
 a delegate to the Republican national con- 
 vention in Philadelphia which nominated 
 Grant and Wilson. Under the constitution 
 of 1873 Butler County became a sepai-ate 
 judicial district with Lawrence County at- 
 tached, and was entitled to an additional 
 law judge. Judge McGuffin was president 
 judge and Mr. McCandless was appointed 
 by Governor Hartranft assistant law judge 
 of the Seventh Judicial District to fill the 
 vacancy. He was one of the Republican 
 candidates for the office at the ensuing elec- 
 tion but was defeated. He was appointed 
 chief justice of New Mexico in February, 
 1878, hj President James A. Garfield, but 
 resigned in the following October and re- 
 turned to Butler, where he continued to 
 practice until his death, March 4, 1893. 
 
 Hon. Ebenezer McJunkin was born in 
 Center Township, Butler County, March 
 
 28, 1819, and was the son of David McJun- 
 kin, a pioneer settler of that township. He 
 was graduated from Jefferson College at 
 Canonsburg in 1841 and began the study 
 of law in the office of Charles C. Sullivan 
 of Butler, being admitted to the bar Sep- 
 tember 12, 1843. He was a partner of his 
 preceptor until 1849, when he was appoint- 
 ed deputy attorney general and began to 
 practice on his own account. In politics he 
 was first a Whig and afterwards a Repub- 
 lican, being one of the organizers of the Re- 
 publican party in Butler County. He was 
 a delegate to the national Republican con- 
 vention in Chicago in 1860 and a member of 
 the Electoral College in 1864. He was elect- 
 ed to Congress from this district in 1870 
 and was reelected in 1872. In 1874 he ran 
 as an independent Republican candidate 
 for the offi.ce of judge of the Seventh Ju- 
 dicial District and was elected, resigning 
 his seat in Congress to accept that office. 
 He drew lots with his colleague, Hon. 
 James Bredin, for the president judgeship 
 which he won, filling the position until Jan- 
 uary, 1885. After his retirement from the 
 bench he devoted himself to the practice of 
 his profession until failing health com- 
 pelled him to retire. His death occurred in 
 Butler, November, 1907. 
 
 Hon. James Bredin was a son of Hon. 
 John Bredin and was born in Butler, Penn- 
 sylvania, May 9, 1831. He was educated 
 at the local schools and at Washington Col- 
 lege and in the Naval School at Annapolis. 
 He participated in the naval operations in 
 the Gulf of Mexico during the Mexican war 
 and early in 1850, he resigned and returned 
 to Butler, and began reading law in his 
 father's office. After his father's death, in 
 1851, he continued his studies in the office 
 of Hon. Ebenezer McJunkin and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar June 14, 1853. He did 
 not at once begin practice, but engaged in 
 the banking business with James Camp- 
 bell, S. M. Lane and others and established 
 a bank in Butler and a branch at New Cas- 
 tle. He returned to the profession, how- 
 
242 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 ever, iu 1855 and 1871 removed to Al- 
 legheny, where he practiced until 1874, 
 when he was elected one of the judges of 
 the Seventeenth District and served ten 
 years. After his retirement from the bench 
 in 1855 he removed again to Allegheny, 
 where he continued to practice until his 
 death, November, 1906. He was recognized 
 as an able lawyer and was held in high es- 
 teem by the legal profession and the pub- 
 lic, and his record on the bench in Butler 
 Cftunty was an excellent one. 
 
 Hon. Aaron L. Hazen is a native of 
 Shenango Township, Lawrence Coimty, 
 and was born February 19, 1837. He was 
 educated in the district schools and in 
 Beaver Academy and Jefferson College at 
 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, graduating 
 from the latter institution in 1861. He en- 
 listed April 19, 1861, in the Twelfth Penn- 
 sylvania Vohmteers, but being disqualified 
 from service in the ranks on accoimt of 
 deafness, he became a clerk in the pay- 
 master's department in the army and 
 served until the close of the war. He was 
 admitted to the bar in New Castle in Sep- 
 tember, 1855, was elected district attorney 
 in 1870, and reelected in 1873. He was 
 elected one of the two judges of the Seven- 
 teenth Judicial District, then embracing 
 Butler and Lawrence Counties, in 1884, and 
 after his election took up his residence in 
 Butler as president judge. Under the di- 
 vision of the judicial district in 1893, Law- 
 rence became a separate judicial district 
 and Butler County alone became the Seven- 
 teenth Judicial District. Judge Hazen 
 then became president judge of Lawrence 
 County and removed to New Castle. His 
 term of office expired in 1895 and since that 
 time he has engaged in practice of liis pro- 
 fession at New Castle, and enjoys a large 
 clientele as well as the confidence of the 
 community. 
 
 Hon. John McMichael, a member of the 
 Tjawrence County Bar, was elected assist- 
 ant law judge in 1884, and served until his 
 death in' 1892. 
 
 Hon. J. Norman Martin, a member of 
 the Lawrence County Bar, was admitted 
 to practice at the Butler Bar, September 
 3rd, 1889. He was appointed assistant law 
 judge to fill the vacancy caused by the 
 death of Judge MeMichael, and served 
 until January 1st, 1893. 
 
 Hon. John M. Greer is a native of Jef- 
 ferson Township, Butler County, where he 
 was born August 3rd, 1844. At the age of 
 eighteen, in July 1862, he enlisted in the 
 defense of the Union, and remained in the 
 service until February, 1866, when "he was 
 mustered out. He taught school after his 
 return from the army and read law in the 
 office of Charles McCandless. He was ad- 
 mitted to practice September 23rd, 1867, 
 and in 1868 was elected district attorney 
 for a term of three years. He was elected 
 state senator in 1876 and reelected in 1880. 
 In 1882 he was nominated as secretary of 
 internal affairs but suffered defeat with 
 the entire Republican ticket that year. He 
 was one of the two nominees of the Re- 
 publican ])arty for judge of the Seven- 
 teenth Judicial District in 1884, but failed 
 of election, the candidates from the Law- 
 rence County end of the district, both be- 
 ing successful. He was engaged from 1887 
 to 1891 as inspector and examiner of the 
 Soldiers' Orphans' School, and in 1892, 
 on the death of Judge McMichael, he was 
 elected as his successor as additional law 
 judge of the Seventeenth Judicial District. 
 Under the operation of a special act of the 
 legislature in 1893, Butler County alone 
 became the Seventeenth Judicial District, 
 and Lawrence County was erected into a 
 new district, with Judge Hazen as presi- 
 dent judge. Judge Greer then succeeded 
 to the judgeship of the Seventeenth Judi- 
 cial District and served until the expira- 
 tion of his term in 1903. Judge Greer 
 made an excellent record on the bench and 
 was one of the most popular judges that 
 have ever occupied that position. Since 
 his retirement from the bench he has de- 
 voted his time to the practice of his pro- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS' 
 
 243 
 
 fession and has associated with him his 
 two sons, Thomas H. Greer and John B. 
 Greei". 
 
 Hon. James M. Galbreath is the second 
 son of Robert Galbreath and was born in 
 Winfield Township, Butler County, Sep- 
 tember 27th, 1852. He received a com- 
 mon school education and subsequently at- 
 tended Slate Lick Academy, Armstrong 
 County, and Witherspoou Institute, But- 
 ler. He then entered Princeton College, 
 where he graduated in 1880, and com- 
 menced reading law with W. D. Brandon, 
 Butler. He was admitted to the bar, 
 March 6th, 1882, and in 1884 he formed a 
 partnership with James B. McJunkin, 
 which was continued until 1901. He was 
 elected president judge of the Seventeenth 
 Judicial District in 1902 and has filled the 
 position with marked afiility. 
 
 THE BAR. 
 
 John Gilmore was prominent as a law- 
 yer and politician in the early years of the 
 county's history. He was a son of James 
 Gilmore, a native of Ireland, who came to 
 Sumerset County, Pennsylvania, prior to 
 or during the Revolution, in which county 
 John Gilmore was born in 1780. His youth 
 and manhood were passed in Washington 
 County, Pennsylvania. Admitted to the 
 bar at the age of twenty-one years, he 
 shortly afterwards began the practice of 
 law in Pittsburg, and in 1803 came to But- 
 ler as deputy attorney general. He served 
 several terms in the legislature from But- 
 ler County, was speaker of the House in 
 1821, and was prominent in the legal and 
 political history of the county during the 
 first twenty-five years of his existence. He 
 died in 1845, after a long, useful and hon- 
 orable career. 
 
 Col. John Purviance was born in Wash- 
 ington County, Penna., September 28, 
 1781. He came to Butler as a practicing 
 attorney in 1804 and was among the first 
 
 attorneys admitted to the Butler Bar after 
 the organization of the court of the county. 
 He was the legal adviser of the Harmony 
 Society from 1805 to 1815, with the excep- 
 tion of the time passed on the frontier as 
 Colonel of the Second Pennsylvania Mili- 
 tia Regiment during the A¥ar of 1812. Col. 
 Purviance was a brother-in-law of John 
 Gilmore, having married an elder sister of 
 Mrs. Gilmore. The family returned to 
 Washington, Penna., in 1814, where Col. 
 Purviance died December 28, 1820. 
 
 Gen. William Ayres came to western 
 Pennsylvania in 1794 with the ti-oops sent 
 to quell "the whiskey insurrection" in the 
 southwestern part of the state. He began 
 the study of law in the office of Judge 
 Breckenridge, of Pittsburg, and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in 1809. When Butler 
 County was organized Gen. Ayres was ap- 
 pointed to the office of prothonotary, which 
 at that time included the duties of the clerk 
 of courts and of registrar and recorder. 
 He became a large land owner and a pow- 
 erful factor in the political life of the coun- 
 ty. Although a bachelor, he built for him- 
 self a comfortable and well-furnished home 
 on the site now occupied by the residence 
 of the late Judge Ebenezer McJunkin, on 
 South Main Street, and lived in what was 
 then considered an affluent and luxurious 
 life. At his death in 1843 he left an es- 
 tate valued at $150,000. 
 
 John Galbraith, who was admitted to 
 tlie Butler bar November 10, 1818, was also 
 tlie pioneer newspaper man of the covmty. 
 He studied law in Butler under Gen. Will- 
 iam x^yres and after he was admitted to 
 the bar he took up newspaper work and es- 
 tablished the Butler Palladium and Repub- 
 lican Star, which was the first newspaper 
 published in Butler County. In 1819 he 
 removed to Franklin and became one of 
 the prominent lawyers of Venango Coun- 
 ty. He afterwards removed to Erie, where 
 he became president judge of the district. 
 
 Hon. Joseph Buffington began his ca- 
 reer in Butler as editor of a weekly paper 
 
244 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 called the Repository. He read law under 
 Gen. William Ayres and was admitted to 
 the Butler bar July 4, 1826. About a year 
 afterwards he moved to Kittanning. He 
 was elected to Congress in 1842 and served 
 two terras. In 1849 he was appointed 
 judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District 
 and in 1852 was tendered, but declined, the 
 chief judgeship of Utah. He was ap- 
 pointed judge of the Tenth Judicial Dis- 
 trict in 1855 to fill a vacancy, and was 
 elected in 1856 and reelected in 1866. Ow- 
 ing to failing health he resigned in 1871, 
 and his death occurred February 3, 1872. 
 Judge Buffington took high rank as a 
 jurist. 
 
 Col. Francis McBride, who kept a hotel 
 where the Lowry House now stands, and 
 who was sheriff of the county in 1830, 
 studied law and became the partner of the 
 late Louis Z. Mitchell. He lived for a 
 while in the old Walter Lowry residence. 
 
 Hon. Samuel A. Purviance, who became 
 a man of national note in his lifetime, was 
 born in Butler, January 10, 1809, and was 
 the son of Col. John Purviance. He was 
 largely self educated and prepared him- 
 self for a professional career by reading 
 law in the office of Gen. William Ayres, be- 
 ing admitted to practice October 2, 1827. 
 He began his legal career in Warren Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, where he was appointed 
 deputy attorney general, but within a few 
 years he returned to Butler County. He 
 was' a member of the convention that 
 framed the Constitution of 1838, his col- 
 league from Butler County being Gen. 
 William Ayres. He was a member of the 
 House of Representatives from Butler 
 County in the General Assemblies of 1838 
 and 1839 and in 1844 he was elected a dele- 
 gate to the Whig National Convention, 
 which nominated Henry Clay for presi- 
 dent. He was also a member of the first 
 Republican National Convention held in 
 1852, and was recognized as one of the 
 founders of the Republican party. He 
 was elected to Congress from this district 
 
 in 1854 and reelected in 1856, and took a 
 prominent part in the Kansas-Nebraska 
 debates, opposing with his voice and his 
 vote the attempt of slave power to extend 
 its dominion over the western territory. 
 After the expiration of his term in Con- 
 gress Mr. Purviance moved to Pittsburg. 
 He was chosen delegate to the Republican 
 National Convention in Chicago in 1860, 
 which nominated Abraham Lincoln. In 
 1861 he was elected attorney general of 
 Pennsylvania and in the same year he was 
 tendered an important diplomatic appoint- 
 ment by President Lincoln, but declined it. 
 He was chosen delegate to the Republican 
 National Convention of 1864 and aided in 
 a nomination of President Lincoln for a 
 second term, and in 1868 he was a delegate 
 to the convention, that nominated General 
 Grant as presidential candidate of the 
 Republican party. This convention also 
 chose Mr. Purviance as a member of the 
 National executive committee. In 1872 
 Mr. Purviance was prominently mentioned 
 as a candidate for the nomination of vice 
 president on the Republican ticket, and in 
 1873 he was chosen a member of the con- 
 vention that framed the state constitution 
 of that year. His public career dosed with 
 the discharge of his duties as a member of 
 that notable assemblage, and his death oc- 
 curred at his home in Pittsburg, February 
 14, 1882. From his first appearance in 
 public life to the signing of the constitution 
 of 1873 Mr. Purviance had given his na- 
 tive state over forty years of able, faith- 
 ful and distinguished service and had se- 
 cured the respect and esteem of her citi- 
 zens. His widow died in Pittsburg in De- 
 cember, 1891. 
 
 George W. Smith was one of the early 
 attorneys at the Butler bar who attained 
 prominence in the west. He was born in 
 Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in 1806, 
 and he came to Butler to work in 
 the woolen factory. He began to study 
 law in tlie office of Gen. William Ayres and 
 was admitted to the bar April 7, 3829. He 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 245 
 
 was elected to the legislature from Butler 
 County in 1835 and in 1848 he was the 
 Whig candidate for Congress in this dis- 
 trict, but was defeated by that popular 
 Democrat, Alfred Gilmore, of Butler, who 
 carried the district by a very small major- 
 ity. In 1855 Mr. Smith went to Kansas 
 and subsequently became a prominent fac- 
 tor in the politics of that State, at one time 
 being speaker in th"e legislature. He died 
 in the city of Lawrence, Kansas, Septem- 
 ber 28, 1878. 
 
 Walter H. Lowrie, who was admitted 
 to the bar July 6, 1830, was a native of 
 Butler County and a son of Matthew P. 
 Lowrie, of Allegheny Township. His 
 grandfather, John Lowrie, was one of the. 
 pioneer settlers of the northeastern sec- 
 tion of the county. Walter H. Lowrie was 
 chief justice of the Supreme Court of 
 Pennsylvania from 1857 to 1863. 
 
 One of the ablest members of the Butler 
 bar for many years was Hon. Charles Cra- 
 ven Sullivan. He was born in Franklin 
 Township, Butler County, March 10, 1807, 
 and was the son of Charles Sullivan, who 
 was a native of Northumberland County, 
 Virginia. After graduating from Jeffer- 
 son College in 1828 Mr. Sullivan became a 
 law student in the office of Gen. William 
 Ayres and was admitted to the bar Octo- 
 ber 10, 1831. He was elected to the state 
 Senate in 1841 and reelected in 1844. Mr. 
 Sullivan was an able lawyer and a success- 
 ful advocate and his legal practice grew 
 to be very large. He died February 27, 
 1860. His widow is still living in the old 
 Sullivan homestead on West Diamond 
 Street. 
 
 David C. Cunningham, a brother of the 
 Cunninghams who founded the borough of 
 Butler, was admitted to practice in 1804, 
 and was well known to the bench and bar 
 of the earlier years of the county's history. 
 
 General John N. Purviance, who was 
 prominent in the affairs of Butler County 
 for more than fifty years, was the son of 
 Col. John Purviance and was born in But- 
 
 ler, September 27, 1810. He was educated 
 m the old schools of Butler and the But- 
 ler Academy and at the age of sixteen filled 
 the position of clerk in Foxe's store on 
 the. Clarion River. After serving as clerk 
 to the county commissioners, he completed 
 his law studies in the office of Hon. John 
 Bredin, and in 1832 was admitted to the 
 bar. Mr. Purviance took an active inter- 
 est in the early militia organization of the 
 county, and in 1843 he was commissioned 
 major-general of the military division 
 comprising Butler, Mercer and Beaver 
 Counties. In 1861 he was captain of the 
 Butler Blues, which was mustered into the 
 United States service as Company H of 
 the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
 and at the organization of the regiment in 
 Harrisburg on April 25, 1861, he'was pro- 
 moted to lieutenant-colonel. He was audi- 
 tor-general of the State from 1845 to 1851 
 as well as escheater-general and a member 
 of the board of property. His death oc- 
 curred in Butler in 1885. 
 
 Edward M. Bredin, who was regarded as 
 one of the ablest advisers of the bar of But- 
 ler County in the middle of the last cen- 
 tury, was a nephew of Hon. John Bredin 
 and was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 
 1819. He came to Butler when a youth, 
 read law in the office of his uncle and was 
 admitted to the bar of Butler County Octo- 
 ber 2, 1839. His death occurred August 9, 
 1887. 
 
 William Timblin, a native of Center 
 Township, Butler County, read law in the 
 office of Samuel A. Purviance and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar September 14, 1841. His 
 death occurred in Butler in 1856. 
 
 John Graham was a native of Connoque- 
 nessing Township, Butler County, and was 
 born in 1821. In 1842 he began the study 
 of law in the office of Samuel A. Gilmore. 
 He was admitted the bar in 1844, and in 
 1845 he was appointed deputy attorney 
 general, making for himself a good legal 
 reputation. His death occurred in 1860. 
 
 Louis Z. Mitchell was born in Dauphin 
 
246 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 12, 1824, 
 and came to Butler County when about ten 
 years of age. He began the study of law 
 in the office of Samuel A. Purviance about 
 1843 and was admitted to the bar February 
 11, 1845. For almost half a century he was 
 one of the leading members of the bar in 
 Butler County and won an excellent repu- 
 tation both as advocate and counsellor. His 
 death occurred in Butler August 28, 1904. 
 
 Colonel John McPherin Sullivan was 
 born in Butler, August 9, 1822. He was 
 educated at the Old Stone Academy at But- 
 ler, and at Jefferson College, graduating 
 from the latter institution in 184.3. After 
 leaving college he became a law student in 
 the office of Hon. Samuel A. Gilmore of 
 Butler, and was admitted to practice in 
 September, 1845. A few months later he 
 formed a law partnership with his precep- 
 tor, which continued until 1855. He subse- 
 quently occupied many public positions, his 
 official career closing about 1882, after he 
 had filled the position of collector of inter- 
 nal revenue of the Twenty-third District 
 for nearly fifteen years. He died in But- 
 ler in 1899. 
 
 Arcus McDermitt, a native of Butler 
 County, studied law under C. C. Sullivan 
 and was admitted to practice September 30, 
 1850. He moved to Mercer County, Penn- 
 svhania, a few years later and in 1874 was 
 elortcd judge of that district imder the new 
 Constitution. 
 
 Col. Archibald Blakeley was born in For- 
 ward Township Jiily 16, 1827. He began 
 life as a school teacher, read law with 
 George W. Smitli of Butler, and was admit- 
 ted to the bar November 10, 1852. In 1853 
 he was elected district attorney, and in 1855 
 he was chosen delegate from Butler Coun- 
 tv to the first Republican state convention 
 held at Pittsburg. During the Civil War he 
 served as lieutenant colonel and colonel of 
 the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers for three years, and made an excel- 
 lent war record. Upon his return to civil 
 life he practiced law at Franklin, Pennsyl- 
 
 vania, from 1864 to 1868, when he removed 
 to Pittsburg. 
 
 Hon. James Thompson, eminent in the 
 legal annals of Pennsylvania, was born in 
 Middlesex Township, Butler County, in 
 1805, being the youngest sou of William 
 Thompson. He entered the active duties of 
 life as the first printer's "devil" in the of- 
 fice of the Butler Palladium, the pioneer 
 newspaper of the county. In 1826 he began 
 reading law under John Gilmore, at that 
 time a leading member of the Butler bar, 
 and he completed his studies at Kittanning 
 under Thomas Blair, and was admitted to 
 the Butler Bar April 9, 1828. He located 
 later at Franklin, Pennsylvania, where he 
 resided for thirteen years. He was elected 
 to the general assembly in 1832, 1833 and 
 1834, and duriug his last term was chosen 
 speaker of the House. In 1839 he was ap- 
 pointed judge of a special district, created 
 to dispose of accumulated business, and in 
 1842 he removed to Erie, Pennsylvania. In 
 1844 he was elected to Congress and re- 
 elected in 1848. He was elected on tlie Dem- 
 ocratic ticket associate justice of the su- 
 preme court, in 1857, and served the last 
 five years of his fifteen-year term as chief 
 justice. With the beginning of his term on 
 the supreme bench he took up his residence 
 in Philadelphia, where he passed the re- 
 mainder of his life. One of his sons, Sam- 
 uel Gustine Thompson, succeeded his fath- 
 er on the supreme bench, retiring in 1893. 
 
 William G. Thompson was a native of 
 Brady Township, Butler County, and a 
 brother of the late Colonel John M. Thomp- 
 son, of Butler. He read law under William 
 Timblin, of Butler, and was admitted to 
 the bar November 15, 1853. He moved to 
 Iowa shortly afterward, settling in Linn 
 County. During the Civil War he served 
 as major of an Iowa regiment, and later 
 represented his district in the Forty-sev- 
 enth and Forty-eighth Congresses. 
 
 Colonel William Blakeley was a native 
 of Butler County, and was admitted to the 
 bar March 24, 1856. He removed to Kit- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 247 
 
 tanning tlie same year and was elected dis- 
 trict attorney of Armstrong County in 
 1859. In 1862 he resigned his office to be- 
 come lieutenant colonel of the Fourteenth 
 Pennsylvania Cavalry, and in 1865 was 
 brevetted brigadier general in recognition 
 of his sei-vices. The same year he formed 
 a law partnership with his brother, Col. 
 Archibald Blakeley at Franklin, and in 
 1868 he removed to Pittsburg, where he be- 
 came a leading member of the bar of that 
 city. His death occurred in Butler October 
 2, 1899. 
 
 Hon. John H. Mitchell was a native of 
 Washington County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he was born June 22, 1835. When he was 
 two years old his parents removed to But- 
 ler County, where young Mitchell grew to 
 manhood. Completing his literary educa- 
 tion at Witherspoon Institute, Butler, he 
 entered the law office of Purviance and 
 Thompson and was admitted to the bar 
 March 22, 1858. In 1860 he went to the 
 Pacific Coast and located in California. 
 After a brief sojourn in that state he lo- 
 cated permanently at Portland, Oregon, 
 and soon took rank among tlie leaders of 
 the bar of the northwest. He filled many 
 important offices, and was a member of the 
 United State Senate at the time of his 
 death in 1905. 
 
 John H. Negley was a son of the pioneer 
 John Negley and was born in Butler Bor- 
 ough February 7, 1823. He was educated 
 at the old Butler Academy and at Wash- 
 ington College, Washington, Pennsylvania, 
 and in 1843 he began the study of law in 
 the office of Hon. John.Bredin. He was 
 admitted to the bar March 25, 1845, and 
 three years later was appointed deputy at- 
 torney general for Butler County, and un- 
 der the new constitution was elected dis- 
 trict attorney in 1850. In 1855 he entered 
 the field of journalism as editor of the Her- 
 ald: In 1861 he was appointed enrolling 
 officer of Butler County and in 1863 was 
 elected a member of the legislature and was 
 reelected in 1864 and 1865. He was en- 
 
 gaged in law practice from 1866 to April, 
 1869, when he resumed journalism as edi- 
 tor of the Citizen. In 1870 and 1871 he was 
 assistant assessor of internal revenue for 
 this county, which was the last official po- 
 sition he held. He retained editorial con- 
 trol of the Citizen until 1888, when his son, 
 William F. Negley, became owner. After 
 his retirement from newspaper work Mr. 
 Negley resimied the practice of law, which 
 he continued until a short time before his 
 death, which occurred June 17, 1908. 
 
 Thomas Robinson was born in County 
 Armagh, Ireland, July 4, 1825. Accom- 
 panied by his parents he came to America 
 in 1832, and to Penn Township, Butler 
 County, in 1835. He entered the office of 
 George W. Smith of Butler as a student of 
 law and was admitted to the bar Septem- 
 ber 25, 1855. Mr. Robinson was by nature 
 a politician more than a lawyer and the 
 greater part of his life was devoted to pol- 
 itics. At first a Whig, he afterwards be- 
 came a Republican and was a delegate from 
 Butler County to the first state convention 
 of the Republican party in 1855. In 1860 
 he was elected to the "legislature and for 
 more than forty years was one of the local 
 leaders of his party. In 1863 Mr. Robinson 
 and Major Cyrus E. Anderson established 
 the American Citizen, of which Mr. Robin- 
 son was political editor, and in 1870 he was 
 one of the organizers and directors of a 
 company that established the Butler Eagle. 
 In 1871 Mr. Robinson became sole owner 
 of the Eagle and remained in control until 
 1879, when he sold the paper to his son, 
 Eli D. Robinson. He was appointed state 
 printer at Harrisburg in 1893, a position 
 which he resigned on account of ill health. 
 Upon his retirement Mr. Robinson re- 
 turned to Butler and took up the practice 
 of law, which he continued until his death 
 in 1907. 
 
 Col. John M. Thompson was born m 
 Brady Township, Butler County, January 
 4, 1830. and was the eldest son of William 
 H. and Jane (McCandless) Thompson. 
 
248 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 After completing- an acadeniic course at 
 Witherspoon Institute lie read law in the 
 office of Hon. Samuel A. Purviance and 
 was admitted to the bar February 24, 1854. 
 He became a partner in the office of Pur- 
 viance and Sullivan and soon developed 
 marked forensic ability and took a leading 
 position in the bar. He was elected to the 
 legislature on the Republican ticket in 1858, 
 and reelected in 1859, serving as speaker 
 pro tern, of the house at the latter session. 
 He entered the army in 1862 as major of 
 the 134th Pennsylvania Vohmteers, and 
 was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He re- 
 signed his commission in the army in 1863 
 and returned to Butler to resume the prac- 
 tice of law. He was delegate to the Repub- 
 lican national convention at Chicago in 
 1868, which nominated General Grant for 
 the presidency, and he was one of the pres- 
 idential electors of Pennsylvania in 1872. 
 In 1875 he was elected to Congress from 
 this district to tilll a vacancy caused by the 
 resignation of Hon. E. McJunkin, and he 
 Avas again elected in 1870, for a full term of 
 two years. Colonel Thompson was one of 
 the ablest members of the Butler bar, and 
 enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. His 
 death occurred in Butler September 8, 
 1903. 
 
 John B. Gibson, who was one of the early 
 attorneys of Butler Borough, registering 
 here in 1804, was afterwards appointed to 
 the supreme court bench of the state -and 
 became chief justice. 
 
 Hon. Samuel A. Gilmore, who was born 
 in Butler Borough, January 21, 1806, and 
 died in 1873, was the son of John Gilmore 
 and was admitted to the bar in January, 
 1828. He was elected to the legislature 
 from Butler County in 1836 and 1837, and 
 filled the position of secretary of the Con- 
 stitutional Convention of 1838. He was 
 appointed judge of the district composed 
 of Washington, Fayette, and Green Coun- 
 ties in 1845, by Gov. Sliimk, and when that 
 office became elective, he carried the dis- 
 
 trict and was its president judge at the 
 time of his death. 
 
 Hon. Alfred Gilmore was a native of 
 Butler Borough and a son of John Gil- 
 more. He read law in the office of Samuel 
 A. Gilmore, and was admitted to the bar 
 March 15, 1836. He was elected to Con- 
 gress from this district in 1849 and served 
 four years. At the expiration of his term 
 he became a citizen of Massachusetts, and 
 afterwards of Scranton, Penna., where he 
 died in ,1890 or 1891. 
 
 John H. Hopkins was admitted to the 
 Butler Bar October 10, 1822, and after- 
 wards gave uii the law for the ministry, 
 lie entered the Episcopal Church and at 
 the time of his death was bishop of Ver- 
 mont. 
 
 Moses Hampton, who practiced in But- 
 ler in 1846, removed to Pittsburg and be- 
 came one of the judges of the district. 
 
 Jedediah Jack, who was admitted to 
 the Butler bar in 1840, and was a well- 
 known citizen of the town, went to Illi- 
 nois and was there killed. 
 
 James W. Kii'ker, a native of Butler 
 County, was admitted to the bar in 1856. 
 He served one term as district attorney 
 of the county, beginning in 1859, and was 
 afterwards removed to Pittsburg, where 
 he died in 1893. He was commissioned 
 provost marshal of the Twenty-third Dis- 
 trict of Pennsylvania by President Lin- 
 coln, with the rank of captain of cavalry 
 on the 18th of April, 1863, and served as 
 such until the first of October, 1865, when 
 he was mustered out of service by reason 
 of the close of the war. 
 
 James Potts, a native of Butler, was ad- 
 mitted to practice law on the 11th of June, 
 1850, and afterwards removed to Johns- 
 town, Cambria County, where he became 
 president judge of the independent judi- 
 cial district of which Johnstown was the 
 center. 
 
 Alexander McBride, a native of Middle- 
 sex Township, Butler County, was admit- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 249 
 
 ted to the Butler Bar September 15, 1841. 
 He was considered a young man of culture 
 and talent, but after he left Butler little 
 was known about him. 
 
 Eugene Ferrero read law in Col. Thomp- 
 son's office and was admitted to the bar 
 in September, 1855. He was elected dis- 
 trict attorney in 1857, and county superin- 
 tendent of the common schools in 1860. 
 He then practiced law in Venango County 
 for some time, after which he removed to 
 Cincinnati. Mr. Ferrero was a gentleman 
 of culture and scholarly attainments. 
 
 Walter L. Graham was born in Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, October 25, 1831. He was 
 educated at the old Butler Academy, With- 
 erspoou Institute, and Jefferson College, 
 graduating from the latter institution in 
 
 1854. He read law with Samuel A. Pur- 
 viance and Charles C. Sullivan, and was 
 admitted to the Butler County Bar in 
 
 1855. With the exception of a few years 
 that he spent in California and a short 
 time in Pittsburg, Mr. Graham continued 
 the practice in Butlei' until the time of 
 his death, November 1, 1900. He was a 
 Republican in politics and was a delegate 
 to the National Convention in 1860 that 
 nominated Lincoln for President. During 
 his lifetime he took a deep interest, in local 
 affairs, served several terms as president 
 of the borough council, and held other of- 
 fices of trust in the community. Mr. Gra- 
 ham enlisted in Company G, Fourteenth 
 Pennsylvania Militia, that went out to as- 
 sist in repelling Lee's invasion. 
 
 Robert M. MeClure was a native of Pros- 
 pect, Butler County, and read law with 
 the late Louis Z. Mitchell. He was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in 1856, and his death oc- 
 curred about 1882. Mr. McClure was a 
 gentleman of culture and considerable na- 
 tive talent, but a brilliant career was 
 ruined by an unfortunate taste for liquor, 
 which he could not control. His death oc- 
 curred under sad circumstances in Butler, 
 and caused universal regret among his ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 Samuel P. Irvin, a native of Adams 
 Township, Butler County, was admitted 
 to the bar in January, 1858. Previous to 
 his admission to the bar he followed school 
 teaching for a niunber of years, and for 
 many years he was one of the prominent 
 characters in the oil country. 
 
 Edwin Lyon was born in Middlesex 
 Township, Butler Coimty, and was a son 
 of T. H. Lyon of that township. He read 
 law with Col. John M. Thompson and in 
 1862 he enlisted in the One Hundred and 
 Thirty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
 and became captain of Company K. He 
 was wounded at the Battle of Fredericks- 
 burg, and was discharged for physical dis- 
 ability J\larch 16, 1863. After his return 
 home he took up literature and became 
 quite a humorous writer. His health hav- 
 ing become impaired, he accepted the con- 
 sulship to a Mexican city, where he re- 
 mained for a short time only to return 
 home and die. 
 
 Isaac Ash, a native of Forward Town- 
 ship, read law in the office of Col. John M. 
 Thompson, and was admitted to the bar 
 in January, 1859. He practiced for some 
 time in Butler and afterward located in 
 Oil City, Venango County, where he con- 
 tinued in the practice of his profession un- 
 til his death. Mr. Ash was a lawyer pure 
 and simple and attained a leading rank in 
 his profession in Venango County. 
 
 John Q. Sullivan was born in Prospect, 
 Butler County, April 2, 1839. He was edu- 
 cated at Jefferson College and was admit- 
 ted to the Butler bar in June, 1861. He 
 was afterwards admitted to practice in the 
 Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He was 
 actively engaged in the practice of his 
 profession for about twenty-five years, but 
 has now retired and is living in Winfield 
 Township. 
 
 Lewis K. Purviance, a native of Butler, 
 read law with his uncle, John M. Purvi- 
 ance, and was admitted to the bar in Sep- 
 tember, 1875. He removed to Bradford, 
 Pennsylvania, where he is now practicing. 
 
250 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Hugh C. Graham, a native of Connoque- 
 nessing Township, Butler County, read law 
 with Col. John M. Thompson, and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in March, 1861. The same 
 year he formed a law partnership with 
 Hon. Chas. McCandless, which continued 
 until August, 1863, when he enlisted in 
 Company G, 137th Regiment, Pennsylva- 
 nia Volunteers, and was mustered out with 
 his regiment in 1863. After his return 
 from the army Mr. Graham i-emoved to 
 Oil City, where he resumed the practice 
 of law and became eminently successful in 
 his chosen i^rofession. 
 
 Thomas II. Lyon, a native of Middlesex 
 Township, Butler County commenced the 
 study of law with Col. John M. Thompson, 
 of Butler and completed it with William G. 
 Thompson (a brother of Col. John M. 
 Thompson) of Lynn County, Iowa, where 
 he was admitted to the bar in 1868. Re- 
 turning to his native state he was admitted 
 as a member of the Butler Couuty bar in 
 July, 1882, and practiced in Butler until 
 1895, when he removed to Middlesex Town- 
 ship, where he is now residing. 
 
 George A. Black, a native of Butler 
 County, read law with Gen. John N. Pur- 
 viance, and was admitted to the Butler bar 
 in September, 1865. After practicing his 
 profession in Butler for some time he re- 
 moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he 
 practiced for several years, finally return- 
 ing to Butler, where he died of consump- 
 tion. 
 
 Moses Sullivan, a brother of Charles A. 
 Sullivan, and a son of Charles Craven Sul- 
 livan, who was a distinguished member of 
 the Butler bar, read law with Hon. E. Mc- 
 Junkin, and was admitted to the bar on the 
 14th of June, 1869. He commenced the 
 practice of his profession in Butler, but af- 
 terwards moved to Bradford, Pennsylva- 
 nia, where he is now one of the leading 
 members of the McKean County bar. 
 
 Samuel H. Pear sol was born in Beaver 
 County, Pennsylvania. After acquiring 
 a classical and scientific education at 
 
 Mount Union College, Ohio, he read law 
 with Hon. Ebenezer McJunkin and was 
 admitted to the bar in Butler June 14, 
 1869. He was also admitted to the bar of 
 the Supreme Court, Pennsylvania. Mr. 
 Pearsol continued his practice in Butler 
 until about 1899, when he removed to Pitts- 
 burg, where his death occurred in 1901. 
 
 Charles A. Sullivan, the eldest son of 
 Hon. C. C. Sullivan, was born in Butler 
 and received his primary education in the 
 public schools of his native town, and 
 later took a classical course at West Ches- 
 ter, Pennsylvania. He read law with Hon. 
 James Bredin and was admitted to the bar 
 March 15, 1870. He practiced in Butler 
 until 1880, when he removed to Pittsburg. 
 
 Joseph Mitchell, a son of Louis Z. 
 Mitchell, read law with his father and was 
 admitted to the bar in June, 1870. He was 
 a young man of good qualities, and at an 
 early date death closed his career. 
 
 Harvey Snyder, a native of Brady 
 Township, Butler County, was admitted 
 to practice at the Butler bar from the 10th 
 of June, 1870. He afterwards removed to 
 Kittanning and became district attorney 
 of Armstrong Couuty for one term. 
 
 A. J. McCafferty was born in Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, August 15, 
 1846. He was educated in Witherspoon 
 Institute, Edinborough State Normal 
 School and Allegheny College at Meadville, 
 and was admitted to the bar in 1870. He 
 was a young man of promise, but died of 
 consumption 1876. 
 
 Michael McBride was the son of John 
 McBride, one of the early settlers of Clear- 
 field Township. He read law with Hon. E. 
 McJimkin and was admitted to the bar in 
 1871. Subsequently he attended a course 
 of lectures in the University of Michigan 
 and from there went to Chicago, 111., where 
 he practiced until the great fire of Octo- 
 ber, 1871, which destroyed his library and 
 effects and caused him to change his loca- 
 tion to Paxton, that state. He returned to 
 Butler Coimty in 1874 and located at Chi- 
 
BUTLER COUNTY COURT HOUSE, 
 BUILT IN 1807 
 
 M. E. CHURCH, BUTLER 
 
 ff 
 
 '^ n 
 
 
 
 ^b 
 
 ff 
 
 i 
 
 mi 
 
 Y. M. C. A., BUTLER 
 
 HOTEL NDCON, BUTLER 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 253 
 
 cora, where he continued in practice until 
 his death. 
 
 S. S. Avery was admitted to practice at 
 the Butler bar on the 14th of June, 1872. 
 He was a victim of consumption and died 
 a few years later. 
 
 Walter G. Crawford, a native of Alle- 
 gheny County, read law in Butler with his 
 imcle, Walter L. Graham, and was admit- 
 ted to the bar in January, 1874. He is now 
 practicing law in the city of Pittsburg. 
 
 R. L. Maxwell was born in Butler Coun- 
 ty and was admitted to the bar on the 12th 
 of January, 1874. He gave evidence of 
 good legal attainments and was building 
 up a fine practice when his death occurred 
 from consumption. 
 
 Albert C. Johnson, a native of Adams 
 Township, Butler County, read law with 
 Hon. Charles McCandless, and was ad- 
 mitted to practice in the several courts of 
 Butler County in March, 1874. He re- 
 moved to Pittsburg in 1876 and has resided 
 there ever since. 
 
 D. J. Kyle, son of Thompson Kyle, of 
 Harrisville, was admitted to practice at 
 the Butler bar in December, 1878. 
 
 John H. Thompson read law with Col. 
 John M. Thompson, and was admitted to 
 the bar in April, 1879. He is now prac- 
 ticing in Pittsburg. 
 
 Kennedy Marshall was born in Adams 
 Township July 21, 1834. He graduated 
 from Jefferson College in the fall of 1857, 
 and the same year entered the law office 
 of Marshall and Brown in Pittsburg, as a 
 student of law. He was admitted to the 
 Allegheny County bar in 1859, and in 
 October, 1860, he was elected to represent 
 Allegheny County in the state legislature 
 and served one term. He was subse- 
 quently employed by the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad Company; his office was in Bos- 
 ton, Mass., and in 1872 he removed to 
 Butler, where he became a member of the 
 Butler bar. In 1904 he removed to Tulsa, 
 Oklahoma, where he is now residing. 
 
 James M. Denny, of Winfield Township, 
 
 read law in the office of Col. John M. 
 Thompson, and was admitted to the bar 
 March 2, 1880. 
 
 John K. Kelley, son of Patrick Kelley, 
 Esq., an early settler of Butler, read law 
 in the office of Miller Brothers, and was 
 admitted on the 2nd of March, 1880. 
 
 William M. Cornelius, a native of 
 Worth Township, was admitted to prac- 
 tice at the Butler bar, March, 1880. He 
 soon afterward located in Nebraska, where 
 he still resides. 
 
 D. H. Jack, son of Joseph Jack of But- 
 ler, was admitted to the bar June 1, 1880; 
 He is now in Bradford, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Joseph T. Timmony studied law under 
 Hon. Charles McCandless, and was ad- 
 mitted to practice in April, 1874. After 
 following his profession for several years 
 in Butler he removed to St. Joe, where he 
 has since resided. 
 
 L. G. Linn, a native of Butler County, 
 and a son of Dr. George Linn, of West 
 Sunbury, read law with Hon. Charles Mc- 
 Candless and was admitted to the bar on 
 the 4th of December, 1874. After prac- 
 ticing in Butler for a number of years he 
 moved to the west where he engaged in 
 mining. 
 
 Edward McSweeney, who became prom- 
 inent in legal circles in McKean County, 
 read law in Butler with Louis Z. Mitchell 
 and was admitted to the Butler bar on the 
 4th of November, 1875. During the oil 
 excitement at Karns City and Petrolia he 
 had an office at the latter place, and about 
 ] 880 he removed to Bradford. 
 
 Erman B. Mitchell was admitted to 
 practice law in the Butler bar, October, 
 1875. He went west. 
 
 John M. Roth, of Prospect, was ad- 
 mitted to the practice of law at the Butler 
 bar in November, 1875. 
 
 L. J. Clevis read law with Col. John M. 
 Thompson, and was admitted to the bar 
 June" 13, 1876. He went to Colorado the 
 same year. 
 
 Eugene G. Miller, a native of Butler, 
 
254 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 read law with his brother, John M. Miller, 
 and was admitted to the Butler bar in 
 October, 1876. After practicing a few 
 years in Butler he removed to Bradford, 
 McKeau County. 
 
 G. D. Hamer read law with Hon. Louis 
 Z. Mitchell and was admitted to the bar 
 June 6, 1876. 
 
 Frank S. Purviance, a son of Gen. John 
 N. Purviance, read law with his father in 
 Butler and was admitted to the bar March 
 19, 1878. He is now practicing in-.Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 A. M. Cunningham, a native of Butler 
 County and a son of Rev. Alexander Cun- 
 ningham, deceased, read law with Miller 
 Brothers, and was admitted to the bar in 
 June, 1878. He was elected district attor- 
 ney of Butler County in 1880, and after 
 serving his term of office located in the 
 west. 
 
 Samuel B. Snyder, a native of North 
 Liberty, Mercer County, read law with 
 Hon. J. D. McJunkin, and was admitted to 
 the bar March 3, 1882. He was elected 
 district attorney of Butler County, and 
 after serving a term went to the west, 
 locating in Omaha, Nebraska. 
 
 Charles A. McPherrin, a native of But- 
 ler County, was admitted to the bar 
 March, 1883. He was elected district at- 
 torney in 1886, serving one term. In 1890 
 he removed to Pittsburg, where he prac- 
 ticed for a few years and then went west. 
 
 Capt. George W. Fleeger was born in 
 Center Township, Butler County, March 
 13, 1839, and was the son of Peter and 
 Mary (Rider) Fleeger. After honorable 
 service in the Civil War as a member of 
 the Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserve, he 
 entered the office of Col. John M. Thomp- 
 son as law student and was admitted to 
 the bar in 1866. He was associated in 
 practice with George A. Black until 1869, 
 and from 1887 to 1889 was in partnership 
 with James M. Moore. He was elected to 
 the legislature in 1871 on the Republican 
 ticket, was chairman of the Republican 
 
 County Committee in 1874, and was the 
 delegate to the State Convention in 1882 
 and 1890. He was also Deputy Revenue 
 Collector of this district in 1869. In 1884 
 Captain Fleeger was elected to the United 
 States House of Representatives and 
 served in the Forty-ninth Congress. His 
 death occurred in Butler on June 28, 1904. 
 
 Newton Black, son of James and Nancy 
 A. (Russell) Black, was born in Marion 
 Township, Butler County, November 22, 
 1844, and died in Butler in 1902. He read 
 law with the late Charles McCandless and 
 Hon. John M. Greer, and was admitted to 
 the bar in 1876. In March, 1864, he en- 
 listed in Company I, 112th Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers, and served until the close of 
 the war. He was severely wounded in the 
 head in the engagement at Fort Harrison, 
 September 29, 1864, and this wound was 
 the ultimate cause of his death. Mr. Black 
 won his way to a leading rank in his pro- 
 fession and was one of the popular mem- 
 bers of the bar. He was twice the choice 
 of the Republicans of the county for Con- 
 gress, but failed to get the nomination in 
 the district conference. 
 
 William A. Forquer was born in Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County, March 
 19, 1845, and was the son of William and 
 Margaret (Murrin) Forquer. He began 
 reading law in the office of Col. John M. 
 Thompson in 1872. He was admitted to 
 the bar in 1874, and in 1877 he was elected 
 district attorney, a position he held for 
 three years. A Democrat in politics he 
 took an active part in the councils of his 
 party and was county chairman in 1875. 
 He was a delegate from this district to the 
 National Democratic Convention at St. 
 Louis in 1888 that nominated Cleveland 
 and Thurman and was president of the 
 Democratic Club of Butler in 1892. He 
 was a member of the Town Council from 
 1889 to 1892 and was city solicitor for 
 several terms. Mr. Forquer was attorney 
 for the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg 
 railroad and secured the right of way for 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 the company when the road was built 
 through Butler County. He made the ex- 
 ceptional record of transacting the im- 
 mense amount of legal business required 
 without involving the railroad company in 
 a single law suit in the Butler County 
 courts. His death occurred April 9, 1902. 
 
 J. B. Clark, who was admitted to prac- 
 tice at the Butler bar in 1864, removed to 
 Seattle, Washington, where he died March 
 3, 1907. 
 
 W. H. Colbert, a son of William S. Col- 
 bert, of Butler, read law with Hon. John 
 M. Greer and was admitted to practice 
 October 25, 1879. His death occurred in 
 Butler in 1885. 
 
 Henry N. Marshall, a native of Porters- 
 ville, Butler County, read law with his 
 brother, John D. Marshall, of Butler, and 
 was admitted to the bar in September, 
 1888. He practiced in Butler and EUwood 
 City, and in the latter part of the nineties 
 went to Colorado. 
 
 Leslie Q. Maxwell, a native of Butler 
 Township, was admitted to the Butler bar 
 in 1878. He removed to Lincoln, Ne- 
 braska, about 1880 and he is now in 
 Seattle, Washington. 
 
 0. G. McCandless read law with Hon. 
 James M. Galbreath and was admitted to 
 the bar in February, 1900. He did not 
 follow his profession but engaged in farm- 
 ing in Clay Township. 
 
 A. B. C. McFarland was born in Bellaire, 
 Ohio, June 20, 1852, and was the son of 
 Andrew and Margaret (Marshall) Mc- 
 Farland. He was educated at Westmin- 
 ster College, New Wilmington, Penna., 
 and at Monmouth College, Illinois, gradu- 
 ating from the latter institution in 1875. 
 He then attended Allegheny Theological 
 Seminary, Allegheny City, graduating in 
 1878. The same year he was ordained and 
 installed pastor of the United Presbyte- 
 rian church at Fairview, Butler County, 
 by the Butler Presbytery. He remained 
 pastor of the Fairview church until 1889, 
 when he entered the law office of Hon. 
 
 Charles McCandless of Butler. He was 
 admitted to the bar May 25, 1891, and 
 practiced until his death, in December, 
 1903. 
 
 Thomas M. Baker, who was admitted 
 to the bar in September, 1888, gave up the 
 law for the banking business and is now 
 cashier for the Guaranty Safe Deposit 
 Company, of Butler. 
 
 William A. Ralston, a native of Slippery 
 Rock Township, read law with his brother, 
 E. L. Ralston of Butler, and was admitted 
 to the bar in 1894. He subsequently prac- 
 ticed in Pittsburg and in Wheeling, but 
 finding the practice of law distasteful he' 
 gave it up and he is now farming in his 
 native township, residing on the old Ral- 
 ston homestead. 
 
 Joseph T. Donley, a native of Venango 
 County, was admitted to the Butler bar 
 April 29, 1874. He was elected to the 
 legislature on the Republican ticket in 
 1882, his contemporary being Hon. Jacob 
 Ziegler, a Democrat. After his term in 
 the legislature he practiced in Butler un- 
 til 1892, when he removed to Pittsburg, 
 where he died about 1901. A few. years 
 previous to his death he published a book 
 on "Land Titles," which had a large cir- 
 culation. 
 
 Frank M. Eastman was admitted to the 
 bar April 14, 1873. He served as clerk 
 of courts from 1869 to 1872 and was court 
 stenographer from 1875 to 1885, and in 
 1888 was appointed postmaster of Butler 
 by President Cleveland. At the close of 
 his term as postmaster he removed to 
 Saluda, Middlesex County, Virginia, where 
 he is engaged in farming. 
 
 Joseph B. Bredin was the son of Hon. 
 John Bredin and was born in Butler. He 
 was admitted to the bar in October, 1875, 
 and practiced until his death October 17, 
 1907. 
 
 A. T. Black is a native of Harrisville, 
 Butler County, and was admitted to the 
 bar October 19, 1875. Jie practiced in 
 Kansas Citv, Kansas, for a few years and 
 
256 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was iu that state when the grasshoppers 
 devastated the country. Seeing nothing in 
 the country at that time but future pros- 
 pects of howling desolation, Mr. Black re- 
 turned to Butler and has built up a good 
 practice in his native county. 
 
 James F. Brittain is the son of Joseph 
 Brittain of Butler and was admitted to 
 the bar in 1877 and practiced in Butler 
 until the middle eighties when he moved 
 to Tennessee. 
 
 Paul Cummings, a nephew of Hon. 
 James Bredin, read law in Butler and was 
 admitted to the bar in June, 1888. He 
 spent a number of years in Chicago and 
 in Denver in the practice of his profession 
 and in 1903 he returned to Butler, where 
 he has since resided. 
 
 N. W. Campbell, a native of West Sun- 
 bury, was admitted to the bar June 20, 
 1900. He died November 6, 1901, aged 
 thirty-four years. 
 
 George A. Black, who was admitted to 
 the bar in December, 1865, died in Butler 
 July 5, 1881. 
 
 William H. Black read law with Capt. 
 George W. J'leeger and was admitted to 
 the bar June 14, 1869. He died iu Butler 
 in 1875. 
 
 B. L. Pollock was admitted to the bar 
 Jime 11, 1877. After practicing in Butler 
 for a few years he went to the west and 
 is now in Denver, Colorado. 
 
 Joseph A. Humphry, a son of James 
 Humphry, of Worth Township, read law 
 with J. D. Marshall, and was admitted to 
 the bar May 4, 1896. He taught in the 
 Butler schools for several terms and is 
 now practicing law at EUwood City, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 George C. Stewart, a native of Butler, 
 was admitted to the bar August 22, 1899. 
 After his admission he spent a few years 
 in Denver, Colorado, after which he re- 
 turned to Butler and engaged in the bank- 
 ing business. He was one of the organ- 
 izers of the Guaranty Safe Deposit 
 
 Company of Butler, and is the present 
 secretary of the company. 
 
 THE BAR IN 1908. 
 
 The Butler bar in 1908 consisted of 
 eighty-one members, .all of whom with a 
 few exceptions are in active practice. The 
 oldest member in point of continuous serv- 
 ice is Hon. John M. Greer, who began to 
 practice in 1867, and has continued since, 
 with the exception of ten years spent on 
 the bench in the county. He is now at the 
 head of the law firm of The Greers, and 
 has as his partners his son Thomas H. 
 and John B. Greer. 
 
 William H. H. Riddle preceded Mr. 
 Greer at the Butler bar three years, but 
 he has since retired and is not now in 
 active practice. 
 
 Hon. J. David Mcjunkin was admitted 
 to the Butler bar in 1863, and is the oldest 
 living member, but he practiced in Warren • 
 County for ten years before locating in 
 Butler in 1873. 
 
 The bar of today compares favorably 
 with the bars of any of the county courts 
 of western Pennsylvania, both in the per- 
 sonnel of its members and in intelligence 
 and ability. 
 
 Hon. J. David McJunkin is the oldest of 
 the practicing attorneys of the Butler bar 
 in 1908, having been admitted June 8, 
 1863. Mr. McJunkin was born September 
 3, 1839, on the old homestead in Center 
 Township, and is the son of William and 
 Priscilla McJunkin. His primary educa- 
 tion was obtained in the common schools, 
 and he subsequently spent four years at 
 the Butler Academy, the Witherspoon In- 
 stitute, and West Sunbury Academy, and 
 pursued the study of law under the late 
 Judge Ebenezer McJunkin. After his ad- 
 mission to the bar he went to Franklin, 
 Venango County, where he was elected to 
 the legislature in 1869, and reelected in 
 1870 and 1871. Returning to Butler in 
 1873, he resinned the practice of law. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 257 
 
 Politically Mr. McJunkin was a Repub- 
 lican and in 1880 and 1882 he was the 
 choice of the Republicans of Butler County 
 for the Congressional nomination. He 
 was also choice of his party in Butler 
 County for the Congressional nomination 
 in 1908, but was set aside by the political 
 arrangement that was entered into when 
 the district comprised of Butler and West- 
 moreland Counties was formed, which 
 gave the latter county control of the dis- 
 trict. During the Civil War Mr. McJun- 
 kin was a member of Company G, Four- 
 teenth Pennsylvania Militia, which was 
 called out to assist in repealing Lee's in- 
 vasion of the State. 
 
 William H. H. Riddle, who is now re- 
 tired, is next to Mr. McJunkin in point of 
 membershi]i at the Butler bar. He was 
 born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 
 December 11, 1840, and is the son of Sam- 
 uel L. and Mary A. Riddle. He was edu- 
 cated in the public schools and at West 
 Sunbury and Harrisville Academy, and 
 read law with Col. John M. Thompson. 
 He was admitted to the bar in 1864 and 
 the following year was elected district at- 
 torney on the Rei)ublican ticket. 
 
 Washington D. Brandon was born No- 
 vember 1, 1847, on the Brandon homestead 
 in Connoquenessing Township, Butler 
 County, and is the son of John W. and 
 Ruth A. Brandon. He was educated in 
 the common schools, at Witherspoon In- 
 stitute in Butler, and was graduated at 
 Washington and Jefferson Colleg.- in 1868. 
 He commenced reading law with the late 
 Judge E. McJunkin and was admitted to 
 the bar in 1871. He continued to practice 
 with Judge McJunkin for three .years and 
 was next in partnership with Clarence 
 Walker, but since 1875 he has practiced 
 alone and has built up a large legal busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Robert P. Scott was born July 11, 1842, 
 at Fairview, Butler Coimty, and is the son 
 of John Scott, who was sheriff of the 
 countv in 1860. After seeing service in the 
 
 army he became a student of the Wither- 
 spoon Institute at Butler, and subse- 
 quently read law with Col. John M. 
 Thompson. He was admitted to the bar 
 in January, 1869, and the following year 
 formed a partnership with Colonel Thomp- 
 son, which continued until 1881. He has 
 been attorney for the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railroad for twenty years and has built 
 up a large legal practice. 
 
 Levingston McQuistion was the fourth 
 son of William and Mary McQuistion and 
 was born in Butler Borough May 16, 1849. 
 He was educated in the public schools and 
 the Witherspoon Institute, and read law 
 in the office of L. Z. Mitchell. He was ad- 
 mitted to the bar June 10, 1870, and for 
 the past thirty-eight years has been en- 
 gaged in the practice of his profession. 
 Mr. McQuistion is a Democrat in politics 
 and has taken an active part in the affairs 
 of his party in Butler County and in the 
 state. He was elected district attorney in 
 1874 and was twice the choice of his party 
 in Butler County for Congress, and twice 
 for president judge. In 1880 he was a del- 
 egate to the National Democratic Conven- 
 tion which nominated General Hancock 
 for President, and in ]888 was delegate to 
 Denver convention, which nominated Will- 
 iam J. Bryan for President, and was 
 leader of the Bryan Ring of the Pennsyl- 
 vania delegation. Mr. McQuistion is rec- 
 ognized as one of the leaders of the Butler 
 Bar and has built up a large and lucrative 
 legal business. He has associated with 
 him in his office his son C. L. McQuistion, 
 who is a graduate of Bucknell University, 
 and was admitted to the bar June 3, 1901. 
 
 S. F. Bowser was born February 11, 
 1842, near Kittanning, Armstrong County, 
 and is the son of Matthias and Margaret 
 (Williams) Bowser. He received his pre- 
 paratory education at Columbia Uni- 
 versity, Kittanning, and graduated from 
 Washington and Jefferson College in 
 1872. He read law with Thompson and 
 Scott, in Butler and was admitted to the 
 
258 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Butler County bar in 1874. He has con- 
 tinued in active practice ever since, and 
 has taken a leading rank as a counselor 
 and an advocate. He has associated with 
 him in his office his brother, A. L. Bowser, 
 who was admitted to the bar September 1, 
 1883. 
 
 Theodore Chalmers Campbell was born 
 in Butler in 1848 and is the son of James 
 and Rebecca Campbell. He was educated 
 in the public schools of the town and sub- 
 sequently attended Witherspoon Institute 
 in Butler and Phillips Academy at An- 
 dover, Massachusetts. He commenced to 
 read law with Col. John M. Thompson in 
 1866, and completed his studies under 
 Hon. Samuel A. Purviance in Pittsburg, 
 where he was admitted to the bar in 1869. 
 He practiced in Pittsburg until 1872, and 
 then located in Butler, where he has since 
 engaged in the duties of his profession, 
 being now recognized as one of the leading 
 memWs, as well as one of the oldest at- 
 torneys, at the Butler bar. 
 
 James B. McJunkin is the son of Hon. 
 E. McJunkin, and was born in Butler. He 
 was admitted to the bar on the 11th of 
 March, 1875, and has continued in the 
 active duties of his profession with the 
 exception of several years devoted to the 
 oil business. He was associated with Hon. 
 James M. Galbreath as a law partner from 
 1882 until 1901, and since then has been 
 practicing by himself. He has been elected 
 a member of the school board and of the 
 city council from his ward, which is 
 strongly Democratic, and in 1906 he was 
 appointed attorney to the county commis- 
 sioners. 
 
 Andrew G. Williams, attorney-at-law, 
 was born in Richmond, Virginia, Septem- 
 ber 8, 1840, and removed with his parents 
 to Etna, Allegheny County, in 1848. He 
 saw service in the Civil War and after his 
 return home pursued a course of studies 
 in Duff's Commercial College in Pittsburg 
 and also read law at home. For some 
 years he was engaged in working at his 
 
 trade of nail-maker, which he had learned 
 in Etna, keeping up his law study during 
 the period. Mr. Williams came to Butler 
 in 1875 and read law in the office of Hon. 
 John M. Greer, and was admitted to the 
 Butler bar the same year. Soon after he 
 formed a law partnership with Alexander 
 Mitchell, which is still in existence, and 
 the firm of Williams and Mitchell has 
 taken rank as one of the leading legal 
 firms at the bar. Politically Mr. Williams 
 is a Republican, and has taken a jjromi- 
 uent and active part in public affairs. He 
 filled the office of notary public from 
 January, 1876, to 1891 ; was elected to the 
 legislature in November, 1890, for one 
 term, and to the State Senate in 1894. 
 
 Joseph C. Vanderlin is the son of 
 Stephen and Eliza (Seaton) Vanderlin, 
 and was born in Venango Township, But- 
 ler County. He commenced i-eading law 
 in the office of L. Z. Mitchell of Butler in 
 1870, and was admitted to the bar in 1874. 
 With the exception of a few years he has 
 been in partnership mth Levingston Mc- 
 Quistion and has continued an active prac- 
 tice up to the present time. Politically 
 Mr. Vanderlin is a Democrat, and in 1894 
 was the Democratic nominee for Congress 
 in the Twenty-fifth Congressional District. 
 
 Alexander Mitchell, attorney-at-law, is 
 the eldest son of James Mitchell, who was 
 associate judge in Butler County in 1861. 
 He received a common school education 
 and afterward attended the Witherspoon 
 Institute in Butler. He was employed in 
 the United States Revenue Department 
 during the Civil War, and in 1864 he en- 
 listed in Company A, Sixth Pennsylvania 
 Artillery, and served until the close of the 
 war. After his discharge in the army he 
 entered the office of Charles McCandless 
 of Butler, under whom he read law, and 
 was admitted to the bar in 1869. He then 
 accepted the position of cashier in the 
 First National Bank, of Butler, which he 
 filled until that institution went out of 
 existence in 1879, when he formed a law 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 25!) 
 
 partnership with Andrew G. Williams, and 
 resumed the practice of his profession. 
 Mr. Mitchell is an ardent Republican, and 
 takes a deep interest in the success of his 
 party, but has never held any public office. 
 
 Henderson H. Goucher was born in 
 Richmond, Ohio, May 9, 1847, and was 
 admitted to the Venango County bar in 
 1873. In April of the same year he located 
 in Butler, and with the exception of five 
 years spent in the West, has continued in 
 the practice of his profession. He has 
 been admitted to practice in the Supreme 
 Court of Pennsylvania, the United States 
 District Court and many of the courts of 
 the surrounding counties, as well as the 
 courts of the state of AVashington, where 
 he resided for several years. He was ap- 
 pointed United States register in bank- 
 ruptcy in 1878, which office he filled until 
 1883. Mr. Goucher has been in active 
 practice for thirty-five years and has ac- 
 quired a rei^utation as a sound lawyer and 
 a safe advocate, and enjoys a lucrative 
 practice. 
 
 Alexander M. Cornelius was born in 
 Worth Township, Butler County, Decem- 
 ber 6, 1844. He was educated at the West 
 Sunbury Academy and completed his 
 studies at the Witherspoon Institute, But- 
 ler, and was admitted to the bar in 1880. 
 Previous to his admission he was clerk in 
 the prothonotary's office, and at the same 
 time completed the study of law under 
 W. D. Brandon. His death occurred in 
 Butler, December 24, 1903. 
 
 William H. Lusk was the son of Dr. 
 Amos and Agnes S. Lusk, and was born in 
 Harmony, Pennsylvania. He was edu- 
 cated in the Butler schools of his district, 
 and at the old Harmony Academy, and 
 read law with W. D. Brandon in Butler. 
 He was admitted to the bar in the fall of 
 1877. His death occurred in Butler, Sep- 
 tember 5, 1907. 
 
 Oliver D. Thompson, who was admitted 
 to the Butler bar in June, 1880, is the son 
 of Col. John M. Thompson, of Butler, and 
 
 was born September 24, 1855. He was 
 educated in the common schools of Butler, 
 Witherspoon Institute, Phillips Academy 
 at Andover, Mass., and at Yale College, 
 graduating at the latter institution in 1879. 
 In November following his admission to 
 the Butler bar he was admitted to the 
 Pittsburg bar, where he is now engaged in 
 practice. Mr. Thompson was admitted to 
 practice in the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- 
 vania in 1883 and to the United States 
 Court in 1893. 
 
 James N. Moore, attorney-at-law, is the 
 son of Thomas and Mary Moore, and was 
 born in Worth Township, Butler County, 
 August 23, 1859. He was educated in the 
 connnon schools of the county, subse- 
 quently entered Grove City College, where 
 he graduated in 1880. He read law under 
 the late Charles McCandless and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in September, 1882. In 
 1887 he formed a law partnership with the 
 late Capt. George W. Fleeger, which con- 
 tinued imtil 1889, and in 1896 he was 
 associated with Levingston McQuistion in 
 the practice of law. Mr. Moore has always 
 been a stanch supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party, and has represented the party 
 as a delegate in State and County Conven- 
 tions and has been secretary of the county 
 committee a number of times. He was 
 elected to the legislature by the Anti-Quay 
 Faction of the Party in 1894, reelected in 
 1896, and again in 1898. His last election 
 was one of the historical political battles 
 in Butler County, but Mr. Moore tri- 
 umphed over his enemies by a safe major- 
 ity. Mr. Moore was journal clerk of the 
 House in the sessions of 1905 and assist- 
 ant clerk in the session of 1907. 
 
 James B. Mates, attorney-at-law, is a 
 native of Muddycreek Township, Butler 
 County, where he was born September 2, 
 1859. His early life was spent in Penn 
 Township. He pursued the study of law 
 under Charles McCandless, was admitted 
 to the bar in 1883, and in 1886 he opened 
 a law office in Butler where he has since 
 
260 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 been engaged in the active duties of his 
 profession. In 1890 he formed a law part- 
 nership with Elmer E. Young which con- 
 tinued until 1905. Mr. Mates is one of 
 the leading Republicans of the county, has 
 served his party as chairman of the county 
 committee in 1887, and in 1890 was ap- 
 pointed census supervisor of the Tenth 
 District, the duties of which office he dis- 
 charged in a satisfactory manner. He was 
 elected to the legislature in the fall of 1892 
 and reelected in 1900. 
 
 Alfred M. Christley was born in Cherry 
 Township, Butler County, January 13, 
 1860. He read law in the office of Col. 
 John M. Thompson of Butler and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in 1888. He has since 
 been engaged in the active duties of his 
 profession and has built up a large prac- 
 tice. Mr. Christley is one of the active 
 Republicans of the county, has served as 
 chairman and secretary of the county com- 
 mittee, and has always given his earnest 
 support to the candidates and measures of 
 his party. He was elected district attor- 
 ney for one term in 1896, and was chosen 
 city solicitor of Butler Borough in 1905. 
 Mr. Christley was one of the ardent sup- 
 porters of President Roosevelt in 1908, 
 and was the delegate from this district to 
 the Chicago Convention, which nominated 
 William H. Taft for President. Mr. 
 Christley was one of the three delegates 
 from the Pennsylvania Delegation who 
 voted for President Roosevelt when the 
 ballot was taken. The other two delegates 
 who voted with him were Hon. Thomas M. 
 Phillips of New Castle and Mr. Davis of 
 Mercer. 
 
 James W. Hutchison was born in Parker 
 Township, Butler County, June 17, 1864. 
 He is the son of James G. and Susan 
 (Daubenspeck) Hutchison and the grand- 
 son of William Hutchison, who was one of 
 the early settlers of Parker Township. 
 He received a common school education, 
 entered North Washington Academy in 
 1879. and graduated from Westminster 
 
 College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1887. The same year he entered the 
 office of S. F. Bowser with whom he read 
 law, and was admitted to the bar Decem- 
 ber 2, 1889; since that time he has been 
 engaged in the practice of Ms profession. 
 Mr. Hutchison is a Republican in polities 
 and at present holds the position of ref- 
 eree in bankruptcy in this district. 
 
 John D. Marshall is the eldest son of 
 James M. Marshall, and was born in Pros- 
 pect, Butler County, June 20, 1860. He 
 read law with W. D. Brandon at Butler, 
 and was admitted to the bar in 1882. He 
 has taken a leading rank among the mem- 
 bers of the profession, and in 1908 was 
 one of the leaders of the Butler bar. 
 
 William C. Findley was born March 23, 
 1864, in Clay Township, Butler County, 
 and is the eldest son of Samuel and Sarah 
 Findlev. He read law with the late George 
 A. Black and A. T. Black of Butler, and 
 was admitted to the bar in June, 1878. He 
 has taken an active interest in politics, was 
 chairman of the Republican County Com- 
 mittee in 1888 and was delegate to the 
 state convention in 1889. 
 
 Albert T. Scott was born in Kiskiminetas 
 Township, Armstrong County, October 21, 
 1856, and is the son of Samuel and Mary S. 
 Scott. He received a good education and 
 in 1886 entered the office of McJunkin and 
 Galbreath of Butler as a law student and 
 was admitted to the bar in the spring of 
 1888. With the exception of a year which 
 he spent in the service of the United 
 States, he has since been engaged in the 
 practice of his profession, and has a large 
 clientage. 
 
 Elmer E. Young was born in Summit 
 Township, Butler County, April 9, 1864, 
 and is the son of Simon P. and Eliza 
 Young. He began the study of law in 1887 
 in the office of the late Judge Charles Mc- 
 Candless and was admitted to the bar in 
 June, 1890. He continued in practice until 
 1905, when impaired health compelled him 
 to give up legal woi-k, and he retired to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 261 
 
 the Young homestead in Summit Town- 
 ship, where he is now residing. 
 
 Aaron E. Reiber is the youngest son of 
 Martin and Mary Reiber of Butler and a 
 brother to Ferdinand Reiber. He was 
 graduated at Princeton College in 1882, 
 read law with T. C. Campbell of Butler, 
 and was admitted to the bar in 1885. He 
 was elected district attorney on the Demo- 
 cratic ticket in 1889 and served in that 
 capacity until 1893. Since leaving that 
 office he has devoted his attention to the 
 practice of his profession and was one of 
 the promoters and secretary of the Butler 
 Passenger Railway Company, which be- 
 gan business in 1901. 
 
 Porter W. Lowry is the son of Alexan- 
 der Lowry of Butler, and was born Febru- 
 ary 12, 1855. He read law with Hon. E. 
 McJunkin and was admitted to the bar in 
 1876. He has since been engaged in the 
 active duties of his profession. Mr. Lowry 
 was chairman of the Republican county 
 committee in 1894, and reading-clerk of 
 the Senate in 1903. 
 
 Frank X. Kohler is a native of Butler 
 and a son of Gabriel Kohler, deceased. 
 He read law with Hon. Charles McCand- 
 less and was admitted to the bar in Sep- 
 tember, 1882. He has since continued in 
 the active duties of his profession and has 
 built up a large clientele among the Ger- 
 man-speaking residents of the county. 
 
 John R. Henninger is a native of Penn 
 Township, Butler County, and is the son 
 of Frederick Henninger. He was admitted 
 to the bar January 13, 1896, and in 1901 
 was elected district attorney on the Demo- 
 cratic ticket, a position which he dis- 
 charged with acceptability to the people 
 of the county and credit to himself, for 
 three years. Mr. Henninger is now en- 
 gaged in the active duties of his profession 
 and is considered one of the rising attor- 
 neys at the Butler bar. 
 
 Capt. Ira McJunkin was born in Butler, 
 February 13, 1860, and is a son of James 
 C. and Martha McJunkin. After he ob- 
 
 tained a common school education and had 
 attended Witherspoon Institute at Butler, 
 he was appointed a cajiet in the United 
 States Naval Academy, at Annapolis, Md., 
 by Col. John M. Thompson, who was then 
 congressman from this district. He grad- 
 uated from the academy in 1881, and after 
 spending two years on the Asiatic Station 
 in the United States Service, he was hon- 
 orably discharged in 1883, and returned to 
 Butler. He commenced the study of law 
 the same year with Hon. E. McJunkin and 
 was admitted to the bar April 10, 1886, 
 since which time he has been engaged in 
 the practice of his profession. He was 
 elected district attorney of Butler Coimty 
 on the Republican ticket in 1892, and was 
 elected to the legislature in 1906, and was 
 one of the Republican candidates for re- 
 election in 1908. 
 
 Clarence Walker is the son of Nathaniel 
 and Sarah (Slater) Walker, and was born 
 in Butler March 24, 1848. He read law 
 with Hon. E. McJunkin and was admitted 
 to the bar in 1871. He has since been 
 actively engaged in the practice of his 
 profession and is one of the leading attor- 
 neys at the Butler bar. 
 
 Ferdinand Reiber, a son of Martin Rei- 
 ber of Butler, was admitted to the bar in 
 1869. He was elected district attorney on 
 the Democratic ticket in 1871 and filled 
 the position for three years. He contin- 
 ued to practice law until 1881, when he 
 went into the oil business in which he has 
 since continued. 
 
 George R. White was born in the bor- 
 ough of Butler in 1848 and is the son of 
 Rev. William White, deceased, who was a 
 prominent Episcopal minister of Butler. 
 He received a primary education in the 
 public schools and completed his studies 
 in the old Butler Academy. He read law 
 with Hon. James Bredin and was admitted 
 to the bar of Butler County in March, 
 1871. 
 
 Francis J. Forquer is a brother of the 
 late William A. Forquer and was admitted 
 
262 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 to the bar in 1879, having completed his 
 legal studies under his brother's direction. 
 He was associated with AV. A. Porquer un- 
 til the latter 's death, and since then has 
 been engaged in the active duties of his 
 profession by himself. 
 
 William Z. Murrin is a native of Ve- 
 nango Township, Butler County, and the 
 son of John and Mary (Fielding) Murrin. 
 He was educated in the common schools 
 of the county and Grove City College, and 
 he then stiidied law ■ under William A. 
 Forquer, of Butler, and was admitted to 
 the bar in March, 1891. With the excep- 
 tion of a short time that he practiced in 
 Clearfield with his uncle, Francis Fielding, 
 he has been engaged in the active duties 
 of his profession in Butler. He foi-med a 
 law loartnership with Jacob M. Painter 
 soon after his admission to the bar, which 
 continued until 1902. In that year he 
 formed a partnership with his brother, 
 John Murrin, Jr., imder the firm name of 
 Murrin & Murrin. Mr. Murrin is a Demo- 
 crat in politics and takes an active interest 
 in his party organization. He has been 
 elected a member of the school board and 
 on the town council, has served as city 
 solicitor, and has been prominently men- 
 tioned for higher political honors, which 
 he has always declined. 
 
 Harry L. Graham is a native of Con- 
 cord Township, and a son of Thomas 
 Graham. He was educated at North 
 AVashington Academy and at the Uni- 
 versity of AVooster, Wooster, Ohio, read 
 law in the office of S. F. Bowser, of Butler, 
 and was admitted to the bar December 11, 
 1895. Mr. Graham is a Republican in 
 politics, and has taken an active part in 
 local affairs. He was elected school direc- 
 tor of his ward and was secretary of the 
 board in 1907 and 1908. 
 
 William C. Thompson is the son of the 
 late Col. John M. Thompson, of Butler, 
 and was admitted to the bar June 29, 
 1883. He was associated with his father 
 in the practice of law until the latter 's 
 
 death, but since then has devoted most of 
 his time to manufacturing interests. 
 
 Everett L. Ralston is a native of Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, Butler County, and 
 the eldest son of John and Hannah (Mc- 
 Coy) Ralston. He received his primary 
 education in the common schools of his 
 native township and subsequently at- 
 tended Mount Union College and Grove 
 City College, graduating from the latter 
 school in 1881. He read law with the 
 late Judge Charles McCandless, was ad- 
 mitted to the bar in 1883, since which time 
 he has been actively engaged in the duties 
 of his profession. In 1887 he formed a 
 .law partnership with Hon. John M. Greer 
 imder the firm name of Greer & Ralston, 
 which continued until Judge Greer took 
 his seat on the bench in January, 1893. 
 Soon after the election of Judge Greer to 
 the bench, his son John B. Greer became 
 a member of the firm imder the firm name 
 of Ralston & Greer. Politically Mr. Ral- 
 ston is a Democrat and one of the active 
 members of his party. He was promi- 
 nently mentioned as a candidate for judge 
 in 1902, but was defeated for the nomina- 
 tion by Levingston McQuistion. Since 
 1902 Mr. Ralston has been practicing alone 
 and has a large clientele. 
 
 J. M. Painter is a native of Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and a son of Simon 
 P. Painter. After receiving a good pre- 
 liminary education he followed school 
 teaching for several terms and later took 
 up the study of law in the office of Col. 
 John M. Thompson. He was admitted to 
 the bar in 1890, and in 1895 formed a part- 
 nership with AVilliam Z. Murrin, which 
 continued until 1902. He is a Republican 
 in politics, and in 1898 was elected district 
 attorney, filling that office for one term, 
 and in 1894 he was appointed attorney for 
 the county commissioners for three years. 
 Mr. Painter has associated with him in his 
 office his brother, Howard' I. Painter, but 
 he is practicing by himself, and has built 
 up a large clientele. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 263 
 
 Howard I. Painter is the son of Simon 
 P. Painter, of Clay Township, and was 
 admitted to the bar in 1894. He had pre- 
 viously obtained a good education and was 
 engaged in school teaching in Butler 
 County for a number of years after his 
 admission to the bar. He was elected 
 county superintendent of the public schools 
 in 1898, and reelected in 1901. Since his 
 retirement from the county superin- 
 tendent's ofHce, he has devoted his time to 
 the practice of law, and is taking a leading 
 rank among the younger members of the 
 bar. 
 
 George E. Robinson is a son of the late 
 Thomas Robinson, of Butler Borough, and 
 was admitted to the bar in 1895. He has 
 also been admitted to the Supreme Court 
 of Pennsylvania, and has qualified to prac- 
 tice in the Department of Interior, at 
 Washington, D. C. He inherits a taste for 
 politics from his father, and takes an 
 active interest in the organization of the 
 Republican party in the borough and in 
 the county. 
 
 Parker C. Purviance, who was admitted 
 to the Butler bar in 1835, was afterward 
 appointed deputy attorney-general for 
 Butler County. 
 
 Stephen Cummings is a native of But- 
 ler borough, and a nephew of the late 
 Judge James Bredin. He was admitted to 
 the "bar May 31, 1880, and has built up a 
 large office practice. Mr. Cummings takes 
 an active interest in the Democratic party, 
 but has never aspired to any political 
 preferment. 
 
 Samuel Atwell is a native of Butler 
 County and a son of David Atwell, of 
 Marion Township. He read law under 
 Hon. James M. Galbreath and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar May 23, 1903, and Mr. 
 Atwell is a Republican in politics, and was 
 the choice of his party as district attorney 
 in 1907, but was defeated in the political 
 upheavel that occurred that year. 
 
 Frank H. Murphy is the son of Francis 
 
 Murphy and was born in Chicora, Penn- 
 sylvania. He was educated in the common 
 schools of his district and at Allegheny 
 College, Meadville, read law in the office 
 of W. A. Forquer, and was admitted to 
 the bar June 13, 1893. He has since taken 
 a leading rank as a counselor and enjoys 
 a large practice. 
 
 William B. Purvis is a native of Butler 
 Borough, and is the son of the late Joseph 
 L. Purvis. He was educated in the com- 
 mon schools of the city, at Washington 
 and Jefferson College, and subsequently 
 entered the office of Hon. James M. Gal- 
 breath as a student of law. He was ad- 
 mitted to the bar July 13, 1901. He has 
 been secretary of the Butler Driving Park 
 and Fair Association since 1906, and is 
 rapidly building up a paying practice. 
 
 Albert C. Troutman was born in Butler 
 Borough and is the youngest son of Adam 
 Troutman, a well-known business man. 
 He was educated in the public schools of 
 the town, Washington and Jefferson Col- 
 lege, and the law department of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania, and was admitted 
 to practice at the Butler bar June 1, 1901. 
 He at once took a leading rank among the 
 younger members at the bar, and in 1907 
 was elected district attorney, on the 
 Democratic ticket. 
 
 William H. Martin was born in Penn 
 Township, Butler County, and is the son 
 of John Martin, deceased, who was a well 
 known resident of the county. He read 
 law in the office of Frank M. Eastman, was 
 admitted to the bar September 22, 1882, 
 and practiced in Beaver and Westmore- 
 land Counties and in West Virginia. Mr. 
 Martin was a Democrat in politics until 
 1906, when he became affiliated with the 
 Prohibition party of Butler County, and 
 was chairman of the county committee in 
 1908. 
 
 Newton C. McCollough is a son of Peter 
 McCollough and a native of Chicora, 
 Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the 
 bar November 5, 1896, having previously 
 
264 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 served two terms as county superin- 
 tendent of public schools, and taught in 
 the schools of the county. In addition to 
 his law practice Mr. McCollough is en- 
 gaged in the real estate and insurance 
 business with Leslie P. Hazlett, Esq., as 
 a partner. He is also actively engaged in 
 the oil business, and is one of the success- 
 ful operators in the local oil fields. 
 
 Hunter E. Coulter is a native of Butler 
 County and was admitted to practice at 
 the Butler bar, January 21, 1888. Mr. 
 Coulter is a Democrat in politics and for 
 the past fifteen years has filled the office 
 of secretary to the town council. 
 
 John W. Coiilter is a native of Scrub- 
 grass, Venango County, and the son of 
 Rev. John R. Coulter, deceased, who was 
 a well-known Presbyterian minister. He 
 was admitted to the bar September 8, 1891, 
 and has continued to practice since that 
 time. He is a Republican in politics and 
 has been a candidate for district attorney 
 on several occasions, and run a lai'ge vote. 
 Samuel Walker is a native of Butler 
 Borough and a son of the late Capt. Sam- 
 uel Walker. He was educated in the com- 
 mon schools of the borough, at State Col- 
 lege, and the University of Pennsylvania, 
 at Philadelphia, and was admitted to the 
 bar July 15, 1899. He at once took a 
 leading rank among the younger members 
 of the bar, and in 1904 was the choice of 
 the Republican party for district attorney. 
 His election at the fall election was a mark 
 of his popularity and the esteem in which 
 he is, held by the citizens of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Levi M. Wise was born in Jackson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and is the son of 
 Jacob F. and Sarah (Moyer) Wise. He 
 was educated in the public schools and at 
 Edinborough State Normal School and 
 was admitted to the bar September 5, 
 1888, since when he has continued in the 
 active duties of his profession. In 1903 
 Mr. Wise embarked in the newspaper en- 
 terprise and became part owner of the 
 
 daily and weekly Eagle, of Butler, and 
 since has obtained entire control of that 
 publication. He is first of all a lawyer, 
 however, and gives nearly all of his time 
 to his practice. He is one of the active 
 Republicans of the county and has taken 
 a leading part in the party organization 
 for the last fifteen years. 
 
 John H. Wilson is a native of Harmony, 
 and was admitted to the bar June 1, 1894. 
 He has been associated with Livingston 
 McQuistion and J. C. Vanderlin since that 
 time, and in 1907 and 1908 was chosen city 
 solicitor by the town council of Butler. He 
 is a Democrat in politics and has been the 
 choice of his party for district attorney 
 and for the legislature, but was defeated 
 with the rest of his party ticket. 
 
 Theodore C. H. Keck was born in But- 
 ler, Pennsylvania, and is the son of Jacob 
 Keck, Esq. He was admitted to the bar 
 February 26, 1900, and has taken a lead- 
 ing rank among the younger members of 
 the bar. 
 
 John H. Jackson is a native of Butler 
 Borough, and was educated at the public 
 schools and at Washington and Jefferson 
 College. He subsequently read law with 
 Williams & Mitchell, of Butler, and was 
 admitted to practice February 26, 1900. 
 
 John C. Graham was born in Butler 
 Borough and is the son of the late Walter 
 L. Graham. He was educated in the pub- 
 lic schools and at Lafayette College, and 
 was admitted to practice March 11, 1892. 
 Mr. Graham has devoted most of his at- 
 tention to real estate, and in 1908 was 
 secretary of the Butler Board of Trade. 
 
 William McDowell was born in 1858 at 
 Kirkmuirhill, Parish of Lesmahagow, 
 Lanarkshire, Scotland. He came to this 
 countiy with his parents when a young 
 man, attended State College, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and afterward the State University 
 of Columbus, Ohio, and began life as a 
 civil and mining engineer. Later he pur- 
 sued his course of studies at the Normal 
 University, Ada, Ohio, and in the law de- 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 265 
 
 partment of the University of Indiana, 
 and was admitted to practice in the vari- 
 ous courts of Indiana, June 20, 1900. Sub- 
 sequently he pursued the study of law in 
 the office of John L. McCutcheon, of Pitts- 
 burg, and took a post-graduate course at 
 the University of Pennsylvania, at Phila- 
 delphia. He was admitted to the Butler 
 bar July 28, 1903, and has since taken a 
 leading rank among the yoimger members 
 of the bar. 
 
 Edgar H. Negley was born in Butler and 
 is a son of the late John H. Negley, Esq. 
 He was educated in the public schools, 
 read law in the office of his father and was 
 admitted to the bar in March, 1899. Pre- 
 vious to this he spent one year in the serv- 
 ice of the United States in the Spanish- 
 American War. Mr. Negley is one of the 
 active Republicans of the borough and has 
 served as a member of the school board 
 from the Third Ward. 
 
 Lewis P. Litzinger is a native of Chi- 
 cora, Pennsylvania, and was admitted to 
 the bar December 24, 1902. He received 
 a preliminary education in the common 
 schools and later attended the Georgetown 
 
 University in the District of Columbia, 
 graduating from the law department in 
 1902. The same year he was admitted to 
 practice in the supreme court and the 
 court of appeals in the District of Colum- 
 bia, of which Washington City is a part. 
 The following attorneys have practiced 
 at various times outside of Butler Bor- 
 ough: At Parker City, J. P. Coulter in 
 
 1872, Wallace Martin in 1874; Slippery 
 Rock, Charles C. McCarns in 1890, Clar- 
 ence G. McGee in 1900; at Greece City, 
 during the oil excitement, J. K. Wallace in 
 1873; at Chicora, J. H. Bowman in 1878, 
 Joseph H. Cunningham in 1874, Ezra 
 Crossman in 1878, M. B. McBride in 1873, 
 J. S. McKay in 1873, G. B. McCalmont in 
 
 1873, Mark G. McCaslin in 1873, Joseph 
 M. McCracken in 1873, George J. Wolfe in 
 1877; at Harrisville, D. J. Kyle in 1878. 
 
 There have also been a few others ad- 
 mitted to the Butler County bar who have 
 never practiced in the county, either re- 
 moving soon after their admission to other 
 localities, or entering into other businesses 
 or professions, whose names may not be 
 here mentioned. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES 
 
 The first mention of public roads in con- 
 nection with this county is found in the 
 transactions of the county commissioners 
 of Allegheny County under date of No- 
 vember 6, 1802. In December of the same 
 year mention is made of a road that had 
 been viewed and opened from Voris' cabin 
 in Deer Township, Allegheny County, to 
 Findley's cabin in the original township 
 of Middlesex in Butler County. The sec- 
 ond road mentioned is that built from 
 Isaac Voris' house in Deer Township, 
 Allegheny County, to Robert Galbreath's 
 house on Big Buffalo Ci-eek, in Butler 
 County. This road was viewed in June, 
 1803. In November of the same year 
 David Gilliland and four others were paid 
 for laying out twelve miles of road from 
 the east line of Butler County to the 
 county seat. 
 
 From February, 1804, to May 1812, 
 ninety-iive petitions for roads were con- 
 siidered by the commissioners of Butler 
 County. The first was for a road from 
 Butler to Freeport on the Allegheny River 
 and the last for a road from the point 
 where the Pittsburg and Freeport Road 
 crossed the Butler- Allegheny line to the 
 line between Butler and Armstrong Coun- 
 ties near the mouth of Buffalo Creek. All 
 of the ninety-tive petitions were not 
 granted, but a sufficient number of roads 
 
 were opened to connect the principal set- 
 tlements with the county seat. 
 
 A strong plea for additional roads was 
 made in 1805 by Dr. Detmar Basse Muller, 
 the founder of Zelienople, who, it seems, 
 had already gone to some expense on his 
 own account in the matter. His petition 
 to the commissioners, though published in 
 a previous history of the county, is of in- 
 terest, both as showing the attention that 
 was tlaen being given to this subject and 
 also because of the improvements intro- 
 duced or proposed at that early date by 
 Dr. Muller — in particular his importation 
 of fine cattle and sheep, said to have been 
 the first of the kind in the county. The 
 petition reads as follows : 
 
 "Would humbly show, that your petitioner labors 
 under great disadvantage for want of good roads to and 
 from the town of Zelienople. I would further state that 
 I have been at great expense in cutting roads and mak- 
 ing large improvements for the best to this settlement. 
 That I procured for this country with great difficulties 
 Spanish sheep, which cost 100 dollars per head 700 miles 
 from this place, also, the best breed of English cattle 
 in the United States, and that it would be necessary to 
 have roads for me to accomplish my enterprises as well 
 as for the public in general as a people in this settle- 
 ment, which is now increasing very fast and probably 
 will soon be a town of very considerable circumstance. 
 I have now a good sawmill built, and in case the road 
 from Pittsburgh to Mercertown can be laid out, opened 
 and made through Zelienople, I shall proceed to build a 
 merchant mill and furnace. A furnace will be of great 
 utility to this country, as it costs as much to transport 
 the iron to this country as it cost to purchase the iron 
 where it is made. Now it will not be possible to build 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 267 
 
 these works without roads. I am still willing to do 
 myself more for the establishment of the road, by build- 
 ing a good and substantial bridge across the Connoque- 
 nessing Creek, opposite the town of Zelienople, at my 
 own expense in case the road shall be laid out and made 
 from Pittsburgh to Mercertown through Zelienople. Now 
 that the court will confirm this road or appoint some 
 proper persons to lay it out as the law directs, for this 
 your petitioner will ever pray." 
 
 Robert Morris also, prior to 1803, in- 
 structed his agent at Butler to give finan- 
 cial aid to road construction whenever 
 possible. This led to the establishment, in 
 1805, of the state and county road leading 
 by Cemetery Hill and known as the Graded 
 Road. In 1821 the road passed into the 
 control of the Butler and Pittsburg Turn- 
 pike Company. An easier route was 
 selected and the state aided in the con- 
 struction of the road from Butler to Erie, 
 making it one of the great highways be- 
 tween the forks of the Ohio and the Great 
 Lakes. 
 
 THE PITTeBURG AND MERCER ROAD. 
 
 The original Pittsburg and Mercer 
 Road, called the Pittsburg and Mercer- 
 town Road, as shown by the Muller peti- 
 tion, was established in 1805. It passed 
 through the western portion of the county 
 through Zelienople and Harmony, and is 
 the present Franklin Road. It was a 
 favorite route with travelers going to the 
 northwest from Pittsburg. 
 
 THE EBENSBURG STAGE LINE. 
 
 The Ebensburg and Butler Stage Line 
 was established in May, 1825. W. W. Bell 
 contracted to carry the mails between the 
 two points by way of Indiana and Kittan- 
 ning in eighteen hours, and guaranteed 
 passengers close connection at Ebensburg 
 with the Pittsburg and Alexandria Stage. 
 In his advertisement, published in Decem- 
 ber, he assured prospective passengers 
 that the clay turnpike over which his route 
 lay was very much superior to the stone 
 roads of the southern route. He made the 
 trip between the two points once a week. 
 
 leaving Butler on Sunday and arriving the 
 following Wednesday. 
 
 A CANAL PROJECT. 
 
 A canal convention was held at New 
 Castle in May, 1826, which had under con- 
 sideration the construction of a canal from 
 Pittsbui'g to Erie. Butler County was 
 represented in this convention by William 
 Ayres and Jacob Mechling. 
 
 THE ALLEGHENY AND SUSQUEHANNA CANAL. 
 
 The question of connecting the Alle- 
 gheny and Susquehanna Rivers by a canal 
 came up in 1825, and on January 29 of 
 that year a meeting was held at Neyman's 
 Hotel in Butler at which John Potts pre- 
 sided, with Jacob Mechling secretary. The 
 meeting appointed as a committee to draft 
 a memorial to the legislature John Bredin, 
 John Gilmore, John Neyman, John Gil- 
 christ and William Beatty. This commit- 
 tee prepared a lengthy addi'ess to the 
 legislature then in session, but there was 
 nothing definite in its character. In 
 March of the same year John Gilmore, 
 Jacob Mechling, Hugh McKee, William 
 Gibson and John Bredin were constituted 
 a local committee for the purpose of ap- 
 pointing delegates to the state convention 
 of internal improvement. John Gilmore 
 and John Bredin were appointed and at- 
 tended the canal convention held at Har- 
 risburg in August of that year. This 
 movement resulted in nothing so far as 
 Butler County was concerned, and is re- 
 ferred to merely to show the thought of 
 the time upon the important subject of 
 internal improvements and upon means 
 of communication with the great cen- 
 ters of commerce. 
 
 THE PITTSBURG AND ERIE MAIL ROUTE. 
 
 In 1827 A. McGill & Company operated 
 a line of mail stages between Pittsburg 
 and Erie, the route passing through But- 
 ler. The fare from Pittsburg to Butler 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was $1.50, from Pittsburg to Meadville $4, 
 and from Pittsburg to Erie $6.50. The 
 stage left Pittsburg every morning, arriv- 
 ing in Butler the same evening; it left 
 Butler for Meadville the next morning at 
 four o'clock, arrived at Meadville the sec- 
 ond evening, and at four o'clock A. M. on 
 the third day left Meadville for Erie, ar- 
 riving at its destination about noon. The 
 return trip was made on the same sched- 
 ule, thus avoiding the dangers of night 
 travel. These old stages were drawn by 
 four and sometimes six horses, and their 
 arrivals and departures were watched 
 with as much interest as is displayed by 
 the youngsters of the present day over 
 the arrival of the steam cars. 
 
 The Butler and Kittanning Turnpike 
 Road was completed in 1828, and opened 
 a large territory for Butler's trade. The 
 officers of this company were John Gil- 
 more, president, and William Hagerty, 
 secretary. 
 
 THE BUTLEE AND FEEEPOKT PIKE. 
 
 A new era to the pioneers of Butler 
 County was announced in 1828, when the 
 first steamboat, which ascended the Alle- 
 gheny River, landed at Franklin in 
 Venango County and discharged its cargo 
 of 150 passengers and thirty tons of 
 freight. This boat was known as the 
 "William B. Duncan" and was of eighty 
 tons measurement. It touched Butler 
 County only at Freeport and at Parker's 
 Landing, but its arrival on the waters of 
 the Allegheny was soon after followed by 
 the establishing of a post route from Free- 
 port to Butler. The Freeport and Butler 
 route was established in May, 1828, and 
 during the same year a route was estab- 
 lished from Anderson's Creek to Kittan- 
 ning, one from Lawrenceburg to Mercer, 
 and one from Ilarrisville to Whitestown. 
 
 In March, 1830, the "Allegheny," the 
 first stern-wheeler, steamed up the river to 
 Franklin, where she arrived on the 18th 
 of that month. 
 
 In March, 1849, McElwain & Company 
 established a stage line between Butler 
 and Freeport, placing two four-horse 
 coaches on the route. The schedule of 
 arrivals and departures at Freeport was 
 arranged in accordance with that of the 
 Pittsburg packet-boats. 
 
 In October, 1859, J. W. McKee estab- 
 lished a line of coaches from Butler to 
 Freeport, making connections at Freeport 
 with the Allegheny Valley Railroad, and 
 reducing the time of travel to Pittsburg 
 to six hours. 
 
 The Butler and Freeport Turnpike was 
 constructed in 1833, and in 1845 a turnpike 
 was constructed from Butler to Brady's 
 Bend (then called the Great Western), the 
 commissioners being David Dougal and 
 George W. Reed of Butler County and 
 William Hart of Armstrong County. 
 
 THE NATIONAL ROAD CONVENTION. 
 
 The National Road Convention which 
 favored the construction of macadamized 
 roads from Cumberland west and south to 
 the Pacific and Gulf coasts, was held at 
 Butler January 21, 1844, and was attended 
 by 500 delegates. Gen. John N. Purviance 
 of Butler was chosen president. Conven- 
 tions were also held at Butler in 1845 and 
 1846, but nothing of importance appears 
 to have been transacted. 
 
 THE BUTLER AND ALLEGHENY PLANK ROAD. 
 
 The question of building a plank road 
 from Butler to Allegheny was discussed as 
 early as 1848, but not until February, 
 1849, was any definite action taken. At 
 that time a meeting was held in Butler at 
 which John Negley presided, with John 
 Duffy and John McKee vice-presidents, 
 and James Campbell and Louis Z. Mitchell 
 secretaries. This meeting appointed a 
 committee to provide for a charter for a 
 company authorizing the building of a 
 plank road from Butler to Allegheny. 
 John Bredin, C. C. Sullivan, J. G. Camp- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 bell, R. McNair, and George Miller were 
 chosen members of this committee. 
 
 On April 5, 1849, the legislature passed 
 an act authorizing the governor to incor- 
 porate the Allegheny City and Butler 
 Plank Road Company. In May, 1850, the 
 commissioners of Butler and Allegheny 
 Counties at a meeting held at Bakerstown 
 considered the matter under this act and 
 ordered books to be opened at several 
 points for receiving subscriptions for 
 stock. In February, 1851, the citizens of 
 Tarentum, Saxonburg and Butler worked 
 for the enterprise and by the close of the 
 month the Allegheny and Butler Plank 
 Road Company was organized with S. M. 
 Lane, president ; William Campbell, David 
 Walker, T. H. Lyon of Butler, Charles F. 
 Spang and T. W. Shaw, of Allegheny, 
 managers, and James Jones, of Allegheny, 
 treasurer. Ground was broken June 16, 
 1851, by contractor Walker of Butler, and 
 the era of plank roads was introduced. 
 John N. Purvianee was elected president 
 of the company in 1852 to succeed Mr. 
 Lane, and Col. A. N. Mylert to succeed 
 David Walker as manager. In November 
 of the same year Dunlap McLaughlin of 
 Butler was chosen treasurer and since that 
 time the management of the road has been 
 practically in the hands of Butler people. 
 
 The report of the commissioners ap- 
 pointed by the governor to inspect the 
 road was filed July 7, 1856, and on the 
 same date a charter was issued by Gover- 
 nor James Pollock and signed by John 
 McPherrin Sullivan, Secretary of State. 
 The commission that inspected the road 
 was composed of John Duffy, Robert Car- 
 nahan, and Matthew White. The name of 
 James Bredin first appears as secretary of 
 the company in 1856, and he contin^^ed to 
 hold that position until his death in 1906. 
 During the last thirty years of his life he 
 was treasurer and general manager of the 
 company as well as secretary. The presi- 
 dents that succeeded Mr. Purvianee were 
 William Campbell, Sr., R. M. Gibson, and 
 
 William Campbell, Jr. Upon the death of 
 the latter in 1907, W. D. Brandon of But- 
 ler was chosen president and D. H. Sutton 
 of Butler was elected secretaiy and man- 
 ager to fill the vacancy caused by the death 
 of Mr. Bredin. The Butler Savings and 
 Trust Company is the present treasurer. 
 
 In the early days of the road about ten 
 miles in Butler County was constructed of 
 stone and about the same number of miles 
 in Allegheny County was constructed of 
 heavy flag stone similar to a pavement, 
 while the plank part of the road was con- 
 structed of split logs that had been dressed 
 with a hand axe. About 1880 the entire 
 length of the road was rebuilt with sawed 
 plank and placed in an excellent condi- 
 tion. The Allegheny and Butler Plank 
 Road proved a success from its first year 
 and has paid its stockholders a neat profit 
 on their inveatment. It is now probably 
 the oldest plank road in operation in the 
 state. In 1905 the commissioners of Al- 
 legheny County purchased that part of the 
 road from Etna to the Butler County line 
 for $65,000.00 and converted it into a ma- 
 cadamized county road. About the same 
 time an effort was made to have the com- 
 missioners of Butler County purchase the 
 road from Butler to the Allegheny County 
 line, but this movement failed and the 
 company still operates the division of the 
 road in Butler County. 
 
 THE PEEKYSVILLE PLANK EOAD. 
 
 The Browington and Perrysville Plank 
 Road Company was organized March 8, 
 1851, when subscription books were oi*- 
 dered to be opened. The signers of this 
 order were Thomas H. Bracken, David 
 Shannon, Jonathan Ransen, M. F. White, 
 Joseph McElwain, Henry Buhl, Samuel 
 Marshall, Alexander Graham, and John 
 Fletcher. The organization was completed 
 on the 2nd of July, when Samuel Marshall 
 was elected president and Thomas H. 
 Bracken vice-president. The legislature of 
 
270 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1852 authorized the construction of the 
 Zelienople and Perrysville Plank Road 
 and empowered the company to borrow 
 $20,000.00 to build it. This road was in 
 use for many years but was abandoned 
 after the advent of the Pittsburg & West- 
 ern Railroad. 
 
 The Butler and Callensburg Plank Road 
 Company originated in the meetings of 
 March, 1851, and in the Fairview meeting 
 of March 24 of the same year. Nothing 
 was ever accomplished by this company. 
 
 The Centerville and New Castle Plank 
 Road Company was incorporated in 1852, 
 and in November of that year Abraham 
 Ziegler was elected president, Francis 
 Wallace treasurer, and John Levis secre- 
 tary. 
 
 FIRST RAILROADS. 
 
 More than thirty-five years elapsed from 
 the first agitation in Butler County on the 
 question of railroads until a road was fi- 
 nally completed into the borough of But- 
 ler. As early as 1836 a survey of the Free- 
 port and New Castle railroad was made, 
 locating a line through Butler Borough, 
 and crossing the county from east to west. 
 The preliminary work of this survey was 
 made by Dr. Charles T. Whipple, who per- 
 formed his work in the field so well that 
 his field notes were sought after in later 
 years, when the Northwestern Railroad 
 Company entertained the idea of building 
 a road across the county. 
 
 The question of building a railroad from 
 the Pennsylvania Central Railroad 
 through Freeport, Butler and New Castle 
 to connect with the Cleveland and Mahon- 
 ing road near the Ohio line, was agitated 
 in 1852 and culminated in a meeting held 
 in Butler which was presided over by J. 
 G. Campbell, Andrew Cams acting as sec- 
 retary. A committee of correspondence 
 was chosen, which was composed of C. C. 
 Sullivan, John Graham, James Campbell, 
 Samuel A. Purviance, and G. W. Smith. 
 
 THE NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD. 
 
 The Northwestern Railroad Company, 
 which resulted in financial disaster and al- 
 most endless litigation, was chartered 
 February 9, 1853, and the first meeting of 
 the directors was held at Butler June 1, 
 
 1853, when W. Warner was chosen engi- 
 neer. On August 16, the president of the 
 company, was authorized to produce the 
 Lawrence County subscription of $200,000 
 and the Butler County subscription of 
 $250,000, the resolutions providing for 
 the construction of a road from Blairsville 
 to Freeport, thirty-five miles, thence to 
 Butler, twenty-three miles, and thence to 
 New Castle, thirty-one miles, a total of 
 eighty-nine miles. On May 10, 1854, a 
 contract was made with Malone, Painter, 
 Clark and Gouder, which bound that firm 
 to complete the whole line for $3,800,000 
 before May 1, 1856. On June 1, 1856, only 
 the grading and ballasting of the first di- 
 vision from Blairsville to Freeport was 
 completed, and this failure to complete the 
 whole line warranted the cancellation of 
 the old contract. A new contract was 
 made which was less favorable to the sub- 
 scribers and by the close of 1856 the sub- 
 scribing counties were in revolution, for 
 their bonds had almost entirely passed out 
 of 'official hands and there was little to 
 show for the money expended. 
 
 Enthusiasm for this road was at a high 
 pitch in Butler in 1854, when on the 22nd 
 of February the news reached the town 
 that the Common Council of the city of 
 Philadelphia had appropriated $750,000 
 for the construction of the road. So jubi- 
 lant were the Butler people that they cele- 
 brated the event by a grand illumination 
 of the town. Before the close of August, 
 
 1854, a showing was made on David Wal- 
 ker's contract of the Northwestern Rail- 
 road four miles west of Butler, in Center 
 Township. The big cut which is still in 
 existence is 3,000 feet long and 711/2 feet 
 deep. One hundred and ninety-seven men 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 271 
 
 and eighty-four horses were employed at 
 this cut during 1855 and part of 1856, the 
 whole force being under the superintend- 
 ence of Smith Agnew. The entire excava- 
 tion, part of which is in solid rock, was 
 made by hand, and the material carted 
 away to the dump in horse carts, a Hercu- 
 lean task that would now be accomplished 
 with a steam shovel and a train of dump 
 cars. In January, 1855, the Summit cut, 
 five miles southeast of Butler in Summit 
 Township, was being worked by Contractor 
 Moorehead. Operations on both of these 
 contracts ceased after 1856 and they re- 
 sulted in financial disaster to all the par- 
 ties concerned with them. 
 
 Col. A. N. Meylert, who was the first 
 treasurer of the company, resigned in Feb- 
 ruary, 1854, and D. Sankey, of Lawrence 
 County, was elected. In October, 1854, a 
 petition for an injunction against the pay- 
 ment of the Philadelphia subscription was 
 filed in the Supreme Court of Pennsylva- 
 nia, and considered at the session held in 
 Erie. Hon. C. C. Sullivan and John Gra- 
 ham of Butler represented the railroad 
 company, and on their argument the peti- 
 tion was dismissed. The pent-uj) discon- 
 tent of the people of Butler and Lawrence 
 Counties about the management of the 
 Northwestern Railroad Company found 
 expression in the local newspapers, and 
 the coimty commissioners were strongly 
 urged to resist further payment toward the 
 road. Prior to March, 1858, a sequestrator 
 had charge of the company's affairs and 
 in March the anxiously awaited report was 
 issued which had the effect of increasing 
 the discontent heard on all sides and de- 
 termined those in authority to resist pay- 
 ment of the county bonds. 
 
 The trial of the Butler County Bond 
 Case in the United States Circuit Court at 
 Pittsburg was heard in May, 1859. The 
 case is on the records as Jacob C. Curtis 
 vs. The County of Butler. The county was 
 represented by John N. Purviance, James 
 Bredin, and John Graham, of Butler, and 
 
 Thomas M. Marshall and A. M. Brown, of 
 Pittsburg. The point was made that the 
 commissioners of Butler County agreed 
 only to pay interest on the bonds until the 
 railroad would be completed. The con- 
 tract for construction made with Malone, 
 Painter, Clark and Gouder in May, 1854, 
 provided that the road was to be completed 
 in June, 1856. Little or nothing was done 
 in Butler County, so that in August, 1856, 
 a new contract was made which provided 
 that the contractors would return to the 
 company $331,000 in Butler and Lawrence 
 County bonds, and take in lieu $50,000 in 
 cash, $31,000 in tlie company's notes, and 
 $250,000 in first mortgage bonds. This ex- 
 traordinary proceeding was denounced by 
 the Butler men, but Lawrence and Butler 
 Counties were compelled to pay the bills. 
 The commissioners of Butler County fi- 
 nally compromised with the holders of the 
 county bonds issued to the Northwestern 
 Railroad Company, the consideration be- 
 ing sixty per cent, of the face value. Six- 
 ty-five thousand dollars' worth of bonds 
 were thus disposed of, and in May, 1865, 
 $13,000 worth of these bonds were still 
 outstanding. The county did not finally 
 get free from the debt until about 1870. 
 
 THE ALLEGHENY VALLEY BAILKOAD. 
 
 The advantages of railroad connection 
 with the outside world were obtained in 
 a limited way by the construction of the 
 Allegheny Valley Railroad from Pittsburg 
 to the mouth of the Kiskiminetas River. 
 The company was organized February 12, 
 1852, and the road completed in October, 
 1855. The people of Butler patronized 
 this road by using the old stage line from 
 Butler to Freeport. 
 
 THE WEST PENN EAH^ROAD. 
 
 The Western Pennsylvania Railroad 
 Company, commonly called the "West 
 Penn," was incorporated March 22, 1860, 
 and works under that and the special act 
 of April 27, 1864, together with the sup- 
 
272 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 plemental acts of March 9, 1865. March 
 22, 1865, April 17, 1866, April 10, 1867, 
 February 25, 1870, and March 25, 1871. 
 One of the provisions of the act of 1864 
 is of special interest to Butler County peo- 
 ple and reads as follows: 
 
 "Provided, that the right to use and operate the road 
 by said Western Pennsylvania Railroad between Free- 
 port and Allegheny City shall not be enjoyed until con- 
 tracts are entered into with responsible parties for the 
 completion of a railroad from Freeport to the town of 
 Butler; And provided, that said contract shall be entered 
 into within one year and the road completed within five 
 years. ' ' 
 
 The late John H. Negley of Butler, who 
 was a member of the legislature in 1864-65 
 contributed some history in regard to the 
 above quoted proviso a few years before 
 his death. Butler County had been dis- 
 appointed a number of times in regard to 
 the building of the Butler branch of the 
 Western Pennsylvania Railroad, and the 
 patience of the county's representatives 
 in the legislature with Col. Thomas A. 
 Scott, who was the political manager of 
 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was 
 well nigh exhausted. At the session of the 
 legislature in the winter of 1865, Col. Scott 
 wanted Mr. Negley and William Hazlett, 
 the other representative from Butler 
 County, to vote for some special legisla- 
 tion that was desired by the city of Phila- 
 delphia. It so happened that the two But- 
 ler County representatives were in a po- 
 sition to either pass or defeat the bill, and 
 Mr. Negley was quick to see the advantage 
 he was placed in. When Col. Scott ap- 
 proached him in regard to the Philadel- 
 phia legislation Mr. Negley called his at- 
 tention to the above proviso in the act of 
 1864. Mr. Scott did not want to enter into 
 a contract or agreement to build the But- 
 ler branch at once, and resorted to all kinds 
 of subterfuges to avoid the issue. Negley 
 and Hazlett "stood pat" and the reluct- 
 ant railroad magnate finally came to their 
 terms and signed his name to the agree- 
 ment. The contract was carried out on 
 the part of Col. Scott, and in September, 
 
 1869, twenty-one sections of the Butler 
 Branch Railroad from Butler to Freeport 
 were placed in the hands of contractors. 
 Shortly after work began on the Freeport 
 end, and in February, 1870, ground was 
 broken at Butler. The work was prose- 
 cuted with vigor and the road formally 
 opened January 18, 1871. The event was 
 made the occasion of a great celebration 
 in Butler and along the line of the road, 
 the festivities lasting two days. An ex- 
 cursion over the road was indulged in, the 
 number of excursionists leaving Butler be- 
 ing 180. At Saxon Station, the number of 
 excursionists was increased to 200, and on 
 the return of the train to Butler in the 
 evening a banquet was given which was 
 patronized by 134 subscribers. The pro- 
 ceeds of the banquet, including the sum 
 realized from the sale of dishes, knives and 
 forks, muslin, etc., amounted to $622.98, 
 the expenses being $520.01. The remain- 
 ing amount was distributed among the 
 poor by Henry C. Heineman of Butler, 
 who was appointed a committee for that 
 purpose. The first train run into Butler 
 consisted of five coaches, a baggage car, 
 and locomotive. W. B. Thompson was the 
 conductor in charge and Jack Adams was 
 the engineer. 
 
 MOCK FUNERAL OF THE STAGE COACH. 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting feature of 
 the festivities in Butler was the mock fu- 
 neral of the Butler and Freeport Stage 
 Coach. The leading spirit in this affair 
 was D. L. Walker, the superintendent of 
 the old stage line, and he was assisted by 
 many of the well-known citizens of the 
 town who acted as mourners and pall- 
 bearers. The old coach was draped in 
 black, while the trappings of the horses 
 were of the same character. The mourn- 
 ers were all dressed in black clothes, silk 
 hats and wore white gloves, and the pall- 
 bearers were given the place of honor in- 
 side the old coach. Walker acted as driver 
 and, escorted by the Butler militia, made 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 273 
 
 a round of the town. The old stage was 
 deposited in a building in a back alley, 
 where it remained for thirty years, and 
 was finally resurrected in 1900 and took 
 part in the civic parade in Butler held in 
 commemoration of the centennial anniver- 
 sary of the county. Alexander M. Hays, 
 who was one of the drivers on the old stage 
 line from Freeport to Butler, and is now 
 one of the few surviving members of that 
 interesting race of "Jehus" which long 
 ago furled their whips and dismounted 
 from the box forever, was a visitor at the 
 centennial celebration and upon seeing the 
 old stage coach, dedicated the following 
 lines to its memory : 
 
 "It stands in the stable yard, under the 
 
 eaves. 
 It leans to one side and is covered with 
 
 leaves ; 
 It once was the pride of the gay and the 
 
 fair. 
 But it has now gone to ruin — that old stage 
 
 there. 
 
 "It is battered and tattered, and it little 
 
 avails 
 That once it was varnished and glistened 
 
 with nails ; 
 The varnish is cracked now, crooked and 
 
 square. 
 Like canvas on top of that old stage there. 
 
 "See! Here is the thorough-brace, and 
 
 here is the place 
 For the pole for the horses — but gone is 
 
 their race. 
 It was cushioned with plush, it was wadded 
 
 with hair. 
 As the birds have discovered in that old 
 
 stage there. 
 
 "It was built in Troy. Here, under the 
 seat 
 
 Is a nestful of eggs; 'tis the favorite re- 
 treat 
 
 Of an old speckled hen, who has hatched, 
 
 I dare swear, 
 Quite an army of chicks in that old stage 
 
 there. 
 
 "I remember when I drove it on the But- 
 ler Plank Road, 
 
 The elite of Butler was often its load. 
 
 When we dashed o'er the bridge and on 
 through the square, 
 
 All Butler Town welcomed that old stage 
 there. 
 
 ' ' Oh, the scandal it knows ; oh, the tales it 
 
 could tell 
 Of the young and the old, the rake and the 
 
 belle ! 
 But those tales of the times which would 
 
 raise up your hair 
 Will ne'er be revealed by that old stage 
 
 there. 
 "But here is a thing that remains to be 
 
 said — 
 It deserves better fate than an old stable 
 
 shed ; 
 It should be painted and varnished with 
 
 greatest of care, 
 And sent back to Butler — that old stage 
 
 there. 
 
 "But as years roll around I suppose 'twill 
 
 stand where 
 'Tis a home for the fowls and birds of th( 
 
 air ; 
 But the mem'ry of the days when I drove 
 
 it will e'er 
 Still cling, fondly cling, to that old stage 
 
 there. ' ' 
 
 The construction of the twenty-one miles 
 of this road cost $400,000, and was car- 
 ried out under the authority of the act of 
 April 27, 1864, containing the proviso 
 above quoted. In 1888 the road was leased 
 to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for 
 a period of forty years, and the latter com- 
 pany still continues to operate the line. 
 
274 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The completion of this railroad marked a 
 new era in the history of Butler Borough 
 and of the county, and was the beginning 
 of a period of growth and improvement 
 which has since been realized in a notable 
 increase in population and many other evi- 
 dences of progress and prosperity. 
 
 The only serious accident that has oc- 
 curred on this line happened on August 
 16, 1889, when a wreck occurred one mile 
 west of Sarver Station which resulted in 
 the death of William J. Powers of Pitts- 
 burg, and Katie, a four-year-old child of 
 Mrs. M. Far r ell, of Butler. Twenty- four 
 persons were injured, among whom were 
 George Spang, Mrs. David Gossei-, Joseph 
 Gray, and Mrs. Helen McJunkin, of But- 
 ler. 
 
 THE CONNOQUENESSING VALLEY EAILKOAD 
 COMPANY. 
 
 In March, 1865, bills were passed in the 
 legislature chartering the Connoquelness- 
 ing Valley Railroad Company and the 
 Bear Creek Railroad Company. The Bear 
 Creek Road was to run from Sharpsburg 
 on the Pittsburg and Erie road to Martins- 
 burg in Butler County, and among the in- 
 corporators of the company were Messrs. 
 Bredin and Kerr of Butler. The commis- 
 sioners named in the act of March 22nd 
 were J. G. Campbell, J. N. Purviance, J. 
 G. Muntz, E. McJunkin, R. C. McAboy, 
 Thomas Robinson, A. Lusk, J. Levis, A. 
 Ziegler, W. Irwin, J. M. McKinney, W. G. 
 Rose, S. Griffith, Vance Stewart, J. R. 
 Hanna, D. L. Imbrie, J. J. Cuthbertson, 
 J. Ferguson, and J. W. Blanchard. Work 
 was commenced on this road in Butler 
 County in the fall of 1872, when the right 
 of way for twelve miles was cut through 
 the forest. Operations were then aban- 
 doned and the road was never completed. 
 
 THE PAEKER AND KABNS CITY ROAD. 
 
 The narrow-gauge railroad from Par- 
 ker's Landing to Karns City was promoted 
 by S. D. Karns, who was elected temporary 
 
 president at the meeting held August 20, 
 1872. The company was formally organ- 
 ized on the 27th of the same month, Mr. 
 Karns presiding. At this meeting the 
 committee on stock reported a subscription 
 of $22,750. By May, 1873, the stock was 
 increased to $100,000 and in August of the 
 same year the work of construction was 
 begun. Five miles of the road were graded 
 by the end of October, five hundred men 
 being engaged on grading the remaining 
 five miles to Karns City. At this time 
 the officers of the company were S. D. 
 Karns, president, Charles P. Badger, su- 
 perintendent, W. C. Mobley, secretary, and 
 they, with Fullerton Parker, Robert L. 
 Brown, and William Phillips, formed the 
 directorate. The capital was increased to 
 $150,000 and contracts were made for the 
 rolling stock. The high viaduct, four hun- 
 dred feet long and seventy-five feet high, 
 over the north branch of Bear Creek, was 
 completed in December, and on Chi-istmas 
 day four passenger trains were run south 
 to Martinsburg, and four north to the 
 Parker junction with the Allegheny Val- 
 ley Railroad. The road was opened to 
 Karns City for regular traffic in April, 
 1874. 
 
 In April, 1876, the Karns City and But- 
 ler Railroad Company was organized by 
 the same parties interested in the Karns 
 City and Parker Road, the citizens of But- 
 ler and Millerstown subscribing for its 
 bonds. This road was constructed and 
 opened for business in November, 1876, 
 and continued in successful operation un- 
 til June 10, 1881, when with the Parker 
 and Karns City Railroad, it was consoli- 
 dated with the Pittsburg and Western 
 Railroad. The old narrow-gauge road 
 from Butler to Parker had a good patron- 
 age, paid its projectors a handsome profit 
 upon their investments, and demonstrated 
 the practicability of narrow-gauge rail- 
 roads in the oil regions. Much sport was 
 made of its rolling stock, and it was a com- 
 mon remark among the patrons of the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 275 
 
 road that there was no danger of being 
 hurt by the train leaving the tracks, as 
 that part of the road never had a serious 
 accident to its passenger trains, and never 
 killed anybody. 
 
 THE PITTSBUBG AND WESTERN EAILEOAD. 
 
 The Pittsburg and Western Railroad 
 Company was originally organized Sep- 
 tember 7, 1877, under the name of the 
 Pittsburg, New Castle and Lake Erie Rail- 
 road. The original projectors of this road 
 were Austin Pierce of Harmony, and Gen. 
 James S. Negley, of Pittsburg. The road 
 was opened between Etna and Zelienople 
 in December, 1878, and was at first a nar- 
 row gauge. During the summer of 1879 
 the company became financially embar- 
 rassed on account of the general want of 
 confidence in railroad enterprises and their 
 inability to market their bonds and meet 
 their obligations. The road was sold at 
 sheriff's sale August 27, 1879, and pur- 
 chased by Major A. M. Brown of Pitts- 
 burg, who organized the Pittsburg -and 
 Western Railroad Company, with James 
 Callery of Pittsburg as its president. Un- 
 der the new management the road was 
 completed from Zelienople to Allegheny 
 City and from Zelienople west to Wurtem- 
 burg. 
 
 In June, 1881, ' the Parker and Karns 
 City, the Karns City and Butler, the Red 
 Bank and Youngstown, and the Pittsburg 
 East and West Railroads were consoli- 
 dated with the Pittsburg and Western. 
 James Callery was president of this com- 
 pany, Solon Humphreys, vice-president, A. 
 J. Thomas, treasurer, W. K. Hyndman, 
 manager, and W. C. Mobley, of the Karns 
 City and Pai-ker road, general agent. The 
 road was extended from Wurtemburg to 
 Youngstown, Ohio, and from Hiawatha 
 Station, or Callery Junction, to Butler, in 
 1881, and the following year the main line 
 from Youngstown to Allegheny City was 
 changed to the standard gauge. In 1887 
 the branch from Callerv Junction to But- 
 
 ler was changed to a standard gauge, and 
 in 1904 the old narrow-gauge division from 
 Butler to Poxburg was changed to the 
 standard gauge. In the fall of 1881 the 
 Pittsburg and Western was a link in the 
 Wabash chain from Wurtemburg to Alle- 
 gheny, and in 1882 the road was leased by 
 the Baltimore and Ohio Company, and in 
 1893 the latter company secured complete 
 control of the Pittsburg and Western sys- 
 tem. 
 
 THE BESSEMER BAH,E0AD. 
 
 The Bessemer Railroad had its begin- 
 nings in the construction of the old Pitts- 
 burg, Shenango and Lake Erie Railroad, 
 which was constructed from Shenango to 
 Pardo in Mercer County in 1869, and com- 
 pleted to Harrisville in Butler County in 
 July, 1872. The Pittsburg, Shenango and 
 Lake Erie Company had its inception in 
 the charter of the Bear Creek Railroad 
 Company, which was granted March 20, 
 1865. The name was changed by a legis- 
 lative act. in April, 1867, to the Shenango 
 and Allegheny, which name it bore until 
 February 11, 1888, when a reorganization 
 occurred and the title Pittsburg, Shenango 
 and Lake Erie Railroad Company was 
 adopted. Originally intended as a coal 
 feeder to the Atlantic and Great Western, 
 which ran north of Butler County, its pur- 
 pose was to reach the coal field in the 
 northern part of this county. In January, 
 1876, the road was extended to Hilliard in 
 Washington Township, Butler County, and 
 several branches were built in 1880, 1882 
 and 1883, tapping the coal fields in Butler 
 and Mercer Counties. 
 
 In February, 1882, the Connoquenessing 
 Valley Railroad Company was chartered 
 to construct a road from Butler north- 
 ward to the Shenango and Allegheny Rail- 
 road, connecting with the latter at Branch- 
 ton. J. T. Blair, who was superintendent 
 of the Shenango and Allegheny Railroad, 
 was one of the principal promoters and 
 stockholders of the new railroad, and he, 
 
276 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 with Thomas P. Fowler and A. H. Steel, 
 finaueed the enterprise. The contract for 
 building the branch from a point within one 
 mile of Coal Town to Butler was let to W. 
 W. Eeed in August, 1882, and the work 
 was completed August 9, 1883. Reed's 
 contract provided that he should complete 
 the road before six o'clock on August 9th. 
 His hopes were suddenly dashed to earth 
 on the morning of that day by some thirty 
 of his laborers striking and refusing to go 
 to work. Other laborers were quickly 
 pushed into the field, and the contract was 
 completed on time. On August 27th an 
 excursion train was run from Greenville 
 to Butler, carrying about nine hundred 
 passengers from various points along the 
 line, who were given the freedom of the 
 town and entertained by the citizens of 
 Butler. 
 
 The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad 
 was organized in 1897 and is the succes- 
 sor of the old Pittsburg, Shenango and 
 Lake Erie, which was completed from She- 
 nango to Butler in 1882. The financial 
 backers of this road were the Carnegie in- 
 terests of Pittsburg, which at that time 
 were seeking an outlet from the mills at 
 Homestead and Braddoek to the ore docks 
 at Conneaut Harbor on Lake Erie. After 
 the old Shenango and Lake Erie Road had 
 been purchased, the lines were' extended 
 from Girard, Pennsylvania, to Conneaut, 
 Ohio, and the old line from Shenango to 
 Butler was rebuilt, making it a double 
 track road. At the same time an extension 
 of the road was built from Butler to North 
 Bessemer in Allegheny County, which is 
 used principally as a freight road. The 
 consti'uction of the Bessemer road placed 
 Butler on a through line from Pittsburg to 
 the lake, and gave the northern portion of 
 the county an outlet for its coal and lime- 
 stone. 
 
 BUFFALO, ROCHESTER AND PITTSBURG. 
 
 In 1899 the Buffalo, Rochester and Pitts- 
 burg Railroad Company, which had pre- 
 
 viously been operating in Jefferson and 
 Indiana Counties, invaded Butler County 
 and extended their line from Mosgrove on 
 the Allegheny River through Clearfield 
 and Summit Townships to Butler. This 
 company had made traffic arrangement 
 with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to 
 reach Pittsburg and New Castle, and un- 
 der this agreement the Harmony cut-off 
 was constructed which leads from Riebold 
 Station on the Butler division of the road 
 to Harmony Junction on the main line. 
 This cut-off is used for freight traffic west 
 and the passenger trains on the B. R. & 
 P. R. R. use the B. & 0. tracks from But- 
 ler to Pittsburg. The advent of the B. R. 
 & P. Road marked an era in the internal 
 improvements of the county, and gave the 
 town of Butler the advantages of a trunk 
 line I'oad from east to west. 
 
 THE WESTERN AND ALLEGHENY RAILROAD. 
 
 Following the organization of the Great 
 Lakes Coal Company and the taking up 
 of a large amount of coal land in the 
 northern part of Butler County and in 
 Armstrong County, the Western and Alle- 
 gheny Railroad Company was organized 
 for the purpose of giving the coal com- 
 pany an outlet to the lakes. In 1903-4 the 
 company constructed a road from Queens 
 Junction on the Bessemer Railroad in 
 Clap Township through Concord and Fair- 
 view Townships to the Butler County line 
 at Kaylor, and thence to Brady's Bend in 
 Armstrong County. Subsequentl.y the line 
 was extended from Queens Junction west 
 to New Castle, following the Muddy Creek 
 Valley to the county line. One of the prin- 
 cipal promoters of the enterprise was 
 Thomas Liggett of Pittsburg, who is vice- 
 president of the company. This road 
 opened up extensive coal fields in Concord 
 and Fairview Townships, and also fur- 
 nished an outlet for the residents of Brady, 
 Franklin, Muddy Creek and Worth Town- 
 ships that had previously been shut out 
 from railroad communication. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 277 
 
 WINFIELD BRANCH. 
 
 The Winfield Branch is a tributary of 
 the West Penn Railroad and was first pro- 
 moted about 1890 by Joseph Brittain, of 
 Butler, who, at that time, was developing 
 the limestone and other mineral deposits 
 of Winfield Township. The road was con- 
 structed from Monroeville in Buffalo 
 Township to West Winfield in Winfield 
 Township. At the time the road was pro- 
 moted West Winfield was known as Rough 
 Run, and Butler parties were engaged in 
 manufacturing salt and developing the 
 limestone in that district. 
 
 TgE ARGENTINE AND EAU CLAIRE KOAD. 
 
 On May 14, 1906, Harry A. Kinsey, Nor- 
 man Sebrig, John Forsythe, and Edward 
 Lloyd filed articles of association in the 
 recorder's office of Butler County for the 
 Argentine and Eau Claire Railroad Com- 
 pany, with a capital stock of $30,000. The 
 company proposed to build a road from 
 Argentine in Washington Townsliip to 
 Eau Claire in Venango Township, a dis- 
 tance of about three miles. The purpose 
 of the road was to reach the coal fields in 
 the tw-o townships, but nothing has been 
 done towards its construction. 
 
 In 1903 the Pennsylvania Lines con- 
 structed a road from Volant in Lawrence 
 County to Redmond Station on the John 
 Tate farm in Slippery Rock Township. 
 This liite was built for a coal road and an 
 outlet for the mines located at Redmond. 
 
 A branch of the Bessemer Road was 
 constructed in 1907 to the Goff-Kirby 
 mines in Venango Township, and in 1908 
 passenger trains were run on tliis branch 
 to Began Station, which is also the name 
 of the postoffice at that point. 
 
 ELECTRIC PASSENGER RAILWAYS. 
 
 While many companies had been char- 
 tered for the purpose of building electric 
 railroads in Butler County and in Butler 
 Borough, nothing definite was accom- 
 plished until 1899, when J. V. Ritts, A. L. 
 
 Reiber, James B. McJunkin, Charles Duffy 
 and John Berg, all Butler parties, formed 
 an association to be known as the Butler 
 Passenger Railway Company. In Septem- 
 ber of the same year the company was duly 
 incorporated with a capital stock of $50,- 
 000. The following were the officers of the 
 company: President, A. L. Reiber; vice- 
 president, John Berg: treasurer, James B. 
 McJunkin; secretary, A. E. Reiber. The 
 above named officers and J. V. Ritts and 
 Charles Duffy constituted the board of di- 
 rectors. 
 
 On the 3rd day of October, 1899, a fran- 
 chise was obtained in the borough of But- 
 ler for its principal streets, and in the 
 spring of 1900 construction was com- 
 menced on its tracks on Main Street and 
 on Jefferson Street, which was completed 
 and cars operated the first week of Sep- 
 tember, 1900. Extensions of track were 
 made and continued until about five miles 
 of track were laid within the borough limit. 
 In 1903 the company purchased a tract of 
 sixty acres of land about two miles west 
 of Butler, and opened the resort called Ala- 
 meda Park. In December, 1905, the com- 
 pany sold their plant to Pittsburg capital- 
 ists who are now operating the road. 
 
 THE PITTSBURG AND BUTLEE ELECTRIC RAIL- 
 WAY COMPANY. 
 
 In 1905 Pittsburg capitalists organized 
 and promoted the Pittsburg and Butler 
 Railway Company and the same year be- 
 gan construction of a line in both Alle- 
 gheny and Butler Counties. The road was 
 completed from Etna to Butler in Janu- 
 ary, 1907, and cars were running as far as 
 Etna the same month. By an agreement 
 made with the Pittsburg Traction Com- 
 pany, the Butler cars are now run into 
 Pittsljurg and passengers are delivered on 
 Penn Avenue and Sixth Street. The com- 
 pany built extensive car barns at Mars in 
 Adams Township, and a large power plant 
 at Renfrew in Penn Township, and has 
 l)een the means of developing a vast 
 
278 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 amount of real estate between Butler and 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 In December, 1905, the Pittsburg and 
 Butler Railway Company purchased the 
 franchises and plant of the Butler Passen- 
 ger Railway Company, and has been oper- 
 ating the local line since that time. 
 
 THE PITTSBUHG, HAEMONY, BUTLER AND NEW 
 CASTLE RAILWAY COMPANY. 
 
 An electric railway system that has had 
 much to do with the development of the 
 southwestei-n portion of the county, brings 
 Butler, New Castle and Pittsburg into 
 close communication, and is one of the 
 most important factors in the internal de- 
 velopment and improvement of Butler 
 County, had its inception at a meeting 
 held in Pittsburg on the 9th of March, 
 1905. At this time the organization of the 
 Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and New Cas- 
 tle Railway Company was considered, and 
 the officers and directors elected at that 
 time were D. B. Magley, president; M. Gr. 
 Hibbs, L. E. McKain, James K. Magley 
 and S. C. Vickers, the latter being secre- 
 tary. The promoters of this enterprise 
 were principally Butler County men, the 
 originators being W. A. Goehring and Ed- 
 ward Winters of Zelienople, and R. H. 
 Boggs, of the Northside, Pittsburg, who 
 is a member of the firm of Boggs & Buhl, 
 of that city, and a native of Butler County. 
 The Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and New 
 Castle Railway Company was cliartered 
 under the laws of Pennsylvania with the 
 following officers : R. H. Boggs, president; 
 Mark H. Hibbs, secretary and treasurer; 
 W. A. Goehring, vice-president, and these 
 with James Bryan, and Edward Winters 
 constituted the directory. James Bryan 
 is the chief engineer and Harry Ethridge, 
 general superintendent. The same year 
 the company entered into an agreement of 
 consolidation and merger between the 
 Pittsburg and Harmony Street Railway 
 Company, the Thorn Hill Street Railway 
 
 Company, the Callery and Evans City 
 Street Railway Company, the Evans City 
 Street Railway Company, the Butler and 
 Harmony Street Railway Company, the 
 Ellwood City and Hazeldell Street Rail- 
 way Company, the Wayne Electric Rail- 
 way Company, the Ellwood City Electric 
 Railway Company, and the New Castle 
 and Harmony Street Railway Company. 
 The Union Trust Company of Pittsburg 
 became the guarantor of the bonds of the 
 company and the work of construction was 
 commenced in Allegheny County in the fall 
 of 1905. Work was continued the follow- 
 ing year along all the divisions of the line 
 in Butler and Lawrence Counties, and in 
 July, 1908, the Butler and New Castle di- 
 vision was completed and opened for traf- 
 fic on the 26th of July. The division of 
 the road from Evans City to Northside, 
 Pittsburg, was not completed until Novem- 
 ber, and was opened for traffic about the 
 15th of the month. By an agreement with 
 the Pittsburg Railway Company the P. H. 
 B. and N. C. Co. reaches Sixth Street and 
 Penn Avenue, Pittsburg, over the lines of 
 the former, and delivers its passengers in 
 the heart of the city. 
 
 The company erected a large power 
 plant at Eidenau Station in Jackson Town- 
 ship, and also has car barns located at that 
 point. 
 
 THE NORTH PITTSBURG REALTY COMPANY. 
 
 The North Pittsburg Realty Company, 
 which was organized in 1905, controls 
 twenty-five hundred acres of land along 
 the lines of the Pittsburg, Harmony, But- 
 ler and New Castle Railway and controls 
 a large block of land at Eidenau which has 
 been laid out in building lots. Already a 
 large number of houses have been erected 
 at this point for the accommodation of 
 the employes of the railroad. The officers 
 of the North Pittsburg Realty Company 
 are R. H. Boggs, president; Mark H. 
 Hibbs, secretary and treasurer; W. A. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 279 
 
 Goehring, vice-president; and these with. 
 James H. Moore and Edward Winters con- 
 stitute the board of directors. 
 
 LEECHBUEG AND TABENTUM EOAD. 
 
 The Leechburg, Freeport and Tarentum 
 Street Railway Company, which was char- 
 tered November 7, 1901, filed an extension 
 of route in Butler County the same year. 
 This company proposed to build a line 
 from the Freeport and Tarentum road in 
 North Buffalo Township, Allegheny Coun- 
 ty, to Butler by way of Saxonburg and Jef- 
 ferson Center. This branch line was to 
 connect with the main line of the road from 
 Tarentum to Leechburg. The main line 
 was never built and the extension into But- 
 ler was abandoned. 
 
 THE COTTAGE HILIi STREET RAILWAY COMPANY. 
 
 The charter for the Cottage Hill Street 
 Railway Company of Butler was granted 
 June 4, 1903. This company proposed to 
 build a line from the center of the town to 
 the Cottage Hill Plan of Lots, which had 
 been platted for sale by the Cottage Hill 
 Land Company. The incorporators of the 
 Street Railway Company were a number 
 of Butler business men. John N. Muntz 
 was president of the company and Charles 
 Ritter, secretary. This line was never 
 built. 
 
 THE CITIZENS STREET RAILWAY COMPANY. 
 
 A number of Pittsburg capitalists who 
 were interested in the development of real 
 estate at West Butler organized the Citi- 
 zen's Street Railway Company, of which 
 Joseph A. Langfit was president and C. 
 A. Bailey was secretary. An extension of 
 their charter was secured on September 
 18, 1903, and the company did a large 
 amount of work grading the road on the 
 Marshall farm west of the borough. This 
 enterprise was backed financially by the 
 Standard Trust Company of Butler and 
 Pittsburg capital, and after the trust 
 company went into the hands of a re- 
 ceiver, the road was abandoned. R. W. 
 Harvey of Pittsburg was the superintend- 
 ent of construction and had charge of the 
 work done at West Butler. 
 
 THE SAXONBURG STREET RAILWAY COMPANY. 
 
 The Butler, Saxonburg and Tarentum 
 Street Railway Company was an enterprise 
 promoted in 1907 by c number of Saxon- 
 burg citizens who filed articles of associa- 
 tion and began the work of securing fran- 
 chises and rights of way. The articles of 
 association, which were filed on July 3rd, 
 were signed by James Cirigliano, Emil F. 
 Rudert, Edward C. Rudert, John E. Mu- 
 der, and Otto W. Rudert, all of Saxon- 
 burg. The company failed to get the fran- 
 chises they wanted and the enterprise was 
 abandoned. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 AGRICULTURE 
 
 Pioneer Methods — Primitive Appliances — Butler County Farmers Progressive — 
 Agricultural Societies — The Butler Driving Park and Fair Association — Millers- 
 toivn Fair Association — Chicora Dairy Park and Fair Association — North Wash- 
 ington Agricultural Society. 
 
 Agriculture in the pioneer days required 
 of its followers physical strength, great 
 endurance and a sublime patience. Along 
 with these qualities were combined a 
 greater independence and self-reliance 
 than is possessed by the husbandman of 
 the present generation. These qualities 
 were possessed, too, by the women and 
 children of the pioneer homes in the forest 
 to a certain degree, for disappointment 
 and obstacles were always presenting 
 themselves. 
 
 PIONEER METHODS. 
 
 To the farmer of the present day the 
 clearing of the land of the primitive for- 
 est appears a Herculean task and a wilful 
 waste of valuable timber. To the first set- 
 tlers it was an ordinary duty. Felling the 
 trees in winrows, logging and burning the 
 piles of timber, was the work of this class 
 of men, who were noted for their strength 
 and giant physique. When the clearing 
 had been made the work of cultivation be- 
 gan. Plows with wooden mold-boards 
 were used at this time, and the harrow was 
 an ordinary drag made by the farmer and 
 supplied with wooden pegs for teeth until 
 iron could be olitained from Pittsburg. 
 The old "Western" plow with metal mold 
 
 board came into use in the middle of the 
 century and another product made at the 
 local foundries was called the "Bull" 
 plow on account of the difficulty experi- 
 enced in handling it and the amount of 
 horse power it took to run it. These gave 
 way in time to the chilled mold-board plow, 
 the sulky plow, and the modern inventions 
 that make this part of the farm labor com- 
 paratively easy. The old spike-tooth drag 
 harrow has given way to the spring-tooth 
 harrow and the rotary disk harrow, while 
 a weeding machine, run by horse power, 
 has taken the i:)lace of the old hand hoe in 
 cultivating the corn and potato field. 
 
 In harvesting the crops the first settlers 
 used the sickle to cut the wheat and rye 
 and the scythe for the grass. Hand rakes 
 were used and, in the harvest time, the 
 women and children were obliged to work 
 in the field and assist the men in putting 
 up the crops. Then, the harvest season 
 lasted from about the first of July until 
 the first of September, and the long days 
 were utilized from sunrise to sunset. The 
 hand cradle for cutting grain was the first 
 improvement in the way of harvesting im- 
 plements, and may be seen at the present 
 time, but is not in common use. Mowing 
 machines and reapers were introduced into 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 281 
 
 Butler County about 1850, but were not 
 in common use for many years, partly on 
 account of their cost and partly because 
 they could not be operated successfully in 
 fields that were full of stumps. The last 
 quarter of the century has seen marked 
 changes, however. The fields full of 
 stumps have disappeared; the old side- 
 di'op reaper has been replaced by the self- 
 binder, and the two-horse hay rake, the 
 hay tedder, and the hay loader are doing 
 the work that was once done by hand. The 
 potato crop is planted by machinery and 
 harvested by machinery, and the old-time 
 "husking-bee" that was once an event in 
 the neighborhood in October, has gone the 
 way of the harvest "frolic" and other in- 
 dustrial events that had social sides to 
 them. The steam corn-husking machine 
 has invaded the corn fields of Butler 
 County, and a task that at one time was 
 laborious and lasted several weeks, is now 
 accomplished in a day or two. 
 
 No less marked is the advancement made 
 in threshing the grain. In pioneer days 
 and even in the middle of the last century, 
 this task was saved for the winter months. 
 The threshing was done with hand flails, 
 or by using horses to tramp the grain out 
 on a large threshing floor. This was fol- 
 lowed by separating the grain from the 
 chaff, which was done by winnowing and 
 later by hand windmills. The old "ehaff- 
 piler" threshing machines were the first 
 improvement in this line, and the name of 
 the "Champion" and the "Bastian" are 
 familiar to the older residents of the dis- 
 trict. These were operated by treadle 
 power run by one horse, the power being 
 set on the barn floor alongside of the ma- 
 chine. The four and eight-horsepower 
 machines came in a few years later and 
 these have been supplanted by the modern 
 threslier and separator operated by steam. 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY FAKMEBS PROGRESSIVE. 
 
 The farmers of Butler County adopted 
 progressive and modern methods at an 
 
 early date and the use of machinery be- 
 came general as the conditions of the 
 county would permit. Agricultural socie- 
 ties, societies for the improvement of live 
 stock, farmers' institutes and agricyitural 
 exhibitions were organized at an early day 
 and exhibits of farm implements at the 
 county fairs were made as early as 1850. 
 Much sport has been indulged in over that 
 three-cornered cereal called buckwheat, 
 which was a staple crop in the early day 
 and served a double purpose. It not only 
 tamed the rank, virgin soil after the tim- 
 ber had been removed and prepared it for 
 the raising of the more pretentious grains, 
 but served as an excellent article of food. 
 And on more than one occasion when other 
 cereal crops had failed because of Jime 
 frosts, or extended droughts, an abundant 
 yield of buckwheat in the fall caused the 
 Butler County farmer to smile at the ex- 
 pense of his more pretentious neighbors. 
 Tlie growth of the county in cultivated 
 farms and material wealth has been phe- 
 nomenal and its present extent may be es- 
 timated from the statistics compiled in the 
 county commissioner's office in 1908. The 
 amount of cleared land returned for tax- 
 al)le purposes was 398,903 acres, divided 
 into over five thousand farms. The 
 amount of timber land in the county after 
 all the years of destruction and waste 
 amounts to 77,316 acres. The value of 
 horses and mules is $557,000, and that of 
 cattle $207,773. There are twenty-five 
 thousand taxables in the county, 15,984 
 voters, and an estimated population of 
 79,000. The amoimt of money at interest 
 returned in 1908 was $6,500,000, which 
 speaks wonderfully for the industry and 
 thrift of the people of the community. 
 
 AGRICULTURAT, SOCIETIES. 
 
 The first society in Butler County hav- 
 ing, in part at least, for its object the pro- 
 motion of agriculture, was organized at 
 Butler April 7, 1830. William Ayres pre- 
 sided, with John Parker and John Zieg- 
 
282 
 
 ITISTOBY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ler, vice-presidents, and Alexander Mc- 
 Bride and James Bovard, secretaries. The 
 organization was termed "The Butler 
 Comity Agricultural and Domestic Manu- 
 facturing Society," and a committee was 
 appointed to prepare by-laws. Another 
 committee, of twenty-eight persons — two 
 from Butler and two from each township 
 — was appointed to secure members and 
 100 subscribers were enrolled to assist the 
 president in pushing forward the inter- 
 ests of the society. 
 
 The North Butler Agricultural Club, an 
 organization of farmers, was founded in 
 1846, and was the successor of the old ag- 
 ricultural organization. 
 
 The Butler County Agricultural Society. 
 In the spring of 1852, a meeting to organ- 
 ize an agricultural society was held at the 
 home of Henry Kohlmeyer, being presided 
 over by Samuel Anderson, of Venango 
 Township, with John Say, vice-president, 
 and Henrj^ Kohlmeyer, secretary. A con- 
 stitution was submitted by Samuel Hal- 
 derman and T. J. Layton, in which the 
 name "Butler County Agricultural So- 
 ciety" was used. This was adopted and 
 sig-ned by twenty-seven members. This 
 organization accomplished very little, ex- 
 cept to arouse an interest in the matter. 
 
 The Butler County Agricultural and 
 Horticultural Society was founded March 
 30, 1853, on the ruins of the former one. 
 John Murrin was chosen president; Sam- 
 uel M. Lane, treasurer; Archibald Blake- 
 ley, William Campbell and Thomas Brac- 
 ken, correspondents, and C. E. Purvianee, 
 secretary. There were twenty-six vice- 
 presidents. The first fair was held at 
 North Washington, October 13, 1853, at 
 which prizes were awarded. The second 
 fair was held at North Washington, in 
 September, 1854, and, in one or other of 
 the northern boroughs, fairs were held in 
 1855 and 1856. The fifth annual fair was 
 held at North Washington, in September, 
 1857. The society, in November, 1857, 
 elected Robert Ray, president ; Allen Wil- 
 
 son, treasurer; Henry Kohlmeyer, corre- 
 spondent; William C. Adams, recorder; 
 and S. G. Meals, librarian. It struggled 
 on some time, but the societies at the coun- 
 ty seat won the battle for precedence. 
 
 Tlie Semiconan Agricultural Society 
 held the first annual exposition at School- 
 house Number 1, East Connoquenessing, 
 October 19, 1852. John Martin was then 
 secretary. In 1853 the second fair was 
 held, and in October, 1854, Prospect was 
 honored with the third annual meeting. 
 Soon after, the society merged into a 
 broader organization. 
 
 Tlie Butler Agricultural Association 
 was organized in March, 1856, as the Fair 
 Society, with John Anderson, president; 
 James G. Campbell and George W. Cro- 
 zier, secretaries; Archibald Blakeley, re- 
 corder: Eugene Ferrero, correspondent; 
 James Campbell, librarian, and thirty- 
 seven vice-presidents. This society held 
 its first fair at Butler in September, 1856, 
 and in December, Joseph Douthett was 
 elected president, and J. B. McQuistion 
 secretary. 
 
 The people of Butler borough and others 
 from the southern townships held their 
 second annual fair at Butler in Septem- 
 ber, 1857. In 1858 a successful meeting 
 was recorded. During the war there was 
 little attention given to such matters, so 
 that from 1861 to 1863, inclusive, no fairs 
 were held. The sixth fair was held Octo- 
 ber 4 and 5, 1864. The name of the so- 
 ciety in November, 1866, was the "Butler 
 County Agricultural and Stock Associa- 
 tion." James Bredin was president, and 
 H. C. Ileineman, secretary, who held that 
 position three or four years, or until its 
 end. 
 
 "In 1866 the association leased five or 
 six acres of the Thomas Stehle farm, 
 where fairs were held for several years, 
 or imtil twenty-one acres, near the pres- 
 ent fairgrounds, were purchased and 
 fenced in. Fairs were held there for sev- 
 eral years until the old society dissolved 
 
Ul. WALTER AND GRAHAM. MILL 
 (Photograph taken about 1S75) 
 
 BUTLER ROLLER MILLS 
 (Geo. Walter and Sons) 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 285 
 
 and the land was sold by the sheriff. Dur- 
 ing the hey-day of this association, farm- 
 ers' horses were entered for races, but no 
 other horses were permitted to run. For 
 several years there was no organization, 
 and indeed, until 1877, there was no so- 
 ciety. 
 
 "Prior to 1857 trotting horses were not 
 considered in the community, although 
 horse racing took place at intervals. It 
 was the wild gallop in which the people 
 delighted and on this gallop bets were of- 
 fered and taken. The era of trotting 
 matches in this county was introduced in 
 May, 1857, when Thomas Fawcett, of Bir- 
 mingham, and John Vensel, of Clarion 
 County, bet $300 each on their respective 
 horses, 'Bobb' and 'Jack.' The course 
 was the plank road from Stewartstown to 
 Zimmerman's Inn (now the Willard), at 
 Butler, a distance of twenty-seven miles, 
 and the time made was two hours and ten 
 minutes. This extraordinary race drew 
 the attention of the people to trotting 
 matches, and scarcely a year has passed 
 since in which races of this description 
 have failed to draw a large crowd." 
 
 The Emlenton Agricultural Society was 
 organized March 27, 1858, by citizens liv- 
 ing in the northern part of the county, 
 with others from Venango, Clarion and 
 Armstrong Counties. Among its mem- 
 bers were many who had belonged to the 
 old Butler County Agricultural Society of 
 1853. Henry Kohlmeyer, of Butler Coun- 
 ty, was elected president. The first fair, 
 held at Emlenton in the fall of 1858, was 
 successful, but interest in the project then 
 subsided and the organization disbanded. 
 
 The Butler County Colonization Society 
 was organized January 25, 1860, with 
 Rev. Loyal Young, president; Rev. Isaiah 
 Nibloek, and Rev. William A. Fetter, vice- 
 presidents; and John Graham, secretary. 
 "Robert R. Reed, agent of the State Col- 
 onization Society, was the organizer, and 
 the object was to obtain an appropriation 
 of $5,000 to be applied to the colonization 
 
 of free negroes in Pennsylvania, which it 
 was believed would benefit the agricultural 
 interests of the State, as well as the ne- 
 gro." 
 
 The Wool Grotuers' Association of Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, was organized in 
 April, 1866, with David McKee, president; 
 Dawson AVadsworth, vice-president; John 
 Bingham, secretary, and Lewis Patterson, 
 treasurer. This organization soon merged 
 into the Agricultural Society and lost its 
 identity. 
 
 The Butler County Farmers' Club held 
 its first meeting in April, 1869, when the 
 following named officers were elected: 
 John Q. A. Kennedy, president; John Q. 
 A. Sullivan, recording secretary; Edwin 
 Lyon, corresponding secretary; Hugh 
 jNlorrison, treasurer; AV. H. Black, libra- 
 rian, and ten vice-presidents. The follow- 
 ing year this organization was merged into 
 the Farmers' Institute. 
 
 The Farmers' Institute held its first 
 fair at Butler in September, 1870. The In- 
 stitute succeeded the Farmers' Club and 
 the officers were simply the men who would 
 have been selected by the club had it con- 
 tinued its organization. John Q. A. Ken- 
 nedy presided in 1870, with Herman J. 
 Berg and A. Cuthbert, vice-presidents ; W. 
 H. H. Riddle, secretary ; Edwin Lyon, cor- 
 respondent; Hugh Morrison, treasurer, 
 and G. W. Shaffer, superintendent. The 
 Institute has, through the passing years, 
 grown into a profitable and most deserv- 
 ing organization. It is an educational so- 
 ciety, important in its aims and successful 
 in its workings. Meetings are held at 
 stated intervals to which all agriculturists 
 are invited, and at which ideas relating to 
 farms and farmers are expressed and dis- 
 cussed. W. H. H. Riddle is the founder 
 of the Institute in this county. 
 
 The Connoquenessing Valley Agricul- 
 tural Association was organized in 1874, 
 with Abraham Moyer, president; Dr. 
 Amos Lusk, secretary, and Ira Stauffer, 
 treasurer. For many years fairs were 
 
286 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 held regularly, and at length the associa- 
 tion dissolved. 
 
 The Patrons of Uusbrndry attained 
 great strength in this county during the 
 seventies, Pomona Grange being the name 
 of the county organization. A number of 
 local granges exist in various parts of the 
 county, though some of the earlier organi- 
 zations have dissolved.* 
 
 THE BUTLEB DRIVING PAEK AND FAIR ASSO- 
 CIATION. 
 
 The Butler Driving Park Association 
 was organized October 15, 1877, with the 
 following named officers: G. J. Cross, 
 president ; Joseph L. Purvis, James H. Te- 
 bay and G. A. McBride, vice-presidents; 
 P. W. Lowry, recorder; W. P. Roessing, 
 correspondent; Joseph L. Purvis, treas- 
 urer; L. M. Cochran, G. A. McBride, W. 
 H. H. Riddle, and the president, treasurer 
 and correspondent, directors. In October, 
 1877, this society leased a tract of twenty- 
 three acres, just east of the old fair- 
 grounds, from Mrs. Nancy Bredin, and 
 transformed it into an excellent race track. 
 In June, 1878, a race meeting was held, and 
 a fair in the fall. The officers named, with 
 J. S. Campbell and R. P. Scott, were the 
 first stockholders. Under date, June 5, 
 1879, a motion providing for a fourth day 
 races, and such telling references as "l3an 
 Mace's Hopeful to beat 2:18 for $500," 
 recorded. Later in June, a resolution to 
 hold a fair in the fall was carried, and the 
 original idea of confining the business of 
 the corporation to racing and trotting, 
 without regard to farm exhibits, was found 
 to lack support. 
 
 In November, 1879, W. P. Smith, of Cen- 
 ter Township, was elected president; E. 
 A. Helmbold, Samuel Bolton and G. J. 
 Cross, vice-presidents; W. P. Roessing, 
 secretary, and John S. Campbell, treas- 
 urer. The success of the fall fair and the 
 election of a farmer as president, abolished 
 the original idea, and, in May, 1880, the 
 association was reorganized. 
 
 llie Butler Agricultural Association 
 adopted a constitution in May, 1880, but 
 there is no minute of the election of offi- 
 cers. The fact that W. P. Smith was pres- 
 ident, Joseph L. Purvis vice-president, and 
 John S. Campbell, W. H. H. Riddle, J. H. 
 Tebay and W. P. Roessing, directors, 
 shows that changes wei'e made in the 
 board of the old association. Other 
 changes were subsequently made from 
 year to year. 
 
 In December, 1889, the lease of five acres 
 from Charles Duffy and seven acres from 
 H. C. Heineman was reported. The lease 
 of five acres from the Thomas Stehle heirs, 
 with the other leases, form the present 
 grounds. 
 
 The officers of the association in 1895 
 were W. H. H. Riddle, president; Jacob 
 Keck, vice-president; Joseph Rockeustein, 
 vice-president; W. P. Roessing, secretary: 
 John S. Campbell, treasurer. The only 
 changes in officials made from that time 
 until 1902, when the association went out 
 of business, were in the office of vice-presi- 
 dent. The last officers elected were chosen 
 in 1901, and consisted of William H. H. 
 Riddle, president; Jacob Keck and Jo- 
 sejjh Rockenstein, vice-presidents; W. P. 
 Roessing, secretary; and John S. Camp- 
 bell, treasurer. The board of directors 
 were Joseph L. Purvis, J. Henry Trout- 
 man, John S. Campbell, Jacob Keck, Dr. 
 J. ]\I. Leighner, Robert D. Stevenson, and 
 Alfred Wick, the latter being superintend- 
 ent of grounds for several years previous 
 to the dissolution of the association. After 
 the organization of the first association in 
 1877, the groimds were increased from the 
 original fifteen acres to almost fifty acres. 
 When the Standard Steel Car Company lo- 
 cated in Butler in April, 1902, the land 
 purchased by the company for the site of 
 their big mill included the ground occu- 
 pied by the Butler Agricultural Associa- 
 tion and held by the latter under a lease. 
 The association disposed of their lease 
 and plant to the Standard Steel Car Com- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 287 
 
 pany, and a month later the business af- 
 fairs of the association were brought to a 
 close and the organization disbanded. 
 
 The Butler Driving Park and Fair As- . 
 sociation was organized in Butler August 
 4, 1903, when sixteen business men and 
 horsemen of the town met at the Lyndora 
 Hotel for the purpose of considering the 
 advisability of organizing a driving club 
 and building a race track at some i^oint 
 convenient to the town. The meeting was 
 attended by Burgess William Kennedy, R. 
 W. Hervey, Joseph Manny, I. J. McBride, 
 Charles Wendell, James Maxwell, Christ 
 Steichner, Charles H. Gies, AV. D. AVinters, 
 D. A. Slater, William J. Marks, Leon 
 Schloss, M. W. Mays, H. J. Connelly, 
 George Schaffner, and A. J. Frank. Will- 
 iam Kennedy presided at this meeting and 
 A. J. Frank acted as clerk. A permanent 
 organization was effected by the election 
 of George A. Schaffner, president; A. J. 
 Frank, secretary; and E. W. Bingham, 
 treasurer; with the following board of di- 
 rectors : Wm. J. Marks, I. J. McBride, C. 
 H. Gies, Christ Steichner, and D. A. 
 Slater. 
 
 On the 17th of October a charter was 
 secured under the title of The Butler 
 Driving Park and Fair Association, cap- 
 italized at $15,000.00, divided into six hun- 
 dred shares of $25.00 each. In the mean- 
 time sixty acres of land lying on the top 
 of the hill west of the borough between 
 the New Castle and Whitestown road, had 
 been leased from Charles Duffy for a 
 period of twenty years, dating from April 
 1, 1904, and a contract had been awarded 
 to the Butler Construction Company, of 
 Butler, for the construction of a half-mile 
 track. This piece of work proved more 
 expensive than was at first anticipated, 
 and on the 1st of March, 1904, the asso- 
 ciation decided to increase their capital 
 stock to $25,000.00, and increase the mem- 
 bership of the board of directors from five 
 to fifteen, and secured an amendment to 
 their charter for that purpose. The addi- 
 
 tion of directors chosen to serve until the 
 annual meeting were: Peter E. Duffy, D. 
 
 F. McCrea, J. A. Klein, A. H. Sarver, 
 Herman Leibold, Dr. W. C. McCandless, 
 Dr. J. M. Leighner, John Younkins, John 
 
 G. Jennings, and W. S. Dixon. On the 5th 
 of May an executive committee was ap- 
 pointed consisting of J. M. Leighner, I. J. 
 McBride, A. H. Sarver, John Younkins, 
 and Dr. W. C. McCandless. About this 
 time the association decided to hold an 
 agricultural fair and race meeting in Sep- 
 tember, and for that purpose entered the 
 Coal and Iron Fair circuit, securing on. 
 September 4-7 as the dates for their first 
 fair. Dr. J. M. Leighner was appointed 
 general superintendent, a position he still 
 holds, and in June, Willis E. Rhodes and 
 Joseph L. Purvis were elected directors 
 to fill vacancies caused by the resignation 
 of Peter E. Duft'y and Christ Steichner. 
 A. J. Frank resig-ned as secretary in the 
 same month, and I. J. McBride was chosen 
 to fill the vacancy. The race track, which 
 was completed the 1st of July at a cost of 
 over $10,000.00, is considered one of the 
 best half-mile tracks in the state, and the 
 other improvements on the ground cost 
 the association an additional $15,000.00. 
 
 At the annual meeting held in Decem- 
 ber, 1904, the old officers and directors of 
 the association were re-elected for 1905, 
 and the only change in officials in 1906 
 was the election of John G. Jennings, vice- 
 l)resident in the place of William Ken- 
 nedy. The board of directors for 1906 
 consisted of Jas. R. Kearns, W. M. Starr, 
 W. S. Dixon, I. G. Smith, C. H. Gies, 
 Frank Hildebrand, W. E. Rhodes, Dr. W. 
 C. McCandless, D. F. McCrea, A. H. Sar- 
 ver, G. A. Schaffner, John G. Jennings, J. 
 M. Leighner, J. L. Purvis, and John Youn- 
 kins. The executive committee for 1906 
 were J. M. Leighner, C. H. Gies, John 
 Younkins, A. H. Sarver, and J. L. Purvis. 
 
 On December 4th, 1906, the death of 
 Isaiah J. McBride, secretary of the asso- 
 ciation, is noted on the minutes, and AVill- 
 
288 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 iam B. Purvis, who had been acting as as- 
 sistant secretary, for the previous six 
 months, was elected secretary to fill the 
 vacancv, a position which he still holds. 
 
 On the 29th of April, 1907, the minutes 
 of the association note the death of Joseph 
 L. Purvis, a member of the board of direc- 
 tors, and of the executive committee. At 
 the same meeting W. M. Kennedy was 
 elected a director to till the vacancy, and 
 I. G. Smith was chosen to fill the vacancy 
 on the executive board. Joseph L. Pur- 
 vis, whose death is noted above, was one 
 of the organizers and directors of the old 
 Butler Agricultural Association, and was 
 a leading spirit in that society for twenty- 
 five years. 
 
 With the exceptions of the changes 
 above noted, the officers and official boards 
 of the association were the same as for 
 the previous year. The board of directors 
 for 1908 is composed of George A. Schaff- 
 ner, president; John G. Jennings, vice- 
 president; D. F. McCrea, James R. 
 Kearns, Dr. W. C. McCandless, Dr. J. M. 
 Leighner, W. S. Dixon, William Kennedv, 
 Frank Hildebrand, I. G. Smith, W. M. 
 Starr, Marion Henshaw, John Younkins, 
 L. M. Brown, and 0. K. Waldron. Will- 
 iam B. Purvis is secretary and E. W. 
 Bingham treasurer. The executive com- 
 mittee is composed of John Younkins, Dr. 
 J. M. Leighner, I. G. Smith, Frank Hilde- 
 brand, and W. M. Starr. 
 
 The association has been successful 
 from its first year and now takes a leading- 
 rank among the agricultural societies of 
 the state. The aim- of the management 
 has been to give the people of the county 
 a good, clean exhibition, free from all ob- 
 jectionable features, and they have proved 
 to the satisfaction of the public and their 
 own pecuniary gain, that such an exhibi- 
 tion will be liberally patronized. The first 
 two years the association expended the 
 surplus earnings in improvements on the 
 fair grounds, and in 1906 a dividend of 
 
 eight per cent, was paid to the stockhold- 
 ers, while in 1907 a dividend of fourteen 
 per cent, was paid in addition to retaining 
 a surplus in the treasury for improve- 
 ments. The fair of 1908 broke all records 
 in the county for attendance, and the divi- 
 dend realized by the stockholders was 
 equal to that of previous years. This is a 
 record equalled by no fair association in 
 western Pennsylvania. 
 
 While the association has paid particu- 
 lar attention to the agricultural display 
 and stock exhibits at the annual fairs, they 
 have also expended a large amount of 
 money and effort on the race meetings, 
 which are held in connection with the 
 fairs. In addition to the annual meeting in 
 August, matinee races have been held 
 every year by the horsemen of Butler, and 
 in 1908, three successful matinees were 
 held. 
 
 On January 20, 1905, the representa- 
 tives of the Coal and Iron Fair Circuit 
 held a meeting at the Willard Hotel in 
 Butler at which a new organization was 
 effected and a schedule of dates fixed for 
 the fairs in the circuit. In this schedule 
 the Butler Fair was put back to the last 
 week in August in 1905, and has held that 
 date ever since. The new circuit was or- 
 ganized as the Coal, Iron and Oil Circuit, 
 with the following towns represented: 
 Pimxsutawny, Kittanning, Butler, Brook- 
 ville, Stoneboro, Tulaski, Clarion, and 
 Rimersburg. The officers elected were: 
 President, JBen. Record, of Punxsutawny: 
 vice-president, J. S. Wood, of Tulaski; 
 secretary, W. E. Noble, of Kittanning; 
 treasurer, J. S. Laughlin, of Clarion. 
 
 The Millerstown Fair Association was 
 the successor to The Millerstown Driving 
 Park and Agricultural Association, which 
 was organized in 1883, and chartered 
 April 7, 1884, with a capital stock of 
 $5,000, divided into five hundred shares. 
 The Millerstown Fair Association was 
 chartered in 1888 for twenty years, and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 succeeded the first organization. The 
 permanent officers elected on March 11, 
 1884, were: S. D. Bell, president; Henry- 
 Moore, vice-president; W. A. Dennison, 
 vice-president; H. J. Myers, acting secre- 
 tary; P. A. Bell, permanent secretary; H. 
 J. Hoyt, treasurer; C. H. Johnson, J. C. 
 Nevills, Dr. Foster, Owen Brady, J. J. 
 Westerman, R. K. Sutton, S. F. Showal- 
 ter, H. C. Litzinger, and W. P. Turner, 
 trustees. Fourteen acres of ground were 
 purchased from Owen Brady and Fetzer 
 and Myers at forty dollars an acre, and 
 the improvements were made at once. A 
 fair was held in the fall of 1884 and con- 
 tinued until 1891. Dr. S. D. Bell was 
 elected president in 1885, William P. Tur- 
 ner in 1886, and C. H. Johnson in 1887. 
 The association was reorganized and a 
 new charter obtained in 1888, and C. H. 
 Johnson was elected president. C. F. 
 Pierce succeeded Johnson in 1889, and J. 
 J. Westerman was president of the or- 
 ganization from 1890 to 1894. P. A. Bell 
 was secretary in 1885 and 1886, but was 
 succeeded by J. C. Gaisford in 1887, who 
 filled the position until the association 
 went out of business. The last agricul- 
 tural fair was held on the grounds in 1890, 
 and race meetings were held from time to 
 time by the old association until 1907, 
 
 when the charter of the association 
 expired. 
 
 The Chicora Driving Park and Fair As- 
 sociation. The charter of the old fair as- 
 sociation having expired, a number of 
 business men of Chicora organized in 
 June, 1908, The Chicora Driving Park and 
 Fair Association, with a capital stock of 
 $4,000, divided into eighty shares of $50.00 
 each. The officers of the association are 
 C. H. Johnson, president; C. C. Ferguson, 
 secretary; G. J. Myers, treasurer; and 
 they, with C. L. DeWolf and S. H. Kam- 
 erer, form the board of directors. The 
 new association took over the grounds of 
 the old association, and conducted several 
 race meetings during 1908. 
 
 The North Washington Agricultural 
 Association, composed chiefly of farmers 
 and business men in Washington and the 
 surrounding townships, was organized in 
 the spring of 1908, and the first fair of the 
 association was held in September of that 
 year, at North Washington. The first ex- 
 hibition of the association proved a suc- 
 cess in every particular, and the society 
 has decided to continue its organization. 
 The officers of the association are J. P. 
 Harper, president; and H. T. Stewart, 
 secretarv. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 MILITARY HISTORY 
 
 Early Militia Organizations — Butler Invincibles—War of the Revolution — Butler 
 County's Line of Descent — Military Organizations to loMch the First Settlers Be- 
 longed — Revolt of the Pennsylvania Line — A Hero of Stony Point — The Critch- 
 low Brothers and Thomas Scott at Saratoga — War of 1812 — Butler Volunteers at 
 Erie — Organization of the Second Infantry — The 138th Infantry — Rough Treat- 
 ment of a Tory — Mexican War — Civil War — The Various Commands — Bounty 
 Act — Balaam Association — Jubilee Meeting — Soldiers' Monuments — Spanish- 
 American War — Departure of 15th Regiment — Death of Private Walters — Patri- 
 otic Societies — Roster of Company E, 15th Regiment — Names of Volunteers — 
 National Guard^Roster of Company L, 16th Regiment — Company G, 21st Regi- 
 ment. 
 
 The pioneers of the county brought with 
 them a military spirit that was kept alive 
 after the Revolution by the organization 
 of the militia of the various states, under 
 the laws providing for their organization 
 and equipment and discipline. Pennsyl- 
 vania had an organized militia previous 
 to the Revolution which did gallant service 
 during the struggle for independence, 
 both in the field and in protecting the bor- 
 der from Indian raids. Provision was 
 made for the organization of the militia 
 under the new government and they were 
 expected to be ready at all times to take 
 the field against a foreign foe or protect 
 the frontiers against the Indians. The 
 organization and discipline were crude 
 compared with the compact organization 
 of the National Guard of today; yet they 
 were a most effective body of men, bring- 
 ing with them into the ranks a skill with 
 the rifle, and the craft of the woodsman. 
 
 hunter, and frontier scout that made them 
 ideal soldiers. 
 
 Up until the Civil War muster days 
 were appointed, when the soldiers of each 
 district were required to meet for exer- 
 cises and drill in the manual of arms and 
 go through the evolutions of the company 
 and battalion. These muster daj^s are 
 pleasantly remembered by the older citi- 
 zens and were considered great events in 
 the lives of the early settlers of the county. 
 "Fun, jollification, and hilarity generally, 
 ruled; and the exercises of the drill man- 
 ual were of minor consideration. The 
 amusements often consisted of feats of 
 strength, wrestling, and throwing the 
 shoulder stone, and sometimes in a contest 
 of physical endurance in which the con- 
 testants used bare fists and stripped to the 
 waist. . Rough and tumble rules governed 
 these fights and they were conducted un- 
 der an unwritten law of the land that was 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 291 
 
 absolutely fair to both sides of the contest. 
 Sometimes these contests arose between 
 rivals of the same community over real or 
 fancied grievances, and sometimes a bully 
 or a strong man from a neighboring town 
 or township would "butt in." He was 
 always given a chance to prove his prow- 
 ess and, whether defeated or the victor, 
 was treated magnanimously after the af- 
 fair was over. The muster, which usually 
 lasted two days, closed with a banquet, the 
 tables groaning with good things eatable 
 and drinkable and enough of the latter 
 on the side to lend enthusiasm to a long 
 list of toasts. 
 
 Since muster day ceased to be observed 
 the country passed through a civil war 
 which added to her citizenship a large 
 body of veterans who acquired military 
 training on hard-fought fields and who 
 have fostered and kept alive the military 
 spirit among the people, in their regi- 
 mental reunions and the state and na- 
 tional encampments. Largely through 
 their aid and influence the National Guard 
 of today owes its existence. The state 
 militia was re-organized after the Civil 
 War, in 1874, as the National Guard, and 
 its officers and enlisted men were com- 
 posed largely of old soldiers. The first 
 encampments by regiments were held in 
 1874, and while these encampments were 
 a force in so far as military discipline was 
 concerned, they served a good purpose. 
 And from an organization that was at first 
 cumbersome, undisciplined and ill- 
 equipped there has been developed one of 
 the best organized, the best equipped and 
 most efficient bodies of citizen soldiers in 
 the United States. 
 
 "Wlien the second war with Great Brit- 
 ain broke out in 1812, Butler County was 
 included in the Sixteenth Militia District, 
 commanded by Major-General David 
 Mead, of Meadville. When the British 
 fleet on Lake Ei'ie indicated a ])UV]iose of 
 the enemy to invade Pennsylvania, the 
 militia of Butler County resiionded to the 
 
 call sent out by General Mead, and many 
 of them subsequently enlisted in the vol- 
 unteer regiment raised by Col. John Pur- 
 viance of Butler. 
 
 A re-organization of the militia appears 
 to have taken place in 1814, when Gov. 
 Snyder commissioned John Duffy of But- 
 ler County a captain, on August 1st of 
 that year. Captain Duffy commanded the 
 third company of the Twenty-fourth Regi- 
 ment. This commission is now in posses- 
 sion of Charles Duffy of Butler, a nephew 
 of Captain Duffy. 
 
 In 1820 the officers of the Twenty-fourth 
 Regiment met at the house of Captain 
 Beatty in Butler to attend to regimental 
 affairs. At this meeting Capt. Robert 
 Storey and Capt. James McKee were ap- 
 pointed auditors to make a settlement of 
 the quartermaster's accounts. 
 
 On April 12, 1823, the Butler Light In- 
 fantry, commanded by Capt. Robert T. 
 Lemmon, assembled in Butler for train- 
 ing. 
 
 It appears that in 182.3 Butler had a 
 Volunteer Battalion commanded by Major 
 Abraham M. Neyman, and the Second 
 Battalion of the Twenty-fourth Regiment 
 commanded by Major Jacob Mechling. 
 The Butler Light Infantry assembled un- 
 der Capt. Robert T. Lemmon "for train- 
 ing" on April 23d. In obedience to an or- 
 der of Major Neyiiian, the Center Greens 
 met for training at the house of John Tim- 
 blin, on May 6th. Major Jacob Mechling 
 ordered the Second Battalion, Twenty- 
 fourth Regiment, to assemble at Butler on 
 May 29th, 3823, for training. The Butler 
 Rifle Company met in Butler, May 6th; 
 thev were commanded by Capt. William 
 Beatty. On the 28th. 29th and 30th of 
 May, "1823, the training at Butler was in- 
 spected by Samuel Powers, inspector of 
 the First Brigade, Sixteenth Division, 
 Pennsylvania Militia. Four companies 
 appear to have been represented from tlie 
 western part of the county. 
 
 The Butler Hornets were from Pros- 
 
292 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 peet, the Harmony Blues were commanded 
 by Captain Goll. The Connoquenessing 
 Rangers were commanded by Captain 
 Davis; and the Connoquenessing Rifle 
 Company by Captain Boston. 
 
 In 1825 the Bonny Brook Artillery, or- 
 ganized April 25th of that year, was com- 
 manded by Capt. Abraham Bunker. The 
 Butler Light Artillery was commanded by 
 Capt. William Beatty, and the Center 
 Greens by Capt. John Glenn. These com- 
 panies were leading attractions at the fete 
 held in Butler on July 4th of that year 
 and joined in thirteen cheers by which the 
 toast — "Our militia and volunteers — the 
 only bulwark of the Nation," was re- 
 ceived. The Harmony Blues met the same 
 day at Beam's Tavern in Harmony, the 
 Buffalo Rifle Company at the house of 
 Phillip Burtner, the Connoquenessing 
 "Republicans" at Martins. 
 
 A re-organization of the Twenty-fourth 
 Regiment, First Brigade, Sixteenth Divi- 
 sion, took place March 20th, 1829. Major 
 Jacob Mechling had been promoted to 
 colonel. The staff comprised James 
 Thompson, adjutant; J. L. Maxwell, quar- 
 termaster; John N. Purviance, sergeant 
 major; George Linn, surgeon; A. Spear 
 and James Graham, assistant surgeons. 
 The eleven captains commissioned were 
 Alexander McBride, Jacob Doudhiser, 
 Thomas Dodds, Johnson White, Samuel 
 Dodds, George Frazier of the First Bat- 
 talion, and Alexander Craig, John Wier, 
 Thomas Jolly, J. B. McConnell and 
 George Wolf of the Second Battalion. The 
 first and second lieutenants commisioned 
 at that time were Eli Balph, Thomas Sul- 
 livan, James Sutton, Isaac Robb, James 
 Glenn, and Edward Kennedy. 
 
 In May following the First Battalion, 
 commanded by Major Graham, met for 
 drill at Prospect. The Second Battalion 
 under Major Sumney, met at Butler, and 
 the Volunteer Battaliou under Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Haggerty and Colonel Cobert at 
 Butler. A battalion commanded by Colonel 
 
 Goll, of the One Hundred and Fourteenth 
 Regiment, drilled at Harmony. The same 
 year the Washington Battalion, command- 
 ed by Major John Welsh, met at the house 
 of John Davis in Middlesex Township. 
 Patrick Graham was adjutant of this bat- 
 talion. 
 
 The organized militia in 1845 consisted 
 of The First Rifle Battalion of Prospect, 
 the Washington Volunteers and the La- 
 fayette Battalions, meeting at the house 
 of William Logan; the McDonald Volun- 
 teers, Major Brewster, meeting at Shoe- 
 maker's Old Stand; the Union Volunteers 
 of Harrisville, Major Harris; the Second 
 Battalion, Second Regiment (formerly 
 115th Regiment) at Brownington's Cross 
 Roads; the Marion Volunteers of North 
 Washington, Major Adams; the Second 
 Battalion of the First (formerly 24th) 
 Regiment; the First Battalion of the 
 First; the First Battalion of the Second 
 Regiment, and the Jackson Volunteer Bat- 
 talion meeting at Harmony. The Porters- 
 ville Volunteer Battalion met at Porters- 
 ville; the German Guards, Captain Wise- 
 man; the DeKalb Greys, Captain Ziegler, 
 and the Butler Cavalry, Captain Evans, 
 met at Butler. 
 
 The militia elections held in 1854 re- 
 sulted in the choice of James B. Donald- 
 son of Zelienople for inspector of the 
 First Brigade, Nineteenth Division; 
 Thomas McLaughlin Brigadier-General, 
 and George W. Reed, W. C. Adams, R. E. 
 Graham, J. E. Cornelius and E. A. Helm- 
 bold, majors of the Butler, Marion, Jack- 
 son, Prospect and the Lafayette Battal- 
 ions respectively. The brigade was com- 
 posed of the Saxonburg Light Infantry, 
 the Butler Hornets, the DeKalb Greys, 
 Middle Lancaster Guards, Connoquenes- 
 sing Whites, Jackson Greys, Clearfield 
 Blues, Centerville Artillery, German 
 Guai'ds, Republican Blues, Portorsville 
 Guards, Marion Guards, Invincible 
 Guards, Washington Cavalry, Venango 
 Blues, Middlesex Guards and the Slippery 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 293 
 
 Rock Light Infantvv, seventeen commands 
 in all. 
 
 Under the new militia law the Butler 
 Scott Guards was organized in May and 
 June, 1858. The following year the com- 
 panies voting for brigade inspector, June 
 6, 1859, were the Counoquenessing Whites, 
 Prospect Guards, True Americans, Wash- 
 ington Rifles, Portersville Guards, Sun- 
 hury I>]u('s, Jackson Greys, Venango 
 !>lucs, M.irion Guards, American Guards, 
 Fairvicw (iuards, Centerville Artillery, 
 and Saxonburg Light Infantry. 
 
 The DeKalb Greys (new) was organ- 
 ized in June, 1859, with Samuel Coll, cap- 
 tain; Joseph B. Mechling and Prof. A. J. 
 Rebstock, lieutenants; J. A. Sedgwick, 
 John Lawall^ John R. Denny, Benjamin 
 W. Bredin were sergeants, and Samuel F. 
 McBride, Hugh W. McBride, William 
 Bowers, and Enoch Fields, corporals; 
 John Cress and George Bowers, ensigTis, 
 and AVilliam Glenn, bandmaster. 
 
 In September, 1859, a new company 
 known as the Butler Guards was organ- 
 ized, but its existence was short. These 
 oi-ganizations kept alive the military s])irit 
 until the W^ar of the Rebellion, when they 
 were merged into the volunteer commands 
 that went to the defense of the nation. 
 
 The last in the independent militai-y 
 companies was organized in 1865 with W. 
 A. Lowry as captain; W. E. Moore, lirst 
 lieutenant, Thomas F. Parker, second 
 lieutenant, and J. T. Shirley, first ser- 
 geant. It was named the Butler Greys 
 and its purpose was to go to the field as 
 a volunteer company. The sudden termi- 
 nation of the war interfered with this 
 plan, and the organization, which was 
 cora]iosed of men who had seen previous 
 service in the war, soon disbanded. 
 
 One of the prominent characters in the 
 early history of the militia was Major 
 George W. Reed, who was first captain, 
 then brigade inspector in 1835, for Butler 
 and Beaver Counties and in 1842 for But- 
 
 ler County alone. He was elected briga- 
 dier-general in 1848, and subsequently 
 held commissions as major and adjutaut 
 of a battalion. Thomas Dodds, who was 
 appointed captain of a company in 1829, 
 was subsequently promoted to major. 
 
 BUTLER IKVINCIBLES. 
 
 The Butler Invincibles, afterwards 
 called the Butler Blues, were organized in 
 1833. A copy of the constitution signed 
 by the original members is in the hands 
 of Capt. A. J. Cumberland of Butler. 
 There is no date to this document but the 
 accompanying record sheets of the com- 
 pany show that on July 4th, 1833, Capt. 
 James Potts issued a United States mus- 
 ket to each member and took a receipt for 
 the same with bail for the return of the 
 musket in 1835, when called for. The 
 value of the musket was $16.00. The arti- 
 cles of the constitution fixed the number 
 of drill days at six for the year, the dates 
 being selected by a majority of the com- 
 ])any on the day of parade for the next. 
 The fines imposed for failure to attend 
 parades on ])ublic days were $2.00 for a 
 commissioned officer and $1.00 for a non- 
 commissioned officer or private. For non- 
 attendance on training days the fine was 
 unc-lialf the above. The uniform pre- 
 si'vih-d for the company was a citizen's 
 blue coat, red belt, white b'-aid trimming 
 on the coat, white pantaloons, a black 
 stock or cravat, and a black citizen's hat, 
 with white cords, black rosette at the left 
 side and a white phune, with red top. 
 John Potts, Anthony Faller and William 
 Truxall composed the board of appeals 
 that sat in Butler on November 2, 1835, 
 and heard the cases of twenty memliers 
 who had lieen reported by First Sergeant 
 R. D. McKee for failure to attend a pa- 
 rade of the company on the 10th day of 
 September of that year. In 1836 John N. 
 Purviance succeeded Capt. James Potts as 
 (■a]itain. 
 
294 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 
 
 BUTLER COL'NTy's LINE OF DESCENT. 
 
 It may be of interest to the student of 
 local his'tory to study the line of descent 
 of Butler County in order to fully under- 
 stand the part that the early settlers took 
 in the War of the Revolution. As has been 
 stated in previous chapters, the first set- 
 tlers of the county came from Westmore- 
 land, Washington, Allegheny, Payette and 
 Lycoming Counties. Many of them had 
 been soldiers in the frontier wars and in 
 the War of the Revolution, and their fam- 
 ily names are found among the military 
 records of these counties. Originally there 
 were only three counties in the Province 
 of Pennsylvania. They were Bucks, Phil- 
 adelphia and Chester, and were created in 
 1682. Lancaster County was created in 
 1729 from part of Chester; Cumberland 
 County was created January 27. 1750, 
 from Lancaster; Bedford was formed 
 from part of Cumberland County March 
 9th, 1771; Westmoreland County from 
 Bedford February 26, 1773; Allegheny 
 County from Westmoreland and part of 
 Washington September 24, 1788, and But- 
 ler County from Allegheny March 12, 
 1800. Chester County originally included 
 all of the territory southwest of the 
 Schuylkill River to the extreme limits of 
 the province. As the settlements grew 
 and the exigencies of local government de- 
 manded, new counties were formed on the 
 west in the order named. 
 
 REVOLT OF THE PENNSYLVANIA LINES. 
 
 When the Colonies declared their inde- 
 pendence in 1776, Westmoreland County 
 comprised all western Pennsylvania from 
 Bedford County on the east to the Ohio 
 line on the west. The territory north of 
 the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny 
 River was Indian lands and unsettled. 
 Hence it is that Butler County has no mili- 
 tary organization to the credit of the War 
 of the Revolution, but the names of the 
 
 first settlers are identified with the First, 
 the Second, the Sixth, the Seventh, the 
 Eighth, the Ninth Pennsylvania Regi- 
 ments, the Light Horse Troop, the Mary- 
 land, New Jersey and Delaware Regi- 
 ments and the Bedford Rangers. Most of 
 the Pennsylvania regiments belong to the 
 Division of the Colonial Army known as 
 the "Pennsylvania Line," and were com- 
 manded by Gen. Anthony Wayne. These 
 soldiers are described by Thatcher as 
 "hardy yeomen, ' frontiersmen, remark- 
 able for the accuracy of their aim." That 
 they were remarkable for their patriotism 
 and loyalty to the cause of liberty is em- 
 phasized by the conclusion of the incident 
 mentioned in history as the Revolt of the 
 Pennsylvania Line. The condition of Gen- 
 eral Wayne's troops in camp at Morris- 
 town at the close of the year 1780 was 
 most deplorable. The soldiers were 
 we-aried out with the year's campaigns 
 and privations and indignant at their of- 
 ficers for not properly representing their 
 situation to Congress. The fault, how- 
 ever, was with Congress and not the 
 officers. To make matters worse the 
 treason of Arnold and the execution of 
 Major Andre had a depressing effect on 
 the colonies. The Pennsylvania Line had 
 enlisted under the ambiguous terms of 
 "three years or during the wax*," and con- 
 siderable discontent had taken place on 
 account of deficiencies of clothing, arrear- 
 ages of pay, and depreciation of the cur- 
 rency, which as yet extended no further 
 than private complaints and murmurs. 
 New Year's day, 1781, the soldiers, in- 
 flamed by rum, and their real and imag- 
 inary grievances, broke forth into outrage 
 and disorder. All attempts to quell the 
 mutiny failed and at length the "Line" 
 left their camp and marched to Princeton, 
 where they fixed their quarters. 
 
 Relying on the repeated statements of 
 the mutineers that there was not the least 
 tincture of disaffection or that they had 
 anv intention of deserting to the enemv. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 295 
 
 General Wayne set about to discover the 
 truth of the situation so that redress 
 might be had if the complaints were well 
 founded. A committee of sergeants — one 
 from each regiment — was appointed, who 
 met with General Wayne and represented 
 the grievances of the mutineers. So fair 
 were the proposals made by the committee 
 of sergeants that General Wayne reported 
 the whole matter to the Committee of Con- 
 gress in Philadelphia and urged that im- 
 mediate steps be taken to settle the un- 
 happy affair. President Reed of the State 
 and a Committee of Congress arrived at 
 Princeton on the 6th of Januaiy. 
 
 TEEATMENT OF SPIES. 
 
 In the meantime information of the 
 mutiny had reached the British at New 
 York, and there was great elation among 
 the enemy. Four or live thousand troops 
 were dispatched to New Jersey under the 
 impression that the Line was only waiting 
 the opportunity to join them. A spy from 
 New York, attended by a guide, appeared 
 before the board of sergeants with a letter 
 intimating that if the Line would march 
 toward North River, the British troops 
 would be ready to receive them and prom- 
 ising large emoluments to every soldier 
 who would desert his country's cause. No 
 sooner did the emissary make his errand 
 known but the board of sergeants rejected 
 the proposal and sent the spy and his com- 
 panion under arrest to General Wayne, 
 with a reserve, however, that they should 
 be re-delivered to the board, if demanded. 
 
 The correspondence between the Board 
 of Sergeants and the Committee of Con- 
 gress lasted several days. The substance 
 of the final agreement being: That no sol- 
 dier should be detained longer than the 
 time for which he had voluntarily enlisted. 
 
 That auditors would attend as soon as 
 possible to settle the depreciations of pay 
 with the soldiers and give them certifi- 
 cates. Arrearages of pay to be made up 
 as soon as the circimistances would admit. 
 
 A pair of shoes, overalls, and shirt 
 should be delivered to each soldier in a 
 few days. Those who were discharged 
 would receive the above articles at Tren- 
 ton. 
 
 Pursuant to the order of General 
 Wayne of January 2nd, "no man was to 
 be brought to trial or censured for what 
 had happened on New Year's day, but all 
 matters were to be buried in oblivion." 
 
 Upon the conclusion of the articles of 
 agreement General Wayne informed his 
 Excellency, President Reed, that he had 
 promised the two soldiers who conducted 
 the British spies a reward of fifty guineas 
 each for their fidelity. He accordingly 
 sent for the men and offered them the 
 gratuity. This, the two soldiers refused 
 to accept, saying that they had only 
 obeyed the orders of their superiors, the 
 Board of Sergeants. The hundred guin- 
 eas were then offered to the Board of Ser- 
 geants, who returned this remarkable an- 
 swer: Agreeably to the information of 
 two sergeants of our board who waited on 
 your Excellency, that in consideration of 
 the two spies, they informed the re- 
 mainder of the board that your Excellency 
 had been pleased to offer a sum of gold as 
 a compensation for our fidelity; but as it 
 has not been for the sake of or through 
 any expectation of receiving a reward, but 
 for the zeal and love of our country, that 
 we sent them to General Wayne, we, there- 
 fore, do not consider ourselves entitled to 
 any other reward, but the love of our 
 country, and do jointly agree that we shall 
 accept no other." 
 
 The two spies were tried on the 10th of 
 January and, being duly convicted, were 
 executed on the 11th, agi-eeable to their 
 sentence. 
 
 Following the above incidents, the com- 
 missioners appointed by Congress settled 
 with the discontented troops, man by man, 
 and carefully inquired into their enlist- 
 ments. Those whose time had not expired 
 remained with their regiments, while the 
 
296 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 remainder almost to a man re-enlisted 
 and served with General Wayne's army in 
 the battles of the South up to the surren- 
 der of Cornwallis at Y''orktown. 
 
 BEVOLUTIONABY SOLDIERS ^VHO SETTLED IN 
 BUTLER. 
 
 Many of the sturdy men who fought in 
 the Pennsylvania Line and in other regi- 
 ments during the Revolution became set- 
 tlers in Butler County and they proved no 
 less true to the duties of manhood in the 
 pursuits of peace than in battling for lib- 
 erty and independence. Among these men 
 and their descendants have been found 
 citizens that have reflected honor upon 
 Butler County, and have contributed to 
 her upbuilding in every department of 
 human effort, and have given her a high 
 place among the counties of the Common- 
 wealth. 
 
 Among the names that are familiar to 
 the student of local history are the follow- 
 ing: 
 
 William Spear, the ancestor of a not- 
 able family of that name in western Penn- 
 sylvania and in Ohio; enlisted five times 
 during the War of the Revolution and was 
 with the army at Valley Forge. 
 
 John Harbison, whose wife, Massy Har- 
 bison, was captured by the Indians in 
 1792, and after terrible suffering escaped 
 from the savages. He was a noted scout 
 and spy and served under St. Clair 
 against the Indians in 1791. 
 
 William Harbison served in Colonel 
 Hand's regiment, later Broadhead's, and 
 in 1779 served in Captain Jack's company, 
 Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment. 
 
 John Galbreath, a native of Ireland, 
 served in the Pennsylvania Line. He set- 
 tled in Center Township in 1796 or 1797. 
 
 John Rankin served in William Hus- 
 ton's company of Colonel Watts' Rifle- 
 men, from Cumberland County. 
 
 John Slator was a pioneer of Donegal 
 Township. He was a soldier in the army 
 of Count de Rochambeau; arrived with 
 
 the fleet off Rhode Island in 1780; was in 
 the battle of Wliite Plains ; was present at 
 the surrender of Cornwallis and honor- 
 ably discharged at Wilmington, Delaware, 
 May 19, 1783. 
 
 John Johnston enlisted in Boston in 
 Colonel Craine's Artillery and served un- 
 til the surrender of Cornwallis. 
 
 John Ransom enlisted in 1776 in Cap- 
 tain Talbot's company of the Sixth Penn- 
 sylvania Regiment and served three years. 
 In 1779 he was ensign in the Seventh 
 Pennsvlvania Regiment. 
 
 Samuel Porterfield served eighteen 
 months in the troop of Light Horse of the 
 Second Pennsylvania Regiment. 
 
 Andrew Dunn enlisted in Ca^jtain Mor- 
 gan's Company of Virginia troops under 
 Col. John Gibson in 1777 and was dis- 
 charged at Pittsburg in 1783. 
 
 James Burnsides served in the Eighth 
 Pennsylvania Regiment in Captain 
 Lloyd's company, under Colonel Bayard. 
 
 Hugh Murrin of Venango Township 
 served in a New Jersey regiment. 
 
 Daniel Graham Sr. enlisted in the Cum- 
 berland Valley in Capt. Francis Negley's 
 company, Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, 
 Col. Richard Butler. His discharge pa- 
 pers bear the signatures of General Butler 
 and General Wayne. 
 
 Jacob Rudolph served as a ranger un- 
 der Capt. Matthew Jack in 1779, and 
 aided in destroying the Indian towns at 
 Muncie in 1780. He was stationed for nine 
 months at Kittanning and subsequently 
 enlisted in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regi- 
 ment. 
 
 John Bell enlisted in 1777 in the Sixth 
 Maryland Regiment in Captain Giesland's 
 company and was discharged at the close 
 of the war. 
 
 George Dobson of Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship, enlisted in the Continental Army in 
 1777 in ^^irginia under Captain Yates. In 
 1781 he joined the Bedford County 
 (Penna.) Rangers under Captain Walker 
 and Colonel Davis and served until Sep- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 297 
 
 tember, 1781. The command was em- 
 ployed against the Indians. 
 
 James Glover, one of the first settlers in 
 Adams Township, served in a New Jersey 
 regiment during the entire war. 
 
 Thomas McKee, who settled in Butler 
 Township in 1797, served in Captain Clug- 
 gage's company, First Regiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Line. 
 
 Peter Peterson settled in Butler Town- 
 ship in 1800. He was one of the six sur- 
 vivors of a company of eighty men who 
 were in the hottest of the fight at Brad- 
 dock's defeat in 1753. He served in the 
 Revolution in one of the western regi- 
 ments. His daughter, Jane, mari'ied Da- 
 vid Pierce and became the founder of one 
 In-anch of the Pierce family in the county. 
 
 William Gill, of Mercer Township, 
 seived under Gen. Anthony Wayne and 
 was wounded at Paoli. 
 
 Andrew Cruikshank, a native of Ire- 
 land, came to America prior to the Revo- 
 lution and served in an eastern regiment. 
 He died in Butler County in 1824. 
 
 John Kennedy, a native of Ireland, 
 served in the Colonial Army and after- 
 wards settled in Winfield Township. 
 
 Thomas Watson, a native of Ireland, 
 was taken prisoner at Brandy wine while 
 fighting in the ranks of the Colonial Army. 
 He settled in Clinton Township. 
 
 John Green, a native of Ireland, enlist- 
 ed in Colonel Hartley's regiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Line, in 1776 and was discharged 
 at Sunbury, Penna., in 1781. 
 
 Nathaniel Stevenson, who was a resi- 
 dent of Center Township in 1827, Served 
 in Captain Rippey's company of Colonel 
 Irwin's Pennsylvania regiment. 
 
 John Jameson, of Parker Townshi]), 
 served in Colonel McCoy's Eighth Penn- 
 sylvania Regiment. He enlisted at Han- 
 nahstown, Westmoreland County, and was 
 discharged at Pittsburg in 1779. 
 
 Peter McKinney, for whom the town of 
 Petersville was named, was a fifer in Cap- 
 tain Black's company. Eighth Pennsyl- 
 
 vania Regiment. He entered the army as 
 a mere boy and served six years and six- 
 months. He settled in Forward Town- 
 ship in 1792 and was probably the first 
 settler in the Connoquenessing Valley. 
 
 Charles Sullivan, the ancestor of the 
 Sullivan family in Butler County, served 
 under AVashington in the Continental Line 
 and was with the army at Valley Forge. 
 
 Alexander Bryson, a native of Ireland, 
 and a soldier in the Revolution, settled in 
 Butler Township. 
 
 George Byers served in Colonel Cook's 
 Pennsylvania regiment. 
 
 Philip Hartman, of Donegal Township, 
 served in Colonel Ogle's regiment. 
 
 John Pier('e, who settled in Butler 
 Township in 1796, served in the New Jer- 
 sey Line. 
 
 Among the other soldiers of the Revolu- 
 tion who became residents of the county 
 may be mentioned: 
 
 Michael 'Hara, who served under Gen- 
 era 1 Anthony Wayne. 
 
 Andrew Orr, John Vanderlin, Patrick 
 McDowell, James Shields, Luke Covert of 
 Brady Township, and WiUiam Carson of 
 Marjon Township saw service in the Con- 
 tinental Army. James Critchlow, James 
 Byrne, who came to Butler County in 
 1800; Abram Leasure, who settled in Win- 
 field Township; John Allen, who settled in 
 Allegheny Township; Enoch Varnum, who 
 was in St. Clair's army, settled in Wash- 
 ington Township; John Moser, who set- 
 tled in Oakland Township ; William El- 
 liott, who served two years in the militia 
 aud five years in the Continental Army; 
 David Russell, a pioneer settler of Butler 
 County; William Spear, who settled in 
 Franklin Township; and Jacob Hilliard, 
 who settled in Washington Township. 
 General Campbell, who settled in Marion 
 Township. 
 
 Joseph Snyder, of Worth Township, 
 served in the Pennsylvania Line. 
 
 Thomas Martin, a native of Ireland, 
 
298 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 served from 1776 to 1781 ; settled in Mid- 
 dlesex Township. 
 
 Abdiel MeClure, served in the Colonial 
 Army from Westmoreland County. He 
 came to Connoquenessing Township in 
 1796. He served as a wagonmaster in the 
 War of 1812. 
 
 Enos Graham, who settled in Conno- 
 quenessing Township about 1800, served 
 in the Continental Army in a Delaware 
 regiment. 
 
 John Welsh, a pioneer of Connoquenes- 
 sing Township, served in the Seventh 
 Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel 
 Greer. At the battle of Brandywine he 
 was shot through the abdomen by a mus- 
 ket ball and thought to be fatally wound- 
 ed. The surgeons drew a white silk hand- 
 kerchief through the wound as a test for 
 perforation of the intestines. The test 
 was satisfactory and Welsh was given a 
 chance to get well. Students of antiseptic 
 surgery would stand aghast at such a pro- 
 ceeding today. 
 
 CAPTURE OF STONY POINT. 
 
 John McCleod, another pioneer of Con- 
 noquenessing Township, enlisted in Cap- 
 tain Patterson's company, Second Regi- 
 ment of the Pennsylvania Line. He was 
 an aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. An- 
 thony Wayne at the battle of Stony Point 
 and was with General Wayne at the bat- 
 tle of Fallen Timbers. The assault at 
 Stony Point was made a little after mid- 
 night. Muskets were unloaded, flints 
 taken off, and bayonets fixed; not a shot 
 was fired. The conflict was short, sharp 
 and decisive. General Wayne was wound- 
 ed on the head and was carried to a place 
 of safety by McCleod. Happily for the 
 cause of liberty, General Wayne's injury 
 consisted of a scalp wound that bled pro- 
 fusely, but was not dangerous. 
 
 One of the frontier commands that were 
 noted for their daring, bravery and the 
 deadly accuracy of their aim, was Col. 
 Daniel Morgan's Sharpshooters. At the 
 
 battle of Saratoga, General Gates' men 
 were much annoyed by the skillful man- 
 oeuvering of one wing of the British 
 troops under the direction of an officer, 
 who could be seen stationed on a knoll 
 that gave a commanding view of the firing 
 lines. General Gates requested Colonel 
 Morgan to pick this officer oft" with his 
 Sharpshooters. General Morgan detailed 
 six men for this duty, among whom were 
 James Critchlow, William Critchlow and 
 Thomas Scott. These men chose a posi- 
 tion in an abandoned house, but were still 
 out of effective firing range. The ground 
 lying between the knoll and the Sharp- 
 shooters was covered with a rank growth 
 of weeds almost as high as a man's head. 
 Resolving on a desperate move, William 
 Critchlow crawled on his hands and knees 
 until he was within easy range of the Brit- 
 ish officer and his staif. Waiting his op- 
 portunity Critchlow arose and fired. There 
 was a commotion on the knoll and a regi- 
 ment of infantry fired into the patch of 
 weeds, but Critchlow made his escape back 
 to his command without injurj'. After the 
 battle it was learned that the officer shot 
 by Critchlow was General Frazier, who 
 was second in command to General Bur- 
 goyne. 
 
 James and William Critchlow and 
 Thomas Scott, above mentioned, were 
 among the first settlers of Connoquenes- 
 sing Township, and many of their de- 
 scendants still reside in the county. 
 
 Henry Kuhn, of Center Township, was 
 with the Continental Army at the battle 
 of Bunker Hill. 
 
 James Maxwell, of Jefferson Township, 
 one of the early sheriffs of the county, was 
 a soldier of the Revolution. 
 
 David Studebaker, who came into 
 Worth Township as early as 1890, had 
 been an Indian captive for years, when a 
 boy. He served under General Washing- 
 ton in the Revolution and died in Butler 
 County in 1815. 
 
 Thomas Cross, another pioneer of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 299 
 
 "Worth Township, was at the battle of Lex- 
 ington. 
 
 Thomas Clark Sr., a pioneer of Worth 
 Township, served from 1777 to the close 
 of the war. He died in Butler County at 
 the age of ninety-five. 
 
 Christopher McMichael, a Scotch-Irish 
 man, was taken prisoner at the battle of 
 Brandj-wine, while in the Continental 
 Army. After his release he served as a 
 scout in the Indian wars. 
 
 Thomas Martin, who first came to Mid- 
 dlesex Township in 1793, and was driven 
 off by the Indians, was a native of Ireland. 
 He saw service in the Revolution and be- 
 came a settler of Middlesex Township in 
 1797. 
 
 Silas Miller, who was a pioneer of Mid- 
 dlesex Township, came originally from 
 New Jersey. He served in a Westmore- 
 land Coimty regiment in the Revolution 
 and in a Butler Couutv command in the 
 War of 1812. 
 
 John Shir a came to Washington Town- 
 ship from Berks County in 1798. He 
 served three terms of enlistment in the 
 Continental Army. 
 
 Thomas Means, a Revolutionary soldier 
 from Westmoreland Coimty, settled in 
 Franklin Township at an early date. 
 
 Samuel Robb and John Lowe, early 
 pioneers of Oakland Township, were sol- 
 diers of the Revolution. 
 
 Robert Stewart was a corporal in Cap- 
 tain Evans' company, Third Pennsylvania 
 Regiment, in Westmoreland County. He 
 came to Butler County in 1796 and took up 
 a large tract of land near the present 
 town of Portersville. 
 
 Stephen Brewer, who was an early set- 
 tler in Clinton Township, served in the In- 
 dian wars under General Wayne, and was 
 a scout and frontiersman. 
 
 William Kiskaddon, an Irishman by 
 birth, served seven years and six months 
 in the Colonial Army. He settled in Buf- 
 falo Township near Monroeville, about 
 1797. 
 
 -Philip Hartman, the progenitor of the 
 Hartman family in Donegal Township, en- 
 listed in Captain Ogle's company from 
 Westmoreland County. His brother, 
 ^lichael, served in the Continental Army 
 and settled in Armstrong County. 
 
 In 1830 the Pennsylvania legislature re- 
 fused a contribution to James Elliott, 
 above mentioned, although his claims to 
 recognition were strongly urged by Will- 
 iam Purviance, of Butler, who was then 
 a member of the House. In 1852 the legis- 
 lature granted a pension of $40 a year to 
 James McElvain, a soldier of the Indian 
 War, and to Catherine Monks, widow of 
 another soldier of the war. In 1840 there 
 were twenty-six revolutionary pensioners 
 residing in Butler County. 
 
 THE WAB OF 1812. 
 
 Smarting for thirty years over the loss 
 of her North American colonies, England 
 precipitated a second war by sending a 
 fleet to our Atlantic coast and Great Lakes 
 and threatening to invade the northern 
 frontier with her army. The pioneers of 
 Butler County were yet engaged in sub- 
 duing the wilderness to the uses of civiliz- 
 ation, but the call to arms aroused the 
 patriotic sires of 1776 and their no less 
 ]»atriotic sons and they forsook the paths 
 of peace to take up arms against the in- 
 vader. In the ranks of the Butler County 
 comi^anies were found the survivors of 
 many a hard fought field in the Revolu- 
 tion under General Wayne and in the In- 
 dian wars under St. Clair, and their sons 
 proved their value on many a bloody field 
 in the war that followed. It is not an un- 
 common thing to find on the muster rolls 
 of the county in the War of 1812 the name 
 of a father, followed by two, three, four 
 and five sons. The struggle that followed 
 was brief and forever settled the suprem- 
 acy of the United States on this continent, 
 
 in July, 1812, the appearance of British 
 and Indian forces off the harbor at 
 Presque Isle, now Erie, caused alarm 
 
300 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 along the border, and under an order of 
 the governor of the state dated July 15th, 
 the Sixteenth Division of the State Militia 
 was organized by General Kelso. This 
 Division included Butler County. In his 
 message to the legislature, December 3rd. 
 of the same year Governor Snyder made 
 use of the following language: "In the 
 War of the Eevolution our fathers went 
 forth, as it were, with a sling and with a 
 stone, and smote the enemy. Since that 
 period millions of her sons have grown to 
 manhood, and, inheriting the principles of 
 their fathers, are determined to preserve 
 the precious heritage which was pur- 
 chased by their blood and won by their 
 valor." 
 
 Acting on the suggestion of Governor 
 Snyder, the legislature passed an act for 
 an additional monthly allowance to the 
 Pennsylvania militia, and energetic ef- 
 forts were made to place Lake Erie in a 
 state of defense. 
 
 In the spring of 1813 Commodore Perry 
 was building his fleet at Erie harbor and 
 the third detacliment of 1,000 Pennsyl- 
 vania militia was ordered to the defense 
 of the Union, to protect the vessels of war 
 building at Erie. At this time the British 
 evinced a determination not only to de- 
 stroy Commodore Perry's unfinished fleet 
 but to invade Pennsylvania. Appreciat- 
 ing the gravity of the situation. Commo- 
 dore Perry sent a courier to Meadville for 
 reinforcements, and Gen. David Mead, 
 commander of the Sixteenth Division of 
 the State Militia, ordered his command to 
 report at Erie with all possible haste. 
 Butler County furnished her full quota of 
 men for this expedition and they assisted 
 in protecting public property and in get- 
 ting the squadron over the bar at the 
 mouth of the harbor and in the events that 
 preceded the famous engagement of Sep- 
 tember 10th of that year. 
 
 Shortly after war was declared Col. 
 John Purviance of Butler raised a regi- 
 ment which was known as the "Second 
 
 Kegiment of Infantry," and formed part 
 of the brigade commanded by Gen. Adam- 
 son Tannehill. Five companies of this 
 regiment were recruited in Butler County. 
 Under the call of 1813 the men of Colonel 
 Purviance 's regiment re-enlisted and 
 served at Erie and northern posts. In 
 1851 Gen. John N. Purviance, a son of 
 Col. John Purviance, secured from the 
 War Department at Washington, D. C, 
 copies of the roster of this regiment, 
 which were published in the.Democratir 
 Herald of that year. 
 
 During the struggle Pennsylvania soil 
 was never invaded by hostile foot, yet at 
 one time, the state had more militia and 
 more volunteers in the service than were 
 at any time from any other state in the 
 Union. A noteworthy fact that Pennsyl- 
 vania's sons may remember with pride is 
 that when General Van Eensellaer's bri- 
 gade of 4,000 New York militia arrived at 
 Buffalo in 1814 they refused to cross the 
 line into Canada on the pretext that they 
 Avere not obliged to, even to fight their 
 enemies. Two days later General Tanne- 
 hill 's brigade of 2,000 Pennsylvania mili- 
 tia arrived at Niagara, promptly crossed 
 the line and gallantly met the foe. 
 
 Pennsylvania militia also helped man 
 Commodore Perry's fleet, and for this 
 service were awarded silver medals by the 
 legislature of the state. Among those who 
 served in Commodore Perry's command 
 was John Waldron, a pioneer of Forward 
 Township. 
 
 It is a matter of history that the war of 
 1812 met with a lukewarm support for a 
 time in some of the New England states, 
 especially those bordering on Canada, but 
 such lukewarmness cannot be attributed to 
 Western Pennsylvania. The pioneers were 
 ardent patriots and had no time nor use 
 for Toryism. An illustration of this is 
 o-iven in the treatment of Andrew Mv- 
 Clure, at Zelienople, in 1812. McClure 
 was accused, unjustly, however, of having 
 Torv affiliations, and was taken out one 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 301 
 
 night by a party of militiamen, who 
 ponred tar over him and then gave him a 
 coat of feathers. 
 
 There were five full companies that went 
 from Butler County to the War of 1812, 
 forming a part of a regiment of twelve 
 companies raised in the district by Col. 
 John Purviance and known as the Second 
 Regiment of infantry. The five companies 
 above referred to were those of Captains 
 Abraham Brinker, Robert Storey, Robert 
 Thompson, Samuel Jordan, and James 
 Stewart. The Second Regiment formed a 
 part of the brigade commanded by Briga- 
 dier-General Adamson Tannehill and saw 
 service at Erie and other posts in North- 
 ern Pennsylvania. In response to a call 
 issued in July, 1813, the men of Colonel 
 Purviance 's regiment re-enlisted. 
 
 In addition to the companies above men- 
 tioned there was also Captain Martin's 
 company, which formed a part of the bat- 
 talion commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Miller, known as the One Hundred and 
 Thirty-eighth Regiment. 
 
 MEXICAN WAR. 
 
 Butler County had no regular military 
 organization in the war with Mexico. The 
 Slippery Rock Guards, one of the militia 
 organizations of the county, assembled at 
 the house of Lieut. John Brackney at 
 West Sunbury on June 13, 1846, and on 
 motion of Capt. John Louden tendered 
 their services to the Governor of the State 
 as a rifle company. A similar tender of 
 services was made bv the Washington 
 Cavalry of Butler February 13, 1847. The 
 c^uota of voh;uteers having been filled, the 
 offers of these organizations were not ac- 
 cepted. A number of young men from the 
 county enlisted in various commands and 
 served through the war. 
 
 So far as known the only survivor of the 
 Mexican War in the county at this writing- 
 is James Graham of Butler. Graham is 
 a native of Butler Countv, but enlisted at 
 
 Pittsl)urg, in Company G, Eleventh Penn- 
 sylvania Infantry, which was organized 
 at Carlisle and was on its way to the 
 front. Mr. Graham also sei'ved three 
 years in the Civil War and is probably the 
 oldest living veteran of the two wars in 
 the state. 
 
 Charles Hoffman, who died recently in 
 Saxonburg, enlisted in Pittsburg in the 
 DeKall) Greys and served during the war. 
 He was also a veteran of the Civil War. 
 
 Henry Hartung and Casper Hartung, 
 two brothers of Butl.er Township, enlisted 
 at Pittsburg and served during the war. 
 
 John Hoffman of Connoquenessing 
 Township, enlisted from Beaver County 
 and served in an artillery regiment. 
 
 Andrew G. Marshall, Richard Crozier 
 and George L. Glenn returned to their 
 homes in Butler from the war in 1848 and 
 met with a warm welcome by their friends. 
 
 E. G. Smith, a returning soldier, en 
 route to his home in Crawford County, 
 died on the Pittsburg-Butler stage, and 
 was buried in Butler with militarv honors, 
 July 31, 1848. 
 
 Lafayette Sullivan, of Butler County, 
 was a sergeant in Company E, Eleventh 
 United States Infantry, of General James 
 Shields' brigade. He died at the City 
 of Pueblo, Mexico, in January, 1848. 
 
 James Bredin, ex-judge of this district, 
 served on the U. S. Ship. Ohio along the 
 Mexican coast and was in the actions at 
 Vera Cruz and Sus])an. 
 
 Lafayette Kerr, of Sli]:)))ery Rock 
 Township, died on the field of honor. 
 
 James Reed of Oakland Township, was 
 a wagonmaker in the employ of the Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 John Kirkpatrick, a resident of Clinton 
 Township, was killed in battle. 
 
 Samuel Patterson, who died in Butler in 
 January, 1903, served in the Eighth Penn- 
 sylvania Regiment through the war. He 
 also served in a West '\"irginia artillery 
 regiment through the Civil War. 
 
302 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 THE CIVIL WAK — 1861-1865. 
 
 The first organization to take the field 
 during the War of the Eebellion was The 
 Butler Count}^ Blues, a company organ- 
 ized in Butler, April 22, 1861, at a public 
 meeting held at the court house. The com- 
 missioned and non-commissioned officers 
 chosen were : John N. Purviance, captain ; 
 Alexander Gillespie, first lieutenant ; John 
 Gr. Vandyke, second lieutenant; John B. 
 McQuistion, first sergeant; Edwin Lyon, 
 second sergeant; Oliver C. Redic, third 
 sergeant; Samuel Mucket, fourth ser- 
 geant; Thompson Campbell, Jr., Andrew 
 Cams, John P. Orr and Joseph B. Mech- 
 ling, corporals. 
 
 Leaving Butler on the forenoon of April 
 22nd, the company proceeded to Freeport 
 and thence to Pittsburg, arriving at the 
 latter point the same evening. It re- 
 mained at Pittsburg until April 24th, 
 when, with other volunteer companies, 
 and General Negley in command of the 
 battalion, it proceeded to Harrisburg. On 
 the 25th of April, the Butler County Blues 
 were mustered into the United States 
 sei"vice for three months by Capt. S. G. 
 Simmons, and became Company H of the 
 Thirteenth Regiment Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteers. In the regimental organization 
 Thomas A. Rowley was commissioned 
 colonel, and Capt. John N. Purviance, 
 lieutenant colonel. Jacob Ziegler was 
 elected captain of Company H, to succeed 
 Captain Purviance, promoted to lieuten- 
 ant colonel. Captain Ziegler resigned, 
 however, on the 11th of May, and First 
 Lieutenant Alexander Gillespie was pro- 
 moted to captain, and George W. Smith to 
 first lieutenant. 
 
 On the 26th of April the regiment pro- 
 ceeded to Camp Scott, near York, Penn- 
 sylvania, and went into camp for instruc- 
 tion, remaining there until June 4th. The 
 command then moved to Camp Rowley, 
 near Chambersburg, and on the 11th of 
 June to Camp Brady, about three miles 
 
 south of Chambersburg, where it reported 
 to Col. Dixon S. Miles, commanding the 
 Fourth Brigade, First Division, Patter- 
 son's Corps. Two days later the regiment 
 was fully equipped, and, with five days' 
 cooked rations and forty rounds of ammu- 
 nition, started on the march southward. 
 The first stop was at Camp Lee, two miles 
 south of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, and 
 on the 15th of June, the regiment proceed- 
 ed to Camp Riley, a point two miles north 
 of Williamsport, Maryland. The follow- 
 ing day the Thirteenth was assigned the 
 advance of the column and passing- 
 through AVilliamsport, crossed the Poto- 
 mac River, camping that night on A^ir- 
 ginia soil at a point called Camp Hitch- 
 cock, three miles from the river, thus be- 
 ing the first northern men to reach Vir- 
 ginia on this line. 
 
 From the 18th of June to the 2nd of 
 July, the Thirteenth Regiment was en- 
 gaged on the Maryland side of the river in 
 constructing field work or redan for the 
 use of Captain Doubleday's battery and 
 repelling the attacks of enterprising bod- 
 ies of the enemy on the picket lines. When 
 Patterson's army of 20,000 men crossed 
 the Potomac on the 2nd of July, the Thir- 
 teenth and the Eighth Regiments were 
 left to garrison Williamsport. The next 
 duty performed by the Thirteenth was to 
 escort the Rhode Island battery of Colonel 
 Burnside's command to Martinsburg, Vir- 
 ginia, on July 4th. This was followed by 
 two weeks of picket and fatigue duty, 
 when the regiment joined the main column 
 and moved to Bunker Hill village, and on 
 the 17th proceeded to Charleston, where 
 it remained until the 21st, the day the 
 First Battle of Bull Run was fought. 
 From Charleston the regiment proceeded 
 to Harper's Ferry and thence to Hagers- 
 town, Maryland, arriving at the latter 
 place on the morning of July 23d. On the 
 25th of July the command proceeded by 
 rail to Harrisburg and thence to Pitts- 
 burg, arriving at its home station the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 303 
 
 moruiug of July 28tli. The citizens of 
 Pittsburg handsomely entertained the re- 
 turning soldiers, and on the 6th of August, 
 the regiment was mustered out of the 
 service by First Lieut. John B. Johnston, 
 of the Third United States Cavalry. The 
 only otlier change made in the commis- 
 sioned officers of Company H was the ap- 
 pointment of Second Sergeant Edwin H. 
 Lyon to be first lieutenant. 
 
 Immediately after the muster out of the 
 Thirteenth, Colonel Rowley set about the 
 reorganization of his regiment for the 
 three-year service and a full companj- was 
 organized in Butler County. Many of the 
 men who served in the old Thirteenth re- 
 enlisted, and the new organization became 
 known as the One Hundred and Second 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers. This change in 
 number happened through a dispute be- 
 tween Colonel Rowley, who wanted to re- ■ 
 tain his old regimental number, Thirteen, 
 and the adjutant general, who positively 
 declined to use the "hoodoo" number. 
 Wlien the dispute was settled, all the num- 
 bers under 102 had been taken, and that 
 became the number of Colonel Rowley's 
 new regiment. 
 
 When Company H, Thirteenth Regi- 
 ment, was mustered out many of the mem- 
 bers re-enlisted in other volunteer organ- 
 izations that were leaving for the field in 
 the summer of 1861, and made gallant 
 records. 
 
 fortieth pennsylvania volunteers. 
 
 (eleventh reserve.) 
 Under the first call for troops in April, 
 1861, three full companies were organized 
 in Butler County, but only one had been 
 accepted — Company H, Thirteenth Regi- 
 ment — when the quota for the county was 
 filled. The other two companies pre- 
 served their organization and were mus- 
 tered in as Companies C and D, Eleventh 
 Pennsylvania Reserve, in May, 1861. Com- 
 pany C was recruited at West Sunbiiry. 
 this county, in April and May, and was 
 
 named the Dickson Guards in honor of 
 Rev. W. T. Dickson, who was principal of 
 the AVest Simbury Academy at that time. 
 A large number of the members of this 
 company were students of the academy, 
 and were fired by the patriotic zeal of 
 their teacher, who followed the command 
 to the front, and served as chaplain of the 
 regiment from August 28th, 1861, to No- 
 vemlier 28tli, 1862. The first captain of 
 this company was John Louden. 
 
 Company D was organized in the west- 
 ern ])art of the county as the Connoque- 
 nessing Rangers by Capt. William C. 
 Stewart. On June lOth the two companies 
 reported at Camp Wright, near Pitts- 
 burg: on July 1st, the regimental and 
 staft' officers were elected and on July 29th 
 the regiment was mustered into the United 
 States service for thre years at Washing- 
 ton, D. C. To rehearse the story of the 
 arduous campaigns and hard fought bat- 
 tles of the Eleventh Reserve, is to repeat 
 the deeds of the Army of the Potomac, 
 and the fallen heroes of the two Butler 
 County companies were left on the great 
 battle fields in Virginia, Maryland and 
 Pennsylvania. During its three years of 
 service the regiment participated in the 
 battles of Mechanicsville, Gaines' Hill, 
 Charles City, Cross Road, second Bull 
 Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Freder- 
 icksburg, Gettysburg, Falling Waters, 
 Culpepper, Bristoe Station. Rappahan- 
 nock Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, 
 Spottsylvania, North Anna, and Bethesda 
 Church. 
 
 Of the 108 men whose names appear on 
 the roll of Company C, twenty were killed 
 in battle; forty-three were wounded; nine 
 died from disease, two of whom died in 
 l)rison, and from disease contracted while 
 in prison. Eighteen were discharged on 
 account of wounds and thirteen on account 
 of disability. 
 
 Company D paid almost as heavj^ a toll. 
 Of 125 men on the roll, eighteen were 
 killed in battle; fifteen died from wounds 
 
304 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 received iu battle or from disease; two 
 were missing after battle, and thirty were 
 discharged because of wounds or disabil- 
 ity on surgeon's certificates. 
 
 THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT. 
 
 The Seventy-eighth Regiment was or- 
 ganized at Camp Orr, Kittanning, in Au- 
 gust and September, 1861. William Sir- 
 well of Armstrong County was its colonel, 
 Archibald Blakeley of Butler County, 
 the lieutenant colonel, and Augustus Bon- 
 affon of Allegheny County, major. 
 Company H was recruited in Butler 
 County under Captain William S. Jack. 
 The regiment was brigaded with the 
 Seventy-seventh and Seventy-ninth Regi- 
 ments, and Muchler's battery under 
 Brig. (xen. James S. Negley at Pittsburg, 
 and ]>r()cct'ded at once by boat to Louis- 
 vilie. and thence to Nolan's Station on the 
 Louisville and Nashville Railroad, where 
 it was attached to Gen. A. McDowell Mc- 
 Cook's Division of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland. From that time until August, 
 18()2, it was engaged in guarding lines of 
 communication in Tennessee and Ken- 
 tucky, and was engaged in a number of 
 skirmishes with guerrillas and cavalry. 
 From August to December of the same 
 year it was on garrison duty at Nashville 
 with General John F. Miller's Brigade of 
 Negley 's Division. On October 17th the 
 regiment assisted in the routing of Ander- 
 son's rebel camp, and the capture of the 
 Thirty-second Alabama Regiment. Sub- 
 sequently the regiment engaged in the bat- 
 tles of Stone River, on December 3, 1862, 
 and Januarv 1, 1863; at Chickamauga, 
 September 19-20, 1863, and at Lookout 
 Mountain, November 23-24 and 25, 1863. 
 During the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, it 
 participated in the engagements at Tun- 
 nel Hill, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Dallas 
 and Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 At the battle of Stone River the regi- 
 ment lost 190 men in killed and wounded. 
 Among the mortally wounded was Capt. 
 
 William S. Jack, Company H, who died in 
 the hospital at Nashville, February 5, 
 1863. In this battle the flag of the Twenty- 
 sixth Tennessee Regiment became the 
 ti'ophy of the Seventy-eighth. 
 
 Company H of this regiment was com- 
 posed entirely of Butler County men. 
 William S. Jack was its caj^tain. After 
 his death, February 5th, 1863, Hugh A. 
 Ayres was promoted from first lieutenant 
 to captain. The lieutenants were Joseph 
 B. Mechliug, Samuel J. McBride, and 
 Frederick F. Wiehl. 
 
 On October 17th the time of the regi- 
 ment expired and it was ordered back to 
 Pittsburg to be mustered out. On the way 
 home through Tennessee it was mounted 
 and sent in pursuit of Wheeler's rebel 
 cavalry. After more than three years of 
 service the regiment arrived in Pittsburg 
 on November 4th, 1864, and was mustered 
 out. 
 
 Many, however, re-enlisted and new 
 companies were organized to serve until 
 the close of the war. Among these was 
 Company E, recruited in the southwestern 
 section of the county. Its captain was 
 Rol)ert I. Boggs, and the lieutenants were 
 Alexander Gillespie and Lewis Gansz. In 
 addition to Company E, about twenty men 
 from the eastern section of the county en- 
 listed in Company F. 
 
 In April, 1863, Colonel Sirwell was pro- 
 moted to brigade commander and Lieuten- 
 ant Colonel Blakeley was made colonel of 
 the regiment. 
 
 The final muster out of the regiment 
 took place September 11th, 1865, several 
 months after the surrender of Lee's army 
 at Appomattox. 
 
 The chaplain of the regiment was Rev. 
 Richard C. Christy, who was at the out- 
 break of the war pastor of St. John's 
 Roman Catholic Church, at Coylesville, in 
 Clearfield Township. He resigned his pas- 
 torate to accept the commission as chap- 
 lain of the Seventy-eighth Regiment, and 
 he was tireless and fearless in the dis- 
 
AND BEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 305 
 
 charge of his duties. He uot only minis- 
 tered to the sick and wounded in the camp 
 and the hospital, but where the battle 
 raged the hottest he was found speaking- 
 words of comfort to the wounded and the 
 dying, and encouraging all by word and 
 example. Because of his courage and de- 
 votion he was known throughout the Army 
 of the Cumberland as the "Fighting- 
 Chaplain." His portrait occupies a place 
 of honor in the Hall of Encampment, 
 Number 45, IT. V. L., of Butler. 
 
 ONE HUNDREDTH REfilMENT "kOXIND 
 
 HEADS." 
 
 The One Hundredth Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteers was recruited in the southwestern 
 counties of the state, with the exception of 
 one Company, C, which was recruited in 
 Butler County. The captains of this com- 
 pany were James E. Cornelius, of Porter- 
 ville, afterwards promoted to colonel, Da- 
 vid Critchlow, and George W. Fisher. The 
 lieutenants were: Philo S. Morton. Rob- 
 ert W. Weller, Matthew Stewart, Isaac W. 
 Cornelius, and William Smiley. The regi- 
 ment was sworn into the United States 
 service at Camp Wilkins, August 31, 1861, 
 and on September 2nd proceeded to Wash- 
 ington, D. C, where Company L was 
 transferred to the 105th Regiment. 
 
 From the fact that the make-up of this 
 regiment was principally the descendants 
 of Scotch-Irish Covenanters, and of the 
 Round Heads of the English Revolution, 
 it became known as the "Round Head 
 Regiment. ' ' 
 
 The tield and staff officers of the regi- 
 ment were: Colonel, Daniel Leasure; lieu- 
 tenant colonel, James Armstrong; major, 
 David A. Leckey; chaplain. Rev. Albert 
 Audley Brown; quartermaster, H. H. Les- 
 lie ; surgeon, Horace Ludingtou ; assistant 
 surgeon, Abraham Maas; adjutant, 
 George Leasure. 
 
 At Washington the "Round Heads" 
 were brigaded with the Eighth Michigan 
 
 and the Fiftieth Pennsylvania, and the 
 Seventy-ninth New York Highlanders, 
 with Colonel Leasure as commander of 
 the brigade, and ordered to South Caro- 
 lina as part of the land forces sent against 
 Port Royal. The regiment participated in 
 the battles of Port Royal, Port Royal 
 Ferry, and in the unsuccessful attempt to 
 take Charleston in June, 1862. In July, 
 
 1862, the regiment was assigned to the 
 Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, 
 and participated in the battles of Second 
 Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, An- 
 tietam, and Fredericksburg. In March, 
 
 1863, the Round Heads were transferred 
 to the Deijartment of the Ohio, and in 
 June assisted in the siege and capture of 
 A'icksburg. They also participated in the 
 battles of Jackson, Miss.; Blue Springs, 
 Campbell's Station, and the siege of 
 Knoxville, in Tennessee. 
 
 In January, 1864, all of the regiment, 
 with the exception of twenty-seven men, 
 re-enlisted for a second term of three 
 years and were granted a veteran fur- 
 lough. Upon their return to the field the 
 Round Heads were again assigned to the 
 Army of the Potomac, and participated in 
 the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsyl- 
 vania Court House, North Anna, Cold 
 Harbor, Petersburg, Mine Explosion, 
 A\'eldon Railroad, Poplar Grove Church, 
 Hatcher's Run, Fort Steadman, and the 
 final assault on Petersburg. After a serv- 
 ice of nearly four years the regiment was 
 mustered out of service July 24th, 1865. 
 The record of the Round Heads is one of 
 valiant service and brilliant achievements, 
 both officers and men distinguishing them- 
 selves by great personal bravery. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND REGIMENT. 
 
 Immediately after the Thirteenth Regi- 
 ment was mustered out in 1861, Col. 
 Thomas A. Rowley began recruiting its 
 memliers for the three years' service. The 
 dispute that arose over retaining the old 
 
306 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 number, Thirteen, was not settled until 
 all the numbers up to one hundred and 
 two had been taken, and that became the 
 number of the new regiment. The old 
 number stuck, however, and the regiment 
 was known throughout its service as the 
 "Old Thirteenth." Company H of this 
 regiment was a Butler County company. 
 Its captain was Thomas McLaughlin, who 
 was promoted to major, June 1, 1863. His 
 successor was Robert W. Lyon, who was 
 commissioned major, June 25, 1865, and 
 promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel. 
 
 The lieutenants were William Crooks, 
 Charles Bartlay, Armstrong Renison, Ad- 
 dison J. Brinker, and Isaac C. Stewart. 
 The company was mustered into the serv- 
 ice August 20, 1861, one hundred and thii-- 
 teen strong. Prom 1861 to June 28, 1865, 
 two hundred men served in its ranks. Of 
 this number thirty-eight were killed or 
 mortally wounded in battle, seventy-two 
 were wounded, and twelve died of disease. 
 
 The regiment was engaged in the ad- 
 vance on Richmond, and the advance on 
 Fort Magruder. It was afterwards en- 
 gaged in the battles of Seven Pines, Fair 
 Oaks, Chantilly, Antietam, Fredericks- 
 burg, Maryl's Height, Salem Church, 
 Rapahannock Station, Mine Run, West- 
 minster and Funkstown. Early in 1864 
 the regiment veteranized by re-enlisting 
 and was given thirty days' furlough. The 
 same year it was again in the field and 
 took jiart in the engagements at Peters- 
 burg, Opequon, Winchester, Five Forks, 
 Sailor's Creek and Appomattox. The 
 total losses of the regiment were one hun- 
 dred and seventy-one killed in action, a 
 much larger number wounded; eighty-two 
 died from disease, and one hundred and 
 forty reported captured or missing. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD REGIMENT. 
 
 The One Hundred and Third Regiment 
 was recruited in January, 1862, and em- 
 braced two full companies from Butler 
 
 County and a part of the third. Company 
 E was recruited in the western part of 
 Butler County. Its captains were Samuel 
 Martin and Eli G. Cratty. The lieuten- 
 ants were Christian M. Otto, Robert R. 
 Bryson and Peter Weisenstein. 
 
 Company I was recruited in the north- 
 western section of the county, and had for 
 its captains, William C. Maxwell and Will- 
 iam Fielding. The lieutenants were W. 
 C. McCrum, W. H. Kiester and G. K. 
 Crawford. 
 
 Company B was recruited from Butler, 
 Armstrong, Clarion and Venango Coun- 
 ties. The captains of the company were: 
 George W. Gillespie, Joseph Rogers and 
 Daniel Coe. Captain Gillespie was killed 
 in the battle of Fair Oaks and Captain 
 Rogers resigned. 
 
 The regiment was organized at Harris- 
 burg, February 24, 1862, with T. F. Leh- 
 man, colonel, and Wilson Maxwell (cap- 
 tain of Company I) as lieutenant colonel. 
 
 This regiment participated in the siege 
 of Yorktown, where it lost eighty-four in 
 killed and wounded at Fair Oaks and in 
 the entire Peninsular campaign. In the 
 latter campaign it lost fifty per cent, of 
 its original members. After Foster's ex- 
 pedition in North Carolina the regiment 
 went into camp on the Neuse River. In 
 1863 the regiment accompanied Wessell's 
 Brigade to Plymouth, where the Confed- 
 erates attacked liy land and sea, compell- 
 ing the surrender of the Federal troops on 
 the 20th of A]iril. The horrors of the An- 
 dersonville and Florence prisons followed, 
 and of the one hundred and thirty-two 
 men of this command who died in these 
 prisons, thirty-four were from Butler 
 County. During the months of March and 
 April, 1865, eight new companies were 
 added to the regiment, but they were car- 
 ried on the rolls as unassigned men. When 
 the command was mustered out June 25, 
 1865, but eighty-one of the original men 
 were pi'esent. 
 
ORPHAXS' HOME, ZELIEXOPLE 
 
 M. E. CHURCH AND PARSONAGE, 
 CONXOQUENESSIXG 
 
 SARNHART MILL, CHICORA 
 
 PUBLIC SCHOOL, ZELIEXOPLE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 309 
 
 ■OXE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH REGI- 
 MENT. 
 
 This regiment was orgauized at Camp 
 Cui'tin under a call issued in July, 1862, 
 by Governor Curtin for men for nine 
 months' service. The organization was 
 mustered into the United States Service in 
 Augaist following with the following offi- 
 cers : Matthew S. Quay, of Beaver County, 
 colonel; Edward O'Brien, of Lawrence 
 Coimty, lieutenant-colonel ; and John M. 
 Thompson, of Butler, major. Colonel Quay 
 resig:ned earh' in December, and on the 
 8th of that month Lieutenant Colonel 
 O'Brien was promoted to colonel, Major 
 Thompson was promoted to lieutenant- 
 colonel, and Capt. William H. Shaw was 
 promoted to major. Alfred G. Reed, who 
 went out as lieutenant of Company C, was 
 promoted to adjutant, and on February 
 17, 1863, Capt. Cyrus E. Anderson was 
 promoted to major. AJfred G. Reed was 
 wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, De- 
 cember 13, 1862, and died fourteen days 
 later. Alfred G. Eeed Post, G. A. R., of 
 Butler, was named in his honor. Sergeant 
 Major George Purviance was i^romoted to 
 adjutant on January 1, 1863, to till the va- 
 cancy caused by the death of Reed. This 
 regiment participated in the battle of 
 Fredericksburg, and in the battle of Chan- 
 cellorsville, and was mustered out at Har 
 risburg May 26, 1863. Among those who 
 were killed at Chancellorsville was Capt. 
 John Brant, of Company B. The loss of 
 the regiment during its term of service was 
 thirty-eight officers and privates killed, 
 and sixty-seven who died from disease. 
 
 Four companies of this organization 
 were recruited in Butler County. The first 
 company recruited was Company C, which 
 had for its Captains Cyi'us E. Anderson, 
 and John F. White. The lieutenants were 
 Alfred G. Reed, and Peterson P. Brown. 
 Captain Anderson's company was one of 
 the largest taken from the county during 
 the war. The well known character of the 
 
 leader brought in n'cruits from all over tiie 
 county and by the time the organization 
 reached Harrisburg they had many more 
 men on the roll than the quota required 
 for a company. 
 
 Comiiany F was recruited in Butler 
 County, and its captains were W. 0. Breek- 
 enridge, and Winfield M. Clark. The lieu- 
 tenants were John J. Kellej', Samuel Hil- 
 liard, and James Timblin. 
 
 Company G, recruited in Butler County, 
 had for its captains Alfred G. Riddle, and 
 James M. Clark. The lieutenants were 
 Sterns E. Tyler, and James P. Hall. 
 
 Company K, recruited in Butler County, 
 had for its captains, Edwin Lyon, and 
 William ( ). Campbell. The lieutenants 
 were J. A. Millinger, Daniel McMillen, and 
 William B. Lyon. 
 
 H. W. Koonce 'of Butler County served 
 in Company H of this regiment, and Wil- 
 liam Curry, Robert Richeal, and William 
 J. Stoner, as privates in Company B. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVENTH REGI- 
 MENT. 
 
 In addition to the four companies fur- 
 nished for the 134th Regiment, Butler 
 County furnished three companies for the 
 137th Regiment, which was organized at 
 Camp Curtin, at Harrislnirg, August 22, 
 1862, with the following officers : Henry M. 
 Bossert, of Clinton Coimty, colonel; Jo- 
 seph B. Kidder,' of Allegheny County, 
 lieutenant-colonel; and Charles B. Win- 
 gert, of Clinton County, major. The regi- 
 ment entered active service September 12, 
 as a member of Smith's Division of Han- 
 cock's Brigade, and was soon after en- 
 gaged in the battle at Crampton's Gap in 
 the South Mountain. It was present at 
 the battle of Antietam, and later was sent 
 in pursuit of J. E. B. Stewart, the rebel 
 cavalry general, who had made a raid into 
 Pennsylvania. It took part in the Burn- 
 side's second campaign, and subsequently 
 went into eamji at Belle Plain. Tn April, 
 
310 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1863, it crossed the Eappabannock at 
 Franklin's crossing under a heavy artil- 
 lery tire, and was present at Chancellors- 
 ville, where it was assigTied the extreme 
 right of the line. Its terms of enlistment 
 having expired, it was ordered to Harris- 
 burg and mustered out on the 25th of Mav, 
 1863. 
 
 Company D of this regiment was or- 
 ganized in Butler County, and had George 
 W. Hays for its captain. The lieutenants 
 were William Harvey, John B. McNair, 
 and JNIatthew N. Greer. 
 
 Company F was recruited in the west- 
 ern part of the county by Capt. Henry 
 Pillow. The lieutenants were Origen G. 
 Bingham, Cyrus O. Kingsbury, and John 
 Lemmon. 
 
 Comj^any G was recruited by Capt. 
 Allen Wilson, and has for its lieutenants 
 Robert Storey and David Conn. 
 
 George H. Graham of this company was 
 promoted to quartermaster of the regi- 
 ment August 28, 1862. W. H. McCandless 
 of Butler County served in Company B of 
 this regiment. 
 
 one hundred and ejj'ty-ninth regiment, 
 (fourteenth cavalry.) 
 
 The Fourteenth Cavalry was recruited 
 in August and September, 1862, as a three 
 years' service regiment, and was mus- 
 tered into the United States service No- 
 vember 24th, with James M. Schoonmaker, 
 colonel ; William Blakeley, lieutenant-colo- 
 nel; Thomas Gibson, Shadracli Foley, and 
 John M. Daily, majors. The regiment 
 consisted of twelve full companies. Com- 
 pany L being recruited in Butler County. 
 The captains of this company were Will- 
 iam H. Tibbies, R. M. Kiskaddon, and 
 Saml. D. Hazlett. The lieutenants were 
 David C. Bcalc .md bN.hcrl Wilson. Cap- 
 tain Tip])l(>s icsi-iicl X(,v.MnluT 14, 1862, 
 and Captain Kisivjiddon resinned March 
 18, 1865. 
 
 At the close of December, 1862. the 
 Fourteenth Cavalrv formed the advance 
 
 post of General Kelley's Division in the 
 Shenandoah Valley. It rendered valuable 
 services in Virginia from that time until 
 June 11, 1865, when it was ordered to pro- 
 ceed to Fort Leaveuwovth, Kansas, where 
 it was consolidated into* a six-company 
 battalion. On August 24, five companies 
 were mustered out and Company A re- 
 mained at Leavenworth until November 
 2, 1865, when it was mustered out. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT. 
 
 Butler County furnished one company 
 for the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth 
 Regiment, which was recruited by Capt. 
 John G. Bippus, and was mustered into 
 the United States' service as Company E. 
 The lieutenants of this company were 
 P^rederick Burry and James M. White. 
 The oi-ganization of the regiment was com- 
 Itleted November 28. 1862, with the fol- 
 lowing field officers: Lewis W. Smith, of 
 Allegheny County, colonel; Emanuel W. 
 Wickenshaw, of Allegheny County, lieuten- 
 ant colonel ; and William Smyth, of Butler 
 County, major. This regiment was called 
 out for nine months' service and was mus- 
 tered out -Inly 27, 1863. This organization 
 was known as drafted militia. On the 1st 
 of December the regiment started for 
 Washington and upon its arrival was or- 
 dered to Fortress Monroe, where it re- 
 ])orted to General Dix. On the morning of 
 the 7tli it was sent to Yorktown and the 
 following day to Gloucester Point. Near 
 the close of the month it was transferred 
 to Fort Keyes, which it garrisoned and in 
 addition performed picket duty in its 
 front. On the 9th of July, 1863, the regi- 
 ment was removed to Washington, and 
 thence marched through Frederick City 
 and Boonsboro to Funkstown, Maryland, 
 where it rejiorted to the headquarters of 
 the Army of the Potomac on the 14th of 
 July, and was assigned to the Eleventh 
 Army Corps. The regiment joined in the 
 pursuit of Lee's army after the battle of 
 Gettvsburg, and made a forced march to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 311 
 
 Williamsport, Maryland, where it arrived 
 in time to receive a few jiarting shots and 
 see the last rebel baggage wagon disappear 
 on the Virginia side of the Potomac. A 
 few days later it proceeded to Harrisbiirg, 
 Pennsylvania, where it was mustered out 
 on the 27th of July, 1863. 
 
 two hundred and twelfth regiment, 
 (sixth artillery.) 
 
 The Sixth Artillery of the Two Hmi- 
 dred and Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers was organized at Camp Rey- 
 nolds, near Pittsburg, in August and Sep- 
 tember, 1864. The organization was re- 
 cruited in western Pennsylvania and con- 
 tained many veterans who had served in 
 ot,her regiments during 1862-3, and had 
 been discharged on the expiration of their 
 enlistments. The organization was com- 
 pleted on the 15th of September by the se- 
 lection of the following lield officers: 
 Charles Barnes, colonel ; Joseph B. Cope- 
 land, lieutenant-colonel ; Robert H. Tjong, 
 Joseph R. Kemp, and Prank H. Wite, 
 majors. The regiment left Pittsburg on 
 the 17th of Sci>tcinber for Washington, 
 D. C, and was jissigncd to the Second Bri- 
 gade of Dv Ifusscy's Division. On the 
 29tli of September it was detailed to guard 
 the Orange and Alexandria Railroad over 
 which supplies were transported for Sher- 
 idan's army, and in November it was oi-- 
 dered back to Washington. Up to this 
 time the regiment had served as infantry, 
 but it was afterwards drilled and detailed 
 for duty as an artillery regiment. It 
 served at Forts Marcy, Renno, Craig, 
 Ward, Albany, Lyon and otheis, and was 
 mustered out at Fort Ethan Allen, June 
 13, 1865. The loss of this regiment was 
 slight, being two men killed, while forty- 
 four died from disease. Batteries A and 
 B were almost wholly recruited of Butler 
 County men. The captain of Battery A 
 was William R. Hutchison, and the lieuten- 
 ants, Thomas H. McElvain, William H. 
 McCandless, James Harvey, and Milton 
 
 Wolford. The captain of Battery B was 
 (lustavus L. Braun, and the lieutenants, 
 W. H. H. Wason, John M. Kelsey, Robert 
 O. Shira, and William C. Rudyai'd. 
 
 Butler County men served in other l)at- 
 teries in this regiment, as follows: Reuben 
 ("arapbell, Battery C; James Atkinson, Fe- 
 lix H. Negley, Gotfried Reinhold, Samuel 
 Schaffner, and William Watson, Battery 
 D; John W. Brown, Battery H; William 
 Lutz and Alexander C. Weller, Battery I; 
 John Day, Battery K; Amos McCamant, 
 .lohn A. Hutcliins, and Robert Hutchins, 
 from Butler County, also served in this 
 regiment. 
 
 fourteenth militia regiment. 
 
 After the second liattle of Bull Run, 
 when General Lee threatened an invasion 
 of Pennsylvania, an emergency was creat- 
 ed which made it necessary to call into the 
 service a force of the state militia to co- 
 ojierate with the troops already in the field 
 in repelling the invader. Butler County's 
 res])onse to this call was prompt. A com- 
 jiany organized at Butler was mustered 
 into the Fourteenth Militia Regiment as 
 Company G, and was one of the first to re- 
 ])ort for duty. Many of the leading citi- 
 zens of Butler Borough and of the county 
 were members of this organization, and 
 by reason of the large number of lawyers 
 who joined, it was known as the "Black- 
 stone Guards." Two Butler men were also 
 numbered among the field and staff officers 
 of the regiment. These were Major 
 Charles McCandless and Assistant Sur- 
 geon Newton J. McCandless. 
 
 The Fourteenth Regiment was organized 
 September 12 and 16, 1862, its colonel be- 
 ing R. B. McComb. It was immediately 
 sent to the front to jierform such services 
 as might be demanded of it, but the battle 
 of Antietam fought on Seiitemher 16-17, 
 resulting in the defeat of General Lee and 
 his retreat into Virginia, relieved Pennsyl- 
 vania from the danger that threatened her 
 liorders. The further services of the 
 
;J12 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 enu'riii'iK'y iiu'ii were not needed, and they 
 were acconlingly mustered out Sejitember 
 26 and 2s. 'I'lie captain of Company G was 
 James Gilmore Campbell, and the lieuten- 
 ants, Ehenezer MoJunkin and Charles 
 Duffy. 
 
 EIGHTEENTH MILITIA REGIMENT. 
 
 The Eighteenth j\Iilitia Regiment was 
 also organized to meet the emergency aris- 
 ing from Lee's threatened invasion of 
 Pennsylvania. It was with the army at 
 South Mountain and Antietam, though it 
 did not actively participate in those bat- 
 tles. It was mustered out of the service 
 September 27, 1862, after the defeat of Lee 
 at Antietam. Company C of this regiment 
 was recruited in Butler County by Capt. 
 William R. Hutchison, and the lieutenants 
 were John Brown and Henry Flick. 
 
 FIFTY-SIXTH MILITIA REGIMENT. 
 
 The second advance made by General 
 Lee's army and the threatened invasion of 
 the state in 1863 created an emergency for 
 which the state militia were called out in 
 June of that year. The Fifty-sixth Regi- 
 ment was mustered in from June 27th to 
 July 5th for the defense of the state and 
 served until August 13th, when the com- 
 mand was mustered out. Company F was 
 recruited in Butler County by Capt. Will- 
 iam R. Hutchison, who had recruited a 
 company the previous year, and the lieu- 
 tenants were Baxter Logan and John 
 Brown. 
 
 FIFTY-EIGHTH MILITIA REGIMENT. 
 
 This command was organized in July, 
 1863, and mustered into service the same 
 month under Col. Geoi-ge H. Bemus. On 
 the 24th of July at the time of Morgan's 
 raid, the regiment, with others, was or- 
 dered to hold the fords on the Ohio River 
 between Steubenville and Wheeling, the 
 Fifty-eighth occupying La Grange, oppo- 
 site Wellsville. The watchfulness of this 
 regiment led Morgan to seek a way of es- 
 
 cajie through Salineville, where he was at- 
 tacked by ^Michigan cavalry and lost about 
 three hundred of his men in killed, wound- 
 ed and captured. The Fifty-eighth then 
 took charge of the prisoners until they 
 were placed in the Ohio penitentiary. 
 After this duty was performed the regi- 
 ment returned to Pittsburg and was mus- 
 tered out August 14th and 15th, 1863. Com- 
 l)auy G of this regiment was raised in But- 
 ler County by Capt. Alexander Gillespie. 
 The lieutenants were James G. Guthrie 
 and John S. Brown. Company I was also 
 recruited in Butler County by Captain 
 William M. Clark, the lieutenants being 
 William E. Moore and S. L. Daubenspeck. 
 
 THE FOURTH PENNSYI.VANIA CAVALRY. 
 
 The Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalrj' was 
 organized in October, 1861, and served un- 
 til July 1, 1865, when it was mustered out. 
 This regiment saw some of the hardest 
 service of the war and lost ninetj^-eight 
 men killed in action, while two hundred 
 and sixty died from disease. Butler 
 County did not have a full company in this 
 reo-iment, but a number of men were in its 
 ranks. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing companies 
 and parts of companies credited to But- 
 ler Comity, a large number of her citizens 
 and young men claiming the county as 
 their home enlisted in other counties of 
 Pennsylvania and in regiments raised in 
 other states. 
 
 Col. James Cooper McKee, M. D., of 
 Butler, was appointed and commissioned 
 assistant surgeon of the United States 
 Army in 1858. At the second battle of Bull 
 Run he served as assistant medical direc- 
 tor of Pope's army, and at Antietam as 
 assistant medical purveyor of the Army of 
 the Potomac. In 1863 he was in-omoted to 
 captain in the regular army and jilaced in 
 charge of Lincoln United States Hospital 
 at Washington, D. C, in which position he 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 313 
 
 continued until the close of the war. After 
 the war he was transferred to New Mexico, 
 serving there as chief medical officer of the 
 army, and afterwards as medical director 
 of the Department of Arizona. He also 
 served in the same capacity at Vancouver 
 Barracks, Department of Columbia. In 
 1891 he was retired from active service, 
 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, by rea- 
 son of injuries received in the discharge 
 of his duty. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Graham, of Butler, after 
 serving three months in Company II, Thir- 
 teenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, complet- 
 ed a course of medicine in Jefferson Medi- 
 cal College, Philadelphia, and entered the 
 service as assistant surgeon of the One 
 Hundred and Seventy-fourth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. He was subsequently appoint- 
 ed surgeon of the Eighty-first Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteers. 
 
 BOUNTIES AND DRAFTS. 
 
 In the early days of the war patriotism 
 ran high in Butler County and the enlist- 
 ments were rapid. Later on, though there 
 was no diminution in the patriotic spirit, 
 the burdens of war began to be heavily felt. 
 The county was drained of its young men 
 and extraordinary taxes were levied in or- 
 der that the war might be prosecuted to a 
 successful issue. The men in the field liad 
 to be encouraged and made to feel that the 
 people at home were back of them and that 
 the call for more troops would be promptly 
 responded to. This imposed a duty of 
 vital importance on those at home, de- 
 manding many sacrifices, and much pa- 
 triotism in order that the county might 
 acquit itself with credit to the state, and 
 with honor to the Union cause. 
 
 When more troops were needed enlist- 
 ments were encouraged by the aid of boun- 
 ties and other inducements. In 1862 a re- 
 lief tax amounting to $3,154.00 was col- 
 lected, and in 1863, $9,752.18 were paid in 
 bounties. The same year, under the draft 
 of July, the county furnished 323 men. 
 
 ^lany of those drafted furnished substi- 
 tutes. The plan adopted in Butler County 
 appears to have been for a niunber of those 
 subject to draft to subscribe to a fund to 
 pay substitutes, and after the requisite 
 number of substitutes had been secured, to 
 divide up the surplus, if any, among the 
 subscribers. 
 
 In January, 1864, Capt. Henry Pillow, a 
 United States recruiting officer, announced 
 the extension of the time for paying boun- 
 ties, and asked for volunteers. At this 
 time the quotas requii-ed from the counties 
 comprising the Twenty-third district were 
 liublished, showing the quota of Butler 
 County to be 316, to be secured from 2,320 
 men of the first, and 1,317 men of the sec- 
 ond class. The borough of Butler fur- 
 nished fourteen recruits, and was clear of 
 the draft. In order to accomplish this ob- 
 ject, the local committee collected $3,070.00, 
 of which $1,770.00 was paid for the four- 
 teen substitutes. The sum of $35.00 was 
 charged to the expense account, leaving 
 $1,265.00 to be returned to the subscribers. 
 Under the call of February 1, 1864, for 
 500,000 men, Butler Borough filled its 
 quota and had a surplus of money to re- 
 turn to the subscribers. 
 
 BOUNTY ACT OF 1864. 
 
 A call for two hundred thousand men 
 was made ]\larch 15, 1864, and the general 
 bounty was paid until A]iril 1, 1864. On 
 the 14th of April an act providing for the 
 payment of bounties in Butler County was 
 a))proved by Governor Curtiu. Power was 
 given to the school directors to levy a tax 
 sufficient to pay a bounty of $300 to each 
 volunteer enlisted and credited to the 
 school district making the levy. They 
 were'also empowered to levy a per capita 
 tax not exceeding $25 from each taxable 
 citizen subject to the draft, and to repay 
 to subscribers moneys advanced to aid in 
 raising volunteers. 
 
 A prompt response was made to the call 
 of March 15, 1864, and when the draft was 
 
314 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 made, June Srd, ouly nine districts in the 
 county were behind with their quotas. In 
 tliose nine" districts, ninety-one men were 
 called out liy the |)rovost marshal. A sup- 
 lilemcntal draft was ordere(i for Jime 27th, 
 when sixty-five men were called out. Ten 
 of the ninety-one men drafted on June 3rd 
 failed to appear. Forty-four paid a com- 
 mutation of $300 each, thirty-three were 
 exempted, and two were reported dead. A 
 call for another draft was made July 18, 
 1864, and it took place September 19th. 
 On the 30th of November the number of 
 men subject to draft in the county was 
 placed at 2,780, which estimate included a 
 large number of soldiers who had served 
 two years or more, and had received their 
 discharges. 
 
 The drafts of 1864 were made necessary 
 cliiefly for the reason that during that year 
 the terms of a large number of those who 
 had enlisted in 1861 for three years had 
 expired, and new men had to be obtained 
 to fill their places. It should be borne in 
 mind that a majority of these men re- 
 enlisted in the field and that volunteers 
 were constantly coming forward in every 
 township. 
 
 THE BALAAM ASSOCIATION. 
 
 While so large a portion of the sturdy 
 manhood of the county was at the front 
 battling for the preservation of the Union, 
 an urgent duty devolved upon those at 
 home to care for the dependent widows and 
 orphans of those who had fallen in battle, 
 and also a necessity to care for the sick 
 and wounded in the hospitals and in their 
 homes. For the former purpose a relief 
 tax was ordered in addition to the volun- 
 tary contributions. For the latter purpose 
 a society was formed in 1864 known as 
 "The Balaam Association," which had 
 active working members in the different 
 townships. 
 
 PITTSBURG SANITARV FAIR ASSOCIATION. 
 
 Butler County people became liberal 
 
 contiibutors to the Pittsburg Sanitary 
 Fair Association and in the spring of 1864 
 committees to solicit subscription of money 
 and clothing were aj^pointed in each town- 
 ship in the county. On June 1, 1864, the 
 collections amounted to $2,606.51 in cash, 
 including $160.00 received from the 
 Balaam Association. Clothing and pro- 
 visions were also contrilnited to the 
 amount of $736.14. 
 
 JUBILEE MEETING. 
 
 The success of the Union cause, as an- 
 nounced by the fall of Richmond and the 
 surrender of the Confederate forces under 
 General Lee, and the final return of peace, 
 caused much rejoicing throughout the 
 North. In Butler the joy of the people 
 found voice at a "Jubilee Meeting" held 
 at the court house, April 7, 1865. This 
 meeting was presided over by Hon. Law- 
 rence L. McGuffen, the vice-president be- 
 ing Capt. Samuel Louden, William Camp- 
 bell and William Stoops, and the secre- 
 taries Col. John M. Thompson, Capt. 
 George W. Fleeger, Jonathan Clutton, and 
 James Bredin. After a number of patriotic 
 speeches were delivered the following reso- 
 lution, offered by John Negley, was 
 adopted : 
 
 "Eesolved, That we learu with irrepressible joy of 
 the success of the armies of the TTnion ; the downfall 
 of the rebel capital, and the surrender or capture of the 
 rebel hosts. Victory and peace have come through war. 
 and, God be praised, the RepubUe lives." 
 
 These exuberant manifestations of joy 
 were interrupted by the sad news of the 
 assassination of Abraham Lincoln. For 
 the iDurpose of giving fitting expression to 
 their sorrow, a meeting of the people of 
 Butler Borough was held on the afternoon 
 of Wednesday, April 19th, 1865. Gen. 
 John N. Purviance was chosen iiresident, 
 James Gilmore Campbell, William Stew 
 art, Charles McCandless, E. McJunkin, 
 and E. M. Bredin, vice-presidents, and 
 Wm. S. Ziegler, Thos. Robinson and James 
 Bredin, secretaries of this meeting. Ad- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 315 
 
 dresses in English were delivered by Rev. 
 White, Tibbes, Niblock and Limberg, and 
 in German by Rev. Myser. William Stew- 
 art, the chairman of the conuiiittee on reso- 
 lutions, reported a preamble and a series 
 of resolutions expressive of the general 
 sori'ow of the eommunitv. 
 
 SOLDIERS MONUMENTS. 
 
 A suggestion for the ere(Hion of a monu- 
 ment to the memory of the Butler Couuty 
 soldiers who had fallen in l)attle or died in 
 the hosi)itals or prisons of the South, was 
 made not long after the elose of the war, 
 but owiug to a lack of organized effort, the 
 matter failed at that time to take a prac- 
 tical form. It was not until September 15. 
 1892, that any practical stej) was taken, 
 wiien a meeting of soldiei-s and citizens 
 was held in Butler at the suggestion of 
 Col. .lolm ^I. Sullivan. A board of direc- 
 tors was ai)i)ointed at this meeting and in 
 oi'der to give it the proper authority, it 
 was duly incorporated as the Butler 
 County Monument Association, and a 
 board of directors was elected, of which 
 (i. I). Swain of Harmony was chairman; 1. 
 .1. McCandless, of Butler, secretary; and 
 Charles Duffy, of Butler, treasurer! This 
 board named connnittees to solicit funds 
 in each voting district in the couuty, and 
 in December of 1892, the collections iiad so 
 far advanced that the board deemed it safe 
 to advertise foi- bids and the i)resentation 
 of designs. The (-((utract was sul)sc(|ueutly 
 awarded to Cami)l)ell and Ilarrigau, of 
 Pittsburg, for $:],50().()0. The monument 
 was completed, placed and ready for the 
 dedication by July 4, 1894. The dedicatory 
 ceremonies which took place on that day 
 were appropriate and impressive, and 
 were ])articipated in by the old soldiers 
 and citizens from all parts of the county. 
 An address turning over the moiunnent to 
 the old soldiers and to the peo])le of But- 
 ler County was deliveied liy G. D. Swain, 
 president of the Monumeut Association. 
 
 The address accepting the monument was 
 delivered by Capt. George W. Fleeger, of 
 Butler. 
 
 The monument is of Barre granite, 
 twelve feet square at the base and forty- 
 eight and one-half feet high. The shaft "is 
 surmounted by an infantry soldier in full 
 dress standing at ease. On the sides of 
 the shaft are emblazoned crossed muskets, 
 sabers, cannon, and one anchor, represent- 
 ing the four branches of the service, and 
 at the base are these words: "Our Silent 
 Defenders." The monument stands on the 
 public park facing the court house, and is 
 one of the first objects that attract the at- 
 tention of the visiting strangers. 
 
 The soldiers' monument at Evans C-itv 
 was dedicated August 29, 1894. It was 
 ei'ected to the memory of the brave men 
 who went into the service from Jackson, 
 Foi-ward, ('onnoquenessing, Lancastei-. 
 Cranberry, Adams, Middlesex and Penn 
 Townships, who sleep in unknown and un- 
 marked graves in the South. The ])ro.tect 
 was started by Capt. William Stewart Post 
 No. 573, G. A. R., of Evans City, in 1892. 
 The committee ap))ointed to take charge 
 of the work consisted of D. B. Douthett, 
 .John Rohner, Dr. Wm. Irvine, Edward 
 Dumbaugh, Enos Barkey, Capt. J. P. 
 Boggs, II. C. Boggs, and George Marbur- 
 ger. On December 6, 1893, the contract for 
 the erection of the moimment was let to J. 
 B. P]vans of Evans Citv, and cost when 
 com])leted about $1,400.00. The monument 
 stands in the center of a iilot donated to 
 Stewart Post, G. A. R., by the Evans City 
 Cemetery Association. It is of Quincy 
 granite, nineteen feet three inches high, 
 and is surmounted by the figure of an eagle 
 standing on a globe. On one side is a 
 wreath and crossed swords, and on the 
 four sides of the die are inscribed the 
 names of the dead w^hose memory the 
 monument is designed to perpetuate, the 
 number forty-five in all. There is also in- 
 scribed on one side these solemn and ap- 
 tuot)riate lines: 
 
516 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The mufflea drum's sad roll has beat 
 
 The soldier's last tattoo; 
 No more on life's parade shall meet 
 
 That brave and fallen few. 
 On fame's eternal camping-ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 But glory guards, with solemn round. 
 
 The bivouac of the dead. 
 
 From first to last Butler County sent 
 into the field twenty-five full companies, 
 besides parts of companies. In addition 
 to the organizations that are identified as 
 belonging to the county, a large number of 
 men claiming Butler County as their home 
 enlisted in other volunteer regiments of the 
 state and in other states, as well as in the 
 United States regiments. The names of 
 Butler County men are found on the mus- 
 ter rolls of fifty of the regimental organ- 
 izations of Pennsylvania, and seventeen 
 representing other states in the Union. 
 For the roster of the Butler County com- 
 panies reference may be had to Bate's His- 
 tory of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
 which gives a record of each man enlisted. 
 
 SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 
 
 STIKRING SCEN 
 
 Es OF 1898. 
 
 Butler County had but one military or- 
 ganization when war was declared against 
 Spain in 1898— Company E, Fifteenth 
 Regiment of the National Guard. Upon 
 the first call for troops this organization 
 promptly tendered its services and was ac- 
 cepted with the other National Guard com- 
 panies of the state. For three days before 
 the departure of the command for the 
 point of mobilization the military spirit of 
 the town rivaled that of 1861, when the 
 first company left for the front in the Civil 
 War. Blue-coated guardsmen on the street 
 were the admiration of the girls and the 
 envy of the less fortunate boys who wanted 
 to enlist but did not have the opportunity. 
 On Sunday, April 24th, the services in all 
 of the churches partook of a patriotic na- 
 ture and were attended by many soldiers in 
 uniform. A mass meeting was held in the 
 Y. M. C. A. hall in the afternoon which 
 
 was attended by the old soldiers and the 
 members of Company E, and a patriotic 
 address was made by Col. John M. Thomp- 
 son, who had delivered a similar address 
 to the first company that left Butler for 
 the front in 1861. 
 
 DEPAKTUKE OK THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT. 
 
 The greatest military pageant in the his- 
 toi-y of the town took place on Wednesday, 
 April 27th, when the entire Fifteenth Regi- 
 ment passed through Butler on the way to 
 the point of mobilization of the" state 
 troops at Mt. Gretna, and were the guests 
 for three hours of the citizens of Butler. 
 The train left Erie at 10 o'clock a. m. with 
 Companies A and C, picking up Comjjany 
 B at Meadville; regimental headquarters 
 and Com]iauy K at Greenville ; Company F 
 at Grove City, and arriving in Butler at 
 5 o'clock p. m. At this point Company E 
 of Butler, Company D of Clarion and Com- 
 pany G of Sharon were picked up. 
 
 The regiment was met at the -station by 
 a committee of citizens, the G. A. R. and 
 the U. V. L., and escorted to the court 
 house, where lunch was served to the men 
 by the young ladies of the town and the 
 regimental officers were entertained at one 
 of the hotels. At 7 o'clock the regiment 
 formed at the court house and marched to 
 the train. The line of march for more than 
 half a mile was one continuous ovation, the 
 entire po]nilatiou of the town turning out 
 to wish the departing soldiers godspeed. 
 
 Tlie command arrived at Mt. Gretna 
 about noon on April 28th and remained in 
 camp there until the 11th of June. In the 
 meantime Lieut. A. T. Scott and Sergeant 
 O'Donnell returned to Butler early in i\Iay 
 and enlisted twenty-six recruits and the 
 company was mustered into the United 
 States Volunteer Service along with the 
 other companies of the Fifteenth Regiment 
 on the 10th and nth of May. At this time 
 the muster roll of the company contained 
 seventy-five enlisted men and three offi- 
 cers, which was later increased to 106 en- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 317 
 
 listed men and three officers. Three of the 
 men who left Butler with the original com- 
 pany were sent home by the examining 
 surgeons because of physical disability, 
 and one on account of sickness in his fam- 
 ily. Two of these men assisted in tlie or- 
 ganization of the Butler Volunteers, one 
 enlisted in another volunteer command and 
 the fourth enlisted later in the United 
 States regulars and was killed in action 
 in the Philippines. 
 
 On June 19th the Fifteenth Regiment 
 proceeded to stations at Sheridan Point, 
 Virginia, and Ft. Washington, Maryland. 
 Regimental headquarters and four com- 
 panies were stationed at Sheridan Point 
 and four companies, including Company 
 E, imder Lieut. Col. William T. Mechling, 
 were stationed at Ft. Washington. Com- 
 pany E was assigned the care, preserva- 
 tion and drill of Emplacement C, having 
 two ten-inch guns mounted on disappear- 
 ing carriages. The inspection drill given 
 by the company at Emplacement C was 
 highly commended by Major Crozier and 
 Major Greenough of the regular army, 
 who were the inspecting officers. 
 
 The signing of the Protocol August 12th, 
 1898, destroyed any hope the Fifteenth 
 Regiment had of getting into the field and 
 the service performed thereafter was gar- 
 rison and camp duty. On September 9tli 
 the regiment was united and inoccedcd to 
 Camp George S. ^leade at ^liddletown, 
 Penna., and was assigned to the First Bri- 
 gade, Second Division of the Second Army 
 Corps. The regiment did provost guard 
 duty until October 7tli and participated in 
 the Peace Jubilee at Philadelphia October 
 27th. Company E proceeded with the regi- 
 ment to Camp Haskill, at Athens, Ga., on 
 November 11th, and remained in camp 
 there until mustered out of the volunteer 
 service January 31, 1899. 
 
 DEATH OF PRIVATE WAITERS. 
 
 During the service of nine months Com- 
 pany E lost but one man — Private Charles 
 
 A. Watters, who died from typhoid fever 
 in the hospital at Ft. Washington, August 
 9th, 1898. Private AVatters had the dis- 
 tinction of being the only colored soldier 
 enlisted in the Pennsylvania volunteer 
 regiments. He was born in Liberty Town- 
 ship, Maryland, in 1860, and had been as- 
 sociated with Company E, Fifteenth Regi- 
 ment, National Guard, since 1881. 
 
 Tlie body of Private Watters was 
 brought to his home in Butler and on Au- 
 gust 12th was buried with military hon- 
 ors. Funeral services were held at the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and that 
 large auditorium could not hold half of the 
 people who assembled to pay their respects 
 to the dead soldier. All of the ministers 
 in town were present and many from the 
 coimtry. The funeral pageant consisted of 
 the Germania Band, A. G. Reed Post, No. 
 105, G. A. R. ; Camp 45, U. V. L. ; Company 
 G, Twenty-first Regiment National Guard ; 
 ex-members of Company E, Fifteenth 
 Regiment National Guard, and members of 
 the Fire Department. He rests in the 
 North Cemetery, on a beautiful hillside 
 facing the Southland which he loved, and 
 there awaits God's reveille when he shall 
 answer the last roll call with his comrades 
 
 PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES. 
 
 Patriotic feeling ran high in Butler 
 County after the departure of the troops 
 for the field and immediate steps were 
 taken to sustain the troops in the field and 
 look after the comfort of the soldiers in 
 camp and of their families at home. 
 
 Among the first organizations was the 
 Butler Volunteers, mentioned in the militia 
 chapter. 
 
 On May 28th, under the auspices of the 
 W. C. T. U., a meeting was held at the 
 home of Mrs. Levi M. Wise on North Main 
 street for the purpose of making comfort 
 bags for the soldiers and providing liter- 
 ature for their use in camp. The counnit- 
 tee appointed consisted of Mrs. Levi M. 
 
318 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Wise, Mrs. U. M. IJnsst'll aud Mrs. C. A. 
 Bailey. These ii-o<><l women did work that 
 was much appreciatetl by the boys in camp. 
 
 Meanwhile the Men's Patriotic League 
 was formed for the purpose of looking 
 after the material needs of the families of 
 the soldiers in the field. 
 
 The general committee met on May 31st 
 and elected Alex. Mitchell, president, and 
 William C. Findlcy, s.-cretary. AVard com- 
 mitteemen wei'e named as follows: First 
 wai-d, D. H. Sutton; Second ward, J. D. 
 Jackson; Third ward, William H. Ritter; 
 Fourth ward, A. B. Richey; Fifth ward, 
 James N. Moore. 
 
 ■ The following composed a finance com- 
 mittee : J. V. Ritts, Chas. Duffy, William 
 Campbell, .losepli L. Purvis, L. C. Wick, 
 IL H. Boyd, Major R. J. Phipps, Geo. J. 
 Stamm, J. J. Leidecker, W. C. Thomjison, 
 Wm. (J. Douthett and Calvin G. Christie. 
 
 An event of importance on June 25th 
 was the presentation of a handsome silk 
 field flag to Company E, Fifteenth Regi- 
 ment, at Ft. Washington. The flag was 
 the gift of the people of Butler, who were 
 represented on the occasion by Wm. C. 
 Thompson and a delegation of Butler 
 ladies. 
 
 Flag raisings were events throughout 
 the community and were attended liy 
 masses of people, school children and the 
 patriotic societies. 
 
 The news that the Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers had been mustered out at Athens. 
 Ga., January 31, 1899, caused gladness 
 throughout the land and Butler got ready 
 to give the members of Company E a rous- 
 ing reception. The company was met at 
 the railroad station the morning of Feb- 
 ruary 2nd by a rccciirKin committee of rep- 
 resentative citizens, mcmlxTs of the Grand 
 Army, the Union X'etcran Ijcgion, Com- 
 pany G, Twenty-first Regiment, National 
 Guard, and the Germania Band. The 
 route of the jiarade to the court house was 
 lined with thousands of people, who braved 
 zero weather to welcome the soldier boys 
 
 home again. In the evening at the opera 
 house an address of welcome was deliv- 
 ered by Col. John M. Thompson, and re- 
 sponded to by Capt. Ira McJunkin. Secre- 
 tary .]. B. Carrothers, representing the 
 Y. M. C. A., presented each soldier with 
 a free membership ticket for one year. The 
 events of the day closed with a bancpiet 
 tendered the members of the company in 
 the armory. 
 
 The services performed by Company E 
 in the Spanish War has none of the glory 
 of the battlefield and is without any event 
 of importance. But to the young men of 
 the county who so promptly offered their 
 services at the call of their country must 
 be given the credit of a faithful perform- 
 ance of every duty assigned them and pa- 
 triotic zeal that is the lasting heritage of 
 a great nation. 
 
 IKII.L OK COMPANY E, FIFTEENTH PENNSYL- 
 VANIA VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 C'aptain — Ira McJunkin. 
 
 First. Lieutenant- (Irnio,. s. Mecbling. 
 
 Second Lieutr-iKiiM \I1mii T. Scott. 
 
 First Sergeant- N:i;ir Xinhcws. 
 
 Quartermaster S,r^. nut- Horatio S. Vamlerlin. 
 
 Sergeants — Jolm W. Alexander, Charles Collins, 
 Francis .J. O'Donnell, Joseph F. Moore, .Tohn J. Mratin, 
 Charles A. McElvain. 
 
 Corporals — William J. .Jackson, Frank D. Pierce, 
 William J. P. ColUns, Ebner P. Kuhn, Hardie H. Hepler, 
 Thomas McK. McKee. Howard C. Hazlett, Oscar C. 
 McClung, Joseph A. Heineman, Clifford W. Fenton, 
 Harry O. Krug, William H. Eebuhn (company clerk), 
 Clyde C. Green. 
 
 'Musician.s— John A. Kelley, Alfred E. Black. 
 
 Hospital Corps — Harry A. Cook. 
 
 Artificer — Harry H. McFann. 
 
 Wagoner — Vance Stroup. 
 
 Privates— Bobert .J. Adams, Charles A. Allshouse, 
 Cullen Armstrong, Lewis L. Beatty, Harry H. Boston, 
 John M. Brown, Charley J. Burkhalter, Roy I. Burtner, 
 Verne F. Caldwell, Charley L. Campbell. John H. 
 Christy, Harry E. Core, CJharles A. Cummings, Harry 
 S. Dersheimer, Walter T?. Puncan, Samuel V. Eckelber- 
 ger, Russell C. K.'kinan, <'arl M. Eisler, Charles C. 
 Elliott, David H. Kiisiiiiiigrr. Harvey A, Evans, Ernest 
 r!. Faber, William (i. Faber, Charles F. Fisher, William 
 N. Foulis, Clarence E. Graham, Thonia.s D. Greer, 
 Charlie E. Harrington, Euffis D. Hindman, John F. J. 
 Huselton, John H. Jackson, Charles E. Kalb, Marcus 
 B. Levingston, Marcus B. Mechling, Han'y W. Metzgar, 
 Charles E. Miller, Ralph H. Minks, James T. Morgan. 
 Augustus S. Morrison, Ira A. Murphy, Josiah M. Mc- 
 Candless, .James R. McClymonds, Walter F. McCormick, 
 
AND RP^PRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 319 
 
 Henry F. McCullough, Louis A. McDonald, Laureuce H. 
 McDowell, Robert B. Mclntyre, Edgar H. Negley, John 
 A. Pierce. George A. Rae, Walter S. Reynolds, Jacob A. 
 Riiiici, \Villi;ir)i II. Ritter, Jr., Fred T. Roessiug, Charles 
 Iv Slink. •^. Snimiel S. Scott, George W. Shaifer, Oscar 
 A. sli.illii. I'lcilerick E. Shetter, Charles E. Smith, 
 .laiiHs L. Smith. Paul P. Smith, Neal Strawicli, Harrv 
 E. Suinney, William D. Sutton, Edward E. Thomas 
 Andrew J. Thompson, Earl D. Thompson, George W. 
 Thompson, Milton 8. Tyler. Walter V. Tyler, James C. 
 \'ogley. Charles A. Watters, Aubrey B. Williams, Ben- 
 jamin' R. Williams, John G. Williams, Charles H. Wilson, 
 Charles M. Wise, Alphons Wanlin, Thomas W. Watson. 
 
 Private Fi'ederiek E. Shetter was pro- 
 moted to Pir.st Lieutenant and Regimental 
 Quartermaster and was mustered out with 
 the regiment. 
 
 Lieut. A. T. Scott performed tlie duties 
 of regimental ordnance otificer in addition 
 to his duties in the line. 
 
 In addition to the roster of Company E 
 the following volunteers from Butler 
 County served in other commands: 
 
 In addition to the ro.ster of Com})any E, 
 the following volunteers from Butler 
 County served in other commands: 
 
 William T. Meehling of Butler served as lieutenant- 
 colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers. 
 
 Harry H. Morrison of Butler in Company D, Fif 
 teenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 James L. Barton of Butler in ("ompany H, Eighteenth 
 Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Robert M. Little of Butler in Company A, Eiglitcentli 
 Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 William A. Caldwell of Butler in the Seventeenth Regi- 
 ment IT. S. Infantry. 
 
 William E. Double in Company L. Nineteenth U. S. 
 Infantry. 
 
 William A. Wade of West Sunbury in Company K. 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Bert L. Wiseman of Butler in Company H, Fiftli 
 CJhio Volunteers. 
 
 Peter Cummings of Butler in (ompany U. Fifth oiiio 
 Volunteers. 
 
 Harley McClellan in Company (i. Fifth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 William J. Curley in Company H. Ninth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. - 
 
 Fred Wigton in Company K. Sixteenth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 Cameron G. Brandon in Company F, Fifteenth Penn- 
 .sylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Edward McKnight in Company T. Tenth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 FuUerton Parker in Company H. Tentli Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 George Gibson of Glade Mills in Company B, Eight- 
 eenth Pennsvlvania Volunteers. 
 
 Fleming Hepler of Clinton Township in Company li. 
 Eighteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Joseph C. Hutchinson of Butler in Company II. 
 Eighteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Charles H. Otterman of Zelienople in Company C, 
 Eighteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 William E. Stevenson of Harrisonville in Company B, 
 Eighteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Claude C. Ziegler of Butler in Company C, Eighteenth 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 William J. Sterritt of Downieville in Company B, 
 Fourteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 William H. Miller of Parkers Landing in Company ( . 
 Fourteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Charles E. Bartley of Mars in Company B, Si.\teenth 
 Pennsvlvania Volunteers. 
 
 Howard C. Harper of Butler in Company B, Sixteenth 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Alton G. Say in Company G. Sixteenth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 Peter Dunkle in Company G, Sixteenth Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers. 
 
 Bernard Gallagher of Butler in Company G, Eight- 
 eenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Martin L. Walters of Clinton Township in Eighteenth 
 Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Edward Westerman of Clinton Township in a United 
 States regiment in the Philippine service. 
 
 Forty-first V 
 Light 
 
 S. V( 
 
 Battery B, 
 
 Four 
 
 the Rough Rider 
 
 Fred Dickey of Butler 
 teers Philippine service. 
 
 George A. Gill of Monro 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Alfred Jennings of Petr 
 A rtillery. 
 
 Charles Henry of Butler ii 
 
 Hale T. Plants in Company G, Fourteenth Pe 
 vania Volunteers. 
 
 William Hunter of Builer in the Seventeenth U. S. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Frank Killen of Butler in the Fourth U. S. Artillery. 
 
 Wallace O. Rimer of BuHer in the Fourth XJ. S. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Ira A. Murphy of Butler serveil two years in a United 
 States regiment in the Philippines. 
 
 The following were enlisted in Company 
 F, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers : 
 
 Sergeant — Clarence Imbire. Harrisonville. 
 
 Privates— Edward Cliiistl.y. sli|ipery Rock; L. M. 
 Daubenspeck. North AV,ishiiii;inii ; V.. P. Storey, Evans 
 City; James Orr. .1. H. hum; 0. F. Thompson, 
 Harrisville; Frank Bovar.l. Harrisville; Joseph H. 
 Bovard. Harrisville: Wilbur L. Brandon, Butler; 
 Charles B. Fuhrer. Harrisville; Robert W. Frishkoen. 
 Evans City; James Love. Butler; Herman Pond, West 
 Sunbury; John M. Roth, Prospect; Charles C. Starkey, 
 Zeno; John B. Storey, Baldwin. 
 
 Ernest Koen of Butler served as a private in Company 
 C, Fifteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Hugh G. SprouU of Boyer served as a private in Com- 
 pany C, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 
 Charles A. Cummings, who served as a private in Com- 
 pany E, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, was com- 
 missioned First Lieutenant in the Forty-seventh U. S. 
 Volunteer Regiment and served in the Philippines. 
 
320 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ■William S. Barr of Butler, who volunteered with 
 Company E, Fifteenth Regiment, National Guard, enlist- 
 ed in Company C, First U. S. Infantry, in the Philippine 
 service and was instantly killed on the firing line in one 
 of the battles in which the regiment was engaged. 
 
 William A. Teague of Butler served as a private in 
 Company G, Fifteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers, in the war with Spain, and enlisted in Company 
 B, Twentj--eighth United States Volunteers in the Philip- 
 pine service. 
 
 George R. Graham of Butler served as a private in the 
 Fourth United States Artillery. 
 
 William C. Faber of Butler enlisted in the Philippine 
 service and served in one of the regular regiments. 
 
 N.-iTIONAL GUARD. 
 
 Followiug the indepeudeut commauds 
 after the Civil War came the organization 
 of the National Guard of Pennsylvania. 
 In 1873 Butler Borough had two military 
 organizations, Captain George W. Flee- 
 ger's company, and Captain John M. 
 Greer's company, the latter organization 
 being known as the Aaron Sullivan Guards. 
 
 Some rivalry existed as to which organi- 
 zation would be taken into the new guard, 
 and in 1874 F. A. Cochran of Apollo, who 
 was on the staff of General Harry White, 
 came to Butler and inspected the compa- 
 nies. On his recommendation the Aaron 
 Sullivan Guards were selected for a place 
 in the new organization, and were mus- 
 tered in the state service as Company A, 
 Thirteenth Regiment, Eighth Brigade, of 
 tlie Ninth Division. The officers of the 
 company were John ]\I. Greer, captain; 
 AVilliam Burton, first lieutenant; John 
 Rosenberg, second lieutenant. In 1877 the 
 officers of the company were: Captain 
 J. B. Storey; first lieutenant, William H. 
 Ensminger; second lieutenant, William A. 
 Stein. The same year the company did 
 service at the riots in Pittsburg. 
 
 Following the riots a reorganization of 
 the National Guard took place and the But- 
 ler Company was transferred and became 
 Company E, of the Sixteenth Regiment. 
 Captain Storey was jn-omoted to major 
 and later to lieutenant colonel. William 
 H. Ensminger was ])ronioted to captain of 
 the company; William T. Mechling to first 
 
 lieutenant, and Eli D. Robinson to second 
 lieutenant. This arrangement lasted until 
 1882, when the Butler company was again 
 transferred and became Company E, Fif- 
 teenth Regiment of the Second Brigade. 
 AVilliam T. Mechling was promoted to cap- 
 tain; Eli D. Robinson to first lieutenant, 
 and John B. Brown, second lieutenant. 
 The company went to the Homestead riots 
 in 1892 with Ira McJunkin as captain; 
 Alexander Borland first lieutenant, and 
 George S. Afechling second lieutenant. 
 Captain William T. Mechling had been 
 ]n'omoted to lieutenant colonel and John 
 W. Brown to battalion adjutant. 
 
 When President McKinley called for vol- 
 unteers for service in the war against 
 Spain in 1898, every man on the roll of 
 Company E volunteered — a record equaled 
 by but one other company in the state. 
 The command left Butler on the 27th of 
 April for Mt. Gretna and on the 10th and 
 11th of Ma J" were mustered into the United 
 States volunteer service. The officers of 
 the company were Ira McJunkin, captain ; 
 George S. Mechling, first lieutenant; Al- 
 bert T. Scott, second lieutenant. 
 
 For roll of company, see muster roll of 
 Company E, Fifteenth Regiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers, Spanish War. 
 
 When the volunteer organizations re- 
 turned from the war in 1899, they were as- 
 signed their old places in the National 
 Guard. At the reorganization of the Fif- 
 teenth Regiment, William T. Mechling of 
 Butler was elected colonel. Captain Ira 
 ]\rcJunkin was promoted to regimental 
 adjutant, and Ben R. Williams to first lieu- 
 tenant and battalion adjutant. The com- 
 pany officers were J. F. Moore, captain; 
 John J. Martin, first lieutenant, and Oscar 
 McClung, second lieutenant. 
 
 The following year, 1900, there was an- 
 other reorganization of the guard which 
 affected the Butler company. The Fif- 
 teenth regimental headquarters at Butler 
 were disbanded and the officers placed on 
 the retired list. Companies A, B, E, F, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 321 
 
 and K were transferred to the Sixteenth 
 Regiment and the other companies were 
 mustered out of the state service. In the 
 new organization the Butler company is 
 designated as Company L, Sixteenth Regi- 
 ment. In 1901, John J. Martin was elected 
 captain of the company, Thomas M. Mc- 
 Kee first lieutenant, and Arda J. Cumher- 
 land second lieutenant. Captain Martin 
 resigned in 1902 and James A. McKee was 
 elected to fill the vacancy. On the 7th of 
 October of the same year the company was 
 ordered to the anthracite coal regions and 
 did duty for twenty-eight days at Mt. Car- 
 mel and Shenandoah. The present officers 
 of the company are : Arda J. Cumherlaud, 
 captain; Andrew J. Thompson, first lieu- 
 tenant; Roy J. Burtner, second lieutenant. 
 In the thirty-five years of its existence 
 the company has been called out into the 
 service of the state three times and into 
 the United States service once, and on each 
 occasion has responded with a full quota 
 of men in record-making time. It has been 
 recognized as one of the most efficient com- 
 mands in the state by the inspecting offi- 
 cers, and has taken both regimental and 
 brigade honors. In 1907 it led the regi- 
 ment in the number of expert rifle men. 
 
 EOSTER OF COMPANY L, SIXTEENTH REGI- 
 MENT, NATIONAL GUARD. 
 
 First Sergeant — William J. P. Colling. 
 
 Quartermaster Sergeant — Robert A. Brookliart. 
 
 Sergeants— William M. Teague, James F. Pollock, 
 William A. Cappeau, James E. Fisher. 
 ■ Corporals — Merrill W. Shawky, Earl R. Ellenberger, 
 Charles R. Harding, Lewis F. Euhy, Lewis M. Cumber- 
 land. 
 
 Musician — George Brookhart. 
 
 Artificer— Oliver B. Holt. 
 
 Company Clerk — Harry L. Kelley. 
 
 Cooks — Samuel McCulloiigh, Daniel A. Kamerer. 
 
 Privates— Joseph T. Black,. Claire Burtner, Arthur 
 Deimling, Fred F. Eichelberger, Grover C. Fredley, How- 
 ard H. Hutchison, Arba A. Humes, William C. Jackson, 
 George Kelley, Lewis C. Kelley, William C. Lampton, 
 Frank Montgomery. Samuel J. McCall, Cecil N. MeCand- 
 less, William C. McCandless, Raymond McCullough, Wil- 
 bert McCullough, John R. McCracken, David M. Orr, 
 Paul R. Robb, Ben P. Sherman, Frederick Shoupp, 
 Harry A. Smith, Eddie E. Starr, Don R. Urquhart, Ed- 
 ward Zimmel, .Tames W. Wilson, Frank O. Wilson, Clyde 
 Ramsey. Raymond S. Anchors, Findley E. Hartley, Harry 
 
 L. Condron, Charles A. Mattern, Earl Ralston, Harry 
 Mosher, Frank Eenshaw, R. Bracken, Leo Bradley, 
 Emory D. Baker, William L. Walker. 
 
 Captain — Arda J. Cumberland. 
 
 First Lieutenant — Andrew J. Thompson. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Roy I. Burtner. 
 
 THE SIXTEENTH REGIMENT BAND. 
 
 About the first of July, 190.3, Col. Willis 
 J. Hulings of Oil City, commander of the 
 Sixteenth Regiment, National Guard, 
 found that he had no regimental band for 
 camp that year. He communicated with 
 the Germania Baud of Butler through 
 Capt. James A. McKee, who was in com- 
 mand of Company L, Sixteenth Regiment, 
 at that time, with the result that the local 
 musical organization was recruited up to 
 twenty-eight men and mustered into the 
 state service a few days before the annual 
 encampment of the guard. The organiza- 
 tion at once took a leading place among the 
 military bands of the state, and has been 
 highly commended by both the state and 
 regular army officers. The officers are: 
 Principal musician, Eugene Morrison ; 
 chief musician, A. Judson Bowser; drum 
 major, Ben Christley. 
 
 COMPANY G, TWENTY-FIRST REGIMENT. 
 
 When Company E, Fifteenth Regiment, 
 left for the war with Spain the patriotic 
 siiirit ran high in Butler County. It was 
 understood at the beginning that only tlie 
 organized militia would be taken in the 
 100,000 volunteers called for by the Presi- 
 dent, and that when the National Guard 
 companies were fully recruited the quota 
 of Pennsylvania would be filled. Few, in- 
 deed, thought there would be no further 
 call for troops. Capt. Ira McJunkin, com- 
 mander of Company E, urged several for- 
 mer members of the company to organize 
 a second company, so that there would be 
 no delav in furnishing troops if further 
 calls were made. On April 27th, 1898, 
 after the departure of Company E, and the 
 Fifteenth Regiment from Butler for the 
 point of mobilization at Mt. Gretna, a mass 
 
322 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 meeting was held in the armory to organ- 
 ize a military (•<)in])any. Fifty-two names 
 were enrolled that night and at a meeting 
 held two nights latei- the number had been 
 increased to 103. The company was named 
 the Butler Volunteers, .lames A. McKee 
 was elected captain; James M. Maxwell, 
 first lieutenant, and John C. Graham, sec- 
 ond lieutenant. All of the officers had 
 served six yeai's in the i-anks of Company 
 E, Fifteenth Regiment, of the National 
 Gruard. Drilling was commenced at once 
 and the services of the company tendered 
 to the governor of the state and the War 
 Department. When the second call came, 
 the new organizations were taken from 
 coimties which had no representation in 
 the Guard previous to the war, and the 
 Butler Volunteers were placed on the wait- 
 ing list. 
 
 The efficiency of the Butler organization 
 was recognized by the military authori- 
 ties of tiie state, however, and it was 
 tendered a place in the provisional guard, 
 oi-ganized to take the place of the old 
 organization. The company was mus- 
 tei-ed into the state service July 8th, 
 1898, by Major John Penny, of the 
 staff of General Charles Miller, as com- 
 j.any G, Twenty-first Regiment, Col. E. V. 
 D. Seldon. During its short existence the 
 company furnished many drilled recruits 
 to the organization in the field, both vol- 
 unteer and regular, and in the Philippine 
 
 service. It jiasscd two creditable inspec- 
 tions and was imi>t('r('d out of the state 
 service March H, l!i()(), ak)ng with the other 
 companies of the provisional guard, to 
 give place to the old guard, which had been 
 promised reinstatement upon their return 
 from the volunteer service. The career of 
 Company G was short and the service in- 
 glorious, but its members are entitled to 
 the consideration of iiaving i)ifpared them- 
 selves for active lield serxice at a time 
 when it was tho light that their services 
 would be needed. The roster of the or- 
 ganization is as follows : 
 
 Cajitain — .Tames A. McKee. 
 
 Kiist Lieutenant — James M. ilaxwell. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — John C. Graham. 
 
 Sergeants — Alex. G. Kelley, Eobert H. McCutcheon, 
 .r. O. Mitchell, Clarence Kelley, William F. Parker. 
 
 Corporals — John G. Dunn, Arda J. Cumberland, 
 William B. Eastman, F. E. Kelley. Philip Coulter, Haz- 
 zard H. Jackson, Herman Liebold, .James A. McDowell. 
 
 Company Clerk — Alfred J. Weigaud. 
 
 Privates^Bobert J. Allen, Joseph M. .Atchison, Plum- 
 mer L. Bellis, William M. Briner, Edward B. Black, 
 Willia.n B. Bowser, W'illiam K. Bathgate, Albert Bow- 
 ers, Jacob Bowers, Ira Benninger, Philip Coulter, .\udlev 
 Campbell, Horace G. Christy. Harrv Cumberland, E. K. 
 Campbell, William Dufford," Michael L. Pin is. William 
 J. Dunbarr, .John H. Dickey, Albert Duwcli. I'l.-.l [i,., k.v. 
 .Alfred Fullerton, Theodore Fair, Georo.- I'ir.lliv. .1. I;. 
 Floyd, William Hunter. S.imuel .lacks., ii. I^k.nt \V. 
 Kaib, Warren E. Kirk. Fr.-ink Kill,-!, AIImmI (I. Kcttircr, 
 William J. Lee, Frank Lewis. Wilii.ini .1. :Sl:niny, Jo- 
 seph M. Miller, .John C. MnithiiHl, llmrv .Mangel, Ed- 
 ward Mahood, Robert M. McCullough, Stewart J. Me- 
 Marlin, William MeCall, Charles Maxler, E. L. Marshall, 
 Paul Oesterling, Patrick Babbit, Wallace Bimer, J. h. 
 Ralston, Charles W. Stroup, George B. Slentz, William 
 •v. Smith, Cornelius Snodgrass, .A. B. Swanev, H. G. 
 Smith, John D. Sharp, Miles F. Wraver. Ira A. Wilsi.n, 
 Elmer E. Wise, John W. Zeigler. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 
 
 The Old Doctor — Some Borough and County Physicians — Homeopaths — Osteopathy- 
 Registered Physicians — Butler Medical Association — Typhoid Fever Epidemic — 
 Belief Society Organized — Ladies' Auxiliary Committees — Dr. Bait's Work- 
 Hospital Established — Supply Booms— Diet Kitchen — Clara Barton's Visit — Re- 
 lief Fund — History of the Water Supply— Financial Beport— Butler County Gen- 
 eral Hospital — Nurses' Training School. 
 
 The first physioians to come witliiu the 
 limits of Butler County were those con- 
 nected with the Rapp settlement at Har- 
 mony in 1705. Previous to that the leech 
 or the "blood letter" was the physician of 
 the comnmnity, and in fact for many years 
 after, the practice of bleeding for many ail- 
 ments was common among the people and 
 was not despised by the old-time physi- 
 oians as late as the middle of the last cen- 
 tury. Midwifery was then practiced by 
 tlie women, though in serious cases a doc- 
 tor would sometimes be called from 
 Oxreensburg or Pittsburg. 
 
 The pioneer physician was an educated 
 man for his day, but he was illy equipped 
 with instruments and the remedies he used 
 were few and simple. In waging an un- 
 equal war against disease he was com- 
 pelled to depend largely upon his common 
 sense, thereby establisliing an individual- 
 ity that was always marked and occasion- 
 ally peculiar and eccentric. He learned 
 to know the people and to treat their com- 
 plaints with as fair a degree of success as 
 could be ex})ected, and he left behind him 
 when he died an honorable name as the 
 l)rincipal heritage of his descendants. 
 
 THE OLD DOCTOE. 
 
 No better pen picture of the "Old Doc- 
 tor" could be given than is contained in 
 the following sketch taken from a paper 
 read by Dr. A. M. Xeyman, retired, of But- 
 ler before the Butler County Medical As- 
 sociation at the annual banquet in 1900. 
 Dr. Neyman is now in his eig-hty-third 
 year and as he knew personally nearly all 
 of the doctors of the old school, as well as 
 those of the new, mentioned in this work, 
 he is s]ieakiiin- as an old-time doctor about 
 the doctors „f is;;() to 1850. 
 
 "The 'Old Doctor' of my earliest recol- 
 lection — of sixty to seventy years ago, as 
 I remember him — was quite in contrast 
 with the medical man, even with the old 
 doctors, of to-day. Ditferent in appeai'- 
 ance, manner, and especially in methods. 
 
 "I hope to be altogether impersonal or 
 uncritical in anything I may say of liim, as 
 the remembrance of his general demeanor 
 compares very favorably with the average 
 physician of the present, and as I might 
 myself be considered as 'dragging my 
 slow length along' in professional work 
 to an unreasonable extent. 
 
 "He was almost universallv a general 
 
324 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 practitioner — physician, surgeon, dentist, 
 obstetrician. Specialists were rare in those 
 days. In appearance lie was not so par- 
 ticular as to personal adornments as in 
 dignity of manner. He had usually enough 
 clientele and was not tempted to resort to 
 unprofessional terms to increase it. 
 
 "He spent much of his time on horse- 
 back, and was usually an expert horseman. 
 The country being thinly populated, 
 wheeled vehicles were few and often im- 
 practicable. Everybody got about on 
 horseback; even the women showed expert 
 horsemanship, and captivated many a 
 heart among the sterner sex by ther man- 
 agement of a proud charger. The doctor's 
 horse was bred for the saddle; high with- 
 ers, short back, round barrel, compact in 
 loins, pliant neck, ears well set up on bony 
 head, and pasterns long and elastic. They 
 were often from strains of Rappa- 
 hannocks, bred in Virginia or Kentucky. 
 "When a doctor mounted a horse of this 
 kind, with saddle-bags of the pattern of 
 the day, open on one side, laced with a 
 leathei-n strap, leggings enveloped his 
 nether limbs down to the toes, spurs at 
 heels, and a top coat rolled up like a knap- 
 sack on tlie saddle cloth, he commanded 
 the admiration of the whole community. 
 
 "In manner the Old Doctor was more 
 dignified than his successor of to-day. The 
 age required it. He was an educated man 
 usually, and was accor(lc(l n high place in 
 the community. His deportment in the 
 sick room would perhaps be considered 
 brusciue in the present day. 
 
 "I have known him, off and on, for some 
 seventy years ; have sympathized with him 
 and hated him periodically all these years. 
 I began to know him most thoroughly when 
 about five years old, and when ill with the 
 croup. He was invited in, and like doc- 
 tors of to-day, ever ready to obey such in- 
 vitations, he promptly appeared. Short, 
 stout and active, Kris Kingle-like with a 
 portmanteau, but not suggestive of Christ- 
 mas things at all. His appearance and 
 
 manner impressed and helped my breath- 
 ing somcwliat at once, and when he put me 
 into a tub of hot water and stirred a large 
 yellow powder in a cup of warm water 
 with a thick, dumpy finger and forcibly as- 
 sisted me in swallowing it — I felt sick, paid 
 tribute in fact, until there was no more 
 croup or anything else. I became deeply 
 impressed with the thoroughness of his 
 methods. Tlie next time I met him was 
 some years later when I had a tooth to 
 pull. I found him, the doctor, this time a 
 fine-looking gentleman, easy and quiet in 
 manner. After investigating the tooth he 
 went in tlie same easy manner to a drawer 
 and secured a piece of iron armed with a 
 cant-hook at one end and a cork-screw han- 
 dle at the otiier, and — my toothache was 
 gone. He insisted, however, on my seating 
 myself on the floor while he, sitting behind 
 me, his knees clasping my head, forced the 
 liook on the offender and twisted it out. If 
 there be any sudden torture equal to that, 
 language fails me. 
 
 "His methods and medical armament 
 were in that day crude, comparatively. AVe 
 now wonder how he got along with his cal- 
 omel and jalap, emetics and clysters, blis- 
 ters and lancets. Blood flowed in those 
 days and invalids who rose from under his 
 care felt that they had been having "a spell 
 of sickness." And they often did rise to 
 commence life anew, and indeed everything 
 in them had to be made new. All the vi- 
 talities went to work so vigorously that 
 convalescence from acute attacks was has- 
 tened and pronounced. In fact, I think a 
 little of the 'old doctor's' decisive method, 
 if applied to-day in some medical matters, 
 might be of benefit. But it would be un- 
 fair to criticize him in his day in compari- 
 son with the practitioners now. He had 
 no sugar-coated pellets or alkaloids — not 
 even morphine; no fluid extracts, nor elix- 
 irs, nor other desserts. Drugs were in 
 bulk in his time, pharmacy was in its in- 
 fancy; hence doses were large and often 
 nauseous. He had no cocaine to relieve 
 
AND REPRP]SENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 325 
 
 pain; no hypodermic syringe; no anes- 
 thetics, no ether, no chloroform. Sickness 
 is a comfort now compared with then. Doc- 
 tors of medicine now extract the active 
 ]irinciples of the old crude materia medica, 
 and prescribe them in diminutive pellets, 
 sugar-coated, or they cover up the objec- 
 tionable qualities witli the aronaatics to 
 suit the modern taste, as the doctors of 
 divinity now talk of doing with the old 
 Westminster Confession of Faith. 
 
 "In one characteristic, however, the Old 
 Doctor resembled the medical man of to- 
 day. He never, or i-arely, accumulated 
 wealth — rarely acquired more than a good 
 living for himself and family through all 
 his toilsome life. His life work educated 
 him away from money-getting. He lived 
 too constantly at the hearth-stone of the 
 sick and distressed. His mind was too 
 constantly occupied with the emotional and 
 sympathetic side of life to study finance or 
 Wall Street. 
 
 "As one grows old he grows far-sighted 
 — presbyopic, as oculists call it; that is, 
 he sees more clearly objects at a distance. 
 So in his mental eye the Old Doctor is in- 
 clined to l)e far-sighted, and loves to re- 
 call the incidents that came into his for- 
 mer life." 
 
 SOME BUTLER COUNTY PHYSICIANS. 
 
 The pioneer ]iliysiciau of the county out- 
 side of those who came to Harmony with 
 the Rapp community, was Dr. George Mil- 
 ler. He was the son of Prof. Samuel Mil- 
 ler, who filled the chair of mathematics and 
 natural sciences at Jefferson College in 
 Canonsburg. Dr. Miller graduated from 
 Jefferson College in 1813 and immediately 
 began the study of medicine under Dr. 
 Letherman of Can»nsburg, a man of ac- 
 knowledged ability in his profession. Hav- 
 ing completed his studies he came to But- 
 ler and is said to have been the only physi- 
 cian in Butler County at the time of the 
 agrarian troubles on the Maxwell farm, 
 which took place in 1815. In October of 
 
 that year, when Maxwell was wounded, Dr. 
 Miller came to his aid, while a messenger 
 was sent to Pittsburg for Dr. Agnew, who 
 arrived the evening of the day of the trag- 
 edy. Dr. Miller practiced in Butler about 
 eight years, removing in 1823 to Ohio, 
 where he died prior to 1830. He married 
 Martha, daughter of William Anderson, 
 who resided near Warren, Trumbull Coun- 
 tv, Ohio, who with four children survived 
 liim. After the death of Dr. Miller his 
 family returned to Butler and lived here 
 many years. Dr. Miller was a member of 
 the first Borough Coimcil in 1817, and was 
 treasurer of the old Butler Academy. 
 
 Henry C. DeWolfe was second resi- 
 dent physician of Butler and a native of 
 Hartford, Conn. He was a graduate of 
 Yale College, and shortly after coming to 
 Butler in 1817 or 1818 'he married Miss 
 Jane McQuistion. He was chosen trustee 
 of the academy in 1821 and treasurer of the 
 borough in 1825, and filled many other of- 
 fices of trust during his long residence 
 here. His death occurred July 24th, 1854, 
 in his seventy-third year. His son, T. E. 
 DeWolfe, practiced here from 1851 to Au- 
 gust 24th, 1859, when death removed him 
 in his thirty-fifth year. He was born in 
 1824 and was a graduate of Jefferson Col- 
 lege and the Cleveland (Ohio) INIedieal Col- 
 lege. 
 
 Dr. George Lynn came to Butler from 
 ]\Iercer Coimty in 1823 and was one of the 
 two physicians here that year. He mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Gibson in 1825 and was mak- 
 ing rapid progress in his profession when 
 called away by death in 1833. He was one 
 of the pioneers of the temperance move- 
 ment in Butler County. 
 
 Dr. James Graham came here soon after 
 the death of Dr. L^mn and shared the i^at- 
 ronage of the people with Dr. DeWolfe 
 untiUiis death in 1845. Dr. Graham was a 
 native of Ireland and studied medicine be- 
 fore coming to this country. Shortly after 
 his arrival here he opened school in a 
 building on Mclvean Street, opposite what 
 
326 
 
 IfrSTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 has beeu known as tlu' Rink, and on the 
 site of the residence of Captain Thomas 
 Hayes. He brought with him from the old 
 country some of the old methods of school 
 teaching, and it is said that he was a past 
 master in the use of the cat-o '-nine-tails. 
 He was, however, a thorough physician 
 and a scholar and in his sober hours was 
 popular, but the use of drink led to his 
 death. 
 
 Some other physicians who practiced 
 here between the periods of 1834 and 1835 
 were Drs. Donnell & McQuaid, partners. 
 Dr. George W. Getty s, and Dr. Goodall. 
 
 De. GoTLEiB Miller, a graduate of Mar- 
 burg University, Gei'many, came to Butler 
 in 1841, and enjoyed a prosperous prac- 
 tice imtil his death, which occurred in 
 1849. 
 
 H. C. Lynn, a nephew of Dr. George 
 Lynn, began to practice in Butler in 1833. 
 In 1835 he removed to West Sunbury, 
 where he practiced until 1878, when he re- 
 turned to Butler and entered the drug busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Dr. Isaiah McJunkin began to pra<'tice 
 in Butler in 1844. He was born in Cen- 
 ter Township, Butler County, in 1817 and 
 received his education at the old Jefferson 
 College at Canonsburg. He studied medi- 
 cine under Dr. 0. D. Palmer of Zelienople, 
 in 1841, and later in the Louisville Medi- 
 cal College. He removed in 1860 to Chi- 
 cago, and at once took a leading place 
 among the physicians of that city. His. 
 death occurred in 1863. 
 
 Dr. Agnew practiced at Butler for a 
 short time as the partner of Dr. McJun- 
 kin. He practiced at Harmony after the 
 Rapp community left and afterwards re- 
 moved to Zelienople. He was the father of 
 the late Judge Daniel Agnew, who was 
 president judge of the district in 1851 to 
 1863, and who in later years tilled an hon- 
 orable career on the Supreme Bench of the 
 State. 
 
 Dr. Charles Stein, a graduate of the 
 University of Bonn, Prussia, practiced in 
 
 Butler and at West Sunbury from 1850 to 
 1870. In the latter year he removed to 
 AVheatland, where he died in: 1876, at the 
 age of seventy-one years. 
 
 Dr. Theodore Frickenstein practiced in 
 Butler from 1864 to 1868. He removed to 
 Brooklyn, N. Y., where he died recently. 
 
 Dr. Charles Emmerling, who was one 
 of the ablest nu'inl)ers of the profession in 
 western Pennsylvania, came to Butler 
 about 1854 and remained until 1865. He 
 attained a large practice, but was even 
 more successful in Pittsburg, where he 
 went from Butler. 
 
 Dr. George M. Zimmerman, who prac- 
 ticed in Butler from 1869 to 1900, was the 
 son of John Michael and Mary Barber 
 Zimmerman, and was born in Butler No- 
 vember 18, 1842. He graduated from Jef- 
 ferson College, now Washington & Jeffer- 
 son College, of Washington. Penna., in 
 1867, and read medicine with Dr. Ste])hen 
 Bredin. He attended the College of Phys- 
 icians and Surgeons in New York City dur- 
 ing the winter of 1867 and 1868 and tlie 
 Jefferson Medical College of Philadel])hia 
 the winter of 1869 and 1870. After his 
 graduation he practiced in Winona, Minn., 
 for a short time and in Hubbard, Ohio, re- 
 moving from the latter i>lace to his native 
 toAvn in 1872, where he continued to prac- 
 tice until his death. 
 
 Dr. a. ^r. Neymax, who is now living in 
 Butler, is in liis ciglily third year, and is 
 the oldest living jjliysician in the county. 
 He was the son of Abraham Markel and 
 Eleanor (McClearv) Nevman, and was 
 born in Butler February 6, 1826. He re- 
 ceived his education in the old Butler 
 Academy under the late Rev. William 
 White, who was at that time cojisidered 
 one of the finest linguists in the State. 
 Subsequently he taught school in the coun- 
 try and clerked in the office of justice of 
 the i)eace, but conceiving a fondness for 
 the study of medicine, he went to Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio, in 1845 and began reading med- 
 icine with Dr. Washington Morehead of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 327 
 
 that place. lu 1847 he returned to But- 
 ler and again resorted to school teaching 
 and other occupations to sustain himself 
 and provide means for future study. In 
 
 1849 he was associated with Rev. William 
 White and taught the English branches in 
 the old Butler Academy. In the spring of 
 
 1850 ho again resmned the study of medi- 
 cine under Dr. W. J. Randolph, who was 
 then a successful jthysician of Butler. He 
 attended the AVestern Hescrvc .Medical Col- 
 lege of Cleveland, graduating from that in- 
 stitution in 1853. Immediately after his 
 graduation he returned to Butler and 
 opened the practice which he has followed 
 very successfully imtil a few years ago, 
 when the infirmities of his advanced age 
 compelled him to retire. There is perha])S 
 no member of the medical profession in 
 Butler County with a wider reputation 
 than Dr. Neyman, as his many years of 
 practice has made him known to every 
 household. What he has done in the sev- 
 eral branches of surgery and medicine can- 
 not be detailed here, but one case that is 
 worthy of mention, and has been little 
 heard of is told with his permission. It 
 was Cesarean section done by Dr. Emmer- 
 ling and him in the summer of 1860, both 
 mother and child surviving. It was the 
 first authenticated operation of its kind 
 west of the Allegheny Mountains, with a 
 result of which any surgeon might feel 
 justly proud. Dr. Xeyman is a doctor of 
 the old school, but has kept thoroughly 
 abreast of the times, not alone in medi- 
 cines, but in the arts and sciences; a thor- 
 ough gentleman, his code of professional 
 ethics is, and always has been, above re- 
 proach; modest, honest, dignified and just 
 in all his dealings with all his fellow men, 
 his daily life and acts are surely worthy 
 of emulation. 
 
 Dk. Samuel Grahaji practiced in Butler 
 from 1865 to 1897. He was born in But- 
 ler, January 31, 1836, and was the son of 
 John B. and Sarah (Gilkey) Graham, and 
 grandson of Robert Graham, one of the 
 
 first settlers of the borough. He was edu- 
 cated in the public schools and in the old 
 Witherspoon Institute, Butler. He com- 
 menced the study of medicine with Dr. L. 
 R. McCurdy, of Butler, and entered the 
 National Medical College of Washington, 
 D. C, where he remained two years. In 
 ]861 he answered the call of liis country 
 and enlisted in Company H, Thirteenth 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served thi-ee 
 months. He then entered Jefferson 2iledi- 
 cal College, Philadelphia, from which he 
 graduated in March, 1862. He again en- 
 tered the service of the United States as 
 assistant surgeon of the 174th Pennsylva- 
 nia Volunteers, with which he remained un- 
 til 1863. In 1864 he joined the United 
 States Medical staff in Emory Hospital, 
 Washington, D. C, and was subsequently 
 appointed surgeon of the Eighty-first 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers, with which regi- 
 ment he remained until the close of the 
 war. Dr. Graham was president of the 
 County and State Medical Society and a 
 member of the U. S. Pension Board in this 
 district for ten vears previous to his death, 
 June 10, 1897. " While Dr. Graham was a 
 skillful physician, he was preeminently a 
 surgeon, in which branch he acquired a 
 greater popularity than usually comes to 
 the life of the all-around doctor. His death 
 was lamented by a large clientele, and he 
 is missed liy tiie ])r()fessi(.n, not only for 
 his ])rofessional attainments, but for his 
 amiable and happy influence in councils. 
 
 De. W. J. Randolph was one of the suc- 
 cessful surgeons in Butler from 1850 to 
 1853. He was afterwards in the army and 
 when the war closed engaged in cotton 
 raising in North Carolina, where he resided 
 until his death. 
 
 Dr. DuPanchell, a French physician, 
 was here in the thirties. He is said to 
 have been a polished and learned gentle- 
 man, a skillful physician and surgeon. One 
 of the stories told about his skill in sur- 
 gery concerned a hostler employed at Pat- 
 rick Kellv's hotel, who was of somewhat 
 
328 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 delifieut mental powers. It is .said that Dr. 
 DuPanchell trepanned the hostler's skull 
 with success as to render him a sensihle 
 mortal. 
 
 Dr. John Cowden, the founder of a fam- 
 ily that was noted for tlie number of its 
 physicians, was a native of Butler County. 
 He read medicine in Ohio and established 
 himself as a physician at Portersville as 
 early as 1818. After n labor of fifty years 
 among the first settlers of the northwest- 
 ern township and their children and gi-and- 
 children, he removed to AUenheny City, 
 where he died February j.jth, 1880, in his 
 eighty-third year. 
 
 Dr. William R. Cowpen, of Middle Lan- 
 caster, was the son of Dr. John Cowden 
 above mentioned, and was born in Por- 
 tersville in 1820. He graduated from Jef- 
 ferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 
 the spring of 1846 and began practicing 
 in his native town. With the exception of 
 three years spent in West Sunbury and a, 
 few years in Worth Township, he was en- 
 gaged in active duties of his profession 
 for nearly fifty years at Portersville, re- 
 moving to Middle Lancaster about 1893, 
 where he died in April, 1897. 
 
 Dr. William Rush Cowden and Dk. 
 John Victor Cowden of Butler are sons 
 of William R. Cowden, M.D., above men- 
 tioned. William R. is a graduate of the 
 Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville . 
 in the class of J894. He practiced at Ze- 
 lienople and Renfrew before he came to 
 Butler. Dr. John Victor Cowden is a grad- 
 uate of West Penn Medical College of 
 Pittsburg, in the class of IS!)^). and tlie 
 Philadelphia Polyclinic in 1902, and prac- 
 ticed at Middle Lancaster and Renfrew be- 
 fore moving to Butler in 1902. 
 
 Dk. Gleason, a Philadelphian, attained 
 some prominence as a lecturer on medical 
 and sanitary subjects, and was here in the 
 forties. 
 
 Henri DeColiere was a French physi- 
 cian who located in Butler in the forties 
 and obtained much notoriety. He had his 
 
 office on Main Street, adjoining Anthony 
 Rockenstein, and near the Col. John M. 
 Sullivan residence, now occupied by the 
 Schultis and Koch buildings. A tire in 
 1859 destroyed the Rockenstein building 
 and the one occupied by Dr. DeColiere, and 
 when it became known that the French doc- 
 tor had his property heavily insured, many 
 looked upon him as the incendiary. Owing 
 to his fondness for using the knife he was 
 generally feared by the people, though he 
 was believed to be a skilled i)hysician and 
 surgeon. Owing to this })roi)ensity he was 
 once placed on trial for nuinslaugiiter, but 
 escaped the jail. On another occasion he 
 was called to attend a case of delirium 
 tremens in Butler. After diagnosing the 
 case, he declared that the patient would 
 die "in three minutes" and it was said 
 that, to make his prediction good, he ad- 
 ministered a poison which killed the man 
 within the time specified. 
 
 Dr. George K. McAdoo began the prac- 
 tice of medicine in Butler County in 1892. 
 He was the sou of W. F. and Maria (Du- 
 mars) McAdoo of Sugar Grove, Mercer 
 County, Penna., and was born July 21. 
 1866. He was educated at Thiel College, 
 Greenville, and Grove City College, and 
 graduated from the West Penn Medical 
 College, Pittsburg, in the class of 1892. 
 He practiced at Anandale and at Slippery 
 Rock from 1892 to 1898, when he removed 
 to Butler. He went to Europe in 1900 and 
 took a post-graduate course and was en- 
 gaged in special work in Butler when his 
 death occurred on December 23, 1903, from 
 typhoid fever, being one of the victims of 
 the epidemic in Butler that year. 
 
 Dr. John E. Byers was born in Siunmit 
 Township, Butler County, June 15th, 18-18. 
 He was educated at Withersi)Oon Institute, 
 Butler, and entered the office of Dr. A. M. 
 Ne\nnan as a student of medicine in the 
 early seventies. He. graduated from the 
 Medical University of New York C'ity in 
 1878 and located in Butler the same year. 
 He was a member of the County Medical 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 329 
 
 Society, the State Medical Society and the 
 National Association of Railway Surgeons. 
 At the time of his death he had been sur- 
 geon for the Pennsylvania Railroad at But- 
 ler for over twenty years. AVhen the ty- 
 phoid fever epidemic broke out in Butler 
 in the winter of 1903-1904 Dr. Byers was 
 a member of the Butler Board of Health. 
 Although suffering from impaired health 
 he performed Herculean labors in taking- 
 care of the sick and the distressed in the 
 dark days of November and December and 
 literally died at his post of duty. While 
 visiting a fever patient on February S, 
 1904, he suddenly collapsed and in a few 
 hours a life of noble sacrifice had ended. 
 
 Dr. John F. Turner of Hooker regis- 
 tered in Butler County in 1893. He is now 
 in charge of the Govei'nment Sanitarium 
 for the care of Indians in South Dakota. 
 
 Dr. Fr.^nk Crawford was born in Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County, and was 
 the son of Dr. Elder Crawford, who is 
 now a resident of Mars. He graduated 
 from the AVest Penn Medical College of 
 Pittsburg, in 1896, and practiced at Glade 
 Mills, AlIcghciiN- City and Mars. His sud- 
 den dt'iilli in l!Mi(l cut short a promising ca- 
 reer and (iuiscd genuine sorrow in the 
 community. 
 
 Dk. McCitrdy Bricker was liorn in Buf- 
 falo Township, Butler County, on April 2, 
 1868, and was the son of John Bricker. He 
 began the study of medicine in the West- 
 ern University of Pennsylvania at Pitts- 
 burg and completed his studies at the Med- 
 ical College at Indianapolis in 1894. He 
 bemme associated with Dr. A. M. Hoover 
 of Butler, the same year, and a year later 
 opened an office himself. At the time of 
 his death January 10, 1908, he had a large 
 practice and was one of the leading physi- 
 cians of Butler. 
 
 Dr. Sylvester D. Bell was one of the 
 leading physicians of Butler at the close 
 of the last century. He was born in Arm- 
 strong County in 1847 and was the grand- 
 son of Samuel Bell, an earlv settler of 
 
 Washiugton Township, Butler County. 
 His parents were Samuel S. and Margaret 
 (McClymonds) Bell. His preceptor in the 
 study of medicine was Dr. T. M. McMillan 
 of Fairview Township, and he graduated 
 from the Western Reserve Medical College 
 at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1874. He practiced 
 at Chicora (Millerstown) until 1890 when 
 he removed to Butler and continued his 
 practice until 1901, when he removed to 
 Pi-escott, Arizona, wliere he died Janu- 
 ary 14, 1902. Dr. Bell was a member of 
 the Butler County Medical Association and 
 the State Medical Society. He was vice- 
 ])resident of the latter society for one term, 
 president of the Butler County Medical So- 
 ciety for one term, and secretary and 
 treasurer for three successive terms. He 
 was a Republican jiolitically, and was 
 elected to the State Legislature on the Re- 
 publican ticket in 1881. He served one 
 term as county chaii'man and was one of 
 the presidential electors in 1892. 
 
 Dr. Harry A. Bell was born in Chicora 
 (Millerstown), Butler County, and was the 
 son of Dr. Sylvester D. Bell of Butler. He 
 received his preliminary education in the 
 high schools of Butler and in Washington 
 and Jefferson College, graduating from the 
 latter institution in 1894, and from the 
 medical department of the University of 
 Pennsylvania in 1897. He succeeded to 
 the practice of his father in Butler and 
 continued to jiractiee here until 1902, when 
 he removed to Arizona, where his death 
 occurred November 17th of that year. 
 
 Dr. C. F. McBride, a native of Butler, 
 graduated from Jefferson Medical College, 
 Philadelphia, in 1875. He practiced at 
 Butler, Harrisville and Fairview until 
 1882, when he removed to Youngstown, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Stephen Bredin, second son of Hon. 
 John Bredin, l>egan the ]>ractice of medi- 
 cine in Butler in 1861. He had graduated 
 from the medical department of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 
 1856 and practiced several years in the 
 
330 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 AA'est before locating in Butler. He oou- 
 tiuued practicing- in Butler until 1885, 
 when he removed to P^rauklin, Penna. He 
 is now living in New Jersey. 
 
 Dr. Walter Scott Patterson was born 
 in Beaver Count j', Pennsylvania, and is a 
 graduate of the Jefferson Medical College, 
 Philadelphia, in the class of 1901, and of 
 the Ada (Ohio) School of -Pharmacy in 
 the class of 1898. He located in Butler in 
 1902 and has built up an extensive prac- 
 tice. He takes an active interest in polit- 
 ical affairs, and was elected county coroner 
 on the Republican ticket in 1905. He has 
 associated with him, in his practice, his 
 wife, Dr. Ella A. H. Patterson, who is a 
 physician of recognized ability. 
 
 Dr. Frank Ij. Hazlett was born in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, Butler County, 
 April 24, 1878, and is a son of Leslie P. 
 Hazlett, Esq., of Butler. He was educated 
 at Grove City College, class of 1898, and 
 at JelTerson Medical College, Philadelphia, 
 graduating from that institution in 1903. 
 He practiced in Butler from 1903 until 
 1906, when he removed to Bruin, Butler 
 County, where he died on July 24, 1907. 
 
 Dr. Leslie R. Hazlett is the son of 
 Thomas Hazlett, of Butler, and was born 
 in Butler Township September 1, 1868. He 
 graduated from Edinboro (Penna.) Nor- 
 mal School in the class of 1890, and fol- 
 lowed the profession of school teaching for 
 several years before taking u]) the study 
 of medicine. He graduated from the Jef- 
 ferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 
 the class of 1896, and the same year lo- 
 cated in New Galilee, Penna., where lie 
 practiced for six years. After completing 
 a ]30st-graduate course in Philadelphia in 
 1902, he located in Butler. He has built 
 up a large general practice, besides a line 
 of special work, and is one of the leading- 
 physicians of the town. 
 
 Dr. John Wesley Flick Moore was a 
 native of Armstrong County. He gradu- 
 ated from the Jefferson Medical College 
 in 1894 and located in Butler in the same 
 
 year. He was a man of exceptional social 
 qualities and an able iihysician. On June 
 14, 1903, he met with an accident which 
 caused his death. 
 
 Dr. Warren E. High was a native of 
 Reading, Penna., and a graduate of the 
 medical department of the Western Uni- 
 versitv of Pennsvlvania, Philadelphia, in 
 the class of ]894." He entered the Ignited 
 States Navy and saw service in the S]ian- 
 ish American war and in the Phiiii)iiines. 
 Ill health caused him to leave the navy and 
 he registered in Butler as a practicing 
 phvsician in 1906. His death occurred in 
 Biitler in May, 1907. 
 
 Dr. Nicholas N. Hoover, who is now a 
 resident of Butler, was born in Armstrong 
 County in 1836, and is the son of David 
 and Mary (Myers) Hoover, who were both 
 descendants of German families of the 
 eastern part of the State. He was edu- 
 cated at the old Freeport Academy and 
 began the study of medicine with Dr. 
 Thomas McGill of Freeport. He attended 
 lectures at the Cleveland Medical College 
 in 1S(i()-lS(n, and the summer of ISlil found 
 him enlisted in his country's defense and 
 a private soldier of the Sixty-first Regi- 
 ment of Ohio Volunteers. He served with 
 much credit until the expiration of his time 
 in July, 1864, having participated in vari- 
 ous campaigns and battles through the 
 states of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee 
 and Georgia. During the battle of AVau 
 Hatchie, Ga., fought at night between Gen- 
 eral Hooker's troops and the rebel Gen- 
 eral Bragg 's, he was slightly wounded. 
 With the close of his first term of military 
 service, he again turned his attention to 
 medieal work and attended a course of lec- 
 tures at Jefferson Medical College at Phil- 
 adelphia, graduating from that institution 
 in March, 1865. He was immediately com- 
 missioned assistant surgeon of the Eighty- 
 seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers, and at once assumed his duties, re- 
 maining in the field until the close of the 
 war. In the fall of 1865, he located at 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 331 
 
 North Washiugtou, where lie practiced un- 
 til 1888, when he removed to Butler. He 
 continued in the active duties of his pro- 
 fession until 1903, when ill health com- 
 pelled him to retire. 
 
 Dk. James Cooper McKee, lieutenant- 
 colonel and surgeon of the United States 
 army, was born in Butler Borough May 
 18, 1830, and died at his residence in But- 
 ler. December 11, 1897. He was the son 
 of Hugh McKee, a pioneer manufacturer 
 of Butler, and the grandson of Thomas 
 McKee, a soldier of the Revolution, who 
 settled in Butler Township in 1777. He 
 was educated at the public schools and at 
 the Butler Academy and in 1848 he at- 
 tended Duquesne College at Pittsburg. He 
 began the study of medicine under Dr. 
 William Thompson, of Indianapolis, and 
 attended lectures at the University of 
 Pennsylvania, at Phi!adeli)liia, graduating 
 from that institution in 1852. Dr. McKee 
 liegan practice at Altoona, where he con- 
 tinued until 1856 and for the next year 
 he )ir;i(tii'('(l in HoUidaysburg. He was 
 (■(iiiiiiii--inM('d assistant surgeon in the 
 I'liitcd States army in 1858, and his iirst 
 duty was in charge of a body of recruits 
 across the plains from Ft. Leavenworth, 
 Kansas, to Ft. Union, New ^Mexico, a march 
 of 800 miles. He participated in the cam- 
 paign against the Navajo Indians in New 
 ^fexico in 1858 and 1859, and in the cam- 
 paign against the Ajiache Indians in Ari- 
 zona in the winter of 1859 and 1860. In 
 September, 1860, he was ordered into the 
 Xavajo Indian country under (}eii. Canby, 
 a winter campaign ensued, and the party 
 did not get back to Fort Filmore until the 
 following June. The Rebellion having 
 broken out. Dr. jNIcKee was taken prisoner 
 liy Major Baylor, who commanded the 
 Texas militia, was paroled aiKl returned 
 to Fort Leavenworth, and thence to Jef- 
 ferson Barracks, Missouri. He was soon 
 afterward relieved from parole by ex- 
 I'hange and was assigned to duty in the 
 annv. He w^s ordered to Fort Waviie an.'. 
 
 thence to Camp Butler, Illinois, where he 
 had charge of the rebel prisoners of war. 
 He was next ordered to Chester, Penna., 
 where he organized a hospital; thence to 
 join Gen. Pope's army at Second Bull Run, 
 where he served as assistant medical di- 
 rector of the army. x\.t the battle of Antie- 
 tam he was made assistant medical pur- 
 veyor and was stationed at Frederick City, 
 .Maryland, after the liattle. He was next 
 sent to Baltimore and to Pittsburg, where 
 he established hosjjitals, and in 1863 he 
 was promoted to the rank of captain and 
 placed in charge of Lincoln United States 
 Hospital, Washington, whei'e he i-emained 
 until the close of the war. 
 
 Dr. McKee was next ordered to New 
 Mexico, where he served as chief medical 
 otHcer. Subsequently he was medical di- 
 •rectoi' of the (lei)artment of Arizona and 
 of the department of the Columbia, with 
 headquarters at ^^ancouver Barracks, 
 ^^'ashington. He was also stationed at 
 Fort Wadsworth, New York Harbor, and 
 at Watertowu Arsenal. He was finally re- 
 tired in 1891 for disabilities received in the 
 line of duty, with the rank of lieutenant 
 colonel. Colonel McKce was a man of dig- 
 nified characer, fine literary tastes, and a 
 skillful surgeon. While on the frontier 
 he performed the first operation on the 
 I)eritoneum recorded by the medical de- 
 ])artment of the army. The case was that 
 of a young soldier who had swallowed a 
 shingle nail and the jtiece of iron had 
 lodged in the groin. Colonel M<d\ee was 
 the author of a panqihlet giving the details 
 of the surrender of his connuand at Fort 
 Fillmore, which ran through several edi- 
 tions and was highly prized by military 
 men. At the time of his death Colonel Mc- 
 Kee had a valuable library, which he left 
 to the high school of Butler. 
 
 Hon. Joseph B. Sho Walter was born in 
 ^^ayette Township, Penna., February 11, 
 •1851, and is the youngest in the family of 
 Levi and Elizabeth Showalter. He ob- 
 tained his education in the public school 
 
332 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and at Georges Creek Academy at Smith- 
 field. When sixteen years of age he began 
 teaching school in Preston County, W. Va., 
 and followed this vocation for several 
 years in West Virginia, Indiana and Illi- 
 nois. He came to Millerstown, now Chi- 
 cora, with his brothers in 1873, and began 
 operating in the oil field. These opera- 
 tions were extended tlirough various fields 
 until the Showalter brothers were rated 
 among the extensive producers of the state. 
 While teaching he began reading medicine 
 and spent the year of 1883 at Long Island 
 College Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y. Later 
 he entered the College of Physicians and 
 Surgeons, Baltimore, Md., where he was 
 graduated March 4, 1884. He at once com- 
 menced practice at Chicora and continued 
 his professional duties until 1890, when he 
 retired. Dr. Showalter was elected to the 
 legislature on the Republican ticket in 
 1886, and to the State Senate in 1888, and 
 served his constituents with ability and 
 fidelity. AVhile he was in the Senate, he 
 was chosen chairman of the committee on 
 health and sanitation, and introduced and 
 secured the passage of the Medical Exam- 
 ination Bill, for which he received a vote 
 of thanks from the Pennsylvania State 
 Medical Society. 
 
 By the death of Congressman J. J. Dav- 
 idson of Beaver County, January 2, 1897, 
 a vacancy occurred in the Twenty-fifth 
 District, and at a special election held 
 April 20, 1897, Dr. Showalter was elected 
 to fill the unexpired term. He was re- 
 elected for the full term in 1898 and again 
 in 1900. The reapportionment of the con- 
 gressional districts in ]901 jilaced Butler 
 in the district with Westmoreland County 
 and at the succeeding election Col. George 
 P. Huff was elected to succeed Di\ Sho- 
 walter. Upon his retirement from his pub- 
 lic duties in W^ashington City in 1904, Dr. 
 Showalter removed to Butler, where he re- 
 sided until 1907, when he removed to Pitts- 
 burg. 
 
 Dr. Thomas M. Maxwell is a son of Dr. 
 
 J. K. Maxwell of Worthington, Armsti-ong 
 County, and was born April 19, 1878. He 
 gTaduated from Grove City College and 
 from West Penn Medical College in 1903 
 and located in Butler the same year. He 
 is a member of the Butler County Medi- 
 cal Association and the present secretai'y 
 of the society. He is also a member of the 
 State Medical Society, secretary of the 
 Board of Health of Butler Borough, and 
 local registrar of vital statistics for the 
 district com^josed of Butler, Center, Sum- 
 mit, Clearfield and Penn Townships and 
 Butler Borough. He is assistant examiner 
 of the State Tuberculosis Dispensary No. 
 15, located in Butler. Dr. Maxwell was 
 married June 2, 1904, to Miss ]\Iary B. 
 Claypool, daughter of James E. Claypool 
 of AVorthington. They have one daughter, 
 Elizabeth. The family are mem]>ers of 
 the Second Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Dr. Harvey D. Hockenberry was born 
 in Centerville, Butler County, October 
 17, 1850. He received his primary educa- 
 tion in the public schools and took an aca- 
 demic course at the West Sunbury Acad- 
 emy, after which he attended lectures at 
 the medical department of the Wooster 
 University, Cleveland, Ohio, and after- 
 wards took a post-graduate course at Jef- 
 ferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He 
 located in West Sunbury in 1879 and has 
 continued in the active duties of his pro- 
 fession. Dr. Hockenberry is a member of 
 the State ^Medical Society, and of Butler 
 County. Medical Society, of which he was 
 president in 1893 and in 1899. He is medi- 
 cal examiner of the State Tuberculosis Dis- 
 pensary No. 15, and county inspector for 
 the State Board of Health. Since locating 
 in West Sunbury he has Ijuilt up an ex- 
 tensive practice, and is one of the well- 
 known physicians of the county. 
 
 Dr. George H. Scott was born in Butler, 
 April 3, 1879, and is the son of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Robert Presley Scott, of this city. 
 He received his education in the high 
 schools of Butler, and at Lafayette Col- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 lege, Eastou, Peuua., and was graduated 
 from the medical department of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania at Pliiladel])hia in 
 June, 1902. He was eonnnissioneil first 
 lieutenant and surgeon of the medical eorp 
 of the United States army, September, 27, 
 1902, and promoted captain, September 27, 
 1907. He saw three years' service in the 
 Philippines and is at present located at 
 Port Logan, Colo. He is a successful phy- 
 sician and surgeon and has a bright oilt- 
 look for the future. 
 
 Dr. George D. Thomas began practicing 
 medicine in Chicora in 1890 and contiimed 
 until 1908 when he removed to Meadville, 
 Penna. 
 
 Dr. H.\ery M. Davis is a son of I. H. 
 Davis and was born in Franklin, Penna. 
 He graduated from "West Penn Medical 
 College in Pittsburg in 1897 and took a 
 post-graduate course in the New York 
 Post-graduate College in 1905. He prac- 
 ticed in New Lebanon, Mercer County, for 
 seven years, and at Cochranton, Crawford 
 County, for two years coming to Butler in 
 July, 1908. He succeeded to the practice 
 of the late Dr. ^McCurdy Bricker. 
 
 Dr. James C-. Boyle was born at New 
 Hope, or Bovard's Mills, Butler County, 
 November 14, 186-1-, and is the son of 
 Thomas and Jane (Stoughton) Boyle. His 
 boyhood days were spent in AVorth Town- 
 ship, where he attencled the public schools 
 of the district, and subsequently he at- 
 tended Edinboro State Normal School, 
 graduating from the latter institution. He 
 taught in the public and graded schools of 
 the state for eight years and at the same 
 time pursued a course of studies in medi- 
 cine, graduating from the West Penn Med- 
 ical Ciillfgc at Pittsburg in 1892. He first 
 ])ractic('(l with Dr. Beatty at Deeper, Clar- 
 ion County, and for a short time at Marion- 
 ville, Jefferson County, and then estab- 
 lished himself at Taylorstown, Washing- 
 ton Coianty, Pennsylvania, where he re- 
 mained for four years. Dr. Boyle located 
 in Butler in 1896 and at once built up a 
 
 large private practice. In 1902 and 1903 
 he took a special course in the Philadelphia 
 Polyclinic and College for graduates in 
 medicine, and in 1905 he attended the Royal 
 London Ophthalmic and Westminster Oph- 
 thalmic Hospitals, and the Central Lon- 
 don Ear and Throat Hospital, of London, 
 England, where he made a special study of 
 the eye, ear, nose and throat. Upon his 
 return to Butler he gave his entire time to 
 special work, and in 1908 established an 
 eye and ear hospital in Butler, which is the 
 first institution of the kind in Butler 
 County. The hospital is thoroughly 
 equipped and has a capacity of ten to fif- 
 teen beds. Dr. Boyle was married in 1894 
 to Miss Kathleen McNair of Butler and 
 they have one son, James C, Jr. The fam- 
 ily are members of the Episcopal Church. 
 Dr. Boyle is a member of the ^lasonic or- 
 der, the Maccabees, the Protected Home 
 Circle and the Home Guards of Airierica. 
 Politically he is an independent Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 Dr. R. L. McCurdy, who recently died in 
 Freeport, was a well-known physician in 
 Bntler in the sixties. His son, Dr. Redick 
 Coulter McCurdy, practiced in Butler in 
 1885. " . 
 
 COUNTY PHYSICIANS. 
 HARRISVILLE. 
 
 Dr. James Owens. The first resident 
 physician of Harrisville was Dr. James 
 Owens, He came from New York State 
 and after about ten years' practice went 
 West about 1850. Dr. James McConnell 
 practiced in Harrisville in the early fifties. 
 He sold his practice to Dr. Ellrick and went 
 to California, where he died. 
 
 Dr. Jackson McMillan, who was re- 
 garded as a very competent physician, 
 practiced in Harrisville from about 1845 
 to 1860 when he went to Kansas, where he 
 died. 
 
 Dr. J. H. Elrick located in Harrisville 
 in 1856 and practiced until the latter part 
 
•334 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLP:K COUNTY 
 
 of the eighties, wlieii lie retired to private 
 life. He is still living iu Harrisville, and 
 is lorobably one of the oldest physicians in 
 the county. 
 
 The physicians practicing in Harrisville 
 in 1908 were Dr. Walker W. McConnell 
 and Dr. Wilbert B. Campbell. 
 
 BREAK NECK, OK EVANS CITV. 
 
 The first physician at Break Neck, now 
 Evans City, was Dr. Sample, who located 
 there in 1844, lint left in 1845. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Di-. \Mlliain Sterrett, who prac- 
 ticed from 1848 until 1855, when he moved 
 to Allegheny County, where he died a year 
 later. 
 
 Dk. William Irvine. The successor of 
 Dr. Sterrett of Evans City was Dr. Will- 
 iam Irvine, a graduate of the Jefferson 
 ]\[edical College of Philadelphia, in the 
 class of 1855. He was the son of Samuel 
 Irvine, an early settler of Adams Town- 
 ship, and was born in 1828. From 1855 to 
 1868 he was the only practicing phj'sician 
 in the village. He was examining surgeon 
 in 1862 and in 1876 was a member of the 
 State Legislature. 
 
 The contemporaries of Dr. Irvine at 
 Evans City were Dr. Theodore Kirstiug, 
 who located there in 1867, Dr. Joshua M. 
 List in 1875 and Dr. Flovd B. Brooks in 
 1877. 
 
 The resident phvsiciaus in 1908 were: 
 Dr. Y. F. Thomas, Dr. Leo A. Dombart and 
 Dr. Hairy J\I. Wilson. 
 
 AVEST LIBERTY. 
 
 Dr. Albert A. Kelly was the first set- 
 tled physician at West Liberty. He was 
 a graduate of the Cleveland Medical School 
 in 1873 and came to Butler County in 1876. 
 
 Dr. Edwin C. Thompson located in West 
 Liberty in 1891. 
 
 The first ]ihysici;m at Mechanicsburg 
 was Dr. George Kirki>atrick, who also kept 
 a general store at that yilace for six years. 
 He died at Noith Liberty in 1841, and was 
 
 succeeded by one Dr. Steen, who was a 
 "water doctor." 
 
 Dr. Abernathv was one of the piiysi- 
 cians in Mechanicslnug community in 1872. 
 He was a graduate of the .lefferson Medi- 
 cal College, and also of the School of Med- 
 icine in New York City. 
 
 Among the early physicians of Chicora 
 were Dr. Marks, who remained but a 
 short time; Dr. McLaughlin, who lived iu 
 the borough about two years; and Dr. Get- 
 tes, who remained about an equal length of 
 time. 
 
 Dr. Josiah McMichael, a native of 
 Meadville, began the practice of medicine 
 in Venango County when twenty-six years 
 of age. He located at Chicora in 1858 and 
 was prominent in professional and local 
 affairs until his death January 12th, 1880. 
 
 Dr. R. L. Patterson located at Chicora 
 about 1872. He was a native of Mercer 
 County and was born in 1852. He gradu- 
 ated from Allegheny College at Meadville 
 and from the Cleveland Medical College in 
 1872. After his graduation he engaged in 
 the hospital ])ractice in Cleveland for six 
 months and then attended a course of lec- 
 tures in the University of Pennsylvania in 
 Philadelphia. He began to practice at 
 Greece City, then a flourishing oil town, 
 and following up the oil excitement, 
 changed his residence to the now defunct 
 village of St. Joe, where he practiced but 
 a short time until he again changed to Chi- 
 cora. Dr. Patterson was numbered among 
 the successful ]»liysicians in the county, and 
 the reputation was worthily liestowed. 
 
 During a period of ten years, from 1872 
 to 1882, the town of Petrolia had as many 
 as fifteen physicians. The first was Dr. 
 Lyman Willard, who located in the town 
 in 1872 and removed to New York State 
 in 1878. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 335 
 
 Dr. F. C. Cluxton, a man of education 
 and an accomplished gentleman, succeeded 
 Dr. Willard, and removed to Bradford, fol- 
 lowing the oil excitement in 1880. 
 
 Dr. J. H. SuTHERUiND, originally of Can- 
 ada, practiced in the town from 1874 to 
 1881. He went to Richsburg, N. Y. 
 
 Dr. E. p. Squire was a partner of Dr. 
 Sutherland from 1876 to 1880 and in the 
 latter year removed to New York State. 
 
 Dk. Stew.4BT, now of Bradford, came to 
 Petrolia during the first oil excitement and 
 remained until 1878. 
 
 Dr. (i. Reno, Dr. John Mechlinu and 
 Dr. Deitrick were among those who prac- 
 ticed from one to three vears between 1872 
 and 1880. 
 
 Dr. AV. C. Foster located in Petrolia in 
 1876. He was a graduate of the Jefferson 
 Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1874, 
 and practiced two years in New Betlilehem, 
 Clarion County, before coming to Butler 
 County. 
 
 Dr. C. C. Rumberoer, who ))racticed for 
 ten years in the community, was the son 
 of Col. W. P. Rumberger. and was born in 
 Slippery Rock Towiisliip, Butler County, 
 in 185l! He griuhuitcd liom the I'niver- 
 sity of Pennsylvania at IMiiia(leli)hia in 
 1872, and first practiced at Buena Vista, 
 where he remained until 1881, when he re- 
 moved to Petrolia. Subsequently he gave 
 up the practice of medicine and entered the 
 ministrv of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church! 
 
 KARNS CITY. 
 
 The members of the medical fraternity 
 who practiced at Karns City in the days of 
 the oil excitement were Dr. S. H. Petti- 
 grew, who located there in 1872 and re- 
 moved to DuBois, Penna., in 1881 ; Dr. 
 Blinckard practiced about one year, com- 
 mencing about 1874, and Dr. William F. F. 
 Mahueke for two vears, commencing in 
 1878. 
 
 Dr. David Harper, a graduate of the 
 Cniversitv of Michigan, located in Karns 
 
 City in 1873 and ))ra<-ti('ed for about ten 
 years. 
 
 BRUIN AND FAIRVIEW. 
 
 The early physicians of Bruin were Dr. 
 Samuel Wallace and Dr. Goe, both of 
 whom were residents of Armstrong Coun- 
 tj . The first resident physician was Dr. 
 David Fowler, who moved to that place 
 from Fairview about 1845. Dr. Fowler 
 also practiced in North Washington and 
 Harrisville. 
 
 Dr. B. E. Dennisox located in Bruin in 
 1872. He was educated at Hiram College, 
 Ohio, under President (Jarfield, and sub- 
 sequently graduated from Harvard Uni- 
 versity. He graduated from the Louisville 
 iMedical College in 1860 and at the break- 
 ing out of the rebellion was practicing in 
 Missouri. He entered the I'nion Army as 
 a surgeon and in 1864 and 65 was one of 
 the staff of the assistant surgeon general 
 at Louisville, Ky. 
 
 Among those who have practiced in 
 Bruin for from one to three years each 
 since 1872 have been Dr. S. H. Pettigrew, 
 Dr. J. W. Kellev, Dr. A. Brvan, Dr. C. M. 
 C. Campbell, Dr. S. H. Kerr. Dr. Thomas, 
 and a Dr. iVdair. 
 
 Dr. H. C. Burchard, who was a graduate 
 of the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
 T^ew York Citv, ]iracticed in Fairview in 
 1873. 
 
 Dr. J. W. Beattv, who settled in Fair- 
 view in 1855 or 1856, practiced in that field 
 until his death in 1881. 
 
 Henry Bullard, who died in Fairview in 
 1850, was a contemporary of Dr. Beattv 
 and Dr. Fowler and of Dr. A. Barnhart. 
 who becan to practice in that communitv 
 in 1840. 
 
 farminoton. 
 
 The physicians located at Farmington 
 in the last quarter of the century were Dr. 
 T. B. Rliodes, from Ohio, who began prac- 
 ticing in 1875, and Dr. Albert Richey, who 
 liegan in 1881. 
 
336 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 De. R. J. McMicHAEL, who is one of the 
 present physicians, is a native of Clay 
 Township, Butler County, and began to 
 practice at Sunbury in 1879. He located 
 in Farming-ton in 1881. 
 
 HABMONY AND ZELIENOPLE. 
 
 The first physician to practice at Har- 
 iiony and Zelienople after the departure 
 )f the Rapp community was Dr. Agnew. 
 ^e was succeeded by Dr. J. McHenry, who 
 practiced from 1815 to 1823. Dr. McHenry 
 yas a man of literary tastes and the au- 
 hor of several books, mostly novels and 
 )oetry. He was the father of the McHenry 
 vlio was a well-known railway magnate in 
 he eighties. He removed to Philadelphia 
 In 1823 and died in that city. 
 
 De. Oetn D. Palmee practiced in Zelie- 
 lople from 3836 to 1860. He was a worthy 
 e])resentative of the medical profession 
 nd was esteemed both in his professional 
 apacity and as a citizen. 
 
 De. Loring Lusk, who practiced in Har- 
 lony and Zelienople at various times from 
 823 to 1878, was born in Ontario County, 
 lew York, in 1799. He studied medicine 
 . 1 Mercer, Pennsylvania, with his brother- 
 a-law. Dr. Cossett, and married Miss 
 •mith, daughter of Joseph Smith of Mer- 
 er. He practiced in Harmony from 1823 
 -) 1829 and then went to Beaver County, 
 fliere he remained for a few years. He 
 ext became an extensive contractor on the 
 tate works on the Ohio River to Lake 
 Irie, and was thus engaged until 1844, 
 ^hen he returned to Harmony and re- 
 amed practice. In 1854 he went to Can- 
 )n, Missouri, and was practicing in that 
 lace when the Civil War broke out in 
 861. He was elected surgeon of the Twen- 
 r-first Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, 
 ad after serving one year, he returned to 
 elienople and engaged in the drug busi- 
 3SS. His death occurred in 1878. 
 Dr. Joseph S. Lusk was born in Har- 
 ony in 1826 and was the son of Dr. Lor- 
 [g Lusk above mentioned. He received 
 
 his education at the Mercer Academy, and 
 graduated from the Western Reserve Med- 
 ical College, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1850. The 
 same year he began to ])ractice at Har- 
 mony and continued until 1887, when he 
 removed- to Butler, and practiced until his 
 death, February 3, 1889. Dr. Lusk was es- 
 pecially a physician, a medical adviser of 
 high order, and commanded the respect 
 and admiration of his fellows of the pro- 
 fession. He was elected a member of the 
 Legislature on the Republican ticket in 
 1870 and served in the session of 1871-74- 
 76. 
 
 De. Amos Lusk began practice in his na- 
 tive town in 1849. He was the son of Dr. 
 Loring Lusk and a brother of Dr. Joseph 
 L. Lusk, before mentioned. He located at 
 Zelienople in 1851 and in 1853 was ap- 
 pointed in charge of the United States Ma- 
 rine Hospital in Pittsburg. He moved to 
 Missouri in 1857 and returned to Zelie- 
 nople in 1861, where he practiced until his 
 death, November 17, 1891. Dr. Lusk at- 
 tained eminence in the profession for his. 
 learning and successful management Of 
 disease. He studied many languages and 
 was a lover of books. It has been said that 
 he had mastered thirty-five languages. 
 
 The code of ethics prohibiting a physi- 
 cian from advertising was not in force in 
 1828. If it existed at all it was not ob- 
 served by Dr. Beriah Magoffin, who set- 
 tled at Harmony in that year. In the "Re- 
 pository" of 1829, Dr. Magoffin publishes 
 a card in which he offers his services in 
 the various branches of his profession, set- 
 ting forth that he had studied both at 
 Europe and Transylvania, Kentucky. His 
 office was at the house of John Flemming, 
 Esq., of Harmony. Dr. Magoffin afterward 
 removed to Mercer where he Iniilt up a 
 large practice. 
 
 MroOLE LANCASTER. 
 
 The first practicing physician to locate 
 at Middle Lancaster was a Dr. Brothers, 
 who located there in 1853. He removed to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 337 
 
 Ohio some four years later, and was suc- 
 ceeded by a Dr. White and a Dr. Acre. 
 None of these remained more than five 
 years, Dr. White removing to Harlens- 
 burg, where he was practicing in the lat- 
 ter part of the eighties. 
 
 Dr. a. H. Metz was a native of Middle 
 Lancaster and a graduate of Jefferson 
 Medical College of Philadelphia. He prac- 
 ticed in the village from 1871 to 1875, when 
 he left the county. 
 
 Dr. George A. McCandless, a native of 
 Center Township, Butler County, and a 
 graduate of the Louisville Medical Col- 
 lege, succeeded Dr. Metz at Middle Lan- 
 caster. 
 
 WHITESTOWN. 
 
 In the Whitestowu settlement the first 
 doctor was Dr. Andrew Spear and his 
 brother, Matthew W. Spear, both of whom 
 practiced in Prosj^eet later. After the 
 death of Dr. Andrew vSpear there was no 
 settled physician in AVhitestowu until the 
 arrival of Dr. Wilson N. Clarke, who set- 
 tled there in 1867. Dr. Clarke was a na- 
 tive of Meadville, Pa., and a graduate of 
 the University of Michigan and the Cleve- 
 land Medical College. Dr. Clarke was suc- 
 ceeded in 1883 by Dr. Thomas Dunn Mc- 
 Connell, who is now practicing in Pros- 
 pect. 
 
 PROSPECT. 
 
 Dr. Matthew W. Speer, who studied 
 medicine with Dr. Andrew Speer of 
 Whitestown and Dr. DeWolfe of Butler, 
 began practicing in Prospect about 1830 
 and was the first resident physician of 
 that place. 
 
 Dr. B. H. B. Brower, who was a member 
 of the legislature from Butler County in 
 1849-50, settled in Prospect as a practicing 
 physician in 1838. He was burgess of the 
 borough, captain of the military company 
 and an orator of no mean ability. He was 
 a man of literary and scholarly tastes and 
 was tlie editor and publisher of the Pros- 
 
 [jcct Record which was published for six 
 months and then moved to New Brighton. 
 Dr. Brower removed to Danville, Penna., 
 where he resided until the time of his 
 death. After leaving Prospect Dr. Brower 
 established twelve newspapers in various 
 parts of the state. 
 
 Dr. James P. Alchorn, a native of In- 
 diana County, practiced at Prospect for 
 five or six years and removed to Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Walter Barber practiced in Pros- 
 pect in 1883. The resident physicians of 
 the town in 1908 were Dr. Thomas D. Mc- 
 Connell and Dr. James B. Thompson. 
 
 SAXON BURG. 
 
 Dr. F. Schmidt was the pioneer physi- 
 cian of Saxonburg. He arrived early in 
 the thirties but left the settlement prior 
 to 1840. His successor was Dr. August 
 Koch, who practiced iu the village for ten 
 years or more and then removed to Mis- 
 souri. The next physicians to locate in 
 that community were Drs. Sweet and 
 Bleiholder. All of these physicians were 
 Germans and were educated iu their native 
 country before coming to America. Their 
 successors in the seventies were Dr. J. H. 
 King, who located in Saxonburg in 1872, 
 Dr. E. N. B. Mershon in 1877, and Dr. 
 H. L. Mershon in 1880. 
 
 Dr. W. W. Lasher, the present physi- 
 cian of Saxonburg, located there iu 189:!. 
 
 CONNOQUENESSING BOROUGH. 
 
 Dr. George Welsh was the first settled 
 physician in Connoquenessing. He came 
 in 1853 . remained a few years, and then ' 
 
 went to Saxonburg, where he practiced for 
 three or four years. He returned to Con- 
 noquenessing where he died in 185^ . His 
 successors at Connoquenessing were -Dr. 
 N. M. Richardson and Dr. Covert, who 
 each practiced for a short time. Dr. Por- 
 ter succeeded to the practice of Dr. Welsh 
 but only remained for a few years when 
 he removed to Prospect. 
 
 The next physician to practice in Con- 
 noquenessing was Dr. C. A. McCaskey 
 
338 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 who was .succeeded iu 1877 by Dr. J. L. 
 Christy, who is the present pliysician of 
 the town. Dr. Cliristy was born in Con- 
 cord Township, Butler County, and re- 
 ceived his education at tlie old Wither- 
 spoon Institute in Butler and at the Pine 
 Grove Academy, now Grove City College. 
 He graduated from the Miami Medical 
 College at Cincinnati in the spring of 1877 
 and began practicing the same year. 
 
 Dk. N. M. Richardson began his profes- 
 sional career in Prospect in 1859. He was 
 born in Connoquenessing Township, But- 
 ler County, in 1830, and studied medicine 
 with De. 0. D. Palmer of Zelienople. He 
 graduated from the Jefferson Medical Col- 
 lege iu 1853. For fifty years he was one 
 of the most successful physicians in the 
 western part of the county. 
 
 Dr. Davto Fowlek jtracticed in what is 
 now A\'asliingt()n Township and at Mar- 
 tinshurg in 1S45. He removed to Engle- 
 wood. 111. 
 
 SLIPPERY ROCK. 
 
 Dr. Lyman L. Howarij, a native of 
 Ithaca, N. Y., located at Slippery Rock 
 about 1835, but a year later removed to 
 Harrisville, where he practiced until 1854 
 wlien he removed to Indiana. Dr. How- 
 ard's contemporaries at Harrisville were 
 Dr. James Owens, who left the settlement 
 for the western country the latter part of 
 the fifties, and Dr. James McConnell, who 
 moved west in 1856. 
 
 Dr. Samuel Marks, who died at Slip- 
 ])ery Rock about 1S55, located in that place 
 in 1847. Dr. McMillian practiced in the 
 same phice in 1874. 
 
 Dr. G. W. Coulter, a native of New Lis- 
 bon, Ohio, located in Slippery Rock in 
 1862, where after eleven years of success- 
 ful practice, he died in 1873. He was sec- 
 retary of the County Medical Society at 
 the time of his death. 
 
 Dr. Eli G. De Wolfe moved from Ohio 
 to Slippery Rock in 1825. He married 
 Miss Sarah A. Harris of this county, and 
 for over twenty-two years was one of the 
 most progressive men of the village. His 
 death occurred in 1847. 
 
 Dk. Benjamin Pearson, a graduate of 
 Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, 
 began to i)ractice in Slippery Rock in 1862, 
 where he remained until 1866, in which 
 year he removed to Tionesta, Penna. In 
 1868 he returned to Slipjiery Rock, where 
 he has been engaged in continuous prac- 
 tice for the i)ast tiiirty-eight years. 
 
 Dk. a. M. Patterson was the successor 
 of Dr. Coulter and began to practice in 
 Slippery Rock in 1873. He was educated 
 in Butler and Sunbury Academies and 
 graduated from the medical depai-fment 
 of the University of Wooster at Cleveland 
 in the year in which he began to practice. 
 
 Other physicians who practiced in the 
 village at an early date were : Dr. Dodds, 
 Dr. Gamel, Dr. Gettis, Dr. James B. Liv- 
 ingstone. They covered iicriods from 1850 
 to 1872. A Dr. Smitii was in jiractice with 
 Dr. Coulter for a slmrl time and also with 
 Dr. Livingstone. 
 
 X^NIONVILLE. 
 
 Dr. Josiah McCandless was engaged in 
 the practice of medicine in Center Town- 
 ship from 1839 to 1875. He was the son 
 of William and Nancy (Fish) McCandless 
 and was born in Center Township, Butler 
 County, March 6, 1816. He pursued a 
 course of studies for three vears undei- 
 Di-. J. AVhittaker of Allegheny City, after 
 he began to practice in his native township 
 and some ten years later moved to Union- 
 ville, where he remained until his death 
 January 5, 1875. His son. Dr. William C. 
 McCandless practiced at Glade Mills, But- 
 ler County from 1881 to 1895, when he 
 removed to Butler and is now one of the 
 leading iJiysicians of the county seat. 
 
iiltai 
 
 C H BARNHART'S HOUSE AND SHOP, BUTLER ST. PAni;l( IxS ( 1 11 RCH, SUGAR CREEK, DON- 
 
 i:i; \l. TOWNSHIP 
 
 TfTTT 
 
 9 
 
 T 
 
 
 ■-fift^ 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 iRjS^!|,rf^ 
 
 CONCORDIA HOME, MARWOOD 
 
 TEL, ZELIENOPLE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 341 
 
 I)e. Mary E. Harper. The first woman 
 physician to register in Butler County was 
 Mrs. Mary E. Harper, who located in Bald 
 Ridge, now Renfrew, in 1883. 
 
 Dr. Eliza Grossman was the next. She 
 registered in 1890 and was associated with 
 her hiisl)and. Dr. R. J. Grossman, in But- 
 ler, until her death. 
 
 Dr. Louisa M. Shryock, a native of But- 
 ler County, graduated from the University 
 of Wooster, Ohio, and the West Penn 
 :\redical College of Pittsburg, in 1893. She 
 first practiced at North Hope, Butler 
 County, and later moved to Butler where 
 she continued to ])ractice until her death. 
 
 Dr. Jasmine McAlpin was born in Well- 
 and, Ontario, and is the daughter of the 
 late Dr. Volney McAlpin, deceased, of 
 Butler, who was a prominent dentist. She 
 graduated from the Woman's Medical Col- 
 lege of Baltimore, Md.. and began to prac- 
 tice in Butler in 1896. 
 
 Dr. Mary Louise Jones is a native of 
 Pittsburg and a graduate of the class of 
 1903 of the Woman's Medical College of 
 Baltimore, Md. Dr. Jones was associated 
 with Dr. McAlpin for three years, and 
 moved to Pittsburg in 1907. 
 
 Dr. Eli,a Averill Hackett Patterson is 
 a native of \Vashingt<ni, D. C. She is a 
 graduate of the Pliiladeli)hia Xoi-mal and 
 the Women's Medical College, of Philadel- 
 ])hia, in the class of 1901. She registered 
 in Butler County in 1903 and is associated 
 with her husband. Dr. Walter Scott Pat- 
 terson of Butler, in an extensive practice. 
 
 Dr. Nannie Bell Drake, a native of 
 Tjawrence County, registered in Butler 
 County in 1907 and is practicing at Por- 
 tersviile. She is a graduate of the Ohio 
 Medical University. 
 
 Tlie school of Homeopathy does not have 
 a large representation in the county, al- 
 though physicians of that school of medi- 
 cine have been practicing here for many 
 years. 
 
 Dr. p. S. Duff appears to have been 
 the first doctor of the new school who 
 
 practiced in Butler County. He located 
 in Jefferson Township in 1863 and was 
 ])racticing at Great Belt as late as 1890. 
 Tie was a man of education, a successful 
 l)hysician and a useful citizen. 
 
 Dr. E. N. Leake, son of Rev. D. N. 
 Leake, a prominent Methodist Episcopal 
 minister, located in Butler in 1881. He 
 was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1855, and 
 graduated from the New York Homeo- 
 l)athic College in 1880. He was successful 
 as a physician and surgeon and had a 
 large practice. He went to Nebraska in 
 1897, where he is still practicing. 
 
 Dr. W. R. Titzel located in Butler in 
 1888 but only practiced for two or three 
 years. 
 
 Dr. Jesse E. Mann, a graduate of the 
 Hahnemann ^Medical C'ollege in Chicago, 
 came to Butler in 1890 and was associated 
 with Dr. Leake until 1897, when he went to 
 the West. 
 
 Dr. William H. Brown was I)orn in 
 Penn Township, Butler County, and was 
 the son of Mr. and Mrs. Adam K. Brown. 
 He graduated from the Hahnemann Med- 
 ical College, of Chicago, in 1893 and 
 located in Butler in 1894. He continued 
 his ]>ractice in Butler until May, 1904, 
 when he was compelled to relinquish his 
 work on account of failing health. Dr. 
 Brown was one of the medical fraternity 
 who did noble work in Butler during the 
 winter of 1903 and 1904, made memorable 
 by the typhoid fever epidemic. The ex- 
 posure of the winter brought on a fatal 
 disease that caused his death in June, 1905. 
 
 Dr. Edward H. Harris is a native of 
 pjellefonte, Penna., and a graduate of the 
 Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadel- 
 phia, in the class of 1900. After a year's 
 work in St. Luke's Hospital, Philadelphia, 
 he located in Butler and has built up an 
 excellent practice. 
 
 Dr. Olin a. Williams is a native of 
 Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and a 
 graduate of the Hahnemann Medical Col- 
 lege, of Chicago, HI., in the class of 1890. 
 
342 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 He practiced in Union City Penna., until 
 December 21, 1897, when he removed from 
 Butler and succeeded to the practice of 
 Drs. Leake and Mann. Dr. Williams has 
 a large practice and is one of the most suc- 
 cessful physicians in western Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Dk. John C. Sutton was horn in Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, and is the son of Mr. and 
 iVIrs. John H. Sutton. He graduated from 
 the Hahnemann Medical College in Phila- 
 delphia in 1903 and practiced in Butler for 
 a short time. He is now in New Brighton, 
 Penna. 
 
 Like all teachers of a new philosophy, 
 the pioneer osteopaths of the county were 
 much scoffed at. With the exception of 
 one or two itinerant practitioners, who re- 
 mained bi;t a short time, there were no 
 recognized osteopaths in the county until 
 1901, and the first to enter the field was 
 Dr. Smith, the first teacher at the Kirks- 
 ville school. There are now four recog- 
 nized osteopaths in the borough of Butler 
 and the community has turned out a num- 
 ber of students who are successful jn-acti 
 tioners in other localities. 
 
 Dr. William Smith. The pioneer prac- 
 titioner of Osteopathy in Butler C*ounty 
 was Dr. William Smith, a graduate of a 
 regular school of medicine in Scotland. 
 He came to America to take up the prac- 
 tice of medicine, but instead became inter- 
 ested in Osteopathy, and became the first 
 teacher of Anatomy, Physiology and Sur- 
 gery in the first school of Osteoi>athy in 
 Kii'ksville, Missouri. He suliseciuentiy lec- 
 tured at the American Scliool of Osteop- 
 athy, and at the Atlantic School of 
 Osteopathy at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, 
 until the early part of 1901, when he came 
 to Butler and opened an office for general 
 jiractice. He only remained in Butler a 
 few months, when he gave up liis work here 
 for the lecture room and is now a member 
 of the facultv of the American School of 
 Osteopathv at Kirksville. iMissonri. Dr. 
 
 Smith was the first recognized osteopath 
 to practice in the county. 
 
 E. H. jMerklev, D. ()., was boin in 
 Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and graduated 
 from the 'American School of Osteopathy, 
 Kirksville, Mo., in 1900. He came to But- 
 ler in 1901 after Dr. Smith left and was 
 the real pioneer osteopath of Butler. 
 Pioneer work was no obstacle to him, how- 
 ever, for he soon needed an assistant, who 
 came in the person of his brother. Dr. 
 W. A. Merkiev. In June. 1902, Dr. E. II. 
 Merkley sold liis ])ractice to Dr. Julia E. 
 Foster and removed to Pittsburg, Penna. 
 
 W. A. .Merkley, D. O., was born in 
 Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and graduated 
 from the American School of Osteopathy, 
 at Kirksville, Mo., in 1901. He came to 
 Butler as assistant to his brother. Dr. 
 E. H. Merkley, in 1901, and in the follow- 
 ing year went to New York city, where he 
 is now practicing. 
 
 Dr. R. B. Powel and Dr. Anna H. Powel 
 graduated from the American School of 
 Osteopathy in 1900 and first located in 
 Colorado. They came to Butler in 1902 
 and practiced here until September of that 
 year, when they returned to Colorado. 
 They are now located in Denver. 
 
 Dr. Julia E. Foster was born at Royal- 
 ton, ^^ermont, and graduated from the 
 Atlantic School of Osteopathy, in 1902. 
 She came to Butler the same year to suc- 
 ceed to the practice of the Drs. Merkley. 
 She now has a suite of ofiflces in the Stein 
 building and has a large clientele. In 1903 
 she was assisted l)y Dr. C. M. Lowe, and 
 since IDlKi her assistant has been her son. 
 Dr. J. C. Foster. 
 
 Dr. Clara E. Morrow was born at 
 Branchton, Butler County, and is the 
 daughter of George Alorrow of Slippery 
 Rock Township. After completing the 
 course of study in the connnon schools of 
 the county she attended Sli|i])erv Rock 
 State Normal School at Slippery Rock. 
 Penna., and subse(|iientiy taught in the 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 343 
 
 common schools of the county. She went 
 to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1897, and 
 entered a training- school for nurses, and 
 after completing the course she entered 
 the Boston School of Osteo]iathy, graduat- 
 ing in 1902. She came to Butler in Sep- 
 teiiil)er of the same year and succeeded to 
 the jiractice of the Drs. Powel. She is now 
 located in the Boyd Building and has an 
 extensive ]:)ractice in tiie town and county. 
 
 Dk. E. E. Harden was born in Meadville, 
 Crawford County, Pennsylvania, May 25, 
 1875, and after completing his education 
 entered a business career at Conneaut, 
 Ohio. He gave up a i)aying business to 
 enter the American School of Osteopathy, 
 where he graduated in June, 1901. He 
 first located in Columbia City, Indiana, 
 where he practiced i;ntil April, 1905. when 
 he removed to Butler and located in a suite 
 of rooms in the Younkins Building on 
 South Main street, where he still has an 
 office. While a resident of Conneaut Dr. 
 Hardin married Miss Lida Sharpe, of that 
 place, on August 23, 1897. 
 
 Dr. Gracy F. Pi'rvis was born in Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, September 6, 1882, and is 
 the son of Samuel L. Purvis, of West 
 Pearl street. He was educated in the 
 Common and High schools of Butler and 
 at the Staunton, Virginia, Military school, 
 and graduated from the Atlantic School 
 of Osteopathy (a branch of the American 
 School) in February, 1906. He located in 
 Butler the same year and continued to 
 practice until July, 1907, when he removed 
 to Buffalo, New York, where he is en- 
 gaged in his chosen work. Dr. Purvis was 
 married July 26, 1907, to Miss Florence 
 Leidecker, of Butler. 
 
 Dr. J. C. Foster was born at Royalton, 
 Vermont, February 3, 1884, and came to 
 Butler with his parents in 1902. He grad- 
 uated from the Butler high school in the 
 class of 1904 and went directly to the 
 American School of Osteopathy at Kirks- 
 ville, Missouri, where he graduated in the 
 class of 1906. After completing his studies 
 
 he returned to Butler and took up active 
 practice in the office with his mother. Dr. 
 J. E. Foster, in the Stein Block, on South 
 Main Street. He lives at the family home 
 on North Main Street. 
 
 Dr. Raymond W. Bailey was born in 
 Chicora, Butler County, in July, 1882, and 
 is the son of Charles A. Bailey. His boy- 
 hood days were spent in Butler, where he 
 attended the common and high schools, 
 graduating from the latter in the class of 
 1902. He graduated from the Atlantic 
 School of Osteopathy in 1904 and the same 
 yeai- located in Butler, where he practiced 
 for six months. He then removed to Phila 
 delphia, where he is now practicing. 
 
 REGISTERED PHYSICIANS. 
 
 The physicians registered in the protho- 
 notary's office of Butler, as required by 
 the law of June 8, 1881, together with the 
 location at the time of the registration and 
 the date of beginning practice, are as 
 follows : 
 
 ■ George G. Aitken, Great Belt, 1871. 
 S. D. Bell, Chicora, 1874. 
 H. C. Birchard, Fairview, 1855. 
 Stephen Bredin, Butler, 1861. 
 Floyd V. Brooks, Evans City, 1877. 
 John E. Byers, Butler, 1878. 
 C. L. Campbell, Brownsdale, 187fi. 
 C. M. C. Campbell, Bruin, 1881. 
 George H. Chandler, Karns City, 1865. 
 .T. L. Christy, Petersville, 1877.' 
 William K. Cowden, Portersville, 1846. 
 W. N. Clarke, Whitestown. 1867. 
 Elder Crawford, Mars, 1878. 
 B. L. Davis, Petrolia, 1863. 
 
 A. V. Cunningham, Zelienople, 1863. 
 •Tohn Deitrick, Petrolia, 1870. 
 
 B. E. Dennison, Bruin, 1860. 
 
 W. L. DeWolfe, Coalville, now Chicora, 1879. 
 
 P. a Duff, Great Belt, 1863. (H) 
 
 Andrew J. Edmunds, Martinsburg, 1873. 
 
 .Toseph Eggert, Parker Township, 1848. 
 
 George L. Eggert, Parker Township, 1881. 
 
 .1. H. Elrick, Harrisville, 1856. 
 
 Robert Everett, Prospect, 1879. 
 
 William C. Foster,, Petrolia, 1876. 
 
 Samuel Graham, Butler, 1862. 
 
 David Harper, Karns City, 1870. 
 
 B. A. Henlon, North Washington, 1875. 
 
 Harvey D. Hockenberry, West Sunbury, 1879. 
 
 James A. Holman, Unionville, 1879. 
 
 Albert Holman, Unionville, 1881. 
 
 N. N. Hoover, North Washintrton, now in Butler, 1865. 
 
 William Irvine, Evans Citv, 1853. 
 
344 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Albert A. Kelly, West Liberty, ]872. 
 
 Clinton S. Kerr, Byron Center, 1876. 
 
 Theodore Kersting, Evans City, 1867. 
 
 John H. King, Saxonburg, 1872. 
 
 E. N. Leake, Butler, 1880. (H) 
 
 H. C. Lynn, Butler, 1833. 
 
 Joshua M. List, Evans City, 187.5. 
 
 Amos Lusk, Harmony, 1849. 
 
 Joseph F. Lusk, Harmony, 1850. 
 
 C. F. McBride, Fairview. 1877. 
 
 George A. McCandless. Middle Lancaster, 1877. 
 
 W. C. McCandless, Glade Mills, 1880. 
 
 C. A. McCaskey, Chieora, 1874. 
 
 Samuel E. McClymonds, Portersville, 1877. 
 
 W. B. Marquis, Glade Mills, 1881. 
 
 Samuel H. Matheson, Slippery Rock, 18.54. 
 
 E. B. Mershon, Saxonburg, 1877. 
 
 Homer L. Mershon, Saxonburg, 1878. 
 
 A. N. Neyman, Butler, 1851. 
 
 Asa M. Patterson, Slippery Eock, 1873. 
 
 E. L. Patterson, Chieora, 1872. 
 
 Benjamin Pearson, Slippery Rock, 1862. 
 
 Eavmond H. Pillow, Whitestown, now in Butler, 1876. 
 
 O.'P. Pisor, Harrisville, 1881. 
 
 Thomas B. Rhodes, Farmington, 1875. 
 
 C. C. Rumberger, Petrolia, 1872. 
 J. M. Scott, Cabot, 1871. 
 
 S. O. Sterritt, Valencia, 1880. 
 S. L. Strain, Harrisville, 1858. 
 
 D. J. Washbaugh, Anandale, now in Grove City, 1876. 
 David W. Webster, Harrisville, . 
 
 Adam Weiser, Zclienople, 1848. 
 H. E. Wilson, Portersville, 1873. 
 W. E. Wilson, Portersville, 1881. 
 Frank Winters, Zelienople, 1878. 
 George M. Zimmerman, Butler, 1870. 
 Those registered in 1882 are: 
 .Tames M. Blaine, Sarversville. 
 Oroville A. Rhodes, West Sunbury. 
 
 B. L. Davis, Petrolia. 
 
 T. W. Hopkins, Millerstown. 
 
 David J. Jones, Foreatville. 
 
 H. S. George, Cabot. 
 
 James E. Montgomery, Clinton Township. 
 
 Those registered in 1883 are: 
 
 Thomas Dunn MeConnell, Whitestown, now in Prospect. 
 
 Walter Barber, Prospect. 
 
 N. M Eichardson, Prospect. 
 
 Thomas Hayes Donley, Mars. 
 
 Mrs. Mary E. Harper, Eenfrew. 
 
 Those registered in 1884 are: 
 
 Joseph G. Irvine, Forward Township. 
 
 Samuel M. Bippus, Butler. 
 
 J. B. Showalter, Chieora, now in Pittsburg. 
 
 A. J. Pyle, Zelienople. 
 
 Those registered in 1885 arc: 
 
 Harry Navigo, Karns City. 
 
 G. W. Sloan, Butler. 
 
 J.. C. Barr, Mars. 
 
 Redick Coulter McCurdy, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in 1886 are: 
 Daniel W. Fiedler, Harmony. 
 
 Edward P. Logan, Saxonburg. 
 George W. Beane, Butler. 
 Those registered in 1887 are: 
 John F. Moore, Butler. 
 Andrew Edmunds, Bruin. 
 William Linnenbrink. Zelienople. 
 D. Elmer Wiles, Butler. 
 Charles T. W. Seidel, Harrisville. 
 Those registered in 1888 are: 
 M. B. Cullinan, Petrolia. 
 W. R. Titzel, Butler. (H) 
 Walker W. McConnel, Harrisville. 
 George M. Silvers, Evans City. 
 John Charles Hoye, Jaeksville. 
 
 Those registered in 1889 are: 
 
 John Calvin Cort, Renfrew. 
 
 W. J. Kelly, Parker Township. 
 
 M. E. Headland, Zelienople, now in Butler. 
 
 W. H. McCafferty, Sarver Station. 
 
 Robert W. Waterson, Zelienople. 
 
 Samuel E. Ralston, Harmony. 
 
 Joseph L. Campbell, Chieora, now in Renfrew. 
 
 Those registered in 1890 are: 
 
 Charles L. Tilton, Evans Citv. 
 
 William H. Wallace, Butler. " 
 
 George D. Thoinas, Chieora. 
 
 Jesse E. Mann, Efutler. (H) 
 
 J. L. Axtell, Chieora. 
 
 Lysander Black, Butler. 
 
 V. F. Thomas, Fairview, now in Evans City. 
 
 Mrs. Eliza E. Grossman, Butler. 
 
 George J. Peters, Butler. 
 
 Arthur Foster, Saxonburg, now in Pittsburg. 
 
 Levi M. Eeinsel, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in 1891 are: 
 
 Harry M. Wilson, Evans City. 
 
 .Joseph Forrester, Butler, now in Chicago. 
 
 Joseph W. MiUer, Butler. 
 
 Albert G. Price, Evans City. 
 
 Horace S. McClymonds, Brownsdale. 
 
 George G. Shoemaker, Butler. 
 
 Edwin C. Thompson, West Liberty. 
 
 Those registered in 1892 are: 
 William J. Grossman, Coaltown. 
 James B. TTiompson, Prospect. 
 Charles J. Stein, Zelienople. 
 Edwin J. Fithian, Portersville. 
 Thomas H. Newcome, Karns City. 
 George K. McAdoo, Anandale. 
 M. C. Smith, Zelienople. 
 .1. C. Wilson, Evans City. 
 
 Those registered in 1893 are: 
 
 William R. Cowden, Middle Lancaster, now in 
 
 Walter N. Humphrey, Portersville. 
 
 James A. Wallace, Petrolia, now in East Brady 
 
 R. Lee Brush, Slippery Eock. 
 
 W. W. Lasher, Saxonburg. 
 
 Charles E. Beck, Middle Lancaster. 
 
 (ieorge L. Fife, Saxonburg. 
 
 William Phunmcr McHroy, Butler. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 345 
 
 John Franklin Turner, Hooker, now in Dakota. 
 Physicians registered in Butler County in 1894: 
 Simeon N. Andre, Petrolia. 
 Benjamin Harris Brewster, Euclid. 
 McCurdy Bricker, Butler. 
 William H. Brown, Butler. (H) 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1895: 
 John Wesley Flick Moore, Butler. 
 Adam Clark Davis, Buffalo Township. 
 Louisa May Shyrock, Butler, North Hope. 
 Joseph James Schultis, Butler. 
 Lawrence H. Stepp, Glade Mills. 
 Joseph Clarence Caldwell, Emlenton, now in Butler. 
 William Griffith Pennyhiel, Slippery Rock. 
 Thomas Kerr McKee, Chicora. 
 H. G. Deane, Butler. (H) 
 Charles E. B. Hunt, Butler. ' 
 L. A. Barber, Mars. 
 
 George B. McClelland Eeese, Glade Mills. 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1896: 
 Charles S. Shoaff, Jacksonville. 
 Jasmine McAlpine, Butler. 
 James Clyde Boyle, Butler. 
 William Plummer Mcllroy, Allegheny City. 
 Leon Vance Grove, Annandale. 
 Robert Henderson Warnock, Portersville. 
 A. A. Bancroft, Butler. 
 Robert J. Greer, Eau Claire. 
 Jesse L. Black, SarversvUle. 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1897: 
 Harrv A. Bell, Butler. 
 W. F. Hall, Butler. 
 Everett Miner Baker, Brownsdale. 
 A. L. Howe, Petrolia. 
 Willard B. Campbell, Harrisville. 
 William Rush Hockenberry, SUppery Rock. 
 Charles Stewart McClelland, Glade Mills. 
 William Beame Clarke, North Hope, now in Butler. 
 Frank Hamilton Crawford, Glade JUlls. 
 George W. Kennedy, Portersville. 
 OUn A. WiUiams, Butler. (H) 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1898: 
 E. J. McMichael, West Sunbury. 
 James Ambrose Osman, Harmony. 
 J. C. Atwell, Butler. 
 Walker W. McConnell, Harrisville. 
 Elgie L. Wasson, Callery Junction, now in Butler. 
 Harry E. Gray, Zelienople. 
 Boyd B. Snodgrass, Butler. 
 Edward A. RusseU, Butler. 
 Robert J. Greer, Eau Claire. 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1899 : 
 John Victor Cowden, Middle Lancaster, now in Butler. 
 John L. Halstead, Clinton Township. 
 Eobert J. Grossman, Cherry Township, now in Butler. 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1900: 
 Robert Todd Post, SUppery Rock. 
 Charles S. McGeorge, Mars. 
 George Thomas McNish, West Winfield. 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1901 : 
 A. Kamerer, Butler. 
 
 Harry S. Lake, Portersville. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1902: 
 
 Nicholas Dombart, Evans City. 
 
 Herman H. Dight, Middle Lancaster. 
 
 Edward H. Harris, Butler. 
 
 Leslie R. Hazlett, Butler. 
 
 Harry E. Wilson, Callery. 
 
 Charles L. DeWolfe, Chicora. 
 
 Alfred E. Ewing, Lyndora. 
 
 Walter S. Patterson, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1903: 
 
 Eobert B. Elrick, Petrolia. 
 
 Mary Louise Jones, Butler. 
 
 Frank Hugh Smith, Kaylor. 
 
 Eoy L. Stackpole, Butler. 
 
 Ella Averill Hackett Patterson, Butler. 
 
 Leo Fink Elstein, Butler. 
 
 Thomas McVay Beatty, Butler, now in Chicora. 
 
 Arthur W. Heilman, Butler. 
 
 Frank L. Hazlett, Butler. 
 
 John C. Sutton, Butler. (H) 
 
 Eaymond A. Thompson, Butler. 
 
 WilUam McCurdy Scott, Cabot. 
 
 C. D. B. Eisaman, West Moreland County. 
 
 Thomas McCoUough Maxwell, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1904: 
 
 James H. Ealston, Harmony. 
 
 L. Leo Doane, Butler. 
 
 Eobei-t Spear Lowry, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1905: 
 Eiehards Shields Keilcr, Butler. 
 Franklin N. Straub, Butler. 
 Arthur H. Straub, Chicora. 
 William C. McCord, Mars. 
 Ernest Hugh Snyder, Portersville. 
 Francis W. Halstead, Butler Township. 
 Francis Wallace Cunningham, Zelienople. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1906: 
 
 Arthur E. Allen, Mars. 
 
 RusseU A. Reid, Zelienople. 
 
 Charles B. Painter, Bruin. 
 
 Charles F. Perry, Butler. 
 
 Warren E. High, Butler. 
 
 Guy A. Brandenberg, Butler. 
 
 E. E. Campbell, Butler. 
 
 John Fife McCullough, Lyndora. 
 
 Henry Swartz Crouse, Butler. 
 
 John S. Campbell, West Sunbury. 
 
 James F. Minteer, Lyndora. 
 
 Harrison Allen Kitchen, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1907: 
 
 Harry P. St. Claire, Butler. 
 
 Francis E. Long, Uilliard. 
 
 Charles C. Boss, Sarver Station. 
 
 Nannie Bell Drake, PortersvLUe. 
 
 Alfred H. Zeigler, Butler. 
 
 George Hoskins Scott, Butler. 
 
 Those registered in Butler County in 1908: 
 Harper Ancel Wright, West Winfield. 
 James Rhea McDowell, Sarver Station. 
 
346 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 THE BUTLEB COUNTY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
 
 The Butler County Medical Association 
 was organized November 3, 1866, to co- 
 operate more effectually with the State 
 and National Associations in the work of 
 advancing the knowledge of medicine and 
 the status of the physician. The first 
 officers were Amos Lusk, president ; A. M. 
 Neyman, vice-president; Stephen Bredin, 
 secretary ; William Irvine, treasurer ; W. S. 
 Huselton, corresponding secretary ; W. E. 
 Cowden, Joseph S. Lusk, Josiah McMichael 
 and "William Irvine, censors ; W. R. Cow- 
 den, Amos Lusk, Stephen Bredin, N. M. 
 Richardson and A. M. Neyman, committee 
 on constitutions. 
 
 The Articles of Association, dated Janu- 
 ary 3, 1867, were signed by the following 
 physicians: J. B. Livingstone and G. W. 
 Coulter of Slippery Rock, E. F. Anderson 
 of Coultersville, S. H. Matheson of Saxon- 
 burg, T. J. Blackwood of Glade Mills, 
 Theodore Frickensteiu of Butler and N. M. 
 Hoover of North Washington. 
 
 The first Act of the new Association was 
 the adoption of a Fee Bill. 
 
 The presidents of the society since its 
 organization are as follows: Amos Lusk, 
 1867 ; Stephen Bredin, 1868 ; W. R. Cow- 
 den, 1869 ; Stephen Bredin, 1870 to 1875 ; 
 Samuel Graham, 1876; S. D. Bell, 1877; 
 W. N. Clarke, 1878; David Harper, 1879; 
 Josiah McMichael, 1880; Joseph S. Lusk. 
 " 1881 to 1883 ; William Irvine, 1884 to 1885 ; 
 R. H. Pillow, 1886; W. L. DeWolfe, 1887; 
 
 F. V. Brooks, 1888; John E. Byers, 1889; 
 N. M. Hoover, 1890; A. M. Neyman, 1891; 
 J. C. Barr, 1892 ; H. D. Hockenberry, 1893 ; 
 Samuel Graham, 1894; J. L. Christy, 1895; 
 
 G. D. Thomas, 1896; A. Holman, 1897; 
 M. E. Headland, 1898; H. D. Hocken- 
 berry, 1899; A. C. Davis, 1900; J. W. F. 
 Moore, 1901 ; George J. Peters, 1902 ; J. E. 
 Bvers, 1903; W. Rush Hockenberry, 1904; 
 E^ L. Wasson, 1905; J. C. Atwell, 1906; 
 R. B. Greer, 1907 ; R. J. Grossman, 1908. 
 
 The office of secretary has been filled by 
 the following named physicians : Stephen 
 
 Bredin, 1867; A. M. Neyman, 1868; G. W. 
 Coulter, 1870; S. S. Towler, 1875; S. D. 
 Bell, 1876; C. F. McBride, 1877; R. H. Pil- 
 low, 1878-79; John E. Byers, 1880; J. L. 
 Christy, 1881-89; S. D. Bell, 1890-94; 
 Joseph Forrester, 1894-96; George J. 
 Peters, 1897-99; J. C. Atwell, 1900-02; 
 W. B. Clarke, 1903-04; T. M. Maxwell, 
 1905-08. 
 
 THE TYPHOID FEVER EPIDEMIC. 
 
 The typhoid fever epidemic during the 
 winter of 1903 and 1904 has gone down 
 in history as the greatest epidemic of 
 typhoid, in point of numbers according to 
 population, of which we have any record. 
 Prom the 1st of November to the 29th of 
 January 1,348 persons were stricken and 
 111 died, according to the official report 
 made to the State Board of Health. The 
 number of cases recognized by the relief 
 committee from November 1 to April 1 
 when the work was closed was 1,587 and 
 the number of deaths 127. 
 
 Previous to 1903 the town had but few 
 cases of typhoid fever, as the record of 
 vital statistics will show. From January 1 
 to October 1, 1903, two cases had devel- 
 oped in the town and seven deaths had 
 occurred, the latter being of persons who 
 had been infected elsewhere. During the 
 latter part of October forty-seven persons 
 sickened, but no serious alarm was felt 
 and the local physicians were in some 
 doubt as to whether it was really typhoid. 
 During the first week of November new 
 cases developed to such an extent that the 
 attention of the Board of Health was 
 called to the matter and these officials be- 
 gan to look for the cause. The idea that 
 the source of water supply of the town 
 might be polluted with typhoid fever 
 germs was scoffed at by some people and 
 statements were published in the daily 
 papers to the effect that the water was up 
 to the standard of purity. A meeting of 
 the Board of Health was held on Saturday 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 347 
 
 night, November 7, at which the situation 
 was talked over and before daylight the 
 next morning Health Officer Robert B. 
 Fowser, and Dr. John E. Byers, county in- 
 spector, made a trip to the Thorn Run dam 
 and inspected a house where typhoid fever 
 had been reported. Here they found three 
 cases of typhoid fever and also that the 
 drainage of the house and yard ran into 
 Thorn Run and thence into Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek. 
 
 It was also found that the water for the 
 town was at that time being taken from an 
 intake on the creek above the pump sta- 
 tion. Subsequent inspections of the water 
 sheds of the Thorn Run and Boydstown 
 dam revealed the fact that in the summer 
 of 1903 eight or nine cases of typhoid had 
 developed in the Connoquenessing Valley 
 north of Butler, and below Bo.ydstown. 
 An adjourned meeting of the local board 
 of health was held on Sunday afternoon, 
 the 8th of November, which was attended 
 by Dr. M. E. Headland of the First Ward, 
 Dr. J. C. Atwell of the Second Ward, Dr. 
 J. M. Lieghner of the Third Ward, Ber- 
 nard Kemper of the Fourth Ward, and 
 Robert B. Fowser of the Fifth Ward. The 
 report of the inspecting officers was heard 
 and on the following day the board issued 
 an official proclamation advising the citi- 
 zens of the town to boil all water used for 
 domestic purposes. 
 
 From November 10 to November 20 516 
 cases were reported and by the end of the 
 month the number had increased to the 
 astounding proportions of 976. During 
 the worst period of the epidemic 710 cases 
 were reported to the relief committee in 
 seventy-two hours. By this time the alarm 
 was widespread. Bacteriological tests of 
 samples of water taken on the 8th of 
 November showed the existence of typhoid 
 germs and settled the question of the cause 
 of the epidemic. Worse things were in 
 store for the people of Butler. The work 
 of the Board of Health was interrupted by 
 the illness of Health Officer Fowser, who 
 
 was stricken with fever, and every member 
 of the board had one or more cases in his 
 family. In this dilemma the local board 
 called on the State Board of Health for 
 assistance, which was readily granted. On 
 the 23rd of November the school board 
 closed the public scjiools and they re- 
 mained closed until the first of January. 
 A canvas of the different wards was made 
 to ascertain the number of cases and the 
 necessities of the families where fever ex- 
 isted and the situation was found to be 
 truly appalling. At least one house in 
 every five on every street in the town had 
 from one to five cases of fever. The in- 
 fected houses were not confined to any 
 particular street or district. The First 
 Ward, however, was the one that was the 
 least effected. The local doctors were 
 working night and day and it was found 
 that there was general suffering from the 
 lack of medical attention, proper nursing, 
 and sick-room necessities, and even neces- 
 sities of life among families who were 
 imder ordinary circinnstances considered 
 among the well-to-do classes. In many in- 
 stances the bread winner of the family was 
 stricken and along with him three or four 
 children or probably the mother. It was 
 not imusual to find four or five cases of 
 fever in a house of four rooms, and even 
 two and three cases in one room. In one 
 instance the committee found a grand- 
 mother almost eighty years of age trying 
 to nurse her sick son and his wife, and at 
 the same time cook for a familv of small 
 children. Rev. Father Carroll of St. 
 Paul's Catholic Church called for volun- 
 teer nurses from among his people, and 
 for financial assistance, which was met 
 with a prompt response; and similar ef- 
 forts among the other churches were made 
 to relieve the siiffering and destitute 
 among their own people. 
 
 Wlfile the Board of Health, the School 
 Board, and the state authorities were in- 
 vestigating the causes of the fever, active 
 steps were taken to relieve the suffering 
 
348 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and the destitute, and to this end a mass 
 meeting was called at the courthouse on 
 Sunday, Novembei* 28, at which a plain 
 statement was made by those who con- 
 ducted the investigation, and the tem- 
 porary organization of a relief society was 
 effected. At this meeting subscriptions 
 were called for and the contributions to 
 a relief fund amounted to $7,100.10. 
 
 The Executive Committee met the fol- 
 lowing day and began the relief work, 
 which was continued until the last of 
 March in 1904. The General Relief Com- 
 mittee had headquarters in the council 
 chambers in the Duffy Block, and the ward 
 committees and the ladies' auxiliary com- 
 mittees rejjorted to the General Committee 
 every day. Those were dark days that fol- 
 lowed the inauguration of the work of the 
 Relief Committee. It will be seen from the 
 list published below that there were 115 
 people connected with the relief associa- 
 tion, who gave of their time and services 
 voluntarily and there was probably not one 
 of the entire number that did not have 
 sickness in their own family. Many of the 
 committeemen after laboring night and 
 day for weeks succumbed to the dread dis- 
 ease themselves, and their places were 
 filled by others. Night after night the 
 members of the general and executive com- 
 mittees held their meetings and received 
 reports at which some of their personal 
 friends or some member of the committee 
 perhaps was reported ill or dying. People 
 who were afraid of the fever and could get 
 away left the town. Strangers traveling 
 avoided the place as though it were in the 
 grasp of a pestilence equal to the black 
 plague. Indeed, so many exaggerated 
 stories were published throughout the land 
 about the nature of the epidemic in Butler, 
 that it was not much wonder a stranger 
 was afraid to enter the gates of the city. 
 Business houses in the town were prac- 
 tically paralyzed and the whole community 
 had the appearance of being smitten with 
 a blight from which it would never recover. 
 
 The wealth of sympathy and the gener- 
 osity of the American people for a sister 
 town in distress soon made itself manifest, 
 in the contributions to the relief fund that 
 poured in from towns and cities and pri- 
 vate individuals all over the country and 
 in the voluntary assistance that came in 
 the way of physicians, trained nurses, and 
 others who gave of their time without re- 
 muneration. The relief committee em- 
 ployed from first to last two hundred and 
 eight trained nurses, and forty-eight do- 
 mestics, while the number of physicians 
 who came here voluntarily and rendered 
 assistance cannot be estimated. 
 
 The kindness of the people in the sur- 
 rounding towns made itself noticeably felt 
 at Christmas time, which was probably the 
 most gloomy period of the epidemic. Part 
 of the work of the ladies' auxiliary com- 
 mittee was to make personal visits to the 
 homes of families where fever existed and 
 to provide any of the comforts and necessi- 
 ties needed, and to look after the sick chil- 
 dren. A day or two before Christmas, 
 contributions of such articles as make the 
 hearts of the children happy during the 
 holiday season began to pour in from all 
 sources, and by Christmas eve there was a 
 sufficient supply on hand to provide a 
 Christmas present for every sick child in 
 the town, as well as many others whose 
 parents were left in such a position by the 
 epidemic that they were unable to supply 
 Christmas reminders for the little ones. 
 One of the most notable contributions to 
 this purpose was a box from a wholesale 
 house in Pittsburg containing several 
 gross of dolls. There were big dolls and 
 little dolls, dolls that could talk, and dolls 
 that opened and shut their eyes, and they 
 were distributed without favor until every 
 little girl whose family was numbered 
 among the fever victims, was the recipient 
 of one of these beautiful presents. 
 
 KELTEF SOCIETY OBGANIZED. 
 
 On Sunday afternoon, the 28th of 
 

 
 '"^ili,.: "'~ 
 
 ^% 
 
 
 •*".l 
 
 ppp, 
 
 RESIDENCE OP J. C. KBLLEY, BTJTLER 
 
 RESIDENCE OF E. E. ABRAMS, BUTLER RESIDENCE OF WILLIAJI B. McGEARY, BUTLER 
 
 TITE RETBKR HOME. BUTLER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 349 
 
 November, a mass meeting was held at 
 the courthouse at which the relief society 
 was organized. Rev. L. A. Carroll, assist- 
 ant pastor of St. Paul's Roman Catholic 
 Church, called the meeting to order. C. M. 
 Heineman was elected chairman pro-tem, 
 and Harry T. Rattigan and Raymond 
 Locke, secretaries, and T. J. Shufflin, 
 treasurer. An executive committee was 
 chosen as follows: I. G. Smith, C. M. 
 Heineman, E. G. Caughey, Marion Hen- 
 shaw, Hon. A. G. Williams, Rev. L. A. 
 Carroll, Dr. R. B. Greer, Hon. James N. 
 Moore, Alexander Mitchell, J. V. Ritts, 
 William F. Rumberger, Hon. James M. 
 Galbreath, Harvey H. Boyd, Isaac Hauck, 
 and W. A. Cowan. To the above list of 
 members of the Executive Committee, the 
 following gentlemen were elected from 
 time to time : T. J. Shufflin, W. H. Pape, 
 John W. Brown, Charles H. Oliver, Dr. 
 Wilbur R. Batt (state quarantine officer), 
 Blair Hooks, J. D. Jackson, Dr. J. E. 
 Byers, Dr. J. M. Leighner, Dr. J. C. At- 
 well. Dr. M. E. Headland, Bernard Kem- 
 per, and R. B. Fowser. 
 
 The chairmen of the ward committees 
 were as follows: 
 
 First Ward, Blair Hooks ; Second Ward, 
 W. Z. Murrin; Third AVard, E. H. Negley; 
 Fourth Ward, A. W. McCollough; Fifth 
 Ward, T. C. H. KecS. 
 
 Finance Committee: A. C. Troutman, 
 John H. Jackson, AV. H. Pape, Charles A. 
 Douglass. 
 
 The Ministerial Committee consisted of 
 all the clergymen of Butlei-. 
 
 From time to time changes were made in 
 the ward committees, and new chairman 
 were substituted as follows : Second Ward, 
 Theodore D. Pape, in the place of Mr. Mur- 
 rin; Fourth Ward, George A. Evans, in 
 the place of A. W. McCollough; Fifth 
 Ward, Ed. McShane succeeded Mr. Keck 
 who was stricken with fever, and Robert 
 Lowry succeeded McShane. The ward 
 chairmen were assisted by the following: 
 Thomas Robinson, Jr.. First Ward; J. D. 
 
 Jackson, Second Ward; James Hayes, 
 Third Ward ; A. W. McCollough, Fourth 
 AVard; Charles Reiber, Fifth Ward. 
 
 The first meeting of the Executive Com- 
 mittee was held in the council chambers at 
 seven o'clock on the evening of November 
 29, at which time the actual work of relief 
 began. James N. Moore was chosen chair- 
 man of the General Relief Committee, 
 Richard H. Broadhead was elected secre- 
 tary, Miss Louise DeHaven stenographer 
 and typewriter, and T. James Dodds, An- 
 drew Williams, Jr., and James 0. Camp- 
 bell clerks. I. G. Smith was elected 
 treasurer. 
 
 THE I;ADIES' AUXILIAEY COMMITTEES. 
 
 The chairmen of the ward committees 
 appointed the following Ladies' Auxiliary 
 committees in the different wards: First 
 AVard, chairman Mrs. 0. H. Heiner, Mrs. 
 M. L. Armstrong, Miss Adelaide Robinson, 
 Mrs. George Lambert, Miss Joe Harper, 
 Airs. AVilliam Sloan, Airs. G. A. Spang, 
 Aliss Charlotte Heiner, Airs. Richard H. 
 AA'^ick, Miss Maud Hooks, Aliss Frances 
 Harper. 
 
 Second Ward: Chairman Miss Isabel 
 AVhite, Airs. Charles Abrams, Mrs. Charles 
 Duffy, Mrs. C. N. Boyd, Airs. Samuel 
 AVoods, Aliss Loretta Alurrin, Airs. Rev. 
 Barlow, Mrs. J. W. McKee, Mrs. J. J. Don- 
 aldson, Aliss Madge Douglass, Mrs. W. J. 
 AIcDowell, Miss AVhite. 
 
 Third Ward: Chairman Mrs. William 
 Campbell, Mrs. James Hayes, Mrs. Vogan, 
 Airs. Clara Starr, Mrs. J. W. Wagon, Mrs. 
 A^. K. Phillips, Miss Catherine Stewart, 
 Aliss Alary Bowser, Miss Eleanor G. 
 Graham. 
 
 Fourth Ward: Chairman Miss L. E. 
 Young, Aliss Mary McBride, Miss Lizzie 
 Evans, Aliss Vera Younkins, Aliss M. S. 
 Smith, Miss Clara Alitchell, Mrs. J. S. Mc- 
 Kee, Mrs. C. E. Herr, Mrs. J. D. Mc- 
 Junkin, Mrs. E. E. Abrams, Mrs. Laverne 
 Butler. 
 
 Fifth Ward : Chairman Miss Frances G. 
 
350 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Wick, Mrs. George Enterline, Mrs. Isaac 
 Hauck, Mrs. James Miller, Mrs. McClure, 
 Mrs. James Thompsou, Mrs. W. A. Slater, 
 Mrs. Speilman, Mrs. Matthews, Miss 
 Blanche Wick. 
 
 On the 11th of December the ladies were 
 called together and arrangements made 
 for assigning workers to the different por- 
 tions of the wards they represent. As the 
 relief work progressed additional commit- 
 tees were authorized as follows : 
 
 Committee on Supplies: C. G. Christie, 
 T. J. Shufflin, I. G. Smith. 
 
 Case Committee : James N. Moore, I. G. 
 Smith, W. A. Rumberger, C. N. Boyd, 
 A. W. McCollough, Richard H. Broadhead. 
 
 Coal, Water and Domestic Committee: 
 Charles H. Olliver, chairman. 
 
 Laundry Work: John W. Brown, C. 
 Ball, Carl Bilenfeld. 
 
 Supply Room : Harry Grieb, manager ; 
 Miss Maude Sutton, Miss Fay Thompson. 
 
 Manager of supplies for Red Cross of 
 Pittsburg: Miss Mabel Graham. 
 
 Ambulance drivers : James Stewart and 
 Robert Girard. 
 
 Ambulance physician : Dr. Sullivan. 
 
 Committee on Nurses : James N. Moore, 
 C. G. Christie, T. J. Shufflin. 
 
 Nurses in charge of dispensary: Miss 
 Lydia E. Betz and Miss Jennie Randall. 
 
 The total number of workers connected 
 with the Butler Relief Association was 
 115. Number of nurses employed, 208; 
 number of domestics, forty-eight. 
 
 DR. batt's work. 
 
 Dr. Wilbur R. Batt, quarantine officer at 
 large, came to Butler on the 1st of Decem- 
 ber, and with the other officers of the State 
 Board of Health assisted the local board in 
 taking care of the epidemic. Under the 
 direction of the State board. Dr. Batt in- 
 stalled a destructor for the destruction 
 of typhoid fever excreta at the Butler 
 County General Hospital, and built three 
 sedimentation or filtration beds at the out- 
 let of the sewage system of Lyndora. He 
 
 also established a dispensary in rooms in 
 the Duffy Building at the corner of Main 
 and North streets, where a complete sup- 
 ply of disinfectants and chemicals was 
 kept, and a skilled nurse was placed in 
 charge to instruct the people how to use 
 them. These supplies were distributed 
 free of charge. Dr. Batt remained in But- 
 ler until the close of January, 1904, when 
 his services not being needed longer, he 
 returned to Philadelphia. He was assisted 
 from time to time by Dr. Thomas N. ]\Ic- 
 Kee of Kittanning, Dr. Adams of Philadel- 
 phia, and other members of the State 
 board. 
 
 HOSPITALS ESTABLISHED. 
 
 Six hospitals were established and in 
 operation from December 1 to March 1. 
 Five of these hospitals received and cared 
 for typhoid fever patients, the sixth con- 
 fined its work to the preparing of delica- 
 cies of all kinds which were distributed 
 gratuitously and for furnishing sleeping 
 quarters for homeopathic nurses only. 
 
 The City of Brotherly Love Hospital 
 was established through the generosity of 
 Earl D. Clinton, proprietor of the Stand- 
 ard Hotel, on Fairground Avenue, who 
 volunteered the use of his property, and 
 through the Citizens' Permanent Relief 
 Society of the city of Philadelphia, who 
 sent Doctors French and Houston, Miss 
 Lane as head nurse, and twenty-five other 
 nurses, five from each of the five principal 
 hospitals of Philadelphia. The local Re- 
 lief Committee furnished all the supplies, 
 paid all the domestics and employes con- 
 nected with the hospital with the exception 
 of the doctors and nurses sent by Phila- 
 delphia. This hospital was in operation 
 forty-five days, from December 3 to Janu- 
 ary 18, during which period forty typhoid 
 patients were received and treated, and 
 four other patients, not typhoid, making a 
 total of forty-four. Wlien the hospital was 
 closed by Drs. McKinney and Fox, all 
 medicinal supplies sent by the Philadelphia 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 351 
 
 Relief Society were donated to the Butler 
 County General Hospital. 
 
 The Wagner Hospital was established 
 through the generosity of the Misses 
 Bertha and Lena Wagner, who volunteered 
 the use of their residence on South Mc- 
 Kean Street. This hospital was put into 
 actual operation on December 1, and closed 
 on March 28. Twenty-nine patients were 
 received and treated, ten of whom were 
 nurses. The Relief Committee furnished 
 the supplies and paid all the nurses, who 
 were under the leadership of Miss Durkin. 
 On account of being centrally located, this 
 hospital was of the greatest possible bene- 
 fit, and was the last institution to be closed 
 when the epidemic had run its course. 
 
 The Emergency Hospital was donated 
 through the kindness of the county com- 
 missioners, who turned over all of the 
 available room in the County Home to be 
 used for hospital purposes. The county 
 authorities furnished one nurse and the 
 Relief Committee three nurses in this in- 
 stitution. The portion of the County 
 Home utilized as an emergency hospital 
 was opened December 6, 1903, and closed 
 February 27, 1904. The number of pa- 
 tients admitted was twelve. 
 
 The Lyudora Hospital was established 
 through the individual efforts of Mr. E. G. 
 Caughey, who was then assistant general 
 manager of the Standard Steel Car Com- 
 pany. This hospital was used almost en- 
 tirely for the care of the employes of the 
 Standard Steel Car Company, and received 
 the personal attention of Mr. Caughey. 
 The hospital was opened November 28, 
 1903, and was closed January 16, 1904. 
 The doctors in attendance were R. B. 
 Greer and E. L. Wasson. Seventeen pa- 
 tients were received and treated at this 
 institution. 
 
 The Homeopathic Nurses' Home was 
 established on East Jefiferson Street 
 through the efforts of Mr. J. C. Say, and 
 the Homeopathic Hospital of Pittsburg, 
 assisted by Mrs. Dillworth and Mrs. Will- 
 
 iam Thaw. It was the intention of Doctors 
 McClellan and Willard and Mr. Childs of 
 the Pittsburg Hospital to establish a 
 homeopathic hospital, but on account of 
 their being so few homeopathic doctors 
 and nurses in Butler, the project was aban- 
 doned, and the Say Building on East Jef- 
 ferson Street was used as sleeping quar- 
 ters for homeopathic nurses. It was also 
 used for the preparation of delicacies for 
 the sick which were distributed by the 
 nurses in charge, and for the distribution 
 of supplies which were furnished by the 
 ladies of the Homeopathic Hospital of 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 The importance of a well established 
 and well equipped hospital was demon- 
 strated in the early days of the epidemic. 
 The Butler County General Hospital had 
 opened wide its doors to the Relief Com- 
 mittee before the emergency hospitals were 
 established, and in all forty-nine relief 
 committee patients were treated free at 
 this institution, including the services of 
 staff physicians. Sixty-nine cases were 
 treated from December 1, 1903, until the 
 close of March, 1904. 
 
 THE SUPPLY KOOMS. 
 
 The basement of Snaman's furniture 
 store on North Main Street was rented by 
 the Relief Committee as a supply room. 
 Here was received an endless variety of 
 clothing for men, women, boys and girls, 
 bedding of all kinds, eatables, etc., which 
 were contributed by people and societies 
 from towns and cities from all over the 
 country. One of the most acceptable dona- 
 tions of this kind was received the first 
 week of December from the people of New 
 Castle, who sent a carload of woolen blan- 
 kets and bedding. As the weather was ex- 
 tremely cold there was in many eases 
 suffering caused by the lack of proper 
 bedding in families where there were sev- 
 eral cases of fever to be taken care of. 
 This department was in charge of Harry 
 
352 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Grieb, who was assisted by Miss Fay 
 Thompson, Miss Sutton and Miss Stewart. 
 The Pittsburg Red Cross Society repre- 
 sented by Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Jones, and 
 Mrs. Vandergrift, also contributed a large 
 amount of supplies which were stored in 
 the basement of the Snaman building in 
 part of the room occupied by the Relief 
 Committee, which was in charge of Miss 
 Mabel Graham. The records of the society 
 show that a total of 4,038 pieces were dis- 
 tributed by the Red Cross, and 9,600 pieces 
 by the Relief Committee. The Relief 
 Committee received a total of 12,200 
 pieces, four-fifths of which were donated. 
 The balance of these articles at the close 
 of the epidemic were donated to the proper 
 officers of the Children's Aid Society of 
 Butler. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE WATER SUPPLY. 
 
 On the 1st of December, 1903, Dr. Wil- 
 bur R. Batt, quarantine officer at large, on 
 duty in Pittsburg, investigating the out- 
 break of the smallpox in that city, was 
 directed by the State Board of Health to 
 come to Butler and investigate the water 
 supply at this place. He was accompanied 
 by Dr. John W. Adams, veterinarian to 
 the State Board of Health of Philadelphia, 
 who investigated the milk supply, and Dr. 
 Thomas N. McKee, quarantine officer of 
 Armstrong County, who is a member of 
 the State Board of Health. These officers 
 met with the members of the local board of 
 health, the representatives of the School 
 Board and representatives of the Town 
 Council, and a thorough investigation was 
 made of the water sheds at Thorn Run and 
 Boydstown. 
 
 The water supply of Butler at this time 
 was obtained from two sources. The 
 Mutual Water Company of the Southside 
 supplied a large area in the First Ward 
 from five wells which were drilled at the 
 top of the hill south of the town, in 1891. 
 The main supply for the old part of the 
 
 town was obtained from the Butler Water 
 Company, which had a storage dam at 
 Boydstown, and was then constructing a 
 second storage dam on Thorn Run in Oak- 
 land Township. A brief history of the 
 water supply of the town was given by Dr. 
 Batt in his report on the typhoid fever epi- 
 demic at Butler, on the 31st of January, 
 1904, and may be of interest. 
 
 Previous to 1877 the water supply of the town was 
 obtained entirely from drilled wells. The Butler Water 
 Company was chartered November 1, 1877, and built a 
 reservoir at the top of the hill near the old St. Paul's 
 Orphans' Home property, which had a capacity of 
 3,000.000 gallons of water. The supply was taken "from 
 an intake on the Connoquenessing Creek near the pump 
 station. In 1896 the water company experienced some 
 difficulty on account of salt water pollution, which was 
 caused by pumping oil wells along the Connoquenessing 
 Creek Valley below Boydstown. In order to obviate this 
 pollution of the water, the water company built the 
 Boydstown dam, which has a drainage area of 9,000 
 acres. In July, 1897, the Butler Water Company dis- 
 posed of their plant to the American Water Works and 
 Guaranty Company, who are the present owners. Dur- 
 ing the summer of 1903 the company purchased a large 
 tract of land on Thorn Run in Oakland Township and 
 built the Tliorn Run Dam, which was completed the last 
 of October. 
 
 The consumption of water in the town increased from 
 one and a quarter million gallons in 1901 to three mil- 
 lion gallons daily in 1903. This sudden increase in con- 
 sumption was caused by the erection of the Standard 
 Steel Car Plant and the rapid increase in population 
 that followed. In 1902 the Water Company installed a 
 large filter plant at the pump station, and the con- 
 sumers were thereafter supplied with filtered water. A 
 succession of heavy rains and consequent high water de- 
 stroyed the Boydstown dam on the 28th of August, 1903, 
 and from that time until the 15th of November the 
 water supply of the town was taken from an emergency 
 intake on the creek above the pump station. This water 
 was filtered and was of a fairly good quality until about 
 the 20th of October, when the filter beds were out of 
 commission for a few days on account of repairs. Dur- 
 ing this time the water supply was taken from the 
 creek and pumped into the reservoir unfiltered. The 
 officers of the State board found on examination of the 
 water sheds of the Boydstown dam, the Thorn Kun 
 dam, and the valley of the creek below the Boydstown 
 dam, that a number of typhoid fever cases had existed 
 in farm houses and that the excreta from these dwellings 
 was thrown into the runs that were tributary to the 
 creek. It was also discovered that during the few days 
 that the water supply had been taken from the bed of 
 the creek, unfiltered, the water had been sufficiently con- 
 taminated with typhoid fever germs to cause the fearful 
 epidemic that began about the first of November. 
 
 As further evidence of this fact Dr. Batt 
 shows in his report that from 1876 to 1896 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 353 
 
 the water supply of the town was taken 
 from the Connoquenessing Creek and 
 pumped into the reservoir untiltered. 
 From July, 1896, to July, 1897, the supply 
 was obtained from Boydstown dam un- 
 tiltered. From July, 1897, to December, 
 1897, the supply again was taken from the 
 Connoquenessing Creek untiltered. From 
 July, 1902, to August 28, 1903, the supply 
 was taken from Boydstowu dam and 
 filtered. From August 28, 1903, to October 
 20, 1903, the supply was taken from the 
 emergency intake on the Connoquenessing 
 Creek and filtered. From October 20 to 
 November 2 the supply was taken from 
 the Connoquenessing Creek and the filter 
 beds being out of commission at this time 
 the water was furnished to the consumers 
 imfiltered. From November 2 to Novem- 
 ber 15 the supply was taken from the creek 
 and the filter beds having been repaired 
 the water was filtered before it went to the 
 consumers. On November 15, the Thorn 
 Run dam, which had been completed, was 
 placed in conmaission and the supply 
 was taken from that source and the 
 water filtered before it was pumped into 
 the reservoir. The result of the investiga- 
 tion proved the contention of the local 
 board of health that the fever was caused 
 by contamination of the water supply. 
 
 The conclusion of Dr. Batt's report on 
 the subject of pollution of the water is as 
 follows : 
 
 "That following the destruction of the Boydstown 
 dam August 28, 1903, the water for distribution to the 
 people of Butler was taken from Connoquenessing Creek 
 through an emergency intake. An examination of the 
 water of the creek showed that it maintained a fairly 
 constant evidence of pollution and that at various periods 
 the operation of the filter plant was particularly or 
 entirely suspended and that as a result of this polluted 
 water being used for domestic purposes, 1,348 persons 
 were stricken with typhoid fever between October 1, 
 1903, and January 29, 1904, with 111 fatalities." 
 
 The previous records of typhoid fever 
 epidemics were broken at Butler. In 1885 
 a similar epidemic occurred at Plymouth, 
 Pennsylvania, a town of 8,000 population. 
 The number of cases reported at that time 
 
 was 1,104, and the deaths 114. At Ithaca, 
 New York, an epidemic occurred, in May, 
 1903, in whicli there were 1,300 cases re- 
 ported, and seventy-eight deaths, among a 
 population of 13,000 people. 
 
 George R. Harlow, of Philadelphia, en- 
 gineer and inspector of the State Board of 
 Health, made an official visit to the Boyds- 
 town dam and water shed on the 12th of 
 December, 1903, and reported that eight 
 cases of typhoid fever had been located in 
 the vicinity of Boydstown from the first 
 of August to the date of his visit in that 
 year. This inspection confirmed the belief 
 that the fever epidemic was caused by pol- 
 luted water, and that the cause of the 
 pollution came from the infected houses 
 along the creek valley north of Butler. 
 
 In justice to Superintendent M. F. 
 Wright and the American Waterworks & 
 Guaranty Company it is recorded that the 
 company, through its officials in Butler, 
 did everything within its power to assist 
 the State and local boards of health, and 
 spared no expense in their efforts to rem- 
 edy the evils that existed at that time, and 
 to safeguard the health of the community 
 in the future. 
 
 FINANCIAL REPORT. 
 
 The financial report of the executive 
 committee of the Relief Society which was 
 audited and filed with the other reports of 
 the epidemic show that the committee re- 
 ceived from first to last a total of 
 $65,567.48. The total amount expended by 
 the Relief Society was $58,415.90. The 
 balance of $7,151.58 was turned over to 
 the Butler County General Hospital when 
 the Relief Society closed its books. To the 
 above amount may be added the donations 
 of grocers, and other supplies by mer- 
 chants amounting to $1,039.41, and a large 
 amount of clothing, bedding and other sup- 
 plies on which no value was placed, but 
 which approximates $10,000 or more. 
 
 In addition to the above amounts must 
 be considered the report of Burgess Will- 
 
354 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 iam Kenuedy. The Burgess received from 
 all sources $12,021.28. Of this amount 
 $9,527.20 was turned over to the Relief 
 Society, and the balance of $2,494.08 was 
 disbursed by him on vouchers, a report of 
 which is on file in the office of the secretary 
 of the town council. This makes the total 
 amount of cash contributions $68,061.56. 
 No account is taken in the financial state- 
 ment of the $3,038 in the hands of the 
 Mayor of Pittsburg, which the Relief 
 Society did not receive, nor is any account 
 taken of the discounts on bills allowed by 
 the grocerymen, the merchants, and the 
 gas companies. Nor is any account taken 
 of the discount amounting to 33 1-3 per 
 cent, allowed by the real estate owners on 
 rentals paid by the relief committee. 
 
 THE DIET KITCHEN. 
 
 On November 29 the use of the kitchen 
 and dining-room of the Second Presbyte- 
 rian Church was offered by the jaastor as 
 a place in which food might be prepared 
 for fever patients. This idea was aban- 
 doned when it became known that there 
 was some difficulty in providing meals for 
 the professional nurses who had come 
 from various parts of the country in re- 
 sponse for help, and under the direction 
 of the Relief Committee this work was un- 
 dertaken at the church. The supervision 
 of the work was committed to the pasto'- 
 Rev. E. R. Worrall, Hon. Thomas Hayes, 
 a member of the session, Mrs. C. E. Mc- 
 Intire, president of the Ladies' Aid Soci- 
 ety, and Miss Maude Hayes. About one 
 hundred and forty ladies of Butler partici- 
 pated in this work and all the necessary 
 help was gratuitous with the exception of 
 the cook and errand boy, who were paid 
 by the committee. Meals were served to 
 nurses at the church during a period of 
 seventy-three days, from December 4, 
 1903, to February 14, 1904, during which 
 time the average number of meals served 
 daily was seventy-one. The average for 
 the first week was fifty-three, and the third 
 
 week, one hundred and eigliteen, wliich was 
 the highest average during the time the 
 institution was open. 
 
 CLAEA barton's VISIT. 
 
 On the 14th of December, 1903, Butler 
 was visited by Miss Clara Barton, of the 
 National Red Cross Society, accompanied 
 by Gen. W. H. Sears, J. B. Hubbell and 
 Dr. A. W. Hitt. She was also accompanied 
 by Mrs. J. L. Anderson and Mrs. Mary 
 Chalfant McKee, of the Pittsburg Red 
 Cross. Miss Barton and her staff made a 
 thorough examination of the hospitals, the 
 diet kitchen, the supply department, and 
 the method of conducting the relief work 
 by the relief committee, and expressed 
 themselves so well pleased with the work 
 being done that they thought it was not 
 necessary for the officers of the Red Cross 
 Society to remain in the field. Miss Bar- 
 ton was especially complimentary on the 
 manner in which the relief work was or- 
 ganized in Butler, and said it was the 
 equal of the work done at Galveston and 
 other places where the National Red Cross 
 Society had taken charge. 
 
 the RELIEF FUND. 
 
 Acting on the advice of Miss Clara Bar- 
 ton, who said that it would probably take 
 one hundred thousand dollars to meet the 
 expenses of the Relief Committee, the Ex- 
 ecutive Committee held a meeting on the 
 night of December 15, and prepared a 
 statement wiiich was given to the Asso- 
 ciated Press and published in all the news- 
 papers in the United States the following 
 day. As the result of this appeal for aid, 
 the committee received from all sources 
 the sum of $65,567.48. Money poured in 
 from all parts of the country, from towns 
 and cities, from lodges and benevolent 
 societies, and from private individuals. 
 The smallest donation was ten cents from 
 a private individual at Tacoma, Washing- 
 ton, and the largest was $5,000 from a 
 gentleman who had been a former resident 
 of Butler County, but withheld his name. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 355 
 
 On January 11, 1904, a meeting of the 
 genera] relief and executive committees 
 was held at which a complete and exhaus- 
 tive discussion relative to the funds re- 
 ceived up to that time, took place, and a 
 second statement was given to the Asso- 
 ciated Press for publication stating that 
 the relief committee felt satisfied that with 
 the funds received up to that time they 
 would have siifficient money to pay all 
 debts contracted for, and which might be 
 incurred thereafter, providing no unfore- 
 seen contingencies occurred; and that fur- 
 ther contributions on the part of the pub- 
 lic would be unnecessary. 
 
 About the time the second statement 
 was given out setting forth that the Relief 
 Committee had sufficient funds in hand to 
 finish the relief work in Butler, there re- 
 mained in the hands of the Mayor of Pitts- 
 burg, $3,067.20, which had been sent to him 
 as custodian of the Butler Relief fund, 
 and which had not been forwarded to But- 
 ler. About this time tlie frightful disaster 
 at the Harwick mines in Allegheny County 
 took place, in which one hundred and sev- 
 enty men lost their lives. At a meeting of 
 the executive committee, a motion was 
 unanimously adopted instructing the sec- 
 retary to wire the Mayor of Pittsburg as 
 follows: 
 
 "Hou. W. B. Hayes, Mayor of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania: 
 "J ha^e been authorized to wire you as follows: That 
 it is the sense of this executive- committee and the gen- 
 eral relief committee that the officers of both com- 
 mittees, while still claiming their legal and moral right 
 to the balance of the funds in your hands, we now re- 
 quest that it be transferred to the proper authorities for 
 the benefit of the Harwick sufferers; and in addition we 
 wish to sny to you that, notwithstanding the fact that 
 we are still in the throes of the typhoid fever epidemic 
 here, this relief committee and the citizens of Butler 
 generally stand ready to aid in any way they can in this 
 disaster of our sister county." Signed, R. B. Broad- 
 head, secretary. 
 
 The work performed by the Relief Soci- 
 ety of Rutler in connection with the epi- 
 demic of typhoid fever was of such great 
 importance and so effective in its results 
 as to play a very important part in secur- 
 ing the rapid abatement of the disease as 
 
 well as relieving suffering and want. The 
 work was of such magnitude that the de- 
 tails cannot be given here. The manner 
 in which the affairs of the Relief Society 
 were ackninistered testify eloquently to 
 the intelligence and integrity and the un- 
 selfishness of those who devoted both of 
 their time and substance to the relief of 
 the stricken fellow towns-people. 
 
 Nor should the personal sacrifices of in- 
 dividuals be passed unnoticed. Dr. John 
 E. Byers, county medical inspector, had 
 an extensive practice in Butler. While vis- 
 iting a fever patient in January, 190-1-, he 
 was stricken with cerebral hemorrhage 
 and died in a few hours. Dr. William H. 
 Brown contracted a disease from exposure 
 during the winter that caused his death in 
 June, 1905. Miss Gertrude Vanderlin, 
 daughter of Attorney J. C. Vanderlin, of 
 Butler, who was one of the first volunteer 
 nurses, attended a poor family where 
 there were four children ill with fever. 
 She became infected with the disease and 
 died in December when the epidemic was 
 at its height. For performing deeds of 
 valor on the field of battle and in time of 
 war, men and women have had their names 
 written on marble and bronze. The men 
 and women who faced the Grim Reaper 
 during the long weeks of the epidemic, 
 nursing the sick and comforting the dying 
 to be themselves stricken and finally give 
 up their lives, are of heroic mould, and 
 their memories will long be cherished by 
 a grateful people. Of them it can be writ- 
 ten : "Greater love hath no man than this, 
 that a man lay down his life for his 
 friends." 
 
 BUTLEB COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL. 
 
 The movement to build a hospital in 
 Butler as a public charity and also for the 
 care of private cases, had its inception in 
 the fall of 1896. The deaths of two young 
 men from fever under circumstances that 
 were particularly sad, and a number of 
 serious railroad accidents of the previous 
 
356 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 summer, attracted public attention to the 
 matter of taking care of the sick strangers 
 in our midst and enlisted the sympathies 
 of the women of the town who were en- 
 gaged in charitable work. As in every good 
 cause, the women were the first to make a 
 move. Mrs. Elizabeth McCandless, now 
 deceased, Mrs. Harriet Cooper and Mrs. T. 
 J. Steen prepared a letter setting forth the 
 needs of the town, which they sent to An- 
 drew Carnegie, and was the means of se- 
 curing from him the promise of a check 
 for $1,500.00 for the building of a hospital 
 whenever the people of Butler showed 
 their good faith by affecting an organiza- 
 tion and raising a fund for the enterprise. 
 Following this a meeting of the women of 
 the town who were interested in the hospi- 
 tal movement was held in the Y. M. C. A. 
 building on November 17, 1896, at which 
 Mrs. W. D. Brandon presided, with Mrs. 
 C. E. Herr as secretary. This meeting 
 was attended by about eighty women, rep- 
 resenting all of the churches of the town, 
 and the various women's societies. Mrs. 
 M. S. Templeton, Mrs. J. B. Black, and 
 Mrs. W. C. Thompson were appointed a 
 committee to pi'ej^are a constitution and 
 by-laws, and present them for adoption at 
 the next meeting. 
 
 At a meeting held on the 24th of Novem- 
 ber a regular organization was atfected by 
 the election of Mrs. W. D. Brandon, presi- 
 dent; Mrs. J. S. McKee, vice-president; 
 Mrs. C. E. Herr, secretary ; and Mrs. John 
 S. Campbell, treasurer. A committee on 
 finance was appointed consisting of Mrs. 
 John S. Campbell, president; Mrs. N. B. 
 Jacobs, Mrs. R. P. Scott, Mrs. William 
 Aland, Mrs. J. V. Ritts, Mrs. William 
 Cooper, Mrs. H. W. Christie, Mrs. Alfred 
 Wick, Mrs. W. C. Thompson, Mrs. A. W. 
 McCullough, Miss AUie Collins, and Miss 
 Mary McKee. 
 
 At the same time a board of manage- 
 ment was elected, consisting of two repre- 
 sentatives from each of the churches in the 
 town. This board was as follows: 
 
 Baptist Church— Mrs. W. H. Collins. 
 
 St. Paul's Catholic Church — Mrs. 
 Charles Duffy, Mrs. Joseph Vanderlin. 
 
 St. Peter's Catholic Church — Mrs. 
 Harry Grieb, Mrs. William Aland. 
 
 Church of God — Mrs. J. W. Davis. 
 
 Grace Lutheran Church — Mrs. Eli Mil- 
 ler. 
 
 Free Methodist Church — Mrs. L. C. 
 Wick. 
 
 First Presbyterian Church — Mrs. D. B. 
 Campbell, Mrs. R. C. McAboy. 
 
 United Presbyterian Church — Mrs. Jos. 
 L. Purvis, Mrs. R. H. Pillow. 
 
 St. Peter's Episcopal Church — Mrs. J. 
 B. Black. 
 
 First English Lutheran Church — Miss 
 Lena Reiber, and Mrs. Elizabeth Smith. 
 
 St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church 
 — Mrs. Theodore Vogeley, and Mrs. Jacob 
 Lawall. 
 
 Bethany Reformed Church — Mrs. T. 
 Klingensmith. 
 
 St. Paul's Reformed Church — Mrs. D. 
 N. Harnish. 
 
 Members at large — Miss Isabelle White, 
 Mrs. J. M. Greer, Mrs. J. H. DeWolf, Mrs. 
 J. S. McKee, Mrs. J. Henry Troutman, 
 Mrs. J. S. Campbell, Mrs. Chas. E. Herr. 
 
 Committee on site — Mrs. J. Henry 
 Troutman, Mrs. R. C. McAboy, and Mrs. 
 L. 0. Purvis. 
 
 The title adopted was the Ladies' Hospi- 
 tal Association. 
 
 There have been few changes in the offi- 
 cers of the association since its first organ- 
 ization. Mrs. R. P. Scott was appointed 
 donation secretary after the hospital was 
 opened, and Mrs. J. B. Black succeeded 
 Mrs. C. E. Herr as recording secretary. 
 In 1908 the association had over fifty mem- 
 bers who were working for the interests of 
 the hospital through the various commit- 
 tees. The officers were as follows: 
 
 President, Mrs. J. Henry Troutman; 
 vice-president, Mrs. C. G. Christie; dona- 
 tion secretary, Mrs. B. C. Huselton; re- 
 cording secretary, Mrs. J. B. Black. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 357 
 
 The following committees were fully or- 
 ganized and doing excellent work : 
 
 Executive committee: Mrs. R. C. Mc- 
 Aboy, Mrs. R. P. Scott, Miss Isabel White. 
 
 Purchasing committee: Mrs. R. C. Mc- 
 Aboy, . Mrs. N. M. Hoover, Mrs. W. D. 
 Brandon. 
 
 Entertainment committee : Mrs. Jno. S. 
 Campbell, Mrs. R. P. Scott, Mrs. C. N. 
 Boyd. 
 
 Flower committee: Mrs. W. H. Goeh- 
 ring, Mrs. W. C. Thompson, Mrs. Frank 
 Beidenbach, Mrs. W. H. Miller, Mrs. J. B. 
 Black, Miss Anna White. 
 
 Needle-work committee: Miss Isabel 
 White, Mrs. Louis B. Stein, Mrs. Chas. E. 
 Herr, Mrs. T. C. Campbell, Mrs. Alfred 
 Wick, Mrs. J. D. McJunkin, Mrs. Jas. Hey- 
 drick, Mrs. W. H. Heydrick, and Miss Allie 
 Harper. 
 
 The first advisory board consisted of L. 
 0. Purvis, John S. Campbell, Alfred Wick, 
 Joseph Hartman, J. M. Galbreath, W. 
 T. Mechling, Dr. A. M. Neyman, L. R. 
 Schmertz, and Daniel Younkins. 
 
 In January, 1897, a joint meeting of the 
 Ladies' Hospital Association, the advisory 
 board, and others interested in the project 
 was held in the Y. M. C. A. Building at 
 which an organization was formed, the 
 object of which was to maintain a general 
 hospital, as a public charity at Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, to be known as ' ' The Butler 
 County General Hospital." In order to 
 carry out the purposes and object of the 
 corporation, it was decided to apply for a 
 charter, which was granted on the 18th day 
 of January, 1897, and the following 
 board of directors was named for the first 
 year: William T. Mechling, president; 
 Thos. J. ShufHin, vice-president; J. V. 
 Ritts, treasurer; A. E. Reiber, secretary; 
 and L. 0. Purvis, Amos Steelsmith, Jos. 
 W. Aland, Watt Tait, L. R. Schmertz, 
 Mrs. Theodore Vogeley, Mrs. C. D. Green- 
 lee, Mrs. N. M. Hoover, Mrs. T. J. Steen, 
 Mrs. Harry Grieb, Mrs. J. Henry Trout- 
 
 lu addition to the above directory, the 
 following committees were appointed : Ex- 
 ecutive committee, A. E. Reiber, W. F. 
 Tait, Amos Steelsmith, Mrs. J. Henry 
 Troutman, Mrs. N. M. Hoover. 
 
 Finance committee, J. V. Ritts, L. R. 
 Schmertz, T. J. Shufflin, Mrs. C. D. Green- 
 lee, Airs. T. J. Steen. 
 
 Auditing committee, Jos. W. Aland, Mrs. 
 Theodore Vogeley, Mrs. Harry Grieb. 
 
 Building committee, L. 0. Purvis, A. E. 
 Reiber, Mrs. J. H. Troutman. 
 
 At the annual meeting held on January 
 20, 1898, the above named committees were 
 continued, and in 1899 T. J. Shufiiin suc- 
 ceeded W. T. Mechling as president, and 
 Mrs. J. Henry Troutman was elected presi- 
 dent. The secretary and treasurer were 
 continued. There were no changes in offi- 
 cials until the annual meeting of 1901, 
 when W. F. Rumberger was chosen secre- 
 tary to succeed Mr. Reiber. In July, 1905, 
 Mr. Rumberger resigned as secretary and 
 L. B. Stein acted as secretary until the an- 
 nual meeting in 1906, when Jos. W. Aland 
 was elected. 
 
 In 1908 the board of directors consisted 
 of T. J. Shufflin, president; Mrs. J. H. 
 Troutman, vice-president; Louis B. Stein, 
 treasurer; Jos. W. Aland, secretary; and 
 Miss Isabella White, Mrs. N. M. Hoover, 
 Mrs. J. S. Campbell, Capt. Thos. Hays, A. 
 E. Reiber, J. V. Ritts, L. S. McJunkin, and 
 M. F. Wright. 
 
 In 1897 the building committee secured 
 a site from the John Muntz estate south of 
 the Connoquenessing Creek at the foot of 
 Main Street, and the contract was let for a 
 two-story brick building that would meet 
 the needs of the time. The building was 
 erected and equipped at a cost of about 
 .$25,000. With the exception of the dona- 
 tion made by Andrew Carnegie, the money 
 for this purpose was contributed by the 
 people of Butler and Butler County. For 
 several years after the hospital was 
 opened it was maintained by the benevo- 
 leuce of the people of the community, but 
 
358 
 
 HISTOEY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in 1902 State aid was secured and the leg- 
 islature of 1907 made an appropriation of 
 $10,000 for building purposes, and a sim- 
 ilar amount for maintenance for the two 
 succeeding years. 
 
 When the building was ready for occu- 
 pancy the Masonic order of Butler fur- 
 nished and equipped the dining-room, and 
 the four private rooms were furnished by 
 the B. P. 0. E., the Woodmen of the 
 World, the I. 0. 0. F., and the C. M. B. A., 
 respectively. 
 
 The hospital takes a leading rank among 
 the public institutions of the State, and has 
 performed a noble work in the community. 
 During the typhoid fever epidemic of the 
 winter of 1903-4 the institution received 
 and cared for sixty-five patients from No- 
 vember until the first of March. At the 
 time of the explosion at the carwheel foun- 
 dry on the night of October 8, 1907, forty- 
 one of the victims were taken to the hospi- 
 tal and properly cared for, although the 
 capacity of the institution was only twenty 
 beds. 
 
 On the anniversary of this catastrophe 
 in October, 1908, the Standard Steel Car 
 Company through their treasurer, Mr. Gil- 
 lespie, sent the Hospital Association a 
 clieck for $5,000 as a donation in apprecia- 
 tion of the services rendered at the time 
 of the accident at the mill. 
 
 The first matron and superintendent of 
 the hospital was Miss Emma Walker; she 
 was succeeded by Miss Emma Limberg; 
 and Mrs. A. M. Eeinhardt, the present 
 superintendent, came to the institution in 
 November, 1902. Miss Cook and Miss 
 Anderson filled the position of matron for 
 short periods during 1901 and 1902. 
 
 THE NUKSES' TRAINING SCHOOL. 
 
 The training school for nurses was es- 
 tablished in 1901, and the first class was 
 graduated in 1903. The graduates that 
 year were Miss Elizabeth Amnion, and 
 
 Miss Lue Donaldson. The latter died dur- 
 ing the winter of the epidemic in Butler. 
 
 The class of 1904 was composed of Miss 
 Anna Pifer, Mrs. Jennie Murphy, Miss 
 Mabel Campbell, and Miss Florence Hal- 
 derman. 
 
 The class of 1905 consisted of Miss Jes- 
 sie Rav, Miss Amy Pifer, and Miss Sara 
 Kline. ' 
 
 The class of 1906 was composed of Miss 
 Margaret Walter, Miss Susan Borford, 
 Miss Carrie Kline, Miss Stella Campbell, 
 Miss Emma Fuhrer, Miss Rachel Zufall, 
 Miss May Soper. The class of 1907 was 
 composed of Miss Anna Brown, Miss Alice 
 McQuillan, Miss Stella Gilson, Miss Rose 
 Wliitney and Miss Phoebe Pasch. 
 
 Eleven nurses were in training in 1908 
 of whom five were on probation. 
 
 The alumni association was formed in 
 October, 1908, with eleven members and 
 the following officers: Mrs. Jennie Mur- 
 phy, president ; Miss Florence Halderman, 
 secretary ; ]\liss Amy Pifer, treasurer ; and 
 Miss Stella Campbell, vice-president. 
 
 The official staff of the hospital in 1908 
 was composed of Mrs. A. M. Reinhardt, 
 superintendent; Miss M. E. Foster, head 
 nurse; Miss Ruth Woodworth, dietician; 
 and Miss Margaret Annaeker, of Pittsburg 
 instructor in massage. 
 
 The location of large industrial plants in 
 Butler and the increase in population since 
 1902 has caused a corresponding increase 
 in hospital cases, and has created the 
 necessity of enlarging the building. In 
 1904 a two-story brick addition was built. 
 The first floor is used as a laundry, and the 
 second floor as living apartments for the 
 help. In 1908 the south wing was erected 
 at a cost of about $15,000, which increased 
 the capacity of the hos]Mtal to about sixty 
 beds. The Hospital Association has in 
 contemplation the erection of a west wing, 
 that will further increase the capacity of 
 the institution to about one hundred beds. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 BANKS AND BANKING 
 
 First Banking Institution — First National Bank — John Berg S Co. — Butler Savings 
 Bank — Butler Savings and Trust Co. — Butler County National Bank — Farmers' 
 National Bank of Butler — Guaranty Safe Deposit S Trust Co. — Standard Trust 
 Co. — First National Bank of Earrisville — First National Bank of Zelienople— 
 Citizens' National Bank of Slippery Rock — First National, Slippery Rock — Mars 
 National Bank — First National Bank of Bruin — Citizens' National Bank of Evans 
 City — Lyndora National Bank — Harmony Savings Bank — Commercial Bank of 
 Harmony — Prospect Savings Bank — Miller stown Savings Bank Association — Mil- 
 lerstoivn Deposit Bank — Butler County Bank — Fairview Banks — Argyle Savings 
 Bank, Petrolia. 
 
 There were no banking institutions in 
 Butler County previous to 1854. The 
 merchants did a credit business, or issued 
 scrip and the people throughout the coun- 
 try districts often had difficulty in getting 
 ready cash for their immediate uses. The 
 merchant, mechanic, doctor, and preacher 
 were paid in the product of the farm, and 
 they in turn, were compelled to trade for 
 the things they needed. If there was any 
 balance coming to the farmer when he had 
 completed his trading with the merchant, 
 he received the merchant's scrip or due 
 bill, but rarely any money, or at the most 
 he would receive half cash, and the balance 
 would be taken in trade at some future 
 date. The currency issued by the state 
 banks of that day had an imcertain value 
 and the correction of the bank note list in 
 the newspapers was one of the features of 
 the financial columns that was closely 
 watched by the dealers and merchants. 
 The insecurity of the bank notes made 
 gold and silver the only safe money for 
 
 the people in the country districts to han- 
 dle, and this was hoarded in old stockings 
 and various places of security about the 
 farm house. Bank notes were looked on 
 with suspicion, as the possessor usually 
 had to refer to the latest published list to 
 see whether the note was good, and then 
 take chances on the institution failing, 
 which often happened, before the paper 
 could be presented to the bank of issue for 
 redemption. This condition of things made 
 the country people naturally suspicious of 
 banks in general, and for many years after 
 banks had been established in Butler Bor- 
 ough and elsewhere in the county, the 
 country people preferred trusting their 
 savings with their local merchant to de- 
 positing their money with the banks. This 
 custom led to private banking in the 
 smaller towns, which prevailed to a con- 
 siderable extent until the beginning of the 
 present century. 
 
 From 1854 to 1867 the only banks in the 
 county were in Butler Borough. In the 
 
360 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 latter year a bank was organized and es- 
 tablished at Harmony, and in 1872, banks 
 were established at Fairview and Petrolia. 
 The following year two banks were estab- 
 lished at Millerstown, which was then a 
 booming oil center, and in 1874 a bank was 
 organized and established at Prospect. A 
 year or two later the Prospect bank went 
 into private hands and it has been contin- 
 ued as a private bank since that time. In 
 1892 but one of the oil country banks re- 
 mained, and that was the Millerstown De- 
 posit Bank, which is still in existence, but 
 under private management. Private bank- 
 ing enterprises were carried on in the last 
 decade of the nineteenth century by W. 
 Henry Wilson at Slippery Rock, J. H. Mc- 
 Clure at Prospect, James M. Marshall at 
 Porter sville, Jacob and Edward Dambach 
 at Evans City, and the Gelbach brothers at 
 Zelienople, but these concerns with one or 
 two exceptions have given way to the na- 
 tional banks that have been organized dur- 
 ing the past ten years. In addition to the 
 three banking houses and two trust com- 
 panies in Butler Borough in 1908, there 
 were nine national banks and two private 
 banks doing business in the county. The 
 combined capital of these institutions is 
 about $2,000,000.00, and they are rated 
 among the leading financial institutions of 
 western Pennsylvania. 
 
 THE FROST BANKING INSTITUTION 
 or BUTLEB. 
 
 The transactions of the county commis- 
 sioners during the first half of the century 
 show that the moneys of the county were 
 kept in Pittsburg banks, and the mer- 
 chants of Butler and other points in the 
 county were compelled to do their banking 
 business in that city. A good deal of un- 
 certainty surrounded dealings with outside 
 banking concerns, so that in the year 1854 
 James Campbell, James Bredin, Samuel 
 M. Lane, Dr. Isaiah McJunkin and A. N. 
 Meylert determined to found a bank here. 
 James Bredin was selected president or 
 
 manager, and Isaac J. Cummings as cash- 
 ier. A year later Mr. Cummings became 
 sole owner, and continued so down to the 
 organization of the First National Bank 
 in 1864. Besides attending to his duties as 
 a banker Mr. Cummings was financial edi- 
 tor of the Butler newsj^apers, and cor- 
 rected the bank note list weekly. 
 
 THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BUTLER. 
 
 The First National Bank of Butler was 
 chartered January 27, and organized Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1864, with the following officers: 
 James Campbell, president, I. J. Cum- 
 mings, cashier, John Berg, Jr., Louis Stein, 
 John N. Purviance, H. Julius Kling- 
 ler, James Bredin, B. McJunkin, John 
 M. Thompson, R. C. McAboy, and James 
 Campbell, directors. Charles McCandless, 
 Charles Duffy, Thomas Stehle, Jacob Zieg- 
 ler, John M. Zimmerman, Mary A. Reed, 
 John A. Graham, Christian SeilDert, Jacob 
 Walter and William Campbell, were un- 
 official stock-holders. The business of the 
 institution was carried on in the old build- 
 ing, later the property of Thomas Stehle, 
 until 1875, when the bank was removed to 
 their new building on the corner of Main 
 and Jefferson Streets, now occupied by 
 John Berg & Company. Some years pre- 
 vious to this event Charles McCandless 
 succeeded James Campbell as president 
 and filled that position until 1878, when he 
 resigned to accept the appointment of 
 chief justice of New Mexico, and Charles 
 Duffy was elected his successor as presi- 
 dent. Mr. Duffy was succeeded as presi- 
 dent by W. H. H. Riddle, who filled the 
 office when the bank closed its doors in 
 1879. Edwin Lyon succeeded I. J. Cum- 
 mings as cashier and he in turn gave place 
 to John Berg, Jr. In 1870, Alexander 
 Mitchell who had previously been teller of 
 the bank was elected cashier, which office 
 he held until the bank was closed by Exam- 
 iner Hugh Young July 18, 1879. The re- 
 ceiver appointed was Henry C. CuUom, 
 who served until January, 1880, when he 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 361 
 
 was succeeded by John N. Purviance. Not- 
 withstanding the depreciation of secui'ities 
 Mr. Purviance succeeded in winning for 
 the depositors a large percentage of their 
 
 THE PRODUCERS BANK OF BUTLER COUNTY. 
 
 This bank was established in Butler 
 May, 1873, and about the same time a 
 branch was opened at Greece City, which 
 was then a booming oil town. The officials 
 of the company were J. W. Irwin, presi- 
 dent, J. E. Ray, cashier, of Butler; H. 
 Howe, assistant cashier; J. Stambaugh, 
 James Adams, William Miller, Samuel A. 
 Woods, H. McWalters, Lewis P. Walker 
 and the above officials, were the directors. 
 The business was conducted until 1875, 
 when J. W. Irwin appears to have pur- 
 chased the stock and later entered the But- 
 ler Savings Bank as a stockholder. 
 
 JOHN BERG & COMPANY. 
 
 The banking house of John Berg & Com- 
 pany was established in 1870 by John 
 Berg, Sr., and John Berg, Jr., and 
 was carried on by them until the death 
 of the senior partner in 1884. By the 
 terms of the will of John Berg, Sr., 
 the title and system of business were to be 
 observed for five years or until 1889. In 
 that year the company was re-organized 
 with John Berg, Henry A. Berg and Louis 
 Berg as partners under the style and title 
 of John Berg & Company. John Berg, Jr., 
 died in November, 1906, and since that 
 time the business has been carried on by 
 Henry A. Berg and Louis Berg. The first 
 banking office was at the corner of Main 
 and Cunningham Streets, and in 1883 the 
 firm jiurchased the First National Bank 
 building on the corner of Main and Jeffer- 
 son Streets, where for the past twenty-five 
 years they have transacted a large and 
 constantly increasing business. 
 
 THE BUTLER SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 The Butler Savings Bank was organized 
 
 January 29, 1868, and opened its doors for 
 business February 3d of that year, with 
 •lames Bredin, president, Edwin Lyon, 
 cashier, Adam Troutman, J. C. Reddick, 
 Eugene Ferrero, William Dick, E. A. 
 Heimbold, Gabriel Etzel, R. A. Mifflin, 
 David Kelly, and Samuel Marshall, trus- 
 tees. The company received a state char- 
 ter by a special act of May '20, 1871, and 
 under that charter John M. Thompson was 
 elected president October 30, 1871, and 
 served until February 21, 1877, when 
 William Campbell, Sr., was elected as his 
 successor. The latter served until Febru- 
 ary, 1880, when J. W. Irwin was elected. 
 William Campbell, Sr., was again chosen 
 president January 12, 1886, but resigned 
 December 27, 1887, when Joseph L. Purvis 
 was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. Purvis 
 continued as president until 1901, when he 
 resigned and William Campbell, Jr., was 
 elected president. At the same time Louis 
 B. Stein, who had been teller, since 1885, 
 was )iromoted to cashier. 
 
 Edwin Lyon, the first cashier of the 
 liank, resigned in 1871, and William Canij^- 
 bell, Jr., was appointed and filled that po- 
 sition until 1901, when he was elected 
 president, and Louis B. Stein, who had 
 been appointed teller in 1885, was chosen 
 cashier to succeed Mr. Campbell. In Janu- 
 ary, 1891, the bank was re-chartered for 
 twenty years, to date from May 20, 1891. 
 In the summer of 1902, the company was 
 reorganized under the title of the Butler 
 Savings and Trust Company, and the capi- 
 tal stock increased from sixty thousand to 
 two hundred thousand dollars. A charter 
 was granted on the 4th of September, 1902, 
 and the old Savings Bank as an institution 
 went out of existence on the 31st of Decem- 
 ber of that year. The Savings Bank was 
 dominated largely by the Cami)liell, Stein 
 and Troutman families of Butler and had 
 on its board of directors the most conser- 
 vative business men of the town and 
 county. It was the main support of many 
 of the public imi)rovements of the town. 
 
362 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 among wliicb were the electric lighting sys- 
 tem of the town and the Home Natural 
 Gas Company, and was one of the princi- 
 pal factors in the organization of the Stan- 
 dard Plate Glass Company. It was also 
 instrumental in bringing the Standard 
 Steel Car Works to Butler, which inaugu- 
 rated a new era in the commercial and 
 industrial growth of the town. 
 
 THE BUTLER SAVINGS AND TRUST COMPANY. 
 
 The Butler Savings and Trust Company 
 is the old Butler Savings Bank reor- 
 ganized under a new charter. The com- 
 pany was organized in 1902, the charter 
 granted September 4th of that year, and 
 its doors were open for business on Janu- 
 ary 1, 1903, in the building formerly occu- 
 pied by tlie Butler Savings Bank. The 
 first officers of the company were William 
 Campbell, Jr., president; J. Henry Trout- 
 man, first vice-president ; W. A. Stein, sec- 
 ond vice-president; Louis B. Stein, secre- 
 tary and treasurer; C E. Cronenwett, as- 
 sistant treasurer; W. D. Brandon, solic- 
 itor; and the following Board of Directors: 
 "NVm. Campbell, Jr., J. Henry Troutman, 
 ^\. D. Brandon, W. A. Stein, John S. 
 Campbell and Louis B. Stein. 
 
 William Campbell, Jr., died on July 27, 
 1907, and J. Henry Troutman was elected 
 president, a position which he still holds. 
 John S. Campbell was elected first vice- 
 president to fill the vacancy, and Dr. R. H. 
 Pillow was chosen a member of the board 
 of directors to fill the vacancy. The other 
 officers of the institution are Gardner C. 
 Lowry, general bookkeeper; John W. 
 Brandon, C. DeWitt Breaden, H. S. Ehr- 
 man, Frank W. Christy, individual book- 
 keepers ; J. Hervey Murtland, correspond- 
 ing clerk. 
 
 The company conducts a general bank- 
 ing department, savings department and 
 trust department, and the l)usiness is con- 
 ducted along the safe and conservative 
 line established by the founders of the old 
 Savings Bank and successfully cari'ied on 
 
 for forty years. The statement of the re- 
 sources and liabilities of the institution 
 sliows a capital of $200,000.00, a surplus of 
 .+!'()( ),()( 1(1.00, imdivided profits of $158,- 
 G3!I..j9, and deposits of $1,562,056.13. The 
 amount of trust funds invested and unin- 
 vested are $261,404.17. 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY NATIONAL BANK. 
 
 From 1879 to 1890 Butler was without 
 a National bank and the only banking in- 
 stitutions in the town were the Butler Sav- 
 ings Bank and John Berg & Company. 
 Several bankers and capitalists had pro- 
 posed from time to time the organization 
 of a new bank, but nothing definite was 
 done until early in 1890, when J. V. Ritts, 
 a banker well known in AVestern Pennsyl- 
 vania, representing a number of business 
 men, joined R. B. Tavlor, E. E. Abrams, 
 C. D. Greenlee, I. G. Smith, 0. M. Russell, 
 and others, in i:)romoting the enterpi'ise 
 and held a formal meeting in the office of 
 Mr. Abrams April 1, 1890. The title se- 
 lected was "The Butler County National 
 Bank," and upon application to the comp- 
 troller of the currency, a charter was 
 granted July 19, 1890'. The bank was 
 opened for business on August 18th of the 
 same vear, under the following organiza- 
 tion: "R. B. Taylor, president; J. V. Ritts, 
 vice-president; David Osborne, cashier, 
 and Charles A. Bailey, assistant cashier. 
 
 Including the president and vice-in-esi- 
 dent, the directory was composed of the 
 following: Leslie P. Hazlett, E. E. Abrams. 
 0. M. Russell, C. D. Greenlee, I. G. Smith, 
 C. P. Collins, and Heniy McSweeney. 
 
 Mr. Taylor resigned the presidencv on 
 September 3d, 1890, and Mr. Ritts assumed 
 that position until the election of Hon. 
 Joseph Hartman on September 30th fol- 
 lowing. Mr. Hartman continued in the 
 office of president until his death in 1904, 
 when Leslie P. Hazlett was elected to fill 
 the vacancy, and at the next annual meet- 
 ing of the stockholders and directors, he 
 was re-elected and continues to hold that 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 363 
 
 position. Mr. Osborne resigned his posi- 
 tion as cashier about one year after the 
 bank began business, and C. A. Bailey was 
 promoted to the position of eashier, and 
 John (i. i\rc']\rarlin to assistant cashier. In 
 1900 Mr. I'.ailey resimu-d u, accept a posi- 
 tion with a new bank tlien being organized, 
 and Mr. McMarlin was promoted to the 
 position of cashier, which he now holds. 
 At the same time, Albert G. Krug was ap- 
 pointed to the position of assistant cashier. 
 
 The original capital of the bank was 
 $100,000.00, which was increased in 1900 
 from $100,000.00 to $200,000.00, and in 
 1904 the capital was again increased from 
 $200,000.00 to $300,000.00. At the close of 
 1908 the bank had a full paid up capital of 
 $300,000.00, and surplus and undivided 
 profits amounting to over $475,000.00. The 
 bank at present is the largest in Butler 
 Countv, and has assets aggregating 
 $2,500^000.00. It has always maintained 
 full currency payments without notice, and 
 in addition to doing a general banking- 
 business conducts a savings department, 
 which is also backed by the ])ank's large 
 capital and surplus. It pays interest on 
 time deposits, compounded semi-annually, 
 and carefully looks after the interests of 
 its patrons in this branch of the business. 
 
 The first home of the Butler County Na- 
 tional Bank was in a three-story brick 
 building, jmrchased in 1890, that occupied 
 part of tlie site of the present building. 
 In 1902 the bank purchased the pro])erty 
 of John H. Negley and Col. John Thomp- 
 son on Diamond Street and the McQuistion 
 property on Main Street and began the 
 erection of the present six-story banking 
 and office building, which was completed 
 and occujiied in August, 1903. The total 
 cost of this improvement was about $200,- 
 000.00. One of the features of the equip- 
 ment of the banking room is the safe de- 
 posit vaults which are considered among 
 the best in this part of the country. 
 
 The following constitute the board of 
 directors in 1908: Leslie P. Hazlett; Al- 
 
 phonse Krause ; Harry Heasley; Joseph 
 Hartman, Jr.; Dr. W. C. McCandless; H. 
 C. Litzinger; H. McSweeney; Blair Hooks; 
 A. E. Russell ; C. P. Collins ; W. H. Larkin ; 
 H. C. Keasey; A. L. Reiber; T. P. Mifflin; 
 Dr. J. J. Schultis; I. G. Smith; Marion 
 Henshaw; M. N. Heinzer; R. A. Marks; 
 and J. V. Ritts. 
 
 The officers of the bank are: Leslie P. 
 Hazlett, president ; A. L. Reiber, vice-pres- 
 ident; T. P. Mifflin, vice-president; J. V. 
 Ritts, vice-president; John G. McMarlin, 
 cashier ; Albert C. Krug, assistant cashier ; 
 W. S. Blakslee, assistant cashier; W. A. 
 Ashbaugh, assistant cashier; George W. 
 Hazlett, general book-keeper; W. A. Ritts- 
 teller; S. R. Hill, proof clerk; R. H. Mc- 
 Clester, corresponding clerk; G. K. Haz- 
 lett, individual book-keeper; George D. 
 Smith, individual book-keeper; J. H. 
 Forcht, discount clerk; .1. H. Stewart, col- 
 lector. 
 
 The bank has been prosperous, aggres- 
 sive and progressive and has had a phe- 
 nomenal growth from its first year. It is 
 the largest banking house in Butler 
 County and is rated one of the most solid 
 institutions in western Pennsylvania. It 
 has always taken an active interest in the 
 promotion of the industrial welfare of the 
 town and county, and has been the finan- 
 cial backing of a number of the most im- 
 portant business enterprises that have 
 been established in this district in tlie last 
 eighteen years. 
 
 THE farmers' NATION.^L BANK OF BUTLER. 
 
 The Farmers' National Bank of Butler 
 was organized early in 1900, with a capital 
 of $100,000.00, and" began business July 2d 
 of that year in the building now owned by 
 the company on South Main Street. The 
 first officials of the company were John 
 Younkins, president; John Humphrey, 
 vice-president; Charles A. Bailey, cashier, 
 and the following directors : Daniel Youn- 
 kins, Henry Miller, E. E. Abrams, Thomas 
 Havs, Levi M. AVise, D. L. Cleeland, W. F. 
 
364 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Metzger, i). B. (^aiiiphell, C. N. Boyd, A. J. V. Ritts, Dauiel Younkius, aud \V. D. 
 H. Sarver. In 1905, A. H. Sarver was Brandon, all of Butler. A. E. Reiber was 
 elected vice-president to fill the vacancy president of the first organization and W. 
 caused bv the death of John Humphrey, D. Brandon, secretary. A charter was 
 and John Henninger was elected to fill the granted by the State department on the 
 vacancv on the board of directors. In 19th of April, 1901, and the company op- 
 1903, C. A. Bailey resigned as cashier to ened offices in the old Park Theatre build- 
 accept a position with another banking in- ing on East Diamond Street. George C. 
 stitution and E. W. Bingham was pro- Stewart succeeded W. D. Brandon as sec- 
 moted to cashier. In 1906,' James F. Hutz- retary and treasurer, aud Wayne Walker 
 ler was elected cashier to succeed Mr. Bing- was choscu for the ])08itiou of liook-keeiicr. 
 ham, who had resigned, and R. W. Dixon On Sc].tciiilici' 1.'). 1901^. the capital stock 
 was promoted to the position of assistant of the company was increased from ^lli.'),- 
 cashier. With the exceptions of the change 000.00 to $250,000.00. The comiiniiy jiur- 
 in the vice-presidency and in the board of chased the business block owned by .1. F. 
 directors above mentioned, the officials of Bali)h on South Main Street, and liad it 
 the bank are the same as when it was first remodeled aud fitted for a banking house, 
 organized. The officers in 1908 are John The building is equipped in modern style, 
 Younkins, president, A. H. Sarver, vice- in-ovided with metal furniture, and in all 
 president, James P. Hutzler, cashier, R. respects is one of the most comi)lete liuiid- 
 W. Dixon, assistant cashier, A. R. Wil- ings of its kind in western Pennsylvania, 
 liams, teller, C. B. McMillen, book-keeper, The doors were opened for business on 
 and Robert P. Scott, clerk. This institu- Ji^ly 1, 1903, and the company has contin- 
 tion has always conducted a safe and con- ned to conduct a general banking business, 
 servative business, and has won a leading savings department, trust department, and 
 rank among the financial institutions of real estate department. The officials of 
 western Pennsylvania. The following the company are A. E. Reilier, president ; 
 statement of the condition of the bank was W- H- Brandon, first vice-incsHlcnt : W . 
 made September 23d, 1908. G. Douthett, second vice-president ; (ieorge 
 RESOUBCE.S f '■ l^tewart, secretary ; T. ^vl. Baker, treas- 
 
 Loans and discounts V $453,081.97 ^^er ; Wayue Walker, assistant treasurer ; 
 
 United States bonds 104,000.00 W. F. Rumbergei", manager of the real es- 
 
 Banklng House and other real estate 24,952.62 i. i. Heiiartmeut- PlumiUer Beio'llleV and 
 
 United States treasurer 5,000.00 l^^^, aepaiiiuenT , r-iumuiei DCl^lliex au(l 
 
 Cash and due from banks 221,757.53 Nettie Frazier, clerks. 1 lie official board 
 
 of directors are A. E. Reiber, W. G. Dou- 
 
 $808,792.12 ^,^^^^^ J y jj.^^^^ ^ j^ Reiber, William 
 
 Capital !'.'■'"."'."'■ $100,000.00 Watson, W^ D Brandon T ^I. Baker, 
 
 Surplus and profits 86,423.90 George A. Schaftner, W. H. I^arkin, Dan- 
 
 cireuiation J^°'''°'^'S° lel Youukius, and George C. Stewart. The 
 
 ^^'"'^^'^ j^22^368.22 (.Qj^-^pjj^y ji^s been successful from the 
 
 $808,792.12 start and has won a leading rank among 
 the institutions of its kind in western 
 
 GUARANTY SAFE DEPOSIT AND TRUST COMPANY. Pennsylvania. It has paid 6 per cent. 
 
 The pioneer trust company in Butler dividends on its capital stock from tlie fiust 
 
 Countv is the Guarantv Safe Deposit & yi-iH'. :"i<^ 'ts last statement of resources 
 
 Trust" Companv of Butler, which began inid liabilities shows a capital of $2.)0,- 
 
 business in Butler July 1, 1903. The ])ro- 000.00, surplus and profits amounting to 
 
 moters of the com])any were A. E. Reiber. +123,792.49; de]iosits of $505.40().81 ; and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 365 
 
 iuvestments of $80,000.00. Tlu* trust dc- 
 pai'tment show.s trust funds held to tlie 
 amount of $181,-1:87.40, and the corporate 
 trusts amount to $2,437,000.00. Among the 
 institutions tiuanced hv tliis (■onii)anv is 
 tlie T. \V. I'liillips Oil and (ias ( 'omi'.any 
 for $1,500,000.00. 
 
 The first treasurer of tlie company was 
 Louis Berg', who resigned July 1, 1904, and 
 was succeeded by T. ^I. Baker, wlio is the 
 present treasurer. 
 
 THE STANDARD TRXTST' COMl'ANV. 
 
 During the early part of 1903 a number 
 of Pittsburg i)romoters who had real es- 
 tate interests in Butler organized The 
 Standard Trust Company, and apjdied for 
 a state charter, with the following named 
 officers: C. D. Greenlee, formerly of But- 
 ler, president, W. D. Wiley, of Pittsburg, 
 vice-j)resident, and Charles A. Bailey, of 
 Butler, secretary and cashier. These ofH 
 cers with .1. A. liangfit, and K. W. ilervey. 
 of Pittsburg, composed the board of di 
 rectors. Tlie capital stock was $150,000.00 
 and the stockholders comprised a number 
 of Butler citizens as well as Pittsl>uig cap 
 italists. The company secured (luarteis in 
 the Wm. A. Forquer building on South 
 Main Street, and began luisincss in May, 
 
 1903, and continued to do a general hank- 
 ing and trust business until March 2.">d, 
 
 1904, when it was closed. Harry A. Stauf 
 fer of Butler was appointed temporar.\- re 
 ceiver, and on the 31st of March he w;is 
 continued as a permanent receiver. Mr. 
 Stauffer made a record nevei- before 
 e(|ualled in the state in closing up the af 
 fairs of the company. In four months' 
 time he had collected all the assets of the 
 coni])any, and inside of nine months from 
 the date of the appointment of the receiver, 
 all the depositors and other creditors were 
 paid in full with interest. Mr. Stauft'er 
 applied for his discharge as receiver in 
 March, 1905, but at the solicitation of some 
 of the stockholders, who were dissatisfied 
 
 with the way the directors had managed 
 the affairs of the company, the court con- 
 tinued Mr. Stauffer as receiver, and he is 
 still holding that position. Suits were in- 
 stituted in court by the receiver at the in- 
 stance of the dissatisfied stockholders 
 against the directors of the company, and 
 some of these suits are still i)ending. 
 
 HAREISVILLE. 
 
 The First National Bank of Hai ri.srilh' 
 was organized and began business in 1903, 
 with a capital stock of $25,000.00. The of- 
 ficers of the company are Robert L. 
 Brown, president; Dr. W. B. Campbell, 
 vice-president; and J. M. Elrick, cashier. 
 The board of directors including the above 
 officers are E. E. Wick, J. II. Morrison, E. 
 W. Humphrey, W. W. McConnell, T. V. 
 Porter, and J. V. Ritts. The company has 
 transacted a safe and conservative busi 
 ness, and is one of the ])ros))erous country 
 banks. Its statement issued at the first of 
 the year shows a suri>lus of $20,890.27, de- 
 ]wsits amounting to $2,520,()4().70, and 
 loans, bonds and securities amounting to 
 $200,000.00. 
 
 ZELIENOPLE. 
 
 The First National Dank of Zelieiiople 
 is the successor to the ])rivate bank estab- 
 lished by M. Dambach & Son in 1881. The 
 Dambach bank was succeeded by Amos 
 Lusk & Son, and thev in turn by Lusk & 
 (lelbach in 1887, and 'in 1888 the business 
 was conducted by Gelbach Brothers. The 
 P'irst National Bank which took over the 
 business of (lelliach Brothers was organ- 
 ized in 1902, with the following officers and 
 official board of directors: J. A. Gelbach, 
 ])resident; Edwin Meeder, vice-president; 
 VV. H. Gelbach, cashier; H. Kloffenstein, 
 assistant cashier; Josie E. Gelbach, book- 
 keeper. The directors were A. Sitler, C. S. 
 Passavant. P. D. Gelbach, J, A. Prauen- 
 heim, H. M. AVise. S. ( ). Wright, and C. B. 
 Harper. In 1904 the company erected a 
 
366 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 handsome brick blQck on Main Street, in 
 whicii they have a banking room that is 
 complete in all its equipments, and which 
 is a credit to the enterprise of the directors 
 and an ornament to the town. The bank is 
 one of the conservative and well conducted 
 financial institutions of the county, and 
 has made an excellent record. It has paid 
 four per cent, dividends semi-annually 
 since its organization, and its surplus at 
 the close of 1907 was $22,000.00. Ira S. 
 Ziegler succeeded J. A. Gelbach as presi- 
 dent. He has recently been succeeded in 
 that ofiSce by H. M. Wise, with Fred Zeh- 
 ner, C. S. Passavant, and C. B. Harper, 
 vice presidents; W. H. Gelbach, cashier; 
 and H. Kloffenstein, assistant cashier. 
 
 Believing that there was a field for a 
 second banking institution in Zelienople, a 
 number of business men organized the 
 People's National Bank in 1904, with the 
 following officers and directors: C. J. D. 
 Strohecker, president; \V. J. Lamberton, 
 vice-president; A. B. Crawford, cashier; 
 and E. P. Young, assistant cashier; J. S. 
 McNally, W. C. MoKee, William Eiolioltz, 
 N. B. Duncan, J. G. Lamberton, A. Seaton, 
 A. B. Crawford, J. H. Shiever, directors. 
 The institution is capitalized at $50,- 
 000.00 and its statement in 1908 showed 
 handsome earnings and a surplus of 
 $6,000.00. The men at the head of the in- 
 stitution are among the progressive and 
 enterprising element of the Connoquenes- 
 sing Valley, and the People's National 
 Bank has a bright outlook for the future. 
 The present officers are C. J. D. Strohecker, 
 president; W. J. Lamberton, vice-presi- 
 dent; A. B. Crawford, cashier; and E. P. 
 Young, assistant cashier. 
 
 SLIPPERY ROCK. 
 
 The Citizens' National Bank of Slippenj 
 Roch was organized in 1904 with a capital 
 of $25,000.00. The officers are William 
 Humphrey, president; B, Pearson, vice- 
 president; and H. R. Stnith, cashier. This 
 bank is doing a good business and is one 
 
 of the progressive financial institutions of 
 the county. 
 
 The First National Bank of Slippery 
 Rock is the successor to the private bank 
 of W. Henry Wilson, which was estab- 
 lished in 1887. The First National was or- 
 ganized in the latter part of 1902, and be- 
 gan business January 1, 1903. The offi- 
 cers and directors are W. Henry Wilson, 
 president; J. E. Bard, vice-i^resident ; J. 
 A. Aiken, cashier; Ray P. Wilson, as- 
 sistant cashier; and the directors are, J. 
 E. Bard, J. V. Ritts, J. A. Gelbach, W. 
 Henry Wilson, and John Aiken. The cajii- 
 tal of the company is $25,000.00, and the 
 statements published in 1908 sliow a sur- 
 plus of $15,000.00. 
 
 MARS. 
 
 The Mars National Bank was organized 
 and began business November 7, 1900. S. 
 J. Irvine of Evans City was one of the pro- 
 moters, and the first president of this bank. 
 The officers of the bank are Christ Gel- 
 bach, president; J. E. Hosack, vice-presi- 
 dent; E. P. Sutton, cashier; and the fol- 
 lowing directors : L. H, Hamilton, William 
 Fowler, P. D. Gelbach, and H. W. Sutton. 
 The bank is capitalized at $25,000.00 and 
 has paid six per cent, dividend since the 
 first year. The financial statements pub- 
 lished in 1908 show that the institution has 
 a surplus of $27,000.00; deposits of $243,- 
 000.00; cash on hand, $42,000.00; and 
 loans, bonds and securities amounting to 
 $•_':)! ),i)(l(».i 10. It is one of the staple insti- 
 tutions of the southern part of the county 
 and is making an excellent record. 
 
 BRUIN. 
 
 The town of Martinsburg or Bruin was 
 without banking facilities until 1908, when 
 the First National Bank was oi-gani/.cd and 
 opened its doors for business llic 1st of 
 January. The officers of the institution 
 are, J. F. Shiever, president ; C. M. Myers, 
 vice-president; and M. M. Lockwood, cash- 
 ier. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 367 
 
 The Lyndoia National Bank was organ- 
 ized and began business in 1907 at Lyn- 
 dora with a capital of $25,000.00. The of- 
 ficers are Frank X. Kohler, president; 0. 
 K. Waldron, vice-president; and Elias 
 Ritts, cashier. This bank is doing a pros- 
 perous business in the little steel town just 
 outside of Butler Borough, and at the close 
 of 1908 had adopted plans for a handsome 
 brick and stone banking house, which will 
 be erected early in the coming years. The 
 board of directors is composed of 0. K. 
 Waldron, I. G. Smith, J. V. Ritts, F. X. 
 Kohler, Andrew Christianson, and W. J. 
 McKee. 
 
 EVANS CITY. 
 
 The Citizens' National Bank of Evans 
 City was organized in 1897 with a capital 
 of $50,000.00 and is the successor of the 
 private banking establishment of Jacob 
 Dambach and Son, which was established 
 in 1880. Jacob Dambach, who was the pio- 
 neer banker of the town, opened an office 
 about the year above mentioned and about 
 two or three years thereafter formed a 
 partnership with his son Edward and John 
 Rohner. This partnership lasted until 
 1894, when they with some others took out 
 a charter for a state bank and called it 
 ' ' The Citizens ' Bank of Evansburg. ' ' The 
 officers of this bank were Edward Dam- 
 bach, president, and John Rohner, cash- 
 ier. Mr. Rohner died in 1897 ancl S. J. 
 Irvine, who had been employed by Edward 
 Dambach at his planing mill in Evans City 
 as office man, was elected cashier. Mr. Ed- 
 ward Dambach 's health failed, and he died 
 in California, ^^fay 25, 1905. 
 
 On the 3d of September, 1907, the bank 
 surrendered its charter as a state bank 
 and entered the national system by con- 
 version and took the title of "The Citi- 
 zens' National Bank" of Evans City. The 
 officers of the institution are Dr. J. M. List, 
 president; Dr. H. M. AVilson, vice-presi- 
 dent; S. J. Irvine, cashier; and C. H. 
 
 Behm, assistant cashier. The board of di- 
 rectors are Dr. J. M. List, Dr. H. M. Wil- 
 son, Jacob Dambach, P. D. Gelbach, J. D. 
 Fowler, L. N. Burry, and S. J. Irvine. The 
 financial statement published in Septem- 
 ber, 1908, shows a capital of $50,000.00; 
 circulation and undivided profits, $47,- 
 (304.00; circulation, $25,000.00; and depos- 
 its amounting to $238,296.00. 
 
 Jacob Dambach, the pioneer in the bank- 
 ing business in the southern part of the 
 county, still lives in Cranberry Township, 
 and although past eighty years of age 
 takes an active interest in the affairs of 
 the bank, of which he is a director. 
 
 HARMOXY. 
 
 Tlie Harntuni/ Savings Bank was incor- 
 porated in 1867, and oi'ganized a few 
 months later, in 1868, with Alfred Pearce, 
 president, R. H. Palmer, treasurer ; George 
 Beam, George Enslen, Henry Goehring, 
 Joseph Schwartz, J. C. Scott, and the offi- 
 cials named, as directors. In 1877 Henry 
 Goehring was elected president and 
 George Beam treasurer. They, with 
 -Messrs. Pearce, Goehring, Enslen, Jacob 
 Sleppy, David Ziegler, E. F. Winter, and 
 J. C. Scott, were the directors. William 
 Wilson presided in 1882, with H. M. Wise, 
 cashier, who held the office from 1878 to 
 1884. ira Stauffer, Abraham Stauffer, 
 and Alexander Stewart served on the 
 board of directors subsequent to 1884, 
 while Henry Goehring served as president 
 of the institution. 
 
 The Harmony National Bank was organ- 
 ized in 1876, with W. H. H. Riddle of But- 
 ler, president, and H. J. Mitchell, cashier. 
 John Dindinger was one of the promoters 
 of this bank, and for a long time the prin- 
 cipal stockholders and directors were But- 
 ler men. Edward Mellon was elected presi- 
 dent of the bank in 1882, and a few years 
 later the institution closed its doors and 
 quit business. 
 
 The last banking enterprise promoted in 
 Harmonv was The Commercial Bank es- 
 
368 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tablished by S. E. Niece, March 1, 1892. 
 Ml". Niece was one of the early oil oper- 
 ators in Harmony and well known in bank- 
 ing circles, and the new bank was estab- 
 lished for the accommodaton of the oil 
 operator and the business men of the com- 
 munity, but it only lasted for a brief 
 period. 
 
 1'lir I'lns/iccf Savings Bank was open 
 for liusiiicss May 1, 1874. David Marshall 
 was president and J. M. Leighner, cashier. 
 The directors were David .Marshall, 
 George Beam, John Enslen, William Dick, 
 William R. Riddle, John Martincourt, and 
 Joseph Allen. They carried on the insti- 
 tution for a number of years, when J. M. 
 Leighner became the sole owner and eon- 
 ducted it as a private bank. He was suc- 
 ceeded in 1893 by J. H. McClure, who is 
 tiie ])resent ]iroprietor. 
 
 MILLERSTOWN. 
 
 TJie Millerstown Savings Bank Associa- 
 tion was organized June 6, 1873, with 
 Charles Duffy, president, G. W. Stoughton, 
 vice-president, J. C. Scott, cashier, and the 
 following directors: Andrew Barnhart, 
 Martin Hoch, Henry L. Westerman, 
 Charles McCandless, John M. Thompson, 
 and W. G. Stoughton. The stockholders 
 were the foregoing officers and Andrew 
 Barnhart, Jacob and Henrj' Frederick, W. 
 H. H. Riddle, John G. Myers, B. B. Seibert 
 and G. F. Fetzer. During the year 1874, 
 John Walker was appointed cashier, and 
 he held that ]iosition until The German 
 National Bank was established. 
 
 In 1875 the Savings Bank Association 
 was reorganized under a charter dated 
 May 1 of that year, and the new organiza- 
 tion was given the title of "The German 
 National Bank." In the busy oil days of 
 the Millerstown field, the weekly deposits 
 of this bank averaged three hundred thou- 
 .sand dollars, and the institution became 
 
 famous throughout the State and well 
 known in American banking circles. 
 Charles J. Westerman was the first teller, 
 holding the position until 1880, when 
 Henry J. Myers succeeded him. Myers 
 was promoted to cashier and when the 
 bank went into voluntary liquidation in 
 1885, he was appointed liquidating officer 
 by the National bank commission. 
 
 The Millerstown Deposit Bank was or- 
 ganized in 1887 by John G. and Henry J. 
 Myers, with the latter as cashier, and 
 Charles L. Myers, teller. It is the succes- 
 sor of the old Savings Bank, and until 1907 
 was the only banking institution in the 
 northeastern part of Butler County. It is 
 conducted as a private bank, and does a 
 aood and safe business. 
 
 Tlw Butler County Bank was organized 
 at .Millerstown in 1873, with John Satter- 
 field as ] (resident, George G. Stiles, cash 
 ier, and H. J. Hoyt, teller, under the firm 
 name of H. L. Taylor & Company. Six 
 years later H. J. Hoyt took the place of 
 Stiles as cashier, and E. C. Evans, who 
 died in April, 1894, was appointed teller. 
 In 1880, Patrick and Thomas Dorsey, H. 
 J. Hoyt, and others, purchased the interest 
 of H. L. Taylor & Company, and on Aug- 
 ust 1st of that year assumed control witli 
 Thomas Dorsey, president, H. J. Hoyt, 
 cashier, and C. A. Bailey, teller. With the 
 stockholders named were Hon. Joseph 
 Hartman, A. H. Simpson, and Owen 
 Brady. The bank was quite prosperous 
 for several years, and finally H. J. Hoyt 
 purchased all the stock and became sole 
 proprietor. He conducted the business 
 until January 29, 1892, when he assigned 
 it to Francis Murphy, and the business 
 was suspended. John Satterfield, who 
 was the first president of this bank, was a 
 member of the firm of Sattei'field & Tay- 
 lor, who were prominent oil operators in 
 the Millerstown field in the seventies. He 
 died in Paris, France, in April, 1894. 
 
 The Fairview Deposit and Savings Bank 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 369 
 
 was established in August, 187l!, by Ral- 
 ston. McQuade & Company, to transact a 
 general banking and exchange business. 
 The firm had also an office at Karus City 
 and transacted business at both places for 
 some time, with I). A. Ralston, ])iesident, 
 and R. W. McKee, cashier. Duiing the 
 busy days of the oil excitement about 
 Karns City and Pairview, the bjink did a 
 good business, but later it met with finan- 
 cial reverses, and on March 15, 1882, the 
 concern closed its doors, leaving nominal 
 assets and liabilities aggregating $"225,- 
 000.00. which represented the savings of a 
 
 thousand people, and tiie cajutal of many 
 oil o])ei'ators and merchants. 
 
 PETROLIA. 
 
 The Argifh' Sdiliujs BaiiJ: was an insti- 
 tution estai)lisluHl August 22, 1872, at Pe- 
 trolia. The company completed an office 
 building at Petrolia in 1873, and for sev- 
 eral years transacted a large business with 
 H. A. Taylor as president and E. A. Tay- 
 lor as cashier. The firm transferred its 
 interest to a new company in the latter 
 part of the seventies, under whose man- 
 agement the institution susjieiuled. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE PRESS 
 
 Newspapers and Editors of ihe Past and of the Present. 
 
 Journalism had its inception in western 
 Pennsylvania July 29, 1786, when John 
 Scull 'founded The Pittsburg Gazette, 
 which was the first newspaper published 
 west of the Allegheny Mountains. Butler 
 County had not then been organized and 
 there were no settlers within its limits. 
 North of Pittsburg the first newspaper en- 
 terprise was the Crawford County Weekly 
 Messenger, published at Meadville, in 1805, 
 and this was followeil three years hiter by 
 The Mirror at Erie, wliicli was j'nnuded by 
 George "Wyeth. The M'csfi'in Pr<'ss was 
 founded in" 1811 at Mercer liy Jacob Her- 
 rington, and it probably had some circula- 
 tion in the northern part of Butler County. 
 After a checkered career of almost one 
 hundred years, the Press is still in exist- 
 ence, and is one of the leading weekly 
 papers of Mercer County. Its present 
 editor is Captain Whistler, who is one of 
 the well-known journalists of western 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 The pioneer newspaper of Butler County 
 — the Butler Palladium and Republican 
 Star — was issued in 1818. Previous to this 
 time the transactions of the county com- 
 missioners show that Butler Covinty de- 
 pended on Pittsburg for enlightenment on 
 current events and ]iolitical information, 
 and that all the legal notices of the county 
 were published in the Pittsburg papers. 
 
 Journalism in the early days was a pre- 
 carious way of earning a living and a 
 thorny path to public favor. The men who 
 entered the profession did so from the love 
 of it and a strong adherence to principles 
 for party, and they usually iui])ressed tlieir 
 individuality on the journals they pub- 
 lished. Thus it happened that the patrons 
 of the old time weekly newspaper often 
 subscribed for it because it was "Uncle 
 Jake's" paper, or Tom Robinson's paper, 
 or Clark Wilson's journal, and they 
 wanted to know what these particular edi- 
 tors had to say on the political questions 
 of the day, whether they belonged Ho the 
 same party or not. Some of the pioneer 
 editors and those who came on the scene 
 fifty years later, are worthy of special 
 mention in this chapter. John Galbraith, 
 who was the pioneer editor of the county, 
 afterwards gave his attention to the law, 
 and at the time of his death in 1860, was 
 president judge of the courts of Erie 
 County. 
 
 Joseph Butfington, who was associated 
 with William Stewart in the publishing of 
 the Sentinel in 1824, afterwards removed 
 to Kittanning, became a prominent lawyer, 
 and filled the position of judge of the court 
 in that district. George W. Smith, who 
 was a lawyer of local reputation in 18.30, 
 was associated with Parker C. Purviance 
 
AND BEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 371 
 
 in the publisliiug of the Sentinel, and af- 
 terwards went to Kansas where he took an 
 important part in the political affairs of 
 that state. 
 
 James W. Thompson, who learned the 
 ])rijTter's trade and was the first printer's 
 devil in the office of the old Butler Palla- 
 dium in 1818, afterwards became chief jus- 
 tice of the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 J acob Ziegler entered the office of the 
 old Democratic Herald as pi'inter's devil 
 in September, 1831, and from that time 
 until his death in 1888 he was identified 
 with the publication of the Herald as 
 printer, editor and manager, with the ex- 
 ception of a few years that he was engaged 
 in public duties. Mr. Ziegler was born in 
 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Sei^tember 19, 
 1813, son of George and Gertrude Eliza- 
 beth Zieglei". Subsequently the family re- 
 moved to a farm some three miles from 
 Gettysburg, where he assisted his parents 
 in the work on the farm. Finding agricul- 
 tural pursuit uncongenial, he concluded to 
 seek his fortune elsewhere, and leaving 
 home without his parents' knowledge, and 
 with a capital of but ^1.12 in his pocket, he 
 went to Gettysburg, thence to Pittslnirg, 
 and from the latter city came to Butler, 
 traveling the whole disance afoot, and liv- 
 ing on the scantiest of fare during the 
 journey. He arrived at William Beatty's 
 Tavern on Main Street, on the evening of 
 August 21, 1831, with only twelve cents of 
 his capital left. William Beatty, the pro- 
 prietor of the hotel, became interested in 
 the young traveler, and after learning the 
 circumstances, gave him his supper and a 
 night's lodging. During the evening he 
 met David Agnew, an old school-mate, and 
 the following day he took up his abode at 
 Mr. Agnew's home. About a month later 
 he entered the Repository office for the 
 purpose of learning the printer's trade. 
 James McGlaughlin, one of the editors, 
 asked him to take the place just made va- 
 cant by the death of his former apprentice. 
 
 Neil McBride, and in his personal biog- 
 raphy Mr. Ziegler says: "I agreed to do 
 so on condition that I was to eat at the 
 same table with the family. He said, ' Cer- 
 tainly, but I would find the victuals d n 
 
 poor.' " 
 
 He remained faithful to his agreement, 
 sei'ved his full time, and continued to work 
 in the office as a journeyman. About this 
 time his parents learned of his where- 
 abouts, and came to see him. His father 
 was so well pleased with the record that 
 the young man had made, that he pur- 
 chased an interest for him in the office. In 
 May, 1842, he became a partner of Mc- 
 Glaughlin and established The Democratic 
 Herald, which was the successor of the old 
 Repository, and which in later years be- 
 came widely known as Ziegler's Herald. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Ziegler became 
 l")rominent in public affairs, and began to 
 wield a great influence in the councils of 
 the Democratic party. From 1835 to 1838 
 he served as clerk of the board of county 
 commissioners, and in the latter year he 
 was appointed prothonotary by Governor 
 Porter. The office of prothonotary becom- 
 ing elective in that year he was elected his 
 own successor at the October election, and 
 served for three years. During this period 
 he had studied law under Hon. John 
 Bredin, and was admitted to the bar April 
 18, 1836. He jiracticed for a few years, 
 after his admission, hut soon gave up the 
 law for his chosen profession of journal- 
 ism and politics. In 1843 he was chosen 
 transcribing clerk of the state senate, serv- 
 ing in that cajiacity for two years, and 
 afterward was chosen assistant clerk of 
 the same body for one year. In 1847 he 
 was elected a member of the legislature, 
 served one term, and was then apjiointed 
 a clerk in the pension department at 
 Washington, D. C. Civil service had not 
 then been established in the departments 
 in Washington, and when General Taylor 
 became president, Mr. Ziegler's head was 
 one of tlie first that fell under the official 
 
372 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ax. He returned to Peuusylvauia and in 
 the spring of 1849 joined the Argonauts, 
 and went to California where he spent 
 fourteen months in the mines of the 
 Golden State. Returning to Pennsylvania 
 in 1851 he was apjiointed chief clerk in 
 the office of the secretary of the common- 
 wealth, and served in tliat capacity during 
 the administration of Governor Bigler. 
 He was appointed assistant clerk in the 
 House of Rejn'esentatives in 1857, and 
 served as chief clerk from 1850 to 1860. 
 In 1861 he was again elected chief clerk 
 of the Senate and served one term. ^Yhile 
 acting as chief clerk of the House Mr. 
 Ziegler wrote a book on Parliamentary 
 Law, which embraced the rules and laws 
 governing the general assembly and vari- 
 ous other matters of interest. This work 
 became known as " Ziegler 's Manual" and 
 was the foundation of what is now 
 "Smull's Legislative Hand Book." He 
 was a recognized authority on parlia- 
 mentary law and few men of his time 
 possessed so thorough knowledge of the 
 rules governing legislative bodies. 
 
 It may not be generally known- that Mr. 
 Ziegler was the originator of the Credit 
 Mobilier, and that from ins fertile brain 
 sprung the i)lan to raise funds for the 
 construction of tiie Tnion Pacific Railroad. 
 So wide was Mi'. Ziegler 's reputation for 
 some years succeeding the rel)ellion that 
 the Neic Yorh Herald once mentioned his 
 name among the prospective presidential 
 candidates. He was again elected to the 
 legislature in 1882 and was the recognized 
 leader of the Democratic party in the 
 House. Mr. Ziegler was a fluent and 
 forcible speaker, a celebrated story teller, 
 and the life of every political and social 
 gathering. For fifty years he was con- 
 nected in various ways with the public life 
 of the community and state and had ac- 
 quired a knowledge and acquaintance with 
 the leading men in state and national poli- 
 tics that gave him a re))utation that was 
 almost international. 
 
 His title of captain was derived from 
 his connection with the DeKalb Grays, a 
 celebrated military company of Butler 
 County prior to the Rebellion. He organ- 
 ized, equipped and drilled this company 
 and was its leading spirit during its exist- 
 ence. When Fort Sumter was fired on, 
 Captain Ziegler took a firm stand in the 
 defence of the Union and became a volun- 
 tary recruiting officer in raising men for 
 the service and did all in his power to 
 assist the government dixring the four 
 long years of civil strife. I^pon his return 
 to Butler he served as Imrgcss several 
 terms and also in the lioroiii;!! cnuiicil. In 
 1867 Captain Ziegler became the owner of 
 the Herald and took his son Alfred G. 
 Ziegler into partnership. He continued as 
 editor and publisher to the time of his 
 death, which occurred at Butler June 19, 
 1888, in the seventj-fifth year of his age. 
 As a distinguished mark of respect, all 
 jilaces of business in Butler were closed 
 during the funeral, and the whole town 
 assumed an appearance of mourning. His 
 sterling character endeared him most to 
 those who knew him best, while the affec- 
 tionate and familiar title of "Uncle Jake" 
 given to him by young and old alike was 
 but anothef tribute to his kindness of 
 heart and fatherly bearing from the ])eoi)le 
 among whom he had lived for more than 
 half a century. 
 
 Captain Ziegler was married June oO. 
 1835, to Sarah Brinker, a daughter of 
 Capt. Abraham Brinker, a pioneer tavern- 
 keeper of Butler, and later an honored 
 resident of the Bonny Brook settlement in 
 Summit Township, now East P>utler. He 
 and his wife were the parents of three 
 sons and four daughters, namely: Amelia; 
 Geoige AV. ; Julia E. ; Annie L., wife of 
 W. A. Lowry; Mary A.; Alfred G. ; and 
 Henry. All are now dead excepting Mrs. 
 liowry, who resides in the old Ziegler 
 homestead on East Diamond Street, and 
 (Jeorge AV., who is a resident of (California. 
 The familv were zealous members of St. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 373 
 
 Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church and 
 for many years ^Nlr. Ziegler was a vestry- 
 man and warden in that society. 
 
 Wiiliani JIazlett, w1k> was a conteui- 
 ]K)rary of "Uncle Jake" Ziegler, was one 
 of the well known newspa])er men of the 
 county. He estahlished the Butler County 
 Whiq in 1846 and in later years was con- 
 nected with The Butler American and The 
 h'utler Countfi Press. He was also prom- 
 inent in local politics and was elected to 
 the legislature in 1844 and to the state 
 senate in 1849, and again in 1863. 
 
 Dr. D. H. B. Brower, who established 
 the Beeord at Prospect in 1853, afterward 
 removed to the eastern part of the state 
 and engaged in newspaper enterprises and 
 before his death had established twelve 
 newspapers. 
 
 Rev. A. S. Thome, who was principal 
 of the West Snnbnry Academy in 1872, 
 established the Item at Greece City, and 
 a paper under the same name at Karns 
 City during the oil excitement, and also 
 established the Reviciv at Millerstown. 
 None of these enterprises were successful, 
 I - and Rev. Thorne finally removed to Kan- 
 sas where he became one of the ])ioneer 
 ]niblishers of that state. 
 
 Col. Sam. Young was one of the well 
 known characters in the newspajjer tield 
 in Butler County for more than a quarter 
 of a century. He founded The Reporter 
 at Fairview, in 1872, when Fairview was 
 a booming oil town and subsequently went 
 to East Brady where he established a 
 jiaper and remained for a few years. His 
 last newspaper work was at Zelienople 
 where he established the Neirs, which is 
 now the leading weekly of the (*onnoqne- 
 nessing Valley. 
 
 George N. Ifft is one of the Butler boys 
 who has made good in the field of journal- 
 ism in the present generation. He was 
 born in Butler, received a preparatory 
 education at "Withersjwon Institute and 
 subsequently entered college at Lancaster, 
 Pennsylvania. After com))leting his col- 
 
 lege course he entered a university at 
 Heidelberg, Germany, and took up the 
 study of political science. He subsequently 
 attended lectures on the same subject at 
 Paris, France, after which he returned to 
 America and engaged in newspaper work. 
 He was employed as Washington corre- 
 spondent of the Pittsburg Gazette for a 
 time, and then went to the west where he 
 became part owner and manager of the 
 Times, an evening paper of Salt Lake City. 
 He disposed of his interests in Salt Lake 
 City and removed to Pocatello, Idaho, 
 where he became owner and editor of a tri- 
 weekly paper, which he published until 
 about 1903. AYhile in the latter place he 
 became identified with the political inter- 
 ests of Senator Duboise and later took a 
 pi'ominent part in the Re])ublican politics 
 of that state. About this time he received 
 an appointment to the consular service, 
 and was sent to Canada and later to Ger- 
 manj-, where he is now i-esiding. 
 
 The Butler Palladium and Bepiihlican 
 Star was the pioneer ])apei' of the town 
 and coimty and was tirst issued August 17, 
 1818, by John Galbraith. Old copies of 
 this journal still in existence show it to 
 have been a four-page folio of four col- 
 umns to the page. The local news is con- 
 fined almost exclusively to the advertising 
 columns and the foreign news is from a 
 month to six weeks old. The subscription 
 rate per annum was $2 in advance, or $2.50 
 if paid within the year, and the advertising 
 rate $1 per s(]uare for three insertions. 
 
 .lohn Galbraith, the founder of the 
 f'dlladiuni, was a son of John Galbraith, 
 Sr., a native of Ireland, who served in the 
 War of the Revolution as a soldier in the 
 Pennsylvania line, under General Wayne. 
 The family came to Butler County in 1796, 
 where the sons, John, Alexander W. and 
 blames, became well-known jjioneers. The 
 mother was a daughtei- of Matthew White, 
 after whom Whitestown in this county is 
 named, and brought from Huntington 
 Countv a female slave who became free 
 
374 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 before the emancipation act of Pennsyl- 
 vania was passed, but remained with the 
 Galbraith family until her death. John 
 Galbraith read law with William Ayres, 
 and was admitted to practice November 
 10, 1818. Having established the Pal- 
 ladiuiii he devoted liis attention to his 
 newsjiaper until his removal to Franklin, 
 Venango County, in 1819. He soon after- 
 ward married Amy Ayres, a daughter of 
 Rev. Robert Ayres, an Episcopal minister 
 of Franklin. He was elected to Congress 
 in 1832, and reelected in 1834. Previous 
 to his election to Congress he served four 
 vears in the state legislature, beginning in 
 1828. He removed to Erie in 1837, and in 
 the following year was again elected to 
 Congress from that disti'ict. In 1851 he 
 was elected president judge of the Erie 
 district, a position he held until his death, 
 June 15, 1860. 
 
 The successor of the PaUdd'uitii was the 
 Butler Ci'iitinel, which was cstablisiied in 
 October, 1820, by Moses and John Sulli- 
 van, who were the editors and owners. 
 This journal espoused the cause of the 
 Federalist party, and in 1824 was intensely 
 anti-Jacksonian. The editors of the Centi- 
 tiel adopted.as the motto of their journal 
 the following phrase of Washington : 
 "AVatching with zealous anxiety for the 
 preservation of your National Union, and 
 discountenancing whatever may suggest 
 even a suspicion that it can in any event 
 be abandoned." The Sullivans who were 
 prominent factors in the pioneer history 
 of Butler County published the Centinel 
 for about four years and made the journal 
 a fair news])ai)oi' for the time and place. 
 The Ceniinrl was the same size as its pre- 
 decessor, being a folio of four pages of 
 four columns each and printed in old time 
 small pica. The news was generally for- 
 eign and little attention was given to local 
 matters. 
 
 W^illiam Stewart and Joseph Buffington 
 bought the plant in the fall of 1824 and 
 changed the name to Sentinel; thev en- 
 
 larged the paper and extended its line of 
 news. Joseph BufBngton retired from the 
 firm on the 14th of April, 1826, and 
 Stewart continued the publication. In his 
 salutatory he says: "Taught from the 
 cradle to revere tlaose principles for which 
 the fathers of the Revolution pledged their 
 lives and sacred honors; educated where 
 alone Republicanism in its purity is to be 
 found, in the cabin; it need not nor will it 
 be thought strange that my predilections 
 are strongly in favor of the Democratic 
 party." 
 
 In May, 1826, the office was moved to 
 the house then occupied by Rev. Isaiah 
 Niblock, formerly used as a printing office 
 by John Sullivan, on the corner of Wash- 
 ington and West Streets. The prices 
 which Stewart paid for type and jorinters' 
 supplies in 1829 form an interesting com- 
 ])arison with the jj rices of the same mate- 
 rial in 1908. 
 
 In 1830 Parker C. Purviance and George 
 W. Smith purchased tlie Sentinel, cleared 
 the office of all Democratic tendency, and 
 being true Whigs gave battle without quar- 
 ter to the Democrats. The Anti-Masonic 
 movement which had been gathering some 
 force throughout the country had reached 
 Butler in February of 1830 and found 
 Smith among its stioiigest advocates. The 
 new editors of the Sn/fiiirl not only made 
 their paper strongly Whig, but also fiercely 
 opposed the Masonic order. The Sentinel 
 finally discontinued publication in 1840. 
 
 The Repository. March 14, 1823, Mau- 
 rice and John Bredin established a news- 
 pa])er in Butler called The Be posit mi). 
 The ])ublishers as Democratic Republicans 
 claimed the right of expressing their 
 opinion on public men and affairs, but de- 
 clared that the columns of The Repository 
 should be open to the opinions of all. The 
 journal was issued every Friday at the 
 rate of $2 per year. In size and make-up 
 it compared with its contemporary, The 
 Sentinel, and in addition to the usual 
 European and Asiatic news, which occu- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 375 
 
 pied uearly two pages, a half a page or 
 more was devoted to state politics. The 
 sjnrit of rivalry and competition was at 
 work even at that early date, as appears in 
 the following editorial item under date of 
 December 3, 1824 : 
 
 "We have understooil tliat Messrs. Stewart and P.ufi'- 
 inuton, to whom the Btilhr Sriiliinl h;is licni Iraiis- 
 ferred, have enlarged their |ia|H r. Altihrnyh tlir -^iiiipcit 
 that a new country like this can all'.. id a iii\\s|,a]iir 
 will scarcely meet the expenses incident tu tin/ puldica- 
 lion of a paper on a super-royal sheet, yet, being desir- 
 ous that our readers shall have no reasonable cause of 
 complaint, as to the size of our jiaper, we will make 
 arrangements immediately for publishing The depository 
 on a larger sheet, and expect that in two or three weeks 
 at farthest The Sepository will appear in a new dress." 
 
 The promise was carried into effect on 
 December 17, 1824, when four five-column 
 pages printed in long primer were pre- 
 sented to its readers. With the exception 
 of four advertisements and the announce- 
 ment of the enlargement of the paper, the 
 new issue did not contain a reference to 
 Butler County affairs. 
 
 John Bredin was commissioned judge of 
 the new Seventeenth Judicial District in 
 1831, and his retirement from journalism 
 took place the pi-evious year. Maurice 
 Bredin also retired at the same time, and 
 the office became the projiertv of James 
 :\Jc(ilaugiilin and .John ^b-Clcllan.l wli.. ap- 
 pear to have carried on 'flic Ihpiisitoiii 
 until June, 1835, when it bears the imprint 
 of ]\Ic(}laughlin and Ziegler. Shortly after 
 David Shamion and John Little became 
 owners and they carried on its publication 
 down to May, 1842, when The Repo.'^itori/ 
 simk its identitv in the new Deiuocraflc 
 Herald. 
 
 The Butler Herald. Ueorge W. Smith. 
 who was a member of the bar and one of 
 the publishers of The Sentinel, in July. 
 1829, issued the prospectus of a new paper 
 to be called The Butler Herald. He pro- 
 posed to make the new journal the organ 
 of the anti-Masonic and anti-int('iiii>ciaiicc 
 people of Butler, as well as of the cnldiiiza 
 tionists. The editor designed it as a semi 
 monthly periodical, then as a weekly, but 
 
 seeing the two papers already in the field, 
 he concluded to alnxndon his proi)osed en- 
 terprise. 
 
 The Freeman's Jowiial. In 1830 Peter 
 Duffy proposed the publication of The 
 Freeman's Journal, and issued a pros- 
 pectus which appeared in the two local 
 papers of the town under date of May 25 
 of that year. His object, or one of them, 
 was to teach the dangers of class govern- 
 ment, and he looked upon the opposition 
 to the Masons as based largely upon selfish 
 foundations. His newspaper project was 
 not carried out as he concluded to use the 
 columns of the two journals then published 
 in Butler for the dissemination of his 
 political ideas. 
 
 • The Democratic Herald was founded in 
 1842 by James McGlaughlin and Jacob 
 Ziegler, and was the successor to the old 
 Repository established in 1823 by the 
 Bredin brothers. McGrlaughlin and Zieg- 
 ler contijiued to publish the journal until 
 November 19, 1845, when James Mc- 
 Glaughlin retired as a publisher and Sam- 
 uel G. Purvis became associated with 
 Jacob Ziegler in its management and 
 issued his salutatory. On June 27, 1848, 
 the names of Samuel G. Purvis and Joseph 
 ^re]\lu]-try appear as publishers, and so 
 continued until February 3, 1849, when 
 James McGlaughlin again became owner 
 with Cornelius Coll as a partner. On 
 January 12, 1850, the name of Andrew E. 
 Marshall was substituted for that of Mc- 
 Glaughlin and the firm name was changed 
 to Marshall & Coll. On March 15, 1851, 
 Jacob Ziegler resumed his place as owner 
 in the place of Coll and announced that 
 "as long speeches are never read, we shall 
 snaji them short off by saying: We are 
 Democratic in thought, word and deed, and 
 shall endeavor to be as honorable to polit- 
 ical opponents as their conduct deserves." 
 In April of the same year the office was 
 moved to the house formerly occupied by 
 R. and J. Cunningham, on Main Street, 
 where it was issued for some vears. On 
 
376 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the 5th of July, 1854, the editor charged 
 that the Know Nothing journals were 
 edited by foreigners and asserted that 
 Know Nothing! sm was not a conviction but 
 a pretense used conveniently by dema- 
 gogues. The Whig suffered defeat and 
 the editor stated that said party rarely, 
 if ever, obtained victory, except by some 
 kind of an "ism," or an unnatural and 
 unhealthy excitement built on some "ism." 
 
 Another change took )ilac(' in the man- 
 agement of the )l,'nihl on March 21, 1855, 
 when Jacob Zieglei- retired as editor and 
 Joseph P. Patterson assumed the duties of 
 that office. The new editor continued the 
 policy of his predecessor, but his career as 
 editor did not last long. On November 28 
 of the same year John N. Negley assumed 
 control of the Herald and continued until 
 July 3, 1858, when he retired and Samuel 
 and John C. Coll became the editors and 
 iniblishers. Under date of December 4, 
 18(il, it was announced that the Herald 
 would be mailed to the subscribers of the 
 Butler Union, according to arrangements 
 made with Mr. S. P. Irvine. In the issue 
 of Deceml)er 11, Mr. Irvine announced his 
 retirement and the consolidation of the 
 Butler Uiiidii with the Herald under the 
 title The Union Herald. On the last given 
 date the new title appeared at the head of 
 the old Herald with the firm name of J. C. 
 Coll & Company as publishers. In 1867 
 Jacob Ziegler again became editor and 
 publisher of the paper and with his son 
 Alfred G. Ziegler purchased the ])lant 
 from Coll & Company. In 1872 and 1873 
 the paper was called Ziegler's Democratic 
 Herald, but this title was soon changed to 
 the original name, The Democratic Herald. 
 
 Mr. Ziegler continued to publish the 
 Herald from 1867 up to his death in May, 
 1888. During that time the jtaper enjoyed 
 a fair share of prosperity and its pages 
 bore the imprint of the originality of its 
 editor. After his death Judge Bredin and 
 Stei)hen Cummings, the administrators of 
 
 the estate, were the actual managers of the 
 paper until October 26, 1888, when the 
 office was sold to William (}. Ziegler. a 
 nephew of "Uncle Jake," and James A. 
 McKee, who were its editors and publish- 
 ers until June, 1889. Messrs. Ziegler and 
 McKee sold the office to P. A. Rattigan & 
 Sons, of Millerstown, who combined The 
 Democratic Herald and The Millerstoivn 
 Herald and removed the plant of the latter 
 paper to Butler. Soon after this change 
 was made the title of the paper was 
 changed to The Butler Herald. P. A. 
 Rattigan, who was the editor and senior 
 member of the firm, died on the 25th of 
 January, 1901, and since that time the 
 paper has been published by P. A. Ratti- 
 gan 's sons, Harry T. Rattigan and W. J. 
 Rattigan. The paper continues to be the 
 organ of the Democratic party of the 
 county and enjoys a fair share of patron- 
 age. Since Jacob Ziegler 's time the office 
 has experienced four removals, first from 
 the old Beatty Hotel building on Main 
 Street, now the present site of J. G. & W. 
 Campbell building, to the frame, building 
 at the rear of Troutman's stoie, formerly 
 the postoffice kept by Thonuis White; and 
 again in August, 189;?, to the brick Demo- 
 cratic Herald building on West Cunning- 
 ham Street, in rear of Troutman's store. 
 In 1901 the office was removed to a frame 
 building on East Cunningham Street in the 
 rear of the old Heineman store building, 
 and again in 1905 to its present quarters 
 on the second floor of the Geis building 
 adjoining the Majestic Theatre. 
 
 The Butler County Whig. William Haz- 
 lett revived the old Sentinel in 1846, and 
 imder date of June 24, issued The Butler 
 County Whig as its successor. The Whig 
 was opposed to Know Nothingism and to 
 secret and oath l)ound societies. October 
 10, 1850, J. L. Bredin became associate 
 publisher and editor, and this partnei-ship 
 was continued until August 25, 1852. In 
 Aiiril, 1855, Mr. Hazlett sold the TF/iu/ to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 377 
 
 "William B. Lemmon aud the paper eventu- 
 ally lost its identity in The Butler Amei- 
 ican. 
 
 The Butlei- Awericaii. The new editor 
 of the Whig appeared to have diilerent 
 opinions from Mr. Hazlett, for he had no 
 sooner purchased the ]]']iig when in April, 
 1855, he bought The Star Spangled Ban- 
 ner, the organ of the Know Nothing party, 
 from Johnston, its publisher. The title of 
 the Whig had been changed to The Butler 
 American and the two papers were con- 
 solidated under the title The Butler Amer- 
 ican and Siiir of Lihcrfy, and Mr. Lemmon 
 doc-larod the combination ready to espouse 
 Know Nothingism in any shape. Edwin 
 Lyon became part owner in 1859, and in 
 1861 ^Ir. Hazlett again got control of the 
 paper and was its editor and publisher. 
 Hazlett continued to publish the American 
 up to October, 1865, when the plant was 
 purchased by Thomas Robinson, and the 
 material removed to the office of the 
 Citizen. Two years after disposing of the 
 American, Mr. Hazlett established the But- 
 ler County Press, and continued its pub- 
 lication until the spring of 1869, when he 
 sold it to John H. Negiey, and retired 
 permanently from the newspaper held. 
 __ The Star S/i,iiigled Banner was a small 
 paper pnhlislicd in 1853 to 1855 by a man 
 named Johnston, and was known for the 
 viciousness of its editorials and the mis- 
 statements of its news cohunns. As a 
 "yellow journal" it would compare with 
 some of the later day productions about 
 which there is so much complaint. The 
 Butler American and Star of Liberty was 
 much the same kind of a sheet while under 
 the control of W. B. Lemmon. 
 
 The Butler Union was suggested late in 
 1860 by Samuel P. Irvine, who was the 
 editor and publisher of the paper until 
 December 11, 1861, when the Union was 
 merged into the Deniocraflc Jh raid, and 
 the title changed to Thf Union Herald. 
 The Union Herald was puhlisli.'d by J. C. 
 Coll & Company, and on January 21. 186.S, 
 
 its volume number was 21, and issue num- 
 ber 29, showing it to be The Democratic 
 Herald of 1842 under a new name. Clark 
 Wilson was then the editor and publisher. 
 
 The American Citizen was established 
 by Thomas Robinson and Maj. Cyrus E. 
 Anderson and issued December 9, 1863. 
 Owing to his duties in the provost mar- 
 shall 's office requiring all his attention. 
 Major Anderson retired in April, 1865, and 
 Mr. Robinson assumed sole control. On 
 October 11, 1865, William Hazlett closed 
 his connection with the Butler American, 
 and the office became the property of the 
 American Citizen. Major Anderson again 
 l)ecame owner and editor of the paper on 
 December 12, 1866, when he purchased the 
 interest of Mr. Robinson, and continued to 
 publish the paper until April 14, 1869. On 
 April 7, 1869, John H. Negiey purchased 
 the Citizen from ]\Iajor Anderson, and in 
 the following iiionth he bought the office 
 of the Butler Count if Press, which had been 
 established by William Hazlett in 1867. 
 and combined the two papers, as the But- 
 ler Citizen. 
 
 The Butler Citizen is the lineal descend- 
 ant of the C en tin el of 1820, and all the 
 Federal, AVliiu. Amciican and Republican 
 newspapoi > imlilisiicd here prior to 1870. 
 In its ftnuidntidii are found the old 
 Centinel, the Butler County Whig, the 
 American Citizen, the Press, the Butler 
 County American, and the Star Spangled 
 Banner. Mr. Negiey, the first owner and 
 ))uliUsher of the paper purchased the plant 
 of the American Citizen and that of the 
 11 u tier County Press in 1867, and issued 
 the two ]iapers under the title of The But- 
 ler Citizen. In 1872 he took his son, 
 William C. Negiey, into the office as his 
 ])artner, and the firm continued until 1888, 
 when William C. Negiey became sole 
 owner. During its career of almost forty 
 years the Citizen has been noticeable for 
 its attention to pioneer matters such as 
 deaths of old residents and historical 
 notices. Tlie office has ex]ierienced two or 
 
378 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 three changes in its location since first 
 established, having been moved from the 
 Reiber Building on Jefferson Street to the 
 old Negley Building on Diamond Street, 
 and again in 1901 to its present quarters 
 in the building formerly occupied by the 
 Eagle on Main Street. On the 1st of 
 November, 1908, the plant, subscription 
 list and good will of the Citizen was sold 
 to A. M. Christley and L. E. Christley, who 
 are the present owners, the latter being the 
 editor and manager. The new firm erected 
 a handsome brick building on South Mc- 
 Kean Street to which the office was re- 
 moved on the 1st of March, 1909. William 
 C. Negley, who had been the previous 
 owner for twenty years, retired from the 
 newspaper business on the 1st of January. 
 
 Laurell E. Christley, editor of the Citi- 
 zen, was born in Cherry Township. Butler 
 County, October 31, 1872, and is the son of 
 Thomas F. and Anna C. (Hill) Christley, 
 both deceased. He was educated in the 
 common schools of the county, at West 
 Sunbury Academy, and at Slippery Rock 
 State Normal School, and subsequently 
 taught school in the county for several 
 terms. During the summer of 1893 he was 
 engaged in business in Chicago, and in 
 1894 he returned to Butler County and en- 
 gaged in teaching in the public schools. 
 He taught several terms at Callery Junc- 
 tion, was principal of the Mars schools for 
 two years and held the same position in 
 the Evans City schools for two terms. 
 During the summer months he was em- 
 ployed by the American Book Company. 
 He was elected clerk of courts in Butler 
 County in the fall of 1905, and in 1906 was 
 elected school director from the second 
 ward of Butler borough, of which he is a 
 resident. After the completion of his term 
 as clerk of courts he was employed by the 
 American Book Company until the fall of 
 1908, when he formed a partnership with 
 his brother, A. M. Christley, and pur- 
 chased the Butler Citizen. 
 
 Mr. Christley was married October 11, 
 
 1905, to Miss Effie M., daughter of George 
 S. and Sarah M. Mason of Rocky Grove, 
 Venango Cduntv. Thev attend the Metho- 
 dist EpixdiKil ('Imrch'of Butler, ami take 
 an active interest in the work of the ditfer- 
 eut church societies. Mr. Christley is a 
 member of the Odd Fellows and the 
 Masonic Order, and of the Woodmen of 
 the World. In politics he is a Republican, 
 and for the past ten years has taken an 
 active part in the affairs of his party in 
 the town and county. 
 
 Tlie Butler Coimty Press was established 
 l>y William Hazlett, August 14, 1867, and 
 was carried on by him until its suspension 
 in 1869. In the latter year the office was 
 purchased by John H. Negley, as stated 
 previously, and a short time afterward the 
 publication ceased. 
 
 The Fair and Festival. The first daily 
 paper issued in Butler was offered for sale 
 December 26, 1868, and continued publica- 
 tion until January 14, 1869. The paper 
 was called The Fair and Festival, and was 
 suggested by Maj. J. B. Butler for benevo- 
 lent purposes. Though only a one-column 
 daily, it showed the editorial, advertise- 
 ment, and news divi.sion of a modern jour- 
 nal. The little paper Avas devoted entirelj^ 
 to the interests of the Ladies' Fair and 
 Festival which was being held that winter 
 for the benefit of St. Paul's Catholic 
 Church. Major Butler, with whom the 
 idea originated, was the editor of the 
 })aper. He died in 1893, and his remains 
 rest in the Catholic Cemeterv north of the 
 city. _ 
 
 Tlte Northivestern Independent was a 
 monthly paper edited by Clark Wilson, the 
 first number of which appeared in July, 
 1869. The life of the Independent was 
 brief, and it appears that the editor aban- 
 doned his enterprise in Butler in the latter 
 l^art of the year to establish the Oil Man's 
 Journal at Parker. 
 
 The Butler Eagle. In 1870 a company 
 was organized the leading spirit of which 
 was Thomas Robinson, with the object of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 379 
 
 providing the eonnty with a newspaper 
 which would expound the ideas of the sol- 
 dier or military element of the Republican 
 party and inculcate lessons of patriotism 
 from their point of view. The directors 
 of the com]3any were Walter L. Graham 
 president, Hugh Morrison, F. M. Eastman, 
 J. B. Clark and Cyrus E. Anderson, all 
 veterans of the Civil War. The Eagle was 
 established in February, 1870, and was 
 issued at first from the old George W. 
 Smith building on the corner of the 
 Diamond on the site of the Y. M. C. A. 
 building. The editorial statf consisted of 
 Thomas Robinson, i^olitical editor; John 
 M. Greer, local editor ; Edwin Lyon, agri- 
 cultural editor; and Frank M. Eastman, 
 business manager. Owing to differences 
 of opinion Mr. Robinson resigned and 
 Hugh Morrison and J. B. Clark were ap- 
 Ijointed his successors. Changes in the 
 management did not prove satisfactory, 
 and in 1871 the company disposed of the 
 office to Mr. Robinson, who became the sole 
 owner. Mr. Robinson continued to edit 
 and manage the paper until January 1, 
 1879, when he disposed of his interests to 
 his son, Eli D. Robinson, who had been 
 associate editor for some time previous. 
 In February, 1881, James M. Carson pur- 
 chased an interest in the plant and as- 
 sumed the position of associate editor, and 
 in 1885 the quarters of the paper were 
 changed from the old George Smith build- 
 ing on Diamond Street to the brick building 
 on Main Street, now occupied by the Citi- 
 zen. Under the new management the 
 Eagle prospered financially and took a 
 leading rank among the country news- 
 papers of western Pennsylvania. Prof. 
 P. S. Bancroft held a position in the local 
 department of this paper from March, 
 1888, to October, 1889. In February, 1895, 
 Mr. Robinson purchased the interest of 
 Mr. Carson and again became sole pro- 
 prietor. The same year George W. Shie- 
 ver, who had previously been foreman of 
 the printing-room, purchased an interest 
 
 in the paper and became associate editor, 
 filling that position until May, 1902. 
 
 The Daily Eagle, an evening paper, was 
 established in May, 1902, by Robinson & 
 Shiever, who were then owners of the 
 Weeldy Eagle, and it was issued from the 
 brick building on East Cunningham Street, 
 to which the plant had been removed the 
 previous year. Shortly after the Dully 
 Eagle was established, George W. Shiever 
 disposed of his interests in the daily and 
 weekly Eagle to Mr. Robinson, who con- 
 tinued as sole proprietor until the 29th of 
 January, 1903, when The Butler County 
 Observer was merged with the Eagle. At 
 this time a stock company was organized 
 and capitalized at $25,000, of which Eli D. 
 Robinson was president, Raymond Locke, 
 secretary, and Levi M. Wise, treasui-er. 
 These officers, with A. L. Weihe, and Ber- 
 tha L. Wise, composed the board of direc- 
 tors. The company took over the plant of 
 the daily and weekly Eagle, and the plant, 
 subscription list, and good will of The But- 
 ler County Observer at Evans City. The 
 publication of the Observer was discon- 
 tinued, and the Weekly Eagle thus ob- 
 tained the largest subscription list, with 
 a few exceptions, of any country weekly 
 paper in western Pennsylvania. On the 
 21st of October, 1903, Mr. Robinson dis- 
 posed of his interest and stock in the plant 
 to Levi M. Wise, who then became the 
 principal owner, and the business is now 
 carried on under the title of The Eagle 
 Printing Company. The officials of the 
 company were Levi M. Wise, president and 
 treasurer ; Bertha L. Wise, secretary, and 
 Willis Briggs, managing editor. On tlie 
 1st of April, 1904, the plant was removed 
 to the Wise Building on West Diamond 
 Street, which has been enlarged and fitted 
 up for a first-class printing office. About 
 the 1st of January, 1907, George I. Woner 
 succeeded Willis Briggs as managing- 
 editor, and Ben. Courtney was employed 
 as local editor. The Daily Eagle is a 
 seven-column eight-page paper, well 
 
380 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 printed and edited, and lias a circulation 
 of over four thousand, which is still in- 
 creasing. The Weekly Eagle also has a 
 large circulation, and occupies a leading 
 rank among the Republican newspapers 
 of western Pennsylvania. 
 
 The Oil Man's Journal. Clark Wilson, 
 who was interested in a number of news- 
 l)aper enterprises in Butler as editor and 
 promoter, established the Oil Man's Jour- 
 nal at Parker in 1869. In November, 1872, 
 his son, H. C. Wilson, was admitted as a 
 partner in the business, and in January, 
 1877, the office was moved to Butler, where 
 the journal was issued from the old office 
 of the AmerivdH C'lthcii on Jefferson 
 .Street, opposite llif Hotel Lowry. While 
 the journal was ])ul»lislie<l in Butler, Clark 
 Wilson was the editor and proprietor. 
 Finding that the newspaper field in Butler 
 was already well occupied, the publication 
 of the journal was finally suspended, after 
 an existence of a few years, which were 
 full of trouble. 
 
 The Butler County Record, formerly the 
 Petrolia Record, was founded October 27, 
 1877, at Petrolia by Charles E. Herr, who 
 carried on a job printing establishment 
 there. In April, 1878, the size was in- 
 creased from the original folio of twenty 
 columns to the folio of twenty-eight col- 
 umns, and in every respect the Record was 
 made worthy of the busy oil center which 
 Petrolia then was. Among the reporters 
 and associate editors employed on the 
 paper at Petrolia were D. W. Moorehouse, 
 now a preacher of the Gospel at Newbury- 
 port, Massachusetts; Dr. B. L. Davis, 
 F. F. Herr, W. P. Jordan, and L. H. Pat- 
 terson. On the 6th of June, 1888, the office 
 was removed to Butler and the title of the 
 ])aper changed to The Butler County Rec- 
 ord. It was first issued from the building 
 occupied by Colonel Thompson's law offices 
 on Diamond Street, and when that building 
 was torn down in 1902, to give way to the 
 present Butler County National Bank 
 Building, the Record office was removed 
 
 to the old Park Theatre building on East 
 Diamond Street. L. H. Patterson was 
 associate editor for several years after the 
 Record was established in Butler, and on 
 October 1, 1889, Prof. B. S. Bancroft, for- 
 merly of the Witherspoon Institute, and 
 later of the local department of the Eagle, 
 was engaged as associate editor, a position 
 he still holds. The office was burned out 
 in the great fire of November 23, 1903, 
 which destroyed the Park Theatre and a 
 number of buildings on Main Street, and 
 the entire plant was a total loss to its 
 owner. With characteristic energy Mr. 
 Herr went to work immediately after the 
 fire, secured a new location in the Herald 
 Building from W. G. Ziegler, on West Cun- 
 ningham Street, purchased a new outfit 
 and issued his paper with scarcely a 
 week's delay. The form of the paper has 
 been changed from an eight-column folio 
 to a six-column quarto, and it is neatly 
 printed and carefully edited. 
 
 The Times. The semi-monthly Times 
 was established in Septemlier, 1881, by 
 C. M. and W. J. Heineman as a magazine 
 and was issued from the office in the Heine- 
 man Building until 1884. Two or three 
 other little papers were published at inter- 
 vals but never for any length of time. 
 
 The Daily Times, an evening paper, was 
 founded Ajn-il U, ]884, by Charles M. and 
 W. J. Heineman and W. G. Ziegler as The 
 Times Publishing Company, the object be- 
 ing to furnish the public of Butler the 
 cream of the daily news and the details of 
 the oil field. The beginnings of the paper 
 were small, but not to be despised. It was 
 at first a four-page journal, neatly printed, 
 each page being eleven by eight inches. 
 On January 1, 1885, it was enlarged to 
 eleven by fifteen inches and on August 3, 
 1885, it was again increased to twenty-two 
 by fifteen inches, being a four-column folio. 
 About the close of 1885 W. G. Ziegler sold 
 his interest in the paper to the Heinemans, 
 since which time the brothers have carried 
 it on with good success. The size of the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 381 
 
 paper has been iucreased from time to 
 time until it is a seven-column quarto, and 
 the circulation has increased from less 
 than five hundred in 1885 to three thou- 
 sand in 1908. 
 
 The Weekly Times was established in 
 August, 1884, as a seven-column four-page 
 journal, and is now an eight-page paper of 
 forty-eight columns. In 1894 a qew two- 
 story printing-office was erected on East 
 Cunningham Street, which is thoroughly 
 equipped with linotype machine, duplex 
 printing-press, and all the equipments of 
 a modern newspaper office. The job print- 
 ing department of the office is also very 
 complete, and the patronage large. In 
 1903 the WeeJdy Times was changed to a 
 semi-weekly edition. 
 
 The Orphan's Friend is a periodical 
 jiuhlished in the interest of St. Paul's 
 Orjihan's Home, and is edited by the super- 
 intendent and the faculty of that institu- 
 tion. Its first editor was T. F. Stauffer, 
 who was superintendent of the home pre- 
 vious to 1882, and he was succeeded by 
 Rev. 'P. C. Prugh. The present editor is 
 Rev. Leader. 
 
 The Tidings was a denominational paper 
 published by Rev. J. Q. Waters of tlie Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church and was issued in 
 April, 1883. Its life was not of long dura- 
 tion and the publication was aliandoned 
 the same year. 
 
 Tlte Magnet was a semi-monthly maga- 
 zine published bv the students of the But- 
 lei- itigh School" from 1892 to 1897. 
 
 EVANS CITY. 
 
 The record of newspaper enterprises in 
 Evans City is that of a few years and 
 much trouble. About 1895 John R. Young, , 
 who liad previously been associated with 
 his fatlier. Col. Samuel Young, in the pub- 
 lication of the Connoquenessing Valley 
 News, at Zelienople, moved to Evans City, 
 and founded the Evans City Times. The 
 first editions of the paper were published 
 in a magazine form, and showed consider- 
 
 able enterprise and originality in their 
 make-up. The form of the publication was 
 afterward changed to a six-column quarto 
 with a patent inside. Young sold the plant 
 to J. S. Spence, who in turn disposed of it 
 to a stock company, of which the leading 
 movers were J. C. Dight and H. W. Bame. 
 History repeated itself in so far as the 
 stock company was concerned, and in 1901 
 the plant was disposed of to Levi M. Wise 
 of Butler, who became the sole owner, with 
 A. L. Weihe as editor and manager. The 
 title of the paper had been changed in 1900 
 to The Butler Conntii Observer, and the 
 publication was continued under that name 
 until the plant was merged with the Butler 
 Eagle in January, 1903. The Observer en- 
 joyed a fair share of patronage during its 
 existence, but the business of the commiin- 
 ity did not justify the owners of the paper 
 in continuing it. 
 
 The history of journalism in Prospect is 
 not a record of brilliant successes. The 
 first newspaper published in the place was 
 the Prospect Record, established in 1852 
 or 1853 by Dr. D. H. B. Brower, and edited 
 by John S. Fairman. It was a good-sized 
 i:)aper, all printed at home and ably edited, 
 but it expired after one year's existence, 
 not from lack of patronage, but for want 
 of good management. 
 
 The Mirror and Neivs was issued at 
 Prospect, September, 1854, by Spear and 
 Fairman, in the form of a six-column folio. 
 Like the pioneer venture, twelve months of 
 "love's labor lost" convinced the editors 
 that their hopes of establishing a news- 
 paper were futile, and the publication was 
 suspended. 
 
 Two years after the suspension of the 
 Mirror and Neivs a new paper was issued 
 in Prospect called The Trump. It led a 
 precarious existence for three months and 
 went the way of its predecessors. 
 
 The Camp Meeting Register was a daily 
 morning paper issued at Prospect in 
 
382 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 August, 1859, by John S. Pail-man. It was 
 a part and parcel of the great camp meet- 
 ing which was organized there by Rev. 
 Samuel Grouse, and the local _ preachers. 
 There appears to have been no issue of the 
 paper after August 26 of that year. 
 
 The last newspaper enterprise in Pros- 
 pect grew up in the job printing office of 
 S. B. Martincourt. It appeared in Decem- 
 l)or, 1879, as a four-column eight-page 
 ])aper, and was continued until the begin- 
 • iiing of April, 1880. This paper was called 
 The Prospect Leader. It became evident 
 to the publisher after four or five months 
 that the town would not support an enter- 
 jnise of that kind and the enterprise was 
 abandoned. 
 
 ZELIENOPLE. 
 
 The first newspaper published in the 
 county outside of the borough of Butler 
 was the Zelienople Recorder, published 
 about 1847, which is said to have had a 
 short and precarious existence. 
 
 In October, 1878, the late Col. Samuel 
 and J. R. Young established the Con- 
 noquenessing Valley News, and in the 
 salutatory the publishers promised that 
 nothing of a sectarian or political charac- 
 ter should occupy its columns, but that the 
 purpose of the paper should be "to ad- 
 vance the varied local interests of the 
 region and advocate every idea that is cal- 
 culated to benefit them." On July 10, 
 1879, Samuel Young became sole proprie- 
 tor and published the paper until his death 
 which occurred March 27, 1891. Editor 
 Young was a man of marked individuality 
 of character and was known throughout 
 the western part of Pennsylvania as 
 "Colonel." After his death his son J. R. 
 Young succeeded him as editor and pro- 
 prietor until 1895 when he disposed of the 
 plant to Ira Ziegler. Mr. Ziegler carried 
 oil the business for a number of years and 
 tlion sold it to J. E. Kocher, who is the 
 l>rpsent editor and proprietor. Tlie News 
 continues to be an influential factor in the 
 
 Counqueuessing valley and is one of the 
 prosperous weekly papers in the county. 
 
 SLIPPERY EOCK. 
 
 The Centerville Casket was the title of 
 a paper published in Slippery Rock for 
 some time prior to August, 1879, and was 
 edited by W. S. Fulkman, known as Stan- 
 ley Fulkman. who afterward moved to 
 Beaver, Pennsylvania, and established an 
 office in that place. The career of this 
 paper was short and uninteresting, and the 
 last number was published on the 8th of 
 August, 1879. 
 
 After the opening of the State Normal 
 School at Slippery Rock the Signal was 
 established by R. D. Young, February 12, 
 1892. He carried on the paper until the 
 close of the summer of that year, when a 
 stock company took chax'ge, and Young 
 went to New Castle whei-e he engaged in 
 the publication of the Neiv Castle Courant. 
 In January, 1894, Albert L. Weihe, for- 
 merly of the Netv Wilmington Globe, pur- 
 chased the office and published the paper 
 for about a year. R. C. McClymonds suc- 
 ceeded Weihe as editor of the paper, and 
 in 1897 publication was suspended for 
 want of patronage. 
 
 The Saxonhurg Herald was first issued 
 in 1888 by Paul F. Voigt, and was an eight- 
 page weekly journal of forty-eight col- 
 umns. The paper was not printed in the 
 borough, but the local columns were usu- 
 ally well filled. Charles Hoffman was the 
 local manager and reporter at Saxonhurg, 
 the main office of the paper being at 
 Natrona. The discovery of the Saxonhurg 
 oil field and the consequent influx of people 
 to that community led to the establishing 
 of the Herald, and when the excitement 
 died out the patronage of the paper fell 
 off to such an extent that its publication 
 was abandoned. About 1895 Albert L. 
 Weihe, who had formerly published the 
 Signal at Slippery Rock, made an attempt 
 to revive the Herald at Saxonhurg, but 
 was unsuccessful. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 383 
 
 PETKOLIA AXD VICISITY. 
 
 During the clays of the oil exoitemeut at 
 Petrolia, Karns City and Fairview, no 
 less than eight newspapers were estab- 
 lished in a period of ten years — from 1872 
 to 1882. The first newspaper to enter the 
 field was the Advertiser, which was pub- 
 lished at Buena Vista in December, 1873, 
 as a tri-weekly. Its editor was J. T. 
 Springstead. Old newspaper men of But- 
 ler do not remember tliis paper, but yet it 
 is on record and is recalled by the early 
 operators of the Buena Vista oil field. 
 
 The Item was established at Greece City 
 in March, 1873, and after a brief and tem- 
 pestuous existence, went the way of that 
 phantom oil town. The editor of the paper 
 was Eev. A. S. Thorne, a Presbyterian 
 preacher, and principal of West Sunbury 
 Academy. AV. AV. McQuistion and Andrew 
 Fitzsimmons of Butler were the typos and 
 assisted him in the office. They called the 
 place "Grease City," and said other dis- 
 agreeable things about this extraordinary 
 little oil town tliat did not make the paper 
 or its editor mniiy friends. 
 
 The Fairvii ir l!i iimicr was founded in 
 1872 by Col. Sjinnn'l ^.'oung and continued 
 publication for about twelve months. The 
 enterprise wasn't a success and Colonel 
 Young suspended publication after about 
 twelve months and sought a more promis- 
 ing field, finally locating in Zelienople. 
 Among the aids of Colonel Young in the 
 publishing of the Reporter was E. W. 
 Criswell, who afterwards became a re- 
 porter for the 0(7 Citjj Derrick and in later 
 years became a humorous writer of na- 
 tional reputation and v^^as employed on the 
 leading papers of New York City. 
 
 The pioneer journal of Petrolia borough 
 was the Advertiser, which was published 
 by Lerch and Mapes in 1877 and ante- 
 dated the Petrolia Record by a few 
 months. The history of this journal was 
 uneventful and its ]->ub]ication was soon 
 abandoned. 
 
 In 1878 Lerch and :\!ai)es established tlie 
 
 Producers' Free Press as a journal wholly 
 devoted to the interests of the Petrolia oil 
 field. To insure the success of their sec- 
 ond venture they engaged P. C. Boyle as 
 editor, and while he edited the Free Press 
 it met with a fair measure of success. Sub- 
 sequently the owners made the way clear 
 for The Record, finding the battle for 
 l>recedent to be against them. 
 
 The first newspaper issued at" Karns 
 City was the Item. It may have been the 
 saniie as that of Greece City with the title 
 changed to suit Karns City, or vice versa. 
 Publication ceased after a year. 
 
 The successor of tbi Item at Karns City 
 was the Telephone, which was established 
 in 1878 by Dr. J. Borland, and was regu- 
 larly published until 1882, when the office 
 was moved to Grove City, Mercer Coimty. 
 
 The first paper publislied in the oil re- 
 gion in the interest of labor was Labor's 
 Voice, which was founded at Martinsburg 
 or Bi-uiu in 1877, by Patrick C. Boyle. 
 Boyle was born in Donegal County, Ire- 
 land, and came to the United States in 
 1846, settling with his parents at Brady's 
 Bend in Armstrong County. He entered 
 tlie Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers 
 in January, 1862, and re-enlisted in 1864. 
 From 1868 to 1874 he was connected with 
 wells and pipe lines in the Butler and Arm- 
 strong County fields and in the latter year 
 entered the domain of journalism. Want 
 of patronage caused the early demise of 
 Labor's Voice, and Boyle was subse- 
 r|uently engaged as editor of the Pro- 
 ducers' Free Press at Petrolia. Shortly 
 after leaving Petrolia he became editor 
 and manager of the Oil City Derrick at Oil 
 City, and has become one of the best 
 known journalists in the counti^y. 
 
 MILLEESTOWN. 
 
 The Sand Pump was issued at Millers- 
 town in August, 1873, by 0. H. Jackson. 
 The first number was a trial issue to learn 
 lioTT far the editor could depend on the oil 
 
384 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 meu and business connnunity for support 
 in publishing a daily journal. The paper 
 was issued regularly during the month of 
 September, 1873, and at first met with 
 some encouragement. It was an eight by 
 ten inch sheet filed with news of the oil 
 fields and advertisements. The people 
 tired of it, however, in a little while, and 
 The Sand Piimp went the wav of the oil 
 field. 
 
 Rev. A. S. Thorne, who had attempted 
 to establish a paper at Greece City and at 
 Karns City, began the publication of the 
 Millerstoum Review in 1875. This paper 
 was published with some degree of regu- 
 larity until 1879, wheji Tliorne removed to 
 Atwood, Kansas. 
 
 The Millerstown Herald was founded l)y 
 S. J. Small, in 1876. On May 19, 1877, he 
 sold his interest in the paper and material 
 to P. A. Eattigan, who made it a photo- 
 graph of the oil field as well as a stanch 
 supporter of the Dem.ocratic party. The 
 
 Herald became a popular vehicle of news 
 for the oil fields, and obtained a large cir- 
 culation in the county. In June, 1899, Mr. 
 Rattigan removed his plant to Butler, 
 where he had purchased the Democratic 
 Herald from Ziegler and McKee, and con- 
 solidated the two papers under the title of 
 The Butler Herald. Shortly after the re- 
 moval of the Herald another paper was 
 started in Millerstown by R. C. McCly- 
 monds in the office formerly occupied by 
 Mr. Rattigan. This plant was burned out 
 January 25th, 1901. 
 
 A coincidence connected with the fire 
 was the sudden death of P. A. Rattigan, 
 its former owner, in Butler on the same 
 day. 
 
 After the fire the paper was revived by 
 R. C. MeClymonds, who sold it to William 
 R. Brown, the jiresent owner and pub- 
 lisher. The new Herald is a neatly printed 
 eight-page paper and its editor enjoys a 
 liberal patronage from the community. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 EDUCATION 
 
 The siibject of educatit)n was one to 
 which the pioneer settlers of this region 
 ooiild give but little attention, whatever 
 degree of importance they may have at- 
 tached to it. Doubtless there were among 
 them here, and there, men possessing some 
 degree of scholarship, but as in every new 
 country, in its early stages of develop- 
 ment, material wants take precedence over 
 everything else, and the axe and the plow 
 go before the spelling-book. Not that 
 our forefathers were unmindful of the de- 
 sirability of furnishing educational oppor- 
 tunities to their children. They yielded 
 simply to necessity in at first subordinat- 
 ing the cultivation of the mind to the 
 taming of the soil. As soon as a fair start 
 had been made in the latter direction, and 
 white settlements had begun to appear, 
 scattered through the primeval forest, 
 they installed the schoolmaster, who 
 thenceforth became a nmn of intiuence in 
 every community. 
 
 The latter 's position at tirst .was no 
 sinecure. In most communities school was 
 held only during what may be tei'med the 
 winter months, or during that part of the 
 year when there was comparatively little 
 work to do on the farm. When the spring 
 ]ilowing began, not only the male pupils, 
 many of whom were grown-up young men, 
 hut the teachers also, rolled up their 
 sleeves, cast all thoughts of books aside 
 and went foiih into the lields to do battle 
 with the soil; and thereafter there was 
 little intermission in the regular routine of 
 
 fni-m drudgery until well on in the fall 
 when all the crops had been liai'vested and 
 everything made snug for the coming- 
 winter. 
 
 The cost of supporting the early schools 
 was usually met by a sort of regulated 
 subscription of the patrons, each one con- 
 tributing in amount according to the num- 
 ber of pupils he furnished to the school. 
 These pupils, as already intimated, were 
 in many cases grown-up young men and 
 women, who thus sought to make up in 
 some degree for their lack of earlier op- 
 portunities. It often happened that they 
 were inclined to be unruly, and upon such 
 occasions it took a firm will and wise 
 judgment, and not infrequently a stal- 
 wart arm, to deal with them, especially 
 with the older boys who found the re- 
 straint of the schoolroom irksome to them. 
 For this reason physical prowess was con- 
 sidered a desirable and often indispens- 
 able qualification in a pedagogue, and it 
 may be said that in this respect, at least, 
 the pioneer schoolmasters were seldom 
 found lacking. As to their ability to im- 
 part knowledge, much was not required 
 of them. To be able to spell correctly, to 
 know the arithmetic to the "single rule of 
 three," and to write a good hand, .were 
 deemed sufhcient in most districts. Writ- 
 ing was the accomijlishment on which they 
 chiefly prided themselves, and he who 
 wrote a good hand was often taken to be 
 educationally proficient without much fur- 
 ther inquiry lieing made. (Jrammar did 
 
386 
 
 ]11ST()RY OF BUTLEB COUNTY 
 
 not come until later and was a study at 
 fii-st undertaken by few, while the ambi- 
 tious pupil who wished to go beyond the 
 rule of three in arithmetic had to tread the 
 thorny path of higher mathematics alone. 
 Some among the early teachers — especially 
 the Scotch and Irish — were better edu- 
 cated, and as a rule all did their work 
 well, as is sufficiently attested by the great 
 statesmen, writers and orators of the mid- 
 dle of the nineteenth century, many or 
 most of whom were graduates of the pio- 
 neer schoolhouse. 
 
 The first schoolhouses were rude log 
 structures, very similar to those in which 
 the majority of the settlers were then liv- 
 ing. One end of the schoolhouse was al- 
 most entirely occupied by the huge chimney 
 where great roaring wood tires were kept 
 in the winter time. The best of these had 
 a single horizontal row of panes of glass 
 to serve for a window. Against the wall 
 beneath this window, a long board sup- 
 ported by wooden pegs driven into the wall 
 served as a desk for the older pupils who 
 were learning to write. Schoolhouses of 
 this form substantially continued to be used 
 for many years imtil ■ the region became 
 more thickly settled, and a better grade 
 of schoolhouses came into vogue. One of 
 the latter, which flourished early in the 
 fifties in a neighboring county, was thus 
 described a few years ago by one who liad 
 leai-ned in it his first lessons in reading 
 and writing. 
 
 "It was built of hewcl logs and contained three -nin- 
 dows, each having eight small panes of glass. Instead 
 of the huge fireplace, a coal stove stood in the middle 
 of the room. The board for a desk still decorated three 
 sides of the wall, and between these desks and the stove 
 were three long low benches, on whicli the smaller schol- 
 ars sat and very often ro;isti-.l, rs|n-.i:illy if the weather 
 was very cold. The chinks li.'iwrcn ihc logs were filled 
 with mud from the road, wlii.li IkmI lici'ii thoroughly 
 kneaded by horses and vcbiiKs, and uue of the tasks 
 which the boys especially enjoyed was that of patching 
 up the walls and filling the crevices, on some mild winter 
 day, when the road had been thawed. The only ventila- 
 tion in this room was caused by the accidental breaking 
 of a window-pane, and as the schoolhouse was a long 
 way from town, it usually happened that two or throe 
 such apertures were to be seen: In extremely cold 
 
 weather these. were sometimes stii|ipi'cl up "ilh a liat 
 or a piece of paper." 
 
 The school law of 1790 relating to sub- 
 scription sjchools was first obsei-ved in the 
 limits of Butler county about 1799 or 1800, 
 when a school was opened south of Coyles- 
 ville in Clearfield Township. This school 
 was presided over by John Smith in 1807. 
 Subscription schools were multiplied under 
 the act of 1802, the people giving more 
 than ordinary attention to making pro- 
 vision for the education of their children, 
 and as early as 1810 this interest culmi- 
 nated in the establishment of an academy 
 at Butler. 
 
 Under the provisions of an act passed 
 on March 29, 1824, providing for the educa- 
 tion of poor children, Robert Cunningham, 
 a school teacher of Buffalo Township, pe- 
 titioned the court in October, 1825, to ap- 
 point school men for that district. The pe- 
 tition stated that his action was inadc ikm-- 
 essary by the number of poor chiidicii sent 
 to him to be educated, and tiic nonexist- 
 ence of any authorized person to pay him 
 for such service. The court thereupon ap- 
 pointed Francis Anderson, William Hes- 
 selgesser and Robert Elliott, school men. 
 The transactions of the county commission- 
 ers show that at various times sums of 
 money were paid in the different towiishii)s 
 for the education of poor ciiildren under 
 this act. The act of 182-1 proved so bene- 
 ficial generally that a desire was created 
 among the people for laws giving greater 
 educational advantages to the poor of the 
 state, and led to a movement having for 
 its purpose the passage of a common school 
 law. With this object in view "an Asso- 
 ciation for the Promotion of Education" 
 was organized in Philadelphia, which soon 
 had branches in all parts of the state, one 
 being organized in Butler County in 1827. 
 
 The common school system was adopted 
 in Pennsylvania in 1834,, but met with a 
 strong opposition and was not will- 
 ingly acquiesced in by many of the 
 districts of Butler County until sev- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 ;87 
 
 eral years later, the people not be- 
 ing able or willing to see its many advan- 
 tages over the old system. In October, 
 1834, public meetings were held to de- 
 nounce the law, which was declared to be 
 unjust and impolitic, it being asserted that 
 the Constitution never intended that the 
 education of other than the children of the 
 poor should be at public expense. The 
 landed interests were especially hostile to 
 the new measure, because the principal l>ur- 
 den of taxation necessary to carry its pro- 
 visions into effect was borne by the laud. 
 
 FIRST TAX LEVY. 
 
 The first tax levy under tiie new law for 
 school purposes was made iu 1835 and tlie 
 amounts collected in each township were 
 as follows : Butler Borough. $122.19 ; But- 
 ler Township. $108.14; Cifintre Township, 
 $214:47; Slippery Rock, $191.84; Mercer, 
 $69.77 ; Venango, $57.32 ; Parker, $103.37 ; 
 Donegal, $128,43; Clearfield, 63.13; Buf- 
 falo, $106.15; Middlesex, $175.51 Cran- 
 berry, $123.52; Connoquenessing, $264.29; 
 and Muddy Creek, $204.41. The total was 
 $3,113.63. 
 
 Gradually, however, the people grew rec- 
 onciled to the new law, and in 1854, twenty 
 years after its adoption, there were in 
 Butler County no less than 175 school 
 buildings, most of them a decided improve- 
 ment upon the log cabins of the suliserip- 
 tion school days. 
 
 The committee appointed by -the court 
 in 1853 to re-district the county into town- 
 ships found' a number of objections urged 
 in connection' with the arrangement of the 
 school districts, and in their report they 
 quote from the report of the superin- 
 tendent of common schools for the j'ear 
 ending June, 1852. The number of school- 
 houses then in the coimty was found to ))e 
 225, and thirteen school districts were not 
 yet provided for. Of the 225 schoolhouses, 
 less than fifty had the conveniences req- 
 uisite for school purposes, and the re- 
 mainder were dilapidated, lieing mostly 
 
 log buildings put up for temporary pur- 
 poses immediately after the passage of the 
 school law. The amount of tax levied for 
 school purposes in the county at that time 
 was $11,668.14, and the amount received 
 from the state, $2,934.06. The average 
 term of school in the county was five 
 months. Under the new arrangement- of 
 townships the number of school districts 
 was reduced to 132, and two years later 
 the number of school houses reported in 
 the county was 175. The report of Isaac 
 Black, the first county superintendent of 
 common schools, made in 1856, shows that 
 there were 182 schoolhouses, eighty-four 
 of which were unfit to enter. Forty-one 
 could be made tolerable, and 57 were tol- 
 erable. Eighty of the buildings showed 
 ceilings not over seven feet in height, sev- 
 enty-nine were log structures, 108 were 
 destitute of furniture (save the backless 
 benches so high that the pupils' feet could 
 not reach the floor), while only fourteen 
 had suitable furniture. An era of school- 
 house building followed, from 1854 to 1860, 
 and many of the new schoolhouses were 
 built in .the shape of an octagon with 
 benches and desks built in a circle around 
 five sides of the room, and facing the cen- 
 ter. The number of schools reported in 
 January, 1861, was 212, and the number of 
 ]uipils, 6,585. In 1872 Superintendent 
 (xlenn stated that of the 220 schools in op- 
 eration in the county, not one failed in 
 reaching the statutes standard. In 1875 
 modern furniture was i)rovided in a few 
 of the schools in the townships and in But- 
 ler Borough, and this matter was made the 
 subject of a satisfactory report of Super- 
 intendent Young. In 1876 and 1877 there 
 were 246 schools in existence which were 
 open for an average of 5 65-100 months 
 that year. There were 177 male and 175 
 female teachers, employed, the average 
 salarv being $38.12 for the former, and 
 $30.01 per month for the latter. The total 
 number of pupils enrolled was 13,251, and 
 the average attendance was 9,583, while 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the average cost per month was $0.70 per 
 capita. The tax levied for school purposes 
 and building purposes that year was $69,- 
 912.02, and the state appropriation, $11,- 
 829.64. Fairview Township then had eleven 
 schools exclusive of two in Fairview Bor- 
 ough, two in Karns City and three in Pe- 
 trolia. Butler Borough had nine schools; 
 Greece City, one; Harmony, two; Harris- 
 ville, two; Millerstown, six; Portersville, 
 one; Prospect, two; Saxonburg, one; West 
 kSuubury, one; and Zelienople, one. 
 
 In 1881 there were 260 schools in opera- 
 tion, with 169 male, and 168 female teach- 
 ers employed, at an average salary far ex- 
 ceeding that of 1876. The total revenue 
 that year was $82,245.56, and the total 
 value of school property, $235,304.00. 
 
 The report for the year ending June 6, 
 1892, eleven years later, showed 289 school 
 houses, 137 male and 211 female teachers, 
 employed at an average salary of $37.20 
 for the former, and $33.24 for the latter. 
 The total tax levj' for school purposes that 
 year was $87,384.98. The state appropria- 
 tion was $22,204.48, and the total receipts 
 from all sources, $123,894.50. Seventeen 
 new public schoolhouses were built during 
 this year. 
 
 The official report of the state superin- 
 tendent of public instruction issued in Jan- 
 uary, 1908, credits Butler county with 368 
 schools, ninety-four male teachers and 273 
 female teachers. The enrollment of schol- 
 ars for the previous years was 12,952, and 
 the average attendance was 10,104. The 
 cost per capita per month was $1.71, and 
 the length of the school year ranged from 
 seven months in the country districts to 
 nine months in the borough of Butler, an 
 average of 7 26-100 months. The aver- 
 age salary paid male teachers was $52.55 
 per month, and that of female teachers, 
 $41.66 per month. The amount received 
 from taxes and all sources was $211,387.86, 
 and the state appropi-iation amounted to 
 $54,246.00. The diiferent districts expend- 
 ed $30,912.00 for new buildings, and $1.35.- 
 
 029.64 on teachers' salaries. The total ex- 
 penditures of the county were $243,751.43, 
 leaving a balance of $21,883.23. The re- 
 sources in excess of the liabilities was 
 $129,903.79. 
 
 The law requiring instruction in physi- 
 ology and hygiene and the effects of alco- 
 holic drinks in the pupil schools went into 
 effect in 1885. This was followed by the 
 free school-book law which went into effect 
 in July, 1893. Under this law it is the 
 duty of the directors to make provision for 
 furnishing and equipping the schools with 
 the text books and supplies generally need- 
 ed by i^upils for daily use in the schools. 
 An act was passed in 1895 making attend- 
 ance upon the public schools compulsory 
 for children under the age of thirteen. The 
 same year an act was passed authorizing 
 the school board to provide libraries for 
 the public schools and the high schools. 
 
 THE MINIMUM S.\L.\EY ACT. 
 
 The teachers' minimum salary bill was 
 passed in May, 1907, fixing the minimum 
 salary of teachers in the common schools 
 of the state. This act provides that the 
 salary of teachers holding professional, 
 permanent, or normal school certificates 
 shall not be less than $50.00 per month, and 
 that 'the minimum salary of teachers hold- 
 ing certificates of less grade, shall not be 
 less than $40.00 per month. Under the act 
 of 1893 providing for the establishing of 
 high schools in cities, and boroughs, high 
 schools were established in Butler Bor- 
 ough, Mars, Evans City, Zelienople, and 
 Bruin. 
 
 TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOLS. 
 
 Under the act of 1895 and the supple- 
 mentary act ofl907 authorizing the school 
 board in the townships to establish high 
 schools, there have been six high schools 
 established in Butler County. The first 
 district to take advantage of this act was 
 Penu Township, and this was followed by 
 Franklin, IMuddvcreek, Concord, IMiddle- 
 
ST. PAUL'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL BUTLER FIRST BRICK SCHOOL BUILDING. BUTLER 
 
 :\V HIGH SCHOOL, BUTLER 
 
 imOAD STREET SCHOOL. BUTLER 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 391 
 
 sex, and Fairview Townships. The bor- 
 oughs having high schools organized un- 
 der this act are Mars, Harmony, Evans 
 City, Zelienople, Harrisville, Chicora, and 
 Bruin. 
 
 COUNTY SUPERINTEIJDENTS SINCE 1856. 
 
 The acts of 1854 provided for the elec- 
 tion of county school superintendents to 
 serve for a term of three years. The first 
 election was held in June of that year, at 
 which Isaac Black was elected, and a sal- 
 ary fixed at $300.00 per year. The names 
 of those who have been elected since that 
 time are as follows : Thomas Balph, 1857 ; 
 Eugene Ferrero, 1860; Asa H. Waters, 
 1863; John Cratty, 1866; Samuel Glenn, 
 1869; Robert H. Young, 1872; J. B. Mat- 
 thews, 1875; David F. McKee, 1878; J. H. 
 Murtland, 1881; W. G. Russell, 1884; J. L. 
 Snyder, 1887 ; W. G. Russell, appointed in 
 1888 to fill vacancy caused by Mr. Snyder's 
 resignation. N. C. McCollough, 1890, re- 
 elected in 1893; S. M. Cheesman, 1896; 
 Howard I. Painter, 1899, re-elected in 
 1902; E. S. Penfield, 1905, re-elected in 
 1908. 
 
 The committee of Butler County on per- 
 manent certificate appointed in 1907 for 
 three years was composed of G. P. Weigle, 
 of Prospect; Isaac M. Dyke, of Conno- 
 quenessing Townshijo; and Miss Marv C. 
 O'Brien, of Butler. 
 
 BUTLEE COUNTY TEACHERS ' INSTITUTE. 
 
 On November 19, 1855, the Butler Coun- 
 ty Teachers' Institute was organized with 
 Isaac Black, county superintendent, presi- 
 dent; A. J. Rebstock and Matthew Greer, 
 vice-presidents; Thomas Balph, recorder: 
 Jacob P. Myers, treasurer; and Isaac 
 Black, Samuel P. Irvine, Mary McTag- 
 gart, M. Louisa Butler, and Emma Pros- 
 ser, executive committee. The Institute 
 recommended as school books, McGuflfey's 
 pictorial primer, spelling book, first, sec- 
 ond, third, fourth and fifth readers. Ray's 
 
 mathematics, McNally's geograph, and 
 Pineo's series of grammars. Early in 
 1856 a movement, started to abolish the 
 office of county superintendent, was defeat- 
 ed by a small majority. Ever since the or- 
 ganization, teachers' institutes have been 
 held with more or less success, and in the 
 ])ast twenty years the Butler County insti- 
 tutes have taken a leading rank among 
 those in the state. The fifty-fourth annual 
 session was held in Butler in December, 
 1908, and was attended by 368 teachers. 
 
 In 1908 the surviving teachers who at- 
 tended the first institute, held in Butler 
 County in 1855, were Enos McDonald, of 
 Prospect; J. Christy Moore, of Slippery 
 Rock; Matthew Greer, of Buffalo Town- 
 ship ; and Rev. Thos. Balph, of St. Clairs- 
 ville, Ohio. 
 
 In addition to the annual institute held 
 in 1907, Superintendent Penfield held sev- 
 enteen local institutes during the school 
 year that closed June 30, 1908, and an 
 equal number will be held during the year 
 which ends in June, 1909. 
 
 BUTLER COUNTY TEACHERS ' ASSOCIATION. 
 
 The Butler Cormty Teachers' Associa- 
 tion was organized May 26, 1881, with 
 Prof. J. C. Tinsman, president; T. F. 
 StaufPer, vice-president; Louise McClure, 
 recording secretary; P. S. Bancroft, cor- 
 respondent and treasurer; J. C. Brandon 
 and 0. P. Cochran, enrolling secretaries. 
 This oj-ganization was short-lived and fi- 
 nally gave way to the county institute which 
 was more practical, and had a broader field 
 to work in. 
 
 February 22, 1877, an "Intellectual 
 Fair" was held at the court house in But- 
 ler for the purpose of discussing educa- 
 tional and scientific topics. Great inter- 
 est was taken in the proceedings on ac- 
 count of its novelty, and the meetings were 
 largely attended. It was presided over by 
 D. B. Douthett, with Leander Wise sec- 
 retary. The judges were L. J. Levis, H. 
 H. Goucher, J. J. Mclllvar, J. H. Sutton. 
 
392 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 R. C. McAboy, Walter L. Graham, W. I. 
 Brugh, Samuel McClymonds, S. H. Pear- 
 sol, Mrs. Coun, and Miss N. McJunkin. 
 
 Besides the opportunities afforded by 
 the public schools of the county, for the in- 
 struction of the children of her citizens, in 
 the ordinary English branches the cause of 
 education has been still further advanced 
 by the maintenance of other schools, acad- 
 emies, and colleges of either a secular or a 
 denominationar cliara.tcr. Among the 
 more prominent nT llicsc may be mentioned 
 the old Butler Academy, Witherspoon In- 
 stitute, St. Peter's and St. Paul's Catholic 
 Schools, and St. Paul's Orphan Home at 
 Butler, St. Mary's College in Summit town- 
 ship, the Academies at West Suubury, 
 Prospect, and North Washington, the Se- 
 lect and Manual Labor Schools at Har- 
 mony, the Select School, the Academy, 
 and the Lutheran Orphans' Home at 
 Zelienople, the Normal School carried on 
 by the auspices of the State at SUppery 
 Rock, the Academy at Eau Claire, Cabot 
 Institute at Cabot Station. Renfrew Acad- 
 emy, and the Evans City Academy. Many 
 of the older institutions have served their 
 purpose and gone out of existence, but all 
 of the various schools, academies and col- 
 leges are eloquent witnesses of the interest 
 taken in the cause of education by the peo- 
 ple of the county. 
 
 THE SCHOOL DIBECTOBS ASSOCIATION. 
 
 From the holding of the first teachers' 
 institute in 1856 to the present time, the 
 school directors of the county have taken 
 an active interest in the proceedings of 
 the annual institutes held in Butler, and 
 for many years at least one day of the 
 institute was devoted to the discussion of 
 topics of interest to the school iboards. 
 This led to the organization in 1902 of the 
 School Dii'ectors' Association of Butler 
 county, and the holding of annual meetings 
 in Butler at which all of the directors in 
 the county are in attendance. The officers 
 of the association for 1908 were Rev. Hugh 
 Leith, of Zelienople, president ; Rev. A. H. 
 Ginder, of Evans City, secretary; Robert 
 Irwin, of Forward Township, and E. H. 
 Pyle, of Muddycreek Township, vice-presi- 
 dents; and John S. Jamison, of Fairview 
 Township, treasurer. 
 
 jrEMBEES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BUTLER 
 BOBOUGH FOB 1908. 
 
 President, Philip W. Ruff; secretary, 
 Harry L: Graham ; treasurer, John Rausch- 
 enbei-ger ; Thomas A. Frazier ; Dr. . Rob- 
 ert J. Gi-ossman; W. W. Robinson; A. C. 
 Krug ; W. G. Douthett ; Edgar H. Negley ; 
 Norman J. Boyer; Frank L. Wiegand; 
 Thomas H. Greer; James L. Garroway; 
 Col. Wm. T. Mechling; C. E. Cronenwett. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 PUBLIC UTILITIES 
 
 s — Trlcjiltone and Telegraph — Bell Telephone — 
 [ilr's Trir phone Co. — Speechley Telephone Co. — 
 
 Roads and Bridges — Electric Rail an 
 Postal Telegraph Compain/— I'l 
 
 Butler and Coylesville Telcpliouv Co.— Burton Telephone Co.— Slippery Rock Tele 
 phone Co.—Saxonburg Telephone Co.— Butler County Telephone Co.—Harrisville 
 Telephone Co.— Pittsburg and Butler Telephone Co.—Portersville Telephone Co. 
 
 Closely following the individual im- 
 provements by the pioneers, came the lu}-- 
 ing out of public roads and the building 
 of bridges. The building of county roads 
 was followed'by the construction of State 
 Highways, the town of Butler being on one 
 of the main roads from Pittsburg to Erie. 
 Another main thoroughfare traversed the 
 western section of the county and was the 
 principal route of travel from Pittsburg 
 to the northwest. The subject of public 
 ro;ids will he found treated more at length 
 in the chapter on Transportation, wherein 
 also mention is made of steam and electric 
 railroads. 
 
 Bridges were almost as necessary as 
 ]niblic roads, and their construction con- 
 stitutes a large part of the transaction of 
 the commissioners in the early days of the 
 county. The first bridge built in the coun- 
 ty was across the Connoquenessing Creek 
 south of Butler, on the Pittsburg and But- 
 ler road, and was constructed in 1805. The 
 next bridge built was in 1809, at the Kearns 
 farm northeast of Butler, on what was 
 then called the Bear Creek Road, now 
 known as the "Transfer" in Butler Town- 
 ship. The same year a bridge was built at 
 Harmony and the following year a peti- 
 tion for a bi'idge by the peo])le of Sli])pery 
 
 Rock was considered, but the bridge was 
 not built until 1812. In 1814 a bridge was 
 built at Anderson's on the Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek, where the Franklin road 
 crosses that stream. In 1814, Wolf Creek 
 was spanned by a bridge where the stream 
 is crossed by the Butler and Mercer Road. 
 On the petition of Detmar Basse Muller, a 
 bridge was built at Zelienople in 1815, and 
 in 1817 the Little Connoquenessing Creek 
 was spanned by a bridge at Christy's mill. 
 These were the most important bridges 
 built in the first twenty years of the coun- 
 ty, and were placed at such points along the 
 streams as to be of advantage to the larg- 
 est number of people. 
 
 The era of turnpike roads began in 1820 
 and was followed by the plank roads in the 
 fifties, but the advent of the railroads in 
 1871 called a halt in the building of pike 
 roads for more than thirty years, when 
 the building of macadamized roads began 
 under the direction of the State Highways 
 Department. The first macadamized road 
 completed in the county by the state was 
 a section of the Three Degree Road in But- 
 ler Township from the toll gate at the 
 Plank Road to Bredinville. This was fol- 
 lowed liv a section of four miles of the old 
 Butler and Erie Pike north of Butler to 
 
394 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Center Township, wliicli was built in 
 1906-7. In 1907 a section of the old Bear 
 Creek road was jjaved with brick from 
 the borough line to Kearns's Crossing in 
 Butler Township. In 1908 a section of 
 road was macadamized from Sarversville 
 Station in Buffalo Township to the Arm- 
 strong County line. In Mercer Township 
 a section of the old Franklin Road was 
 macadamized from Harrisville Station to 
 the town of Harrisville, and another sec- 
 tion of the Grove City Road from the town 
 of Harrisville to the Mercer County line. 
 In the southern part of the county a sec- 
 tion of road was macadamized from the 
 boi-ough of Valencia to the Allegheny 
 County line, and in Butler Township three 
 miles of the New Castle Road were ma- 
 cadamized from the borough line to the 
 top of the hill at Cranmer's Mill. The first 
 half mile of this road leading up the Duf- 
 fytown hill past the fair ground was paved 
 with brick. 
 
 Improvements in tlie way of road build- 
 ing are no less noted than in bridge build- 
 ing. Steel construction and re-inforced 
 concrete have taken the place of the old 
 wood bridges, and the county now expends 
 annually several thousand dollars in 
 bridge repairs, while in 1906 and 1907 the 
 amount expended for new bridge work was 
 about forty thousand dollars. 
 
 In addition to the road improvements 
 in the county the state also built the Al- 
 len bridge at Zelienople, and the Buhl 
 bridge on the Evans City and Butler Road 
 at Connoquenessing Creek. 
 
 Good roads and bridges have not only 
 brought the people of the county into closer 
 communication with each other, but with 
 the surrounding counties, and have been 
 the means of establishing the rural free 
 mail delivery routes which bring the farm- 
 er in daily touch with the cities. 
 
 ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. 
 
 luterurban electric railways did not 
 reach Butler County until the beginning of 
 
 the new century, just one hundred years 
 after the organization of the county. The 
 first electric line built in the county was 
 the Butler Passenger Railway, and this 
 was followed by the Pittsburg and Butler 
 Line which was completed in 1907, and the 
 Pittsburg, Butler, Harmony and New Cas- 
 tle Line which was completed in 1908. 
 Other lines north and east of Butler are 
 being promoted and will doubtless be built 
 within the next few years. 
 
 When Maxwell was shot at the meeting 
 of the United States marshal and the 
 settlers on the DutTy farm west of Butler 
 Borough in 1815, a special messenger rode 
 to Pittsburg, 35 miles, on horseback for 
 Dr. Agnew. It was almost twenty-four 
 hours Ijefore the doctor arrived at the 
 scene of the tragedy. In 1908 the same 
 feat could be accomplished in two hours. 
 The long distance telephone would take 
 the place of the messenger on horseback, 
 and a special car on the interurban elec- 
 tric railway would do the rest. 
 
 TELEPHONE. 
 
 Probably no public improvement has 
 done more to liring the urban and country 
 population into close touch with each other, 
 and mitigate the isolation of country life 
 in the rural counties of western Pennsyl- 
 vania than the telephone. The first tele- 
 graph office was opened in Butler in 1861, 
 and was a long stride toward rapid com- 
 munication, but it did not reach the coun- 
 try districts. The first telephone system 
 was established in Butler Borough about 
 1888, and since that time there have been 
 established twelve independent companies, 
 all of which with but one exception, were 
 established in the country towns and dis- 
 tricts and some of them being owned and 
 operated exclusively by farming communi- 
 ties. 
 
 TELEGRAPH LINES. 
 
 Rapid communication was unknown to 
 the citizens of Butler County previous to 
 1861, and the only way of reaching the out- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 395 
 
 side world was by means of the mail car- 
 rier wlio made his trips once a week or in 
 case of great haste, a special messenger 
 was employed who was compelled 4;o ride 
 on horse-back over country roads that 
 
 were soiuelimes almost 
 
 mipi 
 
 md 
 
 often through liliud trails through the for- 
 est that were little better than cattle jiaths. 
 The daily stage line between EutUn' and 
 Pittsburg, which was established in 18:27, 
 was a great advantage for the people of 
 Butler, but did not materially affect the 
 residents of the country districts. In 1861, 
 three years after the successful laying of 
 the Atlantic Cable, a telegraph line was 
 carried through Butler County from Pitts- 
 burg to Franklin. It preceded the first 
 railroad just ten years, and was the first 
 line of telegraphic commimication between 
 Pittsburg and the oil regions of Venango 
 County. It was called the Oil Valley Tele- 
 graph Line and was built by an English- 
 man named Coldstream Barry. There was 
 no office between Pittsburg and Franklin, 
 and at Butler a box was fixed on one of 
 the poles and Henry Zimmerman of But- 
 ler was employed to test the current daily. 
 In 1862 an office was opened iif the Lowry 
 House by A. B. Gildersleeve of Franklin, 
 who was the pioneer telegraph operator (if 
 the oil region. This was the first telegi'ai»!i 
 office in Butler County, and David Potts 
 of Butler was placed in charge as its oper- 
 ator. 
 
 The Oil Valley Telegraph Line was sn<' 
 ceeded by the AVestern Union Telegraph 
 Company, which had as its first operatoi- 
 Charles Rebhun. He was succeeded by 
 Ed. Duncan, and about 1873 John A. 
 Hauck of Butler was placed in charge as 
 manager. When the Trunk Line telegraph 
 was constructed by the Western Union 
 Company from New York to Chicago and 
 St. Louis, the main line crossed Butler 
 County; Butler became one of the repeat- 
 ing stations, and it is now one of the most 
 important relay stations outside of Pitts- 
 burg. Hauck was succeeded as manager 
 
 by William McCandless, and he in turn by 
 W. A. Hauck and Jack Gall. The present 
 manager of the office is George Elliott, 
 Miss Josephine Smith is wire chief, Bar- 
 ney McKeown is electrician, and W. A. 
 Hauck is night chief. The company's lines 
 reach every important town and village in 
 the county, and for the past fifteen years 
 has given to the people of Butler the ad- 
 vantages of an all night service that is not 
 enjoyed by cities of much larger popula- 
 tion. The most important piece of busi- 
 ness handled by the local office was on the 
 first of February, 1902, at the time the 
 Biddle brothers were shot in this county, 
 and brought to the Butler jail to die. Dur- 
 ing the first night of that eventful affair, 
 over three hundred thousand words were 
 sent out of the local office to all parts of 
 the United States. The operators worked 
 in relays and, for forty-eight hours, were 
 driven to the point of exhaustion. 
 
 THE BELL TELEPHONE. 
 
 The Bell Telephone Company estab- 
 lished a local exchange in Butler in 1889, 
 with Miss Maggie Harrington and Miss 
 Angie Slater in charge of the central. The 
 ]ilant was installed by Barney McKeown, 
 who was the electrician and also manager 
 of the district for six or seven years. The 
 first 'phones established by the company 
 did not always prove successful and the 
 district manager had his own troubles in 
 collecting his rentals and pacifying the ir- 
 ritable tempers of his patrons. During 
 the first j'ears of the local office there were 
 not more than a dozen 'phones on the line, 
 and these were in the offices of the most 
 important business houses and factories. 
 The rental of $60.00 a year for each 'phone 
 made the price almost prohibitive for pri- 
 vate residences, and it was not until a 
 competing company entered the field that 
 the rates were reduced to a reasonable 
 figure. 
 
 The Bell Company has met the require 
 ments of the town and community and at 
 
396 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the present time it reacbes almost eveiy 
 town in the county as well as affording its 
 patrons the advantages of long distance 
 telephone commimication to all parts of 
 the country. In addition to a long list of 
 patrons in Butler Borough, the company 
 has over one thousand 'phones in the coun- 
 ty, many of which are in farm houses, 
 thus bringing the farmer in close touch 
 with the merchant and the business men 
 of the town. The company has under sub- 
 lease the local lines at Princeton, Conno- 
 quenessing, Saxonburg, Mars, Porters- 
 ville, Parker, and the short lines at Lan- 
 caster and Jackson Townships. The di- 
 vision superintendent for the district north 
 of Allegheny County is J. H. Clune, who 
 has an office in Butler. 
 
 THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH COMPANY. 
 
 The Postal Telegraph Company estab- 
 lished an office in Butler about 1881 or 
 1882, with Harry Walker as operator. A 
 line was built to Butler from Pittsburg by 
 Samuel Kidd, who had formerly been a 
 district lineman for the Westei'u Union 
 Company. The company now has an office 
 with the American Express Company in 
 the Byers Building on South Main Street. 
 
 THE people's TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The People's Telephone Company of 
 Butler had its inception in September, 
 1893, when J. E. Forsythe and Thos. J. 
 ShutHin, of Butler, constructed a line from 
 Butler to the Cooperstown oil field. This 
 line consisted of a single wire and had but 
 two 'phones, one in the office of Thos. J. 
 Shufiflin and J. E. Forsythe in Butler, and 
 one at Cooperstown. The success of this 
 line induced its builders to branch out and 
 in 1895 the People's Telephone Company 
 was organized by a number of Butler busi- 
 ness men, of which Forsythe and ShufHin 
 were the leading spirits. At a meeting 
 held on August 19th of that year the fof- 
 lowing officers were chosen: President, 
 John Younkins; vice-president, T. J. Shuf- 
 
 flin; treasurer, J. V. Ritts; secretary and 
 manager, J. E. Forsythe. The directory 
 consisted of the above officers and Daniel 
 l^ounkins, W. J. McDowell, W. H. Larkin, 
 D. D, Buck, A. L. Reiber, T. P. Klingen- 
 smith and J. G. Stamm. Work was com- 
 menced in October, 1895, and the local 
 plant was completed and ready for busi- 
 ness Jamiary 1, 1896, with a list of one 
 hundred subscribers. This was the first 
 competition that the Bell Telephone Com- 
 pany met in Butler, and the telephone war 
 that ensued is a bit of history that result- 
 ed to the financial benefit of the people of 
 the town, but is something that the man- 
 agers of the new enterprise do not like 
 to think about. The new company had to 
 fight for its existence, and fight hard, with 
 the result that it now has one of the most 
 complete systems in western Pennsylvania, 
 and numbers among its patrons many 
 thousands in Butler and the surrounding 
 towns. 
 
 In January, 1898, the name of the com- 
 pany changed to the People's Telephone 
 Company, Limited, and articles of associa- 
 tion were filed in the recorder's office of 
 Butler County, showing the capital of the 
 company to be $20,000.00. The articles of 
 association were signed by William Green, 
 Marion Heushaw, T. P. Klingensmith, W. 
 H. Larkin, William J. Marks, W. J. Mc- 
 Dowell, J. E. Forsythe, A. L. Reiber, J. 
 George Stamm, Daniel Younkins, T. J. 
 Shuffliu, John Younkins, J. V. Ritts, J. 
 Henry Troutmau, and J. D. Marshall. 
 
 The plant was reconstructed during 
 1902-3, and on August 16, 1904, a charter 
 was secured under the title of "The Peo- 
 j)le's Telephone Company of Butler." The 
 ofiScers of the company at that time were : 
 John Younkins, president; A. L. Reiber, 
 secretary; T. J. Shufiflin, treasurer; and 
 these with J. V. Ritts, and Marion Heu- 
 shaw, composed the directory. The officers 
 in 1905 were A. L. Reiber, president; 
 Marion Henshaw, secretary; and T. J. 
 Shufiflin, treasurer, with the board of di- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 397 
 
 rectors remaining the same as the previous 
 year. No change was made in the ofBcers 
 in 1906, except that J. H. Troutman was 
 elected a director to till a vacancy. In 
 January, 1907, A. L. Reiber was elected 
 president ; J. H. Troutman, vice-president ; 
 T. M. Baker, secretary ; and T. J. Shufflin, 
 treasurer and manager, and these officers 
 were continued in 1908. J. E. Forsythe, 
 who superintended the construction of the 
 first line from Butler to Cooperstown, in 
 1893, has been the general superintendent 
 of the People's Telephone Company since 
 its organization. The manager and super- 
 intendent have been assisted in building up 
 this splendid enterprise by an able board 
 of directors, who have given their best ef- 
 forts to the construction, equipping and op- 
 erating the large plant. 
 
 The company began to branch out in 
 business in 1902, when a line was con- 
 structed from the central office in Butler 
 to the Speechley oil field in Washington 
 Township. The Speechley Telephone Com- 
 pany was then organized, which is now con- 
 trolled as a branch line of the People's 
 Telephone Company. The company is 
 now operating exchanges at Mars, Evans 
 City, Zelienople, Conuoquenessing, North 
 Hope, Bruin, and Chicora, and controls by 
 a lease or otherwise, the Speechley Tele- 
 phone Company, the Butler-Coylesville 
 Telephone Company connecting line, the 
 Burton Telephone Company of Penn Town- 
 ship, the Eau Claire Telephone Company, 
 the Slippery Rock Telephone Company, 
 and connecting lines with the Emlenton 
 Telephone Company in Venango County, 
 the Plain Grove Telephone Company in 
 Lawrence County, and the Ridge Tele- 
 phone Company in Cherry Township. 
 
 In 1904 the Pittsburg and Butler Trunk 
 Line was built, which connects the cen- 
 tral office at Butler with the central of- 
 fice of the Pittsburg aod Allegheny Tele- 
 phone Company at Pittsburg, which is one 
 of the largest independent lines in western 
 Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. This con- 
 
 nection gives the People's Company long 
 distance connections with the towns south 
 and southwest of Pittsburg, while a similar 
 arrangement with Kittanning gives coii- 
 nections with the towns in the east. 
 
 Prom 1896 until 1906 the company was 
 quartered on the second floor of the brick 
 building on West Jefferson Street, now 
 owned by Robert Kirkpatrick, but in the 
 latter year the offices were removed to 
 the present quarters at the corner of West 
 Jefferson and Washington Streets. The 
 People's Telephone Company of Butler is 
 an enterprise of which the people of the 
 county may feel justly proud. It was pro- 
 moted, financed and built by Butler peo- 
 ple under difficulties which would have 
 made the faint-hearted quit. It now has 
 the largest patronage of any company in 
 the district, and is constantly growing in 
 strength and usefulness. 
 
 THE SPEECHLEY TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The oil developments in the Speechley 
 field in Washington Township led a num- 
 ber of oil operators and business men who 
 were interested there to organize the 
 Speechley Telephone Company and build 
 a line from Butler to North Washington. 
 There were forty-six subscribers to the 
 articles of association and the capital 
 stock and the formal organization was ef- 
 fected June 9, 1902, by the election of T. 
 J. Shufflin, president; A. L. Reiber, sec- 
 retary, and John Younkins, treasurer. 
 These with J. F. Harper and B. M. Stein- 
 dorf composed the directory. This com- 
 pany was sub-leased and is now a part of 
 the plant of the People's Telephone Com- 
 pany. 
 
 THE BUTLER AND COYLBSVILLE TELEPHONE CO. 
 
 The Butler and Coylesville Telephone 
 Company was organized in 1904 by the 
 business men of Kittanning, and a line 
 built from Kittanning to Coylesville. A 
 charter was taken out by the company on 
 the 13th of March, 1905, extending the line 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 to Butler. The officers of this companj- and 
 incorporators are K. B. Schotte, John G. 
 Ayers, F. M. Monks, and C. J. Jessop, all 
 of Kittanning. 
 
 THE BURTON TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The most extensive rural line built iu 
 the county was the Burton Telephone Com- 
 pany's line, which was built in 1906. The 
 directors of the company were "W. J. Bur- 
 ton, of Penn Township; Robert J. Marks, 
 of Glade Mills; Joseph L. Campbell, of 
 Renfrew ; Langdon S. Riley, of Penn Town- 
 ship, and Thos. J. Shuffliu, of Butler. This 
 company constructed a line from Renfrew 
 to Zelienople by way of Brownsdale to 
 Evans City and Harmony; a line from 
 Renfrew to Prospect by way of Conuo- 
 quenessiug and Whitestown; to Mars by 
 way of Valencia; to Saxonburg by way of 
 Cooperstown and to Butler. This company 
 was eventually taken over by the People's 
 Telephone Company of Butler. 
 
 SLIPPEBY ROCK TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The Slippery Rock Telephone Company 
 was organized in 1905 and the cliarter 
 granted on July 11th of the same year. The 
 incorporators were J. E. Bard, H. P. Grif- 
 fith, AVilliam Christie, John P. Castor, F. 
 P. Bingham, A. L. Cooper, John P. Bu- 
 chanan, and F. W. Prouty. The charter 
 called for the construction of a line from 
 Slippery Rock to Butler by way of West 
 Liberty and Prospect, a line from Slip- 
 pery Rock to Branchtou, West Sunbury 
 and Annandale, a line to Grove City, and 
 one to New Castle. 
 
 THE SAXONBURG TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The Saxonburg Telephone Company was 
 chartered July 9, 1907, by Samuel Moore, 
 Thomas Kennedy, Wadsworth Ekas, Mar- 
 tin Monks, Dr. W. W. Lasher, G. O. Ham- 
 mer, and T. G. Wilhelm. This line was 
 constructed and is now oj^erated under a 
 lease by the Bell Telephone Company. 
 
 THE BUTLER COUNTY TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The Butler County Telephone Company 
 was chartered Deeemlier 126, 1906, its in- 
 corporators being Harry Hamilton of 
 Grove City, W. T. McDonald of Eau Claire, 
 A. 0. Miller of Eau Claire, and Thomas H. 
 Greer of Butler. Its charter provides for 
 the construction of a telephone line from 
 the central office at Eau Claire to Parker 
 and in the counties of Armstrong, Butler. 
 Crawford, Clarion, Mercer, Lawrence and 
 Beaver. 
 
 THE HARRISVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The Harrisville Telephone (Company was 
 chartered January 2, 1907, with the fol- 
 lowing directors: W. A. Mc Williams, H. 
 A. Kelley, W; B. Campbell, E. E. Wick, J. 
 C. Buchanan and H. L. Johnson. The 
 company operates in the northern i^art of 
 the county and has its central office at 
 Harrisville. 
 
 THE PITTSBURG AND BUTLER TELEPHONE CO. 
 
 The -Pittsburg and Butler Telephone 
 Companv was chartered August 18, 1904, 
 with a capital of $25,000.00 for the pur- 
 pose of constructing a line from Pittsburg 
 to Butler to connect with the People's 
 Telephone Company of the latter place. 
 The directors of this companv were J. G. 
 Splane of Pittsburg, J. W. Weller of Pitts- 
 burg, and Thos. J. Shufflin of Butler. The 
 effect of the organic.. Hon of this company 
 and the building of the line to Butler was 
 to give the local patrons of the People's 
 Telephone Company the advantage of di- 
 rect communication with Pittsburg 
 through the Pittsburg and Allegheuy Com- 
 pany of that city. 
 
 •|T{E PORTERSVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY. 
 
 The Portersville Telephone Company, 
 with a central office at Portersville, But- 
 ler County, was organized in 1905, with 
 the following officers: James McConnell, 
 president; Edwin W. Hiunphrey, treas- 
 urer; and N. L. Gardner, secretary. This 
 
AXl) REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 399 
 
 company operates in Muddyereek, AVortli, Short lines that are in operation in the 
 
 Brady and Franklin Townships in Butler country districts are the Jackson line, the 
 
 County, and in Lawrence County, and is Lancaster line, and the Ridge line in 
 
 now under lease, being operated by the Cherry Township, the latter having a cen- 
 
 Bell Telephone Company. tral office at Amos Hall's. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 BUTLER BOROUGH 
 
 Founders of Butler — The County Seat — First Sale of Lots— Original Maps— Dispute 
 about Title — First Settlers — Incorporation of the Town — First Public School Tax 
 — Fire Department Considered — Extension of Borough and Street Lights — Light 
 and Fuel Companies — Fire Insurance Companies — Water Companies — Railroads 
 — Telegraph Lines — Board of Trade — Business Men's Association — Grocers' As- 
 sociation — Chamber of Commerce — Public Buildings — Taverns and Hotels — Man- 
 ufactures — Machine Shops — Brick-yards — Building and Loan Associations — 
 Churches — Schools — Religious and Charitable Societies — Graveyards and Ceme- 
 teries — Postmasters. 
 
 The borough of Butler doubtless owes 
 its origin to the foresight and shrewdness 
 of the Cunningham brothers, a family 
 which has passed away leaving no de- 
 scendants in the town or county, but leav- 
 ing its name and the marks of its energy 
 fixed upon both. There were three broth- 
 ers in this family, viz. : John, Samuel and 
 James, and they came originally from the 
 Conestoga valley in Lancaster county. 
 James Cunningham was a surveyor and 
 surveyed the lands in wliat is known as 
 Cunningham's district of the Depreciation 
 lands. 
 
 Robert Morris, the Revolutionary patri- 
 ot, was the owner of the ground upon 
 which the borough of Butler has been 
 built and of at least 80,000 acres more 
 within the limits of the county. He had 
 three hundred and eleven warrants made 
 out in the name of Lancaster County citi- 
 zens, but assigned by them to him, and 
 these warrants, which were each good for 
 1^50 acres of land or more, he caused to be 
 located by his agent James Cunningham, 
 
 who was also the surveyor of what is 
 known as Cunningham's district. A num- 
 ber of these warrants had been taken out 
 in the name of John Tressler and Andrew 
 Reighert, and by them assigned to Morris. 
 The patent on the Tressler tract was not 
 received by Samuel J. Cunningham until 
 May 13, 1805. It sets forth that it was 
 granted in consideration of moneys paid 
 by John Tressler into the receiver gen- 
 eral's office at the granting of the warrant 
 and of the sum of $158.00 paid by Samuel 
 J. Cunningham, and also in said Samuel 
 J. Cunningham having made it appear that 
 he made or caused to be made an actual 
 settlement, and continued his residence 
 agreeable to the settlement law of 1792 on 
 a tract of land called Butler. These war- 
 rants were located several years before 
 Butler County was organized. The war- 
 rants for the tracts of land on which it was 
 destined a thriving city should arise, 
 passed into the possession of John and 
 Samuel J. Cunningham in 1805, and the 
 land adjoining upon the north became by 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 401 
 
 settlers' right tlie ijrojierty oi' Robert Gra- 
 ham, who located in 1707, where tlie resi- 
 dence of John Berg now stands, on North 
 Main Street. 
 
 THE COUNTY SEAT. 
 
 AMien Butler County was ei'ected l)v the 
 act of March 12, 1800, it was provided that 
 the place for holding courts should lie iixed 
 at any place distant not more than four 
 miles from the center of the county. The 
 Cunningham brothers doubtless were 
 aware, a considerable time previous to 
 March 12, 1800, where the l)ouudaries of 
 the county would be established, and an- 
 ticipated that the seat of justice would be 
 located approximately in the center. They 
 owned the most available site for a town 
 within the prescribed radius of four miles 
 and profited by their shrewdness or good 
 fortune in having secured it. Other loca- 
 tions were proposed, one near the present 
 site of Boydstown and another on Slip- 
 pery Rock Creek. 
 
 One of the commissioners under date of 
 June 7, 1802, writes of the land proposed 
 by the Cunninghams for county seat as 
 follows : 
 
 The situation is beautiful, being on au eiuiuente nUic-li 
 descends in all directions; the land sean-e of timber, but 
 sufficiently dry, and large bodies of meadow ground near 
 the seat. This site will have the a<lvantage of the creek 
 with sundry springs of water, and coal banks near, lime- 
 stone and freestone quarries partly adjoining the site. 
 The ridges, all pointing into the little valley, will be con- 
 venient for roads from every (lirectii)ii. 
 
 The commissioner who wrote the above 
 paragraph in his diary was favorably im- 
 pressed, and his impressions were doubt- 
 less strengthened during the evening by a 
 conversation with one of the Cunningham 
 brothers. That night Isaac Weaver, John 
 Hamilton and Presley Car l^ane of the 
 committee lodged with Samuel Cunning- 
 ham at the millhouse near the site of Wal- 
 ter's mill, and tlie other two commission- 
 ers, Thos. Morton and James Brady, 
 lodged at the cabin of Robert Cunningham 
 near the Salt Lick, about two miles nortb 
 of Samuel Cunningham's place. All of the 
 
 commissioners that night were guests at 
 the millhouse, which was probably kept by 
 John and Samuel J. Cunningham, who had 
 built a mill about two years previous. The 
 Cunninghams and Robert Graham pro- 
 ])Osed to lay out in town lots three hun- 
 dred acres of land, five acres of which 
 should be devoted to the use of the coun- 
 ty of Butler, should their location be made 
 the seat of justice. 
 
 How well they succeeded in their pur- 
 pose was first made known to the general 
 public when the legislature upon the 8th 
 of March, 1803, passed an act of which 
 the following are the important sections : 
 
 Section 1. "Be it enacted by the Senate and House 
 of Kepresentatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
 vania, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted 
 by the authority of the same, that John MoBride, Esq., 
 William Elliott, Esq., and John David, be and hereby 
 are appointed trustees for the county of Butler, and the 
 said trustees, or a majority of them, are hereby author- 
 ized and required to survey, or cause to be surveyed, 300 
 acres of land situate on the north side of Connoqueness- 
 ing Creek, near Samuel Cunningham's mill, agreeably to 
 a description given of the situation and boundary thereof 
 expressed ia the grant and obligation of Samuel Cun- 
 ningham, John Cunningham and Kobert Graham, made 
 by them to the Governor for the use of the county of 
 Butler, and the said trustees are hereby authorized and 
 required to lay out a convenient lot or lots of land with- 
 in the said- 300 acres not exceeding five acres, whereon 
 the public buildings shall be erected for the ose of the 
 county of Butler, and (he surplus or residue of said 300 
 acres of land, which shall remain after the sites for the 
 jiublie buildings are set apart and determined, shall be 
 laid out for a town, with suitable town lots, at the dis- 
 cretion of the trustees, with necessary reservations for a 
 quarry, streets, lanes, alleys and roads or highways; pro- 
 vitled, however, that no outlots shall exceed five acres, 
 anil the town herebv directed to be laid out shall be called 
 Butler." 
 
 Section 2. "And be it further enacted by the author- 
 ity aforesaid. That it shall be the duty of the said trus- 
 tees, or a majority of tlnni, io si-ll bv piiblir an. -Hon the 
 said town lots ;iii.l mnloi-, ;d sii.-h liiiir-; ris ilu'x- may 
 judge most ;hI\ :nit:i-.MUv i,, ili,' munlv, \\lnrli vjlr sliall 
 be held at th.- -.nn ( 'hhm ,-Ii.mm \lili, in ilir -jui r.niiity, 
 previous to \' luMi ilh -,i.[ irii-.!.',- shall .mIm-iIisc the 
 same three tini' ,i ^ i ; "]\:- or niMir iiruspa|H-is pub- 
 lished in I'itl-I'i 1^, I'l ' :; lilUL; :nhl \\:isliill;;t.iii one 
 month before tiir .ia;. .ii.|MaiiU'.l fuv siuli sale; j.iuvided, 
 that before the said commissioners proceed to the dis- 
 charge of the duties herein enjoined and required, they 
 shall demand and receive from the aforesaid Samuel Cun- 
 ningham, John Cunningham and Eobcrt Graham suffi- 
 cient deeds in fee simple of the above-described 300 
 acres of land in trust for the use of the said county of 
 Butler, agreeably to the grant thereof heretofore made 
 to the Governor for the use of the county of Butler by 
 
402 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Kobert Graham, and shall procure the same to be reoordea 
 in the office for recordiug of deeds iu Allegheny County, 
 and when the said trustees shall have so done they shall 
 have authority, and it shall be their duty, to make out 
 and grant sutficient deeds in fee-simple for the town and 
 outlets by them sold in pursuani'p of this aet." 
 
 FIRST 
 
 LOTS 
 
 lu August, 1803, lilt" village was duly 
 laid out, the plot eoutaiuiug seventy-six 
 acres aud seveuty-uiue perches. This was 
 deeded to AVilliam Elliott, John David and 
 John McBride, as trustees for the county, 
 and the sales of the lots were made through 
 them at a public auction, August 10th. 
 David Dougal purchased lot No. 1 on the 
 northeast corner of the Diamond foi- 
 $100.00, which was the highest price paid 
 for lots in that locality. This is the prop- 
 erty now owned by C. N. Boyd. Other lots 
 were sold along Main Street at prices 
 ranging from $20.00 to $12(5.00, which in 
 1908 were valued at $1,000.00 per foot 
 front regardless of the improvements. 
 
 The fact that the new town was to be 
 the seat of justice held out great promises 
 of tinancial returns to the ])eople, and the 
 lots were readily sold. The pioneer vil- 
 lagers then entered upon the humble be- 
 ginnings of what, as a rule, were to l)e suc- 
 cessful careers. The promise of prosperity 
 was realized by almost everyone except 
 John Cunningham, one of the founders of 
 the town. His financial affairs became in- 
 volved, and it was said that he was hur- 
 ried to his grave by the disappointments 
 he met with. He died in 1805, and was 
 buried in the cemetei-y which he aud iiis 
 brothel- had donated to the borough of 
 Butler. 
 
 The deed of release, which describes the 
 ground now occu]iied by the court house, 
 was executed in favor of John Cunning- 
 ham by his creditors Simon Gratz and 
 Heyman Gratz, trading under the firm 
 name of Simon & Heyman Gratz; William 
 Wistar, John Price, and John AViijtar. 
 trading under the name of Wistar, Pric(> 
 & Wistar; John Wistar and his private 
 )-ight; Joseph Karrick and Jnslnia Porci- 
 
 val, trading under the name of Karrick & 
 Percival; and Thomas Ryerson, all of 
 Philadelphia, and is the first recorded in- 
 strument in the recorder's office in But- 
 ler. The deed was executed in Philadel- 
 phia on the 5th of October, 1803, aud re- 
 coi'ded on the 23d of Januaiy, 180-t-. 
 
 John Cunningliam was a brother of Sam- 
 uel and James ( unningham, aud was a na- 
 tive of Lancaster county. In all probabil- 
 ity he was engaged extensively in business 
 elsewhere than in the village of Butler, 
 and was the victim of the fever for land 
 speculation that had ruined Robert Mor- 
 ris and other prominent men of that time. 
 When he became financially embarrassed, 
 his share in the 300 acres set apart for the 
 town of Butler was seventy acres. Judg- 
 ments were laid upon his proj^erty by the 
 creditors living in Philadelphia, and it be- 
 came necessary in order to give perfect 
 title to have a deed of release for the prop- 
 erty included in the town site. Such a deed 
 was made. It recites that the release was 
 granted in consideration of the fact that 
 .lohn Cunningham had other lands adjoin- 
 ing the town which were bounded by judg- 
 ments which his creditors had obtained, 
 and that these lands were so materially 
 increased in value by the location of the 
 county seat as to make them ample secur- 
 ity for his creditors. 
 
 David Cunningham, another brother of 
 John and Samuel, resided- in Butler in 
 180-1, and was one of the first attorneys 
 registered at the Butler Bar. He is said 
 to have been a lawyer of ability, but noth- 
 ing is known of his career after he left 
 Butler. Samuel Cunningham lived and 
 died in Butler, and was buried in the old 
 cemetery with his brother John, but the 
 graves of these two pioneers were never 
 maiked, and all trace of them was lost 
 many years ago, When the high school 
 building was erected on the site of the old 
 cemetery a tablet was placed on the wall in 
 the corridor to the right of the AlcKean 
 Street entrance, which bears the names of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 403 
 
 John and Sannu'l 
 founders of Bntler 
 
 ("nnuins'ham, the 
 
 THE OBIGINAL, MAPS. 
 
 The original survey of the town lots of 
 Butler made in 1803 exists, and a map of 
 the town made by Harvey Boyd in 1828, 
 which was taken from a plat of J. E. 
 Bi'own, is in the possession of John S. 
 ( 'am))bell, of Butler. This old map is made 
 (in ]iarchmeut and is an excellent example 
 of the work done by surveyors of that day. 
 According to the boundary lines shown on 
 the map, the northern limit of the town 
 was an alley which is now Penn Street, 
 and the southern limit was the quarry re- 
 serve which began at the alley south of 
 Wayne Street and extended to the creek. 
 The western limit was the first alley west 
 of AA'ashiugton Street, and the eastern 
 limit ended at Franklin Street. All of the 
 territorj' lying east of Main Street and 
 north of North Street, now in the fourth 
 waid, was known as the outlots, and the 
 territory lying south of Jefferson Street 
 and east of McKean street as far as the 
 creek was placed in the same class. Jef- 
 ferson Street extended west to the first 
 alley west of Washington Street, and Mif- 
 flin Street extended to Walker's brick 
 yard, which lay between Bluff and Chest- 
 nut Streets. The main road leading to the 
 west and northwest at that time left the 
 AYilhird House corner and followed Wayne 
 Street and what is now Water Street to 
 the junction of New Castle and Mercer 
 Street. This point was then known as the 
 , forks of the New Castle and Mercer roads. 
 The cemetery lot was located on the site 
 of the High school building on North Mc- 
 Kean Street, and the academy building 
 was marked on the corner of McKean and 
 Jefferson Streets, now occupied by the 
 Jefferson school building. The millhouse 
 is marked on the banks of the creek out- 
 side of the quariy r-eserve. The quarry 
 reserve was so called because of the exist- 
 
 ence of a stone quarry, where the early in- 
 habitants secured stone for building pur- 
 poses. 
 
 On August 14, 1804, the trustees made 
 the terms of sale more liberal, giving one 
 year for second payment, and two years 
 for third payment. Under this I'ule fifty- 
 seven lots were sold August 14, 15, and 16, 
 1804. the total sum realized being $1,612.25. 
 
 DiSPrTK ABOl'T TTTLE. 
 
 It would appear from the events that fol- 
 lowed the laying out of the town lots and 
 the public sale that Robert Graham and 
 the Cunninghams donated lands to which 
 they had no legal title. Following the set- 
 tlement with the creditors of John Cun- 
 ningham, another cloud arose in 1807 
 which threatened to affect the title of 
 every lot owner in the town. In the early 
 part of that year the effects of Robert 
 Morris were sold at the Merchant's Coffee 
 House in Philadelphia at United States 
 marshal's sale to satisfy some of his for- 
 eign creditors. Stephen Lowry of Mary- 
 land and other land s[)eculators purchased 
 the Butler County warrants. The John 
 Tressler warrant and the Adam Reighert 
 warrant came into the possession of Lowry 
 and on December 12, 1807, Thomas Col- 
 lins, attorney for Lowry, notified the com- 
 missioners of Butler County of his claims 
 on the land comprising tlie town site of 
 Butler. It will be noticed that Robert Gra- 
 ham claimed ownership of the Adam 
 Reighert warrant by right of settlement, 
 and that John and Samuel Cunningham 
 did not secure their patent for the Tresslei' 
 warrant until 1805. The attorney for 
 Lowry threatened to bring suits of eject- 
 ment, and after a correspondence of more 
 than two years, the matter was finally 
 compromised. The commissioners released 
 their claims to the lots in the original plan 
 that had not been sold at that time, and 
 Lowry executed quit claim deeds to the 
 commissioners for the lots that had been 
 
404 
 
 IIISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 sold up to that date in both the tracts do- 
 nated by the Cunninghams and Robert 
 Graham, thus confirming the titles made 
 by the trustees of Butler county at the first 
 sale of lots. These deeds were executed on 
 the 12th day of February, 1810. 
 
 In the original plan of lots, Jefferson 
 Street is the dividing line between the 
 Tressler warrant owned by the Cunning- 
 hams, and the Adam "Reighert, Sr., war- 
 rant, upon which Robert Graham had 
 made a settlement. The eastern limits of 
 these warrants was Monroe Street, and 
 the western limits was Bluff Street. The 
 present limits of the city now comprise in 
 addition to the two warrants mentioned 
 the Adam Reighert, Jr., warrant in the 
 Institute Hill district, the George Slough 
 warrant in the first ward, the Christian 
 Stake warrant and the John Greaff war- 
 rant comprise all that part of the town 
 west of Bluff Street known as Duffytown, 
 and part of the property now owned by 
 the Standard Steel Car Company, and 
 Charles DufTy. The Tressler warrant ex- 
 tended from Jefferson Street to the top of 
 the hill south of town, and the Adam 
 Reighert, Sr., warrant extended from Jef- 
 ferson Street north to the foot of cemetery 
 hill, and was designated on the early docu- 
 ments as "Warren Point." 
 
 FIRST SETTLEKS. 
 
 The first settlers within tlie orginal lim- 
 its of Butler were among those who pur- 
 chased lots at the first sale, and who began 
 immediately to erect buildings on their 
 new possessions. James Thompson, a 
 blacksmith, erected the first building on 
 the Diamond. Other houses were built in 
 their order by William Young, William 
 Neyman, Abraham Brinker, and Jacob 
 Funk. The Neyman house stood next to the 
 Boos building on South Main Street. Abra- 
 ham Brinker 's house was on the other side 
 of the street, and the Funk house stood 
 on the ground now occupied by the resi- 
 dence of A¥. A. Lowrv on East Diamond 
 
 Street. John Potts built a log house on 
 the corner now occupied by A. Troutmau 
 & Sons' store. He resided in this house 
 for two or three years, and then built a 
 substantial hewed log house upon the op- 
 posite side of the street on ground now oc- 
 cupied by the store of Alf. M. Reiber. This 
 log house was considered one of the fine 
 ]-esidences of the town, and stood until 
 1892 or 1893, when it gave way to the pres- 
 ent 1)rick building. Other houses were built, 
 all of a very primitive character, by John 
 Emfrey, George Powers, and Stephen 
 Crawford. 
 
 While the foregoing men were the first 
 settlers within the original limits of the 
 town, John Negley had settled in 1800 
 south of the creek, opposite the Cunning- 
 ham Mill, now the Walters Mill, and in 
 the third ward of the city. Robert Gra- 
 ham and his family had also settled in 
 Butler Township in what is now the Fifth 
 Ward. Robert Graham's son William was 
 the first child born in the district, and 
 made his advent in December, 1803. The 
 first female child was Sarah, daughter of 
 John and Jane Potts, who was born at the 
 Potts residence on Main Street in March. 
 1805. She married Squire Robert Carna- 
 hau, and resided in Butler all her life, her 
 death occurring near the close of the cen- 
 tury. 
 
 The winter of 1803 and 1804 was a 
 dreary one. The only means of communi- 
 cation with the outer world was by means 
 of a bridle path leading straight over the 
 hills to Pittsburg. Among the new resi- 
 dents of the town who came at the begin- 
 ning of 1804 was William Ayres, Esq., the 
 first prothonotary of Butler County, and 
 his clerk, Henry M. Brackenridge, son of 
 Judge H. H. Brackenridge, of Pittsburg. 
 The young clerk affci'wards became a not- 
 ed lawyer and a distingiiisliod member of 
 the bench of Pennsylvania, and the author 
 of a History of Western Pennsylvania, 
 which bears his name. In his "Recollec- 
 tions of the West," he savs of his first 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 405 
 
 visit here: "Ou my arrival at Butler 
 there were a few log houses just raised, 
 but not sufficiently completed to be occu- 
 pied. It was not long before there were 
 two taverns, a store, and a blacksmith 
 shop. It was then a town. The country 
 around was a howling wilderness with the 
 exception of a few scattered settlements 
 as far removed from each other as the 
 ki-aals in the neighborhood of the (_!ape of 
 Good Hope." 
 
 The first public assembly for social and 
 patriotic purposes was held on the Fourth 
 of July, 1804, when the natal day of 
 American independence was celebrated in 
 an appropriate manner. The meeting was 
 held at the P^ederal Spring at the foot of 
 Main Street, now on the property of John 
 McQ. Smith, and it is from this circum- 
 stance that the spring was so named. A 
 table about one hundred feet long had been 
 prepared, which was supplied with the 
 best the country afforded, to which all 
 present did ample justice. After the din- 
 ner William Ayres was appointed i)resi- 
 dent and John McCandless, then sheriff, 
 vice-president. Patriotic toasts suited to 
 the occasion were read by the j^resident at 
 the head of the table, and repeated by the 
 vice-president at the foot. Then followed 
 the drink, the cheers, the firing of mus- 
 ketry, and the music of drum ancT fife play- 
 ing the old Revolutionary tunes of "Yan- 
 kee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia." The 
 entire population of the town was repre- 
 sented at this meeting as well as represen- 
 tative citizens from the surrounding coun- 
 try. 
 
 INCOKPOKATION OF THE TOWN. 
 
 It was not until some fifteen years later 
 that the inhabitants of Butler began to 
 think of taking steps towards the forma- 
 tion of a corporate government. The 
 question was finally brought before the leg- 
 islature, on February 6, 1817, by an act 
 entitled "An act to erect a town of Milton 
 in the county of Northumberland, and the 
 town of Bntler in the county of Butlei-, 
 
 into boroughs." This act was passed Feb- 
 ruary 26, and the charter was issued May 
 2, 1817, by Governor Snydei', and Butler 
 at once assumed its new duties as an in- 
 corporated town. The section of the act 
 relating to the incorporation of Butler is 
 given herewith : 
 
 "Sectiou 10. And be it further enacted, etc., That 
 the town oi Butler in the county of Butler shall lie and 
 the same is hereby erected into a borough which shall 
 be called the 'Borough of Butler,' and contained within 
 the following metes and bounds: The original plat or 
 draft of the town of Butler, beginning at a black oak on 
 the bank of the mill dam; thence north seventy-eight 
 ilegrees west seven perches; thence south 52 degrees west 
 eight perches; thence south eleven degrees west seven . 
 perches, south three degrees east ten perches, south 36 
 degrees east eight perches, south 73 degrees west eleven 
 perches, north ten degrees west fourteen perches, north 
 ten degrees east fourteen perches, north 40 degrees west 
 12 jiei-ches, west sixteen pen-lies, south 59 degrees west 
 23 perches; thence south olovcii dcijrees 13 perches, south 
 25 degrees east five | 'iih.'^, snnth twenty degrees west 
 14 perches; thence smiili 1> piKlies; thence south 52 
 degrees west 26 pevchi s, ^.mlh 41 degrees west six 
 perclirs. sniith sixty-one degrees west 13% perches, south 
 57 (li'^r.is wrsi 7'^ perches to a hickory; thence leaving 
 the d:iiii iimtli 77 degrees west nine perches, thence' north 
 57 d('i;rcc.s uest 57 perches to two hickory trees ou the 
 banks of the treek; thence north fifteen degrees west 40 
 perches, north three degrees west 152% perches; thence 
 north 87 degrees east 173 perches; thence south three de- 
 grees east 133.2 perches to the place of beginning." 
 
 The part of the city included in the above 
 description is bounded approximately by 
 Monroe Street on the east, Penn Street on 
 the north. Bluff Street on the west, and the 
 Connoquenessiug Creek on the south. The 
 population of the town in 1820, two years 
 after the borough was erected, was 250. 
 
 It was also provided by the act in sec- 
 tion 17 that the inhabitants of the borough 
 entitled to vote for members of the legis- 
 lature having resided within the limits of 
 the borough at least six months preceding 
 the election, should "on the Friday imme- 
 diately preceding the third Saturday of 
 March next" have jiower to cast their 
 votes between the hours of one and five in 
 the afternoon for one chief burgess, one 
 assistant burgesa, and seven citizens to be 
 a town council, also one high constable. 
 
 Under this act the first election for bor- 
 ough officers was held May .30, 1817, at the 
 
406 
 
 HISTOKY OF BL'TLEE COUNTY 
 
 dwelling house of Adam Funk, and for 
 subsequent years the elections were mostly 
 held at the house of Jacob Mechling, who 
 was chosen one of the first couucilmen to 
 aid in shaping the destinies of the infant 
 borough. 
 
 The new borough officers were prompt 
 to organize and discharge their functions, 
 as is shown by the fact that they entered 
 upon their duties the very day that they 
 were elected. The first minute book of the 
 borough council under date of May 30, 
 ]817, noted the fact that William Ayres, 
 Esc{., had been duly elected chief burgess, 
 and John Gilmore, Esq., assistant burgess. 
 William Campbell, John Potts, Dr. George 
 Miller, Hugh McKee, David Dougal, and 
 James Stephenson, duly elected members 
 of the town council for the borough of But- 
 ler, met at the house of Adam Funk and 
 took the oath of office before Robert Scott, 
 Esq., a justice of the peace, as directed by 
 the act of Assembly passed the 26th day 
 of February, A. D. 1817, creating the town 
 of Butler in the county of Butler, into a 
 borough. At this meeting John Potts was 
 duly elected president of council, John 
 Bredin was appointed clerk, James Hill 
 was appointed borough treasurer, and 
 Maurice Bredin was elected collector of 
 the borough taxes. 
 
 Jacob Mechling qualified as councilman 
 at the meeting held July 7, 1817, and voted 
 with the other members for levying a bor- 
 ough tax as well as for the adoption of the 
 seal of the Circuit Court as the seal of the 
 borough. 
 
 In 1819 an ordinance was adopted estab- 
 lishing a regular market day, and also 
 rules were adopted for preventing sheep 
 and swine from running at large, and iier- 
 sons from galloping on the streets. In 
 1820 a tax levy of four mills was made for 
 the borough expenses, which was consid- 
 ered sufficient to justify the borough offi- 
 cials in fitting up a ])ound or pen on Will- 
 iam Beatty's lot for hogs and a place in 
 Eli Skeer's stable for the keeping of sheep, 
 
 and thereafter all stray animals of this 
 kind found roaming on the streets were 
 taken into custody by the high council. 
 
 In 1820 the building used as a market 
 house ajjpears to have served its purpose, 
 and in September its sale was reported 
 and $18.00 for brick paid into the treasury. 
 
 In 1821 street improvements were de- 
 cided on and in December the street com- 
 missioners were ordered "to cut the Dia- 
 mond as much as may be necessary, the 
 side walks on the Diamond level or nearly 
 so, with the turn-pike (Main Street), and 
 that West Street be dug and filled, so that 
 the ascent thereof would not exceed seven 
 degrees of a horizontal line." 
 
 During this year the extension of Mc- 
 Kean Street as far as the inlots extended 
 was ordered. 
 
 The first vote recorded by the borough 
 of Butler for state and county officers was 
 that of October 14, 1817. For governor 
 William Findley received twenty and Jo- 
 seph Heister, sixteen votes. For State 
 Senate John Gilmore received twenty-nine 
 and AValter Lowrie, eight votes. For rep- 
 resentative to the State legislature, Sam- 
 uel Douglass received twenty-seven, Will- 
 iam Marks, twenty-seven, John AVilson, 
 ten, Andrew Christy, twenty-one, William 
 Ayres, twenty-nine, William Wilkins, six- 
 teen, John Robinson, nine, and John Ross, 
 nine votes. For county commissioner 
 Francis Fi-yer received twelve votes, Ab- 
 raham Brinker, fourteen, David Dougal, 
 eight, and Mosen Hanlen, three. For audi- 
 tor, John Bredin received thirty-six votes, 
 and David Dougal two. For trustees of 
 the Butler Academy Jacob Mechling re- 
 ceived twenty-three votes, John Galbraith, 
 thirty-six, and Thomas Lyon, thirteen. 
 Samuel Glass was elected inspector, Rob- 
 ert Scott, judge, and Moses Sullivan and 
 J. Williamson, clerks of the election of the 
 boi'ough. The total vote ))olled at this elec- 
 tion would indicate a population of about 
 two hundred. 
 
 The assessment list of 1821 shows that 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 407 
 
 there were but thirty-four houses iu tlie 
 borough not iuckidiug the county, school 
 and church buildings. There were forty- 
 nine owners of lots that had improvements 
 on them, and twenty-five vacant lots were 
 assessed against their reputed owners. 
 
 JNIore importance was attached to the of- 
 fice of high constable than at the ])resent 
 day. At a meeting of council held March 
 16, 1822, it was resolved that Samuel John- 
 son, the newly elected high constable, 
 should give security in the sum of $400.00 
 for the faithful performance of his duty. 
 Adam Filnk became his bondsrhan. With 
 the duties of this office and the responsi- 
 bilities increased two hundred fold, all the 
 security demanded now is $200.00. 
 
 John McQuistion was appointed lior- 
 ough treasurer, in 1822, and an ordinance 
 was passed directing that the owners of 
 property on Main Street who desired to 
 build side-walks in front of their property 
 should construct such side-walks nine feet 
 wide. 
 
 In 1823 John Reed was elected high con- 
 stable, John Welsh was appointed clerk, 
 and Samuel Johnson, collector. One of the 
 important items of business this year was 
 the opening of Franklin Street, paralleling 
 McKean. 
 
 At a meeting held the 8th of April, 1824, 
 a resolution was introduced by Mr. Bredin 
 directing that a committee of three l)e a\)- 
 pointed to draft an ordinance and employ 
 an artist to fix the corners of lots, streets 
 and alleys. Under the authority of this 
 ordinance David Dougal, the famous sur- 
 veyor, was employed, and he resurveyed 
 the town and reestablished the corners and 
 lot lines. 
 
 The subject of fire protection was dis- 
 cussed by council in 1825, and a motion 
 that the sum of $25.00 be appropriated 
 towards the erection of an engine house 
 on the public square, and toward furnish- 
 ing it with engine, hooks and ladders, was 
 voted down. The fire-fighting api^aratus 
 was purchased two years later by the sub- 
 
 scription of private citizens and was the 
 inception of the present volunteer fire de- 
 ]Kirtment. In July, 1827, the county com- 
 missioners agreed to assign to the borough 
 council a judgment to be ajiplied on the 
 purchase of an engine and other fire ap- 
 paratus, and on the 28th of that month 
 Mr. Gilmore reported that he had pur- 
 chased an engine for $400.00, of which 
 half was to be paid within six months, and 
 half in twelve months. This report was 
 accepted by council, and a resolution was 
 passed ordering the erection of an engine- 
 house in the rear of the court house. 
 This building was erected by R. Strain for 
 the contract price of $60.00. 
 
 In January, 1828, N. Foltz transferred 
 lot No. 152 to the borough for cemetery 
 purposes, and the council adopted meas- 
 ures for fencing in this lot with the old 
 cemetery. 
 
 In the same year Samuel Gilmore, the 
 clerk, was paid $8.00 for his services. In 
 18.35 the salary of this official had been ad- 
 vanced to $15.00 per year, in 1895 it was 
 $250.00, and in 1908 it was $750.00. 
 
 FIRST QUARTER CENTURY. 
 
 The population of Butler in 1828, twen- 
 ty-five years after the founding of the 
 town, numbered between four and five 
 hundred, and the village had begun to as- 
 sume the airs of i)rosperity. The streets 
 had been graded and side-walks laid, and 
 the primitive log cabins were gradually 
 giving way to the more substantial brick 
 dwellings. The most pretentious mansion 
 of that time was the dwelling of William 
 Ayres on the corner of South Main and 
 Wayne Streets, opposite the Hotel Wil- 
 larci. It was built of logs, and was three 
 stories high. Brick houses were built in 
 the town as early as 1812, and the old Sul- 
 livan residence in the rear of the court 
 house is the only one of these structures 
 that is now in existence. The whole num- 
 ber of dwellings in 1828 was about seventy, 
 of which twentv-one were brick. 
 
408 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 In May, 1829, the borough contained 
 three blacksmiths, four shoemakers, three 
 tailors, two tanners, two saddlers, two pot- 
 ters, two plasterers, two brick layers, 
 three cabinet makers, four carpenters, two 
 farmers, two hatters, one wagon maker, 
 one i^ainter, one cooper, and one chair- 
 maker. The professions were represented 
 by seven lawyers, two physicians, two resi- 
 dent clergymen, four school teachers, and 
 two or more editors. There were also four- 
 teen merchants, and two printing houses. 
 The public and semi-public buildings com- 
 prised the court house and jail, the Butler 
 Academy, while there were two stone 
 churches owned respectively by the Catho- 
 lics and the Presbyterians. 
 
 August 14, 1828, it was resolved by the 
 council that the court house bell be rung 
 from the 1st of April to the 1st of October 
 on the Lord's day at the hours of nine and 
 eleven A. M., and one P. M., and at no 
 other hour on that day. Also from the 1st 
 of October to the 1st of April to be rung 
 at the hours of 10 A. M. and 12 M., and at 
 no other time. 
 
 In 1830 Dr. DeWolf, Francis McBride, 
 and Hugh McKee were appointed a com- 
 mittee to inquire into the water supply and 
 examine the springs adjacent to the bor- 
 ough. The paving of side-walks, grading 
 of streets and removal of fences off the 
 streets and public grounds also occupied' 
 the attention of the council during this 
 
 THE FIRST PTIBLIC SCHOOL TAX. 
 
 In the meanwhile the question of educa- 
 tion was not neglected, and at a public 
 meeting held June 29, 1835, it was resolved 
 that the sum of ■ $2150.00 be levied on the 
 borough of Butler for school purposes in 
 addition to the sum already levied for that 
 year, the monej' to be a^iplied by the di- 
 rectors according to the act of Assembly. 
 General William Ayres presided at this 
 meeting, and William Stewart acted as 
 secretary. After some months of discus- 
 
 sion the action of the meeting was officially 
 laid before the council March 9, 1836, and 
 at a subsequent meeting held on the 11th, 
 the clerk was ordered to add $250.00 to the 
 duplicate. This was the practical begin- 
 ning of the public school system in Butler 
 borough. 
 
 In March, 1838, the citizens of the town 
 exercised their right of petition against 
 the erection of blacksmith shops within 
 sixty feet of High Street, or the Diamond. 
 This petition was referred to a committee, 
 who, after due consideration and investi- 
 gation of the subject, reported that they 
 were decidedly of the opinion that the citi- 
 zens had a right to construct on their own 
 property any building they may deem 
 proper, being responsible to any persons 
 they may annoy in the enjoyment of their 
 property. 
 
 While the committee found that the 
 question of removing the blacksmith shops 
 was one over which council had no control, 
 they respectfully recommended to the citi- 
 zens generally "not to construct shops or 
 other improvements so as to disturb their 
 neighbors or retard the improvement of 
 the place." 
 
 In 1838 the water supply question was 
 revived, when council authorized the clean- 
 ing out and walling up of Federal Spring 
 at the foot of Main Street. In January, 
 1839, the original quarry reservation ly- 
 ing between Wayne Street and the creek 
 was vacated and the survey of the ground 
 into town lots was authorized; the pro- 
 ceeds of sale of such lots between Wash- 
 ington and McKean Streets to be appro- 
 priated to the aid of the female seminary 
 in Butler, should the legislature agree to 
 such proposition. 
 
 An ordinance was passed in 1846 to pre- 
 vent the quarrying of stone on the reserva- 
 tion, but in January of the following year 
 permission was granted to the building 
 committee of St. Peter's Catholic churcli 
 and Samuel Lane, the contractor, to take 
 out the stone for the new church and paro- 
 
AND fiEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 409 
 
 •chial residence, on the condition that the 
 committee should till up tlie space between 
 Duffy's and tlie opposite property. 
 
 FIRE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERED. 
 
 During tlie ensuing twenty , years the 
 care of the streets and alleys appears to 
 have been the ijriueipal business of the 
 council. The organization of a fire depart- 
 ment was considered in 1859, and in Feb- 
 ruary, 1S()2, a joint celebration was held of 
 Wasliiniiton's birthday and the fall of 
 Fort Donaldson. 
 
 In 1864 the present system of council 
 committees was adojited, and the appoint- 
 ments made. 
 
 EXTENSION OF BOROUGH AND STREEL- LIGHTS. 
 
 An important transaction in 1869 was 
 the extension of the limits of the borough 
 to take in annexed territory, and a new 
 survey of the town which was made by 
 James Dunlap. The cjuestion of street 
 lights also came up in 1869 and in October 
 a petition was presented to council de- 
 manding the erection of street lamps along 
 Main Street. The council appointed Ga- 
 briel Etzel and Jacob Keck a committee 
 to ascertain the cost of lighting the streets. 
 Previous to this time the only street lights 
 provided were those of the merchants, in 
 their store windows, and the inhabitants 
 of the back streets were obliged to carry a 
 lantern when they left their homes after 
 night-fall. Some propositions by Colonel 
 Sirwell were considered, but when it was 
 found that the cost of the street lights 
 would exceed the whole tax levy for bor- 
 ough purposes, the subject was summarily 
 disposed of, and the borough remained in 
 darkness for another decade. In Novem- 
 ber, 1877, the proposition of Henry C. 
 Heineman, manager of the Butler Gas 
 Company, to place burners on lamp posts 
 and keep them lighted each evening as the 
 council determined, at a cost of $3.50 per 
 lamp, was accepted, and on December 8th 
 of that year the streets of the town were 
 lighted. Natural gas was substituted for 
 
 the manufactured product in 1885, and in 
 1890 the present system of lighting Ijy elec- 
 tricity was adopted. 
 
 In 1890 council considered a sewerage 
 system for the town and after some con- 
 sideration adopted the Waring plan. Work 
 on the construction of the trunk sewers 
 was commenced that year, and the plant 
 has been extended from time to time as 
 the necessities of the town demanded. The 
 same year a petition was presented for the 
 paving of Main Street with brick. This 
 work was commenced in the summer of 
 1890, and completed in 1891. Jefferson 
 Street was paved in 1891 and other streets 
 have followed, until the town at tlie pres- 
 ent time has about fifteen miles of paved 
 streets, including Pierce Avenue, which 
 connects the main town with Lyndora. 
 
 H. E. Coulter, the present secretary of 
 council, was elected in 1893, succeeding T. 
 M. Baker, and has served continuously 
 since that time. 
 
 The treasurer of council in 1890 was 
 Peter Schenck and he has been succeeded 
 in turn by Harry Grieb, John Lawall, and 
 W. F. Rumberger. the latter being the in- 
 cumbent in 1908. 
 
 The borough officials in 1908 were Elmer 
 E. Bell, burgess; Ellsworth Miller, presi- 
 dent of council; William F. Eumberger, 
 treasurer; H. E. Coulter, secretary of 
 council; Jno. H. Wilson, solicitor; Archie 
 Davidson, tax collector ; Ed. Kramer, high 
 constable; Jasper Eitzert, street commis- 
 sioner; H. B. Graves, borough engineer; 
 John W. Vogel, sewer ins]iector; and the 
 following auditors : V. W. Parker, Harry 
 Forcht, T. James Dodds. 
 
 The members of council were from the 
 First Ward: John C. Clark, Thos. H. 
 Brown, Joseph E. Schnitzer. Second 
 Ward, Geo. ]\lellinger, Saml. L. Irvine, 
 Geo. E. Sherman. Third ward, John G. 
 Dunn, Lewis E. Ruby,' A. C. Moxie. Fourth 
 Ward, Ellsworth Miller, Jos. Ball, Geo. H. 
 Limberg. Fifth Ward, A. M. Aiken, Geo. 
 Armbuster, E. R. Maxwell. 
 
410 
 
 IITSTURY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Ou account of the records of the trans- 
 actions of the town council being de- 
 stroyed by fire, on the night of November 
 20, 1903, the organization of the council 
 from 1894 to 1908 is omitted. Under the 
 new division of the borough into five 
 wards, the council is composed of fifteen 
 members, one being elected from each 
 ward every year. The names are given in 
 the numerical order of the wards and are 
 only of the members elected for tliat year. 
 
 LIGHT AND FUEL COMPANIES. 
 
 As early as 1865 a movement was .start- 
 ed in Butler to light the town with manu- 
 factured gas. A stock company was or- 
 gaiii/od and a gas plant was erected on 
 gioimd now occupied by the Bottle Glass 
 Works near the West Penu Depot. But 
 little is known about the organization of 
 this company. The plant appears to have 
 been erected by John Goetz, who also 
 erected a jjlaut at Freej^ort, and was man- 
 ager of both concerns until 1875, when he 
 came to Butler and gave his time to the 
 local plant until 1883, when he engaged in 
 the planing-mill and lumber business. The 
 streets of the town were piped and the 
 jirodnct of this plant was used for ligiiting 
 the houses and the streets. About 1883 or 
 1884 the plant came into the hands of 
 David Kirk, who organized the Home Mu- 
 tual Gas & Fuel Company and supplied the 
 town with natural gas. Subsequently the 
 old gas plant was dismantled and the Bot- 
 tle AVorks were erected on the site. 
 
 Charles Duify, who is a life-long resi- 
 deTit of the town, has some interesting rec- 
 ollections concerning the organization of 
 the first gas company and the use of nat- 
 ural gas as a fuel. In the early part of the 
 eighties David Kirk, who was then a young 
 man oi)erating in the oil fields of Butler 
 County, was talking to Mr. Duffy about 
 utilizing the gas at the Burns Well on the 
 Duffy Farm in Clearfield townshii), when 
 the latter suggested that the fuel of the 
 future was natural gas, if the manufac- 
 
 turers and business men of Pittsburg and 
 the large cities could be made to see its 
 value. At that time the Burns well on the 
 Duffy farm was wasting niillions of feet 
 daily, and the owihms were getting nothing 
 in return for the iimncy expcmlcd in drill- 
 ing the well. Mr. Kirk was a man of ac- 
 tion, and he at once proceeded to Pittsburg 
 where he interested the Chalfauts, Dil- 
 worth, Joseph Over and others in the 
 Burns Well, and made arrangements to 
 have them come to Butler and visit this 
 natural gas wonder. The trip was ai'- 
 ranged so the visitors arrived here on the 
 evening train, where they Avere met with 
 carriages and driven to the well. It was 
 very dark when they reached the Duffy 
 farm, and Mr. Kirk had planned an orig- 
 inal surprise for them. In the woods near 
 the well a large sign had been erected and 
 gas pipe bearing the words "Gas, the fuel 
 of the future." The well was under con- 
 trol by this time, and the sign was so ar- 
 ranged that it could be lighted with the 
 opening of a throttle and the touch of a 
 torch. When the Pittsburg parties alighted 
 from the carriages, the place was so dark 
 they could scarcely see each other's faces. 
 Ill an instant the woods were aflame with 
 a bright light, and the immense sign could 
 be seen with the words illuminated as 
 above quoted. The originality of the sur- 
 })rise delighted the Pittsburg party, and 
 upon their return to Butler that night a 
 banquet was spread at one of the hotels at 
 which the principal topic of conversation 
 was the ]iossibilities of natural gas as a 
 fuel for domestic and manufacturing pur- 
 lioses. The iiiping of gas from the Burns 
 Well to Freeport soon followed, and may 
 be said to have been the beginning of an in- 
 dustry in the county that is only second to 
 the ]n'oduction of petroleum. 
 
 Incidentally it may be said here that the 
 famous Burns gas well is still producing 
 gas, and ]iays the owner of the farm a i"oy- 
 alty of $40,000 a year. Originally the own- 
 ers of the well allowed the gas to go to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 411 
 
 waste because they did not know how to 
 handle it or did not know its value. 
 
 The Home Natural Gas Company was 
 first organized by David Kirk in 1885 as 
 tlie Home Mutual Gas & Fuel Company. 
 This company supplied the town with nat- 
 ural gas until 1888, when dissatisfaction 
 arose among the consumers over a pro- 
 posed raise in the price. This led to a pub- 
 lic meeting held in the old skating-rink on 
 South McKean Street, and the subsequent 
 organization of a new company, which ob- 
 tained a charter under the name of Home 
 Natural Gas Company. The officers of the 
 company at that time were H. J. Klingler, 
 ]n-esident; J. Henry Troutmaii. A\'ilTiam 
 Campbell, Perd Reiber and H. H. Clark, 
 directors. The new company ])urchased 
 tlie interests of David Kirk & Company, 
 and operated the plant until the fall of 
 1891, when it was sold to the Eastern Oil 
 Company, of which George Y. Foreman 
 was president. John F. Anderson then be- 
 came secretary and local manager of the 
 conijiany, and continued in that position 
 until the fall of 1894, when the plant was 
 sold l)ack to the Butler Company. The 
 officers of the new company were John S. 
 Campbell, president; A. E. Reiber, treas- 
 urer: John F. Anderson, secretarv; and 
 these with J. H. Troutman and V. K. Phil- 
 lips composed the board of directors. In 
 1904 the plant was again sold to the T. W. 
 Phillips Gas & Oil Company, the present 
 owners. 
 
 The T. ^Y. Phillips Gas £ Oil Cowpanij 
 was chartered in July, 1904, with a capital 
 of $2,000,000. T. W. Phillips is president 
 of the company; Clarence Walker, vice- 
 president; and T. W. Phillips, Jr.. secre- 
 tary and treasurer. Previous to the or- 
 ganization of the new company the Phil- 
 lips Oil Company had been supplying gas 
 to a large number of consumers in the 
 county, and were the largest producers of 
 gas operating in this territory. In Aug- 
 ust, 1904, the company purchased the plant 
 of the Home Natural Gas Company of But- 
 
 ler, and have since operated it. They also 
 own plants at Freeport, Punxsutawney, 
 New Kensington, Braeburn, Slate Lick, 
 West Kittanning and in addition supjjly 
 many of the small villages throughout the 
 county. 
 
 The Independent Natural Gas Company 
 was organized February 1, 1888, with 
 Henry Reiber, president, George L. Reib- 
 er, treasurer, and Edward Reiber, secre- 
 tary. It was the first natural gas com^jany 
 incorporated in Butler for the purpose of 
 supplying fuel to the town, and the gentle- 
 men named are the present owners of the 
 plant. This company has over fifty miles 
 of pipe supplied by their own gas wells 
 "within a radius of ten miles of Butler, and 
 has a fair share of the local patronage. 
 This company has furnished gas to the 
 consumers at a lower rate than any other 
 home company in the field, and has been 
 the last to advance jirices to the consum- 
 ers. 
 
 Tlie People's Gas Company had its in- 
 ception in the fall of 1890, when Blair 
 Hooks purchased a gas well from the Stan- 
 <Iard Plate Gas Company, located on a lot 
 ill Siiringdale, and obtained a permit from 
 (•(umcil to pipe that part of the borough. 
 During the winter of 1890-91 he supplied 
 aliout forty families, and subsequently he 
 drilled another well. In 1892 he organized 
 tlie People's Gas Company, the incorpo- 
 rators lieing Blair Hooks, Otto Limberg, 
 and William H. Larkin. The eom]3any 
 continued to extend their plant until 1895, 
 when it was purchased by the Home Nat- 
 ural Gas Company. 
 
 Citizens' Gas Coiiijhiiiij. — Dissatisfac- 
 tion over the pro])osed raise in prices by 
 the Home Gas Company in 1892 was the 
 means of bringing a new organization into 
 the field. At a meeting held on December 
 14, 1892, the Citizens' Gas Company was 
 organized with Peter Schenck, president; 
 H. H. Goucher, vice-president; Joseph 
 Rocksenstein, treasurer ; and T. M. Baker, 
 secretary. This company obtained a ]ier- 
 
412 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 mit to pipe the town, and having secured 
 a large number of contracts for fuel, began 
 business iniiiitMliatcly. The supply of gas 
 was olitaiiictl fidni wells east of Butler, 
 and the (■()nii)any continued in business for 
 several years when it suspended. 
 
 The Butler Electric Light and Power 
 Company was first chartered July 21, 1885. 
 The incorporators were R. H. McBride, 
 John S. Campbell, Chas. H. Tavlor, W. C. 
 McCandiess, and A. 11. Daniels. The offi- 
 cers were R. H. McBride, president, John 
 S. Campbell, secretary and treasurer, and 
 W. C. McCandiess, superintendent. The 
 capital stock of the company at that time 
 was $10,000. The power house was located 
 on South Washington Street, and was 
 started running October 4, 1885. 
 
 The original plant was operated until 
 1890, when it was sold to the present com- 
 pany, which was chartered March 7, 1890, 
 under the title of The Butler Light, Heat 
 and Motor Company. The incorporators 
 of the new company were John S. Camp- 
 bell, J. Henry Troutman, W. D. Brandon, 
 William Cam])l)ell, Jr., L. R. McAboy, and 
 B. H. Jack. The capital stock was $50,000. 
 The same year the comi)any located in a 
 brick building on the corner of East Cun- 
 ningham and Monroe Streets, and in- 
 stalled two 300 horsepower engines to run 
 the machinery of their plant. 
 
 In 1902 the present building on Spring 
 Street was erected and a 1,000 horsepower 
 light and power plant was established. 
 From September, 1900, to Fcbinary 26, 
 1907, the company furnished the j)ower for 
 the Butler Passenger Railway Company in 
 addition to furnishing the street lights for 
 the town and supplying a large number of 
 private consumers. The officers of the 
 company in 1908 were John S. Campbell, 
 president, W. D. Brandon, vice-president, 
 J. Henry Troutman, secretary, and L. R. 
 McAboy, treasurer. John H. Humphrey, 
 .the general manager, has been with the 
 com])any since 1890 with tlie exception of 
 about one vear in 1902-3. 
 
 The Butler Ice Company was incorpo- 
 rated in 1902 for the manufacture of ice 
 and was promoted by John S. Campbell, 
 W. D. Brandon, J. Henry Troutman and 
 others who are connected with the Butler 
 Light, Heat and Motor Com])any. A plant 
 having a capacity of twenty-five tons daily 
 was erected on Spring Street adjoining 
 the Electric Light Plant and has been in 
 operation ever since. The present officers 
 of the company are W. D. Brandon, vice- 
 jiresident; J. Henry Troutman, secretary 
 and treasurer, and J. E. Flack, manager. 
 
 MT^TU.\L FIRE INSURANCE COMPANIES. 
 
 (Borough and County.) 
 
 The mutual fire insurance companies of 
 Butler County have been uniformly suc- 
 cessful and at the present time there are 
 seven of these comjianies in existence car- 
 rying fire insurance aggregating $10,000,- 
 000. One of the oldest companies in point 
 of continuous service is the German Mu- 
 tual Fire Insurance Company, of Zelien- 
 ople. This company was incorporated 
 April 4, 1866, and the present officers are 
 Tobias Meeder, president, and J. Laderer, 
 secretary. 
 
 The Glade Mills Mutual Fire Insurance 
 Company was incorporated June 2, 1873, 
 and is at the present time carrying policies 
 amounting to about $1,000,000. The offi- 
 cers are 1). H. Sutton, president; W. W. 
 Hill, secretary; and Rev. A. Kilpatrick, 
 treasurer. The home office is at Valencia. 
 
 The Worth Mutual Fire Insurance Coin- 
 pany, which has offices at Slippery Rock, 
 was incorporated January 13, 1875, and at 
 the present time has about $1,500,000 in- 
 surance on its books. The officers are 
 James Humphrey, president ; and S. J. 
 Taylor, secretary. 
 
 The Farmers' Mutual Insurance Com- 
 pany of Hannastown was incori)orat('(l 
 March 23, 1860. F. W. Witte is president 
 of the company and Alphonse Krause, sec- 
 retary. The offices of the company are at 
 Marwood. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 413 
 
 The Excelsior Mutual Fire Lisurauce 
 Company was incorporated November 19, 
 1878, and has ofiices at North Washington. 
 The president of the company in 1908 was 
 Norman Glenn, and J. Harvey Bel! was 
 seci-etary. 
 
 The Butler Patrons' Mutual Fire Insur- 
 ance ComiMuy was incorporated July 15, 
 1904, and is located in an agricultural com- 
 munity. The home office is at Euclid, and 
 the officers of the company are R. C. 
 Thompson, president, and 0. G. McCand- 
 less, secretary. 
 
 The Butler County Merehaitts' Mutual 
 Fire Insurance Coiupauy was organized 
 September 17, 1902, by a number of mer- 
 chants in Butler borough and the sur- 
 rounding towns who rebelled against the 
 high rate of insurance exacted by the old 
 line companies. The leading spirit in the 
 movement was G. D. Swain of Harmony, 
 who was also the first president of the 
 company. The first officers elected by the 
 company in addition to the president, were 
 Jacob Boos, of Butler, treasurer; and Har- 
 vey Colbert, of Butler, secretary. The 
 company has been sueres>t'ul fmin the 
 start, and now has about $l,li()(),()(H) of in- 
 surance on its books. It has made but three 
 assessments since its organization, the last 
 one being for one-fourth of one per cent., 
 in 1908, which met all of the expenses for 
 that year. The present officers of the com- 
 pany are: J. H. Harper of Butler, presi- 
 dent; M. M. Heinzer, of Butler, treasurer, 
 and Harvey Colbert, secretary. The board 
 of directors is composed of James Barr of 
 Prospect, Edwin Meeder of Zelienople, A. 
 L. Reiber, J. H. Harper, and M. ^I. Hein- 
 zer, of Butler, A. Krause of Marwood, H. 
 C. Litzinger, of Chicora, T. P. Mifflin, of 
 Noi-tli AVashington, D. W. Humphrey of 
 Harrisville, .1. F. Shiever of Bruin, and J. 
 E. Strooiis, of Slippery Rock. 
 
 WATER COMPANIES. 
 
 Previous to 1877 the water su]>ply of the 
 town was obtained from springs and 
 
 drilled wells. J)uring that year Cluirles 
 Duffy and Samuel G. Purvis were the 
 prime movers in the project to form a 
 water company, the former subscribing 
 for eight hundred and ninety-two shares 
 of the stock. On the 1st of Novemlicr, 
 1887, a charter was granted for the Butler 
 Water Company, with a capital stock of 
 $49,000.00. The Company then contracted 
 with James McCollough, Jr., of Kittan- 
 ning, to construct a plant for $49,000.00, 
 payable partly in cash and the balance in 
 bonds and stock of the company. Mr. Mc- 
 Collouiiii thus i)ecame the principal owner 
 of stock, and liad a controlling interest in 
 the company until the time it was sold to 
 the present owners. The company built 
 a dam on the Connoquenessing Creek 
 above the old Reiber mill dam, from wliich 
 the water was pumped to the reservoir 
 constructed on the hill north of the Or- 
 phans' Home. The reservoir had a cajiac- 
 ity of 3,000,000 gallons, which at that 
 time was sufficient to last the town for s'v- 
 eral days. The plant was completed and 
 the water turned in the lines in the fall of 
 1 878. The officers of the company were W. 
 D. Brandon, of Butler, president, and W. 
 B. Meredith of Kittanning, general su])er- 
 intendent, and J. H. Conard, manager. In 
 1896 the company had trouble with the 
 supply of water, on account of the drilling 
 operations carried on in the Boydstown 
 oil field, and the consequent pollution of 
 the water by salt water piunped in the oil 
 wells, and in order to obviate this difficulty 
 an impounding dam was constructed above 
 Boydstown. This dam held a large su]v,)ly 
 of water which was sufficient for the re- 
 quirements of the town at that time, and 
 continued to be the sole source of supjily 
 for a number of years. In July, 1897, the 
 plant was purchased by the American 
 Water Works & Guaranty Company, who 
 are the present owners. In order to meet 
 the new conditions arising in the town 
 from the erection of the large steel ear 
 lilant. the water company constructed the 
 
4U 
 
 Tliorn Run dam in 1903. In 1902 large 
 filter beds were constructed and the water 
 supply for the town was filtered. The con- 
 sumption of water daily in the town since 
 1902 is about 3,000,000 gallons daily. Since 
 the typhoid fever epidemic in 1903-4, which 
 was caused by extraordinary circum- 
 stances, the company has had monthly 
 tests made of the water supply from both 
 the Boydstown and Thorn Run dams, and 
 the water lias proved to be of a quality su- 
 perior to any of the towns in the surround- 
 ing country. J. H. Conard, who was the 
 first manager of the local ^lant, died in 
 1895, and was succeeded by M. F. Wright,, 
 who continued as manager until the 1st of 
 October, 1908, when he was succeeded by 
 the present manager, Mr. Watt. 
 
 The Mutual Water Company. — The 
 South side of town is independent in re- 
 spect to its water supply. In 1891 a num- 
 ber of residents of the first ward associ- 
 ated themselves together as the Mutual 
 Water Association, organized for the pur- 
 pose of building a reservoir and sinking 
 wells. The capital stock of the concern 
 was $12,000.00, and the official board con- 
 sists of three trustees, and nine directors. 
 Two wells were drilled at the top of the 
 hill, and a strong supply of pure water was 
 struck at 250 feet. The reservoir has a 
 capacity of 3,000 barrels, and is supplied 
 by the use of two hot-air pmnps for rais- 
 ing the water from the wells. The asso- 
 ciation started with sixty-five consumers 
 and about two miles of six-inch and four- 
 inch water main, and the cost for the ordi- 
 nary family has averaged about $1.00 per 
 month. The first officers of the association 
 were Prof. E. Mackey, president, and John 
 Findley, secretary. The officers of the 
 company in January, 1909, were C. C. 
 Cochran, president ; R. L. Aiken, secretary 
 and manager; Dr. M. E. Headland, L. C. 
 AVick and Philip Grouse, trustees. The 
 company has a plant valued at about $40,- 
 000.00, and at the present time supplies 
 o^'er three hundred customers. 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 llie East Oakland Mutual Water Asso- 
 ciation was organized in the fall of 1908 
 with the purpose of supplying the resi- 
 dents of Institute Hill and in the vicinity 
 of the Orphans' Home property. Wells 
 were drilled and over one hundred houses 
 are supplied, tlie owners of which are sub- 
 scribers to the association. Tlie president 
 of the association is J. H. Gibson; and the 
 secretary, W. S. McKee. 
 
 The McGeary Water Plant is a private 
 concern established by W. B. McGeary in 
 the west end of town about 1895. The" 
 water is supplied from drilled wells, and 
 the business had grown from a half a 
 dozen consiuners in 1895 to over one hun- 
 dred and fifty in 1899. The plant is located 
 on Fourth Avenue and supplies that part 
 of the town lying east of Fourth Avenue 
 to First Avenue. 
 
 Another private water plant that sup- 
 plies about two hundred consumers is lo- 
 cated in Duffytown north of New Castle 
 Street. It is owned by S. B. Cross who 
 first began supplying a few houses in his 
 neighborhood from a private well, and in 
 the course of four or five years had ex- 
 tended the plant to the present dimen- 
 sions. 
 
 The Citzens' Mutual Water Company of 
 the Fifth Ward was organized in the sum- 
 mer of 1908, and established a water plant 
 by drilling wells on the hill north of the 
 town, and supplying a large ninnber of 
 customers in the Fifth and Third Wards. 
 The directors of the company elected foi- 
 1909 were as follows : For three years, C. 
 E. Cronenwett, John H. Robb, Charles 
 Barnhart and J. E. Forsythe; for two 
 years, C. R. Miller, Daniel Lardin, Theo- 
 dore Schenck and Jacob Painter; for one 
 year, George Heckart, John Murrin, Dr. 
 Thompson and Milton Miller. The presi- 
 dent of the company is J. E. Forsythe, 
 John Murrin was vice-president, Daniel 
 Lardin, secretary, and C. E. Ci'onenwett, 
 treasurer. 
 
AND KEPHESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 415 
 
 KAILROADS. 
 
 The history of the railroad systems of 
 Butler appears in the chapter on Trans- 
 portation, and need be but briefly referred 
 to here. The first railroad to enter Butler 
 borough was a branch of the Pennsylvania 
 built from Freeport to Butler. Its open- 
 ing for travel January 12, 1871, was made 
 the occasion of a memorable demonstra- 
 tion. How near the con.strucliDii of this 
 road came to changing the rdinplixiou of 
 the old town of Butler was it'latol not long- 
 ago by Charles Duffy, who was one of the 
 young business men of the town at that 
 time, and took an active part in bringing 
 the road here and locating the depot. Some 
 difficulty was encountered in getting a site 
 for the do) lot. as the owners of the real 
 cst.-ili' (lciii;in(l(_'i| liigh prices. One morn- 
 ing it was discovered that the chief en- 
 gineer had received orders to locate the 
 depot on the south side of the creek on 
 land offered by William S. Boyd. This 
 meant business disaster for the merchants 
 of Main Street north of the Court House, 
 wlio liad aiiticiiiated makiu- the ci ner of 
 l\Iain and .lerfersini Streets the business 
 center of the town. Mr. Duffy and others 
 innnediately got busy, raised sufficient 
 money to purchase the present site of the 
 depot on East JeiTerson Street, and Mr. 
 Duffy donated a right of way between that 
 and the creek, thereby securing the ter- 
 miniis of the road for the old ]iart of the 
 town. 
 
 The troubles of the early merciuiuts 
 were not ended wtih the completion of the 
 railroad. Being sole owners and posses- 
 sors of everything in sight, the railroad 
 company charged such high tariffs and 
 acted so independently about accommodat- 
 ing the ]niblic that the town was little bet- 
 ter off" than it was in the days of the Plank 
 Road freighters and stage coaches. An 
 additional hardship was the fact that the 
 freight house was closed at four o'clock in 
 the afternoon, thus compelling the country 
 morcliants and others coming in from a 
 
 long distance, to remain over night, unless 
 they could get away before that hour in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 Eealizing that something had to be done, 
 a nmnber of business men made overtures 
 to the officials of the Karns City and 
 Parker Railroads, who were then contem- 
 plating extending their line to Millers- 
 town, and thence to Great Belt. The result 
 of this conference was that the company 
 agreed to extend their line to Butler in 
 consideration that Butler business men 
 would subscribe to $50,000 of the railroad 
 company's bonds. The required amount 
 was subscribed after many delays and dilli- 
 culties had been overcome, one of the busi- 
 ness men becoming personally responsi')le 
 to a number of subscribers for $15,()i)0 
 worth of bonds. The completion of tliis 
 road led to the extension of a branch of 
 the Pittsburg, New Castle & Lake Erie 
 Narrow Gauge Road from Gallery Junc- 
 tion to Butler, and resulted in the long 
 hoped for advantages in freight rates and 
 railroad accommodations. The next road 
 to enter the town was the Shenango & Al- 
 legheny, now the Bessemer, which was 
 built from Branchton to Butler in 1882. 
 The extension of the Bessemer Road south 
 from Butler to North Bessemer was built 
 in 1896-7, and tliis was followed in the next 
 two years by the construction of the Buf- 
 falo, Rochester and Pittsburg Road from 
 Punxsutawney to Butler. 
 
 The construction of the lines of the But- 
 ler Passenger Railway Company was com- 
 menced in 190t), and the electric railway 
 from Butler to Pittsburg was completed iii 
 1906. The Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler 
 and New Castle Electric Railway entered 
 Butler in July, 1908, and other electric 
 lines are being promoted which in the 
 course of a few years will connect the 
 town with the principal cities north and 
 east. 
 
 TELEGRAPH OFFICES, ETC. 
 
 Tlie tirst teUgra])h office was opened in 
 Ihitler in 1861. It was a crude affair and 
 
416 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 merely used as a testing- station on the line 
 between Pittsburg and Franklin. The first 
 rei^ular office to i^eceive and transmit mes- 
 sages was opened in 1862 in the Lowry 
 Hotel. This was also the first telegraph 
 office to be opened in the county. 
 
 An office of the Postal Telegraph Cable 
 Colli pany was established in Butler in 
 1SS4, and is still in successful operation. 
 Tliis line was worked in connection with 
 the McCabe-Bennett Cable Company and 
 transmits messages to Europe. 
 
 The Bell Telephone Company estab- 
 lished an exchange in Butler about 1888, 
 and the People's Telephone Company had 
 its inception in 1893. For a history of 
 telephone companies in Butler and Butler 
 county the reader is referred to the chap- 
 ter on Public Utilities. 
 
 With the opening of the Butler Branch 
 Railroad in 1871, the Adams Express 
 Company opened an office in Butler. This 
 was followed by the Wells Fargo, the 
 United States and the Ameriean Express 
 ( 'ompanies. 
 
 BOARD OF TRADE, ETC. 
 
 The Butler Board of Trade was organ- 
 ized December 9, 1896, for the purpose of 
 lielping along any industries then in But- 
 ler, and to make an effort to secure new 
 ones of a desirable nature that would aid 
 in building up the town. As a consequence 
 of this eiTort on the part of Butler's busi- 
 ness men, the town has grown from a po])- 
 ulation of about 10,000 until it now has a 
 population in the neighborhood of 25,000. 
 
 The first regular meeting of the board 
 was held December 22, 1896, when the fol- 
 lowing officers and directors were elected' 
 for that year : President, J. Henry Trout- 
 man; vice-presidents, Joseph Hartman 
 and Peter Schenk; secretary, Ira McJun- 
 kin ; treasurer, William Campbell, and a 
 board of directors composed of one mem- 
 ber from each ward. At the annual meet- 
 ing held on January 28, 1898, the board of 
 directors was increased to fifteen, being 
 
 three from each ward. The officers chosen 
 that year were: President, J. M. Leigh- 
 ner; vice-presidents, C. N. Boyd and J. 11. 
 Troutman; treasurer, W^illiam Cami)bell; 
 secretary, George W. Shiever. On Janu- 
 ary 26, 1899, W. G. Douthett was chosen 
 president; A. G. Williams and W^illiam C. 
 Thompson, vice - presidents ; John W. 
 Bi'own, treasurer; and W. F. Rumberger, 
 secretary. In January, 1900, the old offi- 
 cers were re-elected with the exception of 
 W. J. McDowell being elected first vice- 
 president in the place of A. G. Williams. 
 
 In January, 1901, W. C. Thompson was 
 elected president, T. J. Shufflin and Daniel 
 Younkins, vice-pi'esidents ; John C. Gra- 
 ham, secretary ; and C. N. Boyd, treasurer. 
 From 1901 to 1905 there were few impor- 
 tant changes made in the organization of 
 the board. In the latter year W^illiam H. 
 Miller was elected president; H. B. Sna- 
 man, vice-president; John C. Graham, sec- 
 retary, and Peter Duffy, treasurer. In 
 January, 1906, the officers chosen were Ij. 
 B. Stein, president; C. A. Abrams, vice- 
 president ; John C. Graham, secretary, and 
 H. B. Snaman, treasurer. The officers of 
 1907 were those of the previous year. The 
 organization at the close of 1908 was as 
 follows : President, L. B. Stein ; vice-pres- 
 idents, M. E. Headland, J. H. Whiteside; 
 secretary, John C. Graham; treasure!', 
 Elias Ritts. 
 
 During the thirteen years of its existence 
 the board has done excellent work in se- 
 curing manufacturing plants and advertis- 
 ing and promoting the interests of the 
 community. It has also been watchful of 
 the interests of the public, and has been 
 the means of i>reventing the peoj)le of the 
 town from being im]iosed ui)on by pro- 
 moters of fake enterprises and s]ieculative 
 schemes. In so far as they have been able 
 they have assisted financially and other- 
 wise legitimate manufacturing enterprises 
 in locating in Butler, and have promoted 
 in every way possible the business inter- 
 ests of the town. One of the first enter- 
 
AND REPHESKNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 417 
 
 prises brought liere l)y tlio Iward was the 
 Amerioaii Minor Works located ou the 
 Southside in 1896. This plant is still in 
 operation, employing a large number of 
 men. The National Cigar Cominmy, which 
 employed a large number of people for 
 several years, w^as brought here in 1898. 
 
 In 1899 the board secured the location 
 of the Davis White Lead Works, (-harles 
 DufCy donated the land needed on Fair- 
 ground Avenue, and the Bessemer and 
 Lake P^rie Railroad laid the switch. One 
 fourth of the capital stock of .$1(K),()U0 was 
 subscribed by Butler people, and the four- 
 story brick plant erected, whieli employed 
 about 100 men until the company was ab- 
 sorbed by the trust and the factory closed. 
 
 During 1900 the board purchased three 
 and a half acres of land from .hulge 
 Bredin for the location of a pickle factory. 
 Considerable stock was subscribed by But- 
 ler people, and a large factory erected at 
 the junction of Pierce Avenue and the Bes- 
 semer Railroad. The ground and factory 
 was purchased in 1902 by the Standard 
 Steel ('ar C'ompany. The same year an 
 eastern concern came before the board 
 with a proposition to establish a silk mill. 
 After some consideration the i)roposal of 
 the eastern parties w^as turned down, and 
 members of the board afterwards took the 
 matter up themselves and organized the 
 company that is now^ operated as the But- 
 ler Silk Mill on First Street. The same 
 year the board secured the machine shojjs 
 of George A. Spang, which were moved 
 from Renfrew and located on Etna Street, 
 and have since developed a large plant 
 operated by George A. Spang & Company. 
 
 Through the efforts of the board in ad- 
 vertising the advantages of Butler as a 
 maiiuracturing center, the .'securing of 
 Pittshuig freight rates at this point, the 
 attention of manufacturers was turned in 
 this direction in 1 901-2, and resulted in tlie 
 establishing of the large plant of the Stan- 
 dard Steel Car Com]ianv in Butler in the 
 spring of 1902. In 190.i the board closed 
 
 their contract with the Pittsburg Dry 
 (Joods Company, which was operating a 
 shirt factory on South Washington Street, 
 and in its place secured the plant of Becker 
 P)rothers, which is still in operation and 
 t'Hiiiloying about fifty people. 
 
 During the past six years the board has 
 assisted a number of small manufacturing 
 concerns in the way of securing leases, 
 manufacturing sites and along other lines 
 that would help benefit the town indus- 
 trially. No large lionuses have been paid 
 for the location of plants, and the matter 
 of subscribing to the capital stock of the 
 various plants brought here has been left 
 to the judgment of the people after the 
 concern has decided to locate. The board 
 opened the year in 1909 with an increase 
 of membership, and a number of ]iroposi- 
 tions before it for consideration. 
 
 T]ie Business Men's Association of But- 
 ler borough was organized in 1906 and in- 
 corporated in 1908. It comprises practi- 
 cally all of the business houses of the town, 
 as well as members of the professions. The 
 purpose of the association is the mutual 
 protection of its members as well as the 
 promotion of the business interests of the 
 town and community. The officers of the 
 association in 1908 were W. A. Stein, presi- 
 dent; A. C. Krug, vice-president; B. H. 
 Jack, secretary; and W. G. Douthett, 
 treasurer. The advisory board was com- 
 posed of C. A. Templeton, W. A. Fisher, 
 A. :\r. Reiber, Dr. W. S. De Wolfe, H. S. 
 Klingler, George Whitehill, P. W. Ruff, 
 L. G. Moore, H. B. Snaman and W. A. 
 Stein. 
 
 The Grocers' Association was organized 
 in 1899, and has enrolled as its members 
 all of the groeerymen of the borough and 
 Lyndora. The association meets once a 
 week and arranges a schedule of prices 
 and attends to such other business as may 
 come before it. A social feature of the or- 
 ganization is the annual outing, which has 
 ))een held in August of each year since 
 1900. The ]iresent officoi's of the associa- 
 
418 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tiou are Howard Reiber, president ; and 
 William Kirkpatrick, secretary. 
 
 Tlie Butler Chamber of Cornmene is a 
 new organization of' business men that liad 
 its inception in the fall of 1908. The ofiQ- 
 eers elected in January, 1909, were A. M. 
 Christley, president; D. K. Albright, vice- 
 president; Daniel Youukius, vice-presi- 
 dent; Newton T. McCollough, secretary; 
 and D. A. Sutton, treasurer. Ward com- 
 mittees were appointed, and the new soci- 
 ety started out with a membership of over 
 one hundred. The new organization does 
 not conflict with the old Board of Trade, 
 and hopes to accomplish a great deal for 
 the town along lines which the old organi- 
 zation was not able to ])ursiie. 
 
 PUBLIC BUILDIK(iS. 
 
 The first public building erected in the 
 borough was the Court House of 1807, 
 which was followed by a new court house 
 in 1853, and the present edifice, wliich was 
 erected in 1884. A history of these various 
 edifices and views of the same appear in 
 another chapter. The Butler County Ueu- 
 eral Hospital, the County Home, and Pub- 
 lie School Buildings and the various 
 <'hurches are also elsewhere described. The 
 first steps towards procuring a city build- 
 ing liave been taken by the town council 
 in the purchase of a lot on West North 
 Street, and the proposition to issue bonds 
 for the purpose of erecting a suitable 
 building will soon be submitted to the citi- 
 zens of the town. In 1902 the government 
 purchased a lot on the corner of Washing- 
 ton and West Jefferson Streets to be used 
 as the site for a federal building. 
 
 In the early days public meetings were 
 lield in the court house or in some one of 
 the churches. Public places of amusement 
 were out of the question, as only a few 
 halls could be found in the town and they 
 were not suited for theatrical purjioses. 
 About 1881 T. J. McCandless. W. C. 
 Thompson, and others, secured the old Lu- 
 theran church. iiro]iorty on tlic corner of 
 
 East AVayne and South McKean Streets, 
 now occupied by the Evans Manufacturing 
 Company and the McDowell Steam Laun- 
 dry, and I'emodeled the building for theat- 
 rical purjioses. This answered the pur- 
 poses of the town until Sei)tember, 1891, 
 when it was destroyed l)y fire. In the 
 meantime it had ]iassed through several 
 hands and at the time it was burned the 
 propertv was owned bv Andrew Root of 
 Butler. " 
 
 TUl' Aniiuiij Uu'iliVuig, also known as 
 Park Theater, had its inception March 11. 
 1891, when the Armory Building Associa- 
 tion was incorporated by John W. Brown, 
 president. AA'. T. ]\Iechling, secretary, S. H. 
 Huselton, treasurer, and Ira McJunkin. 
 The building was erected the same year, 
 but before its completion the old opera 
 house on McKean Street was burned and 
 the company converted the new Armory 
 building into a theater. This was accom- 
 plished by the erection of an addition to 
 the rear and placing the armory on the 
 third floor, thus serving, the double pui'- 
 pose of an armory and an opera house. 
 The opera house was on the first floor, the 
 second floor was used for offices, and the 
 third floor was occupied by Company E, 
 Fifteenth Regiment, and later by Com- 
 panv L, Sixteenth Regiment. On Julv 30, 
 1894, the Park Theater Company of But- 
 ler were granted a charter with a capital 
 . stock of $45,000. The officers of the com- 
 pany were Jno. W. Brown, president; 
 George Schenck, vice-president; W. T. 
 Mechliug, secretary; Peter Schenck, treas- 
 urer; Ira ]McJunkin, George Ketterer and 
 William H. O'Brien, directors. November 
 120, 1903, the Park Theater building was 
 destroyed by fire and for the year follow- 
 ing the town was without a public place of 
 amusement or a large hall in which to hold 
 public meetings other than the coiut bouse. 
 
 TJic Majestic Theater C'onipaiiij was in- 
 corjiorated bv George A. Troutman, Jacoli 
 Keck. T. C. H. Keck, George Burkhalter. 
 and !'. L. King, in January, 1904. and the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEN: 
 
 419 
 
 .■sanif mouth the Byerly and Krug proper- 
 ties on the t'oruer of East Cunningham and 
 McKeau Streets were purchased and prep- 
 arations were commenced for the erection 
 of a theater. The plans for the building 
 were prepared by Porter & Gaisford of 
 Butler, and th.e contract awarded to the 
 Builders' Supply Company. The work 
 was rushed as rapidly as possible, and the 
 theater part of the building was formally 
 opened on the 16th of November, the same 
 year. The building is 64x123 feet, and in 
 addition to the theater, which is on the 
 ground floor, has a large hall that is used 
 as an armory by the local military com- 
 pany and for public assemblies. The build- 
 ing is an imposing-looking structure, mod- 
 ern in architecture, thoroughly equipped, 
 and represents an investment of about 
 $85,000.00. The present officers of the 
 company are George A. Troutman, presi- 
 dent; T. C. H. Keck, secretary and treas- 
 urer; and George Burklialter, manager. 
 
 TAVERNS AND HOTELS. 
 
 In the winter of 1803-4 there were only 
 two taverns in the village of Butler. At 
 the February session of court held in 1804 
 by Judge Moore, licenses were granted to 
 AVilliam Ay res and James Thompson to 
 keep pul)lic houses. As the granting of a 
 license implied the right to sell liquor, it 
 is to be inferred that these two were the 
 iirst regularly authorized landlords in 
 the town. At the May term of court in 
 1804, tavern licenses were granted to John 
 Moser, Robert Graham, George Bowers 
 and AVilliam Brown. Thus within one year 
 from the building of the first houses, But- 
 ler had six taverns. From that time to the 
 present many persons have been engaged 
 in the business. 
 
 Among the oldest was Adam Funk, who 
 kept a log tavern facing the Diamond, for 
 which he got a license in 1805. This house 
 stood on the present site of the Nixon 
 Hotel, and is said to have been the build- 
 ing in which the first courts were held. 
 
 "The Buck" was a famous old tavern 
 that occupied the present site of the Park 
 Hotel. Its proprietor was Patrick Kelley, 
 who was famous as a landlord. A stately 
 buck with branching antlers was painted 
 on the sign of this hotel, and it was from 
 this sign that the tavern got its name. This 
 tavern was the favorite resort of the local 
 militia on muster days, and also a place 
 for holding political meetings. 
 
 The sign of "The Ri-sing Sun" on South 
 Main Street was a noted hotel kept by 
 David Scott. This hotel occupied the site 
 of the present Arlington Hotel, and was 
 erected at an early date, previous to 1820. 
 Scott was a man noted for kindness (^f 
 heart, and his guests often took advantage 
 of him. He was succeeded by Abraham 
 M. Neyman. The latter, with his son 
 Thomas, was killed by the falling of a tree 
 April 12, 1827. This accident was one of 
 the tragedies of the early days. Neyman 
 and his wife and two children, one an in- 
 fant in its mother's arms, were returning 
 from the country in a wagon when they 
 were overtaken "by a storm. A tree fell 
 across the road, crashing into the wagon 
 and killing Mr. Neyman and his son. The 
 mother and the infant escaped miracu- 
 lously. The infant grew to manhood, and 
 is known today as the venerable Dr. A. M. 
 Neyman, living in retirement on Oak 
 Street. 
 
 "The Rising Sun" afterwards passed 
 through several hands, in 1848 William 
 ^"ogeley becoming the projarietor. The 
 name was changed to the Vogeley House. 
 In 1867 Mr. A'ogeley retired and William 
 II. Ensminger became the lessee to the 
 l^roi^erty. He was succeeded in turn bv 
 Jacob Fiedler, Geo. W. Campbell, Beck & 
 Faubel and C. Snodgrass. In July, 1892, 
 the liouse was ]mrchased by Capt. Herman 
 Leibold from the A\igeley heirs, and he 
 conducted the hotel until 1907, when the 
 property was purchased by A. Rocken- 
 stein, who is the present jiroprietor. The 
 present brick building was erected in 1833. 
 
420 
 
 HTSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The Mansiua House. — Soon after the 
 town was laid out, Abraham Brinker, who 
 was one of the notable pioneers, erected a 
 log building which stood on the site of the 
 old Citizen and Record offices on South 
 Diamond, facing the court house. He was 
 granted a hotel license in 1805, and con- 
 tinued as proprietor of "The Mansion 
 House" until 1809, when he sold the prop- 
 erty to Jacob Mechling, one of the leading 
 citizens of the town. Under the latter 's 
 administration this hotel obtained a wide 
 reputation, and was a stopping place for 
 many distinguished citizens of the country 
 travelling on their way from Pittsburg to 
 Erie. It was at this house that Gen. La- 
 fayette was entertained on June 1, 1825, 
 while enroute from Pittsburg to Erie and 
 Canada. 
 
 Andrew Biirns was the successor of 
 Jacoli Mechling as proprietor of the Man- 
 sion House. He conducted the place for a 
 number of years, when it was closed as a 
 place of public entertainment. 
 
 First Temperance House. — One of the 
 first taverns of the town was huilt liy AVill- 
 iam Brown on the site of Miss Sarah Mc- 
 Quistiou's residence on South Main Street, 
 recently purchased by the Masonic order. 
 The house now standing was the rear part 
 of the old hotel building. Brown was 
 granted a license in May, 1801, and ran the 
 business until succeeded by Samuel Mar- 
 quis, Rudolph Kelker and John M. Zim- 
 merman. Bennett Dolibs came later and 
 converted it into a temperance house, the 
 first in the town. The old building came 
 into possession of the late John Negley 
 about 1850, when the front part of it was 
 torn down. 
 
 The Willard Hotel. — A log building was 
 erected on the site of the present Willard 
 Hotel at an early date, which was used for 
 tavern purposes, but the early i)r()piietors 
 are not now known. Jacob Ihinker, a son 
 of Abraham Brinker, erected the first 
 brick building about 1834 or 18.35, and car- 
 ried on the hotel business for a loiin' 
 
 period. He was succeeded by several otli 
 ers, among them W. J. Reihing, wiio re- 
 modeled tlie building and enlarged it to its 
 present capacity. He conducted the house 
 until his death in 1890, after which his 
 widow continued the business for a short 
 time. George "VV. Cam])lK'll jnirchased the 
 property and conducted the hotel for two 
 or three years, when Mrs. Mattie Reihing 
 ag'ain became the owner. Kemp and Kline 
 were the lessees until 1903, when Mrs. 
 Reihing took charge, remodeled the build- 
 ing, and is at present conducting the busi- 
 ness. 
 
 The lilack Horse.— One of the noted 
 hotels previous to the Civil War was "The 
 Black Horse," which stood on the corner 
 of Cunningham and Main Streets, and was 
 owned by Patrick TIamicrfy ))revious to 
 1S2G. Haggertv wa,-- snci-cc(ic(l bv his sons 
 William and Alexando-. and after the Civil 
 War a hotel was conducted at this place 
 by Patrick Kelley, until 1872 or 73, when 
 John Hackett became the lessee Jind con- 
 ducted the business imtil 1884. The i>n)i>- 
 erty was then sold to A. & H. Reiber, who 
 erected the Reiber block. 
 
 The Beatty House. — Another famous 
 tavern that existed about the middle of the 
 last century was "The Beatty House," 
 which stood on the site now occupied by 
 the Troutman Block and J. G. & W. Camp- 
 bell's store. The sign was an American 
 eagle with extended wings surrounded by 
 thirteen stars. In some respects the 
 "Eagle" was the leading public house of 
 its day. It was in successful operation as 
 early as 1828 and continued to be one of 
 the leading hotels until after the advent of 
 the railroads and the old stage line from 
 Butler to Erie had been abandoned. Mr. 
 Beatty, the first pro]^rietor, was a man of 
 dignity and high iniciirity. who would al- 
 low no disorderly rli.n Meters about tiic 
 premises. In 184S lie >ol(l the hotel proi>- 
 erty to Jacob Reiber, and in 1850 Col. 
 Alexander Lowry became the owner and 
 conducted the house until 1863, when he 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 421 
 
 sold the itvoperty to Beujamin Jack, who 
 couducted it for a few years, and then dis- 
 continued the business. 
 
 The Lowry Hotel. — Previous to 1820 a 
 log building was erected on Jetferson 
 Street near the corner of Main, which was 
 afterwards clapboarded and given the ap- 
 pearance of a frame house. In 1820 Col. 
 Francis McBride opened tlie place as a 
 tavern, and gave it the name of the 
 "United States." Subsequently a frame 
 addition was built on the corner. In 
 1849 the property was purchased by 
 H. Julius Kliuger, who, in 1852, re- 
 moved the old log and frame build- 
 ing and erected the tirst three-story brick 
 hotel building in the borough. Plum- 
 mer Jack became the owner in 1864, and he 
 in turn sold the property to Col. Alexander 
 Lowry, who changed the name of the hotel 
 to the Lowry House. Col. Lowry and his 
 son, John F. Lowiy, carried on the busi- 
 ness until 1890, with the exception of a few 
 years that Cross & McOmber were the pro- 
 prietors. In the latter year the property 
 was sold to Thompson & Brown, after 
 building an addition to the Jefferson 
 Street side of the building. The new own- 
 ei-s built another addition to the Main 
 Street side of the building, involving an 
 expenditure of about $20,000, and conduct- 
 ed the business until August, 1894, when 
 W. J. McCafferty and D. W. McCrea be- 
 came the lessees of the property. Morgan 
 and Phillip Davis next l)ecame the owners 
 of the property and the lessees under them 
 were Louis Weisberg and W. A. Kemp. 
 Charles H. Hosford purchased the ])ro))- 
 erty from the Davis brothers in 1904 and 
 conducted the business until February, 
 1907, when Ralph Gregg, the ]iresent 
 owner and proprietor, took charge. 
 
 The Butler Hotel on South Main Street 
 dates back to 1840, when it was known as 
 the Swaney House. At this period Chris- 
 tian Otto was the proprietor, and contin- 
 ued to run the jilace for a number of years. 
 Subsequently the building was converted 
 
 into offices and a dwelling, and was used 
 for that purpose until about 1887, when 
 Henry Eitenmiller established a hotel. He 
 was succeeded by Harry Faubel and An- 
 drew Root, and they in turn by the present 
 proprietor, D. F. McCrea. 
 
 Park Hotel. — The building now occupied 
 as the Park Hotel was originally the 
 dwelling house of Maurice Bredin, who also 
 conducted a store in the same building. It 
 was converted into a hotel by Henry Eiten- 
 miller in 1873, who conducted it for a num- 
 ber of years and then sold it to .lames 
 Sellers. Sellers was succeeded by Frank 
 Clark, and he in turn by T. B. Humes, Jo- 
 seph Shirley, Ralph (iregg, William Ken- 
 nedy, and Louis Weisberg, the latter being 
 the present proprietor. 
 
 The old Schieiber House on North ]\lain 
 Street, kept by Adam Schreiber, was one 
 of the well known taverns in the days of 
 the early oil excitement at the beginning 
 of the seventies. William Boyd erected a 
 large hotel building at the corner of Zeig- 
 ler Avenue and Center Avenue on the 
 Southside, which was used for a hotel in 
 the seventies, but after the decline of the 
 Greece City oil boom the building was con- 
 verted into a dwelling. 
 
 The Roue House was one of the old time 
 taverns that existed in the days of the 
 stage coach, but went out of business with 
 the advent of the railroad. The building- 
 is still standing at the foot of South Main 
 Street, opposite the hospital. 
 
 Nixon's Home was a place of public en- 
 tertainment that had a wnde reputation in 
 the last decade of the nineteenth century. 
 The building was located on the site of the 
 Afethodist Episcopal parsonage on North 
 McKean Street, and the proprietor of the 
 place for years was Simeon Nixon. 
 
 The name tavern is no longer applied to 
 public houses, and such places are now 
 known only as hotels. In their equipment 
 and style the modern hotel is far superior 
 to the tavern of seventy-five years ago, and 
 it is doubtful if there is anv more good 
 
422 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 cheer dispensed today or a guest received 
 with more genuine cordiality than he was 
 by the inn-keepers of the fifties. Butler 
 has not suffered from the transition from 
 the tavern to the modern hotel. The hotels 
 of today have kept pace with the improve- 
 ments of the town, and take rank with the 
 cities of larger and more pretentious con- 
 ditions and surroundings. The old time 
 taverns and hotels above enumerated are 
 all the creations of the past century. The 
 beginning of the new century has marked 
 a number of modern hotel buildings which 
 are in keeping with the new conditions and 
 surroundings of the town. In enumerat- 
 ing the hotels of 1909, the Lowry, Willard, 
 Arlington, Park and Butler Houses may 
 be said to belong to the past decades, but 
 their proprietors have kept pace with the 
 times, and these hotels are numbered 
 among the leading places of public enter- 
 tainment in this section. The following 
 list comprises hotels that have been erect- 
 ed in the present decade, and mark a new 
 era in hotel building in Butler. 
 
 The New Nixon faces the public square 
 from the south, and occupies the site of 
 one of the first taverns of the town — the 
 Adam, Funk house. Subsequently the 
 property was occupied by a dwelling house 
 until 1892, when the Park Theater and 
 Armory were erected. The fire of Novem- 
 ber 20, 1903, destroyed the theater and Ar- 
 mory and the following year Nixon Broth- 
 ers bought the plot of ground fronting 65 
 feet on Diamond street and running 
 through to the alley in the rear, 200 feet. 
 The present hotel building is a buff brick 
 structure, five stories high, including the 
 basement, and covers the entire plat 200x 
 65 feet. One of the features is the roof 
 garden, overlooking the Park and giving 
 an excellent view of the town. The build- 
 ing is equipped with steam heat, elevators, 
 private baths in each of the 125 bed rooms, 
 telephones and all of the conveniences of 
 the modern hotels of the big cities. 
 
 The new hotel is the successor of the 
 
 Centi'al Hotel, which was established by 
 Mrs. Jennie Nixon on the southside of the 
 Diamond about 1896. Subsequently the 
 business was conducted by her sons, Sim- 
 eon and J. B. Nixon, until the new hotel 
 was completed in 1906. The New Nixon is 
 at the present time under the management 
 of Simeon Nixon. . 
 
 The Hotel Bowman is the only public 
 house on the Southside. It is located on 
 Center Avenue and was erected in 1898 by 
 Jacob Bowman, who conducted the busi- 
 ness for several years, when G. C. Ha- 
 worth became the proprietor. The hotel 
 is a three-story brick structure, containing 
 thirty rooms with all modern improve- 
 ments. Mr. Haworth conducted the busi- 
 ness until October, 1907, when C. C. 
 Reeder, the present proprietor, took 
 charge. 
 
 The New Monroe Hotel on East Jeffer- 
 son Street opposite the West Penn Depot, 
 occupies the site of the old West Penn 
 House, which was a noted place of public 
 entertainment during the palmy days of 
 the oil excitement in Greece City and 
 Chicora. The new hotel is a three-story 
 pressed l)rick building, containing fifty- 
 two bed rooms, and represents an invest- 
 ment of about $80,000. It is equipped with 
 electric lights, gas and steam heat, tele- 
 phone service, and is in every way modern 
 in all its appointments. The property is 
 owned by J. H. Harvey, who for five years 
 was proprietor of the old Monroe Hotel on 
 the corner of Monroe and East Jefferson 
 Streets. The new hotel was erected in 
 1908, and was opened to the public the first 
 of March, 1909. 
 
 The Atlas Hotel at the corner of Center 
 Avenue and McKean Street was erected 
 by C. H. Geis and Joseph Franklin in 
 1907. It is a splendid brick building con- 
 taining twenty-two bed rooms, a commo- 
 dious dining room, and is equipped with 
 gas and electric lights, steam heat, tele- 
 ))hone service, and baths. The present 
 proprietor of the hotel under lease is ex- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 423 
 
 Sheriff A. M. Campbell, who took charge 
 in January, 1909. 
 
 The Keystone Hotel at the corner of 
 Center Avenue and Cliff Street, was 
 erected in 1906, by Hugh A. McNamee, 
 who is the present proprietor. It is a 
 three-story brick building, containing 
 forty-tive bed rooms, and all of the modern 
 conveniences. It has been run as a tem- 
 perance house since it was opened. 
 
 TJic Hotel Cliuton on the corner of Race 
 Street and First Avenue was erected in 
 1906 by Earl D. Ciliuton, who previous to 
 that time had conducted the Standard Ho- 
 tel on Fairground Avenue. The building 
 is three stories high, constructed of Shaw- 
 nee mottled l)rick, and brown stone trim- 
 mings. It contains thirty-five bed rooms, 
 and is ecpiipped with steam heat, gas and 
 electric lights, telephone service, and 
 baths. The interior is finished in hard 
 wood, and the floor of the office is laid in 
 tile. This hotel is conveniently located to 
 the P. H. B. & N. C. and P. & B. Electric 
 Railways, and besides earing for a liberal 
 transient trade, makes a specialty of ban- 
 quets and receptions. 
 
 The Comviercial Hotel on West Jeffer- 
 son Street was established in 1906 by J. C. 
 Moser, who purchased during that year 
 the Steelsmith building and the property 
 of John Lefevre. The buildings on the 
 Lefevre property were torn down, and an 
 addition was built to the three-story brick 
 building on the Steelsmith lot. The hotel 
 was opened to the public about January 
 1, 1906, and has since that time enjoyed a 
 large share of the public patronage. It 
 is equipped with all modern conveniences, 
 and is noted for the excellence of its table. 
 This hotel is much patronized by the thea- 
 trical profession. 
 
 The Lyndora Hotel, located at the junc- 
 tion of Pierce Avenue and the lower But- 
 ler Road in the edge of Lyndora, was 
 erected during the summer of 1902, by C. 
 H. Geis, P. A. McCool and F. X. Kohler. 
 The building is a frame structure three 
 
 stories high, containing twenty-five bed 
 rooms, a large dining I'oom, and a bar in 
 the basement. The first proprietor of the 
 hotel was Charles Geis, who operated it 
 under a lease. Subsequently the property 
 was purchased by P. A. McCool, and in 
 1907, C. D. Shreiner became the owner of 
 the property, and has since conducted the 
 hotel business. 
 
 The Waldron. The building occupied by 
 tlie Waldron Hotel in Lyndora was first 
 erected in 1903 and occupied for a short 
 time as a theater. In 1906 the building 
 was remodeled and constructed into a ho- 
 tel by J. Brown Nixon, who is the pres- 
 ent proprietor. The building is two and a 
 half stories high, contains fifteen bed 
 rooms, steam heat, gas and electric lights, 
 and baths on each floor. The hotel has a 
 large dining room on the first floor, and a 
 bar in the basement. 
 
 The Wick House, the Waverly and the 
 Williams House are well known public 
 houses run on the temperance plan, that 
 have a large share of the public patronage. 
 
 EARIA" MANUFACTUKES. 
 
 The first manufactory in the present 
 limits of Butler Borough is what is now 
 known as the Walter Mill on the Conno- 
 quenessing Creek, at the foot of Wash- 
 ington Street. The original mill was a 
 log building erected in 1802 by Samuel 
 and John Cunningham, and it may be 
 mentioned as a historical fact that the 
 title to the land can be traced back to Rob- 
 ert Morris, of Revolutionary fame. The 
 Cunninghams had a cabin near the mill 
 called the mill-house on the early maps 
 of the town and it was at this cabin that 
 the commissioners were entertained who 
 came to Butler to locate the county seat. The 
 Cunningham brothers sold the mill to John 
 Negley, one of Butler's pioneers, who in 
 later years was the promoter of a num- 
 ber of the industries of the town. At the 
 time of this purchase the mill property 
 was in Butler Township outside of the 
 
424 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 limits of the borough, ^fr. Negley owned 
 and carried on tlie mill for nearly thirty 
 years. During this time he added to it a 
 large woolen mill which was operated by his 
 brother-in-law, Malachi Ricliardson. A 
 cabinet-making sliop was also one of the 
 enterprises promoted by Mr. Negley, and 
 in 18;!2 he established a salt manufactur- 
 ing plant between the mill site and South 
 Main Street, which was operated for a 
 number of years. Between 1816 and 1826 
 Mr. Negley lived in the log house near 
 the mill which had been built by the Cun- 
 ninghams. The primitive mill was operat- 
 ed by water power and was rudely 
 equipped, the machinery consisting of a 
 set of old-fashioned stone buhrs which 
 served the settlers well at that time. In 
 1833 Mr. Negley sold the mill to Robert 
 McNair and Brothers, who carried it on 
 for fifteen years. The old building was 
 torn down and a new mill erected in 1840, 
 which was 0]3erated by steam. In 1842 
 a tire destroj'ed the entire plant, but tlie 
 flouring part of it was immediately re- 
 built and is a )mrt of the present struc- 
 ture. In 1848 it became the property of 
 William Beatty, who in turn sold it to 
 .John McCarnes, who carried it on until 
 1856. In 1857 the interests of McCarnes 
 and Beatty were conveyed to Jacob Wal- 
 ter and John C. Grohman, who carried it 
 on until the death of Mr. Walter in 1865. 
 At this time the mill had a capacity of 
 about forty barrels of flour per day. Mr. 
 Walter was succeeded by his son, George 
 Walter, and the firm became Walter & 
 Grohman. Jacob Boos bought the inter- 
 ests of John C. Grohman in 1872, and the 
 firm then became Walter & Boos. In 1890 
 Mr. Walter became the sole owner, and as- 
 sociated with him his sons, J. A. and C. 
 E. Walter, the firm becoming George Wal- 
 ter & Sons. The ])resent building is 44x 
 60 feet, four stories in height and operated 
 entirely by steam. The old mill dam, which 
 was a feature of the town for almost a cen- 
 tury, has been abandoned. The roller sys- 
 
 tem is now in use in the mill, which has a 
 capacity of sixty barrels of wheat flour, 
 three hundred bushels of buckwheat per 
 day, and two tons of chop per hour. Mr. 
 AValter remained in charge until his death 
 in 1902, and since that time the business 
 has been carried on by the sons under the 
 old firm name. This firm has an extensive 
 country trade and also does a large busi- 
 ness in builders' supplies. Buckwheat 
 flour from this mill is shipped all over the 
 United States. 
 
 The Reiber Grist Mill on the Conno- 
 quenessing Creek, north of the Walter 
 Mill about one mile, was built in 1842 by 
 Archibald McCall, a wealthy Philadelphia 
 merchant and land agent. He sold it to 
 Thomas Frazier who ran it for a short 
 period and the property then passed into 
 the hands of Clymer and Mylert. In 1856 
 the property was purchased by George 
 Reiber who operated the plant up until 
 1895. During this period the mill was re- 
 modeled and improved three times and in 
 addition to the buhr system it contained 
 the full roller process and had a daily ca- 
 pacity of one hundred barrels of flour. 
 Mr. Reiber also carried on a distillery in 
 connection with the mill for a few years, 
 and later he erected a distillery closer to 
 the railroad which he operated until 1873. 
 About 1890 Mr. Reiber took into partner- 
 ship with himself his three sons, Edward, 
 George L. and Henry Reiber, under the 
 firm name of George Reiber & Sons. The 
 construction of the Bessemer & Lake Erie 
 Railroad in 1897 and the extension of the 
 railroad yards in the vicinity of the mill 
 pro]:»erty was the means of destroying the 
 large country patronage of this mill and 
 the plant was finally closed. 
 
 The Oriental Mills. In 1867 H. J. Kling- 
 ler erected a mill on Mifflin Street known 
 as Klingler's Mill. In 1883-4 the mill was 
 remodeled and enlarged when the present 
 title, the Oriental Mills, was adopted. The 
 capacity of the first mill was sixty barrels 
 ])er day. The old buhr system operated 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 425 
 
 by steam power was in use until 1884, 
 when the roller system was adopted. The 
 present building is 40x45 feet, three 
 stories high, with cupola and iron roof, 
 and an annex of 28x80 feet. The capacity 
 of the mill is 150 barrels per day. In 
 1886 the firm name was changed to II. J. 
 Klingler ite Company, Harry S. and Fred 
 J. Klingler becoming partners with their 
 father. In 1897 Fred J. Klingler retired, 
 and since that time H. J. Klingler and 
 Harry S. Klingler have composed the firm 
 of H. J. Klingler & Comjiany, of which 
 riarrv S. Klingler is the general uiaiiager. 
 In 188!) the liim built the Siu'rialtv 1-Jnller 
 Mills near the West Penn depot, and have 
 since carried on both mills very success- 
 fully. In 1903 the building at "the West 
 Penn depot was enlarged by the addition 
 of a grain elevator, which is fully ('(|nipped 
 with modern machinery, and the Mittlin 
 Street mill was also imin'oved by the in- 
 stallation of a co]nplete new roller proc- 
 ess which increased the output of the mill 
 and enhanced the value of the product. 
 
 EARLY TANNERIES. 
 
 One of the earliest and leading indus- 
 tries of the town was the tanning business. 
 A pioneer tannery was located on the cor- 
 ner of East Jefferson and Franklin 
 Streets, and started soon after the town 
 was laid out. The second tannery was es- 
 tablished by Hugh McKee on the site of 
 Berg's bank, on the corner of Main and 
 Jefferson Streets, and was an extensive 
 plant for those days. It was the largest 
 manufacturing institution in the town for 
 many years. 
 
 In 1841 Conrad Roessing opened a tan- 
 yard on North Washington Street, be- 
 tween Clay and Pearl, which he operated 
 until 1886, when the property was pur- 
 chased by Henry Wagner. Soon after the 
 buildings were removed and dwelling 
 houses took the place of the tanner}'. 
 
 For many years William McQuistion op- 
 erated a tanuerv on South Washington 
 
 Street (ui the property now owned by Lev- 
 ingston Mc(^uistion and Mrs. L. Beau- 
 mont. Abdiel Martin Carried on the tan- 
 ning business in Butler about the same 
 time, on West Cunningham Street on the 
 Jacob Lawall property. William Mardorf 
 commenced the tanning business about 
 1870 at the foot of West Cunningham 
 Street and continued the business until 
 about 1888. 
 
 The pioneer woolen-mill and carding 
 factory was established by John Negley 
 about 1810, and was operated by Malachi 
 Richardson. About 1833 0. (r. Croy and 
 George W. Smith operated a woolen mill 
 which stood on the north side of Jeft'erson 
 Street, Ijetween Main and McKean Streets, 
 in the neighborhood of the Weisner prop- 
 erty. This mill was the first of the kind 
 in the limits of the borough, and the power 
 was furnished by a horse-tread mill. What 
 was long known as the Union Woolen 
 Mills on the south side of the creek, was 
 erected in 1842 by William J. Ayres. 
 After conducting it a few years he sold it 
 to William P. Mackey, who used a part 
 of the liuilding for a grist-mill. John H. 
 Thomi)son was the next owner, and in 
 1861 the plant was purchased by Hugh 
 Fullertou who operated it as a woolen- 
 mill until his death in 1892. The mill was 
 operated for about a year after Mr. Ful- 
 lerton's death bv James Fullerton, and in 
 1894 the building was sold to J. B. Sher- 
 man who converted it into a machine shop. 
 
 In 1812 John Gilmore brought a carding 
 nuichine to Butler, which was operated for 
 many years and was of great utility to the 
 people of the community. It was the cus- 
 tom of the farmers to bring their wool to 
 the carding machine and have it carded 
 into long rolls. It was the duty of the 
 women during the long winter evenings 
 to spin the yarn from which socks and 
 woolen garments were made for the use 
 of the familv. This was also the custom 
 
426 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 in the towu as well as iu the coimtry and 
 nearly all of the woolen goods were man- 
 ufactured in this way. 
 
 PIONEER FOUNDRIES. 
 
 The pioneer foundry was established by 
 John and Alfred McCarnes about 1840 or 
 1841. They carried on the business until 
 1847, when James G. and AVilliam Camp- 
 bell purchased an interest and tive years 
 later became sole owners of the plant. In 
 the early days the foundry manufactured 
 plows, stoves, and did a general line of 
 work that met the requirements of the 
 community. The plant is still operated by 
 the heirs of the Campbell estate, and does 
 a general line of foundry work. The fore- 
 man iu charge of the plant, who is one of 
 the oldest foundrymen in the town, is 
 Philip Crouse. 
 
 A few years after the Campbell foundry 
 was started, Cai'ns and McJuukin estab- 
 lished a foundry at the corner of North 
 Washington and West Clay Streets. This 
 property was purchased by H. J. Kling- 
 ler and Martin Eeiber in 1859, and after 
 passing through a number of ownerships, 
 ceased operations about 1875. 
 
 About 1850 S. Tinker established a foun- 
 dry and shops for the manufacture of 
 farm implements and threshing machines 
 on Mifflin Street, adjoining the Klingler 
 Mills. About 1865 the plant was purchased 
 by William Bauer, who manufactured 
 farm implements for many years. Orig- 
 inally the shops extended from Mifflin to 
 North Sti-eet and a large number of men 
 were employed. The shops have long 
 since been abandoned, but the foundry 
 part is still operated on a sniall scale by 
 Mr. Bauer. 
 
 The first large manufacturing enter- 
 prise of importance to be started in Butler 
 was the Standard Plate Glass Works on 
 the Southside, which were opened July ,30, 
 1887, when the first pot was taken from 
 
 the furnace and cast into the molds. Ten 
 plates, each 9-16 of an inch thick, 12 feet 
 long and 6 feet wide, were cast and tem- 
 pered, and within the ensuing week twenty 
 pots were rolled and tempered daily, and 
 a force of 140 men were employed. The 
 first large plate ]iroduced here was pur- 
 chased by D. 11. W'uller for the window of 
 his store on South Main Street, now known 
 as WuUer's Pharmacy. 
 
 The local stockholders and originators 
 of this industry were J. H. Shields, H. J. 
 Klingler, Eev. William A. Nolan, William 
 A. Stein, J. Henry Troutman, AVilliam 
 Campbell, Jr., and John Kirkpatrick, 
 while the non-resident stockholders were 
 E. C. Sehmertz, W. A. Schmertz, A. F. 
 Chandler, J as. A. Chambers, H. S. Mc- 
 Kee, Simon Cameron, Morton McMichael, 
 and B. K. Jamison. A. C. Boyd, who wa& 
 the first manager of the plant, was also 
 one of the first stockholders. The first 
 officers were H. J. Klingler, president ; E. 
 C. Schmertz, vice-president; A. F. Chand- 
 ler, secretary and treasurer. E. Brock- 
 man, who introduced glass-grinding ma- 
 chinery in France, was manager, and un- 
 der his dii'ection there were four hundred 
 workers from France, Belgium and Ger- 
 many. 
 
 Since the inauguration of this industry 
 many changes have been made in the offi- 
 cial board. James A. Chambers succeed- 
 ed Mr. Klingler as president the second 
 year, and in January, 1893, J. T. Hamilton 
 of Pittsburg, was elected i3resident, a po- 
 sition which he still holds. A. F. Chand- 
 ler, the first secretary, was succeeded by 
 E. J. Howard, and he in turn by J. Henry 
 Troutman of Butler. Mr. Chandler was 
 also the first treasurer, and when he re- 
 tired from the secretaryship, AY. A. 
 Sclmiertz of Pittsburg was elected to po- 
 sition of treasurer. Subsequently these 
 two offices were united, and at the present 
 time J. Henry Troutman is the treasurer 
 and secretary. The office of manager was 
 first filled by A. C. Boyd, next by E. 
 
AND KEPKESEXTAXn E CITIZENS 
 
 427 
 
 Brockman, and subsequently by 1). E. 
 Wheeler, Edmund Brown, H. A. Tiltou, 
 and George F. Neale. The latter was suc- 
 ceeded in July, 1907, by Daniel K. Al- 
 l)ri8ht. In 1891 the office of su])erin- 
 tendent was abolished, being- merged into 
 that of general manager. 
 
 The railroad privileges enjoyed by the 
 company are all that can lie desired. 
 Tracks lead to every large buildiug, where 
 machinery for handling and delivery of 
 raw material and loading the finished 
 product is of modern design. The com- 
 pany owns its own gas plant, and one of 
 the wells drilled by this concern is the 
 deepest exploration for gas or oil in But- 
 ler County. At the beginning of the in- 
 dustry, the fire-clay for the manufacture 
 of pots was obtained from Missouri, while 
 the melting-sand was taken from Maple- 
 ton, Pennsylvania. Today much of the 
 melting-sand is procured in Butler Coun- 
 ty, and nearly all of the material, much 
 of which was im]5orted a few years ago, is 
 now obtained within the State, with the 
 exception of sulphate of soda, which is 
 secured at Syracuse, New York. AVheu 
 the works were first operated the build- 
 ings covered three and i)ne-half acres of 
 ground, They have been extended from 
 time to .time, imtil today they cover an 
 area of about ten acres. The orginal out- 
 put has been increased from one million 
 feet per year to four million feet. I)ui'- 
 ing the winter of 1908-9 a large addition 
 was built to the main factory, and new 
 machinery installed that materially in- 
 creases the output. At the present time 
 the plant is emploving five hundred men, 
 and the pay roll "aggregates $350,000.00 
 a year. The present officer- of tlie com- 
 pany are James T. Hamilton, of Pittsl)urg, 
 president; John F. Anderson, of Butler, 
 vice-president; J. H. Troutman, secre- 
 tary and treasurer; and D. K. Albright, 
 general manager. The above officers with 
 the following compose the directors : Hon. 
 John :\r. Kennedv, of Pittsburg: A. M. 
 
 Imbrie, of Pittsburg; George A. Kim, of 
 Pittsburg; and John S. Campbell, of But- 
 ler. . 
 
 The quality of glass produced by this 
 factory is superior to that of the major- 
 ity of the factories in the United States, 
 and the local concern finds a ready mar- 
 ket for all the glass it can produce, and 
 has kept the works running night and day 
 for the past ten years. 
 
 One of the feats performed by this fac- 
 tory was the casting of the big lens for the 
 obsei'vatory at Washington, D. C, in 1898. 
 This lens is the largest glass reflecting 
 lens in the world, and the work of casting- 
 it was accomplished with much difficulty. 
 
 hamilto:n bottle wokks. 
 
 The Hamilton Bottle Works had their 
 beginning in the fall of 1882, when Dom- 
 ini ck Ihmsen established an eight-pot fur- 
 nace on the site of the present jjlant. About 
 a year later the Butler Flint Bottle Com- 
 pany, Limited, was organized, embracing 
 ten glass workers, and the Ihmsen plant 
 purchased. The company was composed 
 of the following persons: D. Ihmsen, 
 president; W. J. McKee, secretary and 
 treasurer; Conrad Smith, John Smith, 
 John Fai-rel, James J. Haves, John AV. 
 Vogel and A. P. McKee. In June, 1888, 
 the works were burned, and on August 30th 
 following, the Butler Glass Company, Lim- 
 ited, was organized. Charles Duffy was 
 l)resident and Thomas H. Gallagher, sec- 
 retary. They, with John W. Vogel, James 
 J. Hayes, Peter Vogel, John F. Lowry, 
 Jacob Faller, Michael Buechle, Mrs. E. 
 Grieb, William Aland, Albert Hannen, 
 Frank Simiio-, John Kiehn, Peter Kiehn, 
 John Kapiilcr mikI .1. 11. Troutman, were 
 the stocklioiders. A building was erected 
 on the oi-iginal site and the works were 
 carried on about one year and then sold 
 to the Hamilton Brothers, who have since 
 operated the plant very successfully. In 
 October, 1893, the buildings were partially 
 burned, but thev have since been rebuilt 
 
428 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and equipped in first class order. Tlie 
 works contain one twelve and one eight- 
 pot furnace, and all kinds of flint prescrip- 
 tion bottles are manufactured. The fuel 
 used is natural gas, supplied by the firm's 
 wells in Center Township, whence the 
 fluid is piped to the works. 
 
 The Standard Steel Car Compani), 
 which has been an important factor in the 
 development of Butler, was iucor]>orated 
 January 2, 1902, with a capital of $3,000,- 
 000. This was subsequently increased to 
 $4,000,000. The incorporators and princi- 
 pal stockholders of the company are resi- 
 dents of Pittsburg, and the officers of the 
 corporation at the time of its organiza- 
 tion were J. M. Hansen, jiresident; A. R. 
 Fraser, vice-president and treasurer; and 
 A. S. Valentine, secretary. In April, 1902, 
 the company purchased a tract of land in 
 the Third Ward of Butler Borough, lying 
 between Fairground Avenue and the 
 Pierce Road, and extending from Pillow 
 Street to the Creek, for a manufacturing 
 site, and at the same time purchased the 
 John McElroy farm southwest of the bor- 
 ough in Butler Township, for a town site. 
 The manufacturing site in the borough in- 
 cludes the properties owned by J. Geo. 
 Stamm, on which the brick factory stood, 
 Charles Uuffy, Mrs. Caroline Pillow, 
 James Bredin, the Butler Savings Bank, 
 the heirs of Thos. Stehle, Mrs. Ellen Mc- 
 Shane. and T. J. Shufflin. The latter pur- 
 chase was a tract of three and one-half 
 acres that belonged to the Butler Pickle 
 Factory. The company also purchased the 
 leases and plant of the old Butler Fair As- 
 sociation, and occupied the old fair 
 grounds as the site, for their first build- 
 ings. The erection of the jtlant was accom- 
 plished in rccoid hrcakiiig time. Ground 
 was broken for the large i>hnit on the 20th 
 of April, and the works were completed 
 and the first cars turned out on the 1st of 
 October, 1902. The excavation was done 
 by David Winters & Son, of Pittsburg, 
 the foundation work was done by Hugh 
 
 Ferguson, and the structural iron work 
 by the McClintock-Marshall Company of 
 Pittsburg. The main building erected at 
 that tune was sixteen hundred feet long 
 and four hundred feet wide. A large i)ow- 
 er-house and machine shops were also 
 erected at the west side of the main build- 
 ing, and the paint shops and the main of- 
 fice at the east side, on Fairground Av- 
 enue. The entire plant was completed, the 
 machinery installed, and the first steel cars 
 turned out on the 1st day of Octol)er, 1902. 
 At that time the capacity of the ])lant was 
 from fifty to sixtj' cars a day, and employ- 
 ment was furnished to about 2,500 men. 
 
 An extension was built to the main 
 building in 1903, and other additions have 
 l)een made since that time until the pres- 
 ent capacity of the works is from 100 to 
 125 cars per day. When running full time 
 the plant employs about -1:,(K)() men. and its 
 pay-roll amounts to over $300,000 a mouth. 
 The i)resent officers of the comjiany are J. 
 M. Hansen, president; J. B. Brady, vice- 
 president ; William Bierman, secretary ; T. 
 H. Gillespie, treasurer; and W. Fletcher, 
 assistant treasurer. 
 
 The first manager of the plant was P. F. 
 McCool, who superintended the erection of 
 the building and turned out the first cars.~ 
 He was succeeded by E. G. Caughey in 
 1903, and the latter in turn by J. H."AU 
 man, the present manager, who took charge 
 in 1905. The chief engineer is A. Chris- 
 tianson. 
 
 For the first two or three years after 
 the organization of the company the main 
 offices and the auditing department were 
 kept in Pittsburg. In 1905 a frame build- 
 ing was erected on the west side of the 
 plant on Pierce Avenue, and the auditing 
 department and all of the officers, except 
 that of the president, were removed to 
 Butler. 
 
 The Standard Steel Car Company has 
 Ijeen called the young giant of the steel 
 car indu.stry, and in the short space of 
 seven years it has doubled the capacity of 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 its plant, and taken a front rank among 
 the manufacturing industries of the coun- 
 try. Among the subsidiary comj^ianies con- 
 trolled by the Standard are the Butler 
 Bolt & Rivet Works, the Butler Car Wheel 
 Foundry, located at Butler, the Steel Car 
 Plant at New Castle, Pennsylvania, and 
 the large plant at Hammond,. Indiana. The 
 Standard was one of the last concerns to 
 be ati'ected by the financial depression of 
 ]yU8, and the plant here was in operation 
 long after the other car-manufacturing 
 plants in the country had closed down. 
 After work was suspended here, the eom- 
 l)any employed a large number of men in 
 making repairs, and placing the plant in 
 first-class condition to resume business, 
 and also ke]it their organization intact. 
 
 The Fdif/ol Stfcl ifliri'I Cniii/Hnii/ was 
 incorporntiMl .luiif Lid, 1 !)(!(;. Iiy ;i number 
 of Pittshiu-g capitalists wIki arc also in- 
 terested in the steel car business. The 
 |)resident of the company is J. M. Hansen, 
 and T. H. Gillespie is the treasurer. A 
 large plant was erected south of the town 
 of Lyndora on the property of the Stand- 
 ard Steel Car Company, and heavy ma- 
 chinery installed for carrying on the work. 
 Forged steel wheels were at first an ex- 
 pei'iment, and the plant erected here was 
 considered an experimental plant. The 
 last couple of years has demonstrated the 
 practical ability of the new wheel, and the 
 resumption of the iron and steel business 
 will mean the employment of a large num- 
 ber of men at the new factory in Butler. 
 
 The Butler Bolt and Rivet Company is 
 a subsidiary company of the Standard 
 Steel Car Company, and was incorporated 
 June 28, 3906, with a capital of $200,000. 
 The plant was erected on Pierce Avenue 
 north of the main plant of the car works 
 in 1906, and gives employment to about 200 
 men. 
 
 The Butler Car Wheel Foundry was in- 
 corporated December 22, 1905, with a cap- 
 ital of $300,000. This company is also sub- 
 sidiary to the Standard Steel Car Com- 
 
 panj'. The plant was erected in the win- 
 ter of 1905-6, and adjoins that of the Bolt 
 and Eivet Works. It has a capacity of 
 about 800 cast car wheels a day, and fui- 
 nishes employment to about 300 men. 
 When running full time the work distrilt- 
 utes about $35,000 a month with its i)av 
 roll. 
 
 WAGON" FACTORIES. 
 
 The manufacture of wagons was com- 
 menced in 1848 by John Lawall, Sr., who 
 established the business in the rear of 
 Reiber Brothers' blacksmith shop on West 
 Cunningham Street. He conducted" the 
 factory at this point until 1860, when he 
 removed to South Washington Street, ad- 
 joining his residence. In 1872 he began 
 tlie manufacture of buggies and carriages, 
 which he continued until his death in 1877. 
 The business was then carried on by his 
 sons, John and Jacob Lawall, until about 
 1885. At this time the growth of great 
 carriage factories (m| nipped with the most 
 improved machinery iciidered the manu- 
 facture of wagons and carriages by the old 
 process an unprofitable business, and de- 
 stroyed the industry in the smaller towns. 
 
 The Thompson. Brothers were pioneers 
 in the same line, opening a factory on West 
 Cunningham Street in 1857. This factory 
 was located on the corner of Church Street 
 and W^est Cunningham Street, and was 
 quite an extensive affair for its day. The 
 Thompsons sold the plant to Geo. C. Eoes- 
 sing and removed to Prospect, where they 
 established a factory. Mr. Roessing con- 
 ducted the business of manufacturing bug- 
 gies and wagons in connection with the 
 undertaking business until 1888, when the 
 factory was closed and the undertaking 
 business was removed to West Jefferson 
 Street. 
 
 George C. Roessing established a cab- 
 inet-maker's shop in 1847 on the Pattoii 
 Kearns property on West Jefferso)i 
 Street in the rear of what is now the Zim 
 merman store. It was the bu.siness of the 
 
432 
 
 HISTOBY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 furniture makers of those daj's to make 
 coffins for the burial of the dead, and the 
 business of undertaker was usually asso- 
 ciated with that of cabinet-making. In 
 1860 Mr. Eoessing purchased the wagon 
 and carriage works of Thompson Broth- 
 ers on West Cunningham Street, which he 
 conducted in connection with the under- 
 taking business until 1888. The introduc- 
 tion of factory -made work made the wagon 
 and carriage business unprofitable to the 
 small operators, and Mr. Eoessing closed 
 this branch of his business and removed 
 the undertaking department to the Odd 
 Fellows building on West Jefferson 
 Street. At this time Mr. Eoessing had as- 
 sociated with him his son, W. P. Eoessing, 
 under the firm name of George Eoessing 
 & Son. 
 
 Martin, and George Reiher were engaged 
 in the wagon manufacturing business in 
 the fifties, having a shop on West Cun- 
 ningham Street on the McQuistion prop- 
 erty. 
 
 MACHINE SHOPS. 
 
 Butler first attracted attention as a cen- 
 ter for the manufacture of oil well tools 
 and supplies in 1880 about the time the 
 Bald Eidge oil field was opened up. Pre- 
 vious to that time there were no shops of 
 importance in the town and nothing out- 
 side of a small line of repair work was 
 attempted. 
 
 William Kesselman S Company estab- 
 lished their shops here in 1881 for the 
 manufacture of drilling and fishing tools, 
 heavy forgings, and the repairing of en- 
 gines. Their plant was located along the 
 B. & O. Eailroad tracks on the south side 
 of the creek, the main building being olx 
 87 feet, with a machine shop 28x40 feet. 
 Steam hammers were used in this shop 
 for the first time in Butler, and the firm 
 has since kept pace with all the modern im- 
 provements. 
 
 The shop now operated by W. H. Lar- 
 kin (£■ Company on Center Avenue was 
 founded in 1885 by Thomas and W. G. 
 
 Hays. Their business consisted of the 
 manufacture of drilling and fishing tools, 
 as well as dealing in oil well supplies. In 
 1887 the Hays brothers disposed of their 
 interests to Larkin, Warhus and Company, 
 and in 1890 Mr. Warhus disposed of his 
 interest in the i5artnerslii]i in .Inlm Feigel. 
 Since that time the busill(■^^ has been car- 
 ried on under the firm name of \V. H. Lar- 
 kin & Company. In addition to carrying 
 on a general manufacturing business the 
 firm manufactures gas engines, and has an 
 extensive trade throughout the entire oil 
 country. 
 
 The BxUler Boiler Works were estab- 
 lished about 1888 by Mr. Kane, who after- 
 wards sold the plant to James Meehan. In 
 1891 they were purchased by Hughes 
 brothers, and for many years they were 
 one of the valuable acquisitions to the 
 manufacturing industries of the town. 
 
 The Butler Manufacturing Company, 
 Limited, was established in 1888 with a 
 capital stock of $20,000, and the incorpora- 
 tors of the company were J. W. McKee, 
 president; H. S. Gibson, secretary and 
 treasurer; and D. W. Younkins and J. E. 
 Russell, directors. The plant was located 
 on Monroe Street opposite the old Elec- 
 tric Light plant, and for a number of years 
 an extensive business was carried on in 
 the manufacture of engines, boilers, and 
 general foundry work. Originally the 
 plant was erected at Bradford for the man- 
 ufacture of ball engines and in the year 
 above mentioned it was removed to But- 
 ler and enlarged. 
 
 F. H. Bole established a machine shop 
 foi- the manufacture of oil well and fish- 
 ing tools in 1884 at the corner of South 
 McKean & Quarry streets. He carried on 
 the business until 1895, when he disposed 
 of his property and removed to Pittsburg. 
 
 The Star Iron Works were first estab- 
 lished at Karns City by Sherman & John- 
 son. In 1894 they purchased the old Ful- 
 erton Woolen Mill property on Etna Street 
 and removed their plant to Butler. They 
 
AND REPRESKXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 433 
 
 manufacture engines, jjumps, casing cut- 
 ters, fishing tools of all kinds, and make 
 a specialty of tte manufacture of brass 
 goods. 
 
 Spang d; Company. The large estab- 
 lislunent on Etna Street occupied by 
 (ieorge A. Spang & Company had a small 
 beginning. In 1893 George A. Spang es- 
 tablished a small machine shop on the site 
 of the present building and engaged in the 
 manufacture and repair of fishing tools. 
 The working force consisted of the pro- 
 prietor and one or two helpers. In the 
 fall of that year the shop was removed to 
 Glade Mills, then the heart of an oil ex- 
 citement, where the business was enlarged 
 and conducted till 1896. In 1897 the slioi^s 
 were removed to Eenfrew, and in the fall 
 of 1900 a limited partnership was organ- 
 ized with D. B. Campbell as chairman, 
 Emery Brandon secretary and George A. 
 Spang, manager. The firm engaged in 
 the manufacture of drilling and fishing 
 tools, oil well packers and machine work. 
 That year the plant was removed to But- 
 ler, and the shops established on Etna 
 Street at the present. location. The busi- 
 ness grew rapidly and soon recjuired an 
 additional capital to carry it on, and 
 larger quarters, and in 1907 the company 
 was incorporated as George A. Spang & 
 Company, the officers being John F. An- 
 derson, president; J. W. Brandon, secre- 
 tary, and George A. Spang, treasurer and 
 manager. The same year the concrete 
 building now occupied by the com- 
 pany was erected. This building has 
 a floor space of 15,000 square feet, 
 and the different shops of the con- 
 cern occupied the floor space of 34.000 
 square feet. In January, 1909, the com- 
 pany purchased the plant and business of 
 the Etna Manufacturing Company of But- 
 ler, and consolidated the two plants. They 
 employ about fifty men, all skilled me- 
 chanics, and make a specialty of fishing- 
 fools and oil well packers. The fishing 
 tools and ])ackers manufactured by fjiis 
 
 concern are shipped to aU parts of the 
 United States and to the oil fields of Eu- 
 rope. In addition to the shops in Butler 
 the company carry on a branch shop in 
 Coffej^ille, Kansas. 
 
 The Evans Manufacturing Company 
 owes its inception to Evan Evans, who 
 first began with a small shop at Chicora, 
 where he made a specialty of brass fittings 
 and valves. The shop was removed to 
 Butler in 1893 and established on Center 
 Avenue, where the business was enlarged 
 and a general line of oil well supplies was 
 manufactured. Mr. Evans was a man of 
 inventive turn of mind and began experi- 
 menting with the clutch pulleys and gas 
 engines, and in 1896 the present building 
 was erected on the corner of South Mc- 
 Kean and East "Wayne Streets, where the 
 manufacture of these inventions was com- 
 menced. In 1898 Mr. Evans formed a 
 ])artnership with C. A. Templeton, under 
 the firm name of the Evans-Templeton 
 Company. This firm continued for about 
 two years, when the present company was 
 organized under the title of the Evans 
 Manufacturing Company. Mr. Evans con- 
 tinued in the active management of the 
 Inisiuess until his death in 1906, and since 
 that time his son, H. A. Evans, has been 
 the superintendent and manager. The 
 jiresent officers are Daniel Younkins, chair- 
 man; George M. Jacobs, secretary and 
 treasurer, and H. A. Evans, superinten- 
 dent. In addition to the machine shop the 
 ■company has a brass and metal foundry 
 and manufactures castings of all kinds for 
 the oil well trade. They also manufacture 
 gas and gasolene engines, clutch pulleys, 
 and a general line of oil well supplies, and 
 employ from forty-five to fifty men. 
 
 The Masseth Packer and Machine 
 Works on West Wayne Street are the suc- 
 cessors to Benjamin Masseth, who estab- 
 lished the business in Butler in 1889. Mr. 
 Masseth owned the patents for oil and gas 
 well packers and other valuable inventions 
 in use in the oil country and, previous to 
 
434 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Homing to Butler, had followed the for- 
 tunes of the oil field from Pithole in 1862 
 to Butler in 1889. He established a ma- 
 chine shop on Wayne Street with J. B. , 
 Sherman as a partner, and later he took 
 in D. W. Black, who is a practical machin- 
 ist and inventor. After-wards Mi-. Mas- 
 seth purchased the interest of Mr. Sher- 
 man and the firm of Masseth & Black op- 
 erated the machine shop until the death of 
 Mr. Masseth on June 30, 1903. The busi- 
 ness of Mr. Masseth was carried on sep- 
 arate from the machine shops. After his 
 death J. N. Hyle became the owner of Mr. 
 Masseth 's interests, and the business is 
 now carried on under the title of the Mas- 
 seth Packer and Machine Works, D. W. 
 BJack being the other partner. The com- 
 l)any manufactures Masseth 's patent self- 
 supporting wall packers and all kinds of 
 machinery for oil, gas, and artesian wells, 
 gas i:)umps, engines, etc. 
 
 The Butler Engine and Foundry Com- 
 pany is the successor of the Butler Man- 
 ufacturing Company, having purchased 
 the plant of the latter concern on Monroe 
 Street in October, 1904. The officers of 
 the company are H. B. McKinney, presi- 
 dent; John J. McKinney, secretary; M. 
 M. McKinney, treasurer; J. C. Thompson, 
 vice-president; and these, with Thos. G. 
 Eussell, compose the board of directors. 
 The company is capitalized at $45,000.00, 
 and does an extensive business in steam 
 and gas engines and foundry work. In 
 addition to the machine shops, the com- 
 pany operates an iron and brass foundry. 
 
 Tlie Phillips Machine Shops were first 
 located at Great Belt, where their princi- 
 pal work was in the line of repair of oil 
 well machinery for the Thomas W. Phil- 
 lips Oil Company. The shops were moved 
 to Butler aboi;t 1897, and engaged in the 
 manufacture of oil well tools and gas en- 
 gines. On April 11, 1907, the T. W. Phil- 
 lips Manufacturing Company was incor- 
 porated with T. W. Phillips, president; 
 Thomas W. PMllips, Jr., H. C. Phillips, 
 
 and Clarence AValker. Since that time the 
 company has been extensively engaged in 
 the manufacture of steam and gas engines 
 and oil well tools, and has employed a 
 large force of men night and day operat- 
 ing the extensive plant. 
 
 The machine shops of C. W. Heeter & 
 Son are located on Etna Street, and are 
 engaged in the manufactm-e of drilling 
 tools, fishing tools and oil well packers. 
 The company was incorporated in 1905, 
 and at the present time furnishes employ- 
 ment to thirty to forty men. 
 
 The machine shops of George Palm on 
 Kittanning Street, the Campbell Machine 
 Shop on East Wayne Street, and Pool's 
 Brass Foundry on the same street, com- 
 plete the list of shops of this class. 
 
 SILK MILL. 
 
 The Butler Silk Mill was first organized 
 in 1900 as an association. Previous to 
 that time parties representing an eastern 
 silk manufacturing company had made a 
 proposition to the local Board of Trade to 
 establish a mill at Butler. The proposi- 
 tion of the eastei-n people was not satis- 
 factory, and after their departure local 
 parties took up the matter with the result 
 that a company was organized and capi- 
 talized in Butler. The old Institute Build- 
 ing on First Street was secured for the 
 site, and the factory opened the same year. 
 In 1902 the company was incorporated, 
 and in 1908 the following were the officers 
 and managers : Wm. C. Thompson, presi- 
 dent; Alf. M. Reiber, treasurer; Wm. H. 
 Miller, secretary; Alf. M. Reiber, W. J. 
 McDowell, and L. C. Wick, managers. The 
 factory employs from forty to fifty peo- 
 ]-)le and has a daily capacity of five hun- 
 dred yards of broad silk. 
 
 PLANING MILLS. 
 
 The first i>laning mill established in the 
 borough of Butler is still in operation. In 
 1832 Samuel G. Purvis came to Butler and 
 engaged as a carpenter with the local con- 
 
AND KEPHESKNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 435 
 
 tractors of that period. In 18o4 he coiii- 
 meueed contractiug and bnilding, and 
 continued until 1867, when the lirni of S. 
 G. Purvis cB Company was organized, his 
 son Josepli L. becoming- a partner. In 
 1869 they embai'ked in the ])hining-inill 
 and lumbei- business, wliich they carried 
 on in connection with contracting and 
 building. In 1876 Levi (). Purvis was 
 taken into the firm as a partner, and in 
 1879 tlie tirm commenced tlie manufac- 
 ture of sash, doors, and blinds, since wliich 
 time they have gradually increased the 
 business to its present capacity. After 
 the death of Samuel (t. Purvis in 1879 
 the business was conducted by the sons 
 under the old tirm name until 1907, when 
 the partnership was dissolved, and the 
 business is now conducted by Levi (). Pur- 
 vis. The plant is located on the corner 
 of Franklin and North Streets, and is 
 equip])ed with machinery of the latest and 
 most im])roved kind. ' From 125 to 200 
 hands are furnished employment. 
 
 Bauer's Mill. About 1860 Henry, Ben- 
 jamin and Philip Bauer engaged in the 
 manufacture of farm implements, and had 
 sho](s on West Jefferson Street at the cor^ 
 ner of I:>luft' Street. They subsecpiently 
 built a saw-mill on the opposite side of 
 Jetferson Street, which they operated for 
 a number of years, and about 1872 they es- 
 tablished a ])laniug mill in connection with 
 the saw-mill. In the early part of the 
 eighties the business outlook of Butler did 
 not justify two i)laning-mills, and the 
 Bauer's mill was removed to Allegheny 
 County. 
 
 L. C. Wick Liiinhrr Yards. The lumlier 
 yards of L. C. Wick, located on Spring 
 Avenue and the Baltimore & Ohio Hail- 
 road, Southside, were estal)lished in 1S82. 
 Subse<|U('ntly Mr. Wick erected a brick 
 building south of Center Avenue near the 
 creek, and established a planing-mill, which 
 he operated for a number of years, and 
 then sold the building and machinery to 
 the Daugherty Manufacturing Company. 
 
 The latter concern manufactured church 
 furniture for a short time, when the plant 
 again came into the possession of Mr. 
 Wick. The mill has been standing idle for 
 the past year, Mr. Wick giving his sole 
 attention to the lumber business. 
 
 W. E. Wick (& Co. The lumber yards 
 of W. E. Wick & Company on Monroe 
 Street were established in the early part 
 of the nineties, and are the successors of 
 Hewitt & Company. They deal entirely 
 in builders' supplies, rough and dressed 
 1 umber. 
 
 The Cornelius Lumber Company was or- 
 ganized in 1902, and opened yards on Kit- 
 tanning Street. Early in 1908 the tirm was 
 dissolved, and Raymond S. Cornelius be- 
 came owner and manager of the business, 
 ■^Vliich has continued as the ("ornelius Lum- 
 ber Company. 
 
 The J. C. Thorn Lumber cC Planing Mill 
 Company was incorporated and chartered 
 in 1906, and erected a large brick planing- 
 mill in the island district on Negley Av- 
 enue. The enterprise was not successful 
 and the business was abandoned in 1907. 
 The buildings are now used as a factory 
 by the Butler Concrete Manufacturing 
 ( 'onipany. 
 
 W. H. Miller Planing Mill. William H. 
 ^filler, a native of Germany, located in 
 Butler in 1834 and established the furni- 
 ture-making business on North Main 
 Street, on the property now owned by the 
 Masonic Order. He continued in the busi- 
 ness until his death in 1875. In 1870 
 Wm. F. Miller, who had learned his trade 
 with liis father, established a factory on 
 North Washington Street and engaged in 
 the manufacture of scroll work, stair rails 
 and fanc5' wood work. He conducted a 
 l)laning-mill in connection with his factory 
 and in 1890 he established a chop and feed 
 mill which was operated for a few years. 
 This mill has not been in operation since 
 1900. 
 
 -v. G. Purvis cC Co. The lumber vards 
 of S. G. Purvis & Co. were established bv 
 
436 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Samuel G. and Joseph L. Purvis al)out 
 1875, and were operated in connection 
 with the planing mill. AVlien the firm of 
 S. G. Purvis & Co. dissolved in 1906, 
 Joseph L. Purvis retained the yards and 
 continued in the lumber business under 
 the firm name of S. G. Purvis & Co., 
 taking into partnership with him his sons, 
 S. H. and Willis Purvis. Since the death 
 of Joseph L. Purvis in 1907 the business 
 has been conducted under the old firm 
 name, with S. H. Purvis as manager. 
 
 John Goetz Planing-Mill. John Goetz 
 erected a planing-mill on Spring Avenue 
 in 1883, and conducted a general contract- 
 ing and building business in connection 
 with his mill until about 1895, when he dis- 
 posed of his plant. The site of the mill 
 is now occupied bv the L. C. AVick lumber 
 yard. 
 
 EAELY BRICK YARDS. 
 
 The manufacture of brick was an im- 
 portant industry in the early history of 
 the town and at one time several factories 
 were in existence within the present limits 
 of the borough. As early as 1823 William 
 Borland established a brick yard on the 
 site of the present car wheel foundry of 
 the Standard Steel Car Works on Fair- 
 ground Avenue. The brick used in the 
 erection of the first brick houses in Butler 
 were manufactured at this site, and it is 
 probable that the brick for the first court 
 house came from the same locality. 
 
 The second brick yard was opened liy 
 the Brackney Brothers on the property 
 of Moses Sullivan. This was about 1827. 
 and the brick used in the erection of the 
 old United Presbyterian Church in that 
 year were manufactured at this yard. 
 
 The third yard was opened by John 
 Graham on the corner of North Main and 
 Fulton Streets. This yard finally sup(M-- 
 seded the Brackney and Borland yards, 
 and was operated for many years. 
 
 The next to embark in the business was 
 David Walker, wlio ojkmkmI a yard on 
 
 ]\liHhn Street near the corner of what is 
 now Cliestnut. This was one of the larg- 
 est enterprises in the town. Mifflin Street 
 at that time was a twenty-foot alley which 
 ended at the brick yard, and in order to 
 get an outlet for his yard, Mr. Walker 
 opened out Mifflin Street to its present 
 width as far as Main Street, at his per- 
 sonal expense. Mr. Walker was succeeded 
 in the business in 1817 by his brother, 
 Nathaniel AValker, who conducted it for 
 many years. The Walker brick yards 
 were considered the most extensive opera- 
 tions of the kind in the county. 
 
 After the establishment of the Walker 
 yards, Franklin Fisher operated a brick 
 yard on West Cunningham Street, and in 
 later years on West Penn Street, the lat- 
 ter yard being in operation about 1880. 
 
 J. George Stamm began the manufac- 
 ture of brick in 1881 on the site of the old 
 Borland yard at the corner of Pillow 
 Street and Fairground Avenue, which he 
 continued down until 1902, when he dis- 
 posed of his property to the Standard 
 Steel Car Company. Stamm 's yard cov- 
 ered seven, and three-quarter acres of 
 ground, and his factory had a capacity of 
 .■]0,000 l)ricks per day. Natural gas foi' 
 burning purposes was used in this yard 
 for the first lime in the coimty. 
 
 The brick yard's of ShuU & Badger on 
 the south side of the creek were estab- 
 lished aliout 1902. These yards were es- 
 tablished Ity Reed Brothers, and were sub- 
 sequently sold to the present owners. The 
 concern furnishes employment to about 
 thirty men the year round, and is one of 
 the substantial industries of the town. 
 
 The Bnfler Brick and Tile Company was 
 organized in 1896 as a limited partnership 
 and established a plant at the Transfer on 
 the P)esseiner Railroad. The capital of 
 the company was $11,000, which was after- 
 ward increased to $15,000. The concern 
 employs twenty men" and has a capacity 
 of about f(Mir million brick |)er year. Thi' 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 437 
 
 iiiauager and treasurer of the eonipany is 
 George E. Howard. 
 
 George Miller ran a cabinet-maker's 
 shop and furniture factor}' on the site of 
 the building now occupied by the Pure 
 ]\rilk Company on South McKean Street, 
 which was an extensive enterprise for its 
 day. Steam power was used and a large 
 number of men employed. Mr. Miller 
 eame to Butler ahout 1826 and soon after 
 established the business that for almost 
 half a century was one of the leading in- 
 dustries of the town. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS EXTERPKISES. 
 
 The manufacture of plows furnished 
 emploj'ment for a number of shops previ- 
 ous to the civil war. William Balph man- 
 ufactured wagons and plows at a shop on 
 East A\'ayne Street and Gabriel Closer 
 manufactured i3lows and farm implements 
 on West North Street. Wooden beams 
 and plow handles were worked out by 
 hand at these shops and the local foun- 
 dries furnished the metal parts. 
 
 Sebastian's cooper shop located on the 
 site of Dillon's meat market and Philip 
 Lilian's shop on South Washington Street 
 furnished the barrels and kegs for the en- 
 tire county, while Henry Wagner's pottery 
 on North Street supplied the dairymen 
 with crocks and the rest of the community 
 with earthenware. The site of this old pot- 
 tery was recently purchased by the bor- 
 ough for a public building. 
 
 The first white lead factory in Butler 
 was established some time prior to 1840, 
 by Campbell E. Purviance. This factory 
 stood on the bank of the Connociuenessing 
 Creek at the foot of AVest Diamond Street. 
 Mr. Purviance afterwards became asso- 
 ciated with his uncle William Purviance 
 in the manufacture of gun powder in Con- 
 noquenessing Township. The powder fac- 
 tory was located on what is now known as 
 tlie Reiber farm on Powder-mill Run, and 
 was considered an important .industry of 
 
 its time. The owners carried on the in- 
 dustry for a nimiber of years when an 
 explosion demolished the plant and it was 
 never rebuilt. 
 
 The Davis White Lcud M'orks were es- 
 tablished, in Butler in 1899 through the 
 influence of the local Board of Trade. The 
 officers and princi]ml stockholders of the 
 company were Pittsburg capitalists, and 
 one- fourth of the stock was held by Butler 
 ])eople. The plant was known as the 
 Davis White Lead Works, and consisted 
 of a feui'-story bi'ick building on Fair- 
 ground Avenue, besides a number of 
 smaller buildings used as power house, 
 wave room, and other purposes. The com- 
 pany employed from fifty to one hundred 
 men until 1906, when the concern was 
 taken over by the AVhite Lead Trust, and 
 the plant closed. 
 
 The American Minor Works on the 
 Southside is one of the growing industries 
 of the town, and at the present time em- 
 ploys from fifteen to twenty people. The 
 plant was established in 1896 by John B. 
 Snell, who is the present manager. 
 
 A large distillery was built on the site 
 of the bottle works in the seventies, and 
 during its existence it was one of the most 
 extensive distilleries in western Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 One of the first breweries established in 
 the town was erected by Andrew ^filler 
 on what is now known as the ]\[cClymonds 
 l)roperty on Morton Avenue, and east of 
 the South Cemetery. The building used 
 was a log affair, and one of the induce- 
 ments for establishing the plant at that 
 point was the existence of an excellent 
 spring of water. Subsequently Mr. Miller 
 erected a brewery in the rear of the build- 
 ings on South Main Street now owned by 
 his heirs, and conducted the business here 
 at that point for a long time. Part of 
 this old brewery is still in existence, but 
 the plant has not been operated for more 
 than a quarter of a century. 
 
438 
 
 HISTORY OF EUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 AiK.thci- l.ivwciy that was wd! known to 
 the oldci- ifsi(lciit> of till' town was (it-oruc 
 Knii^lit's cstahlislinicnt on \h\cr Street, on 
 the banks of the C'onuoqueuessiug Creek. 
 This brewery was established about the 
 same time that the Miller brewery was 
 erected south of the creek, and was oper- 
 ated for many years. The plant was 
 closed down aliout 1880. and the buildings 
 have long since been torn down and the 
 plant dismantled. 
 
 The Butler Bieni)ig Coiupauy was in- 
 corporated in May, 1902, by H. W, Kline, 
 David Smith, Frank Peffer, George Mc- 
 Lean and L. A. Thompson. The present 
 plant was erected on Negley Avenue near 
 the Bessemer Railroad the same year at 
 a cost of about $50,000.00. The company 
 which was composed of Pittsburg and 
 Tarentum cajDitalists who operated the 
 plant until 1905 as an independent con- 
 cern, but in the latter year it was taken 
 over by the Trust. The plant employs 
 from forty to fifty men and is still in 
 operation. 
 
 McDowell & Co. Lainidr/j. The pioneer 
 in the steam laundry business in Butler 
 is W. J. McDowell, who came here from 
 Mercer County and established the busi- 
 ness on Center Avenue in 1891. The com- 
 pany is a limited partnership of which 
 W. J. McDowell and Rev. J. Q. A. :SU-- 
 Dowell are the ]nincipal owners. In 1896 
 the ]3lant was moved into the present 
 quarters adjoining the Evans Manufactur- 
 ing Company on South McKean. Street, 
 and since that time has been enlarged un- 
 til it is now one of the best equipped 
 laundries in the country. The company 
 has a large local patronage, and also has 
 an extensive business in the surrounding 
 towns. The present su]ierintendent is 
 W. J. McDowell. 
 
 The Butler Steam Lauiulnj was incor- 
 porated in 1899 by N. C. 'McCoUough, 
 A. M. Christley, E'. E. Bell, and otheTs. 
 and the business was commenced on West 
 Cunningham Street in the building for- 
 
 merly occupied by George C. Roessiug's 
 wagon and carriage shops. In 1906 the 
 company erected the present brick build- 
 ing on West Cunningham Street which is 
 equipped with modern machinery and em- 
 ploys about twenty people. The superin- 
 tendent and manager of the laundry since 
 its beginning is George Ketterer. 
 
 The Lyndora Land and Improvemeiit 
 Company was incorporated May 26, 1902, 
 with a capital of $200,000. Its" officers at 
 that time were J. M. Hansen, president; 
 A. R. Frasier, vice-president and treas- 
 urer; and A. S. Valentine, secretary. The 
 company purchased the John McElroy 
 farm just outside the borough of Butler 
 and laid out the town of Lyndora. During 
 the summer of 1902, two hundred separate 
 dwelling houses were erected in LjTidora, 
 and eleven blocks of tenements were 
 erected on Pierce Avenue for the use of 
 the employes of the works. Subsequently 
 the tenements were increased to twenty- 
 two, having one hundred and thirty-two 
 dwellings. The individual dwelling houses 
 at Lyndora erected by the company are 
 each sujiplied with natural gas, hot and 
 cold water, and bath, and are rented to 
 the emi)loyes of the works at a nominal 
 figure. The class of houses erected by the 
 company for their employes is the best to 
 be found in the United States. The town 
 of LjTidora has thii-ty two Inisiness houses, 
 a number of brick business blocks, a bank, 
 two hotels, two churches, and is in every 
 way a flourishing suburb town. The town 
 is not incorporated, although it has the 
 population reqiiired for a city of the third 
 
 clas 
 
 PIONEER MERCHANTS 
 
 The pioneer merchant of the town was 
 .John Potts, who established a store on the 
 southeast corner of Main and Cunningham 
 Streets, in 1804, and continued the busi- 
 ness imtil his death in 1838. This store 
 building occupied the present site of the 
 Odd Fellows Temple. 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 439 
 
 Maurice and John Bredin kept a store 
 on the south side of the Diamond about 
 1820. Subsequently Maurice Bredin con- 
 ducted the business in the Imilding now 
 occupied by the Park Hotel on tlie north 
 side of the Diamond. 
 
 David Dougal, who was tlie pioneer sur- 
 veyor of the county, conduct cd a small 
 store for many years on the noi tlicast cor- 
 ner of the Diamond, on the site of Txiyd's 
 drug store. 
 
 The public square appears to have been 
 the center of business during the tirst fifty 
 years of the town's existence. William 
 Purviance and Samuel Hill conducted a 
 store on the south side of the Diamond. 
 Adam Punk, who appears to have been an 
 early hotel keeper, also had a store. Wal- 
 ter Lowrie conducted a store at the west 
 end of the square. He was succeeded by 
 John Sullivan in 1827, who carried on the 
 business until 1831, when Clark McPhei'riu 
 succeeded him. 
 
 Robert and James Cunningham canic on 
 the scene about 1832, and conducted a store 
 at the corner now occupied In- the I hitler 
 County National Bank. 
 
 John and Peter Duffy commenced busi- 
 ness on the Diamond as early as 1823. 
 John Dutfy retired in 1840, when he be- 
 came associate judge of the county. The 
 store was carried on by his brother, Peter 
 Duffy, until 1863, when he was succeeded 
 by his son Charles, who is still a prominent 
 merchant of the town. Subsequent to 18(53 
 the business was removed to the present 
 location on North Main Street. The Duffy 
 store is the oldest mercantile etsablishmeut 
 in the town. 
 
 Oliver David opened a store on the Dia- 
 mond about 1828, and subsequently re- 
 moved it to South Main Street neai- the 
 corner of Jefferson. It was continued in 
 succession through the terms of David & 
 Lane, David & Campbell and others, when 
 it ceased. 
 
 Daniel Coll was another old-time store 
 kee]ier who was in l)usiness on the corner 
 
 of Cunningham and Main Streets as early 
 as 1830. William Haggerty was an early 
 merchant on Main Street, as were also 
 Harry Mitchell and Parker & Donley. The 
 location of the latter store was on the 
 present site of Stein's dry-goods store. 
 James Frazier and Jonathan Plummer 
 conducted a general store opposite the 
 Hotel Dowry at an early date. 
 
 The present firm of J. G. & W. Campbell, 
 dealers in hardware, dates back to 1835, 
 when William Campbell, Esq., engaged in 
 general merchandise, taking into partner- 
 ship with him his sons James Gilmore and 
 William, under the firm name of William 
 Campbell & Sons. The father retired at 
 the end of ten years, leaving the sons in 
 control of the business. They continued as 
 J. G. & W. Campbell for a number of years, 
 when they changed the general character 
 of the business, in 1877, to farm imple- 
 ments and hardware. About 1882 oil well 
 sui^plies wore added, but this branch of 
 tlic business lias since been discontinued. 
 .lames (iiliiiorc Campbell died in 1885, and 
 his brother William in 1893. Subsequently 
 the business was conducted by William 
 Campbell, Jr., and John S. Campbell, sons 
 of William Campbell, Sr., under the old 
 firm name. William Campbell, Jr., died in 
 1906. The store is still carried on rmder 
 the firm name of J. G. & W. Campbell, the 
 manager being John S. Campbell. 
 
 James Campbell, who married a daugh- 
 ter of Oliver David, was one of the old 
 time merchants of the town. He became 
 the partner of Oliver David in the mer- 
 cantile business, and when the latter re- 
 tired the firm was changed to Campbell & 
 Yetter. Mr. Campbell finally retired from 
 the firm and went to Allegheny City, where 
 he engaged in business for a number of 
 years. Subsequently he returned to But- 
 ler and died here. 
 
 The hatting business was regarded as 
 very iinportant in pioneer days. Paul 
 Bratton was the pioneer in this business, 
 who set up a shop in Butler Township, just 
 
440 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 south of the town. John Gilchrist and 
 Robert Gilchrist were engaged in the busi- 
 ness on Main Street in 1820. Isaac Col- 
 bert began the manufacture of hats in But- 
 ler Township in 1835, and the following 
 year moved into the borough. He carried 
 on the business until his death in 1872, and 
 since that time the business has been car- 
 ried on by his son, Harvey Colbert, who 
 now conducts a hat store on South Main 
 Street. 
 
 John Berg, Sr., was one of the early 
 merchants of the town, coming here in 
 1835. He was engaged in the mei'cantile 
 business for years at the corner of Main 
 and Cunningham Streets, and in 1872 he 
 engaged in the hardware business with 
 George A. Cyj^her as a partner, in the 
 Berg block on South Main Street. He con- 
 tinued this business until his death in 1884. 
 He was also the founder of the banking 
 iiouse of John Berg & Company, which 
 in later years was conducted by John 
 Berg' Jr., and is now conducted by Henry 
 and Louis Berg. 
 
 Herman J. Berg, a brother of John Berg, 
 Sr., was engaged in the mercantile busi- 
 ness with his brother for a number of 
 years, and in later years was identified 
 with a number of manufacturing and mer- 
 cantile interests of the town. 
 
 Thomas Stehle was an early merchant 
 and gunsmith, who conducted a business 
 on South Main Street, in the building now 
 occupied by his daughter, Mrs. William 
 Aland. He came to Butler in 1832 and 
 continued in business imtil his death. 
 
 The dry goods store of Louis Stein's 
 Sons on North Main Street was established 
 by Louis Stein and Bernard Roessing in 
 1840. The firm of Roessing & Stein car- 
 ried on a general store for more than thirty 
 years, when Mr. Roessing retired and the 
 business was continued by Mr. Stein. Sub- 
 sequently he took into partnership his son, 
 AV. A. Stein, and after the death of the 
 father in July, 1894, the business was con- 
 
 tinued by Wm. A., Louis B., and Albert C. 
 Stein, as Louis Stein's Sons. 
 
 Anthony Rockenstein came to the town 
 in 1841 and opened a merchant tailoring 
 establishment. The tailors prior to him 
 were John Welsh, James Glenn, Mark Mc- 
 Candless and David A. Agnew. 
 
 Another successful merchant of this pe- 
 riod was William S. Boyd, afterwards the 
 founder of Springdale. He first began 
 business as a druggist on the Diamond, but 
 early in the forties he' established a dry 
 goods store at the corner of Main and 
 Jefferson Streets. 
 
 Joseph McQuistion was one of the pio- 
 neer shoemakers, and in 1840 a shoe-shop 
 was opened on Jefferson Street by Philip 
 Bickel and Adam Schenck. 
 
 The jewelry store now conducted by 
 Harry Grieb on North Main Street was 
 first opened by Francis X. Grieb in 1849. 
 Three years later he purchased the prop- 
 erty on North Main Street now owned by 
 his heirs, and established the first jewelry 
 store in the borough. He continued in 
 business until his death in 1865, and since 
 that time the store has been conducted l)y 
 his son Harry. 
 
 J. J. Sedwick was the pioneer harness 
 maker of the town and one of the early 
 postmasters. He was followed in this line 
 of business by William Criswell and Major 
 George W. Reed, who were among the 
 prominent citizens of the town during the 
 middle period of the century. 
 
 MODERN BUSINESS HOUSES. 
 
 Among the modern merchant houses, 
 there are only a few existing today that 
 date back to the pioneer days of the town. 
 These have been enumerated under the 
 caption of pioneer merchants. In 1804 
 there was but one merchant on Main 
 Street north of the court house, and the 
 number of business houses located on the 
 pulilic square might have been counted on 
 tlie fingers of one hand until as late as 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 441 
 
 1820. The mercantile appraisers' list for 
 1908 credits the borough of Butler with 
 232 mercantile houses, including hotels, ex- 
 clusive of the town of Lyndora. In the 
 latter town there are thirty-nine such 
 houses, making the total for the district 
 271. Among the oldest houses on Main 
 Street are the dry goods establishment of 
 Charles Duffy, Louis Stein's Sons, J. G. 
 & -W. Campbell's hardware store, and 
 Harry Grieb's jewelry store. These stores 
 were all established previous to 1850. 
 
 The firm of A. Troutman's Sons, dry 
 goods merchants, was established by Adam 
 Troutman in 1861 at the corner of Main 
 and Mifflin Streets. About 1876 Mr. Trout- 
 man took his son, J. Henry, in as a part- 
 ner, and the business was continued under 
 the firm name of A. Troutman & Sou. In 
 1890 the business was removed to the 
 Troutman block at the corner of Main and 
 Cunningham Streets, which hed been com- 
 pleted that year. Adam Troutman retired 
 in 1897, and the business has since been 
 conducted under the firm name of A. Trout- 
 man 's Sons, the partners being J. Henry 
 Troutman, Wm. J. Troutman, and Geo. A. 
 Troutman. 
 
 Alf. M. Reiber established a dry goods 
 business in 1888, in a room in the Reiber 
 block, now occupied by Dothett & Gra- 
 ham's clothing store. Subsequently he re- 
 moved to the present location, No. 205 
 South Main Street, where he carries on a 
 large business. 
 
 The pioneer shoe merchant of the town 
 was John Bickel, who first started in the 
 shoe manufacturing business about 1872. 
 Subsequently he engaged in the boot and 
 shoe business at the corner of Main and 
 Mifflin Streets, with Al. Ruff as a partner. 
 The busines was carried on here for a 
 number of years, when the partnership 
 was dissolved, and Mr. Bickel established 
 a store in an old building on the site of 
 the present Bickel block on South Main 
 Street, which was erected in 1897. 
 
 Al. Rutf engaged in the boot and shoe 
 
 business with John Bickel as a partner at 
 the old corner of Main and Mifflin Streets, 
 and when the partnership was dissolved, 
 he established a store at the present lo- 
 cation on South Main Street. The store 
 has been enlarged until it now extends 
 from Main Street to Jackson Street in the 
 rear. Philip Ruff was taken into the store 
 as a partner in 1898, and the business is 
 now conducted under the firm name of 
 A. Rutf & Son. In addition to carrying a 
 large line of goods for the retail trade, the 
 firm does a wholesale business in rubber 
 and felt goods. 
 
 The shoe house of B. C. Huselton is also 
 one of the pioneers in that line of trade, 
 and was one of the first established after 
 the merchants of Butler began to change 
 from the general store to the special line. 
 Other firms that have been established 
 since 1890 are C. E. Miller, Ketterer Bros., 
 and Walker & Young. 
 
 Campbell's furniture house was estab- 
 lished in Butler about 1892 by A. A. Camp- 
 bell and C. A. Templeton, who removed 
 their store from Brady's Bend and located 
 first in the old Troutman building on North 
 Main Street. Subsequently the Campbell 
 block was built on South Main Street, and 
 the business removed there. C. A. Temple- 
 ton retired from the firm in 1899, and the 
 business has since l:)eon coiiducted l)y A. 
 A. Campbell. The estahlishmi'iit occupies 
 three floors of the building and basement, 
 and is one of the largest furniture houses 
 in this part of the country. 
 
 George Ketterer first began the furni- 
 ture business in rooms at the corner of 
 Main and Mifflin Streets in the early part 
 of the eighties. He conducted a repair 
 shop in connection with the business, and 
 in 1887 he erected the business block on 
 South Main Street which is now occupied 
 by him and by Ketterer Bros.' shoe store. 
 
 In 1908 the principal merchants in the 
 dry goods trade were Charles Duffy, Louis 
 Stein's Sons, Mrs. J. E. Zimmerman, 
 AVliitekettle & Morgan, Mrs. Lizzie M. 
 
442 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Young, A. Troutman's Sons, Alf. M. Rei- 
 ber, Joseph Colin, and Eisler & Mardorf. 
 
 The furniture dealers were George Ket- 
 terer, A. A. Campbell, Patterson Bros., 
 and Snaman Bros. 
 
 The druggists were Reddick & Grohman, 
 Louis A. Jamison, R. A. Reed, the Crystal 
 Pharmacy, Wuller's Pharmacy, Bell's 
 Pharmacy, S. G. Purvis, Boyd's Phar- 
 macy, Dixon's Pharmacy, the Southside 
 Pharmacy, the West End Pharmacy, and 
 Robert Girrard on East Jefferson Street. 
 
 The jewelry houses were represented by 
 Harry Grieb, D. L. Cleeland, Ralston & 
 Smith, Carl Leighner, and R. L. Kirkpat- 
 rick, G. F. T. Rape. 
 
 The boot and shoe trade were repre- 
 sented by B. C. Huselton, A. Ruff & Son, 
 Walker & Young, John Bickel's Sons, C. 
 E. Miller, and Ketterer Bros. 
 
 The hardware dealers were Joseph Rook- 
 enstein, Niggel Bros., L. G. Moore, Koch 
 Bros., J. G. & AV. Campbell, Henry Biehl, 
 and Joseph Rockenstein. 
 
 The clotliiim' luuiscs were rcprest'iitcd liv 
 Doullictt cV- (;i-nl:;uii, (iivcii X' Wnwj;. Wili 
 iam Kcckciisli.in, Leon Scliloss, the Ideal 
 Clothing Parlors, Schaul & Levy, J. S. 
 Wick & Son, J. G. Runkle, Harry V. Kidd, 
 Harvey Colbert, and Samuel Cohn. 
 
 The general stores are conducted by C. 
 A. Templeton & Company in the Stein 
 Block on South Main Street, DeArme in 
 the Cypher Block. 
 
 The principal grocery and provision 
 houses, are conducted by G. Wilson Miller 
 and A. A. Marshall on East Jefferson 
 Street, W. A. Kamerer in the West End, 
 W. A. Kirkpatrick, J. G. Moore, C. Koch 
 & Sons, and Ed. Graham on North Main 
 Street, A. & H. Reiber, W. A. Fisher, W. 
 W. Miller, Henry Miller & Son on South 
 Main Street, Harper Bros, and J. C. Hocli 
 on Center Ave., C. A. Ellenberger and 
 Barnhart & Geyser on Second Street, Bor- 
 land & Wigtoii on Carbon Street, C. C. 
 Shira and R. G. Ferguson on T^ocust 
 Street, Quigley & Myers, New Castle 
 
 Street; Raisley & Whiteside, New Castle 
 Street; J. H. Robb, W. Jefferson St.; N. 
 M. Heinzer, Zeigler Ave.; C. Hinchberger 
 on Franklin St.; R. Parkin, Center Ave.; 
 W. F. Limberg, W. Penn St. 
 
 The harness and buggy business is rep- 
 resented by Joseph Rockenstein, B. E. 
 Roesing, Martincourt & Daugherty, J. G. 
 & W. Campbell, and Kemper. 
 
 The wholesale business is represented 
 by the Atlantic Refining Company, the 
 Oil Well Supply Company, the Leedom & 
 Worrall Grocery Company, the Lloyd Con- 
 fectionery Company, B. F. Shannon, flour 
 and feed; George Walter's Sons, feed and 
 builder's supplies; H. J. Klingler & Com- 
 l)any, flour and feed; the Cudahy Packing 
 Company, and Goehring & Richards, prod- 
 uce house. 
 
 The Leedom & Worrall Company, 
 wholesale grocers, was organized in 1904, 
 and chartered on February 24th, 1905. The 
 company purchased a lot at the corner of 
 Center Avenue and the Baltimore & Ohio 
 Railroad, and erected a four-story brick 
 ItTiilding, which it now nccupics. The presi- 
 dent and principal stncklHilder of the com- 
 pany is Nelson Moore, the secretary is P. 
 W. Leedom, and the treasurer and man- 
 ager is George Worrall. A large amount 
 of Butler capital is invested in this enter- 
 prise, which is taking a leading rank 
 among the wholesale houses of Western 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 The Lyndora Building and Loan Asso- 
 ciation was chartered September 10, 1907, 
 and has its office at Lyndora. The sub- 
 scribers to the charter are residents of the 
 town of Lyndora and Butler, and the asso- 
 ciation has done a jarosperous business, 
 notwithstanding the fact that it was con- 
 fronted with a panic the first year of its 
 existence. The subscribers to the charter 
 are Jos. Criswell, B. Wendel, John Buccos, 
 P. J. Chroust and H. A. Kitchen. 
 
 THE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY. 
 
 The Butler Co-operative Association 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 443 
 
 was orgauized in the latter part of liX)?. 
 and began bnsinesis on the 1st of .lamuny. 
 1908. Articles of association were filed at 
 that time showing a capital of .$1(),()()(I.IH) 
 and 122 subscribers. The directors were 
 C. R'. Watson, president, D. H. Lardin, 
 secretary and treasurer, Charles N. Rush, 
 G. F. Ptiester and L. A. Garfield. The 
 association purchased the store of A. F. 
 Eisler & Companj' on the corner of Jelfer- 
 son and IMcKean Streets, and engaged in 
 the grocery and provision business. The 
 association met with success from the 
 start, and is now contemplating the en- 
 largement of the business by establishing 
 a boot and slioe department, as well as 
 furnishings and dry goods as soon as a 
 desirable location can be secured. 
 
 BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCLXTIONS. 
 
 The Building and Loan Aasoviatioii of 
 Butler, organized March 4, 1876, and in- 
 corporated March 31, 1876, received bids 
 as high as forty per cent, for loans. When 
 the panic of that period was over, the asso- 
 ciation began buying stock, and continued 
 this policy until November, 1881, when 
 some dissatisfied stockholders applied to 
 the attorney general to have the legal 
 status of the institution defined. The 
 stated number of shares at the beginning 
 was 2,500, valued at $200 each. The firs't 
 officers were G. C. Roessing, president ; G. 
 Etzel, vice-president; J. S. Campbell, sec- 
 retary; Louis Roessing, treasurer, and 
 John M. Miller, solicitor. The directory 
 comprised H. C. Heineman, J. M. Miller. 
 Jacob Ziegler, Jacob Boos, Dr. Stephen 
 Bredin, Casper Rockenstein, Joseph L. 
 Purvis and William Ensminger. The effect 
 of the petition of 1881 was simply to hasten 
 the dissolution of the association. 
 
 The People's Building and Loan Asso- 
 <iation was organized April 6, 1886, with G. 
 Wilson Miller, president; Chas. M. Heine- 
 man, secretary ; Joseph S. Gray, treasurer, 
 and Williams & Mitchell, solicitors. The 
 directors were Charles Rehbun, A. Park 
 
 McKee, S. D. Purvis, Dr. (J. M. Zinimer- 
 nian, Jacob Boos, J\'ter Scheuck and Frank 
 Shepherd. 
 
 The Enn ka lliiililiiig and Loan dissocia- 
 tion was incorporated in May, 1886, with 
 W. G. Hays, Jacob Ziegler, Dr. George M. 
 Zimmerman, A. Frank, J. W. Ziegler and 
 R. C. McCurdy, directors. 
 
 TIic }L:c]ia)iies' Building and Loan Asso- 
 eiution was organized in February, 1889, 
 when 1,000 shares were subscribed. The 
 officers were Dr. Samuel GrahauK ])resi- 
 dent; 0. M. Russell, vice-president; C. A. 
 Abrams, secretary, and L. W. Zuver, treas- 
 urer. David E. Dale succeeded Dr. Gra- 
 ham as president in 1892, and J. N. Moore 
 succeeded 'Mr. Al)rams as secretary in 
 1893, when the last named was eleQted 
 treasurer. 
 
 Chautau([\ia Xafioiial Building and Loau 
 Association was organized October 25, 
 1893, with D. Carmondy, president; G. M. 
 Zimmerman, secretary - treasurer ; John 
 West, Jose]>li Xi-gel and J. W. McDowell, 
 appraisers, who formed the board of di- 
 rectors, with William Keeselman, Jr., Will- 
 iam Harless, Josei:)h Low and J. F. Jewell. 
 W. C. Findley was chosen solicitor. 
 
 INSURANCE COMPANIES. 
 
 Butler Countg Mutual Insurance Com- 
 pany was organized September 5, 1853, 
 with Samuel A. Purviance, president; 
 John T. Bard, S. M. Lane, J. T. McJunkin, 
 J. G. Campbell, Francis McBride, Emil 
 Maurhoff, William Haslett, A. N. Meylert, 
 Herman J. Berg, Ebenezer McJunkin, An- 
 drew Cams and John M. Sullivan, mana- 
 gers ; Ebenezer McJunkin, secretary ; An- 
 drew Cams, treasurer, and Emil Maurhoff. 
 general agent. The company ceased worlc 
 prior to 1859. 
 
 The Bxitler County Mutual Fire Insur- 
 ance Company was incorporated by the 
 legislature in April, 1859. In May, Saml. 
 G. Purvis was elected president; I. J. 
 Cummings, treasurer; Edwin Lyon, secre- 
 tary; William Campbell, E. IMcJunkin, Dr. 
 
444 
 
 HISTOBY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 W. R. Dowden, James Campbell, Abraham 
 Ziegler, Jacob Walter, E. Kingsbury, E. 
 Maurlioff, W. S. Boyd, and John Murrin, 
 directors. Henry C. Heineman was elected 
 secretary in 1860, and has held the posi- 
 tion down to the present time. After the 
 death of Saml. Gr. Purvis, Geo. C. Eoessing 
 was elected president, and served until his 
 death, when Jas. Stephenson was elected 
 to fill the vacancy. 
 
 The Farmers' and Breeders' Mutucd 
 Live Stock Insurance Association was or- 
 ganized in 1883, with A. D. Weir, of Buf- 
 falo township, president; Thomas Hays, 
 of Fairview, vice-president; R. D. Steph- 
 enson, of Butler, treasurer; Dr. J. E. 
 Byers, of Butler, secretary ; James Steph- 
 enson, of Bonny Brook; James S. Hays, 
 of Butler; Jno. A. Clark, of Prospect; 
 Isaac Lefevre, of Saxonburg, and Barthol- 
 omew Nebel, of Herman, unofficial mem- 
 bers. This association dissolved within 
 six or seven years without loss to stock- 
 holders, although a large sum of money 
 was paid out for injury to cattle. 
 
 The Citizens' Building and Loan Asso- 
 ciation of Butler was organized with G. 
 Wilson Miller, president; L. S. McJunkin, 
 vice-president, and C. M. Heineman, sec- 
 retary. The directory was comprised of 
 J. D. Jackson, S. D. Purvis, Frank Shep- 
 herd, L. F. Ganter, Jacob Boos, and Peter 
 Schenck. Ira McJunkin was treasurer, 
 and Williams & Mitchell, solicitors. Each 
 series of stock was composed of not less 
 than^one thousand shares of a par value of 
 $100 each. Since the organization the as- 
 sociation has matured twelve series of 
 stock, and has five series now running. The 
 present officers are G. W. Miller, presi- 
 dent; T. M. Baker, secretary, and the fol- 
 lowing trustees: L. S. McJunkin, L. R. 
 McAboy, Ed. Weigand, George Oesterling, 
 Leonard Schenk, E. S. Critchlow, and Al'f. 
 M. Reiber. 
 
 The Workingmen's Building and Loan 
 Association was organized in Februaiy, 
 1892, and is the successor to the Work- 
 
 ing-men's Equitable Association, which was 
 first organized about 1888. The first of- 
 ficers of the Working-men's Association 
 were F. M. Renno, president; Jacob Keck, 
 secretary; Joseph Rockenstein, treasurer; 
 and A. T. Black, solicitor. This associa- 
 tion has matured fifteen series of stock, 
 and has five series running at tlie present 
 time. It is the custom to start a new series 
 and mature a series each year. With the 
 exception of the president and the solicitor, 
 the officers are the same as in 1892. The 
 present board of directors consists of 
 Philip Krause, president; Jacob Keck, sec- 
 retary; Joseph Rockenstein, treasurer; N. 
 J. Criley, Henry Miller, J. C. Burkhalter, 
 George Miller, F. W. Koch, B. Kemper, 
 Harry Grieb, G. E. Sherman, and Philip 
 Wisener. T. H. C. Keck is the solicitor. 
 
 FIKE DEPARTMENT. 
 
 The pioneers of the borough considered 
 protection from fire as one of their first 
 duties, and as early as February 19, 1825, 
 the town council considered plans for fire 
 protection. At this time John Potts, Jacob 
 Mechling, Maurice Bredin, William Beatty, 
 Abraham Maxwell, and William Haggerty 
 were appointed a committee to solicit sub- 
 scriptions for buying a fire apparatus. At 
 the same meeting John Gilmore, John 
 Bredin, and Robert Scott were appointed 
 a committee to draft a constitution for a 
 fire company. The preliminary arrange- 
 ments having been completed, a fire en- 
 gine was bought from the Alleghenv Fire 
 Company in 1827, for $400.00, and the fol- 
 lowing year the council appropriated 
 money to build a house for the engine. 
 This was the beginning of the fire system 
 in Butler. Previous to that time the only 
 -fire protection the citizens had was the 
 bucket brigade and such water supply as 
 could be obtained from the wells and town 
 pumps. 
 
 The old engine did service until worn 
 out, and in 1842 a small hand-engine was 
 in use for a short time. This was followed 
 
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 445 
 
 by a period of almost thirty years tliat the 
 town had to depend on the old bucket bri- 
 gade in case of fire. In 1870 the matter 
 of fire protection was again taken up by 
 council, and Henry C. Heineman and Jo- 
 seph J. Elliott were instructed to purchase 
 a truck of the Hook and Ladder Couipanv 
 for $400.00. Of this sum $300.00 was ap- 
 propriated by the council, and tlie balance 
 was raised by subscription. This hook 
 and ladder truck answered the purpose of 
 the times until after the establishmeut of 
 the city water works in 1878. He-ury C. 
 Heineman, who may be said to be the 
 father of the Butler fire dei)artment, was 
 ever alive to the importance of having a 
 good service and never relaxed his efforts 
 imtil the Volunteer Fire Department was 
 organized and placed on an effective work- 
 ing basis. 
 
 The First Ward Hone Coiiipauij. The 
 first regular organization was made Au- 
 gust 31, 1878, when the First Ward Hose 
 Company was organized with thirty-three 
 members. They chose the following offi- 
 cers : Henry C. Heineman, i)resident ; 
 Jacob Roos, vice-president; A. T. Black, 
 secretary, and C. W. Coulter, treasurer. 
 The company is quartered in the Odd Fel- 
 lows' Temple on East Cunningham Street, 
 where it has handsome rooms fitted u]). 
 The present membership is forty-eight, 
 and the following are the officers : Presi- 
 dent, J. W. Bayer; vice-president, W. H. 
 Ensminger; secretary, H. A. Worth; treas- 
 urer, the Gfuaranty Safe Deposit t^- Trust 
 Company; foreman, W. J. Heineman; as- 
 sistant, Geo. N. Burlihalter; trustees, John 
 Bauer, Leonard Milheim, C. N. Watson, P. 
 E. Cronenwett, C. E. Cronenwett, and C. 
 II. Douglass. 
 
 Tlie First Ward Burmiiu) Team was or- 
 ganized in 1893, and participated in the 
 ten years of its existence in more races 
 than any other team in the history of the 
 sport. It has the record of having won 
 seven thousand dollars of money, twenty- 
 three state, district and world's champion- 
 
 ships, and altogether having to its credit 
 sixty-six firsts and seconds in seventy-two 
 starts. 
 
 The team won the Pennsvlvania State 
 championship in 1894-95-96-i900-X901 ; the 
 Western Pennsylvania championship in 
 1896-97-98-1900-1901-2 ; the Northwestern 
 Pennsylvania chami)ionshi]i in 1895-97-99; 
 the Northeastern Ohio championship in 
 1895 ; the Central Pennsylvania champion- 
 shii) in 1900; the Pan-American Hook and 
 Ladder championship in 1901 ; the Penn- 
 svlvania Hook and Ladder championship 
 in 1900-1901-2; the Western Pennsyl- 
 vania Hook and Ladder championship in 
 1900-1901-2. 
 
 The best time made by the team for 250 
 yai'ds distance was thirty-two seconds, and 
 for the 200 yard distance, twenty-six sec- 
 onds. 
 
 Good Will Ease Compani/. — The second 
 company to be organized was the Good 
 Will Hose Company in October, 1878. Its 
 first officers were Philip Bauer, president; 
 James B. Mitchell, vice-president; Geo. J. 
 Reiber, secretary; G. Wilson Miller, as- 
 sistant secretary; John Irwin, foreman; 
 James Moffit, assistant foreman; and W. 
 A. Stein, treasurer. The present member- 
 ship of the company is fifty-eight, and its 
 officers are W. J. Rattigan, president; 
 August Collins, vice-]>resident; Eai'nest 
 Faber, secretary and treasurer; J. W. 
 TTeckert, assistant secretary; Theo. Smith, 
 foreman ; John Ijefevre, assistant fore- 
 man; S. M. Hildebrand, John Dickey and 
 Ij. S. jMeJunkin, trustees. The company is 
 quartered in a rented biiilding on East 
 .Tefferson Street. 
 
 Camphetl Hose Conipain/. — When the 
 fire department was first organized, the 
 town was divided into the first and sei^ond 
 wards, Jefferson Sti'eet being the dividing- 
 line. The two original hose companies 
 were named for their respective wards. In 
 1888, a redivision of the town was made 
 into five wards, placing both of the old 
 companies in the second ward. A new 
 
44G 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 company was organized in the fifth ward 
 November 1, 1888, and named in honor of 
 John S. Campbell, who was one of its pro- 
 moters. Among the charter members were 
 John S. Campbell, David E. Dale, Wesley 
 P. Eoessing, J. A. Bonner, George Reiber, 
 William Kennedy, Ralph Gregg, W. M. 
 Starr, George W. Zeigler, Edward Mc- 
 Shane, Angiist Miller, Joseph Northrup, 
 Harry Gregg and William Bassitt. The 
 company was first quartered in the Kirk- 
 pat rick building on North Main Street, but 
 subseqiiently removed to the Younkins 
 building on West North street. The pres- 
 ent membership is fifty-nine, and the offi- 
 cers are F. N. Cooper, president; Edward 
 Archer, vice-president; L. H. Clouse, sec- 
 retaiy; John Allison, assistant secretary; 
 A. M. Aiken, treasurer; M. M. Dobsou, 
 foreman ; N. S. Snow, first assistant ; John 
 Braey, second assistant foreman; Tliomas 
 McGuirk, Joseph Keeling and R. B. Alli- 
 son, trustees. 
 
 The Southside Hose Company was or- 
 ganized in 1903 by merging the old Spring- 
 dale Hose Company and the Markham 
 Hook and Ladder Company. The fomner 
 was organized June 11, 1888, and the lat- 
 ter in 1889. The new company has a mem- 
 bership of thirtv-eight, and its otficers are 
 E. T. Burns, president; F. E. Stewart, 
 vice-president; F. R. Zeigler, secretary; 
 James Shaffer, treasui'er; Paul Lehere, 
 foreman; James Dunn, assistant foreman; 
 Roy Campbell, Harry DeHaven and C. IT. 
 Skillman, ti'ustees. 
 
 The Rescue Hook and Ladder Conipau)/. 
 — In 1893 David Sypher effected the or- 
 ganization of a Hopk and Ladder Com- 
 pany in the west end of town, and the new 
 organization was named the Sypher Hook 
 and Ladder Company. Subsequently the 
 name of the company was changed to the 
 Rescue Hook and Ladder Company, as it 
 was supplied with a hose-cart as well as 
 the hook and ladder truck. 
 
 Commencing in 1896 the company did 
 some racing, winning the Hook and T^ad- 
 
 der championship at Johnstown that year, 
 at Beaver Falls the j'ear following and at 
 McKees Rocks in 1898. In the latter year 
 the company won the Hose Race at Mc- 
 Kees Rocks, and at Scotdale in 1899 the 
 team won the Hook and Ladder race, tlie 
 Service race and the Hose race. In 1900 
 the team won second money in a number 
 of hook and ladder contests, as well as 
 hose races. The present membership of 
 the company is thirty-one. The officers are 
 I. A. Weter, president; G. 0. Sclienk, vice- 
 president; Jas. A. McDowell, secretarv; 
 T. E. Sullivan, treasurer; C. G. Ihlenfeld, 
 foreman; Frank Grayson, assistant fore- 
 man ; Will Sullivan, second assistant and 
 0. A. Dershimer, G. O. Schenk and T. 
 Heberliug, trustees. The company has 
 quarters on Mercer Street which are hand- 
 somely fitted up. . 
 
 The East End Hose Company is the 
 youngest of the fire-fighting companies in 
 the town, and the only one to own its own 
 building. The company was organized 
 December 12, 1898, and subsequently 
 erected a frame building at the corner of 
 Second and Brady Streets, which is used 
 as a storage house for the apparatus, and 
 club rooms for the company. The mem- 
 bership of the company is forty-seven, and 
 the following are the officers : E. S. Critch- 
 low, president; Thomas Craig, vice-pi'esi- 
 dent; Lewis Cmnberland, secretary; Ed. 
 E. Starr, assistant secretary; Daniel 
 Younkins, treasurer; George Williams, 
 foreman; L. A. Goeppner, first assistant; 
 and L. S. Hoon, Sr., second assistant fore- 
 man; George Williams, C. Biehl, and W. 
 J. Eiiry, trmstees. 
 
 Firemen 's Relief Assuciafiun. — Among 
 the organizations of the Butler Fire De- 
 partment is the Firemen's Relief Associa- 
 tion, which pays benefits to firemen who 
 are injured while on duty. The associa- 
 tion derives its revenue from a tax im- 
 posed on foreign insurance companies 
 doing business in Pennsylvania. Butler 
 firemen have been extremelj' fortunate. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 447 
 
 and the expenditures of the organization 
 in the ten years of its existence have been 
 extremely light. As a result there is at 
 the present time over $5,000 in the 
 treasury with which to meet the future de- 
 mands of the organization. The present 
 officers are M. H. Reiber, president; W. J. 
 Heineman, vice-president; and C. H. 
 Douglass, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 When the fire department was organized 
 in 1878, A. L. Reiber was elected chief, and 
 continued to hold that position until 1900, 
 when he retired, and Jacob C. Burkhaltev, 
 the present chief, was elected. Chief Burk- 
 halter is a charter member of the Good 
 Will Hose Company, and has been a mem- 
 ber of the volunteer fire department since 
 its organization. J. A. Walter, a member 
 of the First Ward Company, was assistant 
 chief for a number of years, but this office 
 was abolished in 1907. The fire police is 
 composed of three members from each 
 company under command of J. W. Zeigler. 
 
 Paid Department. — The first steps 
 toward a paid fire department were taken 
 in January, 1909, when the city council 
 purchased two hose and chemical wagons, 
 and two teams of horses for the use of the 
 department, and set about its re-organiza- 
 tion. One of the i^aid companies is located 
 on Lookout Avenue, Southside, and the 
 other on West North Street, on the prop- 
 erty recently purchased bv the city for a 
 City Building. 
 
 FUNERAL DIRECTORS. 
 
 The early funeral directors and under- 
 takers' business was associated with that 
 of cabinet-maker. One of the pioneers to 
 engage in the business was George Miller, 
 who manufactured furniture and cofi&ns on 
 South McKean Street, and performed the 
 duties of funeral director whenever his 
 services were required. 
 
 George Roessing engaged in the busi- 
 ness on West Jefferson Street about 1847, 
 and subseqiiently conducted an undertak- 
 ing business at his carriage and wagon - 
 
 making shop on West Cunningham Street 
 until about 1888. The business was then 
 removed to West Jefferson Street, and 
 subsequently to the present location on 
 North Main Street. For many years the 
 firm was known as George Roessing & 
 Son, the junior member of the firm being 
 Wesley P. Roessing. After the death of 
 the father, the son continued the business 
 as W. P. Roessing, and at the present time 
 he has associated with him his son, Fred 
 Roessing. 
 
 The undertaking business now con- 
 ducted by M. A. Berkimer was established 
 in 1893 by Berkimer & Taylor. They first 
 had rooms in the Cratty Building, two 
 doors south of the present location, where 
 they continued for two years, when Mr. 
 Taylor retired, and Mr. Berkimer became 
 the sole owner. He has an up-to-date es- 
 tablishment, and in addition to his under- 
 taking business conducts a livery at the 
 rear of the Y. M. C. A. Building. 
 
 The firm of Amy & Eyth began the un- 
 dertaking business in the old postofifice 
 building on South Main Street in 1904. 
 Frank Eyth retired from the firm in May, 
 1905, and the business has since been con- 
 ducted by George W. Amy. In the spring 
 of 1908 the business was removed to North 
 Main Street, the present location. 
 
 JUSTICES OF THE PE.\CE. 
 
 The first justice of the peace in the town 
 was Samuel Cunningham, the pioneer. The 
 records show that in 1808 he united Wal- 
 ter Lowrie and Miss Amelia McPherrin in 
 marriage. In 1809 Mr. Lowrie was ap- 
 pointed justice. After him came Abraham 
 Brinker, Reuben Ayres, Hugh McKee, 
 John Duffy, John Sweeney and Patrick 
 Kelley, Jr. These justices were all ap- 
 pointed by the respective governors pre- 
 vious to the adoption of the Constitution 
 of 1839, after which the office became 
 elective. From 1840 to 1908 the following 
 have served: Patrick Kellev, 1840; Rob- 
 ert Carnahan, 1841-45-50-55; Samuel C. 
 
448 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Stewart, 1841; Samuel G. Purvis, 1845-5U- 
 55-60-65 ; James Glenn, 1846-51 ; George C. 
 Roessing, 1856-61; James MoNair, 1865; 
 William S. Ziegler, 1866; Jacob Keck, 
 1869-1908, inclusive; Robert McClure, 
 1869; John G. Muntz, 1871-76; John B. 
 Butler, 1875; Henrv Pillow, 1878-79; 
 Lewis P. Walker, 1881-86; John B. Black, 
 1881; Samuel P. Irvine, 1882; John W. 
 Brown, 1885; J. P. McQuistion, 1886; R. 
 C. McAhoy, 1888-91; Cvrus E. Anderson, 
 1891-96-1901; R. B. Gilchrist, 1896; Reu- 
 ben McElvaine, 1901 ; R. C. McAboy, 1903 
 (appointed) ; James Maxwell, 1904; H. W. 
 Christie, 1904; J. H. Sutton, 1907 (ap- 
 pointed) ; Wm. F. Lvtle, 1907; F. H. Daw. 
 1908. 
 
 The Butler County Humane Society, a 
 branch of the Federated Humane Society 
 of Pennsylvania, was chartered by the 
 Courts of Butler County, December 10, 
 1897, with one hundred and forty-three 
 charter members. The purpose of the so- 
 ciety is to protect animals, children and 
 aged people from abusive treatment, and 
 enforce such laws as have been enacted by 
 the State covering the sul),iect. For a num- 
 ber of years the local society was sup- 
 ported by the subscriptions of the mem- 
 bers, but within the last two years the fines 
 enforced have been sufficient to pay the 
 running expenses of the local branch. The 
 local society has representatives in all of 
 the townships and boroughs of the county, 
 and is governed by a board composed of 
 the following: .L. B. Stein, Al. Ruff, C. E. 
 Cronenwett, Lewis P. Walker and E. E. 
 Abrams. C. G. Christie is president of the 
 board, E. E. Abrams, secretary, and John 
 H. Sutton, agent. During the past year 
 the society has investigated sixtj' cases of 
 cruelty to animals, and tried twenty cases 
 in the court, and in the past eighteen 
 months they have prosecuted three cases 
 of cruelty to children. The society is rep- 
 resented on the State Board by C. G. 
 Christie. 
 
 The Butler Public Library is keijt up by 
 
 an organization of public spirited ladies of 
 the town, of which Mrs. H. C. Phillips is 
 president; Mrs. .J. D. Lowrie, vice-presi- 
 dent; Miss Grace Prugh, secretary; and 
 the Butler Savings & Trust Company, 
 treasurer. The association occupied a 
 rented building at 226 North Main street 
 for a number of years where the library 
 was kept open every afternoon and even- 
 ing, and a public reading room was main- 
 tained in connection with the library. In 
 the fall of 190S tlic association moved the 
 quarters to the old -diool hiiihhii.n' on Kast 
 Jefferson Street. Aliss Clam I'.. .Me.lun- 
 kin is the librarian. 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 First. Presbyterian Church of Butler is 
 the oldest congregation in the city. The 
 records of the church, however, post-date 
 its organization twenty years and the set- 
 tlement of Presbyterians here by at least 
 thirty-three years. A few years before 
 the close of the eighteenth century, there 
 were found among the settlers a few indi- 
 viduals who, though ridiculed by the 
 world, maintained the domestic and social 
 worship of God and were members of the 
 Presbyterian church, though not yet regu- 
 larly organized as a congregation. It is 
 thought that Rev. Mr. Gwinn was the first 
 minister of the go.spel who preached to 
 them, in the fall of 1797. Rev. Mr. Moore- 
 head preached here in 1798, and he was 
 followed by Revs. Samuel Tait, William 
 Wylie, and others. These men preached 
 during the season of the "Bodily Exer- 
 cise," which prevailed throughout the 
 countrv, and to some extent in this place, 
 particrilarly in 1803 and 1804. The gospel 
 was now preached, for the most part, at 
 Thorn's tent and Russell's tent — the 
 former within the bounds of Butler con- 
 gregation, near the house where William 
 Kearns resided (in 1837), and the latter 
 was within the bounds of the Concord con- 
 gregation. 
 
 The church of Harmony was organized 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 449 
 
 in 1805, with sixteen members, l)y Rev. 
 John McPherrin. 
 
 On April 7, 1813, Rev. John MePherrin 
 was installed pastor of the elmrohes of 
 Butler and Concord by the Presbytery of 
 Erie. He began preaching in the court 
 house at Butler, to the newly organized 
 church of this borough, devoting three- 
 fourths of his time to it and giving one- 
 fourth to the church at Concord. In 1815, 
 a stone meeting-house was erected, on the 
 site of the present building, and in it the 
 pioneer preacher held regular services un- 
 til his death, February 10, 1822. 
 
 In the fall of 1814 the movement to erect 
 a house of worship was inaugurated, and 
 the contract was awarded to John Neyman 
 for $1,500. Rev. John Coulter was or- 
 dained and installed pastor of the united 
 churclies of Butler, Concord and ]\luddy 
 Creek September 10, 1823, — giving one- 
 half his time to Butler. In the spring of 
 1833, he resigned the Butler charge, and in 
 July of tliat year Rev. Loyal Young com- 
 niciiccil preaching at Butler, and was or- 
 (lairuMl pastor, December 4, 1833. He found 
 on the list the names of 105 members. 
 
 In 1833, the suggestion of a new building 
 was carried out, and $3,200 expended on a 
 house fit to accommodate the large congre- 
 gation. 
 
 A constitution was adopted June 30, 
 1823, and on the 8th of January, 1824, the 
 congregation was incorporated. A second 
 charter was obtained in 1854, which is now 
 the law of the church. In December, 1834, 
 resolutions against the theatrical meet- 
 ings, then being held at Butler, were 
 adopted, and the elders exercised the 
 closest supervision over the members of 
 the congregation, calling on many of them 
 to confess and reform. In 1836, the ques- 
 tion of betting on elections was presented, 
 and one member was suspended because he 
 ifoiihl, "under similar circumstances bet 
 ngain." In December, 1858, Elders Boyd, 
 l\lartin and Graham were appointed a 
 committee to secure a lot fur a cliurch 
 
 building, south or southeast of Butler, for 
 the accommodation of members living dis- 
 tant from the town in the direction indi- 
 cated. In January, 1859, the committee of 
 elders reported that an acre of land was 
 secured form Joseph Robinson for twenty 
 dollars, the location ))eing five miles south- 
 east, on the Saxonburg Road, and that 
 funds of building- to the amount of $350 
 were on hand. The years 1862 and 1863 
 are noted for the erection of a new church 
 Ijuilding. 
 
 April 28, 1868, Mr. Young's relation 
 with the church was dissolved: During his 
 ministry nearly 450 persons united with 
 the church and several revivals of marked 
 interest occurred. Witherspoon Institute 
 owed its existence to him more than any 
 other man. The work of calling the con- 
 veution which brought the school into ex- 
 istence, of preparing the charter, of rais- 
 ing money and of starting the school, de- 
 volved principally upon him, and he was 
 its principal for a considerable period. 
 
 In May, 1868, Rev. W. I. Brugh was 
 stated supply. He was installed pastor 
 November 2, 1869. and resigned in April, 
 1871. On January 23, 1872, Rev. C. H. Mc- 
 Clellan was installed pastor. 
 
 Rev. W. T. Wylie was installed pastor 
 in June, 1879. He resigned December 25, 
 1881. In June, 1882, Rev. W. E. Oiler was 
 elected pastor; in December, W. D. Bran- 
 don was chosen superintendent, and Jo- 
 seph S. Gray assistant, of the Sabbath 
 school. 
 
 The present church is simply an exten- 
 sion of that erected in 1862-63, the work 
 lieing accomplished in 1874-5. With the 
 exception of the court house, and Jeffer- 
 son Street school building and high school, 
 this church building occupies the fuiest site 
 within the borough limits. The extension 
 was completed in 1880 at an expenditure 
 of about $16,000. With the exception of 
 reseating, the addition of a gallery, and 
 some repair work, the building has re- 
 mained the same. A new pipe organ was 
 
450 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 installed in 1899 at an expense of about 
 $2,500. 
 
 In 1897 one hundred and sixty-two mem- 
 bers of the congregation were dismissed 
 by letter to form the Second Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler. The membership of the 
 old congregation iu 1908 was 601. John F. 
 Anderson was superintendent of the Sun- 
 day school, George B. AVick, director of 
 music, W. D. Brandon, teacher of the 
 young men's bible class, and A. T. Scott, 
 teacher of the Sullivan Men's Bible class. 
 This class is one of the interesting fea- 
 tures of the church, and was organized un- 
 der the instruction of Col. John M. Sulli- 
 van, February 5, 1888. Col. Sullivan con- 
 tinued as teacher of the class until his 
 death July 26, 1896, the membership at 
 that time being about fifty. After the 
 death of Col. Sullivan, A. T. Scott, Esq., a 
 member of the Butler Bar, was chosen 
 teacher, a position which he still holds. 
 After the organization of the Second Pres- 
 byterian Church, the class was divided, but 
 it still retains a large membership. The 
 branch of the class in the Second Church 
 is instructed by D. D. Quigley. 
 
 The trustees in 1908 were W. C. Thomp- 
 son, A. D. Sarver, Frank Mitchell, H. H. 
 Boyd, E. I. Brugh, and E. E. Abrams. The 
 elders were W. D. Brandon, John C. Red- 
 dick, C. N. Boyd, John F. Anderson, Rob- 
 ert M. Anderson and P. W. Lowry. The 
 death of Elder William Campbell, Jr., and 
 Elder James Stevenson was noted during 
 1907. 
 
 St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church 
 is one of the oldest church organizations 
 in Butler, dating from 1813, in which year 
 and subsequently Rev. Jacob Schnee made 
 missionary visits, baptizing a large mmi- 
 ber of German residents. Early in Novem- 
 ber, 1821, Bishop J. C. G. Schweitzerbarth, 
 a scholarly divine hailing from Stuttgart, 
 Germany, took charge of the interests of 
 Lutheranism in this place. When he came 
 here he found but six members. June 3, 
 1821, he first administered communion to 
 
 the congregation, having the day previous 
 confirmed his first class of catechumens 
 and effected a preliminary organization. 
 The officials chosen were Jacob Mechling, 
 John McCollough and John Henshew. Ten 
 years later steps were taken to draft a 
 permanent constitution, to secure a char- 
 ter, and build a church; and in 1841 the 
 council was constituted a corporate and 
 body politic by the title, "The Ministers, 
 Trustees, Elders and Deacons of the Ger- 
 man Evangelical Lutheran Congregations 
 of St. Marcus Church in Butler." 
 
 The new church, a brick structure forty 
 by sixty with an annex of twenty-two feet, 
 and a belfry, was dedicated September 26, 
 1841. 
 
 The cost of the building, about $4,000, 
 entailed some financial hardships on the 
 members, but by a strong and united effort 
 they succeeded in meeting the most press- 
 ing obligations. Prosperity again re- 
 turned in 1847, a small organ was bought, 
 and soon after a burial ground was pur- 
 chased. 
 
 The congregation originally had among 
 its numbers a sprinkling of American 
 born people. Some of these, together with 
 others, were, through Rev. G. Bassler, or- 
 ganized into an English Lutheran congre- 
 gation on the 16th of January, 1843, and 
 for a few years they held service in the 
 German church. This drew off the 
 English element, and in consequence St. 
 Mark's congregation remained purely 
 German. Bishop Schweitzerbarth 's pas- 
 toral relation with the congregation con- 
 tinned till April, 1849, a period of nearly 
 twenty-eight years. 
 
 On the 8th of April that year Rev. Will- 
 iam A. Fetter became the first resident 
 pastor. He remained till the summer of 
 1863, when he removed to Millerstown. 
 The congregation was supplied by Rev. J. 
 N. Wolf, and others, till January, 1864, 
 when Rev. G. F. H. Meiser was secured as 
 pastor. During the time of his service a 
 comfortable parsonage on Wayne Street 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 451 
 
 was secured, aud a large pipe organ for tlie 
 cliurcli purchased. Rev. Meiser resigned 
 and was succeeded in January, 18(i!l, bv 
 Rev. C. H. W. Luebkert. He retired iia 
 1876, liis successor being Rev. E. Cronen- 
 wett, who has remained as pastor to the 
 present time. 
 
 The corner stone of a new clnnch editice 
 was laid August 15, 1878, in a new location 
 on the corner of Washington and Jelfer- 
 sou Streets, and the dedication of the new 
 building took place September 7. lS7i». Tlie 
 cost of the entire property, site, structure, 
 sheds, fencing, pavements, etc., was about 
 $18,000. 
 
 During the past sixty years St. .Mark's 
 congregation, in addition to the usual loss 
 of members by death and removals, has 
 sutTered several extensive drains througli 
 branch organization of its membersliip. 
 Out of it grew in some measure the 
 English Lutheran Church of Butler, or- 
 ganized in 1843. The next was an eifort to 
 form an Evangelical Churcli in Butler 
 which turned out German Reformed, and 
 then became extinct about 1870, and in 
 1876 the German Lutheran Church of 
 Summit Township was organized about 
 four miles east of Butler. The so-called 
 "White Church" four miles west of But- 
 ler, was another branch organized about 
 1890, but has since become extinct, tlie 
 members uniting with the church in But- 
 ler. The territory of the congregation 
 still extends in its extreme limits from five 
 to seven miles in all directions from But- 
 ler. In January, 1909, the number of com- 
 mimicant members was 700. The young 
 people and three-fourths of tlie adult 
 membership are English, though services 
 in the German language are still regularly 
 held on every alternate Sunday morning. 
 The Sunday-school has an enrollment of 
 185 scholars, and ten teachers. J. II. 
 Troutman is superintendent, and C. E. 
 Cronenwett and Frank E. Troutman, as- 
 sistant superintendents. Two women's so- 
 
 cieties are in active work in the congrega- 
 tion, the Senior and the Junior Ladies' 
 Missionary Societies.' 
 
 Rev. E. Cronenwett, D. D., pastor of this 
 congregation, entered on the thirty-third 
 year of his pastorate here in January, 
 1909, and is in the forty-sixth year of his 
 ministry. He is at the present tune the 
 senior resident pastor of Butler. 
 
 United Presbyterian Church. — This is 
 the second oldest church organization in 
 the borough of Butler. At a meeting of 
 the Associate Reformed Presbytery of the 
 Monongahela, held at "Yough fleeting 
 House," June 25, 1804, a petition was pre- 
 sented for "supplies of gospel ordi- 
 nances" from the congregation of "But- 
 lertown." So far as any records that are 
 extant show, this was the origin of the 
 present United Presbyterian congregation 
 of Butler. 
 
 The petitioners, though probably few in 
 number, must have pressed their petition 
 very earnestly, and the Presbytery must 
 have regarded Butler town as no unprom- 
 ising field, for the petition was promptly 
 granted and Rev. Joseph Kerr, a young- 
 man who had just been ordained, was ap- 
 pointed to supply on the first Sabbath of 
 August, 1804. 
 
 It is evident that the congregation of 
 Butler town was well pleased with the 
 young minister, for we find them three 
 weeks after hearing the first sermon 
 present at a meeting of Presbytery, either 
 by commissioners or petition, asking "for 
 supplies of jDreaching." Again in the fol- 
 lowing spring a similar application was 
 made by the congregation of "Butler 
 town. ' ' 
 
 Rev. Mungo Dick was appointed to 
 ]ireach in Butler on the second Sabbath of 
 July, 1805. September 3. 1805, the Pres- 
 liytery "received a petition from the con- 
 gregation of Butler town and Deer Creek 
 praying to be united and have as frequent 
 supplies of sermons as can be afforded," 
 
451 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLP]R COUNTY 
 
 which petition was gTanted. lu March, 
 1811, the Butler society presented a peti- 
 tion to the Presbyter}' "praying for tlie 
 dissoh;tion of their connection with Deer 
 Creek and the establishment of a connec- 
 tion witli Slippery Roclv." The Butler 
 congregation with its new partner at once 
 put forth an effort to obtain a pastoral 
 settlement, but, as on previous occasions, 
 met with disappointment. After various 
 unsuccessful attempts had been made to 
 secure a regular pastor, the prayers of this 
 people were answered, and on May 17, 
 1819, Eev. Isaiah Niblock, a young man 
 and a licentiate from the Presbytery of 
 Monaghan, Ireland, presented credentials, 
 on the credit of which he was received as 
 a probationer under the direction of Pres- 
 bytery. He gave satisfaction and was or- 
 dained and installed on the 17th of Novem- 
 ber, 1819, when for the tirst time the Asso- 
 ciate Reformed Presbytery met in Butler. 
 The first communion service was held in 
 the valley just south of the North ceme- 
 tery. It was the first service of the kind 
 conducted by the young minister, and the 
 first time the congregation of Butler was 
 permitted to receive the sacrament at the 
 hands of their own pastor. The occasion 
 was a memorable event. Rev. Niblock or- 
 ganized a Sunday school but the exact date 
 is unknown; but it was evidently the first 
 held in Butler, for while conducted by the 
 Associate Reformed congregation, mem- 
 bers of other denominations were among 
 its officers and tetichers. 
 
 For some years after the advent of ?.lv. 
 Niblock the congregation labored under 
 the disadvantage of having no church 
 building. For a time services were held in 
 the court house, but as other denomina- 
 tions met there, appointments often vou- 
 flicted. Arrangements were then made to 
 hold services in tlie ravine below the ceme- 
 tery, where the first conuuunion was held. 
 Hugh McKee obtained permission and the 
 congregation hauled logs and ])ut blocks 
 under them, and on these rough hewn ])t'ws 
 
 thev sat for hours listening to the word of 
 life. 
 
 In 182-t a deed was given l)y lioliert 
 Campbell and Jane his wife to John Potts 
 in trust for the Associate Reformed church 
 of Butler, for lot 138 on which the church 
 now stands. A brick meeting-house was 
 proposed and the contract let. When com- 
 pleted, it was an oblong square-cornered 
 brick building costing four or five thou- 
 sand dollars. "The old church," says Rev. 
 Mr. Niblock, "forms a distinct picture in 
 my mind. High upon the wall was the lit- 
 tle old-fashioned red box pulpit with its 
 closed doors. The pews were large with 
 doors to each ; and every seat was occupied 
 by one or more families. The gallery ran 
 around the three sides of the church and 
 was comfortably seated. The church was 
 generally filled with worshipers, and on 
 communion Sabbaths, which were always 
 high days, a large audience crowded the 
 building to over-flowing." 
 
 In addition to the onerous duties of the 
 pastorate, Mr. Niblock was appointed 
 county treasurer bj' the commissioners in 
 1826. At the close of the year we find pub- 
 lished a full report of his receipts and ex- 
 penditures amounting to $5,785.23. 
 
 After eighteen years of arduous service 
 Mr. Niblock was, at his own request, owing 
 to ill health, released from White Oak 
 Springs of his charge, October 23, 1835. 
 In 1839 additional seating accommoda- 
 tions were required, and pews were placed 
 in the gallery of the Butler church at a 
 cost of $153. In 1845 an arrangement was 
 entered iiito between the Butler and Union 
 congregations by which a portion of Mr. 
 Niblock 's time was given to them. This 
 arrangement continued until 1853, after 
 which this congregation became a separate 
 l)ast(>rnl charge. In 1849 the charter of 
 the congregation was amended l)y le- 
 ducing the number of trustees from nine 
 to three. Some time in 1851 a portion of 
 ground south of the borough, containing 
 one and a half acres or more, was given by 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 453 
 
 John MoQuistiou to the trustees in trust 
 for tlie congregation, to be used as a bury- 
 ing ground. 
 
 In 1858, the degree of (k)eti)r of divinity 
 was conferred on Rev. Nibkick by West- 
 minster College. x\t the opening of the 
 year 1864, Dr. Niblock, who had never 
 been a very strong man, began to show 
 signs of failing health, and on Wednesday 
 afternoon, June 29, 1864, he peacefully en- 
 tered iiild Iieavcnly rest. Greatly honored 
 and respected through life, his memory 
 will ever reiiiniu green in the hearts of 
 those who knew him. 
 
 The congregation remained without a 
 pastor for nearly two years, when Mr. 
 John Gailey, a licentiate under the care of 
 Monongahela Presbytery, was called. He 
 was ordained and installed April 24, 1866. 
 Soon after it was decided to enhirge the 
 building, and the work was completed dur- 
 ing the winter following at a cost of $5,800. 
 In 1871 an addition of twenty feet was 
 made to the east end of the church at a 
 cost of about $3,000. 
 
 Rev. Gailey was released at his own re- 
 (piest, December 26, 1871, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Rev. George McCormick, who 
 was ordained and installed October 22d, 
 following. He resigned to enter upon mis- 
 sionary work in the far west, and was re- 
 leased" April 22, 1873. A year later the 
 congregation secured the services of Rev. 
 R. G. Ferguson, who was installed Janu- 
 ary 18, 1875. On July 8, 1884, he was re- 
 leased to accept the presidency of West- 
 minster College. 
 
 Three weeks after the resignation of 
 Dr. Ferguson the congregation extended a 
 rail lo Rev. John S. McKee, D. D., of Mer- 
 • •ei-. He began his work here the first of 
 October, 1884, and continued until his 
 death, March 5, 1903. During his pastor- 
 ate of almost twenty years the congrega- 
 tion more than doubled in numbers, 
 erected a handsome new church edifice, 
 and had grown to be one of the strongest 
 churches in the denomination. At a meet- 
 
 ing of the congregation held in June, 1903, 
 a call was extended to Rev. A. R. Robin- 
 son, of Martins Ferry, which was accej^ted, 
 and he began his work the first of Septem- 
 ber that year. He was installed at the 
 regular meeting of Butler Presbytery, 
 which was held in October. Rev. Robin- 
 son continued as pastor until February 1, 
 1907, when he was released at his own re- 
 quest to accept a call from the Sixth 
 I'nited Presl)yteriau Church at Pittsburg. 
 The congregation was without a pastor for 
 a little over a year, when a call was ex- 
 tended to Rev. R. B. Miller, who was then 
 pastor of the United Presbyterian Church 
 at Beaver, Pennsylvania, which was ac- 
 cepted. He liegan his laliors here April 1, 
 1908. 
 
 As the church increased in strength 
 from year to year, the old house became 
 too small to accommodate the worshippers, 
 and in March, 1891, it was unanimously 
 voted to build a new church. A piece of 
 ground fronting fifteen feet on McKean 
 Street and extending one hundred feet 
 back, was purchased for $1,200, in order to 
 give more room. The plan as finally set- 
 tled on was for a stone and brick building 
 in the Romanesque style of architecture, 
 comprising an audience room sixty-nine by 
 seventv-six feet, with a lecture room forty- 
 nine by fifty-four feet. On July 9, 1891, 
 contracts were made for the constnxction 
 of a building to cost a little over $20,000. 
 Sunday, July 12, 1891, the last service was 
 held in the old building, and on the follow- 
 ing Monday the pewsi were removed to 
 Reiber's Hall, and on the 20th the work 
 of demolition was commenced and such 
 progress made that on August 12th the 
 corner-stone was formally laid. Decem- 
 ber 27, 1891, the lecture room was occupied 
 for the first time, the congregation having 
 worshipped twenty-three Sabbaths in 
 Reiber's Hall. The building was com- 
 pleted January 8, 1894, and on the 22d of 
 February of the same year it was dedi- 
 cated. It presents a fine ai)i)earance both 
 
454 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 externally and iuterually, the aooustios 
 are good, and the total seating capacity of 
 both rooms is about 1,200. The cost, in- 
 cluding fixtures, was $26,153.28. 
 
 In 1904 the congregation erected a par- 
 sonage on tlie lot east of the church on Jef- 
 ferson Street at a cost of about $5,000, ex- 
 clusive of the ground. The membership of 
 the congregation has increased from 231 
 on October 1, 1884, to 752 on January 31, 
 1909. The church has a well organized 
 Women's Missionary Society, Young 
 Women's Society, Christian Union and 
 Jimior Society, and an attendance of about 
 300 in the Sabbath school, of which Hon. 
 James M. Galbreath is superintendent, S. 
 B. Pollock assistant superintendent, and 
 Miss Emily M. Brittain, associate superin- 
 tendent. The members of the session in 
 1909 were Samuel D. Purvis, John T. Kel- 
 ley, W. B. Shrader, Thornley C. Johnson, 
 James M. Galbreath, and M. L. Arm- 
 strong. The trustees were William G. 
 Douthett, president, Raymond S. Corne- 
 lius, secretary, C. G. Christie, John G. Mc- 
 Farlin, Al. Ruff, Aaron Bieghley. Miss 
 Jean McKee is treasurer. 
 
 The Italian Mission, imder the care of 
 this church, was organized in the fall of 
 1906, with Rev. Michael Renzetti, as pas- 
 tor. The services are held in a reuted hall 
 on Elm Street, which is also used for the 
 purpose of holding night school during the 
 week. At the present time there are forty 
 members attending the mission. The Sab- 
 bath school has an enrollment of seventy. 
 and the night school an enrollment of 
 thirty. Rev. Renzetti is the superinten- 
 dent of the Sabbath school, Salvatora 
 Schallaubbi is secretary, and Frank Tre- 
 marko is treasurer. Miss Mary McKee is 
 the organist. 
 
 First Evangelical Lutheran Church. — 
 The first meeting of those favorable to the 
 organization of an English Lutheran 
 Church in Butler was held in the German 
 church of the same denomination then lo- 
 
 cated on South McKean Street, on the 16th 
 of January, 1843. Jacob Mechling served 
 as secretary of this meeting, and Rev. 
 Gottlieb Bassler was chosen treasurer. A 
 church constitution for the guidance of the 
 organization was adopted at this meeting, 
 and at a subsequent meeting the first 
 church council was elected. The constitu- 
 tion adopted by the society was signed by 
 forty-five individuals, twenty-two males 
 and twenty-three females. 
 
 Services appear to have been held in the 
 German Church or in the court house until 
 1848, when the question of building a 
 church was considered. An offer by Mich- 
 ael Emerick of a lot on West North Street 
 (now the site of Bethany Reformed 
 Church), was accepted, and the latter do- 
 nated the ground in fee simple to the con- 
 gregation. The building was begun in 1849 
 and completed and dedicated in Septem- 
 ber, 1850. This building served its pur- 
 pose for twenty-seven years, when nego- 
 tiations were entered into for the purchase 
 of the Witherspoon Institute property on 
 North Main Street, which occupied the site 
 of the present church.' The purchase of 
 this property was made early in 1876, and 
 the changes and improvements made at 
 that time, including the original cost of the 
 property, was about $7,700.00. 
 
 A charter was obtained for the associa- 
 tion in 1852 during the pastorate of Rev. 
 Bassler. 
 
 An event of historical importance to 
 English l^utherans in Western Pennsylva- 
 nia took place in Butler about a year after 
 the organization of the church. The 
 Pittsburg Synod was organized in 1844, 
 and it was in Butler that the preliminary 
 conference was held for the purpose of 
 making arrangements for the organization 
 of the Synod. A number of prominent 
 ministers of the denomination were pres- 
 ent. 
 
 After the Rev. Bassler the pastors suc- 
 ceeded as follows: Rev. A. IT. Waters. 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1855-1861; Rev. J. H. Fritz, until 1869; no 
 Ijastor for about ten mouths ; Rev. L. H. 
 Geshwind, 1870-1874; Rev. J. Q. Waters 
 was next called and began his work here. in 
 July, 1875, to August, 1884; Rev. D. L. 
 Roth, November, 1884, to October, 1888; 
 Rev. G. E. Titzel, November, 1888, to No- 
 vember, 1891; Rev. Enoch Smith, 1891. 
 until his death, May 23, 1894; Rev. D. L. 
 Roth second time, November 18, 1894. to 
 1898 ; Rev. S. M. Mouutz, called 1898, with 
 Rev. T. B. Roth, D. D., then president of 
 Thiel College, Greenville, as associate pas- 
 tor, until July, 1903 ; no pastor until March 
 6, 1904, when Rev. Robert D. Roeder, of 
 Norristown, who had previously accepted 
 a call, was regularly installed. He is the 
 present pastor. 
 
 The large increase in membership from 
 1885 to 1895 created the necessity of larger 
 and better quarters, and in 1897 the con- 
 gregation began the erection of the pres- 
 ent handsome stone church building which 
 was completed and dedicated the following- 
 year at a cost of about $25,000, exclusive 
 of the lot and the interior furnishings. 
 This building occupies the site of the old 
 Witherspoon Institute building at the cor- 
 ner of Main and Clay Streets, which was 
 one of the historical educational institu- 
 tions of the town. 
 
 An event of importance to the congrega- 
 tion took place on March 8, 1908, when a 
 new pipe organ which had been donated by 
 the children of Mr. and Mrs. Martin 
 Reiber, was dedicated at the morning ser- 
 vices, and in the evening a jubilee service 
 was held at which the church mortgage 
 was burned. These services were attended 
 by Rev. T. B. Roth, D. D., Rev. Warren 
 Roth, D. D., Rev. D. L. Roth, D. D.. and 
 Rev. H. K. Shanor. 
 
 The membership of the congregation in 
 January, 1909, was 350, and the following 
 composed the church council : William 
 Kesselman, A. E. Reiber, John R. Hen- 
 ninger, D. F. Reed, W. H. Hildebrand, J. 
 
 F. Kittleberger, H. G. Graham, George 
 Krug, Jr., and Louis G. Nicol. The society 
 has a well organized Sunday school, 
 with A. E. Reiber as superintendent, a 
 Women's Missionary Society, Junior Mis- 
 sionarj' Society, and the Luther League. 
 
 Grace Lutheran Church. — The Grace 
 Ijutheran congregation, a branch sanc- 
 tioned bv the General Synod, was organ- 
 ized here in 1890 by Rev. H. B. Winton. 
 The first meeting of the society was held 
 June 16, 1890, and the formal organization 
 took place in August of the same year, 
 when thirty-five charter iiicinl)crs were en- 
 rolled. Rev. Wintdu siiiiplicil tiie new con- 
 gregation until Octoboi-, 1S!)1, when Rev. 
 J. E. Maurer was installed pastor. He 
 was succeeded on February 1, 1893, by 
 Rev. Eli Miller, who continued as pastor 
 until August 6, 1901, when he resigned to 
 accept a call to St. Mark's Church, North- 
 side, Pittsburg. Rev. J. C. Nicholas, the 
 present pastor, was called November 1, 
 1901. 
 
 For the first few years after its organi- 
 zation the society held services in a rented 
 hall in the Reiber Building on South Main 
 Street. A charter was secured May 13, 
 1893, and the same year a lot was pur- 
 chased from H. J. Klinger on the corner of 
 Mifflin and Church Streets. A brick edi- 
 fice was erected which was completed in 
 the early part of 1905 at a cost of $5,350.00. 
 In 1904 a Sunday-school room was erected 
 at the north side of the building, and a 
 pipe organ installed, the services incident 
 to the rededication of the church taking 
 place on Se]iteml>cr 25th of that year. The 
 total value of Ihc church property in 1908 
 was about $20,0(10.00. The membership of 
 the society is 400, and in addition it has a 
 Woman's Missionary Society, Young 
 Women's Missionary Circle, Christian En- 
 deavor Society and Junior Society. E. A. 
 Whitekettle is superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school, and J. H. Murtland president 
 of the Christian Endeavor Societv. The 
 
45(; 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 official board hi 1908 was composed of El- 
 ders J. H. Reiber, W. M. Bellis, L. H. 
 Craig and D. W. Johns. The deacons were 
 Charles H. Barnhart, W. H. Ensminger, J. 
 B. Hutchison and W. J. Daugherty. 
 
 The Second Presbyterian Church, of 
 Butler, is the daughter of the First 
 Church, and had its inception at a meeting 
 of the session and board of trustees of the 
 First Presbyterian Church held on May 
 12, 1897, at which David L. Cleeland and 
 Dr. John E. Byers were authorized to se- 
 cure the services of a minister and provide 
 a place for holding worship for six mouths 
 with a view of determining the projjriety 
 of organizing a second Presbyterian church 
 in Butler. This committee secured the use 
 of the assembly rooms of the Y. M. C. A. 
 building and the first services were held 
 June 6th, 1897. The formal organization 
 was effected on the lltli of October, 1897, 
 by a committee of Butler Presbytery com- 
 posed of Rev. J. B. Coulter, D. D., chair- 
 man; Rev. Y- E. Oiler, D. D., Rev. I. D. 
 Decker, D. D., and Elder Elliott Robb, of 
 Prospect. One hundred and sixty-two per- 
 sons were received by letter from the First 
 Pi^esbyterian Church, of Butler, forty 
 from other churches and twenty-seven on 
 examination. Rev. I. D. Decker presided 
 at the meeting, and after the iireliuiinaries 
 had been arranged (illiciaiiv- dcclaicil the 
 church regularly organized as tlic Second 
 Presbytei-iau Church of Butler. 
 
 The new congregation was supplied un- 
 til October 27, 1897, when a call was ex- 
 tended to Rev. Edwin R. Worrell, of Wa- 
 verly, Kansas, which was accepted. Rev. 
 Worrell continiied as pastor until the be- 
 ginning of 1907, when he resigned to ac- 
 cept a position as field secretary in the 
 temperance work. In the ten years of his 
 pastorate here the congregation had al- 
 most doubled its membership, erected a 
 church building and was well equipped for 
 excellent work. Rev. Geo. C. Miller, a 
 graduate of the Western Theological Sem- 
 
 inary, at Allegheny, class of 1907, was 
 elected in April, 1907, and installed by a 
 committee of Butler Presbytery July 11th. 
 Under his pastorate the congregation has 
 experienced a steady growth and has an 
 effective working organization. 
 
 The death of Dr. John E. Byers, one of 
 the first elders, was recorded on Februarj" 
 8, 1904, on the minutes of the session. In 
 1908 the session was composed of Thos. B. 
 White, Robt. A. White, Thomas Hayes, C. 
 B. Conway, Dr. W. B. Clark, David L. 
 Cleland, J. E. Brandon, D. D. Quigley and 
 J. P. Whiteside. The deacons were J. C. 
 ]\IcXees, H. H. Hull, and Geo. D. Kamerer. 
 The ti'iistees w^ere P. H. Sechler, Ira Mc- 
 Junkiu, J. H. Starr, C. E. Mclntyre, T. B. 
 Young and D. H. Sutton. The superin- 
 tendents of the Sabbath school since its 
 organization have been David L. Cleeland, 
 Levi M. Wise, Robert A. White and Ira 
 McJunkin. The congregation had 561 
 moinl)('r8 iu 1908, a well organized Chris- 
 tian I'viidciivor Society, a Women's Mis- 
 siounry Society, Ladies' Aid Society, and 
 Young Women's Missionary Society. 
 
 Soon after the organization of the con- 
 gregation steps were taken towards secur- 
 ing a suitable house for worship. A lot 
 was purchased from the Graham heirs on 
 tlie Southeast corner of the Diamond for 
 which six thousand dollars was paid. T. 
 B. Young, Ira McJunkin and Thomas 
 Hayes were appointed a building commit- 
 tee and in 1902 the contract for the present 
 church was let to George Schenk, of But- 
 ler. The church was completed and dedi- 
 cated on October 7th, 1903 at a total cost 
 of $34,000.00. The building and lot repre- 
 sents an investment of $40,000.00. Subse- 
 quently a pipe organ was installed at a 
 cost of $2,500.00. The church is constructed 
 of native sandstone, medieval in style of 
 architecture, and modern in all of its ap-- 
 pointments. With the exception of 
 $2,500.00 subscribed by members of the 
 First Church, the entire expense has been 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 -t.)7 
 
 met by the Second Clmrch, and in 1908 the 
 indebtedness of the society had been re- 
 duced to $8,000.(30. 
 
 Rev. George C. Miller, pastor of the 
 Second Presbyterian Church of Butler, 
 was born April 1, 1878, near Punxsutaw- 
 ney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and 
 is tlie son of Eli F. Miller. He was edu- 
 cated in the common schools of the county 
 and at Indiana (Pa.) State Normal, and 
 subsequently taught school for three years. 
 Later he entered the Missouri Valley Col- 
 lege at Marshall, Missouri, and graduated 
 in the class of 1904. In the fall of 1904 he 
 entered the Western Theological Seminary 
 at Allegheny and was graduated in the 
 class of 1907. AVhile a student at the sem- 
 inary he was ordained in Allegheny Pres- 
 bytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 Church, September 10, 1905, and did sup- 
 ply work for New Salem Cumberland Pres- 
 byterian Church. He was moderator of 
 the Union Presbytery for one year during 
 this time. While a student of the third 
 year he supplied the Second Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler, and in April, 1907, was 
 elected pastor of that congregation to suc- 
 ceed Rev. Edwin R. Worrell. This call 
 was accepted, and he was installed by a 
 committee of Butler Presbytery July 11, 
 1907. At the annual meeting of Butler 
 Presbytery held in June, 1908, he was 
 elected moderator, which position he now 
 holds. Rev. Miller was married Septem- 
 ber 12, 1904, to Miss Alice Newton, of 
 Warrensburg, Missouri. They have one 
 daughter, Catherine Virginia. 
 
 St. Peter's Episcopal Clmrch. — The his- 
 tory of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal 
 Church of Butler dates back to some time 
 in 1818, when the Rev. Jackson Kemper 
 (afterwards Bishop) visited the locality as 
 agent for the "Societj'^ for the Advance- 
 ment of Christianity in Pennsylvania," 
 and held Episcopal services in the parlor 
 of the residence of Hon. John Gilmore. 
 After the services a nmnber of children 
 were baptized. There is no record of any 
 
 regular visitations ))y Episcopal ministers 
 imtil 1824, wlicu the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church of Butler was organized. The offi- 
 ciating minister at this time was Rev. Rob- 
 ert Ayres, and the membership consisted 
 of but a few families. The first meeting 
 held to take steps towards the erection of 
 a church building was in the court house. 
 The Right Rev. John H. Hopkins, then 
 rector of Trinity Church, Pittsburg, and 
 afterwards bishop of the Diocese of Ver- 
 mont, presided at this meeting. Judge 
 Bredin proposed and did donate the lot of 
 ground on East Jefferson Street on which 
 the building was afterwards erected, and 
 which is the site of the present edifice. One 
 thousand dollars was subscribed towards 
 the church building fund at this meeting, 
 and immediate steps were taken towards 
 the erection of the building. Prior to its 
 completion services were held by Rev. 
 Ayres in the Court House. 
 
 The first pastor of the new church was 
 Rev. M. P. Bonnell, who began his work in 
 1824 and continued until 1827. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Rev. Wm. G. Hilton, who re- 
 mained six years, and he was followed by 
 Rev. Thomas Crumpton, who se-rved about 
 six months. Rev. B. B. Killikelly came in 
 1833, and was succeeded in 1837 by Rev. 
 Wm. White, D. D., who continued as pastor 
 of the congregation for forty years. Rev. 
 White resigned in 1877, and was succeeded 
 by Rev. Daniel I. Edwards, who took 
 charge January 8, 1878. He resigned 
 April 13, 1880, and in December of that 
 vear Rev. Edmond Burke took charge as 
 rector and reniaiucd until Au-ust 8, 1882. 
 when he was succ,...<|,m1 1,v \Wx. S. H. S. 
 Gallaudet. He was sn.vccdcd in 1884 by 
 Rev. John London, and the latter in turn 
 on the 15th of September, 1892, by Rev. 
 Miles S. Hemenway. During the pastorate ■ 
 of Rev. Hemenway the new church build- 
 ing was begun and the congregation made 
 substantial progress. He resigned on 
 September 12, 1898, and was succeeilcd l)y 
 Rev. T. B. Barlow, who was called March 
 
458 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 26, 1899, and continued as pastor imtil 
 June 4, 1904, when he resigned. During 
 this pastorate the church edifice was com- 
 pleted and the new pipe organ installed, 
 the latter being the gift of Mr. Andrew 
 Carnegie. The present pastor, Rev. Mark 
 H. Milne, was called October 27, 1904, and 
 assumed the duties of his position shortly 
 after. 
 
 The present churcii is an imposing struc- 
 ture, costing about twentj'-five thousand 
 dollars, exclusive of the furnishing and the 
 lot. It stands on the site of the old church 
 on ground donated by Judge John Bredin. 
 The present membership of the congrega- 
 tion is 330 and the Sabbath school has an 
 enrollment of 130. 
 
 St. Peter's Catholic Cliarch.— The first 
 Catholic church in Butler was erected by 
 the English-speaking Catholics in 1822. It 
 was the old St. Peter's, was built of stone. 
 and stood upon the hill in the eastern part 
 of the borough, where the old Catholic 
 burial ground is now located. The build- 
 ing committee were John Duify, Norbert 
 Foltz, and William Hagerty, the last men- 
 tioned being also the contractor. Prior to 
 the construction of the church, Rev. 
 Charles Ferry came here in 1821, and or- 
 ganized the congregation. The first bishop 
 to visit the church was Francis Patrick 
 Kenrick, of Philadelphia, in 1834, when it 
 was dedicated. It was superseded by the 
 present derman church, which was erected 
 in 1849, on Franklin Street. On the occa- 
 sion of the laying of the corner-stone, Hon. 
 James Buchanan, who was on a visit to 
 Butler at the time as the guest of Hon. 
 William Beatty, was among the strangers 
 present. The church was dedicated Octo- 
 ber 14, 1849, by Right Rev. Bishop O'Con- 
 nor, of Pittsburg. The old stone chapel 
 was taken down in 1853, and the English- 
 speaking Catholics erected St. Paul's 
 church in 186fi. 
 
 As early as January 15, 1829, Mrs. 
 Sarah Collins deeded to the Right Rev. 
 Henrv Conwcll. D. !)., bishop of Pliiladel- 
 
 phia, in trust for the members of the old 
 St. Peter's Catholic Church, one acre and 
 seven perches, together with right of way 
 from this land to the Butler and Kittan- 
 ning turnpike. This deed was granted for 
 a valuable consideration and for the en- 
 couragement of the congregation in Butler 
 to the trustee named and his successors in 
 trust for St. Peter's Catholic Church. It 
 was a part of a tract called ' ' Newry. ' ' pat- 
 ented by the State, April 22, 1807, to Ste- 
 phen Lowrey and bequeathed by him, No- 
 vember 29, 1821, to his daughter, Mrs. 
 Sarah Collins. The only reservation in 
 the deed of 1829, was that which preserved 
 to her and to her heirs the right of bury- 
 ing, in the Collins tomb, deceased relatives 
 by blood or marriage. 
 
 Rev. Charles Ferry was pastor of St. 
 Peter's from 1821 to 1825; Rev. P. P. 
 O'Neil from 1826 to 1834. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Rev. P. Rafferty, who served 
 until 1837, then Revs. Gallagher and Jo- 
 seph Cody up to 1840. Rev. John Mitchell 
 followed and was pastor until 1846. After 
 him came Rev. Joseph Creedon, who 
 served as pastor until 1848. For several 
 years after this the Benedictine Fathers 
 had charge of the church and furnished 
 pastors from time to time. They were suc- 
 ceeded by the Carmelite Fathers, who re- 
 mained in control until the fall of 1880. 
 
 Rev. Jacob Rummelfanger became pas- 
 tor of St. Peter's Church in the fall of 
 1880, and served the congregation until his 
 death, in 1906. He was succeeded by Rev. 
 Leonard Stenger, the present pastor. Rev. 
 William Frome was appointed assistant in 
 1907. In 1889 the church was enlarged at 
 a cost of about $3,000.00, and in 1900 the 
 building was again rei^aired and remod- 
 eled at an expense of about $10,000.00. The 
 congregation now embraces about 1,500 
 souls, and has a flourishing Sunday-school 
 and a parochial school, which at the pres- 
 ent time employs eight teachers. The re- 
 cent growth of the congregation and the 
 parochial school necessitates additional 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 459 
 
 buildings, aud a uew school building is 
 contemplated in the near future. 
 
 St. Paul's Catholic Clinrcli. — The orig- 
 inal members of this church were among 
 the first Catholic settlers of the county, 
 and before the present church was built 
 worshiped in St. Peter's, which they in 
 BO small degree helped to erect. A strong 
 tide of German Catholic immigration to 
 this place set in, and in a few j^ears after, 
 the original members of St. Peter's found 
 themselves largely outnuml)ered by the 
 German element. It was not long before a 
 German priest was placed in charge of the 
 church, and ultimately it came about that 
 nearly all the sermons and instructions 
 were given in the German language. 
 
 Urged by this condition of things, the 
 Englisli-s]K'iikiiiii iiicinlters determined to 
 build a church i'uv tlieiuselves. The initia- 
 tive in this work was taken by Peter Duffy. 
 He not only contributed largely to the erec- 
 tion of the church, but gave the building of 
 it his personal supervision. The other 
 members likewise contributed according to 
 their means. The church was dedicated in 
 February, 1867, by Bishop Domenec of 
 Pittsburg, assisted by a large number of 
 diocesan clergy. The membership of St. 
 Paul's, although at first small, has been 
 gradually increasing. In the pastorate of 
 Rev. William Nolan, 1876-1891, St. Paul's 
 Catholic Parochial school was established, 
 and the new cemetery incorporalcd. 
 
 Father Nolan was succ led immedi- 
 ately after his death in bs:)l liy i!cv. Dan- 
 iel Walsh, who continued in that relation 
 until his death in December, 1903. Rev. L. 
 A. Carroll, who was assistant under 
 Father Walsh, had charge for a shoi't 
 time, when Rev. P. K. Collins became the 
 pastor. The assistant pastor in 1908 was 
 Rev. M. A. Leen. The old church, which 
 was a neat and attractive structure, occu- 
 pied a convenient position on McKean 
 Street opposite the High School building. 
 At a meeting of the congregation held on 
 the first of Jaimarv. 1909, \{ was decided 
 
 to erect a uew church, and a building com- 
 mittee was appointed. At the same meet- 
 ing it was announced that the congrega- 
 tion had purchased the Charles Dutfy 
 property immediatelv north of the ])arish 
 house for $40,000.00, and that this pur- 
 chase would give the congregation the ad- 
 ditional ground required on which to erect 
 a new building. One of the considerations 
 of the purchase was a donation of $5,000 
 made by Mr. Duffy for the building fund 
 for tlie churcli, and another was a credit of 
 $9,500 allowed to the church, which was a 
 bequest made by the late Peter Duffy, the 
 father of Charles Duffy, about forty-five 
 years ago, and which will be held in trust. 
 The old church and parish house were torn 
 down in the spring of 1909, and the erec- 
 tion of the new building commenced. The 
 new church when completed will cost ap- 
 proximately $10(1.000.00. The purchase of 
 the Duffy priipcrtN aud the erection of the 
 magnificent cditic^' at this time was made 
 possible by the legacy left to the church 
 by the late Mrs. Nancy Evans. This leg- 
 acy consisted of real estate in Butler and 
 monev in bank amounting to about $40,- 
 
 000. ■ 
 
 St. Paul 's parish is one of the wealthiest 
 in the Pittsburg Diocese; a" reasonable 
 value of its propertv in Butler would not 
 fall short of $250,000.00. x\.s it now stands, 
 the church has no indebtedness; it had 
 cash on hand amounting to $65,000.00, and 
 outstanding subscriptions amounting to 
 $10,000.00. Nearly two years will be re- 
 quired to complete the new church, and in 
 that time it is hoped to gather in a suffi- 
 cient amount of money to have the church 
 consecrated free of all incumbrances ex- 
 cept the Duff}^ mortgage. 
 
 In 1906 the congregation erected Parish 
 Hall on the school lot on Monroe Street at 
 a cost of about $9,000.00, which will be 
 used for holding services until the new 
 church building is completed. The mem- 
 bership of the congregation is now about 
 1,500, and it has several societies and a 
 
4()0 
 
 IITSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 prosperous Sunday-seliool working in har- 
 mony with the church. 
 
 Methodist Episcopal CJiurch. — As 
 nearly as can be ascertained the tirst soci- 
 ety or class of the Methodist church in 
 Butler was organized about 1825. In 1826, 
 Rev. John Chandler was appointed as 
 preacher in charge, at which time Rev. 
 William Swarzie appears to have been pre- 
 siding elder of the district. In 1827, Caleb 
 Brown, the class leader of the preceding 
 year, by the vote and recommendation of 
 the society, was licensed as an exhorter, 
 and in the fall of the same year was placed 
 in charge of Aleadville circuit as a supply, 
 in place of Rev. J. Leach, whose health had 
 failed. 
 
 From 1828 to 1830 the records are miss- 
 ing. But from the organization it was one 
 of the regular appointments of the Butler 
 cii'cuit up to August 9, 1851, when, by a 
 vote of the quarterly conference, it was set 
 off as a station, having sixty-two members. 
 It remained a station for only one year, 
 when it was again united Avith Butler cir- 
 cuit. 
 
 The first church building was a plain, 
 but substantial, brick edifice of one story, 
 erected, as nearly as can be ascertained, 
 about 1827,- in tlie soutlnvi'st i^art of the 
 town, on lot Number (i7. luurliased from 
 John Negley, Sr. Apiil 24, 1S41, the mem- 
 bership was reported at seventy-nine. The 
 society had its misfortimes as well as its 
 drawbacks. During the prevalence of a 
 terrible storm April 19, 1856, a consider- 
 able portion of the walls of the church was 
 blown down, and al>out $1,000 was required 
 to repair the damage. 
 
 In December, 1860, the Methodist Epis- 
 copal church of Butler was incorporated, 
 with George C. Roessing, Joshua J. Sed- 
 wick and others. From that time there 
 has been a gradual increase in member- 
 ship. 
 
 , In 1865 Butler circuit was composed of 
 four appointments, viz.: Butler, Browns- 
 dale, Petersville and the Temple, which 
 
 imposed much hard work on the jjastor in 
 charge. To reduce the labor, Butler ap- 
 pointment was set off as a circuit in the 
 spring of 1867, with Rev. J. D. Legget as 
 preacher in charge. On the fifth of No- 
 vember, 1868, the church decided to erect 
 a new house of worship, as the congrega- 
 tion had become too large for the old build- 
 ing. The present location, on the corner 
 of McKean and North streets, was j^ur- 
 chased April 1, 1873, for $3,500, and the 
 old church property was sold for $2,500. 
 The present brick church building was com- 
 pleted in the spring of 1874, at a cost of 
 $16,000, the furnishings costing $2,000. 
 Rev. E. J. Knox, the present pastor, as- 
 sumed charge in October, 1908. 
 
 The present church edifice was dedicated 
 October 4, 1894. It occupies the site of 
 the old brick structure on the corner of 
 North and McKean streets and was erected 
 at a cost of about $50,000, exclusive of the 
 lot. During the same year the society pur- 
 chased the old Nixon Hotel , property on 
 McKean Street adjoining the church prop- 
 erty, and erected the present parsonage at 
 a cost of about $6,000. Previous to the 
 building of the new church a pijie organ 
 was installed in the old church building at 
 a cost of about $3,000, and this was in- 
 stalled in the new edifice when it was com- 
 pleted. The present membership of the so- 
 ciety is 775, and it has a thoroughly 
 equij^ped organization. J. A. Gibson is su- 
 perintendent of the Svmday school, and 
 Elias Ritts, assistant superintendent. 
 
 The German Reformed Church. The 
 German Reformed Societj^ of Butler was 
 organized some time previous to 1864, and 
 for a niimber of years the services were 
 held in the court house. In 1864 the 
 church building was erected on Mifflin 
 Street, which is now occupied by the First 
 Baptist Church, and was dedicated as St. 
 Paul's German Reformed Church of But- 
 ler. Owing to dissensions in the congre- 
 gation this society dissolved about 1870. 
 The church building was sold to the First 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 463 
 
 Baptist Congregation in 1878, and about 
 the same time the English speaking mem- 
 bers of the old society joined in with tlie 
 new organization started by Rev. T. F. 
 Stauffer on West North Street. 
 
 .S7. Pinirs Refoniird Church, Southside, 
 dates liack to 1877, wlien Rev. T. F. Stanf- 
 fer. who was then superintendent of St. 
 Paul 's ( )rphans Home at Butler, com- 
 menced ])reacliing to a few mem))ers of 
 the Reformed Society residing in Butler 
 liorougii and vicinity. These services met 
 with success, and on the evening of August 
 22, 1878, an organization was effected. Im- 
 mediate steps were taken towards securing 
 a house of worship, and the old Evangel- 
 ical Lutheran Church, located on the cor- 
 ner of North and Church Streets, which 
 was then vacant, was purchased, retitted 
 and dedicated on the 25th of August, 1878. 
 Rev. Stauffer continued as pastor until 
 September 1, 1882. He was succeeded 
 December 1, 1886, by Rev. D. N. Harnish, 
 who is the present pastor. 
 
 It being found desirable to build a new 
 church in S]))'ingdale, a handsome brick 
 edifice on Walker Avenue was erected, and 
 dedicated in June, 1890. The cost of the 
 building was $12,000, including the lot, tlie 
 latter being a donation by Mrs. Sarah 
 Mackey. A parsonage was erected in 1898 
 at a cost of $.3,000, on ground donated by 
 Mrs. Mackey. A pipe organ was installed 
 in 1903. The membership of the society 
 in January, 1909, was 320. V. K. Irvine 
 was superintendent of the Sunday scJiool. 
 The church has a number of well oi'ganized 
 societies. The membership of the Sunday 
 school is about 300. 
 
 Bethavn Befoniied Church. The early 
 histoiv of Bethanv Reformed church is 
 that of St. Paul's Church until June, 1890. 
 when the latter society erected their new 
 church edifice and removed to the south 
 side. A number of members of the old 
 society who were opposed to removing the 
 congregation to the new location, retained 
 the church property at the corner of North 
 
 and Church Streets, and organized a new 
 society under the above title. Rev. J. W. 
 Pontius, the present pastor, was called on 
 December 1, 1907. The jiresent memlicr- 
 ship of the congregation is KKi. W. A. 
 Ashbaugh is supei'intendent of the Sun- 
 day school. 
 
 St. Paul's Ori>h,ni.s llaiiic is an institu- 
 tion that has occupied a ]iroiriinent position 
 in Bntler for forty years. The buildings 
 are situated on the hill on the east side 
 of the town, now occupied by residences, 
 and within the limits of the borough. The 
 main building is three stories high, and 
 contains parlors, a library, reading rooms, 
 sujjerintendent's offices, living-rooms for 
 the officers, dining-rooms, and kitchen. This 
 building was orginally erected as a dwell- 
 ing by Captain McCall al)out 1840. The 
 other buildings on the grounds are the 
 boys' dormitories, a large schoolhouse, 
 stables and other buildings of the institu- 
 tion. These buildings originally stood in 
 the midst of a beautiful lawn surrounded 
 l)y thirty acres of land, w^ith a capacity 
 to accommodate about 200 children. 
 
 The home was dedicated December 10, 
 1867, bv Rev. George B. Russell, D. D., as- 
 sisted by Rev. T. J. Barkley, Rev. F. K. 
 Levan and Rev. Wm. M. Landis. It was 
 chartered by the state March 23, lS(iS, the 
 charter granting the jirivilege of receiving- 
 orphan children t)f all denominations of 
 christians, and also children of deceased 
 soldiers and sailors who were citizens of 
 the State of Pennsylvania, and served in 
 the War of the Rebellion. The home was 
 l\)unded originally by St. Paul's Classis 
 of the Reformed Church, but the title was 
 subse(iuently transferred to the Pittsburg 
 Synod of the Reformed Church in the 
 United States, and is under the general 
 management of the hoards of that denom- 
 ination. 
 
 The first superintendent of tlie home was 
 Rev. C. A. Limberg, now deceased, who 
 held the position until 1871, when he re- 
 signed. He was succeeded l>v Rev. J. B. 
 
464 
 
 ISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Thompson, who entered upon his duties 
 June 1, 1871, and continued until April 1, 
 1877. Rev. T. F. Stauft'er, who had been 
 elected November 21, 1876, at a meeting 
 of the board of directors, assumed the du- 
 ties of superintendent until April 5, 1877, 
 and continued until Sepfemlier 5, 1882. 
 During his term a north wing was added to 
 the main building, greatly increasing the 
 capacity of the home. 
 
 At the meeting of the board of directors 
 held in June, 1882, Rev. P. C. Prugli, 1). 
 D., of Xenia, Ohio, was elected superin- 
 tendent, and took charge of the home 8e])- 
 tember 5, 1882. He continued as supei- 
 inteudent for a period of more than twenty 
 years, during which time large additions 
 and improvements were made on the build- 
 ings and grounds at a cost of $13,000. A 
 full third story was placed on the main 
 building, additional dormitories and store 
 houses built, and a large brick chapel and 
 school erected. A large number of sol- 
 diers' orphans were inmates of this home 
 up until about 1893, when the State au- 
 thorities consolidated the soldiers' orphans 
 school under their care and withdrew the 
 patronage from the local institution, lour- 
 ing this time the school became noted for 
 its efficiency, and received the highest com- 
 mendations by the State I'xiard of Soldiers 
 and Sailors' Oi-plians' Schools. The larg- 
 est number of children at any one time i)re- 
 vious to 1895 was 190, 165 of which were 
 soldiers' orphans. Rev. Prngh resigned as 
 superintendent, and was succeeded in Sep- 
 tember, 1903, by Rev. D. H. Leader,, the 
 liresent incumbent. 
 
 As early as 1902 the question of remov- 
 ing the home to some other location within 
 the territory of Pittsburg Synod was ad- 
 vocated, but met with strenuous opposition 
 on the part of the members of the Re- 
 formed Church and the directors of the 
 Home in the Butler district. The exten- 
 sion of the residence j^ortion of the town 
 in the direction of the Home and almost 
 
 surrounding the grounds, made the prop- 
 erty very valuable, and in July. 1906, the 
 board of directors considered a proposi- 
 tion made by real estate parties of Butler, 
 and the Home and grounds were sold foi- 
 a consideration of .$80,000. After some 
 difficulty a new location was secured at 
 Greenville, in Mercer County, where suit- 
 able buildings were erected in 1908-9, and 
 the old institution was formally closed on 
 the 1st of April of that year and the in- 
 mates removed to the new home. 
 
 The object of the founders of this insti 
 tutiou was to provide for the maiiitenaiu-e 
 and chi'istian training of ori)luui children, 
 principally of the Reformed Church, and 
 also for others for whose support payment 
 is made by guardians and friends. Apjili- 
 cation for admittance may be made to the 
 superintendent, to the l)oard of directors, 
 and children are received by indenture. 
 This enables those in authority in the 
 Home to again indenture them when suit- 
 able christian homes can be found and re- 
 tain guardianshi]) over them until of age. 
 
 The Clninli of God, located on Second 
 Street, Institute Hill, was organized by 
 Elder J. W. Davis and his sou. Rev. George 
 W. Davis, who was the first pastor, Janu- 
 ary 1, 1893. Previous to that time these 
 two ministers held a series of meetings 
 beginning in October, 1892, in the chapel 
 of the old Institute Building. These meet- 
 ings were attended with success, and the 
 organization followed. In March, 1893. 
 a building committee was appointed, a lot 
 was secured on Second Street, and a frame 
 structure 40x50 feet in size was erected at 
 a cost of $3,000, and was dedicated Sep- 
 tember 17, 1893. At this time J. W. Davis, 
 F. J\I. Hewitt and A. J. Avey were chosen 
 trustees. The total value of the property 
 owned bv the societv in 1908 was about 
 $12,000. ■ The present pastor. Rev. R. B. 
 Bowser, came here in October, 1908. The 
 luembershi]) of the society is 100, and the 
 Sabbath school enrollment averages from 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 465 
 
 ninety to lUU. The society is in a flour- 
 ishing condition and is increasing in mem- 
 bership. 
 
 The First Baptist Church of Bntler was 
 organized A|>ril 29, 1876, at Boyd's Hall in 
 Spring-dale, with about six members. A 
 number of persons participated in the first 
 organization, but did not have their letters 
 to unite with the members of the societx' 
 at that time. Meetings were held every 
 Sunday which were led by B. 11. Osborne 
 until November 8, 1876, wlieu the associa- 
 tion was formally recogiiized as a regular 
 Baptist Church. Rev. T. H. Jones was 
 the first pastor installed, who gave the so- 
 ciety about half of his time, Mr. Osborne 
 conducting the alternate meetings. A char- 
 ter was granted March 13, 1877, to the so- 
 ciety on petition of B. H. Osborne, W. M. 
 Farnsworth, William Watson, C. Morse 
 and Adolphus Haberlin, who were named 
 as directors and trustees. 
 
 On the 16th of June, 1877, the society 
 purchased the German Reformed meeting 
 house on Mifflin Street, which they imme- 
 diately occupied, and services were held 
 every Sunday. After a thorough renova- 
 tion and material improvement, the church 
 was dedicated November 4th of that year. 
 Rev. J. P. Jones officiating. Rev. U. L. 
 Joyce, the present pastor, assumed charge 
 in 1908, succeeding Rev. G. E. Enterline. 
 The present membership is about 175 and 
 the congregation is enjoying a i)ros|)erous 
 growth. 
 
 Free Methudist Clnrrch. Previ(Uis to 
 1893 Rev. Mr. Toby, Rev. Mr. Wayne and 
 Rev. Mr. Shelheimer, preachers of the Free 
 Methodist Society, held services in the 
 Springdale Hose House, and in a tent on 
 Spring Avenue. The present society was 
 organized early in 1893, and the first regu- 
 lar pastor assigned to the cougregation 
 was Rev. R. H. Freshwater. In the mean- 
 time a lot had been secured on Spring Ave- 
 nue, and the building which had been com- 
 menced under the pastorate of Rev. Wayne 
 ■was completed under the care of Rev. 
 
 Freshwater. The society has prospered 
 from the beginning, and at the present time 
 has ninety-four communicant members, a 
 large Sunday school; and a well organized 
 missionary society. Rev. Mr. Grace is the 
 present pastor. 
 
 The Second Baptist Church (Colored) 
 was organized about 1895 by Rev. Pleasant 
 Tucker, who came here from Youngstown, 
 Ohio. He was assisted in the organization 
 by F. P. Perry. At that time there were 
 about eight members, and probably a dozen 
 colored families in the towTi. Through Mr. 
 Tucker's efforts a lot was secured on West 
 North Street, and a frame building erected 
 at a cost of about $500, which was dedi- 
 cated in October, 1900. In October, 1907, 
 Rev. M. C. Smith, the present pastor, took 
 charge of the congregation. The present 
 membership is about twenty-five. 
 
 The Shiloh Baptist Church (Colored) 
 was organized about 1906 by the colored 
 people of the west end, and services are 
 now held in a rented hall on Pillow Street. 
 The pastor is Rev. D. D. Dade. 
 
 The African Methodist Episcopal 
 Church was organized about 1904, and 
 holds services in a rented hall on AVater 
 Street. The membership of this organi- 
 zation is small. Rev. J. W. Riley is the 
 pastor. 
 
 B'Nai Abraham Congregation (Hebreiv) 
 was chartered bv the courts of Butler 
 County March 22, 1906. The subscribers 
 to the charter were Samuel Oram, A. Smul- 
 ovitz, A. Jacobs, H. Zuckeman, Arthur 
 Smulovitz, Aaron Fisvitz, Joseph Esko- 
 vitz, Joseph Breman, Max Zeefe, A. Wohl, 
 Joe Pollack and Morris Pollack. The con- 
 gregation now numbers about seventy 
 members and holds services in a hall in 
 the Reiber block on South Alain Street. 
 The present pastor is Rev. Harris Rosen- 
 berg. The society has purchased a lot and 
 contemplates the erection of a suitable 
 house of worship in the near future. 
 
 Wesleyan Methodist Church. In the 
 winter of 1908-9 Rev. F. B. Hawk began 
 
466 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 preachiug to a small society of people in 
 the west eud of the town, which was oi-- 
 ganized as the Wesleyan Methodist Chnrcli. 
 Services were held at No. 12 First Ave 
 nue, and in February, 1909, the nieuiber- 
 ship was large enough to consider the ad- 
 visability of a formal organization. The 
 society has gained the recognition of the 
 boards of the Wesleyan Church, and a 
 new church will be erected here in the near 
 future. 
 
 MiUciiiiiuiii Dawn. A branch of the re- 
 ligious society known as the "Millennium 
 Dawn" has been in existence in Butler 
 since 1888. The head of the society is 
 Rev. Russell of Pittsburg. Meetings were 
 held for a number of years at the resi- 
 dence of the late George Walters, and in 
 recent years meetings were held twice a 
 week in the building on Center Avenue 
 owned by Miss Louisa and Miss Annie 
 Reif. Brother TIersh of Pittsburg has been 
 ministering to the local society, and also 
 a small circle of the l)elievers at Mount 
 Chestnut and at Prospect. 
 
 Christian Science. Tlie Christian Sci- 
 ence reading room was established in .luly, 
 1908, in the Butler County National Bank 
 buildiug. The local society, which is in- 
 creasing in numbers gradually, is a l)ranch 
 of the mother church in Boston. Meetings 
 are held on Wednesday evening, and on 
 Simday morning, and are conducted by 
 Miss Harriet Putnam, who is the first 
 reader, and Mrs. Homer Gi'aves, who is 
 the second reader. The local society was 
 organized through the etforts of INlrs. 
 Thomas NcNair and others. 
 
 The First Christian Church of Butler 
 was organized in 1907, and the meetings of 
 the society are held in the Y. M. C. A. 
 Building on the Diamond. A charter was 
 secured for the congregation .June 29, 1908. 
 and duiiiig lliat year a lot was purchased 
 on West Xdrtli Street, and the erection 
 of a church building commenced. The 
 subscriliers to the charter are Thomas W. 
 J'hillips, Jr., George W. Hol)augh, If. C. 
 
 Phillips, .John Douglass, ami T. W. Lati 
 mer. The pastor of the congregation is 
 Rev. George Rader. 
 
 .S7. John Neponiiceiic Ihmuni Ciilhnlir 
 Church (Polish) was organized in 190-1 
 among the Polish and Slavish residents of 
 Lyndora by Rev. Father Beckavick. The 
 society has a large number of communi- 
 cants, and has erected a handsome church 
 and parish house in Lyndora. 
 
 St. Mirharl's (ircrk Cafholir Chnicli was 
 chartered February 4, 1907. The society 
 has a large membership among the Greeks 
 of the town, and has a church building in 
 Lnydora in which the sCTvices are held. 
 The pastor is Rev. F. Michael. 
 
 The Orthodox Greek Church, uv the 
 Church of Russia, has a society of about 
 sixty families, of which Rev. Philip Sched- 
 enovitch is the jiastor. Sei'vices are held 
 in halls, or at the homes of its members. 
 Rev. Schedenovitch is also the editor of a 
 paper which he publishes in the interest of 
 his peoi^le in this community. 
 
 The Gospel Prohihition Church. A num- 
 ber of people who were interested in the 
 advancement of the Prdhil)ition pait.v oi-- 
 ganized a religious association in Butler 
 about 1898. which was known as The 
 (lospel Prohibition Church. The leader 
 of the movement was Rev. T. G. Pollard, of 
 Butler, who was an ordained minister of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 
 movement was backed financially by sev- 
 eral well known business men of Butler, 
 who were affiliated with the Prohibition 
 party, and who l>elieved that too much re- 
 straint was placed on the ministei's in dis- 
 cussing temperance and i)olitical reform 
 from the pulpit. 
 
 Rev. Pollard succeeded in organizing a 
 small society in Butler and building the 
 bi'ick churcli on Mercer Street, now occu- 
 ))ied by the Christian and Missionary Alli- 
 ance. Another organization was etl'ected 
 at Callery Junction and a small church 
 built there, while the third congregation 
 was organized at Renfrew, and for several 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 467 
 
 years services were held in a rented hall. 
 While the new organization met with the 
 approval of a certain element in favor of 
 the political reforms of the Prohibition 
 party, it failed to meet with the financial 
 support it needed, and in tlie course of a 
 few years the three organizations died out. 
 The ChrL^fidn and Missiniiari/ AUidiirc 
 was organized in Butler in 1904, iiy Rev. 
 George W. Davis, who had previously to 
 that time been pastor of the Church of 
 God on Institute Hill. A charter was 
 granted on June 17, 1905. The new asso- 
 ciation purchased the property of the 
 Gospel Prohibition Church on Mercer 
 Street, and the following year built a brick 
 parsonage which adjoins the church build- 
 ing. In 1906 Rev. Davis was succeeded 
 by Rev. John Cox, the present ])ast(>r. and 
 the congregation is now in a tlonrisliiuo 
 condition. 
 
 SniOULS ( I'KIVATE). 
 
 Butler Acudetui). The beginnings of 
 education in Butler borough date back ti> 
 the first decade of its history. Soon aftei- 
 the town site was established the pioneers 
 began the movement for education wliicli 
 resulted in the founding of Butler Acad- 
 emy, an institution which is referred to 
 by many of the older citizens of the town. 
 The Butler Academy was founded under 
 the act of Febriuiry 6, ISll, which pro- 
 vided for the election of six trustees and 
 appropriated the sum of $2,000 towards 
 sustaining such an institution, $1,000 of 
 the amount to be expended on the building 
 and apparatus, and .$1,000 to be invested, 
 the interest on which was to be applied to- 
 ward the payment of teachers, and the edu- 
 cation of five ]>oor children. The organi- 
 zation of the trustees of the academy was 
 effected March 27, 1811, when lots were 
 cast for the term of service. Jacob Mech- 
 liug and Walter Lowrie were to serve one 
 year, Samuel Williamson and John Gil- 
 more for two vears, and John McQuistion 
 
 and Robert Graham for three years. Sub- 
 seqiiently the trustees of the institution 
 were elected at the October election. John 
 Gilmore was chosen secretary of the first 
 board, and the first order drawn was on 
 the State treasurer for $1,000 in favor of 
 William Purviance for the purpose of 
 erecting a building and purciiasing books 
 for the use of the academy. Two days 
 later the board loaned to John Neglev 
 $1,000 from the productive fund. wlii<-ii 
 was secured by his house and lot in Butler, 
 and his mill near the town, now the ^\'alter 
 mill. Mr. Negley not only paid a heavy 
 interest for the loan, but donated $ir)0 to 
 the academy fund. In July, ISU, John 
 Purviance was awarded the contract for 
 building the academy, the ]»]'ice being seven 
 hundred and ninetv-eight dollars. The 
 board also elected Jacob Mechling treas- 
 urer and, Walter Lowrie librarian. This 
 building, which stood at the northeast cor- 
 ner of 5[cKean and Jefferson streets, was 
 completed in August, 1812. In May, 1S18, 
 donation lot No. 13, consisting of five liun- 
 died acres patented to the aca<lemy .March 
 25, 1813, was sold to Arthui- and (ieorge 
 Frazier for $750, to be paid in three in- 
 stallments. 
 
 The academy was opened in 1S12, and 
 Samuel Glass was employed as the first 
 teacher. His salary was $60 per annuiu, 
 besides which he charged each pupil an 
 extra fee for tuition. A Mr. Williamson 
 taught about the same iieriod, and later 
 .\daui Kuhn was employed, who conducted 
 an English and Latin school. In the twen- 
 ties a teacher's salary seems to have been 
 $100, with what he could collect from the 
 patrons in addition. 
 
 In J 832 the trustees of the academy dis- 
 cussed the qualifications of a classical 
 teacher, and resolved to employ no one 
 who could not at least teach the Latin and 
 (Jreek languages, and algebra and survey- 
 ing. Rev. Isaiah Niblock and Dr. James 
 Graham were soon after appointed teach- 
 
468 
 
 inSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ers, and in 1833 Thomas Mahard was em- 
 ployed to take charge of the academy. Rev. 
 Loyal Young, then pastor of the Presby- 
 terian church of Butler, was employed as 
 a teacher of the languages in 1834, and dis- 
 charged his duties for several years in a 
 highly satisfactory manner. 
 
 Subsequent to 1838 the annual tuition 
 fee was reduced to $8 for tlie classical de- 
 partment, and $2 for the Eiii-lish (U'liart- 
 ment. In September, 1843, DePark Taylor 
 was hired as principal at an annual salary 
 of $1,000, and in 1847 the tuition was fixed 
 at $4 for the course in classics, and $3 for 
 the common English branches. Rev. Will- 
 iam White was principal from 1848 to 
 April, 1860. During the existence of the 
 academy the board of trustees embraced 
 many of the leading pioneers of Butler. 
 • The question of consolidating the Butler 
 Academy and the Witherspoon Institute 
 was suggested to the board ^Inrch 8, 1865, 
 and William S. Boyd and Ehcnezer Mc- 
 Jimkin were appointed a coiiniiittee to con- 
 sult with the Presbytery of Allegheny of 
 the Presbyterian church. The articles of 
 consolidation were signed in June, 1865, 
 and in November the conditions presented 
 by Allegheny Presbytery were accepted. 
 On August 20, 1866, the last act of the aca- 
 demy trustees was recorded, which con- 
 veyed the real estate, buildings and funds 
 of the Academy board to the school di- 
 rectors of Butler borough, subject to the 
 restrictions given in the act of April 11, 
 1862. 
 
 Many of the leading men of Butler today 
 were educated in this old academy, and 
 many who honor the professions and 
 trades outside of the county received lib- 
 eral instrndion within its walls. The old 
 stone aca(l<Mii\ stmid on the site of the Jef- 
 ferson Street Seliool Building and faced 
 Jefferson Street. It was built of dressed 
 stone, was two stories high, and had one 
 room on each floor. The upper floor was 
 reached from the north side by a massive 
 stone stairway on the outside of the build- 
 
 ing. This old historic pile was removed in 
 1876, to make way for a more commodious 
 and modern building. 
 
 Witherspoon InstiUde, which was one of 
 the prominent educational institutions in 
 western Pennsylvania during the middle 
 of the century, owed 'its origin in a large 
 measure to Rev. Loyal Young of Butler. 
 On the 6th of February, 1849, a conven- 
 tion of Presbj'terians was held in Butler 
 to consider the project of establishing an 
 academy within the bounds of the Butler 
 congregation. Rev. J. M. Smith presided 
 at the meeting, with Rev. Newton Bracken 
 secretary. A resolution favoring the pro- 
 ject was adopted, and a committee was 
 named to raise a fund of $5,000. Town- 
 ship and borough committees were ap- 
 pointed at the same time, and on December 
 14, 1849, a literary and religious institu- 
 tion was incorporated. 
 
 Meetings were held at intervals until 
 April 10, 1850, when the Presbytery of 
 Allegheny estal)lished a school at Butler 
 and gave it the name of "Witherspoon In- 
 stitute." Rev. Loyal Young was ai^pointed 
 principal, and David Hall assistant. The 
 school was opened May 13, 1850, in the 
 basement of the First Presbyterian 
 Church. In July, 1851, Rev. L. Young re- 
 signed as principal and was succeeded by 
 Rev. Martin Ryerson, who continued until 
 1852, when he resigned because of ill 
 health. Rev. L. Young was again elected 
 l>rincipal, and J. R. Coulter assistant. 
 From that time up to 1878 the principals 
 were, in succession, T. R. Coulter, Rev. 
 John Smallev, Rev. L. Yoimg (third time), 
 Mr. J. S. Boyd, Rev. William I. Brugh, 
 Rev. J. W. Hamilton, Prof. Creighton, and 
 Rev. H. Q. Watters. 
 
 Up to this time the institute had been 
 conducted as a sectarian school under the 
 care of Allegheny Presbytery. In April, 
 1897, the institute was opened by Prof. B. 
 S. Bancroft as a non-sectarian school, and 
 tlie following September Prof. J. C. Tins- 
 man became associated with Prof. Ban- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 469 
 
 croft. Under Prof. Bancroft's direction 
 the school flourished, and in 188"2 one hun- 
 dred and seventy-two students were en- 
 rolled, and a corps of seven teachers em- 
 ployed. Prof. Bancroft conducted the in- 
 stitute until the fall of 1887, when a lack 
 of patronage induced him to close it and 
 open a private school. The loss of patron- 
 age was principally due to the higher 
 prices charged students for board in But- 
 ler than in other towns where academies 
 were conducted. 
 
 The first institute building was erected 
 in 1851, on North Main Street, on the site 
 of the English Lutheran Church. North 
 and south wings were added to tiie Imild- 
 ing in 1864, the Commonwealth gianting 
 $2,500 toward the expense of this improve- 
 ment. This property was sold in 1877 by 
 the trustees of tlie institute to the English 
 Lutheran Church for $6,000. Rev. Mr. 
 Brugh was the leading spirit in the project 
 to found a college on Institute Hill. Four 
 acres were purchased on First street, and 
 a building erected and occupied. The Al- 
 legheny Presbytery finally withdrew its 
 support from the school, and the property 
 was sold to W. H. H. Riddle and passed 
 from the ownership of the Presbyterian 
 church. In March, 1889, is was purchased 
 by Charles Duffy, and at the present time 
 it is owned by the Butler Silk Mill, and is 
 used for a factory. 
 
 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 But little is known about the early com- 
 mon scIhmiIs (if the town. . During the first 
 twenty five \c;ns the Butler Academy sup- 
 plied the principal facilities for the educa- 
 tion of the youth of the town. Spasmodic 
 efforts were made from time to time to 
 carry on a common school on the subscrip- 
 tion plan, as was the custom throughout 
 the countr3^ No records were kept of tliese 
 schools, nnd but little information can be 
 ohtaiiicil about the .early teachers and the 
 scliodlhoiises. A log house on South Mc- 
 Kean street on the present site of Capt. 
 
 Hays' residence was used for common 
 school purposes in 1818, and other houses 
 on Main Street were used at an earlier 
 date. In the winter of 1834 Joseph Ster- 
 ritt taught a subscription school in a room 
 of the old Academy building, which was 
 liberally patronized. Dr. James (Iraham, 
 who studied medicine in the north of Ire- 
 land, arrived in Butler about 1834, and 
 taught a school in a log building on South 
 McKean Street on the site of the old skat- 
 ing-rink. Later he taught in the old .U-ad- 
 emy. A reference to the transactions of 
 the town council will show that that body 
 made a special levy of $250 in addition to 
 the ordinary school taxes for the year 
 1836, which ma.\ lie said to be the begin- 
 ning of the iiiiMic school system in the 
 town. 
 
 In 1838 John Gilmore and John Bredin, 
 a committee of the school directors of But- 
 ler borough, applied for a lease of part of 
 the academy groimd for the purpose of 
 erecting a schoolhouse thereon. The ap- 
 plication was granted and a lot fronting 
 sixty feet on Jefferson Street and one 
 hundred and eighty feet in depth, running 
 to the alley between the present high 
 school building and the Jefferson Street 
 school ground was leased for ninetj'-nine 
 years. It would appear that the early 
 common schools were intended for boys, 
 or at least, so used, for in 1841 the girls' 
 department of the common schools was 
 located in the Academy building. The pub- 
 lic schools occupied a part of the Academy 
 building until 1850. Thomas Berry was 
 one of the early school masters and was 
 employed as a teacher in School Number 1 
 in 1838. In 1854 extraordinary efforts 
 were made to build up the common school 
 system of the town, but for twenty years 
 little progress was made, although the 
 teachers employed were generally com- 
 petent, and many of them were talented. 
 
 The first .school buildings wei'e primitive 
 affairs, and prior to the completion of the 
 Jefferson Street building there were oulv 
 
470 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 two small scbooiliouses in the borough. In 
 1866 the trustees of Butler Academy con- 
 veyed the real estate, buildings, funds, etc., 
 belonging to the Academy to tlie directors 
 of the public schools and the old Academy 
 building answered the ])urpose8 until 1874, 
 when a new era in the public school system 
 in Butler began. 
 
 The Jefferson Street School building, 
 which was completed in 1874, was the index 
 to modern Butler. It told the visitor and 
 the resident that times had changed, and 
 that ideas had expanded. The erection of 
 this building was not accomplished without 
 protest on the part of some of the town 
 citizens, who thought that the new enter- 
 prise on the part of the school board was 
 a colossal waste of money and that the 
 town would never be able to pay for it nor 
 furnish enough scholars to till it. The 
 building; which is an imposing brick struc- 
 ture containing twelve rooms, cost $.j.'),Ol)(), 
 and occupies the site of the old stone Acad- 
 eni.\' and part of the ground originally 
 leased for ninety-nine years l)y the school 
 board for the erection of the first school 
 building. The plan jjursued for raising 
 the sum named and the additional sum of 
 $11,000 necessary for furnishing the new 
 building was well laid out and executed. 
 
 The act approved May 6, 1871, author- 
 izing the survey of the "Quarry Eeserve" 
 int(i lots, the. sale of the lots, and the ap- 
 l)ro]iriation of part of the jjroceeds to- 
 wards school building purposes, was a part 
 of the plan. The "Quarry Reserve" was 
 that part of the commons lying between 
 Washington and JMcKean Sti-eets south of 
 the laid out lots to the old southern limit 
 of the borough. The sale of the old school - 
 house that stood on the site of the Metho- 
 dist Church was another item in the plan, 
 while a special tax lew and the State ap- 
 pro). riation of .$15,000 formed the third. 
 
 The completion of the Jefferson Street 
 School building was the beginning of an 
 era of building in Butler. The discovery 
 of oil at flreece (Htv and other oil devel- 
 
 opments in the county caused a rapid in- 
 crease in the poi)ulation of the shire town, 
 and it was only a matter of a few years 
 until the new school building was filled to 
 overfiowing. From 1880 on the population 
 of the town steadily increased, and in 1885 
 the school board found it necessary, to 
 erect a new building. In June of that year 
 the construction of the MeKeoii Street 
 SvliiKil building, containing eight rooms, 
 was commenced, and completed in Novem- 
 ber, at a total cost of $10,088. 
 
 Four years after the building of the 
 McKean Street School, the Springdale 
 ScJiooI building was erected at a cost of 
 $22,400. This building contained eight 
 rooms, two recitation rooms, and a prin- 
 cipal's room, and was heated and venti- 
 lated by the Smead system, which was the 
 first improvement in the way of modern 
 heating and ventilating made in the school 
 buildings of the town. 
 
 in lSi)l the western section of the town 
 demanded additional school facilities, and 
 a frame building was erected on MifHin 
 Street opposite the Oriental Mills, which 
 was nsed for temporary quarters for sev- 
 eral years. This building contained four 
 rooms, which were overcrowded from the 
 start. About the same time an annex was 
 erected on McKean Street on the school 
 lot which contained two rooms, and the 
 little brick building on Jefferson Street 
 was fitted up for a primary room. The in- 
 creasing demand for school facilities hur- 
 ried the erection of a new building which 
 was commenced in 1859, when the school 
 board jinrcliased a lot from H. J. Klingler 
 on r.i(i;i<l Street. The following year the 
 llnxiil SIfrrf School building was erected 
 at a cost of about $25,000. It is a substan- 
 tia] two-story brick building, containing 
 eight rooms, recitation and principal's 
 room. The Institute Hill building was 
 completed in 1900, and the annex to the 
 Springdale school in 1902. 
 
 The Butler High School had its inception 
 in 1885, when the first class graduated un- 
 
AND REPKESEXTATINE CITIZEXS 
 
 der Prof. E. Mackey, who was theu prin- 
 cipal of the Butler schools. It was not 
 until 1888 that this department of the pub- 
 lic school system of the town was formally 
 organized by Prof. Mackey, under whose 
 efficient management the school attained 
 a gratifying success. When Prof. Mackey 
 was promoted to the position of superin- 
 tendent of all the city schools, Pi'of. Joini 
 A. Gibson, of Meadville, was elected prin- 
 cipal of the high school, in 1891, and held 
 that position until 1896, when he was 
 elected superintendent of the city schools 
 to succeed Air. Mackey. Prof. V. K. Irvine 
 succeeded Prof. Gibson as principal of the 
 high school, and has continued in that po- 
 sition ever since. The curriculum of the 
 high school covers a course of four years' 
 study equivalent to an academic or a jire- 
 paratory course for college, the students 
 of the Butler school being admitted to 
 many of the colleges in the freshmSn and 
 sophomore years. A commercial course 
 was added in 1908, and it is expected in 
 the near future that manual training and 
 domestic science will lie a jjart of the reg- 
 ular high school course. 
 
 One of the features of the high scliool 
 is the publication of the Magnet, a moutlily 
 magazine issued in the interests of the 
 public schools of the city and edited by the 
 high school pupils. This paper was first 
 issued in 1891, and after a successful ca- 
 reer of five or six years was suspended foi- 
 a time, and the publication of the new 
 Macincf begun. 
 
 The Alumni Association of Butler High 
 School dates back to 1890, when the gradu- 
 ates of the first class under Prof. Mackey 
 in the luiblic schools, and the high school 
 graduates. Iicld a baucjuet in the Rei))er 
 Hall, and effected a formal organization. 
 The purpose of the association was to pro- 
 mote the interests of the public schools of 
 Butler, and especially of the high school, 
 which was then in its infancy. Tlie associ- 
 ation holds meetings annually, and at the 
 present time has an enrollment of ovei- 
 
 six hundred members. The high school lec- 
 ture course is financed and promoted by 
 the members of this association, and has 
 been one of the features of the winter en- 
 tertainments of the town for many years. 
 
 For the first ten years of its existence 
 the high school was quartered in the Jeffer- 
 son Street School building, and in 1898 a 
 new building was erected in the rear of the 
 McKean Street school building which was 
 used for high school jjurposes for another 
 decade. This annex was a two-story brick 
 atfair, containing the necessary recitation 
 rooms and chapel, and served its purpose 
 until the increasing population of the town 
 caused the necessity of additional school 
 facilities. 
 
 In 1905 the school boaril began proceed- 
 ings in the Common Pleas Courts of But- 
 ler County to secure the possession of the 
 old cemetery lot on the corner of McKeau 
 and North Streets, as a site for the new 
 high school building. On the 13th of 
 March, 1905, on petition of John Findley, 
 president of the board, the court appointed 
 R. C. McAboy, W. S. McCrea and William 
 Walter a board of viewers to ass'ess the 
 damages that would arise by reason of con- 
 demning the property and ascertain the 
 parties to whom the damages should be 
 paid. 
 
 On the 5th of June, 1905, the board of 
 viewei'S reported that the lot contained 
 83-100 of an acre b.y actual measurement, 
 and that thev found tlie amount of dam- 
 ages to be $6,000, $1,200 of which should 
 be paid to Butler County, and $1,800 to the 
 borough of Butler. Exceptions were filed 
 to this report by John A. Richey and 
 George AlcCaudless of Butler borough, an 
 ajipeal was taken, and the case was not 
 finally decided until the March term of 
 Court, 1906, when the report of the view- 
 ers was sustained. There was some sub- 
 sequent litigation on the part of the Foltz 
 heirs, who claimed an interest in the prop- 
 ertv, but the case was final Iv decided, in 
 Januarv, 1907, in favor of Butler boroui-h. 
 
472 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The services of W. Gr. Eckles of New 
 Castle were secured as architect, and a 
 contract was awarded in 1906 to J. G. 
 Unkefer & Company, of Minerva, Ohio, for 
 the new building. The bodies in the old 
 grave yard were removed in November, 
 1906, and the work of excavation begun. 
 The building was not completed until July, 
 
 1908, and the formal dedication took place 
 on the 20th of November of that year. The 
 building is a handsome three-story struc- 
 ture, built of buff brick and trimmed with 
 llummelstown stone. The total cost of the 
 building, including the furnishings, was 
 about $125,000, exclusive of the value of 
 the lot. 
 
 The value of tlie school property in the 
 borough in 1909 is about $475,000, distrib- 
 uted as follows: High school building and 
 groiuids, $200,000; Jefferson Street school 
 building and grounds, $75,0(1(1; IJioad 
 Street school buildino-. $40,()(M); M.'Kean 
 Street school building, $(i(i,()(l(l; institute 
 Hill school building, $50,00(1; Si)ring(lale 
 school building, $50,000. 
 
 The enrollment of pupils in Januaiy, 
 
 1909, was as follows: Jefferson Street, 
 606; McKean Street, 428; Broad Street, 
 573; Spring-dale, 578; Institute Hill, 366; 
 High School, 330; total, 2,881. 
 
 For the term beginning August 31, 190S, 
 there were employed in the public schools, 
 exclusive of the superintendent, tliree prin- 
 cipals and seventy-three teachers, with 
 John A. Gibson superintendent. 
 
 Board of Directors, 1908.— President, 
 Philip W. Ruff; secretary, Harry L. Gra- 
 ham; treasurer, John Rauschenberger ; 
 Thomas A. Frazier, Dr. Robt. J. Gross- 
 man, W. W. Robinson, A. C. Krug, W. G. 
 Douthett, Edgar H. Negley, Norman J. 
 Boyer, Frank L. Wiegaud, Thos. H. Greer, 
 Jas. L. Garroway, Col. Wni. T. Mechling, 
 and C. E. Cronenwett. 
 
 PAR0CHIAT> SCHOOLS. ETC. 
 
 57. Peter's I'arorhia] School was ojieued 
 
 in 1858 in the present convent residence 
 on Franklin Street north of the church. 
 During the Civil War a one-story brick 
 building was erected south of the church 
 to which the school was removed. It was 
 taught by lay teachers for several years, 
 and was then placed in charge of the Sis- 
 ters of St. Francis, who have since been 
 succeeded by the Sisters of Mercy. The 
 present school building east of the church 
 was erected in 188f) at an expense of about 
 $7,000. It is a substantial two-story brick 
 building, with basement, and i-outains four 
 school rooms. It was opened in the fall of 
 1889, and has an attendance of about two 
 hundred scholars. Eight teachers are em- 
 ployed. 
 
 (SY. Paul's Parochial School owes its ori- 
 gin to the bequest of Mrs. Margaret 
 Dougherty of Butler, who donated the sum 
 of $15^00 toward its establishment. Rev. 
 Father Nolan, who was at that time pastor 
 of St. Paul's Church, took the project in 
 hand and purchased from Herman J. Berg 
 a site of four acres at the corner of Mon- 
 roe and Locust Streets. The corner-stone 
 of the new building was laid May 27, 1888, 
 and it was completed the same year. The 
 building is a handsome brick structure, two 
 stories high, containing eight rooms, and 
 is equipped with the most approved style 
 of modern school furniture. This is re- 
 garded as one of the finest school proper- 
 ties in the county. The convent was erected 
 close bv the same vear. and is tlie lionie of 
 the Sisters of Meiw, win. have chai'ge of 
 tlie school. The total cost of the iiiqtrove- 
 ments made in 1888 was about $30,000, and 
 the average attendance since that time has 
 been over two hundred. 
 
 The Butler Business College was estab- 
 lished in 1893 by Clark Bros., who con- 
 ducted it until the fall of 1894, when J. M. 
 Bashline became the proprietor. A. F. 
 Regal, the present owner and head of the 
 school, took charge in the fall of 1898, and 
 under his able management it has taken a 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 473 
 
 leading rank among the business schools 
 of the state. The average attendance is 
 about one hundred and fifty for the year. 
 
 RELIGIOUS AND CHARITABLE SOCIETIES. 
 
 The Young Men's Christian Association, 
 of Butler had its inception in June, 1886, 
 at a meeting held in the Presbyterian 
 Church under the auspices of the Young 
 Woman's Christian Temperance Union, 
 for the purpose of considering the most 
 effective means of doing christian work. 
 A plan of instituting a special line of work 
 for young men was suggested l)y \V. 1). 
 McJunkin, which obtained favor at the 
 meeting, and a subsequent meeting was 
 held in the same month, which was con- 
 ducted by Col. George Woodford, and a 
 committee consisting of A. J. Heurv. W. L). 
 McJunkin, Gilbert Walker, W. H. Miller 
 and Ira McJunkin, was appointed to take 
 steps towards a permanent organization. 
 A constitution was adopted under the title 
 of the Y. M. C. A. of Butler, and a board 
 of fifteen directors chosen, with the follow- 
 ing temporary officers: Dr. E. W. Leake, 
 president; Ira McJunkin, secretary, and 
 Prof. E. Mackey, treasurer. 
 
 At the meeting held August 16, 1886, the 
 temporary board of directors and officers 
 resigned, and the following permanent 
 board was elected: Capt. Jacob Ziegler, 
 Col. John M. Sullivan, Henry C. Heine- 
 man, John H. Negley, Joseph L. Purvis, 
 William Campbell, Jr., Dr. E. W. Leake, 
 W. D. Brandon, Chas. S. Bailey, James M. 
 Galbreath, Eli D. Robinson, Prof. E. 
 Mackey, Fi-ed J. Klingler, Aaron E. Rei- 
 ber and William G. Krug. At the organi- 
 zation of the board the following officers 
 were elected : Dr. E. W. Leake, president ; 
 Capt. Jacob Ziegler and John H. Negley, 
 vice-presidents ; Ira McJunkin, general and 
 recording seci-etary. After the formal or- 
 ganization had been effected, the associa- 
 tion was incorporated in November, 1886, 
 and effective work has been steadily going 
 on up to the present time. Many clianges 
 
 in officers have taken place during the 
 twenty-two years of its existence, but there 
 has been no abatement of zeal, and the 
 spirit of the asociation has been in keeping 
 with the rapid advancement among all lines 
 of social, religious and scientific progress. 
 
 Since the organization the presidents of 
 the association that have succeeded Dr. 
 Leake in turn are Ira McJunkin, John 
 AVeitzel, Prof. E. Mackey, John F. Ander- 
 son, C. B. McMillen, James E. Marshall 
 and Gardner C. Lowry. 
 
 The present board of trustees is com- 
 posed of W. D. Brandon, J no. V. Ritts, 
 Jno. F. Anderson, Hon. J. M. Galbreath 
 and Gardner C. Lowry. The board of 
 trustees holds all the proj^erty of the as- 
 sociation in trust. The present board of 
 directors is composed of J. E. Marshall, 
 W. D. Brandon, V. K. Irvine, E. H. Cro- 
 nenwett, J. G. Runkle, J. G. McMarlin, T. 
 M. Baker, Elias Ritts, O. C. Funkhouser, 
 D. K. Albright, C. O. Lowry, Geo. A. 
 Spang, Dr. ¥. H. Hays, Jas. O. Campbell 
 and J . B. Foster. The officers of the board 
 in January, 1909, were Gardner C. Lowry, 
 president; Geo. A. Spang, first vice-presi- 
 dent; Dr. F. II. Hays, second vice-presi- 
 dent; Jas. U. Campbell, treasurer; J. B. 
 Foster, secretary; 11. \V. Love, general 
 secretary, and A. F. Fehr, physical di- 
 rector. 
 
 The general secretaries in charge of the 
 work since the organization have been Ira 
 McJunkin, Joseph E. Forrester, J. B. Car- 
 ruthers, J. M. Corry, E. G. Randall, L. W. 
 DeGast and H. W. Love. 
 
 TJbe Ladies' Auxiliary has been in exist- 
 ence since the first organization, and has 
 done effective work. The present officers 
 of the auxiliary are Mrs. C. E. Alclntire, 
 president ; Mrs. A. T. Scott, first vice-pres- 
 ident; Mrs. C. H. Findley, second vice- 
 president; Mrs. L. W. Zuzer, secretary, 
 and Miss Mary Grohman, treasurer. 
 
 The association has always enjoyed a 
 substantial membership, ranging al)out 
 four hundred, except in times of financial 
 
474 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 depression. The dailj' attendance in the 
 building is over two lumdred, and the at- 
 tendance in the gymnasium and auditorium 
 classes averages twelve hundred men per 
 month in the winter. The work carried on 
 by the association is four-fold; religious, 
 educational, social and physical. Tlic cdu- 
 catioual work is carried on in its own room, 
 and consists of classes in mechanical draw- 
 ing and English. The religious work con- 
 sists of bible classes for boys, young men, 
 and men, as well as public meetings and 
 personal work. The physical work con- 
 sists of gymmasium classes for men and 
 boys, and outdoor athletics. The social 
 work consists of events arranged from time 
 to time by the different departments of the 
 association and the Ladies' Auxiliary. 
 
 For the first ten years of its existence 
 the association was cjuartered in the Rei- 
 ber building on the coi-ner of Main and 
 Cunningham Streets. In 1894 a lot was 
 purcliased in the northeast corner of the 
 J)iainond, and during that and the follow- 
 ing year the present brick building wa^ 
 erected at a cost of about ^lo.OOO, exclusive 
 of the lot and the furnishings. The build- 
 ing is i)r()vided with a chapel, reading 
 rooms, l)oys' game rooms, ]>arlors, gym- 
 nasium, running track and auditoi-iuni. 
 The present value of the building and lot 
 is about $35,000, and the fixtures and 
 e((uii)ment, $2,000. Much can be said of 
 the work and attainments of the organiza 
 tion, l)ut the following words of apprecia- 
 tion from a man prominent in public af- 
 fairs will suffice: "I appreciate enormously 
 the work 5'our association is doing. You 
 aic one of the great potent forces foi- 
 -oo(l: one of the forces wliich nnist be 
 continually built up if we wish to overcome 
 the forces of evil." 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt, 
 Pi-esident of the United States. 
 
 1 hi' lliitlrr Coimiy Children's Aid So- 
 liclil was oi'ganized in November, 188fi, 
 as aji auxiliary of the western branch of 
 the State Societv, which was formed at 
 
 Pittsburg in November, 1885. At the time 
 of the organization of the local branch 
 Mrs. J. N. Bolard was chosen president; 
 Miss Mary E. Sullivan and Mrs. S. Mc- 
 Kee, vice-presidents; Mrs. M. S. Temple- 
 ton, secretary, and ]\Iiss Etta Brugh, treas- 
 urer. The hoai'd of managers comprised 
 Mrs. A. :M. Nevman, Mrs. B. C. Iluselton, 
 Mrs. J. L. Purvis, Mrs. C. 1). Greenlee. 
 Mrs. John U. Lowry, Mrs. A. E. Chattv. 
 Mrs. M. H. Negley, Mrs. .1. F. Balph, Mrs. 
 C. Gr. Christie, Mrs. John M. Greer, Mrs. 
 S. A. Johnson, Mrs. M. E. NichoUs, Miss 
 Belle Purvis and Mva. Levi 0. Purvis. The 
 society is a charitable organization to take 
 charge of children from the ages of two 
 to sixteen years who are removed from 
 alms houses under the law of 1883. Miss 
 Belle Purvis succeeded Miss Prugh as sec- 
 retary of the society in 1887, and has con- 
 tinued to hold that position since. Mrs. B. 
 C. Huselton was elected assistant secretary 
 in 1887, and Mrs. J. L. Purvis and Mrs. 
 C. D. Greenlee were chosen vice-presidents. 
 Mrs. J. D. McJunkin was elected seci-etary 
 in 1889 to succeed Mrs. Tem}ileton, re- 
 signed. At the next annual election of of- 
 ficers Mrs. Templeton was re-elected sec- 
 retary, Mrs. McJunkin having been trans- 
 ferred to the advisory board. There have 
 been few changes made in the officers of 
 the society since 1889. In 1908 Mrs. S. 
 M. ^fcKee was president; Miss Clai-a Mc- 
 • lunkin, secretary, and Miss Belle Purvis, 
 treasurer. Mrs. J. H. Troutman was 
 chosen representative of the local society 
 on the State Board. Since its organiza- 
 tion the local sociefv has furnished homes 
 and cued foi- about seventy children, and 
 at the present time thirteen children are 
 undei- the care of the society. 
 
 The Butler Couniii Sabbath Assoriafimi 
 was organized in Februarv, 1893, bv elect- 
 ing Rev. S. M. Bell president; Rev. P. C. 
 Prugh, Rev. N. B. Tannehill, Rev. W. E. 
 Oiler, Rev. J. R. Coulter, and Mrs. D. B. 
 Campbell, vice-presidents; Rev. D. N. 
 Ilarnish. secretarv; Rev. Jno. S. McKee, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 475 
 
 corresponding secretary; and ,1. A. Clark, 
 treasurer. The object of tlie association 
 was to oppose the publication of Sunday 
 paj^ers and Sunday work in general. This 
 association is practically a continuation 
 of the Lord's Day Union, which was organ- 
 ized in December, 1891, of which Eev. D. 
 N. Harnish was president; Rev. W. E. 
 Oiler, secretary; W. D. Brandon, J. M. 
 Galbreath. and Prof. E. Mackey, vice-i)res- 
 idents. 
 
 The Chiistuui Eiidcurur ViiioH <>( Bnt- 
 ler CoiDittf was tirst organized in 1892, 
 with Rev. Eli Miller of Butler as presi- 
 dent, and Miss Lotta B. White as secre- 
 tary. At tirst the union was composed of 
 all the Christian Endeavor Societies in the 
 county, and represented about thirteen de- 
 nominations. At the present time there 
 are about forty societies represented, and 
 six denominations. The officers in 1908 
 were Rev. R. C. Stewart of Bruin, presi- 
 dent; Miss Erla Black of Bruin, corres- 
 l^onding secretary; Miss Lotta B. White of 
 Butler, recording secretary; and William 
 B. Ferguson of Chicora, treasurer. 
 
 The Bible Society of Butler Countij was 
 organized August 12, 1828, by Rev. Mr. 
 Joyce, agent of the Philadelphia Society. 
 John l*(>tts and Rev. l\c('d iJvacken were 
 elected presidents; the vice-presidents were 
 Revs. Isaiah Niblock, John Frantz, Rol)t'rt 
 Greer, S. Stoughton, John Coulter, J. C. 
 G. Schweitzerbarth, Thomas McClintock, 
 and Robert Brown; John Bredin was sec- 
 retary, and Robert Scott treasurer. The 
 board of managers coinpriscd John Sulli- 
 van, Hugh McKee, Hugh (iilliland, Robert 
 Martin, Barnet (iilliland, Henry .Muntz, 
 David McJunkin, William McMichael, John 
 Christie and James McCurdy. Two agents 
 were appointed in each of the thirteen 
 townships, and two for the borough of 
 Butler, who were to assist in the circula- 
 tion of the bible without note or conniient. 
 John Bredin acted as secretary of the first 
 meeting, while the ])residing officer was 
 Walter Lowrie, who resioued his office as 
 
 secretary of United States Senate in 1836, 
 to become secretary of the Presbyterian 
 Board of Foreign Missions. 
 
 The Butler County Sabbath School As- 
 sociation adopted a constitution May 7, 
 1867, and elected Rev. Loyal Young presi- 
 dent; Rev. J. H. Fritz and William R. 
 Hutchison, vice-presidents; C. E. Ander- 
 son, secretary; H. J. Klingler, treasurer; 
 Dr. A. M. Neyman, George A. Black, I. J. 
 Cummings, George Vogeley and Theodore 
 Huselton, executive committee. Since that 
 time the association has extended its field 
 mto all the townships and boroughs in the 
 county. The president of the association 
 in 1908 was Prof. R. S. Penfield of Chi- 
 cora; the secretary was Miss Mina Wal- 
 dron of Evans City ; and the treasurer, 
 Robert McMeekin of Chicora. The county 
 has been divided into nine districts, and 
 district conventions are held each year as 
 well as county conventions. The primary 
 department is under the care of Miss Lotta 
 B. White of Butler, and chose an enroll- 
 ment of 146 classes in the county. The 
 number of Sabbath schools enrolled is 150. 
 
 The Ministerial Association of Butler is 
 composed of all the ministers of the Pro- 
 testant denominations, and was organized 
 as early as 1893. Since its inception it has 
 taken an active part in all of the reform 
 movements, and aided in remonstrating 
 against tiie granting of licenses by the 
 courts of the county. The association has 
 since its beginning arranged the programs 
 for the Thanksgiving services in the dif- 
 ferent churches in the town, and ajjpointed 
 the ministers to till the pulpits on the occa- 
 sions. The ju'esident of the association in 
 1909 was Dr. P. C. Prugh, aud the secre- 
 tary H. W. Love. The meetings are held 
 on the first Monday of each month, in the 
 parlors of the Y. M. C. A. building. 
 
 The Industrial Clnb was formed in June, 
 1903. through the efforts of :\Iiss Margaret 
 •liranilon (deceased) of P>utler, in the in- 
 terests of the foreign ciiildi-en of Lyndora. 
 The school meets everv Satuixlav after- 
 
47( 
 
 H [STORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 noon at the public ^icliool buildiug in Lyn- 
 dora, and conducts a kindergarten and sew- 
 ing classes for the foreign children of that 
 district. . At the pi'esent time there are 
 over one hundred children enrolled, and an 
 average attendance of sixty. The expenses 
 of the school are met entirely by the In- 
 dustrial Club, which is composed of a num- 
 ber of young ladies of Butler. At the pres- 
 ent time the club is composed of tliirty 
 active members, and fift)- honorary mem- 
 bers. The president of the club is Miss 
 Mary Williams; Miss Maude Sutton is 
 vice-president; Miss Juliet Campbell, sec- 
 retary; Miss Mary Pillow, treasurer; Mrs. 
 Harvey Wilder and Miss lona Leidecker, 
 superintendents of sewing classes, and 
 Miss Edith Galbreath and Miss Florence 
 Roessing, superintendents of kinderiiarten. 
 
 Thr Butler Educational and ludnshial 
 School for Foreigners was organized in 
 December, 1906, and opened a night school 
 for foreigners at Lyndora in March, 1907. 
 Tlie societv is coiiiiioscd of representatives 
 from all of the cliinvhes of the town and 
 philanthropic societies, and is tinanced \\\ 
 the business firms, individual subscripticms 
 and the Standard Steel Car corporation. 
 The first officers were Levi M. Wise, presi^ 
 dent; E. J. Randall, secretary, and J). L. 
 Cleeland, treasurer. The purpose of the 
 society is to teach the foreign population 
 the English language and instruct them in 
 good citizenship and American customs. 
 The Lyndora school has a total enrollment 
 of about 500, and an average attendance of 
 about seveTity. The teacher in charge is 
 E. Hale Sipes. The following are the of- 
 ficers and board of directors in 1909 : W. 
 D. Brandon? president ; H. W. Love, secre- 
 tary; D. L. Cleeland, treasurer; C. H. (lil 
 lespie. Rev. R. B. Miller. Miss Mary \. 
 INIcKee, (leorge A. Hennev, C. E. Cronen- 
 wett, Rev. (}eo. C. Miller, Levi M. Wise, 
 Rev. M. H. Milne, Mrs. J. L. Marsh. 
 
 The Elm Street Night School for Italians 
 was organized in May, 1905, by the Wo- 
 mans Missionary Society of the United 
 
 Presbyterian Church. A Saiibath school 
 and mission was established during the 
 summer, and in November, 1905, Rev. 
 Michael Renzetti was installed as mission- 
 ary. The night school has an attendance 
 of about thirty, and the Sabl)ath school en- 
 rollment of about sixty, while the mem- 
 bers of the mission number al)out seventy- 
 eight. The teachers of the night school are 
 Miss MarvMcKee, :\liss Madge Douglass, 
 Mrs. E. il. Dodds, Mrs. Eleanor Trum- 
 bull. The night school and the Sunday 
 services are held in a rented building, l)ut 
 in the near future it is expected that a 
 suitable house of worship will be erected. 
 A lot has already been purchased, and 
 money for the building has been appropri- 
 ated by the Board of Llome Missions of 
 the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 GKAVEY.^RDS .\ND CEMETERIES. 
 
 The first burial place in the l)orough of 
 Butler was tlie old cemetery on the corner 
 of North. McKean and East North Streets 
 on the present site of the high school build- 
 ing. This plot of ground was included in 
 the tract of land donated by John and 
 Samuel Cunningham and Robert Graham 
 to the governor of the State for the use of 
 Butler County. In the original plot of the 
 town Lots No. 150, 151 and 152 lay on the 
 east side of ^IcKean Street, and between 
 the allev and Xorth Street.- At a sale of 
 lots held August 15, 1S(U, Lot No. 150 was 
 sold to Abraham Brinkej- and John Cun- 
 ningham "for use of a graveyard" for 
 $10. The next day Lot Number 151 was 
 sold for the same purpose to the same par- 
 ties for $10, and Lot Number 152, on the 
 corner, was sold to James Brown for the 
 same ])rice, but the deed was subsenuently 
 made out to John Negley. In 182(i John 
 Neglev and his wife, Elizabeth, conveved 
 lot No. 152 to Norbert Foltz. and the latter 
 in turn conveyed it by a deed dated June 
 10, 1828, "to the burgess and assistant 
 burgess and the town council of Butler, 
 and their successors, for Inn-ial purposes 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 forever." The consideration was $50. 
 This purchase made tlie cemetery com- 
 plete, and the same year the town council 
 took steps towards enclosing the ground 
 with a stone fence which was the practice 
 at that time. A committee of the council 
 was appointed to present the sul),ject to 
 the people of the horough at a pu))lic meet- 
 ing held in the court house .lune 10, 1<S:28, 
 and $300 was subscril)ed for that purpose. 
 
 The first person buried in the cemetery 
 was Charles McGinnis, who died in 1805. 
 and many pioneers and some notable peo- 
 ple fovmd their last resting i)hice on earth 
 in this eemeter3^ 
 
 As early as 1856 the town council passed 
 an ordinance forbidding further inter- 
 ments in this cemetery, and for half a cen- 
 tury the grounds were practically neg- 
 lected. About 18(i6 an attempt was made 
 by the Butler School Board to condemn the 
 old burial ground foi- school jiurposcs. The 
 project met with an indignant protest by 
 the citizens of the town, and for the time 
 being further efforts were abandoned. 
 About 1880 the late Colonel John M. Sul- 
 livan, Thomas Robinson, Col. James C. 
 jMcKee, William Campbell, Jr., and others, 
 raised a fund for the purpose of beautify- 
 ing the grounds and taking care of the 
 graves that were marked on the old plot. 
 In the years that had intervened after 
 further burials had been forbidden by the 
 town council, the stone fence had been re- 
 moved and the grounds were practically 
 abandoned )>y the borough council. In 
 1902 the borough council tmdertook to sell 
 the property for the purjiose of paying the 
 liens against it for paving .McKean Street 
 and North Street. This met with opposi- 
 tion from those who had relatives buried in 
 the old cemetery, and others who from 
 patriotic and other reasons wished to see 
 the old burial place preserved as a park. 
 A part of the original fund raised in 1880 
 was at that time in the i)ossession of 
 William Campbell, Jr., and this was turned ■ 
 over to the city council for the jnirpose of 
 
 repairing the grounds. In 1905 the ques- 
 tion of condemning the old cemetery for 
 the purpose of erecting a High School 
 building on the grounds was agam brought 
 up, and there being no resistance at tliis 
 time the project was carried through. In 
 November, 1905, all of the known graves 
 in the cemetery were removed to a plot 
 which the school board purchased in the 
 North Cemetery, and there reinterred, and 
 the proper markers placed at each grave. 
 The following year the construction of the 
 new high school building was commenced, 
 and completed in 1908. In the main 
 entrance to the school building a tablet has 
 been erected on which is inscribed the 
 names of John Cunningham and Samuel 
 Cunningham, the founders of the borough 
 of Butler, both of whom were buried in 
 the cemetery. 
 
 Over seven hundred graves were 
 removed from this old jcemetery and of 
 this number only eighty-three could be 
 identified by means of a tomb-stone or 
 other mark. 
 
 Those ideniified included the names of 
 many families who are among the first set- 
 tlers of the borough and of the county. 
 A plot with the graves marked may be 
 seen at the office of the superintendent of 
 the public schools of the city in the high 
 school building. A similar plot of the 
 ground purchased by the school board in 
 the nortb cemetery with all of the graves 
 properly marked is also on file at the same 
 place. 
 
 St. Prf.r's i'athnJir Ccnirteri/, the sec- 
 ond burial iiiacc in P>utler, was laid out in 
 1830 on ground deeded for the purjiose by 
 Sarah Collins, a daughter of Stephen Low- 
 rey. An addition was made to it in 1834 
 of ground deeded to the Catholic Church 
 by \''aleria Evans, a daughter of Mrs. Col- 
 lins, and her husband, E. R. Evans. This 
 cemetery is located on College Street, and 
 was used for burial purposes until about 
 1880, when the interments were discon- 
 tinued. Many of the Catholic pioneers of 
 
478 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the town aud surroimdiug couutiy are 
 buried in this old grave yard. 
 
 Sdiitli Criiicicrii. What is known as the 
 South (V'liU'tery on the hill south of the 
 ereek is owned by the (lennan and English 
 Lutheran and the United Presbyterian 
 Congregations. In 1850 John Negley 
 deeded land to the German Lutherans and 
 subsequently to the English Lutherans for 
 burial purposes and still later the MeQuis- 
 tion heirs deeded a small tract of land 
 adjoining on the west, to the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. The enclosure which 
 comprises about seven acres occupies a 
 connnanding position and is an ideal spot 
 on which to establish God's acre. In this 
 old cemeterjr lie the remains of many 
 ]iioneer settlers of Butler and the sur- 
 lounding community, including those of 
 John Negley, the donor of the ground, who 
 succeeded the Cunninghams as owner of the 
 mill property and who was identified with 
 nearly every movement for the betterment 
 of the town. 
 
 The Butler Cemetery Association was 
 chartered by act of March 24, 1851. Seven 
 acres of ground were ]mrchased from 
 Ebenezer Graham lying on the north line 
 of the borough overlooking the town. 
 Soon after the incorporation of the asso- 
 ciation steps were taken towards laying 
 out the groimd in lots and at the same time 
 the borough council passed an ordinance 
 forbidding interments in the old cemetery 
 on North McKean Street. Additional pur- 
 chases of ground were made from time to 
 time and from 1851 to 1857 this cemetery 
 was one of the principal burial places of 
 the borough. For many years Col. John 
 M. Sullivan was president of the Associa- 
 tion, Major Cyrus E. Anderson, secretary, 
 and R. C. McAbov, superintendent and 
 treasurer. The officers in 1908 were P. W. 
 Lowery, president, George C. Stewart, sec- 
 retary, Louis B. Stein, treasurer, and T. C. 
 Campbell, R. B. Fowser and L. (). F'urvis, 
 directors. In 1902 P. L. King took charge 
 as superintendent. The first interment in 
 
 the cemetery was in December, 1852, when 
 Robert Howard Hill, who had died from 
 scarlet fever, was buried there. Many of 
 the prominent and well known early set- 
 tlers are buried in this cemetery, and 
 scores of graves are marked by handsome 
 monuments. A curious feature about this 
 cemetery association is the fact that each 
 purchaser of a burial lot received a deed 
 for it in fee simple, and is the outright 
 owner of the ground. This circumstance 
 has caused the association much trouble 
 in keeping the grounds in proper condition, 
 as they have been unable to assess the lot 
 owners for the necessary funds to carry 
 on the work. An effort is to be made in 
 the near future to remedy this defect. 
 
 The North Side Cemetery Association 
 was chartered July 2, 1887, and has been 
 duly incorporated. Thirty acres of ground 
 were purchased of Charles Uuffy adjoin- 
 ing the old cemetery on the north and was 
 laid out in lots. The leading spirit in the 
 new organiation was John S. Campbell, 
 who was also the first president. In 1908 
 John S. Campbell was president, Harvey 
 Colbex-t, secretary, and P. L. King, super- 
 intendent. D. S. McCullough was the first 
 superintendent of the ground and filled 
 that position until 1902, when he was suc- 
 ceeded by Mr. King. Many substantial 
 and costly monuments have been erected 
 during the past twenty-two years, and 
 several of the pioneers of the town have 
 found their last earthly homes in this 
 cemetery. 
 
 Calvary Cemetery Assdiiatioii was 
 incorporated July 9, 1887, by Rev. William 
 A. Nolan, then pastor of St. Paul's Cath- 
 olic Church, Charles Duti'y, George Shaff- 
 ner, AVilliam H. Reihing, David Niggel, 
 Thos. F. Niggel, William G. Vinroe, Pat- 
 rick Kellev, Daniel McLaughlin, N. J. 
 Criley, D. H. Wuller, John McCune, P. A. 
 Golden, Hugh D. McCrea, Jacob Faller, 
 Jos. J. Lavery, and Charles F. Cane. 
 Thirty-five acres were purchased from 
 Charles Duffy immediately north of the 
 
AND KEPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 479 
 
 North Side Cemetery, twenty of which be- 
 long to St. Paul's Congregation and fifteen 
 to St. Peter's. The grounds lie iinniedi- 
 ately at the top of the hill and form an 
 ideal burial place. Iniprovenieiits have 
 been going on rapidly, and in a few years 
 this cemetery will be one of tlie l>eantifnl 
 spots about the town. 
 
 This combination of three cemeteries is 
 embraced in one enclosure and is dedicated 
 to the uses of all denominations. The 
 entire ai^a now covers about one hundred 
 acres. The location is admirably suited 
 for the purpose to which it is dedicated, 
 and in time it will become a beautiful city 
 of the dead. 
 
 SOCIETIES AND NATIONAL ORDERS. 
 
 The Sterling Club is a social organiza- 
 tion organized about 1890, and at the pres- 
 ent time has a membership of about 100. 
 During the first two or three years of its 
 existence the club had rooms in the Berg 
 Bank building on the corner of Main and 
 Jefferson Streets, but when the Campbell 
 building was completed on South Main 
 Street in 1891, the club secured a lease of 
 the entire third floor and fitted up elegant 
 apartments which they still occupy. The 
 rooms consist of parlors, billiard-room, 
 dining-room, and ball-room. The present 
 officers of the club are Edward S. Riddle, 
 president; Samuel Walker, vice-president; 
 John H. Jackson, secretary; James 0. 
 Campbell, treasurer; and the following 
 board of governors: John Murrin, John 
 H. Wilson, Robert M. Little, James A. 
 Feldman. 
 
 The Country Club was organized in 1904 
 by a number of business men of Butler 
 who were interested in golf and athletics. 
 Golf links were established on rojitod 
 ground at Lyndora, and the following year 
 the club purchased the George Huselton 
 farm in Penn Township, on the line of the 
 Pittsburg & Butler Electric Railway. A 
 clubhouse was erected and a number of 
 imi)rovements made, which make the jilace 
 
 an ideal location for a country resort. The 
 club was incorporated and capitalized at 
 $25,000.00. The president of the club in 
 1908 was Edward Bredin, and the secre- 
 tary John Brandon. 
 
 The Masonic Order in Butler is repre- 
 sented by Butler Lodge Number 272, F. & 
 A. M., which was chartered March 7, 1863, 
 and instituted August 3rd of the same 
 year. The charter members and first offi- 
 cers were James Bredin, W. M. ; David A. 
 Aguew, S. W.; Felix E. Negley, J. W.; 
 William Criswell, treasurer; Geo. W. Cro- 
 zier, secretaiy; Jos. P. Patterson, John 
 MeCarnes, J. J. Sedwick, Hugh McKee and 
 Andi'ew Fitzsimmons. From this parent 
 lodge several other prosperous lodges in 
 Butler County have been organized. The 
 hall is in the Reiber Block on Main Street, 
 and the present membership is about 150. 
 The present officers are B. R. Williams, 
 W. M.; Geo. W. Hazlett, S. W.; John S. 
 Douglass, secretary; and Harvey Colbert, 
 treasurer. 
 
 Iliitlcr Chapter Number 273, R. A. M. 
 was chartered December 27, 1890, and con- 
 stituted ]\Iarch 24, 1891. The first officers 
 were as follows: William C. Thompson. 
 H. P.; Charles N. Boyd, K.; Francis M. 
 Coll, S. ; Josiah B. Black, treasurer; and 
 Newton Black, secretary. The place of 
 meeting is in thg Reiber Block on South 
 Main Street. The present officers are John 
 H. Douglass, H. P.; C. D. Holmes, K.; 
 J. IT. Wilson, Scribe ; W. A. Stein, Secre- 
 tary; and P. W. Lowry, treasurer. 
 
 In addition to the membership of the two 
 ^ilasonic lodges mentioned above, there are 
 M large number of members of Knight 
 Templars who belong to the lodges of 
 (ireenville and Pittsburg. In January, 
 1909, the local lodges purchased the prop- 
 erty of Miss Sarah B. McQuistion on 
 South Main Street for $25,000, and an ele- 
 gant Masonic Temple will be erected 
 within the next two years. 
 
 Independent Order of Odd PeUoivs. The 
 ]>ioneer secret society of the town is Con- 
 
480 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 noqiienessing Lodge, No. 278, I. O. 0. F., 
 which was instituted December 11, 1847, 
 the charter having been granted on No- 
 vember 8th. The charter members were 
 Jacob Ziegler, Alfred Gihuore,' John Gra- 
 liam, and Dunhap McLaughlin. The first 
 members admitted at tlie same meeting 
 were John H. Negley, William Balph, Cor- 
 nelius Coll, and Thomas W. Wallace. The 
 first officers elected were Alfred Gilmore, 
 N. G., Jacob Ziegler, V. G., John Graham, 
 secretary, and Dunlap McLaughlin, treas- 
 urer. The second meeting of the lodge 
 was held on the 23d of ncccnibi'r, 1847, in 
 the coiirt house. This Ind^c lias been quite 
 prosperous during its existence, and at the 
 present time is one of the strongest lodges 
 in the county. The meetings were held in 
 a hall rented for the purpose until 1887, 
 when a lot was purchased on West Jeifer- 
 son Street, and a two-story brick building 
 erected, whicli is now occupied by the Peo- 
 ple's Telephone Company. In 1899 the 
 Henry C. Heineman property was pur- 
 chased at the corner of Main and Cunning- 
 ham Streets, upon which the present mag- 
 nificent temple was built in 1906, at a cost 
 of about $90,000.00. The trustees are 
 David E. Dale, Alexander Mitchell and 
 E. I. Brugh. Tlie managers of the club 
 rooms are Thomas 1 1, (ireer and Ravmond 
 S. Cornelius. The oHiceisJn October, 1908, 
 were Geo. R. Sleutz, nolile grand; Jesse E. 
 Neyman, vice-grand ; John E. Flack, secre- 
 tary; Harley McClelland, recording secre- 
 tary; William Cromm, treasurer. The 
 membership was 226. 
 
 Clement, Encampment No. 238, /. 0. 
 0. F., was organized in 1897, and at the 
 present time has a large membership. The 
 meetings are held in the Odd Fellows' 
 Temple on South Main Street. The officers 
 of the Encampment are W. A. Ashbaugh, 
 C. P. ; W. J. Snyder, H. P. ; T. C. Patter- 
 son, S. W.; C. 1). Frazier, Jr. W. ; S. M. 
 Swartzlander, scribe; and D. E. Dale, 
 treasurer. The trustees are J. L. Garro- 
 way, John J. Shiering and H. L. Riehey. 
 
 Ziegler Lodge No. 1039, 1. 0. 0. F., is an 
 off -shoot of the parent society and was 
 instituted April 23, 1892, with twenty-four 
 charter members. The first officers were 
 Dr. G. J. Peters, N. G., J. H. Conard. V. G., 
 S. M. Swai'tzlander, secretary, A. M. Bor- 
 land, assistant secretary, and Dr. N. M. 
 Hoover, treasurer. The lodge prospered 
 from the start, and now has a membership 
 of over two hundred. The lodge room is 
 on Center xVvenue, in Springdale. The 
 officers of the lodge in January, 1909, were 
 Camden McKee, noble grand ; 0. F. Rhoda- 
 berger, vice-grand; S. M. Swartzlander, 
 secretary; R. L. Kirkpatrick, treasurer; 
 and the trustees were J. W. Brown, S. M. 
 Swartzlander and J. L. Garroway. 
 . A. 0. U. W. The first lodge having an 
 insurance feature to be organized in Butler 
 was Butler Lodge Number 94, Ancient Or- 
 der of United Workmen. This lodge was 
 instituted January 18, 1876, and had for 
 its chaiter members Lewis P. Walker, 
 S. R. Diffenbaclier. T. A. Templeton, A. L. 
 Reiber, T. B. ^Miite, David Cupps, Alex- 
 ander Mitchell, H. Gumpper, Elliott Robb, 
 T. S. Greene, D. A. Heck, C. Rehbun, Sam- 
 uel Walker, and John F. Lowrey. The 
 lodge embraced in its membership some of 
 the best citizens in the l)orough, and at one 
 time its membership was over three 
 hundred. 
 
 Knights of Honor. A. L. Reiber Lodge, 
 No. 679, K. of H., was instituted January 
 22. 1877, with twenty-nine charter mem- 
 bers. It had a steady growth and was 
 fairly prosperous for many yeai's. 
 
 I\oi/al Aica)iiiiH. Butler Council, No. 
 219, Royal Arcanum, was instituted May 3, 
 1880, with sixteen charter members. This 
 was a benevolent and insurance society 
 which accomplished a great deal of good 
 but has been driveii out of the field by the 
 younger organizations. C. C. Cochran is 
 secretary. 
 
 A. L. of H. Butler Lodge No. 732, A. L. 
 of IT., was instituted Sei.teniber 30, 188L 
 with twentv-five charter nu'm!)ers, includ- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 481 
 
 ing several business men of the community. 
 This society has held its own among the 
 fraternal associations of Butler and has 
 had a fairly prosperous career. 
 
 B. P. 0. E. Butler Lodge, No. 170, 
 Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 
 is one of the later fraternal societies in 
 Butler. It was chartered and organized 
 July 10, 1890, by J. B. Black, William T. 
 Mechling, F. M. Coll, J. I). Northrup, 
 E. W. Tibbies, Wm. H. Reihing, I. G. 
 Smith, and Dr. Lysander Black. The first 
 officers were J. B. Black, E. R., W. T. 
 Mechling, E. L. K., F. M. Coll, E. L. K., 
 J. D. Northrup, E. L. K., E. W. Tibbies, 
 secretary, and I. G. Smith, treasurer. The 
 lodge grew rapidly and within the first 
 year had a membership of fifty. Its pres- 
 ent membership is about two hundred and 
 fifty. The first home of the lodge was in 
 the brick building on the corner of Main 
 and Diamond Streets, formerly occupied 
 by the Butler County National Bank. The 
 present quarters are in the Bickel building 
 on South Main Street, where the lodge has 
 the entire third floor fitted up as a lodge 
 room, parlors, and a club-room. In 1907 
 the lodge purchased the Geis Building on 
 East Cunningham Street, adjoining the 
 Majestic Theater, where permanent quar- 
 ters will soon be established. The Order 
 of Elks is a purely social and benevolent 
 society, the underlying principle being 
 charity. Bert Forquer is the present ex- 
 alted ruler and J. A. Heineman, secretary. 
 
 C. M. B. A. Branch Number 56, C. M. 
 B. A., was organized March 16, 1889, with 
 the following charter members: Joseph 
 Rockenstein, Bernard Kemper, Jr., A. 
 Rockenstein, Joseph Niggel, Harry Grieb, 
 Norbert T. Weser, Ed ^IcShane, Albert 
 Frank, Andrew Liebler, John Kappler, 
 John Garber, Casper Eyth. Thomas II. 
 Gallagher, Henry C. Plolir, J. N. Harvey, 
 Thomas J. Moran, Charles McCarthy, J. C. 
 Wagner, Fred J. Morall, Theodore D. 
 Pape, W. J. McCafferty. The organiza- 
 tion was effected through the efforts of 
 
 Bernard Kemper and William H. O'Brien, 
 the latter having previously belonged to 
 the branch at Oil City. The first president 
 of the local branch was Joseph Rocken- 
 stein. 
 
 The present membership of the C. M. 
 B. A. is 207, and the officers are H. T. Rat- 
 tigan, president ; Earl F. Young, vice-presi- 
 dent; Charles E. Connell, recording secre- 
 tary; C. Dugan, financial secretary; Jas. 
 W. Bayer, treasurer ; Rev. M. Stenger anil 
 Rev. P. K. Collins, spiritual advisors. The 
 association meets the first and third Tues- 
 days of each month in the Rockenstein 
 building. 
 
 Branch No. 92, L. C. B. A., was organ- 
 ized September 17, 1891, by Supreme 
 Deputy Mrs. J. A. Royer, of Erie, Penn- 
 sylvania, with seventeen charter members. 
 The presiding officers have been Lena 
 Grieb, M. C. Rockenstein, and Amelia 
 Shaffner. 
 
 The Knights of Columbus is a social and 
 beneficiary oi'der which was first estab- 
 lished in Butler in 1904. The order now 
 has 125 members and has handsomely ap- 
 pointed club rooms in the Stein Building 
 on South Main street. The present officers 
 of the order are John Murrin, grand 
 knight; M. F. Carroll, deputy grand 
 knight; F.B.Duig-nan, chancellor; Clarence 
 Kelley, recorder; L. C. Yungert, financial 
 secretary; E. A. McShane, treasurer; 
 E. H. Burke, advocate; and B. McKeown 
 warden. In 1908 the order took over the 
 membership and club rooms of the Young- 
 Men's Institute, which has been in exist- 
 ence for several years and had club rooms 
 in the Stein Building. 
 
 Keystone Camp No. 8, Woodmen of the. 
 World, is the strongest fraternal and in- 
 surance order in point of membershij) in 
 Butler. It was organized in 1892, and at 
 the present time has 683 members in good 
 standing. The present officers of the camp 
 are P. C, W. E. Cooper ; C. C, J. B. Hutch- 
 inson; Adv. Lieut., James Wood; Clerk, 
 Sanuiel Hughes ; Banker, J. L. Emerick ; 
 
48-J 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Watchman, Heniy Beck; Sentry, F. L. 
 Stauffer; Managers, F. H. Davy, E. Miller, 
 and E. B. Bell ; Physicians in Butler, M. E. 
 Headland, L. R. Hazlett, W. J. Grossman, 
 R. J. Grossman, W. S. Patterson, W. B. 
 Clark; Homewood, C. B. McAboy; Ren- 
 frew, J. L. Campbell, R. S. Keeler; Evans 
 City, E. Cuthbert; Elwood, R. L. Lowry; 
 Callery, H. R. Wilson. 
 
 Lyndoia Hall Association was organized 
 in 1905 for social purposes by the foreign 
 residents of Lyndora and Bredinville. A 
 charter was secured on August 5th of that 
 year, the subscribers being Earnest Calde- 
 rora. John Buccos, H. L. Connelly, John 
 Bungar, W. E. Merwin, John Tonko, and 
 Joseph A. Kalina. 
 
 The Gain Society was organized in Au- 
 gust, 1905, for social and musical purposes, 
 by the Belgian and French residents of 
 the Southside. The society owns a lot and 
 a hall on Ziegler Avenue, and the French 
 Band of the Southside is a musical organ- 
 ization which owes its existence to this 
 society. The president of the society at 
 the time the charter was granted was 
 Emile Chenot, Victor Bayonet was secre- 
 tary, and Arthur Dumont, treasurer. John 
 Werry is the musical director. 
 
 The Italian Fraternal and Beneficial So- 
 ciety of Butler was organized in 1908- 
 among the Italian residents of the town 
 for social and beneficial purposes. The 
 society has an insurance feature, and its 
 purpose is to help its members who may 
 be in distress from sickness or misfortune. 
 The subscribers to the charter were Pietro 
 Fosatti, Cesare Binnuci, Fiori Mazzanti, 
 and Leonard DeFoggi. 
 
 Butler Ruling Number 729, Fraternal 
 Mystic Circle, was organized in 1899 with 
 125 members. It has had a prosperous 
 giowth and at the present time has 154 
 members. The officers are W. K. Hays, 
 worthy ruler; C. P. Hoffman, vice ruler; 
 Bert Teitsworth, past worthy ruler; Geo. 
 W. Amy, chaplain; Harry L. Graham, re- 
 corder ; and Dr. W. J. Grossman, collector. 
 
 The order is fraternal, with an insurance 
 feature. The meetings are held in the 
 K. of P. Hall in the Reiber Building. Dr. 
 W. J. Grossman is grand ruler for the dis- 
 trict comprising the States of Pennsyl- 
 vania and New Jersey. 
 
 Butler Tent No. 234, Krilyhts of the 
 Maccabees, was first organized in 1887, and 
 disbanded in 1889. It was reorganized in 
 December, 1889, with a large membership, 
 and is now one of the strongest insurance 
 orders in the county, having a membership 
 of over 400. The officers in 1909 were G. L. 
 Schroth, P. C; D. D. Quigley, C; T. C. 
 Kearns, L. C. ; Howard I. Painter, record 
 keeper; and D. A. Kamerer, finance keeper. 
 The meetings are held in K. of P. Hall in 
 the Reiber building on South Main Street. 
 
 The Ladies of the Maccabees is an auxil- 
 iary society that has a strong membership, 
 and meets in the same hall with the Sir 
 Knights. 
 
 Butler Lodge No. 211, Knights of 
 Pythias, was instituted in April, 1889, and 
 the present membershii) is 175. The meet- 
 ings are held in the Reiber Building, and 
 the present officers are A. L. Oesterling, 
 chancellor commander; W. R. Gilmore, vice 
 chancellor; D. L. Aiken, master of the ex- 
 chequer; J. W. Hutchinson, keeper of rec- 
 ords and seals. The lodge is in a flourisli- 
 ing condition, and has a well organized 
 vmiform rank. 
 
 Butler Circle No. 22, Protected Home 
 Circle, was organized in the fall of 1887, 
 and at the present time has a mem.bership 
 of 314. The meetings are held on the sec- 
 ond and fourth Tuesdays of the month in 
 a hall in the Reiber Building on South 
 Main Street. The officers are Ella McDer- 
 mitt, president ; Joseph Benigh, vice-presi- 
 dent ; William Sanders, secretary..; John M. 
 Reed, accountant; J. M. McCormick, treas- 
 urer. J. M. Reed has served as accountant 
 since the organization of the lodge, and is 
 a life member of the Supreme Lodge. 
 
 Butler Camp No. 9616, Modern Wood- 
 men of America, was instituted in May, 
 
AXI) REPKESKXTATi\ E CITIZENS 
 
 1901, with about twenty-tliree eliarter mem- 
 bers. The present membership is sixty- 
 two and the officers are Joseph Stand- 
 acher, V. C. ; W. D. Weitzel, worthy ad- 
 visor; J. E. Shaw, clerk; A. R. Graham, 
 banker; and W. W. Ross, W. B. Turner, 
 B. R. Mattison, managers. The lodge 
 meets the second and fourth Fridays of 
 each month in the Reiber Building. 
 
 Butler Lodge No. 470, Fraternal Order 
 of Eagles, was instituted in 1904, with a 
 membership of over one hundred. It is 
 a fraternal and beneficiary order, and has 
 had a prosperous career since its organiza- 
 tion. The order has lodge and club rooms 
 in the Berg Bank Building at the coi'ner of 
 Main and Jefferson Streets. Al. Field is 
 the president; D. C. Henshaw, secretary; 
 and John D. Clark, treasurer. 
 
 Loyal Order of Moose. The youngest 
 order and also the largest in jooint of mem- 
 bership is Butler Lodge No. 64, Loyal Or- 
 der of Moose. The lodge was organized 
 November 8, 1908, with seven hundred 
 members and the following officers : Past 
 dictator, George Cummings; worthy dic- 
 tator, B. R. Williams; vice dictator, Peter 
 Peterson; secretary, C. R. Watson. The 
 Lodge jjurchased the R. B. Taylor prop- 
 erty on AVest Jefferson Street in January, 
 1909, and contemplates the erection of a 
 splendid lodge-room, gymnasium, and 
 bath rooms. 
 
 Butler Tent, No. 1:.'6, L. 0. T. M., was 
 organized in the fall of 1896, and the pres- 
 ent memliership is one hundred. The offi- 
 cers are Mrs. C. E. Mclntire, P. C; Mrs. 
 E. Howarth, C. ; Mrs. George Spang, Lieut. 
 Com.; Miss Florence Whitmire, record 
 keeper ; ]\Iiss Flora Smith, finance keeper ; 
 Mrs. D. F. McCrea, chaplain. 
 
 Encampment 45, Union Veteran Legion 
 of Butler, was chartered June 20, 1889, 
 with nearly seventy meml)ers, who were 
 mustered in on June 27 and 29 following. 
 In July of the same vear another muster 
 
 took place at which eighty members were 
 enrolled, and subsequently the member- 
 ship was increased to over two hundred. 
 The first officers were Robert J. Pliipps. 
 colonel commander; 0. C. Redic, lieutenant 
 colonel; W. A. Clark, major; Jefferson 
 Burtner, chaplain; D. M. Ward, adjutant; 
 H. Z. Wing, quarter-master ; R. S. Nichols, 
 officer of the day; and Casper Sherman, 
 officer of the guard. To be admitted to the 
 Veteran Legion every member must have 
 seen active service in the field for at least 
 two years, and veteranized. The. open 
 meetings held by the local legion were 
 looked forward to with pleasure and at- 
 tended by large audiences who were roy- 
 ally entertained by the members. In re- 
 cent years the membership has declined, 
 and at the present time there are not over 
 fifty on the roll. The officers in 1908 were 
 John T. Kelly, Colonel ; 0. C. Redic, lieu- 
 tenant colonel; Thos. J. Hazlett, major; 
 E. A. McPherson, adjutant ; and J. II. Gib- 
 son, quartermaster. The meetings are 
 held in the hall in the Reiber Building, 
 South Main Street. 
 
 A. G. Reed Post No. 105, G. A. K., was 
 organized May 12, 1881, and named in 
 honor of Alfred G. Reed, one of Butler's 
 patriotic sons, who fell oh the bloody field 
 of Fredericksburg. -The charter members 
 were as follows : George W. Fleeger, Wil- 
 son E. Reed, James R. Storev, Joseph 
 Kelley, William A. Wright, C. E. Ander- 
 son, A. B. Ritchey, Henry Koru, Geo. W. 
 Johnson, H. A. Ayres, Daniel Beighley, 
 Casper Sherman, Samuel G. Hughes, Alex- 
 ander Russell, Ferdinand Weigand, A. G. 
 Williams, D. S. McCollough, John L. 
 Jones, John K. Fleming, James Graham, 
 Samuel P. Shryock, and John Kennedy. 
 The successive commanders of the Post 
 since its organization have been as fol- 
 lows: George W. Fleeger, W. A. Wright, 
 Newton Black, A. G. Williams, John T. 
 Kelley, John M. Greer, Cyrus E. Ander- 
 son, Alexander Russell, R. P. Scott, W. A. 
 Lowrey, Joseph Criswell, I. J. McCandless, 
 
484 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 A. B. Ritchey. Tlie officers of the post in 
 1909 were Thomas Hayes, commander; 
 R. P. Scott, quartermaster; Rev. Long, 
 ehaplain; W. A. Lowrey, adjutant; and 
 A. G. Morrison, officer of the day. 
 
 The Post held its meetings in the Odd 
 Fellows' Hall on Jefferson Street until 
 1905, when the quarters were moved to the 
 hall on Center Avenue in Springdale. The 
 Post at one time had a membership of over 
 200, but at the present time it is only 150, 
 indicating that the ranks of the great army 
 of 1861 and 1865 is rapidly thinning, and 
 in a few years will live only in the memo- 
 ries of the sons and grandsons of its 
 members. 
 
 Connected with the Post is the Belief 
 turps Number 97, which contains about 
 twenty-five members. 
 
 Butler Camp No. 33, United Spanish 
 War Veterans, was mustered April 19, 
 J 907, by Major Davis of Pittsburg. The 
 officers of the camp are Lieutenant A. T. 
 Scott, Commander; Howard C. Hazlett, 
 Senior Vice-Commander ; Samuel S. Scott, 
 Junior Vice-Commander; Jno. H. Jackson, 
 Quarter-master; Charles A. McElvaine, 
 Adjutant; Robert M. Little, Chaplain; Ear- 
 nest C. Faber, Sergeant ; Col. W. T. Mech- 
 ling. Lieutenant; Geo. S. Mechling and 
 William Double, trustees. The following 
 are the charter members : Isaac Andrews, 
 R()1)ert J. Adams, Roy 1. Burtner, Cam- 
 eron 6. Brandon, Chas. B. BurMialter, 
 Harry A. Cook, Wm. J. P. Collins, Peter 
 A. Cummings, Wm. J. Curley, Wm. A. 
 Caldwell, Carl M. Eisler, David H. Ens- 
 minger, Harvey A. Evans, Clarence E. 
 Graham, Hardee H. Hapler, Jos. A. Heine- 
 man, John H. Jackson, Wm. J. Jackson, 
 Ira McJunkin, Lawrence H. McDowell, 
 Josiah M. McCandless^ Roy R. Mclntire, 
 Marcus B. Mechling, Harley McClelland, 
 J as. T. Morgan, Louis A. McDonald, Harry 
 H. Morrison, Charles E. Miller, E. H. Neg- 
 ley, Fred T. Roessing, Wm. H. Ritter, Jr., 
 Harry E. Sumney, Chas. E. Smith, Samuel 
 S. Scott, Oscar A. Schaffer, A. J. Thomp- 
 
 son, Geo. Thompson, J as. C. Voegley, 
 Horatio S. Vanderlin, B. J. Williams, A. 
 Rex Williams, John G. Williams, Bert L. 
 Wiseman, Thos. W. Watson, Fred E. Wig- 
 ton, William A. Wade, B. H. Smulovitz, 
 Ira A. Murphy, S. V. Eckelberger, Jno. J. 
 Martin, W. H. Rebuhn, Jno. W. Alexander, 
 R. W. Laughlin, and J as. L. Barton. 
 
 Other lodges or societies having organ- 
 izations in the town in 1908 are the Home 
 Guards, Sons of St. George, and Human 
 Rights. 
 
 The United States Board of Examining 
 Surgeons connected with the Pension De- 
 partment, is composed of Dr. A. V. Cun- 
 ningham, of Velienople, president; Dr. 
 R. B. Greer of Butler, secretary; and Dr. 
 L. B. Grove, of Anandale, treasurer. 
 
 The Butler County Medical Society 
 meets once a month in rooms in the Reiber 
 Building on South Main Street. Dr. T. M. 
 Maxwell is secretary of the society. A 
 history of the society is noted in the med- 
 ical chapter of this work. 
 
 THE POSTOFFICE. 
 
 Previous to the founding of Butler Bor- 
 ough a mail route was established in 1801 
 from Erie to Pittsburg. The mail carrier 
 traveled on horseback, sometimes on foot, 
 and visited the community about once a 
 month. In 1805 the mail carrier visited 
 Butler eveiy two weeks. Subsequently the 
 trips were made once a week. For many 
 years it was said the amount of mail was 
 often so small as to be easily stowed away 
 in the pockets of the carrier. Later the 
 mail pouch was thrown across the back of 
 the horse of the carrier, and then two 
 horses were used to transport the increas- 
 ing correspondence. When the public 
 roads had been completed from Pittsburg 
 to Butler, and thence to IMercer, a wagon 
 was used to carry the mail, and any trav- 
 elers between the points on the route. A 
 semi-weekly mail was established through 
 Butler from Pittsburg to Erie in 1818; a 
 tri-weeklv in 1824; and a dailv mail in 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 485 
 
 18l'7. The stage ooaeli ea)»e in 1S21, ami 
 the mail was carried by the stage line until 
 the advent of the railroad in"'lS71. The 
 next advance was two daily mails between 
 Butler and Pittsburg, and in 1909 the num- 
 ber of mails between Butler and Pittsburg 
 and all eastern and western points is six, 
 and a two-horse wagon is required to 
 ti'ansport the large number of mail sacks 
 from the postoflfiee to the various depots. 
 
 Little is known about the location of the 
 early post-offices. Patrick Keiley had the 
 post-office at one time at his tavern on the 
 Diamond. Joshua J. Sedwick conducted 
 the office for a number of years in the fif- 
 ties at the corner of North and Main 
 Streets, now occupied by the Duffy Block. 
 Later the office was kept in the tavern 
 building of Patrick Keiley, Jr., at the cor- 
 ner of Main and Cunningham Streets. In 
 the early part of the seventies a frame 
 building was erected at the rear of the 
 Troutman Building on West Cunningham 
 Street, which served its purpose until about 
 1888, when new quarters were rented in 
 the Byers Building on South Main Street, 
 now occupied by Covert 's Cafe. The pres- 
 ent (juarters were leased from the Butler 
 County National Bank Building in 190o. 
 In 1902 the first steps were taken towards 
 obtaining a federal building for. the town, 
 and Congre.ss appropriated $20,000 for the 
 purchase of the lot at the corner of AVest 
 Jefferson and Washington Streets, from 
 the heirs of the late Col. .James C. }»IcKoe 
 and Isaiah J. McBride. 
 
 The following is a list of post-masters of 
 Butler with dates of appointment : 
 
 William B. Y'oimg, October 1, 1805; 
 John Potts, Julv 1. 1807; William Gibson, 
 December 8, 1813; Jacob Mechling, Jr., 
 April 1, 1816 ; James P. Howard, Februarv 
 10, 1817 ; John Gilchrist, Januarv 24, 1824 ; 
 Peter Duffv, December 10, 1830; James 
 Potts, December 31, 1832; AVilliam B. 
 Lemmon, Julv 10, 1841; David A. Agnew, 
 May 16, 1845; Joshua J. Sedwick, March 
 26, 1849; Daniel Coll. .\pril 28, 1853: 
 
 Joshua J. Sedwick, June 8, 1861, reap- 
 pointed March 2, 1867 ; Frank M. Eastman, 
 April 21, 1869; Thomas B. White, April 3, 
 1871, reappointed March 15, 1875; Sallie 
 A. Robinson, March 27, 1879, reappointed 
 June 26, 1883; Frank M. Eastman, May 10, 
 1888 ; John T. Keiley, May 20, 1892 ; John 
 W. Brown, Julv 21, 1896; J. B. Black, Julv, 
 1900; Eli D. Robinson, August, 1904; 
 James B. Mates, January 26, 1909. 
 
 BOKOtTGH OFFICIALS IX .J.\NU.\EY, 1909. 
 
 Burgess, Elmer E. Bell; president of 
 council, Ellsworth Miller; treasurer, Wm. 
 F. Rumberger; secretaiy, H. E. Coulter; 
 city solicitor, John H. Wilson; tax col- 
 lector, Archie Davidson ; high constable, 
 Ed. Kramer; auditors, V. W. Parker, 
 Harry Forcht, T. James Dodds; street 
 commissioner, Jasper Richard; boi'ough 
 engineer, H. B. Graves; sewer inspector, 
 John W. Vogel. Members of Council — 
 First Ward, John C. Clark, Thos. H. 
 Brown, Joseph E. Schnitzer; Second 
 Ward, George Mellinger, Samuel L. Ii'vine, 
 Geo. E. Sherman; Third Ward, John G. 
 Dunn, Lewis E. Ruby, A. C. Moxie ; Fourth 
 Ward, Ellsworth Miller, Joseph Ball, Geo. 
 H. Limberg; Fifth AVard, A. M. Aiken, 
 Geo. Ambruster and E. R. MaxMell. 
 
 POLICE FORCE. 
 
 The Police Force of the city in January. 
 1909, was composed of Joseph Angert, 
 chief; Lewis Hays, lieutenant; and patrol- 
 men R. H. Graham, E. L. Shultz, AA^esley 
 Hoover and George Rodgers. 
 
 MODERN BUTLER. 
 
 We have attempted to trace the histoiy 
 of Butler through its various stages down 
 to the present time. It has grown from an 
 obscure hamlet of less than fifty inhabit- 
 ants more than a hundred years ago to a 
 thriving city of 25,000 population. Since 
 the incorporation of the borough in 1817 
 there has been no backward steps taken, 
 although it is true that for many years the 
 borough languished and gave but feeble 
 
486 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 signs of life. When .loliii G;ill)raitli estah- 
 lished tlie Palladium iu 1818, liis was the 
 only printing office between Pittsburg and 
 Mercer. Today there are five weekly and 
 two daily papers pn))lished in the town, 
 which is now recognized as the social and 
 commercial center of a rich and populous 
 county. For three-quarters of a century 
 the streets were unpaved, the sidewalks 
 poor and the buildings typical of a back- 
 woods period. A better day dawned, how- 
 ever, upon the town, when nature devel- 
 oped her vast stores of wealth, and the 
 discovery of oil and gas made the county 
 an inviting field for speculation and invest- 
 ment. The advent of the steam railroads 
 opened a new field of industrial endeavor, 
 and in the last two decades the shire town 
 has become the center of a vast manufac- 
 turing district. 
 
 Modern Butler may be said to date from 
 1871, when the first steam railroad was 
 completed to the town. A new era of im- 
 provement and building set in which began 
 with the erection of the Jefferson Street 
 School building, the bank building on the 
 corner of Main and Jefferson Streets, and 
 the Berg Hardware Building on South 
 Main Street. The boundaries of the bor- 
 ough were enlarged, new streets were 
 opened, stone and brick side-walks were 
 laid, and comfortable dwelling houses con- 
 structed in the modern style of architect- 
 ure were erected on the new streets and 
 avenues. A period of depression followed 
 the Greece City oil excitement, but was 
 followed by renewed activity In the t-ight- 
 ies. During this decade notiMl iniprove- 
 ments were made in the erection ol' busi- 
 ness blocks on Main Street, and the re- 
 moval of Dougal's Row, which consisted 
 of a pile of dilapidated old shacks, north 
 of the Court House, and the erection of 
 ihe present substantial business blocks. 
 The present court house was erected in 
 1884, and about the same time the Reiber 
 Block on the corner of Main and Cunning- 
 ham Streets took the place of tlic dd frame 
 
 buildings that were formerlv occupied ))v 
 Kel ley's Hotel. 
 
 The last decade of the century was 
 marked by rapid advancements. The 
 streets were lighted with electricity in 
 1890, the Waring sewage system was in- 
 stalled the same year, and Main Street was 
 paved with brick. Other streets followed 
 until at the present time all of the principal 
 streets and avenues of the town are paved 
 with brick or asphalt block. Three-story 
 business blocks began to appear on Main 
 Street, the Troutman Block being erectefl 
 in 1890, the Campbell Block in 1891, the 
 Farmers National Bank Building, the 
 Younkins Building, the Stein Block, south • 
 of the Court House, Campbell's furniture 
 store, and the Thompson and Younkins 
 Block now occupied by the Butler Business 
 College, were all erected during the latter 
 part of the nineties. The first decade of 
 the new century was marked by the evolu- 
 tion from the three-story business block to 
 the modern sky scraper, and in 1903 the 
 Butler County National Bank Building, 
 six stories high, was erected, and the fol- 
 lowing year the new Nixon Hotel Building, 
 which is four stories above the sub-story, 
 was completed on the south side of Dia- 
 mond Street. The Odd Fellows' Temple 
 on South Main Street, the Duffy flats on 
 North 'Slum Street, the Kirkpatriek Build- 
 ing, and Koch's grocery building, were all 
 erected since 1902. Modern hotel build- 
 ings have taken the place of the old tav- 
 erns, among the more recent being the new 
 Nixon, the Clinton, the Commercial, the 
 ]\[onroe, the Atlas, and the Keystone, all 
 of which have been completed in the past 
 few years. 
 
 The Butler oil and gas fields are still a 
 source of unmeasured wealth, the lime and 
 coal industries are in their infancy, new 
 manufacturing plants are being erected 
 and new electric railways are being pro- 
 moted. The outlook is hopeful and the 
 succeeding years will see greater advance- 
 ment tlinn the past. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE TOWNSHIPS 
 
 ADAMS TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Tliis township, named in honor of an 
 early president, John Quincy Adams, was 
 erected in 1854 from territory set apart 
 from Cranberry and Middlesex townships, 
 and is located along the base line of the 
 county, in the second tier of townships 
 from the western boundary. It is of fer- 
 tile soil, well drained by Breakneck and 
 Little Breakneck Creeks and Glade Run, 
 and is well adapted for agricultural pur- 
 suits. Cannel, Upper Freeport and Brush 
 Creek coal have been mined in different 
 parts of the township with good results, 
 and the development of the oil fields has 
 shown this territory rich in oil and gas. 
 
 The first settler of the township was 
 James Glover, a native of New Jersey, 
 who had come west to Pittsburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he was one of the pioneers. 
 He was a great huntsman and on his expe- 
 ditions found a deer lick in what is now 
 Adams Township. Close by this lick he 
 in 1792 put up a rude log cabin; in 1795 
 he made a clearing here, and the following 
 year laid claim to 400 acres of laud. In 
 1796 he erected a log-house, tlie second in 
 the township, and there resided until his 
 death in 1844, at the age of ninety-one 
 years. The first house was that built by 
 James Irvine, who had the added distinc- 
 tion of being one of the pioneer school 
 teachers. In the center of his claim of 100 
 acres, he built a large house of round logs, 
 
 in which he lived until his death in 1830. 
 He was an Irishman by birth, and upon 
 coming to America in 1770, first took up 
 his residence in Westmoreland County. 
 William McCandless, a tailor; William Mc- 
 Candless, a distiller, and Robert McCand- 
 less settled at the same period, and in 1796 
 came Adam Johnson, Sr., Adam Johnson, 
 Jr., Josliua and George Stoolfire, Moses 
 Meeker, Timothy Ward and David Spear. 
 Timothy Ward, who was a school teacher, 
 and Moses Meeker, did not remain long. 
 Adam Johnson, Sr., was well advanced in 
 years at the time of his arrival, and died 
 here in 1827, at the remarkable age of 103. 
 The year 1798 witnessed the arrival of the 
 following men with their families : William 
 Criswell, William Roseboro, James Park, 
 Matthew Park, Silas Miller, Isaac Covert, 
 Joseph Means, Thomas Means, and some 
 of the Gillilands. John Richardson, Will- 
 iam Forsythe, James Davidson, Sr., and 
 his son James, came into the country about 
 the close of the eighteenth centairy. Thomas 
 Kennedy and Andrew Bar arrived about 
 the year 1813; Robert McKinney in 1816; 
 and Job Staples, school teacher, minister 
 and farmer, came in about that time. 
 Other names prominently connected with 
 the township history at an early period 
 are : McMarlin, Kennedy, Marshall, Plum- 
 mer, Orr, Cashdollar, Kidd, Walter, 
 Cooper and Hall. The first birth record in 
 the township is that of John Gilliland, 
 
488 
 
 lUSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 born November 25, 1798. Yeyy little uiau- 
 ufacturing has been done liere. Matthew 
 Park established a grist mill in the early 
 days near the site of Mars, and Samuel 
 Eoseboro erected one in the same locality 
 in 1883. The distillery of Robert McKin- 
 ney was established in 1819. 
 
 School classes were organized and in- 
 struction in the common branches given in 
 various homes for several j^ears prior to 
 the building of the first school, a log struc- 
 ture, in 1805. These classes were taught by 
 wandering teachers or by some of the 
 pioneers, of whom quite a number were 
 teachers. Robert Hill taught in the first 
 building erected for school purposes, it 
 being located on or near the old Davis 
 farm. Near the present village of Callery, 
 a log school was built in 1837, and about 
 the year 1848 Samuel Hood taught the first 
 school in the neighborhood of Robbins Mill, 
 it being held in the house vacated by Reu- 
 ben Conaby. There are now eight schools 
 in the township, and education matters are 
 in a flourishing condition. The school 
 board is composed of the following direct- 
 ors: W. L. Marburger, W. J. Rennisou, 
 Chris. Thileman, J. A. Humes, D. B. Stoup, 
 and Thomas W. Hayes. 
 
 The United Presbijteriaii ClniicJi of 
 Adams Township, known as the Union 
 Church, was organized near Brownsdalc 
 in 1806, where it continued until 1820, in 
 which year the tent, in which services were 
 held, was conveyed to a point near the 
 present church of the congregation. In 
 1824 two acres of land was purchased from 
 Robert McKinney, and the following year 
 a log building was erected. In 1833 a divi- 
 sion of the congregation took place, one 
 branch being known as the "Old School," 
 and the other as the "New School." The 
 latter held the church property. The his- 
 tory of the former division is given under 
 the head of the North Union Reformed 
 Presbyterian Church of Forward Town- 
 ship. The "New School" occupied the old 
 log building until 1839, when it was nbau- 
 
 doned. The "Old School" in that year 
 erected a brick building, adjoining the old, 
 and following the example set, the "New 
 School," also in 1839, purchased a lot 
 about one mile northwest and constructed 
 a large brick edifice. The members from 
 the vicinity of Brownsdale withdrew in 
 1859 to imite with a new organization 
 there, and in June, 1859, the Union Con- 
 gregation joined with the United Presby- 
 terians. About this time, the charge was 
 transferred from the Allegheny to the 
 Butler Presbytery. Union and Browns- 
 dale churches united in one charge. In 
 1864 the town (churches dissolved connec- 
 tion and the pastor devoted his whole time 
 to the old Union church. The church so- 
 ciety was incorporated June 14, 1866, with 
 Jacob Hutchman, Francis H. Davidson and 
 Samuel Orr as trustees. The old church 
 was destroyed by fire in 1905 and has since 
 been replaced by a neat and attractive 
 building representing a cost of about six 
 thousand dollars, which was dedicated in 
 1906. 
 
 Crest Vieic Preshyterian Chunk of 
 Adams Township was organized in 1890, 
 letters being granted on August 10, of that 
 year to twenty-seven members by the ses- 
 sion of Plains Church. The petition was 
 presented by Rev. R. C. Yates. The society 
 was incorporated Februarj- 15, 1892, with 
 Nicoll Allen, F. C. McNeal and Alfred 
 Richardson as trustees. 
 
 The United Preshyterian Church of Mars, 
 the early history of which coincides with 
 that of Union Church, was moved to Mars 
 in 1877. It was incorporated Mav 16, 1893, 
 on petition of Dr. John C. Barr, T. M. 
 ^Marshall, John Davidson, John A. Cris- 
 well and Presley Duncan. In 1894, a new 
 church building was completed at a cost of 
 $4,000. 
 
 The ISlethodist Episcopal Church of 
 Mars was organized with a membership of 
 eight, and a cliuvch building soon after 
 ei-ected. 
 
 The EraiificlicdJ ^Is.sociatinii is the most 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 489 
 
 recent of tlie cliurohes established in 
 Adams Township, and has a fail' sized con- 
 gregation. 
 
 Mars Borough, the principal center of 
 population in Adams Township, is a 
 thrifty and well bnilt little town, which has 
 had a steady growth. It has fine stores, 
 residences and churches, and a progressive 
 class of citizens. The United States Cen- 
 sus Report of 1900 shows its population 
 more than double that of the preceding- 
 report. The place was known as Over- 
 brook Post-office from the time of estab- 
 lishing an office at this point until 1882, 
 when the name of Mars was adopted. The 
 post-office was started in 1875, and Samuel 
 Park, the miller, made the first post-mas- 
 ter. The completion of the Pittsburg and 
 Narrow Gauge Railroad to this point 
 caused a raise in property values and con- 
 siderable building activity. Frank Johns- 
 ton immediately erected a building and 
 conducted a store until 1877 or 1878, when 
 he sold out to W. H. Walters and W. J. 
 Gilliland. They carried on the business 
 for two years, and then sold out to J. B. 
 Dickey. Mr. Gilliland erected a larger 
 building west of the depot for store pur- 
 poses, and tliis too he sold to Mr. Dickey. 
 A new store building was in the course of 
 construction by Oliver Pinkerton, when the 
 report was circulated that the depot would 
 be removed to Little Breakneck, and the 
 building plans were checked. This report 
 also caused Mr. Dicke}' to sell his building, 
 the purchaser being W. H. Walters, who 
 carried on the business for a year, and 
 then sold out to Samuel and Andrew 
 Thompson. W. J. Gilliland erected the 
 building later occupied by Marshall's 
 store, on a five-acre tract purchased from 
 the S. A. Kennedv propertv. In the fall of 
 1883, Mr. Gilliland and D. G. Marshall 
 erected a store and depot, where they car- 
 ried on business until the following year, 
 the railroad office being moved to that 
 building. D. B. Wilson, a new arrival, 
 built a house which he later traded i'oi' the 
 
 Thompson store, carrying on the business 
 for a time. F. P. Confer erected a shop 
 and residence and was the first blacksmith 
 in the place, being succeeded in turn by 
 John Conley and Samuel Zeigler. Stores 
 which were established and prospered at 
 a later period were those of Dr. J. C. Bar 
 and Charles Willetts, drugs ; H. W. Walt- 
 ers, harness; Al Ziegier, hardware; J. D. 
 Marshall, Jordan & Company, and Ziegier 
 and Schwab, general stores; Simon and 
 Cohen, clothing; Mars Milling & Feed Co.; 
 Irvine Brothers, furniture dealers; W. J. 
 Link, coal dealer; W. D. Boyd, lumber 
 dealer; Edward Wise, M. J. Roberts, and 
 M. Hinchey, stores. 
 
 The borough officers for 1908 are as fol- 
 lows: Justice of the peace, Alexander 
 Lurting; auditor, O. C. Pinkerton; high 
 constable, Clinton McCandless; school di- 
 rectors, A. C. Irvine, G. H. Kandaell ; coun- 
 cil, John Toy, B. M. Phipps, William Dan ; 
 constable, D. L. Fair; judge of election, 
 J. C. liespenheid ; inspectors, W. A. David- 
 son and Presley Duncan; town clerk, W. 
 AV. Donaldson ; street commissioner, *W. A. 
 Davidson; tax collector, L. E. Irvine; 
 assessor, Mercer Marshall. The present 
 postmaster is W. D. Boyd. 
 
 Gallery Borough, formerly known as 
 Callery Junction, is a prosperous little 
 railroad town in Adams Township, which 
 was named in honor of the president of the 
 Pittsburg & Western Railroad, now a part 
 of the Baltimore & ( )lii() System. It is the 
 junction point of that road with the Butler 
 branch. A post office was established here 
 in 1880, but it was not until 1883 that there 
 was much building activity. In that year, 
 William Gilliland sold lots to P. H. Mur- 
 ray, Alexander Blair, A. M. Beers, T. M. 
 !\[arshall, and F. C. Meeder, among others, 
 all of whom had buildings erected by April, 
 1883, prior to the completion of the depot. 
 The Meeder House was opened for busi- 
 ness in July of that year. Essentially a 
 railroad town, as well as a good shipping 
 ])oint, numerous hotels and poolrooms, as 
 
490 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 well as stores, came into being, and made 
 a thriving and active appearance. The 
 conflagration of October 29, 1892, de- 
 stroyed the stores of James Little and W. 
 Shannon; Murray's restaurant; the hotels 
 of W. H. White, H. Maters and VanBoise; 
 the railroad depot and freight house, and 
 six dwellings, entailing a loss of $25,000, 
 about three-fifths of it covered by insur- 
 ance. What promised to be a serious set 
 back to the village proved the reverse, as 
 the new buildings erected were larger, 
 more siibstantial and modern in type. 
 Within a year business was fully resumed 
 and the following merchants and firms 
 active in the field : John F. Shannon, gen- 
 eral merchant; J. H. Thomas, general mer- 
 chant ; H. B. Hunt, proprietor of a restau- 
 rant ; M. J. Goddard, coal dealer ; and Car- 
 ruthers, Peters- & Company, machinists 
 and blacksmiths, which subsequently 
 merged into the Bessemer Gas Engine Co. 
 at Grove City. Mrs. Bessie A. Shannon 
 is the present postmistress. 
 
 The town was incorporated as a bor- 
 ough 'July 3, 1905, when the court ap- 
 pointed Perry Dunlap, J. M. Little and 
 X. ^leCollough, election officers to hold the 
 first borough election. 
 
 The elections of 1908 resulted in the 
 choice of S. E. Miller and W. E. Dunbar 
 for auditors; J. H. Stone for high con- 
 stable; D. Lambert for constable; J. F. 
 Shannon and George Kaufmann for school 
 directors ; B. Guthrie and George A. Kauf- 
 mann for council. 
 
 . John F. Shannon is the present justice 
 of the peace in the borough, having been 
 elected in 1905. 
 
 In 1908 the mercantile interests of the 
 town were represented by the general 
 stores of John F. Shannon and R. A. 
 Marks, and the Callery Pliarmacy of which 
 W. B. Staples is the manager. 
 
 The industrial interests are represented 
 by the Pittsburg-Callery Brick & Tile Com- 
 pany, which is the successor of the old Cal- 
 lery Brick Company. This company has 
 
 a plant representing an investment of 
 about $30,000, and gives employment to 
 thirty men. The company owns thirty 
 acres of land at the site of its plant, and 
 is doing an extensive business. 
 
 The Pittsburg Fuse Manufacturing 
 Company has a capital of $50,000, and is 
 operating a plant on the old James Walt- 
 ers farm in the limits of the borough. This 
 concern manufactures fuse for blasting, 
 and employs fifty-three people. It is owned 
 and managed by Pittsburg people. 
 
 The Vanvoy Hotel conducted by Thomas 
 Louther, and P. H. Murray's restaurant 
 furnish entertainment for the travelers 
 who may stop at this point. 
 
 Four companies supply the town with 
 natural gas. They are the Evans City 
 Natural Gas Company, which is controlled 
 by Butler parties, the Forrest Oil Com- 
 pany and the United Natural Gas Com- 
 pany. The Callery Natural Gas Company 
 was recently organized by Samuel Kauf- 
 mann and W. B. Staples, and is supplying 
 a number of consumers from wells on the 
 Mandana Staples farm about two miles 
 west of Myoma. 
 
 The borough council in January, 1909, 
 was composed of B. H. Guthrie, president ; 
 Perrv Dunlap ; W. H. Lobaugh ; A. J. Welj- 
 ber; W. B. Staples; Dr. H. R. Wilson, and 
 A. McCollough; John Shannon is clerk; 
 Samuel Kaufmann was street commis- 
 sioner in 1908. 
 
 The borough has two public schools, a 
 commodious school building which was 
 erected in 1907, and an enrollment of about 
 ninety scholars and a population of 
 about 450. 
 
 TJic Free Methodist Society was organ- 
 ized at Callery Junction about 1899, and 
 has had practically the same pastors as 
 the congregation at Mars. In the fall of 
 1908 the society purchased the building 
 that had been erected by the Gospel Prohi- 
 bition Church, the latter society having 
 been disorganized. The pastor in charge 
 of the Free INfethodist Societv in 1908 was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 491 
 
 Miss Elizabeth Bergman, who also has 
 charge of the congregation at Mars. The 
 membership of the Free Methodist Society 
 is small, having at no time exceeded 
 twenty-five since its organization. 
 
 The Gospel Prohibition Church above 
 mentioned is one of the three societies or- 
 ganized in Butler County by Rev. I. G. 
 Pollard, of which mention is made in the 
 chapter on Butler Borough. 
 
 Crest View Presbyterian Church. The 
 early history of Crest View Presbyterian 
 Church at Gallery Junction is identified 
 with that of Plains Church in Cranberry 
 township. On August 10, 1890, the Ses- 
 sion of Plains Church granted letters of 
 dismissal to twenty-six of its members, 
 who, with Rev. R. C. Yates, composed the 
 nucleus of the new congregation, which 
 was organized at that time. The society 
 was incorporated February 15, 1892, the 
 trustees named in the charter being Nicoll 
 Allen, F. C. McNeal and Alfred Richard- 
 son. The pastor of the congregation in 
 1908 was Rev. P. R. Harvey, and the eld- 
 ers Cyrus W. Hall, John Staples, James 
 Little, Charles Kiser and Flemming West. 
 
 Downeyville is the name of a small set- 
 tlement in the southern part of Adams 
 Township, near the Allegheny County line. 
 The plant of the Downey Pump Works, 
 established here in the early nineties, was 
 recently purchased by the Pittsburg 
 Horse-shoe Manufacturing Comijany, who 
 have begun the erection of additional 
 buildings. The concern will employ about 
 100 men, and in consequence the future 
 prospects of the village are very promis- 
 ing. F. C. Windhorst conducts a general 
 store here. 
 
 Myoma is a small place in one of the 
 richest agricultural sections of Adams 
 Township, and with a good substantial 
 class from which to draw trade, has main- 
 tained some good stores, a blacksmith shop 
 and postoffice. Among the merchants who 
 have been located at this point may be 
 mentioned J. C. Davidson, C. B. Irvine 
 
 and II. II. Berriuger. A church and school 
 are located here. 
 
 Valencia Borough, surveyed and named 
 by Dr. S. 0. Sterrett, is located in the 
 southern part of Adams Township. Dr. 
 Sterrett established a general store at this 
 point, as did J. A. & W. F. Anderson and 
 A. L. Cooper; and J. C. Barr an agri- 
 cultural implement store and coal yard. In 
 1908 Geo. Dickson and J. R. Stoup were 
 conducting a general store. Morrow and 
 Buxton a hardware establishment, Willetts 
 Brothers a drug store, and Jacob Kanaell 
 a market. The town has one public school. 
 Valencia was changed from a village to 
 a bourough in 1897. 
 
 Toivnship officials (1908): Tax col- 
 lector, William L. Kauifman; constable, 
 E. F. Holzer; assessor, John CashdoUar; 
 auditors, W. W. Hill, Joseph Gilkey and 
 J. A. Kennedy; road supervisors, John 
 Kline, W. J. Blakeley, S. D. Swaney, R. J. 
 Oi-r and W. L. Marburger. 
 
 CONCOKD TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Concord Township, at one time the most 
 important center of the Butler oil fields, 
 is a well watered section of the county, 
 and has fertile farming land, besides coal 
 deposits, of which some small banks are 
 now operated for local consumers. The 
 names of its streams, Bear, Buffalo, Mud- 
 dy and Slippery Rock Creeks, were once 
 well known on the Oil Exchange, for along 
 these streams or not far removed, were 
 drilled the wells that in 1872 and a few 
 years later attracted the interest of finan- 
 ciers in every section. There are several 
 hundred wells still producing, though the 
 production of each is small. Drilling is 
 still carried on to some extent, the oil be- 
 ing found in the third sand and the 
 Speechly sand. There are also several 
 small gas wells operated for local con- 
 sumption. The Western Allegheny Rail- 
 way runs through the central part of the 
 township. 
 
 The first jiermauent settlei's were prob- 
 
492 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ably Widow Thankful Aggas and her two 
 sons, who established their home in the 
 wilderness in 1796. Their first neighbors 
 were Edward Graham and family, William 
 Dickey and John Campbell, Sr., and sons, 
 the latter settling in 1797. There are also 
 found the names of William and Andrew 
 Christy and Samuel Campbell, while other 
 pi-omiuent pioneers up to 1826 were the 
 Conways, Samuel Campbell, James Rus- 
 sell, John, Joseph and Geoi'ge Tiiubliu, 
 Jeremiah and Piatt Sutton, .lolin Sliryock, 
 and William and John Thomi)S()n. Josej)h 
 Sutton came in 1819, John Starr in 1821, 
 Rev. John Coulter in 1823, and William 
 T. Jamison in 1826. The grist mill built 
 liy Andrew Christy, in 1801, in Concord 
 Township, was the third in the county, 
 Neyman's mill, situated at the mouth of 
 Bonny Brook, being the second. 
 
 The first schoolhouse, a mere shelter 
 of logs, with a huge fireplace, was erected 
 near Concord Church, and one of the early 
 teachers was Dr. Steadman. A number of 
 similar log structures were put up in va- 
 rious parts of the township, and subscrip- 
 tion schools held during a few UKnitlis of 
 the year, but after the estalilisliinoit of 
 the public school system, in is;!.!, ('diicord 
 Township showed an equal interest with 
 her sister townships and made quite as 
 much educational progress. There are 
 now eight schools, with as many teachers 
 and 262 pupils. The township high school 
 is located at Middletown. H. A. Brown, 
 Joseph Campbell F. F. Bauer, A. R. Mc- 
 Kinnev and I. P. Murtland were school 
 directors in 1908. 
 
 In 1799 came Rev. John McPherrin, a 
 devout Presbyterian, from Westmoreland 
 County, and after gathering a congrega- 
 tion that came from the different isolated 
 sections, irrespective of former creeds, 
 and gladly listened to his preaching of the 
 Word, under a spreading tree, he was so 
 impressed that he offered the name of 
 Concord to the assemblage, and that name 
 continues to the present day. Tn 1S0:5 he 
 
 returned, and in the autumn of 1804 he 
 completed the organization of the Concord 
 Presbyterian Church and was installed as 
 pastor. The Coveiiaufcr was the name of 
 one of the early church l)odies, now passed 
 out of existence. 
 
 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was 
 organized in 1858, when a church building 
 was completed. It has now twenty-four 
 members. Rev. Ibauch is pastor. 
 
 The Methodist Episcoioal Church of 
 Greece City was organized into a definite 
 body in 1870, although prior to this meet- 
 ings had been conducted at the Hazel Dell 
 Schoolhouse, which were often largely at- 
 tended by the transient oil men. The pres- 
 ent edifice was built in 1883. The congre- 
 gation is now very small. 
 
 The Springdale Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church was organized in 1875, and in the 
 year following the church building was 
 dedicated. The congregation now numbers 
 seventy members. 
 
 The Troutman M. E. Church, Rev. Low- 
 thian, pastor, has a membership of sev- 
 enty. 
 
 The villages which have been the centers 
 of much of the business of the township, 
 some of them entirely products of the oil 
 industry, were: Middletown, Greece Cit.y, 
 Modoc City and Troutman or Magic, the 
 latter being the postal name of the old set- 
 tlement. 
 
 Middletown was founded in 1846 and the 
 early business men were Porter McCon- 
 nell, Andrew Bullman, John McGlaughlin, 
 John G. Christ}^ and Conway .& Kuhn. 
 There are now two general stores, one 
 owned by H. Coon and the other by T. Z. 
 Levy. 
 
 Greece City. From 1801, when Andrew 
 Christy put up his mill, the present site 
 of Greece City, for some seventy years 
 was known as Christy's Mill, Harper's 
 Mill and Jamison's Mill. Wlien the place 
 was opened for oil operations, the name 
 of Greece City was adopted, and the pop- 
 ulation increased so rapidly that a peti- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 493 
 
 tiou to have tlie place made a borough was 
 readily ,i>ranted, in November, 1873. in 
 the same >('ar a postoffice was established 
 and Ikiuscs of all kinds went up with amaz- 
 ing raiiidity. In December, 1872, the first 
 Inmk was established, later Woods Bank 
 and the Concord Savings Bank became 
 factors, the National Transit Company 
 did a large business, and during the period 
 before the destructive fire of Decemlier, 
 1873. there was every evidence that the 
 place would rival all others in Butler 
 County. The days of '73 were also ren- 
 dered lively by the faction fights between 
 the rival tribes of oil men, on June 7th that 
 year no less than 500 men participating in 
 a great riot, which resulted in fourteen cas- 
 ualties. The place has lost most of its 
 former importance. The pumping station 
 of the Pi'oducers' Refining Company is lo- 
 cated here, and there is one general store, 
 conducted by N. B. Kregar. Tlie place has 
 the Speechly Telephone. 
 
 Modoc City has not entirely lost all its 
 traces of its one-time position as an oil 
 city, but here, too, fire, in 1874, destroyed 
 $100,000 worth of property and brought 
 many enterprises to an end. 
 
 Troutman at one time was filled with 
 the paraphernalia of the oil industry, ac- 
 companied by the conditions that else- 
 where prevailed. In April, 1877, it was 
 practically destroyed during an electric 
 storm, by the lightning striking a large oil 
 tank. The place is now a station on the 
 W. Allegheny Railway. There is one store, 
 run by F. Stewart. 
 
 Old residents of Concord Township 
 readily tell of the early events of the dis- 
 covery of oil here and tell of the wonderful 
 strike in the Fourth sand in August, 1872. 
 Many notable wells were soon after de- 
 veloped, wealth came to many families 
 from this unexpected source, and Concord 
 Township numbers many men of large 
 substance. 
 
 ToiVHship Officials. — M. Cocheran, jus- 
 tice of the peace; tax collector, P. Sutton; 
 
 constable, R. Kinzer; tax assessor, M. 
 Campbell; road commissioners, J. Camp- 
 bell, T. Starr and L. Sutton; auditors, P. 
 E. AVick, W. H. Coon and J. H. Christy; 
 clerk, R. Adams. 
 
 MUDDY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 
 
 ]\Iuddy Creek Township, deriving its 
 name from the body of water known as 
 Muddy Creek, which forms its northern 
 boundary and separates it from Worth 
 Township, was reduced to its present area 
 in 1854, although, when originally consti- 
 tuted as one of tlie thirteen townships in 
 which Butler County was divided in 1804, 
 it included the land now forming parts of 
 three other townships — Franklin, Worth 
 and Connocjueuessing. This township shows 
 a variety of soil and is the field of agricul- 
 tural and mining activity. It has been 
 found rich in coal, iron ore and limestone, 
 and the development of "these natural gifts 
 of Nature have brought wealth to many 
 families and have attracted a solid, indus- 
 trious laboring class from other sections. 
 The surface of the land is somewhat 
 broken, the coal and limestone being in evi- 
 dence, but the township can also show some 
 of the best farming land in Butler County. 
 The highest measured point is near Por- 
 tersville, the height there being 1,375 feet 
 above sea level. 
 
 Oil has been produced in Muddy Creek 
 Township for a number of years; a new 
 field was opened up during the past year 
 and about eighteen or twenty wells put 
 down. Almost the entire township is un- 
 derlaid with coal, there being a vein from 
 three and a half to five feet in thickness. 
 Its production at the ja resent time, however, 
 is not large enough to be of commercial im- 
 portance. Farming is the principal occu- 
 pation of the people. The township has 
 good telephone service, 'There is one grist- 
 mill, owned and operated by H. Bander & 
 Son, which was erected aliout forty years 
 ago-: 
 
 No records of this section prior to 1794 
 
494 
 
 IlISTUKY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 liave been discovered, aud the first known 
 resident was a negro named Caesar, who 
 was found occupying a log cabin when 
 Robert Stewart, the first white settler, ap- 
 peared here in 1796. Mr. Stewart recog- 
 nized the negro's priority and came to an 
 amicable settlement with him, purchasing 
 his land and later founding the village of 
 Stewartsville, which is now known as Por- 
 tersville. It was a wild region in those 
 days, and as Mr. Stewart desired com- 
 panionship for his family, he deeded 100 
 acres of his land to Thomas Brandon as 
 an inducement to him to bring his family 
 and locate. Other very early settlers were 
 Thomas Clark, James, Robert, Thomas and 
 Rachel Cratty and Henry Shanor. The be- 
 ginning of the new century brought David 
 Kennedy. Arthur Cleeland, James White 
 and Marvin Christie, and soon after came 
 John Myers, John Boston, Edward and 
 James White, Tliomas Christie, James 
 English, John Wimer, Dr. John Cowden, 
 Joseph Tebay, Johnson jMcKnight, Thomas 
 Oliver, Thomas Garvey, Richard McKee, 
 with others, and in 1831 came the McCly- 
 monds. Many of these pioneer families 
 are still largely represented in the best 
 citizenship of the township. 
 
 Muddy Creek Township, like other early 
 sections, had to solve its public problems, 
 and one of the earliest was the providing 
 of adequate school facilities for the rapidly 
 increasing population. Johnson McKnight 
 probably taught the first school in 1821, 
 on his own farm. In 1823 the Concord 
 schoolhouse was built, about the same time 
 one also was erected on the Christie farm, 
 and other structures were put up by pri- 
 vate parties prior to 1835, when the com- 
 mon school law went into effect and pub- 
 lic schools were soon dotting the whole 
 township. They were well attended, for 
 the early settlers of this section were not- 
 ably people of intelligence as well as thrift. 
 
 There are now seven schools in the town- 
 ship, including the high school in Porters- 
 ville, which is a joint borough and town- 
 
 ship school. The total enrollment is 198 
 pupils. The present township school 
 board consists of Addison McClymonds, 
 president; Robert Kennedy, treasurer; 
 Joseph Stickle, J. H. Pyle, Joshua Galla- 
 gher and Hosea Gallagher. The enroll- 
 ment of pujails in Portersville borough is: 
 Common school, 43; high school, 22. The 
 high school serves both for the borough 
 of Portersville and for Muddy Ci'eek 
 Townsh,ip. 
 
 As indicated, the main industries of the 
 township have been farming and mining, 
 manufacturing being generally confined to 
 the operating of grist- and saw-mills. The 
 earliest record of a public grist-mill is in 
 1831, when David Kennedy built a grist- 
 mill and a fulling-mill on Muddy Creek, 
 this later being followed by a second mill, 
 and in 1867 the third grist-mill in the 
 township was erected by John and Henry 
 Bander. This lack of manufacturing in- 
 terest does not reflect on the enterprise of 
 the good people of Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship, but rather emphasizes their judg- 
 ment, for just across the line the Slippery 
 Rock mills sui>]ilit'(l the entire needs of this 
 section. 
 
 Portersville. The most important set- 
 tlement in Muddy Creek Township is Por- 
 tersville, which was made a postoffice in 
 March, 1826, and was then renamed in 
 honor of Governor Porter. The first post- 
 master, John Stewart, son of the foimder 
 of the town, held office until 1836. Al- 
 though the whole neighborhood was a wild 
 bit of forest when Robert Stewart settled 
 here in 1796, by 1814 enterprising men be- 
 gan to look for sites, and in that year 
 Thompson McCosh opened his cabinetmak- 
 ing shop. Robert Craig was the first mer- 
 chant who opened a stock of goods — in 
 1829; in 1831 John W. Riddle started a 
 wagon and furniture factory, utilizing 
 steam as power, this being a remarkable 
 example of enterprise. In 1836 William 
 Williams opened up his cabinet shop, and 
 in 184.5 James Newton and John Hall en- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 495 
 
 gaged iu merebaudising. The Oliver 
 House was the first hotel, and after it was 
 burned down in 1874, a more substantial 
 structure was built in its place. In 1868 
 William Humphrey opened his general 
 store, and for a long time was at the head 
 of a large business. As time went on and 
 population increased, almost every line of 
 business was represented, and today it 
 would be hard to find a busier or more 
 prosperous town of its size in Butler 
 County. The Portersville Creamery Com- 
 pany, proprietor, R. V. Thompson, is a 
 large industry, and its products have a 
 heavy sale. 
 
 Among other Portersville enterprises 
 are numbered William Humphrey & Sou 
 and D. J. Brennerman, general stores; G. 
 B. McDonald, hardware; M. C. Glenn, un- 
 dertaker; S. Hay, druggist; W. H. Dann, 
 harness; H. Heberling, tin shop; J. S. 
 Brennerman, feed store; E. R. Lubin, wa- 
 gon maker; Beighley Hotel, proprietor, E. 
 L. Beighley; Dr. E. U. Snyder, physician; 
 Dr. J. L. Buchanan, dentist ; besides which 
 there are blacksmith shops, millinery 
 stores, and barber shops. The present 
 postmaster is Joseph Lehman. 
 
 Lodge No. 909, I. O. 0. F., is located 
 here and has fifty-three members — insti- 
 tuted in 1875. The lodge owns its own 
 hall, which is a fine building. 
 
 Portersville was incorporated as a 
 borough December 16, 1844. The first elec- 
 tion took place January 6, 1845, when J)r. 
 John Cowden was chosen first burgess, 
 with Joseph P. Work, John Cleeland, Will- 
 iam McClelland, John A. White and Jesse 
 Johnston as first board of councilmen. The 
 borough officers at present at as follows: 
 Council, John R. Humphrey, president 
 and acting burgess; G. W. Kinsey, I. L. 
 Moore, John AVeitzel, Jos. L. Buchanan 
 and M. C. Glenn; school board, AV. I^. Eng- 
 lish, W. H. Heberling, M. C. GleCn, E. H. 
 Laderer, William Humphrey, Harvey 
 Marks; auditors, J. H. Marks and Robert 
 Glenn; tax collector, H. W. Dunn; asses- 
 
 sors, E. L. Beigley and J. R. Humphrey. 
 The population of Portersville is now 
 about three hundred. 
 
 Telephone service is furnished by the 
 Portersville Telephone Company in con- 
 nection with the Bell Long Distance 
 'phone. The local company was incor- 
 porated as a mutual company in 1904, with 
 a capital of $12,000, and now has 322 sub- 
 scribers. James McConnell is president 
 and E. W. Humphrey treasurer and man- 
 9.ger. 
 
 The founding of the early churches in 
 a new section always contributes an inter- 
 esting chapter to any history. The first 
 Muddy Creek Township religious organi- 
 zation was the Presbyterian. As early as 
 1814 Rev. Reid Bracken, a pioneer evan- 
 gelist, visited this neighborhood and held 
 services in the cabinet shop of Thompson 
 McCosh. The churcli organization was ef- 
 fected in October, 1820, and it was incor- 
 porated in April, 1844. The present edi- 
 fice of the society is the third erected, and 
 dates from 1840. The first was a log struc- 
 ture, which was followed by a frame build- 
 ing. The church now has about three hun- 
 dred members. The present pastor. Rev. 
 J. G. Timblin, has been pastor for eight 
 years. The Sabbath school, of which E. 
 IT. Laderer is superintendent, numbers 150 
 members. 
 
 The United Presbyterian CJnircli was 
 organized in December, 1841, as an Asso- 
 ciate Reformed Society, with Rev. William 
 Douthctt as first ])nstor. The society now 
 numbers about sixty meml)ers but has no 
 church building. 
 
 The Old Covenanter Chiiieh had its be- 
 ginning away back in 1833, and through 
 various vicissitudes continued until 1890, 
 when it disbanded as a separate liody, its 
 members transferring to the church of the 
 same faith, at Rose Point, in Lawrence 
 County. 
 
 The Civil War had mauj- brave soldiers 
 in the ranks from Muddy Creek Township. 
 Manv of these never returned to their old 
 
496 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 homes, their leiiiaiiis lying in far distant 
 graves, but AVatson Brothers Post, No. 
 478, at Portersville, has a goodly showing 
 of veterans whose records reflect honor 
 on their townsliii^. Roundhead Camp, 
 Sons of Veterans, No. 84, which was insti- 
 tuted at Portersville iu September, 1887, 
 with James McConnell as captain, is an- 
 other patriotic organization well sup- 
 Ijorted. The leading secret societies have 
 found a footing in the township, and the 
 Odd Fellows, in i)articular, are very 
 strong. The first lodge of this order was 
 organized June 30, 1875, with James Por- 
 ter as Noble Grand. 
 
 Township Officials. — Justice of the 
 peace, William C. Tebay ; constable. Grant 
 Jones; collector, William F. English; as- 
 sessor, Austin McCh'monds. 
 
 CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Cranberry is situated in the southwest- 
 ern corner of the county, and is one of the 
 thirteen townships into which the county 
 was divided in 1804. The township is said 
 to have derived its name from the fact 
 that in the early days a cranberry swamp 
 existed near its southern limits. Its sur- 
 face is watered by the tributaries of Break- 
 neck on the east, and Brush. Creek on the 
 west. The township is rich in coal and oil, 
 but the principal business of the inhabi- 
 tants for the first century of its existence 
 was agriculture. The Freeport coal is 
 found in the bed of Brush Creek near the 
 northwestern corner of the township, and 
 the vein at this point reaches the abnormal 
 thickness of five feet. The Brush Creek 
 coal and Bakerstown coal have been mined 
 for many years for domestic use in the 
 neighborhood. The Brush Creek oil field 
 obtained prominence in 1896-7, and the 
 principal fields in the limits of Cranberry 
 Township are the Henderson, Garvin and 
 Duncan. Drilling operations are still car- 
 ried on in these districts, and some pay- 
 ing wells have been obtained in 1908. 
 
 The township was without railroad fa- 
 
 cilities of any kind until 1908, when the 
 Pittsburg, Harmony & Butler Electric 
 Railway was completed, and opened lor 
 traffic. This line enters the southern (juar- 
 ter of the township east of Brush Creek, 
 and extends nearly the entire length of 
 the township, leaving it at the northeast 
 corner. 
 
 The first settlements of the township 
 were made in the Brush Creek neighbor- 
 hood as early as 1796. The pioneers that 
 came that year were Benjamin Jolinson 
 and his family, Matthew Graham, William 
 (Jraham, John Henry, Alexander Ramsey, 
 Paul Vandivort and Samuel Duncan. The 
 mother of the Graham brothers, then "Sirs. 
 Long, came iu 1797, and Benjamin Davis 
 and George Stoolfire arrived the same 
 year. 
 
 David Garvin and family, and his sou, 
 Alexander and his family, arrived in the 
 township in 1800, AVilliam Henry Goehring 
 in 1801, James Cooper in 1807, and Jacob 
 Stout and his father of Northumberland 
 County in 1811. 
 
 Matthew Graham established the Black 
 Bear Tavern on the Pittsburg and Mercer 
 road in 1813. Previous to that time he 
 carried on a house of entertainment, and 
 was well known to the teamsters over the 
 old trail that fvas used prior tn the con- 
 struction of the public road. 
 
 Samuel Duncan's saw-mill was probably 
 the earliest industry of the township, and 
 it was erected prior to 1803 on Brush 
 Creek. He also ran a little distillery, 
 which obtained a wide reputation for the 
 quality of whiskey turned out. 
 
 The Brush Creek saw -mil I was erected 
 by Matthew Graham in 183L In 1833 he 
 built the first grist-mill on the creek, which 
 was also the first in the township. 
 
 Plains Preshijterian Church dates back 
 to 1805 or '6, the first minister of the de- 
 nomination to visit the settlement being 
 Rev. Reed Bracken, who was installed pas- 
 tor in 1808. The first services were held 
 in groves and in a tent, but some time be- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 497 
 
 tweeu 1820 and 1824 a log building was 
 erected on a lot donated by Benjamin 
 Davis, on the site of the present church. 
 After Rev. Bracken left in 1819 the church 
 was for some time without a vegulai' pas- 
 tor, and after ]S.'51 the visits of ministers 
 became so rare that the old church may be 
 said to have passed out of existence. In 
 1838 a union was effected with the Cross 
 Roads Church in Allegheny County, the 
 Rev. L. R. McAboy becoming pastor. At the 
 same time a reorganization of the church 
 took place. In 1839 a brick house was 
 erected close beside the old log house. The 
 society was incorporated November 16, 
 1849, the trustees being David Gax'vin, 
 James W. Garvin and Jas. Sample. In 
 1866 the Plains Chui-ch was transferred 
 from the Allegheny Presbytery, now But- 
 ler, to Allegheny City Presbytery. In 
 January, 1878, services were authorized 
 to be held in the Baptist Church at Evans 
 City, and in February, 1883, thirty-nine 
 members were dismissed from the old 
 church to form the new one. The old 
 church was torn down in May, 1878, and a 
 new one dedicated November 3, 1879, by 
 Rev. W. H. Jeffers. March 31, 1878, the 
 statistical report of the congregation 
 showed a membership of 231 communi- 
 cants and 160 attendants at Sunday school. 
 Since that time the membership has de- 
 clined to about 150, on account of the 
 heavy draft made on the old society by the 
 organization of new societies at Evans 
 City, Crest View and Mars. In 1908 the 
 session was composed of 0. P. Graham, 
 Christian Hoehn and J. M. Covert, and tlie 
 pastor was Rev. P. R. Harvey. 
 
 St. John's German United Evangelical 
 Lutheran and Reformed Church, formerly 
 known as St. Daniel's Church, was for- 
 mally organized June 7, 1869, at a meet- 
 ing of members which was presided over 
 by Christopher Kirschler. John G. Hoff- 
 man acted as secretary and Andrew 
 Kirschler treasurer. The three parties 
 named were also the trustees of the so- 
 
 ciety. Rev. C. A. D. Freseman of Mars 
 is the present pastor. 
 
 Dutillh Church. There was no Metho- 
 dist Society in Cranberry Township until 
 
 1879. Previous to that time the adherents 
 of this faith residing in the township be- 
 longed to a class of Plains Church in Alle- 
 gheny County. In 1879 the trustees of 
 Plains Church, living principally in this 
 township, concluded to build an edifice 
 here. The church was built near what is 
 now known as Crider's Corners on farm 
 No. 91, belonging to Charles Dutillh, of 
 Philadelphia, but who donated one and 
 one-fourth acres of ground for church pur- 
 poses. The building .was completed and 
 dedicated November 30, 1879. The church 
 is attached to Salem in Allegheny County, 
 and Mars in Adams Township, in a pas- 
 toral charge. 
 
 The Mount Pleasant United Presby- 
 terian Society was originally a part of the 
 Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 
 and was organized under the ministry of 
 Rev. T. C. Guthrie about 1847. From 1847 
 to 1850 services were held in the Fowler 
 schoolhouse on Brush Creek, and in 1850 
 the first church edifice was erected on an 
 acre" lot donated for that purpose by 
 Joshua Stoolfire. The location of the 
 church is just outside the limits of the 
 township, in Allegheny County, but a large 
 proportion of the membership are resi- 
 dents of Cranberry Township. This con- 
 gregation was originally connected with 
 Union Church in the northern part of 
 Adams Township, and in 1850 presented 
 the united call to Rev. Andrew Walker, the 
 first pastor. He resigned this charge in 
 1853, and in 1854 the union between Mt. 
 Pleasant and Union congregations was dis- 
 solved. Wlien the United Presbyterian 
 Church was organized in 1858, Mt. Pleas- 
 ant came into the new society, and since 
 that time has been known as Mt. Pleasant 
 United Presbyterian Church. Rev. J. M. 
 Dight, the present pastor, was called in 
 
 1880. The present house of worship was 
 
498 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEK COUNTY 
 
 built in 1860 on the «ite of tlie former one. 
 The membership of the congregation in 
 1908 was eightj^-five. 
 
 The early schools of the township were 
 conducted on the subscription plan, and 
 among the first teachers were Job Staples, 
 Andrew Dodds and Eev. Reed Bracken. 
 One of the first conventions or teachers' 
 institutes was held at Plains Church on the 
 25th of February, 1852, and on the follow- 
 ing day a similar convention was held at 
 Union Church, Evans C!ity. In 1908 the 
 number of children of school age in the 
 township was 197, and the number of 
 schools six, with six teachers. 
 
 The population of the township at the 
 first census, taken in 1810, was 543. This 
 had increased to 2,236 in 1850, but redi- 
 vision of the county into the i)resent town- 
 ships reduced tlic iioiinlatioii of Cranberry 
 to 931 in 18(itl. In 1900 the population was 
 981, and in 1908 the estinuited jtopulation 
 was 1,065. 
 
 The township officers in 1908 were: 
 Constable, Nicoll Allen; auditors, W. W. 
 Vandivort, Samuel Leonburg, Henry Reef- 
 er; road supervisor, A. ,1. West; township 
 clerk, Jacob Dumbach;' assessor', J. M. Co- 
 vert; tax collector, A. Kirschler. 
 
 There ai-e no towns or villages of im- 
 portance in the township. For many years 
 Ogle was the local postoffice, situated on 
 the old Mercer and Pittslnirg road, l)ut 
 after the establishing of the rural free de- 
 livery in 190.'] the office was discontinued. 
 For some years after this office was es- 
 tablished Tlionuis Robinson was the post- 
 master, and had the office at his home. A 
 store at this point has been conducted by 
 William Garvin, J. A. Boggs, John Frantz, 
 H. M. Johnson, and at the present time 
 William Garvin is conducting the business. 
 
 Render sonville was a thriving hamlet 
 as early as 1830, when Robert McKee kept 
 a tavern at that point, and also manufac- 
 tured wagons and farm im]3lements. The 
 first postoffice of the township was estab- 
 lished at Hendersonville, but was sn])er 
 
 seded by Mars after tlie construction of 
 the railroad to that point in isyo. The 
 Hendersonville oil field brought in a num- 
 ber of new residents in the latter i)art of 
 the nineties, but these have moved away, 
 and in 1908 there was nothing left but the 
 residence and office formerlv occujued l)v 
 Dr. Elder Crawford. 
 
 Crider's Corners is one of the old set- 
 tlements of the township and lias come into 
 prominence within the past twt) years. The 
 location is now a station on the i'ittslmrg. 
 Harmony & Butler Electric Railway, and 
 besides several dwelling houses there is 
 a general stoi'e, conducted by Henry 
 Needer. 
 
 A. G. Hendrickson's store on the Evans 
 City road is a new business enterprise that 
 has been in existence but a short time. 
 
 Bonan Station was established in 1908 
 on the line of the new electric railway, and 
 gives promise of being a lively haiulet in 
 the near future. 
 
 77/r linisli Creek Prof,; lire Assaciot'nui 
 was organized in 1878 with fifty-eight 
 members. The total risks of the coui]»aiiv 
 in 1908 were about $100,000, distrihuted in 
 Butler, Allegheny and Beaver Counties. 
 
 Cranberry Grange Numher 908, Patrons 
 of Hnshandri/, was organized in January, 
 1890,. with eight members. The (irange 
 Hall is located on the Ticise farm near 
 Plains Church. 
 
 The Farmers' Alliance had a nieniber- 
 shi]i in this township in 1895, but the or- 
 ganization has since disbanded. 
 
 WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Washington Township, with its v;ihial)lc 
 coal veins, its undiminished oil reservoirs 
 and its fertile agricultural valleys, has of- 
 fered nuiny inducements to home seekers 
 and the investment of capital, from the 
 date of its creation in 1846, when it was 
 given its name in honor of President 
 Washington, Father of his Country. It is 
 
AXl) KEPRESKXTATn'E CITIZENS 
 
 499 
 
 situated west of Pai'Uci- ami soutli of 
 Venango, and assumed its present area 
 in 1854. The coal veins, praeticall.v under- 
 lying the whole township, and including 
 the finest cannel. Clarion and Kittauning, 
 through their develoi)nient have made this 
 one of the richest sections of the county. 
 There is some oil in the southern part of 
 the township, and enough gas for local 
 consumption. There are also limestone de- 
 posits in the nortliwestern i>art of the 
 township, which have not yet heen opened 
 up. The Bessemer Branch Railway commu- 
 nicates with the nortlieru part of the town- 
 ship, with forks to HiJliards and Argen- 
 tine. 
 
 As early as 179(J one George .Meals set- 
 tled and cleared a tract of land lying on 
 the north line of what is now Concord 
 Township, and he is recognized as the 
 liioneer settler, hut in the same year came 
 also .John and .lacoh Mechling. Siimuel 
 Camphell and William Bell. In 17!l7 the 
 pai^ents and other memhers of the family 
 joined George Meals, journeying fi-am 
 York Countv, wliere their German ances- 
 tors had settled. In 1897-8 came .John 
 Christy, from Westmoreland Ccnnily, who 
 later was one of the first justices of the 
 peace in the settlement; .lanu^'s (Hhsnu with 
 wife and nine children; .lohn Sliiia and 
 Robert and John Hindmau. A number 
 of these early settlers later served in the 
 War of 1812 and very many of them liav<' 
 descendants in AVashiugtou Townslii]i who 
 still own portions of the original farms. 
 Another early settler was .lames Mahooil. 
 from Ireland, and his descendants own a 
 poi-tion of his early jnirchase of .")()() acres, 
 southwest of Nortii Washington. In 1802 
 came Jacob Milliard and sons and in the 
 same year came many of the ))ioneer 
 families that had settled still eai'licr in 
 adjacent townships. 
 
 The first general election held in Wash- 
 ington Township was in March, 184(). Sub- 
 scription scliools were the first ett'orts in 
 the direction of general ecbication and to 
 
 John Christy lielongs the ci-edit of being 
 the first teaciier in the township. Wash- 
 ington Township now suppoi'ts as good 
 schools as can be fouud in any part of the 
 county, there being nine scliools, with :)58 
 scholars. 
 
 The NurtJi Wusli'uigtoui lu>ititnh', situ- 
 ated at Nortli Washington, is an educa- 
 tional institution of a superior class. This 
 school was organized in 1879 and R. B. 
 Gilfillan was tlie first i^rincipal. Its aim 
 is to give sound and thorough instruction 
 in the liberal arts: The first school build- 
 ing was erected in 1878, thoroughly re- 
 modeled in 1893 and still further enlarged 
 and better equipped in later years. A col- 
 legiate course is offered students, and a 
 faculty of trained educators nuiintain a 
 very high standard. 
 
 The leading points of ])o]>ulation in 
 A\'ashiugton Township arc North Wash- 
 ington, llilliards, Annisville, or Shira, and 
 other villages, some of the latter having 
 had rapid growth around mines an<l in the 
 oil fields. 
 
 North Washiiit/foii. North Hope Post- 
 office (present population •-'<)<l), was plat- 
 ted in 1834, the first lumse, a tavern, hav- 
 ing been built here prior to 18:>0, by Sam- 
 uel Bell, which was known as Summit 
 Tavern. In 1830 John Jack put up a l)rick 
 house and the town grew around it. 
 Among earlv business men were Thomas 
 Parker, Christoi)lier L. TIeulen, 11. P. .Mc- 
 Clvmonds, ])i-. David C. Fowler. Thomas 
 Russell, Sanmel Jack, W. Parks, John Di- 
 moud and Shvrock Harjjei-. 
 
 M the present time IMifflin c^- Mifflin con- 
 duct a general store here, I. N. Thompson 
 deals in drugs and groceries, and H. Stew- 
 art in hardware. McGarvey's livery and 
 the Hayes Hotel are the other leading 
 liusiness concerns. There is a township 
 high school here with an enrollment of 
 fortj'-nine pupils. Mrs. E. Campbell is 
 postmistress. The churches are the Meth- 
 odist Episco])al, Rev. Walker, with a mem- 
 l)ership of seventy-five, and the Unite 1 
 
500 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Presbyterian, Rev. McNiece, with a mem- 
 bership of sixty-five. 
 
 Hilliards, formerly Hilliard Station or 
 Hilliard's Mills, can lay claim to being one 
 of the first settlements in Washington 
 Township. Jacob HilUaird settled on a 
 stream known as Hilliard's Run in 1802, 
 and his son, John Hilliard, built there a 
 grist-mill, which was conducted for many 
 years, and until within a short period re- 
 mains of the old dam remained. The grad- 
 ing of a railroad line to this point gave 
 an impetus to what had been even less 
 than a hamlet up to 1874, and two years 
 later a passenger train brought investors 
 into the valley, and in a remarkably short 
 time a hotel and railroad depot were built. 
 In 1879 the Cleveland Pipe Line Company 
 established a pumping station at this point, 
 and in 1883 the Allegheny Coal Company 
 began to develop the rich coal deposits 
 here. These enterprises brought others, 
 a planing and saw-mill were soon built, 
 and the sand mills of tlie Standard Plate 
 Glass Company of I-)utler here t'omid loca- 
 tion. The po2)uhitiun is now alxiut L'.IO peo- 
 ple. The leading business concerns are the 
 Central and Galloway Hotels, Jones Bros. ' 
 livery. Miller & Racusen, William Boyle, 
 Mrs. T. Altmyre, and R. B. Weakley & Co., 
 general stores, and McKee & Co., hard- 
 ware. Miss W. E. Turk is postmistress. 
 The Speechley telephone is installed and 
 there ai'e express and telegraph offices. 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church, pastor, 
 Rev. AVilliam Walker, has a membership 
 of fifty. The Knights of Pythias and the 
 Odd Fellows are represented by lodges. 
 
 Annisville was surveyed for Charles Hil- 
 liard in 18.")8. and among tlie old families 
 who owned luopcrty and carried on busi- 
 ness here may be named tlie Coverts, and 
 Mahoods, and Samuel Hilliard, with the 
 Millers, the Millisous, the Henrys, the 
 Mayes, the Scotts, the Shannons and the 
 Marshalls. The popufktion is now about 
 forty-five. There are two stores, kept bv 
 P. E. Cook and M. Lewis. 
 
 Argentine is a mining settlement of 
 about 200 people, mostly foreigners, em- 
 ployed in the coal mines. There are sev- 
 eral stores here. 
 
 Iligyins Corners perpetuates the name 
 of James Higgins, who was the pioneer of 
 Three Points. Other small settlements are 
 Par.^dHsriUc and Whiskersville, the latter 
 consistiui; ol' about 100 people", with two 
 stores, kept l)y E. C. Thompson and Harry 
 Hoves, and a United Brethren Cluucli with 
 seventy members. 
 
 In naming the religious bodies that have 
 been organized in Washington Township 
 during its existence of more than sixty 
 years mention must be made of the follow- 
 ing: First Presbyterian Church, Mt. 
 Varnum United Presbyterian Church with 
 a present membership of forty, North 
 W^ashington Presbyterian Church, the New 
 Salem Presbyterian Church, the North 
 Hope Methodist Episcopal Church, the 
 North Washington Liitheran Church and 
 the Church of God, indicating a strong re- 
 ligious sentiment in the townshii). 
 
 The First Presbi/fericoi CJiurch, organ- 
 ized in 1817, was more or less absorbed by 
 the Mt. Varnum United Presbyterian 
 Church in 1835, when Rev. Joseph John- 
 ston was instrumental in forming the As- 
 sociate Reformed Society, having j^re- 
 viously presided over the Bear Creek and 
 Washington and West Unity Presbyterian 
 Churches. The membership is large and 
 the church edifice adequate to the needs 
 of the body. 
 
 The North Washington Presbyterian 
 Chiinlt was organized in May, 1880, and in 
 the following year a fine church building- 
 was coiniileted, Andrew Jack having do- 
 natcij iw(i lots to the organization. It rep- 
 leseiits a laigo body of Presbyterians in 
 this section. 
 
 The Nen- Salem Prrslii/fcriau Vlnurh of 
 Annisville was another of the early 
 churches of this faith which came about 
 as the result of Christian zeal, holding its 
 first services in a liarn in 1847. It still 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 501 
 
 ministers to the religious life in that sec- 
 tion, and has a membership of about tifty- 
 tive. Rev. M. Niece is pastor. 
 
 The North Hope Methodist Eplsvuind 
 Church was organized in 184"2 )iy Rev. I. 
 Mershon. In 1842 a substantial building 
 was put up, which, through the gcucnisily 
 of tlie large church uicuihtTsiii)!. was later 
 remodeled and nujdernizcd aud today the 
 society has a tine structure. 
 
 The North Washington Lutheran CInnvJi 
 was organized in 1845, under Rev. Ehliu 
 Rathburn, who served as pastor until 1847. 
 The society was orginalh^ a German Re- 
 formed congregation and at first had no 
 building of its own, but in 1847 built a 
 church, and in 1891 erected the present 
 imposing structure. 
 
 The people of Washington Township 
 have been identified with a number of the 
 leading fraternal and secret organizations 
 and have been active in promoting the ob- 
 jects for which each body stands. Among 
 these may be mentioned North Hope 
 Grange, probably the oldest, which was or- 
 ganized in 1872; and different lodges of 
 the Odd Fellows, the I. 0. G. T., the K. O. 
 T. M., and the 0. U. A. M. 
 
 Among the prominent business enter- 
 prises of the township are the Nellie Coal 
 Company; the Lochrie Bros. Coal Com- 
 pany (T. Lochrie, superintendent), which 
 is closed at the present time (Februarv 1, 
 1909); the Standard Coal Company; the 
 Mutual Coal Company, and the Ferris Coal 
 Company, J. Deal, manager, located in 
 Ferris, which employs aliout seventy -live 
 men. This last mentioned ])lant is closed 
 at present. The P^xcelsior Mutual Fire In- 
 surance Company, chartered in 1878, in 
 1908 carried about $1,000,000 in policies. 
 
 Township Officials. — Justices of the 
 peace, P. Groom and P. Hilliard; tax col- 
 lector and assessor, B. Arner; constable, 
 T. Bell ; road commissioners, L. B. McFar- 
 land, N. Glenn, I. N. Thompson; auditors, 
 R. 0. Lewis, J. H. Glenn and William 
 Witherup; clerk, H. Stewart. 
 
 O.VKLAND TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Oakland Township was established un- 
 der its present name and within its pres- 
 ent boundaries in 1854. It was probably 
 settled aliout the same time as was Butler 
 and Donegal Townships, it forming a part 
 of these until the year above mentioned. 
 The O'Donnells, of Donegal, Ireland,' and 
 the AVhitmires, of Berks County, Penna., 
 both came to this section in 1798, and other 
 pioneers of near the same period were 
 Thomas Dugan and wife and John Green 
 and John Lowe. 
 
 Before the county was organized land 
 was owned here bv Samuel Hamilton and 
 John Robb, and in* 1810 Robert Riddle sold 
 260 acres with a cabin to William Robb, 
 indicating that he bad located here very 
 early. Others were John Moser, who, after 
 his service in the Revolutionary War, came 
 here with his son to found a home, and 
 others who had been connected with mili- 
 tary life were William, George and Alex- 
 ander Hutchison. During the War of 1812 
 John Neyman brought his family from 
 Westmoreland County, and he and his 
 brother William became active and useful 
 men in the settlement, erecting mills and 
 engaging in manufacturing. In 1814 James 
 Douglas built his calhn, Kobert Hamilton 
 in 1818, Henry Hoon about the same time, 
 Daniel McElwee in 1822, the Pattons in 
 1829 and 1839, the Stroups in 1834, the 
 Eyths in 1839, and many others whose 
 names are closely connected with all that 
 has gone to the improving and develop- 
 ing of this part of Butler County. 
 
 The occupations of the people of Oak- 
 land Township have been largely of an ag- 
 ricultural nature. Not being so rich in 
 either oil or coal as many of its sister town- 
 ships, it has experienced less of the excite- 
 ments and advantages and disadvantages 
 of su(hlen wealth and as sudden poverty 
 which marked many sections from 1870 for 
 a decade later. Perhaps this fact has had 
 an influence in making the people of this 
 district notably industrious, home-loving 
 
502 
 
 HISTOKY OF BVTl.KR COV^iTY 
 
 and t'linidi supporting — the very best class 
 of citizens. 
 
 Tliere are a number of coal banks lieing 
 operated for local consumption — all small 
 — operated respectively by S. W. Whit- 
 mire, F. E. Thornbury, C. E. Conway, and 
 one owned by the Wilson lieirs and oper- 
 ated by E. Friend. There is some oil 
 produced, the Whitmire wells probably be- 
 ing the largest. Drilling is still carried on 
 and oil is found in both the 100-foot and 
 fourth sand. Pumping has been carried 
 on at some of the wells for twenty years. 
 There is also a gas well that has been pro- 
 ducing for twenty years. 
 
 The Baltimore and Ohio, running 
 tlirough the southeastern part of the town- 
 ship, is the only railway, and St. Joe the 
 only station. 
 
 The people of the township have liberally 
 supi:)orted their schools, the first of whicli 
 there is any record having been established 
 as early as 1817. It was taught by John 
 Thompson in what had been the log cabin 
 home of James Douglas. As there were 
 many Catholics iji the settleuieuts, a Cath- 
 olic teacher couductcd a school for some 
 time in their interest, but later, as the pub- 
 lic schools were entirely unsectarian, gen- 
 eral attendance was given them all over 
 the township. At the present there are 
 six schools in the township, with an en- 
 rollment of 295 scholars. The directors 
 are W. B. Davis. C. W. Iloon, S. W. Whit- 
 mire, Joseph Lane. M. J. Mc(iiulcy and 
 Frank Smith. 
 
 St. Joseph's Catholic Church (dcniKin) 
 probably dates farther back than any other 
 religious organization in the township; 
 surely as far as IS47, when its tirst build- 
 ing was erected, and almost certainly thirty 
 years before that as a mission. Prior to 
 1877 the same i)riests ofificiated for what is 
 now called tS7. Joseph's Eiiglisli Catholic 
 Church, its history up to that time being 
 identical with the Uerman church. Both 
 bodies have a large membership and sub- 
 stantial chui-ch structures. St. WeiidcHii 
 
 Catholic Church, which stands on the line 
 of Sunnnit Township, was founded also iu 
 1847, and has a large congregation. 
 
 North Butler Presbyterian Church was 
 organized in January, .1848, and before a 
 proper place of public worship was pro- 
 vided the little body met in the Hutchison 
 home. In 1849 the first church building 
 was completed, and the one at present oc- 
 cupied is the third one erected. TIi.e Beu- 
 lah Baptist Churcli was organized in 
 March, 1861. The congregation is now 
 small. 
 
 There are two dams located iu the town- 
 ship — the Boydstown dam and Tlunn IJun 
 dam — both owned by the Butler Water 
 Company, and from them Butler i-eceives 
 its water supi)ly. The water runs by grav- 
 ity to the pumping station, located just out 
 of Butler, and from there is pumped to a 
 i-eservoir above the station. The Boyds- 
 town dam covers about fortv-five acres 
 and holds about 90,000,000 gallons. It is 
 located on the Connoquenessing Creek. 
 The Thorn Run dam is located on a trib- 
 utary of the Connoquenessing and covers 
 about 100 acres and holds over 200,000,000 
 gallons of water. 
 
 The villages of Oakland Townsiiip have 
 l)orne respectively the following names: 
 Spriu (/field, North Oaklaiul, Woodbine, 
 Boiidstoun, St. Joe Station (on the B. & 
 0. R. R.), and Oneida. Inducements were 
 offered settlers in 1830 to locate m-ar the 
 Donegal Township line, at Springfield, it 
 being represented that stone, coal, linu^- 
 stone and fire-clay there abounded in suffi- 
 cient quantities to make it an active busi- 
 ness center. The locality never developed, 
 however, to any great extent. North Oak- 
 land,, after 1847, became a great Catholic 
 center, St. Joseph's Church being built 
 there, and the new chui-ch of that 1)ody, a 
 fine structure costing a very large amount, 
 was completed in 1873. The place now has 
 one general store, kept by George Ball. 
 For a sliort time in 1873 a well on the Mar- 
 tin farm, south of Boi/dsfon-n, produced 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 503 
 
 oil, in such abimdauce that tliis hamlet be- 
 gan to assume the features of an oil town, 
 but a failing in the supph' led to the aban- 
 donment of many enterprises and the plaoe 
 no longer is of much importance. It has 
 a general store, operated by S. B. Badger. 
 
 The secret societies have never made 
 great headwav in Oakhind Townshiji. The 
 K. O. T. M. was chartered March K;. ISSS. 
 and other bodies, mainly Itenetifinry in 
 their nature, exist. 
 
 Tutcnsliip OfficiaL'<. — Justices of the 
 peace, P. Higgins; tax collector, J. F. P. 
 McGinley; constable, P. Weiland; tax as- 
 sessor, E. Davis; road commissioners. T. 
 I. Whitmire, C. Hoon and C. Conway; au- 
 ditors. C. C'onway, AV. J. Beattv and E. 
 Davis; clerk, R. E. Robb. 
 
 LANCASTER TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Lancaster Township, which is situated 
 directly west of Conoquenessing Township, 
 was formed from the latter when it was 
 organized in 1854. Although, on account 
 of its somewhat rugged surface, it did not 
 offer so many apparent advantages to 
 early settlers as did some of the sister 
 townshi])s, there were many picmeers who 
 found in its hills, vaHeys and streams full 
 of fish, just the surroundings which they 
 desired. Prior to 179(), when the Beigh- 
 lej's came, a lone hunter and trap]ier had 
 lived in this section, but so little im])ress 
 did he leave that only the bare knowledge 
 of his name, Eli Scholar, remains, there 
 being no record of whence he came nor 
 whither he went. 
 
 In 1796 Henry, John, George and Peter 
 Beighley came to what is now Lancaster 
 Township, penetrating into what was then 
 a.dense wilderness. The first cabin erected 
 by Tlcuiy P>cighley was torn down by ma- 
 rauding Indians in his absence. In 1801 
 come William Martin and family, from Ire- 
 land, and in tiie same year came the noted 
 hunter, Samuel Stewart, shortly followed 
 by Mrs. Anne and William Freeman. John 
 and William Morrison came as earlv as 
 
 1801, and between 1803 and 18U the town- 
 ship gained such settlers as Henry Baimi- 
 gartner, Joseph and John Neely, John 
 Ruby, Abraham Moyer, Thomas Ruby, Ja- 
 cob Neely, Peter Neely, John Boyei- and 
 William Bellis. Different localities were 
 selected and for a numl)er of years yiioneer 
 conditions existed, on account of tlie peo- 
 ple being widely separated. In 1815 the 
 Harmonists, or Economists, who had es- 
 tablished the village of Oilbronn, two miles 
 north of Harmony, in 1808, sold their prop- 
 erty to Abraham Ziegler, and this had 
 much effect on the final settlement of the 
 township. Pi-ior to the thii-ties, the iui- 
 ))ortant families who l)ecame established 
 liere were those of Henry Rice and (Jeorge 
 Kneiss, of Harmony; Sanmel Moyer, of 
 Northimiberland Comity; David Stautfer, 
 in 1819, from Westmoreland County; Dan- 
 iel Ramsey, from Cranberry Township; 
 John Scott, of Lawrence County; Lewis 
 Teats, John Lutz, Jolin Myers, Hosea 
 King and John Shaffer, f(tllowed in 18'2.') 
 by the Matthews and Sclioener families, 
 and in the following decade came the Flin- 
 ners and the Schiedemantles. 
 
 The character of the early settlers in 
 Lancaster Town.shiii is shown in the fact 
 that all early records tell of the faithful 
 ministrations of the pioneer preachers and 
 the hearty welcome accorded them by the 
 people. Scarcely had the earliest settlers 
 provided a roof for their families when 
 they joined together as a religious body 
 and St. John's Erdiif/cJicdl Lutheran 
 Church in its inception dates that far back 
 in the past. As may be sup^iosed, the earli- 
 est preaching was heard in the home of a 
 Beighley, and interest was so aroused that 
 in 1818 a log house was erected for church 
 and school purposes, and a first communion 
 service was celebrated in it in December, 
 1822. when thirty-two confirmations took 
 place and the meml)ership of the church be- 
 came seventy-four. The history of Lu- 
 theranism in Butler County, its sjiread and 
 preservation, is one of much intei'est, and 
 
504 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the Lntlieraus of Lancaster Township were 
 among the leading members of the faith. 
 
 About 1840 the Zion German Lutheran 
 Churclb was organized as a German society 
 and since 1892 this organization has been 
 entirely German. The congregation now 
 numbers 100 communicants. Rev. F. H. 
 Myer is the present pastor. 
 
 The English Lutheran Church was or- 
 ganized in the early days and was carried 
 on in connection with the German branch 
 imtil 1892, since when it has been separate. 
 It has a membership of 130. Pastor, C. 
 L. V. Dozer. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Clnirch was or- 
 ganized in 1841, by John Seachrist, l)ut 
 later it was discontinued. 
 
 St. Peter's Reformed Church, situated in 
 ]\Iiddle Lancaster, was organized in 1856. 
 In, 1863 the society took possession of a fine 
 brick church building and in 1878 the so- 
 ciety was incorporated. The first pastor 
 was Rev. H. F. Hartman. 
 
 TJie Stone Church of Lancaster Town- 
 ship has for present pastor the Rev. C. L. 
 V. Dozer. 
 
 Prior to 1820 a school was established 
 near the western line of the township and 
 the first teacher was Samuel Pollocli. In 
 1818 a log cabin was erected west of 
 Whitestown and was utilized for church 
 and school purposes, and other school 
 buildings soon followed. The township 
 now has seven good schools, with a total 
 enrollment of 151 scholars. The school 
 board is composed of the following mem- 
 bers : Phillip Kock, ])resident, J. C. Bellas, 
 secretary; J. F. AVaiiuT, Geo. A. Beiber, 
 Jesse Rice and Frank ]:>remer. 
 
 Middle Lancaster, the leading town of 
 Lancaster Township, has been a post-office 
 since 1847, and when it was established, 
 William Beighley, Sr., was made post- 
 master. The pioneer settlers at Middle 
 Lancaster were John and Elizabeth 
 (Baumgartner) Ru))y, and together they 
 first cleared a site from the forest and 
 
 erected a log cabin, this being probably 
 about 182U. This property passed into the 
 hands of Lewis Teats, who subsequently 
 sold to Thomas B. Baldwin, a negro, and 
 possil)ly for some time this fact i^revented 
 tiic investing of caiiital liy the white resi- 
 dents. William Beighley, however, appears 
 to have been a man of broadened views 
 and after he built a house others followed, 
 Jacob Christophel opening first a tavern 
 and later a grocery store. Two years 
 later, in 1846, Andrew Met opened up a 
 store south of the hamlet, but in 1847 
 moved into Middle Lancaster. Even at that 
 time the village had made but slow prog- 
 ress, but, as time went on, people with cap- 
 ital found this a remunerative field for 
 mercantile effort and at the present date of 
 writing almost every trade and industry is 
 represented and well supported. The peo- 
 l»le are quiet and law abiding, and while 
 there may not be as much enterprise dis- 
 played liere as at neighboring and larger 
 towns, there is little poverty and the town 
 lockup is seldom in requisition. 
 
 The first township justice of the peace 
 was Abraham Moyer, who served from 
 1854 to 1866. J. P.'Gettman is the present 
 justice. The other township officers are: 
 Constable — Irvine Eppinger; tax collector 
 — John II. Bremer; assessor — William 
 Druschel ; aiiditors — Julius Miller, Jacob 
 Kradle, and C. W. Scheel; supervisors — 
 Philip Koch, S. R. Moyer, and J. P. Gett- 
 man. 
 
 Lancaster Township has one general 
 store, which has been conducted for the 
 last thirty-two years by A. F. Met/, i^- Son, 
 and which has been located where it now 
 stands for about sixty-three years. Previ- 
 ous to that time the father of the present 
 proprietor conducted a mercantile business 
 in a building which is still standing near 
 Middle Lancaster. Mrs. A. E. Metz is still 
 living, being now ninety-one years of age. 
 
 Oil and gas are produced to some extent 
 in the township, several new wells haying 
 
AND KEPKF]SENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 505 
 
 been put down recently. The iulial)itauts 
 are, however, chiefly engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits. 
 
 There are said to be good coal veins 
 located about eighty feet beneath the sur- 
 face and a few surface banks are worked 
 for local consumption, but at present coal 
 is not mined in commercial quantities. 
 
 DONEGAL, TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Donegal Township, in the county organ- 
 ization of 1804, was formed from Butler 
 Township, but changes in its territory were 
 made in the general re-subdivision of 1854, 
 when its present limits -were defined. In 
 its early days of settlement and all through 
 the pioneer period, Donegal was cited as 
 file finest agricultural region of Butler 
 (Viuuty. The great discoveries that later 
 made her a famous oil and gas field, were 
 not made for many years afterward. With 
 the exception of the valley of the Big Buf- 
 falo and its feeders, its conformation be- 
 longs to that known as the Lower Barren 
 Measures. Coal, also kaolin and other 
 commercial clays, were early known to 
 exist, but it was in farming and stockrais- 
 iug that the pioneer settlers prospered and 
 flourished. 
 
 Oil has been produced in Donegal Town- 
 ship in the past in large quantities, chiefly 
 from the third sand and the lOU-foot, with 
 some from the fourth sand. Drilling is 
 still going on and results in small pro- 
 ducers. A number of good gas wells are in 
 operation, which suffice to meet the local 
 demand; also the Philadelphia Gas Com- 
 pany and other smaller companies have 
 pipe lines to various cities in the State. 
 
 The whole township is practically imder- 
 layed with two good veins of coal and small 
 banks are in operation to supply local con- 
 sumption. There is also a large amount of 
 limestone in the township, which, however, 
 is undeveloped on account of the lack of 
 transportation facilities. The B. & 0. is 
 the only railroad and runs through the 
 northwestern part of the townshi)i. 
 
 The first settler credited to Donegal 
 Township, was .lames Hemphill, who came 
 in 1794 and .selected the present site of Chi- 
 cora, or ]\Iillcrstown. In 1795 the elder 
 Jacob Baruhart settled three miles east- 
 ward and in 1797 his two sons also located. 
 Among those who soon followed were 
 Adam Hemphill, John Forquer, Patrick 
 McElroy, Charles Duffy, John Gillespie, 
 Moses Hanlen and John Slater. (,)thers 
 who deserve pioneer honors were the Du- 
 gans, McCues, O'Donnells, Boyles, McFad- 
 dens. Blacks, Haggertys, Stewarts, Malo- 
 neys, McClungs, Breadens and Hunters, 
 the majority being from County Donegal, 
 Ireland; and the Barnharts, Wolfords, 
 Pontiuses, Slators, Sandersons and Hart 
 mans. Not only were these early settlers, 
 but in everything pertaining to the civil- 
 ization and improvement of the section, 
 they seem to have accepted all the responsi- 
 bilities. They subdued the wilderness, 
 built comfortable cabins, established mills 
 and made roads and there is every evi- 
 dence to show that they early concerned 
 themselves about the educating of their 
 children and supplying them with religious 
 influences. 
 
 Among the earliest industries started in 
 the township was a distillery built by 
 James Hemphill prior to 1803, the Tjasher 
 grist-mill, in 1805, and the pottery of 
 Gabriel Pontius, where manufacturing was 
 carried on for some time. Owners of land 
 were usually also the builders of the mills. 
 
 Cliicora. Prior to the discovery of oil 
 in Donegal Township, life, as indicated 
 above, was followed along agricultural 
 lines, many of the farms carrying on mill- 
 ing, blacksmithing .-ukI dtlici- industiies for 
 themselves. Here and tlicie little liamlets 
 grew, generally around a mill or general 
 store, but the only one of real importance 
 was Millerstown, now known as Chicora. 
 Tlie former name was given it on account 
 of the building of the Alsraham Lasher mill 
 at this point, and this place became the 
 chosen home of the Hemphills and the 
 
506 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTI.ER COUNTY 
 
 Barnhart.s — its real founders. The situa- 
 tion is on the Pittsburg and Narrow Gauge 
 . Railroad, near the northern boundary line 
 of Donegal Township. On the heights 
 above the town there are fine water sup- 
 plies, coal in the vicinity is plentiful and 
 the natural advantages of the place were 
 early seized upon by tliose who had capital 
 to engage in business. 
 
 The milling and lumbering industries 
 were the first im])()rtant ones. In 1849 
 Martin lloch and Martin Reiber estab- 
 lished a distillery. The purchaser of the 
 first town lot was John F. Wiles and he 
 inaugurated its mercantile life. In 1843 
 Andrew Barnhart opened a bakery and 
 afterwards came men representative of 
 other lines, but prior to 1873 no exceptional 
 growth had been made in ])0]nilation. Then 
 came the (lis('(i\('ry of oil, in the Slirevc 
 well, on the Stewart farm and the Laml)ing 
 well on the Barnhart farm. The story of 
 this interesting period may be found in the 
 chapter on gas and oil. In 1874 the first 
 newspaper was launched, the Sand Pump, 
 and in the following vear followed the Rc- 
 ricir ami in 187(i. the7/r;v(^/. In 1877 the 
 latter .journal was jiurcliased by Peter A. 
 Rattigan and a number of Chicora's citi- 
 zens were later connected with that journal. 
 
 The first physician was Dr. Marks, who 
 was immediately succeeded by Drs. Mc- 
 Laughlin and Geddes. The first druggists 
 were Sanuiel Mc Bride, Harry Sanderson, 
 Aldinger & Bole and Dr. Beatty. An 
 opera house was built, city ways were in- 
 troduced and, as in all oil towns, through 
 the period of the excitement, money was 
 lavishly squandered. 
 
 Following the discovery of oil a large 
 number of hotels were built; some of these 
 are still standing, while others were de 
 stroyed by the fii'es which have several 
 times visited the place. 
 
 In 1882 the Millerstown Oil Exchange 
 was organized, which occasionally influ- 
 enced the oil market of the world. The 
 Ignited Pipe Lines' Station was established 
 
 in 1873. The Millerstown Savings Bank 
 Association was organized in 1873, and in 
 1875 was reorganized as the German Na- 
 tional Bank. The institution went into vol 
 untary bankruptcy and was succeeded by 
 the Millerstown Deposit Bank, organized 
 through the efforts of John D. and H. .). 
 Myers. This Bank is still doing business 
 and is in a prosperous condition. The 
 Butler County Bank, organized in 1883, 
 continued in business until 18!)"J. The Na- 
 tional Building, Loan and IMotective Asso- 
 ciation was organized in 1890, and the Life 
 Protective Savings and Loan Association 
 was organized in 1894. The Citizens Light 
 and Fuel Company, which operates nian>- 
 miles both in and outside the borough, was 
 organized in October, 1887. The Chestimt 
 Hill Stock Farm, one of the township's 
 interesting show places, now occnjjies what 
 was formerly the fair grounds. The farm 
 was established in 1890 by the Titley 
 Brothers, .and here may be seen some 
 famous stallions, mares and colts and 
 herds of registered Jersey cattle. 
 
 Millerstown was incorporated iis a bor- 
 ough in 1855, the post-office being Barn- 
 hart's Mills. Prior to this a log cabin had 
 been built — sometime in the forties — to 
 accommodate the children, but afterward 
 constant agitation on the subject resulted 
 in the erection of the present fine school 
 building. 
 
 The church organizations of the borough 
 are: The First Evangelical Lutheran, or- 
 gatiized in 1849; St. Paul's German Evan 
 gelical Lutheran, in 1849; St. John's (Jer- 
 man Reformed, in 1870; the Methodist 
 Episcoi)a], 1874; and Mater Dolorosa Cath- 
 olic ( 'Inirch, in 1873. The churches outside 
 (lie borough enumeration include Dennison 
 M. E. Cluipel, and old St. F»ati'ick's, (Cath- 
 olic) founded in 1806, by Rev. Father Whe- 
 hin, to which so many of the old families 
 of Donegal Township gave allegiance. 
 Much local church history has been written 
 of this oldest of all church organizations 
 in I'utler Countv. Almost all tliese chui-ch 
 
AND kepresp:ntative citizens 
 
 507 
 
 Imildiiigs have cemeteries attaflied and 
 tliere are, also, some private burying lots, 
 and iu all these sacred spots lie the re- 
 mains of those to whom the present gener- 
 ation owes more or less of a debt. 
 
 Since 1S!)5 Chicora, or Millerstown, has 
 been the onl.y borough in the township, and 
 has about held its own in population, which 
 now numbers 1050. In its palmy days as 
 an oil centre, however, it had a population 
 of 7500. The- principal business firms at 
 the present time are Hoch Bros., E. F. 
 Hays & Sons and C. H. Johnson, hardware 
 and oil well supplies; Westerman Bros., 
 general store; F. Scharbach, jewelry; H. 
 Stalil. tailor and glove manufacturer; Pur- 
 keriek & Frederick and Tadder & Aldiiiger 
 Bowers, machine and repair shop ; Freder- 
 ick & Shultz, planing-mill ; Chicora Tile & 
 Clay Co. ; Chicora Whip C'o. ; Chicora Coal 
 and Coke Co.; Prosi)ect Oil and Gas C!o.; 
 J. C. Wiles, Vensel & Son, and T. Reddick, 
 livery; C. E. Uber, and Charles Fetzer, 
 gents furnishings; R. (iaisford and De 
 Wolf Bros., drugs; W. W. Campbell. E. C. 
 Dunlap and Geo. Glass, groceries; Mrs. C. 
 Teske and E. Frank, notions; Central 
 House, A. A. Hoch, proprietor; Foryner 
 House, B. J. Foryner, proprietor, ami 
 Lackey Hotel, W. E. Lackey, proprietor. 
 
 Chicora has a good water system which 
 is rurnishe<l l)y drilled wells north of the 
 town. The lighting is done by the Prospect 
 Oil and Gas Company. The Chicora \^ol- 
 unteer Hose Company furnishes good i)ro- 
 tection against fire. There are two reser- 
 voir tanks north of the town which are 
 kept always filled and they are sujjjile- 
 mented by a force-pump at the planing- 
 mill, which is kept always ready for action. 
 There are twenty-four men in the fire com- 
 pany, of which W. E. Lackey is chief. This 
 company took the first prize at Butler and 
 East Brady as the best equipped volunteer 
 department in this section of the country. 
 The present postmaster of Chicora is Lott 
 I. Leech. The U. S. Express Company has 
 an office here and the Peoples Telephone is 
 
 installed. The town is on the B. .V: O. 
 Railroad. 
 
 The Prospect Oil and Gas Company of 
 Chicora was originally known as the Citi- 
 zens Light and Fuel Company of Millers- 
 town, which received its charter in 1887. 
 In 1897 a new charter was taken out under 
 the ])resent style. The company operates 
 its lines through western Pennsylvania. 
 Its officers are A. Fleeger, president; A. A. 
 Houk, secretary; H. J. Myers, treasurer, 
 and M. G. Houk, general manager. 
 
 The Chicora Whip Company, Limited, 
 was established in 1900, and now employs 
 about forty-five hands, about one-third of 
 them being girls. They have a capacity of 
 three hundi'ed whips a day, and it is the 
 largest concern of the kind in the State. 
 
 Chicora Officials : Justices of the peace 
 — M. L. Leonard and G. W. Huselton ; con- 
 stable — Geo. Garver; tax assessor — P. G. 
 Frederick; road commissioner — F. Daum; 
 auditors — P. Doty and H. Walford; clerk 
 — C. F. Aldinger; burgess — R. Houk. 
 
 St. Joe, Plummer, Danville, Gren (or 
 North Oakland), and Rattiqan, have all 
 been villages within the limits of Donegal 
 Township, which were more or less devel- 
 oped on account of the oil fields, and of 
 the.se St. Joe, Greer and Rattigan are post- 
 offices. St. Joe has the Peojjles 'phone and 
 a general store kept by Mr. Graham. There 
 is a store at Rattigan kept bv Mr. Porter- 
 field. 
 
 The fraternal and other societies repre- 
 sented in Chicora are the Masons, the 
 Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, the 
 Maccabees, the Woodmen of the World, 
 Modern Woodmen, the Home Circle, and 
 the Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 Donegal Township now has eight schools 
 with an enrollment of 290 pupils. There is 
 also one school in Chicora with 286 pupils, 
 and the educational interests of the town- 
 ship are well cared for. The y)resent school 
 directors are John F. Rodgers, S. F. 
 Schultz, W. C. Pontius, John F Black, 
 John Oesterling and Peter Landgraft. 
 
508 
 
 H18T0RY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Totvnship Offlcials : Justices of the peace 
 — S. Pontious and J. J. Kaylor; tax col- 
 lector — H. Graham; constable — J. B. 
 Rumbough; tax assessor — J. Johnson; 
 road commissioners — H. Graham, J. Wohl, 
 and S. Pontions; auditors — C. IT. McGuire, 
 H. G. Frederick and J. Ricliard-s; clerk— 
 A. Snyder. 
 
 BUTLER TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Butler Townshi}} was one of the original 
 thirteen townships organized in 1804 and 
 occupied an area of about eight miles 
 square. Subsequentlj' divided into North 
 Bvitler and South Butler. It thus remained 
 until 1854, when the township was estab- 
 lished within the present limits, embracing 
 al)out iive miles square. Its surface is 
 diversified and it is drained chiefly by Con- 
 noquenessing Creek, which enters the ter- 
 ritoiy at the northeastern corner and flows 
 in a southwesterly direction through the 
 southern half of the township. The gen- 
 eral surface of tlie township is hilly and 
 the soil varies from a stiff clay to a light 
 sand. A fair proportion of the land is till- 
 able and highly productive wherever it is 
 cultivated. The Upper Freeport Coal un- 
 derlies most of the hills, and has been 
 mined from an early day. 
 
 The early settlers of the township were 
 immigrants from Westmoreland County 
 and other eastern counties, and were the 
 descendants of the Scotch-Irish. Many of 
 them had seen service in the War of the 
 Revolution, and others were the sons of 
 Revolutionary soldiers. The Germans and 
 some French came into the township about 
 1820 and later and settled in the southern 
 and western parts. 
 
 The first actual settler in the townshiiD 
 was probably William Kearns, who came 
 here fi-om Westmoreland County in 1795 
 and took uj) a large tract. His sister, Jane, 
 who married John Potts, came with him 
 and selected one hundred acres in her own 
 name. The first graveyard in the townsliip 
 was located on the land taken up l)y Jane 
 
 Kearns, and became the resting place of 
 many of the old pioneers. 
 
 James McKee came to the western part 
 of the township in the spring of 1795, his 
 father Thomas McKee, coming with the 
 rest of the family a year later. James was 
 sheriff in the county in 1818 and represent- 
 ative in the legislature in 1828. Another 
 son of Tliomas McKe^, named Robert, set- 
 tled in Hendersonville in Cranberry Town- 
 ship, while a third son, Hugh, was one of 
 the pioneer manufacturers of Butler bor- 
 ough. 
 
 John Pierce, a Revolutionary s )ldier, 
 came here from Westmoreland County in 
 1796, and settled on a ti'act of hind west 
 of the Standard Steel Car Works, wlsere he 
 built a cabin. 
 
 John McQuistion, who was a native of 
 Ireland, came in 1796. He purchased land 
 now occupied by the County Home and 
 erected a large tannery. He also built tlie 
 first stone house in the county. He took a 
 prominent part in public affairs. 
 
 James and Andrew Moore located west 
 of Butler about 1797. Robert Graham, a 
 native of Dauphin County, came in the 
 same year and purchased one hundred 
 acres of land in what is now Butler bor- 
 ough. In 1803 he sold it to the trustees of 
 Butler County, who laid out a portion of 
 the town of Butler thereon. 
 
 William Wilson and John Morrow came 
 here in 1797 or 1798 and located in the 
 western part of the township. Wilson aft- 
 erwards removed to Indiana. 
 
 Peter Peterson, a Revolutionary soldier, 
 who was also a sui'vivor of "Braddock's 
 Defeat," came to Butler County about 
 1798. His daughter Jane married David 
 Pierce, and became the progenitor of one 
 branch of the Pierce family in Butler 
 County. 
 
 John Burkhart, who was a noted hunter, 
 came from Allegheny County in 1800 and 
 settled in the southeast section of -the town- 
 ship. 
 
 Robert Maxwell and his son. Abraham, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 509 
 
 came here from Mar.ylaiid in 1800 and set- 
 tled on the tract of land just west of the 
 Standard Steel Car Plant. The story of 
 the shooting of Maxwell is given in an 
 earlier chapter of this volume. 
 
 Abram Fryer came into the western part 
 of the township in 1801. The same year 
 John Bailes, known as "Little John" to 
 distinguish him from the John Bailes of 
 Connoqueuessing Township, settled on a 
 tract adjoining Fryer. 
 
 Lawrence King settled four miles west 
 of Butler in 1801. Alexander Bryson set- 
 tled in the northwestern corner of the 
 township about 1800, and al)Out 18:20 he 
 removed to Ohio, where he died. 
 
 Paul Bratton, who was a hatter by trade, 
 came to the township about 1800 and set- 
 tled on a tract of four hundred acres of 
 land south of Butler. His marriage to 
 Hannah Pierce was the first solemnized in 
 the township. 
 
 Colonel Robert Lemmon, a native oi Ire- 
 land, came to the county in 1796 and 
 located in the village of Butler soon after 
 it was laid out. He served in the War of 
 1812 as a sergeant and after its close he 
 settled on a farm southwest of Butler, 
 wliich afterwards became the home of his 
 son Andrew, who died in 1908. A numlier 
 of settlers came in 1805. 
 
 Leslie Maxwell located in the northwest- 
 ern section of the township in 1815, mar- 
 'ried the daughter of Alexander Hamilton, 
 the pioneer, and died on the homestead 
 about 1860. 
 
 Among the German settlers were Jacob 
 and Henry Duiford, who came in 1817, 
 HenryYoung from Luzerne County in 1824, 
 Joseph Bernhart Sliker, from Baltimore 
 in 1830, and Francis Criley from Gern>any, 
 in 1831. Other arrivals al)out this time 
 were David McElwain, who settled in 1835, 
 and the Cunninghams, Mechlings, Negleys, 
 and Brinkers. 
 
 Among the early enterprises of the .town- 
 ship, in addition to the tannery and Paul 
 Bratton 's hat factory, was a distillery run 
 
 by John Cratty and a saw-mill operated 
 by William Freeman, while Moses Sullivan 
 had two saw-mills ere<'ted on Sullivan Run, 
 a short distnucc northwest of Butler. This 
 latter property came into the possession of 
 George, Jacob and Martin Reiber in 1857. 
 who erected a distillery on the site of the 
 upper mill, and carried on the manufacture 
 of whiskey for a number of years. 
 
 About i850 William Ralston, Sr., Imilt 
 a grist-mill and a saw-mill on Little Con- 
 nocpienessing Creek at the interse( tion of 
 the Butler and Prospect Road. The grist- 
 mill is now owned l3y John Cranmer of 
 Mount Chestnut. 
 
 Ziou Rrfoni/cd CJnircJi. near the junc- 
 tion of the Meridian and Harmony Road, 
 was organized in 1845 among the Germiin- 
 speaking residents of the district by Rev. 
 Samuel Miller of Westmoreland County. 
 The first meetings were held at the Hen- 
 shaw schoolhouse. The cornerstoi>e of a 
 new church edifice was laid May 28, 1847, 
 and the building was dedicated in the fol- 
 lowing December. In June, 1870, Rev. W. 
 M. Landis organized an English society 
 under the name of St. John's Congrega- 
 tion, and both societi-es used the same 
 building and were supplied by the same 
 minister. Previous to 1877 the German 
 Congregation had been united (in 1873) 
 with the church at Harmony as one pas- 
 toral charge. This charge had been united 
 with Prespect and Butler, the three being 
 known as the Butler Charge. The German 
 Congregation was constituted an indepen- 
 dent charge in 1877, known as the Ilenshaw 
 Charge, and in 1880, Rev. Josiah May, be- 
 came the pastor of both congregations. 
 
 After this period the German congrega- 
 tion dwindled in numbers, while the Eng- 
 lish congregation increased. The former 
 being too weak to maintain a pastor and 
 hold regular services, the latter undertook 
 to gain possession of the church property. 
 This resulted in both congregations being 
 incorporated in 1887, and the German con- 
 gregation retaining possession of the prop- 
 
510 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 erty. The Euglisli cougregatiou tbeu with- 
 drew and erected a new church. In 1889 
 the members, to the number of nineteen, 
 united themselves with St. Mark's Church, 
 and the Ziou Reformed Church passed out 
 of existence. 
 
 St. John's congregation of Zion Re- 
 formed Church, was organized Jime 19, 
 1870, by Rev. Landis, who was at that time 
 pastor of the German congregation of Zion 
 Reformed Church. In the fall of 1870 the 
 congregation united with the German con- 
 gregation in calling Rev. F. A. Edmonds 
 of Harmon}' as pastor. A dispute over the 
 legal title to the old church building having 
 been settled in 1887, in favor of the Ger- 
 man congregation, the new society con- 
 cluded to erect a house of worship of its 
 own. A lot was donated by Andrew 0. 
 Eberhart at the junction of "^Meridian and 
 Harmonv Roads, and a frame liuilding was 
 erected at a cost of alumt $1500.00. This 
 building was dedicated in February, 1889. 
 In 1901 St. John's congregation was united 
 with the Connoquenessing congregation 
 under the title of Olivet Charge. In 1904 
 the church building was enlarged and re- 
 modeled at an exp.ense of $4500.00. The 
 present membership is two hundred and 
 five. St. John's cemetery was established 
 the same year that the new church was 
 built— 1889. 
 
 The Butler Cantp Meeting Association 
 flourished in this township for many years, 
 meetings being held under the auspices 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Brownsdale. These meetings attracted 
 people from all over the country for about 
 ten years. They were abandoned in 1890. 
 
 Eurelca Grange was organized in 1875 
 and for many years held meetings in a hall 
 that stood on the A. 0. Everhart farm. 
 About 1892 a hall was erected at Buttercup 
 post-office in Connoquenessing Township, 
 where the meetings were held until 1905, 
 when tlie present hall was erected at the 
 intersection of the Harmonv and Meridian 
 
 roads. In 1908 tiie memljershiii was one 
 hundred and fifty, 
 
 TOWNS .\XD VILLAUKS. 
 
 The only towns within the limits of But- 
 ler Township are the shire town of Butler 
 and the steel car town of Lyndora. The 
 latter had its inception in 1902, when the 
 Standard Steel Car Works was built at 
 Butler. The Lyndora Land Company that 
 year purchased a tract of land known as 
 the John McElroy farm and erected four 
 lumdred houses for the use of the employes 
 of the works. The population of the town 
 varies with the condition of the times, and 
 is mostly foreign. It has two jjublic schools, 
 a Roman Catholic Church, a Greek Catli- 
 olic Church, and a night school for foreign- 
 ers. There are a number of business houses 
 doing a large trade and the town is a thriv- 
 ing subuil) of the county seat. A post 
 office was established in 1903. The admin- 
 istration of justice is in the hands of 
 Squires Joseph Criswell and .Tames Mc- 
 Nally. 
 
 West Butler is a small hamlet that had 
 its inception in the real estate boom that 
 struck Butler in 1902. A party of Pitts- 
 buig (•a])italists purchased the Kennedy 
 Marshall farm one mile west of the Car 
 Works, plotted it into lots, and commenced 
 the construction of an electric railroad 
 from Butler through the tract of land to 
 the John Forcht farm on the west. A pub- 
 lic sale of lots was held in September, 1903, 
 and a number of houses were erected that 
 year. The financial troubles of the owners 
 of the land caused a suspension of the 
 building and nothing was done with the 
 ])roperty until 1908, when a number of 
 additional houses were erected. 
 
 In 1903 P. A. McCool and others pur- 
 chased a tract of land on the Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek from J. R. Kearns about one 
 mile north of the Transfer, and plotted it 
 into lots for building and manufacturing 
 ]>urposes. A financial depression in tlie 
 
WEST SUNBURY ACADEMY 
 
 OLD WITHERSPOON INSTITUTE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 513 
 
 spring of 1904 was the means of the enter- 
 prise being dropped, and no building was 
 done at that location. The name given to 
 the proposed town was North Butler. 
 Al)out the same time MeJunkin and Stover 
 plotted a tract of land at the junction of 
 the Bessemer Railroad and the Butler and 
 Millerstown Road and erected a number of 
 houses. Since that time an extensive vil- 
 lage has grown up at the Transfer and this 
 is sometimes called Nortli Butler. 
 
 The Butler Brick & Tile Company has a 
 manufacturing plant at the Transfer which 
 is described under the manufacturing in- 
 dustries of Butler borough. 
 
 The pioneer schools of the township are 
 identified with those of Butler borough. 
 One of the earh" schoolhouses under the 
 public school system stood near the site of 
 Zion Reformed church on the west side of 
 the township. When the present township 
 was erected in 1854 it was divided into 
 seven school districts. The frame, octagon- 
 shaped school houses erected that year was 
 the conception of Garret Pierce, who also 
 built a dwelling-house on the same plan. 
 These curiosities have long since disap- 
 peared and modern buildings have taken 
 their places. The encroachments of Butler 
 borough reduced the nimiber of schools to 
 six at the close of the last century, but since 
 1902 the number has increased to nine. 
 The enrollment of scholars in 1908 was 
 over 400 and the total receipt of the dis- 
 trict were $6462.00. 
 
 The population of the townshiii has 
 varied. The extension of the borough from 
 time to time has taken liberal slices of ter- 
 ritory and also drawn heavily on the inhab- 
 itants. The population in ]810 was 453, 
 including tlie town of Butler. The next 
 decade saw the incorporation of the bor- 
 ough and in 1820 the population of the 
 township was 472. There was a gradual 
 growth until 1850. when the census showed 
 2622 inhabitants. The re-division of the 
 townships in 1854 split the population of 
 Butler in half and it did not get above the 
 
 1300 mark until the beginning of the new 
 century. The last census shows a popula- 
 tion of 1591, while the estimated popula- 
 tion in 1908 was 2850, based on the regis- 
 tered vote of the election district. This 
 does not include the foreign population of 
 Lyndora. 
 
 CENTER TOWNSHIP. 
 
 On account of its geographical location 
 in tlie county, Center Township acquired 
 its name (formerly spelled Centre). Not 
 only is it favorably situated but it has been 
 dowered by Nature with- fertility of soil 
 and with coal deposits which have brought 
 much revenue into this section. Its most 
 elevated point is 1400 feet and this is about 
 5000 feet north of its south line on the 
 Butler and Unionville road. 
 
 Center is principally a farming township. 
 There are three small coal banks that are 
 being operated chiefly for local consump- 
 tion, the respective proprietors being E. D. 
 Eagle, G. B. Heck, and R. D. Elliott. No 
 operations are being carried on in oil or 
 gas, and there are no large towns or bor- 
 oughs. 
 
 The history of Center Township is inter- 
 esting from the fact that its pioneers came 
 in a colony and took up residence here with- 
 out the assistance of constitution or by- 
 laws — a somewhat unusual proceeding. 
 This colony was made up of sixty liardy 
 men, who came from Allegheny, Westmore- 
 hiud, Juanita and Cumberland Counties, in 
 1796. They were home-seekers and were 
 men of peaceable disposition, willing to 
 suliscribe to. the will of the majority and 
 we find them the founders of the leading 
 families that now maintain the integrity of 
 the township. The land was unsurveyed 
 and, while each member was, according to 
 their agreement, entitled to 400 acres of 
 land, they realized that the survey might 
 disturb some of the selections, therefore 
 they entered into a pledge that such differ- 
 ences should be amicably adjusted. Sub- 
 sequently seven of the s?ixty colonists set- 
 
514 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tied in what is now Franklin Township and 
 a few wandered farther afield but later 
 many of these returned to become perma- 
 nent residents of Centre Township. A 
 number of these early settlers were of Irish 
 origin, as their names indicate, and their 
 descendants have filled many places of 
 honor in Butler County and in other sec- 
 tions. There appears to have been com- 
 paratively little trouble with the Indians 
 encountered by the early men of Center 
 Township, the most notable disturbance 
 having taken place in 1797, when the sav- 
 ages made demonstrations which resulted 
 in some of the colonists returning to the 
 more civilized part of the State. The names 
 of the early possessors of land — those who 
 became permanent settlers — are as fol- 
 lows: Baiimgartner, Byers, Cook, Curry, 
 Elliott, Fleeger, Freeman, Fryer, Gal- 
 braith, Hoge, McCandless (a large family), 
 McCleary, McGrew, McKissack, Moore, 
 McJvmkin, Rudebav;gh, Scott, St. Clair, and 
 Thompson, while many others came a few 
 years later than the original body. 
 
 It was recognized very soon that in order 
 to promote public business and provide for 
 contingencies, proper courts and officers 
 must be established. Hence, on October 8, 
 1805, following the organization of the 
 Township, an election was held, votes being 
 cast for governor, congressman, senator 
 and county commissioner. The justices of 
 the peace were selected from well known 
 families and were in general men of ability, 
 well competent to discharge their official 
 duties, as indeed they have been since. 
 
 One of the earliest demands of the intel- 
 ligent pioneers of Center Township was for 
 the establishment of a schoolhouse and in 
 1803 a log structure was erected on the 
 farm of Benjamin Wallace. It is probable 
 that the first teacher was William Wallace. 
 A second schoolhouse was shortly after- 
 ward built on the farm of David McJunkin 
 and here Samuel Cook, Samuel N. Moore, 
 one of the Sloans from Venango and one 
 
 of the Campbells, of Washington, are 
 known to have taught here prior to 1835, 
 when • the common school system was 
 adopted. The township now has six schools 
 with 185 pupils. The directors (1908) were 
 Warren Aggus, H. F. Herold, Geo. H. 
 Shanor, J. D. Smith, W. R. Bartmas, and 
 Daniel Reiger. 
 
 Evangelical Lutheran Church. The first 
 regularly organized religious denomination 
 was the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
 which was organized in 1843 and adopted 
 articles of association in 1848. This meet- 
 ing was presided over by Christopher 
 Rider, with Rev. Eli Fair as secretary. 
 When the society was incorporated the 
 board of trustees was made up of Jacob 
 Rider, Sr., Daniel Heck, Jr., and William 
 Byers. The first church structure was put 
 up in 1844 and the first pastor was Rev. 
 Gottlieb Bassler. The present pastor is 
 the Rev. Ibauch and the congregation has 
 about seventy-five members. 
 
 The Holyole United Presbyterian 
 Church was made up of a large body of 
 earnest Christians, who, prior to the erec- 
 tion of their first church edifice, assembled 
 for worship in Robert Miller's barn. They 
 put up their early building in 1874, having 
 organized on August 28, of that year. The 
 first regularly installed pastor was Rev. 
 W. P. Shaw. The church now has about 
 forty-two members, with Rev. Bi-eaden, 
 pastor. 
 
 The Unionville Preshyterian Church, 
 which was organized October 30, 1877, was 
 made up of members of the Presbyterian 
 faith, who, for three-quarters of a century 
 had worshipped at different points in this 
 section of Butler County, not having a 
 church home near at hand. The first pastor 
 was the Rev. Samuel Williams. There is 
 now a strong congregation of 104 members, 
 with Rev. Shaw, pastor. 
 
 The "Church of God" was represented 
 in the seventies by a congregation organ- 
 ized in 1872 bv Rev. Joseph Grim. In 1874 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 515 
 
 they built a frame house of worship. They 
 enjoyed some years of subsequent growtla 
 and prosperity. 
 
 Unionville, in the northwest corner of 
 the township, was founded by Samuel 
 Thompson, in 1828. He was the first mer- 
 chant, his brother, James Thompson, suc- 
 ceeding him in 1830. David Stewart suc- 
 ceeded the Thompsons and other early 
 merchants were: Blaisdell & Cornish, 
 David and Mark McCandless and Joseph 
 Coulter. David Stewart was the first post- 
 master, in 1839. The place has a general 
 store, conducted by D. C. Miller, who also 
 operated a hardware store, the two stores 
 being located in different buildings. There 
 is also a drug store of which Dr. D. A. 
 Holdman is the proprietor. 
 
 Fleeger, in the north-eastern part of the 
 township, is simply a locality marked by a 
 store owned by F. Fleeger. There is sub- 
 stantially no settlement here. 
 
 Jamisonville, located in the northeastern 
 part, is a station on the Bessemer Railroad. 
 It has the Wells-Fargo Express and a tele- 
 graph office, but no stores. 
 
 Oneida, also a station on the Bessemer 
 railroad, is located in the eastern part near 
 the center. It has the Speechley telephone 
 and a telegraph office. 
 
 Township officials : Justices of the peace 
 —J. G. Renick and S. S. Allen; tax col- 
 lector — J. G. Renick; constable — D. P. 
 Smith ; tax assessor — E. Albert ; road com- 
 missioners — J. G. Renick, A. Pollock, and 
 N. McCall (serving on unexpired term of 
 Gr. W. Vernon) ; auditors — W. Stevenson, 
 A. Rieger, and A. Blain; clerk — George 
 Smith. 
 
 VENAKGO TOWXSHIP. 
 
 Venango Township, on account of the 
 fertility of its valleys, became the home of 
 the pioneer at a very early date and when 
 the development bf its rich coal deposits 
 began, its population outgrew that of some 
 of the larger townships. It is one of the 
 original thirteen divisions of the county, 
 
 made in 1804. When the question of sub- 
 dividing the county was discussed in 1853, 
 the leading men of Venango Township of- 
 fered objection, on the ground that the pro- 
 posed change would disarrange the school 
 districts and increase taxes beyond their 
 ability to stand. Their protest, however, 
 bore no fruit and the subdivision of 1854 
 was effected. 
 
 The physical characteristics of Venango 
 Township include many waterways, includ- 
 ing Slippery Rock Creek, Little Scrub 
 Grass and Bear Ci'eeks and many tribu- 
 taries, ensuring large sections of well 
 watered land and making agriculture not 
 only a possible but a profitable occupation. 
 The highest elevation is at Farmington, 
 where the land rises 1,550 feet above sea 
 level. Coal deposits may be found in almost 
 every part of the township, not all of these 
 being promising as to development, but 
 cannel coal and Brookville coal have long 
 been extensively mined and without per- 
 ceptible decrease in either quality or quan- 
 tity. The oil industry has also been an 
 important factor in the commercial devel- 
 opment of the township, though the busi- 
 ness has been carried on quietly since 1895 
 and there are now no large producers. The 
 oil is obtained in the northern part of the 
 township. 
 
 The Manufacturers' Heat and Light 
 Company are the largest producers. The 
 township also contains extensive beds of 
 limestone, which, however, have never been 
 opened up. The Bessemer Railroad — the 
 only one in the township — has a branch line 
 running to Goff. 
 
 Settlement was made very early in Ve- 
 nango Township, probably in 1792, when it 
 is known that Thomas Jolly visited this 
 section, but he did not establish his perma- 
 nent residence here until 1796, when he 
 came with companions, to accept the offer 
 of the owner of what we know as the 
 Field ti'act, the latter giving a deed for 
 150 acres of land. Thomas Jolly and his 
 companions lived together in a log cabin 
 
516 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 through the first year, and then returned 
 east for their families. It is related that 
 he brought fruit trees from Armstrong 
 County and set out the first orchard on his 
 farm of 300 acres. Samuel Barron owned 
 200 acres and built a weaving-shop, and 
 Samuel Thompson cleared 170 acres. The 
 Murrins were among the earliest settlers 
 and were among the most enterprising of 
 the pioneers. Hugh Murrin owned 400 
 acres and built one of the first mills and 
 later a distillery, Michael Kelly became the 
 owner of 400 acres and Nicholas and John 
 Vanderlin, acquired 540 acres of land. Both 
 were Revolutionary soldiers, natives of 
 Holland, and they came in 1799. Other 
 representative men were Samuel Campbell, 
 Robert Cochran, William Adams, John 
 Logue, Thomas and James Coulter, Samuel 
 Sloan, Robert Leason, Joseph Kerr and 
 James and John Shields. Among other 
 pioneers who settled here prior to 1812 
 were John Watt, Samuel Culbertson, Alex- 
 ander Strain, Ephraim Turk, Andrew 
 Maitland, Levi Williams, John Donaldson, 
 John Jamison, the Stalkers, the Williamses, 
 James Porter, William Parker, Robert 
 Cunningham and John and AYilliam B. 
 Stewart, the latter of whom is credited 
 with building the first frame house in But- 
 ler County. A number of these men of 
 sturdy strength and courageous spirit had 
 been soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 
 and many m(ye left their pioneer farms 
 and mills to serve in the War of 1812. 
 They were an industrious, frugal class, nat- 
 urally intelligent, although but few had 
 enjoyed educational advantages, and being 
 inured to hardships, they cheerfully faced 
 conditions of living that none of their de- 
 scendants would willingly undergo. 
 
 The Associate Presbyterian Church of 
 Unity is the name of the old Seceder 
 Church, organized as early as 1800. This 
 body separated from the United Presby- 
 terians in 1858. In 1868 a frame church 
 building was erected, but in recent years 
 better accommodations have been afforded 
 
 and the church was incorporated in Maj^, 
 1888. Its list of members today shows 
 many of the names of the original families. 
 
 East Unity United Presbyterian Church 
 was organized in 1802, by Rev. Thomas Mc- 
 Clintock, who was installed pastor in May, 
 1803, and continued his ministry until 
 March, 1832. The original elders were: 
 Samuel Sloan, Reuben Ii'win, Robert Rid- 
 dle and Robert Crawford. The humble 
 little log church was made use of from 
 1802 until 1820, when a more commodious 
 building, also of logs, was erected, for cold 
 and inclement weather, for during the sum- 
 mer seasons the congregation worshipped 
 under a spreading tree or in a tent. A 
 brick structure, put up in 1868, was de- 
 stroyed by fire in 1875, but in the same 
 year a very substantial modern edifice took 
 its place. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Farmington, up to 1851, had no special 
 church edifice, services being held in vari- 
 ous places, including tents, groves, school- 
 houses and private dwellings. For twenty- 
 one ye;ns thereafter the earnest little body 
 of (Jhristiaus used a small frame church 
 building, but an increasing membership 
 made a new edifice necessary and under the 
 efforts of Rev. James Groves the present 
 handsome church building was completed 
 in 1872. 
 
 ,S'^. Aliiltni/sHs Catholic Church of Mur- 
 rinsvilh' iias ;ihva\ s been largely supported 
 by the Catholics of Venango Township. A 
 history of this old church organization is 
 given in the record of Marion Township. 
 
 Venango- Toicnship's schools deserve 
 more than a passing comment. Prior to 
 1800, Hugh and John Murrin instructed the 
 numerous ^Murrin children, the family be- 
 ing a large and prolific one. In 1802 Rob- 
 ert Cunningham kept a subscription school 
 in a log hut standing two and one-quarter 
 miles north of the present town of Eau 
 Claire. There are now seven schools in the 
 township with 244 pupils, while the Eau 
 Claire Aeademv, which was founded in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 517 
 
 1893, affords academic advantages to ambi- 
 tious students. 
 
 The leading villages of Venango Town- 
 ship are Eau Claire, formerly Earmiugton, 
 and Ferris, of Keystone, Deegau and Golf. 
 
 Ferris is chiefly a product of the Turner 
 Coal, Coke and Mining Company. It has 
 a population of about 125, mostly foreign- 
 ers. E. L. Stevens is postmaster and man- 
 ager of the company's store. The Erie 
 Coal & Coke Company of Summit County 
 have a mine here and employ about 100 
 men with an output at present of '200 tons 
 daily. 
 
 Euu Claire, or Fdriiiiiiytnii, was sur- 
 veyed in 1848, on John Kosenberry's farm, 
 and in June, 1849, William H. Tebay built 
 and occupied the first house. A hotel was 
 shortly afterward put up, merchants en- 
 gaged in business and other interests grew, 
 but it was not until 1870 that a brick struc- 
 ture appeared in the shape of a store build- 
 ing for A. M. Reynolds. In March, 1856, 
 a post-ofiBce was established at Bovard's 
 -store, but in a few years it was removed 
 to Farming-ton, which was officially named 
 Eau Claire. H. A. Sloan is the present 
 postmaster. The town was incorporated 
 December 5, 1900, under the title of Eau 
 Claire Borough, the petition being signed 
 by twenty-six free-holders and twenty-one 
 voters of the district. There arc two gen- 
 eral stores here conducted rcs[iccti\ cly by 
 Coulter & Reynolds and W. C. Jamcsnn ic 
 Company, while W. P. Stickle conducts a 
 harness "business, and is also justice of the 
 peace of the borough ; Wni. A. Rosenberry 
 is burgess, J. W. McCaudless conducts a 
 blacksmith and repair shop, W. H. Shaffer 
 a meat market, while R. L. Allison and 
 R. J. McMichael are physicians. Eau 
 Claire has the Speechley Telephone. 
 
 Eau Claire Academy was established in 
 the fall of 1893 under Professor Robertson, 
 with Miss Chapin, teacher of music, and 
 has made a good record as an educational 
 institution. An Academy building was 
 erected in 1894, which is now used for high 
 
 school purposes by the borough and town- 
 ship. 
 
 Deegan — The village of Deegan, near the 
 west line of the township, owes its existence 
 to the Goff-Kirby Coal Company which is 
 operating extensively in that locality. A 
 switch has been built from the Hilliard 
 branch to the mine, and the town of a cou- 
 ple of hundred in population has grown up 
 the past few years. There is one store in 
 the village, conducted by Charles Black, 
 who is also the postmaster, the new office 
 having been established in 1907. 
 
 Goff is a settlement of about 200 people, 
 mostly foreigners. The Gotf-Kirby Coal 
 Company is located there and has a com- 
 pany store. The postmaster is W. Black. 
 
 Extensive oil interests have contributed 
 to the development of all this section, mak- 
 ing Venango one of the most important 
 townships in Butler County. 
 
 To'wnship officials: Justice of the peace 
 — J. Blair; tax collector — M. Higgins; con- 
 stable — M. Higgins ; tax assessor, M. Hig- 
 gins ; road commissioners — M. Williams, G. 
 Vanderlin; auditors — F. Sloan, L. Cold- 
 mere, and J. Meals; clerk — E. Jamison. 
 W. H; Campbell was also justice of the 
 l^eace and road commissioner, but died in 
 the fall of 1908. 
 
 JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 
 
 This township, lying in the southwestern 
 part of Butler County and adjoining Bea- 
 ver County on the east, was erected in 1854, 
 but it is the early settlement and develop- 
 ment of the territory therein embraced, 
 and its various communities, that is of 
 peculiar interest and renders its history 
 distinctive from that of the other town- 
 ships of the county. It is not only a good 
 agricultural township but has important 
 mineral resources, including deposits of 
 iron, ore, coal and limestone, though but 
 one coal mine of any size is being worked 
 at present. The volume of business in the 
 various industries and in agriculture has 
 lieen very large ever since the Harmonists 
 
518 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 became well established here early in the 
 nineteenth century. The land is well 
 drained by Connoquenessing Creek, and 
 numerous tributaries. 
 
 The first of the pioneers of Jackson 
 Township was James Magee, a native of 
 County Down, Ireland, who made settle- 
 ment in 1797. He afterward fought in the 
 War of 1812 and continued to reside here 
 until his death in 1846. William Martin, 
 also a native of Ireland, located one mile 
 west of the present borough of Evans City 
 in 1797. His brother, Michael Martin, came 
 in 1800, as did Thomas Wilson, Thomas 
 Scott; John Dunn, who was killed at the 
 forks of the Youghiogheny, while returning 
 to his former home ; David Young, James 
 Donaldson, and Joseph Morris. Dr. Det- 
 mar Basse, or as he came to be known. Dr. 
 Miiller, settled at Zelienople in 1802, and 
 Christian Buhl, a shoemaker by trade, lo- 
 cated there later in the same year. In that 
 or the following year, Morris and Philip 
 Covert made settlement, and the former be- 
 came a soldier in the American army dur- 
 ing the War of 1812. Daniel Fiedler set- 
 tled on the site of Zelienople in 1803, and 
 there were others who came in during the 
 pioneer days who are mentioned in the his- 
 tory of the boroughs of the township. John 
 Nixon came to this locality from New Jer- 
 sey in 1812, and afterward settled in Penn 
 Township, where he was instrumental in 
 having the Harvest Home feast celebrated 
 after the departure of the Harmony So- 
 ciety from this vicinity. John Fleming, 
 the teacher, came in 1815 ; also Jacob Kel- 
 ker and Samuel Beam ; Thomas H. Harper 
 came in 1820 ; John Hartzell in 1820 ; Lewis 
 Gansz and Jacob Dambach in 1832 ; George 
 and Henry Marburger, with their father, 
 in 1839; Henry Stoker in 1846; and Dr. 
 Adam Weiser in 1856. 
 
 Dr. Detmar Basse, upon coming to this 
 country, acquired 10,000 acres, lying in 
 Beaver and Butler Counties, and in 1804 
 had the honor of building the first saw-mill 
 in the township, it being in fact the first in- 
 
 dustry of any kind started there. In 1806 
 he built the Miiller grist-mill, where the 
 modern plant of Seidel Brothers was later 
 erected. John Herr built a mill, which later 
 became the property of Albert Seidel and 
 Joseph Schwartz and afterwards passed 
 through various hands. George Rapp and 
 his associates, in 1806 or 1807, built a grist 
 mill on Scholar's Run, and not long after 
 erected the big mill at Eidenau, the oil-mill, 
 the fulling and carding-mill and the distil- 
 lery on the Little Connoquenessing. In 
 1837, David Ziegler and Aaron Schontz 
 converted the great barn of the Economites 
 into a steam flouring-mill, and later Jacob 
 Zeigler built a distillery near the big mill, 
 above Harmony. The Bassenheim Fur- 
 nace was established by Dr. Miiller in 1814 
 and conducted by him until 1818, the last 
 two years under the superintendence of his 
 son-in-law, P. L. Passavant. Native ore 
 was used and the water of the creek fur- 
 nished the power until the dam gave way, 
 when steam power was substituted. The 
 concern was owned and operated by Daniel 
 Beltzhoover & Company from 1818 until 
 1824, when it was closed down. The Wil- 
 son salt works were established at Har- 
 mony in 1816. Numerous tanneries and 
 distilleries flourished in the township in the 
 early days. 
 
 Among the prosperous business enter- 
 prises of the present time is the John Tur- 
 ner Coal ComiDany, which employs about 
 thirty men, with an output of two cars per 
 day. Sevei-al coal banks of minor impor- 
 tance exist, and there is some oil produc- 
 tion in the township. 
 
 The P. H. B. & N. C. Electric Line has 
 a large power plant and car barns in the 
 township. 
 
 The first schools of the township were 
 introduced by the Harmonists, and after 
 their departure in 1815 subscription 
 schools were established and carried on 
 until the common school law came into 
 effect in 1835. There are now nine schools 
 within the limits of the township with a 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 519 
 
 total atteudanee of 264 pupils. The board 
 of directors consists of John A. Eichert, 
 president ; C. F. Knanff , treasurer ; Edwin 
 Ramsey, secretary; Rev. H. Voegley, Amos 
 Rape and Edward Eicholtz. 
 
 Harmony, Zelienople and a part of 
 Evans City are located within the limits 
 of Jackson Township, as is the village of 
 Eidenau, the last named having been quite 
 a settlement in the early days. An old 
 Indian town was located just north of the 
 river, but was practically abandoned in 
 1792, although the Indian women and chil- 
 dren continued to live there until the com- 
 ing of the pioneers. The village of Rams- 
 dale, a half mile north of Harmony, also 
 flourished in the early days, and was an 
 Indian town before the arrival of the 
 whites. 
 
 Toiimship officials — Edward Eicholtz, J. 
 P. (elect) ; supervisors, Charles Hartung, 
 John Behn, and Mr. Goegetly; collector, 
 Michael Zeigler ; assessor, Edward Zelmer. 
 There are two voting precincts — the East 
 Precinct, with Jacob Rheinhart, .iudge, and 
 inspectors Amos Rape and H. Goehring; 
 and the Western Precinct, with C. H. 
 Knauff, judge, and E. E. Goehring and 
 John Pflug, inspectors. 
 
 St. Peters (Independent) Church oi mid- 
 dle Lancaster organized about 1847, has 
 for pastor Rev. A. H. Ginder. 
 
 Zion's Lutheran Church of middle Lan- 
 caster has for pastor Rev. Frederick H. 
 Myers. 
 
 H.-VEMOXY BOROUGH. 
 
 This borough had its inception in the 
 founding of a communistic colony by the 
 United Society of Germans, familiarly 
 known as Harmonists or Economites, who 
 left their native land in search of religious 
 liberty. George Rapp, their leader, was 
 sent ahead in 1803 to find a location and 
 prepare for the coming of the society. Ac- 
 companied by his son, John, and a few 
 others, he landed at Baltimore. He visited 
 many localities and various states, finally 
 
 completing arrangements for the purchase 
 of 5000 acres of the 10,000 acre tract of Dr. 
 Detmar Basse in Butler County. Three 
 lumdred of the society arrived in Balti- 
 more, July 4, 1804, where temporary quar- 
 ters were provided for them for the winter. 
 In the meantime Rapp and a party of work- 
 men founded the village of Harmony and 
 prepared homes for the members of the 
 new colony. The second body of Harmon- 
 ists, under Frederick Rapp, arrived six 
 weeks after the first, landing at Philadel- 
 phia, and were soon followed by a third. 
 The latter were met by a representative of 
 George Rapp, named Haller, who per- 
 suaded most of them to locate in Lycoming 
 County. There were one hundred and 
 thirty-five families in the settlement at 
 Harmony, when the organization of the so- 
 ciety was perfected on February 15, 1805, 
 and all were apparently pleased with their 
 new home. The deed to the property was 
 executed October 17, 1804. Its develop- 
 ment was rapid. At the end of the first 
 year, 150 acres were cleared ; fifty log cab- 
 ins, a grist mill, barn, machine shop, and a 
 house of worship were standing. By the 
 end of the second year, 600 acres were 
 cleared, a vineyard of 4 acres set out, and 
 a distillery, tannery, brick yard, saw-mill 
 and large brick granary built. The progress 
 made was astounding and the products for 
 the year 1809 were : 6,000 bushels of corn, 
 4,000 bushels of wheat, 4,500 bushels of 
 rye, 5,000 bushels of oats, 10,000 bushels of 
 potatoes, 4,000 bushels of flax and hemp, 
 fifty gallons of sweet oil, thousands of gal- 
 lons of whiskey, besides more beef, mutton 
 and pork than the commimity could use. 
 A woolen factory was established in 1810. 
 The work was done under the direction of 
 Rapp, on the division of labor plan, a man 
 being employed at one kind of work at all 
 times, except in rare instances when a 
 large force was required in the harvest 
 fields. The members of the colony profited 
 share and share alike, none being poor and 
 none rich. They lived in happiness in the 
 
520 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 midst of plenty. It became their custom to 
 have three feasts each j^ear, beginuing iu 
 1805, they consisting of the products of the 
 farm, with native wine, whiskey, beer, 
 sauerkraut, rice and ginger cakes served in 
 a large barn, which was thrown open to the 
 people in general. They found their war- 
 rant for these feasts in the XXIII Chapter 
 of Exodus, the Love Feast in early spring; 
 the Harvest Home when the small grains 
 were in, and the Feast of the Ingathering 
 when harvest was over with. Harvest 
 Home became an event to be looked for- 
 ward to and was held long after the de- 
 parture of the Economites. 
 
 When it was determined to seek another 
 home for the Society and the property was 
 offered for sale in 1814, tlie sale bill pre- 
 pared by George Rapp showed there were 
 in the village of Harmony 130 buildings, 
 some brick and others frame and log ; that 
 there was a tavern, built of brick and stone, 
 with twelve rooms, a brick house for spin- 
 ning and weaving; a brick house for dye- 
 ing; a brick church; a frame granary, 
 80x40 feet, four stories, and equipped with 
 machinery; two distilleries, one built of 
 brick and the other of stone ; a grist mill on 
 the Big Connoquenessing, a fulling mill 
 with two sets of carding-machines attached 
 to it; a grist mill on Little Connoquenes- 
 sing and a fulling and hemp-mill, with one 
 set of cotton carding-machines ; two saw- 
 mills; a well equipped tannery; a brick- 
 yard; a potash factory; rope walk; brew- 
 ery; a smithy with four hearths; a nail fac- 
 tory; other buildings suited to various 
 branches of mechanism; four large barns 
 with stables underneath ; afid seven large 
 sheep barns that would hold 5,000 sheep; 
 twenty log buildings and barns in Rams- 
 dale ; about the same number of houses and 
 barns at Eidenau ; and eight or ten houses 
 and barns at Oilbronn ; two miles north of 
 Harmony. These villages were on the So- 
 ciety's estate. The bill further stated 
 there were 3,000 acres cleared; two prin- 
 cipal orchards with 2,000 bearing apple 
 
 trees and numerous small orchards; two 
 vineyards and a number of sugar camps; 
 that there were supported from the im- 
 provements and produce of Harmony, an- 
 nually, 3,000 sheep, 600 horned cattle, and 
 a mnuber of horses, besides the grain to 
 feed the distilleries, still affording large 
 supi)lies to the country. 
 
 The property was sold to Abraham Zeig- 
 ler for a consideration of $100,000, and iu 
 1815 the Harmonists moved to Posey Coun- 
 ty, Indiana, and started the town of New 
 Harmony. At the end of ten years they 
 returned to Pennsylvania, founding the 
 to^ms of Economy and Harmony on the 
 east liank of the Ohio River, in Beaver 
 County, where the life of the society was 
 rounded out. 
 
 A word here as to the origin of the Har- 
 monist Society would not be amiss. George 
 Rapp, the founder, was born in Iptingen, 
 Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1757, and was 
 reared on a farm. He received a fair edu- 
 cation in the common schools and in his 
 youth became an avidious reader of the 
 Bihie, with pronounced views as to its in- 
 terpretation. He developed some ideas 
 along the line of common owiiership of 
 property and a return to the simplicity of 
 early Christian life, incompatible with the 
 government of his land and the estab- 
 lished church. He got beyond privately 
 giving expression to his views, and when 
 about thirty years old would gather his 
 friends and followers at his home and to 
 them expound the scriptures. Restrictions 
 in his own country resulted in the removal 
 to this country, as above related. It is im- 
 l)0ssible to say with exactness what his 
 views were along spiritual lines, as they 
 changed as years went by. Common own- 
 ership of property, celibacy, the leading of 
 blameless lives, and helief in the early sec- 
 ond coming of Christ were doctrines he 
 and his disciples came to advocate in later 
 years. It was his opinion that the world 
 would be destroyed in 1837. Celibacy and 
 a lack of proselyting reduced its member- 
 
ANT) REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 521 
 
 ship rapidly, and the life of the society iu 
 America was less than a century. George 
 Rapp died Aug-ust 7, 1847, aged nearly 
 ninety years. More than one hundred of 
 his followers were, buried in Harmony 
 prior to their removal from Butler County. 
 
 Abraham Ziegler took possession of his 
 property in 1815, and soon found that com- 
 munity of interest, on a small scale, was 
 not a bad idea. He got into financial straits 
 and finding it impossible to meet the un- 
 paid balance of the purchase money, went 
 to New Harmony, Indiana, where he of- 
 fered to turn the property back to the 
 Harmonists. Rapp urged him to hold on 
 to the property, cancelled some of the in- 
 terest coupons, and agreed to pay fifty 
 cents a pound for all the wool he could 
 raise. Returning home, Mr. Ziegler secured 
 the services of David Stautt'er, John 
 Schwart, Jacob Swain and other early set- 
 tlers, as shepherds, each to receive as com- 
 pensation a tract of laud surrounding his 
 home at the end of a given time. It was 
 a common cause, and each putting forth his 
 best etforts, the incumbrance was cleared 
 away in a few years. The promises were 
 kei:)t and all parties concerned reaped large 
 returns. 
 
 In 1815 Samuel Bean started a black- 
 smithing establishment here, and Jacob 
 Kelker came in and conducted a tavern in 
 one of the old log houses. That and the 
 following year saw the following pioneers 
 established at Harmony: John Fleming, 
 who taught school ; the Stauifers ; the Lat- 
 shaws ; the Schwartzes ; the Herrs ; Johann 
 Ladensehlager, an Economite; Baltzer 
 Gull, a butcher ; John Roth, a blacksmith ; 
 Philip Noss, a cooper ; Joseph Tinsman and 
 Francis Bassler, coopers ; Jacob Gross, 
 a weaver; John Tinnells; John Scheely; 
 John Boyer, a Mennonite minister ; and the 
 Zieglers. John Fleming kept the first store 
 in the town under the new regime, and 
 later Henry and John Schwartz started a 
 store. They were followed by George How- 
 
 ell, Alfred Pearee and others. In 1837 
 Schontz & Ziegler established a grist-mill 
 in the big Economite barn built in 1806, 
 and conducted a successful enterprise there 
 until its destruction by fire in 1852, other 
 old buildings of the Economites meeting 
 the same fate at that time. Mr. Schontz 
 then became owner of another of the orig- 
 inal barns, which he mantled with ma- 
 chinery, and continued the milling busi- 
 ness imtil he sold to John Pearee. The 
 latter was succeeded in 1872 by David Zieg- 
 ler, who continued the plant as it was un- 
 til 1880, when it was remodeled and new 
 machinery installed. Mr. Schontz also 
 started up the woolen mill in 1837, and con- 
 ducted it until it burned down in 1812. He 
 rebuilt on the same site, put in new ma- 
 chinery, and conducted the industry alone 
 until he disposed of an intei-est to Robert 
 Sample in 1850. In 1865 he sold his re- 
 nuiining interest to John Pearee, and the 
 business was conducted on a larger scale 
 than before. Mr. Pearee became sole owner 
 in 1871, and later made his son a partner, 
 the mill developing into a large and flour- 
 ishing plant. In recent times many im- 
 portant industries have been estal)lislied 
 and nuiintained, among which may be men- 
 tioned the planing-mill of H. M. Bentle & 
 Company, a firm which operates a similar 
 establishment at Zelienople. 
 
 .The first bank in operation in Harmony 
 was the Harmony Savings Bank, which was 
 incorporated in 1867 and in 1868 opened 
 its doors for business, with Alfred Pearee 
 as president, and R. H. Palmer as treas- 
 urer. 
 
 The Hannony Ndtlomd Bank was organ- 
 ized in 1876, with Butler capitalists as the 
 principal stockholders and directors. John 
 Dindinger was one of its most active or- 
 ganizers. W. H. H. Riddle was the first 
 president, and H. J. Mitchell, cashier. 
 
 The Commercial Bank of Harmony, es- 
 tablished March 1, 1892, was an undertak- 
 ing of S. E. Niece, a man of prominence in 
 
522 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 oil operations and iu banking circles, but 
 the institution was not of long duration. 
 
 The first school in the borough after the 
 departure of the Economites was that es- 
 tablished in 1815 or 1816 by John Fleming, 
 later known as the poet postmaster. Many 
 others taught prior to the establishment 
 of the public school system in 1835, among 
 the best known being John Heberling, the 
 mason, and William Huntzberber. Prom 
 an early period there has been a succes- 
 sion of private or select schools, of which 
 the Harmony Collegiate Institute is an out- 
 growth. There is now one public school, of 
 four rooms, including a three years' high 
 school course. There are four teachers, 
 with an enrollment of 150 pupils. 
 
 The borough of Harmony was incorpo- 
 rated in 1838, and William Keck was 
 elected as the first burgess. A postoffice 
 was established here in 1813, when Andrew 
 McClure, upon being tarred and feathered 
 by volunteer soldiers for giving expression 
 to his Tory sentiments, in his pique, left 
 Zelienople for Harmony. The po'stoffice 
 followed him, and an Economite was placed 
 in charge. John Fleming was the next 
 postmaster, and served here until 1835, 
 when he Inoved the office to Zelienople. 
 There was for many years much rivalry 
 between the two boroughs over the ques- 
 tion, as the citizens of the one without an 
 office were obliged to go to the other for 
 mail. Ill feeling died down in later years, 
 when ofSces were maintained in both places. 
 Upon being re-established at Harmony, S. 
 P. P. Yoimg was first postmaster. He has 
 had a number of successors, the present 
 incumbent of the office being Mrs. Susan 
 Fielder. 
 
 The census report of 1870 showed the 
 population of the borough to be 414; in 
 1880, 497; in 1890, 585, and in 1900, 645. 
 The present population of the borough is 
 about 1,000, with an additional 400 or 500 
 in the immediate vicinity, making a town 
 of substantially 1,400 or more population. 
 
 CHUKCHES. 
 
 The Meiinoiiite Church was the first in 
 Harmony after the departure of George 
 Rapp. Rev. John Boyer was the first 
 preacher, and at first preached in a small 
 edifice which they erected in 1816. Abra- 
 ham Ziegler was the principal supporter of 
 the chixrch from its organization until his 
 defath in 1836, and in 1825 was instru- 
 mental in the building of a stone church, 
 which served the organization for many 
 years. Other formerly-existing churches 
 were the German Evangelical Lutheran, 
 organized by Rev. Eli Steaver in 1843 ; the 
 Baptist, which had a brief and precarious 
 existence, and the Church of God, organ- 
 ized by Rev. W. B. Long. 
 
 Grace Reformed CMirch was organized 
 in 1826 by Rev. John Koch and the ser- 
 mons preached in the German language. 
 The old brick church erected by the dis- 
 ciples of Rapp in 1806 was purchased as a 
 house of worship, and was frequently re- 
 modeled and enlarged to meet the demands 
 of an increasing congregation. The pres- 
 ent pastor is Rev. Lewis Reiter. The 
 church has a membership of three hundred. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church was or- 
 ganized at Zelieople in 1842, as related in 
 the chapter on that borough, and in 1880 
 was removed to Harmony. Here they 
 erected a new church building at a cost of 
 $2,000, it being dedicated on August 15, 
 1880. The present membership is 130; 
 pastor. Rev. M. R. Hackman. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church has a member- 
 ship of about 240, and is a flourishing or- 
 ganization. The pastor is Rev. Hugh 
 Leith. 
 
 The first cemetery in the community was 
 that used as a burial ground by the Har- 
 monists from 1805 until 1815. Upon the 
 departure of that society they covered the 
 graves with rock to a depth of several 
 feet, so that the bones of their dead would 
 not be disturbed. In 1869 a fitting tribute 
 was paid these long departed pioneers by 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 523 
 
 old representatives of the community. Tliey 
 caused the rock to be removed and the 
 graves marked, and built a substantial 
 wall about the graveyard, the expense be- 
 ing something over $7,000. 
 
 Among the leading business enterprises 
 of the present day are the following: li. 
 
 C. Mullerman, general merchandise ; W. B. 
 Cranmer and J. K. Scott, livery; Enoch 
 Knox and J. Weigel, blacksmiths; Har- 
 mony Creamery Co.; Zeigler & Stamm, 
 furniture; S. D. Kirker, feed store; H. M. 
 Wise, lumber; Harmony Cereal Co., A. H. 
 Knauf, proprietor; H. W. Bame, grocer; 
 the Hotel Bean, S. A. Bean, proprietor; 
 Zeigler House, L. N. Zeigler, proprietor; 
 Oil Well Supply Co. ; Edward Sahli, meats ; 
 Sitler, Swain & Moyer, general merchan- 
 dise; Barnhart's Pharmacy; A. W. Flow- 
 ers' Fouudrj', and the Harmony Hardware 
 Co. (H. II. Beighlea, manager of imple- 
 ment department). Resident phvsiciaus are 
 
 D. W. Fiedler, J. H. Ealston and Arthur S. 
 Stewart. 
 
 The B. & 0. Railroad and the B. R. and 
 P. Railroads supply steam connection with 
 outside points. The Pittsburg, Harmony, 
 Butler and New Castle Electric Line began 
 operations about July, 1908. 
 
 Telephone service is furnished by the 
 Bell and P. & A. systems, while there are 
 adequate telegraph and express accommo- 
 dations. 
 
 The fraternal orders represented in Har- 
 mony are the Odd Fellows, the Royal Ar- 
 canum, the Knights of Pvthias and the K. 
 0. T. M. 
 
 Officials. — Burgess, A. Eppinger; presi- 
 dent of council, H. H. Beighlea ; secretary, 
 H. A. Halstein; treasurer, E. G. Kris- 
 tophel ; constable, Fred Schatf er ; high con- 
 stable, Jacob Weigel; tax collector, Levi 
 Boyer ; assessor, Thomas ■\Vlieeler. 
 
 ZELIENOPLE BOROUGH. 
 
 Zelienople is a beautiful and prosperous 
 little borough, located on the Baltimore & 
 Ohio Railroad and on the Pittslmrg, Har- 
 
 mony, Butler and New Castle interurban 
 line. Its name is derived from that of Ze- 
 lie, daughter of Dr. Miiller, the founder of 
 the place. Dr. Miiller, or more correctly. 
 Dr. Detmar Basse, was a scholarly man of 
 large ideas and ambitions. He was an in- 
 fluential man in his native Germany, and at 
 one time represented the City of Frankfort 
 as an ambassador to Paris. In 1802 he 
 came to this country and purchased a vast 
 tract of 10,000 acres lying in Butler and 
 Beaver counties, Pennsylvania, his idea, 
 appai'ently, being to establish a baronial 
 estate amid romantic and picturesque sur- 
 roundings in this part of the then growing- 
 West. He was a man of large means, and 
 after laying out the village built him a pala- 
 tial home of three stories in the architect- 
 ural style of an old castle, with its towers, 
 turrets and battlements, to which he gave 
 the name of Bassenheim. A part of his 
 holdings jie disposed of in 1804 to George 
 Rapp and his associates, retaining some 
 5,000 acres. An account of his mills and 
 furnace is given in the history of Jackson 
 township. It was his connection with the 
 mills and his custom of signing his name 
 Detmar Basse Miiller that caused him to 
 1)6 known thereafter as Miiller. He went 
 liack to Germany, temporarily, in 1806, and 
 returned in 1807, accompanied by his 
 daughter, Zelie, and her husband, Philip 
 L. Passavant. He then devoted himself 
 actively to the success of his undertaking 
 and the upbiailding of the village and the 
 development of its resources. He returned 
 to his native land in 1818, leaving his in- 
 terests to be cared for by Mr. Passavant, 
 to whom he sold all of the unsold lots in 
 Zelienople for $1,400. Bassenheim and 400 
 acres surrounding it was sold to Joseph 
 Allen in 1836, and six years later was de- 
 stroyed by fire. 
 
 Philip L. Passavant established the first 
 store in the village in 1807, and was other- 
 wise an important factor in the develop- 
 ment of the community. He conducted the 
 store for fortv-one vears, and was then 
 
524 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 succeeded by his son, C. S. Passavant. As 
 early as 1804, Christian Buhl, the hatter, 
 and Daniel Fiedler, distiller and ferryman, 
 erected cabins, which were the first built on 
 the town site. Jonathan Baybury ; Andrew 
 Diemer and his son, masons by trade ; and 
 John G. Muntz, who moved to Harmony in 
 1804 or 1805 ; Mclntyre, the spinning wheel 
 niauufactnrer ; Jacob Heberling, the third 
 stone mason of the village, and John Lock, 
 the miller, were all early members of the 
 colony here. Andrew McClure moved in 
 from his farm and kept tavern where the 
 Grand Central Hotel of modern days was 
 built. Charles Cist opened a small store 
 here in 1814, and about the same time there 
 came to the settlement, Jacob Hoffa, David 
 Arneal, and a man named Hungelmeyer, 
 who was a carpenter by trade. Robert IBol- 
 ton and Frederick JBentle, blacksmiths; 
 John Boyer, a preacher; and Vance Ran- 
 dolph, a millwright, came in 1816, and were 
 followed not long after by John A. Beyer, 
 .\dam and H. W. Goehring, John Lambert, 
 and others. The McClure tavern was es- 
 tal)lislied shortly after the first log cabins 
 were built, and was taken in by the house 
 erected by John Randolph in the twenties. 
 Both buildings were later united to form 
 the Bastian House, and in 1878 the prop- 
 erty was purchased by H. W. Stokey, who 
 converted it into a good modern hotel, 
 which was named the Grand Central. The 
 Eagle Hotel was built in the twenties by 
 Ivudolph Kelker, and was conducted by 
 various landlords until 1878, when Henry 
 Stokey became proprietor. The latter was 
 succeeded by his son, Charles Stokey, who 
 conducts the New Stokey, a modern, up- 
 to-date and well patronized house of enter- 
 tainment. 
 
 The pioneer newspaper of the borough 
 was the Zelienople Recorder, published in 
 1847. It was followed by thQ Connoquenes- 
 sing Neivs, which was established by Sam- 
 uel Yoimg and bj^ him conducted until his 
 death, when a son, J. R. Young, became 
 owner and editor. The first passenger train 
 
 entered the borough the first day in the 
 year 1879, and in 1880 the American Union 
 Telegraph Company began operating here. 
 
 Nicholas Dambach in March, 1882, estab- 
 lished a private bank, which was purchased 
 the following year by Dr. Amos Lusk and 
 son. Dr. Lusk died in 1891, and Amos M. 
 Lusk carried on the business in partner- 
 ship with John A. Gelbach imtil March, 
 1893, when he disposed of his interest to 
 Jacob Gelbach. The banking firm of Gel- 
 bach Brothers established the institution 
 as one of the safest and most sound in But- 
 ler County. 
 
 The German Mutual Fire Insurance 
 Company of Zelienople was organized by 
 some of the most substantial men of the 
 community, and its affairs soon placed in 
 a thriving condition. 
 
 Andrew McClure, the pioneer tavern- 
 keepei', was also the first postmaster and 
 seiwed until his pro-British sentiments 
 during the War of 1812 got him into dis- 
 favor. In 181.3 he was tarred and feath- 
 ered by volunteer soldiers, en route to 
 Lake Erie, and in revenge resigned the 
 office to a citizen in Harmony. The town 
 was then without a postoffice until 1835, 
 when John G. Muntz was appointed post- 
 master at Zelienople. The present incvmi- 
 ])ent is N. B. Duncan. 
 
 The population of Zelienople, as re- 
 vealed by the census reports, shows the 
 growth was steadv and continuous. It was 
 387 in 1870, 497 m 1880, 639 in 1890, and 
 963 in 1900. With the Extension it is now 
 about 1,800. 
 
 Prior to 1810 the schools of Harmony 
 served also as the schools of this borough, 
 but in that year an octagonal brick house 
 was erected on the Diamond for school and 
 religious purposes. In 1817 Jacob Holla's 
 wife conducted a primitive subscription 
 school, and she was succeeded by a Mr. 
 Brewster, and later by Jacob Heberling. 
 In 1825 the manual labor school was estab- 
 lished by the Presbytery of Pittsburg in 
 the Bassenheim, and was conducted under 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 01^0 
 
 Superintendent Saunders until 1836. In 
 1835 the common school law was adopted, 
 and in time a good system of schools was 
 built up, but almost continuously there has 
 been a private school conducter under the 
 various titles of high school, academy or 
 college. The Zelienople select school of 
 1845 was presided over by Rev. L. F. 
 Leake, and the Connoquenessing Academy, 
 under Dr. G. Bassler, C. Gr. Holls and Jo- 
 siah E. Titzell, soon followed. Dr. Amos 
 Lusk, among the foremost business men 
 and citizens, was a man of scholarly attain- 
 ments and was always a friend to the edu- 
 cational institutions, which he did much to 
 bring into being and improve. In April, 
 1883, after title to the old school on the 
 Diamond had been proved faulty, a fine 
 new school building was erected at the 
 head of Main Street. The school building- 
 has seven rooms, with seven teachers, in- 
 cluding the principal, F. A. MeClung, and 
 an enrollment of 305 pupils. The high 
 school course has recently been raised from 
 a three to a four years' course. 
 
 The borough of Zelienople was incor- 
 porated in 1840, and Dr. Orrin D. Palmer 
 was the first burgess. The first justices of 
 the peace were Christian Buhl and John 
 Levis. 
 
 St. Paul's Evangelical Luihcyan Cliurcli 
 was organized as a German Lutheran 
 church in 1822, with H. W. Goehring, Cas- 
 per 0. Muller and P. L. Passavant as 
 trustees. The first pastor was Rev. J. C. 
 G. Schweitzerbarth, who served as such 
 for nearly thirty years. A stone meeting- 
 house, constructed of native sandstone and 
 of Gothic design, was dedicated June 10, 
 1827, and is still in a good state of pre- 
 servation. The church now has about 200 
 communicants. The church property con- 
 sists of three acres, donated by P. L. Pas- 
 savant, and is devoted to the church build- 
 ing, the cemetery and the parsonage, which 
 latter was remodeled in 1907. The present 
 pastor is Eev. Frederick H. Myer. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church was or- 
 ganized April 7, 1895, with twenty-four 
 charter members. Eev. Edward S. Littell 
 became pastor January 4, 1901, when the 
 membership numbered forty-eight. Since 
 then there has been a steady growth, and 
 there are now 104 members, with a Sab- 
 bath school enrollment of sixty-five. The 
 church building was erected at a cost of 
 about $9,000. 
 
 The English Lutheran Church was or- 
 ganized January 21, 1843. A plain brick 
 church was erected, and on July 6, 1845, 
 was dedicated. It was the home of the 
 congregation until the new and modern 
 brick church was completed. The latter 
 was dedicated on April 28, 1884. Rev. 
 Bassler was the first pastor and continued 
 witli the church until April, 1864, when he 
 resigned to enter upon his duties as su- 
 perintendent of the Orphans' Home. Dur- 
 ing his pastorate the church society was in- 
 corporated, the date being June 16, 1860. 
 In 1904 the present handsome church edi- 
 fice was erected at a cost of about $25,000. 
 It is a fine stone structure of modern archi- 
 tecture. The present pastor, Rev. L. J. 
 Baker, has served the congregation since 
 November, 1905. The church now has a 
 membership of 275, witli a Sunday school 
 of 233, and is in a verv prosperous condi- 
 tion. 
 
 The Preshgterian Church was organized 
 in 1845 by Eev. L. F. Leake. Meetings dur- 
 ing the first decade of its existence were 
 held in the Baptist or Methodist church, or 
 in the schoolhouses of Zelienople and Har- 
 mony. A church building was erected in 
 1885, and Eev. Webber was installed as 
 pastor. He continued until 1863, and was 
 succeeded by Eev. D. D. Christy (stated 
 supply), and others. 
 
 St. Peter's Evangelical Protestant 
 Church (independent) was organized and 
 built in 1858, with Eev. E. F. Winter as the 
 first pastor, who served the congregation 
 over twenty-two years. The Eev. O. D. 
 
526 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Miller, who is the present pastor, succeeded 
 Rev. Ebbinghaus iu 190U, and under his 
 able ministrations the church has increased 
 its membership to -134, with a Sunday 
 school enrollment of one hundred and 
 twentj'-tive. 
 
 The United Evangelical Church, known 
 as the German United Evangelical Protest- 
 ant Congregation of St. Peter's Church of 
 the borough of Zelienople, was organized 
 January 1, 1859, by Rev. E. F. Winter, and 
 in 1861 a frame church building was 
 erected at a cost of $3,000. The society 
 was incorporated in January, 1873. Prior 
 to the erection of the church services were 
 held in the Presbyterian church. 
 
 Monroe Chapel of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church was organized at Zelienople, 
 and on March 24, 1862, was incorporated. 
 The place of meeting was moved to Har- 
 mony in 1880. 
 
 St. Gregory's Roman Catholic Church 
 was erected in 1906 and is located in Zelie- 
 nople Extension. It has a resident pastor 
 and gives promise of being a strong and 
 permanent organization. 
 
 orphans' home and orphans' farm school. 
 
 [Compiled mostly from Rev. Dr. H. W. 
 Roth's "Fifty Years Among the Or- 
 phans."] 
 
 In 1849 Pastor Theodore Fliedner of 
 Kaiserwerth, Germany, came to Pittsburg, 
 Pa., at the earnest solicitation of the Rev. 
 W. A. Passavant, of blessed memory, to 
 take part in the dedication of The Pitts- 
 burgh Infirmary, and to begin a Deaconess 
 Mother House in America. 
 
 At a little gathering of friends in the 
 home of a Pittsburgh German pastor, Flied- 
 ner urged the duty of providing also for the 
 care of the orphan children. At this little 
 gathering one of the company placed a dol- 
 lar into the hands of this German pastor, 
 saying: "Here you have a beginning for 
 an Orphans' Home." A few years later 
 this lone dollar was given "in trust" to the 
 Rev. Passavant. 
 
 HOW THE ORPHANS AND THE HOME CAME. 
 
 In the Infirmary a German clergyman 
 died. Also a Swiss schoolmaster, and 
 others. Pitiful were their prayers for the 
 boys and girls, their children, whom they 
 left homeless as they themselves had been. 
 
 While in London, three years before 
 Fliedner 's visit to Pittsburgh, Rev. Pas- 
 savant found refuge from a sudden shower 
 in a Jewish Orphanage. His heart was 
 strangely moved, and there the good Spirit 
 of God awakened and deepened a purpose 
 to begin at home some work of like char- 
 acter. And now that orphans were sent, it 
 was resolved in humble reliance upon the 
 Father of the fatherless, to care for those 
 homeless children. In April, 1852, Sister 
 C. Louisa Marthens, the first American 
 deaconess, was appointed matron, and the 
 first Orphans' Home began in the Infirm- 
 ary buildings, corner Roberts and Reed 
 streets, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 orphans' farm school, zelienople, pa. 
 
 The Rev. Paul Anderson brought two 
 boys and a girl, the children of Norwegian 
 parents who died- in Chicago, and these 
 were the first admissions to the newly or- 
 ganized Home. From Pittsburgh the rav- 
 ages of cholera sent many children, and the 
 Home was full. 
 
 In September, 1852, Rev. Passavant and 
 the Rev. Gottlieb Bassler purchased from 
 Joseph Zeigler some twenty-five acres near 
 Zelienople, and entered upon the establish- 
 ment of The Orphans' Farm School. In 
 1853 the director's house was built and 
 other improvements made. 
 
 In April, 1854, Rev. G. Bassler, A. M., 
 took charge as director, and moved from 
 Middle Lancaster, Penna., into the new 
 residence. In May, 1854, Mr. Asa H. 
 Waters, a student of theology, opened the 
 Academy in the property of Rev. C. G. 
 Schweitzerbarth. Into this eight boys were 
 brought from the Home in Pittsburgh. The 
 excellent mother of Mr. Waters looked 
 after the housekeeping of the family, and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 527 
 
 Mr. J. Q. Waters, a student at the Acad- 
 emy, had oversight of the boys at their 
 work on the little farm and at their studies. 
 
 THE BUILDING OF THE PARENT HOUSE. 
 
 This was a big undertaking with onl}^ 
 seventy-five cents in the treasury. But 
 these men of faith went forward, and July 
 4, 1854, many people in attendance, and 
 with appropriate services and addresses, 
 the corner-stone was laid, notable as the 
 first event of the kind in the whole Lu- 
 theran church of America. 
 
 FELLOW LABORERS AT THE ORPHANS' FARM 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 In November, 1855, Mr. C. G. Holls, a 
 pupil of Dr. Wichern of "Das Rauhe 
 Hans" fame, was duly installed as head 
 master and house father in the newly fin- 
 ished Parent House. For eleven j^ears he 
 discharged the duties of his position Avith 
 marked ability. During the illness of the 
 Rev. (}. Bassler, the first director. Rev. Gr. 
 W. Frederick, then pastor of the church at 
 Zelienople, efficiently served the interests 
 of the Home. Mr. David L. Debendarfer 
 was called as assistant to the director, and 
 on the lamented death of Rev. G. Bassler, 
 Oct. 3, 1868, was chosen director. Until 
 called to his reward in 1877, the Rev. Deb- 
 endarfer and his devoted wife faithfully 
 performed the difficult duties of their re- 
 sponsible positions. 
 
 In the spring of 1878 the Rev. J. A. 
 Kinbbs, A. M., with his estimable wife as 
 matron, entered the Orphans ' Farm School 
 as third director, and began the successful 
 service which has been continued for over 
 thirty years. The girls remained in their 
 Pittsburgh Home after the boys had gone 
 to Zelienople, until May, 1862, when they 
 moved to Rochester, Pa., where houses had 
 been built for their residence in families. 
 
 In 1895 the Orphans ' Home at Rochester 
 was united with the Orphans ' Farm School 
 «t Zelienople, and the two bands became 
 one, the girls becoming inmates of the in- 
 
 stitution under the care of Rev. and Mrs. 
 J. A. Kribbs. 
 
 This Home is clearly a child of Provi- 
 dence. God has graciously and tenderly 
 cared for every want, in His own time and 
 in His own way. During the fifty-four 
 years of trial, struggle and triumph of 
 God's cause, the orphans in this Home 
 have never wanted, but every day received 
 their "daily bread." The great founder 
 of this Home, that man of God, the Rev. 
 \Y. A. Passavant, D. D., in prayer and 
 faith for forty years stood between the 
 helpless and the Great Helper, pleading 
 the cause of the destitute, friendless or- 
 phans, and they have been cared for, 
 clothed and fed. 
 
 The following facts in the history of 
 these homes are worthy of note. In the 
 early beginnings of this beneficent work 
 twenty-five acres of land were purchased 
 for the uses of an Orphans' Home, and a 
 $25,000 building erected thereon and paid 
 for. Later one hundred acres of land, and 
 again two hundred and seventy-five acres 
 of land, were purchased and paid for. In 
 December, 1862, the first building was de- 
 stroyed by fire. Another central building, 
 with additional dormitories and school 
 building, was erected at a cost of some 
 $20,000 and paid for. Again, in 1889, the 
 second building was destroyed by fire. This 
 was rebuilt and enlarged, and with recent 
 additional new buildings and improvements 
 at a cost of $30,000 or more, and all paid 
 for. Today the beautiful farm and wood- 
 land of four hundred acres and all our 
 buildings stand free of debt. 
 
 It is also worthy of note that in all these 
 years our, Homes have never had a finan- 
 cial agent out in the field collecting funds. 
 It is true the cause of the orphans has been 
 brought l)efore our churches, Sunday 
 schools and individual friends, and appeals 
 have been made through church papers, 
 circulars and reports. The support dur- 
 ing all these more than fifty years has 
 come from the gratuitous responses of the 
 
528 
 
 ITISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 conset'i-ated hearts and bands of God's 
 people. 
 
 The Orphans' Home founded in Pitts- 
 burgh by Rev. W. A. Passavant, D. D., and 
 the Orphans' Farm School founded in Ze- 
 lienople, more than fifty years ago, are 
 to be measured not only by the acual work 
 done here, but rather by the influences put 
 in motion, and the impetus given to or- 
 phan work throughout the Lutheran church 
 in this country and also among other 
 Protestant denominations. These Orphan 
 Homes were the first of their kind for many 
 years among the Protestant churches. To- 
 day there are some fifty orphanages in the 
 Lutheran church and quite a number 
 among other Protestant churches. 
 
 In the good Providence of God, the 
 sainted Dr. Passavant, who was called to 
 liis eternal home June 3, 1894, sowed the 
 good seed which sprung up, grew and 
 spread its branches. It is true, "one sow- 
 eth and another reapeth," but "both he 
 that soweth and he that reapeth rejoice 
 together," and "shall reap fruit unto life 
 eternal." All praise to God for whatever 
 good has been done in this great field of 
 beneficence. 
 
 The Eev. J. A. Kribbs, after a service 
 of more than thirty years, as director, re- 
 tires January 1, 1909, and the Rev. Charles 
 W. White, duly elected by the board of 
 managers as director of these homes, en- 
 ters upon the duties and responsibilities of 
 this office at the same date, Januarv 1, 
 1909. 
 
 THE OLD PEOPLKS' HOME OF THE PITTSBURG 
 SYNOD OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN 
 CHURCH IN ZELIENOPLE, PENN- 
 SYLVANIA. 
 
 The Lutheran Church is noted for its 
 numerous institutions of mercy in all parts 
 of the United States, and there are sev- 
 eral such in Butler Coiinty and the adjoin- 
 ing county of Allegheny. But until quite 
 recently there was not among them any 
 home for old people; but the Pittsburg 
 
 Synod had for a number of years in con- 
 templation the founding of sucli a home, 
 and made all the preliminary arrange- 
 ments about three years ago. And in the 
 spring of 1907 a dwelling-house was rented 
 for the accommodation of several persons 
 who had asked to be cared for, and the 
 temijorary home was placed under the care 
 of an experienced and trusted deaconess. 
 Sister Katherine Foerster. Eight acres 
 of land were purchased for the permanent 
 hoiue, but at that juncture the very valu- 
 al)Ie gift was received from Mrs. Jane E. 
 Passavant of a beautful oak grove of ten 
 acres adjorning the eight acres and front- 
 ing 540 feet on Main Street in the village, 
 which gives the institution an ideal loca- 
 tion. 
 
 On this ground two beautifnl memorial 
 cottages have been erected by a gentleman 
 notal)le for his works of charity; and the 
 board of managers have finished Sections 
 One and Two of the ultimate large struc- 
 ture. These buildings are substantial and 
 beautiful and are equipped with all the 
 latest improvements and appliances of 
 such institutions. The amount invested 
 at the present time is fully $45,000. 
 
 The Zelienople Flouring Mills, of which 
 C. B. Harper is proprietor, has a capacity 
 of fifty barrels of flour and fifteen tons of 
 feed daily. The first mill on the site was 
 erected in the early part of the nineteenth 
 century, and was operated for many years 
 by water power, but for the last forty 
 years both steam and water power have 
 ben used. The present building was erected 
 in 1853 by John Herr. The mill subse- 
 quently became the property of Albert 
 Seidel, who owned and operated it for 
 about forty years, when, in 1891, it was 
 purchased by its present owner, Mr. Har- 
 per. The latter also owns a large feed 
 store in Zelienople, which is doing a pros- 
 perous business. 
 
 The Iron City Sanitary Manufacturing 
 Company was organized in 1899. Its officers 
 are A. A. Fraunenheim, president; J. A. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 529 
 
 general offices in Pittsburg. The plant oc- 
 cupies twelve acres and gives employment 
 to six Inmdred men. The manufactured 
 product consists of plumbers' supplies and 
 enameled ware and commands a wide and 
 increasing market. The company owns 
 considerable property in the west end of 
 the borough and has made some notable 
 improvements, building a number of cot- 
 tage homes. It is tlie largest manufactur- 
 ing concern in Zelienople. 
 
 There are several other manufacturing 
 concerns beginning operations in Zelie- 
 nople, among them the Specialty Foundry 
 Company and the Kerner Manufacturing- 
 Company. 
 
 Among the leading merchants are tiie 
 following: Chas. E. Reed and Alpheas 
 Sitler, druggists ; A. Seaton & Son, lumber ; 
 P. C. Frederick, proprietor of the Stahl 
 Distillery; H. W. Kauffman, boots and 
 shoes; Geo. King, confectioner; John Blum, 
 shoe store; the Herman Pneumatic Ma- 
 chine Company, incorporated in 1906, with 
 a capital stock of $75,000; J. J. Kennedy, 
 groceries and builders' supi^lies; Zenas 
 McMichael (J. P.), real estate and insur- 
 ance ; Edwin Meeder, general merchandise ; 
 Fred Zehner, farm implements and feed 
 store; H. E. Dean & Co., clothiers; A. H. 
 Meeder, dry goods; Fred Eyles, music 
 .store; John E. Koeher, proprietor of the 
 Connoquenesslng Valley Neirs; J. Din- 
 dinger & Son, dry goods ; F. S. Goehring, 
 tinner; G. Householder, farm implements; 
 A. Latshaw & Son, grocers; H. G. McCim, 
 merchant; Edwin Zehner, furniture and 
 imdertaking; Zelienople Hardware Co.; B. 
 M. Hildebrand, clothing; Solomon's Cloth- 
 ing Store, and Hess and Son, merchant 
 tailors. Doctors, A. G. Duncan. R. E. Gal- 
 lagher and F. W. Cunningham have up-to- 
 date dental parlors, while among the lead- 
 ing physicians are Drs. A. V. Cunningham, 
 S. E. Ralston, R. A. Reed and John A. 
 Kerr, 
 
 The new Hotel Stokey, proprietor, 
 Henry W. Stokey, is an up-tn-date. well 
 
 eciuipped hostelry. The Stokey House, con- 
 ducted by William and A. G. Eicholtz, is 
 also doing a successful business. 
 
 The Peoples National Bank commenced 
 business in October, 1904, and is apsrated 
 under a capital of $50,000. Its pi-esent of- 
 ficers are C. J. D. Strohecker, president; 
 W. J. Lamberton, vice president; A. B. 
 Crawford, cashier, and E. P. Young, as- 
 sistant cashier. Its directors are all men 
 of business ability and experience. 
 
 The First National Bank of Zelienople 
 began business in 1881 and was organized 
 as a national bank in 1902. Its capital is 
 $50,000. It is now in its twenty-eighth 
 >ear of successful banking. Every accom- 
 modation consistent with conservative 
 banking is accorded to its patrons. The 
 officers are H. M, Wise, president; C. B. 
 Harper, vice president; C. S. Passavant, 
 vice president; W. H. Gelbach, cashier: 11. 
 Kloffenstein, assistant cashier. 
 
 Zelienople has two systems of telephone 
 service — the Bell and the Peoples of But- 
 ler, which is associated with the P. (Ji: .\. 
 telephone system of Pittsburg, with an ex- 
 change near Zelienople. 
 
 The borough has an efficient \"olunteer 
 Fire Department, under the conunand of 
 Chief M. S. Shaw; also an adequate water 
 plant, which was installed at a cost of $27.- 
 000. There are over five miles of sewer- 
 age, $4,500 having been spent for this pur- 
 pose during 1908. 
 
 The B. & 0. Railroad and the B. R. & 
 P. R. R. furnish steam railroad service, 
 the latter entering the borough over the 
 tracks of the B. & O. The P., H., B. & X. 
 C. Railway furnishes electric communica- 
 tion with outlaying points. 
 
 Zelienople has a commodious o])('ra 
 house, located on the second floor of the 
 First National Bank Building. 
 
 The fraternal orders are represented l)y 
 the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of 
 Pythias, etc., the lodges being all in a jiros- 
 perous condition. 
 
 Cnpfain Wilson Post, No. 496, G. A. H., 
 
530 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was orgauized Mai-cli l'.'!. I.s.^,".. witli twelve 
 charter members. 
 
 Major L. C. Briiiton Caiiqj, Xu. 2:n, Sons 
 of Veterans, was established at Zelienople 
 in October, 1888, with J. F. Knapp as cap- 
 tain, and Cyrus Rnby and (ieorge Ki'a(UM 
 as Heutenants. 
 
 The Women's Christ ian 'L'einperiiiicc 
 r)/i()ii was organized May 24, 1886, its first 
 officials being Mrs. F. G. Frishkorn, presi- 
 dent; Mrs. C. S. Passavant, vice-president; 
 Eliza Bastia'n, secretary, and Mrs. 11. M. 
 Bentle, treasurer. 
 
 Toini Officials. — Burgess, Chas. Stokey; 
 councilmen, E. P.- Young, Chas. S. Passa- 
 vant, Jr., AVm. Frishkorn, A. G. Eicholtz, 
 H. E. Seaton, Jacob Gelbaeh, Gillert Goeh- 
 ring; borough clerk. Dr. F. W. Cunning- 
 ham; tax collector, Geo. Householder; 
 borough treasurer, A. B. Crawford; water 
 works superintendent, John Lauten; school 
 directors. Rev. Hugh Leitli, Dr. S. E. Rals- 
 ton, Geo. King, Chas. Gallagher, Fred 
 Frishkorn, "Wm. A. Swain; justices of the 
 peace, Zenas McMichael, H. N. Teeples ; 
 constable, John Loten ; chief of police, Ed- 
 ward Knauff. 
 
 , EVANS crrv. 
 
 This borough, incorporated in 1882, 
 dates back as a settlement to the pioneer 
 days, when it was known as Boggs' Mill. 
 It was surveved and laid out by William 
 Purviance for Thomas B. Evans in 1838, 
 and was thereafter known as Evansburg 
 until it received its present appellation. 
 Although an old settlement, its advance- 
 ment was slow and uncertain until the ad- 
 vent of the railroad in 1878, since which 
 time its growth has been ])henomenal. Its 
 population of sixty-eight in 1880 could al- 
 most be multiplied by ten in 1890, the cen- 
 sus of that year showing it to be 637. It 
 was nearly doubled in the next decade, with 
 a population of 1,203 in 1900, and is about 
 1,500 at the present time (January, 1909). 
 The total assessed value of Evans Citv is 
 $66,727. 
 
 The borough Ls located on Breakneck 
 Creek, lying partly in Jackson and partly 
 in Forward Townships. Before white set- 
 tlement had been made, the site was a fa- 
 vorite Indian camping ground, the red men 
 giving the name of Big Beaver Run to the 
 creek. The French, however, knew it as 
 Casse-cou-anse, or Breakneck Creek, a 
 name which survived the times. 
 
 Robert Boggs, in 1796, exchanged a mare 
 for 400 acres of land and erected a log 
 cabin where now is a store in Evans City. 
 He opened a tavern, the nearest settlement 
 at that time being Duncan's tavern, six 
 miles away. He was followed here soon 
 after by John Dunn, John Rea, and Will- 
 iam and ]\Iichael Martin. In 1804 the 
 Boggs mill was built, and although it was 
 a rude structure and crude in its equip- 
 ment, it was kept very busy, being a valu- 
 able adjunct to the community. Major 
 Reese Evans worked in this mill for some 
 years prior to 1820, and under him Thomas 
 B. Evans learned the trade. The latter, in 
 1836, purchased the mill and 200 acres of 
 Boggs, and in 1838 built the new mill and 
 had the town laid out. His death occurred 
 within a few years, before he had a chance 
 to make a success of his venture in town 
 building. His widow subseciuently mar- 
 ried Jacob Balkams and moved away. 
 
 The first store here was started by John 
 Rea, whose success as a merchant led to 
 his embarking in the hotel business. His 
 son, William Rea, of Adams Township, 
 was one of the prominent early-day politi- 
 cians of Butler County. John Rea finally 
 traded his hotel for the farm of John 
 O'Connor, whose succes.s in the business 
 did not prove so good. He rented to W. 
 II. Johnston, who was a son-in-law of 
 Michael Martin. Mr. Martin kei^t store in 
 Harmony before moving here, as did Jona- 
 than Ransom. Thomas Wilson, a large land 
 owner of Jackson Township, moved to the 
 village and was one of the first to build 
 after it was laid out. Thomas ]\IcQuoil 
 and Samuel Bislioj) were early shoemakers 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 531 
 
 in this district ; and Joseph Mellwain, who 
 was known to the settlers as "the generous 
 peddler," became a merchant of the place. 
 He for twenty-five years made weekly trips 
 to Pittsburg with farm produce, return- 
 ing with dry goods, notions and groceries 
 for his trade. Other early residents, many 
 of whom did not remain long, were William 
 and Josiah Logan, brothers-in-law of 
 Thomas B. Evans; "Big Dan" and "Little 
 Dan" Mcintosh; the McCunes; Joseph Mc- 
 Allister, the wheelwright; Samuel Kirk, 
 the justice; a man named Turk, who was 
 working on an invention to run. machinery 
 by sand; the Balkams; James Wilson, an 
 ai)othecary; Kade Miller, a school teacher; 
 Thomas Reed, a blacksmith; Jonas Bo- 
 lander, who cast aside his trade as a wa- 
 gonmaker and engaged in school teaching; 
 Henry Barkey, local preacher of the 
 Church of God and one of the earlv mer- 
 chants here, who afterward founded the 
 town of Barkeyville; John Barkey, who 
 conducted a store here; James Harbaugh, 
 a horse trader; Joseph Harl)augh, for 
 years the leading blacksmith and a re- 
 spected citizen ; Henry Mickley, a freighter 
 and huckster, who became established in 
 the hotel business in the fifties, and Abra- 
 ham Huntzberger. John Kane, a stone- 
 mason by trade, in the early years cut the 
 markings on the headstones in the ceme- 
 tery. He established a (puirry near the 
 Plains church in Adams Townshi]i, and 
 after years of solitude moved to Evans- 
 burg. He built an air.furnace, much to the 
 curiosity of the people and more to their 
 surprise when a moulder named Symming- 
 ton pronounced it ]iractical and rented it. 
 Mr. Symmington carried on a successful 
 business in jilows, ]ioiiits, stoves and other 
 necessary ai'ticles of hardware until the 
 Kane Furnace was burned out. In 1848 
 Joseph Mcllwain established a tannery, 
 and in 1844 employed Lewis Gansz, who had 
 previously been foreman in the Harmony 
 tannerj"- and also operated iNfagee's tan- 
 nery on the Connof|uenessing. Mr. (xansz 
 
 purchased the plant in 1849 and operated it 
 until he was succeeded in the business by 
 his son, who continued for some years. 
 
 Dr. Cornell was the first local practi- 
 tioner of medicine and his opportunities 
 were great, as the nearest competitor was 
 at Harmony. He remained but a short 
 time. The next to locate here was Dr. Will- 
 iam Sterrett, who prospered, as did his 
 successor, Dr. William Irvine. 
 
 The first hotel with any pretensions of 
 class was the one established by Henry 
 Stokej' in 1864, in the old Randolph House, 
 and four years later J. N. Miller, who had 
 been a shoemaker, entered the business. 
 Eight years later the latter erected one of 
 the finest hotels in the countj', at that time, 
 giving it the name .of the Miller House. 
 The roof was carried away in the storm of 
 August 19, 1880, and the building other- 
 wise damaged, but at a considerable ex- 
 pense the damage was iiiuiuMJiately ve- 
 ))aired. CUiarles H. Miller succeeded to 
 the ownership of this hotel in 1891, and in 
 1893 made further extensive improvements 
 in the building and its furnishings. The 
 Central House, opposite the Miller House, 
 was opened u]) l)v Henrv W. Stokey in 
 1881, who conducted it until 1888. It'was 
 later conducted by Jacob Hyle under the 
 name of the Hyle House. The Commer- 
 cial Hotel is now conducted by G. A. Gehm. 
 
 The Citizens Bank of Evans City was in- 
 corporated Fel)ruarv 8, 1894, with a capital 
 stock of $50,000. Edward Dambach was 
 elected president; Daniel Markel, vice- 
 ])resident, and John Rohner, cashier. These 
 gentlemen, with Jacol) Dambach, Zeno 
 Markel, W. Fowler, A. M. Fowler, W. H. 
 Weir and P. D. Gelbach, were stockholders. 
 This bank succeeded the well known bank- 
 ing establishment of Jacob Dambach & 
 Son, which had its inception in 1878. On 
 September 1, 1907, this bank became the 
 Citizens National Bank of Evans City, a 
 Savings Department also being added at 
 that time. The institution is in a prosper- 
 ous condition. 
 
532 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Evans City, oi- latlicr tlie settlement of 
 the early days, was in tiie school district 
 whose school was the old log house a half 
 mile west. The village continued under 
 the Jackson township school board juris- 
 diction until its creation as an independent 
 school district in 1882. There is now one 
 public school, with rooms, six teachers, and 
 an enrollment of 300 pupils. 
 
 After the incorporation of the borough 
 in 1882 Edward Dambach was elected tlie 
 first burgess, the date of his election being 
 September 22d. With tlie rapid growth of 
 the borough, safeguards weic cstnblisluMl 
 for the citizens and their property, ,iud ail 
 the conveniences of a model residence cit\ 
 provided. In 1888 a calaboose was erected; 
 in 1889 fire apparatus was purchased; in 
 April, 1890, street lamps were ordered, as 
 well as water pipes for a system of water- 
 works. In August, 1892, permission was 
 given to the Evans City Natural Gas Com- 
 pany to lay pipes and furnish gas to the 
 citizens. 
 
 Amana Baptist Church was organized 
 March 22, 1820, and Rev. Andrew Clark 
 came as the first pastor. In 1850 the church 
 at Breakneck united with that at Zelienojjle 
 as Amana church. About the time of the 
 war the church organization all but ceased. 
 In 1881 some thirty-three members with- 
 drew from an independent Baptist Church, 
 and in 1882, when the Evans City Baptist 
 church was constituted, the council of 
 Amana Baptist church decided that there 
 was not sufficient Baptist strength here to 
 support two churches. Twenty-six mem- 
 bers of the Amana society and seven for- 
 mer members organized the new church, 
 which now has a membership of about one 
 hundred and forty. The present pastor 
 is Rev. W. E. RuVh. 
 
 The Umlv,l PrrslH/trrian Church was 
 founded aliout the vcar 1S37 by Rev. Mr. 
 Breaden and Elder Hall of Portersville. 
 Services were held in the frame school 
 building standing in the old United Pres- 
 byterian Cemetery until 1842, when a lirick 
 
 house oi worshij) was erected wlierc liic 
 present church stands. The cliuich build- 
 ing was burned during the dry summer of 
 185-t. The present frame edifice was 
 erected at a cost of $4,000, and was dedi- 
 cated in April, 1888. A fine parsonage 
 was erected at the head of Van Buren 
 Street in 1890, at a cost of $2,500. The 
 present pastor is Rev. C. H. Marshall. The 
 church has a membership of about 130; the 
 Sabbath school seventy-five to eighty. 
 
 St. Peter's EraniKliml Lufhrran Church 
 organized by Revs. ISassler and Muntz, is a 
 contemporary of the (lerman Lutheran and 
 Kel'ormed Congregation. In 1849 it was 
 known as the Reformed Church, then 
 united with the German Lutherans. They 
 continued uiitil August 2, 1853, when fif- 
 teen of the thirty families forming the 
 united congregation held distinct Re- 
 formed services in the church. In 1869 
 the society received from former associ 
 ates a share of the value of buii<lings and 
 grounds and erected a church building. .\ 
 second church was built in 1875 and used 
 as a German Lutheran church, being 
 changed in the latter part of 1907 to both 
 German and English. Rev. Charles J. 
 Zeigel, wdio assumed the duties of the pas- 
 torate in 1907, is still in charge. The con- 
 gregation has 230 communicants ; Sabbath 
 school attendance, 150. Two of the char- 
 ter members are still living — George Mar- 
 burger and Mrs. Lotz, the former being 
 now ninety-six years old. The present 
 building, a fine brick structure, was erected 
 in 1897 at a cost of about $20,000. 
 
 St. Peter's Evangelical Union Church 
 was organized in 1849 by Rev. Henry 
 Muntz as the Evansburg Lutheran and Re- 
 formed Church, but the union was of short 
 duration. The congregation divided on 
 August 2, 1853, Rev. Muntz organizing St. 
 Peter's German Lutheran church and tak- 
 ing with him fifteen families, this branch 
 of the church retaining the original build- 
 ing, which had been erected in 1849-1850. 
 
 The I'rcshiitcr'ian Church was founded 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 533 
 
 in 1882 by some of the inembers of the old 
 Plains Church congregation, not as the re- 
 sult of any dissension in the church, but be- 
 cause of the great distance to the house 
 of worship. Rev. G. M. Potter, wlio was 
 at that time supply at the Plains church, 
 assisted in the organization of the new 
 congregation and in raising funds for the 
 erection of the church at Evans City. A 
 building was erected at a cost of $1,800 
 on a lot donated by James Sutton, and was 
 ready for occupancy in January, 1883, l)e- 
 ing dedicated the first Sunday in that 
 month, with Revs. Dr. Smith and Potter 
 officiating. The small debt remaining was 
 soon cleared away, and the church has 
 been exceedingly prosperous. 
 
 St. John's Reformed Church was organ- 
 ized about 1888, and has a at present a 
 membership of about 300, with a flourish- 
 ing Sunday school of 230. Rev. A. U. (Jin 
 der has been pastor since 1904. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Chinch is the 
 outgrowth of the old class at Caleb Hicli- 
 mond's in Forward Township, which later 
 consolidated with the Hrownsdaie Class. 
 A chui'ch building was erected at a cost dl' 
 $3,000, the lot being donated by .lolni 
 Stewart, and the church was dedicated on 
 October 27, 1889. Rev. Frank Prosser was 
 the first pastor. The church was joined to 
 the Harmony circuit in 1893, when it be- 
 came a station. A parsonage was erected 
 in 1896, also costing $3,000. In 1895 the 
 church was repaired at a cost of $.")i)(l, 
 largely due to John Irwin. The i)rcs(Mit 
 pastor is Rev. Albert ('. Saxniau. TIkmc 
 is a membership of 1-tO, with a Sunday 
 school enrollment of ninety. The sclioni 
 has a library donated by 'S\v. Irwin. 
 
 There were originally liurying gniunds 
 maintained in connection with the various 
 churches in or near the borough. In Feb- 
 rnaiy, 1890, further burials were prohib- 
 ited in them on petition of numerous citi- 
 zens, because of the drainage, which, it 
 was set forth, was a menace to the health 
 
 and life of the residents of a populous sec- 
 tion of the borough. 
 
 The Evans City Cemetery Association 
 was incorporated, January 7, 1891, with 
 H. J. Itft, John Rohner, George Mar- 
 burger, Enos Barkey and J. A. Ri])])er as 
 directors. A suitable site was obtaiiu'd and 
 laid out into lots, and has been made most 
 attractive in its beauty. It contains man\- 
 handspme monuments, one of which is the 
 soldiers' monument to the unknown dead, 
 erected in 1891. 
 
 Cai)t. William Stewart Post, Xo. :>i:'.. 
 (i. A. R., was formerly numbei- r)13. the 
 change being made in 1894. The post re 
 ceived its cliarter April 23, 1888. tli<' name 
 bestowed upon it being in honor of Cajit. 
 William Stewart, who lived in .Vdams 
 Township when the war broke out. In 
 18()2 Captain Stewart organized at Evans 
 City a company of soldiers, which entered 
 the service as Company D, Eleventh Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers. lie met death in the 
 battle of Fredericksburg, and in compli- 
 ance with the request he had i)rcviousl\- 
 made was buried on the bffttlefield. .lames 
 P. Boggs was the first commander of the 
 jiost. The present commander is Nicholas 
 Kramer; commander elect, S. Q. Blair. A 
 handsome monument has been erected by 
 the post at a cost of $1350, to the thirty- 
 eight comrades from Evans City and the 
 vicinity, buried in unknown graves, this 
 being the second monument of the kind 
 erected in the United States. This post, 
 thi'ough the congressman of the dis1i-i<'t. 
 also secured the passage of a law to donate 
 camions to the various (}. A. R. jiosts, 
 Stewart post receiving two of these mill- 
 tai-y souvenirs. 
 
 Some of the leading fraternal orders are 
 rci)resented in Evans Citv, including the 
 ( )M Fellows, the Knights' of Pvthias, the 
 Modern Woodmen, the K. O. t. .M., etc., 
 all of which are in a prosperous condition. 
 
 The Bell and People's systems sni>iil\- 
 goixl teleplnme service to the people of 
 
534 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Evans City, the former being established 
 prior to 1895 as a pay station. The Peo- 
 ple's system was put in about five years 
 since. 
 
 Evans City is on the main line of the 
 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad between Pitts- 
 burg and Chicago. The city has electric 
 transportation facilities by means of the 
 Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler & New Castle 
 Railway, which has operated cars since 
 July, 1908, this place being a junction on 
 the line from Pittsburg to New Castle and 
 Butler. 
 
 The present borough officials are as fol- 
 lows: Burgess, H. C. Boggs; members of 
 council, AV. C. Douglas, S. J. Irvine, Sam- 
 uel Hill, Enos Barkey, Oscar Shoup, Albert 
 Clay and E. A. Gibson. Treasurer, George 
 Fehl ; secretary to council, Albert Lutz ; tax 
 assessor, John Staff; tax collector, S. Q. 
 Blair ; judge of election, Charles Anthony ; 
 inspectors — Victor A. Barnhart, Albert 
 Lutz; justice of the peace, I. N. Graham; 
 constable, Nicholas Kramer; auditors, V. 
 A. Barnhart and Joseph Cooper. School 
 directors — C. F*-ed Hyle, Dr. N. A. Dom- 
 bart. Dr. F. V. Thomas, A. F. Pfeifer, John 
 Kline and J. E. Holbein. The postmaster 
 is Miss Lily Watters. 
 
 Evans City can boast of paved streets 
 and cement sidewalks. 
 
 Among the leading Inisiness houses may 
 be mentioned Zenuiu's drv goods estal)lisli- 
 ment; B. H. Eber's "Pittsburg I5aigain 
 Store;" Geo. ifft & Sons (11. .). Ifft, pro- 
 prietor), general merchandise, wagons, 
 farm implements, etc.; Mecklas Bros., and 
 Robert Hudson, general merchandise ; C. I. 
 Dunbar, groceries; Smathers & Cooper, 
 groceries and feed; D. Bates, boots and 
 shoes; Bussy, Markel Co., hardware, wag- 
 ons, farm iiui)lcnu'iits, etc., also plumbing 
 and gas fitting; Mrs. L. E. Shoup, hard- 
 ware and crockery; B. W. Dunbar, hard- 
 ware; J. D. Thomas and J. M. List, drug- 
 gists; Andrew Schoeffels, merchant tailor; 
 C. Ferd Hyle, furniture and undertaking; 
 John Marburger, meat market; W. C. 
 
 Douglas, harness store; E. Barkey, coal 
 and feed. A. J. Dambacli and P. J. Ripper 
 conduct blacksmith's shops, V. A. Barn- 
 hart deals in real estate; Drs. A. W. Hyle 
 and F. V. Waldron conduct up-to-date den- 
 tal parlors and Doctors J. M. List, H. M. 
 Wilson, V. F. Thomas and N. A. Dombart 
 take care of the general health of the com- 
 munity. The United States Express has 
 an office here, while the Western Union 
 Telegraph Company is also represented. 
 
 MAN UFACTURERS. 
 
 The Edward Dambach Company was es- 
 tablished about 1883 by Edward Dambach, 
 and was incorporated October 22, 1903, as 
 the .Edward Dambach Company, with a 
 capital stock $60,000 and with S. J. Irvine, 
 president, W. P. Kinsey, vice-president, 
 and J. E. Holbein, secretary and treasurer. 
 The concern employs fifty men, turning out 
 a general line of planing-niiil work amount- 
 ing to from $75,000 to $100,(100 annually; 
 also interior finishings of all descri])tions. 
 It is the largest concern of the kind in this 
 section and has had a very prosjjerous ex- 
 istence from the start. 
 
 The Evans C'ity Jobbing Foundry was 
 estal)lished in 1907 and is owned by Theo- 
 dore and Jacob Ulrich and George Bur- 
 rows as a partnership. It is engaged in 
 general repair work. 
 
 AV. C. Ijaderer conducts a manufactory 
 of buggies and other vehicles which was 
 oi'iginally conducted (from 1888 to 1894) 
 as a repair shop. The manufacture of ve- 
 hicles was begun in 1891 and the business 
 has since grown to its present large pro- 
 portions. The factory turns out 1200 jobs 
 annually and in addition 300 sleighs, be- 
 sides a large amount of repair work. The 
 volume of business is from $100,000 to 
 $125,000 annually, and employment is 
 given to fifty men. 
 
 Evans City Roller Mills were established 
 in 1835 by Thomas Evans and the mill is 
 now the oldest building in the town. It 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 535 
 
 has a capacity of fifty barrels of tionr per 
 day. 
 
 South Peim Oil Comi)any, Midhuid Divi- 
 sion, Boiler Department, is under the su- 
 pervision of A. E. Dunkle. Repair shop 
 for the South Penn Oil Company. Offices 
 for the Northern Division South Penn Oil 
 Company; supply store for all kinds of oil 
 well supplies for use of the company. Nine 
 men are employed besides the office force. 
 
 The reservoir and pumping station for 
 supplying water to the borough was in- 
 stalled in 1894 at a cost of $14,000, with a 
 20,000 bbls. reservoir and 140 lbs. pressure. 
 
 A volunteer fire department was estab- 
 lished in June, 1896. The department is 
 now a well drilled organization and took the 
 first premium at McKees Rocks for the 
 best drilled company in the vicinity. Tlie 
 cost of the fire building and hall was 
 largely donated by John A. Irvine, the bal- 
 ance being raised by the citizens. 
 
 MERCEK TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Mercer Township, one of the original 
 thirteen townships of Butler County, estab- 
 lished in 1804, was so subdivided in 1854 
 as to become the smallest of all the final 
 thirty-three townships, but, nevertheless it 
 has always made a good showing and in 
 some respects has advanced beyond other 
 sections of larger area. Its citizens are 
 uniformly of a class that has been home- 
 making and home-building and its lands 
 are notably well tilled and imiiroved and 
 its natural resources, especially its fine 
 coal deposits, have been developed. 
 
 One of the most interesting facts con- 
 cerning any section is the establishing of 
 the personality of the men whose courage 
 and enterprise made it habitable for those 
 who came after and undoubtedl.y this honor 
 belongs to one Col. Robert Reed, in refer- 
 ence to ]\Iercer Township. He appears to 
 have come to this section from Cumber- 
 land County, Penna., and o|)ened the first 
 tavern in Butler County, building his inn in 
 1797, on the old Indian road to Franklin. 
 
 He was an officer in the militia and was 
 locally noted for many of the attributes 
 most valualjle in a pioneer. While many 
 of the subse(iuent early settlers came from 
 the eastern counties of the State, very 
 many others immediately located in Butler 
 County after landing in the United States, 
 a large percentage coming from Ireland. 
 From County Down came Samuel Barnes 
 and family and his descendants still own a 
 part of the original property. Other early 
 pioneers were: James Shields Major 
 John Welsh, Thomas Dean, Ebenezer 
 Brown and Michael Powers. Indians wei-e 
 numerous and not always friendly and 
 early records show this added danger to 
 the peaceful settlers. The old Indian chief, 
 Cornplanter, and many of his warriors, in 
 the course of time accepted the invasion of 
 the whites and even became visitors in the 
 homes of many settlers, but all danger 
 from wandering savages was not removed, 
 in remote regions, for many years. 
 
 The names of all the early pioneers have 
 scarcely been preserved, but a list of those 
 who, by the purchase of land or for other 
 reasons became prominent in this section, 
 between 1798 and 1S.",(I. iiichidos .lames 
 Hartley, David McKisson, Francis Wilson, 
 Adam Funk, Zelotus Jewell, John Evans, 
 Henry Evans, Ezekiel Brady, William (iill, 
 Ephraim Harris, John R. Harris. Robert 
 Walker, Alexander Seaton, Alexander Don- 
 aghy, the Johnsons, James Bell, the Coch* 
 rans, James Lee, Jonathan McMillan, Will- 
 iam Stanley, William Waddle, John Mc- 
 Coy, Washington J'arker, William P. 
 Brown, James Forker, Josiah Hardy, 
 Thomas McElree and John Dougherty. 
 
 Mercer Township kept abreast of other 
 sections in the matter of educating its chil- 
 dren and providing religious privileges. 
 Even as early as 1799 a school was estab- 
 lished on tlie site of the present borough 
 of Harrisville and the first teacher was 
 Frederick Peel. In a few years other 
 schools were established and Mercer Town- 
 ship has the honor of having employed the 
 
536 
 
 rnsTORV OF butler county 
 
 first female teaclier, iu Butler County, a 
 Miss .lane Smith. After Harrisville be- 
 came the center of business and population 
 in the township, much interest in educa- 
 tional matters was shown there. In 1830 a 
 school was conducted and taught by Sam- 
 uel E. Harris and among the subsequent 
 teachers were many men who later became 
 prominent in professional life. ■ In April, 
 1856, an academy was started and later fine 
 school buildings were erected which gave 
 the children of the township all reasonable 
 advantages. In 19US tlieic were four pub- 
 lic schools in the township with an enroll- 
 ment of about ninety pupils. 
 
 Aside from the tilling of the soil and 
 often in conjimction with it, many homely 
 indusliies flourished in early township life. 
 Blacksmiths ojx'ned their shops, merchants 
 displayed stocks of goods, mills were built 
 and by 18-15 the development of coal dc 
 posits had begun. Forestville was a town 
 that grew up around the coal mines and, 
 although the coal banks there have been 
 about exhausted, many jjeoplc make the 
 place their home and business Imuscs find 
 customers. The distilliug industiy was one 
 of considerable imjjortance between 1830 
 and 1847, there being ten distilleries in 
 operation within a radius of three miles. 
 
 Harrisville, now a busy mart of trade 
 in the township, was surveyed for Ephraim 
 Harris as early as 1825 and he was the first 
 •postmaster and was succeeded by his son, 
 Samuel E. The -town was incorporated as 
 a borough in 1846. The first business house 
 in this tract was the blacksmith shop of 
 Ezekiel Brady, the first tavern was built by 
 Col. Reed and the first land improved Ikmc 
 as a farm, was by James Hartley, and old 
 residents who are proud of their prosper- 
 ous borough, refer to these three men as 
 the founders of the place. By ]865 there 
 were four stores, a foundry, three black- 
 smith shojis, a carriage shop, one pottery, 
 one cabinet shop, three harness shops, 
 three shoe shox)s, one grocery, one saloon 
 and two temperance hotels", with three 
 
 churches and a fair representation of the 
 professions. 
 
 Since that time various interests have 
 sprung up and flourished. The flouring 
 mill was Imilt in 1882 by Kerr and Walker 
 and it subsequently passed through several 
 hands until it came under the control of 
 J. IM. Sutton & Son, on the death of its 
 previous proprietor, Samuel B. Bingham. 
 The King House now conducted by Frank 
 Webster, was known as the Kerr House 
 until 1893, when E. A. King purchased the 
 property from the widow of Sauuiel Kerr. 
 The Central Hotel was an old landnuuk 
 tliat passed out of existence about 1890. 
 
 Jn 1908 the business interests of the town 
 were represented by C. B. Borland's store, 
 R. L. Brown's furniture store. W. E. 
 Brown, meat-market; R. E. Elrick, drugs, 
 I). W. Humphrey & Company's store. H. A. 
 Kclley, farm implements, J. H. Morrison, 
 Jr.. harness store, Chas. Snyder's store. 
 W. L. Morrison's store, J. W. William- 
 son's hardware, Magee & Gibson's clothing- 
 store, L. R. Cummings' meat-market, Y. 1j. 
 Moyer's cigar store, J. H. Cochran's to- 
 bacco factory. Miss Bird Steen, millinery. 
 James Morrison's livery. The First Na- 
 tional Bank, and the Harrisville Telephone 
 Company are noticed in the chapters on 
 banking and telephones. Frank Webster 
 conducts the King House, the only hotel 
 in the town. The estimated population of 
 the town was five hundred and fifty-five. 
 C. M. Brown is the present postmaster. 
 
 ■The borough officials in 1908 were as fol- 
 lows : Burgess — J. F. "Struthers ; council — 
 Dr. W. B. Campbell president, R. W\ Tav- 
 I..1-, W. F. Magee, J. M. Williamson, P. A, 
 Shannon, Dr. J. C. Buchanan, secretarv; 
 taxcollector—F.B. Magee; .issessor D.'.I. 
 Kyle ; constable— J. W. .Me(;ill; stieet eoin- 
 missioner — J. H. Cochran; treasurer tlie 
 First National Bank of Harrisville; audit- 
 ors — Hugh Morrison, Chas. Snvder. ;iud 
 E. E. Wick. 
 
 Harrisville Independent School District, 
 directors : W. E. Foster, president; R. W. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 539 
 
 Kyle, secretary; J. P. Urr, Tlios. Ilmdman, 
 J. M. Farrel and W. E. Bovard; First Na- 
 tional Bank of Harrisville, treasurer. 
 
 The earliest established church in Mer- 
 cer Township was the Unitrd Prcsbiffrriau 
 Church uf lldrnionif. then known as the 
 Boiling Spring C'hui-ch, wiiicii dates hack 
 to 1800. The lirst pastor was Rev. Thomas 
 McClintock, who accepted the call in April, 
 1803, and served the congregation for 
 thirtj' years. Worship was first eairied on 
 in a log cabin, on Swamp Creek, in 1836 
 it was succeeded by a frame edifice and in 
 1889 a commodious stone and brick struc- 
 ture was erected at a cost of al)out 
 $11,000.00. The Church has a membership 
 of about 280, with a Sabbath ScJiool enroll- 
 ment of over 100, many of the leading fam- 
 ilies being represented both on its official 
 board and in its benevolent activities, vear 
 after year. Rev. H. C. Hildebrand." the 
 present pastor, was called Dccemlu'r 1, 
 1908. 
 
 The Prcshijterlan Church of Jlurrisnllc 
 was first organized in 1807. the name tlii'n 
 used being West Unity or Unity, and its 
 earliest meeting was in a tent pitciied at 
 K'ocky Springs. A very eloquent divine. Rev. 
 Samuel Tait, is recalled, who attracted a 
 congregation from fifteen miles distant. 
 The first permanent pastor was Rev. Cyrus 
 Riggs, who served from 1814 until is;!-!. 
 Later, when some question of church policy 
 became a matter of diflference of opinion, 
 a division took place and an Associate Re- 
 formed branch came into existence. The 
 last pastor, Rev. II. E. Kaufmann, resigned 
 in February, ]909, and the church is at 
 present without a i)astor. The membershi)) 
 is 120 with a Sabbath school ot al)out fifty. 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of Har- 
 risville was organized in 1834 hy l»ev. Will- 
 iam Carl and its niciiibershi]) was gathered 
 from Mercer ami adjacent townships. Its 
 ' early servic<'s were held in the first public 
 school-house in the township, Init in 1842 
 a meeting-house was built which served its 
 ])urpose until- ]89(i, when the present edi- 
 
 fice was erected at a cost of about $3500.00, 
 the lot being donated by Ashland Walker. 
 The present membership is about 100, with 
 a Sabbath school of about eighty. Rev. 
 .]. M. Farewell is the present pastor, he 
 having assumed the charge in Oct. 1905. 
 
 Z. C. McQiiillen Post, No. 246, G. A. B.. 
 was nmstered in May 12, 1882, with the fol- 
 lowing named veterans: C. M. Brown, A. 
 .]. McCoy, Lemuel McCiill, L. R. Cummins 
 (present commander), W. A. Roberts, W. 
 Cochran, W. J. Neymau, N. J. Maxwell. 
 J. W. Campbell, L. G. Jenkins, David Jen- 
 kins, D. W. Locke, W. B. Henderson and 
 Alexander Williams. Time has taken its 
 toll from these honored survivors of the 
 Civil War but the organization, though not 
 holding regular meetings, is still main- 
 tained for the purpose of ohsei-ving Memo- 
 rial Day and attending the funerals of 
 comrades. 
 
 The secret societies of the K. of 11.. and 
 the Jr. 0. U. A. M. are well supported and 
 show constant interest in the aims for 
 which they were organized. 
 
 THE H.\RRISV1LLE MINES. 
 
 The first coal mining enterprise on an 
 extensive scale in Butler County hail its 
 beginning in 1868 when Benjamin Niblock 
 of Youngstown, Ohio, James M. Bredin, of 
 Butler, and Thompson Kyle, of Harris- 
 ville, secured leases on some 50,000 acres 
 of land lying in Pine Township, Mercer 
 County, Irvine Town.ship, Venango County, 
 and in the townships of Mercer, Alarion 
 Venango, Allegheny, Parker, Washington 
 and Cherry, in Butler County. This enter- 
 prise was undertaken on the supposition 
 that the so-called Harrisville vein of '"oal 
 which is four feet thick was the principal 
 mining vein in that district. Soon after 
 the fii'st leases were made by Niblock, Bre- 
 din and Kyle, a number of capitalists or- 
 ganized the Mercer Mining and Manufac- 
 turing Company, and this companv built 
 the Slienango and Allegheny Railroad from 
 Shenango Junction to fiercer County to 
 
o4() 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Pardoe aiul Urove City, and I'voin tlieuoe 
 extended the line to New liope in Butler 
 County. The Harrisville Mine, two miles 
 south "of the village of Harrisville, was 
 opened soon after the completion of the 
 road, and was operated until a few years 
 ago, when the vein became exhausted. Coal 
 is being taken from beneath the farms in 
 Mercer Township along the Mercer County 
 line from openings made by the Wester- 
 man-Filer Company, near Grove City. 
 
 Forestville. This village had its incep- 
 tion when the coal mines were opened at 
 Harrisville Station on the Bessemer Rail- 
 road. It is purely a mining village and had 
 a varying population as long as the mines 
 were in operation. Originally it was known 
 as "The Blocks." The iiost-oriice was dis- 
 continued after the establishing of the 
 rural mail route. After a period of decay 
 lasting almost a decade, the village took on 
 new life, and at the present time it is com- 
 posed of about twenty-five comfortable 
 dwelling houses, two stores, and a Catholic 
 chapel, the latter being erected in the fall 
 of 1908. The stores of the town are con- 
 ducted by L. Owens and Nanny Shields. 
 St. Anthony's Chapel was erected during 
 the summer of 1908, and dedicated in Oc- 
 tober of the same year. It is in charge of 
 Father Lewis of the Capuchin Order at 
 Herman, who conducts services twice a 
 month. 
 
 llanisville Station at the intersection of 
 the Bessemer Railroad and the old Frank- 
 lin and Mercer Pike, is the successor of the 
 old station that existed for twenty-five 
 years at Harrisville mines. J. C. Bovard 
 & Son's lumber yards are located at the 
 station, and a number of dwelling houses 
 have been erected, indicating that an im- 
 portant village will spring up here within 
 the next few years. 
 
 Carter Station, two miles north of Har- 
 risville Station, gave promise of being a 
 village at one time, but since the Harris- 
 ville mines were abandoned the only build- 
 ings in Carter are the office of the station 
 
 agent. This locality was once known as 
 Brownville. 
 
 Toivnship officials: The township offi- 
 cials in 1908 were as follows : Auditors- 
 Charles Fuhrer, William McLafferty, and 
 Harry Green; road supervisors — Joseph 
 Brown, Abram Snyder, Morris Dunlap, 
 John McCoy ; township clerk — Lewis Ham- 
 ilton ; constable — C. C. Kerr; judge of elec- 
 tions — Eail Snyder; inspectors of elections 
 — William ]\lcTaggert, M. G. Kane; tax 
 collector — W. H. Williamson ; assessor — 
 H. J. Dunwoody. 
 
 CHERRY TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Cherry Townshi]), partaking in some de- 
 gree of the characteristics of adjacent 
 townships, was organized in 1854, one of 
 tlie thirty-three divisions then made of 
 Butler County. Its water courses are Slip- 
 pery Rock Creek, and Murrin's and Find- 
 ley's Runs. There is considerable coal in 
 the township, but the only important oper- 
 ations in this line now are those of the 
 W. L. Scott Coal Company, which employs 
 about thirty-five men and loads sixty tons 
 dail}'. Its property is known as the Windy 
 Mine and is located about two and a half 
 miles northwest of Moniteau. There are 
 also some small banks operated respect- 
 ively by W. AV. Daugherty, W. W. Mc- 
 Gregor, E. J. Sproul, L. Walford and T. 
 Simpson, for local consum])tion only. 
 There is liut little oil in the township and 
 none has been found in paying i|uantities. 
 There is, however, one gas well. Cherry 
 Township is well supplied with limestone, 
 though as yet it has not been much devel- 
 oped as an industry. There is one quarry 
 on the Chas. Bovard farm west of Branch- 
 ton on the border of the township. Farm- 
 ing is the principal ()Ccu}>ation of the in- 
 habitants. 
 
 The territory embraced by Cherry 
 Township was opened up about the same 
 time as the sections adjoining it, and it 
 claims Benedict Grossman as its first set- 
 tler. He came to Cherry Township in 1797. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 accomi)auied by his family, which included 
 his son-in-hiw, Robert Black, and brought 
 with him a small stock of goods for sale. 
 His wife was Betsy Stivert, around whom 
 might have been woven an interesting ro- 
 mance, for it was her fate to have lieen 
 taken captive by Indians, in York County, 
 by whom she was kept from 1756 until 18()3, 
 when she was permitted to return to her 
 own people. The Grossuiaus were joined 
 in 1798, by Michael and Sarah Stevenson 
 and their sons, John, James and William, 
 all three of them serving in the War of 
 1812, and all three dying, of the dreaded 
 Black Rock fever, within ten days of their 
 return home. In 1798 the little settlement 
 was augmented by Andrew Stewart, who 
 served at Black Rock in the War of 1812 
 and later was a pioneer teacher. John 
 Christy came in 1799, taking up 4()() acres 
 of land, a part of which is owned by his 
 descendiints, and in the same year came 
 Roliert .McCallen, who married a daughter 
 of Benjamin (Irossman. Other pioneers, 
 who either came directly to Cherry Town- 
 ship from distant sections, or, as in many 
 cases, from adjacent townshiijs, were Alex- 
 ander Hutchison and family, the five Rus- 
 sells, Joseph Porter, John Hockenberry, 
 Joliii Smith, Sr. and James Bovard — a 
 sdiiicwliat incomplete list, but one bearing 
 rei>rescnt;\tive names. 
 
 Coaltoivn. Coal mining being formerly 
 the important industry of this locality, the 
 villages of the township mainly ^rcw in the 
 vicinity of the mines. The nidst important 
 of these was Coaltoini, or Coalville. It is 
 situated on the line between Slippery Rock 
 and Cherry Townships and its building fol- 
 lowed the beginning of operations by the 
 Union Coal and Coke Company, in 1879. 
 A branch of the Shenango Railroad con- 
 nected with Butler, and in the year follow- 
 ing the founding of the place, the company 
 had thirty coke ovens completed and 
 twenty-two two-story dwelling. The mines 
 were worked out years ago, however, and 
 operations here" were abandoned. The 
 
 postoffice was established in 1882. There 
 is now one store, conducted by H. Elliott. 
 
 Gomersal. - The village of Gomersal, so 
 named by the Gomersal Coal Company, 
 was another thriving coal center, having 
 many company Ikiuscs beside outside build- 
 ings, and railroad idiiiicitiou with other 
 points. It has since lieeu entirely aban- 
 doned. 
 
 Animdale was organized about 1840, 
 when John Hanna Ijuilt a tavern and 
 opened the first store. He was the first 
 postmaster and a leading man in the affairs 
 of the place. The post-otfice was discon- 
 tinued when free rural mail routes were 
 established. The village now has one gen- 
 eral store conducted by W. S. Graham. 
 There is also a German Lutheran church 
 here. The village contains about thirty- 
 five people. 
 
 Moniteau is a villr:ge with a population 
 of about thirty peop-»». There is now no 
 post-office. E. S. Sankey conducts a store 
 here. 
 
 New Hope Post-office or Bovard Station, 
 is located in the western part of the town- 
 ship on the Bessemer Railway and has 
 about fifty people. The postmistress is C. 
 Duffy, who also conducts the only store. 
 There is also a mill owned by E. Riddle. 
 The New Hope Presbyterian Church, hav- 
 ing ninety members, is located here with 
 Rev. Taylor, pastor. 
 
 A destructive cyclone, in which an im- 
 mense amount of property was destroye 1 
 and Mrs. William Barron and Henry 
 Hendley lost their lives, while many others 
 were seriously injured, swept through this 
 townshijj on June 30, 1882, and is yet viv- 
 idly recalled, but has fortunately never 
 been repeated. The cyclonic cloud is de- 
 scribed to have been from forty to fifty 
 rods wide, with a rapiditj' of motion not to 
 be measured. 
 
 Cherry Township's early schools were 
 of a primitive type, and none ai)i)ear to 
 have been considered prior to 1815. An- 
 drew Stewart and Joseph Porter were the 
 
542 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 earliest teachers. In UK)S there were seven 
 public schools, !«? scholars enrolled, ami 
 seven teachers. 
 
 As in other sections of Butler County, 
 the Presbyterian faith is strong in Cherry 
 Township and among the earliest religious 
 oriiniii/cil l)odies was the Pleasant Valley 
 L'l rshiflci iini Church. This was organized 
 in 1845, by iievs. Young and Munson. The 
 society built a proper house of worship 
 in 184G, and in 1847, Rev. John Moore was 
 installed as first pastor. The society was 
 incoiporated in 1888. Rev. Bradshaw is 
 the present pastor. 
 
 The Neiv Hope I'resbytcriun Church was 
 organized November 17, 1879, by Rev. J. H. 
 Marshall, with a membership of forty-two 
 individuals, and the first pastor was Rev. 
 A. W. Lawrence. 
 
 The Methodisi EiiLscupal Church of Aii- 
 andale was organized in 1858 and belongs 
 to the Centerville circuit. The log struc- 
 ture erected in 1859 was destroyed by fire 
 a few years later. In 1873 a church build- 
 ing was completed at Anandale village at a 
 cost of about $2000. This church is in the 
 same pastoral charge with North Hope and 
 West Sunbury. 
 
 Toivnship Officials: Justices of the peace 
 — U. Book and J. S. Campbell; tax col- 
 lector — J. Critchlow; constable — S. E. 
 Christy; tax-assessor — U. Book; road com- 
 missioners — E. S. Sankey, B. L. Kocken- 
 berry, and J. T. Black; auditors— M. Hock- 
 enberrv, R. Black and J. Wolford; clerk — 
 D. Christy. 
 
 ( ONNOQUENESSING TOWNSHIP. 
 
 This w;is one of the four original t<nvn 
 shi]>s which embraced that territory now 
 included in L^utler County before its segre- 
 gation from Allegheny County. Within its 
 limits lay all of what now constitutes Cran- 
 berry, Jackson, Lancaster and Muddy 
 Creek Townships, and parts of Worth, 
 Brady, Franklin, Connoquenessing, For- 
 ward and Adams townships. It was one 
 of the thirteen townships as erected in 
 
 1804, with an area nine miles sipuire, and 
 in 1842 was divided into East and West 
 Connoquenessing townships. Its present 
 boundary was fixed in 1854, and has since 
 remained unchanged. Although exceed- 
 ingly hilly and precipitous in sections, it 
 was distinctly an agricultural township un- 
 til the development of the oil industry. 
 Farming and oil production are now the 
 principal industries. Coal mining was cai'- 
 ried on in a small way at an early day and 
 there is still some slight [n'oduction. Grist, 
 saw and puwdci-inills wci'c in operation on 
 the various streams, which furnished ex- 
 •eellent water power, but the chief occupa- 
 tion of the thrifty class who settled the 
 country was farming, for which the land is 
 well adapted. All parts of the township 
 are well drained by small streams, which 
 are mainly tributary to Crab Run, the I/it- 
 tle C(inni)i|iiciicssing', and the Semiconan. 
 The name, ( 'oniioquenessing, was derived 
 from the creek bearing that name, and is 
 an Indian word, meaning, "for a long wa>' 
 straight. ' ' 
 
 Connoquenessing Townshi)> is ]>(' iplcd 
 with a sturdy and intelligent class, nuuiy 
 of whose ancestors came from Scotland. 
 Ireland, England and Germany and cast 
 their fortunes with this new country in its 
 creative period. Some there were who had 
 rendered valiant service to the country in 
 its fight for inde))endence, among whom 
 may be menticmed Peter Kinney or ^IcKin- 
 ney, who was the first settler here, John 
 Welsh, Daniel Graham, Angus (iiaham 
 and Abdiel IMcClure. Captain Robert Mar- 
 tin was in conmiand of a company in the 
 War of 1812, and among others who went 
 to tl;e front during that struggle with Eng- 
 land were sons of John Welsh, Angus (!ra 
 ham and Abdiel McClure, alxive nanied. 
 Peter McKinney, the first settler, located 
 first in what is now Forward Township in 
 1792, and shortly after became established 
 at what is now Petersville, the name of 
 which was derived from his Christian 
 name. He built and conducted a tavern at 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 543 
 
 tliis point, where he continued to reside 
 until his death in 1849. Among the arrivals 
 in 1795 was an unscrupulons land specu- 
 lator, Dunning MoNair by name. He laid 
 claim to a part of the Morris lands, which 
 he sold to some five or six Scotch families 
 of Westmoreland County, who located 
 thereon; these families later made pur- 
 chase from the rightful owner. John Ekin 
 arrived and erected a cabin in 1795, and 
 the following year brought his wife into the 
 (•cmntry. Leonard Shannon also came and 
 built a cabin in 1795, but did not bring his 
 family until 1799. Daniel Graham arrived 
 in 1796, and with various other members of 
 the Graham family accumulated several 
 thousand acres of land. Mordccai McLcod. 
 John and Henry Beighley, Francis Stan- 
 ford, Nicholas Muhleisen, William C'amp- 
 bell, James Plummer, Abdiel and Andrew 
 McClure, and Stephen and Joseph ('raw- 
 ford made settlement in 1796, and Ijecame 
 large land-owners. A year or two later 
 witnessed the arrival of Peter, George and 
 Jacob rU'ighley, and they were soon fol- 
 lowed by Charles McGinnis Sr. and his son 
 Charles, Israel Gibson, Thomas Gray, John 
 Girty, Thomas Girty, Ann Girty, .\lexan- 
 der Bryson, John Welsh, Matthew White, 
 John Richardson, Col. Henry Pillow and 
 Closes Richardson. Nicholas Muhleisen 
 was a weaver, cooper, carpenter, tinnei' and 
 all-around mechanic who was a valuable 
 addition to the eommunitj'. The Girtys, 
 above mentioned, were related to the noto- 
 rious Simon Girty, known to histor-y as a 
 traitor to the American cause during the 
 Revolution. Thomas Dodds, who settled 
 south of Mt. Chestnut in 1800, was one of 
 the earlv conniiissionei's of Butler Countv. 
 Robert Martin, wliosr father, William Mar- 
 tin, came from Ireland and located in Con- 
 noquenessing in 1801, was captain of a 
 company during the A¥ar of 1812, and aft- 
 erward served with ability in various jmb- 
 lic offices in the county. Robert Hays 
 operated a distillery in this township early 
 in the nineteenth centurv; his snn, Samuel, 
 
 establislied a store near the west line of the 
 township, later, and also traveled about, 
 selling goods. William Purviancp, a man 
 of prominence in the community, at an 
 early period, was a surveyor by profession 
 and was also owner of the old William 
 Campbell farm and mill, which he jjur- 
 chased in 1810; he scrxcd two terms in tlie 
 State Legislature and was county surveyor 
 three terms. Thomas Alexander came from 
 Ireland prior to 1820, and James Steven- 
 son. George Cowan and Harrison Dvke ar- 
 rived between 1820 and 1830. Many other 
 substantial citizens became established in 
 the township shortly after 1830. 
 
 Numerous mills of various kinds and dis 
 tiileries have been o])erated in Conno(|ue- 
 nessing Township at dil^'erent times. The 
 first was the grist-mill of Alexander Bry- 
 son, which he erected in 1805 on the Little 
 Connoquenessing south of Mt. Cli<>=t 
 nut. Upon his removal from the township 
 he was succeeded as proprietor of tiie mill 
 by his son, Richard Bryson, who cairied on 
 the business until 1828. The latter then 
 sold out to his brother, Joseph, who in 1831 
 erected a saw-mill near by and operated 
 the grist mill in connection. In 1835 a new 
 mill was begun and was completed in 1837 ; 
 through numerous changes in ownership, 
 remodeling and repairing, this mill has con- 
 tinued in almost constant oi)eration to re- 
 cent times, it finally ])assed into the hamls 
 of 0. W. Eagle, who l)uilt up a flourishing- 
 business. Powder Mill run, near Peters- 
 ville, afforded good water-power which was 
 availed of as early as 1807 by William 
 Campbell, who in that year erected a small 
 grist-mill. He sold out to William Purvi- 
 ance about the year 1810, and the latter 
 converted it into a powder mill. Cami)bell 
 E. Purviance also built a powder-mill on 
 this stream, which continued in operation 
 until 1854, some years after the other had 
 been abandoned. Numerous mills have 
 been on Crab Run, the first being that con- 
 structed by Henry Beighly in 1811, which 
 was conducted In- him until his death in 
 
544 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 1836. In 1818, David Shanuon l.iiill tlie 
 grist, carding and saw-mills on the St'uii 
 conan, which hove his name for many 
 years; these gave way in 1849 to a new 
 grist mill erected by William Allen. In 
 1827, or the year following, Ilngli Uilison 
 luiilt a grist mill along the Semiconan, 
 which was later replaced by a new and 
 more modern mill. The latter was con- 
 dncted snccessfnily by James McKinney 
 until 1865, when he sold out to R. S. Hays. 
 
 The pioneers of Conno(inenessing early 
 showed an appreciation of the necessity 
 for schools as a foxmdation for the devel- 
 opment and ui^building of their community. 
 Nicholas Muhleisen was the pioneer teacher 
 and taught in the German language for 
 many years, in the schoolhonse erected on 
 the farm of John Beigiiley, one and a half 
 miles west of Wliitestown. The first Eng- 
 lish school was coiiductetl at the Ekin home, 
 east of Wliitestown, in 1799, by a man 
 named Irvine. The second school building 
 erected was on the trail from Fort Pitt to 
 Venango, between the Connoquenessing 
 and the Little Connoquenessing, about 
 three miles from Evans City. A Mr. Evans 
 was the tirst teacher, and another of the 
 early teachers was George Lee, who later 
 met his death by drowning below Amber- 
 son 's bridge. The township now has seven 
 schools with an attendance of 194 pupils. 
 Daniel Brinamer, Finley Cable, Samuel 
 Steeu, Henry Louten, George Eyman, and 
 Alexander Walker comprise the present 
 school board. 
 
 The Petersville Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, now known as the Conno(iuenes- 
 sing M. E. Church, was organized in the 
 year 1857. This organization was the out- 
 growth of a campmeeting held in the vil- 
 lage of Petersville under the care of Rev. 
 D. P. Mitchell, presiding elder of the Alle- 
 gheny District. Early in the spring of 
 1858 an acre of ground was purchased for 
 a church site, and John Ansley, })reacher 
 in charge, appointed a building conunittee. 
 The building was commenced early in the 
 
 summer and dedicated the following win- 
 ter. Rev. S. Crouse was the pastor at the 
 time. The sermon was preached by Rev. 
 Wm. Taylor, "Missionary Bisho]) of Af- 
 rica." Early in its history the Petersville 
 Church was a part of the Butler Circuit, 
 later it became a part of the Brownsdale 
 and Harmony Circuit, about twenty years 
 ago it was placed witli Prospect and Ren- 
 frew and tl'.e Circuit has since been known 
 as the Prospect Circuit. ' 
 
 The original building is still in use, it is 
 in excellent condition, having been repaired 
 at different times. During the pastorate 
 of Rev. F. B. Cutler a very comfortable 
 parsonage was erected close to the church. 
 Rev. A. B. Leonard, Missionary Secretary 
 of the Methodist church, was pastor in 
 1863, he was drafted for service in the 
 army but the circuit raised $300 and se- 
 cured a substitute. In its history this 
 church has held some wonderful revival 
 seasons, times of spiritual refreshing in 
 which hundreds were brought into the 
 Kingdom of God. Rev. F. J. Sparling is the 
 present pastor. The Sunday School super- 
 intendent is W. C. Fowler. 
 
 Mt. Nebo Preshiiti'iidu Chiinli, of 
 Wliitestown, during its existence of more 
 than a century, has been no mean factor 
 in the development of Connoquenessing 
 Township. In 1805, under the leadershiii 
 of Rev. Reid Bracken, a church organiza- 
 tion was effected. Rev. Bracken was made 
 jjastor by the Erie Presbytery. April 20, 
 1808, and soon after a log church was 
 erected on the site of the present structure. 
 This imposing structure served as the 
 church edifice until late in the twenties, 
 when a stone church was built. Services 
 were held in the latter for more than 
 thirty years, when the present substantial 
 brick building was erected to rei)lace it, in 
 1859. A charter was granted the church 
 by the Common Pleas Court, on Januarv (!. 
 1847, and William C. :Martin, Abdiel Mc- 
 Clure and Thomas J. Gilison were made 
 trustees. Rev. Bracken served the chariic 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 545 
 
 with zeal and devotion for a period of 
 thirty-six years, leaving it in 1844. lie 
 has had a number of worthy and faithful 
 successors. There are now 112 menibei's. 
 The last regular pastor was the Rev. 
 George Stewart, whose pastorate closed in 
 September, 1907. In 1905 the church cele- 
 brated the centennial of its organization. 
 The Sabbath school has an enrollment of 
 sixty. The cemetery l:)elonging to this 
 church had its inception in 1801, wlien in 
 August a child of Matthew and Frances 
 White, was laid to rest there. 
 
 White Oak Springs United ricshi/fniini 
 Church was organized in 1818 by seceilcrs 
 from the Mt. Nebo Presbyterian Clini-ch, 
 under the guidance of the Rev. Isaiah Nib- 
 lock. Others from that district joined with 
 them, making sixteen members in all. The 
 congregation worshiijped in a tent until tlie 
 completion of their edifice in 1820; the 
 building was of brick and was oecu])ied by 
 them until 1862, when it was replaced liy 
 the present frame structure, which was 
 erected at a cost of $.".,500. The church was 
 incoiiioratcd November 21, 1883, Henrv 
 Brunermer, William Shorts, .b.liii .M. Rose, 
 1. N. Duncan and Dr. ,1. I,. Christie sign- 
 ing the constitution. At the i)resent time 
 there are about 176 members in the congre- 
 gation, with a Sabbath school enrollment of 
 128. The Rev. J. M. :\lc('aliii()nt has been 
 the pastor in charge since l!!i)."). Dr. J. L. 
 Christie is clerk of "sessions, .md .!.('. Bran- 
 don, superintendent of the Sa))batli sclionl. 
 
 .S7. Pfuil's Reforvied Luthnan Clnnrli 
 was organized in 1865. The ])resent edi- 
 fice, which is the second, was erecteil in 
 1887. There are now eighty communicants, 
 with a Sunday school enrollment of 104. 
 The Rev. Charles Faust is pastor. 
 
 Tlie CJnirrh of God, though without a 
 church building, has here a membership of 
 twenty, with Henry Nolshime as overseer. 
 
 St. Paul's German Evaiif/eliraJ Protest- 
 ant United Church of Petersville (Conno- 
 quenessing), was organized September 28, 
 1885. In 1887, a substantial house of wor- 
 
 ship was erected at a cost of $1,000, and 
 on March 16, 1887, the church organization 
 w^as incorporated. Rev. El. H. (Jtting, of 
 Grace Reformed Church, Harmony, ac- 
 cepted this as a charge in 1887 and con- 
 tinued as pastor until ^larch 18. 1894, 
 when he resigned from this ami his other 
 charges in the district. 
 
 St. JoJni's Eraiigelieal LutJienni ( huveh 
 of Petersville was organized by Rev. E. 
 Cronenwett of Butler. A formal organiza- 
 tion was effected on September 25, 1886, 
 and on November 3, of the same year or- 
 ganization was completed at the home of 
 Conrad Nicklass. A house of worship was 
 erected and was dedicated on Ajnil 2i2. 
 1888. Articles of incorporation were taken 
 out on December 14, 1887. The first pastor. 
 Rev. E. Cronenwett, sei'ved until Septem- 
 ber 14, 1889, and on September 29. 1889. 
 Rev. Louis Wagner was named as his suc- 
 cessor. There is now a membership of 
 sixty-five with a good Sunday school at- 
 tendance. 
 
 Whitestown is the oldest village of Con- 
 noqueuessing Township, dating back to 
 1799, when Matthew White established a 
 tannery and tavern at this point. It was 
 after the death of this pioneer, that his son, 
 Edward White, had the town laid out in 
 lots, in 1813. The latter succeeded his 
 father as tavern-keeper, and was in turn 
 'succeeded by a relative named Matthew 
 White, who conducted the tavern until 
 1831, when a wave of temperance struck 
 the village and resulted in the tavern being- 
 closed. In 1859, a brick building was 
 erected to take the place of the old log- 
 structure and frame house which had stood 
 for so many years, and there Joseph Pyle 
 conducted a tavern for a time. In later 
 years S. 0. and J. C. Wright and W. H. 
 Alexander leased the building and carried 
 on a general merchandising lousiness ; W. 
 H. Alexander and J. H. Doutt became own- 
 ers of the property and also engaged in 
 the mercantile business and conducted the 
 ]iost office. The first merchant in the vil- 
 
546 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 lage was Alfred Pearoe, aud lie was fol- 
 lowed by Joseph W. Pollock aud John W. 
 Brandon. Samuel Reed also kept store in 
 the brick building which replaced the old 
 tavern, aud among other business men who 
 were located here at one time were: An- 
 drew Spear, Jacob Cratty, Thomas Cratty 
 and Andrew W. MeCoUough. Mr. Neese 
 now keeps a store here. Edward White 
 was the first postmaster, serving from IH'M 
 until 1839. 
 
 Connoquenessing Borough, formerly 
 known by the name of Petersville, and at 
 a still earlier date by that of Petersburg, 
 was first named in 1848 in honor of Peter 
 McKinney, the pioneer, who came to Butler 
 County in 1792 and soon after settled at 
 this location. In the early days the place 
 went by the name of McKinney 's Tavern. 
 In 1812 John Crowe settled on the site but 
 after a time moved away. The first mer- 
 chant was Alexander Douthett, who ])efore 
 becoming permanently established here, 
 came to the tavern one day each week and 
 disposed of waives. He finally settled here 
 and opened a store. His example was fol- 
 lowed by Thomas Critchlow. The Douthett 
 store was sold in 1837 to William and 
 Henry Purviance, and afterwards passed 
 through a number of hands. David 
 Marshall opened a store in 1848, and Hugh 
 Stevenson a tavern in 1849. A survey was 
 made of the place in June, 1849, and town 
 lots laid out, many sales being recorded 
 during that year. The village has always 
 been a good trading point, and the general 
 stores of W. C. Nicklass, J. T. and W. A. 
 Purviance, and R. Barnhart & Son, and the 
 drug store of Dr. J. L. Christie, who is also 
 the resident physician, have thrived under 
 a liberal patronage of the people in recent 
 times. In 1880 began the manufacture of 
 agricultural implements which develoi)ed 
 into a good business. Thomas Critchlow 
 was made the first postmaster in 1848, and 
 he was succeeded by George Brunermer, 
 Hugh Stevenson, and others. The name of 
 the office was changed to Connoquenessing 
 
 in 1871. The present postmaster is Miss 
 Laura Heckert. The nearest railway sta- 
 tion is Reibold, two miles distant on the 
 B. cV: 0. Railroad. The P. II. B. and X, C. 
 Electric line passes through the borough. 
 The People's and the Bell Telephone sys- 
 tems are installed here. There are seventy- 
 six producing oil wells within the limits of 
 the borough. The present burgess is W. A. 
 Purviance; council — William Burr, J. H. 
 Varner, John Black, Clias. Lobaugh, Dan- 
 iel McNaughton and F. E. Barnhart; as- 
 sessor — J. E. Brandon; collector — J. L. 
 Van Dyke; justice of the peace — J. C. 
 Brandon ; high constable — John Nolsheim ; 
 constable — Geo. Gerwig ; auditors — Ira 
 Henshaw, Carl Bish, and Conrad Nickolas. 
 
 There is one public school building, with 
 two rooms and two teachers and an enroll- 
 ment of over one hundred pupils. It was 
 erected as a single-room building, but aft- 
 erwards remodeled and arranged as at 
 present. It is an excellent school The 
 population of the borovigh is 450. 
 
 Buttercup is the name of a small settle- 
 ment, the history of which dates back to the 
 fifties when a store was established there 
 by George Ansley and P. W. Thomas. They 
 continued the business for sixteen years, 
 after which it passed through hands. In 
 1892, R. S. Henry erected a new store 
 building and embarked in business. But- 
 tercup Post Office was established in the 
 seventies, J. N. Stephenson being the first 
 postmaster. 
 
 C. E. Shannon and J. B. Martin are the 
 present justices of the peace in the town- 
 ship. William Cooper is constable; Calvin 
 Stevenson, tax collector; Joseph Shakely, 
 
 assessor. 
 
 BBADY TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Brady Township was organized in 1S.)4 
 and was named in honor of Captain Brady, 
 the famous scout. Through the northea st- 
 ern part, along the north boundary line, 
 flows the picturesque Slippery Rock Creek, 
 and the south boundary line is formed by 
 
AND EEPEESEXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 547 
 
 the Mnddy Creek, these, with their small 
 tributaries affording the township excel- 
 lent drainage. The surface is in places 
 rugged and excels in scenic beauty, the 
 summits of the divide between the two 
 streams sometimes reaching a hight of 350 
 to JrOO feet above the bed of the streams. 
 Coal underlies much of the land, and of the 
 industries mining has always taken the 
 lead in this community. Potter's clay and 
 iron ore have been found in certain sec- 
 tions, and great boulders lying about has 
 made quarrying easy. There are many ex- 
 cellent farms throughout the townships, 
 whose improvements are in keeping with 
 the high type of citizenship here to be 
 found. 
 
 The pioneer of the country now em- 
 braced within Brady Township was Luke 
 Covert, a native of Holland, who settled in 
 17'J(i, and he was followed in the same year 
 by James Campbell, Alexander Irvine and 
 Bartol Lafter. Daniel and Elizabeth Mc- 
 Deavitts, with three children came in April. 
 1797, and the following year witnessed the 
 arrival of Edward, James and Andrew 
 Douglass and John McClymonds. The 
 Douglass family located on and cleared the 
 land on which the historic old Stone House 
 was built in 1822. John Thompson, a na- 
 tive of Ireland, located about a mile south 
 of the Douglass cabin in the spring of 1^99, 
 and was followed in the same year by 
 James, William and John McJuukiu, John 
 AYigton and Daniel Carter. In 1800. Con- 
 rad Snyder, Sr., a native of Switzerhmd, 
 together with his sou, Conrad, and Andrew 
 Ellsworth, a veteran of the Eevolutionary 
 "War, settled northeast of the Douglass 
 cabin. Other jnoneers and the time of ar- 
 rival were John Morrow in 1801. John 
 Hockenberrv in 1803, John Ralston in 1803. 
 and Robert ITockeiilK'rrv in 1810. Soon 
 after his coming. .Inlm i;al>t;)n built a log 
 mill near the site of the [ircscnt village of 
 West Liberty. The Snow Flake Mill, oper- 
 ated for years by the Crolls, was built on 
 the same site. The Iddings grist mill was 
 
 built in '1808, or the year following, and 
 among its various owners were Henry 
 Evans, John Wick, Caleb Jone, Jonathan 
 Clutton and Samuel Turk. This mill stood 
 until destroyed by the ravages of Time, 
 and was located south of the Douglass 
 cabin. On McDeavitt's Run was built about 
 the year 1810 what was known as the 
 Smith Neil mill, afterward owned by Nich- 
 olas Kliugensmith and the Hoge Brothers. 
 This mill did not survive the early period. 
 
 The census reports of Brady Township 
 shows the following population at the 
 periods mentioned: 701 in I860; 600 in 
 1870; 772 in 1880; 729 in 1890. Its present 
 population is about 935, including West 
 Liberty borough. In 1906 J. AV. McNeese 
 was elected justice of the peace. 
 
 It was some years after the arrival of 
 the pioneer settlers that a sehoolhouse was 
 Iniilt, but as in other communities classes 
 were organized and taught, either by some 
 of the settlers or wandering teachers. A 
 school was taught about the year 1808 by 
 Henry Evans, and later another was 
 taught wh^re the Franklin road crosses 
 Muddy Creek, by a man named Fletcher. 
 John Wigton, who was not an educated 
 man but gifted as a scribe, conducted writ- 
 ing classes at his home, and also at West 
 Liberty and other places. Thomas Gorley 
 taught in an old log sehoolhouse at West 
 Lil)erty. In 1908 there were five schools in 
 the township, as many teachers, and 111 
 scholars. 
 
 Forest Grange No. 370, was oi'ganized 
 in 187-1 and for many years was one of the 
 strongest organizations of farmers in the 
 county. In 1904 a new hall was built. T. J. 
 Thompson was master in 1908 and R. C. 
 Thomi^son secretary. 
 
 The Vnmherl(n}d'Pres])yteri(i)i Church of 
 West Lilicrty had its inception in meetings 
 which were licld l\v John and Jacob Covert, 
 Jesse CoinoHns and John Wick, and their 
 wives, in the barn of John Wick, where 
 they gather.ed to hear Rev. A. M. Bryan or 
 Mr. Gallagher preach. Some years after 
 
548 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 organization, they, in common with the 
 people of various other Protestant denom- 
 inations, erected what became known as 
 Union Church, but as the church thrived 
 and their congregation grew they became 
 sole owners. Prior to the erection of this 
 edifice they held meetings in a log-house, 
 which on week days was devoted to school 
 purposes. 
 
 St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 in the Centreville charge, was organized 
 about the time the Civil War closed, to suc- 
 ceed the disbanded society at Hickory 
 Mills. It became familiarly known as 
 Hall's Church, through the activity of 
 Jesse Hall in its organization and main- 
 tenance and his instrumentality in securing 
 the erection of a house of worship in 1868. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 West Liberty was organized in 1873, and 
 in 1875 erected a church edifice in conjunc- 
 tion with the United Presbyterians, the 
 building being completed in 1876. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church of 
 West Liberty was organized June 15, 1875, 
 and the following year Rev. W. P. Shaw 
 was installed as pastor. Under his guid- 
 ance, the congregation had a good healthy 
 growth and he continued with the charge 
 until 1889, when he was succeeded by Rev. 
 James A. Clark. A church building was 
 erected in 1875-1876 by this congregation 
 and that of the Methodist church at West 
 Liberty. 
 
 St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church 
 of Brady Township, began erecting a house 
 of worship before its organization was per- 
 fected on May 14, 1878. Rev. H. W. Roth 
 was the first pastor, and was succeeded bv 
 Rev. George W. Critchlow, Rev. R. R. 
 Durst and others. There are now about 
 sixty members in the society. 
 
 WEST LIBERTY. 
 
 West Liberty, located at the intersection 
 of the Butler-Mercer and Mt. Etna-Bas- 
 singheim roads, in Brady Township, 'was 
 laid out as a town February 13, 1829, by 
 
 James J. Hoge, a surveyor. It did not 
 make any headway as a settlement until 
 resurrected by John and Jacob Covert in 
 1815, and two years later a plat of the vil- 
 lage was recorded. The first store here 
 was established by John J. CroU, although 
 that of Hoevler about a mile away, ante- 
 dated it. Henry E. Wick established a 
 store in 1854, and was succeeded in its own- 
 ership by Jonathan Clutton, John Allen, 
 John Kocker and Miss Clutton. W. W. 
 Robinson and Gr. W. Eiclioltz started stores 
 here at a more recent date, the latter erect- 
 ing a store building on the northwest cor- 
 ner, at the intersection of roads. A post- 
 office was established here under the name 
 of Bulger, by which the place was known 
 a time. The town was incorporated as a 
 borough Sept. 5, 1903, and its area— 1400 
 acres — is the largest of any borough in the 
 state having tlie same population. In 1908 
 the officers were: I. S. Badger, justice of 
 the peace; D. E. McDeavitt, auditor; I. W. 
 McDeavitt, constable ; J. P. Castor and Dr. 
 E. C. Thompson, school directors; R. N. 
 Dickey, A. J. Sager, and T. B. Clymonds, 
 members of council; and J. W. Boyd, 
 treasurer. 
 
 Stone House is a historic old point in 
 Brady Township, a tavern having been es- 
 tablished there in the early days and con- 
 tinued for many years. The old log house 
 built by the Douglass family was used for 
 that purpose by John Elliott, and after- 
 ward by John Brown, who in 1822 erected 
 the Stone House. The latter got into finan- 
 cial straits and the house subsequently fell 
 into many hands, its most prominent land- 
 lord being Richard Doncaster. In 1833 
 another hotel was built here by Robert 
 Thompson and conducted by him for more 
 than a score of years. Some time in the 
 forties, a man named Julius C. Holliday 
 came in from Ohio and occupied a resi- 
 dence here with his family. With his ad- 
 vent began the coming of mysterious stran- 
 gers, the names of none of whom were 
 known, who boarded at the Stone House. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 549 
 
 As many as twenty of them would come at 
 a time and spend their time in revelry, ap- 
 parently having no need to work. Holli- 
 day, the leader, died of diphtheria, as did 
 sis of his children, and some of his com- 
 panions finally landed in the penitentiary. 
 It is said they were engaged in the manu- 
 facture of spurious coins here. William 
 Turk, an old stage driver, suddenly disap- 
 peared on July 4, 1853, and the belief was 
 that he had been killed by the mysterious 
 strangers. Time proved this belief wrong, 
 however, as he returned after a lapse of 
 thirty-two years, to find his wife had re- 
 married and moved West, and his children 
 had scattered. 
 
 Forest House, at one time a post-office, 
 was the house above mentioned, estab- 
 lished in 1833 by Robert Thompson. A 
 store, known as the Eyth store, was started 
 here in 1857 or 1858. Mr. Thompson re- 
 tired from business here in 1854, owing to 
 the disrepute into which the neighborhood 
 had been brought by the counterfeiters. 
 
 Browning post-office, which was aban- 
 doned in 1870, was established about the 
 same time as the one at Stone House, and 
 was abandoned in the forties. It was re- 
 established in May, 1858, but in 1870 was 
 finally discontinued. The locality is known 
 as the Stone House. 
 
 Elora, a former post-office, was estab- 
 lished to succeed Memphis post-office, 
 which was established in 1873 as a suc- 
 cessor to the Forest post-office. Josiah M. 
 Thompson, postmaster and general store- 
 keeper, met with a serious loss on January 
 9, 1894, when his store and its entire con- 
 tents, including undelivered mail, was de- 
 stroyed by fire, entailing a loss of $3,000. 
 Elora postoffice was discontinued when the 
 rural free mail routes were established. 
 
 Hallston is a station on the Bessemer & 
 Lake Erie Railroad, located in the north- 
 east corner of Bi-ady Township. The Mc- 
 Nees pottery was established here in the 
 eighties and in the early days Constantine 
 Weidel operated a rude pottery here, mak- 
 
 ing earthen crocks and jars. The name of 
 the post-office at this place is Pump. 
 
 MroOLESEX TOWNSHrP. 
 
 The territory " now included in Butler 
 Coimty originally consisted of four town- 
 ships, of which Middlesex was one. Its 
 area was reduced at various times until 
 1854, since which time it has remained as 
 at present. The land is well watered, 
 Glade Run being the principal stream, and 
 is rich and productive; coal mining has 
 been engaged in since the early days, and 
 oil production has added materially to the 
 prosperity of the people. 
 
 The first actual settlements in this town- 
 ship were probably made in 1795, although 
 for some two or three years before various 
 pioneers had come in, selected farms and 
 started improvements. James Harbison, 
 James Hall, Abraham Fryer and William 
 Hultz camped here on the night of January 
 10, 1793, and, it is said, engraved their 
 names on some fm-est trees prior to their 
 return home. Early in 1794 they returned 
 to the location, chose their farms and 
 erected cabins, but did not take up their 
 residence here until 1795. In the mean- 
 time, Thomas Martin, a veteran of the 
 Revolutionary W^ar and a native of Ire- 
 land, came in in 1793 and made various im- 
 provements, which entitled him to the 
 honor of being the pioneer settler. He in 
 that year fled to the block-house at the 
 mouth of the Allegheny, but in 1795 he re- 
 turned to his claim and resumed the im- 
 provement of the place, prior to the return 
 of those above mentioned. James Fulton, 
 who established a reputation as a hunter 
 here in 1793, also returned to make settle- 
 ment, as did George Hays and Silas Miller. 
 Mr. Miller was one of the scouts of 1792, 
 and was well known as a hunter here from 
 1794 until his death. He also was a pioneer 
 school teacher, teaching for a time in Cran- 
 berry Township. William Thompson was 
 one of the first to arrive, and had a son, 
 John, who was born in the new settlement 
 
550 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in 1795; another sou, William Thompson, 
 Jr., was born here in 1797. William Mar- 
 tin, who failed in his attempt to gather 
 about him a colony of rent payers in cabins 
 which he erected, but nevertheless did 
 much to advertise the new country; Mat- 
 thew Wigfield, and John Brown, who set- 
 tled in 1796. Others of the early period 
 prior to the birth of the new century were : 
 Thomas Park and family in 1798 ; Thomas 
 Denny, who built a log house for school 
 purposes in 1796; James McCallum, who 
 came in 1798 and the following year 
 opened up the first store in the township ; 
 Sanniel Rippey, the first justice of the 
 peace in the new community; Thomas 
 Baker, in 1798; John David and family in 
 1798; James McBride, the apothecary, in 
 1800; and the Linns, Lists, Lyons and 
 Boyds. Jospeh Flick arrived in 1801; 
 Absalom Monks in 1801; John and James 
 Bartley, who came from Ireland, in 1800; 
 Thomas Triml)le in 1807; John Davis in 
 1812 ; and John Criner, Philip Snyder, and 
 Samuel Crooks al)out the year 1815. Oliver 
 David, a son of John David, above men- 
 tioned, operated a tannery and distillery 
 here at an early date. The Glade ^lills 
 which has been in operation down to mod- 
 ern times, was established early in the 
 nineteenth century by John Woodcock as 
 a grist-mill. In connection he subsequently 
 operated a saw-mill and carried on both 
 enterprises with great success for many 
 years. Many changes took place in the 
 buildings and ownership, but Glade Mills 
 has been a name known to every genera- 
 tion. In 1877 AVilliam Starr and Julius 
 Baker became owners and the following 
 year changed from water to steam power. 
 In 1879 Mr. Starr became sole owner and 
 operated the plant until he was succeeded 
 by his sons, J. H. and J. W. Starr. An- 
 other of the early industries was the card- 
 ing-mill built by James Fulton in 1822; 
 he invented a special machine to be run by 
 water power, and had a very successful 
 business careei-. TTo also was the manu- 
 
 facturer of cartins for this vicinity. The 
 old Hays Mill and the Park grist- and saw- 
 mills, southwest of Cooperstown, were also 
 tlourishing plants in the earl}^ days. On 
 the plank road, above Glade Mills, a tavern 
 was successivel.y conducted by Oliver 
 David and William Crwoks, being known 
 in its later years as Crooks' Tavern. It 
 was in existence from 1830^until Civil War 
 times. George Cooper also conducted an 
 early day tavern at what is now Coopers- 
 town. 
 
 William Powell was the first school 
 teacher in the township, and taught in the 
 log stiucture erected by Thomas Denny. 
 Many other followed in various parts of 
 the township with the succeeding years, 
 various select and subscription schools be- 
 ing maintained until the public school sys- 
 tem came into being in 1835. There are 
 now seven schools in the township, with an 
 enrollment of 280 pupils. The present 
 members of the school board are: Hal 
 Parker, president; Charles Frisbee, sec- 
 retarv; A. Wilson, treasurer; James Ma- 
 han, 'William Monks, and Dr. C. S. Mc- 
 Clelland. 
 
 The Middlesex Presbi/teiian Church had 
 its beginning when, in the fall of 1800, Rev. 
 Abraham Boyd came into the township. 
 For two years he preached in the open air, 
 and a few months after his coming the 
 church was organized, with Robert Mc- 
 Candless, Hugh Gilliland and William 
 Johnson as elders. A log cabin church 
 was erected north of Glade Rim in 1803, 
 and was replaced by a hewn-log building in 
 1817. In 1842 a brick edifice was erected 
 on the site of the pioneer cabin. The pres- 
 ent church edifice and parsonage — fine 
 Ijrick structures — were completed in 1907. 
 The church was incorporated October 3, 
 1855, with W^illiam Thompson, Alexander 
 Hunter, James Welsh, Dr. Jacob Stewart 
 and William Marshall as trustees. The 
 congregation now consists of about 400 
 members, with a Sundav school enrollment 
 of 200. Rev. W. L. McMillan has been pas- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 551 
 
 tor since liKJ-t. A. L. Wilson is superin- 
 tendent of the Sunday school. 
 
 The Middlesex Methodist Episcopal 
 ChurcJi hsjd its origin also about the be- 
 ginning of the nineteenth century, although 
 formal organization was not perfected un- 
 til 1870. in the early days the Wesley fol- 
 lowers held meetings in ^Matthew Wig- 
 field's cabin, which meetings ultimately 
 were resolved into an unorganized Union 
 church. This continued until the congre- 
 gation was organized in 187U. Rev. C. 
 Danks was the actual [)rompter and leader 
 in the movement. A frame edifice was 
 erected in 1872 at a cost of .^^1,200. The 
 church membership is now something less 
 than a hundred; Sabbath school about 
 forty. The pastor is IJev. E. L. I'iercc. 
 
 Glade Run Uuifrd I'lcshf/trriaii Clniich 
 was organized in 1812 and a lob cabin was 
 erected as a house of worship. Before it 
 could be dedicated it was reduced to ruins 
 l)y fire, but was soon replaced, the new 
 building being completed in 1815. Revs. 
 Bruce, Ramsey and Dunn were early pas- 
 tors of the church, and in 1820 Rev. John 
 France was installed. While the last named 
 was in charge a new log house of worship 
 was built, its dimensions being twenty by 
 twenty-four feet, and this in turn was re- 
 placed in 1854 by a more imjiosing edi- 
 fice. The congregation was inc()r))orated 
 September 25, 18(50, with Edward Sefton. 
 George Wallace, George Greer, John Park 
 and S. B. McNeil as trustees. The present 
 membership is 200, with 150 names on the 
 Sunday school roll. Rev. M. B. Maxwell 
 is pastor. The present church edifice, of 
 pressed buiT brick, was erected in 1*)01. at 
 a cost of $15,000. 
 
 The Church of God was established in 
 the township in comparatively recent times. 
 
 Cemeteries were established by the Mid- 
 dlesex Presbyterian and United Presby- 
 terian churches, that of the former hav- 
 ing l)een established many years before 
 the other. The United Presbyterian Ceme- 
 tery had its beginning in 1821, and both 
 
 contain the graves of many who are en- 
 rolled among the pioneers of this part of 
 the county. 
 
 Glade Mills, as a settlement, dates back 
 to the days when John Woodcock operated 
 his grist and saw mills at this point. The 
 extensive business conducted by him made 
 it (juite a busy place and a desirable loca- 
 tion for a store. William Starr, the mil- 
 ler, at one time conducted a store here, 
 and "W. J. Marks & Brother became mer- 
 chants here in 1883. During the oil days it 
 became quite a prosperous little place, and 
 in 1900 had a population of 205. C. E. 
 Aiken conducts a large general store here 
 in a fine building recently erected. 
 
 Cooperston-n, about one-half mile south 
 of Glade Mills, on the old plank road, was 
 named in honor of George Cooper, the 
 ])ioneer tavern keeper at that point. In 
 the boom days of the oil development it 
 made its greatest strides as a village, and 
 in 1900 had a po]nilation of 243, which has 
 since matei'ially decreased. Cooper & Croft 
 are now the general merchants here, and 
 there is also a blacksmith shop and livery 
 stable. 
 
 McFann's general store is one of the 
 successful business enterprises of the town- 
 ship, and oil production is carried on to 
 some extent. Burton's telephone in con- 
 nection with the Peoples, are the systems 
 installed here, with a central office at Ren- 
 frew. Doctors C. S. McClelland and L. H. 
 Stepp look after the liealth of the com- 
 munitv. The INIodern Woodmen are rep- 
 resented by Lodge No. 9075. 
 
 Officials : Justices of the peace, Willard 
 Starr and Samuel Leslie ; constable, Martin 
 Bowers ; assessor, Willard Starr ; collector, 
 William Denny; auditors, Wilson Cooper, 
 John Fulton and William Trumble. 
 
 FORWARD TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Forward township was organized in 
 1854 from the original territories of Con- 
 noquenessing and Middlesex townships. It 
 is exceeding-Ty rich in oil, gas and mineral 
 
552 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 deposits; lime kilns have been operated, 
 and there has been especial activity in coal 
 mining and oil production. The soil is 
 rich and productive and the township 
 aboimds in well improved farms and good 
 homes. Connoquenessing Creek, into 
 which enters Glade Run at about the cen- 
 ter of the township, and Breakneck Creek, 
 affords exceptional drainage to the land. 
 The first settlers of the township were 
 Peter McKinney and his wife, of whom 
 much has been written. They were fol- 
 lowed in 1795 by William and James 
 Critchlow, veterans of the Revolution, who 
 in that year came from Westmoreland 
 County, to select homes, and the following 
 year settled here. James Amberson, an 
 extensive land owner, came in 1796, as did 
 Enos McLeod, a Scotchman; Joseph Blake- 
 ley, a native of Ireland, and Robert 
 Briggs, who located on the site of Evans 
 City. David and Adam Gilliland were of 
 about the same period, or a little later, and 
 Joseph Douthett arrived with his family in 
 1799, locating west of Brownsdale. Archi- 
 bald McAllister, the school teacher, came 
 in 1801, and Daniel Martin, who was of 
 Scotch birth; Henry Isaac, Joseph and 
 Jesse Evans were here about 1802. Will- 
 iam Martin, a native of Ireland and a con- 
 tefiaporary of those named, was a carpen- 
 ter by trade. Prominent among the resi- 
 dents of that time were John Brandon, aft- 
 erward county commissioner, and Thomas 
 Brandon, who were leaders in the temper- 
 ance movement of 1830. Adam Brown 
 came in from Middlesex Township early in 
 the century, and during the War of 1812 
 served with Perry on Lake Erie. Joseph 
 Ash, one of the first mail carriers between 
 Pittsburg and Erie, came to the township 
 in 1803 and lived here until his death in 
 1813. He was a man with a most interest- 
 ing career, having been captured by the 
 Indians when a boy. His mother and sis- 
 ter were killed and a brother was also 
 captured. He was ransomed after two 
 years, but always bore mai-ks of his cap- 
 
 tivity, the savages having slit his ears. 
 Matthew AVilliams, a Covenanter preacher, 
 settled here in 1804, and was soon followed 
 by John McCollum. Between 1810 and 
 1820 the following became residents of the 
 township : John Crowe ; Archibald Irwin, 
 a blacksmith and an early school teacher; 
 John Hamel; John Waldron, and Samuel 
 V. Waldron, who was a soldier in the War 
 of 1812, serving en Lake Erie with Perry. 
 Other well known families who came at a 
 later period were the Gelbachs, Behms, 
 Hunters, Raders, Hazletts and Stamms. 
 
 The first of the industries established in 
 Forward Township were the grist-and saw- 
 mills of Adam and David Gilliland. Then 
 came the Robbins Brothers' grist- and 
 saw-mills; the Adam Brown mill, i-un by 
 horse-power; the Reese Evans grist-mill; 
 and the Minnis fulling-mill. David Gilli- 
 land built a log mill on the old McKinney 
 farm in 1802, and Barney Gilliland re- 
 placed it with a lai'ger mill in 1827, which 
 passed into the hands of Adam Gilliland 
 and was by him operated until 1850. He 
 was in that year succeeded by Henry Buhl, 
 and the mill was in later years successively 
 operated by Peter and James Ray and A. 
 J. Evans. Adam Brown's mill, built early 
 in the nineteenth century, was located on 
 his farm. He later became owner of the 
 Reese Evans mill on Glade Run, and 
 Browns mill has since been a familiar name 
 in this region. Adam Brown, Jr., in 1833, 
 bought the mill from his father's estate, 
 and replaced it with a new saw- and grist- 
 mill. In the fifties he tore the buildings 
 down and erected new ones more suitable 
 to the times. Unfortunately his plant was 
 destroyed by fire in 1859, but was imme- 
 diately rebuilt and operated by him until 
 1861. R. H. Brown was then the miller 
 here until 1880, when Philip Gelbach be- 
 came proprietor, but in 1891 R. H. Brown 
 resumed its operation. Lewis Blakeley at 
 one time owned and operated a distillery 
 on the old Blakeley farm. 
 
 The first schools of Forward Township 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 553 
 
 were taught by John Waldron and Archi- 
 bald Irwin, before any school buildings 
 had been bi;ilt. A log house was built 
 north of tlie present borough of Evans 
 City, and Dr. Irvine, Archibald McAllister, 
 Capt. Gray and John Supple were among 
 the early teachers in it. Three other build- 
 ings were erected and school conducted 
 prior to the establishment of the public 
 school system in 1835. The township now 
 has nine schools — one a double school — 
 with an enrollment (1908) of 288 pupils. 
 The school board is composed of the fol- 
 lowing: E. S. Irwin, president; James 
 Robertson, secretary; Samuel Cooper, 
 treasurer; Edwin Gilford, B. J. Eader and 
 Alex. Schilling. 
 
 The population of the township at va- 
 rious ijeriods, as shown bv the census, fol- 
 lows : 1,020 in 1860 ; 1,025 in 1870 ; 1,133 in 
 1880 ; 1,724 in 1890, and in 1900. 
 
 The Reformed Presbyterian Church was 
 organized near the village of Brownsdale, 
 on Straight Eim, in 1806, and in 1807 Rev. 
 Matthew Williams was installed as pastor. 
 For fourteen years services were held in 
 groves in the neighborhood or in tents. In 
 1820 the tent was moved south to the site 
 of the Union Church, where meetings were 
 held until the pastor's death in 1828. 
 
 North Union Reformed Presbyterian 
 Church was organized following the split 
 in 1833 in the Union Church congregatton 
 of Adams Township, into what was desig- 
 nated the "New School" and the "Okl 
 School." The "Okl School" called Rev. 
 Hugh Walkinshaw, who remained until he 
 was succeeded by Rev. John Galbraith in 
 April, 1843. The latter served with great 
 zeal and faithfulness for a period of forty- 
 six years, leaving the charge in 1889. A 
 house of worship was erected on the David 
 Crowe farm in 1861. 
 
 The Richmond Methodist Episcopal 
 Church had its origin in the class estab- 
 lished in 1827 by Caleb Richmond. A con- 
 stitution was adopted and at long inter- 
 vals there was preaching by various min- 
 
 isters, who traveled this circuit. During 
 1854-55 a meeting-house was erected, 
 which was sold ten years later when the 
 class consolidated with the Brownsdale 
 class. 
 
 The Broivnsdale Methodist Episcopal 
 Church had its origin in the Wigfield set- 
 tlement, where the Wigfield Class was 
 formed and maintained under the leader- 
 ship of Robert Brown for a period of 
 thirty years. The original members were 
 the families of Adam, John and Robert 
 Brown, and Joseph Miller, and was organ- 
 ized by Dr. John Rathbun, a traveling phy- 
 sician. Meetings were held in Robert 
 Brown's house rmtil the church was coTtn- 
 pleted and dedicated, July 7, 1860. Among 
 the pastors who have served the charge 
 may be mentioned Revs. Stover, Henry 
 Long, T. B. Thomas and others. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Petersville (Connoquenessing borough). 
 See Connoquenessing Township. 
 
 The Catholic Mission of Forward Town- 
 ship owes its existence to a desire on the 
 part of a few Catholic families to have a 
 building in which services could he held 
 when desired. Purchase was made in 1864 
 of the property formerly owned by the 
 Richmond Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 by John McNeal and wife, and Francis, 
 Thomas and Eliza McCafferty, who in 1865 
 conveyed it to Right Rev. Michael Dome- 
 nec, Bishop of Pittsburg, to be held for the 
 use of the Catholic congregation of For- 
 ward Township. 
 
 Forward Township is one of the leading 
 oil producing districts of the county, and 
 some of the largest producing wells were 
 put down in what is known as Glade Run. 
 Six wells have been recently completed, 
 and three more are being drilled at the 
 present time. 
 
 The Pittsburg Coal and Fuel Company, 
 located at Wahlville, have about the only 
 coal mine of commercial importance that 
 is now being operated. The companj^ is 
 capitalized at $100,000, with W. J. Burke, 
 
554 
 
 HISTORY OF ^UTLEE COUNTY 
 
 president. Employment is given to about 
 fifty men. 
 
 At Browndale there is a grist mill oper- 
 ated by F. D. Nicklass. ' 
 
 Alexander Schilling is carrying on a suc- 
 cessful mercantile business at Keibold. 
 
 Aside from the oil industry the popula- 
 tion of Forward Township is chiefly en- 
 gaged in farming. 
 
 Toivnsliip Officials. — Assessor, Geo. .1. 
 Marburger; collector, Geo. J. Marburger; 
 auditoi"^ Guy Stamm, Elmer Gelbach, and 
 Samuel Eiley; supervisors, D. L. Dunbar. 
 W. W. Hunter and Robert Marshall ; jus- 
 tices of the peace, Daniel Dunbar and 
 Alexander Schilling; constable, A. J. Foltz. 
 
 PABKER TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Parker Township, lying on the Arm- 
 strong County line and just north of Don- 
 egal Township, was especially noted in the 
 seventies for its rich deposits of oil. Prior 
 to 1872 it was regarded as an agricultural 
 section, and on account of its deep streams, 
 well adapted to manufacturing, while iron 
 ore was also mined. The name of Pai'ker 
 commemorates a family who have every 
 right to lay claim to the honor of being 
 the first settlers. John Parker, of West- 
 moreland County, was sent to this section 
 to survey a large tract of land for a man 
 named Moore, and while in Butler County 
 did other surveying and thus gained a fair 
 acquaintance with the various sections 
 open to settlement in 1794. With other 
 members of his family, he acquired 6()() 
 acres of land, 400 of which he owned him- 
 self in what is now Parker Township, while 
 Washington, William and George Parker, 
 each owned large tracts. John Parker, in 
 1815, surveyed the site of Lawrenceburg 
 and for a number of years did surveying 
 in Butler and adjacent coimties. Prior to 
 his death in 1842 he served as associate 
 judge. 
 
 Parker Township's early settlers were 
 of an equally good class at the Parkers, a 
 large number of them being natives of the 
 
 Xorth of Ireland, a few of a sturdy Ger- 
 man type, and a number, among whom 
 were natives of the eastern counties of 
 Pennsylvania, had served in the Revolu- 
 tionary War and thus, by training and the 
 test of courage, became ideal pioneers in 
 a section where Nature was, as yet, en- 
 tirely unsubdued and Indians still claimed 
 homes in the surrounding forests. As far 
 as preserved, the names of the settlers who 
 came to this region about 1796 were : John, 
 Thomas, John and Charles Martin; Capt. 
 Robert Storey, who later was a soldier in 
 the AVai' of 1812, with Jacob Daubenspeck, 
 with his sons, George and Philip, John 
 Gibson, William Ferguson, and James, 
 William and John Turner. Later settlers 
 were : Archibald Kelly, who was prob- 
 ably the first school-teacher in the town- 
 ship; Charles McCafferty, John and Rob- 
 ert Hindman, John Jamison, Benjamin 
 Fletcher, William Hutchison and probably 
 Henry L. Sanderson, all came Ijefore 1800. 
 John Say. Arcliil)ald Fowler, .lames Simp- 
 son and Michael Shakeley all were large 
 landowners in 1803. In 1808 came William 
 Fleming, who was a participant in tho 
 Irish Revolution of 1798. 
 
 Prior to 1819 the settlers in Parker 
 Township suffered much inconvenience 
 from a lack of grist mills, in many cases 
 long distances having to be traversed in 
 order to have their grain ground, and 
 when Benjamin Fletcher erected his log 
 grist-mill at ]\Iartinsburg, he was looked 
 on almost as a pultlic benefactor. Several 
 years later John Shryock established a 
 mill on Silver Creek, not far from the 
 AVashington Township line, and in 1824 
 William Turner built a grist-mill on the 
 north branch of Bear Creek. Other mills 
 were erected and manufacturing and mill- 
 ing was an important industry along the 
 numerous streams long before the aggre- 
 gation of houses at any one point was more 
 tlian a log settlement. The Harvey Gibson 
 mill at Martinsburg dates back to" 1857; 
 there was a saw-mill built bv the Fowlers 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 on the old Stoue House farm; William 
 Sedg\Yiek built both a mill aud fouudry, 
 and \A'illiam Martin built a large mill as 
 early as 1833. In 1857 the Dudley furnace 
 was established at Martinsburg and was 
 fondueted until 1862. As early as 184:5 
 the Hopewell Woolen factory, an ambi- 
 tious business enterprise, was in operation 
 on Silver Creek, William F. Rumberger 
 and James Dunlap being the proprietors. 
 Woolen goods were manufactured, includ- 
 ing narrow cloths, cassinieres, satinets, 
 white and brown flannel and blankets, and, 
 for a time, the industry was remarkably 
 successful and indicative of a large amount 
 of enterprise. In 1857 the factory was 
 purchased 1)y E. E. Evans, who continued 
 to operate it until 1877, after which it was 
 no longer remunerative. 
 
 Bniiii. ^lartinsburg, now Bruin Bor- 
 ough, the chief town of Parker Township, 
 was surveyed for John Martin, in 1837, 
 and it was the proximity of Fletcher's mill 
 that probably caused its selection as a town 
 site. The first cabin was built l)y Z. B. 
 Sheppard, and shortly afterward other log 
 structures indicated the beginning of the 
 present prosperous place. In 1841 Rol)ert 
 Black opened up a stock of goods and the 
 different trades were soon well repre- 
 sented. In 1851 the post-office denomi- 
 nated Bruin was established. Perry, AVeek 
 becoming the first postmaster. Archibald 
 Martin opened the first regular hotel in 
 the place. From 1857 until 1872 there was 
 no notable growth, but in that year, with 
 the development of the oil industry, came 
 people of different stations in life and the 
 sleepy little hamlet liecame a stirring and 
 progressive town. The high tide of pros- 
 perity continued until 1877, when a de- 
 crease in oil production marked a falling 
 off, and added to this, the place suffered 
 from an epidemic of smallpox, from which 
 it was long in recovering. 
 
 Bruin became a borough in 1901 and now 
 has a population of about four hundred. 
 The place is fui-nished with electric and 
 
 gas lights, Ihe electric plant being owned 
 by local people, but not incorporated. The 
 Woodmen of the World are here repre- 
 sented by a lodge. The Free Methodist 
 Church, Rev. Kelly, has a membership of 
 twenty. The other churches are noticed 
 elsewhere in this article. The postmaster 
 of Bruin is II. A. Ritner. R. M. Black 
 & Son and Sproul & Shiever operate gen- 
 eral stores, H.Sutton keeps a jewelry store, 
 and T. W. Phillii)s Co. of Butler are en- 
 gaged in the hardware and oil well supply 
 business and also operate a machine shop. 
 P. M. Black & Son and the Gibson Heirs 
 operate grist mills. Bruin is on the B. & 
 0. Railroad and has the U. S. Express, the 
 Bell and Peoples' telephones and is a tele- 
 graj)]! and money order station. S. R. Gib- 
 son is liurgess and justice of the peace; H. 
 Steel, J. Steel, T. G. Russell, W. H. Ed- 
 monds, J. W. Kelly and G. Buckley are 
 members of the council; S. Amsler, road 
 conunissiouer; .1. H. Orr, treasurer; AY. A. 
 Kellv, constable; (J. 'SI. Sav, tax collector. 
 and \V. :\L Emerick, (J. Ilelfrich and W. B. 
 Fletcher, auditors. The school directors 
 elected in 1908 were A. J. Edmunds and R. 
 C. Stewart. 
 
 El Dorado, a village of about sixty ])eo- 
 l)le, has one store, kept by W. S. Allen. 
 There is also a Methodist church here, of 
 which Rev. Mr. Ritch is pastor, this being 
 the only church in the township outside of 
 Bruin. The membership is small. 
 
 Hooks City, near Bruin, was a village 
 that had a brief existence in the days of 
 the oil boom. With the decline of the oil 
 field it went out of existence. 
 
 The former importance of Parker Town- 
 ship as an oil field has been already al- 
 luded to, but at present the production 
 of both oil and gas is small. The oil field 
 today is confined chiefly to the northwest 
 corner and the center. There are no coal 
 mines, but several banks furnish coal for 
 local consumption, the largest being those 
 of S. T. Thompson and the Hilliards Bank. 
 The i)eople of the totvnshi]) are chiefly en- 
 
556 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 gaged iu farming, and to a lesser extent in 
 oil production. The Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railway affords railway communication 
 with outside points. Stone House is the 
 name of a stop on this railroad. 
 
 The schools and churches of Parker 
 Township have been well supported. To- 
 name the early teachers in the days of the 
 subscription schools would be to repeat the 
 names of many of the most reliable men 
 of each settlement. Archibald Kelly was 
 a noted educator, his training both in Ire- 
 land and iu Westmoreland and other coun- 
 ties having fitted him for far more exact 
 ing duties than he foimd in Parker Town- 
 ship, while many others were not less well 
 equipped. The first school-house stood on 
 the old Daniel Walker farm. In 1908 there 
 were eight schools in the township, not in- 
 cluding Bruin Borough, which has three. 
 In 1907 the tax levied iu the township was 
 $3261; in the borough $1524. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of Mar- 
 tinsburg was organized in 1834, and in 1835 
 Benjamin Fletcher donated land on which 
 a church building was erected, one that 
 sufficed for thirty-nine years. In 1874 a 
 commodious building, in accord with the 
 increased strength of the membership, was 
 erected. Rev. Mr. Rich is the present pas- 
 tor. The membership is one hundred and 
 fifteen. 
 
 The Wfslrynii Methodist Chinch of Mar- 
 tiusburg Mas organized in 1852, and in the 
 same year a small building was erected, 
 but later the society disbanded and the 
 building was used for a district school-- 
 house. 
 
 The Martinsburg Presbyterian Church 
 was organized in November. 1870, Avitli 
 thirty-two members, the first elders l)eing: 
 J.ohn C. Martin, Hamilton H. Say and 
 Amos Yoimg. A fine church building was 
 completed in December, 1873, and was ded- 
 icated in September, 1874. In another part 
 of this work the destructive cyclone which 
 ]3assed through Butler County is men- 
 tioned, and in this disaster the new church 
 
 was considerably damaged. Later it was- 
 restored and its congregation is in a flour- ' 
 ishing condition, with a membership of 
 one hundred and eighty. Rev. Mr. Stewart 
 is pastor. 
 
 The population of Parker Township in 
 1810 was 399. It reached its high tide in 
 1880, when it had 2516. In 1900 the popu- 
 lation was 1317, and its estimated popula- 
 tion in 1908 was 1645, including the bor- 
 ough of Bruin. 
 
 Tounship Officicds: Justice of the peace, 
 A. D. Groom; tax collector, W. S. Allen; 
 constable, A. H. Walley; road commis- 
 sioners, G. W. Christy, P. Zeortz and J. W. 
 Everett; auditors, W. P. Hoover, J. Col- 
 lins and J. Billingsley; clerk, J. W. Ev- 
 erett. 
 
 SLIPPERY EOCK TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Slippery Rock Township, deriving its 
 name from Slippery Rock Creek, which 
 flows through it in a westerly direction, is 
 situated in the northwestern part of But- 
 ler County and is one of its most important 
 and highly developed sections. In 1804, 
 when Butler County was separated into 
 thirteen townships, one was continued as 
 Slippery Rock, a name given when Butler 
 was taken from Allegheny County, and 
 had l)ut four townships in all its territory. 
 Since 1854 it has maintained its present 
 number of square miles. Coal mining and 
 gas development ai-e the main industries, 
 although there are fertile tracts along the 
 streams, and in the larger villages and bor- 
 oughs all lines of activity are successfully 
 engaged in. Limestone has also been mined 
 extensively. The people, as a class, are 
 more than usually intelligent, supporting 
 a State Normal School, newspapers, con- 
 tributing capital to large business enter- 
 prises and foimding churches and char- 
 ities. 
 
 It is probable that the earliest settlers in 
 the township were Adam Barber, David 
 Cross and John and William Burrows, but 
 as they made no permanent settlement. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 557 
 
 credit is usually given to Nathaniel and 
 Zebulon Cooper, who came from Washing- 
 ton County in 1796 and settled on AVolf 
 Creek in 1798. In 1797 came the McKees, 
 followed in the next year by Adam Funk, 
 and in the first year of the new century 
 came Jonathan Adams, John and Jacob 
 Stillwagon, John Moreland, Alexander Mc- 
 Donald and John Slemmons. Philip Sny- 
 der came in 1801 and found much favor 
 with the settlers on account of his success 
 in making maple sugar, a highly prized 
 commodity in those days. In 1805 came 
 John Walker, followed by William Bigham 
 and sons and Samuel Cross. From this 
 date up to 1840, came the following men. 
 y'ho are recalled on account of their en- 
 terprise, the larger number having been 
 identified with all the material i^rogress 
 the section made within that time : James 
 Stephenson, Samuel Weaklev, Philip Kies- 
 ter, Joel Beckwith, Thomas :\Iiffliu, Dr. 
 John Thompson, John Christley, Michael 
 Christley, Samuel Kerr, Samuel Bard, 
 AVilliam'Hill, Isaac S. Pearson, Dr. Eli G. 
 De Wolf, Cornelius Gill, James A. Patter- 
 son, John ^McNulty, Samuel Caldwell. 
 Peter Sowash, John Neal, William Miller, 
 Joseph C. Swearengen, Henry Wolford, 
 Jonathan Maybury and John Eeed. It was 
 in this township that the brutal murder by 
 the Indian Mohawk took place, that 'is de- 
 scribed in the chapter on Bench and Bar. 
 ^Vhat is Imown as the Pittsburg Acad- 
 emy Lands, now the Western University 
 of Pennsylvania, consisted of several 400 
 acre tracts in Slippery Rock Township, 
 which were gradually sold to the settlers. 
 Three of these tracts were in a body, com- 
 mencing at the north line of the township 
 and running as far south as Centerville. 
 now Slippery Rock borough. James Mc- 
 Kee, the pioneer, first settled on a part of 
 this land and built a house on the tract 
 later occupied by Eli Beckwith. Finding 
 that he had located on land belonging to 
 the Pittsburg Academy, McKee moved to 
 the farm now owned by W. M. Humphrey. 
 
 The pioneer village of the town bore the 
 name of Mt. Etna, this being suggested 
 apparently because it was built up around 
 an early furnace, established by Dr. John 
 Thompson on Slippery Rock Creek, in 
 1822. In 1824 a post-office was established 
 there and was named Slippery Rock, but 
 two years later it was moved to what was 
 formerly Centerville but is now known to 
 the Post-Office Department as Slippery 
 Rock. Other villages have been built as 
 various railroad lines have been extended 
 through the township and the most impor- 
 tant of these are Kiesters, Branchton and 
 Wicl,-. Adjoining the first named place is 
 Slipi^ery Rock Park, which is maintained 
 as a summer resort and is of great natural 
 beauty. 
 
 Iicdiiioiul is a mining village that has 
 s])rung into existence since the opening of 
 the coal and limestone mines along the line 
 of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is also 
 the terminal of the railroad in this county. 
 The mines and village are located on the 
 Louis Patterson farm about one mile and 
 a half north of Slippery Rock Borough 
 and at the present time is comjiosed of 
 about one hundred houses besides the 
 liuildings of the railroad company, and the 
 Sharon Coal & Limestone Company, the 
 operators of the mines. About three hun- 
 dred miners are employed here when the 
 different mines are in full operation. 
 
 The Climax Limestone Company of 
 Pittsburg are operating limestone mines 
 on the Josiah Adams farm, and Heath & 
 Filer of Mercer are carrying on extensive 
 o]-)erations at Branchton. From one hun- 
 dred to two hundred men are employed 
 constantly at these mines, the output being 
 used to a great extent by the dif!^'erent 
 mills of the United States Steel Company 
 for fluxing purposes, and also for con- 
 struction of public roads. 
 
 Slippery Rock Township has been a pro- 
 lific producer of gas for the past twenty 
 years, and a number of small oil fields 
 luive also been found within its limits. 
 
558 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The vast miiicral resources of tlio towii- 
 sliip have only coiiio into public notice in 
 tlie |)a.st ten years, and the mining indus- 
 try in the township is yet in its infancy. 
 
 The Hercules Mining Company, of 
 which Heni-y Lang is the manager, has 
 options on a large acreage along Wolf 
 Creek which will be deyeloped as soon as 
 the railroads can be induced to enter the 
 field. A railroad is now being projected 
 from Franklin to Elwood City and will 
 follow the Wolf Creek valley through this 
 township. 
 
 The earl}' industries of the township 
 may be briefly mentioned: The Mt. Etna 
 furnace established by Dr. John Thomp- 
 son, in 1822, has been already referred to ; 
 it was continued in operation until 1841; 
 Hickory furnace, founded in 1836, by 
 Joseph Swearengen, was operated for 
 twenty-four years; the Bard & Bingham 
 foundry was opened in 1838; Charles 
 Coulter's fulling and carding mill was one 
 of the earliest built on Slippery Rock 
 Cr-eek; Wolf Creek woolen factory, manu- 
 facturing carpets and Kentucky jeans, was 
 in operation in 1845; prior to 1839 tan- 
 neries were operated by members of the 
 Stephenson, Fleming and Christley fami- 
 lies ; the Thompson grist mill on Slippery 
 Rock Creek, was built in 1822; the Wolf 
 Creek mill was built in 1832, by James and 
 Robert A^incent; in 1844 a flouring mill 
 was built by Stewart & Sullivan, at the 
 falls of Slippery Rock Creek; and early 
 saw-mills were built and operated by many 
 of the settlers. The development of coal 
 and gas came at a later date. 
 
 The leading point of business in Slip- 
 ))ery Rock Township is Slip])ery Rock Bor- 
 ough, previously known as Centerville, al- 
 though, when the Coopers settled here and 
 long after, it was called Ginger Hill. The 
 postoffice was established in 1826. It is a 
 thoroughly modern place, all trades, indus- 
 tries and lines of business being in a pros- 
 pering condition. During the Mexican 
 War it was a busy trading center and the 
 
 descendants of those who founded the old 
 business houses and made the first im- 
 provements and formed the first . laws, 
 still, in many cases perpetuate the sterling- 
 virtues of their ancestors. A J^avings 
 Bank was established in 1873 by John T. 
 and Austin F. Bard. The Co-operative 
 Creamery Association (Limited) was in- 
 corporated ill 1S74. One newspaper, the 
 Slippci ij Hncl; Signal, was established in 
 February, 1892. The borough was incor- 
 porated in 1841. There are eleven schools 
 with 222 scholars enrolled. The schools 
 are in charge of the Normal faculty. 
 
 As early as 1887 the borough was sup- 
 plied with natural gas by H. P. Griffith, 
 who established a gas plant and obtained 
 fuel from four wells drilled in the limits o'f 
 the borough. Mr. Griffith continued to 
 ojjerate the plant for a number of years, 
 when it was taken over by the Union Heat 
 and Light Company of Grove City, the 
 present owners. 
 
 Dissatisfaction over the prices charged 
 for fuel l)y the old gas company was the 
 means of a new company being organized 
 and chartered in 1906 — the Slippery Rock 
 Heat & Light Company — which was capi- 
 talized at $10,000, and the same year 
 drilled wells in Slippery Rock Township 
 and pi])ed the borough. At the present 
 time the company has a plant valued at 
 about $30,000, and ten producing gas wells. 
 John C. Kerr is jDresident and general 
 manager of the company. 
 
 The Slipioery Rock Telephone Company 
 was chartered April 24, 1905, and the offi- 
 cers at the pi'esent time are as follows : 
 President, John B. Buchanan; secretary. 
 Dr. W. M. Barber; treasurer, John A. 
 Aiken; manager, John P. Caster. The 
 company has a large patronage in the bor- 
 ough and surrounding coimtry, and is in 
 a prosperous condition. It has long dis- 
 tance connections with the local companies 
 at Harrisville, and Plain Grove, and the 
 People's Lines of Butler. 
 
 Five Depart nienf. The Slippery Rock 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 559 
 
 A'ohniteer Fire Company was organized 
 in IDO? with a membership of thirty-four, 
 and the company has quarters in a rented 
 l)uikling- on Franklin Street where the 
 nu'etings are held and the fire-fighting 
 equipment stored. The equipment con- 
 sists of two hose-carts and eight hundred 
 feet of hose. The officers of the company 
 are as follows: Dr. J. M. McClymonds, 
 president ; C. H. Maybury, vice-president ; 
 (). K. Bingham, secretary; and Si. A. Gib- 
 son, treasurer. 
 
 City Water Works. The l.)orough of 
 Slipperj' Rock is one of the small towns 
 that owns its own water plant, and oper- 
 ates it successfully. * In 1892 John Mc- 
 (lonegal established a private plant about 
 fifty rods north of the buihlings of the 
 State Xornuil School from which he sup- 
 ])lied the greater portion of the town with 
 water from drilled wells. He continued to 
 operate the plant until 1905, when he sold 
 it to the borougli and the latter has since 
 lieeu operating it. The plant now consists 
 of sevei-al drilled wells, two storage tanks 
 of 1.600 and 1,000 barrels eack, and a 
 ]:»umping plant run by a gas engine. The 
 town is not only supplied by an excellent 
 quality of water, but the plant is operated 
 at a profit. 
 } Borough Offidals. The borough officials 
 
 of 1908 were James S. Wilson, burgess; 
 John Kerr, tax collector; David AVilson, 
 assessor; W. E. Hayes, street commis- 
 sioner; William Kelley, superintendent 
 of the water works; John Stillwagon, 
 high constable; Coulter Campbell, con- 
 stable ; and the following members of 
 council : C. N. Moore, president; James I. 
 Hogg, treasurer; John Buchanan, secre- 
 tary; W. R. Hockenberry, C. P. Haucks, 
 and William Moore. 
 
 Post-Office. In 1826 the Slippery Rock 
 post-office was established and I. S. Pear- 
 son was appointed post-master. The same 
 Slippery Rock has been continued as the 
 name of the post-office to the present time. 
 From Ginger Hill the official title of the 
 
 town was changed in 18-tl to Centerville 
 liorough, when the village was incor- 
 porated, and the title was again changed 
 in 1896 to Slippery Rock borough to cor- 
 respond with the name of the post-office. 
 
 Centerville Lodge Number 331, Knights 
 of Pythias, was organized January 21, 
 1891. The present membership of the 
 lodge is fifty including twelve members in 
 the endowment rank. 
 
 Mylert Lodge Number 435, I. 0. 0. F., 
 was instituted July 24, 1851, with 'Joseph 
 M. McNair, Noble Grand, and W. M. 
 Wells, secretary. On account of some 
 irregularity the charter was surrendered 
 in 1856, and the lodge was not reorganized 
 until April 14, 1875, when A. J. Bard, 
 AVilliam Claugerts, David Hayes, Jona- 
 than Clutton, Richard Critchlow and 
 twelve other members formed the present 
 lodge. At the present time the lo'dge has 
 over one hundred members on its roll, and 
 owns a two story frame building on 
 Franklin St., in which the meetings afe 
 held.- 
 
 Slippery Rock Tent Number 307, K. 0. 
 T. M., was organized in 1894, and has a 
 membership of thirty-two. 
 
 Slippery Rock Council Number 350, 
 Jtmior A. 0. U. M., was first organized 
 September 13, 1889, with twenty-one char- 
 ter members. The Council flourished for 
 a number of years, and then became dis- 
 organized. A reorganization took jilace 
 in November, 1907, and the present mem- 
 bershi]) is ninety-six. 
 
 O. C. Bingham Post NHmber 306, G. 
 A. R., was mustered in March 6, 1883, with 
 sixteen charter members. At one time the 
 post had a membership of sixty-five, but 
 the roll has decreased to fourteen mem- 
 bers in 1908. Few of the charter members 
 are living. The organization is still kept 
 intact, but the meetings are irregular, and 
 are only called when the post has some 
 business to transact. 
 
 Slippery Rock Lodge Number 108, An- 
 cient Order of United Workmen, was or- 
 
560 
 
 HISTOEY OP BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 ganized May 18, 1877. The lodge had a 
 hii-ge membership for many years, but met 
 with the same misfortune that overtook 
 many of the fraternal insurance orders. 
 
 Friendship Lodge Number 1188, Knights 
 of Honor, was organized in August, 1878, 
 with twenty members. 
 
 The Alta Club is a social organization 
 organized by the young men of the town in 
 3907. The trustees are James Gerlach, 
 William Bolton and J. M. McClymonds. 
 The club has a membership of twenty-five, 
 and has a neat and attractive club room 
 on Alain Street where the club parties and 
 other social functions are held. 
 
 May 28, 1900, an amendment to the 
 charter of the borough was secured, chang- 
 ing the official name from Centerville to 
 Slippery Eock. The last decade has 
 marked a number of improvements in the 
 town such as establishing a city water 
 works, the macadamizing of Main Street, 
 and the paving of Franklin Street with 
 brick. The latter was done in 1908. The 
 borough council also contemplates the es- 
 tablishing of a sewerage system in the 
 near future. The streets are well lighted 
 with natural gas, and the side walks paved 
 with Cleveland stone. 
 
 The business interests of the town in 
 1908 were represented by the general 
 stores of H. E. Bard & Son, Kerr & Gib- 
 son, M. E. & S. A. Moore, J. E. Stoops, 
 0. M. Williams, Watson & Williams, B. F. 
 Stillwagon, notions, F. P. Bingham, hard- 
 ware, Peter Bartz, tobacco, J. E. Freid- 
 man & Bro., clothing, Maybury & Pizor, 
 drugs, S. D. Keister, furniture, S. L. 
 Cheeseman, feed; S. V. Patterson, wall 
 paper; J. T. Bingham, farm im])Iemeuts; 
 ]\Irs. M. E. Gibson, millinery; Heinz & 
 Cooper, tobacco; J. M. Eoberts, buggies; 
 J. N. Stillwagon, harness; Dougherty & 
 Moore, millinery ; Uber & Sons, furniture ; 
 McQuistion & Martin, meat market; Shei- 
 bel & Edeburn, meat market ; A. Bowers & 
 Son, drugs; Jeff. Campbell, hotel; Slater 
 
 & Welsh, livery, and F. L. Forrester, lum- 
 ber. 
 
 The First National Bank and the Citi- 
 zens' National Bank are noticed in the 
 chapter on banking. The town has no tele- 
 graph service at the present time, but is 
 supplied with an excellent telephone serv- 
 ice of the local telephone company the Bell 
 Telephone Company. The future pros- 
 pects of the town are excellent. Both the 
 Pennsylvania and the Bessemer Eailroads 
 are contemplating extensions of their lines 
 into the village, and a corps of engineers 
 are at work surveying a route for an elec- 
 tric railway from Butler to Slippery Eock, 
 and thence to Grove-City. 
 
 In religious and educational matters. 
 Slippery Eock Township has more th'an 
 kept pace with other sections of the coun- 
 ty. The first school-house was erected on 
 the Wolford clearing, a short distance from 
 Centerville, and in 1822 a second building 
 was ]3ut up for school uses on the Abra- 
 ham Snyder farm, and in 1830 the Still- 
 wagon school was built on the Mawha farm, 
 south of Centerville. In the latter place, 
 as in the country, better advantages were 
 given after the adoption of the public 
 school system in 1835. The number of 
 schools in the township in 1908 was eleven, 
 with 312 pupils. 
 
 StylPPEEY KOCK STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 In 1881 a fine school building was erect- 
 ed at Centerville, which now is the prop- 
 erty of the State Normal School at this 
 point. The history of th6 establishment 
 of this admirable institution demonstrates 
 the effect of persistent effort combined 
 with the hard work that is demanded in 
 order to make any enterprise successful. 
 The first meeting was called by J. T. Bing- 
 ham, was presided over by John Eeed, 
 while Eev. Mr. Eobinson of the Presby- 
 terian Church gave reasons for advocat- 
 ing the founding of a high school of learn- 
 ing. He aroused enthusiasm, the necessary 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 561 
 
 amount of mouey for a begiuuiiig' was soon 
 made and tlins the ball was started rolling 
 and the result of all this energy is now seen 
 in the stately, finely finished and equipped 
 buildings of modern construction, which 
 stand on ten acres of improved land, in the 
 southeastern part of the borough. These 
 buildings were formally dedicated by Gov- 
 ernor Beaver, on February 1, 1889, and 
 school work began in the following mouth. 
 A high standard is maintained and the 
 faculty is made up of educators of known 
 ability. Since 1893 many improvements 
 and additions have been made in the build- 
 ings and plant of this school. The attend- 
 ance in the winter term of 1908-1909 was 
 579. 
 
 The church organizations outside of Slip- 
 pery Rock Borough were established as 
 follows: the Methodist Episcopal body 
 foimded an organization in the thirties, at 
 Hickory Mills, but it is no longer iiiaiu 
 tained. Bethel United Presbyterian ( 'liur<li 
 is the successor of the Covenanter Society. 
 which was organized in 1833 but passed out 
 of existence in 1866. In 1868 a reorgauii;a- 
 tiou took place under the present name. 
 The Branchton Methodist Episcopal 
 Chureh was organized and chartered 
 March 5. 1906. A church building was 
 erected in 1907 and the congregation is 
 now attached to Harrisville charge. The 
 churches iu Slippery Rock Borough are 
 two in number, the Methodist Episcopal, 
 dating to 1834, with a present membership 
 of 150, and the Centerville United Presby- 
 terian Church (now known as the First 
 United Presbj^terian Church of Slippery 
 Rock Borough) which was organizedinSei)- 
 tember, 1818, and which now has a meml)er- 
 ship of two hundred. Rev. G. A. Brown be- 
 ing the present pastor. Slippery Rock 
 Township was nobly represented by patri- 
 ots in the Civil War and 0. G. Bingham 
 Post. No. 305, G. A. R., is in a flourishing 
 condition, although, on more than one occa- 
 sion, death has claimed a veteran, that be- 
 ing the one enemy he could not overcome. 
 
 Secret orders are well supported here, 
 there being organizations of the A. O. U. 
 W., the K. of H., the A. 0. U. M. and the 
 K. of P. In 1908 the estimated population 
 of the township was 1740 exclusive of Slip- 
 pery Rock borough. 
 
 The township oflScials in 1908 were E. 
 Fielding, tax collector; L. M. Doube, H. 
 'SI. l\ed(liek and A. C. Renick, road super- 
 vis(n>; l^l^^eU Bolten, A. S. Rodgers and 
 Joiiii Suodgiass, auditors; AV. B. Cooper, 
 township clerk; Frank Gerlach, ti-easurer; 
 .1. B. Campbell, assessor; L. "W. Dougherty, 
 constable ; A. L. Cooper, judge of election ; 
 John B. Dimit and F. J. Doer, inspectors. 
 Justice of the peace, AV. H. Bovard. 
 
 JEFFERSOX TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Jefferson Townshi]:), lying southeast of 
 Butler Township, is not only one of the 
 richest agricultural sections of Butler 
 County, but has great wealth in its car- 
 lioniferon^ deposits, and has, to some slight 
 extent developed oil and gas. On account 
 of its many waterways, it has been to some 
 extent a manufacturing district. 
 
 The earliest settlers of Jefferson Town- 
 ship were natives of Ireland but Germans 
 ancl other nationalities were soon after- 
 ward represented. The township had vet- 
 erans of both the Revolutionary and 1812 
 wars among its pioneers. In 1895, Patrick ^ 
 Graham, a native of Ireland, came to what 
 is now Jefferson Township, prospecting 
 for desirable land and in the following- 
 year he put up his lonely cabin near the 
 west line of the township. He had left his 
 wife and two sous in Westmoreland Coun- 
 ty, and they then joined him and in the 
 following year a third son, named for the 
 father, was born, he being the first white 
 child born in Jefferson Township. The 
 elder Patrick Graham lived to within three 
 years of his century mark, dying in 1844. 
 He is credited with being the township's 
 first settler but was closely followed by 
 S. Phipps. The latter attempted to build 
 his cabin on the land already secured by 
 
562 
 
 IIISTORY OP BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Mr. GraluDii and wlieu objection was made, 
 moved to i)ai-ts unknown. Several others 
 made partial clearings in the vicinity but 
 do not seem to liave taken up permanent 
 residence and in the year of 1798 the Gra- 
 liam family were the ofily known residents 
 of the whole territory. In that year they 
 gained neighbors, the Strawicks, the Brac- 
 eys and Thomas Burljadge and family 
 came, built cabins, began to clear land and 
 Andrew Strawick set up his anvil and was 
 the jiioneer blacksmith, nciijaiiiiii Thom- 
 as is also crediled with M.ltliii- liciv in 
 179S and is remembered as Jiaxiiiu' set out 
 the first peach orchard. William Wright, 
 James Maxwell, Bernard Ddimlicity and 
 Daniel Mularkev, with Nathan kSkeer were 
 here in 1805. In 1819, Thomas Welsh pur- 
 chased 4,500 acres of land in the south- 
 east corner of the township and lived there 
 uritil his death, in 1853. In 1821 he -was 
 joined by his brother John and they be- 
 came very prominent in county affairs and 
 men of large wealth from the development 
 of coal on their lauds. These pioneers 
 faced many hardships, in the overcoming 
 of which they developed the present sterl- 
 ing type of men and women, and before the 
 land responded to cultivalioii they sul)sist- 
 ed on the game in the forests and the fish 
 in the streams as well as on the birds of 
 the air, at that time, it is related, there be- 
 ing so many pigeon roosts in this part of 
 the county that a flight of the birds almost 
 shut off daylight. 
 
 One of the early and useful industries 
 which was welcomed by the pioneers, was 
 the grist-mill which was built on Thorn 
 Creek, by Alexander Martin, in 1826. 
 Thomas Welsh had put up a saw-mill in 
 1825, and in 1827 the Widow McCurdy 
 hired Robert McNair to erect a saw-mill 
 on Thorn Creek. In 1845, George Welsh 
 built a saw-mill and later a grist-mill and 
 when it became the ])roperty of Thomas 
 Frazier it was was fitted with better ma- 
 chinery and it was still operated in 1888, 
 having in the meanwhile, l^een. improved 
 
 with inodern roller machinery. Other 
 mills were built in different sections, some 
 of which still stand while others have left 
 no trace. 
 
 In considering the development of Jef- 
 ferson Township, the founding of its ham 
 lets, towns and borough were the great fac- 
 tors which brought civilization into the 
 wilderness and many of the pioneers had 
 much to do with their first inceittion and 
 later growth. 
 
 IldiiiKthsfoicu, 23robably named for a 
 HOI 1(1 wife or well remembered mother, was 
 founded in 1829 T)y Nathan Skeer and 
 Abraham .Ahixwcll. it having previously 
 been a cross ruad-- -diool center. Nathan 
 Skeer conducted a tavern here and he was 
 a unique dram-seller, his law being to sell 
 no more than one drink to a customer un- 
 til he was satisfied as to the hitter's ca- 
 pacity. In 1860 J. N. Pugh established the 
 manufacture of agricultural implements at 
 this place. It now contains but twenty- 
 five people. There is a German Imtheran 
 Church here. 
 
 Jefferson Center once was a busy manu- 
 facturing point, artesian wells furnishing 
 the water here both for manufacturing as 
 well as domestic purposes. Better facili- 
 ties in larger places have withdrawn much 
 capita] from this place. It was estalilished 
 in 1825, by Thomas Welsh. It now con- 
 tains about fifty people. 
 
 Great Belt, platted in 1876, in and 
 around Coyle's Station, where a ]iost-of- 
 fice has been established in 1870, has not 
 develniHMl much, though there are some 
 comfortable homes in the vicinit}". Gold- 
 en City, founded in 1884, was named in 
 honor of Mr. Golden, one of the owners of 
 the celebrated Rock well. In July, 1888, 
 the Leota post-ofKce was established, with 
 Eli Graham as postmaster. 
 
 Saxonhurg Boroiigli, now with a ])()pula- 
 tion of 450, is the result of German thrift 
 and energy. Through the efforts of 
 Charles F. and John A. Roebling, in the 
 spring of 1832, 300 families left Old Sax- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 563 
 
 ony, Germany, to colonize 16,000 acres of 
 land which had been purchased for them 
 in Jefferson Township, Butler County. 
 Those who finally settled on the present 
 site of Saxonburg were the Roeblings, 
 Fred Baehr, A. Eisenhart G. Kinne, Rev. 
 William Fuhrmann, C. G. Lamb, August 
 Kunz, A. Steubgen, Christian Steubgen, A. 
 C. Bernigau, J. H. Muder, G. Franke and 
 Charles Tolley. Charles F. Roebling died 
 at Saxonburg, in 1838, and was survived 
 hj two children. John A. Roebling was 
 one of the remarkable men of his time. 
 He was born in Saxony, in 1806, and from 
 boyhood his education and training had 
 been along the lines of architecture and en- 
 gineering, for which natural talents fitted 
 him. Prior to coming to America he had 
 thoroughly studied bridgebuilding and 
 submitted plans entailing the use of a wire 
 rope or cable, of his own invention, for a 
 suspension bridge to be erected in Prus- 
 sia. By 1842 he had so perfected this in- 
 vention that he secured a patent in that 
 year and soon afterward he began the 
 manufacture of this cable rope, with the as- 
 sistance of John Reidel, at Saxonburg, and 
 the first practical test which was thorough- 
 ly satisfactory, was at the Sharpsburg 
 Ferry. Subsequent and oft repeated tests, 
 together with proofs of his engineering 
 skill, brought about a revolution in bridge 
 building, many of the great suspension 
 bridges all over the country being his work, 
 inchading the one across the Niagara River 
 below the falls, and the East River Suspen- 
 sion Bridge which connects New York and 
 Brooklyn, which was completed in 1883. 
 His death took place as the result of an ac- 
 cident in 1869. The manufacture of his 
 cables are carried on at Trenton, New Jer- 
 sey, by his sons. The first industry at Sax- 
 onburg was the Roebling brick-yard and 
 immediately following factories were start- 
 ed and in a short time the busy life of old 
 Germany was bringing prosperity to the 
 colony. 
 
 The borough of Saxonbui-g is lighted 
 
 with gas supplied by the Saxonburg Heat 
 and Light Company. The Odd Fellows, 
 Knights of Pythias and Maccabees are here 
 represented by prosperous lodges. The 
 leading merchants of the place are G. W. 
 Maurhoff, A. Krause & Son, and C. F. 
 Sehoentag, general stores; W. Bei-ger, 
 gents' furnishings; J. E. Muder, proprie- 
 tor of the Central Hotel; G. 0. Hammer, 
 proprietor of the Roebling Hotel; Dr. E. 
 B. Mershon, drugs; W. Schroth, harness; 
 E. C. Drescher, machine shop. There is 
 one school with ninety-seven pupils. A 
 Volunteer Fire Department is now (Feb- 
 ruary, 1909) being organized and a chemi- 
 cal engine has been ordered. The post- 
 master is J. R. Helmbold; burgess, G. 
 Shoemaker; treasurer, A. Yeakel; con- 
 stable, J. Long ; justices of the peace, W. D. 
 Hoffman and W. Knoch ; clerk, F. B. Lens- 
 ner; assessor, H. C. Lensner; collector, W. 
 D. Hoffman ; road commissioners, W. Eck- 
 erly, AV. J. Steubgen, P. R. Krause, W. 
 Ru'dert, E. L. Rudert, C. Roddick and D. 
 Stewart. 
 
 Near Saxonburg are located the Saxon- 
 burg Mineral Springs which are well 
 known throughout this section as a popu- 
 lar health resort. In the immediate vicin- 
 itj" is the large and beautiful Hotel Tredur, 
 the location being at an altitude of nearly 
 1 ,400 feet above sea level, and surrounded 
 by the most picturesque scenery in West- 
 ern Pennsylvania. It is a delightful spot for 
 seekers of quiet, rest and recreation. T^his 
 place has been well called "A home in the 
 coimtry." The waters have been subjected 
 to careful analysis and proved rich in 
 health-giving qualities. They were much 
 used by the Seneca Indians before the ad- 
 vent of the whites. 
 
 The Saxonburg Telephone Company was 
 organized in 1907, the company purchas- 
 ing from the Bell Telephone the right of 
 way in this section. Saxonburg has a Ger- 
 man and English Lutheran Church. 
 
 The kind of people making up the citi- 
 zenship of Jefferson Township, early 
 
564 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 brought about a demand for schools and 
 churches. St. Lucas' Evangelical Luther- 
 an Church was established in 1838, when 
 it was in Buffalo Township and a church 
 was built near Hanuahstown. In 1847 an 
 organization of the English and German 
 speaking Lutherans was effected and they 
 worshiped together until 1869. In 1854 
 when the society was incorporated, one of 
 the church articles was the prohibition of 
 the interment of suicides or unbaptized 
 children in the cemetery. 
 
 The Shiloh United Presbyterian Church 
 was organized in 1864 with Rev. W. R. 
 Hutchison as first pastor. The church 
 building is situated at the junction of the 
 old Bull Creek and the Glade Mills road. 
 The Jefferson Summit Presbyterian 
 Church dates back to Ajaril, 1864, and in 
 June, 1867, a church building was com- 
 pleted and dedicated, and in January, 1869, 
 the society was incorporated. The Jeffer- 
 son Center Presbyterian Church was or- 
 ganized in July, 1871, and was incorporat- 
 ed in October, 1873, Rev. C. W. Seaman be- 
 ing pastor. The Methodist Epsicopal 
 Church of Great Belt was organized in 
 1877, but is no longer in existence. The 
 German Evangelical Protestant Church of 
 Saxonburg really dates back to 1837. St. 
 Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church was 
 founded in 1869. 
 
 The Mission Synod of. the Lutheran 
 Church pays the expenses of the Concordia 
 Orphans' Home, near Delano, founded by 
 a Mr. Oertel and dedicated in 1883. It is 
 a magnificent charity designed for aged 
 persons and orphans. Secret societies, 
 fraternal bodies and musical organizations 
 are found in the township and are well 
 supported. 
 
 Township officials: Constable, H. H. 
 Aterholt; tax collector, W. Pouff; tax as- 
 sessor, A. Aterholt; road commissioners, 
 W. Aterholt ; Geo. Grim and W. Campbell ; 
 auditors, A. Bekert, C. Wetzel, and J. 
 Hartzel; clerk, W. Montague; treasurer, 
 E. Montague. 
 
 MAEION TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Marion Township, which perpetuates the 
 name of General Francis Marion, the fa- 
 mous ' ' Swamp 'Fox "of Revolutionary days, 
 has an area of five and one-quarter miles 
 east and west by five miles in length, and 
 within these dimensions may be found a 
 variety of soil, mineral deposits and pro- 
 ductive oil fields, while Slippery Rock 
 Creek and smaller streams water produc- 
 tive agricultural sections. The establish- 
 ment and maintenance of various manu- 
 facturing plants and other business enter- 
 prises, together and chiefly with the de- 
 velopment of the agricultural resources, 
 almost from the first years of settlement, 
 prove that Marion Township has always 
 possessed its full share of capable and in- 
 dustrious citizens. 
 
 The oil sands of this section are rather 
 shelly, as has been learned from the rec- 
 ords of the Emerson and Bronson well 
 drilled near McMurry's mill in 1877, and 
 from the record of the wells drilled at Mur- 
 rinsville in 1893-4. A fairly productive oil 
 field was struck at Murrinsville in the 
 years mentioned, but the wells soon de- 
 clined. More drilling was done in this 
 township in 1908 than in any section of the 
 county. There is a large limestone quarry 
 near Anandale, which isuow being operated. 
 There are also large deposits of limestone 
 that have not yet been developed. The 
 highest elevation in the township is at the 
 village of Murrinsville, which is 1,440 feet. 
 At the crossing of the Murrinsville and 
 Clintonville road it is 1,400 feet, and a 
 mile southwest of Murrinsville it is 1,350 
 feet. 
 
 The population in 1860 was 789, and 1900 
 it was 878. The development of the coal 
 field of the township in the past ten years 
 has been the means of increasing the popu- 
 lation, and at the close of 1908 the town- 
 ship had a population estimated at 1,215. 
 
 Probably one of the very first permanent 
 settlers of Marion Township was Samuel 
 McMurry, a native of County Down, Ire- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 565 
 
 land, who reached this section with his 
 wife, in 1798, settling near a historic spot 
 known yet as Daniel's Garden. A trader 
 named Daniel or Daniels, came still earlier 
 and built a cabin near what is now Anan- 
 dale, surrounded it with a bit of cultivated 
 land and named it a garden. He subse- 
 quently deserted the place on account of 
 trouble with Indians. Other settlers who 
 came early and took up land or otherwise 
 established themselves were John Vincent, 
 settling in 1798; John Vandyke, in the 
 same year; John and Jane Black, in 1799; 
 Robert Waddle, with wife and six sons, in 
 1800; Robert Seatou, with wife and three 
 children, in the same year; William, Rob- 
 ert and Samuel Black, in 1803 ; in the same 
 year Robert Cochran, Hugh Gilmore, Jo- 
 seph Blakeny and possibly Robert Read 
 and John Walsh. Joseph Porter and wife 
 came in 1817; Alexander Mortland, in 
 1806, and George Ray, in 1810, the latter 
 making his home with his uncle, George 
 Ward, who had settled here much earlier 
 and at that time was one of the largest 
 landowners in Marion Township. In 1816 
 came Robert Atwell; in 1818 came Robert 
 Kellerman and family ; in 1819, came Will- 
 iam Gilchrist and family and in 1820, came 
 James Dugan. This list by no means in- 
 cludes all of the early settlers but many of 
 these mentioned have left descendants who 
 still own the lands they gained through 
 their industry and foresight, in the earliest 
 days. 
 
 One of the earliest mills built in Marion 
 Township was erected by a Revolutionary 
 officer. General Campbell, which later was 
 owned by the Ray family and for many 
 years was operated, custom coming from 
 remote parts of the newly settled township. 
 In 1810, the McMurry distillery and grist- 
 mill was built; in 1815, Robert Seaton 
 erected a tannery and a fulling-mill; in 
 1825 the Blacks built a saw-mill and grist- 
 mill, and William Evans also owned a saw- 
 mill and an iron furnace. In 1850 the 
 Marion furnace was established, by James 
 
 Kerr and Robert Breaden, who conducted 
 it until 1862. An abundance of iron ore 
 and thick veins of pure cannel coal as well 
 as Brbokville coal, has given a certain 
 trend to the industries of the township and 
 many furnaces have been built and coal 
 mining has given employment to many. 
 
 One of the pioneer mercantile enter- 
 prises of the township was Bailey's store 
 near the western boundry, which has been 
 carried on for many years by Joseph 
 Bailey. He is probably the oldest mer- 
 chant now in active service in the state, 
 being over ninety years of age. 
 
 The leading villages of Marion Town- 
 ship are Murrinsville and Anandale Sta- 
 tion, or Boyers Post-office. In 1828 the for- 
 mer village was surveyed for John Murrin, 
 the head of one of the most prominent and 
 substantial pioneer families of this section 
 of Butler County. His descendants still 
 own large tracts of land in the valley east 
 of the town. It has always been more or 
 less a Catholic stronghold and supports 
 a fine Catholic Church. J. H. Gormley 
 conducts a general store and there is a 
 feed stable of which Murrin Brothers are 
 the proprietors. 
 
 Anandale Station, Boyers Post-office, on 
 the Bessemer Railroad, was founded in 
 August, 1873, under the name of Byers- 
 town, from one of the early settlers at that 
 point, Frederick Byers and family having 
 purchased land here in 1840. The hamlet 
 remained almost stationary until 1879, 
 when a hotel was built by a member of the 
 Byers family and the building of rail- 
 roads further advanced its progress. Hugh 
 and E. G. Sprone built a steam grist-mill 
 here in 1878, E. A. King becoming man- 
 ager in 1880. The mill was burned in 1904 
 and the site is now occupied by a small 
 feed mill.. In January, 1882, a post-office 
 was established at Anandale Station, with 
 W. G. Smith as postmaster. The present 
 incumbent of that office is L. J. Sisseny, 
 who also conducts a general store. The 
 other merchants are H. Mittendorf, gen- 
 
566 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 eral store, and S. W. Kerr, grocery and 
 hotel. There is a K. of P. lodge here. At 
 the present date of writing, Marion Town- 
 ship has seven schools with 186 pupils, the 
 average attendance being normal and gen- 
 eral intelligence i)revailing. One of the 
 first schools was held in the old log cabin 
 Presbyterian Church and was taught by 
 David C. Cunningham, among whose more 
 immediate successors were John Walsh, 
 Nancy Breckenridge and Lydia Waters. 
 The school directors (in 1908) were James 
 Walter, T. McFadden, John Gilgrist, 
 James McNees, Clayton Duffy, W. F. Kerr 
 and the First National Bank, Harrisville. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church of West 
 Unity dates back to about 1807 and was 
 the result of the efforts of several Pres- 
 byterian preachers who obtained church 
 permission to organize churches through 
 the county wherever possible, although the 
 widely sejiarated settlers made the duty 
 sometimes a difficult one. Many of these 
 settlers were of a religious turn of mind 
 but they could not all agree on some of the 
 essential points of doctrine, and hence, 
 there were, by 1825, small bodies calling 
 themselves Presbyterian, Associate Re- 
 formed, Seceders, and Covenanters. In 
 Rev. Cyrus Riggs, however, was found a 
 tactful man as well as earnest preacher 
 and he ministered to the assembled 
 branches until 1830. Changes took place, 
 but the present church body was incor- 
 porated in February, 1886. The present 
 membership is about one hundred. The 
 elders in 1909 were James Dougan, Alex. 
 Buchanan, Joshua Black, and J. C. Van- 
 dyke. Pastor, Rev. J. J. Imbrie. 
 
 St. Alphonsus Catholic Church was not 
 formally founded prior to 1841, but for 
 many years prior to that the Murrin home- 
 stead had been utilized for the service of 
 the Mass, as the visiting priests could 
 make their pastoral rounds. As early as 
 1800 missionary fathers of the Catholic 
 faith had visited here as well as other parts 
 of the countv and in 1807 came Father 
 
 Ferry, who was put in charge of St. Pat- 
 rick's Church on Sugar Creek. In 1839, 
 John Murrin donated an acre of land for 
 church and cemetery purposes and in 1841 
 a substantial stone church was erected. 
 Subsequently fire destroyed a part of the 
 structure, but rebuilding soon followed and 
 the Catholic contingent has one of the best 
 church edifices in this part of the county. 
 Its membership — about 343 — includes a 
 great part of the wealth and substantial 
 citizenship of the community. Father Mc- 
 Kenna is the present pastor. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church in 
 Anandale has a membership of two hun- 
 dred, with Rev. Mr. Walker as pastor. 
 
 The Church of God is a religious society 
 that was organized about 1874 by a Rev. 
 Mr. Manchester. Shortly after the pres- 
 ent house of worship was erected on the 
 Cook farm. The present membership is 
 about twenty- five. 
 
 Township officials: Justices of the 
 peace, J. Haslett and J. T. Black; tax col- 
 lector, J. A. Gillghrist; constable, J. Duj- 
 jey ; tax assessor ; J. E. Atwell ; road com- 
 missioners, L. E. Rumbaugh, J. McFadden 
 and J. A. Murrin ; auditors, G. Gormley, J. 
 J. Gilmore and L. Murrin; clerk, J. Kerr. 
 
 PENN TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Penn Township is one of the agricultural 
 townships of Butler County, its residents 
 being mainly those who have come here to 
 found homes, rather than to temporarily 
 engage in industries .of no permanent char- 
 acter. Hence, here, perhaps more than in 
 any other township, may be found the larg- 
 er number of thoroughly tilled farms and 
 comfortable farm surroundings. Penn 
 Township was one of the thirteen re-sub- 
 divisions of Butler County made in 1854, 
 its territory forming a part of the orig- 
 inal Middlesex and Connoquenessing 
 Townships. It is well watered by Con- 
 noquenessing and Thorn Creeks and Glade 
 Run and in some portions the landscape 
 presents fine scenery for the artist. In 
 
RESIDENCE OP W. H. H. RIDDLE, BUTLER 
 
 ;ns BUILDING, BUTLER DR. BOYLE'S EYE AND F.\ 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 5G9 
 
 the northwest corner, particularly, the 
 hugh "Town Rocks" resemble in* general 
 character some of the formations that have 
 made sections of Colorado famous. It is 
 not entirely lacking in coal or oil, but the 
 development of these natural products 
 has never assumed large proportions, with 
 the exception of that in the Bald Ridge 
 District. 
 
 There is no difficulty in fixing the name 
 and date of the first settler of Penn Town- 
 ship. He was Robert Brown, who was the 
 founder of the Methodist faith in Butler 
 County, and for a quarter of a century 
 served in the new settlement as a justice 
 of the peace. He came from New Jersey 
 and lived in the cabin he built as early as 
 1797, the builder of another cabin in the 
 previous year, not occupying the same un- 
 til a later date. This was Clark Rathbun, 
 whose daughter later married Robert 
 Brown. James and George Boyd came 
 shortly afterward, George purchasing the 
 Rathbun tract of land, with an additional 
 400 acres, and in 1803, James Boyd is cred- 
 ited with 250 acres. Adam and Joseph 
 Brown were here in the same year, while 
 Thomas and William Dixon came in 1800. 
 The latter was one of the pioneer teach- 
 ers and a justice of the peace. The vet- 
 erans of the Revolutionary War were also 
 represented among the early settlers, one 
 of these, John Rankin, a native of Ireland, 
 being the head of a numerous family. He 
 came here from Maryland about 1805. 
 Other prominent settlers who founded fam- 
 ilies, acquired land and became of impor- 
 tance to this section until the close of what 
 is generally termed the pioneer period 
 were: Matthew Cunningham, prior to 
 1805; John Maharg, about the same date; 
 Joseph Logan, in 1807; John Dodds, in 
 1808, later serving in the War of 1812; 
 John Reese, Daniel Harper and David Sut- 
 ton about 1807-8; Thomas Bartley, in 
 1808 ; Robert Bartley, in 1810 ; Moses Cris- 
 pin, prior to 1820, Jesse Sutton coming in 
 the latter year. James Marshall with wife 
 
 and eleven children, in 1824 ; Adam Weber, 
 one of the founders of the Lutheran faith, 
 in 1831; Edward Hays, in 1831; Israel 
 Seaman, in 1833; William Fisher, in 1834; 
 Thomas Robinson, in 1835; William C. 
 Wallace, in 1837; David A. Renfrew, in 
 1840. 
 
 In 1820, Moses Crispin had built prob- 
 ably the first saw-mill in the township, and 
 in 1844, David A. Renfrew built a second 
 one and added a grist-mill in 1868. Very 
 early, Robert Bartley and Robert Eady 
 conducted distilleries. In 1860 the whole 
 population of the township was 914 indi- 
 viduals. The largest developments of 
 coal in the township have been carried on 
 on the Andrew Welsh farm, the Lavery 
 farm, the Fisher and Kennedy farms and 
 the Renfrew lands, three coal beds having 
 been worked by Mr. Renfrew. The history 
 of the Bald Ridge oil developing is given 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Broivnsdale, Maharg, Renfrew, Phillips 
 City, McBride City and Critchloiv City, 
 may be named as the leading villages in 
 the history of the townslup. These ac- 
 quired their names from important fami- 
 lies in their vicinity, and their population 
 and business enterprises, in some cases, 
 were determined by the fluctuations in the 
 oil industry. In 1844 A. M. Brown estab- 
 lished a store on his land and in the fol- 
 lowing year the post-office of Broivnsdale 
 was established, with Adam Brown as post- 
 master. The little hamlet slowly grew to 
 the proportions of a village as various 
 trades and industries gained a foothold 
 here. 
 
 Maharg is mainly distinguished as being 
 the second post-office village established in 
 the township, E. Maharg being the first 
 postmaster. 
 
 Renfreiv, once one of the famous oil cen- 
 ters of the country, was located in April, 
 1882, on part of the Renfrew land, on whicb 
 David A. Renfrew had settled and built a 
 saw-mill in 1840. A prior owner to a large 
 portion of this district was William Pur- 
 
570 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 viance, who bad acquired his right in 1838. 
 The long- litigation which subsequently en- 
 sued after the discovery of oil in this dis- 
 trict, was carried into the Butler County 
 courts, and later to the Board of Property ; 
 still later other court proceedings took 
 place, the history of this case making an 
 interesting chapter in Butler County rec- 
 ords and involving a number of the town- 
 ship's most prominent families. The cred- 
 ited business pioneer of Renfrew was 
 Simeon Nixon, who established his res- 
 taurant in January, 1882. In the follow- 
 ing April drilling for oil was commenced 
 and as this and the surrounding district 
 proved of unusual oil wealth, the usual 
 crowd of speculators and workmen were 
 attracted to the place and by the close of 
 August a town had sprung up. W. W. 
 Patton erected the tirst building for ho- 
 tel and boarding house purposes, and other 
 lines of trade soon followed as the in- 
 flowing population demanded necessities 
 and also luxuries. The first postmaster 
 was H. W. Koonce. 
 
 The leading merchants and industries at 
 the present time are the following : Kirk- 
 patrick Brothers and L. D. Van Rensse- 
 laer, general stores ; R. M. Bowser & Son, 
 lumber and hardware; Webbers Phar- 
 macy; Price Brothers (A. C. and E. E. 
 Price), machine and boiler shop. The shop 
 of the last mentioned concern, which em- 
 ploys seven men, was erected in 1886. Here 
 gas engines are built and all kinds of re- 
 pair work done. The concern also deals in 
 second-hand- oil well supplies. Another 
 machine and repair shop in Renfrew is that 
 of John Fagan. Doctors D. H. Keeler and 
 J. L. Campbell are the local physicians and 
 surgeons. 
 
 The township high school is located in 
 Renfrew with twenty-seven pupils. There 
 are two other school rooms, with a total 
 (in the two) of 115 pupils. Mrs. E. J. 
 Campbell keeps the only hotel in the bor- 
 ough, while J. C. McClelland has a 
 livery stable. The present population of 
 
 Renfrew is about 500, most of which has 
 accrued since the time of the first oil de- 
 velopments. The place has connection 
 with outlying points by three railroads — 
 the Bessemer & Lake Erie, the Baltimore 
 & Ohio, and B. 'R. & P. The People's 
 and Bell telephones are installed here and 
 there is an office of the United States Ex- 
 press Company. Renfrew also has elec- 
 tric communication by means of the Pitts- 
 burg & Butler Electric Line, which has a 
 power-plant here. 
 
 Utopia Tent No. 96, K. 0. T. M., is lo- 
 cated in Renfrew and has a membership 
 of about seventy-three. It has been or- 
 ganized twenty-one years. There is also 
 a ladies branch of the Maccabees here. The 
 order owns a fine hall erected in 1899. Ren- 
 frew Camp No 8608, Modern "Woodmen, 
 has a membership of forty-four and has 
 a hall of their own. 
 
 The present postmaster of Renfrew is L. 
 D. Van Rensselaer. J. W. Kaftenbaugh 
 and W. J. Burton are justices of the peace ; 
 G. W. Nixon, constable; W. S. Dixon, as- 
 sessor; T. J. Graham, collector; auditors, 
 Mark Starr, Chas. Phillips and J. C. 
 Dodds. School board, W. W. Phillip, S. J. 
 Patterson, J. M. Douthett, Harvey Wise, 
 C. H. Wible, and E. E. Price. 
 
 The imexpected richness of the site of 
 Phillips City, on Thorn Creek, ■ brought 
 that village into existence in August, 1884, 
 as also McBride City, in February, 1885, 
 and CritcUow City, in 1886. These villages 
 have been the oil centers, their prosperity 
 depending on the production and market 
 manipulation of this great commodity. 
 
 Brownsdale is a small settlment where 
 L. D. Van Rensselaer operates a branch 
 store. There is also a Methodist Church 
 at this point, elsewhere mentioned in this 
 article. 
 
 When schools and churches are men- 
 tioned in connection with the settlement 
 and present status of Penn Township, the 
 prevailing intelligence and sterling char- 
 acter of its people are manifest. The early 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 571 
 
 settlers in the southern part of the town- 
 ship had as their first teachers members 
 of their own families, natural intelligence 
 often taking the place of pedagogic train- 
 ing. More than in any other township 
 have literary societies and educational or- 
 ganizations been favored here and on nu- 
 merous occasions debating contests have 
 been held that attracted considerable out- 
 side interest. For some years the Ren- 
 frew Academy gave students fine academic 
 opportunities. There are now nine public 
 schools in the township including the high 
 school, with a total enrollment of 481 pu- 
 pils. 
 
 The United Freshyterimi Churcli of 
 Brownsdale, a branch of the old Union, 
 Clinton and Butler Churches, is the oldest 
 church society in the township. It was or- 
 ganized about or previous to 1860, in which 
 year the first church edifice was put up. 
 The first pastor was Rev. R. M. Patterson. 
 Its membership of one hundred includes 
 many of the oldest and most prominent 
 and worthy families of the township, the 
 Douthetts, the Dodds, the Browns, the 
 Martins, and the Mahargs being greatly in 
 the majority. 
 
 The Thorn. Creek Methodist Episcopal 
 Church existed as Kennedy's Class as 
 early as 1837 but it was not until 1865 that 
 it was placed under its present organiza- 
 tion and it then erected a suitable house of 
 worship. To this church and among the 
 earnest workers in the faith from its earli- 
 est records belonged the Kennedys, the 
 Robinsons, the Cunninghams, and the 
 Burkharts. 
 
 The Zion Baptist Church was organized 
 in 1840 and services were held in the house 
 of Isaac Sutton until 1850, when a build- 
 ing was erected and an interesting fact in 
 this connection is that its early pastors not 
 only ministered to the flock but also were 
 the practical builders of the structure. The 
 .Suttons, the Phillips, the Nixons, the 
 Luces, the Snows, the Boyds and the Will- 
 
 iam McCandless families have always been 
 identified with this body. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of Ren- 
 frew, was organized in 1888, and by 
 March, 1890, the congregation had devel- 
 oped enough interest and strength to com- 
 plete a church building costing $1,500. The 
 church now has a membership of sixty, 
 with a Sunday-school enrollment of eighty. 
 Rev. Spaulding is pastor. 
 
 Broivnsdale M. E. Church was organized 
 in 1860. The congregation is now small. 
 
 CLAY TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Clay Township was organized in 1854, 
 and was named in honor of Henry Clay, 
 the distinguished orator and stateman of 
 Kentucky. It lies directly north of the 
 center of the county, and is marked by sev- 
 eral high summits which are approximate- 
 ly 1,400 feet above ocean level and from 
 250 to 300 feet above the bottom of Muddy 
 Creek. The township is drained by Muddy 
 Creek, which arises near West Sunbury 
 and flows westward through the southern 
 half, and by the tributaries of the Slippery 
 Rock, which arise north of West Sunbury 
 and flow north. A small area in the south- 
 eastern corner of the township is drained 
 by the tributaries of the Connoquenessing. 
 
 The Freeport and Kittanning coals are 
 found in abundance in this township, and 
 at -an early date coal banks were operated 
 on the Samuel McElvain farm near West 
 Sunbury, the Thompson, McMichael, Paint- 
 er, Patterson, Glen, Mock, and Hall farms. 
 Banks were operated on the McAnallen, 
 the Young and the Robert Patterson farms 
 prior to 1861, and after the construction 
 of the Shenango and Allegheny Railroad 
 in 1882, extensive operations were car- 
 ried on at Claytonia by the Crawfords. and 
 the Steel and Blair mines at Standard 
 were opened about the same time and 
 abandoned about 1895. The George S. Stage 
 mines were opened at Claytonia in 1894, 
 and are still in operation, while the Mesner 
 
572 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 mine is located on the Carothers farm, 
 each employing about sixty men. The Sher- 
 win mine on the Sherwin farm employs 
 about twenty-tive men. There are also 
 several small banks operated for local con- 
 sumption. Building stone is abundant in 
 this township, and much of the stone used 
 in the construction of the court house at 
 Butler was quarried on the farm of Jo- 
 seph Kelly near the west line of the town- 
 ship. The construction of the Allegheny 
 and Western Railroad from Queen's 
 Junction east to Brady's Bend, and the 
 western division of the road along Muddy 
 Creek to the Armstrong County line, will 
 be the means of developing the mineral 
 resources of the southern part of the town- 
 ship. There is practically no oil or gas in 
 the township, except two wells that furnish 
 gas for the borough of West Sunbury, and 
 the inhabitants are engaged chiefly in 
 farming. 
 
 The pioneers of the township are found 
 among the early settlers named in the 
 townships now known as Parker, Fairview, 
 Center, Brady, Butler, and Penn. Chris- 
 topher McMichael, a soldier of the Revolu- 
 tion, is credited with building a cabin just 
 east of West Sunbury borough, as early as 
 1797. There is no mention made of him 
 in the records of 1803, but his son William 
 is named as a tax payer in what is now 
 Cherry Township, but at that time was 
 Slippery Rock Township. 
 
 John Thorn was one of the pioneers who 
 came in 1797 or previous to that time. The 
 same year James Russell settled north of 
 West Sunbury, but a few years later moved 
 into Concord or Washington township. The 
 settlers of 1798 were Samuel Findley, a 
 soldier of the Revolution, Robert Findley, 
 David Findley, and Samuel Findley, Jr. 
 James McJunkin came from the north of 
 Ireland the same year, and William Bar- 
 ron came from Marion or Venango Town- 
 ship in 1798. Jacob Beighley, who joined 
 his brothers in Connoquenessing township 
 in 1797, came to Clay Township in 1798 or 
 
 1799. Robert Graham, who made the first 
 improvement on the site of West Sunbury, 
 came into the township in 1803. Joseph 
 Thorn arrived about 1800 and died a few 
 years later. The body was placed in a hol- 
 low log, to which oxen were hitched, and 
 thus the rude cofifin was hauled to the 
 grave. 
 
 The settlers of 1803 were Joseph, John, 
 James, AVilliam, and Samuel Glenn, Mrs. 
 Jenet (Sterling) Glenn, Margaret Glenn, 
 Mary Glenn and Mrs. A. M. Porter came 
 in 1808. The father of this family was 
 James Glenn, who selected the land set- 
 tled, but died in Westmoreland County. 
 John Glenn, known as Captain Glenn, com- 
 manded a company of Pennsylvania volun- 
 teers in the War of 1812. Among the later 
 settlers were Stephen Allen, John Adams, 
 who came in 1820 and reared a family of 
 twenty children, Robert McCandless from 
 Center Township in 1820, Asajih Cranmer 
 from Clay Township in 1823, AVilliam Gib- 
 son from Butler in 1827, Jeremiah Wick 
 from Armstrong County in 1796, John and 
 Jesse Sutton from the southern townships 
 in 1829, and the Bartley family of Penn 
 Townslii|>, the Thompson family of Brady 
 Townshi]), the Rudol])h Bortmas family, 
 the McKlvains, Timblins, and Pattersons, 
 may be classed among the pioneers, al- 
 though they selected other townships for 
 their first homes in the county. 
 
 John McDevitt came from Tyrone Coun- 
 ty, Ireland, in 1825, and to Clay Township 
 in 1830. John Young, a son of John Young 
 who settled in Allegheny County in 1790, 
 came to the township in 1830. William A. 
 McAnallen, one of the early settlers, was 
 a son of Patrick McAnallen, who came 
 from Ireland in 1788, and to the territory 
 of Butler County some time previous to 
 1803. 
 
 The first gi'ist mill in the townshi]) was 
 erected by AVilliam ('arruthers about 1835 
 on the head of Findley Glade Run, about 
 two miles northwest of West Sunbury. It 
 was a rude affair constructed of round 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 573 
 
 logs and operated by water power. A dam 
 was built about forty rods above the mill 
 whence the water was brought in a fimne 
 constructed of hollow logs to an uprigllt 
 box over the water wheels at the mill. This 
 mill was destroyed by fire in 1851. 
 
 What is known as the old Shroj'er mill 
 near the west line of the township was built 
 about 1835 and was first operated by Henry 
 Black. Dr. Josiah McCandless built a new 
 mill on the site of the old one about 1870, 
 but in 1892-3 it was removed, the material 
 being used in other buildings. 
 
 The old Painter saw-mill and planing- 
 mill at Euclid Station on the Bessemer 
 Railroad, was convert&d into a chopping 
 mill by Joseph Meehling and used as such 
 until 1894, when it was destroyed by fire. 
 
 The flouring-mill at West Sunbury was 
 erected in 1871 by Reed Bryson, who was 
 a prominent millwright and builder of his 
 day. The first owners were Allen Wilson, 
 Charles McClung and J. W. Christie. In 
 1895 the owners were J. C. Bredin, George 
 Wolford and William Wick. This mill was 
 destroyed by fire in 1902, and was subse- 
 quently rebuilt. 
 
 Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church is 
 one of the oldest religious societies in the 
 county. As early as 1799 Rev. John Me- 
 Pherrin, who was the pioneer Presbyte- 
 rian preacher in the county, held services 
 in the neighborhood, and the first organi- 
 zation was effected in 1803. Rev. McPher- 
 rin continued as stated supply for two 
 years after the organization, and in 1805 
 he was installed pastor, and remained un- 
 til 1813. For the next ten years the con- 
 gregation was without a regular pastor, 
 and in 1823 Rev. John Coulter, a licentiate 
 of the Ohio Presbytery, was installed jias- 
 tor. The congregation was reorganized at 
 this time, and Rev. Coulter continued as 
 pastor until 1850, when he resigned. 
 
 The first house of worship was erected 
 in 1803, and was constructed of roimd logs. 
 This was used until 1824, when a new meet- 
 ing-house, 30x60 feet in size, was built of 
 
 hewn logs, and oak shingles were used for 
 roofing, the interior being plastered. The 
 present brick building was completed in 
 1852 and is still in good condition. The 
 church was incorporated March 29, 1864, 
 with Josiah McJunkin, John R. Mcjunkin, 
 and James Findley as trustees. A consti- 
 tution was adopted December 7, 1863. 
 
 West Sunbury. This borough, which 
 now has a population of about 350, had its 
 origin before the Civil War and has seen 
 some prosperous days, though at present 
 its growth is not rapid owing to the com- 
 petition of other villages and boroughs 
 possessing academies and other similar at- 
 tractions. The Royal Arcanum and the 
 Woodmen of the World have lodges here, 
 and there are three churches — the Pres- 
 byterian, Rev. Bradshaw, pastor, with a 
 membership of about 190 ; the United Pres- 
 byterian, Rev. Breaden, with 140 members ; 
 and the Methodist Episcopal, Rev. Walker, 
 with seventy members. 
 
 The leading business men are the Rus- 
 sell Livery stables; Campbell & Smith, 
 hardware; Breaden, Conway & Co. and J. 
 B. Arthurs, general stores; H. C. Hind- 
 man, drugs, and the Phoenix Milling Com- 
 pany. Euclid Station on the Bessemer 
 Railroad is the nearest shipping point. The 
 borough is lighted with gas furnished by 
 W. W. Russell, who owns the two gas wells 
 in the townshija, he suceeding the Green- 
 ville Gas Company in the proprietorship. 
 The Peoples' Telephone is installed here 
 and there is also a Bell 'phone connection. 
 The present postmaster is 0. P. Campbell. 
 The borough officials are : Burgess, W. J. 
 Breaden ; justices of the peace, A. Thomp- 
 son and P. P. Brown ; assessor and col- 
 lector, G. C. Gibson; constable, J. McCly- 
 monds; road commissioner, H. C. Pryor; 
 auditors, C. Campbell, J. B. Arthurs and 
 A. Meehling. 
 
 Queen Junction is the junction of the 
 Bessemer and W. Allegheny Railroads. C. 
 W. Buckham is postmaster here. 
 
 Claytonia, with a population of about 
 
574 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 fifty, is a station on the Bessemer Railroad 
 which was origiually known as Caledonia. 
 It derived its name from the coal mines 
 which were opened at that place by the 
 Crawford brothers, and called the Cale- 
 donia mines. The Standard Mining Com- 
 pany also opened a mine in the same local- 
 ity, which was afterwards operated by 
 Steele and Blair, but both mines were 
 abandoned previous to 1895. In 1894 
 George S. Stage of Greenville opened 
 mines in the vicinity, and named the place 
 Claytonia. There is one store, kept by 
 Jarnes Welsh. Miss C. Welsh is postmiss- 
 tress. 
 
 Shenvin is a mining village of forty peo- 
 ple on the Bessemer Railroad, and was 
 founded by P. D. Sherwin, who opened the 
 Sherwiu mines at that place. A post-of- 
 fice, general store, and about twenty min- 
 ers' houses compose the village. The post- 
 master is J. D. Sherwin, who also conducts 
 the store. 
 
 Euclid Station is located on the divide 
 between Slippery Rock and Muddy Creeks 
 on the Bessemer Railroad, and the place 
 was known for many years as the Center 
 schoolhouse. When the railroad was com- 
 pleted to the summit, it was called Sun- 
 bury Station, and shortly after the comple- 
 tion of the road the name was changed to 
 Euclid. The Painter saw-mill and planing- 
 mill and a creamery were among the first 
 industries of the place, but they were de- 
 stroyed by fire February 9th, 1894. At the 
 time of the fire, the planing, mill was 
 owned by Joseph Mechling, who occupied 
 a part of the building with a chopping mill. 
 The other part of the mill contained a sin- 
 gle saw-mill owned by D. B. McCandless, 
 Warren Thompson, Jasper Keister and 
 Joseph Mechling. The place now has .about 
 fifty people. McKissack & Lutz conduct a 
 general store; W. Christley is postmaster, 
 and there are express and telegraph of- 
 fices. 
 
 The early schools of the township were 
 kept up by subscriptions, as were the cus- ' 
 
 toms of that day. The first building erect- 
 ed for school purposes was in the Mc- 
 Junkin district, and was constructed in 
 1824 from the logs of the abandoned Mud- 
 dycreek Presbyterian Church. This build- 
 ing was turned over to the school district in 
 1835, when Daniel Carter became the teach- 
 er, and after* him, John R. McJunkin. 
 About 1820, Robert McElvain taught in a 
 log school house which stood north of the 
 site of West Sunbury, but early in the thir- 
 ties he moved his headquarters to a log 
 house near the old church at Middletown 
 in Concord Township. In 1908 there were 
 seven schools in the township, 253 scholars, 
 and the total receipts of the school district 
 were $2,672.00. 
 
 The population of the township in 1860 
 at the first census after its organization 
 was 1,039, and in 1900 it was 1,388, includ- 
 ing West Sunbury borough. The estimat- 
 ed population in 1908 was 1,620. J. H. 
 Timblin was justice of the peace from 1898 
 to 1908. 
 
 Township officials: Tax assessor and 
 collector, H. C. McClung; constable, A. 
 McKinney; road commissioners, J. Hind- 
 man, J. J. Brown and C. S. McCandless; 
 auditors, A. C. Wick, J. M. McKinney and 
 E. White ; clerk, M. Mahood. 
 
 FKANKLIN TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Franklin Township, abounding in well 
 improved and highly productive farms, 
 has, from its organization, attracted agri- 
 cultural settlers. Its name comes from 
 the Franklin Road, a public highway that 
 passes entirely through it from north to 
 south. It originally comprised the eastern 
 half of Muddy Creek Township, but when 
 the boundaries were changed, in the town- 
 ship division of 1854, a part of Centre 
 Township was taken in, and later, when 
 further changes in boundaries were made, 
 that part of Brady Township south of 
 Muddy Creek was added to it. While its 
 main importance is agricultural, the oil 
 industry has been somewhat developed. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 575 
 
 and there is some oil now produced in the 
 township to a fairly profitable extent. 
 There is also a vein of coal from tliree and 
 a half to five feet thick underlying the 
 township, but it has been mined chiefly for 
 local consumption. 
 
 Probably the very first pioneers in what 
 is now Franklin Township were John Mc- 
 Candless and Aaron Moore. In 1796 a 
 colony of sixty persons settled in the ad- 
 jacent township of Centre, but in the year 
 before this, McCandless and Moore had 
 selected homes in the wilderness of Frank- 
 lin Township, to the east. Other pioneers 
 soon joined them, some coming from the 
 Centre Township settlement, and among 
 the early names which appear in connec- 
 tion with civilizing enterprises may be 
 noted those of James, George, William and 
 Garrett ]\ioore, Lewis Wilson, AVilliam 
 McCandless (1st and 2d), Eobert McCand- 
 less, Henry Montooth, Eliakim Anderson, 
 Charles Sullivan, Stephen and Joseph 
 Crawford, George Bowers, John and Peter 
 Saltzman, Thomas and William Dodds, 
 Jesse and James Nash, Aimer Coates, John 
 Thompson, James McGrew, Edward 
 White, Nathaniel Stevenson and others of 
 his name, together with many more. A 
 number of these early settlers were na- 
 tives of Ireland, although other countries 
 were well represented. While the majority 
 came hither attracted by the fertility of 
 the soil and with the intention of engag- 
 ing in farming, others were already 
 equipped with excellent trades, which they 
 followed to their own profit and the con- 
 venience of the settlement. Stephen Craw- 
 ford started his blacksmith business in 
 1803; one William McCandless was a tailor 
 and followed his trade in connection with 
 farming, as did the other William Mc- 
 Candless engage in distilling, the latter 
 business also being engaged in by Robert 
 Hays. Llany industries were carried on 
 in the homes of the settlers, thrift and in- 
 dustry sufficing to supply all their impera- 
 tive needs. Later, as towns and villages 
 
 came into existence, improvement was 
 rapid, business increased and education 
 and religion made great advances. 
 
 Between 1800 and 1833 the settlement 
 in Franklin Township was increased by a 
 number of families which subsequently be- 
 came very important, and among these 
 may be mentioned the McClures, Joneses, 
 Kirkpatricks and Riddles. In 1799 came 
 Adam Albert, who may be called the pio- 
 neer of the Luther faith in Butler County, 
 and in the same year came Henry Shaffer, 
 who was the first orchardist of the settle- 
 ment, planting apple seeds from which 
 have been developed the fine fruit of this 
 section. 
 
 The early settlers of Franklin Township 
 were not unmindful of their duties in re- 
 gard to educating their children. Seven 
 years after the first settlement was made, 
 John Thompson fitted up a log cabin and 
 conducted a subscription school for a time 
 and was then succeeded by Charles Sulli- 
 van, who in turn was succeeded by Samuel 
 Cook. A building for school purposes, of 
 log construction, was put up in 1811, near 
 the Sullivan farm, and various teachers 
 were employed, each year showing a larger 
 student roll. Franklin Township now has 
 as fine a school system as any of her sister 
 townships and as intelligent a class of citi- 
 zens. There are seven schools in the town- 
 ship, exclusive of the borough and the 
 joint high school in Prospect, the seven 
 schools having an enrollment of one hun- 
 dred and ninety pupils. 
 
 The churches outside of Mt. Chestnut 
 and Prospect are not numerous, ample 
 transportation making attendance easy. 
 The Muddy Creek Baptist Church, the pio- 
 neer relig-ious organization, was founded 
 October 19, 1819, and its membership was 
 made up of residents of Franklin, Brady, 
 Muddy Creek and Connoquenessing Town- 
 ships. The United Presbyterian Church 
 at Mt. Chestnut was organized in 1857 by 
 Rev. William Brandon. It now has a mem- 
 bership of 164, with a flourishing Sunday 
 
576 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 school. The United Presbyterian Church 
 at Prospect, which was formerly linown as 
 the Associate Reformed Church, dates back 
 to 1823. The Emanuel Evangelical Lu- 
 theran Church was organized January '2, 
 
 1843. The German Reformed and Lu- 
 theran Church completed its organization 
 about 1843. The Bethel Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church was organized in 1844. The 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which 
 was dissolved in 1887, was organized about 
 
 1844. On July 8, 1887, the Presbyterian 
 Church at Prospect was organized. These 
 include the leading church bodies in the 
 history of Franklin Township. 
 
 Mt. Chestnut and Prospect are the 
 prominent centers of the township. In 
 1850 the land now covered by Mt. Chest- 
 nut was sui-veyed around the home of 
 James D. Anderson, who had cleared the 
 land and in 1849 had built the Stevenson 
 Hotel. He was a merchant and was the 
 first postmaster. The next settlers were 
 Jesse Dutter, Joseph Dufford and others. 
 In 1856 came J. J. Stevenson, who was a 
 blacksmith, hotel keeper and for eighteen 
 years postmaster. Village industries of 
 all kinds flourish and the town is the source 
 of supply to a large out-lying territory. 
 
 Prospect Borough, which is situated 
 near the south line of Franklin Township, 
 is the central point for a large and rich 
 agricultural region. In 1825 it was laid 
 out and surveyed on those portions of the 
 fanns of Andrew McGowan, Matthew Mc- 
 Cullough and David Davis which cornered 
 at the crossing of the Franklin and Pitts- 
 burg and the New Castle and Butler roads. 
 The first merchant, George A. Kirkpatrick, 
 gave the name to the place. In 1836, in 
 partnership with Robert Allen and G. W. 
 McCaskey, he opened a stock of goods in 
 the first frame building erected in the 
 village. The first postmaster was Dr. M. 
 W. Spear. The tirst burgess after the 
 place was incorporated as a borough was 
 Lewis Roth— March 28, 1846— and the first 
 justice of the peace was Samuel Piper. A 
 
 large amount of business is transacted at 
 Prospect, where many men of enterprise 
 have invested capital. The Prospect Sav- 
 ings Bank was opened for business on 
 May 1, 1874, with David Marshall as pres- 
 ident and J. M. Lieghner as cashier, the 
 latter subsequently becoming sole propri- 
 etor, in 1893 being succeed by J. H. Mc- 
 Lure. The Morrow Tannery was one of 
 the early industries. It was started by 
 Robert Allen and was later conducted by 
 Andrew Douglas, and later by William 
 Morrow. Other tanneries did business for 
 a number of years in this section, con- 
 ducted by Henderson Dick and Alfred Rid- 
 dle. In October, 1880, occurred a fire which 
 destroyed a steam grist-mill and steam 
 saw-mill, owned by Martin & Edmundson. 
 The present milling activity is due to Will- 
 iam Ralston, who owns the Ralston Roller 
 mill and a saw-mill. The Prospect Cream- 
 ery is an important local enterprise and 
 butter made in this plant is shipped to dis- 
 tant points. Secret societies are well sup- 
 13orted, all the leading organizations being 
 represented, and excellent school facilities 
 are afforded. The Prospect Academy, an 
 institution of considerable note, attracts 
 students from near and far on account of 
 the high educational standard maintained. 
 
 Among the leading business concerns in 
 Prospect at the present time mav be men- 
 tioned the following : W. R. Riddle & Co., 
 T. J. Critchlow and E. L. McCleary, gen- 
 eral merchandise; J. G. Glenn, furniture 
 and funeral director; J. C. Scott, hard- 
 ware; A. Bowers, druggist; J. H. McClure, 
 private bank; James H. Myers and J. B. 
 Dick, livery stables; Roath Milling Com- 
 pany, planing mill; R. S. Weigle, Martin 
 Heyle and J. W. Heyle, blacksmith shops ; 
 Drs. J. B. Thompson and T. D. McConnell, 
 physicians; L. M. Roath, dentist, P. L. 
 Hunter, proprietor of the Hunter Hotel. 
 
 The fraternal orders are represented by 
 Rustic Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., organized in 
 1874, present membership 100; Prospect 
 Camp, Woodmen of the World, No. 120, 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 577 
 
 organized 1904, and a Ladies Brancli of 
 the Maccabees, though the membership of 
 the last mentioned is not as yet large. 
 
 Prospect Borough has a fine In-ick public 
 school building, with an enrollment of 
 sixty-five pupils, and two teachers. The 
 high school, which is a joint school for the 
 borough and township, has an enrollment 
 of twenty,with one teacher. 
 
 Borough Officials {1909): Burgess, T. D. 
 McConnell; council, S. S. McCullough, L. 
 M. Roath, W. R. Riddle, J. ^N. Neely, G. 
 A. Warren and A. Bowers; school board, 
 J. H. Barr, L. M. Roath, J. H. McClure, 
 P. L. Hunter, C. E. Weigle and James 
 Moore; justices of the peace, John Weigle 
 and J. F. McKee; constable, A. W. Mc- 
 Clure; assessor, J. W. Schaffer; collector, 
 Peter Kramer; auditors, Gr. C. Schaffer, 
 Hugh Weigle and G. W. Beighley. Post- 
 master, Reuben Slianor. 
 
 Isle is a settlement in the northwestern 
 part of the township having a Baptist 
 church, with Rev. Warren, pastor. There 
 is also a general store, kept by William 
 Watson & Sons, and a blacksmith shop. 
 
 The Patrons of Husbandry are repre- 
 sented in Franklin Township by a flour- 
 ishing grange. 
 
 Township Officials: School directors, 
 David Pflugh, John Barkley, Ira Thomp- 
 son, AVilliam Scott, Harvey Morrison and 
 Ed. Scheiver; justices of the peace, J. T. 
 McBride; constable, Augustus Shannon; 
 assessor, A. G. Shannon; collector. J. J. 
 Riddle ; auditors, Geo. Barkley, Mr. Hack- 
 ett and Jacob Albert. 
 
 ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Allegheny Township, located in the 
 northeast corner of Butler County, was or- 
 ganized in 1854 and was created from parts 
 of Parker and Venango Townships. The 
 Allegheny River touches the northeast cor- 
 ner. Its greatest resource has been oil, 
 its surface being too broken and uneven 
 for an agricultural township, although 
 there are many excellent and productive 
 
 farms within its limits. There are a few 
 small coal banks. The oil wells now in 
 operation are small, and there is but little 
 gas. 
 
 There was quite an influx of people here 
 in the closing years of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, beginning in 1797, when John Lowrie, 
 John Crawford, Sr., John and George 
 Crawford, Samuel and William Porter- 
 field, Charles and James Pollock, Alexan- 
 der Grant and John Eosenberry arrived, 
 probably in the order named. James An- 
 derson was here in 1797, or 1798, as were 
 also George Parker, Alexander Brown, 
 Ebenezer and John Brown. William Jack, 
 a soldier of the Revolution, settled on the 
 site of Byron Centre in 1798, and the same 
 year witnessed the arrival of Samuel Gra- 
 ham, a son of a Revolutionary soldier, and 
 himself a soldier of the AVar of 1811', in 
 which he lost his life. John Redick, Sr., 
 John Allen, Levi Gibson, and Samuel Coul- 
 ter were all located here in 1799. Levi Gib- 
 son established a small distillery on his 
 place, which was in operation for some 
 years on a small scale. John Truby also 
 was one of the pioneers and on his farm of 
 400 acres erected a small mill, the site be- 
 ing the same as that used by Pierce and 
 Black, when they erected their mill on 
 Bear Creek in 1846. This latter changed 
 hands a number of times, being later 
 known, first as the Adams Mill and then as 
 the Horner Mill. John Turner and Ben- 
 jamin Law were other early arrivals. The 
 first white child born in tlie township was 
 probably John Allen, the date of his birth 
 being 1799. One of the first deaths record- 
 ed was that of James Crawford, Sr., Jan- 
 uary 18, 1891, as a result of injuries re- 
 ceived while on a hunt with a party of 
 friends. At the confluence of Allen Run 
 and the North Branch of Bear Creek, they 
 fired the brush in order to drive out the 
 game; the fire got beyond their control 
 and they climbed trees for safety, all being 
 seriously burned. John Parker, another of 
 the hunting party, suffered through life 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 from the injuries received, which prob- 
 ably hastened his death. 
 
 John Lowrie, who settled on 800 acres 
 of land in Poplar Bottom, opened a store 
 there in 1811, it being later conducted by 
 a man named Dumars, and still later by 
 Pierce and Black. Walter Lowrie, a 'son 
 of John, was reared there, and afterward 
 rose to distinction, becoming United States 
 senator. The Lowrie saw and grist mill 
 was erected at an early date, as was also 
 the more pretentious and better equipped 
 Rogers mill. A mill was erected by Sam- 
 uel Anderson in 1834, and later was known 
 as the Sedgwick mill. Maple Furnace was 
 established in 1844 by George and James 
 Bovard, was sold in 1847 to Henry Graft, 
 and in 1854 to M. S. Adams, who operated 
 it until it was abandoned in 1865. The 
 store established the same year as the fur- 
 nace survived the latter three years. The 
 Kensington Furnace was in operation 
 from 1846 to 1852, and was owned by 
 Church, Carruthers & Crawford. The 
 township was very backward in its devel- 
 oi^ment imtil the oil boom, when its popu- 
 lation increased rapidly. It has never de- 
 veloped a village of any size. Maple Fur- 
 nace, Kensington Furnace, Six Points, 
 Sandy Point, Byron Centre and Register 
 City not being more than small trading 
 points at any stage of their existence. A 
 post-office was established at Six Points in 
 1866, with James McMahon as postmaster ; 
 and later one at Byrom Centre, which was 
 founded in 1879 after the oil developments. 
 
 Allegheny Township has six schools with 
 168 pupils. The school board in 1908 was 
 composed of J. A. Crawford, T. L. Ander- 
 son, H. H. Gates, W. A. McQuiston, M. E. 
 Blair and James Meek. The educational 
 facilities are good and a high grade of 
 scholarship is maintained. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
 Maple Furnace, was organized in 1854 by 
 M. S. Adams, through whose instrumental- 
 ity, largely, a church building was erected. 
 
 The principal members at that time were 
 the men employed at the furnace. 
 
 Mount Olive Evangelical Church of Al- 
 legheny Township was organized March 
 20, 1869, by Rev. A. S. Miller, and the fol- 
 lowing year a $3,000 church building was 
 erected on a lot purchased from James 
 Crawford, located near Six Points. Eleven 
 of the members of the congregation had 
 formerly belonged to Mt. Pisgah Church of 
 Venango Township. Among the pastors 
 of this church may be mentioned Rev. 
 Isaiah Delo, Revs. Reese, Smith and Zim- 
 mer. 
 
 The Allegheny Presbyterian Church was 
 organized May 20, 1875, by Revs. Coulter 
 and Williams, and Elder James Crawford. 
 The elders were John R. Allen, S. P. 
 Eakin, A. R. Carnahan and C. C. Cooper. 
 J. C. Kiskaddon and J. P. Milford were 
 added to the session. In the pioneer days 
 of the township, the Presbyterians crossed 
 the Venango County line and attended 
 services at Scrubgrass Presbyterian 
 Church. Rev. James Coulter was the first 
 pastor of Allegheny Church, and was suc- 
 ceeded in 1880 by Rev. Samuel A. Hughes, 
 who continued as stated supply for two 
 years. Rev. W^illiam J. Hazlett was in- 
 stalled as pastor September 24, 1883, and 
 continued with this charge for a period of 
 ten years, when the pulpit again became 
 vacant. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. 
 Witherspoon. The church has a member- 
 ship of eighty. 
 
 The Grant Methodist Epsicopal Church 
 was organized by Rev. Peters in 1876, and 
 in 1877 a house of worship was erected on 
 the farm of John Rosenberry. 
 
 The Allegheny Church Cemetery had its 
 inception in a charter granted, January 11, 
 1876, to J. P. Milford, S. P. Eakin, J. R. 
 Allen, D. S. Allen and Henry Jamison, with 
 authority to establish and maintain a cem- 
 etery. Including the church site, the prop- 
 perty includes six and three-quarters acres 
 obtained by purchase from the John Ros- 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 579 
 
 enberry and Mrs. Martha Allen farms, a 
 part of the purchase money being turned 
 back to the church by the sellers. It is a 
 well-kept burying ground and is a credit 
 to the church and township. 
 
 At Bonus there is a store operated by J. 
 Meek. Six Points, northwest of the cen- 
 ter, has a store and country inn kept by E. 
 Parks. At Byron there is a school and 
 two or three farm houses. 
 
 Township officials: Tax collectors and 
 assessor, J. S. Glenn; constable, J. K. 
 Boozell ; road commissioners, J. T. Joseph, 
 W. E. Bennett and E. C. Parks; auditors, 
 N. Louehner, J. Anchors and A. Wilson. 
 
 FAIBVIEW TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Fairview Township, for a number of 
 years distinguished on account of the re- 
 markable development of oil, making it 
 one of the most productive of this com- 
 modity in all Butler County, has many 
 other claims to particular notice and at 
 the present writing has a population of 
 substantial farmers and progressive busi- 
 ness men. It was established in March, 
 1846, by a legislative act providing that 
 it be formed out of Donegal Township, and 
 was given its present area in 1854. On ac- 
 coimt of the rise and ebb of the oil indus- 
 try, its population has fluctuated. 
 
 The first actual settlers in Fairview 
 Township were Samuel and John Wallace, 
 in 1795, although, in the previous year Ru- 
 dolph Barnhart had made a temporaiy 
 stay of a few months. From that date on 
 up to what may be called the close of the 
 pioneer period, came many others, mainly 
 home-seekers, and in a large number of 
 cases their descendants still occupy the 
 land. The old names, many of them fa- 
 miliar because of the sterling character 
 and enterprising efforts of their owners, 
 included John Hemphill, Jacob Barnhart, 
 Jr., Daniel Barnhart, Joseph Smith and 
 son John, the latter later known as a Meth- 
 odist preacher, John Craig, Paul McDer- 
 mott, Matthew Smith, William Wilson, 
 
 James Bovard, Alexander Storey, Samuel 
 Kinkaid, Thomas Jackson, Patrick O'Far- 
 ren, William Ray, Samuel and Stephen 
 Hall, Leonard Keep, George Robertson, 
 Samuel Riddle, John Irwin, William 
 Moore, John Cumberland, David and Rev. 
 William Morehead, John and James Craig, 
 Andrew Campbell, Charles McClung, Sam- 
 uel Irwin, John Snow, John and George 
 Emrick, William Fleming, Jonathan Kep- 
 pel, together with the Thorns and Hays. 
 
 The early settlers of this township were 
 of the sturdy type that gave promise of 
 future excellence. At first they were con- 
 cerned in the acquiring of land and the 
 developing of farms and probably up to 
 1826 few merchants had opened up stocks 
 in any part of the township. Here, as in 
 other districts, a lack of good roads pre- 
 vented much social intercourse, the sep- 
 arated settlers often having to travel long 
 distances to attend a "preaching" or to 
 reach a mill with their bag of grain. Nev- 
 ertheless settlements eventually grew into 
 hamlets and these into villages, while the 
 boroughs, Fairview and Petrolia, and the 
 village of Haysville, for some years occu- 
 pied the limelight as great oil centers. 
 
 Fairvieiv. Between 1826 and 18.39, thir- 
 teen houses, including a tavern, a store, a 
 cabinet and a blacksmith shop, comprised 
 what is now the borough of Fairview. In 
 1844, Col. James A. Gibson and M. B. 
 Adams established a foundry, which, un- 
 der other owners was operated xiutil 1872. 
 In September, 1867, the petition for the 
 incorporation of Fairview as a borough 
 was granted and four years later, after a 
 placid growth of forty years, the place be- 
 came one of the noisest, busiest, and for a 
 time one of the most reckless spots in all 
 Pennsylvania, the people, in every walk of 
 life apparently having become crazed by 
 the oil fever. The first oil was discovered 
 just west of Petrolia in the fourth sand. 
 From a village of 200 population in 1870, 
 it grew by 1876, to one more than 1,000. 
 Local enterprise, together with outside 
 
580 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 capital, rapidly provided for the increased 
 number of inhabitants, and hotels and 
 business houses went up with remarkable 
 celerity. A number of concerns started 
 and flourished for a short season, but when 
 the great boom was over, suspended oper- 
 ations and in some cases caused heavy 
 losses to those who could but poorly af- 
 ford it. The borough has suffered from 
 a number of destructive fires and the loss 
 of much property and some life. In Au- 
 gust, 1872, occurred the great fire at the 
 Jameson well. 
 
 Fairview Borough has now about 235 in- 
 habitants. Among business enterprises 
 may be mentioned the Hotel Adams, pro- 
 prietor, Mrs. Adams; the general store 
 of C. Scott ; and the cigar and notion store 
 of S. H. Templeton, who is also postmaster. 
 There is one school, with about forty 
 pupils. 
 
 Of churches there are the United Pres- 
 byterian, dating back to 1834, with a pres- 
 ent membership of 145, Rev. Campbell, 
 pastor; the Presbyterian, organized in 
 1875, which now has forty members. Rev. 
 Stewart, pastor; and the Methodist Epis- 
 copal, organized in the thirties. of the last 
 century, whose present pastor is the Rev. 
 Lowthian, membership thirty. 
 
 Petrolia. In February, 1872, when the 
 "Fannie Jane" oil well was drilled with 
 such surprising results, the present bor- 
 ough of Petrolia was represented by the 
 farm homes of J. B. Jameson, A. L. Camp- 
 bell and George H. Graham! W. E. Clark 
 in that month erected a small building. By 
 December, 1873, there were standing four 
 hotels, twelve grocery stores, two hard- 
 ware stores, three clothing stores, two bak- 
 eries, seven barber shops, three machine 
 shops, two meat markets, two drug stores, 
 two billiard halls, one news room, three 
 physicians' offices, while several lawyers 
 had put out their shingles, and, while prob- 
 ably there were more saloons than all 
 other Imsiness houses together, there was 
 at least one organized church, the pioneer 
 
 being the Methodist Episcopal. Petrolia 
 IS described as having been an extraor- 
 dinary place between 1875 and 1877, over- 
 run by an outside element totally foreign 
 to the one which had oi-iginally settled 
 along Bear Creek. Among the characters 
 still remembered by Petrolia and vicinity, 
 and recalled as typical of a certain class 
 that inevitably appears, wherever gathers 
 a large and irresponsible population led 
 by greed and excitement, was Ben Hogan, 
 who, after a spectacular career of vice, 
 relieved by astonishing charities and at- 
 tempts to gain official recognition, later be- 
 came an evangelist, but in this capacity 
 never returned to Petrolia. Fortunes were 
 made and lost during the height of the oil 
 boom. As at Fairview, destructive fires 
 have occurred in this borough, several of 
 them destroying a large part of the busi- 
 ness and residential sections of the town. 
 Local enterprise, however, has been equal 
 to the emergency, and Petrolia, in spite 
 of other misfortunes, still is a leading 
 point of interest and business in the town- 
 ship. The great flood of July, 1879, was 
 most disastrous, causing a loss estimated 
 at $75,000. 
 
 The town is supplied with telegra]ili and 
 U. S. Express, and has the Bell and 
 Speechley telephone systems installed. The 
 Standard Oil Company supplies gas for 
 lighting purposes. The leading business 
 firms are: W. H. Daugherty & Co. and 
 Thomas Roach, oil refineries; W. C. Fos- 
 ter, drugs and shoes; Geo. Yough, cloth- 
 ing; William Stoughton, groceries and 
 hardware ; C. M. Williams, groceries ; Mrs. 
 J. Huff ey, proprietor Central Hotel ; J. 
 M. Hawk & Son, general store and furni- 
 ture; E. P. Chesbro, dry goods; O. P. 
 Berry, machine shop; Imbrie Bros., hard- 
 ware; Rinky & Spence, general store, and 
 J. M. Barney, boiler shop. The postmas- 
 ter is C. J. Gray. The fraternal orders are 
 the Royal Arcanum, the Maccabees, the 
 Knights of Pvthias, the Modem Woodmen 
 and' the G. A. R. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 581 
 
 Petrolia has three churches — the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal, organized in 1873, which 
 now has 100 members, with Rev. Recht as 
 pastor; the Presbyterian, organized in 
 1877, now having ninety-eight members, 
 Rev. Stewart being the pastor; and the 
 Roman Catholic {St. James'), presided 
 over by Father Hopkins, which has a mem- 
 bership of fifty-eight. Petrolia has one 
 school, with an attendance of abont 100 
 pupils. Town Officials: F. M. Fritz and 
 C. Butzer, justices of the peace; C. Butzer, 
 tax collector; H. Cromblin, constable; C. 
 Butzer, tax assessor; J. Hover, road com- 
 missioner; W. Stoughton, R. Imbury and 
 T. Gibbons auditors; M. Roach, burgess. 
 
 Earns City was incorporated as a bor- 
 ough in January, 1875, with L. D. Akin as 
 first burgess. The history of this remark- 
 able oil town is told, in large measure, in 
 those of Fairview and Petrolia. The first 
 well, on the Hugh P. McClymond's farm, 
 was named the "Shasta" and in June, 
 1872, it was producing 120 barrels of oil a 
 day. Believing that a permanent town 
 would be built here, from the excitement 
 and interest shown, the McCijanonds made 
 a plat of their land and the borough, when 
 incorporated, included this farm and ten 
 acres of the Riddle farm. In honor of a 
 prominent citizen the place was named 
 Earns City and it became the terminus of 
 the Parker & Karns City Railroad. On 
 the McClymonds farm great subsequent 
 oil development took jolace, the famous 
 "Rob Roy" well being produced here. A 
 great population of speculators, drillers, 
 pumpers and all classes of workmen and 
 representatives of almost every profes- 
 sion, as well as those of none, poured in, 
 with the usual results. Amazing fortunes 
 were made daily, others were lost as 
 quickly, pretentious buildings were put up 
 and lavish expenditure gave a metropoli- 
 tan air to the place. However, from a 
 population of over 2,000 in 1876, by 1890, 
 it has fallen to 427. Fire and flood did 
 fearful damage to Karns City; as to the 
 
 other oil towns, one particularly distress- 
 ing conflagration being that of the burn- 
 ing of the Bateman House, in March, 
 1877, when Mrs. Bateman, her three chil- 
 dren and a guest, were burned and F. E. 
 Bateman and son and another guest later 
 died as the result of their injuries. 
 
 The leading firms in Karns City are the 
 Pennsylvania Refining Company, the Star- 
 light Refining Company, the Cleman Hard- 
 ware Company, J. AVersh Jr., proprietor, 
 and the J. Wersh general store. The 
 Methodist Cliurch, organized in 1874, is 
 now presided over by Rev. Lowthian. Its 
 membership is about twenty. 
 
 The town is lighted by gas and there is 
 one school with about eighty-five pupils. 
 The Odd Fellows and United Workmen ai'e 
 here represented by lodges, and there are 
 express, telephone and telegraph conven- 
 iences. The present population is about 
 200. 
 
 To indicate the large amount of business 
 done in the township of Fairview, includ- 
 ing those of the boroughs and of the vil- 
 lages of Beuna Vista, which was surveyed 
 in 1847 and a verv important oil district 
 in the fall of 1873'and later; Argjde, An- 
 gelica, Iron City and . Haysville, may be 
 mentioned: the Argyle Savings Bank, the 
 Oil Exchange, the Washington Building 
 and Loan Association, the machine shops 
 of the United Pipe Lines Company, the 
 latter forming a great industry, the ma- 
 chine shops of Ireland & Hughes, the 
 boiler works of Frank W. Quinn & Com- 
 pany, the Petrolia Refining Company, the 
 oil refinery on Oil Creek, of W. H. Daugh- 
 erty & Sons, with numerous other refin- 
 eries, and the Petrolia Creamery. This 
 does not include the many financial insti- 
 tutions which were of short duration. 
 
 The township still produces considerable 
 oil, there being probably some 1200 wells 
 in operation, though all are small pro- 
 ducers. Drilling is still going on. though 
 nothing large has been struck in recent 
 years. There is enough gas to provide 
 
582 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 for local consumption. The Starlight Ee- 
 fining Co., the M. H. Daugherty Eefining 
 Co., the T. Eoaeh Eefining Co. and the 
 Pennsylvania Eefining Co. operate impor- 
 tant refineries. 
 
 Of coal the township has some impor- 
 tant mines, among them the Sherwin, 
 which turns out 300 tons per day and gives 
 employment to seventy men. In addition 
 there are some smaller banks operated for 
 local consumption. 
 
 There are deposits of limestone on Bear 
 Creek, which have not yet been developed, 
 but which will doubtless prove a source of 
 future wealth. 
 
 There is one store, kept by Mr. Day, at 
 Buena Vista, which is a station on the 
 Western Allegheny Eailway. There is 
 also a United Presbyterian church here, 
 where services are held occasionally. Other 
 stations within the limits of the township 
 are Angelica, on the B. & 0. Eailroad, and 
 Fail-mount, also on the B. & 0. 
 
 St. Paul's Reformed Church, formerly 
 known as the Union Church, built its first 
 log house on the Andrew Barnhart farm, 
 on land he donated in 1813. The congre- 
 gation was originally a combination of 
 Lutheran and Eeformed. After many 
 changes the Eeformed body became the 
 owners of the site on Sugar Creek now 
 known as the "White Church." The Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church was organized at 
 Fairview in 1832. St. Peter's Reformed 
 Church, probably was organized in 1845, 
 and the United Prcsh/ilcridii Church in 
 1834. The Presbijtcmni Church of Fair- 
 view and the Presbyterian Church of 
 Karns City were both organized in 1875. 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church of Fair- 
 vieiv dates back to the thirties and that of 
 Petrolia in 1873. The Presbyterian Church 
 of the latter place was organized in 1877, 
 St. James Catholic Chapel, in 1874, and 
 the Church of Christ in 1880. Both in re- 
 ligion and education the residents of Fair- 
 view Township have displayed earnestness 
 
 of purpose, enlightened view and practical 
 qualities. 
 
 Township Officials: Justice of the peace, 
 W. P. Day; treasurer — S. McCollough; 
 road commissioners — E. Johnson, C. EUen- 
 bergh and E. McCollough; constable — J. 
 Jackson ; tax assessor and collector — J. J. 
 Campbell; auditors — G. G. McCollough, 
 W. P. Day, and C. F. E. McCollough. 
 
 United Presbyterian Church of Fair- 
 vieiv, first known as the Bear Creek Pres- 
 byterian Church, had its beginning previ- 
 ous to the year 1800. The members first 
 worshipped in a tent which stood on a spot 
 called "Deer Lick," in the old grave-yard 
 midway between Fairview and Karns City. 
 About 1800 Samuel Kincaid, Joseph Smith, 
 John Craig and others constructed the first 
 church building, which was a small un- 
 plastered log structure that could be used 
 only in summer. It was located about a 
 mile east of Fairview, in the present lower 
 Bear Creek Cemetery. 
 
 In 1803 Eev. Eobert Johnston became 
 the first pastor, giving a part of his time 
 to the Scrubgrass congregation. He re- 
 mained until 1807, after which the church 
 was supplied for several years by Eev. 
 Eobert Lee. For several years, beginning 
 with 1812, the congregation was without 
 a regular pastor. Eev. Alexander Cook, 
 who came in 1821, was the second regular 
 pastor. Soon after, a larger and better 
 building was erected in the Upper Bear 
 Creek Cemetery. It was built of hewed 
 logs. 40x60 feet and 20 feet in height and 
 like the first building, was unplastered. 
 
 Eev. Alexander Cook was succeeded in 
 1830 by Eev. Joseph Johnson, lately from 
 Ireland, as supply. The latter 's failure to 
 produce his ministerial letter caused a 
 schism in the congregation and led to the 
 organization of the Bear Creek Associate 
 Eeformed Church. In- 1837 Mr. Johnson 
 went back to Ireland and for some time 
 thereafter Rev. James Green ministered to 
 the congregation, though not called as 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 583 
 
 pastor. Rev. R. W. Oliver was the fourth 
 settled pastor, coming in 1843. A part of 
 his time was given to Laureneeburg and 
 Mt. Varnmn. He remained but a few 
 years, Rev. Mr. Riddle being stated supply 
 in 1847. The latter was the first pastor to 
 preach against intemperance. During 
 these early years only two communions a 
 year were held, usually in May and Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 In 1848 Rev. James H. Fife became pas- 
 tor. Soon after, the congregation decided 
 to build a new house of worship, and in 
 1850 an edifice was erected on the site of 
 the present building. It was of frame 
 construction, 59x45 feet, and was furnished 
 with a fine bell, but had no spire. It was 
 erected at a cost of over $1500.00. The use 
 of the pews was sold to meet the expenses 
 of the pastor's salary. At this time there 
 were fifty-one pew holders. 
 
 Mr. Fife, who proved a satisfactoiy pas- 
 tor, was released some time previous to 
 June, 1856, and was succeeded by Rev. 
 John A. Campbell in the fall of that year. 
 During his short pastorate of two years 
 the congregation entered the union form- 
 ing the United Presbyterian Church, the 
 Session at this time being composed of 
 David Thompson, Robert Campbell, James 
 Say, James Wilson, William ]\IcGarvey, 
 Thomas Kelley and Andrew J. Christy. 
 
 Rev. W. P. Breaden became pastor in 
 the summer of 1859, and on Communion 
 Sunday, October 30, 1864, the first offer- 
 ing for Foreign Missions was taken, and 
 about this time the different congregations 
 began making their annual report to the 
 General Assembly. 
 
 Mr. Breaden, whose jjastorate was very 
 acceptable, was succeeded by Rev. David 
 Dodds in the fall of 1872 and in the same 
 year a Church Aid Society was organized. 
 In Mr. Dodd's time also a library was pur- 
 chased, the congregation was districted 
 for weekly prayer-meetings and there was 
 a strong spiritual growth. In the spring 
 of 1875 Buena Vista congregation was or- 
 
 ganized with twenty-one members from 
 Fairview and others in the vicinity. 
 
 After Mr. Doods' departure the pastor- 
 ate was vacant for a year. Then the con- 
 gregation called Rev. A. B. C. McFarland, 
 who began work in September, 1878. By 
 this time the congregation needed a new 
 church edifice and a brick two-story build- 
 ing was accordingly planned, 48x68 feet, at 
 an estimated cost^ of $15,000.00. It was 
 dedicated August 24, 1883, free of debt. 
 In 1886 the Woman's Missionary Society 
 was organized. In January, 1889, Mr. 
 McFarland resigned as pastor owing to 
 causes that cast a cloud over the church, 
 during the latter part of his pastorate. He 
 was followed by the Rev. R. M. Sherrard, 
 who assumed his duties in the fall of 1890. 
 On October 26, 1898, the congregation met 
 with a discouraging experience, the fine 
 church building, with all its equipments, 
 being destroyed by fire. The members, 
 strong in their sense of union, rose to the 
 occasion, however, and cleared away the 
 rubbish, and by their determined efforts a 
 new and more convenient though less 
 costly building was erected, and was dedi- 
 cated February 8, 1890, free of debt. Mr. 
 Sherrard gave up the charge September 
 16th following and the Rev. J. A. C. Me- 
 Quiston became pastor on the first of Au- 
 guts, 1901. He was succeeded by the Rev. 
 Mr. Campbell, the present pastor. The 
 church now has a membership of 145 with 
 a flourishing Sunday school, and is a pow- 
 erful factor in the religious life of the 
 community. 
 
 CLINTON TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Clinton Township, which was organized 
 in 1854, out of parts of the original Mid- 
 dlesex and Buffalo Townships, possesses 
 many of the natural features which appeal 
 to those in search of quiet homes and these 
 were recognized at a very early period in 
 the settlement of the county. It is well 
 watered land, the tributaries of Bull Creek 
 giving necessary moisture, and its soil 
 
584 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 varies from heavy clay to sandy loam, 
 while its coal deposits, when entirely de- 
 veloped, will probably make this township 
 equal to many others in wealth from that 
 source. There is but little oil or gas and as 
 yet no limestone deposits have been 
 opened up. Banks to supply local con- 
 sumption are now operated. 
 
 One of the first pioneers to venture into 
 this locality was Patrick Harvey, of 
 County Down, Ireland, who selected a 
 tract of land as early as 1792. He re- 
 turned to his family in Westmoreland 
 County until 1794, when he came back to 
 Butler County and cleared ten acres of his 
 farm and built his log cabin on the same 
 and then brought his wife and children to 
 the lonely. spot. The only other pioneer 
 of that year, of whom there is record, was 
 James McKee. In March, 1797, came 
 Samuel Copeland and after his log hut was 
 built, his family joined him. Other set- 
 tlers of about the same time were Geoi-ge 
 Plants and John Burtner. George Stinch- 
 comb came in 1796, but soon sold out to 
 Barnett Stepp, and about the same period 
 Henry Sefton, Thomas Stewart and Rob- 
 ert McGinnis appeared. Revolutionary 
 soldiers were well represented in the years 
 following, and the majority of these early 
 settlers were of Irish extraction. The 
 names of Thomas Watson, Hugh and Rob- 
 ert Riddle, John Burtner and Samuel A. 
 Eippey were known in this section prior 
 to 1800. In that year came James and 
 Edward Byrne; in iSOl came Daniel Pugh, 
 the founder of the Pughtown settlement; 
 in 1802 came Francis Anderson, who was 
 commissioned a justice of the peace two 
 years later and served in the War of 1812. 
 Thomas Lardin, who owned one of the 
 first iron plows in the neighborhood, is 
 mentioned in 1803, as is also John Hay; 
 in 1805 came John Cunningham; in 1806 
 came William Love, the founder of a large 
 family, and in 1816 and 1818 came other 
 members of the same family. In 1822 
 three of the Walker family purchased 1800 
 
 acres of land here and as they subse- 
 quently occupied and improved it, they 
 were among the early prominent and relia- 
 ble men. There are many other names 
 which might appear among the founders 
 of the various industries, the builders of 
 the homes and the moulders of public sen- 
 timent in Clinton Township through what 
 is usually termed the pioneer period, and 
 among these may be included the Moores, 
 the Brewers, the Thompsons, the Gibsons, 
 the Criswells, the Westermans, the Bick- 
 etts, the Hemphills and the Norrises, and 
 it is remarkable how these names still fig- 
 ure in all that concerns the township at 
 the present day. 
 
 In Clinton as in other townships, one of 
 the first coveted and needed industries was 
 a grist mill and second was a sawmill. 
 Daniel Lardin, son of Thomas, the pioneer, 
 was the probable founder of the village of 
 Lardintown, built the first grist-mill, locat- 
 ing it at the headwaters of Bull Creek. It 
 was subsequently owned by William Lar- 
 din, grandson of the pioneer. After it was 
 destroyed by fire, a new mill was erected 
 on the same site. The first frame house 
 in the township was erected in 1840, from 
 lumber provided, in all probability, by the 
 Riddle saw-mill. In 1848 the Kirk card- 
 ing and woolen-mill was started and suc- 
 cessfullj^ operated until 1861. 
 
 Clinton Township being mainly agricul- 
 tural and thus self-sustaining, has fewer 
 hamlets and villages than some of her sis- 
 ter districts. Population is evenly dis- 
 tributed and a similarity of interests has 
 brought about much unity of feeling on all 
 public questions. The matter of educating 
 the children of the township was early agi- 
 tated and houses were utilized at first on 
 the farms of the Riddle and Davis families. 
 Among the early instructors may be noted 
 the familiar names of Cunningham, Her- 
 ron, Jack, Love, McCorkle, McGarry, Wat- 
 son and Anderson. The most pretentious 
 educational enterprise of the township is 
 the Clinton Normal and Classical Acad- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 585 
 
 emy, which was chartered September 8, 
 1890, with thirty-seven stockholders. It 
 is liberally supported and offers a fine 
 opportunity for obtaining a thorough edu- 
 cation along academic lines. There are six 
 district schools with an enrollment of 217 
 scholars. The Saxonbnrg Telephone is in- 
 stalled throughout the township. 
 
 Clinton Township is more or less the 
 home of Presbyterianism. The earliest or- 
 ganization, the Westminster Presbyterian 
 Church, was founded June 12, 1835, by 
 Eev. Newton Bracken, with a membership 
 of nineteen. It appears that no regular 
 church building was put up until 1845, 
 when one of logs was constructed, which 
 served the purpose until a new building 
 was completed in 1853. At present it has 
 no regular minister. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church of Clin- 
 ton was organized April 20, 1845, as the 
 Associated Reform Church and was incor- 
 porated under its present title, December 
 7, 1863. In 1845 a log house of worship 
 was erected on land donated by James M. 
 Hay and at first its furnishings were very 
 primitive. In 1854 the congregation had 
 so increased that a new building was nec- 
 essary, and a commodious frame structure 
 was built. The first pastor was Rev. Isaiah 
 Niblock. 
 
 Clinton United Presbyterian Church, 
 located in the northwestern corner of the 
 township, has a membership of 180. Eev. 
 Mr. McMichael is pastor. 
 
 The Oak Grove United Presbyterian 
 Church was organized August 27, 1878, 
 and a frame building was put up which 
 was dedicated in March, 1879. At present 
 the church has no regular pastor. Its 
 membership is about seventy. 
 
 The three cemeteries in the township 
 are the Oak Grove, the Clinton and the 
 Westminster, the latter being the oldest 
 burial ground. In these sacred spots rest 
 the ashes of many of the best known and 
 most useful and revered of the townhip's 
 pioneers. 
 
 Clinton Township has a well supported 
 Grand Army of the Republic organization 
 in Harvey Post, No. 514. It was organ- 
 ized March 25, 1886, at school-house No. 2, 
 with the following charter members : Will- 
 iam Harvey, John S. Love, J. B. Cunning- 
 ham, J. P. Kirkpatrick, William Thomp- 
 son, M. Thompson, G. P. Harvey, John 
 Halstead, Martin Gibson, H. H. Halstead, 
 E. Sefton, Adam Ekas, D. Huey, J. Jones, 
 John E. Burtner and H. J. Burns. The 
 first commanders were Adam Ekas and 
 John S. Love, both of whom served 
 through two terms. The post enjoys a 
 fine hall and armory, being indebted to 
 John S. Love for the ground on which they 
 stand. 
 
 Riddles is a locality near the center part 
 of the township. It has a very small pop- 
 ulation. 
 
 Houseville, a station on the Bessemer 
 Railroad, is a settlement of about twenty 
 people. 
 
 Barkley, also on the Bessemer Railroad, 
 has about twenty-five people. T. Kennedy 
 and J. Thompson conduct stores here and 
 the Adams Express Company has an 
 office. 
 
 Woods Station, on the Bessemer Rail- 
 road, has a telegraph office. There are 
 about a dozen people residing in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 Clinton Springs is a health resort where 
 there is a hotel conducted by Anderson 
 and Jones. There are eight cottages in 
 the vicinity. A. Hay conducts a store near 
 Clinton Church. 
 
 Toivnship Officials: Justices of the peace 
 ^J. B. Cunningham and J. D. Harbison; 
 constable — William Harvey; tax assessor 
 and collector — J. McCall; road commis- 
 sioners — A. E. Kas and J. Brewer; clerk 
 — J. Hai-vey; treasurer — M. Love; audit- 
 ors — W. Krume, T. Woods, and L. Lar- 
 dens; school directors (1908)— W. C. Gib- 
 son, Thomas Hay, Harvey W. Love, R. D. 
 Sefton, G. A. List, and C. R. Anderson. 
 
586 
 
 HISTOEY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 BUFFALO TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Buffalo Township was one of the four 
 townships which made up what now is 
 Butler County, while it was still attached 
 to Allegheny County, and included a large 
 area. It was one of the thirteen townshijDS 
 erected in 1803, and continued one of the 
 largest in the county until reduced to its 
 present area in 1854. It is of very rugged 
 surface and did not settle up as rapidly as 
 some of the other townships; it is well 
 drained by Big Buffalo Creek, Little Buf- 
 falo Creek, Sarver's Run and Little Bull 
 Creek, and contains many excellent and 
 well improved farms. The Allegheny 
 River touches the extreme southeastern 
 corner. Coal mining his been carried on 
 quite extensively in various parts of the 
 township, and is of the Upper Freeport 
 character. The township is the divide be- 
 tween the oak and pine hills, the latter be- 
 ginning at Sarversville and extending 
 toward the south and east boundaries of 
 the county. 
 
 Buffalo Township has very little oil or 
 gas. A good quantity of coal is found. 
 The Kerr Coal Company is operating near 
 the southern boundary and has the only 
 mine from which shipments are made to 
 outside points. There are, however, a num- 
 ber of small banks operated. The Penn- 
 sylvania Railroad is the only one in the 
 county. 
 
 The first actual settlement here was 
 made in 1795 by a man of Irish birth, 
 George Bell, after whom a hill and a creek 
 were named. He was followed in the same 
 year by Robert Elliott, also a native of 
 Ireland, who in 1796 brought out his wife 
 and a large family of children. He also 
 brought with him a quantity of young 
 fruit trees and set out one of the first 
 orchards in the county. Benjamin Sarver, 
 prior to taking up his residence here, came 
 up from Tarentum every Monday and re- 
 mained until the following Saturday noon, 
 working on the mill which he operated here 
 some time later; he made a settlement at 
 
 Sarversville in 1796. Mrs. Mary Steele 
 and her children, John and Mary, arrived 
 in 1796, as did some of the Jeremiah 
 Smith, Sr., family, John Brooks, William 
 Kiskaddon, a veteran of the Revolutionary 
 AVar; and Joseph Simmers. In 1797-1798, 
 Robert Carson, John Barker, Thomas 
 Fleming, Andrew Easley, with their re- 
 spective families, and the Kirkpatrick 
 family took up their homes here. John 
 Harbison, and his wife Massy, who had 
 been residents opposite the mouth of Buf- 
 falo Creek, located in Buffalo Township in 
 1807. After the War of 1812, there were 
 many new arrivals in the settlements, 
 which had been backward in their growth 
 and development. John Ekas settled at 
 what now is Ekastown in 1818, and he was 
 soon followed by the Roney and Weir 
 families. Jacob Byerly and family ar- 
 rived in 1823, and Thomas Harbison in 
 ]824. Other pioneer families became es- 
 tablished here in the thirties and forties, 
 among whicli may be mentioned the Doyles, 
 Halsteads, Blacks, Sedwicks, McKees, Wil- 
 sons, Walters, Walkers, Mortons, Painters, 
 McCaffertys, Gardners and Hoovers. 
 
 The Sarver grist-mill was the first indus- 
 try in operation in the township, and the 
 log dam and water-wheel are still to be 
 seen in the creek at Sarversville. Thomas 
 Fleming established a small distillery in 
 1799, and for some years furnished his 
 neighbors with corn whiskey. John Har- 
 bison built a saw-mill on Buffalo Creek in 
 1807, and operated it until his death in 
 1822. The mill l)uilt about the same time 
 at Sarver's Station, by one of the Smiths 
 and Caleb Jones, was run by them for 
 vears and later was owned by Alexander 
 bouthett. David Kelly - in 1866 built a 
 mill at the same point, which he sold in 
 1868 to Jacob Ehrmau and which is still 
 known as the old Ehrman mill. William 
 Colmer and Jacob Weaver built what later 
 was known as the Cratty mill, and the Hill 
 mill on Big Buffalo Creek was another mill 
 which thrived in the early days. The most 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 587 
 
 important of the business enterprises of 
 the township is the large distillery of 
 Guckenheimer & Company, or rather of 
 the Pennsylvania Company, located in the 
 extreme southeastern part of the township. 
 The buildings first erected were for P. 
 McGonigie & Son, and were built in 186^; 
 the plant was started in operation in 1870 
 and at that time had a capacity of eighteen 
 barrels per day. In 1875, the firm of 
 Guckenheimer & Company, composed of A. 
 Guckenheimer, Samuel Wertheimer, Emil 
 Wertheimer and Isaac Wertheimer, was 
 organized and purchased the plant, which 
 they operated without interruption until 
 it was destroyed by fire in July, 1889. 
 Large and modern buildings took the place 
 of those destroyed, with a capacity of fifty 
 barrels per day. It is a large and success- 
 ful enterprise. 
 
 It was long after the first settlement that 
 a school building was erected in Buffalo 
 Township, although classes were organ- 
 ized in the early days and taught by some 
 one who came from some other locality for 
 that purpose. Among the first teachers 
 here were Eobert Cunningham, Michael 
 Herron, Robert Hamilton, AVilliam Mc- 
 Garry, and Thomas Watson. The first 
 common school was established in District 
 No. 2, in 1836, and was taught by George 
 C. Sedwick. At the present time the town- 
 ship contains six schools, all of which are 
 in a gratifying state of efficiency. 
 
 Buffalo Presbyterian Church, located 
 one and a half miles east of Sarversville, 
 was organized August 3, 1843, by Revs. 
 Abraham Boyd, Thomas W. Kerr and El- 
 der Hill, and during that and the succeed- 
 ing year a small and rude house of wor- 
 ship was built. A new edifice was erected 
 soon after the close of the Civil War, and 
 was dedicated in 1867; a burying-ground 
 surrounds the church and consists of two 
 acres of land. The first elders of the 
 church were Andrew McCaskey and AVill- 
 iam Cruikshauk. and the first pastor was 
 Rev. Abraham Boyd, who had preached to 
 
 the members for some time before an or- 
 ganization was effected. He served the 
 church until 1846, and was succeeded by 
 Rev. D. D. McKee, Rev. Newton Bracken 
 and othei's. The church at present (Feb- 
 ruary, 1909) has thirty-five members, but 
 no regular pastor. 
 
 St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. 
 The Lutherans in the very early days of 
 the township's settlement had occasional 
 meetings at the Sarver home, and Rev. 
 Schweitzerbarth preached to them, but 
 they had no church organization. St. 
 Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church was 
 organized by Rev. J. H. Fritz in Decem- 
 ber, 1867, in the old Covenanter Church 
 near Sarversville, ■ with Henry Smith, 
 Jonathan Hazlett and R. M. Harbison as 
 elders. Articles of association were 
 adopted February 28, 1828. In 1870 three 
 acres were purchased from the Covenant- 
 ers, and a fine church edifice was erected 
 at a cost of $3,000; in 1873 four more 
 acres were added to be used as a cemetery. 
 The present membership is about fifty. 
 
 Emery Chapel, by which name the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church at Ekastown has 
 been generally known, is a handsome brick 
 structure which was erected in 1868 at a 
 cost of $7,000. The church organization 
 is the outgrowth of the old class which was 
 organized at Lardin's Mill in Clinton 
 Township early in the thirties, by Revs. 
 Henderson and Jackson. In 1841 a frame 
 house of worship was built and given the 
 name of Emery Chapel in honor of Bishop 
 Emery. The church now has a member- 
 ship of about 60, with Rev. Buhl, pastor. 
 
 Sarversville, the early home of Benja- 
 min Sarver and the seat of his grist-mill, 
 was surveyed by Henry Halstead in 1840, 
 and named Walley. It was given its pres- 
 ent name by the postal authorities in 
 January, 1858, when an office was estab- 
 lished here and David Kelly appointed 
 postmaster. The first store was con- 
 ducted by F. D. Schweiterling, who was 
 succeeded l)y David Kelly, and later by 
 
588 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 J. M. Fleming and M. C. Sarver. J. Ekas 
 now conducts a store here. Jacob J. 
 Smith, a native of the village, was the sec- 
 ond miller here and also conducted a store 
 for some years. The population now num- 
 bers about one hundred. 
 
 Sarversville Council, No. 401, Junior 
 Order United American Mechanics, was 
 organized January 25, 1890, with a goodly 
 membership, and developed into a strong 
 lodge. Early in the nineties they put up 
 a new and modern building as the home of 
 the lodge. 
 
 The Sarversville Farmers' Club was 
 organized and flourished for some years, 
 then was abandoned. St. Paul's English 
 Lutheran Church, Rev. Freschkorn, pas- 
 tor, is located here. 
 
 Sarver Station, on the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad, a little village of about 100 peo- 
 ple, is an old settlement under a new name. 
 It was early in the nineteenth century 
 Smith and Jones came in and erected their 
 mill, which later was operated by Alexan- 
 der Douthett. In 1866, David Kelly built 
 the Ehrman mill just south of the village, 
 to which he moved in 1870, establishing 
 the first store here at that time. He has 
 had various successors. J. Powell now 
 conducts a general store here and is post- 
 master ; C. Ohl a hardware and feed busi- 
 ness. The village is provided with the 
 Bell telephone. 
 
 Ekastown is a little settlement at a cross 
 roads, and boasts of a store, Emery 
 Chapel, and a small cluster of houses. 
 
 Monro eville, or Silverville Post Office, 
 lies on parts of the old Duffy, Cypher and 
 McLaughlin farms, and was surveyed in 
 1839 by James Dunlap for Emil Maurhoff. 
 The first building was erected by J. M. 
 Elliott, and in 1840 a tavern was erected 
 by George Weaver, and a store building 
 by Peter Koon. The latter, George Fry, 
 Gustavo Speck, Charles Schweiterling, 
 George W. Cramer and A. W. Leasure, 
 have been the merchants of the village. 
 The last named was made postmaster 
 
 when Silverville Post Office was estab- 
 lished n 1894. The place contains about 
 forty people. 
 
 Monroe Station is merely a shipping 
 point on the Butler Branch of the Pennsyl- 
 vania Railroad. 
 
 ' Freeport is a station on the Pennsyl- 
 vania Railway, as also is Harbison Sta- 
 tion. 
 
 Silverville is a small settlement of about 
 forty people, but has no store. 
 
 Toivnship Officials: Justices of the 
 peace — G. Kramer and G. Easley; con- 
 stable — W. Scott; tax collector — W. Har- 
 vey ; tax assessor — A. B. Ekas ; road com- 
 missioners — S. E. Ohl, J. McCurdy and 
 A. Ekas; auditors — J. Harbison, A. My- 
 ers ; treasurer — W. Harvey ; school direc- 
 tors — J. F. Shearer, R. W. Harvey, John 
 Montgomery, A. L. Myers, William Carson 
 and Martin Sweitzer. 
 
 gIjEarfield township. 
 
 Clearfield Township, with its many 
 water courses, its great beds of limestone 
 and its valuable deposits of iron ore and 
 valuable coal veins, has always been a rich 
 district of Butler County. A number of 
 streams have their rise in this township, 
 the west branch of the Big Buffalo, the 
 main creek, Long Run, the feeders of 
 Rough Run and the head waters of Bonny 
 Brook. The B. R. and P. Railroad passes 
 through the northern part of the township. 
 
 The earliest of the pioneers in Clearfield 
 Township or the territory recognized as 
 such since its organization in 1804, were 
 almost entirely of Irish extraction and 
 they came to this section as home-seekers, 
 an entirely different class from the wan- 
 dering and temporary resident. The early 
 names include those of the McBrides, the 
 Connells, the O'Donnells, the Coyles, the 
 Slators, the Milligans, the Dugans, the 
 Dennys, the McGinleys, the Gallaghers, 
 the McCues, the McLaughlins and others. 
 The pioneer of them all was Patrick Mc- 
 Bride, from County Donegal, Ireland, who 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 589 
 
 built his cabin and owned 400 acres of land 
 here, in 1798, and lived until 1848. County 
 Donegal contributed a number of the other 
 pioneers and some of these, after entering 
 land, carried on the trades which they 
 had learned in their native country. John 
 Coyle, who located here in 1800, was an 
 expert linen weaver, James Denny was a 
 competent shoemaker, others were black- 
 smiths and carpenters, and together the 
 early settlement soon laid the foundations 
 which resulted in a general prosperity. 
 Farming and stock-raising became fea- 
 tures, and even before much attention had 
 been attracted to the mineral resources of 
 the land, the township was looked upon 
 favorably as a place for home and invest- 
 ment. The population of 288, in 1810, 
 gradually crept up to 515 in 1820, and the 
 assessments on property advanced accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 Among the early progressive men was 
 John Coyle, who founded the village of 
 Coylesville, in 1830, and among the ad- 
 vantages presented to possible purchasers 
 of lots, were enumerated good land, fresh 
 and salt water springs, coal and limestone, 
 with grist and saw-mills within reasonable 
 distance. This was the first village in the 
 township and at that time was expected 
 to become a center of business as the mail 
 coach between Butler and Kittanning 
 passed that way tri-weekly. Fenelton 
 was founded in 1856 by Peter Fennell, 
 to Clearfield Township from Armstrong 
 who with his son and two nephews came 
 County, the family being numerous enough 
 to start the settlement. Carbon Center 
 was almost unimproved farm land prior 
 to 1875, developing then into a town as 
 more and more of the surrounding sands 
 proved rich in oil. Business enterprises 
 were quickly set on foot and much building 
 was done in a very short time, and there 
 was no diminution in this activity until 
 1883. 
 
 The first coal mined in Clearfield Town- 
 ship was on the Morrow farm. The Mc- 
 
 Devitt farm gave Middle and Lower Kit- 
 tanning coal and lower clown on the West 
 branch, the Deener banks were developed. 
 On the McClelland farm, near the east 
 line, Kittanning coal was found high above 
 the creek, and below it was found Clarion 
 coal. A m;mber of small banks are now 
 operated for local consumption, but none 
 is shipped. 
 
 Near Coylesville a good field of oil was 
 struck about 1906, being opened up by 
 Flick & Company of Butler. The oil is 
 found in the third sand. The wells aver- 
 aged about twenty-five barrels daily and 
 are still producing. Drilling operations 
 are being continued. Practically every 
 farm in the township has either oil or gas 
 wells, though at present there are no large 
 producers. Five-hundred barrel wells 
 have been foimd in the township. 
 
 There are large deposits of limestone in 
 the township, but they are as yet unde-. 
 veloped owing to the lack of transporta- 
 tion facilities. 
 
 Coylesville, a settlement of about thirty 
 people, is located near the center of the 
 township. Robert Krouse and Sons con- 
 duct a general store at this point, and it 
 is a pay station for the Kittanning Tele- 
 phone Company. 
 
 Fenelton, about one and a lialf miles 
 north of Coylesville, contains about 
 twenty people and is a station on the 
 B. R. & P. Railroad. P. Fennel is post- 
 master and W. I. Sipe and J. Coyle and 
 Co. are general merchants. 
 
 Lucasville is a flag station of the B. R. & 
 P. Railroad ; it has no stores. 
 
 Clearfield Township has not been lack- 
 ing in religious facilities, the Catholic 
 church in particular being early repre- 
 sented here. 
 
 St. John's Catholic Church dates away 
 back to the first pioneer settlers. In those 
 early days the cabins of the pioneers were 
 opened at stated times and Mass was said 
 by missionary priests, the homes of Manus 
 Dugan, John Sheridan, John Green, Will- 
 
590 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 iam McGee, Dennis Duff, Patrick McBride, 
 the Gallaghers, the Dennys and the O'Don- 
 nells being selected. In 1853 a church 
 edifice was erected and prior to that time 
 Catholics attended St. Patrick's Church 
 on Sugar Creek, Armstrong County, or 
 the church of St. Mary's Monastery, which 
 was built in Summit Township in 1841. 
 The church building belonging to St. 
 John's congregation is one of the most 
 pretentious in the township, and the ceme- 
 tery, in which rest the remains of many 
 of the early settlers, is a beautiful and 
 well kept tract. The congregation now 
 numbers about 425 people. Father 'Cal- 
 lahan is the present pastor. 
 
 St. Mary's of the Woods is the name 
 bestowed upon the private chapel at the 
 old Hickory Homestead near the northern 
 line of Clearfield Township. It was used 
 for many years as a family place of wor- 
 ship, and the doors were opened for all 
 purposes of a Mission Chapel when the 
 place was visited by Father Hickey, the 
 owner of the property. Father Hickey 
 was a well known priest of the Catholic 
 church who was born and reared in Butler 
 County, and spent the greater part of his 
 life in Pittsburg and vicinity. A few 
 years previous to his death he established 
 a home for incurables at the old Hickey 
 homestead in Clearfield Township, and the 
 place is now imder the care of the Catholic 
 charitable societies of Pittsburg. A num- 
 ber of buildings were erected for the care 
 of the inmates, and the doors of the insti- 
 tution are open at all times to the unfor- 
 tunates who cannot obtain admission to 
 regular hospitals and sanitariums. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church, near 
 Fenelton, was organized in October, 1857, 
 and prior to the Civil War services were 
 held in the same building which accommo- 
 dated the English Lutherans. The changes 
 that came about caused the little society 
 to be reduced to small membership up to 
 1880, when there was a religious revival 
 and in 1881 the church was reorganized 
 
 and a church building was dedicated in 
 the same year. The Fennells have alwaj^s 
 been earnest Methodists and generous con- 
 tributors to this society, which now num- 
 bers about 150 members. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church of 
 Carbon Center, which was organized in 
 1878, grew in membership when the town 
 was prosperous but many of its original 
 members subsequently moved to other 
 sections and it no longer exists as an or- 
 ganized body. The same may be said of 
 the English Lutheran Society, which was 
 in existence from 1857 until 1861. 
 
 In 1835 Clearfield Township came under 
 the common school system and at present 
 has many excellent school buildings and a 
 large percentage of the children take ad- 
 vantage of the opportunities given them. 
 The records show that the first school- 
 house was built about 1799, near the Win- 
 field Township line, those interested in its 
 erection being Arthur O'Donnell, Andrew 
 and Michael Dugan, James and John Mc- 
 Laughlin. Michael McCue and James 
 Denny. The second school building was 
 erected near Coylesville. The township 
 now has six schools. Daniel Meenan, John 
 Swain, B. McCrea, James Nugent, John 
 Sweeney and John SchuUer composed the 
 board in 1908. 
 
 Toivnship Officials: Justices of the 
 peace — F. P. McBride, and J. Dipner; 
 constable — J. Swain; collector — J. Dip- 
 ner; assessor — J. McDwett; road commis- 
 sioners — F. P. McBride, J. Dipner and 
 E. Milligan; auditors — W. Dipner, J. Mc- 
 Dwett and T. Green. 
 
 SUMMIT TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Summit Township, an oil district and a 
 farming section of Butler County, is also 
 a leading educational center, both the Cath- 
 olics and the Lutherans having large insti- 
 tutions which are well patronized. This 
 township, taken mainly from Butler and 
 Clearfield, with portions of Donegal and 
 Center Townships, was organized in 1854. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 591 
 
 Although the settlement of almost the 
 whole of Butler County dates from about 
 1796, there is evidence to show that still 
 earlier pioneers had lived in what is now 
 Summit Township, the Rays in that year 
 finding some untenanted cabins near their 
 own point of settlement and hearing of 
 others still farther awaj^ near the Beaver 
 slope. To the Rays, however, credit is 
 usually given as it is known that William 
 Ray built his log cabin in this wilderness 
 in 1796, and that when the county was or- 
 ganized, in 1803, he was the owner of 150 
 acres. 
 
 The Mitchells and Scotts and also the 
 descendants of Thomas Smith claim their 
 ancestors as pioneers of the same year, 
 as do also the McCurdys, all of whom en- 
 tered land and put up their log cabins in 
 the Bonny Brook district. In 1803 is re- 
 corded the marriage of James McCurdy to 
 Peggy Thorn, her family having been very 
 early in this section. In 1778, Peter Henry 
 and sister were rescued from the Indians 
 and came to make their home in the Bonny 
 Brook settlement and he became a man of 
 affairs in the neighborhood, his house be- 
 ing selected for the transaction of public 
 business. The first mill built in the town- 
 ship was that constructed in 1800, by Will- 
 iam Neyman, near the mouth of Bonny- 
 Brook, and after completing and operating 
 his grist mill he added a saw-mill and a 
 carding and fulling-mill. He evidently 
 was a man of great business enterprise 
 and, although the structures were very 
 primitive, they were of great importance 
 to the community and around these mills 
 grew up the first congested section of the 
 township. In 1813 Abraham Brinker 
 moved into the Bonny Brook region and 
 he built a carding-mill, a saw-mill and dis- 
 tillery, and in the following year built a 
 stone grist mill. These mills were kept 
 busj^ through many years, having different 
 owners and at various times being im- 
 proved with better machinery. The year 
 1830 saw the advent of an excellent type of 
 
 German settlers — men and women who had 
 contended with hard conditions in their 
 native land and had thus been well pre- 
 pared for those they faced, and subse- 
 quently overcame, in Western Pennsyl- 
 vania. The last of the original German 
 pioneers, Nicholas Bleichner, died in Feb- 
 ruary, 1894, when in the ninety-third year 
 of his age. 
 
 The leading village of Summit Township 
 is Herman Station, which is the successor 
 of Bonny Brook, which was the first set- 
 tlement in Summit Township. The name 
 given when the post-otiice was first estab- 
 lished was Brinker 's Mills, Bonny Brook 
 being accepted as the name in 1868. The 
 great oil wells between Herman and Great 
 Belt, have made this section better known 
 to the outside world. In 1876 Charles 
 Smith was appointed postmaster at Her- 
 man Station, and in 1877 Albert Smith 
 purchased a hotel which had been erected 
 here in 1875, by Charles Garlach, and, 
 with the development of the Herman oil 
 field, tlie place had a rapid growth. This 
 section is still the home of many of the old 
 and substantial families of the township. 
 
 Schools, colleges and churches testify to 
 the character of the residents of Summit 
 Township. The first schools were of the 
 subscription type and for some years, on 
 account of the sparsely settled country, 
 many children had no school opportunities 
 whatever, but in 1813 a log building was 
 put up near Brinker's mill and dedicated 
 to school purposes; in 1818 the Brinkers, 
 the Gillilands and Martins erected a sec- 
 ond school building. The township now 
 contains six public schools, all in a state of 
 efficiency. In 1876 the Lutheran school 
 was established, and in May, 1894, a con- 
 vent and school for the instruction of chil- 
 dren and the education of yoimg ladies, 
 was founded near Herman. 
 
 St. Fidelis College, a part of St. Mary's 
 Monastery, dates back to the spring of 
 1877, and in that year the old parochial 
 residence was converted into a collegiate 
 
592 
 
 IIISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 scliool, one which still offers to Catholic 
 youths every advantage given by Harvard, 
 Yale or Cornell. The first students to 
 complete the course came from the Capu- 
 chin college in Bavaria, finding here the 
 instruction and inspiration, for many 
 years supposed to be only secured in the 
 universities of the old world. 
 
 St. Mary's Catholic Church is the oldest 
 religious organization in Summit Town- 
 ship, missionary priests visiting this sec- 
 tion and ministering almost from the time 
 the first Catholic settled here. By 1846 
 there were enough of the faith to support 
 the churcli as an organization and from 
 that time until the present, many of the 
 leading families have been its adherents 
 and are proud of the association. 
 
 Zion German Lutheran Church was or- 
 ganized May 3, 1877, and Eev. F. Wilhelm 
 was pastor until 1891. Since the comple- 
 tion of the present church building in 1880, 
 the congregation has increased in numbers 
 almost to its capacity, and it is the recog- 
 nized church home of the German element, 
 outside of the Catholic religion. 
 
 Summit Township is the home of a body 
 of Capuchin priests and the magnificent 
 structures which crown the heights above 
 Herman Station, represent their monas- 
 tery and college and church of St. Mary's. 
 The persecution of the Catholic orders in 
 Germany in 1870 caused the establishment 
 of numerous bodies in America, the his- 
 tory of older religious bodies being re- 
 peated. The foundation stone of the Mon- 
 astery was laid July 21, 1876, and the 
 structure, with its additions, was entirely 
 completed in 1893. In the first buildings 
 the Monastic-Gothic style was observed 
 and later buildings were prepared in the 
 same line of architecture. The first prior 
 was Father Matthew Hau. St. Mary's 
 Church is practically one of the monastic 
 buildings and is of the same architecture. 
 Its altars, statuary, paintings, frescoes and 
 its beautiful stained glass windows give it 
 dignity and distinction and its services are 
 
 conducted with the ceremonials that belong 
 to so old and so influential an oi'ganization. 
 Summit Township is well supplied with 
 minerals, the Upper and Lower Freeport 
 and the Kittanuing veins of coal being 
 found, and small mines have been operated 
 for many years. There are no extensive 
 mining operations carried on in the town- 
 ship at the present time. The Baltimore & 
 Ohio Eailroad, the West Penn Branch, and 
 the Buffalo, Eochester and Pittsburg Eail- 
 road, traverse this township in reaching 
 Butler, and afford many opportunities 
 for developing its natural resources. Oil 
 and gas have been produced here for many 
 years, the fields at Herman Station, in the 
 southeastern portion of the township, and 
 at Carbon Center in the northeastern por- 
 tion, having proved very productive. 
 
 EAST BUTLEK. 
 
 Ihe town of East Butler in Smnmit 
 Township had its inception in 1903, when 
 a number of business men of Butler organ- 
 ized the Butler Land and Improvement 
 Company. The incorporators of the com- 
 pany were D. H. Sutton, president; J. P. 
 Anderson, secretary; William Campbell, 
 Jr., treasurer; and these officers with J. 
 Henrj^ Troutman, W. D. Brandon, and 
 John S. Campbell composed the board of 
 directors. A charter was obtained August 
 3, 1903, for the purpose of developing the 
 land that had been purchased in Summit 
 Township. The holdings of the company 
 consist of 640 acres lying on Bonnie Brook, 
 two miles east of Butler on the Baltimore 
 & Ohio and the Buffalo, Eochester & Pitts- 
 burg Eailroads, 150 acres of which has 
 been laid out in manufacturing sites, and 
 the balance in town lots. This tract of land 
 comprises the farms formerly owned by 
 John Bach, J. M. Heinzer, Eobert Stephen- 
 son, Jacob Johnson, Jack Walker, and the 
 McCandless heirs. A public sale of lots 
 was held in September, 1903, at which the 
 movement to build a town was formally 
 inaugurated. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 593 
 
 The first business enterprise to locate at 
 East Butler was the Eleanor Iron & Steel 
 Company which began the erection of a 
 plant in the fall of 1903. This enterprise 
 jaroved a failure, and nothing more was 
 accomplished until the fall of 1906, when 
 the Pittsburg-Hickson Bed Works located 
 at the new town site and began the erection 
 of their extensive plant which is now in 
 full operation. The buildings of this plant 
 are substantial brick structures covering 
 about ten acres of groimd, and the entire 
 plant occupies about twenty acres. The 
 plant manufactures brass and iron bed- 
 steads, and is the largest factory of its 
 kind in the United States. 
 
 The Valvolene Oil Company in 1907 
 erected a large refinery which now gives 
 employment to about 100 men. 
 
 The location of the Bed Factory was the 
 beginning of a building boom for the new 
 town, and during the winter of 1906 and 
 summer of 1907 over one hundred houses 
 were erected in addition to a hotel, several 
 store rooms, and meat markets. In 1908 
 the town had a population of about 600, 
 two general stores, a drug store, two meat 
 markets, two public schools, a chui'ch, and 
 a post-office. The latter was installed in 
 1907, with J. L. Ealston as post-master. 
 
 The Pittsburg-Hickson Company, manu- 
 facturers of iron beds, is a Pennsylvania 
 corporation incorporated June 20. 1906, 
 with a capital stock of $500,000.00, of 
 which $300,000.00 is common stock and 
 $200,000.00 preferred stock. The plant is 
 located at East Butler, two miles east of 
 the borough of Butler, on the B. & 0. and 
 B. E. & P. Eailroads, at Noeline Station. 
 
 The company secured a manufacturing 
 site of twenty acres from the Butler Land 
 & Improvement Company, and in the sum- 
 mer of 1906 began the erection of a large 
 plant, which was completed and in opera- 
 tion the latter part of 1907. The buildings 
 are constructed of brick and iron, and have 
 a floor space of 220,000 square feet. Since 
 the erection of the first buildings the floor 
 
 space has been increased considerably, and 
 the total capacity of the plant at the pres- 
 ent time is 5000 iron beds daily. In addi- 
 tion to the above there has been added a 
 department for the manufacture of bed 
 springs and mattresses. At the present 
 time tlie plant is only operated with a day 
 force, but it is the intention of the man- 
 agement to operate both a day and night 
 force as soon as the business conditions of 
 the country will justify it. The concern 
 owns its oviTX water works, and has a well- 
 organized fire department among the em- 
 ployes of the plant. The Pittsburg-Hick- 
 son Company is the largest concern in this 
 country engaged in the exclusive manufac- 
 ture of iron beds. The product of this 
 plant is shipped to all parts of the world, 
 and sold only to jobbers in car lots. At 
 the present time there are aboiit 300 men 
 employed, and this number will be more 
 than doubled when the night turn is put on. 
 
 The present officers of the company are 
 E. J. Hickson, president and general man- 
 ager; B. F. Sprankle, vice-president and 
 traesurer; and Frank H. Murphy, secre- 
 tary. 
 
 The Presbyterian congregation was or- 
 ganized September 27, 1908, with a mem- 
 bership of about fifty. The trustees are 
 J. L. Ealston, J. W. Campbell, Ed. Davis 
 and W. D. Sutter. The elders are W. S. 
 Brandon, L. M. Wise and Harry Wimer, 
 and Eev. W. E. Oiler, of the First Presby- 
 terian Church of Butler is the provisional 
 moderator of the session, until such a time 
 as the congregation can secure a perma- 
 nent pastor. During the summer of 1908 
 the congregation built a frame church at 
 a cost of about $2500.00 which fully meets 
 its present requirements. 
 
 The town of East Butler is supplied 
 with the best of water, which is obtained 
 from drilled wells near the town site. The 
 East Butler Water Company has been in- 
 corporated with the following officers: 
 Jas. W. Hutchison, president; J. C. Kis- 
 kaddon, secretary, and E. E. Bell, treas- 
 
594 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 urer. The town has also been piped for 
 gas, and is supplied by both the T. W. 
 Phillips Oil & Gas Company, and the Rei- 
 ber Independent Line. 
 
 The town is also the home of the Valvo- 
 line Oil Company, which erected a large 
 refiner}^ partly on the land of The Butler 
 Land and Improvement Company, and on 
 lands purchased from Peter Green, and 
 the McCandless heirs, lying west of the 
 town of East Butler. This company em- 
 ploys about one hundred men, and when 
 the works are fully established will employ 
 double that number. 
 
 Fully five hundred workmen find em- 
 plojTiient in the factories at East Butler, 
 and the outlook for the new town is most 
 promising. It will be a matter of a short 
 time until the town is lighted with elec- 
 tricity, and a suburban railroad will con- 
 nect it with the county seat. The town 
 has not yet been incorporated as a bor- 
 ough, but its citizens are already looking 
 forward to that time. The officers of the 
 Butler Land and Improvement Company in 
 1908 were the same as 1903, with the ex- 
 ception of treasurer, Mr. William Camp- 
 bell, Jr., having died in 1907. The gen- 
 eral superintendent and manager of the 
 company's interests is D. H. Sutton. 
 
 Herman Station is a village on the But- 
 ler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
 in the southeastern corner of the township. 
 It came into existence after the construc- 
 ion of the railroad in 1871, and for a num- 
 ber of years the only improvements were a 
 general store and "hotel. The hotel was 
 built in 1875 by Charles Garlaeh and pur- 
 chased in 1880 by Albert Smith, who be- 
 came the post-master when the old Bonny 
 Brook post-office was discontinued and 
 removed to that place. Charles Smith aft- 
 erwards became the post-master, general 
 storekeeper and station agent, and he was 
 succeeded by M. E. Dittmer, and he in turn 
 by W. P. Limberg. The great wells of the 
 Herman oil field were struck during the 
 latter part of the eighties and nineties. 
 
 but have not tended to increase the popula- 
 tion or mercantile interests of the place to 
 a great extent. The celebrated Eichenlaub 
 and Wolfe farms are in this vicinity. The 
 Monastery buildings on the hill above Her- 
 man are an attractive feature of the place, 
 and are noted elsewhere in this chapter. 
 
 Carbon Center is a station on the Balti- 
 more & Ohio Railroad in the northeastern 
 corner of the township, and derives its 
 name from the old village of Carbon Cen- 
 ter that existed close to the Donegal and 
 Clearfield Township lines, and was a noted 
 oil field during the latter part of the sev- 
 enties. Carbon Center, Heck Station and 
 St. Joe Station in Oakland Township, at 
 one time formed a busy community, and 
 was the center of oil operations for over 
 twenty years. 
 
 POPULATION. 
 
 The population of the township in 1860 
 was 939; in 1870 it was 1304; in 1880, 1266; 
 and in 1890, 1287. The oil developments 
 of the township which began in 1890 in- 
 creased the population to 1500 in 1894. It 
 dropped back to 1260 in 1900, but the es- 
 tablishing of East Butler in 1908 has in- 
 creased the population to 1840. 
 
 Toivnship Officials: The officials of the 
 township in 1908 were John Herrit, tax 
 collector; John Biedenbach, constable; 
 Joseph Mauer, township clerk ; Peter Nigh, 
 Pred Oesterling and Fred Trimbur, road 
 supervisors; James Oesterling, assessor; 
 J. W. Baldauf, Judge of elections; L. M. 
 Wise, inspector; William Baldauf, in- 
 spector of elections ; George Porcht. J. AV. 
 Baldauf and Pred Trimbur, auditors; J. 
 Kronenbitter, justice of the peace. 
 
 WINFIELD TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Winfield Township was organized in 
 1854 and formed of territory formerly in- 
 cluded in Clearfield and Buffalo Town- 
 ships. It has less tillable land than a num- 
 ber of the other townships of the county, 
 but its mineral deposits and its fine water 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 595 
 
 power giving excellent manufacturing 
 sites, have contributed to the material 
 prosperity of this section and these ad- 
 vantages early attracted a fine type of 
 pioneer settler. 
 
 The pioneers who came first, were 
 natives of Ireland and until 1836 the 
 larger number of settlers were more or 
 less of the same ancestry, including a num- 
 ber of Revolutionary veterans. In 1796 
 came Jeremiah Smith with his four sons 
 and two daughters. Two of the Smith 
 sous were equipped with trades, one being 
 a cooper and the other a carpenter and in 
 the next year came David Moorhead, a 
 weaver. Even at that early day, these 
 trades were useful to the commuuity and 
 they were taught to the next generation. 
 In 1797-8 came Andrew Cruikshank, with 
 the record of seven years of honorable 
 service in the AVar of the Revolution ; and 
 in the same year the little Settlement was 
 increased by Mathias Cypher and family, 
 who left many descendants, the name yet 
 being a familiar one in the township. In 
 1799, John and Michael Fair with Caleb 
 Jones acquired lands here, and about 1800 
 appear the names of John and William 
 Clugston, Samuel Cooper, Robert John- 
 ston, William and James Hazlett, John 
 Kennedy and Jacob Harshmau. About 
 1815 other settlers were Arthur Hill, Rob- 
 ert Galbreath aud William Hesselgesser 
 and family. In 1817 came Abraham 
 Leasure, founder of the village of Leasure- 
 ville and when Thomas Bickett came in 
 1818 they found James, William and 
 David Ralston and Robert Graham, al- 
 ready established. In 1832 came the first 
 French pioneers, Francis Jackman and 
 wife. In 1836 the colony was greatly aug- 
 mented by the arrival of many Germans 
 and they brought with them their habits 
 of thrift and frugality which soon made 
 an impression in the township, where, un- 
 der their industry, great agricultural de- 
 velopment followed. 
 
 The industries of the township include 
 
 milling, ore and coal mining, the success- 
 ful development of gas and extensive 
 working of limestone quarries. In 1809 
 Jeremiah Smith, Jr., and Caleb Jones 
 built a grist-mill, which succeeded the 
 hand-mill constructed by his father. The 
 Smiths controlled the earliest industries, 
 having a saw-pit, mills, plow, harrow and 
 cooper shops. In 1806 Thomas Horton 
 built a saw-mill and was assisted in oper- 
 ating it by his son William, who was 
 also an itinerant Methodist preacher. In 
 1817, Peter McLaughlin purchased the 
 Smith grist-mill and 500 acres of land, and 
 about the same time, Peter and Hugh or 
 Robert McLaughlin, established a powder 
 factory and both industries were contin- 
 ued until 1828. The powder mill, under 
 other owners, was operated for many 
 years afterward. The mill also changed 
 owners and in 1853 the Dennys tore down 
 the old mill and put up a more modern one 
 which was subsequently still further im- 
 proved. Just east of this mill, a great gas 
 well was drilled by the Denny brothers 
 and William Stewart, in 1871, and in 1874 
 the productive Denny well was opened, the 
 drilling reaching 1,442 feet. The Hazlett 
 family conducted grist and saw-mills on 
 Rough Run so long and successfully that 
 they were given the local name of the 
 millers of Rough Run. 
 
 In 1847 began the first important devel- 
 oping of ore deposits near the mouth of 
 Rough Run, and William Spear estab- 
 lished the Winfield furnace. In 1856 it 
 passed into the hands of the Winfield Coal 
 and Iron Company aud later was the prop- 
 erty of William Stewart, who worked it 
 until 1864. An attempt was made in 
 1891-2 to profitably operate salt works, on 
 land near the Winfield furnace, but the 
 enterprise did not succeed. One of the 
 township's most prosperous concerns is 
 the Acme Lime Company, Limited, which 
 was organized in 1894, with J. A. Ransom 
 president, J. J. Haas, secretary and Web- 
 ster Keasey, superintendent. The com- 
 
596 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pany owns 177 acres of land on Rough 
 Run, and tlieir plants are equipped with 
 every modern improvement in the line of 
 quarry machinery. The company also 
 operates a coal mine and employment is 
 afforded a large force. 
 
 Winfield Grange is one of the strong 
 organizations of the Patrons of Hus- 
 bandry in the county as well as one of the 
 oldest. The Grange has a membership of 
 over fifty and owns its own hall. George 
 Bieker is the master. 
 
 Certain interests have favored the 
 growth of a number of pleasant villages 
 in Winfield Township, each one of which 
 has its full complement of happy homes. 
 Leasurevillc, platted as Unionville in 1832, 
 is of the class above named. Melissadale, 
 named in honor of the wife of A¥illiam 
 Stewart, is no longer a place of much im- 
 portance, its milling interests having de- 
 clined. 
 
 Cabot Station dates back to 1871, when 
 W. S. Boyd erected a building for hotel 
 purposes after the Butler Branch Railroad 
 had been completed. The post-office at 
 this point was known as Carbon Black un- 
 til 1904, when the name of the office and 
 station were changed to Cabot, and the 
 railroad station as Saxon Station. 
 
 The Carbon Black Works were estab- 
 lished in 1876 by Nolan and Bordman, 
 when one brick and one frame building 
 were erected. These were burned in the 
 winter of 1879-80, and the present brick 
 structure, 250x120 feet, was erected in 
 1881. The capacity of the factory is about 
 2,500 pounds of carbon black a week. In 
 1902 the works were purchased by G. L. 
 Cabot of Boston, who is the present oper- 
 ator. 
 
 The present public school at Cabot was 
 erected in 1888, in the place of the old 
 brick school house that was in use previ- 
 ous to the Civil War. Cabot Institute was 
 established in 190.3, and the present brick 
 building erected the same year. The lum- 
 ber yards of Sykes & Wetzel were estab- 
 
 lished about 1890. The present village is 
 composed of about twenty-five dwellings, 
 a blacksmith shop, the Carbon Black 
 AVorks, Rumbaugh's Livery barn, and 
 Smith & Logan's store. The post-office 
 is at the store, and C. A. Smith is the 
 post-master. 
 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Cabot Station is the successor of Knox 
 M. E. Church of Winfield Township. 
 About 1903 the Knox Society purchased 
 the building at Cabot formerly occupied 
 by the Metliodist Protestant Society and 
 removed to the village. The church is in 
 the circiait with Ekastown and Pisk Chapel 
 and the present pastor is Rev. J. J. Buell. 
 
 Manvood Station, formerly Delano, 
 dates back to 1870, when E. G. Lighthold 
 opened a store at that point. A post-office 
 was established in Daniel Denny's store 
 building in 1871, with L. Heydrick as post- 
 master. The principal stores of the place 
 in 1908 were those of A. Krause & Son, 
 and Krause & Freehling. 
 
 Cahot Institute. Through the generos- 
 ity of G. L. Cabot, the citizens of Cabot 
 Station were enabled to establish an insti- 
 tute which has been a great benefit to the 
 young people of the community as well as 
 a credit to the enterprise of her citizens. 
 In 1903 the movement was inaugurated 
 and Mr. Cabot proposed to duplicate 'the 
 amount of money raised in the community 
 for building pui-poses by his personal 
 check. A subscription list was started and 
 in a short time sufficient money was 
 pledged to insure the erection of the build- 
 ing, and the donation of the ground was 
 secured from Webster Keasey, a resident 
 of Cabot. A handsome two-story brick 
 building was erected, and the institute 
 started its first year with sixty-five pupils. 
 The first principal was S. W. Frazier, and 
 he was succeeded by E. 0. Copeland, and 
 he in turn by James Campbell. In 1906 
 C. W. Johnson was elected principal, and 
 continued until in the fall of 1908, when 
 A. W. Wallace of New Athens, Ohio, took 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 597 
 
 charge of the school. The board of direc- 
 tors of the institute in 1908 was composed 
 of John Rivers, Sr., President ; Dr. J. M. 
 Scott, Secretary ; and C. A. Smith, Robert 
 Krause, G. L. Cabot of Boston, Judge 
 James M. Galbreath of Butler, and J. W. 
 Powell of Buffalo township. The institute 
 has twenty-one pupils enrolled, and is in 
 a prosperous condition. 
 
 St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church at 
 Cabot Station was built in 1904 by Rev. 
 Father Nicholas M. Deinlein of St. Fidelis 
 College, Herman, who had taken an in- 
 terest in the welfare of the foreigners em- 
 ployed at the mines and quarries in Win- 
 field township. 
 
 West W infield. The village of West 
 Winfield in Winfield Township is located 
 on ground that has some historic interest. 
 About the year 1817 William Hazlett 
 erected a grist mill on Rough Run which 
 he and his sons operated until after the 
 erection of Winfield furnace. In 1847 
 William Spear erected a furnace near the 
 mouth of Rough Run to develop the rich 
 iron ore deposits of that section. Spear 
 operated the furnace until 1856, when the 
 industry passed into the hands of the Win- 
 field Coal & Iron Company from whom it 
 was purchased by William Stewart, who 
 had previously operated the old Hickory 
 Furnace on Slippery Rock creek at Kies- 
 ter's Mill. Stewart operated the furnace 
 until about 1865 when it went out of blast 
 and the property was abandoned. The 
 furnace tract of land consisting of 1,400 
 acres of the best mineral land in Butler 
 county came into the possession of the 
 McKee estate of Pittsburg, the present 
 owners. The old stone stack of the fur- 
 nace is still standing, and a stone house 
 still remains as the only monuments of 
 one of the principal industries of Butler 
 County more than half a century ago. 
 
 The village of today had its inception in 
 the building of the West Winfield Branch 
 Railroad in 1890 and 1891, which was con- 
 structed from Monroeville up Rough Run 
 
 to the site of the old furnace. The Rough 
 Run Manufacturing Company purchased 
 a tract of land adjoining the furnace prop- 
 erty in 1891, and established a salt works. 
 The company, which was composed of But- 
 ler people, carried out the idea of Joseph 
 Bredin to pipe salt water from the salt 
 water wells near Butler to the plant of 
 Rough Run, and tliere manufacture the 
 salt where there was an abundance of 
 cheap fuel to be obtained from the natural 
 gas wells. The enterprise was carried on 
 for a year or two but proved unprofitable, 
 and the works were closed. 
 
 After the completion of the West Win- 
 field Railroad in 1890, Webster Keasey 
 and J. A. Ransom leased the Keasey farm 
 of 177 acres from the Rough Run Manu- 
 facturing Company, and began the mining 
 and shipping of lime. Keasey and Ran- 
 som disposed of their plant to Houston 
 Brothers of Pittsburg, who operated it 
 for a number of years, and about 1898 
 A. G. Morris & Son of Tyrone purchased 
 the interest of Houston Brothers. In the 
 meantime F. W. McKee had opened up the 
 limestone vein on the furnace tract south 
 of tlie old Keasey farm, which is now the 
 scene of the largest limestone operation 
 of its kind in the United States. The lime- 
 stone was mined by drifting into the side 
 of the hill, and the main entry now ex- 
 tends about 1,800 feet from tlie mouth of 
 the mine. The mine is equipped with 
 compressed air machines for drilling, 
 lighted with electricity, and electric haul- 
 age is used. About eighty men are em- 
 ployed continuously, and the output of the 
 mine averages six hundred tons daily of 
 raw stone and about one thousand bushels 
 of burnt lime. The superintendent of the 
 operations is George Milliron, who has 
 been an employe of the company for eight 
 years, and the foreman of the mining 
 operations is R. D. Younkins. The lime- 
 stone at this point is twenty-eight feet 
 thick, and lies in three veins. At the pres- 
 ent time the company is taking out the 
 
598 
 
 HISTOEY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 two lower veins and leaving in the top 
 vein, which is six feet thick, for a roof. 
 
 In addition to the limestone operations 
 at West Winfield, F. W. McKee & Com- 
 pany are operating the Darlington Sand- 
 stone and shipping a large quantity of 
 sand to Pittsburg and other points which 
 is used in the manufacture of glass. 
 
 The Duquesue Fireproofing Company 
 which was organized several years ago to 
 develop the fire clay on Eough Eun, built 
 a large plant for the manufacture of sewer 
 pipe, terra cotta work and other products 
 of fire clay. They employed several hun- 
 dred men until 1906, when the plant was 
 closed down. 
 
 Rough Run Postoffice was established in 
 189-1, and Webster Keasey was installed 
 as its first postmaster. In October, 1898, 
 the name of the office was changed to West 
 Winfield, and in May, 1899, W. H. Cooper 
 succeeded Mr. Keasey as postmaster. Mr. 
 Cooper remained in charge of the office 
 until November 12, 1903, when he was suc- 
 ceeded by C. C. Donaldson, the present 
 postmaster. 
 
 St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church was 
 built in 1902, and is under the care of the 
 priests at St. Mary's College, Herman. It 
 is a commodious frame building and was 
 erected by the members of the Catholic 
 faith in that community who had an in- 
 terest in the religious welfare of the for- 
 eigners who are employed at the works. 
 A large percentage of the membership is 
 foreign, but the American residents of the 
 place also attend the services. 
 
 The Presbifterian Mission at West Win- 
 field is under the care of the Presbyterian 
 church, and is the only Protestant organ- 
 ization in the place. Sabbath School and 
 services are held in the hall of the public 
 school building, and at the present time 
 are in charge of Rev. George Stewart. 
 The public school house was built in 1901 
 by the school board of Winfield Township, 
 assisted by the financial aid of F. W. Mc- 
 Kee, who is agent for the McKee estate. 
 
 The business houses of the town are 
 C. C. Donaldson & Company, who conduct 
 a general store and keep the postoffice, 
 and Jacob Schwartz, clothing. The town 
 of West Winfield is built entirely on the 
 old furnace property, and the houses are 
 owned by the McKee estate. The popula- 
 tion of the place varies from six hundred 
 to one thousand, and is composed princi- 
 pally of foreigners, who are employed at 
 the works and mines. 
 
 Black, or Saxon Station gained local 
 prominence when the carbon works were 
 established at this point in 1876 and con- 
 ducted until the winter of 1879-80, when 
 they were burned. The present brick 
 structures were put up in 1881 and the 
 industry continues. In 1888 a fine public 
 school building was erected, the town has 
 excellent railroad facilities and is one of 
 the centers of population in the township. 
 Delano Station dates back to 1870, when 
 E. G. Leithold opened a store here and in 
 the following year a post-office was estab- 
 lished, with L. Heidrick as first post- 
 master. The village is the center of a 
 wealthy outside district and supplies the 
 wants of a considerable extent of country. 
 The name of this place is now Cabot. 
 
 Prior to 1815 the children of AVinfield 
 and Clearfield Township were served in 
 large measure by the same teachers. Edu- 
 cational needs were by no means neglected, 
 although, perhaps, they were not furthered 
 as rapidly as in some other sections. The 
 intelligent citizenship, however, of the 
 present day, shows there is no lack of 
 schools or educating opportunities in the 
 year 1909. 
 
 There arc nine ]iul)lic schools with an 
 enrollment of -'■^■> sdiolars. 
 
 Church nicinhciship is divided between 
 the Methodist Episcopal and the Lutheran 
 and Evangelical bodies. Knox Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, near the eastern line of 
 Jefferson Township, is probably the oldest 
 organization, existing as a society in 1824. 
 Like many of the early charges it had its 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 599 
 
 difficulties, but in 1864 a brick structure 
 was erected in which the congregation 
 worshipped until it was decided to remove 
 to Cabot, when the building was converted 
 into a dwelling house. 
 
 Fisk Methodist Episcopal Church was 
 organized in August, 1855, and in 1857 a 
 brick building was built which may be en- 
 larged to accommodate increasing mem- 
 bership. It was given its name in honor 
 of Rev. Wilbur Fisk, a worthy man and 
 beloved pastor. Its present pastor is Rev. 
 J. J. Buell. 
 
 The German Lutheran Church was or- 
 ganized in 1848 by Rev. Henry Issense, 
 although prior to that time religioiis serv- 
 ices had been regularly held. The first 
 house of worship of this body was a build- 
 ing erected in the cemetery east of the 
 present church edifice, which succeeded 
 under the pastorate of Revei^end Umsler, 
 in 1887. In the old cemetery adjoining- 
 rest the remains of many of the old Ger- 
 man settlers of the township and it is 
 noted that many of the headstones tell the 
 pitiful tale of the scourge that visited 
 many of the homes in 1858 — scarlet fever. 
 
 St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church (German) was incorporated in 
 November, 1888, with thirty-two members, 
 including Rev. J. G. Amsohler. 
 
 It is in the Sarversville charge with St. 
 Paul's Church of Sarversville and St. 
 Luke's Church of Saxonburg. Rev. J. A. 
 Frishkorn is the present pastor. 
 
 The Evangelical Zion Church of Win- 
 field and Buffalo Townships, signed 
 articles of association, January 6, 1873, 
 but it was organized in 1852, when a small 
 frame building was erected, which served 
 until the fine church structure was com- 
 pleted in 1873. 
 
 The Methodist Protestant Church at 
 Saxon Station was accommodated by the 
 trustees of the society by the erection of 
 their neat frame building, which was com- 
 pleted in 1879, when Rev. J. J. AVaggoner 
 was appointed pastor. It may thus be 
 
 seen that the spiritual welfare of the resi- 
 dents of Winfield Township is well taken 
 care of and the influence of these bodies 
 is doubtless reflected in the quiet, peaceful, 
 law-abiding life which pervades this sec- 
 tion. An organization of local note is the 
 Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 
 pany, which was organized August 27, 
 1859, by Lewis A. Krause, who served as 
 first president. 
 
 The population of the township in 1900 
 was 1,395 and the estimated population 
 in 1908 was 1,680. The increase in the 
 last eight years is' due to the development 
 of the limestone and mining industries. 
 
 The township officials in 1908 were as 
 follows : Constable, John Milliron ; town- 
 ship clerk, George Morris; tax collector, 
 G. W. Galbreath; road supervisors, W. S. 
 Cruikshank, Henry Grimm, Scott Cruik- 
 sliank ; auditors, J. H. Morehead, William 
 Fox, G. W. Watson. Election officers: 
 First Precinct — Erhart Lang, judge ; Will- 
 iam Fox and Theodore Acre, inspectors; 
 Second Precinct — W. J. Jenkins, judge; 
 H. C. Gibson and William Rummel, in- 
 spectors. Assistant assessors, W. H. Wat- 
 son and Henry Hilliard. 
 
 WORTH TOWNSHIP. 
 
 Worth Township, which is situated in 
 the northwestern part of Butler County, 
 was organized in 1854, and in its name, 
 commemorates General Worth, a hero of 
 the Mexican War. While it possesses 
 considerable rich farming land, it is mainly 
 noted for its mineral wealth, large areas 
 being rich in coal deposits, and compara- 
 tively recent investigations proving also 
 the presence of reservoirs of natural gas. 
 Profitable wells were drilled on the Elliott, 
 Pizor, McCracken and Boyd farms in the 
 latter part of the eighties and formed a 
 part of the Grove City Gas Plant. The 
 Allegheny & Western Railroad in the 
 southern part of the township is bound in 
 tiine to develop the mineral resources in 
 that district. In the formation of Worth 
 
600 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 township, a part was taken from Slippery- 
 Rock, but the larger portion was sub- 
 tracted from Muddy Creek Township. 
 The population has varied but little since 
 its organization ; in 1908 it was estimated 
 as 1,090. 
 
 Prior to the coming of the white settlers, 
 this, as other sections, had been occupied 
 by the Indians and still many years after 
 their departure an occasional relic of those 
 early inhabitants is found. In the autumn 
 of 1790, two enterprising and courageous 
 men of Cumberland County or Westmore- 
 land County, came to the Indian village on 
 Slippery Rock, and finding no objection 
 made to their presence, built themselves a 
 cabin and remained for three months, en- 
 gaging in hunting and in exploring the 
 coimtry. Probably the peaceful disposi- 
 tion of the natives led David Studebaker, 
 one of these pioneers, to return to this 
 region three years later, accompanied by 
 his sister, and later being joined by his 
 father and the rest of the family. David's 
 marriage to Catherine Michaels was the 
 first ceremony of the kind in the township 
 and many of their descendants have 
 reached a large degree of prominence in 
 Butler and adjacent counties. The per- 
 manent settlers came to Worth Township 
 a few years earlier than to some other 
 sections, William and John Elliott coming 
 in 1793, John Dennison in the same year, 
 David, George and Rebecca Armstrong in 
 1794, and Henry Stinetorf, John and 
 Jacob Pisor, Thomas, David, William and 
 Samuel Cross, Daniel and William Mc- 
 Connell, William McNees and Benjamin 
 Jack, in 1795. Thomas, Andrew and John 
 Clark joined the colony in 1797, and in 
 1798 came Thomas Humphrey, Andrew, 
 Edward and James Douglass, Christopher 
 Wimer and Charles Coulter. A number of 
 these early settlers had been soldiers in 
 the Revolutionary War. Otlier families 
 established here between 1800 and 1820 
 were those of Charles, John and John 
 Martin, Jr., John Taggart, Hugh Hender- 
 
 son, John Moore, Isaac M. Cornelius, 
 Robert Glenn, Casper Hockenberry, Alex- 
 ander McBride and George Taylor. 
 
 Only second to providing shelter and 
 food for their families, the worthy pio- 
 neers of Worth Township felt the re- 
 sponsibility resting on them to provide 
 religious influences and some sort of edu- 
 cational opportunities, the traveling 
 preacher at first suppljang both needs. 
 The Rev. John Anderson is described as 
 calling his audience together as early as 
 May, 1807, under the shade of an oak tree, 
 and on up to 1811, Associate Presbyterian 
 preachers would hold services, John 
 Moore's house always being open for this 
 purpose. 
 
 The United Presbyterian Church, of 
 Slippery Rock, the oldest religious body in 
 Worth Township, was organized in 1809 
 and until 1842 was known as the Mouth of 
 Wolf Creek Church, indicating its loca- 
 tion. In 1811 a house of worship was 
 completed and Alexander Murray was or- 
 dained pastor. The first edifice was 
 burned in 1839 but the membership of this 
 body has always numbered a large per- 
 centage of the wealth of the community 
 and generosity has been shown in subse- 
 quent building for church purposes. In 
 1889 Rev. J. B. Whitten succeeded Rev. 
 M. B. Patterson as pastor. 
 
 Zion Baptist Church, which was organ- 
 ized in November, 1841, held services in 
 the school-house until 1843, when Jacob 
 Fisher donated land on which a substan- 
 tial brick building was erected, this having 
 been enlarged and improved through the 
 further generosity of members of the con- 
 gregation. The first pastor was Rev. 
 Daniel Daniels, and the first members 
 were John and Margaret Oelton, William 
 and Annie Book, Robert and Mary Hamp- 
 son and Phoebe Cooper. 
 
 Mt. Union Church of God congregation 
 was organized in 1871 and the first serv- 
 ices were held in Rockjr Springs school- 
 house. The first preacher in charge was 
 
AND EEPRESENTATHHE CITIZENS 
 
 601 
 
 Elder Joseph Grimm. The generosity of 
 different members made it possible to erect 
 a commodious structure in 1873. 
 
 Eobert Marcus is entitled to the credit 
 of establishing the first school in AVorth 
 Township. He used an old log house then 
 standing on the Pisor farm and his ses- 
 sions began in 1810, when he had twenty- 
 five subscribed pupils. A second school 
 was soon opened on the McNees farm, 
 later another was opened on the Stinetorf 
 farm and long before the common school 
 system was adopted, this section was af- 
 fording its youth educational training, 
 which was mainly confined, however, to the 
 elemental branches. In 1908 there were 
 eight schools in the district with 187 
 scholars, and the total receipts of the dis- 
 trict including the State appropriation 
 were $2,672.00. 
 
 In early days in Worth as in other town- 
 ships, the majority of families provided 
 for the grinding of their own grain, by 
 means of either horse-power or hand mills, 
 the process in either case being one that 
 was very unsatisfactory. Hence, the build- 
 ing of a grist mill was a matter of common 
 interest and the man of enterprise who 
 erected one was looked on, in a way, as a 
 public benefactor. The credit for building 
 the first mill here of that kind lies be- 
 tween Alexander McBride and Franklin 
 Elliott. In 1803 Thomas Coulter operated 
 a saw-mill and after the construction of 
 the McBride grist mill in 1827, the owner 
 of the latter built a saw-mill and con- 
 tinued to operate both mills until 1850. 
 Charles Coulter established his carding- 
 mill following the War of 1812, an indus- 
 try which, under subsequent owners and 
 operators was equipped with modern ma- 
 chinery and during the Civil War did a 
 large business in the manufacture of flan- 
 nels and blankets. It later became known 
 as the Sutliff mill. Tanneries were among 
 the early industries and in 1803, James 
 Coulter established one that was con- 
 ducted for many years as an important 
 
 township industry. In the days of pio- 
 neering one of the remunerative industries 
 was distilling and prior to the temperance 
 agitation in the thirties, much fine whisky 
 was manufactured in Worth Township, 
 the leading men in the industry being 
 Hugh Henderson, Jonathan Uean and 
 William Vogan. Since modern enterprise 
 has found means to develop the natural 
 resources of the land, mining has become 
 one of the most important activities of 
 this section, and, together with gas devel- 
 opment, has attracted both capital and 
 labor to the Township. 
 
 JacksrUle. The village of Mechanics- 
 burg or Jacksville Post-ofiQce is said to 
 have received its name from the fact that 
 a niunber of mechanics lived at the village 
 at the same time. The original post-office 
 at Jacksville was established in William 
 Jack's store on his farm a short distance 
 east of the present village. His son, 
 Cochrad Jack, was the first post-master. 
 The s.ucceeding post-masters have been 
 Samuel Hazlett, John Boyle, Nicholas 
 Gardner, Marcus Reichert, and Hannah 
 Boyle. The village contains about a dozen 
 houses, a blacksmith shop, post-office, and 
 a general store, besides a wagon shop and 
 a town hall. The tannery and the woolen 
 mill located here ceased operation in the 
 nineties. 
 
 Jacksville Tent Number 159, K. O. T. 
 ]\I., was organized April 1, 1883, and the 
 charter was granted December 16th of the 
 same year. There were nineteen charter 
 members, and the first officers were J. B. 
 Pizor, J. W. Studebaker, S. C. Humphrey, 
 and W. F. Gardner. 
 
 The Worth Township Gas Company was 
 organized in 1892 to operate the gas wells 
 on the Glenn and the McClymonds farms. 
 This gas was used for local consumption. 
 
 The Worth Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 
 pany was chartered January 13, 1875. 
 The original members and stockholders 
 were Amaziah Kelly, A. Stickle, Hampson 
 
602 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Dean, J. A. Kelly, W. McBride, R. A. Hiimphrey was elected to the position in 
 
 Kelly, James M. Maxwell, and J. G. Cor- 1887 and 189i. Mr. Marshall was secre- 
 
 nelius. John Humphrey was the first tary of the corporation until 1882, when 
 
 president, and James M. Marshall, secre- W. E. Taylor was elected to succeed him. 
 
 tary. Robert Barron succeeded Mr. The company at the present time has over 
 
 Hrunphrey as president in 1883, and James $1,000,000.00 of insurance on its books. 
 
^ 
 
 
Representative Citizens. 
 
 HON. JOSEPH HARTMAN, formerly 
 one of the best known and most successful 
 oil iiroducers of Butler County, president 
 of the Butler County National Bank, and 
 previously also of the Chicora Bank, 
 Chicora, Penna., was born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, October 18, 1827, 
 son of William and Mary (Winters) Hart- 
 man. His father, a blacksmith, brought 
 him up to that trade, and he worked at it 
 until reaching the age of seventeen years. 
 He then became employed in the ore mines 
 and also engaged in contracting until 
 January, 1855. Being an ambitious youth, 
 he saved a large part of his earnings, and 
 in 1849 purchased a farm in Donegal 
 Township, Butler County, to which his 
 parents removed in the same year. He 
 took up his own residence there in 1856, 
 and it continued to be his home until his 
 removal to Butler. He saw military serv- 
 ice for nine months in the Civil AVar, in 
 the One Hundred and Sixty-Ninth Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers. In 186-t he entered 
 into the oil business, commencing opera- 
 tions in Venango County, but later trans- 
 ferring them to Butler County, where he 
 was prominently and successfully engaged 
 in oil production for over thirty-five years. 
 Besides his extensive operations in the 
 Millerstown field, he also developed good 
 oil territory in Allegheny County, New 
 York, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 in the St. Joe, Callery Junction, Jefferson 
 
 Centre, the McDonald and Hundred Foot 
 fields, and in the Mannington field of West 
 Virginia which was one of the largest pro- 
 ductions of that State. One of his best 
 strikes was on the Black farm in Butler 
 County, which realized for him a hand- 
 some sum. He was a stockholder in sev- 
 eral large oil companies, including the 
 United States Pipe Line Company, and 
 the Producers' Pipe Line Company. 
 
 When the movement was inaugurated to 
 curtail production, Mr. Hartman strongly 
 supported the plan of Mr. Phillips to set 
 apart 2,000,000 barrels of oil for the pro- 
 tection of the labor engaged in the petro- 
 leum industry. He was also associated in 
 mining enterprises outside the State, be- 
 ing included among the capitalists who 
 purchased the Trade Dollar Mining Com- 
 pany, of Idaho. Succeeding Mr. Taylor as 
 ]iresident of the Butler County National 
 Bank, soon after its organization, he filled 
 that office very creditably for a number of 
 years thereafter. In politics Mr. Hart- 
 man was a strong Republican, and in 1884 
 was elected to the Legislature, serving 
 until 1886. He belonged to A. G. Reed 
 Post, G. A. R., of Butler, and was always 
 warmly interested in Grand Army matters 
 and in the welfare of the old soldiers. 
 
 Mr. Hartman was twice married: first 
 in January, 1853, to Margaret Black, a 
 daughter of John Black, of Donegal Town- 
 ship. She died July 5, 1869, having borne 
 
606 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 her husband the following children: 
 Mary E. ; Lizzie J., who married Patrick 
 Gallagher, an oil producer of Butler, re- 
 siding at No. 394 N. McKean Street; 
 Anna L., wife of Michael Leonard; Fran- 
 ces Eva, and Joseph. Mary and Frances 
 Eva are unmarried and reside at No. 400 
 N. Main Street. Mr. Hartman married 
 for his second wife, in 1873, Miss Mary 
 McFadden, who died April 17, 1892. He 
 was a member of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, as are also the surviving members 
 of his family. He performed useful serv- 
 ice as a member of the Building Commit- 
 tee in the erection of St. Patrick's Church 
 at Sugar Creek. Mr. Hartman came to 
 Butler in November, 1892, and resided 
 here until his death, which took place 
 February 29, 1904. He was regarded as 
 one of the foremost citizens of the place. 
 Successful in business, he had at heart the 
 interest of the community in which he had 
 largely achieved his prosperity, and he 
 gave with no niggardly hand to religious 
 and educational institutions, and to other 
 philanthropic enterprises. His death was 
 a distinct loss to the conmiunity, and his 
 part as an up-builder of the material pros- 
 perity for this section will not soon be 
 forgotten. 
 
 DR. JOHN M. SCOTT, who for the past 
 thirty-five years has been actively en- 
 gaged in the practice of his profession in 
 the village of Cabot, is the only physician 
 in Winfield Township, throughout which 
 locality he enjoys an extensive and lucra- 
 tive practice. He was born in Center 
 Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 
 December 26, 1849, and is a son of John 
 and Mary (Reed) Scott, the latter being a 
 daughter of Samuel Reed, who came of a 
 family long established in Huntington 
 County, Pennsylvania. Dr. Scott is of 
 Scotch descent, his grandfather having 
 come from Scotland at a very early period 
 and settled in Huntington County, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 John M. Scott received his primary 
 education in an old log schoolhouse in In- 
 diana County, supplementing it with a 
 course of study at Homer City Academy, 
 and finally graduating from the Medical 
 College at Columbus, Ohio. He first en- 
 gaged in the practice of his profession at 
 Livermore, Pennsylvania, where he was 
 associated for two years with Dr. Banks, 
 at the end of which period he came to 
 Cabot, where he has since been located and 
 where he enjoys the confidence and esteem 
 of an extensive circle of friends and 
 patrons. 
 
 September 26, 1872, Dr. Scott was joined 
 in the holy bonds of wedlock with Agnes 
 M. Black, a daughter of Col. John A. and 
 Margaret (Kerr) Black. Into their house- 
 hold were born five children: Mary J., 
 wife of Dr. 0. Q. Crawsham, a dentist, 
 who has had two children — George S. (de- 
 ceased) and Jackson 0.; Viola, who is the 
 wife of E. M. Craig of Oakmont, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and has three children — Robert, 
 Isabelle, and Virginia Scott; John B., a 
 graduate of the dental department of the 
 Western University, who is engaged in the 
 practice of his profession in the village of 
 Cabot; Helen Carrie, who is residing at 
 home ; and James Willis, who is at present 
 a student. 
 
 Dr. Scott and his estimable wife reside 
 in a commodious two-story brick residence 
 in the village of Cabot and are promi- 
 nently identified with the social affairs of 
 that city. Dr. Scott is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Buffalo. 
 
 ELI D. ROBINSON, the present post- 
 master at Butler, and a veteran journalist, 
 was born in Penn Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, March 5, 1855. He 
 is a son of the late Thomas Robinson and 
 his wife, Ann Eliza (DeWolf ) Robinson. 
 
 Eli D. Robinson was eight years of age 
 when his parents located at Butler. He 
 was educated in the common schools and 
 at Witherspoon Institute, where he spent 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 607 
 
 five years. Shortly before attaining his 
 majority he began the study of law under 
 his father's direction. His tastes inclin- 
 ing to journalism, he gave up the law, and 
 in 1879 purchased the Butler Eagle from 
 his father, and was associated with that 
 paper as editor and publisher until 1903. 
 An ardent Eepublican by conviction, he 
 has ably supported the cause of his party, 
 and has often proved an able champion of 
 needed reforms, possessing the pen of a 
 ready writer, with the power of original 
 and forceful expression. His appointment 
 as postmaster met with the hearty appro- 
 bation of his fellow citizens and he as- 
 sumed the duties of the office on January 
 1, 1905. 
 
 Eli D. Robinson was married March 14, 
 188.3, to Emily E. Rogers, and they have 
 four children: Mrs. Richard H. Wick, 
 Bertha, Carl and Donald. Their commo- 
 dious and tasteful residence is situated at 
 No. 416 East Clay street, Butler. The 
 family belong to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 WARREN AGGAS, one of Center 
 Township's substantial and representative 
 citizens, interested both in farming and in 
 oil well contracting and drilling, resides 
 on the fine farm of 212 acres, on which he 
 was born, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 December 9, 1866. His parents were James 
 and Catherine (Andrews) Aggas. 
 
 In tracing the ancestors of Mr. Aggas, 
 the reader comes to one of those trage- 
 dies which marked the advance of civili- 
 zation, but a few generations ago, when 
 the white man contended with the savage. 
 The great-grandfather of Warren Aggas 
 was killed by the Indians, in Westmore- 
 land County, in 1796. His widow fled into 
 the forest of what is now Center Town- 
 ship, accompanied by her two little boys, 
 Sylvanus and Abner, aged eleven and ten 
 years respectively. It was her intention 
 to chose a home there, hidden as she be- 
 lieved herself, from the cruel savages that 
 
 had shed the blood of her husband, and 
 with this end in view, a pitiful story is 
 told of her getting lost and separated from 
 her children and neighbors who had also 
 sought a refuge in the woods. For three 
 days she wandered lost and alone, but sub- 
 sequently was reunited to her children and 
 together they established a home on the 
 land which has ever since remained in the 
 family, no division ever having been made. 
 James Aggas, father of Warren and 
 son of Sylvanus, was born on the above 
 named farm and continued agricultural 
 pursuits through life, both he and wife 
 passing away in the old home. The old 
 residence built by Sylvanus Aggas almost 
 seventy years ago, still shelters his de- 
 scendants. There were other buildings 
 and the barn, a still substantial structure, 
 was put up in 1859, a second barn being 
 built in 1885. James Aggas married Cath- 
 erine Andrews and they had six cliildren, 
 namely: Warren; Loyal, who lives in Cen- 
 ter Township; Sylvanus, who resides in 
 Illinois; William John, who lives at Ell- 
 wood City ; Elizabeth Belle, who died aged 
 about twelve years; and an unnamed in- 
 fant. 
 
 Warren Aggas was reared to farm life 
 and has always been interested in agri- 
 culture. In addition to managing his large 
 estate, he is in partnership with a Mr. 
 Hamilton in contracting and drilling oil 
 wells, the latter being a practical driller. 
 
 Mr. Aggas married Miss Sarah Belle 
 McCandless, who is a daughter of Red- 
 dick McCandless, and their children are as 
 follows : James, who dresses the tools used 
 in oil well drilling, and who married Bessie 
 Barkley; and Stella E., Huldah, Laura 
 Muriel, Samuel Claud, Evelyn and Leroy. 
 Mr. Aggas is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows, Lodge No. 1154, of West Sunbury. 
 
 JAMES A. McKEE, one of the best 
 known residents of Butler and editor of 
 the present volume, was born in Butler 
 Township, this county. May 11, 1865, son 
 
608 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of Robert and Mary Jaue (Kirk) McKee. 
 His paternal grandfather was James Mc- 
 Kee, and his great grandfather, Thomas 
 McKee, who married Margaret Hogue. 
 James, the grandfatlier, who was the eld- 
 est son of his parents, was born in 1780, 
 in Tuscarora Valley, Mifflin County, Penna. 
 He came to Butler from Ligonier, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1796, and purchased a tract 
 of land in Butler Township adjoining that 
 of his father. He married Mary McKee, a 
 daughter of John and Mary (Hogue) Mc- 
 Kee, of the Tuscarora Valley, and they 
 were the parents of seven children, as fol- 
 lows : John, who served one term as sheriff 
 of Butler County, died in 1864; Robert, 
 who resided on the old homestead until 
 1888, then removed to Butler, and died 
 December 18, 1890; Martha, who died in 
 youth; Thomas, who died at the age of 
 twenty-one; Mary A., who resided in But- 
 ler down to the time of her death, July 2, 
 1890 ; James, who was drowned in the Ohio 
 River in 1852, while en route to California ; 
 and Hugh, a surveyor of Butler County in 
 1852, and afterwards appointed surveyor- 
 general of Kansas by President Buchanan, 
 who died April 30, 1886. James McKee 
 and his brother Hugh served in the War 
 of 1812;. the former served as sheriff of 
 the county from 1815 to 1818, and as a 
 member of the state legislature in 1828. 
 His death occurred October 1, 1832. His 
 wife survived him more than thirty years, 
 and died in 1874 at the age of eighty-seven. 
 Robert McKee, son of James and father 
 of the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Butler Township, Butler County, June 17, 
 1817. He was reared upon the farm, and 
 in 1847 he married Mary J. Kirk, a daugh- 
 ter of John Kirk, an early settler of Clar- 
 ion County. They resided upon a farm 
 in Butler Township until 1888, and then 
 removed to Butler, whore Mr. McKee died 
 on December 18, 1890, leaving two chil- 
 dren, Mary A. and James A. Robert Mc- 
 Kee was a justice of the peace in Butler 
 Township for thirty years and was a prom- 
 
 inent member of the United Presbyterian 
 church. His widow survived him until 
 March 9, 1902. 
 
 James A. McKee was educated at With- 
 erspoon Institute, Butler, and at Wooster 
 University, Wooster, Ohio, and came with 
 his parents to Butler Borough in May, 
 1888, where he has since resided. In Oc- 
 tober, 1888, he formed a partnership with 
 William G. Ziegler and purchased the 
 Democratic Herald from the estate of the 
 late Jacob Ziegler. He continued in the 
 active duties of newspaper work until 1899, 
 when the Herald plant was sold to P. A. 
 Rattigan & Sons, and the partnership of 
 Ziegler and McKee was dissolved. He was 
 subsequently engaged as reporter for the 
 Associated Press, the Tri-state Press Bu- 
 reau, and eastern papers, and in 1902-3 
 was city editor of the daily Eagle. He was 
 subsequently engaged in contracting busi- 
 ness for two years, and since that time has 
 been in the insurance business. For over 
 twenty years he took an active interest in 
 local military affairs, first enlisting in 
 Company E, Fifteenth Regiment, P. N. G., 
 in 1885. After serving two enlistments he 
 was discharged with the rank of sergeant. 
 
 In 1898, when the local militia company 
 was called into the service of the United 
 States for the Spanish War, Mr. ]\IeKee, 
 James M. Maxwell, and John C. Graham 
 organized a second company and drilled it 
 for the second call of troops. The serv- 
 ices of this company were tendered to the 
 adjutant-general of Pennsylvania and also 
 to the secretary of war. The suspension 
 of hostilities after the battle of Santiago 
 rendered the further call of troops unnec- 
 essary and the local company was tendered 
 a place in the provisional guard of the 
 State, which was accepted. Mr. McKee 
 was elected Captain of Company L, Six- 
 teenth Regiment, National Guard, July 2, 
 1902, and served the full term of five years. 
 He is a Democrat in politics and has taken 
 an active part in the affairs of his party 
 in the county, but has never held any pub- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 lie office. He is a member of tlie United 
 Presbyterian Church, which his parents as- 
 sisted in founding. 
 
 ELMER W. SCHENCK, a representa- 
 tive of one of Butler County's old German 
 pioneer families, is one of the city's pros- 
 perous business men, where he is engaged 
 in general contracting. He was born at 
 JButler, in 1876, and is a son of Leonard 
 and a grandson of Adam Schenck. 
 
 When his school days were over, Elmer 
 W. Schenck lost no time seeking employ- 
 ment but went to work in a brickyard and 
 two years later became an employe at the 
 Purvis planing-mill. During the six years 
 that he worked in the mill, he took a course 
 in business at the "Butler Commercial Col- 
 lege, in this sensible, practical way fitting 
 himself for both manual and professional 
 work. He then worked one year as a car- 
 penter, and this was followed by a year 
 of contracting, after which he was fore- 
 man for two years for a large contracting 
 firm at Beaver Falls. When he returned 
 to Butler he resumed contracting and has 
 had about as much work in his line as he 
 has been able to handle. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. Schenck was married to Miss 
 Mary Wagner, who is a daughter of Henry 
 Wagner. The Wagners were established 
 in Butler County by Henry Wagner, the 
 grandfather of Mrs. Schenck, who built the 
 first pottery in Butler County, having 
 learned his trade in Germany. The father 
 of Mrs. Schenck was born in Butler County 
 and for some years followed paper-hang- 
 ing, but at present is engaged in a mer- 
 cantile business. Mr. and Mrs. Schenck 
 have two children: Charles E. and Bertha 
 M. They are members of Grace Luthei-an 
 Church. Mr. Schenck is a member of the 
 National Protective League and of the 
 ]\Ioose fraternity. 
 
 HON. CHARLES C. SULLIVAN, in 
 former years one of the most prominent 
 figures in the public life of Butler County, 
 and a lawyer of high reputation, was born 
 
 on his parents' farm, in Franklin Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, March 
 10, 1807. 
 
 From some records carefully collated by 
 the genealogist of the family, the late 
 Lieut. Aaron Sullivan, who was killed in 
 the Civil War, while fighting in defense of 
 the Union, it appears that one Peter 
 0. Sullivan located in Northumberland 
 County, Virginia, about the year 1700. He 
 married a lady named Craven and they 
 had children, John, Moses, Charles and 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 Early in 1757 Charles Sullivan married 
 Jemima Reeve and they were the grand- 
 parents of the late Hon.. Charles C. Sulli- 
 van. Charles Sullivan died March 27, 
 1767, the father of five children, all of 
 whom were born on the Wecondia River, 
 near Chesapeake Bay, in Northumberland 
 County, Virginia. 
 
 Charles C. Sullivan, second son of 
 Charles and Jemima Sullivan, was born 
 March 27, 1760, and died January 12, 
 1813. In 1785, in Chester County, iPenn- 
 sylvania, he married Susannah Johnston, 
 who was born October 29, 1764, and died 
 July 7, 1834. Her parents were Thomas 
 and Margaret Johnston, of Chester Coun- 
 ty. She made the acquaintance of her fu- 
 ture husband while he was serving under 
 General Washington at Valley Forge. 
 Their children were Moses, Aaron, 
 Thomas, John, James, Margaret, Jemima, 
 Elizabeth, William, Charles Craven, Su- 
 sannah, the four last named being born on 
 the "Sullivan Farm," in Franklin Town- 
 ship, Butler County. 
 
 Charles Craven Sullivan, the seventh 
 son of Charles C. and Susannah Sullivan, 
 was graduated in 1828, from Jefferson 
 College; soon after became a law student 
 in the office of Gen. William Ayers and 
 was admitted to the bar, October 10, 1831. 
 He soon won recognition for his forensic 
 ability, becoming one of the leaders of the 
 Butler County bar, noted then as now, for 
 the high quality and character of its mem- 
 
610 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 bers. He soon became connected also with 
 public affairs, and in 1841, he was elected 
 to the State Senate and was reelected in 
 1844. During his six years of service in 
 that body he originated and carried 
 through much useful legislation, some of 
 which still remains on the statute books. 
 By this time he had become widely known 
 all over the State and had it not been that 
 the Whig pax'ty, to which he belonged, was 
 in the minority during the period of his 
 legislative career, he would have occupied 
 a still more exalted position. As a mark 
 of appreciation of his character and serv- 
 ices, Sullivan County, in his native State, 
 was given his name. 
 
 While professing and believing in Wliig 
 principes, Senator Sullivan was an inde- 
 pendent thinker, endorsing no measures or 
 policies that were not in accord with his 
 personal convictions. He was strongly 
 opposed to slavery and was much pleased 
 with the nomination of General Scott by 
 the Whigs, over Millard Fillmore in 1852, 
 and correspondingly disappointed by the 
 subsequent election of Franklin Pierce. 
 Possessing such principles, Mr. Sullivan 
 welcomed the formation of the Republican 
 party and identified himself with it. By 
 this time Abolition sentiment was becom- 
 ing general throughout the North, and Mr. 
 Sullivan was not alone in his opinions, as 
 had been the case, in his county, but a few 
 years previously. 
 
 With the approach of the great National 
 crisis, Mr. Sullivan's interest in public 
 affairs deepened. He foresaw the coming 
 struggle, and his great hope was that the 
 new party would rise to its opportunity 
 and stand up boldly for the right. He was 
 active in the discussion of public affairs, 
 in particular during the winter of 1859-60, 
 endeavoring to influence the young men of 
 his acquaintance to take a firm stand for 
 principle, whatever might be the outcome. 
 He looked forward with eager anticipa- 
 tion to the Republican National Conven- 
 
 tion, expecting to see the birth of a new 
 radical policy, with the abolition of slav- 
 ery as its ultimate goal, but he was not 
 destined to realize his hopes nor to wit- 
 ness the last tragic act in the great slavery 
 drama. His health began to fail, and on 
 February 27, 1860, he passed from life's 
 scenes, leaving behind a record of worthy 
 achievement and devotion to principle that 
 may well stand as an example to many of 
 our own day, who are entrusted with 
 weighty responsibilities. 
 
 In a material way, Mr. Sullivan pros- 
 pered and was able to leave a handsome 
 estate to his family. His law practice ex- 
 tended over Butler and into several adja- 
 cent counties. His fellow citizens had 
 confidence in him in every relation of life 
 for they knew his acts were the results of 
 his firm convictions. On many occasions 
 he displayed his local pride for he always 
 honored Butler County as it had honored 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Sullivan was married July 24, 1845, 
 to Susan Catherine Seltzer, of Jonestown, 
 Lebanon County, Penna., who was born 
 June 26, 1824, and who still survives. Of 
 this union there were five children — Moses, 
 Charles, Louise M., Josephine, and Ma- 
 tilda. Moses, who is unmarried, is a well 
 known lawyer of Butler and Bradford, 
 Penna. Charles, who is now deceased, 
 was a practicing attorney at Pittsburg. 
 He married Mary Reed and left his wife 
 with eight children, of whom there are now 
 three survivors — Catherine G., Reed, and 
 Joseph, all living in Pittsburg. Louise M. 
 Sullivan was married, June 26, 1871, to 
 Joshua H. Shaw, who died March 17, 
 1874. She resides at No. 123 Diamond 
 Street, Butler, and has one son, George J., 
 who married tola Campbell of Butler and 
 the latter are the parents of a daughter — 
 Isabelle. Josephine Sullivan, now de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Thomas H. Rabe, 
 of Pittsburg. She left four daughters, 
 namely: Janie (Mrs. Burt A. Miller), 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 611 
 
 who has two children — Thomas Eabe and 
 Jane Catherine ; Catherine Louise, Joseph- 
 ine, and Eleanore Hanna. Matilda Sulli- 
 van, who married Joseph E. Dunton, of 
 Philadelphia, Penna., is deceased. She 
 had no children. 
 
 JOSIAH P. McCALL, general farmer, 
 who resides on his excellent estate of 
 eighty-nine acres, which is situated in 
 Franklin Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, was born on this farm on October 
 8, 1852, and is a son of Allen and Martha 
 (Turk) McCall. 
 
 Allen McCall, father of Josiah P., was 
 born about 1807, in Butler County, his old 
 home farm being now owned by Lorenzo 
 B. Snyder. He died in 1867. In early 
 years he was a Whig but later became a 
 Republican. He was an active citizen but 
 never accepted any office but that of school 
 director. He married a daughter of Will- 
 iam Turk, of Brady Township, Butler 
 County, and they had the following chil- 
 dren : Samuel James and Robert T., both 
 now deceased; Margaret Emeline, wife of 
 Asaph Cranmer, of Clay Township; Re- 
 becca Jane (deceased) who was the wife 
 of Hezekiah Patterson; Mary Elizabeth, 
 deceased; Josiah P.; William John, resid- 
 ing in Franklin Township; Sarah Belle 
 (deceased) who was the wife of Elva Sny- 
 der, of Brady Township ; and Elmer Allen, 
 residing at Butler. The father was a trus- 
 tee of the Muddy Creek Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Josiah P. McCall has spent his life in 
 Franklin Township. After he completed 
 his school attendance he settled down to 
 farming and has made his life-work both 
 pleasant and profitable. Of his eighty- 
 nine acres he has fifty under the plow and 
 raises corn, oats, wheat, hay, potatoes and 
 buckwheat, devoting the remainder of his 
 land to pasturage, keeping eight cows for 
 dairy purposes and making choice butter 
 for particular customers at Butler. 
 
 Mr. McCall married Miss Mary Ann 
 
 Snyder, who is a daughter of Conrad Sny- 
 der of Brady Township, and they have had 
 three children: Conrad Allen, who died 
 aged two years; Willis Austin, who mar- 
 ried Valera Thompson of Clay Township 
 and reside in Washington County (he is 
 a physician and has a daughter, Mary Dor- 
 othy") ; and Orren Josiah, who married 
 Marie Brown, of Clay Township and has 
 one child, Edna Mary. Mr. McCall and 
 family belong to the Muddy Creek Presby- 
 terian Church, in which he has served as 
 a trustee. In politics he is a Republican 
 but is no more active than the demands of 
 good citizenship require, having no desire 
 for political honors. 
 
 EDWARD EVERETT ABRAMS, who 
 has for more than twenty years been one 
 of the most stirring and progressive busi- 
 ness citizens of Butler, is a native of 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, having been 
 born at Rimersburg, July 9, 1856, son of 
 James H. and Hannah (McCuteheon) 
 Abrams. His paternal grandfather was 
 David Abrams, whose parents were the 
 first settlers at Turkey Foot, Westmore- 
 land County, Penna. They were of Scotch 
 ancestry, and the subject of this sketch is 
 in possession of the family record, beauti- 
 fully written in a bible over 118 years old. 
 
 Edward Everett Abrams passed his 
 early years in his native town of Rimers- 
 burg, where he attended the common school 
 and Clarion Collegiate Institute. His edu- 
 . cation was further advanced by attendance 
 at the seminary at Clarion and Dickinson 
 Seminary, at Williamsport, Penna. He 
 then pursued a commercial course at East- 
 man's Business College, Poughkeepsie, 
 New York, and to further round out his 
 general education took a course in a mili- 
 tary academy at Tarrytown-on-Hudson. 
 Having some taste for military matters, 
 he joined the National Guard of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and at the age of eighteen was first 
 sergeant of Company F, Seventeenth Regi- 
 ment, N. G. P. While in camp with two 
 
611 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 regiments, he was complimented by the in- 
 specting officer for keeping the best rec- 
 ords. 
 
 His father, James H. Abrams, was one 
 of the pioneers in the oil and steamboat 
 business at Oil City, and in 1874 was a 
 prominent oil producer at Karns City, 
 Penna. The subject of our sketch having 
 begun his business career as bookkeeper 
 in a banking house, became his father's 
 active assistant in the oil business at Karns 
 City in 1876. From 1877 to 1879 their op- 
 erations were continued in the Bradford 
 field. In the year last mentioned he was 
 married and, having purchased the famous 
 Meclimans fami, on which Karns City is 
 built, he removed there and remained until 
 1886, when Butler became his place of resi- 
 dence. Butler has been the scene mainly 
 of his subsequent activities, though he con- 
 tinues to manage his property at Karns 
 City and oil farms near there. 
 
 He has been a prominent factor in the 
 commercial and business life of Butler 
 County and in the year 1900 was one of 
 the original and very active incorporators 
 of the Butler County National Bank, which 
 he served as director and member of the 
 Discoimt Board for ten years. After re- 
 signing from that institution he was one 
 of the first incofporators of the Farmers' 
 National Bank, of which he has been an 
 active director since it was organized, and 
 continues to thus serve this very successful 
 bank. 
 
 During his early years in the oil busi- 
 ness, and under the nom de plume of "Van 
 AVinkle," he made something of a reputa- 
 tion as a newspaper writer, both for the 
 oil country and metropolitan press, his ar- 
 ticles on various subjects of interest being 
 written in a style to command the atten- 
 tion and appreciation of a wide circle of 
 readers. 
 
 Mr. Abrams has devoted some part of 
 Ms time to public affairs, believing it to be 
 the duty of a good citizen, when called 
 
 upon, to make some sacrifice of time and 
 private interests for the welfare of his 
 l?arty and the cause of good government. 
 A stanch Eepublican, he was elected a dele- 
 gate to the State convention that nomi- 
 nated Senator Quay for State treasurer, 
 in 1885. He also served as chairman of 
 the Eepublican County Committee in the 
 Beaver campaign, in 1886, and was elected 
 in 1892 alternate delegate to the Republi- 
 can National Convention at Minneapolis. 
 He was Presidential elector in 1896 and in 
 January, 1897, cast his ballot for McKinley 
 and Hobart. His advice has always car- 
 ried weight in the local councils of his 
 party. 
 
 Butler having no public park, Mr. 
 Abrams interested himself in the matter 
 and in 1908 sticeeeded in persuading a land 
 company to cancel the contract to cut down 
 a forest of noble white oak and other trees ; 
 and he secured twenty public spirited citi- 
 zens who purchased eight acres of wood- 
 land, and thus preserved a beautiful nat- 
 ural park within the borough limits. If 
 there is anything in his history that he 
 thinks worthy of special record, it is that 
 he has led a life of absolute integrity and 
 has done what he could to promote the 
 good things in our government. 
 
 Mr. Abrams was married, August 20, 
 1879, by Bishop Stevens, to M. Genevieve, 
 daughter of Charles M. Allen. Mr. Allen 
 was fonnerly consul to the Bermuda Is- 
 lands, being appointed to that office by 
 President Lincoln during the Rebellion, 
 and continued to fill it until his death in 
 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Abrams are the par- 
 ents of ]\Ivra Genevieve, Lucile, wife of 
 Lieut. Donald C. Cubbison, U. S. A.; Elea- 
 nor, Edward Everett, Allen, Dorothy Han- 
 nah, John McClelland, Eichard Henry and 
 Elizabeth Loveberry. Dorothy died in 
 1895 at age of two years. 
 
 The family belong to the First Presby- 
 terian Church, of wliich Mr. Abrams is a 
 Ti-ustee. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 613 
 
 HENRY A. RITNER, the popxilar and 
 efficient postmaster of Bruin, Pennsylva- 
 nia, is a leading citizen of this place and 
 he is also an honored veteran of the great 
 Civil War. Mr. Ritner was born at Dar- 
 lington, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 22, 1837, and is a son of Nathaniel 
 and Isabella B. (Vogan) Ritner. 
 
 Mr. Ritner can trace a distinguished an- 
 cestry. His great-grandfather Ritner was 
 a native of Alsace, France, and after com- 
 ing to America, established his home in 
 Lancaster County. His son, Joseph Rit- 
 ner, founded the Crawford County branch 
 of the family, and he bore the same name 
 as did his cousin, Governor Joseph Ritner, 
 who was once the chief executive of Penn- 
 sylvania, On the maternal side the family 
 was noted for its military valor. Great- 
 grandfather James Vogan serving with 
 distinction in the Revolutionary War and 
 Grandfather James Vogan being equally 
 prominent in the War of 1812. The latter 
 was one of the early settlers in Butler 
 County, coming before the first courthouse 
 was erected — a simple log structure which 
 stood on the site of the present fine build- 
 ing — and he attended the first session held 
 there. 
 
 Henry A. Ritner was about nine years 
 old when his father died and three years 
 later he accompanied his mother, step- 
 father George Clupper, and other members 
 of the family, to Mercer County. His edu- 
 cational opportunities were meager and 
 when fourteen years of age he was ap- 
 prenticed to a shoemaker, at Grove City, 
 with whom he remained for three years. 
 Following this he worked as a journeyman 
 until the ojoening of the Civil War. He was 
 then twenty-four years of age and, like 
 thousands of other young men, had prob- 
 ably planned a life with which the boom- 
 ing of cannon and the terrors and dangers 
 of war had nothing to do. Nevertheless, 
 when duty called he answered the summons 
 and on October 17, 1861, he enlisted in 
 Company H, Fourth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 
 vania Volunteer Cavalry, commanded by 
 Col. Robert J. Phipps, of Franklin, Penn- 
 sylvania. After three years of hard serv- 
 ice, Mr. Ritner was honorably discharged. 
 In the interim he had participated in many 
 of the most decisive battles of the whole 
 war, including those of Fredericksburg, the 
 second battle of Bull Run, Antietam and 
 the long series of engagements in the 
 Shenandoah Valley. Although at all times 
 a brave and fearless soldier, he escaped all 
 serious injury and practically unharmed 
 he returned to his home. In 1872 he came 
 to Martinsburg, now Bruin, and for a time 
 was engaged in the oil fields and then 
 started his shoemaking shop and has been 
 interested more or less in working at this 
 trade ever since, although, since 1900, when 
 he was appointed postmaster, his time has 
 been mainly given to public duties. 
 
 Mr. Ritner married Ann E. Davidson, 
 who was born at Slippery Rock, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they have two children, Frank 
 L. and Mary W., both residing at Bruin. 
 Mr. Ritner and family belong to the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. In his political 
 views he is a strong Republican. Formerly 
 he seiA'ed as commander of Lysander Robb 
 Post, No. 530, Grand Army of the Repub- 
 lic, at Bruin, which subsequently was dis- 
 continued, but he has never lost his inter- 
 est in this great organization of his com- 
 rades. 
 
 THOMAS ALEXANDER, treasurer of 
 Butler County and a leading citizen who is 
 interested in oil producing and contract- 
 ing, has been a resident of the city of But- 
 ler for the past tventy-two years. He 
 was born in Brady Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 22, 
 1844, and is a son of Ambrose and a grand- 
 son of Thomas Alexander. 
 
 Grandfather Thomas Alexander was 
 born in the north of Ireland and came to 
 Butler County among the early settlers, 
 taking up land in Brady Township, on 
 which he continued to live until 1854 when 
 
614 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 he moved to Franklin Township where he 
 resided until death. On the farm in Brady 
 ToVnship his son, Ambrose Alexander, 
 spent his life, mainly engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits, and died in old age and was 
 buried at West Liberty. 
 
 Thomas Alexander bears his grand- 
 father's name. He remained on the home 
 farm imtil he was twenty-one years of age 
 and then found employment in the oil 
 fields, visiting those of Pennsylvania, Ohio 
 and West Virginia, and ever since has 
 been more or less concerned in oil produc- 
 ing and oil contracting. In 1886 he came 
 to Butler and very soon became one of the 
 city's active and useful citizens. He has 
 served three years as a member of the 
 City Council and for three years as a 
 member of the School Board. In 1905 he 
 was elected treasurer of Butler County, 
 for a i^eriod of three years, and his admin- 
 istration of this weighty office has been 
 marked with the efficiency that its impor- 
 tance demands. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. Alexander was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth J. Double, and they have 
 had five children, namely: Lulah J., who 
 is the wife of Emory Beighley, of Butler; 
 Harriet Lillian, who died when aged twen- 
 ty-one years; John W., who died in May, 
 1908, aged thirty-four years; Harry Mc- 
 Devitt, who resides at Butler; and Mary 
 Hortense, who is the wife of Claud Burns, 
 of Vandergriff, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Alex- 
 ander belongs to the IJnited Presbyterian 
 Church. He is a member of the Woodmen 
 of the World. 
 
 CHARLES A. FETZER, one of Chi- 
 cora's leading business men, conducting 
 a haberdasher and general clothing store, 
 is his father's successor, he having 
 founded it many years ago. Mr. Fetzer 
 was born at Chicora, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1872, and is a son of Gotleib 
 Frederick and Harriet (Fleeger) Fetzer. 
 
 Gotleib Frederick Fetzer, was born in 
 
 Germany and was about eight years old 
 when his parents brought him to America. 
 They settled in Butler County, where both 
 shortly afterward died and he spent his 
 whole subsequent life in this county, almost 
 the whole of his mature years being de- 
 voted to merchandising. He first was in 
 partnership with H. L. Westerman for 
 five years, when Mr. Fetzer withdrew for 
 a time but later became again associated 
 with Mr. Westerman, for a few more years. 
 He then entered into partnership with 
 John G. Myers and they conducted a mill 
 and had farm and oil interests. Mr. 
 ]\Iyers withdrew after some years but Mr. 
 Fetzer operated the mill, with his other 
 enterprises, imtil his death on August 28, 
 1907, at the age of sixty-nine years. He 
 married Harriet Fleeger, who died in Sep- 
 tember, 1881, aged thirty-seven years. She 
 was a daughter of Solomon Fleeger, one of 
 the early settlers in this section. They had 
 a family of seven children, namely: 
 Emma (Hummell), Agatha (Herrick), 
 Clara (Jacobs), Charles A., Albert J., 
 William H. and Frank E. Mr. Fetzer was 
 a man of many fine traits of character and 
 he is remembered by liis fellow citizens 
 with feelings of respect and esteem. As 
 one of the older business men of this place, 
 he had much to do with its material devel- 
 opment. 
 
 Charles A. Fetzer attended the public 
 schools at Chicora until he was fourteen 
 years of age and then became a clerk in 
 the Westerman store, where he continued 
 for six years, going then in the same ca- 
 pacity to Pittsburg, two years later return- 
 ing to his father's store, where he contin- 
 ued until the death of the latter, when he 
 purchased the business and has devoted 
 himself to its successful continuance. 
 
 Mr. Fetzer married Mary Donahue, in 
 1898, who died in 1905, leaving four chil- 
 dren: Charles J., Agatha, Gerald and 
 Catherine. In January, 1908, Mr. Fetzer 
 was married (second) to Miss Anna 
 
HON. IRA McJUNKIN 
 
AND REPEESENTAT-IVE CITIZENS 
 
 617 
 
 Hodges, of Pittsburg. He is a member of 
 the English Lutheran Church at Chicora. 
 He belongs to the order of Elks, No. 170, 
 of Butler, and to the Protected Home Cir- 
 cle at Chicora. 
 
 LESLIE P. HAZLETT, president of 
 the Butler County National Bank, and a 
 prominent representative of the important 
 oil industry of this section, was born upon 
 his parents' farm in the neighboring 
 county of Allegheny, in the year 1843. 
 The parents, James and Margaret Haz- 
 lett, removed to Butler County, settling on 
 the line of Connoquenessing and Foi'ward 
 Townships, where James Hazlett pur- 
 chased a farm. 
 
 Leslie P. Hazlett, being an ambitious 
 youth, made the best of his educational 
 opportunities, and after accompanying his 
 parents to Butler County, he purchased a 
 tract of fifty acres adjoining his father's 
 farm, and subsequently purchased the 
 parental homestead. He followed agri- 
 culture successfully for a number of years, 
 but a large part of his ample fortune has 
 been derived from the oil industry, in 
 which he is now a large operator, being a 
 member of the well known firm of Hazlett 
 & McCullough. His farm property, which 
 has proved one of his chief sources of 
 wealth, lies within the Hundred Foot Field 
 operated by the Forest Oil Company, the 
 Columbia Oil Company, Abrams & Com- 
 pany and Elias Barnhart. In later years 
 Mr. Hazlett 's business experience has ex- 
 tended into other channels, and he is now 
 the capable president of one of Butler 
 County's most important financial institu- 
 tions. 
 
 A Republican in politics, a part of his 
 time has been devoted to the public serv- 
 ice. He has been one of the school direc- 
 tors of his township for the last twenty- 
 two years, and he has been a justice of the 
 peace for five years. For forty years he 
 has been a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nity, belonging to Harmony Lodge, No. 
 
 429, F. & A. M. Formerly a Presbyterian 
 in religion, he later united with the Metho- 
 dist Church. 
 
 Mr. Hazlett was married, in 1870, to 
 Barbara Ziegler, a daughter of Jonas and 
 Elizabeth Ziegler, of Harmony, Butler 
 County. Mrs. Hazlett died in 1887, hav- 
 ing been the mother of five children, name- 
 ly : Letitia, who married Clinton Henshaw, 
 resides on Mr. Hazlett 's old home in For- 
 ward Township, and has two children — 
 Ealph Leslie and Grace Ethel ; George W., 
 who is bookkeeper in the Butler County 
 National Bank, where he has been em- 
 ployed for fourteen years; Lizzie, who re- 
 sides with her father ; Frank L., deceased ; 
 and Maggie, who married C. A. Ensmin- 
 ger, resides in Butler, and has one child — 
 Helen Elizabeth. 
 
 HON. IRA McJUNKIN, a member of 
 the Pennsylvania State Legislature, to 
 which honorable body he was a second 
 time nominated in the spring of 1908, is a 
 prominent citizen of Butler County and 
 a member of the Butler bar. He was born 
 in this city, February 13, 1860, and is a 
 son of James T. and Martha McJunkin. 
 
 Prior to his seventeenth year, Mr. Mc- 
 Junkin attended the XJublic schools of But- 
 ler and Witherspoon Institute, and then 
 entered the United States Naval Academy 
 at Annapolis, Maryland, securing this gen- 
 erally coveted appointment through Col. 
 John M. Thompson. Mr. McJunkin was 
 graduated from that institution in 1881, 
 after which he spent two years in the 
 service of the United States, attached to 
 the Asiatic Station. After his return, de- 
 siring to follow other than a maritime life, 
 he was honorably discharged in 1883. In 
 the fall of the same year he entered upon 
 the study of law in the office of Judge Mc- 
 Junkin, and on April 10, 1886, he was 
 admitted to the bar. His ability in his 
 chosen profession was soon recognized, 
 and in 1892 he was elected district attor- 
 ney of Butler County.- In the meanwhile, 
 
618 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 he had become active in politics, and in 
 1906 he was first elected a member of the 
 State Legislature of Pennsylvania. His 
 attitude on public questions and his use- 
 fulness to his own section, his loyalty to 
 party and fidelity to principle, all con- 
 tributed to his continued popularity and 
 in 1908 he was renominated to the Legis- 
 lature and again reelected. 
 
 Mr. McJuukiu had long been identified 
 with the Fifteenth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania National Guards, and his military 
 record in connection with the same is as 
 follows : In May, 1898, was mustered into 
 the United States service at Mt. Gretna 
 as captain of Company E, Fifteenth Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was 
 miistered out at Athens, Georgia, Febru- 
 ary 1, 1899; was appointed captain and 
 adjutant on the staff of Col. W. T. Mech- 
 ling, Fifteenth Regiment Pennsylvania 
 National Guards in 1900, served in the 
 Homestead riots and was placed on the 
 retired list by General Order No. 28, 1900. 
 He entered the State service with the rank 
 of first lieutenant and was subsequently 
 elected and reelected captain. 
 
 Mr. McJunkin belongs to the Masons 
 and the Odd Fellows. He was reared by 
 a careful mother in the faith of the Pres- 
 byterian Church. 
 
 JOHN H. HEINER, a prominent citi- 
 zen, whose headquarters are at Bruin, 
 Pennsylvania, for years has been very 
 prominently identified with oil and gas 
 production in Butler County, having large 
 interests on Bear Creek, in Parker Town- 
 ship. He was born at Kittanning, in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Febru- 
 ary 12, 1842, and is a son of Daniel Broad- 
 head and Mary (Graham) Heiner. 
 
 Capt. Casper Heiner, the great-grand- 
 father of John H., was a Revolutionary 
 soldier. He married Ann G. Broadhead, 
 the only child of Gen. Daniel Broadhead, 
 who served in the Revolutionary War with 
 Gen. Washington, was prominent in In- 
 
 dian warfare, for a time was conomander 
 at Fort Pitt and later served as the first 
 surveyor-general of the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania. Of their children, John Heiner be- 
 came the grandfather of John H. Heiner 
 and he settled among the early people at 
 Kittanning, married a lady who was of 
 Virginia birth, and reared a large family. 
 
 Daniel B. Heiner, father of John H., was 
 a leading l)usiness man of Kittanning and 
 a prosperous citizen. He engaged in mer- 
 chandising and also in the manufacture of 
 furniture and spinning wheels, and for a 
 quarter of a century served as a justice of 
 the peace. He married Mary Graham, 
 who was born at Butler, Pennsylvania, a 
 daughter of Robert Graham, an early set- 
 tler of that borough. Her father at one 
 time owned a farm in the north end of But- 
 ler where now stand some of the best resi- 
 dences. He and Mr. Cunningham donated 
 part of the ground that forms the present 
 site of Butler. The following children 
 were born to this union: Robert G., de- 
 ceased, who was formerly a captain in the 
 United States Army; John H. ; William 
 G., formerly a member of the State Legis- 
 lature, who is a resident of Kittanning; 
 Daniel B., who resides at Kittanning, was 
 formerly a member of Congress and was 
 United States attorney under the first ad- 
 ministration of the late President McKin- 
 ley and at tlie present writing (1908) is 
 serving as a Government official in West- 
 ern Pennsylvania; Mary L., who lives in 
 the old home at Kittanning ; Sarah K., re- 
 siding at Washington, Pennsylvania, who 
 is the widow of Rev. J. F. Core ; Margaret, 
 deceased; Annie E., who is the widow of 
 Thomas W. Dickson, formerly of Yank- 
 ton, South Dakota, now of Kittanning; 
 Lydia, the youngest of the family, who is 
 the wife of Major Percy E. Tripp, a grad- 
 uate of West Point and an officer in the 
 United States Army. 
 
 John H. Heiner was reared at Kittan- 
 ning and obtained his education in her ex- 
 cellent schools. During some years of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 619 
 
 earlier business life he was a member of 
 the firm of Heiuer Bros., manufacturers 
 of building supplies, lumber dealers and 
 planing mill oj^erators, but for the past 
 thirty-five years he has given his almost 
 exclusive attention to the oil industry. He 
 is one of the pioneer oil producers of Par- 
 ker Township, a rich oil field of Butler 
 County, and it is largely owing to his per- 
 sistance and enterprise that this territory 
 has so greatly prospered. For some years 
 past he has also been developing gas, and 
 supplies gas to Bruin and surrounding 
 territory. 
 
 Mr. Heiner is also a veteran of the Civil 
 War, enlisting in the Federal Army in the 
 spring of 18&1, in Company A, Eighth 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserves, which 
 became a part of the Army of the Potomac. 
 He participated in the memorable battles 
 of Gainesville, the seven days of continu- 
 ous fighting in front of Richmond, the sec- 
 ond battle of Bull Run, South Mountain 
 and Antietam, being wounded at the latter 
 place. He fought also at Fredericksburg, 
 Gettysburg, the Wilderness and all the 
 other engagements in which his regiment 
 took part until the summer of 1864, when 
 he was honorably discharged. He is a 
 charter member of John Croll Post, No. 
 156, Grand Army of the Republic, at Kit- 
 tanning. 
 
 Mr. Heiner married Miss Mary H. Per- 
 shing, of Pittsburg, who is a daughter of 
 Rev. I. C. Pershing, D.D., who formerly 
 was president of the Pittsburg Female 
 College, which is no longer in existence, 
 but which was a noted educational institu- 
 tion in its day. Mr. and Mrs. Heiner have 
 three children: Mary C, who is the wife 
 of Paul Sturtevant, a resident of Pitts- 
 burg; and Helen G. and John P., both re- 
 siding at Butler. The family home is sit- 
 uated at No. 107 Standard Avenue, Butler. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Heiner is a Republican. 
 He has served on the School Board in 
 Parker Township, at times as the presi- 
 
 dent of that body and takes a good citi- 
 zen's interest in public aifairs. He is a 
 member of the board of directors of the 
 First National Bank at Bruin and was one 
 of the promoters of the same. He is a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Bruin. 
 
 A. A. MARSHALL, proprietor of a 
 fancy and staple grocery business, located 
 at No. 109 East Jefferson Street, Butler, 
 is one of the city's leading business men. 
 He was born in the northern part of But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 the late Samuel T. Marshall. 
 
 Samuel T. Marshall was born at Parker, 
 Pennsylvania. For many years of his ma- 
 ture life he was engaged in merchandising 
 at Parker and North Hope, Butler County, 
 and was an active political factor in the 
 county. For a protracted period he was 
 clerk to the Board of County Commis- 
 sioners and subsequently was elected a 
 member of that body and served with the 
 greatest efficiency. 
 
 A. A. Marshall has been a life-long resi- 
 dent of Butler County and has been en- 
 gaged in business since his boyhood. For 
 fourteen years he was with the Hamilton 
 Bottling Works and for some years has 
 successfully conducted his present enter- 
 prise. In addition to dealing in first class 
 groceries, he carries also a fine line of 
 confectionery. 
 
 Mr. Marshall has been quite prominent 
 in several fraternal organizations, partic- 
 ularly in the Woodmen of the World and 
 the Protected Home Circle. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He has been a resident and tax payer of 
 Butler for the past twenty years. 
 
 CHARLES STOKEY, burgess of Ze- 
 lienople, and a life-long resident of But- 
 ler County, is one of the prominent and 
 enterprising citizens of Zelienople, where 
 he has resided for the past thirty years. 
 
620 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 He was born April 22, 1856, in Jackson 
 Township, a son of Henry and Margaret 
 (Behr) Stokey. 
 
 Henry Stokey was born in 1822 in Al- 
 sace, France, where he grew to maturity 
 and during the early fifties, when the gov- 
 ernment was changed from a republic to 
 a monarchy he became dissatisfied and 
 emigrated to the United States. He had 
 prior to this made three trips to this coun- 
 try, and first located in Philadelphia for a 
 short time, after which he removed to 
 Pittsburg. He continued his residence in 
 this city for two years, at the end of which 
 time he located on a farm in Jackson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 In 1864 he became proprietor of a hotel, 
 which he conducted successfully until 
 1869, when he located on a farm, which is 
 now a part of the present site of Evans 
 City. In 1878, he purchased the Old Eagle 
 Hotel at Zelienople, conducting same until 
 the time of his death in 1883. Henry Sto- 
 key married Margaret Behr, who was also 
 born in Alsace, France, in 1830, and is at 
 present a resident of Zelienople. The fol- 
 lowing children were born to Henry Sto- 
 key and his estimable wife, namely : Theo- 
 dore, died . aged seventeen years ; Henry, 
 proprietor .of the New Hotel Stokey; 
 Jacob, and Lewis, residing on a farm in 
 Jackson Township; and Charles, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. 
 
 Charles Stokey, was reared in Jackson 
 Township and obtained his educational 
 training in the common schools of that lo- 
 cality. He devoted considerable time to 
 the work on the farm and after leaving 
 school worked for three and a half years 
 at the harness trade in Evans City. In 
 3878, when his father purchased tlie Old 
 Eagle Hotel of Zelienople he became man- 
 ager of it, continuing as such until the 
 death of the father in 1883, after which he 
 took entire charge of the hotel until 1899. 
 He then leased the hotel for five years, and 
 in 1904 again became its proprietor. 
 Shortly afterward, he disposed of it, since 
 
 which time he has lived in retirement on 
 the old Amos Lusk farm, which is located 
 in Zelienople. There is a fine running 
 spring on the place, and it is claimed that 
 General Washington drank from it on his 
 way from Allegheny County to Venango. 
 
 Mr. Stokey is a Democrat in politics and 
 has always taken an active interest in the 
 affairs of his party. He has served as a 
 member of the Town Council, and in 
 March, 1903, was elected burgess of the vil- 
 lage of Zelienople. He resigned from same 
 and was again elected in 1906. He is a di- 
 rector of the First National Bank of 
 Zelienople. Mr. Stokey is very promi- 
 nently identified with fraternal organiza- 
 tions. He is a Mason, of the Blue Lodge 
 No. 429 Harmony ; Royal Arch Chapter of 
 Butler County; Tankard Commanclery of 
 Pittsburg No. 48, and of the Pittsburg 
 Consistory. He is also a member of the 
 Ancient Order of the Arabic Nobles of the 
 Mystic Shrine. 
 
 Mr. Stokey is the father of the follow- 
 ing children : Leila ; Ellsworth ; Russell 
 and Herschell (twins), and Carl. 
 
 THOMAS R. HOON, in former years 
 one of the substantial and representative 
 citizens of Centre Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, and for some years sheriff of the 
 county, was born in Centre Township, De- 
 cember 3, 1835, a son of John Hoon. He 
 was reared and educated in his native 
 township, and after beginning industrial 
 life', was engaged in teaming until 1860. 
 He then went to Oil Creek, Venango 
 County, where, until 1862, he was employed 
 in the oil business. In the~ year last men- 
 tioned he enlisted in Company G, One Hun- 
 dred and Thirty-seventh Pennsylvania Vol- 
 imteers, with which regiment he served 
 until the close of the war. He took part 
 in some of the bloodiest and most impor- 
 tant battles waged by the Army of the Po- 
 tomac, including those of South Mountain, 
 Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- 
 ville, the Wilderness, the operations in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 621 
 
 front of Richmond, and the closing scenes 
 which culminated in the surrender of Lee 
 at Appomattox. He had served under Gen- 
 erals McClellan, Burnside, Hooker and 
 Grant. After being mustered out, he re- 
 turned to Butler County and engaged in 
 farming on the old homestead, having 300 
 acres of well improved land. Here he fol- 
 lowed agriculture until his death, which 
 took place July 13, 1904. 
 
 Mr. Hoon was a successful farmer, being 
 both industrious and progressive. He pos- 
 sessed in a high degree the confidence of 
 his fellow citizens, and served at different 
 times in most of the township offices. He 
 was at one time sheriff of Butler County, 
 in which position he showed his courage 
 and capacity on the occasion of the cap- 
 ture of the Biddle brothers, of whom he 
 had charge in the hospital jail, and who 
 had to be guarded at the point of a re- 
 volver. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hoon was a Republican. 
 He took great interest in Grand Army af- 
 fairs, being a useful and active member of 
 John Randolph Post. He also belonged to 
 the Patrons of Husbandry. 
 
 Mr. Hoon was married, March 23, 1871, 
 to Sarah J. Jones, a daughter of David 
 Jones, of Franklin Township. They had 
 seven children, namely: George H., now 
 deceased; Mary, the wife of Dr. Wasson, 
 died March 11, 1908; William C, deceased; 
 John R., who is now county detective, with 
 an office in the Butler County National 
 Bank Building, and residence at No. 532 
 Mifflin Street; Nancy B.; Henrietta and 
 Lina. Mrs. Hoon, who survives her hus- 
 band, resides at No. 428 Mifflin Street, 
 Butler. 
 
 ISAAC N. JOHNS, one of the success- 
 ful oil producers and agriculturists of 
 Parker Township, was born August 10, 
 1865, near Kittanning, Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of John and 
 Nancy (Hooks) Johns, natives of Arm- 
 
 strong County, where the Johns family is 
 an old and prominent one. 
 
 When Isaac N. Johns was still a small 
 lad his father died, and his mother subse- 
 quently married W. M. Henry, by whom 
 the youth was reared, his education being 
 secured in the public schools of Armstrong 
 County. On attaining his majority, Mr. 
 Johns engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 and in the early nineties he located in Par- 
 ker Township, where he is now half-owner 
 in a farm of forty-six acres and the oil 
 wells thereon, W. H. Orton of Parker's 
 Landing being the owner of the other one- 
 half of the property. Mr. Johns is a self- 
 made man, and his success in life is due to 
 his own energy and enterprise. He is a 
 Republican in political matters, and de- 
 votes a great deal of his time and attention 
 to movements in behalf of the advancement 
 of education. He has shown himself to be 
 a man of integrity, and his rating is high 
 in business circles. 
 
 On November 15, 1891, Mr. Johns was 
 married to Elizabeth C. Levier, who was 
 born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 a daughter of the late Josiah Levier. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Johns have had the following 
 children: Byron B., Forest F., Waldo W., 
 Melvin M., Hazel lone, Elma V. and 
 Myrtle V. 
 
 JOHN YOUNKINS, one of the best 
 known oil operators of Butler County, a 
 member of the firm of-Younkins Brothers, 
 at No. 340 N. McKean Street, Butler, was 
 born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, May 5, 1848, son of William and Sarah 
 Younkins. His youth was spent on a farm 
 and he acquired his education in the com- 
 mon schools. He became connected with 
 the oil business soon after acquiring his 
 majority, embarking in the business at 
 Parker's Landing, in July, 1869. After- 
 wards he was engaged in it at Shamburg, 
 Venango County, and subsequently at 
 Mount Hope, Clarion County. He made 
 
622 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 bis advent in Butler County, commencing 
 business operations at Petrolia, and later 
 extending tliem to the Bradford and War- 
 ren fields. In Septejnber, 1884, he returned 
 to Butler, and has s'nce confined his opera- 
 tions to this county. In addition to their 
 extensive oil business, the firm of Younkins 
 Brothers are large dealers in real estate, 
 and they rank well up among the most 
 prosperous business concerns of the 
 county. Mr. Younkins' business responsi- 
 bilities also include the presidency of the 
 Farmers' National Bank. He held the of- 
 fice of tax collector of the borough of 
 Butler, to which he was elected on the 
 Democratic ticket, in February, 1894. His 
 fraternal affiliations are with Ziegler 
 Lodge, I. 0. O. F. He is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Younkins was married, December 
 27, 1877, to Naomi C, a daughter of Robert 
 H. Campbell, of Parker Township, this 
 county. He and his wife are the parents 
 of four children: Edith M., Myrtle F., Earl 
 L. and Vera Gr. 
 
 WILLIAM V. POWELL, owner and 
 proprietor of the Powell Boiler Works, a 
 prospering enterprise of Chicora, is an ex- 
 perienced, practical machinist and boiler- 
 maker, having been identified with the busi- 
 ness since he was seventeen years of age. 
 Mr. Powell was born June 28, 1867, in 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Thomas and 
 Mary (Richards) Powell. 
 
 Thomas Powell was born in Butler 
 County and died in the same county, No- 
 vember 13, 1907. The main occupation 
 that he followed through life was farming. 
 He married Mary Richards, who has been 
 a resident of Butler County for thirty-six 
 years, but was born in Westmoreland 
 County. They had the following children : 
 J. W., William V., Walter and Thomas, 
 both deceased, Anna, Sadie, deceased, 
 Frank,_ C. E., and Nettie. 
 
 William V. Powell was six years old 
 when his parents moved to Armstrong 
 
 County, where the family lived for two 
 years, returning then to Butler County, 
 where he attended the public schools until 
 he was fourteen years old. For three years 
 he assisted his father and then entered the 
 shop of Frank Quinn, to learn the boiler- 
 making trade, after nine months going to 
 Petrolia, where he was in the employ of 
 J. C. Lyons, for five and one-half years. 
 From there he went to Slade Run, in For- 
 ward Township, where he conducted a shop 
 for three and one-half years and then en- 
 gaged with the Forest Oil Company of that 
 place and worked for that corporation for 
 seven and one-half years. Mr. Powell then 
 came to Chicora, where, in partnership 
 with Fred Henman and W. C. Aikens, he 
 bought out Charles Hunter, this transac- 
 tion taking place November 11, 1900. 
 Later, Mr. Henman sold his interest to Mr. 
 Powell and three years afterward, Mr. 
 Aikens died and since that time Mr. Powell 
 has been sole owner and has conducted the 
 business by himself. He does all kinds of 
 repair work and builds gas and oil tanks. 
 His business standing is high and his per- 
 sonal character without reproach, making 
 him a truly representative citizen. 
 
 Mr. Powell married Miss Mary Aikens, 
 of Butler County, and they have had two 
 children : Iva, who was born July 4, 1892 ; 
 and a babe that died early. Mr. Powell 
 and wife are members of the English Lu- 
 theran Church. He belongs to the fraternal 
 orders of the Woodmen of the World, the 
 Woodmen of America and the Knights of 
 Maccabees. 
 
 HON. THOMAS ROBINSON. Among 
 those citizens of Butler County who have 
 now passed off the scene of life, but whose 
 memory will long be preserved and cher- 
 ished by their fellow citizens, was Thomas 
 Robinson, who, for seventy-one years was 
 a resident of this section. He was born 
 July 4, 1825, in County Armagh, Ireland, 
 and was a son of Thomas and Arabella 
 (Riley) Robinson. 
 
aww IPiSj^' 
 
 AS ROBINSON 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 625 
 
 The parents of Mr. Robinson came to 
 America and in 1832 they settled on a 
 farm in the vicinity of Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania, and three years later secured 
 farming land in Penn Township, Butler 
 County, where the rest of their lives were 
 spent. 
 
 Thomas Robinson was ten years old 
 when his parents located in Penn Town- 
 ship and his early education was secured 
 in the district schools in the neighborhood 
 of his home. - He was a grown man before 
 the opportunity came to him to Obtain 
 more advanced instruction, as it was in 
 1851 that he entered Butler Academy. It 
 is probable that he pursued his academic 
 studies for about one year, subsequently 
 teaching school for some two years and 
 in 1854 securing recognition by those in 
 authority in county affairs. He secured 
 appointment as a clerk in the county com- 
 missioner's office and immediately began 
 the study of law, under the direction of 
 George W. Smith, and was admitted to 
 the Butler bar September 25, 1855. Poli- 
 tics soon claimed his attention and in Feb- 
 ruary of this year he had been sent as a 
 delegate from Butler County to first Re- 
 publican convention convened at Pitts- 
 burg. His ability was so generally recog- 
 nized both in his profession and as a po- 
 litical factor that in 1860 he was elected to 
 the Pennsylvania Legislature. In the 
 troubled years which followed, Mr. Robin- 
 son, by tongue, pen and personal effort up- 
 held the government in its struggle with 
 rebellion and fearlessly advocated meas- 
 ures relative to public safety, often in the 
 face of fierce opposition. During 1863-4 
 he was the able and resourceful chairman 
 of the Butler Cojmty Republican commit- 
 tee. He was not an active seeker for of- 
 fice, his greatest interest being confined to 
 journalism, but in 1876 he was nominated 
 by the Republicans of the county for the 
 Senate, but failed to secure the district 
 nomination. In 1880 he was sent as a del- 
 egate to the Republican National Conven- 
 
 tion held at Chicago, supporting the 
 claims of the great statesman, Hon. James 
 G. Blaine, for the presidency. His name 
 is indelibly associated with journalism in 
 Butler County. In 1863 he founded the 
 American Citizen, which still exists, under 
 the title of the Butler Citizen, of which he 
 was editor for several years. During 
 many of his most active years he was edi- 
 tor and proprietor of the Butler Eagle, 
 which he later sold to his son, Eli D. Rob- 
 inson, who is the present postmaster at 
 Butler. This journal, under the manage- 
 ment of both father and son, ever wielded 
 a large amount of influence throughout 
 this section of the State. 
 
 Mr. Robinson married a daughter of Dr. 
 Eli G. De Wolf and to this union was born 
 a family of thirteen children, and the fol- 
 lowing survive: Eli D., Sallie A., Clara 
 B., Adelaide K., Arabella, Electa, Charles 
 C, George T., and Thomas. With his fam- 
 ily, Mr. Robinson belongs to the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church. While frequently 
 outside affairs claimed a large measure of 
 his attention, he never permitted them to 
 cause him to forget the needs and demands 
 of his family, friends or city. He was 
 ]>articularly interested in educational mat- 
 ters; served on the city school board, and 
 was a trustee of the Slippery Rock State 
 Normal School from the time of its organi- 
 zation until his death, which took place 
 June 23, 1906. 
 
 C. E. MILLER, shoe merchant at Butler, 
 conducting a large business with well ap- 
 pointed quarters at No. 215 South Main 
 Street, has been a resident of this city for 
 twenty-two years and in that time has 
 built up a business that covers the whole 
 county. He was born March 17, 1867, in 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, but was 
 taken by his parents to Armstrong County 
 when a child. 
 
 Mr. Miller attended school in the country 
 near his father's farm and later took a 
 commercial course in Duff's Business Col- 
 
626 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 lege at Pittsburg, where he was graduated 
 in 1887. He gained his first experience in 
 the shoe trade as a clerk in John Bickel's 
 store at Butler, where he remained three 
 years, after which he was with B. Hinnnel- 
 rich & Co., at Pittsburg, for more than a 
 year, after that taking charge of the shoe 
 department in a store at New Kensington, 
 where he continued until 1893. Mr. Miller 
 settled then at Butler, where he put in a 
 good shoe stock, not more however than 
 he, with the assistance of one clerk, could 
 manage, and from that beginning the busi- 
 ness has expanded until he now has the 
 largest shoe store in the city and the big- 
 gest trade in his line in the county. He 
 requires nine assistants and employs three 
 wrapping girls and keeps three shoemakers 
 busy. Honest goods and fair dealing have 
 been Mr. Miller's assets, and their worth 
 has been appreciated. In addition to this 
 business, Mr. Miller is interested in oil 
 production and is a stockholder in two 
 banks. In politics, Mr. Miller is affiliated 
 with the Republican party. Fraternally he 
 belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Elks, 
 and socially is a member of the Sterling 
 Club. 
 
 GEORGE H. FOX, who follows general 
 farming on a tract of seventy acres, lo- 
 cated one and one half miles south-east of 
 Cabot on the east side of Bear Creek, also 
 does contract teaming, and is one of the 
 leading and highly respected citizens of 
 Winfield Township. He was born Decem- 
 ber 7, 1869, in Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Henry and Jane 
 (Kaufold) Fox and a grandson of George 
 Henry Fox, a native of Germany who 
 came to this country at a very early period 
 and located first in Allegheny County, 
 Pennsylvania, whence he came to Butler 
 County and was among the earliest set- 
 tlers. 
 
 George H. Fox was reared in his native 
 county and received his elementary school- 
 ing in the district schools of that locality. 
 
 completing his education in the common 
 schools of Cabot, Pennsylvania. 
 
 On May 22, 1894, when twenty-four 
 years of age, Mr. Fox was united in mar- 
 riage to Adelia B. Kennedy, a daughter of 
 Peter and Rachael (Cooper) Kennedy, 
 well known farmers of Butler County, and 
 of their union were born the following 
 children: Mabel, aged twelve years, and 
 Juanita, who is nine years old. Mr. Fox 
 has always followed general farming and 
 in connection with this is now engaged in 
 contract teaming. He is a man of public 
 spirit and enterprise, giving his support to 
 all measures which tend toward the ad- 
 vancement of the community in which he 
 lives. His farm of seventy acres is well 
 improved and equipped with all the neces- 
 sary out-buildings of a substantial kind 
 and his residence is a comfortable two- 
 story frame building. 
 
 In religious affiliation Mr. Fox is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Cabot, of which he is president of the 
 board of trustees and was for some time 
 superintendent of the Sabbath school. 
 
 HON. J. DAVID McJUNKIN, who for 
 many years has been prominently identi- 
 fied with the affairs of Butler, Pennsyl- 
 vania, is one of the practitioners before 
 the courts of Butler County. He was born 
 on the old 'homestead in Centre Township, 
 Butler County, September 3, 1839, and is 
 eldest son of William and Priscilla Mc- 
 Junkin. 
 
 Mr. McJvmkin received a preliminary 
 education in the common schools of his 
 home district, supplemented by four years 
 at Butler Academy, Witherspoon Institute 
 and West Sunbury Academy. He taught 
 school for several years, and in 1862 
 served as a member of Company G, Four- 
 teenth Regiment of Pennsylvania Militia, 
 to assist in repelling Lee's invasion of the 
 State. His preparation for the legal pro- 
 fession was under the preceptorship of 
 Judge McJuukin, and he was admitted to 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 627 
 
 the bar of Butler County, June 8, 1863. 
 The following year he removed to Frank- 
 lin, V^euaugo County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he practiced with good results until 1873. 
 During that time he was called upon to 
 serve in official capacity, being elected to 
 the State Legislature of Pennsylvania in 
 1869, and reelected in 1870 and 1871. He 
 returned to Butler in 1873 and there has 
 since resided and engaged in active prac- 
 tice. His activities have not been confined 
 to his professional work, and in 1879 he 
 was connected with the Bald Eidge Oil 
 Company, whose operations were the 
 means of attracting oil men to the further 
 development of the Butler field. He is a 
 Eepublican in politics, and has been an 
 active worker for the success of that 
 party. He was in 1880 and 1882 the 
 choice of his coimty for the nomination for 
 Congress; also in 1904 and 1908. 
 
 Mr. McJunkin was united in marriage 
 with Miss Margaret A. Campbell, a daugh- 
 ter of James Campbell of Butler, and they 
 became parents of the following children : 
 Clara Bell; William David; Mary Chris- 
 tie, wife of Lewis E. Schmertz; Charles 
 Campbell; John Welles; and Margaret 
 Kathleen, who died in January, 1888. Ee- 
 ligiously, he is a member of the Presbyte- 
 rian Church, to the support of which he 
 has contributed liberally. 
 
 HUMES A. McCANDLESS, who came 
 to his fine farm of 100 acres, which is sit- 
 uated in Center Township, two miles south 
 of LTnionville, in 1868, is numbered with 
 the representative men of his section and 
 with its excellent and successful farmers. 
 He was born near Unionville, in Center 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 June 14, 1832, and is a son of Nathan F. 
 and Elizabeth (Thompson) McCandless. 
 
 Nathan F. McCandless was also born in 
 Center Township and was a son of Will- 
 iam McCandless, a native of Ireland, who 
 came to this neighborhood when he was 
 sixteen years old. The McCandless fam- 
 
 ily is one of the oldest and most respected 
 of the pioneer families of Center Town- 
 ship. Nathan F. McCandless was reared 
 on his father's farm and spent his whole 
 life in Center Township, where he died in 
 1890, aged eighty-seven years. He was 
 married (first) to Elizabeth Thompson, 
 who was born in what is now Brady Town- 
 ship, and who was a daughter of John 
 Thompson, who was born in Ireland. 
 There were nine children born of this mar- 
 riage, five of whom still survive. Mrs. 
 McCandless died when her son Humes A., 
 was about eighteen years of age. Nathan 
 F. was married (secondly) to Delilah 
 Mitchell, and the two children born of the 
 second marriage are now living. 
 
 Humes A. McCandless obtained his edu- 
 cation in the country schools, grew to man- 
 hood on the home farm, and has made 
 farming his main business in life. In 1864 
 he gave one year to the service of his 
 coimtry, enlisting in Company A, Sixth 
 Eegiment, Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. 
 After the close of his military service he 
 returned to the farm at home, where he 
 remained until his marriage, when he came 
 to his present property. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. McCandless was married to 
 Martha Thompson, who is a daughter of 
 James and Sarah (Allison) Thompson. 
 She was born in Allegheny County but 
 came to Center Township in early girl- 
 hood. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless have 
 eight children, namely: Josiah N. mar- 
 ried Amanda McKee and they have five 
 children; Orrin Bert married Mildred Ste- 
 venson and they have five children; Al- 
 gerta married Elmer Cranmer, and they 
 have two children; Adella married Ever- 
 ett Cranmer and they have five children; 
 Martha J. ; James T. married Lyda xilbert 
 and they have two children; Newton H. 
 married Stella Albert, and they have two 
 children; and William J. married Maggie 
 Kummer, and they have one child. Mr. 
 McCandless is a leading member of the 
 Presbyterian Church in Center Township. 
 
628 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 NATHANIEL S. GROSSMAN, one of 
 the present commissioners of Butler 
 County, has been a resident of the city of 
 Butler since his election to this responsi- 
 ble office in November, 1905. He is a mem- 
 ber of one of the pioneer families of the 
 county and was born in Franklin Town- 
 ship — the portion which now constitutes 
 Brady Township — in September, 1845, son 
 of John and Eliza (Stevenson) Grossman. 
 
 He is a descendant in direct line of 
 Simon Grossman, a native of Germany, 
 who came to America about 1740, settling 
 in what is now Adams County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, on Mass Creek, near the present 
 town of Gettysburg. The line of descent 
 from this founder of the family in this 
 country is Simon (1), Benedict (2), Simon 
 (3), John (4), Nathaniel S. (5). 
 
 Simon, the immigrant ancestor, was mar- 
 ried twice, but so far the name of neither 
 of his wives has been ascertained. Of his 
 children, besides Benedict, who was born 
 on the passage over to this country, there 
 were Simon, of whom nothing further is 
 known; Margaret or Peggy; Rosa, who it 
 is said married a Mr. Sawyer ; and another 
 daughter, Mary, who became the wife of 
 Matthias Sawyer and the mother of eleven 
 children, whose names need not here be 
 given. It is possible, perhaps probable, 
 that Simon had other children, but if so 
 their history is unknown to that branch 
 of the family under present consideration. 
 It is thought, however, that a certain 
 Michael Grossman, who was born about 
 1745 near Lancaster, Penna., across the 
 Susquehanna River, towards the moun- 
 tains, was another son of Simon's, though 
 the evidence on that point is not conclusive. 
 
 Benedict Grossman, second in this line 
 of descent, and great grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch, married a Mrs. 
 Betsey Siebert, whose maiden name was 
 Grove. AVlien a child but seven years old 
 she was captured by Indians and scalped, 
 but her life was spared and she lived with 
 the Indians until she was thirteen, when 
 
 she was exchanged. In after years when 
 she accompanied her husband to Butler 
 County, she recognized several localities 
 along Slippery Rock as places where she 
 had been with the Indians. Benedict and 
 Betsy Grossman were the parents of six 
 children — Simon, Katy, Betsy, Jacob, 
 Polly, and Benjamin — most of whom, if not 
 all, were born in Adams County, Penna., 
 though in later years they came to Butler 
 County. Benedict is buried on the Abner 
 McCallen farm, near Annandale, Butler 
 County. He was one of the first settlers 
 in Cherry Township. 
 
 Simon Grossman, eldest son of Benedict 
 and grandfather of Nathaniel S. Grossman, 
 left Adams County when about eighteen 
 3'ears of age and went to Huntington 
 County, Penna., where he afterwards mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Carothers. They resided in 
 Huntington County until after the birth of 
 their two eldest children, when they moved 
 on west to Butler County, and soon set- 
 tled on the farm where John W. Grossman 
 now lives in Brady Township. To Simon 
 and Elizabeth were born nine children, 
 namely: Benjamin and Elizabeth (both 
 born in Huntington County), Alexander, 
 Hugh C, Simon, John, Mary, Robert, and 
 James McKee Grossman. 
 
 John Grossman, son of Simon and father 
 of Nathaniel S. Grossman, was born in 
 what is now Brady Township in 1812, and 
 his entire life was spent in Butler County, 
 where he followed agricultural pursuits. 
 He married Eliza Stevenson and took up 
 his residence on the farm now owned by 
 John W. Grossman. Later he removed to 
 the farm now owned by Alfred Grossman 
 in Brady Township. He and his wife were 
 the parents of a large family, numbering 
 ten children, — Benjamin C, Nathaniel S., 
 John A., Jennie, Elizabeth, Robert Marion, 
 Hugh Forrest, Margaret W., George G., 
 and a daughter who died in infancy. Rob- 
 ert Marion and George also died when 
 quite young. Benjamin C. enlisted in the 
 Union army at the time of the Civil War 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 629 
 
 and served four years. After his return 
 he went to Missouri, where he married 
 Jane Blakeley. They had two children, 
 John H. and Ida B., the hitter of whom 
 married Harry Hatzell. Benjamin became 
 quite a prominent citizen in his new home. 
 He was elected county judge, an office simi- 
 lar to that of count}^ commissioner in 
 Pennsylvania. He was postgnaster for sev- 
 eral years and cashier in the Bosworth 
 Bank for a number of years, but finally 
 resigned this latter position on account of 
 failing health. He died May 31, 1906. 
 
 John A. Grossman, son of John and 
 Eliza Grossman, taught school for several 
 years and was also engaged in mercantile 
 business at Greece City, and later in Pros- 
 pect in partnership with W. R. Riddle. 
 He died at the home of his brother Na- 
 thaniel, March 12, 1875. 
 
 Jennie Grossman married John John- 
 ston and their children are Everett, Mina, 
 who married Joseph Kissick, Forrest, 
 Flovd, Earl, and Mossie, the last mentioned 
 died in 1904. 
 
 Elizabeth Grossman, another sister of 
 the subject of this sketch, married Oren 
 Dodds. She died March 6, 1876. 
 
 Hugh Forrest went to Missouri and 
 there married Lula Timbrook. After re- 
 siding in that state for several years he 
 went farther west to Oklahoma Territory 
 (now state), where he is still living. He 
 has one child, Jeanetta, who married Ayers 
 K. Ross. 
 
 Margaret W. Grossman married Andrew 
 Wahl of Evans Citv, and thev have one 
 child, Clyde M. 
 
 Nathaniel S. Grossman was twelve years 
 old when his parents removed from Brady 
 to Franklin Township, and there, after the 
 usual attendance at school, he engaged in 
 farming, dairying, and stock-raising until 
 he was elected county commissioner. He 
 was also one of the stockholders in the 
 Prospect Creamery. He has long been re- 
 garded as one of the leading agriculturists 
 of this section. Since reaching manhood 
 
 he has been more or less interested in poli- 
 tics, and as a man of ability and sterling 
 character, he has been elected to various 
 local offices. He has always justified the 
 confidence of his fellow citizens and he is 
 considered one of the most efficient mem- 
 bers of the present county board. 
 
 In 1874 Mr. Grossman was married to 
 Miss Mary Kennedy, who is a daughter of 
 Robert Kennedy, a resident of Butler 
 CountJ^ They have two sons, Marion Cur- 
 tis and Robert K. The former, who con- 
 tinues the operation of the home farm, 
 married Minnie Weitzel, bf Franklin 
 Township, and they have a son — Nathaniel 
 Lloyd. Robert K. is clerk in the county 
 commissioners' office. He married Lida 
 Millingar, of Oakland Township. Mr. 
 Grossman is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church at Prospect and for several years 
 served as one of its trustees. He has been 
 an active member of the Independent Or- 
 der of Odd Fellows since 1874. 
 
 D. L. BOWSER, who has been identified 
 with the oil interests of Parker Township 
 for a period covering twenty years, was 
 liorn May 5, 1857, in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of John F. and 
 Jane (Saddler) Bowser, natives of that 
 State. 
 
 D. L. Bowser was reared near Kattan- 
 ning, where his school days were spent, 
 and at the age of nineteen years, with 
 other members of his family, came to But- 
 ler County, where he has since been a resi- 
 dent, most of this time having been spent 
 in Parker Township. Although he re- 
 ceived but a meager education, it was not 
 long before Mr. Bowser began to show his 
 ability in a business way, and for the past 
 twenty years he has been one of the town- 
 ship's best known oil producers. He is 
 known as a stanch friend to all educational 
 movements, and as a citizen and business 
 man his rating is high. The only survivors 
 of Mr. Bowser's parents' family beside 
 himself are: Sarah E., residing in But- 
 
630 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ler County; John M., who lives in Alle- 
 gheny County; and Anna B., of Butler 
 County. 
 
 Mr. Bowser was married to Eachel Phil- 
 lips, of Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, a 
 daughter of George and Elsie (Pish) 
 Phillips, whose entire family were as fol- 
 lows : Delila, who married William Byers ; 
 Jemima, who married first William Bow- 
 ser and second, John Johnson; Sarah E., 
 who married Blair Hooks; Melissa, de- 
 ceased; James Monroe, who married Jo- 
 sephine Moses ; Ruth, who became the wife 
 of John Ross; Curtis, who married Mary 
 Wyant ; Rachel, wife of the subject of this 
 sketch; and Alfred, who married Louise 
 Weber. Mr. Phillips' father at one time 
 owned nearly all the grovmd on which the 
 town of Phillipston now stands. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bowser are the parents of 
 three children, namely: Aida L., wife of 
 G. N. Weitzel, of Parker Township and 
 has one daughter, Helen M. ; Claude E., 
 a machinist employed by the Westing- 
 house Machine Company at Pittsburg, who 
 married Florence O'Brien of that city and 
 has a daughter. Garnet; and Twila Marie, 
 who lives at home. In his political views, 
 Mr. Bowser is a Prohibitionist with Re- 
 publican proclivities, but he has not been 
 active in public affairs, preferring to give 
 his time and attention to his business 
 interests. 
 
 HON. THOMAS HAYS, recently elected 
 to the Pennsylvania State Senate from the 
 Forty-first Senatorial District, composed 
 of Armstrong and Butler Counties, is one 
 of Butler County's most prominent citi- 
 zens. He was born January 19, 1840, in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he grew to manhood and obtained a fair 
 education in the local schools. 
 
 In September, 1861, he enlisted in Com- 
 pany B, One Hundred and Third Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, which formed 
 part of the Fouth Corps, Army of the 
 Potomac, and with his regiment he took 
 
 part in the Peninsula Campaign and par- 
 ticipated in the battles of Williamsburg, 
 Seven Pines, Fair Oaks, and Malvern Hill. 
 Later, when transferred to the Eighteenth 
 Corps, he was stationed at Sutfolk, Vir- 
 ginia. After the expiration of his first 
 term of enlistjuent, in November, 1862, he 
 reentered the army, becoming a member of 
 Battery L, Fourth United States Artillery. 
 His subsequent service included the siege 
 of Suffolk, the operations around York- 
 town, siege of Petersburg, battle of Cold 
 Harbor and the engagements in front of 
 Richmond. He was honorably discharged 
 November 13, 1864. In the spring of 1867 
 he took up his residence on a farm in Fair- 
 view Township, Butler County, where he 
 lived for ten years and then removed to 
 Fairview, where he lived for twenty years. 
 Since 1900 he has been largely interested 
 in the oil industry and is one of the most 
 successful oil producers of this section. 
 He has many business interests aside from 
 oil production. He is a director in the 
 Farmers National Bank and is a partner 
 in a large wholesale grocery concern. He 
 erected the Waverly Hotel, which h(^ still 
 
 Senator Hays was married December 21, 
 1865, to Keziah J. Foster, who is a daugh- 
 ter of Christopher F. and Isabella Foster, 
 of Armstrong County. They had six chil- 
 dren born to them, namely: Jennie L., 
 Christopher F., Robert N., Maud B., 
 Thomas H. and Charles F. W. The family 
 belong to the Presbyterian Church, Sena- 
 tor Hays being an elder therein. For 
 many years he has been one of Butler 
 County's most astute ijoliticians and 
 capable public men. He is a Republican 
 in his political views and in 1902 he was 
 elected to the State Legislature and was 
 reelected to that body, serving until 1906. 
 He has served also in borough offices 
 where his effoi'ts have always been di- 
 rected to the improvement of the commun- 
 ity and the general welfare of the people. 
 In 1908 he was elected to the State Senate, 
 
HOX. THOMAS HAYS 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 his opponent being Dr. R. J. Grossman. 
 He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity, 
 a member of the Woodmen of the World, 
 one of the Sons of the American Revolu- 
 tion and a member of Post 105 G. A. R. of 
 Butler, Penna. 
 
 HARRY SAMUEL KLINGLER, a 
 member of the firm of H. J. Klingler & 
 Company, proprietors of the Oriental 
 Roller Mills, at Butler, is one of the best 
 known, experienced and scientific millers 
 in Western Pennsylvania. He was born 
 in the borough of Butler, in 1856, and is a 
 son of that veteran miller and prominent 
 business citizen of Butler, Hermann Julius 
 Klingler. 
 
 Harry Samuel Klingler was educated in 
 the public schools of Butler and at Capital 
 University, Columbus, Ohio. In 1875, 
 when just out of college, he entered his 
 father's mill, in order to learn the business 
 in all its details. This he thoroughly ac- 
 complished, and in 1878 was made general 
 manager of the concern, which position he 
 still retains, being also a member of the 
 firm of H. J. Klingler & Company. He has 
 gained a wide i-eputation as an expert, 
 practical miller, and has contributed to the 
 literature of the trade some valuable 
 articles, some of which were read before 
 the Pennsylvania Millers' State Associa- 
 tion, and others published in the leading 
 trade journals. In July, 1883, he won the 
 prize offered by the American Miller, for 
 the best essay on "The Handling of Mid- 
 dlings and the Use of Purifiers." He con- 
 tributed other articles to that paper during 
 1884-5 and for four years he informally 
 supported by his pen the Milling Engineer, 
 besides writing for other trade papers. 
 His column of "Random Reflections" in 
 other journals attracted wide-spread at- 
 tention. In December, 1886, he was one 
 of the prime movers in the organization of 
 the Pennsylvania Millers' Mutual Fire In- 
 surance Company, since which he has been 
 one of the directors. He has also taken 
 
 a material interest in other business enter- 
 prises of Butler, though never to the neg- 
 lect of his chief life work — milling. 
 
 Brought up in the faith of the Lutheran 
 Church, he has continued one of its stead- 
 fast adherents, and has been a useful 
 worker in the local congregation. For 
 nearly ten years he served acceptably as 
 superintendent of the Sunday school, and 
 at the Fifty-first Convention of the Pitts- 
 burg Synod of the General Coimcil, held 
 at Greensburg, Pennsylvania, September 
 13-20, 1893, he was elected a trustee of 
 Thiel College, of Greenville. 
 
 On February 8, 1878, Mr. Klingler was 
 married to Louisa Catherine Keck, who is 
 a daughter of Jacob Keck, of Butler. 
 They have seven children : Charlotte Fred- 
 erica, William Julius, Alberta Barbara, 
 Clara Louisa, Harry Samuel Jr., Florence 
 Elizabeth, and Ethel Pauline. The family 
 home is at No. 141 East Jelferson Street, 
 Butler. 
 
 Hermann Julius Klingler, father of 
 Harry Samuel, and the founder of the firm 
 of H". J. Klingler & Company, was born 
 near Wurtemburg, Germany, and came of 
 a family of millers. He was fourteen 
 years old when he came to America, and 
 with other members of the family settled 
 on a farm in Manor Township, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania. When eighteen 
 years of age he married and then moved 
 to Kittanning, where, for about one year, 
 he was employed as a clerk in a store. On 
 coming to Butler, in 1849, he engaged in a 
 hotel business, purchasing the old United 
 States Hotel, on the corner of Main and 
 Jefferson Streets. In 1852, on the site of 
 the old property, he built the Lowry House 
 and conducted that hostelry for the follow- 
 ing eight years. With James Campbell, 
 under the style of Campbell & Klingler, he 
 also engaged in the dry goods business, 
 having a store on the southwest corner of 
 Main and MifBin Streets. At a still later 
 period he entered into the foundry busi- 
 ness, with Martin Reiber, imder the style 
 
634 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of Reiber & Klingler. He sold his hotel 
 property in 1860 and in the same year 
 built a substantial and commodious resi- 
 derfce on the southwest corner of Jefferson 
 and McKean Streets, where he still resides 
 with his son. 
 
 In 1862 Hermann J. Klingler gave up 
 his other business interests to engage in 
 the oil industry and entered into partner- 
 ship with John Berg, Sr. For several 
 years they operated above Oil City, and 
 they were among the first to engage in 
 shipping petroleum to Europe. The first 
 consignment '^as made to Liverpool in 
 1863 and the cargo was in charge of Mr, 
 Klingler and John Berg, Jr. It was dur- 
 ing this trip that Mr. Klingler paid a visit 
 to his old home and while there visited 
 many points of interest which his years of 
 absence on the farther side of the Atlantic 
 Ocean had made more important to him. 
 In 1865 Mr. Klingler took a leading part 
 in organizing the Butler County Oil Com- 
 pany, and acted as its superintendent dur- 
 ing its two years of existence. It was 
 mainly through his agency that the com- 
 pany acquired 12,000 acres of land in 
 Butler, Armstrong and Beaver Counties. 
 On this land, in a section extending from 
 Parker to below Millerstown, he drilled 
 four test wells. Owing to the fact that 
 the drilling was not carried through to the 
 second sand, no oil was obtained and the 
 territory was abandoned, although subse- 
 quently, after more complete tests, it 
 proved to be one of the richest oil fields 
 in the State. 
 
 It was in 1867 that Mr. Klingler turned 
 his attention to the business for which, 
 above all others, he had an especial predi- 
 lection, that , of milling, heredity making 
 itself felt. He commenced by building a 
 grist mill on Mifflin Street, which was 
 known as Klingler 's Mills. In 1876 he 
 built the present main office at No. 139 
 East Jefferson Street. A year later he re- 
 modeled his mill, adapting it to the new 
 process, a method for regrinding the puri- 
 
 fied middlings on a small millstone having 
 been invented. Several years afterward 
 he began making use of rolls, being one of 
 the ipioneers in this method of milling, 
 and in 1883-4 he reconstructed his mill, 
 installing an entire roller system, after 
 which the plant adopted its present title 
 of the Oriental Roller Mills. In 1885 he 
 further improved his facilities by building 
 a shipping house, 50x110 feet, locating it 
 opposite the West Penn Railroad station. 
 On March 1, 1886, an important change 
 was made in the business, Mr. Klingler 
 taking as partners his two sons, Harry S. 
 and Fred J., and from that time the busi- 
 ness was conducted on a more extensive 
 scale, imder the style of H. J. Klingler & 
 Company. In 1889 the plant was further 
 enlarged by the erection of the Specialty 
 Roller Mills and the West Penn Elevator, 
 on the site of the shipping house, a part 
 of the latter being utilized for the purpose. 
 Still more improvements were made in 
 1891, the Oriental Mills being enlarged 
 and remodeled both outside and in. Both 
 plants were remodeled in 1907 and 1908, 
 making the property one of the most com- 
 plete and modern roller plants in the 
 United States. In various other ways be- 
 sides those mentioned, Mr. Klingler has 
 been an active factor in the advancement 
 and prosperity of the community. He was 
 one of the organizers and directors of the 
 First National Bank of Butler, resigning 
 his connection therewith four years later 
 to help organize the Butler Savings Bank, 
 of which he became a director. He also 
 helped to found the German National 
 Bank of Millerstown, of which he was a 
 director and stockholder for a number of 
 years, and was president of the National 
 Gas Company until its purchase by its 
 present owners. He was elected president 
 of the Butler Improvement Association, 
 on its organization in 1887 and took a lead- 
 ing part in securing the location in Butler 
 of business enterprises, one of which was 
 the Standard Plate Glass Factory, of which 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 635 
 
 lie served as president and general man- 
 ager for many years. In 1890, be platted 
 twelve acres of land between Mifflin and 
 Penn Streets, into thirty-nine lots, and at 
 the same time created the thoroughfare 
 known as Broad Street, which be improved, 
 and built many fine residences in other 
 parts of Butler. Mr. Klingler continues 
 to take an interest in everything that con- 
 tributes to the moral or material better- 
 ment of this city. He has been almost a 
 life-long member of the Lutheran Church. 
 For many years he was a director and for 
 more than ten years was treasurer of 
 Capital University, at Columbus, Ohio, 
 wliich is the most important educational- 
 institution of the Evangelical Lutheran 
 Joint Synod of Ohio and adjacent States. 
 He was a delegate in 1893 from the Pitts- 
 burg Synod to the General Council Luth- 
 eran Assembly at Fort AVayne. He has 
 always been a Democrat in politics. 
 
 On October 24, 1848, Hermann J. Kling- 
 ler married Anna Barbara Eeiber, a 
 daughter of Martin Eeiber, Sr. Three of 
 their eight children survive, namely: 
 Harry Samuel, Frederick Julius, and Paul 
 Gerhardt. Those deceased are Charles 
 Washington, who is survived by his wife 
 and six children, and four who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 JOSEPH DOUBLE, whose fine farm of 
 137 acres lies in Donegal Township, about 
 one and one-half miles southeast of Chicora 
 and has three producing oil wells on it, is 
 a native of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and was born in Brady Township, in 1840. 
 His parents were Zephaniah and Elizabeth 
 Double. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Double were pioneer 
 settlers in Brady Township, where they 
 lived until 1863, when they came to Done- 
 gal Township and purchased the present 
 farm, which originally contained 199 acres. 
 It was known as the old James Porquer 
 place and at that time was owned by Solo- 
 mon Filling. Zephaniah and Elizabeth 
 
 Double died on this farm when advanced 
 in years. 
 
 Joseph Double was twenty years old 
 when he enlisted for service in the Civil 
 War, entering Company F, One Hundred 
 Thirty-seventh Eegiment, Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, in 1862, served nine 
 months and was mustered out at Harris- 
 I)urg, in 1863. During a large part of this 
 time Mr. Double was sick, not being able 
 to stand the unaccustomed hardships of a 
 soldier's life. From the army he returned 
 to Brady Township and in 1863 he accom- 
 panied his parents to Donegal Township 
 and following their death he jjurchased the 
 farm on which he has continued to reside, 
 but which is managed by his son. Mr. 
 Double has been engaged in carpenter work 
 and building contracting during the greater 
 part of his life and is still active in that 
 direction. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Double was married, in 
 Brady Township, to Miss Lucinda Hilgar, 
 a daughter of Rudolph and Elizabeth Hil- 
 gar, and they have had the following chil- 
 dren: Peter E., John H., Zephaniah H., 
 Elizabeth T., Joseph E., William E., Agues 
 L., James L., Thomas L., Jacob 0., and 
 Edward, all of whom survive except 
 Joseph E. 
 
 Mr. Double is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Eepublic Post at Chicora and 
 he belongs also to the Odd Fellows. He 
 has taken much interest in the public 
 schools of Donegal Township and for nine 
 years has been a member of the School 
 Board. He is one of the substantial and 
 representative citizens of this part of 
 Butler County. 
 
 HAEEY B. SNAMAN, of the firm of 
 Snaman Bros., complete house furnishers, 
 at Butler, is one of the city's enterprising 
 and successful young business men. He 
 was born in 1871, in Allegheny City, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of George W. and 
 Ellen Jane (Dunlap) Snaman. The father 
 of Mr. Snaman is a retired merchant of 
 
636 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Allegheny, where he was in business for 
 forty-three years. He married a daughter 
 of Capt. Hance W. Dunlap, who com- 
 manded a boat on the Ohio River for many 
 years and was an early settler at Allegheny 
 in the year 1817. 
 
 Harry B. Snaman went to school until he 
 was fourteen years of age and then entered 
 his father's store, where he continued for 
 seventeen years. When his father retired 
 from business, Harry B., in association 
 with his brother, Walter H., came to But- 
 ler, in 1903, and established the present 
 business under the firm name of Snaman 
 Bros., on North Main Street. Here they 
 occupy 17,500 square feet of floor space and 
 handle a complete line of house-furnishing 
 goods. They are both capable business 
 men and their honorable methods have won 
 them a large trade. 
 
 In 1895 Harry B. Snaman was married 
 to Miss Elizabeth Fink, a daughter of John 
 B. Fink, a prominent oil man, who has been 
 identified with the industry ever since the 
 first well was drilled (the Drake well). 
 Mr. and Mrs. Snaman have two children: 
 Elizabeth and Catherine. They are mem- 
 bers of the First Presbyterian Church. 
 He has long been identified with the Odd 
 Fellows and is also secretary of the Odd 
 Fellow Club. Mr. Snaman is an active citi- 
 zen and has served both as president and as 
 treasurer of the Butler Board of Trade, 
 and he is also connected with both the 
 Butler and Sterling Clubs. 
 
 Walter H. Snaman, member of the firm 
 of Snaman Bros., was born at Allegheny, 
 Pennsylvania, graduated from the High 
 School and then attended the Western 
 University at Pittsburg. For the last 
 twelve years he has been identified with 
 his brother in business. 
 
 Mr. Snaman was married at Pittsburg, 
 to Miss Blanche Kelly and they have three 
 children : Marie, Neville and Dorothy. Mr. 
 Snaman is a member of St. Paul 's Catholic 
 Church. Fraternally he is an Elk, a past 
 grand knight of the Knights of Columbus, 
 
 and a member also of the Catholic Mutual 
 Benefit Association and of the Young 
 Men's Association. 
 
 HENRY C. KEASEY, who is identified 
 with many interests in Butler County, owns 
 a profitably conducted farm in Wiufield 
 Township, deals extensively in lumber and 
 is well known in the oil fields as a success- 
 ful gas and oil operator. Mr. Keasey was 
 born in Butler County, Pennsylvania, May 
 19, 1849, and is a son of Henry and Eliza- 
 beth Keasey. 
 
 The Keaseys had been furnace men for 
 many years and when Henry Keasey came 
 to Butler County it was to become manager 
 of the furnace which was then owned by 
 Mr. Speer, at Winfield. This furnace was 
 capably operated by Mr. Keasey as long 
 as the business was continued. He then 
 turned his attention to farming and in- 
 vested in 200 acres of laud, which was for- 
 merly known as the Duff farm. On that 
 property he spent the rest of his life, which 
 closed on May 1, 1890. 
 
 Henry C. Keasey was the second son of 
 his parents and his educational advantages 
 were such as were generally afforded to 
 youths of his day and station. In 1881 he 
 went to Karns City, Pennsylvania, and for 
 three years was interested there in a hotel 
 business and later conducted hotels at Ben- 
 nett, Taunton and Saxton, Pennsylvania. 
 His present place of residence is Cabot, 
 Pennsylvania, where he erected his hand- 
 some stone residence, which is one of the 
 few in the county equipped with modern 
 improvements. His farm is generally con- 
 ceded to be one of the best improved in 
 Butler County, Mr. Keasey being both a 
 scientific farmer and a landowner who 
 takes pride in developing and improving. 
 He is interested in oil and gas, as above 
 mentioned, and has two wells now pro- 
 ducing, while another is being drilled with 
 every prospect of success. Mr. Keasey 
 markets his products in this line to the 
 Standard Plate Glass Company of Butler. 
 
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 637 
 
 Ilis mauN' interests require his presence at 
 different points almost every day and in 
 order to make each moment count, as a 
 successful business man must do, he utilizes 
 his large touring car, a handsome machine 
 which has become a familiar sight on the 
 highways in Winfield Township, where few 
 others are yet in evidence. 
 
 Mr. Keasey married Miss Fannie Burt- 
 ner, who is a daughter of Philip Burtner. 
 They had one child, which is now deceased. 
 So active a business man as Mr. Keasey 
 has little time to devote to politics, but he 
 has always taken an interest in local af- 
 fairs and formerly served the township 
 both as constable and as tax collector. He 
 is a member of the order of Knights 
 of Pythias and belongs to the lodge at 
 Allegheny. 
 
 HENRY W. STOKEY, one of the lead- 
 ing citizens of Zelienople and the well 
 known proprietor of the New Hotel Stokey, 
 was born September 28, 1854, in Pittsburg, 
 Pennsvlvania, and is the son of Ilenrv and 
 ^ylargaret (Behr) Stokey. 
 
 Henry Stokey was born in Alsace, 
 France, and after reaching manhood emi- 
 grated to America, locating tirst for a time 
 in Philadelphia. He had previously made 
 two or three trips to this country, but be- 
 came dissatisfied with the condition of af- 
 fairs in the province, and when the gov- 
 ernment was changed from a republic to 
 a monarchy, decided to locate in the United 
 States. He removed from Philadelphia to 
 Pittsburg, remaining there several years, 
 after which he moved to Evans City, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. Here, in 18(54, he 
 engaged in the hotel business, continuing 
 in same until 1869, when he purchased and 
 located on a farm near Evans City. In 
 1878 he again entered the hotel business 
 and purchased what was then known as 
 the Eagle Hotel of Zelienople, after whicli 
 it became known as the Stokey House and 
 was under his management until the time 
 of his death in 1883. His son Charles then 
 took up the management of the hotel. 
 
 Henrv and Margaret Stokey were the 
 parents of the following children: Theo- 
 dore, who was drowned when seventeen 
 years of age ; Henry W., the subject of this 
 sketch; Jacob, who resides on part of the 
 farm in Evans City; Lewis, who also re- 
 sides on part of the farm in Evans City; 
 and Charles, w^ho-is burgess of the boro of 
 Zelienople, and was for many years man- 
 ager of the Stokey House. 
 
 Henry W. Stokey spent his early boy- 
 hood days on his father's farm and at- 
 tended tiie common schools of Evans City. 
 In the fall of 1881 he engaged in the hotel 
 Imsiness and purchased what was known 
 as the Dimcan House, buying it shortly 
 after the erection of the building. This 
 he conducted with mucli success until the 
 fall of 1881 and then purchased a hotel that 
 :\Ir. Duncan had later erected and this he 
 called the Stokey House. He conducted 
 this until 1888 and in the following year 
 inirchased a hotel located on the present 
 site of his fine new hotel, The New Hotel 
 Stokey. This was destroyed by fire in 
 1903 iind the same year he erected the New 
 Hotel Stokey, which is larger and up to 
 date in every particular, having all the 
 modern conveniences. It is located on the 
 corner of Main and New Castle Street, has 
 fifty well appointed rooms and is recog- 
 nized in this portion of the state as the 
 leading hotel between Pittsburg and New 
 Castle west of Butler. Mr. Stokey has been 
 engaged in the hotel business since 1881, 
 having previous to entering the business 
 for himself, acted as manager for his father 
 for a number of years. The service at the 
 New Hotel Stokey is of the best and the 
 genial host is well deserving of the exten- 
 sive patronage which he enjoys. 
 
 Mr. Stokey was united in marriage May 
 5, '1881, with Amelia Tccts. a daughter of 
 Lewis Teets of Nortli Scwicklcy Town- 
 ship, Beaver County, i'cniisylvania. and to 
 tiiem has been born one daughter, Carrie. 
 
 In politics, our subject is a Democrat, but 
 has onlv given his attention to affairs con- 
 
638 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 cerning his locality. He is a member of 
 Harmony Lodge No. 529 aud is prominent 
 in Masonic circles. 
 
 PORTER W. LOWEY, a prominent at- 
 torney at law and well known citizen of 
 Butler, Pennsylvania, is a native of that 
 city, born February 12, 1855, and is a son 
 of Alexander and Margaret Lowry. 
 
 Mr. Lowry attended the public" schools 
 in early boyhood, after which he pursued a 
 course of study in Witherspoon Institute. 
 He read law under the direction of Hon. 
 Ebenezer McJunkin, and was admitted to 
 the bar of Butler Gouty in 1876. He has 
 since engaged in practice in Butler and has 
 met with success, numbering among his 
 clients many of the leading business inter- 
 ests of this city. He has been an active 
 worker for the success of the Republican 
 party and the principles it stands for, and 
 was chairman of the Republican County 
 Committee in 1894, when the party was 
 given the largest majority in Butler County 
 in its history. 
 
 Mr. Lowry was married on June 17, 
 1896, to Miss Jeanette Browne, and resides 
 on West Pearl Street. He is active in 
 Masonic work and is Past Master of Butler 
 Lodge No. 272 F. & A. M. aud a Past High 
 Priest of Butler Royal Arch Chapter No. 
 273, and an officer in the Grand Chapter of 
 Masons of Pennsylvania. He is a member 
 of and an elder in the First Presbvterian 
 Church of Butler. 
 
 OWEN J. THOMAS, residing on his val- 
 uable farm of 115 acres, which is situated 
 near Parker's Landing, in Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, has 
 long been interested in oil production as 
 well as agricultural industries. He was 
 born on his present farm, July 21, 1839, 
 and is a son of Owen and Martha (John- 
 ston) Thomas. 
 
 Owen Thomas, father of Owen J., was 
 born in Virginia and was a son of Owen 
 Thomas, who was born in Wales and re- 
 
 sided in Virginia for some years after 
 coming to America. Later he removed to 
 the vicinity of Lisbon, Ohio. There his son, 
 Owen the second, was reared and moved 
 from there in 1830 to Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, where he lived until his death, 
 in 1868. He married Martha Johnston, 
 who was born in Crawford County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and their surviving children are 
 as follows: Ann E., who is the widow of 
 Allen Crawford, resides at Greencastle, 
 Missouri ; George P., who resides at Green 
 City, Missouri; Owen J.; Mary J., who is 
 the wife of J. T. Jamison, of Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania; Margaret, who is the wife 
 of Thomas Blair, of Butler County; and 
 Lucinda, who resides at Boston, Massachu- 
 setts. This family is one of unusual long- 
 evity and its members keep both minds and 
 bodies active into advanced age. 
 
 Owen J. Thomas attended the schools 
 conducted near his home through boyhood 
 and thus secured a fair education. His 
 connection with the oil industry dates from 
 1861. For the first eight years he followed 
 boating on Oil Creek, in Venango County. 
 In the winter of 1869 he became au oil pro- 
 ducer at Parker's Landing and for a time 
 was similarly interested at Karns City, 
 Butler County, and meeting with encour- 
 aging success in his ventures, he continued 
 and in 1876 began to operate on his own 
 land. Another business enterprise which 
 Mr. Thomas carried on advantageously 
 was the manufacturing of mineral waters 
 at Parker's Landing, Karns City and 
 Petersburg, owning the plants in partner- 
 ship with ins brotlier Adam, the business 
 being conducted under the fii'm name of 
 Thomas Bros. 
 
 Mr. Thomas was married December 16, 
 1885, to Miss Ida Gibson, of Oil City, and 
 they have two sons : Owen G., residing at 
 Oil' City, and Robert B., living at home. 
 Mr. Thomas aud wife are members of the 
 First Presbyterian Church at Parker's 
 Landing and he is a member of the board 
 of trustees. In politics, he is a Democrat 
 
JOSEPH L. PURVIS 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 641 
 
 but he is a man of pronounced temperance 
 views and looks with favor on many of the 
 issues brought forward by the Prohibition 
 party. For a number of years he has 
 been a member of the Royal Arcanum 
 League at Parker 's Landing. He is a man 
 who is held in the highest esteem by his 
 • fellow citizens. 
 
 JOSEPH L. PURVIS, who was one of 
 the original members of the firm of S. G. 
 Purvis and Company, lumber dealers, of 
 Butler, was born in this city October 4th, 
 1838, son of Samuel G. and Elizabeth 
 (Logan) Purvis. 
 
 His grandparents on his paternal side 
 were William and Isabel (Dixon) Purvis. 
 
 He acquired his early education in the 
 public schools and Witherspoon Institute 
 of Butler, afterwards attending one of the 
 commercial schools in the city of Pitts- 
 burg. He also studied architecture in the 
 office of H. M. Reed in the city of Pitts- 
 burg. 
 
 He learned the carpenter trade under 
 his father and in 1867 became his partner 
 in the lumber and planing mill business 
 under the firm name or style of S. G. 
 Purvis and Co. 
 
 Though devoting his principal attention 
 to the business, Mr. Purvis found time to 
 interest himself in other promising busi- 
 ness enterjirises in Butler. He was presi- 
 dent of the Butler Savings Bank from 1887 
 until 1902; he was one of the original 
 members of the Home Natural Gas Com- 
 pany and one of the organizers of the 
 Butler Water Company. 
 
 In politics a Democrat, he was elected 
 by that party a member of the Borough 
 Council, and for a period of fourteen years 
 rendered useful service on the School 
 Board. He early became a member of the 
 United Presbyterian Church and served as 
 trustee of the local congregation for a 
 ninnber of years. He was also chairman 
 of the building committee which had in 
 
 charge the erection of the present church 
 edifice. He was also for two terms a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Trustees of West- 
 minster College. His death occurred on 
 April 6th, 1907, and in his departure from 
 earthly scenes the community lost one of 
 its most sterling and respected citizens. 
 
 Mr. Purvis was married June 22, 1869, 
 to Mary Ellen Bailey, who was a resident 
 of Parker at the time of her marriage. 
 Their home life was blessed by the birth 
 of five children — Mary M., Samuel H., 
 William B., Wilson L., and Joseph D. 
 Mary is the wife of W. E. Robinson, an oil 
 producer of Parker, Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania. Samuel H. and Wilson L. 
 conduct the firm of S. G. Purvis & Co., 
 lumber dealers of Butler. William B., a 
 graduate of Westminster College, New 
 Wilmington, Penna., and also of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania Law School, is 
 now an attorney of Butler. Joseph D. is 
 a graduate of Washington and Jefferson 
 College and of the Medical Department of 
 the University of Pennsylvania. All the 
 sons reside at home. 
 
 WILLIAM JOHN YOUNG, one of Cen- 
 ter Township 's enterprising and successful 
 citizens, resides on his well improved farai 
 of seventy-one acres, which is situated ad- 
 joining tiie Stony Run school house, the 
 structure really being on his land. He 
 was born in Concord Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1867, and 
 is a son of Simon and Anna Eliza (Mnrt- 
 land) Young. 
 
 Simon Young was born in Center Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and was a son of 
 Simon Yovmg, an early settler. The father 
 of William J. Young was a miller in his 
 younger years but later became a farmer. 
 For eight years following his marriage he 
 continued "to reside in Concord Township 
 and then bought 150 acres in Center Town- 
 ship, a part of which is included in the farm 
 of William J. Young. Simon Young was 
 
64- 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 accidentally killed by a railroad traiu, 
 Jnue 24, 1901. He was survived by his 
 widow and by five of his ten children. 
 
 William John Young has lived on his 
 present farm ever since he was seven years 
 of age. He has been engaged in the oil 
 fields as a well driller for many years and 
 still gives that business his attention in the 
 winter time. He married Mary Elizabeth 
 Miller, a daughter of Samuel Miller, of 
 Center Township, and they have a family 
 of seven children, namely: Edith Mae, 
 Roy Simon, Earl Wayne, Allene Susannah, 
 Dean Sheldon, Rudell Eliza, and John Bur- 
 dette. In 1892 Mr. Young built his hand- 
 some residence and in 1896 he put up the 
 substantial barn. He takes no very active 
 interest in politics and has never consented 
 to serve in any office except that of school 
 director. He is a member of the order of 
 Knights of Maccabees. 
 
 PAUL E. GREEN, one of Butler's rep- 
 resentative young business men, senior 
 member of the firm of Green & Young, 
 leading clothiers, with a trade territory 
 covering a large part of Butler County, is 
 a native of Butler, born here in 1879. The 
 late Thomas S. Green, father of Paul E., 
 came to Butler as agent for the Pennsyl- 
 vania Railroad. He resided here for a 
 number of years and was then transferred 
 to the Union Depot at Pittsburg, where the 
 remainder of his business life was passed. 
 His death occurred at Butler in 1904. 
 
 Paul E. Green completed the public 
 school course at Butler and then became a 
 clei'k in the Schloss Brothers' clothing- 
 store. He continued there for nine years, 
 when, in association with Dallas M. Young, 
 he established the present firm of Green & 
 Young. Mr. Green owns valuable city real 
 estate and both he and Mr. Young have 
 farms in Butler County. In 1900, Mr. 
 Green was married to Miss Lulu M. Young, 
 who is a daughter of Thomas B. Young, a 
 very prominent oil producer in Butler 
 County, and they have two children, 
 
 Thomas Edgar and Helen Elizabeth. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Green are members of the Sec- 
 ond Presbyterian Church. He is identi- 
 fied with the Elks, the Knights of Malta 
 and the Woodmen of the World, and be- 
 longs also to the Butler Business Men's 
 Association. 
 
 JOSHUA J. McCANDLESS, one of 
 Franklin Township's substantial citizens 
 and self-made men, resides on his exceed- 
 ingly valuable farm of 262 acres, every 
 part of which, under his careful and in- 
 telligent methods, is made to produce 
 abundantly. He was born on this farm, 
 January 7, 1859, and is a son of John A. 
 and Hannah (Stoughton) McCandless and 
 a grandson of James McCandless. 
 
 John A. McCandless was a son of James 
 McCandless, who was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, and came to Franklin 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 as one of the first settlers. John A. lived 
 in Franklin Township and followed farm- 
 ing all his life, with the exception of a few 
 years when he carried on a store at Sun- 
 bury, during which time he also carried the 
 mail. He married Hannah Stoughton, and 
 eight of their nine children grew to matur- 
 ity, namely : Alfred J., residing near Can- 
 ton, Ohio; Joshua rL; Zillia Ann, the 
 widow of James Kildoo, who lives in 
 Brady Township; A. Carlton, residing in 
 Slippery Rock Township; S. Calvin, re- 
 siding in Clay Township ; Mary Jane, wife 
 of Alfred Kildoo, residing in Clay Town- 
 ship; Euphemia, wife of Ross Mechling, 
 of Forest County; and John A., residing 
 in Center Township. During his earlier 
 years, John A. McCandless was a mem- 
 ber of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, but later 
 united with St. John's Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church near Sunbury. 
 
 Joshua J. McCandless has lived on the 
 home farm all his life with the exception 
 of two years. A\lien he started out for 
 himself he went into debt $4,000, for his 
 fifty acres of land. After the death of his 
 
AXi) REPUESENTATIA'E CITIZENS 
 
 643 
 
 fatlier lie bougiit out the othei' heirs and 
 now owns 262 acres. He has his farm 
 stocked with fine cattle and owns expensive 
 farm machinery, and for all this he is in- 
 debted only to his own exertions. His life 
 has been one of great industry, but he has 
 plenty to show for his years of labor. His 
 land yields him annually over 100 tons of 
 hay, 1,000 bushels of corn, 400 bushels of 
 oats and over 200 bushels of buckwheat. 
 He keeps about nine cows, as he has a 
 large butter trade among private custom- 
 ers at Butler. He takes a very active 
 interest in agricultural progress in his 
 section and is an active member of Mount 
 Chestnut Grange, No. 404. 
 
 Mr. McCandless married Miss Sarah 
 Etta McCandless, a daughter of W. H. 
 McCandless, and they have five children, 
 namely : Mary Elverda, who is the wife 
 of Dr. Ernest Snyder of Portersville ; 
 John W., residing on the home farm, who 
 married Cora Lawrence; and Albert, 
 Blanche and Gladys, all at home, a happy, 
 united family. Mr. McCandless and wife 
 belong to Mt. Zion Baptist Church, of 
 which he is a trustee. The pleasant home 
 of this representative family of Franklin 
 Township was built in 1888, and other 
 buildings were erected in 1894. 
 
 MATTHEW H. BRANDON, who is en- 
 gaged in farming and stockraising on his 
 valuable farm of seventy-five acres, situ- 
 ated in Forward Township, derives an 
 income also from two oil wells which are 
 on his land. Mr. Brandon belongs to an 
 old pioneer family of this section of Butler 
 County and was born on his present farm, 
 July 29, 1849. His parents were James 
 and Susan A. (Bolton) Brandon. 
 
 The first of the Brandon family to come 
 to Forward Township was John Bran- 
 don, who journeyed from Westmoreland 
 County. He found the i)resent highly cul- 
 tivated farm a great belt of woods, in the 
 center of which he built a log house. His 
 children bore the following names: Will- 
 
 iam, Mary W., Sarah, John W., James, 
 Eliza and Thomas, all of whom are de- 
 ceased. 
 
 James Brandon, father of Matthew H., 
 was born July 26, 1816, and all the subse- 
 quent years of his life were spent on this 
 farm, his death taking place March 30, 
 1905. He was twice married (first), June 
 8, 1846, to Jane B. McDowell, who died 
 shortly after the birth of their only child, 
 Jennie, who is the wife of William H. Ray. 
 Mr. Brandon was married (second) in 
 September, 1848, to Susan A. Bolton, who 
 died April 23, 1892. There were three 
 children born to the second marriage: 
 Matthew H., John A., and William S. 
 
 :\Iatthew H. Brandon grew to manhood 
 on the home farm and attended the coun- 
 try schools. Wlien nineteen years of age 
 he began to teach school, encouraged to do 
 so by his mother, who, in her youth had 
 been a teacher in Butler County. On 
 February 14, 1884, Mr. Brandon was mar- 
 ried to Miss Anna D. Frederick, who is a 
 daughter of John Frederick, who came to 
 America from Germany. They have four 
 children : James F., Melvin L., Clarence E. 
 and Mildred A. AVith his family, Mr. 
 Brandon belongs to the Reformed Church, 
 in which he is an elder. In politics he is 
 a Republican but he is not a seeker for 
 office, his leading interests having been the 
 cultivation and improvement of the old 
 farm on which almost all of his life has 
 been spent, and the educating and rearing 
 of his children to lives of usefulness. 
 
 THOMAS JAMES DODDS, oldest son 
 of ^V. B. and Elizabeth (English) Dodds, 
 was born in Muddy Creek Township, But- 
 ler County, March 19, 1871. He was edu- 
 cated at Prospect Academy, graduating 
 with the class of 1893, and subsequently 
 taught school for three years in the public 
 schools of the county. He was employed 
 in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and In- 
 diana until 1897, when he came to Butler 
 to assume the duties of deputy-sheriff 
 
644 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 under his father, W. B. Dodds. He con- 
 tinued in the office of deputy-sheriff until 
 January, 1901, serving the last year under 
 Slieriff Thomas R. Hoon. Since January, 
 1901, he has been engaged in the fire in- 
 surance and real estate business and has 
 offices in the Younkins Building on the 
 corner of Main and Diamond Streets. He 
 was appointed deputy-coroner of Butler 
 County in 1905 and served one year, and 
 in February, 1906, he was elected auditor 
 of Butler Borough. Mr. Dodds was mar- 
 ried October 10, 1900, to Miss Blanche 
 Dever, daughter of Joseph and Frances 
 (Wheeler) Dever, of Lucasville, Ohio. 
 Two children have been born to this 
 union: Theodore E. and Ruth. The fam- 
 ily are members of the United Presby- 
 terian church, and take an active part in 
 the various societies of the congregation. 
 Mr. Dodds is a Republican in politics and 
 an active party worker. 
 
 W. B. Dodds, ex-sheriff of Butler 
 County, is the son of Major Thomas Dodds, 
 of Connoquenessing Township, and was 
 born August 8, 1844. He is a lineal de- 
 scendant of Thomas Dodds, the pioneer of 
 Connoquenessing Township, whose adven- 
 ture with the bear is mentioned elsewhere. 
 Mr. Dodds was married May 5, 1870, to 
 Miss Elizabeth English, of Portersville. 
 They have six children as follows : Thomas 
 J., Vinnie E., Rollins H., Jemimah M., 
 Bessie L., and Percy N. Mr. Dodds is a 
 veteran of the Civil War, having served 
 in Company C, Tenth Illinois Cavalry. In 
 his early life he taught in the public 
 schools of the county and later engaged in 
 farming, which is his occupation at the 
 present time. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics and has twice been made the recipient 
 of party honors, having been elected clerk 
 of courts of Butler County in 1882 and 
 sheriff in 1897. At the conclusion of his 
 term as sheriff he purchased a farm at 
 Adamsville in Crawford County, where he 
 now resides. The family are members of 
 the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 SAMUEL MORGAN, a well known resi- 
 dent and valued citizen of Parker Town- 
 shij), residing near Parker's Landing, was 
 born in County Down, Ireland, March 23, 
 1831, and is a son of Hugh and Jane 
 (Dunn) Morgan, both natives of Ireland. 
 
 In 1854, when Samuel was a young man 
 of twenty-three years, the father emigrated 
 to America with his children and his sec- 
 ond wife, locating first in Allegheny Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and later moving into 
 Parker Townshij). The family then di- 
 vided, several removing to Sugar Creek 
 Township, Armstrong County, but Samuel 
 decided to remain in Parker Township, 
 and here the rest of his life has been spent. 
 He had to make his own way in the world 
 and accomplished it by perseverance and 
 industry. For many years he was engaged 
 in the manufacture of pig iron. 
 
 On July 8, 1873, Mr. Morgan was mar- 
 ried to Nancy Taylor, who was born in 
 County Down, Ireland, in September, 1843, 
 and is a daughter of James and Nancj" 
 (McMurray) Taylor. She lived in her na- 
 tive land until 1870, when she came to 
 America accompanied by a brother, Robert 
 Taylor. She has one surviving brother, 
 Alexander Taylor, who is a well known 
 resident of Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are rearing 
 a very amiable, well behaved little girl, 
 giving her parental care and affection. 
 Her name is Florence E. McCamey and 
 her twelfth birthday will occur on Decem- 
 ber 7, 1908. With these kind people she 
 will grow into happy and useful woman- 
 hood. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are members 
 of the Presbyterian Church at Parker's 
 Landing. In politics he is a Republican. 
 
 AATELLIAM JOHN FOX, residing on a 
 well improved farm of 126 acres located 
 about one and one-half miles south of 
 Cabot on the west side of Bear Creek, is 
 one of the substantial and leading agricul- 
 turists of Winfield Township. He is a na- 
 tive of this countv and is a son of Henry 
 
HON. JAMES BREDIN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 647 
 
 and Jane (Kaufold) Fox and a grandson 
 of George Henry Fox, who was a native of 
 Germany and one of the early settlers of 
 Butler County, whither he came from Alle- 
 gheny County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 William John Fox was reared to man- 
 h'od in Butler County, obtaining his edu- 
 cation in the common schools of his locality 
 and also at Cabot, after which he worked 
 at carpentering for about two years, when 
 he located upon his present farm. Here 
 he has since been actively engaged in gen- 
 eral farming and is recognized as one of 
 the leading farmers of AVinfield Township. 
 His farm is well equipped with substantial 
 out-buildings and his residence is a large 
 two-story frame building. 
 
 June 7, 1900, Mr. Fox was united in mar- 
 riage with Charlotte E. Bicker, a daughter 
 of Louis and Frederica Bicker, and of this 
 union were born two children : Louis H., on 
 Julv 30, 1904; and Howard Frank, Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1907. Mrs. Charlotte E. Fox 
 died "in February, 1907. On September 24, 
 1908, Mr. Fox married for'his second wife 
 Miss Ida H. Bicker. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Fox is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his 
 wife was also a member. He is one of the 
 trustees and was for two years superin- 
 tendent of the Sabbath school, of which he 
 is also steward, and has for some time 
 been a member of the election board. 
 
 HON. JAMES BREDIN, who, for ten 
 years in the latter quarter of the nine- 
 teenth century, was a distinguished mem- 
 ber of the bench of the Seventh Judicial 
 District of Pennsylvania, and for a longer 
 period one of the most highly esteemed 
 residents of Butler, was born in Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, May 9, 1831. He was of 
 Irish ancestry, the son of John and Nancy 
 (McClelland) Bredin. 
 
 Hon. John Bredin was born in the town 
 of Stranola, County Donegal, Ireland, in 
 1794. His parents emigrating to America 
 and settling in Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 
 vania, in 1802, he was reared here from 
 the age of eight years. At the age of six- 
 teen he became clerk in a general store in 
 Pittsburg. About two years later he pur- 
 chased a tract of wild land in what is now 
 Summit Township, Butler County. In 
 1817 he was clerk in the prothonotary's 
 office in Butler. Soon after this he began 
 the study of law under the direction of 
 Gen. William Ayres, a well-known lawyer 
 and land-holder of that day, and he took 
 advantage of this connection to make him- 
 self thoroughly acquainted with the early 
 land laws. The knowledge thus gained 
 proved very useful to him in his subse- 
 quent practice, as much of the litigation 
 at that time had to do with disputes con- 
 cerning land titles. For a long time he 
 was regarded as an authority on all ques- 
 tions of this nature. In 1824 John Bredin 
 became interested in journalism in associa- 
 tion with his brother Maurice Bredin, and 
 so continued for some six years without, 
 however, giving up his law practice. In 
 1830 he retired from the journalistic field 
 and in the following year he was appointed 
 presiding judge of the Seventeenth Judi- 
 cial District, which position he tilled with 
 unquestioned ability up to the end of his 
 life. His death took -place May 21, 1851. 
 His wife Nancy, to whom he was united in 
 1829, was born in Franklin, Venango 
 County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Hon. James Bredin enjoyed excellent 
 educational advantages. From the public 
 schools he entered Washington College and 
 later the Naval Academy at Annapolis, 
 Maryland. A reference to the part taken 
 by him in the Mexican War, may be found 
 in the military chapter of this work. After 
 his return to Butler, in 1850, he began the 
 study of law under his father's direction, 
 which was interrupted by the death of the 
 latter in the following year. He contin- 
 ;ied his studies in the office of Hon. E. Mc- 
 Juukin and was admitted to the bar June 
 14, 1853. Prior to beginning the practice 
 of his profession, he became associated 
 
lilSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 with James Campbell, S. M. Laue aud 
 other citizens iu the establishment of a 
 bank at Butler, which located a branch at 
 New Castle. 
 
 In 1855 Judge Brediu began the practice 
 of law at Butler and was cdiitinudusly en- 
 gaged at the bar for the next -ixtecu years, 
 in this period gaining a distiin't re[iutation 
 as a lawyer and establishing himself as a 
 progressive and public-spirited citizen. 
 In 1871 he moved to Allegheny, and in 
 1874 he was elected one of the judges of 
 the Seventh Judicial District, composed of 
 Lawrence and Butler Counties, a position 
 he filled for a decade with the highest de- 
 gree of efficiency. He was a successful 
 man in every practical sense of the word, 
 and although he removed from Butler, 
 during his years of residence here he iden- 
 tified himself so thoroughly with the busi- 
 ness and professional life of the place, that- 
 he has always been considered in the light 
 of a representative citizen. For forty-five 
 years, up to the time of his death, he was 
 secretary, treasurer and superintendent of 
 the Butler & Pittsburg Plank Road Com- 
 pany. 
 
 On October 7, 1865, Judge Bredin was 
 united in marriage with Matilda E. Spear, 
 a daughter of William L. Spear of Butler 
 County. Three sons were born to this 
 imion: William, residing in New York; 
 Charles H., residing at Detroit, Michigan ; 
 and John, who diecl in July, 1882. Judge 
 Bredin died November 23, 1906. Mrs. Bre- 
 din survives and resides at the new Wil- 
 lard Hotel, at Butler. She owns much val- 
 uable real estate in and about this city. 
 A lady of culture and refinement, she oc- 
 cupies a prominent position iu Butler so- 
 ciety. The family is identified with the 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 WILLIAM J. LESTER, one of Butler's 
 most substantial citizens and leading busi- 
 ness men, has l)een a resident of this city 
 for more than twenty years and is identi- 
 fied with many of its interests. He was 
 
 born November 16, 1850, in Enghind and 
 came to the United States in 188-i. 
 
 Air. Lester resided for a short lime at 
 Norristown, Pennsylvania, after which he 
 located at Crystal City, ^Missouri, where he 
 was engaged in business for about three 
 years. He then came to Butler and for 
 some ten years was employed in the Butler 
 Plate Glass Works as foreman in the sales 
 department. He then embarked in the 
 grocery business and still continues that 
 interest. His store is located at No. 642 
 Brown Avenue, in a business block of 
 which he is the owner, and he has also 
 erected several handsome residences, one 
 of which he occupies. Mr. Lester is a 
 large stockholder in the Springdale Water 
 Company. 
 
 Mr. Lester was married (first) in Phig- 
 land, to Miss Sarah Ann Hedges, who died 
 while they were residing in Missouri. The 
 four children of this union were: William 
 Percy, residing at Butler; Edith Aland, 
 residing in New Y'ork; Gilbert James, re- 
 siding in Butler; and Una Effie, at home. 
 Mr. Lester was married (second) to Miss 
 Louise A. Kelly, of Butler, and they have a 
 daughter and son: Ray and William J., Jr. 
 Mr. Lester is a member of the Episcopal 
 Church. He is affiliated with the Odd Fel- 
 lows, belonging to Clement Encampment. 
 He is one of the useful members of the 
 Butler Business Men's Association. 
 
 A. E. FLEEGER, who for twenty-five 
 years has operated a grocery store at 
 Jamisonville and for twenty years was the 
 postmaster of the village, filling the office 
 until tlic cstalilishment of the Free Rural 
 Delivery service, is also the owner of an 
 excellent farm of eighty-eight acres in Cen- 
 ter Township. He was born in Oakland 
 Township, Butler Coimty, Pennsylvania, 
 October 9, 1844, and is a son of Daniel and 
 Mary (Kittering) Fleeger. 
 
 Daniel Fleeger was born on the farm 
 above mentioned, which then belonged to 
 his father, Jacob Fleeger. There Daniel 
 
AXi) REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 649 
 
 Fleeger grew to uiauliood auci married 
 Mary Kittering. She was boru in West- 
 moreland Count}-, Pennsylvania, and came 
 to Butler Coimty in her girlhood. After 
 their marriage, Daniel Fleeger and wife 
 moved to Oakland Township, where they 
 lived for some years and then moved to 
 the old homestead farm in Center Town- 
 ship, where both died. Of their seven 
 children, four survive. 
 
 A. F. Fleeger was six years old when his 
 parents brought him to his present farm 
 and here he has remained ever since, en- 
 gaging in agricultural pursuits and in mer- 
 chandising. He is one of the township's 
 best known citizens through having busi- 
 ness relations with many of them and he 
 has a large circle of friends. He married 
 Lizzie McCandless and they have had eight 
 children, as follows, namely: Carrie, who 
 died in infancy; Dora, who married Elmer 
 Christley, has three children ; Lee, married, 
 has one child; Aaron, deceased, was mar- 
 ried and had one child ; Stella, wlio married 
 Clarence Riddle ; Helier and Waldron, both 
 living at home; and Aline, who married 
 Frank Allen and has two children. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Fleeger are members of the 
 Lutheran Church. Among his old neigh- 
 bors he is familiarly known as Francis 
 Finger. 
 
 Mr. Fleeger 's first wife died in March, 
 1888; since then, in 1892, he married, sec- 
 ond, Jennie Wick. 
 
 ISAAC M. WEISZ, a representative 
 citizen of Zelienople, and in former years a 
 justice of the peace, was born in Jackson 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., October 
 9, 1841, and is a son of Henry B. and Eva 
 (Musselman) Weisz. 
 
 Among the early settlers of Butler 
 County came Jacob L. Weisz, from Le- 
 high County, who acquired a farm in Jack- 
 son Township, on the Mercer Road noi'th 
 of Harmony. He was the grandfather of 
 Isaac M. Weisz of Zelienople. His family 
 contained seven children — Henrv B., John, 
 
 George B., Daniel, Elizabeth, Hannah, and 
 Jacob. 
 
 John AVeisz of the above mentioned fam- 
 ily resided in the vicinity of Franklin and 
 Oil City and at different places in Butler 
 County successively. George B. Weisz re- 
 sided in Butler County until 1878, when he 
 moved to Medina County, Ohio, where he 
 engaged in farming; he died in the spring 
 of 1908. Daniel, the next member of said 
 family, in 1878 moved to Medina County 
 and is now the postmaster at Chatham Cen- 
 ter. Elizabeth married Peter Rice and 
 they moved to Medina County, Ohio, where 
 both died. Hannah married John Zeigler 
 and they lived on a farm near Harmony 
 until after his death, when his widow 
 moved to Medina County. Jacob died 
 in early manhood, a victim of ty])hoid 
 fever. 
 
 Henry B. Weisz, father of Isaac M., was 
 born in Jackson Township, and acquired a 
 part of the homestead farm. He died in 
 August, 1891, in his seventieth year. He 
 married Eva Musselman, who died in 1874. 
 at the age of sixty-two years. They were 
 the parents of nine children, namely: 
 Isaac M., subject of this sketch ; Jacob, who 
 moved from Butler County to Kentucky; 
 Catherine, who died in the State of Wash- 
 ington in 1906 ; Sarah, who married Chris- 
 topher ]\IeQuiston and died in Medina 
 County, Ohio; Henry, who died in Jackson 
 Township in 1880; Hosea, who died on a 
 farm in Medina County, Ohio; Hannah, 
 who has been twice married and resides in 
 Sedalia, Missouri; and Sidney and George, 
 both of whom died young at Harmony.* 
 
 Isaac M. Weisz obtained his education in 
 the public schools of Jackson Township. 
 Until his marriage he followed farming on 
 the homestead and then worked for two 
 years at the Orphan's Home; after which 
 he went back to the home farm and fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits for the next 
 eight years. In 1874 he purchased a route 
 and was engaged in 1886 in hauling produce 
 to Pittsburg, after which he rented the 
 
650 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 farm of Joseph Zeigler and operated it 
 until tlie spring of 1893, when he moved 
 to Zelienople. For several years there- 
 after he conducted a feed business, and in 
 January, 1904, he opened a grocery store 
 which he subsequently sold. In 1903 Mr. 
 Weisz was elected a justice of the peace, 
 and in this office he served with great effi- 
 ciencj^ until 1908. In his political convic- 
 tions he is a Republican. He has firm 
 views on the subject of local option, being 
 an advocate of Prohibition. 
 
 Mr. Weisz was tirst married in 1864 to 
 Miss Sarah Zeigler, a daughter of Joseph 
 Zeigler. She died in February, 1892, hav- 
 ing been the mother of three sons and three 
 daughters, as follows: William, born in 
 1866, died in 1876; Hannah, born in 1868, 
 died in 1888 ; Marv, born in 1870, died in 
 1896; Sadie, born on Christmas Day, 1872, 
 died in September, 1903; Joseph, born in 
 1878. died aged nine vears; Edward, born 
 in 1882, died in September, 1903. Mr. 
 Weisz married for his second wife Miss 
 Jane McBride, a daughter of William 
 McBride, of near Grove City, Mr. Weisz 
 is an elder in the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Zelienople. 
 
 J. HENRY TROUTMAN, secretary and 
 treasurer of the Standard Plate Glass 
 Company, at Butler, and president of the 
 Butler Savings and' Trust Company, is one 
 of the city's most prominent and useful 
 citizens. He was born at Butler, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1854, and is a son of Adam Trout- 
 man, a pioneer. 
 
 J. Henry Troutman was reared in But- 
 ler and was educated in the public schools. 
 When his education was completed he im- 
 mediately entered into the mercantile busi- 
 ness with his father and in 1885 he became 
 a member of the firm of A. Troutman & 
 Son, which was succeeded by The A. 
 Troutman Sons. J. Henry Troutman was 
 one of the original incorporators of the 
 Standard Plate Glass Company and in 
 1892 was made treasurer of the corpora- 
 
 tion and since 1898 has also been secretary 
 and has given a large part of his time to 
 the affairs of that great manufacturing 
 plant although he has numerous other in- 
 terests. He is president of the Butler 
 Savings and Trust Company, is secretary 
 of the Butler Light, Heat and Motor Com- 
 pany; is secretary and treasurer of the 
 Butler Ice Company, and is a director in 
 The Pittsburg-Hickson Company, manu- 
 facturers of iron beds. His name is thus 
 linked with many of Butler's most im- 
 portant enterprises. 
 
 Mr. Troutman was married in 1881, to 
 Miss Mary E.- Helfrich, who was born at 
 Carrolton, Carroll County, Ohio, and they 
 have three children, two sons and one 
 daughter : Charles H., who is a student at 
 Washington-Jefferson College; Frank E., 
 who is a graduate in mechanical engineer- 
 ing, from Lehigh LMversity; and Ger- 
 trude S., who resides at home. Mr. Trout- 
 man is amember of St. Mark's Evangelical 
 Lutheran Church, of which he is a trustee. 
 He has taken an active part in all that con- 
 cerns Butler, has served on many char- 
 italile boards and with numerous civic 
 Imdies. He is a member of the Country 
 clnh, a well known social organization. 
 
 WILLIAM H. ORTON, a well known oil 
 ])roduoer operating in Parker Township, 
 Butler County, where he has seven pro- 
 ducing wells on the Brahm farm, on what 
 is known as Tanney Hill, has been almost 
 a continuous resident of Parker's Landing 
 since 1869. He was born December 20, 
 1856, at Corning, New York, and is a son 
 of AYilliam and Sarah (Greenwood) Orton. 
 
 In 1869, Mr. Orton came to Parker 
 Township, Butler Covmty, with his parents 
 and his mother still survives and resides 
 at Pendleton, Indiana. Since 1872 he has 
 been closely identified with oil interests in 
 this section and almost the whole of these 
 thirty-six years has been a successful pro- 
 ducer. He is known to all oil operators in 
 these fields and his experience has made 
 
SAMUEL SCHLAGEL 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 653 
 
 hiiu a valuable advisor eoneeruing tins in- 
 dustry. In polities he is an earnest Eepnb- 
 lican but only to the extent of giving 
 hearty party support, being too much en- 
 gaged in business to be willing to accept 
 any public office. 
 
 Mr. Orton married Miss Minerva Aley, 
 a daughter of John Aley, formerly of 
 Parker Township, and they have had the 
 following children: George W., Lena M. 
 and Ruth C, living, and two deceased. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Orton attend the Presby- 
 terian Church. He belongs to the leading 
 fraternal organizations, being a member 
 of the Masonic Lodge at Parker's Land- 
 ing, and to the Chapter and Commandery 
 at Franklin; is a member of Lodge No. 
 761 Odd Fellows, and of the order of 
 Eagles, both at Parker's Landing. 
 
 GEORGE B. HECK, whose 216 acres of 
 farming and coal land is situated in Cen- 
 ter Township, one mile west of Unionville, 
 was born on this farm May 9, 1863, and 
 purchased it from the other heirs in 1905. 
 His parents were Daniel and Mary (Flee- 
 ger) Heck. 
 
 Daniel Heck was a son of Daniel Heck 
 and they came to America and settled near 
 Prospect, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 when the younger Daniel was a boy. The 
 latter grew to manhood on that farm and 
 after his marriage he bought the present 
 one, on which he lived until his death, in 
 1898. In old age his father had come to 
 him here and his death took place soon 
 after. Daniel Heck was married twice and 
 the mother of George B. still survives. 
 There were thirteen children in the family, 
 four of whom were born to the second 
 marriage. 
 
 George B. Heck has spent his life hap- 
 pily on the old homestead, never having 
 lived away from it with the exception of 
 two years and six months, spent at Pitts- 
 burg. He gives the most of his time to 
 operating a large coal bank on his prop- 
 erty, there being a vein three feet and ten 
 
 inches in depth. He gives employment to 
 about six men and the output is large and 
 very good coal. He is one of the town- 
 ship's substantial citizens, possessing 
 many of the admirable qualities of his 
 sturdy German ancestry, industry, thrift, 
 enterprise and good management. 
 
 SAMUEL SCHLAGEL, a retired 
 farmer of Butler Township, resides on his 
 valuable farm of 100 acres, which he act- 
 ively cultivated until the spring of 1907. 
 Mr. Schlagel was born on his present farm 
 ]klarch 22, 1836, and is a sou of Henry and 
 Catherine (Schutt) Schlagel. 
 
 Henry Schlagel, father of Samuel, was 
 born east of the Allegheny Mountains and 
 in his youth learned the shoemaking trade. 
 After some years he started for Western 
 Pennsylvania, accompanied by his wife 
 and four children, and they drove their 
 wagon into Butler Township, Butler 
 County, and came to their pioneer farm. 
 The land was then all covered with brush 
 and in order to find a place on which to 
 erect his little log cabin, he had first to 
 clear a spot. This was about 1827. He 
 went into debt for his land, but cleared off 
 all incumbrances, working on the roads 
 through Allegheny County in order to 
 earn the money. He raised grain and 
 grew stock and became a man in i^rosper- 
 ous circimastances. Of sterling honesty 
 and intelligent inind, he was often chosen 
 by his fellow citizens to serve in local of- 
 fices, and was one of the early supervisors 
 and school directors in Butler Township. 
 He died in 1886, aged eighty-eight years. 
 AVith his wife he belonged to the German 
 Reformed Church and was a deacon and 
 elder. They were among the founders of 
 Zion Reformed Church on Harmony Road. 
 She died in 1872, aged seventy-two years. 
 They had the following children: Julia 
 Ann, Finney, Gideon and Sarah, all de- 
 ceased, the last named the wife of Andrew 
 Croup; Theresa, who is the widow of Jo- 
 se])h Manny, of Butler Township; Thomas 
 
65i 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and Eliza, both deceased, the hxtter of 
 whom was the wife of AVilliam Martin; 
 Catherine, who is the widow of John Duf- 
 ford; Samuel; Susan, who is the wife of 
 John King, of Donegal Township; and 
 Maria, who is the wife of William Rea of 
 Beaver Falls. 
 
 Samuel Schlagel has always lived on the 
 home farm, which originally contained 102 
 acres, and here he has raised grain, cat- 
 tle and horses. In 1905 oil was discovered 
 here and a well was put down which pro- 
 duces about a barrel of oil a day. In poli- 
 tics, Mr. Schlaiicl is nominally a Democrat, 
 but is iiu'lincd to do a large amount of his 
 own thinking and vote just as his own 
 judgment dictates. He has often been 
 urged to accept township offices, but he 
 has refused every position except that of 
 school director. 
 
 Mr. Schlagel married Leah Beetle, of 
 Donegal Township, and they had five chil- 
 dren, the two survivors lieing Priscilla and 
 Cora Emma. The daughters live at home. 
 The former married Thomas P. Roe, who 
 operates Mr. Schlagel's farm, and they 
 have eight children, as follows : Carl Will- 
 iam, Pearl May, Floyd Samuel, Arthur 
 Wilkin, Grace Lillian, Victor Alvin, Wal- 
 ter Leslie and Ralph Foster. Mr. Schla- 
 gel is a member of Grace Lutheran 
 Church. Mrs. Schlagel died October 22, 
 1877, aged tliirty-two years. 
 
 AVILLIAM BRANNAN CURRIE, who 
 served for twenty years as a justice of the 
 peace in Franklin Township, is one of its 
 prominent and substantial native citizens 
 and was born on his home farm of 142 
 acres, Jv;ly 4, 1846. His parents were 
 Francis and Jane (Brannan) Currie. ^ 
 
 The father of Mr. Currie was born in 
 Scotland and came to America a few years 
 before his marriage. He followed farming 
 and after his marriage to a daughter of 
 Thomas Brannan he settled on the present 
 farm, on which he lived until his death 
 when aged thirty-three years. He was the 
 
 father of two children, William B. and 
 Margaret Ann, the latter of whom died in 
 infancy. Mrs. Currie subsequently mar- 
 ried AVilliam McCall, of Clay Township, 
 and their children who survived childhood 
 were: Thomas R., now deceased, Euphe- 
 mia L., Mary and Alice. Mrs. McCall died 
 in 1900, aged seventy-six years. 
 
 William B. Currie was four years old 
 when his father died. He obtained his 
 education in the neighborhood schools and 
 lived in Franklin Township until he was 
 fifteen years of age, when he went to work 
 in the oil fields and followed drilling for 
 fourteen years. In 1875 he began to oper- 
 ate what is now his own farm, which had 
 formerly belonged to his maternal grand- 
 father. In addition to this property, he 
 owns fifty acres in another part of Frank- 
 lin Township, together with a farm of 
 ninety-five acres, in Brady Township, cul- 
 tivating in all about 165 acres, one of his 
 farms being occupied by his son-in-law, 
 Howard S. English. Judge Currie makes 
 hay his leading ci-op and also raises corn, 
 wheat, oats and buckwheat and some beef 
 cattle. His almost four acres of pear and 
 apple orchards give ample returns for the 
 care and fertilizing he bestows on them 
 and he takes considerable interest in them 
 as he set out a large number of the trees. 
 
 In politics Esquire Currie is a Democrat 
 and notwithstanding the fact that he lives 
 in a normally Republican district, he was 
 elected a justice of the peace for twenty 
 successive j'ears. He has always been a 
 loyal citizen and in August, 1864, he en- 
 listed for service in the Civil War, enter- 
 ing Compaii> 15, Sixtli Pennsylvania Heavy 
 Artillery ami acconipanied his regiment to 
 AVashington, D. C, where it was utilized 
 for the defense of the Nation's caitital. 
 He has been prominent in his immediate 
 community in many ways, filling various 
 township offices and doing his part in ad- 
 vancing all its interests. 
 
 Mr. Currie was married to Rachel E. 
 Snyder, a daughter of Zephaniah Snyder, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 655 
 
 of Brady Township, and they have five 
 children, as follows: Adin Burdette, re- 
 siding at Seattle, Washington; Verda M., 
 wife of Howard II. English, residing in 
 Franklin Township — they have two chil- 
 dren, AVilliam Burdette and Catherine 
 Frazier; William Francis, who married 
 Sarah E. Plugh — they have two children. 
 Aline Brenda and Walter Raleigh; Jen- 
 nie E., who is the widow of John P. Pol- 
 lock, who resides with her father — she has 
 one daughter, Jessie Frances; and Jes- 
 sie C, who is the wife of Ira C. Stine, of 
 Franklin Township, and has a son, John 
 Clarence. Mr. Currie and family are 
 members of the Muddy Creek Presbyte- 
 rian Chiirch. 
 
 JOHN J. SHANOR, president and gen- 
 eral manager of the Butler Pure Milk 
 Company, one of Butler County's substan- 
 tial citizens, has his business oiBce corner 
 of McKean and Wayne Streets, Butler, but 
 retains his home on the old homestead 
 fai'm in Center Township, on which he was 
 born in 1863. His father was Daniel 
 Shanor, his grandfather, Jacob Shanor, 
 and his great-grandfather was Adam 
 Shanor. 
 
 It was the great-grandfather, Adam 
 Shanor, who was the pioneer of the family 
 in Butler County and John J. Slianm- i>()s- 
 sesses the deed "to the old homeslcad f.iiiii 
 in Center Township, which was secured 
 over 100 years ago. The laud has never 
 passed out of the family. Jacob Shanor, 
 the grandfather, accompanied his father, 
 Adam, from Virginia, later inherited the 
 family acres and in the course of Nature 
 passed away there and left the property to 
 his son, Daniel Shanor. The latter spent 
 his whole life on the farm in Center Town- 
 ship. 
 
 John J. Shanor continues to reside in 
 the home of his father, grandfather and 
 great-grandfather, which, in these modern 
 days of change, is somewhat unusual. He 
 has been actively engaged in the dairy 
 
 l)usiness for the past eighteen years and 
 was the main promoter, in 1903, of the 
 Butler Pure ]\Iilk Company, of which he is 
 president and general manager. He visits 
 his office at Butler daily. He has other 
 business interests, one of these being the 
 Butler Coal and Coke Company, of which 
 he is a director. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Shanor was married to Miss 
 Alvira R. Moore, and they have five chil- 
 dren, namely: D. A., who is the superin- 
 tendent of the Butler Pure Milk Company; 
 E. M., who is also connected with this in- 
 dustry; P. L., who operates the home 
 farm; and George C. and H. A. R., who 
 resides at home. Mr. Shanor and family 
 belong to the English Lutheran (*hurch at 
 Butler. 
 
 FREDERICK W. WITTE, who is ex- 
 tensively engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 on a tract of 135 acres, about one mile east 
 of Cabot on the Saxonburg road, was born 
 May 9, 1834, and is a son of William and 
 Sophia (Wehling) W^itte and a grandson of 
 Charles Witte, a native of Germany, who 
 never left his native land. 
 
 Frederick William Witte was reared and 
 has lived continuously in liis native county, 
 acquiring his education in its common 
 schools and later taking a course in the 
 night 'School. In 1868, when thirty-four 
 years of age, he was married to Amelia 
 Bicker, a daughter of Rev. Herman and 
 Margaret (Rowl) Bicker, her family being 
 a very prominent one in Butler County. 
 One child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Witte, 
 namely : William Henry, who was educated 
 in the common schools. He is married and 
 has three children — Elsie, Carrie and 
 Mary. Mrs. Witte passed out of this life 
 in 1869. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Witte is affiliated with 
 the Evangelical Association and is a mem- 
 lier of the board of trustees. He is a man 
 of public spirit and enterprise, giving gen- 
 erously toward all measures which tend to 
 advance the township and county, and is 
 
GoG 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 especially interested in charity as overseer 
 of the poor. lie has served as school di- 
 rector and was three times a delegate to the 
 Congressional Convention. 
 
 HENRY MARTSOLF, who has always 
 resided on his present farm of ninety-two 
 acres, which is situated in Center Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, about 
 five miles north of Butler, was born April 
 10, 1858, and is a son of Fred and Eva 
 (Miller) Martsolf. Both parents of Mr. 
 Martsolf were born in Germany, but they 
 were married in America. They were 
 honest, hard working, worthy people who 
 made many friends in Center Township, 
 where they lived for many years, both 
 dying on the farm now owned by their son 
 Henry, who was one of a family of ten 
 children. 
 
 Henry Martsolf is a first class, practical 
 farmer, having devoted his life to agricul- 
 tural pursuits exclusively. His land is a 
 good crop producer and he grows wheat, 
 oats, corn and hay, keeps stock and cattle 
 and operates a dairy for his home use. 
 Mr. Martsolf married Harriet Slupe, who 
 is a daughter of Nicholas and Hannah 
 (Puff) Slupe. They have one son, a very 
 capable young man, who assists his father 
 on the farm, named Charles Frederick. 
 Mr. Martsolf and family belong to the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM S. ALLEN, who is engaged 
 in a mercantile business at Glenora, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a prominent citizen of Parker 
 Township, in which he is serving in his sec- 
 ond term as collector. He was born in 
 Parker Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, December 29, 1856, and is a son 
 of John N. and Mary J. (Moore) Allen. 
 
 The Allen family came among the 
 earliest settlers to Parker Township, its 
 founder being John Allen, who came from 
 Eastern Pennsylvania into the wilderness, 
 and was accompanied by. his son, Thomas 
 Allen, who was the grandfather of William 
 
 S. Allen. John Allen was a Revolutionary 
 soldier. 
 
 John N. Allen, father of William S., was 
 born in Parker Township, where he died in 
 1871. He married Mary J. Moore, who 
 was born in Washington Township, Butler 
 County, where she now resides, still en- 
 joying all her faculties, although she has 
 reached her seventy-sixth year. She is a 
 daughter of Samuel Moore, who was an 
 early settler in Washington Township. The 
 surviving children of John N. and Mary J. 
 Allen are: William S. ; Mary A. PL, who 
 is the wife of J. N. Gibson, of Greeley, 
 Kansas; Aseneth M., who is the wife of 
 James Buchanan, of Texas ; and James C, 
 who lives in Colorado. 
 
 William S. Allen was reared to man's 
 estate in Parker Township and attended 
 the local schools throughout boyhood, later 
 enjoying more advanced opportunities in 
 academies at West Simbury and North 
 Washington. He assisted on the home 
 farm and also taught school for a time, but 
 after his marriage engaged in cultivating 
 his farm of sixty acres, which is situated in 
 Parker Township. In 1897 he started his 
 general store at Glenora, which he has con- 
 ducted ever since, and he bas been post- 
 master and his wife has been postmistress 
 of this village. In politics he is a stanch 
 Republican and has taken an active part in 
 public matters in his community. With the 
 efficiency of a broadminded man and earn- 
 est citizen, he has served his community in 
 a number of offices, for two years being 
 overseer of the poor, for several terms 
 supervisor and is now collector. 
 
 On December 20, 1884, Mr. Allen was 
 married to Rebecca A. Allen, who is a 
 daughter of the late William D. Allen, 
 formerly one of the leading men of Parker 
 Township. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have one 
 daughter, Callie M., an accomplished young 
 lady, who is a successful teacher in Parker 
 Township. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are mem- 
 bers of the New Salem Presbyterian 
 Church, at Annisville, in which he is an 
 

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 WILLIAM KESSLEMAN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 659 
 
 elder. Tliomas Allen, grandfather of Will- 
 iam S., was a soldier in the War of 1812; 
 he died in 1875 in his eighty-seventh year. 
 
 ISAAC REED BRANNAN, a successful 
 farmer of Franklin Township and a citizen 
 who enjoys the respect and esteem of his 
 fellow citizens, resides on his farm of 180 
 acres and is engaged in carrying on general 
 agriculture. He was born in Worth Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, August 
 24, 1844, and is a son of Thomas and Mary 
 Ann (Reed) Bra'nnau. 
 
 William Braunan, the grandfather, who 
 was born in England, in 1775, came to the 
 American colonies, being a member of the 
 King's Life Guard Regiment, under Gen- 
 eral Cornwallis. He was one of the pris- 
 oners taken at York, Pennsylvania, but 
 escaped and made his way through the wil- 
 derness to Western Pennsylvania and was 
 one of the pioneer settlers of Westmore- 
 land County. There he won the heart of 
 an American girl, Susannah Hines, and 
 they lived there until 1800, when they 
 brought their family and possessions to 
 what is now Scott Township, Lawrence 
 County. 
 
 Thomas Brannan was born January 29, 
 1797, in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and died October 13, 1872, in Butler 
 County. When eighteen years of age he 
 moved to Worth Township, Butler County, 
 where he married, and in 1845, with his 
 wife and ten children, settled in Franklin 
 Township, on a fann now owned by his 
 son, Isaac Reed Brennan. In politics he 
 was a Democrat and although he never 
 sought office, he was frequently elected to 
 the same and served acceptably. His wife 
 was a daughter of William Reed, of Ne- 
 shannock Falls, Lawrence County, and they 
 had the following children born to them : 
 Susannah, now deceased, was the wife of 
 Robert Williams; Jane, deceased, married 
 (first) Francis Currie and (secondly) 
 William McCall ; William is deceased; 
 
 Mary, also deceased, married Joseph Mc- 
 Elroy; Elizabeth, now deceased, married 
 Joseph Graham; Rebecca, residing with 
 her brother Isaac R., is the widow of 
 Jonathan Taylor; Thomas Darwin is de- 
 ceased; Margaret Euphemia, deceased, 
 married Curtis I. Christley ; Alzira, wife of 
 George Ifft, of Slippery Rock Township; 
 and Isaac Reed. The parents were most 
 worthj" Christian people, members and lib- 
 eral supporters of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Prospect. 
 
 Isaac Reed Brannan has devoted his life 
 to agricultural pursuits and on his broad 
 acres he raises great crops of corn, oats, 
 wheat, buckwheat, lye and potatoes, and 
 keeps about fifteen head of cattle. His 
 place is well improved, the comfortable 
 residence having been built by his father 
 and the substantial barn by himself, in 
 1897. He has efficiently filled a number of 
 local offices in his to^oiship but cares little 
 for politics, finding more pleasure in at- 
 tending to his business and in the enjoy- 
 ment of the good will of his neighbors. He 
 is a Democrat in pi-inciple. 
 
 Mr. Brannan married Ruth Ellen Craig, 
 a daughter of John Craig, of Liberty Town- 
 ship, Mercer County, and they were the 
 parents of the following children: Will- 
 iam, residing in West Virginia ; Margaret, 
 wife of Herbert McLaughlin, residing at 
 Fredonia, Mercer County ; John Craig, liv- 
 ing in Colorado ;. and Howard Clement and 
 Clarence D., both at home. The beloved 
 wife and mother died in 1893, when aged 
 forty-four years. Mr. Brannan is a mem- 
 ber of the Muddy Creek Presbyterian 
 Church. He is a man of genial manner, 
 hospitable and kind-hearted, and is well 
 informed on matters of local history. 
 
 WILLIAM KESSELMAN, of the firm 
 of Kesselman & Com])any, manufacturers 
 of oil mill drilling tools, at Butler, is a 
 practical machinist who has been continu- 
 ouslv engaged in work at his trade ever 
 
660 
 
 HISTOKY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 since he eaiue, a youug man ol' twenty-two 
 years, to America. He was l)orn in (ler- 
 many October 1, 183l'. 
 
 Mr. Kesselman located at New Ca.stle, 
 Pennsylvania, and worked there as a ma- 
 chinist from 1856 until 1870. He then 
 moved to Parker's Landing, where he 
 started a shop of his own, which he con- 
 ducted until 1875, when he removed to 
 Saint Joe, Butler County, working there, 
 with his own shop, until 1883. In the lat- 
 ter year he established his business iu But- 
 ler and operated it as the Kesselman Ma- 
 chine Shop until about 1887, when C. J. 
 Brandberg became associated with him 
 and the firm assumed its present style of 
 Kesselman & Company. In addition to the 
 large amount of work done in the Butler 
 establishment, the firm has found it ad- 
 vantageous to also carry on a machine 
 shop at Parkersburg, West Virginia. 
 
 In 3860 Mr. Kesselman was married to 
 ]\fiss Magdeline Moser, who died in 1899. 
 A family of five children was born to this 
 marriage, namely: Edward H., who is 
 connected with the Kesselman interests at 
 Butler; William, who has charge of the 
 business at Parkersburg; Minta; Floyd; 
 and Lewis, who resides at Parkersburg. 
 Mr. Kesselman is a member of the Lu- 
 theran Church. He is one of Butler's 
 most resyiected citizens. 
 
 R. J. (GROSSMAN, M. D., physician and 
 surgeon at Butler, has been established in 
 practice in this city since 1893 and has met 
 with a hearty recognition of his profes- 
 sional skill. Dr. Grossman was born in 
 Cherry Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1858, and is a soii of John 
 Grossman and a grandson of Benjamin 
 Grossman. 
 
 The Grossman family is of German ex- 
 traction but has been of American birth 
 for several generations. John Grossman 
 was born in Cherry Township, in 1828, 
 where he was a farmer of prominence for 
 many years prior to his death, which oc- 
 
 curred iu July, iSHlo. His father was Ben- 
 jamin Grossman, who was born east of the 
 Allegheny Mountains and who accompa- 
 nied his father, Benedict Grossman, when 
 he settled in Butler County, in 1793. The 
 father of Benedict Grossman was Simon 
 Grossman, who was born on the Atlantic 
 Ocean during the voyage of his parents to 
 America. 
 
 Dr. Grossman was reared in Clay Town- 
 ship and attended the public schools and 
 West Sunbury Academy. Later he en- 
 tered the medical department of the West- 
 ern Reserve College, at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 where he was graduated in 1886. For 
 seven years following he engaged in j^rac- 
 tice at Coaltown and then came to Butler, 
 where he has been in active practice until 
 the present. He has met with professional 
 success, as above mentioned, and stands 
 with the leading men in the medical fi"a- 
 ternity in Butler County. He is a member 
 of tlie Butler County and the State 
 Medical Societies and the American Medi- 
 cal Association. 
 
 In 1886, Dr. Grossman was married to 
 Miss Eliza Shryock, who died December 30; 
 1895, leaving one son, Loyal McC'ellan. 
 Dr. Grossman is a member of the Second 
 Presbyterian Church of Butler. Frater- 
 nally he is connected with the Odd Fellows 
 and the Woodmen. Politically, he is a 
 Democrat and has been active in politics 
 and is his party's candidate for state sena- 
 tor. His office is located at No. 408 Center 
 Avenue, Butler. 
 
 HERMAN LEWIS BICKER, a promi- 
 nent farmer of Wiufield Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is owner of a fine 
 farm of 125 acres located about one and a 
 (juarter miles east of Cabot on the Winfield 
 and Saxon Station Road. Tie was born 
 April 9, 1849, a son of Herman Henry and 
 Mary (Roll) Bicker and a grandson of 
 Herman Bicker, a native of Germany who 
 always lived in his native country. Her- 
 man IL Bicker and his wife were the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 661 
 
 pai-onts of a large family of cliildveu, 
 namely : Hannah, deceased, formerly wife 
 of Frederick Witte ; Catherine, is the wife 
 of August Feehling; Herman L., subject 
 of this sketch; "William Henry, who mar- 
 ried Minnie "Wetzel; George E., now de- 
 ceased; Charles T., who married Mary 
 Bracken; Mary E., deceased; John F., who 
 married Elizabeth Hartmig; and Samuel 
 A., who first married a Miss Stewart and 
 secondly, after death, Lizzie Bachman. 
 
 Herman L. Bicker began his early edu- 
 cation in Pittsburg, Peuna. He tirst came 
 to Butler County in 1857, after which he 
 completed his education in the common 
 schools of the county. He then turned his 
 attention to blacksmithing, working at that' 
 trade both in Pittsburg and McKeesport, 
 Pennsylvania, l)ut for the past .thirty-six 
 years has followed general farming on an 
 extensive scale, also raising the stock on 
 his place. 
 
 Mr. Bicker was united in marriage Jan- 
 uary 9, 1873, with Frederica Beinecke, a 
 daughter of William and Elizabeth (Wil- 
 thoru) Beinecke, of Allegheny City, Penn- 
 sylvania. Her paternal grandparents were 
 natives of Germany and among the very 
 earliest settlers of Allegheny County. Mrs. 
 Bicker was one of a family of seven chil- 
 dren born to her parents, namely: ]\lary 
 L., wife of George W. Kettenburg; Caro- 
 line, wife of M. Baehr; Frederica, now 
 Mrs. Herman L. Bicker ; Minnie, who mar- 
 ried George W. Evans; Charlotte, who 
 marx'ied Frank Shearing; AVilliam, de- 
 ceased; and Elizabeth, also deceased. 
 There were the following children born to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bicker: William H., who 
 married Amelia Worthington ; Frank L., 
 who married Emma Hartung; Charlotte, 
 born March 28. 1878. who died February 
 27, 1907 (she married William J. Fox and 
 was the mother of two children — Louis H. 
 and Howard) ; George, who resides on his 
 father's farm; Ida H., who lives at home 
 with the subject of this sketch ; Harvey D., 
 a machinist, residing' in Sacramento, Cali- 
 
 fornia, who married Louise Hansen; and 
 Frederick R. Mrs. Bicker is a lady of con- 
 siderable literary ability and worked for a 
 period of eight years in Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania, on the well known German paper, 
 Freiheits-Freund. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Bicker is affiliated with 
 the Methodist Ej^iscopal Church, of which 
 he is also a trustee and a liberal supporter. 
 He is actively interested in politics and has 
 served his township efficiently in various 
 offices. He served two terms as school di- 
 rector, was secretary of the school board 
 for six years and was for a time superin- 
 tendent of charities of "Winfield Township. 
 For the past four years he has been justice 
 of the peace of AViufield Township. Mr. 
 Bicker is fraternally a member of the 
 Herder Lodge, No. 279, Knights of Pythias, 
 with which he has been affiliated for the 
 past thirty years, having served through 
 all the chairs. Mr. Bicker is a man held in 
 high esteem both in his church and in busi- 
 ness circles, not only in his own vicinity 
 but throughout the entire coimty. 
 
 SAMUEL McKINNEY, a leading citi- 
 zen of Zelienople, residing in his handsome 
 residence on New Castle Street, has been 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits almost all 
 his life and owns and- superintends his 
 valuable farm of 200 acres, which is situ- 
 ated in Perry Township, Lawrence County. 
 Mr. McKinney was born at Braddock, 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Febru- 
 ary 27, 1860, and is a son of Robert and 
 Catherine (Lannon) McKinney. 
 
 The McKinney family is of Irish extrac- 
 tion and the first of this branch to come 
 to America was William McKinney, the 
 grandfather, who left County Derry, Ire- 
 land, in 1822, and for a time resided in 
 Pittsburg, Peuna. Robert McKinney, hia 
 son and the father of Samuel McKinney, 
 was born in County Derry, Ireland, August 
 ] , 1812, and died in America in 1890, aged 
 seventy-seven years. He followed agricul- 
 tural pursuits through his active years. 
 
662 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 His widow survives and has reached her 
 eightieth year. The family consisted of 
 eight children, namely: William J., Mar.y 
 and Eobert, all deceased; Samuel; Har- 
 vey, who resides in East Pittsburg; Cath- 
 erine, who is the wife of C. A. Ajaderson; 
 Mrs. J. P. McKelvey; and Elnora. 
 
 Samuel McKinney attended the public 
 schools at Braddock until old enough to 
 assume the duties expected of him, on the 
 home farm. In 1884 he moved to Law- 
 rence County and followed farming there 
 until he retired to Zelieuople, in December, 
 1903. He no longer engages in the active 
 work on the farm but in superintending 
 its operation his time is pleasantly and 
 profitably occupied. 
 
 Mr. McKinney was married to Matilda 
 Blanche Wilson, who died February 6, 
 1904; she was a daughter of Frank Wil- 
 son, formerly a prominent farmer in 
 Lawrence County. They had four chil- 
 dren: Catherine, William J., Eobert and 
 Elnora. William J. is deceased. Mr. Mc- 
 Kinney and family are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. In his polit- 
 ical views he is a Democrat. 
 
 ANDEEW D. GEOOM, justice of the 
 peace, at Glenora, Butler County, has car- 
 ried on a blacksmith, horse-shoeing and 
 general repair business in this village for 
 over thirty years and is numbered with the 
 representative citizens of the place. He 
 was born October 16, 1843, in Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 William D. and Susan (Thornburg) 
 Groom. 
 
 William D. Groom was born at Balti- 
 more, Maryland, where he learned the 
 trade of ship builder. In 1834 he came to 
 Western Pennsylvania and lived for a time 
 in Pittsburg, later removing to Scully's 
 Springs. He died in Allegheny County. 
 
 Andrew D. Groom grew to manhood, ob- 
 tained his education and learned his trade, 
 all in Allegheny County. In 1876 he came 
 to Glenora, where he has spent his tim.e 
 
 ever since, carrying on his business and 
 also taking an active part in public affairs, 
 particularly those pertaining to the com- 
 munity in which he lives. He is a Eepub- 
 lican in his political adherence and is in 
 close touch with the local leaders. He has 
 accepted few offices for himself but he has 
 loyally worked for his friends. He is an 
 advocate of public education and served 
 seven years as school director, in Parker 
 Township, being secretary of the board, 
 and since 1891 he has served continuously 
 as justice of the peace. At one time he 
 was postmaster of the village and his name 
 is connected with much of the town's pros- 
 perity. From 1887 to 1890 he was partner 
 in a grocery business at Glenora, under 
 the firm name of Groom &, Bell. 
 
 Mr. Groom was married (first) to ]\iiss 
 Anna M. Eobb and they had three chil- 
 dren, namely: Ethel Izetta, who is the 
 wife of J. H. Kepple, of Butler; Cather- 
 ine M., deceased; and Minnie B., of 
 Glenora. Mr. Groom was married (sec- 
 ond) to Miss Eebecca E. Walley, of 
 Glenora, and they have the following chil- 
 dren: Ella S., Peter C, Charlotte W., 
 John E., Mabel M., Laura E.. and Samuel 
 E. P. Mr. Groom is one of the leading 
 members of the New Salem Presbyterian 
 Church, belonging to the Board of Ses- 
 sions. He belongs to the beneficiary order 
 of Protected Home Circle, being connected 
 with Ogden Circle, No. 39, at Glenora. 
 
 GEOEGE A. TEOUTMAN, of A. Trout- 
 man's Sons, conducting the largest store 
 at Butler, located at Nos. 202-204 Main 
 Street, is one of the rei^reseutative busi- 
 ness men of Butler County. He was born 
 in this city in 1865 and is a son of Adam 
 Troutman, who was the founder of the 
 present large enterprise. 
 
 George A. Troutman may be said to 
 have grown up in the business of which he 
 is one of the proprietors, having been 
 identified with it since leaving school. In 
 1894, in association with his brother. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 663 
 
 William J., lie bought bis father's interest 
 and tbe firm name of A. Troutman's Sons 
 was adopted. An older brother, J. H., is 
 secretary and treasurer of the Standard 
 Plate Glass Company. This family has 
 ben prominently connected with the mer- 
 cantile interests of Butler for many years 
 and the present proprietors control the 
 larger part of the trade. They have com- 
 modious, finely equipped quarters, occupy- 
 ing the entire Troutmaii building, on the 
 corner of Main and Cunningham Streets, 
 a structure four stories in height, 40 by 
 160 feet in dimensions, including base- 
 ment. The firm gives lucrative employ- 
 ment to form forty to fifty people. As an 
 excellent business man and valuable citi- 
 zen, Mr. Troutman commands the respect 
 and confidence of his fellow citizens. 
 
 In 1900 Mr. Troutman was married to 
 Miss Amelia Schaffner, who is a daughter 
 of John Schaffner, a well known citizen 
 and a member of one of the old and sub- 
 stantial families of this place. Mrs. Trout- 
 man's grandfather, when he first settled 
 here, was accustomed to walk all the way 
 to Pittsbiirg, to attend church. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Troutman enjoy what is undoubtedly 
 the finest private residence in Butler. It 
 is situated on the corner of North and 
 Washington Streets and both in architec- 
 ture and inside finish, is beautiful in the 
 extreme. All the inside woodwork, except 
 in the dining room, is in oak, while that 
 tasteful apartment is finished in mahog- 
 any. Mr. and Mrs. Troutman are mem- 
 bers of the German Lutheran Church at 
 Butler. He is joresident of the Majestic 
 Theater Company and was one of the 
 builders of this handsome structure. 
 
 JOHN F. BICKER, a highly respected 
 citizen and prosperous farmer of Winfield 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 resides on a well improved farm of 113 
 acres, situated one and a half miles east 
 of Cabot on the Freeport road. He was 
 
 born on his father's farm in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, February 15, 1860, and is a 
 son of Herman H. and Mary (Rowl) 
 Bicker, the former a well known minister 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John 
 F. Bicker is one of a family of nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Hannah, deceased, formerly 
 wife of Frederick Witte; Catherine, who 
 is the wife of August Freehling; Her- 
 man L., of whom further mention is made 
 in this work ; William Henry, who married 
 Minnie Wetzel; George E., deceased; 
 Charles T., who married Mary Bracken; 
 Mary E., deceased; John F., the subject 
 of this sketch; Samuel A., who first mar- 
 ried Clara Stewart, and after her death 
 Lizzie Bachman. 
 
 John F. Bicker was reared on his 
 father's farm and received his educational 
 training in the schools of Butler County. 
 He has always devoted his time and inter- 
 ests to agricultural pursuits, carrying on 
 farming in a general way, also raising all 
 of his own stock. His farm lies on both 
 sides of the road f^nd is well stocked, and 
 equipped with substantial out buildings 
 and other conveniences now so necessary 
 to the up-to-date methods of farming. 
 
 On April 15, 1886, Mr. Bicker was 
 joined in marriage with Mary Elizabeth 
 Hartung, a daughter of George and Cath- 
 erine (Loos) Hartung, prominent farmers 
 of Butler County. Her mother came from 
 Indiana County. Mrs. Bicker was reared 
 and educated in Jackson" Township, Butler 
 County. Four children were born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bicker — Ellen E., George H., 
 Alice C, and Amos A., all of whom are 
 living at home. 
 
 Mr. Bicker is a prominent worker and 
 member of the Methodist Church Evangel- 
 ical Association. His fraternal connection 
 is with the Herder Lodge No. 279 of the 
 Knights of Pythias and the Winfield 
 Grange No. 1105, of which he has been 
 treasurer for the past two years and has 
 served through all the offices of that order. 
 
664 
 
 TIISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 He has always takeu au active interest in 
 politics, is a member of the school board, 
 of which he is now president, has served 
 as township assessor several terms, and 
 has served a number of times on the vari- 
 ous boards of election. 
 
 JOSEPH BANCEOFT BEEDIN, for- 
 merly one of Butler Township's most es- 
 teemed citizens and useful men, was born 
 on the old Bredin homestead, which stands 
 on the Diamond, in Butler, Pennsylvania, 
 December 24, 1846, and for many years 
 was one of the ablest members of the bar 
 of Butler County. His death took place 
 October 17, 1907. His parents were Hon. 
 John and Nancy (McClelland) Bredin. 
 
 Hon. John Bredin came to Butler 
 County with his parents in 1802. He was 
 born at Stranola, in County Donegal, Ire- 
 land, in 1794. When aged sixteen years 
 he went to Pittsburg, where he became a 
 clerk in a general store. In 1812 he bought 
 a tract of wild land in what is now Sum- 
 mit Township, Butler County, which later 
 became valuable. In 1817 he was ap- 
 pointed clerk in the office of the protho- 
 notary at Butler and thus he had his first 
 opportunity to read a little law, and later 
 completed his law studies under Gen. Will- 
 iam Ayers, and soon made a special study 
 of land laws and titles which subsequently 
 proved to be of much importance to him 
 in his practice. In 1824, in association 
 with a brother, he engaged in the news- 
 paper business and continued in it until 
 1830. In the following year he was ap- 
 pointed presiding judge in the Judicial 
 District in which Butler is situated, and 
 continued on the bench until his death, 
 which occurred May 21, 1851. In 1829 he 
 married Nancy McClelland, who was a na- 
 tive of Franklin, Venango County, and of 
 their children, the late Joseph Bancroft 
 was the youngest. 
 
 . Joseph Bancroft Bredin attended the 
 schools of Butler and later took courses at 
 the State Agricultural Colleges of Penn- 
 
 sylvania and of Michigan. He then took 
 up the study of medicine with his brother, 
 Dr. Stephen Bredin, and attended lectures 
 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
 in New York City. Later he went into bus- 
 iness as a druggist, conducting a drug 
 store in Minnesota, but later returned to 
 Butler and then turned his whole attention 
 to the study of law, his leaning in this di- 
 rection being an inheritance, fifteen mem- 
 bers of the Bredin family having been 
 members of the Butler bar. Mr. Bredin 
 read law with George E. White and was 
 admitted to the bar in 1875 and continued 
 in the practice of law until his death. Like 
 his father, he was a man of versatile tal- 
 ent, and his many-sided education but 
 added to his brilliancy in his profession. 
 In the trial of his cases, Mr. Bredin was 
 noted for his fearless attitude and devo- 
 tion to his clients. So well known was his 
 personal integrity, however, that never a 
 cloud rested upon his pi-ofessional suc- 
 cess. 
 
 From his father Mr. Bredin inherited 
 the farm on which his widow resides, a 
 beautiful tract of 1.35 acres, which is lo- 
 cated just outside of the borough of But- 
 ler. Hay is the principal crop produced. 
 There is a valuable gas well on the farm 
 and undoubtedly coal and oil are under 
 the surface soil. 
 
 Mr. Bredin married Mary Spear, who is 
 a daughter of William L. Spear, one of 
 the older residents of Butler. Two chil- 
 dren were born to this marriage : James, 
 who is a resident of Denver, Colorado, 
 married Grace Volis of that city and has 
 two daughters, Mary and Elvira; and Nor- 
 man, who resides at Sacramento City, Cal- 
 ifornia. 
 
 In politics Mr. Bredin was a stanch sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party. He was 
 ever willing to advance the interests of 
 his friends to the limit of his ability, but 
 he sought no honors for himself. In his 
 death Butler lost one of her best citizens. 
 
JOSEPH BANCROFT BREDIX 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 667 
 
 ALBERT W. YOUKERS, a representa- 
 tive citizeu and prosperous farmer of 
 Center Township, residing on his vahiable 
 farm of 137 acres, which is situated near 
 the Brewster school-house, was born in 
 Center Township, Butler Coimty, Pennsyl- 
 vania, July 11, 1863, and is a son of Jacob 
 and Barbara (Walters) Youkers. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Youkers were born 
 and reared in Germany and were married 
 there before coming to America. They 
 settled in Butler Township, Butler County, 
 the father securing work in the rolling- 
 mill in East Brady, at that time being 
 a man of such strength that he couhl 
 straighten steel rails with an 80-pound 
 hammer. Later he moved to Center Town- 
 ship and engaged in farming for about 
 thirty years and then sold his property 
 and located at Butler, where he died. 
 
 Albert W. Youkers was reared on the 
 farm in Center Township and attended the 
 country schools through his boyhood. For 
 about twenty years he worked in the oil 
 fields as a driller, retiring from that in- 
 dustry in 1906 and devoting himself since 
 then to farming. He purchased the prop- 
 erty in 1890 and has lived on it since 1891 
 and has made very substantial improve- 
 ments here, building his fine barn and 
 residence after settling on the place. Mr. 
 Youkers proposes to again take up drill- 
 ing, his young sons being old enough to 
 look largely after the farming. 
 
 Mr. Youkers married Cora Weigle, a 
 daughter of Abraham Weigle, and they 
 have had nine children, namely : Clara 
 Belle, Veva Anna, Hazel, Ralph Frank, 
 Joseph Albert, Carl Walters, Pearl Mar- 
 garet, Harry Cedric and Clarence Delmas. 
 The eldest daughter died when aged twelve 
 years. Mr. Youkers is a member of the 
 LTnited Presbyterian Church. 
 
 JAMES W. BAKER, a successful gen- 
 eral farmer of Franklin Township, resides 
 on his birthjilace farm, a valuable tract of 
 170 acres, a large part of which he has 
 
 under a fine state of cultivation. He was 
 born in Franklin Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, June 16, 1852, and is a son 
 of Joseph Cadwallader and Katherine 
 (Kockenberry) Baker. The grandfather, 
 Cadwallader Baker, was the first settler 
 in this part of Franklin Township when 
 lie came here from New York about 1808. 
 He purchased 600 acres of Government 
 land and cleai-ed up a large part of it for 
 his own use. He lived to the age of eighty- 
 two years. 
 
 Joseph Cadwallader Baker, father of 
 .Tames W., was born in Franklin Township 
 in 1812 and died February 2, 1892, from 
 an attack of grippe, having formerly en- 
 joyed good health, in spite of his advanced 
 years. He followed farming all his active 
 life. In politics he was an old-time Demo- 
 crat and in his earlier years filled township 
 offices. Of his family of eight children the 
 following reached maturity: Frank, who 
 resides near North Liberty, in Brady 
 Township; Sarah Jane, who is the wddow 
 of Jacob Campbell, of Isle ; Polly, who is 
 the widow of Robert Brown, of Clay 
 Township; Maria, who is the wife of 
 Matthew Badger, of Franklin Township; 
 Margaret, who is the wife of Israel Shaf- 
 fer, of Franklin Township; James W. ; 
 and Effie, who is the wife of John Stine, 
 of Franklin TownshijD. The parents of 
 the above mentioned family were worthy 
 members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, in 
 which Mr. Baker was a deacon for several 
 years. 
 
 James W. Baker attended the district 
 schools through boyhood and ever since 
 reaching manhood has engaged in farming 
 and stockraising. His main crops are 
 corn, oats, wheat and hay, and he keeps 
 about six cows and raises thirty head of 
 sheep. He is ranked with the best farmers 
 of this section. Mr. Baker married Miss 
 Katherine Stine, a daughter of Henry 
 Stine, of Brady Township, Butler County, 
 and they have had six children, as follows : 
 AVilliam, residing at Pittsburg; Joel, liv- 
 
668 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ing at Butler; Emma, wife of Herbert 
 Shever, of Butler Township; Harry (de- 
 ceased), and Earl and Clarence, both at 
 home. Mr. Baker and his family are mem- 
 bers of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Like his 
 father he votes with the Democratic party 
 but he takes no very great interest in 
 politics. 
 
 SAMUEL WALKER, an able member 
 of the Butler bar, formerly district attor- 
 ney and a prominent factor in county poli- 
 tics, was born at Butler, Pennsylvania, 
 July 10, 1873, and is a son of Capt. Samuel 
 and Caroline (Zimmerman) Walker, who 
 were representatives of several of the old- 
 est families in this section of Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Following his graduation from the But- 
 ler High School, Mr. Walker spent two 
 years in the Pennsylvania State College 
 and then entered the law department of 
 the University of Pennsylvania, from 
 which he was graduated in 1899. Mr. 
 AValker immediately located at Butler and 
 during the first four years of practice, was 
 associated with his uncle, Attorney Clar- 
 ence Walker, since which time he has been 
 alone. He enjoys a large local practice 
 and has admission also to the Supreme and 
 Superior Courts of the State. He served 
 one term as district attorney but prefers 
 the field of private practice to one of polit- 
 ical prominence. He was reared in the 
 principles of the Republican party and 
 from early manhood has taken a deep in- 
 terest in the success of that organization. 
 He is serving as chairman of the Butler 
 County Republican committee. Frater- 
 nally he is identified with the order of 
 Odd Fellows. For a number of years he 
 has been a member of the First Presby- 
 terian Church at Butler. 
 
 ISAIAH COLLINS, a representative 
 citizen of Parker Township and formerly a 
 justice of the peace, resides on his well 
 cultivated farm of more than fifty acres, 
 
 its management being his main occupation. 
 He was born in Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, May 2i, 1843, and is a son of Charles 
 and Elizabeth (Conley) Collins. 
 
 Charles Collins was a lifelong resident 
 of Parker Township, where he died in 1872. 
 He was a son of William Collins, who was a 
 native of Ireland and one of the early set- 
 tlers in this section. Charles Collins was, 
 in his day, one of the township's solid, re- 
 liable men.- He was a Democrat in his po- 
 litical views and on that ticket he was fre- 
 (juently elected to local offices, the duties 
 of which he carefully performed. The chil- 
 dren who survive him are : Julia, who is 
 the wife of Jacob Faller, of Butler County ; 
 and Isaiah, of Parker Township. Charles 
 Collins and wife were members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Isaiah Collins has passed his life in the 
 township in which he was born and he has 
 given his attention almost exclusively to 
 farming, successfully growing the grains 
 which do best in this climate. He has a 
 comfortable home and has many friends 
 among those who have known him from 
 boyhood. 
 
 Mr. Collins married Miss Louisa For- 
 quer, who is a daughter of the late William 
 Forquer, of Washington Township, Butler 
 County. They have had seven children, the 
 four survivors being: Annie, who is the 
 wife of Joseph Slater, of Butler; Agnes, 
 who resides in Parker Township; Cathe- 
 rine; and Sophia, residing at home. Mr. 
 Collins and family belong to the Roman 
 Catholic Church. Mr. Collins takes an in- 
 terest in all that concerns his community 
 and section, gives support to religion and 
 education and is numbered with the town- 
 ship's useful citizens. For five years he 
 served most acceptably as a justice of the 
 peace. 
 
 CONRAD GUNDLACH, owner of a fine 
 farm of eighty acres lying two miles east 
 of Cabot on the Saxonburg road, is one 
 of the leading farmers of Winfield Town- 
 
JOSEPH COLESTOCK 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 671 
 
 ship, Butler Coiiutj-, Pennsylvania. He 
 was born January 27, 1850, on the old home 
 farm in Winfield Township, and is a son of 
 John and Catherine (Bieliling) Gundlach, 
 also residents of this township, who were 
 the parents of six children: Conrad, our 
 subject; Maggie, Henry, Catherine, John, 
 and T. Andrew. The paternal grandpa- 
 rents of Mr. Gxmdlach were natives of Ger- 
 many, where they spent their entire lives 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Conrad Gundlach was reared and re- 
 ceived his schooling in his native township 
 and has followed farming all of his life. 
 He was married when thirtj-two years of 
 age to Elizabeth Wetzel, a daughter of 
 Gottlieb and Elizabeth (Smith) Wetzell, 
 who were prominent farmers of Winfield 
 Township. Four sons and five daughters 
 have blessed their union, namely : Pauline ; 
 Albert; Oscar, deceased; Anna; Alice; 
 Esther; John; Ruth; and Raymond, de- 
 ceased. Mr. Gundlach and family occupy 
 a large modern two-story residence, one 
 of the most attractive and up-to-date homes 
 in this section of the country. The family 
 are all active members of the Lutheran 
 Church. Mr. Gundlach is fraternally a 
 member of the Grange. 
 
 ALEXANDER BREWSTER, who was 
 a lifelong resident of Center Township, 
 spent his sixty-eight years of useful living 
 on the farm of 180 acres on which he was 
 born, December 5. 1840. He died amid the 
 familiar scenes of his lifetime. May 5, 
 1908. His parents were Joseph and Jane 
 (Dunn) Brewster. 
 
 Joseph Brewster came to Butler County 
 from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, at 
 a very early day and settled in Center 
 Township when all this section was wild, 
 uncleared and almost uncivilized. He se- 
 cured the large body of land which subse- 
 quently was inherited by his children, and 
 he was the pioneer in clearing it from its 
 wild state and developing it into a -rich, 
 productive farm, through cultivation. He 
 
 was twice married and on this farm both he 
 and his second wife died when full of years. 
 
 Alexander Brewster followed farming all 
 his mature life. He was a man of quiet, 
 home-loving tastes, practical in his ideas 
 and firm in his opinions, and his advice was 
 frequently sought not only on matters per- 
 taining solely to agriculture, but also on 
 those which make for the advancement and 
 happiness of a community. Among his 
 closest friends were those of recognized 
 sterling character matching his own. 
 
 In early manhood Mr. Brewster married 
 Delilah M. Albert, a daughter of Henry 
 Albert. She was born and reared in 
 Franklin Township, but her father's farm 
 was only two miles distant from the Brew- 
 ster farm. She died May 31, 1906. To this 
 happy marriage were born ten children 
 and nine of these still live : Wilson Curtis, 
 the eldest, resides in Wyoming; Preston 
 Albert; Alexander Mitchell, married and 
 lives in Allegheny; Laura Adellah and 
 Ileber John live at home; Benjamin Ben- 
 ton married and moved to a- farm adjoin- 
 ing the homestead; Minnie Jane married 
 Vinton A. Cranmer; Maniford Emmett 
 married and lives at Queen's Junction; 
 Charles Oscar, the youngest, lives at home 
 and works the farm. Edwin Lawrence, the 
 eighth in order of birth, died February 14, 
 1900. The late Alexander Brewster was a 
 consistent member of the Mt. Chestnut 
 United Presbyterian Church. He was a 
 man of upright character and honest in- 
 tentions and to say of him that his word 
 was as good as his bond was telling the 
 simple truth. 
 
 JOSEPH COLESTOCK, a highly re- 
 spected citizen of Butler, who for twenty 
 years has been prominently identified with 
 the oil industry in Butler and Allegheny 
 Counties, has resided in the city of But- 
 ler for the last two decades. He was born 
 in 1856 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 
 son of Joseph and Isabella (Speer) Cole- 
 stock, the paternal branch of his family 
 
672 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 being one of the oldest in that section. The 
 line of descent is as follows: 
 
 John Colestock, great-grandfather of 
 the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Saxony, Germany, and emigrated to York 
 County, Pennsylvania, in 1740. There he 
 married Julia Foist, and they had three 
 sons — Henry, John, and Jonas — also two 
 daughters. 
 
 Jonas Colestock, son of John, and 
 grandfather of Joseph of the present gen- 
 eration, was born in York County, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1765, and was a captain in the 
 militia for fourteen years. In 1787 he 
 married Margaret Sese. His family eon- 
 siS'ted of nine children — Elizabeth, Mary, 
 Margaret, Charlotte, Nancy, Sidney, Su- 
 san (wife of William McCormick, now re- 
 siding in Uniontown in the eighty-sixth 
 year of her age), and two sons, John and 
 Joseph. 
 
 Jacob C. Seese, father of Mrs. Jonas 
 Colestock, was a native of Lorraine Prov- 
 ince, France (now a province of Ger- 
 many). He was of noble birth and well 
 educated, especially in the languages, but 
 being of a military turn of mind became 
 an officer in the French army. He came 
 to America early in the eighteenth cen- 
 tury and as a soldier in the Revolutionary 
 War held a command under Gen. Sullivan 
 in the latter 's expedition to avenge the 
 Wyoming massacre. About 1783 he set- 
 tled in Westmoreland County, where he 
 encountered many perils and hardships of 
 Indian warfare. His wife was Mary Fou- 
 ble of Bavaria, Germany, and she was the 
 mother of four sons — Michael, Martin, 
 Christopher, and Rudolph. 
 
 Joseph Colestock, son of Jonas and 
 father of the present Joseph Colestock, 
 was born in Connellsville, Fayette County, 
 Penna., June 13, 1808. When old enough 
 he learned the hatter's trade, which he 
 followed for some years subsequently. 
 Afterwards he clerked at Donegal for John 
 Gay. He taught school at Uniontown for 
 
 a number of years; was a merchant in 
 Springfield Township, and then, in 1867, 
 came to Dunbar Township, where he en- 
 gaged successfully in farming. In 1837 
 he was married to Isabella, daughter of 
 William and Margaret Speer, of Union- 
 town. They were the parents of eleven 
 children, whose record in brief is as fol- 
 lows: ■Margaret is the wife of James F. 
 Imel, a- lumber merchant of Crawford 
 Coimty. Lieut. John married Miss Jane 
 King, served in the Eighty-fifth Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteers with honor, being pro- 
 moted to first lieutenant for bravery. 
 Minerva is the wife of Matthew Patterson 
 of New Haven. Mary married Thomas 
 Pyle of Pittsburg (first) and subseciuontly 
 became the wife of William Gibhs of 'Sll. 
 Pleasant. Louisa married David Faulk 
 of Titusville, Penna. Joseph is the di- 
 rect sul),iect of this sketch. Samuel is now 
 deceased, as also are William and Jonas. 
 David H. resided on the old homestead in 
 Dunbar Township, but later retired and 
 removed to Swissvale, Penua.^ Anabel be- 
 came the wife of French E. Laishley, also 
 of Swissvale, Penna. Joseph Colestock, the 
 father of the above-mentioned children, 
 was a Republican in politics, but was not 
 very actively concerned with political mat- 
 ters. He was a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and gave his entire time 
 to the management of his farm while liv- 
 ing- 
 Joseph Colestock remained with his 
 father until he was about twenty years of 
 age, and then entered the oil fields at Pe- 
 trolia. From there he went to McKean 
 County, drilling a number of wells, after 
 which he engaged for some years in what 
 is termed "wild-catting," coming to But- 
 ler in 1888. From that time on he has been 
 interested in oil production in the Butler 
 fields and has drilled hundreds of wells. 
 He is a member of the firm of John J. 
 Sheridan & Company, of Mars, manufac- 
 turers of all kinds of oil well supplies and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 673 
 
 owuers of extensive oil properties in Alle- 
 gheny County. Mr. Colestock is also in- 
 terested in the JMars National Bank. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. ColestOok was married to 
 Miss Anna White, who is a daughter of 
 the late Capt. Eli White, who served dur- 
 ing the Civil War as a captain of cavalry 
 in a Pennsylvania regiment, and died in 
 1868 from a wound received in action. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Colestock have two sons, 
 Joseph Hess and Saun^el Leroy, the for- 
 mer of whom is in the Butler County oil 
 fields and the latter a student at Belle- 
 fonte, Penna. Mr. Colestock and family 
 are members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Butler. He is a Knights Tem- 
 plar Mason and both he and Mrs. Cole- 
 stock belong to Eastern Star, Butler Chap- 
 ter, No. 45, of which ^Irs. Colestock is 
 l)ast worthy matron. 
 
 B. J. RADER, whose excellent farm of 
 108 acres is situated in Forward Township, 
 is one of the enterprising citizens and rep- 
 resentative^ agriculturists of this section. 
 He was born on his present farm, December 
 23, 1870, and is a son of Oswald A. and 
 Margaret (Flenner) Rader. 
 
 Oswald A. Rader was born in Germany 
 and was a son of Casper Rader, who was a 
 farmer in that country. ^^Hien twenty- 
 three years of age, Oswald A. Rader came 
 to America and settled in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, purchasing his first farm 
 from a Mr. Burton, which he sold and then 
 bought the present home farm from Will- 
 iam Fitzsimmons. Mr. Rader was a quiet, 
 industrious man and was one who was very 
 highly respected. He spent a long and 
 useful life and died in April, 1905, aged 
 eighty-two years. In October, 1850, he was 
 married to Margaret Flenner. She also 
 was born in Germany and was quite young 
 when her parents, John and Eve (Miller) 
 Flenner, brought her to America. They 
 settled on land in Biatler County, not far 
 from Zelienople. She was born September 
 11, 1831, and can tell many interesting 
 
 things concerning the early times in this 
 section. She is a beloved member of the 
 family of her son, B. J. Rader. Oswald A. 
 Rader and wife had thirteen children, as 
 follows: John, deceased; Henry; Adam; 
 Catherine, wife of James Oesterling; Eliz- 
 abeth; Peter; William; Fred; Anna, who 
 married Levi Goehi-ing; Benjamin J.; Ma- 
 thilda, who married H. Trushel; Philip; 
 and Ida, who is the wife of Charles 
 Nicholas. 
 
 Benjamin J. Rader has spent his whole 
 life on his present farm, which he pur- 
 chased from his father. He raises the 
 usual crops, corn, oats and hay, and enough 
 cattle and stock for his own use, managing 
 all his farming operations with excellent 
 judgment. 
 
 On Septemlier 1(5, 1897, Mr. Rader was 
 married to Miss Amelia Noss, who is a 
 daughter of Fred and Caroline (Smith) 
 Noss. They have three children: Lester, 
 Ralph and Edwin. Mr. Rader and family 
 belong to the Lutheran Church. In poli- 
 tics, Mr. Rader is a Democrat. He has 
 always taken a good citizen's interest in 
 township affairs and is serving at present 
 as a member of the School Board. 
 
 CAPT. SAMUEL WALKER. The name 
 of Walker has l)een honorably identified 
 with Butler County for many years and 
 the late Capt. Samuel Walker was a 
 worthy representative of this pioneer 
 stock. He was born on the old Walker 
 homestead in Cranberry Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1835. 
 His parents were Nathaniel and Grizella 
 (Crowe) Walker. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, Lewis Walker, 
 was of New England ))irth and was brought 
 to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, when 
 very young. He was reared in that county 
 but when he had reached his majority he 
 started out for himself and subsequently 
 acquired 800 acres of wild land that is now 
 included in what is Cranberry Township, 
 Butler County. There he lived for many 
 
674 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 years, beeoniiiig a man of affairs, and m 
 old age passed away, at Butler, his death 
 taking place in 1845. The family name of 
 his wife was Parks but her first name has 
 been lost. They became the parents of 
 seven children. 
 
 Nathaniel Walker, the fifth son of Lewis 
 Walker and the father of Capt. Samuel 
 W^alker, was born on the homestead which 
 his father had secured, and he remained 
 there, probabh^ engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits until the year following his 
 father's death, when lie moved to Mercer 
 County. In 1847, however, he returned to 
 Butler and during the remainder of his 
 active life was successfully engaged in the 
 manufacture of bricks. He was a man of 
 sterling virtues and even balance of judg- 
 ment and hence was frequently called upon 
 by his fellow citizens to fill posts of trust 
 and responsibility. For many years he 
 adjusted local difficulties as a justice of 
 the peace and in 1862, in a time of great 
 financial depression, he was elected treas- 
 urer of Butler County and wisely and 
 efficiently performed the onerous duties 
 pertaining to the office. Samuel was his 
 eldest son and was born to his first mar- 
 riage, with Grizella, a daughter of John 
 and Jane (Pollock) Crowe. A second son, 
 John, was also born to this union. The 
 second marriage of Nathaniel Walker was 
 to Sarah M. Slater and they had four chil- 
 dren: Leonidas, Caroline, Clarence and 
 Leverett H. Mr. Walker was one of the 
 early Abolitionists and on many occasions 
 he gave assistance to escaping slaves. He 
 later was thoroughly identified with the 
 Republican party. In every relation of 
 life he lived up to his convictions and in 
 him the Presbyterian Church found a con- 
 sistent and worthy adherent. 
 
 Samuel AValker grew to his twelfth year 
 among the peaceful surroundings of his 
 father's farm and through his educational 
 period there was nothing to suggest the 
 military ambition that dominated so large 
 a part of his subsequent life. He had com- 
 
 pleted a course in Witherspoon Institute 
 before he enlisted, in answer to President 
 Lincoln's first call for troops at the out- 
 break of the Civil War. Mr. Walker en- 
 listed in April, 1861, I'n Company H, Thir- 
 teenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry, with which he served until his 
 honorable discharge August 6, 1862. On 
 August 22, 1862, he reenlisted, entering 
 Company F, One Hundred Fifty-fifth Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in 
 which he served until March 12, 1864, be- 
 coming then a member of the Reserve 
 Corps. He continued in the service until 
 August 27, 1868. He had the honor and 
 distinction of being one of the last twelve 
 soldiers (this number including Gen. 0. 0. 
 Howard), discharged from the volunteer 
 service. He had participated in many of 
 the most important engagements of the 
 war, notably Antietam, Fredericksburg 
 and Chancellorsville, and it was on the 
 last mentioned field on May 3, 1863, that 
 Captain Walker was so seriously wounded 
 that he lost his right leg. On February 
 20, 1864, he had been commissioned second 
 lieutenant in the Reserve Corps ; on March 
 13, 1865, was commissioned captain; and 
 on September 16, 1868, he was commis- 
 sioned second lieutenant in the United 
 States army. He received his final dis- 
 charge on December 31, 1870, having given 
 nine years to the service of his country. 
 During the last three years he had been 
 connected with the Freedmen's Bureau as 
 agent, under General Howard and had 
 been stationed at Memphis, Nashville, 
 Chattanooga and Knoxville. 
 
 After the close of his military life, Cap- 
 tain Walker returned to Butler and 
 entered the business field. Until 1873 he 
 was teller of the First National Bank of 
 Butler and was subsequently connected 
 with other organizations. In 1890 he was 
 elected tax collector of Butler borough and 
 continued to serve in that capacity until 
 his death. He had a wide acquaintance 
 and many warm personal friends who ad- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 bio 
 
 luired him for the courage displayed in 
 military life and esteemed him for the 
 qualities which belonged to him by nature. 
 Captain Walker married Caroline Zim- 
 merman, who was a daughter of John 
 Michael Zimmerman, a leading citizen of 
 Butler County. They had two children, 
 Samuel and Catherine. The former is a 
 well known attorney at Butler and for- 
 merly served as district attorney. Captain 
 Walker was a zealous Republican. He was 
 identified with the Union Veteran League 
 and with several beneficiary organizations. 
 
 JAMES M. BARTLEY, residing on his 
 excellent farm of fifty-three acres, situated 
 in Parker Township, is one of the repre- 
 sentative men of this section and belongs 
 to an old Pennsylvania family, of Irish 
 extraction. He was born June 1, 1855, in 
 ^ Summit Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of George W. and 
 Eliza J. (McLaughlin) Bartley. 
 
 George W. Bartley, who died in 1900, 
 was born in Penn Township, Butler 
 Coimty, and was a son of Robert Bartley, 
 who was born in Ireland and emigrated 
 to America when seventeen years of age. 
 Robert Bartley settled in Penn Township, 
 Butler County, in 1811 and from there en- 
 listed for service in the War of 1812. In 
 this same war, one of James M. Bartley 's 
 great-grandfathers, Abraham Brinker, was 
 a captain of a company. Prior to that he 
 had kept a tavern at Butler, selling it in 
 1809, and subsequently, after his return 
 from the war, built what is known as 
 Brinker 's Mills, in Summit Township, four 
 miles east of Butler. He left many de- 
 scendants, numbers living in this section. 
 
 George W. Bartley was a man of con- 
 siderable prominence in his day. In his 
 younger years he was a school teacher and 
 later served in a number of local offices. 
 He identified himself with the Republican 
 party and at one time was its candidate 
 for county registrar and recorder. He 
 married Eliza J. McLaughlin, a daughter 
 
 of James McLaughlin, who, at one time, 
 was the publisher of the Butler Herald 
 and who went to California in 1850, and 
 died while on the Pacific coast. The sur- 
 viving children of the first marriage of 
 George W. Bartley were: James M. ; 
 John Isaiah, residing in McKean County; 
 Robert, living at Butler ; Francis, in Alle- 
 gheny County; and Oliver A., who lives 
 in the city of New York. The long and 
 useful life of George W. Bartley encom- 
 passed eighty years and in his death, But- 
 ler County lost a man of sterling character. 
 James M. Bartley was reared on his 
 father's farm where he was trained to be 
 a practical agriculturist and he obtained 
 his education in the schools of Simmiit 
 Township. His life has been mainly de- 
 voted to farming but during five winters 
 he engaged in lumbering in Southwestern 
 Michigan. In the spring of 1887, he set- 
 tled on his present farm in Parker Town- 
 ship and has proven himself a useful and 
 reliable citizen, taking an interest in all 
 that promotes the welfare of this section. 
 On May 7, 1877, he was married to Miss 
 Martha De Vinney, a daughter of the late 
 William De Vinney, a substantial resident 
 of Sugar Creek Township, Armstrong 
 County. Mrs. Bartley died January 10, 
 1905. She was a most estimable lady, be- 
 loved by all who knew her and was a con- 
 sistent member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Fairview, of which Mr. Bartley 
 is also a member. In his political affilia- 
 tion, Mr. Bartley is a Republican. 
 
 PETER HERBERT KENNEDY, owner 
 of a fine farm of seventy acres located one 
 and a half miles east of Cabot on the Bear 
 Creek road, is one of the representative 
 farmers and highly respected citizens of 
 Winfield Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania. He was born on the old home- 
 stead in Butler County, March 18, 1878, a 
 son of Peter and Rachel (Cooper) Ken- 
 nedy. He is a grandson of James and 
 ^largaret Kennedv, who came to this conn- 
 
676 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 try from Ireland aud established the old 
 home place in Butler County. There were 
 fifteen children born to the parents of our 
 subject, namely: William, Ellen, Mame, 
 James, Joe, Thomas (deceased), Susan, 
 Florence, Carrie, John (deceased), Adelia, 
 Peter the subject of this sketch, Clifford, 
 Harry, and Edwin. 
 
 Peter H. Kennedy was reared and re- 
 ceived his educational training in Winfield 
 Township and has always followed farm- 
 ing in a general way. 
 
 In 1908 when twenty-five years of age 
 he was united in marriage with Maud 
 Moore, a daughter of Clarence and Kate 
 (Albany) Moore, prominent farmers of 
 Erie County, Pennsylvania. Three chil- 
 dren have been born to our subject and 
 his estimable wife — Marjorie, Dorothy, 
 and Olive. 
 
 The religious "connection of the family 
 is with the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Cabot of which both Mr. and Mrs. Ken- 
 nedy are active members. Fraternally the 
 former is a member of the Winfield Grange 
 No. 1105, the I. 0. 0. F. No. 496 and the 
 Shenango Valley Lodge No. 387, Knights 
 of Pythias. Mr. Kennedy is now serving 
 as supervisor of Winfield Township. 
 
 JOHN A. GILLILAND, justice of the 
 peace, in Summit Township, resides on his 
 fine farm of 125 acres, which is favorably 
 located about three-fourths of a mile 
 northeast of East Butler, on the line ad- 
 joining Oakland Township. Mr. Gilliland 
 was born on his present farm, November 
 7, 1860, and is a son of Robert and Rebecca 
 (Armstrong) Gilliland. 
 
 John Gilliland, the grandfather of John 
 A., was born in Ireland and came to Amer- 
 ica in the spring of 1818 and in 1820 
 he bought the ' present farm in Summit 
 Township. In the ensuing fall he married 
 and all of his children, with one exception, 
 were born on this farm. He was a weaver 
 by trade and engaged in this business for 
 three years in Center Township, during 
 
 which period his son James was born, and 
 then returned to Summit Township, aud 
 spent the remainder of his life on his old 
 farm. 
 
 Robert Gilliland, father of John A., was 
 born on the same farm and here spent his 
 life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He 
 died April 25, 1894. He married Rebecca 
 Armstrong, who was born near Perrys- 
 ville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. 
 Her father was Andrew Armstrong. Her 
 mother died when she was a child and she 
 came to Butler County, where she was a 
 member of the family of her uncle, a 
 farmer in Jetferson Township, until she 
 reached maturity and then joined her 
 father and step-mother at Allegheny City, 
 where she remained until her marriage 
 with Robert Gilliland. The four daughters 
 and one sou born to this union all were 
 born in Summit Township, on the present- 
 farm. Mr. Gilliland was the second in the 
 family, his sisters being: Mary E., Mar- 
 garet Ellen, Isabella and Rachel Jane, all 
 of whom have elected to remain unmar- 
 ried. The mother survived the father for 
 a number of years, her death taking place 
 on September 28, 1903. 
 
 John A. Gilliland attended the country 
 schools during boyhood, and being the only 
 son, has had the management of the farm 
 ever since he was old enough to assume 
 the responsibility. He carries on general 
 farming and has one oil well on his place. 
 The frame residence was built by the 
 grandfather and at the time it was erected 
 was considered a marvel of architecture, 
 being the first frame house put up in all 
 this section. The father of Mr. Gilliland 
 erected the other buildings. Mr. Gilliland 
 is serving in his ninth consecutive year as 
 a justice of the peace, and few citizens are 
 better known or more highly regarded. 
 He is a member of the United Presbyte- 
 rian Church at Butler. 
 
 LESLIE R. HAZLETT, physician and 
 surgeon, is engaged in the general practice 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 677 
 
 of Ms profession at Butler, but makes a 
 specialty of diseases of the eye, ear, uose 
 aud throat. He was boru in Butler Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., September 1, 
 1868, being a son of Thomas J. and Mar- 
 garet E. (Ramsey) Hazlett, who is now a 
 citizen of Butler, retired from active labor. 
 Thomas J. Hazlett was born in Allegheny 
 County, Penna., in 1836, and came to But- 
 ler County at the age of sixteen years. 
 For many years he was engaged in farm- 
 ing in this county. He is a veteran of the 
 Civil "War, having enlisted in 1862 in Com- 
 pany F, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth 
 Pennsylvania Infantry, with which regi- 
 ment he served until the close of the war, 
 participating in all the battles of his regi- 
 ment. October 5, 1865, he married Mar- 
 garet Eliza, daugliter of William Ramsey, 
 of Butler Township, Butler County. Five 
 children — three boys and two girls — were 
 born to this union, namely: Maiy Belle, 
 Leslie Ramsey, Sarah Ella, Howard Clin- 
 ton and William Lynn, all of whom are 
 living except the youngest, William Lynn, 
 who died January 24, 1902, while attend- 
 ing the Baltimore Dental College at Balti- 
 more, Maryland, a short time before his 
 graduation. 
 
 Leslie R. Hazlett spent bis early years 
 on his father's farm and in attending the 
 country schools. His literary education 
 was subsequently continued at an academy 
 at Connoquenessing, and still further ad- 
 vanced by attendance at the State Normal 
 School at Edinboro, where he was gradu- 
 ated in 1890. For a while after his grad- 
 uation he followed the occupation of 
 teaching, successively in the Phillips 
 School, in Penn Township, Butler County, 
 the Parnassus School, Westmoreland 
 County, of which he was principal, and in 
 Allegheny County, where for two years he 
 was principal of the Natrona Schools. He 
 then entered upon the study of medicine 
 in the old Jefferson Medical College at 
 Philadelphia, and after pursuing the usual 
 course, was graduated from that venerable 
 
 seat of medical learning in 1896. He 
 began practice at New Galilee, Beaver 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he remained 
 until 1902. He then took special courses 
 at the Polyclinic College, Philadelphia, 
 after which he located for further practice 
 in Butler, of which city he has since been 
 a resident. He is identified with both the 
 County and State medical associations, 
 and also belongs to the American Medical 
 Association. In his professional life he 
 aims to keep abreast of the times, and has 
 met with gratifying success, having built 
 up a lucrative practice. 
 
 Dr. Hazlett is a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. He has fraternal 
 affiliations with the Odd Fellows, the 
 Woodmen of the AVorld, and the Knights 
 of Malta. 
 
 ERHART LANG, one of Winfiekl 
 Township's highh' respected citizens and 
 owner of 153 acres of fine farming land, 
 was born January 19, 1855, in Bavaria, 
 Germany, and is a son of Lawrence and 
 Anna (Reil) Lang. Mr. Lang's parents 
 came to this country in 1882, locating in 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, where they 
 both died. They had eight children, six 
 of whom came to this country, five being 
 residents of Pennsylvania and one of Wis- 
 consin. They are Erhart, Andrew, Kate, 
 Henrietta, Elizabeth, Adam, Margaret, 
 and Eva. 
 
 Erhart Lang was reared and educated 
 in Germany and spent three years in the 
 German army, serving as a private in the 
 artillery. After coming to this country he 
 was joined in marriage with Frederica 
 Roenigk, who is a daughter of Christian 
 and Hannah (Frank) Roenigk, well known 
 .farmers of Butler County. There have 
 been six children born to Mr. and ]\Irs. 
 Lang, as follows : Andrew, who married 
 Kate Zier, is the father of two children, 
 Minnie and Edward J.; Adam, married 
 Mary Doer and has one child, Milton Ed- 
 ward; Frederick C, a resident of J\Iar- 
 
578 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 wood, luariied Laura Sassa and has two 
 cliildren, Fred and Charles; Albert, Louis, 
 and Tillie are all living at home. Mr. Lang 
 and family are active members of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. Mr. Lang has al- 
 ways engaged in agricultural pursuits and 
 purchased his present farm of 153 acres in 
 1885. He resides in a commodious two- 
 story frame house. 
 
 CHARLES SIDNEY PASSAVANT, 
 JR., who is vice president of the First Na- 
 tional Bank at Zelienople, is a man of 
 more than usual prominence in his native 
 city and has always been identified with 
 the interests of this section. He was born 
 February 21, 1871, at Zelienople, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Charles Sidney and Jane (Randolph) Pas- 
 savant. 
 
 Mr. Passavant doubtless has many rea- 
 sons for feeling attached to and being 
 proud of the prospering little city of his 
 birth and residence, and one of these may 
 be that the place was named in honor of 
 his grandmother. His ancestors were the 
 founders of the town, his grandfather, 
 Philip Louis Passavant, settling in Jack- 
 son Township, on the present site of Zeli- 
 enople, prior to 1807. He was of French 
 extraction but was boi-n at Frankfort-on- 
 the-Main, Germany. In 1807 he founded 
 a mercantile business which was continu- 
 ously conducted for ninety-five years, by 
 his immediate descendants. He continued 
 its proprietor until 1840, then selling out 
 to his son, Charles Sidney. Philip Louis 
 Passavant married Miss Zelie Basse and 
 through combining the musical name of 
 Zelie with the German "nople," meaning 
 town, the little settlement acquired its un- 
 usual title. Philip Louis Passavant and 
 wife spent the years of a long and happy 
 companionship here and their remains rest 
 in one of the quiet burial places of the 
 town. The record of their children reads 
 as follows: Charles Sidney; Detmar, who 
 died at Pittsburg and was interred at 
 
 Zelienople; William A., deceased, who was 
 a Lutheran minister, and was buried at 
 Zelienople; Emma, who married Rev. Sid- 
 ney Jennings, died and is buried at Se- 
 wickley, and Virginia, also buried • at 
 Zelienople. 
 
 Charles Sidney Passavant, Sr., was born 
 at Zelienople, in 1817, and died in the same 
 residence, in 1894. For a number of years 
 he was associated with his brother Detmar, 
 in a wholesale business at Pittsburg, from 
 which he withdrew in 1840 and returned to 
 Zelienople to take charge of the business 
 from which his father was retiring, and 
 he continued to conduct this store until 
 his death, in 1894. His responsibilities 
 were immediately assumed by his son, 
 Charles Sidney, who, in turn, continued 
 the operation of the same store until its 
 destruction by fire, in 1902. The passing 
 of this old landmark was very generally 
 regretted for it had connected the begin- 
 ning of the civilization of the place with 
 the culture and business importance of the 
 present. In all these years the Passavants 
 had been leading factors in the town's de- 
 velopment. The first Charles Sidney Pas- 
 savant united himself by marriage with an- 
 other of the old pioneer families of the 
 place. His father-in-law, Edward Ran- 
 dolph, served for many years as a justice 
 of the peace and was a man of character 
 and substance. To this marriage two chil- 
 dren were born : Charles Sidney and Emma 
 Virginia. 
 
 Charles Sidney Passavant entered his 
 father's store as an assistant, after he had 
 completed his school course. In the spring 
 of 1902 the property was destroyed by fire, 
 after which came his association with the 
 First National Bank. This, however, is 
 but one of many interests, an important 
 one being his connection with the Zelieno- 
 ple Light and Power Company. He is also 
 an active citizen, has worked steadily for 
 the best civic conditions and at present is 
 effectively serving as president of the 
 Borough Council, in his second term of of- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 681 
 
 fice. In his political views lie is a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 In 1892 Mr. Passavant was married to 
 Miss Lillian E. Tebay, who is a daughter of 
 J. 11. Teba}% and they have two sons, 
 Charles Sidney and James Louis, aged 
 thirteen and seven years, respectively. The 
 elegant family residence was erected by 
 Mr. Passavant in 1895. It is of brick con- 
 struction and is modern in every particu- 
 lar. Mr. and Mrs. Passavant are members 
 of the English Lutheran Church. His fra- 
 ternal relations are with the Modern 
 Woodmen of America and the Masons, in 
 the latter organization belonging to Har- 
 mony Lodge, No. 429. 
 
 ANDREW 0. EBERHART, oil pro- 
 ducer and general farmer, residing on his 
 valuable property containing 240 acres, 
 almost all of which is under cultivation, 
 was born in Pairview Townshii), Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, December 26, 1851, 
 and is a son of John and Catherine (Barn- 
 hart) Eberhart. 
 
 John Eberhart was born July 16, 1827, 
 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and was 
 a young man when he moved to Millers- 
 town. He learned the carpenter's trade, 
 but the main business of his life was farm- 
 ing and stock-raising. He was the organ- 
 izer of Thalia Grange, Patrons of Hus- 
 bandry, in his section and served as its 
 chaplain from its founding until his death, 
 which occurred August 11, 1885. In poli- 
 tics he was a Republican and he served in 
 the offices of school director and super- 
 visor. On April 29, 1849, he married a 
 daughter of Rudolph Barnhart, and they 
 had eight children, the three who grew to 
 maturity being: Andrew 0.; Lewis D., 
 who resides at Big Bend, Virginia; and 
 Jonathan, who died in August, 1907. The 
 parents were members of the Reformed 
 Church, the father being an elder. They 
 were people of acknowledged piety and 
 were sincerely esteemed. For many years 
 
 the father taught singing school and was 
 chorister in the church. 
 
 The Eberhart family can be traced very 
 far back, even to A. D. 850, but no com- 
 plete record goes farther than 1266, when 
 an Eberhart became bishop of Constance. 
 Since then the family has been distributed 
 through the centuries all over the German 
 Empire and the United States, the gen- 
 eral religious trend being to the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 The great-great-grandfather was Paul 
 Eberhart. His son, Christian Eberhart, 
 was born March 9, 1772, in what is now 
 Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and in 1773 
 was taken to Westmoreland County, where 
 he was reared. He married Anna Marie 
 Snyder, born in 1773 and died in 1849. 
 When he married. Christian Eberhart 
 moved to his farm which was situated 
 seven miles from Greensburg and lived 
 there until his death in 1839. He was a 
 member and an official in the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 Joseph Eberhart, grandfather of An- 
 drew 0., was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1800. By 
 trade he was a tailor. In 1854 he emi- 
 grated to Kansas, where he engaged in 
 farming and also preached in the Lutheran 
 Church, labored as a Bible agent and held 
 many clmrchly offices. He married Katie 
 Kiester, who was born January 4, 1805, 
 and died in Kansas, December 21, 1885. 
 
 Andrew 0. Eberhart was reared in Fair- 
 view Township and after he completed his 
 school attendance, he worked at the car- 
 penter's trade for several years and also 
 engaged in farming. After his marriage 
 he moved to Butler Township and settled 
 on a farm adjoining his present one, buy- 
 ing the latter and moving on it, in 1887. 
 With the assistance of his sons he culti- 
 vates almost the entire acreage. The sons 
 make a specialty of fruits, potatoes and 
 garden truck. The farm has three or- 
 chards, producing many apples, while a 
 
682 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 markcl is auinially found for 123 bushels 
 of strawberries. In 1873 Mr. Eberliart be- 
 eaine lirsl iiiteicsted in the oil business, in 
 Donegal and Fairview Townships, and has 
 continued ever since and now is concerned 
 in six producing wells. 
 
 March 11, 1873, Mr. Eberliart was mar- 
 ried to Mary E. Baruhart, who is a daugh- 
 ter of Philip Barnhart, of Fairview Town- 
 ship. They have the following children: 
 Tessie Terilla, an accompli shed musician, 
 who is the organist of St. John's ifeformed 
 Church; Jeremiah A., residing on the 
 farm, on April 24, 1907, married Emily 
 Miller; Henry Harrison married Mae 
 Sharrar September 30, 1908, lives on the 
 home farm; and Etta E. After locating 
 on liis present farm, Mr. Eberhart was 
 elected a deacon in St. John's Church and 
 later served as an elder for a number of 
 years. With his sons lie belongs to the 
 East End Hose Company Drum Corps. 
 As he taught music to bands for a long 
 period, and' during the Civil War played 
 much martial music, he very ably fills the 
 place of almost any musician in local musi- 
 cal organizations. In politics, he is a Re- 
 publican and has served as school director, 
 constable, and for two and one-half terms 
 as jury comiliissiouer. He belongs to the 
 Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs, the Royal 
 Arcanum of Butler, of which lie was a 
 charter member, and while he resided in 
 Fairview Township was a member of the 
 Grange. For twenty-five years Mr. Eber- 
 hart was a director of St." Paul's Orphan 
 Home. He assisted in. getting the right of 
 way for the Butler and New Castle electric 
 line through this township, and a station 
 has been established on his farm known 
 as Eberhart Station. 
 
 CHARLES B. WULLER, a leading 
 business citizen of East Butler, where he 
 carries on a drug business, is a man of 
 ex])(Mience in this line, having been identi- 
 fied with it ever since leaving school. He 
 was l)oi'n in Butler. Pennsylvania. August 
 
 13, 1868, and is a son of J. J I. and Johanna 
 (Keifer) Wnller. The parents of Mr. 
 AVuller were natives of Germany. They 
 came to America and resided at Butler, 
 where the father was a professor of music 
 and also a dealer in real estate. 
 
 Charles B.' Wuller attended the public 
 schools of Butler until he went to work 
 for his brother, J. L. Wuller, who was pro- 
 prietor of what is now the Crystal Phar- 
 macy, with whom he remained for four 
 years, in the meanwhile qualifying as a 
 druggist. He then entered into partner- 
 ship with Dr. J. F. Moore, operating a 
 drug store of the name of the Springdale 
 drug store, in 1887, and later bought and 
 conducted the business for himself. He 
 then sold a half interest to C. J. Harvey, 
 they later selling out to J. L. McKee. 
 Later he conducted the store of his brother, 
 D. H. W^uller, for two years, for the Wuller 
 estate and then came to East Butler and 
 started his present business in December^ 
 1907. His building is a commodious one, 
 two stories in height, with basement, the 
 latter of which is utilized for a lunch room 
 and barber shop. The location is on the 
 corner of Broadway and Tenth Street. 
 Mr. Wuller uses the corner for his drug- 
 store, the adjoining room for a grocery 
 store and he rents the upi^er floor as a 
 flat for living purposes. 
 
 Mr. Wuller married Mary C. Redd and 
 they have one son, John H., who is a liright 
 boy at school. Mr. and Mrs. Wuller are 
 members of St. Paul's Catholic Church. 
 He belongs to the fi'aternal order of Wood- 
 men of the World and js a charter member 
 of Keystone Camp, No. 8. 
 
 R. S. PENFIELD, A.M., county super- 
 intendent of schools of Butler County, is 
 a well-known <>ducator who has been iden- 
 tified with the school and literary inter- 
 ests of Butler County for some twelve 
 years. Professor Penfield was born June 
 10, 1868, in Crawford County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 683 
 
 After completing the common and high 
 school course in his native place, Mr. Pen- 
 field entered the Edinboro State Normal 
 School, where he was graduated in 1889 
 and from there went to Allegheny College 
 at Meadville, Pennsylvania, and later 
 Grove City College and was graduated 
 from the latter institution in 1899. He be- 
 gan teaching when seventeen years old, 
 and with the exception of the years during 
 which he has been himself a student, he 
 has continued in the educational field ever 
 since. For five years he was superintend- 
 ent of the schools of Linesville, for three 
 years was principal of the Cochranton 
 schools (both of Crawford County, Penn- 
 eylvania), from 1897-8 he was instructor 
 in Latin in the Edinboro State Normal 
 School, for six years was principal of the 
 Chicora High School and is serving in his 
 second term as county superintendent for 
 Butler County. As opportunity offered, 
 he also spent about eighteen months study- 
 ing law under the direction of Attorney 
 Frank M. Ray, at Meadville. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Pennsylvania State Educational 
 Association; of the Round Table Associa- 
 tion of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern 
 Ohio ; was one of the founders of the Inter- 
 State Summer School of Methods, and for 
 two years was identified with the Conne- 
 aut Lake Summer School of Pedagogy. To 
 all these organizations. Professor Penfield 
 has contributed of his intellect, his knowl- 
 edge, culture and experience and he has 
 the pleasant consciousness that in all he 
 has done he has encouraged higher stand- 
 ards and wherever he has been has left 
 warm personal friends behind. 
 
 In 1892 Professor Penfield was married 
 to Miss Anna M. Brown, of Linesville, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have two children : 
 Williard E. and Gertrude M. They are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in which he is very active. Since 
 1906 he has been president of the Butler 
 County Sabbath School Association, and 
 
 while he resided at Chicora lie served as 
 one of the church stewards. His fraternal 
 connection is with the Odd Fellows. 
 
 HUGH G. STEELE, a well-known citi- 
 zen of Butler County and a member of the 
 firm of Steele Brothers, prominent oil pro- 
 ducers, with headquarters at Bruin, was 
 born in Perry Township, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1868, 
 and is a son of Samuel C. and Phoebe 
 (Snow) Steele. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Steele were natives 
 of Armstrong County and for many years 
 were substantial farming people there. 
 The father died in 1897 and his surviving 
 children are as follows: Jemima, who is 
 the wife of J. W. Miller, of New Castle; 
 A. C, who resides in Parker Township; 
 Sadie, who is the wife of D. P. Emeiy, of 
 Butler; Nancy, who is the wife of R. W. 
 Shakeley, of Fairview Township; Julia, 
 who is the wife of E. J. Delaney, of Arm- 
 strong County ; Hugh G. ; Edward J., who 
 resides at Bruin; and Maud, who is the 
 wife of L. W. Miller, of Kaylor, Armstrong 
 County, 
 
 Hugh G. Steele grew up on his father's 
 farm in Perry Township and continued in 
 agricultural pursuits until he came to But- 
 ler County, since which time he has been 
 engaged in oil production. He has resided 
 at Bruin since 1898 and is serving as pres- 
 ident of the borough council, having been 
 a member of this body for several consecu- 
 tive years. 
 
 Mr. Steele married Miss Nettie Hillard, 
 a daughter of the late John Hillard, for- 
 merly a well-known resident of Karns City, 
 Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. Steele are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Bruin and his activity as a Sunday-school 
 worker is shown in his consenting to serve 
 as assistant superintendent and also as 
 treasurer. In his attitude on public ques- 
 tions, Mr. Steele is a strong prohibitionist 
 and sees much to encourage the advocates 
 
684 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of temperance in the change that has re- 
 cently come over the comitry concerning 
 this great moral question. 
 
 ANDREW J. LANG, one of the most 
 successful of the younger generation of 
 farmers and business men of Winfield 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 is the owner of a valuable farm of 100 
 acres about two miles east of Cabot on the 
 Winfield, Furnace and Saxon Street Rail- 
 way. He comes of a prominent old family 
 of the eounty, and was born on the old 
 homestead in Winfield Township, January 
 10, 1882. He is a son of Erhart and Fred- 
 erica (Roenigk) Lang, and grandson of 
 Lawrence and Anna (Eeil) Lang. 
 
 Lawrence Lang and his wife, with six 
 of their eight children, emigrated to Amer- 
 ica and located in Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, all of them being natives of Ger- 
 many. Erhart Lang, father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was born in Bavaria, 
 Germany, January 19, 1856, and was for 
 three years a soldier of the German Army. 
 He now resides on a farm of 153 acres in 
 Winfield Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and fuller mention of him and 
 his family may be found on another page 
 of this work. 
 
 Andrew J. Lang was reared on the home 
 farm and received a good educational 
 training in the public schools. He has al- 
 ways engaged in farming, and his estate 
 of 100 acres is one of the best improved in 
 this vicinity; he erected a new two-story 
 frame house and has a good, substantial 
 barn and other necessary outbuildings. At 
 the age of twenty-one years, Mr. Lang 
 was united in marriage with Miss Katie 
 Zier, a daughter of George and Eachael 
 Zier, of Butler County, and they have one 
 daughter, Minnie, and one son, Edward J. 
 Religiously, they are members of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. 
 
 ANDREW YOST, whose excellent farm 
 of ninety-three acres on which he resides 
 
 is situated in Summit Township, was born 
 on a second farm of thirty-three acres, 
 which he also owns, in Summit Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, December 
 26, 1843. He is a son of Jacob and Annie 
 Catherine (Knouse) Yost. 
 
 Jacob Yost was born in Germany and 
 remained there until a young man, when 
 he came to Butler County. He met Annie 
 Catherine Knouse in Summit Township 
 and they were married here. She was also 
 a native of Germany and had been brought 
 to Butler County in girlhood. Jacob Yost 
 acquired a farm of sixty-five acres on 
 which he started housekeeping with his 
 bride. Later he divided his farm with his 
 brother-in-law, Andrew Knouse, retaining 
 thirty-three acres for himself. There 
 Jacob Yost and wife reared their family 
 and continued to live until death. Mrs. 
 Yost died in 1866 and he survived her but 
 .two years. Their children were: Mary, 
 who "died aged nine years ; Catherine, who 
 is the widow of Mathias Keck, lives in But- 
 ler; Jacob, who served in the Civil War, 
 returned home in 1865 only to leave again 
 and has never since been heard from ; and 
 Andrew. 
 
 Andrew Yost continued to live on the 
 home farm and to entirely manage it as 
 his father grew older, and also learned the 
 carjienter trade, at which he worked for 
 fourteen years. During this time he built 
 many houses and barns through Butler 
 County. In 1877 he bought the old Mc- 
 Curdy farm and moved on it in the same 
 year and immediately began to improve the 
 place. In 1881 he built his handsome and 
 comfortable residence and has gradually 
 done other improving and has now one of 
 the very best farms in Summit Township. 
 He cultivates the larger part of his land 
 and finds the soil very productive. 
 
 Mr. Yost married Elizabeth Barbara 
 Rettig, who is a daughter of Adam Rettig, 
 and they have a family of seven children 
 and a number of grandchildren : Edward 
 Adam, the eldest son, residing at Butler, 
 
JOHN C. KELLEY 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 687 
 
 married Emma Frederick, and they have 
 three children — Irvin Andrew, Philbert 
 Gottleib and Carl Adam. Annie, the eld- 
 est daughter, married Charles Frederick 
 and they have three children — Verna Bar- 
 bara, Irene Edith and Earl Edward. Will- 
 iam and Ida live at home, the former work- 
 ing at the carpenter trade. Nora is the 
 wife of Henry Grover Miller and they re- 
 side at Herman. The youngest daughter 
 and son, Gertrude and Albert, both reside 
 at home. The family belong to the Lu- 
 theran Church. Mr. Yost has always taken 
 an interest in educational matters and he 
 has sei'ved for six years as a school di- 
 rector. 
 
 WILLIAM FOSTER, architect, with of- 
 fices at No. 223 South Main Street, But- 
 ler, has been a resident of this^ city for 
 eighteen years and is thoroughly identi- 
 fied with its interests. He was born in 
 1860, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 where he was reared and educated. 
 
 Wlien it became necessary, after leav- 
 ing school, to select the tools for a subse- 
 quest business success, Mr. Foster did not 
 at once turn his attention to the profession 
 in . which he at present is a recognized 
 leader. He found the carpenter's trade 
 one in which he could take an interest, and 
 after completing his apprenticeship, he 
 worked for two years prior to 1890, when 
 he came first to Butler, in a mill in Frank- 
 lin, Pennsylvania. After reaching this 
 city he entered the planing mill of the S. 
 G. Purvis Company, where he continued 
 for eight and one-half years, after which 
 he worked for four and one-half years in 
 the Freeport planing mill at Freeport, 
 Pennsylvania. Mr. Foster then returned 
 to Butler and worked in a planing mill for 
 three years, in the meanwhile devoting 
 himself to the study of architecture. This 
 natural taste he easily cultivated and the 
 large amount of satisfactory work that he 
 has done at Butler and throughout the 
 county, gives testimony to both his indus- 
 
 try and ability. Among the principal 
 buildings for which he has made the plans 
 may be mentioned: the Schultz & Koch 
 Building, the Ralston Block, the Clinton 
 Hotel, the Keystone Hotel, the Atlas Hotel, 
 the Reed Building, on the corner of New 
 Castle Street and Fourth Avenue, St. 
 Paul's Church, the Hall Building, six busi- 
 ness blocks in Lyndora, the Slavonic Par- 
 sonage, Dr. Britton's Block, the T. W. 
 Phillips residence, and numerous othei'S. 
 In all these structures the taste and ap- 
 propriateness of the designs have resulted 
 in buildings which are ornaments to the 
 city. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Foster was married to Miss 
 Mary McDonald, of Mercer County, and 
 they have eight children, namely: Olive, 
 who is the wife of C. W. Floyd, of Home- 
 stead, Pennsylvania; 0. W., residing at 
 Butler; Mary A., who married M. F. In- 
 graham, of Butler; John C, who is asso- 
 ciated with his father; and Estella, Eliza- 
 beth, Alvin and Margaret. Mr. Foster is 
 a Republican in his political sentiments. 
 In his fraternal relations he belongs to 
 the Protected Home Circle and the Wood- 
 men of the World. 
 
 JOHN C. KELLEY, one of Butler 
 County's leading citizens, an oil operator, 
 farmer, stock buyer and formerly commis- 
 sioner of the county, was born in Slippery 
 Rock Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, February 13, 1840, and is a son of 
 Samuel and Eliza (McKee) Kelley. 
 
 Samuel Kelley, father of John C, was 
 born in County Down, Ireland, December 
 25, 1800. When he was eighteen years old 
 he started to America, which he reached 
 after six months on the Atlantic Ocean, in 
 a sailing vessel, and came to Mercer Town- 
 ship, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he found a home with James George. He 
 soon was given employment on the Erie 
 Canal, then in course of construction, and 
 he worked his way up, ceaselessly and 
 faithfully, until he became a contractor 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and served as such both on the Erie and 
 Johnstown Canals. After the completion 
 of these public works, Samuel Kelley re- 
 tired to a large farm in Slippery Rock 
 Township, in which he had invested his 
 earnings, and lived there until 1865, when 
 he sold it to advantage and bought 160 
 acres of land, in Butler Township, of 
 which John C. Kelley 's farm is a part. 
 He carried on farming and stock-raising 
 and throughout the greater part of his 
 life held some local office. He was a strong 
 Democrat and always interested in public 
 matters, but the offices to which he was 
 elected came to him entirely unsolicited. 
 His death occurred on his farm on April 
 1, 1880. He was very charitable to the 
 poor and his judgments during the time 
 he served as a justice of the peace were 
 tempered with mercy. He married a 
 daughter of Richard McKee, of Muddy 
 Creek Township in 1831, and eight of 
 their children reached maturity, namely: 
 David M., deceased; Catherine J., wife of 
 F. M. Shira, of Parker Township; Eliza- 
 beth J., deceased, married I. J. McCand- 
 less; Samuel R., residing at New Castle; 
 John C. ; Agnes, deceased, married A. 
 Perry Stewart; Margaret A., wife of Dr. 
 K. M. Kreecorian, a physician residing in 
 Farnam, Nebraska ; and William C. While 
 living in Slippery Rock Township, Sam- 
 uel Kelley was a member of Harmony 
 Church, at Harrisville, but in later years 
 he was connected with Shiloh United Pres- 
 byterian Church of Jefferson Township. 
 
 John C. Kelley spent his boyhood in 
 Slippery Rock Township. After complet- 
 ing his school attendance, he learned the 
 carpentei- and millwright trades and fol- 
 lowed these until 1865, when he went to 
 Adams Township, where he bought a farm 
 on which he settled in 1867. Mr. Kelley 
 resided on that farm until in the spring of 
 1885, when he purchased his present farm 
 of 100 acres. Mr. Kelley engages prac- 
 tical men to do his farming and to look 
 after his oil interests here, having thirteen 
 
 producing wells on his estate. Mr. Kelley 
 owns four other farms in Adams Town- 
 ship, and both his farm and oil interests 
 are large. 
 
 Mr. Kelley has always been an active 
 citizen. During the Civil War he was out 
 with the militia during the Morgan raid 
 and suffered loss and hardship at that 
 time. He was reared a Democrat and has 
 been a consistent supporter of the policies, 
 principles and candidates of that party. 
 He has served in the offices of school di- 
 rector, auditor, assessor, collector, justice 
 of the peace (four successive terms), and 
 two terms as county commissioner, being 
 elected first in 1884 and re-elected in 1887. 
 During this period the new court house 
 was built in Butler County and other 
 needed public improvements were made, 
 without any undue tax being levied on the 
 citizens. For twenty years prior to 1908, 
 he served as a justice of the peace in But- 
 ler Township, and he has settled many dif- 
 ticult cases by the exercise of his good 
 judgment, in this way often promoting 
 peace in the family and neighborhood. Be- 
 fore the County Home was established, 
 many paupers and indigent persons were 
 brought before him. Mr. Kelley has been 
 a very loyal supporter of his party and 
 has contributed liberally for campaign 
 purposes and at the same time has done 
 effective work. He has attended a num- 
 ber of the National conventions and has 
 been on the electoral ticket. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Kelley was married to 
 Nancy C. Gillespie, who was a daughter 
 of Capt. Alexander Gillespie, of Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County. Mrs. 
 Kelley was born in September, 1844, and 
 died December 12, 1905. From the age of 
 thirteen years she had been a consistent 
 member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church. She was the beloved mother of 
 six children, namely: Olive Josephine, 
 who married C. D. Bole, residing at Mari- 
 etta, Ohio; Alexander G., who lives at De- 
 catur, Indiana; Minerva E. (Kelley) Bole, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 689 
 
 who resides in Butler; Mrs. Mary I. Ken- 
 neth, who lives at Jackson, Michigan; 
 Nancy R., who is the wife of Ernest H. 
 Croueuwett, residing at Butler; and Clar- 
 ence H., who also lives at Butler. The 
 only grandchild of Mr. Kelley is John C. 
 BoJe, who is the son of his second daugh- 
 ter. 
 
 JAMES S. FOLLETT, oil producer and 
 farmer, whose residence is located in the 
 pleasant horough of Bruin, owns 100 acres 
 of land, twenty-five of which are located 
 in the borough of Bruin and seventy-five 
 in Parker Township, on which oil is pro- 
 duced. He was born at Warren, Pennsyl- 
 vania, August 12, 1851, and is a son of 
 Rathbon and Jane (Early) Follett. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Follett were both na- 
 tives of Machias, Cattaraugus County, 
 New York. 
 
 James S. Follett was twelve years old 
 when bis parents took him to New York, 
 and he obtained his education there, at- 
 tending an academy at Arcade for a time. 
 He was little more than a boy when he be- 
 gan his connection with the oil industry, 
 with which he has been ever since con- 
 nected in some way and for a number of 
 years has been a producer of oil. In 1881 
 he located on his farm at Bruin and has 
 here engaged in agriculture, taking pleas- 
 ure in cultivating and improving it. 
 
 Mr. Follett married Miss Ella Smith, 
 who was born in Warren County, Penn- 
 sylvania, a daughter of the late Caleb 
 Smith, of Cherry Township, Butler 
 County. They have two children: Jennie 
 M., who is the wife of Geoi'ge Keisselring, 
 of Marietta, Ohio; and Florence M., who 
 resides with her parents at Bruin. The 
 elder daughter is a graduate of the Slip- 
 pery Rock State Normal School and also 
 of the Schumaker School of Elocution, of 
 Philadelphia, and prior to her marriage, 
 she was a very acceptable and popular 
 teacher. Mr. Follett and family belong to 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church at Petro- 
 
 lia, in which he has served for many years 
 as trustee and treasurer. He belongs to 
 the Maccabee Lodge at Petrolia. His 
 political adherence is given to the Prohi- 
 bition party. Mr. Follett is a self-made 
 man, in youth having many disadvantages 
 to overcome, and his present position is en- 
 tirely the result of his own efforts. 
 
 Mr. Follett paid the expenses of Elisha 
 Solomon, a native of India, who graduated 
 from the Baralia Theological Seminary at 
 Baralia, India, and who is now preaching 
 in that country. After graduating he 
 added to his name that of E'oUett, making 
 it Elisha Solomon Follett, and he also de- 
 frayed the expenses of Panchmu in the 
 same school in India, who is also preaching 
 in India, both preaching to the heathen na- 
 tives. 
 
 JOHN H. HERRIT, one of Summit 
 Township's representative citizens, resides 
 on his valuable farm of fifty acres, which 
 is situated about three and one-half miles 
 east of Butler, on the old State road. Mr. 
 Herrit was born on his present farm, Au- 
 g-ust 6, 1866, and is a son of John and 
 Margaret (Binsack) Herrit. 
 
 John Herrit was born in America, but 
 his father, Conrad Herrit, was a native of 
 Germany. John Herrit acquired the pres- 
 ent farm in Summit Township and died on 
 it about 1872. His widow subsequently 
 married Fred Oertel and they reside in 
 Summit Township. Of the father's five 
 children, four survive, namely: John H., 
 Christian, Adam, and Lizzie, who is the 
 wife of Christopher Zellsman. The father 
 and the youngest child died at the same 
 time, of smallpox. 
 
 John H. Herrit was reared on the home 
 farm and attended the country schools. 
 With the exception of several years, dur- 
 ing which he conducted a butcher shop at 
 Butler, Mr. Herrit has devoted himself to 
 the business of farming, making it profit- 
 able. He has been one of the active poli- 
 ticians of his township and for about 
 
690 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 twenty years served as township auditor 
 and at present is serving in liis third term 
 as township collector. He is a man in whom 
 his fellow citizens can place reliance. 
 
 Mr. Herrit married Anna Miller, a 
 daughter of Nicholas Miller, and they have 
 five children, all bright and unusually at- 
 tractive, to whom Mr. Herrit is giving 
 every advantage in his power. They bear 
 these names : Raymond, Gilmore, Mabel, 
 Twila, and Freda. Mr. Herrit is one of 
 the leading members of the German Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 ANDREW C. ROSEBAUGH, general 
 farmer and dairyman, resides on his valu- 
 able farm of ninety acres, which is situ- 
 ated in Adams Township, right on the 
 electric railroad line, twelve miles south of 
 Butler. He was born on his father's farm 
 in Lancaster Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, September 23, 1863, and is 
 a son of George and Mary (Kelley) Rose- 
 baugh. 
 
 The Rosebaugh family can easily estab- 
 lish its claim to being one of the oldest in 
 Butler County. The great-grandparents, 
 accompanied by their son George, came to 
 America from Germany and secured a 
 tract of 500 acres of "land in Lancaster 
 Township, Butler County, when the whole 
 surrounding cormtry was a wilderness. 
 Grandfather George Rosebaugh spent the 
 remainder of his life on the pioneer farm, 
 dying when aged fifty-eight years. He 
 married a Miss Dunn, who was born in 
 America, and they had eight children, six 
 of whom are deceased. The two survivors 
 are : George, the father of Andrew C. ; and 
 Ellen, who is the wife of Dr. O'Neil, who 
 resides in Kansas. 
 
 George Rosebaugh the second, was born 
 on what is now known as the Croft farm, 
 in Lancaster Township, Butler County, 
 June 21, 1824, grew to manhood there and 
 in the course of time, in association with 
 his brother Thomas, who later moved to 
 Kansas, came into possession of the home 
 farm. He has been twice married. The 
 
 first wife left four children, namely: 
 Amanda, wife of Alexander Hayes; Ellen, 
 wife of James McNeese; Elizabeth, wife of 
 AVilliam Spence; and George, who died 
 young. Air. Rosebaugh married Mary 
 Kelly for his second wife. She was born 
 in 1833, in Lancaster Township, Butler 
 County. There were the following chil- 
 dren born to this marriage: Anna, wife 
 of Christ Gelbach; Ida, wife of AV. Dale; 
 Andrew C; Isaac N., who died in 1905; 
 Sadie and Maggie, twins, the former of 
 whom is the wife of J. A. Kennedy and the 
 latter of W. J. Renison ; and Alice, who is 
 the wife of Charles Bunting. George Rose- 
 baugh continued to live on the home farm 
 for a time and then sold it and purchased 
 164 acres in Adams Township, which he 
 subsequently turned over to his sons and 
 retired to Mars, where he and wife reside. 
 They are members of the United Presby- 
 terian Church. Mr. Rosebaugh is deeply 
 interested in the cause of Prohibition and 
 much encouraged by the present attitude 
 of the i3ublic on this important subject. 
 
 Andrew C. Rosebaugh was about two 
 years old when his parents settled in 
 Adams Township, where his life ever since 
 has been spent. He was married August 
 17, 1887, to Emma Rowan, who is a daugh- 
 ter of Matthew and Nancy Rowan, of Penn 
 Township, and they have three children: 
 Edna L., Frank H., and Laura E. Mr. 
 Rosebaugh is a general farmer, growing 
 grain and vegetables, but he makes a spe- 
 cialty of raising potatoes and of making 
 butter. He markets 700 bushels of fine po- 
 tatoes a year and his output of first class 
 butter amounts to forty pounds a week. 
 In his political views he is a Republican. 
 With his wife he belongs to the Presbyte- 
 rian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM A. SWAIN, a leading busi- 
 ness citizen of Zelienople, engaged in the 
 hardware line, was bom in Jackson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, Febru- 
 ary 14, 1869, and "is a son of William G. 
 and Sarah (Sechler) Swain. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 691 
 
 The Swains are among the old settlers 
 of Butler County. Samuel Swain, the 
 grandfather, was born in 1800, in Mary- 
 land, and came with his parents to Butler 
 County, in 1818. They rest in the old 
 cemetery at Zelienople. The Sechlers also 
 were established in this section in the days 
 of the grandfather, Jacob Sechler, who was 
 born in Eastern Pennsylvania. He owned 
 a farm and operated a mill within a half 
 mile of Harmony. His last years were 
 spent at the home of his son-in-law, Mr. 
 Zeigler, in Jackson Township. On the pa- 
 ternal side four sons and two daughters 
 reached maturity: A. A., S. L., G. D., Will- 
 iam G.,. Mrs. Margaret Hallestine, and Mrs. 
 Maria Donelly, the latter of whom resides 
 at Pittsburg. The maternal grandparents 
 had the following children who reached ma- 
 ture life: Jacob, residing in Venaugo 
 County; Abraham, residing in Lawrence 
 County; Michael, a resident of Missouri; 
 John, who is deceased; Mrs. Gottleib 
 Burry, living in Medina County, Ohio ; Mrs. 
 John Burry, who is deceased; Mrs. H. M. 
 Zeigler, residing at Zelienople; Mrs. W. J. 
 Bartley, residing at Butler; Elizabeth, who 
 is deceased; and Sarah, the mother of Mr. 
 Swain. She was born in Jackson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, in 1839, 
 and still survives. 
 
 William Gellert Swain was born in 1837, 
 on the farm in Jackson Township, where 
 almost all of his life was spent and where 
 he died in 1893, aged fifty-six years. Seven 
 years of his life he lived in Beaver County 
 and all of it was devoted to agricultural 
 pursuits. The children of William G. 
 Swain and wife were: Mrs. A. Sitler, of 
 Zelienople; Miss Ellen M., residing at 
 home ; and William A. 
 
 William A. Swain was educated in the 
 common and high school at Zelienople and 
 for ten years taught school, meeting with 
 success in this field, for he was interested 
 in his work and was able to interest as well 
 as instruct others. He also gave consider- 
 able time and attention to sui'veying. In 
 
 1903 he entered into the hardware business 
 at Zelienople, being treasurer of the Zelie- 
 nople Hardware Company, a prospering 
 business enterprise of this place, and the 
 largest concern of its kind in this section. 
 In his political views, Mr. Swain votes 
 with the Democratic party on national is- 
 sues, but in local affairs he casts an inde- 
 pendent ballot. He is a member of Har- 
 mony Lodge No. 648, Odd Fellows; of 
 Harmony Lodge No. 311, Knights of Pyth- 
 ias; and of the Royal Arcanum, also of 
 Harmony. He has membership in the Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church at Zelienople. 
 
 JOHN F. ANDERSON, one of Butler's 
 representative citizens, who, for many 
 years has been a prominent figure among 
 business men in this section, being identi- 
 fied with many large enterprises, especially 
 being active as an operator in oil and gas, 
 was born February 14, 1852, at Mt. Chest- 
 nut, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of the late James D. Anderson. 
 
 James D. Anderson was born in Ireland 
 and when he came to America he made his 
 way to Butler County, Pennsylvania, set- 
 tling on a large tract of land near the vil- 
 lage of Prospect. Later he moved to Penn 
 Township, locating there in 1865 and from 
 that township he was elected register and 
 recorder of Butler County, in 1876, on the 
 Democratic ticket. For years he was very 
 prominent in local politics. He followed 
 farming and also engaged in merchandiz- 
 ing. 
 
 John F. Anderson was reared in Butler 
 County and obtained his education in the 
 public schools and Witherspoon Institute. 
 For several subsequent years he taught 
 school in Butler and Allegheny Counties 
 and then turned his attention to merchan- 
 dizing, in 1883 opening a store at Renfrew, 
 which he conducted until 1888, when he 
 came to Butler. He soon became inter- 
 ested in the Home Natural Gas Company 
 as one of its directors, and at present he 
 is connected with munerous successful busi- 
 
692 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ness organizations of various kinds. He 
 is ijresident of the board of directors of 
 the Patterson Natural Gas Company, presi- 
 dent of the natural gas company that sup- 
 plies Evans Citj^, a director and stock- 
 holder in the Standard Plate Glass Com- 
 pany, a director and secretary of the East 
 Butler Land and Improvement Company, a 
 stockholder in the Butler Savings and 
 Trust Company, and a stockholder and 
 manager of the firm of Sprang & Company. 
 He is an active citizen in the sense of en- 
 deavoring to secure good city government 
 and unproved conditions, but he is no poli- 
 tician. He votes with the Democratic 
 party. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Anderson was married to 
 Miss lona M. Heap, of Colorado Springs, 
 and they have two sons, Frank Carl and 
 James G., the former of whom is a gradu- 
 ate of Lehigh University, and the latter a 
 student in the graduating'class of the Mer- 
 cersburg Academy, being a graduate of the 
 Butler High School. Mr. Anderson and 
 family belong to the Fii'st Presbyterian 
 Church, in which body he belongs to the 
 Session and is also superintendent of the 
 Sunday school. 
 
 CHARLES SCHOENFELD, who has 
 been a resident of Bruin since 1896, and 
 of Parker Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, since 1875, is a well known oil 
 producer and has been identified with the 
 oil industry since 1865. He is a Prussian 
 by birth, the date thereof being May 2, 
 1833, and is a son of Gottlieb Schoenfeld, 
 who lived and died in Prussia. 
 
 Mr. Schoenfeld was reared to manhood 
 in his native land, received his education 
 in the common schools, and for three years 
 was in the service of the German army. 
 •He there learned and followed the trade of 
 a carpenter. In 1859 he set sail from Ham- 
 burg in a sailing vessel, and after a voyage 
 of thirty-two days landed in New York 
 City. He worked at his trade at Albany 
 ancl Buffalo, New York, until 1865, when 
 he was carried by the oil excitement to 
 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania. The fol- 
 lowing year he became an oil producer and 
 has continued as such more or less ever 
 since. He is a man of wide acquaintance 
 through this section, and is most highly 
 esteemed. 
 
 May 3, 1861, at Buffalo, New York, 
 Charles Schoenfeld was married to Miss 
 Charlotte Schmidt, who was born in Ger- 
 many in 184-(), and in 1859 aceonii>aiiied an 
 aunt to the United States. Five children 
 were born to them, as follows : Catherine, 
 wife of James Young of Cattaraugus 
 County, New York; Elizabeth, wife of Will- 
 iam L. Fuher of Pittsburg; Charles H. ; 
 William; and Charlotte V., wife of Rev. 
 William Fleming, who is pastor of the 
 Presbyterian church at Clarion, Pennsyl- 
 vania. Charles H. and Wm. Schoenfeld 
 make oil their special business, both being 
 drillers. Charles H. Schoenfeld drilled the 
 largest well that was ever brought in in 
 Pennsylvania, producing over fourteen 
 thousand barrels daily, for Joseph Hart- 
 man (deceased), of Butler National Bank. 
 In religious attachment, the subject of this 
 sketch and his wife are members of the 
 Presbyterian Church at Bruin, of which he 
 has served as trustee. In political affilia- 
 tion, he is a Republican. 
 
 DAVID L. CLEELAND, jeweler and 
 optician at Butler, with location at No. 
 125 South Main Street, is one of the older 
 business men of the city, with which he 
 has been identified for almost thirty years, 
 developing in the meantime, a large and 
 important enterprise from a small begin- 
 ning. Mr. Cleeland was born in Perry 
 Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 in June, 1855. 
 
 Mr. Cleeland was educated in Perry 
 Township and at Sandy Lake College, and 
 after leaving school worked until he was 
 nineteen years of age, in a grist mill. He 
 then entered the employ of J. R. Snyder, 
 and with him learned the watchmaker's 
 trade, serving an apprenticeship of three 
 
DAVID L. CLEELAXD 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 695 
 
 years and contiuued at Harrisville until 
 1881, when he came to Butlex". At that 
 time the present wide-spreading city had 
 not more than 4,500 population and Mr. 
 Cleeland's business beginning as jeweler 
 and watchmaker was in accord, but he has 
 prospered equally with the growth of the 
 city in numbers, wealth and luxury, and 
 now owns an establishment and stock of 
 goods that would do credit to a metropoli- 
 tan center anywhere. He continued alone 
 in business vmtil 1888, when W. E. Ralston 
 became a partner and the firm of Cleeland 
 & Ealston continued in business until Sep- 
 tember, 1893, when the partnership was 
 dissolved and since then Mr. Cleeland has 
 been alone. He is a graduated optician and 
 has always made a specialty of optical 
 goods. In 1888 he received one certificate 
 from the Julius King Optical Company, at 
 Cleveland, as to his efficiency ; and in 1896 
 he took a post-graduate course in New 
 York, receiving a second certificate, and 
 in 1890 he passed his examination before 
 the State Board of Opticians, receiving his 
 certificate as dioptrician. Mr. Cleeland is 
 one of the board of directors of the Farm- 
 ers' National Bank. 
 
 On November 14, 1878, Mr. Cleeland was 
 married to Miss Flora Cubbison, of Mer- 
 cer Couutv, Pennsylvania, and they have 
 five sons:" Earl C., Frank W.. Roy A., 
 Carl L., and David L., Jr. The eldest 
 son. Rev. Earl C, is a Presbyterian min- 
 ister, who has spent some years as a pro- 
 fessor in a Presbyterian College situated 
 at Canton, China. Frank W. is engaged 
 in a real estate business at Pittsburg. Roy 
 A. is an engraver, with the Marsh, Brown, 
 Mather Company, wholesale jewelers at 
 Pittsburg. Carl L. is in the first year of 
 High School at Butler and the youngest 
 son is a bright student in the Grammar 
 School. Mr. Cleeland and wife are mem- 
 bers of the Second Presbyterian Church 
 at Butler, of which they, with Dr. J. E. 
 Byers and Robert A. "VAHiite, were the or- 
 ganizers. He is a member of the Session 
 
 and is active in everything pertaining to 
 its affairs. Fraternally he is an Odd Fel- 
 low, belonging to the lower order and also 
 to the Encamj)ment. He has ever been 
 an earnest, useful citizen and is sei'ving 
 as a member of the Butler Board of 
 Health. 
 
 CHARLES A. SMITH, who in partner- 
 ship with Mr. J. C. Logan, conducts a large 
 general store at Cabot, Butler County, 
 Pennsj'lvania, is also postmaster of the vil- 
 lage, having served in that capacity for a 
 period of twenty-two years. The store 
 was started in a small way as early as 
 1887, and was from time to time enlarged 
 to meet the demands of trade until at the 
 present time four clerks are employed ; the 
 stock carried is large and complete and is 
 probably not equaled in this part of Penn- 
 sylvania in a town of the same size. 
 
 Mr. Smith was born May 25, 1853, about 
 one mile and a half east of the village of 
 Cabot, and is a son of Robert and Mary 
 (Clark) Smith. His grandfather, Hugh 
 Smith, came to Butler County from east 
 of the mountains of Pennsylvania on horse- 
 back. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 and walked to Erie to join Colonel Pres- 
 cott's command. Robert Smith was one of 
 the substantial men of "VVinfield Township, 
 and lived to reach the advanced age of 
 eighty-two years, dying June 14, 1907. Mrs. 
 Smith passed from this life on November 
 1, 1901, at the age of seventy-two years. 
 
 Charles A. Smith received his educa- 
 tional training in the public schools of Win- 
 field Township, and at Butler. His entire 
 business experience has been at Cabot, 
 where he is recognized as a man of excep- 
 tional ability and one who merits the good 
 will and esteem of the people. 
 
 Mr. Smith was married April 5, 1882, to 
 Miss Samantha Brieker, a daughter of 
 Jacob and Elizabeth (Black) Brieker, and 
 they have had four children, namely : Grace 
 E.;"Beulah J.; Bliss V., who died July 21, 
 1896; and Paul B., who died October 24, 
 
696 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1906. Religiously, be is a member of tbe 
 Presbyterian Cburcb, of wbicb he is an 
 elder and superintendent of tbe Sabbatb 
 Scbool. He has served in the latter capac- 
 ity for twelve years. Mr. Smith acted the 
 part of a teacher in public schools for 
 eleven years in Butler County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, and two years in the state of Nebraska. 
 He lived in Armstrong County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, near Boggsville, for a period of five 
 years as a farmer — 1882 to 1887 — moving 
 from the farm to Cabot, Pennsylvania. 
 
 ANTON KRUT, the leading florist at 
 Butler, with his commodious greenhouses 
 on West Wayne Street, is numbered with 
 the successful business men and enterpris- 
 ing citizens of this section. He was born 
 on a farm in Beaver County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, February 11, 1868, and is a son of 
 the late Anton Krut. 
 
 The father of Mr. Krut, whose name he 
 bears, was the owner of a large farm in 
 Beaver Count}% but prior to the Civil War 
 he left the farm for others to cultivate 
 and established a wagon manufactory on 
 the south side of Pittsburg. He built up 
 a large trade and had an extensive estab- 
 lishment on the south side and continued 
 his interest in it until his death. 
 
 Anton Ki-ut the second, spent a large 
 part of his time through youth on the 
 farm, returning to it after he completed 
 his education. He remained on the farm 
 for several years and then went to Pitts- 
 burg. He did not have his father's taste 
 for manufacturing, but had always been a 
 lover of flowers and growing things, so he 
 entered upon an apprenticeship to a flor- 
 ist and during three years of practical ex- 
 perience, acquired a knowledge of the busi- 
 ness. He then started a business of his 
 own in Pittsburg, but his health failed 
 there and in 1898 he came to Butler, where 
 tbe clean, invigorating air has entirely re- 
 stored him to normal health. He bought 
 the old Bortamas greenhouses, which he 
 remodeled and added to and now he has 
 
 25,000 feet of glass and cultivates six 
 acres of ground. He deals exclusively in 
 cut flowers and does all kinds of fine floral 
 work. In 1906 he purchased a fine store 
 building at No. 328 South Main Street, 
 where he attends to business. 
 
 Mr. Krut was married in Beaver County 
 to Miss Mary C. Joyce, of Beaver County, 
 and they have one child, Margaret. Mr. 
 Krut is a member of the Roman Catholic 
 Church of Butler. 
 
 W. L. KAUFFMAN, residing on one of 
 the best farms in Adams Township, a finely 
 cultivated -tract of 158 acres, of which he 
 is joint owner with other heirs, was born 
 on this farm on January 10, 1870, and is 
 a son of John and Catherine (Marburger) 
 Kauffman. 
 
 John Kauffman was born in Jackson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and died in Adams Township, Butler 
 County, in 1903. His father was Casper 
 Kauffman, who came to America from Ger- 
 many and was a very early settler in Jack- 
 son Township, where he died. He had the 
 following children: Lucinda, Magdalena, 
 Emma, Sarah, John, Henry, Jacob, Will- 
 iam, Adam and George. John Kauffman 
 married Catherine Marburger, a daughter 
 of George C. Marburger and a member of 
 one of the old and reliable German families 
 of this section. After marriage they settled 
 on the farm above mentioned, in Adams 
 Township. It was all wild land at the 
 time, and at first Mr. Kauffman only rented 
 it, but as he found it could be developed 
 into a good farm, he entered into negotia- 
 tions with its owner. Judge Marshall, and 
 finally bought eighty acres. To his first 
 purchase he added the Mincer tract and 
 later the Waters tract, which brought his 
 acreage to 158 acres. On this farm he 
 passed away, aged sixty-four years. He 
 had led a useful life, had labored hard and 
 was one of the township's most respected 
 citizens.- His widow still survives. To 
 them were born the following children: 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 697 
 
 George J.; Mary, wife of Albert Lutz; 
 Anna, who died aged three years; Lewis; 
 Emma, wife of George Ripper ; Catherine, 
 widow of William Staple; Elizabeth, who 
 died in childhood; Samuel; Edward; and 
 Matilda. 
 
 W. L. Kaulfman has always lived on the 
 home farm and for a number of years has 
 been its manager. His education was ob- 
 tained in the public schools and all his in- 
 terests have been centered in this, section 
 of Butler county. On June 14, 1905, he 
 was married to Malinda Cashdollar, who 
 is a daughter of William Cashdollar, one 
 of the leading citizens of Adams Town- 
 ship. They have one daughter, Margaret. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kauft'man are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. In politics, he is a 
 strong Democrat and at present is serving 
 in his sixth year as townshija tax collector. 
 He is a member of the order of Maccabees 
 at Callery. 
 
 JOSEPH J. DITTMER, general mer- 
 chant and postmaster at Herman, where 
 he has been engaged in business for the 
 past thirteen years, was born in Summit 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 27, 1871, and is a sou of Joseph and 
 Eva (Michael) Dittmer. 
 
 Mr. Dittmer was reared on the home 
 farm and secured his education in the 
 township schools. When eighteen years of 
 age he became a clerk in the store of which 
 he is now the owner, remaining in that ca- 
 pacity for two years. Although he re- 
 turned to the farm for four more years, 
 he had already determined to become a 
 merchant instead of a farmer, and started 
 a store of his own when he was twenty- 
 four years old. When he came first to 
 Herman, in 1895, he erected a store build- 
 ing across the railroad from his present 
 one and there conducted a general store 
 for twelve years, in June, 1897, being ap- 
 pointed postmaster of the village. On 
 July 1, 1907, he moved his entire stock to 
 his present building, having bought out F. 
 
 W. Limberg, the purchase including a 
 store building and house and lot. Mt. Ditt- 
 mer does a heavy business in general mer- 
 chandise, grocei'ies, hardware and feed, 
 supplying a large outside territory. 
 
 In 1897 Mr. Dittmer was married to 
 Mary Wolpert, who was born at Natrona, 
 Allegheny County, April 14, 1878, and is 
 a daughter of Sylvester Wolpert, and they 
 have an interesting family of five children, 
 namely: Vernie, Adela, May, Celia and 
 Englebert. Mr. and Mrs. Dittmer are 
 members of St. Mary's Catholic Church 
 and he is connected also with the Catholic 
 Mutual Benefit Association. 
 
 SAMUEL W. GALBRETH, general 
 merchant at Leasureville, has for many 
 years been a prominent resident of Win- 
 field Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he has followed farming and 
 blacksmithing. He owns a farm of fifty 
 acres in Winfield Township. He was born 
 in Winfield Township, January 18, 1849, 
 and is a son of Joseph and Isabella (Sloan) 
 Galbreth. His mother is a daughter of 
 William Sloan, who was from Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Samuel W. Galbreth was reared on the 
 farm in his native township and received 
 his educational training in the common 
 schools. He early learned the trade of a 
 blacksmith, which he followed in connection 
 with farming for some twenty years. He 
 purchased his present farm of fifty acres 
 about the year 1884, and has engaged in 
 general farming there since. During the 
 past year he has conducted the general 
 store in partnership with his son-in-law, 
 Albert Remaley, it being located in the 
 same building as his residence, a large 
 two-story structure. 
 
 Mr. Galbreth was married September 21, 
 1880, to Miss Martha J. Todd, a daughter 
 of John and Ann Todd, and they have one 
 daughter, Minnie, wife of Albert Remaley, 
 by whom she has two children — Donald 
 and Blair. Religiously, the family belongs 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 to the Presbyterian Church at Buffalo. Mr. 
 Galbreth has a number of times been called 
 upon to serve his township in official capac- 
 ities, and is at the present collector of 
 township taxes. He has served as such 
 for six years, and was prior to that time 
 school director and 
 
 E. M. FLETCHER, who comes of a 
 prominent old family of Parker Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, is the owner 
 of a fine farm of 125 acres. He has fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits mainly, during 
 his business career, but has also had con- 
 siderable success as an oil operator. 
 
 Mr. Fletcher was born on the farm on 
 which he now lives, in 1848, and is a son 
 of Thomas and Ann (Campbell) Fletcher, 
 both natives of Butler County. His pater- 
 nal grandfather, Benjamin Fletcher, was 
 the owner of a 500 acre tract of land in 
 Parker Township, on a part of which Mar- 
 tinsburg, now the borough of Bruin, was 
 built. 
 
 Thomas Fletcher, father of the siibject 
 of this sketch, was one of the pioneer mil- 
 lers of Butler County and a man of con- 
 siderable local prominence. He erected a 
 mill on Bear Creek, which thrived and was 
 in operation for many years, but is not now 
 in use, although still standing. He died 
 many years ago, and was survived some 
 years by his widow. Religiously he was a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 at Martinsburg. 
 
 E. M. Fletcher was reared to manhood 
 at Martinsburg and received his education 
 in the public schools of the village. He has 
 always made farming his principal busi- 
 ness, but since 1876 has been somewhat 
 identified with the oil industry, a part of 
 the time as a producer. He has for some 
 years been a director of the Bruin High 
 School Board, and at one time sensed as 
 president of that body. 
 
 Mr. Fletcher's first marriage was with 
 Miss Ella Steward of West Sunbury. 
 
 After her death he formed a second union 
 with Miss Victoria Campbell, a daughter 
 of the late Thomas G. Campbell of Bruin, 
 and they became the parents of the follow- 
 ing children: Sarah E., wife of E. H. 
 Black; Charles C. ; Pearl, wife of Albert 
 Schlagel ; Stella ; and John F. The mother 
 of these children joassed away on June 5, 
 1905. Mr. Fletcher is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church of Bruin, and 
 is serving as one of its trustees. He is a 
 Republican in politics, and has filled nu- 
 merous offices of public trust in Parker 
 Township. Fraternally, he was formerly 
 affiliated with the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows. 
 
 PIERCE BROTHERS, nurserymen 
 and general farmers, residing on their val- 
 uable estate of seventy acres, situated in 
 Butler Towship, are members of one of 
 the oldest pioneer families of this section 
 of the county. The firm is composed of 
 two brothers, Thomas M. and James R., 
 who are sous of Peterson and Eliza (Mc- 
 Nair) Pierce. Thomas M. Pierce was 
 born September 8, 1849, and James R. De- 
 cember 16, 1858, on the farm on which 
 they now reside. 
 
 The family was established in what is 
 now Butler Township by the great-grand- 
 father, John Pierce, who was a native of 
 New Jersey and a member of the family 
 that gave to the United States its four- 
 teenth executive. President Franklin K. 
 Pierce. John Pierce lived out the balance 
 of his days in Butler Township. 
 
 David Pierce, son of John and grand- 
 father of Thomas M. and James R. Pi'erce, 
 was reared in this pioneer home and was 
 a soldier in the War of 1812-15. He was 
 the owner of a farm of several hundred 
 acres, on a part of which the town of Lyn- 
 dora is now built. He was one of the 
 township's leading men and was active in 
 promoting its best interests — in the build- 
 ing of roads, establishing of schools, and 
 the erection of churches. He reared a 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 701 
 
 family that lias produced some of the 
 towu ship's best type of citizenship. 
 
 Peterson Pierce, son of David and father 
 of Thomas M. and James R., was born 
 June 16, 1812, in Butler Township, this 
 county, where his life was mainly spent. 
 Through his active years he was engaged 
 in farming and he took a great deal of in- 
 terest in making improvements. He set 
 out the shade trees which now surround 
 the comfortable brick residence, which lat- 
 ter he built in 1840. In his political opin- 
 ions he was a Democrat and he was fre- 
 quently called upon to accept township of- 
 fice. He married Mary Eliza McNair, a 
 daughter of Thomas McNair, who with 
 others built and operated the first steam 
 mill in Butler County. At the time of her 
 marriage she resided in Butler, but she 
 was born near Greensburg, Penna., Au- 
 gust 1.3, 1827. Of this marriage ten chil- 
 dren were born, of whom six reached ma- 
 turity, namely: Thomas M., Elizabeth J., 
 who is the wife of Samuel Pierce, of New 
 Castle: Mrs. Maria E. Zeek; Henry P., 
 who lives at Morgantown, W. Va., and is 
 engaged in the lumber and manufacturing 
 business; James R., and Mary M. This 
 family was carefully reared by Christian 
 parents in the faith of the United Presby- 
 terian Church. 
 
 Peterson Pierce, the father, died Octo- 
 ber 16, 1865. The mother, Mary Eliza 
 Pierce, lives with her sons, Thomas M. and 
 James R. Pierce, on the old homestead 
 where she has continued to reside since 
 her husband's death. She still retains her 
 vigor of body and clearness of mind to a 
 remarkable degree for one of her age. 
 
 Thomas M. and James R. Pierce grew 
 to manhood on the parental homestead, 
 and both attended the district schools. 
 Thomas then learned the millwright's 
 trade, which he followed for a number of 
 years. James being also mechanically in- 
 clined, the two brothers do much of the 
 planning and construction of buildings, 
 etc., on the farm, a portion of which they 
 
 are converting into business and residence 
 properties. The farm belongs to the two 
 brothers, they having purchased the rights 
 of the other heirs. For about ten years 
 they devoted a large part of their time to 
 the growing of small friiits, and at one 
 time were the leading strawberry raisers 
 in the county. 
 
 In 1891 they started in the nursery busi- 
 ness and they now raise general stock — 
 mainly fruit — and shade trees and shrubs. 
 Their trade is largely local, though they 
 occasionally make shipments to other 
 states. They have, as already intimated, 
 laid out a part of their property in town 
 lots, the principal street being Pierce Ave- 
 nue, along which runs the Butler Street 
 Railway; and on the street immediately 
 west of Pierce Avenue, on their property, 
 runs the Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and 
 New Castle Interurban line. The Pierce 
 brothers are men of business enterprise, 
 and of high personal standing in the com- 
 munity. 
 
 ALFRED H. ZIEGLER, M.D., one of 
 the younger medical practitioners of But- 
 ler, a member of the Butler County and the 
 Pennsylvania State Medical Societies, was 
 born at Butler, Pennsylvania, and is the 
 only son of W. G. and Mary (Troutman) 
 Ziegler, and grandson of William S. Zieg- 
 ler and Adam Troutman, both of whom 
 came in early days to Butler County, whei^e 
 they attained prominence and acquired siab- 
 stance. 
 
 The father of Dr. Ziegler is one of But- 
 ler's leading business men. His life has 
 been devoted almost entirely to newspaper 
 work. In 1900 he founded and still con- 
 ducts the Ziegler Printing Company, job 
 printers and book binders. He married 
 Mary Troutman, who is a daughter of the 
 venerable Adam Troutman of Butler, one 
 of the pioneer merchants of the city. 
 
 Dr. Ziegler was reared at Butler and in 
 1900 he was graduated in the Butler High 
 School and from there entered Washing- 
 
702 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ton-Jefferson College. In the class of 1906 
 he was graduated from Jefferson Medical 
 College, after which he spent one year in 
 Passavant Hospital, in Pittsburg, and then 
 located at Butler. 
 
 ASA C. STEELE, a prosperous farmer 
 and a well known oil producer of Parker 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 has a fine farm of 100 acres. The oil in- 
 dustry has claimed his attention, princi- 
 pally, throughout his career in business. 
 Mr. Steele was born in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, July 19, 1857, and is a son 
 of Samuel C. and Phoebe (Snow) Steele, 
 both natives of Armstrong County. His 
 paternal grandfather was James Steele, 
 who was a native of Ireland, and upon 
 coming to America located in Perry Town- 
 ship, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 where he was among the early settlers. 
 Samuel C. Steele lived in his native cormty 
 all his days, and was a prosperous farmer. 
 He and his wife became the parents of 
 fourteen children, of whom nine survive, 
 three of whom live in Butler County, 
 namely : Asa C. of Parker Township ; Hugh 
 Gr. and Edward J. of Bruin. 
 
 Asa C. Steele was reared to manhood 
 in Armstrong County and attended the 
 public schools of his home vicinity. At the 
 age of eighteen years he began working in 
 the oil fields, and after a time was for some 
 years a contractor and driller of oil wells. 
 During the past twenty years he has been 
 an oil producer, and his efforts have been 
 attended with considerable success. He 
 first located in Parker Township in 1880 
 and resided here without interruption until 
 1897, in which year he moved to Grove 
 City. In 1907 he again took up his resi. 
 dence in Parker Township, Butler County, 
 where he now makes his home. He is a 
 Prohibitionist in politics, and served sev- 
 eral years as poor director in Parker Town- 
 ship when the old law was in effect. He 
 was the nominee of his party, while a resi- 
 dent of Mercer County, for the lower house 
 
 of the legislature, and made a good race 
 for that office. 
 
 Mr. Steele was united in marriage with 
 Miss Lovinia Bartley, a daughter of Dixon 
 Bartley, late of Parker Township, and 
 seven cliildren are the issue of their union : 
 Ella, wife of William Smith of Falsom, 
 West Virginia; Myrtle M., wife of J. W. 
 Miller of Grove City, Pennsylvania; Zada 
 L., wife of Edward Morrow of Grove City ; 
 Lee C. ; Dixon B.; Aleta M.; and Mary S. 
 The four last named are living at home 
 with their parents. Religiously, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch is a member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church at Bruin. 
 
 JOHN G. FREEHLING, a prosperous 
 farmer of Winfield Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is the owner of a 
 fine farm of 108 acres, located about three 
 miles east of Cabot, just off the Leasure- 
 ville Road. He was born in Germany, Peb- 
 ruaiy 10, 1840, and is a son of Henry and 
 Margaret (Raft) Freehling, and a grand- 
 son of Henry and Elizabeth Freehling, who 
 spent all their lives in Germany. 
 
 Henry Freehling, Jr., father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, followed farming in his 
 native land and also in this country, to 
 which he came in 1849. He was a success- 
 ful man and the owner of a good farm in 
 Winfield Township, Butler County. He 
 and his wife were the parents of two chil- 
 dren — Henry F. and John G. 
 
 Henry Freehling, Jr., married second, 
 Mary Ruble, and third, Mary Heller, she 
 being the mother of Ida Freehling. 
 
 John G. Freehling attended the German 
 schools prior to the departure of the fam- 
 ily for America, and finished his education 
 in the public schools of Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He learned the trade of a 
 carpenter in his early days, and followed 
 it some years in connection with farming. 
 During the Civil War, he enlisted in Com- 
 pany L, Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, 
 and served for two years and ten months, 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 703 
 
 a part of the time in tlie army under Gen- 
 eral Grant. He participated in thirty- 
 eight engagements, some of them among the 
 most important of the war, and acquitted 
 himself honorably and with bravery. At 
 the close of the war he returned to Win- 
 field Township and resumed his farming- 
 operations, at which he has been most suc- 
 cessful. He has a finely improved farm, 
 which is adorned with a modern two-story 
 residence and a large barn, both of whicla 
 were built by him. 
 
 j\lr. Freehling was married February 10, 
 1862, to Miss Anna Miller, a daughter of 
 Henry and tSevilla Miller, and they be- 
 came the parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Henry, now deceased; Theodore, 
 also deceased; William, who was married 
 to xinna Krouse and has four children — 
 Bessie, Florence, Leroy and Eoland; Lydia, 
 who is the wife of Smith Brady, and the 
 mother of four children — Irvin,- Vaughn, 
 Grace and Kuth; Samuel, who married 
 Maggie Hutsler, and has also four chil- 
 dren — Edwin, Ethel, Ruth and Paul; 
 Emma, who married Samuel Bricker; Al- 
 bert, who married Anna Drain and has 
 two sons, Chester and Howard; and Wes- 
 ley, who is unmarried and lives on the 
 home place. Religiously, Mr. Freehling is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, of which he is steward and a trus- 
 tee. For a period of seven years he served 
 as supervisor of Winfield Township. 
 
 JOE J. KENNEDY, one of the leading 
 merchants of Zelienople, dealing in gro- 
 ceries, feed, coal, and builders' supplies, 
 was born near Prospect, Butler Coimty, 
 Pennsylvania, October 22, 1861, son of Mil- 
 ton and Sarah E. (Moore) Kennedy. He 
 is a grandson of Edward Kennedy, who 
 was of Irish descent, and who married Pru- 
 dence Burns. Both parents of the subject 
 of this sketch were reared in Butler County 
 — in the locality between Prospect and Por- 
 tersville. The father died about 1888 at 
 the age of forty-eight years. Mr. Ken- 
 
 nedy's mother is still living and is now 
 sixty-eight years old. The former was en- 
 gaged in farming. Their children num- 
 bered five sons and as many daughters, all 
 of whom are now living except one son. 
 They are as follows: Joseph J., the eldest 
 and the subject of this article ; Ida, who is 
 unmarried; Tina, wife of Newton Weitzel, 
 of Mt. Chestnut; Prudence, wife of Sher- 
 man Galligher, residing near Prospect; 
 Edward, a traveling salesman, who resides 
 in Fremont, Ohio; Kate, who married 
 Orrin Myers and resides in Portersville; 
 Isaac, unmarried and living on the home- 
 stead; Charles, now deceased, who was 
 married and resided in Decatur, 111. ; Fred, 
 who is married and resides in Poland, 
 Ohio; and Maud, who is unmarried and 
 resides at home with her mother. 
 
 Joseph J. Kennedy began his education 
 by attending school in Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship and subsequently continued it at 
 Princeton, Lawrence County, Pennsylva- 
 nia. He then engaged in farming and after- 
 wards for seven years worked at the enam- 
 eling trade. He engaged in his present 
 business in Zelienople in August, 1905, 
 buying out the firm of Goehring & Keck, 
 and commencing business with a jDartner 
 under the style of the Kennedy Company. 
 In June, 1908, he purchased his partner's 
 interests, thus becoming the sole proprietor 
 of the business, which now runs from $2,500 
 to $3,500 per month. Mr. Kennedy may 
 be justly termed the architect of his own 
 fortunes, as all the money he has invested 
 in liis business he made by his own efforts. 
 For a time, before starting his present en- 
 terprise, he was connected with the Zelie- 
 nople Hardware Company. He has now 
 been a resident of Zelienople for seven 
 years and has well proved his right to be 
 regarded as one of the most enterprising- 
 business men of the place, as his business 
 is one of the most important. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy married Miss Ella Young, 
 a daughter of Robert Young of Pleasant- 
 hill, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Of 
 
704 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 this union there are three sons and one 
 daughter living, one child being deceased. 
 The living are, Carl, Emmett, Walter and 
 Mary. Mr. Kennedy is a member of the 
 Protective Home Circle. In politics he is 
 a Republican, and his religious affiliations 
 are with the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 W. G. ZIEGLER, proprietor of the 
 Ziegler Printing Company, of Butler, was 
 born in Butler Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, May 25, 1858. His parents 
 were W. S. and Susan (Schleppy) Ziegler. 
 
 W. S. Ziegler was a son of George Zieg- 
 ler, formerly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 
 and was a brother of Capt. Jacob Ziegler, 
 who was the founder of the Democratic 
 Herald. W. S. Ziegler was born in 1789 
 and died August 29, 1848. He married 
 Susan, a daughter of Jacob Schleppy, one 
 of the early settlers of Butler County. 
 Mrs. Ziegler was born in Luzerne County, 
 Pennsylvania, and died in Butler County, 
 February 14, 1878. The maternal grand- 
 mother was a McCandless, and was born 
 in Ireland. She was brought by her par- 
 ents to Butler County in youth and they 
 settled in Muddy Creek Township. The 
 paternal grandmother was a Christzman, 
 was born in Germany in 1792 and came to 
 America in 1801. She lived iirst in Balti- 
 more but later came west and died in But- 
 ler, April 28, 1865. 
 
 W. G. Ziegler was reared and educated 
 in Butler County and learned the printer's 
 trade in the office of the old Democratic 
 Herald, which, at that time, was owned by 
 his imele, Capt. Jacob Ziegler. He re- 
 mained in the printing office, gradually ris- 
 ing from one position to the other until he 
 became foreman. In 1888 he became part 
 owner and continued to issue the same 
 newspaper until June, 1899, when he sold 
 his interest, after an association with that 
 journal of twenty-four years' duration. In 
 April, 1884, in partnership with C. M. and 
 W. J. Heineman, he established the Times 
 and he continued with this piiblication until 
 
 the fall of 1885. In 1900 he established 
 the Ziegler Printing Company, job printers 
 and bookbinders, and with this enterprise 
 he has been connected ever since. 
 
 Mr. Ziegler married Mary Troutman, a 
 daughter of Adam Troutman, one of the 
 leading citizens of Butler. They have one 
 son, A. H., who is a practicing physician in 
 this city. Mr. Ziegler has been actively 
 identified with the musical interests of 
 Butler for over a quarter of a century, 
 having served as a popular band and or- 
 chestra conductor for this period. With 
 his wife and son, he belongs to the Lu- 
 theran Church. The Ziegler family is one 
 of high standing in Pennsylvania and W. 
 G. Ziegler is a worthy representative. 
 
 J. GEORGE HELFRICH, who has been 
 a resident of Bruin, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, since 1880, with the exception of 
 a short time passed at Petrolia, is a suc- 
 cessful oil operator and is widely known 
 through this section of the county. He 
 was born in Bavaria, Germany, March 24, 
 1849, and is a son of George and Margaret 
 Helfrich, both natives of Bavaria. 
 
 J. George Helfrich grew to maturity in 
 his native country and there attended the 
 common schools, receiving a good educa- 
 tion. He learned the trade of a stone- 
 mason, which he followed in Bavaria, liv- 
 ing in that country until the year follow- 
 ing his marriage. In the spring of 1880, 
 he took passage at Bremen, and after a 
 voyage of twelve days landed at New 
 York. He immediately thereafter located 
 at Martinsburg, now known as Bruin, in 
 Parker Township, Butler County, Penna. 
 He shortly after became identified with 
 the oil industry, in which he has continued 
 to the present time, a part of this period 
 being spent as a producer. 
 
 May 10, 1879, Mr. Helfrich was married 
 in Bavaria to Miss Annie Odenweller, who 
 is a daughter of Martin and Eva (Stark) 
 Odenweller, both natives of that country. 
 Four children are the offspring of their 
 
ISAIAH L. McBRIDE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 707 
 
 marriage: George, Emma, Mary and 
 Frank, all of whom remain at home. Re- 
 ligiously, the family attends the Roman 
 Catholic Church at Petrolia. In politics, 
 Mr. Helfrich is a Democrat but is inclined 
 to be independent in local affairs. He is 
 a self-made man, having made his own 
 way in the world through untiring indus- 
 trj^ and persevering efforts. He has many 
 friends and acquaintances in the conunu- 
 nity. 
 
 ISAIAH LAWRENCE McBRIDE, who 
 
 is probably one of the best-known men in' 
 the Pennsylvania oil fields, was born in 
 Butler County, Penna., August 31, 1857, 
 and is a son of Col. Francis and Elizabeth 
 (Hazlett) McBride. 
 
 The McBride family is of Scotch-Irish 
 extraction and it was established in Lan- 
 caster County, Penna., at an early day. 
 Whatever may have been the accomplish- 
 ments of its earlier members, its later rej)- 
 resentatives have identified themselves 
 with the interests of Butler County. 
 
 Col. Francis Mdhide, father of Isaiah 
 L., was a iiiitalilc man in his day, entirely 
 self-taught, the master of a dozen trades, 
 a noted athlete and an astute politician, — 
 his whole life was one of activity. In his 
 earlier years he made puncheon floors for 
 log cabins, later along in life he was a suc- 
 cessful practicing attorney at Butler, in 
 1833 he was elected sheriff of Butler 
 County and he also served as covmty treas- 
 urer. He taught himself surveying and 
 helped to lay out Penn, Clay and Frank- 
 lin Streets in the city of Butler, the But- 
 ler and Freeport turnpike and the Erie 
 Canal. On one occasion, when athletic 
 contests took place a long distance from 
 his ]iome, he walked the whole way to 
 Buff'alo Furnace, and then, as champion 
 jumper, won the prize, which was a kitchen 
 »outfit of pots, pans and kettles. He was 
 always a conspicuous figure wherever he 
 a]ipeared, being six feet two inches in 
 height, and broad in proportion. He died 
 
 in 1859, when his son, Isaiah L., was a 
 child of two years. 
 
 Francis McBride was married (first) to 
 Sarah Gallaglicr, who l)elonged to a promi- 
 nent family .if r.nllcr County, at that day, 
 and tliey liad eight diildren, namely: Je- 
 rome and Frank, both deceased; Jeffer- 
 son ; Neil and Hugh, both deceased ; Mary, 
 who married Lewis E. Mitchell, both de- 
 ceased; Sarah, deceased, married William 
 Clark ; and Malissa, who resides at Sisters- 
 ville. West Virginia. The second mar- 
 riage was to Elizabeth (Hazlett) Denny, 
 widow of James Denny and daughter of 
 Reuben and Mary Hazlett. She was born 
 at Pittsburg, Penna., and had three chil- 
 dren by her first marriage, two of whom 
 survive: John and William Denny, of 
 Sharon. Three children were born to this 
 union: Kerr H., who died aged forty-six 
 years, a well-known oil operator; David 
 Dougall, who died aged three years; and 
 Isaiah L. Francis McBride and wife were 
 members of St. Peter's Roman Catholic 
 Church, he being one of the original twelve 
 pew-holders. 
 
 Following the death of her husband, 
 Mvs. McBride moved to Winfield Town- 
 ship, Butler County, where she taught 
 school for a tiiiie and then moved to 
 Greene County, in the oil fields, where she 
 opened a boarding house. About this time 
 Isaiah L. made his first money in the oil 
 l)usiness, being engaged by an operator to 
 clean the paraffin out of four oil tanks at 
 Titusville, and although the beginning was 
 humble, it opened the Avay to the future 
 success which has crowned Mr. McBride 's 
 elforts in the same industry. Through 
 many boyish efforts to gain capital, and 
 they were constant and earnest, including 
 selling newspapers, working on a farm and 
 as an employe, for several years, of the 
 Lowry House, at Butler, he made some 
 progress, and in 1887 he went to work for 
 his brother, the late Kerr ("Curly") Mc- 
 Bride, as an oil pumper. It was Kerr Mc- 
 Bride who got the first extension of the 
 
708 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 rich field near Thorn Creek. Isaiah, or, 
 as famiUarly known, "Spotty" McBride, 
 had the usual early successes and discour- 
 agements that awaited oil speculation, and 
 after he began prospecting, would fre- 
 quently lose all his earnings and be obliged 
 to do ordinary labor in order to gain 
 enough capital to continue prospecting. 
 The first well that returned any adequate 
 result was on the Sweeney farm at Coyles- 
 ville, and it was owned by an organization 
 called the Store Box Oil Company, in 
 which James Haymaker, deceased, and Mi- 
 chael Haymaker, owned a three-fourths in- 
 terest, and J. W. Frazer, deceased, and 
 Mr. McBride, a one-fourth. They drilled 
 four wells, paid $1,500 bonus and before 
 they were through they lost $14,000 on the 
 venture, and out of the twenty- two wells 
 sunk there, but thirteen barrels of oil were 
 sold. Mr. McBride continued with vary- 
 ing success, as is the way with speculators, 
 becoming equally familiar with ill and with 
 good fortune. The well which finally made 
 him famous in this section was struck in 
 Butler Township, May 9, 1905, and was 
 the twenty-third well in which he had 
 owned an interest, with a proportion vary- 
 ing from one-eighth to one-half. In the 
 well above mentioned, which brought him 
 ample reward for all his years of effort 
 and many vicissitudes, was one in which 
 his ownership was one-fourth. The limits 
 of the present article prevent the insertion 
 of extracts from the Butler newspapers re- 
 garding iiie interest excited at the time the 
 McBride well was drilled into the sand on 
 that mild afternoon in May, and the re- 
 sponse of pure petroleum was of such 
 quantity that it was immediately placed in 
 the "gusher" class, producing about 2,400 
 barrels per day. Mr. McBride was the 
 hero of the hour, for he had located and 
 also done the drilling of the well. On May 
 25th the well ]3assed into the possession of 
 the Southern Oil Company. 
 
 For manv vears Mr. McBride was 
 
 known througii the oil regions as an expert 
 driller and at times kept large gangs of 
 men in his employ. After becoming an oil 
 capitalist, Mr. McBride bought his present 
 farm in Butler Township, which contains 
 about thirty acres. It is cultivated by his 
 sons, with hired help, and corn, oats, 
 wheat and hay are produced. Mr. Mc- 
 Bride has other real estate investments. 
 He still keeps his finger on the pulse of the 
 oil business and probably knows more, not 
 only of the practical work going on in the 
 different sections, but of the trend of the 
 great interests in this line, than any man 
 of his age in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. McBride was married to Miss Mary 
 A. Cantwell, who is a daughter of Thomas 
 and 'Mary Cantwell. Mrs. McBride was 
 born at Boston, Massachusetts. To this 
 marriage have been born five children, 
 namely: Thomas Kerr, Francis Edward, 
 Marie Elizabeth, Cloud Isaiah, and Joseph 
 Paul, the latter of whom is deceased. 
 With his family, Mr. McBride belongs to 
 St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church. He is 
 a member of the Elks of Butler, of the 
 Knights of Columbns, of which he is a 
 trustee, and of the Catholic Mutual Bene- 
 fit Association. In politics, Mr. McBride 
 terms himself an Independent Democrat, 
 reserving for himself the right to cast his 
 ballot for the man he deems most fit for 
 the office. 
 
 Success has not tiirned Mr. McBride 's 
 head. Since that memorable day when he 
 saw his fortunes changed, he has been 
 ever the same as formerly, having a hearty 
 hand-shake and word of good cheer for all. 
 He is devoted to his family and it is his 
 ambition to so educate and train his chil- 
 dren that they will be armed for the battle 
 of life, but, at the same time, he wishes 
 them to realize that it is a battle and all 
 the training that their brains may have is 
 better if supplemented by equal training" 
 of their hands. Above all he teaches them 
 the o-veat truth that "toil is honorable." 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 709 
 
 JAMES C. LOGAN, a well-known mer- 
 chant and business man of Cabot, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a member of the firm of Smith 
 & Logan, proprietors of a large general 
 store at that point. He was born in Penn 
 Township, Butler County, October 8, 1860, 
 and is a son of Joseph and Mary (McCand- 
 less) Logan. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject 
 was one of the pioneers of Penn Township, 
 where he located upon an uncleared tract 
 of 150 acres. He died when his son, Jo- 
 seph, was eighteen years of age, and the 
 latter assumed the management of the 
 place at that early age. He was a success- 
 ful farmer in a general way, and one of 
 the progressive men of the township. Oil 
 was discovered on the farm and two wells 
 were drilled, but one was ruined in shoot- 
 ing. He and his wife were parents of seven 
 children : Mrs. George N. Love ; Erastus ; 
 Mrs. W. J. Puff; Mrs. R. J. Anderson; 
 Mrs. S. J. Shaw; Mrs. A. N. Shaw; and J. 
 C. Logan. By strange coincidence, Eras- 
 tus was eighteen years old at the time of 
 his father's death and began farming the 
 home place, which his son, Samuel Logan, 
 now farms. 
 
 James C. Logan was but tive years old 
 when his father died, and for seven years 
 thereafter he lived in Butler, attending the 
 public schools there. He then returned to 
 the old home for two years, after which 
 he lived with his sister, Mrs. Love, in Alle- 
 gheny County, Pennsylvania. He later re- 
 turned to the old home in Butler County, 
 on which he remained two years. He next 
 engaged in business at Leasureville for a 
 period of three years, and at the end of 
 that time joined forces with Mr. Smith at 
 Cabot. Their business has been a con- 
 stantly growing one, and is accorded the 
 patronage of the leading people of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 September 16, 1881, Mr. Logan was 
 united in marriage with Miss Emma Smith, 
 a daughter of Robert and Mary (Clark) 
 Smith, ariB they have one son, Austin C, 
 
 who was born April 5, 1884. Austin C. 
 Logan was educated in the public schools 
 and the academy at Sarver, Pennsylvania, 
 and is now connected with the store"" of 
 Smith & Logan. He married Miss Sarah 
 Cruikshanks. 
 
 James C. Logan has served on the school 
 board, of which he was secretary three 
 years, and was at one time a member of 
 the board of elections. Religiously, he is 
 a member of the Presbyterian Church and 
 is serving on the board of trustees. Fra- 
 ternally, he belongs to Saxonburg Lodge 
 No. 115, Knights of the Maccabees, and 
 was keeper of the records for one year. 
 
 FRED L. OESTERLING, one of Sum- 
 mit Township's leading citizens, who is 
 efficiently serving in the office of road su- 
 pervisor, resides on his excellent farm of 
 fifty acres, which is situated on the old 
 State Road, one and one-half miles east of 
 Butler. He was born on an adjacent farm, 
 in Summit Township, Butler Coimty, 
 Pennsylvania, November 7, 1850, and is a 
 son of John and Mary (Wieselstien) Oes- 
 terling. 
 
 John Oesterling, the father, was born in 
 Germany and was fourteen years old when 
 he accompanied his father to America and 
 to Summit Township. The grandfather 
 settled first near Herman Station, but 
 later acquired the farm in Summit Town- 
 ship. He had a large family and many of 
 his descendants reside in this section, the 
 family numbering among its members some 
 of the best citizens of Butler County. The 
 maternal grandfather of Fred L. Oester- 
 ling was John Wieselstein, who was born 
 in Germany and came to America before 
 the birth of his children, and died in But- 
 ler, Pennsylvania. The paternal grand- 
 father died in Summit Township as also 
 did the parents of Mr. Oesterling. Of the 
 nine children of the latter, six survive. 
 
 Fred L. Oesterling was reared on the 
 home farm and after his school attendance 
 was over, he learned the carpenter trade. 
 
710 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 at which he worked for a number of years, 
 in and around Butler. He has resided on 
 his present farm for the past nineteen 
 years but has only given his personal at- 
 tention to it for the past two years. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling was married (first) to 
 Annie Ganter, who, at death, left two chil- 
 dren : Lonie and Quilla, the first of whom 
 is the wife of Louis Eish and has two 
 children, and the latter of whom is the 
 wife of Leonard Cradle and also has two 
 children. Mr. Oesterling was married 
 (second) to Katherine Cramer, and they 
 have six children, namely: Florence, Car- 
 rie, Helen, Maria, Stella and Nellie. Mr. 
 Oesterling has always paid attention to 
 public affairs in his township and is re- 
 garded as one of its most reliable citizens. 
 He is serving in his second term as road 
 supervisor. 
 
 WILLIAM G. WALKEE, a substantial 
 citizen of Parker Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, is the owner of two 
 farms in the township, one of 100 acres and 
 another of fifty acres. He has followed 
 farming principally, but has also been an 
 oil operator. He was born in Parker 
 Township, May 6, 1861, and is a son of 
 Daniel and Anna E. (Gutherie) Walker, 
 his father being a native of Ireland and his 
 mother of Armstrong County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Daniel Walker was born in Ireland in 
 1831, and there passed his boyhood days. 
 In 1849, he came to th« United States, tak- 
 ing up his residence in Pennsylvania, 
 where he engaged in farming. Shortly be- 
 fore the outbreak of the Civil War he 
 moved to Parker Township, where he now 
 lives in peace and comfort, in the enjoy- 
 ment of the fruits of his early toil. A man 
 of energy and progressive spirit he pushed 
 his way forward until he occupied a for- 
 ward position among the citizens of this 
 township, by whom he is highly respected. 
 He is a Eepubliean in politics, and served 
 
 a nmnber of years on the School Board of 
 Parker Township. One of his sons, George 
 E. Walker, is now an instructor in the pub- 
 lic schools, and was at one time a candi- 
 date on the Eepubliean ticket for county 
 superintendent of schools. Eeligiously, 
 Daniel Walker is a consistent member of 
 the United Presbyterian Church of Fair- 
 view. 
 
 William G. Walker has always been a 
 resident of Parker Township. He was 
 reared to maturity on the home farm and 
 received his educational training in the 
 public schools of the township, in Freedom 
 Academy and Grove City College, which 
 he attended a short time. He then turned 
 his attention to farming, at which he has 
 since continued with uninterrupted suc- 
 cess, engaging in general farming. For a 
 number of years he has been an oil pro- 
 ducer. He is treasurer of the School 
 Board of Parker Township, of which body 
 he has been a member for five years. He 
 was formerly president of the board. 
 
 Mr. Walker was married to Miss Lizzie 
 J. Kelly, a daughter of William Kelly, late 
 of Parker Township, and they became par- 
 ents of the following children : Lillian M., 
 a graduate of the musical department of 
 Grove City College; Lena B., a graduate 
 of Slippery Eock State Normal School; 
 Charles E. ; Anna; and Margaret A. Ee- 
 ligiously, the family attends the Presbyte- 
 rian Church at Bruin. In his political 
 views, Mr. Walker is a Eepubliean and 
 takes a deep interest in public atfairs. 
 
 JOSEPH MANNY, proprietor of the 
 Manny Bottling Works, on West Wayne 
 Street, Butler, is a substantial and enter- 
 prising citizen, who has engaged in busi- 
 ness here for a number of years and has 
 served as a member of the City Council. 
 He was born in February, 1863, in Penn 
 Township, Butler County. 
 
 The father of Joseph Manny was John 
 C. Mannv, who was born in Butler Countv 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 711 
 
 in 1838 and died in 1886. The grandfather 
 was John Manny, who was one of the very 
 , early settlers of Butler County. 
 
 Joseph Manny was only three years old 
 when the family moved from Penn Town- 
 ship to the borough of Butler, and his edu- 
 cation was secured in the public schools 
 and old Witherspoou Institute. When he 
 started out to carve out fortune for him- 
 self, he first secured a position as time- 
 keeper for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 
 at this point, after which he operated a 
 machine in the works of the S. G-. Purvis 
 & Company, for one year, and then em- 
 barked in the transfer business. Mr. 
 Manny continued in that line for twenty- 
 three years, selling out in 1903, in order 
 to give his attention to a bottling business 
 which he then established. He purchased 
 the brick building he occupies on West 
 Wayne Street, which is two stories in 
 height and has dimensions of 50 x 50 feet. 
 He manufactures all kinds of soft drinks, 
 for which he has every facility, and does 
 a large biasiness, averaging 200 cases a 
 week all the year round. He is interested 
 more or less also in valuable real estate 
 in Butler. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Manny was married to Miss 
 Anna Whiskaman, of Armstrong County, 
 and they have five children, namely : Kath- 
 leen, who is a teacher in the public schools ; 
 Marie, who is a student in the Butler High 
 School; and Clifford, Edith and Richard. 
 Mr. Manny and family belong to St. Paul's 
 Catholic Church, he having served on the 
 church committee for twenty-five years. 
 H^ belongs to the Catholic Mutual Benefit 
 Association and for a number of years was 
 its local president, and to the Knights of 
 Maccabees. 
 
 ISRAEL M. WISE, who, for the past 
 twelve years has owned the old homestead 
 farm of 121 acres, which is situated in 
 Jackson Township, Butler Coimty, was 
 born in Butler County, Pennsylvania, May 
 12, 1863, and is one of the leading' farmers 
 
 and dairymen of this section. His parents 
 were Jacob F. and Sarah (Moyer) Wise. 
 
 The Wise family came originally from 
 Germany and its first settlement in Amer- 
 ica was made in Bucks County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, by the great-grandfather of Israel 
 M. John Wise, the grandfather, was born 
 in Bucks County, and moved from there to 
 Beaver County, where he died when aged 
 fifty years. Three of his children survive, 
 namely: Mary, wife of Henry Moyer; 
 Hannah, wife of John V. Zeigler; and Sam- 
 uel, who is a resident of Beaver County. 
 
 Jacob F. Wise, son of John and father 
 of Israel M., was born January 12, 1818, 
 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and came 
 with his parents to Beaver Coimty, later 
 in life moving to a farm in Butler County, 
 near Harmony, where he died. He mar- 
 ried twice, (first) a daughter of Abram 
 Zeigler, and (second) Sarah Moyer. She 
 was a daughter of Benjamin Moyer, who 
 resided in Lancaster Township, Butler 
 County. To the second marriage the fol- 
 lowing children were born: Alfred, who 
 lives at Butler; Henry M., who is engaged 
 in a lumber business at Harmony; Benja- 
 min, who is a resident of the State of 
 Washington; Susan, who is the widow of 
 Jacob Fiedler, and is postmistress at Har- 
 mony; Levi, an attorney, also the editor 
 of the Butler Eagle; Sarah, who is the 
 widow of J. R. Moore, and lives at Ben 
 Avon, Allegheny County ; Israel M. ; Noah, 
 who resides at Zelienople; Jeremiah, de- 
 ceased; and Catherine, who is the wife of 
 Edward Stauffer. The father of the above 
 family lived to the age of seventy-seven 
 years. His widow survived him thirteen 
 years, her death taking place October 29, 
 1908, when aged eighty- two years and eight 
 months. They were most excellent people, 
 industrious, thrifty, kindhearted and char- 
 itable. 
 
 Israel M. Wise attended school in Jack- 
 son Township when he was a boy, and has 
 made farming his business in life. After 
 the death of his father he purchased the 
 
712 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 homestead farm and devoted himself to 
 its cultivation and improvement. In ad- 
 dition to raising corn, oats, hay and po- 
 tatoes as his main crop, he also carries on 
 a profitable dairying business. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Wise was married to Miss 
 Mary Peft'er, who is a daughter of John 
 Peffer, and they have two children, John 
 Loyal and Paul. Mr. and Mrs. Wise are 
 members of Grace Reformed Church, at 
 Harmony. In politics he is a Republican. 
 Mr. Wise pays close attention to his busi- 
 ness and has never served in any public 
 office except as a member of the School 
 Board. 
 
 THEODORE HENRY FREEHLING, 
 a prosperous farmer of Winfield Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is the 
 owner of a fine farm of eighty acres on 
 the Leasureville Road, about three miles 
 from Cabot. He was born in Armstrong 
 County, and is a son of Caspar and Ida 
 (Sassa) Freehling and grandson of Henry 
 F. and Vesuma Freehling, both natives of 
 Germany. The grandparents came to the 
 United States about the year 1830, and 
 located in Armstrong County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Caspar and Ida Freehling became par- 
 ents of the following children: Henry, 
 Theodore H., George, Lizzie, Matilda (de- 
 ceased), Nickla (deceased), Margaret, 
 Loioise, Eleanor, Augustus, and John (de- 
 ceased). 
 
 Although Theodore Freehling was born 
 across the line in Armstrong County, Penn- 
 sylvania, he received his schooling mainly 
 in Butler County. He has always engaged 
 in farming, and has one of the best im- 
 proved estates in the vicinity, having a 
 comfortable two-story home and good sub- 
 stantial outbuildings. 
 
 February 15, 1876, Mr. Freehling was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Ger- 
 ner, a daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth 
 (Bars) Gerner, and they are parents of 
 the following children : John, who married 
 
 Elizabeth Wilgerwit; George, who mar- 
 ried Melville Barnhart; Louise, wife of 
 William Witte; Lizzie, who married 
 Charles Gethart and has two children, 
 Florence and William; Frank, William, 
 Lida, Mary, and Charles A. Religiously, 
 the family are members of the Methodist 
 Church. 
 
 CHARLES J. D. STROHECKER, 
 president of the People's National Bank, 
 at Zelienople, has been identified with oil 
 production both in Pennsylvania and Ohio, 
 for many years, and is one of the repre- 
 sentative men of Butler County. He was 
 born in Franklin Township, Beaver Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Matthias 
 and Margaret (Naggle) Strohecker. 
 
 The paternal grandfather was the pio- 
 neer of this family in Western Pennsyl- 
 vania. Both the Stroheckers and Naggles 
 came from Germany about 1820 and the 
 former family settled first in Franklin 
 Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 
 and there their two sons and three daugh- 
 ters grew to maturity. They were : Mat- 
 thias, John, Mrs. Autenrest, Mrs. George 
 Dauler and Mrs. John Baun, all of whom 
 are deceased, but there are numerous de- 
 scendants. 
 
 The parents of Charles J. D. Strohecker 
 were born in Germany and were young 
 when brought to America. The father, 
 Matthias Strohecker, followed an agricul- 
 tural life in Franklin Township, where he 
 died. The mother survives and resides 
 with a daughter at Zelienople. They had 
 a family of four daughters and ten sons, 
 namely: Margaret, who is the widow of 
 Adam Kircher, of Allegheny County; 
 George, who follows the carpenter trade, 
 resides at New Castle ; Matthias is a street 
 commissioner at Ellwood City; Frederick, 
 who resides at Zelienople; Henry, who is 
 a resident of Petersburg, Ohio ; Catherine, 
 who is the widow of George Snyder, for- 
 merly one of the early merchants of Zelie- 
 nople; Mary, who is the widow of John 
 
CHARLES J. D. STROHECKER 
 
AXL) EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 715 
 
 Koch, resides ou the old Strohecker home- 
 stead iu Frankliu Township; Cliarles J. 
 D. ; Gotleib, who is engaged iu a mercan- 
 tile business at Portland, Oregon ; Andrew 
 S., who is a farmer and cattle-raiser of 
 Steelton, Nebraska; Adam, who is en- 
 gaged in a hardware business at Garfield, 
 Washington ; Sofia, Phillip and Jacob, who 
 died in infancy. 
 
 Charles J. Strohecker attended what 
 was known as the old Furnace" school in 
 Franklin Township, Beaver County, but 
 he did not continue there many years, 
 starting out while young to learn a trade 
 iu order to be self-supporting. He served 
 an apprenticeship to the harnessmaker's 
 trade, at New Brighton, and when it was 
 completed he embarked in business for 
 himself at Zelienople, where he continued 
 until 1898. He proved himself a good 
 business man as well as a skillful workman 
 and the excellence of his harness became 
 known all over Western Pennsylvania. He 
 was the first in his business to introduce 
 machinery iu the making of harness and 
 by this means was able to compete suc- 
 cessfully with others in the business who 
 were less progressive. Mr. Strohecker was 
 the pioneer iu the oil business in this dis- 
 trict and in 1898 he sold his harness inter- 
 ests iu order to give full attention to oil 
 production. In 1902, with Mr. Lamberton 
 and others, Mr. Strohecker organized the 
 First National Bank at Zelienople. In 
 the following year, with a number of the 
 other original stockholders, he sold his in- 
 terest in this enterprise to the Colonial 
 Trust Company of Pittsburg. Iu 1904, 
 with other capitalists, he organized the 
 People's National Bank of Zelienople and 
 has. been at its head ever since it began 
 business. His oil interests date as far 
 back as 1889 and still continue. He is a 
 man who has a wonderful grasp of busi- 
 ness and who possesses the forethought 
 and judgment to see opportunities and to 
 make use of them. This section is much 
 indebted to Mr. Strohecker 's energy and 
 
 public spirit. He is interested in a con- 
 templated electric railway line from Bea- 
 ver Falls to New Castle, for which the 
 right of way charter and franchise have 
 been secured. He is serving in the office 
 of president of the Beaver Falls & New 
 Castle Eailroad Company, and has other 
 financial interests. Among business men, 
 Mr. Strohecker is considered a strong man 
 for he has, through individual effort, 
 raised himself from almost poverty and 
 from the lines of ordinary life to his pres- 
 ent position of personal and business inde- 
 pendence, and he is justly proud of the 
 fact. 
 
 On November 9, 1879, Mr. Strohecker 
 was married to Miss Amelia Remler, who 
 is a daughter of Mrs. Margaret Eemler, 
 and they have three children: Margaret, 
 Cliif ord and Alice May, the latter of whom 
 is a student in Beaver College. The fam- 
 ily residence, situated ou the corner of 
 Main and Beaver Streets, is probably the 
 finest private home in Zelienople. With 
 his family, Mr. Strohecker belongs to the 
 English Lutheran Church. In the support 
 he gives to charitable movements his real 
 kindness of heart is shown, but it is prob- 
 able that his private gifts far excel any 
 made in public. In politics he is a stanch 
 Democrat and he has ever been an active 
 citizen. He has served with usefulness 
 and credit on the city council and on one 
 occasion when he was a candidate for 
 membership ou the Town Council, he was 
 elected with every vote cast, with one ex- 
 ception. 
 
 CHARLES HEEMAN, inventor of the 
 celebrated Herman Jaring moulding ma- 
 chines, and vice president of the Herman 
 Pneumatic Machine Company, manufac- 
 turers at Zelienople of these machines and 
 other labor saving tools, was born in Prus- 
 sia, March 10, 1844, and remained in his 
 native laud until he was twenty-two years 
 of age, learning there his trade of machin- 
 ist and pattern-maker. 
 
716 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Herman came to America 
 and spent eight years in New York City 
 and two years in New Haven, Connecticut, 
 and then came to Pennsylvania and located 
 at Pittsburg. For twenty-eight years he 
 was interested in the' foundry of Kinzer & 
 Jones, in that city, having charge of the 
 pattern department and of the foundry im- 
 provements in general. In the meanwhile 
 Mr. Herman had perfected his invention of 
 the now celebrated Herman Jaring mould- 
 ing machines, and in 1897 he started into 
 business himself as a manufacturer of 
 these, under the firm style of Charles Mer- 
 man & Son. The business proved a pros- 
 perous one and later a company was or- 
 ganized and shops built at Zelienople, the 
 main office remaining at Pittsburg. 
 
 The Herman Pneumatic Machine Com- 
 pany manufactures the Herman Ja ring- 
 moulding machines as a specialty, and 
 other foundry tools. In 1906 the business 
 was incorporated, with a capital stock of 
 $75,000, and its officers are: Martin L. 
 Heil, president; Charles Herman, vice 
 president ; H. T. Frauenheim, secretary and 
 treasurer; and H. C. Herman, general man- 
 ager. The company owns a manufacturing 
 plant well adapted to its necessities, a two- 
 story brick building, 80 by 100 feet, with 
 foundry connected, with dimensions of 10 
 bj^ 100 feet. Employment is given about 
 thirty-five men, double turn, the majority 
 of whom are skilled machinists. The spe- 
 cialty is one that excels all others in the 
 market in many ways and all the leading- 
 foundries of the United States are using 
 these machines. 
 
 Mr. Herman occupies a handsome resi- 
 dence on New Castle Street, Zelienople, and 
 has identified himself with the town's va- 
 rious interests. He has had two sons, 
 Alfred and H. C, the latter of whom is 
 deceased. Alfred Herman has an interest 
 in the business and has charge of the pat- 
 tern room for the company. 
 
 WALTER S. PATTERSON, ^1.1)., a 
 leading physician and surgeon of P)ntler 
 
 and coroner of Butler County, was born 
 in 1878, at New Gralilee, Beaver County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he was reared. 
 
 After completing the public school 
 course. Dr. Patterson entered the State 
 Normal School at Slippery Rock, and one 
 year later the Ohio Northern University 
 at Ada. In 1901 he was graduated from 
 old Jefferson Medical College, at Phila- 
 delphia, after which he spent sixteen 
 months gaining medical and surgical ex- 
 perience, in the Atlantic Hospital and the 
 Philadelphia City Hospital. He then lo- 
 cated at Butler and here has met with a 
 hearty recognition of his professional abil- 
 ity. He is a member of both the county 
 and State Medical Societies. As an active 
 citizen he has taken an interest in public 
 matters and in November, 1905, lie was 
 elected coroner of Butler County, a posi- 
 tion he has acceptably filled ever since. 
 
 On November 3, 1902, Dr. Patterson was 
 married to Miss Ella H. Haekett, a gradu- 
 ate physician of the Woman's Medical Col- 
 lege of Philadelphia, who later took a spe- 
 cial course at Wills Hospital in that city 
 and makes a specialty of eye troubles. Dr. 
 and Mrs. Patterson have one son, Wilmer 
 I. Both doctors are members of Grace 
 Reformed Church. 
 
 SAMUEL R. WALKER, a director of 
 the First National Bank of Bruin and a 
 well-known oil producer and agriculturist, 
 resides on his farm of eighty-seven acres 
 near the borough of Bruin. He also owns 
 an additional farm of eighty-four acres in 
 Parker Township. He was born in this 
 township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 September 25, 1865, and is a son of Daniel 
 and Annie E. (Gutherie) Walker. 
 
 Daniel Walker was born in County Ty- 
 rone, in Ireland, in 1831, and was there 
 reared to maturity. He was about eight- 
 een years of age when he sailed for Amer- 
 ica in 3849, and after landing immediately 
 liroceeded to Pennsylvania, where he has 
 lieen since located. He came to Parker 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 717 
 
 Towiisliip some time prior to the War of 
 the Rehellion, where he toiled in the fields 
 and prospered. He hecame a man of af- 
 fluence and a respected citizen, and was 
 frequently called up'ou to fill local offices 
 of trust. He was joined in marriage with 
 Miss Annie E. Gutherie, who was born in 
 Armstrong -County, Pennsylvania, in No- 
 vember, 1842, and of the children born to 
 them the following survive : William G. ; 
 Jennie, wife of Perry Snow of Armstrong 
 County; George E., of Parker Township; 
 Samuel R. ; Nancy A., wife of Silas Hiles. 
 of Armstrong County; Annie M., wife of 
 Oliver Hiles, of Armstrong County; John 
 S., of Bruin; James M., of Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler County; and Lulu M., wife 
 of Jolni Brady of West Virginia. Relig- 
 iously, Daniel Walker and his estimable 
 wife are members of the United Presbyte- 
 rian Church of Fairview. 
 
 Samuel R.. Walker was reared to man- 
 hood on the home farm in Parker Town- 
 ship, and received his schooling in the pub- 
 lic schools of his home comnnmity. At an 
 early age he became identified with the oil 
 industry and since 1886 has been a pro- 
 ducer with good results. His farms are 
 both under a high state of cultivation and 
 well improved. He was one of the pro- 
 moters and organizers of the First Na- 
 tional Bank of Bruin, in which he is a 
 stockholder and director. Mr. Walker 
 formed a marital union with Miss Maggie 
 F. Twaddle, a daughter of the late James 
 Twaddle of Parker Township. Seven chil- 
 dren were the issue of this union, namely: 
 Wesley D., James C, Ralph H., McKinley 
 (deceased), Edna B., Edward D., and 
 Theodore R. Politically, the subject of 
 this sketch is an enthusiastic Republican, 
 and has served some years as a school di- 
 rector. In religious attachment, Mrs. Wal- 
 ker is a member of the Bruin Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 GEORGE FERDINAND HELLER, one 
 of Winfield Township's substantial farm- 
 
 ers, resides on his valuable estate of 
 eighty-four acres, which lies on the east 
 side of the Bear Creek Road, about two 
 miles from Cabot. Mr. Heller was born 
 April 28, 1859, and his parents were 
 George and Mary (Kallenbach) Heller. 
 
 The father of Mr. Heller was a native of 
 Saxony, Germany, where he married, be- 
 came the father of five children, and died 
 in his old home. The mother was left with 
 a family which she believed could be bet- 
 ter reared in America; hence she crossed 
 the ocean with her children and they set- 
 tled at McKeesport, Penna. George F. 
 was the youngest of the family, the others 
 being as follows : Mary, who married An- 
 drew Stopper and lives in Arkansas; Er- 
 nestine, now deceased, who was twice mar- 
 ried, first to Edward Hoffman and second 
 to August Bair; John, who married Dora 
 ]\Iichal, and Henry Ernest, who -married 
 Ennua Yunk. 
 
 George Ferdinand Heller went to school 
 at McKeesport for a time and was twelve 
 years old when he accompanied the fam- 
 ily to Allegheny County. Three years 
 later he came to Butler County and here 
 he has spent many years. He followed 
 farming in early manhood and after he 
 left home worked in the mills in Natrona 
 for about sixteen years, thence going to 
 the Westinghouse plant in East Pittsburg 
 for one year. Mr. Heller then returned to 
 Butler County and resumed farming, 
 shortly afterward buying his present prop- 
 erty, and here carried on general farming. 
 His large and comfortable residence is sit- 
 uated in the midst of a beautiful grove of 
 chestnut trees. 
 
 Mr. Heller was married (first) to Mag- 
 gie Freehling, a daughter of George F. and 
 Margaret Freehling. Mrs. Heller left 
 three children at death — Tillie and Rose, 
 who are now deceased, and Ellen, who re- 
 sides at home. Mr. Heller was married 
 (second) to Emma Caroline Rudiger, who 
 is a daughter of Frederick and Christena 
 Rudiger, of Butler Countv. Mr. and Mrs. 
 
718 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Heller have tliree cldldreu— Chester Gr^, 
 Willis F., and Myrtle. They are active 
 church people, belonging to the Methodist 
 Episcopal body and have valued friends in 
 this connection. Mr. Heller belongs to 
 Lodge No. 743, I. 0. O. F., at Natrona, 
 and to the Knights of Pythias at Saxon- 
 ])urg. 
 
 PETER PISTORIUS, whose excellent 
 farm of fifty-one acres is situated in Sum- 
 mit Township, on the old State Road, about 
 three miles east of Butler, was born on this 
 farm on July 5, 1858, and is a son of Peter 
 and Catherine (Gauer) Pistorius. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Pistorius were both 
 born and reared in Prussia. They were 
 married shortly before embarking for 
 America, in 1838, and two years after 
 reaching the United States, settled on this 
 farm in Summit Township. They came di- 
 rect to Butler County, where the father 
 worked for two years for John Oesterling 
 before purchasing a place of his own. Both 
 parents died in Smnmit Township. They 
 were good, kind, worthy people, who 
 worked hard and did everything they 
 could for their children. Of the seven 
 born to them, six still live, as follows: 
 Barbara, who is the wife of Louis Schuler; 
 Mary, who is the wife of Fred Killemyer; 
 Annie, who is the wife of John Spinne- 
 weber; Jacob, who lives in Summit Town- 
 ship; Margaret, who is the wife of Sebas- 
 tian Beck; and Peter. Catherine, the fifth 
 member of the family, died on New Year's 
 Day, 1907. She was the wife of Barton 
 Killemyer. 
 
 Peter Pistorius, who bears his father's 
 name, has always lived on this farm, with 
 the exception of two years, when he lived 
 on the farm occupied bv his brother Jacob. 
 He carries on general farming and raises 
 tine stock. In June, 1907, he completed his 
 substantial barn which has dimensions of 
 40 by 54 feet. He is a member of the Ro- 
 man Catholic Church at Herman. He has 
 never married and lives very independ- 
 
 ently in the old home, where, however, a 
 wife could be made very comfortable. He 
 is one of the well-known and respected cit- 
 izens of this section. 
 
 J. CLINTON ATWELL, M.D., a suc- 
 cessful member of the medical profession, 
 now engaged in active practice at Butler, 
 was born in 1874, in Marion Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of David M. and Nancy (Daubenspeck) 
 Atwell. 
 
 David M. Atwell, father of Dr. Atwell, 
 was born in Butler County in 1836, was a 
 son of George Atwell, also a native of But- 
 ler County and a grandson of Robert At- 
 well, who came here from Ireland. He was 
 a pioneer in the county. The mother of 
 Dr. Atwell was a daughter of Jacob Dau- 
 benspeck, an early and prominent citizen 
 of the county. 
 
 Dr. Atwell attended the schools near his 
 home through his boyhood and then en- 
 tered West Sunbury Academy, going from 
 there to the Slippery Rock State Normal 
 School and was graduated in the class of 
 1898 from the Medico-Chirurgical College, 
 and immediately entered into general prac- 
 tice at Butler. He has identified himself 
 with the county and State Medical Socie- 
 ties and the American Medical Associa- 
 tion. He served almost two terms as coro- 
 ner of Butler County and is recognized as 
 one of the ablest men in his profession in 
 the city. He is interested in oil production 
 and owns stock in a number of prospering 
 enterprises. 
 
 On October 10, 1900, Dr. Atwell was 
 married to Miss Mollie Jennings, a daugh- 
 ter of Henry Jennings, of Butler, and they 
 here have had two children — Bess, who is 
 deceased, and Marion, a bright girl of 
 three years of age. Dr. and Mrs. Atwell 
 are members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church. He is affiliated with the Odd Fel- 
 lows and the Elks, and is a member of the 
 Countrv Club. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 721 
 
 JOHN H. FLICK, who owns aud re- 
 sides upon a fine farm of eighty acres in 
 Middlesex Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., is a prosperous farmer and sub- 
 stantial citizen of that community. He 
 was born on the old home farm, of which 
 he now owns a part, September 22, 1848, 
 and is a son of John Q. and Margaret Ann 
 (Henry) Flick, and a grandson of John 
 Flick. 
 
 John Flick, the grandfather, was born 
 in Somerset County, Penna., and was a 
 soldier in the war of 1812. He settled in 
 Middlesex Township, Butler County, at a 
 very early date, and became owner of 125 
 acres of unimproved and uncleared land. 
 He was joined in marriage with Catherine 
 Quinn, who was born in County Tyrone, 
 Ireland, and was two years old when her 
 parents brought her to the United States, 
 settling in Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 Her death occurred January 1, 1870, at 
 the age of eighty-one years. John Flick 
 died May 10, 1870, at the age of eighty- 
 four years. 
 
 John Q. Flick, father of John H., was 
 born in Middlesex Township, and at an 
 early age learned the trade of a carpenter 
 which he followed many years in connec- 
 tion with farming. He died on the home 
 place in 1869, at the age of fifty-one years. 
 He was a Republican in politics, and filled 
 numerous township offices at different 
 times. Fraternally, he was a member of 
 Bakerstown Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., of which 
 he was past grand. He was united in mar- 
 riage with Margaret Ann Henry, a daugh- 
 ter of James Henry of West Deer Town- 
 ship, Allegheny County, and five children 
 were the offspring of their union: Cath- 
 erine Amanda, wife of William Cunning- 
 ham of Pittsburg; John II.; James of 
 Pittsburg; Ellen, deceased wife of James 
 Bartley; and Elizabeth, deceased wife of 
 George Orris. Religiously, they were 
 members of the Deer Creek United Pres- 
 byterian Church, of which he was an elder. 
 
 John H. Flick was reared and educated 
 
 in Clinton Township, Butler County, aud 
 when a young man learned the trade of a 
 carpenter with his father. He followed 
 that trade in Pittsburg for a period of five 
 years, then returned to the home farm, 
 where he has followed farming since. He 
 has seventy acres under cultivation and 
 raises corn, oats, wheat, hay and potatoes. 
 He is a man of the higliest order of intel- 
 ligence, and carries on his work along 
 modern and scientific lines, with most ben- 
 eficial results. In 1881, he erected his 
 ])resent comfortable home, and has gradu- 
 ally brought his place up to the highest 
 state of improvement. He has an oil well 
 on the property, which has been producing 
 in paying quantity for the past thirteen 
 years. 
 
 John H. Flick was united in the holy 
 lionds of matrimony with Miss Nancy J. 
 Hemphill, a daughter of James Hemphill, 
 of Clinton Township, and they have had 
 nine children, namely: Hannah S., de- 
 ceased; Sarah Bertha, residing with her 
 parents, is the widow of Curtis McCall, 
 and has one son, Curtis Gerald; John 
 Quinn, residing at Duff City, married 
 Anna Carney and they have two children, 
 Grace Marie and Ralph Doyle; J. A. Gar- 
 field, residing at Flat Rock, Illinois, mar- 
 ried Stella McBride and they have one 
 son, Everett Clair; Thompson McKnight, 
 residing at Saxonburg, married Emma Ma- 
 han, of Middlesex Township, and they 
 have one child, Helen Caryne; Rollo Ed- 
 win ; Henry F., who has gone to Illinois to 
 work in the oil business ; Charles Howard, 
 aud Esther Ella. Mrs. Flick is a member 
 of tlie Deer Creek United Presbyterian 
 Church. Mr. Flick belongs to the frater- 
 nal order of Maccabees, at Saxonburg. In 
 politics he is a Republican, but is no poli- 
 tician. 
 
 JA^klES AVILEY. a prominent repre- 
 sentative of one of Mercer Township's 
 pioneer families, is engaged in general 
 farming on a tract of 107 acres, and has 
 
722 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 been a lifelong resident of Butler Count}'. 
 He was born on Ins present farm, July 5, 
 1836, and is a son of James and Elizabeth 
 (Tanneliill) Wiley. 
 
 James Wiley, the father, was born in 
 Mercer Township, on the present farm of 
 his son and namesake, June, 18U9, and was 
 a son of Alexander and Martha (Young) 
 Wiley. Alexander Wiley came to this 
 country from Ireland and settled on the 
 land now owned by our subject in 1792. 
 Here he and his wife both died at an ad- 
 vanced age. They were the parents of four 
 daughters and three sons, the latter being 
 Samuel, Robert and James. 
 
 James assisted his father in clearing the 
 land, and obtained but a limited amount 
 of schooling, his services being required 
 at home. He subsequently inherited the 
 land from his father and in 1833 married 
 Elizabeth Tanneliill, who was born and 
 reared in Slippery Rock TownshiiD. James 
 died January 5, 1837, leaving two sons — 
 Samuel, deceased, and James, the subject 
 of this sketch. His widow subsequently 
 married James McKisson, by whom she 
 had the following children: William; 
 Sarah, deceased ; John D. ; Alice C. ; and 
 Elizabeth R., deceased. 
 
 James Wiley, of the present generation, 
 was reared and has always followed farm- 
 ing on his present farm. His educational 
 privileges were very limited, for when 
 there was work to be done he was kept at 
 home, and his attendance at school was 
 thus greatly interrupted. On February 23, 
 1860, he married Martha J. Barnes, a 
 daughter of James and Sarah (McCune) 
 Barnes, and of their union were born the 
 following children: Samuel E., married 
 Anna Mern, and has two children, Austin 
 J. and Olive J. ; Amelda ; Wm. J. ; Robert, 
 married Stella Taylor and they have two 
 children, Frances M. and Dorothy E. ; John 
 D., married Daisy Owens. 
 
 Mr. Wiley is a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church, and gives his ]ioliti- 
 cal support to the Prohibition party. 'Sir. 
 
 Wiley's life has been characterized by un- 
 tiring industry and strong determination, 
 and it is these qualities which have gained 
 him a place among the substantial citizens 
 of Butler County. 
 
 HENRY HERMAN LERNER, residing 
 on his fertile farm of thirty-two acres, 
 which is situated in Winfield Township, on 
 the Butler-Freeport turnpike road, has 
 been supplying gas to the American Com- 
 pany at Pittsburg, from a valuable gas 
 well on his place, for the past five years. 
 Mr. Lerner was born March 23, 1854, in 
 Jefferson Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of Francis X. and 
 Johanna (Krause) Lerner. The parents 
 of Mr. Lerner came to America from Sax- 
 ony, Germany, in 1848, and settled in But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, where they were 
 later joined by the aged paternal grand- 
 father. The children of Francis X. Ler- 
 ner and wife were: Harmon, Mary, an 
 infant, who died in Germany; Anna, Ber- 
 tha, Barney, Henry H., and Emma. 
 
 Henry H. LerHer was reared in Jefferson 
 Township and there attended school, but 
 he has been a resident of Winfield Town- 
 ship for a number of years, where he has 
 always followed farming. His land is pro- 
 ductive and is doubly valuable on account 
 of its gas supply. On February 22, 1885, 
 Mr. Lerner was married to Amelia Schroth, 
 who is a daughter of William and Eliza- 
 beth (White) Schroth, the former of whom 
 carries on a harness-making business at 
 Saxonburg, where he was one of the first 
 settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Schroth have six- 
 teen children. To Mr. and Mrs. Lei'ner 
 have been born five children — Francis W., 
 Elizabeth A., Edna C, Alpha C, and Will- 
 iam B. Mr. and Mrs. Lerner are members 
 of the Lutheran Church at Saxonburg. 
 They are kind, hospitable people who have 
 a wide circle of friends. 
 
 JOHN A. BLACK, a member of the firm 
 of D. H. Black & Company, well known oil 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 723 
 
 producers of Bruin, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, has been identified with the oil 
 industry since young manhood and has met 
 with good results. He was born at Pe- 
 trolia, Butler County, November 3, 1873, 
 and is a son of William C. and Sadie Black. 
 
 William C. Black was born at Saltsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, and during most of his ac- 
 tive career in business was engaged in the 
 mercantile trade. He conducted a store at 
 Petrolia some years, and later engaged in 
 the same business in what was then Mar- 
 tinsburg, now Bruin. lie died in this bor- 
 ough after a long and well spent life. He 
 was somewhat engaged in the oil business 
 during his latter years. His wife was a 
 native of Butler County, and as a result 
 of their union three sons were born : John 
 A. of this record; David II. of Bruin; and 
 A\"illiaiii B., who lives in Texas. In jjoli- 
 tics, William C. Black was a supporter of 
 Eepublican principles. Eeligiously, he was 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He was affiliated with the Ma- 
 sonic Order. 
 
 John A. Black was reared in Martins- 
 burg, and received a superior education in 
 the public schools. He began work in the 
 oil fields at an early age, and this has con- 
 tinued his life work. He was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Eosa Hill, a native of 
 Monroe County, Ohio, and they are par- 
 ents of four children — Beulah H., Mildred, 
 Alice and George. He is a Eepublican in 
 politics, and is deeply interested in all ques- 
 tions of public importance. Fraternally, 
 he is a member of Argyle Lodge, No. 540, 
 F. & A. M., at Chicora, Pennsylvania. 
 
 GUS SCHLEGEL, one of Butler's rep- 
 resentative business men and leading flo- 
 rists, was boi'n December 31, 1860, in Ger- 
 many, where he obtained his education and 
 from the age of fifteen years had been 
 trained in the florist business. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Schlegel came to America, 
 well qualified for work at his trade. He 
 located first at Omaha, Nebraska, where he 
 worked as a florist for five years, and from 
 
 there went to St. Paul, Minnesota, wliere 
 he remained for one and one-half years. 
 His next place of residence was Chicago 
 and followed his business there up to 1906, 
 with the exception of two and one-half 
 years, which he spent in New York. He 
 then sought a promising place to go into 
 business for himself and selected Butler, 
 and bought an already established florist 
 trade. He has made improvements in 
 every branch of his business, has increased 
 his stock and added facilities and now has 
 20,000 feet under glass. His business is 
 mainly in cut flowers and bedding plants. 
 He has his greenhouses at No. 716 West 
 Penn Street and his retail store at No. 
 113 South Main Street. He is a practical 
 florist and as he thoroughly understands 
 his business, he makes a sure success of it. 
 In his business dealings Mr. Schlegel is 
 strictly honest and thus has gained the con- 
 fidence of the best people of Butler, with 
 whom he has a large trade. In 1896 Mr. 
 Schlegel was married to Miss Lizzie C. 
 (loetten. He is a member of the order of 
 Modern Woodmen of America, and is also 
 a member of the Iowa Bankers' Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 SCOTT OAKES, a well known agricul- 
 turist and oil producer of Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, Pennsylvania, has 
 been a resident of Butler County since 
 1876, and has been located on his present 
 excellent farm of 100 acres since 1895. He 
 was born in Indiana Co^mty, Pennsylvania, 
 August 12, 1847, and is a son of Samuel 
 and Elizabeth (Palmer) Oakes, the father 
 a native of Ireland and the mother of In- 
 diana Cormty, Pennsylvania. Samuel 
 Oakes was six years of age when his father, 
 Edward Oakes, brought the family from 
 Ireland and located in Indiana County, 
 Pennsylvania. There he grew to maturity 
 and engaged in farming, living a long and 
 useful life. He had passed the eighty-sev- 
 enth milestone of life when death claimed 
 him. 
 
724 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Scott Oakes was twelve j^ears of age 
 when he left the parental home, and since 
 that tender age has been on his own re- 
 sources. He began working in the oil 
 fields, in 1876, and much of the time since 
 has been a producer, having met with un- 
 qualified success. In 1895, he located on 
 his farm of 100 acres in Parker Township, 
 where he engages in general farming and 
 stock raising. All that he possesses was 
 gained through his individual efforts and 
 represents years of persevering toil. 
 
 Mr. Oakes was united in marriage with 
 Miss Jennie Mardis, who was born in In- 
 diana County, Pennsylvania, and two chil- 
 dren have been born to bless their home, 
 namely: Margaret, wife of Homer J. 
 Adams; and Howard L., who resides near 
 Renfrew, in Butler County. In religious 
 attachment, Mr. and Mrs. Oakes are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Bruin. Politically, he is an enthusiastic 
 Republican. Mr. Oakes' farm is under- 
 laid with three veins of marketable coal 
 and he is now operating in oil, which is 
 found on his own farm and an adjoining 
 farm. 
 
 HENRY ERNEST HELLER, who is 
 one of Wiufield Township's substantial cit- 
 izens, resides on his well-improved farm 
 of 100 acres, which is situated two miles 
 east of Cabot, on the Denny's mill road. 
 Mr. Heller was born in Saxe-Weimer, Ger- 
 many, and is a son of Christian and Maria 
 (Collenbach) Heller. The father of Mr. 
 Heller was a man of prominence in his 
 province — a government official, as was 
 his father before him, the latter holding 
 the office of forester. Many members of 
 the family still remain in Saxony. 
 
 Henry Ernest Heller remained in his 
 own land until he was grown to manhood 
 aud then came to America, finally becoming 
 a resident of Wiufield Township, Butler 
 County, and the owner of his present valu- 
 able farm. Here Mr. Heller carries on 
 general farming and dairying. He is an 
 
 expert butter maker, having made a spe- 
 cial study of this industry and his product 
 commands the highest price paid for this 
 commodity in any market. 
 
 Mr. Heller was married after coming to 
 America, to Miss Emma Yunk, who is a 
 daughter of August and Martha (Hartung) 
 Yunk. They have three children — -Albert 
 A., Lillian Henrietta, and Milton H. Mr. 
 Heller and wife belong to the German Lu- 
 theran Church, of which he is organist. He 
 takes no active interest in politics but is a 
 good, law-abiding citizen and is always 
 ready to do his part in the way of public 
 improvements, increasing the efficiency of 
 the schools, building up the churches and 
 constructing good roads through the agri- 
 cultural districs. 
 
 GEORGE REIBER, who, for the 
 greater part of half a century, was known 
 throughout Butler County as a successful 
 miller, was an excellent type of the for- 
 eign-boim citizen to whom this country 
 owes much of its greatness and prosperity. 
 He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
 November 23, 1815, his parents being Mar- 
 tin J. and Catherine Reiber. 
 
 The father, Martin J. Reiber, was a na- 
 tive of Goeningen, in Wurtemberg, where 
 he was a successful florist. Emigrating to 
 America in 1832, he followed his trade in 
 New York City, where he engaged also in 
 market gardening. Later he came to But- 
 ler County, and for a time was proprietor 
 of the Reiber Hotel, in Summit Township, 
 subsequently becoming a resident of the 
 borough of Butler, where he remained un- 
 til his death in 1865. He married Cath- 
 erine Fetzer, born also in Germany, who 
 died in 1860. They had six children^ 
 Catherine, Martin, George, Barbara, 
 Jacob and Margaret. The youngest 
 daughter became the wife of H. Julius 
 Klingler, of Butler, and the eldest the wife 
 of Martin Loefler. Martin J. Reiber was 
 a well-known and respected citizen of But- 
 ler and at one period of his life here, was 
 
'C/^ 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 a useful member of the city council. He 
 was a charter member of St. Mark's Lu- 
 theran Church and was one of its elders. 
 
 George Eeiber, the second son in the 
 family, passed his boyhood and early 
 youtli in his native laud. In 1834 he fol- 
 lowed his father to the United States, 
 where his older brother, Martin, was also 
 established. He began industrial life in 
 America by following the family calling of 
 market gardening in New York. On com- 
 ing to Butler County in 1839, he settled in 
 Summit Township, where he helped to ad- 
 vance local industry by erecting a saw- 
 mill. In 1845 he purchased a farm near 
 Hannahstown, but two years later he re- 
 moved to Millerstown, where, for several 
 years, he conducted a store. In 1856 Mr. 
 Eeiber entered into the business with 
 which he was afterward so long connected, 
 purchasing a grist mill and 137 acres of 
 the Clymer tract, on the northeastern lim- 
 its of Butler. Here he established a mill- 
 ing enterprise, remodeling and improving 
 the property several times iintil he finally 
 had equipped it with the full roller sys- 
 tem, and continued to conduct this busi- 
 ness for some years. Possessing initial 
 assets in his own imremitting industry, 
 perseverance and old-fashioned German 
 thoroughness, united with rugged health, 
 he achieved in time the most gratifying 
 success and was numbered among the most 
 prosperous citizens of the county. He had 
 other interests and from 1865 until 1873, 
 operated a distillery. George Eeiber died 
 January 11, 1904, widely regretted by 
 those who esteemed him for his sterling 
 qualities as a man and citizen. 
 
 In 1842 Mr. Eeiber was united in mar- 
 riage with Mary Eigger, who was a daugh- 
 ter of Jacob Eigger, of Summit Township. 
 They were the parents of eleven children, 
 namely: Martin G. ; Caroline, wife of 
 William F. Miller, of Butler; Henry, who 
 is president of the Independent National 
 Gas Company and resides at No. 465 N. 
 Main Street; Wilhelmina, wife of Eev. Mr. 
 
 Meiser, of Detroit ; Mary L. ; Anna M. ; 
 Elizabeth; George L., who is treasurer of 
 the Independent National Gas Company; 
 and Edward, who is secretary of that cor- 
 poration; Icla F., and Agatha, deceased. 
 Mrs. Eeiber resides in a stately stone man- 
 sion which undoubtedly is the finest pri- 
 vate residence in Butler. 
 
 JOHN E. KOCHEE, of Zelienople, the 
 editor and proprietor of the Conno queues s- 
 itig Valley Neivs, published in that place, 
 is a native of Butler County, having been 
 born on a farm in Jackson Townshij), 
 July 22, 1870. His parents were John 
 Henry and Elizabeth (Shanor) Koclier, 
 and he is a grandson of John Kocher, who 
 was born in Germany, and who, coming to 
 America prior to 1835, settled on a farm 
 in Jackson Township, near the Lancaster 
 Township and Beaver County lines. This 
 property at this date still forms a part of 
 the Kocher estate. John Kocher had the 
 misfortune to lose his first wife, she dying 
 on board ship, while on the passage to this 
 country. He then married a widow, Mrs. 
 Susannah Wild, whose husband had also 
 died on shipboard while on the voyage to 
 this country. Her name in maidenhood 
 was Susannah Gausz. Of this marriage, 
 John Henry, the father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was the only issue. 
 
 John Henry Kocher was born on his 
 parents' farm in Jackson Township, But- 
 ler County, Penna., and there his entire 
 life was spent, covering a period of sev- 
 enty-two years, one month and nine days, 
 and terminating on March 28, 1908. He 
 was a lifelong member of St. Paul's Lu- 
 theran Church at Zelienople, serving the 
 church for more than thirty years as a 
 member of the vestry, and for a greater 
 part of the tim'e being presiding officer. 
 He was first married to Elizabeth Shanor, 
 a daughter of Daniel Shanor of Lancaster 
 Township, and his wife Deborah, nee 
 Moyer, a daughter of Samuel Moyer of 
 Lancaster Township. She died in 1872 
 
IJI8T0RY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 and he mai-ried for his second wife Anna 
 M. Ziegler, daughter of John Ziegier, later 
 of JIarmony. Of the iirst marriage there 
 Avere six ckildren, of whom live are now 
 living. The offspring of the second mar- 
 riage also numbered six children, there be- 
 ing now four survivors. The record of the 
 childi'en of the family is in brief as fol- 
 lows : Edward S. was formerly a teacher 
 in Butler County, for several years serv- 
 ing as principal of the Zelienople schools. 
 He is now residing at Northeast, Penna. 
 He married Miss Ellen Pickett, of North- 
 east. Daniel S. is a resident of Joplin. Mo. 
 He married Cora Cullifer of Galena, Kan. 
 Amelia is the wife of Edwin Stout, of 
 Wadsworth, Ohio. Eliza is the wife of 
 Geoigc A. Luntz of Jackson Township. 
 Jacob I]., the direct subject of this sketch. 
 Catlicrine is the wife of Paul Gerwig of 
 Beaver County, Penna. Sophia married 
 William T. (^erwig, and lives at South 
 Bend, AVashington. H. E. Kocher, who 
 married Margaret Allen of Whitestown, 
 this county, and Alfred N. Kocher are res- 
 idents of Jackson Township, this county. 
 AVilfrcd and Ida are deceased. 
 
 Daniel Shanor, the maternal grand- 
 father of our subject, was a soldier of the 
 War of 1812-1815, doing duty in the vicin- 
 ity of the Great Lakes. Jacob Shanor, an 
 uncle, became a citizen of Georgia previous 
 to the Civil War and when that conflict 
 broke out was pressed into service and 
 was wounded. Abraham Moyer, in his 
 time a popular, auctioneer and at one time 
 a crier in the county court, was a great- 
 uncle. 
 
 John E. Kocher, the direct subject of 
 this article, and the date of whose na- 
 tivity has been already given, spent the 
 first twciily (iiK- years of his life on the 
 Kociicr hoiiicsic-Hl in Jackson Township, 
 paiticipatiiig in tlie usual pleasures and 
 occupations of country life. He began his 
 education at the Old Fui-nace School in 
 Beaver County. After mastering the 
 somewhat limited curriculmn which ob- 
 
 obtained in this primary institution of 
 learning, he became a pupil, in 1892, in the 
 Slippery Rock Normal School, from which 
 he was graduated creditably in 1895, hav- 
 ing in the meanwhile taught a term of 
 school at Middle Lancaster, Butler County. 
 After his graduation he turned his whole 
 attention to educational pursuits, being 
 elected principal of the Zelienople public 
 schools, the duties of which office he as- 
 sumed in September, 1895. In this occu- 
 pation he continued for seven consecutive 
 years, during which time he had the pleas- 
 ure of seeing his sphere of labor increase 
 from a four-room to a six-room school, and 
 add an advanced course of high school 
 work, in which he graduated four classes. 
 During these years also he spent three 
 summers at (Jioxc City Col !(■;;(' and one 
 summer at Sarvcrsviilc, teaching the first 
 term and organizing what is now "Cabot 
 Institute," now located at Carbon Black. 
 
 In January, 1901, he was commissioned 
 by the State Superintendent of Public In- 
 struction as a member of the Commit- 
 tee on Permanent C^ertiflcates in Butler 
 ( Vninty. On December 28, 1901, Mr. Kocher 
 deserted the ranks of pedagogy for those of 
 journalism, becoming the proprietor of the 
 C onnoquenessing Valley Netvs, into which 
 he has infused some of his own cheery and 
 go-ahead spirit. The Nenis is a welcome 
 visitor in numerous homes throughout this 
 section of the county, and takes rank 
 among the newsy and up-to-date sheets of 
 this region. It has already passed its thir- 
 tieth anniversary and in Mr. Kocher 's 
 hands bids fair to see many more years of 
 prosperity and influence. 
 
 Mr. Kocher was married, August 17, 
 1899, to Miss Laura M. Sloan, daughter of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sloan, of New Brigh- 
 ton, who previous to her marriage was a 
 teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Kocher are the 
 parents of one son, Ralph Sloan Kocher, 
 born September 14, 1904. They are mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian church, in which 
 ]\fr. Kocher has been elected to the elder- 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 729 
 
 ship. Politically lie is a Democrat. He 
 lias served his home town as auditor and 
 as borough treasurer, and has held a no- 
 tary public commission since April, 1892. 
 
 JOHN WHITMIRE, residing on his 
 birthi)]ace farm, a finely cultivated estate 
 of 100 acres, which is situated in Oakland 
 Township, about one mile northwest of 
 Boydstown, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 belongs to one of the old and honorable 
 families of -this county. He was born 
 March 10, 1835, and is a son of John and 
 Catherine (Painter) Whitmire. 
 
 John Whitmire the elder, was born in 
 Berks County, Pennsylvania, and was 
 brought to Butler County by his father, 
 Francis Whitmire, when very young. Set- 
 tlement was made near the present home 
 farm in Oakland Township, and in this sec- 
 tion the elder John Whitmire passed his 
 life. He married Catherine Painter and 
 they had eight children, of whom the four 
 older ones — Margaret, Francis, Peter and 
 Jacob — are all deceased, the eldest being 
 accidentally drowned. John W^hitmire, 
 bearing his father's name, is the eldest of 
 the four survivors, namely: Elizabeth 
 Catherine, who is the widow of Robert 
 Morrow; Mary, who was the wife of Chris- 
 topher Rider; and Susan, who is the wife 
 of John Beatty. Christopher Rider died 
 in May, 1894. 
 
 John Whitmire was reared a farmer and 
 has followed agricultural pursuits all his 
 life, with the exception of ten months, dur- 
 ing which he was serving his country as a 
 private soldier in Company B, Sixth Penn- 
 sylvania Heavy Artillery. He enlisted in 
 the fall of 1864 and remained in the serv- 
 ice until the close of the war. He returned 
 to his home and resumed his peaceful avo- 
 cation and continued an active farmer un- 
 til his sons grew old enough to take the re- 
 sponsibility. At different times he has 
 made many substantial improvements on 
 his place and in 1877 he built his large and 
 comfortable frame residence. 
 
 On September 8, 1859, Mr,_ Whitmire 
 married Jane Campbell, who died Novem- 
 ber 23, 1903. She was a most estimable 
 woman and her death was a grief to her 
 family and a loss to the comnuinity. To 
 this marriage were born ten children, the 
 following of whom survive: Emma Zilla, 
 who is the wife of Alonzo Campbell, of 
 Prospect; John Elmer, who resides at Los 
 Angeles, California; Charles Campbell, 
 who lives at home; Harry Painter, who 
 also lives at home; Everett Burton, mar- 
 ried, who resides in the old home; Ada 
 Pearl, who married William Timblin ; and 
 Frank. The three children deceased are 
 Minnie Catherine, William Alva and an 
 unnamed infant. Mr. W^hitmire is a mem- 
 ber of the English Lutheran Church. 
 
 THEODORE L. SCHENCK, one of the 
 
 most extensive dealers in real estate in 
 Butler, who is also concerned in general 
 contracting, was born November 4, 1874, 
 in Butler, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Leonard Schenck, a well-known business 
 man, who was born also in Butler, in 1848. 
 Theodore L. Schenck completed his edu- 
 cation in the Butler schools and then went 
 to work in a local lirickyard, where he re- 
 mained for six months. From there he 
 went into the employ of Klingier & Com- 
 pany, as office boy, and remained with that 
 house for a year and then worked in the 
 mill for the same length of time with the 
 firm of S. G. Purvis & Company. The 
 youth went then to Pittsburg, but he found 
 no better opening there than was afforded 
 in his native city and after six months he 
 came back and learned the carpenter's 
 trade. As his work in this line increased 
 from year to year and his experience grew, 
 Mr. Schenck soon found himself doing 
 more or less contracting and he finally gave 
 a large part of his attention to general 
 contracting. He has prospered also in 
 dealing in real estate, purchasing lots, 
 building on them and making improve- 
 ments and then selling or renting. For 
 
730 
 
 HISTOEr OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 liie iiiist seven years lie has been interested 
 in these operations and can advanta- 
 geously combine the two forms of business 
 enterprise. At tlae present writing (1908) 
 lie owns ninety houses and lots in Butler 
 and is also concerned in the oil business to 
 SOUK' extent. 
 
 ill 1904, Mr. Schenck was married to 
 .Miss ('. Louise Stein, who is a daughter of 
 John Stein, of Butler. He is a member of 
 Grace Lutheran Church. His fraternal 
 connection is with the Knights of the Mac- 
 cal)ees. 
 
 JOHN H. DOWER, of the firm of Dower 
 and Russell, well known contractors and 
 drillers of oil wells, is a representative citi- 
 zen of Bruin, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is at the jiresent time treasurer of the 
 l)orough School Board. He was one of 
 the most active in support of the proposi- 
 tion to create the borough of Bruin, ami 
 has always taken a forward position in 
 matters pertaining to the develo]>iiient of 
 the community and its resources. 
 
 Mr. Dower was born in Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania, December 8, 185(), and is a 
 son of John C. and Clara (Sigworth) 
 Dower, his father a native of Germany, and 
 liis mother of Clarion County, Pennsylva- 
 nia. John C. Dower, who now resides at 
 Marionville, Pennsylvania, and is eighty 
 years of age, was twelve years old when 
 lirouglit liy his parents from Germany to 
 the rnited States. He was reared to man- 
 hood in Venango County, Pennsylvania, 
 which was the field of his greatest busi- 
 ness activity. He there farmed many years 
 and also met with much success as an oil 
 l)roducer. His wife died in February, 
 1908, her death severing a union of devo- 
 tion and companionship which had endured 
 for more than half a century. 
 
 John H. Dower was reared on the farm 
 in his native county until his eleventh year, 
 when his parents moved to Pioneer, Ve- 
 nango County. There he attended the pub- 
 lic schools, and later was in attendance at 
 
 the State Normal School at Edinlioro, and 
 the Jamestown Business College at James 
 town, Pennsylvania. For more than thirty 
 years he has been engaged as a contractor 
 and driller of oil and gas wells, carrying- 
 on a flourishing business. He came to Mar- 
 tiusburg, now Bruin, Pennsylvania, in 
 1884, and has resided here since. He has 
 always been deeply interested in matters 
 of public concern to the community, but 
 especially so in educational affairs. He 
 has been a director on the School Board 
 ever since the incorporation of Bruin as 
 a borougli, and was secretary of that body 
 for a time. He is now discharging the du- 
 ties as treasurer of the board. 
 
 Mr. Dower was married to Miss Belle 
 Sutton, who was born in what is now the 
 borough of Bruin, and they are parents of 
 three children, as follows — Fred S., Mary 
 C.. and Helen. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, while in religious attachment he and 
 his wife are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. Fraternally, he is a prominent 
 Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge 
 at Chicora, the Cha])ter at Butler, and 
 of the Conmiandeiy at Franklin, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 THOMAS 1. WHIT^IIRE, a prominent 
 citizen of Oakland Township and one of 
 the principal owners of the valuable farm 
 of ninety acres, on which he resides, which 
 is situated about one mile northwest of 
 Boydstown, adjoining the Whitniire S<-liool, 
 was born on this farm, August L'7, jsjil, 
 and is a meml)er of a su))stantial old But- 
 ler County family. His parents were Will- 
 iam and Mary M. (Andre) AVliitmire. 
 
 William AVhitmire, father of Thomas L, 
 was liorn on the fai'm just mentioned, July 
 ."), 1K2(), and was a son of Daniel Whitinire, 
 who was tlie eldest of the three brothers. 
 Daniel, Francis, and John Whitmire, who 
 came together from Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1796, and settled in But- 
 ler Countv. Francis Whitinire was the 
 father of Daniel, Francis, and John. Will- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 731 
 
 iaiu Wliitmire aud wife both died on this 
 farm, the former in 1889, and the latter in 
 1900. She was born and reared near West 
 Sunbury, Bntler Count}'. Seven of their 
 eight children survive, namely: Mrs. Liz- 
 zie King, Samuel A., Thomas I., Mrs. 
 Emma J. Wachof, Mrs. Anna Belle Boyd, 
 Mrs. Dora E. Baker, and Airs. Minnie L. 
 Kelly. 
 
 Thomas I. Whitmire has always been 
 that most independent of men, a farmer, 
 from youth up, having devoted himself to 
 agricultural pursuits. He raises all the 
 staple crops of this section and his mead- 
 ows show lierds of sleek cattle and his 
 jmstures are filled with the stock that finds 
 ready sale in every market. 
 
 Mr. Whitmire married Annie E. Black, 
 who is a daughter of John Black, of Oak- 
 land Township, and they have four chil- 
 dren, namely: Daniel Webster, Mary Cath- 
 erine, Clara Lorinda, and Annie Laverne. 
 Mr. Wliitmire and family belong to the 
 Lutheran Church. He is an active citizen, 
 taking, a deep interest in township affairs, 
 aud he has been frequently elected to of- 
 fice. He lias served acceptably as school 
 director and as townshij) auditor and at 
 present is one of the board of three town- 
 ship road commissioners. 
 
 HARRY LEE JOHNSON, superintend- 
 ent of the Pittsburg Limestone Company, 
 Limited, situated on the Buchanan farm in 
 Mercer Townsliip, Butler ^County, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a man of recognized business 
 ability and through his individual efforts 
 worked his way from a lowly ])osition to 
 the important one he now occupies. He 
 was born at Porestville, Butler County, 
 March 8, 1878, and is a son of William P. 
 and Catherine (Bell) Johnson, and a grand- 
 son of William W. Johnson. 
 
 William W. Jolmson, the grandfather of 
 the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where the 
 family was one of the earliest pioneer ones, 
 his mother being the first white female 
 
 child born in the county. When a young- 
 man he sailed on Lake Erie for seven years, 
 the lake being then under government con- 
 trol. He then followed his trade as a shoe- 
 maker a short time, after which he moved 
 to Harrisville, Butler County. He oper- 
 ated a pottery kiln at that point for some 
 years, and then located at Forestville, 
 where he died at the age of more than 
 sixty years. Of the twelve children born 
 to him and his wife, William P. and James 
 twins, were sixth in order of birth. 
 
 William P. Johnson was born and reared 
 at Harrisville, and at the age of twenty- 
 five years moved to Forestville, where he 
 still conducts a blacksmith shop. He was 
 married to Catherine Bell, by whom he 
 had eight children: Harry Lee, whose 
 name heads this record; Cora Belle, de- 
 ceased; Mary Etta; Lawrence B. ; William 
 L.-; Carry Catherine; Cecilia; and Charles. 
 
 Harry L. Johnson attended the public 
 schools at Forestville, and as soon as he 
 was old enough began assisting his father 
 in the shop, thoi'oughly mastering the 
 blacksmith trade. At the age of eighteen 
 years, he began working in the oil fields 
 of Butler County, and later went to the 
 oil fields of West Virginia, where he con- 
 tinued for some ten years. He then l^egan 
 his connection with the Pittsburg Lime- 
 stone Company, working at blacksmithing 
 at the quarry in Mercer Township. He 
 demonstrated his worth and in the short 
 space of two years' time was advanced to 
 the position of superintendent. The quar- 
 ries, located on the Bessemer Railroad, 
 give employment to about 150 men, and 
 are located on about fifty acres of the 
 Buchanan farm. This farm was originally 
 settled by James Donahue, whose daugh- 
 ter, Catherine, was married to William 
 Bell, the maternal grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. Mr. Bell came into 
 possession of a part of the land, and later, 
 in conjunction with Mr. Donahue, disposed 
 of it to Alexander Buchanan, by whose 
 heirs it is, owned at the present time. 
 
732 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 November 2, 1898, Mr. Johnson was mar- 
 ried at Butler, to Miss Elizabeth Shields, 
 a daughter of Robert and Fannie (McEl- 
 haney) Shields. Three children have been 
 born to them, Muriel E., Amber, and Mary 
 Elizabeth. They reside in the brick home 
 at the quarry. He is the owner of good 
 property at Forestville. Religiously, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Johnson are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Harris- 
 ville. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist. 
 
 HARVEY DOWNY THOMPSON, 
 
 whose fine farm of 122 acres is situated in 
 Center Township, is one of Butler 
 County's leading citizens, one whose home 
 has been within her borders for a half 
 century. He was born in the town of 
 Bentleyville, in Washington County, 
 Pennsylvania, September 24, 1829, and is 
 a son of William and Ann (Wallace) 
 Thompson. 
 
 William Thompson was a innii ^losscssed 
 of qualities far beyond the (ndiiiary. By 
 trade he was a harness and saddU' maker 
 and to this business he added a general 
 store, which he conducted for many years. 
 He was also in the transportation business 
 and ran wagons with freight as far distant 
 as Baltimore, Maryland, and on several 
 occasions his son Harvey D. made the 
 trip, transacted the business and safely 
 returned. William Thompson also ac- 
 quired two excellent farms. Late in life 
 he removed to Greene County, and later 
 to Noble County, Ohio, where "he died. He 
 was thrice married and was the father of 
 twenty-four children. 
 
 Harvey D. Thompson grew to manhood 
 mainly on his father's farm, and then 
 learned the trade of coach-making, after 
 which he located at Butler, where, in 1838, 
 his two brothers, Wesley Thomas Fowler 
 and Isaiah Wood Thompson, had started 
 the first coach factory in the place. The 
 three brothers conducted the factory until 
 the Civil War broke out, when they closed 
 their business and all three enlisted in the 
 
 Federal army. Harvej^ D. enlisted first in 
 the Sixty-third Regiment, Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, but was later trans- 
 ferred to the One Hundred and Fifth Regi- 
 ment. After his return from military 
 service, he located at Prospect and there 
 engaged in the house painting business, 
 which he continued until 1870, when he 
 was elected, on the Republican ticket, 
 sheriff of Butler County. In this im- 
 portant office Mr. Thompson served for 
 three years, with the greatest efficiency. 
 In the spring of 1873 he settled on his 
 present farm in Center Township, which 
 originally contained 280 acres, and here 
 he has lived ever since, carrying on a gen- 
 eral line of agriculture. Mr. Thomjison 
 has reached the age when ordinary men 
 are disposed to think they have been in 
 active life long enough, but with j\Ir. 
 Thompson it is different and he still very 
 capably manages his large farm and also 
 finds time to serve in various offices of a 
 public nature, when called upon, and also 
 to be interested in his church and the quiet 
 social life of the neighborhood. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was married (first) to 
 Mary Forrester, and of their five children, 
 two survive : Stella Floi'ence, who is the 
 wife of M. W. Albert ; and Millie Ida, wife 
 of Louis Craig, who is engaged in a hard- 
 ware business at Butler. Mrs. Thompson 
 died while Mr. Thompson was serving in 
 the sheriff's office and he subsequently 
 married Catherine M. Roth. Five children 
 were born to them, namely: Lewis, Louisa, 
 George, Annie Lydia and Marietta Ger- 
 trude. Mr. Thompson's third marriage 
 was to Mrs. Lydia Ann (Myers) Kneiss, 
 who was the widow of George Kneiss, who 
 was formerly county recorder, being in 
 office at the same time as was Sheriff 
 Thompson. To this marriage one daugh- 
 ter was born, Catherine Loveletta. 
 
 Mr. Thompson is a member and liberal 
 supporter of the First English Lutheran 
 Church at Butler. Few men in this section 
 are better known. For a long period he 
 
HARVEY D. THOMPSON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 735 
 
 was a justice of the peace and lias also 
 served as school director and overseer of 
 the poor. 
 
 EDWARD AVINTER, of Zelienople, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, was one of 
 the ori,ninatt)rs and i)romoters of the Pitts- 
 bui'i;-, llaniiony. Butler and New Castle 
 Railway, which he now serves in the ca- 
 pacity of cashier and i^aymaster. He is 
 a native of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 
 having been born at Monaca, June 28, 
 1852, and is a son of Rev. E. F. and Jo- 
 hanna (Schwarz) AVinter. 
 
 Rev. E. F. AVinter was for a jjeriod of 
 fifty years a minister of the gospel and 
 was a man of great prominence in this sec- 
 tion of the country. He was the founder 
 of what is known as Burry's Church, three 
 miles west of Zelienople, which pulpit he 
 filled for forty-four years, and also founder 
 of St. Peter's German Evangelical Church 
 in Zelienople. Under his pastorate these 
 churches were of the most flourishing and 
 had the largest enrollment of members of 
 any in this part of the county. In addition 
 to those named he also served a congrega- 
 tion at Evans City and another at Middle 
 Lancaster, making four charges at one 
 time. He perhaps confirmed more commu- 
 nicants and baptized more infants than 
 any other minister ever located in this re- 
 gion. He was representative of the high- 
 est type of manhood, and was imiversally 
 lovecl and esteemed by his fellowmen, re- 
 gardless of any differences in religious be- 
 lief they might hold. Rev. AA'inter was 
 born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Prussia, in 
 181.3, and came to this country at about the 
 time he reached his majority, locating first 
 in Pittsburg, where he expected to meet a 
 friend from his native land. However he 
 was doomed to disappointment as the 
 friend had already departed, and he was 
 left "a stranger in a strange land." He 
 soon after drifted to what was then known 
 as AV'ater Cure, or Phillipsburg, now Mo- 
 
 naca, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 
 where he acquired a small farm of fifteen 
 acres near where the station of the Pitts- 
 burg & Lake Erie Railway is now located. 
 This property he sold in 1859 and moved 
 to Zelienople, where he purchased of Jo- 
 seph Schwartz, the Herr farm, afterward 
 known as the AVinter farm. He resided on 
 this place some twenty-five years, when 
 his death occurred in 1884, at the age of 
 seventy-one years. He converted it into a 
 beautiful piece of property, setting out 
 evergreens and shrubs under the direction 
 of a landscape gardener whom he had en- 
 gaged to come out from Pittsburg. This 
 property continued in the family some 
 eight years after the death of Rev. Winter, 
 and is now owned and occupied by a Mr. 
 Lockwood. 
 
 Rev. E. F. AAlnter was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Johanna Schwarz, who 
 was born in AVurtemberg, Germany, and 
 accompanied her parents to America. Her 
 father also was a minister, and upon com- 
 ing to this country located in Ohio. Twelve 
 children were the issue of this union, 
 namely: Mary Ann, deceased wife of 
 Henry Noss; Charles F., who is in busi- 
 ness in Beaver Falls; Pauline, wife of I. 
 N. Hunter of Eldora, Hardin County, 
 Iowa; Ferdinand A., head of the firm of 
 F. A. AVinter & Son of Altoona, which con- 
 ducts the largest music house between 
 Pliiladelphia and Pittsburg; Bertha, wife 
 of Austin Peasce of Pittsburg, the latter 
 being representative of the Union Central 
 Life Insurance. Company at Pittsburg; 
 Ei'nest, who died in infancy; Albert, a 
 jeweler of Pittsburg; Edward, whose name 
 heads this record; Dr. Frank E., a prac- 
 ticing physician of Pittsburg, Pennsvlva- 
 nia; Nettie E.; Mollie E., wife of Prof. 
 Richard Griffith, professor of music in the 
 Belleview and other schools of Pittsburg; 
 and one who died in infancy. 
 
 Edward AVinter received educational 
 training in the public schools of Zelienople 
 
r36 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and New Brighton, after which he went to 
 Pittsburg, where for eight years he was 
 employed by the C. C. Miller Music Com- 
 pany. He then returned to the home farm 
 in order to care for his father during his 
 declining years, and farmed the place for 
 live years. In 1884 he went to Florida, 
 where he established a reputation as an 
 authority on the cultivation and growth of 
 oranges. He met with severe losses in the 
 freeze of 1895, and thereafter became gen- 
 eral manager of the Florida interests of 
 John B. Stetson of Philadelphia. He spent 
 thirteen years in Florida and in addition 
 to his own interests engaged as manager 
 for others. He read a paper before the 
 State Horticultural Society of Florida, 
 which was considered of such merit and 
 importance that the American Agricultur- 
 ist (southern edition) devoted half a col- 
 umn of its publication to the article. In 
 the spring of 1897, Mr. Winter returned 
 to Zelienople, where he has since resided, 
 and for six years conducted what is now 
 the Harmony Hardware Store. In March, 
 1905, he dropped all other interests in 
 order to devote his attention to the success 
 of the Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and 
 New Castle Railway, then in contempla- 
 tion, and of which he was one of the pro- 
 moters. He became right-of-way man and 
 traveled thousands of miles to secure a 
 single right of way, working day and night, 
 to find all the parties and secure the neces- 
 sary rights of way. He met with unusual 
 success and may well take pride in the 
 operation of this road, which consists of 
 about seventy-iive miles of track and is 
 one of the best equipped lines in opera- 
 tion. He is at the present director, cashier 
 and paymaster of the road and is stationed 
 at the Harmony Junction office. 
 
 Mr. Winter was first married to Miss 
 Annie M. Bacon, who was a lady of accom- 
 plishment and educational attainments, 
 and was a daughter of Prof. H. H. Bacon, 
 deceased, of Georgia. After six years of 
 married life she was called to her final 
 
 .rest, being survived by her husband and 
 two children : Anna Jeannette, an attract- 
 ive young lady of education and refine- 
 ment; and Albert, who is identified with 
 the Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and New 
 Castle Railway. Mr. Winter was again 
 married in 1898, to Miss Matilda Buhl, a 
 daughter of the late Henry Buhl, Sr., of 
 Zelienople. Religiously, they are mcinbcrs 
 of the Presbyterian Church. Fratcnmily. 
 he is a member of the Independent Order 
 of Odd Fellows. 
 
 GEORGE SCHENCK, general con- 
 tractor at Butler, with business location 
 at No. 413 West Jefferson Street, is a rep- 
 resentative citizen. He was born at But- 
 ler, in 1852, and is a son of Adam and 
 Catherine (Oesterling) Schenck. Adam 
 Schenck was born in Germany but was 
 I'eared from the age of six years in Butler. 
 He was n sliocmaker and shoe merchant 
 for ]iiaii\ yc-irs in Butler County. 
 
 George ScliiMick was four years old when 
 his parents moved into the country and he 
 gained his education in the country schools. 
 When eighteen years old he came to But- 
 ler and entered the shops of H. Bauer & 
 Company, where he served an apprentice- 
 ship of three years to the cariicntcr's 
 trade. He then worked as a jdiiriH'x iiinii 
 for one year, after which ]i(> hcg.-in ••on- 
 tracting and continues in the same line of 
 business. For some years his brother, 
 Peter Schenck, was associated with him. 
 To name all of the buildings which Mr. 
 Schenck has erected would include the 
 larger part of the finest stri;ctures of the 
 citv, but the following may be mentioned: 
 The A. Troutman Building, the Bickel 
 Building, the Diamond Block, the Second 
 Presbyterian Church, the Kirkpatrick 
 Building, C. Koch & Sons' Building, the 
 City Hospital, the Armory Building, the 
 Waldron Block, the Richard Hughes Block, 
 the wholesale groceiy of Leedom & Wor- 
 rall, the Court House, the new Hotel Mon- 
 roe, and numerous other buildings at 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 Bntk'i' and many at other points, inclnd- 
 iug- tlio Carnegie Jjihravy at (Jrove City. 
 He has other interests in addition to his 
 contracting. 
 
 In 1876 Ml'. Sclienck was married to 
 Miss Louise M. Porcht, who died in 1905, 
 leaving five children: Alfred A., who is 
 connected with T. W. Phillips, of Butler; 
 George 0., wlio assists his father; Mar- 
 garet L. ; Etta E.; and Walter Living- 
 stone, who is in the office of T. W. 
 Phillips. Mr. Schenck was married (sec- 
 ond), in 1908, to Mrs. C. Duumyre. He is 
 a member and liberal supporter of St. 
 Mark's German Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church and is secretary of the chnrch 
 council. • 
 
 CHARLES M. MYERS, vice-president 
 of the First National Bank of Bruin, Penn- 
 sylvania, is also proprietor of a meat 
 market in that borough where he has been 
 located since 1903. He is a man of tine 
 business qualifications and a progressive 
 citizen, wlio enjoys the confidence of the 
 entire community. 
 
 Mr. Myers was born in Wayne Town- 
 shi]j, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 xApril 23, 1872, and is a son of Jacob R. 
 and Martha (Blake) Myers, both of whom 
 spent most of their Ifves in Armstrong 
 County. Charles M. Myers was reared 
 and educated in his native township, and 
 at the early age of sixteen years began 
 sliifting for himself. He has always been 
 on his own resources, and the success he 
 lias achieved in the business world is at- 
 tributable solely to his own energy, indus- 
 try and good management. For some 
 years lie followed farming, and in 1900 
 embarked in the butcher business at Slate- 
 lick, in Armstrong County. His success 
 was such that he sought a larger field of 
 operation, and in 1903 moved to the bor- 
 ough of Bruin, in Biitler County, where he 
 has since continued. He became one of 
 tlie promoters and organizers of the First 
 National Bank of Bruin, of which he has 
 
 been a director and A'ice-presidcnt since its 
 inception. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was united in 
 marriage with Miss Ida M. Gibson, of 
 Slatelick, Armstrong County, and they 
 have two children, Beulah and Ralph L. 
 lieligiously, he is a membei- of the Presby- 
 terian church at Bruin. He is a Repub- 
 lican in politics, and is deeply interested in 
 matters of public imjiortance. 
 
 JOHN C. CYPHER, a well known citi- 
 zen of Winfield Townshij), who resides on 
 his excellent farm of forty acres, which is 
 situated on the Winfield road, about one 
 mile east of Cabot, was born in Butler 
 ( 'ounty, Pennsylvania, May 1, 1852, and is 
 a son of John and Mary (Hazlett) (Cypher. 
 The fatlier of Mr. Cy])her was engaged in 
 farming and working at the carpenter's 
 trade through his active years. His father 
 was one of the early settlers of the county, 
 coming from West \'irginia. 
 
 John C. Cypher obtained his education 
 in the country schools and later learned 
 the oil business. He married ]\largaret 
 ]\IcGee, who is a daughter of John and 
 Ellen (Se)^nour) McGee. Her father was 
 a well known man in this section of Butler 
 County. He was born in the city of Pitts- 
 burg, May 15, 1819, and was a son of 
 Patrick and Lettia (Haggerty) McGee, 
 who had come to Western Pennsylvania 
 from County Donegal, Ireland. John Mc- 
 Gee cleared up a farm and cultivated it 
 while carrying on his work as a ' black- 
 smith. The McGees were early and prom- 
 inent people in Butler County. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Cypher have had seven children, 
 namely: John A., who is a railroad man 
 (HI the Penjisylvania system, married Ade- 
 laide Nieson and they have one son, Clark ; 
 Clarence, who, with his brother Hugh, is 
 in the oil business, being one of the young- 
 est and most successful drillers in tliis 
 section, married Catlierine McAnalan; 
 Hugh F., who is in the oil business as 
 above stated; Bervl, who carries on a 
 
738 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 dressmaking business at home ; Fredia G., 
 Margaret E. and Willis A., who are all 
 students. Mr. Cypher and family belong 
 to the Catholic Church at Cabot. Polit- 
 ically he is a Democrat. 
 
 JOHN EWING MacTAGGART, who 
 comes of an old and well known family of 
 Mercer Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, has a valuable farm of seventy-five 
 acres located about two miles southwest of 
 Harrisville. He was born in the old log- 
 house which stood just below his present 
 dwelling, on August 11, 1873, and is a son 
 of William and Nancy (Barnes) MacTag- 
 gart. His grandfather, William MacTag- 
 gart, Sr., was a civil engineer by profession 
 and resided in Scotland. 
 
 William MacTaggart, Jr., was born in 
 Scotland and was a young man when in 
 1868 he accompanied his brother, John, and 
 his sister. Gene, who was the wife of James 
 Sterling, to the United States. They first 
 located at Sharon, Pennsylvania, but 
 shortly a'fterward William moved to I'or- 
 estville, in Mercer Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, where he was boss driver 
 in the coal mine for eight years. He pur- 
 chased the farm on which his sons now 
 live from Thomas McCune and there spent 
 the remainder of his days. He died in 
 1893, at the age of fifty-one years, and 
 his wife died in 1906, at the age of seventy- 
 one years. She was in maiden life Nancy 
 Barnes and was a daughter of James 
 Barnes, an early settler of Butler county. 
 Their marriage resulted in the birth of 
 two sons : John Ewing ; and William 
 James, who is unmarried and assists the 
 subject of this record in farming. 
 
 John E. MacTaggart received a com- 
 mon school education, and when quite 
 young began assisting in the work about 
 the farm. He has always followed farm- 
 ing and has been very successful. He was 
 married, January 14, 1897, to Miss Mary 
 Elizabeth Rowse, a daughter of Thomas 
 
 and Charlotte (Martin) Rowse. Her 
 mother died in 1891 at the age of fifty-five 
 years, and her father in February, 1906, 
 at the age of sixty-ni»e years. Mrs. Mac- 
 Taggart was one of seven children born 
 to her parents, namely: Charles, de- 
 ceased; Thomas; Frederick; Lewis, de- 
 ceased ; George, deceased ; Mary Elizabeth ; 
 and John, deceased. Three children were 
 born to Mr. and Mrs. MacTaggart — Syl- 
 vanus E., William Claire and Mildred 
 Hazel. Religiously, they are members of 
 the United Presbyterian church. He is an 
 ardent Republican in politics. 
 
 STEPHEN CUMMINGS, a leading 
 member of the Butler bar, practicing in 
 the local courts and also the superior and 
 supreme courts, was born at Butler, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1860, and is a son of Isaac J. 
 Cummings. 
 
 Isaac J. Cummings was born in Mary- 
 land and came to Butler County in early 
 manhood. In 1867 he removed with his 
 family to Minnesota, engaged in banking 
 for a number of years, and died at Butler, 
 in 1872. 
 
 Stephen Cummings accompanied his pa- 
 rents to Minnesota and lived in that State 
 for the next ten years, attending school 
 during that time, but returned to Butler 
 when seventeen j^ears of age. For about 
 nine mouths he worked as a pumper in 
 the oil fields, after which he turned his 
 attention to the study of law. His read- 
 ing was done with Attorney L. Z. Mitchell 
 and in 1881 he was admitted to the bar. 
 He immediately opened an office at Butler 
 and has continued in active practice ever 
 since. He takes an alert citizen's interest 
 in pulilic matters and on many occasions 
 has proven his value to his communitj^, 
 aside from his professional work. He is a 
 member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. 
 He maintains fraternal relations with the 
 Woodmen of the World. 
 
GEORGE WALTER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 741 
 
 CHARLES EDWARD WALTER, of 
 the firm of George AValter & Sous, pro- 
 prietors of the Butler Rolling Mills and 
 dealers in hay, grain, seeds, etc., is one of 
 the representative business men of Butler. 
 He is a native of this city, born in 1870, 
 and is a son of George and Elizabeth 
 Walter. 
 
 George Walter, the father, was boru in 
 Butler, Penna., September 11, 1843, and 
 was a son of Jacob and Mary Walter. He 
 was educated in the Butler schools and 
 learned the millers' trade with his father, 
 with whom he was afterwards associated, 
 at the latter 's death succeeding to the busi- 
 ness. In 187G he was elected sheriff of 
 Butler Cotmty, on the Democratic ticket, 
 but was deprived of his office after a bitter 
 legal fight. He filled the office of council- 
 man for seven terms and was school direc- 
 tor for three terms. He was a prominent 
 member of the Masonic order and of the 
 A. 0. U. W. In 1866 he was married to 
 Elizabeth Troutman, a daughter of Adam 
 Troutmau, of Penu Township. She died 
 in 1874 leaving four children : Jacob A., a 
 member of the firm of George Walter & 
 Sons; Mary A., wife of E. 0. Chambers; 
 Cliarles Edward, subject of the sketch; 
 and G. Wilson, who is now deceased. In 
 1876 George Walter married Mary Trout- 
 man, a sister of his first wife, by whom he 
 had one daughter — Kitty. Mr. Walter was 
 a member of the Christian church, and was 
 one of the well known and respected citi- 
 zens of Butler, where he spent his entire 
 business life, engaged in milling. His 
 death took place in 1903. 
 
 Charles Edward Walter was reared in 
 his native city and attended her best 
 schools. From early youth he has been 
 interested in the milling business and for 
 some ten years has been a member of the 
 firm of George Walter & Sons. The busi- 
 ness conducted by this firm is of large im- 
 ])ortance, their dealings covering a wide 
 territorv. In 1906 Mr. Walter was mar- 
 ried to" Miss Effie Richards of Toledo, 
 
 Ohio, and they have two children, Nellie 
 Margaret and George Edward. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Walter are members of the Lutheran 
 Church of Butler. Fraternally he is con- 
 nected with the Elks, the Eagles and the 
 Woodmen. 
 
 JOSEPH II. ORR is a prominent eon- 
 tractor and builder and dealer in lumber 
 and building materials at Bruin, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he has been engaged in busi- 
 ness many years and is widely known. He 
 was boru in Armstrong County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, July 9, 1850, and is a son of John G. 
 and Susanna Orr, both natives of that 
 county. The Orr family is an old estab- 
 lished' one in Armstrong County, and is of 
 English extraction. 
 
 Joseph H. Orr was reared to manhood_ 
 in his native county, and from his youth- 
 ful days has engaged in mechanical pur- 
 suits. He learned the trade of a carpenter 
 with his father, who was successfully en- 
 gaged in contracting for many years. He 
 is a man of good education, receiving ex- 
 cellent training in the public schools and 
 in contact with the business world. In 
 1872 Mr. Orr left Armstrong County, and 
 for two years resided at East Brady, after 
 which, in 1874, he took up his residence in 
 Martinsburg, now known as Bruin. He 
 established a business of his own here 
 many years ago, and from a small begin- 
 ning has developed it to large proportions. 
 In addition to contracting and building, he 
 deals in rough and finished lumber, sash, 
 doors, sewer and building tile, brick, slate 
 and paints. He is a ^progressive man and 
 has always taken a deep interest in the 
 affairs of the borough. He has served as 
 a director of the schools of Bruin and has 
 been treasurer of the borough. He is a 
 Democrat in i3olitics. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was united in 
 marriage with Miss Martha Cos of Arm- 
 strong County, and they became parents 
 of nine children, seven of whom are liv- 
 ing, namely: Emma R., wife of F. W. 
 
HTSTORr OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Heckmaii, of Marietta, Ohio, and mother 
 of two children — Floyd, who is fifteen 
 years old, and Meda, ten years old ; Myrtle 
 (Jr., wife of James H. Ramsey of Bruin, 
 who has one son, Joseph O., now twelve 
 years old; Carrie B., wife of John W. 
 Guthrie of Lawrenceville, Illinois, who has 
 a daughter, Isabella, two years old ; Bur- 
 ton M. of Bruin, Pennsylvania, who has 
 two children — Gertrude, five years old, and 
 Richard Arden, eight mouths old; Alvin 
 R., has one girl, Amelia, who is nine 
 months old; Harry L. ; and Hazel. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Orr is a member of the 
 ^letliodist Episcopal Church, of which he 
 formerly was a steward. In addition to 
 his other business, he has oil interests in 
 the vicinity. of Marietta, Ohio. 
 
 PHILIP CYPHER, who is a well known 
 and experienced contractor in oil and gas, 
 confining himself entirely to this work, is 
 a resident of the pleasant village of Mar- 
 wood, his comfortable home being located 
 west of the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, 
 the residence stjimling in the midst of a 
 carefully laid-out lawn, which contains 
 fully an acre of ground. Mr. Cypher was 
 born August 7, 1877, on the Cypher home- 
 stead, -ndiich is situated two miles north- 
 east of Marwood, and is a son of ^Martin 
 and Eva (Bleighner) Cypher. 
 
 Martin Cypher was also born on the 
 Cyi)her homestead in Winfield Township, 
 Butler County, and was a son of Philip 
 and Nancy (Denny) Cypher, very early 
 settlers, the former of whom cleared two 
 adjoining farms. Martin Cypher taught 
 school in Butler County for many years. 
 He married Eva Bleighner and they had 
 nine children borji to them. 
 
 Philip Cypher bears his grandfather's 
 name. He obtained his education in the 
 schools located near his home and as soon 
 as old enough, he went into the oil fields 
 and has worked there winter and summer 
 ever since, advancing in the business grad- 
 ually as he gained experience and also ac- 
 
 quiring property. He owns two gas wells 
 and sells their product to different com- 
 panies having interests in this locality 
 He has been a successful contractor for tlu' 
 past thirteen years and is one of the 
 youngest in the business in this section. 
 
 Mr. C}i)her was married October 2!). 
 1901, to Lida Jack, who is a daughter of 
 Williamson J. and Mary Ann (King) 
 Jack. W. J. Jack was formerly a ver> 
 prominent farmer and merchant at North 
 Buffalo, Armstrong County. Mrs. Cypher 
 has had one brother and one sister — Orlo 
 A. and Effie B., the former of whom die:l 
 September 18, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Cypher 
 have two children: Winifred ^larie, born 
 August 13, 1902; and ^b-Cunly Martin, 
 born October 15, 1905. Mr. Cyi)lu'r takes 
 a great interest in his family, his beautiful 
 home and his comnmnity. He is too busy 
 to dip deeply into polities, but his citizen- 
 ship is of the kind that obeys the laws and 
 lends infiuence to everything that prom- 
 ises substantial benefits to the State in 
 which he has spent his entii-f' life. 
 
 JOHN ORR is engaged in general 
 farming and has a fine estate of eighty-five 
 acres, located in Mercer Township, Butler 
 County, Penna. He was born on the farm 
 now (iwned liy his brother, William Orr, in 
 Mercer Townshi]), January 19, 1848, and 
 is a sou of John and Ellen ^Margaret 
 (Watt) Orr. 
 
 John Orr, father of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in County Down, Ire- 
 land, and w^as a mere lad when his father 
 died. His mother was subsecpiently re- 
 married and moved to America, finally 
 locating at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where 
 she passed away. John Orr followed his 
 mother to the United States when he was 
 about twenty-one years of age, and he too 
 took up his residence in Pittsburg. He 
 worked in the stone quarry there for about 
 fourteen years, making fuses. Shortly 
 after his marriage he moved to Butler 
 County, in 1840, and purchased a farm in 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 743 
 
 Mereev Towiisliij). There he aud his wife 
 passed the remainder of their lives, he 
 dying in January, 1884, at the age of 
 eighty-nine years, and she in 1899, at the 
 age of eighty-five years. Mrs. Orr also 
 was a native of Ireland. They became pa- 
 rents of the following children: James 
 W., deceased; Nancy, wife of, George 
 Jlicks; John; Charles; Perry; and 
 William. 
 
 .lolin On- was i-eared on the home farm, 
 which he aided in clearing, and lived with 
 his parents until he reached his majority. 
 He then spent many years in the oil coun- 
 try, and in 1874 purchased his present 
 farm of the James (t. Harrigan estate. He 
 follows general farming, and in addition 
 is agent for the Worth Mutual Fire In- 
 surance Company. He has served in that 
 capacity since 1893, and is also one of the 
 directors of the company, in which he is 
 financially interested. 
 
 Mr. Orr was married May 17, 1871, to 
 ]\liss Deborah Jane Braham, a daughter of 
 W. P. Braham, and the following aie the 
 issue of their union : Clarence, who married 
 Edith Hamilton, by whom he had the fol- 
 lowing children — Ila May, Anna Hamilton 
 and Ethel; William B., who married Grace 
 B. Laml) and is the father of the following 
 — (ilen B""., Garth, John P. (deceased), 
 Charles R. and Virgil K. ; Perry, who mar- 
 ried Alice Moon and has two children — 
 Raymond S. and John Stewart; and Nettie 
 May, at home. Mr. Orr is a Republican in 
 politics, and served as constable nine years, 
 as overseer of the poor, assessor, super- 
 visor and in other township offices. Re- 
 ligiously, he and his family are members 
 of the Presbyterian Churcli. 
 
 F. W. LEIDECKER, a representative 
 citizen, largely identified with the business 
 interests of Butler, an experienced manu- 
 facturer and oil producer, was born in 
 1849, in the city of New York. When aged 
 four years, Mr. Leidecker was taken bv 
 
 his parents to L'lster ("ounty. New York, 
 where he was educated in the ])ublic schools 
 and remained until May 10, 1865, when he 
 came to investigate into industrial condi- 
 tions in the oil fields. He had but little 
 capital at that time, and after locating in 
 Titusville, he went to work in the adjacent 
 oil district, moving later to Pleasantville, 
 and for several years was employed as a 
 driller and tool dresser. He also handled 
 junk and second-hand tools, for a time, 
 near Oil City, gradually investing in the 
 oil coimtry and for a number of years has 
 been an oil producer both in the Pennsyl- 
 vania and Virginia oil fields. At the pres- 
 ent date of writing (1908), he is operating 
 in the Brush Creek fields, near Duff City, 
 pumping eight wells and having thirty in 
 operation at different points. He is finan- 
 cially interested in several prospering oil 
 companies and aside from this couunodity, 
 be has other business connections. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Leidecker was married to 
 Miss Margaret H. AVilson, who is a native 
 of England, and they have six surviving 
 ihildren, namelv: Frederica W., who is 
 the wife of A." C. Richards, of Butler; 
 Robert W., who is an oil operator in the 
 Brush Creek fields; and Josephine May, 
 Grace Maud, lona M., and Nevin C, all 
 residing at home. Mr. Leidecker was 
 reared a Lutheran but his family belong 
 to the Episcopal Church. He is a mem- 
 ber of the fraternal order of the Royal 
 i\rcanum. 
 
 (i^BORGE BALDIN is proprietor of a 
 lilacksmith and general repair shop at 
 Bruin, Pennsylvania, where he has suc- 
 cessfully engaged in business since the 
 spi'ing of 1897. He is widely known and 
 conamands the patronage of many of the 
 leading citizens throughout this section of 
 the county, with whom he is very popular. 
 He was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1874, and 
 is a son of Herman and Amelia (Wine- 
 
744 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 hart) Baldiii. His parents were both born 
 in Germany and now reside at Boyer's 
 Post Office, in Butler County. 
 
 George Baldin was five years of age 
 wlien his parents moved from Brady's 
 Bend to IMiirriusville, Butler County, and 
 was but little older when they moved to 
 Annaudale, Butler County. There he grew 
 to manhood and attended the public 
 schools; he later attended West Sunbury 
 Academy for a time, and also the Pennsyl- 
 vania State Normal School at Slippery 
 Rock. He learned blacksmithing under his 
 father, and was but fourteen years of 
 age when he began shoeini; lioises. He 
 mastered his trade most thnidughly, and 
 it is the character of his work which en- 
 abled him to build up the large business 
 he now conducts. He is a man of good 
 education, intelligent and public spirited, 
 and every worthy measure for the benefit 
 of the community finds in him an earnest 
 and active supporter. 
 
 September 15, 1896, Mr. Baldin was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Kep- 
 ler, a daughter of the late George Kepler 
 of Parker Township, Butler County, and 
 they have been the parents of three chil- 
 dren: Charlotte, who is now deceased; 
 Pauline, and Isadore. Politically Mr. Bal- 
 din is an unswerving Republican. 
 
 HENRY WAGNER, engineer for the 
 Standard Plate Glass Company, at Mar- 
 wood, is one of the town's active citizens. 
 Mr. AVagner was born in Jefferson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, June 
 15. 1861, and is a son of John and Barbara 
 (Sachleins) Wagner. The parents of Mr. 
 Wagner moved to Penn Township, from 
 Jefferson, when he was three years old 
 and there reared their ten children, the 
 survivors all residing and following dif- 
 ferent pursuits in Butler County. Those 
 living are Minnie, Kate, Henry, Christo- 
 pher, and Julia. Those deceased were 
 named, respectively, George, John, Sam- 
 uel, Anna, and James. 
 
 Henry Wagner attended school in both 
 Penn and Middlesex Townships, and in 
 early manhood entered into training which 
 prepared him for positions like the one 
 he has held with the Standard Plate Glass 
 Company for the past ten years. 
 
 On November 21, 1897, Mr. Wagner was 
 married to Mrs. Sadie (Gravatt) Barton, 
 who is a daughter of Capt. Daniel and 
 Martha (Girth) Gravatt, the former of 
 whom served iii the heavy artillery from 
 Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Mrs. 
 Barton had two children; Mabel Tressa, 
 an accomplished young lady living at 
 home; and Henry Willard, who is a stu- 
 dent in the Cabot Academy. Mr. Wag- 
 ner's first wife died December 3, 1899, and 
 on April 17, 1902, he married Susan Mor- 
 rison. Mr. Wagner and family occupy a 
 very attractive residence which is situated 
 near the center of the town. He is a mem- 
 ber of the order of Woodmen. He belongs 
 to the Reformed Church and takes an 
 active part in its affairs. 
 
 SAMUEL SCHAFFNER, SR., one of 
 Butler Township's well known and highly 
 esteemed citizens, was born in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1833, 
 and is a son of Jacob and Mary Aim 
 (Martin) Schaffner. 
 
 The father of Mr. Schaffner was born 
 in 1806, in Wissenberg, Germany, and 
 was a son of Nicholas Schaffner. Jacob 
 Sclinffnor was accompanied to America in 
 is;;i ]}\ his wife and their three-year-old 
 ilauglilei-. and he settled in that part of 
 Butler Township, Butler County, which 
 has been absorbed by the borough of But- 
 ler. Later he bought forty acres of laud, 
 adjoining the present farm of his son 
 Samuel, and in the depth of the forest he 
 l)uilt his log cabin. At a later period he 
 rented a farm in Slippery Rock Township, 
 on which he lived for five years and then 
 returned to Butler and went into the coal 
 business. He rented a coal bank that ad- 
 joined his farm and paid a royaltj' until 
 
SAMUEL SCHAFFXER, SR. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 747 
 
 he reached the vein of coal that extended 
 through his own land. He continued to 
 mine his coal very profitably and he also 
 cultivated his forty acres. He was a man 
 of more than ordinary capacity and be- 
 came one of the township's most useful 
 citizens. When he came to America he 
 became an American and informed himself 
 on public matters, voting first, intelli- 
 gently, with the Whigs and later with the 
 Republicans. He served in township 
 offices and at one time was delegated to 
 take the census of three townships. He 
 lived to the age of seventy-one years. He 
 married a most estimable woman, who was 
 born and reared in his own neighborhood. 
 They both were long active members of 
 St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. They 
 had five children, namely: Frances, who 
 became Sister Mary Crescintia, in a con- 
 vent at St. Louis, Missouri; Samuel; 
 Maria, who became the wife of Frank 
 Koch, of Butler Township ; George, a resi- 
 dent of Springdale, and John, residing at 
 Butler. 
 
 Samuel Schaffner passed through his 
 boyhood years with many responsibilities 
 resting on his shoulders. He was the 
 eldest son and became his father's main 
 helper. Three months during the winter 
 he tried to be punctual at school, but there 
 are many duties for a boy to perform, on 
 a pioneer farm, during the seasons of cold 
 and storm, not the least of these being the 
 preparing of the firewood, and frequently 
 the school attendance period was short- 
 ened thereby. As he grew older he drove 
 a team for his father, delivering coal and 
 continued to work at home until his mar- 
 riage, when he went into the coal business 
 for himself, working in his father's coal 
 bank. He continued in the coal business, 
 more or less continuously until 1888, a 
 period of forty years. During this time 
 he had done a little farming, owning four 
 tracts aggregating 146 acres, and he also 
 drilled a number of oil wells on his place, 
 which became small producers. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Schaffner is a Repub- 
 lican. He has always been a most patri- 
 otic citizen. In 1864 he enlisted in Com- 
 pany D, Sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania 
 Heavy Artillery, ancl served in the defense 
 of Washington. Early in 1862, when Geu- 
 ej'al Lee threatened to invade Pennsyl- 
 vania, he went out in the State militia 
 with the rank of fourth sergeant of Com- 
 pany U, Fourteenth Pennsylvania Infan- 
 try. He is a member of the Grand Army 
 of the Republic post at Butler. 
 
 On June 26, 1858, Mr. Schaffner was 
 married to Josephine IIinchl)('r,i;cr. wlio 
 was a daughter of Anthony IIiiiclilicri;ci', 
 a pioneer of Butler Township. Mrs. 
 Schaffner died February 2, 1893. She 
 was a good Christian woman, a devoted 
 member and regular attendant of St. 
 Paul's Roman Catholic Church. Of the 
 ten children born of this marriage eight 
 reached maturity, namely: Josejihine, 
 George A., Jacob F., Christopher, Sam- 
 uel Jr., Frank 0., Edward and Herlievt. 
 Josephine, who married Joseph WuUer, 
 resides with her father and husband on 
 the home farm. She has four children 
 — Margie, Josephine, Alma, and Leo. 
 George A., who lives in Butler, has three 
 children — Josephine, Marie, and Jacoli. 
 Jacob F. and Christopher live in A^irginia; 
 Christopher has four children — Christo- 
 pher, Walter, Ruth, and Harold. Samuel 
 Schaffner, Jr., who is a resident of Butler, 
 has five children — Samuel, Eugene, Laura, 
 Gladys, and Bernard. Frank 0., who is a 
 resident of Virginia, as also is Herbert, 
 has two children — Lawrence and Mar- 
 garet. Edward, now a resident of Butler 
 Township, has one child — Edward. Mr. 
 Schaffner attends St. Paul's Catholic 
 Church. At various times during his long- 
 life he has been elected to township offices, 
 although he has never been a politician in 
 the general acceptance of the term. He 
 has served as a justice of the peace for 
 five years. 
 
J4H 
 
 mSTOK'V OF BrTLP]K COUNTY 
 
 CVKrs H. liLAXEY, who in partnev- 
 slii]) with his brother, W. E. Blaney, imder 
 the linn name of Bhxney Brothers, is en- 
 gaged in oil operations, is a well known 
 I'esident of Oakland Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and makes his home 
 at "The Woodbine." Blaney Brothers 
 are ownei's of four oil wells located on 
 leased land in Oakland Township, and 
 have been operating in this vicinity for six 
 years. 
 
 Cyrns K. Blane>- was born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 13, 1865, 
 and is a son of Hugh and Susan (Eber- 
 hart) Blaney. His father was a farmer in 
 early life, and then turned his attention to 
 the oil business. He is now deceased and 
 is survived by his widow. 
 
 Cyrus E. Blaney has been in the oil busi- 
 ness pi'actically throughout his business 
 career. He moved from Armstrong to 
 Butler County in 1876 or 1877, and con- 
 tinued here until 1893, in which year he 
 removed to AVashington County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. He lived there and in Allegheny 
 County for ten years, then in 1902 re- 
 turned to Butler C'ounty and located in 
 Oakland Townshi]). His brothei- is a resi- 
 dent of Pittsburg. They have met with a 
 high degree of success in their business, 
 and are progressive and ]iubli<--spirite(l 
 men. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was united in 
 niariiage \\ith Aliss Ann Al. flyers, who 
 was born and reared in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, but was a resich^nt of P)Utler 
 County at the time of her marriage. She 
 is a'daughter of Samuel Alyers. Six chil 
 dren wei-e the offspring of this union, of 
 whom live are living: Pay, wife of Paul \l. 
 Oswald, (if P.ntler. bv whom she has a son. 
 Kobert Cvrus: Margaret E. ; Edith ^I.: 
 Edna; and Alai'v Alice. A son named 
 Cvrus E., .Ir., died at the age of eight 
 months, Fi-aternally, ^.Ir. Blaney is a 
 member of the ]\Iasonic lodge, belonging to 
 the Blue Lodge, Chapter and (\»mmand- 
 
 ery ; he also is a niemlier of the Knights of 
 the -Maccabees. 
 
 .1. W. HrFEMAN, an enterprising and 
 profjperous business man of Butler, who is 
 engaged in contracting and in manufactur- 
 ing concrete blocks, has been established in 
 Ibis city for some years, but his birth took 
 plai'c in the neighboring State of Ohio, in 
 the town of Grand Rapids, November 13, 
 ]869. 
 
 His schooldays were scarcely concluded 
 before Mr. Huffman began to be self- 
 sup})orting, becoming an employe of the 
 firm of Loomis & Marble, implement deal- 
 ers at Bowling Ureen, with whom he re- 
 mained for three years, and then became 
 traveling salesman for the Williams Man- 
 ufacturing Company, of Kalamazoo, Michi- 
 gan. During the seven years that he con- 
 tinued with this concern, lie traveled over 
 a large portion of the United States, his 
 tei-ritory extending from Maine to Wash- 
 ington on the Pacific coast. Mr. Huffman 
 then embarked in business for himself, or- 
 ganizing a i)lant at Pleasant Bend, Ohio, 
 foi- the manufacture of brick and drain 
 tile, which lie continued there for three 
 \('nis and then trans])orted it to Mauvilla, 
 Alabama, where he conducted it for two 
 yeais. ^Ir. Huffman went then to Nash- 
 ville, Tennessee, where he remained for 
 three years "with the Pintsch Compressing 
 Company, after which he returned to 
 Grand Rapids, Ohio, having become inter- 
 ested in the manufacturing of concrete 
 blocks, a business he carried on there until 
 be came to Butler and established his ])res- 
 ent ])lant. So great an interest has ])een 
 awakened in the use of concrete blocks-, in 
 late years, that there can be no cjuestion 
 about the continued success of a manufac- 
 turing ent('ri»rise of this kind. The time 
 is not far dist;int when concrete will form 
 the composition of our houses and public 
 buildings, thereby, in large measure, pre- 
 venting the loss of life and property: by 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 ■49 
 
 fire. Mr. lluffmau is working to the 
 cajjacity of his plant at the present time. 
 In 1892 Mr. Huffman was married to Miss 
 jMartha Dillinger, of ]\Iaconib, Ohio, and 
 they have three cliihlren : Amelia, Oirin 
 and Florence. 
 
 JAMES MEEK, general iiUMvliant at 
 Bonus, in Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., has been engaged in that 
 Inisiness since 1897 and has a well estab- 
 lished patronage. In addition he gives 
 much of his attention to farming, having 
 two farms in Allegheny Township, consti- 
 tuting 14-1 acres in all. 
 
 Mr. Meek was liorn in Edinburgh, Scot- 
 land, June II, 1841, and is a son of James 
 and Nellie (Brown) Meek, both natives of 
 Scotland. He was nine years of age when 
 he began working at the coal mines, and 
 continued at that line of work in Scotland 
 and England until 18G9, in which year he 
 emigrated to America. He located in [Mer- 
 cer C'ounty, Pennsylvania, and mined coal 
 several years, then came to Butler County. 
 He operated a coal l)ank in Parker Town- 
 shi]5 for some time, and about the year 
 187.1 or 1876 took up his residence in Allc- 
 uhfiiy Township. Of late years he has 
 devoted his energies mainly to agriculture 
 and the mercantile business, although lie 
 has met with some success as an oil pro- 
 ducer. He was postmaster at Bonus for 
 several years, continuing until the office 
 was abolished. He is ])ossessed of supe- 
 rior nmsical talent and for many years has 
 given instructions in band anusie; he was 
 leader of bands in Mercer and Butler 
 Counties in years past, and has an estab- 
 lished reputation. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Meek was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Tate, a native of 
 Scotland, and the following were the chil- 
 dren liorn to them : Liliie, wife of Lincoln 
 Pliillii)s of Allegheny Township; James, 
 who lives in Indiana : Nellie, who also lives 
 in Indiana; .lanet, wife of Taylor Ankers 
 of Indiana; A\'illiam. wlio is in ()liio; 
 
 .Mary J. of Pittsburg; Caroline, wife of 
 Thomas Slater; Maggie, who is a resident 
 of Illinois; Robert of Allegheny Town- 
 shiii; Ritchie; and Emma and Minnie, 
 twins. The subject of this sketch is Re- 
 ])ublican in i^olitics, but is inclined to be 
 independent, voting for the man best fitted 
 for the office. He is efficiently serving the 
 township as a member of the School Board. 
 Fraternally he is a member of the Inde- 
 jiendent Order of Odd Fellows. He and 
 his wife are consistent members of the 
 Christian church. He is a man of wide 
 ac([uaintance through his section of the 
 country, and enjoys the good will and high 
 esteem of his fellow citizens. 
 
 JOHN GREENERT, an experienced and 
 successful farmer of Winfield Township, 
 resides on his fine farm of fifty acres, 
 which is situated on the Denny mill road, 
 about three miles from Cabot. He is a son 
 of Henry and Kate (Gruust) Greenert. 
 The father of Mr. Greenert came to Amer- 
 ica when a small boy, with his father, who 
 settled in Winfield Townshijv and cleared 
 up the farm on which John Greenert now 
 resides. 
 
 .lohn (jreenert attended the schools of 
 Winfield Township and has followed farm- 
 ing as an occupation ever since early man- 
 hood. He has an excellent tract of land 
 and gives it the careful attention which 
 causes it to produce abundantly. His main 
 crops are wheat, hay, oats and corn. jMr. 
 Greenert married Annie Kromfuf , who is a 
 daughter of August and Laura (Link) 
 Kromfuf, and they had nine children — 
 Fred, Milton, Gilmore, Amelia, John, 
 Laura, Kate, Clifford and Ellen — five of 
 whom are living. Mr. Greenert and wife 
 lielong to the Lutheran Church and are 
 good Christian peo]i!e. He takes some in- 
 terest in local ]iolitics and has served the 
 township as roadmaster. 
 
 DANIEL VorXKIXS. oil operator and 
 one of Butler's leading citizens, was Imrn 
 
750 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 June 27, 185-t, sou of William and Sarah 
 Younkius. He received a good education 
 in the common schools of his district and at 
 at Slate Lick, Armstrong County, Penua., 
 AVorthington Academy, and until 1876 was 
 engaged in farming on the homestead. In 
 that year he came to the oil country and 
 engaged in drilling and contracting at Pe- 
 trol ia and later was interested in the busi- 
 ness at Fairview. He followed the excite- 
 ment to Bradford in 1878, and still later 
 successively in McKean, Forest, Warren, 
 Butler, and Allegheny Counties, locating 
 permanently in Butler in 1884 and engag- 
 ing in oi^erations in the Thorn Creek field, 
 Butler County. Since then he has been 
 contracting and operating in the fields of 
 Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. He has 
 also invested in property and engaged in 
 business enterprises in Butler, besides 
 continuing his oil interests. Since taking 
 up his residence here Mr. Younkins has 
 taken an active part in the development 
 of the town, being concerned, as partly in- 
 timated above, in a number of its manu- 
 facturing industries and financial institu- 
 tions. He is a director in the Fanners' 
 National Bank, of which his brother, John 
 Younkins, is president; is also a director 
 in the Guaranty Safe Dejosit & Trust Com- 
 pany; chairman of the board of directors 
 of the Evans Manufacturing Company, 
 Limited; president of the Craigsville 
 Woolen Manufacturing Company, and a 
 member of the firm of Younkins Brothers, 
 and of the East End Hose Company, of 
 which latter he is treasurer. The manner 
 in which he discharges the various obliga- 
 tions which devolve upon him is proof that 
 he is a man of more than ordinary business 
 capacity. 
 
 Mr. Younkins is a Democrat in politics 
 and has been three times elected a mem- 
 ber of the town council from the Fourth 
 Ward, of which he is a resident; and dur- 
 ing his services as councilman he was twice 
 honored by being chosen chairman of that 
 bodv. 
 
 Mr. Younkins was married, September 
 10, 1884, to Miss Eva E. Minteer, daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Minteer, of Craigsville, 
 Armstrong County, Penna. Seven chil- 
 dren, have been born into their household, 
 namely: Sarah Josephine, Mabel V., 
 William M., Victor D., Florence E., Delma 
 E. and James Kenneth. The family are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church and Mr. Younkins is liberal in sup- 
 port of its various benevolent enterprises, 
 as he is also generous to many more ob- 
 scure charities. His family join him in the 
 social and benevolent work of the church. 
 Mr. Younkins' fraternal connections in- 
 clude membership in the Woodmen of the 
 World, the Odd Fellows, and the Knights 
 of Malta. 
 
 LESTER G. STOUGHTON, who is in 
 partnership with his father under tlie firm 
 name of O. W. Stoughton and Son, is ex- 
 tensively engaged in farming and dairying 
 in Center Township. They own a valuable 
 and well-improved farm of 150 acres, keep 
 an average of fifty-six head of cattle, and 
 wholesale the milk. 0. W. Stoughton, 
 senior member of this firm, is superin- 
 tendent of the Butler County Home. 
 
 Lester G. Stoughton was born in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1878, 
 and is a son of 0. W. and Permelia A. 
 (Garvin) Stoughton. He was reared on 
 the farm and has always followed farming 
 and dairying. He received his education 
 at the academy at Prospect, Penna. ; took 
 a short course in dairying at State Col- 
 lege, Center County, Penna, and a course 
 in agriculture at State College, Center 
 County, Penna., and he follows farming 
 along scientific lines. He is a member of 
 the U. P. Church at Holyukc. Pennsyl- 
 vania. Mr. Stoughton married Miss Anna 
 Walters of Evans City, and tliey ha\e lour 
 children: Frank, Agnes, Paul, and Irene. 
 Mr. Stoughton is a young man of recog- 
 nized business al)ility and occupies a high 
 place in the esteem of his fellow citizens. 
 
MR. AND MRS. JAMES M. KNOX AND CHILD 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 753 
 
 JAMES M. KNOX, representative of 
 one of the oldest pioneer families of 
 Parker Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 resides on a farm of 100 acres, which was 
 settled by his great-grandfather, George 
 Knox, upon his arrival in this country. 
 The latter was a Scotch-Irishman and was 
 the first of the family to settle in Butler 
 County. James M. Knox was born in 
 Perry Township, Armstrong County, 
 Penna., December 20, 1856, and is a son 
 of George and Jane (Steele) Knox, and 
 a grandson of James Knox, who was born 
 in Perry Township, Armstrong County. 
 
 George Fnox, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Parker Township, 
 Butler Coilnty, and for many years re- 
 sided on the farm now owned by James M. 
 Knox. He was one of the prosperous and 
 substantial men of his day, and took a pro- 
 gressive part in the development of the 
 community. He was a Republican in poli- 
 tics and served some years as a school 
 director. His wife, in maiden life Miss 
 Jane Steele, was born in Perry Township, 
 Armstrong County, Penna., and was a 
 daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Story) 
 Steele, a granddaughter of Samuel Steele, 
 and a great-granddaughter of John Steele, 
 who was killed in a battle with the In- 
 dians, the engagement being luiown in his- 
 tory as the battle of Hannahstown. The 
 widow of Jolm Steele survived him long, 
 living to the remarkable age of 104 years, 
 and was buried near Karns City in Butler 
 County. Samuel Steele, Sr., son of John, 
 was of Scotch-Irish parentage and was a 
 boy of seven years when he accompanied 
 his parents from Ireland to America. 
 With other emigrants they lived for a 
 period of ten years in the block house at 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 George and Jane (Steele) Knox became 
 parents of six children, as follows : James 
 M. ; Jennie E., wife of James E. Sammel, 
 of Pittsburg; Nancy, wife of Edgar Say 
 of Bruin, Butler County; Mary A. May, 
 the wife of George Say, also of Bruin; 
 
 Abraham L. of Parker Township; and 
 Elda J., deceased. Religiously, the par- 
 ents of this family were Presbyterians. 
 
 James M. Knox was about seven years 
 of age when his parents moved to Parker 
 Township, and here he grew to man's 
 estate, receiving a good education in the 
 public schools. Prom youth up to the 
 present time he has followed farming, and 
 in connection_has been identified with the 
 oil industry. For more than twenty years 
 he has been an oil producer, finding it a 
 very remunerative field of labor. He 
 owns, in addition to the home farm of 100 
 acres in Parker Township, some 140 acres 
 in Perry Township, Armstrong County, 
 much of it timberland, and a farm of forty- 
 six acres in Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County. He is a man of exceptional 
 capacity for business, and his every trans- 
 action has been characterized by foresight 
 and good management. 
 
 June 26, 1903, Mr. Knox was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Mary Barto, a daugh- 
 ter of the late Daniel Barto of Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they have one 
 son, George, born April 8, 1904. He is a 
 Republican in politics, and has taken a 
 deep interest in all matters pertaining to 
 the welfare and development of the county. 
 
 WILLIAM C. HUTZLER, who fills the 
 important position of field superintendent 
 for the Standard Plate Glass Company, in 
 Butler County, is an example of the true 
 self made man. His birth took place on 
 July 13, 1865, on the Denny farm, about 
 three miles northeast of Marwood, Penn- 
 sylvania, and he is a son of- John and Mar- 
 garet (Weaver) Hutzler. The father of 
 Mr. Hutzler followed farming as an occu- 
 pation. He married Margaret Weaver 
 and they became the parents of the follow- 
 ing named children: James F., William 
 C, John, Ellen, Peter, Charles, Margaret, 
 Mary, Sarah and Alice. James F. Hutzler 
 of this family is cashier of the Farmers' 
 National Bank at Butler. 
 
754 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 William C. Hutzler attended no other 
 school than the Denny School in the neigh- 
 borhood of the farm on which he was born. 
 At a very early age he went to work and 
 his industry has never ceased. His first 
 real labor was ditch digging and from that 
 humble position, through sheer persever- 
 ance and native energy, in the space of ten 
 years he had been advanced and given his 
 present position, which he has held for the 
 past three years. In an unusual degree he 
 enjoys the esteem and confidence of his 
 employers. 
 
 On June 7, 1894, Mr. Hutzler was mar- 
 ried to Agues Cypher, who is a daughter 
 of Martin and Eva (Bleiclmer) Cypher, 
 and they have six children — Ralph James, 
 Pearl Agnes, John Martin, Harry Austin, 
 Helen Marie, and Walter Joseph. The 
 family home is located on Main Street, 
 Marwood. With his wife and children, 
 Mr. Hutzler belongs to the Roman Catholic 
 Church, and to the congregation of St. Jo- 
 seph's at Cabot. He takes a good citizen's 
 interest in politics and has served as a 
 member of the township election board. 
 
 JOSEPH KUTSCH, general contractor 
 in plaster, cement and tile work, has been 
 a resident of Butler for only four years, 
 but in that time has done a large amount of 
 business and has established himself as a 
 capable and reliable man in his line of 
 work. He was born in 1879, in Germany. 
 
 Mr. Kutsch attended the excellent Ger- 
 man schools and in his own land served his 
 apprenticeship to his trade. In 1903 he 
 came to America and settled first at Fort 
 City, near Kittanning, Pennsylvania, but 
 shortly afterward came to Butler, and his 
 first work, which was in the construction 
 of the uew Methodist Church, gave him 
 standing in trade circles and he has main- 
 tained the same excellence in all his sub- 
 sequent contracts. He lias proven himself 
 a very enterprising citizen and has done 
 much toward improving the western part 
 of Butler. He has recently completed his 
 
 own private residence at No. 522 MifiBin 
 Street, which is of cement construction 
 and of North German architecture. 
 
 Mr. Kutsch was married in 1903, before 
 leaving Germany, to Miss Mary Josephine 
 Gilliam, and they have one child, Freder- 
 ick Joseph, born December 4, 1905. They 
 are members of the German Roman Catho- 
 lic Church. He belongs to the order of 
 the Knights of St. George, in which 
 he is serving at Butler as secretary and 
 treasurer. 
 
 MARSHALL NEY HALLACK, who 
 has been engaged in the oil fields of Alle- 
 gheny Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, since 1876, and is now in the employ 
 of the South Penn Company, is well known 
 to the citizens of the community. He is a 
 veteran of the Civil War, in which he 
 served creditably for three and a half 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Hallack was born near Elmira, New 
 York, April 3, 1844, and is a son of Caleb 
 and Lurana (Stoll) Hallack, his father a 
 native of Connecticut, and his mother of 
 New Jersey. He was about sis years of 
 age when brought by his parents to Troy, 
 Pennsylvania, and after a time moved with 
 them to Cuba, Allegheny County, N. Y., 
 where he grew to maturity and obtained a 
 good common school education. He en- 
 listed at Elmira, New York, as a member 
 of Company D, Thirteenth Regiment, New 
 York Heavy Artillery, and subsequently 
 was detailed to the musical department of 
 that regiment. He continued to serve as 
 a musician during the remainder of the 
 war, and a part of the time was with the 
 headquarters band at Norfolk, Virginia. 
 During his service he was in the Army of 
 the Potomac, and later with the Army of 
 the James. He was honorably discharged 
 in August, 1865, after three and a half 
 years of service, and then returned to 
 Cuba, New York, where he remained until 
 he came to Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1876. He located in Allegheny Town- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 755 
 
 ship, and since that date has been prac- 
 tically in the employ of the Standard Oil 
 Company, with which the South Penn 
 Company is affiliated. 
 
 Mr. Hallack was joined in marriage with 
 Miss Ellen J. Mooney, who was born in 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and is a 
 daughter of the late Adam Mooney of that 
 county. The following are the issue of 
 this union: Harvey 0. of Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler County ; Thomas G. of Salem, 
 West Virginia ; Minnie F. of Bruin, But- 
 ler Coimty; Luella M., wife of R. A. Kelly 
 of East McKeesport, Pennsylvania; and 
 Edward C. of Allegheny Township. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Hallack is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church at Foxburg, 
 and is at present serving as class leader. 
 He is superintendent of the Allegheny 
 Cemetery in Alleghenj^ Township. He is 
 a Republican in politics; and formerly he 
 belonged to the Gr. A. R. Post at Parker's 
 Landing. He is endowed with finest at- 
 tributes of manhood, and well merits the 
 high esteem in which he is held by his 
 fellow men. 
 
 JOSEPH WEAVER PATTERSON, of 
 Cabot, Butler County, Pennsylvania, has 
 been a mail carrier for the past seven 
 years, and is also the owner of a valuable 
 farm of 134 acres in Jefferson Township, 
 located near the Shilo oil field. He was 
 born in Freeport, Armstrong County, 
 March 1.3, 1858, and is a son of Samuel 
 and Barbara (Weaver) Patterson, and a 
 grandson of James and Mary (Murphy) 
 Patterson. 
 
 James Patterson and his wife were 
 natives of County Down, Ireland, and 
 some time after marriage emigrated to 
 America, becoming early settlers in Arm- 
 strong County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Sanniel Patterson was born in Arm- 
 strong County and settled on a farm when 
 he was seventeen years old. He always 
 followed that occupation and became one 
 of the substantial men of Jefferson Town- 
 
 ship, Butler County, where he was the 
 owner of the farm now owned by his son, 
 Joseph W. He and his wife became the 
 parents of three children — James L., Mary 
 Jane, and Joseph W. 
 
 Joseph W. Patterson received his educa- 
 tional training in the common schools of 
 Jefferson Township, and at Witherspoon 
 Institute, at Butler. He turned his atten- 
 tion to farming, after leaving school, and 
 continued without interruption until he 
 received appointment as mail carrier. He 
 is a man of superior business ability, a 
 hard worker and a good manager. He is 
 enterprising and public-spirited, and is 
 highly respected by his fellow men wher- 
 ever known. 
 
 September 13, 1883, Mr. Patterson was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna M. 
 Wright, a daughter of James and Eliza 
 Wright, who were formerly residents of 
 Butler County, but are now both deceased. 
 Five children were born to bless this 
 union : Carl R., who married Mabel Max- 
 well and has a daughter, Winnifred; 
 Lyda F., Agnes, Edith Lenora, and Anna 
 Margaret. Religiously, they are members 
 of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Patter- 
 son has served as school director and 
 county auditor, proving a most efficient 
 officer. 
 
 JAMES I. CAMPBELL, one of But- 
 ler's leading citizens, treasurer of the 
 Butler Wood-Fiber Plaster Company and 
 also interested in oil production and farm- 
 ing, was born in Concord Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, November 2, 
 1851. 
 
 Tlie late John A. Campbell, father of 
 James I., was born also in Butler County, 
 the family being a pioneer one of this sec- 
 tion. John A. Campbell led an agricul- 
 tural life and on many occasions was 
 elected to township offices. He married 
 Mary Milford and had nine children — 
 Mrs. Jane Kighner, Thomas M., Lee Ann 
 (Campbell), Amelia, deceased; John F. 
 
756 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 died in Civil War; Sophie (McClure), 
 William H., James I., and Mary Nancy 
 (Campbell), deceased. 
 
 James I. Campbell was reared on the 
 home farm and continued to be actively 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
 1902, and for a number of years has been 
 an oil producer, having seventeen wells on 
 his own land and others on other property. 
 He has other interests, being treasurer 
 for the Wood-Fiber Company of Butler, 
 owns stock in other enterprises and is con- 
 cerned in real estate operations, particu- 
 larly in connection with the East Oakland 
 Land Company. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Campbell was married to 
 Miss Sarah C. Whitmire, a daughter of 
 Peter Whitmire, of Butler County. She 
 died July 23, 1903, the mother of four sons 
 and two daughters, namely: Harry W. 
 and Charles P., both of Butler County; 
 Orrin C, a graduate of the Philadelphia 
 Medical College, who *is engaged in prac- 
 tice in Armstrong County; John B., who 
 operates the home farm; Margaret, who 
 is the wife of Clarence V. Blair, of Butler ; 
 and Myrtle P., who resides at home. Mr. 
 Campbell is a member of the Second Pres- 
 byterian Church. In 1905 he was married 
 (second) to Miss Olive C. Cleeland, who is 
 a daughter of William Cleeland. Mr. 
 Campbell has been a resident of Butler 
 since 1903. 
 
 JAMES S. WILSON, who is widely 
 known throughout Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a veteran of the Civil War and 
 formerly was treasurer of the county, dis- 
 charging the duties of that oflfice during the 
 years 1891, 1892 and 1893. He at the pres- 
 ent time is serving as burgess of the bor- 
 ough of Slippery Rock. He was born in 
 the borough of Butler, July 31, 1841, and 
 is a son of Samuel S. and Ellen (Frazier) 
 Wilson. 
 
 Samuel S. Wilson in his early days was 
 a woolen worker, and later took up the 
 trade of a carpenter which he followed 
 
 many years. He died when the subject of 
 this sketch was a small boy. 
 
 James S. Wilson was reared in Butler 
 and attended the borough schools, but his 
 schooling was very limited. After the de- 
 mise of his father, he went to work on a 
 farm in Connoquenessing Township, and 
 later worked at what was known as Hick- 
 ory Mill, now the Kiester Mills. After 
 continuing there a short time he moved to 
 Slippery Rock where he clerked in the 
 store of E. Kingsbury. September 16, 
 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Seventy- 
 eighth Regiment, Pa. Vol. Inf., and on 
 October 12, 1861, was mustered in with 
 the Fourteenth Army Corps, Army of the 
 Cumberland. He served through the vari- 
 ous campaigns of the corps, from Louis- 
 ville to Atlanta, through Kentucky, Ten- 
 nessee, Georgia and Alabama. He never 
 received any bodily injury, but his clothes 
 were penetrated by bullets at different 
 times, and at Stone River he narrowly 
 escaped capture, which would have re- 
 sulted in his imprisomnent at Anderson- 
 ville. He was mustered out at Pittsburg, 
 October 12, 1864, after which he clerked in 
 a store in that city for four years. He 
 then returned to Slippery Rock where he 
 was married to the daughter of his former 
 employer, Mr. Kingsbury, after which they 
 moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he 
 was engaged as inspector of crude oil. In 
 1874, he returned to Slippery Rock and 
 embarked in the mercantile business with 
 his brother-in-law, C. 0. Kingsbury, under 
 the firm name of Kingsbury & Wilson, and 
 they continued with uninterrupted success 
 for eight years. At the present time, Mr. 
 Wilson is extensively engaged in the real 
 estate and loan business, and is a notary 
 public. He is an enthusiastic Republican 
 in politics, and frequently has been called 
 upon to serve in offices of public trust. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Wilson was imited in mar- 
 riage with Miss Harriet A. Kingsbury of 
 Slippery Rock, and they became parents 
 of the following children : Ellen M., widow 
 
WILLIAM P. DONALDSON 
 
 HARRY A. DONALDSON CLIFFORD C. DONALDSON 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 759 
 
 of James Patterson ; Ada M. ; Emma Ger- 
 trude ; James . Garfield, of the Braddock 
 Lmnber Company of Braddock, Pennsyl- 
 vania ; Clara Alice, wife of Dr. Milton 
 McClymonds, by whom she has a son, 
 Eobert Wilson; Euth Frazier, wife of 
 Samuel Biven of Sheridanville ; Harriet 
 A., a graduate of Slippery Eock State 
 Normal School; Bernice; and Harold 
 Chester. The two last named are students 
 at the Slippery Eock State Normal. Five 
 of the children of this family are in the 
 profession of teaching ; Ada M. and Emma 
 Gertrude are instructors in the Thurson 
 Preparatory School in Pittsburg, and Har- 
 riet A. teaches in Bridgeville, Allegheny 
 County. Eeligiously, the subject of this 
 sketch and his family are members of the 
 Presbyterian church, in which he has long 
 been an active worker. He is one of the 
 elders of that body. He also is a member 
 of the Grand Army of the Eepublic. 
 
 DONALDSON BROTHEES, general 
 merchants at Winfield Furnace, are lead- 
 ing citizens of Winfield Township. The 
 firm is made up of three brothers, Clif- 
 ford C, William P. and Harry A. Donald- 
 son, all of whom were born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, and are sons of 
 Perry and Agnes (Smith) Donaldson, who 
 are living retired in Armstrong County. 
 The paternal grandparents were Robert 
 and Mary (Campbell) Donaldson, who 
 were probably natives of Scotland. 
 
 The three brothers were reared together 
 and attended school in Armstrong County, 
 the younger brother also having enjoyed 
 academic training at Cabot Academy. 
 They were reared on the home farm and 
 prior to entering the general mercantile 
 business at Winfield, in 1903, when they 
 purchased the store of W. H. Cooper, they 
 followed agricultural pursuits. In poli- 
 tics they are Eepublicans and the eldest 
 brother, Clifford C, is postmaster at this 
 point. William P. pays particular atten- 
 tion to the grocery department and 
 
 Harry A. gives assistance wherever 
 needed. The brothers are very congenial 
 and their combined interests in every 
 direction present a pleasant picture of 
 fraternal confidence and affection. They 
 are all energetic, enterprising business 
 men and have so fully met all demands 
 that no other store has been opened in this 
 place since they have come into the field. 
 The brothers belong to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. Harry A. is at present 
 taking a business course in Butler, Penna. 
 
 JOHN J. MILFOED, who has been a 
 resident of Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., since 1845, has a fine farm 
 of 160 acres and is one of the most pro- 
 gressive and substantial men of the town- 
 ship. He was born in Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania, December 5, 1835, and is a 
 son of James and Susanna Milford, and 
 grandson of Thomas Milford, who was one 
 of the pioneer citizens of Venango County. 
 James Milford moved with his family to 
 Allegheny Township, Butler County, in 
 1845, and there lived until his death at the 
 age of seventy-five years. Of the children 
 born to him and his wife, the following 
 are survivors: John J., subject of this 
 sketch; George W., who lives in Nebraska; 
 Benjamin F. of Venango County, Pennsyl- 
 vania ; Eobert F. of Wyoming ; William H. 
 of ^Mercer County, Pennsylvania; and 
 Jane M., wife of E. H. Crawford of Alle- 
 gheny Township. 
 
 Joim J. Milford was about ten years of 
 age when his parents moved to Allegheny 
 Township, Butler Coimty, and here his 
 educational training was completed in the 
 public schools. He has engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits since his boyhood days, 
 and has accumulated a handsome prop- 
 erty. His farm of 160 acres is under a 
 high state of cultivation, and is one of the 
 best improved in the township. He is a 
 Republican in politics, and is treasurer of 
 the road fund in Allegheny Township. He 
 was formerly a member of the School 
 
760 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Board, and for three years was collector 
 of county fimds for the township. 
 
 Mr. Ivlilford was united in marriage with 
 Miss Samantha Wiles, a daughter of the 
 late Henry Wiles of Washington Town- 
 ship, Butler County. To them were born 
 nine children, of whom eight are now liv- 
 ing, namely : Thomas J. of Butler County ; 
 Charles, who lives in California; John D. 
 of Allegheny Township; Finley; Annie; 
 Mabel; OUie, wife of Forest Gordon of 
 Emlenton, Pennsylvania; and Blanche. 
 Religiously, the subject of this sketch is 
 an attendant at the Allegheny Presbyte- 
 rian church. He is well known through 
 the community and is most highly re- 
 garded. 
 
 JOHN TRAUTMAN, one of Butler's 
 substantial citizens, residing in his beauti- 
 ful home at No. 317 Jefferson Street, owns 
 a large body of valuable farming land and 
 is interested in oil production on his own 
 property. He was born in 1865, in Fair- 
 view Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a sou of Paul Trautman. 
 
 Mr. Trautman lived on the farm until he 
 was nine years old and then accompanied 
 the family in its removal to Buenavista, 
 where he continued to attend school and 
 remained until he was twenty-four years 
 of age. After some experience in the oil 
 fields, he went to Pittsburg where he was 
 employed for four years in the mercantile 
 house of Joseph Home, and after he came 
 to Butler, went with Julius Kauffman and 
 continued with him for seven years, fol- 
 lowing which he was with the firm of 
 A. Troutman & Sons, for two and one-half 
 years. In September, 1903, in association 
 with his brother, L. P. Trautman, he pur- 
 chased the old family homestead farm of 
 146 acres. He resides in the city of Butler 
 but occupies himself in looking after his 
 farm interests and the production of oil, 
 there being twelve wells on his land. 
 
 On June 8, 1905, Mr. Trautman was mar- 
 ried to Miss Clara Blanche Miller, who is 
 
 a daughter of Joseph S. Miller, a promi- 
 nent resident of Butler. They have one 
 son, Martin J. Mr. Trautman was reared 
 in the faith of the German Lutheran 
 Church. In 1889 he became identified with 
 the order of Odd B^ellows and lias taken 
 an active interest in the fraternity ever 
 since, and he belongs also to the Elks. 
 
 MARION E. BLAIR, a prominent citi- 
 zen and a member of the School Board of 
 Allegheny Township, of which he is a life- 
 long resident, owns a valuable farm of 
 175 acres, which he has under a fine state 
 of cultivation. He was born December 2, 
 1868, and is a son of James and Margaret 
 (Byers) Blair. 
 
 James Blair was born in Canada and 
 was a son of Robert Blair, who was of 
 Scotch-Irish extraction. When his son 
 James was six months old he came to But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, settling at Eau 
 Claire, where he developed a good farm. 
 There James Blair was reared and his life 
 was spent in Allegheny Township. He 
 was a man of sterling character and for 
 some forty years was identified with the 
 important movements in his section. He 
 was a strong supporter of the Democratic 
 party and on its ticket was frequently 
 elected to local office. He was a leading 
 member of the Lutheran Church. His 
 death took place in March, 1899, and in his 
 demise Allegheny Township lost an ad- 
 mirable type of man. He married Mar- 
 garet Byers, who was born in Armstrong 
 County. Pennsylvania, and she survived 
 her husband but one year. The following 
 children survive: Lavina Nancy, who is 
 tlie wife of Nelson Hilliard, resides in 
 Manistee County, Michigan; Margaret, 
 who is tl;e widow of Isaac H. Robb, of Mer- 
 cer County, Pennsylvania; Robert H., who 
 lives at Franklin, Pennsylvania; George 
 M., residing in Manistee County, Michi- 
 gan; John M., residing at North Hope, 
 Pennsylvania; Frank P., residing in Mer- 
 cer County, and Marion E., in Allegheny 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 761 
 
 Township, Butler County. Lavina Blair 
 married Mannas Hankey and lives at Oak 
 Ridge Station, Armstrong County, Penna. 
 
 Marion E. Blair was educated in the 
 schools of Allegheny Township and while 
 he has given much attention to agriculture, 
 he has been interested for the past eighteen 
 years in oil production and for a quarter 
 of a century he has been engaged in de- 
 veloping the fine coal vein on his own land. 
 His interests have been many and he has 
 lived the happy life of a busy man, but he 
 has always found time to attend to his du- 
 ties as a good citizen. In his church rela- 
 tions he is a member of the Allegheny 
 Presbyterian body, in which he is an elder 
 and has also served as a trustee and is one 
 of its liberal supporters. In politics, he 
 is somewhat independent but votes for the 
 candidates who, in his judgment, will most 
 faithfully carry out the laws of the land. 
 He is serving as a school director in 
 Allegheny Townshij^ and has ])een road 
 supervisor. 
 
 Mr. Blair was married (first) to Miss 
 Margaret Sharp, of Mercer County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and they had three children: 
 Isabella, Frances Irene and James M. 
 Mr. Blair was married (second) to Miss 
 Gertrude Blair, a daughter of John 
 Blair, who resides near Eau Claire, Butler 
 County. 
 
 JAMES COYLE, JR., assistant post- 
 master at Fenelton, is a general merchant 
 and operates his store under the firm name 
 of James Coyle & Company. He formerly 
 was in partnership with Mr. P. S. Fennell, 
 under the firm name of P. S. Fennell & 
 Company, but recently purchased his part- 
 ner's interest. He is a successful business 
 man, has a large and complete stock of 
 merchandise, and commands his full share 
 of the patronage of the community. 
 
 Mr. Coyle was born on the old home 
 place in Clearfield township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, February 12, 1864, 
 and still resides on that farm. He is a son 
 of James and Isabella (Shields) Coyle, his 
 
 father being a native of County Donegal, 
 Ireland. His grandfather lived and died 
 in Ii'eland. James Coyle, Sr., was a mere 
 boy when he came to the United States 
 and became an early settler of Clearfield 
 Township, Butler County, where he now 
 lives on the old home fann. He married 
 Isabella Shields and they became the pa- 
 rents of the following children: Grace, 
 Anthony, Cecilia, Bridget, James, Jr., An- 
 drew, Dennis, John, Catherine, and Joseph, 
 who is deceased. 
 
 September 14, 1893, James Coyle, Jr., 
 was united in marriage with Miss Mabel 
 McBride, a daughter of Squire F. P. Mc- 
 Bride, who is a very prominent citizen of 
 Clearfield Township. Two children were 
 born to bless this union — James Stuart and 
 Emma. Religiously, the family belong to 
 the Catholic church. Mr. Coyle has always 
 a deep interest in all that pertains to the 
 welfare of the community, and has served 
 one term as school director. 
 
 ALFRED W. CHRISTY is postmaster 
 at Slippery Rock, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and has filled that official posi- 
 tion since March, 1899. It is one of the 
 important postal stations of the county, 
 and maintains six rural routes. He has 
 had wide experience in business affairs and 
 is one of the substantial citizens of the 
 community. 
 
 Mr. Christy was born on a farm in 
 Cherry Township, Butler Coimty, June 27, 
 1849, and is a son of George and Mary 
 (Wilson) Christy. His father was born in 
 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and 
 was a boy when his father, James, moved 
 with his family to Cherry Township. Here 
 he grew to maturity and lived the remain- 
 der of his days, becoming a successful 
 farmer and land owner. 
 
 Alfred W. Christy was reared on a farm 
 in Cherry Township, and received his edu- 
 cational training in the disti'ict schools and 
 the West Sunbury Academy. He engaged 
 in teaching school for some eight years, 
 and after leaving that profession followed 
 
762 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 farming and engaged in the mercantile 
 business in his native township, conduct- 
 ing a store at Monata. He then, in Feb- 
 ruary, 1887, moved to the borough of Shp- 
 pery Eock, where he has since maintained 
 his residence. He purchased the store of 
 Wilson & Sons, general merchants, which 
 he conducted for eight years, then went on 
 the road as traveling salesman for the 
 shoe house of Stewart Brothers & Com- 
 pany of Pittsburg. He continued with 
 them for two years, after which he settled 
 down in Slippery Eock, where his home 
 had continued to be while on the road. As 
 postmaster he has discharged the duties of 
 ofBce with characteristic ability and effi- 
 ciency, and to the entire satisfaction of the 
 community. 
 
 Mr. Christy was joined in marriage with 
 Miss Dora Hackenberry, a daughter of 
 John Hackenberry, and the following chil- 
 dren were born to them: John H., who 
 died at the age of thirty-four years ; Mary 
 Corrine, wife of Een Pearson, Jr.; Mabel, 
 who is assistant to her father in the post- 
 office; Eosetta, who died .at the age of 
 twenty years ; and Ethel, who was sis years 
 old at her death. Eeligiously, they are 
 members of the Presbyterian church, of 
 which he is a ruling elder. Politically, Mr. 
 Christy is a Eepublican, and has frequently 
 been elected to public office. He served as 
 justice of the i:)eace and school director in 
 Cherry township, and was at one time 
 postmaster at Monata. 
 
 H. W. EBEELE, one of Butler's repre- 
 sentative business men, a member of 
 the firm of Eberle Brothers, contracting 
 plumbers, was born October 9, 1877, at 
 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, a son of John 
 Eberle, a retired citizen of that city, who 
 was formerly engaged in stove fitting and 
 blaeksmithing. 
 
 H. W. Eberle obtained his education in 
 the excellent schools of Allegheny, after 
 which he learned the plumbing trade with 
 an Allegheny firm and worked there until 
 
 1902. He tllen joined his brother, C. P. 
 Eberle, at Butler, entering into partner- 
 ship with him in the plumbing business. 
 Expert work and thorough reliability in 
 every department caused the firm to quickly 
 prosper and the first quarters soon became 
 too constricted. Eemoval was made to a 
 building erected for the firm by Mr. J. H. 
 Harper, but in turn this became too small 
 and in 1906 the firm of Eberle Brothers 
 built their own commodious three-story 
 brick building at No. 302 Center Avenue. 
 This is of brick construction, with pressed 
 brick front ; the upper floors are fitted with 
 all modern conveniences and are rented out 
 as flats. The firm of Eberle Brothers 
 leads in this city in plumbing contracting, 
 and it is interested also in real estate and 
 in oil production. 
 
 In 1903 H. W. Eberle was married to 
 Miss Katherine Kunkle, of Allegheny City. 
 Mr. Eberle is a rhember of the Eeformed 
 Church. 
 
 HENEY C. CEITCHLOW, one of Penn 
 Township's most respected citizens and a 
 veteran of the great Civil War, resides 
 in much comfort on his well improved 
 farm of fifty-seven acres. He was born 
 May 4, 1844, in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Jesse and Catherine (Wareham) 
 Critchlow. 
 
 The father of Mr. Critchlow was born 
 in 1812, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and died in Allegheny County in March, 
 1866. as the result of an accident. He was 
 a tanner and a shoemaker and later en- 
 gaged in farming. His wife Catherine 
 was a daughter of Adam Wareham, and 
 of their family of twelve children eight 
 reached mature years, namely:. Dorcas, 
 now deceased, who was the wife of Will- 
 iam Eushenberger ; John, who served in 
 the Civil War, as a member of the Elev- 
 enth Eegiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry, and fell before Eichmond; 
 Catherine, who is the widow of Milton 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 765 
 
 Jones, and lives at Butler; Adam, who 
 was a member of the Eleventh Regiment, 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and 
 was taken sick and died in a hospital on 
 David's Island; Henry C. ; Mary Jane, 
 who is the wife of Daniel Emerick, of 
 Bakerstown, Pennsylvania; Eobert Gr., 
 who lives in Penn Township; and David 
 G., who is deceased. The family was 
 reared in the Middlesex Presbyterian 
 Church of which both parents were con- 
 sistent members. 
 
 Henry C. Critchlow attended school in 
 his boyhood, near Hay's mill, and at that 
 early age showed a remarkable talent for 
 mechanical work. He never served any 
 apprenticeship as carpenter, millwright, 
 or stonemason, but he has only to call at- 
 tention to the substantial buildings on his 
 farm, which are of his own construction, 
 to prove that he understands these trades 
 very thoroughly. When he was eighteen 
 years old he followed the example of his 
 two brothers and enlisted for service in 
 the Civil War. Those patriotic youths be- 
 longed to the Eleventh Eegiment, but 
 Henry entered Company D, One Hundred 
 Thirty-ninth Eegiment, with which he 
 went to Virginia. Enlisting in November, 
 1862, he served for almost three years, 
 during this long period facing danger 
 and death on a hundred battle fields. He 
 was with his regiment during the entire 
 period except when he was confined in hos- 
 pitals, owing to his having been severely 
 wounded, first at Chancellorsville and aft- 
 erwards at the fall of Petersburg. Mr. 
 Critchlow belongs to Eeed Post, Grand 
 Army of the Eepublic, at Butler. Al- 
 though his life has lain along peaceful 
 paths for many years, he can still recall 
 the din of battle, the fierce rush of con- 
 tending armies, the thunder of the cannon 
 and the rattle of musketry — experiences 
 which an old soldier cannot forget. 
 
 After the return from the war, Mr. 
 Critchlow lived in Allegheny County for 
 several years and in 1873 came to Middle- 
 
 sex Township, Butler County, and thence, 
 in 1875, to Penn Township, where he 
 bought his present farm, which he now 
 has under good cultivation. He married 
 Mary Emma Campbell, a daughter of 
 William J. Campbell, of Glade Mills, and 
 they have had a family of sixteen children, 
 thirteen of whom still survive to honor 
 their parents and to be credits to the 
 community. These ai'e : Josephine, widow 
 of Daniel Johnson, of Wellsville, Ohio; 
 Milton, of Middlesex Township; Eobert. 
 residing at home; William, a resident of 
 Newcastle; Bert; Blanche, wife of Cyrus 
 Snyder, of Wellsville, Ohio; Eollins, of 
 East Pittsburg; Pearl, wife of William 
 McCall, of East Pittsburg; Mamie, wife 
 of John Kenethan, of New Castle ; Walter, 
 the home farmer; Mary, Jennie, and 
 Hazel. Those deceased are Julia, twin 
 sister of Blanche, who died aged two 
 years ; Frankie, who died aged four years ; 
 and one daughter who died unnamed. 
 
 ALEXANDEE AVILSON, auditor of 
 Allegheny Townshi^j, has been engaged in 
 the oil producing business for the past 
 thirty-five years, and is one of the pioneer 
 oil men of this section of Butler County. 
 Mr. Wilson was born near Portersville,- 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, October 12, 
 1850, and is a son of David and Sarah 
 (Irvin) Wilson, the former of Scotch and 
 the latter of Irish ancestry. 
 
 David Wilson, who had come from West- 
 moreland County, was in his day a well 
 known farmer of Butler County. He was 
 a Eepublican in politics. For many years 
 he was an elder in the United Presby- 
 terian Church, in the faith of which he died 
 in the fall of 1892. Of his children the 
 following survive : Ann, the wife of John 
 E. Moore, of Portersville; Margaret, the 
 wife of J. N. Blair, of Portland, Oregon; 
 Henry, who resides in Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania; and Alexander. 
 
 Alexander Wilson spent his school days 
 in Clay Township, whence he had been 
 
766 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 brought by his parents when a lad of five 
 years, and where he lived on a farm until 
 his eighteenth year. At this time he de- 
 cided to start to make his own way in the 
 world, and subsequently secured employ- 
 ment in the oil fields of the Alleghany 
 River, in Armstrong County. Later he 
 came to Allegheny Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, where he has since been engaged as an 
 oil producer. Mr. Wilson has been more 
 than ordinarily successful in his business 
 operations, and is rated among the sub- 
 stantial men of Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Wilson's first marriage was to Mag- 
 gie H. Sloan, of Allegheny Township, by 
 whom he had three children : Claudie M., 
 wife of Winfield Brown, of Allegheny 
 Township ; Roxie A., wife of S. M. Taylor, 
 of Allegheny Township; and Clarence L., 
 who resides at Point Riclimond, California. 
 Mr. Wilson was married (second) to Mrs. 
 Sarah B. Sloan, widow of Finley Sloan, 
 late of Butler County. Mr. Wilson has 
 always taken a more or less active interest 
 in public matters and is now serving his 
 tinvnslii]) in the capacity of auditor. He 
 has always been ready to advance the cause 
 of education, and for three years was a 
 member of the Allegheny Township School 
 Board. For many years he has been 
 an elder in the Allegheny Presbyterian 
 Church, arid he now serves as treas- 
 urer of the Allegheny Church Cemetery 
 Association. 
 
 JACKSON E. BARD, president of the 
 board of trustees of the Slippery Rock 
 State Normal School and a member of the 
 mercantile firm of Bard & Son of Slippery 
 Rock, has been a member of that borough 
 all his life. He was born here in 1851, and 
 is a son of John T. and Isabelle (Cross) 
 Bard. His father was a merchant and 
 banker. 
 
 Mr. Bard was reared in his native vil- 
 lage, then known as Centreville, and at- 
 tended the public schools. His first work 
 was in his father's store, and after the lat- 
 
 ter 's death he siacceeded him as president 
 of the Centreville Savings Bank. He was 
 nineteen years old when he was taken in 
 as a partner to his father in the mercantile 
 business, in which he has continued with- 
 out interruption to the present time. He 
 is in partnership with his brother, Horace 
 E. Bard, but the old firm name of Bard & 
 Son, established in 1870, remains as the 
 name of their firm. In 1890, the two 
 brothers erected the large business block, 
 in which the store has since been located. 
 They have a large general store and enjoy 
 an extensive trade throughout this section 
 of the country. 
 
 Jackson E. Bard was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary Foresman, a daughter of 
 Robert Foresman, a Presbyterian minister 
 of Blairstown, New Jersey, and they be- 
 came parents of five children: Alice, a 
 graduate of Slippery Rock State Normal 
 School and Westminster College at New 
 Wilmington; Sarah, a graduate of Slip- 
 pery Rock State Normal and at the pres- 
 ent a student of the Pratt Institute in 
 Brooklyn, New York ; John P. ; Hugh ; and 
 Rebecca. Religiously, they are members 
 of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Bard has 
 been a member of the board of trustees for 
 the Slippery Rock State Normal School 
 since its inception, and is a member of the 
 finance committee. He is a director of the 
 Citizens' National Bank of Slippery Rock. 
 Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights 
 of Pythias. 
 
 WILLIAM AND CHARLES DIPNER. 
 The Dipner family has long been one of 
 prominence in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and the old home- 
 stead of 180 acres lies about one mile east 
 of Fenelton, on the Craigsville Road. The 
 two whose names head this sketch and a 
 sister. Miss Amelda Dipner, reside on the 
 home place with their mother. Their 
 father, Thomas Dipner, was a veteran of 
 the Civil War, and passed from this life 
 on November 1, 1906. Mention of him is 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 767 
 
 more fully made on another page of this 
 work, in the sketch of John Dipner. The 
 paternal grandfather was a native of 
 Germany and became an early settler of 
 Butler County. 
 
 Thomas Dipner was united in marriage 
 with Miss Lizzie Pierce, who comes of an 
 old and respected family of the county. 
 The following children were born to them : 
 Emma, Jennie, John, William, Thomas, 
 Amelda, Frank, Charles, Laura (de- 
 ceased), and Kate. 
 
 William and Charles Dipner have al- 
 ways resided in Clearfield Township, re- 
 ceiving a good common school education. 
 They are owners of the home farm, the 
 former haying 120 acres and the latter 
 sixty acres; the farm is made up of four 
 different tracts. They are engaged in 
 general farming and rank among the sub- 
 stantial men of the township. They have 
 a large and conunodious two-story home, 
 and the farm is otherwise equipped with 
 good substantial buildings. 
 
 Miss Amelda Dipner, who also resides 
 at the old home, is a lady of culture and 
 refinement. She is a graduate of Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School, and for the 
 past three years has been a teacher in the 
 schools. Religiously, the members of the 
 family are consistent members of the 
 Lutheran church, excepting Charles, who 
 united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 church. Frank is a Methodist preacher 
 at McKeesport, Pennsylvania. 
 
 RUDOLPH J. KLEEMANN, who car- 
 ries on a large plumbing business at But- 
 ler, of which city he has been a resident 
 for more than five years, was born August 
 31, 1877, at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Kleemann was given a good public 
 school education and then learned the 
 plumbing trade and worked at it for some 
 years in his native city. He then came to 
 Butler where, about 1904, he established 
 himself in quarters of his own, and his 
 business rating is with the leading men of 
 
 his trade in this section. He has invested 
 in property here, purchasing a fine home 
 at No. 261 Sullivan Avenue, and has 
 assumed all the responsibilities of a good 
 citizen. In 1897, Mr. Kleemann was mar- 
 ried to Miss Bertha Kraft, and they have 
 two children, Marion and Rudolph. Mr. 
 Kleemann united with the German Luth- 
 eran Church in his native city and has 
 identified himself with the same organiza- 
 tion at Butler. He belongs to the order of 
 the Moose, the Modern Maccabees and also 
 to the Master Plumbers' Association. 
 
 SAMUEL N. LAUGHNER, a promi- 
 nent citizen of Allegheny Township, now 
 serving as township auditor, has been en- 
 gaged in the oil producing business for 
 more than a quarter of a century. He 
 was born January 21, 1848, in Salem 
 Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Michael and Elizabeth 
 (Berry) Laughner, natives of Westmore- 
 land County. 
 
 Michael Laughner was about four years 
 of age when he was taken by his parents 
 from Westmoreland County to Clarion 
 County, and he lived in the latter county 
 until a few years previous to his death, 
 which took place January 21, 1892, at the 
 home of his son Samuel N. in Allegheny 
 Township. Besides the latter, two of 
 Michael Laughner 's children survive, 
 namely : Annie D., the wife of John Grun- 
 den, of Emlenton, Pennsylvania; and 
 James L., a resident of Salem Township, 
 Clarion County. 
 
 Samuel N. Laughner was reared in the 
 village of Salem, where he began his edu- 
 cation in the public schools, later attending 
 Emlenton Academy, and subsequently 
 graduating from Duff's Commercial Col- 
 lege at Pittsburg. For several years 
 thereafter he was engaged in the capacity 
 of clerk and bookkeeper in hardware firms 
 at St. Petersburg and Beaver City, Penn- 
 sylvania, but after leaving the latter place 
 engaged in the oil industry, although for 
 
768 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 a short time he was also engaged in school- 
 teaching in Clarion County. During the 
 twenty-five or more years that Mr. Laugh- 
 ner has been identified with the oil busi- 
 ness in Butler County, he has become well 
 and favorably known in business and finan- 
 cial circles, and he is also known as a 
 citizen who has the good of the community 
 at heart, having served as auditor of his 
 township for many years and also being 
 a stanch advocate of the cause of educa- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Laughner was married to Maggie M. 
 Black, daughter of the late Henry Black, 
 formerly a well-known resident of Parker 
 Township. In his political views Mr. 
 Laughner is a Republican. Fraternally, 
 he is connected with Lodge No. 521, F. & 
 A. M. of Parker City, Venango Chapter of 
 Franklin, and the Commandery, also at 
 Franklin; with Parker City Lodge No. 
 761, I. 0. 0. F., and the Encampment at 
 Foxburg. He is a trustee of the Allegheny 
 Presbyterian Church, and is secretary of 
 the Allegheny Church Cemetery Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 ROBERT L. DeHAVEN, a successful 
 operator in the oil and gas fields of Butler 
 Coimty, Pennsylvania, is one of the young- 
 est men in this section so engaged. He has 
 been in this business for five years and re- 
 sides in a comfortable home in Clearfield 
 Township, where he can be near to his 
 interests. He has twenty-five wells in 
 operation, three of them being gas wells 
 of settled production, the product being 
 marketed to the Standard Plate Glass 
 Works. He expects to begin drilling more 
 wells in the near future, and the business 
 outlook is exceptionally bright. 
 
 Mr. DeHaven was born in Kittanning, 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in 1874, 
 and is a son of William L. and Mary Jane 
 (Hughes) DeHaven. His father is a well- 
 known brick contractor of that place. The 
 parental grandfather of the subject of this 
 sketch was a soldier of the War of 1812, 
 
 walking to Erie to join his company under 
 Colonel Prescott. His great-grandfather 
 was a soldier of the Revolutionary War 
 and was one of the moneyed men of his 
 time, making loans to the Continental 
 Congress. 
 
 Robert L. DeHaven was reared in Kit- 
 tanning and there was graduated from the 
 high school. He engaged in the printing, 
 business about four years, after which he 
 followed the trade of a brick layer in the 
 employ of his father. He joined the union 
 at New Castle, and later received a trans- 
 fer to the union organization at Butler, 
 where he had located. He withdrew from 
 the union at the time he embarked in the 
 oil business. 
 
 July 4, 1899, Mr. DeHaven was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary Ellen Flick, 
 a daughter of Abraham and Catherine 
 (McCrea) Flick, and granddaughter of 
 Joseph and Mary Jane (Henry) Flick, 
 who came to the county from Allegheny 
 County at an early period. Her maternal 
 grandparents were Hugh and Mary (Sheri- 
 dan) McCrea, who came from Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania. Mrs. DeHaven is 
 a lady of accomplishment and moves in the 
 best social circles of Butler. This union 
 resulted in the birth of one son, William, 
 on June 30, 1900. Religiously, they are 
 members and active workers in the English 
 Catholic church. 
 
 FREDERICK A. FRISHKORN, who is 
 
 prosperously engaged in the hardware, 
 tin, and furnace business in Zelienople, 
 was born in this village, July 26, 1862, son 
 of Peter and Catherine (Beckert) Frish- 
 korn. The father, Peter Frishkorn, was a 
 native of Germany and come to Zelienople 
 when a mere boy. He learned the trade 
 of wagon maker and worked at it in con- 
 nection with farming all his life. His wife 
 Catherine, who also was a native of Ger- 
 many, came to this country with her par- 
 ents when a young girl, they settling in 
 Zelienople. Her father. Christian Beckert, 
 
FREDERICK A. FRISHKORN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 771 
 
 died here, after having been engaged for 
 many years in agricultural pursuits. Mrs. 
 Peter Frishkorn is still living, at the age 
 of seventy-eight years. She has been the 
 mother of nine children — all sons — five of 
 whom are now living. They are as fol- 
 lows : Christian, residing in Ellwood City ; 
 John and Philip, deceased; George, a gar- 
 dener, residing in Zelienople; William, 
 who resides on the old homestead near this 
 place, also a gardener; Frederick A., the 
 subject of this sketch; Augustus, who re- 
 sides in Allegheny, being employed in the 
 Beckert seed store where he has worked 
 since a mere youth; and Ferdinand and 
 Theodore, who died when young. 
 
 Frederick A. Frishkorn was reared in 
 Zelienople, and in Prospect learned the 
 tinners' trade, which he followed subse- 
 quently in Chicago, 111., and in Erie, Mc- 
 Keesport, Verona, and Fairview, Penna. 
 In 1884 he came to Zelienople and entered 
 into business in the old Harris House, a 
 log building. He then moved across the 
 street, having purchased property in that 
 location. In 1907 he purchased the lot- 
 where he is now located and erected the 
 building in which he conducts his ex- 
 tensive business. This building has dimen- 
 sions of 22x90 feet, is two stories high, of 
 brick construction and fronts on Main 
 Street. When he started in for himself 
 Mr. Frishkorn had but $17 capital and 
 was obliged to borrow $200. The result 
 of his venture has proved highly success- 
 ful, amply justifying his self-confidence 
 and marking him as one of the far-sighted 
 and sagacious business men of this place. 
 His persistent industry and up-to-date 
 methods bid fair to be rewarded with a 
 still further increase of prosperity, par- 
 ticularly as since moving into his present 
 store he has not been cramped for room. 
 
 Mr. Frishkorn married Lucinda Wuster, 
 a daughter of John Wuster of Lancaster 
 Township, their marriage taking place 
 about 1886. It has resulted in eight chil- 
 dren, of whom there are seven now living, 
 
 the eldest, Edgar, being deceased. The 
 living are Arthur, Clyde, Floyd, Marguer- 
 ite, Alberta, Viola, Clayton. The family 
 are members of St. Peter's Reformed 
 Church, while Mr. Frishkorn is a Democrat 
 in politics. 
 
 A. M. PATTERSON, M. D., who is now 
 practically retired from professional work, 
 has been a resident of Slippery Rock, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, since 1855. 
 He is a progressive and public-spirited 
 man and has been actively identified with 
 the best interests of the borough, being 
 especially active in matters pertaining to 
 education. 
 
 Dr. Patterson was born in Sommerset 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1833, 
 and is a son of David and Eliza (Mitchell) 
 Patterson, his father being an agricultural- 
 ist in that county. David Patterson in 
 1850 moved with his family to West Sun- 
 bury, Butler County, and there followed 
 farming for some years. At the time of 
 his death he was conducting a hotel at 
 West Sunbury. 
 
 A. M. Patterson attended the country 
 schools in his native county, and the acad- 
 emy at West Sunbury. It was his idea 
 and ambition to follow the profession of 
 teaching, which he did for some years. He 
 taught for ten years in the academy at West 
 Sunbury and the public schools, and for 
 seven years in a select school at Slippery 
 Rock. Having determined to prepare him- 
 self for the medical profession, he entered 
 Wooster University, in Cleveland, Ohio, 
 and was there graduated in 1873 with the 
 degree of M. D. He subsequently pursued 
 a post-graduate course at the Long Island 
 Hospital, in Brooklyn, New York. He be- 
 gan practice in Slippery Rock in 1873, and 
 continued in active practice until 1900, 
 attaining high rank in the profession. 
 Since that date he has been in practical 
 retirement, although he still cares for a 
 few of his old patients. He was the heavi- 
 est subscriber to the fund to bring the 
 
772 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 State Normal School to Slippery Rock, 
 and has served as trustee since its estab- 
 lishment here. 
 
 In 1860 Dr. Patterson was imited in 
 marriage with Miss Sarah Patterson, a 
 daughter of James A. Patterson of Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, and there were three 
 children born to them : Amy B., widow of 
 Dr. James L. Hunt; Lewis, who died at 
 the age of twenty-two months; and Gay- 
 lord H. Patterson, who has attained dis- 
 tinction in educational circles and at the 
 present time fills the chair in economics in 
 Kimball College, at Salem, Oregon. Re- 
 ligiously, the Doctor and his family are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, of which he is a trustee. He is 
 a man of wide acquaintance and most 
 highly esteemed. 
 
 NATHANIEL WALKER, once one of 
 Butler County's prominent citizens, who 
 was identified with manufacturing inter- 
 ests and with public affairs, was born on 
 the old Walker homestead farm in Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was a son of Lewis Walker, who 
 was one of the earliest settlers in Cran- 
 berry Township. 
 
 Lewis Walker was born at Newbury- 
 port, Massachusetts, where the family had 
 been established in colonial times. Prior 
 to the Revolutionary War, Lewis Walker 
 accompanied a family by the name of 
 Plumer, when they penetrated to the wilds 
 of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. When 
 he attained manhood he started out for 
 himself as a pioneer and secured a tract 
 of 800 acres which now lies in Cranberry 
 Township, Butler County. He lived until 
 aged and died at Butler in 1845. He mar- 
 ried a Miss Parks and they had the fol- 
 lowing children: John, Parks, David, 
 Samuel, Simpson, Nathaniel, Mary and 
 Keziah. 
 
 Nathaniel Walker continued to reside on 
 the old homestead in Cranberry Township 
 until 1846 and then moved to Sharon, in 
 
 Mercer County, but not finding business 
 conditions favorable there, in 1847 he 
 came back to Butler and purchased the 
 brick business which his brother David 
 was then conducting, and for many years 
 afterward he continued in the brick manu- 
 facturing business. He proved capable in 
 every relation of life. For many years he 
 served as a justice of the peace and in 1862 
 he was elected treasurer of Butler County. 
 He was twice married, first to Grizella 
 Crowe, who was a daughter of John and 
 Jane (Pollock) Crowe, and second to 
 Sarah M. Slater. The two children born 
 to the first marriage were Samuel and 
 John, and the four to the second were: 
 Leonidas, an attorney at Denver, Colo- 
 rado ; Caroline, who married W. D. John- 
 son; Clarence, an attorney at Butler, and 
 Leverett H., an officer in the Fourth Regi 
 ment, United States Artillery. Prior to 
 the organization of the Republican party, 
 Nathaniel Walker was a Whig and for 
 years he gave support to the anti-slavery 
 movement. He was a Presbyterian in his 
 religious convictions. 
 
 Clarence Walker, second son of Nathan- 
 iel and Sarah M. Walker, was born March 
 24, 1848, at Butler, where he received his 
 primary education. Subsequently he com- 
 pleted a collegiate course at Witherspoon 
 Institute and then read law with Judge 
 McJunkin, at Butler. In 1871 he was ad- 
 mitted to the bar and for the past forty 
 years has been in the active practice of 
 his profession in his native city. During 
 these years he has at various times had 
 business interests and has found time also 
 to demonstrate his usefulness as a good 
 citizen. 
 
 In 1877, Clarence Walker was married 
 to Miss Elizabeth M. McJunkin, who is a 
 daughter of Hon. E. McJunkin, one of But- 
 ler's most prominent citizens for many 
 years. They have had the following chil- 
 dren : Wayne McJunkin, Victor B., Helen, 
 Lucille, Clarence L. and Elizabeth. Polit- 
 ically, Mr. Walker is a Republican and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 773 
 
 fraternally a member of the United Work- 
 men and of the Royal Arcanima. 
 
 JAMES M. ELLIOTT, a prominent and 
 public spirited citizen of Parker Township, 
 residing on his farm of 103 acres, was 
 long identified with the oil industry but 
 now gives his attention, entirely to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. He was born September 
 17, 1844, in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of John and Mary J. (Miller) 
 Elliott, the former of whom was born in 
 Ireland, and the latter in Indiana County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Until he was sixteen years of age, James 
 M. Elliott remained in his native county 
 and obtained his district school education 
 there. He then accompanied his parents 
 to Armstrong County and for some years 
 thereafter assisted his father on the home 
 place in Plum Creek Township. He has a 
 twin brother, John S. Elliott. In 1868, 
 during the oil excitement following the dis- 
 covery of this commodity in Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, Mr. Elliott came to 
 this section, and as he is a self-made man, 
 he undoubtedly had many years of hard 
 work before he developed into an oil pro- 
 ducer. In 1891 he retired from the oil 
 business and for a short time lived on his 
 farm in Derry Township, Westmoreland 
 County, after which he took possession of 
 his present valuable farm in Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Elliott married Miss Mary McNa- 
 nay, who was born in Clarion County^ 
 Pennsylvania, and they have three chil- 
 dren, namely: Bertha E., who is a suc- 
 cessful teacher in the schools of Pittsburg ; 
 Ross L., who resides at Philadelphia; and 
 James P., who lives at Warren, Indiana. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Parker's 
 Landing, in which he is one of the board of 
 stewards. In politics he is a Republican. 
 
 JOHN L. DIPNER, justice of the peace 
 in Clearfield Township and the owner of a 
 fine farm of eighty acres which is situated 
 
 on the east side of the Fenelton Road, is a 
 thoroughly representative citizen of his 
 section. He was born May 22, 1864, in But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Thomas and Elizabeth (Pierce) Dipner. 
 
 The first of the Dipner family to come to 
 this section of Pennsylvania was the grand- 
 father, who was born in Germany and 
 reached America about 1806. He cleared 
 a large amount of land which is now occu- 
 pied by his descendants. 
 
 Thomas Dipner, who came from Mifflin 
 County to Butler County, was born in 
 1825. His death occurred in November, 
 1906. He was a veteran of the Civil War, 
 in which he served with courage under 
 Grenerals Rosecrans and Grant. He en- 
 listed at Pittsburg, in the One Hundred and 
 Seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teer Infantry, and participated in the fol- 
 lowing great battles : The Wilderness, An- 
 tietam, second battle of Bull Run, Gettys- 
 burg and Shiloh. He was honorably dis- 
 charged at Petersburg, Virginia, at the 
 close of the war. 
 
 John L. Dipner attended the Butler 
 County schools and also did a large amount 
 of private study, in consequence of which 
 he is a very well informed man, not only 
 on general subjects but also on law, having 
 mastered this science at home. He ac- 
 cepted the office of justice of the peace at 
 the earnest solicitations of his fellow citi- 
 zens and fills it most acceptably. 
 
 On February 10, 1902, Mr. Dipner was 
 married to Margaret Young, who is a 
 daughter of John and Hannah (Daugh- 
 erty) Young. Her father was a soldier in 
 the Civil War and later became a farmer 
 and oil operator. Mr. and Mrs. Dipner are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. liis fra- 
 ternal connections are with Lodge No. 836, 
 Odd Fellows, at Craigsville; and Lodge 
 No. 366 of the Independent Order of Amer- 
 icans, at Worthington. 
 
 ALPHEUS SWEESY, a successful agri- 
 culturist of Butler County, whose excellent 
 
774 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 property of ninety-five acres is situated in 
 Allegheny Township, was born in Mercer 
 County, Pennsylvania, October 17, 1846, 
 and is a son of Samuel and Catherine (Gal- 
 laway) Sweesy, both descendants of old 
 and honored Mercer County families. 
 
 Alpheus Sweesy was seven years old 
 when he was taken from his native place 
 by his parents to Jones County, Iowa, but 
 after several years there the family re- 
 turned to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 and there the youth received his education 
 in the public schools. In early manhood 
 he decided upon agriculture as his life 
 work, and he has been very successful in 
 his chosen line. For about twenty-five 
 years he has been a resident of Butler 
 County, and in the fall of 1895 he took up 
 his home in Allegheny Township, where he 
 now has a fine farm of ninety-five acres, 
 on which he carries on general farming and 
 stock-raising. 
 
 Mr. Sweesy was married to Martha M. 
 Smith, who was born in Marion Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is the 
 daughter of the late AVilliam G. Smith, of 
 Butler County. Three children have been 
 born to Mr. and Mrs. Sweesy, namely: 
 Warren P., Ira H. and Victor L., all of 
 whom reside in Allegheny Township. 
 
 In his political sentiments Mr. Sweesy 
 is a Republican, and he has always taken 
 an interest in the success of that party, 
 serving as inspector of elections, member 
 of the School Board and township road 
 supervisor. He is one of the good, re- 
 liable citizens of Allegheny Township, and 
 has numerous friends throughout the 
 community. 
 
 GEORGE M. JACOBS, secretary and 
 treasurer of The Evans Manufacturing 
 Company, Limited, at Butler, is one of the 
 city's enterprising and progressive young 
 business men, who has been able to foresee 
 and grasp opportunities and to honestly 
 turn them to his own and his associates' 
 advantage. He was born in 1871, at Oil 
 
 City, Pennsylvania, where he was reared 
 and given a public school education. ' 
 
 Mr. Jacobs began his business career in 
 a clerical capacity with the Standard Oil 
 Company, and continued for about ten 
 years and then came to Butler County and 
 for six subsequent years was with the firm 
 of Westerman Brothers, at Chicora, after 
 which he entered the employ of R. M. Hays, 
 at Pittsburg, with whom he remained for 
 four years. In 1902 he came to Butler and 
 for a time was connected with the United 
 States Oil & Gas Well Supply Company 
 and then became identified with Tlie Evans 
 Manufacturing Company. One year later 
 he was made secretary and treasurer of 
 this concern and to its interests he devotes 
 all his time and business capacity. 
 
 In 1901 Mr. Jacobs was married to Miss 
 Clara Fetzer, of Chicora, Pennsylvania, 
 and they have one son, George Milford. In 
 politics, Mr. Jacobs is a stanch Republican, 
 seeing in the success of the principles of 
 this party the continued prosperity of the 
 country. He is a Knight Templar Mason 
 and is a member of the Sterling Club. 
 
 HENRY B. McKINNEY, president and 
 general manager of one of Butler's im- 
 portant business enterprises, the Butler 
 Engine & Foundry Works, is one of the 
 older business men of the city, and has 
 been a resident of the county some thirty 
 years. He was born in 1846, at Pittsfield, 
 Warren County, Pennsylvania, a member 
 of one of the old and substantial families 
 of that section. 
 
 Mr. McKinney was educated at Pitts- 
 field and Waterford, Pennsylvania, and at 
 Kingston, Ross County, Ohio, completing 
 his preparation for a business life by tak- 
 ing a commercial course at Poughkeepsie, 
 New York. He found his best opening in 
 the oil fields of Pennsylvania, starting on 
 Benneyhoof Run, and for the past forty- 
 three years he has been identified with oil 
 interests in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, 
 and West Virginia, for thirty years being 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 777 
 
 a producei' in his native State. lu 1902 
 he purchased the Butler Engine & Foun- 
 dry Works and does a very large foundry 
 and machine trade in the way of repairs 
 and supplies, together with manufacturing 
 steam and gas engines, each of seven sizes, 
 strictly for the oil trade. He gives em- 
 plojanent to forty workmen and notwith- 
 standing the business depression felt by 
 some houses, his volume of trade has been 
 constantly on the increase. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. McKinney married Mary J. 
 Thompson, of Mercer County, and they 
 have four children: Montgomery M., who 
 is treasurer and buyer for the Butler En- 
 gine & Foundry Company; and Sarah 
 Gertrude, Lydia A. and John J., all at 
 home. During the period of his children-'s 
 college attendance, Mr. McKinney main- 
 tained the home at Grove City and then 
 returned to Butler. During his residence 
 there he was made the nominee of the 
 Democratic party for the State Assembly, 
 and notwithstanding his short period of 
 residence, came within twenty-seven votes 
 of being elected. Mr. McKinney is a mem- 
 ber of the First Methodist Church of 
 Butler. Both of Mr. McKinney 's sons are 
 Free Masons, belonging to the Com- 
 mandery. 
 
 PROF. GAYLORD H. PATTERSON, 
 whose professional activity is in a tield for- 
 eign to Butler County, is a product of the 
 county and is one in whom its citizens take 
 a just pride. He is a man of the highest 
 educational attainments, holds degrees 
 from some of our country's most famous 
 institutions, and it is doubtful if there has 
 been any other sent forth from Butler 
 County w^ho has availed himself of his edu- 
 cational advantages with such distinction 
 as he. At the pi-esent time he tills the chair 
 of economics in Kimball College, at Salem, 
 Oregon. 
 
 Gaylord H. Patterson was born and 
 reared in Slippery Rock, and received his 
 first instruction under his father. Dr. A. M. 
 
 Patterson, a well known medical practi- 
 tioner of that borough. He attended Grove 
 City Normal one year, then attended Alle- 
 gheny College at Meadville until near grad- 
 uation, when he entered Ohio Wesleyan 
 University at Delaware, Ohio. xVfter grad- 
 uation from that institution he entered 
 Yale University, from which he received 
 the degree of JPh. D., and later Harvard 
 University, where the degree of A. M. was 
 conferred upon him. The trustees of Yale 
 and Harvard elected him for the higher 
 education; he was awarded the Williams 
 Scholarship, and received a special prize 
 of $500. He pursued a theological course 
 in Boston University, and after graduation 
 entered the ministry of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. His first pastorate was a 
 country charge in New York, then the 
 Sumner M. E. Church in Buffalo, and from 
 there he went to Smithport, McKean Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. He was next located one 
 year in Southern Minnesota, and from 
 there returned east to Andover, New York, 
 where he continued one year. This was his 
 last church charge, as he accepted a call to 
 fill the chair of economics in Kimball Col- 
 lege in Oregon, where he has acquitted 
 himself with great credit. Professor Pat- 
 terson has been twice married, his first wife 
 being deceased. As a result of his second 
 marital union he has one daughter, ^liss 
 Louise. 
 
 WILLIAM E. JAMISON, a representa- 
 tive citizen, well known agriculturist and 
 successful oil producer of Allegheny Town- 
 ship, has rich land aggregating 149 acres 
 situated in Armstrong and Butler Coun- 
 ties. He was born in Allegheny Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, December 
 17, 1856, and is a son of Henry and Isabel 
 (Crawford) Jamison. 
 
 The father of Mr. Jamison was born in 
 Huntington County and his mother in But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania. Mr. Jamison 
 came to Allegheny Township prior to his 
 marriase and settled on the farm now 
 
778 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 owned by William E. At that time it was 
 still covered with its native forest and 
 Henry Jamison cleared the land and devel- 
 oped an excellent farm, residing alone for 
 some years and later with his wife, who 
 came here a bride. They reared their chil- 
 dren on this place and spent their subse- 
 quent lives here. The mother of Mr. Jami- 
 son died in 1876 and the father on June 13, 
 1897. The following children survived 
 them: Ann M., wife of Andrew Tippery, 
 of Clarion County; Fannie, widow of John 
 Minninger, residing at Westfield, New 
 York; Susan E., who married Marshall 
 Gaitlej', of Mercer County; Benjamin F., 
 of Emlenton, Pennsylvania; Harriet, re- 
 siding at Westfield, New York, is the widow 
 of E. P. Thomas, formerly of Bruin, Penn- 
 sylvania; Sarah, wife of Abraham Hart- 
 man, of Allegheny Township; William E. ; 
 and Nancy, wdfe of James Miller, of Bruin. 
 Henry Jamison was a tine type of citizen, 
 honorable and upright in his dealings, lib- 
 eral in his charities and kind in his rela- 
 tions with his fellow men. He was a val- 
 ued member of the Allegheny Presbyterian 
 Church and for some years served as a 
 member of the chuix'h cemetery association. 
 In his political life he was an ardent Re- 
 publican by conviction and he gave hearty 
 support to the cause of his party. 
 
 William E. Jamison was educated in the 
 public schools of Allegheny Township, and 
 his life has been spent in this section, his 
 interests being largely agricultural. He 
 has also given attention to the oil industry 
 and he has taken a somewhat active part 
 in public matters. 
 
 On December 23, 1S92, Mr. Jamison was 
 married to Miss Ida Miller, who was born 
 in Venango Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, a daiighter of James E. 
 Miller, who resides at Franklin, Pennsyl- 
 vania. In politics, Mr. Jamison is a Re- 
 publican. He has served the township as 
 road supervisor, performing the duties of 
 that office in a very complete manner, and 
 he has been verv active in church affairs. 
 
 He and wife both belong to the Allegheny 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he is a 
 trustee and has been treasurer. 
 
 J. H. EVERTS, a well known oil pro- 
 ducer and prominent citizen of Allegheny 
 Township, settled on the place on which 
 he now lives, in 1881, and this has been 
 practically his home ever since. He was 
 born in Hamilton County, Indiana, May 18, 
 1848, and he is a son of Milo and Mary 
 (Stoops) Everts. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of Mr. Everts 
 was born in New England and later settled 
 in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, New York, 
 and there Milo Everts, father of J. H., was 
 born. In the course of years he estab- 
 lighed a home for his family in Hamilton 
 County, Indiana, where he lived until 1860, 
 when he moved to Armstrong County, of 
 which his wife was a native. From there 
 the family moved to Allegheny County. 
 
 J. H. Everts accompanied his parents to 
 Armstrong and Allegheny County and in 
 the latter obtained a district school educa- 
 tion. In early youth he found himself de- 
 pendent in great measure upon his own re- 
 sources and he met th» situation in such a 
 way as to prove his business capacity and 
 to gain the confidence of those with whom 
 he was thrown in contact. In 1881 he came 
 to Butler County and interested himself in 
 the oil industry, gradually becoming a pro- 
 ducer. He is a member of the Pollock 
 Lime & Coal Company, with headquarters 
 at Emlenton, and is a stockholder in the 
 Farmers' National Bank at that place, of 
 which he was one of the organizers. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Everts testified to his i)a- 
 triotism by enlisting for service in the Civil 
 War, entering Company I, Fifth Regiment 
 Heavy Artillery, which became a part of 
 the Army of the Potomac. As soon as the 
 regiment reached Washington City, it was 
 transferred to General Sheridan's com- 
 mand and took part in all the stormy cam- 
 paign through the Shenandoah Valley. He 
 was honorably discharged in July, 1865, on 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 779 
 
 account of the termination of hostilities, 
 and returned to Pittsburg in the following 
 August, after about one j^ear of hard serv- 
 ice. He is a member of the Grand Army 
 of the Republic Post at Farmington. 
 
 In August, 1872, Mx-. Everts was married 
 to Miss Hattie Thompson, who was born in 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, a daughter 
 of the late Alexander Thompson, of Alle- 
 gheny Township. j\Ir. and Mrs. Everts 
 are members of the Allegheny Presby- 
 terian Church, of which he has been a trus- 
 tee for a number of years. He has been 
 moderately active in politics and has 
 served both as assessor and as constable in 
 Allegheny Township. 
 
 JACOB BOOS, who was for the space 
 of half a century an esteemed resident of 
 Butler, and for the greater part of that 
 time one of the prominent business men of 
 the city, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 Germany, October 21, 1835, son of Charles 
 and Barbara (Eich) Boos. The father, a 
 blacksmith by trade, served as a soldier in 
 the German army; he died in 1880. His 
 wife, Barbara, to whom he was married in 
 1820, was a daughter of John Eich. They 
 were the parents of four children — Bar- 
 bara, who married John Fell, of Germany; 
 William, now deceased ; Elizabeth, who be- 
 came the wife of Jacob Halm, of Germany ; 
 and Jacob, the subject of this memoir. 
 The mother died in 1853, and was survived 
 by her husband twenty-seven years. They 
 were members of the German Reformed 
 Church. 
 
 Jacob Boos learned the blacksmith's 
 trade in his native land, and emigrated to 
 the United States in 1853— the year of his 
 mother's death. He first .settled in Pitts- 
 burg, where he worked at his trade imtil 
 Se]itember 12, 1854. On that date he came 
 to Butler and entered the employ of Wal- 
 ter & Reiber, blacksmiths. In 1857 he en- 
 gaged in business for himself as a black- 
 smith and so continued for three years. 
 He then, in 1860, purchased the George 
 
 Egner farm in Butler Township, upon 
 which he resided for ten years. In 1870 
 he sold the farm and bought the interest 
 of George Webber in the firm of Webber & 
 Troutman, the style of the firm then be- 
 coming Troutman & Boos. Two years 
 later he purchased a half interest in the 
 flouring mills of Grohman & Walter, which 
 firm then became Walter & Boos, and he 
 remained interested in this enterprise until 
 1890. In 1881 he engaged in the grocery 
 business at the corner of Main and Wayne 
 Streets, and in 1889 he purchased the site 
 and afterwards erected thereon a substan- 
 tial store building, where he carried on a 
 flourishing business until his death in June, 
 1904. He was successful as a merchant, es- 
 tablishing a reputation for enterprise and 
 integrity that marked him as one of the 
 substantial and reliable men of the city. 
 
 Mr. Boos was married in 1856 to Miss 
 Barbara AValter, a daughter of Jacob Wal- 
 ter, of Butler. Her father was a native of 
 Germany and one of the early settlers 
 here; he was a blacksmith by trade and 
 later engaged in the milling business. Mrs. 
 Boos was born in Butler, December 29, 
 1839, and has always been a resident of this 
 county. Ten children came to complete 
 the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Boos, of 
 whom five are now deceased and five liv- 
 ing. They were as follows : Annie Marie, 
 who married Adam Hoifner, is now de- 
 ceased ; George, also deceased ; Marguerite 
 Louise, wife of William Voskamp, of Pitts- 
 Inirg; Emma Elizabeth, wife of Charles 
 Kaufman, of Pittsburg; Augusta Amelia, 
 now deceased; Charles Albert, also de- 
 ceased; Clara Julia, wife of Charles Gregg, 
 of Butler ; Jacob William Wilson, deceased ; 
 Catherine P., wife of Fred Harper, of But- 
 ler, and Lyda Barbara, who resides with 
 her mother. The surviving members of the 
 familv belong to the English Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 WATSON & WILLIAMS, progressive 
 business men and leading grocers of Slip- 
 
780 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pery Rock, Butler County, Penusylvania, 
 have engaged in business in this borough 
 since October 25, 1901. In 1905 they 
 erected a handsome two-story business 
 block, probably the finest in the borough 
 with the exception of the State Normal 
 buildings. 
 
 Roy A. Watson, of the firm of Watson & 
 Williams, was born in Slippery Rock in 
 1876, and is a son of J. N. and Margaret 
 Emma (Wicks) Watson. His father was 
 born and reared at Prospect, Butler 
 County, and is a marble cutter by trade. 
 Roy A. was reared in Slippery Rock and 
 attended the public schools and the Slip- 
 pery Rock State Normal School. Upon 
 leaving school he went to work for J. C. 
 Kerr, a general merchant, although he had 
 prior to that time spent his spare hours 
 from school in working in that store. In 
 all he spent about ten years in Mr. Kerr's 
 store, and upon quitting his employ in 1901 
 became associated with Mr. Charles Clin- 
 ton Williams in the grocery business. 
 With a capital of $700 they put a stock of 
 goods in the store room now occupied by 
 a restaurant, and continued there about 
 one year. They then moved to the store- 
 room two doors north of their present loca- 
 tion, and there carried on the business 
 until their new building had been com- 
 pleted. They had purchased an old brick 
 Ijuilding, formerly a part of the college 
 buildings, that stood on the banks of Wolf 
 Creek, tore it down and cleaned the brick, 
 which they used in- the construction of 
 their business block. They handle a full 
 line of staple and fancj^ groceries, notions 
 and cigars and tobacco, and their trade 
 extends for miles throughout the territory 
 contiguous to the borough. 
 
 Before engaging in his present business, 
 Mr. Williams was extensively engaged in 
 the saw-mill and lumber business in Biitler 
 and Lawrence Counties. He was united 
 in marriage with Carrie Smith, a daughter 
 of James Smith of Carrolton, Penna. 
 
 Mr. Watson married Miss Grace Estella 
 
 Double, a daughter of Perry Double, and 
 they have a daughter, Miss Lela Felicia. 
 
 JOSEPH A. CRAWFORD, president of 
 the School Board of Allegheny Township, 
 and past commander of S. J. Rosenberry 
 Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Eau 
 Claire, resides on the farm of seventy 
 acres, which is situated near Six Points, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, on which he 
 was born on October 1, 1839. He is a son 
 of James and Jane (McGarrah) Crawford. 
 
 The -C'rawfords were probably among 
 the very first settlers of Allegheny Town- 
 ship. The grandfather of Joseph A. was 
 James Crawford, and he was born in 
 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and 
 was unmarried when he accompanied his 
 parents to Allegheny Township, Butler 
 County, and he built the first log cabin on 
 the present farm. His son, also James 
 Crawford, completed the clearing of the 
 farm, with the assistance of his sons, and 
 spent his whole life here, dying when 
 ninety years of age, in 1891. All the 
 Crawfords have been men of ability and of 
 substantial qualities and James Crawford 
 was frequently elected to ofiSces of trust 
 and responsibility, by his fellow citizens. 
 He married Jane McGarrah, who was a 
 daughter of Rev. Robert McGarrah, who 
 was a pioneer preacher of the Presbyte- 
 rian faith, in Clarion County, one of the 
 best known and most faithful ministers in 
 his day in that section. The children of 
 James Crawford were (in order) : Abigail, 
 Robert M., Lavinia, Gideon G., James H., 
 John A., Joseph A., Emily C, and Jen- 
 nie M. The surviving children of James 
 Crawford are: Lavinia married George 
 McCleland and has three children — Rev. 
 M. D. McCleland of Pikeville, Ky.; Ida L. 
 of Karns City, Penna., who married Ralph 
 E. Rodgers; and Halsey C, who married 
 Mary Kelley, and resides in Wilkinsburg, 
 Joseph A. ; Emily C, who is the widow of 
 James Stephenson, formerly of Summit 
 Township, and resides with her brother 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 783 
 
 Joseph A. ; and Gideon G., who resides at 
 Emlenton, Pennsylvania. The Crawford 
 sons were intensely loyal during the Civil 
 War, four of them, Joseph A., John A., 
 James II. and Robert M., being soldiers, 
 and two of them died in Confederate pris- 
 ons, John A. at Andersonville, and James 
 H. in Florence prison. South Carolina. 
 Rol)ert M. went to Kansas after the close 
 of his military service, and from there to 
 Missouri, where he died, far from the old 
 homestead. He married Marilda Sloan 
 and had one daughter, Hattie J., who mar- 
 ried E. AY. Murphy, and has a daughter — 
 Vera. 
 
 Joseph A. Crawford grew to manhood 
 on the home farm and was educated in the 
 public schools of Allegheny Township and 
 AVest Suubury Academy, and for a short 
 time taught school. On September 20, 
 1864, he was drafted for military service 
 and was assigned to Company F, Fiftieth 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, which 
 was attached to the Army of the Potomac, 
 and under the command of General Grant 
 fought in the siege of Petersburg and in 
 that and all the subsequent movements of 
 his regiment, Mr. Crawford did his full 
 soldierly duty, receiving his honorable dis- 
 cliarge on June 3, 1865. He then returned 
 to Allegheny Township and resumed his 
 usual avocations and has resided ever 
 since on the home farm, of which he is 
 pai't owner. He has taken a very active 
 interest in Grand Army affairs and twice 
 has been honored by being elected com- 
 mander of the local post. In politics he is 
 a Republican. He is a member of the 
 Scrub Grass Presbyterian Church, in 
 Venango County, of which he is an elder 
 and is also a member of the Session. He 
 is a thoroughly representative citizen of 
 Allegheny Township. 
 
 ROBERT J. WHIT:\1IRE, whose farm 
 of 150 acres, one of the finest in this sec- 
 tion, is situated one-half mile south of 
 P>nydstown, in Oakland Township, belongs 
 
 to a stanch old Butler County family. He 
 was born October 17, 1858, on what is 
 known as the Jacob Whitmire farm, north 
 of Oakland, and is a son of Jacob and 
 Isabella (Brown) Whitmire. 
 
 Jacob Whitmire was also born in Oak- 
 land Township, and was a son of John 
 Whitmire, Sr., who, in company with his 
 brothers, Francis and Daniel Whitmire, 
 came to this section in pioneer times. 
 Jacob Whitmire was reared on the John 
 Whitmire farm and he followed farming 
 all his active life, and died in the spring 
 of 1901. He married Isabella Brown, who 
 died in 1899. She was a daughter of 
 Robert Brown, of Clay Township, Butler 
 County. Of the seven children born to 
 Jacob and Isabella Whitmire, six survive. 
 
 Robert J. Whitmire was reared on the 
 Jacob AV'hitmire farm and from boyhood 
 he has been interested in farm pursuits. 
 He settled on his present property on 
 May 2, 1889, and has made so many ad- 
 mirable improvements here that it war- 
 rants the name by which it is known, 
 Sunnyside Farm. He carries on genei'al 
 farming and raises excellent stock and to 
 a considerable extent is a dealer in the 
 same. 
 
 Mr. Whitmire married Maggie W. 
 Smith, a daughter of W. P. Smith and 
 they have had ten children, namely : Cora 
 M., who is a teacher at Jefferson Center, 
 Jeti'erson Township; Alice E., who died 
 aged fifteen years; and Mildred Isabelle, 
 Grace E., Olive C, Lester P., Mabel M., 
 Robert Raymond, who died in infancy, 
 J. Everett, and LeRoy S. at home. Mr. 
 Wliitmire and family belong to the Luth- 
 eran Church at Springdale. He is a mem- 
 ber of the F. M. C. He takes a very active 
 interest in politics and is always willing 
 to do his share in anything looking to the 
 improvement of the public highways, the 
 advancement of the schools or other pub- 
 lic questions which good citizens are called 
 u]ion to decide. 
 
784 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 JOSIAH i\DAMS, residing on his valu- 
 able farm of 140 acres, which is situated 
 near Adams Corners, on the Harrisville 
 and Franklin Road, belongs to families 
 who have been prominently identified 
 with the development of Slippery Rock 
 Township, for generations. He was born 
 on a farm that adjoins his own, in Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, October 3, 1832, and is a 
 son of James and Eliza (Harris) Adams. 
 
 The location of Adams Corners bears 
 his family name, while Harrisville, three 
 miles distant, was named for his maternal 
 grandfather, Ephraim Harris, who pur- 
 chased the 400 acres, which includes the 
 site of that town, from James Hartley, an- 
 other old pioneer with Jonathan Adams, 
 who was the grandfather of the wife of 
 Josiah Adams. James Adams and wife 
 spent their lives in Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship and died on the farm now owned by 
 their son Josiah. 
 
 Josiah Adams was reared in Slippery 
 Rock Township and obtained his education 
 in the country schools. In 1853 he started 
 for California and remained in the far 
 West until 1873, during this long period 
 having spent his time in California, Ne- 
 vada, Oregon, "Washington and Utah, team- 
 ing, mining and farming. After he re- 
 turned to Pennsylvania, in 1873, he was 
 married to Miss Mary Hartley, a daughter 
 of James and Isabella (Van Dyke) Hart- 
 ley. Mrs. Adams was born and reared in 
 Marion Township, Butler County. Her 
 grandfather, James Hartley, was born in 
 Westmoreland County and, as stated 
 above, he once owned the land on which 
 the flourishing town of Harrisville stands. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Adams have had six chil- 
 dren, namely: Samuel Dale, who died 
 when aged twenty- five years; James A., 
 who married Edith Shields, and has four 
 children — Samuel Dale, Frances Catherine, 
 Mary Isabella, and Eli James ; Harry, who 
 married Mary Delia Bovard, deceased; 
 Mary, wlio married W. E. James, of 
 
 Chicora; Ralph, who married Effie Dible, 
 resides at Mars, and they have three chil- 
 dren, Kathleen Adelaide, Sarah and Ray 
 Roosevelt; and. one deceased. Mr. Adams 
 and wife belong to the Slippery Rock Pres- 
 byterian Church. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 W. D. AVINTERS, one of Butler's rep- 
 resentative business men, who is engaged 
 in general contracting, railroad excavating 
 and building, was born in 1874, at Alle- 
 gheny, Pennsylvania, where he attended 
 school during early boyhood. Since he was 
 eighteen years of age, Mr. Winters has 
 been engaged in the business to which he 
 now devotes his entire time. He is a gen- 
 eral contractor for grading, masonry, rail- 
 road work. and mill foundations. It would 
 be a heavy task to name all the work for 
 which Mr. Winters has made himself re- 
 sponsible, since he established himself at 
 Butler, but his most prominent contracts 
 were the following : The Butler Car Wheel 
 Works, the Butler Bolt & Rivet Works, 
 the Forged Steel Wheel Works, the power 
 plant for the Steel Car Forge AVorks at 
 Ellwood City, and all the grading around 
 the Standard Steel Car Works at Butler. 
 While residing at Allegheny, he took an 
 active interest in j^olitics, but since coming 
 to Butler has devoted all his energies to 
 the developing of his business and in this 
 line is recognized as one of the city's most 
 enterprising men. In 1890 Mr. Winters 
 was married to Miss Mary Haas, of Alle- 
 gheny. He is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 CHARLES 0. POLM, a prominent agri- 
 culturist and coal dealer in Allegheny 
 Township, residing on his valuable farm 
 of ninety acres, was born April 23, 1876, 
 in Allegheny Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsvlvania, and is a son of Thomas and 
 Olive (Corbett) Polm. 
 
 The venerable father of Mr. Polm, now 
 in his seventy-fifth year, was born in 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 785 
 
 Clarion County, Peuusylvauia, but a large 
 portion of his life has been passed in But- 
 ler County. He is of German extraction. 
 He married a granddaughter of Stephen 
 Corbett, an old settler of Butler County, 
 who was a native of England. Mrs. Polm 
 died in December, 1907, and seven children 
 still survive, namely : Stephen, residing in 
 xillegheny Township; AVilliam W., resid- 
 ing near New Bethlehem; John L. and 
 Frederick N., both residing in Allegheny 
 Township ; Charles 0. ; Carrie Y., wife of 
 George W. Gibson, living in Allegheny 
 Township; and Mary'C, wife of W. C. 
 Alworth, residing in Parker Townshii?. 
 Mr. Polm takes much interest both in local 
 matters and in the affairs of the outside 
 world and gives hearty support to the 
 Eepublican party. He is one of the lead- 
 ing and most valued members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church in this sec- 
 tion. 
 
 Charles 0. Polm obtained his education 
 in the public schools of Allegheny Town- 
 ship and he has given his main attention 
 to farming and to developing his fine coal 
 mine which is situated on his land, mining 
 having been going on for some years with 
 no sign of an exhaustion of the supply. 
 He is an excellent business man and man- 
 ages his industries in such an able manner 
 as to ensure satisfactory results. He is a 
 man of his word and enjoys the confidence 
 of his fellow citizens. In polities he is a 
 Eepublican but is no seeker for political 
 office. He is an attendant and contributor 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Farmington, of which his venerable father 
 is a pillar. 
 
 WINFIELD S. KEISTER, residing on 
 his well ini]n-oved farm of 150 acres, situ- 
 ated near Keister Station, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, is one of the prominent 
 citizens of this section and was born here 
 in 1851, and is a son of Jesse and Margaret 
 (Wolford) Keister. 
 
 Jesse Keister, father of Winfield S.. was 
 
 born in 1808, in Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania, and was fourteen years old 
 when he accompanied his parents, in 1822, 
 to Slippery Eock Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, where his father, Philip Keister, bought 
 a farm situated about one mile west of 
 the one now owned by his grandson, Win- 
 field S. Philip Keister died on the farm 
 on which he first settled. Jesse Keister 
 was reared on that farm and remained 
 there until his marriage when he settled 
 on the farm belonging to Winfield S., but 
 at that time it was a very dift'erent look- 
 ing property, being covered with timber 
 and brush and giving little indication of 
 its ]iresent state of improvement and 
 cultivation. Prior to the birth of Win- 
 field S., the present fine country residence 
 was erected and many changes had been 
 effected. Jesse Keister married Margaret 
 Wolford, who was born in Slippery Rock 
 Township, on the farm now owned by 
 Henry Wilson, just east of the borough of 
 Slip])ery Rock, and her father was Henry 
 Wolford. To this union eight children 
 were born, one of whom died in infancy 
 and four survive : Amelda, who is the wife 
 of Alexander Mortland, of Indianapolis, 
 Indiana; Henry, who lives at Seattle, 
 Washington; Emma, who is the wife of 
 John Boyles, of Grove City ; and Winfield 
 Scott. Philip died aged thirty-six years; 
 Jacob S. died aged twenty-nine years ; and 
 Madison died aged thirty-six years. Ja- 
 cob S. was a soldier in the Civil War, a 
 member of the One Hundred Third Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantrj^ 
 was taken prisoner by the Confederates 
 at Phanouth, North Carolina, and was 
 subsequently confined in the Andersonville 
 and Florence prisons, dying in the latter, 
 a true martyr for his country. The mother 
 and father both died on the present farm, 
 the former in 1890 and the latter in 1888. 
 Winfield S. Keister has been engaged in 
 farming ever since the close of his school 
 period and is numbered with the experi- 
 enced and successful agriculturists of the 
 
786 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 township. He carries on a general line of 
 agricultnre and grows many strawberries 
 and raspberries. His surroundings indi- 
 cate a large amount of comfort, and his 
 fields and flocks show thrift and industry. 
 Mr. Keister married Miss Annie O'Neil, 
 a daughter of Daniel 'Neil, and they have 
 the following children : Henry B., James 
 Lawrence, George F., Jesse, Nellie, Mar- 
 garet and Madison. Jesse, Margaret and 
 Madison are at home. Nellie is a student 
 in the Slippery Rock State Normal School. 
 The eldest son, Henry B., married Venetta 
 Sutton, and is principal of the Chicora 
 Schools. He is a graduate of the Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School. Both James 
 Lawrence and George F. are yard clerks 
 for the Bessemer Railroad, at Branclitown. 
 
 MICHAEL KRAMER, a well known 
 resident of Clearfield Township, has a fine 
 farm of fifty acres just off the state road; 
 al)()iit a ([uarter of a mile from Coylesville. 
 He was 1m. lu in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 
 Scptcnilicr 7, 1849, and is a son of Jacob 
 and Barbara (Holtz) Kramer. 
 
 Jacob Kramer was born in Germany and 
 was eighteen years old when he came to 
 the United States, his parents remaining 
 in the old country. About one year later 
 he Avas married to Barbara Holtz and they 
 became parents of the following children: 
 .loseph, James, Michael, Katie, Jacob, 
 John, Mina, Daniel and Barbara. By a 
 second marriage he had Stella, Margaret 
 and George. 
 
 Michael Kramer was about ten years of 
 age when his parents moved from Pitts- 
 burg to Clearfield Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, and here he grew to maturity, receiving 
 his education in the public schools. He 
 early learned the trade of a carpenter, 
 which he followed in connection with farm- 
 ing. He is engaged in diversified farming, 
 raising some stock. 
 
 April 27, 1875, Mr. Kramer was united 
 in marriage with Catherine Osterman, a 
 daughter of Jose])h and Sarah (Hilner) 
 
 Osterman, of Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County. She is one of the following chil- 
 dren born to lier parents : Grace, Marga- 
 ret, Jacob, Kate; Peter, George and Cris, 
 triplets; Maggie, William, Barbara and 
 Catherine. Of these children Margaret, 
 Jacob and Cris are now deceased. 
 
 Michael and Catherine Kramer are pa- 
 rents of the following children : Joseph ; 
 Jacob, who married Sarah Opperman and 
 has two daughters, Clara and Kate; Ed- 
 ward, who married Mary Schuler and has 
 two sons, Theodore and Raymond ; Fannie, 
 who is attending school and is engaged in 
 dressmaking; William, who lives on the 
 home farm ; and Charles, who is in attend- 
 ance at school. Religiously, the family l)e- 
 longs to St. John's Catholic Church. 
 
 JOHN N. MUNTZ, a native of Germany, 
 there married Christina Rapp. They came 
 to the United States, arriving at Baltimore, 
 Maryland, July 4, 1804, proceeded to Co 
 lumbiana County, Ohio, and finally to Har- 
 mony, Butler County, Penna., where they 
 were among the first to build a home, 
 March, 1805. In 1806 they bought a tract 
 of land in Beaver County, and lived there 
 until Mr. Muntz's death, bv accident, on 
 June 4, 1812. 
 
 John G. Muntz, youngest child of John 
 George Muntz, lived on the farm in Beaver 
 County until the spring of 1820, when he 
 joined his brother Henry, and they carried 
 on a store at Zelienople, Butler County. 
 In the fall of 1826 he went to Natchez, 
 Mississippi, to fill the position of general 
 manager of a store. He returned to Zeli- 
 enople and in 1835 was appointed post- 
 master at that place, which position he held 
 until 1840, and then embarked in the mer- 
 cantile business in Pittsburg, where he con- 
 tinued until 1854. He then located in But- 
 ler, and opened a general store, on the site 
 of the Boos building, where he carried on 
 business until 1861. In that year he en- 
 tered the coal business, and was extensively 
 engaged in operating until 1871. He was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 789 
 
 then elected justice of the peace, which of- 
 fice he held at the time of his death, April 
 12, 1880. 
 
 He was an ardent Democrat and an 
 active and prominent worker in the party. 
 Throughout his long residence in Butler 
 he was a prominent member of the Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church, and also took a deep 
 interest in the prosperity of the public 
 schools, beiug a member of the School 
 Board for a number of years. 
 
 Mr. Muntz married Mary B. Negley, a 
 daughter of John Negley, one of the first 
 settlers of Butler, to whom were born five 
 children, viz.: Mary A., wife of the late 
 W. H. II. Fithian; Annie E., and Emeline, 
 both of whom died in infancy; John N. 
 and Catharine R., widow of Judson (1. 
 Crane. 
 
 John N. Muntz, only son of John Gf. and 
 Mary B. Muntz, was born in Allegheny 
 City, Penna., reared and educated in But- 
 ler, and served an apprenticeship at the 
 jirinter's trade, which he followed for a 
 few years. In 1872 he commenced operat- 
 ing in coal, which has since been his prin- 
 cipal business. 
 
 Mr. Muntz was married in 1886 to Mary 
 D., daughter of the late John P. Kramer, 
 of Sewickley, Allegheny County, Penna. 
 They are the parents of three children, 
 viz.: John Philip, Edward Kramer, both 
 deceased; and Richard, who is a student 
 at the University of Pittsburg. 
 
 PHILIP S. FENNELL, who has been 
 engaged in the mercantile business 
 throughout his business career, is post- 
 master of the village of Fenelton, which 
 was established by his father and derives 
 its name from that of the Fennell family. 
 The family became established here as 
 early as 18.30, having come from east of 
 the mountains of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Fennell was born in Clearfield 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 Februarv 22, 1867, and is a son of Peter 
 
 and Lydia (Schawl) Fennell. Peter, who 
 was a farmer by occupation for many 
 years, settled the town of Fenelton and 
 through his influence a postoffice was 
 established at this point, he becomiug the 
 first postmaster. He engaged in the mer- 
 cantile business and conducted the store 
 until his death on September 5, 1907. 
 
 Philip S. Fennell was reared and edu- 
 cated in Clearfield Township, and in addi- 
 tion to the mercantile business has fol- 
 lowed farming. He has a valuable farm 
 of fifty-three acres, located on the north 
 side of the Butler Road, just at the edge 
 of Fenelton, and has been to some extent 
 engaged in stock raising. He entered his 
 father's store, and after the latter 's death 
 carried on the business in partnership 
 with James Coyle, Jr. The partnership 
 continues at the present time, the firm 
 name being P. S. Fennell & Company, and 
 their store is liberally patronized by the 
 people of the community. Mr. Fennell has 
 efficiently discharged the duties as post- 
 master, and is a popular official. 
 
 He was married to Miss Sarah E. Rie- 
 ger, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth 
 (Iceler) Rieger. Her father was a farmer 
 and the family has always taken a leading 
 part in the affairs of the commimity. Two 
 children have blessed this union, Floyd R. 
 and Edith J.oy. Religiously, the subject 
 of this sketch is a member of the Metho- 
 dist church, and is one of the stewards. 
 He also is superintendent of the Sabbath 
 School, which has thrived during his in- 
 cumbency, having at present an enrollment 
 of a})out 100 members. Fraternally, he 
 was formerly a member of the Royal 
 Arcanum. 
 
 EGBERT A. TERWILLIGER, who is 
 one of Allegheny Township's representa- 
 tiye citizens, resides on his valuable farm, 
 which contains about 100 acres, on which 
 he carries on general farming and stock- 
 raising. He was born in Clarion County, 
 
790 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Pennsylvania, Alareh 14, 1857, and is a son 
 of John and Tena (Elder) Terwilliger. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Terwilliger were 
 both born in Clarion County, where the 
 grandfathers were early settlers. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather, Egbert Terwilliger, 
 settled in Perry Township, Clarion Coun- 
 ty, and was the founder of the family of 
 this name in tiiat section. The parents of 
 Mr. Terwilliger died in Perry Township, 
 tiie father in 1895. Three of their children 
 still survive, namely : William L., residing 
 in Clarion Covmty; Peter H., also residing 
 in that county ; and Egbert A., of Allegheny 
 Township. 
 
 Egbert A. Terwilliger obtained his edu- 
 cation in the schools of Perry Township 
 and his agricultural training on the 
 father's farm. In 1883 he moved to Alle- 
 gheny Township, Butler Coimty, settling 
 on the fine property on which he has re- 
 sided ever since. He has identified himself 
 with public interests here and has served 
 both as auditor and as school director. 
 
 On January 4, 1881, Mr. Terwilliger was 
 married to Miss Cora J. .Horner, who was 
 born in Clarion County and is a daughter 
 of the late Andrew Horner, formerly a 
 prominent farmer in Perry Township. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Terwilliger have had eight 
 children, the five survivors being: George 
 B., residing in Clarion County; William C., 
 living in Allegheny Township; Roy C, 
 Samuel P. and Florence M.. all residing in 
 Allegheny Township. In politics, Mr. Ter- 
 williger is identified with the Democratic 
 party and he takes a somewhat active part 
 in public matters, in so far as good citizen- 
 ship and public spirit demand. Religious- 
 ly, he is connected witJi the Presbvterian 
 Church. 
 
 CHARLES TAGGART, who was a well 
 known and respected resident of Brady 
 Township, where he owned property, en- 
 gaged in farming and for many years fol- 
 lowed the carpenter trade, died January 1, 
 1883. He was born in Slippery Rock Town- 
 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, in 1855, 
 and was a son of Samuel and Mary (Gil- 
 key) Taggart. 
 
 The late Charles Taggart was a mem- 
 ber of the One Hundred Thirty-seventh 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, during the Civil War and his record 
 shows that he was a faithful soldier. His 
 one brother, John Taggart, was also a sol- 
 dier and lost his life in the service. Mr. 
 Taggart was widely known, his business 
 frequently calling him to different parts of 
 the county and his standing both as a busi- 
 ness man and as a citizen was high. He 
 left his family amply provided for, there 
 being a farm of fifty acres, which his widow 
 still owns, and twelve acres which she 
 bought in 1892 and where she resides. 
 
 Mr. Taggart was married to Miss Lau- 
 retta Goi'don, who is a daughter of James 
 and Catherine (Pryor) Gordon. James 
 Gordon was born near West Sunbury, But- 
 ler County. In his earlier years he engaged 
 in farming but later became proprietor of 
 one of the old landmarks of this section, 
 the Old Stone House, in Brady Township, 
 which he conducted for fourteen years and 
 died there, in 1891. His widow survived 
 until 1898. They had the^ following chil- 
 dren: Armina, deceased, was the wife of 
 Taylor Thompson; Lauretta, who became 
 the wife of Charles Taggart; Adelaide, 
 who married Elmer McGinness and lives 
 at Spokane. Washington; Sarah, who is the 
 wife of Lucas ('nxcrt of Grove City; War- 
 ren, who is a tiMil (ii-csser in the oil fields; 
 Salina, who is the wife of John Taggart, 
 of Brady Township; William, deceased; 
 and Viola, who is the wife of Harry Wads- 
 worth, who is the ticket agent at Branch- 
 town, Pennsylvania, for the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Taggart had two children, 
 Bii'die Louisa and Adelaide. Both daugh- 
 ters were given educational advantages 
 and grew into attractive and capable wom- 
 en. The younger daughter carried on a 
 millinery Imsiness at Slippery Rock, but 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 791 
 
 Las recently sold out and resides with her 
 mother. The older daughter not only 
 graduated with credit from the Butler High 
 School but was particularly proficient in 
 penmanship and won the second prize for 
 the same at the Butler Countj^ Fair. She 
 also taught music. She married C. J. 
 Loday and they had one daughter, Gladys, 
 who is in her grandmother's care, as her 
 own mother died in February, 1903. This 
 was a heavy affliction to Mrs. Taggart and 
 in her. several bereavements she has had 
 the sympathy of the whole community. 
 Since settling on her present farm she has 
 made a number of improvements. It is a 
 pleasant location for a home, being in the 
 country, while the village of Keister is ouly 
 a mile distant. 
 
 DENNIS L. GALLAGHER, an agricul- 
 turist of Clearfield Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, resides on a farm of 
 forty acres about a mile from Coylesville 
 on the Butler Road, and owns another of 
 seventy-five acres on the same road about 
 two miles from the village. He was born in 
 Brookfield, Pennsylvania, in 1842, and is a 
 son of John and Latitia (McLaughlin) 
 Gallagher. 
 
 Anthony Gallagher, grandfather of the 
 suliject of this sketch, came from Fayette 
 Couut}^, Pennsylvania, to Armstrong, But- 
 ler Coimty, at an early day and there 
 passed the remainder of his days. His 
 wife's maiden name was McCue. John 
 Gallagher was a prominent farmer of Jef- 
 ferson Township, Butler County, and 
 served as justice of the peace for more 
 than score of years. 
 
 Dennis L. Gallagher was reared on the 
 old home fai-m and received a preliminary 
 education in the district schools. He at- 
 tended school at Brooksfield, and one year 
 in St. Vincent College, in Westmoreland 
 County. He has a comfortable home and 
 well improved farm property. He has 
 leased his property to oil operators, and 
 
 has one well now being drilled on the place. 
 He is deeply interested in matters of pub- 
 lic welfare and is a progressive citizen. 
 
 Mr. Gallagher was united in marriage 
 with Miss Catharine M. Green, a daughter 
 of John and Mary (Connor) Green, her 
 family being a well known one in this sec- 
 tion of the county. Religiously, they are 
 devout members of the Catholic church. 
 
 JAMES H. STEEN, proprietor of the 
 Steen Creamery, a prosperous enterprise 
 of Butler, was born March 8th, 1863, in 
 Connoquenessing Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of the late 
 William Steen. The father of Mr. Steen 
 was born in Ireland and remained in his 
 own country until he was eighteen years 
 of age, when he emigrated to America and 
 settled in Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 For many years he engaged in farming 
 and milling, owning property in Connoque- 
 nessing Township. 
 
 James H. Steen remained on the home 
 farm until he was twenty years of age, 
 securing his ediication in the schools of 
 his native township. For several years 
 after leaving home he worked as a clerk 
 in a general store at Petersville, where, 
 later, he engaged in a feed and creamery 
 business. This enterprise he continued 
 there until 1904, when he transferred his 
 interests to Butler and established the 
 Steen Creamery in this city, at No. 417 
 South Main street. The plant is a large 
 one, the business being both wholesale and 
 retail, the products being butter, ice cream 
 and pasteurized milk. Having an experi- 
 ence of fifteen years in this business, ^Ir. 
 Steen is thoroughly familiar with all its 
 details. Improved machinery is made use 
 of, modern methods are used and sanitary 
 and wholesome conditions prevail. Mr. 
 Steen married (first) Miss Emma Rader. 
 who died in 1893, leaving one child, Willa 
 May. He was married (second), in 1900, 
 to Miss Lavina Marshall, and they have 
 two children, Irene and William Harold. 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 STEPHEN STOOPS, one of the most 
 highly esteemed older citizens of Alle- 
 ghenj^ Township, who resides on his val- 
 uable farm of 127 acres, on which he set- 
 tled in 1863, was born at what is now An- 
 nandale, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 December 16, 1823, and is a son of Philip 
 and Elizabeth (Vanderlin) Stoops. 
 
 Both the Stoops and the Vanderlin fami- 
 lies were very early settlers in Butler 
 County, Grandfather John Vanderlin lo- 
 cating near what is now Murrinsville, 
 when all that section was covered with tim- 
 ber. Philip Stoops followed farming all 
 his life in Butler County. Four of his 
 children survive, namely: Stephen; Eliz- 
 abeth, who is the wife of Harry Arnold, of 
 California; Philip, who resides in Clay 
 Township, and Nancy, who was the wife of 
 John Thompson (now deceased), of Con- 
 cord Township. 
 
 Stephen Stoops grew to manhood in 
 Marion Township, Butler County, and has 
 devoted himself to agricultural pursuits in 
 the main, although he has also been en- 
 gaged in the oil business. - Since 1863 he 
 has been identified with the interests of 
 Allegheny Township and here he has done 
 his full duty as a man and citizen. In his 
 political views he is a Republican and on 
 the ticket of that party he has frequently 
 been elected to local office. Mr. Stoops 
 has witnessed many important changes in 
 this section since he settled here, school- 
 houses have been built, churches have in- 
 creased and the public highways have been 
 vastly improved and all of these matters 
 have come under his consideration and 
 have received close and careful attention. 
 
 On April 29, 1852, Mr. Stoops was mar- 
 ried to Miss Maria Hilliard, who died July 
 27, 1891. She was a daughter of Peter 
 and Elizabeth Hilliard, who lived in Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County. She 
 was a most estimable Christian woman, a 
 sincere member of the Mt. Vernon Presby- 
 terian Church. Her death was a heavy 
 burden to her husband and surviving chil- 
 
 dren, seven in number, as follows: Eliza- 
 beth, who is the wife of Morrison Hilliard, 
 of Clay Township ; Abigail, who is the wife 
 of Luther M. Starr, of Butler; John, who 
 lives in Fairview Townshiji ; Sarah, who is 
 the widow of William Morris, of Washing- 
 ton Township ; Emeline, who lives in Alle- 
 gheny Township; Nancy, who is the wife 
 of W S. Jamison, of Greene County, and 
 Henry, who lives in Fairview Township. 
 Harriet and Margaret are deceased. Mr. 
 Stoops is a valued member of the M<t. Ver- 
 non Presbyterian Church, to which he has 
 always contributed according to his means. 
 
 GEORGE IFFT, one of Slippery Rock's 
 prominent farmers, residing on one farm 
 of fifty-two acres, situated three miles 
 south of Harrisville, owns a second farm, 
 containing fifty-eight acres, situated in 
 Franklin Township. He was born in Bea- 
 ver County, Pennsylvania, August 21, 
 1836. and is a son of Peter and Elizabeth 
 (Lamb) Ifft. The Ifft family is an old 
 and prominent one in several parts of the 
 United States. A nephew of George Ifft, 
 Hon. George Nicholas Ifft, whose home is 
 in Idaho, is ably representing the United 
 States as consul to Germany. 
 
 In 1845 the parents of Mr. Ifft moved 
 from Beaver County to Franklin Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and there he remained 
 on the home farm until he was sixteen 
 years old. After that he worked for about 
 forty years as a blacksmith, learning the 
 trade in Lancaster Township. In 1858, 
 when he was about twenty-one years of 
 age, he went to California, taking the Isth- 
 mus of Panama route, and remained there 
 for some tliirty years, although during 
 this time he made several visits to his old 
 home. He worked as a blacksmith and 
 also as a gold miner and met with consid- 
 erable success. In the fall of 1888 he re- 
 turned to make his permanent home in 
 Butler County and at that time settled on 
 the present farm, where he carries on 
 dairying and general agriculture. 
 
M 
 
 WILLIAM H. LUSK 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 r95 
 
 During a visit home, on April 16, 1872, 
 Mr. Ifft was married to Miss Elzira Bran- 
 non, who was born in Worth Township, 
 Butler County, but was reared in Frank- 
 lin Township. Her jjarents were Thomas 
 and Mary Ann (Reed) Brannon. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ifft's two children were born in Cali- 
 fornia — George Howard and Charles 
 Adams. The latter owns a farm of 136 
 acres in Mercer Township, Butler County, 
 lie married Miss Eva Hogg and they have 
 tlic fdllowing children: George Eugene, 
 :\lary Elizabeth, Arthur Edwin, Edna L., 
 and Valma Elzira. Mr. Ifft and family 
 belong to the United Presbyterian Church. 
 He has taken no active part in local poli- 
 tics but, on account of his broadened views 
 and years of unusual experiences, is often 
 consulted on questions of moment in the 
 township and he has thus often served his 
 fellow citizens. 
 
 WILLIAM H. LUSK, formerly a lead- 
 ing member of the bar at Butler, was a 
 type of citizen whose removal from the 
 community is a common loss. He was 
 born at Harmony, Pennsylvania, and was 
 a son of Dr. Amos and Agnes S. (Clow) 
 Lusk, and a grandson of Dr. Loring Lusk. 
 
 For several generations the Lusks have 
 been more or less prominent in profes- 
 sional life and identified with the same in 
 Butler and adjacent counties. The grand- 
 father of the late AVilliam H. Lusk was 
 born in 1799, in Ontario County, New 
 York. While reading medicine with his 
 brother-in-law at Mercer, Pennsylvania, 
 Loring Lusk was married to ]\Iary Smith. 
 In 1823 he entered upon the practice of 
 medicine at Harmony, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, later removing to Beaver 
 County. During the construction of the 
 Pittsburg & Erie Canal he was engaged 
 in contracting, but in 1844 he resiuiicd 
 medical practice at Harmony, where he 
 continued until 1854, when he removed to 
 Lewis County, Missouri. In 1861, at the 
 
 opening of the Civil War, he accepted the 
 appointment of surgeon of the Twenty- 
 first Regimeut, ^Missouri Volunteer Infan- 
 try, and remained in the service for one 
 year. In the meanwhile, his son. Dr. Amos 
 Lusk, had established himself at Zelie- 
 nople, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and 
 to that place Dr. Loring Lusk retired, em- 
 barking in a drug business which he con- 
 tinued to conduct until his demise in 1878. 
 Dr. Amos Lusk, father of the late Will- 
 iam H. Lusk, was born May 31, 1828, at 
 Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 After a thorough preparation he entered 
 upon the practice of medicine in 1849, and 
 in 1854 he received his diploma from the 
 medical department of the W^estern Re- 
 serve College at Cleveland. From 1853 
 until 1857 he served as surgeon at the 
 United States Marine Hospital at Pitts- 
 burg, and then joined his father at Canton, 
 Missouri, where he continued to practice 
 until the opening of the Civil War. He 
 then established "himself at Zelienople, in 
 his native county, where he engaged in 
 continuous practice for a period covering 
 thirty years. In addition to his profes- 
 sional responsibility. Dr. Amos Lusk was 
 interested for many years in business. In 
 1883 he established the firm of Amos 
 Lusk & Son, which was a successful bank- 
 ing firm up to the time of Dr. Lusk's 
 death, following which event the son sold 
 his interest. Dr. Lusk was also justly 
 celebrated as a linguist, having a genius 
 foi' acquiring command of different 
 tongues than his own. It is said that he 
 studied no less than twenty-five different 
 languages and that he mastered twelve. 
 H? married Agnes S. Clow, of Westmore- 
 land County, Pennsylvania, and they had 
 six children, namely: William H., James 
 L., Joseph R., Amos M., Mary V. and 
 .lulian, all of whom became prominent in 
 the communities where the circmnstances 
 of their lives placed them. Dr. Amos 
 Lusk died November 17, 1891. His burial 
 
79G 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was eoiidiicted according to the Masonic 
 ritual, he having been a charter member 
 of Harmony Lodge, F. & A. M. 
 
 The late William H. Lusk possessed 
 many of the leading characteristics of his 
 distinguished father, a love of knowledge, 
 a (|ui(k pcic(']ition, a ready sjTupathy and 
 a uriiiMniis >i)irit. He completed his liter- 
 ary (Mhicjition at a local academy and hav- 
 ing access to his father's extensive library, 
 lie passed many hours in the beneficial 
 enjoyment of its treasures. His tastes led 
 him into the study of law rather than med- 
 icine and he prepared for the bar under 
 Attorney AV. D. Brandon of Butler and was 
 admitted in the autumn of 1877. His abil- 
 ity was immediately recognized and he 
 enjoyed a substantial patronage up to the 
 time of his death September 5, 1907. Al- 
 though peculiarly well equipped for public 
 life, he took very little interest in politics, 
 contenting himself with the mere perform- 
 ance of the duties resting upon him as a 
 good citizen. He voted with the Repub- 
 lican jjartv, as had his father. 
 
 In 1882,' WiUiam H. Lusk was united in 
 marriage with Matilda Endres, who sur- 
 vives, residing at her pleasant home No. 
 234 West Pearl Street. Mrs. Lusk is a 
 daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Woos- 
 ter) Endres, who were prominent in Butler 
 and Beaver Counties. Mr. and Mrs. Lusk 
 became the parents of four children, 
 namely: Arthur H., Amy M., James L., 
 and Elizabeth C. Amy M. is the wife of 
 Prank R. Frost, a civil engineer, a govern- 
 ment employe, located at Chattanooga, 
 Tennessee. They have one daughter. Amy 
 Lucille. Mrs. Lusk is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 GEORGE WORRALL, treasurer of the 
 Tjeedom & Worrall Company, wholesale 
 grocers, at Butler, is one of the city's act- 
 ive and enterprising business men. He 
 was born in 1869, in Morgan County, Ohio, 
 where he was educated in the public 
 schools. 
 
 When twenty years of age, Mr. Worrall 
 went to Marietta, Ohio, and entered the 
 employ of the wholesale grocery house of 
 Penrose & Simpson, and continued there 
 for ten years, learning the business from 
 the ground up. He then organized the 
 Worrall Grocery Company, in that city, 
 which he managed for three years and 
 then sold out to the Eldridge-Higgins Com- 
 pany, and came to Butler. Finding a 
 promising business field here, he organ- 
 ized the Leedom & Worrall Company, 
 which, in 1904, was incorporated with a 
 capital stock of $150,000, the officers of the 
 same being: Nelson Moore, of Rochester, 
 New York, president; D. H. Sutton, vice 
 president; P. W. Leedom, second vice 
 president ; George Worrall, treasurer ; and 
 J. H. Leedom, secretary. This is a very 
 large enterprise. The firm has seven men 
 constantly on the road covering all West- 
 ern Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Worrall was married to 
 Miss Lillian Leedom and they have one 
 child, Ralph. Mr. and Mrs. Worrall are 
 members of the Congregational Church. In 
 fraternal life he is connected with the 
 Knights of Pythias. His interest in i^oli- 
 tics is in no way personal, but he lends his 
 influence at all times to forward move- 
 ments for the preservation of life and 
 property and for the advancement of edu- 
 cation and morality. 
 
 SILAS H. EVANS, a prominent citizen 
 and successful agriculturist, residing on 
 his valuable farm of 130 acres, situated in 
 Allegheny Township, has also been more 
 or less identified with the oil industry for 
 a ni;mber of years. He was born in Dela- 
 ware Grove, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 June 18, 1848, and is a soil of Edward E. 
 and Mary Eliza (Black) Evans. 
 
 Edward E. Evans was a son of Thomas 
 Evans and both were born in a southern 
 State. In youth he accompanied his par- 
 ents to ]\Iercer County, where he lived until 
 1 859. He then came to Butler County and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 797 
 
 settled in Wasliingtou Township, where he 
 engaged in woolen manufacturing, operat- 
 ing what is known as the Hopewell mill, 
 turning out the usual grades of woolens 
 and yarns which were in demand in the 
 neighboring towns and villages and in the 
 lumber districts. He continued his indus- 
 try into the eighties, his death taking place 
 in 1898, when he was in his eighty-fourth 
 year. He married for his second wife Isa- 
 bella Black, who is still living, being now 
 in her eighty-eighth year. He was widely 
 known and thoroughly respected all 
 through Washington Township, where he 
 frequently was elected to office and per- 
 formed every duty of a public-spirited cit- 
 izen and good man. In his political sen- 
 timents he was a Republican. For many 
 years he was an elder in the New Salem 
 Presbyterian Church. Four of his children 
 survive, namely : Silas H. ; Joseph T., re- 
 siding at Bradford; George E., living in 
 Allegheny Township; and Oscar E., living 
 at Beaver, Pennsylvania. Th-ree of his 
 sons who are deceased — Thomas H., Clar- 
 ence P., and Alfred B. — were soldiers in 
 the Civil War. 
 
 Silas H. Evans grew to manhood in 
 Washington Township and was educated 
 in the district schools there and in a school 
 at London, Mercer County. He began to 
 work in his father's mill when he was 
 twelve years old and continued there until 
 he was twenty-one. He did not have a 
 natural leaning toward manufacturing and 
 when he was free he entered the employ of 
 Hon. R. A. Mifflin, who conducted a mer- 
 cantile business -at North Washington, first 
 as a clerk and later as bookkeeper. Mr. 
 Evans continued there for six years and 
 then becaiiic bookkeeper for Chambers 
 Seutt, a iiicri-liniit at Fairview, with whom 
 he remained foi- some years. In 1900, Mr. 
 Evans settled on his present farm in Alle- 
 gheny Township. 
 
 In October, 1878, Mr. Evans was mar- 
 ried to Miss Abigail C. Gibson (now de- 
 ceased), a daughter of the late George G. 
 
 Gibson, a former resident of Allegheny 
 Township. Mr. Evans was married, sec- 
 ond, to Sarah McMahan, daughter of Geo. 
 McMahan of Parker Township, one of five 
 sisters. Mr. Geo. McMahan celebrated his 
 golden wedding on June 24, 1908, and died 
 June 28, 1908, just four days later. Mr. 
 Evans is a member, as was also his wife, 
 of the New Salem Presbyterian Church, in 
 which he has been an elder for a number 
 of years. In politics he is a Republican. 
 He has always taken an interest in those 
 movements which have promised to be of 
 benefit to his section and is in hearty ac- 
 cord with those supporting good govern- 
 ment, temperance, education and morality. 
 
 GEORGE N. CHANDLER, owner of 136 
 acres of farm land, which lies in Slippery 
 Rock ToAvnship, about one and one-half 
 miles east of tlie borough of Slippery Rock, 
 is a representative citizen of this section 
 of Butler County. He was born on a farm 
 in Plain Grove Township, Lawrence Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1854, and 
 is a son of Samuel T. and Mary Ann (Den- 
 niston) Chandler. 
 
 Samuel T. Chandler was a native of Ver- 
 mont and he came to Western Pennsyl- 
 vania in early manhood and prior to his ■ 
 marriage was a school teacher. Afterward 
 he engaged in farming, and in the spring 
 of 1860, purchased the farm now belonging 
 to his son, George N. He married Mary 
 Ann Denniston and they had eight chil- 
 dren, six of whom still survive. Samuel T. 
 Chandler died in 1884 and his widow lived 
 until 1903. 
 
 George N. Chandler has resided on his 
 present farm since he was six years old 
 and its excellent condition as to cultiva- 
 tion and improvements, is largely owing 
 to his industry and good management. ]\Ir. 
 Chandler is a general farmer, a man of 
 practical ideas and has few equals in this 
 section in knowledge of general tillage and 
 farm management. 
 
 ]\fr. Chandler has five sisters, namelv : 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Margaret, who is the widow of J. M. Law- 
 rence ; Eliza H., who is the widow of New- 
 ton Stevenson ; Mary Ellen ; Emma F. and 
 Sarah. The two other children, William 
 and an infant, are deceased. Mr. Chand- 
 ler takes no very active part in politics, 
 but he has always been nmnbered with the 
 reliable and public-spirited citizens of the 
 township. He is a member of the I. 0. 
 0. F. at SUppery Eock. 
 
 WALTER EVANS, one of Butler's rep- 
 resentative citizens, who is engaged in a 
 general insurance business, with offices in 
 the Bickle Block in this city, was born in 
 1838, in what is now the borough of But- 
 ler, and is a member of one of the old and 
 prominent families of this section. He is 
 a son of A. M. and Ann Eliza (Neyman) 
 Evans. 
 
 Both the Evans and Nej-man families 
 deserve honorable mention among the 
 pioneer families of Butler County. Capt. 
 Henry Evans, the paternal grandfather, 
 was the founder of his family here, com- 
 ing in 1800. He subsequently served in 
 the War of 1812, acquiring his military 
 title, and later, in the thirties, he was 
 elected and served as sheriff of Butler 
 County. In many ways he w^as one of tlie 
 leading men of his day. He dicil in is.')!), 
 in his seventy-fifth year. His cliildreu 
 bore the following names: John, A. M., 
 George W., Hiram J., Permelia, Margaret 
 A., Lydia and Jane. The parents of Mr. 
 Evans are deceased, but his mother lived 
 to the unusual age of ninety-one years, 
 dying in December, 1903. 
 
 Walter Evans sj^ent his boyhood on his 
 father's farm and attended the local 
 schools as lie had (iii])()rtuiiitv. From 18(54 
 until 1872 lie was iutcivstt'd in the oil liusi- 
 ness in the Western Pennsylvania fields, 
 and in 1885-6 he engaged in manufacturing 
 in Huron County, Ohio. For eight years 
 he was connected with the Standard Plate 
 Glass Company and since retiring from 
 that association he has been engaged in a 
 
 general insurance business, handling risks 
 in about a dozen of the oldest and most re- 
 liable companies in America. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Evans was married to Miss 
 Joyce Jones, of East Brady's Bend, Arm- 
 strong County, and they have three chil- 
 dren: George A., Elizabeth and Valeria. 
 George A. Evans was educated in the But- 
 ler schools and at Valparaiso, Indiana, and 
 for thirteen years was connected with the 
 Standard Plate Glass Company, after 
 which he went into the insurance business 
 with his father. Both daughters are grad- 
 uates of the Butler High School and the 
 younger one is a teacher there. The fam- 
 ily has always been one of social promi- 
 
 WILLIAM H. CUBBINS, agriculturist 
 and oil producer, is one of Allegheny 
 Township's leading citizens and has re- 
 sided on his present farm in the northwest 
 corner of the township, since 1880. He 
 was born March 22, 1854, in the Isle of 
 Man, and is a son of Thomas and Eleanor 
 (Kelley) Cubbins, both natives of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 The father of Mr. Cubbins, who was a 
 sea captain, died when he was five years 
 old and he was reared by his mother, with 
 whom he remained until he was fourteen, 
 at which time he started out to make his 
 own way in the world. Upon the first op- 
 portunity offered he emigrated to America 
 and went to Venango County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where there was plenty of work to 
 be found in the oil regions. Later he went 
 to Pittsburg and for several years worked 
 for a large oil company in their refining' 
 department, during all this time gradually 
 learning details of the business winch sub- 
 seijuently made him a successful producer 
 on his own accoimt. In 1877 he came to 
 Troutman, Butler County, where he first 
 engaged in oil production, and in 1880, he 
 settled on his present place in Allegheny 
 Township and has continued his oil enter- 
 prises, ^fr. Cubbins has been the builder 
 
WILLIAM G. DOUTHETT 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 801 
 
 of his own fox'tunes and has reached his 
 present status of independence by travel- 
 ing no royal road but rather one marked 
 by constant industry and enterprise, as- 
 sisted by a natural gift of good judgment. 
 While in Venango Mr. Cubbins had charge 
 of the first glass still that restored sul- 
 phuric acid to the same condition that it 
 was in before it had been used for refining 
 oil, so that it could be used over for the 
 same purpose. 
 
 Mr. Cubbins married Miss Clara A. Og- 
 den, a daughter of the venerable Joseph 
 M. Ogden, a well known resident of Ve- 
 nango County. They have one daughter, 
 Flossie L., who is a student in the Penn- 
 sylvania State Normal School, at Slippery 
 Eock. Mr. and Mrs. Cubbins are mem- 
 bers of the Scrub Grass Presbyterian 
 Church. He is a man of pronounced tem- 
 perance views and lends his influence to 
 all movements in that direction in his 
 neighborhood. In politics, he is a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 W. J. MORRISON, secretary of the 
 Board of Trustees of the Slippery Eock 
 State Normal School, has been identified 
 with this educational body since 1896 and 
 is a representative citizen of the township 
 of Slippery Eock. He was born in the 
 city of Philadelphia, and is a son of John 
 and Hannah (Wallace) Morrison, both of 
 whom he survives. 
 
 In his boyhood, Mr. Morrison accom- 
 panied his parents to Mercer County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they settled in Liberty 
 Township. He attended the country 
 schools and assisted his father until 1862, 
 when he entered the Federal Army to 
 serve as a soldier in the Civil War then in 
 progress. From Mercer County he en- 
 listed in Company G, One Hundredth Reg- 
 iment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 and served imtil he was honorably dis- 
 charged in May, 1865. His regiment was 
 a part of the Virginia branch of the gen- 
 eral force, commanded for a time by Gen- 
 
 eral Burnside, and Mr. Morrison partici- 
 pated in all the battles, marches and dan- 
 gers that his regiment encountered during 
 those memorable years. 
 
 After the close of his military service, 
 Mr. Morrison returned to Liberty Town- 
 ship, where he remained until 1866, when 
 he married and removed then to Slippery 
 Rock Township, where he took charge of 
 the Christley mill, his uncle, Robert Mc- 
 Knight, having been the first operator. 
 Mr. Morrison ran the mill for two years 
 and then moved to a farm in Plain Grove 
 Township, Lawrence County, where he 
 lived three years before coming to his 
 present farm, in 1871. Here he owns 180 
 acres of valuable land, favorably located 
 near Keisters, on which he carries on gen- 
 eral farming and dairying. 
 
 Mr. Morrison has six children : Bessie, 
 "who is the wife of J. S. Keister; Annie 
 T. who is the wife of John Lincoln ; Mary 
 L., who is the wife of Cyrus Maybury; 
 William W. ; Eugene Floyd, and John B., 
 who lives in Allegheny. In politics, Mr. 
 Morrison is a stanch Republican and on the 
 party ticket was elected justice of the 
 peace, in which office he served most ac- 
 ceptably for three years. He is a mem- 
 ber and liberal supporter of the Presby- 
 terian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM G. DOUTHETT, a member 
 of the enterprising firm of Douthett & 
 Graham, proprietors of the largest cloth- 
 ing and gents' furnishing goods establish- 
 ment in the city of Butler, is also identified 
 with other enterprises which serve to 
 make his business standing one of large 
 importance. He was born in Forward 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 March 20, 1862. 
 
 Mr. Douthett was reared on his father's 
 farm and when sixteen years of age 
 assumed its management and successfully 
 conducted it until January, 1891. At that 
 time he moved to Butler, where he carried 
 on a livery business until August 1, 1892, 
 
802 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 when he sold his interests in that line. In 
 March, 1893, he embarked in the clothing 
 business, in partnership with Hart W. F. 
 Graham, establishing the present firm and 
 adopting the firm name of Douthett & 
 Graham. The business is favorably lo- 
 cated on the corner of Main and Cunning- 
 ham Streets and the complete, carefully 
 selected and up-to-date stock attracts the 
 patronage of the most fastidious trade in 
 the city. Mr. Douthett has numerous 
 other business interests. He is vice-presi- 
 dent and a large stockholder in the Guar- 
 anty Safe Deposit and Trust Company. 
 For the past five years he has been en- 
 gaged in producing oil, through wise 
 investment and excellent management 
 making a success of the industry. At the 
 present time the daily production of the 
 oil and gas wells in which he is interested 
 is very large. 
 
 Although his personal interests require 
 a large proportion of his time, Mr. Douth- 
 ett finds opportunity to prove himself a 
 good citizen and well-rounded man. He 
 is now serving as a member of the school 
 board and has served several terms as 
 president of the Butler Board of Trade 
 and the city is largely indebted to him and 
 his public-spirited activity for the locating 
 here of the factories which have served to 
 add so much to the city's prosperity. 
 Liberal himself, he has the faculty of in- 
 teresting others in movements promising 
 to benefit the community, and the city has 
 no more useful or thoroughly representa- 
 tive citizen. 
 
 Mr. Douthett married Sarali C. Bartley, 
 a daughter of Williamson Bartley of Penn 
 Township. They have four children : Jen- 
 nie B., Elizabeth B., William G. Jr., and 
 Kathryn B. The family residence is at 
 No. 415 West Jefferson Street, Butler. 
 
 Mr. Douthett has been active in church 
 work for many years. He is a member of 
 the United Presbyterian Church, president 
 of its board of trustees and assistant 
 
 superintendent of the Sunday-school, in 
 which he has been a teacher since the age 
 of twenty-seven years. At present he en- 
 joys the honor of filling the office of finan- 
 cial agent of the Butler Presbytery, an 
 office that requires the ability of a prac- 
 tical business man but is seldom filled by 
 a layman. He has had the satisfaction of 
 being able to prove that in the past year, 
 under his management, the quota of con- 
 gregations that have met the requirements 
 of the Presbytery, has been double that of 
 previous years. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 JOSIAH D. McKEE, whose valuable 
 farm of 100 acres is favorably situated in 
 Allegheny Township, is one of the es- 
 teemed and representative men of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He was born on 
 this farm, March 23, 1846, and is the only 
 surviving child of his parents, John and 
 Jane (Crawford) McKee. 
 
 The parents of Mr. McKee both died in 
 Allegheny Township. The father had set- 
 tled on the present home farm when it was 
 yet in an undeveloped condition and spent 
 his entire life here. He was a man of 
 standing in his community, at various 
 times held local positions of trust, gave 
 liberal support to the cause of education 
 and for many years was an elder in the 
 Scrub Grass Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Josiali D. McKee attended school at Six 
 Points, in his boyhood, where he had such 
 advantages as were then offered. His life 
 has been devoted to farming and stock 
 raising and to maintaining the status of a 
 broad-minded, public-spirited man and 
 useful citizen. He married Miss Jennie 
 R. Steirly, wlio was born in London, Eng- 
 land, and is a daughter of James Christian 
 Steirly, who is a resident of Oil City. Mr. 
 and Mrs. McKee have four children : John 
 Clyde, who married Myrna Gordon in 
 November, 1906; Ethel M., George Earl 
 and Ralph Crawford. In his political 
 views he is a Republican and under a for- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 803 
 
 mer law he served for a time as director 
 of the township poor farm. 
 
 N. S. SNOW, who is engaged in a gen- 
 eral contracting business at Butler, has 
 been a resident of this city for some twen- 
 ty-two years and is numbered with the 
 substantial and representative citizens. 
 He was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1869. 
 
 In his childhood, Mr. Snow was brought 
 to Butler County and he lived on a farm 
 until he was fifteen years old, in the mean- 
 while obtaining a good common school edu- 
 cation. He then began to work as a 
 teamster and for three years was engaged 
 at Chicora, and from there came to Butler, 
 where he learned the carpenter trade. He 
 has been engaged in work in that line ever 
 since and for the past five years has been 
 doing general contract work. He is one 
 of the stockholders in the Butler Building 
 & Loan Association. Among the many 
 fine residences which he has erected in this 
 city is his own, which stands at No. 402 
 East Penn Street, which he completed in 
 1907. He owns other real estate in the 
 same part of the town. Wliile not a poli- 
 tician, he takes an intelligent and thought- 
 ful man's interest in public affairs and 
 gives due attention to the issues of the day. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Snow was married to Miss 
 Grace Minster, of St. Joe, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have four chil- 
 dren : Arthur, Hazel, Kenneth and ,7ean- 
 etta. With his family, Mr. Snow belongs 
 to St. Paul's Catholic Church. He is iden- 
 tified with the fraternal order of Wood- 
 men of the World, and has belonged to the 
 Volunteer Fire Department of Butler for 
 the past seventeen years. 
 
 ADAM H. RENICK, one of the leading 
 and influential farmers of Slippery Rock 
 Township, and owner of a fine farm of 180 
 acres, was born in the southern part of 
 this township in 1866, and is a representa- 
 tive of one of the pioneer families of this 
 
 county. He is the son of William and 
 Caroline (Snyder) Renick, and a grand- 
 son of David Renick, both natives of Ger- 
 many. William Renick was but nine years 
 old when he came to this coimtry with his 
 father, who settled for a time in Saxon- 
 burg. William was a blacksmith by trade 
 and during the early fifties came to Slip- 
 pery Rock Township and worked at his 
 trade here until 1870, after which he de- 
 voted his time to agricultural pursuits un- 
 til his death, which occurred July 17, 1901. 
 He was united in marriage with Caroline 
 Snyder, who came to this country with her 
 parents when one year old, her birth hav- 
 ing occurred in Germany, February 22, 
 1830. She is still living and makes her 
 home with our subject. Eight children 
 were born to William and Caroline Renick : 
 Jacob G., a sketch of whom is also found 
 in this work; Daniel ; Louisa, deceased wife 
 of Fred Doerr ; George W. ; Margaret, wife 
 of A. M. Hall; Adam H., our subject; 
 Frederick ; and Charles, a resident of Erie 
 County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Adam H. Renick was reared and edu- 
 cated in Slippery Rock Township and has 
 made farming his principal occupation dur- 
 ing the greater part of his life. During his 
 early manhood he was engaged for a time 
 as a clerk for the Pearson Bros. Clothing 
 Company of New Castle. His farm, upon 
 which he now resides, is located about 
 three miles east of the village of Slippery 
 Rock on the Pittsburg-Franklin Pike. He 
 has two gas wells and one oil well in oper- 
 ation and is one of the enterprising and 
 highly respected farmers of the township. 
 Mr. Renick was joined in marriage with 
 Clara Wimer, a daughter of Finley Wimer. 
 
 WILLIAM McGINNIS, who resides on 
 his well-improved farm of 100 acres, 
 which is situated in Allegheny Township, 
 is a representative citizen of this section 
 of Butler Coimty. He was born in Ve- 
 nango County, Pennsylvania, March 2, 
 
804 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1838, and is a son of James J. and Christie 
 A. (Russell) McGinnis. 
 
 James J. McGinnis, father of William, 
 was born in Northumberland County, 
 Pennsylvania, and in early manhood 
 moved to Clarion County, and acquired a 
 farm of 100 acres, in Richland Township. 
 Later in life he moved to Venango County, 
 where he owned a farm of fifty acres, in 
 Scrub Grass Township. His surviving 
 children are: William; John W., residing 
 in Allegheny Township ; and James B. and 
 Johnston, both residing in Scrub Grass 
 Township, Venango County. The mater- 
 nal grandfather of this family was Samuel 
 Russell, an early pioneer in Butler County. 
 
 William McGinnis attended the early 
 subscription schools in Scrub Grass Town- 
 ship, not having the opportunity to enjoy 
 the advantages which the children of the 
 present day have almost forced upon them. 
 He was trained to be a farmer and has fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits very closely 
 through life. In the fall of 1872 he settled 
 on the farm which he now occupies, one 
 which, under his excellent management, is 
 counted as one of the best in the township. 
 
 On March 19, 1863, Mr. McGinnis was 
 married to Miss Martha J. Russell, who 
 was born in Concord Township, Butler 
 County, a daughter of David and Martha 
 (Cubbison) Russell, and they have the fol- 
 lowing children : David Z., residing in Al- 
 legheny Township; Joseph R., living in 
 Iowa; James C, farming in Allegheny 
 Township; Mary, wife of George Morris, 
 of Adams Township ; Martha E., widow of 
 Reuben Douglass, of Venango County; 
 Christie A., wife of Sherman Been, of Al- 
 legheny Township; Idella, wife of Rev. 
 Willis McNeill, of Kansas; and Eliza J., 
 residing at home. Mr. McGinnis is a mem- 
 ber of the Associate Presbyterian Church, 
 at Eau Claire, in which he is an elder. In 
 his political preference he is a Prohibition- 
 ist. Mr. McGinnis enjoys the respect and 
 confidence of his fellow citizens, among 
 
 whom so many years of his life have been 
 usefully spent. 
 
 GEORGE E. HOWARD, treasurer and 
 manager of the Butler Brick & Tile Com- 
 pany, of Butler, is an engineer by profes- 
 sion and has been a resident of this city 
 for twenty years. He was born at Cuya- 
 hoga Falls, Summit County, Ohio, Decem- 
 ber 21, 1871. 
 
 In his native State, Mr. Howard attended 
 first the local schools, later Buchtel Col- 
 lege, at Akron, and then entered Cornell 
 University, where he was graduated in 
 1893, with his degree of M. E. He found 
 his first promising business opening at 
 Butler and for eight years was in the em- 
 ploy of the Standard Plate Glass Company 
 of this city, going from there to Saginaw, 
 Michigan. There he built the Saginaw 
 Plate Glass Company's plant, which he 
 managed imtil 1903, when he returned to 
 Butler and bought out the controlling in- 
 terest in the Butler Brick & Tile Works, 
 of which he has served as general man- 
 ager ever since. He is not idle profession- 
 ally, having many calls as consulting en- 
 gineer. 
 
 In 1901 Mr. Howard was married to 
 Miss Jean Campbell, a daughter of T. C. 
 Campbell, and they have two children — 
 Juliette Campbell and George Edwin. Mr. 
 Howard is a member of St. Peter's Epis- 
 copal Church and is the leader of the 
 church choir. His interest in public affairs 
 does not lead him to be active politically, 
 but he is a representative of that edu- 
 cated, thoughtful class, whose residence in 
 any community is for its betterment. 
 
 DAVID T. BENNETT, of Allegheny 
 Township, residing on his excellent farm 
 of 100 acres, is a well-known, popular and 
 reliable citizen of this section, where, for 
 many years, he has also been identified 
 with the oil industry. He was born in In- 
 diana County, Pennsylvania, July 18, 
 
W. H. H. RIDDLE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 807 
 
 1861, and is a son of Elijah and Elizabeth 
 J. (Sherman) Bennett. 
 
 The father of Mr. Bennett was a native 
 also of Indiana County, while the mother 
 came from an old settled family of Jmii- 
 ata County. In 1865 they moved to Wis- 
 consin and four years later to Parker's 
 Lauding, Butler County, where Elijah Ben- 
 nett engaged for a time in the oil business. 
 For a short time he resided in Allegheny 
 Township. He has been deceased for some 
 years but his widow, now in her seventieth 
 year, still survives and resides at Hillsdale, 
 Michigan. 
 
 David T. Bennett was eight years old 
 when his parents came to Parker's Land- 
 ing and he attended school there for some 
 years, but since he was twelve years old 
 he has been more or less identified with 
 the oil industry and at present makes oil 
 drilling his leading interest. Mr. Bennett 
 married Miss Aurilla S. Bell, who was born 
 in Perry Township, Clarion County, Penn- 
 sylvania, a daughter of the late James Bell. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have five children, 
 namely: David T., Jr., Edna B., Grace, 
 Elmer P. and William L. Mr. Bennett and 
 wife are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. In politics he is a Democrat. 
 
 W. H. H. RIDDLE, a well known and 
 successful attorney of Butler, who is also 
 prominently connected with the agricul- 
 tural interests of the county, was born in 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Decem- 
 ber 11, 1840, and is a son of Samuel L. and 
 IVfarv A. (Schroder) Riddle. 
 
 Samuel L. Riddle, father of W. H. H., 
 settled in Fairview Township, Butler 
 County, in 1854. and for a quarter of a 
 century was engaged there in agricultural 
 pursuits. He then returned to Allegheny 
 County, where the rest of his life was 
 spent. 
 
 W. H. H. Riddle, after beginning his 
 education in the public schools, attended 
 successively the academies at Sunbury and 
 Harrisville. He then pursued the study of 
 
 law under the direction of Col. John M. 
 Thompson, and was admitted to the bar in 
 1864. In the following year he was elected 
 district attorney, in which office he served 
 with credit. He has since continued in 
 the practice of his profession and has built 
 up a profitable clientage. At times he has 
 taken part in public affairs, and in 1884 
 was a delegate to the Republican National 
 Convention at Chicago, which nominated 
 Blaine and Logan. Mr. Riddle takes a 
 strong interest in agriculture and has done 
 much in a practical way for its scientific 
 development in this country. He was one 
 of the founders of the Butler Agricultural 
 Association. All the Farmers' Institutes 
 that have been held in Butler County, un- 
 der the supervision of the State Board of 
 Agriculture, and later under the Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture to the present date, 
 have been managed by Mr. Riddle. Mr. 
 Riddle has long been a helpful member of 
 the State Agricultural Society. 
 
 On February 18, 1862, Mr. Riddle was 
 married to Angeline Walker, whose father, 
 Robert Walker, was one of the early set- 
 tlers in the northern part of Butler 
 County. Of this marriage there have been 
 three children: Edwin S., an attorney at 
 law and a court stenographer ; and Matilda 
 and Lillian. Mrs. Riddle died March 13, 
 1905. Mr. Riddle was married (second) 
 July 2, 1908, to Mrs. Jennie (Ayres) 
 Graham, widow of Robert Graham of 
 Etna, Penna. All the members of the 
 family occupy the old family home, a beau- 
 tiful I'esidence at No. 224 East Fulton 
 Street, Butler. 
 
 LEWIS C. SANKEY, a native of But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, was born on his 
 present farm in Slippery Rock Township, 
 November 4, 1859, and is one of the highly 
 respected agriculturists of the township. 
 He is a son of Thomas and Jemima (Keis- 
 ter) Sankey, also natives of Butler County, 
 the former having died in 1905 on our sub- 
 ject 's farm, which he purchased and 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 farmed for many years during his active 
 business career. The mother of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch is still living and re- 
 sides with her son. The following children 
 were born to Thomas and Jemima Sankey : 
 Mary, wife of Cass Wigton of Branchton, 
 Pennsylvania; Anna, wife of Frank Hine- 
 man of Troutman, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania; William, a fanner of Slippery 
 Rock Township; Lewis C, the subject of 
 this sketch; Margaret, widow of Thomas 
 McElvey ; Adeline died at the age of twen- 
 ty-two years. 
 
 Lewis C. Sankey has always resided on 
 his present farm and has made farming 
 his life occupation. His farm, consisting 
 of eighty-three acres, is well improved and 
 highly cultivated and he has one gas well 
 and one oil well, both in operation. The 
 large frame house in which Mr. Sankey re- 
 sides was built by his father in 1884. 
 
 Mr. Sankey was joined in the holy bonds 
 of wedlock with Laura Porter, who was 
 reared in Marion Township, this county, 
 and is a daughter of John and Martha Por- 
 ter. Mr. and Mrs. Sankey are the parents 
 of the following children : Clair, William, 
 Pearl, Frederick, Martha, and Clara. In 
 fraternal circles Mr. Sankey is affiliated 
 with the Junior Order of American Me- 
 chanics. 
 
 WILLIAM L. BENNETT, one of Alle- 
 gheny Township's prominent and substan- 
 tial citizens, who has been engaged for a 
 number of years in oil-well drilling and 
 contracting, resides on his valuable farm 
 of 150 acres, wliich is located near Six 
 Points, Butler County. He was born in 
 Indiana Covmty, Pennsylvania, July 2, 
 1859, and is a son of Elijah N. and Eliza- 
 beth (Sherman) Bennett. 
 
 The father of Mr. Bennett was born in 
 Indiana County and died in Butler County. 
 The mother was born in Juniata County 
 and resides at Hillsdale, Michigan. In 
 1865 they moved to Wisconsin and in 1869 
 to Pai'ker's Landing, Butler County, Penn- 
 
 sylvania, where Elijah N. Bennett engaged 
 in oil production. 
 
 ^Villiam L. Bennett attended school at 
 Parker's Landing. In the spring of 1879 
 he left Butler County and went to Colo- 
 rado, spending four years in the far West 
 before he returned to Pennsylvania. He 
 engaged for a time in oil producing in Mc- 
 Kean County, and later visited the oil re- 
 gions in various States, finally returning 
 to Butler County and in 1895 he settled on 
 his present valuable farm. He has had ex- 
 perience in the oil industry from his youth 
 and few men in the business in this sec- 
 tion are better qualified or better informed 
 concerning this great industry. For some 
 years he has been engaged in contracting 
 and drilling. 
 
 Mr. Bennett was married to Miss Flor- 
 ence B. Whited, who was born in Jackson 
 County, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph 
 Whited, now a resident of White Bluff, 
 Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, of 
 which he has been a trustee. In his politi- 
 cal views he is a Republican. At different 
 times he has consented to accept political 
 office and has served as constable in Alle- 
 gheny Township and at present is serving 
 as a highway commissioner. He enjoys 
 the confidence and commands the respect 
 of his fellow citizens with whom he has 
 liad personal and business relations for so 
 many years. 
 
 HARRY T. TURNER, a representative 
 citizen of Butler, an engineer by profes- 
 sion and formerly president of the Etna 
 Manufacturing Company of this city, was 
 horn in 1864, in England, and when five 
 years old was brought to America, son of 
 Henry and Emily (Overy) Turner. 
 
 The parents of Mi\ Turner located first 
 at Petroleum Center, on Oil Creek, moving 
 later to Parker's Landing and subsequent- 
 ly to other oil fields in the state, so that 
 the boy almost grew up in the oil business. 
 When he came first to Butler, he became 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 an employe at the electric light plant and 
 remained there for twelve years and dur- 
 ing a large part of that time was the chief 
 engineer of the works. Later he became 
 interested in the Etna Manufacturing 
 Company and in the course of events was 
 elected president of that corporation and 
 served in that capacity until 1908, when 
 he sold his interest. He has an enviable 
 record back of him of business integrity 
 and unusual business ability. Like many 
 men of present fortune, he overcame many 
 early obstacles and through his own ef- 
 forts won his place in the business world. 
 On March 5, 1890, Mr. Turner was mar- 
 ried to Miss Lizzie A. Kamerer and they 
 have four children — Irene, Eliza, Vernon 
 and Harry. Mr. Turner is an official mem- 
 ber of Grace Lutheran Church. In fra- 
 ternal life he is identified with the Macca- 
 bees and the Knights of Pythias. 
 
 SHERIDAN C. KARNS, one of Alle- 
 ghany Township's best known citizens, has 
 been engaged in the coal industry for the 
 past thirty-five years and has been a resi- 
 dent of this township since he was ten 
 years old. He was born at Emlenton, Ve- 
 nango County, Pennsylvania, December 2, 
 1848, and is a son of AVilliam K. and Sarah 
 (Perry) Karns. 
 
 AVilliam K. Karns was born in Butler 
 County. Pennsylvania, and died in 1901. 
 He followed shoe-making and also con- 
 ducted a hotel at Emlenton, for a number 
 of years, and then removed to Allegheny 
 Township, Butler County, where he re- 
 sided for a quarter of a century. 
 
 Sheridan C. Karns attended school first 
 at Emlenton and then in Allegheny Town- 
 ship, Imt early in life began to depend 
 upon his own efforts, being one of the men 
 who have prospered in spite of early draw- 
 backs. He has been a man of business 
 prominence in Allegheny Township for 
 many years, his main interest being deal- 
 ing in coal and in this connection he is 
 known all over Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Karns was married (first) to Miss 
 Jane Jones, who left three children, name- 
 ly: Jesse P., Charles M. and Delia, who 
 is the wife of William Shakely. Mr. 
 Karns was married (second) to Miss Mar- 
 garet Beals, and they had two children, 
 Melville E. and Irene. He was married to 
 his present wife. Miss Ellen J. Joseph, 
 and they have six children, as follows: 
 Edward C, Clarence, Laura M., William 
 T., Newton and Sadie. In politics, Mr. 
 Karns is a Republican, but he is no poli- 
 tician, chosing rather to devote all his at- 
 tention to his business. He is a member 
 of Emlenton Lodge No. 644, Odd Fellows, 
 and to Tent No. Ill, Knights of Macca- 
 bees, also at Emlenton. 
 
 AMOS HALL, a leading citizen of 
 Branchton, where he conducts a general 
 store and owns a large amount of valuable 
 property, was born on the old Hall home 
 place in Clay Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, near Halston, April 6, 1840. 
 His parents were Jesse and Mary (Alex- 
 ander) Hall. 
 
 Jesse Hall was born in Cecil County, 
 Maryland, and lived there through his edu- 
 cational period and until he married and 
 had six children, when he came to Butler 
 County, in 1837. Mr. Hall settled on the 
 tract since known as the Hall homestead, 
 containing 540 acres situated about equally 
 in four townships — Clay, Brady, Cherry 
 and Slippery Rock. Mr. Hall and his 
 wife both spent their remaining years on 
 that farm. 
 
 Amos Hall gi-ew to manhood in Clay 
 Township, attended the country schools 
 and engaged in farming until he enlisted 
 for service in the Civil War. In May, 
 1862, he entered Company F, One Hun- 
 dred Thirty-fourth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, and served 
 in the Army of the Potomac for a 
 period that covered ten months, dur- 
 ing this time taking part in the bat- 
 tle of Chancellorsville. He was a 
 
810 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 brave and cheerful soldier, performing 
 every required duty and was honorably 
 discharged and mustered out at Harris- 
 burg. He then went to work at the car- 
 penter trade at Franklin, Pennsylvania, 
 and after his marriage, in 1868, he settled 
 for a year on his father-in-law's farm in 
 Clay Township. From there Mr. Hall 
 then returned to the old homestead, where 
 he remained for twenty years and then 
 came to Branehton. He still owns 100 
 acres of that part of the old farm lying in 
 Clay Township. 
 
 In April, 1889, Mr. Hall opened his gen- 
 eral store at Branehton, which he has con- 
 ducted ever since, with the exception of 
 three years, when W. J. Hindman was 
 proprietor, Mr. Hall leasing his building 
 for that time and selling his stock. At 
 the end of the lease, Mr. Hall re-entered 
 business, and in August, 1903, he erected 
 his present substantial cement block, a 
 two-story building, 22 by 60 feet in dimen- 
 sions, where he carries a very large stock 
 of carefully selected goods, bought with 
 the especial view of meeting the wants of 
 the surrounding country from which comes 
 a heavy trade. For four years he was 
 postmaster of the village. He owns a 
 handsome residence and other improved 
 property. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Hall was married to Miss 
 Angeline Francina Allen, who is a daugh- 
 ter of Ephraim and Margaret (Allen) Al- 
 len. Mrs. Hall was born near Muddy 
 Creek Church, in what was then Center, 
 but is now Clay Township, Butler County. 
 To this marriage were born five children, 
 namely: Mary Eva, who married David 
 E. Stevenson, of Bremen, Ohio, has two 
 children — Harold Paul and Gladys Olive; 
 Jesse Allen, who is a railroad man; 
 Charles Linus, who died aged eleven 
 years ; Maud, and Bertha Leora, who mar- 
 ried Clifford M. Newell, has two children 
 — Dorothy Evelyn and Alice Lucile. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hall are members of the Metho- 
 
 dist Episcopal Church at Branehton, of 
 which he is one of the trustees. 
 
 JOHN C. WILLIAMS, member of the 
 well known firm of Williams & Son, oil 
 producers, has been a resident of Scrub 
 Grass Township, Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania, since 1894. He was born near 
 Kittanning, in Armstrong County, Penn- 
 sylvania, November 19, 1852, and is a son 
 of Jacob and Sarah (Heasley) Williams, 
 and a grandson of those well known old 
 pioneers, Jacob Williams and Henry Heas- 
 ley. 
 
 John C. Williams obtained his education 
 in the district schools of Armstrong Coun- 
 ty and assisted on his father's farm until 
 he was about twenty-four years of age, 
 when he came to the oil fields at Petrolia 
 and secured work there. After several 
 years in that section he went to the Ve- 
 nango County fields, where he became an 
 oil producer, in Scrub Grass Township, 
 and later went to the northern part of 
 Allegheny Township, Butler County, 
 where he found excellent business encour- 
 agement and remained as an oil producer 
 for ten years. From there he then came 
 to his present location in Scrub Grass 
 Township and continues in the oil busi- 
 ness, having his son, Edwin M., as a part- 
 ner. The firm of Williams & Son is known 
 all through the oil territory and the name 
 stands both for business success and for 
 reliability. 
 
 On September 3, 1870, Mr. Williams was 
 married to Miss Marinda E. Bish, of Madi- 
 son Township, Armstrong County, a 
 daughter of Samuel Bish, who was a very 
 prominent citizen of that county. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Williams have three children, two 
 sons and one daughter: Edwin M., Dana 
 C. and Leonora M. Edwin M. is assistant 
 principal of the Emlenton High School and 
 is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State 
 Normal School at Clarion, Pennsylvania. 
 Dana C. is a graduate of the State Normal 
 
MR. ANT) MRS. WILLIAM B. McGEARY 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 813 
 
 School at Clarion and also of the Roches- 
 ter Business College and is now conduct- 
 ing a drug store at Wampum, Pennsyl- 
 vania. The only daughter is the wife of 
 Dr. F. F. Urey, a prominent physician of 
 New Castle. Mrs. Urey is a graduate of 
 the musical department of Grove City Col- 
 lege. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Williams is affiliated 
 with the Democratic party. He belongs 
 to the Maccabees and the Modern Wood- 
 men of America, being connected with the 
 Emlenton lodges. His venerable father 
 still survives, residing in Madison Town- 
 ship, Armstrong County, in his eighty- 
 eighth year, but his mother passed away 
 when he was only three years old. 
 
 WILLIAM B. McGEARY, one of But- 
 ler's enterprising business men, whose 
 interests have been largely centered here 
 for the past twenty years, was born in 
 1858, at Millerstown, in Allegheny County, 
 Pennsylvania. In infancy his parents re- 
 moved to Lawrence County, and in 1865 
 they moved on a farm in Muddy Creek 
 Township, Butler County, not far from 
 Portersville. 
 
 Mr. McGeary attended the public schools 
 of Muddy Creek Township and spent 
 enough of his youth on the farm to make 
 him thoroughly acquainted with its man- 
 agement. In 1878 he was appointed mail 
 carrier and continued to serve the Govern- 
 ment in this office until 1882, when he en- 
 gaged in the mill business and was con- 
 nected with flour mills at Prospect for five 
 years. From Prospect, Mr. McGeary came 
 to Butler and conducted the West End 
 Grocery Store for two years, for two years 
 longer was with the firm of H. J. Kling- 
 ler & Company, and then went into busi- 
 ness for himself. In 1894 he established 
 a water plant at the corner of Fifth 
 Avenue and Homewood Avenue, and from 
 two artesian wells he supplies about 100 
 residences. This enterprise is his main 
 interest, althpugh he has others, one of 
 
 them being the shipping of draft horses 
 from Iowa, in which he has been concerned 
 since 1900. He has proved himself a good 
 citizen, reUable and useful, reflecting 
 credit upon his father, who, in his day, 
 was one of the leading citizens and for 
 over thirty yaars a justice of the peace in 
 Muddy Creek Township. The last years 
 of the latter 's Ufe were spent in Butler, 
 where he died in 1907. William B. Mc- 
 Geary has served as an efficient member 
 of the city council of Butler and has con- 
 sistently displayed a good citizen's inter- 
 est in civic affairs. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. McGeary was married to 
 Miss Mary E. Jones, who is a daughter of 
 Samuel Jones, of Muddy Creek Township. 
 For some thirty years he has been identi- 
 fied with the Odd Fellows. He and his 
 wife are members of the First Presbyte- 
 rian Church at Butler. 
 
 ERNEST J. DODDS, oil producer, op- 
 erating in the Butler County fields, is a 
 well known business man of Butler, of 
 which city he has been a resident for som^ 
 seventeen years. He was born in Scioto 
 County, Ohio, April 13, 1866, son of Jo- 
 seph B. and Mary (Dodds) Dodds. 
 
 Joseph B. Dodds was a soldier in the 
 Civil War and served in an Ohio regiment. 
 He died shortly after returning from the 
 service. 
 
 Mr. Dodds was not more than two years 
 old when his parents moved to Butler 
 County. They settled near Prospect and 
 there E. J. grew to manhood. He was 
 educated in the township schools and at 
 Grove City College. Ever since leaving 
 school he has been interested in the oil in- 
 dustry and is particularly well kno^m in 
 the Butler fields. In 1891 Mr. Dodds was 
 married to Miss Melissa Snodgrass, a 
 daughter of John Snodgrass, of one of 
 the old settled families of Butler County. 
 They have one son, Kenneth. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dodds are members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
814 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 CLAEK W. HOON, whose valuable 
 farm of 110 acre§ is situated in Oakland 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 was born on this farm on September 24, 
 1863, and is a son of Anthony and Mary 
 Ann (Beatty) Hoon. 
 
 Anthony Hoon was born at Harrisburg, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1817, and was one year 
 old when his parents came to Butler Coun- 
 ty. His father, Henry Hoon, settled in 
 Oakland Township in 1818, and the land 
 has remained in the possession of his de- 
 scendants. Anthony Hoon spent his life 
 as a farmer, in Oakland Township, where 
 he died in 1900. He married (first) Mar- 
 tha Black and (second) Mary Ann Beatty, 
 who died in 1897. She was born in Ire- 
 land, a daughter of Hugh Beatty, who 
 brought his family to this section in her 
 girlhood. 
 
 Clark W. Hoon was reared on his pres- 
 ent farm, which is a part of the original 
 tract secured by his grandfather. Since 
 leaving school he has devoted himself to 
 farming and to following the butchering 
 business, in the winter seasons, being asso- 
 ciated in the latter industry with his 
 brother, William T. Hoon. Mr. Hoon's 
 farm is well imjaroved, the comfortable res- 
 idence having been built by his father in 
 1867, and in 1895, with his father, Clark 
 W. built the substantial barn. 
 
 Mr. Hoon married Emily Pattou, who 
 was reared in Oakland Township and is a 
 daughter of John Patton. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hoon have five children — Marie, Harriet, 
 Euth, Alice and Harold. The family be- 
 longs to the United Presbyterian Church 
 at iSutler. Politically, Mr. iEoon is a Dem- 
 ocrat and has frequently been elected to 
 township offices. The Hoons have always 
 been numbered with Oakland Township's 
 best citizens. 
 
 DAVID E. DALE, of the prominent real 
 estate firm of Abrams & Dale, at Butler, 
 extensive dealers in real estate and leading- 
 fire insurance men, has been a resident of 
 
 this city since 1876. He was born in Slip- 
 pery Eock Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, April 18, 1862, and is a son of 
 the late Eev. Abner Dale. 
 
 Eev. Abner Dale was born in Center 
 County, Pennsylvania, at Dale's Mills, and 
 settled in Pairview Township, Butler 
 County, in 1858. He died June 16, 1875. 
 He was a well-known man and for many 
 years was a minister in the German Ee- 
 formed Church. 
 
 David E. Dale was reared in Mercer and 
 Butler Counties and was educated in the 
 Butler public schools, Witherspoon Acad- 
 emy and Thiel College. For seven years 
 he served the county as deputy registrar 
 and recorder and then embarked in a mer- 
 cantile business, in 1890 being elected reg- 
 istrar and recorder of Butler County. He 
 served officially during 1891, 1892 and 
 1893, in the meanwhile continuing his mer- 
 cantile interests, this business being con- 
 ducted under the firm name of Colbert & 
 Dale, and continued until May, 1898. Since 
 that date he has been a member of the firm 
 of Abrams & Dale, real estate and fire in- 
 surance, with offices in the Younkins 
 Building. 
 
 On October 7, 1891, Mr. Dale was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Wick, who is a daugh- 
 ter of the late Alfred Wick, one of the 
 old residents of Butler County. They have 
 two children: Sarah and David E. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dale are members of the First 
 Presbyterian Church at Butler. He is 
 prominent in fraternal circles, belonging 
 to the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the 
 Knights of Pythias, the Maccabees, the 
 Odd Fellows' Club and the Country Club. 
 He was sent as the grand representative 
 from the Grand Encampment (Odd Fel- 
 lows) of Pennsylvania to the Sovereign 
 Grand Lodge and attended the late meet- 
 ing of the organization held at Denver, 
 Colorado. 
 
 WILLIAM A. MAGEE resides on his 
 fine farm of 116 acres located just off the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 815 
 
 State Eoad about three miles southeast of 
 Coylesville, in the extreme southeast cor- 
 ner of Clearfield Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He was born in this town- 
 ship, about one and a half miles from his 
 present farm, December 8, 183-t, and is a 
 son of William and Anna (O'Donuell) Ma- 
 gee, and grandson of John and Cecelia 
 Magee. John Magee came to this country 
 from County Donegal, Ireland, and settled 
 on what was thereafter known as the Ma- 
 gee homestead in Clearfield Township, But- 
 ler County, Penna. Here he lived in pio- 
 neer fashion, in a log cabin, and devoted 
 his energy to the clearing of his fai'm. 
 William Magee, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was reared on the home farm 
 and followed the trade of a carpenter in 
 addition to farming. 
 
 William A. ^lagee was reared in Clear- 
 field Townshii? and there attended the dis- 
 trict schools. During the Civil War' he 
 served two years in the Union army and 
 saw much hard fighting. He enlisted July 
 15, 1863, at Pittsburg, in Company A, Six- 
 ty-second Pennsylvania Volunteer In- 
 fantry, and thereafter served in Company 
 F of the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Reg- 
 iment, and Company G of the One Himdred 
 and Ninety-first Regiment. He was in the 
 Army of the Potomac. Of the soldiers of 
 that war now living in his vicinity, he is 
 the oldest. At the close of the war he re- 
 turned to the farm and has followed farm- 
 ing ever since. He has a good farm, well 
 developed and improved, and under a high 
 state of cultivation. 
 
 February 25, 1868, Mr. Magee was united 
 in marriage with Miss Margaret McClaf- 
 ferty, a daughter of William and Sarah 
 (McGiuley) McClafferty, she coming of 
 one of the leading families of the vicinity. 
 They have a son, William S., who is a car- 
 penter by trade, an oil operator and a 
 farmer; he was married to Mary McBride 
 and they had four children, the two oldest 
 of whom died in infancy. The third, Will- 
 iam A., also is deceased, and the youngest. 
 
 Mary Margaret, is the only one of the chil- 
 dren living. Religiously, Mr. Magee and 
 his family are members of the St. John's 
 Catholic Church. He at one time served as 
 school director in this township, and has 
 always given enthusiastic support to such 
 measures as tended to benefit the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 GOTTLIEB M. ZEIGLEE, an influen- 
 tial farmer and highly respected citi- 
 zen of Jackson Township, residing on 
 a fine farm of 165 acres, was born Septem- 
 ber 27, 1855, on his present farm and is a 
 son of David and Catherine (Musselman) 
 Zeigler. 
 
 Abram Zeigler, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, came to Butler County from the east- 
 ern part of Pennsylvania, and purchased 
 all of the holdings of the Ecouomites, 
 which land he afterwards sold in small 
 tracts, retaining a large farm, which is 
 now owned by our subject. His death oc- 
 curred here after reaching advanced years. 
 David Zeigler was born in Pennsylvania 
 east of the Alleghenies, and when young 
 came to Butler County with his parents. 
 Here he was reared and spent his entire 
 life engaged in farming. He married Cath- 
 erine Musselman, who died at the age of 
 seventy-six years. To them was born a 
 family of twelve children: Abram, mar- 
 ried Sarah McTeer and resided near 
 Evans City; Henry, a resident of Zelie- 
 nople, married Mary Sechler; David mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Stauffer and resides in Ze- 
 lienople; Elizabeth, widow of Louis Shie- 
 ver, resides on the farm with our subject; 
 Gottlieb, subject of this sketch; Anna, de- 
 ceased; Catherine; Rebecca; Reuben, twin 
 to Gottlieb; Joseph, deceased, and two who 
 died unnamed. David Zeigler died at the 
 age of seventy-eight years. 
 
 Gottlieb Zeigler was reared on his pres- 
 ent farm and attended the common schools 
 of Harmony and Zelienople, after which 
 he engaged in farming on his present farm, 
 which is part of the original tract pur- 
 
816 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 ■ chased by bis graudmotber. He is one of 
 the successful and progi'essive residents of 
 Jackson Townsbip and bas always taken 
 an active interest in tbose tbings wbicb 
 tend toward tbe advancement of tbis com- 
 munity. He is a Republican in politics, 
 and is fraternally a member of tbe 
 Knigbts of Pythias of Harmony. The re- 
 ligious connection of the family is with 
 the English Lutheran Church of Zelie- 
 nople. 
 
 Mr. Zeigler was united in marriage with 
 Ida Randolph, a daughter of 'Squire Ran- 
 dolph of Zelienople. Four children were 
 born to subject and wife: Walter; Clar- 
 ence; Virginia; and Emma, who married 
 Walter Zebner of Zelienople. 
 
 EDWARD E. WIEGAND, general con- 
 tractor at Butler, has been a resident of 
 tbis city for a period covering thirty-five 
 years. He was born in Germany, in 1849, 
 but bas belonged to the United States since 
 1867. 
 
 Although Mr. Wiegand was but eighteen 
 years of age when be came to America, he 
 had a common-school education and had 
 provided himself with a self-supporting 
 trade, having learned that of cabinet 
 maker in his native place. He found his 
 first home in Forest County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, where be worked as a cabinet maker 
 and builder, following tbe same later at 
 Titusville and Warren, where he also be- 
 came interested in oil. He came to Butler 
 in 1873 and soon engaged in general con- 
 tracting and building, which occupation 
 he bas since followed. For about seven 
 years be was associated with George Mc- 
 .Junkin. For a number of years Mr. Wie- 
 gand bas had limited oil, coal and real- 
 estate interests, in and around Butler. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Wiegand was married to 
 Miss Margaret Kulp, who was born in Ger- 
 many, but had long resided in Butler. 
 They bad two sons born to them, both sur- 
 viving: Frederick A., who is associated 
 with his father in the general contracting 
 
 business, married Miss Julia Storey, and 
 Frantz L., who is with tbe Oil Well Sup- 
 ply Company, of Butler. He married Miss 
 Augusta Krug. Mr. Wiegand bas been 
 an active and useful citizen and bas served 
 in tbe City Council and also on tbe Board 
 of Health. He is a member of the Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church. 
 
 WILLIAM SLATER, one of Summit 
 Township's representative citizens and for 
 many years an active farmer, resides on 
 bis estate of fifty acres, which is situated 
 at Carbon Center. He was born on this 
 farm, June 10, 1832, and is a son of Jacob 
 and Mary (Reintzel) Slater. 
 
 Jacob Slater was born near St. Joseph's 
 Station, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and was a son of John Slater, who came to 
 this section from east of the Allegheny 
 Mountains. Jacob Slater, with three of 
 his brothers, served in the War of 1812. 
 He came from the war to what is now Sum- 
 mit Townsbip, where be bought 160 acres 
 of land just east of Carbon Center, and 
 settled on it in 1814. Here both he and 
 bis wife spent their remaining years. Of 
 their family of eleven children only two 
 remain, Mary, who is the widow of Will- 
 iam Kiley, and William, of Summit Town- 
 ship. 
 
 With tbe exception of one year when Mr. 
 Slater was in the army, during the Civil 
 ^A'ar, be has been a continuous resident on 
 bis present farm. After many years of 
 activity here he bas practically retired. 
 He bas an honorable war record. On Sep- 
 tember 13, 1864, be enlisted at Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, in Company G, One Hun- 
 dred and Seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, in which he served 
 until he received bis honorable discharge, 
 in the following June, on account of the 
 closing of tbe war. He saw some desper- 
 ate service and took part in a number of 
 skirmishes and in three battles, including 
 the two days of fighting at Hatcher's Run. 
 After bis return be resumed farming and 
 that continued to be his business. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 819 
 
 Mr. Slater was married (first) to Susan 
 Benson, and they had nine children, name- 
 ly: Ellen Jane, widow of William Frey; 
 Louis; James; William, deceased; Susan, 
 wife of James McCray ; Mary, wife of John 
 Shoj^ne; and Joseph, Benjamin and Au- 
 gustus. The mother of this family died 
 in 1890. Mr. Slater was married (second) 
 to Mrs. Eva Kealing, a widow. They are 
 members of the Catholic Church in Oak- 
 land Township, Butler County. 
 
 W. H. GOEHRING, senior member of 
 the wholesale fruit and produce firm of 
 Goehring & Richards, of Butler, has been 
 a resident of this city for twenty-four 
 years and is thoroughly identified with its 
 business and other interests. He was 
 born in 1864, at Freeport, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Goehring continued to reside in his 
 native place until 1877. His boyhood was 
 one of more or less hardship and from the 
 age of eleven years he enjoyed no school 
 advantages. At that time he was put to 
 work in the old boat yards at Freeport, 
 where coal barges were built. After leav- 
 ing what was a distasteful position, he be- 
 came a newsboy and still later went to 
 work for the Pittsburg & Western Rail- 
 road (which later became the B. & O.), 
 first as newsboy on the train and later as 
 a brakeman on the line between Etna and 
 Wurtemberg, which had not yet been com- 
 pleted as far as Allegheny. Following his 
 career for the next eight years, it is found 
 that he remained for that period in rail- 
 road work, in the meanwhile having been 
 frequently promoted. When he retired 
 from railroading he was occupying the 
 position of extra passenger conductor, and 
 had the honor of running the first standard 
 gauge baggage car on the New Castle 
 Division. Before leaving the railroad he 
 had already become interested in the 
 wholesale fruit and produce business and 
 established himself at Butler, after a short 
 period of residence at Zelienople. He con- 
 ducted that business unaided for twenty- 
 
 two years, doing his best and reaping sat- 
 isfactory rewards for his efforts. Increas- 
 ing demands with the extension of his 
 trade led to his admission of A. C. Rich- 
 ards, a faithful employe, to partnership, 
 in 1906, at which time the present firm 
 name was adopted. This firm is the lead- 
 ing one at Butler dealing at wholesale in 
 fruit and produce, handling and shipping 
 and dealing all over the country. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Goehring was married to 
 Miss Katherine Shaffer, who was born at 
 Harmony, Butler County, and died in 
 1890. Two children survived her, namely : 
 Richard H., who resides at Boston, Massa- 
 chusetts ; and Florence, who is the wife of 
 Thomas Deifenderfer, of Butler. Mr. 
 Goehring was married (second) in 1896, to 
 Miss Emma Cronewett, who is a daughter 
 of the Rev. Mr. Cronewett, pastor of St. 
 Mark's German Lutheran Church, of which 
 Mr. and Mrs. Goehring are members. 
 Their infant child is deceased. Mr. 
 Goehring belongs to the well known local 
 social organization, the Country Club. 
 
 SIMEON NIXON, proprietor of the 
 Nixon Hotel, the leading hostelry not only 
 of Butler but of all this section of the 
 State, was born in 1876, in Penn Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of the late Simeon Nixon. 
 
 The father of Mr. Nixon was one of 
 Butler County's prominent citizens, closely 
 identified for years with all the developing 
 enterprises of this section. He was also 
 a veteran of the Civil War, to which serv- 
 ice he gave four years of his life, his first 
 enlistment being in a local company, and 
 later in the Sixth United States Cavalry. 
 After the return of peace he served in 
 county offices, for a long period being coun- 
 try registrar and recorder. He was born 
 in Butler County, in 1833, and made it his 
 home until shortly before his death, in 
 1902, which took place at Los Angeles, Cal- 
 ifornia, while there in search of health. 
 
 Simeon Nixon, named for his honored 
 
820 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 father, was reared in Butler County, at- 
 tended the Butler common and high schools 
 and later was graduated in the Pittsburg 
 College of Pharmacy. He was engaged in 
 a drug business at Pittsburg for two years, 
 after which, in association with his brother, 
 J. Brown Nixon, he took charge of the Cen- 
 tral Hotel, at Butler, conducting it until 
 1906. In July of that year the Nixon 
 Hotel was opened and Mr. Nixon took 
 charge. This fine hotel is perfect in every 
 appointment, with cuisine and service un- 
 excelled. It is an ideal hotel, catering both 
 to permanent and transient patronage. It 
 offers comfort, luxury and elegant sur 
 roundings, with reasonable rates. 
 
 On July 27, 1898, Mr. Nixon was mar- 
 ried to Miss Cora Clarke, of Pittsburg. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Nixon are prominent 
 in the city's social life, and he is numbered 
 with the most progressive citizens. 
 
 JOSEPH MILTON McKINNEY, whose 
 truck farm of eleven acres is situated in 
 Connoquenessing Township, has a tract of 
 land which has been found rich in oil, 
 there being three wells here which are be- 
 ing worked under lease. Mr. McKinney 
 was born in the borough of Connoquenes- 
 sing, Butler County, Pennsylvania, May 
 23, 1856, and is a son of Peter C. and 
 Louisa (Welsh) McKinney. 
 
 The father of Mr. McKinney was born 
 in Forward Township and when he 
 reached manhood learned the blacksmith's 
 trade at what was then known as Peters- 
 ville, but now is the borough of Conno- 
 quenessing. He followed his trade in a 
 shop of his own until witliin a few years 
 of his death, when he opened a shop at 
 Tarentum, but a stroke of paralysis soon 
 compelled him to give up business and his 
 death occurred in 1901. He was a man 
 who was held in esteem by his fellow citi- 
 zens and at different times acceptably 
 served in local offices. In politics he was 
 a Republican and fraternally he was an 
 Odd Fellow, being connected with the 
 
 Harmony lodge. He married first Louisa 
 Welsh, a daughter of John Welsh, who 
 was one of the early merchants of Peters- 
 ville, and they had two children: Joseph 
 Milton and Powell, the latter of whom is 
 deceased. Mr. McKinney married, sec- 
 ond, Elizabeth Knox, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Knox, and had four children by this 
 union, namely: Tillie V., Chester, Eras- 
 tus and Lola. 
 
 After Joseph M. McKinney completed 
 his school attendance, he went into his 
 father's shop and learned the blacksmith 
 trade and remained there working with 
 his father until, when the latter moved to 
 Tarentum, he succeeded to the old line of 
 custom. He gave this business his entire 
 attention until May, 1908, when he sold his 
 shop and land surrounding it. Both he 
 and father had a wide acquaintance and 
 the old shop was long a meeting place for 
 people from all over the township, and by 
 the old forge many questions of local mo- 
 ment were discussed in friendly spirit. 
 Since retiring from his shop work, Mr. 
 McKinney has found pleasant emplo^anent 
 in looking after the cultivation of his lit- 
 tle fai"m, and the outdoor exercise demand- 
 ed may add years to his life. 
 
 Mr. McKinney married Miss Margaret 
 Nicklas, a daughter of Philip Nicklas, and 
 they have had two children, Dora Velma 
 (deceased) and Mary Louisa, who resides 
 at home. Mr. McKinney is a member of 
 the White Oak Springs' United Presbyte- 
 rian Church. He belongs to I. O. O. F., 
 Evans City lodge. In his political views 
 he is a Republican and he has served as a 
 councilman of the borough, as school di- 
 rector and on the election board. 
 
 JACOB FREDERICK, one of Summit 
 Township's most esteemed citizens, resides 
 on his well improved farm of 105 acres, 
 which is situated one mile north of the vil- 
 lage of Herman, was born in the old house 
 which is still standing on this farm, Sep- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 821 
 
 tember 6, 1848, and is a son of George and 
 Katrina Frederick. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Frederick were 
 born in Germany and came to America 
 prior to their marriage. They resided for 
 many years on this old homestead farm, 
 where the mother died January 9, 1882, 
 and the father, November 15, 1887. They 
 were good, quiet. Christian people and 
 were respected and esteemed in the neigh- 
 borhood. Of their large family of four- 
 teen children, only four survive, namely: 
 Henry, Jacob, Peter and Mrs. Elizabeth 
 Milheim, all of Butler County except Pe- 
 ter, who is a limiber dealer in Chicora, 
 Penna. 
 
 Jacob Frederick has been engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits on his present farm 
 ever since he has been old enough to han- 
 dle farm implements, and this long experi- 
 ence, together with his good judgment and 
 intelligent recognition of all that goes to 
 the making of a good farmer, has contrib- 
 uted to his success. He has steadily 
 made improvements on the property ever 
 since it came into his possession and in 
 1896 he erected his present tine residence 
 and other substantial buildings, in con- 
 trast to which stands the old farmhouse 
 which, in spite of its inconveniences, was 
 a happy and comfortable home for many 
 years. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Frederick married Bar- 
 bara Elizabeth Gensler, who was born 
 in Germany and lived there until she 
 was twenty-five years of age. She 
 had two brothers and three sisters, 
 all of whom, except the youngest, 
 still reside in Germany. The latter and 
 the parents died in that country. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Frederick have two children, George 
 H. and Albert Jacob, both of whom reside 
 at home. Mr. Frederick and family be- 
 long to the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 On Sunday, September 6, 1908, Mr. 
 Frederick reached his sixtieth mile-stone 
 in life and a very pleasant celebration 
 awaited him, the nature of which was a 
 
 surprise party. A feature of the occasion 
 was the bountiful dinner served in the old 
 house in which he had been born and 
 twenty of his old friends and relatives sat 
 at table with him. It was a surprise to 
 him, but was one he is not likely to forget 
 through the rest of his life, so beautifully, 
 completely and affectionately had it all 
 been planned and carried out. 
 
 S. C. KELLY, president of the Butler 
 Wood-Fiber Plaster Company, of Butler, 
 one of the city's growing business enter- 
 prises, is interested in other ventures in 
 different sections and is one of the most 
 progressive of the younger circle of busi- 
 ness men here. He was l)orn in 1881, on 
 a farm, near Mt. Chestnut, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Thomas H. 
 Kelly. 
 
 Thomas H. Kelly was also born in But- 
 ler County, in 1853. For a number of 
 years he was identified with the oil indus- 
 try in Pennsylvania, but for the past 
 eleven years he has looked after the min- 
 ing interests of himself and son, in Alaska. 
 Together they also own valuable real es- 
 tate in Missouri. 
 
 S. C. Kelly attended the country schools 
 near his home through boyhood and later 
 took a commercial course and was grad- 
 uated from the Butler Business College, 
 in 1896. Immediately afterward he went 
 to work for W. S. Wick, lumber dealer, 
 with whom he continued for three years, 
 after which he spent two years with the 
 Oil Well Supply Company, at Sistersville, 
 West Virginia. After he returned to But- 
 ler he spent several years with the Butler 
 Builders' Supply Company. In 1904, 
 when the Butler Wood-Fiber Plaster Com- 
 pany was organized, he was elected presi- 
 dent and general manager, which position 
 he has held since. 
 
 In February, 1904, Mr. Kelly was mar- 
 ried to Grace Mclntire, who is a daughter 
 of C. E. Mclntire, a manufacturer of But- 
 ler, and they have two sons, Thomas C. 
 
822 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and Harold E. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly are 
 members of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church at Butler. 
 
 MRS. MARY W. NICKLAS, a highly 
 respected and much esteemed lady resid- 
 ing at Connoquenessing, where she owns 
 valuable property, including two produc- 
 ing oil wells, is the widow of Conrad Nick- 
 las, formerly the leading general merchant 
 of this village. Mrs. Nicklas was born in 
 Jackson Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a daughter of Jacob and 
 Mary (Ziegler) Wise. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Nicklas was a child 
 when his parents came from east of the 
 Allegheny Mountains and settled in Jack- 
 son Township, Butler County, where he 
 spent the remainder of his life, farming 
 being liis business. He died when aged 
 sixty-eight vears. Of his five children 
 born to his marriage with Mary Ziegler, 
 four grew to mature years, namely: 
 Nancy, now deceased, who was the wife of 
 Jacob Rise; Jacob and John, twins, and 
 Mary W., who became the wife of Conrad 
 Nicklas. Jacob Wise was married (sec- 
 ond) to Sarah Moyer and ten children 
 were born to that union. 
 
 Mrs. Nicklas as Mary W. Wise grew to 
 womanhood in Jackson Township and at- 
 tended the country schools. She was then 
 married to Conrad Nicklas, at that time 
 an enterprising and successful young busi- 
 ness man. He was born in Connoquenes- 
 sing Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and spent his life in this section, 
 his death taking place August 1, 1899, 
 when aged fifty-six years. 
 
 The Nicklas family was established in 
 America by Peter Nicklas, grandfather of 
 Conrad, who came from Germany and set- 
 tled first in Summit Township, Butler 
 County. Later he moved to Connoquenes- 
 sing Township. Philip Nicklas, son of 
 Peter and father of Conrad, was also born 
 in Gennany and was fourteen years old 
 when his parents came with him to Amer- 
 ica. He married Mary Zeglo, a native of 
 
 Germany, and they had thirteen children, 
 Conrad being the second son. Other sons 
 cultivated the home farm of ninety acres, 
 for the father, but Conrad turned his at- 
 tention to merchandising. He first bought 
 an interest in the business of John Kalten- 
 bach and later became sole owner and un- 
 til his fatal illness continued to success- 
 fully conduct a general mercantile busi- 
 ness at Connoquenessing. He was an ex- 
 cellent business man, one of foresight and 
 judgment and became largely interested in 
 oil production. He left his family amply 
 provided for and during his whole life had 
 been a good citizen, liberally supporting 
 public measures and giving to the church 
 and the cause of education. 
 
 To Conrad Nicklas and wife five chil- 
 dren were born, namely: Mary Bertha, 
 who is the wife of John Mecklen, of Con- 
 noquenessing; Ferdinand P., who resides 
 at home; Nancey Gertrude, deceased; Ja- 
 cob, who lives at home, and Conrad %¥., 
 who carries on the mercantile business. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Nicklas were members of the 
 English Lutheran Church for many years 
 and he was a member of its board of trus- 
 tees. In his political views he was a Dem- 
 ocrat, but the only offices he was ever will- 
 ing to accept was that of school director. 
 
 A. F. ROCKENSTEIN, the affable pro- 
 prietor of the Arlington Hotel, one of But- 
 ler's most popular hostelries, is a native 
 of Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was 
 born in 1875. 
 
 Joseph Rockenstein, father of A. F., has 
 long been a prominent business man of 
 Butler, of which city he also is a native. 
 The family has always been one of busi- 
 ness standing in this section. 
 
 A. F. Rockenstein obtained his educa- 
 tion in the schools of Butler and has chosen 
 his native city as the field of his business 
 activities. He began work in a grocery- 
 store, but after a trial of two years, en- 
 tered the Charles Duffy dry goods store 
 and aftpr completing a clerkship of six 
 
JOHN S. HOBAUGH 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 825 
 
 years, retired with a pretty fair knowledge 
 of tliat business. In 1900 he first became 
 interested in the hotel business, being with 
 the Lowry House for some four years 
 thereafter, for one year was with the Lyn- 
 dora Hotel, and in 1905 he leased the Ai'- 
 lington Hotel, which he has successfully 
 conducted ever since. He has maintained 
 a high standard of excellence ever since 
 taking charge and his patronage is con- 
 stantly on the increase. He has twenty 
 guest rooms and his uniform rate is $2 
 per day. 
 
 In 1903 Mr. Rockenstein was married to 
 Miss Alice Kelly, who is a daughter of 
 Walter Kelly, a resident of Bruin, Butler 
 County, and they have two children : Fran- 
 cis Wellington and Verena Inez. 
 
 JOHN S. HOBAUGH, general stone 
 contractor at Butler, with office at No. 337 
 North Washington Street, undoubtedly 
 controls the largest amount of the im- 
 portant work in his line, in this city. He 
 was born in 1870, at Indiana, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of G. M. Hobaugh, a 
 retired citizen of Butler. 
 
 John S. Hobaugh was seven years of age 
 when his parents moved to Oil City, in 
 Venango County, where the family resided 
 until he was sixteen years old, when re- 
 moval was made to I3utler County. He 
 learned his trade with his father, who was 
 formerly a successful contractor, and for 
 the past twelve years Mr. Hobaugh has 
 been himself engaged in contracting. But- 
 ler is noted for the elegance of its private 
 residences and the beauty and stability of 
 its business and public structures, and in 
 naming those which have been erected by 
 Mr. Hobaugh, his prominence in his line 
 of work becomes evident. A partial list 
 includes: The John Bickel Building; the 
 y. M. C. A. Building; the Levi M. Wise 
 and J. H. Troutman Buildings; the First 
 Englisli Lutheran Church; Grace Luth- 
 eran ChuiTh; the Institute Hill School 
 
 Building; the County Home; the Second 
 Presbyterian Church; the Kirkpatrick 
 Buildings; the Ledom-AVorrall Company 
 Building; the I. 0. 0. F. Building; the 
 Nixon, the Atlas and the Clinton Hotels; 
 the Butler High School; and the private 
 residences of A. E. Rieber and C. N. Boyd. 
 In the erection of buildings of the above 
 character, not only was used the most 
 superior materials but the very best talent 
 was required for construction, and the 
 descendants of Mr. Hobaugh will still be 
 able to point to the enduring character of 
 those foundations and elaborate stone 
 work long after his activities have ceased. 
 Not only has Butler benefited by his skill, 
 other points having called in his services, 
 notably Grove City, where he built the two 
 beautiful stone churches as well as the 
 Carnegie Library. 
 
 In 1892, Mr. Hobaugh was married to 
 Miss Villa M. Hill, of Indiana, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they have a family of seven 
 children. Mr. Hoh;nii;ii is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcoiml Cliunli. Fraternally, 
 he is a Royal Areli Mason. 
 
 JACOB PISTORIUS, who is president 
 of the School Board and one of the lead- 
 ing citizens of Sunnnit Township, resides 
 on his valuable farm of eighty acres, which 
 is situated on the old State Road, one mile 
 east of Butler. This is the old Pistorius 
 homestead and here he was born, Novem- 
 ber 17, 1819, and is a son of Peter and 
 Catherine (Gower) Pistorius. 
 
 Jacob Pistorius grew to manhood on 
 this farm and then went to Pittsburg, 
 where, for almost eighteen years he was 
 employed in a rolling-mill. In March, 
 1887, he gave up his mill work and re- 
 turned to the old home in Summit Town- 
 ship, where he has ever since successfully 
 carried on general farming and dairying. 
 He has taken an active part in township 
 affairs and has been particularly inter- 
 ested in the public schools. He has served 
 
826 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 seven years, as a member of the School 
 Board and is now its presiding officer. 
 
 Mr. Pistorius married Mary Holzapfel 
 and they have had ten children, namely: 
 John P., Jacob H., Joseph, Catherine, 
 Clara, Herman, Leo, Paul, Martin, and 
 Theodore, all of whom survive except lit- 
 tle Paul, who died when four days old. 
 
 RICHARD BURKE, an old and vener- 
 ated citizen of Butler County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, has spent all his life in Clearfield 
 Township, and is now retired from busi- 
 ness activity. He was born in County 
 Clare, Ireland, in 1830, and is a son of 
 Timothy and .Tohanna (O'Neil) Burke. He 
 was reared to manhood and educated in 
 his native country. At the age of twenty- 
 one years he came to the United States and 
 settled on the farm which has since been 
 known as the Burke homestead. 
 
 July 10, 1853, Mr. Burke was united in 
 marriage with Katherine O'Neil, a daugh- 
 ter of Daniel and Bridget (McCrea) 
 O'Neil. The McCrea family is an old and 
 prominent one in this part of Butler Coun- 
 ty. Thirteen children were born to bless 
 this union, all born on the home place, 
 namely, Bridget, wife of Edward Burke; 
 John M. ; Daniel, deceased; Hugh, de- 
 ceased; Mary, deceased; Thomas, de- 
 ceased; Josie (O'Neil) ; William, who is in 
 the oil business; Hugh Francis, who is a 
 farmer and engaged in the oil business; 
 Daniel, who married Kate Pursell ; James ; 
 Edward ; and Richard, Jr. John M. Burke, 
 eldest son and second child of Richard and 
 Katherine Burke, was first married to Josie 
 Slater, and they had three children — Ed- 
 ward, Kate and William. He was married 
 a second time to Miss Margaret Rogers, by 
 whom he has five children^Mary, John, 
 Thomas, Annie and Daniel. Josie, the sev- 
 enth child born to Richard and Katherine 
 Burke, married D. J. O'Neil, by whom she 
 has the following children: Tressa, Clar- 
 ence, Evaline, Charlotte, Charles, de- 
 ceased; Edward, and Francis. Hugh 
 
 Francis, the ninth in order of birth, was 
 born in 1872 and is unmarried. He has a 
 farm of eighty-seven acres, one-half in 
 Clearfield Township and the remainder 
 across the line in AVest Franklin Township, 
 Armstrong County. He gives his atten- 
 tion mainly to oil and gas operations and 
 is a very successful man. 
 
 Richard Burke, the father of this fam- 
 ily, is living in the enjoyment of good 
 health, at an age of almost four score of 
 years. He has followed farming through- 
 out his active career, making no specialty 
 of his work and raising just enough stock 
 for use on the farm. Religiously, he and 
 his family are members of the Catholic 
 Church, to which they contribute liberally. 
 
 W. H. McGAFFIC, one of Butler's reli- 
 able citizens and representative business 
 men, who is engaged in an insurance busi- 
 ness, with office at No. 105 West Jefferson 
 Street, was born October 14, 1851, in Bea- 
 ver County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 In his infancy, the parents of Mr. Mc- 
 Gaffic moved to Crawford County, and in 
 1865 from there to Slippery Rock, Butler 
 County, and there he grew to manhood and 
 obtained his education. For two years he 
 was engaged there in the manufacture of 
 carriages, but sold his business and went 
 to Karns City, where he was a clerk for 
 three years and for nine years was en- 
 gaged there in a mercantile business of 
 his own. For fourteen years he was also 
 an oil producer, from 1882 to 1896. After 
 disposing of that he returned to Slippery 
 Rock and was in business there for two 
 years before he came to Butler and em- 
 barked in the life and accident insurance 
 business. He represents only old and reli- 
 able companies, such as the State Mutual 
 of Massachusetts and the Maryland Casu- 
 alty, of Baltimore, Maryland, and handles 
 a large amount of risks. 
 
 On December 31, 1872, Mr. McGaffic was 
 married to Miss Harriet E. Riddle, a 
 daughter of James D. Riddle, who was a 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 827 
 
 pioneer and prominent citizen of Slippery 
 Eock. Mr. and Mrs. McGaffic had one 
 daughter, Hallie Frances, who married 
 Howard C. Hazlett of Butler. She died 
 September 22, 1906, leaving two children — 
 Margaret Elizabeth and William Thomas. 
 Mr. and Mrs. McGaffic are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a 
 Thirty-second degree Mason and is past 
 eminent commander of Mt. Calvary Com- 
 mandery, No. 67, at Greenville. 
 
 LOUIS F. STRACKE, a prosperous 
 resident of Adams Township, where he 
 owns eleven and one-half acres of excellent 
 land on whicli he carries on poultry-rais- 
 ing, has lived on his farm since 1903. He 
 was born in 1861, in Germany and came to 
 America when twenty-eight years old, in 
 1889. 
 
 In his boyhood, Mr. Stracke went to 
 work in a rod-mill and learned that trade, 
 and then entered the German army, in 
 which he served the required two years as 
 a member of the Tenth Company of the 
 Sixteenth Regiment of Infantry. Having 
 thus proved his patriotism and fulfilled 
 the laws of his native land, he will never 
 find himself debarred from visiting the 
 old home, even if he no longer desires to 
 remain there. After reaching America he 
 came to Pennsylvania and soon found 
 work at his trade at Rankin, and later at 
 Braddock. On account of failing health 
 he decided to settle for a time at least, in 
 the country, and bought his present farm 
 of Freeman Davison, and is making it 
 profitable by raising choice poultry for 
 market. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Stracke was married (first) 
 to Caroline Bailey, a native of Germany, 
 who died February 8, 1900, leaving two 
 children — Charles, who was born Septem- 
 ber 11, 1892, and August, who was born 
 August 4, 1894. In 1902 Mr. Stracke was 
 married (second) to Mrs. Amelia Bender, 
 a daughter of Carl Garmer and the widow 
 of Martin Bender. She had six children 
 
 born to her first marriage but the only one 
 living is Mary, who married Frank Hill- 
 man, and has one daughter, Amelia. Mr. 
 Stracke has one child by his second mar- 
 riage. 
 
 JOHN E. PURUCKER, joint proprietor 
 with C. L. Frederick, of the Chicora Ma- 
 chine Works, is one of the enterprising 
 and prosperous business men of Chicora, 
 and is also interested in oil and gas pro- 
 duction in Butler County. He was born at 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, January 18, 
 1878, and is a son of F. W. and Louise 
 (Stoechr) Purucker. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Purucker are natives 
 of Germany. When they came to America 
 they settled at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 
 where the father conducted a butchering 
 business until 1880, when he removed to 
 C'liicora, where he continues his enterprise. 
 He is one of the town's representative and 
 substantial citizens. He has reared eleven 
 of his family of fourteen children, three 
 dying in infancy. The following survive: 
 Callie, William F., John E., Emma, Clara 
 (Bye), Louise, Loretta, 0. R., R. 0., Es- 
 ther, and Helen. 
 
 John E. Purucker was about two years 
 old when his parents came to Chicora. 
 After he completed his school attendance, 
 he assisted his father both in his meat 
 business and on the latter 's farm in Done- 
 gal Township, and when eighteen years of 
 age, learned the machinist trade. He 
 worked for three years with the firm of 
 Stone & Vandemayrk and was only twenty- 
 one years old when he started into busi- 
 ness for himself, under the firm name of 
 Stone & Purucker. In 1902 he purchased 
 Mr. Stone's interest and continued the 
 business for two years alone, when he sold 
 a half interest to C. L. Frederick. This 
 firm does all kinds of repair work and is 
 one of the town's prospering enterprises. 
 Mr. Purucker is quite extensively inter- 
 ested in oil and gas production and on his 
 farm of eighty acres, in Donegal Town- 
 
828 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUXTT 
 
 ship, be lias a producing gas and also a 
 producing oil well. He is Ukewise inter- 
 ested in a second farm, owns valuable real 
 estate at Butler and is a stockholder in dif- 
 ferent enterprises in Chicora. 
 
 Xotwithstanding his many business in- 
 terests, Mr. Purucker has not neglected his 
 duties as a citizen and at the present writ- 
 ing (1908) is usefully serving as a mem- 
 ber of the Town Council. In politics he 
 is a Eepublican. Fraternally he is a Ma- 
 son and belongs to the Blue Lodge and 
 Chapter at Butler. He is a member and 
 liberal supporter of the German Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 :MAETIX KABEL, a wide-awake and 
 progressive farmer of Clearfield Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, resides 
 on a fine fann of seventy-nine acres, lo- 
 cated on the east side of the Saxonburg 
 and Coylesville road. He was born on the 
 old home place about four miles south of 
 his present farm, in Clearfield Township, 
 February 12, 1851, and is a son of Martin 
 and Barbara (Krear) Kabel. 
 
 Martin Kabel, Sr., was bom in France 
 and came to the United States when a 
 young man, his parents never leaving 
 their native land. He located on the old 
 home farm in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 Count\', and followed farming the rest of 
 his life. His farm of seventy acres is a 
 fine body of land and is owned jointly by 
 his heirs. He and his wife became par- 
 ents of five children, as follows : George, 
 deceased; Joseph; Martin; Barbara: and 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 Martin Kabel, Jr., has always been a 
 resident of Clearfield Township, and re- 
 ceived his education in the district schools. 
 He and his brothers were brought up to 
 work hard, assisting on the home place 
 from their boyhood days. Martin has al- 
 ways followed farming and has met with 
 good results. He purchased the property 
 on which he now lives from Frank Bieden- 
 bach, and by persevering effort has con- 
 
 verted it into a well-improved place. He 
 follows general farming and raises some 
 stock. 
 
 September 14, 1875, Mr. Kabel was 
 joined in marriage with 3kliss Helen Bern- 
 inger, a daughter of Baselius and Tressa 
 (Neff) Berninger of Center Township, and 
 the following are the issue of this union: 
 George, Joseph L., Barbara, A. J., F. M., 
 Catherine, and Fema. Eeligiously, the 
 family are veiy active members of the 
 CathoUc Church. 
 
 AY. P. EOESSIXG, of the firm of 
 Roessing & Son, leading undertakers and 
 funeral directors at Butler, is a native of 
 this city, born in 1848, and is a son of 
 George C. Eoessing. 
 
 George C. Roessing, whose death oc- 
 curred in 1891, was one of Butler's promi- 
 nent citizens for many years. He was 
 born in Gennany, in 1827, and came to 
 America and settled at Butler, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1847. Prior to 1861 he engaged 
 in a furniture business and in undertaking, 
 but in that year he closed out his former 
 line but continued the latter and also be- 
 came interested at this time in carriage- 
 making. The latter industry he continued 
 until 1886, when he discontinued it and 
 gave his whole attention to the undertak- 
 ing business from which he also retired in 
 1889. He was active in politics and his 
 solid c[ualities as a citizen were frequently 
 recognized by his election to local offices. 
 For twenty years he served as a justice of 
 the peace and his decisions were seldom 
 reversed. 
 
 W. P. Eoessing attended school at But- 
 ler until he was thirteen years old when 
 his father put him to work in the carriage 
 factory, where he learned the trade of 
 carriage-building. In 1872 he became his 
 father's partner, both in the carriage- 
 making and undertaking business. "When 
 his father retired from the firm in 1889, 
 he purchased the entire interests of the 
 concern and continued business alone until 
 
AXD EEPRESEXTATR^ CITIZENS 
 
 831 
 
 1905, when he admitted his son, Fred T. 
 Eoessing, to partnership, at which time 
 the present style was adopted. This un- 
 dertaking firm is one of the oldest business 
 houses in Butler, now including three gen- 
 erations of the same family, and through 
 all these years its relations with the public 
 have been thoroughly honorable. 
 
 In 1877 W. P. Eoessing was married to 
 ]SIiss Truesdale Byrer, who was born in 
 Armstrong Cotmty, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a daughter of D. L. Byrer. They have five 
 children, namely: Florence, Fred T., Jean 
 Wallace, Lucille H., and Marguerite P. 
 Fred T. Eoessing was educated in the But- 
 ler schools and at Westminster College. 
 He was sixteen years old when the Span- 
 ish-American War was declared, and he 
 enlisted for service in the same, entering 
 Company E, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteer Infantry. In a short time he fell 
 a victim to the prevailing malarial fever, 
 which necessitated his return home, after 
 his honorable discharge. In 1905 he be- 
 came his father's partner in business, hav- 
 ing thoroughly prepared himself by at- 
 tending schools of emblaming. In 1906, 
 he was married to Miss Laura M. Stein, 
 who belongs to one of the pioneer families 
 of Butler County and is a daughter of 
 L. B. Stein. With his father, he belongs 
 to the Elks and he is also an Odd Fellow. 
 Mr. Eoessing and family belong to the 
 First Presbyterian Church at Butler. 
 
 CAELTON HENEY BARNARD, oil 
 producer and contractor in tin and slate 
 roofing, is one of Butler's representative 
 business men, having resided here for 
 twenty years. He was bom at Windsor, 
 Ashtabula County, Ohio, December 18, 
 1862. and is a son of Francis Barnard, who 
 was a veteran of the Civil War. 
 
 C. H. Barnard grew to manhood in his 
 native place and attended the local schools 
 imtil boyhood was over, when he worked 
 for three years in a saw and planing mill 
 at Windsor. He then came to Butler, 
 
 Pennsylvania, and worked at his present 
 trade for three years with the firm of Dal- 
 zell Brothers, of Youngstown, with whom 
 he learned his trade. He worked the fol- 
 lowing year for J. E. Castor, of Butler. 
 Since then he has been contracting in tin 
 and slate roofing, doing a large business, 
 and for the last three years has also been 
 engaged in oil production, working in the 
 Butler fields, where he has at present writ- 
 ing (1908), nine producing wells. He has 
 other business interests, being a stock- 
 holder in the People's Telephone Com- 
 pany, the Leedom-Worrall Grocery Com- 
 pany and in other concerns. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Barnard was married to 
 Miss Ida Heath, of Williamsfield, Ashta- 
 bula Coimtj', Ohio, and they have two sons, 
 Francis G. and Hallet Carlton. Mr. Barn- 
 ard and family attend the Baptist Church. 
 He is an Odd Fellow and belongs to Wind- 
 sor Lodge, No. 329, of Windsor, Ohio. 
 
 WILLIAM A. PUEVIANCE. general 
 merchant at Connoquenessing, of which 
 borough he is a leading citizen, at present 
 filling the office of burgess and frequently 
 serving on its legislative council, was born 
 on Powder MiU Eun, in Forward Town- 
 ship, Butler County. Pennsylvania, Feb- 
 ruary 14, 1854, and is a son of William 
 Alexander and Sophia (Strichenen) Pur- 
 viance. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Purvianee were na- 
 tives of Butler County. His father was a 
 man of local prominence, but he lived only 
 into middle life. His family of eight chil- 
 dren bore the following names: Eliza- 
 beth, who resides at Allegheny, Pennsyl- 
 vania; J. Thompson and Henry C, both 
 of whom are deceased ; Mary, who married 
 James Hollingsworth. of Pittsburg; Sophia 
 and Hallie, both residents of Allegheny; 
 William A., and Benjamin F., who resides 
 at Pittsburg. The parents were members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 William A. Purvianee was two and one- 
 half vears old when his father died. After 
 
832 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 a period of school attendance in his native 
 township, he went to Zelienople, where he 
 was a pupil in Prof. Kitzel 's private acad- 
 emy and studied piano music under Eev. 
 Winters. His musical talent he inherits 
 from his father, who was a master of the 
 violin. In 1874 Mr. Purviance established 
 himself in a general mercantile business at 
 his present location, and some four years 
 later admitted his brother to partnership, 
 the firm style being J. T. & W. A. Purvi- 
 ance. This continued until the death of 
 J. T. Purviance, when William T., through 
 purchase, became sole proprietor. This is 
 the oldest established business in the 
 borough. 
 
 Mr. Purviance was married to Miss Ella 
 Plaisted, a daughter. of James E. Plaisted, 
 of Butler Township, and they have three 
 children: Frank R., Nora Verne and W. 
 Marjorie. The son is in business at Alle- 
 gheny. The elder daughter is a graduate 
 of the Slippery Rock State Normal School 
 and also an accomplished pianist. For 
 several terms she taught school in the 
 borough, after which she married Dr. S. B. 
 Ralston, and they reside at Avalon, Penn- 
 sylvania. The younger daughter resides 
 at home. Mr. Purviance and family be- 
 long to the White Oaks United Presbyte- 
 rian Church. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Purviance is a stanch 
 Republican. In addition to the public of- 
 fices mentioned, he has served as treasurer 
 of the borough and has always been one of 
 the most progressive men in the place. He 
 is a director of the Connoquenessing Tele- 
 phone Company, also treasurer and was 
 one of its promoters. 
 
 HARRY M. QUINN, superintendent of 
 the Forged Steel Car Company, at Butler, 
 is an experienced man in his line of work, 
 having been employed in other large plants 
 for years, and a skilled machinist since 
 early manhood. He was born January 27, 
 1864, in the city of Philadelphia and there 
 attended school and learned his business. 
 
 For more than twenty years Mr. Quinn 
 
 worked as a machinist in his native city, 
 but in 1903 he came to Western Pennsyl- 
 vania and became a master mechanic in the 
 employ of the Pressed Steel Car Company 
 at Allegheny. Two years later, in 1905, 
 he became superintendent of a plant at 
 McKees Rocks, and in February, 1907, ac- 
 cepted his present responsible position 
 with the Forged Steel Car Company at 
 Butler. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Quinn was married to Miss 
 Katherine Fannau, of Philadelphia, and 
 they have three children, Marie, Genevieve 
 and Katherine. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn are 
 members of St. Paul's Catholic Church. 
 He is also a member of the order of 
 Knights of Columbus. Mr. Quinn is a 
 man whose coming to Butler adds to the 
 good citizenship of the place. A skilled, 
 i-eliable workman, a man of family and a 
 consistent church member — such men are 
 welcome additions to any community and 
 the community is fortunate in securing 
 such a class as permanent residents. 
 
 WEBSTER KEASEY, one of the lead- 
 ing citizens of Winfield Township, who is 
 largely identified with the lumber and oil 
 interests of this section, was bom in But- 
 ler County, Penna., February 4, 1856, son 
 of Henry and Elizabeth Keasey. 
 
 Henry Keasey came to Butler County as 
 an experienced furnace man, being called 
 here to become manager of the furnace at 
 Winfield, which was owned by Mr. Speer. 
 He continued to manage the plant as long 
 as the business was continued at that 
 point. Subsequently he purchased the 
 Duff farm, a valuable piece of agricultural 
 property, containing . 200 acres and sit- 
 uated in Winfield Township. Here he 
 died on May 1st, 1890. 
 
 Webster Keasey acquired his education 
 in the public schools. On leaving home 
 he secured employment in the oil fields of 
 Butler and McKean Coimties. In 1879 he 
 drifted to Colorado, where for a time he 
 was engaged in railroad contracting, after- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 833 
 
 wards returning to the old homestead m 
 WinJfield Township. He next formed a 
 partnership with J. A. Ranson and in 1893 
 they leased the lime quarries which are at 
 present operated by the A. G. Morris Lime 
 & Stone Co., Limited. In 1894 a company 
 was organized, of which Mr. Keasey was 
 one of the board of directors, and which 
 later sold out its interests to the Acme 
 Company. Mr. Keasey takes some inter- 
 est in public matters, especially in his own 
 community. In May, 1894, he was ap- 
 pointed postmaster of Rough Run. 
 
 Mr. Keasey married Nannie Campbell, 
 who is a daughter of John and Annie 
 Campbell, and their family numbers five 
 children. Their home is in a stately man- 
 sion, constructed of ijressed brick and 
 equipped with all modern conveniences. It 
 is situated in the midst of a fine grove, on 
 a hill overlooking the town of Cabot. 
 
 E. J. RENNO, dealer in granite and 
 marble monuments at Butler, with busi- 
 ness quarters at No. 108 and 110 West 
 Cunningham Street, conducts one of the 
 city's oldest enterprises, it having been 
 established by his late father, in 1870. Mr. 
 Renno was born in 1881, at Butler, Penn- 
 sylvania, and comes of pioneer stock. 
 
 The Renno family was founded in But- 
 ler County, in 1836, by John Renno, the 
 grandfather of E. J. Renno. He was born 
 in France. His life was devoted entirely 
 to agriculture. His son, George Renno, 
 was born in Butler Coimty and after es- 
 tablishing the business which has been con- 
 tinued by his son, he followed the same 
 until the close of his life. He is recalled 
 as one of Butler-'s reliable men and good 
 citizens. 
 
 E. J. Renno was reared and educated 
 at Butler and in boyhood began to assist 
 his father in the shop and later, develop- 
 ing talent and inclination for the same 
 business, he learned its details and became 
 an expert workman. After his father's 
 death, in 1904, with his brother, F. W. Ren- 
 
 no, he succeeded to the business, which he 
 purchased entire, in 1906. He is a stock- 
 holder in the Southern Vineyard Company 
 and is numbered with Butler's substantial 
 citizens. In 1902 Mr. Renno was married 
 to Miss Agnes Mackey, of Youngstown, 
 Ohio, and thej^ have two children, Paul and 
 Mildred. Mr. Renno is a member of the 
 English Lutheran Church. His fraternal 
 connections include the Odd Fellows, both 
 the lower order and the Encampment; the 
 Knights of Pythias, Uniform Rank, and 
 the Modern Maccabees. In politics he has 
 never been very active, although he has 
 frequently demonstrated his attitude of 
 good citizenship by supporting public 
 measures and contributing to worthy local 
 enterprises. 
 
 JOHN (1. STRUTT, one of the self- 
 made men of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, 
 who conducts a first-class livery establish- 
 ment, was born October 4, 1869, in Zelie- 
 nople, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Will- 
 iam L. and Margaret (Richard) Strutt. 
 
 William L. Strutt, who for twenty-eight 
 years was a livery stable proprietor of Ze- 
 lienople, died at the age of sixty-one years, 
 his wife having died when John G. Strutt 
 was but two years old. They were the par- 
 ents of five children : Joseph, who resides 
 in Ohio; E. C. ; Charles; John G., and 
 Anna. The parents were members of the 
 German Lutheran Church. 
 
 John G. Strutt attended the public 
 schools of Zelienople, and after leaving 
 school began work at the livery business. 
 All of his life has been spent in Zelienople, 
 with the exception of ten years, when he 
 was engaged in the butcher business in 
 Pittsburg. He is a self-made man in the 
 true sense of the word, having started in 
 life without means, and through energy 
 and economy has worked his way to the 
 front rank among the business men of this 
 community. For three years he worked 
 for thirty dollars per month, and during 
 that time saved $100, with which he en- 
 
834 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 gaged in the livery business, purchasing 
 the interests of Householder & Meeder. 
 For eleven years he has conducted his pres- 
 ent establishment, and he now keeps eight- 
 een head of horses, and does a large busi- 
 ness in Zelienople and the surrounding 
 country. He owns his own livery barn, in 
 addition to other valuable real estate. 
 
 Mr. Strutt was married (first) to Miss 
 Annie May Lutz, by whom he had six chil- 
 dren, namely: Roy, Clarence, Edna, An- 
 nie May, Grace and Hester Jane. Mr. 
 Strutt 's second marriage was to Mrs. Etta 
 R. Stover (nee Feathers), a widow, whom 
 he married in March, 1907. 
 
 Mr. Strutt is fraternally connected with 
 the Elks, of Rochester, Pennsylvania, the 
 Maccabees and the Odd Fellows. In po- 
 litical matters he is a Republican. His 
 religious connection is with the English 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 J. P. SHULL, of the firm of Shull & 
 Badger, brick manufacturers and eon- 
 tractors, at Butler, has been a resident of 
 this city for nineteen years and is num- 
 bered with its reliable and progressive 
 business men. He was born in 1868, in 
 Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and is a 
 son of John W. Shull, who located on his 
 farm in Marion Township, Butler County, 
 about 1873. 
 
 J. P. Shull attended what was known as 
 the old Ray School in his boyhood, and 
 after a reasonable time there he went to 
 Franklin in Venango County, where, when 
 seventeen years of age, he started to learn 
 the bricklayers' trade which he has found 
 a satisfactory and profitable one. For 
 about eleven years he has been in partner- 
 ship in general brick contracting, with 
 Frank W. Badger, and in 1903 they 
 bought out the brick manufacturing plant 
 of Reed & Company. Both members of 
 the firm are men of recognized reliability 
 and they have a large volume of business. 
 They divide their labors, Mr. Shull look- 
 ing after the manufacture of the brick, 
 
 and Mr. Badger after the contracts. A 
 large number of Butler's substantial build- 
 ings have been erected by this firm and 
 among these may be mentioned : The Poor 
 Farm building; the Butler County Gen- 
 eral Hospital; the Y. M. C. A. building; 
 J. G. & W. Campbell's hardware store; 
 the Koch building; and the I. O. 0. F. 
 Temple. The motto of this firm has been 
 from the first, thorough reliability. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Shull was married to Miss 
 Teauie A. Gilmore, who is a daughter of 
 John C. Gilmore, of Marion Township, 
 Butler County, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Verna and Iva. Mr. and Mrs. Shull 
 are members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Butler. Their pleasant home is 
 at No. 312 West Penn Street. 
 
 ASHLEY W. GROSSMAN, who resides 
 on his well-improved farm of 175 acres,- 
 which is situated two and one-half miles 
 southwest of Slippery Rock Borough, in 
 Slippery Rock Township, through which 
 runs the Slippery Rock and Brady Town- 
 ship line, is a prosperous general farmer 
 and representative citizen of this section. 
 He was born March 29, 1854, in Brady 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Hugh C. and Mary Ann 
 (Moos) Grossman. 
 
 Hugh Grossman was also born in Brady 
 Township and was a son of Simon Gross- 
 man, one of the early settlers. He followed 
 farming all his active life. He married 
 Mary Ann Moos, who was born east of the 
 Allegheny Mountains, and they had twelve 
 children born to them, ten of whom are 
 still living. Both parents of this family 
 died on the old homestead in Brady Town- 
 ship. 
 
 Ashley "W. Grossman attended the coim- 
 try schools and helped on the home farm 
 until his marriage, although he had pre- 
 viously purchased his present farm, which 
 he owns jointly with his wife. It is a val- 
 uable property and the handsome frame 
 residence, which was built in 1899, is one 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 837 
 
 of the best arranged and most comfortable 
 homes in this section. 
 
 On January 1, 1884, Mr. Grossman was 
 mari'ied to Miss Mary Belle Cooper, who 
 is a daughter of Harvey and Lucinda (Les- 
 lie) Cooper. They have had thirteen chil- 
 dren, a large and happy family, named as 
 follows: Hugh Clifton, Louis, Harrison, 
 Grant, Walter, Sadie, Hazel, Garrett, 
 Laura and Lawrence, twins, Isabel and 
 Verne, the eleventh child dying unnamed. 
 The others survive, with the exception of 
 Grant, who died when thirteen years of 
 age, Sadie who was taken when ten years 
 old, and one of the twins, Lawrence, who 
 died at the age of four months. Mr. Gross- 
 man takes a good citizens' interest in pub- 
 lic matters and does his part in providing 
 for good schools and good roads in his 
 township, two main essentials considered 
 by the substantial men in every commu- 
 nity. The township line mentioned above, 
 crosses his farm just south of his build- 
 ings, but he votes in Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship, and therefore pays his taxes there. 
 
 JOHN C. WILES, a valued member of 
 the City Council of Chicora and a leading 
 citizen of this place, has been identified 
 with the interests of this section for many 
 years. He is proprietor of the oldest liv- 
 ery barn at Chicora and also engages in 
 the undertaking business. Mr. Wiles was 
 born February 28, 1866, at Petrolia, in 
 Fairview Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania. His parents died when he was 
 nine years old and his one brother, Charles, 
 is also deceased. 
 
 Mr. Wiles was ten years old when he 
 went to Armstrong County and lived there 
 on a farm until 1892, when he came to Chi- 
 cora and went into the livery business with 
 a Mr. Titley, who, at .that time owned sev- 
 eral famous race horses. Star Pointer be- 
 ing among them. The new firm started 
 their livery business in the barn now 
 known as Vencle & Son, and conducted it 
 together for six years, when Mr. Wiles 
 
 bought his partner's interest and carried 
 on the business by himself for the next 
 five years, selling out at that time to Ven- 
 cle & Rumbaugh. For one year he en- 
 gaged in buying and selling horses, ship- 
 ping them all over the country. In 1903 
 he purchased his present stables, known 
 as the old Dolan barn, one of the first liv- 
 ery barns started here. The former pro- 
 prietor was a W. E. Titley, but not the 
 same Titley with whom Mr. Wiles had pre- 
 viously been in partnership. In taking 
 charge of this barn, Mr. Wiles was pre- 
 pared to make many improvements and 
 he has made of it a first-class establish- 
 ment, one that is a credit to the place. Mr. 
 Wiles is a very popular citizen. For ten 
 years he has held the office of foreman of 
 the Independent Hose Company and he has 
 the reputation of being the best man to 
 handle a fire in a place of the size of Chi- 
 cora, in the State, having proven his ca- 
 pacity on several occasions. In ])olitics 
 he is a Republican, has served five times 
 as judge of elections and, as stated above, 
 is one of the councilm"en. 
 
 On January 18, 1891, Mr. Wiles was mar- 
 ried to Miss Winnie Foringer, who was 
 born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 on her husband's birthday, February 28, 
 1866, and what is additionally interesting 
 is that their second daughter has the same 
 birthday. Mrs. Wiles is a daughter of Jo- 
 seph and Hannah (Barnhart) Foringer. 
 Her father was a very early settler in Arm- 
 strong County, in which he conducted a 
 mercantile business for thirty-four years 
 and was the first postmaster at Taylor. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wiles have two children: 
 June, born June 5, 1894; and Winnifred, 
 born February 28, 1903. 
 
 Mr. Wiles is identified with a number 
 of fraternal organizations. He is worship- 
 ful master of the Masonic Lodge at Chi- 
 cora, and belongs to the Chapter at But- 
 ler ; has passed all the chairs in the orders 
 of Knights of Pythias and the Maccabees 
 and has attended the meetings of the 
 
838 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Grand Lodge of these bodies; and is also 
 an Elk and an Odd Fellow. 
 
 G. P. DAUBENSPECK, a highly re- 
 spected resident of Butler, to which city 
 he came in 1908, when he retired from his 
 farm in Parker Township, belongs to one 
 of the old pioneer families of Butler Coun- 
 ty. He was born October 30, 1845, in 
 Parker Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of George Daubenspeck. 
 
 Mr. Daubenspeck was reared on the old 
 family homestead in Parker Township and 
 attended the district schools. His active 
 years were devoted to agriculture and he 
 still retains his valuable farm of eighty 
 acres, situated in Parker Township. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Daubenspeck was married 
 to Miss Mary Elizabeth Perry, who is a 
 daughter of Thomas Perry, and they have 
 four living children: Richard Perry, who 
 is a minister in the Presbyterian Church; 
 Philip Burton, who is superintendent of 
 the Turner Oil Company of California; 
 Elizabeth Jane, who is the wife of S. A. 
 Bell, of West Virginia, and Maria, who 
 resides at home. Mr. Daubenspeck and 
 family are members of the Reformed 
 Church. 
 
 WILLIAM A. McQUISTON, a promi- 
 nent agriculturist of Allegheny Township 
 and a member of the township school 
 board, gives attention to the cultivation 
 of his excellent farm of eighty-five acres 
 and is also identified with oil production 
 in both Butler and Venango Counties. He 
 was born March 29, 3863, in Concord 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Alexander C. and Mar- 
 garet (Gibson) McQuiston. 
 
 The grandfather, Alexander C. McQuis- 
 ton, was born in Ireland and was the first 
 of the family to settle in Concord Town- 
 ship, where his son, Alexander C, was sub- 
 sequently born. Like his father and a 
 number of his descendants, Alexander C. 
 McQuiston, the second, has always fol- 
 
 lowed agricultural pursuits and for a num- 
 ber of years has lived in Allegheny Town- 
 ship. He married Margaret Gibson, who 
 also survives. She was born in Allegheny 
 Township and is a daughter of Col. James 
 A. Gibson, an officer in the State militia at 
 one time and, for some years, proprietor of 
 a foundry at Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. 
 In the old annals of Butler County, both of 
 these names frequently appear as belong- 
 ing to the most representative people. In 
 1905 the venerable Alexander C. McQuis- 
 ton and wife, then being aged respectively, 
 eighty-one and seventy-five years, enjoyed 
 the celebration of their golden wedding. 
 They have the following children: Eliza- 
 beth J., who is the wife of B. L. McKee, 
 of New Paris, Ohio ; Amy, who is the wife 
 of G. W. Davis, of Pittsburg; William A.; 
 Eva C, who is the wife of J. A. O'Neil, 
 of Franklin, Pennsylvania; James M., of 
 Glintonville, Pennsylvania; Clara, of 
 Franklin; and Nettie B., who is the wife of 
 Charles Whitman, of Pittsburg. 
 
 William A. McQuiston was reared in 
 Concord Township imtil he was fourteen 
 years old and then accompanied his par- 
 ents to Allegheny Township, where he has 
 resided ever since. Mr. McQuiston is a 
 self-made man, having depended upon his 
 own efforts since he was seventeen years 
 of age. In 1893 he became interested in 
 the oil industry and has made the business 
 profitable. He married Miss Emma Clay, 
 of Scrub Grass Township, Venango Coun- 
 ty, who is a daughter of the late George 
 AV. Clay, of that section. Mr. and Mrs. 
 McQuiston have had three children: Myr- 
 tle E., George L. and David B., the eldest 
 being deceased. Mr. and Mrs. McQuiston 
 are members of the Scrub Grass Presby- 
 terian Church, in which he has been a trus- 
 tee for many years. He is serving in his 
 second term as a member of the School 
 Board of the township and has been secre- 
 tary of this body. He belongs to the order 
 of Knights of Maccabees, being identified 
 with Emlenton Tent, No. 111. He is a 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 839 
 
 man who stands deservedly high in the 
 conhdence of his fellow citizens. 
 
 T. J. SHUFFLIN, treasurer and gen- 
 eral manager of the Peoples' Telephone 
 Company, at Butler, and engaged in the 
 business of tank manufacturing, has been 
 a resident of this city for twenty years and 
 since early manhood has been identified 
 in some way with the oil industry. He 
 was born in December 7, 1855, in the State 
 of New York, where his boyhood was 
 spent and his education secured. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Shufflin started in his pres- 
 ent manufacturing enterprise, at Brad- 
 ford, Pennsylvania, and has built up an 
 immense business, his tanks being shipped 
 all over the United States and to Nova 
 Scotia. He has had plants at various 
 points, in 1886 coming to Millerstown, But- 
 ler County, from Kane, McKean County, 
 and in 1888, he located at Butler and estab- 
 lished his oil tank manufacturing plant on 
 McClain Avenue. He has been a large 
 operator in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, 
 Ohio and Indiana. He is interested in 
 several of the prospering business enter- 
 prises of Butler and was oue of the organ- 
 izers of the Peoples' Telephone Company, 
 becoming a director and treasurer, and 
 for the last two years has also been gen- 
 eral manager. His business standing is 
 high and his personal character is indi- 
 cated by the frequency with which his fel- 
 low citizens call upon him to assume civic 
 offices. Formerly he was president of the 
 Butler Board of Trade, and is serving as 
 president of the City Hospital Association 
 since the second year of its organization. 
 
 In February, 1889, Mr. ShufHin was mar- 
 ried to Miss Maiy Green, of Wyoming 
 County, New York. They are members of 
 St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church. He 
 belongs to the order of Knights of Colum- 
 bus, the Catholic Mutual Benefit Associa- 
 tion, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks. 
 He has been a very active citizen and has 
 served two terms in the city council. 
 
 HAROLD E. DEAN, one of the leading 
 business men of Zelienople and proprietor 
 of the well known firm, H. E. Dean & Com- 
 pany, the only exclusive gentlemen's fur- 
 nishing and clothing store in the village. 
 He was born February 26, 1873, in Tauket- 
 ville. New York, and is a son of L. and 
 Amy (Foote) Dean and a grandson of 
 Richard Dean. 
 
 L. Dean, father of our subject, was bom 
 in Lewis County, New York, and was a 
 carriage maker by trade. He was for 
 many years a resident of Lewis County, 
 where he married Amy Foote, also a na- 
 tive of that county. Of their union were 
 born the following children: Leon F., a 
 resident of Oklahoma, engaged there in 
 the oil business ; Cora M., the wife of L. S. 
 Doutt of Leetsdale, Pennsylvania; Elvie 
 F., a milliner, resides at home; Emily, 
 also lives at home, and Ralph. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dean are both living, the former at 
 the age of sixty-nine years, while his wife 
 is in her fifty-ninth year. 
 
 Harold E. Dean received his education 
 in the common schools and after complet- 
 ing same at Petrolia learned tailoring, at 
 which he worked for a number of years. 
 In July, 1897, he came to Zelienople and 
 entered the merchant tailoring business, 
 continuing with much success at that until 
 1901, when he established his present busi- 
 ness, under the firm name of the H. E. 
 Dean & Co. The firm enjoys an extensive 
 patronage and carries the best line of its 
 kind in this part of the county. 
 
 Mr. Dean started in business entirely 
 upon his own resources and his success 
 has been due to his own efforts combined 
 with honest and conservative business 
 methods. In politics, our subject is a Re- 
 publican and is fraternally a member of 
 the I. 0. 0. F. No. 648, Harmony of Har- 
 mony; the F. & A. M. No. 429 at Zelien- 
 ople; the Pittsburg Consistory^ — thirty- 
 second degree Mason. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Dean was married to Jen- 
 nie E. Pike of Passaic, New Jersey, and 
 
840 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 she died April 6, 1907, leaving six children, 
 namely : Eleanor M., Amy M., Harold E., 
 Jr., Miles E., Samuel R. E. and Cora P. 
 
 HON. JAMES M. GALBREATH, who 
 
 was elected judge of the Court of Common 
 Pleas in January, 1902, and whose- com- 
 mission began the first Monday of Janu- 
 ary, 1903, is of one of the earliest pioneer 
 families of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 its history in this coimtry dating back to 
 the coming of his great-grandfather, 
 Robert Galbreath. He was born in Win- 
 field Township, September 27, 1852, is a 
 son of Robert Galbreath, and grandson of 
 William Galbreath. 
 
 Judge Galbreath was reared on the farm 
 and obtained a primary education in the 
 public schools of his home district. He 
 subsequently attended State Lick Acad- 
 emy, in Armstrong County, and Wither- 
 spoon Institute at Butler. He was gradu- 
 ated from Princeton College, at Princeton, 
 New Jersey, in 1880, and immediately 
 thereafter began the study of law under 
 the direction of W. D. Brandon of Butler. 
 After his admission to the bar in 1882, 
 he practiced alone in Butler until 1884, 
 then formed a partnership with J. B. Mc- 
 Junkin, a combination of legal talent 
 which continued with uninterrupted suc- 
 cess until his ascendency to the bench. 
 
 In 1882, Judge Galbreath was united in 
 marriage with Sallie E. Mitchell, a daugh- 
 ter of John Mitchell of Butler, and they 
 have three children, Edith, Irene and 
 John. In politics, our subject is a Repub- 
 lican, and served six years as school direc- 
 tor, ever evincing a deep interest in the 
 cause of education. He is a member of 
 the United Presbyterian church of Butler, 
 of which he has served as trustee many 
 years. 
 
 JOHN CROWE resides on a fine farm 
 of 160 acres, his residence being in For- 
 ward Township, although a part of the 
 
 land lies across the line in Penn Township. 
 He was born on the home place January 
 8, 1875, and is a son of David and Ellen 
 Jane (iVuderiion) Crowe, and a grandson 
 of John Crowe. 
 
 John Crowe, the grandfather, came to 
 this country from Ireland at an early date 
 and located at Pittsburg. He there be- 
 came owner of a forty-acre tract, which 
 is now located in central Pittsburg, and 
 this he traded for three teams of horses. 
 With these teams he later hauled cannon 
 from Fort Pitt to Erie, and while en route 
 passed the farm now owned by the subject 
 of this sketch. Their attention was at- 
 tracted to what was a fine barn in those 
 days, and which still stands on the place. 
 Later Mr. Crowe retui'ned and purchased 
 the place, which he mostly cleared, and 
 spent the remainder of his days upon it. 
 He and his wife were parents of the fol- 
 lowing children : Mary Douthett, Samuel, 
 William, John and David. 
 
 David Crowe was born on the home 
 place in Forward Township, as were his 
 brothers and sister. He spent all his life 
 there and engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He was first married to Sarah Dodds, by 
 whom he had three children, namely: 
 Lena, wife of John Renfrew; Elizabeth, 
 wife of James Douthett, and Letitia, wife 
 of Allison Douthett. His second marriage 
 was with Miss Ellen Jane Anderson, and 
 they became parents of the following: 
 James; Luella, wife of George McCaw; 
 Rebecca, deceased wife of S. G. Clay; 
 Nevin; Samuel R. ; Etta, wife of J. J. Mc- 
 Candless; John, and Jennie, wife of Rob- 
 ert Riley. 
 
 John Crowe was reared and has always 
 lived on the home farm. He is engaged in 
 general farming, and has displayed un- 
 usual business ability. His farm is well 
 improved, and is all under a high state of 
 cultivation. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. Crowe was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Lillian Logan, a daughter 
 
HON. JAMES M. GALBREATH 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 843 
 
 of Erastus and Elizabeth (Renfrew) Lo- 
 gan, and they have two children, Logan 
 and Floyd. Religiously, they are mem- 
 bers of the Reformed Presbyterian church. 
 
 PHILIP GROUSE, superintendent of 
 J. Gr. & W. Campbell's foundry, at Butler, 
 has had almost a life-time experience in 
 foimdry work, having commenced to learn 
 the trade in his boyhood. He was born in 
 1849, at Butler, a son of Philip Croiise, 
 whose name he bears. 
 
 The father of Mr. Crouse was born in 
 the city of Pittsburg and became a resi- 
 dent of Butler County about 1840. Dur- 
 ing all his active life he was engaged in 
 the foundry business and at Butler was 
 a member of the firm of Campbell & 
 Crouse. He was somewhat active in poli- 
 tics and was identified with the Democratic 
 party. His death took place at Butler. 
 
 Philip Crouse was reared in his native 
 city and attended school through early 
 boyhood. After learning the foimdry 
 trade he spent a few years east of the Alle- 
 gheny Mountains, working in several 
 states and then returned to Butler, where, 
 for the past thirty years he has had charge 
 of the Campbells' foundry. During all 
 this period Mr. Crouse has carefully 
 watched the developments in his line of 
 work and has kept the foundrj^ over which 
 he is superintendent up to its highest 
 working standard, introducing machinery 
 as he has proved its efficiency and has con- 
 tinually increased the output without add- 
 ing undue expense. His experience and 
 his fidelity are appreciated by his em- 
 ployers. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Crouse was married (first) 
 to Miss Elizabeth Dougan, who died in 
 1876, there being one surviving son of that 
 marriage, Philip Harrison Crouse, resid- 
 ing at Butler. In 1878 Mr. Crouse was 
 married (second) to Miss Anna Garber, 
 who died in 1892, leaving three children — 
 Katie, William and Ellen — the latter of 
 whom is the wife of Frank Eastlev, of But- 
 
 ler. In 1894 Mr. Crouse was married to 
 Miss Clara Stehle, and they have one son, 
 Louis. Mr. Crouse is a member of St. 
 Paul's Catholic Church and he belongs to 
 the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association. 
 He is also a member of the order of Elks. 
 
 PATRICK LOGUE, who has been a 
 resident of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 f5r the past thirty-one years, is located in 
 Clearfield Township, where he and his son, 
 Michael, are owners of about 300 acres of 
 valuable land, in two separate farms. He 
 has a fine brick home about one mile south 
 of the Catholic church, and is one of the 
 substantial men of the community. 
 
 Mr. Logue was born in Ireland in 1827, 
 and in boyhood came to the United States, 
 locating at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He 
 began life's struggle without means and 
 without help from anyone, and the success 
 he has achieved is due to his own hard 
 work and good business management. He 
 hauled lumber for some years in Pittsburg, 
 and subsequently engaged in the lumber 
 business for himself. He was there mar- 
 ried and reared his children, and it was 
 not until 1877 ho moved to Butler County. 
 His original purchase here was a tract of 
 150 acres, . and to this he subsequently 
 added sixty seven acres. His son, Mi- 
 chael, is the owner of a farm of sixty-five 
 acres, also in Clearfield Township. 
 
 Mr. Logue was married in Pittsburg to 
 Miss Mary McGrady and they became par- 
 ents of eight children, six of whom are liv- 
 ing, as follows: Jennie, widow of James 
 McCrea ; Dennis, a railroad conductor, who 
 lives in Canada; Michael, who married 
 Sarah Slater; Agnes, who married Harry 
 Hinchberger of Butler and has four chil- 
 dren — Clarence, Agnes, Ralph and Ed- 
 ward; James, who is single and living at 
 the home place, and Margaret, wife of Le- 
 land Rundell, by whom she has a daugh- 
 ter, Mildred. Religiously they are promi- 
 nent members of the Catholic church, to 
 the support of which they contribute lib- 
 erally. 
 
844 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 JOHN G. KOCH, of the firm of C. Koch 
 & Sons, proprietors of the leading fancy 
 and staple grocery house at Butler, was 
 born at Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1861, and 
 is a son of Charles and Cresentia (Steger) 
 Koch. 
 
 The late Charles Koch was born in Ger- 
 many, emigrated to America and settled 
 at Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1854, and died 
 in this city in 1872. He was engaged for 
 years in a hardware business and was a 
 prominent factor in the city's life. He 
 married Miss Cresentia Steger, a native 
 of Germany, who died in 1907. They had 
 a family of four sons and one daughter, 
 namely : Frank W. and John G., of the gro- 
 cery firm of C. Koch & Sons; Caroline, 
 Charles T. and Stephen A. Mr. Koch sold 
 out the hardware store and embarked, in 
 1872, in a grocery business, which he con- 
 ducted but a few months when he died and 
 Mrs. Koch, after his death, continued the 
 business alone until 1887, when her two 
 sons became members of the firm and the 
 present style was adopted. Mrs. Koch 
 continued her interest in the enterprise 
 until her death, after which F. W. and 
 John G. Koch became joint and sole own- 
 ers, retaining the old name that had almost 
 become a trademark. This is one of the 
 oldest grocery businesses at Butler and, in 
 a way, is a memorial of the mother of the 
 present owners, her thrift, prudence and 
 excellent management having placed it on 
 a firm foimdation. In 1905 the firm erected 
 the fine three-story brick building at No. 
 126 North Main Street, Butler, which is 
 one of the substantial structures in the 
 business district. It has a frontage of 
 twenty-four feet and a depth of 128 feet. 
 A heavy trade is carried on, the house car- 
 rying a complete stock of the very best 
 goods in its line. 
 
 In 1895 John G. Koch was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth Kohler, of Johnstown, 
 Pennsylvania. The whole family belongs 
 to St. Peter's Catholic Church. Mr. Koch 
 is identified with the Knights of Columbus. 
 
 DAVID M. DICKEY, a well-known gen- 
 eral farmer of Slippery Rock Township, 
 was born September 30, 1847, on his pres- 
 ent farm of seventy acres, and is a son of 
 John and Eliza (Cross) Dickey. 
 
 John Dickey was a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania and spent his boyhood days on a 
 fai-m near Kittanning in Armstrong Coun- 
 ty. He was twice united in marriage, his 
 first wife having been Nancy Templeton of 
 Armstrong County. The second union was 
 formed with Eliza Cross, the mother of 
 our subject. 
 
 David M. Dickey grew to man's estate 
 on his present farm, which is part of the 
 old Dickey homestead, and here has always 
 followed general farming. He has made 
 all of the improvements on the place, in- 
 cluding all the barns and other necessary 
 out-buildings. He was joined in marriage 
 with Mary E. Hunter, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Hunter of Eau Claire, Pennsylvania, 
 and of their union have been born the four 
 following children: Elsie, Parker, Iva, 
 and Elizabeth. 
 
 MICHAEL QUIRK, who resides on his 
 excellent farm of fifty acres, which is sit- 
 uated near Brinker Station, in Summit 
 Township, on the Bottom road, about three 
 miles southeast of Butler, has resided here 
 since 1888. He was born September 25, 
 1852, in Ireland, and is a son of Thomas 
 and Catherine (Quinlan) Quirk. 
 
 Michael Quirk was reared on the home 
 farm in Ireland, on whicli both his parents 
 died. In 1870 he shipped for America and 
 reached Butler County, Pennsylvania, on 
 August 10, 1870, shortly before his eight- 
 eenth birthday. He came with little capi- 
 tal except good health and habits of indus- 
 try and he found these just the possessions 
 he needed when he went to work as a farm 
 hand, first in New Jersey, and later as a 
 railroad hand on the construction of the 
 Western Pennsylvania Railroad. In the 
 building of this line he assisted for several 
 years and after that job was finished, he 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 847 
 
 found employment in a rolling-mill at Ben- 
 nett Station, in Allegheny County. Mr. 
 Quirk continued to work in the mill for the 
 next ten years, earning good wages, but 
 later found a better situation as a member 
 of the repair gang on the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad. In the meanwhile he had in- 
 vested his earnings in land, buying his 
 present farm, which he completely cleared 
 and erected all the substantial buildings. 
 Mr. Quirk is a man of very practical ideas 
 and has shown good judgment in purchas- 
 ing land near a city, for each year it will 
 grow in value. He has earned all he pos- 
 sesses and has reason to feel some pride in 
 the fact. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Quirk was married to Cath- 
 erine Grieb, who was born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter 
 of John Grieb. Mr. and Mrs. Quirk have 
 four children, namely: Mary, who is the 
 wife of George Schaffner, Jr. ; Alice, who 
 is a nurse in Mercy Hospital, at Pittsburg; 
 Annie, who belongs to the Catholic Order 
 of St. Frances Sisters, in Allegheny Coun- 
 ty; and Thomas, who lives at home. Mr. 
 Quirk and his family are all members of 
 the Roman Catholic Church at Herman. 
 
 CHARLES DIVENER, general farmer 
 and representative citizen, who lives oi 
 his valuable property in Donegal Town- 
 ship, where he has 101 acres of land and 
 two producing oil wells, was born in a 
 land that has contributed many very 
 worthy citizens to the United States. His 
 birth took place September 21, 1839, in 
 Prussia-Germany. 
 
 The father of Mr. Divener, George H. 
 Divener, was born in Priassia-Germany, 
 September 3, 1801, and died June 7, ]868. 
 The mother was born in the same land, 
 June 23, 1809, and died August 9, 1880. 
 They came to America and settled in But- 
 ler Coimty, in 1847, and the father worked 
 for two years at ore mining, at Brady's 
 Bend, Armstrong County, and then moved 
 his family to that place, where he followed 
 
 mining until 1857. He then bought a farm 
 from Ernest Muter, in Donegal Township, 
 Butler County, where his son now resides 
 and engaged in its cultivation and also 
 worked at his trade of weaver. He fol- 
 lowed weaving all through the winter sea- 
 sons and when he died left a web of cloth 
 on the loom. There was some difficulty 
 experienced in iinding a weaver, in this 
 vicinity, who was able to run the web from 
 the looms, the weaving industry not being 
 a general one in this neighborhood. He 
 mari'ied Dorothy Mary Kaufhold, on Octo- 
 ber 25, 1830, and they had the following 
 children: George H., John F., Charles, 
 William E. and Caroline E., one of whom 
 survives. 
 
 Charles Divener attended the public 
 schools in Armstrong Coimty, as oppor- 
 tunity offered, uutil he was about sixteen 
 years old, and after that helped his father 
 both in the mines and at the farming and 
 later became interested in the oil industry. 
 In 1880 he bought his present farm from 
 the other heirs, and gives his attention to 
 its cultivation together with oil production. 
 
 On February 22, 1870, Mr. Divener was 
 married to Miss Mary Elizabeth Freder- 
 ick, who is a daughter of Leonard and 
 Elizabeth Frederick. They came to Amer- 
 ica in 1849, from Germany, settling in 
 Butler County, where both died. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Frederick had the following children : 
 Peter, Elizabeth, John, George, Catherine, 
 Philip, Mary E., Adam, Maggie, Christiana 
 and Henry, the three survivors being Mrs. 
 Divener, her sister Catherine, and George. 
 Mr. Divener is a leading member of the 
 German Lutheran Church and is one of its 
 trustees. The only public office he has 
 ever consented to hold was that of over- 
 seer of the poor, which office he held for 
 four years. 
 
 JENNINGS C. McCANDLESS, a lead- 
 ing citizen of Connoquenessing Township, 
 and a very successful oil producer, was 
 born in Center Township, Butler County, 
 
848 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Pennsylvania, April 18, 1848, and is a son 
 of John F. and Nancy (Hayes) McCand- 
 less. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, William Mc- 
 Caudless, came to the United States from 
 County Down, Ireland, and took up 800 
 acres of land in what is now Center Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty. John F. McCandless 
 was born on a farm adjoining that now 
 owned by his son, William H., and moved 
 to the latter farm at the time of his mar- 
 riage, in 1832. John F. McCandless and 
 wife began their married life in a rude log 
 structure that had neither windows nor 
 door hung, but he soon put up a two-story 
 log structure, which had the unusual addi- 
 tion of a front porch and this house was 
 considered a model of comfort and conve- 
 nience by all his neighbors. Here a gener- 
 ous, pioneer hospitality was dispensed, the 
 McCandless family being noted for its 
 hearty good cheer. In 1832 John F. Mc- 
 Candless liad married Nancy Hayes, a 
 daughter of William Hayes, who was a na- 
 tive of Scotland. They had the following 
 children. Mrs. Mary J. Findley, residing 
 in Kansas ; Mrs. Nancy A. Miller, residing 
 at Euclid, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Emeline 
 Glenn, residing in Allegheny County ; Will- 
 iam Harrison, residing in Center Town- 
 ship ; John Milton, who died in 1865 ; Jen- 
 nings C. ; Porter and Minerva, both of 
 whom died in infancy; and Mrs. Sarah 
 Belle Wilson, residing in Allegheny Town- 
 ship, Butler County. The father of the 
 above family died in 1869, aged sixty-seven 
 years, his wife having passed away many 
 years before, aged forty-three years. 
 They were worthy members of the Muddy 
 Creek Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Jennings C. McCandless was reared in 
 Center Township and with his brothers 
 and sisters, attended the country schools. 
 His mother died when he was five years old 
 and when his older sisters married and left 
 home, he also, about 1865, started out for 
 himself. He spent three years in Michi- 
 gan and Wisconsin, but when the discov- 
 
 ery of oil made the Parker field known all 
 over the country, he returned to Butler 
 County and went to work at Parker's 
 Landing. He helped to develop that field 
 and for fifteen consecutive years was en- 
 gaged in oil production at Bruin. In 1890 
 he came to Petersville, in Connoquenessing 
 TownshiiD. In partnership with his 
 brother-in-law, William Walker, he did a 
 large amount of business, under the firm 
 name of Walker & McCandless, and for a 
 short time this firm had the distinction of 
 owning the biggest well in Pennsylvania, 
 one that flowed thirty-five barrels of oil an 
 hour. This firm has worked in these re- 
 gions ever since and has developed about 
 100 wells. 
 
 Mr. McCandless married Miss Angeline 
 Walker, who is a daughter of Abraham 
 Walker, of Slippery Rock Township, and 
 they have had four children, namely: 
 Blanche, who is the wife of Charles K. 
 Rea, of Connoquenessing Township; 
 Frank, who resides at Chanute, Kansas; 
 Mabel, deceased, who was the wife of E. 
 H. Bailey, Jr.; and Leanna, who is the 
 wife of Stephen Straight, of Braddock, 
 Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless 
 have been members of the Presbyterian 
 Church since youth and while residing at 
 Bruin, Mr. McCandless was an elder. In 
 his political views he is a Republican. 
 Since coming to Connoquenessing he has 
 served frequently in public offices and has 
 been a useful member of the School Board 
 and for some years served as treasurer of 
 the borough. 
 
 L. H. CRAIG, a representative business 
 man of Butler, conducting a general hard- 
 ware store at No. 223 Center Avenue, has 
 thoroughly identified himself with the in- 
 terests of this city since coming here in 
 1900. He was born at Freeport, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1862, and is a son of the late 
 Theodore J. Craig. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Craig moved from 
 Freeport to Chicora, Butler County, when 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 849 
 
 he was small, the father being a bricklayer, 
 a trade which he followed all through his 
 active life. 
 
 L. H. Craig attended the Chicora schools 
 and his lirst work was done as a clerk in 
 a general store at Carbon Center, where 
 he remained for three years and then en- 
 tered the oil fields. For a quarter of a 
 century Mr. Craig continued to be inter- 
 ested in the oil industry, confining his 
 operations to the Pennsylvania fields. 
 While no longer as active as formerly, he 
 still is financially interested in oil. In Jan- 
 uary, 1907, he entered the mercantile ranks 
 at Butler, purchasing the hardware store 
 of Weiter & Gibson, and has done a large 
 business in this line ever since. 
 
 In 1888, Mr. Craig was married to Miss 
 Millie I. Thompson, who is a daughter of 
 Harry D. Thompson, formerly sheriff of 
 Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. Craig have 
 six children, namely : Estella F., Paul W., 
 Melviu L., Loretta A., Harry D., and Ed- 
 win C. Mr. Craig and family belong to 
 Grace Lutheran Church. He- is identified 
 with several fraternal organizations, in- 
 cluding the Odd Fellows and the Knights 
 of Pythias. 
 
 WILLIAM J. BRENNAN, one of Chi- 
 cora 's respected and esteemed retired citi- 
 zens, who was identified with the boiler 
 manufacturing business here for twenty 
 years, was born December 11, 1843, and is 
 a son of William and Catherine (McDon- 
 ald) Brennan. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Brennan never came 
 to America. They have long since passed 
 away, as have all of their children, with 
 the exception of William J., Michael and 
 Anna. The others were Martin, Patrick, 
 William, John, Thomas, Mary, Eliza and 
 Catherine. 
 
 William J. Brennan was the fifth mem- 
 ber of his parents' family. He remained 
 in his native land until 1869, and after 
 coming to America settled at Sharon, 
 Pennsylvania . He had learned the trade 
 
 of boilemiaker in the city of Dublin and 
 had worked at it for seven years. At 
 Sharon he found employment in the same 
 line, later went to Leetonia, Ohio, and from 
 there to New York, where he was employed 
 by the Continental Boiler Works. From 
 New York he went to Chicago, from there 
 to Sharon again, later to Oil City and from 
 there to Parker's Landing, and in 1873 he 
 came to Chicora and started to work for 
 P. C. Kelley. Still later, Mr. Brennan 
 bought out Mr. Kelley and for twenty 
 years conducted the works himself, only 
 retiring from active business life in 1904. 
 Mr. Brennan has been quite a traveler in 
 his day and has seen much more of the 
 world than many of his fellow citizens and 
 in visiting the industries in his line of 
 work, in different cities, he gained a thor- 
 ough knowledge of all methods and this 
 contributed to his success when he went 
 into business for himself. 
 
 In Washington County, New York, in 
 July, 1875, Mr. Brennan was married to 
 Miss Mary Fitzpatrick, who is a daughter 
 of Bernard and Catherine (Dugan) Fitz- 
 patrick. Mrs. Brennan was born in 
 Queen's County, Ireland, June 29, 1847. 
 They have had three children, namely: 
 Catherine, who was born October 6, 1876, 
 married Charles Sutton of Chicora and 
 they have three children, C. Wayne, Mau- 
 rine and Irene ; William, who was born 
 September 11, 1878, is in the oil business 
 and resides with his parents, and John 
 F., who died in 1884. Mr. Brennan and 
 family are devoted members of the Roman 
 Catholic Church at Chicora. Mr. Brennan 
 has two brothers in America that he can 
 not locate. 
 
 JOSEPH S. DAUGHERTY, the well 
 known proprietor and manager of the 
 Etna Flour Mills of Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship, is a native of this township, and was 
 born on his father's present farm in 1877. 
 He is a son of Loyal and Mary (Shepard) 
 Daugherty and a grandson of Zery Shep- 
 
850 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ard, who during his lifetime owned and 
 operated the Etna Flour Mills. 
 
 Joseph Daugherty was reared in his na- 
 tive township and is a graduate of the 
 Slippery Rock State Normal, graduating 
 with the class of 1899, after which he 
 taught for two years in Middlesex Town- 
 ship, Butler County. For the past five 
 years he has been manager of the Etna 
 Mills, the output of which is sold to local 
 trade as well as wholesaled to the mer- 
 chants of this community. The mill is 
 fitted with Griscomb and McFeely machin- 
 ery, made in Philadelphia, and the chief 
 brand of flour manufactured is called the 
 Fan(!y Roller flour, the excellent quality 
 of which insures it a large sale on the 
 market. Mr. Daugherty is thoroughly in- 
 formed concerning the business in every 
 department and requires two assistants in 
 operating the mill. 
 
 Mr. Daugherty is unmarried and lives 
 with his parents in a large brick house on 
 the latter 's farm of fifty acres adjoining 
 the mill property. In connection with the 
 milling business Mr. Daugherty and his 
 father and brother, W. Gr., carry on gen- 
 eral contracting in the oil fields, his father 
 being one of the best known oil contractors 
 in this section of the state, as well as 
 throughout Allen, Hancock and Wood 
 Counties of Ohio. 
 
 Three children were born to Loyal and 
 Mary Daugherty, namely: Joseph, our 
 subject; William G., a driller in the oil 
 fields ; and Lottie, who is the wife of Nor- 
 man Straub of Pittsburg. 
 
 Joseph Daugherty is a successful and 
 energetic business man and well deserves 
 the reward which his efforts have secured 
 for him. In fraternal circles he is asso- 
 ciated with the Masonic Order. 
 
 JAMES H. McELROY, Sr., residing on 
 his finely cultivated farm of forty-five 
 acres, in Allegheny Township, which he 
 devotes to general agriculture and fruit 
 growing, has been a i-esident of this town- 
 
 ship for the past thirty-two years. He 
 was born February 28, 1838, in Lawrence 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Jo- 
 seph and Elizabeth (Taggart) McElroy. 
 
 The McElroy family originated in Ire- 
 land, where Hugh McElroy, the grand- 
 father, was born. In early manhood he 
 came to Butler County, Pennsylvania, and 
 here reared an honorable family. Joseph 
 McElroy was born in Butler County but 
 lived in Lawrence County for some years ; 
 later he returned to Butler County, where 
 he died in 1893. 
 
 James H. McElroy lost his mother when 
 he was but six years old. His father mar- 
 ried again and when he was nine years old 
 the family came to Butler County and set- 
 tled in Brady Township. He had but 
 meager educational opportunities and 
 from youth had his own way to 
 make in the world. He has always 
 been interested in farming and espe- 
 cially in fruit growing, but before he 
 acquired land of his own, engaged for a 
 number of years in teaming, in Brady 
 Township. In the fall of 1876 he came to 
 his present property and this he has im- 
 proved and developed into a very valuable 
 farm. He still is active in its management 
 and is justly proud of his productive or- 
 chards, having set out many of the trees. 
 
 On November 10, 1859, Mr. McElroy was 
 married to Miss Martha J. Thompson, who 
 was born in Cherry Township, Butler 
 County, February 21, 1841. She belongs 
 to an old and prominent family of this 
 section, being a daughter of Joseph A. and 
 Polly (Patton) Thompson. Her father 
 was born in Scotland and when three 
 weeks old was brought by his parents to 
 America, who came directly to Butler 
 County and settled in Cherry Township. 
 Mrs. McElroy 's grandparents were Joseph 
 and Annie (Smith) Thompson. Mr. and 
 Mrs. McElroy have had eight children, 
 namely : Joseph M., who lives in Venango 
 County; Mary E., who is the wife of James 
 Curmans of Parker's Landing; Annie K., 
 
LOUIS F. TKAUTAIA; 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 853 
 
 who is the wife of James McQuiston, of 
 Clintonville, Pennsylvania; Margaret D., 
 who is the widow of N. Grant, late of Alle- 
 gheny Township; John W., who lives in 
 Indiana; Daisy B., who is the wife of 
 Homer Simon, of Venango County; James 
 H., who lives in Venango Coimty; and 
 Blanche P., who is the wife of Samuel Cob- 
 bitt, of Clintonville, Pennsylvania. Mr. 
 and Mrs. McElroy are members of the 
 Presbyterian Church and they are people 
 whose lives coincide with their professions. 
 Formerly Mr. McElroy was an active 
 member of the order of Odd Fellows. In 
 his political identification he is a Repub- 
 lican. He has given many years of atten- 
 tion to educational interests, serving as 
 school director, and as one of the town- 
 ship's most reliable men, has frequently 
 been elected a member of the township 
 Board of Elections. 
 
 J. H. LEEDOM, secretary of the Lee- 
 dom & Worrall tirm, wholesale groceries, 
 at Butler, one of the city's large business 
 enterprises, was born at Butler, in 1877, 
 and is a son of the late T. J. Leedom. 
 
 T. J. Leedom was born in Bucks County, 
 Pennsylvania, and came to Butler County 
 about 1870 and established himself in 
 business and was identified with it until 
 the time of his death, in 1904. 
 
 After J. H. Leedom completed his school 
 attendance, he entered the employ of the 
 Standard Oil Company and during the 
 several years in which he continued with 
 that corijoration, he was located at various 
 points in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and 
 Ohio. In 1900, with his brother, P. W. 
 Leedom, and George Worrall, he engaged 
 in a wholesale grocery business at Mar- 
 ietta, Ohio, which they transferred to But- 
 ler, in 1904. The Leedom & Worrall 
 Wholesale Grocery Company is the largest 
 enterprise of its kind in this section and 
 its trade covers all Western Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1901 Mr. Leedom was married to 
 
 Miss Luella St. Clair, of Indiana, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they have one son, Robert A. 
 Mr. Leedom is a member of the order of 
 Elks. He is essentially a business man 
 and takes comparatively a small amount 
 of interest in politics, but he by no means 
 neglects the duties pertaining to good 
 citizenship. 
 
 LOUIS P. TRAUTMAN, one of But- 
 ler's progressive citizens, who has been 
 many years identified with oil production, 
 was born on the family homestead, near 
 Buena Vista, in Pairview Township, But- 
 ler Coimty, Penna., January 23, 1872, and 
 is a son of Paul Trautman, who was one of 
 the early settlers in his section. 
 
 Mr. Trautman was reared in Fairview 
 Township, and was educated in the Buena 
 Vista schools. For some years he assisted 
 his father on the farm and then, coming to 
 Butler, learned the barber's trade, at 
 which he worked for thirteen years. Oil 
 was discovered on the homestead in 1872, 
 with large wells, and after about seventeen 
 years (1889) a crop of wells was devel- 
 oped. Mr. Trautman 's father died in 
 1903, and the subject of this sketch, with 
 his brother John, then bought the old home 
 farm in Fairview Township and has been 
 engaged in the development of oil ever 
 since, there being now twelve producing 
 wells on the farm, with a probable con- 
 tinuation of the output. 
 
 In 1902 Mr. Trautman was married to 
 Gertrude Kelly, who is a daughter of 
 W. J. Kelly of Bruin, Butler County. 
 They have one child, Athleen Ruth. Mr. 
 Trautman was reared in the faith of the 
 German Lutheran church. He is a mem- 
 ber of the fraternal order of Eagles, and 
 of the Woodmen of the World. 
 
 WILLIAM KRAUSE, general mer- 
 chant and prosperous business man of 
 Coylesville, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 has been a resident of this village for 
 
854 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 twelve 5^ears. He was born at Hannalis- 
 towu, Jefferson Township, in Butler 
 County, August 25, 1872, and is a son of 
 Robert and Maria (Campliire) Krause. 
 His father is a veteran of the Civil War, 
 and is a general merchant at Marwood; a 
 record of him and his family appears on 
 another page of this work. Richard 
 Krause, grandfather of the subject of this 
 record, came to this country from Saxony, 
 Germany. 
 
 William Krause was quite young when 
 his parents moved to Mai'wood, where* he 
 grew to maturity and received a common 
 school education. He then entered Duff's 
 Business College at Pittsburg, in which 
 institution he pursued a commercial 
 course of study and was graduated. 
 Throughout his business career he has 
 been identified with merchandising; he 
 worked in his father's store at Marwood 
 until he moved to Coylesville, and for six 
 years served as assistant postmaster of 
 that village. Upon his removal to his 
 present place he purchased the store of 
 F. P. Gormley, which had been established 
 by John McUucken and subsequently 
 owned and conducted by M. J. 'McBride, 
 prior to its ownership by Mr. Gormley. 
 Prior to the arrival of the railroad in this 
 section, Mr. Krause served six years as 
 postmaster of Coylesville. He is a man 
 of exceptional business talents and has 
 established a high-class trade in the com- 
 munity, carrying a superior grade of 
 stock. 
 
 November 6, 1895, Mr. Krause was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Edith 
 Humes, a daughter of Thomas and Eliza- 
 beth (Gilleford) Humes, whose mother 
 was a brother of the distinguished Dr. 
 Gilleford of Allegheny. They have three 
 sons, namely: Everett, who is attending 
 the Fairmont School at Cleveland, Ohio; 
 Melford, who is three years of age, and 
 Curtis Gorman, aged one month. They 
 reside in a comfortable home adjoining 
 the store. 
 
 JAMES McGARVEY, a prosperous and 
 representative citizen of Chicora, where 
 he is conducting a dairy business, also 
 oversees his valuable fai-m of ninety acres, 
 which is situated in Fairview Township, 
 Butler County. He was born October 7, 
 1838, in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of James and Martha (Fos- 
 ter) McGarvey. James McGai-vey, Sr., 
 was born in 1798 and died January 9, 
 1889. 
 
 The father of Mr. McGarvey was born 
 in Coimty Donegal, Ireland, and came to 
 America when aged twenty-one years. For 
 a few years he lived in the city of Phila- 
 delphia and then crossed the State to 
 Pittsburg, where he opened a small store. 
 In a short time, however, he left the city 
 and purchased a farm in Washington 
 Township, Armstrong County, on which 
 lie passed the rest of his life. He was the 
 father of seven children, as follows : Eliza 
 and Alexander, James, John and 0. C, all 
 deceased; Catherine and Mathilda. 
 
 James McGarvey attended the public 
 schools in Washington Township and as- 
 sisted his father on the home farm until 
 his marriage, after which he brought his 
 bride to Butler County and then settled in 
 the vicinity of Parker, where he followed 
 teaming for a few years. In 1873 he 
 moved to Millerstown, where he resided 
 for twelve years, and then bought his farm 
 in Fairview -Township. Mr. McGarvey 
 conducted that farm for some twenty-one 
 years, retiring in 1903, at that time pur- 
 chasing a fine residence property at Chi- 
 cora, and here he has continued to make 
 his home ever since. He carries on a dairy 
 industry and nominally oversees the farm, 
 which is capably operated by his son, 
 Charles McGarvey. 
 
 On November 24, 1868, Mr. McGarvey 
 was married to Miss Margaret J. Murphy, 
 who is a daughter of Benjamin and Jane 
 (Green) Murphy. The Murphy family 
 settled many years ago in Armstrong 
 County and they had numerous descend- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 855 
 
 ants, Mrs. McGarvey being one in a fam- 
 ily of ten children. The others were: 
 James, Elizabeth, Eebecca, Samuel, Isa- 
 bella, Walter, Lavina, Theodore and 
 Sarah. Samuel was a soldier in the Civil 
 War and was killed on the field of battle. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. McGarvey have been 
 born seven children, as follows : Samuel C, 
 Benjamin, Martha J., William, Mary, 
 Charles and one that died in infancy. The 
 eldest son, Samuel C, is engaged in the 
 practice of medicine at Bridgeville, Penn- 
 sylvania. He married Mary Stamm of 
 Butler County, and they have two children, 
 Orpha and Byron. Benjamin is an oil pro- 
 ducer residing in Wood County, Ohio. He 
 married Loma Moke and they have one 
 child. Vera. Martha J. married Charles B. 
 Kemmer and they live on a farm in Arm- 
 strong County. They have five children, 
 Guy, Ernest, Burnell, Gertrude and Nora. 
 William, who is farm boss for the Ohio 
 Oil Company, resides in Wood County, 
 Ohio, where he married Minnie Wagner 
 and has one child, Loretta. Mary married 
 James Foster, who carries on a dairy 
 business in Armstrong County. Charles 
 resides on his father's farm in Fairview 
 Township. He married Eva Taylor and 
 they have two children, Hazel and William 
 T. Mr. McGarvey and family belong to 
 the Lutheran Church at Chicora. Mr. Mc- 
 Garvey has been an active and useful citi- 
 zen and has served for three years as 
 councilman and for the same length of 
 time as school director and as township 
 collector. 
 
 CYRUS HARPEE, a veteran of the 
 Civil War and a prominent citizen of 
 Zelienople, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 has been a life-long resident of this county. 
 He was born March 1, 1 839, on his father's 
 farm in Jackson Township, and is a son 
 of Thomas and Margaret (Swartz) Har- 
 per, and a grandson of Thomas Harper, 
 Sr., who served in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Thomas Harper, father of Cyrus, was 
 born on Mingo Creek, Ohio, in 1798, where 
 he grew to man's estate. About 1820 he 
 came to Butler County and settled in Jack- 
 son Township, residing near Zelienople 
 for about twenty years, when he purchased 
 a tract of land in Cranberry Township, 
 where he remained until his death in 1874 
 at the age of seventy-six years. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Swartz, who was born in 
 1798 and whose father was a resident of 
 Elizabethtown, Allegheny County, Penna. 
 There were fifteen children born to the 
 parents of our subject: N. W., who died 
 in Chicago; George, deceased, was a resi- 
 dent of Dayton, Ohio; Oliver, deceased; 
 Catherine, deceased; Margaret, deceased; 
 Eliza, deceased; Sarah, deceased wife of 
 Dr. D. L. Starr of Cincinnati, Ohio ; Nancy, 
 deceased wife of Frank Gaushell of Quincy, 
 Illinois; Andrew, deceased; Henrietta, 
 wife of Silas Gillespie of New_ Castle, 
 Pennsylvania; Marion died in infancy; 
 John, deceased, resided at Huntington, 
 West Virginia; Caroline (Taylor), resided 
 in Nebraska, where her death occurred; 
 Cyrus, subject of this sketch; and Thomas, 
 who died in infancy. 
 
 Cyrus Harper was but two years old 
 when he came with his parents to Cran- 
 berry Township, where he was reared on 
 a farm. In 1862 he joined the army and 
 enlisted in Company A, Fifteenth West 
 Virginia Volunteer Infantry. He served 
 until the close of the war and participated 
 in nineteen important engagements, in- 
 cluding those of Cloyt Mountain, West 
 Virginia; New Eiver Bridge; Halltown, 
 Va. ; Harpers Ferry; Smokers' Gap, Vir- 
 ginia; Winchester; Lynchburg; Fishers 
 Hill; Cedar Creek; Petersburg; Gettys- 
 burg; Appomattox, and numerous skir- 
 mishes. Mr. Harper was discharged and 
 mustered out at Wheeling, West Virginia, 
 June 5, 1865, after which he returned to 
 Butler County and engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits in Cranberry Township until 
 
856 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 1906. Mr. Harper owns considerable 
 property in this section of the county, 
 having a fine farm of 100 acres, five resi- 
 dence properties in Zelienople, and two in 
 Ambridge, and one in Butler. 
 
 In politics Mr. Harper is a Republican 
 and was elected on that ticket treasurer 
 of Butler County, serving in that capacity 
 for, three years. He was also justice of 
 the peace in Cranberry Township for three 
 terms. In fraternal afiiliation, lie is a 
 member of Col. Joseph H. Wilson Post 
 No. 496 G. A. R. of Zelienople; also the 
 I. 0. 0. F. and the F. & A. M. 
 
 In January, 1866, our subject married 
 Elizabeth Dalzell, a daughter of Hugh 
 Dalzell of Allegheny County, and of their 
 union were born the following children: 
 Edwin F. G., an attorney, married Mar- 
 garet Roberts of New Castle and they have 
 one child — Elenora Blanche. Laura is de- 
 ceased. Blanche married J. C. Dwight 
 of Mars. Pearl is the wife of J. P. Ander- 
 son of Cherry Vale, Kansas. Howard C, 
 a physician of Jamestown, Pennsylvania, 
 is a graduate of the Jefferson Medical Col- 
 lege of Philadelj^hia; lie married Jennie 
 McMaster and has one child, Miriam. Guy 
 is deceased. Mrs. Harper died in 1879, 
 and in 1882 Mr. Harper married Luella 
 Sarver, a daughter of Jacob Sarver. The 
 following children were born of the second 
 union: Hallie, married William Cashdol- 
 lar and has two children, Clara and Roy. 
 Percy V. resides with our subject ; he mar- 
 ried Mary Ramsey, a daughter of Samuel 
 Ramsey of Butler County, and they have 
 one daughter, Ruth Viola. Roy resides at 
 home. 
 
 JAMES G. RUNKLE, proprietor of 
 "The Toggery," Butler's leading gents' 
 furnishing store, is one of the city's enter- 
 prising and successful business men. He 
 was born in 1863, in Mercer County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and passed his early life there. 
 
 Mr. Runkle completed his education at 
 Grove City College and gained his first 
 
 business experience in a store at Jackson 
 Center, where he worked through one year 
 and later was engaged in a store at Fre- 
 donia, for two years. Following this he 
 managed a store at Jackson Center for a 
 year, after which he filled the position of 
 assistant manager of a large cooperative 
 store at Tarentum. He then went with the 
 wholesale grocery house of Jas. W. Hous- 
 ton & Co., of Pittsburg, and traveled for 
 this firm for ten years, subsequently was 
 with The Robert McCoy Company for six 
 years, during four of these being manager 
 of their branch store at Butler. In 1904 
 Mr. Runkle embarked in his present busi- 
 ness, has built up a lai'ge trade and sup- 
 plies its most exacting demands in the way 
 of haberdashery. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Rimkle was married to Miss 
 Alice J. Westlake, who is a daughter of 
 Hon. George S. Westlake of Millbrook, 
 Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Runkle are 
 members of St. Paul's Reformed Church, 
 in which he has been an elder for twelve 
 years. He has taken a hearty interest for 
 a long period in the Y. M. C. A., and has 
 been one of the directors of this organiza- 
 tion at Butler for sixteen years. He is a 
 member of the Knights of Pythias. In 
 politics, Mr. Runkle is not active, but 
 nevertheless every claim of good citizen- 
 ship made on him is satisfied, and every 
 obligation fulfilled. 
 
 DR. HARRY M. WILSON, who enjoys 
 a forward position among the medical 
 practitioners of Butler County, has been 
 engaged in practice in Evans City, Penn- 
 sylvania, since January 1, 1891, and is also 
 vice-president of the Citizens National 
 Bank of that place. He was born in 
 Luthersburg, Pennsylvania, is a son of Dr. 
 George and Anna (Huber) Wilson, and 
 a grandson of Dr. Joseph Wilson. 
 
 Dr. Joseph Wilson was born in the 
 North of Ireland, and after a careful pre- 
 l^aratory training engaged in the practice 
 of medicine there. Religiously, he was of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 857 
 
 the Presbyterian faith and was compelled 
 to leave Ireland at the time of the religious 
 persecutions. He sailed for America and 
 upon his arrival located at Brookville, 
 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. He de- 
 voted his time to the practice of medicine 
 and farming, as that section of country 
 was but sparsely settled at that time. He 
 and his boys gradually cleared a large 
 farm which they cultivated and maintained 
 as a home until the children left to make 
 homes for themselves. He was the father 
 of a large family of children, of whom but 
 one, George, entered the medical profes- 
 sion. 
 
 George Wilson was born in this country 
 and spent his boyhood days on the farm 
 near Brooksville, the most of which he 
 helped to clear. He took up the study of 
 medicine imder the direction of Dr. James 
 Dowliug, and later attended lectures at 
 Jetferson Medical College in Philadelphia, 
 from which he was graduated. He em- 
 barked in practice at Luther sburg, Penn- 
 sylvania, and continued there with uninter- 
 rupted success until his death in 1893, at 
 the age of eighty years. His wife, who 
 in maiden life was Anna Huber, died at 
 the age of sixty-five. Nine children were 
 born to them, six of whom grew to matur- 
 ity, namely: Edgar, now deceased; Dr. 
 Joseph C, a graduate of the medical de- 
 partment of the University of Maryland, 
 who is located at Titusville, Pennsylvania ; 
 Dr. Charles A., a graduate of the Ken- 
 tucky School of Medicine, located at Du- 
 Bois, Peniia. ; Col. John P. of Punxsutaw- 
 ney, Penna. ; Anna, who was a school 
 teacher and died at the age of twenty-one 
 years ; and Dr. Harry M., the youngest of 
 the family. 
 
 Harry M. Wilson received a preliminary 
 educational training at the State Normal 
 School at Edinboro, Penna., after which he 
 studied medicine under the preceptorship 
 of his brother. Dr. C. A. Wilson at Du- 
 Bois, Pennsylvania. He then attended 
 lectures in the Medical Department of 
 
 the University of Maryland, and was 
 graduated with the class of 1889. His first 
 two years of professional work were 
 passed at Stanton, Pennsylvania, aftei* 
 which, on January 1, 1891, he located at 
 Evans City. His office and comfortable 
 home are located on Main Street. He is a 
 member of the Jefferson County Medical 
 Society, the Butler County Medical Soci- 
 ety, the Pennsylvania State Medical 
 Society, and the American Medical Asso- 
 ciation. He also is a member of the 
 National Association of Railway Surgeons. 
 He is medical examiner for all the old line 
 life insurance companies at Evans City. 
 
 Doctor Wilson was married June 3, 1896, 
 to Miss Blanche Starkey, a daughter of 
 George L. and Agusta C. Starkey of 
 Washington, D. C. She was but two years 
 old when her father died as the result of 
 wounds received during the Civil War. 
 Two children were born to them : Myrtle 
 Katherine, and Doas Starkey. Frater- 
 nally, the Doctor is a thirty-second degree 
 Mason; belongs to the Mystic Shrine ; the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and 
 the Knights of Pythias. Politically, he is 
 a Democrat. 
 
 GEORGE A. BRUNERMER, who has 
 
 ninety acres of his valuable farm of 103 
 acres, situated in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship, under careful cultivation, is not only 
 a successful agriculturist but also an ex- 
 perienced oil man. He was born in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, October 3, 1853, and is a son 
 of Henry and Jane (Graham) Brunermer. 
 The grandfather, Frederick Brunermer, 
 was born, reared and married in Germany, 
 and when he first emigrated he settled 
 with his wife and two children, in Canada, 
 where he continued to live until after the 
 birth of two more children, when he moved 
 to Butler County, Pennsylvania. Henry 
 Brunermer, father of George A., was born 
 in 1825, in Forward Township, Butler 
 County, and died November 23, 1896, in 
 
858 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 his sixty-ninth year. When eighteen years 
 old he went to Canada and there learned 
 the carpenter and millwright trades and 
 when twenty-one he returned to Butler 
 County and spent the remainder of his life 
 in this section. He was engaged in a con- 
 tracting business for many years in part- 
 nership with Harrison Dyke, under the 
 firm name of Dyke & Brunermer. In 1865 
 he bought a farm in Connoquenessing 
 Townshi)), of which his son George A. be- 
 came manager. In ])olitics a Bepul)lican. 
 Mr. Brunermer was elected by his party 
 to a number of local offices and filled them 
 honestly and satisfactorily. He married 
 a daughter of Alexander Graham and they 
 had nine children born to them, namely: 
 George A. ; Elizabeth, who married Hanse 
 Anderson, of New Castle; Ada, residing 
 at New Castle, the widow of Eev. Samuel 
 Krohn; Laura and Anna, both residents 
 of New Castle; Daniel Graham, who lives 
 in Connoquenessing Township ; Agnes, who 
 married Howard Oaks, of Butler Town- 
 ship; Blanche, who married Orie Hayes, 
 residing in Connoquenessing Township; 
 and Etta, who married Philip Carothers, 
 of Youngstown. The parents were worthy 
 members of the White Oak Springs United 
 Presbyterian Church, in which the father 
 was an elder for many years. 
 
 After he completed his period of school 
 attendance, George A. Brunermer became 
 a driller in the oil fields and in pursuing 
 that occupation, he visited the oil sections 
 in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, then 
 went to Allentown, New York, where he 
 drilled for ten years and for four years 
 was engaged at Little Washington". In 
 1893 he came back to Connoquenessing 
 Township and secured leases of oil land 
 and worked as driller and driver, but since 
 1899, when he purchased his present farm, 
 he has been mainly interested in farming 
 and stockraising. In addition to growing 
 corn, oats, wheat, hay and potatoes, he has 
 an annual bountiful yield of apples. He 
 
 has two producing oil wells on his own 
 land. 
 
 Mr. Brunermer married Miss Cora Jes- 
 sie Collins, a daughter of George Collins, 
 of Jamestown, Pennsylvania, and they 
 have three children: Ella J., wife of 
 Joseph Anderson, of Butler ; Hazel Euth, 
 and Henry Clare. He is a member of the 
 White Oak Springs United Presbyterian 
 Church, of which he has been an elder for 
 some years and has also served in the office 
 of Sunday-school superintendent. In poli- 
 tics he is a Eepublican. 
 
 JOHN E. McNAMAEA, a representa- 
 tive citizen and prosperous agriculturist 
 of Parker Township, residing on his very 
 valuable farm of 180 acres, is also a 
 veteran of the Civil W^ar and has served 
 as commander of Campbell Post, No. 107, 
 Grand Army of the Eepublic, at Petrolia. 
 He was born in County Cork, Ireland, May 
 24, 1844, and is a son of Matthew and 
 Mary (Eyan) McNamara. 
 
 The parents of Mr. McNamara were 
 natives of Ireland. When he was five 
 years old, death deprived him of his 
 mother, and shortly afterward his father 
 emigrated to America, settling first at 
 Brady's Bend, in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, but later coming to the 
 present farm in Parker Township, Butler 
 County. Here John E. McNamara grew 
 to manhood and after he completed his 
 school attendance, he engaged in teaching 
 school for a short time, after which he 
 became a soldier in the Federal ^"my. He 
 enlisted, in September, 1864, in Com- 
 pany I, Eighty-eighth Eegiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, which became a 
 part of the Army of the Potomac, in Gen- 
 eral Hancock's Corps, under General 
 Grant. Mr. McNamara saw much hard 
 service, taking part in the battle at 
 Hatcher's Eun, the long series of engage- 
 ments in front of Petersburg, the battle 
 of Weldon Eailroad, and the vigorous 
 

 
 
 
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AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 861 
 
 campaign which was closed by the sur- 
 render of General Lee, at Appomattox, 
 He was honorably discharged in June, 
 1865, when he returned to Parker Town- 
 ship and resumed the quiet occupations 
 which had interested him previously. 
 
 Mr. McNamara married Miss Edith 
 Forquer, who was born in Washington 
 Township, Butler County, and is a daugh- 
 ter of the late William Forquer of that 
 section. Mr. and Mrs. McNamara have 
 the following children: Mary, wife of 
 F. C. Campbell, who has one son, John M. ; 
 Elizabeth, who married Samuel Harmon, 
 of Armstrong County, Penna., October 7, 
 1898; Margaret; John C, division super- 
 intendent for the Oil Well Supply Com- 
 pany located at Steubenville, Ohio ; Anna, 
 bookkeeper for the Clay Pool Lumber 
 Comi^any at Kittanning, Armstrong- 
 County, Penna.; Agnes and Estella, who 
 were both pupils at the State Normal 
 School at Slippery Rock and are now 
 teaching school in Allegheny County, 
 Penna. ; Matilda, who died at the age of 
 seventeen years and who was to graduate 
 the year of her death from the State Nor- 
 mal School at Slippery Rock; Irene and 
 Josephine. The family belong to the 
 Roman Catholic Church. Mr. McNamara 
 is serving in the office of school director 
 and has also been township auditor and 
 road supervisor. Nominally he is a Demo- 
 crat, but he reserves the right to vote in- 
 dependently when liis judginent so dic- 
 tates. 
 
 JOHN F. MUREIN, stock dealer, resid- 
 ing at No. 320 West Cunningham Street, 
 Butler, was born in Marion Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1849, 
 and is a son of Hugh and Jane (Grormley) 
 Murrin. 
 
 The late Hugh Murrin was one of But- 
 ler County's well known men. He was 
 born in Venango Township and was a son 
 of John Murrin, who came from Hunting- 
 ton County to Butler County and secured 
 
 land from the Grovernment in Venango 
 Township, in 1798. After an active and 
 useful life, which caused his memory to be 
 commemorated in the naming of the vil- 
 lage of Murrinsville, he- died in 186.3. 
 Hugh Murrin was born in 1817 and died 
 in September, 1885. He was a large 
 farmer and for many years conducted a 
 hotel. He married Jane Gormley, who 
 was born in Ireland. 
 
 John F. Murrin was reared on his 
 father's farm and obtained his education 
 in the public schools of Marion Township. 
 His main interests have been connected 
 with the livestock business for many years 
 and he has dealt very extensively, buying 
 and shipping fat stock to eastern markets. 
 In 1904 he removed from the farm and 
 established his home at Butler but still 
 continues in the same line of business, in 
 which his years of experience have made 
 him an expert. He owns a number of 
 houses and lots in this city and is more 
 or less interested in city realty. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Murrin was married to Miss 
 Saretta Seaton, who was born and reared 
 in Marion Township. Mr. and Mrs. Mur- 
 rin are members of St. Paul's Roman 
 Catholic Church at Butler. 
 
 GEORGE W. HINES, a well known and 
 highly respected farmer of Slippery Rock 
 Township and owner of about 228 acres 
 of farm land, has been a life-long resident 
 of Slippery Rock Township. He was born 
 on his present farm May 13, 1855, and is 
 a son of William and Margaret (Robison) 
 Hines and a grandson of Richard Hines, 
 one of the early settlers of Butler County. 
 
 Richard Hines, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Ireland and came to this 
 country about the time the Revolutionary 
 War began. He gave his services to the 
 country and in return received a tract of 
 500 acres in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 the greater part of it lying in Brady Town- 
 ship. After the close of the war he en- 
 gaged in farming on this land until the 
 
862 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 time of his death. He married Elizabeth 
 Brandon. On this farm, William Hines, 
 father of our subject, was born and reared 
 to manhood and later engaged for many- 
 years in agricultural pursuits. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Eobison, a daughter of 
 James Eobison and a native of Slippery 
 Rock Township. To them were born the 
 following children: William Perry, a 
 resident of West Liberty, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania; Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Mar- 
 tin) ; James M. ; Susanna (Mrs. Mc- 
 Camant), deceased; Margaret J. (Mrs. 
 Hay); George W., our subject; Robert C; 
 Rebecca E. (Mrs. McDeavitt) ; Sarah M. 
 (Mrs. Castor) ; and John A., deceased. 
 William Hines died on the homestead 
 farm March 30, 1878, and his widow sur- 
 vived him imtil November 9, 1895. 
 
 George W. Hines was reared on his 
 present farm and has always made farm- 
 ing his occupation. In connection with 
 his farming interests, however, he has for 
 a number of years been engaged in the 
 saw-mill business, having for some time 
 been associated with Al Hay and John 
 Ralston. He is still engaged in the same 
 business, his present partners being John 
 H. McDeavitt, Joseph Boyd and William 
 McDeavitt. Mr. Hines resides on 100 
 acres of the old homestead farm, lying 
 partly in West Liberty Borough, and re- 
 cently purchased a tract of 128 acres, 
 known as the William B. Cooper farm, in 
 Slippery Rock Township about one mile 
 west of the borough of Slippery Rock. 
 
 Mr. Hines was first united in marriage 
 with Sarah E. Cooper, and to them were 
 born six children, but three of whom are 
 living, namely: Clyde F., a surveyor; 
 John H. ; and William P. Those deceased 
 are Celetta, Robert, and Alvin. After the 
 death of Mrs. Sarah Hines Mr. Hines mar- 
 ried Myrtle M. Taylor, who was born and 
 reared in Worth Township and is a daugh- 
 ter of William E. and Adeline A. Taylor. 
 Her father was a surveyor and died in 
 1894. He is still survived by his widow. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hines have been born 
 three children, as follows: George S., 
 Margaret A., and Everett C. 
 
 FRANK S. and JOSEPH L. BECK, 
 farmers and oil operators of Clearfield 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 have a fine farm of 100 acres located about 
 two miles and one-half east of Herman. 
 They are sons of Adam Joseph and Bar- 
 bara (Saner) Beck, and grandsons of 
 George Frank Beck. 
 
 George Frank Beck was born in Ba- 
 varia, Germany, and upon coming to the 
 United States settled on a farm of thirty 
 acres in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County, this being the nucleus of the farm 
 now owned by his grandsons. 
 
 His son, Adam Joseph Beck, was born 
 September 12, 1841, and engaged in farm- 
 ing throughout his active career. He took 
 charge of the home farm after his father's 
 death, and by persevering and good man- 
 aging was able to add to the place. His 
 first additional purchase was that of an 
 adjoining tract of forty-one acres, and 
 shortly prior to his death he bought an- 
 other piece of land consisting of thirty-one 
 acres, making the total a little more than 
 100 acres. He was a man of the highest 
 honor and integrity, and enjoyed the con- 
 fidence and good will of his fellow citizens. 
 He served the township two terms as su- 
 pervisor. His death occurred on Decem- 
 ber 8, 1906, and he was buried in the ceme- 
 tery at Herman. He was a devout Chris- 
 tian and a faithful member of the Catholic 
 church. Mr. Beck was united in marriage 
 with Miss Barbara Saner, who was born in 
 Pittsburg and is of German parentage. 
 She lived in Pittsburg until her marriage, 
 since which time she has lived on the old 
 Beck homestead in Clearfield township. 
 
 Frank S. Beck was born on the home 
 place June 3, 1887, and Joseph Lewis Beck 
 was born on the same place, May 14, 1889. 
 They were reared here and attended the 
 local schools, and after the death of their. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 863 
 
 father assumed the mauagement of the 
 farm, becoming undoubtedly the youngest 
 farmers in the township. Reared to work 
 and of ambitious natures,, their chief de- 
 sire is to furnish their mother a home and 
 peace and comfort. Joseph L. looks after 
 the farming interests chiefly, and Frank S. 
 devotes his attention to the oil interests. 
 They are producing about three barrels of 
 oil per day and contemplate drilling in the 
 near future. They follow general farming 
 and raise some stock. They have but re- 
 cently fixed up the house which has 
 adorned the place so many years, and now 
 have a very comfortable home. Relig- 
 iously, both are members of the Catholic 
 church. 
 
 JOHN F. LOWRY, capitalist, a retired 
 citizen of Butler, who owns much property 
 here and for many years was a very active 
 business man, was born in this city on 
 October 12, 1850, and is a son of Alexander 
 Lowry, one of the pioneers of the county. 
 
 John F. Lowry completed his education 
 in Witherspoon Institute and for several 
 years after conducted a livery stable and 
 after that he succeeded his father as pro- 
 prietor of the Lowry House, one of the old 
 hostelries of the city. He conducted this 
 public house for several years and after 
 disposing of it ran a livery stable again, 
 for six years, and then became interested 
 in real estate. His time is occupied in 
 looking after his large interests in this 
 line. He owns a tract in the borough lim- 
 its which he has platted under the name 
 of Hilldale. He is a stockholder in vari- 
 ous prospering enterprises and has always 
 been considered a man of much business 
 foresight. Politically, he is a Republican 
 and he served during nine years as a mem- 
 ber of the Butler coimcil and during that 
 period the larger number of the streets 
 were paved, his influence ever being ex- 
 erted in the direction of permanent public 
 improvements. 
 
 On Julv 19, 1877, Mr. Lowry was mar- 
 
 ried to Miss Martha Belle Thompson, of 
 Pittsburg, who died December 4, 1903. 
 Three sons survive — Gardner C, Robert 
 S. and Walter Thoinpson. The eldest son, 
 Gardner C, is a graduate of Grove City 
 College, and is connected with the Butler 
 Savings & Trust Company. Robert S. is 
 a practicing physician at Ellwood City, 
 Pennsylvania. He attended Lehigh Uni- 
 versity two years, spent three years at 
 Jefferson Medical College, and was grad- 
 uated from the Medico-Chirurgical College 
 of Philadelphia. The youngest son, Wal- 
 ter Thompson, is a graduate of Grove City 
 College and is a student in the medical 
 department of the University of Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Mr. Lowry is a member of the First 
 Presbyterian Church at Butler. Frater- 
 nally he is identified with the Masons and 
 Odd Fellows. 
 
 PETER McCOLLOUGH, one of But- 
 ler County's prominent and substantial 
 citizens, who is engaged in oil production 
 and insurance, at Chicora, retains posses- 
 sion of his valuable farm of 116 acres, in 
 Fairview Township, on which he re- 
 sided until 1896. He was born in Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 10, 1835, and is a son of William and 
 Elizabeth (Rumbaugh) McCoUough. 
 
 The McCoUough family was established 
 in Butler County at a very early day by 
 Captain John McCoUough, a native of 
 Virginia, who gained his title through 
 service in the War of 1812. He was fhe 
 grandfather of Peter McCoUough and the 
 father of William McCoUough. The lat- 
 ter was born and spent his "entire life in 
 Fairview Township, Butler County. He 
 married Elizabeth Rumbaugh, who was 
 born in Armstrong County, and they had 
 ten children, namely: Polly, Phebe, Sarah, 
 Elizabeth, John, David, Henry, Peter, Wil- 
 liam and Samuel, the survivors being 
 David, Peter and Samuel. The parents of 
 this family were most worthy people and 
 
864 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 through their long and useful lives were 
 beloved and respected. 
 
 Peter McCollough went to school with 
 his brothers and sisters, in Fairview 
 Township, and until he was twenty years 
 old assisted his father on the home farm 
 and, after his marriage, in 1856, took pos- 
 session of it. He continued to operate the 
 farm, growing grain and raising stock, and 
 also developed oil on his land, there being 
 three producing wells on the property at 
 the present time. In 1898 he purchased 
 property at Chicora and moved to the 
 town in the same year. He is one of the 
 most active business men of the place and 
 aside from his own affairs, lends his in- 
 fluence to all public-spirited measures 
 which promise to benefit the whole com- 
 munity. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. McCollough was married 
 (first) to Miss Anna Daubenspeck, a 
 daughter of Jacob and Catherine Dauben- 
 speck, of Washington Township. Mrs. Mc- 
 Cul lough died March 11, 1897, having been 
 the mother of eight children, namely: 
 Catherine, who was born August 8, 1857, 
 and died February 23, 1861; Emma, who 
 was born October 30, 1858, mai-ried Ross 
 McDermott, and they reside at Butler; 
 Henry C, who was born November 7, 1860, 
 married Mary Miller and they live at But- 
 ler and have one child; Newton C, who 
 was born December 28, 1863, married Mil- 
 lie Sherman and they live at Butler and 
 have one son; Euphemia, who was born 
 August 6, 1865, married John Steindorf 
 and they live in California and have two 
 children; Clara M., who was born Novem- 
 ber 6, 1869, married Finley Milford and 
 they live at Foxburg and have three chil- 
 dren; Jacob W., who was born October 5, 
 1872, married'Glara Craig and they live in 
 East Butler and have three children; and 
 Jessie 0., who was born June 4, 1879, mar- 
 ried George Glenn and they live in Michi- 
 gan and have two children. Mr. McCol- 
 lough was married (second) June 6, 1900, 
 to Miss Martha Emery, of Washington 
 
 Township, Butler County, where she was 
 born October 4, 1858. Their infant son, 
 born May 3, 1901, died on the same day. 
 Mr. McCollough is a leading member of 
 the English Lutheran Church at Chicora. 
 He belongs to the Order of Knights of 
 Pythias. For many years Mr. McCollough 
 has shown his interest in educational ad- 
 vancement in this part of the county by 
 serving as treasurer of the School Board 
 and as school director. He is a good citi- 
 zen but is no seeker for office and when 
 elected road supervisor, declined to serve. 
 
 ALEXANDER TAYLOR, a venerated 
 and highly respected citizen of Allegheny 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., has 
 been a resident of the township for more 
 than a quarter of a century and has been 
 engaged in farming and the production of 
 oil. He has a half interest in a tract of 
 108 acres, most of which is under cultiva- 
 tion, and takes rank among the substantial 
 and progressive men of the community. 
 He was born in Coimty Down, Ireland, 
 January 27, 1836, and is a son of James 
 and Nancy (McMurray) Taylor, both na- 
 tives of that country. 
 
 Alexander Taylor was reared to man's 
 estate in Ireland, and there received a 
 common school education. He turned his 
 attention to agricultural i^ursuits in his 
 boyhood days and continued at that occu- 
 pation in his native land until 1857. He 
 then went to Liverpool, from whence he 
 took passage in a sailing vessel for New 
 York City. He landed on June 12th, after 
 a voyage of one month, and immediately 
 thereafter made his way to Beaver 
 County, Pennsylvania. He "farmed in that 
 coimty several years, then was located for 
 a time at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 
 1866 he located at Parker's Landing, and 
 shortly after came on to Allegheny Town- 
 ship, Butler County, where he has since 
 continued with uninterrupted success. 
 
 February 6, 1862, Mr. Taylor was united 
 in marriage with Miss Eliza Gorman, who 
 
A. C. RICHARDS 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 867 
 
 was boru in County Down, Ireland, and 
 was a daughter of James H. Gorman. Of 
 ten children born of their union, five sur- 
 vive, as follows: James A. of Allegheny 
 Township; John H. of Parker's Landing; 
 Jennie D. of Baltimore, Maryland; Will- 
 iam, of Pittsburg; and Samuel M., who 
 also lives in Allegheny Township. Mrs. 
 Taylor was called to her final rest, De- 
 cember 23, 1905. She was a woman of the 
 highest Christian type, was a member of 
 the Episcopal chui'ch, and her death was 
 sadly mourned by her family and the many 
 friends in the community, with whom she 
 had been so long acquainted. Mr. Taylor 
 also is a member of the Episcopal Church. 
 He is a Republican in politics, and evinces 
 an intelligent interest in matters of im- 
 portance to the community. 
 
 A. C. RICHARDS, of the firm of 
 Goehring & Richards, wholesale dealers in 
 fruits and produce, with business quarters 
 at No. 333 East Main Street, Butler, is 
 one of the city's enterprising young busi- 
 ness men. He was born in Iowa, Septem- 
 ber 19, 1877. 
 
 Mr. Richards was small when his par- 
 ents removed from Iowa to Kansas, his 
 father taking charge of a ranch near 
 Silver Lake, and later removing to Topeka, 
 Kansas, where the child grew into a youth 
 of sixteen years. Wliile in Topeka Mr. 
 Richards' father died. He then came to 
 Butler, with his stepfather and mother, 
 where he completed his education, after 
 which he entered the employ of the Street 
 Railroad Company. In 1902 he went to 
 work for his present partner, Mr. Goehr- 
 ing, and in February, 1906, was admitted 
 a member of the firm, at which time the 
 present style was adopted. This business 
 is the only one of its kind at Butler, and, 
 covering the whole field, is constantly 
 gaining in volume and importance. The 
 firm does an entirely wholesale trade and 
 handles and ships all kinds of produce 
 and fruit. Mr. Richards has additional 
 
 interests and is a stockholder in the But- 
 ler Fair Association. 
 
 In January, 1902, Mr. Richards was 
 married to Miss Frederica W. Leidecker, 
 who is a daughter of F. W. Leidecker, a 
 prominent oil producer of Butler. They 
 have two charming little children, Freder- 
 ick Lewis and Lucille May. In politics, he 
 is identified with the Republican party. 
 
 ABRAM AVESTLEY MOYER, junior 
 member of the well Imown firm of Silter, 
 Swain & Moyer, operating one of the 
 largest general stores of Harmony, Butler 
 County, was born October 8, 1870, in Lan- 
 caster Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Samuel A. and Liz- 
 zie (Measel) Moyei'. 
 
 Samuel Moyer, a native of Butler 
 County, and now a resident of Harmony, 
 followed farming as an occupation during 
 his years of business activity. He mar- 
 ried Lizzie Measel, also a native of Butler 
 Coimt.y, who is still living at the age of 
 fifty-nine years. They are the parents of 
 two children — Martha, the wife of John 
 Erb of Harmony, and Abram W., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. The paternal grand- 
 parents of our subjects were Abram and 
 Martha Moyer, who for many years re- 
 . sided in Lancaster Township and died in 
 Butler, Pennsylvania. Michael and Sophia 
 Measel, the maternal grandparents of sub- 
 ject, were natives of Germany, who came 
 to this country and located in Lancaster 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., where 
 they both died. 
 
 Abram W. Moyer was reared in Lan- 
 caster Township, where he attended the 
 common schools, after which he attended 
 the schools of Zelienople until nineteen 
 years of age, when he accepted a situation 
 as clerk in the general store of G. D. 
 Swain of Harmony. After remaining in 
 the employ of Mr. Swain for a period of 
 four years, he carried mail to Prospect for 
 the following three years. In February, 
 1904, he became a member of the firm and 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 has now been associated with the firm for 
 a period of fifteen years, the business hav- 
 ing been established thirty-five years ago, 
 now carrying a stock worth $15,000. It is 
 one of the largest stores of its kind in 
 Harmony and during the busy season sev- 
 eral extra assistants are required to meet 
 the demands which the extensive patron- 
 age of the firm commands. 
 
 In 1897 Mr. Moyer was imited in mar- 
 riage with Pina Foster, a daughter of A. 
 H. and Hattie Foster of Mazon, Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Moyer is a Democrat in politics and 
 has served as a member of the town Coun- 
 cil. He is fraternally affiliated with the 
 Knights of Pythias, the I. 0. 0. F. and the 
 Royal Arcanum Local Lodge. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Moyer are members of the Grace Re- 
 formed Church of Harmony. 
 
 J. ANDREW EHMER, oil producer, 
 who has resided at Butler for some thir- 
 teen years, is a representative citizen of 
 the place and has long been identified with 
 many of its interests. He was born in 
 Summit Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1868 and has always made his 
 home in his native county. Andrew Eh- 
 mer, the father of J. Andrew, was born in 
 Germany and he settled in Butler County, 
 where he carried on farming until his 
 death, which took place July 12, 1886. 
 
 J. Andrew Ehmer was reared in 
 Summit Township and during boyhood 
 attended the little brick schoolhouse stand- 
 ing not far from his father's farm. His 
 first independent business was groceries 
 and general merchandising apd for thir- 
 teen years he conducted a store at Butler, 
 at 240 Second street, at the end of that 
 time selling out on account of failing 
 health, retiring in March, 1908. For some 
 years he has been interested in oil produc- 
 tion and occupies himself with looking 
 after these interests. He has always been 
 counted a good citizen, his influence ever 
 having been exerted in the direction of 
 good government, but he is no politician. 
 
 On April 14, 1896, Mr. Ehmer was mar- 
 ried to Miss Louise Fisher, a daughter of 
 George Fisher, of Jefferson Township, 
 Butler County, and they have two children, 
 Harry and Pearl. Mr. and Mrs. Ehmer 
 are members of the German Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 FRED PEFFER, one of Evans City's 
 most successful business men, has con- 
 ducted a store for the sale of pianos and 
 organs in that village for almost a quarter 
 of a century. He was born on the old home 
 farm in Lancaster Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 12, 1862, 
 and is a son of William F. and Sarah 
 (Heberling) Peffer. 
 
 William F. Peffer was born in Phila- 
 delphia, Pennsylvania, and when a young 
 man accompanied his parents to Butler 
 County. His father, Jacob F. Peffer, set- 
 tled first near Harmony, then moved to 
 Lancaster Township, where he resided at 
 his death. AVilliam F. Peft'er has always 
 engaged in farming and is now living with 
 his wife on the old home place in Lancas- 
 ter Township. They are parents of four 
 children : William Fred, whose name heads 
 this sketch; John A.; Mary A., wife of 
 David A. Wright ; and Paul H. 
 
 William Fred Peffer was reared on the 
 old home place and obtained an intellec- 
 tual training in the district schools there, 
 and in the schools of Harmony. He 
 worked on the farm until he was twenty 
 years old, then traveled through the coun- 
 try selling and repairing organs. About 
 the year 1886, he opened his store for the 
 sale of pianos and organs in Evans City 
 and has since conducted a thriving busi- 
 ness. 
 
 In October, 1887, Mr. Peffer was united 
 in marriage with Miss Clara Stoner, a 
 daughter of James Stoner, and they have 
 three children, Elizabeth, Sarah, and 
 Pauline. Fraternally, he is a member of 
 Evans City Lodge, No. 817, I. 0. 0. F., of 
 which he was secretary a number of years; 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 869 
 
 and of the Encampment, I. 0. 0. F. Re- 
 ligiously, be and his wife are members of 
 the Presbyterian church, of which he is an 
 elder. In political affiliation, he is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 JAMES LOYAL CHRISTIE, M. D., a 
 leading physician at Connequenessing, 
 where he also conducts a drug store, has 
 been a resident of this borox;gh for more 
 than thirty years and is closely identified 
 with its various interests. He was born 
 April 19, 1852, in Concord Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 William A. and Sarah Jane (McJunkin) 
 Christie. 
 
 The Christie family is of Scotch-Irish 
 descent and probably the grandfather, 
 John Christie, was born in Scotland and 
 cfime to Westmoreland County in his youth 
 and later became a pioneer in Butler 
 County. He served in the War of 1812. 
 He married Margaret McLane, who was 
 born in the north of Ireland. The grand- 
 father died in 1859 and Dr. Christie pi-izes 
 very highly a gun that his grandsire car- 
 ried in the army. 
 
 William A. Christie, father of Dr. Chris- 
 tie, was born January 13, 1823, in Concord 
 Township and died at Unionville, June 6. 
 1905. He followed farming in Concord 
 Township until 1859, when he moved to 
 Center Township and lived there during 
 the remainder of bis life. At various times 
 he held responsible positions in county and 
 township, serving five terms as justice of 
 the peace in Center Township and for 
 three years as county commissioner in 
 Butler County. He was a man of sterling 
 integrity and for over thirty years was an 
 elder in the Muddy Creek Presbyterian 
 Church. He married a daughter of James 
 McJunkin, of Clay Township, and four of 
 their six children grew to maturity : James 
 Loyal; Lina, who is the wife of Dr. A. 
 Hollman of Unionville; William M., of 
 Medford, Oklahoma; and Harry C, of 
 Kansas. City, Missouri. 
 
 Dr. Christie attended the common 
 schools in Center Township, later Wither- 
 spoon Institute, at Butler and then Grove 
 City Academy, the latter being the nucleus 
 of the present Grove City College. He 
 then entered upon the study of medicine 
 and pursued his reading under the direc- 
 tion of Dr. A. M. Neyman, of Butler, and 
 from his preceptorship went to the West- 
 ern Reserve Medical College at Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and was graduated in the spring of 
 1877, at the Miami Medical College at Cin- 
 cinnati. He found an opening for practice 
 at Connoquenessing and has never discov- 
 ered any reason for separating himself 
 from the good people of this place. Dr. 
 Christie is probably as well known in this 
 section as any resident, having profes- 
 sional relations with the majority and tak- 
 ing so active an interest in the life of the 
 place that it could not be otherwise. In 
 1888 he opened a drug store, where he 
 makes up prescriptions, thus being confi- 
 dent as to the quality of his drugs, and in 
 addition to carrying the stock usually 
 found in first-class establishments of this 
 kind, also handles paints. In his political 
 views he is a Republican, has served as 
 auditor and for twelve years was a mem- 
 ber of the School Board. He is vice presi- 
 dent of the Connoquenessing Telephone 
 Company, of which he was one of the or- 
 ganizers, the other officers being: Greer 
 McCandless, president, and J. C. Brandon, 
 secretary. 
 
 Dr. Christie was married (first) to Sa- 
 rah Richardson, a daughter of William 
 and Eliza Richardson. She died January 
 1, 1888, aged thirty-two years. She had 
 been a devoted member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church all her life. Two 
 sons survived her: Frank and Karl. The 
 former graduated from Westminster Col- 
 lege in 1906 and resides at Butler. The 
 latter was graduated in the same year 
 from Reno College and lives in Pittsburg. 
 Dr. Christie was married (second) to Miss 
 Tyne Jamison, who is a daughter of Rev. 
 
870 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 William Jamison, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Ealph and Mildred. Dr. Christie's 
 four children have been afforded excellent 
 educational advantages and all have been 
 students in the Butler High School. He 
 is a member of the White Oak United 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he has been 
 a trustee since 1881. He is identified with 
 a number of medical organizations, includ- 
 ing the county and State societies and the 
 American Medical Association. 
 
 BAENEY STEIGHNEE is a well known 
 oil operator of Herman, Summit Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and has 
 been a resident of the county since his 
 early boyhood. He was born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, in 1850, and is a son 
 of Christopher and Mary (Schree) Steigh- 
 ner. His father was a very prominent 
 farmer, the facts concerning him and other 
 members of the family being given in 
 greater detail on another page of this vol- 
 ume. He and his wife were parents of the 
 following children : Joseph, John, Barney 
 (whose name heads this sketch), Christ, 
 I5arhara, Catherine, Lena, and Mary. 
 
 Barney Steighner was a small boy when 
 brought to Butler County, and he here re- 
 ceived his intellectual training in the pub- 
 lic schools. He followed farming many 
 years, but more recently he has devoted 
 his energy to the oil fields, and has at- 
 tained much success as an operator. He 
 and his family reside in a handsome and 
 commodious house at Herman. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Elizabeth Gallagher, 
 a daughter of John and Catherine (Bleich- 
 ner) Gallagher, her father being a promi- 
 nent farmer of the county. The following 
 were the issue of this union : Edward, who 
 married Margaret Knauer and has nine 
 children — Harry, Clarence (deceased), 
 Dora, Elmerine, Eaymond, Alvin, Ealph, 
 Edward, and Pearl; Agnes, deceased; 
 Felix, Christ H., William A., and Lillian, 
 
 wife of Walter Howard, a well known oil 
 man of Butler County, by whom she has 
 two children, Ardelle and Eegis. Eelig- 
 iously, they are consistent members of the 
 Catholic church at Herman. 
 
 CALVIN C. COCHEANE, one of But- 
 ler's prominent citizens, who for years has 
 been identified with the oil industry, has 
 resided in his beautiful residence at No. 
 634 Fairview Avenue, Butjer, since Octo- 
 ber, 1889. He was born near Kittanning, 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in 1849. 
 
 Mr. Cochrane remained in his native 
 place until he was sixteen years old, secur- 
 ing a good public school education that 
 made him available as a clerk in his 
 brother's- store, at Macomb, Ulinois; but 
 after one year he returned to Kittanning 
 and from there went into the oil fields. His 
 connection has never ceased and he is now 
 interested in a pipe line business. For 
 thirty years he has been connected with 
 the National Transit Company. He is 
 well known all over the oil territory and 
 his years of experience in almost every 
 Pennsylvania field makes him an authority 
 in all that concerns it. 
 
 In 1883, Mr. Cochrane was married to 
 Miss Mary I. Thompson, of Parker, Penn- 
 sylvania, and they had one child. May, 
 whom they lost when at the engaging age 
 of four years. Mr. Cochrane is a member 
 of the Eoyal Arcamnn. 
 
 PHILIP DAUBENSPECK, one of But- 
 ler's most esteemed citizens, whose gener- 
 ous benefactions to schools, churches and 
 charities have made his name revered for 
 many years past, is a worthy representa- 
 tive of one of the oldest and most honor- 
 able pioneer families of Butler County. 
 Philip Daubenspeck was born August 28, 
 1829, in Parker Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of George and 
 Elizabeth (Barnhart) Daubenspeck. 
 
 The father of Mr. Daubenspeck was 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 873 
 
 born in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and at a very early period of his 
 life came to Butler County as it now is 
 and secured a farm in Parker Township, 
 which was then but an uncleared wilder- 
 ness. He married Elizabeth Barnhart, 
 who belonged to another old family of the 
 county, and they reared a family of seven 
 sons and three daughters, namely : Daniel, 
 Philip, David, Abraham, William, George 
 F., Jacob, Lavina, Susan and Mary. 
 Daniel and William both died while serv- 
 ing as soldiers in the Civil War. David 
 died in 1907. Lavina was accidentally 
 killed in a railroad accident. George 
 Daubenspeck lived to see his pioneer farm 
 cleared, cultivated and improved. For 
 many years he was a man of importance 
 in his section and his descendants have 
 been worthy representatives. 
 
 Philip Daubenspeck attended the dis- 
 trict schools in boyhood and assisted his 
 father in taking care of the farm until he 
 entered the coal mines, where he worked 
 for a time, but later returned to farming. 
 He continued to reside in Parker Town- 
 ship imtil 1882, when he and wife moved 
 to Butler and took possession of their 
 comfortable home at No. 330 Center Ave- 
 nue. On September 25, 1851, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Nancy Scott, who was born 
 in Ireland and is a daughter of James 
 Scott. They are members of the Second 
 Reformed Church. 
 
 Since coming to Butler, Mr. Dauben- 
 speck has interested himself in handling 
 real estate, but there are those of his 
 fellow citizens who seem to think that his 
 chief occupation is in his liberal dispensa- 
 tion of charity, his generosity to the pub- 
 lic including rich gifts to church, college 
 and hospitals, while his benefactions to 
 the poor will never be fully known, for his 
 giving has been done too unostentatiously. 
 He justly deserves the name of philan- 
 thropist and the affectionate and respect- 
 ful regard which he has inspired in his 
 fellow citizens. 
 
 DALLAS M. YOUNG, of the prominent 
 clothing firm of Green & Yoimg, at Butler, 
 is one of the city's most enterprising and 
 progressive young business men. He was 
 born December 23, 1880, near Sunbury, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Thomas B. Young, who is one of the 
 most prominent oil operators in this sec- 
 tion. 
 
 Dallas M. Young was educated in the 
 local schools. Grove City College, the Slip- 
 pery Rock State Normal School, and com- 
 pleted his studies, with a view of entering 
 into business, at the Butler Commercial 
 College. For two years he was identified 
 with the oil industry, after which he turned 
 his attention to mercantile life and on 
 August 1, 1901, in association with Paul E. 
 Green, bought out the clothing firm of 
 T. H. Burton, at Butler, establishing the 
 firm of Green & Young. Energy and en- 
 terprise, together with ample capital, soon 
 advanced this firm to the front rank among 
 Butler's representative business houses. 
 The firm owns two valuable properties on 
 Main Street, Butler, and each partner has 
 farming interests in the county. 
 
 In December, 1903, Mr. Young was mar- 
 ried to Miss Anna Katherine Leidecker, 
 who is a daughter of Henry Leidecker, a 
 prominent oil producer of Butler County. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Young are members of the 
 Second Presbyterian Church at Butler. 
 He is affiliated with both the Masons and 
 Odd Fellows. 
 
 CHARLES R. GOEHRING, owner of a 
 farm of ninety acres in Forward Town- 
 ship, located on the traction line about 
 twelve miles southwest of Butler, comes 
 of an old and respected family of the 
 county. He was born on his present farm 
 May 19, 1872, and is a son of William and 
 Sarah (Rape) Goehring. 
 
 William Goehring was born near Zelie- 
 nople, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, his 
 father being one of the pioneers of that 
 vicinity. He remained on the home place 
 
874 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 until liis marriage, then purchased a farm 
 on Muddy Creek, on which he lived until 
 he bought the farm in Forward Township, 
 on which Charles E. Goehring now lives. 
 The latter years of his life were spent in 
 retirement at Evans City, where he died in 
 1901, at the age of seventy-one years. 
 Mrs. Goehring, who also was born near 
 Zelienople, in Butler County, is now living 
 at the old home in Evans City. They had 
 the following children: John; Gellard; 
 Matilda, wife of Gus Beam; Sarah, wife 
 of John Entrest; Soijhia, wife of George 
 Milliman; Nettie, wife of C. Murberger; 
 Ella, deceased wife of Martin Spithaler; 
 Christina, wife of Henry Liitz; Susan, 
 wife of W. A. Lutz; Charles Eaymond; 
 and Abigail, wife of Henry Knauff. 
 
 Charles Eaymond Goehring was reared 
 and has always lived on the farm where 
 he now resides. He received his educa- 
 tional training in the public schools and 
 early turned his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits. He assumed charge of the home 
 place the year prior to his marriage, and 
 although most of the buildings were previ- 
 ously erected he has made numerous im- 
 portant improvements and kept the land 
 imder a high state of cultivation. Oil was 
 developed on the property in 1888, and 
 there are now six paying wells on it. He 
 follows general farming, and is a pro- 
 gressive and successful business man. 
 
 September 15, 1898, Mr. Goehring was 
 united in marriage with Miss Amelia 
 Gross, a daughter of William Gross, and 
 they have two children, Frances May, and 
 Twila Alberta. Eeligiously, they are mem- 
 bers of the Eeformed Church. In political 
 affiliation, Mr. Goehring is a Eepublican 
 and takes an active interest in the success 
 of that party. 
 
 FEED EYLES, one of the substantial 
 business men of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, 
 whose large piano and musical instrument 
 establishment is located in the First 
 National Bank Building on New Castle 
 
 Street, was born August 8, 1865, in Alle- 
 gheny, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Emil A. and Barbara 
 (Jenny) Eyles. 
 
 Emil A. Eyles was born in Frankfort, 
 Germany, and came to this country with 
 his parents in young manhood, settling in 
 Allegheny where for eighteen years he was 
 connected with Hartley Brothers, tanners 
 and belt manufacturers of Pittsburg. 
 From Pittsburg he removed to East Pales- 
 tine, where the remainder of his life was 
 spent, and where for some years he served 
 as postmaster. He served as a member of 
 the Forty-fourth Eegiment, Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, and it was from the 
 elTects of a biiUet wound, received at the 
 battle of Lookout Mountain, that he died 
 in 1888. His wife, who was born in 
 Switzerland, came to the United States 
 when six years old with her father, 
 Baltzaher Jenny, who was one of the early 
 restaurant keepers of Allegheny. Her 
 death occurred in 1904, in Allegheny. All 
 of the six children of Emil A. and Bar- 
 bara Eyles are still living, namely: Ed- 
 ward, who for eighteen years has been 
 connected with the Adams Express Com- 
 pany, at Allegheny, and married Emma 
 Waiil; Albert, also with the Adams Ex- 
 press Company, married a Miss Weaver; 
 Julius, who is connected with the Pittsburg 
 Printing Company, and for many years 
 with the Gazette and Despatch, married 
 Mrs. Eebecca Kohler ; Fred ; Susan mar- 
 ried John Coyne, a conductor on the Pitts- 
 burg & Lake Erie Eailroad, and resides 
 at McKees Eocks; and Amelia, the wife 
 of Dan Eollins, who is connected with a 
 hide and leather firm of Pittsburg as head 
 bookkeeper, lives in a suburb of Pittsburg. 
 
 Fred Eyles attended the public schools 
 of the Third Ward, Allegheny, as well as 
 the High School, which he left at the age 
 of seventeen years to engage in his present 
 business. He played at the old Allegheny 
 Exposition, became a teacher of music, and 
 for a number of years acted as agent for 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 875 
 
 Lechner & Schoenberger of Pittsburg. 
 For the past six years, Mr. Eyles has been 
 engaged in the piano and musical instru- 
 ment business in Zelienople, where he has 
 built up a large trade. He makes a si^e- 
 cialty of Kranich and Richmond pianos. 
 Mr. Eyles has devoted his entire business 
 life to his present occupation, and he has 
 become known as the composer of some 
 very fine music. Over forty compositions 
 have come from him, and all have been 
 exceedingly popular, and enjoyed a large 
 sale. 
 
 Mr. Eyles was married to Margaret 
 Mendel, a daughter of Henry Mendel, of 
 Allegheny, and two children have been 
 born to this union: Elmer W., formerly 
 assistant foreman at the Iron City Enamel- 
 ing Works, who also conducts a moving 
 picture theatre ; and Harvey R., a student 
 of the Zelienople High school. 
 
 Mr. Eyles 's fraternal connections are 
 with the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fel- 
 lows, the Modern Woodmen, and the Elks, 
 and he is also a member of the Sons of 
 Veterans. He is a Republican in politics. 
 His religious belief is that of the English 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 0. H. NICHOLAS, one of Butler's active 
 and enterprising business men, has been 
 a resident of this city for thirty-two years 
 and now controls a large transfer and 
 transportation business and has interests 
 in other enterprises. He was born in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, Butler County, 
 Peiuisylvania, in May, 1870, and is a son 
 of tile late Henry W. Nicholas, who came 
 to Butler in 1876". 
 
 0. H. Nicholas obtained his education in 
 the public schools and his first money was 
 earned when he became the emjiloye of 
 the Pennsylvania Railroad and wheeled 
 the mail bags from the railway station to 
 and from the jiost-office. He proved re- 
 liable and later was employed in the car 
 inspection department and was given 
 charge of the freight and baggage room at 
 
 Butler. He was thus employed until 1902 
 when he went into the transfer business 
 for himself and has operated with such 
 efficiency that he has been given the larger 
 amount of city patronage. He has ex- 
 cellent accommodations in the way of 
 transfer wagons, quite equal to any to be 
 found in larger cities. He is a stockholder 
 in other enterprises, notably the Butler 
 Compressed Air & Vacuum Cleaner Com- 
 ]3any. 
 
 In August, 1895, Mr. Nicholas was mar- 
 ried to Miss Amelia Oesterling, of Butler 
 Count}% and they have the following chil- 
 dren : Ralph Albert, Orin Henry, Charles 
 William, Robert Edgar, four fine sons, and 
 a wee daughter, Emily Elizabeth. Mr. 
 Nicholas and wife are members of St. 
 Paul's Reformed Church of the South 
 Side, in which he is a deacon. He is a 
 member of the Knights of Maccabee. 
 
 JACOB G. RENICK, one of Center 
 Township's most prominent citizens, jus- 
 tice of the peace and the owner of 305 
 acres of fine farming land which is situ- 
 ated on the graded or Sunbury Road, 
 about seven miles north of Butler. Mr. 
 Renick was born on a farm in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, seven miles south 
 of the city, September 3, 1852, and is a 
 sou of William and Caroline (Snyder) 
 Renick. 
 
 William Renick and wife were both born 
 in Germany but were not married until 
 after they came to America. By trade he 
 was a blacksmith and when his son Jacob 
 G., was one and one-half years old he 
 moved to Slippery Rock Township, where 
 he operated a blacksmith business for 
 many years. He also invested in farming 
 land and prospered, so that at the time of 
 his death, he owned 1,100 acres. 
 
 After Jacob G. Renick had completed his 
 education, which he obtained in the coun- 
 try schools and the Iron City College at 
 Pittsburg, he went to the oil fields, where 
 he found work as a tool dresser and also 
 
876 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 did some contracting and later becamef a 
 lumber contractor. He purchased a port- 
 able saw-mill and worked all over Butler 
 County for some seven years and then 
 turned his attention to farming, settling 
 on what was the old Moses Thompson 
 farm. He continued his lumber business 
 to some degree until within the past sev- 
 eral years. With the assistance of his 
 sons he carries on extensive farming oper- 
 ations and raises some fine stock. 
 
 Mr. Eenick was married (first) to Nar- 
 cissa Christy, who left two children at 
 death: Clyde and Flossie, the latter of 
 whom is the wife of S. J. Wick. Mr. 
 Eenick was married (second) to Ada 
 Sproull, who is a daughter of Hugh 
 Sprouir, a resident of Cherry Township. 
 Ten children were born to the second 
 union, the eight survivors being Paul, 
 Grace, Hugh D., Bertha, Hazel, Beatrice, 
 Lillian and Alice. Grace is the wife of 
 Oscar Fleeger. Few citizens of Center 
 Township are better known than Mr. 
 Eenick. He is highly esteemed as a man 
 of judgment and probity by his fellow citi- 
 zens who have elected him a justice of the 
 peace, tax collector and road supervisor. 
 On all matters of public interest in the 
 township his advice and counsel are sought. 
 
 ADAM ENDEES, who has the distinc- 
 tion of being the oldest male resident of 
 Zelienople and the oldest also of Harmony, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, bears well 
 his weight of eighty-five years and looks 
 out on life with that clearness of mental 
 vision that comes only through long ex- 
 perience and the solving of many of the 
 perplexing problems which still face the 
 younger generations. He was born Decem- 
 ber 26, 1823, near Falseburg, in the 
 province of Alsace-Lorraine, and is a son 
 of Adam and Christina Endres. 
 
 In 1835 the parents of Mr. Endres de- 
 cided to emigrate to the United States and 
 they set sail from Havre de Grace on a 
 vessel bound for New York, which port 
 
 they safely reached after a voyage of fifty- 
 two days, and landed at Castle Garden. 
 The objective point was Zelienople, where 
 other emigrants known to them had al- 
 ready settled. In those days the distance 
 between New York and Butler County was 
 only covered by a long and tortuous route. 
 By steamboat the party went from New 
 York to Albany, from there by the Erie 
 Canal to Butfalo, and from there again by 
 water to Erie, Pennsylvania. At that 
 point a wait of nine days had to be en- 
 dured before wagons could be secured to 
 transport the travelers to Zelienople. In 
 the meanwhile, the father was offered a 
 tract of 106 acres of land for $700, this 
 now being a part of the busiest section 
 of the city of Erie, but advantage was not 
 taken of that offer, the family thereby los- 
 ing a fortune. The father finally selected 
 land in Beaver County, about four miles 
 from Zelienople and that remained the 
 family home until the death of his wife. 
 By trade he was a wagonmaker. He was 
 a man of excellent business qualifications 
 and proved himself a great addition to the 
 good citizenship of the section in which he 
 settled, doing all in his power to develop 
 the neighborhood in which he lived and to 
 help those who were less fortunate than 
 himself. In 1858, after his mother's death, 
 Adam Endres the younger bought 300 
 acres of land adjacent to Zelienople and 
 moved on it, his father accompanying him. 
 The latter died aged sixty-eight years. 
 The family consisted of two children: 
 Adam and Caroline. The latter married 
 Lewis Teets, of Beaver County, where she 
 died when aged seventy-six years. She 
 was six years younger than her brother. 
 Adam Endres was only twelve years old 
 when the family reached Zelienople, then 
 a small settlement of log cabins. He can 
 recall many exciting events of that time 
 and one of these would probably have re- 
 sulted in the family returning to Germany 
 had not the father's money been all in- 
 vested in the new home. It was a new 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 877 
 
 experience to the careful, tidy house- 
 keeper, his mother, to start to housekeep- 
 ing in a log cabin and no doubt the pros- 
 pect was very discouraging to her. It was 
 also terrifying when, the first night, a 
 great snake fell on her bed, so alarming 
 her that she could sleep no more and spent 
 the hours in tears. With forests, heavy 
 underbrush, undrained swamps, there were 
 plenty of places in which all wild things, 
 including serpents, could conceal them- 
 selves in all this section at this time, and 
 many subsequent adventures finally wore 
 away the first feelings of terror. Mr. 
 Endres, himself, killed the last rattlesnake 
 ever found or reported seen in Beaver 
 County. After acquiring his first farm he 
 made dairying his main industry, keeping 
 as many as twenty-four head of cows. 
 For thirty-two years he rfiade a weekly 
 trip to Pittsburg, where he supplied the 
 old Monongahela House and other hotels, 
 together with a number of the most par- 
 ticular people with high class butter, get- 
 ting the best prices then paid for this 
 luxury. He owned at one time 300 acres 
 also in Beaver Township but has disposed 
 of all that land. His present farm, ad- 
 joining Zelienople, is very valuable and he 
 can foresee the day when a part of it will 
 be converted into busy marts of trade for 
 his descendants. When he first visited 
 Allegheny, now a rich and busy city, there 
 was only a wide expanse of land for the 
 eye to rest on. In 1880 Mr. Endres built 
 his present comfortable residence. 
 
 In 1846 Mr. Endres was married (first) 
 to Miss Elizabeth Wurster, a daughter of 
 Jacob Wurster, who was one of the first 
 settlers in Jackson Township. Mr. Endres 
 was married (second) to Miss Maria 
 Voegtley, whose grandfather owned all the 
 land which is now included in the upper 
 part of the city of Allegheny, at the time 
 the Endres family came to Western Penn- 
 sylvania. Mr. Endres has had ten chil- 
 dren, the four sur^dvors being: Caroline, 
 who is the widow of George Bastian, re- 
 
 sides at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and 
 has three sons and one daughter; Sarah, 
 who married Herman Speirer, formerly a 
 merchant at Rochester, Pennsylvania, and 
 has three sons and one daughter ; Matilda, 
 who is the widow of W. H. Lusk, a sketch 
 of whom appears on another page of this 
 work, formerly an attorney at Butler, 
 where she lives, has two sons and two 
 daughters; and Jacob, who resides on the 
 home farm, married a daughter of George 
 Teets, of Beaver County, and they are 
 parents of five children. The oldest son, 
 Daniel, who lived with his father, died in 
 1907, aged fifty-eight years. He married 
 Ella Smith, of Ohio, who, with two sons, 
 survives him. Four children, all young, 
 died within a period of nine days, from 
 an epidemic of diphtheria — Catherine, 
 Lena, Sophia and Charlotta. George died 
 aged one year. 
 
 Mr. Endres is a Republican in his polit- 
 ical convictions and he takes a hearty in- 
 terest in both public and local affairs. He 
 has alwaj^s been a law-abiding citizen and 
 has done his full share in the developing 
 and improving of this section. His life 
 spans a very important period of the 
 world's history and his remarkable mem- 
 ory can recall events and conditions of 
 more than a half century ago which are 
 surprising and very interesting. He has 
 frequently served in political offices in the 
 township, particularly as supervisor and 
 as a member of the School Board, while 
 for more than fifty years he has served as 
 a member of the church council of the 
 English Lutheran Church; 
 
 In looking back over the circumstances 
 of his long life, Mr. Endres is disposed to 
 think that the old days were, in many 
 ways, the best days, in spite of their hard- 
 sliips. Conditions of living were so differ- 
 ent then. Hospitality was the rule, every 
 stranger was a welcome visitor to each 
 hearth and this confidence was seldom vio- 
 lated. In those days there were no class 
 distinctions, all were on the same plane. 
 
878 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and people were not judged by the clothes 
 they wore or the display they could make, 
 but by the better test of upright living and 
 honest dealing with their fellotr men. 
 
 ROBERT FISHER, proprietor of the 
 Butler Dye Works, located at No. 128 East 
 Wayne Street, has been a resident of this 
 city for fourteen years. He was born in 
 1853, in England. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Fisher came to America. In 
 his native land he had learned his business, 
 under his father, who was a dyer all his 
 life. Mr. Fisher was employed as a dyer 
 for the Hamilton Manufacturing Com- 
 pany, at Lowell, Massachusetts, for ten 
 months after reaching the United States, 
 and then accepted a position as dyer in the 
 felt mills at Rahway, New Jersey, and con- 
 tinued there for eight months. From New 
 Jersey he went to Kent, Ohio, where he 
 was employed for over three years in the 
 Kent Worsted Mills, as boss dyer and fin- 
 isher, going from there to Philadelphia as 
 boss dyer for John Beardsley & Sons. He 
 then went into business for himself at 
 Jamestown, New York, which he carried 
 on for three years, after which he came to 
 New Castle and engaged in business in 
 that city for a short time, when he was 
 called to Fitchburg, ^Massachusetts, and 
 from there to Jamestown, New York, and 
 at the latter place he held the position of 
 boss dyer for the Empire Worsted Mill, 
 for four years. At the end of this period, 
 Mr. Fisher returned to Pennsylvania and 
 established himself in business at Butler. 
 He has erected here a very fine plant which 
 he has equipped with all the necessary ap- 
 pliances for the best kind of work and his 
 long and valuable experience, with some 
 of the largest mills in the country, gives 
 him a great advantage over any business 
 competitors. He is also interested in the 
 Butler Silk Mills and it was mainly 
 through his enterprise and enei'gy that this 
 industry was brought to Butler. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Fisher was married to Miss 
 Sybil Hartley, and they have three chil- 
 
 dren: Abel, who is associated with his 
 father in business ; and Emily and Joseph, 
 both at home. Mr. Fisher is a member of 
 the Business Men's Association. In his 
 views on public questions he is a Socialist. 
 
 xVNDREW WILLIAM BARNHART, a 
 retired farmer of Butler Townsliip, re- 
 siding on his valuable property which 
 contains 130 acres of well improved land, 
 is also a veteran of the Civil War, whose 
 scars are his best certificate of service. 
 He was born in Donegal Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, March 28, 1839, and 
 is a son of William and Anna Maria 
 (Daubenspeck) •Barnhart. 
 
 Jacob Barnhart, the grandfather, was 
 the founder of the family in Butler 
 County. He was born in Germany and 
 came to Donegal Township among the 
 .very early settlers. He married a Miss 
 Spangler. 
 
 William Barnhart, father of Andrew 
 William, was born in that section of Done- 
 gal Townhip known as Barnhart Hollow, 
 now Chicora. He was an elder in what 
 was known as the White Oak Grove Ger- 
 man Reformed Church, in Fairview Town- 
 ship. His death occurred when Andrew 
 William was about six years old. He 
 married a daughter of George Dauben- 
 speck, a farmer in Parker Township, and 
 they had the following children : Solomon, 
 now deceased, served in the Civil War 
 first as a lieutenant and later as a cap- 
 tain; Ann married Frank Mays and both 
 are deceased; David and George are both 
 deceased; Gabriel is engaged in farming 
 in Connoquenessing Township; Andrew 
 William; and Kamerer, deceased. The 
 widow of William Barnhart was married 
 (second) to Andrew Mays and they had 
 two children, both of whom died young. 
 
 Andrew William Barnhart, through an 
 attack of scarlet fever in childhood, had 
 his hearing so impaired that he never at- 
 tended school until he was a young man; 
 thus he is mainly self educated. Soon 
 
:i1 
 
 MR. AXD MRS. ANDREW W. BARXHART 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 after his mother's second marriage, he 
 left home and worked in various places, 
 assisting in building coal barges, lumber- 
 ing and farming, up to 1862, when he en- 
 listed for service in the Civil War, his 
 hearing in the meantime having become 
 almost normal and not preventing his be- 
 ing received as a soldier. As a member 
 of Company G, One Hundred Thirty- 
 fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry, he was sent to Harrisburg, 
 and took part later in the battles of Fair- 
 fax Court House, Antietam, Snider 's Gap, 
 White Plains and Fredericksburg. At the 
 latter battle he was shot in both legs, was 
 wounded three times by balls and cut by 
 bullets, and all these injuries made it nec- 
 essary for him to go to a hospital, where 
 he was detained until June, 1863. He was 
 then honorably discharged at Harrisburg, 
 and returned as soon as possible to his 
 home. For the two succeeding years, Mr. 
 Barnhart was obliged to use crutches. His 
 first work after he had sufficiently recov- 
 ered, was to operate a meat wagon, doing 
 his own butchering and selling meat, eggs 
 and butter on a route. After giving that 
 business up, as it entailed too heavy work 
 in his still crippled condition, he worked 
 for a time at making lap shingles. Next 
 he went into the Venango oil fields above 
 Oil City, where he was employed through 
 one season. He was then married and 
 settled down to farming in Sugar Creek 
 Townshiji, in Armstrong County, where 
 he remained until 1886, when he came to 
 Butler Township and settled on his pres- 
 ent farm. Until within a few years he 
 has carried on large oijerations here in 
 grain and stock, but is now taking well 
 earned ease after his years of activity. 
 He is a Republican in his political views 
 and is keenly alive to all that concerns 
 every part of the world, doing a large 
 amount of reading and forming his judg- 
 ments from exact knowledge. He has con- 
 sistently refused all political preferment. 
 
 Mr. Barnhart was married (first) to 
 Melinda Murtland, a daughter of William 
 Murtland, of Fairview Township. To this 
 marriage tlie following children were born: 
 Clara A., who married Edward F. Boyer, 
 of Lancaster Township; Minnie A., who 
 married AVilliam Vensel, of Donegal 
 Township; Mina Eva, who married J. D. 
 Henry, of Allegheny County; Luretta, 
 who married W. E. Sarver, of Butler ; and 
 Lena Temple and William Landis, both 
 of whom dieTi youug. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. Bai'nhart was married (sec- 
 ond) to Mrs. Susan Detrick, who is a 
 daughter of Henry Dufford, of Connoque- 
 uessing Township, Butler County, where 
 she was born August 11, 1842. By her 
 first marriage she had the following chil- 
 dren: Ida, who married Frederick Ar- 
 nold, of Renfrew; William Calvin, who 
 lives near Renfrew; Sarah Margaret, de- 
 ceased; Elizabeth Ann, deceased, was the 
 wife of William Herter; Cora Emma, de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Philip Weil; 
 Charles W., who is engaged in farming- in 
 Connoquenessing Township; Hosea Frank- 
 lin, deceased; Lulu Susan, who married 
 Simon D. Morrison, of Penn Township; 
 and Bertha May, who married John A. 
 McClymonds, of Penn Township. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Barnhart are both members of St. 
 John's Reformed Church. He belongs to 
 the Grand Army Post at Butler. 
 
 JAMES SYLVESTER McCLAFFER- 
 TY, general field superintendent of The 
 Phillips Company and one of the heirs of 
 the old McClafferty homestead of 100 acres 
 located on the Butler and Kittanning Pike, 
 about one and a half miles east of Coyles- 
 ville, was born on this farm April 30, 1855. 
 He is a son of Neal and Mary (Gillespie) 
 McClafferty, and a grandson of William 
 McClafferty, who was a native of Ireland. 
 
 William McClafferty upon coming to 
 this country from Ireland settled upon the 
 old homestead in Clearfield Township, 
 
882 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and lived 
 here the remainder of his days. Here Neal 
 McClafferty was reared to maturity and 
 lived all his days, becoming a man of con- 
 siderable importance in the commimity. 
 He married Mary Gillespie and they be- 
 came parents of the following children: 
 Sarah, wife of W. A. Greenwood; James 
 Sylvester; William, deceased; Joseph, an 
 oil operator; Dennis, deceased; Amanda; 
 Frances, deceased; Daniel, deceased; Cor- 
 nelius, who is in the oil business and has 
 spent the iJast few years in India; Kath- 
 erine, deceased wife of Michael Wyland; 
 and a twin to Amanda who died unnamed. 
 
 James S. McClafferty received his edu- 
 cation in the public school of Butler 
 County, and his first business experience 
 was at pumping oil. At the age of twenty- 
 one years he went West, farming in Kaix 
 sas for three years, then spent six years 
 in Chicago as a cattle shipper. Upon his 
 return to Butler County, he entered the oil 
 field, in which he had had some experience. 
 He began at the very bottom and worked 
 his way up. He entered the service of the 
 Phillips Company about eight years ago, 
 and by faithful and conscientious service 
 gained the commendation of his employ- 
 ers, who in 1906 advanced him to be gen- 
 eral field superintendent. He lives on the 
 old home place and has a fine modern home 
 built on the cottage plan. 
 
 Mr. McClafferty was first married May 
 28, 1888, to Miss Mary E. Boyle, a daugh- 
 ter of Dennis and Mary (McGenley)- 
 Boyle. She died October 26, 1889, leaving 
 one son, Cornelius Walter, who is a stu- 
 dent in the Butler schools. The subject 
 of this sketch formed a second marital 
 union with Miss Cecelia Coyle, a daughter 
 of James and Belle (Shields) Coyle of 
 Fenelton, and they are parents of eight 
 children : Emma ; Mary Ellen ; Genevieve ; 
 James Earl; Albert, deceased; Albertus; 
 one who died in infancy, unnamed; and 
 Thomas Anthony. Those living are all at 
 home and in their school period. Mr. Mc- 
 
 Clafferty served one term as school direc- 
 tor. Religiously, he and his family are 
 devout members of the Catholic church 
 and are very active in church atfairs. 
 
 C. P. EBERLE, a member of the well 
 known firm of Eberle Brothers, contract- 
 ing plumbers at Butler, doing an extensive 
 business with commodious quarters at No. 
 302 Center Avenue, was born December 
 15, 1872, in Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of John Eberle, who 
 now resides at Allegheny, in comtortable 
 retirement. 
 
 C. P. Eberle was reared at Allegheny 
 and enjoyed excellent school advantages 
 there, after which he learned the plmnb- 
 er's trade and continued to work at it in 
 his native place until 1902, when he came 
 > Butler. After working in this city for 
 six months he recognized that this would 
 be an excellent field in which to establish 
 a first class plumbing business, and 
 shortly afterward, in partnership with his 
 brother, H. W. Eberle, the present firm 
 was formed. This was in 1902 and they 
 started in in the Copley Building, on Cen- 
 ter Avenue, which soon proved inadequate 
 on account of increasing business, and 
 they then moved to a building erected for 
 them by Mr. Harper, which again proved 
 too small, and in 1906 the firm erected 
 their own present brick block. It is three 
 stories high, with dimensions of twenty- 
 five by seventy feet, the upper floors being 
 fitted up as flats, with all modern conven- 
 iences. The firm carry on an extensive 
 business as contracting plumbers and they 
 are interested also in oil production and in 
 city real estate. 
 
 In 1898 C. P. Eberle was married to 
 Miss Minnie L. Hagerman, of Allegheny, 
 and they have two children, Carl Freder- 
 ick and Ruth K. Mr. Eberle and wife are 
 members of the Reformed Church. Fra- 
 ternally he is an Odd Fellow and a Knight 
 of Pythias. On public questions he has 
 firm convictions but he takes no very 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 active part in political campaigns, having 
 neither time nor inclination for public 
 
 ANDREW RIEGER, general farmer, 
 residing on a fine farm of 150 acres, which 
 is situated ia Center Township, on the 
 Mercer Road, five miles north of Butler, 
 was born in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1860, 
 and is a son of Henry and Anna (Eisler) 
 Rieger. 
 
 Henry Rieger was born in Germany and 
 accompanied his parents to America, 
 reaching Pittsburg when he was a child of 
 four years. His father, Jacob Rieger, soon 
 secured a farm in Summit Township, But- 
 ler County, and there the family settled. 
 Henry Rieger grew to manhood there and 
 then married a daughter of a neighbor, 
 Andrew Eisler, and with his wife moved 
 to Clearfield Township, where he died in 
 1897. His widow still survives and lives 
 in Butler County. There were ten chil- 
 dren born to Henry Rieger and wife and 
 they all survive. 
 
 Andrew Rieger was reared in Clearfield 
 Township and in early manhood went to 
 Warren County, where he spent ten years 
 engaged in a lumber business. With the 
 exception of that period, he has devoted 
 his entire attention to farming. Imme- 
 diately after his marriage, in 1888, he 
 bought the W. A. Christy farm of sixty- 
 five acres, where he resided until he sold 
 it to W. E. Ralston and then bought his 
 present farm in Center Township, to 
 which he came in May, 1908. It is excel- 
 lent land and Mr. Rieger knows how to 
 manage it and to bring every part of it up 
 to a high state of production. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Rieger was married to 
 Emma Martin, who is a daughter of James 
 Martin, of Clearfield Township, and they 
 have a happy family of nine children, in 
 which there has never been a break, 
 namely: Bertha Delia, Stella May, Henry 
 Martin, Andrew Willis, Paul Marcus, 
 
 Edna Nellie, Frank Gilbert and Ralph Les- 
 ter and Clarence Clifford, twins. Mr. 
 Rieger and family belong to Grace Lu- 
 theran Church, in which he is an elder. 
 He has taken an active part in township 
 affairs for a number of years, at all times 
 promoting its interests and during a long- 
 period serving in office as the choice of his 
 fellow citizens. At present he is auditor 
 of Center Township and has served as. 
 school director, tax collector, assessor and 
 as judge of elections. As may be seen, he 
 is one of the representative men of his 
 community. 
 
 HON. RALPH W. E. IIOCH, the pre- 
 siding municipal officer of Chicora, having 
 been elected mayor of this borough, on the 
 Democratic ticket, March 1, 190(J, was born 
 at Chicora, Pennsylvania, in 1882. He is 
 a son of Augustus and Elizabeth Hoch. 
 
 Augustus Hoch, father of Mayor Hoch, 
 is also a native and has been a lifelong 
 resident of Chicora. He is prominently 
 identified with oil and gas interests in But- 
 ler County and is associated with his 
 brother, A. A. Hoch, in the hardware and 
 oil well supply business in this place. At 
 Haunestown he was united in marriage 
 to Elizabeth Krug, who was born at Sax- 
 onburg, Pennsylvania, and they have two 
 children, Martin and Ralph. The for- 
 mer is superintendent of the gas plant at 
 Chicora. He married Blanche Simpson 
 and they have one daughter, Helen. Mr. 
 Hoch is a leading member of the German 
 Lutheran Church. He is identified with 
 the Knights of Pythias. 
 
 Ralph W. E. Hoch received his prepar- 
 atory education in the Chicora scliools and 
 then spent three terms at the Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School, after which he 
 became associated with his father in the 
 hardware and gas well supply business. 
 He belongs to the order of Elks and 
 Knights of Pythias. Like other members 
 of the prominent family to which he be- 
 longs and to which he has added distinc- 
 
884 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tion, lie is connected with the German Lu- 
 theran Church. He is a type of the intelli- 
 gent, progressive, public-spirited young 
 American business man and his election to 
 the office which he so ably administers, re- 
 flects credit upon his fellow citizens. 
 
 SAMUEL G. PURVIS, proprietor of 
 the Purvis Pharmacy, located at No. 213 
 South Main street, Butler, is one of the 
 city's representative business men and 
 public spirited citizens. He was born in 
 Butler, in 1878, and is a son of Samuel D. 
 Purvis. 
 
 The Purvis family has been identified 
 with Butler County for a long period. 
 Samuel I)., father of Samuel G., was born 
 at Butler in 1842. He has been a life-long 
 resident of this city and has been exten- 
 sively engaged in the lumber business. He 
 is an active and useful citizen and has 
 served two terms as a member of the 
 School Board. 
 
 Samuel G. Pui'vis completed the com- 
 mon school course in his native city in 1893 
 and graduated from the Butler High 
 School in 1896, immediately entering the 
 Western University of Pennsylvania at 
 Pittsburg, and was graduated from the 
 Pharmaceutical department of that insti- 
 tution in 1899. In the same year he passed 
 with credit the rigid examination before 
 the Pharmacy State Board of Examiners, 
 and then entered into the drug business at 
 Allegheny. He remained there for three 
 years and then returned to his native city 
 and established the Purvis Pharmacy, at 
 his present location. Here Mr. Purvis 
 deals in first class drugs, piats up his pre- 
 scriptions himself, and enjoys a large gen- 
 eral and medical trade. 
 
 Mr. Purvis married, June 28, 1905, Miss 
 Bertha IMcEllianey, who is a daughter of 
 the late James ]\lcElhaney, of Butler, and 
 they have one son, James D. Mr. Pui'\'is 
 and wife are members of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. He is a Knight Templar 
 Mason and belongs to the Sterling Club. 
 
 ALBERT H. MEEDER, one of Zelieno- 
 ple 's substantial business men and popular 
 citizens, who is engaged in a mercantile 
 business at this place and is also largely 
 interested in oil production in various sec- 
 tions, was born September 15, 1869, at 
 Petersville, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of George and Magdalena 
 (Millerman) Meeder. 
 
 The father of Mr. Meeder came to Butler 
 County in 1850 and settled first in Summit 
 Township, near Butler. He later moved to 
 Connoquenessing Township, living there 
 about five years, and in 1893 he moved to 
 Zelienople. His death took place in 1907. 
 His widow survives. They had ten chil- 
 dren and of this number the following sur- 
 vive: Philip, who resides in Connequenes- 
 sing Township ; Edwin, who is a merchant 
 at Zelienople; Albert H.; Theodore W., 
 who resides in Cleveland, Ohio; Lena, who 
 married Dale Thorn, of Connoquenessing 
 Township ; Catherine, who is the widow of 
 Henry Asche, resides at Tarentum, Penn- 
 sylvania; Maggie, who married Jacob 
 Scherer of Connoquenessing Township; 
 Caroline, who married George Harris, of 
 New Castle; and Dora, who married 
 George Preston, of New Brighton, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Albert H. Meeder attended the public 
 schools of Little Creek and from there en- 
 tered Duff's Business College at Pitts- 
 burg, completing the commercial course of 
 that institution. He then entered the em- 
 ploy of W. H. lift, a former merchant at 
 Zelienople, as a clerk, where he gained his 
 first mercantile experience, and later 
 served in the same capacity for three 
 years, with Boggs & Buhl, at Allegheny. 
 When he left that firm he came to Zelie- 
 nople and entered into partnership with 
 his brother, Edwin Meeder, under the firm 
 name of A. H. Meeder & Co., and this 
 partnership continued until 1903. In 
 March, 1906, he embarked in his present 
 enterprise, starting in the First National 
 Bank Building, from which he moved to 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 887 
 
 his present location in 1907. In 1903 wlien 
 his pai'tnership ceased in the A. H. Meeder 
 & Co. firm, Mr. Meeder began to take an 
 interest in the oil industry and he has de- 
 veloped this into one of the leading con- 
 cerns in which he has made investments. 
 He now owns oil interests in Ohio, lllinuis 
 and in Beaver Count}', Pennsylvania, and 
 the attention he devotes to these and to his 
 large mercantile business, gives him little 
 time to engage in anything else. However, 
 Mr. Meeder is an earnest citizen and has a 
 deep sense of public duty and when called 
 upon to perform citizenship offices, he ex- 
 erts himself to do so. In his political 
 views he is a Democrat. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Meeder was married to Miss 
 Emma Hensel, a daughter of Gottlieb Hen- 
 sel, of Zelienople, and they have two 
 daughters, Ruth and Leola, both of whom 
 are attending school. The family l)elongs 
 to the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 GEORGE W. SCHNUR, who owns 
 eighty acres of fertile farm land in Siun- 
 mit Township, has been in the market gar- 
 dening business for some twelve years and 
 owns six well equipped hot-houses. He 
 was born at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, May 
 19, 1858, and is a son of Peter and Eliza- 
 beth (Pry) Schnur. 
 
 Peter Schnur was born in France and 
 was four years old when his father, 
 George Schnur, brought his family to 
 America. For a time they lived at Cin- 
 cinnati, where the father worked as a 
 stone-mason, afterward coming to Penn- 
 sylvania, where Peter Schnur worked for 
 many years in the mills at Pittsburg. In 
 1879 he moved to a farm adjoining that 
 of his son George W., in Butler County. 
 At Pittsburg he married Elizabeth Fry, 
 who was born in that city. 
 
 George W. Schnur was nineteen years 
 old when the family came to Butler 
 County. As far back in his childhood as 
 he can remember he recalls his interest in 
 gardening, and as a boy he worked at this 
 
 industry whenever occasion offered. How- 
 ever, finding stone-mason work more prof- 
 itable, he learned that trade and worked 
 at it for twelve years after coming to 
 Summit Township. As soon as he ac- 
 quired sufficient land and capital, lie went 
 into his present business, of which he has 
 made a success. He made many improve- 
 ments on his place, building his house and 
 barn and his six hot-houses, with di- 
 mensions of 112 feet by 155 feet, all cov- 
 ered with glass. He has introduced mod- 
 ern methods in his work and supplies a 
 large wholesale trade at Butler, making a 
 specialty of lettuce and greenhouse plants. 
 Two years after coming to Butler 
 County, Mr. Schnur was married to Mag- 
 gie Etzel, daughter of Bruno Etzel. She 
 was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong- 
 County, Pennsylvania, but was reared in 
 Summit Township. Mr. Schnur is one of 
 a family of fifteen children and he has had 
 twelve, seven of whom are living, namely : 
 Clara, who is the wife of Harry Redman, 
 of Pittsburg; Edward, who is associated 
 with his father in gardening; Albert; 
 William ; Loretta, who is the wife of John 
 Steighner; and Leo and Paul. With his 
 family he belongs to and gives generous 
 support to St. Mary's Catholic Church at 
 Herman. He is a member of the Catholic 
 Mutual Benefit Association. 
 
 SAMUEL McKAY, one of Butler's suc- 
 cessful business men, who has followed 
 brick contracting in this city for the past 
 three years, was born August 16, 1870, in 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and is a 
 son of Samuel and Mary (Pinkerton) Mc- 
 Kay. The parents of Mr. McKay moved 
 to Center Township, Butler County, when 
 he was eight months old, and there he was 
 reared and educated. The mother died in 
 1902, but the father still resides on his, 
 farm in Center Township. 
 
 Samuel McKay assisted his father until 
 he was twenty-one years of age and then 
 learned the bricklayer's trade, at which 
 
HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 lie Lias worked ever since. During tlie 
 comparatively short period in which he 
 has done contracting, he has turned out 
 some of the most creditable work to be 
 found in the city, among the most promi- 
 nent specimens being the brick work on 
 the Lance building in Springdale; the ad- 
 dition to the Sam. Oram's building at Lyn- 
 dora; the Cemetery offices, and the fine 
 residences of J. E. Marshall, on West 
 Pearl Street ; that of Fred Devlin, on West 
 Fulton Street; that of Mrs. Bowers, on 
 West Penn Street, and a number of others. 
 Mr. McKay's own fine brick residence is 
 situated at No. 422 Broad Street, and he 
 also owns a valuable farm in Center Town- 
 ship. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. McKay was married to Miss 
 Birdie McCandless, who was born at 
 Unionville, Pennsylvania. They have two 
 children, Bella May and Orville Blair. Mr. 
 and Mrs. McKay are members of Grace 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 CHRISTIAN STEIGHNER, who has a 
 fine farm of 120 acres located on the old 
 state road about one mile south of Fenel- 
 ton, in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is a successful oil 
 operator and an extensive breeder of fast 
 harness horses. He has the distinction of 
 being the only breeder of fast horses, on 
 an extensive scale, in the county and has 
 achieved some remarkable results. Mr. 
 Steighner was born at Buffalo Furnace, in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, June 
 24, 1852, and is a son of Christ and Mary 
 (Schell) Steighner. His grandfather was 
 Leonard Steighner, who was born and 
 lived all his life in Gennany. 
 
 Christ Steighner was born in Germany 
 and came to America in his younger days. 
 He was a farmer by occupation and in .the 
 early thirties purchased the farm owned 
 by his son in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 County. He cleared this property and 
 lived upon, it imtil his death at the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-three years. He died 
 
 in 1908 and was in good health up to the 
 time of his death. 
 
 Christian Steighner, whose name heads 
 this record, attended the schools of Butler 
 County and is a well educated man. For 
 a period of thirty-five years he has en- 
 gaged in oil operations, and at the present 
 time has four good producing wells on his 
 place. His farm is devoted to stock rais- 
 ing, and on it he has a good track, three 
 laps to the mile, where he and his sons are 
 generally to be found exercising and train- 
 ing horses. He bred and trained Flora 
 Bell, 2.271/3, the first "30" horse bred in 
 Butler County. He also bred a horse 
 which as a yearling took a public record 
 of 1.16 on the half mile track at Kittan- 
 ning, and as a four-year-old a record of 
 2.1614 in competition on the same track. 
 He bred Joe Pointer, who made a record 
 of 2.051^ on the Cleveland track; Little 
 John, 2.221^; Maple Grove, 2.3014; Billy 
 Chimes, 2.241^4; Harry Pointer, 2.2214; 
 and Laura Bell, 2.27. He now has a lot 
 of young horses which he is schooling on 
 the home track. His farm is highly im- 
 proved; he has a fine two-story home, a 
 large barn and other necessary buildings 
 essential to the successful prosecution of 
 his business. 
 
 Mr. Steighner was married November 7, 
 1883, to Miss Mary Wilber, a daughter of 
 Martin and Kate (Iseman) Wilber of But- 
 ler County, and they are parents of four 
 children, namely: Cora, who married Icey 
 Duffy and has three children — Nettie, 
 Floyd and Leroy; Christian, who is in the 
 oil business with his father; Martin; and 
 Ellen. The two last named are students. 
 Religiously, the family belongs to the 
 Catholic church. 
 
 LORENZO G. lilOORE, formerly county 
 auditor of Butler County and for the past 
 twenty-three years a valued citizen of 
 Butler, is engaged in business in this city 
 at No. 121 South Main Street, where he 
 deals in hardware, paints, oils and var- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 nish. Mr. Moore was born in 1851, in 
 Brady Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Samuel and a grand- 
 son of Samuel Moore. 
 
 The father of L. G. Moore was born in 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and ac- 
 companied his father, Samuel Moore, to 
 Brady Township, Butler County, in 1826. 
 Grandfather Samuel Moore bought 200 
 acres of land which had been entered from 
 the Government by a man named Single- 
 ton, in 1786, and L. G. Moore owns the 
 original deed bearing that date. The 
 Moores were farmers and the father of 
 L. G. continued to cultivate the homestead 
 until 1904, when he retired to New Castle, 
 where his death occurred in 1907. 
 
 L. G. Moore attended the country 
 schools and completed his education at the 
 Edinboro State Normal School, later tak- 
 ing a commercial course in Duff's Busi- 
 ness College, at Pittsburg, i^or several 
 years he was variously engaged and 
 visited different parts of the State,, and 
 after he returned to Butler he entered a 
 general store as a clerk, and continued 
 there until 1885, when he became a clerk in 
 the store he now owns. In 1891, in part- 
 nership with George A. Cypher, he bought 
 the business, which was conducted until 
 1906 under the style of George A. Cypher 
 & Co., when Mr. Moore purchased Mr. 
 Cypher's interest and has remained in 
 possession, doing a satisfactory amount 
 of business in his line. He is a stockholder 
 in several enterprises of the city, and, 
 with Mr. Cypher, owns a farm in ]3utler 
 County. He has always taken a hearty in- 
 terest in all that concerns the welfare of 
 the city. 
 
 JOHN LINCOLN MOORE, who owns 
 the old A. J. Mooi"e farm of ninety-three 
 and one-lialf acres, which is situated in 
 Center Township, near Oneida Station, 
 follows general farming and also conducts 
 a dairy and operates a milk route through 
 Butler. Mr. Moore was born on this fine 
 
 old farm March 24, 1867, and is a son of 
 Andrew J. and Nancy Jane (Cowan) 
 Moore. 
 
 Andrew J. Moore was born in Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 where he was reared. In early manhood 
 he worked on the river but shortly after 
 his marriage he settled on his farm in 
 Center Township, where he lived until the 
 close of his life, in 1888, when aged fifty- 
 seven years. He was twice married and 
 was the father of twelve children. 
 
 John Lincoln Moore has resided all his 
 life on the old home farm. For the past 
 twelve years he has conducted his dairy 
 and for almost eleven years, as steady as 
 clock work, has daily visited his patrons 
 at Butler. In that city he was married 
 June 27, 1893, to Miss Alice Christley, a 
 daughter of Harvey and Mary Jane Christ- 
 ley, and they have four children : Ermileda, 
 Harvey, Florence and Everett. They are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Mr. Moore is interested in both 
 oil and gas production and has four pump- 
 ing oil wells, producing twenty-two barrels 
 of oil a day, and two gas wells. 
 
 JOSEPH ANGERT, who fills the re- 
 sponsible office of chief of the police 
 department at Butler, has been a resident 
 of the city since 1888 and has occupied 
 his present position since 1906. Chief 
 Angert was born October 19, 1865, in Oak- 
 land Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was there reared and educated. 
 
 Michael Angert, father of Chief Angert, 
 was born in Germany and came to Butler 
 County in 1852. He spent his subsequent 
 years in Oakland Township, engaged in 
 farming, and died there in the spring of 
 1891. 
 
 When Joseph Angert came to Butler he 
 entered the factory of the Butler Plate 
 Glass Company, where he continued to be 
 employed for twelve years and from there 
 he went to the Standard Steel Car Works, 
 with which concern he remained for five 
 
890 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 years. When he left the ear works it was 
 to accept a position on the police force, 
 where he demonstrated his fitness for the 
 office he now fills. A large amount of per- 
 sonal courage together with much execu- 
 tive ability, tact, judgment and firmness, 
 are required to make an efficient police 
 commander and these qualities belong to 
 Mr. Angert, together with others as ad- 
 mirable. 
 
 In 1889, Mr. Angert was married to 
 Miss Bridget Gallagher, and they have six 
 living children, namely: Myrtle, Harry, 
 Calista, Victor, Leo and Genevieve. The 
 family belong to the St. Paul's Roman 
 Catholic Church. Chief Angert is a mem- 
 ber of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Asso- 
 ciation and also of the Woodmen of the 
 World. 
 
 CHARLES LIVINGSTON De WOLF, 
 M. D., a prominent physician and surgeon 
 as well as leading citizen of Chicora, was 
 born March 24, 1877, in Fairview Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Dr. Willard L. and Jennie S. 
 (Thompson) De Wolf. 
 
 The parents of Dr. De Wolf are both 
 natives of Butler County. Dr. Willard L. 
 De Wolf, who is now actively engaged in 
 practice at Butler, is a graduate of Jeffer- 
 son Medical College, of Philadelphia. Of 
 his three children one died in infancy, 
 Harry R. is engaged in a drug business at 
 Chicora, and the third is Charles L. 
 
 Charles Livingston De Wolf enjoyed ex- 
 cellent educational and social opportuni- 
 ties, his family being a leading one in this 
 section. From the common schools he 
 entered the Chicora High School and from 
 there the State Normal School at Slippery 
 Rock. After two years of training there 
 he entered Allegheny College at Meadville, 
 where, for three years, he took a general 
 course, and in 1898 became a student in the 
 medical department of the University Col- 
 lege of Philadelphia. From that institu- 
 tion he was most creditably graduated in 
 
 the spring of 1902, one of a class of one 
 hundred and seventy-five. He established 
 himself at Chicora and has a large and 
 lucrative practice here. 
 
 For some time he has been surgeon for 
 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at this 
 point and also for the Chicora Coal & 
 Coke Company, and he is medical exam- 
 iner for the Pittsburg Life and Trust 
 Insurance Company, the Germania Life, 
 the State Mutual Life, the Mutual of New 
 York, the National, the Prudential and the 
 iEtna Life; and the order of Knights of 
 Maccabees, of which he is a member. He 
 belongs also to Argyle Lodge, F. & A. M., 
 at Chicora, and the Knights of Pythias. 
 He retains membership in the following 
 college fraternities: The Sigma Alpha 
 Epsilon and the Theta Nu Epsilon. Dr. 
 De Wolf is interested also, to some degree, 
 in the oil business. He is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Chicora. 
 
 JAMES FOSTER STRUTHERS, bur- 
 gess, and an honored and highly esteemed 
 citizen of Harrisville, is a veteran of the 
 Civil War. He was born August 25, 1827, 
 on his father's farm near Struthers, Ohio, 
 and is a son of John and Sarah (Duff) 
 Struthers. 
 
 John Struthers, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, at an early period settled near 
 Youngstown, then a part of Trumbull 
 County, now known as Mahoning County. 
 He was politically, a Whig and the first 
 sheriff of Trumbull County. His youngest 
 son, Thomas, was a lawyer and for many 
 years a resident of Warren, Pennsylvania. 
 He subsequently purchased land and built 
 a furnace ui)on the present site of Struth- 
 ers, the town having been so called in his 
 honor. 
 
 John Struthers, father of James F., was 
 born and reared on a farm near Youngs- 
 town, Ohio, and later engaged in farming 
 near Struthers. In about 1841 he moved 
 with his family to Pennsylvania, but later 
 returned to Struthers, where he died at 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 893 
 
 the age of eighty-five years. He married 
 Sarah Duff, who survived him some years, 
 and they reared a family of nine children, 
 namely : Elizabeth, married A. A. McBride 
 and .both are deceased; James Fostei", our 
 subject; William, deceased; Ebenezer, de- 
 ceased; Thomas, deceased; John, de- 
 ceased, served in the 111th Pennsj^lvania 
 Volunteer Infantry; Jane, married J. A. 
 Hunter (both are deceased), and Sarah. 
 
 James F. Struthers was reared in an 
 old hewn log house, and assisted with 
 clearing his father's farm. He obtained a 
 limited amount of schooling, attending the 
 old log schoolhouse, but the greater part 
 of his time was devoted to farm work. At 
 the age of sixteen he began learning the 
 plasterer's trade, at which he worked for 
 a period of eight years. For a number of 
 years he engaged in milling at various 
 places, the last mill he had in charge, be- 
 ing that of Reed Walker, of Harrisville. 
 At the outbreak of the Civil War, he en- 
 listed in Company B, 134th Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Mc- 
 Cune, and served one year in the army, 
 participating in the battles of Fredericks- 
 burg and Chancellorsville, also the battle 
 of Antietam. After obtaining his dis- 
 charge, he returned to his family in Law- 
 rence County, after which he engaged in 
 milling at Grove City, Pennsylvania. Mr. 
 Struthers owned and operated a farm of 
 fifty acres in Lawrence County for many 
 years and in 1881 came to Harrisville, 
 where he has since continued to reside. 
 Mr. Struthers was first united in marriage 
 in 1856 to Catherine Martin, who died 
 leaving four children, namely: Jennie 
 married a Mr. Leonard; Ella is the wife 
 of Seymour Young; Clara, deceased wife 
 of Robert Riddle; and Charles, who mar- 
 ried (first) Tnra Gillmore (deceased) and 
 (second) Millie Patton. In 1880, our sub- 
 ject married Millie Hays Davidson, widow 
 of Harper Davidson, by whom she had one 
 child, Lula, wife of R. Aiken. 
 
 Mr. Struthers is politically a Democrat 
 
 and has served in various town offices. He 
 was a member of the town council, and in 
 1905, was elected burgess of Harrisville 
 and is still serving in that capacity. He 
 is a member and trustee of the Presby- 
 terian Church. In November, 1908, Mr. 
 Struthers went to Lynchburg with the old 
 soldiers to the imveiling of a monument 
 erected in commemoration of Humphrey's 
 Division. 
 
 FREDERICK ZEHNER, who does a 
 large business at Zelieuople, dealing in 
 vehicles, farm implements, feed, grain and 
 seed, is a representative man of this sec- 
 tion and a member of one of the old and 
 respected German- American families of 
 Butler County. He was born June 24, 
 1862, in Jackson Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Frederick 
 and Margaret (Reibold) Zehner. 
 
 The Zehner family was founded in But- 
 ler County by the grandfather, Frederick 
 Zehner, who settled in Jackson Township, 
 when he came to Pennsylvania from Ger- 
 many. His son, Frederick Zehner, was 
 born in Germany, in 1829, and was ten 
 years old when the family emigrated to 
 America. He was a youth of excellent un- 
 derstanding and when twenty years of age 
 taught school, instructing in both German 
 and English. The greater part of his life 
 was spent on his farm in Jackson Town- 
 ship, where he served for more than thirty 
 years as a justice of the peace. He was 
 the promoter and organizer of the German 
 Mutual Insurance Society of Zelienople, 
 which began business in 1866, and was a 
 charter member of the same, and for 
 twenty years served as secretary of the 
 society. His life was a busy and useful 
 one but was not prolonged into old age, 
 his death taking place July 4, 1891, when 
 sixty-two years old. Both he and wife 
 were buried at Zelienople. They had the 
 following children: Louisa and Mary, 
 both deceased; Mrs. Amelia Wahl, of 
 North Sewickley Township, Beaver Conn- 
 
894 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ty; Mrs. Annie Berberick, of Allegheny- 
 County ; two that died in infancy ; Charles, 
 a farmer in Jackson Township ; Frederick ; 
 Henry, a farmer in Allegheny County ; and 
 Edwin, deceased. 
 
 Frederick Zehner, who bears the name 
 of both father and grandfather, attended 
 school in Jackson Township and remained 
 on the home farm until he was twenty-two 
 years of age, when he came to Zelienople 
 and for three years was in the employ of 
 the general mercantile firm of Iflft & Gel- 
 bach. In 1887 he purchased the interest of 
 the senior partner and became a member 
 of the firm of J. A. & W. H. Gelbach, which 
 continued until 1890, when Mr. Zehner 
 sold his interest and embarked in business 
 for himself. In this undertaking he has 
 met with commercial success and has de- 
 veloped a business that is one of the larg- 
 est of its kind in Butler County. He is 
 a director of the First National Bank at 
 Zelienople and is a leading citizen in 
 everything that concerns the best interests 
 of the town. 
 
 On September 22, 1887, Mr. Zehner was 
 married to Miss Josephine Gudekunst, a 
 daughter of Jacob Gudekunst, of Jackson 
 Township, and they have had the follow- 
 ing children born to them: Walter N., 
 who was married September 22, 1908, to 
 Miss Emma Jane Zeigler, of Jackson 
 Township ; Mark F., who is a graduate of 
 the Butler Business College; and Esther 
 Josephine, Sarah, Charlotta, Iva Margue- 
 rite, Martha Louisa and John Orin. Mr. 
 Zehner and family are members of the St. 
 John's English and German Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Zehner is an active and 
 influential Democrat. He has served in 
 many offices and positions of responsibil- 
 ity, both as a loyal party man and also as 
 an efficient and public-spirited citizen. He 
 has been a useful member of the Town 
 Council, a member of the School Board, 
 a member of the Board of Health and has 
 been borough treasurer. Under the ad- 
 
 ministration of the late President Cleve- 
 land he served for four years and one 
 month as postmaster of Zelienople, being 
 acknowledged to have been one of the best 
 public officials in that office that the, bor- 
 ough has ever had. His party has shown 
 him many marks of favor, making him a 
 member of the Democratic County Execu- 
 tive Committee and a member of the Com- 
 mittee on Resolutions when he was sent as 
 a delegate to the Democratic State Con- 
 vention in 1906. He is on record as a 
 hearty supporter of Hon. Lewis Emory for 
 Governor of Pennsylvania. In August fol- 
 lowing, Mr. Zehner was appointed a mem- 
 ber of the committee to visit Judge Emory 
 and to notify him of his nomination. On 
 December 10 he was appointed for 1909 
 to serve as mercantile appraiser for Butler 
 County. 
 
 CHARLES RIEGER, a life-long resi- 
 dent of Butler County and a prominent 
 citizen, who was elected in 1908 to the office 
 of county commissioner, was born in Clear- 
 field Township, August 3, 1873, and is a 
 son of Henry and Anna (Eizler) Rieger. 
 
 Henry Rieger, born in Germany, May 
 20, 1833, was brought to Pennsylvania in 
 1838 by his parents. A few years later 
 he settled in Butler County and from there 
 he enlisted for service in the Civil War, 
 entering Company I, Seventy-eighth Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in 
 which he served until the close of the war. 
 He owned land in Clearfield Township and 
 he then resumed farming there and re- 
 mained until the end of his life, his death 
 taking place March 2, 1897. He was one 
 of the township's representative men. His 
 widow survives and resides at Butler. She 
 was born in the State of New York, Octo- 
 ber 28, 1835. Mrs. Rieger has ten children, 
 all living, as follows: Mary, Catherine, 
 Andrew, William H., Daniel, Sarah E., 
 Anna Martha, Charles, Albert L., and 
 Ida Mae. 
 
 Charles Rieger was reared and educated 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 895 
 
 in Clearfield Township and engaged there 
 in agricultural pursuits until March, 1907, 
 when he came to Butler, where he occupies 
 a comfortable residence at No. 120 Fourth 
 Avenue. Prior to this he had been closely 
 identified with Republican policies in the 
 management of the public affairs of his 
 township and had served there as tax col- 
 lector and treasurer. After coming to 
 Butler he was connected for three months 
 with the coimty commissioner's office. He 
 has many friends and he finally gave waj^ 
 to their solicitations and in January, 1908, 
 entered into the race, with seven other 
 candidates, for the office of county com- 
 missioner. He won the nomination by a 
 majority of 940 votes over all others in the 
 field, a record-breaker in the county. His 
 subsequent election was thus assured. Mr. 
 Rieger is a member of the German Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 ERNST FRANK ENdELHART, a well 
 known agriculturist of Clearfield Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, resides 
 on a farm of eighty acres located on the 
 Butler Road about one mile west of Fenel- 
 ton. He was born in Jefferson Township 
 January 17, 1858, and is a son of Nicholas 
 and Katherine (Bauer) Engelliart, and a 
 grandson of George Engelhart. 
 
 George Engelhart was a native of Ger- 
 many where he lived until 1837. then 
 moved with his family to America, locat- 
 ing near Saxonburg, in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. Nicholas Engelhart and 
 his wife became parents of the following 
 children: Ernst, subject of this record; 
 Philip; Annie; Sarah, wife of Henry 
 Heller of "West Virginia ; and Martin, de- 
 ceased. Philip and Annie Engelhart reside 
 on the old home place near Saxonburg. 
 The father of this family was born in Ger- 
 many and was seventeen years old when 
 lie accompanied his parents to the United 
 States. He became a prosperous farmer 
 near Saxonburg, and was much respected 
 bv his fellow citizens. 
 
 Ernst F. Engelhart was reared and edu- 
 cated in Jefferson Township, and has al- 
 ways been a resident of the county. He 
 has followed farming all his life and has 
 a well improved property; he has a com- 
 fortable two-story dwelling, and good sub- 
 stantial outbuildings. He follows general 
 farming, raising just enough stock for his 
 own use on the farm. ]\Ir. Engelliart has 
 taken a deep interest in all that pertains 
 to the welfare of the community and takes 
 rank among its progressive and public 
 spirited men. He has served eleven years 
 as school director, having been appointed 
 to that office twice and elected upon the 
 other occasions of his service. 
 
 Mr. Engelhart was united in marriage 
 with Miss Katie Fennell, a daughter of 
 Abraham and Mary (Toy) Fennell, and 
 thev became parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Clara, Charles, Frank N., Walter, 
 George, and Ruth, the last named being- 
 four years of age. Frank N. and Ruth are 
 the only ones now living. Frank N. Engel- 
 hart is eighteen years of age, and in addi- 
 tion to attending school does most of the 
 work on the farm. He is a young man of 
 energy and enterprise. Religiously, the 
 subject of this sketch is an active member 
 of the ^fethodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 FRANK W. BADGER, of the firm of 
 Sluill & Badger, brick manufacturers and 
 contractors, has been a resident of the city 
 of Butler for the past eighteen years and 
 is a native of the county and a representa- 
 tive of one of its pioneer families. He 
 was born September .30, 1865, and is a son 
 of Matthew and a grandson of James 
 Badger. 
 
 James Badger came to Butler County 
 with his parents and they all passed their 
 lives in this section. Matthew Badger, 
 father of Frank W., was born in Butler 
 County in 1838 and for many years has 
 been a prosperous farmer in Franklin 
 Township. 
 
 Frank W. Badger siioiit liis bnvlioo:! in 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 atteudiug the public school and in helping 
 on the farm, and the first work he did in- 
 dependently was a job of cutting stave 
 bolts. Since 1891 he has been engaged in 
 the brick business and for fourteen years 
 has been engaged in brick contracting. 
 About 1897 he entered into partnership 
 with Mr. ShuU and in 1904 they increased 
 their capacity by purcliasing a brick plant 
 at Butler and have done a large business in 
 brick and brick work. Mr. Shull takes the 
 responsibility of providing the material 
 and Mr. Badger secures the contracts and 
 this arrangement has been profitable to 
 both members of the firm. Among the 
 substantial and attractive buildings for 
 which tlie.y have furnished the brick may 
 be mentioned: the Y. M. C. A. building; 
 the bank building at Wilmington, Pennsyl- 
 vania; Grace Lutheran Church; the City 
 Hospital ; the Institute' Hill School build- 
 ing; the Campbell hardware firm's build- 
 ing; the Butler I. 0. 0. F. Temple; and a 
 fine Methodist Church at Grove City. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Badger was married to Miss 
 Lucy Smith, of Crawford County, and 
 they have two children, Howard and Her- 
 man. Mr. Badger and wife belong to the 
 Baptist Church. He is a member of the 
 order of Path Finders. 
 
 LEONARD HEIST, who resides on liis 
 well improved farm of 117 acres, which is 
 situated on the lower Greece City road, 
 about four miles north of Butler, in Center 
 Township, owns very valuable land, a fine 
 coal bank having been found on the farm. 
 He was born in Beaver County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1855 and was about nine years 
 old when he accompanied his parents to 
 Butler Countv. Thev were Nicholas and 
 Barbara (Smith) Heist. 
 
 Nicholas Heist and wife were both born 
 in Germany and when they came to Amer- 
 ica they had two children and three more 
 were added to the family subsequently. 
 Leonard was the first one born in Amer- 
 ica, the brothers and sisters being: Mrs. 
 
 Lizzie Elliott, of Center Township ; Philip, 
 a farmer of Center Township; Mrs. Kate 
 Michael and Mary, both of Center Town- 
 ship. For some years Nicholas Heist 
 rented land in Summit Township and later 
 in Center Township, and in 1870 he bought 
 a farm of fifty acres in the latter, which is 
 now occupied by his son, Philip Heist. On 
 that farm both Nicholas Heist and wife 
 died. By trade he was a wagonmaker. 
 
 Leonard Heist has lived in Center Town- 
 ship ever since he was about fourteen 
 years of age and he has devoted himself to 
 farming. He came to his present place 
 soon after his marriage, it having been 
 liis wife's old homestead. In 1880 Mr. 
 Heist was married to Miss Mary Shodd, a 
 daughter of George Shodd, and they have 
 had nine cliildren, namely: Mary Marga- 
 ret, married George Hendricks and they 
 have two children, Mary Alberta and Geo. 
 Gilbert; Charles P., married Christina 
 Spithaler; George J.; Albert Augustus; 
 Paul J. ; Anna C. ; Lillian B. ; and Alice E. 
 and Arthur L., twins, the latter of whom 
 died aged four months seventeen days. 
 Mr. Heist and family belong to the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. He is known as 
 an honest, upright man, in every way a 
 good and representative citizen. 
 
 JOHN A. GRAHAM, an honored vet- 
 eran of the Civil War, and a highly es- 
 teemed resident of Connoquenessing 
 Township, owns a fine farm of sixtj^ acres 
 here on which he has resided since 1889. 
 He was born September 7, 1838, in Conno- 
 iiuenessing Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Alexander 
 and Elizabeth (Rainey) Graham and a 
 grandson of Daniel Graham. 
 
 The father of Mr. Graham was born in 
 Scotland, ]\Iay 1, 1791, and died March 13. 
 1855. He accompanied his parents to 
 America in boyhood and was feared on a 
 pioneer farm in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship. He assisted his father in getting the 
 farm cleared nnd put under cultivation 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 and later succeeded to the property and 
 carried on agricultural pursuits through- 
 out his active life. His wife was a mem- 
 ber of another old pioneer family of this 
 section. They had the following children : 
 Jane, deceased, who was the wife of Henry 
 Brunermer; Hiram, deceased; Sidney, de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Robert Lemmon, 
 also deceased; Thomas, deceased; Daniel, 
 deceased, was a victim of the cruelties 
 practiced on prisoners at Andersonville, 
 Georgia, during the Civil War; John A.; 
 and Theophilus, who resides in Westmore- 
 land County, Pennsylvania. The parents 
 of the above family were quiet, indus- 
 trious, virtuous people and were worthy 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at White Oak Springs. 
 
 John A. Graham was afforded better 
 educational opportimities than many of 
 his aecpiaintances enjoyed and after leav- 
 ing the local schools he pursued a course 
 of study at Witherspoon Institute at But- 
 ler, and subsequently taught school at 
 Petersville and later in Ohio. In 1861 he 
 enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army 
 and served until the close of the war, in 
 Company G, Twenty-seventh Regiment, 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He 
 fared better than his brother Daniel, who 
 died from the effects of starvation during 
 his mouths of imprisonment as stated 
 above. Mr. Graham returned to Butler 
 County and resumed farming and in 1878 
 he went to Kansas. He took up a home- 
 stead, on which he lived for fourteen 
 years, but hard work brought on ill healtli 
 and on February 15, 1889, he was pros- 
 trated by a stroke of paralysis and then 
 returned to his native township. He pur- 
 chased his farm and has continued to re- 
 side here ever since. His land is well 
 adapted to agriculture and his annual 
 yield of corn, oats, wheat, hay and pota- 
 toes, is satisfactory. He has taken an 
 active interest in advancing his community 
 and bettering general conditions in every 
 direction. In politics, he is a Republican 
 
 and he has acceptably served as constable, 
 assessor and school director. 
 
 Mr. Graham was married to Miss Mary 
 A. Wade, who is a daughter of William 
 and Mary A. Wade, of Jackson County, 
 Ohio. She was born in Beaver County, 
 Pennsylvania, and was three years old 
 when her parents moved to Ohio. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Graham have four children : AVilliam 
 W., James A., Sarah Jane and Henry B. 
 Mr. Graham and family belong to the 
 White Oak Springs United Presbyterian 
 Church, of which he is an elder. 
 
 PHILIP J. SPOHN is numbered among 
 the exiaerienced and successful farmers of 
 Summit Township. He resides on his val- 
 uable farm of fifty-eight acres, situated 
 near Herman and he was born on what is 
 known as the old John Spohn farm, about 
 one mile west, November 24, 1845. His 
 parents were John and Eva (Hoffman) 
 Spohn. 
 
 The Spohn family is of French extrac- 
 tion and the father of Philip J. Spohn was 
 born in Alsace, France, March 22, 1814. 
 He was a son' of Martin and Margaret 
 Spohn, who subsequently followed their 
 son John to America and died on their 
 farm in Clearfield Township, Butler 
 Countv. John Spohn came to the United 
 States' in 18.30 and in 18.33 he settled on 
 a wild tract of land in Summit Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. Prior to 
 coming here he had worked as one of the 
 builders of the Erie Canal aud the money 
 he received was invested in land. He had 
 the foresight to select land advantageously 
 situated and to its clearing and cultivating 
 he devoted the rest of his life. He was 
 married (first) to Mary Euntrine. After 
 lier death he married Eva Hoffman, who 
 l>elouged to an old family of Summit 
 TownshiiJ, and to them were born ten chil- 
 dren, namely: Mary, Catherine, Philip J., 
 Margaret, John, Eva, Auna J.. Joseph, 
 Nicholas J. and Magdalena. All those who 
 
900 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 survived infancy married and liad chil- 
 dren of their own and many were resi- 
 dents of Summit Township. The mother 
 of this family was born in Bavaria, Ger- 
 many, and was about twelve years old 
 when she accompanied her parents to 
 America. She died in February, 1900, and 
 her husband survived her almost five 
 years, dying on January 1, 1905, when 
 aged ninety-two years. He was one of 
 Summit Township's best men. 
 
 Philip J. Spohn has devoted a large 
 part of his life to gardening and the rest 
 to general farming. For twenty-four 
 years he raised all kinds of farm produce 
 which he sold at wholesale. He lived on 
 the home farm for many years but in De- 
 cember, 1905, settled on his present prop- 
 erty. Through his business he came into 
 contact with many of the leading men of 
 Butler and other places in the county and 
 Mr. Spohn can recall many pleasant occa- 
 sions and can claim many warm friends 
 among his old business acquaintances. 
 
 Mr. Spohn married Lena Albert, a 
 daughter of Nicholas Albert. She was 
 reared in Oakland Township. A family of 
 twelve children was born to them: Hed- 
 wig married Clements Foltz and they have 
 six children; Celia, who lives at home; 
 Louise married George Baldauf and they 
 have eight children; and Amelia, who re- 
 sides in Butler, unmarried, these being the 
 only survivors. Mr. Spohn and family be- 
 long to the Catholic Church, the congrega- 
 tion of St. Mary's at Herman, of which 
 Mr. Spohn 's father was one of the foun- 
 ders. 
 
 ANDREW M. AKINS, oil producer, 
 who has been a resident of Butler since 
 1896 and is identified with a number of the 
 city's successful enterprises, has been con- 
 nected with the oil industry for a numlier 
 of years. He was born July 19, 1848, in 
 Sweden, and was three years old when his 
 parents brought him to America. 
 
 The Akins family settled in Warren 
 
 Count}', Pennsylvania, and Andrew M. 
 attended school near his father's farm, 
 both in Pennsylvania and across the line 
 in the State of New York. He first went 
 to work in a brickyard and this kept him 
 busy in the summer and in winter he 
 worked at lumbering. Later he conducted 
 a brickyard for himself, at Warren, for 
 two years, and in 1871 he entered the oil 
 fields in AVarren County, coming to Butler 
 County in 1873. He located in Fairview 
 Township and engaged extensively in the 
 oil business, at one time having interests 
 in Allen County, Ohio. He has visited all 
 the oil regions and has been financially 
 interested in Allen County and in Butler 
 and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania. 
 His business judgment has regulated his 
 investments and he has prospered greatly. 
 On June 14, 1876, Mr. Akins was married 
 to Miss Lucinda M. Kramer, who was 
 born in Indiana, and they have four chil- 
 dren, namely : Maude May, who is a grad- 
 uate nurse, residing at Washington, D. C. ; 
 Alice, who is with the firm of Leedom & 
 Worral; Arthur, who is a student in the 
 Pennsylvania State College; and Edna, at 
 home. Mr. Akins and family belong to the 
 First Methodist Episcopal Church at But- 
 ler and he is a member of its board of 
 trustees. He is one of the city's earnest 
 and active citizens and at the present writ- 
 ing (1908) is serving as councilman from 
 the Fifth Ward. In his public life Mr. 
 Akins is actuated by the motives that attest 
 good citizenship. 
 
 HON. JOHN DINDINGER, now re- 
 tired, has been one of Zelienople's most 
 active and useful citizens and one of But- 
 ler County's leading men of affairs. He 
 was born in Franklin Township, Beaver 
 County, Pennsylvania, December 26, 1839, 
 and is a son of Louis and Christina (Mil- 
 ler) Dindinger. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Dindinger were born 
 in Germany, the father in 1800 and the 
 mother six years later, and they came to 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 901 
 
 America in 1830. The father died in 1878 
 and the mother in 1880. They settled first 
 at Harmon}-, in Butler County, but shortly 
 afterward purchased the farm on which 
 they lived, in Franklin Township, Beaver 
 County, until 1876. Their children were 
 as follows: a babe that died; Margaret, 
 deceased, was the wife of Solomon Schaf- 
 fer; George resides on his farm in Lancas- 
 ter Township; Mary died aged eight 
 months ; Jacob lives at Wami^um, in Law- 
 rence County; John, of Zelienople; Caro- 
 line, deceased, was the wife of Lewis Karl ; 
 Christina, deceased; William lives at Zel- 
 ienople, and Henry, deceased, resided at 
 Allegheny. 
 
 John Diudinger obtained his education 
 in the district schools near his home and 
 for six months enjoyed advantages at 
 Zelienople. He continued to live and as- 
 sist on the home farm until he was twen- 
 ty-one, when he embarked in a mercantile 
 business at Lillyville, in Beaver County, 
 where he was employed by a Mr. Auten- 
 reitli. He remained with him imtil 1862, 
 when he enlisted for service in the Civil 
 War, entering Company G, One Hundred 
 Sixty-eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteer Infantry. This regiment was 
 mainly organized at Pittsburg and went 
 from there to Washington, D. C, thence 
 to Newport News, Virginia, and from there 
 to Suffolk, and during his nine months of 
 service he was stationed in Virginia, North 
 Carolina and Maryland and on every occa- 
 sion ]ierformed the soldierly duty demand- 
 ed of him. 
 
 In the spring of 1864 Mr. Dindinger 
 again became a merchant, opening wp a 
 general mercantile and produce business 
 in Perry Township, Lawrence County, 
 which he continued until April, 1872, when 
 he sold out to his brother and then bought 
 a farm in Beaver County. This he oper- 
 ated until April, 1874, when he came to 
 Zelienople and re-entered the mercantile 
 Inisiness in which he continued to be inter- 
 ested and to which he gave all his atten- 
 
 tion not demanded by public matters, un- 
 til 1901, when he relieved himself of busi- 
 ness responsibilities entirely, disposing of 
 his mercantile interests to his sons. In 
 1879 he put up his commodious store build- 
 ing, and in 1888 he erected his handsome 
 residence. 
 
 Although his business connections were 
 large and his commercial integrity never 
 questioned, the public services of Mr. 
 Dindinger have probably made him more 
 fully and better known to his fellow citi- 
 zens. From early manhood, when he tes- 
 tified to his loyalty by becoming a defender 
 of his country's liberties, he has been a 
 zealous Republican and a hearty upholder 
 of the principles for which that party 
 stands. Under the administration of 
 President James A. Garfield he was ap- 
 pointed postmaster at Zelienople and 
 served as such under President Arthur, 
 after the foul assassination of President 
 Garfield, until 1885, during this period in- 
 creasing the efficiency of the office and also 
 faithfully working to strengthen party 
 l)ouds. In recognition of his many servi- 
 ces both to his party and to his country. 
 Mr. Dindinger was elected a member of 
 the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 
 1896, served most acceptably during his 
 first term and without difficulty was re- 
 elected and served until 1900. Mr. Dind- 
 inger was a valuable man in that adminis- 
 trative body, his business judgment and 
 knowledge being generally recognized and 
 his views on questions being received with 
 respect by his coadjutors, always being- 
 practical. 
 
 Mr. Dindinger was married December 
 2-f, 1863, to Miss R. T. Pyle, of Perry 
 Township, Lawrence County, a daughter 
 of Caleb Pyle and a member of a family 
 that came to Pennsylvania with William 
 Penn. They have had seven children, 
 namely: Lewis Wilbur, who died aged 
 eighteen months; Francis Howard, who 
 died aged seven years; Adella, who 
 died aged sixteen years; Clarence L., a 
 
902 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 merchant at Zelienopolis, who married 
 Amelia Wilson, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Olive and John; Eva Viola, who 
 married Dr. H. E. Gray, of Plain Grove, 
 Pennsylvania, has one daughter, Ethel; 
 Estella Eola, who is the wife of J. A. 
 Hiekok, and Norman Roy, who is engaged 
 in a mercantile business in Zelienople. 
 
 For many years Mr. Dindinger has been 
 a member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Zelienople. He belongs to Col. 
 •Joseph H. Wilson Post, No. 496, Grand 
 Army of the Republic. 
 
 HENRY BINSACK, a prominent and 
 prosperous farmer of Summit Township, 
 whose fine farm of 131 acres, upon which 
 he lives, lies on the road running from 
 Bonny Brook to Herman, one mile north 
 of the latter village, was born in Germany, 
 May 14, 1844, and is a son of John and 
 Elizabeth (Miller) Binsack. 
 
 In 1847 John Binsack brought his family 
 to America and came directly to Butler 
 County. At that time all of Summit Town- 
 ship was a wilderness and in the midst of 
 a forest, this sturdy German pioneer built 
 his cabin. He was a man of great indus- 
 try and had a frugal and helpful wife. 
 They reared their children to be of assist- 
 ance to them and they lived to witness the 
 former wild land transferred into a pro- 
 ductive farm. They continued to live here 
 during the rest of their lives. 
 
 Henry Binsack gave his father much 
 help on the farm during his boyhood and 
 youth and consequently had fewer educa- 
 tional opportunities than he desired, but 
 this has never prevented his managing his 
 farm in a thoroughly businesslike manner 
 and in prospering in his undertakings. In 
 addition to doing a part of the clearing, 
 Mr. Binsack has done much improving. 
 In 1897 he built his large barn, a very sub- 
 stantial structure, and in the summer of 
 1903, he erected his commodious and com- 
 fortable frame residence. His farm is well 
 
 stocked and his surroundings indicate 
 thrift and good management. 
 
 Mr. Binsack married Miss Katherine 
 Hammond, a daughter of John Hammond, 
 and they have seven children, namely: 
 John, who assists his father in the manage- 
 ment of the farm ; Louis, who also has his 
 duties on the farm; Lizzie; Delia, who is 
 the wife of Henry Lowery and they have 
 three children; Jacob; Annie, who is the 
 wife of Frank Seibert; and Edward. Mr. 
 Binsack and all his family 'belong to the 
 Liitheran Church at Butler. 
 
 W. R. GILMORE, one of Butler's active 
 business men, who is a general contractor 
 in all kinds of tin roofing, tin spouting and 
 brass work, enjoys the distinction of being 
 the only workman in this city who does 
 fine brazing work. He was born in Tus- 
 carawas County, Ohio, March 9, 1874, and 
 obtained his education in the schools at 
 Dennison. 
 
 Mr. Gilmore was an ambitious boy and 
 first learned the art of telegraphing and 
 later, in 1891, decided to learn the tinner's 
 trade, and served an apprenticeship of 
 four years in his father's shop. For some 
 years afterward, he worked at different 
 points over the country, going as far west 
 as San Francisco and east to New York. 
 He then became interested in railroading 
 and entered the employ of the Pittsburg 
 & Western Railroad, beginning as brake- 
 man and advancing to be conductor. He 
 enjoyed railroad work and continued until 
 he met with an accident in December, 1904, 
 in the yards at the Standard Car Works, 
 which terminated his connection with that 
 industry. Since. then he has devoted him- 
 self entirely to liis trade and controls a 
 large amount of the tin and brass contract- 
 ing in this section. 
 
 In June, 1895, Mr. Gilmore was married 
 
 to Miss Olive L. Benson of Urichsville, 
 
 , Ohio, and they have four children: Lot 
 
 Hughes, Miriam Louise, Thomas Carr. and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 903 
 
 Robert Martin. Mr. Gilmore and family 
 attend the St. Paul's Reformed Church. 
 He is a member of the Uniform Rank of 
 the oi-der of Knights of Pythias. 
 
 RUDOLPH BARNHART, a senior 
 member of the tirm of R. Barnhart & Son, 
 general merchants at Connociuenessing, 
 was born April 4, 1842, at Millerstown, 
 Perry County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Frederick and Catherine (Tliorne) 
 Barnhart. 
 
 The early records of the Barnhart fam- 
 ily are interesting for it was a pioneer one 
 and its sons and daughters not only have 
 been noted themselves for the sturdy vir- 
 tues of their German ancestry, but, 
 through intermarriage, are connected with 
 many of the other leading families of other 
 nationalities, all of whom had much to do 
 with the early development and growth of 
 prosperity, particularly in Western Penn- 
 sylvania. Great-grandfather Barnhart was 
 boru in Germany and was eighteen years 
 old when he left his native land, an under- 
 taking much more serious than it is at the 
 present day, and came to America. He 
 subsequently settled in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he married 
 and there his son, Rudolph Barnhart, was 
 born. 
 
 The latter grew to manhood and then 
 married Sarah Rise and shortly afterward, 
 he came to Butler County and stoi^ped only 
 long enough on the present site of Butler 
 to note that the timber looked inferior, in- 
 dicating a less rich soil than in other sec- 
 tions. He found land to his taste in Fair- 
 view Township, cleared four acres and 
 sowed it with wheat. The tract is now 
 included in what is the present Kincaid 
 farm. He returned then to Westmoreland 
 County and when he came back to his 
 wheat fariu in the following spring, he 
 was accompanied by the Hemphill family. 
 He discovered that the wild inhabitants 
 had taken charge of his farm and what 
 grain the turkeys had not scratched out, 
 
 the deer had devoured, and somewhat dis- 
 couraged, he listened to the urgings of the 
 Hemphills and accompanied them to what 
 is kuown as Hemphill Hollow. He se- 
 cured land which now bears the name of 
 Barnhart Hollow, about one mile from Mil- 
 lerstown and there he built his cabin, on 
 the south side of the creek and then 
 brought his wife to the new home. 
 
 At that time all this region was a wilder- 
 ness and when he found it necessary to re- 
 turn in the following year and attend a 
 session of court in Westmoreland County, 
 it was with great misgivings concerning 
 the safety of his wife during this time. 
 The nearest neighbors were the McCul- 
 loughs, live miles distant, but one of the 
 daughters came to stay with Mrs. Bai'n- 
 hart during her husband's absence. The 
 great fear entertained by them all was that 
 some wild animal might attack them, and 
 that this fear was not without foundation 
 was proved when, on the second morning, 
 the two women found an explanation of 
 the noises they had heard outside the night 
 before. When they summoned sufficient 
 courage to venture out, they discovered 
 the carcass of a huge bear, that had prob- 
 ably been fatally wounded by a hunter and 
 in its rage it had tried to find shelter in 
 the little cabin. Women in those days were 
 full of courage and without doubt the pelt 
 of tliat bear was all preserved before Mr. 
 Barnhart had returned from Westmore- 
 land court. This little log cabin came to 
 be the center of life in the township, a 
 gathering place not only for religious serv- 
 ices, but for a long time it was the election 
 l)ooth and very likely, on occasion, served 
 as a courthouse. Rudolph Barnhart died 
 in 1851, aged seventy-five years and prob- 
 ahly his wife did not much longer survive. 
 They liad the following children: William, 
 who moved to Ohio and died there ; Philip ; 
 Frederick; Mrs. Susan Andrews; Mrs. 
 Tena Wenzel; Mrs. Elizabeth Andrews; 
 Rudolph, who died young; Simon; An- 
 di-pw. who conducted a store at Millers- 
 
904 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 town for thirty years; Mrs. Polly King, 
 who resides near Buena Vista, Pennsyl- 
 vania; and Mrs. Catherine Eberhart. The 
 family belonged to the Reformed Church. 
 
 Frederick Barnhart was born in 1809, 
 and died in 1879, aged seventy years and 
 ten months. He was a farmer all his life 
 and was a man of high standing in his 
 community, a supporter of the schools and 
 a deacon and elder in the Reformed 
 Church. He held a nmnber of public of- 
 fices in his township. In his early political 
 life he was a AVhig, but later became iden- 
 tified with the Republican party. He mar- 
 ried a daughter of Peter Thorne, a pioneer 
 settler where Buena Vista now stands. She 
 died January 31, 1901, aged eighty-one 
 years. Six children were born to this mar- 
 riage, four of whom died young, the two 
 survivors being Rudolph and Elizabeth, 
 the latter of whom is the wife of J. J. 
 Barnhart, a resident of Harmony, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Rudolph Barnhart grew up on the home 
 farm, attended the township schools and 
 spent one term at the Rymersburg Acad- 
 emy. He has always been more or less a 
 musician and in 1862 he enlisted as a mem- 
 ber of the band in Company K, One Hun- 
 dred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteer Infantry, playing the 
 fife, and remained in the service for nine 
 months. He then returned to the home 
 farm and remained there until after the 
 excitement had gradually subsided, follow- 
 ing the discovery of the rich oil deposits 
 at Millerstown, and then moved to a farm 
 in Lancaster Township, four miles from 
 Harmony. He continued to operate that 
 farm for fourteen years and then moved 
 to Petersburg. This was about two years 
 before that place experienced its oil boom. 
 He remained there and engaged in farm- 
 ing until 1889, when he erected his present 
 store building at Connoquenessing, and, in 
 partnership with his son, Frederick E., 
 embarked in a mercantile business. This 
 is the leading enterprise of its kind at this 
 
 place. The business is carried on under 
 the firm name of R. Barnhart & Son, and 
 has a high commercial rating, being backed 
 by plenty of capital. A large and well- 
 assorted stock is carried and the whole 
 surrounding district is its field of distri- 
 bution. 
 
 Mr. Barnhart married Miss Mary Ann 
 Shakeley, who is a daughter of John 
 Shakeley, residing near Chicora, and they 
 had two sons born to them: William and 
 Frederick E. The older son, AVilliam, re- 
 sided at Zelienople, where he died in 1904, 
 in his thirty-ninth year, leaving a widow 
 and four children. 
 
 Frederick E. Barnhart, junior member 
 of the mercantile firm of R. Barnhart & 
 Son, was born January 9, 1868. While he 
 is known all through the county as a mer- 
 chant and excellent man of business, he 
 also has more than a local reputation as a 
 musician. He early developed talent and 
 after a thorough course on the piano and 
 violin, under Professor Mehafy, at Pitts- 
 burg, he engaged in teaching music for 
 some years, and for six years conducted a 
 singing school. He married Miss Dora 
 Miller and they have one child, Ethel. He 
 is a member of the order of Modern Wood- 
 men, at Zelienople. Both he and his hon- 
 ored father are official members of the Re- 
 formed Church, in which he is a deacon 
 and in which his father has been deacon or 
 elder ever since he was twenty-three years 
 of age. It is interesting to note that in the 
 church choir may each Sabbath be seen 
 Rudolph Barnhart, his son and wife and 
 daughter, all contributing to the music. 
 Mr. Barnhart is a Republican and has 
 served as school director of this borough. 
 Formerly he was a member of the Grand 
 Army Post at Chicora. 
 
 JOHN OESTERLING, who is a repre- 
 sentative citizen of Summit Townshi]"), re- 
 sides on his well-improved farm of 106 
 acres, which is situated about one and one- 
 half miles north of Bonny Brook. He was 
 
WILLIAM S. BRANDON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 9U7 
 
 born on the old Oesterliug farm, on the 
 State Road, the old homestead being situ- 
 ated at the point where the Summit road 
 crosses it, on April 17, 1852, and is a son 
 of Leonard and Margaret (Floor) Oes- 
 terling. 
 
 When John Oesterling was two years 
 old, his parents moved to Brady's Bend, 
 in Armstrong County, but he remained 
 with his grandfather, for whom he was 
 named, and continued to reside with him 
 until this relative died, when he was twelve 
 years of age. He then joined his parents 
 at Brady's Bend, and when they removed 
 to the farm on which they still reside, 
 some five years later, he accompanied 
 them. During his live years at Brady's 
 Bend, Mr. Oesterliug learned a trade in 
 the rolling-mills at that place, but after 
 coming to the farm, never resumed work at 
 his trade. He followed farming exclusive- 
 ly until 1887, when he entered into the oil 
 business and subsequently, at different 
 times, engaged in oil contracting. He still 
 does drilling, in addition to his farm work, 
 but has sold his oil tools to his son, John 
 A. Oesterling, who does a large amount of 
 oil contracting. Mr. Oesterling and fam- 
 ily have resided on the present farm since 
 1898. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling married Miss Mary C. 
 Herrold, who was born on the old Fisher 
 farm, in Summit Township, but was reared 
 on the farm on which she and husband live. 
 It formerly was the property of her father, 
 the late Gottlieb Herrold. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Oesterling have had ten children, as fine 
 a family as has ever been reared in Sum- 
 mit Township, and when typhoid fever in- 
 vaded it in the fall of 1907, the whole com- 
 munity grieved when three members 
 passed away from that epidemic. Herman, 
 a most estimable young man, aged twenty- 
 six years ; Morgan, no less promising, was 
 twenty-two, while Mary had only com- 
 pleted her thirteenth year. This family 
 bereavement was hard to bear, but Mr. and 
 Mrs. Oesterling still have seven surviving 
 
 children, namely : "William L., John A., 
 Amelia, Simon A., Carrie, Raymond, and 
 Warren. Amelia is the wife of Samuel 
 Mitchell. Mr. and Mrs. Oesterling are 
 members of St. Mark's Lutheran Church. 
 Mr. Oesterling takes a great deal of inter- 
 est in the public schools in his township 
 and has served for four years as a school 
 director. 
 
 WILLIAM SHERxMAN BRANDON, 
 gerieral contractor and builder at East 
 Butler, has been a resident of this place 
 since September, 1907. He was born on a 
 farm in Connoqueuessing Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, February 2(1, 
 1867, and is a son of William W. and 
 Sarah (Heckart) Brandon. William W. 
 Brandon is a well known farmer in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, where he still re- 
 sides. 
 
 William S. Brandon attended the coun- 
 try schools until he was about fifteen years 
 of age, when he began to learn the car- 
 penter's trade, at Butler. In early man- 
 hood he taught schools at Evans City and 
 Harmony, but his main business has been 
 in the line of his trade. He is a skilled 
 workman and has been very successful. 
 During the past two years he has erected 
 thirty-two houses in East Butler and has 
 had no difficulty in disposing of them as 
 soon as completed. He handles quite a 
 large amount of real estate. 
 
 Mr. Brandon married Mabel Lotz, who 
 is a daughter of William D. Lotz, of Read- 
 ing, Pennsylvania, and they have three 
 children, Agnes Ruth, Dorothy and Fran- 
 ces. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church and a liberal contributor to its 
 suppoi-t. He belongs to the Woodmen of 
 the World, the Odd Fellows and the Home 
 Guards of America. 
 
 LEWIS PARKS WALKER, better 
 known as " 'Squire Walker," is one of the 
 best-known residents of the city of Butler, 
 where he was born March 10, 1833. His 
 
908 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 IDareuts were David aud Jane (Gilliland) 
 Walker, and be is a grandson of Lewis 
 Walker, one of the earlj' settlers of But- 
 ler County. 
 
 Lewis Walker, who was a native of New- 
 buryport, Mass., emigrated to what is now 
 Allegheny County, Penna., with the Plum- 
 mer family, prior to the Revolutionary 
 AVar. He was about twenty-one years old 
 when he came to Butler County and set- 
 tled on an eight-hundred-acre tract of land, 
 in what is now Cranberry Township. Sub- 
 sequently he removed to Butler, of which 
 place he was an enterprising and prosper- 
 ous citizen, erecting several houses on 
 North Main Street. His death took place 
 in 1844. His wife was in maidenhood a 
 Miss Parks, and they had a family of eight 
 children, whose record in brief is as fol- 
 lows: John, now deceased, who resided in. 
 Cranberry Township; Parks, who died in 
 Wheeling, W. Va. ; David, who served as 
 quartermaster of the Seventy-eighth Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers, and died at Mercer s- 
 Imrg, Ky. ; Samuel, who died at Cincinnati, 
 Ohio; Simpson, who died in Washington, 
 D. C. ; Nathaniel, who died in Butler; 
 Mary, deceased, who was the wife of James 
 Borland ; and Keziah, who married James 
 Frazier and is also now deceased. 
 
 David Walker, son of Lewis, and father 
 of the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Cranberry Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., in 1803. His youth was spent on 
 the home farm, but later, giving up agri- 
 cultural pursuits, he went to Pittsburg, 
 where for some time he was engaged in 
 the manufacture of brick. He subsequent- 
 ly returned to Butler and established a 
 brick yard here, which, after carrying on 
 for several years, he sold in 1847 to his 
 brother Nathaniel. From this time until 
 1854 he was engaged in business as a 
 dealer in horses and cattle, which he drove 
 to the New York markets ; and subsequent- 
 ly to this he obtained and executed a con 
 tract for making a cut on the North West- 
 
 ern Railroad three miles below Butler. 
 His successful business career was cut 
 short by the opening of the Civil AVar and 
 not long after his life was brought to an 
 untimely end from the same cause. En- 
 listing in 1861 in Company H, Seventy- 
 eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, he served 
 with that regiment in the field until the ex- 
 posure and hardships incident to military 
 life resulted in his death, which occurred 
 in February, 1862. In politics he was at 
 first a Whig and later a Republican. He 
 served as justice of the peace in Butler 
 Township for ten years. He was a con- 
 sistent member and liberal supporter of 
 the Presbyterian Church of Butler. His 
 wife, Jane, was the daughter of John Gilli- 
 land, and their family numbered seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Elizabeth, who became the 
 wife of Rev. D. Hall ; Lewis P., whose 
 name appears at the head of this sketch; 
 Mary E., who married William Slack ; Ke- 
 ziah, wife of F. W. Rhoades ; Hugh B., de- 
 ceased; Sarah B., wife of 0. D. Levis; and 
 Martha J., wife of J. W. Yeaman. Mrs. 
 Jane AValker died in 1848. She was a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Lewis P. Walker, the direct subject of 
 this article, was well grounded in the ele- 
 ments of knowledge in the common schools, 
 and began industrial life under his father's 
 mentorship, remaining with the elder Wal- 
 ker until 1856. For eight years following 
 he was engaged in hauling goods between 
 Butler and Pittsburg. On the construc- 
 tion of the railroad he entered into the oil 
 business at Petroleum Center, Venango 
 County. He continued in business at this 
 point for about ten years, at the end of 
 which time, or in 1874, he returned to But- 
 ler, where he continued in the oil business 
 and was also engaged in the lumber busi- 
 ness up to 1880. " Mr. Walker filled the of- 
 fice of justice of the peace in Butler for 
 fifteen years and being subsequently ap- 
 pointed notary public has since served in 
 that office. He is one of the charter mem- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 909 
 
 bers of Butler Lodge, No. 94, A. 0. U. W., 
 and is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Cliurch. 
 
 Mr. Walker was married iu 1856 to 
 Mary D. Bell, of Butler, whose father, 
 William Bell, foi'merly of Warren, Penna., 
 constructed the second courthouse in But- 
 ler. Mrs. Walker died in 1901, having been 
 the mother of six children, as follows: 
 Emma J., a trained nurse formerly lo- 
 cated in Charlotte, N. C, now residing at 
 home'; William S., residing in Colorado, 
 who is a train dispatcher for the Denver 
 & Rio Grande; Harry L., who died at the 
 age of thirty-three years; Frank H., of 
 Butler ; Flora B., wife of Thomas E. Davis, 
 of Butler; and Mary L., wife of A. G. 
 Denny, residing on the old Walker home- 
 stead. 
 
 W. I. SIPE, proprietor of a general 
 store at Fenelton, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, is one of the most active and pro- 
 gressive men of that village and is identi- 
 fied with various business interests. He 
 was born on the old Sipe homestead in 
 Clearfield Township, which his father now 
 owns and which was settled at an early 
 date by his grandfather, John Sipe, Sr. 
 The date of his birth is June 8, 1879, and 
 he is a son of William S. and Callie (Pon- 
 tius) Sipe, his mother being now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Sipe was reared on the farm and 
 received his educational training in the old 
 Brady School, the Chicora High School 
 and the Cochranton Preparatory School, 
 being a graduate of those institutions. He 
 engaged in teaching in Butler County for 
 three years, after which he held a position 
 one year as traveling salesman. He then 
 purchased of F. P. Gormley the store he 
 now owns, and at first had W. "P. Sipe, his 
 brother, as a partner, later buying out his 
 interest. He came to this village in 1901 
 and has progressed with it, his stock hav- 
 ing been more than doubled in the time 
 which has since elapsed. He has contrib- 
 uted largely toward the development of 
 
 the community, identifying himself with 
 all measures and enterprises calculated to 
 be a benefit. He is an oil operator, hav- 
 ing a well in operation which promises 
 good results. He also is a prime mover 
 iu a telephone comjjany, now in its infancy, 
 which will give the farmers good service 
 at the minimum cost. Its lines will ter- 
 minate at the south border of the town, 
 and there connect with Chicora by trunks, 
 giving it the advantage of a large ex- 
 change. Mr. Sipe has a large acquaintance 
 throughout this section, and is most highly 
 esteemed. 
 
 September 10, 1901, W. I. Sipe was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth C. 
 Miller, a daughter of Nicholas and Mary 
 (Kratz) Miller. Her father was a well 
 known farmer and oil operator of Clear- 
 field Township. Three children were born 
 of this union: Harry Melanchthon Wes- 
 ley, deceased; Alberta Marie and Howard 
 Isaiah. Religiously, they are members of 
 the Methodist Church, and Mr. Sipe has 
 served as Sunday school superintendent 
 and class leader. He was formerly an ac- 
 tive member of the Woodmen of the World, 
 but since his removal to the village has 
 been unable to attend its meetings. 
 
 HENRY M. WISE, a sul)stantial citizen 
 and leading business man of Harmony, 
 where he conducts an extensive lumber 
 business, was born at Harmony, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, January* 1, IS.j-l, 
 and is a son of Jacob F. and Sarah 
 (Moyer) Wise. 
 
 The Wise family is of German extrac- 
 tion and it was established in Bucks Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, by the great-grand- 
 father. The grandfather, John AVise, was 
 born in Bucks County, there married and 
 then moved to a farm in Beaver County, 
 where he died, aged fifty years. His 
 widow lived to be eighty-eight vears old. 
 They had the following "^children : Jacob. 
 John, Killian, Samuel, Catherine, Marv, 
 Henry and Hannah. The survivors are: 
 
910 
 
 HISTOliY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 i\Jary, wife oi' lleury Moyer; llaunuli, 
 wife of John Y. Zeigler, and Samuel, who 
 Jives iu Beaver County. 
 
 Jacob F. Wise, fatlier of Henry M., was 
 born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jan- 
 uary 12, 1818, and accompanied his par- 
 ents to Beaver County. He married Sarah 
 Moyer, a daughter of Benjamin Moyer, 
 who came to Butler Count.y from east of 
 the Alleglicuv Mountains "and scltlcd in 
 Lancaster Townshiii. Tiic .\l,>yci- .■liildivu 
 were: Jolin, a\Iio died in Indiana; Henry, 
 who lives at Harmony; Samuel, who also 
 lives at Harmony; Elizabeth, deceased, 
 was the wife of Conrad Stamni, of Beaver 
 County; Sarah; Mary, deceased, who was 
 the wife of Peter Otto; Susan, who is the 
 widow of a Fosbeiner, and Catherine, wid- 
 ow of Peter Textor, formerly lived at 
 Pittsburg, but now resides in Jackson 
 Township. 
 
 When Jacob F. Wise came first to Jack- 
 son Township, Butler County, he went to 
 work for Abram Zeigler, whose daughter 
 he subsequently married, and to that union 
 tliere were born five children, namely: 
 Abiani, who died in infancy; Nancy, de- 
 ceased, who married Jacob Rice, of But- 
 ler; John and Jacob, twins, died aged 
 twenty-seven and twenty-eight years, re- 
 spectively; Mary, widow of Conrad Nick- 
 las, lives in Connoquenessing Borough. 
 The second marriage was to the mother of 
 Henry M. Wise and he was their second 
 child, the other members of the family be- 
 ing: Alfred, residing at Butler; Benja- 
 min, residing at Spokane, State of Wash- 
 ington; Susan, postmistress at Harmony, 
 and the widow of Jacob Fiedler; Levi, an 
 attorney at law, and the editor of the But- 
 ler Eagle; Sarah, widow of J. R. Moore, 
 of Ben Avon, Allegheny County; Israel, 
 residing on the old homestead farm near 
 Harmony; Noah, residing at Zelienople; 
 .Teremiah, deceased, and Catherine (de- 
 ceased), who married Edward Stnuffer. 
 The father of the above family followed 
 farming and his death took ]tla('e on the 
 
 liome farm near Harmony. The vener- 
 able mother of Mr. Wise died October 29, 
 1908, aged eighty-three years. 
 
 After completing the usual district 
 school course, Henry M. Wise attended 
 school in Zelienople for six months, where 
 better advantages were afforded. In 1870 
 he took charge of a distillery, which he 
 conducted until 1875. In the following 
 year he entered the Harmony Savings 
 r>;uik as ciisliicr and remained there until 
 J.SS4, when he embarked iu a liunber busi- 
 ness and has maintained his interest in 
 this line ever since, dealing extensively. 
 He has many other interests and is vice 
 president of the First National Bank of 
 Zelienople. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Wise was married to Miss 
 Jeanette Lusk, who is a daughter of the 
 late Dr. Joseph A. Lusk, formerly of Har- 
 mony, later of Butler, where he died. His 
 widow survives and resides in the latter 
 city. Mr. and Mrs. Wise have had two 
 children, Howard and Joseph, the latter 
 of whom died when aged eight months. 
 The former resides at Harmony and is as- 
 sociated with his father in the lumber busi- 
 ness. He married Miss Annie Anderson 
 of Rochester, Pa., a (laui;hter of Mrs. G. 
 Anderson, nml has one eliild, llenrv How- 
 ard, horn Xovenil.er I'A), 1!)0S. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wise are members of the 
 Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a 
 Republican and is serving in his third 
 term as justice of the peace. He is an in- 
 fluential member of his party and for a 
 number of years has served on the Re])ul)- 
 lican (Vuiiity Committee, lie is ideiilifieil 
 with the leading fraternal organizations, 
 belonging to Harmony Masonic Lodge, No. 
 429; ITarmony Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 
 6'i8; Harmony Knights of Pythias, No. 
 311 ; the Royal Arcanum, No. 698, and the 
 Knights of Maccabees. 
 
 JOHN R. HENNINGER, attorney at 
 law at Butler, where he is numbered with 
 the heading members of his profession, was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 911 
 
 boi'u April 12, 187U, in Penn Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Frederick Henninger. 
 
 Frederick Henninger was born in Ger- 
 many and came to Butler County in the 
 fifties. In 1868 he purchased his present 
 farm in Penn Township and is one of the 
 prominent men of the county. 
 
 John E. Henninger was rcai-tMJ on the 
 home farm and from the ctiiinlry schools 
 entered Edinboro and Clarion Slate Nor- 
 mal Schools, and was graduated from the 
 latter institution in 1892. While teaching 
 school he prepared for Dickin Law School 
 and was gradviated therefrom with the de- 
 gree of B. L., in 1896. He immediately 
 located at Butler. He has been concerned 
 in many important cases of litigation in 
 the local courts and in the Superior and 
 Supreme Courts. He is a member of the. 
 Butler County Bar Association. For three 
 years he served in the important office of 
 district attorney, being elected on the 
 Democratic ticket. On November 3, 1897, 
 Mr. Henninger was married to Miss Mar- 
 garet Weber, who was born also in Penn 
 Township. Mr. and Mrs. Henninger are 
 members of the English Lutheran Church 
 at Butler. 
 
 LEWIS B. OESTERLING, who owns a 
 fertile farm of fifty-seven acres, which is 
 situated just east of Carbon Center, on 
 the line separating Summit and Clearfield 
 Townships, carries on a general farming 
 business and engages in teaming wdien Iiis 
 land does not need his attention. He was 
 born in Brady's Bend, ^Vrmstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, May 18, 1868, and is a son 
 of Leonard and Margaret (Floor) Oester- 
 Hng, who are venerable and respected resi- 
 dents of Carbon Center. 
 
 Lewis B. Oesterling was less than two 
 years old when his parents came to Sum- 
 mit Township and here he was reared and 
 educated. He is the youngest son and 
 next to the youngest member of liis par- 
 ents' family of twelve children. He camo 
 
 to his present farm in the spring of 1905. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling married Clara Pfatf , who 
 is next to the youngest member of her par- 
 ents' family of nine children, the others 
 being: Mrs. Margaret McMillen, Anna 
 Catherine, Harry, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth 
 Fennel, Mrs. Freda Faber, Mrs. Louisa 
 Esler, Mrs. Laura Cowan and William. 
 All are living except Mrs. Fennel, who died 
 May 26, 1908. The parents of Mrs. Oes- 
 terling were Nicholas and Anna Margaret 
 (Reibold) Pfaff, both of whom were born 
 in Germany. The father came to Amer- 
 ica when he was twenty years of age and 
 tlie mother w^hen aged eleven years. They 
 lived at Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, 
 where the father worked for a time in the 
 coal mines and then bought the farm on 
 which he died in 1904. The mother still 
 survives. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Oesterling have three chil- 
 dren: Leonard Paul, Nicholas Pfaff and 
 Anna Margaret. The family belong to 
 the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 JACOB C. BRANDON, Justice of the 
 Peace in the borough of Connoquenessing, 
 l)elongs to one of the old and substantial 
 families of Butler County. He owns a 
 valuable farm of sixty-eight acres, situ- 
 ated in Connoquenessing Township, but 
 he was born in Forward Township, Janu- 
 ary 15, 1844. His parents were John W. 
 and iiutli .\ini Catherine (Beighley) Bran- 
 don. 
 
 .lohu W. Brandon, father of Jacob C., 
 was born in Foi*ward Township, Butler 
 Couuty, Pennsylvania, September 6, 1814, 
 a son of John and Sarah Brandon. He 
 grew to manhood under the parental roof 
 and then acquired land of his own, in Con- 
 mxiueuessing Township, where he engaged 
 in farming through life and died there Sep- 
 tember 9, 1890. This farm became widely 
 known for its richness in oil. In early life 
 he was a Whig and later a Republican, but 
 during his last years was affiliated with 
 the Prohibition party and served as chair- 
 
912 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 mau of its county committee. He served 
 one term as county commissioner and for 
 many 3^ears was a justice of the peace. 
 He was a leading member of the Mt. Nebo 
 Presbyterian Church and one of its elders. 
 John W. Brandon married Ruth Ann Cath- 
 erine Beighley, December 24, 1840. She 
 was -born in Connoquenessing Township, 
 Butler County, March 17, 1820, and still 
 survives. This venerable lady is a mem- 
 ber of the Second Presbyterian Church at 
 Butler. There were ten children born to 
 this marriage, as follows : William W., 
 residing in Connoquenessing Township; 
 Sarah Jane, wife of Peter H. Eckert, of 
 Kansas ; Jacob C. ; John Calvin, deceased ; 
 Susan, wife of John A. Brandon, of Con- 
 noquenessing Township; Martha Elmina, 
 wife of Samuel Wright, of Zelienople; 
 Quincy, deceased; Washington D. ; James 
 E. and Junius, deceased. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, John Bran- 
 don, was of Dutch extraction. He served 
 in the War of 1812 and was the founder 
 of the family in Butler County. It was 
 remarkable that he should have become a 
 man of importance and means in the new 
 settlement, as he suffered all the rest of 
 his life from injuries received during his 
 military service. His father, William 
 Brandon, was born in Holland and be- 
 longed to the House of Brandenburg. He 
 was a soldier in his own land before com- 
 ing to the Colonies and served in*the Pa- 
 triot army through the whole of the Revo- 
 lutionary War. After its close, William 
 Brandon settled in Mercer Cormty, Penn- 
 sylvania, but did not long survive. He 
 married Sarah Livingston, who came of a 
 French Huguenot family, who had escaped 
 from France and gone first to Scotland 
 and subsequently crossed the Atlantic and 
 settled in Eastern Pennsylvania. They 
 had six sons. In religious faith the fam- 
 ily has been Presbyterian for generations. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of Jacob C. 
 Brandon was Jolm Beighley. He was 
 born in Westmoreland Countv, Pennsvl- 
 
 ^■ania, and was four years old when his 
 parents brought him to Butler Coimty. 
 The family lived in Connoquenessing 
 Township, where John Beighley followed 
 milling for a time and then went as a pio- 
 neer to Wisconsin, where both he and his 
 wife died. He was a soldier in the War of 
 1812. His father was Henry Beighley, 
 who was also born in Westmoreland Coun- 
 ty, and his father, the great-great-grand- 
 father of J. C. Brandon, was born on the 
 sea during tlie passage of his parents from 
 Germany to America. The tracing of these 
 old families brings to light many interest- 
 ing facts and in considering the exploits 
 of these hardy people who dared so much 
 and faced so bravely the hardships which 
 met them on every side, the conviction 
 must be forced on their descendants that 
 they were, indeed, people of intrinsic worth 
 and forebears whose deeds and virtues de- 
 serve to make their names perpetuated. 
 
 Jacob C. Brandon was reared on the 
 home farm and obtained his education in 
 the district schools. He has always been 
 interested in farming to some degree, and 
 is a skilled carpenter, doing all his own 
 work in this line and quite a large amount 
 for his neighbors. In 1868 Mr. Brandon 
 went to Kansas, taking up a homestead 
 there and remained in Washington Coun- 
 ty, in that State, until 1873. For fifteen 
 years prior to 1905, he engaged in the 
 iorick manufacturing business, first at 
 Grove City, in 1891, removing his plant to 
 Butler, wiiere he continued the business 
 until 1905, giving employment to about fif- 
 teen workmen. He then returned to the 
 farai and gives attention to its cultivation, 
 although he has other interests that also 
 claim his attention. Formerly this farm 
 was very rich in oil and there remains one 
 very valuable producing well. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Brandon is a 
 Prohibitionist. He has always been a 
 loyal citizen and in August, 1862, lie en- 
 listed in Company D, One Hundred Thirty- 
 seventh Pennsvlvania '^^olunteer Infantry, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 915 
 
 and served nine months in the Army of the 
 Potomac. He has never sought political 
 office, but on many occasions his fellow 
 citizens have elected him to positions of 
 civic responsibility. He is serving his 
 township at present as assessor and in the 
 office of justice of the peace. He was one 
 of the organizers of the Connoquenessing 
 Telephone Company, a very prosperous 
 local enterprise, of which he is secretary. 
 Mr. Brandon was married (first) to Miss 
 Nancy Steen, a daughter of William Steen. 
 of Connoquenessing Township, and six of 
 their children grew to maturity, namely: 
 William J., a United Presbyterian minis- 
 ter, who is a missionary in the Punjaub 
 District, India; Ella, who is the wife of 
 Rev. John A. Erbe, of Perrysville, Ohio; 
 Cameron G., who resides at Butler; Ethel 
 Clare, who is the wife of C. B. Miller, su- 
 perintendent of the Hammond Steel Car 
 Works, and Orry Dight and Loyal J., both 
 at home. The mother of these children 
 died May 31, 1901, aged fifty-seven years. 
 She was a consistent member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. Mr. Brandon was 
 married (second) to Miss Mary White, of 
 Mercer County. They are leading mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 LEONARD OESTERLING., Sr., a well 
 known and much esteemed resident of Car- 
 bon Center, residing on his valuable farm 
 of 100 acres, was born in the hai'bor of 
 Bremen, Germany, after his parents had 
 embarked for America, April 18, 1831, and 
 was two weeks old when the vessel got 
 imder way. He is a son of John and Eliza- 
 beth (Ripper) Oesterling. 
 
 After reaching Pennsylvania, the par- 
 ents of Mr. Oesterling settled on a farm 
 in Summit Township, Butler County, near 
 the present village of Herman, but in six 
 weeks' time moved to a more desirable 
 place, the old Oesterling homestead, which 
 is situated near where the Summit road 
 crosses the old State road, in Summit 
 
 Township. Both parents died on that 
 farm. 
 
 Leonard Oesterling was about six years 
 old when his father and mother settled on 
 the old farm above mentioned and he con- 
 tinued to live there until he was twenty- 
 one, when he married and afterward re- 
 sided for a year and a half on a rented 
 farm in Summit Township and then moved 
 to Brady's Bend, Armstrong County. For 
 sixteen following years, Mr. Oesterling 
 worked in the rolling mills there and then 
 returned to Summit Township, buying his 
 present farm in 1870. He continued to 
 work two more years in Armstrong 
 County, in the mills and then took up his 
 residence in Summit Township, where he 
 engaged in farming until a few years 
 since, when he retired, turning the active 
 operation of the farm over to his sons. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Oesterling was married to 
 Margaret Floor, who was born in Ger- 
 many and was eighteen years old when 
 she came to America, leaving her parents 
 in the old country. Of Mr. and Mrs. Oes- 
 terling 's children two died at birth. The 
 survivors were as follows : John, who 
 owns over 100 acres of land in Summit 
 Township, is a well known citizen; Mary, 
 who is the widow of William Kellerman, 
 resides in Summit Township; Adam, who 
 died aged nine months; Leonard, Jr., a 
 substantial farmer of Summit Township; 
 George, who died aged one year; Simon, 
 who died aged nine months; Maggie, wlio 
 married Morgan Davis, of Butler; Will- 
 iam, who is a farmer and oil man of Sum- 
 mit Coimty; Lewis Benjamin, who is also 
 one of Summit Township's representative 
 men ; Emma, who died aged one year ; and 
 Annie, who is the wife of William Regar, 
 of Clearfield Township. Mr. OesterKng is 
 a member of the German Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 LEONARD OESTERLING, Jr., gen- 
 eral farmer in Summit Township near 
 
916 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Carbon Center, residing on his farm of 
 fifty acres, has also been engaged in oil 
 contracting for the past twenty years. He 
 was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 29, 1856, 
 and is a son of Leonard and Margaret 
 (Floor) Oesterling. 
 
 The venerable parents of Mr. Oesterling 
 still survive and reside at Carbon Center, 
 aged respectively eighty and seventy- 
 seven years. The father was born on the 
 ship on which his parents had embarked 
 for America, before it left the harbor of 
 Bremen, Germany, and his infant cries 
 were lulled by the sounds of the sea dur- 
 ing the long passage. His father, John 
 Oesterling, brought his wife and infant 
 son to Summit Township, Butler County. 
 The latter grew to manhood on the home 
 farm and after his marriage he moved to 
 Ai-mstrong County, where, for twenty- 
 three years he worked as a puddler in the 
 rolling mills. In 1869 he bought and 
 moved to the farm on which he still lives, 
 it adjoining the one owned by his son, 
 Leonard. 
 
 Leonard Oesterling, Jr... was fourteen 
 years of age when his parents returned to 
 Summit Township and this has been his 
 home ever since. For twenty years lie 
 has been in the oil business as a contractor 
 driller and is well and favorably known 
 over the whole district. He is also a suc- 
 cessful farmer. His property was first 
 purchased by his father from the heirs of 
 Joseph Gold, and in 1895 Mr. Oesterling 
 bought it of his father and has made the 
 many excellent improvements, including 
 the building of house and barns. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling married Rachel Knouse, 
 who is a daughter of Andrew Knouse, a 
 well known citizen, and they have six chil- 
 dren, namely: Lewis Edward, who oper- 
 ates a pumping station for the Standard 
 Oil Company at New Cumberland, West 
 Virginia ; Annie, who is the wife of Henry 
 Carter, of Little Washington, Pennsyl- 
 vania; Ilan-v, who is engaged in a black- 
 
 smith business at Carbon Center ; Leonard 
 La Verne, who is employed in a pumping 
 station at Clymer, Butler County; and 
 Earl and Gertrude. Mr. Oesterling and 
 family belong to the German Lutheran 
 Church at Butler. 
 
 J. EMORY BRANDON, well known 
 resident of Butler, where he is identified 
 with manufacturing interests, had been a 
 representative of the Equitable Life Insur- 
 ance Company for almost a decade and has 
 been a resident of this city for the past 
 sixteen years. He was born in 1857, in 
 Connoquenessing Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of John W. 
 Brandon. 
 
 The Brandon family is a pioneer one of 
 this county and it was established by the 
 grandfather, John Brandon, in early days. 
 The late John W. Brandon was born in 
 Foreward Township, where his life was 
 partly spent, his business being agricul- 
 ture. 
 
 J. Emory Brandon was mainly reared 
 on the family farm, where he resided until 
 he was thirty-three years of age, engaged 
 in farming. When failing health indicated 
 that he must change his mode of life, he 
 left the farm and moved to Butler, where, 
 with the exception of two winters spent 
 in Florida, he has lived ever since. He 
 controls a large territory in the interest of 
 the Equitable Company and does a propor- 
 tionate amount of insurance business. He 
 is interested also in the Spang Manufac- 
 turing Company. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Brandon was married to 
 Miss Nannie Rose, of Mercer County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have had three 
 children, Rose and Elmer, both of whom 
 are making very satisfactory records at 
 school, and Marie Catherine (deceased). 
 Mr. Brandon is one of the leading mem- 
 bers of the Second Presbyterian Church 
 and a member of the Sessions. His inter- 
 est in politics is that of a fair-minded citi- 
 zen who desires to see the laws upheld and 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 917 
 
 the community advanced in biisiuess, edu- 
 cation and morals. 
 
 GEORGE FORCHT, for the past thirty 
 years auditor of Summit Township, re- 
 sides on an excellent farm of eighty acres 
 on which he has an oil well which has been 
 constantly producing for the past thirty- 
 one years and is one of the oldest in the 
 township. He was born on this farm 
 ]March 19, 1852, and is a son of John and 
 ]\[argaret (Eitenmiller) Forcht. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Forcht were natives 
 of Germany. They came to America in 
 youth and were married at Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, where they lived for twenty 
 years, the father following his trade of 
 saddler.- Of their eleven children, five sur- 
 vive, namely: John P., residing at But- 
 ler; William G., residing in western Can- 
 ada; George; Albert, residing at Hazel, 
 South Dakota ; and Amelia, wife of Henry 
 Grohmau, residing at Butler. In 1850, the 
 parents of Mr. Forcht moved on this farm 
 where they continued to live imtil 1879, 
 when they retired to Butler, where the 
 mother died when, aged eighty-five years, 
 and the father when aged ninety-four 
 years. 
 
 George Forcht has followed farming all 
 his life and has been interested in the oil 
 business to the extent of pumping his own 
 wells. He has had nine wells drilled on 
 his land, six of them proving active, but 
 none are at present operative with the one 
 exception above mentioned. ]\Ir. Forcht 
 married Emma E. Grohman, and they 
 have had a family of ten children born to 
 them, namely: William J., who is a drug- 
 gist at Butler; Gertrude, who lives at 
 home; Lillian, who is a stenographer re- 
 siding at Pittsburg; Verna, who married 
 Archie Schenck, has one child, Earl; and 
 Howard, Arnold, Edna, Arthur, Walter 
 and Margaret. The family home is a com- 
 modious frame residence which Mr. Forcht 
 Imilt in 1889. He is a man of consequence 
 in his community and his fellow citizens 
 
 have shown how highly they esteem him 
 by keeping him in the responsible office of 
 auditor for so many years. He is one of 
 the leading members of the German Lu- 
 theran Church at Butler. 
 
 JACOB KECK, who enjoys the distinc- 
 tion of being the oldest justice of the peace 
 at Butler, in point of service, having con- 
 tinuously filled the office for forty-one 
 years, has also been one of the city's use- 
 ful and active business men. He was born 
 in Germany, June 26, .1830, and came to 
 the United States when nineteen years of 
 age. 
 
 Mr. Keck came to Butler in 1850 and 
 after serving an apprenticeship to the cab- 
 inetmaker's trade, he worked for seven 
 years as a journeyman and then entered 
 into business as a cabinetmaker and un- 
 dertaker, at Butler, which business he con- 
 tinued for about thirty-three years. He 
 was active also in other lines, in 1884 being 
 interested in a book and stationery busi- 
 ness and also in a merchant tailoring busi- 
 ness. He also acquired property in the vi- 
 cinity of Butler and owns one of the rich 
 farms in the environs of the city. In a 
 business way he has been identified with 
 several organizations and at present is 
 serving as secretary of the AVorkmen's 
 Building and Loan Association of Butler. 
 In addition to the attention necessarily 
 given to these various business concerns, 
 Judge Keck has completely and efficiently 
 performed every duty attached to the of- 
 fice of justice of the peace. During this 
 period of forty-one years in office and the 
 handling of hundreds and hundreds of 
 cases and the peaceable adjusting of many 
 vexing problems, he has had not more than 
 six cases reversed by the higher courts, 
 and this fact indicates the legal ability and 
 sound judgment possessed by Judge Keck. 
 He has always taken a lively interest in 
 local politics and is a stanch adherent of 
 the Democratic party. 
 
 In 185.3 Mr. Keck was married (first) to 
 
918 
 
 HISTORY OF' BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Miss Margaret Kradel, who died in 1872, 
 leaving tliree children, namely: George 
 F., who is engaged in a merchant tailoring 
 business at Butler; Elizabeth, who is the 
 wife of Lewis Keck, residing at Butler; 
 and Louisa, who is the wife of Harry S. 
 Klingler, also of Butler. Mr. Keck was 
 married (second) to Miss Louise T. Trout- 
 man, who is a daiaghter of Adam Trout- 
 man, of Pittsburg. The two children of 
 the second marriage are : Theodore C. H., 
 who is a well-known attorney at Butler; 
 and Gertrude M., who lives at home. Mr. 
 Keck and family belong to the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 DR. JAMES HAMILTON RALSTON, 
 one of the leading physicians of Butler 
 County, located at Harmony, Pennsylva- 
 nia, was born January 7, 1865, and is a 
 son of William and Hannah (Riddle) Ral- 
 ston. 
 
 John Ralston, great-grandfather, of .pur 
 subject, was among the early settlers of 
 Butler County. He came here from 
 Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Penn- 
 sylvania, but first located at New Castle, 
 Ijawrence County, where he contemplated 
 building a mill, but owing to conditions 
 which he deemed not suitable for. building, 
 moved up to Slippery Rock, and about 
 1765 built the first mill in that locality. 
 John Ralston lived to an advanced age and 
 was the father of a large family of chil- 
 di-eu. He was a man of powerful physique, 
 a citizen of sterling worth, honorable and 
 true in business, and generous and reliable 
 in friendship. 
 
 William Ralston, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was born in 1800 at Slippery Rock, 
 now Centerville. In 18.30 he located on the 
 Little Connoquenessing and died there in 
 1898 at the advanced age of ninety-eight 
 years. He married Mary Sharp, who was 
 boi-n in Ireland and at the age of thirteen 
 years came to this country with her ]>ar- 
 ents, who locatedjiear Butler, Pennsylva- 
 nia. The following children were born to 
 
 the graudiDtirents of Dr. Ralston: John, 
 died in 1886 in Butler County ; James, who 
 died in Andersonville prison, owned a 
 small farm, which was purchased by his 
 father' after his death. Oil was discov- 
 ered on same later on, and there his father 
 erected a mill; Albert is engaged in busi- 
 ness in Oregon; William, father of sub- 
 ject, resides in Butler County; Mrs. Bri- 
 son Martin resides at Wliitestown, Butler 
 County; Martha married a Mr. Brown of 
 Unionville; Mary married Isaac McClung 
 of Unionville, Pennsylvania. 
 
 William Ralston, our subject's father, 
 was born near Butler, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is still living, and aJ- 
 though now in his seventy-second year, is 
 .still hale and hearty for one of his years. 
 He is a miller by trade and for many years 
 owned and operated a mill in Concord 
 township and also one in Prospect Bor- 
 ough. He married Hannah Riddle, who 
 was born in Franklin Township, Butler 
 (bounty, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of 
 Samuel Riddle, who was born and reared 
 at Prospect, where he died aged forty- 
 five years. Mrs. Riddle died aged forty- 
 two years. Mrs. Ralston had two sisters 
 and two brothers, namelj^: Matilda, mar- 
 ried Dr. Hamilton and died in California; 
 Rachel, married Robert Borland; Irwin, 
 died in Texas; and Hamilton, who served 
 in the United States Army, died in Ari- 
 zona. William Ralston and his estimable 
 wife were the parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Dr. Samuel Ralston, graduated 
 from the Jefferson Medical College and 
 also took a course of study at the Mt. 
 Union College of Ohio and at Grove City. 
 He married Mary Swain of Harmony, But- 
 ler County; Mary, deceased wife of Dr. R. 
 E. Redmond of Grove City ; Albert, whft . 
 attended the public schools and Prospect 
 Academy, married Eva Wagle of Pros- 
 pect. He is now deceased; James, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; and William, who re- 
 ceived his education at Prospect, died un- 
 married. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 919 
 
 James Hamilton Ealston, our subject, 
 was reared at Prospect and obtained Ms 
 educational training at Grove City Col- 
 lege and at Mt. Union, Obio, after wbich 
 he took a four-years' course at Jefferson 
 Medical College, graduating in 1901. Dr. 
 Ealston first embarked in the practice of 
 his profession at Slate Lick, Armstrong 
 County. In November, 1904, he located 
 at Harmony, where he now enjoys a lucra- 
 tive practice as well as the confidence and 
 esteem of all those with whom be has been 
 brought in contact. 
 
 In 1885, when just twenty years of age, 
 Dr. Ealston was united in marriage at 
 Dayton, Ohio, with Theodosia Thayer, a 
 daughter of Oscar Thayer of that city. 
 The great-grandfather of Mrs. Ealston 
 served two terms as mayor of Cincinnati, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Five children have been born to Dr. and 
 Mrs. Ealston: Mary C, wife of Floyd 
 Wengel of Harmony, has one child, Bruce; 
 William, aged nineteen years, is still at 
 home ; Samuel, is in Virginia ; Irwin, lives 
 at home; Camilla. Fraternally, Dr. Eal- 
 ston is a member of the Knights of Pyth- 
 ias, and the K. 0. T. M. He is also a 
 member of the American Medical Associa- 
 tion, the Medical Association of Pennsyl- 
 vania and the Butler County Medical As- 
 sociation. He is a Eeijublican in politics, 
 as were all of his ancestors. 
 
 FEEW H. STEWAET, general farmer 
 and prominent citizen of Connoquenessiug 
 Township, residing on his valuable farm of 
 150 acres, was born in Lancaster Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, June 
 25, 1871, and is a son of Archibald G. and 
 Mary (Hays) Stewart. 
 
 The Stewart family is a very old one in 
 Pennsylvania, and, as the name indicates, 
 may be traced to Scotland. Eobert Stew- 
 art, the great-great-grandfather of Frew 
 H., was an early settler in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, and served in the 
 Eevolutionary War. He remained in the 
 
 military service of the State, as his name 
 in 1781 is on the pay roll of Captain 
 Evans' company, Second Pennsylvania 
 Eegiment. His laome was in a remote re- 
 gion, with the nearest neighbor fifteen 
 miles distant. In 1796 he came to Butler 
 County and located at Stewartsville, now 
 Portersville, where he was appointed the 
 first postmaster. He married Margaret, 
 daughter of Colonel Christy, also a Eevo- 
 lutionary soldier, and a settler at Porters- 
 ville, in 1800. Of the eleven children born 
 to this marriage, Samuel was the eldest 
 son. 
 
 Samuel Stewart, the great-grandfather 
 of Frew H. Stewart, probably accompa- 
 nied his parents to Butler County, as rec- 
 ords show that he built a cabin on the west 
 side of Portersville and lived on tlie farm 
 now owned by the Cheesman family. In 
 1803 he moved to Connoquenessiug Town- 
 shi^D, purchasing a farm in the woods. He 
 married Nancy Scott, a daughter of John 
 Scott, and of their twelve children, Will- 
 iam was the second born. 
 
 William Stewart, grandfather of Frew 
 H., was born in Connoquenessiug Town- 
 ship, in 1805, and in boyhood went to live 
 with his Grandfather Scott on a farm west 
 of Mouudsville. He remained there into 
 early manhood and then returned to his 
 father's farm, which he helped to clear 
 and later purchased sixty acres of its 
 northern part. In 1827 he married Eliza 
 Frew, who was born in 1806, a daughter of 
 John Frew, of Lawrence County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they had eight children, Archi- 
 bald G. being the sixth in order of birth 
 and the youngest son. They were among 
 the foimders of the Moundsville United 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Archibald G. Stewart was born in Lan- 
 caster Township, Butler County, Pennsvl- 
 vauia, April 30, 1838. He attended C. H. 
 Dimlap's Normal School at Prospect and 
 prepared himself for teaching and spent 
 several years alternately working the home 
 farm and teaching school. He remained on 
 
920 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 the home place about one and one-lialf 
 years after bis marriage, and tben moved 
 to Wortb Township. In the spring of 
 1864, he enlisted for service in the Civil 
 War, entering Company A, Sixth Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. This 
 regiment was niade guard of General Sher- 
 idan's supply train and during almost the 
 whole period of service, until the close of 
 the war, was detailed for this important 
 work. After he returned from the army, in 
 the fall of 1865, Mr. Stewart sold his AVorth 
 Township farm and moved into Lancaster 
 Township, where he lived for seven years 
 and then returned to Worth Township for 
 four years, in the spring of 1876, settling 
 on the farm now owned by his son, Frew 
 H. Here Mr. Stewart continued to reside 
 until the fall of 1899, when he retired to 
 Grove City, where he is one of the highly 
 esteemed older citizens. He belongs to the 
 Grand Army Post there and formerly was 
 both chaplain and commander of the Pros- 
 pect Post. During his years of residence 
 in Gonnoquenessing Township, he served 
 as a justice of the peace and in numerous 
 other offices, being school director, tax col- 
 lector and overseer of the poor. On May 
 22, 1862, he married Mary E. Hays, who 
 is a daughter of William Hays, of Lancas- 
 ter Township, and of their eight children, 
 the following five grew to maturity : Anna, 
 who resides with her aged i^iarents at 
 Grove City, is the widow of J. W. McJun- 
 kin; Frew H. ; Frank W., who is a prac- 
 ticing physician at Colfax, Iowa; Herbert 
 W., a graduate of Grove City College, who 
 is now a student in the Western Theolog- 
 ical Seminary at Allegheny; and Roy M., 
 residing at home, who is a telegraph "oper- 
 ator at Grove City. The parents are mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian Churcli and for 
 many years the father was a ruling elder 
 in the Mt. Nebo Church. 
 
 Frew H. Stewart has devoted himself 
 almost exclusively to agricultural pursuits, 
 having received thorough training under 
 his father. About one-fifth of his large es- 
 
 tate is timbered. He raises corn, oats, 
 wheat, hay, potatoes and buckwheat, util- 
 izing improved machinery and carrying on. 
 his operations after the most approved 
 methods. He keeps about twenty head of 
 cattle and nine milch cows, and makes- 
 choice butter for private customers at But- 
 ler. 
 
 Mr. Stewart married Miss Sarah Dutter,. 
 who is a daughter of Jesse Dutter, of 
 Franklin Township, Butler County. They 
 are members of the Mt. Nebo Presbyterian 
 Church, Mr. Stewart being one of the eld- 
 ers. He is affiliated with the Republican 
 party, but has always declined political 
 office. 
 
 HENRY KECK, one of Summit Town- 
 ship's well known citizens and general 
 farmers, resides on his farm of eighty 
 acres, which is situated adjacent to Green- 
 wood Cemetery, which propertj^ once was 
 a part of this farm. Mr. Keck was born 
 on a farm in Smnmit Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, one and one-half 
 miles distant from this one, Felu-uary 28, 
 1854, and is a son of Martin ami Mary 
 (Rimp) Keck. 
 
 Martin Keck and wife were lx)th )x)rn in 
 Germany and both came unmarried to But- 
 ler County and they were later married at 
 Summit. The Kecks and the Rimps owned 
 adjoining farms. There were six children 
 born to Martin Keck and wife, namely: 
 John, while working on a steamboat on 
 the Mississipisi River, near Memphis, was 
 attacked by cholera and died there; Mat- 
 thias, who died aged fifty-two years, reared 
 a family of nine children; Lewis, who is a 
 foreman in the plate glass works, lives in 
 Butler ; Christian ; Henry, and Philip, who 
 follows the blacksmith business in Union 
 County, Iowa. The father of this familv 
 died in October, 1886. The venerable 
 mother, who will celebrate her ninety-first 
 birthday on October 18, 1908, resides with 
 her son Henry. 
 
 Henry Keek was born on the old Rimp 
 
ROBERT E. GALLAGHER. D. D. S. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 923 
 
 farm, but was small when liis parents 
 moved to the old Keck farm and there he 
 was reared. He has lived on his present 
 farm since the fall of 1877 and some years 
 ago sold the land to the township which 
 now is Greenwood Cemetery. With the 
 exception of one summer, during which 
 he worked on a steamboat running- on the 
 Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, he has been 
 engaged in general farming and trucking 
 all his mature life. After his marriage he 
 settled on this farm which was the old 
 homestead of his father-in-law, Adam Ret- 
 tig, who owned three farms in the town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Keck married Christina Rettig and 
 they have nine children, namely: Minnie, 
 who married Henry Kurtz, has four chil- 
 dren, Gilbert, Elinor, Merle and Alberta; 
 Bertha, who married Harry Bowsher; 
 Charles, who married Lillie Cradle, has 
 one child, Florence; Amelia, who married 
 Lewis Frederick, has one child, Leroy ; 
 Philip, who works in the glass works at 
 Butler; Lillie, who lives at home; Ferdi- 
 nand, who is engaged in farming in Michi- 
 gan, and Herman and Oliver, both reside 
 at home. Mr. Keck and family belong to 
 fhe German Lutheran Church. Mr. Keck 
 is interested in the public schools and 
 served four years as school director in his 
 district. 
 
 ROBERT EDGAR GALLAGHER, D. 
 D. S., a prominent professional man at 
 Zelienople, is also identified with its busi- 
 ness interests, being treasi;rer of the 
 Home Realty Company, and interested in 
 other enterprises. Dr. Gallagher was 
 l)orn in Worth Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, October 14, 1865, and is a 
 son of William and Sophia C. (Coulson) 
 Gallagher. 
 
 The parents of Dr. Gallagher were both 
 l)orn in Butler Countv, and the mother 
 still survives. The father died in 1870, 
 aged fiftv- seven years. He was a farmer 
 
 for many years in Worth Township. The 
 Gallagher family is an old pioneer one of 
 this part of Pennsylvania and was 
 founded in Butler Coimty by John Galla- 
 gher, the great-grandfather of Dr. Galla- 
 gher. He came with his family from 
 County Down, Ireland. James Gallagher, 
 the eldest son of John and the grandfather 
 of Dr. Gallagher, was small when he ac- 
 com]ianied his jaarents to America. He 
 was twice married, his first wife being 
 Sarah Forester and they lived and died 
 in Muddy Creek Township, Butler County. 
 They had three children, the son becoming 
 the "father of Dr. Gallagher. The latter 
 had five brothers and sisters, namely: 
 James, deceased ; John, who resides near 
 Petersville; Hannah, who is the wife of 
 Harry M. Lebengood and resides at Cam- 
 den, New Jersey; Stella, who is the wife 
 of Lewis Smith, of Beaver Falls ; Malissa, 
 who is the wife of John Kelly and resides 
 at Zelienople. 
 
 Dr. Gallagher attended the country 
 schools in Worth Township until he was 
 fifteen years old and then became a stu- 
 dent at Witherspoon Institute, at Butler, 
 following which he taught school for some 
 five years. In 1895 he entered the Penn- 
 sylvania College of Dental Surgery at 
 Philadelphia, where he was graduated in 
 the class of 1898 and then located in that 
 city and practiced there for seven years. 
 In 1905 he came to Zelienople where his 
 skill has built up a large and lucrative 
 pi'actice. Dr. Gallagher keeps fully 
 abreast of the times in his profession and 
 is a member of the C. N. Peirce Dental 
 Society and also of the W^estern Pennsyl- 
 vania Odontological Society. He belongs 
 to Cosmopolitan Lodge, No. 433, Knights 
 of Pythias, at Philadelphia, and to the 
 Knights of Maccabee at Zelienople. Po- 
 litically he is a Republican. He retains 
 his college membership with Psi Omega 
 fraternity. He is a member of the Episco- 
 l>al Church. 
 
924 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 EDWIN MEEDER, oue of the foremost 
 merchants of Butler County, and the pres- 
 ent nominee of the Democratic party for 
 rej^resentative from this district, was born 
 in Connoquenessing Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., January 24, 1864, son of 
 George and Lena (Millerman) Meeder. 
 
 His parental grandfather was Tobias 
 Meeder, a native of Germany, who emi- 
 grated to this country, bringing his fam- 
 ily with him, and settling in Summit Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., near the 
 present site of Summit Station. He was 
 there engaged in farming, but subsequent- 
 ly moved to Connoquenessing Township. 
 He and his wife were the parents of six 
 children — Frederick, George, Tobias, Sa- 
 lome, Magdalena and Caroline. Freder- 
 ick married Caroline Hoelin and lived and 
 died in Cranberry Township. George was 
 the father of the subject of this sketch and 
 is mentioned more fully in the succeeding 
 paragraph of this article. Tobias married 
 Caroline Gerwig and is now a retired 
 farmer. He has resided in Butler County 
 since 1850 — thirteen years in Summit, from 
 there to Cranberry Township, and thence 
 to Zelienople, of which place he is now a 
 resident. Salome, who became the wife of 
 John Troll, removed to Minnesota and is 
 now deceased. Magdalena, who was the 
 wife of Victor Buch, moved to Milwaukee, 
 in which city she died. Caroline, who mar- 
 ried Christopher Vogus, died in Wiscon- 
 sin. The father of these children died in 
 1873 at the age of seventy-three years; 
 the mother died in Germany aged forty- 
 eight years. 
 
 George Meeder, who was born in Ger- 
 many January 26, 1828, settled here about 
 1848. He married Lena Millerman, who 
 is still living, and they were the parents 
 of ten children, of whom four sons and 
 five daughters still survive. Their record 
 in brief is as follows: Phillip, born in 
 May, 1856, now resides on a farm in Con- 
 noquenessing Township; he married Jean- 
 ette Ramsey of Cranberry Township. Ed- 
 
 win was born in 1864. Albert H. married 
 Miss Hensel of Zelienople. Theodore W. 
 resides in Cleveland ; he married a lady of 
 Mansfield, Ohio, and travels for H. J. 
 Heinz & Co. Magdalena is the wife of 
 Dale Thom, of Connoquenessing Township, 
 a farmer. Margaret married Jacob 
 Shieves, a farmer of Connoquenessing 
 Township. Catherine became the wife of 
 Henry Ashe, of Saxonburg, a blacksmith, 
 and moved to Tareutum, Allegheny Coun- 
 ty, where her husband died. Caroline be- 
 came the wife of George Harris of New 
 Castle, a butcher. Dora first married Will- 
 iam Barnhart, a farmer of Connoquenes- 
 sing Township, and after his death be- 
 came the wife of George Preston, a moul- 
 der of New Brighton, Penna. 
 
 The father of the above mentioned chil- 
 dren died March 6, 1908, when in his 
 eighty-first year. 
 
 Edwin Meeder acquired his literary edu- 
 cation at Witherspoon Institute and Curry 
 University, Pittsburg. He then spent three 
 years teaching in Butler County, after 
 which he taught two years in Minnesota, 
 and then entered into a mercantile busi- 
 ness, in which he continued for a year. He 
 married in Minnesota and then, in 1887, 
 returned to Zelienople, where he was clerk 
 in a stoi'e imtil the spring of 1892. His 
 next industrial employment was as trav- 
 eling salesman, in which he continued for 
 about two years and a half, or until the 
 fall of 1894. For two years thereafter he 
 was engaged in settling the estate of Mr. 
 Ifft. In 1896 he founded the mercantile 
 firm of A. II. Meeder & Co., the business 
 being carried on for eight years subse- 
 quently under that style. In 1904 the part- 
 nership was dissolved, since which time 
 Mr. Meeder has been in business alone. 
 His establishment, which is devoted to gen- 
 eral merchandise, is the largest in the 
 county outside Butler, it having grown 
 from "$8,000 to $50,000 per annum. Mr. 
 Meeder is secretary and treasurer of the 
 Zelienople Light & Power Company, and 
 
AND.. REPRESENTAT[\'E CITIZENS 
 
 925 
 
 for a time was first viee-president of the 
 First National Bank of Zelienople. lie 
 lias been a Democrat from his earliest 
 years of responsibility, and has taken an 
 active part in local politics. Without 
 seeking it he received the nomination for 
 representative on the Democratic ticket in 
 1908, and there can be no donbt, if his 
 business and personal records afford any 
 clue, that he would make an acceptable 
 public servant. 
 
 Mr. ]\Ieeder was married, in 1887, to 
 Miss Ida EUing, a daughter of Henry El- 
 ling of Carver County, Minn. Their fam- 
 ily includes two daughters and three sons 
 — Lillian, Lena, Clarence, Victor and Ells- 
 worth. 
 
 EVERETT L. RALSTON, attorney at 
 law, at Butler, is a representative of one 
 of the oldest families of Butler County. 
 He was born in 1857, in what is now the 
 borough of Slippery Rock, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a. son of John Rals- 
 ton. 
 
 John Ralston was born in Slippery Rock 
 Township, Butler Coimty, where his par- 
 ents were pioneers, about 1837. He learned 
 the carpentertrade, but his life was main- 
 ly devoted to agricultural pursuits. He 
 was a man of quiet -unambitious life and 
 his death took place-in the section in which 
 he was born. 
 
 Everett L. Ralston was afforded excel- 
 lent educational advantages and in 1881 
 he was graduated from Grove City Col- 
 lege. Prior to this he had,laught school 
 and following his graduation he entered 
 upon the study of law under the preceptor- 
 ship of Hon. Charles McCandless and was 
 admitted to the bar in 1885. For a time 
 he was in partnership witli John M. Greer 
 and later with J. B. Greer, a son of Judge 
 Greer, the latter partnership continuing 
 for some years. Since it was dissolved he 
 has practiced alone, both in the local 
 courts, the Supreme Court of the State 
 and the United States District C^urt. He 
 
 has gained high staudiug iu his [>rofession 
 and on many occasions has been counsel 
 in very important cases of litigation, in 
 many of which he secured full justice for 
 his clients. He is a member of the Butler 
 County Bar Association. 
 
 Mr. Ralston was married iu 1889 to Miss 
 Carrie H. Smith, who is a daughter of 
 W. P. Smith, of Center Township, Butler 
 -County, and they have three children: 
 Charles E., who is a student at Grove City 
 College, his father's alma mater; J. Perry 
 and Robert Clifford, who are students in 
 the Butler High School. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ralston are members of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. His fraternal connec- 
 tions are with the Knights of Pythias and 
 the Woodmen of the AVorld. 
 
 JOHN P. :\IILLER, a well known agri- 
 culturist of Summit Township, residing 
 on the farm of sixty-two acres which is 
 owned jointly by himself and wife, was 
 born at Butler, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, April 29, 1845, and is a son of An- 
 drew and Elizabeth (Nicholas) Miller. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Miller were born in 
 Germany. The father lived in his native 
 country until he reached young manhood 
 and then came to Butler Covmty, Pennsyl- 
 vania, securing work- in a tannery at Zel- 
 ienoi^le, where he remained for a time and 
 then went to Butler, where he established 
 the first brewery in the place. The moth- 
 er of John P. Miller was brought from 
 Germany to America when six years of 
 age by her father, Peter Nicholas, who set- 
 tled at Zelienople, where he reruained for 
 a few years and then moved to what was 
 then Clearfield, but what is now Summit 
 Township. Peter Nicholas liought a farm 
 near Herman, and there his daugliter Eliz- 
 abeth grew to young womanhood. Andrew 
 Aliller continued his brewery business at 
 Butler for a number of years, but retired 
 for some time before his death. 
 
 John P. Miller went to school through 
 bovhood and then began work in his fath- 
 
926 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 er's brewery and after his father retired 
 from business he continued the brewery 
 for some 3'ears and then turned his atten- 
 tion to farming. In March, 1880, Mr. Mil- 
 ler and wife came to their present farm, 
 one on which she had been reared from the 
 age of five years. Mr. Miller was mar- 
 ried at Butler to Rosanna Hoffman, who 
 was born at Petersburg, Huntington Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of 
 Conrad and Barbara (Wagner) Hoffman. 
 They were born in Germany, but were mar- 
 ried in America. Shortly after the mar- 
 riage of their daughter they rented the 
 farm in Summit Township and moved to 
 Butler, where both subsequently died. 
 This farm at one time was drilled in a 
 number of places for oil, and wells pro- 
 duced for a certain period, but at present 
 there is but one well in operation. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Miller have had eleven children 
 born to them and they also have a number 
 of grandchildren. The family record is as 
 follows: John Louis married Clara Tait 
 and they have six children. Mary Eliza- 
 beth married Robert Clay and they have 
 five children. Laura married John Knause 
 and they have one child. Charles E. mar- 
 ried Rose Gallagher and they have two 
 children. Emma married Benjamin Tait 
 and they have five children. Albert mar- 
 ried Lydia Frederick. Frank is a contract- 
 or and oil worker, and Lester R. and Lee 
 W. also reside at home. One babe died 
 unnamed and the third child. Flora, lived 
 but five months. 
 
 N. C. McCOLLOUGH, a prominent citi- 
 zen of Butler, attorney at law, oil producer 
 and an active politician, has been a resi- 
 dent of this city for some fifteen years. 
 He was born in 1864, in Fairview Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Peter and a grandson of William 
 McCoUough. 
 
 The founder of the MeCollough family 
 in Butler County was John McCoUough, 
 the great-grandfather of N. C. MeCol- 
 
 lough. Peter McCoUough, the father, was 
 a son of William McCoUough, and was 
 born in B'airview Township in 1835. For 
 many years he was a leading citizen and 
 large farmer in his native township and he 
 still survives, residing at Chicora, Penn- 
 sylvania. The old McCoUough j^roperty 
 was secured in 1799 and some member of 
 the family has resided on it until the pres- 
 ent. 
 
 On the old homestead, N. C. McCoUough 
 passed his boyhood, securing his education 
 first in the township schools and later at 
 Grove City College, where he was gradu- 
 ated in 1887. He then engaged in teaching 
 and followed this profession in Butler 
 County and later in Kansas and before 
 seriously taking up the study of law at 
 Butler, he served two terms as county su- 
 perintendent of schools. In 1897 he was 
 admitted to the bar and has been engaged 
 in practice ever since. Mr. McCoUough 
 owns large holdings in the oil fields of 
 Pennsylvania and is extensively engaged 
 as a producer. He is a stockholder in the 
 Guaranty Safe Dej^osit & Trust Company 
 and in other business concerns of impor- 
 tance. He is an ardent Republican and a 
 hard worker for his friends. For the past 
 two years he has been chairman of the 
 Republican County Committee. In 1907 
 Mr. ]\IcCollough was married to Miss Ame- 
 lia Sherman, a resident of Butler. They 
 are members of the English Lutheran 
 (Mnireli. Fraternally he is a Mason, an 
 Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias. 
 
 JOHN CRAMER, one of Summit Town- 
 ship's substantial and representative men, 
 resides on his fine farm of 137 acres, which 
 lies on the Kittanning turnpike, about six 
 miles east of Butler. He was born No- 
 vember 10, 1856, in Deer Creek Township, 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Jacob and Barbara Cramer. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Cramer removed 
 from Allegheny County to Clearfield 
 Township, Butler County, in his infancy 
 
JAMES A. Mcdowell 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 929 
 
 aud there he was reared. The mother died 
 on that farm, after which the father retired 
 to Butler, where he died in the spring of 
 1908. 
 
 John Cramer obtained his education in 
 the schools of Clearfield Township and as- 
 sisted his father on the farm until he was 
 twenty-five years old, when he purchased 
 some oil wells and has been interested in 
 the oil and gas business ever since. He 
 settled on his present farm on April 1, 
 1904, where he has much excellent farming 
 land and has three oil wells there, owning 
 a nimiber of other wells in other sections. 
 
 Mr. Ci'amer was married first to Eva 
 Langraf and had two children — Albert and 
 Mary. He married second Catherine Kirt, 
 who is a daughter of John Kirt and they 
 have the following children : Leo, Agatha, 
 Elinor, Walter and Cassia. Mr. Cramer is 
 one of the best known men in this part of 
 the country and his judginent in regard to 
 oil and gas territory is considered very 
 valuable. 
 
 FRANCIS WALLACE CUNNING- 
 HAM, a prominent dentist of Zelienople, 
 was born in this borough, a son of Dr. 
 Abelard V. and Jennie (Wallace) Cunning- 
 ham. His ])aternal grandfather was Dr. 
 Robert Ci;nningham, who was born in Lan- 
 caster County, Penua., in 1806, and who 
 spent his early life in that locality. He 
 was of Irish descent. Coming to Beaver 
 County he there purchased a farm in 
 North Sewickley Township, on which he 
 resided, and was for twenty-eight years 
 engaged in the practice of medicine. His 
 wife in maidenhood was Jane Allison, who 
 came of a prominent family in that local- 
 ity. They were the parents of seven chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Dr. Abelard V. Cunningham graduated 
 in medicine at the Jefferson Medical Col- 
 lege of Philadelphia and has been engaged 
 in the practice of his profession in Zelie- 
 nople for many years. He is a specialist 
 
 in the treatment of cancerous growths. He 
 is also examining surgeon for several of 
 the large life insurance companies. His 
 wife Jennie, to whom he was united in 
 ] 869, is a daughter of Francis and Adeline 
 (Ferguson) Wallace. Their family num- 
 bers in all nine children. 
 
 Francis Wallace Cunningham was 
 reared in his native village of Zelienople, 
 obtaining his primary education in the 
 common schools of the locality. He then 
 took a course of study in Geneva College, 
 and was graduated in dentistry at North 
 Pittsburg in 1905. The above-mentioned 
 studies were supplemented by a commer- 
 cial course in the New Castle Business Col- 
 lege. After thus qualifying himself in an 
 educational sense, he established himself 
 in Zelienople, where he is now engaged in 
 a successful practice as a dental surgeon. 
 In 1899 he was joined in marriage with 
 Sadie Thomas, a daughter of AVilliam and 
 Jane (Martin) Thomas, of Johnstown, 
 Penna. Dr. and Mrs. Cunningham are the 
 ]3arents of seven children — Abelard Vin- 
 cent, Harold, Leroy, James Wallace, Syl- 
 via Murton, Vivian, Ethel, and Kenneth 
 Robert. Dr. Cunningham is independent 
 in politics. He has served for the past 
 nine years as clerk of the council, having 
 lioen a member of that body for the same 
 length of time. 
 
 JAMES A. McDowell, general ce- 
 ment contractor at Butler, is one' of the 
 city's well known and thoroughly reliable 
 business men. He was born November 1, 
 1866, at Franklin, Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 * In 1873, when Mr. McDowell was seven 
 years old, his parents moved to Butler 
 County, and the boy obtained his educa- 
 tion in the Butler schools. He then learned 
 the plastering and cement business with 
 his father and for the last seventeen years 
 he has been contracting for all kinds of 
 cement work, and as each year Sees ce- 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 meiit eiiteiiug more and more iuto the 
 buildiug lield, Mr. McDowell's enterprise 
 continues to proportionately expand. 
 
 August 4, 1892, Mr. McDowell was mar- 
 ried to Miss Etta M. Coyle, wlio was born 
 and reared in Parker Township. They 
 have one child, Clare L. Mr. McDowell 
 owns a fine property at No. 706 W. Penn 
 Street. He is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He has served as a 
 member of the City Council and also as 
 borough auditor and in all public offices 
 he has displayed ability and sound judg- 
 ment. He belongs to several organiza- 
 tions, to the Odd Fellows, to the Home 
 Guards of America, to the Butler Fire 
 Company and the Protected Home Circle. 
 
 Mr. McDonald was a member of Com- 
 pany G, Twenty-tirst Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania National Guards, during the Span- 
 ish-American War, and was appointed as 
 corporal, serving two years, when he was 
 honorably discharged. 
 
 HUNTER E. COULTER, a member of 
 the Butler bar and one of the city's repre- 
 sentative and substantial citizens, was 
 born in 1860, in Allegheny Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Alexander Coulter, father of Hunter E., 
 came to Butler County from the eastern 
 part of Pennsylvania and settled on a 
 farm in Allegheny Township. He fol- 
 lowed farming there and also conducted a 
 blacksmith Imsiness in the Pennsylvania 
 oil fields. 
 
 Hunter E. Coulter was reared on the 
 home farm and from the public schools en- 
 tered Grove City College and in 1884 was 
 graduated from the Edinboro State Nor- 
 mal School. He had commenced to teach 
 school almost in boyhood and continued to 
 teach for about nine years, teaching one 
 year in Butler. In 1886 he began the 
 study of law at Butler in the office of Lewis 
 Z. Mitchell, and in 1887 he was admitted 
 to the bar and entered into partnership 
 with T. M. Baker. This association con- 
 
 tinued until 11)05, when Mr. Baker with- 
 drew in order to engage in banking. Mr. 
 Coulter practices in the county, and su- 
 preme courts. He takes an active interest 
 in civic government and for seventeen 
 years has been clerk of the council and 
 during five years of this period has also 
 served as borough solicitor. He has nu- 
 merous interests outside his professional 
 ones and is a stockholder in two of the city 
 banks and is a member of the board of di- 
 rectors of the Butler Steam Laundry. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Coulter was married to Miss 
 Emma C. Barger, of Armstrong County, 
 and they have three children : Clarence 
 G., a student in the Butler High School; 
 Byron Jay, who is learning the machinist 
 trade with the Spang Company; and Sarah 
 Eleanor, who resides at home. Mi'. (*oul- 
 ter and family belong to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 PETER NEU, a prominent farmer of 
 Summit Township and a leading citizen, 
 at present filling the position of road su- 
 pervisor in a very efficient manner, re- 
 sides on his valuable property containing 
 ninety-three acres, sitiiated at Carbon Cen- 
 ter. Mr. Neu has resided on this farm 
 since 1868 but he was born twenty years 
 earlier, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Janu- 
 ary 16, 1848. His parents were John and 
 Mary (Baldauf) Neu. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Neu were both born 
 in Germany, but they were not married un- 
 til after they came to America. The 
 father's business was coal mining and he 
 rose from the lowest position in the mine to 
 that of pit boss on tlae inside of the mine. 
 He was an industrious and steady worker 
 and accumulated money which he later in- 
 vested in the purchase of land, buying 
 three farms, aggregating 270 acres, to one 
 of which he moved. Both John and Mary 
 Neu died in Siunmit Township. 
 
 During boyhood, Peter Neu worked with 
 his father in the coal mines and he was 
 twenty years of age when the family came 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 931 
 
 to Summit Township, after which he and 
 his brothers, operated the three farms. 
 TJie one he now owns was not the one on 
 which his parents settled, all the buildings 
 on that farm having been removed by the 
 B., E. & P. Railroad. On this farm, Mr. 
 Neu put np all the substantial buildings 
 and made all the improvements. He cai"- 
 ries on general farming and has three oil 
 wells on his property. He is one of the 
 five survivors of a family of seven chil- 
 dren, namely : Catherine, who is the wife 
 of Jacob Gillenberger, of Pittsburg ; John, 
 who was drowned in the Monongahela 
 River before the family came to Butler 
 County: Peter; Joseph, who died in 1905; 
 Annie: Ileiiiy, who resides at Beaver 
 Falls: jind IMiilip, who died in infancy. 
 
 In early manhood, Peter Neu married 
 Barbara Ijeinenliaugli, who is a daughter 
 of Peter Leinenbaugh, and they have had 
 eight children, as follows: Amalie Cath- 
 erine (deceased) ; Edward Joseph (de- 
 ceased) ; Rosalie M., who married John 
 Conrad; Clara M., who married Albert J. 
 Carter; Francis P.; Emma C, who mar- 
 ried Marsh Leonard; Charles E., married 
 Clara Leonard; and John L. J. Mr. Neu 
 and family belong to the Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 DR. ABELARD VINCENT CUNNING- 
 HAM, a prominent physician of Zelieuople 
 for a period of forty-one years has been 
 engaged in the practice of medicine in this 
 borough, has won prestige in this locality 
 as a representative of the calling to which 
 his energies have been devoted through 
 life. He was born January 14, 1837, in 
 North Sewickley Township, Beaver Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Dr. Rob- 
 ert and Jane (Allison) Cunningham. 
 
 Dr. Robert Cunningham, father of the 
 subject, was of Irish descent and was born 
 in September, 1806, in Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania, where his early life was 
 spent. He came to Beaver County, pur- 
 chased a farm of Dr. Loring Lusk in North 
 
 Sewickley Township, where for twenty- 
 eight years he was engaged in the practice 
 of medicine. He wedded Jane Allison, who 
 was born in 1808, a daughter of James Al- 
 lison, a prominent attorney, who was twice 
 a member of Congress from that district, 
 and a sister of John Allison, who was pay- 
 master in the army under President Lin- 
 coln and Reg. United States Treasurer un- 
 der President Grant. Seven children were 
 born to Dr. and Mrs. Cunningham : Louisa, 
 Avife of Edward White of Iowa; Adison, 
 a farmer residing at Bridge Water, Bea- 
 ver County; Dr. A. V. Cunningham, sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Dr. Dewees Cunning- 
 ham, was assistant surgeon in the army 
 and engaged in practice at Wurtemburg, 
 Lawrence County, until his death ; Juliette, 
 died in 1848, aged ten years; Cecelia, de- 
 ceased wife of Dr. Stewart of Akron, also 
 deceased; and Jennie, married Lorenzo C. 
 Kirker, of Beaver Falls, where she resides 
 at the present time. Dr. Cunningham died 
 September, 1860, and his wife April 30, 
 1851. 
 
 Dr. A. V. Cunningham, our subject, was 
 educated at North Sewickley and Beaver 
 Academies and graduated irom the Jef- 
 ferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 
 1880, having previously attended that col- 
 lege during 1863 and 1864. He first began 
 practicing at Wampum, Lawrence County, 
 after which, for about one year, he located 
 at Poland, where he became an intimate 
 acquaintance of President McKinley. In 
 1867 Dr. Cunningham came to Zelieuople, 
 where he has been constantly and success- 
 fully engaged in the practice of his pro- 
 fession iintil the present time. Dr. Cun- 
 ningham has made a wonderful discovery 
 of a cure for cancerous growths, one of the 
 worst maladies to which mankind is heir, 
 and has treated hundreds of cases with 
 success. He has testimonials as well as 
 growths preserved, which seem almost in- 
 credible to one who has not seen the results 
 of his wonderful work. He has in his pos- 
 session specimens of all kinds of the ma- 
 
932 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 lignaut growth. This remedy has been 
 J^nown to Dr. Cunningham for many years, 
 but owing to the ethics of his profession 
 has refused to make it known to the world 
 imtil in later years, when impelled from 
 a, sense of duty to maukind and humanity. 
 Dr. Cunningham is of an inventive turn of 
 iniud and has invented an instrument for 
 administering chloi'oform to his patients. 
 He has also invented a single-tree which 
 liolds the trace by a patent spring known 
 as the Resilient Spring, for preventing the 
 trace from leaving the single-tree. 
 
 Dr. Cunningham has been for a nunibei- 
 of years a member of the Butler County 
 Medical Society and is examining surgeon 
 for a number of the large life insurance 
 companies including the Equitable of New 
 York; the Monti)elier of Vermont, for- 
 merly the New York Life, and the Mutual 
 Life Insurance Company of New York. He 
 was for some years local surgeon of the 
 B. & 0. R. R. He is religiously a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Church and in poli- 
 tics independent. 
 
 He is now serving his second term as a 
 member of the Board of Pensioners, on 
 which lie had at one time previously served 
 four years. He has served several terms 
 as a member of the school board and as 
 "burgess and clerk of the borough council. 
 
 On September 16, 1869, Dr. Cunningham 
 wedded Jennie Wallace, who was l)oiii and 
 reared in Zelienople, and is a <l;iiinlilcr nt' 
 Erancis and Adeline (Ferguson) Walliwe. 
 To them were born the following children : 
 Nora Viola ; Francis Wallace, a graduate 
 of the Pittsburg Dental College; Abelard 
 Vincent, a dentist residing in Zelienople; 
 Jennie, wife of Brant Sankey of Zelie- 
 nople; Lee S., a painter; Walter C, siiper- 
 intendent of the crating department of the 
 enameling works; Ralph, a machinist of 
 Zelienople; and Adeline F. 
 
 C. H. KENNEDY, proprietor of the 
 Kennedy Bottling Works at Butler, is a 
 leading and representative business citi- 
 
 zen who is identified with a number of the 
 successful enterprises of this section. He 
 was born in 1857, near Kennedy's Mill, in 
 Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. 
 
 When Mr. Kennedy was three years old 
 his parents moved to Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship, Butler County, but shortly afterward 
 went to Tennessee, subsequently returning 
 to Lawrence County. C. H. Kennedy 
 si>ent his early life on a farm and also 
 worked with his father's threshing ma- 
 chine and later spent four years at the 
 l)lacksmith trade. He learned the bottling 
 business at New Brighton and Sharon and 
 from the latter place came to Butler Sep- 
 tember 10, 1890, at which time he bought a 
 small bottling plant already established 
 and has continued in the business ever 
 since. Mr. Kennedy has prospered through 
 his energy and enterprise and now occupies 
 his own building which is situated at No. 
 158 Race Street, Butler, and is equipped 
 with modern machinery that makes the 
 manufacture of all kinds of soft drinks, 
 in which he deals, sanitar)^, healthful and 
 economical. He does an immense business 
 and his ti'ade relations cover a wide terri- 
 tory. He is a stockholder in the Butler 
 County National Bank, in the People's 
 Telei^hone Company, the Butler Savings 
 and Trust Company and the Butler Ice 
 Company. He has taken an active inter- 
 est in local politics and has served three 
 years as a member of the city council. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Kennedy married Esther 
 E. Boyer, of Sharon, Pennsylvania. They 
 have one daughter, Dorothy Elizabeth. 
 Mr. Kennedy is a member and liberal sup- 
 l)orter of the First Presbyterian Church. 
 1 le is a member of the order of Maccabees 
 and of the Federal Casualty Company. 
 
 JOHN KNAUSE, residing on the old 
 Knause farm of seventy-two acres, situ- 
 ated in Summit Township, of which he is 
 one-third owner, was born on a farm in 
 Oakland Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 933 
 
 sj'lvauia, March 20, 1863, and is a sou of 
 Jacob and Margaret (Bigger) Knause. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Knause came to the 
 Summit Township farm in 1867 and here 
 the fatlier .died on July 3, 1884, and the 
 mother, on November 5, 1900. Thus John 
 Knause has hved on this farm ever since 
 he was four years old and from boyhood 
 has been engaged in farming. He is part 
 owner of the homestead, his two sisters, 
 Mrs. W. H. Baruhart and Mrs. Harry J. 
 O'Donnell, owning the other two-thirds. 
 It is good land and Mr. Knause is consid- 
 ered one of the best and most successful 
 farmers of this section. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Knause was married to Miss 
 Laura Miller, who is a daughter of John 
 P. Miller, a prominent resident of Butler 
 County, and they have one child, Alberta. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Knause are members of the 
 Lutheran Church. He takes no very ac- 
 tive interest in politics, but he has opin- 
 ions and performs all duties pertaining to 
 good citizenship when township affairs are 
 under public consideration. 
 
 WINFIELD S. SCOTT, a representa- 
 tive citizen of Summit Township, a daiiy- 
 nian and owner of fifty acres of excellent 
 farming land, was born in Summit Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, Pennsylvania, Decem- 
 ber 12, 1860, and is a son of Mitchell and 
 Catherine (Moser) Scott. 
 
 George Scott, the grandfather of Win- 
 tield S., was the first settler on the pres- 
 ent farm, which he secured from the Gov- 
 ernment. He was of Scotch-Irish descent 
 and came to this section at a verj' early 
 day, finding himself almost alone when he 
 built his log cabin in the forest. He 
 cleared his land and made improvements 
 which greatly increased the value of the 
 property, which, in turn, came into the 
 possession of his son, Mitchell Scott, who 
 was born on the farm in 1820. The latter 
 grew to manhood here and then married 
 a daughter of Solomon Moser. Mr. Moser 
 was of German parentage, but of Ameri- 
 
 can birth. He owned property in Oak- 
 land Township, where Mrs. Scott was born 
 and reared. Mitchell Scott and wife took 
 up their domestic life in the old house 
 which stood in the vicinity of the handsome 
 residence in which their son, Winfield S., 
 resides. They had -two children, both sons, 
 and both survive: John, a resident of 
 Butler, and Winfield S. on the old farm. 
 The father was the first to pass away, his 
 death taking place in November, 1892. 
 The mother survived until January, 1899. 
 They were well known throughout the 
 township and were numbered with the 
 most respected people. 
 
 AVinfield S. Scott has been engaged in 
 farming ever since he reached an age to 
 make use of farm implements, and his life 
 has been passed in Summit Township. In 
 addition to operating his own farm, he 
 rents fifty additional acres, which he also 
 cultivates. For the past twelve years he 
 has been in the dairy business and oper- 
 ates a milk route through Butler. 
 
 ■ On May 25, 1892, Mr. Scott was married 
 to Miss Sadie Christie, who is a daughter 
 of Newton and Mary (Robb) Ciiristie. 
 Airs. Scott was born in Greece City, Con- 
 cord Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, on the same farm on which her 
 grandfather, Hughes Christie, was born, 
 one w^hich had been settled by her great- 
 grandfather, Andrew Christie. Her par- 
 ents still reside in Concord Township, 
 among the old, respected and sulistaiitial 
 residents. Her maternal <;ranilt';itlK'r. 
 Isaac Robb, was born in Oakland Town^ 
 ship, the Robbs being also old people in 
 Butler County. Both Mr. and Mrs. Scott 
 can well lay claim to pioneer ancestry. 
 They have -four children: Wesley N., Oli- 
 ver W., Mary Catherine and Eugene 
 Mitchell. The* family belong to the First 
 Presbyterian Church at Butler. They en- 
 joy the comforts of a modern and attract- 
 ive residence which Mr. Scott built in 
 1892. He is not actively interested in poli- 
 tics, but he is a good citizen and in local 
 
934 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 affairs is apt to cast his vote for the can- 
 didates he believes will give attention to 
 matters of neighborhood interest, the mak- 
 ing of good roads and the adding to the 
 efficiency of the schools being of para^ 
 mount importance. 
 
 MARTIN HEIM, a well known citizen 
 of Butler Township, where he conducts a 
 large business in building stone, leasing 
 two quarries for the purpose, was born in 
 Summit Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, October 10, 1852, and is a son of 
 John and Elizabeth (Ober) Heim. 
 
 The father of Mr. Heim was born in a 
 German province, came to America in 
 young manhood, and died in Summit 
 Township, Butler C'ounty, in 1862, when 
 aged fifty-two years. In Philadelphia he 
 learned the trade of piano builder, which 
 he followed in that city for several years, 
 but after his marriage he came to Butler 
 County and bought a farm of ninety-three 
 acres in Summit Township. At the time 
 he located there, this beautiful, fertile 
 farm, which his son ]\Iartin now owns, was 
 a great belt of woodland. He worked hard 
 and cleared a large part of the property. 
 He married a daughter of Martin Ober, 
 who came to Philadelphia from France. 
 The children of John and Elizabeth Heim 
 were three in number, as follows : Henry, 
 who lives at Warren, Pennsylvania ; Cath- 
 erine, who is the wife of Joseph Shebel, of 
 Clearfield Township; and Martin, of But- 
 ler Township. The parents of Mr. Heim 
 were worthy members of the Catholic 
 Church at Herman. 
 
 Martin Heim learned the carpenter 
 trade after he left school and worked for 
 some years at this trade and for a few 
 years afterward as a farmer and then 
 opened his first stone quarry, where he 
 now resides. Later he sold that quarry 
 and now has three others leased. These 
 are quarried for sandstone and his trade 
 is mainly local, but he has furnished the 
 stone that went into the construction of 
 
 the i)ublic school building at Springdale 
 and of many of the finest residences at 
 Butler. His industry gives employment 
 to about nine men. 
 
 Mr. Heim married Annie Benedict 
 Kost, whose parents came to Butler Town- 
 ship in 1837. Mr. and I\lrs. 1 Icim have ten 
 children, as follows: Joseph, AVilliani and 
 Anthony, all residents of Pittsburg ; Theo- 
 dore, Frank, Viola, Victor, Loretta, Anna 
 and Mildred, at home. Mr. Heim and 
 family belong to St. Peter's Roman Catho- 
 lic Church. In politics he is a Democrat. 
 He is a member of the Catholic Mutual 
 Benefit Association, Branch No. 56, and is 
 one of its executive committee. 
 
 W. J. TROUTMAN, a representative 
 citizen of the city of Butler and a member 
 of the leading mercantile firm of A. Trout- 
 man's Sons, was born at Butler, Penns3d- 
 vania. May 20, 1868, and is a son of the 
 veneralili' Adaiii Tmutmnn, one of But- 
 ler's most esteemed letired residents and 
 pioneer business men. 
 
 W. J. Troutman was reared in his na- 
 tive city and was educated in the schools 
 of Butier and the Capitol University at 
 Columbus, Ohio, supplemented by a thor- 
 ough business course in the Columbus 
 Business College, where he was graduated 
 in 1887. He then accepted a position with 
 the Butler Savings Bank as assistant book- 
 keei^er and continued in the bank for two 
 years, following which he entered the firm 
 of A. Troutman & Son, which, on the re- 
 tirement of the founder, became A. Trout- 
 man's Sons. This firm conducts the larg- 
 est dry goods and department store in 
 the cit}". Mr. Troutman is a man of enter- 
 prise and is interested in other prospering 
 concerns of city and vicinity. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Troutman was married to 
 Miss Josephine Martha Stock, of Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have one child, 
 Helen Margaret. He is a member of the 
 German Lutheran Church. He takes an 
 active interest in everything pertaining to 
 
MARTIN HEIM 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 937 
 
 the welfare of Butler aud is a inember of 
 the vokmteer fire clej)artiiieut. 
 
 PERRY E. GOULD, a well known farm- 
 er and stock dealer in Butler Township, 
 where he owns 125 acres of fine land and 
 has 100 acres under cultivation, was born 
 in Clay Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 November 5, 1859, and is a son o"f ^Villiam 
 and Martha (Surles) Gould. 
 
 William Gould, the father of Perry E., 
 was born in County Down, Ireland, a sou 
 of Robert Gould, and died at Butler, 
 Penna., in November, 1897, aged almost 
 eighty-three years. He was seven years 
 old when his parents brought him to Amer- 
 ica, the long Vdvimc liring made in a sail- 
 ing vessel, and he rduld recall to his chil- 
 dren many incidents of the settling of the 
 family in Clay Township, where his father 
 bought several hundred acres of land. 
 William Gould grew^ to manhood on that 
 pioneer farm and spent his whole life there 
 until about two years before his death, 
 when he moved to Butler. His wife was 
 a daughter of Reuben Surles, who came to 
 Butler County when his daughter was 
 small. Mrs. Gould was born in New Jer- 
 sey, but the remainder of her life was 
 passed in Butler County. The children of 
 William Gould and wife were: George, 
 who was a brave soldier in the Union army, 
 was killed at the battle of Bull Run ; Sarah, 
 who is the wife of Josiah Neyman of Oak- 
 land Township; Jane, deceased, who mar- 
 ried Beatty Thorn, who resides in Iowa ; 
 Henry, who is a resident of Butler; Phebe, 
 who married Perry Broman, residing at 
 Oil City; Mary, who married Alfred Flie- 
 ger, of New Castle; Thomas, who lives in 
 Clay Township; Perry E.; Robert Harvey, 
 who resides in Washington Township; Syl- 
 vester, deceased, who was a resident of 
 Kansas, and Arabella, who married Rev. 
 Henry Hotfman, of Petersville. The par- 
 ents of this family were i)eoi3le of most 
 worthy type. They were consistent mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Perry E. Gould remained on the home 
 farm and found plenty of work to occupy 
 his time until he was twenty years of age, 
 in the meanwhile having been a more or 
 less regular attendant at school in Clay 
 Township. After leaving home he went 
 into the oil country and for the next six- 
 teen years gave his attention to the oil in- 
 dustry. He then took up his home in But- 
 ler and lived there for four years, but in 
 1892 he bought a farm in Concord Town- 
 ship aud removed to it, remaining there 
 until in March, 1898, when he sold it to 
 advantage and purchased his present farm 
 in Butler Township. Here Mr. Gould 
 raises corn, oats, wheat, haj^ and garden 
 produce. He does a considerable amount 
 of business also in buying and feeding 
 horses and cattle. 
 
 Mr. Gould married Anna M. Whitmire, 
 a daughter of Jacob Whitmire, of Oakland 
 Township, and they have one son and one 
 daughter: Hazel and Paul Perry. Mr. 
 Gould and familj^ belong to the United 
 Presbyterian Church. While no active 
 politician, Mr. Gould is a stanch Republi- 
 can and a hearty supporter of its policies 
 and candidates. He is numbered with the 
 township's representative men. 
 
 JAMES W. HUTCHISON, an able 
 member of the Butler bar, who has been 
 a resident of this city since 1887, was born 
 in Parker Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., June 17, 18G4, and is a son of 
 James G. Hutchison. 
 
 In the early part of the Nineteenth Cen- 
 tury, William and David Hutchison, the 
 former of whom was the grandfather of 
 James W., came from the eastern part of 
 Pennsylvania to find homes in the western 
 section. David settled in Armstrong 
 County, and William took Tip his residence 
 in Parker Townshi]!, lUitlcr Covmty. There 
 James G. Hutchison spent his life. 
 
 James W. Hutchison was reared in Par- 
 ker and Washington Townships and was 
 given superior educational advantages. 
 
938 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 After completing- his academic studies at 
 North Washington, he entered Westmin- 
 ster College, from which he was creditably 
 graduated in 1887, having completed a 
 business course at Duff's Commercial Col- 
 lege in 1885. In the fall of 1887 he came 
 to Butler and pursued his course of law 
 reading in the office of Attorney S. F. Bow- 
 ser, and was admitted to the bar Decem- 
 ber 2, 1889. He has devoted almost two 
 decades to practicing law in this city and, 
 having all the qualities essential to suc- 
 cess in his profession, he has prospered 
 along that line. He practices in the local 
 courts and also in the Superior and Su- 
 preme Courts, and the importance in which 
 he is held was indicated when Judge Jo- 
 seph Buffington, in 1899, appointed him 
 referee in bankrui)tcy for Butler County. 
 In addition to his large practice, Mr. 
 Hutchison is interested in business enter- 
 prises to some extent. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Hutchison was married to 
 Miss Ida M. Campbell, of Bradford, 
 Penua., who died in 1900, leaving two chil- 
 dren, Eileen and Paul. In 1903 Mr. 
 Hutchison was married (second) to Miss 
 Helen Victor, of Erie, Penna. He is an 
 active citizen and has never declined to 
 take part in sliapiug public sentiment 
 whenever the welfare of the city has been 
 at stake. He has been a useful member of 
 the School Board. In politics, he is iden- 
 tified with the Republican party. He is 
 affiliated with a number of fraternal or- 
 ganizations, the Knights of Pythias, the 
 Odd Fellows and the Knights of Malta, be- 
 ing particularly interested in the first 
 named, holding the office of grand inner 
 guard of the Grand Lodge of the order of 
 the State of Pennsylvania, and belongs to 
 Company No. 25, Uniform Rank, at But- 
 ler. He is a member of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. 
 
 ALBERT ANDERSON PARK, a prac- 
 tical miller and formerly a member of the 
 Mars Milling and Feed Company, is a 
 
 well-known and substantial citizen of this 
 place. He was born July 20, 1866, on the 
 old home farm, in Adams Township, But- 
 ler County, Penna., and is a son of Sam- 
 uel and Emma (Anderson) Park. 
 
 Matthew Park, the great-grandfather,, 
 came to Pennsylvania from Ireland, at a 
 very early date. He built a sawmill in 
 the woods, on a deep stream of water and 
 operated it during the remainder of his 
 life, being the first of the Park family to 
 be identified with mill interests of any kind 
 in Butler County. He was succeeded by 
 his son, Samuel Park, and for years they 
 resided together in a commodious house of 
 two stories, which was constriicted of logs,, 
 and was built about 1813. Samuel oper- 
 ated the old Park grist mill, which possibly 
 was erected by his father, and it was built 
 in 1833 and is still standing. Samuel Park 
 married Jane Roseborrow, a native of 
 Ohio, who lived to be ninety -three years of 
 age, but Samuel Park died when aged six- 
 ty-five years. They had eight children, 
 namely: John, William, Samuel, Levi,. 
 Lavina, Martha Jane, and two sons who 
 died young. The only survivor of the fam- 
 ily is Lavina, who married Thomas Park, 
 of the same surname as herself, but of a 
 different family. 
 
 Samuel Park was born in the big log- 
 house at Mars, in 1827. He remained at 
 home, being a dutiful and useful son. In 
 1876 he built what is known as the Mars 
 mill and gave it the name of the Globe 
 Roller Mill, it being the first steam grist 
 mill in this section of the country. He 
 operated the mill and also cultivated his 
 farm of 200 acres of land in Adams Town- 
 ship. When about twenty-eight years of 
 age, he married Emma Anderson, who was 
 born at Greenville, Penna., and was ten 
 years old when she came to Butler County,, 
 where she has lived ever since, and follow- 
 ing the death of her husband, in 1901, has- 
 made her home with her daughter, Mrs. C. 
 J. Ingram. The children of Samuel and 
 Emma Park were: Nelson L., deceased; 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 939 
 
 Mary J., wife of J. D. Mahan ; Albert An- 
 derson; Harry G. ; William B., and Eda 
 M., who is the wife of C. J. Ingram, and 
 four children who died young. 
 
 Albert Anderson Park was reared on the 
 farm and learned all the details of farm 
 work, but he had niunerous other duties, 
 some of great responsibility, during boy- 
 hood. He was only ten years old when he 
 began to assist in the mill. His father was 
 the first postmaster at Mars and at eight 
 years of age, Albert A. must have been 
 considered a very reliable and trustworthy 
 lad, for to him was entrusted the carrying 
 of the United States mail bag from Wex- 
 ford, in Allegheny County, to Mars. He 
 made the trip once a week, every Saturday, 
 on horseback, meeting the stage at Wex- 
 ford, and during the ten years of mail car- 
 rying, there is no record of his ever mak- 
 ing a single mistake. It was through the 
 efforts of Samuel Park and ex-Judge Mar- 
 shall that a post-office was established and 
 it was a matter of much accommodation to 
 the whole country side. The emoluments 
 were not large, $8 a month being paid to 
 the carrier for the first year, and $35 al- 
 lowed for the office business. Later, Mr. 
 Park became miller for his father and still 
 later rented the mill and when the father 
 died he rented from the other heirs and 
 continued the business. He then took M. 
 W. Dunlap as a partner and they did busi- 
 ness under the name of the Mars Milling 
 Company, and conducted a feed store and 
 a coal yard, as adjuncts. Later, C. Gal- 
 braith, W^. J. Link and J. W. Lee were 
 admitted to partnership and the enter- 
 prise became the Mars Milling and Feed 
 Company. Mr. Park continued with the 
 concern until 1907, when he sold his inter- 
 est but still operates the mill for the com- 
 pany. It has proved a very successful busi- 
 ness investment for all concerned. 
 
 In October, 1899, Mr. Park was married 
 to Mayme C. Marshall, widow of Charles 
 Marshall and daughter of Jacob M. Miller, 
 of Callery. They have one child, Clyde C. 
 
 ]\lrs. Park has one son by her former mar- 
 riage, Harry Marshall, who is agent for 
 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Callery. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Park are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. In 1907 he 
 erected the present handsome brick resi- 
 dence, which is one of the most attractive 
 and comfortable homes at Mars. In poli- 
 tics, like his father, Mr. Park is identified 
 with the Republican party. 
 
 W^ILLIAM J. BARKLEY, one of 
 Franklin Township's representative and 
 public-spirited citizens, resides on his val- 
 uable and well-improved farm of 203 acres, 
 carrying on general agriculture. He was 
 born March 17, 1847, at Pittsburg, Penna., 
 and is a son of George and Margaret 
 (Behm) Barkley. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Barkley came to 
 America when twelve years old, with their 
 parents, from the same village. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather settled in Pennsylva- 
 nia, in Muddy Creek Township, Butler 
 County, and when his son George was thir- 
 teen years old, he sent him to Pittsburg 
 and for ten years the latter was employed 
 by the Penn Mill Cotton Factory. From 
 there George Barkley entered a foundry 
 in Allegheny, where he remained several 
 years and then turned his attention to 
 farming, spending one year in Lancaster 
 Township before returning to the old 
 homestead in Muddy Creek Township, 
 where he died in May, 1876, aged fifty- 
 seven years. In politics he was a Demo- 
 crat and he served in local offices. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Behm, who was a daughter 
 of Nicholas Behm, and she was reared at 
 Zelienople. George Barkley and "wife had 
 the following children: Catherine, who 
 married Henry Heyle, of Franklin Town- 
 ship; William J.; Sarah, who married 
 Samuel Knox, of Grove City; Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Snyder, who resides at Butler; 
 Emma, who married David West, of 
 Franklin Township; and Mary, the widow 
 of Jonathan Jones, who resides in Law- 
 
940 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 rence County. George Barkley and wife 
 were members of the German Lutheran 
 Church at Prospect, in which he served 
 some years as a deacon. 
 
 William J. Barkley was reared and edu- 
 cated in Butler County and he remained 
 on the home farm until his marriage, when 
 he purchased his present fann from his 
 father. It is a large tract of valuable land 
 but Mr. Barkley has about all of it under 
 cultivation. His farming is carried on ac- 
 cording to modern ideas and he is one of 
 the largest growers of fine stock in this 
 section. 
 
 Mr. Barkley married Josephine Snyder, 
 who was a daughter of John Snyder, of 
 Brady Township, and they had five chil- 
 dren born to them, namely: George, who 
 resides at home ; Clara, deceased, who was 
 the wife of John Pontius, of Butler; Jes- 
 sie, who married W. E. Heyle, of Pros- 
 pect ; Frank, who is principal of the schools 
 of Freedom, in Beaver County ; and Mabel, 
 who is the wife of Charles S. Bolton, of 
 Wheeling, West Virginia. The beloved 
 mother of the above family died May 23, 
 1908, aged fifty-nine years. She was a 
 coilsistent Christian and was a member of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Barkley is a Democrat, 
 but his personal popularity in his township 
 is so great that he has been kept in some 
 public office for many years, although the 
 normal Republican vote is double that of 
 the Democratic. For twelve years he has 
 served as a school director, for three years 
 as supervisor, one year as tax collector and 
 for four years as overseer of the poor. He 
 is a member of the Lutheran Church at 
 Prospect and has served as a deacon in 
 the same. 
 
 JOHN STAPLES, one of Adams Town- 
 ship's representative citizens, resides on 
 his excellent farm of 100 acres, on which 
 he carries on a general line of agriculture. 
 He was born in Forward Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, December 23, 
 
 1835, and is a son of Job and Susan (Hays) 
 Staples. 
 
 The father of Mr. Staples was born and 
 reared in the city of New York and came 
 to Pennsylvania in early manhood. For a 
 few years he taught school in different lo- 
 calities and gradually worked his way 
 westward until he reached Butler County, 
 where he bought a farm of 200 acres which 
 was then in Cranberry but is now situated 
 in Forward Township. He resided on that 
 farm for a number of years, doing a large 
 part of the clearing, but later moved to 
 Adams Township and in 1853 settled on 
 the farm which is now owned by his son 
 John. Here he died in 1861, aged,, seventy 
 years. He married Susan Hays, a native 
 of Butler County, who died aged sixty- 
 eight years. They had sixteen children, 
 John Staples being among the younger 
 ones. 
 
 John Staples has led a quiet, useful life, 
 devoting himself mainly to farming, and 
 has never desired any other place of resi- 
 dence than Butler County. Here he has 
 rich land well stocked and improved, a 
 happy, united, intelligent family, and 
 friends of many years' standing. Per- 
 forming readily every duty demanded by 
 good citizenship, he enjoys the esteem and 
 commands the respect of his fellow citi- 
 zens. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Staples was married to Miss 
 Mandana Ray and they have had children 
 as follows: Nancy E., Susan, Walter B., 
 Agnes and Amy, twins, Claire, William, 
 and Maude. Of the above family Susan 
 married W. E. Dunbar and has one child. 
 Hazel. Walter B. married C. May Rhodes 
 and they have two children, Dorothy and 
 John. Agnes married B. J. Little and they 
 have one child, Eleanor. Claire attends 
 college at Grove City. Maude and Will- 
 iam are deceased. The latter married 
 Catherine Kauffman and they had two 
 children, Gladys and Marjorie. Mr. Sta- 
 ples and family belong to the Presbyterian 
 Church. In politics he is a Republican. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 943 
 
 SAMUEL 0. BELL, one of Parker 
 Township's representative citizens and 
 substantial farmers, residing on his valu- 
 able estate of 125 acres, which is situated 
 near Glenora, was born in Wasliington 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 August 26, 1844, and is a son of Samuel 
 and Mary (Shiria) Bell. 
 
 Samuel 13ell was born in Washington 
 Township and was a son of William Bell, 
 who was born in Scotland and was an 
 early settler in Butler County, where he 
 died. Samuel Bell married Mary Shiria 
 and they had two sons, Samuel O. being 
 the only survivor. 
 
 Samuel 0. Bell was but nine months old 
 when his fatlier died and when three years 
 old was taken to the home of his paternal 
 grandparents, William Bell and wife, who 
 resided near North Washington. He re- 
 mained there until he was eight years of 
 age and then went to live at the home of 
 his maternal uncle, William Shiria, at An- 
 nandale, Butler County, where he contin- 
 ued to reside for about four years. He 
 then returned to his mother, who had con- 
 tracted a second marriage, with James Al- 
 worth, when he was yoimg. Mr. Bell as- 
 sisted his step-father in his agricultural 
 operations until he reached his majority, 
 when he started out for himself. For some 
 years he worked in the oil fields and is 
 still interested in the oil industry, having 
 several producing wells on his own farm, 
 of which he took possession about 1872. 
 
 Mr. Bell married Miss Matilda Alworth, 
 who was born in Parker Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. She is now de- 
 ceased. She was a woman of many vir- 
 tues and was a consistent member of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Bell had three children born to them, 
 namely: Lillie M., who looks after the 
 comfort of her father in the old home; 
 Mary E., who is the wife of Prank Smith, 
 of Parker Township ; and Flora B., who is 
 the wife of Philip Deal, of Parsonville, 
 Pennsylvania. Mrs. Mary E. (Bell) 
 
 Smith has one daughter, Edna Margaret. 
 Flora B. (Bell) Deal has two children, 
 Lillian Marie and Lawrence Edward. Mrs. 
 Samuel 0. Bell died 1888 in her forty- 
 seventh year. 
 
 In his political convictions, Mr. Bell is a 
 Republican. He has been an active citi- 
 zen, working at all times for the best in- 
 terests of his neighborhood, and at differ- 
 ent times has been elected to office. He 
 has served as tax collector and inaugu- 
 rated reforms in keeping the public high- 
 ways in condition, during his excellent 
 administration as road supervisor. 
 
 ALFRED J. BLACK, a prominent gen- 
 eral farmer and stock raiser, residing on 
 his one farm of eighty acres in Cherry 
 Township, about one-half mile south of old 
 Annandale, owns a second farm of forty- 
 eight acres, separated on the south by a 
 narrow strip of land which belongs to his 
 brother, James T. Black. Alfred J. Black 
 was born on this second farm, in Cherry 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 July 18, 1849, and is a son of Adam and 
 Mary (Turner) Black. 
 
 Adam Black was born on the above- 
 named farm, a son of Robert Black, who 
 came to Butler County from across the Al- 
 legheny Mountains, at a very early day. 
 Robert Black took out the first patent and 
 in 1828 secured the first deed for 250 acres 
 of land in Cherry Township, and was 
 given an allowance which made the aggre- 
 gate 280 acres, at that time all in one tract. 
 It is now divided into four farms, two of 
 which are owned by Alfred J. Black; a 
 third farm, of forty-seven acres, is owned 
 by James T. Black, a brother; and the 
 fourth farm of 100 acres, is owned by Rob- 
 ert M. Black, a cousin, residing at Bruin. 
 This farm has never been out of the Black 
 family, with the exception of two acres, 
 which were once sold, but were soon re- 
 claimed by the Blacks. The aged grand- 
 father died on this land. His son Adam 
 succeeded and he passed his life on the 
 
944 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Black property, following agricultural pur- 
 suits. He married Mary Ann Turner, who 
 was born in Parker Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and there were nine 
 children born to them, as follows : Robert 
 P., who is a farmer in Concord Township ; 
 William P., deceased ; Elizabeth, deceased, 
 was the wife of Giles Vogan; John M., 
 who lives in Allegheny Township; Alfred 
 J.; Jane, who is the wife of Hilton Tin- 
 ker, of EUwood City; Clementine, who is 
 the widow of Dr. Clarence Bard ; Ella, who 
 is the wife of Smiley Smith ; and James T., 
 who is a farmer in Cherry Township. The 
 father of the above family died in 1888. 
 The mother survived until February, 1908, 
 dying when aged eighty-eight years. 
 
 Alfred J. Black was reared on the old 
 Black farm and with the exception of 
 three years spent at Butler, 1891-94, he 
 has passed his whole life here. During 
 those three years he worked in the car de- 
 partment of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road, going later to the Pittsburg & West- 
 ern, at iirst being car inspector and later 
 yard superintendent. For a short time 
 prior to his marriage he worked occasion- 
 ally in the oil fields, but his main business 
 in life has been farming, in earlier years 
 attending to all the work himself, but since 
 his two stalwart sons have attained man- 
 hood, he has plenty of valuable assistance. 
 He continued to reside on his forty-acre 
 farm until 1904, when he moved to the 
 eighty-acre tract, and has both farms under 
 cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Black married Mary I. McCoy, who 
 was born at Harrisville, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a daughter of Thomas McCoy. They 
 have three children : George Herbert and 
 Adam Rozell, both at home; and Nellie, 
 who is the wife of Sherman Hockenberry. 
 They have one son, Howard Alfred. Mr. 
 Black and family belong to the Pleasant 
 Valley Presbyterian Church. He has long 
 been a leading member of this body and is 
 one of its elders. In his views on public 
 questions, Mr. Black is a strong adherent 
 
 of the Prohibition party, while his sons are 
 both Democrats. 
 
 COL. ALEXANDER DOWRY, in whose 
 death the city of Butler lost one of its old- 
 est and most venerable citizens, bore the 
 reputation, in the days of his active busi- 
 ness career, of being one of the most suc- 
 cessful and best known hotel men in tl*e 
 State. He was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 born in Blair County (then a part of 
 Huntingdon County), February 18, 1814, 
 and was a son of Alexander and Margaret 
 (Bouslough) Lowry, both natives of Hunt- 
 ingdon County. 
 
 The Lowry family in America dates 
 back to early colonial days, when Lazarus 
 Lowry, great-grandfather of our subject, 
 came from North of Ireland, in 1729, and 
 settled in Donegal, Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania. He located upon the cele- 
 brated farm known as "Donegal," now 
 owned by Senator Cameron. This place 
 passed into the hands of his son. Col. Alex- 
 ander Lowry, one of the most noted Indian 
 traders in the history of Pennsylvania, 
 who lived upon it some years, then sold 
 out and moved to Huntingdon County, 
 where his son, Alexander Lowry, Jr., was 
 born. 
 
 Col. Alexander Lowry, whose name 
 heads this sketch, lived in his native county 
 until he grew to manliood, and attended 
 the primitive schools of that period. At 
 the age of eighteen years he became ap- 
 prenticed to the trade of a cabinetmaker, 
 sei-ving three years, after which he worked 
 as journeyman until 1837. In 1839 he em- 
 barked in the hotel business at Yellow 
 Springs, Blair County, continuing there 
 until 1842, when he removed to Water 
 Street, on the line of the Pennsylvania 
 Canal. He conducted a hotel at that point 
 imtil 1846, then was proprietor of the 
 American House at Holidaysburg about 
 four years. In September, 1850, he re- 
 moved to Butler and purchased the Beatty 
 House, situated on the site of the present 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 945 
 
 Troutman Block, which thereafter was 
 known as the Lowry House as long as the 
 bnilding was used for hotel purposes. 
 Colonel Lowry sold there in 1866 and pur- 
 chased the present Lowry House, which he 
 conducted with success until 1873, which 
 year marked his retirement from the hotel 
 business. He had disposed of this prop- 
 erty in 1873, at the commencement of the 
 oil excitement, but again purchased it in 
 1879. After abandoning the hotel busi- 
 ness he resided in a comfortable home on 
 West Pearl Street, the remainder of his 
 life. He lived a long and useful life and 
 during his residence of nearly half a 
 century in Butler aided materially in the 
 development of the city and its resources. 
 Colonel Lowry was united in marriage, 
 in 1841, with Miss Margaret Spear, of 
 Williamsburg, Blair County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, who died at Butler, December 11, 1886. 
 They became parents of the following chil- 
 dren : Belle W. ; W. A., who is serving as 
 prothonotary of Butler County; Charles 
 S. ; Jolm F. ; Porter W., who has attained 
 prominence as a lawyer of Butler; George 
 W. ; Thomas L., and J. L. 
 
 HENRY EDWIN DRUSHEL, one of 
 Forward Township's excellent farmers 
 and leading public men, resides on his val- 
 uable property which contains ninety-six 
 acres, on which he carries on general agri- 
 culture. He was born on his grandfather's 
 farm, in Beaver County, Penna., Decem- 
 l)t'r 24, 1868, and is a son of Rhinehart and 
 Caroline (Mickley) Drushel. 
 
 Rhinehart Drushel was born in Germany 
 and was six years old when his parents 
 came to America. His father, Henry 
 Drushel, settled on a farm in Beaver Coun- 
 ty, where he spent the remainder of his 
 life. The names of some of Henry Drush- 
 el 's children were: Margaret, who mar- 
 ried Henry Shelly; Elizabeth, who mar- 
 ried Fred Knepp; Jacob and Rhinehart. 
 Rhinehart Drushel remained on the home 
 farm and when he had married he still 
 
 continued to live there for a short time, 
 afterwards coming to Butler County and 
 purchasing the farm now owned by his son, 
 Henry Edwin, it then being the property 
 of Jacob Wooster. Very little clearing 
 had been done and scarcely any improv- 
 ing. All through his active life he devoted 
 himself to making this farm a valuable and 
 comfortable home and died here in 1888, 
 aged fifty-two years. He married Caro- 
 line Mickley, daughter of Michael Mickley, 
 and her parents came to America from 
 Germany. She died in 1905, when aged 
 about sixty years. They had three chil- 
 dren: Henry Edwin; Amelia, who died 
 when eleven years of age, and Mary, who 
 married William Freshcorn. 
 
 Henry E. Drushel was three months old 
 when his parents came to his present farm 
 and this has been his home ever since. As 
 he grew up he attended the covmtry schools 
 and he also assisted his father in clearing 
 and later in cultivating the land. This 
 farm was once a part of the old Chew es- 
 tate and a portion of the old stone house 
 in which the Chews lived is still standing. 
 Mr. Drushel continues to make improve- 
 ments and he carries on a general farming 
 line, introducing modern methods into his 
 work and making use of improved ma- 
 chinery. 
 
 Mr. Drushel married Miss Matilda Ra- 
 der, who is a daughter of Oswald Rader, 
 and they have seven children, namely: 
 Charles, Philip, Clarence, Benjamin, Roy, 
 George and Margaret. With his family, 
 Mr. Drushel belongs to the Reformed 
 Church, in which he is a deacon. In poli- 
 tics he is a Democrat. He has taken a 
 hearty interest in public affairs in his 
 township and has served in numerous offi- 
 ces, including those of auditor and tax col- 
 lector. 
 
 LEWIS M. ROTH, D. D. S., who has 
 been engaged in the practice of dentistry 
 at Prospect for the past twenty-five years, 
 was born April 13, 1858, at Prospect, But- 
 
946 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ler County, Penna., and is a son of Lewis 
 and Lydia (Beighley) Roth. 
 
 David Roth, the grandfather, was a na- 
 tive of Bethlehem, Penna., and he served 
 in the War of 1812, with the rank of col- 
 onel. He was a locksmith by trade and 
 added the manufacture of coffee mills by 
 hand to his other enterprises. He became 
 a vei-y popular citizen of his section, so 
 much so that his fellow citizens elected him 
 to the Legislature. He had no taste for 
 politics, and the record tells that it was in 
 order to escape the kind intentions of his 
 friends that he left his old neighborhood 
 and moved into what was then the wilder- 
 ness, in Butler County, settling in Frank- 
 lin Township. 
 
 Lewis Roth was bom at Bethlehem, 
 Northampton County, Penna., accom- 
 panied his parents to Butler County and 
 died here when aged seventy-six years. 
 In early manhood he worked as a black- 
 smith, later was in partnership with James 
 Anderson, in conducting a general store 
 at Prospect, later farmed for a time and 
 subsequently resumed mercantile life. In 
 politics he was a Democrat and on one oc- 
 casion, when he was his party's nominee 
 for the office of county treasurer, he lacked 
 but 100 votes of election, although the 
 coimty was strongly Republican. He gave 
 his children excellent educational advan- 
 tages and took a deep interest in their wel- 
 fare. He was one of Prospect's repre- 
 sentative citizens, held all of the borough 
 offices and sustained the most cordial re- 
 lations with those who knew him in either 
 business or social life, his manner being 
 kindly and his nature tolerant. All of his 
 sons have become prominent in profes- 
 sional life, there being five of them, three 
 of whom are clerg^'men. Rev. H. Warren 
 Roth, D. D., is at present manager of the 
 Passavant Hospitals at Pittsburg, Chicago 
 and ]\Iilwaukee. Rev. David Luther Roth, 
 D. D., is pastor of a Lutheran Church at 
 Pittsburg. Rev. Theophilus B. Roth is edi- 
 tor of the Young Lutheran, published at 
 
 Greenville. John M. is a practicing attor- 
 ney in Michigan, having been admitted to 
 the bar at Butler. The yoimgest member 
 of the family is Dr. Lewis M., of Prospect. 
 
 Lewis M. Roth went from the public 
 schools of Prospect to Thiel College, at 
 Greenville, Penna., and became interested 
 in dentistry, studying this science first 
 with Dr. B. F. Lepley, at Prospect. He 
 studied in the dental department of the 
 University of Michigan, later the Western 
 Reserve Medical College at Cleveland and 
 still later the Eclectic Medical College at 
 Cincinnati. He engaged in the practice 
 of dentistry first in Kansas and then re- 
 turned to Prospect, where he has been a 
 continuous resident ever since and has 
 been one of the city's most useful and pub- 
 lic-spirited men. 
 
 In political sentiment. Dr. Roth has al- 
 ways been a Democrat. At various times 
 he has filled almost every borough office 
 and is serving his third consecutive term 
 as a member of the School Board. He is 
 also a member of the borough council and 
 was one of the leaders in the movement 
 which resulted in the paving of the streets. 
 His party chose him as their standard 
 bearer, in 1904, for the office of county 
 treasurer, but Republican influence was 
 too strong to be overcome. 
 
 Dr. Roth was married to Miss Annie 
 Criswell, who is a daughter of James Cris- 
 well, a well Imown resident of Slippery 
 Rock Township, Lawrence County, Penna., 
 and four children have been born to them, 
 namely: Maj% Lois, George and Mar- 
 garet. Dr. and Mrs. Roth are members of 
 the Emanuel Lutheran Church at Pros- 
 pect, in which he, like his father before 
 him, has served as a deacon for many 
 years. 
 
 JOHN H. WILSON, a leading member 
 of the Butler bar and city solicitoi", was 
 born in 1868, at Nashville, Tennessee, but 
 he has been a resident of Butler County, 
 since childhood. 
 
AND KEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 947 
 
 Mr. Wilson was reared at Harmony, 
 Butler County, and he obtained his early 
 education in the public schools, subse- 
 quently entering Grove City College, where 
 he was graduated in the class of 1891. 
 For several years he engaged in teaching 
 school, and studying law in the office of 
 Attorney Levingstone McQuistion, at But- 
 ler, and he was admitted to the bar in 
 1893. He entered into a law partnership 
 with Mr. Vanderlin, the firm name being 
 Vanderlin & Wilson, which continued for 
 two years, when it was dissolved and since 
 then Mr. Wilson has been alone. In 
 March, 1907, he was elected city solicitor 
 and has been an efficient and useful pub- 
 lic officer. He takes a good citizen's inter- 
 est in politics and is in perfect accord with 
 the principles of the party to which he has 
 given allegiance since he reached man- 
 hood. 
 
 In 1899 Mr. Wilson was married to Miss 
 Catherine E. Levis, of Eochester, Penn- 
 sylvania, and they have one child, John L. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the 
 First Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, 
 ]\rr. AVilson is identified with the Masons, 
 the Odd Fellows, and the Royal Arcanum. 
 
 JOHN SHEPPAED CAMPBELL, one 
 of Cherry Township's most prominent cit- 
 izens, formerly a county commissioner of 
 Butler Coimty, and now serving in his 
 twenty-first consecutive year as justice of 
 the peace, is also an honored veteran of 
 the Civil War. He resides on his valuable 
 farm of 100 acres, which is situated three 
 miles north of -West Sunbury. Mr. Camp- 
 bell was born on a farm in Washington 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 30, 1838, and is a son of Robert and 
 Jane (Sheppard) Campbell. 
 
 Robert Campbell, father of John S., was 
 also born in Washington Township and 
 was a son of John Campbell, who came to 
 Western Pennsylvania from east of the 
 Allegheny Mountains, and was a very early 
 settler in Butler County. Eobert Camp- 
 
 bell was a plasterer by trade and a small 
 farmer. He died when his son, John S., 
 was fifteen years old. He married Jane 
 Sheppard, who was born in Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, and who died when 
 John S. was ten years of age. He was sec- 
 ond in order of birth of the family of six 
 children, the others being: Lurena; 
 Amanthus, who is the wife of James C. 
 Glenn, of Clay Townsliip, Butler County; 
 Milton, who lost his leg at the battle of 
 Gettysburg and subsequently died in the 
 hospital ; Oliver Perry, who is postmaster 
 at West Sunbury ; and Elizabeth Jane, who 
 died in infancy. 
 
 When a little boy of but ten years, John 
 S. Campbell found himself an orphan. He 
 was not destitute of kindred, but most of 
 the uncles and aunts had families of their 
 own and no care and kindness given him 
 in his tender years could replace that of 
 ills own parents. For a couple of years 
 he lived with his uncle, Zerab Sheppard, 
 who was a farmer and shoemaker in Par- 
 ker Township, and then was turned over 
 to other relatives among whom he lived, 
 working for his keep, imtil he was old 
 enough to go out as a farm hand and make 
 wages for himself. The opening of the 
 Civil War settled his immediate future, 
 for in June, 1861, he enlisted as a private 
 in Company C, Eleventh Eegiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Eeserves, for three years, and 
 served in that regiment continuously 
 through the whole term, lacking fifteen 
 days, when, at the battle of the Wilderness, 
 he was captured. He was taken to Ander- 
 sonville Prison, where he was detained 
 from May until December 16, 1864, when 
 he was exchanged at Charleston, South 
 Carolina. From there he came on to An- 
 napolis, Maryland, where he was pros- 
 trated with tj'i^hoid fever. He was given 
 a furlough home on this account and came 
 to Butler, where he remained totally un- 
 able to rejoin his regiment until the follow- 
 ing April. He went then to Annapolis 
 and from there was sent to Pittsburg, 
 
948 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 where lie was honorably discharged, with 
 the rank of corporal. 
 
 The Andersonville prison was not the 
 only Southern fortress with which Mr. 
 Campbell became acquainted during those 
 years of suffering and hardship. At the 
 battle of Gaines Mills he was first cap- 
 tured and was incarcerated in Libby 
 prison and was taken from there to the 
 notorious Belle Isle prison at Richmond, 
 Virginia, but after forty days was ex- 
 changed. On December 13, 1862, he was 
 wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg 
 and this caused him to be kept at a hospital 
 in Washington City for six months. Mr. 
 Campbell has a record of which any vet- 
 eran might be proud, proving that he was 
 never absent from tlie post of duty during 
 his long service, except when in a hospital 
 or when in the enemy's hands. He is a 
 valued member of the Grand Army Post 
 at West Sunbury. 
 
 Upon retiring from the army, Mr. 
 Campbell returned to Butler Coimty and 
 on April 25, 1865, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Sarah McElvain, who was 
 born and reared on the present home farm 
 in Cherry Township. Her parents were 
 George and Mary Ann (McGill) McElvain, 
 the former of whom died in 1854, and the 
 latter in 187U. George McElvain was a 
 large farmer and owned 200 acres of land. 
 He was the father of nine children, only 
 three of whom reached maturity, namely: 
 Nancy Jane (Mrs. Jamison) of Petrolia; 
 Annis (Mrs. Russell) ; and Sarah, who is 
 the wife of Mr. Campbell. 
 
 The children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Campbell were nine in number and all sur- 
 vive except the eldest, Leonora. She mar- 
 ried ITomer Love, since deceased, and they 
 had two children, a son, who died, and a 
 daughter. Fern, who survives. The other 
 members of the family are: George M., 
 who is in the ice cream business at Alle- 
 gheny, married Melissa Kelley, since de- 
 ceased, and they had three children : Hazel, 
 Dwight L. and Genevieve; William M., 
 
 who is connected with an ice cream com- 
 pany in Chicago, married Jennie Young 
 and they have two children: Ralph and 
 Dorothy; Delia, who married B. M. Hock- 
 enberry, has three children: Benj., Mar- 
 garet May and Alice Lenora; Audley 
 Bruce, unmarried, who is associated with 
 his brother in business at Allegheny; 
 John, who assists his father on the home 
 farm; Mabel, who is a trained nurse in the 
 Markeltown Sanitarmm; Homer, who is 
 in business at Allegheny; and Edith, who 
 is the wife of William J. Hockenberry, of 
 West Sunbury. 
 
 Mr. Campbell and family are members 
 of the Presbyterian Church at West Sun- 
 bury, of which he is one of the elders. For 
 many years he has been a factor in county 
 politics, voting always with the Republican 
 party. Since serving as county commis- 
 sioner, he has more or less restricted his 
 activities to township affairs. He has a 
 long and enviable record as a justice of 
 the peace, serving now in his fifth con- 
 secutive term. 
 
 IRA S. ZEIGLER, president of the 
 First National Bank of Zelienople, and a 
 prominent oil ojierator in Butler County, 
 was born July 4, 1866, in Jackson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania. His 
 parents are David M. and Elizabeth 
 (Stautfer) Zeigler. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Zeigler were both 
 born in Jackson Township, coming of pio- 
 neer ancestry. The paternal grandfather 
 was David Zeigler and he was a son of 
 Abraham Zeigler, who came to Butler 
 County from Bucks County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, at a very early day. He purchased 
 a large tract of land which embraced the 
 territory held by the colony known as 
 Economites. David Zeigler spent his life 
 in Jackson Township, where he engaged 
 in farming and stock raising. The mater- 
 nal grandfather was Henry Stauffer, who 
 purchased his land, when he came to But- 
 ler County, of Abraham Zeigler and they 
 
IRA S. ZEIGLER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 951 
 
 continued to be neighbors during the rest 
 of their lives. Four children of David 
 Zeigler are living, namely : Henry M., who 
 resides at Zelienople ; G. M., who is a suc- 
 cessful farmer living on the old homestead 
 in Jackson Township ; David M., and Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Shriver. 
 
 For many years David M. Zeigler, 
 father of Ira S., has engaged in farming 
 near Harmony, Butler County, on the 
 Prospect and Harmony road. He married 
 Elizabeth Stauffer and they had the fol- 
 lowing children born to them: Frederick 
 S., Homer E., residing at Mars in Butler 
 County; Miles P., deceased; Rose, wife of 
 Dr. Beatty, of Butler; Ira S.; and Dot, 
 deceased, who was the wife of F. E. Long- 
 well. 
 
 Ira S. Zeigler was reared on the home 
 farm and was afforded an academic edu- 
 cation. At the age of nineteen years he 
 entered the office of the P. & W. Railroad, 
 at Harmony, where he learned telegraph- 
 ing and subsequently served as an oper- 
 ator at different points. In August, 1888, 
 he was appointed agent at Bakerstown 
 and three months later was promoted to 
 the agency at Girard, Ohio, which position 
 he resigned in the fall of 1891 in order to 
 give his entire time to the wholesale coal 
 business, in which he had previously en- 
 gaged. In the fall of 1891, in the year 
 following his marriage, he came to Zelien- 
 ople and continued in the coal jobbing bus- 
 iness until the amalgamation of coal in- 
 terests, in the summer of 1893, having 
 been a heavy dealer and at one time he 
 had controlled the whole outjiut of slack 
 in the Beaver Valley. 
 
 Mr. Zeigler gained his first banking ex- 
 perience in the bank of Gelliach Brothers, 
 which firm he served as bookkeeper. Later 
 he was employed by the Patterson-Lock- 
 wood Oil Company and the Patterson Nat- 
 ural Gas Company and was bookkeeper 
 for both concerns. On August 21, 1896, 
 Mr. Zeigler purchased the Connoquenes- 
 
 sing Valley News, from the firm oL Young 
 & Stoughton, and his energy was soon 
 shown by the extension of its patronage. 
 In Jime, 1898, he purchased the Globe, a 
 weekly newspaper published at Evans 
 City, and subsequently he consolidated it 
 with the News, and he continued in edi- 
 torial and newspaper work until Decem- 
 ber 28, 1901, when he disposed of his in- 
 terests in order to give more attention to 
 other business affairs, which had grown 
 to considerable magnitude. During the oil 
 excitement at Scio, Ohio, in 1898, Mr. Zeig- 
 ler was attracted to that place with other 
 men of business forethought, and he was 
 successful in securing leases which later 
 proved very profitable. At present his op- 
 erations in oil are in many fields, includ- 
 ing Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and 
 Ohio. In the last named state he operates 
 under the name of the Ira S. Zeigler Com- 
 pany, an incorporated concern, but in the 
 other fields he works independently. In 
 January, 1907, Mr. Zeigler was elected 
 president of the First National Bank at 
 Zelienople and his business career has 
 been of such a nature that his mere name 
 would add strength and confidence to any 
 institution. In large measure, Mr. Zeigler 
 has been the director of his own fortune, 
 in his youth laying a foundation of busi- 
 ness integrity on which he has success- 
 fully built. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Zeigler was married to Miss 
 Clara Pennell, who is a daughter of Syl- 
 venus Pennell, of Girard, Ohio, and they 
 have four children: Blanche E., Florence 
 Hester, David P. and Lueile. With his 
 family, Mr. Zeigler belongs to the Pres- 
 byterian Church. In his political views, 
 Mr. Zeigler is a Republican. He sei'ved 
 eight years as a notary public and three 
 terms as a member of the Zelienople town 
 council. He is a Royal Arch Mason, a 
 member of Butler Chapter No. 273, and 
 past master of Harmony Lodge, No. 429, 
 F. & A. M. 
 
952 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 JOHN H. SUTTON, who is extensively 
 engaged in handling real estate in Butler 
 County and for years has been promi- 
 nently identified with the production of 
 oil, is also a surviving officer of the great 
 Civil War. Mr. Sutton was born Novem- 
 ber 11, 1838, in Clay Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., and is a son of Jeremiah 
 and a grandson of Piatt Sutton. 
 
 The family of Sutton was founded in 
 Butler County by the grandfather, prior 
 to 1800. Jeremiah Sutton was born in 
 Concord Township, Butler County, in 
 1808, and died in 1852. He combined shoe- 
 making with farming. 
 
 Until he was thirteen years of age, John 
 H. Sutton remained on the home farm and 
 then went to North Washington, where he 
 worked in a store conducted by Harper 
 Brothers, until he was nineteen, when he 
 went West and spent three years in Iowa 
 and Colorado. After he returned to But- 
 ler County he enlisted for service in the 
 Civil War, in 1861 entering Company C, 
 Eleventh Regiment, Penna. Reserves. He 
 participated in all of the engagements in 
 which his command took part, and at Fred- 
 ericksburg, December 13, 1862, he was 
 wounded and was taken prisoner. He was 
 held at Libby Prison for two months and 
 was then transferred to Annapolis, Mary- 
 land. For six months he suffered in a hos- 
 pital there and then secured a parole and 
 was discharged, but was too exhausted by 
 wound and disease to be able to take ad- 
 vantage of his release before September, 
 1863. For fourteen months after his re- 
 turn to the quiet and care of home, he was 
 obliged to use a crutch, and even yet the 
 old wound gives him trouble and contin- 
 ually reminds him of those days in battle 
 and subsequent suffering. As second lieu- 
 tenant of his company he performed every 
 duty of a soldier with courage, fidelity and 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 After he had sufficiently recovered from 
 the effects of his wound and imprisonment, 
 Mr. Sutton entered into partnership with 
 
 his old employers. Harper Brothers, in a 
 mercantile business at North Washington, 
 and was associated with them for three 
 years, after which he retired to a farm in 
 Washington Township for several years. 
 In 1872 he was elected clerk of the courts 
 of Butler County and then removed to 
 Butler, which has been his home ever since. 
 He served in that office for three years and 
 then became interested in oil production, 
 an industry with which he has ever since 
 been connected. He helped to drill the 
 first producing oil well in Butler County, 
 and in the enterprise he was associated 
 with Capt. W. H. Timblin, Alfred Wick 
 and others, and the development came on 
 the farm of James Millford, in Allegheny 
 Township. Since that time he has drilled 
 more than 100 wells in Butler County. He 
 is largely interested in both city and 
 county real estate and is an expert on the 
 values of different sections. 
 
 On March 1, 1864, Mr. Sutton was mar- 
 ried to Miss Maria M. Mechling, who died 
 May 30, 1907. She was a daughter of Jo- 
 seph and Nancy Mechling, deceased. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sutton had seven children born 
 to them : Emma L., who is the widow of H. 
 W. Christie; Frank M., who is traffic man- 
 ager for the Westinghouse people, and 
 lives at Wilkinsburg; Agnes E., who is the 
 wife of W. E. McClung, resides on Fulton 
 Street, Butler; Maud H., who resides with 
 her parents; W. D., residing at Hoboken, 
 Pennsylvania, is an employe of the Penn- 
 sylvania Railroad; Angle A., who resides 
 at home; and J. C., who is a practicing 
 physician at New Brighton, Pennsylvania. 
 For fifty years Mr. Sutton has been a 
 member of the official board of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. He is a Repub- 
 lican in politics. 
 
 REV. JACOB WILHELM, for many 
 years a very highly esteemed resident of 
 Jefferson Township, where he owned a 
 valuable farm of fifty-three acres, was a 
 minister of the Lutheran Church and was 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 953 
 
 held in such high regard that he was sent 
 as a missionary to Africa. He survived 
 the dangers that attend those who leave a 
 civilized land in order to minister to al- 
 most savage people, and after his return 
 to America he came to Butler County and 
 in 1868 settled on the farm on the Glade 
 Mill road, two miles from Saxonburg, on 
 which his son resides. 
 
 Jacob Wilhelm was married to Frede- 
 rica Maier and to them were born the fol- 
 lowing children: Gotlieb T., Frederick P., 
 John P., Emanuel J., Clara C. M., Martha 
 L. D., Amelia E. L., Emma M. T. and Han- 
 nah J. F. Two members of the above fam- 
 ily are deceased. 
 
 Gotlieb T. Wilhelm was born in 1870, at 
 Evans City, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and he obtained his education in his native 
 county. He engaged in farming even in 
 his school days and still carries it on in 
 conjunction with his other industries. He 
 does a large amount of teaming and is an 
 oil operator and contractor and at the 
 present time of writing (1908) he has two 
 fine prodvicing oil wells on his farm and 
 owns an interest in five gas wells which 
 are situated in the immediate vicinity. He 
 is one of the most enteri)rising young busi- 
 ness men of this section, in which he is well 
 and favorably known. He has taken con- 
 siderable interest in polities' and served 
 two terms as constable of Jefferson Town- 
 ship. He is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 JOHN J. SHERIDAN, member and 
 general manager of the well known busi- 
 ness firm. The John J. Sheridan Com- 
 pany, machinists and blacksmiths and 
 dealers in second-hand oil well supplies, 
 at Mars, Pennsylvania, was born Novem- 
 ber 1, 1866, at Reading, Berks County, 
 Penna. 
 
 James Sheridan, father of John J., was 
 born in Ireland and was brought to Amer- 
 ica in childhood, his parents settling at 
 Reading, Penna., and in that great indus- 
 
 trial city, James Sheridan learned the 
 blacksmith trade. In 1868 he left the rail- 
 road shops in which he had been working, 
 and entered the oil fields, and in 1868, 
 opened a shop of his own, at Franklin, 
 Venango County, and ever since then, at 
 different times, has operated a shop at 
 that point. In 1894, in association with his 
 two sons, John J. and William A., he 
 founded the present Sheridan shops at 
 Mars, and together they conducted the 
 business imtil March, 1901, when William 
 A. and James Sheridan sold their interests 
 to C. L. Norton and Joseph Colestock, at 
 which time the name of the organization 
 was changed from James Sheridan & Sons, 
 to The John J. Sheridan Company. The 
 capacity of the plant was then doubled 
 and the company now occupies a space 
 210x175 feet, and have excellent trans- 
 portation facilities, on account of abutting 
 on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Em- 
 ployment is given to ten men and the busi- 
 ness is in an exceedingly flourishing condi- 
 tion. 
 
 John J. Sheridan, the able general man- 
 ager of the large business above described, 
 is a practical machinist and blacksmith. 
 From early boyhood until he was eighteen 
 years of age, when he became an appren- 
 tice under his father, he had attended 
 school through the winters and assisted in 
 the shops during the summers, and thus 
 had become acquainted with the details of 
 the business before actually starting to 
 learn it. He remained in the shop at 
 Franklin until he came to Mars. He is one 
 of the substantial citizens of this place and 
 is a stockholder in the Mars National Bank. 
 
 THOMAS J. GRAHAM, general farmer 
 in Penn Township and one of the repre- 
 sentative citizens of this section, was born 
 March 16, 1847, at what is now Glenshaw, 
 Allegheny County, Penna., and is a son of 
 Robert and Sarah Ann (Wigfield) Graham. 
 
 The Graham family was established in 
 Butler County by the grandfather, Robert 
 
954 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Graham, who came from east of the moun- 
 tains and settled on the present site of the 
 city of Butler, in 1797, and the distinction 
 belongs to him of having been one of the 
 first settlers. He was much more, for he 
 was a man of energy, enterprise and judg- 
 ment and in association with the Cunning- 
 ham family, also early settlers, he assisted 
 in the founding of churches, schools and 
 enterprises of various kinds that gave an 
 impetus to industries which have made 
 Butler and Butler County what it is today. 
 
 Robert Graham, father of Thomas J., 
 was born in the little pioneer settlement of 
 Butler, in 1807, a son of Robert and Sararh 
 (Brown) Graham, and died in August, 
 1873. After learning the trades of brick- 
 maker and bricklayer and working at the 
 same, he became a building contractor and 
 also acquired farming lands. His father 
 had been a prominent Whig and in his 
 early years he also supported that party 
 but later became identified with the Re- 
 publicans and to the close of his life took 
 an interest in the success of that organiza- 
 tion. He married a daughter of Matthew 
 Wigfield, who had settled as a pioneer in 
 what is now Clinton Township. Of the 
 nine children born to this marriage, the 
 following six grew to mature years : Eliza, 
 now deceased, who married Theodore 
 Huselton; James H., who is a resident of 
 Allegheny; Wilson W., deceased; Mary, 
 deceased, who married Arthur Hays; Ma- 
 tilda, who married William Kennedy ; and 
 Thomas J. The parents of this family 
 reared their children by Christian precept 
 and example. They were worthy members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being 
 one of the founder families of the Thorn 
 Creek Church. The father survived the 
 mother, her death taking place May 17, 
 1861, when she was aged fifty-six years. 
 
 Thomas J. Graham attended the country 
 schools and from boyhood has been accus- 
 tomed to all the details which make up a 
 successful farmer. On his Penn Township 
 farm he raises bountiful crops of corn. 
 
 oats, wheat, hay and potatoes, keeps 
 twelve head of cattle and manufactures a 
 high grade of butter. 
 
 Mr. Graham married a daughter of Ross 
 Porter, a farmer of West Deer Township, 
 Allegheny County. Mary A. Porter was 
 reared and educated there, but her mar- 
 ried life was spent in Butler County. She 
 died in 1903, aged fifty -five years. Of the 
 seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gra- 
 ham five survive, namely : Cora, who is the 
 wife of Thomas L. Huselton, of Perm 
 Township, has three children, Mary, Mar- 
 tha and Victor; Alma and Robert W., both 
 residing at home; Eliza, who is the wife 
 of William Montag, of Jefferson Center; 
 and Porter, who married Ella Lavery, has 
 a son, John Porter, and resides in Jeffer- 
 son Township. Mr. Graham is a member 
 of the United Presbyterian Church and has 
 served as a trixstee of the Shiloh church. 
 
 In politics Mr. Graham has been a very 
 active Republican. He was elected town- 
 ship collector in 1882 and is serving in his 
 third term and has also filled the offices of 
 school director, auditor and treasurer. For 
 five years prior to 1900, he was a justice 
 of the peace. He has sustained the repu- 
 tation of the Graham family for public use- 
 fulness and good citizenship. 
 
 HON. ELMER E. BELL, the popular 
 mayor of Butler and one of the most ener- 
 getic and public-spirited of her citizens, 
 was born in Mercer Countj^ Pennsylvania, 
 March 12, 1862, and is a son of Amzi and 
 Eliza (Stewart) Bell. 
 
 Mayor Bell spent his boyhood and early 
 youth assisting his father in farming the 
 lands he rented at different points. There 
 were six children to rear and educate and 
 the parents were able to give them no bet- 
 ter advantages than those aft'orded by the 
 country schools. In 1896 Elmer E. Bell 
 was appointed county detective by District 
 Attorney Christley, and he continued in 
 that office until 1899. He then entered the 
 employ of the glass company at Butler and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 957 
 
 had charge of the power plant until 1902. 
 He was then connected with the Davis Lead 
 Company in the capacity of engineer for 
 two years, after which he returned to the 
 glass company and remained in that con- 
 nection until 1906, when he was elected to 
 the honorable office he so efficiently fills. 
 He was the candidate on the Republican 
 ticket and was elected by a majority of 303 
 votes over his opponent, John W. Vogel. 
 Mayor Bell married Miss Lizzie Byles, 
 who is a daughter of Dr. Cornelius A. 
 Byles, who is a prominent physi'-:an of 
 Fredonia, Mercer CountJ^ Peniia. The 
 Mayor's residence is at No. 609 Brown 
 avenue, Butler. Both he and wife are mem- 
 bers of the Second Presbyterian Church. 
 He was reared in this faith by parents who 
 were noted for their zeal and piety. His 
 fraternal connections unite him with the 
 Woodmen and the Maccabees. 
 
 WILLIAM OESTERLING, general 
 farmer and oil well contractor and driller, 
 resides on his farm of fifty-four acres, 
 which is situated at Carbon Center, Sum- 
 mit Township. He was born at Brady's 
 Bend, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 January 15, 1867, and is a son of Leonard 
 and Margaret (Floor) Oesterling. 
 
 William Oesterling was three years old 
 when his father settled on the farm at Car- 
 bon Center, where he still resides, and here 
 the child grew to youth and manhood. 
 When he was twenty-one years old he be- 
 gan work in the oil fields as a driller and 
 as such was employed in Armstrong, But- 
 ler and Allegheny Countie's. For about ten 
 years he was in partnership with his 
 brother, in oil contracting, and he still con- 
 tinues his interest in the oil business. In 
 1894 he purchased his present farm from 
 his father and moved on the place in the 
 fall of 1895. In 1898 he erected the large 
 frame residence, selling the one he had 
 built in 1895, to the B. R. & P. Railroad. 
 There is still another house standing on 
 the farm, which Mr. Oesterling rents out. 
 
 He is a man of first-class business qualifica- 
 tions and stands high personally in his 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling married Emma L. Forcht, 
 who is a daughter of Henry and a niece of 
 George Forcht, well known residents of 
 Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. Oesterling 
 have three children, Florence, Ethel and 
 Bertha. They belong to St. Mark's Lu- 
 theran Church at Butler. 
 
 GEORGE MILLIRON, superintendent 
 of the works of the A. G. Morris & Son 
 Lime and Stone Company, at West Win- 
 field, Butler County, Penna., was born at 
 Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, this 
 state," August 31, 1869^ and is a son of W. 
 H. Milliron. He received a good common 
 school education, and began industrial life 
 as a laborer in the quarries, since which 
 time he has worked his way up to the re- 
 sponsible position he now holds. For the 
 past eighteen years he has been engaged 
 in the mining and manufacture of lime. 
 While he was obtaining a practical knowl- 
 edge of mining limestone and preparing it 
 for the market, he also made a study of 
 geology, mining engineering, and the com- 
 mercial end of the business, and he is now 
 one of the best informed men in this field 
 of industry. He has held his present posi- 
 tion with A. G. Morris & Son since 1900, 
 the business being the largest of its kind 
 operated in western Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Milliron was married June 11, 1900, 
 to ]\Iiss Bird, daughter of W. J. Campbell, 
 of Winfield Township. Mrs. Milliron is a 
 granddaughter of William Wise, who was 
 a prominent furnace man in the days 
 when the charcoal iron furnaces were in 
 operation in western Pennsylvania. He 
 superintended the Buffalo furnace in Arm- 
 strong County and assisted in the opera- 
 tion of the West Winfield and Pine Creek 
 furnaces. Mrs. Wise lighted the first fire 
 in the old Buffalo furnace. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Milliron reside in a com- 
 fortable cottage at West Winfield, and are 
 
958 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 among the leaders in tlie social affairs of 
 the town. They attend the Presbyterian 
 Mission at West Winfield and take an 
 active interest in all church and benevo- 
 lent affairs. Mr. Milliron is a member of 
 the Maccabees and is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics. 
 
 CHARLES W. ALLEN, a general 
 farmer residing on his valuable estate of 
 seventy acres, which is situated in Franklin 
 Township, was born in Franklin Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., in what is now the 
 village of Prospect, March 9, 1864, and is 
 a son of Samuel and Kate M. (Witty) 
 Allen. 
 
 The father of Mr. Allen was born in 
 1841, at Whitestown, Penna., and died in 
 February, 1907. His leading occupation 
 was farming, although for two years he 
 conducted a hotel at Prospect and resided 
 for several years at West Liberty. He 
 subsequently settled on the farm in Frank- 
 lin Township which his son Charles W. now 
 owns, and there spent the remainder of his 
 life. He was a member of the Odd Fellow 
 organization at Prospect. He married a 
 daughter of John Witty and they had the 
 following children : Charles, Mary, Robert, 
 George, Harry and Margaret, the last men- 
 tioned of whom is the wife of David Sny- 
 der of Brady Township. Of the above fam- 
 ily Mary and Robert ai-e deceased. The 
 parents were members of the Cumberland 
 Presbyterian Church, in which the father 
 was active, serving as a trustee and for a 
 long period as superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school. 
 
 Charles W. Allen was reared and at- 
 tended school in Franklin Township and, 
 with the exception of about sixteen years, 
 during which period he was employed as 
 a pumper and tool dresser in the oil fields, 
 he has confined his attention to farming. 
 His land is productive and his main crops 
 are potatoes, hay and corn, thirty-five 
 acres being devoted to the latter grain. 
 He is well known all through this section. 
 
 has friends on every hand and is a valued 
 member of the order of Maccabees at Pros- 
 pect. 
 
 CASPER FEHL, a well known resident 
 of Forward Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., is the owner of a fine farm of 105 
 acres, located in that and Connoqueuessing 
 Township. He was born in Pittsburg, 
 March 23, 1854, and has lived in Butler 
 County since 1858. 
 
 George Fehl, grandfather of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in Germany and 
 there grew to manhood. Sometime after 
 the death of his wife, he, accompanied by 
 his two children, Michael (now deceased) 
 and Elizabeth, mother of Casper Fehl, 
 came to the United States and located in 
 Pittsburg, where he worked in a plate glass 
 works tor some years. They all later 
 moved to Butler County, making the trip 
 afoot, while their goods were hauled in the 
 wagon. They settled on a farm in Forward 
 Township, which the mother of the subject 
 of this sketch now owns. She is now past 
 seventy-five years of age and makes her 
 home with her son. 
 
 Casper Fehl was about four years of age 
 when his people came to Forward Town- 
 ship, and the farm on which they located 
 was unimproved and uncleared. They 
 erected a log cabin and a barn, and set 
 about getting the land mto a cultivatable 
 state, and in this work, as he grew older, 
 Casper assisted. Oil was later struck on 
 the place, and became the source of con- 
 siderable income. In 1874, he began work- 
 ing at the trade of a mason, and continued 
 at it for a period of seventeen years, with 
 a high degree of success. He made a pur- 
 chase of twenty-five acres of land in Con- 
 noqueuessing Township, to which he added 
 from time to time, and on which lie erected 
 a fine set of buildings. Unfortunately the 
 barn was destroyed by fire in 1898, and all 
 its contents lost. In 1899 he erected a large 
 and substantial modern barn which now 
 stands on the place. He is engaged in gen- 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 959 
 
 eral farming and raises some stock. He 
 lias tit'ty-five acres in Forward Township, 
 where he Uves, his home being on the north 
 side of the Butler and Harmony road. He 
 has four producing wells on the place, and 
 for a time worked a coal bank at Wahlville, 
 in partnership with Mr. George Hicks. He 
 has always been energetic and industrious, 
 and the success achieved has been by hard 
 knocks and honest dealings with his fellow 
 men. 
 
 September 4, 1880, Mr. Fehl was united 
 in marriage with Miss Catherine L. Miller, 
 a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
 (Young) Miller, and they are parents of 
 the following children : Frank, Cora, Vina, 
 Joseph, Iva, Linda and Clarence. Reli- 
 giously, the family belong to the Reformed 
 Church. In politics, he is a stanch Demo- 
 crat, and has served as township tax col- 
 lector, school director, and in other capaci- 
 ties. 
 
 JOHN STEIN, one of Butler's substan- 
 tial citizens and reliable business men, is 
 proprietor of an extensive baking plant, in 
 his building on the corner of Main and 
 Wayne streets, Butler. He was born in 
 1847, in Wurtemberg, Germany, and re- 
 mained in his native land until he was nine- 
 teen years old. 
 
 When John Stein reached the United 
 States he selected the city of Pittsburg for 
 his home and there he went to work in a 
 bakery store, learned the business and con- 
 tinued to live in Pittsburg for two years. 
 In 1874 he came to Butler, where he found 
 work at his trade, but in February, 1875, 
 he returned to Pittsburg and continued 
 work as a baker there until 1876. Then Mr. 
 Stein returned to Butler, with the intention 
 of embarking in a bakery business of his 
 own. Like many another successful busi- 
 ness man, he was compelled to begin in a 
 small way, his first bakery being estab- 
 lished in a rented log house. There are 
 many who recall the first Stein bakery and 
 have watched its gradual development with 
 
 interest for it has become one of the large 
 city enterprises. Through his industry and 
 good management, coupled with the excel- 
 lent quality of his goods, Mr. Stein pros- 
 pered and in 1887 he was able to build a 
 two-story brick building on the corner of 
 Wayne and Main Streets, with dimensions 
 of 61x65 feet. His business continued to 
 expand and to meet the growing 'demands 
 Mr. Stein has added a third story to his 
 building and has also invested in other val- 
 uable property. 
 
 In 1874 Mr. Stein was married to Miss 
 Eliza Rudolph, who was born in Germany 
 and came to America when twenty years of 
 age. Mr. and Mrs. Stein have eight chil- 
 dren, namely: Louise, who married Theo- 
 dore Schenck, a prominent citizen of But- 
 ler, and Paulina, Caroline, Marie, Emma, 
 Waldo Harry, Elma and Hilda. Mr. Stein 
 and family belong to St. Mark's Lutheran 
 Church. In politics he is a Democrat. 
 
 WILLIAM BACHMAN, residing on his 
 finely improved farm of sixty acres, which 
 is situated m Jefferson Township, on the 
 south and east of the Saxonburg and Cabot 
 road, about one mile north of the former 
 village, was born on his father's homestead, 
 September 24, 1865, and is a son of Augiist 
 and Mary (Smith) Bachman. 
 
 August Bachman was born in Germany 
 and came to Butler County many years ago 
 and followed farming in Jefferson Town- 
 ship. His father also came to America but 
 died shortly afterward. August Bachman 
 Tuarried Mary Smith and they had the fol- 
 lowing family of children bom to them, all 
 of whom survive except the eldest: Han- 
 nah, Henry, Joshua, William, Charles, 
 John, Emma, Lewis, August and Joseph. 
 
 William Bachman attended school in 
 Jefferson Township and his first work done 
 away from home, was in a brick-yard. He 
 then learned the carpenter's trade, at which 
 he continued to work until 1907, when he 
 purchased his present farm, which he culti- 
 vates and also raises stock for his own use. 
 
960 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 He lias done a large amount of building in 
 the county and the improvements on his 
 own place were made by himself. His hand- 
 some residence and substantial barn, both 
 of which have slate roofs, scarcely have 
 equals in this section. He is also interested 
 in oil production and has visited the oil 
 fields all over Butler County and at present 
 has fourteen producing wells. He is a man 
 of business enterprise and his investments 
 have i^roved good ones as he made them 
 judiciously. 
 
 In Januarj', 1891, Mr. Bachman was mar- 
 ried to Miss Emma Rudert, a daughter of 
 William and Hannah (Lensner) Rudert, of 
 Jefferson Township, and they have the fol- 
 lowing children: Aaron, Nora, Wilbert, 
 Nelma, Mary and Raymond, Nora and 
 Raymond being deceased. The eldest son, 
 now a bright youth of sixteen years, is be- 
 ginning to learn the carpenter's trade with 
 his father. The family belong to the Lu- 
 theran Church at Saxonburg. 
 
 WILLIAM T. HOON, a prominent citi- 
 zen and prosperous farmer, resides on his 
 excellent farm of 110 acres, situated in 
 Oakland Township, this being a part of the 
 original tract on which his grandfather, 
 Henry Hoon, settled in 1818. He was born 
 on this farm on March 1, 1859, and is a son 
 of Anthony and Mary Ann (Beatty) Hoon. 
 
 Henry Hoon came to Butler County from 
 Harrisburg, Penna., bringing his family 
 and many of his household possessions. 
 His grandchildren still preserve his rifle 
 and the old copper kettle, which, in those 
 days, was the thrifty housewife's most val- 
 ued possession. Grandfather Hoon built 
 a log house on his wild farm in Oakland 
 Township and the remainder of his life was 
 mainly given to the clearing and improving 
 of his land, the larger part of which is still 
 owned by his descendants. 
 
 Anthony Hoon, father of William T., was 
 born in Dauphin County, Penna., August 
 27, 1817, and was one year old when his 
 parents brought him to Oakland Township, 
 
 on which his subsequent life was spent. He 
 married Mary Ann Beatty, who was born 
 in Ireland and in girlhood was brought to 
 Oakland Township by her father, Hugh 
 Beatty. Born in 1824, she died October 7, 
 1897, aged seventy-three years. Her hus- 
 band survived her imtil February 27, 1900, 
 his age being eighty-two years and six 
 months. Of Anthony Hoon's twelve chil- 
 dren, the following survive: Robert B., 
 Henry A., Hugh B., A. I., William T., Clark 
 W. and Mary E. Robert B., Hugh B. and 
 A. I., all reside at Mercer, Pennsyl- 
 vania. Henry A., residing at Avelon, Penn- 
 sylvania, and Robert B., are children of his 
 first marriage, with Martha Black. 
 
 William T. Hoon was reared on his pres- 
 ent farm and has always devoted himself 
 to agricultural pursuits. On June 20, 1888, 
 he married Laura M. Hutchison, who was a 
 daughter of William J. Hutchison. Mrs. 
 Hoon died August 17, 1906. They had four 
 children ; Vangie L., who died aged twenty- 
 one months; and George A., Loyal R. and 
 Carl H. Since the death of Mrs. Hoon, Mr. 
 Hoon's sister. Miss Mary E. Hoon, a most 
 estimable lady, has looked after his house- 
 hold. In the year following his marriage, 
 Mr. Hoon erected his large frame house, 
 having built his substantial barn in 1884. 
 Mr. Hoon is a member of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church at Butler. In polities he 
 is a Republican and he has frequently been 
 elected to township offices, in which he has 
 served most acceptably. 
 
 HENRY JOHN IFFT, owner and pro- 
 prietor of the large general store conducted 
 under the title of George Ifft & Sons, is one 
 of the best known citizens and business men 
 of Evans City, Penna. He was born in the 
 country near that village May 1, 1849, and 
 is a son of John George and Sophia (Reeb) 
 Ifft, and grandson of John George, Sr., and 
 Anna Barbara (Pfeifer) Ifft, the two last 
 named dying in Hessen, Darmstadt, Ger- 
 many, their native land. 
 
 John George Ifft, father of the subject of 
 
R. R. LLOYD 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 96:; 
 
 this skctcli, was born iu VoUmarz, Hessen, 
 i);l^lll^t;^(lt, (iermany, and was sixteen 
 yea IS dM when he accompanied his two 
 older brothers, Michael and Peter, to 
 America and located in Bntler County, 
 Penna. He took to agricultural pursuits 
 and i^rospered, and in 1850 he purchased 
 the Daniel Boggs farm at Evans City, on 
 which he passed the rcinaiiidcr of his days, 
 lie hcc;iliU' illtcivstcil with his SOUS in the 
 gcucrnl stoi'c ill IsiiS wiiich bore his name, 
 hut ihd not participate actively in its man- 
 agement. He was joined in marriage with 
 Sophia Reeb, who was born in Alsace, 
 France, and was fourteen years of age 
 when she accompanied her father, Nich- 
 olas Reeb, to the United States. Her 
 father became a resident of Butler County, 
 and lived there until his death in 1870, at 
 the age of eighty-seven years. Mr. Reeb 
 served twelve years as cavalryman under 
 Louis Napoleon. This union resulted in 
 the birth of eight children, as follows: 
 George, who died in April, 1908; Cath- 
 erine, widow of Peter Pfeifer; William H., 
 who died in December, 1894; Sarah, wife 
 of George G. Lutz; Henry John, whose 
 name heads this sketeh; J. Nicholas, who 
 lives oil tl:e nil! iioiiie ])hiee and is a breed- 
 er of l)loo(h'.l stock; Lewis J. of Washing- 
 ton, D. C. ; and a daughter who died in in- 
 fancy. Mr. Ifft died in April, 1891, at the 
 age of seventy-four years, and his widow 
 in December, 189.3, at the age of sevent}'- 
 three years. 
 
 Henry J. Ifft was about one year old 
 when his parents moved to the old home 
 place, where his boyhood daj's were spent. 
 He attended the old township school about 
 four months in the year, to which he 
 walked, it l)eing two miles from his home. 
 At the age of seventeen, in May, 1866, he 
 left home for Pittsburg, where for thir- 
 teen months he worked in the grocery of 
 James Montooth & Son, on Smithfield 
 Street. He then spent nine months in a 
 store in Allegheny, after which, in March, 
 1868, he returned "to Evans City and estab- 
 
 lished a general store with his father and 
 brothers under the name and style of 
 George Ift't & Sons. In 1874, the store of 
 J. M. White was purchased and the two 
 stores consolidated, and two years later a 
 large and commodious store building was 
 erected on the corner of Pittsburg and 
 Washington Streets, which the firm has 
 since occupied. In 1886, a ware house was 
 erected along the railroad and is provided 
 with a private siding. John George Ifft 
 withdrew from the business in 1880, John 
 N. in 1883, Lewis J. in 1890, and William 
 in 1893, the subject of this sketcn becom- 
 ing at that time sole owner. He carries a 
 large and complete line of dry-goods, 
 groceries, boots and shoes, hardware and 
 farm iiiipleiiients, and flour and feed, com- 
 mandiug a li))eral patronage at the hands 
 of the people throughout this section of 
 the county. 
 
 November 7, 1872, Henry J. Ifft was 
 rinited in marriage with Miss Agnes A. 
 Lyons, a daughter of John Lyons, who 
 was a veteran of the Civil War. Her 
 )>rother. Major R. W. Lyons, was formerly 
 mayor of Pittsburg and he also served in 
 the" Civil M^ar. Nine children were the re- 
 sult of this union, four of whom died in 
 infancy. Those who grew to maturity 
 were : Carrie Leona, wife of Charles Lynch 
 of Evans City, Pennsylvania, by whom she 
 has three children: George lift, James 
 Donald, and Mary; Lyon, Charles W., who 
 assists his father in running the store; 
 Mary Josephine; Frances Beulah; and 
 Emiiia Kathlyn. Mr. lift is a Democrat 
 in politics, has served on the School Board 
 and in the council and is at present a mem- 
 lier of the board of directors of Evans City 
 C*emetery Association. He was reared in 
 the Lutheran faith, but is now a member 
 of the United Presbyterian Church, to 
 which his family also belong. 
 
 R. RUSSELL LLOYD, treasurer and 
 manager of The Lloyd Company, Incor- 
 porated, wholesale dealers in confection- 
 
964 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 erj', c'igar.s and tobacco, was born at 
 Apollo, Armstroug Coimty, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Col. David I), and Mary 
 (Fritzins) Lloyd. 
 
 A\lien Mr. Lloyd was eight years old his 
 parents moved to Beaver Falls and thei-e 
 he obtained his edncation. When he left 
 school he went into factory work and has 
 filled almost every position in factories, 
 learning the business from the ground up. 
 He began for himself on a small scale, at 
 Apollo, as wholesale confectioner, and re- 
 mained there until his enterprise had 
 practically outgrown the village and then 
 went to Butler, where with his father he 
 embarked in the wholesale business which 
 is one of the city's most prospei'ous con- 
 cerns at the present time. In 1904 The 
 Lloyd Company was incorporated, with a 
 capital stock of $20,000. Its officers are 
 Col. David D. Lloyd. ])resident; R. Russell 
 Lloyd, treasurer and manager; and W. E. 
 Lloyd, secretary. Tlie company keeps four 
 men on the road, and the territory cov- 
 ered includes six counties in Western 
 Pennsylvania. The success of this busi- 
 ness is due to the excellent qualities of the 
 goods handled and to the honorable busi- 
 ness iiu'tliods and careful, intelligent and 
 (•(iiis('r\ati\(' adiiiiiiistration of its ati'airs. 
 ]\lr. Lloyd is a menibei- of the fraternal 
 orders of the Elks and Eagles and he 
 belongs also to the Country Club. He was 
 reared in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 of which he is a member. 
 
 WILLIAM JOHN EMRICK, general 
 merchant at Butler, has been a resident of 
 this city for twenty-two years and is 
 identified with many of her interests and 
 has been a helpful factor in developing a, 
 number of her enterprises. He was born 
 August 12, 1858, in Siunmit Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., and is a son of 
 John and a grandson of Andrew Emrick, 
 who came to Butler County in 1803. 
 
 John Emrick, father of W. J., was born 
 in 18.31, in Butler County, and developed 
 
 into one of the leading citizens of this sec- 
 tion. He resided on his farm in Summit 
 Township. In 1864 he enlisted for service 
 in the Civil War, entering Company F, 
 One Hundred Sevenui Regiment, in the 
 Army of the Potomac, and was present at 
 the surrender of General Lee at Ap- 
 pomattox. On December 14, 1855, he was 
 married to Miss Maria A. Burkhart, who 
 died in August, 1906. They had the fol- 
 lowing children: Daniel Baxter and Will- 
 iam J., both residents of Butler; Asa Wa- 
 ters, a resident of Allegheny; Albert F., a 
 resident of Benavon, Pennsylvania; Sam- 
 uel M., a resident of Butler; Catherine R., 
 wife of A. M. Swartz, of Allegheny City; 
 and Barbara A. and Mary E. The latter 
 is the wife of Samuel Hughes, of Butler. 
 A number of the family above named have 
 reared children of their own and when the 
 aged grandfather .died, his remains were 
 followed to the grave by eighty-six grand- 
 children and twenty-two great-grandchil- 
 dren. 
 
 AV. J. Emrick was reared on a farm four 
 miles from the Butler County Court House 
 and was educated in the local schools and 
 at Witherspoon Institute. His first essay 
 at business was as a clerk for D. 11. Sut- 
 ton, at Maharg, with whom he remained 
 for eight years, after which he was 
 with John Berg & Son, for a short time, 
 and then accepted a position as foreman 
 for the W. C. Myers dry goods store at 
 Pittsburg. He remained there for two 
 years and then came to Butler, where 
 he served as a clerk for the well known 
 merchants, D. L. Aiken and J. E. Camp- 
 bell, for four years. His long experience 
 in the mercantile line convinced him that 
 he was fully capable of directing a busi- 
 ness of his own and about this time, in as- 
 sociation with S. M. Wright, he bought out 
 his former employers, the firm name be- 
 coming Emrick & Wright. In October, 
 1897, Mr. Eminck established his general 
 mercantile store at No. 806 Center Avenue, 
 and the steady growth of his trade soon 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 965 
 
 necessitated larger quarters, aud in 1902 
 he erected his present tine two-story store 
 building, with dimensions of 2Ux6U feet. 
 He has commodious wareroom space in the 
 rear and he has equipped his building with 
 modern comforts and appliances. In 1893 
 he had built his fine residence which ad- 
 joins his store, at No. 804 Center Avenue. 
 In 1882, Mr. Emrick was married to 
 Miss Nancy J. Cruikshank, who belongs to 
 one of the old and honorable families of 
 Butler County. They have seven children, 
 namely: Samuel Dwight, who is a student 
 in the dental department of the University 
 of Pittsburg; Ada E., who is a music 
 teacher of Butler ; John Leroy, who is with 
 his father in the store ; Egleton Byers, who 
 is a High School student; and Alice Ger- 
 trude, Hazel Olive and Catherine Irene, 
 all at school. The family belong to the 
 First Presbyterian Church, Mr. Emrick 
 being a member of the official board. His 
 fraternal connections include the Modern 
 Woodmen and the Knights of Pythias. He 
 is not active in politics, although he has 
 ever shown good citizenship when public 
 affairs demanded stringent measures. 
 
 JOHN S. DODDS, general farmer in 
 Franklin Township, residing on his well 
 cultivated farm of sixty acres, is a promi- 
 nent and respected citizen of this section 
 and is also a veteran of the Civil War. He 
 was born July 4, 1840, in Franklin Town- 
 ship, Butler Cormty, Penna., and is a sou 
 of Thomas and Nancy (McGrew) Dodds. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Dodds were born 
 and reared in Franklin Township, 
 where the grandparents had been early 
 settlers. Thomas Dodds followed the car- 
 ))eiiter trade in his earlier years but later 
 devoted himself entirely to farming. In 
 politics, prior to the organization of the 
 Republican party, he was a Whig. He was 
 a man of character and frequently was 
 elected to office in his township. His wife, 
 Nancy McGrew, was a daughter of James 
 McGrew, and they had the following chil- 
 
 dren: Mary, who married Enos McDon- 
 ald, of Pi'ospect; William, whose home is 
 in Colorado; Margaret, residing at Mt. 
 Chestnut, who is the widow of John Mc- 
 Candless; James, who died of fever while 
 serving in the Civil War as a member of 
 Company G, One Hundred Thirty-fourth 
 Regiment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry; 
 John S., whose name appears at the head 
 of this sketch; Elizabeth, deceased, who 
 Avas the wife of William McDonald; Mar- 
 tha, who is the widow of Samuel Moore, 
 of New Castle; and Thomas, who lives at 
 New Castle. The parents were members 
 of the United Presbyterian Church at 
 Prospect. On both sides Mr. Dodds comes 
 of Irish ancestry. 
 
 John S. Dodds spent his boyhood at- 
 tending the district schools and making 
 himself useful on the home farm. In Au- 
 gust, 1862, he enlisted for service in the 
 Civil War, entering Company G, One Hun- 
 dred Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penna. Vol- 
 unteer Infantrj^, for nine months, and re- 
 enlisted, in 1864, in the Sixth Penna. 
 Heavy Artillery, in which he served until 
 the close of hostilities. He took part in 
 many serious battles but was spared to re- 
 turn home, practically unharmed. He is 
 a member of John H. Randolph Post No. 
 404, Grand Army of the Republic, at Pros- 
 pect, of which he is past quartermaster. 
 After he returned from the army he set- 
 tled on his present farm, which he has 
 carefully cultivated ever since, producing 
 very satisfactory crops of wheat, hay, 
 corn, oats and potatoes. He is an active 
 Republican and has served his township 
 most acceptably as supervisor, tax col- 
 lector, school director and auditor. 
 
 Mr. Dodds married Miss Ellen Dick, a 
 daughter of William Dick, of Franklin 
 Township, and they have the following- 
 children: James V., of Zelienople; William 
 H., of Brookl>Ti, New York; Thomas J., 
 also of Brookl^Ti, New York ; Carl, of New 
 Castle, Pennsylvania ; Ford, of Zelienople ; 
 Harry W., of Muddy Creek Township; 
 
966 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Everette M., of Freedom, Peuusylvauia; 
 Clyde, of New Castle; Raymoud, residing 
 at home; and Jessie Bell, who is the wife 
 of Lester Brown. Mr. Dodds and family 
 belong to the United Presbyterian Church 
 at Mt. Chestnut, of which he has been a 
 trustee. 
 
 ISAAC M. FLEEGER is the owner of 
 a farm consisting of fifty-six acres, located 
 about one mile north of Unionville, in Cen- 
 ter Township, Butler County, Peuna., upon 
 which he has lived since 1899. He was 
 born near the borough of Mercer, in Mer- 
 cer County, Penna., October 22, 1858, and 
 is a son of Christopher and Emeline (Wes- 
 ton) Fleeger, the former a native of Cen- 
 ter Township, and the latter of New York 
 State. 
 
 After marriage, Christopher Fleeger 
 moved to Mercer County, but one year 
 later returned to Center Township, where 
 he and wife remained until 1870, in which 
 year they purchased a farm in Mercer 
 County, and again took up their residence 
 in that county, where they remained until 
 their respective deaths. 
 
 Isaac M. Fleeger was in infancy when 
 his people returned to Center Township, 
 and when nine years of age went to live 
 with the family of John McBride in Frank- 
 lin Township. He continued with the lat- 
 ter until he was twenty-one, engaged in 
 farm work, then went to live with his par- 
 ents, who at that time were located in Mer- 
 cer (*ounty. After two years of assisting 
 his father on the farm, he returned to the 
 emi>loy of Mr. McBride, with whom he re- 
 mained some two or three years longer. 
 He was married in 1884, to Miss Margaret 
 McCandless, who was born and reared in 
 Connoquenessing Township, and is a 
 daughter of John McCandless. They set 
 up housekeeping in Cherry Township, 
 where Mr. Fleeger worked for a short time 
 in a coal bank; he then worked one sum- 
 mer for Mr. McBride in Franklin Town- 
 ship, after which he farmed his father-in- 
 
 law's place in Connoquenessing Township 
 for two years. He next moved to Butler 
 Township, where he operated a coal mine 
 which he leased from Abraham McCand- 
 less, for three years, then moved to the 
 McDonald farm in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship. Five years later he removed to the 
 Robert McBride farm in Franklin Town- 
 ship, and after one year there, in 1899 pur- 
 chased his present farm of fifty-six acres 
 in Center Township from the Fleeger 
 heirs. Having begim a poor lad, without 
 help or favor he worked his waj^ to a de- 
 sirable position among the leading men of 
 the community. He follows general farm- 
 ing and stock raising, and is meeting with 
 deserved success. 
 
 The marriage of Isaac M. and Margaret 
 (McCandless) Fleeger resulted in the birth 
 of the following children: William G. ; 
 Sarah A., who is the wife of John Miller, 
 by whom she has a daughter, Ruth Al- 
 berta ; Floyd A. ; Cecil C. ; and Clara Mar- 
 garet. Religiously, he and some of his 
 family are members of the Unionville 
 Presbyterian Church, but AVilliam G. and 
 Sarah A. belong to the German Lutheran 
 known as the Hollow church. 
 
 JOSEPH BRANDON COOPER, of the 
 grocery firm of Smathers & Cooper, is one 
 of the foremost business men of Evans 
 City, Penna., and comes of an old and re- 
 spected family of Butler Countv. He was 
 born on the old home farm in Forward 
 Township, September 21, 1875, and is a 
 son of James and Caroline (]\farburger) 
 Cooper, and grandson of Joseph Cooper. 
 
 Joseph Cooj^er, the grandfather, settled 
 in the woods of Forward Township at a 
 very early date, made a clearing for his 
 cabin, and then set about the task of clear- 
 ing the farm of its heavj^ growth of timber 
 and underbrush. He had quite a reputa- 
 tion as a wood chopper, and even in his old 
 age could swing an axe with greater skill 
 than the younger men. He was the father 
 of a large family of children, as follows: 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 967 
 
 James; Joseph; Samuel, deceased; Kath- 
 erine, widow of John Davis ; Ethel I., wife 
 of Lewis Bloom; Sophia, widow of Jesse 
 Knox ; Nancy, wife of Taylor Wise ; Chris- 
 tina, wife of John Keefer; Alma, wife of 
 Andrew McFarland; Sarah, wife of John 
 Loose; and Melissa, wife of John C. Ro- 
 hiser. The Cooper family each year Jiolds 
 a reunion which is attended by more than 
 400 members of the family, "the last one 
 held being at Butler in August, 1908. Jo- 
 seph B. Cooper, subject of this sketch, 
 serves as treasurer of their organization. 
 
 James C'Ooper, father of Joseph B., was 
 born on the farm in Forward Township, 
 and in his youth helped in its clearing. At 
 an early age he learned the trade of a car- 
 penter, and erected many of the early 
 houses and barns in his vicmity. He built 
 the business block now occupied b.y the 
 store of Smathers & Cooper at Evans City, 
 it being all hand work from the rough 
 lumber. He and his wife now live on the 
 old Cooper home place in Forward Town- 
 sliip, two miles north of Evans City. He 
 was united in marriage with Caroline Mar- 
 burger, a daughter of Henry Marburger, 
 who died in 1907, at the age of ninety 
 years. They became parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Mary, who died in 1907, 
 and was the wife of John Berringer; 
 Sophia, wife of Curtin Bradley; Samuel; 
 Joseph Brandon; George; Susan, wife of 
 Ferd Ziggler; and Edward. 
 
 Joseph B. Cooper spent his boyhood 
 days on the home place in Forward Town- 
 ship, and attended the district schools of 
 that vicinity and later the high schools at 
 Evans City for two terms. He engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits on the home place 
 until 1904, when he purchased a half in- 
 terest in tlie store of Mr. A. J. Smathers, 
 who had been in business in Evans City 
 since 1888. Mr. Smathers had the misfor- 
 tune of being struck by the street car at 
 Mars, June 7, 1908, his death resulting 
 from the accident. Mr. Cooper has since 
 carried on the business in connection with 
 
 his former partner's heirs. He has a large 
 and complete stock and enjoys a good 
 trade in the village and surrounding coun- 
 try. 
 
 April 17, 1901, Mr. Cooper was joined in 
 marriage with .Miss Kitty Burke, a daugh- 
 ter of F. E. and Sylvia (Tealsmith) Burke, 
 and they started housekeeping in the house 
 in which the subject of this sketch was 
 born. They have one daughter, Frances 
 Seeland, born September 6, 1906. Re- 
 ligiously, they are members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he is a 
 trustee. In political affiliation, he is a 
 Democrat. Fraternally, he is a member of 
 Evans City Lodge No. 817, I. 0. 0. F.; and 
 Encampment No. 317, I. 0. 0. F. 
 
 LOUIS STEIN. Among the old-time 
 merchants of Butler who have now passed 
 away, few are more worthy of remem- 
 brance than he whose name begins this 
 article. He came of sturdy old German 
 stock and of a family of more than usual 
 intelligence, his father being a professor 
 in the Medical University of Bonn. Louis 
 Stein was born in the city of Marburg, 
 Hessen, Germany, July 3, isil. 
 
 When the father of Mr. Stein was hon- 
 ored by the appointment to a professor- 
 ship at Bonn University, the family took 
 up its residence in the old college town and 
 Louis had the advantage of being educated 
 there. In 1832 he came to America, where 
 he was employed during his first five years, 
 in an importing house in New York City. 
 In 1837 he established a mercantile biisi- 
 ness at Wapakoneta, Ohio, where, in part- 
 nership with Bernard Roessing, he contin- 
 ued in business until 1840, when they came 
 to Butler. The mercantile firm of Roessing 
 and Stein continued until 1871, when Mr. 
 Stein purchased Mr. Roessing 's interest 
 and carried on the business alone until 
 February, 1882. He then admitted his son, 
 William A., to partnership and the firm be- 
 came L. Stein & Son, and with some 
 changes in the handling of commodities, 
 
968 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the business continued unitl 1885, when 
 Louis Stein retired. Although he withdrew 
 from all responsibility at this time, he con- 
 tinued interested m the progress and suc- 
 cess of the firm and until within a short 
 time of .his death, might be seen almost 
 every day, in some department of the store. 
 He lived to the age of eighty-four years 
 and havmg led a temperate, sane and 
 healthy life, avoided many of the ailments 
 peculiar to advanced years. His death oc- 
 curred July 20, 1894. His social disposi- 
 tion, united with the strictest business in- 
 tegrity, gained for him many friends and 
 few men in the commercial circles of the 
 city enjoyed a greater degree of popular- 
 ity. 
 
 In politics, ]\Ir. Stein was a firm Demo- 
 crat, but the measure of his public service 
 was as a member of the School Board, on 
 which he served for some years. He was 
 a member of the German Lutheran Church 
 at Butler and his support of the same was 
 always liberal and cheerfully bestowed. 
 
 In August, 1848, Louis Stein was mar- 
 ried to Matilda Dieker, a daughter of An- 
 thony Dieker, of Wapakoneta, Ohio. They 
 had sis children, namely: Emily, Julia, 
 William A., Louis B., Albert 0. and 
 Charles. Charles and Emily are deceased, 
 the latter of whom was tne wife of .John 
 N. Patterson. Julia married J. F. Strong 
 and resides at Cincinnati. The three sur- 
 viving sons of Louis Stein are all men of 
 business sagacity, occupying prominent 
 places in the commercial life of Butler. 
 
 WILLIAM WATSON, one of Butler 
 County's representative business men, 
 now living retired in a comfortable home 
 at_No. 442 East Pearl Street, Butler, for 
 thirty-two years was prominently identi- 
 fied with the mercantile interests of Frank- 
 lin Township. He was born near Whit- 
 horn, in Wigtonshire, Scotland, February 
 12, 1838, and is a son of Alexander and 
 Elizabeth (Arnot) Watson. 
 
 On account of his hearing Mr. Watson, 
 
 November 1, 1908, sold his store and prop- 
 erty at Mount Chestnut and retired to But- 
 ler, Pa., where he resides at 442 East Pearl 
 Street. 
 
 William Watson, of the firm of William 
 Watson & Son, general merchants, with 
 stores both at Mount Chestnut and Isle, is 
 one of the best known men of Franklin 
 Township, with which section he has been 
 identified for the past thirty-two years. 
 He was born near Whithorn, in Wigton- 
 shire, Scotland, February 12, 1838, and is 
 a son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Arnot) 
 Watson. 
 
 Alexander Watson was born also in Wig- 
 tonshire, in 1810, and died in Butler 
 County, Penna., when aged eighty-three 
 years. He married Elizal3eth Arnot, who 
 was born in 1806 and died when aged 
 eighty-six years. In 1845, Alexander Wat- 
 son and family removed to England and 
 lived in different sections of that country 
 until 1849, when they embarked on a sail- 
 ing vessel for America. The long voyage, 
 which required six weeks, is easily recalled 
 by Mr. Watson, who was then a boy of 
 eleven years. His parents settled near 
 Freeport, in Buffalo Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, where the father 
 first rented and later purchased land and 
 lived there during the remainder of his 
 life. Both he and wife were consistent 
 meml^ers of the Presbyterian Church. They 
 had four children, namely: John A., who 
 resides in Buffalo Township; William; 
 Alexander, who lives near Helena, Mon- 
 tana; and Isabella, who is the widow of 
 John Myers, of Buffalo Township. 
 
 William Watson has had a long and 
 eventful life, many of the details being un- 
 usually interesting. He attended school in 
 Buffalo Township and remained at home 
 until the spring of 1858, when he went to 
 the Territory of Kansas. For about one 
 year after reaching there he worked on a 
 farm near Lawrence and then secured a 
 contract to cut timber in the Delaware In- 
 dian Reservation. About this time came 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1X39 
 
 the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak aud 
 the subsequent public uproar aud Mr. Wat- 
 sou became affected by the geueral excite- 
 ment. In partnership with his brother, 
 John A. Watson, he bought three yoke of 
 oxeu and a wagon and easily obtained a 
 load of freight and passengers. The party 
 arrived safelj' on the present site of the 
 city of Denver, aud at that time the pres- 
 ent beautiful city consisted of but thirteen 
 mud-covered shanties. During this jour- 
 ney, Mr. Watson and his companions be- 
 came accustomed to sights which no pre- 
 vious experience had prepared them for. 
 He was particularly impressed with the 
 vast herds of Buffalo and was ten days in 
 jjassing them on the range, there being 
 Imudreds of thousands of those animals, 
 of whicli now almost the only specimens 
 are those in captivity. 
 
 Mr. Watson remained in the vicinity of 
 Denver all that summer, engaged in pros- 
 pecting for gold, and when the season was 
 well advanced he engaged, for several 
 months, in hauling lumber into Denver 
 After this work was completed he came 
 down the Platte River and wintered in 
 Missouri. On his journey clown he had 
 an experience which he relates somewliat 
 as follows : "One night, when about twelve 
 miles up the river from Fort Kearney, the 
 company went to sleep in the wagons as 
 usual but the wind changed so suddenly 
 to the North that they had to quickly 
 rouse and turn the ends of the wagons to 
 the storm to prevent them being upset. In 
 the morning the snow was falling and the 
 wind was howling. They hurried the cat- 
 tle together and started for Fort Kearney, 
 the storm, in the meanwhile, growing 
 worse every minute, and when they tinally 
 reached Fort Kearney, with the expecta- 
 tion of receiving assistance, the com- 
 mandant there refused them the shelter of 
 one of the abandoned shanties about the 
 fort, this refusal making it necessary for 
 them to endure the storm for a half mile 
 farther, where thev found a ranchman who 
 
 was willing for the party of sixteen to 
 crowd into a little adobe hut with dimen- 
 sions of 8 to 10 feet. Two of the travelers 
 wrapped themselves in blankets and slept 
 in the wagon, for want of space in the hut, 
 but one of the oxen, which had only the 
 shelter of a hay-stack, was frozen and on 
 the following day a second ox shared its 
 late. This noted storm occurred Novem- 
 Ijer 11, 1859, and lasted for two and one- 
 half days." 
 
 Mr. Watson engaged in cutting wood on 
 a farm until the spring came and then went 
 to Brownsville, Nebraska, where he bought 
 a pony and outfit and with it started out 
 alone to the Little Blue River, where he 
 joined others and then proceeded to Rus- 
 sell's Grulch, where he mined in the moun- 
 tains until in the fall of 1861. He then re- 
 turned home on a visit, and shortly after- 
 ward enlisted in Company D, Sixth Regi- 
 ment, Penna. Heavy Artillery, and was in 
 the regular service for about ten months, 
 or until the close of the war, being con- 
 nected with the force defending Washing- 
 ton during the greater part of the time, 
 lie entered the service as first corporal 
 and was promoted to be sergeant. After 
 he returned from the field to the forts, he 
 jiut in his time studying artillery practice 
 and became so proficient that he was de- 
 tailed as an artillery instructor. 
 
 After the close of his military life, Mr. 
 Watson bought a farm in BuiTalo Town- 
 ship, on which he remained for ten years, 
 selling in 1876 and buying an interest in 
 the business of Alexander Campbell & 
 Sons, at Mount Chestnut. AVithin two 
 years, Mr. AVatson ac(|uired the whole bus- 
 iness and he conducted it under his own 
 name until 1892, when he admitted his son, 
 Edwin A., to partnership and the firm 
 name was changed to William Watson & 
 Son. In addition to general merchandise, 
 the firm handled farm machinery, fertiliz- 
 ers and feed. In 1897, they established a 
 store in the northwestern part of Franklin 
 Township, at Isle, of which Edwin A. Wat- 
 
970 
 
 HI8T0RY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 son has charge. He is also station and ex- 
 press agent at Isle and has his exjaress 
 office in his store. William Watson gave 
 the name to that village and station, in 
 memory of a little town that stood within 
 two miles of his birthplace in Scotland. 
 This firm has done the largest mercantile 
 business in Franklin Township. On No- 
 vember 1, 1908, William W^atson sold his 
 Mt. Chestnut store and property, defec- 
 tive hearing having induced his retirement 
 from business. Both father and son are 
 Republicans in their political sentiments. 
 The latter was formerly the postmaster at 
 Isle and the former served for about six- 
 teen years, although not consecutively, as 
 postmaster at Mount Chestnut, giving' up 
 the office when the rural mail delively 
 went into effect. Mr. Watson has never 
 been a seeker for political honors but has 
 had frequent ax^pointments in that line. 
 He served many years as a school director 
 and to his judgment, in the early days, may 
 be attributed the excellence of the schools 
 of his district, for he has always been a 
 practical man. For many years he has 
 served on leading committees in the po- 
 litical councils of his party and has been a 
 delegate to Congressional and Senatorial 
 conventions. 
 
 Mr. Watson was married (first) to Mary 
 E. Sarver, who died in 1874, aged thirty- 
 two years. She was a daughter of Jacob 
 Sarver, of Buffalo Township. They had 
 four children, namely: Clara E., who is 
 the wife of Prof. S. L. Cheeseman, of Slip- 
 pery Rock; John W., who resides at Seat- 
 tle, Washington; Edwin A., who is in busi- 
 ness with his father; and A. Walter, who 
 is in Alaska. Mr. Watson was married 
 (second) to Mary M. Campbell, who is a 
 daughter of Joseph Campbell, of Concord 
 Township. Mrs. Watson was formerly a 
 successful teacher. Four children have 
 been born to this union, as follows : Charles 
 C, who is a traveling salesman, residing at 
 Butler; E. Merle, who lives at Isle; Clyde 
 N., who is engaged in the life insurance 
 
 business at Butler; and Jessie M., who 
 lives at home. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Mount Chestnut, of which he 
 has been an elder for twenty years. 
 
 1). F. ]\IcCREA, the g'enial proprietor 
 of the Butler Hotel, has been a resident 
 of this city for a period covering about 
 twenty years. He was born in 1858, at 
 Saint Joe, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Daniel McCrea. The 
 father of Mr. McCrea was born at Blairs- 
 ville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, and 
 came to Butler County when young. He 
 became a substantial farmer and an in- 
 fluential menil)er of the Democratic party 
 in his section. 
 
 D. F. McCrea was reared on his father's 
 farm and when he was released from 
 school he obeyed the lure to the oil fields, 
 which, at that time, attracted young men 
 from all surrounding sections. Mr. Mc- 
 Crea was fortunate in his investments and 
 has been more or less identified with oil 
 production ever since. He has operated 
 in manv of the most productive oil regions 
 of the "country, from 1883 to 1885, being 
 interested in the Los Angeles oil fields, 
 California. He is a stockholder and a di- 
 rector in the Butler County Fair Associa- 
 tion and is generally interested in affairs 
 in Butler County. 
 
 In 1900 Mr. "McCrea was married to 
 Mrs. Thomas Stiles. In politics he is a 
 Democrat. He has been closely associated 
 with the hotel business for years and is a 
 member of the Pennsylvania State Hotel 
 Association, is ])it'siilcn1 of the Butler 
 County Hotel Men's Association, and be- 
 longs also to the Elks. 
 
 MATTHEW SMITH GREER, whose 
 valuable farm of 100 acres of some of the 
 finest land in Jefferson Township is sit- 
 uated on the Saxonburg and Cabot high- 
 wav. about one mile west of Cabot, occu- 
 
D. F. McCREA 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 973 
 
 pies the farm on which he was born, 
 March 24, 1851. He is a son of Thomas 
 and EUzabeth (Coojier) Greer. 
 
 Thomas Greer was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, and when five years old 
 was brought to America by his parents, 
 Matthew and Isabella (Bruce) Greer. 
 About 1819 they settled in Washington 
 County, Pennsylvania, from which section 
 Thomas Greer later came to Butler 
 County. He had five children, namely: 
 John M., Robert B., William H., Matthew 
 S. and Samuel AV. 
 
 Matthew S. Greer obtained his educa- 
 tion in the schools of Jefferson Township. 
 The only time he ever left the home farm 
 to work, was for a short period on the con- 
 struction of the Western Pennsylvania 
 Railroad when he stretched the first tele- 
 graph wire into Butler. With tliis excep- 
 tion, Mr. Greer has devoted himself to the 
 cultivation and improvement of his land. 
 All of his surroundings indicate thrift and 
 comfort, while his residence is one of ele- 
 gance and fine proportions. It is of mod- 
 ern type, of brick construction and slate 
 roof and contains ten rooms. It is by far 
 the finest private residence in this section 
 of the county. 
 
 On January 6, 1892, Mr. Greer was mar- 
 ried to Miss Elizabeth Young, who is a 
 daughter' of Lewis and Mary (Stepp) 
 Young. The father was a carpenter and 
 lived in different sections in Pennsylvania, 
 Ohio and Virginia and served as a soldier 
 in the Civil War. He died in 189-t. He 
 married Mary Stepp, who survives, and 
 they had the following children : Mary M., 
 Clara B., Sarah C, Amanda A., John Wes- 
 ley, Mary S., Hattie M., Thomas L. and 
 Elizabeth, and one infant deceased. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Greer have two sons and one 
 daughter: Anna Elizabeth, William 
 Thomas and Robert Lewis, all students. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Greer are active members of 
 the Lutheran Church and he is a member 
 of the church council. He is an Odd Fel- 
 
 low and is connected with Saxonia Lodge, 
 No. 496, at Saxonbiirg and has passed all 
 the chairs, while Mrs. Greer is a charter 
 member of the auxiliary order of Rebekah 
 Mr. and Mrs. Greer are hospitable people 
 and their beautiful home is frequently the 
 scene of pleasant family and social gath- 
 erings. 
 
 ROBERT II. BROWN, who comes of 
 one of the earliest pioneer families of But- 
 ler County, Penna., was for many years 
 owner and proprietor of the well known 
 Brown's Mills in Forward Township, 
 which are not now in operation. He owns 
 a farm of fifty-one acres at that point, and 
 is now living a retired life in the enjoy- 
 ment of the fruits of his early toil. He has 
 been a resident of Butler County for more 
 than eighty-four years, having been born 
 on the old homestead at Brownsdale, Sep- 
 tember 11, 1824, and has never lived else- 
 where. He is a son of Adam and Sarah 
 (Brown) Brown, a grandson of Adam 
 Brown, and a great-grandson of Adam 
 Brown. 
 
 Adam Brown, Sr., the great-grand- 
 father, came to this country from Ger- 
 many, and at the time of his death was liv- 
 ing at Newville, Penna. He came out to 
 what he called the Indian territory, now 
 Butler County, and purchased a tract of 
 400 acres of land. He had four sons : John, 
 Joseph, Adam and Ray. 
 
 Adam Brown, grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, also was a native of 
 Germany but very quickly mastered the 
 English language. Prior to the Revolu- 
 tionary War, he built the first wharves in 
 Baltimore, his father being the contractor 
 for the work. He came into possession of 
 the 400 aci-es of land which his father had 
 purchased at what is now Brownsdale, and 
 settled there in the woods. The town was 
 not laid out until many years later. He 
 continued to reside on that place until his 
 deatli. He and his wife were parents of 
 
974 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the following children: John, Adam, Jo- 
 seph, Tliomas Ray, Betsj'' (MoAndlass), 
 Mai-tiia (White), and Peggie (White). 
 
 Adam Brown, father of Robert H., was 
 born within one mile of the big spring at 
 Newville, in Cumberland County, Penna. 
 He was d small boy at the time the family 
 removed to Butler County, and he here ac- 
 quired a good education. The home prop- 
 erty was all left under his care, and he also 
 jjurchased and cleared the land on w^iicn 
 the subject of this sketch now lives. He 
 was married to Sarah Brown, who was no 
 relation although bearing the same sur- 
 name, and they both died on this place. 
 The following were the children born to 
 them : Robert H. ; Adam, deceased ; John, 
 deceased; Joseph, deceased; Nancy (Ham- 
 mel) ; Ruth (Anderson); Sarah (Layton), 
 deceased; and Margaret Ann, deceased 
 wife of R. Henderson. 
 
 Robert H. Brown was about nine years 
 old when his parents moved from Browns- 
 dale to the farm on which he now lives. 
 He has spent his life since on this place 
 except a period of eleven years, when he 
 lived at Brush Creek, having sold the farm 
 to Philip Gelbach, but at the end of that 
 period repurchased it. The first mill on 
 the farm had been built by Reese Evans, 
 prior to the coming of the Browns, and 
 Adam o^Derated it for some years, but as 
 soon as his sons arrived at sufficient age 
 they took charge of it. They later tore it 
 down and erected a big merchant mill, 
 which was destroyed by fire about 1858 or 
 1859. Robert H. Brown later built the 
 mill which is now standing, and conducted 
 it with a high degree of success for many 
 years. He at the same time engaged in 
 farming operations. During the earlj^ 
 years Brown's Mill was the only one in 
 this section, and was patronized from far 
 and near. Now, as his old friends drive by 
 the umised building, the wish is often 
 heard expressed that "old Bob was still 
 in the business." The location is admir- 
 
 able for, a modern milling plant, on the 
 Glade Run, and at the forks in the road. 
 Mr. Brown was married in 1851 to Miss 
 Margaret Wilson, who died without issue. 
 He subsequently formed a second marital 
 union with Miss Cynthia Miller, by w^hom 
 he had the following children: Estella; 
 Mary and Wilda, twins; Robert; John; 
 and Nora Byrle. Religiously, he is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He is an unswerving Republican in poli- 
 tics, but was too busy with his mill to think 
 of running for office. He was in the milling 
 business for more than a half century, and 
 in that time witnessed a w^onderful trans- 
 formation in the chai'acter and conditions 
 of the country, its villages and cities, and 
 in its citizenship. 
 
 A. H. SARVER, vice president of the 
 Farmers National Bank, at Butler, with 
 large manufacturing interests at different 
 points, has iiiaintaincd his home in this 
 cit}^ for the past twenty years. He belongs 
 to one of the old established families of 
 Western Pennsylvania, and was born at 
 Sarvei", Butler County, in 1866. He is a 
 son of John F., a grandson of Benjamin 
 and a great-grandson of Benjamin Sarver. 
 
 It was the elder Benjamin Sarver who 
 was born in Germany and came to what is 
 now the village of Sarverville, in Butler 
 County, almost liefore any other venture- 
 some settler had penetrated that far into 
 the wilderness. He built there one of the 
 earliest flour mills in the country, and the 
 little settlement was first known as Sar- 
 ver 's Mill and the succeeding village re- 
 tained the name of the founder of the 
 place. It is probable that Benjamin Sar- 
 ver (2) was born at Sarver 's Mill, near 
 which he acquired property, and left a 
 number of descendants. The late John F. 
 Sarver was bom on the old Sarver home- 
 stead, in 1839, followed farming there for 
 many years and later engaged in a mer- 
 cantile business at Ekastown, where his 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 975 
 
 death took jjlace in 1904. Like his father 
 and grandfather, he was a man of sterUug- 
 character. 
 
 A. H. Sarver was reared on the home- 
 stead and attended school at Prospect, 
 after which he followed school teaching for 
 four years. He then engaged in the car- 
 riage business at Ekastown, and later was 
 with the firm of Martincourt & Company, 
 at Butler, for eight years. Still later he 
 was manager for the Duraut-Dorit Car- 
 riage Company of Flint, Michigan, for the 
 district embraced by Western Pennsyl- 
 vania and West Virginia. For the last 
 seventeen years he has been manager in 
 the same territory for the Brookline Manu- 
 facturing Company, and during the last 
 year also for the Buick Motor Company, 
 for the same district. He is the owner of 
 the Washington Buggy Companj^, of 
 Washington, Pennsylvania, which is under 
 the management of his brother, D. K. Sar- 
 ver, and Jacob Wyant. Mr. Sarver also 
 owns a half-interest in the Diamond Auto- 
 mobile Company, of Pittsburg, and is also 
 officially connected and personally in- 
 terested in financial institutions. 
 
 In 1893, Mr. Sarver was married to Miss 
 Ottie Pillow, and they have one child, 
 Eleanor. Mr. Sarver is a member and a 
 trustee of the First Presbyterian Church 
 at Butler. 
 
 SUMNER B. BADGER, general mer- 
 chant at Boydstown, Oakland Township, 
 and formerly postmaster, was born Au- 
 gust 29, 1865, in Brady Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., and is a son of Thomas 
 and Sarah (Anderson) Badger. 
 
 The Badger family has been established 
 in Butler County for a great many years, 
 it being the birthplace of Grandfather 
 James Badger. He was the father of 
 seven cliildren, all of whom were born in 
 Butler County, where many of them be- 
 came people of more or less pi-ominence. 
 
 Thomas Badger, father of Sumner B., 
 was born in Slippery Rock Township, But- 
 
 ler County, where he lived until he was 
 eight years old, at which time his father 
 moved to Brady Township and on the 
 home farm there he spent the remainder 
 of his life, a period of seventy-one years, 
 his death occurring on May 13, 19U7. He 
 married Sarah Anderson, whose mother, 
 Rachel Anderson, was a daughter of 
 Stephen McKinley, a close relative of the 
 late President William McKinley. The 
 Badger and Anderson families were dou- 
 bly connected, Samuel W. Badger, a 
 brother of Thomas, marrying Susan An- 
 derson, a sister of Mrs. Thomas Badger. 
 To Thomas and Sarah Badger were born 
 eleven children, all biit two of these surviv- 
 ing, the oldest and the youngest being de- 
 ceased: Anderson, who died aged sixteen 
 months ; and C. C, who was a Cumberland 
 Presbyterian minister, who died in Decem- 
 ber, 1904. The others are as follows: 
 James, who lives at Wurtemberg, Law- 
 rence County; Thomas J., who lives in 
 Brady Township; Rachel, who is the wife 
 of Andrew McClintock, Hves at EUwood 
 City; Lizzie, who is the wife of Henry 
 Young, resides also at Ellwood City; Mar- 
 tha, wlio is the wife of J. W. McKissick, 
 the village blacksmith of Boydstown; Jen- 
 nie, who is the wife of Peter Bowers ; Sum- 
 ner B. ; David S., who resides in Lawrence 
 Count}'; and John, who lives in Concord 
 Township, Butler County. The venerable 
 mother, now in her seventy-sixth year, re- 
 sides with one of iier daughters. 
 
 Sumner B. Badger grew to manhood on 
 the home farm in Brady Township and 
 was educated in the public schools and 
 AVest Sunbury Academy and was grad- 
 uated from the latter institution in 1891. 
 He had qualified himself so thoroughly 
 that he then passed the State examination 
 demanded for teachers and thus secured a 
 pei-manent certificate. He began to teach 
 in Lancaster ToAvnship and after one term 
 there, taught two terms m Brady Town- 
 ship and five years in Concord Township, 
 during three years of this period being also 
 
976 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in a mei't-antile business at Troutman, im- 
 der the firm name of Balsiger & Badger. 
 In July, 1895, after selling his interest at 
 Troutman to his partner, Mr. Badger 
 came to Boydstown and in the same sum- 
 mer erected his present commodious build- 
 ing, which he utilizes both as a store and a 
 dwelling. In October, 1895, he was ap- 
 pointed postmaster at this point and 
 served until 1903, when Eural Mail Deliv- 
 ery, Eoute No. 2, was established, out from 
 Butler. 
 
 Mr. Badger was married (first) June 
 27, 1893, to Miss Emma Z. Wick, who died 
 February 22, 1899. She left two children : 
 Lois P. "and Ruth M. Mrs. Emma Wick 
 was educated at Sunbury Academy and 
 prior to her marriage was a teacher in the 
 public schools. On September 15, 1908, 
 he was married (second) to Miss Sadie 
 Eobb, who is a daughter of Christy Robb. 
 Mrs. Badger is a cultured, educated lady 
 and was a member of the same graduating 
 class at the West Sunbury Academy, as 
 Mr. Badger. She has also been a success- 
 ful teacher, following her vocation in Clin- 
 ton and Oakland Townships. Mr. Badger 
 is an elder in the North Butler Presbyte- 
 rian Church and for eight years has been 
 superintendent of the Sunday School. In 
 politics he is not active, although, at all 
 times he is ready and willing to promote 
 public movements which promise to con- 
 tribute to the general welfare. He is an 
 honorable business man. 
 
 JOHN W. KALTENBACH, Justice of 
 the Peace at Renfrew, and one of Penn 
 Township's prominent farmers, was born 
 in Cranberry Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., July 31, 1837, and is a son of Jacob 
 and Katherine (Geiss) Kaltenbach. 
 
 The father of Mr. Kaltenbach was born 
 in Baden, Germanv, and came to America 
 in 1832 and died of cholera in 1850. He 
 learned the cabinetmaker's trade and 
 worked for one year at Pittsl)urg, after 
 which he moved to Harmony, in Butler 
 
 County, and continued to work there at his 
 trade until 1848. He died on a farm 
 that he acquired in Connoquonessing 
 Township. His five children were: Mrs. 
 Catherine Moss of Allegheny; John W. ; 
 Mary, wife of Alexander Stevenson, of 
 Allegheny; Jacob, icsiding on the old home 
 place, and Mar<;;irct. deceased, who was 
 the wife of Jolni Newell. He was a 
 worthy member of the German Lutheran 
 Church and both he and wife were re- 
 spected members of their community. 
 
 John W. Kaltenbach attended the 
 Graham School in Connoquenessing Town- 
 shiji and remained on the home farm until 
 1859, going then to Pittsburg, where he 
 worked in a meat market until 1861, when 
 he enlisted for service in the Civil War, 
 entering Company K, Seventy-first Regi- 
 ment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry. This 
 service was prolonged to three years and 
 eight months and during this long period 
 Mr. Kaltenbach participated in twenty-two 
 battles, escaping all injury except a slight 
 wound at the second battle of Bull Run. 
 He was a brave and fearless soldier and 
 on every occasion did his fully duty. He 
 is a member of the Union Veteran Legion 
 at Butler. 
 
 After his return from the army, Mr. 
 Kaltenbach embarked in a mercantile 
 business at Petersville, where he continued 
 for five years. In 1871 he came to his 
 present farm which contains about 140 
 acres. It was then rough, neglected land, 
 but all that state has long since passed 
 away under his management, and he has 
 ninety acres of it under a fine state of cul- 
 tivation, wliile, for the last twenty-six 
 years oil has been purchased here and 
 eight wells are now pumping. His im- 
 provements are of a substantial character 
 and the value of his place ranks with the 
 best in Penn Township. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Kaltenbach was married to 
 Rachel Sauer, who is a daughter of Sam- 
 uel Sauer, of Mercer County, and they 
 have eight children, namely: Delia May, 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 977 
 
 wife of Harve}^ Smith of Counoquenessiug 
 Township ; John H., of Scio, Ohio ; Minnie 
 B., wife of William C. Dietrich, who re- 
 sides on the Kaltenbach farm ; William H., 
 who operates the oil well industry; Sam- 
 uel and ]\[ontg-omery, both residing at 
 home, and Miles, who is an oil operator in 
 West Virginia. Mr. Kaltenbach and wife 
 belong to St. John's Reformed Church, in 
 which he has been on elder for many years. 
 In politics he is a Republican, with inde- 
 pendent tendencies. His fellow citizens 
 have testified to their esteem and confi- 
 dence by electing him, at various times, to 
 toMTiship offices, and he has accepted all 
 excejit those of constable and sujiervisor. 
 lie is one of the oldest justices of the peace 
 in Butler County in point of service, hav- 
 ing held the office continuously for the past 
 twent3'-five j'ears. 
 
 HERMAN SCHILLING, owner of a fine 
 farm of 100 acres in Forward Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., located about three 
 and a half miles east of Evans City, on the 
 Freeport road, is a representative of that 
 sturdy German class who came to this 
 country at an early period, with little or 
 no means, and by dint of hard labor and 
 careful saving made a home and accumu- 
 lated a ('(>nii)etency. He was born in Ger- 
 many, Septeml)er 23, 1836, and is a son of 
 Lawrence and Margaret (Metz) Schilling, 
 and» grandson of John Schilling, who was 
 a farmer and spent his entire life in his 
 native land. 
 
 Lawrence Schilling was a boy of fifteen 
 years when his father died, and it became 
 necessary for him to assist in the support 
 of the family. He learned the trade of a 
 wagon maker, and conducted a shop in 
 Germany until 1856, when he moved to 
 America, locating near Evans City, Butler 
 Coimty, Penna., whither his son, Herman, 
 had preceded him some two years. He 
 rented a farm for about six months, then 
 purchased of Hugh Wallace the farm on 
 which the subject of this sketch now lives. 
 
 The place was but little cleared and was 
 provided with a small log shanty, in which 
 the family lived some years. He contin- 
 ued on this place all his days, dying in 
 1888, at the age of eighty-seven years. 
 His wife preceded him to the grave some 
 nine years, dying at the age of sixty-nine 
 years. They were married in Germany, 
 and were parents of three children : 
 Christina, who never came to America, 
 married John Heim and both are now de- 
 ceased; Dorothy, who was the first of the 
 family to move to America, the -year of 
 her arrival being 1853, located first at 
 Pittsburg, where she married John Helm, 
 and later moved to Evans City, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he carried on blacksmithing, 
 and Herman, who is the youngest of the 
 family. 
 
 Herman Schilling was reared to matur- 
 ity in his native land and received fair edu- 
 cational training in the schools of that 
 country. He assisted his father in the lat- 
 ter 's shop until 1854, in which year he 
 emigrated to America. After forty-nine 
 days on the water, during which time they 
 encountered storms and a roiigh sea, he 
 arrived in' New York City, thence made 
 his way by rail to Pittsburg, Penna. From 
 the latter point he made the journey in a 
 peddler's wagon to Evans City, which was 
 then a very small place. His first occu- 
 pation there was hauling coal to the school 
 houses for Martin Wahl, who had a coal 
 bank, and for this work he received the 
 paltry sum of $3.00 per month and his 
 board. He continued for five months, 
 saving most of his wages, and then worked 
 for John Birmingham, a farmer located 
 near Pittsburg, until the arrival of his 
 parents in 1856. With them he settled on 
 his present farm, which he started in to 
 clear of its timber and brush, and in time 
 placed it under a high state of cultivation. 
 He helped to tear down the old log cabin 
 which stood on the place and to erect the 
 large frame house which replaced it and 
 still stands in a good state of repair. 
 
978 
 
 IlISTOKY OF BUTLEB COUNTY 
 
 Upou the death ot lii.s father, Herman 
 Schilling succeeded to the owners! lip of 
 the farm, and is still activel.v engaged in 
 its cultivation, following general farming. 
 Mr. Schilling was married on July 14, 
 1861, to Miss Matilda Schilling, who also 
 was born in German}', and was a daughter 
 of Godfrey Schilling. She died February, 
 1906, at the age of sixty-six years. The 
 following children were born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Schilling: Emma, who became the 
 wife of John Horneffer, both now de- 
 ceased, left two children who live with the 
 subject of this sketch, Elizabeth and 
 Lewis; George, who died in 1888, at the 
 age of twenty-three years; Matilda, wife 
 of William Miller, by whom she has four 
 children, Elizabeth, Martha, Esther and 
 Freeda ; Lewis, who runs the home farm, 
 married Freeda Burkert and has two chil- 
 dren, Emma and Herman; and Elizabeth, 
 who died at the age of twenty-six years, 
 was the wife of Hugo Miller. Politically, 
 Mr. Schilling is a Democrat. In religious 
 attachment, he is a member of the Luth- 
 eran Church. 
 
 DAVID PORTER KELLY, formerly 
 one of the best known and most highly re- 
 spected residents of Bi'uin, Penna., died 
 at his home in this place, on February 13. 
 1905, after a long, useful and exemplary 
 life of sixty-nine years. He was born in 
 Parker Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 March 12, 1836, and was a son of David 
 and Jane (Tweedy) Kelly. 
 
 The late David P. Kelly grew to man's 
 estate in Parker Township and attended 
 the district schools, acquiring a good edu- 
 cation which he later supplemented by tak- 
 ing an active and intelligent interest in 
 both public and local affairs. A large i)art 
 of his life was given to his agricultural 
 pursuits, which he carried on with the 
 careful and thorough methods which in- 
 sured success, but his time was also de- 
 manded by his fellow citizens who desired 
 his judicious services in many public of- 
 
 tices. At the time of his death he was 
 serving as a member of the School Board 
 of the borough of Bruin. In his political 
 attitude he was a Prohibitionist, and on 
 every occasion espoused the cause of tem- 
 perance. For many years he was a ruling- 
 elder in the United Presbyterian Church 
 at Fairview. 
 
 Mr. Kelly was twice married, (tirst) to 
 Margaret McGarvey, who died October 17, 
 1872, leaving two children : Xancy J., who 
 is deceased; and Salina M., who is the wife 
 of Frank Black, a resident of Bruin. Mr. 
 Kelly was married (second) on May 6, 
 1878, to Miss Sarah M. Glenn, who was 
 born in Clay Township, Butler County, 
 Penna. She is a daughter of John and 
 Dorcas (McElvain) Glenn. Her father 
 accompanied his mother and brothers 
 from Westmoreland County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, to Clay Township, Butler County, 
 where his father had previously pur- 
 chased land. Later John Glenn served as 
 captain of a company in the War of 1812, 
 and in subsequent years became a man of 
 substance and a prominent citizen of Clay 
 Township, serving many years as a justice 
 of the peace. He died in 187-t, when aged 
 eighty-two years. One of his sons, Samuel 
 Glenn, was a very prominent citizen of 
 Butler County. He served in the Civil 
 War as a member of Company G. Oni' 
 Hundred Thirty-seventh Regiment, Penna. 
 Volunteer Infantry, and parti('i]>ated in 
 the memorable battles of South Mountain, 
 Antietam, Chancellorsville and Cranii)t(in 
 Gai"). Later he engaged in teaching school 
 and was well known in educational circles 
 and for three years was the able county 
 superintendent of the schools of Butler 
 County. He was a valued member of Dick- 
 son Post, Grand Array of the Republic, at 
 West Sunbury. 
 
 Mrs. Kelly was carefully educated at 
 the West Sunbury Academy, and was so 
 ai)t a pupil and so receptive a student that 
 when only seventeen years of age she se- 
 cured a certiticate entitling her to teach 
 
MR. AND MRS. DAVID P. KELLY 
 
AND REPBESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 981 
 
 school, and she coutiuned to teaeli for 
 about twelve years, both in Butler and 
 Venango Counties, and still recalls that 
 as a very enjoyable pfiiod of her life. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Kelly liml Iniir children, namely: 
 Lucy H., who is (Icccascd; Bessie W., who 
 is the wife of Harvey Snow, of Petrolia; 
 Ethel G., who resides with her mother at 
 Bruin; and Bertha E., who is deceased. 
 Mrs. Kelly is a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church at Fairview and is 
 very active in both the Home and Foreign 
 jMissionary Societies of this body. Miss 
 Ethel G. Kelly is possessed of musical tal- 
 ent and is a member of the church choir. 
 
 JOHN C. SAY, capitalist, and one of 
 Butler's most active business men, is ex- 
 tensively engaged in the real estate busi- 
 ness and is manager of the East Oakland 
 Land Company, of which he was the or- 
 ganizer. :\[r. Say ))elougs to a family that 
 had reached the American colonies before 
 the days of the Eevolutionary War, and 
 that has belonged to Butler County since 
 the closing years of the Seventeenth Cen- 
 tury. He was born at Crawford Corners, 
 Butler County, Penna.. May 31, 1858, and 
 is a son of David and Abigail (Fletcher) 
 Say. 
 
 David Say, father of John C. Say, was 
 a son of James Say, who settled in the 
 northern part of Butler Countv, prior to 
 1800. David Say was born in 1810 and 
 became a man of large property. In his 
 earlier years he was a drover and bought 
 cattle in the western part of the State and 
 drove them across the mountains, dispos- 
 ing of them in the East. For many years 
 he was a large farmer and stockraiser. 
 Five of his children still survive: David 
 E., residing in Maryland; Thomas, resid- 
 ing in Clarion County; Mary A. (Wen- 
 ner), residing in Butler; Elizabeth (Neu- 
 nemaker), living in Venango Countv, and 
 John C. 
 
 John C. Say was reared from infancy 
 in Clarion Countv and there he tirst en- 
 
 gaged in business, becoming early inter- 
 ested in lumber. For about twenty years 
 he engaged in buying timber tracts in Clar- 
 ion and Forest Counties and manufactured 
 lumber, and after retiring from that in- 
 dustry conducted a store at Tylersburg for 
 six years, and then came to Butler. For 
 four years he carried on a retail lumber 
 business, but for the past eight years he 
 has devoted his attention to dealing in real 
 estate, almost entirely handling his own 
 property. He has been an important fac- 
 tor in improving the city, in the way of 
 putting out trees, constructing sidewalks 
 and clearing unsightly places, together 
 with erecting high class houses, one ex- 
 ample being the Monroe Hotel. He was 
 the organizer of the East Oakland Land 
 Companj', which purchased the St. Paul's 
 Orphan Home ])ro])(M-ty, a tract of forty 
 acres, on wliich tlii< company is building 
 fine brick residences of modern style and 
 equipments. Since its organization, he has 
 been general manager, secretary and treas- 
 urer. As a citizen he has been very active 
 and has served usefully on the city council. 
 In 1882 Mr. Say was married to Miss 
 Mary A. Starr, who was born in Venango 
 County, and died October 19, 1908. They 
 had three children : Martha J., who is the 
 wife of T. C. Kerr, of Clarion County; 
 William E., a contractor at Butler, mar- 
 ried Anna Gould, and John H., a hardware 
 merchant at Butler, married Jennie Wray, 
 of Clarion Coimty. 
 
 HENRY N. TROUTMAN, one of But- 
 ler's representative business men, having 
 charge of the flour and feed department for 
 H. J. Klingler & Company, is a native of 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, born in 1863. 
 
 Paul Troutman, father of Henry N., was 
 born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, where he 
 remainded until 1855, when he came to 
 America and to Butler County. He be- 
 came an extensive and successful operator 
 in the oil fields and was sent as an ojiera- 
 tor to Oil Creek during the first excite- 
 
982 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 meut. Later he eutered into a mercantile 
 business and for fifteen years conducted a 
 store at Buena Vista. He was a great trav- 
 eler and crossed the Atlantic Ocean many 
 times. His death took jalace in 19U3. He 
 married Caroline Wolf, who still survives. 
 
 Henry N. Troutman was educated in the 
 public schools of Butler County, the North 
 Washington Academy and the Ohio State 
 University, leaving the latter in order to 
 assist his father in his store. Later Mr. 
 Troutman was in the employ of R. S. Nich- 
 ols & Company and of S. G. Purvis & Com- 
 pany, large lumber firms, and for the past 
 fourteen years he has held his present 
 position with the H. J. Klingler Com^jany. 
 He has a wide acquaintance throughout the 
 county and handles much country trade. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Troutman was married to 
 Miss Ella B. Orris, of Baldwin, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they have the 
 following children: Edward R., Mamie, 
 Carl, Pauline, Hazel, John, Geraldine and 
 Harold. The eldest daughter is the wife 
 of W. A. Spielman, a resident of Apollo, 
 Armstrong County. Mr. Troutma-n and 
 family belong to St. Mark's German Luth- 
 eran Church. He is a member of the A. 0. 
 U. W. 
 
 JAMES MICHAEL McNALLY, Jus- 
 tice of the Peace at Lyndora and a well 
 known resident of Butler County, was born 
 in Rush Township, Moni'oe County, New 
 York, December 19, 1874, and is a son of 
 James Michael and Elizabeth A. (Hayes) 
 McNally. 
 
 The father of Mr. McNally was born in 
 Southern Vei-mont, where his father had 
 settled after serving in the War of 1812. 
 He was a native of Ireland. James Mc- 
 Nally was a blacksmith by trade. When 
 aged forty-two years he turned his atten- 
 tion to farming, settling at that time on a 
 farm in Rush Township, Monroe County, 
 New York, and followed agricultural pur- 
 suits until the close of his life. He died 
 July 17, 1888, aged sixty-two years. He 
 
 was a Democrat in i)olitics and he served 
 in the office of justice of the peace in Rush 
 Township. He married a daughter of 
 John Hayes, of Albany, New York, and 
 they had two children: James Michael 
 and Mary, the latter of whom is the wife 
 of Sidney Downs, of Toronto, Canada. 
 
 James Michael McXall\' olitaiiicd his edu- 
 cation in the i)uhlic schools of Monroe 
 County, at East Henrietta Academy 
 and St. Bernice Theological Seminary, 
 at Rochester, New York, graduating from 
 the latter institution in 1889. In the fol- 
 lowing summer he started a dancing school 
 at Perry Lake, New York, which he con- 
 tinued for three years, following which he 
 conducted a dancing academy at Buffalo, 
 for two more years. In 1897 he went to 
 Pitts))urg and there entered the employ 
 of the Pressed Steel Car Comjjany as air 
 brake inspector and remained four years 
 and then, in the same capacity, came to 
 Butler, with the Standard Steel Car Com- 
 pany. Mr. McNally continued with this 
 concern until May 4, 1908, when he as- 
 sumed the duties of his ]ii-eseiit office. Mr. 
 McNally is an actix'e iiolilicinii and a loyal 
 worker for the Democratic paity. 
 
 In early manhood, Mr. McNally married 
 Miss Sarah Van Dyke, who is a daughter 
 of Jackson Van Dyke, of Marion Town- 
 ship. They have three children: Mary, 
 Margaret and James. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Nally are members of St. Paul's Roman 
 Catholic Church. He belongs to the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Foresters, of which he 
 is cliief ranger of Court No. 4545, and also 
 to the Knights of St. George. 
 
 JOSEPH ASH, who resides on a farm 
 of forty-four acres in Forward Township, 
 Butler . County, Penna., is a well known 
 citizen of the community and has had a 
 A'aried experience in the field of business. 
 He was born on the old home farm in For- 
 ward Township, September 29, 1832, and 
 is a son of Sylvester and Martha (Boggs) 
 Ash, and grandson of Joseph Ash. 
 
AX I) KEPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 983 
 
 Joseph Ash, the grandfatlier, was boni 
 in Wales and early in life came to the 
 United States, settling in the woods of 
 Forward Township, Butler Country, Penna., 
 where he acquired 200 acres of uncleared 
 land. In the early days, when Indians 
 were yet numerous in this section and the 
 dangers many, he carried the mail from 
 Pittsburg to Franklin on foot. He cleared 
 a small part of his farm, but died when 
 comparatively young, leaving his widow 
 and their children in poor circumstances. 
 Four of their children grew to maturity 
 and lived to rii)e old ages, namely: Rachel, 
 Elizabeth, Isaac and Sylvester. 
 
 Sylvester Ash was but five years old 
 when his father died, and it became neces- 
 sary for him and his brother to go to work 
 at very youthful ages, and notwithstand- 
 ing this strain they both grew to be men of 
 large statTire and great physical strength. 
 He aided in clearing the home farm, and 
 came into possession of 100 acres of it. 
 He farmed and followed carpentering dur- 
 ing all his active days, and died in 1883 at 
 the age of seventy-three years, having 
 spent his entire life in Butler County. He 
 was survived some eight years by his wid- 
 ow, who in maiden life was ]\Iartha Boggs ; 
 she was born in Evans City, and was a 
 daughter of Robert Boggs, one of the very 
 earliest settlers of the community. They 
 were parents of five children who grew up, 
 namely: Joseph; Isaac, a lawyer of Oil 
 City, Penna.; Robert; Anderson, who is on 
 the old home farm, and Elizabeth, widow of 
 Lewis Gansz. 
 
 Isaac Ash was reared to manhood on the 
 home farm and attended school in the prim- 
 itive log school-house which was located 
 about a mile and a half from his home. 
 The pathway lay through almost unbroken 
 woods, and it was the custom of the older 
 boys to take their axes and cut wood for 
 old Prof. Mc^Iillen, to be burned in the 
 old fashioned fire place at one end of the 
 room. After his marriage, Mr. Ash went 
 
 to Evans City and opened a general store, 
 which he conducted for four years, then 
 sold out to his brother-in-law, Milton 
 White. He had, in the meantime, come 
 into possession of a farm of sixty-six acres 
 in Forward Township, and on this he lo- 
 cated, clearing and farming it. He learned 
 the trade of a carpenter under his father, 
 with whom he worked many years, and 
 they erected most of the farm-houses and 
 buildings of the neighborhood at that 
 period. Later he went into the lightning 
 rod business, which he followed success- 
 fully for thirty-two years, rodding some 
 3,600 buildings in this section of Pennsyl- 
 vania, many of the rods being in use and 
 good condition at the present day. Retir- 
 ing from that business he purchased a val- 
 uable tract of forty-four acres in Forward 
 Township, located along the traction line 
 about twelve miles southwest of Butler, 
 where he now lives and engages in farm- 
 ing. He cleared the place, on which he 
 operated a sawmill, cutting up over 900 
 logs. 
 
 ]\lr. Ash was first married to Susan 
 (lansz, who died about one year later, and 
 he formed a second union with Susan E. 
 A\niite. They expect to celebrate their 
 golden wedding anniversary in June, 1909. 
 Seven children were born to them, three 
 of whom died voung. Those living are: 
 Ada, wife of Br. F. V. Brooks of Washing- 
 ton, D. C. ; Jessie, wife of W. A. Pearce ; 
 Josephine, wife of W. D. Riggs, and Cath- 
 erine, wife of George Starkey, a banker 
 of Washington, D. C. Religiously, they 
 are Methodists. 
 
 CHARLES BAUER, a leading farmer 
 of Summit Township, resides on his valu- 
 able and well improved farm of eighty- 
 three acres, which is located six and one- 
 half miles east of Butler, lying on the Kit- 
 tanning road, with the dividing line from 
 Clearfield Township running just east of 
 his residence. He was born August 27, 
 
984 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 185G, in Jefferson Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Penna., and is a son of Frederick and 
 Hannah (Krumpe) Bauer. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Bauer were both 
 born in Germany and came to America as 
 children. Frederick Bauer owned a fifty- 
 acre farm in Jefferson Township, but 
 traded it and later bought a farm situated 
 directly across the road from the one on 
 which Charles Bauer resides, this being 
 when the latter was about twelve years of 
 age. Frederick Bauer was a man of con- 
 siderable property and good business judg- 
 ment, during his active years, and both he 
 and wife still survive, residing at Butler, 
 the former having reached his seventy- 
 seventh year and the latter her sixty-ninth. 
 
 Charles Bauer purchased his farm from 
 his father and with the exception of a few 
 j'ears during which he engaged in teaming 
 at Pittsburg, he has given attention to 
 farming and threshing. For twenty-three 
 consecutive years he engaged in threshing, 
 for the first three years by horse power, 
 but for twenty later years he used a steam 
 thresher and kept his machinery up to 
 date. AVlien Mr. Bauer bought his farm 
 the improvements consisted of a log house 
 and barn, but he soon tore them down and 
 put up new and substantial buildings, com- 
 pleting the comfortable residence in the 
 summer of 1895. He has an excellent 
 property and cultivates his land with care 
 and success. Mr. Bauer has other inter- 
 . ests in addition to his agricultural ones. 
 From 1893 until 1906 he devoted a part of 
 his time to canvassing for the sale of the 
 McCormick Harvesting machinery and met 
 with excellent results. For some five 
 years he has put in a part of his time in 
 selling commercial fertilizer for the Amer- 
 ican Agricultural Chemical Company, and 
 for the last nine months he has also been 
 interested with a home company in oper- 
 ating for oil. This company has com- 
 pleted one dry hole and two small pro- 
 ducing oil wells. 
 
 Mr. Bauer married Mina Krumpe, who 
 
 is a daughter of Charles Krumpe. She 
 was born and reared in Clinton Township, 
 Butler County. They have had three chil- 
 dren, Beulah, the youngest, dying when 
 eight years of age. The two other daugh- 
 ters are Nora and Clara, the latter of 
 whom lives at home while the former is 
 the wife of J. F. Miller and has one son, 
 Carl. Mr. Bauer and family belong to the 
 Lutheran Church at Butler. 
 
 J. GEORGE ARMBRUSTER, one of 
 the well known business men of Butler, 
 where he is engaged in a general paint con- 
 tracting business, was born in Germany in 
 1860 and remained in his native land until 
 he was twenty-three years of age. 
 
 When Mr. Armbruster came to America 
 in 1883 and located at Butler, he was al- 
 ready a capable workman in the trade 
 which he had thoroughly learned in Ger- 
 many, and shortly afterward he entered 
 into a general contracting business in 
 which he continues to be active. From the 
 first he has taken a hearty interest in the 
 prosiaerity of the place in which he has 
 established his home, has invested in 
 property and has so gained the confi- 
 dence of the residents of the Fifth Ward 
 as to be their representative in the 
 city council. From boyhood he has been 
 greatly interested in horticulture and has 
 devoted much study to this subject and has 
 many practical ideas concerning it which 
 would be profitable to the horticultural 
 organizations if presented to them. ]\Ir. 
 Armbruster also possesses the love of mu- 
 sic, which is a national German inheritance, 
 and for eighteen years he has been a mem- 
 ber of the church choir at Butler. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Armbruster was married to 
 Miss Susie Andre, who was born and 
 reared in Butler County, and they have 
 three children: Otto, Ernest and Helen. 
 With his family, Mr. Armbruster belongs 
 to the congregation of St. Mark's Luth- 
 eran Church and served for a number of 
 vears as a member of the official board. 
 
ALBERT E. BUTLER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 987 
 
 He has trade membership in the Master 
 Painters' Association of Pennsylvania. 
 
 ALBERT E. BUTLER, one of the 
 prominent oil pi-oducers of Parker Town- 
 ship, residing- near Brnin, Pennsylvania, 
 was born at Kittanning, Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1861, 
 and is a son of Jesse and Mary (Oaks) 
 Butler (now deceased), June 13, 1907. 
 
 Jesse Butler was born near Meadville, 
 Pennsylvania. He came to Butler County 
 in 1870 and was one of the pioneer oil men 
 of Parker Township and during his ten 
 years of residence here was an extensive 
 producer. In 1880 he removed to West- 
 moreland County and lived there until his 
 death. He was twice married, the mother 
 of Albert E. being a native of Indiana 
 County, Pennsylvania. The children of 
 Jesse Butler are: William J., residing at 
 Pittsburg; John D., formerly of Cherry- 
 vale, Kansas (now deceased); Albert E. ; 
 Ira E., residing at New Kensington, Penn- 
 sylvania; Harry, residing at Pittsburg; 
 Richard H., who died November 3, 1908, 
 lived in Westmoreland County; and Lulu, 
 who is the wife of J. A. McKallip, of 
 Leachburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Albert E. Butler accompanied his father 
 to Butler Coimty in 1870 and he has de- 
 voted himself almost exclusively to the oil 
 business ever since, although he owns 
 some farming land in Parker Township, 
 on which he resides. He has taken a very 
 active part in political life and as a dele- 
 gate attended the Republican State Con- 
 vention which was held at Harrisburg. He 
 seeks no political office for himself, but is 
 a loval worker for his party and friends. 
 
 On June 8, 1881, Mr. Butler was mar- 
 ried to Miss Nellie Larkin, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio, and they have two children : Luhi, 
 who is the widow of Dr. Frank Hazlett, 
 late of Butler; and Regla M. Both daugh- 
 ters reside at home. Mr. Butler is a Thir- 
 ty-second Degree Mason. He has been 
 more than usual! v successful in his oil in- 
 
 vestments and is numbered with the oil 
 capitalists of this section. 
 
 C. PERD HYLE, a prominent under- 
 taker and furniture dealer of Evans City, 
 Pennsylvania, is a well known resident of 
 the community in which he has lived all his 
 life. He was born in Harmony, Penna., 
 June S, 1874, and is a son of Jacob and 
 Margaret (Dambach) Hyle. 
 
 Jacob Hyle was born in ]\Iuddy Creek 
 Township, Butler County, and is a son of 
 Martin Hyle, who was a native of Ger- 
 many and settled in the woods of Butler 
 County, Penna., at a very early period. 
 This old pioneer was the father of the fol- 
 lowing family of children: Henry, John, 
 Martin, Philip, George, Jacob, Christine, 
 Margaret, Catherine and Mary, deceased. 
 Jacob, father of the subject of this sketch, 
 was born in 1840, and spent his boyhood 
 days on the home farm. He later pur- 
 chased a farm of his own in Muddy Creek 
 Township, on which he lived until 1873, 
 then moved to Harmony and engaged in 
 the hotel business for a period of ten 
 years. At the end of that time he went 
 to Wampum, Penna., where he continued 
 the hotel business for six years. He was 
 next located at Beaver Falls for eight 
 years, and in 1892 embarked in the hotel 
 business in Evans City. After a period of 
 four years he went to California and be- 
 came an orange raiser and shipper, fol- 
 lowing that business until his i-etirement 
 from business activity in 1906. He still 
 resides in that State. His wife, Margaret 
 Dambach in maiden life, died in 1888. 
 They had two children, namely : H. Pierce 
 of Youngstown, Ohio, and C. Ferd. 
 
 C. Ferd Hyle lived at home until his 
 marriage in 1893, and received his educa- 
 tion in the public schools. He then went 
 into the furniture and undertaking busi- 
 ness with his father-in-law, Henry Young, 
 a pioneer in that business in Evans City. 
 Thev continued in partnership until 1905, 
 when Mr. Hyle started into business for 
 
988 
 
 ITISTOR'Y OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 himself. His residence and business are 
 located on Pittsburg Street, and he com- 
 mands the patronage of the people 
 throughout the vicinity of Evans City. 
 He has been very active in the affairs of 
 the city, and since the organization of the 
 John Irwin Fire Company in 1892 has 
 served as secretary except for one month. 
 A. S. Pfeifer is chief, E. S. Conkel is cap- 
 tain, Albert Lutz is president and assistant 
 chief, and George Pehl is treasurer of that 
 organization. 
 
 Mr. Hyle was joined in marriage Sep- 
 tember 27, 1893, with Miss Mame Yoiing, 
 and they have a son, Victor P. In polit- 
 ical affiliation, he is a Democrat, and a 
 member of the School Board. Fraternally 
 he is a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 
 429, F. & A. M.; the Chapter at Butler; 
 Knights Templar at Greenville, and took 
 the Thirty-second degree at Pittsburg. He 
 also is a member of Syria Temple, A. A. 
 0. N. M. S., at Pittsburg. In religious 
 attachment, he is a member of St. John's 
 Reformed Church. 
 
 JOHN FERGUSON, general farmer 
 and reliable citizen of Middlesex Town- 
 ship, where he resides on a finely devel- 
 oped and improved estate of over 100 
 acres, was born in Pine Township, Alle- 
 gheny County, Penna., May 30, 1846, and 
 is a son of Jolm and Mary (Duff) Fergu- 
 son. 
 
 The father of ~Slv. Ferguson was born 
 in County Down, Ireland, in 1807 and 
 came to America in 1833, accompanied by 
 his wife and their one child. From New 
 Yoi-k he l)rought his family to Pittsburg 
 and several 3^ears later to what is now 
 Muddy Creek Township, Butler County, 
 where he followed farming for some years. 
 Before the birth of his son John, he re- 
 moved to Allegheny County, Pine Town- 
 ship, and from there in 1851 to Allegheny 
 County, West Deer Township, which re- 
 mained his home until the time of his 
 death, June 28, 1891. In his tirst vears in 
 
 political life in America he was affiliated 
 with the Democratic party, but in his later 
 years connected himself with the Republi- 
 can party. Six children were born to him, 
 namely : Eliza, who is the widow of Will- 
 iam Y^oung, resides at Youngstown, Ohio; 
 Mary, deceased, was the wife of William 
 Marshall; Nancy, deceased, married Will- 
 iam Laughlin, who was killed while serv- 
 ing in the Civil War; John; Jennie, who is 
 the widow of John Scott, of New Kensing- 
 ton, and Thomas, who resides in Allegheny 
 County. 
 
 Jolm Ferguson remained on the home 
 farm until his marriage. In 1868 he 
 bought his present property from the Mc- 
 Gonigles, who were early settlers, and 
 kept on acquiring land until he owned 300 
 acres. In 1907 he divided his property 
 with his sons, but retains over 100 acres 
 for his own use. For many years his 
 farming operations have been extensive. 
 He has made dairying a feature also and 
 still keeps hftccn cows in order to produce 
 the fine butter which he has long sold to 
 private customers at Pittsburg. After 
 Mr. Ferguson took possession of this place 
 he had considerable timber to clear ot¥. 
 His place is attractive on account of its 
 trim, well kept appearance and the sub- 
 stantial and a])proi)riate buildings which 
 he has erected, and liere he enjoys life with 
 the content that comes after honest effort. 
 
 On September 15, 1868, Mr. Ferguson 
 was married to Nancy Ellen Crawford, 
 who is a daughter of Robert Crawford, 
 who formerly resided in what is now Rich- 
 land Township, Allegheny Coimty. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Ferguson have had ten children, 
 the survivors being: Harry, who lives in 
 Middlesex Township; Robert, who resides 
 at Butler; Mary, who is the wife of John 
 AVilson, of Middlesex Township; John, 
 who lives in Middlesex Township; Emma 
 Eliza, who is the wife of Frank Harbison, 
 of Bakerstown; Thomas, who lives at Tul- 
 sa, Oklahoma; Roy C, still remaining at 
 home, and Clara, who is the wife of George 
 
AXI) IJEPBESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 989 
 
 Harbison, of Bakerstown. Mr. Ferguson 
 with his family belongs to the Bakerstown 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he was a 
 trustee for twenty-one consecutive years. 
 He is also a member of the Session. 
 
 In his political as in other views, Mr. 
 Ferguson is level-headed. He is not a poli- 
 tician in the general meaning of the term, 
 but he is identified with the Republican 
 party and has held a number of the town- 
 ship offices, now being road supervisor. 
 He has always been interested in educa- 
 tional matters and for fifteen successive 
 years served as school director. His fel- 
 low citizens know him as a man of sterling 
 character and they respect and admire him 
 and defer to his judgment in large degree 
 in public matters. 
 
 WILLIAM EDGAR BROWN, a native 
 and life-long resident of Butler County, is 
 one of the representative Imsiuess men of 
 Harrisville, where he is engaged in con- 
 ducting- a meat market. He was born 
 .June 18, 1855, in this village and is a son 
 of William P. and Isabella (Leech) Brown, 
 and a grandson of Ebenezer Brown. 
 
 Ebenezer Brown was one of the very 
 earliest settlers of Butler County, having 
 come here with his brother James from 
 Huntington County, Pennsylvania. They 
 located on a tract of 600 acres in Mercer 
 Townshi]) and engaged in general farm- 
 ing here the remainder of their lives. 
 Ebenezer and his brother James married 
 the Porter sisters, their father owning the 
 adjoining farm. Ebenezer died on this 
 farm at the age of sixty-seven years, and 
 was the father of the following children: 
 Alexander, Jane, William P., Samuel, 
 Ebenezer, John, Elsie and Joseph. 
 
 William P. Brown, father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born on his father's 
 farm in Mercer Township and at an early 
 age learned the cabinetmaker's trade at 
 Pittsburg and Philadelphia. In about 
 18:^7 he came to Harrisville and engaged 
 in conducting a cabinet and undertaking 
 
 establishment, in which he was very suc- 
 cessful. His death occurred in 1882, and 
 his wife died in 1859, aged thirty-nine 
 years. He was the father of six children 
 by his first wife, namely: Charles M., 
 elsewhere mentioned in this work; Harriet 
 J., deceased; Eveline, deceased; Robert 
 T. ; Margaret, deceased, and William Ed- 
 gar. Mr. Brown was married secondl}^ to 
 Sarah Van Dike. Mr. Brown was in poli- 
 tics, first a Whig and afterwards a Repub- 
 lican, as well as an ardent supporter of 
 the temperance cause. He was opposed to 
 slavery and helped many a negro in mak- 
 ing his way through the states to Canada. 
 William Edgar Brown passed his boy- 
 hood days in attending school and also in 
 his father's cabinet shop, where he learned 
 the trade. About 1877 he purchased and 
 located on a farm, following that occupa- 
 tion until 1896, when he disposed of his 
 farming interests and on November 19th 
 opened a meat market in Harrisville. 
 Here he has been successfully engaged in 
 the market business since that time. On 
 May 31, 1877, he was united in marriage 
 with Rebecca N. Braham, a daughter of 
 William P. Braham, and they became the 
 parents of three children, namely: Leigh 
 AV., residing in New Mexico; Carrie May, 
 an instructor in the Public Schools, and 
 Frank, who died aged three years. In poli- 
 tics Mr. Brown is an adherent of the Re- 
 publican party and the religious connec- 
 tion of the family is with the T.Tnited Pres- 
 byterian Church of Harrisville. 
 
 HIRAM C. BRICKER, proprietor of 
 the Butler Hide and Fur Company, which 
 has commodious (|uarters suitable for their 
 extensive business at Nos. 104-106-108 Mil- 
 ler Street, is identified also with other im- 
 ])ortant interests in this section. He was 
 born May 10, 1865, in Buffalo Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of the late John Bricker. The Bricker 
 family was founded in this section of Penn- 
 sylvania in pioneer days and both grand- 
 
990 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 father and father of Mr. Bricker were na- 
 tives and prominent agriculturists in But- 
 ler County. John Bricker also conducted 
 a blacksmith business for many years. 
 
 Hiram C. Bricker remained on the home 
 farm in Buffalo Township until he was 
 twenty-two years old, giving assistance to 
 liis father after leaving school. He learned 
 the blacksmith business and when he went 
 to Butler, worked for two and one-half 
 years in the shops of the Ball Engine 
 Works; After this he went on the road 
 in the interest of H. P. Schultz, of Eaven- 
 na, Ohio, and traveled until 1902, when 
 he established his present enterprise at 
 Butler. In 1904 he erected the present 
 large building and the business continues 
 to yearly expand. Mr. Bricker is also in- 
 terested in farming and in the oil industry 
 and in addition owns and operates a phos- 
 phate factory. He has originated and es- 
 tablished his business enterprises, to a 
 large degree, and his prominence and re- 
 liability in the city's commercial circles is 
 well founded. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Bricker was married to Miss 
 Eugenia Doyle, of Freeport, and they have 
 three children : William Curtis, who is as- 
 sociated with his father, and Agnes and 
 Charlotte. Mr. and Mrs. Bricker enjoy 
 membership in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He belongs to the fraternal order 
 of Woodmen of the World and also to the 
 United Commercial Travelers' Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 NICHOLAS ANDEEW DOMBAET, 
 M. D., a well known member of the medical 
 profession of Butler County, is one of the 
 progressive citizens of Evans City. He 
 was born on the old family homestead in 
 Forward Township, Butler County, De- 
 cember 23, 1879, is a son of George and 
 Mary (Hartung) Dombart, and a grand- 
 son of John Dombart. 
 
 John Dombart, the grandfather, was 
 born in Hessen, Germany, and some time 
 subsequent to his marriage to Margaret 
 
 Fetch, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, 
 came to the United States with his wife 
 and located in Adams Township, Butler 
 County, and were among the early settlers. 
 They later moved to Forward Township, 
 where their deaths occurred. They were 
 parents of seven children, namely: John; 
 William J.; George; Katherine, now de- 
 ceased, who was the wife of August Gries- 
 bach ; Margaret, wiio is the wife of George 
 Householder; Anna, who is the wife of B. 
 Fox, and Barbara, who is the wife of John 
 Winner. 
 
 George Dombart was born in Adams 
 Township and when five years old moved 
 to Forward Township and spent his boy- 
 hood days on the home farm, which he 
 helped to clear, experiencing many of the 
 hardships of pioneer days. Upon his fath- 
 er's death he succeeded into the owner- 
 ship of the home farm, which contained 
 106 acres of valuable land. There he 
 farmed and resided until 1890, when he 
 moved to Evans Citj^ where he now re- 
 sides in a fine home he erected near the 
 Lutheran Church, but he still operates the 
 farm in Forward Township. He was 
 united in marriage with Mary Hartung, 
 who was born in Adams Township, Butler 
 County, and is a daughter of Nicholas 
 Hartimg. To this union were born eight 
 children, as follows : Nicholas Andrew, 
 whose name heads this sketch; Louisa; 
 Anastus G. ; Myrtle ; Edward, Harvey, and 
 two who died in infancy. 
 
 Dr. N. A. Dombart was about ten years 
 old when his parents located in Evans City, 
 and he there completed the course pre- 
 scribed in the public schools, graduating 
 in 1895. He took a short course at Slip- 
 pery Eock, and in 1897 matriculated at the 
 Western University of Pennsylvania, now 
 known as the University of Pittsburg. He 
 was graduated with the class of 1901, with 
 the degree of M. D., being one of the 
 youngest members of the class. During 
 ills four years there he did interne work 
 in the Penn Hospital of Pittsburg, and 
 
JAMES F. McKEE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 993 
 
 upon leaving was well qualified to at once 
 enter into active practice of his profession. 
 He successfully took the State examination 
 in December, 1901, and on January 1st, 
 following, opened an office for practice, on 
 Pittsburg Street, where he still continues, 
 his residence also being on that street. In 
 addition to a large private practice, he is 
 surgeon for the Pittsburg, Butler, Har- 
 mony & New Castle Electric Railroad, and 
 official medical examiner for the United 
 States Marine Corps in this section. He 
 is a member of the Butler County Medical 
 Society. 
 
 January 8, 1903, Doctor Dombart was 
 imited in marriage with Alberta Wilson, a 
 daughter of Ex-County Commissioner 
 George W. Wilson. Fraternally, he is a 
 member of the Knights of Pythias, Knights 
 qf the Maccabees and Modern AVoodmeu 
 of America, all of Evans City. In relig- 
 ious attachment, he is a member of the Re- 
 formed Church. He is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and is treasurer of the School Board, 
 of which he was president during the year 
 1907. He is also a member and trustee 
 of the John A. Irvine Fire Company of 
 Evans City. 
 
 C. J. BRANDBERG, a member of the 
 firm of Kesselmau & Company, manufac- 
 turers of oil well drilling tools, at Butler, 
 is a representative business man of this 
 city, where he has resided for more than 
 twenty years. He was born May 27, 1847, 
 in Sweden, and was twenty-six years of age 
 wlien he came to Ainerica. 
 
 Mr. Brandberg settled first at Dunkirk, 
 New York, and for three years worked as 
 a blacksmith in the Dunkirk Iron Works. 
 From there he came to Pennsylvania and 
 for seven years was in the employ of the 
 Gibbs & Steret Manufacturing Company, 
 at Titusville. From there he went to Pe- 
 trolia and worked there for three years for 
 the firm of Ireland & Hughes, and one year 
 at Pittsburg, for the same firm. In 1887 
 lie came to Butler and entered into part- 
 
 nership with William Kesselman as a 
 member of Kesselman & Company. Both 
 members of the firm are practical woi'k- 
 men and their business has been continu- 
 ally enlarged during the past twenty years 
 and in addition to their Butler shops they 
 have a large plant at Parkersburg, Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 In 1878, at Titusville, Mr. Brandberg 
 was married to Miss Lydia Deitrich and 
 they have two children: Guy A., who is 
 a physician at Butler; and Mabel, who re- 
 sides at home. Mr. Brandberg is a mem- 
 ber of the Second Presbyterian Church at 
 Butler. 
 
 JAMES FREE McKEE, justice of the 
 peace at Prospect and one of Franklin 
 Township's representative citizens, is also 
 a veteran of the great Civil War, in which 
 he faithfully served his country for neai'ly 
 three years. He was born near Craw- 
 ford's Mills, Westmoreland County, Penn- 
 sylvania, September 8, 1833, and is a son 
 of William and Hannah (Postlethwaite) 
 McKee. 
 
 David McKee, the grandfather of James 
 F., was one of the earliest pioneers of 
 Westmoreland County, and was also a sol- 
 dier in the Revolutionary War. As early 
 as 1774 he came to Westmoreland County, 
 from Scotland, and secured a tract of land 
 on which he made a small clearing, also 
 putting up a cabin. Times were too un- 
 settled, however, the Revolutionary War 
 soon developing, and David McKee re- 
 turned to the eastern part of the state, 
 where he had formerly resided for at least 
 a short period, and before he returned to 
 his land in 179.3, he had been a soldier in 
 the Patriot army. In that year he came 
 again to Westmoreland County with the 
 forces sent out to quell the whiskey insur- 
 rection, and never returned again to the 
 east, his family joining him in about 1800. 
 In that year he built the first saw-mill at 
 the settlement later known as Crawford's 
 Mills, but died three years later. 
 
994 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 William McKee, father of James F. Mc- 
 Kee, was born in 1792, at Philadelphia, 
 Pennsylvania, and from 1800 was reared 
 in Westmoreland County, where he fol- 
 lowed an agricultural life. He was well 
 known all through Allegheny Township, 
 which he served in local offices. He mar- 
 ried a daughter of John Postlethwaite, 
 who was a Huguenot refugee, and of their 
 eight children, seven grew to maturity, as 
 follows: John, David and Nancy, all now 
 deceased; Mary, who lives in Otterdale 
 County, Minnesota, and is the widow of 
 William Wilson; Margaret, who is de- 
 ceased; James F. ; and Sarah Jane, also 
 deceased, who was the wife of Robert S. 
 Dinsmore. The parents of this family 
 were members of what is now known as 
 the Apollo Presbyterian Church, in which 
 the father was an elder. 
 
 James F. McKee prepared himself for 
 educational work in the township schools, 
 and in a local academy. In 1852 he began 
 to teach and was thus employed more or 
 less continuously until 1892, when he 
 taught his last term, his pupils being Met- 
 lakahthi Indians, in Alaska, in which coun-' 
 try he lived during 1891 and 1892. In the 
 intervals of teaching he engaged in farm- 
 ing, in different sections, and in 1888 he 
 came to Franklin Township, where his 
 farm of thirty acres is situated. In Au- 
 gust, 1862, Mr. McKee enlisted for service 
 in the Civil War, becoming a member of 
 Company C, One Hundred Thirty-ninth 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, and was discharged in June, 1865, 
 during the larger part of this period being 
 attached to the Signal Corps. He is past 
 commander of John H. Randolph Post, 
 Grand Army of the Reimblic, at Prospect. 
 
 Mr. McKee was married (first) to Mary 
 Ann McMahan, who died in 1871, aged 
 thirty-five years. She was a daughter of 
 Eoberty McMahan, a resident of Williams 
 Coimty, Ohio. She was survived by one 
 daughtei': Susan Elizabeth, who is the 
 wife of Charles B. Wiard, residing at Ue 
 
 Soto, Kansas. J\Ir. McKee was married 
 (secondly) to Miss Mary Ann Jones, of 
 Prospect. He and his wife are members 
 of the Prospect Presbyterian Church. In 
 national campaigns he votes with the Re- 
 jjublican party, but in local affairs is an 
 Independent. From 1892 until 1897 he 
 served as justice of the peace and was 
 again elected in 1907. He has also been 
 auditor of Prospect. 
 
 WILLIAjM J. BURTON, Justice of the 
 Peace and general farmer in Peuu Town- 
 ship, was born in Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship, Lawrence County, Penna., October 
 18, 1843, and is a son of Thomas and 
 Mary (Barnes) Burton. 
 
 Thomas Burton, father of William J., 
 was born in Beaver County, Penna., June 
 12, 1799, and died December 24, 1883. His 
 father, also Thomas Burton, was a native 
 of County Down, Ireland, and came to 
 Beaver County as one of the very early 
 settlers. The second Thomas Burton was 
 a farmer through his active life. In 1812 
 he moved to what is now Lawrence County 
 and from there, in 1870, to Butler and in 
 1878, to Penn Township, where his death 
 occurred. He was a prominent Repub- 
 lican and served as auditor and as judge 
 of elections while living in Slippery Rock 
 Township. He married a daughter of 
 Thomas Barnes, a resident of Mercer 
 County, and eight of their family of ten 
 children reached maturity. Nancy, de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Conrad Cline; 
 Mrs. Mary Young, deceased; Thomas A., 
 deceased; Eliza Jane, residing at Beaver 
 Falls; John and Margaret, both deceased; 
 Mrs. Martha Small, residing at St. 
 Charles, Ma(hson County, Iowa; Mrs. 
 Sarah Young, residing at New Castle; Su- 
 san, deceased : and A\'illiam J. The par- 
 ents of the above family were members of 
 the United Presbyterian Church, in which 
 the father served as a trustee. 
 
 William J. Burton secured an excellent 
 common school education and later taught 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 995 
 
 school in Neshaniiock Township, going 
 from the school room into the army. He 
 served for ten months in Company I, 
 Sixth Regiment, Penna. Heavy Artillery, 
 and returned safely although often in dan- 
 ger of life and liberty. He resumed farm- 
 ing on the homestead and continued there 
 until the spring of 1869, when he went to 
 Mill brook, Mercer Cormty, where he en- 
 gaged in a mercantile business for a year 
 before removing it to Butler, where he 
 carried it on for five more years. In the 
 spring of 1876 he started into farming in 
 Butler Township, but three years later 
 came to Penn Township and in December, 
 1887, he bought his present farm of 114 
 acres. He lias all under cultivation with 
 the exception of thirty acres in timber, and 
 l)roduces corn, oats, wheat, hay and pota- 
 toes. 
 
 Mr. Burton was married in Penn Town- 
 ship to Miss Ella E. Bartley, who is a 
 daughter of Williamson Bartley, and they 
 have had eight children, namely : John P., 
 deceased; Minnie, who is the wife of W. 
 S. Douthett, residing in Forward Town- 
 ship ; Cora, who is the wife of Harry "Wi- 
 ble, residing at Sharon ; Lina E., deceased ; 
 and Ola M., Thomas W., Martha Jane and 
 Elmer C, all at home. Mr. Burton and 
 family belong to the Shiloh United Pres- 
 l)yterian Church. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Burton is stanch in his 
 Rejmblicanism and he has held almost all 
 of the township offices. He has been a 
 .iTistice of the peace for the past eight 
 years and still has two years to serve. He 
 is one of Penn Township's representative 
 citizens. He has been an active member 
 of the Grand Army Post at Butler for a 
 number of years. 
 
 T. H. BROWN, a representative citizen 
 of Butler, serving in the City Council as 
 representative from the First Ward, is 
 identified with a number of the business 
 interests of this section. He was born 
 March 11, 1858, at Hazel Green. Grant 
 
 County, Wisconsin, where he was reared 
 and educated. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Brown entered the employ 
 of the Bradj^'s Bend Iron Company, at 
 Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, and one 
 year later he went to Fairmount, Clarion 
 County, where he was one of the first men 
 to be employed by the Fairmount Coal 
 Company, with which he continued until 
 1876, when he came to the Butler oil fields. 
 Since September, 1881, he has been in the 
 employ of the Standard Oil Company, 
 United Pipe Line Division of N. T. Co., 
 in which he has capably and faithfully 
 filled a number of positions and now holds 
 the important one of ganger. His duties 
 require a large part of his time to be spent 
 at Butler. At different times he has be- 
 come interested and invested in (itliei- en- 
 terprises, an inijiortant one bciiin' the Sligo 
 Coal and Cdke Company of ('larioii ( 'oun- 
 ty, of which he is secretary and a director. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Brown was married to Miss 
 Anna E. Stone, who is a daughter of Abra- 
 ham Stone, of Chicora, Pennsylvania, and 
 they have two children: Fannie E., who 
 married H. E. Goodrich, who is with the 
 Pennsvlvania Railroad Company, at Pitts- 
 burg; "and Zetti I. Mr. and Mrs. Brown 
 are members of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church. Mr. Brown is active in church 
 affairs and for four years served as su- 
 perintendent of the Sabbath school at Zeno 
 Glade Run. 
 
 As a citizen, Mr. Brown has been use- 
 fully active and as councilman has applied 
 to public affairs the keenness of business 
 perception which has advanced his private 
 interests, and has consistently supported 
 every effort of the official body to advance 
 the general welfare, aside from any desire 
 for political preferment. He is identified 
 with a number of fraternal organizations; 
 is a member of the Knights of Pythias and 
 the Modern Woodmen of America; is a 
 Royal Arch Mason and with the other 
 members of his familv, belongs to the 
 Eastern Star. 
 
996 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 DAVID ROBERT MORROW, who has 
 been identified with various branches of 
 the oil business throughout his active busi- 
 ness career, is foreman of the Midland Di- 
 vision of the South Penn Oil Company, at 
 Evans City, Penna. The plant was for- 
 merly operated by the Forest Oil Com- 
 pany, which, in 1902, was taken over by 
 the South Penn Oil Company. Mr. Mor- 
 row located in Evans City in 1903, and as- 
 sumed the duties of his present position, 
 and has twelve men under his direction 
 in the local yard. The plant covers ten 
 acres in the village, and he has under his 
 management a large number of producing 
 wells. He was the first foreman of this 
 division, . and has given evidence of unu- 
 sual ability in the discharge of his duties. 
 
 Mr. Morrow was born in Indiana 
 County, Penna., August 21, 1851, and is 
 a son of David and Margaret (Lytle) Mor- 
 row. The paternal grandfather was a na- 
 tive of Ireland, and upon coming to the 
 United States located in Indiana County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he followed farming. 
 
 David Morrow, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Indiana County, 
 and was there reared to maturity. He was 
 the owner of a good farm which he oper- 
 ated until his death, which occurred in 
 1851, prior to the birth of David R. Mor- 
 row. He married Margaret Lytle, who 
 also was born in Indiana Coimty, and is 
 a daughter of Robert Lytle, who came to 
 this country from Ireland. She still re- 
 sides in her native county at the advanced 
 age of eighty-six years. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Morrow became parents of five children, 
 as follows : Jennie ; Thomas ; Dr. John 
 W., a practicing physician of Marchand, 
 Indiana ; Catherine, wife of Jessie Will- 
 iamson; and David Robert. 
 
 David R. Morrow was reared on the 
 home farm, and notwithstanding the fact 
 that she was left a widow with five chil- 
 dren to care for, his mother gave him good 
 school advantages, he attending the public 
 
 schools and the academy at Dayton, Penna. 
 In 1868, he went to the oil fields of Ve- 
 nango County, Penna., where he was em- 
 ployed as pumper one year. He then went 
 into the pipe line business, helloing to lay 
 the first line from Pitthold to Coriopolis, 
 and in 1876 entered the producing depart- 
 ment of the Standard Oil Company at 
 Bradford, continuing there until 1903, the 
 vear which marked his removal to Evans 
 City. 
 
 .Mr. Morrow was married July 6, 1871, 
 to Miss Clara Cochran, a daughter of Sam- 
 uel Cochran, and they have a son, Harry 
 Edward, who lives at McKee's Rocks, 
 Penna. The latter was united in marriage 
 with Miss Gertrude McFarland, and they 
 have one daughter, Grace. David R. Mor- 
 row is a memebr of Bradford Lodge, No. 
 Ill, L 0. 0. F., and in political affihation 
 is a Republican. He was reared in the 
 United Presbyterian faith. 
 
 A. E. REIBER, president of the Guar- 
 anty Safe Deposit and Trust Company, of 
 Butler, and also identified with many other 
 of the city's successful business enter- 
 prises, is a leading member of the Butler 
 bar and in 1890, was elected to the office of 
 district attorney on the Democratic ticket. 
 He was born at Butler in 1864, and is a 
 son of the late Martin Reiber. 
 
 Martin Reiber was a native of Germany 
 and was one of the early leading business 
 citizens of Butler for many years. He 
 married Mary Yetter and they had a fam- 
 ily of eight children, seven of whom still 
 survive. 
 
 A. E. Reiber was born and reared at 
 Butler and was primarily educated in her 
 public schools. Later he graduated from 
 Witherspoon Academy and then entered 
 the University of Princeton, where he 
 graduated B.A., in 1882. Immediately he 
 began the study of law in the office of At- 
 torney T. C. Campbell, and in 1885 was 
 admitted to the bar, and since has ac- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 997 
 
 quired a large clientage. He is a member 
 of the Bar Association and is a practi- 
 tioner in the Supreme Court of the State. 
 In 1897 ]Mr. Reiber was married to Miss 
 Florence Smith, who is a daughter of Rev. 
 E O. Smith, and they have two children: 
 Marten A. and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Reiber 
 and family are members of the First Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church at Butler, and he 
 is serving on its ofiicial board. Socially, 
 he is a member of the Country Club. 
 
 AVILLIAM C. STOOPS, a prominent 
 dairyman and farmer of Franklin Town- 
 ship, resides on his well-improved farm of 
 120 acres, on which he successfully car- 
 ries on his agricultural enterprises. He 
 was born in Butler Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1869, and 
 is a son of William and Rebecca Jane 
 (Rose) Stoops. 
 
 William Stoops, father of William C, 
 was born October 2, 1821, in Cherry Town- 
 ship, about two miles above Sunbury, and 
 was a son of Philip and Elizribeth (Van- 
 derliu) Stoops, the former of whom, a 
 blacksmith and farmer in Cherry Town- 
 ship, lived to the age of ninet> years and 
 the latter to the age of eighty. William 
 Stoops devoted his life mainly to agricul- 
 ture but he had many other interests, in 
 his younger days teaching school, later 
 serving bravely in the War of the Rebel- 
 lion and subsequently filling public of- 
 fices with fidelity and efficiency. On Sep- 
 tember 4, 1861, he enlisted in the Federal 
 Army, entering Company H, One Hundred 
 and Second Regiment, Penna. "Wiluuteer 
 Infantry, and at the battle of Fair Oaks, 
 on May 31, 1862, he received so severe an 
 injury that after confinement in the Doug- 
 las Hospital at Washington City for three 
 months, he was honorablv discharged Au- 
 gust 30, 1862. He returned to Cherry 
 Township and in the following year was 
 elected prothonotary and then moved to 
 Butler, where he lived during his term of 
 office. Later he ](urchased a farm in But- 
 
 ler Township which is now owned by Will- 
 iam Barnhart, on which he resided for 
 twenty years. In 1887 he moved on the 
 farm now owned and operated by his son, 
 William C, and there he died August 22, 
 1892. In politics he was a Republican and 
 while living in Butler Township served as 
 school director and as justice of the peace. 
 
 William Stoops was married (first) to 
 Sarah Cochran and they had seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Ocilla, now deceased, who 
 was the wife of Dr. S. A. Johnson, of But- 
 ler; Philip Dexter, who is a Presbyterian 
 clergyman and principal of a school in 
 Idaho; Clarinda, now deceased, who was 
 the wife of Josiah Allen ; Paulina, now de- 
 ceased, who was the second wife of Josiah 
 Allen; Jennie, who married Rev. Newton 
 E. Clemenson, and lives at Logan, Utah; 
 and Serelda R., now deceased, who was the 
 wife of E. W. Layman. On September 28, 
 1868, William Stoops was married (sec- 
 ond) to Rebecca J. Rose, who was a daugh- 
 ter of John Rose, of Center Township. 
 She was born December 8, 1832. Three 
 children were born to this marriage. Will- 
 iam C, Mary Lillian, who is the wife of 
 Daniel CI. Brunermer, of Connoquenessing 
 Township; and Eva Valeria, who married 
 Edward Watson, and resides at Isle. Will- 
 iam Stoops and wife were members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church in which he 
 served as an elder for twenty years. 
 
 William C. Stoops was educated in the 
 public schools and at Prospect Academy, 
 and was graduated at the latter institution 
 in 1892, following which, for five years, 
 he engaged in teaching school, in Frank- 
 lin, Connoquenessing and Middlesex 
 Townships. His last term in the school 
 room was in the winter of 1894-5. In the 
 fall of the latter year he was married and 
 then began cultivating the home farm and 
 has resided here ever since. On eighty 
 acres of his land he raises corn, oats, 
 wheat, hay and potatoes and he keeps 
 twelve cows for dairy purposes, making 
 a high grade of butter for private eus- 
 
998 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 toiiieis. He is a incnilicr of Prospect 
 Graui^-e, Patrons ol' I iii.^haiidry. 
 
 In the fall of 1895. Mr. Stooj.s was mar- 
 ried to Luella M. Clark, who is a daugh- 
 ter of Dr. N. AY. Clark, of Whitestown, 
 Butler County, and they have five children, 
 namely: Arthur N., Kathleen M., Blair 
 W., Ruth A. and Helen E. Mr. Stoops 
 and family belong to the United Presbyte- 
 rian Church at Mount Chestnut, in which 
 Mr. Stoop is an elder. In his political 
 views he is a stanch Republican and he 
 has taken a good citizen's interest in town- 
 ship affairs. He has served many terms 
 as a school director and has also been 
 township auditor. 
 
 On both sides of the family, Mr. Stoops 
 comes of an ancestry noted for its longev- 
 ity. The materaal grandfather, John 
 Rose, came to Center Township, Butler 
 County, as one of its earliest settlers. 
 From Sussex C*ounty, New Jersey, he went 
 out as a soldier in the War of 1812. His 
 wife was a daughter of Nathaniel Steven- 
 son and was five years old when her father 
 came to Butlci- ('oniit\. She was born 
 January 30, 17!).;. and liied when aged 100 
 years and five months. Her parents were 
 Nathaniel and Mary (Allen) Stevenson, 
 the latter of whom lived to the age of 100 
 years and six months. Nathaniel Steven- 
 son settled in Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania, after serving for three and 
 one-half years in the Revolutionary War, 
 and in 1798 he moved to Franklin Town- 
 ship, Butler County, buying 400 acres of 
 land, and there he died when aged eighty- 
 six years. 
 
 JAMES M. SUTTON, senior member of 
 the firm of J. M. Sutton & Son, proprietors 
 of the flour mill at Harrisville, Butler 
 County, Penna., and dealers in high grade 
 flour and feed of all kinds, has had wide 
 experience in this field of business. He is 
 a native of Butler County, having been 
 born on the old home farm in Concord 
 Township, September '28, 1847, and is a 
 
 son of Joseph M. and Jemima (Morrow) 
 Sutton, and a grandson of Piatt Sutton. 
 
 Piatt Sutton, the grandfather, came to 
 Butler County, Penna., from New Jersey 
 shortly after the Revolutionary War end- 
 ed, becoming one of the earliest of the pio- 
 neers of Concord Township. He entered 
 actively into the early life of the commu- 
 nitj', and was one of the organizers of the 
 old Concord Church. He and his wife 
 were parents of the following children: 
 Nancy, wife of John Harper; Margaret, 
 wife of Scott Jameson; Polly, wife of John 
 Sutton ; Phoebe ; Joseph M. ; Jeremiah ; 
 Piatt, and James, all now deceased. 
 
 Joseph M. Sutton was born on the old 
 home farm in Concord Township, and there 
 grew to maturity. He became a success- 
 ful farmer and a man of influence in the 
 community, and lived to reach the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-three years. He was 
 joined in marriage with Jemima Morrow, 
 who was born in Armstrong County, 
 Penna., and is now living at the ripe oid 
 age of eighty-three years. The following 
 were the oft'spriug of their marriage: 
 Piatt; Thomas J.; James M.; John F.; 
 Jeremiah P.; Willis, who died at twelve 
 years of age ; Mary Ann, who is deceased ; 
 Nancy J., who is the wife of A. Litzen- 
 burg, and Eliza B., who is the wife of Ed- 
 ward Farnsworth. 
 
 James M. Sutton spent his bo\iiooil days 
 on the home farm and at the age of twenty 
 years started to learn the milling trade 
 with his uncle, James Sutton, with whom 
 he continued for two years. He was next 
 employed one year at the old H. Gibson 
 Mill in Allegheny Township, conducted by 
 William Turner, after which he rented and 
 operated for two years an old mill at 
 Maple Furnace. After spending three 
 years in the oil fields, he was employed 
 successively at the Courtney Mill in Mer- 
 cer Coimty, the Cornelious ]Mill at Me- 
 Coytown, the Rogers Mill owned by Rob- 
 ert Gilkey in Mercer County, the old 
 Campbell Mill owned by Thomas Elliott, 
 
SOLOMON R. STOUGHTON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1001 
 
 the Fisher Mill near Eastbrook, in Law- 
 rence County; the Hope Mill near Mercer 
 County, the New Hamburg Mill owned by 
 John Wheeler and the Old Etna Mill owned 
 by Shepherd & Daugherty near Slippery 
 Rock. In 1895 he came to Harrisville and 
 began work in the mill now owned by him, 
 being in the emploj' of Samuel B. Bing- 
 ham. He purchased this plant in 1903, 
 increased its capacity from ten to twenty 
 barrels per day and has established a thriv- 
 ing business, having his son, J. Chalmer, 
 as his partner. The leading brand, "Pui'- 
 ity Flour," has an established prestige 
 throughout this section of the State, and 
 meets with a ready sale on the market, and 
 they also manufacture a pure buckwheat 
 flour, and handle all kinds of feed. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. Sutton was joined in mar- 
 riage with .Miss Elizabeth Turner of Law- 
 rence County, and the following children 
 were born to them: Emma J., married 
 (first) Irvin Greenman, who died about 
 five vears after, and she married (second) 
 Robert Dick; Millie; Dorcns E.; J. Chal- 
 mer, who is in business with his father, and 
 Frank R., who married Ethel Brown. In 
 religious attachment, he is a member of 
 the Methodist Ejtiscopal Church, of whicii 
 he is a trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have 
 an adopted son, Leonard, who is a nephew 
 of Mrs. Sutton. Politically, Mr. Sutton is 
 a strong believer in the principles of the 
 Prohibition party. He is a man of stand- 
 ing and ability, and has many friends 
 throughout the comnumity. 
 
 SOLOMON R. STOUGHTON, a thriv- 
 ing agriculturist of Franklin Township, 
 was born on his present farm of 116 acres, 
 February 1, 1878, son of John C. and 
 Mary Jane (McCandless) Stoughton. The 
 Stoughtons were early settlers in Clay 
 Township, Butler County, and John C. 
 Stoughton was born on the old homestead 
 there and came to the present farm of his 
 son Solomon at the time of his marriage. 
 At that time this section was practically a 
 
 wilderness, and he cleared off all but three 
 acres of the farm. He became one of the 
 foremost citizens of the township, taking 
 an active part in the development of its 
 various resources. He was frequently 
 elected to public office and served at dif- 
 ferent times and for a number of years as 
 school director, collector and supervisor. 
 His wife, Mary Jane, was a daughter of 
 James McCandless, of Franklin Township, 
 and they became the parents of seven chil- 
 dren, all of whom attained maturity, and 
 of whom there are now three survivors. 
 They were as follows: James, a resident 
 of Claytonia; Mary, now deceased, who 
 was the wife of Henry Miller; Elizabeth, 
 wife of James L. Wilson, of Brady Town- 
 ship; Annie, now deceased, who was the 
 wife of Samuel Lawrence, of Muddy Creek 
 Township; Ella, also deceased, who was 
 the wife of William Stine, of Brady Town- 
 ship; Mrs. Sydney Jane Conroy, of New 
 Castle; and Solomon R., whose name ap- 
 pears at the head of this sketch. Mr. and 
 ]\Irs. John C. Stoughton were members of 
 Mt. Zion Baptist Church, of which Grand- 
 father Stoughton was one of the founders. 
 
 Solomon R. Stoughton has spent his life 
 in his native state, the greater part of it 
 up to the ]n"esent time in the immediate 
 vicinity of his home. His time has been 
 largely devoted to agricultural pursuits, 
 but for three years he was engaged in op- 
 erating a saw-mill and threshing-machine, 
 in ])artnership with James L. Wilson. He 
 also spent seven years in the oil fields. 
 Ilis present farm consists of 116 acres, of 
 which he devotes about eighty to the rais- 
 ing of corn, oats, wheat, hay and potatoes. 
 He keeps four horses and fourteen head of 
 cattle, and manufactures choice butter for 
 a select family trade in Butler. He easily 
 ranks as one of the prosperous citizens of 
 Franklin Township, and is as well liked 
 and respected as he is widely known. 
 
 Mr. Stoughton was married at the age 
 of fifteen years to Emma Stillwagon, who 
 is a daughter of Adam Stillwagon, of Slip- 
 
1002 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pery liock, and they have six children : 
 Howard Eay, Stella Grace, Mabel Ger- 
 trude, Ira B'rank, Clyde, and Blanche. Mr. 
 Stonghton's politics identify him as a 
 member of the Republican party. He is 
 fraternally connected with the Maccabees 
 and with Mt. Chestnut Grange, Patrons of 
 Husbandry. For three years he belonged 
 to the National Guards at Butler. 
 
 ALFRED MAURHOFF, who owns a 
 finely ciiltivated farm of thirty-two acres, 
 which is located in Jefferson Township, 
 on the Hamastown Road about one-half 
 mile west of the village, was born April 
 20, 1841, at Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of Emil and Johanna (Pollard) 
 Maurhoflf. 
 
 The father of Mr. Maurhoff was born 
 in Germany, from which country he emi- 
 grated, and in 1833 came to Saxonburg, 
 Pennsylvania, where he conducted a store 
 some years, and was also squire and post- 
 master for twelve years. About 1842 he 
 returned to Germany for a time, but sub- 
 sequently came back to Butler County, 
 where he purchased a small farm. He had 
 the following children: Clara, Alfred, 
 Edward F., Emil E., Adelia, Aurora and 
 George, all of whom survive except Adelia 
 and Aurora. 
 
 Alfred Maurhoff attended school at Sax- 
 onburg and later assisted his father, but 
 since jjurchasing his present farm has de- 
 voted himself to its cultivation and im- 
 provement. He raises grain, hay and 
 l)otatoes and some stock, and is numbered 
 with the good farmers of his neighbor- 
 hood. Mr. Maurhoff also conducted a gen- 
 eral store at Saxonburg for four years, 
 and at the present time is drilling for oil 
 on his fai'm. He served in the Civil War 
 and was honorablv discharged in August. 
 1863. 
 
 On February 12, 1867, Mr. Maurhoff was 
 married to Miss Louise Koegler, a daugh- 
 ter of .John G. and Anna Eliza (Heidrich) 
 
 Koegler, substantial farming people of 
 Winfield Township. Mr. and Mrs. Maur- 
 hoff have four children, namely: Carrie 
 A., wild married E. H. Voland, a farmer 
 and daiiyiiian in Winfield Township, and 
 has six children — Walter, Delia, Edwin, 
 Alberta, Leroy and Willis ; Nelson G., who 
 was born May 20, 1872, is his father's right 
 hand man on the farm; Elmer J., who is 
 bookkeeper for a Pittsburg plumbing firm, 
 and Odessa, who is the wife of Charles 
 Kroneberg, a farmer in Winfield Town- 
 ship. Mr. Maurhoff and family are mem- 
 bers of the German Lutheran Church at 
 Hamastown, in which he has frequently 
 served as a member of the Council. He 
 takes a good citizen's interest in all public 
 matters in Jefferson Township and at dif- 
 ferent times has served as supervisor and 
 on the Board of Elections. He has always 
 been a highly respected member of the sec- 
 tion in which he has lived. 
 
 CHARLES I. DUNBAR, who conducts 
 a grocery on Pittsburg Street at Evans 
 City, Pennsylvania, is one of the most suc- 
 cessful and enterprising merchants of that 
 village. He was born on his father's farm 
 in Forward Township, Butler County, 
 March 8, 1878, and is a son of Ii"vin and 
 Sarah (Weisz) Dunbar, and grandson of 
 William Dunbar. 
 
 William Dunbar, the grandfather, was 
 one of the early settlers of Forward Town- 
 ship, where he lived and farmed for many 
 years. He was the father of the follow- 
 ing family: William, a member of the 
 One Hundred Thirty-fourth Regiment. 
 Penna. Volunteer Infantry, during the 
 Civil War; John, who was killed in the 
 Second Battle of Bull Run and was a mem- 
 ber of the Eleventh Regiment, Penna. Vol- 
 unteer Infantry ; Solomon ; Alexander, who 
 also was a member of the One Hundred 
 Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer 
 Infantry; Alfred, a mem1)er of the Fourth 
 Cavalry of Pennsylvania; Alpheus, also a 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1003 
 
 member of the Fourth. Cavalry; Daniel; 
 Anna, deceased wife of Miller McKinney; 
 a twin sister to Anna, and Irvin. 
 
 Irvin Dunbar was born on the home farm 
 in Forward Township, and received his 
 education in the schools of the township, 
 such as they were at that time. He en- 
 gaged in farming on the home place until 
 1888, in which year he moved with his fam- 
 ily to Evans City, where he now resides. 
 He was joined in marriage with Sarah 
 Weisz, who was bom in Jackson Town- 
 ship, where her father, John AVeisz, was 
 an early settler. They are parents of the 
 following children: William; Elizabeth, 
 wife of Harry Spanogle ; Charles I. ; Harry 
 and Elery. 
 
 Charles Irvin Dunbar was about ten 
 years of age when his parents moved to 
 Evans City, where he was reared to ma- 
 turity and attended the public schools. At 
 the age of twelve years he began working 
 in the grocery store of John Ramsey, where 
 Mr. Dunbar's store is now located. He 
 continued with him one year, then in the 
 grocery of A. J. Smathers for seven years, 
 after which he was employed a few years 
 by the Bell Telephone Company. About 
 the year of 1902, he started a grocery at 
 the old Smathers' stand, and two years 
 later moved to his joresent location on the 
 north side of Pittsburg Street. He car- 
 ries a complete line of staple and fancy 
 groceries, and enjoys the generous patron- 
 age of the community. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar was married December 14, 
 1904, to Miss Ada McBryer, a daughter of 
 David and Loretta McBryer of Jefferson 
 County, Pennsylvania. They have one 
 daughter, Eleanor May, born June 23, 1906, 
 They reside in a comfortable home on Har 
 rison Street in Evans City. Religiously 
 they are members of the M. E. Church 
 Mr. Dimbar is a member of Lodge No. 292 
 K. P.; Lodge No. 817, L 0. 0. F., and 
 Lodge No. 11,147, Modern Woodmen of 
 America. He is a Republican in politics, 
 has served as a member of Evan City 
 
 Council, and is now serving his second 
 term as Republican County Committee- 
 man. 
 
 WILLIAM J. SNELL, general contract- 
 or at Butler, which city has been his place 
 of residence since 1903, was born in 1875, 
 in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he grew to manhood and obtained a good 
 common school education. 
 
 With his father, Henry C. Snell, a gen- 
 eral contractor, W. J. Snell learned the 
 carpenter's trade, but before he devoted 
 himself to carpenter work, being then only 
 seventeen years old, he engaged in teach- 
 ing school, which he continued for seven 
 years. He then went into general con- 
 tracting at Dubois, in Clearfield County, 
 where he remained until 1903, when he 
 came to Butler. There are many exam- 
 ples of Mr. Snell 's best work, standing on 
 the fine streets and avenues of this. city and 
 a few cited examples of buildings for which 
 he was the contractor, will show his trade 
 standing: The residence of W. S. Mc- 
 Crear, one of the finest in Butler; the 
 United Presbyterian Parsonage; the resi- 
 dence of W. F. Rumberger and C. N. Boyd ; 
 the Hotel Monroe; all high class buildings. 
 Mr. Snell is interested also to some extent 
 in the oil business. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. Snell was married to Miss 
 Mary Dobson, who was boim in Jefferson 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they have two 
 children, William Percy and Beulah Marie. 
 Mr. Snell and wife are members of the Sec- 
 ond Presbyterian Church. He belongs to 
 the orders, Modern Woodmen and Pro- 
 tected Home Circle. 
 
 DAVID B. DODDS, representative citi- 
 zen and prosperous farmer of Penn Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., resides on the 
 farm on which he was born, September 20, 
 1850, and is the one survivor of the family 
 of two children bom to his parents, who 
 were Adam and Margaret (Sutton) Dodds. 
 
 John Dodds, the grandfather, came to 
 
1004 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 America from Comity Down, Ireland, set- 
 tling in Cumberland County, Penna., as 
 early as 1800. He lived there for eight 
 years and then bought several hundred 
 acres of land near what is now the village 
 of Brownsdale, in Penn Township, Butler 
 County, bringing his liousehold goods with 
 him to the new home on what was called a 
 slide car, a primitive vehicle made by fast- 
 ening two poles, one on each side of a horse 
 and letting the ends drag on the ground. 
 He was a man of foresight and this was 
 shown in many waj^s, one of which was the 
 bringing of cherry stones from the flour- 
 isliing cherry orchards of Cumberland 
 Count}'. These stones or pits, he planted 
 carefully on his pioneer farm and from 
 these grew tlie first cherry trees in the 
 settlement. Later he moved from his first 
 farm to the one which his grandson now 
 owns, situated on the plank road. He 
 had served as a soldier in the War of 1812 
 and was familiarly known as 'Squire 
 Dodds, from having served for many years 
 as a justice of the peace. He was one of 
 the founders of the United Presbyterian 
 Church both at Butler and Brownsdale. 
 His death took place in 186l'. Of his seven 
 sons, Adam, father of i^avid B., was the 
 youngest. 
 
 Adam Dodds was born on the present 
 farm of his son, in Penn Township, April 
 16, 1816, and died in 1887. He learned the 
 cabinetmaking trade with George Miller, 
 of Butler, and remained with him for 
 twelve years, after which he carried on 
 farming on the homestead, which he inher- 
 ited. He married a daughter of David 
 Sutton. They were consistent members of 
 the United Presl)yterian Church. 
 
 David B. Dodds has spent his life on the 
 homestead fai'm and has given his atten- 
 tion to its cultivation and improvement. 
 It is one of the most valuable pieces of 
 property in the township, producing un- 
 der Mr. Dodds' careful management, 
 abundant crops of corn, oats, wheat, hay 
 and potatoes, in fact all those necessities 
 
 for the feeding of mankind, which make 
 farmers the most independent class in the 
 world. In addition, Mr. Dodds has ten 
 producing oil wells on his farm, the first 
 drilling having been done in June, 1899. 
 
 Mr. Dodds married Miss Mary M. Bart- 
 ley, who is a daughter of Williamson 0. 
 Bartley, of Penn Township, and they have 
 four children: Adam Brown, Williamson 
 Bartley, Cloi-a Mae and James Clarence. 
 The two younger children reside at home. 
 Adam Brown lives at Tarentum, Allegheny 
 County. He married Lauretta Ilazlett of 
 Ford City, Penna., and they have one son, 
 William Edward. Williamson Bartley re- 
 sides in Penn Township. He married Ella 
 Reith, who lived near Saxonburg, and they 
 have one child, Erma Mae. Mr. Dodds is 
 a member of the Brownsdale LTnited Pres- 
 byterian Church. He is a stanch Repub- 
 lican and has served in local offices. He 
 is a fine example of the enteriDrising and 
 progressive agriculturist of the present 
 day and has a frank and hearty manner 
 together with the sterling qualities which 
 make him valued as a citizen and as a 
 neiglibor. 
 
 F. H. DAA'Y, justice of the peace, at 
 Butler, and the owner of a fine farm situ- 
 ated near Jackson Center, Mercer County, 
 Pennsvlvania, was born in that eountv, 
 January 7, 1854. 
 
 Mr. Davy was reared in Mercer County 
 and obtained his education there and for 
 some thirty years engaged there in gen- 
 eral farming. In 1894 he came to Butler, 
 where he oiicrat('(l a meat business for one 
 year and tlicii cinlinrkcd in the dairy busi- 
 ness, which lie ciuitinned I'or nine years. 
 Then for the following three years he was 
 connected with the Grand Union Tea Com- 
 pany. He has taken an active interest in 
 local politics and is in close accord with 
 the sentiments of the Republican party. 
 In May, 1908, he was elected to the office 
 of justice of the peace. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1007 
 
 On September 6, 1877, Mr. Davy was 
 married to Miss Catherine A. Moon, and 
 they have three children: George H., who 
 is employed in the Boyd drug store at But- 
 ler; Mary E., who is a popular teacher in 
 the Butler public schools; and Ella, who 
 resides at home. Mr. Davy is a member 
 of the order of Woodmen of the World. 
 
 AUGUSTUS HERMAN BEHM, who 
 
 resides eleven miles southwest of Butler, 
 in Forward Township, has a tine and well- 
 improved farm of 172 acres, a part of 
 which belonged to the old Behm home- 
 stead. He was born on this farm, Janu- 
 ary 23, 1854, and is a son of Nicholas and 
 Louisa (Rennick) Behm, both natives of 
 Germany. 
 
 Nicholas Behm, Sr., grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch, lived in Hessen, 
 Germany, where he farmed until he moved 
 with his family to America. They located 
 in Pittslturg, Penna., and later to Butler 
 County. He and his wife were parents of 
 the following children, all now deceased : 
 John; Mrs. John Metz; Margaret, wife of 
 George Barkley; Nicholas, Jr.; and 
 George. 
 
 Nicholas Behm, Jr., was born in Hessen, 
 Germany, and was about fourteen years 
 old when brought to America, the voyage 
 consuming about three months. While lo- 
 cated at Pittsburg, lie husked corn where 
 Ohio Street now runs in that city. He 
 worked for a time in a brickyard in Alle- 
 gheny, and was there married to Louisa 
 Rennick, who was born in Saxony and was 
 eight years old when brought to America. 
 He and his wife moved to Butler County, 
 while it was yet in its undeveloped state, 
 the forests being still standing. He pur- 
 chased a 100-acre farm for $900, of wihch 
 a part is now included in the farm of his 
 son, A. H. Behm. He erected a log house 
 and barn, and set about clearing the land, 
 which he subsequently put under a high 
 state of cultivation. He remained on this 
 farm until his death in 1885, at the age of 
 
 sixty-six years. He is still survived by 
 his widow. The following children were 
 the offspring of their marriage: Mar- 
 garet, Mary, William, John, Carolina, 
 Anna, Augustus Hei'man, Amelia, Louisa, 
 Hanuah, Christina, and Lena. Mary and 
 Christina are deceased. 
 
 Augustus Herman Behm was reared on 
 the home i^lace and during his boyhood 
 days attended the district schools during 
 the winter months. He has seventy acres 
 of the home farm, on which he has always 
 lived, and in addition piirchased an adjoin- 
 ing tract from Market and Goehring. He 
 now has 172 acres all told, and erected all 
 the modern and substantial buildings 
 which stand on the place. There are three 
 oil wells in operation on the farm, and he 
 follows general farming and stock raising. 
 
 Mr. Behm was united in marriage Feb- 
 ruary 8, 1883, with Miss Mary Matilda 
 Goehring, a sister of Charles Goehring, 
 a sketch of whom appears on another page 
 of this work. Seven children were born to 
 bless this marriage, namely: Clyde, Leah, 
 Charles, Hariy, Etta, Iva, and Bryan. Mr. 
 Behm is a Democrat in politics, and has 
 served as township auditor and school di- 
 rector. Fraternallv, he is a member of 
 Evans City Lodge, No. 817, I. 0. 0. F. 
 
 JOSEPH W. HERVEY, general far- 
 mer, resides on his excellent farm of 
 seventy-one acres, which is situated in 
 Oakland Township, skirting the Upper 
 Greece City road, about three miles north- 
 east of Butler. He was born in Pittsburg, 
 Penna., December 19, 1852, and is a son of. 
 John and Agnes (Shaw) Hervey. 
 
 John Hervey, father of Joseph W., was 
 born in County Down, Ireland, March 10, 
 1820, and tirst came to America at the 
 age of eighteen years. As soon as he had 
 accumulated a little capital he returned to 
 Ireland for the rest of the family. He 
 brought with him to the United States his 
 parents, his brothers and his sisters, and 
 they settled at Tarentum, Penna. It is a 
 
1008 
 
 HISTOEr OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 curious coincidence tliat his grandmother's 
 family name was also Hervey, hut as the 
 grandfather of the subject of this sketch 
 was born in Scothuid and the grandmother 
 in Ireland, there was pi'obably no rela- 
 tionshi}). John Hervey was engaged for 
 a time in a clothing "business in Pitts- 
 burgh, but his health failing, he gave up 
 that occupation and obtained work in a 
 saw-mill. Afterwards he was engaged in 
 the oil business in West Virginia, and still 
 later tried farming in Missouri and in Al- 
 legheny County, Penna., near Turtle 
 Creek. He subsequently resided in West 
 Virginia and in Tarentum, and died Sep- 
 tember 29, 1896, at Braddock, Penna. Mrs. 
 John Hervev, who was born in Pittsburg, 
 March 10, 1828, died May 21, 1901. 
 
 Joseph W. Hervev was a l)ov when his 
 father left Pittsburg. The family lived 
 for ten years at Tarentum, Allegheny 
 County, and from there went to West Vir- 
 ginia, where they remained two years. The 
 next two and a half years was sjjent on 
 the farm in Missouri. The subject of this 
 sketch was about sixteen years old when 
 his parents moved back to Tarentum, 
 where he lived for ten more years, subse- 
 quently going thence to Sharpsburg, Al- 
 legheny County, where he resicled with his 
 wife and his parents for four years. He 
 tlien came to Butler and was emjjloyed 
 here for fifteen years by S. G. Purvis & 
 Company as engineer, of which trade he 
 had previouslv acquired a knowledge. In 
 March, 1898, 'he left the employ of that 
 concern and settled on his present farm, 
 which, although known as the William 
 Barkley farm, he ]3urcliased from Orville 
 Craig. Although not brought up to agri- 
 culture, Mr. Hervey has had so much prac- 
 tical experience along other industrial 
 lines that he has needed but to apply the 
 business princi]iles thus learned, with such 
 special knowledge of he has been able to 
 ac(|uire, to make a success of his new vo- 
 cation, and he now raises good crops of 
 
 corn, oats, hay and ])otatoes, and has some 
 excellent stock. 
 
 In 1894 Mr. Hervey was married to 
 Theresa May Humes, a native of Alle- 
 gheny County, and a daughter of Thomas 
 and Elizabeth Humes. Mrs. Hervey, how- 
 ever, resided for a number of years in 
 Butler County before her marriage. Mr. 
 Hervey was previously married to Emma 
 L. Giesler, a daughter of David Giesler, 
 of Allegheny County, and she died in 1892 
 without issue. He takes a strong interest 
 in educational matters, has served three 
 years as school director in Oalvland Town- 
 ship, for two years being secretary of the 
 board. Pie belongs to the order of Wood- 
 men of the World, and both he and his 
 wife are members of the United Presby- 
 terian Church at Butler. 
 
 JAMES T. MARSHALL, one of Penn 
 Townshii)'s rei)resentative and progres- 
 sive citizens, residing on his finelj^ im- 
 ])roved farm containing tifty acres, is one 
 of the most extensive potato and straw- 
 berry growers in this section. Mr. Mar- 
 shall was born in Harri.sville, Butler 
 County, Penna., March 17, 1849, and is a 
 son of William and Rebecca (Kearns) 
 Marshall. 
 
 The Marshall family is of Scotch-Irish 
 extraction. James Marshall, grandfather 
 of James T., was one of the early settlers 
 in what is now Penn Township, coming to 
 America from County Antrim, Ireland. In 
 Novemlier. 1797, he was married to Jean 
 Peebles, and tliev came to the United 
 States in 1822, 'locating, at Pittsburg, 
 Penna. In 1824 Grandfather Marshall 
 bought 300 acres of land in Penn Town- 
 ship and oil this he lived until the time of 
 his death, in 1854, when aged eighty-six 
 years. His widow survived until 186;!, 
 dying at the age of eighty-five years. They 
 were people noted for their many virtues 
 and were consistent members of the Cov- 
 nanter Church. Their eleven children 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1009 
 
 were born in Ireland, and AVilliam was the 
 lifth in order of birth. 
 
 William AJarshall was born in County 
 Antrin!, Ireland, in 1810, and died in his 
 sixty-sixth year. He was twelve years of 
 age when the family came to America and 
 frequently told his children concerning the 
 wild condition of Penn Township at that 
 time. In his youth he learned the hatter's 
 trade, in Pittsburg, and subsequently went 
 into business for himself, conducting 
 stores at different points. AVhen his son, 
 James T., was two years old, he gave up 
 merchandising and settled on a part of the 
 homestead in Penn Township, on which 
 he lived until after the close of the Civil 
 War, when he went to Tennessee, where he 
 followed farming for about four years. 
 After he returned to Butler County he 
 lived retired. He was a Republican in 
 l)olitics but never accepted any office ex- 
 cept that of school director. AVilliam 
 ^Marshall married a daughter of Thomas 
 Kearns, a reputable citizen of Pittsburg. 
 Mi-s. Marshall was the eighth member of 
 her parents' family of fifteen children, all 
 of wliom grew up and had families of their 
 own. There were seven children born to 
 William Marshall and wife, namely: 
 James Thomas; Julia, widow of AVilliam 
 AVatson, of Penn Township; Elizabeth, 
 deceased ; Rebecca, wife of James Hunter, 
 of Ekastown, Butler County; "William, of 
 St. Louis, Alissouri; and Charles and Ed- 
 ward Montgomery, both of whom are de- 
 ceased. The family was reared in the 
 faith of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 James T. Afarshall attended the country 
 schools through l)oyhood and had his prac- 
 tical training in agriculture, on the home 
 farm. In 1873 he came to his present 
 farm and he owns 131 acres additional, a 
 part of which is the old homestead. Mr. 
 Marshall has successfully carried on sev- 
 eral industries here, his dairying being- 
 one of importance. With the assistance of 
 his three sons and a hired man, he culti- 
 vates TOO acres and has made specialties 
 
 of strawberries and tine potatoes. He util- 
 izes modern machinery and is interested 
 in improved methods of cultivation, taking 
 advantage of those which seem to him 
 profitable. Mr. Marshall has made im- 
 provements on his property which make it 
 a place of mark in the county. His sub- 
 staniial barn is one of the best in the 
 township and he has a silo of about fifty 
 tons capacity. In 1908 he erected one of 
 the handsomest mansions in this section 
 of the country, an ideal i-ural home, beau- 
 tifully located, and equipped with every 
 modern improvement regardless of ex- 
 pense, in its building following out plans 
 of his own as to comfort and convenience. 
 It is of natural stone construction, three 
 stories in height, while its inside finish- 
 ings are the best known to modern build- 
 ers. Its roomy porches look out over 
 handsome grounds. 
 
 Mr. Marshall married Susan B. John- 
 ston, who was born in Penn Township, 
 and they have had seven children, namely : 
 William Ellsworth, who is a minister in 
 the Presbyterian Church, at New Flor- 
 ence; Susan Ola, who is the wife of 
 Charles Brown, of Penn Township ; Mary, 
 deceased; James R., Charles Clyde and 
 Edward Dean, all reside at home and as- 
 sist in the management of the large estate. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are active inem- 
 bers of the Middlesex Presbyterian 
 Church. Mr. Marshall is a Republican but 
 is only a politician to the extent of good 
 citizenship. 
 
 VICTOR A. BARNHART, who is en- 
 gaged in the real estate and insurance 
 business at Evans City, Pennsylvania, is 
 well known in Butler County, where he 
 was prominently identified with education- 
 al work for some years prior to engaging 
 in his present iiekt of operation. He was 
 born in the vicinity of Green Castle, in 
 Franklin County, Pennsylvania, May 25, 
 1878, and is a son of Daniel S. and Ruth A. 
 (Miller) Barnhart. 
 
1010 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Daniel S. Barnhart was also born in 
 Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and was 
 reared to agricultural pursuits'. He later 
 became a merchant at Green Castle, where 
 he and his wife now reside, she also being 
 a native of Franklin County. Twelve 
 children were the issue of their union, of 
 whom Victor Albertus was the eighth. 
 
 Victor A. Bamhart spent his early youth 
 on his father's farm near Green Castle, 
 and was nine years of age when his par- 
 ents moved to that village. He assisted 
 liis father about the stoi'e and attended the 
 public schools, graduating from Green Cas- 
 tle High School in 1896. He later attend- 
 ed Mercersburg Academy, graduating in 
 1898, and Franklin and Marshall College, 
 from which he was graduated in 1902. He 
 then became an instructor in the schools 
 of Green Castle, serving during the school 
 year of 1902-1903; the following school 
 year he sei'ved as teacher in the schools of 
 West Newton, and during the year 1901- 
 1905 was principal of the school at St. 
 Paul's Orphans' Home at Butler. He was 
 principal of the public schools of Evans 
 City during 1905-1906, and the following 
 school year taught science in Butler High 
 School. His success as an educator was 
 pronounced, but other fields offering great- 
 er financial returns he gave up the profes- 
 sion and in June, 1907, started in the real 
 estate and insurance biisiness at Evan^ 
 City. He maintains an office on Pittsburg 
 Street, and during his short residence in 
 the village has succeeded beyond his ex- 
 pectations. 
 
 December 25, 1907, Mr. Barnhart was 
 united in marriage with Miss Flora M. 
 Markel, a daughter of Daniel and Mary A. 
 Markel, the record of her family appear- 
 ing on another page of this work. Frater- 
 nally, Mr. Barnhart is a member of Mt. 
 Pisgah Lodge, No. 443, F. & A. M., at 
 Green Castle; Lodge No. 817, I. 0. 0. F. 
 of Evans City, and Lodge No. 292, K. P. 
 of Evans City. Religiously, he and his 
 wife are members of the Reformed Chureli. 
 
 T. CHAL:\IERS CAMPBELL, a leading 
 member of the Butler bar, who has been 
 engaged in the practice of law in this city 
 for the past thirty-six years, was born in 
 1848, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of James Campbell. ' The father 
 of Mr. Campbell was born in Chester 
 County, Pennsylvania, and came to Butler 
 County about 1840, where he was engaged 
 in a mercantile business for a number of 
 years and was identified with the leading 
 interests of this place. 
 
 T. Chalmers Campbell attended the pub- 
 lic schools, Witherspoon Academy and 
 Phillips Academy at Audover, Mass., and 
 pursued and completed his law studies un- 
 der Col. John M. Thompson and Samuel 
 and W. S. Purvisance, of Pittsburg. . In 
 1869 he was admitted to the bar in Alle- 
 gheny County and remained there in ac- 
 tive practice until 1872, when he located 
 at Butler. For the first five years he was 
 in partnership with J. D. McJunkin, under 
 the firm name of McJunkin & Campbell, 
 but since the dissolving of tliat partner- 
 ship, has been alone. He has been identi- 
 fied with a large amount of legal business 
 in the local courts, the Supreme Court of 
 Pennsylvania and also in the Lhiited States 
 Federal Courts. He is attorney for the 
 Western Allegheny Railroad Company, in 
 Butler County, and he belongs to the But- 
 ler Comity Bar Association. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Campbell was married to 
 Miss Juliet D. Estep, of Allegheny, and 
 they have four children: Louise, who is 
 the wife of diaries A. McElvain, of But- 
 ler; Jean, who is the wife of George E. 
 Howard, of Butler; James 0., a graduate 
 of Washingion-Jetferson College and a 
 practicing attorney with his father, with 
 whom he prepared for the bar, and Juliet 
 E. Mr. Campbell and family belong to the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM RAPE, one of Forward 
 Township's prominent and substantial 
 citizens, whose valuable farm of sixty-three 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1011 
 
 acres is situated about seven miles south- 
 west of Butler, right on the electric rail- 
 way, was boru on the old Rape homestead 
 in Cranberry Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsa., March 18, 1839, and is a son of 
 Christian and Sarah (Stout) Rape. 
 
 The family to which Mr. Rape belongs 
 originated in Germany and in old times 
 the family name was spelled Reeb. It was 
 Theobald Reeb, the grandfather, who came 
 with his wife Sophia, to America, many 
 years ago, and settled on land in Cran- 
 berry Township. At that time land that 
 now will bring probably $100 an acre sold 
 for $3, and the German family soon had a 
 secured home in which the parents spent 
 the remainder of their lives. With their 
 native thrift and industry they cleared and 
 cultivated the land and when their son 
 Christian grew to man's estate, he suc- 
 ceeded to the property. He had given his 
 father much assistance in clearing and he 
 continued to occupy the homestead until 
 he died, in 1880, aged seventy-two years. 
 During his lifetime he added an adjoining 
 farm to his iKtssessions and the estate he 
 left to his children amounted to 130 acres. 
 He married Sarah Stout, who survived him 
 two years, being aged seventy-four when 
 she died. They had eleven children, name- 
 ly: Sophia, who married John Knauf, de- 
 ceased; Jacob, deceased; Eliza, who mar- 
 ried Charles Weild, both deceased; Sarah, 
 who married William Goehring, deceased ; 
 Catherine, who married John Stapf, both 
 deceased; Henry, deceased; William; 
 John; Marj^, who married John Stapf; Eli, 
 and Susan, who married Charles Mickley, 
 deceased. 
 
 William Rape spent a happy, useful boy- 
 hood under the protection and care of good 
 parents. "Wlien opportunity offered he 
 went to the district school but spent many 
 days in hard work, helping to tinish the 
 clearing of the land and later in cultivat- 
 ing it. He remained at home until he was 
 first married. In September, 1870, he 
 bought his present farm, from James Bol- 
 
 ton, on which he has made many substan- 
 tial improvements. It is valuable land in 
 point of fertility and also on account of its 
 excellent situation, and also on account of 
 oil being found here, there being two wells 
 on the farm. 
 
 On March 20, 1860, Mr. Rape was mar- 
 ried (first) to Anna Kaufman, who died in 
 March, 1882. Her parents were Ausman 
 and Mary (Freshcorn) Kaufman. There 
 were eleven children born to this union, 
 as follows: Edwin, who married Anna 
 Burr; William, who married Rose Mazer; 
 John; Anna, who married H. A. Burr; 
 Laura ; Tiny, who married John Wardock, 
 and five deceased. Mr. Rape was married 
 (second) in August, 1882, to Mary Ann 
 Hoover, who is a daughter of John and 
 Lydia (Rice) Hoover, and they have seven 
 children, namely: Floyd, who married 
 Caroline Schilling, has twin children, Her- 
 sliel AVilliam and Lona Aleander, these 
 being the first twins ever born in either 
 the Rape or Schilling families and they 
 therefoi'e are babes of more than usual 
 interest; Adaline, who married William 
 Welir; Olie, who married Edwin Osen- 
 baugh; Margai'et, who married Russell 
 Enslen; Susan, who married Fred Weste- 
 beck ; and Jesse and Homer, both of whom 
 live at home. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Rape is a stanch Repub- 
 lican. He has taken an active interest in 
 township affairs and has served acceptably 
 in a nmnber of offices, having been super- 
 visor for five years, clerk for two years 
 and overseer of the poor for two years. 
 
 W. S. WICK, of the hmiber firm of 
 W. S. Wick, at Butler, is also interested 
 in a nmnber of other Butler enterprises, 
 and is a substantial and representative 
 citizen. He was born in 1863, in Butler 
 County, and is a son of the late Henry E. 
 Wick. 
 
 The Wick family is one of the oldest 
 families of Butler County. Henry E. 
 Wick was born on the old Wick homestead, 
 
1012 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in 1824, and died at Butler in 1901. He 
 became a man of prominence in Butler 
 County and was one of Butler's pioneer 
 merchants. 
 
 W. S. Wick enjoyed both educational 
 and social advantages in youth and early 
 manhood and before he settled down to a 
 business career, he spent three years of 
 travel through the far west, during this 
 time visiting Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and 
 other States and Territories. After re- 
 turning to Butler he engaged for three 
 years in a mercantile business and about 
 1894 embarked in the lumber business. 
 He handles all kinds of lumber, doing both 
 a wholesale and retail business, and deals 
 also in doors, sash and blinds. He owns 
 a half interest in the East End Hardware 
 Store and has stock also in the plaster and 
 cement mill which is situated in the west- 
 ern part of the city. He also owns valu- 
 able real estate, being part owner of the 
 Orphans' Home property. 
 
 In 1904 Mr. Wick was married to Miss 
 Jeanette Lusk, of Jefferson County, and 
 they have one daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. 
 Wick is not an active politician but he 
 always does a good citizen's duty to up- 
 hold the laws and to further movements 
 for the general welfare. In this line he 
 believes the responsibilities of the suc- 
 cessful business man are great. 
 
 CURTIS IRWIN CHRISTLEY, resid- 
 ing on his exceedingly valuable farm of 
 115 acres, which is situated in Slippery 
 Rock Township, one mile south of the vil- 
 lage of that name, was born on this farm, 
 March 31, 1836, and is a son of John and 
 Elizabeth (Smith) Christley. 
 
 The father of Mr. Christley was a 
 farmer and also a cabinetmaker. In the 
 old days he made cofiSns. And he manu- 
 factured the coffins for the six Wigtons 
 mui-dered by the Indian Mohawk. He was 
 twice married, first to Mary Hyde Smith 
 and second to her sister. The three chil- 
 dren of the first union were : James Perry, 
 
 William George and John Harvey, all de- 
 ceased. There were nine children born to 
 the second marriage, as follows: Thomas 
 Franklin, deceased; Washington Edward, 
 deceased; Mrs. Mary Jane Hockenbury, 
 of West Sunbury, Pennsylvania ; Samuel 
 Johnston, who was killed at the second 
 battle of Bull Run, during the War of the 
 Rebellion; Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Moore, 
 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Curtis Irwin; 
 Mrs. Catherine Prances Bruce, deceased; 
 Mrs. Margaret Chinelsie Glenn, deceased; 
 and Mrs. Caroline B. Foster, deceased. 
 
 Curtis Irwin Christley has devoted him- 
 self to farming and has enjoyed abundant 
 success. His longest absence from his 
 home farm was during his service of nine 
 months, in the War of the Rebellion, as a 
 member of the One Hundred Thirty- 
 seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry. He is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic. In addition to the 
 farm on which he lives, Mr. Christley owns 
 a second farm, one of fifty acres, which is 
 located near West Liberty, Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Christley married Margaret E. 
 Brannon, who died in 1902. They had one 
 child, Mrs. Tirzah Frances Magee, now 
 deceased, who left three children: Carbus 
 Claire, Don Lee Magee, and AVendell 
 Odell, all of whom reside with their grand- 
 father. In politics, Mr. Christley is a 
 stanch Republican. He is one of the 
 township's representative men. 
 
 MARTIN MONKS, a prominent citizen 
 of Middlesex Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., where he owns more than 250 
 acres of valuable farm land, has been an 
 oil producer for many years, and has been 
 very active in the oil fields of Pennsyl- 
 vania, Ohio and West Virginia. He was 
 born on his present farm, February 14, 
 1 856, and is a son of Absalom and Harriet 
 (Chantler) Monks, and a grandson of Ab- 
 salom Monks. Sr. 
 
 Absalom Monks, Sr., the grandfather, 
 was born near Brandy wine, Chester 
 
AND KEPRP^SEXTATn'E CITIZEXS 
 
 1015 
 
 County, Peuua., November 11, 1774, and 
 as a boy witnessed tbe historic battle 
 fought at that place during the Revolution. 
 He moved to the western part of the state 
 with Anthony AVayne some time between 
 1792 and 1795, and in the latter vear lo- 
 cated in the city of Pittsburg. In'lHOl he. 
 moved to Butler County and acquired 212 
 acres of unimproved land in Middlesex 
 Township, on wliich he erected a cabin. 
 He cleared a ]jart of this farm, which has 
 since ))een known as the Monks farm, and 
 continued to reside there until his death, 
 lie married Margaret Bell, who died with- 
 out issue; and on May ;>, 1810, he married 
 Catherine Kennedy, a daughter of Martin 
 Kennedy, by whom he had nine children. 
 He was a AVhig in jwlitics, and he and his 
 wife were members of the Seceder Church. 
 Absalom Monks, Jr., father of the sub- 
 ject of this biography, was born on the 
 home farm in Middlesex Township, Oc- 
 tober 5, 1817, and helped to clear the place. 
 He worked a year or two at the trade of 
 a blacksmith, but with that exception fol- 
 lowed farming throughout his active ca- 
 reer. He has been in retirement some 
 years, and although past ninety-one years 
 of age continues in good physical health 
 and in full possession of his mental facul- 
 ties, remembering with little effort the 
 happenings of pioneer days in Butler 
 County. He was prominently identified 
 with the development of this part of tlie 
 county and its institutions. He is the only 
 living charter member of Saxonia Lodge, 
 T. 0. 0. F., of which he is ]iast grand. He 
 and his wife are memliers of the Middle- 
 sex Methodist Episcopal Church, of which 
 he has been steward and trustee since the 
 church was built, being one of the organ- 
 izers of the congregation. He was united 
 in marriage ^farch 14, 1850, with Harriet 
 Chantler, a daughter of Thomas (Uiantler, 
 she being brought from England by her 
 ]3arents when slie was an infant, and 
 reared in Middlesex Townshi]). Five chil- 
 dren blessed this union, of whom three 
 
 grew to maturity, as follows: Martin; 
 William, of Middlesex Township; and 
 Catherine Ann, wife of Robert Harbison. 
 
 Martin Monks was reared on the home 
 farm and received a preliminary educa- 
 tion in the district schools, sui)i>lemented 
 by a course in Hampton Academy and the 
 Freeport Normal School. Prior to engag- 
 ing in the oil business, he followed cattle 
 droving. He owns over 250 acres of land, 
 now cultivated by his sons, who in addi- 
 tion to general farming, engage in stock 
 feeding on an extensive scale, averaging 
 about twenty head of cattle and about 100 
 head of sheep. For the past twentj'-five 
 years he has been an oil producer, and has 
 interests through the oil regions of Penn- 
 sylvania, Ohio and West A'irgiuia. He has 
 two wells on his own farm which are pro- 
 ducing in paying quantities, and he also 
 has fourteen wells on adjoining farms. 
 
 On February 12, 1879, Mr. 'Monks was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Cordelia 
 ilickey, a daugHter of AVindle and Sarah 
 Ann (Kennedy) Hickey of Middlesex 
 Township. Her father was born De- 
 cember 28, 181 2, in Alleghenv Countv, and 
 died July 16, 1895. Her" mother died 
 March 19, 1891, at tlie age of seventy- four 
 years. AVilliam Kennedy, gi'audfather of 
 -Mrs. Monks, was three years old when his 
 parents settled in Middlesex Township, 
 some time in the latter part of the Eigh- 
 teenth Century. Windle and Sarah Ann 
 Hickey were parents of thirteen children, 
 five of whom grew uji, namely: Mary, 
 AVindle, Cordelia, Albert, and Sarali Ann. 
 
 Alartin and Cordelia (Hickey) Monks 
 are ])arents of the following children: 
 I.nella, wife of Charles Snyder of Punxa- 
 tawney, Jefferson County; AVarner Scott; 
 Martin Russel], who completed a civil 
 engineering course in Ohio Northern Uni- 
 versity at Ada, Ohio; Sarah May, a 
 graduate of Slipi)ery Rock Normal School, 
 who is a teacher in the public schools at 
 Punxatawney ; Harriet E., who is a gradu- 
 ate of the Slippery Rock Normal School, 
 
1016 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 received a teacher's diploma; Albert Roy 
 Hickey, and Emory Harper. Mr. Monks 
 attends and supports liberally the Middle- 
 sex Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
 his wife is an active member. Her par- 
 ents were among the founders of the 
 church, and her father served as trustee 
 and class leader many years. Mr. Hickey 
 was a plasterer and paperhanger by trade, 
 also a veterinarian, following these occu- 
 pations in conjunction with farming. 
 
 Martin Monks is active in support of the 
 Republican party and its principles, but is 
 in no sense a politician. Fraternally, he 
 is a member and past grand of Saxonia 
 Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. 
 
 R. A. POOLE, proprietor of the Poole 
 Brass Foundry, at Butler, owns a business 
 which he has been successfully carrying on 
 in this city for some years. He was born 
 May 30, 1854, in England, and in his native 
 land acquired his education and learned 
 the trade of molder. 
 
 In 188-4 Mr. Poole came to America and 
 located first at Alliance, Ohio, where he 
 entered the shops of the Morgan Engineer- 
 ing Company, where he remained for four 
 years and then went to Pittsburg. In that 
 city he soon entered the employ of the 
 Westinghouse Manufacturing Company 
 and continued with that concern for eleven 
 years, working in the foundry department. 
 From there he came to Butler and for two 
 years was with the Butler Engine and 
 Foundry Company and for one year with 
 the Evans Manufacturing Company. In 
 1901 Mr. Poole embarked in business for 
 hipiself, establishing the Poole Brass 
 Foundry, and in 1906 he erected his pres- 
 ent building. He has associated his two 
 sons, James and Grover Poole, with him 
 in business and they give employment to 
 a large force and have a large volume 
 of trade. 
 
 In 1884, prior to coming to America, 
 Mr. Poole was married to Miss Janet 
 Cochran and they have six chldren : James 
 
 and Grover, above mentioned; Albert A., 
 who is in the employ of the Butler Car 
 Wheel Company; Elizabeth, who is a stu- 
 dent in the Franklin School ; Frank, and 
 Jessie. Mr. Poole and family belong to 
 the Episcopal Church. In his political 
 preferences he is a Democrat. Fraternally 
 he belongs to the Odd Fellows, the Wood- 
 men, the Mystic Chain and the Sons of 
 St. George. 
 
 CHRISTIAN HENRY THIELEMAN, 
 
 whose fertile farm of 108 acres is situated 
 in Adams Township, carries on a general 
 farming line here and gives some attention 
 to the oil business, having two wells on his 
 land. He was born in Allegheny, Penna., 
 October 13, 1851, and is a son of William 
 and Wilhelmine (Nemyer) Thieleman. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Thieleman were 
 born iu Germany, in the same province, 
 and both came to America and to Pitts- 
 burg, before marriage. William Thiele- 
 man crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1845 
 and he found his first work in America 
 on steamboats running between Pittsburg 
 and New Orleans. He then went into the 
 hotel business in Allegheny City. After 
 his marriage, in 1857, he moved to Butler 
 County and settled in what was then Cran- 
 lierry but is now Adams Township. He 
 bought his farm from John Dunn, in ]853, 
 a tract of uncleared land which he lived on 
 during the rest of his life. He was a man 
 of great industiy and developed an ex- 
 cellent farm, in which he took justifiable 
 pride. He survived to the age of eighty- 
 four years, his death taking place May 2, 
 1908. His widow, who was born two days 
 later than her husband, still survives. Of 
 their ten children, four died in infancy, the 
 names of the others being: Christian 
 Henry, Herman, Sophia, wife of M. Mar- 
 shall ; Mandana, William Lewis, and Mary. 
 
 When his parents moved to Butler 
 County, Christian Henry was not more 
 than six years old and from boyhood had 
 to work hard and had fewer school ad- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 10] 7 
 
 vantages than many others, who, however, 
 have developed into no more capable farm- 
 ers or intelligent men than himself. When 
 he was first put to the plow it was di=awn 
 by oxen. Mr. Thieleman has changed all 
 the old ways of farming, has done a large 
 amount of improving to his present prop- 
 erty, and is numbered with the substantial 
 men of this section. 
 
 In April, 1886, Mr. Thieleman was mar- 
 ried to JNliss Caroline Thieker, of Adams 
 Township, who died in the same year. In 
 October, 1888, he was married (second) to 
 Miss Mary Hespenheide, a daughter of 
 William Hespenheide, who came to Butler 
 County from Hanover, Germany. They 
 have four children, namely: Frances Wilda, 
 Raymond, Earl William, and Verna. Mr. 
 Thieleman and family belong to the Luth- 
 eran Church at Mars and he is a member 
 of the board of trustees. In politics he is 
 a Democrat. He has never been anxious 
 to hold office, but has consented to be a 
 school director and is serving most accept- 
 ably in his ninth term. 
 
 C. E. McINTIRE, who occupies a prom- 
 inent position in the business world of 
 Butler, is a member of the Mclntire-Wil- 
 letts Manufacturing Company, which man- 
 ufactures and deals in gas and gasoline en- 
 gines, draughting patterns and machine 
 work, together with automobile repairs 
 and supplies. Mr. Mclntire has been 
 identified with the interests of Butler foi 
 the past eighteen years. He was born in 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, in 1851. 
 
 After a limited i^eriod of schooling, Mr 
 Mclntire went to work in the oil fields in 
 Bradford, Pa., and later in mercantile 
 business in Salamanca, N. Y., and from 
 that time on has been interested in tlie oil 
 business in the Pennsylvania fields, be- 
 coming a large dealer and producer. On 
 coming to Butler he engaged in the oil 
 busiiiess and is the only independent oil 
 dealer in the city. In the face of competi- 
 tion, his perseverance and excellent busi- 
 
 ness methods have brought him success in 
 this line. In 1907 he established the Mc- 
 Intire-Willetts Manufacturing Company 
 and he also established an automobile gar- 
 age repair and supply house and took the 
 agency for the Buick automobile. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. Mclntire was married to 
 Miss Anna McGee, of Clarion County, and 
 they have five children, the three sons, 
 George, Robert Roy and Harry, being 
 associated with their father in business; 
 and both daughters, Edith and Grace, be- 
 ing married. The former is the wife of 
 O. W. Strayer, of Butler, and the latter is 
 the wife of S. C. Kelly, also of Butler. In 
 his political views, Mr. Mclntire is a Pro- 
 hibitionist. Fraternally he is connected 
 with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of 
 Maccabee. He is a member and was one 
 of the organizers of the Second Presby- 
 terian Church of Butler, has been a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Trustees since its 
 organization and was instrumental in 
 building the present fine church. 
 
 MRS. PRISCILLA DAVISON, a repre- 
 sentative of one of the oldest families in 
 Butler County, residing on the home farm 
 in Penn Township, in which she is well 
 known and highly esteemed, was born in 
 Forward Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a daughter of Alexander 
 and Mary Harris (Lyon) Douthett. 
 
 Few people can trace a clearer ancestry 
 than can Mrs. Davison, the family records 
 having been preserved as far back as her 
 great-grandfather, who was named Joseph 
 Douthett. He was born in County Ar- 
 magh, Ireland, and with his wife Rosanna, 
 emigrated to America at an early day and 
 settled for a time in Washington County, 
 Pennsylvania. In 1799 he came to what 
 is now Butler County and settled on a farm 
 in Forward Township, and there both he 
 and wife died and their remains rest in the 
 Douthett family cemetery. 
 
 Benjamin Douthett, grandfather of Mrs. 
 Davison, was born in County Armagh, 
 
1018 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Ireland, aud accompanied his parents to 
 America, })robably in 1772. He married 
 Jane Smith, who died in 1847, whom he 
 survived for three years. They are buried 
 also in the old family cemetery at Browns- 
 dale. Of their nine children, Alexander, 
 father of Mrs. Davison, was the sixth in 
 order of birth. 
 
 Alexander Douthett was born in Avhat is 
 now Forward Township, where he grew to 
 manhood and engaged in farming. In the 
 last year of the Civil War he enlisted for 
 service, but hostilities closed before his 
 regiment had left Pittsburg. In 1872 he 
 purchased the present farm where Mrs. 
 Davison lives, and here both he and wife 
 died. He was a Republican in his political 
 views and he served Penn Township as 
 school director and as supervisor. He 
 married a daughter of James R. Lj^on, who 
 was a farmer in what is now Adams Town- 
 ship. There were eight children born to 
 this marriage, namely: Elizabeth, James 
 R., Priscilla, Mary, Henry, who died aged 
 twenty-one years, Ordilla, and two who 
 died in infancy. 
 
 Priscilla Douthett grew to womanhood 
 under the care of a good mother and wise 
 father and obtained her education in the 
 country schools. On September 20, 1876, 
 she was united in marriage with Robert 
 Davison. He was born in Adams Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, Sep- 
 tember 7, 1848, and died November 10, 
 1899. He engaged in farming and was a 
 well known and respected citizen. In poli- 
 tics he was a Democrat. Mrs. Davison is 
 a member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Brownsdale. 
 
 THO.MAS EDWARD KERR, one of 
 Mars' enterprising and successful grocery 
 merchants, was born in Slippery Rock 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., October 
 1, 1871, and is a son of Milton Bruce and 
 Alary (Coover) Kerr, and a grandson of 
 Thomas and Elizabeth (Forsythe) Kerr. 
 
 The grandfather, Thomas Kerr, was 
 
 born in Scotland and came to Pennsyl- 
 vania in early manhood. He was a stone 
 mason by trade aud he did a large amount 
 of stone work in Slippery Rock Township, 
 Butler County, where he also accpiired a 
 farm. . He married after settling in But- 
 ler County and became the father of the 
 following children : Milton Bruce ; Thomas : 
 James; Jennie; Rebecca, wife of William 
 H. Curran; Jessie, wife of N. H. Thomp- 
 son; and Catherine, wife of Thomas 
 McCamey. 
 
 Milton Bruce Kerr was born in Slippery 
 Rock Township, Butler County, in 185(3, 
 and spent his boyhood on the home farm. 
 He then learned the tanning- business with 
 Perry Coovert, in Slippery Rock Town- 
 ship, and continued to be interested as 
 long as the business was profitable, after 
 which he became a manufacturer of staves, 
 having a stave yard at Butler, and for six- 
 teen years he made staves for the Stand- 
 ard Oil Company. In 1895 he moved to 
 Mars and from then until he retired, was 
 engaged in the oil business. He married 
 Mary Coovert, a daughter of Perry Coo- 
 vert, and they had four children: Marga- 
 ret, who is the wife of S. T. Herr; Thomas 
 Edward; Perry, who is engaged in a drug- 
 business at Mars ; and Ada, who is the wife 
 of Dr. McGeorge, a practicing physician at 
 Enon Valley. 
 
 Thomas Edward Kerr was afforded ex- 
 cellent educational advantages, completing 
 his education with two years at the Slip- 
 pery Rock Normal School. He gained his 
 mercantile experience as a clerk in the 
 employ of the firm of Bard & Son, general 
 merchants, where he continued for four 
 years. In May, 1895, he came to Mars and 
 l)urchased his present commodious gro- 
 cery store from A. C. and E. Zeigler. He 
 is a wide-awake business man and has a 
 high commercial rating. 
 
 On June 19, 1906, Mr. Kerr was married 
 to Miss Olive Campbell, who is a daugh- 
 ter of J. C. Campbell, of Adams Town- 
 ship. In politics he is identified with the 
 
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS X' SMI 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 lOL'l 
 
 Democratic party. He belongs to the or- 
 der of Modern Woodmen. He was reared 
 in the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 EUGENE SCHAEFER, the capal^le 
 manager of the Butler brewing plant of 
 the Independent Brewing Company of 
 Pittsburg, was born in 1866, in Gerniiany, 
 and was about twelve years of age when 
 he came to America. 
 
 Mr. Schaefer's education was completed 
 in the public schools of Allegheny and at 
 Duff's Business College at Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 
 1882. His uncle being engaged in the 
 brewing business, offered the nephew a 
 place in his plant and Mr. Sehaefer re- 
 mained there until 1889. From there he 
 went to the Bauerstein Brewing Company 
 and continued with that concern for nine 
 years, after which he conducted a hotel at 
 Millvale for eight years. After disposing 
 of his hotel interests, Mr. Sehaefer was out 
 of business for about one year, taking a 
 much-needed rest, and during this time he 
 enjoyed a trip through the Great Lakes. 
 In March, 1907, he came to Butler, first 
 as bookkeeper for the Butler Brewery, of 
 which he was later made manager. He is 
 a thoroughly experienced man in this in- 
 dustry and has proved a very capable 
 executive. He owns stock in the Inde- 
 pendent Brewing Company of Pittslnirg. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Sehaefer was married to 
 Miss Caroline Dohr, of Millvale, and they 
 have three children, Elsie, Eugene and Ed- 
 ward. Mr. and Mrs. Sehaefer are mem- 
 bers of the German Catholic Church. He 
 belongs to the order of the Knights of St. 
 George, the Catholic Mutual Benevolent 
 Association and- to the Heptasophs. 
 
 THOMAS V. SMITH, a prominent citi- 
 zen of Allegheny Township, who has been 
 identified with the oil industry more or 
 less continuously ever since 1872 and is a 
 contractor and driller of gas and oil wells 
 and for some years also a producer, owns 
 
 an excellent farm of sixty-seven acres in 
 this part of Butler County. He was 
 born January 18, 1859, in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Robert H. and Eleanor J. (Van Tine) 
 Smith, the former of whom was born in 
 Forest County and the latter in West- 
 moreland County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Smith's ' (•liil(1li()(i(l was siKMit in 
 three States— Pcimsvlvanin. Illiin.i> and 
 Iowa — and he was tniu-tccn years old when 
 he accompanied his i)areuts to Butler 
 County and with them settled in Allegheny 
 Township, which has practically been his 
 home ever since. He attended school here 
 but soon entered into work in the oil fields 
 and in one capacity or another has been 
 connected with gas and oil interests ever 
 since. He is a member of the firm of 
 Royal Brothers, oil producers, of Butler, 
 and also of the firm of Stefty & Smith, oil 
 and gas well drillers and contractors. 
 
 On December 25, 1879, Mr. Smith was 
 married to Miss Mary L. Grant, who is a 
 daughter of Robert and Nancy Grant, the 
 latter of whom still survives and resides 
 in Allegheny Township. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Smith have had seven children, the sur- 
 vivors being: Ardell V., Harrv A., Rob- 
 ert G;., Marion D. and Paul R. " Ardell Y. 
 married Georgia Henderson and they have 
 one daughter, Lola L. Hari-y A. married 
 Maud Gaugaware and they have one 
 son, Kirsey 0. Mr. Smith and wife are 
 members of the Allegheny Presbyterian 
 Church, and he is a trustee of the same. 
 He has been a strong advocate of temper- 
 ance for many years and votes with the 
 Prohibition party. Personally he is known 
 as a man of sterling character. 
 
 ROSS MECKLING BOWSER, oil pro- 
 ducer and member of the firm of R. M. 
 Bowser & Son, general merchants at Ren- 
 frew, was born in Valley Township, Arm- 
 strong County, Penna., December 8, 1847. 
 and is a son of Matthias P. and Sarah Ann 
 (Baum) Bowser. 
 
102: 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Matthias P. Bowser, who is one of Arm- 
 strong County's most venerable citizens, 
 resides on his farm in Boggs Township, on 
 Pine Creel<, within five miles of Kittan- 
 ning. He was born near Worthington, in 
 Armstrong County, in 1819, and is a son 
 of Peter Bowser, who died in Boggs Town- 
 ship when in his ninety-ninth year. In his 
 early manhood, Matthias P. Bowser oper- 
 ated a ferry at Kittanning for Ross Meck- 
 lin, and then accompanied his parents to 
 Valley Township, Armstrong County, and 
 later engaged in farming and teaming near 
 Pine Creek furnace. When the Civil AVar 
 broke out he enlisted under Captain Ell- 
 wood, in Company C, Seventy-eighth Regi- 
 ment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry, and 
 served through three years without injury 
 except a short period of imprisonment. 
 After the close of his military service he 
 bonght the farm on which he has lived ever 
 since. In spite of his advanced age he is 
 in good health and possesses all his facul- 
 ties and has lost but one of his natural 
 senses, for the past three years having 
 been blind. As a leading Democrat of his 
 township, he was frequently, during his 
 active years, elected to local offices. His 
 aged wife also survives and they lioth are 
 valued members of the United Presbyte- 
 rian Church. He married a daughter of 
 John Baum. She was born in Westmore- 
 land County, Pennsylvania, May 25, 1825, 
 and was seventeen years of age when she 
 accompanied her parents to their new 
 home in Valley Township, about ten miles 
 northeast of Kittanning. The children of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bowser were ten in number, 
 the following being tlie survivors : Wilson 
 L., residing near Parker's Landing; Ross 
 M. ; Harvey P., residing on the old home- 
 stead; Hettie, wife of Henry Troutman, 
 of AVorthington ; Sarah, residing at Kit- 
 tanning; Madison, living in New Castle; 
 Templeton, residing at Alliance, Ohio; J. 
 Neal, living in Indiana; Rebecca, wife of 
 Nish Schreconghost : and George B. Mc. 
 
 Ross M. Bowser, like manv another suc- 
 
 cessful man, has mainly made his own way 
 in the world. He is self educated and 
 early learned to depend upon his own re- 
 sources. Through early manhood he en- 
 gaged in teaming and farming but in the 
 spring of 1870 he went to Parker's Land- 
 ing and after several years of teaming in 
 that section, in the meanwhile quietly pros- 
 pecting, he bought an old oil well and thus 
 entered into a business which has resulted 
 most profitably. Later, he acquired utiier 
 oil property, went to Edinburg and drilled 
 wells there, then went back to Parker's 
 Landing in 1880, and had the usual suc- 
 cess and failure of oil operators. In 1884 
 he came to Renfrew and entered into part- 
 nership with his brother-in-law, P. P. 
 Kiser, and in the following vear became 
 sole owner of the lumber business. This 
 was the first lumber firm at this point and 
 'Mr. Bowser still continues to deal in lum- 
 ber, doing a large amount of shippmg. In 
 1890 he started a general store, in associa- 
 tion with his son, H. M. Bowser, under the 
 firm name of R. M. Bowser & Son, the 
 scope of which covers dealing in oil well 
 supplies, lumber, agricultural implements 
 and building materials, in addition to gen- 
 eral merchandise. The firm is operating 
 oil wells in both Penn and Forward Town- 
 ships. Mr. Bowser is interested in four 
 wells that are twenty-eight years old and 
 are still pumping, producing, all together, 
 six barrels of oil per day. He has an in- 
 terest in eleven wells in all, one of which 
 he bought seventeen years ago, from 
 Young Brothers. It then produced two 
 and three-fourths barrels, but he increased 
 the production and for the past sixteen 
 years has filled a 150-barrel tank monthly 
 from this one well. In his business rela- 
 tions Mr. Bowser has sustained his reputa- 
 tion for honesty of purpose and fair deal- 
 ing. 
 
 On August 14, 1871, Mr. Bowser was 
 married (first) to Amanda Ross, daughter 
 of Benjamin Anthony, of Valley Town- 
 ship. Of the children born to this marriage 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 10:1^ 
 
 five grew to maturity, namely: Harry M., 
 who is interested with his father in "their 
 various enterprises; Jessie, deceased, who 
 was the wife of Samuel Purvis; Frank, 
 who lives at home; Flodia Z., who married 
 Wesley Kline, of Mars; and Forest, who 
 resides at home. Mr. Bowser was married 
 (second) to Christma Zimmerman, - a 
 daughter of Jeremiah Zimmerman, of Pine 
 Township, now Boggs Township, Arm- 
 strong County, Penna. Mr. Bowser and 
 family attend the Presbyterian Church. 
 In his political sympathies he is a Demo- 
 crat, but he takes no active interest in 
 campaign work. 
 
 DETMORE W. DGUTHETT, whose 
 magnificent farm of 225 acres lies in Adams 
 Township, has spent the whole of his use- 
 ful and busy life in Butler County, Penna., 
 where he was born October 15, 1849. His 
 parents were Benjamin and Rosauna 
 (Rea) Douthett. 
 
 The Douthetts are of Irish stock and 
 the grandfather, Benjamin Douthett, came 
 to America from Ireland. Here his son 
 Benjamin was born, one of a family of 
 seven boys and two girls. The second 
 Benjamin Douthett acquired a large 
 amount of land in Butler County and be- 
 came a very successful farmer. In his 
 younger years he had the reputation of 
 not only covering a wheat field with his 
 ci'adle faster tlian any of his companions, 
 but also outstripped them when the next 
 part of the work was undertaken, on one 
 occasion raking and tying 110 dozen of 
 sheathes of wheat in one day, a remark- 
 able accomplishment. In 1880 he pur- 
 chased the farm now owned by Detmore 
 W., from Armstrong Irving, and owned 
 other land at the time of his death, which 
 took place after he had retired to ]\Iars, 
 when he was aged seventy years. His 
 widow survived him some years. They 
 had the following children: Anna, de- 
 ceased, who was the wife of James Orr; 
 Detmore Wallace; John A., deceased; 
 
 Mary, who is the widow of Levi Park; 
 Amanda, who is the widow of Frank Fer- 
 guson; and Margaret, who is the wife of 
 B. Owens. 
 
 Detmore W. Douthett w^as reared on the 
 old home farm in Adams Township and 
 assisted in finishing its clearing and later, 
 after his father purchased the present 
 farm, cleared it also. His education was 
 not neglected and after he left the district 
 schools he attended an academy conducted 
 by Rev. Barnes. Later Mr. Douthett 
 bought the farm on which he lives and here 
 carries on general farming and stockrais- 
 ing. He has made all the excellent im- 
 provements on this property in the way of 
 erecting substantial buildings, and is also 
 developing oil on his land. He is one of 
 the prosperous farmers and representative 
 citizens of Adams Township. 
 
 On November 6, 1879, Mr. Douthett was 
 married to Miss Sarah Jane Stoup, who is 
 a daughter of James M. and Elizabeth 
 (Crawford) Stoup. They have one child, 
 Millie L. 
 
 The Stoup family is of German extrac- 
 tion and the grandfather of Mrs. Douthett, 
 David Stoup, came to Pittsburg, Pennsyl^ 
 vania, from the East, and taught school 
 for a number of years, being a scholarly 
 man. James M. Stoup was born at Pitts- 
 burg and led an agricultural life, owning 
 a farm in Allegheny County, which is the 
 property of his widow, a highly esteemed 
 lady, now in her seventy-eighth year, re- 
 siding at Mars. In that town James M. 
 Stoup died in 1896, aged seventy-three 
 years. He married Elizabeth Crawford 
 and they had three children: Sarah J.; 
 Margaret A., wife of Albert Park; and 
 Robert, who died in infancy. 
 
 DAVID L. KIRKPATRICK, formerly 
 engaged in the coal and teaming business 
 at Renfrew, now living retired after a life 
 of most honorable activity, was born in 
 Armstrong Coimty, Penna., January 10, 
 
](ll'4 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1837, and is a son of .loliii and Xaucy 
 (Larimer) Kirkpatrick. 
 
 James Kirkpatrick, the grandfather, 
 came to Armstrong County, from Franklin 
 County, about 1790, and settled on Cherry 
 Run, some ten miles from the old Indian 
 town of Kittanning. It was a courageous 
 undertaking, for Indians still abounded 
 and as the sequel jiroved, were yet danger- 
 ous. With the help of his nearest neigh- 
 bors, although they lived many miles dis- 
 tant, he cleared a spot in the forest and 
 there built a log house for himself and 
 bride. On the morning of April 28, 1791, 
 while a visitor was at the place, an In- 
 dian wounded him severely, while others 
 surrounded the cabin indicating savage in- 
 tentions. The annals of Armstrong County 
 relate the events of this jirobably last mur- 
 derous assault made in this section l)y In- 
 dians, and tell of how the babe of the fam- 
 ily was injured in its mother's arms and 
 how she, brave pioneer woman that she 
 was, hastily molded bullets for her hus- 
 band's musket, with which he watched 
 through a loophole to ward off tlie assail- 
 ants. He killed two of the savages and 
 saw one escape into the forest and the 
 ])arty was seen no more. The visitor, a 
 militiaman, was, however, fatally wound- 
 ed. Grandfather Kirkpatrick lived for 
 many years, served as a soldier in the War 
 of 1812 and his remains peacefully lie in 
 the old cemetery of the Glade Run Presliy- 
 terian Church near Dayton. 
 
 John Kirk])atrick, father of David L., 
 was born in Armstrong County and died 
 in 1856, when aged seventy -five years. By 
 trade he was a carpenter and he worked 
 also as a miller and farmer. His mill was 
 located near Sewickleyburg. He sold his 
 property there and moved to Allegheny 
 City, where he lived for some years ])efore 
 retiring, and there he died. In politics 
 he was a Whig; in religion he was a Pres- 
 l)yterian. His eight children have all 
 passed out of life, with the exception of 
 David L., who was the youngest. The 
 
 others were: James; Mary, wife of David 
 A. Renfrew; Andrew Robert; Elizabeth, 
 wife of John Holland; Harriet, wife of 
 Andrew Bangs ; and William. 
 
 David L. Kirkpatrick was about ten 
 years old when his parents moved to Alle- 
 gheny and he was sixteen years of age 
 when he accompanied his brother James to 
 Center Township, Butler County, where he 
 remained engaged in farming until after 
 his marriage, when he located at what is 
 now the pleasant village of Renfrew, but 
 was then only a piece of the wilderness. 
 There he engaged in farming for his 
 brother-in-law, David A. Renfrew, for two 
 years, and then settled on his father-in- 
 law's farm, where he lived until 1862, when 
 he enlisted for service in the Civil \Var. 
 He entered Company E, One Hundred 
 Sixty-ninth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer 
 Infantry, and remained in service for nine 
 months, until July, 1863, doing garrison 
 duty at Y^orktown. He was then ordered 
 to join the Army of the Potomac and four 
 days after reaching Gettysburg was given 
 an honorable discharge. For a num])er of 
 years after his return to Center Townshi]) 
 he continued to farm there, Init in 188() he 
 came to Renfrew, just after the excitement 
 in this section owing to the discovery of oil. 
 He established a coal yard and a teaming 
 business, which his sons still carry on. As 
 a coal merchant he was known from one 
 section of the township to the other, so ex- 
 tensive was his business, his shipments for 
 a time being three and four car loads a 
 day. He retired from business carrying 
 with him the cordial friendship and re- 
 spect of those witli whom he had had com- 
 mercial relations covering more than a 
 decade. 
 
 On October 16, 1858, Mr. Kirkpatrick 
 was married to Martha J. Ramsey, who 
 was born January 16, 1838. She is a 
 daughter of James and Elizabeth (^lax- 
 well) Ramsey, of Center Townshi)), where 
 her grandfather was one of the earliest 
 settlers. Of the famiU' born to Mr. ami 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1025 
 
 Mrs. Kirkpatrick, the following grew to 
 maturity: William M. and Robert, resi- 
 dents of Butler; John L., residing at Ren- 
 frew; Leslie B., residing at Butler; Mary, 
 wife of Lawrence, McCandless, living at 
 Butler; Gertrude, wife of William Me 
 Lauglilin, residing at Butler; and Everett 
 M. and David L., residents of Renfrew. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick are members of 
 the Second Presbyterian Church at Butler. 
 He belongs to the"Butler Post of the (Ji-ar.d 
 Army of the Rei>ublic. In politics he is 
 identified with the Republican party. 
 
 JAMES E. WISE, who is general luaii 
 ager of the Etna Manufacturing Company, 
 one of Butler's imi)ortant enterprises, 
 which is engaged in the manufacture of 
 gas and gasoline engines and oil and water 
 pumps, is a i)ractical machinist and the 
 inventor of certain valuable devices in his 
 line of work. He was born in 1870, in Arm- 
 strong County, Pennsylvania, and has 
 spent his life mainly in Butler and Arm- 
 strong- Counties. 
 
 When i\Ir. Wise left school he entered 
 the Ball Engine Works at Butler and 
 served his machinist ,i]iprenticeshii) there 
 and then was coinicctcd for one year with 
 the Garvin Machine Com)>any, in New 
 York Cit^^ where he completed his train- 
 ing. During the two following years he 
 was employed by the firm of Larkin & 
 Palm, at Butler, and from there went to 
 Pittslnirg, and foi- some years was with 
 the Westinghouse ])eo])le. When he re- 
 turned to Butler he bought an interest in 
 the Etna Manufacturing Company and 
 since 1903 he has been manager of the 
 same and during these five years he has 
 tripled the capacity of the plant. Mr. 
 Wise has studied his trade on every side 
 and has not been contented with being an 
 expert workman and caijable executive, 
 but has been constantly experimenting and 
 inventing new machines and methods. He 
 was the first man to conceive the idea 
 which he has embodied in several i^atented 
 devices, notaltly his i-eversible belt driver 
 
 and his pumping and pulling jack. These 
 machines are made in all sizes and are in 
 very general use. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. Wise was nuirried to Miss 
 Ella B. Thompson, of Butler Coimty, and 
 they have two children. Brooks and Paul. 
 ]^Ir. and Mrs. Wise are members of the 
 Second Presbyterian Church of Butler. 
 His fraternal connections are with the 
 Knights of ^Malta, the Knights of Pythias 
 andtlie Woodmen of the World. 
 
 GEORGE II. KNAELL, a leading busi- 
 ness man of Mars, where he is conducting 
 a grocery store with every evidence of 
 success, has been a resident of Butler 
 County since 1896. He was born on his 
 father's farm in Illinois, December 16, 
 1872, and is a son of George and Rosa 
 (Lauffer) Knaell. 
 
 The grandparents of Mr. Knaell came 
 from Germany to Illinois and the father 
 died when George Knaell was only six 
 months old. He grew to manhood there 
 and then purchased land of his own and 
 married Rose Lauffer, who was a native 
 of Pennsylvania. In 1878, when there was 
 so much excitement in regard to the value 
 of oil lands in Pennsylvania and especially 
 in Clarion County, the parents of (icmge 
 H. Knaell sold their farm in Illinois and 
 moved to Knox, Clarion County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. The father engaged in drilling for 
 a time in the oil fields but subsequently 
 returned to farming and both he and 
 wife still survive. Their children were: 
 George H., Jacob, Lewis, John and Ida. 
 Three children died young. 
 
 George Henry Knaell was six years old 
 when the family came to Pennsylvania and 
 he grew up on his father's farm in Clarion 
 County and obtained his education in the 
 public schools. AVhen nineteen years old 
 lie went into the oil fields and followed tool 
 dressing and drilling until 1902, when, 
 with his brother Jacob, he engaged in a 
 butchering business at Mars, which they 
 continued for eighteen months and then 
 
1026 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 sold out. Later, George H. Knaell bought 
 his i^resent well stocked store from John 
 P. Miller and has done a fine business ever 
 since. He has taken an active interest in 
 the affairs of the borough and since 1906 
 has been president of the Board of Health. 
 He has invested in property here and owns 
 his business house on Pittsburg Street and 
 a comfortable residence which stands on 
 Spring Avenue. 
 
 In June, 1896, Mr. Knaell was married 
 to ]\liss Anna Theiker, a daughter of the 
 late Henry Theiker, of Adams Township, 
 and they have two children: Kenneth and 
 Eugene. Mr. and Mrs. Knaell are mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church, 
 in which he is a trustee. In politics he is 
 a Democrat.. Fraternally, he has member- 
 ship with the order of Modern Woodmen. 
 
 ALBERT C. TROUTMAN, district at- 
 torny of the district including Butler, is a 
 leading member of the bar of this city and 
 the junior member of the law firm of Jack- 
 son & Troutman. He was born in 1875, 
 at Butler, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Adam Troutman, one of the most promi- 
 nent citizens of this section. 
 
 Mr. Troutman was reared in his native 
 city and was graduated from her public 
 scliools in 1894. After this he entered 
 Washington- Jefferson College, where he 
 pursued liis studies until 1898, when he 
 was graduated with the degree of B. S. 
 He then made a special study of the law, 
 entei-ing the law department of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania, where he was 
 graduated in 1901. In the same year he 
 was admitted to practice, in Allegheny 
 County, opened an ofSce at Pittsburg, and 
 continued in the work of his profession 
 there until April, 1903, when he came to 
 Butler. Here he entered into a law part- 
 nership with John H. Jackson, under the 
 firm name of Jackson & Troutman. Mr. 
 Troutman 's abilities have been recognized 
 and appreciation shown by his election to 
 
 the office of district attorney, in November, 
 1907. 
 
 In 1905 Mr. Troutman was married to 
 Miss Lillian Miller, who is a daughter of 
 G. AVilson Miller, of Butler, Pennsylvania. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Troutman are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 JACOB DAMBAUGH, a leading citizen 
 of Zelienople, who has large realty inter- 
 ests both in this city and in Butler County, 
 was born in Jackson Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1848. He 
 is a son of Adam and Christina (Goehr- 
 ing) Dambaugh. 
 
 The parents of i\Ir. Dambaugh were born 
 in Germany, the father coming to America 
 in early manhood, and the mother when 
 seven years old. Adam Dambaugh resided 
 for some years in Jackson Township, But- 
 ler County, from which he removed to 
 Connoquenessing Township, Avhere he 
 owned a farm. He died in 1870, aged 
 sixty-two years. His wife was a daughter 
 of John Goehring, who had brought his 
 family to Butler County in her childhood. 
 To this m.arriage were Ijorn four sons and 
 three daughters. 
 
 Jacob D.iiiibaugh was five years old 
 when liis )iarcnts moved into Connoquenes- 
 sing Township and he continued to make 
 his home there until 1890, when he moved 
 to Harmony and two years later to Zelie- 
 nople, in the same year erecting his pres- 
 ent comfortable residence and four other 
 houses "on New Castle Street and four on 
 Spring Street. He still retains his valu- 
 able farm of 160 acres, situated in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, on which he fol- 
 lowed farming and stock raising prior to 
 moving to Harmony. He has also been 
 more or less engaged in the oil business 
 for some years. In all his enterprises he 
 has shown the good .iudgnicnt that marks 
 the successful business: man. 
 
 ^fr. Dambaugh w.-is married (first) to 
 Miss ]\rargaret Staff and they had six chil- 
 
AXn REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 10-29 
 
 dren, namely: Adam Edward, residing 
 at Zelienople, is a widower and has four 
 cliildren, Ellen, Gertrude, E^lorence and 
 Clarence; Peter Ezra, residing at Zelie- 
 noi)le, married Miss Jeanetta Eicholtz 
 and they have three children, Loring 
 Grace and Thora; George Washington, 
 residing at P^llwood City, married Miss 
 Virginia Butler and they have two chil- 
 dren. Marguerite and John; Laura Louisa 
 married A. G. Eicholtz and they live at 
 Zelienople and have one child. Margai-ct; 
 Dora Matilda married Howard Zeiglcr and 
 they live on New Castle Street, Zelienople, 
 and have one child, Clayton Leroy; and 
 Elizabeth Ellen, who still goes to school. 
 Mr. Daml)augh was married (second) to 
 Miss Sarali C. Haller, who was born in 
 Jackson Townshij), Butler County, and is 
 a daughter of Charles and .Mar\- (.Muntz) 
 Haller. .Mr. Haller was ,-i w.'ll known 
 miller. 
 
 Mr. and ^Irs. Damliaugli arc mciuhcrs 
 of St. Peter's Reformed Church at Zelie- 
 nople. In politics he is a Republican. He 
 takes an active interest in public affairs, 
 has served six years as a memlier of the 
 town council at Zelienople and for many 
 years he was a meml)er of the School 
 Board of Connoquenessing Townshij). 
 For the past two years Mr. Dambaugh has 
 been president of the German Mutual Fire 
 Insurance Company of Zelieno])le. He is 
 one of the town's best and nu)st i)ul)lic- 
 s])irited citizens. 
 
 ROBERT ^1. ANDERSON, a leading 
 citizen of Penn Townshi}), residing on his 
 well cultivated farm of fifty acres, on 
 which there are three producing oil wells, 
 was born near Prospect, in Franklin 
 To^niship, Butler County, Penna., Ajuil 
 2, 1843, and is a son of James D. and 
 Mary (Martin) Anderson. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, John Ander- 
 son, was born in Belfast. Ireland, and be- 
 fore coming to America, was engaged in 
 
 business as ;i weaver of hosiery, but after 
 he settled in Franklin Townshi]), Butler 
 County, he followed agrimltural pursuits 
 exclusively until the closi' of his life. He 
 died in 1866, when agc(l eighty-nine years. 
 
 James D. Anderson, father of Robert M., 
 was born near Belfast, Ireland, in 1816. 
 and was sixteen years old when he accom- 
 panied his ])aren'ts to America. They set- 
 tled in Butler County in 1833 among the 
 ])ioneers of Franklin Township. James D. 
 Anderson eugage(i in a mercantile busi- 
 ness at Prospect for some years, but his 
 main business through life was farming. 
 He was a man of high standing in his 
 community and frequently was elected to 
 offices of responsibility, serving in a num- 
 ber of local positions, and from 1876 to 
 1878 was registrar and recorder of Butler 
 County. He and wife were prominent 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, in 
 which he was a ruling elder. He married 
 M;ny Martin, who was a daughter of Rob- 
 ert :Martin, The latter came to Butler 
 County from Ireland and for many years 
 was a prominent farmer in Connoquenes- 
 sing Township. He recruited a company 
 for the War of 1812 and served as its 
 ca])tain. To James D. Anderson and wife 
 were born eight children, the eldest of tlie 
 family being Robert M. and the others fol- 
 lowing: John F., residing at Butler; 
 Elzie II.. residing at Pittsburg; Mary, 
 widow of ^^ \ V. Seaman, residing in Penn 
 Township; Elizabeth J., deceased, for- 
 merly wife of William Martin; Ennna, 
 deceased; William C, residing in Penn 
 Township; and Margaret Florence, wife 
 of Charles (iraliam, residing in Penn 
 Township. 
 
 lvol)ert AI. Anderson has followed farm- 
 ing ever since he completed his school 
 attendance, and he remained on the home 
 farm until after his marriage. In 1878 he 
 l)urchased his ])resent ]iroperty and car- 
 ries on general farming and derives a 
 good income, also, from his t>il wells, his 
 
1030 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 land seemingly being of value in whatever 
 way he uses it. He has substantial build- 
 ings and comfortable surroundings. 
 
 Mr. Anderson married Martha Miller, 
 a daughter of Philip Miller, of Penn 
 Township, and they have three children, 
 namely: Clarence 0., who is a Presby- 
 terian minister having a charge at Belle- 
 ville, Mifflin County; Mary J., who is the 
 wife of Jacob Henninger, of Butler; and 
 Jessie A., who resides at home. The 
 family belong to the First Presbyterian 
 Church, My. Anderson being an elder. 
 
 In 1862, Mr. Anderson enlisted for 
 service in the Civil War, and was in the 
 army for nine months as a member of 
 Company F, One Hundred Thirty-seventh 
 Regiment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry, and 
 is a member of Reed Post, G. A. R., at 
 Butler. In politics he is a Democrat, as 
 was his father before him, and he has 
 served in a number of offices in the town- 
 ship, including school director, overseer 
 of the Poor and as justice of the peace. 
 He continues to be one of the township's 
 respected nnd re]iresentative citizens. 
 
 A. C. ZIE6LER, a prominent citizen of 
 Butler County, burgess of Mars and a 
 leading business man of that place, of 
 which he was postmas^ter for cii^lit xcais, 
 has been a resident of this count v since 
 1888. He is a son of Cliristoi)irer and 
 Caroline (Schwab) Ziegler. 
 
 The father of Mr. Ziegler was liorn in 
 Germany and was a young man when he 
 came to America and settled in Clarion 
 County. Pennsylvania, where he engaged 
 in a lumber business and operated a grist 
 mill, was a substantial business man. He 
 married Caroline Schwab, daughter of 
 Henry Schwab, a native of Germany, and 
 they had eight childi-en, two surviving to 
 maturity. Edward and A. C. Edward 
 Ziegler engaged in the oil business and 
 went to Brush Creek during the height of 
 tlie oil fever there, prospered, and later 
 
 located at Mars, but died in Illinois, in 
 1906. The father died when his youngest 
 son, A. C, was one year old and then the 
 mother returned to her father's home in 
 Venango County, where her boys were 
 reared, but died at Mars in April, 1908. 
 
 A. C. Ziegler taught school in Venango 
 Township for six terms, after completing 
 his own education, and then became inter- 
 ested in the oil business. Later he sold 
 his oil interests and with his brother went 
 into partnershij) in a general store busi- 
 ness at Mars, buying out the stock and 
 good will of T. M. Marshall & Son. Nine 
 months later the firm lost everj'thing by 
 fire and business was not resumed until 
 after the Zieglers had built the present 
 Ziegler brick block, when A. C. Ziegler 
 conducted a shoe store for a time in that 
 part of it now used by the Mars Bank, 
 which has it imder rental. At the present 
 time A. C. Ziegler is still half owner of 
 the building. Later he established his 
 present business at the place where he 
 now carries it on, having Ross Brown for 
 a |)artner at first, and later, his present 
 associate, C. H. Schwab, who bought the 
 Brown interest. Mr. Ziegler has pros- 
 pered in his business undertakings and 
 for many years he has also been an in- 
 fluential factor in county politics. He has 
 freciuently served as a delegate to county 
 and Congressional conventions of the Re- 
 publican party, and locally has served as 
 township auditor and as school director. 
 .Vside from his business at Mars, where 
 lie conducts a large clothing, gents' fur- 
 nishing and shoe store, he serves as secre- 
 tary and treasurer of the Planet Oil Com- 
 l)any. As burgess he has given the town 
 an excellent administration. 
 
 In September, 1897, Mr. Ziegler was 
 mar]'ied to Miss Maude Campbell, who is 
 a daughter of James Campbell, and they 
 have two children: Raymond and Laverne. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler are members of the 
 Methodist E])isco])al Church, of which he 
 is a trustee. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1031 
 
 WILLI A.M Z. MURRIN and JOHN 
 MURRIN, lawyers, jji-actieing uuder the 
 firm style of Murrin & Murrin, sons of the 
 hite John and Mavy (Fielding) Miirrin, 
 were born at Mnrrinsville. They received 
 tlieir preliminary educations at that place 
 and tlieir college educations at Grove Citj^ 
 College. 
 
 Wiiliain Z. .^lurrin was admitted to 
 ])ractice law in 1893 and in 1894 fonned a 
 ]jartner.ship with Jacob M. Painter which 
 continued until 1903 when the present 
 partnership of Murrin & Murrin was 
 formed. 
 
 John Murrin was admitted to practice 
 law in 1900, and from that time until the 
 formation of the partnership with his 
 brother, already mentioned, in 1903, was 
 associated with T. H. C. Keck, in the 
 ]U'actice of the law. 
 
 Both subjects of this sketch are Demo- 
 crats in politics, and members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 AUGUSTUS FREDERICK WERNER, 
 a representative agriculturist and promi- 
 nent citizen of Aclams Township, whose 
 140 acres of valuable land is divided into 
 two equal farms, through both of which 
 runs the Baltimore & Oliio Railroad line, 
 was born in Germany, August 6, 1846, and 
 is the eldest son of Ernest and Eva 
 (Brining) Werner. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Werner were T)oni 
 in Germany, grew up in the same neigh- 
 liorhood and married there. The father 
 was a tailor by trade. In 18.53 the family 
 came to America, safely landing in the 
 United States after a tiresome voyage of 
 five weeks on the Atlantic Ocean. They 
 settled at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. There 
 were seven children born to Ernest Wer- 
 ner and wife, namely: Wilhelmina, who 
 married Jacob Nixon; Maria, who mar- 
 ried Uriah Cooper; Mary, who married 
 John Trout; and Ferdinand, John. Ileui-y 
 and Augustus F. 
 
 Augustus F. Werner was seven years 
 
 old when the family came from Germany. 
 The father found no work at his trade in 
 Pittsburg and on a peddler's wagon the 
 family came on to Evans City and were 
 given shelter over night with George lift, 
 a fellow countryman. From there the 
 Werners went on to the farm of Christian 
 Metz, a former acquaintance and friend, 
 who lived in Jackson Township, Butler 
 County, for whom the father worked for 
 the following three months. He then 
 rented a farm in Adams Township, from 
 Isaac Covert, lived on it for three years 
 and then rented Henry Bolhorst's farm 
 for four years, and later 100 acres from 
 Thomas Wilson, also in Jackson Town- 
 ship. Four years later he rented a farm 
 for two years in Cranberry Township, and 
 then bought eighty acres on Connoquenes- 
 sing Creek, in Forward Township. On 
 that place the father died when aged 
 seventy-five years. The mother survives 
 and still enjoys life although aged eighty- 
 nine years, being one of the most vener- 
 able ladies in Butler County. 
 
 While the family lived on that farm, 
 Augustus F. Werner was married to Fan- 
 nie Burr, of Forward Township, and then 
 removed to his wife's mother's farm and 
 conducted it for two years. He then, in 
 1878, purchased forty-five acres of his 
 liresent farm, from Hayes Davis, and has 
 ])ut vp all the buildings. When he started 
 out for himself he had but $50, but he 
 proved an excellent manager and invested 
 in farm land from time to time, as he be- 
 came able, and through his industry, fru- 
 gality and forethought, has become a man 
 of ample estate in his section. He carries 
 on a general farming line and keeps cows 
 for dairv pur])Oses, shipping his milk to 
 Pittsburg. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Werner have had eight 
 children, three of whom died of an epi- 
 demic, within three weeks of each other. 
 They were: Lewis, who was aged eleven 
 years; Emma, aged nine years; and 
 Amelia, aged seven years, all three being 
 
1032 
 
 TITRTOEV OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 nmisually bright and interesting children. 
 The otlier five survive, as follows : John, 
 who married Nancy Metz, now deceased, 
 has one child, Mabel; Minnie; Laura, 
 who married Frank Davis, has two chil- 
 dren, Maria and Frances; and Charles 
 and Nellie. Mr. Werner and family be- 
 long to the Lutheran Church, in which 
 he is an elder. In politics, he is a Demo- 
 crat and has frecjuently been elected to 
 township offices, and has served in them 
 honestly and efficiently. 
 
 CHARLES R. MILLER, one of But- 
 ler's enterprising business men, proprietor 
 of the Miller Torpedo Company, both 
 dealer and manufacturer, was born in 
 1877, at Carbon Center, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, a son of James W. Miller. 
 
 Charles R. Miller was educated in his 
 native county. As soon as he was per- 
 mitted to leave school, he was anxious to 
 provide for his own support and first 
 worked in a meat market, going from 
 there to the S. G. Purvis Lumber Com- 
 pany, and later was connected with a gro- 
 cer3^ store for one year. For two years 
 he woi'ked at the tin trade, leaving it 
 when an opportunity was offered to enter 
 the employ of the Humes Torpedo Com- 
 ]iany as bookkeeper, and he remained with 
 that concern for six years. Each position 
 he had held had taught him something and 
 after his experience with the torpedo com- 
 pany he decided to engage in the same 
 line of manufacture. As soon as he could 
 comj^lete his arrangements he established 
 the Aliller Torpedo Company, at Freedom, 
 Beaver County, continuing alone until he 
 concluded to take a partner and retire 
 from the service, and in the fall of 1907, 
 he admitted E. J. Wallace to partnership 
 and the latteT has charge of the works. 
 IMr. Miller has had his home in Butler for 
 about twenty-two years. 
 
 In November, 1896, Mr. Miller was mar- 
 ried to Miss Kate Wagner, of Columbus, 
 Indiana, and they have two children: 
 
 James V. and Charles Russell. Mr. Miller 
 is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He is a Thirty-second Degree 
 Mason, a Knight Temi)lar, member of the 
 ]\Iystic Shrine at Pittsburg, Blue Lodge at 
 Rochester, Pennsylvania, and of the Com- 
 mandery and Consistory at Pittsburg. He 
 belongs also to the Elks. 
 
 DAVID FORSYTHE, one of Penn 
 Townshi])'s reiirt'scutative agriculturists 
 and most respected citizens, resides on his 
 excellent farm of titty acres, which he has 
 l)iaced under fine cultivation. Mr. For- 
 sythe was born on this farm, July 31, 1850, 
 and is a son of James and Elizabeth (An- 
 derson) Forsythe. 
 
 James Forsythe was born in Count.v 
 Derry, Ireland, December; 11, 1805, and 
 was a son of John and Martha (^larshall) 
 Forsythe. His father died in Ireland, 
 After which the mother accompanied her 
 son to the United States. From Philadel- 
 phia to Butler County, the travelers came 
 b.y wagon, stopping for a short time in In- 
 diana County, but subsecpiently coming on 
 into Penn Township, where James For- 
 sythe invested in 212 acres of vmcleared 
 land, one-half of which he later sold to his 
 brother, John Forsythe. Before coming to 
 America, James Forsythe followed tlie 
 trade of weaver, but afterward he devoted 
 himself entirel.v to farming. He married 
 a daughter of James Anderson, who was 
 an early settler near Evans City, and to 
 .1 allies Forsythe and wife were bora six 
 chililren, namely: Mai'tha, deceased, wife 
 of John Henry; John A.; Eleanor, de- 
 ceased; James and Robert, twins, the for- 
 mer of Ijawrence County and the latter 
 deceased; and David, of Penn Township. 
 The parents were members of the Cov- 
 enanters' Church. 
 
 David Forsythe has always resided on 
 the old homestead and cherishes his mem- 
 ories of the kind but strict father and the 
 gentle, loving mother who for many years 
 presided over a home that was a particu- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1035 
 
 larly happy one. With his brothers and 
 sisters he attended the country schools and 
 ilid his part in carrying on the farm work. 
 Since he has engaged in farming- for him- 
 self he has devoted the larger part of his 
 land to tile cultivation of corn and oats and 
 raises sufficient stock for his own use. He 
 is a good, law-abiding citizen but takes no 
 active interest in politics. For many years 
 lie has been united by membership with the 
 I^eformed Presbyterian Church of North 
 Tnion and has served as cme of its 
 trustees. 
 
 JOHN STEVENSON, a well known oil 
 ]iroducer of Parker Township, residing on 
 iiis farm near Bruin, Pennsylvania, was 
 Ik)iii December 5, 1851, near Simbury, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Michael M. and Elizabeth (Greer) 
 Stevenson, and a grandson of Samuel 
 Stevenson, the family lieing of Irish ex- 
 traction. 
 
 ^lichael M. Stevenson settled in Parker 
 Township a shor't time previous to the 
 Civil War and for a number of years re- 
 sided near Bruin, but later removed to 
 Cherry Township, where his death oc- 
 curred several years ago. Of the children 
 liorn to Michael M. and Elizabeth (Greer) 
 Stevenson four survive, namely: Samuel, 
 who resides in Clay Township; James, 
 who lives in Cherry Township; John, liv- 
 ing in Parker Township on the homestead, 
 and Sarah, i-esiding near Sunbury. 
 
 John Stevenson was reared in his native 
 townshii), and his education was secured 
 in the public schools of Bruin. In early 
 manhood he engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits, in which he has continued to the 
 lucsent time, and for a number of years 
 lie has also been successfully connected 
 with the oil industry. A Prohibitionist 
 in his political views, Mr. Stevenson has 
 taken more than ordinary interest in local 
 matters, and he is also ])rominently identi- 
 fied with educational interests of Parker 
 
 Township, now serving in the capacity of 
 school director. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson was married to Nancy A. 
 Hall, a native of Butler Covmty, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they have had eight children, 
 as follows: Michael M., Lucy May, 
 Thomas L. (deceased), James C, Min- 
 nie B., Hattie B., Eva G. and John M. 
 Minnie B. is teaching school in Parker 
 Township. Lucy May has also taught in 
 Parker Township. Minnie B. is a gradu- 
 ate of Slippery Rock State Normal School. 
 Lucy May, possessing musical talents, is a 
 teacher on the piano. Michael M. is a 
 producer of oil and also a tool dresser. 
 James C. is interested in wells with his 
 father and is making the oil business his 
 special feature. Eva G. and John M. are 
 both pupils of the Bruin High School. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson is a meml^er of the Pro- 
 tected Home Circle Lodge of Glenora. He 
 belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 of Bruin, and is now serving as a steward 
 and trustee. He is known as a man of 
 honesty and integritj- and has many wann 
 l)ersonal friends throughout the township. 
 
 LOUIS WOHLGEMUTH, whose fifty 
 acres of valuable land is situated in Adams 
 Township, has been a resident of Butler 
 County since 1896. He was born Decem- 
 ber 12, 1856, in Alsace-Lorraine, France, 
 and is a son of Frederick and Mary 
 (Kulm) Wohlgemuth. 
 
 Mr. Wohlgemuth 's life record contains 
 many interesting details. He comes of an 
 old military family and of one that has 
 followed the blacksmith trade through 
 generations. His great-grandfather was 
 a blacksmith, and his grandfather, Louis 
 a blacksmith in a cavalry regiment in the 
 service of the great Napoleon. Frederick 
 Wohlgemuth, the father, was a native of 
 fair Alsace-Lorraine, as had been his 
 father, and he owned his own shop and for 
 years prospered in his trade. For seven 
 
1036 
 
 IllSTOKV OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 years he served in a Freucli artilleiy regi- 
 ment. He died in France, in 1875, aged 
 sixty-two years, survived by his widow un- 
 til 1902. They had three children: Fred- 
 erick, who died in France in 1908; Charles, 
 who came to America in 1871, is a minister 
 of the Evangelical Association faith. and is 
 connected with the Ottawa Circuit, in 
 Ohio; and Louis. 
 
 When Louis Wohlgemuth was three 
 years old he was sent to school and he at- 
 tended regularly until he was fourteen, 
 France at this time being under the rule 
 of Napoleon III. When his father judged 
 that his son had acquired sufficient book 
 knowledge, he took him into his shop in 
 order to instruct him in the family voca- 
 tion, and there young Louis remained un- 
 til he was eighteen years of age, by which 
 time he had become an expert worker at 
 the trade. He then took a trip, as was the 
 custom, to practically demonstrate his 
 skill, and this journey led him through his 
 own country, through Switzerland and 
 Italy and also through a portion of Ger- 
 many. Thus he reached his twenty-second 
 year and on account of the disturbed con- 
 ditions in his native land, the French hav- 
 ing just then been overcome by the Ger- 
 mans, he began to think of the great coun- 
 try across the Atlantic Ocean, to which 
 many of his comrades had already depart- 
 ed. The Germans began to fill up their 
 depleted regiments with the young men of 
 France, compelling the latter to serve, and 
 Mr. Wohlgemuth was even drafted into 
 the German horse artillery. He deter- 
 mined then to leave his own eountrj' rather 
 than serve in the army of its conqueror, 
 watched his opportunity and deserted 
 from the German regiment, took passage 
 on the ship St. Lawrence, and after a voy- 
 age of eleven days, reached the United 
 States. Ten years later this ship that 
 brought him to freedom was wrecked. 
 
 Mr. Wohlgemuth located in Pittsburg, 
 Penna., where he worked at his trade for 
 four years and then bought a shop at Etna, 
 
 in Allegheny County, which he conducted 
 for seven years. In 1881, during his resi- 
 dence in Allegheny County, he joined the 
 Pennsylvania State Guards, becoming a 
 member of Company E, Eighteenth Regi- 
 ment, in which he served for four years 
 and in which he became so expert in sharp- 
 shooting that he secured a medal. He 
 finally retired from the service on account 
 of an injury done to his thumb which pre- 
 vented his handling a gun in a soldierly 
 manner. After selling his shop at Etna, 
 Mr. Wohlgemuth opened one at Myonii} 
 and conducted it for four years and then 
 sold out and bought his present farm from 
 the Marburger estate, and has followed 
 general fanning ever since. 
 
 On October 30, 1901, Mr. Wohlgemuth 
 was married to Miss Lydia Kline, who is 
 a daughter of Nicholas and Elizal)etli 
 (Berringer) Kline. Her father was born 
 in Bavaria, Germany, in 1816, and came to 
 America when aged twenty-two years and 
 for twelve years lived at Hannony, Butler 
 County. He then bought a farm in For- 
 ward Township, on which he died in 1893. 
 He married Elizabeth Berringer, who was 
 born in Hessen, Germany, in 1830, and 
 died in 1903. They had' four children: 
 Mary, wife of George Hartung; and John, 
 William and Lydia. Mr. and ]\[rs. Wohlge- 
 muth have two children: Alma Elizabeth, 
 born April 26, 1903; and Paul Frederick, 
 born February 27, 1907. Formerly Mr. 
 Wohlgemuth was a Lutheran, but later he 
 united with the Evangelical Church. In 
 jiolitics he is a Republican and he has 
 sei'ved his township very efficiently as su- 
 jiei'visor. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Wohlgenuith paid a visit to 
 his old home but he found it no longer 
 B'rench and was advised that if he re- 
 mained he would be subjected to a heavy 
 fine and made to serve in the German 
 army. Hence he immediately dej^arted for 
 Switzerland and there he had some diffi- 
 culty in drawing money from a bank on 
 account of having no one to identify him. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1037 
 
 This identifioatiou was finally made in a 
 (Hirious way. In his yonth an old Irish 
 sailor fre(|uently visited his father's shop 
 and while there tattooed the arm of Louis 
 AVohlgemutli with its owner's name, and 
 years afterward this indelible mark served 
 to relieve Mr. Wohlgemuth from an un- 
 pleasant position. 
 
 JOSEPH M. MoCANDLESS, master 
 mechanic, with the Standard Plate Glass 
 Comi)any, at Butler, has been identified 
 with this large business enterpiise since 
 the s})ring of 1890. He belongs to an old 
 IJutler County family and was born Marcli 
 12, 18(i7, in Connociuenessing Township. 
 The McCandJess family has been connect- 
 ed with this section for generations. 
 
 Jose])h M. ^fcCandless was reared to l)e 
 a farmer but his tastes and talents lay in 
 another direction, and after the close of 
 his school period, he went to Pittsburg and 
 there served an apprenticeshi}) of three 
 years with the old Fisher Foundry and 
 Machine Company. For one year longer 
 he worked as a machinist at Pittsburg and 
 then came to Butler, where he was in the 
 employ of the Ball Engine Company for 
 three months, on March 24, 1890, coming 
 to the Standard Plate Glass Company, 
 starting in at lathe work and being ad- 
 vanced until he was made foreman and for 
 several years has been in his i:)resent re- 
 sponsible position, of master mechanic. 
 
 Ml-. McCandless was married (first) in 
 bS!);;, to Miss Cora Renno, who left three 
 childi'en, Mary, Margaret and Milton. Mr. 
 McCandless was married (second) in Feb- 
 ruary, 1908, to Myrtle Gillman. They are 
 members of the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 -lOlIN LECIINER, (me of Butler Town- 
 sliii>'s most esteemed citizens, now living 
 retired after a long and successful agri- 
 cultural life, still retains his valuable and 
 fertile farm of 100 acres. Mr, Leclmer 
 was 1)orn in Wurtemberg, Germany, Jan- 
 
 uary 10, 1831, and is a son of John Michael 
 and Christina (Renner) Lechner. 
 
 John Michael Lechner was born in 1785 
 in Germany, and in 1842, accompanied by 
 his wife and their four children, came to 
 America and in the same year settled in 
 Donegal Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania. He was a pioneer in this section 
 and found wild conditions prevailing, but 
 he possessed German thrift and industry 
 and before his death, in 1869, had convert- 
 ed his land into valuable property. Four 
 of his children grew to maturity, namely: 
 Mar}', now deceased, was the wife of Gott- 
 leib Soossa; Margaret, deceased, was the 
 wife of Henry Hoover; Catherine, de- 
 ceased, was the wife of John Frederick; 
 and John, who is the only member of his 
 family now living. John Michael Lechner 
 was an elder and trustee in the German 
 Lutheran Church at Millerstown. 
 
 John Lechner was reared and attended 
 school at Donegal Township. He remained 
 on the home farm until 1884, when he 
 bought his present property in Butler 
 Township, which was formerly known as 
 the old Tracy farm. Al)out sixty acres are 
 under cultivation and the laud \ icids large 
 crops of corn, oats, wheat and hay, and 
 since the father has retired it is managed 
 by the sons. 
 
 Mr. Lechner married Catherine Freder- 
 icks, a daughter of Peter Fredericks of 
 Summit Township, and of their eight chil- 
 dren, the following survived childhood: 
 Christina, residing at home; Christian, 
 residing on the fann in Donegal Town- 
 ship; Peter, residing at home; Adam B., 
 operating the home farm, who married 
 Emma Manny and has one child, Delia; 
 William, and Catherine, residing at home; 
 and Caroline, wife of John A. Pierce, a 
 resident of Lisbon, Ohio. Mrs. Lechner 
 died September 11, 1902, aged sixty-nine 
 years. The family is a leading one in the 
 German Lutheran Church in this section. 
 
 .Mr. Lechner is a very intelligent and 
 
1038 
 
 HTSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 well iufonned man and takes much interest 
 in general matters, but he is no politician. 
 He has long been identified with the old- 
 time Democratic party. In 1864 he became 
 a member of Company U, Ninet.y-seventh 
 Eegiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, and served from September into the 
 following year when the Civil War closed. 
 
 GEORGE A. KAUFFMAN, whose val- 
 uable farm of ninety acres is situated in 
 Adams Township and lies on both sides of 
 the Evans City road, near Callery, carries 
 on general farming and dairying and is 
 numbered with the substantial men of this 
 section. He was born August 27, 1852, in 
 Beaver County, Penna.. and is a son of 
 Albert and Elizabeth Kauffman. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Kauffman were ))otli 
 born in Germany. The father was ten 
 years old when he accompanied his father, 
 Casper Kauffman, to America, and until 
 the close of his life he called the six weeks 
 spent on the Atlantic Ocean as a most won- 
 derful experience. His father settled in 
 Beaver County, Penn., and continued to 
 reside on a farm imtil his sons had all left 
 home, when he retired to Rochester, where 
 he worked at his trade, that of tailor, until 
 the close of his active life. He had the fol- 
 lowing children: Casper, Albert, George. 
 Catherine, Emma, Mary, Sarah and Eliza- 
 beth. George Kautfman served as a sol- 
 dier in the Civil War and at present re- 
 sides in Ohio. 
 
 Albert Kauffman was the eldest son of 
 the above family to reach manhood. After 
 leaving home he bought a small farm in 
 Beaver County and conducted a store in 
 connection with tilling his land. Later he 
 rented a farm in Butler Coimty for three 
 years, and then sold his Beaver County 
 farm and bought 227 acres in Adams 
 TowBshi]), Butler County, from Charles 
 Gibson. He completed its clearing and 
 continued to improve it as long as he was 
 in active life. He died here in 1884, aged 
 
 sixty-six years. His wife had come to 
 America in girlhood, and was forty-two 
 years old at the time of her death. Their 
 children were: Sarah; John; George Al- 
 bert; Rachel, who married Calvin Davi- 
 son ; Samuel ; Mary, who married Lafay- 
 ette Dimbar, deceased; Emma, who mar- 
 ried David Davison; Catherine, who mar- 
 ried Milton Garvin; and Albert, who died 
 young. 
 
 George A. Kauffman was young when 
 his |)arents moved to Butler county, and 
 he remained on the home farm and subse- 
 ([uently inherited fifty acres of it, to which 
 he later added forty more acres by pur- 
 chase from his brother Samuel. It is all 
 fine land and Mr. KaufTman has devoted 
 himself to its careful cultiyation. Since 
 1884 he had been engaged in the dairy 
 business and ships his milk to Pittsburg 
 and Allegheny. 
 
 On December 12, 1876, ^h: Kauffman 
 was married to Angeliue Dobson, who is 
 a daughter of Solomon Dobson, and they 
 have eight children, namely : Blanche, who 
 married Frank Neeley, has one child, 
 Helen; Catherine, who is the widow of 
 Harry Hepler; Ira, deceased; Birda, who 
 married Laura Miller; Alva, deceased; 
 and Beulali, Mary and Mildred. "Sir. 
 Kauffman and family belong to the Pres- 
 byterian Church. In politics he is a Re- 
 imblican. He has always taken a hearty 
 interest in educational affairs in his town- 
 ship knd at ]iresent is serving as a school 
 director and has been a member of the 
 Adams T">\vnslii)i School Board and also 
 the Callery Srlu.ol IJoard. 
 
 S. W. GREER, a member of the firm of 
 Greer & Garroway, manufacturers of 
 packing boxes, is numbered with Butler's 
 representative business men. He was 
 bom November 10, 1853, in Jefferson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Thomas Greer. The late 
 Thomas Greer, father of S. W., was born 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1039 
 
 in Ireland and was brought to America by 
 Ills parents when eight years of age. He 
 came to Butler County in 1823, working 
 lirst as a ('arjienter and later becoming a 
 fanner. 
 
 S. W. (Jreer learned the eariienter's 
 trade with his father and for some 
 years engaged in carpenter work and then 
 entered into a general contracting busi- 
 ness. In 1888 he came to Butler and for 
 three years was engaged in a dairy busi- 
 ness and then embarked in a manufactur- 
 ing line, making handles for about a year. 
 From that he started into the manufacture 
 of packing-boxes and conducted a protit- 
 alile l)usiness for some ycais, and later en- 
 tered into partnership with Mr. Garroway, 
 since which time the husiness has been ex- 
 l>anded, trade relations extended and 
 hirger (juarters secured. Mr. Greer is 
 iuterested in the East Oakland Land Com- 
 ]iany, being a large stockholder. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Greer was married to Miss 
 Ennna C. Graham, of Dauphin County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have six children : 
 -Mary, Clara, Julia, Isabel, John and 
 Thomas. Mr. Greer and family are mem- 
 bers of the English Lutheran Church. In 
 his political views he is a Republican. 
 
 SAMPLE LOVE, a successful general 
 farmer, residing in Butler Township, 
 where he is known for his progressive 
 methods and excellent business capacity, 
 was born February 26, 1853, in Butler 
 County. Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Samuel and Mary Ann (Crosby) Love. 
 
 The father of Mr. Ijove was born in 
 County Derry, Ireland, where he was in- 
 structed in the art of weaving and worked 
 at that trade until he was eighteen years of 
 age, when he came to America and shortly 
 afterward bought a farm in Summit Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania. Hi ring- 
 men to work his farm, he took the contract 
 to carry the mail between Butler, Frank- 
 lin, New Castle, New Brighton and Beaver 
 
 Falls, and for thirty-five years he contin- 
 ued this duty with fidelity to the Govern- 
 ment and faithfulness to the people who. 
 put their interests into his hands. In 1855 
 he bought a farm in Butler Township but 
 continued to carry the mail initil 1876 and 
 after giving up that work he retired to pri- 
 vate life. In politics he was a Democrat. 
 He married Mary Ann Crosby and they 
 had the following childreia: James. Rob- 
 ert. Jane. Rachel, Mary, Elizabeth, Re- 
 becca and Sample. The parents were 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 After completing his school attendance 
 in Butler Township, Sample Love spent 
 one year learning the work of a carpenter, 
 but has devoted the main part of his life 
 to agricultural jmrsuits. During tlie Civil 
 War, when but nine years old, he assisted 
 his father in carrying and protecting the 
 mail, riding on horseback. After his mar- 
 riage he settled on a rented farm and now 
 cultivates sixty-five acres of fine land 
 which, under his management, yields 
 enormously. He keeps ten head of cattle 
 and sells his milk by the wholesale. After 
 raising enough produce and grain to feed 
 his stock he yearly has a surplus to sell. 
 Mr. Love has proven himself an excellent 
 business man and considers his success in 
 great part due to his industry combined 
 with his real interest in farming. He is a 
 good citizen, but his farm and the demands 
 of his family always come before any 
 political concerns in the community, and 
 while others may be seeking office, he is 
 deciding on methods to increase the pro- 
 duction of his land. Mr. Love votes the 
 Democratic ticket. 
 
 In young manhood Mr. Love was mar- 
 ried to Nancy J. Campbell, and they have 
 had thirteen children born to them, 
 namely: Dora, Mar.y, Alice, Charles, Liz- 
 zie, William J., Ella, Florence, Gertrade, 
 Samuel, Harry W., Myrtle, Grace and 
 Frank. Mr. Love, with his family, at- 
 tends the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
1040 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 JOHN M. ELRICK, cashier of the First 
 National Bank, and a liighly esteemed 
 citizen of Harrisville, was born April 30, 
 1860. at Harrisville, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of Dr. and Mary 
 .lane (Bkick) Elrick. 
 
 I)r. Elrick was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he obtained 
 his early education. After graduating 
 from Jefferson College of Philadelphia he 
 came to Butler County, locating at Har- 
 risville, and was the first physician to 
 locate in that vicinity. He married Mary 
 Jane Black, whose father conducted a 
 store at Harrisville, and of their union 
 were born the following children: Eliza- 
 beth, married James Walker of York, 
 Pennsylvania; John M., the subject of 
 this sketch; Robert, a physician of Petro- 
 lia, Pennsylvania; Ernest R., a druggist 
 of Harrisville, and two who died during 
 infancy. Dr. and Mrs. Elrick are still 
 ]-esidents of Harrisville. 
 
 Joim l\l. Elrick attended the common 
 schools of Harrisville and later took a 
 course of study at Grrove City, after which 
 lie engaged in the drug business at Harris- 
 ville for some time. He then sold the busi- 
 ness to his brother and engaged in the oil 
 business until 1903, when he became cash- 
 ier of the First National Bank of Harris- 
 ville, the bank having been established at 
 that time. 
 
 Mr. Elrick is a Democrat in politics and 
 has served five years as justice of the 
 peace of Harrisville. He is a memlier of 
 the Masonic Order, Grove City Lodge 
 No. (503, and his religious connection is 
 with tlie Presbyterian Church. 
 
 CHARLES GERLACH, whose death 
 took place November 27, 1907, was one of 
 Butler County's prominent business men 
 and the owner of the largest dairy farm in 
 this section of Pennsylvania. He was a 
 man who was respected for his business 
 integrity and was esteemed for his vir- 
 tues as husband, father, neighbor and 
 
 friend. Mr. Gerlach was born in Ger- 
 many, a country which has contributed 
 many citizens of worth to America, on 
 December 12, 1842. His parents were 
 Jacob and Gertrude Gerlach. 
 
 In 1852 Charles Gerlach accompanied 
 his i)a rents across the Atlantic Ocean to 
 America. They settled on a farm in But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, not far from 
 Harmony, and after examining property 
 in various directions, finally bought a 
 farm which was situated about three miles 
 west of Butler, and on that farm Charles 
 Gerlach grew to manhood. While he re- 
 mained at home he assisted his father, but 
 when he had reached his legal majority, 
 he started out to accumulate for himself, 
 and for several years worked hard in the 
 oil country. When possessed of sufficient 
 capital, he embarked in a mercantile busi- 
 ness at Mt. Chestnut, which he continued 
 there for three years and then transferred 
 his business to Greece City, for another 
 tlii-ee years, going from there to St. Joe 
 for three years and then spent three years 
 in the same line at West Sunbury. From 
 that place he removed to Euclid and after 
 seven years of merchandising there, went 
 into the creamery business. This industry 
 Mr. Gerlach carried on very successfully 
 on his farm near Harrisville, but the time 
 came when he needed better facilities, find- 
 ing these and also a rich outlying terri- 
 tory in Slippery Rock Township, where 
 he acquired 253 acres of fine land, to- 
 gether with a second farm, three miles 
 distant, of 156 acres. In his sons, Mr. 
 (ierlach found steady, industrious young 
 men' and he associated them with him and 
 the dairy and creamery business is con- 
 tinued with yearly increasing prosperity. 
 After coming. to this property, a modern, 
 finely-equipped creamery was built and 
 seventy cows are kept to supply the milk. 
 It is a very large industry and its prodi;cts 
 are known all over the county. The fann 
 is conducted along modern lines and scien- 
 tific methods. Two valuable silos have 
 
CHARLES GERLACH 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1()4:J 
 
 been built on the place, botli of large 
 dimeiLsions. 
 
 On November 1, 1870, while engaged in 
 Ills mercantile business at Mt. Chestnut, 
 Mr. (lerlacii was married to Miss Mar- 
 garet A. Hutchison, who is a daughter of 
 George and Marj^ (Larimer) Hutchison. 
 Mrs. Gerlach was born and reared in Oak- 
 land Township, Butler County, belonging 
 to one of the old and prominent families 
 of that section. To this rmion eleven chil- 
 dren were born, as follows: William C, 
 who died aged thirtj^ years; Edward Mc- 
 Cune, who died aged eleven months; 
 Blanche, who married Samuel Bovard, of 
 Mercer Township, and has six children — 
 Kenneth, Aileen, Hilda, Ray, Donald and 
 Paul ; Frank, who is manager of the home 
 farm; (Jeorge A., who died aged twenty- 
 six years, married Jennie Morrison and 
 left two children, Norman and George; 
 Cora, who married Brice Miller, has three 
 children, Clara, Catherine and Alma; 
 Charles, who resides at home; Harvey, 
 who married Luella Bortz, and lias two 
 children, Irvin and Harvetta; and Roy, 
 Elmer and Clair, all at home. 
 
 Mr. (ierlach was a man of resolute will 
 and a practical habit of mind and also pos- 
 sessed great energy, all these things or he 
 would not have been able almost by him- 
 self, to have become a man of such ample 
 fortune and a leading factor in ever.y com- 
 munity in which he lived. For political 
 affairs he cared very little but he gave to 
 schools and religious enterjjrises and was 
 particularly liberal to the Lutheran 
 ('hurcli, with which he had lieen united 
 for many years. 
 
 JAMES B. VANCE, oil producer, one 
 of Butler's most substantial citizens, has 
 lieen identified with the oil industry almost 
 continuously since he entered into busi- 
 ness. He was born in 1855, at West Sun- 
 bury, Butler County, Pennsylvania. His 
 father, David Vance, was born at Balti- 
 more, ]\rarvland, but lived in Butler 
 
 County from early manhood. David was 
 a tailor by trade. 
 
 James B. Vance attended school in his 
 native place until he was seventeen years 
 old and then started out for himself, going 
 immediately to the oil fields. He assisted 
 in putting down the first wells in the Fox- 
 burg oil district. Ever since he has been 
 concerned in oil production, being inter- 
 ested at times both in Pennsylvania and 
 New York, and at the present writing 
 (1908) he has producing wells in Clear- 
 field Township, Butler Coimty, and is en- 
 gaged in drilling in Concord Township. 
 He is one of the experienced oil men of 
 this section and has been wise in his selec- 
 tion of fields for operating. He has also 
 made investments in real estate in the 
 northei'u ))art of Butler, where he has 
 erected and sold a number of residences. 
 He takes (juite an interest in politics, being 
 a Republican, but seeks no political honors. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Vance was married to Miss 
 Martha Jane Allen, a native of Butler 
 County, and they have three children, 
 namely : Nina, who is the wife of John J. 
 Martin, of Dayton, Armstrong Coimty, 
 Pennsylvania, and has one son, Arthur 
 Vance; Clarence Bert, a resident of But- 
 ler; and Gertrude, I'esiding at home. Mr. 
 Vance and wife are members of the First 
 Presbyterian Church of Butler. 
 
 WILLIAM L. SPEAR, who, for a num- 
 ber of years lived the life of a retired 
 citizen of Butler, for many more years 
 was an active business man at different 
 points and through a long life he displayed 
 those qualities which brought forth the re- 
 spect and esteem of those witli whom he 
 was associated. He was born in Berks 
 County, Pennsylvania, and died at Butler, 
 in 1872, aged sixty-one years. His father 
 was William Undsey Sjiear, formerly a 
 resident of Williamsburg, Blair County, 
 Pennsylvania. He was born October 3(1, 
 1811, and died November 24, 1872. 
 
 William L. Spear learned the business 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of uiaiiufacturing pig iron, with Henry 
 Spang, wliose daughter he afterward mar- 
 ried, and following his marriage he built 
 a furnace and forge, at Rockland, in 
 Venango County and did a large business 
 for those days. " In 1848 he sold that plant 
 and came to what is now Rough Run, in 
 Winfield Township, Butler County, where 
 he built a furnace and continued to oper- 
 ate it imtil 1856. From there he moved to 
 Ironton, Ohio, where he continued in the 
 furnace and iron business until 1864, when 
 he came to Butler County. For a number 
 of years he was in business at Tidioute. 
 but" his health failed and he retired to 
 Butler. 
 
 Mr. Spear married Miss Elizabeth il. 
 Spang, who was a daughter of Henry 
 Spang, who was a man of wealth which 
 he gained through the manufacture of 
 iron. There were eight children born to 
 this marriage, seven of whom grew to 
 maturity, namely : Matilda E., who is the 
 widow of Judge James Bredin, of Butler; 
 Henry S., deceased; Annica H., deceased, 
 who was the wife of George Hosford, of 
 Ironton, Ohio; Charles W., who resides at 
 Indianapolis; Mary J.; Frank D., de- 
 ceased; and Clarissa, deceased, who was 
 the wife of W. E. Lawrence. William L. 
 Spear and wife were members of the 
 Presbyterian Church. He was a strong- 
 supporter of the Republican party from 
 its beginning and in early days was inter- 
 ested in what is termed the Under-ground 
 Railroad. He was a member of the Odd 
 Fellows, at Butler. 
 
 LEWIS RADER, one of Forward 
 Township's most substantial citizens, re- 
 sides on a finely improved farm of 145 
 acres. He was liorn at Petersville, Butler 
 County, August 15, 1858, and is a son of 
 Peter "and Caroline (Sheaver) Rader. 
 
 Peter Rader was born in Germany, and 
 shortly after his first marriage, emigrated 
 to the United States ; he settled on a farm 
 near Middle Lancaster, in Butler County, 
 
 Pennsylvania, where he was living at the 
 time of his wife's death. He formed a 
 second union there with Miss Caroline 
 Sheaver, who also was born in Germany, 
 and was eight years old when her father, 
 Henry Sheaver, moved with his family to 
 the United States. In the spring of 1858, 
 Mr. Rader moved to Petersville, Butler 
 County, and settled on the farm now owned 
 by his son, William H. Rader, in Forward 
 Township. In 1894 he and his wife re- 
 tired from farm life and located in the 
 village of Petersville, where Mrs. Rader 
 died in 1900, at the age of sixty-eight 
 years. He survived her some five years, 
 dying in the city of Butler in 1905, at the 
 age of seventy-four. He was a hard- 
 working, industrious man, and accumu- 
 lated a handsome property, being the 
 o^Amer of some three hundred acres of land 
 at his death. He and his wife were par- 
 ents of the following children : Mary, 
 wife of George Briggle; Mai'garet, wife 
 of Ferd Feigel ; Lewis; Elizabeth, wife of 
 William May; Emma, deceased wife of 
 James Steen; and William H. 
 
 Lewis Rader spent his boyhood days on 
 the home farm in Forward Township, and 
 Avhen a young man learned the cai-penters' 
 trade, which he followed for eight years. 
 He also worked in the oil fields for a time, 
 and prior to his marriage lived for one 
 year at Akron, Ohio. He purchased his 
 present farm of 145 acres from Jacob 
 Galbach, and is engaged in general farm- 
 ing. In connection with his brother, 
 William H. Rader, he is the owner of 640 
 acres in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. 
 He has eight producing wells on his home 
 farm, from which he derives a good in- 
 come, and he and his brother are owners 
 of the Rader Gas Company of Petersville. 
 
 May 8, 1882, Lewis Rader was joined in 
 marriage with Margaret Stewart, a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Mary Ann (McBridge) 
 Stewart, and they are parents of four 
 children : Mabel : Harriet, wife of Albert 
 Spithaler; Precious, and Anna. Relig- 
 
AND J^EPRESF.NTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1045 
 
 iously, the family lielongs to the Reformed 
 rhuri'h. Mr. Rader is a Republican in 
 
 ])oliti('s. 
 
 F. .1. HUFF, one of Butler's substan- 
 tial and representative business men, who 
 handles his own real estate and carries on 
 a contracting plumbing business, was born 
 December 29, 1854, at Niles, Michigan. 
 ^^^leu Mr. Huff was about twelve years 
 old, his parents moved to South Bend, In- 
 diana, a bustling, tmsy, industrial city, and 
 there he comi)leted his school attendance 
 and began learning the i)lumbers' trade 
 when he was seventeen years of age. He 
 then went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
 lived for seventeen years, carrying on a 
 ])lumbing business in that city until March, 
 1887, when he came to Butler and estab- 
 lished himself in Imsiness as a contracting 
 l)lumber. His work has stood the test of 
 time and he is recognized as one of the 
 most capal)le and reliable ciintractors in 
 his line. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Huff was married to Miss 
 Theresa Kline, of Cleveland, and they 
 have two children: Forest, who is a bari- 
 tone opera singer with New York as his 
 home; and Frank Henry, who is a dental 
 surgeon ])racticing at Cleveland. Ohio. 
 Mr. Huff is a mend>er of the fraternal 
 order of Foresters. 
 
 WILLIA.M PRINCH.E, oil i)n)aucer in 
 Butler Township, was l)orn in Jjiberty 
 Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 ])ecem1)er 5, 1851, and is a sou of James R. 
 and Phebe (Braden) Pringle. 
 
 •James R. Pringle was boi-n in County 
 Ai'mngh, Ireland, and was eighteen yeai-s 
 of age when he came to America with his 
 ]3arents. William Pringle remembers his 
 venerable grandfather, who died in Lib- 
 erty Township, aged eighty-tive years, 
 when he was ii boy of sixteen. James R. 
 Pringle kept a stoie in Mercer County for 
 some fifteen years after his marriage and 
 he served also as a justice of the peace 
 
 there for some ten years. He resided 
 during this time at Portersville, where he 
 also had a hotel. Later he came to Butler 
 and engaged in a grocery business but re- 
 tired from activity some years before 
 his death, which occurred in 1892, when 
 he had reached the age of seventy-two 
 years. He married a daughter of Robert 
 Braden and they had seven children, 
 namely: George, deceased; William; Mar- 
 garet, who married William M. Dickason, 
 of Quincy, Illinois; Hezekiali B., who re- 
 sides in Illinois; James M., who is also 
 a ]-esident of Illinois; Ida M., who mar- 
 lied J. R. Woodruff', of Quincy, Illinois; 
 and one died in infancy. The parents of 
 this family reared their children in the 
 faith of the United Presbyterian Church. 
 By a second marirage Mr. Pringle had two 
 sons. Robert S. and Frank. 
 
 William Pringle was reared and edu- 
 cated in Mercer County. In 1872 he began 
 work in the oil tields and in 1883 he be- 
 gan operating on his own account, on his 
 present farm of thirty acres. As he has 
 eight ]iroducing wells, he does not pay a 
 large amount of attention to agriculture. 
 
 Mr. Pringle married Lucretia Kistler, 
 who is a daughter of John G. Kistler, of 
 Leeclibnrg, Union County, and they have 
 two children — James R., residing at home; 
 and li'alph B., living at Butler." Mr. and 
 Mis. Pringle are members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. In politics, he is an 
 inde]>en(lent voter, casting his ballot for 
 the candidate who, in his opinion, will best 
 cai'ry out the laws of the land. Frater- 
 nally, he belongs to the Odd Fellows ami 
 Encampment at Butler, to the Elks, Royal 
 Arcanum and the Pathtinders. He is one 
 of the substantial and rei)resentative men 
 of his section. 
 
 EUGENE E. WICK, a ])romiuent and 
 re])resentative farmer of Mercer Town- 
 sjii)). is descended from sterling German 
 ancestry, and was born on the old home 
 place in Harrisville, June 4, 1852. He is 
 
1046 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 a son of Robert Kerr and Bulina (Rath- 
 bun) Wick and a grandson of Daniel- Wick. 
 
 The Wick family was originally estab- 
 lished in this country by the great-grand- 
 father of our subject, he having emigrated 
 from Germany and located in New Jersey. 
 Daniel Wick, grandfather of Eugene E., 
 at an early period came from New Jersey 
 and settled on a large tract of land in 
 Mahoning County, Ohio, where he subse- 
 (juently died. He served in the War of 
 the Revolution. He reared a family of 
 .six children: Anna, married Isaac Kim- 
 mel ; Robert, father of our subject; Mary, 
 wife of J. T. Hurst ; Daniel M. ; Phoebe J., 
 married a Mr. Seaton; and H. H., all of 
 whom are now deceased. 
 
 Robert Kerr Wick was boi-n in Coits- 
 ville, Mahoning County, Ohio, and was 
 reared under the parental roof, remaining 
 at home until about nineteen years of age. 
 He early in life engaged in business for 
 himself, first as a peddler of tinware, later 
 on making and selling wind mills. In 1837, 
 when about nineteen years of age, he lo- 
 cated in Harrisville, where he remained 
 until after his marriage, when he pur- 
 chased a farm in Mcrcci- Township, where 
 he followed farming ami sliccp raising the 
 remainder of his life. II<- dealt in sheep 
 on an extensive scale and had at one time 
 5,000 head. He became a man of affluence 
 and prominence and was classed among 
 the enterprising citizens of Butler County. 
 In political affiliation he was a Republican 
 and also an ardent supporter of the tem- 
 perance cause, which eventually caused 
 him considerable trouljle and much loss, 
 his barn having been destroyed by fire by 
 the anti-temperance people. Robert Wick 
 was united in marriage with Bulina Rath- 
 bun, a resident of Crawford County, Penn- 
 sylvania, who died in 1895, aged seventy- 
 five years. Mr. Wick died in 1902, aged 
 eighty-four years. Six children were born 
 to the parents of our subject : Mary, died 
 in infancy; Kli/.alieth, widow of S. R. 
 Bingham: ('Lira, married 1\. I.. l>]-own : 
 
 Eugene E., subject of this sketch; Eva; 
 and Margaret. 
 
 Eugene E. Wick was reared in Harris- 
 ville and received his elementary schooling 
 in the public schools. He then attended 
 (hove City College and Oberlin College at 
 Oberlin, Ohio, after which he looked after 
 his father's business affairs for him. Mr. 
 Wick owns two tracts of land, consisting 
 of 240 acres, in Mercer Township, and fol- 
 lows farming in a general way. He was 
 married January 5, 1885, to Mary A. Mat- 
 thews, a daughter of J. C. Matthews, of 
 Mill Brook, Mercer County. They have 
 one daughter, Edna Almira, a student at 
 Grove City College. Mr. Wick and family 
 are members of the Presbyterian Church. 
 Mr. Wick is a director and one of the pro- 
 moters of the First National Bank of Har- 
 risville. In politics, he gives his support 
 to the Republican party. 
 
 JOHN JOHNSTON, formerly one of 
 Butler County's most esteemed citizens, 
 was born in Penn Township, Butler 
 County, Peimsylvauia, in 1849, and died 
 at his home in Butler, FeV)ruary 1, 1907. 
 
 Mr. Johnston grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm in Penn Township and ob- 
 tained his education in the local schools. 
 He followed farming for many years but 
 later, when his land was found to be par- 
 ticularly rich in oil, he moved to Mars 
 and leased his land for oil production. A 
 number of wells proved profitable and one 
 of these from the start produced 1,200 
 barrels of crude oil a day. This brought 
 Mr. Johnston an ample fortune. After 
 living three years at Mars, in 1906, he 
 came to Butler, in order to give his chil- 
 dren better educational advantages, and 
 here his death took place in the following- 
 year. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. Johnston was married to 
 Miss Electa Graham, who was born, 
 reared and educated in Butler County. 
 a daughter of Eli Graham, a member of 
 an old family of Jefferson Townshij), 
 
JOHN JOHNSTON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1049 
 
 where lie was born in 1847. He moved to 
 Butler to educate his children and resided 
 hi this city until 1904, when he removed to 
 Allegheny County and still lives there. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were born three 
 daughters and one son, namely: Garnet 
 ;\[ay, Thelina Ruth, Grace Rebecca, and 
 John, the latter of whom is deceased. 
 ]\Irs. Johnston is a memljer of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church at Butler and takes 
 an active interest in its various benevo- 
 lent agencies. 
 
 Z. P. LAUFFER, contract driller and 
 oil producer, of the tirm of Bredin & 
 Lauffer, at Butler, has been a resident of 
 this city since 1889, during the larger part 
 of this period being a leading business 
 citizen. He was born at Greeusburg, 
 Westmoreland Countv, Penns\-lvania, in 
 1863. 
 
 Mr. Lauffer was eight years old when 
 his parents moved to Parker's Landing, in 
 Armstrong County, where he was reared 
 and obtained his education. Like many 
 another youth, he was not very old when 
 he started out to take care of himself and 
 at that time the oil fields invited labor of 
 all kinds. He began as a boy of all work, 
 with John McCune, and later began con- 
 tracting for drilling on his own account, 
 working for a time in Mclvean County and 
 Washington County, after which he came 
 to Butler and entered into partnership 
 with E. 'S\. Bredin, in general contracting 
 drilling. This firm has done a heavy busi- 
 ness and in late years have devoted much 
 attention to drilling for oil in the hundred- 
 foot district and the Armstrong and West- 
 moreland gas fields, which has proved very 
 ]>rofitalile in Armstrong County, as has 
 their drilling for oil in Indiana and other 
 fields. Mr. Lauffer has devoted his whole 
 mature life to this woi-k and few men are 
 more competent in this particular line. He 
 is a man of ample fortune, gained through 
 his own etforts, and is one of the stock- 
 holders of the Butler Banks. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Lauffer was married to Miss 
 Sarah Dumbaugh, of Connoquenessing 
 Township, Butler County. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Episcopal Church. For many 
 years he has been prominent in Masonry, 
 iias attained the Thirty-second degree and 
 belongs to Blue Lodge and Chapter at 
 Butler, and to the Commandery and Con- 
 sistory at Pittsburg. 
 
 EDWARD C. SLOAN, who has been the 
 engineer at the Butler County Home, since 
 February, 1904, has had years of expe- 
 rience in his profession and enjoys the 
 reputation of being something of an ex- 
 pert. He was born in Parker Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, February 
 17, 1871, and is a son of David R. and 
 Sarah E. (Bixler) Sloan. 
 
 David R. Sloan was born in 1847, in Al- 
 legheny Township, Butler County, and is 
 a son of Andrew J. Sloan, who was born 
 there in 1818. The Sloans came to that 
 section as pioneers. For twelve years Da- 
 vid R. Sloan engaged in teaming for the 
 Standard Oil Company, after which he 
 lived in Butler Township for a few years 
 and then settled on our subject's farm in 
 Connotiuenessing Township. He married 
 a daughter of George Bixler and they have 
 five children, namely: Elmer, residing at 
 Prospect; Edward C.; Annie, wife of John 
 Edinundson, of Connoquenessing Jown- 
 ship; Emma, residing at Zelienople, is the 
 widow of George Welch ; and Harry, resid- 
 ing at home. David R. Sloan and family 
 belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He is a Republican in his political faith. 
 
 Edward C. Sloan was reared by a care- 
 ful father and good mother and obtained 
 his education in the public schools. He 
 first went to work in the Hyde Park Steel 
 Works, as a fireman, later became assist- 
 ant machinist and from there went into the 
 oil country in Butler County, where he 
 served as foreman and ran engines and 
 had all possible training in this particular 
 line of work. For four years he also oper- 
 
1(150 
 
 lUSTOliV OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ated a coal bank. In February, 19U4, be 
 became tlie engineer at tbe County Home 
 in Butler Townsliip, where be manages 
 three boilers, each 62\.(, horsc-iMiwcr biiili 
 pressure and a 10 horse-power lii;;li pics^ 
 sure vertical engine, together with a steam 
 ])ump to use in case of tire. 
 
 While Mr. Sloan claims that be is no 
 politician, he takes a hearty interest in the 
 success of the Republican party and while 
 living in Connoquenessing Township, be 
 was elected twice to the office of register- 
 assessor. He is a popular menilier of the 
 order of Odd Fellows, at Prospect. 
 
 CHARLES MYRON BROWN, postmas- 
 ter and a life-long resident of Harrisville, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, was born in 
 this village January 1, 1844, and is a son 
 of William and Isabella (Leech) Brown. 
 
 Ebenezer Brown, grandfather of 
 Charles M., was one of the pioneers of But- 
 ler County, coming from Huntington 
 County, Pennsylvania, with his brother 
 James in 1794. They located on a tract of 
 600 acres in Mercer Township and mar- 
 ried the Porter sisters, whose father 
 owned the adjoining farm. Ebenezer re- 
 mained on this farm, engaged in agricul- 
 tural ])ursuits, until his death at the age 
 of sixty-seven years. He was the father 
 of the following children: Alexander, .Jane, 
 William P., Samxiel, James, Ebenezer. 
 John P., Elsie and Joseph, all now de- 
 ceased. 
 
 William P. Brown passed bis boyhood 
 days on the farm in Mercer Townsbi]) and 
 later became a cabinet maker, actpii ring- 
 bis knowledge of that trade in Mercer 
 County, Pittsburg and Philadelphia. In 
 about 1834 he came to Harrisville, where 
 he success fuliy conducted a cabinet and 
 undertaking establishment until his death 
 in 188'J. He married Isabella Leech, who 
 died in 1857 aged thirty-nine years, and to 
 them were born the following children: 
 Charles Myron; Harriet J., deceased; Eve- 
 line S., deceased; Robert; Margaret, de- 
 
 ceased; and William. Mr. Brown formed 
 a second union with Sarah Van Dike; no 
 children were born of this union. Mr. 
 Brown was first a Whig in politics and 
 afterwards a Republican. He was a well 
 known anti-slavery man, being the first 
 anti-slavery voter in this section of the 
 county, and assisted many a negro in mak- 
 ing bis way to Canada. He was a man of 
 l)ublic si)irit and enterprise, but never 
 sought or cared to rim for office. He was 
 also an ardent supporter and leader of the 
 temperance cause. 
 
 Cliarles "SI. Brown was reai-ed and has 
 s])ent his entire life in his native town, 
 Harrisville. Here he engaged in his 
 father's trade of cabinet making until 
 1877, when he devoted his time to farming 
 for some years. He owns a fine farm of 
 110 acres in Mercer Township. In 1862 
 'Sir. Brown enlisted in Company F, One 
 Hundred Thirty-fourth Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, under Capt. Brecken- 
 ridge, and later, in 1864, re-enlisted in Ar- 
 tillery No. 212 and served until the close 
 of the war. He participated in many bat- 
 tles and skirmishes, including Fredericks- 
 burg and Cbancellorsville, but escaped in- 
 jury. He is now a member of the G. A. R. 
 He is a Republican in ])olitics and during 
 President McKinley's administration was 
 a])pointed ])ostmaster at Harrisville and 
 has served continuouslv in that ca])a('itv 
 since 1899. 
 
 July 1, 1867. Mr. Brown was united in 
 marriage with Margaret Jane Hill, a 
 (laughter of Thomas M. Hill, and to them 
 have been born the following children: 
 Anna II.; Sarah Isabella; Lewis; Eliza- 
 beth E., who married F. L. Wilson and has 
 three children — Robert, Charles and 
 Lewis; Thomas M., deceased; Margaret 
 E.; and John C. Mr. Brown and family 
 are members of the L^nited Presbyterian 
 ('hurcb of Harrisville. 
 
 EDWARD L. OESTERLING, who has 
 l)een a resident of Butler for twentv-one 
 
AND BEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1051 
 
 years and dnriug all this time lias been 
 connected with the business conducted by 
 Greorge Schenck, was born in 1867, in Sum- 
 mit Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Adam Oesterling 
 and a niaudson of John Oesterling. The 
 gr;iiiill;illicr was born in Germany and 
 came to lUitler County in 1830. His son, 
 Adam Oesterling, was born in Summit 
 Township, in 1836, and is a well preserved 
 man of seventy-two years, making his 
 home with his son, Edward L. During his 
 active life he' followed farming. 
 
 'Edward L. Oesterling completed his 
 education in the district schools in Summit 
 Township and when nineteen years of age 
 left the farm and came to Butler to learn 
 the cai-pcnter's trade. He entered the 
 plant of (Jeurge Schenek and has continued 
 with him ever since, for the past fourteen 
 years being his foreman. Mr. Oesterling 
 is a master carpenter and has under his 
 control a large force of skilled workers. 
 He is interested to some degree in other 
 business enter])rises. In 1892 Mr. Oester- 
 ling was married to Margai'et Grohman, 
 of Butler, and they have two children: 
 Inez and Donald. With his family, Mr. 
 Oesterling belongs to St. Mark's German 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 SAMUEFj McBRIDE LESLIE is a 
 prominent farmer of Middlesex Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, where he 
 owns a valuable farm of 175 acres. He was 
 born in that township, March 31, 1868. and 
 comes of an old and respected family of 
 the community. He is a son of Samuel A. 
 and Rebecca E. (McBride) Leslie, a rec- 
 ord of whom appears elsewhere in this 
 work, and a grandson of Alexander and 
 Sarah (Allen) Leslie. 
 
 Samuel M. Leslie was reared on the 
 farm settled by his great-grandfather in 
 Middlesex Township, and attended the 
 public schools of that vicinity. At an early 
 date he went into the oil country and for 
 some ten years worked as an oil driller 
 with good success, his efforts Yielding 
 
 handsome retui-ns, and of this he was en 
 abled to save a goodly part. In 1898 he 
 purchased his present farm of 175 acres, 
 140 of which is under a high state of culti- 
 vation. He raises some corn, oats and 
 wheat, but hay is his principal crop, sell- 
 ing some seventy-five tons annually. He 
 keeps an average of fifteen head of cattle 
 and feeds about twenty-five head of Berk- 
 shire hogs, this proving an especially re- 
 munerative branch of his business. He is 
 an energetic and progressive farmer, em- 
 ploying modern and approved methods, 
 and 1)elieves that the head should be used 
 in farming as well as the hands. That 
 farming along scientific lines is a success 
 has been demonstrated by the results he 
 has obtained. 
 
 Mr. Leslie was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary Morrow, a daughter of L. Ij. 
 Morrow of Eichland Township, Alle- 
 gheny County, and they have four chil- 
 dren: Eussell Wallace; Margaret A.; John 
 Morrow; and Mary Ellen. Religiously, 
 they are members of the Bakerstown Pres- 
 byterian church. He is a Republican in 
 politics. 
 
 ROBERT JOHN CONLEY, a leading 
 citizen of Valencia, who is serving in his 
 second term as justice of the peace, has 
 been a resident of Butler Coimty, Pennsyl- 
 vania, since he was eighteen years of age. 
 He was born in Allegheny County, Penn- 
 sylvania, October 21, 1851, and is a son of 
 John P. and Jane (Dawson) Conley. 
 
 John P. Conley was born in West Deer 
 Township, Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, on the farm on which his father, 
 Nathan Conley, had settled, securing the 
 land from the State. This farm subse- 
 quently became his own and he continued 
 to reside there until 1869, when he moved 
 to Butler County and settled on a farm in 
 Adams Township. He married Jane Daw- 
 son, of Allegheny County, and they had 
 seven children born to them, as follows : 
 Mary, deceased, who was the wife of John 
 
1051: 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Aber; Robert John; Sarali B., deceased; 
 James Ross, Andrew T. and Josejah D., all 
 surviving ; and a babe that died. 
 
 Robert John Conley was eighteen years 
 of age when his parents moved to Butler 
 County and about this time he went to 
 Pittsburg and during liis two years of resi- 
 dence there, learned the blacksmith trade 
 with Ralph White. He then returned to 
 Butler County and opened a shop on his 
 father's farm in Adams Township and 
 conducted it successfull}' for five years, 
 selling out in order to engage in cultivating 
 a farm whicli lie had purchased in Penn 
 Township. Two years later he sold that 
 property and bought .another farm, near 
 Valencia, and later also sold that, after 
 which he embarked in a feed business and 
 continued it for fuur years. During a 
 number of years he has been serving in 
 various offices, liaving been elected fre- 
 quently by the Republican party, of which 
 he is an active member. As a justice of 
 the peace he ha.s given the utmost satisfac- 
 tion and has administered his office faith- 
 fully and judicially. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Conley was iiiarried (first) 
 to Miss Anna McMillen, who died in 1891, 
 survived bv six children, namely: Jennie 
 M., John Clyde, Estella B., Joseph Earl, 
 Catherine B. and Margaret. His second 
 marriage was to Samantha Crawford, who 
 was the daughter of R. H. Crawford. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Conley are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM SHEPARD, one of Middle- 
 sex Township's most prosperous and in- 
 fluential farmers, was born on his present 
 farm May 26, 1841, and is a son of Robert 
 and Hannah (Miller) 8hepard, both 
 natives of England. 
 
 Robert Shepard and his wife were mar- 
 ried in England, and after the birth of 
 their second child emigrated to America. 
 They located in Allegheny City, Pennsyl- 
 vania, which at that time consisted of but 
 three or four houses, and there worked at 
 
 his trade as a plasterer. He subsequently 
 located on the farm which is now the home 
 of our subject and lived there the re- 
 mainder of his days. He had served seven 
 years' apprenticeship at the plasterers' 
 trade, and enjoyed a wide reputation for 
 the character of his work. It was a recog- 
 nized fact that he never slighted his work 
 and was skilled beyond the average, and 
 as a result lie was called frequently to 
 lioints many miles distant from home. 
 Among the most important contracts he 
 had were those for plastering the Butler 
 Coimty Court House, and the old peni- 
 tentiary at Allegheny. Robert and Han- 
 nah (Miller) Shepard became parents of 
 eight children, six of whom grew to matur- 
 ity, as follows: John, now deceased; Bet- 
 sey, who married Samuel Dunbar, both 
 deceased; Mary, widow of Fred Garroux, 
 lives near Bakerstown; Hannah, wife of 
 Samuel Waddell, lives in Iowa; Jane, 
 widow of Thomas Waddell ; and William, 
 subject of this record. Religiously, the 
 parents of this family were members of 
 the Bakerstown M. P. Church. 
 
 William Shepard was reared and edu- 
 cated in Middlesex Township, and has al- 
 ways engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 
 addition to the home farm of sixty-four 
 acres in ]\Iiddlesex Township, he has a 
 tract of twenty-one acres in Richland 
 Township, Allegheny County, and another 
 of eighty acres in West Deering Township, 
 Allegheny County. He follows general 
 farming, raising hay and the small grains. 
 He is a man of wide acquaintances, and 
 enjoys the res^iect and good will of his 
 fellow citizens. 
 
 Mr. Shepard was joined in hymen's 
 honds with Elizal)eth Jane Halstead, a 
 daughter of Henry ilalstead of Clinton 
 Township, and tlie following are the issue 
 of their imion: Robert, of Middlesex 
 Township; James, M. D., who is engaged 
 in practice at Findlay, Ohio; Emma, wife 
 of William Whitesides of Middlesex Town- 
 ship; and William Clarence. Religiously, 
 
Mif^^ 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1057 
 
 the children are members of the Presby- 
 terian church. Fraternally, Mr. Shepard 
 was a member of the Bakerstown Lodge, 
 I. O. 0. F., until it was disbanded. He is 
 a Republican in his ijolitical views. 
 
 L. C. NORTHIME, a prominent farmer 
 and respected citizen of Donegal Town- 
 ship, who for numy years has been identi- 
 iied with various enterpi'ises of this local- 
 ity, was born December 25, 1868, and is a 
 son of Dilmau and Christina (Hasler) 
 Northime. 
 
 Dilman Northime and wife were both 
 natives of Germany and among the early 
 settlers of Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 Frederick Hasler, the maternal grand- 
 father of our subject, was one of the first 
 physicians to locate in Butler County, 
 coming from (lermany at an early period. 
 He first located at Hannahstowu, subse- 
 quently settling on the farm now owned 
 by the subject of tliis sketch, here passing 
 the remainder of his life. His daughter, 
 Mrs. Northime was just six years of age 
 when he came to Butler County. Seven 
 children were born to the parents of our 
 subject, namely: Pauline; Louisa; Fred- 
 erick; Levina ; Katherine; L. C, and 
 Flora. 
 
 L. C. Northime was born and reared and 
 has spent his entire life on his present 
 farm. His early boyhood days, like those 
 of most bo3's on a farm, were spent in 
 assisting with the farm work and attend- 
 ing tjie common schools. The farm on 
 which he resides was inherited from his 
 mother, who died in 1894, aged fifty years. 
 He also owns a tract of forty-nine acres 
 in Donegal Township, and on this land has 
 three oil wells in opei'ation. In connection 
 with his farming interests, he is also inter- 
 ested in several other business enterprises, 
 is a stockholder in the Chicora Brick & 
 Tile Company, operates a gas plant of his 
 own, supplying gas for many of the resi- 
 dents in the township, and is also engaged 
 in the oil business. 
 
 In 1899 Mr. Northime was united in 
 marriage with Mrs. Anna Harvey, a 
 widow, who was born in England, and to 
 them have been born three children: 
 Ester L. ; James C; and John F. The 
 religious connection of the family is with 
 the German Lutheran Church of Chicora. 
 Mr. Northime is also interested in Pro- 
 ducers' Oil Company, Ltd., and U. S. Pipe 
 Line Company, and Pure Oil Company. 
 
 J. L. GARROWAY, of the manufactur- 
 ing firm of Greer & Garroway, makers of 
 packing boxes at Butler, is one of the 
 city's enterprising business men. He was 
 born in 1862, at Worthington, Armstrong 
 County, and there obtained his education 
 and grew to manhood. 
 
 As soon as he left school, Mr. Garroway 
 learned the carpenter's trade, at which he 
 worked for about eighteen years, up to the 
 time that he entered into partnership with 
 Mr. Greer in the box manufacturing busi- 
 ness. Their plant is located on Kittanning 
 Street, near the city limits, their enter- 
 jjrise having developed into one of con- 
 siderable magnitude. Mr. Garroway has 
 tjlken a hearty and intelligent interest in 
 all that concerns the welfare of the city in 
 which he has invested in property, and has 
 served nine years as a member of the 
 School Boarci. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Garroway was married to 
 Miss Ella Mary McKee, who was of 
 Worthington, Armstrong County, and they 
 have had six children, namely : Jessie, who 
 is a popular teacher in the Butler schools ; 
 Grace and Blanche, both of whom are 
 students in the Butler High School; and 
 Lucile, James M. and Ruth. The family 
 belong to the Presbyterian Church. Mr. 
 Garroway is an Odd Fellow and belongs 
 to both the minor order and the Encamp- 
 ment. 
 
 AI^FRED R. NELSON, a well known 
 citizen of Middlesex Township, Butler 
 
1058 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Coimty, Peuusylvaiiia, is engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits and owns a fine farm of 
 100 acres. lie was born on his present 
 farm April 7, 1861, and is a son of Rich- 
 ard G. and Adaline (Morrison) Nelson. 
 
 Richard G. Nelson came to Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, late in the fifties 
 from Evergreen, Allegheny County, Penn- 
 sylvania, being probably a native of that 
 coimt}'. Upon his arrival here, he located 
 on the farm in Middlesex Township now 
 owned by his son, Alfred R., and there 
 spent the remainder of his days in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. He was a man of strong 
 personality and enjoyed high favor with 
 his fellow-citizens. A Democrat in poli- 
 tics, he was elected to various offices of 
 trust in the Township. He married Ada- 
 line Morrison, a daughter of James Mor- 
 rison, and they became parents of eleven 
 children, of whom eight grew to maturity : 
 Ellen, widow of Joseijh Hays of Butler; 
 James; William, of Washington; Clara, 
 wife of John Harbison, of Richland Town- 
 ship, Allegheny County; Alfred R. ; Ed- 
 ward; Adaline, wdfe of Grant Morrow of 
 Valencia ; and Minnie, wife of R. A. Lee, 
 lives on a part of the old homestead. Re- 
 ligiousljr, the parents of this family were 
 members of the Middlesex Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Alfred R. Nelson was reared and edu- 
 cated in Middlesex Township, and as a 
 young man worked in the oil country as a 
 teamster. In 1897, he purchased his pres- 
 ent farm, a part of which formed a portion 
 of the old homestead. He has nearly 100 
 acres, all of which is under a high state of 
 cultivation and devoted to general farm- 
 ing. Mr. Nelson is a man of ability, a hard 
 worker and an able manager, and well 
 merits the success with which he has met. 
 He is independent in politics, giving his 
 support to the men he believes best fitted 
 for the respective offices, without regard to 
 party affiliation. He served three years as 
 supervisor of the township, and is now 
 serving as constable. 
 
 Alfred R. Nelson was joined in marriage 
 with Miss Mary Truver, a daughter of J. 
 C. Truver of Middlesex Township, and 
 they are parents of four children : Herman 
 E. of Allegheny; Florence, wife of Joseph 
 Croft of McKees Rock; Roy; and Harry. 
 Religiously, they are members of the Mt. 
 Olive church at xVdams. In fraternity at- 
 tachment, the subject of this sketch is a 
 member of Evans Citv Lodge No. 817, 
 L 0. 0. F. 
 
 JOSEPH HENRY COCHRAN, who has 
 been justice of the peace of Harrisville 
 continuously since 1899, was born in this 
 village November 5, 1877, and is a son of 
 William C. and Josephine (Ludwig) Coch- 
 ran. 
 
 AYilliam C. Cochran, the father, was 
 born about six miles north of Harrisville 
 in 1829 and is a son of James Cochran, 
 who was killed in Kentucky when William 
 was but a lad of four years. The mother 
 shortly afterward removed her little fam- 
 ily of six children to Harrisville, where 
 William was reared to manhood. At the 
 age of twenty he went to Pittsburg, where 
 he learned the trade of cigar making, at 
 which he worked until 1864. He then en- 
 listed with the First West Virginia Regi- 
 ment and served until wounded at the bat- 
 tle of New Market. He subsequently spent 
 about twenty years in the West and South 
 and in 1869, after his marriage in Kansas 
 to Josephine Ludwig, he returned to 
 Pennsylvania and located in Harrisville. 
 William and Josephine Cochran became 
 the parents of the following children : 
 Nora, deceased; Mary, deceased wife of 
 John Frew; Grace, wife of Thomas Mar- 
 tin; Joseph Henry, and William. Mrs. 
 Cochran passed out of this life in the 
 spring of 1907 at the age of sixty-nine 
 years. William Cochran is one of the old- 
 est residents of Harrisville and is held in 
 esteem by all who know liim for his ster- 
 ling worth. 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1059 
 
 Josepk H. Cochran received his early 
 education in the common schools of Har- 
 risville, supplementing this with a two 
 years' course at Grove City. He then en- 
 gaged in the cigar making business and in 
 1899, when just twenty-one years of age, 
 was elected justice of the peace of Harris- 
 ville and is still serving in that capacity. 
 He has proven himself a worthy and cap- 
 able official and at the time of his election 
 in 1899 was the youngest man in the State 
 of Pennsylvania elected to serve in that 
 capacity. He was at one time a candidate 
 for the Assembly but was defeated. 
 
 Mr. Cochran is a member of the P. H. C. 
 lodge, also the Junior Order of Auierican 
 Mechanics, and is secretary of both lodges. 
 He holds membership with the Presbyte- 
 rian Church, of which he is treasurer and 
 trustee. February 12, 1900, he was united 
 in marriage with Myrtle Flemmiug, a 
 daughter of Hugh Flemming, and their 
 union has been blessed by three children, 
 Edna, Harold and Florence. Mr. Cochran 
 and his family reside in a pleasant home 
 on Washington Street. 
 
 JOHN H. KISON, oil producer, has 
 been a resident of Butler for some five 
 years and is one of the city's most substan- 
 tial citizens. He was born in 1851, at 
 Worthington, Armstrong County, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Mr. Kison has been identified with the 
 oil business since early manhood, going to 
 the oil fields as soon as he completed Ins 
 school attendance. He began operations 
 at Parker, in Armstrong County, and his 
 operations have extended into many 
 States, including the different sections of 
 Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Illi- 
 nois, Indian Territory and Kansas. For 
 about twenty-five years his brother, H. A. 
 Kison, was associated with him and they 
 have been interested in from forty to fifty 
 fields at one time. Mr. Kison has other 
 interests and is a stockholder in the Butler 
 Coimtv National Bank. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Kison was married to Miss 
 Sadie Starr, a member of one of Butler 
 County's old pioneer families. They have 
 one son, Herbert S., who is a student in 
 the Western University of Pennsylvania, 
 at Pittsburg. Mr. Kison is a man of high 
 personal standing and is a member of the 
 First Methodist Episcopal Church at But- 
 ler. He is not particularly active in poli- 
 ties, but takes the interest in public affairs 
 which inspires every good citizen. 
 
 JOHN M. McBRIDE, Justice of the 
 Peace and general farmer, in Franklin 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., was 
 born on his present farm of 112 acres, De- 
 cember 20, 1817, and is a son of John and 
 Mary (McCandless) McBride. 
 
 John McBride was born in County An- 
 trim, Ireland, and was the youngest mem- 
 ber of his parents ' family. He was small 
 when his father, William McBride, brought 
 his family to America and settled near 
 Grove City, in Mercer County, Penna., 
 where he lived until his death. John Mc- 
 Bride was reared in Mercer County and 
 remained there until his marriage, when 
 he came to Franklin Township and set- 
 tled on the farm now owned by his son. At 
 the time when he built his first log cabin 
 here, wild conditions prevailed, the coimtry 
 being just about as Nature had made it, 
 few settlers having yet ventured so far 
 from civilizatio'n. He became a member of 
 the Republican' party, taking a deep in- 
 terest in politics as the most of our pioneer 
 forefathers of intelligence did, and he was 
 many times elected to responsible local 
 offices. His wife Mary was a daughter of 
 John McCandless, of Franklin Township," 
 and seven of their nine children grew to 
 maturity, namely: Margaret, deceased, 
 who was the wife of J. B. Long; Julia, now 
 deceased, who married Robert McBride; 
 John M., subject of this sketch; Mary, de- 
 ceased, who married James Meehan; 
 Nancy and Keziah, twins, the former of 
 whom married James Elliott, of Fi-anklin 
 
1060 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Township, the latter residing with her sis- 
 ter; and Delihxh,' deceased, who married 
 Leander Sankey. The parents of this fam- 
 ily were leading members of the Muddy 
 Creek Presbyterian Church, of which he 
 was a trustee. John McBride died June 
 30, 1884. 
 
 John M. McBride was reared and edu- 
 cated in Franklin Township and has given 
 attention to agricultural pursuits ever 
 since he was a bo}^ His large farm is well 
 adapted to the raising of corn, oats, wheat, 
 hay and potatoes, for which he utilizes sev- 
 enty acres, and also to the growing of cat- 
 tle, hogs and sheep, at the present writing 
 his pastures showing seven cows, twenty 
 hogs and forty sheep. 
 
 Mr. McBride married Mary Black, who 
 is a daughter of John and Ann Eliza 
 (Gould) Black of Concord Township, and 
 they have nine children, as follows : Min- 
 nie, who is the wife of William Lutz, of 
 Euclid, Pennsylvania; John and Samuel 
 C, who live at home ; Elizabeth, who mar- 
 ried James Martsolf, of Brady Township ; 
 W. Dewitt, who is a teacher in Brady 
 Township; Harold Q., who resides at Eo- 
 chelle, Hlinois; Robert I., who is a teacher 
 in Concord Township; and Edith and 
 Hadassah, both of whom are at home. Mr. 
 McBride and family belong to the Presby- 
 terian Church at Muddy Creek, of which 
 he has been a trustee. 
 
 In politics Mr. McBride is a Republican 
 and for many years he has taken an active 
 part in party coimcils and public matters 
 in his section. In 1903 he was elected to 
 the office of justice of the peace and was 
 subsequently re-elected and will serve until 
 1913. He is one of the representative men 
 of this part of Butler County and is held 
 in general esteem. 
 
 RICHARD ERNEST ELRICK, a well 
 known druggist and prominent business 
 man of Harrisville, has been a lifelong resi- 
 dent of this village and was born December 
 
 'I'l, 1873, and is a son of Dr. J. H. and Mary 
 Jane (Black) Elrick. 
 
 Dr. J. H. Elrick was born and reared on 
 his father's farm in Indiana County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and after leaving school taught 
 for some years. He then entered Jefferson 
 Medical College of Philadelphia and after 
 graduating, located at Harrisville, where 
 he embarked in the practice of his profes- 
 sion. For a period of fifty years, Dr. El- 
 rick continued his practice in Harrisville, 
 commanding an extensive and lucrative 
 patronage, and is now at the age of eighty 
 years living in retirement in the enjoyment 
 of a well earned rest after years of unceas- 
 ing activity. He married Mary Jane Black, 
 whose parents came to this country from 
 Ireland, and settled in Harrisville, where 
 the father conducted the first general store 
 established in that locality. l3r. and jMrs. 
 Elrick reared a family of four children: 
 Elizabeth, wife of J. A. AValker; John, 
 cashier of the First National Bank of 
 Harrisville ; Robert, who is practicing med- 
 icine at Petrolia, and is a graduate of the 
 University of Pennsylvania; and Richard 
 Ernest, the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Richard E. Elrick was reared in his na- 
 tive town and obtained his primary educa- 
 tion in the common schools, supplementing 
 this witli a course of study in pharmacy at 
 the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. 
 After graduating in July, 1893, he returned 
 to Harrisville and worked in the drug store 
 owned by his brother John, until 1898, 
 when he purchased the business, in which 
 he has continued with much success since 
 that time. 
 
 On April 20, 1908, Mr. Elrick was united 
 in marriage with Carrie Crawford Bing- 
 ham and has one child, Margaret. By a 
 former marriage he had two children, 
 Mary and Richard. Mr. Elrick is one of 
 the leading young business men of Harris- 
 ville; he is a man of public spirit and en- 
 terprise and is held in high esteem by his 
 fellow citizens. In" politics he is a Demo- 
 crat. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1063 
 
 SAMUEL WALKER GLENN, geueial 
 contractor, doing a large and satisfactory 
 Ini.sines.s at Butler, is a representative citi- 
 zen, owiici- of i)roperty and supporter of 
 })ul)lic-spirited enterprises here. He was 
 born Decenil)er 27, 1847, at West Sunliury, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 William Gleun, father of Samuel \\., was 
 born in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was yet a young man when he 
 came to Butler County and settled down to 
 farming, which was his occupation through 
 life. 
 
 Samuel W. Glenn remained on the home 
 farm until he was eighteen years of age 
 and in the meamvhile had secured a good 
 education in the schools of West Sunbury. 
 He then went to Michigan, where he fol- 
 lowed faiining for eleven years and after 
 returning to 15utler County he went into 
 general contracting, which has been his 
 business ever since. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Glenn was married to Miss 
 Emma McCandless, who belongs to one of 
 the old county, families. They have eight 
 children, namely: Eva, who is the wife of 
 J . T. McCandless, of Center Township ; 
 William j\I., of Kingman County, Kansas; 
 Nannette, who is the wife of Samuel 
 Thompson, residing in Mexico; Earle C, 
 who follows contracting at Butler; Lina, 
 who is the wife of J. H. Shaffer, of Butler 
 ('ounty; and Harriet, Roy and Esther, all 
 residing at home. Mr. Glenn and family 
 are mernbers of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church at Butler. 
 
 SAMUEL LUTHER BRAHAM, who is 
 engaged in general farmiug and dairying 
 on a tract of 215 acres in ]\rercer Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, was 
 l)0]-n ]\Iay 26, 1851, on the old farm near 
 Forrestville, Butler County, and is a son 
 of William P. and Rebecca (Snyder) 
 Braham. 
 
 Samuel Braham, grandfather of our 
 subject, was but two years old when he 
 
 came lo this country witii his parents from 
 Ireland. His parents located on a farm 
 near New Castle, where lie was reared 
 and became a farmer by occupation. He 
 married Mary Patton and in 1834 moved 
 to Butler County and settled on a farm 
 near Forrestville, where lie remained until 
 late in life, when he removed to Slippery 
 Rock, where he died at an advanced age. 
 He was the father of sixteen children, of 
 whom William Patton, the father of Sam- 
 uel L., was among the oldest. 
 
 William P. Braham was born- on his 
 father's farm, near New Castle, January 
 6, 1824, and was about ten years old when 
 his parents moved to Butler County. He 
 was reared near Forrestville and became 
 a farmer by occupation. He bought and 
 sold stock on an extensive scale, and be- 
 came possessed of large landed interests, 
 "having at one time about 1,000 acres of 
 land. He was elected to the Legislature 
 iu 1880 and served during the sessions of 
 1881-2. He was married to Rebecca Sny- 
 der, who was reared near Slippery Rock 
 and died December, 1904, aged seventy- 
 nine years. William Braham passed out 
 of this life August 27, 1907, aged eighty- 
 five years. They became the parents of 
 eleven children, but seven of whom grew 
 to maturity: Mary, wife of W. H. Oi'r; 
 Deborah married John Orr; Samuel 
 Luther, our subject ; Sarah, married Dr. 
 D. J. Washabaugh; Isabella, wife of Dr. 
 A. ]M. Davis ; Rebecca, who married W. E. 
 Brown; and Ida May, who is the wife of 
 J. R. Black. 
 
 Samuel Luther Braham, the subject of 
 this sketch, has silent his entire life on a 
 farm, engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 Like most other boys reared on a farm, he 
 spent his time in assisting with the work 
 and attended the schools of that locality. 
 He remained on the home farm until after 
 his marriage in 1872, when he located on 
 his present farm, which is part of the 
 homestead place. Here he follows general 
 
1064 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 fanning and dairying, having about fifty 
 head of cattle. Mr. Braham has recently 
 completed a fine, large, nine-room, brick 
 residence and has one of the best improved 
 farms in the township. 
 
 On March 12, 1872, Mr. Braham was 
 joined in marriage with Louisa Cochran, 
 a daugliter of Charles Cochran, a well 
 known resident of Butler County. Six 
 cliildien were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bra- 
 ham, namely: Grace K., who teaches in 
 Knoxville, Tennessee ; Ruth teaches in the 
 Butler County schools; AVilliam married 
 Minnie King and has four children, Fran- 
 cis, Ruth, Edna, and Eleanor (he resides 
 on the home farm, whicli he farms in part- 
 nership with his father) ; Charles C, mar- 
 ried Minnie Cochran and has one child, 
 Lutlier C. ; Olive F., attending Westmin- 
 ster College; and Louisa, who died, aged 
 five years. The religious connection of the 
 family is with the United Presbyterian 
 Church, and Mr. Braham is politically a 
 Prohibitionist. 
 
 ROBERT WALKER STEWART, 
 whose excellent farm in Penn Township, 
 on which is a fine gas well, contains ninet}*- 
 four acres of valuable land, was engaged 
 in general farming and stock raising until 
 1904, when he retired from active work. 
 He was born in Brady Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., May 9, 1841, and is a son 
 of Robert and Lydia Elizabeth (McNees) 
 Stewart. 
 
 Robert Stewart, father of Robert Walk- 
 er, was born in New Jersey, a son of John 
 Stewart, who was also a native of that 
 State. During his younger years he taught 
 twenty terms of school, in Butler County, 
 to which he came in boyhood, with his par- 
 ents. Later, Robert Stewart engaged in 
 farming on Muddy Creek, and in 1849 he 
 bought the fai;m on which his son, Robert 
 Walkei', now resides. It contained 107 
 acres and was a wild tract of land at that 
 time, covered with forests, and deer were 
 
 plentiful. He was a man of strong and 
 sterling character and, being better edu- 
 cated than many of his neighbors, was 
 often otTered local offices, and consented to 
 serve as school director and township audi- 
 tor, but when made a justice of the peace 
 he declined the honor. He was a strong 
 Whig in his political views. Both he and 
 wife were active in the early religious 
 movements in the townshijo and he was one 
 of the founders of the Middlesex Presbyte- 
 rian Church, becoming a ruling elder in the 
 same. He married a daughter of Taylor 
 John McNees, of Worth Township, and 
 they had a family of eleven children born 
 to them, nine of whom survived infancy, 
 namely: James, who lives at Manchester, 
 Delaware County, Iowa; Amanda, now'de- 
 ceased, who was the wife of the late John 
 Fisher; John and Isaac C, who are both 
 deceased; Joseph, who was a member of 
 Company H, One Hundred Second Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 during the Civil War, died in the army; 
 Robert Walker ; George W., now deceased ; 
 Lydia Elizabeth, residing at Evans City, 
 who is the wife of Alfred Dunbar; and 
 Mary Rebecca, now deceased. 
 
 Robert Walker Stewart has always re- 
 sided on the home farm, with the excep- 
 tion of three years following his marriage. 
 He obtained his_ education in the eai'ly 
 schools and this was su]iplemented bj' ex- 
 cellent home training. Ills main interests 
 have always been identified with agri- 
 cultural pursuits and during his many 
 years of activity he brought his land to a 
 high state of cultivation and production. 
 
 Mr. Stewart married Annie A. Rasely, a 
 daughter of Matthias and Priscilla Rasely, 
 of Connoquenessing Township, and they 
 had ten children, all but two of whom 
 reached maturity, namely: Sylvia Lau- 
 retta, who married R. K. McGowan, of 
 Connoquenessing Township; James H., 
 who is a resident of West Virginia; Laura 
 Mav, who married David Walker; Albert 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1065 
 
 v., deceased; Lydia Eva, vflio is the wife 
 of David Stevensou, of Conuoquenessing 
 Township ; Nettie P., who married Thomas 
 Watson, of the same township; Frank E., 
 wlio resides at Seattle, Washington; and 
 Cecil A., who is a stenographer for the 
 Grove City College. Mr. Stewart and fam- 
 ily belong to the Middlesex Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 'Sir. Stewart has always been a loyal citi- 
 zen and during the Civil War he served 
 one year in tlie Union army, enlisting in 
 September, 1864, in Company B, Sixth 
 Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. He is a 
 member of Reed Post, Gr. A. R., at Butler. 
 In politics he is a Republican. He has 
 served as township collector and for eight 
 years was overseer of the poor, before the 
 County Home was established. He stands 
 as one of Penn Township's leading and 
 representative citizens. 
 
 DR. WILLARD BURTON CAMP- 
 BELL, vice-pi-esident of the First National 
 Bank of Harrisville, has been successfully 
 engaged in the practice of his profession in 
 this village since the fall of 1897, and is 
 one of the influential citizens of this local- 
 ity. He was born August 25, 1869, on a 
 farm in Forest County, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of Perry and Abigail (Glenn) 
 Cami^bell. 
 
 Perry CamiilK'll. father of our subject, 
 was born in isi.") in i'airview Township, 
 Butler County, I'cuiisylvania, and is a son 
 of Robert Campbell, who settled in Butler 
 County at a very early period. Perry 
 Campbell was one of a family of five chil- 
 dren: Lorina; Samantha; Shepherd, who 
 served in the war; Perry, father of our 
 subject; and Milton, who died in the army. 
 Perry was reared on a farm by his uncle, 
 with whom he remained until 1861, when 
 he enlisted in the army. He served until 
 the close of the war, participating in many 
 liattles and skirmishes and enduring many 
 hardships, being imprisoned for some time 
 in the well known Andersonville and Flor- 
 
 ence prisons. After the close of the war 
 he married Abigail Glenn and located on a 
 farm near North Washington, where he 
 was engaged for many years in general 
 farming. During President McKinley's 
 administration he was appointed postmas- 
 ter of West Sunbury and still serves in 
 that capacity, having proved himself a 
 worthy and efficient officer. He is the 
 father of three children: Willard Burton, 
 our subject; Melvin, who is engaged in the 
 real estate lausiness at Pittsburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania; and Claude, who is proprietor of a 
 hardware store at West Sunbury. 
 
 Willard Burton Campbell was reared in 
 Butler County, his parents having re- 
 moved here and located on a farm in 
 Cherry Township, when he was a mere 
 babe. His primary schooling was obtained 
 in the common school, this being supple- 
 mented with a course at West Sunbury 
 Academy, from which institution he grad- 
 uated in 1893, after which he taught in 
 Cherry Township, Brownsdale and Fair- 
 view for about five years. During that 
 period he began reading medicine with Dr. 
 H. D. Hockenberry at West Sunbury. In 
 1894 he entered the Baltimore Medical Col- 
 lege, from which he graduated three years 
 later, after which he embarked in the prac- 
 tice of his iDrofession in the borough of 
 Harrisville, whei'e he enioys a large and 
 lucrative practice and has won the confi- 
 dence and esteem of his many friends and 
 patrons. In connection with his jDrofession 
 Dr. Campbell is vice president of the First 
 National Bank of Harrisville, having held 
 that office since the organization of that 
 institution in 1897. 
 
 In 1899 Dr. Campbell was joined in the 
 holy bonds of wedlock with Jennie Stewart. 
 a daughter of Levi and Charlotte Stewart 
 of West Sunbury, and to them have been 
 born the following children: Charlotte, 
 Malcolm and Paul. Politically, Dr. Camp- 
 bell is a Republican. He has served as a 
 delegate to the State Convention and is at 
 present president of the Harrisville Bor- 
 
1066 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ougli C'ouuei]. lie is fraternally a Mason, 
 No. 603 Grove City, and also the Butler 
 County Medical Society. Dr. and Mrs. 
 Campbell hold membership with the Pres- 
 In-terian Church of Ilarrisville. 
 
 CASPER SllEiniAN. proprietor of the 
 Sherman IJaking Comjiany at lUitler, with 
 business (juarters on Center Avenue, is one 
 of the leading business men of this city, in 
 which he has resided since the summer of 
 1876. He was born near Frankfort, Ger- 
 many, in 1843. 
 
 When fourteen years of age ^Ir. Sher- 
 man came to America and for a time he 
 attended school, quickly learning the Eng- 
 lish language. When the Civil AYar broke 
 out. he was one of the first-to offer his serv- 
 ices, in April, 1861, escaping from home in 
 order to enter the Union army. His tirst 
 enlistment, which covered three montlis, 
 was in Company K, Fifth Regiment, 
 Penna. Volunteer Infantry, and during 
 this period he was located at Washington 
 City and Alexandria, Virginia. In the 
 meanwhile his people had moved to Butler 
 and he joined them there, but three months 
 afterward he re-enlisted for three years or 
 during the war, entering Company I, Sev- 
 enth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer Cavalry. 
 At the close of his three years of brave and 
 loyal service, he was veteranized and con- 
 tinued in the army until the end of all hos- 
 tilities. He saw much hard service and 
 had two horses shot from under him, but 
 received only a flesh wound. He was one 
 of that immortal army that marched to the 
 sea under General Sherman. 
 
 After the close of the war, Mr. Sherman 
 went to work in an iron foundry in Alle- 
 gheny City, where he continued until 1876 
 and then came to Butler, where he later 
 opened up a bakery and confectionery busi- 
 ness. This he has developed into a very 
 large enterprise, dealing both wholesale 
 and retail, and shipping to many points. 
 He is at the head of the company, the other 
 members of which are his three sons, all 
 
 capable business men, possessing man\- uf 
 the sturdy, solid qualities of their success- 
 ful father. 
 
 On March 18, 1869, Mr. Sherman was 
 married to Miss Elizabeth Knapp, of Pitts- 
 burg, and they have six sons and two 
 daughters, as follows : Harry K., who nuir- 
 ried Maud Adsit; Amelia W., who is the 
 wife of N. C. McCullough, a prominent at 
 torney of Butler; Joseph D., who married 
 Ora Kennedy, of Butler; William N., who 
 married Lola Stanun; John C, who mar- 
 ried Catherine Butter; Francis Edward, 
 who is a member of the Phoenix Engraving 
 Company, at Pittsburg; Elizabctli ('.. who 
 is the wife of Raymond E. Rccil. ;i diuuiiist 
 at Butler; and Walter S., who icsid,;. at 
 home. Harry, Joseph and John C. are all 
 associated with their father. Mr. Sherman 
 and wife are members of the First English 
 Lutheran Church and at one time he was a 
 member of its official board. , He belongs 
 to the Union Veteran League. Probably 
 there is no man in Butler who is held in 
 higher regard as to business honesty and 
 ])ersonal integrity than Mr. Sherman. 
 
 MRS. JOSEPHINE CAMPBELL, oil 
 producer and capable business woman of 
 Penn Township, is descended on both pa- 
 ternal and maternal sides from early i^io- 
 neers of Butler County, the Bartleys, the 
 McGees, the Adams' and the Ilaggertys 
 being names borne by many of this sec- 
 tion's most useful and prominent people. 
 
 John Bartley, father of ]Mrs. Campbell, 
 was born near Bedford Springs, Penna., 
 and was a son of Robert and Margaret 
 (Adams) Bartley. Grandfather Bartley 
 served with Commodore Perry on Lake 
 Erie, in 1812, and before the war settled 
 in the southeastern part of Penn Town- 
 ship, Butler County. He conducted a dis- 
 tillery, which, in those days, was an en- 
 tirely reputable business, and he became a 
 man of large means. John Bartley was 
 five years old when his parents settled in 
 Penn Township, where he attended the 
 
AND EEPRE8ENTAT1VE CITIZENS 
 
 1067 
 
 early schools and then went to Philadel- 
 phia, where he learned the blacksmith's 
 trade and worked at that business for 
 seven years before returning to Butler. 
 He was married in Penn Township to Hen- 
 rietta McGee, and it was one of tlie most 
 important social functions that had taken 
 place in this section for many years. The 
 guests numbered more than 41)0 people, 
 coming from adjoining counties to partici- 
 pate in the festivities, the young people be- 
 ing very popular. After their marriage, 
 John Bartley and wife moved to Arm- 
 strong County, wliere he followed his 
 trade. They had eleven children, of whom 
 ten grew to maturity, namely : Hugh ; 
 William, deceased; Robert, who died in the 
 Civil War; Mary and P]liza, lioth deceased; 
 John, residing in Colorado; Josepliiue; 
 Margaret, deceased; Mrs. Isabella Jones, 
 residing in Pittsburg; and Letitia, wife of 
 Fred Allen, residing at Los Angeles, Cali- 
 fornia. The family was reared in the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 In 1875 Josephine Bartley was married 
 to William J. Campbell, at Freeport, Arm- 
 strong County. Mr. Campbell was l)orn 
 at Buffalo, New York, January IS, 1851, 
 and is a son of William and Sophia (Bell) 
 Campbell. His parents came to America 
 from Scotland, where his mother was born 
 in May, 1815. She survived until ^[arch. 
 1907. ■ The father of Mr. Campbell was a 
 bookkeeper and was employed in business 
 houses in Buffalo. William J. Campbell 
 Avas one of a family of eight children, the 
 fifth in order of birth, and was the first one 
 born in the United States. He learned the 
 carpenter's trade and in 1869 he came into 
 the oil country and followed tank setting. 
 After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Campbell 
 lived for three years at Buffalo and then 
 came to Bradford, Penns^dvania, where 
 they resided for six years. In 1890, Mrs. 
 Caiupbell and her husband started into 
 business as oil producers and located first 
 at Golden City, near Saxonburg, and in 
 1898 they purchased what are locally 
 
 known as the Shiloh Wells, in Peun Town- 
 ship. They have seven producing wells at 
 this point and eight on the Samuel Kelly 
 farm in Butler Townshii), 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Campbell liave had two 
 children: William, who is deceased; and 
 Sophia Belle, who resides at home, ^[r, 
 Campbell is a member of the Odd Fellows. 
 
 GEORGE SEARING, one of the repre- 
 sentative young farmers of Mercer Town- 
 ship, residing on a farm of 146 acres, was 
 born November 9, 1881, on his father's 
 farm in Worth Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He is a son of .M. Cowden 
 Searing, who was born in Woi'th Tow^lship, 
 l)UtIor County, where his father, Benjamin 
 Searing, settled at a very early jieriod. 
 M, CoAvden Searing followed farming in 
 AVorth Township, the greater part of his 
 life, and dealt extensively in stock, at 
 which he made considerable money. Later 
 in life he sold his farms in Worth Town- 
 ship and moved to Slippery Rock, where 
 he lived in retirement imtil his death, in 
 August, 1905, when fifty-five years of age. 
 He is still survived by his widow. The 
 parents of our subject reared a family of 
 eight children, namely: Estella, wife of 
 George McWilliams; William; Maude, died 
 at an early age; George, subject of this 
 sketch; Carrie; Ethel,^ married Fred 
 Fields ; Clyde, and Verne. 
 
 George Searing lived on his father's 
 farm in Worth Township until in early 
 manhood, when his parents removed to 
 Slipper}' Rock, Here he conducted a meat 
 market for his father for a period of four 
 years, and in 1905 purchased his present 
 farm of 146 acres in Mercer Township. 
 Since then he has followed general farming 
 and dairying, keeping about thirty head of 
 cattle. Mr. Searing is one of the most pro- 
 gressive agriculturists of IMercer Town- 
 ship and is a citizen who gives his support 
 in a large measure to those movements 
 which tend toward the advancement of this 
 communitv. 
 
UKiS 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 111 Jime, 19U4, Mr. Searmg married Nel- 
 lie Cocliraii, a daugliter of James Coclirau, 
 aud they have two children, James Paul 
 and au infant. Mr. and Mrs. Searing are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church, lie is politically a Republican. 
 
 C. C. JOHNSTON, whose valuable farm 
 of 149 acres, the old family homestead, is 
 situated in Center Township, is one of the 
 best known men of Butler County, and his 
 fai'm, on which he breeds registered Guern- 
 sey cattle and Percheron liorses, has a 
 State reputation. He was born in May, 
 1858, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of Jesse and Sarah J. (Allen) 
 Johnston. 
 
 Mr. Johnston was six years old when his 
 parents came to Butler County and the 
 father died shortly afterward. The mother 
 survived until August, 1904, and after her 
 demise, C. C. Johnston purchased the old 
 home. Of the ten children, the following 
 survive: C. C. ; James R., who lives in 
 Ohio ; T. C, who is engaged in farming in 
 Center Township ; John H., who resides at 
 West Sunbury ; Martha J., who is the wife 
 of N. C. Stevenson, of Center Township; 
 Rosanna, who is the wife of A. H. Camp- 
 bell and lives in Franklin Township. 
 
 C. C. Johnston was reared in Center 
 Township and obtained his education at 
 the Ridge and Brewster Schools. For 
 eighteen years ^Ir. Jolinstoii engaged in 
 farming in Franklin T(i\vii>liip and tlien re- 
 turned to the lionicstcad. on wliifli he has 
 resided ever since. For eighteen years he 
 has been a salesman for the McCormick 
 agricultural machines and is now traveling 
 for the International Harvester Company. 
 He is deeply interested in liome enter- 
 prises and is one of the stockholders in the 
 Butler County Fair Association. 
 
 On October 27, 1881, Mr. Johnston was 
 married to Miss Electa Bright, of Franklin 
 Township, Butler County, and they have 
 seven children, namely: Bert B., who is 
 engaged in the practice of dentistry in 
 Pittsburg; Myrtle, who is the wife of J. F. 
 
 Truman, of Butler; Ha Maud, who is the 
 wife of Arnold Waesmuth, of Butler ; and 
 Auda Floss, Harry R., Albert Charles and 
 Frank H., all at home. Mr. Johnston and 
 family belong to the Mt. Chestnut United 
 Presbyterian Church and he is a member 
 of the official board. 
 
 ROBERT KRAUSE, member of the 
 well known tirm Krause and Freehling, of 
 Marwood, Pennsylvania, has been a resi- 
 dent of Butler County since 1853. He was 
 born September 8, 1842, and is a son of 
 Louis and Frederica Krause, natives of 
 Germany, with whom he came to this coun- 
 try in 1853, having resided here continu- 
 ously since that time. 
 
 In 1867, at the age of twenty-five years, 
 he was united in marriage with Maria 
 Camphire, a daughter of Jacob Camphire, 
 and to them were born seven children: 
 Anna, wife of William T. Freehling, men- 
 tion of whom appears elsewhere in this 
 work; William, Louis, Minnie, Richard, 
 Elsie, and Flora, the last mentioned being 
 now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Krause is one of the enterprising 
 business men of Winfield Township and 
 for the ]iast twelve years has been a mem- 
 ber of the firm Krause & Freehling, gen- 
 eral merchants and lumber dealers, who 
 also carry a general line of goods used by 
 farmers in the oil regions, including ce- 
 ment, paints, brick, plaster, lime, wagons, 
 furniture, etc. Mr. Krause and family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. He was 
 also in business from 1867 to 1896 in gen- 
 eral merchandise as partner of Heidriek 
 Krause & Bro. and R. & A. Krause. 
 
 ENOS BARKEY, one of Evans City's 
 ]n-ogressive business men, is engaged in 
 the coal and feed business and enjoys the 
 liberal patronage of the citizens of the com- 
 munity. He was born in Evans City, Feb- 
 ruary 15, 1863, and is a son of John and 
 Deborah (Davidhizer) Barkey. 
 
 John Barkey came to Butler County 
 
ROBERT KRArSE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1071 
 
 from east of the mountains of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and located on a farm one-lialf mile 
 nortli of the towns of Evansburg. He en- 
 gaged in farming until the close of the 
 Civil War, then became a merchant in 
 Evans City, continuing until his death in 
 1869, when in the prime of life, being at 
 that time bi;t forty-nine years of age. He 
 married Deborah Davidhizer, whose death 
 occurred in June, 1908, at the ripe old age 
 of eighty -five years. They were parents of 
 eleven children : Isaac, who died at the age 
 of fourteen; Maria, who died at twenty- 
 two years ; Henry, who died in 1883 ; Eliza- 
 beth, widow of Richard Allen; Anna, who 
 died in infancy; John, a dealer in hay at 
 Evans City; Susan, wife of Fred Royhizer ; 
 Sarah, wife of William Stewart; Matilda, 
 who died in infancy; Enos, subject of this 
 record; and Lewis Alvin, who died in in- 
 fancy. 
 
 Enos Barkey spent his boyhood da5's in 
 Evansburg and attended the district 
 schools. He worked on his mother's farm 
 until 1887, then embarked in the coal busi- 
 ness in Evans City, which he has continued 
 without interruption to the present time. 
 In 1892, the feed branch of his business 
 was added and has proved as profitable a 
 field as the coal business. He is a man of 
 energy and enterprise, a thorough business 
 man, and enjoys high standing in the com- 
 munity. 
 
 On March 28, 1883, Mr. Barkey formed a 
 matrimonial alliance with Miss Anna E. 
 Barto, a daughter of Daniel Barto, who 
 was one of the early residents of the vil- 
 lage. Four children weve the issue of their 
 union: Ethel, who married John Zeiglei' in 
 190-t and has a daughter, Vera; Clara B. ; 
 Mary Luella; and Ruthene. Politically. 
 Mr. Barkey is a Prohibitionist, Imt was 
 elected on the Republican ticket to tiie 
 coimcil of Evans City, in which body he 
 now serves. For ten years past he has 
 been a director of the Evans City Cemetery 
 Association. Religiously, he is a member 
 of the Baptist Church, to which his wife 
 
 also belongs. Fraternally he is a member 
 of Evans City Lodge, I. O. 0. F. 
 
 DR. W. W. McCONNELL, who has been 
 engaged in the practice of medicine at 
 Harrisville since 1888, was born on a farm 
 in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, in 
 1858 and is a son of Kinsey McConnell, a 
 resident of Lawrence County. 
 
 Dr. McConnell obtained his early educa- 
 tion in the common schools of Lawrence 
 County, later attending Grove City College 
 and Edinburg State Normal, after which 
 he taught in Lawrence County for a period 
 of six years. He read medicine for 
 eighteen months with Dr. SprouU of Plain 
 Grove, after which he entered Western Re- 
 serve University of Cleveland, Ohio, grad- 
 uating in March, 1888. In May of that 
 same year he came to Harrisville and took 
 up the work of Dr. O. P. Pisor and after 
 a period of ten years entered Jefferson 
 Medical College "of Philadelphia, from 
 which he graduated May, 1898. He re- 
 turned to Harrisville and resumed his 
 practice of medicine and rapidly worked 
 his way up in the profession, now enjoying 
 a liberal and lucrative patronage. He also 
 took a summer course at Philadelphia 
 later. Dr. McConnell is a member of tiie 
 Butler County Medical Society. He is a 
 director in the First National Bank at 
 Harrisville and is a stockholder of the But- 
 ler County National Bank. He is a Demo- 
 crat in politics and is religiously a member 
 of the United Presbyterian Church. In 
 December, 190L I'l'. McCoinicll was mar- 
 ried to Mrs. Elizabetii McKce, who had one 
 daughter, Frances, now residing with Dr. 
 McConnell. They have one daughter, 
 Blanche. 
 
 G. AVILSON MILLER, who is engaged 
 in the grocery business at Butler and iden- 
 tified a'lso with other successful enterprises 
 in city and county, was born in Luzerne 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Will- 
 iam and Emeline (Hauck) ]\Iiller. 
 
107 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The parents of Mr. Miller eanie to Butler 
 County in his boyhood and settled on a 
 farm and the father continued to engage in 
 farming and stock raising there until he 
 retired and moved to Butler, where he died 
 in 1903. William and Emeline Miller had 
 three children, namely: Gr. Wilson; Henry, 
 wlio is a prominent business man at But- 
 ler; and Emma, who is the wife of J. F. 
 Andrews, of Allegheny City. 
 
 G. Wilson Miller was practically reared 
 in the city of Butler. After completing the 
 public school course he became a clerk in 
 the store of Charles Duffy, at Butler, after 
 which he embarked in business for himself 
 and built his present three-storv brick 
 building, at No. 116 East Jefferson Street. 
 A business house that has safely wcathei-cd 
 the tinaiicial ])anics and de]Mcssi(iiis of 
 thirty-odd years, constantly iiicrcasing its 
 stock and trade, merits special mention 
 and further, gives a pretty fair estimate 
 of the methods employed in its manage- 
 ment. Mr. Miller as a business man enjoys 
 the confidenee of a large part of the city 
 and has kept custoiiicrs cv^n after they 
 have removed to otlicr sections. He is one 
 of the oldest grocciy houses at Butler and 
 is a landmark in his neighborhood. He has 
 been an active citizen and has invested in 
 property and owns stock in a number of 
 prosperous concerns. Since the date of 
 its organization, he has l)een president of 
 the Citizens' Building and Loan Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 'Sir. Miller married Miss Alargaret Wal- 
 ter, a daughter of Jacob Walter, one of the 
 old settlers of the city. They have two 
 cliildren : Gertrude, who is the wife of Dr. 
 George H. Jackson, a pi'ominent dentist of 
 Butler; and Lillian, who is the wife of Al- 
 bert Troutman, a leading member of the 
 Butler liar. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are mem- 
 bers of St. Mark's German Luthei'an 
 Church. 
 
 HON. COL. JOHN M. THOMPSON, 
 known for many years as one of the ablest 
 and most successful members of the Butler 
 
 County bar, a e'ivil ^^'ar veteran, and a 
 capable and trustworthy servant of the 
 ])eople in public affairs, was born in Brady 
 Township, Butler County, January 4, 1829, 
 the eldest son of William PI. and Jane (Mc- 
 Candless) Thompson. 
 
 Colonel Thompson's literary education 
 was acfjuired in the public schools and at 
 Witherspoon Institute, and for a short 
 time after completing his studies, he fol- 
 lowed the occupation of a teacher. In 1852 
 he began the study of law under the direc- 
 tion of Samuel A. Purviance, and two 
 years later was admitted to the bar. Dis- 
 playing marked ability, he was admitted 
 to i)aitnership in the tirm of Purviance and 
 Sullivan, and later, when Mr. Purviance 
 was elected to Congress, he took charge of 
 his entire practice. In 1858 he was elected 
 to the Legislature on the Republican ticket, 
 and he served as speaker pro tem. of the 
 House, in the session of 1859-60. 
 
 The Civil War gave a new direction to 
 his activities, and he backed up his sound 
 LTnion principles by going to the front as 
 Major of the One Hundred and Thirty- 
 fourth Penna. Volunteers. With this regi- 
 ment he took part in the momentous bat- 
 tles of Antietam, South Mountain and 
 Fredericksburg. Being wounded in the 
 tight last mentioned he retired from the 
 service, and returned to Butler, where he 
 resumed the practice of his profession. In 
 1868 he was a delegate to the National Re- 
 publican Convention at Chicago, which 
 nominated General Grant for the Presi- 
 dency. He was one of the Presidential 
 electors of the State of Pennsylvania, in 
 1872, and was selected to carry the State 
 returns to Washington. In 1875 he was 
 elected to Congress, to fill the vacancy 
 caused by the resignation of Hon. E. J\fc- 
 Junkin, the latter having been elected 
 judge of this district. In 1876, Colonel 
 Thompson was honored by re-election, and 
 served the full term of two years. 
 
 Colonel Thompson was actively interest- 
 ed in i-ailroad construction in this section. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1073 
 
 He was one of the promoteifs of the Sheu- 
 ango and Allegheny Railroad, and tilled 
 many offices in the company, including that 
 of attorney for the road. He was also for 
 a quarter of a century or more the local 
 attorney for the Pennsylvania Railroad 
 Company. His death, which occurred Sep- 
 tember 8, 1903, removed from the com- 
 munity one of its worthiest and most re- 
 liable citizens. He was a member of the 
 Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the 
 Republic. 
 
 Colonel Thompson was married Octolicr 
 12, 1854, to Anna L. Campbell, a daughter 
 of William Campbell, and they had four 
 children: Oliver D., wlio is engaged in the 
 practice of law at Pittsburg; William ('.. 
 who is a prominent attorney at Butler, 
 with offices in the Butler County National 
 Bank Block; Anmi Ek)ra, who married 
 Charles Mitchell, of St. Cloud, Minnesota. 
 is deceased; and Lauretta Gertrude, who is 
 also deceased. 
 
 EVERETT GUNNER BAKER, ^I. D.. 
 
 physician and surgeon, who is engaged in 
 practice at Valencia, was born December 
 28, 1870, near Mt. Chestnut, Butler County. 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Hiram and 
 Margaret A. (Opre) Baker. 
 
 Hiram Baker was born in Muddy Creek 
 Township, Butler County, a son of Jewell 
 Baker, who was one of the early settlers in 
 that section. Jewell Baker had two sons. 
 James and Hiram. The latter passed his 
 entire life in Butler County and died at 
 Brownsdale, in 190-t, aged seventy-six 
 years. He married Margaret A. Opre, who 
 was born at Grove City, Pennsylvania, an<l 
 survived her husband. They had the fol- 
 lowing children: Sarah, who married S. 
 Gulick; Lucinda, who married J. W. Wil- 
 liamson; ^Margaret, who married J. W. 
 Stevenson; James Andrew; Agnes L.; El- 
 mer H. ; Gilbert J.; Olive, who married J. 
 M. Starr; Everett Minner; and Charles W. 
 
 A boyhood s]ient on the farm, the 
 foundation of a liberal education laid in 
 
 the public school — such is the record of the 
 earlier years of Dr. Baker. Better educa- 
 tional advantages were given him at Ren- 
 frew, Evans City, later Grove City College, 
 and in the fall of 1893, he entered the 
 Western University of Pennsylvania, 
 where he entered upon the study of medi- 
 cine. He was graduated from that insti- 
 tution in the spring of 1897, in September 
 of that year he settled at Valencia, and 
 during the eleven years of res'idence here 
 has built up an excellent practice and has 
 become a representative citizen. ^ 
 
 In 1900 Dr. Baker was married to Miss 
 Blanche A. Datt, who is a daughter of 
 John Datt, a well known resident of Valen- 
 cia, and they have one child, Everett 
 :\leade. Dr. Baker and wife are members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 HENRY and WILLIAM SCHWALM, 
 general farmers and oil operators, in Jef- 
 ferson Township, located on the Bull Creek 
 Road, about two miles west of Saxonburg. 
 Henry Schwalm was born June 2, 1875, and 
 William Schwalm was born April 25, 1872. 
 They are sons of Justice and Margaret 
 (Smith) Schwalm. 
 
 Justice Schwalm followed farming and 
 prior to his death owned the farm which 
 is now the property of his wife. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Smith, who survives and re- 
 sides on this farm, and they had six chil- 
 dren born to them, namely : John and Jus- 
 tice, both deceased ; Annie, who is the wife 
 of George Fisher and lives at Butler; 
 William; Henry; and Louise, who lives 
 with her sister at Butler. 
 
 The Schwalm brothers have always lived 
 in this section since they accompanied their 
 parents from Allegheny County, where 
 they were born. Their chief business is oil 
 operating and they have been exceedingly 
 successful. William Schwalm married 
 ^liss Sarah Fisher, who is a daughter of 
 (leorge and Mary (Michaels) Fisher, and 
 thev have two children, Ruth and Mabel. 
 The brothers are members of the Presby- 
 
1074 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 teiian Church. Henry belongs to the Jef- 
 ferson Township Grange. They are well 
 known and highly respected citizens. 
 
 C. H. PARKER, oil producer and a rep- 
 resentative citizen of Butler, has been 
 closely identified with the oil business dur- 
 ing ail his mature life. He was born in 
 1865 in Armstrong, Butler County, Penu- 
 svlvania, and is a sou of the late James A. 
 Parker. 
 
 The Parker family was established in 
 Butler County by the grandfather, David 
 Parker, who came at an early date to this 
 section! The late James A. Parker spent 
 his entire life in Butler County and de- 
 voted himself to agricultural pursuits. 
 
 C. H. Pai-ker became interested in the 
 oil business almost in his school days, and 
 in the years that have followed he has 
 traveled all over the country and visited 
 every section wdiere oil has been found in 
 paying quantities, and his own operations 
 have been in Butler and McKean Counties, 
 Pennsylvania, and in the oil fields of West 
 Virgiiiia, Ohio and Illinois. He owns both 
 oil and gas interests at various points and 
 through years of experience has become 
 an authority in oil and gas production. 
 For the past ten years he has been a 
 valued resident of Butler and during three 
 years of this period has served as a mem- 
 ber of the City Council. 
 
 In July, 1888, Mr. Pai'ker was married 
 to Miss Olive Harper, who is a daughter 
 of Sutton Harper and a member of one 
 of the oldest families of Butler County. 
 They have the following children : Edith ; 
 Rutii and Charles, twins; Floyd, Margaret, 
 Lester, Victor and Helen. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Parker are members of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. His fraternal connec- 
 tions include the Elks, Odd Fellows, 
 Maccaliees and "\^'oodmen. 
 
 ROBERT HOGG, a representative citi- 
 zen and leading agriculturist of Butler 
 County, who is engaged in cultivating 21)0 
 
 acres of fine farming land sitiiated near 
 New Hope, lias bfcii a life-long resident of 
 Chen-.x- 'l'n\\iislii|i. Ml-. Uogg was born on 
 his present lanii in Cherry Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, March 1, 184(5, 
 and is a son of Robert and Mary Jane (Mc- 
 Pate) Hogg. 
 
 The grandfather of Robert Hogg, also 
 named Robert, came to Butler County from 
 the eastei-n )iart of the State, liriniiiny- witii 
 him his son Robert, and here sdliod ,,ii tiic 
 farm near Xew Hope, where Ixitii lather 
 and grandfather died. Robert and Mary 
 Jane (McFate) Hogg were the parents of 
 ten children, of whom eight still survive. 
 
 Robert Hogg of Cherry Townsliii) has 
 always lived on the farm he now owns, and 
 farming has been his life work. He has 
 been successful in his operations, and his 
 200-acre 2)i'operty is considered one of the 
 most valuable in Cherry Township. 
 
 Mr. Hogg was married (first) to Miss 
 Eliza Bryan, who was born in AVashington 
 Townsliip, Butler County, and was a 
 daughter of Robert Steele Bryan. They 
 became the parents of these children: "Will- 
 iam H., married Ora Donaldson, and has 
 two children, Dellis and Edith; Samuel 
 Harper, married Ellen Nicely and has 
 three children, Alice, Melvina and Lena ; 
 Alary M., married James H. Campbell, and 
 has one son, Robert William; Margaret, 
 married Robert Johnston, and has three 
 children, Harry, Elmira and James. Air. 
 Hogg's first wife died in 1882, and he was 
 married a second time to Mary E. Christy, 
 who is a daughter of Ebenezer Christy. 
 
 JOHN T. CRANAIER, senior member of 
 the firm of J. T. Cranmer & Son, millers, 
 a successful business partnership, of But- 
 ler Township, operating one of the best 
 etpiiiiped mills in Butler County, was born 
 in what is now Clay Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, June 29, 18:12. His 
 ])arents were Asaph and Ellen (Finley) 
 Cranmer. 
 
 Asaph Cranmer, father of Jolin T., was 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1075 
 
 born iu 18(JU and came to Pennsylvania 
 prior to his marriage, after wliicli he pur- 
 chased 400 acres of wild land in Butler 
 County, two miles from West Sunbury. 
 For this land he paid seventy-five cents an 
 acre and today it could not be purchased 
 for $100 an acre. He was a man of unusual 
 ability, a pioneer of courage and sterling 
 character. When forty-five years old he 
 lost his arm. through accident, nevertheless 
 he led a busy and useful life for many 
 years thereafter. He served in the capa- 
 city of court crier and for many years was 
 a justice of the peace in Clay Township. 
 From its organization he was identified 
 with the Republican party. His death oc- 
 curred when he was seventy 3^ears of age. 
 In his religious views, in early years he 
 was liberal but later in life he united with 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. He mar- 
 ried Ellen Finley and they had eleven chil- 
 dren, namely: David, James and Israel, 
 all deceased; John T. ; Elizabeth J., de- 
 ceased, was the wife of 0. J. Walker ; Asa, 
 residing on a part of the old homestead; 
 William; Charles, deceased; and Nancy, 
 deceased, who was the wife of Joseph Al- 
 bert; also two that died in infancy. The 
 mother of the above family was a faithful 
 member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church. The Cranmer family has been in 
 America many generations, coming to the 
 colonies sixty-four years before the Revo- 
 lutionary War. The Cranmcrs suffered 
 greatly in the Indian troubles and'the eld- 
 est brother of Asaph Cranmer was burned 
 to death when the savages set fire to his 
 dwelling. 
 
 John T. Cranmer was reared in Clay 
 Township and gained his school-book 
 knowledge in the" early schools, to which 
 he walked a long distance. Later he 
 learned the carpenter's trade and for 
 thirty-five years was a contractor, work- 
 ing through three counties. He built 
 twenty-three of the big barns which still 
 stand on the farms of old residents and 
 often built also their houses and other 
 
 structures. In 1S90 he turned his atten- 
 tion to milling and purchased his present 
 mill in Butler Township, from John Ral- 
 ston, who had built it. Mr. Cranmer had 
 thoroughly overhauled the mill and has in- 
 stalled the most modern type of mill ma- 
 chinery. His power is supplied by a 60- 
 horse power gas engine and he grinds buck- 
 wheat, wheat and other grains and sells 
 flour and feed, doing a very large business. 
 He disposes of his output locally, finding 
 favor in the home market. 
 
 Mr. Cranmer married Miss Martha Mil- 
 ler, who is a daughter of John Miller, of 
 Franklin Township, Butler County, and 
 they have one son, Charles Everett. This 
 son has grown up in the mill business more 
 or less and is his father's partner and is 
 recognized as one of the township's enter- 
 prising young business men. He married 
 Miss Delia McCandless, a daughter of 
 Humes McCandless, of Center Townsliip, 
 and they have five children : John T., May, 
 Nellie, Ora and Vera Rosella. John T. 
 Cranmer and wife are leading members of 
 the United Presbyterian Church at Mt. 
 Chestnut, in which he has been an elder for 
 twenty years. In politics the Cranmers 
 are Republicans. 
 
 CHARLES YOUNG, a citizen of Zelie- 
 nople, was born January 28, 1852, in Jack- 
 son Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Adam and Catherine 
 (Zehner) Young. 
 
 Adam Young, his father, was born in 
 Alsace, Germany, coming to this country 
 in 1840, at the age of twenty-seven, having 
 served seven years in the army. He landed 
 at New Orleans and was there during the 
 yellow fever plague and was employed with 
 a horse and clray in hauling the dead to the 
 trenches. He took the fever, but, through 
 the efforts of a trained nurse, survived. In 
 1846 he came to Cranberry Township, But- 
 ler County, and married Mrs. Catherine 
 Noss, nee Zehner, widow of George Noss, 
 who then had two children, Catherine and 
 
1076 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Frederick, both tieceused. lu 1853, alter 
 residing near Zelienople for a few years, 
 lie bought 110 acres of laud in Connoque- 
 nessing Township, to which he later added 
 forty acres. He died in May, 1878, aged 
 sixty-five years; his wife died April 1, 
 1884, aged sixty-nine years. The follow- 
 ing children were born to Adam Young and 
 wife: Mary, who died in early youth; 
 Adam, who was accidently strangled to 
 death while swinging in the barn, during 
 the absence of his parents; Sophia, who 
 died April 21, 1908; Henry, who resides 
 near Reibold Station, Butler County, mar- 
 ried Louise Beam; Caroline, wife of John 
 Flinner, resides in Jackson Township ; Ed- 
 win residing on the old homestead in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, married Caroline 
 Friskhorn; and Charles. 
 
 Charles Young engaged in farming for 
 several years, in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship, where he owned sixty acres of land. 
 This property proved to be an exception- 
 ally rich oil producer. In JuiTe, 1890, he 
 sold the farm to his brother Edwin and 
 purchased property in Zelienople, in a 
 large measure being led to do so on account 
 of failing health. He has invested in other 
 farm property, owning two farms near 
 Zelienople, but does not give them his per- 
 sonal attention. 
 
 Charles Young married Miss Mary 
 Frishkorn, who was a daughter of Casper 
 and Elizabeth (Flmner) Frishkorn, for- 
 merly well known residents of Butler 
 County. They have three children, Ed- 
 ward Philip is assistant cashier in The 
 People's National Bank, at Zelienople; he 
 married Maidie Hysell of Pomeroy, Ohio, 
 they having two children, Charles Edward 
 and Roy Stuart. The second son, Harry 
 Albert, is a machinist and is employed at 
 the Herman Pneumatic Machine plant at 
 Zelienople. The daughter, Sara Elizabeth, 
 married Otto W. Luek. Mr. Luek is at 
 present employed at the Iron City Sani- 
 tary Manufacturing Company at Zelie- 
 nople. 
 
 In his political convictions he is a Demo- 
 crat. He has served on both the Town 
 Council and the School Board since moving 
 to Zelienople. He is almost a lifelong 
 member of the Evangelical Reformed 
 Church of Zelienople. 
 
 WALTER L." GRAHAM, formerly a 
 leading attorney and prominent citizen of 
 Butler, was born in this borough, October 
 25, 1831, and died November 1, 1900. His 
 parents were JoM and Sarah Graham. 
 
 Walter L. Graham was educated in the 
 public schools, at Witherspoon Institute 
 and at Jefferson College, and was grad- 
 uated from the latter institution in 1854. 
 He entered upon the study of law with 
 Samuel A. Purviauce and completed his 
 course of reading under Attorney Charles 
 C. Sullivan, and in 1855 he was admitted 
 to the bar. For many subsequent years he 
 continued in the active practice of his pro- 
 fession, both at Pittsburg and at Butler. 
 In 1860, on account of his zeal for the prin- 
 ciples embodied in the Republican party, 
 he was selected as one of the delegates to 
 the National Republican Convention which 
 nominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presi- 
 dency of the United States. During his 
 whole life he was public-spirited and as 
 president of the borough council he advo- 
 cated progress and reform. In 1862 he en- 
 listed in Company G, Fourteenth Pennsyl- 
 vania Militia, and assisted in repelling the 
 invasion of the Confederates under Gen- 
 eral Lee. Under Governor Andrew G. Cur- 
 tin, he subsequently served three years as 
 a notary public. He was a leading member 
 of the Presbyterian Church and a member 
 of the local board of trustees. 
 
 In 1854 Walter L. Graham was married 
 to Catherine Keller, a daughter of Eman- 
 uel Keller of Cumberland County. Mrs 
 Graham died July 4, 1861, leaving three 
 children: Frank, who is deceased; Annie, 
 who is deceased; and Walter H., who is 
 engaged in an advertising business. Mr. 
 Graham was married (second) in 1867, to 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 ■1077 
 
 Margaret A. Zimmerman, who survives 
 and resides at No. 23U North McKean 
 Street. She is a daughter of John Michael 
 Zimmerman. T\yo children were born to 
 the second union, namely: John C. and 
 Margaret, the latter of whom resides with 
 her mother. 
 
 John Charles Graham, who is a success- 
 ful attorney and prosperous real estate 
 dealer at Butler, has been engaged in 
 business pursuits almost from boyhood. 
 During his school days he was employed as 
 a clerk in a country store and became inter- 
 ested later in a news agency and from 1879 
 until 1887, he earned some three thousand 
 dollars through his own efforts. In the 
 latter year, notwithstanding his applica- 
 tion to business, he was able to graduate 
 as the salutatorian of his class at school. 
 He dabbled to some degree in a real estate 
 business prior to entering Lafayette Col- 
 lege, where he took a course of study and 
 after his return in 1891 he resumed his 
 interest in the same. He studied law in his 
 father's office and was admitted to the bar 
 in 1894. 
 
 On December 6, 1894, Mr. Graham was 
 married, to Miss Lovey Ayres, who died 
 August 16, 1907. She was a daughter of 
 Capt. H. A. Ayres, and a granddaughter 
 of Gen. William Ayres, who was one of the 
 early settlers of Western Pennsylvania. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Graham had four children: 
 Elizabeth and Walter, who are deceased, 
 and John and Margaret Lovey, who sur- 
 vive. 
 
 In 1888, Mr. Graham joined the State 
 Militia, in which he served for six years. 
 When the Spanish-American War broke 
 out, he assisted in the organization of the 
 Twenty -first Regiment and was elected sec- 
 ond lieutenant of Company G, and later 
 was appointed battalion adjutant. He has 
 always been an atlilete and has won many 
 honors in that line. He attends the First 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he was sec- 
 retary to the Board of Trustees for seven 
 vears. Mr. Graham is one of the interest- 
 
 ed members of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association. For eight years he has been 
 secretary of the Butler Board of Trade 
 and has always taken a keen interest in 
 matters which tend to the advancement of 
 Butler and Butler County. 
 
 JOHN A. CRISWELL, a prosperous 
 business man of Mars, where he is engaged 
 in undertaking and furniture dealing, be- 
 longs to one of the old and early settled 
 families of xVdams Township. He was born 
 on the Criswell homestead, near Dowie- 
 ville, Adams Township, this county. May 
 3, 1853, son of James and Elizabeth 
 (Spear) Criswell. 
 
 William Criswell, the paternal grand- 
 father of John A., was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, in 1774, and emigrating to 
 this country, in 1791 settled in Philadel- 
 phia, where he engaged in the business of 
 selling goods in the suburban districts. 
 Having been thus occupied in peddling for 
 about seven years, in 1798 he crossed the 
 Allegheny Mountains on foot, and took up 
 a 200-acre tract of land in what is now 
 Adams Township, Butler County. For two 
 years he kept bachelor's hall in a log cabin, 
 which he erected in the midst of the for- 
 est. For some time after becoming a resi- 
 dent of the county he engaged in packing 
 salt, ammunition and other sitpplies for the 
 use of the settlers, from Pittsburg, Car- 
 lisle, and Philadelphia, thus earning a lit- 
 tle surplus money. In June, 1800, he mar- 
 ried Margaret, a daughter of Robert Cris- 
 well of Cumberland County. Their family 
 in time numbered eleven children, two of 
 whom — John and Isabella — died in early 
 youth. The others who grew to maturity 
 were as follows: Mary, who married Will- 
 iam Hutchman; Martha, who became the 
 wife of James Kidd ; Robert, who died in 
 18.56, unmarried ; Nancy, who died single in 
 1868; Margaret, who became the wife of 
 Robert McKinney; Elizabeth, who married 
 James Plummer; Jane, who married Sam- 
 uel Purvis, of Beaver County; Susannah. 
 
1078 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 who married Samuel Kidd; and James. 
 Mr. and Mrs. William Criswell were mem- 
 bers of the Covenanter church, in whicn 
 the former was an elder. Their entire 
 married life was spent in this county, and 
 they died upon the farm on which they first 
 settled. 
 
 James Criswell was born on his parents' 
 farm in Adams Township, February 7, 
 1820. He grew to manhood on the home- 
 stead, and was married November 24, 1842, 
 to Elizabeth Spear, a daughter of David 
 Spear, of Adams Township. They had 
 children as follows: William, who died 
 aged nineteen years; David, who is now a 
 resident of Missouri; Eobert C, deceased, 
 who was a minister in the United Presby- 
 terian Church; Margaret, who is the widow 
 of the late Prof. John Mitchell, of New 
 Wilmington, Penna. ; John A., subject of 
 this sketch; James P., who is a resident of 
 Pittsburg; and Mary E., now deceased, 
 who was the wife of T. L. Donnelson. The 
 life of James Criswell, the father of the 
 above mentioned family, was devoted to 
 agricultural pursuits, and he died on the 
 homestead in November, 1896, aged sev- 
 enty-seven years, being survived several 
 years by his wife. Once a Republican in 
 politics, he afterwards became a Prohibi- 
 tionist. Occasionally he served in local 
 office, chiefly from a sense of duty and at 
 the earnest desire of his fellow citizens. 
 
 John A. Criswell spent his boyhood on 
 his father's farm and remained there, fol- 
 lowing agricultural pursuits until 1891, 
 when he moved to Mars. Prior to this he 
 had engaged in the undertaking business 
 which he continued, in conjunction with 
 operating a livery stable, imtil 1903, when 
 he sold out and for two years was interest- 
 ed in a coal and feed business. After also 
 disposing of this interest, he went to Pitts- 
 burg, where he engaged in the grocery 
 business until September 1, 1908, when he 
 took advantage of an opportunity and 
 bought out the undertaking and furniture 
 
 business of A. C. Irvine, at Mars, which he 
 still conducts. His ecjuipments as a funeral 
 director are more complete than any other 
 at Mars and he has a dij^loma from the 
 Pittsburg Embalming School and operates 
 imder a license from the Pennsylvania 
 State Board. 
 
 In 1878 Mr. Criswell was married to 
 Miss Jane E. McKibben, who is a daughter 
 of James McKibben, of Morrow County, 
 Ohio, and they have had the following chil- 
 dren : Vera, Russell, Nettie, who died aged 
 nineteen months ; David C. and Blanche E. 
 Mr. Criswell and wife belong to the United 
 Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a 
 Republican and at different times has 
 served in township and borough offices. He 
 is a member of the Odd Fellows, the Mac- 
 cabees and the Woodmen. 
 
 F. AUGUSTUS ALDINGER, one of 
 Chicora's enterprising business men, 
 senior member of the lirm of Aldinger & 
 Tadder, operators of the largest repair 
 shop in the place, doing business under the 
 name of the Chicora Engine Tool Com- 
 pany, was born at Chicora, Butler County, 
 Penna., January 4, 1876. His parents are 
 C. F. and Ella (Henshew) Aldinger. 
 
 The father of Mr. Aldinger has been a 
 prominent business man and leading citi- 
 zen of Chicora, for many years. He was 
 born in Germany and was four years old 
 when his parents brought him to Butler 
 County, with which section his interests 
 have ever since been connected. He has 
 been identified with the shoe trade and also 
 conducted a gents' furnishing store, and 
 during his many years in business has lost 
 a large amount of money from tire, being 
 bTirued out five times. He has been a very 
 active citizen, served for years as a justice 
 of the peace, has held almost all of the city 
 offices, at present being city clerk, and for 
 four years was postmaster. He married 
 Ella Henshew , a lady of Millerstown, 
 Penna., and they have four children. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1081 
 
 namely : F. Augustus, C. F., Elizabeth aud 
 Pauline. Witb his wife he belongs to the 
 German Lutheran Church. 
 
 F. Augustus Aldinger attended school 
 at Chicora aud then learned the machin- 
 ist's trade with W. H. Westerman, who 
 conducted a machine shop at that time on 
 the site of Mr. Aldinger 's present plant. 
 After Mr. Aldinger had been with this em- 
 ployer for two years the shop was de- 
 stroyed by fire and while Mr. Westerman 
 was rebuilding, Mr. Aldiuger worked at 
 another machine shop for six months and 
 then returned to his former employer for 
 six months longer. From there lie went to 
 Pittsburg and for one year worked for the 
 Westinghouse people, this being his only 
 absence from Butler County in his life. 
 After coming back to Chicora he began 
 work with Dierken and Logan, and two 
 years later, after the latter had sold out to 
 Daniel Dierken, Mr. Aldinger, in partner- 
 slii]) with W. J. Logan, purchased the busi- 
 ness from Mr. Dierken and they conducted 
 it until 1904. In February of that year the 
 partnership was dissolved and for two sub- 
 sequent years the business was continued 
 by the Millerstown Deposit Bank. In the 
 meanwhile, Mr. Aldinger and George Tad- ' 
 der came to an understanding and entered 
 into the present partnership and took pos- 
 session of the business which they have so 
 successfully conducted ever since. They 
 give constant employment to four work- 
 men and have about all they can handle 
 with their present facilities. Mr. Aldinger 
 being a practical machinist, has careful 
 oversight of all the work turned out, thus 
 ensuring entire reliability in every in- 
 stance. 
 
 On June 8, 1904, Mr. Aldinger was mar 
 ried to Miss Minnie Hurley, and they have 
 two children: Paul A. and Gerald. Mr. 
 Aldinger and wife belong to the English 
 Lutheran Church. He takes a good citi- 
 zen's interest in politics and for eight 
 years has served as a member of the elec- 
 tion board. 
 
 LEWIS A. HEROLD, a prosperous 
 farmer and successful business man of 
 Center Townsliip, Butler County, Penna-., 
 is the owner of. a fine farm of 100 acres, 
 situated on the old Mercer Road, three 
 miles north of Butler. He is a man of 
 varied interests, and, in addition to farm- 
 ing and dairying, operates a thresher in 
 season and is engaged in the construction 
 of silos. He was born near Bonny Brooli, 
 Summit Township, Butler County, Octo- 
 ber 11, 1864, and is a son of Gottlieb and 
 Caroline (Robb) Herold, both natives of 
 Germany. They were reared in Germany, 
 but were not married until after their ar- 
 rival in the United States. Gottlieb died 
 on the old home farm in Summit Town- 
 ship. 
 
 Lewis A. Herold was reared on the home 
 farm and received but little schooling. He 
 lived with his parents until he reached the 
 age of twenty-one years, then worked out 
 for a couple of years. At the end of that 
 time he was married, and thereafter for 
 about two years farmed the home place. 
 He next was employed three years in the 
 plate glass works at Butler, after which, 
 in 1894, he purchased and moved to his 
 present farm in Center Township. He 
 has made many important improvements 
 on the place, built a third story onto his 
 house, erected a large barn and a fine 
 creamery, and laid a large amount of til- 
 ing. He engaged in wholesaling milk until 
 1904, since which time he has retailed it 
 with good results. He keeps about twenty- 
 seven cows, on an average, and does a 
 large business. He also contracts for the 
 building of silos, and in the fall of 1908 
 filled nineteen. He owns a fine threshing 
 outfit, which he operates in partnership 
 with his brothers, Frederick and Frank. 
 He is one of the substantial citizens of the 
 township, having won his way to a forward 
 position in the community from the ranks 
 of a farm laborer. 
 
 Mr. Herold was united in marriage in 
 
1082 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 1887 to Miss Emma Kradle, who was born 
 and reared in Summit Township, Butler 
 County, and is a daughter of Adam Kra- 
 dle. Three children were born to them — 
 Harry, Carrie and Gilbert. Religiously, 
 they are members of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 AlATTHEW W. SHANNON, JR., vice- 
 president of the Worth Mutual Fire Insur- 
 ance Company and a leading citizen and 
 general farmer of Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship, where he owns 100 acres of produc- 
 tive land, was born February 8, 1861, at 
 Whitestown, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 He is a son of Matthew W. and Mary (Ste- 
 venson) Shannon. David Shannon, the 
 paternal grandfather, was a very early set- 
 tler in this section. He married one of the 
 White family — a very populous and prom- 
 inent one in Butler County, that gave the 
 name to Whitestown. 
 
 Matthew W. Shannon, father of Mat- 
 thew W., was born in Connoquenessing 
 Township, Butler County, December 5, 
 1821, and resided in his birthplace until 
 1890, when he retired to Mt. Chestnut. He 
 followed agricultural pursuits through all 
 his active years. He was a man of stand- 
 ing in this neighborhood and for years ac- 
 ceptably filled township offices, being school 
 director, tax collector, auditor, constable 
 and supervisor. He married Mary Steven- 
 son, who is a daughter of Nathaniel Ste- 
 venson, an early settler in Franklin Town- 
 'ship, and they had nine children born to 
 them, six of whom grew to maturity, as 
 follows: Jennie, who is the widow of 
 Abraham Hemphill, of Connoquenessing 
 Township; J. F., who is a justice of the 
 peace at Callery, Pennsylvania; Annie, 
 who is the wife of W. J. Moore, of Brook- 
 line, Pennsylvania; Nettie, deceased, who 
 was the wife of Clarence Double; Matthew 
 W. ; and Benjamin F., who resides at Mt. 
 Chestnut. The parents are members of 
 the Mt. Chestnut United Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Matthew W. Shannon, Jr., obtained his 
 
 public school education in Connoquenes- 
 sing Township and since leaving school has 
 been continuously engaged as a farmer on 
 his present property. He has almost the 
 whole of his estate of 100 acres under cul- 
 tivation, raising corn, oats, wheat, hay, 
 buckwheat and potatoes, the latter crop 
 being especially abundant, Mr. Shannon 
 having groWn 1,000 bushels in some years. 
 He is a man of very practical ideas and he 
 has proved their value when he has applied 
 them to his agricultural operations. His 
 surroundings all indicate a large degree of 
 comfort and his residence is exceedingly 
 attractive. 
 
 'Sir. Shannon married Miss Mary Eliza- 
 beth Ralston, a daughter of John Ralston, 
 of Butler Township, and they have three 
 children: John W., residing in Colorado; 
 Annetta, who is a student in the Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School; and Oi'ville 
 Clara, at home. The whole family have 
 membership in the Mt. Chestnut United 
 Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Shan- 
 non is an elder and clerk of the Session, 
 and has served as a trustee. He has taken 
 an active interest in Sunday-school work 
 and for a long time officiated as superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 Mr. Shannon is identified with the Re- 
 publican party but, irrespective of party 
 ties, he has worked for the good of the 
 township in the way of public improve- 
 ments and the securing of excellent school 
 facilities. He has served as school dii'ee- 
 tor and as secretary of the School Board, 
 and he has also been township supervisor 
 and assessor. 
 
 GEORGE M. HARTUNG resides on a 
 fine farm of sixty acres in Forward Town- 
 ship, about five miles. east of Evans City, 
 on the Freeport road. He was born in 
 North Sewickley Township, Beaver 
 County, Penna., July 3, 1851, and is a son 
 of Nicholas and Carolina (Moas) Hartung. 
 
 Michael Hartung, paternal grandfather 
 of the subject of this sketch, was born and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1083 
 
 reared in Germauy. He came to the 
 United States when his son, Nicliolas, was 
 three years of age, and settled on a farm 
 near Zelienople, m Butler County, Penna., 
 where he lived until his death. His first 
 house on that place was a log structure, 
 without a tloor, and the land was almost 
 wholly unimproved. He had a large fam- 
 ily of children, of whom the following are 
 now living: John; George; Isaac; Dorothy, 
 widow of Albert Sidel; Eliza, widow of 
 Gottleib Wex'tz; and Catherine, widow of 
 John Berringer. 
 
 Nicholas Hartung was the eldest of the 
 children of his parents and was born in 
 Germany. He was three years of age when 
 his people came to America, and was 
 reared on the home farm near Zelienople. 
 He spent nine years working on different 
 farms before his marriage, and later 
 worked in a sawmill. He rented a farm in 
 Beaver County a few years, and after his 
 return to Butler County purchased a farm 
 of 135 acres in Adams Township. He re- 
 tired from business activity some four 
 years prior to his death, and died at Evans 
 City, November 1, 1905, at the age of sev- 
 enty-seven years. His first wife, in maiden 
 life Miss Carolina Moas, died April 14, 
 1896, leaving four children : George M. ; 
 Lydia, wife of John Twentier; Mary Ann, 
 wife of George Dombart; and John. Mr. 
 Hartung was again married, to Miss Dor- 
 othy Freshcorn, who survives him. 
 
 George M. Hartung was a mere child 
 when his parents moved from Beaver 
 County to Adams Township, in Butler 
 County, and liere he grew to maturity. He 
 attended the little brick school in the dis- 
 trict a few months each year, but his time 
 was mainly given to hard work on the 
 farm. He remained on the home place un- 
 til his marriage, then rented a farm in 
 Adams Township for ten years, at the end 
 of which time he purchased his present 
 farm of John Kurtz. On this he has erect- 
 ed a fine modern home, and the entire farm 
 is improved in an up-to-date manner. He 
 
 is engaged in general farming, and raises 
 some stock. In addition to his home tract 
 he has some thirty-four acres in Adams 
 Township at the present time. 
 
 George M. Hartung was united in mar- 
 riage, November 18, 1875, with Miss Mary 
 L. Kline, a daughter of Nicholas Kline, 
 and the following children have been born 
 to them: Charles, who graduated from 
 xlUegheny College in 1907, and is now a 
 minister in the M. E. Church, located in 
 Indiana County, Penna. ; Isaac P., a grad- 
 uate of Butler Business College, who is 
 foreman for the Philadelphia Gas Co. at 
 West View, Penna.; Clarence, of Butler 
 County; Nicholas, of Pittsburg; Frank; 
 George M., Jr., who assists his father on 
 the home farm ; Melinda, who died young ; 
 Mary; and Lillian. Religiously, the family 
 belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 in which Mr. Hartung is a trustee. In 
 politics, he is a Democrat. 
 
 COL. DAVID D. LLOYD, president of 
 the Lloyd Company, wholesale confection- 
 ers, at Butler, is one of the city's leading 
 Imsiness men and is a veteran of the Civil 
 War. He was born July 23, 1833, in Cam- 
 bria County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 When twelve years of age. Colonel Lloyd 
 accompanied his parents to Pittsburg and 
 there he was educated and later worked for 
 several years in the glass factory. He 
 learned the boiler rivet trade at the Cole- 
 man Roller ]\Iill and remained there for ten 
 years, after this being engaged in a general 
 mercantile business for three years, at 
 Port Perry, in Allegheny County, and for 
 one year in a coal business. In 1864 he 
 entered the Federal service, becoming a 
 member of Company H, One Hundred 
 Ninety-ninth Regiment, Penna. Infantry, 
 with the rank of sergeant, and he remained 
 in the service until the close of hostilities. 
 He was attached to the Army of the Po- 
 tomac and participated in the siege of 
 Petersburg and all the subsequent engage- 
 
1084 
 
 inSTOKY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 ments wliicli culmiuatecl in the surrender 
 of General Lee. After lie returned from 
 his period of honorable military service, 
 Mr. Lloyd was engaged in a general mer- 
 cantile business at 5jorth Washington, in 
 Westmoreland County, for six years, and 
 then he moved to Apollo, in Armstrong- 
 County, where he continued his mercantile 
 activities for nine years longer. He then 
 established himself in the same business at 
 Beaver Falls and remained there for eight 
 years in that line and then went into the 
 wholesale tobacco business. This enter- 
 prise he conducted there for twelve years 
 when he returned to Apollo and engaged 
 there in a confectionery and tobacco busi- 
 ness for two years, being associated at this 
 time with his sons and having a branch 
 store at Butler. In 1904 he consolidated 
 his branches and started anew in the whole- 
 sale confectionery business at Butler, the 
 wisdom of this move having been abun- 
 dantly demonstrated in the wide extension 
 and ample returns. The Lloyd Company 
 Incorporated, has a capital stock of $20,000 
 and its officers are: David D. Lloyd, presi- 
 dent; R. R. Lloyd, treasurer; and W. E. 
 Lloyd, secretary. The business is carried 
 on at 'Nos. 127-129 East Cunningham 
 Street, Butler, and among the many mod- 
 ern equipments the company owns is an 
 automobile truck, the only one in use in the 
 «ity. 
 
 Colonel Lloyd has long been interested 
 in military affairs and was one of the or- 
 ganizers of the Tenth Regiment Penna. 
 State Guards. He raised a company and 
 commanded it as provisional officer for 
 three years and when the Tenth Regiment 
 was finally organized, he was elected its 
 major, serving as such for two years, then 
 was elected lieutenant colonel and served 
 in that rank for five years, when, on ac- 
 count of press of business, he retired. 
 
 In 18.57, Mr. Lloyd was married to Miss 
 Margaret R. Fritzius, who died in 1877. 
 To this union were born five sons and one 
 daughter, namely: W. E. Lloyd, secretary 
 
 of the Lloyd Company, residing at Zane.s 
 ville, Ohio; George W., residing at Zanes- 
 ville; Wilbur C, a resident of Waukesha, 
 Wisconsin; Arthur N., residing at Zanes- 
 ville; Royce Russell, treasurer and man- 
 ager of the Lloyd Company, at Butler; and 
 Kate M., wife of W. H. Shuster, of Leech - 
 burg, Pennsylvania. 
 
 In his political views, Colonel Lloyd is 
 a stanch Republican. Fraternally he is an 
 Odd Fellow. He is a member of the -Metho 
 dist Episcopal Church and for many years 
 had been an official of the same. 
 
 ALEXANDER SCHILLING, who is 
 efficiently serving his second term as jus- 
 tice of the peace of Forward Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., is a general mer- 
 chant at Reibold Station, and enjoys a 
 large and lucrative trade. He was born 
 in Metzels, Germany, February 26, 1846, 
 and is a son of John G. and Margaret (Lin- 
 zer) Schilling. 
 
 John Frederick Schilling, grandfather 
 of the subject of this sketch, was a farmer 
 and a man of considerable prominence in 
 his native province in Germany. On the 
 day of his marriage he was elected burgess 
 of Metzels and served continuously in that 
 capacity for twenty years. His death oc- 
 curred at the age of forty-eight years. He 
 and his wife were parents of the following 
 children : John Sebastian, a physican, who 
 died in Germany; John G., father of the 
 subject of this sketch ; Lawrence, deceased ; 
 Mrs. Bowdenstein, deceased; Sophia (Vier- 
 ing), deceased; and Mrs. Rossman. 
 
 John G. Schilling was born in Saxony, 
 Germany, in 1800, and was there reared to 
 maturity. He was a drover and farmer 
 and became owner of a fine farm near 
 Meiningen. In 186.3, one year after the 
 departure of their son, Alexander, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Schilling left for America and set- 
 tled on a farm near Wahlville, on the Con- 
 noquenessing Creek, in Butler County, 
 Penna., where they passed the remainder- 
 
Ai\l) REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1085 
 
 ol' tiieir lives, lie died in 1874, and liis 
 wife in 19U2. She was in maiden life Mar- 
 garet Linzer, and was born in May, 1813. 
 Slie was a daughter of Casper lanzer, who 
 was a prominent surveyor and held numer- 
 ous public offices in Germany. Eleven chil- 
 dren were tlie issue of this marriage: 
 Sophia, widow of John Keg; Matilda, de- 
 ceased wife of Herman Schilling; Emilie, 
 deceased wife of George Ifft ; Lizetta, who 
 died young; Alexander; Emma E., who 
 died at the age of twenty-two years; Ve- 
 ronica, wife of V. Leyli; Ernest W., who 
 died at the age of twenty-two; Anna, wife 
 of Henry Wahl; Christina, who died 
 young; and Robert. 
 
 Alexander Schilling attended the schools 
 and worked on tlie farm in Germany, and 
 when sixteen years of age left his native 
 land for America. He departed on his 
 birthday anniversary and landed at Cas- 
 tle Garden, New York, April 24, 1862, im- 
 mediately thereafter going to Pittsburg, 
 Penna., where he worked at the trade of a 
 shoemaker some five years, and then 
 moved to Butler County, and worked on 
 different farms. After his marriage he 
 lived, on the old Marburger farm near Gal- 
 lery several years, and followed his trade. 
 In 1878, he opened his present store at 
 what is now Reibold Station, and has been 
 there continuously since. He carries a 
 general line of goods, in fact almost every- 
 thing for which there is a demand in a 
 country store, and has the patronage of 
 the people of that vicinity. For a period 
 of seventeen years he served as postmaster 
 at this point. In 1903, he was elected jus- 
 tice of the peace, and was made notary 
 public, and in 1906 he was re-elected to that 
 office. 
 
 On February 25, 1868, Mr._ Schilling was 
 united in marriage with Miss Eva Mar- 
 burger, a daughter of George and Emma 
 Marburger, and they are parents of ten 
 children: George W., who married Marie 
 Emsheimer; Rebecca, deceased; Margaret, 
 deceased; Marie Magdalena, wife of John 
 
 Nolsheim; Catiierine, deceased; Lawrence, 
 who married Anna Dougherty; Caroline, 
 wife of Floyd Rape ; Valentine ; Anna ; and 
 Francis. Keligioush', they are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. He is a Republican 
 in politics. In 1907, Mr. Schilling returned 
 to Germany and spent two months in visit^ 
 ing the scenes of his boyhood, experiencing 
 a most enjoyable trip. 
 
 CHARLES L. KENNEDY, a represent 
 ative citizen and successful agriculturist of 
 Butler Township, resides on his well im- 
 proved farm of seventy-three acres, all of 
 which, under " his excellent methods, is 
 made to produce to its fullest extent. He 
 was born in Penn Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, March 14, 1868, and is a 
 son of William and Matilda (Graham) 
 Kennedy. 
 
 William Kennedy still carries on his 
 farming operations in Penn Township, in 
 spite of' advancing years retaining his 
 strength and vitality. He is a representa- 
 tive citizen in his section and a trustee of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican and he has served 
 in the offie of coroner. He married a 
 daughter of Robert Graham, of Penn 
 Township, and they had ten children born 
 to them, as follows: Annie, who is the 
 wife of A. B. McCandless, of Butler; Will- 
 iam, deceased; Lulu, who married Morris 
 J. Florsheim, of St. Paul, Minnesota; 
 Charles L. ; Clyde, who assists on the home 
 farm ; Mrs. Clara Robbins ; George, also one 
 of the home farmers; Ada, who married 
 Dominick Mangel, of Penn Township ; Eva, 
 who resides with Mrs. Mangel, and Fran- 
 ces M. 
 
 Charles L. Kennedy was reared in Penn 
 Township, w^iere he obtained his educa- 
 tion. For a number of years he worked in 
 the oil fields and in the past ten years has 
 drilled many wells. In April, 1906, he 
 bought the old Seaman farm of seventy- 
 three acres and since then has given his 
 undivided attention to farming and dairy- 
 
1086 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ing. lu the fall of 1907 he established a 
 milk route, keeping ten head of cattle for 
 this purpose and producing and disposing 
 of from seventy to ninety quarts of milk a 
 day. He raises almost all of bis feed and 
 takes much interest in having fine vege- 
 tables, growing also large crops of wheat, 
 corn, oats and hay. 
 
 On June 28, 189.3, Mr. Kennedy was mar- 
 ried to Annie Mangel, who is a daughter 
 of Claude Mangel, a well known farmer 
 of Penn Township. Their children, eight 
 in number, all reside at home, namely: 
 Vincent, Charles L., J., Frances Cecelia, 
 William Claude, Warren Maurice, Mar- 
 garet Matilda Agnes, John Gilbert and 
 Lucretia May. Mrs. Kennedy is a devoted 
 member of St. Paul's Roman Catholic 
 Church. In poHtics, Mr. Kennedy is iden- 
 tified with the ReiDublicau party. He be- 
 longs to the fraternal organization, the 
 Woodmen of the World, at Butler. 
 
 C. C. SHIRA, one of Butler's repre- 
 sentative business men, conducting a gro- 
 cery business at No. 340 Locust Street, has 
 been a resident of this city for twenty- 
 four years. He was born in Washington 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., June 20, 
 1860, and is a son of Samuel Shira and a 
 grandson of David Shira. 
 
 David Shira came to Western Pennsyh 
 vania from one of the eastern counties and 
 was a man of some substance and unlim- 
 ited enterprise. In 1802 he secured a whole 
 section of land in Butler County, from the 
 Government, and the sheepskin deed is- 
 sued binding this transaction is the only 
 one of its kind on the coimty records. His 
 business sagacity was remarkable and his 
 public spirit contributed to the rapid de- 
 velopment of this part of the county. When 
 he took up his residence the only real out- 
 let that this section had was the old post 
 road to Pittsburg. He amassed an estate 
 of $35,000, a very large one for his time 
 and looalitv. Phvsicallv he was a man of 
 
 note as were his five sons, their combined 
 weight being 1500 pounds and their added 
 height being thirty-seven feet. These sons 
 were: William M., deceased, once Pro- 
 thonotary of Butler County; Samuel, de- 
 ceased; Alfred, still surviving and living 
 on the old homestead; R. 0., residing at 
 North Washington, Penna., who was a lieu- 
 tenant in the Civil War; and Henderson, 
 who lives on a part of the old homestead. 
 There were two daughters: Eliza Jane, 
 who married John T. Kelley, formerly 
 sheritf of Butler County; and Anna, de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Samuel Shira, father of C. C, was born 
 in Washington Township, Butler County, 
 in 1834, and his life was spent in his native 
 coimty. He engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising and became a man of ample for- 
 tune. While no seeker for political office, 
 he took a hearty interest in public matters 
 and was a more or less directing force in 
 his township. 
 
 C. C. Shira grew to manhood on the old 
 homestead, was educated in the township 
 schools and the North Washington Acad- 
 emy, and was twenty-two years old when 
 he went to New Castle, where he learned 
 the carpenter trade. In 1884 he came to 
 Butler and worked as a carpenter for ten 
 years, after which, until 1898, he engaged 
 in a general contracting business. Since 
 March of that year he has been engaged in 
 the grocery line and has a well stocked 
 store and a satisfactory trade. Mr. Shira 
 is largely interested also in Butler real 
 estate, one of his valuable holdings being 
 his own private residence which is located 
 at No. 319 North Elm Street, Butler. 
 
 On September 6, 1887, Mr. Shira was 
 married to Miss Clara Dodds, who is a 
 daughter of Rev. Ezra Dodds, of Harris- 
 ville, Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. Shira 
 have one daughter, Pearle E., who is a 
 teacher of music. Mr. Shira and family 
 belong to the United Presbyterian Church 
 at Butler. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1089 
 
 H. W. LENSNEE, superintendent and 
 general manager of the Concordia Home, 
 situated in Jefferson Township, the only 
 institution of its kind in Butler County, 
 was born January 23, 1865, in Jefferson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of J. H. and Catherine 
 (Grimm) Lensner. The father of Mr. 
 Lensner was born in Germany in 1835 and 
 in 1837 was brought to Saxonburg, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, by his parents, 
 John and Sophia (Les singer) Lensner. 
 J. H. Lensner was a carpenter by trade, 
 and he also followed farming. 
 
 H. W. Lensner attended the public 
 schools near his father's farm during boy- 
 hood, spent six terms at Witherspoon In- 
 stitute, and completed his education at 
 Addison, Illinois. He then engaged in 
 teaching school in Butler County for seven 
 years, after which he accepted a call to 
 Concordia Home, where he has been in 
 charge for the past fourteen years. On 
 December 29, 1891, Mr. Lensner was mar- 
 ried to Miss Lucy Paul, who is a daughter 
 of J. G. Paul, who was a very prominent 
 farmer residing near Great Belt. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lensner are members of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 JOHN A. GEEGG, who owns and re- 
 sides upon an excellently improved farm 
 of eighty-tive acres in Jefferson Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., located about five 
 miles southeast of Butler on the Saxon- 
 burg Eoad, is successfully engaged in oil 
 producing as well as farming. He was born 
 in Buffalo Township, Butler County, May 
 1, 1853, and is a son of William and Mary 
 Catherine (Kuhn) Gregg. 
 
 Eobert J. Gregg, paternal grandfather 
 of the subject of this record, was born in 
 Washington County, Penna., where his 
 father was one of the eai-liest settlers, hav- 
 ing come from the North of Ireland at an 
 early age. William Gregg, who now re- 
 sides at the Lowrie Hotel in Butler and 
 
 is past seventy-eight years of age, was for 
 many years engaged in the livery busi- 
 ness, in addition to carrying on farming 
 operations. 
 
 John A. , Gregg attended the public 
 schools and at the same time assisted in 
 the work on the home farm. He has fol- 
 lowed general farming and has one of the 
 best improved places in the township, the 
 large and commodious buildings being 
 kept nicely painted and the house and barn 
 provided with slate roofs. Mr. Gregg has 
 one producing oil well on his farm, and 
 with his brother, Ealph, has four good 
 average producing wells in the Coyles- 
 ville oil field. 
 
 June 1, 1880, Mr. Gregg was united in 
 marriage with Miss Sadie E. Walters, a 
 daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Flem- 
 ing) Walters of Buffalo Township, But- 
 ler County. Seven children were born to 
 bless their home, namely : Frederick, an en- 
 gineer at Edinau Station Power 'Plant on 
 the Pittsburg, Harmony, Butler and New 
 Castle Eailway, who married Delia Eefen- 
 baugh, by whom he has a daughter, Helen ; 
 Floyd, who lives on the farm and is in the 
 oil business; Walter, who lives in Butler; 
 Frank, who is a pumper in the oil fields 
 and in the employ of his father; Lucile, a 
 graduate of the public schools who is liv- 
 ing at home ; John Eay ; and Mildred. The 
 two last named are in attendance at school. 
 Fraternally, Mr. Gregg is a prominent 
 member of the Patrons of Husbandry. In 
 religious attachment, he and his family 
 are Presbyterians. 
 
 STEPHEN F. SCHULTZ, a substantial 
 and representative citizen and farmer of 
 Donegal Township, resides on an excellent 
 farm of fifty-four acres and owns a sec- 
 ond farm, of sixty-six acres, in another 
 part of the toTvnship, on which he has a 
 valuable producing oil well. Mr. Schultz 
 belongs to that large class of valued citi- 
 zens — the German-Americans, his birth 
 
1090 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 kaviug beeu in Germany, February 19, 
 1853. Ilis parents were George F. and 
 Margaret Scbultz. 
 
 The mother of Mr. Schultz spent her 
 whole life in Germany, but in his later 
 years, tlie father joined his son Stephen 
 F., in Butler County, and died here in 1902. 
 He was the father of seven children : An- 
 na, Frank, Stephen F., Michael, Christina, 
 Michael Francis and Elizabeth, several of 
 whom are deceased. 
 
 Stephen F. Schultz remained in his own 
 land until he was about nineteen years of 
 age, attending school there and learning 
 the trade of butcher. In 1872 he came to 
 America, landing at the port of New York, 
 and for the first five months he worked as 
 a butcher in that city. He then came west 
 to Pittsburg and engaged in the same busi- 
 ness there for the same length of time. 
 In 1873 he was attracted to Butler County 
 during the oil excitement, and had the fore- 
 sight to immediately embark in a butcher- 
 ing business on a larger scale than for- 
 merly and for thirty years continued the 
 business, driving his own wagon a large 
 part of the time to the different oil set- 
 tlements. He proved himself a good busi- 
 ness man in this undertaking and soon had 
 sufficient capital to enable him to invest 
 in other ways. In 1880 he purchased the 
 farm on which he lives, from the Union 
 Oil Company, and in 1883, he bought his 
 second farm, from the P. C. & L. Company, 
 and has done all the improving on both 
 properties. Although butchering is no 
 longer his main business, the big packing 
 houses making the industry no longer gen- 
 erally profitable, Mr. Schultz continues 
 this work in a small way. He carries on 
 general farming and raises fancy poultry 
 and is also more or less interested in oil 
 production. 
 
 Mr. Schultz has been twice married 
 (first), on November 16, 1873, to Miss 
 Mary Dittmer, who was born in Germany 
 and was a daughter of Benedict Dittmer. 
 She died November 18, 1890, having been 
 
 the mother of eleven children, as follows: 
 Christiana, who married Joseph Bauldofe, 
 lives in Oakland Township and they have 
 seven children : Stephen, who lives in Ok- 
 lahoma; Clara M., who lives at Buffalo, 
 New York; Joseph F., who married Mar- 
 tha Hopper, lives in Donegal Township 
 and they have two children ; Anna M., who 
 married George Leibler, lives at Buffalo 
 and has one child; Lizzie, who married 
 Albert Nye, lives in Summit Township, 
 Butler County, and they have four chil- 
 dren; Francis S., who lives in Illinois; 
 Emma B., who is a trained nurse in a Buf- 
 falo hospital ; Leo C, who resides at Phila- 
 delphia; Helen M., who is a teacher in 
 the public schools, resides at home; and 
 Mary, the youngest, who also lives at home. 
 Mr. Schultz was married (second) on Sep- 
 tember 29, 1896, to Mrs. Mary C. (Trais- 
 ter) Gray, who is a daughter of Charles 
 and Olive (Sweet) Traister, and they have 
 two children: Charles H. and Mildred. 
 Mrs. Schultz has two children to her first 
 husband, Roland M. Gray and Risden H. 
 Gray. 
 
 Mr. Schultz is a leading member of St. 
 Joseph's Catholic Church of Oakland. He 
 has been one of the most active public men 
 in the township and at different times he 
 has served with lionesty and efficiency as 
 school director, secretary of tlie School 
 Board, auditor, constable, member of the 
 Election Board, overseer of the Poor, and 
 at present is the very acceptable township 
 clerk. He has a wide acquaintance and is 
 an exceedingly popular citizen. 
 
 WILLIAM CAMPBELL, Sr., who, for 
 many years was one of the best known and 
 most widely respected business men of 
 Butler County, was born in the borough of 
 Butler, January 18, 1813, and was a son 
 of William and Jane (Gilmore) Campbell. 
 
 In his youth Mr. Campbell attended the 
 coDunon schools of Butler, where he was 
 well grounded in the elements. His first 
 industrial experience was gained as clerk 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1091 
 
 of the Board of Couuty Coinmissiouers. 
 In 1835 be became associated in business 
 with bis father and brotlier. Ten years 
 later the father retired and the sons sub- 
 sequently conducted the business success- 
 fully until 1852, when they closed it out. 
 For five years previously they had owned 
 a one-half interest in the John McCarnes 
 foundry, and they now purchased the en- 
 tire interest, and established a store for 
 the sale of the manufactured product, to 
 whicli thej^ added agricultural implements, 
 and in 1877, a stock of general hardware. 
 This was the origin of the highly success- 
 ful firm of J. 0. and W. Campbell, that 
 has since been a prominent factor in the 
 business life of Butler, and in which the 
 elder William Campbell was a partner, 
 though practically retired, took a deep in- 
 terest up to the time of his death. 
 
 Mr. Campbell's business activities were 
 not, however, confined to one groove. He 
 was one of the projectors of the Butler 
 and Allegheny Plank Road Company, of 
 which he served some time as president, 
 being also an original stockholder. He was 
 quick to foresee the superior advantages of 
 steam railroads, and was one of the strong- 
 est advocates of railroad construction in 
 this section. He was also interested at an 
 early day in the development of the oil in- 
 dustry, being associated with H. J. Kling- 
 ler and others. One of the founders of the 
 Butler Savings Bank, he was elected presi- 
 dent of that institution, which office he held 
 from February, 1877, to February, 1880. 
 and on a subsequent reelection, from Jan- 
 uary, 1886,'" to November, 1887, when he 
 resigned. He was also for a number of 
 years a director and president of the But- 
 ler Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He 
 gave to all these ejiterprises the careful 
 attention and unremitting industry that 
 were his dominant characteristics and that 
 made him the successful business man that 
 he was. These qualities, exhibited in what 
 ever he undertook, were accompanied by 
 the most scrupulous lionesty. that gained 
 
 him the confidence of all with whom he 
 had business dealings. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was twice married. He 
 was married (first) October 27, 1835, to 
 ]\liss Clarissa Maxwell, who died January 
 29, 1839. She was a daughter of John Les- 
 lie Maxwell, one of the pioneer settlers of 
 Butler Township. Mr. Campbell was mar- 
 ried (second) on March 31, 1841, to Miss 
 Eliza J. Shaw, who died April 21, 1892. 
 She was a daughter of John Shaw, of Glen- 
 shaw, Allegheny, County. Four children 
 were born to the second marriage, namely : 
 William, who died July 27, 1907 ; John S. ; 
 James Gr., who is deceased; and Mar.y, who 
 married Joseph A. Herron, of Mononga- 
 liela, Pennsylvania. The only surviving 
 son, John S., is a prominent business man 
 of Butler, actively interested in the hardr 
 ware business and also, to a large extent, 
 in the oil industry, in which he has been 
 very successful. 
 
 In politics, William Campboll was a life- 
 long Democrat, faithful to his party but 
 seeking no ofiSce. Through his interest in 
 the cause of education, however, he con- 
 sented to serve on the School Board, which 
 he did for several years, to the manifest 
 advantage of the public schools of the city. 
 A Presbyterian in religion, he became a 
 member of the church of that denomination 
 in 1832. In 1841 he was elected one of 
 the ruling elders, and for many years he 
 was an efficient superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school. His work in the cause of re- 
 ligion, and for the moral betterment of the 
 community, was constant, and was the re- 
 sult of earnest convictions. He died No- 
 vember 17, 1893, surviving his wife hy one 
 year and seven months. Although then 
 eighty years of age, he retained to the last 
 a kindly interest in the welfare of the 
 various business and philanthropic enter- 
 prises with wliidi he had been connected. 
 
 DANIEL L. DUNBAR, a prominent 
 resident of Forward Township, Butler 
 County, Penna.. lias been justice of the 
 
1092 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 peace of that towusliip for a period of 
 about eighteen years, and station agent of 
 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Wat- 
 ters Station, for fifteen years. He was 
 born on the old Dunbar homestead in that 
 township, June 18, 1853, is a son of Will- 
 iam and Margaret (McGregor) Dunbar, 
 and a grandson of Solomon and Seneth 
 (Snow) Dunbar, the grandfather being a 
 native of Ireland. 
 
 Solomon Dunbar, upon his arrival in 
 this country, located in New York State. 
 After the birth of the third of his children, 
 he moved with his family to Butler County, 
 Penna., making the trip with a yoke of 
 oxen. He settled on a farm of 200 acres 
 in Cranberry Township, but later sold out 
 and moved to Johnson, Ohio, where he 
 conducted a hotel until his death. He and 
 his wife were parents of ten children, as 
 follows: Ambrose; AVilliam; Daniel; Pyr- 
 rhus; Tarlton; Lafayette; John; Barney; 
 Mary, wife of Joseph JNIcCartney; and 
 Hannah, wife of Dr. Mulford. All are now 
 deceased with the exception of BaVney, 
 who resides in Ohio. 
 
 AVilliam Dunbar was born in New York 
 State, and was yoimg when the family 
 moved to Butler County, Penna., where he 
 grew to maturity and helped to clear the 
 home farm. He later moved to that part 
 of Cranberry To-nmship which later be- 
 came Forward Township, and there fol- 
 lowed farming the remainder of his days, 
 dying July 19, 1892, at the age of eighty- 
 two j^ears. He was married in Cranberry 
 Township, in 1832, to Margaret McGregor, 
 who was of Scotch descent; she died in 
 1898, at the age of eighty-six years. The 
 following were offspring of their union: 
 John, who was a member of the 
 Eleventh Penna. Reserves during the 
 Civil War, and was killed at Gaines' 
 Mills ; Solomon, a record of whom appears 
 on another page of this work; Mary Jane, 
 deceased wife of Edward Irvin; Alexan- 
 der, who served in the Seventy-eighth Reg- 
 iment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry during 
 
 the Civil War; William W., a member of 
 the Fourth Cavalry of Pennsylvania, dur- 
 ing the Civil War; Alfred, also a member 
 of the Fourth Cavalry; Alpheus, who was 
 in the Fourth Cavalry; Irvin; Anna, de- 
 ceased, who was the wife of Miller Mc- 
 Kinney; and Daniel L. 
 
 Daniel L. Dunbar was reared on the 
 home place and received his education in 
 the district school near by, attending a few 
 months during the winters. He continued 
 at home until his marriage. At the age of 
 eighteen years he began teaching and con- 
 tinued for ten years; he taught the old 
 school which he had previously attended, 
 and also in Adams Township for a time. 
 In the winter of 1887, he resigned his 
 school to accept the position of county de- 
 tective, under appointment of former 
 judge, Hon. A. L. Hazen. During his term 
 he was sent to Canada to make an arrest, 
 and bore extradition papers from Presi- 
 dent Cleveland, that being the first case of 
 the kind in Butler Country. He served ef- 
 ficiently for three years, and immediately 
 after was elected justice of the peace of 
 Forward Township, in which capacity he 
 has served, except for one term when he 
 was out of office, with marked ability ever 
 since. He also served two terms as school 
 director. He has been agent at Watters 
 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for 
 fifteen years, and for three years has been 
 in the employ of the South Penn Oil Com- 
 pany. For several years he conducted a 
 general store on his property, and since 
 1892, his wife has continuously been in 
 charge of the post-office. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar was married in July, 1881, 
 to Marry A. Boggs, a daughter of Andrew 
 Boggs, and four children have been born 
 to them: Walter, who is located in West 
 Virginia and is foreman of the South Penn 
 Oil Company, married Chloe Senes of 
 West Virginia, and they have a son, Ralph ; 
 Maude, who lives in Virginia; Gertrude; 
 and Ralph, who married Vera Davidson, 
 is also in the employ of the South Penn 
 
AND KEPRESENTxlTTVE CITIZENS 
 
 1093 
 
 Oil Company. Politically, Mr. Dunbar is 
 a Republican, and is now serving his sec- 
 ond term as supervisor. Fraternally, he 
 is a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
 and the Knights of the ALaccabees. " 
 
 JOHN A. CROSS, a well known oil pro- 
 ducer and a member of the firm of Cross 
 Brothers, has been a resident of Bruin, But- 
 ler County, Penna., since 1902, and has 
 been prominently identified with the af- 
 fairs of that borough. He was formerly, 
 for a period of two years, one of the pro- 
 prietors of the Bruin' Machine and Tool 
 Company, in partnership with Mr. N. F. 
 Stanton. He has been engaged in the oil 
 fields for many years, and has been a pro- 
 ducer in Parker Township, Butler County, 
 for seven years. 
 
 Mr. Cross was born February 16, 1872, 
 in Eastern Kansas, and is a son of Prof. 
 Daniel McLean Cross, now deceased, who 
 was a well known educator of Western 
 Pennsylvania. Professor Cross was edu- 
 cated in Allegheny College at Meadville, 
 and thereafter entered upon his profes- 
 sion as a teacher. He was the first princi- 
 pal of West Sunbury Academy, and also 
 taught at Harrisville and "Clintonville 
 Academies, and other institutions in Penn- 
 sylvania. He was a man of the highest ed- 
 ucational attainments, and lived an hon- 
 orable and useful life. His death occurred 
 in 1898. 
 
 John A. Cross was. five years of age 
 when brought by his parents to Butler 
 County, Penna., and was reared in the vi- 
 cinity of Harrisville until he was eighteen 
 years old, in the meantime receiving his 
 educational training in the various insti- 
 tutions with which his father was identi- 
 fied. When nineteen years old he went to 
 the ''Hundred Foot" oil field in Butler 
 County, where he worked for a time, then 
 went to Sistersville, West Virginia, whei'e 
 he was employed in the oil fields for Jen- 
 nings Brothers, for three years. He next 
 went to Doddridge County. West Virginia, 
 
 where he continued in the employ of Jen- 
 nings Brothers for six j-ears, after which, 
 in 1901, he became an oil operator in Park- 
 er Township, Butler County, Penna., tak- 
 ing up his residence in Bruin in 1902. He 
 is in partnership with his brother, Henry 
 A. M. Cross, and the business is carried on 
 under the firm name of Cross Brothers. 
 Mr. Cross entered actively into the busi- 
 ness, social and religious life of Bruin, and 
 is one of the most progressive and public 
 spirited men of the borough. He is serving 
 his third consecutive term as member of 
 the board of directors of Bruin Borough 
 School District, and has served both as sec- 
 retary and treasurer of that body. 
 
 In 1903, Mr. Cross became one of the 
 organizers of the Bruin Baseball Club, and 
 served as its manager for five years, dur- 
 ing which time the club established an 
 enviable reputation; they played between 
 forty and fifty games each season, and were 
 returned victors in full two-thirds of their 
 games. In 1906, he brought the Pittsburg 
 National League Club to Bruin for one 
 game, the attendance being the largest of 
 anv athletic event ever held in the borough. 
 
 October 18, 1899, John A. Cross was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Evalena 
 Campbell, who was born in Butler County, 
 and is a daughter of James E. Campbell 
 of Concord To"nmship. Four sons were the 
 issue of this marriage, namely: W. Merle; 
 Algy R. ; Harold, who is deceased; and 
 Cecil L. Mr. Cross is a member of Fair- 
 view United Presbyterian Church and is a 
 member of the Session. He has been a 
 thorough student of Biblical lore, and has 
 frequently contributed written articles on 
 theological subjects. He is a teacher in 
 the Bible class of the Fairview Church. 
 He is a Republican in national politics, but 
 has Prohibition tendencies. 
 
 THOMAS J. KELLEY, a well known 
 and highly esteemed citizen of Cherry 
 Township, who is engaged in cultivating 
 ninety-five acres of fine farm land situated 
 
1094 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 about one ami oue-iialf miles north of 
 Bovard, was born on a farm at Coal Town, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, August 21, 
 1841, and is a son of Aaron and Lucy 
 (Heald) Kelley. 
 
 Aaron Kelley was born in Perry County, 
 Peuna., and came to Butler County as a 
 boy with his father, Joseph Kelley, who 
 settled first in Worth Township, where he 
 died. Aaron Kelley some years after his 
 father's death, sold the farm in Worth 
 Township, and moved to Ashtabula Coun- 
 ty, Ohio, but subsequently removed to New 
 Castle, where he was living at the time of 
 his death. 
 
 Some time after his marriage, Thomas 
 J. Kelley removed to Ashtabula County, 
 Ohio, with his father, but about 188U or 
 1881 went to Venango County, Peuna., 
 where he resided until 1890, in wliich year 
 he purchased his present farm in Cherry 
 Township, Butler County. He carries on 
 general farming, and his knowledge of 
 agricultural matters, together with his 
 thrift and enterprise, have caused liim to 
 succeed in his operations. His ninety-five 
 acres are in an excellent state of cultiva- 
 tion, and the substantial buildings and 
 well-kept premises give the property a 
 pleasing appearance. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Kelley was married in But- 
 ler County, to Matilda Crawford, who was 
 born in Ireland, a daughter of Charles 
 Crawford, and came to America as a baby. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kelley have been the par- 
 ents of nine children, namely : Frank, who 
 resides in New York State; James, de- 
 ceased; Charles, who is married and re- 
 sides on a part of the home farm ; Joseph, 
 who is married; Clara; John; Minnie, and 
 one child which died in infancy. 
 
 HUSTON RUSSELL, joint owner with 
 his wife of a farm of 100 acres of valuable 
 land, situated in Cherry Township, two 
 and one-half miles north of West Sunbury, 
 was born in Cherry Township, Butler 
 Countv, Pennsylvania, on a farm about one 
 
 mile east of his present one, February 22, 
 1830. His parents were David and Jane 
 (Patton) Russell, farming people of 
 Cherry Township. 
 
 Huston Russell was reared in Cherry 
 Township, went to school there in boyhood 
 and was trained by a very practical father 
 to be a good farmer, and he has made 
 agricultural pursuits his life work. In 
 the summer of 1864 he enlisted for service 
 in the Civil War, entering Captain Barnes' 
 company in the Sixth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Heavy Artilleiy, in which he was 
 a messmate with his present friend and 
 neighbor, Hugh Sproul, also of Cherry 
 Township. Mr. Russell remained in the 
 service imtil the close of the war and then 
 returned to Cherry Township, where he 
 has lived ever since. This property for- 
 merly belonged to his father-in-law, the 
 late George McElwain, and adjoins the 
 100-acre farm owned by John S. Campbell, 
 Esq. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Russell was married to Miss 
 Annis McElvain, who is a daughter of 
 George and Mary Ann (McGill) McEl- 
 vain, the former of whom died in 1854, and 
 the latter in 1870. Mrs. Russell is one of 
 the three survivors of a family of nine 
 children. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Russell have been born 
 ten children, three of whom are deceased, 
 namely: Perry, who died aged seventeen 
 years; Samantha, who was the wife of 
 Sliei'man McNeice; and Bessie, who died 
 aged sixteen months. The survivors are: 
 Mary Emma, who married Archie Mc- 
 Laughlin; Zella Maud, who is the wife of 
 Floras Burch; Rose, who is the wife of 
 Jesse Fellabaum; John, who resides at 
 Butler; Reuben, wbo resides on his fine 
 farm near Greenville, Pennsylvania; 
 George, who resides at Salem, Ohio; and 
 Golden, who manages the home farm. The 
 three sons first mentioned are the oldest 
 of the family, the three daughters come 
 next, and the youngest is the son who re- 
 mains at home, unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1097 
 
 Russell are leading members of the Pleas- 
 ant Valley Presbyterian Church, in which 
 Mr. Russell is an elder. Their home is 
 one of genial good cheer and hospitality, 
 and they have a wide circle of friends. 
 Family gatherings frequently take place 
 and among the most welcome guests in the 
 old home are the eleven grandchildren. 
 
 W. L. ALLEN, proprietor of The Re- 
 liance Telephone and Manufacturing Com- 
 pany, of Butler, is identified with other 
 business interests of this section and is 
 numbered with the representative men of 
 this city. He was born at Portageville, in 
 Wyoming County, New York, in 1858, and 
 when eight years of age accompanied the 
 family to Corry, Penna., where he obtained 
 his public school education. 
 
 The first work in which Mr. Allen was 
 engaged was done during a school vacation, 
 for the Corry Tub and Pail Factory. Later 
 he worked for a short time in a local ma- 
 chine shop and this gave him a taste for 
 machinery, induced him to learn the trade 
 and to work at the same until 1879, when 
 he became a clerk in the post-office at Brad- 
 ford, and in 1880 he had a mail contract in 
 McKean County. When he came to But- 
 ler, in 1886, he entered the machine shops 
 of T. & W. G. Hays & Company, where he 
 continued until 1890, when he went with 
 the firm of Masseth & Black, with whom he 
 remained until 1896. Mr. Allen then em- 
 barked in business at Evans City, under 
 the style of Elliott Brothers & Allen Ma- 
 chine Shops, but in the spring of 1900 he 
 sold out to his partners and came to But- 
 ler again, where he had already many so- 
 cial and business ties. He resumed busi- 
 ness in this city, establishing the Butler 
 Electro Plating" Works, and in 1904, in 
 partnership with J. B. Nixon, purchased 
 the plant of the United States Electric 
 Manufacturing Company, in less than a 
 year becoming sole proprietor. He then 
 combined his two plants under the name 
 of The Reliance Telephone and Manufac- 
 
 turing Company. He manufactures the 
 best telephones that are now in use and 
 also chandeliers. His business is a con- 
 stantly growing one and is a standard con- 
 cern in the commercial life of Butler. Mr. 
 Allen is a director and secretary of the 
 Ozark Uplift Oil and Mining Company, a 
 corporation that controls 9,000 acres of 
 land in the Ozark regions of Missouri. 
 
 In 1881, Mr. Allen was married to Miss 
 MoUie E. White, a daughter of Thomas B. 
 Wliite and a great-granddaughter of 
 Matthew White, who was one of the first 
 commissioners of Butler County, this fam- 
 ily being one of the old-settled ones of this 
 section. Mr. Allen's maternal grandfather 
 was a McQuiston and his father came to 
 Butler County as early as 1796. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Allen have five children, namely : Roy 
 M., who resides in New York City; Frank 
 W., who lives at Dubois, Pennsylvania; 
 and Carrie B., Marion E. and Ruth M., at 
 home. Mr. Allen and family are members 
 of the First Baptist Church, in which he 
 has served as a deacon for many years. 
 In his political views he is a Prohibitionist 
 and in former years served as secretary of 
 the Butler County Committee of that 
 party. 
 
 ELI OESTERLING, a representative 
 citizen of Butler Township where he re- 
 sides on his valuable farm of seventy-five 
 acres, which he devotes to general agricul- 
 ture and dairying, is a member of one of 
 the oldest families in Butler County. He 
 was born in Summit Township, Fef)ruary 
 22, 1853, and is a son of John and Mary 
 Weisenstine Oesterling. 
 
 John Oesterling, father of Eli, was born 
 in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and died 
 in Butler County in 1870, aged fifty-two 
 years. He was thirteen years of age when 
 he accompanied his parents to America. 
 They were John and Elizabeth (Ripper) 
 Oesterling and they came to Pennsylvania 
 from Germany, in 1831, and settled near 
 Herman Station, in Summit Township, 
 
1098 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Butler County, where John Oesterling died 
 in his sixty-seventh year. Eight of his 
 fourteen cliildren grew to mature years, 
 his son John being the eldest of the family. 
 Although this sou never enjoyed robust 
 health, he engaged in farming through life 
 and also performed many offices of a good 
 citizen. He was a Whig in his earlier 
 years and later a Democrat. In his town- 
 ship he was highly esteemed and his fel- 
 low citizens elected him school director and 
 also tax collector. He gave liberally of 
 his means in support of the German Luth- 
 eran Church, in which he was one of the 
 elders. He married a daughter of John 
 Weisenstine, who was a farmer in Luzerne 
 County. To this marriage were born nine 
 children, namely : Henry, deceased ; James, 
 deceased; Katherine, wife of Harvey Bal- 
 douff, of Butler; Frederick, of Summit 
 Township; Eli; Margaret, wife of Jacob 
 Shoup, of Oakland Township; Charles, of 
 Millerstown; Lewis, residing on the old 
 homestead; and Sarah, deceased. 
 
 Eli Oesterling was reared in Summit 
 Township and there obtained his educa- 
 tion. After his marriage he left the home 
 farm and moved on his grandfather Weisr 
 enstine's farm, in Butler Township, where 
 he remained for four years, when he moved 
 to the Mitchell farm, on which he lived for 
 fifteen years. In 1897 he bought his pres- 
 ent property and has given close and care- 
 ful attention to developing it ever since. 
 He keeps fifteen head of cattle and has 
 over sixty-five acres of his land in corn, 
 oats, wheat and hay. His oldest son oper- 
 ates a successful milk route in Butler, 
 which was started fifteen years ago, and 
 about thirty gallons of milk are disposed 
 of daily. 
 
 Mr. Oesterling married Catherine Brau- 
 tegan, who was born in Kur-Hessen, Ger- 
 many. She was thirteen years of age when 
 her parents brought her to America and 
 settled at Etna, Allegheny County, in 1863. 
 Seven of Mr. and Mrs. Oesterling's family 
 of eight children grew up and they are 
 
 named as follows: Ferdinand H., who 
 manages the milk route ; Raines David, re- 
 sides at home; Gertrude married William 
 McDowell and they live on the home farm ; 
 Alice married Gilbert Ford of Butler 
 Township; and Daniel, Sarah and Clar- 
 ence, reside at home. Mr. Oesterling and 
 family belong to the German Lutheran 
 Church. He is one of the township's lead- 
 ing Democrats and for nine years served 
 as a school director, for three years was 
 supervisor, for four years was assessor 
 and is now serving in the office of roadmas- 
 ter. His excellent judgment and sound 
 business sense make him one of the most 
 useful citizens of his community. 
 
 HENRY WAHL, who lives on the north- 
 ern line of Forward Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., comes of an old and re- 
 spected family of the community, the town 
 of Wahlville deriving its name from his 
 father who was engaged in coal mining at 
 that point. He has a fine farm of seventy- 
 one acres, and has had a most active career 
 in the fields of business. 
 
 Henry Wahl was born on the home farm 
 in Forward Township, August 6, 1853, and 
 is a son of Martin and Christina (Kreis) 
 Wahl. Martin Wahl was born in France 
 and was ten years of age when he accom- 
 panied his parents to the United States, 
 they locating in Jackson Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., and he lived there with 
 his parents until his marriage, then pur- 
 chased a farm where Wahlville now stands. 
 The latter years of his life were spent at 
 Evans City. He was always a hard work- 
 er and, starting as a poor man, accumu- 
 lated a competency, becoming one of the 
 well-to-do and substantial citizens of the 
 township. He purchased his farm at a 
 price of $11 per acre. He operated a coal 
 bank on the farm, and later was engaged 
 in the milling business at Evans City. In 
 politics, he was an unswerving Democrat. 
 His first marriage was with a Miss Holt, 
 who died a short time afterward. He later 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1099 
 
 married Christina Kreis, who also was a 
 native of Germany, and to them were born 
 the following children: Christina, wife 
 of Henry Bas^maker; William; Henry; 
 Catherine, wife of Henry Mickley; An- 
 drew ; Lena, wife of John Marburger ; Aus- 
 mus; Matilda, wife of W. C. Lauderer; 
 George; and Anna, wife of Adam Dom- 
 baugh. The mother of the subject of this 
 sketch died in 1895. Martin Wahl formed 
 a third union with Mrs. Winrater. His 
 death occurred in 1903, at the age of eighty 
 years. 
 
 Henry Wahl spent his boyhood days 
 upon the farm, which he aided in clearing. 
 He had very limited educational advan- 
 tages as his assistance was needed at home, 
 and early became inured to hard work, he 
 and his brother, William, starting in to 
 haul coal before they were able to harness 
 the horses. He resided at home until his 
 marriage, then purchased a farm of fifty- 
 one acres in Forward Township, of the 
 Grahams; he later sold this property and 
 returned to the home place of 120 acres 
 which he farmed for his father. He re- 
 mained there until he purchased his pres- 
 ent farm of seventy-one acres of Henry 
 Ziegler, and here he has engaged in gen- 
 eral farming and stockraising, although 
 he has also given considerable time to the 
 oil and coal business, in which he has been 
 very successful. He has a fine brick resi- 
 dence, and the farm is well equipped with 
 other substantial buildings and improve- 
 ments so necessary to the successful prose- 
 cution of farming. 
 
 June 15, 1880, Mr. Wahl was joined in 
 wedlock with Miss Anna Schilling, sister 
 of Alexander Schilling, a record of whom 
 ajjpears on another page of this work. 
 Five children are the issue of this union, 
 namely: Emma, wife of Charles Fageley; 
 Christina, a trained nurse at Pittsburg; 
 Herman, who is attending school at Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio; Lena; and ^Minnie. Re- 
 ligiously, the family belong to the Luther- 
 an Church, in which he has been an officer 
 
 for more than twenty years. Politically, 
 he is a Democrat, but is inclined to be in- 
 dependent locally, giving his support to 
 the man best fitted for the office. He has 
 served as school director and was the first 
 supervisor elected under the new law. 
 
 HON. WILLIAM S. WALDRON, who 
 was long known throughout Butler County 
 as a type of its best and most representa- 
 tive citizenship, was bom in Forward 
 Township, this county, June 23, 1823, and 
 died August 13, 1907. He was the young- 
 est son of John S. and Maria (Lindsey) 
 Waldron. His education, though confined 
 to the English branches, was thorough, 
 and for some years he was engaged in the 
 profession of teaching, in 1818 being prin- 
 cipal of a public school in Peoria, Illinois. 
 Subsequently returning home, he pur- 
 chased the old homestead, and a year or 
 two later, about 1854, remodeled and im- 
 proved the buildings. He took a promi- 
 nent part in local affairs, being one of the 
 school directors of Forward Township for 
 thirty years, and served for three years on 
 the School Board of Evans City. The con- 
 fidence of his fellow citizens in his capacity 
 as a man of affairs was shown in 1856, 
 when they elected him county auditor, and 
 again in 1872 when he was elected to the 
 Legislature, in both of which positions he 
 served with credit. He was a man of broad 
 and liberal views, but by no means super- 
 ficial, to the end of his life keeping him- 
 self well informed in regard to all impor- 
 tant subjects, and carrying out thoroughly 
 every enterprise in which he engaged. 
 With so many of the old time Whigs, he 
 joined the ReiJublican party on its forma- 
 tion, and was always influential in the 
 local councils of the party. He was a 
 member and past master of Harmony 
 Lodge, F. & A. M., and was also prominent 
 in Oddfellowship, being a charter mem- 
 ber of Evans City Lodge of that order, 
 and a member of the Encampment. By 
 diligence in business he accumulated a fair 
 
1100 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 share of this world's goods, and was rated 
 among the substantial and prosperous citi- 
 zens of the county. 
 
 On September 3, 1846, Mr. Waldron was 
 united in marriage with Eliza M. Bellis, 
 who died in 1904. She was a daughter of 
 John and Susan (Kline) BeUis. Mrs. 
 Waldron came to Butler with her jjarents 
 in 1842 from Luzerne County, Penna. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Waldron were born the 
 following children : 0. K. Waldron, Susan 
 O., Theodore C, William S., Laura H., J. 
 C, Eva M., Reuben 0., Maria B., Fred V., 
 Elizabeth A. J., Ulysses S. (Jr., Ada M. and 
 Leota E. 0. K. Waldron is a graduate in 
 dentistry, but not now engaged m the prac- 
 tice of his profession. He was the tirst 
 regular graduate practitioner in the coun- 
 ty. His present business activities are in 
 connection with the Lyndora Bank, of 
 which he is vice president. He owns and 
 resides on a fine farm about two miles from 
 Butler. Susan O. is the wife of Nelson 
 B. Duncan. Theodore S. resides in Wash- 
 ington State. Laura H. is the wife of R. 
 M. Ivinnear; Eva M. is the wife of J. B. 
 Evans. Maria B. is the wife of F. B. 
 Dodds, Ada M. the wife of B. S. Buhl, and 
 Leota E. of 0. S. Sutton. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Waldron will long be remembered as among 
 the worthiest residents of their day, in 
 Butler County. 
 
 JOHN BERINGER is the owner of a 
 valuable farm of 132 acres lying about 
 one mile north of Evans City, in Forward 
 Township, Butler County, Penna. He was 
 born on this farm, March 31, 1851, and is 
 a son of John, Sr., and Catherine (Har- 
 tung) Beringer. 
 
 John Beringer, Sr., was born in Ger- 
 many and came with his parents, Conrad 
 and Catherine Beringer, to the United 
 States, being on the water about fifty-two 
 days. They stopped for a short time in 
 Beaver County, Penna., then came on to 
 Forward Township, where they purchased 
 the farm owned by the subject of this 
 
 sketch. The country was at that time but 
 little developed, and but sparsely settled. 
 They erected a log house and began clear- 
 ing the place. Conrad Beringer, during 
 the war, left on a visit to his brother in 
 Indiana, but never reached his destination 
 nor was heard from again. Much money 
 was spent in tracing his movements, but 
 all that was found concerning him was 
 that he was shipped from Rochester on 
 the lakes, a ship 's books bearing his signa- 
 ture. His wife, Catherine, lived to an ad- 
 vanced age. They had four children: 
 John, father of the subject of this record; 
 Eliza, wife of Nicholas Kline, both now 
 deceased ; Conrad, deceased ; and Cather- 
 ine, wife of Fred Kreise, both deceased. 
 
 John Beringer, Sr., the eldest of the 
 children, was about sixteen years old at 
 the time of the family's arrival in this 
 country. He spent his winters in working 
 in the lumber camps, rafting logs down the 
 river, and earning money with which to 
 improve the home farm. The summer 
 months were spent in clearing and cultivat- 
 ing the land. He was a hard worker and 
 prospered, and lived on this farm until his 
 death in 1900, at the age of ^eventy-two 
 years. He was joined in marriage with 
 Catherine Hartung, who was born in But- 
 ler County, and is now living, in the en- 
 joyment of good health. Five children 
 were the offspring of this union : John, Jr. ; 
 Mary, wife of John M. Miller; Catherine, 
 wife of William Wilson; Harry; and Em- 
 ma, wife of James Elder. 
 
 John Beringer, Jr., was reared and has 
 always lived on his present farm. He at- 
 tended the old Stamm school, through the 
 woods, for a time, but his educational ad- 
 vantages were exceedingly limited. His 
 father was ill for three years during his 
 boyhood, and as he was the eldest of the 
 children, it became necessary for him to 
 remain at home and look after the farm. 
 He helped clear the farm, and hauled the 
 lumber and stone used in the construction 
 of the barn which now stands on the place. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1101 
 
 He continued to manage the affairs of the 
 farm from an early date, and after his 
 father's death purchased the outstanding- 
 interests of the other heirs to the farm. 
 He is energetic and progressive, and takes 
 rank among tlie foremost men of the town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Beringer was married to Miss Mary 
 Cooper, a daughter of James Cooper, and 
 in the spring of 1908 he was called upon to 
 mourn her loss through death. Three 
 children were horn to them: Blanche, 
 Harry, and Susan. Religiously, he is a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. In politics, he is a Republican. 
 
 Mr. Beringer is engaged in general 
 farming and dairying; he keeps an aver- 
 age of fifteen head of cows, and ships milk 
 to Pittsburg. He has nine producing oil 
 wells on the farm, and this too has been 
 the source of a handsome income. 
 
 JAMES B. CALDWELL, a prominent 
 resident of Jefferson Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., resides on a fine farm of 
 116 acres located about five miles south- 
 east of Butler, on the Butler and Freeport 
 Pike. He also has another tract of thirty- 
 eight acres in this Township, on both of 
 which oil and gas are produced in remu- 
 nerative quantities. Mr. Caldwell engages 
 in farming, as well as oil producing, and is 
 one of the substantial men of the township. 
 He was born in Armstrong County, Penn- 
 sylvania, June 14, 1842, and is a son of 
 Samuel and Mary (Beatty) Caldwell. 
 
 Richard Caldwell, paternal grandfather 
 of the subject of this sketch, came to this 
 country from Coimty Antrim, Ireland, be- 
 ing accompanied by his wife, who in maid- 
 en life was a Stewart. Samuel Caldwell 
 was born in Washington County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, whither his parents had come from 
 their native land, aTid there he grew to ma- 
 turity. He moved to Butler County and 
 later to Armstrong County, but finally re- 
 turned to Butler County, where he became 
 owner of some good farming property. 
 
 James B. Caldwell attended school some 
 in Armstrong County, but his educational 
 training was mainly obtained in the schools 
 of Butler County. He turned his attention 
 to agricultural pursuits and has one of the 
 best improved places in the neighborhood. 
 Some twenty years ago he discovered oil 
 on his property, the first being a twenty- 
 five barrel well. He now has nine good 
 wells on the place, and five wells on his 
 other property. Although he has been one 
 of the most active oil men, he has not 
 worked off his own land, his wells giving 
 him all he could attend to. Underlying 
 his land are two strata of coal, about ten 
 feet thick, at a depth, respectively, of fifty 
 feet and 200 feet. 
 
 November 7, 1867, Mr. Caldwell was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Rebecca J. 
 Barr, a daughter of Henry Harrison and 
 Ann Eliza (Lj'on) Barr, and grand- 
 daughter of Michael and Martha (Holmes) 
 Barr. Michael Barr came from Germany 
 to this country, and at his death was lo- 
 cated in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, 
 from whence came Henry H. to Butler 
 County. Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell became 
 parents of the following children: Sam- 
 uel H., who married Jane Davis and has 
 three children, — Elsie R., Elton and Beu- 
 lah; Mary, a graduate of Sunbury, who 
 married Frank Hinchberger of Butler, by 
 whom she has the following children : Bea- 
 trice, Bertha, Luella, and Stella (de- 
 ceased) ; Elizabeth, wife of L. B. Steele of 
 Portei'sville, by whom she has six chil- 
 dren, — Floyd, Ferda, Erla, Nellie, Vena 
 and Pearl; Sadie, wife of John Mcllvain, 
 by whom she has three children, — Ralph, 
 Homer and Eveline ; Caroline and Adaline, 
 twins; Ellen Rebecca; James Foster, de- 
 ceased; Bertha, deceased; and two who 
 died in infancy. The subject of this sketch 
 is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church of Thorn Creek, to which Mrs. 
 Caldwell also belongs. He has ever taken 
 a deep interest in the progress of the com- 
 munity and has been especially interested 
 
1102 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in the betterment of the school system, 
 serving- some years as a member of the 
 School Board. 
 
 JOSEPH E. HOLBEIN, secretary and 
 treasurer of the Edward Dambach Com- 
 panj' of Evans City, Pennsylvania, is one 
 of the successful business men of Butler 
 County. Throughout his active career he 
 has been identified with the liynber busi- 
 ness, beginning in his boyhood days, and 
 is well qualified to direct the affairs of a 
 concern of such magnitude as the Edward 
 Dambach Company. 
 
 This enterprise was established in 1885 
 by J. and E. Dambach, who successfully 
 conducted the lumber yard and planing 
 mill in partnership until about 1895. Jacob 
 Dambach retired at that time and was suc- 
 ceeded in the business by Edward Dam- 
 bach, who continued it alone until 1904. 
 In that year it was organized into a stock 
 company with Edward Dambach as presi- 
 dent; Joseph E. Holbein, vice-president; 
 and H. W. Dambach, secretary and treas- 
 urer. After the death of H. W. Dambach, 
 March 24, 1904, and that of Edward in 
 May, 1905, the Edward Dambach Com- 
 pany was reorganized with the following 
 officers : S. J. Irvine, president ; W. P. 
 Kinsey, vice-president; and J. E. Hol- 
 bein, secretary and treasurer. The lum- 
 ber-yard and planing-mill, at which about 
 fifty men are employed, covers four acres 
 of ground and is the largest plant in Evans 
 City, as well as one of the largest of its 
 kind in Western Pennsylvania. 
 
 Joseph E. Holbein was born on his 
 father's farm in Medina County, Ohio, 
 October 12, 1867, and is a son of Elias and 
 Lydia (Kulp) Holbein. The father was a 
 farmer and a harness niaker but died early 
 in life, our subject being but four years 
 old at the time. The latter was one of five 
 children born to his parents, and at the 
 tender age of eight years began work. At 
 the age of thirteen years he began working 
 in the woods for a lumber yard at Wads- 
 
 worth, Ohio, and later at a saw-mill, de- 
 voting his attention to learning the details 
 of the business. He was ambitious to ac- 
 quire an education, having received very 
 little schooling in his younger days, and 
 when eighteen years old entered Western 
 Reserve Normal School, having saved 
 enough to enable him to attend that insti- 
 tution two years. During that time he 
 spent his evenings in newspaper work. In 
 1890 Mr. Holbein moved to Evans City 
 and entered the employ of the Edward 
 Dambach Company as a general mill man. 
 His advancement with this firm was rapid, 
 and in 1904 became a stockholder and now 
 has general charge of the plant. 
 
 Mr. Holbein was united in marriage in 
 1898 with Miss M. M. Mickley, a daughter 
 of Henry Mickley, and they have a son, 
 Delmont E. Fraternally, he is a member 
 of Lodge No. 429, P. & A. M., of Zelienople, 
 Pennsylvania. He is a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and has served as auditor of Evans 
 City, a member of the board of health, and 
 is at present a member of the school board. 
 In religious attachment, he anci his wife 
 are members of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 WILLIAM P. KINSEY, a successful 
 business man and well known citizen of 
 Evans City, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 is vice-president of the Edward Damliacli 
 Company, which operates a large planing- 
 mill and lumber yard in that village. He 
 was born in Porter sville, Butler County, 
 February 17, 1869, and is a son of Jacob 
 and Elizabeth (Wimer) Kinsey. 
 
 Jacob Kinsey was born in 1832 in Bed- 
 ford County, Pennsylvania, his fatlier hav- 
 ing come from Germany and settled there 
 at an early date. Jacob subsequently 
 moved to Portersville, Butler County, 
 where he followed his trade as a shoe- 
 maker and lived until his death, in De- 
 cember, 1899. He married Elizabeth 
 Wimer, who is of English descent and was 
 born at Portersville in 1845. Her father, 
 Jacob Wimer, was a blacksmith by trade 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1107 
 
 and was one of the tirst I'esidents of that 
 village. Five children were born to Jacob 
 and Elizabeth Kinsey, namely: Margaret, 
 who died at the age of two years ; William 
 Penn, Prank, George, and John. 
 
 William P. Kinsey spent his boyhood 
 days in his native village and there at- 
 tended the public schools. He attended 
 the academy at that place two years, and 
 one year at Slippery Rock, after which 
 he engaged in teaching school. In 1889 
 he began teaching and continued for eight 
 years, five years of which time he was lo- 
 cated near Ogle, in Butler County. He 
 later entered the employ of L. N. Burry, 
 a well known hardware dealer of Evans 
 City, and served as bookkeeper for two 
 years, after which he continued six years 
 in the same capacity for Burry & Markel. 
 In 1904 he came to the Edward Dambach 
 Company as bookkeeper, and the following 
 year became a stockholder and was elected 
 viee-jiresident of the firm. He is a man 
 of exceptional business capability, and one 
 of the sulistantial citizens of the village. 
 
 June 22, 1892, Mr. Kinsey was joined 
 in marriage with Aurelia Cookson, a 
 daughter of E. J. and Hannah Jane Cook- 
 son, and they reside in a fine home on Jef- 
 ferson Street, which he erected at the time' 
 of his removal to Evans City. They are 
 ]iarents of three children — Ada May, Wil- 
 bur Lowery, and Ernest Dewey. Relig- 
 iously, they are members of St. John's 
 Reformed Clnirch. Fraternally, he is a 
 member of Evans City Lodge No. 295, 
 K. P. ; Lodge No. 429, F. & A. M., at Har- 
 mony; and Eastern Star No. 37, Evans 
 City. Politically, Mr. Kinsey is an ardent 
 Republican and has filled all the village 
 offices except that of justice of the peace. 
 
 0. P. CAMPBELL, a substantial citi- 
 zen of West Sunbury, where he has served 
 as postmaster since July 1, 1901, and an 
 honored veteran of the great Civil War. 
 was born in 1843, in Bruin, Butler Coimtv, 
 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Robert and 
 Jane (Sheppard) Campbell. 
 
 Mr. Campbell 's father having died when 
 he was still a lad, he was reared on the 
 farm of his great-uncle, Thomas Campbell, 
 in Parker Township. In December, 1861, 
 he enlisted at Kittanning, Pennsylvania, in 
 Company K, One Hundred and Third Reg- 
 iment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 serving three years and then veteranizing 
 with the same regiment, his service in all 
 covering a period of three years and seven 
 months. Mr. Campbell was captured by 
 the Confederates at Plymouth, North Car- 
 olina, April 20, 1864, and was taken to 
 Andersonville Prison, where he was de- 
 tained five months. For the following 
 three months he was confined in a tem- 
 porary prison at the Charleston Fair 
 Grounds, and was then taken to Florence, 
 South Carolina, where he remained a pris- 
 oner until his exchange, in December, 
 
 1864. From that time until the spring of 
 
 1865, Mr. Campbell was sick at the home 
 of his great-uncle, but on recuperating he 
 rejoined his regiment and remained with 
 them until receiving his discharge at New- 
 burn, North Carolina, in June, 1865. He 
 proved himself a brave and faithful sol- 
 dier, and had an army record of which any 
 man might be proud. After his services to 
 his country were completed, Mr. Campbell 
 returned home for several weeks, then 
 going to Oil Creek, near Oil City, and for 
 two years was employed in the oil fields, 
 after which he engaged in farming in 
 Washington Township. After about eight 
 years spent in the latter township, Mr. 
 Campbell removed to Cherry Township, 
 where he followed the same occupation for 
 a period covering seventeen years, and in 
 the spring of 1S96 he came to West Sun- 
 bury, where he has since been a leading- 
 citizen. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was married in 1868 to 
 Abigail Glenn, who is a daughter of James 
 Glenn, of Clay Township, and they have 
 
1108 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 three children, namely: Dr. Willard B., of 
 Harrisville, Pennsylvania, married Jennie 
 Stewart, of Cherry Township, and they 
 have three children, — Charlotte, Malcolm 
 P. and Paul; Melvin G., engaged in the 
 real estate business in Pittsburg, married 
 Florence McCall, of Clay Township, and 
 has two children, — Mildred F. and Grayda 
 G.; and Claude C, in the hardware busi- 
 ness in West Sunbury, married Flora Rus- 
 sel, of Concord Township, and has two 
 children, — Ronald and Helen. Mr. Camp- 
 bell is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church at West Sunbury. 
 
 ALBERT RUFF, of the firm of A. Ruff 
 & Sons, leading shoe merchants at Butler, 
 conducting the oldest established shoe 
 house in the city, is prominently identified 
 with other successful business enterprises 
 of the section. Mr. Ruff was born March 
 25, 1846, at Butler, Penna., and is a son 
 of Ignatius Ruff, who was bom m Ger- 
 many in 1812 and came to Butler in 1830. 
 
 Albert Ruff attended the early Butler 
 schools and before he had identified him- 
 self with any permanent business, he en- 
 tered the Federal Army as a soldier, en- 
 listing in 1863, as a private in the Fifty- 
 eighth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer In- 
 fantiy. At the expiration of his first term 
 of three months, Mr. Ruff reenlisted, con- 
 tracting for three years or until the close 
 of the war, and honorably fulfilled his 
 promises as a member of Company A, Sev- 
 enty-sixth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer In- 
 fantry. When he returned to Butler he 
 went into the shoe business as a member of 
 the firm of Bickel Son & Co., which later 
 became Bickel & Ruff. This firm was suc- 
 ceeded by Albert Ruff and in the course 
 of years the change was made to its pres- 
 ent style of A. Ruff & Sons. This shoe 
 business is one of the old landmark con- 
 cerns of the city, remarkable not only for 
 its continuance but also for its honorable 
 methods which have always kept to the 
 old standard. Mr. Ruff owns oil inter- 
 
 ests in several sections and is treasurer 
 of the Rough Run Manufacturing Com- 
 pany. 
 
 In 1869, Mr. Ruff was married to Miss 
 Mary Bickel, who is a daughter of Philip 
 Bickel, and they have three children, two 
 sons and one daughter; Philip W. and 
 Charles H., both of whom are members of 
 the firm of A. Ruff" & Sons ; and Millie, re- 
 siding at home. Philip W. Ruff is presi- 
 dent of the Butler School Board and was 
 chairman of the building committee during 
 the erection of the fine High School struc- 
 ture lately completed. He has taken much 
 interest in educational matters and has 
 been a member of the School Board a 
 number of years and for five years served 
 as secretary. He is a Mason, an Odd Fel- 
 low and an Elk. In 1900, he was married 
 to Miss Emma L. Cromm, a daughter of 
 William Cromm, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Mary Cromm and Evelyn Isabel. 
 Philip W. Ruff and wife are members of 
 the Presbyterian Church and they belong 
 to the Country Club. 
 
 Charles H. Ruff, the second son, was 
 married in June, 1907, to Miss p]lizalieth 
 Reiber, a daughter of Jacob K('il)cr. They 
 are members of the Lutheran Church, and 
 he is connected with the fraternal order of 
 Maccabees. 
 
 Albert Ruff has taken much interest in 
 the Grand Army Post at Butler ever since 
 it was established. During the larger part 
 of his life he has been a member of the 
 United Presbyterian Church and has been 
 a trustee of the Church at Butler for eight 
 
 JAMES NEWTON MAHARG, a repre- 
 sentative citizen and prominent farmer of 
 Penn Township, residing on his finely im- 
 proved farm of 132 acres, was born on this 
 farm August 9, 1862, and is a son of James 
 and Catherine (Brown) Maharg. 
 
 James Maharg was born in Forward 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., and died 
 when aged eighty-four years. He came 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1109 
 
 •with his father to the farm now owned by 
 James N. Maharg, when three years old 
 and Kved on it through the rest of his life, 
 surviving into old age but not reaching the 
 years of his father, who lived to the age 
 of 103 years. He was John E. Maharg, 
 who came from County Down, Ireland, as 
 a very early settler in "i3utler County, lived 
 first in Forward and later in Penn Town- 
 ship, and was the first postmaster of the 
 village of Maharg. James Maharg re- 
 mained on the Penn Township farm, which, 
 in his day, contained 265 acres, the larger 
 part of which he assisted to clear. He was 
 a Whig in his early political faith but later 
 became a Republican and at various times 
 he served in the offices of the township. 
 He married a daughter of Peter Brown, of 
 Allegheny, Penna., and they had twelve 
 children born to them, nine of whom 
 reached maturity, James Newton being 
 the eighth in order of birth. 
 
 James Newton Maharg was reared and 
 educated in his native township and has 
 always devoted his attention to farming. 
 He has 120 acres of his land under cul- 
 tivation and his crops include corn, oats, 
 wheat, hay and potatoes. There is a prob- 
 ability that oil may be developed on his 
 farm and two wells are now being drilled. 
 His handsome brick residence is a land- 
 mark in the township and the whole place 
 attracts favorable comments from those 
 who drive along the Plank road. 
 
 Mr. Maharg married Mary R. Brown, 
 who is a daughter of Joseph and Christie 
 Ann (Brown) Brown, and to this marriage 
 have been born eleven children, namely: 
 Mark B., a student in the class of 1910, at 
 Grove City College ; Bessie, a teacher, who 
 is a graduate of the Slippery Rock Normal 
 School; and Mary Ada, Vernetta Belle, 
 Grace Lucetta, Esther Elizabeth, Ruth 
 Catherine, John Christie, Martha Ger- 
 trude, Gladys Irene and Clara Imogene. 
 Mr. Maharg with his family belongs to the 
 Middlesex Presbyterian Church, in which 
 he is an elder. He takes a great interest 
 
 in the Sunday-scool and has served as its 
 superintendent. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Maharg is an active Re- 
 publican and is now serving as township 
 auditor and has been both treasurer and 
 clerk. He is a public-spirited citizen and 
 a level-headed business man. 
 
 EDWARD MORGAN, formerly one of 
 the prominent and useful citizens of Al- 
 legheny Township, in which he spent over 
 a quarter of a century, was born January 
 26, 1824, in County Down, Ireland, and 
 died January 27, 1901, in Butler County, 
 Penna. His parents were Hugh and Jane 
 (Dunn) ]\Iorgan, the latter of whom died 
 in Ireland and the former of whom came to 
 America and died some years later in Arm- 
 strong County, Penna. 
 
 Edward Morgan was reared in his na- 
 tive land and there obtained liis education. 
 In 1848 he emigrated to America, locating 
 in Butler County, Penna., and prior to 
 1874, engaged in farming for a time in 
 Parker Township, settling then permanent- 
 ly in Allegheny Township. He devoted 
 all liis energies to developing his farm and 
 made it one of the best in the township. 
 It contains 140 acres of finely cultivated 
 land and is now owned by his widow. 
 
 On October 23, 1856, Mr. Morgan was 
 married to Miss Florinda Graham, who 
 was born February 28, 1839, at Emlenton, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of John 
 and Mary (Hill) Graham. Her father was 
 born in JButler County and her mother in 
 Venango County. W^hen Mrs. Morgan was 
 six years old, her parents came to Butler 
 County and she was reared in Parlier 
 Township, where her father died, April 21, 
 1856. In the following October she was 
 married, as stated above, and a long and 
 happy union succeeded, she finding in her 
 Imsband a kind, loving and protecting 
 companion. There were eleven children 
 born to them and seven members of the 
 family still survive, namely : Mary J., who 
 is the wife of John A. Sloan, of Allegheny 
 
1110 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Township; Clara C, Eobert J. and Ben- 
 jamin H., all are resident of Allegheny 
 Township; Florinda A., who is the widow 
 of Finley Wonderly, late of Allegheny 
 Township; George G., who lives at Fox- 
 burg, Pennsylvania; and Margaret- E., who 
 resides with her mother. 
 
 The late Edward Morgan was one of 
 the men whom no community can easily 
 spare. He was a careful father and was 
 deeply beloved in the domestic circle, was 
 a neighbor of whom all others speak well, 
 and was a citizen whose word was as good 
 as his bond, one who set an example of 
 obedience to law and lent his influence to 
 advance educational and religious move- 
 ments. He was a Republican in his polit- 
 ical views but would never consent to hold 
 any office except those of dii'eetor of the 
 poor and school director. He was a con- 
 sistent member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, as is his widow, and he gave to 
 the needy when none but himself knew the 
 extent of his bounty. Edward Morgan was 
 a man whose memory should be perpetu- 
 ated, for his virtues were many and his 
 faults were few. 
 
 ROBERT S. TITLEY. Among the 
 many fine estates situated in Donegal 
 Township, Butler County, few are more 
 valuable or better known than the great 
 farm belonging to Robert S. Titley in part- 
 nership with his father, John W. Titley. 
 It comprises 290 acres of fine land, with 
 two producing oil wells, and many noted 
 race horses have been bred and raised here. 
 Mr. Titley was born July 5, 1873, in Arm- 
 strong County, Pennsylvania, and is a 
 son of John W. and Levina (Stepheson) 
 Titley. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Titley came to But- 
 ler County from Armstrong County, in 
 1883, and John M. Titley engaged in ex- 
 tensive farming, stockraising and oil pro- 
 ducing. When his son, Robert S., became 
 his partner, he embarked in horse-raising 
 and together they have owned such famous 
 
 racers as Star Pointer, Cloud Pointer, Hal 
 Breden and Grandeview. Mr. Titley paid 
 $1,500 for Star Pointer, when he was nine 
 months old, purchasing from Mrs. Henry 
 Pointer, of Springhill, Tennessee. The 
 colt then had a tine record which he ad- 
 vanced in the same year, and at two years 
 had a record of 2:31%. Mr. Titley kept 
 the animal for five years and then sold it 
 to a Mr. Mills, of Boston, Massachusetts. 
 Cloud Pointer was also purchased of Mrs. 
 Pointer, she considering these horses the 
 pick of her stables. Hal Breden, also a 
 noted racer, was bought from Major 
 Campbell Brown of Springhill, Tennessee. 
 John M. Titley and wife reside at Mariet- 
 ta, Ohio, where he is engaged in the oil 
 business. They had the following chil- 
 dren: William; Minnie, who married Jo- 
 seph Hecker, lives at Marietta, Ohio ; Rob- 
 ert S. ; Jennie, who married Silas Therlow, 
 lives at Marietta ; Laura, who married Rev. 
 Mergier, lives at Cincinnati; Edith, who 
 resides at Marietta; Charles, who married 
 Amy Stowe, lives in California; and Rich- 
 ard, who lives at Marietta. 
 
 Robert S. Titley was about thirteen 
 years old when his parents moved to But- 
 ler County and after finishing his educa- 
 tion, he learned the art of telegraphing 
 and worked for one year in different of- 
 fices, after which he joined his father in 
 the operation of the big stock farm of 
 which he is joint proprietor and manager. 
 
 In 1899, at Chicora, Peuna., Mr. Titley 
 was married to Miss Lena Frederick, who 
 is a daughter of George and Lavina (Shak- 
 ley) Frederick, the former of whom was 
 born in Germany and the latter in Butler 
 County. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick had 
 twelve children, namely: Henry, Ernest, 
 George, Eliza, Reuben, Edward, Retta, 
 Frederick, Lena, Setta, Emma, and Anna, 
 the last named being deceased. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Titley have two children: Paul M. 
 and Lena L. He is a member of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church at Chicora and is 
 identified with the lodge of Odd Fellows at 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1111 
 
 the same place. Mr. Titley is one of the 
 most euterprising young business men of 
 this section and both he and father de- 
 serve credit for the opportunities tliey have 
 afforded stoclvmeu of tlie county to im- 
 prove their breeding stables. 
 
 SAMUEL G. PURVIS, who was an early 
 and prominent representative of the build- 
 ing trade in Butler, founder of the firm of 
 S. G. Purvis & Company, was born in Cum- 
 berland County, Penna., May 8, 1808, eld- 
 est son of William and Isabel Purvis. His 
 youth up to the age of twenty-three years 
 was passed on his parents' farm, and he 
 then went to Pittsburg to learn the carpen- 
 ter's trade. Settling in Butler in 1832, he 
 worked at his trade here as a journeyman 
 for some two years, during which time he 
 was employed on the construction of the 
 Presbyterian Church. In 1834 he engaged 
 in business for himself as a contractor and 
 builder, and so continued until 1867. In 
 that year Mr. Purvis, taking his son Jo- 
 seph in as partner, founded the firm of S. 
 G. Purvis & Company, and they continued 
 to be engaged in contracting and building 
 exclusively until 1869, when they also em- 
 barked in the planing-mill and lumber busi- 
 ness. In 1878 they gave up contracting 
 and Iniilding in order to devote their en- 
 tire attention to their lumber and planing- 
 mill business, which had by that time con- 
 siderably increased in proportions. This 
 they subsequently developed into a most 
 flourishing business, which is continued at 
 the present day, being now one of the lead- 
 ing industrial enterprises of the city. 
 
 Though giving his chief attention to his 
 own particular business Mr. Purvis was a 
 man of varied activities. He was one of 
 the founders of the Butler Water Com- 
 pany and served as its first president; 
 was at one time proprietor of the Demo- 
 cratic Herald ; was an original stockholder 
 in the Butler and Allegheny Plank Road 
 Company, and was president of the Butler 
 ^Futnal Insurance Company from the time 
 
 of its organization until his death. He 
 was a justice of the peace for sixteen years, 
 and also served acceptably on the School 
 Board. From his youth up, he was a mem- 
 ber of the United Presbyterian Church of 
 Butler, in which for manj^ years he was 
 also an elder and trustee. In polities he 
 was a stanch Democrat. He was a man 
 always interested in the welfare of the 
 community, and ever ready to lend a help- 
 ing hand to any worthy cause. 
 
 Mr. Purvis married Elizabeth Logan, a 
 daughter of Joseph Logan of Middlesex 
 Township. He died May 28, 1879, his wife 
 passing away nearly thirteen years later, 
 in April, 1892. Their children were as fol- 
 lows: Joseph L., deceased, a sketch of 
 whom will be found in this volume, who 
 became his father's partner in the firm of 
 S. G. Purvis & Company as already noted, 
 and who was a prominent business man 
 of Butler; Isabel; Samuel D., with the sash 
 and door factory of S. G. Purvis & Com- 
 pany, who married in 1866, Valeria Evans, 
 and has had seven children, — Annie E., 
 Ella, Perry E. (deceased), Frank, Alfred 
 B., Samuel G., and Gracey F. ; AVilliam I., 
 who is now deceased ; Levi 0., a member of 
 the firm of Levi 0. Purvis & Company and 
 residing at No. 300 E. Pearl Street," But- 
 ler; and Sarah J., now deceased, who was 
 the wife of Harrison Black. 
 
 Levi 0. Purvis was born in Butler, May 
 12, 1846. He was the third son of his par- 
 ents, Samuel G. and Elizabeth Purvis, and 
 was educated in the public schools and at 
 Witherspoon Institute. After learning the 
 carijenter's trade he worked at it as a 
 journeyman until 1876, at which time he 
 became a member of the firm of S. G. Pur- 
 vis & Company, with which he was con- 
 nected for many years. Then, with his 
 son, Harold G., he established the firm of 
 Levi 0. Purvis & Company, manufactur- 
 ers of and dealers in sash, doors, blinds 
 and general wood-work, having a fine 
 plant at No. 100 S. Franklin Street. The 
 firm has been quite successful and is num- 
 
1112 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 bered among the representative business 
 institutions of the city. Mr. Purvis is a 
 Democrat politically, and has performed 
 useful service on the School Board for 
 twelve years. He belongs to Butler Lodge, 
 F. & a". M., and also to the Ancient Order 
 of United Workmen. 
 
 Mr. Purvis married Zoe Dempsey, a 
 daughter of Captain Francis Dempsey, of 
 Erie, Pennsylvania. He has five children : 
 Harold Gr., Clara, Florence, May and Bes- 
 sie. All the members of the family be- 
 long to the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 FREDERICK J. WINTERS, who car- 
 ried on business as a contracting mason, is 
 also the owner of a valuable farm of eighty 
 acres on which he resides, and which is 
 situated in Penn Township. He was born 
 March 27, 1855, in Jackson Township, But- 
 ler County, Penna., his parents being Con- 
 rad and Sophia (Deitrich) Winters. 
 
 Conrad Winters was born in Grermany 
 and before coming to America learned the 
 trade of stone cutter. After settling in 
 Jackson Township, Butler County, he con- 
 tinued to work at his trade and also cul- 
 tivated a farm. He was twice married, the 
 second time to Dora Smith, in 1871. She 
 died in 1895. Of this union there was one 
 child, Mary, now the wife of George Duut 
 can of Connoquenessing Township. Mi*, 
 and Mrs. Winters were members of the 
 German Lutheran Church at Zelienople 
 and were liberal contributors to its sup- 
 port. Of their four children two reached 
 maturity, namely: Frederick J., and An- 
 na, who married Frank Galbraith. Con- 
 rad Winters died November 29, 1901, at 
 the advanced age of eighty-four years. 
 
 Frederick J. Winters lost his mother 
 when he was only three and a half years 
 old and during his boyhood he attended 
 school in different townships through But- 
 ler County. He learned the trade of stone- 
 mason with an imcle, and has worked at 
 it, in conjunction with farming, ever since, 
 having done quite a large amount of bridge 
 
 construction for the county. In 1886 he 
 bought his present farm in Penn Town- 
 ship, of which he has about fifty acres 
 under cultivation, raising corn, oats, wheat 
 and hay. He also keeps from four to six 
 head of horses, vising them in his business. 
 Mr. Winters married Charlotte Klinger, 
 a daughter of John Klinger, a farmer of 
 Penn Township, and they have had ten 
 children, as follows : Clara Louisa, Frank 
 Edward, John David, Charles Conrad, 
 Pearl Alice, William Albert, Russell Clyde, 
 Bertha Marie (deceased), Victor Eugene, 
 and Laura Catherine. The eldest daugh- 
 ter is the wife of Albert Winroe, of Penn 
 Township, and they have four children — 
 Laura Marie, Helen Clara, Edna Cather- 
 ine, and Bertha Leona. Frank married 
 Margaret Lavery and lives in Penn Town- 
 ship. He has two children — John Edward 
 and Paul Raymond. John married Lydia 
 Hager, who died leaving one child, Fred- 
 erick Lemont, who is also now deceased. 
 John also lives in Penn Township. Charles 
 married Agnes Peters and they have one 
 child — Doi'othy Alma; they also are resi- 
 dents of Penn Township. The three sons 
 — Frank, John and Charles — have also 
 learned the stone cutters' and masons' 
 trade and are now engaged in contracting 
 in that line of industry. 
 
 JOHN FINDLEY SHANNON, Justice 
 of the Peace, general merchant and promi- 
 nent citizen, has been a resident of Cal- 
 lery since August, 1888. He was born De- 
 cember 22, 1854, in Franklin Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., and is a son of 
 Matthew W. and Mary (Stephenson) 
 Shannon. 
 
 Leonard Shannon, the great-grand- 
 father of John F., was born in Ireland and 
 when he came to America he settled in 
 Butler County, along Muddy Creek, and 
 there many of the family still reside. 
 David Shannon, son of Leonard and 
 grandfather of John F., was born in But- 
 ler County and became a man of property 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1115 
 
 and influence. He married Betsey White, 
 who belonged to a pioneer family of Butler 
 County, which had founded the village of 
 Whitestown. She died in the year follow- 
 ing her marriage and David Shannon mar- 
 ried (second) Anna White, the sister of 
 his first wife. The children born to them 
 were: John L., now deceased; Matthew 
 W. ; David; Samuel, now deceased; Mary, 
 now deceased, who was the wife of Robert 
 Lemon; Fannie, who married M. McCul- 
 lough, both now deceased ; and Rachel, who 
 married Alfred Hines, also both deceased. 
 
 Matthew W. Shannon was born in 1821, 
 in Connoquenessing Township, Butler 
 County, to which his father had moved. 
 The latter built a sawmill and a grist mill 
 and operated them there for some years 
 and then moved further south and bought 
 400 acres which was called the old Shan- 
 non farm. On that property he built a 
 sawmill and from his timber land came the 
 lumber for the first frame Court House 
 built at Butler. David continued to own 
 the mill but it was operated by his sons, 
 John L. and Matthew W. For a number 
 of years it was run continuously, being the 
 only mill in that part of the county at that 
 time, but later it was washed away in a 
 freshet. Matthew W. Shannon continued 
 to live at home for several years after his 
 marriage and then rented what is now 
 known as the Grossman farm, south of 
 Prospect, the same on which his son John 
 Findley was born. This farm he operated 
 for several years and then purchased a 
 small farm north of Wliitestown, on which 
 he lived until 1864, when he sold it and 
 moved to the Martin farm, for two years. 
 He then bought a part of the old John J. 
 Eakin farm, in Connoquenessing Town- 
 ship, to which he later added. Subse- 
 quently he retired and with his wife re- 
 sides at Mt. Chestnut. 
 
 Matthew Shannon married Mary Ste- 
 phenson, who is a daughter of Nathaniel 
 Stephenson, of Franklin Township, and 
 they had nine children born to tliem, 
 
 namely : David, Stephenson and Alfred, 
 all three now deceased ; John F. ; Matthew 
 W. ; Benjamin F. ; Jennie, widow of Abra- 
 ham Hemphill; Anna, wife of W. J. 
 Moore ; and Nettie, now deceased, who was 
 the wife of Clarence C. Double. 
 
 John Findley Shannon was reared on 
 the home farm and remained there until 
 he was about twenty-nine years of age. 
 His educational advantages were not of 
 the best but he studied hard whenever he 
 had an opportunity and prepared himself 
 for teaching. During the winter of 1875 
 and the spring of 1876, he taught success- 
 fully at the l3ivener school and later at 
 the Martin and the Whitestown schools, 
 devoting about eight years to educational 
 work. He then learned brick-laying with 
 W. J. Gilliland at Mars, at which place he 
 later became express agent and also 
 worked in several stores at Mars, for W. 
 H. Walter, for Gilliland & Marshall and 
 for the late T. M. Marshall. On November 
 14, 1884, he moved to Saxonburg Station, 
 where he worked in the general store of 
 H. F. Eicholtz, and also in the express and 
 railroad office and in the post-office until 
 1887. He then removed to Buttercup for 
 a short time and .then, in 1888, he bought 
 out the general store of Alexander M. 
 Beers, who also conducted th-e post-office, 
 at Callery. In 1892 he lost his building 
 and stock by fire, after which he built his 
 present commodious quarters. He was 
 appointed postmaster in 1888 and served 
 six years, and in 1903 his wife was ap- 
 pointed to the office, which she still fills, 
 and public business is conducted in the 
 store. In politics he is a Republican and 
 in 1895 he was elected justice of the peace, 
 serving ever since. He is also Clerk of 
 Callery Borough Council and is secretary 
 of the Callery School Board, and has also 
 served as township auditor. 
 
 On June 24, 1884, Mr. Shannon was 
 married to Miss Bessie A. Rice, who is a 
 daughter of Henry B. and Catherine Rice, 
 of Cranberry Township, Butler County. 
 
1116 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shannon have had five chil- 
 dren, namely: Frank, deceased; Harry 
 W.; Orion F., deceased; Mernia M. and 
 Cleo B. Mr. Shannon is a member of the 
 Odd Fellows and Maccabees. 
 
 MISS MARY A. SLATER, one of the 
 most highly esteemed ladies of Donegal 
 Township, belongs to one of the old and 
 honorable families of Butler County, and 
 is a Daughter of the American Revolution, 
 through her great-grandfather, John 
 Slater. Miss Slater was born April 16, 
 1847, in Oakland Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., and is the only surviving daughter 
 of Samuel and Margaret (Rancle) Slater. 
 
 The Revolutionary patriot, John Slater, 
 bore no insignificant part in the great 
 struggle for American independence, his 
 period of actual service extending through 
 four years and ten months. His comrdand- 
 ers were Generals Washington and Lafay- 
 ette. A small mark on his little finger was 
 the only injury that he carried through his 
 subsequent life. He was yet a young man 
 when his military service ended and he 
 came to Butler County among its early 
 pioneers, lived out the balance of a worthy 
 life and his dust now reposes in the old 
 Butler cemetery. 
 
 Samuel Slatei*, father of Miss Mary A. 
 and her brother, John W. Slater, "with 
 whom she resides, was one of the valued 
 citizens of Oakland Township, for many 
 years, where he carried on agricultural 
 pursuits until his death, December 20, 
 1895. He married Margaret Rancle, who 
 was born in 1808, in Westmoreland Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, and died in 1901. 
 They had four children, namely: Eliza- 
 beth, Susanna, Mary A. and John W. 
 
 John W. Slater has resided on his pres- 
 ent farm of nine acres since 1888, and he 
 also owns the home farm of fifty-two acres, 
 which he inherited from his father's 
 estate. He was born in Butler Coimty, 
 Pennsylvania, October 24, 1844, and has 
 resided continuously on farms in his native 
 
 county. When he took possession of this 
 farm it was only a tract of uncleared tim- 
 ber and it formerly belonged to William 
 Rancle. Mr. Slater has done all the clear- 
 ing and imi^roving here, which is very con- 
 siderable, and, together with farming has 
 developed oil on his land. It is a valuable 
 property at present and is situated three 
 miles south of Chicora, on the Butler road. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Slater was married to Miss 
 Sarah Wilson, who was born in Armstrong 
 County, Penna., in 1848, and is a daughter 
 of Samuel and Catherine (Staup) AVilson. 
 There were the following children in the 
 Wilson family: Sebastus, Mary, Harriet, 
 William and Catherine, deceased; and 
 Sarah. To Mr. and Mrs. Slater seven chil- 
 dren were born, namely: Samuel, Sebas- 
 tus, Emma E., Stephen A., William J., 
 May and Joseph, the latter two living at 
 home. Samuel resides at Mannington, 
 West Virginia. He married Maria King 
 and they have two children : Ralph J. and 
 Francis. Sebastus lives at St. Mary's, 
 Ohio. He married Alice Henning and they 
 have three children : Paul, Carl and Ellen. 
 Emma E. married Joseph McElwee, of St. 
 Cloud, West Virginia, and they have four 
 children: George, Francis, Eugene and 
 Benjamin. Stephen A. lives in California. 
 He married Earla Kelley and they have 
 six children: Hazel, Dorothea, Eva, 
 Philip, Clara and John. William J. mar- 
 ried Minerva Iman and they live in West 
 Virginia and have two children : Ethel and 
 Harold. 
 
 Miss Slater has many friends in the 
 pleasant social circle of the neighborhood. 
 She is a devoted member of St. Patrick's 
 Church, of Sugar Creek Township, Arm- 
 strong County. She takes a very reason- 
 able pride in her Revolutionary ancestry 
 and in the fact of her family being for so 
 long one of importance in this section. 
 
 WILLIAM JOHN WELSH, residing on 
 liis valuable farm of 120 acres, a part of 
 the old Welsh homestead, in Jefferson 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1117 
 
 Township, is in the fourth genei'ation of 
 the family that has lived on this place. He 
 was horn in Jefferson Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 3, 1847, 
 and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Cun- 
 ningham) Welsh. 
 
 The Welsh family is of Irish extraction 
 and both father and grandfather of Mr. 
 Welsh were born in Ireland and emigrated 
 to America in 1815, settling at Philadel- 
 phia, Pennsylvania, where John Welsh 
 followed his trade of baker. In 1821 the 
 Welsh family came to Butler County and 
 John Welsh purchased 300 acres of land, 
 which he subsequently cleared. His log 
 cabin was built on what is now the site of 
 the present residence. He possessed more 
 capital than did many of his neighbors, 
 lived better and built the first two-story 
 trame residence ever erected in this sec- 
 tion of Jefferson Township. Wlien he 
 died, full of years, he was buried in the 
 family graveyard on his own land. 
 
 Thomas Welsh was eight years old when 
 he accompanied his father from Ireland, 
 and on the death of the latter he became 
 the head of the family. He accumulated 
 an ample fortune and took a prominent 
 part in public affairs in township and 
 county and served in many offices, includ- 
 ing one term as county conunissioner. He 
 was an elder in the First Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler. 
 
 William John Welsh has always lived 
 on his present farm, which is situated one 
 mile west of Jefferson Center, on the Jef- 
 ferson and Glade Mill Road. He attended 
 the Saxonburg School, going from there 
 to Jefferson School. He then took up the 
 work of the farm, on account of the death 
 of his father, and has continued here ever 
 since, making agricultural pursuits his 
 life work. He carries on general farming 
 and raises some excellent stock. 
 
 On May 10, 1876, Mr. Welsh was mar- 
 ried to Miss Julia A. Patterson, who is a 
 daughter of William E. and Lucinda 
 (Peterson) Patterson. The Patterson 
 
 family is one of the most prominent ones 
 of Butler County, one that can trace a 
 long and honorable lineage. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Welsh have had five children, namely: 
 Nancy, who died aged three months ; Will- 
 iam P., who is connected with the Stand- 
 ard Steel Car Company, Hammond, In- 
 diana, married November 6, 1906, Mary E. 
 Wilson, of Slippery Rock, and they have 
 one child, Elizabeth Wilson Welsh; Ada 
 Bathia, who is the wife of AVilson A. Ger- 
 ner, assistant storekeeper for the Stand- 
 ard Car Company, of Butler; Thomas 
 Marshall, who is connected with the Stand- 
 ard Car Company, of Butler; and Clar- 
 ence, who has charge of the home farm and 
 is numbered with the successful young 
 agriculturists of this section. Mr. Welsh 
 and family belong to the Summit Presby- 
 terian Church, in which he is an elder. For 
 twenty-seven years he has served on the 
 School Board, a large part of the time as 
 its president, and at various times has held 
 almost all of the township offices, being a 
 man of public spirit and sterling citizen- 
 ship. He is identified with the Odd Fel- 
 lows, being a charter member of the local 
 Encampment, and with the order of Mac- 
 cabees. 
 
 WILLIAM S. CASHDOLLAE, one of 
 Adams Township's representative and 
 substantial citizens, residing on one of his 
 farms, containing eighty-six acres of the 
 old homestead, and owning also 150 acres 
 in the same township, was born in a log 
 house standing on his father's farm in 
 Adams Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 April 12, 1836. His parents were William 
 and Margaret (Eichardson) CashdoUar. 
 
 The great-grandfather of William S. 
 CashdoUar came to America from Ger- 
 many and the grandfather came to Butler 
 County from some point on the Ohio Eiver. 
 He had five children : John, Jacob, Joseph, 
 William and Eosanna, the latter of whom 
 married Samuel Black, and all are de- 
 ceased. The children were separated more 
 
1118 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 or less in youth, being bound out in dif- 
 ferent families. William, father of Will- 
 iam S., was born in Middlesex Township, 
 Butler County, and was four years old 
 when he was taken into the family of Mr. 
 Parks, where he remained until he was 
 twenty-one. He was reared a farmer but 
 after leaving the Parks farm he engaged 
 for a time in digging coal at Squirrel Hill, 
 later went for a time to Pittsburg, but sub- 
 sequently returned to Butler County and 
 married a Miss Fowler. She died six 
 months later. With his mother, Mrs. Cath- 
 erine (Cashdollar) Smith, he then moved 
 to Allegheny and for a short time operated 
 a hotel there, but the business did not 
 please him and he came back to Butler 
 County. He then bought 200 acres of land 
 in what was then Cranberry but is now 
 Adams Township, and on that farm spent 
 the remainder of his life. He died in 1882, 
 aged eighty-two years. He marired (sec- 
 ond) Margaret Richardson, who died in 
 1898, aged eighty-nine years. They had 
 the following children: Catherine, who is 
 the widow of Robert Hoon ; John ; William 
 Smith; Joseph; James, deceased; Mar- 
 garet, who is the widow of Jacob Miller; 
 Washington, deceased; Samuel; Mary E., 
 who married Samuel Staples; Rosanna, 
 who married John Purvis; and Sarah M., 
 who married Samuel Ramsey. 
 
 William Smith Cashdollar helped his 
 father through the early years of his life 
 and during three or possibly four months 
 in the winter seasons, attended the ses- 
 sions held in the old log school-house. 
 After his marriage he moved to his pres- 
 ent farm, which he had gradually bought, 
 and he had all the clearing and improving 
 to do. He put up all the present substan- 
 tial buildings, and has gradually stocked 
 his farm, and, although he has been a hard 
 worker all his life, he has much to show 
 for his efforts. 
 
 On June 23, 1863, Mr. Cashdollar was 
 married to Miss Susan H. McNeil, who is 
 a daughter of William and Fannie (Hamil- 
 
 ton) McNeil, formerly of Forward Town- 
 ship. Mrs. McNeil still survives, a vener- 
 able lady of ninety-one years, and is care- 
 fully looked after in the home of her 
 daughter. To Mr. and Mrs. Cashdollar 
 have been born twelve children, three of 
 whom are deceased. The survivors are: 
 William H., who married Cassie Romack; 
 Edward, who married Ella Fife; Anna, 
 who married Harry Berringer; Elizabeth, 
 who married Albert Hunas ; Oliver, who 
 marled Josephine Leise; Lester D., who 
 married Florence Forsyth; John, who 
 married Anna Reichle; Susan, who mar- 
 ried William Ralston ; and Laura Malinda, 
 who married Lewis Kauffman. There are 
 a number of grandchildren and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Cashdollar take an interest in them 
 all. They are members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church in which he is an 
 elder. In politics, he is an old-time Demo- 
 crat. 
 
 B. C. HUSELTON, one of Butler's lead- 
 ing citizens and older business men, who 
 enjoys the distinction of having estab- 
 lished the first store in this city devoted 
 exclusively to dealing in shoes, has been 
 almost a lifelong resident of Butler 
 County. He was born in 1848, in Luzerne 
 County, Penna., and is a son of Theodore 
 Huselton. 
 
 The father of Mr. Huselton came to But- 
 ler County in 1858 and settled on a farm 
 near Butler, from which- he later removed 
 to the city of Butler, where he was en- 
 gaged in the oil business and in real es- 
 tate, and also in banking at Greece City. 
 
 B. C. Huselton was a school boy when 
 the family came to Butler County and the 
 first work he did was in the line of photog- 
 raphy, during the Civil War. Later, he 
 engaged with his father for a short time 
 in the shoe business, under the style of 
 Theodore Huselton & Son, and then pur- 
 chased his father's interest and has been 
 continuously engaged in the shoe line ever 
 since. Many advances have been made in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1119 
 
 business methods from the old days when 
 all his stock had to be brought from Pitts- 
 burg, over the old jjlank road, and dis- 
 posed of in small quarters, as all the early 
 business houses were at that time. About 
 1873, Mr. Huselton purchased the ground 
 on North Main Street, where he is now lo- 
 cated, and here he built a two-story build- 
 ing, with dimensions of 90 by 20 feet. This 
 shoe store has been fitted up with all mod- 
 ern conveniences and offers the most at- 
 tractive appearance of any similar places 
 in the city, while his long experience has 
 made Mr. Huselton not only a competent 
 judge of shoes, but also a judge of the 
 demands of his customers. 
 
 Mr. Huselton was married (first) ti» 
 Miss Jennie Reed, a daughter of Captain 
 Reed, a former prominent resident of Al- 
 legheny City. Mrs. Huselton survived only 
 two years. Ten years later, Mr. Huselton 
 was married (second) to Miss Agnes 
 Shaw, a daughter of James Shaw, of Mc- 
 Keesport, and they have two sons and one 
 daughter: Edgar Chandler, James Shaw 
 and Frances, the latter of whom resides 
 at home. The elder son, a graduate of 
 Mercersburg Academy, is associated with 
 his father in business. The second son is 
 a student at Dartmouth College. 
 
 CHARLES STEWARD .McCLEL- 
 LAND, M. D., is actively engaged in the 
 practice of his profession at Glade Mills, 
 Butler County, Penna., and enjoys high 
 standing in the community. He was born 
 in his in-esent residence, July 23, 1871, and 
 is a son of Robert C. and Annie (Dins- 
 more) McClelland. His grandfather was 
 George McClelland. 
 
 George McClelland was born in Alle- 
 gheny County, Penna., and there learned 
 the trade of a millwright. He moved to 
 Mackville, Armstrong County, where he 
 biiilt a mill and opei'ated it during the re- 
 mainder of his life. He was united in mar- 
 riage with Eliza McCaslin, who was born 
 April 8, 1808, and died May 10, 1862. The 
 
 McCaslins in America date back to the 
 year 1780, when "William Brown and Chris- 
 tiana (Thompson) McCaslin crossed the 
 ocean from Ireland. 
 
 Dr. Robert C. McClelland, father of the 
 subject of this sketch, was born in Alle- 
 gheny City, Penna., and after completing 
 his coui'se in the public schools, read med- 
 icine under the direction of Doctor Cooper 
 of that city. He later attended the medical 
 department of the Western Reserve Uni- 
 versity of Cleveland, Ohio, from which he 
 was graduated with the class of 1862. He 
 engaged in practice in Armstrong County 
 one year, then located at Glade Mills, But- 
 ler County, where he purchased the prac- 
 tice of Dr. Jacob Steward. He was for 
 some years the only physician between 
 Bakerstown and Butler, and in his prac- 
 tice was called to points quite distant from 
 home, making the trips on horseback. He 
 was an energetic and progressive man, of 
 good education, and was successful beyond 
 the average of his time. His death oc- 
 curred in middle life, in 1876, when aged 
 but forty-one years. Politically, he was a 
 Democrat. He was joined in marriage 
 with Miss Annie E. Dinsmore, who was 
 descended through a Johnson branch of 
 the family from an old pioneer of that 
 name, who landed at Jamestown, Virarinia. 
 in 1620, bringing with him a coach and six 
 horses, the first ever brought to America. 
 Dr. and Mrs. McClelland became the par- 
 ents of the following children : George Wil- 
 son, deceased ; Robert D. ; Lida May, wife 
 of John Snyder of Beaver; AVilliam J., 
 who lives at home; Charles Steward; 
 Grace A., wife of Dr. H. A. Smith of 
 Delta, Colorado; and Harmer _C., who 
 graduated from Louisville Medical Col- 
 lege with the class of 1908. Religiously, 
 the parents of this family were of the Bap- 
 tist faith, but as there was no church of 
 that denomination in the neighborhood, 
 they attended and supported the Presby- 
 terian church. Mrs. McClelland died in 
 December, 1903, at the age of sixty years. 
 
1320 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Charles Steward McClelland, after com- 
 pleting his education in the public schools, 
 entered Girard College at Philadelphia, 
 from which he was graduated in 1888. 
 During the following four years he was 
 engaged in various kinds of work at dif- 
 ferent times, and in 1892 entered the med- 
 ical department of Western University of 
 Pennsylvania, at Allegheny City. He was 
 graduated from that institution in 1897, 
 with the degree of M. D., and immediately 
 thereafter embarked in practice at Glade 
 Mills, where he has since continued. He 
 lives in the home erected by his father 
 soon after his arrival at that point. The 
 latter also was the owner of a tine farm 
 of sixty acres in. Middlesex Township, 
 which is now owned and operated by his 
 heirs, who devote it largely to stock feed- 
 ing. Oil was produced for many years on 
 the property. 
 
 Dr. Charles S. McClelland was united in 
 marriage with Bertha McClay, daughter 
 of Crawford McClay of Brady's Bend, auil 
 they have two children: Lida Catherine 
 and Jessie Elizabeth. Religiously, they 
 are members of the Middlesex Presbyte- 
 rian Church. Doctor McClelland is a mem- 
 ber and medical examiner of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America at Glade Mills; and 
 is also a member of the Butler County 
 Medical Society. His father was a mem- 
 ber of the Masonic Lodge at Butler. 
 
 SAMUEL EVART TURNER, who has 
 been identified with tlie oil industry ever 
 since boyhood, is one of the most success- 
 ful and experienced producers residing in 
 Connoquenessing Township. He was born 
 July 15, 1871, on Little Bear Creek, at Gib- 
 son's Mill, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of William and Elizabeth 
 (Jamison) Turner. 
 
 ■ The father of Mr. Turner was born at 
 Harlansburg, Lawrence County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1830, and died in April, 1902. 
 When about eighteen years of age he 
 learned the milling business, in Butler 
 
 County, and for some years he was at the 
 Philips mill east of Butler, and later, op- 
 erated the Gibson mill at Harvey's, where 
 his son, Samuel E. was born. When the 
 oil boom started at Parker's Landing, he 
 became interested and acquired a one- 
 thirty-second of an oil well on an island 
 between Foxburg and Parker's Landing, 
 in the Allegheny River. His returns from 
 this investment encouraged him to continue 
 his interest and he remained in the oil busi- 
 ness during the remainder of his life. He 
 had excellent judgment, was careful and 
 calculating in his investments and for this 
 reason was able to accumulate a compe- 
 tency. He worked in the Butler County 
 field until 1880, went then to the Bradford 
 field until 1895 and then returned to But- 
 ler County and located between Peters- 
 ville and Harmony, living there during the 
 rest of his life. He married a daughter of 
 Samuel Jamison, of Greece City, and it was 
 on his farm that the first well tliere was 
 bored that was profitable. There were 
 three children born to William and Eliza- 
 beth Turner, namely: Mary, deceased, 
 who was the wife of J. B. Jamison, of 
 Bradford; John A., who resides at Butler; 
 and Samuel E. The mother of the above 
 family was a devoted member of the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 Samuel E. Turner was educated in the 
 public schools and he obtained his busi- 
 ness training iinder his father, later be- 
 coming identified with him in his large oil 
 operating. He was the main organizer of 
 the Hill Oil Company, which is operating 
 on the Shearer farm, and he has seven pro- 
 ducing wells on the Butler, Harmony 
 Ridge Row and has three producing 
 wells on his home tract of ten acres. 
 His long and intimate connection with this 
 great industry has made Mr. Turner an 
 authority on its present status and prob- 
 able future extension. 
 
 Mr. Turner was married to Miss Eva 
 Bolton, who is a daughter of Edward Bol- 
 ton, formerly of Sharpsville, Mercer Coun- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1123 
 
 ty, Pennsylvania. Her father died when 
 she was small and she was reared in Clari- 
 on and McKean Counties. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Turner have had three children: Eliza- 
 beth Bolton, Alice Lucretia, and William 
 Edward, the latter of whom died in in- 
 fancy. Mr. Turner and family attend the 
 Methodist Epsicopal Church and give lib- 
 eral support. 
 
 In politics Mr. Turner, like his late 
 father, is a Democrat. He is one of the 
 original stockholders of the Connoquenes- 
 sing Telephone Company. His father en- 
 joyed a large measure of personal esteem, 
 on account of his mauy admirable traits of 
 character, one of these being a genial man- 
 ner and a kind consideration for others. 
 These qualities are emphasized in the son 
 and Mr. Turner is a very popular citizen. 
 Like his father he is unpretentious, but 
 many recognize the value of his friendship 
 and the worth of his promises, whether 
 they be of a business or personal nature. 
 
 ANDREW R. THOMPSON, justice of 
 the peace of the borough of West Sun- 
 bury and owner of 150 acres of land, a 
 part of the farm lying within the borders 
 of the borough, comes of a prominent old 
 family of Butler County. He was born on 
 this farm August 23, 1855, and is a son of 
 Thomas C. and Sarah (McKinney) 
 Thompson. 
 
 John Thompson, paternal grandfather 
 of the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 County Tipperary, Ireland, and upon com- 
 ing to the United States settled on Char- 
 tier's Creek, near McKee's Rocks, Penn- 
 sylvania. From there he moved in 1796 
 to Butler County, locating on a farm in 
 wliat now is the eastern part of Brady 
 Township, where many of his descendants 
 still live. He died in 1846, at the age of 
 ninety-four years. His wife, in maiden 
 life, Martha Humes, died in 1861, at the 
 age of eighty-nine. 
 
 Thomas C. Thompson was born in what 
 was then Center Township, now Brady 
 
 Township, in Butler Coimty, Penna., and 
 was a young man when about the year 
 1834 he located upon the farm now owned 
 by his son, Andrew R. He was unmarried 
 at the time and erected the fine brick home 
 on the place before his marriage to Sarah 
 McKinney in 1841. She was born in Ire- 
 land and was in childhood when brought 
 by her father, John McKinney, to Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. Mr. McKinney 
 came to the county from Philadelphia and 
 became a well-to-do citizen of Concord 
 Township, where his descendants still own 
 some 400 acres of land. He lived to the age 
 of 103 years, and his wife to the age of 
 eighty years; the mother of Mrs. McKin- 
 ney reached the remarkable age of one 
 hundred and six years. 
 
 There were eleven children born to 
 Thomas C. and Sarah Thompson, all in 
 the old home at West Sunbury. Five are 
 now living, namely: W. J. Thompson of 
 Butler; R. J. Thompson, also of Butler; 
 Thomas H., who makes his home with the 
 subject of this sketch; Sarah Jane, who 
 lives in Chicago; and Andrew R. Several 
 of the children died in infancy, and one, 
 Annie, lived to maturity and was the wife 
 of John L. Dunn. The parents of his fam- 
 ily both died on the home farm, he in 1886 
 and she in 1896. 
 
 Andrew R. Thompson was reared on the 
 farm and received a good education in the 
 public schools. He has always followed 
 farming and engaged in teaming in con- 
 nection. He was twenty-two years old 
 when elected justice of the peace on the 
 Republican ticket, and he has served as 
 such with marked ability to tlie present 
 time. He also has been one of the school 
 directors of the borough during the past 
 twenty-five years. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was united in marriage 
 with Margaret Wliitmire, a daughter of 
 Henry Whitmire of Center Township, and 
 they are parents of the following children: 
 Henrietta; Thomas C; Meade; James and 
 Florence, twins; and John M. Religiously, 
 
1124 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tlie fcimily belongs to the United Pi'esby- 
 terian church. Fraternally, Mr. Thomp- 
 son is a charter member of the Independ- 
 ent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 JAMES H. MORRISON, a well known 
 liveryman and harnessmaker, is one of the 
 leading business men of Harrisville, and a 
 lifelong resident of this village. He was 
 born June 9, 1857, in Harrisville, Butler 
 County, Penna., and is a son of James 
 Hosack and Martha (Hosack) Morrison, 
 who were cousins. 
 
 Samuel Morrison, grandfather of James 
 H., was a native of Ireland and was a 
 stone-cutter by trade. He emigrated to 
 this country early in life, located in Mar- 
 ion Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 where he followed farming and worked at 
 his trade until the time of his death, when 
 fifty-six 5^ears of age. He was father of 
 the following children: James H. ; Hugh; 
 John; David; Samuel; William; Henry; 
 Rachel, wife of R. Van Dike; and Sarah, 
 wife of J. C. Morrison. 
 
 James Morrison, father of James H.. 
 spent his boyhood days on the farm in 
 Marion Township and at the age of seven- 
 teen went to Butler, where he learned 
 harnessmaking with Colonel Reed, ex- 
 sheriff of Butler County. After a period 
 of five years he returned to Harrisville, 
 where he opened a harness shop, which he 
 conducted successfully for a number of 
 years. He married his cousin, Martha 
 Hosack, who died in January, 1904, aged 
 seventy-six years. His death occurred in 
 February, 1905, when eighty years of age. 
 James and Martha Morrison became the 
 parents of the following children: Samuel 
 Hazen, of Mercer, Pennsylvania; James 
 Hosack, Jr. ; Walter L.. a resident of Har- 
 risville; and two who died in infancy. 
 
 James H. Morrison grew to manhood in 
 Harrisville. where he attended the common 
 schools and also a private school. Early 
 in life he began learning harnessmaking 
 
 in his father's shop, and about 1888 took 
 entire charge of the business. In 1876 he 
 and his brother established the present 
 livery and harness business, James H. 
 purchasing his brother's interest in 1880, 
 and has since conducted same with unin- 
 terrupted success. Since 1874 he has run 
 an omnibus line to the depot, and in con- 
 nection with this does general contracting 
 for moving houses and laying stone walks. 
 He has laid the greater part of the stone 
 walks in Harrisville, this town having 
 more stone walks than any other town of 
 its size in the county. He erected his pres- 
 ent harness shop in 1904, and his residence 
 was built in 1879. Mr. Morrison is a direc- 
 tor and one of the organizers of the First 
 National Bank of Harrisville. 
 
 On October 22, 1878, Mr. Morrison was 
 joined in marriage with Anna E. Elleby, a 
 daughter of Daniel Elleby, and to their 
 union were born six children, three of 
 whom died young. The survivors are: 
 Cora, who is the wife of H. C. Gibson; 
 Fred Hazen; and Ralph, a student of the 
 Butler Business College, who was but 
 twelve years old when he passed the county 
 examinations and received a diploma from 
 the superintendent of the county schools. 
 Mr. Morrison is a Republican and has 
 served four, years on the town ciuncil. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY REIHING, for- 
 merly a well known citizen and substantial 
 business man of Butler, at the time of his 
 death, on February 22, 1892, was proprie- 
 tor of the Willard Hotel, a hostelry which 
 he had made equal to any in Western 
 Pennsylvania. He was born at Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, in March, 1860, and was a 
 son of Jacob and Ann (Korn) Reihing. 
 His father was a native of Germany and 
 his mother, of Pitt.sburg, Penn.sylvania. 
 
 William H. Reihing completed his edu- 
 cation in the Butler schools and when 
 eighteen years of age went to Pittsburg, 
 his mother's native city, where he re- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1125 
 
 mained until shortly after Lis marirage, 
 when be returned to Butler and entered 
 the employ of George W. Campbell, who 
 was then proprietor of the old Willard Ho- 
 tel. One year later Mr. Reihing leased the 
 property and, realizing that it undoubtedly 
 would prove a good investment, at the 
 end of two more years he purchased it. It 
 was his aim to make it a first class house 
 and to this end he improved it to the ex- 
 tent of an expenditure of $30,000. His 
 ambition was realized but he lived but a 
 short time to enjoy his success, his death 
 taking place in the following year. He was 
 a man of enterprise and of excellent busi- 
 ness judgment and thus his loss was great 
 to his fellow citizens, while a large circle 
 of friends mourned him for his personal 
 qualities. 
 
 In September, 1882, Mr. Reihing was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mattie A. 
 Golden, who was reared and educated at 
 Pittsburg. She is a daughter of Timothy 
 and Sally (Berry) Golden. Her parents 
 were born in County Mayo, Ireland, and 
 after their marriage they came to America 
 and settled at Pittsburg, where Mr. Golden 
 engaged in a grocery business. Both Mr. 
 ami Mrs. Golden died in that city. Mr. 
 and iMrs. Reihing had three children born 
 to them: Harry, George and Edna. All 
 liave been afforded superior educational 
 advantages, the two sons at Fordham Col- 
 lege, New York, and the daughter at St. 
 Xavier College. Mrs. Reihing owns the 
 Willard Hotel property and since the 
 death of her husband has most capably 
 managed it. The unaccustomed responsi- 
 bilities fell heavily upon her at first, but 
 the test soon showed that she was equal 
 to the emergency and the Willard Hotel 
 continues to'enjoy a generous patronage. 
 
 In his religious faith, Mr. Reihing was 
 a Catholic and he gave liberally to the 
 church imtil his death. He was a man of 
 charitable inclinations and_ gave gener- 
 ously to benevolent enterprises. He was 
 a member of the fraternal order of Elks. 
 
 JACOB B. RUMBAUGH, one of Chi- 
 cora's leading citizens, holding the posi- 
 tion of town constable, owning improved 
 property and large oil interests, is also an 
 honored veteran of the Civil War, and at 
 the present writing (1908), is serving in 
 his fourth term as commander of the Rob- 
 ert jMcDarmett Post, No. 222, Grand Army 
 of the Republic. He was born in Sugar 
 Creek Township, Armstrong County, 
 Penna., in 1838, and is a son of Solomon 
 and Elizabeth (Barnhart) Rumbaugh. 
 
 The father of Mr. Rumbaugh was born 
 in Armstrong County and his mother in 
 Butler County. They lived on their farm 
 in Sugar Creek Township and both died 
 in Armstrong County. They had the fol- 
 lowing children: Joseph, Chambers, Sam- 
 uel, Jacob B., David, Phebe, Susanna, 
 Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Rachel. 
 
 Jacob B. Rumbaugh remained on tlie 
 home farm helping his father until he was 
 twenty-one years of age and tlien was mar- 
 ried and for one year continued to farm in 
 Armstrong County. He moved then to 
 Jetferson County, where he worked at 
 lumbering and cut timber in the woods un- 
 til 1862, when he decided to enlist for serv- ■ 
 ice in the Civil War. He entered Com- 
 pany I, One Hundred Forty-eighth Regi- 
 ment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry, on Au- 
 gust 15, 1862, and served for two years 
 and eleven months, seeing very hard serv- 
 ice, participating in such battles as Chan- 
 cellorsville and Gettysburg. After the lat- 
 ter he was confined, to a hospital for four 
 months and reached his regiment in No- 
 vember, in time to take part in the battle 
 of Mine Run in the following month, and 
 went through the exhausting campaign of 
 1864, which included the battle of the Wil- 
 derness, that of Spottsylvania Court 
 House, Cold Harbor, siege of Petersburg 
 and the struggle on the Weldon Railroad. 
 In this raid he was captured by the Con- 
 federates, in company with 1,400 other 
 Union soldiers, and he was imprisoned at 
 Libby and Belle Isle, later taken to Sails- 
 
1126 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 bury, North Carolina, and was iiually 
 paroled but was then prostrated with ty- 
 phoid fever. The war had closed by the 
 time he was able to travel and he was hon- 
 orably discharged at Pittsburg. During 
 this long period of almost constant action 
 and continual exposure to danger, Mr. 
 Rumbaugh performed every duty cheer- 
 fully and endured the hardships of mili- 
 tary life with a courage that often inspired 
 others. It certainly is meet and proper 
 that just such a veteran soldier should 
 have been chosen as commander of a body 
 of his comrades, men who, when peace 
 came, proved their soldierly qualities by 
 going back to their former occupations as 
 readily as, in the time of their country's 
 danger, they had unsheathed their swords 
 and shouldered their muskets. 
 
 Mr. Rumbaugh returned to Armstrong 
 County and until 1868 he continued to en- 
 gage in farming there and then moved to 
 the Parker oil field and continued in the oil 
 business in both Armstrong and Butler 
 Counties until 1876, when he moved to Chi- 
 cora. For three years he conducted a laun- 
 dry business but then sold out and, with 
 the exception of his oil interests, is not 
 concerned in any business, living in com- 
 fortable retirement. He is a stanch Re- 
 publican and in 1905 he was elected judge 
 of elections in Donegal Township, being 
 the only Republican judge of elections ever 
 elected in said township up to the present 
 date. In the spring of 1908 he was elected 
 constable in Donegal Township. 
 
 On October 22, 1858, Mr. Rumbaugh was 
 married to Catherine Myers, who was born 
 in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Of 
 their seven children, six survive, namely: 
 Mrs. B. T. Kahle, of East Bend, Pitts- 
 burg; Mrs. Arvella Bellis, of Butler; Mrs. 
 Harry Reddick, of Chicora; Charles, of 
 Bartlesville, Oklahoma; William L., of 
 Marharg; and Miss Loretta, of Chicora. 
 All these children, with the exception of 
 one. attended the celebration of the fiftieth 
 anniversary of the marriage of their par- 
 
 ents, which took place October 22, 1908, 
 It was an occasion long to be remembered 
 and the picture of the venerable bride and 
 groom, attended by their loving children, 
 ten grandchildren and seven great-grand- 
 children, was a beautiful and impressive 
 one. Prosperity has not always smiled 
 and sorrow has sometimes cast a shadow, 
 but both Mr. Rumbaugh and his estimable 
 wife have bravely faced adversity together 
 and side by side have enjoyed tlieir large 
 measure of happiness. For many years 
 they have been valued and useful members 
 of the Chicora English Lutheran Church. 
 
 PETER DUFFY. The name of few 
 citizens of Butler County, who have passed 
 off the scene of life, is recalled with more 
 respect than is that of the late Peter 
 Duffy. He was born in Donegal Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., March 30, 
 1798, and was of Irish parentage. He 
 lived to the age of eighty-six years, dying 
 in December, 1883. 
 
 Until he was eighteen years of age he 
 remained on the homestead farm, occa- 
 sionally attending the early schools of the 
 neighborhood, but spending the larger 
 part of his time in hard work. In 1816 he 
 found an opportunity to take charge of 
 the woolen mill and carding machine that 
 was attached to the old grist mill which 
 had been built at Butler in 1800, one of the 
 first of its kind in the county. In 1823 he 
 became his brother John's assistant in the 
 latter 's store and proving useful in the 
 connection, was admitted to partnership at 
 a later date. In 1827 he secured a eon- 
 tract for work on the Pennsylvania Canal, 
 then building, and after its completion he 
 was appointed postmaster at Butler. This 
 office he filled from 1830 until 1832 and 
 became prothonotary and county clerk and 
 remained in office until 1836. Mr. Duffy 
 remained engaged in various enterprises 
 at Butler until 1849, when he went to Cali- 
 fornia. In 1853 he came back to Butler 
 and re-engaged in the mercantile business 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1129 
 
 which he successfully carried forward for 
 the next ten years, when he retired from 
 active participation in business. He en- 
 joyed a large income from his farm in 
 Donegal Township, oil in abundant ((uan- 
 tities having been discovered there. 
 
 In 1833, Mr. Duffy was married to De- 
 borah Dougherty and they had three chil- 
 dren : Mary, Charles and James E. Mary 
 Duft'y as Sister Superior of the Govern- 
 ment Hospital at Httsburg, all through 
 the Civil War, became almost a national 
 character for the great services she ren- 
 dered to thousands of Union soldiers who 
 were placed under the kind ministrations 
 of herself and assistants during that pe- 
 riod. She died in the winter of 1870. 
 Charles Duft'y engaged in merchandising 
 at Butler for many years. James A. is a 
 priest of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 While his fellow citizens of all classes had 
 reason to kindly remember Mr. Duft'y on 
 account of his charities and devotion to the 
 best interests of the community, the Cath- 
 olic Church in particular had cause to per- 
 petuate his memory. He was one of the 
 founders of the church in Butler and 
 throughout his whole life gave liberally in 
 support of all its beneficial agencies. He 
 was a man of more than usual force of 
 character and enlightened view and both 
 in public and private life was an honest 
 man and conscientious Christian. 
 
 BEEADEN YOUNG, one of the fore- 
 most business men of West Sunbury, is an 
 undertaker and embalmer and has been lo- 
 cated in this borough since February, 
 1899. He was born on a farm in Clay 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., in 1872, 
 and is a son of Robert H. and Mary 
 (Stewart) Young. 
 
 Robert H. Young still resides on the old 
 home farm in Clay Township. He has 
 been a man of affairs in the community 
 and at one time served as county superin- 
 tendent of schools, doing much to add to 
 the efficiency of the schools. He was first 
 
 married to Mary Stewart, whose death 
 occurred when the subject of this sketch 
 was but two years old. He subsequently 
 married Mrs. Amanda McFarland, whose 
 maiden name was Bryson. 
 
 Breaden Young was reared on the farm 
 and received a good public school educa- 
 tion. He first started in the undertaking 
 business at Annadale, and after about one 
 year at that point moved to West Sunbury 
 in February, 1899, where he is accorded 
 the liberal patronage of the people. He 
 erected a handsome brick home in the bor- 
 ough, modern in all its appointments and 
 equipped with a hot water heating plant. 
 He is at the present a member of the Bor- 
 ough Council. 
 
 Mr. Young was united in marriage with 
 Miss Ada Meals, who was born in Concord 
 Township, Butler County, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Alfred G. and Olive (Wick) Meals. 
 Two children were born to them: Loyal 
 Breaden and Robert Alfred. Religiously, 
 the family belongs to the United Presby- 
 terian Church. Mr. Young is a member of 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
 the Roval Arcanum and Woodmen of the 
 World. 
 
 J. C. BOYLE, M. D., physician and sur- 
 geon at Butler, a specialist in eye, ear, nose 
 and throat diseases, has been a resident of 
 this city since 1896. He was born in 1864, 
 at New Hope, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Thomas, a grandson 
 of John and a great-grandson of Francis 
 Boyle. It was the great-grandfather who 
 came as the pioneer of the Boyle family, 
 to Butler County, settling at wbat is now 
 Glade Mills. He was a native of Ireland 
 and was probably unmarried when he came 
 to this section. John Boyle, grandfather 
 of Dr. Boyle, was born in Butler County as 
 was his son, Thomas Boyle, who conducted 
 a blacksmith business at New Hope, for 
 many years, where he died. 
 
 Dr. Boyle was reared in Butler County, 
 attended the public schools and subse- 
 
nao 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 quently was graduated from the State Nor- 
 mal School at Ediuboro, in the class of 
 1889. Previous to this he taught school 
 for eight years in Butler, Warren and Law- 
 rence Counties, during this period prepar- 
 ing for the practice of niedicine, and in 
 1892 was graduated from the West Penn- 
 sylvania Medical College. Dr. Boyle 
 took his first special course in the Phila- 
 delphia Polyclinic College for graduated 
 physicians — 1902 and 1903 — in this manner 
 keeping in close touch with every modern 
 applied scientific medical discovery. His 
 studies went still farther and in 1905 he 
 took a special course on the diseases of the 
 eye at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hos- 
 pital and Westminster OphtlialmicHospital 
 at London, England, and also a special 
 course on the ear, nose and throat, at the 
 Central London Ear and Throat Hospital. 
 Thus equipped. Dr. Boyle entered into 
 practice as a specialist in those branches 
 to which he had devoted such close scien- 
 tific study, and he has established an eye, 
 •ear, nose and throat hospital which is lo- 
 cated at No. 121 East Cunningham Street, 
 Butler. His patients come from a widely 
 extended territory and he has had great 
 success in treating the distressing com- 
 plaints to which Americans seem particu- 
 larly subject. 
 
 In 1894 Dr. Boyle was married to Miss 
 Kathleen McNair, of Butler and they have 
 •one son, James C. They belong to St. 
 Peter's Episcopal Church. Dr. Boyle is 
 ■a valued member of the Butler County 
 ]\ledical Society, the Pennsylvania State 
 Medical Society and the American Medi- 
 cal Association. His fraternal connections 
 are with the Masons and the Maccabees 
 and belongs to the beneficiary orders of 
 the Home Guards and the Protected Home 
 'Circle. 
 
 WILLIAM IRA MICHAEL, a prosper- 
 'ous farmer of Mercer Township, Butler 
 'County, is the owner of a well improved 
 tract of fifty-eight acres and is engaged in 
 
 general farming. He was born in Law- 
 rence County, Penna., November 12, 1860, 
 and is a son of Henry and Lucinda (Ep- 
 pinger) Michael, and a grandson of Peter 
 Michael. 
 
 Peter Michael was born east of the Al- 
 legheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, of 
 German parents, and at an early age 
 moved west to the woods of Lawrence 
 County. He and his wife were parents of 
 the following children, all of whom are now 
 deceased : William, John, James, Henry, 
 Mary Ann, Rebecca, Lena, and Peggie. 
 
 Henry Michael, father of William Ira, 
 was born in a primitive log house, in a 
 sugar camp, in Washington Township, 
 Lawrence Coimty, Penna., in 1822, and in 
 early life learned the trades of a wagon- 
 maker and a carpenter. After his mar- 
 riage he moved to Mercer County, Penna., 
 where he followed his trade until 1885, 
 when he took up his residence in Mercer 
 Township, Butler County. He rented a 
 farm from James Carson imtil about the 
 year 1888, when he purchased the farm 
 on which his son, Ira, now lives, from 
 James Parker. He erected a comfortable 
 house and made other important improve- 
 ments, and continued to reside on the place 
 • until his death, which occurred January 3, 
 1900. His widow is still living. In maiden 
 life she was Lucinda Eppinger and was 
 born in Germantown, now a suburb of 
 Philadelphia, December 17, 1831. She was 
 one of the following children born to her 
 parents, John and Margaret (Colpf) Ep- 
 pinger, who were married in Germany 
 prior to coming to the United States: 
 John, Fred, Charles, Lucinda, Henry, 
 Caroline and Margaret. Henry and Lu- 
 cinda Michael became parents of five chil- 
 dren, as follows: John; Margaret, de- 
 ceased wife of William Winger; Charles; 
 Willis; and William Ira. 
 
 AVilliam Ira Michael was four years of 
 age when taken by his parents from Ijaw- 
 rence County to Mercer County, and there 
 be was reared to maturity on the farm, in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1131 
 
 the meauwliile leceiviug an educational 
 training in the public schools. He lived 
 at home until his marriage in 1891, and 
 has always continued to farm, subse- 
 quently purchasing the home property in 
 Mercer Township of his mother, and has 
 carried on the work with good results. 
 
 Mr. Michael was married January 13, 
 1891, to Miss Margaret McCoy, a daughter 
 of A. J. and Elizabeth (McGreary) Mc- 
 Coy, and they have three children: Roy, 
 Virgie and Eulia. In political preference 
 Mr. Michael is a stanch Democrat. 
 
 J. E. MONT AG, the leading merchant 
 of Jefferson Center, Butler County, was 
 born June 30, 1843, in Jefferson Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, in the old 
 Montag homestead, and is a son of John 
 and Mary (Leighthold) Montag, and a 
 grandson of Ernest Montag. 
 
 The father of Air. Montag was born in 
 Germany and came to America in boyhood. 
 He settled in Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, when he reached mature years and 
 there carried on farming. The children 
 of his first marriage were: William, Au- 
 gust. J. E. and Henry, J. E. being the only 
 survivor. There was one child of the sec- 
 ond marriage, Ernst. 
 
 J. E. Montag was reared in Jefferson 
 Township and continued to engage in 
 farming until 1905, when he purchased 
 his present place of nineteen acres, within 
 the limits of Jefferson Center. This land 
 is rich in oil and Mr. Montag has an in- 
 terest in producing wells. 
 
 On May 4, 1871, Mr. Montag was mar- 
 ried to ]\Iiss ]\Iary Doerr, who died in 1897. 
 She was a daughter of Henry and Chris- 
 tina Doerr of Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Montag had nine children born to them, 
 namely: John, who is interested in the oil 
 industry; Amelia, who is the wife of 
 Harry J. Bunting, has three children, 
 Paul, Esther and Elma; Anna and Ma- 
 tilda, both residing at home; Lewis, who 
 is a telegraph operator at Apollo, Penn- 
 
 sylvania; Philip, who is in the oil fields; 
 Lena, who is a successful teacher in the 
 public schools; Albert, deceased; and 
 Franklin, living at home. 
 
 Mr. Montag is a leading member of the 
 Pi'esbyterian Church at Jefferson Center. 
 He has been quite active in public affairs 
 in his township, has served as assessor, 
 school director and as township treasurer. 
 
 THOMAS A. FRAZIER, who has been 
 prominently identified with oil production 
 for the past twenty years, is one of the 
 most thoroughly experienced men in the 
 industry now working in the Butler fields. 
 He was born in 1852, in Butler, and is a 
 son of James Frazier. 
 
 James Frazier was born in County Ar- 
 magh, Ireland, and in 1832 he came to 
 Butler County, Penna. His life was de- 
 voted to agricultural pursuits. He took 
 an active interest in both public and local 
 affairs and although well qualified and 
 often solicited to accept political office, he 
 would never consent. He was stanch in 
 his adherence to the principles of the 
 Democratic party. 
 
 Thomas A. Frazier learned the milling 
 business after he left school and engaged 
 in operating flour mills in both Butler and 
 Washington Counties, for about seven 
 years. He then went to Pittsburg and 
 there was engaged for eight years as & 
 plastering contractor. In 1888 he went 
 into the oil business at Saxonburg and has 
 been concerned in oil production ever 
 since, working in the fields of Pennsyl- 
 vania, Southeastern Ohio and Northwest- 
 ern Virginia. His energies at present are 
 confined to Butler. He has always taken 
 an active citizen's interest in politics and 
 has been a pi-ominent factor in Democratic 
 circles in Pennsylvania for many years. 
 He has been a member of the Democratic 
 State Executive Committee and was hon- 
 ored by an appointment as alternate dele- 
 gate to the Democratic National Conven- 
 tion at Denver. Colorado, in 1908, and had 
 
1132 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the extreme pleasure of visiting Hon. Will- 
 iam J. Bryan at bis Fairview home, on 
 July 4, 19U8. Mr. Frazier is a member of 
 the Board of Education of Butler. 
 
 On December 22, 1874, Mr. Frazier was 
 married to Miss Harriet Bickett. of Clin- 
 ton Township, Butler County, and they 
 have had the following children: Nettie, 
 Eugene, Chauncey E., Howard M., Charles 
 Francis, Elva, Elizabeth, Hazel and Har- 
 riett. Of the above family, Eugene, and 
 Howard M., are deceased. Nettie and 
 Hazel reside at home, Harriett is a student 
 in the Butler High School and Elva and 
 Elizabeth are both popular teachers. 
 Chauncey E. is general manager of the 
 Gee Electrical Construction Company, of 
 Wheeling, West Virginia, and C. F. is 
 bookkeeper for the Standard Steel Car 
 Works. Mr. Frazier and family belong to 
 the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 L. CLYDE KENNEDY, farmer and 
 dairyman, residing on the 100-acre farm 
 in Penn Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 on which he was born, owns some twenty- 
 five acres in the same township, on which 
 he built his handsome residence some nine 
 years since. Mr. Kennedy w-as born in a 
 house which then stood twelve feet from 
 his present dwelling, April 17, 1871, and is 
 a son of William and Matilda (Graham) 
 Kennedy. 
 
 William Kennedy, who now lives retired 
 from active life, was born September 15, 
 1831, in AVinfield Township, Butler 
 County, and is a son of John and Annie C. 
 (Smith) Kennedy. John Kennedy was 
 born in Allegheny County, Penna., in 1794 
 and when he was seven years old came to 
 Winfield Township, Butler County, with 
 his parents, who were very early settlers. 
 The grandfather of William Kennedy was 
 John Kennedy, who was born at Balti- 
 more, Maryland, in 1751, and was a son of 
 John Kennedy, who was born in County 
 Antrim, Ireland, in 1722, and came to 
 Maryland in 1748. John Kennedy, the 
 
 great-grandfather of L. Clyde, served un- 
 der General Washington in the Revolu- 
 tionary War and drew a pension from the 
 Government up to the time of his death, 
 in 1835. In 1786 he married and then 
 moved to what is now the site of McKees- 
 port, Penna., and from there, in 18U1, to 
 what is now Winfield Township, Butler 
 County. 
 
 Grandfather John Kennedy grew up in 
 Winfield Township but in 1832 he bought 
 a farm in what is now Penn Township, on 
 which he lived until the time of his death, 
 when aged seventy-five years. Although 
 very young at the time, he participated as 
 a soldier in the battle of Lake Erie, during 
 the War of 1812. With his wife he was 
 active in the founding and support of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church in Penn 
 Township. He died January 4, 1869. 
 
 William Kennedy learned the black- 
 smith's trade and worked at the same for 
 about twelve years, after which he bought 
 a farm and continued to engage in agri- 
 cultural pursuits until the spring of 1908. 
 He has three producing oil wells on his 
 property and for a number of years has 
 been interested in oil and gas production. 
 In politics he is a Republican. He has 
 frequently been urged to accept township 
 offices but has seldom consented and when 
 elected a justice of the peace, he refused 
 to (jualify. He married Matilda Graham, 
 a daughter of Robert Graham, of Penn 
 Township, and they had ten children born 
 to them, as follows : William J., deceased ; 
 Annie C, who is the wife of Bert McCand- 
 less, of Butler; Charles L., who lives in 
 Butler Township; Lulu M., who is the 
 wife of Morris Flarshem, of Minnesota; 
 Mrs. Clara Robbins; L. Clyde; George 
 Lewis, who resides with his older brother; 
 Ada, who is the wife of Dominick Mangel, 
 of Penn Township; Eva, and Frances M. 
 Mr. Kennedy is a member of Thorn Creek 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he 
 has held the offices of trustee and class 
 leader for many years. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1133 
 
 L. Clyde Kennedy lias always resided on 
 the home farm, a part of wliich he culti- 
 vates. He raises corn, oats, wheat and 
 hay, keeps ten head of cattle and ships his 
 milk to Pittsburg. He is one of the pro- 
 gressive and enterprising young business 
 men of this section, one who keeps tlior- 
 oughly posted on all subjects of interest 
 to farmer and dairyman. He is also inter- 
 ested to some degree in oil and gas produc- 
 tion. About twenty-five years have passed 
 since the first oil well was drilled on the 
 Kennedy farm and the generous iiow has 
 added materially to the family income. At 
 present the output is limited to three wells. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy married Hannah Wise, a 
 daughter of Jacob Wise, of Taylor Town- 
 ship, Allegheny County. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kennedy have had five children, namely: 
 Powell, Isabella, Clara Irene, Lorine, and 
 an infant. Powell and Clara Irene are the 
 only survivors. The family belong to the 
 Thorn Creek Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 in which Mr. Kennedy is one of the 
 stewards. He is not active in politics, but 
 has always been a man of temperance and 
 votes with the Prohibition party. Frater- 
 nally he is an Odd Fellow and belongs to 
 Connoquenessing Lodge at Butler. 
 
 JAMES S. GLENN, a representative 
 citizen of Allegheny Township, the present 
 assessor and collector of the same, resides 
 on his farm of twenty-five acres, but prior 
 to 1900 he devoted himself mainly to con- 
 tract building and carpenter work. He 
 was born in Concord Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., December 2, 1842, and is 
 a son of William and Rebecca (Porter) 
 Glenn. 
 
 The Glenns are old residents of Butler 
 County. William Glenn was born in West- 
 moreland County, Penna., and was four 
 years old when he accompanied his father, 
 John Glenn, to Butler County. The latter 
 was born in Ireland. When he came to 
 Clay Township, Butler County, he settled 
 in the depths of the woods, built his little 
 
 log house there and with the assistance of 
 his sons, cleared up a farm. In 1827, W^ill- 
 iam Glenn moved to Concord Township, 
 where he continued to reside until 18G6, 
 when he moved to Michigan for a short, 
 time, when he returned to Butler County, 
 where he died in 1880, when in his eightieth 
 year. He married Rebecca Porter, who 
 was born in Venango County, Penna., and 
 she survived him for ten years. They had 
 lived a happy wedded life of over a half 
 century, and were permitted to celebrate 
 their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They 
 were widely known and were held in the 
 highest esteem. 
 
 James S. Glenn grew to manhood in 
 Concord Township and obtained his educa- 
 tion in the district schools. He learned 
 the carpenter trade and pursued it most 
 successfully for many years, many of the 
 substantial buildings through Butler 
 Covmty testifying to his skill. In June, 
 1864, he enlisted for service in the Civil 
 War, entering Company A, Sixth Regi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania JHeavy Artillery, 
 which operated in the Shenandoah Valley, 
 which at that time was a very dangerous 
 section of the country, the Union soldiers 
 being under almost continuous fire. Later 
 his regiment was detailed for fort duty in 
 the protection of the city of Washington. 
 Mr. Glenn received his honorable dis- 
 charge in June, 1865, and then returned to 
 his previous peaceful pursuits. In 1866 he 
 went to Leelanau County, Michigan, but 
 in a few years returned to Pennsylvania, 
 and in 1874 he settled on his present farm 
 in Alleghenv Township. 
 
 On Septemlier 27, 1865, Mr. Glenn was 
 married to Miss Emeline McCandless, who 
 is a daughter of John F. McCandless, of 
 Center Township, Butler County, and they 
 have the following children: Jennie B., 
 who is the wife of Rollen Buck, resides 
 near Topeka. Kansas; Milton L.. who is a 
 practicing physician at Swissvale, Penn- 
 sylvania; Mary A., who emplovs her talent 
 in music, as a local teacher; John S., who 
 
1134 
 
 HISTORY 0^ BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 resides at Pitcairn, Pennsylvania; Anna 
 P., who resides witli her parents ; and Cora 
 H., who resides at Ray, Colorado. 
 
 Mr. Glenn is a member of the Scrub 
 Grass Presbyterian Church, a member of 
 the Session, and for years has served as 
 one of its elders. For three years he has 
 been a member of the School Board of Al- 
 legheny Township, and for nine years has 
 been township assessor and collector. He 
 is a valued comrade of S. J. Rosenberry 
 Post, No. 538, Grand Army of the Repub- 
 lic, at Eau Claire. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 REV. PATRICK K. COLLINS, pastor 
 of St. Paul's Catholic Church at Butler, 
 Pennsylvania, was born in Ireland, De- 
 cember 13, 1866, and is a member of a 
 family of seven children born to his par- 
 ents, Dennis and Mary (Sweeney) Collins. 
 The father died in Ireland in 1892. 
 
 In 1891 Father Collins came to America. 
 He had been thoroughly instructed both 
 in literature and theology and after com- 
 pleting his collegiate course at St. Pat- 
 rick's College, Maynooth, Dublin, was or- 
 dained to the priesthood by Archbishop 
 Walsh of Dublin, Ireland, on June 21, 1891. 
 His first pastoral work was as assistant 
 priest at St. John the Baptist's Church at 
 Pittsburg, Penna., where he was stationed 
 for six years. He then became pastor of 
 St. Joseph's Church at Westmoreland, for 
 six more years, and in 1903 he was called 
 to take charge of St. Paul's Catholic 
 Church at Butler. His administration of 
 botli the temporal and spiritual affairs of 
 this |)arish, and his personal efforts for 
 the promotion of high standards of living 
 and of social improvement, have brought 
 him not only the respect and reverence of 
 his own religious body but have gained 
 him the esteem and veneration of all right- 
 minded citizens. In the pastoral work at 
 St. Paul's he has an able assistant in Rev. 
 Michael Leen. 
 
 The history of St. Paul's Catholic 
 
 Church at Butler is one full of interest. 
 On January 1, 1866, lot No. 147, in the 
 borough of Butler, was deeded to the Right 
 Reverend Bishop of Pittsburg, by Ellen 
 McKeown, Alice Schoonmaker, Mary Gil- 
 lespie, Bridget Torbett, and Anne and 
 Peter Duffy. The erection of the church, 
 which has a frontage on McKean Street, 
 was begun in April, 1866, and in February, 
 1867, it was dedicated by Bishop Domenec, 
 of Pittsburg. 
 
 The original members of this church 
 were among the first Catholic settlers of 
 the county and before the present church 
 was built, worshipped in St. Peter's, which 
 they in no small degree helped to erect. 
 Subsequently the membership of St. 
 Peter's became so largely German that the 
 English-speaking members decided to 
 build a church for themselves and largely 
 through the efforts of that good Catholic, 
 Peter Duffy, the plan was carried out and 
 St. Paul's became a reality. The growth 
 in membership and resources has been 
 equaled by its religious spirit. The differ- 
 ent priests who have had charge have all 
 been men of zeal and executive ability, 
 from Rev. Stephen M. A. Barrett to the 
 present incumbent. Rev. Patrick K. Col- 
 lins. The church structure is neat and at- 
 tractive and its membership embraces 4.50 
 families. A new school building has been 
 erected and the attendance of pupils num- 
 bers 420, who are under the instruction of 
 nine sisters. 
 
 CHARLES H. BARNHART, a repre- 
 sentative business citizen of Butler, who 
 conducts the largest blacksmith and horse- 
 shoeing establishment in this city, was born 
 at Chieora, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1877. 
 
 David F. Barnhart, father of Charles 
 H., was born at Millersto-mi, Pennsylvania, 
 and was one of the early carpenters and 
 wasfon-makers at Chieora. 
 
 Charles H. Barnhart attended school at 
 Chieora until he went to work in the sheet- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1137 
 
 mill, where he remained for one year and 
 then came to Butler, where he learned the 
 blacksmith trade with Grohmau & Oester- 
 liug, with whom lie remaineii for thi-ee 
 years. He hail very tliorimgh training, 
 for he then spent a year with W. B. Rob- 
 inson and for nearly two years was asso- 
 ciated with Adam Sehenck under the firm 
 name of Sehenck & Barnhart. Mr. Barn- 
 hart then decided to open up a business of 
 his own. He had very little capital to be- 
 gin with but he was a first-class workman 
 and had made many friends, all of whom 
 wished him success. He was prudent, in- 
 dustrious and careful and as the result 
 of his labors can point to at least $10,000 
 worth of property, every cent of which he 
 has earned. His present finely eiiuipped 
 shop is a handsome brick building, two 
 stories in height, with inside measurements 
 of 50 by 22 feet, with a basement. His 
 residence adjoins his place of business. 
 \]] kinds of blacksmith work is carried on 
 but .Mr. Barnhart makes a specialty of 
 horse shoeing, doing this work in a scien- 
 tifii' manner. He is a stockholder in the 
 Butler Pure Milk Company and also in the 
 Butler Driving Park and Fair Association. 
 On December 22, 1898, Mr. Barnhart was 
 married to Miss Clara M. Leithold, of But- 
 ler County, and they have two children: 
 Lloyd L. and Mary Elizabeth. They are 
 members of Grace Lutheran Church and 
 lie belongs to the church council and is 
 treasurer of the Clu'istian Endeavor So- 
 ciety. He belongs to the order of Odd Fel- 
 lows and to the Horse-shoers' Union and 
 is treasurer of the latter. 
 
 DELOSS L. HINDMAN, manager of 
 the Phoenix Milling Company of West 
 Svmbury, Butler County, Penna., has been 
 connected with this enterprise since 1897, 
 and is a man of high business and social 
 standing in the community. The mill was 
 built by him, in connection with ^Ir. J. E. 
 Kellv, the McKissick heirs and Robert S. 
 Hindman, the last named being father of 
 
 the subject of this record. Robert S. Hind- 
 man disposed of his interest to his sou. 
 Clyde K., and in the spring of 1908, Mr. 
 Kelly's interest was purcliased by the 
 other members of the firm, which now is 
 composed of Hindman Brothers, Robert 
 S. Hindman, and the McKissick heirs, the 
 latter being represented in the business l)y 
 Mr. J. W. McKissick. The mill is entirely 
 modern in its equipment, being provided 
 with Sprout-Waldron machinery, and their 
 product is well known and finds a ready 
 market. They manufacture what is known 
 as "Purity," and "Golden Sheaf Wheat 
 Flour," and make a specialty of strictly 
 pure buckwheat flour. This plant has 
 added materially to the prosperity of the 
 borough, and is generally running at its 
 full capacity. 
 
 Mr. Hindman was born on a farm two 
 miles north of West Sunbury, in Cherry 
 Township, in 1873, and is a son of Robert 
 S. and Ann Jane (Campbell) Hindman. 
 His mother died when he was twelve years 
 of age, and his father formed a second 
 union with Mary Ellen Hilliard. Robert 
 S. now resides in West Sunbury, and is 
 carrier on a rural mail route. 
 
 DeLoss L. Hindman was reared on the 
 farm, first attended the district schools and 
 carries a diploma from the same. He later 
 attended West Sunbury Academy, and as 
 a young man taught school for three years. 
 During that time his father moved to West 
 Sunbury, and the following fall the Phoe- 
 nix Mill was erected, replacing an old mill 
 which had been destroyed by fire some 
 three years before. In 1903 he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Minnie Conn, a daughter of 
 Robert B. Conn of Clay Township, and 
 they have one daughter, Barbara Lucile, a 
 graduate of West Sunbury Academy, who 
 also taught school for five years. Mr. Hind- 
 man is a member of the Royal Arcanum, 
 of which he is regent, and of the Woodmen 
 of the World, of which he is advisor lieu- 
 tenant. He is one of the most useful mem- 
 bers of the Borough Council at West Sun- 
 
1138 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 buiy. In religious attacLment, lie is a 
 member of the ir'resbyterian church, and is 
 the youngest elder in the church organiza- 
 tion. 
 
 JOHN HUGH McCOY, a resident of 
 Mercer Township, Butler County, enjoys 
 an enviable reputation as a builder of 
 silos, having constructed a number at far 
 distant points. He and his wife own a fine 
 farm of eighty-two acres, it being Mrs. 
 McCoy's birthplace, and he follows gen- 
 eral farming in addition to his other busi- 
 ness affairs. He was born in Ripley 
 County, Missouri, December 22, 1870, but 
 the family has long been a prominent one 
 in the vicinity of his present home. He is 
 a son of Isaac and Catherine (Cope) Mc- 
 Coy, a grandson of John and Peggie (Rich- 
 mond) McCoy, and great-grandson of Jo- 
 seph McCoy. 
 
 Joseph McCoy was born on the present 
 Jack McCoy farm in Mercer County, 
 Penna., his father having come from Har- 
 per's Ferry, Virginia, at a very earlv pe- 
 riod, and taken up a tract of 400 acres of 
 land, for which he paid $2.50 per acre. 
 This land lay in both Mercer and Butler 
 Counties, and Joseph came into possession 
 of the southeast corner of it. He spent all 
 his life on the place and died intestate, the 
 property passing to the heirs. The young- 
 est son, Lewis, purchased the interests of 
 the other heirs, and for his share, John, 
 the grandfather of John Hugh, received 
 an old silver watch. He was a mason by 
 trade and built many furnace stacks 
 through this section. He later moved to 
 Clarion, Penna., where he followed his 
 trade until his death, at the age of fifty- 
 two years. He married Peggie Richmond 
 and the following children were born to 
 them: Joseph, deceased, who served in the 
 Union Army during the Civil War; Isaac; 
 Harriet, wife of John Cobler; Lewis, who 
 died in the service during the Civil War; 
 and Milton. 
 Isaac McCoy was born in the old log 
 
 house on the present James Book farm, 
 east of Harrisville, in Butler County, 
 Penna., in 1837, and was very young when 
 his parents moved to Clarion. In 1852, 
 when fifteen years of age, he learned the 
 trade of a blacksmith with David Ray, and 
 followed it for a number of years, making 
 a specialty of manufacturing drilling 
 tools. He was married at the age of 
 twenty-eight years, and after the birth of 
 his two eldest children moved with his 
 family to Ripley County, Missouri. There 
 he purchased a quarter section of land and 
 followed farming in addition to his trade. 
 In 1875, he returned to Clarion County, 
 Penna., and purchased a tract of twenty 
 acres of land, on which he erected a shop, 
 and there he followed his trade until 1889. 
 He then gave his time and attention to the 
 lumber business, which he followed many 
 years in a most successful manner. He 
 added largely to his original purchase in 
 Clarion County, and now has 350 acres of 
 valuable land. He was joined in marriage 
 with Catherine Cope, w'. j was of German 
 and English parentage, and was born and 
 reared in Beaver Township, Clarion 
 County. The following children were born 
 to them: Margaret, deceased wife of Oli- 
 ver Mays; Manela, wife of II. 0. Fisher; 
 John H., whose name heads this sketch; 
 Anna, wife of Samuel Hanst; Lawrence 
 J.; Ella, wife of Robert Kiser; Allen; 
 Susan, wife of G. Miles ; George, deceased ; 
 Vernon; and Freda. 
 
 John H. McCoy was about five years of 
 age when his parents returned to Clarion 
 County from Missouri, and here he grew 
 to maturity and received a common school 
 education. He worked in the fields when 
 quite young, and was still a boy when he 
 entered his father's blacksmith shop. It 
 was necessary at the time for him to stand 
 on a box to swing his sledge hammer. He 
 mastered the trade, which has been of in- 
 calculable benefit to him in the business in 
 which he is now engaged. Wlien his father 
 abandoned the business in 1889, John H. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1139 
 
 McCoy entered the employ of the Key- 
 stone Stock Farm at Kittanning, Penna. 
 During his five years there, the exacting- 
 duty of shoeing race horses devolved upon 
 him and he shod some of the fastest horses 
 in the State at that time. He was married 
 at the age of twenty-four years and began 
 housekeeping on the old Shaw homestead, 
 where his wife was born and where they 
 have since lived. lie took up general 
 farming and later branched into stock- 
 raising, at which he has met with good re- 
 sults. He winters between twenty-five and 
 thirty head of stock each year. In 1907 he 
 built a 100-ton concrete silo on his farm, 
 and soon after erected oue of like capacity 
 on his father's farm in Clarion Comity, 
 and another for II. O. Fisher. His success 
 at the work became known and he was 
 called as far distant as Wheeling, Illinois, 
 where he erected one for the Agriculture 
 Guild of Chicago University, its dimen- 
 sions being 18 feet inside in diameter and 
 47 feet 7 inches high. He more recently 
 completed one for W. .\. Kcllei- at Grove 
 City, Pennsylvania. 
 
 December 22, 1894, Mr. .McCoy married 
 Miss Harriet Shaw, a daughter of Hugh 
 and Sarah Shaw of Mercer Township. In 
 religious faith, they are United Presbyte- 
 rians. 
 
 ELI AS SHAKELY, one of Butler's 
 most substantia] citizens, largely inter- 
 ested in real estate and identified with the 
 best interests of tins section, has been a 
 resident of Butler since December, 1892. 
 He was born in Donegal Township, Butler 
 County, Penna.. September 17, 1856, and 
 is a sou of Jolm S. and Susan (Barnhart) 
 Shakely. 
 
 The Shakely family is one of the old and 
 prominent ones of Butler County and was 
 founded by the grandfather. John S. 
 Shakely, father of Elias, was boru in Par- 
 ker Township. Butler County, AFarch 25, 
 1810, and died on his fai-ui in Donegal 
 
 Township, Jiine 22, 1867. He was a man 
 of public importance in his community 
 and was a prominent farmer and stock 
 dealer for many years in Donegal Town- 
 ship. He married Susan Barnliart, who 
 was born in Butler County, November 12, 
 1819, and died August 28, 1877. She was 
 a daughter of Daniel Barnhart, a member 
 of one of the county's old pioneer families. 
 There were nine children born to them, 
 three sons and six daughters, and only one 
 of the sons still survives. 
 
 Elias Shakely spent his boyhood on the 
 home farm and secured his education in 
 the country schools. His early training 
 gave him a taste for an agricultural life, 
 and for twenty-eight years lie engaged in 
 farming and still owns a farm of 130 acres 
 in Butler Township. He cari'ied on ex- 
 tensive farming during this time and dealt 
 largely in stock, and also developed oil in 
 paying quantity on his land. He has ac- 
 quired a large amount of valuable realty 
 in Butler, which he has greatly improved, 
 having modern ideas on this subject, prov- 
 ing it by installing a private water plant 
 to supjjly his houses. 
 
 On September 30, 1875, Mr. Shakely was 
 married to Miss Sarah Nesbitt, who was 
 born in Jackson Township, Butler County, 
 and is a daughter of Peter Nesbitt, for- 
 merly a very prominent citizen and a rep- 
 resentative of one of the oldest families in 
 the county. Mr. and Mrs. Shakely have 
 had four children, namely : Frost, who died 
 when aged sixteen years; Miles, who is 
 engaged in the practice of law at Butler; 
 Zelia, who is the wife of 0. 0. Dershimer, 
 a contractor at Butler; and Pearl, who is 
 the wife of Professor Cain, of Wilkins- 
 burg. 
 
 Miles Shakely was reared and educate 1 
 in the township schools and in 1899 was 
 graduated from the Slippery Rock Normal 
 School; still further pursued his studies 
 and was graduated from Grove City Col- 
 leae, in the class of 1902. He then studied 
 
1140 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 law with the tirm of iMcQuistin & Vandei- 
 lin, aucl was admitted to the bar in 1905. 
 He has been in active practice at Butler 
 ever since and has taken rank with the 
 successful members of his profession. 
 
 In politics, Elias Shakely is a Democrat 
 and a great admirer of Hon. William J. 
 Bryan, but he is broad-minded and has 
 frequently cast his vote for both Repub- 
 lican and Prohibition candidates, when, in 
 his judgment, their election promised to 
 best advance the interests of the commu- 
 nity. During his many years of residence 
 in Butler Township, Mr. Shakely, on nu- 
 merous occasions, was honored by his fel- 
 low citizens by election to office, although 
 he never solicited the same. Thus for a 
 number of years he served most accept- 
 ably as township auditor, as school direc- 
 tor and also as justice of the peace. 
 
 HENRY J. BROWN, owner of an ex- 
 cellent farm of 100 acres in Mercer Town- 
 ship, is engaged in general farming and 
 dairying. He comes of an old and re- 
 spected family in this locality, his grand- 
 father having located on the "farm he now 
 owns, when it was yet in its wild and un- 
 cleared state, and here be was born, Feb- 
 ruary 28,. 1844, and is a son of Alexander 
 and Elizabeth (Hoskins) Brown, and a 
 grandson of James Brown. The family 
 originally came from Ireland to this coun- 
 try, and for a time was located in West- 
 moreland County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 James Brown, the grandfather, accom- 
 panied his brother, Ebenezer, from AVest- 
 moreland Coimty to Butler County early 
 in the Nineteenth Century, and together 
 they acquired 400 acres of land. James 
 located upon the farm now^ owned bv his 
 grandson, Henry J. Brown, which three 
 generations of the family have aided in 
 clearing of its heavy growth of timlier. 
 He died on the place at the advanced age 
 of eighty-one years. He and his wife 
 reared a large family of fourteen children. 
 
 of whom the following grew up: Alex- 
 ander, Ebenezer, Samuel, James, Ralston, 
 Washington, George, Calvin, Alice Jane 
 and Margaret. All are now deceased. 
 
 Alexander Brown, father of the subject 
 of this record, was born in 1811, on his 
 father's farm near Harrisville, in Mercer 
 Township, Butler County, and he lived on 
 this place the remainder of his life, except 
 for temporary absences on business, and 
 during the greater part of his active 
 career followed farming. At the time of 
 his marriage, which occurred in New York 
 State, he was working there upon the 
 canal. He married Elizabeth Hoskins, 
 who was born in New York State in 1818, 
 and they had the following children: An- 
 geline, who married George Midbery, both 
 now deceased; Henry James; Mary Ann, 
 who died young; Melvin Lewis; and Wil- 
 helmina, wife of Hugh Reed. The father 
 of this family died in 1894, aged eighty- 
 three years, and the mother in 1874, at the 
 age of fifty-six years. 
 
 Henry James Brown has always made 
 his home on his present farm and attended 
 the common schools of the neighborhood. 
 At the age of seventeen years, he engaged 
 in work in the oil fields, principally drill- 
 ing wells, and continued until the Civil 
 War was in progress. In 1862, he enlisted 
 for nine months as a member of Company 
 F, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regi- 
 ment, Penna. Volunteer Infantry, under 
 Captain Breckenridge, and with his com- 
 pany participated in the following hotly 
 contested engagements : Fredericksburg, 
 South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellors- 
 ville, Shepherdstown and Second Battle of 
 Bull Run. At the end of that service he 
 re-enlisted as a member of the Sixth 
 Heavy Artillery, and during this enlist- 
 ment was mainly occupied in garrison 
 duty. At the close of the war, Mr. Brown 
 returned home and resumed work in the 
 oil fields, which lie continued off and on, 
 with fair success, until 1892, when he 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1141 
 
 turned his atteutiou exclusively to farm- 
 ing. In 1880, he obtained a patent to his 
 land from the United States Government, 
 for, although it had been in the family for 
 two generations, it had never been deeded, 
 so that he was the first to acquire a per- 
 fected legal title to the land. In 1897, he 
 erected a substantial and comfortable 
 home, and from time to time has made 
 many desirable and important improve- 
 ments. He is a successful business man, 
 one of the strictest integrity, and he has 
 been able to retain the confidence and good 
 will of all with whom he has been brought 
 into contact. 
 
 September 2, 1873, Air. Brown was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Will- 
 iamson, a daughter of John and Anna 
 (jMoore) Williamson, and they are par- 
 ents of the following children: Mabel 
 Irene, who is teaching school in the home 
 district; ITrla, who is the wife of T. P. 
 Shira and has three children, Frank, Don- 
 ald and Elizabeth ; Ethel, who is the wife 
 of Frank Sutton ; Angeline, who is teach- 
 ing school ; Warren J. ; and J. Everett. 
 Mr. Brown is a Republican in politics, and 
 has served efficiently in various township 
 offices. Religiously, he and his family are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Harmony. 
 
 CHARLES ERNEST BACHMAN, re- 
 siding on his valuable farm of sixty acres, 
 which is situated in Jefferson Township, 
 on the Jefferson Center and Great Belt 
 road, about three miles from Saxonburg. 
 was born March 5, 1867, in Jefferson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 His parents were August and Mary 
 (Smith) Bachman. 
 
 August Bacbman was born in Germany 
 and was small when his parents, John 
 George and Christina Bachman, brought 
 him to America. They settled in Butler 
 Countv and John George Bachman died 
 in Jefferson Township in 1845. August 
 Bachman did the greater part of the clear- 
 
 ing on the Bachman homestead, lie mar- 
 ried Mary Smith, who came also to Amer- 
 ica when young, and they had ten children, 
 namely: Mary, Henry, Geoi'ge, William 
 Charles, John, Emma, Louis, August and 
 Joseph. 
 
 Charles E. Bachman has been a hard- 
 working man all his life. In boyhood he 
 had many duties to perform on the home 
 farm and could only attend school during 
 the winter time. AVhen he grew older he 
 went into the oil fields for a time and then, 
 in partnership witli his l)rothers, conduct- 
 ed a brick yard for about ten years. Since 
 then he lias given his whole attention to 
 farming and stock raising, not making any 
 specialty of the latter industry, but tak- 
 ing some pride in having good stock for 
 his own use. He has never interested liim- 
 self particularly in politics but his record 
 shows that he has always done his full 
 duty to his township, as a good citizen. 
 
 Mr. Bachman was married April 28. 
 1898, to Miss Emma Montag, who is a 
 daughter of Ernest H. and Mary (Renick) 
 Montag, residents of Jefferson Township. 
 They have a little family of five children, 
 three of whom are bright students in 
 school — Lydia, Clarence, Gertrude, Elma 
 and Elsie. Mr. and Mrs. Bachman are 
 good. Christian people, devout members of 
 the Lutheran Church. 
 
 GEORGE M. BEATTY, M. D., physi- 
 cian and surgeon, who has built up a large 
 practice at Chicora, where he is numbered 
 with the leading and useful citizens, was 
 born April 25, 1878, in Oakland Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. He is a 
 son of John M. and Susan (Wiitmire) 
 Beatty. 
 
 John M. Beatty, father of Dr. Beatty, 
 was born in Ireland and was brought to 
 Bii^ler County by his parents when he was 
 an infant. He was engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits and has -maintained his home in 
 Butler County. He served in the Union 
 Army during the Civil War. He married 
 
114^ 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Susan Wliitmire aud ever since they have 
 resided on their farm in Oakhind Town- 
 ship. They liad the following children 
 born to them : William J., Hugh T., Cath- 
 erine (Jackson), Margaret H. (Giltillian) ; 
 Minnie E.; Peter F.; George M.; Mary E. 
 (Moser) ; and one that died in infancy. 
 
 Dr. Beatty was reared on the home farm 
 and attended the township schools until 
 he was fifteen years of age, when he en- 
 tered the West Sunbury Academy, remain- 
 ing some three years, at the same time di- 
 recting his studies along the line of medi- 
 cine; after which he taught school for 
 three years in Oakland Township, still ap- 
 plying himself as occasion offered, to his 
 medical studies. He then spent one year 
 in Grove City College before entering the 
 Baltimore Medical College, at Baltimore, 
 Maryland, where he was graduated with 
 high honors in a class of 104 students, in 
 the spring of 1903, winning his degree in 
 both medicine and surgery. Preparing for 
 the medical profession in these modern 
 times, is no easy undertaking. For one 
 year of his regular course, Dr. Beatty 
 practiced at the Maryland Hospital, at 
 Baltimore, and artci- (■dining to Pennsyl- 
 vania, took tlic Sl.-itc r.daril cxamiuatiou. 
 During the typlioid tVvci- (■]ii(hMnic, in that 
 year, which ravaged Butler, Dr. Beatty 
 bravely and efficiently combatted it and 
 won praise and appreciation. In June, 
 1904, lie took up his permanent residence 
 at Chicora and has taken an active interest 
 in all that concerns the welfare of the 
 place. 
 
 On November 25, 1903, Dr. Beatty was 
 married to Miss L. Virginia Blake, who is 
 a daughter of John and Levina (Grubb) 
 Blake, of Baltimore. Dr. and Mrs. Beatty 
 have two children: ]\Iary Virginia, born 
 January 21, 1905; and John McVey, born 
 October 1, 1908. Dr. Beatty is a member 
 and a trustee of the English Lutheran 
 Church. He is identified .with the Knights 
 of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, the IModern 
 "Woodmen of the World fraternal ordei-s 
 and is connected with the local lodses. 
 
 WILLIAM SIEBERT, president of the 
 Board of County Commissioners of Butler 
 County, is the able head of a body un- 
 usually intelligent and public spirited men, 
 whose deliberations are carried on with 
 due regard for public needs and whose de- 
 cisions are made with impartial considera- 
 tion for all sections. Mr. Siebert was born 
 at Pittsburg, in Allegheny County, Penna., 
 in 1839, and he is a son of Frederick and 
 Christina (Shank) Siebert. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Siebert were born 
 in Germany and they came to America in 
 1834, settling first near Chambersburg, 
 Penna., from which point they moved to 
 Pittsburg, in 1837, and from "that city to 
 Butler County, in 1840. Their last years 
 were spent at the home of their son, Will- 
 iam Siebert, where the father died when 
 aged eighty-six years and the mother at 
 the age of eighty-three years. Of their 
 family of twelve children onh' four sur- 
 vive, namely: Frederick, aged sixty-seven 
 years, who is a resident of Pittsburg; 
 George, who has reached his sixty-first 
 year, lives in Kansas; Christina, who is 
 the wife of Herman Wise, is aged fifty- 
 four years; and William, who has seen his 
 sixty-ninth birthday. 
 
 Butler County may almost claim Will- 
 iam Siebert as a native son, as he was very 
 young when his parents brought him with- 
 in her borders, where he obtained his edu- 
 cation, and for many years of his useful 
 life has pursued his business and lent his 
 influence tti ])ronioting lier best interests. 
 He learned ihr lilncksniith trade at Pitts- 
 burg and oi)ene(l his shop in Butler on Au- 
 gust 11, 1862, where, during business hours 
 he was generally found from that time un- 
 til he was ready to assume the duties of 
 county commissioner, to which he had been 
 elected, for a period of three years, in 
 1905. Mr. Seibert has been a very active 
 and influential member of the Republican 
 party in this section for many years and 
 he is a man who enjoys the confidence and 
 esteem of his fellow citizens all over the 
 country, irrespective of party ties. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1143 
 
 On July 7, 1863, Mr. Siebert was mar- 
 ried to Miss Lena Hoffner and tliey have 
 had a family of nine children born to them, 
 seven living, namely : George H., who con- 
 tinues the operation of the blacksmith 
 shop at Butler; Emma, who resides at 
 home; Harry, who is in business at Pitts- 
 burg; Gertrude, who has been a successful 
 teacher in the Butler High School; Kath- 
 erine, married, wlu) resides at Butler, and 
 Albert aud Walter, both of whom are en- 
 gaged in business at Butler. Mr. Siebert 
 and family belong to the Lutheran Church 
 and he has been a member of the church 
 couueil since the fall of 1877. 
 
 SOLOMON DUNBAR is a prosperous 
 farmer of Forward Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., where he owns a farm of 
 forty acres located on the Freeport Road, 
 about two miles east of Evans City. He 
 was born on his father's farm in that part 
 of Cranberry Township, which is now 
 Forward Township, May 6, 1836, and is a 
 son of William and Margaret (McGregor) 
 Dunbar, and a grandson of Solomon aud 
 Ceneth (Snow) Dunbar. The family is 
 of Irish origin, and upon coming to Amer- 
 ica became established iu New York State. 
 
 Solomon Dunbar, the grandfather, 
 moved with his wife and the three chil- 
 dren then born, to Butler Coimty, Penna., 
 from New York State, making the trip 
 with a yoke of oxen. He settled on a farm 
 of 200 acres in Cranberry Township, but 
 later sold out and moved to Johnson, Ohio, 
 where he conducted a hotel until his death. 
 He and his wife were parents of ten chil- 
 dren, as follows : Ambrose ; William ; Dan- 
 iel; Phyrus; Tarlton-; Lafayette; Jolin; 
 Barney; Mary, wife of Joseph McCartney; 
 and Hannah, wife of Dr. Mulford. All are 
 now deceased but Barnev. who resides in 
 Ohio. 
 
 William Dunbar was a mere child when 
 his parents moved to Butler County, 
 Penna., and there he was reared to matur- 
 ity and helped to clear the home farm in 
 Cranberry Township. He later moved to 
 
 that part of the township which afterward 
 became Forward Township, and followed 
 farming there the remainder of his days, 
 dying in 1892, at the age of eighty years. 
 He was joined in marriage with Margaret 
 McGregor, who was of Scotch descent. 
 She survived her husband about six years, 
 dying at the age of eighty-six years. They 
 were parents of ten children, namely: 
 John, who was a member of the Eleventh 
 Penna. Reserves during the Civil War, 
 and was killed at Gaines ' Mills ; Solomon ; 
 Mary Jane, deceased wife of Edward Ir- 
 vin ; Alexander, who served in the Seventy- 
 eighth Regiment Penna. Volunteer Infan- 
 try during the Civil War; William W., a 
 member of the Fourth Cavalry of Penn- 
 sylvania; Alfred, a member of the Fourth 
 Pennsylvania Cavalry; Alpheus, also of 
 the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry; Irvin; 
 Anna, deceased wife of Miller McKinney; 
 and Daniel L. 
 
 Solomon Dunbar, subject of this biog- 
 raphy, was born in the ex'ude log cabin 
 which stood on his father's farm for so 
 many years, and assisted in clearing the 
 place in his boyhood days. He resided on 
 that farm until his marriage in 1860, and 
 has always farmed. After the death of his 
 mother, he purchased the farm of the other 
 heirs and has since lived upon it. He has 
 followed general farming with a high de- 
 gree of success, and has four producing 
 oil wells on the farm, which have been a 
 source of considerable income to him. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar was married July 3, 1860, 
 to Miss Rachel C. Johns, a daughter of 
 Mordicai Johns, and they became parents 
 of eight children : Leonidas ; John ; Camp- 
 bell, who married Anna Barrett and lives 
 in the city of Butler; Austin, who met an 
 accidental death in Virginia when thirty- 
 four years of age; Margaret, widow of 
 Edgar McAnallen; Grant; Anna, wife of 
 A. L. Thompson, by whom she has two 
 children, Helen and Hazel; and Stewart, 
 who married a Miss Lewton, now deceased. 
 Mr. Dunbar is a Republican in politics, 
 and is at the present time township I'oad 
 
1144 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 master, having served as supervisor for 
 more than thirty years. He also has 
 served on the School Board, and has 
 worked for the elevation of the schools 
 to a higher plane of efficiency. Fraternally, 
 he is a memher of Evans Citv Lodge No. 
 2!)2, K. of P. 
 
 S. NELSON RUSSEL, who has been a 
 resident of AVest Sunbury since 1902 and 
 is proprietor of a livery stable at the pres- 
 ent time, was prior to that date engaged in 
 farming operations in Concord Township, 
 Butler County, Peuna. He was born on the 
 farm he owned there, October 3, 1846, and 
 is a son of Samuel and Julia Ann (McCal- 
 len) Russel. His grandfather, James Rus- 
 sel, was one of the earliest pioneer settlers 
 of Concord Township. 
 
 Samuel Russel was also a native of But- 
 ler County, and was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion. He married Julia Ann McCallen, 
 who was born in Cherry Township, Butler 
 County, and they became parents of the 
 following children: J. E. Russel of Steu- 
 benville, Ohio; S. Nelson, subject of this 
 record; W. G. Russel of West Sunburv; 
 Emma, wife of A. W. Storey; Dr. J. G. 
 Russel of Warren, Pennsylvania; Dr. H. 
 B. Russel of Sheffield, Pennsylvania; 0. 
 H. P. Russel, who was a member of the 
 Eleventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Re- 
 serves, during the Civil War, and died in 
 Tvihby Prison of wounds received in bat- 
 tle; and R. M. Russel, who also was a sol- 
 dier in the Union Army, dyijig several 
 years after leaving the service. 
 
 S. Melson Russel was reared on a farm 
 and always followed farming imtil he 
 moxed to West Sunbury in 1902, having a 
 valuable tract of eightj'-seven acres in 
 Concord Township. In February, 1907, 
 he purchased the livery stables of H. C. 
 Pryor and Breaden Young, and by com- 
 l)iuing the two made an exceptionally fine 
 stable. Tie has ten good roadsters, and a 
 full e(iuiynnent of fine veliicles. enabling 
 
 him to give the public the v(!ry best of 
 service. 
 
 Mr. Russel was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary E. Campbell, daughter of 
 Thomas Campbell of Concord Township, 
 and they became parents of the following: 
 Oliver F., who is with his father in the liv- 
 ery business, and who married Lillian M. 
 Campbell, by whom he has a daughter, 
 Dorothy; Margaret, wife of Charles Ekis, 
 by whom she has a daughter, Frances Lu- 
 cile; Flora M., who is the wife of C. C. 
 Campbell and has two children, Ronald 
 and Helen; Anna, who is wife of W. O. 
 Bryan and has a son, Clayton; Alice; and 
 Lorena. Mr. Russel is a member of the 
 Town Council of West Sunbury. Frater- 
 nally, he is a member of the Royal Ar- 
 canum and in religious attachment belongs 
 to the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 LOTT IRVING LEECH, postmaster at 
 Chicora and a leading citizen of Alillers 
 Town Borough, is also an honored veteran 
 of the Civil War and a valued member of 
 Robert McDermott Post, No. 223, Grand 
 Army of the Republic. He was born No- 
 vember 6, 1836, at Penn's Valley, Center 
 County, Penna., and is a son of James and 
 Jane (McKeag) Leech. 
 
 Mr. Leech was left an ()r])han when aboiit 
 eight years old and being deprived of his 
 natural protectors, he had but meager ed- 
 ucational opportunities. When he was 
 twelve years of age he began to be self 
 sujjporting, his first work being done in 
 a stove factory where he learned the art 
 of shining stoves. After working at this 
 place for two years he went to another 
 similar factory where all his chances were 
 better, and he leai'ued the making of brass 
 and iron molding. In 1861 he enlisted for 
 service in the Civil War, as a musician in 
 the band of the One Hundred and Fifth 
 Regiment, Penna. A^olunteer Infantry, in 
 which he remained until August, 1862, 
 after which he reenlisted, entering the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 ll-t? 
 
 Tliird Regiment, Peuua. Artillery, his gift 
 of fine penmanship causing his appoint- 
 ment to clerical duty, being stationed at 
 that time at Fortress Monroe. Later he 
 was transferred, April 16, 18G4, to the One 
 Hundred Eighty-eighth Regiment, Penna. 
 Infantry, lie was appointed first com- 
 missary sergeant of this regiment and 
 later quartermaster sergeant, with rank of 
 first lieutenant. He participated in a num- 
 ber of the most important battles of the 
 war. At Cold Harbor his regiment was at- 
 tached to the division of the army under 
 General Grant, and spent eighty-one days 
 in front of Petersburg, took part in the 
 capture of North Harrison and was in the 
 celebrated tobacco raid at Fredericksburg. 
 He helped in the building of the bridge at 
 White House Landing, which was erected 
 for the crossing of General Sheridan's 
 army. Mr. Leech survived all the fearful 
 dangers of war and was honorably dis- 
 charged and was mustered out at City 
 Point, Virginia, December 14, 1865. 
 
 On June '16, 1857, Mr. Leech was mar- 
 ried to Miss Anna Elizabeth Fulton, of 
 Strattenville, Penna., and they have the 
 following children: Albert, Robert, Frank, 
 Mrs. Ella Tillman, Mrs. May Waldron; 
 and Mrs. Sarah Smock. 
 
 Of the above family, Frank Leecli has 
 one son, Robert Gordon. Mrs. Ella Till- 
 man has five children : Eva, Robert Leech, 
 Ivan, Laurell and Hilda. Mrs. May Wal- 
 dron has one daughter. Hazel. Mrs. Sarah 
 Smock has one son, William. There are, 
 also, three great-grandchildren: Jane 
 Goddard, John White and Hazel Waldron. 
 
 In 1883, Mr. Leech came to Chicora, from 
 Turkey City, Clarion County, Penna. For 
 twenty years previously he had been en- 
 gaged" with the Standard Oil Company. 
 On July 1, 1906, Mr. Leech was appointed 
 postmaster at Chicora and is a popular 
 and efficient official. He has a genial, 
 friendly way with him that invites confi- 
 dence and when he has made friends he 
 has no difficulty in keeping them. He is 
 
 a member of Argyle Lodge, No. 546 F. & 
 A. M., of Chicora, and of Lodge No. 170, 
 Elks, of Butler. 
 
 LAWRENCE H. STEPP, M. D., physi- 
 cian and surgeon residing at the village of 
 Glade Mills, in Middlesex Township, was 
 born at Freeport, Armstrong County, 
 Penna., January 22, 1867, and is a son of 
 William and Sarah Ann (Baruett) Stepp. 
 
 John Stepp, the great-grandfather of 
 Dr. Stepp, came to Pennsylvania from 
 Germany and settled near Freeport, in 
 Armstrong County, where he engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits through the rest of 
 his active life. His death awaited his 
 ninetieth year. John Stepp, his son, lived 
 to the age of eighty-four years. He had 
 been born before his parents reached 
 Western Pennsylvania, and he grew to 
 manhood in Armstrong County, where he 
 married Susan Heekert. 
 
 William Stepp, father of Dr. Stepp, was 
 born at Freeport, March 3, 1843. He was 
 a soldier during the War of the Rebellion, 
 a member of Company A, One Hundred 
 Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penna. Volunteer 
 Cavalry, and it was his hard fortune to 
 suffer capture and to be imprisoned at An- 
 dersonville. He was finally released from 
 that terrible place and still survives. He 
 is . member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public, at Grove City. After his return 
 from military duty he engaged in farming 
 and followed the same until 1905, when he 
 retired to Grove City, where he now re- 
 sides. In politics he is a Republican and 
 he has held many public offices in his com- 
 nmnity. He married a daughter of John 
 Barnett, of Kittanning, and they had seven 
 children born to them, namely: Lawrence 
 H.; Lillie J., who is the wife of Adam 
 Baker of Freeport; Amanda M., who is 
 the wife of John H. Harper, of Tarentura ; 
 Dyson J., who resides at Bellvue; Cora, 
 wiio is the wife of Ellsworth Fullerton, re- 
 sides at Chillicothe, Missouri ; Anna Belle, 
 who is the wife of Reuben Myers, of Wil- 
 
1148 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 kiuisburg; and Jessie L., who resides at 
 Jiome. The mother died June 30, 1886. 
 iShe was a consistent member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church. 
 
 Lawrence H. Stepp attended the public 
 schools at Freeport and Slate Lick and 
 later Grove City College, leaving the lat- 
 ter institution in his senior year. For 
 some seven years he then followed teach- 
 ing and began the study of medicine under 
 Dr. S. F. McComb, of Tarentum, attending 
 lectures in the Western University of 
 Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 
 1895. Dr. Stepp settled immediately after- 
 ward at Glade Mills, where he has built up 
 a fine steady practice, and his calls come 
 also from five or six miles in the adjacent 
 country in every direction. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Butler County Medical Associa- 
 tion and keeps fully abreast of the times in 
 all modern research pertaining to medical 
 science. 
 
 Dr. Stepp married Miss Rosella Kelley, 
 who is a daughter of David M. Kelley. Mrs. 
 Stepp was born at Portersville and was 
 reared in Center Township. She was a 
 successful teacher for some eight years in 
 the Butler schools, and has a wide circle 
 of appreciative friends. Dr. and Mrs. 
 Stepp have one son, Lawrence L., who at-; 
 tends the Butler High School and is a 
 member of the class of 1909. Dr. and Mrs. 
 Stepp are members of the United Presby- 
 terian Church at Glade Mills. He belongs 
 to the Royal Arcanum and to Pollock 
 Lodge, No. 502, F. and A. M., at Tarentum. 
 Both personally and professionally. Dr. 
 Stepp is a leading man in his community. 
 
 SAMUEL C. TRIMBLE, general farm- 
 er and prominent citizen of Middlesex 
 Township, residing on his valuable farm 
 of 112 acres, was born in Butler County, 
 Penna., January 15, 1858, and is a son of 
 Robert and Eliza A. (Hays) Trimble. 
 
 The great-grandfather of Samuel C. 
 Trimble was Thomas Trimble, who emi- 
 grated from Ireland to America in 1790. 
 
 He founded the family in Butler County, 
 where many of them still reside, being 
 among the most respected and useful citi- 
 zens of this section of Pennsylvania. Sam- 
 uel Trimble, the grandfather, was born 
 in Clarion County, before his jjarents set- 
 tled in Aiiddlesex Township, Butler 
 County. He became a man of consequence 
 in his neighborhood, served in the militia" 
 in the early days and later gave one of his 
 sons to the cause of liberty in the Civil 
 War. He married (first) Isabella Thomas, 
 (second) Ellen C. Beery, and (third) 
 Elizabeth Love. He died April 10, 1855. 
 
 Robert Trimble, son of Samuel and El- 
 len C. (Beery) Trimble, was born March 
 12, 1829, in Middlesex Township, Butler 
 County, Penna. In his early manhood he 
 learned the carpenter trade, at which he 
 woi'ked for a few years, but his later life 
 was devoted to agricultural pursuits and 
 to the performance of the duties incident 
 to the numerous public offices to which he 
 was elected. Although his early educa- 
 tional opportunities had been meager, he 
 became a well-informed man and one 
 whose ripened judgment was often sougnt 
 m the adjustment of public aft'airs. He 
 was married April 14, 1857, to Eliza A. 
 Hays, a daughter of William M. Hays, of 
 Middlesex Township, and they reared a 
 family of seven children, two sons and five 
 daughters. 
 
 Samuel C. Trimble was reared on his 
 father's farm. He was educated in the 
 public schools and at Curry Institute in 
 Pittsburg, taking a full course at the lat- 
 ter institution, after which he engaged in 
 teaching school for seven years. From 
 youth he has been interested in agricul- 
 tural pursuits and owns one of the best 
 managed farms in Middlesex Township. 
 
 Mr. Trimble was married (first) to Miss 
 E. Park, wlio died in 1889, leaving two 
 children. He was married (second) to 
 Miss Wilda Leslie, who is a daughter of S. 
 A. Leslie, Esq., of Middlesex Township, 
 and they have four children. Mr. Trimble 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1149 
 
 has been very active in politics and exerts 
 a large amount of influence in his commu- 
 nity. He is a man of sterling character 
 and in the spring of 1908 he was nominat- 
 ed on the Republican ticket for the office of 
 county treasurer, by a majority of 426 
 votes over his opponent, J. W. Clauson. 
 He is widely known and has friends all 
 over Butler County. 
 
 FRED E. MILLER, proprietor of the 
 Evans City Rolling Mill, is a prominent 
 and pi'ogressive business man of that vil- 
 lage and conducts one of its most import- 
 ant industries. He was born on a farm in 
 Lancaster Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., January 11, 1856, and is a son of 
 Fred and Catherine (Flinner) Miller, and 
 grandson of Peter Miller. 
 
 Peter Miller, the grandfather, was a 
 hardware merchant in France, his native 
 land, and was a well-to-do citizen. The 
 freedom of American life and its institu- 
 tions appealed strongly to him, and in 
 1847 he emigrated to the United States, 
 passing through Louisiana and later locat- 
 ing at Pittsburg, Penna., moving from 
 there to Lancaster Township, Butler 
 County, where he located on a farm on 
 Yellow Creek. He and his wife were par- 
 ents of four children, namely: Fred; 
 Peter; Catherine, who was the wife of 
 Hartman Bendarm, both now deceased; 
 and Catherine, wife of Michael Flinner. 
 
 Fred Miller, Sr., was born in France and 
 in that country was accoi'ded superior edu- 
 cational advantages ; he spoke both French 
 and German fluently. He was twenty 
 years of age when he accompanied his par- 
 ents to the United States, and after his 
 arrival in Pennsylvania he devoted his 
 efforts to agricultural pursuits. He be- 
 came the owner of a valuable farm of 110 
 acres in Lancaster Township, and also 
 town property in Mars. His death oc- 
 curred in 1898, at the age of seventy-two 
 years, and is survived by his widow, who 
 
 has passed her seventy-eighth birthday 
 anniversary. Three children blessed their 
 union: Caroline, wife of Charles Workly 
 of Butler County; Fred Edward; and 
 Sophia, wife of J. F. Brachi. 
 
 Fred E. Miller was reared on. the home 
 farm in Lancaster Township and received 
 his educational training in the public 
 schools and a select German school. At 
 the age of twenty years he left the home 
 place and rented of his uncle, Peter Miller, 
 a farm in Lancaster Township. He re- 
 mained there four years, then purchased 
 of the Wilson heirs a farm of sixty acres 
 in Jackson Township, Butler County, on 
 which he lived ten years and which he still 
 cultivates. He also purchased property in 
 Mars when that village was in its infancy, 
 dividing it into town lots and selling it oif 
 at a handsome profit, and also erected two 
 houses in that place. He purchased the in- 
 terest of Mr. S. M. Iseman, who was in 
 partnership with Mr. A. Sechler, in the 
 milling business at Evans City, and three 
 years later, after learning all of the de- 
 tails of the business, bought the interest of 
 Mr. Sechler. The mill, with its modern 
 equipment and improvements, represents 
 an investment of more than $8,000, and is 
 one of the best in the county. It has a 
 capacity of fifty barrels of wheat flour, 
 thirty barrels of buckwheat flour, and ten 
 tons of feed per day, and is operated 
 steadily. 
 
 March 21, 1882, Mr. Miller was united in 
 marriage with Miss Jennie Wilson, a 
 daughter of James Wilson, and they are 
 parents of seven children : Herman, an oil 
 contractor at Robinson, Illinois; Mabel; 
 Fred, Jr.; James; Zella; Anna; and How- 
 ard, who died in infancy. Mr. Miller and 
 his family belong to the United Presbyte- 
 rian Church. He is a Democrat in politics. 
 
 PAUL RUDERT, president and man- 
 ager of the Saxonburg Mineral Springs 
 Company, is a prominent resident of Sax- 
 
1150 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 onburg borough, where he owus a beauti- 
 ful home of moderu construction, with 
 four acres of land surrounding it. Mr. 
 Rudert was born B^'ebruary 16, 1857, in 
 Germany, and is a son of Oscar and Emelia 
 (Albert) Rudert. The parents of Mr. 
 Rudert came to America when he was 
 about twelve years of age. The father died 
 in 1902 but the mother survives and re- 
 sides at Saxonburg. They had four chil- 
 dren — Paul, Lena, George and Max. - 
 
 After Paul Rudert completed his educa- 
 tion, ho learned the jeweler's trade and 
 worked at that for some twenty years, be- 
 ing a resident of Tarentum, Allegheny 
 County, coming from there to Saxonburg. 
 Here he acquired the Mineral Springs 
 property, located one-half mile north of 
 the town, and has developed it into one of 
 the best known resorts in this section of 
 the State. The springs have remarkable 
 medicinal properties, the water being a 
 specific for rheumatism, and kidney and 
 stomach troubles, and is very generally 
 recommended by physicians. Mr. Rudert 
 has already expended large sums in im- 
 proving the property and is proposing 
 much more, this including the installation 
 of an artificial lake and the completion of 
 a modern hotel which will be kept open the 
 whole year. Mr. Rudert will have sixty 
 private rooms for visitors with every 
 equipment for their comfort, including 
 baths of all kinds. "With the finishing of 
 his present plans, Mr. Rudert will have a 
 magnificent property and it will doubtless 
 ■draw visitors from all oyer the country. 
 
 Mr. Rudert was married at Tarentum, 
 Pennsylvania, to Miss Rose Senn, who is a 
 daughter of Peter and Susan Senn. They 
 have foil]- daughters, namely: Amelia, re- 
 siding at Allegheny, is the wife of F. W. 
 Buck; Estella and Flora, both of whom 
 are college graduates; and Edna, who is 
 yet in school. Mr. Rudert and family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. He be- 
 longs to the Elks, being connected with 
 Tarentum Tjodge. No. 644. 
 
 JOHN AUGUSTUS HALLSTEIN. a 
 representative farmer of Clay Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, is the owner 
 of a fine farm of 100 acres, located about 
 one and a half miles south of West Sun- 
 bury, on the Butler Road. He was born 
 on this farm September 12, 1860, and is a 
 son of Philip and Christina (Trippmacher) 
 Hallstein. 
 
 Philip Hallstein and his wife were both 
 boi'u in Germany, but were not married un- 
 til after their arrival in the United States. 
 They became parents of seven children, 
 of whom five are now living, namel.y : 
 Jacob, of Concord Township, Butler 
 County; Catherine, wife of George Kle- 
 ver; Christina, wife of H. J. Brown, of 
 Clay Township; Elizabeth, wife of W. J. 
 McKinney; and John Augustus. The 
 father of this family died in February, 
 1900, and is survived by his widow, who 
 still lives on the old home farm. 
 
 John A. Hallstein was reared to matur- 
 ity on the home place and was accorded a 
 good common school education. He early 
 learned the trade of a carpenter but after 
 following it a few years turned his atten- 
 tion to farming, exclusively. He is a man 
 of marked ability and a citizen who is a 
 credit to the community in which he lives. 
 
 Mr. Hallstein was joined in marriage 
 with Miss Nannie Minerva Conn, who was 
 born in Clay Township and is a daughter 
 of Robert B. Conn, further mention of 
 whom appears upon another page of this 
 work. They became parents of five chil- 
 dren, to-wit: Paul Conn, Harry W., Carl 
 Z., Lena, who died at the age of three 
 years, and Sylvia Alberta. Religiously, 
 they are members of the Springdale TjU- 
 theran Church, of which Mr. Hallstein was 
 deacon for six years prior to 1907, at 
 which time he resigned. 
 
 J. BERNARD EVANS, granite and 
 marble dealer of Evans City, Penna., 
 comes of one of the very earliest pioneer 
 families of Butler County. He was born 
 
AND KEPKENKNTATIAE CITIZENS 
 
 1151 
 
 iu Brownsdale, Peuu Towualiip, Butler 
 County, Peuua., ^larc-h o(l, 1852, aud is a 
 son oi" Andrew Jackson aud Maitlia B. 
 (Brown) Evans. His grandfather was 
 Keese Evans, and his great-grandfather, 
 Isaac Evans, who was a child when he 
 cauie with his parents from Wales to tlie 
 b'nited States. The family is of the same 
 stock as Admiral (Fighting Bob) Evans, 
 of the United States Navy. 
 
 Upon their arrival in this country, the 
 Evans family located in Mifflin County, 
 I'enna., where Isaac grew to maturity aud 
 was married, his wife being the only 
 daughter of Judge Bailey. Some time 
 after marriage he moved to Butler County, 
 settling in Connoquenessiug Township, 
 aud the family has since been prominently 
 identified with the development and 
 growth of tiie county and its institutions. 
 One of the sons of Isaac was Thomas B. 
 Evans, who became the owner of a big 
 farm on the present site of Evans City, 
 which bears his name. He laid out the 
 land in Jots and founded the village which 
 for many years was' known as Evansburg. 
 
 Reese. Evans, grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was born in Butler 
 County, and during his active career fol- 
 lowed the trade of a millwright. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Boggs, who came of one of 
 the first white families located in Butler 
 County. They were parents of eleven 
 children, of whom but one now lives, Mary 
 E., widow of William Motheral. 
 
 Andrew J. Evans was born in Forward 
 Town.ship, near Brown's Mills, in 1824. 
 and spent his entire life in Butler County. 
 He was a blacksmith by trade and a sub- 
 stantial man of his day. He was united 
 in marriage with Martha B. Brown, who 
 was born in Forward Township, and was 
 a daughter of John Brown. Mr. Evans 
 died in 1895, and his wife in 1907, at the 
 age of seventy-six years. Five children 
 were the offspring of their union : J. Ber- 
 nard; William C, of Pittsburg; George 
 L.. and Grant, twins, both residents of 
 
 Pittsburg; and Walter B., of Pittsburg. 
 
 J. Beruard Evans spent his boyhood 
 days at Brownsdale and there attended the 
 public schools. At the age of seventeen 
 years he went to Butler, which was theu 
 a small place, and learned the carpenter 
 trade under Malcomb Graham, with whom 
 he worked for three years. He then 
 worked a few years in the planing mill of 
 S. G. Purvis, and nine years in that of the 
 Edward Dambach Company at Evans 
 City. In 1893, he embarked in the marble 
 and granite business, purchasing the shop 
 of Charles Marshall. He has been very 
 successful in this field of operations, and 
 is one of the substantial men of the village. 
 
 February 16, 1876, Mr. Evans was 
 united in marriage with Eva M. AValdrou, 
 a daughter of W. S. and Eliza M. Waldrou, 
 ;i sketch of the Waldrou family appearing 
 on another liage of this work. One son, E. 
 Burt, is the only issue of this union. He 
 is a successful business man of Evans 
 City, conducting the only exclusive tobacco 
 store in the village, it being located in the 
 Waldron Block, on Main Street. Burt 
 Evans was united in marriage with Mary 
 A. Kersting, a daughter of the late Dr. 
 Kersting. He is a member of the John 
 Irwin Volunteer Fire Company, and fra- 
 ternally is a member of Evans Citv Ijodge, 
 K. P. 
 
 J. Bernard Evans has some interesting 
 relics of bygone days which have been 
 handed down by his family. The dining 
 room table brought from Wales by his 
 great-great-grandparents was willed to 
 him by Reese Evans, befoi-e he was ten 
 years old. He also has tax recepits found 
 in the possessions of Isaac Evans, showing 
 the taxes for the entire township of Con- 
 noquenessiug in 1819 to have been little 
 more than nine dollars. By reason of his 
 possession of these papers. Isaac Evans 
 was undoubtedly tax collector at that time. 
 The subject of this sketch is a Mason, be- 
 longing to the Blue Lodge and Chapter at 
 Butler, and the Commandery at Green- 
 
115-; 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ville. He is a Republicau in politics, as 
 were the earlier members of the family 
 after the organization of that party. In 
 religious attachment he is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 J. C. BOVARD & SONS, well known 
 dealers in lumber, hardware, paints, and 
 other building supplies, conduct a success- 
 ful and constantly growing business at 
 Forestville, on the B. & L. E. Railway at 
 Ilarrisville Station. Mr. Bovard ig not 
 only prominently identified with the indus- 
 trial interests of Forestville, but is a rep- 
 resentative of one of the pioneer families 
 of Butler County. lie was born May 12, 
 1844, on his father's farm in Slippery 
 Rock Township, Butler County,' Penna,, 
 and is a son of Johnston and Lydia 
 (Adams) Bovard. 
 
 The grandfather of J. C. Bovard, James 
 Bovard, was a native of Ireland, and when 
 a young man emigrated to this country, 
 first locating on Bear Creek. He later set- 
 tled in Cherry Township, Butler County, 
 and died there in 1849, when about seventy- 
 five years of age. In politics, he gave his 
 support to the Democratic party, and was 
 elected an associate judge in Butler Coun- 
 ty. He was the father of the following 
 children: John, William, Hutchison, 
 James, Johnston, Charles, Washington, 
 Fanny, and Mrs. Thomas Floyd. 
 
 Johnston Bovard was born on the old 
 home place in Cherry Township, in 1810, 
 was reared 'to manhood under the parental 
 roof, and obtained his education in the dis- 
 trict schools. He always followed farming 
 and purchased a farm in Slippery Rock 
 Township, where he died in 1874. During 
 his life he served two terms as Justice of 
 the Peace and filled various other township 
 offices. He married Lydia Adams, who 
 was born and reared in Butler County and 
 died in 1905, at the advanced age of ninety- 
 one years and eleven months. They reared 
 a family of six children: Jonathan; Jane, 
 wife of Andrew Drenan; George W., de- 
 
 ceased, who served as a soldier in the Civil 
 War; James Chambers; William H. ; and 
 Eli David. 
 
 J. Chambers Bovard passed his boyhood 
 days on the home farm and received what 
 education he could from the coimtry 
 schools. In 1862, in response to the Presi- 
 dent's call for troops, he enlisted as a 
 private in Company F, One Hundred and 
 Thirty-seventh Regiment Penna. Volun- 
 teer Infantry, under Captain Henry Pil- 
 low. He served nine months in the army 
 and took part in the battles of South 
 Mountain, Chancellorsville -and Antietam 
 and also several skirmishes, after which he 
 returned to Butler County and spent sev- 
 eral years in the oil district. In 1^66 he 
 began worlving at carpentering and for a 
 period of twenty-six years was engaged in 
 contracting and building in various parts 
 of the county. In 1893, he became a sales- 
 man for L. Hammond & A. Gaston, lumber 
 dealers at Wick, Pennsylvania, and re- 
 mained with this concern for eight years, 
 when he purchased Mr. Gaston's interest 
 and removed the stock to Forestville, 
 where he established his present business 
 under the firm name of J. C. Bovard & 
 Sons. Mr. Bovard started in a small way 
 and as business increased, added to his 
 stock, now carrying an extensive line of 
 lumber, doors, windows, glass, hardware, 
 paints and other building supplies, and his 
 is recognized as one of the leading busi- 
 ness enterprises of Forestville. Mr. Bov- 
 ard also owns a valuable farm of seventy 
 acres in Mercer Township, this being op- 
 erated by his son Samuel. 
 
 In the summer of 1908, Mr. Bovard 
 erected a commodious frame residence in 
 Forestville and moved to it November 24, 
 1908. 
 
 On February 10, 1870, Mr. Bovard was 
 joined in marriage with Sarah R. Shields, 
 a daughter of James and Fanny Shields, 
 and a granddaughter of James Shields, 
 who was one of the early settlers of But- 
 ler County. Mr. and Mrs. Bovard became 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1155 
 
 parents of the following offspring: Mary 
 Delia, who died September, 1898, was the 
 wife of Harry Adams ; Samuel H., who re- 
 sides on the 'farm, married Blanche Ger- 
 lach and has six children, Kenneth, 
 Aileene, Hilda, Raymond, Donald and 
 Paul; Ernest E., who is in partnership with 
 his father, married Clara Krah; and Her- 
 bert N., who is also a member of the firm 
 of J. C. Bovard & Sons, lives in the old 
 home on the farm. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Bovard gives his support 
 to the Prohibition party. He is a member 
 of and an elder in tlie United Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 D. HARPER SUTTON, president and 
 manager of the Butler Land and Improve- 
 ment Compan}', is not only a representa- 
 tive of one of the pioneer families of But- 
 ler Coimty, but also of one of the oldest in 
 New England. He has been a resident of 
 the city of Butler since 1892, but was born 
 in Penn Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 in 1852, and is a son of John R. Sutton. 
 
 The common ancestor of the Sutton 
 family, members of which live in almost 
 every part of the Union, was William Sut- 
 ton, who lived at Eastham, on Cape Cod, 
 Massaehusetts, in 1666, the original settler 
 being of the previous generation. Genea- 
 logical records show that he married De- 
 maris Bishop, in 1666, and in 1672 they 
 emigrated to New Jersey, where they as- 
 sisted in founding the Quaker faith. They 
 had ten children and over thirty of their 
 great-grandsons served in New Jersey 
 regiments in the Revolutionary War. 
 After the close of that war, a great-grand- 
 son Jeremiah Sutton, a son of Zebulon 
 Sutton and Mary Doty Sutton, the latter 
 being a descendant of Edward Sutton, the 
 Mayflower Pilgrim, emigrated to Western 
 Pennsylvania and settled in what is now 
 Concord Township, Butler County. He 
 had served in the Revolutionary War. His 
 three sons were named Piatt, Joseph and 
 Jeremiah. 
 
 Peter Sutton, a brother of Jeremiah 
 Sutton, Sr., also a Revolutionary veteran, 
 emigrated a few years later and located i4 
 Indiana County, Penna., and had many 
 descendants. About 1769, Isaac Sutton 
 emigrated to Fayette County, Penna., and 
 was the first regular pastor of the Bethel 
 Baptist Church at Uniontown, which was 
 one of the first permanent Protestant 
 churches west of the Allegheny Mountains. 
 In this family there were five brothers: 
 Isaac, David, John, James and Moses, all 
 of whom were Baptist preachers and mis- 
 sionaries. The Suttons of Washington 
 County, Penna., are descendants of James 
 Sutton, who located in Amwell Township 
 in 1774 and was pastor of the Ten-Mile 
 Baptist Church, which was the first church 
 in Washington County. 
 
 D. Harper Sutton spent his early life 
 on his father's farm and from there went 
 to Pittsburg and went to work for the Citi- 
 zens ' Traction Company, with which he 
 remained until 1877. He then returned to 
 the old home in Penn Township and was 
 there engaged in a mercantile enterprise 
 for fourteen years and after closing out de- 
 cided to take a rest, for this purpose re- 
 tiring to Butler. He was of too active and 
 energetic a nature, however, to remain un- 
 occupied and shortly after locating in the 
 city embarked in an ice business and car- 
 ried it on for two years. In the meanwhile 
 he had become prominent in county poli- 
 tics and was elected county commissioner 
 and served in this office from 1897 until 
 1900, and during this period had the pleas- 
 ure of seeing adequate provision made for 
 the county poor, this charity having been 
 one of great interest to him for at least 
 twenty years previously. At various 
 times he has been elected to other offices 
 and to all of these he has given the atten- 
 tion which their importance demanded. 
 For three years he was a member of the 
 School Board, being its chairman for one 
 year, and has served on the city council, 
 being a member during many important 
 
1156 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 sessions, aud was cliairman of the board 
 wlieu the new High School building was in 
 course of erection. 
 
 In 1900, after he retired from the office 
 of county commissioner, Air. Sutton en- 
 tered into the real estate business, subse- 
 quently organizing the Butler Land and 
 Improvement Company, of which he is 
 president and manager. He bought 630 
 acres of land and platted and laid out the 
 town of East Butler, which has now a pop- 
 ulation of some 500. He has promoted the 
 industrial interests of this section and 
 through his efforts the Valvoline Re'tining 
 Company and the Pittsburg Hixan Com- 
 pany established plants there. Mr. Sut- 
 ton is one of the directors and vice-presi- 
 dent of the Leedom-Worral Wholesale 
 Grocery Company. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Sutton was married to Miss 
 Lizzie E. Elder, of Pittsburg, Peuna. He 
 is a member of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church. In his fraternal activities lie is 
 an Odd Fellow. 
 
 ROBERT W. KYLE, a prosperous 
 farmer of Butler County, Penna., is a resi- 
 dent of Middlesex Township, where he has 
 a finely improved farm of eighty acres. 
 He was born in Port Glenone, County An- 
 trim, Ireland, October 3, 1842, and is a sou 
 of John and Nancy (Glasgow) Kyle. 
 
 Jolm Kyle was born in County Antrim, 
 Ireland, in 1809, and there engaged in 
 farming. Some years after his marriage, 
 during the year 1846, he emigrated to 
 America, first locating in Toronto, Can- 
 ada. He subsequently moved to Mercer 
 County, Penna., and became the owner of 
 a farm in Springfield Township, on which 
 he lived the remainder of his days, dying 
 in 1857. His wife, Nancy Glasgow in maid- 
 en life, was born in a parish adjoining 
 that of his nativity, and was a daughter 
 of Adam Glasgow. Six children were born 
 to their union, as follows : Robert W. ; 
 Jane, who died in Ireland ; Adam, who also 
 died in Ireland : .\dam G., who was born 
 
 in Toronto, Canada, where the family 
 lived some four years, and is now residing 
 on the old homestead in Mercer County, 
 Penna.; Margaret Jane, who grew to ma 
 turity but is now deceased; and James A., 
 of Leesburg, Pennsylvania. Religiously, 
 they were members of the Seceder 
 Church. 
 
 Robert \V. Kyle was four years of age 
 when his parents emigrated to America, 
 and eight years old when they moved from 
 Toronto to Mercer County. He was there 
 reared on the old home farm and attended 
 the common schools. He helped farm tlie 
 home place imtil he entered the Unioo 
 Army during the Civil War, enlisting in 
 Company M, Sixth Regiment Heavy Ar- 
 tillery. His regiment was sent to the de- 
 fense of Washington, D. C, and he was in 
 active service about eleven months. He 
 was honorably discharged June '27, 1865, 
 and returned to his home in Mercer 
 County. On Api-il 11, 1866, he located in 
 West Deer Township, Allegheny County, 
 Penna., where lie engaged in farming oper- 
 ations until 1870, in which year he moved 
 to Middlesex Township, Butler County, 
 where he has since resided. He has a val- 
 uable farm on which he has made most of 
 tlie improvements, building a fine home 
 and out ))uildings, and setting out many 
 shade trees about the place. He has fol- 
 lowed general farming, and has been suc- 
 cessful beyond the average. 
 
 Mr. Kyle was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary I. Glasgow, who was born in 
 West Deer Township, Allegheny County, 
 Penna., February 9, 1834, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Ilugli Glasgow. Her father was 
 l)orn in County Derry, Ireland, in 1786, 
 iind spent his tenth birthday on tlie ocean, 
 his parents being on their way to the 
 United States, where they located in West 
 Deer Township, Allegheny County, Penna. 
 There Hugh grew to maturity, and learned 
 the trade of a blaeksmitli, which he fol- 
 lowed many years in connection with farm- 
 ing. His death occurred in 1874, at an ad- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1157 
 
 vanced age. Robert W. Kj'le and his wife 
 are both devout members of Piue Creek 
 Reformed Presbyterian Church, in which 
 he has been au elder since the early seven- 
 ties. He has been a member of the church 
 for thirty-eight years, and his estimable 
 wife since early girlhood. Mr. Kyle has 
 a wide ac(iuaintan('e through this locality, 
 and enjoys the friendship and good will of 
 his fellow citizens. He has two producing 
 oil wells on his farm, which have been the 
 source of considerable income to him. 
 
 JOHN W. SMITH. Among the promi- 
 nent citizens of Allegheny Township who 
 have gained precedence among the resi- 
 dents of this section of Butler County, is 
 John A\'. Smith, farmer and oil producer 
 and for many years a justice of the peace, 
 as was his father before him. He was born 
 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Sep- 
 tember 7, 1831, and is a son of Simon and 
 Mary (Whittaker) Smith. 
 
 The parents of ]\Ir. Smith were natives 
 of Oldham, England, and they -eame to 
 .\merira in 1826 and settled in Allegheny 
 County, Penna., where they lived until 
 1845, and then moved to Saw Mill Run, 
 l)elow Pittsburg, from which place they 
 moved to Brady's Bend, in Armstrong 
 County, some years later. In 1855 they 
 came to Butler County and settled on the 
 farm near Emlenton, wliere John W. 
 Smith resides and which he owns. Both 
 parents died on this farm in 1880. Simon 
 Smith was a man of high character and ex- 
 cellent judgment and became a worthy and 
 valued citizen of Allegheny Township. He 
 was frequently elected to office and served 
 honestly and faithfully in every case. 
 
 John W. Smith accompanied his par- 
 ents to Butler County in 1855. In his boy- 
 hood and youth, educational opportunities 
 were meager in rural districts and his 
 school attendance was limited, but his long- 
 association Avith public affairs and his ex 
 tensive reading, have made Mr. Smith one 
 of the l)est informd men of this section. 
 
 He has given attention to both farming 
 and oil producing'and enjoys an ample in- 
 come. He served for one year in the Union 
 Army during the Civil War, being a mem- 
 ber of Company F, Fifteenth Regiment, 
 Penna. Infantry, which was a part of the 
 Ninth Army Corps of the Army of the 
 Potomac. Although he was frequently on 
 the field of battle, he was never either 
 wounded or taken prisoner, and at the 
 close of his term of enlistment, was hon- 
 orably discharged. Formerly he was a 
 member of the Grand Army Post at Em- 
 lenton. After the war he returned to his 
 home in Allegheny Townshiii and resumed 
 peaceful pursuits. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican. During his long administration 
 of the office of justice of the peace,- he dis- 
 posed of many A^ery important cases and 
 his decisions were very generally upheld. 
 He has given hearty support at all times 
 to both religion and education in his sec- 
 tion and served many years on the School 
 Board, a large part of the time as its 
 treasurer. 
 
 On December 24, 1862, Mr. Smith was 
 married to Miss Elizabeth Marshall, who 
 was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong 
 County, a daughter of Joseph Marshall, 
 an old resident of Allegheny Township. 
 'Sir. and Mrs. Smith have had eight chil- 
 dren, namely: Elmer D., who lives at 
 .Marietta, Ohio; Washington, who lives at 
 Parkersburg, West Virginia, has one son, 
 Washington S.; George S., who resides in 
 Allegheny Township; Clure E., who lives 
 near" Marietta, Ohio; Ernest M. and Siola 
 T., both of whom live in Allegheny Town- 
 ship; Mary, who is the wife of William 
 Hughes, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has 
 two children, Elizabeth and William; and 
 Blanche, who is the wife of John W. Fer- 
 man. of Luthersburg. Pennsylvania, has 
 one child, Elizabeth. 
 
 JOHN MARBUR6ER. a pi-ominent 
 farmer and stockraiser of Forward Town- 
 
 slii]». -w-heve he owns some 300 acres of 
 
1158 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 land, in association with his fatlier, is en- 
 gaged in the butchering Ibusiuess at Mars 
 and Evans City, Penna. His home is 
 about one and a quarter miles southeast of 
 Evans Cit.y, and is located on the Harmony 
 and Pittsburg Electric Eoad; the Balti- 
 more and Ohio Railroad passes through 
 the center of his farm. 
 
 Mr. Marburger was born on the home 
 place August 28, 1854, and is a son of 
 George and Catherine K. (Marburger) 
 Marburger, his parents bearing the same 
 family name but of no known blood rela- 
 tionship. George Marburger was born in 
 Hessen, Germany, November 5, 1813, and 
 after tlie death of his mother came to 
 America with his father and family in 
 1839. The party consisted of the father 
 and four children : Barbara, now deceased ; 
 Margaret, deceased; Thelma; and George. 
 A younger brother, Henry, had departed 
 two years before for the United States 
 with a half-brother, Conrad Bishop. The 
 family went afoot from Hessen to the Sea, 
 six horses carrying their baggage; they 
 were on the Atlantic Ocean for sixty-four 
 days and arrived in Baltimore, from 
 whence they made the journey on foot to 
 Zelienople, Penna. Their entire trip took 
 from May to December, and was one re- 
 plete witii trials and hardships. Others 
 from the same locality in Germany also 
 settled in the vicinity of Zelienople. 
 
 George Marburger served five years in 
 the German army prior to coming to this 
 country. His first work here was on the 
 canal near Erie, which he followed two 
 winters, spending his summers in the har- 
 vest fields. In the meantime he made his 
 home with friends in Zelienople, and at the 
 end of the two years located on what has 
 since been known as the Marburger farm 
 in Forward Township. It was in a wild 
 state, heavily timbered and covered with 
 a thick growth of hazelbrush, it having 
 been little touched by the hand of man. 
 His first purchase was 100 acres from Sol- 
 omon Snow, and to this he later added 
 
 forty acres. He also purchased a tract of 
 ninety acres near Gallery. A man of great 
 energy and industry, he cleared his whole 
 property and farmed with success through- 
 out his active career. He is now living 
 with the subject of this sketch, at the re- 
 markable age of ninety-five years, and is 
 in full possession of his mental faculties 
 and of considerable bodily vigor. He is 
 the oldest man in Forward Township, and 
 until the death of his wife, in 1907, at the 
 age of ninety-one years, they had been for 
 some years the oldest married couple liv- 
 ing in Butler County. She was in maiden 
 life Miss Catherine Marburger, and was 
 born in Germany, coming to America at 
 the same time as Mr. Marburger. Six 
 children were born to them: Catherine, 
 widow of John Kaufman; Margaret, 
 widow of John Twentier; Mary, who died 
 at the age of three years ; George, who died 
 at the age of fifty-two years; Eva, wife 
 of Alexander Schilling; and John. 
 
 John jMarburger was born on the home 
 farm, in the old one and one-half story 
 house which adorned the place in the early 
 days, and he has a distinct recollection of 
 kicking tlie snow off his bed as he arose in 
 the morning, at times during his boyhood. 
 He helped to clear the farm on which he 
 lives and also the ninety acres at Callery. 
 and so much of his time was spent at hard 
 work that he had little time to attend 
 school, it being limited to a few weeks dur- 
 ing the winter. He has lived on the home 
 place during all his life, four months being 
 his longest absence from the place. He 
 followed general farming until 1893, and 
 then went into the butcher business at 
 Evans City, being in partnership with 
 Jacob Rape one year. His market there is 
 now located on Pittsburg Street, opposite 
 the postoffice, and he has a meat shop at 
 Mars, Pennsylvania, in which village he 
 also owns a large business block. He has 
 been extensively engaged in the cattle busi- 
 ness for several years, buying by the ear- 
 load, formerly purchasing cattle in this 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1159 
 
 sec'tiou, Imt now obtaiuiug them mainly 
 from the West, and from Pittsburg. He 
 also has bred and raised fine draft horses 
 in recent years, and has some of the best 
 bred stock in this country. He is the own- 
 er of Baccarat, No. 50404, imported from 
 France in 1906, a beautiful black stallion, 
 three years old, which weighed 1800 lbs. 
 in the spring of 1908. He has a six-year- 
 old. Acrobat, No. 41551, which was im- 
 ported from France in 1904, which, when 
 three years old took first premium at the 
 Butler County Fair in 1905. He raised a 
 strawberry roan Percheron stallion, which 
 was foaled April 23, 1901, Prince LeClare, 
 Jr., sired by Prince LeClair, No. 9(556. 
 This horse weighs 1800 lbs., and was en- 
 tered three times at the Butler County 
 Fair, taking all prizes in his class. 
 
 John Marburger was married in Novem- 
 ber, 1876, to Miss Mary Magdalena Wahl, 
 a daughter of Martin Wahl, mention of 
 whom is made on another page of this 
 work, and they are parents of the follow- 
 ing children: Martin LI., who was born De- 
 cember 25, 1877, and is in charge of. his 
 father's butcher shop at Evans City, mar- 
 ried Vivian Davidson and has one child, 
 Alberta; Catherine K., born March 10, 
 1879, who is the wife of Frank Hall and 
 has two children, Ernest and Magdalena; 
 Andrew T., born November 8, 1880, who 
 conducts his father's shop at Mars, mar- 
 ried Elvina Maitland and has a daughter, 
 Esther; John Gr., who was born February 
 27, 1882, lives on an adjoining farm, mar- 
 ried Bessie Sloan, and has a son, William 
 Henry; Victor Wahl, who was born Feb- 
 ruarv 25, 1885; Osmus R., born Januarv 
 13, 1887 ; Adam C, born June 4, 1889 ; Min- 
 nie C. born July 27. 1891; and Harry W., 
 born October 4, 1893; and Paul Vernon, 
 born August 29, 1900, died February 2, 
 1901. Religiously, the family belongs to 
 the Lutheran Church, of which Mr. Mar- 
 burger was trustee some years. In poli- 
 tics, he is a Democrat and lias filled a num- 
 ber of township offices. 
 
 ^VILLIAM McDowell, a prominent 
 member of the Butler County bar, who es- 
 tablished his home at Butler in 1902, was 
 born in 1858, in Kirkmuir-Hill, Parish of 
 Lesmahago, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and is 
 a son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Quig- 
 ley) McDowell. Alexander McDowell was 
 both a civil and mining engineer and he 
 was in the employ of the English govern- 
 ment for a number of years. 
 
 William McDowell remained in his na- 
 tive land until he was twenty years of age, 
 and after reaching America and seeking 
 work in Pennsylvania, he secured employ- 
 ment at Mclntire, in this State, as an en- 
 gine driver in the mines. From boyhood 
 he had been ambitious and while he worked 
 hard through the day at the fatiguing 
 labor above mentioned, he studied at night 
 and even engaged a private tutor, finally 
 securing an appointment to the State Col- 
 lege, where he studied civil engineering for , 
 four years. From there, Mr. McDowell 
 went' "to the Ohio State University at Co- 
 lumbus, where he studied mining engineer- 
 ing for two years, and classics for one year 
 at the Northern Ohio LTniversity at Ada. 
 With the perseverance chaiacteristic of 
 his race, Mr. McDowell had overcome 
 every obstacle and attained what was then 
 his dearest ambition. He then accepted a 
 position as su)n'iiiitcii(lciit of liiiiics for the 
 Oshanter Co;ii Coiiiiuiiin . mid later for the 
 mines of the ('aiiiliria Coal Company, go- 
 ing from there to South Fork, and later 
 was with the Baltimore Railroad Company 
 at Salisbury, Somerset County. He then 
 entered the University of Indiana, where 
 he took his degree of B. L., in the class of 
 1890. 
 
 Mr. McDowell did not immediately seek 
 admission to the bar, but took a j^ear in 
 the office of John L. McCutcheon, attor- 
 ney at law. He subsequently accepted a 
 position with the Wabash Railroad as in- 
 spector of bridges and concrete work, and 
 later went with the Pressed Steel and 
 Standard Steel Companies. He then en- 
 
1160 
 
 HISTORY OF BrTLEE COUNTV 
 
 tered the University of Pennsylvania and 
 took a post graduate course, and in 1905 
 was admitted to the bar. Mr. McDowell 
 is so versatile in his mental gifts and has 
 so thoroughly prepared himself for differ- 
 ent braneiies of professional work, that 
 success in each and all has met him almost 
 on the threshold. Naturally he has been 
 also prominent in polities and has been a 
 formidable candidate for the office of dis- 
 trict attorney. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. McDowell was married to 
 Miss Jennie Lytle, who is a niece of Judge 
 Leonard, of Clearfield County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. He is a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. For years he has 
 been identified with Masonry and belongs 
 to St. Clair Lodge, No. 416, F. and A. M.. 
 Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland: 
 and of Royal Arch Chapter, No. 43, of Hol- 
 lytown, Scotland. ' Pie belongs also to 
 Lodge No. 211, Knights of Pythias, at But- 
 ler; to Lodge No. 213, Knights of the Gol- 
 den Eagle, at Philipsburg, Center Couhty ; 
 and he is a valued member of the Order of 
 the Cameron Clan of Pittsburg, of the 
 Order of the Scottish Clans. 
 
 JOHN McCARRIER, who is now living 
 in retirement after many years of activity 
 in the oil fields, resides just south of the 
 borough of "SYest Sunbury, in Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna. *He is the 
 bearer of an honorable record for service 
 in the Union Armj^ and is a man most 
 highly esteemed in his wide circles of ac- 
 quaintances. He was born at Prospect, 
 Butler County, October 13, 1840, and is a 
 son of James and Catharine (Brower) Mc- 
 Carrier. 
 
 James McCarrior was boi'n and reared 
 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and 
 after marriage learned the trade of a tan- 
 ner. He crossed the mountains of Penn- 
 sylvania to Whitestown, where he worked 
 in a tannery for several years, then moved 
 to Prospect, where he remained eight 
 years, thence to Fairview, where he o))pr- 
 
 ater a tannery. He later operated one at 
 Middletown, now known as Hooker, 
 whence he moved to West Sunbuiy. He 
 started a tannery at this point in 1858 and 
 conducted it until 1870, when he quit the 
 business and started a small confectionery 
 store. After a few years lie moved to the 
 home of his oldest daughter at Lawrence- 
 burg, near Parker' Landing, where l)oth 
 he and his wife passed away. 
 
 John McCariier Icanicd the trade of a 
 tanner under his father and continued at 
 that occupation until 1861, when on the 
 seventh day of November, he eulisted un- 
 der Captain Martin in Company E, One 
 Hundred and Third Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry. His enlistment 
 of three years expired while he was at 
 Plymouth, North Carolina, and he re- 
 enlisted, serving imtil the close of the war. 
 He was taken captive at Plymouth on 
 April 20, 1864, and was incarcerated in 
 Andersouville Prison four months. He 
 was taken from there to Charleston, North 
 Carolina, and thence to Florence, North 
 Carolina, where he was held prisoner for 
 eight months. The regiment of which he 
 was a member belonged to the Second 
 Army Corps dining the Peninsular Cam- 
 paign, and Intel- formed a part of the 
 Eighteenth Army Corps. 
 
 Upon his return from the front, after 
 his discharge in August, 1865, he entered 
 the oil drilling business at Oil Creek, near 
 Oil City, Pennsylvania, a business which 
 he followed with uninterrupted success 
 until 1900, when he retired. He has 
 claimed West Sunbury as his home since 
 1858^ although he has been temporarily 
 absent for different periods, the longest 
 being during his military service. After 
 (juitting the oil business, he bought and 
 sold timber for six or seven years, but is 
 now living in retirement in his comfort- 
 able home adjoining the borough. 
 
 Mr. McCarrier was first married to 
 Minerva Eshenbaugh, a daughter of An- 
 drew Eslienbaugh, by whom he had five 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1163 
 
 children: Peter, who is an oil contractor 
 and resides in Clay Township ; Annie, who 
 lives in Butler and is the widow of Harry 
 Patterson; John Nelson, who lives at St. 
 .Marys, West Virginia, and is also an oil 
 contractor; Margaret^ Ellen, wife of 
 ('hailes Johnston of Loraine, Ohio; and 
 William D., who is an oil producer and re- 
 sides at AVest Sunbury. Mrg. McCarrier 
 
 • lied in 1896, and he has since formed a 
 second union with Miss Elizabeth Deer, a 
 
 • laughter of William and Mary (Miller) 
 Deer. She was born and reared in ]\Iar- 
 shall, Allegheny County-, and their union 
 is blessed with a son, Dwight. 
 
 CHARLES E. KNOUSE, a well known 
 farmer and oil operator of Clearfield 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is 
 the owner of a fine farm of 100 acres lo- 
 cated on the north side of Rough Run 
 Road about two miles fi"om Coylesville. 
 He was born on the old Knouse homestead 
 on the Kittanning Pike, about six miles 
 from Butler, April 17, 1875, and is a son 
 of Andrew and Mary (Henry) Knouse. 
 
 Andrew Knouse was a farmer and 
 ••leared the land on which he lived. He 
 was a native of Summit Township, and a 
 son of Christian and Annie (Rabbitts) 
 Knouse, the Rabbitts family being an old 
 and respected one of this section of the 
 county. Christian was born in Germany 
 and came to Butler County at an early 
 date. Andrew Knouse married Mary 
 Henry and they had the following chil- 
 dren: Ida, wife of William Blooming; 
 Charles; William, who married Alice 
 (xreen ; and Albert, a car worker. 
 
 Charles E. Knouse received a good com- 
 mon school education and has alwaj^s en- 
 gaged in farming. He follows modern 
 ideas in his farm work and has been more 
 than ordinarily successfiil. He raises con- 
 siderable stock. Mr. Knouse is an oil op- 
 erator and has five good producing wells 
 on his place. He is a man of enterprise 
 and ]mblic spirit, and stands among the 
 
 foremost in the ranks of the young genera- 
 tion of farmers and business men. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Sarah Rogers, a 
 daughter of Samuel and Sarah Rodgers of 
 Butler County, and they have a daughter, 
 Mary, who was born May 5, 1905. Relig- 
 iously they are members of the Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 GEORGE FREDERICK GRIM.M, 
 whose excellent farm of thirty-one acres 
 is one of the best improved in Jefferson 
 Township, is engaged in general farming 
 and raises enough stock for his own use. 
 Mr. Grimm was born January 13, 1846, in 
 the city of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Graff) 
 Grimm, and a grandson of Henry Grimm, 
 the latter of whom never left (jermany. 
 Henry Grimm had seven children — Cath- 
 erine, J. Henry, George F., Louise, Sophia, 
 Caroling, deceased, and A^melia. 
 
 The father of Mr. Grimm was born in 
 Saxony, Germany, and he came to America 
 in 1836, having already learned his trade 
 of blacksmith. At the time of the birth of 
 his son, George F., he was a resident of 
 Allegheny, but he subsequently settled at 
 Sasonljurg, Butler County, and there be- 
 came a man of influence and standing. He 
 married Elizabeth Graff, who was also 
 born in Darmstadt. Germany, and was six- 
 teen years of age when she accompanied 
 the Roatling family to America and to 
 Jefferson Township, Butler County. The 
 country was very wild at that time, the 
 Indians having but recently committed out- 
 rages. The pioneers possessed little 
 means, but they had plenty of courage and 
 ingenuity, as was shown when they trav- 
 eled into a forest wilderness and built 
 their first abode. Selecting a spot where 
 four strong saplings grew near enough to 
 be utilized as house posts, they piled up 
 logs for the sides of the dwelling and made 
 a roof of moss. It is generally conceded 
 that this was the first house built in Jef- 
 
1164 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ferson Townsbiij. Later the father of 
 Mrs. Grimm rei)laced it with a substantial 
 log building and still later a third house 
 was put up. 
 
 George F. Grimm was four years old 
 when bis parents came to Jefferson Town- 
 ship and he obtained his education in the 
 public schools. On July 3, 1876, he was 
 married to Miss Rachel Gehriug, who is 
 a daughter of lienry and Hannah (Wolf- 
 rum) Gehring. Her father was born in 
 Saxony, Germany, and was reared on his 
 father's farm but learned the turner's 
 trade before he came to America, which 
 was in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Grimm have 
 had five children, namely: Ellen, who re- 
 sides at home; Oliver, who married Anna 
 Petinger, has two children, Harold and 
 Walter; Louise, who is a seamstress and 
 is frequently employed at Pittsburg; Til- 
 lie, who is also frequently employed at 
 Pittsburg; and au infant, deceased. Mr. 
 Grimm and family belong to the Lutheran 
 Church and for a number of years was a 
 member of the Church Council. He is a 
 prominent man in his township, taking an 
 active interest in public matters and for 
 the past two years has been acceptably 
 serving in the office of roait commissioner. 
 
 KERR H. ^IcBRIDE, who was one of 
 the largest gas and oil producers in the 
 Butler fields and was the first promoter 
 of natural gas at Butler, Penna., was born 
 in Butler County in 1849, and died in 1896. 
 His parents were Francis and Elizabeth 
 (Hazlett) McBride. 
 
 Mr. McBride was reared in his native 
 place and attended the Butler schools un- 
 til he accompanied his uncle, A. R. Haz- 
 lett, to Greene County, where they began 
 contracting on oil wells on Dunkard Creek. 
 Later they engaged in a butchering busi- 
 ness at Oil City. After they separated. 
 Mr. McBride engaged in drilling and was 
 known as a first class man in that line. He 
 obtained his first oil, on his own account, 
 in 1^77. in the Great Tjeather well, on the 
 
 Peter Graft farm, which started with an 
 output of 250 barrels of oil a day. He 
 sold his interest in this well for the sum 
 of $32,500, which he immediately invested 
 in the oil business. As with other specula- 
 tion, this was uncertain, and before he 
 made any more he had lost all this amount 
 except $8,000. With that remnant he went 
 to Bradford and in the space of eight 
 years he acquired twenty-six oil wells and 
 a capital of $86,000. His ups and downs 
 may be shown by the fact that in one night 
 he made $15,000, and in one day, $27,000, 
 in oil speculation, and while he played one 
 game of checkers he lost all and had to 
 borrow $100, in order to make anv more. 
 With a capital of $200, backed with the 
 utmost faith in his "luck," he came to But- 
 ler and leased the Henderson farm, but his 
 drilling found only a dry hole. After this, 
 with $800, in borrowed money, he went to 
 McBride and there drilled a well which 
 gave 360 barrels of oil an hour and at the 
 end of ninety days gave 150 an hour. This 
 brought him $114,000, and with it he went 
 to George Westiughouse, at Pittsburg. It 
 is said that his proposal to Mr. Westing- 
 house was: "If you come into the gas busi- 
 ness with me, I'll take the field end and 
 you the capital." This was in 1884. Mr. 
 Westing-house, however, does not seem to 
 have taken up with Mr. McBride 's propo- 
 sition at that time, although later he was 
 also a large investor in the same line. In 
 1887, after a most strenuous life, Mr._ Mc- 
 Bride fell sick and he died a comparatively 
 poor man, although at that time he had 
 45,000 acres of land under lease at Marion, 
 Indiana, all of which was ]iroducing gas 
 and oil in abundance. 
 
 Kerr H. McBride Avas one of the best 
 known men in the oil business in Pennsyl- 
 vania. He was one of the most whole- 
 souled and kind-hearted men, also, who 
 ever had large business dealings in this 
 section. He not only made money for him- 
 self, much of which he lost as easily, biit 
 he made fortimes for others. His chari- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1165 
 
 ties were open-handed and no one in finan- 
 cial distress ever appealed to him in vain, 
 and his good nature was often taken ad- 
 vantage of. He voted the Republican 
 ticket but he never took any active interest 
 in politics. He was a member in good 
 standing of Argyle Lodge, F. and A. ^L, 
 at Petrolia. He never married. 
 
 ROBERT TRIMBLE, now deceased, 
 was one of the successful agriculturists of 
 Butler County and one of the most highly 
 respected citizens. He was born in Mid- 
 dlesex Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 March 12, 1829, and was a son of Samuel 
 and Ellen C. (Beery) Trimble and a 
 grandson of Thomas Trimble. 
 
 Thomas Trimble was born in the nOrth 
 of Ireland and remained in his own land 
 into young manhood, not obtaining an op- 
 portunity to come to America, the land of 
 promise, until 1790. In 1807 he came to 
 Butler County, Penna., and settled on what 
 has since been called the Trimble farm, in 
 Middlesex Township, where he lived until 
 his death took place in 1837. He was a 
 member of the Seceder Church. Five chil- 
 dren were born to him: Mary, Marga- 
 ret, Satia, Nancy and Samuel, and many 
 of his descendants reside in Butler County. 
 Samuel Trimble, father of Robert Trimble, 
 was born in 1798, at Shippensville, Clar- 
 ion County, Penna., and thus was nine 
 years old when his parents settled in But- 
 ler County. His boyhood was passed 
 among pioneer surroundings and he grew 
 to manhood a sturdy tyiDe. His first mar- 
 riage was to Isabella Thompson, of ;\[id- 
 dlesex Township, and they had one son. 
 Thomas. His second marriage was to El- 
 len C. Beery and they had two sons, Rob- 
 ert and William F. His third marriage 
 was to Elizabeth Love, of Clinton Town- 
 ship, and they had four children : John H., 
 Thomas, James and Margaret. He died 
 April 10, 1855. 
 
 Robert Trimble was reared on his 
 father's farm and continued to be inter- 
 
 ested in agricultural pursuits throughout 
 his long and useful life. In boyhood his 
 educational opportunities were very mea- 
 ger but he was a pupil' on the first day 
 that the public schools in his neighborhood 
 were opened, in 1834. He learned the car- 
 ]3enter trade and worked for a few years 
 as a builder, during which period he as- 
 sisted in constructing the Butler Court 
 House, in 1855. From that year, however, 
 he devoted himself entirely to farming and 
 stockraising. 
 
 On April 14, 1857, Mr. Trimble was 
 married to Eliza A. Hays, a daughter of 
 William M. Hays, of Middlesex Township. 
 They had a family of seven children born 
 to them, namely: Samuel C, Eliza J., Ruth 
 E., William H., Margaret A., Mary and 
 Martha. In his political views Mr. Trim- 
 ble was a Republican and he possessed the 
 confidence of his fellow citizens to such an 
 extent that they frequently elected him' to 
 offices of responsibility. 
 
 Samuel C. Trimble, the eldest of the 
 above family, is one of the leading citizens 
 of Middlesex Township, where he owns a 
 valuable farm of 112 acres. Like his late 
 father, he has been prominently identified 
 with Republican politics, and in the spring 
 of 1908 by a large majority was nominated 
 for the important office of county treasur- 
 er of Butler Coimty, and was subsequently 
 elected. Possessing every requisite for the 
 office, it is generally conceded that his per- 
 formance of its duties will be honest and 
 efficient. 
 
 ADAM J. DAMBACH, proprietor of 
 the leading blacksmithing establishment at 
 Evans City, comes of an old and respected 
 family of Butler Cormty. He was born 
 in Connoquenessing Township, Butler 
 Coimty, Penna., February 1, 1868, and is 
 a son "of Adam and Dora (Garwick) Dam- 
 bach, and a grandson of Adam Dambaeh, 
 who was a native of Germany. 
 
 Adam Dambaeh, the grandfather, came 
 from Germany to America in the early 
 
1166 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 daj's and settled on a farm ui Cohnoque- 
 nessing Township, Butler Countj^, which 
 he partly cleared. He was the father of 
 the following family: Adam; Sophia, wife 
 of John Boyer; William; Jacob; Cather- 
 ine ; and John, deceased. 
 
 .\.dam Dambach, the father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was born on his fath- 
 er's farm in Butler County and was there 
 reared to maturity. Shortly after his mar- 
 riage he purchased a farm in Forward 
 Township, on which he spent the remain- 
 der of his active career, now living in re- 
 tirement at Zelienople. Prior to his mar- 
 riage he conducted a store for a time at 
 Petersville. He married Dora G-arwick, 
 who was born in Beaver County, Penna., 
 and tliejr became parents of eight children, 
 as follows: Sidney J.; William G. ; Henry 
 W. ; Adam John ; Tina ; Frank E. ; Matilda, 
 wife of William Wilson; and Washing- 
 ton J. 
 
 Adam J. Dambach was a mere child 
 wlien his parents moved from his native 
 township to the home farm in Forward 
 Township, where he grew to maturity, re- 
 ceiving his educational training in the pub- 
 lic schools. At the age of eighteen years 
 he moved to Evans City and learned the 
 trade of a blacksmith under Peter Ripper, 
 for whom he worked two years. He then 
 worked a like period for W. C. McClure, 
 after which he went into business for him- 
 self. His establishment is located on the 
 corner of Washington Street and Wahl 
 Avenue, and he does a general blacksmith- 
 ing business, making a specialty of horse- 
 shoeing. 
 
 Mr. Dambach was married July 30, 1899, 
 to Miss Anna E. Wahl, daughter of Martin 
 Wahl, and they are parents of three chil- 
 dren: Victor Martin, Wilbert W., and 
 Adam M. They reside in a tine home on 
 the corner of Washington Street and Wahl 
 iVvenue, which they built in 1895. Relig- 
 iously, they are members of the Lutheran 
 Church, Mr. Dambach being president of 
 the congregation and superintendent of the 
 
 Sunday-school. He is a Republican in 
 politics, while fraternally he is affiliated 
 with the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 He is an important figure in the atfairs of 
 the village, and is highly regarded by his 
 fellow citizens and many friends. 
 
 GEORGE BAUER, one of Butler Town- 
 ship's leading citizens of which he is su- 
 pervisor, ^resides on his excellent farm of 
 seventy-six acres, which he devotes to gen- 
 eral agriculture. Mr. Bauer was born neai- 
 Hagerstown, Maryland, September 11, 
 1838, and is a son of Peter and Margaret 
 (Doer) Bauer. 
 
 The father of Mr. Bauer was born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1803, and 
 when he came to America and settled in 
 Maryland, early in the thirties, he was ac- 
 companied by his wife and their three chil- 
 dren. When his son George was a boy 
 about eight years of age, he moved to But- 
 ler County, Penna., and settled in JeiTer- 
 son Township. He married Margaret Doer, 
 who died in 1888, in Jefferson Township 
 and his death followed. They had chil- 
 dren as follows : Katherine, wife of 
 Charles Krumpe, residing at Saxonbui-g, 
 Butler County; Conrad, deceased; William, 
 .residing at Butler; Henry, deceased: 
 George; Benjamin, residing at ]ilillville. 
 Allegheny County; Philip, deceased; and 
 Elizabeth, wife of William Leithold, re- 
 siding at Butler. The parents were mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church, in which the 
 father was a deacon. In politics he was 
 identified with the Democratic party. 
 
 George Bauer was given a good, common 
 school education and then learned the ma- 
 chinist's trade. After completing his ap- 
 pi'enticeship, in partiiorslii]) with his 
 brother, he bought out liis cinploye]-. and 
 the firm of Bauer Brotiicrs ciigagod in the 
 manufacture of agricultural implements 
 until 1872, when George Bauer sold out 
 his interest in the business. He then pur- 
 chased his present farm and has been con- 
 cerned in its development ever since. 
 
AND EEPRESENTxlT] VE CITIZENS 
 
 ll(i 
 
 In 1862, Mr. Bauer was married to Annie 
 Catherine Smith, who was a daughter of 
 Michael Smith, of Butler Township. Mrs. 
 Bauer died June 20, 1893. She was a good. 
 Christian woman, a member of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church, and was widely 
 known for her kindness of heart and her 
 ready hospitality. To Mr. and Mrs. Bauer 
 were born eight children, namely: Mar- 
 garet, who married Howard McCandless, 
 of Butler ; Charles, deceased ; Edward, who 
 resides at Butler ; Augusta, who is the wife 
 of C. A. Wachsmith; Maude, who is the 
 wife of Samuel McKnight, of Butler ; Will- 
 iam, who resides in Jefferson Township; 
 Leonard, who is superintendent of the 
 street car line at Butler; and Barbara, 
 who resides at home. Mr. Bauer is one 
 of the leading members of the German 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 In 18G2, Mr. Bauer enlisted for serv- 
 ice in the Civil War, and served for nine 
 months as a member of Company K, One 
 Hundred Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penna. 
 Volunteer Infantry. Although he was 
 wounded in the right arm, at the battle 
 of Chancellorsville, he refused to go to 
 the hospital and remained on the field un- 
 til the close of the fight. In his political 
 convictions he is a Democrat and he has 
 served in local offices, including that of 
 school director and of tax collector and su- 
 pervisor. 
 
 Mr. Bauer blew the first steam whistle 
 ever heard in Butler County at the Bauer 
 Brothers Mill in Butler in 1865. He also 
 had the misfortune to have the first boiler 
 explosion in the county which happened at 
 the mill during the same year. Fortunate- 
 ly no one was hurt in this disaster. A 
 liumorous incident happened in connection 
 with the blowing of the first whistle. It 
 was in the early morning, about daylight, 
 and the residents of the quiet little village 
 were not aware that such a thing existed 
 in the town. A superstitious German resi- 
 dent was lighting his fire, when he heard 
 the first blast of the whistle. He imagined 
 
 that it was the sound of Gabriel's horn 
 and seizing a bucket of water, he dashed 
 it on his kitchen fire and immediately went 
 to praying. 
 
 GEORGE A. SPANG, who is treasurer 
 and manager of The Spang Company at 
 Butler, where the main plant is situated, 
 having branch shops at other points, is a 
 leading business man of this city where he 
 has resided for the past thirty-five years. 
 He was born in 1868, in Armstrong County, 
 Penna. His father was the late J. R. 
 Spang. 
 
 George A. Spang was a child when his 
 parents moved to Butler and he obtained 
 his education in the Butler schools. He 
 was but a boy, however, when the burden 
 of his own support fell upon him and he 
 began his earning of money by driving a 
 dray. Later he went to Pittsburg where 
 he learned the machinist trade with the firm 
 of Swain & Angel, remaining for three 
 years and then returned to Butler. About 
 this time he suffered an injury to his eyes 
 and was obliged to give up working at his 
 trade for two and one-half years, during 
 this period finding emplo5anent in the 
 Klingier mills. By that time his eyes had 
 sufficiently been strengthened so that he 
 could resume work as a machinist and in 
 1894, although he had not a dollar of cap- 
 ital, he determined to go into business for 
 himself and depend upon his skill and in- 
 industry to bring him custom and success. 
 He secured a machine shop in the old Cuth- 
 bert Building, on the same place where his 
 conunodious shops, with all their expensive 
 machinery are situated, but in six weeks 
 time he found a better business opening at 
 Glade Mills. He remained there for three 
 and one-half years and then resided for 
 the same length of time at Renfrew, after 
 which he came back to Butler. He first 
 leased his present property and later pur- 
 chased it. In 1901, The Spang Com- 
 pany was established, and in 1908 the busi- 
 ness was incorporated with J. P. Ander- 
 
1168 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 son as i^resident and George A. Spang as 
 treasurer and manager. In the same year 
 the company put up a fine reinforced con- 
 crete building with dimensions of 62 by 
 122 feet, divided into two stores. Mr. 
 Spang has about 100 men in his employ 
 and has the superintendence of all of the 
 business. In August, 1904, a branch shop 
 was started at Coifeyville, Kansas, in the 
 Kansas oil fields, and in May, 1908, an- 
 other shop was established at Ti;lsa, Okla- 
 homa, both of them being still in operation, 
 and all the property on which the plants 
 are located are owned by the Spang Com- 
 pany. This company manufactures all 
 kinds of oil well supplies and makes a 
 specialty of oil well packing. 
 
 In 1890, Mr. Spang was married to Miss 
 Laura A. Brandon, of Butler, and they 
 have five children: Lillian, Ferdinand, 
 Loyal, Mildred and Everett. With his fam- 
 ily, J\lr. Spang belongs to the Second Pres- 
 byterian Church of Butler. He is a Knight 
 Templar Mason and a member of the Mys- 
 tic Shrine. In recalling the events of this 
 successful and representative man, it will 
 be observed that he has prospered on ac- 
 count of -his own efforts, independent of 
 any assistance, and he may well be proud, 
 when he recalls how he has overcome the 
 various handicaps of his early manhood. 
 He is one of Butler's most respected citi- 
 
 CHARLES RIMP, a prosperous farmer 
 of Summit Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, has a fine farm of 100 acres sit- 
 uated about two miles north of the vil- 
 lage of Herman. He was born on this 
 place March 13, 1875, and is a son of John 
 and Catherine (Knause) Rimp, and grand- 
 son of John Rimp, Sr. 
 
 John Rimp, Sr., was born in Germany 
 and there was reared to maturity. He 
 served in the German army the reouired 
 length of time and continued to reside in 
 that country until he was thirty years of 
 age, when he set sail for America. He set- 
 
 tled in Butler County, Pennsylvania, in 
 1832, and cleared a farm upon which he 
 lived the remainder of his days. 
 
 John Rimp, Jr., was a veteran of the 
 Civil War, serving for four years in a 
 Pennsylvania regiment and participating 
 in some of the hardest fought battles of the 
 war. He was mustered out at Butler and 
 returned to the home farm. During the 
 early years of his business career, he 
 worked on a steamboat on the Ohio River, 
 but finally settled down to farming in But- 
 ler County. He was united in marriage 
 with Catherine Knause, by whom he had 
 the following children: Annie, Ella, one 
 who died in infancy, William, Charles and 
 Minnie, twins ; and Edward. 
 
 Charles Rimp was reared on the old 
 homestead and received his e'ducation in 
 the public schools of the community. He 
 has always engaged in farming, with the 
 exception of seven years during which per- 
 iod he worked for the Standard Plate Glass 
 Company at Butler. He returned to the 
 farm in 1906, and has since followed gen- 
 eral farming and stock raising. He has a 
 comfortable two-story house, a good barn 
 and other necessary buildings for the suc- 
 cessful prosecution of his work. He has 
 an oil well on the farm, which produces 
 about ten barrels per day, and has another 
 in the course of drilling which is expected 
 to show still better results. 
 
 August 5, 1903, Mr. Rimp was united in 
 marriage with Miss Rose Rabbitt, a daugh- 
 ter of John and Annie (Smith) Rabbitt. 
 who lived in Armstrong County, Penna. 
 Three children are the offispring of this 
 union: Charles Edward, Gertrude, and 
 John Rabbitt Rimp. Religiously, they are 
 members of the Catholic Church and very 
 active in church affairs. Fraternally, Mr. 
 Rimp is a member of Butler Lodge No. 8, 
 Woodmen of the World. 
 
 LAWRENCE O. MARKEL, a well 
 known business citizen of Evans 'City, 
 Penna., is secretary of the Burry and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1171 
 
 Markel Compauy, an old and well estab- 
 lished concern, dealing extensively in hard- 
 ware and implements, vehicles, paints, etc. 
 He is a native of Butler County, Penna.^ 
 having- been born on the old home farm in 
 Forward Township, February 8, 188U. He 
 is a son of Daniel and Mary A. (Helm) 
 Markel, and grandson of Zeno and Susan 
 (Stamm) Markel. 
 
 Zeno Markel, the grandfather, came to 
 Butler County from Bucks County, Penna., 
 when he was eighteen years of age, and 
 first cleared a farm on Muddy Creek and 
 later moved to a farm in Forward Town- 
 ship. The latter years of his life were 
 spent in retirement in Evans City, wliere 
 lie died at the age of eighty-three years. 
 His widow survived him some years, dying 
 at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. 
 They were parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Elizabeth, who was the wife of 
 Jacob Zigler. both now deceased; Maria, 
 wife of John Webber; Hannah, deceased; 
 and Daniel. 
 
 Daniel Markel was the youngest of the 
 family and was born in Forward Town- 
 ship, Butler County, May 7, 1854. He en- 
 gaged in farming on the home farm, which 
 consists of 150 acres and now forms a part 
 of his estate. In 1889, in order to secure 
 better educational advantages for his chil- 
 dren, he moved to Evans City, and some- 
 time later engaged in the hardware busi- 
 ness in partnership with L. N. Burry, imder 
 the firm name of Burry & Markel. In 
 February, 1905, the business was incor- 
 porated under the name of the Burry and 
 Markel Company, and Daniel Markel 
 served as president vmtil his death, June 
 24, 1907. Mrs. Markel still resides in 
 Evans City, and is surrounded by many 
 friends of long years' standing. She was 
 in maiden life Miss Mary A. Helm, daugh- 
 ter of John Helm, an early-day blacksmith 
 of Evans City. As a result of her marriage 
 to Mr. Markel which occurred in 1879, the 
 following children were born: Lawrence 
 0. ; Flora, wife of Victor A. Barnhart; 
 
 Emma L. ; Amanda D., wife of Edgar 
 Shaffer; Luella C; Iva M.; Carl H.; Zeno 
 H. ; William D. ; S. Dorothy; Mary G. ; and 
 Gene I. 
 
 Lawrence 0. Markel was nine years of 
 age when his parents located in Evans City, 
 and he was there educated in the public 
 schools p,nd in John Tinstman's Academy. 
 At the age of sixteen years he entered the 
 office of Edward Dambach, who conducted 
 a lumber company at Evans City, and con- 
 tinued for ten years, after which he rep- 
 resented the Hastings Lumber Company 
 of Pittsburg as traveling representative 
 for a short time. He then returned to 
 Evans City and became a stockholder in the 
 Burry and Markel Company, in the affairs 
 of which concern he has since taken an ac- 
 tive part. Upon the death of his father, 
 Mr. Burry became preident, and he became 
 secretary and treasurer, in which capacity 
 he now serves. 
 
 Lawrence 0. Markel, is an ardent Demo- 
 crat in his political belief. Fraternally, he 
 is a member of Harmony Lodge No. 429, F. 
 & A. M. at Zelienople. In religious faith 
 and fellowship, he is a member of the Re- 
 formed Church. 
 
 JOHN HINDMAN, residing on a farm 
 of 136 acres in Clay Township, Butler 
 County, Penna., located about two and one- 
 half miles south of West Sunbury, is en- 
 gaged in general farming, but for many 
 years worked in the oil fields. He was born 
 on the farm now owned by his brother 
 Thomas, in Marion Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, on October 22, 1850, and is a son of 
 Thomas and Mary (McClung) Hindman. 
 
 Robert Hindman, grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch, came to this country 
 from Ireland, and with his brother, John, 
 became owner of about 700 acres of land 
 in Washington Township, Butler County. 
 Thomas Hindman, father of the gentleman 
 whose name heads this record, was born in 
 Washington Township and there reared to 
 manhood. After his marriage he moved to 
 
1172 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Marion Township, Uutler County, and 
 about the year ISGG purchased a farm in 
 Franklin Township. He lived upon that 
 place a number of years, then leaving the 
 place imder the care of his oldest son, Rob- 
 ert, moved upon the farm he owned in 
 Washington Township. 
 
 John Hindman was ten > ears. old when 
 his parents moved to Franklin Township, 
 and he subsequently went with them to 
 Washington Township, where he continued 
 two or three years thereafter. He then 
 went into the oil fields, working for a pe- 
 riod of twenty-three years as driller and 
 tool dresser, being iocatetl in Venango 
 County and various other places. For a 
 time he was in partnership with his brotli- 
 er, Thomas, as contractor, and they drilled 
 a great many wells. About twenty-five 
 years ago, Mr. Hindman to©k up his resi- 
 dence on his present farm, w^hich was the 
 birthplace of his wife, and he has since 
 continued here. He erected the commodi- 
 ous frame house and the substantial barn 
 which stand on the place, and has one of 
 the best improved farms in the neighbor- 
 liood. He follows general farming and 
 also has a good gas well on the farm. 
 
 Mr. Hindman was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elmira Miller, who was born 
 and reared in Clay Township, and is a 
 daughter of Henry Miller. Two children 
 were born to them: Luther, who died in 
 infancy; and another who died unnamed. 
 They adopted a daughter, Jessie M., who 
 now is the wife of Harry Sutton. Fra- 
 ternally, the subject of this sketch is a 
 member of the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows. He is a Democrat in polities, and 
 was elected on that ticket to the office of 
 road supervisor. In religious faith he is 
 a TiUtheran and a liberal supporter of the 
 rliurch. 
 
 OLIVER NEUBERT, general farmer 
 ■and stockraiser, is a representative citizens 
 of Jefferson Township, where he owns a 
 foie fnnn of seventv-five acres, on the Sax 
 
 onburg Road, about one mile north of the 
 town. He was born in Germany, July 13, 
 1854, and is a son of Charles and Wilhel- 
 mina (Fisher) Neubert. 
 
 Charles Neubert brought his family from 
 Ciermany, in 1867. He settled at Alle- 
 gheny, Pennsjdvania, where he found work 
 as a stone-mason — a new trade to him, as 
 he had previously worked at silver mining. 
 From Allegheny he moved to Westmore- 
 land County and some years later came to 
 Butler County and resided^ on the pres- 
 ent farm of his son Oliver." He had nine 
 children, namely: Otto, Ida, Antonio, An- 
 na, Oliver, Oscar, Richard, Emil and 
 Charles. 
 
 Oliver Neubert was thirteen years old 
 when his parents emigrated to America 
 and he here finished the education he had 
 commenced in his native land. He assist- 
 ed his father during the latter's life and 
 subsequently came into possession of his 
 present farm. The land is well situated 
 and responds readily to Mr. Neubert 's 
 methods of cultivation, and he has made 
 excellent improvements here. His build- 
 ings are practically new, his residence be- 
 ing a comfortable two-story one and his 
 bank barn of very substantial construction, 
 the old buildings haAdng been destroyed by 
 fire some years since. 
 
 Mr. Neubert married Barbara Wagner, 
 a daughter of George and Margaret (Kalp) 
 Wagner, farming people in Jefferson 
 Township, and they have the following 
 children : Ella, who lives at home; George, 
 a carpenter by trade, married Delia Le- 
 fever ; Richard and Ralpli, both work in the 
 oil fields; Otto and Albert, twins, work in 
 the oil fields (Albert is a carpenter); Ida, 
 who resides at home; Arthur and Herbert, 
 both are in school; and Paul and Martin. 
 ]\Ir. Neubert and family belong to the Lu- 
 theran Church and he is a member of its 
 council. He takes an active interest in town- 
 ship affairs and is so well and favorably 
 known that he has frequently been elected 
 to office and has served acceptably as a 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVP: CITIZENS 
 
 member of the Graud Jury, liandliug some 
 very important cases, as a member of the 
 Board of Elections, as supervisor, and for 
 twelve years lias been a school director. 
 
 JOHN b. McKEE, D. D., who, for many 
 years was pastor of the United Presbyte- 
 rian Churcli at Butler and enjoyed in large 
 degree the respect, esteem, confidence and 
 affection of the people to whom he so faith- 
 fully ministered, was born June 22, 1851), 
 in Pittsburg, Penna., and was a son of ^Vill- 
 iam and Elizabeth (Shields) McKee. 
 
 Doctor McKee came of Irish ancestry, 
 both grandfather and father having been 
 born in County Down, Ireland. In 1844, 
 William McKee, the father, then being- 
 twenty years of age and a carpenter by 
 trade, emigrated to America and took up 
 his residence at Pittsburg, Penna., where, 
 in 1849, lie was united in marriage with 
 Elizabeth Shields, who died in 1859. In 
 1862, William McKee contracted a second 
 union with Jane Cox. He was the father 
 of five children l)y his first marriage and 
 six b)' his second. The McKee family has 
 been of the Presbyterian faith for genera- 
 tions. 
 
 Doctor John S. McKee was educated in 
 the public schools, the East Liberty Acad- 
 emy and the Western University, and com- 
 pleted the prescribed course at the latter 
 institvation in 1869. From boyliood it liad 
 been his cherished desire to enter the min- 
 istry and in preparation for this important 
 step, he entered the United Presbyterian 
 Theological Seminary at Allegheny, where 
 he was graduated in 1873 and in the same 
 year was licensed to preach by the Monon- 
 galiela Presbytery. He then visited Scot- 
 land and enjoyed a year's training in the 
 Free Church College at Edinburgh. On Oc- 
 tober 19, 1875, Mr. McKee was installed as 
 pastor of the East Brady Church, where 
 his labors continued for five years, when 
 he accepted a call from Mercer, Penna.. 
 and served as pastor of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church there for four years. On 
 
 October 1, 1884, he accepted a call from the 
 United Presbyterian Church at Butler, and 
 he remained associated with this cliarge 
 until the close of his useful life. Under his 
 fostering care both the material affairs 
 and the spiritual life of the congregation 
 improved and was (piickeued, and the per- 
 sonal influence he exerted will long be felt 
 in the community. 
 
 In June, 1878, Doctor McKee was mar- 
 ried to Sophia M. Templeton, of Brady's 
 Bend, Penna. Mrs. McKee with their one 
 daughter, Jeannie Elizabeth, reside in 
 their comfortable home at No. 322 East 
 Pearl street, Butler. 
 
 In the usual acceptance of the term. Doc- 
 tor McKee was no ijolitician, but he was so 
 determined in his temperance views that 
 he allied himself definitelj' with the Pro- 
 hibition party. He was a man of many 
 gifts, of brilliant talents, and his activities 
 made him known far beyond the confines of 
 Butler County. 
 
 J. R. McCANDLESS, one of the sub- 
 stantial citizens of Cherrj^ Township, who 
 is carrying on agricultural operations on 
 a fine farm of eighty-three acres, situated 
 on the road from Pleasant Valley Church 
 to Harrisville, has been a resident of Cher- 
 ry Township nearly all nl' his life. He was 
 born September 21, l<s;i2, at Parker's Land- 
 ing, Armstrong Coimty, Penna., and is a 
 son of Mark and Mary (Russell) McCand- 
 less. 
 
 When Mr. McCaudless was two years of 
 age, his parents located on a farm near 
 Moniteau, and here he was reared to man- 
 hood. Until twenty-five years of age he 
 carried on various occupations, and at that 
 time became engaged in farming, which ^ 
 he carried on for one year after his mar- 
 riage in Cherry Township, then removing 
 to Concord Township, where he resided 
 until 1861. Since that time he has been en- 
 gaged in general farming on his present 
 property, a fine tract of fertile land, on 
 which Mr. McCandless has made nianv im- 
 
1174 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 provemeuts. His present handsome resi- 
 dence was erected by hiin in 1881. 
 
 Mr. McCandless was married to Eliza 
 Jane McCallen, who was born in Cherry 
 TownshijD, and is a daughter of John and 
 Rebecca (Walker) McCallen. Two chil- 
 dren have been born to this imion, namely : 
 Mary Rebecca, is the wife of Robert Bill- 
 ingsiey, residing on the line between the 
 States of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 
 where Mr. Billingsley is engaged as an oil 
 worker, and they have two children, Lewis 
 Montrose and J. Edgar ; and John Walker, 
 married Mary Orpha Thompson, and has 
 three children, — Charles Plummer, Hazel 
 Z. and Gladys. Mr. McCandless is a mem- 
 ber of the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian 
 Church. His standing in his community is 
 high, and he is regarded as an expert on 
 agricultural matters. 
 
 MRS. MARTHA E. IMAN, widow of 
 the late Joseph Iman, resides on a well 
 improved farm of forty-five acres in Done- 
 gal Township, Butler County, Penna., and 
 is one of the honored and highly respected 
 residents of that locality. She was born 
 in West Moreland County, Penna., a daugh- 
 ter of Hugh and Alice (Staller) M«Intire, 
 who were prominent old settlers of West 
 Moreland County. 
 
 Mrs. Iman was reared in her native lo- 
 cality, residing there for about twenty- 
 five years and was married in Indiana 
 County, Penna., to Joseph Iman, a son of 
 John and Alice Iman, also residents of 
 West Moreland County. Subsequent to 
 their marriage, which occurred February 
 7, 1870, Mr. and Mrs. Iman resided for 
 about five years in Indiana County. He 
 ^ was a brick molder by trade, but after com- 
 ing to Butler County in 1875, he engaged 
 in the oil business at Petrolia, where they 
 resided for six months on the old Wilson 
 farm. From there Mr. and Mrs. Iman 
 removed to Troutman where they resided 
 a period of seventeen years, when they 
 moved to Thorn Creek, where Mr. Iman 
 
 engaged in the oil business for one year. 
 After disposing of his oil interests, the 
 family came to Butler County, locating in 
 Donegal Township, where the death of Mr. 
 Iman occurred December 9, 1902. 
 
 The following children were born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Iman : John, who resides on 
 the farm with his mother, was born in 1871 
 and married in 1895 to Elizabeth Wilson, 
 a daughter of Aaron Wilson (they have 
 two children, Ella and Elmer) ; Mary mar- 
 ried Edward EUenburger of Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, and has one 
 child, Thomas; Hugh a resident of Done- 
 gal Township, married Loretta Rentzel of 
 Chicora and to them have been born four 
 children — May, Joseph, Ruth (deceased), 
 and one died in infancy ; Mary E., William 
 J., Gertrude, deceased, and Ruth, deceased; 
 Thomas, died aged eighteen years, five 
 months and fourteen days; William, died 
 aged nine months; Charles, residing at 
 home; Joseph, who also lives at home; 
 George, lives in West Virginia, married 
 Ollie Montgomery and has two children, 
 Ardell and Lillian; Minerva married Will- 
 iam Slater, a resident of West Virginia, 
 and they have two children, Ethel and 
 George Harold. The religioi;s connection 
 of the family is with the Methodist, Church. 
 Mr. Iman was a member of the Knights 
 of Honor and of the K. 0. T. M. 
 
 Mrs. Iman bought her present farm of 
 forty-five acres in 1906 from Charles Duflfy 
 and has made all of the improvements on 
 it. There are two producing oil wells on 
 the land. Mrs. Iman is possessed of true 
 womanly qualities and a kindly manner, 
 which has won for her the marked regard 
 of all with whom she has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 WILLIAM JOHN KENNEDY, of the 
 W. J. Kennedy Hardware Company, a 
 leading business concern at Mars, was born 
 Marcl^ll, 18.54, in Clinton Townshin, But- 
 ler County, Penna., and is a son of Thomas 
 and Margaret (Logan) Kennedy. 
 
MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH IMAN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1177 
 
 Thomas Kennedy was six years old when 
 he accompanied his father from Ireland. 
 The latter secured a farm of 230 acres in 
 Clinton Township, Butler County,- the 
 larger part of which was covered with for- 
 est, ten acres alone having- heen cleared. 
 Thomas Kennedy continued to live on that 
 property, as he grew to manhood working 
 to clear it, and when his father died, he 
 inherited 100 acres. This farm is now 
 owned by Thomas G. Kennedy, one of his 
 sons. On that farm Thomas Kennedy died 
 in 1893, aged seventy-seven years. He 
 married Margaret Logan, who was born in 
 Penn Township, Butler County, and died 
 in 1907, aged eighty-three years. They had 
 the following children: George, dece'ased; 
 Agnes (Spohr) ; James; Margaret, de- 
 ceased; William John; Martha, wife of 
 John Miller; Thomas G., on the homestead; 
 Mary E., wife of Reverend Monks ; Clorin- 
 da, wife of Charles Davis ; and Malissa. 
 
 Until he was eighteen years of age, Will- 
 iam J. Kennedy remained at home assist- 
 ing his father in his agricultural work, and 
 then leaimed the carpenter trade, at which 
 he subsequently worked for thirty-two 
 years. For twenty-two years he engaged 
 in contracting in Pittsburg and Allegheny, 
 where he erected some of the finest resi- 
 dences among the noted beautiful struc- 
 tures of those cities. For five yeai's of his 
 residence in Pittsburg, his son was con- 
 nected with the Marine Bank. In 1903, Mr. 
 Kennedy came to Mars and purchased an 
 interest in the Craig Hardware Company, 
 the business then being incorporated under 
 the style of the Craig, Kennedy Hardware 
 Company. Eighteen months later Mr. 
 Kennedy bought Mr. Craig's interest, ad- 
 mitting his son to partnership and chang- 
 ing the name to the W. J. Kennedy Hard- 
 ware Company. 
 
 On Christmas Day, 1878, Mr. Kennedy 
 was married at Allegheny, to Mary L. 
 Bartley, and they have four children: 
 Thomas, Mary, Edith and Alice. With his 
 family, Mr. Kennedy belongs to the United 
 
 Presbyterian Church, in which he is an 
 elder. 
 
 W. F. LYTLE, Justice of the Peace, at 
 Butler, has been a resident of this city for 
 the past twenty-one years and during the 
 larger part of this time, was connected 
 with its industrial life. He was boim at 
 Monon'gahela City, Washington County, 
 Penna., in January, 1861, and is a son of 
 James S. and Martha A. (Cowan) L3'tle. 
 
 Eobert Lytle, the paternal grandfather, 
 was a well known man in Western Pennsyl- 
 vania in his day. For many years he drove 
 the stage which operated between Pitts- 
 burg and Franklin, Venango County, and 
 in the later years of his life he was court 
 crier at Franklin. 
 
 James S. Lytle, father of Judge Lytle, 
 died a victim to the cruelties inflicted at 
 Andersonville Prison, during the Civil 
 War. In 1861 he enlisted and served 
 through his first term of three months. 
 He re-enlisted, entering then Company I, 
 One Hundred Third Regiment, Penna. Vol- 
 unteer Infantry. . At Plymouth, North 
 Carolina, he was captured by the Confed- 
 erates and was taken to Andersonville 
 Prison, where he suffered unspeakable tor- 
 tures during his ten months of incai'cera- 
 tion, and when finally exchanged was so 
 emaciated by disease and famine, that his 
 brave life closed ten days later. His 
 widow, who was a daughter of Mathias 
 Cowan, an early pioneer of Slippery Rock 
 Township, Butler County, removed to Slip- 
 pery Rock when her son, W. F., was five 
 years old. 
 
 W. F. Lytle was deprived of this tender 
 mother's care when he was but eleven 
 years of age, and thus being left without 
 his natural protectors, was obliged to hew 
 out his own way in life with no practical as- 
 sistance. For some six years he worked 
 on a farm in Slippery Rock Township, and 
 then learned the carpenter trade, and 
 later the harness-maker's trade, and 
 worked at the latter at Prospect, West Sun- 
 
1178 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 bury and Butler, for about seven years. 
 About 1888 he resiuned work as a carpen- 
 ter and continued until May, 1898, when he 
 sutfered from an accidental fall from a 
 bridge that disabled him from that time un- 
 til the following October. His accident had 
 occurred on the Bessemer Railroad and he 
 was then given a position as watchman on 
 that road, one that he efficiently filled un- 
 til he was appointed to his present office 
 in April, 1907. He has been an active and 
 useful party worker for many years and 
 this appointment is but a tardy recogni- 
 tion of his services. He is a man of excel- 
 lent judgment and his life experiences have 
 fitted him, in mai'ked degree, for this of- 
 fice. 
 
 In 1882, Mr. Lytle was married to Miss 
 Ellen McCall, who is a daughter of R. M. 
 McCall, and they have two children, Bes- 
 sie and Frances Grace. The former is the 
 widow of the late Martin Penniebaker, of 
 Lewistown, and she has one daughter, 
 Jeanette Mildi'ed. Mrs. Penniebaker re- 
 sides with her father since her widowhood. 
 Mr. Lytle is a member of a number of fra- 
 ternal organizations including the Eagles, 
 the Knights of Malta, and tlie National Le- 
 gion. 
 
 ASA WATERS HEYL, D. D. S., with 
 office on Pittsburg Street, has been a resi- 
 dent of Evans City, Penua., throughout 
 his professional career and enjoys an ex- 
 tensive practice in that comnumity. Ho 
 is a native of Butler County, having lieen 
 born at Prospect, May 3, 1880. He is a 
 son of Martin and Nancy (Albert) Heyl, 
 and a grandson of Martin and Christina 
 Heyl, both of whom were born in Germany. 
 
 Martin Heyl, Sr., upon emigrating from 
 Germany, located in Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., where he 
 cleared a farm and resided until his death 
 at the age of seventy-five years. He was 
 survived by his widow for some years. 
 They were parents of the following chil- 
 dren : Martin, Jr.; Henrv; John; Jacob: 
 
 Philip; George; Christina, wife of John 
 Fliuner; Margaret (Caldwell); and Mary, 
 deceased wife of Adam Wilson. 
 
 Martin Heyl, father of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born and reared on the home 
 farm in Muddy Creek Township, and at 
 an early age learned the trade of a black- 
 smith. About the year 1863, he opened a 
 shop in Prospect, Biitler County, where he 
 has since continued with uninterrupted 
 success. He was united in marriage with 
 Nancy Albert, a daughter of John Albert, 
 who was of English birth. Mrs. Heyl was 
 born about three miles east of Prospect. 
 This union was blessed with the following 
 children: Sidney, a blacksmith at Slip- 
 pery Rock; Luther, manager of of the 
 Punxsutawney Hardware Company ; Will- 
 iam, a carpenter at Prospect; George, who 
 is associated with his father in blacksmith- 
 ing at Prospect; Ezra, who died in child- 
 hood; Alvin, who also died young; Asa 
 W:itcis, sulijeet of this sketch, who was 
 nauuMl al'lcr IJcv. Asa Waters, an old and 
 respected divine of Prospect; and Ella, 
 wife of Frank Clark. 
 
 Dr. Asa W. Heyl spent his boyhood days 
 in Prospect, where he attended the public 
 schools and Prospect Academy, from which 
 institution he was graduated in 1897. He 
 engaged in teaching school two winters in 
 Muddy Creek Township, after which he en- 
 tered the dental department of Western 
 University of Pennsylvania. He was grad- 
 uated in 1902 with the degree of D. D. S. 
 and soon after located for practice in 
 Evans City, where he has since continued. 
 In 1908, he erected a fine modern home and 
 office on Pittsburg Street near the Citizens' 
 National Bank Building, it consisting of 
 eight rooms and of brick construction. He 
 is a member of the Pennsylvania Dental 
 Society, and the Butler County Dental So- 
 ciety. Lie is local examiner and demon- 
 strator for the Sanitol Chemical Labratory 
 Company. 
 
 October 29, 1902, Doctor Heyl was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Miss Flo JPorrester, a 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1179 
 
 daughter of James aiul Agues Forrester of 
 Prospect. Religiously, they are active 
 members of the Lutheran Church, lie act-' 
 ing as assistant superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school, and president of tlie huther 
 League. Politically, he is a Kepublicau. 
 
 .MARTIN SPiTHALEH, one of For- 
 ward Township's best and most respected 
 citizens, resides on ids valuable farm of 
 ninety acres, on which he was born, Sep- 
 ten)ber 25, 1864, and is a son of Henry and 
 ( "aroline (Householder) Spithaler. 
 
 Henry Spithaler, father of Martin, was 
 l)orn in Germany and came to America 
 wiuMi lie was about eighteen years of age, 
 Nettling first in Beaver County, Peuna. He 
 [iiuchased a farm and also operated an 
 old-time horse-power threshing nlachine. 
 After I lis marriage he sold his Beaver 
 County farm and came to Butler County, 
 where he purchased the farm on which his 
 son Martin lives, in Forward Township. 
 I le was a tine business man and kept add- 
 ing to his land until he owned two large 
 farms and one small one, clearing the 
 greater amount of this land himself. He 
 died in the spring of 1899, aged seventy- 
 two years. He married Caroline House- 
 holder, who was born in Germany and ac- 
 eom})anied her parents to America, in girl- 
 hood. They had nine children, namely: 
 Henry; Caroline, wife of John Shutt; 
 Jacob; Fred; Sarah, wife of Adam Wehre; 
 Daniel; Charles; Martin; and Amelia, wife 
 of Fred ]\rillerman, with whom the vener- 
 able mother resides. 
 
 Martin Sj>ithaler grew to manhood in 
 the old log house in which all the children 
 were born and he remembers many occa- 
 sions when fully an inch of snow sifted be- 
 tween the logs and fell on his bed. In his 
 boyhood, youths were expected to work 
 hard, when work was w-aiting to be done, 
 and Martin had few chances to go to school 
 and when opportunity came, he had to walk 
 a distance of two miles to the old Critch- 
 low school. He helped bis father clear the 
 
 farm, which was no small undertaking. 
 He lived at home until. his marriage, after 
 which he operated the William Goehring 
 farm until the death of his father, who re- 
 warded him for his long years of faithful 
 service, by willing him the home farm. He 
 has made many siibstantial improvements 
 here and has a tine property. There is u 
 prochicing oil well on the farm, in which 
 he has a half interest. 
 
 In December, 1862, Mr. Spithaler was 
 married to Miss Ella Goehring, who was a 
 daughter of William and Sarah Goehring, 
 and they had seven children, namely: 
 Bertha, Ida, Amanda, Walter, Elmer, Ma- 
 tilda and Esther. Mrs. Spithaler died 
 March 31, 1904, aged thirty-seven years, 
 seven months and twenty-one days. She 
 was a loving wife, a kind and careful 
 mother and a good neighbor. Mr. Spit- 
 haler is a member of the Reformer Church. 
 In politics he is a Democrat. He takes an 
 intei-est in educational matters in his town- 
 ship and served four years as school di- 
 rector. 
 
 THO.MAS FRITZ COOPER, who is the 
 present head of the old Cooper family in 
 Butler County, owns fifty-one acres of fine 
 land in Jefferson Township, which is sit- 
 uated about one-half mile from Saxonburg, 
 carries on general farming here as did his 
 father before him. He was born March 
 27, 1862, on his present farm in Butler 
 County, Penna., and is a son of Samuel 
 and Barbara Anna Catherine (Snyder) 
 Cooper. 
 
 Samuel Cooper was born on the above 
 named farm, on which he lived to be sixty- 
 eight years of age. His parents were Will- 
 iam and Catherine Cooper, who settled 
 hero when they emigrated from County 
 Down, Ireland. Samuel Coo]3er married 
 Barbara Anna Catherine Snyder and they 
 had eight children, namely: William J., 
 Philip, Thomas, Levi S., Margaret, Jennie, 
 Elizabeth and Samuel Oliver. 
 
 Thomas F. Coo]K'r has spent his whoh' 
 
1180 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 life on his present farm, with the exception 
 of three years, during which period he was 
 proprietor of a liotel at Saxonburg. He 
 has made farming liis main occupation, al- 
 though lie also does a large amount of 
 teaming and is an operator to some ex- 
 tent, in both oil and gas. He has good im- 
 provements on his property and his two- 
 story residence is an attractive appearing 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Cooper was married (first) to Miss 
 Anna Deahl, who is survived by one son, 
 Harold. He was married (second) to Miss 
 Edna Brown, a daughter of John and Lyda 
 Brown, and they have one child, Catherine 
 Elizabeth. Mr. Cooper and wife belong 
 to the Luthei'an Church and he is a member 
 of the church Council. He is identified 
 with the order of Knights 'of Pytliias, at 
 Saxonburg, in which he is much interested. 
 
 JOSEPH F. SHIEVER, president of 
 the First National Bank at Bruin, Penn- 
 sylvania, and a member of the firm of 
 Sproull & Shiever, leading general mer- 
 chants at Bruin, is one of the most repre- 
 sentative citizens of this community. He 
 was born in Franklin Township, Beaver 
 County, Penna., March 19, 1875, and is a 
 son of Michael and Caroline (Gerwig) 
 Shiever. 
 
 The father of Mr. Shiever was born in 
 Germany and was five years old when his 
 parents brought him to America and he 
 was reared in Beaver County, where he 
 later married Caroline Gerwig, who be- 
 longed to a German family who had set- 
 tled there prior to her birth. 
 
 Joseph F. Shiever grew up a farm boy 
 and he attended the Franklin Township 
 scliools through boyhood and later enjoyed 
 a course at the Slippery Rock State Nor- 
 mal School. For three winter terms he 
 tauglit school in Lancaster Township, But- 
 ler County, and was considered an excel- 
 lent teacher, but he wished to become neith- 
 er a farmer nor a school-teacher, his in- 
 clinations leading him in the direction of a 
 
 business or commercial career. In 1901 
 he entered into partnership with Mr. Bol- 
 ton, in a mercantile business at Slippery 
 Rock, the firm name being Bolton & Shiev- 
 er, which continued until the fall of 1903, 
 when Mr. Shiever became manager for the 
 mercantile department of the Coal and 
 Limestone Company, at Redmond, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he remained until he came to 
 Bruin, and in 1904 became associated with 
 Mr. Sproull, in merchandising, under the 
 firm style of Sproull & Shiever. Both 
 members of this firm are practical, con- 
 servative business men and they control 
 the volume of trade in their line. 
 
 Mr. Shiever was one of the organizers of 
 the First National Bank at Bruin, which 
 was incorporated October 15, 1907, and 
 opened for business on January 14, 1908, 
 Mr. Shiever being elected its first presi- 
 dent and is also one of the board of direc- 
 tors. The business stands on a firm basis 
 and, as its head, Mr. Shiever applies the 
 same careful policy that has made him suc- 
 cessful in his private enterprises. 
 
 Mr. Shiever married Miss Margaret M. 
 Doritt, who was born in Lawrence County, 
 Penna., and is a daughter of the late Jere- 
 miah Doutt, formerly of Lawrence County. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shiever have one son, Wayne 
 N. Mr. and Mvs. Shiever are members of 
 the First Presbyterian Church of Bruin. 
 He belongs to the the Butler County Mer- 
 chants' Mutual Insurance Company, in 
 which he is a director. In his political 
 views he is a Republican. 
 
 JOSEPH B. HINCHBERGER, general 
 agriculturist, residing on his well cultivat- 
 ed farm of eighty acres, which is situated 
 in Butler Township, was born at Philadel- 
 phia, Penna., June 22, 1842, and is a son of 
 Anthony and Barbara '(Bosbarshield) 
 Hinehlierger. 
 
 Anthony Hinchberger was born in the 
 province of Nancy, France, in 1792, a son 
 of David Hinchberger, and died when aged 
 seventy-six years. In early manhood he 
 
MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH F. SHIEVER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1183 
 
 was a soldier under the great Napoleon, 
 and survived the battle of AVaterloo, but 
 two of his brothers were killed in the army. 
 When he came to America he brought his 
 wife and their two children. He took up 
 his residence in Philadelphia, learned the 
 cooper and stonemason trades but took 
 more interest in gardening and farming. 
 He was a man of large frame and big- 
 stature, and for years was foreman of the 
 gang of street cleaners on Market Street, 
 Philadelphia. His death was caused by 
 accident. His children were "as follows: 
 Christopher, who lives in Butler Township ; 
 Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Frank 
 Allwein; Barbara, deceased; Josephine, 
 who married Samuel Shaffner, of Butler 
 Township; Joseph B.; Christian, who lives 
 at Butler; and John, who resides in Butler 
 Township. The parents of this family 
 were members of tlie Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 Joseph B. Hinchberger Was educated in 
 the Philadelphia schools. He remained on 
 the home farm near that city until after 
 his fatliei''s death, in 1864 he enlisted for 
 sei-vice in the Civil AA'ar, entering Com- 
 pany Gr, One Hundred and First Regiment, 
 Peuua. Volunteer Infantry, and reiuaiued 
 in the service until the close of hostilities. 
 He is a charter member of the Butler Post 
 of the Grand- Army of the Republic. Be- 
 fore purchasing his present • farm he 
 worked for some seven years on the Bal- 
 timore & Ohio Railroad, and was foreman 
 of the roundhouse. He has a very valuable 
 farm, much of it being under cultivation, 
 but sixteen acres being yet in timber, and 
 three oil wells having been sunk, one of 
 which is now producing. He raises both 
 grain and stock. His improvements have 
 all been of a substantial character. In 
 1908 he remodeled his residence and has a 
 very comfortable and attractive home. 
 
 Mr. Hinchberger married Barbara Lieb- 
 ler, who is a daughter of George Liebler, of 
 Butler Township, and they have seven 
 children, as follows: Amelin. who is the 
 
 wife of John Sullivan, lives in the city oT 
 Washington, U. C. ; George ; Helena ; Louis, 
 who married Eliza Burns, resides in But- 
 ler Township; Mary; William, and Joseph. 
 The family belong to St. Paul's Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Hinchberger is a Rejjub- 
 lican. On account of his high standing in 
 his community and the general confidence 
 in which he is held by his fellow citizens, 
 he has frequently been elected to local of- 
 fice. He has efficiently served seven terms 
 as school director, and has been super- 
 visor, tax collector and overseer of the 
 Poor, and was for two terms court tipstave 
 of the court of Butler County. 
 
 ANDREW WHITE McCOLLOUGH is 
 a name familiar throughout the oil and gas 
 regions of Pennsylvania. It stands for all 
 that is honorable in business, having been 
 for a period of more than forty years 
 linked with hundreds of transactions with 
 all classes of people, to emerge imtarn- 
 ished by imscrupulous or unfair practices 
 on the part of its bearer. Mr. McCollough 
 may well take pride in his record. The 
 vicissitudes of fortune bore him high on 
 the waves of success, only to dash him 
 against the rocks; but with fortitude and 
 courage of a weather-beaten mariner, he 
 righted his ship, figuratively speaking, and 
 sailed safely into port. His good fortune 
 came not through the misfortune of others, 
 and his misfortune, although involving 
 bankruptcy, did not entail the loss of a sin- 
 gle dollar to his creditors. He is one of 
 Butler's most prominent citizens and 
 stands high in public esteem. 
 
 Mr. McCollough was born on the old 
 White homestead in Franklin Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., April 15, 1840, and 
 is a son of Matthew and Jane ("Wliite) IMc- 
 Collough, both of whom came of pioneer 
 families of Franklin Township. He was 
 but four years of age at the death of his 
 mother, and he was thereafter reared to 
 manhood by his maternal grandparents. 
 
1184 
 
 HISTOBY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Andrew 8. aud Angeliua White. Jlis early 
 education was obtained in the common and 
 Normal schools at Prospect, supplemented 
 by a course in Connoquenessing Academy 
 at Zelienople. He engaged as an instructor 
 five terms in the schools of Connoquenes- 
 sing, Jackson and Franklin Townships, 
 after which he followed merchandising 
 from 1861 to 1871. The latter year marked 
 the beginning of -his oil operations at Park- 
 ei', Bear Creek, Millerstown and Grreece 
 City, which continued for several years 
 with varying success. A student by nature 
 he made a study of this business in all its 
 details, and is admittedly one of the best 
 known and widely informed gas and oil 
 men in the State, being a recognized au- 
 thority on the geological structure of the 
 oil and gas regions. He possesses the 
 largest private collection of standard 
 works on geolog}^ in Western Pennsylvania. 
 He was particularly successful in gas pro- 
 duction, having developed six of the larg- 
 est gas fields in the State. 
 . At the height of a prosperous career, Mr. 
 McCollough encountered unlooked for re- 
 verses that swept away his fortune, leav- 
 ing hhu heavily inxolvod. not only on his 
 own account but ;is imkIoisci- for others. 
 Free from these oltligatiins by bankruptcy 
 proceedings, he still recognized the moral 
 obligation and set about with renewed en- 
 ergy in operating in the gas fields, in which 
 he had an abiding faith. In time he was 
 enabled to discharge every moral and legal 
 obligation of his own and others, for whom 
 he was endorser, the latter running up into 
 many thousands of dollars. His wonder- 
 ful success continued and he once more 
 took rank among the stalwart men of af- 
 fairs in the vieinitv of Butler. 
 
 October 17, 1867, Andrew White McCol- 
 lougli was joined in njarriage with Miss 
 Mary Bredin, who is of pioneer families 
 of Butler on both sides of the house, being 
 a daughter of Edward l\l. and Adelia (Pur- 
 viance) Bredin. Three children were the 
 issue of this iiniuii: Marian, Kelt, and 
 
 Harry Ford. Keligiously, he is a member 
 of the Presbyterian Church, while his wife 
 and daughters are memliers of St. Peter's 
 Protestant Episcopal Church. Politically, 
 he is an unswerving supporter of the Re- 
 publican party, and in 1908 was chosen as 
 alternate delegate to the Republican Na- 
 tional Convention at Chicago and was one 
 of the Taft Republican Presidential elec- 
 tors of the state of Pennsylvania. He has 
 been a member of Butler Lodge, F. & A. 
 M., since early manliood. He has given lib- 
 erally of hi.5 means toward the advance- 
 ment of education and religion, and enjoys 
 the respect and confidence of the comnmn- 
 ity. 
 
 EDWIN A. WATSON, of the large mer- 
 cantile firm of William Watson & Son, who 
 conduct stores both at Isle and at Mt. 
 Chestnut, was born October 28, 1868, in 
 Buffalo Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 and is a son of William and Mary A. (Sar- 
 ver) Watson. 
 
 Alexander AVatson, the grandfather of 
 Edwin A., was born in Scotland. In 1849 
 he brought his family to America and set- 
 tled in Armstrong County, Penna., where 
 the remainder of his life was spent. He 
 had four children: John A., William, Alex- 
 ander and Isabella. 
 
 William Watson, father of Edwin A., 
 was born in Wigtonshire, Scotland, Feb- 
 ruary 12, 1838. For a number of years he 
 was concerned in the stirring life on the 
 frontier, engaged for a time in mining in 
 the vicinity of Pike's Peak and other points 
 and after he returned to Pennsylvania, 
 served for ten months as an officer in Com- 
 pany D, Sixth Regiment, Penna. Heavy 
 Artillery, in defending the city of Wash- 
 ington, during the Civil War. After the 
 close of his military life, Mr. AVatson 
 bought a farm in Buffalo Township, which 
 lie sold in 1876, when he bought an inter- 
 est in the mercantile business of Alexander 
 Cami)bell & Sons, at Mount Chestnut. In 
 1878 Mr. Watson became the owner of the 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1185 
 
 whole business, which he conducted under 
 his own name until 1892, when he admitted 
 his son, Edwin A. to partnershij:). 
 
 Mr. Watson was married (first) to 
 Mary E. Sarver, who died in 1874. They 
 had four children: Clara E., who is the 
 wife of Prof. S. L. Cheeseman, of Slip- 
 pery Rock ; John W., who resides at Seat- 
 tle, Washington; Edwin A.; and A. Walter, 
 who is in Alaska. Mr. Watson was mar- 
 ried (second) to Mary M. Campbell. 
 
 Edwin A. Watson was educated in the 
 township schools and may be said to have 
 grown up in the business in which he is 
 now a partner. Since 1892 he has been as- 
 sociated with his father under the firm 
 name of William Watson & Son. In 1897 
 the firm established the store at Isle as a 
 branch of the parent house and under the 
 vigorous management of Edwin A. Wat- 
 son, who has charge, it has developed into 
 a larger concern than the one at Moimt 
 Chestnut. Prior to the establishing of the 
 free delivery system, Mr. AVatson was 
 postmaster at Isle and he serves as ex|iress 
 agent at this point. The two stores do the 
 largest business in general men-liaudise, 
 farm maehinerj% fertilizers and feed, in 
 Franklin Township. 
 
 Edwin A. Watson married Miss Eva 
 Stoops, who is a daughter of William 
 Stoops, and they have six children : Garth, 
 Huber, Janet, Kenneth, Charles and Paul. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the 
 ^Mount Chestnut United Presbyterian 
 Church. In politics he is a stanch Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 ORA H. ANDERSON, one of Allegheny 
 Township's prominent and representative 
 citizens, a leading agriculturist and for- 
 merly an extensive oil producer, resides 
 on his valuable farm, which contains 200 
 acres. He was born March 31, 1851, in Al- 
 legheny Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 and is a son of Robert P. and Eliza J. (Red- 
 dick) Anderson. 
 
 The Anderson family is of Scotch ex- 
 
 traction and it was founded in Pennsyl- 
 vania by John Anderson, the great-great- 
 grandfather of Ora II. He was born in 
 Scotland and settled in MilBin County in 
 pioneer days. From Mifflin County, James 
 Anderson, the great-grandfather, came to 
 Butler County, in 1804, settling in the 
 neighborhood of Six Points, where he erect- 
 ed two grist mills, the first ever bviilt in 
 that section. Mills were among the first 
 necessities of civilization and the Ander- 
 son mills drew custom from a large terri- 
 tory. John Anderson, son of James and 
 grandfather of Ora H., operated a tannery 
 on, his farm. The Andersons have always 
 been noted for their thrift and enterprise 
 and they proveJ themselves most useful to 
 the communities in which they had their 
 homes. 
 
 Robert P. Anderson was born in Butler 
 County and prior to the birth of his chil- 
 dren, settled on the farm in Allegheny 
 Township, which is now owned by his son, 
 Ora H. Here his death took place, in 
 1898, when in his eightieth year. He was 
 active in public matters, served frequently 
 and acceptably in local offices and was one 
 of the leading members of the Scrub Grass 
 Allegheny Presbyterian Church. Two of 
 his children survive, namely: Ora II. and 
 Emma N. The latter resides with her ven- 
 erable uncle. Rev. Samuel Anderson, a 
 Presbyterian minister, who has his home at 
 Bradentown, Florida. 
 
 Ora H. Anderson grew to manhood on 
 his present farm and was educated at 
 Glade Run Academy, near Dayton, Penna., 
 and Washington - Jefferson College, at 
 Washington, Pennsylvania, and was grad- 
 uated from the latter institution in 1876. 
 After a short period of school-teaching, 
 Mr. Anderson was engaged in the oil in- 
 dustiy, but later turned his whole attention 
 to operating, developing and improving his 
 large estate. 
 
 My. Anderson married Miss Catherine 
 Riddle, who was born in Venango County, 
 Penna., and is a daughter of the late James 
 
1186 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 P. Riddle, formerlj- of Scrub Grass Town- 
 ship, Venango County. Mr. and Mrs. An- 
 derson have the following children : Eliza 
 and Mary, both of whom are successful 
 teachers in the public schools ; and Robert 
 H., James and Eleanor S. Mr. Anderson 
 and family are members of the Scrub Grass 
 Presbyterian Church, in which he is ail 
 elder. He is a Republican in his political 
 views and he has served both as school di- 
 rector and as auditor of Allegheny Town- 
 ship. 
 
 ADAI\[ TROUTMAN. one of Butler's 
 most highly respected citizens, who, for 
 many years was identified with her busi- 
 ness interests and whose enterprise is per- 
 petuated and name honored in the exten- 
 sive business of A. Troutman's Sons, has 
 been a resident here since 1847. He was 
 born in Germany, in 1832, and is a son of 
 Adam and Mary (Cradel) Troutman. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Troutman settled first 
 at Harmony, Penna., after their long voy- 
 age of three months, across the stormy 
 ocean, and then located on a farm in Clear- 
 field Towusliip, Butler County, from which 
 they moved to Penu Township, where they 
 lived during the remainder of their lives. 
 
 Adam Troutman, bearing his father's 
 name, was an infant when his parents set- 
 tled in Clearfield Township, in 1832, and 
 until he was twelve years old he assisted 
 on the home farms. There were, however, 
 thirteen children in the family and, as his 
 services were not needed, young Adam 
 bravely started out to find other w-ork and 
 to thereby add to the family's fortune, but 
 after six months, during which he worked 
 as hostler in Jacob Riber's hotel, he re- 
 turned home and attended school through 
 the following winter. In the spring he 
 again started out, going to Brady's Bend, 
 where he went to work in a coal bank, 
 where for long hours he drove a patient 
 old mule, and there he remained for two 
 years. Mr. Troutman was not satisfied, 
 however, with the education he had been 
 
 able to acquire and after his return home, 
 he went to school for two more months. 
 From there he went to the Zimmerman 
 Hotel, which then stood on the present site 
 of the Willard, and after working there 
 for one year, he was engaged by the gro- 
 ceryman, James Negley. For his first 
 year's services, he received the sum of $25, 
 clothing and board, and the second year, 
 $50, the third year, $75, and the fourth 
 year, $100. In the fifth year, when he 
 married, his salary was fixed at $25 per 
 month. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Mr. Troutman had ac- 
 quired a good education by attending night 
 school and had assisted his father in the 
 l^urchase of land, and so careful, prudent 
 and frugal had he been, with a constant eye 
 to the future establishing of a business of 
 his own, that when Mr. Negley was ready 
 to sell out he had enough capital to go into 
 partnership, later, with Mr. Negley in a 
 new business, which continued for two 
 years, when Mr. Negley bought his interest. 
 Mr. Troutman, with George Weber, then 
 purchased the general mercantile business 
 of William S. Boyd and this partnership 
 continued for five years, when Jacob Boose 
 bought Mr. Weber's interest. Mr. Trout- 
 man and Mr. Boose continued together for 
 eighteen months, when the former bought 
 out the latter and thus gratified the lauda- 
 ble ambition he had long cherished, of 
 owning a business for himself. The old 
 residents of Butler recall Mr. Troutman as 
 a merchant for many years and he contin- 
 ued to conduct his business alone until he 
 admitted his son, J. Henry Troutman, as 
 an equal partner, the firm name becoming 
 A. Troutman «fe Son. In 1901, Mr. Trout- 
 man sold out his interest to two other sons, 
 George and William Troutman, when the 
 firm name became as it now stands, A. 
 Troutman's Sons. It continues to be one 
 of the leading enterprises of the city and 
 although Mr. Troutman has lived retired 
 ever since, it is a matter of pride with him 
 that the business standards he established 
 
ROBERT A. MARKS 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 11S9 
 
 are still in force with the younger genera- 
 tion. He was one of the first directors of 
 the Butler Savings Bank. In his efforts, 
 Mr. Troutman proved that a young man's 
 success depends largely upon himself and 
 that to advance beyond his fellow plodders, 
 he must not only liave brains, but also am- 
 bition, perseverance and a proper regard 
 for the fidelity that he owes to his employ- 
 ers. Along that line lies preferment. 
 
 In 1833, Mr. Troutman was married to 
 Miss Margaret Agner and they have had 
 .six cliildren: J. Henry, who is secretary 
 and treasurer of the Standard J 'Lite Chi-s 
 Company; George, who is (me oi iiis talli- 
 er's successors; Mary, who is the wife of 
 William Ziegler of Butler; Louise, who is 
 the wife of James B. Hazlett; Albert C, 
 who is the district attorney of Butler Coun- 
 ty; and William, who is part proprietor of 
 A. Troutman 's Sons. 
 
 Mr. Troutman is one of the valued mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church at Butler, 
 with which he has long been identified, in 
 his early years serving as its treasurer and 
 later as deacon and elder. 
 
 ROBERT A. MARKS, who was former- 
 ly engaged in mercantile pursuits and in- 
 terested for some years in oil joroduction 
 in ^liddlesex Township, now operating the 
 leading general store in Callery, Pennsyl- 
 vania, which he purchased of J. H. Thom- 
 as. He was born in Richland Township, 
 Allegheny County, Penna., February 16, 
 1859, and is a son of William and Eliza 
 (Whiteside) Marks. 
 
 The father of Mr. Marks was born in 
 the north of Ireland and died in Alle- 
 gheny County, Penna., in 1884, aged sixty- 
 four years. He came to America when a 
 young man and settled first in Middlesex 
 Township, Butler County, from which sec- 
 tion he moved to Allegheny County and 
 there spent the remainder of his life. He 
 served as a soldier in the Civil War, en- 
 listing from Richland Township. He mar- 
 ried a daughter of George Whiteside. She 
 
 was born also in Ireland and accompanied 
 her parents to America and to Middlesex 
 Township, Butler County. To William 
 Marks and wife were born nine children, 
 namely: Mary, deceased, was the wife of 
 S. J. Rankin; Jennie, who is the wife of 
 W. J. Sheppard, of Allegheny; James, who 
 resides at Valencia, Pennsylvania; W. J., 
 deceased; Robert A.; Agnes, who is the 
 wife of Thomas Marshall, of Bakerstown; 
 Luella, who is the wife of Dr. McCandless, 
 of Butler; and an unnamed infant. 
 
 Robert A. Marks was reared and educat- 
 ed in his native township and when twenty- 
 three years of age he entered into pai'tner- 
 ship with his brother W. J. Marks, under 
 the style of W. J. Marks & Brother, in a 
 general store at Glade Mills. Later-, J. P. 
 Whiteside succeeded W. J. Marks and the 
 firm style became Marks & Whiteside, 
 which continued until 1902, when Mr. 
 Marks bought Mr. "Wliiteside's interest and 
 carried on the business alone until August, 
 1907, when he sold out to A. I. Aber. For 
 some fifteen years ]\Ir. Marks was inter- 
 ested in the oil producing business but he 
 has severed his connection with this line 
 of industry along with others, in Middle- 
 sex Township. He was one of the leading- 
 Republicans of Middlesex Township and 
 has served in the offices of school director, 
 clerk and treasurer of that township, and 
 had he sought other positions of a political 
 nature, could easily have secured them. 
 
 Mr. Marks married Miss Lizzie Belle 
 Heckert, who is a daughter of Joseph 
 Heckert, of Middlesex Township, and they 
 have tw^o children: William Leroy, who is 
 a member of the class of 1911, in the medi- 
 cal department of the University of Penn- 
 sylvania; and Robert Howard. Mr. Marks, 
 like his father, is a leading- member of the 
 Middlesex Presbyterian Church, of which 
 he has been a trustee. He has been affiliat- 
 ed with the ]\Ia sonic fraternity for many 
 years and belongs to Lodge No. 272, F. & 
 A. M., at Butler, Butler Chapter and 
 Greenville Commanderv. He belongs also 
 
1190 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 to Connoqnouessing Lodge of Odd Fellows, 
 the Elks at Butler and to Glade Mills 
 Camp of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica, of which he is venerable council. 
 
 GEORGE W. MARBUEGER, owner of 
 eighty-five acres of valuable farm land in 
 Adams Township, has spent all of his life 
 from the age of eight years on this farm, 
 and was born February 27, 1852, in Alle- 
 gheny County, Penna. His parents were 
 Milton and Eva (Shrum) (Mateer) Mar- 
 burger. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Marburger were both 
 born in Germany. The father came to Amer- 
 ica in early manhood and his first work was 
 done on the old canal that was then in 
 course of construction in Butler and Al- 
 legheny Counties. Later he bought fifty 
 acres of land in Allegheny County, which 
 he later sold to advantage and then pur- 
 chased the farm in Adam§ Township which 
 is now owned bj' his son, George W., which 
 formerly belonged to Judge Marshall. On 
 this farm Milton Marburger spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. He died in 1873, aged 
 sixty-four years. He married a widow, 
 Mrs. Eva (Schrum) Mateer, who had three 
 children at that time, namely: Christian; 
 Caroline, who mai-ried B. Miller; and 
 Sarah, who married Abraham Zeigler. The 
 following children were born to lier second 
 marriage: Anna, who married Henry 
 Wolfe ; Catherine, who married John Burr ; 
 Eva, who married Isaac Unstead; Susan, 
 who married Philip Geise; Mary, who mar- 
 ried Joseph Cashdollar; Elizabeth, who 
 married Jacob Mathay; Emma, who mar- 
 ried B. Dimbar; George W. ; and John. 
 The mother of this family survived the 
 father for many years. She died in 1906, 
 when aged ninety-one. 
 
 George W. Marburger was married June 
 30, 1897, to Anna Walters and they have 
 four children: Ruth, William, Bessie and 
 Russell. In politics, Mr. Marburger is a 
 Democrat. He belongs to a well known 
 
 family that has always stood very high 
 in public esteem in Butler County. 
 
 EMIL F. NEUBERT, who conducts a 
 meat market at Saxonburg where he is 
 numbered with the reliable business men, 
 owns four acres of land which lies in the 
 extreme end of the town, his residence be- 
 ing a commodious two-story house stand- 
 ing on Main Street. He was born in 1868, 
 in Germany and was nine years old when 
 he was brought to America by his parents, 
 who were Charles and Wilhelmina (Fisher) 
 Neubert. 
 
 The father of Mr. Neubert resided first 
 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, then in West- 
 moreland County, and later came to Butler 
 County and died on the farm on which his 
 son Oliver resides. 
 
 Emil F. Neubert attended school at 
 Pittsburg and there soon learned tlie Eng- 
 lish language. His first work was in help- 
 ing farmers in the environs of Pittsburg 
 and then he learned the baker's trade and 
 later worked for his brother Oliver, in the 
 latter 's butcher shop. In the course of time 
 he started into the business for himself and 
 settled in the central part of the village 
 of Saxonburg. He soon built up a fine 
 trade and later purchased his present prop- 
 erty and for the past twenty-two years has 
 enjoyed the patronage of the best people 
 of this community. He has made his own 
 way and through business methods of hon- 
 esty and integrity, has gained and kept the 
 confidence of his fellow citizens. In almost 
 any part of the surrounding country, one 
 of Mr. Neubert 's meat wagons may be seen, 
 as he has a large country trade as well as 
 an ample town patronage. 
 
 On July 25, 1883, Mr. Neubert was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Sachs, a daughter of 
 Frederick and Hannah (Green) Sachs, and 
 they have an interesting family bearing the 
 following names: Minnie, Edward, Lewis 
 Harry, Milton, Hattie, Fred and Theodore. 
 The eldest daughter married James Vogley 
 and they have an infant. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1191 
 
 Mr. Neubert is a leading member of the 
 Lutheran Church at Saxonburg. He has 
 taken an active part in town affairs and 
 has served on the town council and as 
 school director. He belongs to the Knights 
 of Pythias, No. 279, Saxonburg. 
 
 WILLIAM HARVEY WISE, a promi- 
 nent farmer and dairyman of Penn Town- 
 ship, who has oil and coal on his own land, 
 was born in Allegheny City, Penna., Oc- 
 tober 9, 1864, and is a son of Jacob P. and 
 Sarah Belle (Davis) Wise. 
 
 Jacob P. Wise was born in Shaler Town- 
 ship, Allegheny County, Penna., in 1839, 
 and is a son of Daniel Wise, who was one 
 of the early settlers of Shaler Township. 
 In early manhood he learned the black- 
 smith trade, which he followed until 1863 
 and then turned his attention to farming, 
 which he continued in Shaler Township 
 until 1893 and then bought the farm in 
 Penn Township on which his son now re- 
 sides. Here he engaged in general farm- 
 ing until 1897. In 1901 he sold the farm to 
 his son, William Harvey. In politics he is 
 a Republican and served two terms as su- 
 pervisor of Penn Township. He married 
 a daughter of Thomas Davis, of Connoquo- 
 nessing Township, who was born in 1842 
 and died in 1897. She was a beloved mem- 
 ber of the Thorn Creek Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. To Jacob P. Wise and wife 
 were born the following children: Anna 
 Mary, who is the wife of Thomas Ilartzell, 
 residing at Harmony; William Harvey; 
 Hannah, who is the wife of Clyde Kennedy, 
 living in Penn Township; Maggie Belle, 
 who is the wife of William Hayes, residing 
 in Penn Township; and Sarah, who is the 
 wife of Bryson Kennedy, residing in Penn 
 Township. 
 
 William Harvey Wise was" reared and 
 educated in Allegheny County and his 
 business has always been concerned with 
 agricultural pursuits. After his marriage 
 he followed trucking but after coming to 
 his present farm he went into stockraising. 
 
 general farming and dairying, raising corn, 
 oats, wheat and hay, keeping fourteen head 
 of fine cattle and selling milk in Pittsburg. 
 He has three producing oil wells on the 
 farm which are worked under lease and 
 at the present writing he is opening a coal 
 bank which promises to be of great value. 
 He is a well informed, practical business 
 man and has all his interests well in hand. 
 Mr. Wise married Ida M. Bell, who is a 
 daughter of George Bell of AVestmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they have seven 
 children: Mabel Irene, William Harvey, 
 Ralph Orbin, Homer Nelson, John Robert, 
 Jean Elizabeth and Thayr Bell. Mr. Wise 
 with his family belongs to the Thorn Creek 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he 
 is a steward and trustee. He has been ac- 
 tive in Sunday-school work and served two 
 terms as su])erintendent of the school con- 
 nected with the above church. 
 
 DANIEL R. HILLARD, one of Venango 
 Township's successful general farmers, 
 was born on his i^resent farm in Venango 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 February 17, 1844, and is a son of John 
 and Jane (McMillian) Hillard and a grand- 
 son of Alexander Hillard. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Hillard were well 
 known farming people of Venango Town- 
 ship, where they lived many years and 
 reared a large family. John Hillard 
 served in the war of 1812. They had the 
 following children : Thomas and Priscilla, 
 both now deceased; Margaret, who mar- 
 ried Jesse Joseph, had nine children — 
 Jane, Thomas, Sarah, Rosa, Ida, James, 
 Catherine, Newton and Daniel; J. B., who 
 married Katherine Louge of Clarion Coun- 
 ty and whose children are : Edward, J. B., 
 Thomas, Annie, Jennie, Fred, Mary and 
 Lizzie; James is deceased; Elizabeth, who 
 married Joseph Wild, has had twelve chil- 
 dren — James, John, Jane (deceased), Ira, 
 Jose])h, Daniel, Priscilla, Flora, Delia, 
 Richard, Blanche and Mary; Martha never 
 married; Mary Catherine is deceased; 
 
1192 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 John, who married Eliza J. Jamison had 
 fourteen children — Belle, Bessie, Janet, 
 John, Priscilla, James, Archibold, Emma 
 (deceased), Daniel(deceased), Grace, Ralph, 
 Leon, Eva (deceased), and Claire; Daniel 
 R. is the subject of this sketch; Nancy 
 Jane, who married Richard Kelly, had 
 eight children — Theodore, Nolla, Ivy, Rich- 
 ard, Ethel, Mabel, Jonathan and Mark; 
 Sarah, who was married (first) to James 
 Davison and (second) to Wilson Mahood, 
 is now deceased. The children of Sarah's 
 first marriage were Harry, James and 
 Daniel. One infant was born to her sec- 
 ond marriage but it is now deceased. 
 
 Daniel R. Hillard was reared on the 
 home farm with his brothers and sisters 
 and with them attended the Blair and the 
 Campbell schools in Venango Township. 
 He continued to live at home and he re- 
 ceived about forty acres of the homestead 
 from his brother James, by will, and to 
 this added thirty-five acres by purchase. 
 The farm is well improved and Mr. Hillard 
 assisted in putting up the present substan- 
 tial farm buildings, which make this a com- 
 fortable and attractive home. There are 
 two fine orchards on the place, oneof them 
 having been set out by his grandfather. 
 Mr. Hillard also owns a vacant lot at An- 
 nisville, in Washington Township. He is 
 a Civil War veteran and a member of S. 
 J. Rosenberg Pest. X,.. .ms, (i. A. R. 
 
 On Februniy i^.;. issj. Mr. Hillard was 
 married to ^liss .Ifiinic Kodgers, who is a 
 daughter of James Rodgers, of Allegheny 
 Township. Her father, like Mr. Hillard 's, 
 served in the W^ar of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hillard are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church at Eau Claire. In poli- 
 tics, Mr. Hillard is a Repul)lican but he is 
 no seeker for office. 
 
 NELSON McELVAIN, a representa- 
 tive citizen and farmer of Clay Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, resides on a 
 valuable farm of ninety-one acres, located 
 about one-half mile east of West Suubury, 
 
 a part of this farm having been acquired 
 by his paternal grandfather as early as 
 1807. He was born on a farm in Washing- 
 ton Township, Butler County, May 3, 1842, 
 and is a son of William, Jr., and Nancy 
 (Conway) McElvain, and a grandson of 
 William McPIllvain, Sr. 
 
 William McElvain, Sr., was born in Lan- 
 caster County, Pennsylvania, and was 
 there married. Difficulties of travel and 
 communication made members of a family, 
 when separated, practically strangers to 
 the other's movements, although living 
 what we would now consider but a short 
 distance apart — in fact in adjoining states. 
 This is exemplified by the experience of 
 Mrs. ^IcElvain, who in maiden life was a 
 Caldwell. A few years after they had set 
 up housekeeping in Lancaster County, she 
 formed a desire to visit her parents in Vir- 
 ginia, and as a result she and her husband 
 started out on horseback, Mrs. McElvain 
 carrying her infant child in her arms. Ar- 
 riving at her old home she found her par- 
 ents had moved away, and all the neigh- 
 bors could vouchsafe in reply to her ques- 
 tioning was that the family had moved fur- 
 ther South. She never heard from them 
 again. Returning to Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania, they resided there for a 
 time, then moved to Westmoreland County 
 in the same state, and in 1807 came on to 
 Butler County. William cleared up the 
 fai'm in Clay Township, and both died on 
 this place. 
 
 William McElvain, Jr., was born in 
 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and 
 was but a child when his parents located in 
 Clay Township, where he grew to man- 
 hood. After liis marriage he purchased 
 tlie farm in Washington Township, on 
 which the subject of this record was born. 
 He died on that place, and his widow spent 
 her declining years at the home of her son. 
 Nelson, she too being now deceased. 
 
 Nelson McElvain was born and reared 
 in Washington Township. He began house- 
 keeping, after marriage, on the old home 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1195 
 
 place, which he fell heir to, but later sold 
 that place and in 1886 purchased his pres- 
 ent farm from an uncle, Samuel McElvain. 
 He has engaged in general farming and is 
 one of the substantial men of the commun- 
 ity. 
 
 William McElvain, who lived in Wash- 
 ington Township, reared a family of seven 
 children, the eldest of whom was Mary, 
 wife of George Craker. Annis, wife of 
 John Porter, and Jane, wife of Joseph 
 Glenn, after marriage i-esided in northern 
 Michigan; Margaret, wife of William Mc- 
 Mahan, resided in Clarion County, Penn- 
 sylvania ; Emeline, wife of Alpheus Stein- 
 torf, resided in Virginia; Nancy, the only 
 daughter now living, is the wife of I. N. 
 Meals and resides in AVashington Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. McElvain, the siibject of this sketch, 
 was joined in marriage with Miss Mar- 
 garet Glenn, a daughter of James Glenn of 
 Clay Township. She was born and reared 
 in tills township. Three children are their 
 offspring: Alice, who is the wife of Rev. 
 J. P. Stoops, a Presbyterian minister of 
 West Liberty, AVest Virginia, ■ by whom 
 she has three children — Lowery M., Pot- 
 ter and Nelson ; Rella, who is the wife of 
 S. J. Christley of Chicago, Illinois, and has 
 three children — Paul, Zoe and Lloyd; and 
 Angeline, who lives at home. 
 
 days lauded at Boston, Massachusetts. He 
 immediately after went west to Buffalo, 
 New York, where he worked for one year, 
 then moved to Venango County, Penna. 
 There he was engaged several years in the 
 oil fields, but in the spring of 1875 returned 
 to England. He spent the summer in his 
 native land and in the fall of the same year 
 again sailed for America. He came to 
 what then was Martinsburg, now Bruin, in 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, where he has 
 since lived and met with deserved business 
 success. He takes a deep interest in all 
 questions relating to the development i of 
 the borough and its institutions, being es- 
 pecially favorable to measures calculated 
 to improve the public school system. 
 
 In July, 1877, Mr. Arnold was united in 
 marriage with Miss Susan Zuver, who was 
 born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a daughter of George E. Zuver, who 
 still lives in that county and has passed 
 his eighty-ninth birthday anniversary. Of 
 the five children born to them, two survive, 
 namely: William P. of Bruin, and Lotta 
 Lenore. Religiously, Mr. Arnold and his 
 family are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church at Bruin, of which he served as 
 trustee a number of years. Politically, he 
 is a Republican. William P. Arnold niar- 
 ried Roxie Rickenbrode and they have one 
 cliild, Dorothy Queen. 
 
 WILLIAM ARNOLD, a representative 
 citizen and prosperous business man of 
 Bruin, Butler County, Penna., has been 
 for many years engaged as an oil producer 
 and is at the present time one of the direc- 
 tors of the First National Bank of that 
 borough. He was born in Lincolnshire, 
 England, March 9, 1852, and is a son of 
 James and Ann (Fisher) Arnold, both na- 
 tives of England. 
 
 William Arnold was reared in Lincoln- 
 shire imtil his fifteenth year, then went to 
 London and lived for nearly three years. 
 At the age of eighteen, he took passage at 
 Liverpool and after a voyage of fourteen 
 
 HENRY B. STALKER, one of Venango 
 Township's representative citizens, resid- 
 ing on his valuable farm of seventy-six 
 acres, which lies two miles west of the 
 borough of Eau Claire, was born October 
 28, 1844, in Sugar Creek Township, Venan- 
 go County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Samuel and Jane (Blake) Stalker. 
 
 The paternal grand]iarents of Mr. Stalk- 
 er were Thomas and Mary (Batton) Stalk- 
 er and they had the following children: 
 John, who married Elizabeth Moore; Re- 
 becca, who married David Eakins, ,of 
 Venango County: Samuel, who married 
 Jane Blake; Rachel, who married Nelson 
 
1196 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 McAIister; James, who married Sarah 
 Cunningham; Margaret, who married 
 John Ray; William, who married Mar- 
 garet AVhitmer; Thomas, who married 
 Anna Ray ; and two who are now deceased. 
 
 The children of Samuel Stalker and wife 
 were: Rachel, who married Jackson Mit- 
 chell; Mary Ann, who was accidentally 
 drowned in French Creek; Jane and 
 Thomas, both of whom are now deceased; 
 William W., who married Mary Rodgers; 
 Elizabeth, who married Joseph Alexander; 
 Ruth, who married Martin O 'Conner; 
 H^ry B. ; Katherine, who married Will- 
 iam kellerman; John T., who married 
 Louisa Blair; Emma, who ma>rried John 
 Bovard; Martha and Thomas, both of 
 whom are deceased; and James F., who 
 married Ellen Sloan. 
 
 Henry B. Stalker obtained his education 
 in the Cross-roads school-house in Sugar 
 Creek Township, after which he assisted 
 his father in operating the home farm for 
 a time and then went into business for him- 
 self, purchasing a team and operating a 
 huckster wagon at Parker's Landing. For 
 several years after his marriage he rented 
 a farm in Venango Township, later moved 
 to a second farm but decided to return to 
 the "first one and subsequently bought sev- 
 enty-six acres, a part of which is still in 
 timber. Probably this land is underlaid 
 with coal but he has no opened bank, al- 
 though both gas and oil are adding to his 
 income, he having one gas well and six pro- 
 ducing oil wells. He put up all the farm 
 buildings, these being comfortable and sub- 
 stantial. 
 
 Mr. Stalker was married to Miss Sarah 
 M. Williams, who died Jx;ly 30, 1908. She 
 was a most estimable woman, a devoted 
 wife and mother and a good and kind 
 neighbor. To Mr. and Mrs. Stalker were 
 born the following children: Wilbert N., 
 who married Henrietta, a daughter of 
 Amos Seaton; Samuel M., who married 
 Eva, a daughter of James G. Hoffman; 
 John C, who married Miriam, a daughter 
 
 of Robert Wilson ; Arminta J., who is now 
 deceased; William H., who married Alice 
 Adams; James W., who resides at home; 
 Maude, who married Earl McCall, and 
 Mabel T., who remains with her father. 
 Mr. Stalker and family are prominent 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church of Eau Claire borough in which he 
 has been a class leader for twenty-eight 
 years and also a trustee for a long period. 
 Mr. Stalker has interests aside from those 
 mentioned, having been agent for the 
 George W. Clark Company, of Jackson- 
 ville, Florida, for six years, and for the 
 Monumental Bronze Company, for fifteen 
 years. He is considered a man of excep- 
 tionally good business qualifications. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Stalker is identified with 
 the Democratic party, but he is not a seek- 
 er for political honors. He is a member 
 of the K. 0. T. M. and is past commander 
 of the lodge at Eau Claire. 
 
 MATTHEW GRAHAM, one of Cran- 
 berry Township's most esteemed citizens, 
 was born February 25, 1837, in Cranl)erry 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and has spent his whole life in this town- 
 ship and for the past seventeen years has 
 resided on his present farm which contains 
 sixty-two acres of excellent land. His 
 parents were Freeman and Elizabeth 
 (Shearer) Graham. 
 
 The grandparents of Mr. Graham were 
 pioneer settlers in Butler County. On the 
 paternal side, Grandfather Matthew Gra- 
 ham, with hife brother William, came to 
 Butler County as a pioneer and together 
 they took up large tracts of Government 
 land, Matthew settling in Cranberry Town- 
 ship. He died November 3, 1858, aged 
 seventy-seven years; his wife, Mary, died 
 June 10, 1866, aged eighty-two years. On 
 the homestead there. Freeman Graham was 
 born in 1809. He followed farming and 
 milling. He was the eldest of his parents' 
 children, the others being as follows: 
 James, who married Elizabeth Oakley, is 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1197 
 
 survived by his widow, who lives in Cran- 
 berry Township. Matthew, who married 
 Esther Dillon, lived on the old homestead 
 and both he and his wife died there. Thom- 
 as, who is now deceased, never married. 
 Samuel, who married Matilda Duncan, is 
 survived by his widow. Ann, who married 
 John Kelley, is deceased. Mary, who mar- 
 ried Samuel Love, died in California; he 
 died in Pittsburg. Hattie, who married 
 John Vandervorst, died in Cranberry 
 Township as did also her husband. 
 
 Freeman Graham was twice married. By 
 his first wife, whose maiden name was 
 Elizabeth Shearer, and who was the moth- 
 er of the subject of this sketch, he had 
 four sons and two daughters, of whom one 
 son and one daughter still survive. His 
 second wife was in maidenhood Maria 
 Pierce, of which union there were three 
 sons and three daughters. Of this latter 
 family two of each sex are now living. The 
 eldest of the sons by the second wife was 
 Austin, who married 'Manda Pierce; they 
 had one daughter, Lottie, now deceased, 
 who was the wife of Graham Dunlap; she 
 left one daughter, Hulda, who is married 
 to George Beam. They have a daughter 
 living. Of the rest of the family, James 
 is living in California; Ella is the wife of 
 Charles Teezle and they have three sons 
 and a daughter; Edward is deceased. 
 
 Matthew Graham, subject of this sketch, 
 was married first to Mary Ann Emerick, 
 who was a daughter of Samuel Emerick, 
 and to this union were born five sons and 
 three daughters, the survivors being as fol- 
 lows: Leslie, married Maggie Barr, and 
 they have four children and live in Ohio. 
 Elmer, residing at Allegheny, married Isa- 
 bella Barto. Alvie, who resides at New 
 Brighton, married Rose Barr and they 
 have three children. Eva, now deceased, 
 who was the wife of William Hartzell, had 
 one child, also deceased. Wilda, who mar- 
 ried Wallie Forsythe, of Mars, has three 
 children. Mamie, who is the wife of Frank 
 Groom, car inspector at Conway yards, in 
 
 Beaver County, has three children. Mr. 
 Graham was married (second) December 
 28, 1886, to Mrs. Alice J. Dalzell, a widow, 
 and a daughter of William and Mary (Van 
 Normar) Dodds, former residents of 
 Prospect. By her first marriage Mrs. Gra- 
 ham had six children, four of whom sur- 
 vive — William A., Margaret A., Charles 
 A. and John T. Mrs. Graham has spent 
 the greater part of her life in Butler 
 County and owns a farm in Cranberry 
 Township. Both Mr. and Mrs. Graham are 
 meml>ers of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Zelienople, in which he is an elder. In his 
 political views he is a Republican, but has 
 never consented to accept any public office. 
 The present comfortable farm residence 
 was built in 1892. 
 
 W. W. LUTON, of Fairview Township, 
 is the owner of valuable half-interests in 
 oil properties in this township. He was 
 born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, 
 February 22, 1857, son of W. M. and Sarah 
 (Flemming) Luton, both his parents being 
 natives and life-long residents of that 
 county, where they died, both at the age 
 of sixty-five years. They had a large fam- 
 ily numbering eleven children, whose 
 names were respectively as follows : M. E., 
 George, Susannah, deceased, Taylor, Mary, 
 Sarah Ann, W. W., Nelson, David, Cora, 
 and Etta. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, W. W. Luton, 
 resided in Venango County until about 
 seventeen years old, acquiring his educa- 
 tion in the district schools. He then came 
 to Fairview Township, Butler County, and 
 found occupation in the oil fields as labor- 
 er. He has since remained in the oil busi- 
 ness and is now known as a siiccessful pro- 
 ducer.. His residence in the township has 
 covered a period of thirty years and he is 
 regarded as one of its substantial citizens. 
 
 On June 12, 1877, in Armstrong County, 
 Mr. Luton was united in marriage with 
 Sadie I. Foster, a daughter of Christopher 
 A. and Isabelle (Morrison) Foster. Her 
 
1198 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 parents bad seven other daughters, name- 
 ly: Keziah Jane, Phebe, Margaret Eliza- 
 beth, Sarah Isabel, Nancy Ann, Mary, and 
 Alice. Mr. Luton's family was completed 
 by the birth of three children — Jennie B., 
 Thomas, and Robert. Jennie B. became 
 the wife of L. J. Sanderson and resides at 
 Franklin, Pennsylvania. She has three 
 children — Engene, Ardell, and Sarah 
 Irene. Mr. Luton's two sons reside at 
 home. The family are members of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Luton be- 
 longs fraternally to the K. 0. T. M., at 
 Petrolia. 
 
 WILLIAM THOMAS McDONALD, 
 president of the Eau Claire Telephone 
 Company and a well known citizen of Eau 
 Claire, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is 
 also proprietor of a barber shop in that 
 borough. He was born in Cameron Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, March 2, 1857, and is a 
 son of Daniel and Rachel (McCoy) Mc- 
 Donald, and a grandson of William Mc- 
 Donald. 
 
 William McDonald, the grandfather, 
 was a native of Canada, in which country 
 he passed all his days. He and his wife 
 were parents of four children — Alexander, 
 Duncan, Sandy, and Daniel. The last 
 named was married to Rachel McCoy, a 
 daughter of Thomas J. McCoy of Grove 
 City, Mercer County, Penna., and they had 
 two sons — William Thomas, whose name 
 heads this sketch, and John Donald, who 
 married Katherine Harbaugh. 
 
 William Thomas McDonald first at- 
 tended school in Harrisville, Butler 
 County, then the old McCoy school in 
 Pine Township, Mercer County, the Blair 
 school south of Eau Claire in Venango 
 Township, and finally the public schools 
 in the borough of Eau Claire. He engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits for a period of 
 twenty years, and then engaged in team- 
 ing during the oil excitement at Sample 
 and Wildwood. He later worked as line- 
 man for the Western Union Telegraph 
 
 Company for a time, after which he re- 
 turned to Butler County and purchased a 
 one-fourth interest in a saw-mill. At the 
 inception of the Eau Claire Telephone 
 Company, he entered its employ and 
 worked for some time as lineman during 
 the days, spending his evenings working 
 at the trade of a barber. He gave up out- 
 side work when he was made president of 
 the company, but still maintains the bar- 
 ber shop in Eau Claire. He is one of the 
 stockholders as well as an officer of the 
 Telephone Company, and is esteemed a 
 business man of high standing. He is a 
 Republican in politics, and served as in- 
 spector of election in the borough one 
 term, and two terms in Venango Town- 
 ship. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. McDonald is a prom- 
 inent member of the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows at Hilliard, the Knights of 
 the Maccabees at Eau Claire, and Wood- 
 men of the World of Eau Claire, being 
 council commander of the last named. 
 
 WILLIAM J. ATWELL, prosperous 
 farmer and oil producer of Marion Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Penna., comes of an 
 old and respected family of this vicinity. 
 He was born in the old log house on his 
 father's farm, June 20, 1850, and is a son 
 of Robert and Elizabeth (Byers) Atwell, 
 and a grandson of Robert Atwell, Sr. 
 
 Robert Atwell, Sr., grandfather of the 
 subject of this record, was born and 
 reared in Ireland. He was there married 
 to a Miss Dickson, who died early in life, 
 leaving one son, Dickson. He formed a 
 second union with Margaret Russell and 
 they had the following children: Nellie, 
 wife of William Brannon; George; Will- 
 iam; John; James; Robert, Jr.; and 
 Mary, wife of Alexander Watt. All are 
 now deceased. Shortly after his second 
 marriage, Robert Atwell, Sr., and his wife 
 came to the United States, and first lo- 
 cated on what is now known as the Perry 
 farm in Venango County, Pennsylvania. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1201 
 
 He then came on to Butler County, where 
 he acquired title to 100 acres of heavily 
 timbered laud in Marion Township. He 
 cleared a portion of the land and there 
 passed the remainder of his days, being- 
 survived some years by his widow who 
 reached an advanced age. 
 
 Robert Atwell, Jr., was born in 1816, 
 probably in Venango County, and was 
 very young at the time his parents settled 
 in Marion Township. He helped clear the 
 home farm and lived with his parents un- 
 til his marriage. He then came into pos- 
 session of a part of the home farm, on 
 which be erected a log house and set up 
 housekeeping. He later purchased sev- 
 enty-five acres in Venango County, but 
 continued to reside in Butler County. He 
 married Elizabeth Byers, a daughter of 
 Samuel Byers of Venango County, and 
 they had the following children: Angeline, 
 wife of James M. Henderson; Hannah, 
 who died at the age of eleven years ; Mary 
 Jane, deceased wife of John Cochran; 
 William James; Elethe, deceased wife of 
 M. Wilson; Margaret, wife of Jacob 
 Deibel; Elizabeth, wife of Dr. W. W. Mc- 
 Connell ; and Harriet, wife of James Van- 
 derhn. Mrs. Atwell died March 4, 1899, 
 at the age of seventy-seven years, and was 
 survived by her husband less than two 
 months, his death occurring May 1, 1899, 
 at the age of eighty-three years. 
 
 W^illiam J. Atwell was born in the old 
 log house erected by his father, and was 
 about two years old when the frame house 
 was put up. He attended the common 
 schools, and being the only son in the fam- 
 ily mucli of the farm work fell upon his 
 young shoulders. He lived with his par- 
 ents until his marriage, then began farm- 
 ing for himself. He now has eighty acres 
 of his father's farm in Marion Township, 
 and another tract of fifty acres located in 
 Clinton Township, Venango County. The 
 latter is rich with oil, and he also has one 
 producing well on his home property. In 
 1883, lie built a comfortable home on his 
 
 farm, in which he has since lived. He is 
 one of the township's most substantial 
 and public-spirited men, and has a host of 
 acquaintances throughout this section of 
 the country. 
 
 Mr. Atwell was married November 10, 
 1875, to Miss Rose Wilson, a daughter of 
 Richard and Elizabeth (Sloan) Wilson, 
 early settlers of Venango Township, But- 
 ler County, and they have six children: 
 Cora, wife of John S. Cowan of McKees- 
 port, Pennsylvania, by whom she has four 
 children — Gladys, Nellie, Edith and John; 
 Pearl, who is the wife of Clyde Irwin and 
 has a son. Forest ; Marcia, wife of Clinton 
 Irwin of Clinton Township, Venango 
 County; Mary, who is wife of James Mc- 
 Kinley and has a son, Clifford ; Burton, 
 who conducts the home farm; and Keith. 
 The daughters, prior to their marriages, 
 were teachers in the public schools and 
 were educated at Slippery Rock and Grove 
 City colleges. Religiously, the family be- 
 longs to the United Presbyterian Church, 
 of which Mr. Atwell is a deacon. 
 
 JOHN C. TWADDLE, one of the sub- 
 stantial business men and well known eiti- 
 zeus of Bruin, Pennsylvania, is a success- 
 ful oil producer and is a director of the 
 First National Bank of that borough. He 
 was born in Parker Township, Butler 
 County, April 20, 1876, and is a son of 
 James and Sarah (Sylvus) Twaddle. His 
 father was born near the city of Pittsburg, 
 and his mother near Saltburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 James Twaddle, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was resident at Parker's Land- 
 ing prior to locating in Parker Township, 
 Butler County, where he spent the most of 
 his mature life. His death occurred in 
 this township, December 14, 1907. He was 
 a progressive citizen and was closely identi- 
 fied with the development of the community 
 and its institutions. He was a Republican 
 in politics, and served some years as a 
 school director. He saw active service in 
 
1202 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the Union Army during the Civil War and 
 participated in numerous hard-fought en- 
 gagements. He afterward became a mem- 
 ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. 
 Religiously, he was a member of tlie Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church of Bruin. His 
 widow belongs to the Presbyterian Church. 
 She is a lady of the highest Christian char- 
 acter and is now living at Bruin, at the 
 age of sixty-five years, surrounded by 
 many close friends of long years' acquaint- 
 anceship. Of the children born to her and 
 her husband, the following survive: Mar- 
 garet, wife of S. R. Walker of Parker 
 Township; Samuel A. of Chicora, Penn- 
 sylvania; James E. of Oklahoma; John C. ; 
 Delia J., an instructor in music in Bruin 
 and vicinity ; and Elizabeth B., wife of John 
 S. Walker of Bruin. 
 
 John C. Twaddle was reared on the farm 
 in Parker Township, and received a supe- 
 rior educational training in the public 
 schools. In early manhood he began work 
 in the oil fields and this has been his prin- 
 cipal field of operation since ; he has been a 
 producer since 1904. He was one of the 
 promoters of the First National Bank of 
 Bruin, of which he is a director, and was 
 one of the building committee which super- 
 vised the construction of the bank building. 
 
 June 9, 1898, Mr. Twaddle was united in 
 marriage with Miss Anna May Odenweller 
 of Bruin, and they reside in a comfortable 
 home in that borough. He is a Republican 
 in politics, and, fraternally a member of 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 ARCHIBALD THOMAS JAMISON 
 has a fine home about two miles northeast 
 of Murrinsville, in Venango Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., and sixty acres of 
 land, but does not engage in farming. He 
 has been identified with the oil fields off 
 and on for many years and is now engaged 
 in drilling in connection with Jacob Sheas- 
 ley of Franklin. He was born in Venango 
 Township, January 10. 1870, and is a son 
 
 of George W. Jamison, and a grandson 
 of Archibald Jamison. 
 
 Archibald Jamison, the grandfather, 
 was married to Elizabeth Patterson, a 
 daughter of John Patterson, and they had 
 the following otf spring: Elizabeth, de- 
 ceased; Matilda, wife of Henry Kelly; 
 Margaret, wife of Washington Johnston; 
 Eliza, wife of John Hilliard; John M., 
 who married Margaret Kelly ; James, who 
 married Hulda Tawnyhill ; and George W. 
 
 George W. Jamison was first united in 
 marriage with Harriet Kelly, a daughter 
 of Michael Kelly, and to them were born: 
 Margaret, wife of John Bell; Melinda, 
 wife of Elmer Delancy; and Archibald 
 Thomas. He was married, secondly, to 
 Elizabeth Brandon, a daughter of William 
 Brandon of Venango Township. 
 
 Archibald T. Jamison attended the Rock 
 school house in Venango Township, and 
 assisted his father in the work upon the 
 farm. He then went to work as a tool 
 dresser in the oil fields about Murrins- 
 ville, and from there to drilling in the oil 
 fields of Washington County, Ohio. After 
 his marriage there in 1896, he moved to 
 Forest County, Pennsylvania, where he 
 was for a time connected with a saw mill. 
 He was subsequently located at New Mar- 
 tinsville, West Virginia, Marietta, Ohio, 
 and Cameron, W^est Virginia, before re- 
 turning to the old home in Venango Town- 
 ship. Upon the death of his father, March 
 28, 1905, he purchased the home farm of 
 sixty acres, on which he has since lived. 
 All of the buildings were erected by his 
 father but the house, which our subject 
 built. He was for one year engaged in 
 butchering at West Sunbury and then sold 
 out, but his wife is still the owner of a 
 house and lot in that borough. For the 
 past five years he has worked at drilling 
 with Jacob Sheasley. 
 
 August 19, 1896, Mr. Jamison was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Martha 
 Garuei-, a daughter of John Garner of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1203 
 
 Mercer County, and five children were 
 born to them: Charles Thomas, who died 
 at the age of six months; Harriet Ann; 
 Marguerite Viola ; Ula Bessie ; and Ralph 
 Edward. Religiously, he and his wife are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at West Sunbury. He is a Demo- 
 crat in politics and served one term as 
 road superintendent. Fraternally, he is 
 a member of West Sunbury Lodge No. 
 1154. I. 0. 0. F. 
 
 WILLIAM H. RAMSEY, a representa- 
 tive citizen of Jackson Township, where 
 he owns a valuable farm of sixty acres, 
 belongs to a family that has been estab- 
 lished in Butler County for more than 100 
 years. Mr. Ramsey was born in Jackson 
 Townshi]:*, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 March 25, 1845, and is a son of James and 
 Annie (Covert) Ramsey. 
 
 Alexander Ramsey, the grandfather of 
 William H., came to Pennsylvania from 
 County Down, Ireland, in early manhood. 
 He married Grace Smith, who was born 
 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and sub- 
 sequently acquired 400 acres of land in 
 Butler County. He built his first house 
 on the site of Emanuel Cashner's resi- 
 dence, in Cranberry Township. Both he 
 and wife died on their farm, on which they 
 had reared a large family, many of whom 
 have descendants all through this portion 
 of the State. The children of Alexander 
 and Grace Ramsey were: Jaincs. father 
 of William H. ; John, who lived and died 
 on the home farm, and married Sarah 
 Covert; Alexander, who married Sarah 
 McGeorge and reared a large family, died 
 on an adjoining farm; Anthony, a farmer, 
 who married Eliza McGeorge; Mary, who 
 married Isaac Young, died in Jackson 
 Township; and Hannah, who died near 
 Butler, married John Robinson. 
 
 James Ramsey was born in Cranberry 
 Township, Butler County, in 1805 and 
 died in 18(59. He married Annie Covert, 
 a daughter of Morris Covert, who came 
 
 to Jackson Township about the time the 
 Ramseys settled here. James Ramsey 
 owned 150 acres of land which he culti- 
 vated and imjaroved, erecting the com- 
 fortable farm-house in 1844. His widow 
 survived until 1890. Their surviving chil- 
 dren are: William H. ; Alexander, who 
 resides on an adjoining farm, married 
 Sophia Powel ; and Nancy and Lizzie, who 
 reside at Beaver Falls. One brother of 
 the above, James Ramsey, is deceased; 
 and a sister, Mary Ann. The latter was 
 married (first) to Henry Honoddle, who 
 was killed in the army during the Civil 
 War, and (second) to Isaac Coble, of 
 Whitestown. 
 
 William H. Ramsey was educated in the 
 district schools and has devoted his life to 
 agricultural pursTiits. His land has proved 
 to be rich in oil as well as adapted to agri- 
 culture, and at in-esciit there are five pro- 
 ducing wells on his farm. He has con- 
 tinued the improving which was com- 
 menced by his father, and in 1871 he put 
 up the sulDstantial barn. 
 
 Mr. W. H. Ramsey married Miss Nancy 
 Conldiiie, who is a daughter of the late 
 Lawreiirc ('(inkliue, of IJutler County, and 
 they liave had tive children, namely: Vivie, 
 residing near Callery, is the wife of Miles 
 Cashdollar; Kittie, who married Vance 
 Cashdollar, residing on the old Cashdollar 
 farm; Nettie and Chloe, both residing at 
 home with their, parents; and a son, de- 
 ceased. W. H. Ramsey's family are mem- 
 bers of the Free Methodist Church, but he, 
 like his parents, has membership in the 
 United Presbyterian. In his political 
 views he is a stanch Democrat. For many 
 years the Ramseys have been among the 
 most important people in Jackson Town- 
 ship. 
 
 THE STANDARD COAL MINING 
 COMPANY, located on the Hilliard 
 branch of the Bessemer Railroad, in 
 Washington Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., is owned and operated by Harry 
 
1204 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 and Fred J. Hamilton. The mine had 
 been in operation prior to 1899, but was 
 abandoned; in that year, the Hamilton 
 brothers re-opened it and it has been in 
 full operation since. They have about 230 
 acres of land under lease, employ a force 
 of 100 men, and mine from 250 to 300 tons 
 per working day, of nine hours. The com- 
 pany is in a very prosjierous condition. 
 
 THE MUTUAL COAL MINING COM- 
 PANY, operating what is known as the 
 Eoyle Coal Mine, is owned and controlled 
 by Harry 'and Fred J. Hamilton, men of 
 long experience in the mining business. 
 This mine, which had been opened by 
 Royle Brothers of Hilliard, in 1903, was 
 taken over in 1905 by a partnership firm, 
 consisting of H. S. Miller, Fred Eowe, and 
 Harry and Fred J. Hamilton. A stock 
 company was organized with a capital 
 stock of $30,000, and was given the name 
 of the Mutual Coal Company, it being now 
 owned by the two Hamiltons, who pui-- 
 chased the interests of their partners. 
 The business of this concern has thrived 
 through judicious management and the ex- 
 cellence of its product, and their present 
 output of about 300 tons per day will soon 
 be enlarged to about 500 tons. The mining 
 is done by the compressed air process, and 
 employment is given to a force of ninety 
 men. This company is operating at Ar- 
 gentine, in Washington Township, and 
 has shipping facilities through the Hilliard 
 branch of the Bessemer Railroad. 
 
 ALBEET W. SMITH, a prosperous 
 agriculturist, of West Liberty Borough, 
 Brady Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 was born on his father's present farm of 
 133 acres, June 16, 1868, son of John B. 
 and Catherine (Croll) Smith. He is a 
 gi'eat-grandson of Elisha Smith, who was 
 born and reared in New Jersey and who 
 was a ship carpenter by trade. Elisha 
 married Eebecca Bowen, August 17, 1778, 
 
 and among their children were Enoch, 
 Ruth, Anne, Daniel, and Dan. Daniel died 
 in infancy. Dan, who came from New Jer- 
 sey to Butler County with the rest of the 
 family in 1807, married Eebecca Boston. 
 They had eleven children, namely: Eliza- 
 beth, Hannah, Eebecca A., Ruth, Alzira, 
 Kate, Sarah, Margaret, John B., Emaline 
 and Mary. 
 
 John B. Smith, son of Dan and father 
 of the subject of this sketch, married 
 Catherine S. Croll and is now a prominent 
 farmer in West Liberty Borough, Brady 
 Township. He and his wife were the par- 
 ents of four children — Mary, deceased; 
 Albert W., whose name appears at the 
 head of this article; Annie L., wife of 
 Thomas A. Hines; and Clara L., wife of 
 W. L. Morrow. 
 
 Albert W. Smith received a thorough 
 training in agricultural work and is in 
 every respect a practical farmer, intelli- 
 gent and progressive. He lives in a tine 
 brick residence, on his father's farm. The 
 farm when first settled was in what was 
 then Slippery Rock Township, the first 
 settler thereon being Enoch Smith, son of 
 Elisha Smith above mentioned, who occu- 
 pied the place as early as 1805. Coming 
 to the locality in 1805 he stayed here one 
 year, then went back to his home in Deer- 
 field, N. J. He returned with his sister 
 Ruth in the spring of 1806 and stayed here 
 until the fall. They then returned to New 
 Jersey, but in 1807 they came back to this 
 locality and took up their residence on 
 this farm with the other members of the 
 family. 
 
 Albert W. Smith was married, May 21, 
 1890, to Mary E. McConnell, daughter of 
 John and Elizabeth (Bennett) McConnell. 
 They have seven children, namely: Ella 
 L., Elizabeth R., Annie L., John A.. Alton 
 D. B., Amy E., and Paul S. Mr. Smith is 
 a member of the M. E. church, and frater- 
 nally he belongs to the Junior Order of 
 United American ^lechanics, Sliiqiery 
 Eock, No. 350. 
 
MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM T. MARTIN 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1207 
 
 REV. JOHN A. KRIBBS, the very com- 
 petent superintendent of The Orphans' 
 Home and Farm School, at Zelienople, 
 Pennsylvania, has given thirty years of 
 his life to this institution, which is con- 
 ducted under the Board of Managers of 
 the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses 
 of Pennsylvania. Mr. Kribbs has long 
 been a minister of the Evangelical Luth- 
 eran Church. He was born in Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Capt. George and Susanna Kribbs. 
 
 Mr. Kribbs spent his boyhood on his 
 father's farm in Clarion County. In 1857 
 he became a student in the academy at 
 Zelienople, which had been opened by Rev. 
 Dr. W. A. Passavant, D. D., and Rev. G. 
 Bassler, where he was under the instruc- 
 tion of Prof. Josiah Titzel. Following this 
 academic training, Mr. Kribbs taught 
 school at various j^laces and very accept- 
 ably. Ill tile spring of 1862 he returned 
 to Clarion ('(luiity and assisted in recruit- 
 ing a colli] laiiy for service in the Federal 
 army. This company went to the front in 
 August, 1862, with John A. Kribbs .as its 
 first sergeant and he continued in that 
 rank until after the battle of Fredericks- 
 burg, in December of that year, when his 
 gallantry procured his promotion to the 
 first lieutenancy of Company G, One Hun- 
 dred Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry, Fifth Army Corps, and in that 
 capacity he served until the close of the 
 Rebellion and cessation of hostilities. Mr. 
 Kribbs commanded this Company the 
 greater part of the time and participated 
 in all the great battles fought by the Army 
 of tlie Potomac, with two exceptions, from 
 August, 1862, until the close of the war. 
 
 To name them recalls the historic names 
 so familiar at one time in even the most 
 secluded sections of our now great and 
 united eoimtry: Antietam, Fredericks- 
 burg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spott- 
 sylvania Court House, North Anna River, 
 Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Rail- 
 road, Prebles Farm and Hatchers' Run. 
 
 He .was with his company in the wonderful 
 review of the tattered but victoriovis 
 troops that took place at Washington, 
 after the end of the long and cruel war 
 and was mustered out of the service on 
 June 9, 1865, and returned to his home in 
 Clarion County. He had gone out with 
 ninety-three men, he came home with 
 twenty-eight and all of these twenty-eight 
 had been wounded, except five. 
 
 In September of the same year Mr. 
 Kribbs became a student in the Lutheran 
 Theological Seminary, at Philadelphia, 
 where he remained until his graduation in 
 June, 1868. In the latter part of the same 
 month he took charge of a mission church 
 at Kittanning and served that congrega- 
 tion for ten years, acceptably and success- 
 fully. In April, 1878, he resigned that 
 charge and accepted the pastorate of two 
 congregations and also the directorship of 
 the Orphans' Home, at Zelienople, Pa. 
 
 The Zelienople Orphanage was founded 
 at Pittsburg in 1852, and was brought to 
 Zelienople in 1854. Since 1878 Mr. Kribbs 
 assumed the full directorate and has de- 
 voted thirty years of his life to this work 
 of mercy. The annual enrollment is from 
 seventy-five to ninety orphans and at the 
 present writing (1908) there are eighty- 
 four children in the Home receiving the 
 benefits of Christian care and training. 
 In this great beneficent work Mr. Kribbs 
 is admirably assisted by his estimable 
 wife, to whom he was married in 1872. 
 She was formerly Miss Margaret A. Din- 
 widdle of Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 WILLIAM T. MARTIN, retired farmer 
 and representative citizen of Penn Town- 
 ship, residing on his valuable farms of 120 
 acres, on which he has ten i^roducing oil 
 wells, was born September 9, 1851, in Con- 
 noquonessing Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of James and 
 Margaret (Anderson) Martin. 
 
 The father of Mr. Martin was born also 
 in Connoquonessing Township, in 1818, and 
 
1208 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 died in 1892. In 1865 he bought what was 
 known as the Wise farm, in Penn Town- 
 ship, and there he resided until his death. 
 He married Margaret Anderson and they 
 had eight children, namely: Alice, wife of 
 Samuel Dunbar, of Pittsburg; William T. ; 
 Benton, 0., of Allegheny County; Jennie, 
 wife of Albert Wible, of Penn Township; 
 Margaret, wife of Albert Starr, of Penn 
 Township; Robert H., of Allegheny City; 
 Agnes, wife of Judsou Klinginsmith, of 
 Penn Township; and Frank C, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio. 
 
 The grandfather of Mr. Martin was Rob- 
 ert Martin, who came with his parents 
 from Ireland in 1801 and settled in what 
 is now Connoquonessing Township, Butler 
 County. He subsequently took part in the 
 War of 1812 and was called Captain Martin 
 on account of his rank as a member of the 
 One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Regiment 
 Penna. Militia. He served as a justice of 
 the peace for nearly forty years and was 
 county auditor and covmty commissioner. 
 He died in 1847. In 1808 he married 
 Keziah McClure, who died in 1843. 
 
 William T. Martin was twelve years old 
 when his parents moved to his present 
 fai"m and has continued here ever since 
 and until within three years, carried on ex- 
 tensive farming and stockraising. His 
 land has been found rich in oil and sixteen 
 wells have been drilled, ten of these being 
 producers at present, as mentioned above. 
 
 Mr. Martin married Elizabeth Anderson, 
 who died in 1905, aged forty-five years. 
 She was a daughter of James D. Anderson, 
 an old settler. Mrs. Martin was a consist- 
 ent member of the Middlesex Presbyterian 
 Church. She was known and beloved by 
 a wide circle. In politics, Mr. Martin is "a 
 Democrat but he takes no very active in- 
 terest. He has served as justice of the 
 peace but has accepted no other public 
 office. Since the death of Mrs. Martin he 
 has not been actively engaged in farming. 
 His winters are spent in travel and he has 
 
 visited many pleasant sections, especially 
 through the South. 
 
 JOHN F. MILLER, a well known citi- 
 zen of Venango Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he owns a valuable 
 property of 100 acres, was born on his 
 present farm on March 25, 1858. He is a 
 son of James E., Jr., and Susanna (Dur- 
 nell) Miller, and is a grandson of James E. 
 Miller, Sr. 
 
 James E. Miller, Sr., was united in mar- 
 riage with Isabelle Cochran, a daughter of 
 Thomas Cochran of Mercer County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and they reared the following 
 family: Robert, who married a Miss 
 Gallaway; Jane, who married Lycurgus 
 Abel, both now deceased ; William Frank- 
 lin, who married Ellen Kirkton of Ohio; 
 Isabelle, wife of John Parker of Bellaire, 
 Ohio; Thomas, deceased; Elizabeth, de- 
 ceased; John, deceased; Eliza, deceased; 
 and James E.; Jr. 
 
 James E. Miller, Jr., married Susanna 
 Durnell, a daughter of John Durnell of 
 Butler County, and they had the following 
 offspring : Sarah, wife of T. A. Crawford 
 of Grove City, by whom she has two 
 daughters — Blanche and Mazie B. ; John 
 Franklin, subject of this record; Jaines 
 Erskin, who married Margaret Hulings, 
 a daughter of Alfred Hulings of Alle- 
 gheny Township, and has two daughters 
 — Josie and Susan; Elizabeth, who mar- 
 ried Harper Eakin of the state of Wash- 
 ington, by whom she has three chil- 
 dren — Frank, Twilla and Morna ; Ella J., 
 who lives at Franklin ; Lulu, wife of C. J. 
 Weigand of Trenton, New Jersey, by 
 whom she has three sons — James, Robert 
 and Charles ; Ida, who is the wife of Will- 
 iam Jamison of Foxburg; and Robert H., 
 who married Lulu Bovard, a daughter of 
 John Bovard, and has a daughter, Miss 
 Rachel. 
 
 John Franklin Miller first attended the 
 Cherry Valley school in Venango Town- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1209 
 
 ship, and later the school conducted by 
 I. C. Kettler in the Scrubgrass Chinch. 
 He then assisted his father on the home- 
 stead, which is located one and one half 
 miles north of Eau Claire, until after his 
 marriage when he went to work as a 
 pumper in the oil fields. He continued in 
 the oil fields for ten years, then worked as 
 a huckster for six years, gathering prod- 
 uce which he shipped in cars to Pittsburg. 
 He was very successful in this work and 
 at the end of the time mentioned pur- 
 chased thirty acres of the old homestead. 
 This he subsequently sold to 0. H. Tebay, 
 then bought the remainder of the home- 
 stead of his father. He has a rich farm 
 of 100 acres, fifty of which is under culti- 
 vation. He has nine good producing oil 
 and gas wells, and there are two veins of 
 coal underlying the land, one of them a 
 three-foot vein which was opened some 
 years ago but is not now being worked. 
 He has a fine grove of Hard Maples which 
 produce from seventy-five to 150 gallons 
 of maple syrup annually. 
 
 On December 28, 1881, Mr. Miller was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Carrie E. 
 Jamison, a daughter of George S. Jami- 
 son of Venango Township, and they be- 
 came parents of the following children: 
 Blanche Gertrude, a teacher in the schools 
 at Grove City; Clare A., who is also 
 teaching school; George Floyd, who is a 
 member of the class of 1909 in Eau Claire 
 Academy; Lulu Belle; James Erskin; 
 and Prank Dewitt. Politically, he is a 
 member of the Democratic party, and has 
 filled various township offices, among them 
 that of school director and auditor. He is 
 an elder in the Scrubgrass Presbyterian 
 church, of which he has been a member for 
 twenty-nine years. He served three terms 
 as superintendent of the Sabbath School, 
 and his daughter, Miss Gertrude, sings in 
 the church choir. 
 
 HENRY W. HENSHAW, a respected 
 citizen of Zelienople, Butler County, Penn- 
 
 sylvania, has been a lifelong resident of 
 this county, making his home at Prospect, 
 prior to locating where he now lives, in 
 1898. He is employed at the pattern filing 
 trade and is a very successful business 
 man. Mr. Henshaw was born in Prospect, 
 August 19, 1855, and is a son of Joseph 
 and Susanna (Dunn) Henshaw, and a 
 grandson of Jacob Henshaw. 
 
 Jacob Henshaw, the grandfather, came 
 from east of the Alleghany Mountains to 
 Butler County at a very early period and 
 first located at Harmony. He soon after 
 moved to Prospect and became the owner 
 of a good farm in Franklin Township. He 
 died at the home of a son-in-law, George 
 Albert, in 1864, at the advanced age of 
 eighty-eight years. 
 
 Joseph Henshaw was born in Prospect 
 on July 2, 1824, and throughout his entire 
 business career followed the business of a 
 shoemaker. He was a man of the bright- 
 est intellect and enjoyed quite a prestige 
 as a mathematician. He compiled a 
 mathematical compendium, which is now 
 a treasured possession of his son, Henry 
 W. His death occurred on January 7, 
 1880. He was married to Susan jane 
 Dunn, who was born September 28, 1831, 
 and died in 1894. They were parents of 
 the following children: William Frank- 
 lin, whose death occurred in 1895 ; Marcia, 
 who died August 24, 1854, while in in- 
 fancy ; Henry W. ; Susanna, wife of Sam- 
 uel Crawford of Shamokin; Dora, who is 
 the wife of Henry Shriber and resides at 
 Allegheny; Drusilla, who died in July, 
 1892, and was the wife of William L. 
 Albert; Charles, who died January 12, 
 1862, in childhood; one who died un- 
 named ; Jacob, whose death occurred May 
 14, 1877; Jefferson, a marble cutter by 
 trade, who resides at Prospect; and Jen- 
 nie. Religiously, Mrs. Henshaw was a 
 member of the Lutheran church. 
 
 Henry W. Henshaw attended the com- 
 mon schools at Prospect, and at an early 
 age learned the trade of a shoemaker uu- 
 
1210 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 der his father, in whose shop he worked 
 for eight years. He then worked as a 
 journeyman shoemaker at different points 
 until his marriage. He continued to live 
 in Prospect and work at his trade until 
 1898, when on November 18, he removed 
 to Zelienople. There he continued at his 
 trade for about four years, then turned 
 his energies to pattern filing. Of a 
 mechanical turn of mind, it was with little 
 difSculty he mastered this trade, at which 
 he has since worked. During the past six 
 years he has maintained his residence on 
 West Mill Street. 
 
 September 23, 1882, Mr. Henshaw was 
 united in marriage with Miss Emma Lutz, 
 a daughter of William Lutz, and she died 
 April 21, 1884, leaving one daughter. Miss 
 Mabel. He formed a second marital union 
 on November 18, 1885, with Miss Eva 
 Dunn, a daughter of Robert and Mary 
 (Covert) Dunn of Fairview, and they have 
 two children, Emma and Joseph. Emma 
 Henshaw married Clyde Ramsey of Evans 
 City, who is a son of Samuel Ramsey. 
 Fraternally, the subject of this sketch is 
 a member of Rustic Lodge No. 882, I. 0. 
 O. F., at Prospect ; and Modern Woodmen 
 at Zelienople. Politically, he is a Demo- 
 crat. In rehgious attachment he and his 
 wife are members of the Zelienople Pres- 
 byterian Church. 
 
 HON. WILLIAM M. KENNEDY, for- 
 merly mayor of the city of Butler, and 
 for inany years one of its foremost men, 
 was born January 1, 1858, in Summit 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a son of John D and Jean N. ( Max- 
 well) Kennedy. 
 
 The Kennedy family was established in 
 Butler County by the great-grandfather of 
 William M., who came from the North of 
 Ireland to the United States. James Ken- 
 nedy, the grandfather, was born in Butler 
 County, and his son, John D., father of 
 William M., was born in Clearfield Town- 
 ship, Butler County, in 1K20 and died in 
 
 1902. He served four years in the Civil 
 War and for ten months was conlined in 
 AnSersonville and Libby Prisons, where 
 he contracted scurvy and from this dis- 
 ease he was a sufferer until the end of his 
 life. He was a member of the One Hun- 
 dred Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, and he participated in 
 twenty-seven battles. On all these fields 
 he faced danger with courage and escaped 
 injury, only to fall a victim to cruelty that 
 amounted to inhumanity. He married 
 Jean N. Maxwell, who was born in Sum- 
 mit Township, Butler County, during the 
 time her father, Abraham Maxwell, was 
 serving as sheriff. 
 
 William M. Kennedy was educated in 
 the public schools and at AVitherspoon In- 
 stitute, after which he became interested 
 in horses and for years was an extensive 
 dealer. He has also been* connected with 
 the oil industry. He has always been an 
 active citizen and has taken part in poli- 
 tics, and in 1903 he was elected mayor of 
 Butler. He served for three years in this 
 ofSce and it was during this period that 
 the great typhoid fever epidemic visited 
 this city. In that time of dread, danger 
 and sorrow, he proved himself a man of 
 resource and handled the situation and 
 met the grave responsibilities in a way 
 that endeared him to his fellow citizens 
 and cemented their confidence. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy was mariied on August 29, 
 1888, to Miss Elmira P. Hays, a daughter 
 of Edward W. Hays, who in pioneer days 
 ran a stage from Washington to Erie and 
 at one time had in commission as many as 
 800 horses. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have 
 three children, Jean, Belle and John. Mr. 
 Kennedy is affiliated with the Knights of 
 Pvtliias, the Eagles and the Woodmen of 
 tlie World. 
 
 ROBERT MORRIS WADE is a pros- 
 perous farmer of Venango Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is the owner 
 of a fine farm of 100 acres, located one 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1211 
 
 and a quarter miles south of the borough 
 of Eau Claire. He was born in Washing- 
 ton Township, Butler County, January 21, 
 1860, and is a son of Isaac, Jr., and Mary 
 (Hannah) Wade, and a grandson of Isaac 
 Wade. 
 
 Isaac Wade, Jr., was a soldier in the 
 Union Army and lost his life during the 
 Civil War. He married Mary Hannah, a 
 daughter of Eobert Hannah of Washing- 
 ton Township, and the following children 
 were born to them: Elizabeth, who had 
 six children as a result of her union with 
 Lewis Korona — Manuel, Mary, Elizabeth, 
 Annie, Louisa and Lewis; Robert M., sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Isaac H., deceased; and 
 one who died in infancy. After the death 
 of Lewis Korona, Elizabeth Wade Korona 
 married John Hein. The mother of this 
 family, after the demise of Isaac Wade, 
 formed a union with Eobert Wade, 
 brother of lier lirst husband, and they 
 had three chiklren — Mifflin, Clarinda and 
 Isaac. 
 
 Eobert Morris Wade first attended 
 school at Annisville, in his native town- 
 ship, and assisted in the work upon the 
 farm. He later worked at lumbering in 
 the woods about Bear Lake, Michigan, for 
 some time, but finally returned to Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. Here he purchased 
 a farm of sixty-six acres of the Sloan 
 heirs in Venango Township, which he 
 owned for a time and then sold to the 
 Lake Trade Coal Company. He next pur- 
 chased the one hundred acre tract on 
 which he now lives from M. J. Kuhn of 
 Grove City, the latter having obtained it 
 fi'om Jacob Frantz. Mr. Wade has made 
 most of the improvements on the place, 
 and built all of the buildings. He has 
 eighty acres in tillable shape and about 
 twenty acres of timberland. 
 
 January 10, 1882, Eobert M. Wade was 
 married to Louise Sloan, a daughter of 
 Samuel Sloan, and they became parents of 
 the following children: ]\liiinic, wlio mar- 
 ried Eobert Wood, a son of James Wood 
 
 of Hilliai-d, and has a daughter, Gladys; 
 Harry; John; Philip; Alonzo; Finley; 
 Curtis; and Thomas. Eeligiously, they 
 are attendants at the Methodist Episcopal 
 CQurch of Eau Claire. Mr. W'ade is a 
 Eepublican in politics, and was elected 
 road supervisor and school director, but 
 declined to serve. Fraternally, he is a 
 member of Lawrenceburg Lodge, No. 782, 
 I. 0. 0. F., at Parkers Landing, and 
 served as representative at the grand 
 lodge at Scranton. 
 
 ELLSWOETH MILLEE, president of 
 the Butler city council, is head bookkeeper 
 of the W. S. Wick Lumber Company and 
 is one of Butler's best known citizens. He 
 was born in 1862, in Center Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. His father, 
 Samuel Miller, was born in Butler County 
 in 1820, and was a son of Michael Miller, 
 who was one of the early settlers of the 
 county. 
 
 Although both his grandfather and 
 father were agriculturists, and he was 
 reared on a farm, Ellsworth Miller chose 
 another calling. After completing his 
 education in the public schools and at 
 West Sunbury Academy he learned teleg- 
 raphy and went into railroad work and 
 for three years was agent at Jamisonville, 
 Pennsylvania, and relief agent for the 
 road which was then the Pittsburg, She- 
 nango & Lake Erie Eailroad. He was 
 then promoted to the position of freight 
 agent for the Bessemer & Lake Erie Eail- 
 road Company at Butler, Pennsylvania, 
 and was also paymaster during the con- 
 struction of the line from Butler to North 
 Bessemer, Pennsylvania. He remained 
 with the Bessemer & Lake Erie at Butler 
 for sixteen years. He then accepted the 
 position he now fills with the W. S. Wick 
 Lumber Company. He has been a resi- 
 dent of Butler for twenty years and has 
 taken an active interest in local affairs. 
 He was chosen a member of the city coun- 
 cil on account of his eminent fitness for 
 
1212 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the position and is serving in his third 
 term and is president of this important 
 body. Mr. Miller's business judgment has 
 been of great value to his fellow citizens 
 and they very generally recognize the fact. 
 In 1888, Mr. Miller was married to Miss 
 Amy Frances Wick, of Oil City, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and they have four children : Mary 
 Florence, who is a teacher in the public 
 schools; and Pauline Frances, Clinton 
 Roddick, and Milton Ellsworth. Mr. 
 Miller and family belong to Grace Luth- 
 eran Church. He is a member of the 
 Protected Home Circle, and the Woodmen 
 of the World, being head manager of the 
 latter for six years for the states of Ohio, 
 Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 
 
 W. E. GAMBLE, a well known resident 
 of Allegheny Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., has oil interests in various parts 
 of the country, and has been a producer for 
 more than a (piarter of a century. He is 
 also engaged in agricultural pursuits in 
 this townsliii3, where he has been located 
 since 1876. He was born in Franklin coun- 
 ty, Penna., March 1, 1856, and is a son of 
 James F. and Bethsheba M. (Morrow) 
 Gamble, both natives of Franklin County. 
 The Gamble family is an old and respected 
 one in that county. 
 
 W. E. Gamble was reared to maturity 
 in his native community and there re- 
 ceived his educational training in the pub- 
 lic schools. For more than thirty years 
 he has been more or less identified with the 
 oil industry, and is one of the pioneers of 
 the Allegheny Township oil fields, where 
 he has been a producer for more than 
 thirty years. He has interests in the Byron 
 Center oil fields, and also in the fields of 
 Lawrence and Richland Counties in 
 Illinois. He has been a school di- 
 rector in Allegheny Township for a num-- 
 ber of years, and has served as secretary 
 of the board. He is independent in poli- 
 tics, voting for the man without regard to 
 his party affiliations. 
 
 Mr. Gamble was united in marriage with 
 Miss Sarah Parton of Mercer County, 
 Penna., and five children were born to 
 them : Herbert B., of East Liberty, Ohio, 
 who married Miss Anna Smith ; Mervin C. 
 of Marion, Indiana, who married Pearl 
 Manna and has one daughter, Mildred 
 May; Major C. of Allegheny Township; 
 Paul E., also of Allegheny Township ; and 
 Alice, who lives at home with her parents. 
 Religiously, Mr. Gamble and his family 
 are members of the Allegheny Presbyterian 
 Church. Fraternally, he is a member of 
 the Knights of the Maccabees at Parker. 
 
 JOHN McKAIN, a well known citizen 
 and substantial retired farmer of Venango 
 Township, Butler County, was born in 
 1832, in Ireland, and is a son of Samuel 
 and Nancy (Bovard) McKain. 
 
 The parents of Mr. McKain came to 
 America with their children and lived first 
 at Philadelphia and later came to Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County. They 
 had the following children: Sarah, who 
 married George Haggarty, of Emlenton, 
 Penna.; Jane, who married Joseph Hen- 
 derson, of Philadeiphia, had two children, 
 Annie and Mary; James, who married 
 Emma Richey, daughter of James Richey, 
 of Venango County, had seven children — 
 Samuel, Jennie, Sarah, Rebecca, John, 
 William and Frank; Catherine, who mar- 
 ried David McKain, of Washington, 
 Penna., had four children — George, Annie, 
 Loiiisa and James; and John. 
 
 After his parents established them- 
 selves in Philadelphia, John McKain at- 
 tended school and then worked in a brick- 
 yard there until he accompanied his 
 father to Washington Township, Butler 
 County. In 1858 he bought a farm of 132 
 acres in Venango Township, Butler 
 County, and after clearing it he returned 
 to Philadelphia, where he conducted a 
 brick-yard of his own. He was married 
 there in 1861 and then returned to his 
 Butler Countv land, on which he has re- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1215 
 
 sided ever since. Mr. McKain has sold 
 all of his farm except fifty-two acres, to 
 his son Silas. Mr. McKain did all the 
 improving- on the land and developed it 
 into a valuable property. He was a prom- 
 inent citizen in his neighborhood during 
 his active years, took a deep interest in 
 public matters and on the Democratic 
 ticket was elected township auditor and 
 school director, serving for three years in 
 the former office and for twelve years in 
 the latter. He is one of the leading mem- 
 bers of the Eau Claire Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, of which he has been trustee 
 and steward for thirty years and his seat 
 in the sanctuary is seldom vacant, al- 
 though he has to drive two miles from his 
 farm to the village. 
 
 Mr. McKain was married in August, 
 1861, to Miss Ellen Hoffman, a daughter 
 of Samuel Hoffman, of Cape May, New 
 Jersey, and they have had the following 
 children: James, who married Catherine 
 Pringle, a daughter of Joseph Pringie, of 
 Dubois, Penna. ; John, who married Mar- 
 tha Rodgers, has five children — Vala, 
 Daniel, Margaret, Joseph and Martha; 
 Annie, who married Henry Custard, of 
 Rimer sburg. Clarion County, has three 
 sons — John, Joseph and George; Samuel, 
 who married " Elizabeth Montgomery, 
 daughter of Henry Montgomery, has 
 seven children — Joseph, Helen, Adeline, 
 Mary, Walter, Julia and Silas; Isaiah P., 
 who married Mary Sloan, daughter of 
 Thomas Sloan, of Venango Township; 
 David, who married Dora Melvin, has one 
 daughter. Hazel; Sarah, who married 
 George Schmuck, of Emlenton, Penna., has 
 seven children — Elizabeth A., George C, 
 Helen Marie, Pavil Silas, Grace, ]\Iarie 
 and an infant; Silas, who married Mar- 
 gai'et A. Jones, daughter of John Jones, 
 of Birdville, Penna. ; and Joseph, who 
 resides at home. 
 
 The coal bank of the McKain Bros. Coal 
 Company of Venango Township is situ- 
 ated about one and one-half miles north 
 
 of Hilliards. This coal bank was first 
 opened by James Higgins, who sold it to 
 M. F. Mizner, of Erie, Penna., who sold it 
 to the McKain Bros. The mine yields 
 under present working about 2,500 bushels 
 of coal in a nine-hour day. 
 
 ALFRED ZEIGLER, a representative 
 citizen of Mars, Butler County, where he 
 is engaged in dealing in hardware and 
 roofing, was born in the old residence 
 standing on the homestead farm in Jack- 
 son Township, this county, not far from 
 Evans City, on November 17, 1864, and is 
 a son of Abraham M. and Sarah (Mateer) 
 Zeigler. 
 
 The Zeigler family of Butler County 
 originated in Germany, but it has been 
 established in Pennsylvania ever since the 
 death of the great-grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of the sketch — Jacob Zeigler — who 
 came from Zeiglerville, Montgomery Coun- 
 ty, Penna., to Butler Coimty and bought a 
 large tract of land in the vicinity of Har- 
 mony. His three sons inherited this land, 
 one of them being David, who was born 
 in Butler County and spent his life near 
 Harmony. David Zeigler had twelve chil- 
 dren, seven of whom died when young. 
 The five whose names have been preserved 
 were G. M. Zeigler, Abraham M., Henry, 
 David, and Elizabeth. The last mentioned 
 became the wife of Lewis Sheever. 
 
 Abraham M. Zeigler, father of Alfred, 
 was born on the farm at Harmony, and 
 spent his entire life in that vicinity. He 
 man-ied Sarah Mateer, who was a native 
 of Allegheny County, Penna., and who 
 still survives. His death occurred Febru- 
 ary 2, 1906. The family numbered twelve 
 children, namely: Diodoris, Theodore, 
 Frank, Alfred, Clark, Grant, David, Ferdi- 
 nand, Edward, Russell, Melzena and Yetta. 
 
 Alfred Zeigler spent his boyhood on the 
 home farm, attending the public schools 
 during the winter season until he was 
 eighteen years old, when he taught his first 
 term of school. Meeting with success in 
 
1216 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 this occupation, he subsequently taught 
 three terms in Penn Township and Har- 
 mony, and finally became principal of the 
 Evans City school. For several years fol- 
 lowing he was employed in the store of 
 George Ift't & Son, at Evans City; then 
 for two years and a half he was engaged 
 in drilling and dressing tools in the oil 
 fields. In the spring of 1891 he came to 
 Mars, where he opened a small roofing and 
 tin shop. The enterprise proving success- 
 ful, he added hardware, and after con- 
 ducting the establishment for ten years, 
 he found it necessary to secure larger 
 quarters, and accordingly moved into his 
 own two-story brick block on Main Street, 
 which he had erected in 1901. Here he 
 carries a complete stock of hardware, 
 stoves, builders' supplies, slate roofing, 
 and other material in this line. He is also 
 president of the Mars Brick and Tile Com- 
 pany. His business enterprise, united 
 with honest methods, have brought him his 
 present prosperity. 
 
 Mr. Zeigier is a Democrat in politics. 
 He was one of the original organizers of 
 the borough of Mars, was elected presi- 
 dent of the first borough council, and sub- 
 sequently served as president and treas- 
 urer of the school board. He belongs to 
 several fraternal organizations at Mars, 
 including the Maccabees, the Modern 
 Woodmen, and the Knights of Pythias. 
 In 1891 Mr. Zeigier married Rose F. 
 Crum. a daughter of Amos Crum. They 
 have two children — Floyd and Lucille. 
 
 WILLIAM T. FREEHLING, a member 
 of the well known firm of Krause & Freeh- 
 ling, general merchants and lumber deal- 
 ers of Marwood, Wiufield Township, was 
 born August 17, 1866, son of John G. and 
 Anna (Miller) Freehling. His parental 
 grandfather Henry Freehling, was born in 
 Germany and came to this coimtry at an 
 early date, being one of the first settlers 
 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was educated 
 
 in the common schools of Butler County, 
 and in the year 1887 he began industrial 
 life as a clerk in the general store of Louis 
 Weidhos, remaining there until November, 
 1896. He and his father-in-law, Robert 
 Krause, then purchased the entire busi- 
 ness and goodwill and have since con- 
 ducted the store under the firm name of 
 Krause & Freehling. They have a large 
 and varied stock of hardware, furniture, 
 wagons, buggies, farming implements, 
 lumber, brick, lime, cement, plaster, sewer 
 pipe, etc., and they have a large trade 
 among the farmers and other residents of 
 this section, having gained a reputation 
 for fair and straightforward dealing that 
 has done much to increase their business. 
 
 Mr. Freehling was married, in 1893, to 
 Anna E. Krause, a daughter of Robert 
 and Maria (Camphire) Krause, and into 
 their household have been born four chil- 
 dren, Bessie M., R. LeRoy, Florence I., 
 and J. Roland, all of whom promise to be 
 worthy and useful members of society. 
 
 Mr. Freehling is a member of Saxonia 
 Lodge, No. 496, I. 0. 0. F., and religiously 
 a member of the English Lutheran Church. 
 
 LEONARD FREDERICK WICK, whose 
 
 valua))h^ farm of ninety acres is situated 
 in Coniio(]nenessing Townsliip, is a repre- 
 sentative citizen of this section and one of 
 the successful agriculturists. He was born 
 December 16, 1851, in Donegal Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Conrad and Sophia (Hetzel) Wick. 
 
 The father of Mr. Wick was born in 
 Germany and was brought to America by 
 his parents who settled first at Harmony 
 and then moved into Donegal Township. 
 He was a stone-mason by trade and he 
 also engaged in farming, owning a large 
 property. He was married three times, 
 his last wife being Sophia Hetzel. Her 
 father was born in Germany. To this 
 marriage five children were born, namely: 
 Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of 
 John Cress; Leonard F. ; Adam, who 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1217 
 
 lives in Conuoquenessing Township; Ja- 
 cob, who died in Missouri; and Mollie, 
 who is the wife of Hartman Endress, of 
 New Brighton. Conrad Wick and wife 
 were members of the Lutheran Church. 
 In 1870 they settled on the farm in Con- 
 uoquenessing Township, a part of which 
 their son Leonard F. now owns. 
 
 Leonard F. Wick was nineteen years old 
 when he accompanied his parents to Con- 
 uoquenessing Township and he has re- 
 sided here ever since. He owns ninety 
 acres of the original farm and cultivates 
 seventy acres, raising corn, oats, wheat, 
 hay, potatoes and buckwheat. He keeps 
 first class livestock, has ten head of cattle 
 and the same number of hogs. In the 
 early winter seasons he does considerable 
 l)utchering for his neighbors. In politics, 
 Mr. Wick is a Republican but he is not 
 enough interested to be willing to take on 
 himself the cares ol' any (illirc. 
 
 Mr. Wick married Miss Kmma Rea, a 
 daughter of Samuel Rea, of Penn Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, and they have one 
 daughter. Hazel, who resides with her 
 parents. Mr. Wick and family belong to 
 St. John's Reformed Church. He is a 
 quiet, industrious, reliable citizen and is 
 held in esteem by all who know him. 
 
 JAMES HALL TEBAY, a well known 
 citizen of Butler, Penua., who has been 
 employed in the United States Revenue 
 service since 1894, for many years gave 
 his attention to educational affairs, having 
 charge of various schools in Butler 
 County. He was born November 28, 1847, 
 in Muddy Creek Township, this county, 
 and is a son of Joseph and Jane C. (Mc- 
 Kee) Tebay. 
 
 Mr. Tebay 's paternal grandfather was 
 William Tebay, a native of England, who 
 came to this country at an early date, 
 locating first in the eastern part of Penn- 
 sylvania, 1>nt later crossing the mountains 
 and settling in the valley of Muddy Creek, 
 Butler Countv. There were cross roads 
 
 on the land where William located and 
 they became known as the Tebay Cross 
 Roads. A clearing was made near the 
 spring, by which a fine willow tree stood, 
 and here a log house was erected, but an- 
 other building was later built nearer the 
 cross roads. Here William Tebay was 
 engaged in farming until his death. He 
 and his wife are both buried at Mountville, 
 Lawrence County. They were the parents 
 of eight children, as follows: Robert, who 
 lived and died on part of the homestead 
 farm in Butler County; William, who 
 spent substantially his entire life in ]Mer- 
 cer County, his descendants being now in 
 the West; Isaac, who resided in Ohio, 
 opposite Sistersville, West Virginia, and 
 some of whose descendants still reside in 
 that locality, while others have gone 
 AVest ; John, who always resided in Muddy 
 Creek Townshijj, who was a teacher, and 
 widely recognized as an extremely able 
 mathematician ; Joseph, father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Isabella, whose hus- 
 band, Christopher Russel, died near 
 Muddy Creek, her death occurring at the 
 home of Mrs. Alexander Balph of New 
 Castle; Hannah, who married Archie Mc- 
 Gown, who died on his farm in Muddy 
 Creek Township (she afterwards moved 
 with her family to the West, her death 
 occurring in Chicago, where she was 
 buried) ; and Mary, who married Isaac 
 Stephenson and resided in Butler County 
 all her life. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketcla was Richard McKee, 
 who came to the United States in 1805 
 from County Antrim, Ireland. He located 
 on a tract of land in Pleasant Valley, 
 Muddy Creek Township, and both he and 
 his wife are buried at Portersville. Their 
 children were as follows: Samuel, who 
 moved to a farm in Mercer County, where 
 he died; David, wlio resided all his life on 
 the old hdiiH'sti'ad in Pleasant Valley, 
 where his dcscciKlants still live; Jane C., 
 who became the wife of Joseph Tebay and 
 
1218 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the mother of the subject of this sketch; 
 Isabella, whose death occurred in Ohio 
 and who married Isaac Tebay ; Eliza, who 
 married Samuel Kelly and resided for 
 many years in Slippery Rock on a large 
 farm, which they later sold, passing the 
 remainder of their lives on a farm which 
 they purchased near Butler, where they 
 are buried ; Mary, who married David Mc- 
 Connell and resided all her life on the 
 homestead near Butler in Butler Town- 
 ship and whose son James McConnell now 
 resides on the farm ; Catherine, who mar- 
 ried David Smith, a wagonmaker, and re- 
 sided at Enon Valley, Lawrence County; 
 Martha, who married James Gardner and 
 resided at North Washington, Butler 
 County (her husband went to California 
 in company with Edward Frazier and 
 never returned) ; and Margaret, who be- 
 came the wife of John M. Shira, and 
 resides in Parker Township near the 
 village of Annisville. 
 
 Joseph Tebay, father of James Hall 
 Tebay, was born in Westmoreland County, 
 England, and came to this country with 
 his parents when twelve years of age. He 
 was reared on his father's farm in Muddy 
 Creek Township and was there engaged in 
 farming all his life. He married Jane C. 
 McKee and their children were William D., 
 Catherine McKee, Matilda, Eliza J., 
 AiBanda, Margaret, and James Hall. 
 
 William^ D. Tebay, who is now deceased, 
 was a farmer residing on the old Tebay 
 homestead; he married Margaret Mc- 
 Gown. Catherine McKee Tebay married 
 John Douthett and moved to Calaveros 
 County, California, where her husband 
 died and was buried at Angel's Camp. 
 She subsequently married Samuel Abbott, 
 who came here from Connecticut. Her 
 death took place in Oakland, where she is 
 buried in Greenwood Cemetery. Matilda 
 became the wife of James Jones of Mercer 
 County, where they spent the rest of their 
 lives. She has a son, an officer in the 
 army, who has been twice to the Philippine 
 
 Islands. Eliza J. married Henry A. 
 Black of Chicago, 111. Amanda, who died 
 in her twenty-sixth year, was unmarried. 
 Margaret married M. J. McCullough and 
 now resides in Wilkinsburg, Penna. 
 
 James Hall Tebay acquired his early 
 educational training in the common schools 
 of Muddy Creek Township, and at a pri- 
 vate school in Portersville, besides taking 
 a course at the old Witherspoon Institute 
 of Butler. After finishing his studies he 
 was engaged in farming and teaching for 
 some years. In the fall of 1875 he was 
 elected to the ofSce of prothonotary, in 
 which he served for three years. He then 
 resumed teaching, first in Franklin Town- 
 ship, afterwards spending three years at 
 Zelienople, where he had charge of the 
 schools from 1887 to 1889, being principal 
 at the time of the first graduation. Dur- 
 ing the year 1890 he was principal of the 
 schools at Harmony. AVhile acting as 
 principal of the schools Mr. Tebay was 
 elected justice of the peace, and served as 
 such for a period of five years, during 
 which time he was also engaged in writing- 
 oil leases. In the spring of 1894 he re- 
 ceived an appointment in the United 
 States Revenue service in which he has 
 since been actively engaged. He was at 
 one time a registered law student, but has 
 never entered actively into the profession. 
 He has always lived in Butler County, 
 having been a resident of Muddy Creek 
 Township, Butler, Prospect, and Zelie- 
 nople, and at the present time he travels 
 between different points in the Twenty- 
 third Internal Revenue District. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Tebay was united in mar- 
 riage with Anna Eliza McCullough, a 
 daughter of Matthew and Fanny Jane 
 (Sliannon) McCullough. The children of 
 this marriage are as follows: Lillian E., 
 wife of C. S. Passavant of Zelienople; 
 Fanny B., a teacher in the Butler ijublic 
 schools; Herschel M., who has been en- 
 gaged in educational work as school prin- 
 cipal in Indiana; and Grace, who after 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1221 
 
 graduating from the Zelienople High 
 School and the Butler Business College, 
 passed the civil service examination of the 
 city department of Pittsburg, but is at 
 present in the employ of a large contract- 
 ing company of that city. Mrs. Tebay, 
 whose death occurred October 3, 1905, was 
 a member of the First Presbyterian 
 Church of Butler, to which Mr. Tebay 
 also belongs. In politics he is a stanch 
 Democrat, believing thoroughly in the 
 principles upheld by Jackson, Jeiferson 
 and Bryan, and keeps closely in touch 
 with public affairs. He has always been 
 greatly opposed to the present National 
 Banking system, as established and de- 
 fined by the Sherman act, believing it to 
 be a flagrant example of class legislation 
 that should be repudiated by the American 
 people. 
 
 ROBERT STERLING IRWIN, al- 
 though just entering middle life, is a man 
 of wide experience in business affairs, and 
 has been prominently identified with the 
 affairs of Forward Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Penna. He was born in Pittsburg, Sep- 
 tember 9, 1874, but comes of an old family 
 of Butler County. He is a son of John A. 
 and Margaret F. (Calvin) Irwin, and a 
 grandson of Washington Irwin, who was 
 an early resident of Forward Township 
 and lived on the home farm there at the 
 time of his death. 
 
 John A. Irwin was born in Cadiz, Ohio, 
 and for many years followed the business 
 of book binding in various parts of the 
 coimtry. He was located at Memphis, 
 Tennessee, at the time Lincoln first ran 
 for president, and cast one of the two votes 
 recorded for him in that city, with the re- 
 sult that his house and shop were stormed 
 and his property destroyed, entailing a loss 
 of some $7,000. He was left without a cent 
 in the world, and immediately i-epaired to 
 the north, locating at Pittsburg where he 
 made a fresh start in life. He was a man 
 of indomitable will power and unusual abil- 
 
 ity, and soon had his affairs in a good 
 healthy state. In 1878, he located in But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and lived on the 
 old home farm the remainder of his days, 
 dying on April 16, 1901, at the age of sixty- 
 nine years. He was a stanch Republican 
 in politics, and although frequently im- 
 portuned to accept of public office, stead- 
 fastly refused, lie was united in marriage 
 with Margaret F. Calvin, who was born in 
 the Mountains of Cambria County, Penna., 
 her people at an early period being resi- 
 dents of Philadelphia. Six children were 
 the offspring of their union: Orzila, wife 
 of Charles Shaver; Sarah I., widow of 
 Azure Reed ; George W., deceased ; Robert 
 Sterling; Margaret F. ; and William, de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Robert Sterling Irwin was foiir years of 
 age when brought by his parents to For- 
 ward Township, and he was there reared 
 on the farm and attended the district 
 schools. He subsequently completed a 
 business course at West Sunbury. His 
 educational advantages were exceedingly 
 limited, but he is possessed of a superior 
 education, gained through individual re- 
 search and study. He started his business 
 career at the early age of thirteen, and as 
 working capital had $600 which he ob- 
 tained on his individual note, which he af- 
 terward paid with the fruits of his toil. He 
 entered the oil fields as teamster-, and later 
 took up contracting and drilling, rimning 
 four strings of tools. He followed con- 
 tracting successfully until 1!M)(), and is still 
 a producer. He has an un(livi<U'd interest 
 in the home farm of 133 acres in Forward 
 Township, on which oil was developed. 
 There are now eight wells on the farm, each 
 of which averages five barrels per day. 
 
 Mr. Irwin is a broad-gauged, liberal- 
 minded man, who has given much study to 
 questions of importance to county and 
 state. He has in the past given support 
 to Republican principles, voting for Mc- 
 Kinley and Roosevelt for president. A 
 study of the temperance question has made 
 
122'' 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 him an avowed Prohibitionist, - on both 
 moral and economic grounds. In 1906, he 
 was made the candidate of that party for 
 the State Legislature, but owing to the de- 
 mands of his business he gave no time in 
 making a canvass, letting the election go 
 by default. He was again nominated for 
 that office In 1908, and in support of his 
 candidacy has advanced arguments show- 
 ing that the saloon, prima facie affording 
 relief to the tax payers through the license 
 it pays, is in fact an additional burden to 
 them through the increased cost of prose- 
 cutions in crimes directly attributable to 
 drink. He advocates a local option law 
 which will be effective in county and state, 
 and his activity has won^many supporters 
 to the cause. He has n'ever been in the 
 field to buy votes, believing that he who 
 buys a vote will also sell his own. At the 
 close of the election he was shown to have 
 received 1,268 votes more than four times 
 the amount ever polled before. He is a 
 man of excellent personal habits, never 
 lias used tobacco nor tasted liquor ; he has 
 Ijeen interested in the cause of Prohibition 
 since he was a boy, having signed the 
 pledge under Burwell, "the boy orator," 
 in his youthful days. He has been a mem- 
 ber of the Anti-Saloon League for more 
 than ten years. He is at the present time 
 serving his sixth years as a meml)er of the 
 school board, and during that time has 
 visited the schools 250 times; he has ever 
 been a friend to the cause of education, and 
 has done much to improve the school sys- 
 tem. At the Butler County Directors In- 
 stitute, he was the only one of thirty di- 
 rectors from the county to be called upon 
 to address the gathering. 
 
 June 4, 1895, Mr. Irwin was .ioined in 
 marriage with Miss Ada Belle Jenkins, a 
 daughter of Richard Jenkins, and they be- 
 came parents of five children: Ruth E. ; 
 Rachel B. ; Lois N. ; Mary F. ; and George 
 W. In religious attachment they are mem- 
 bers of the M. E. Church of Evans City, 
 of which he has been treasurer since 1898 
 
 He has addressed the congregation from 
 the pulpit on eight different occasions, be- 
 ing a speaker of unusual ability. Fi'a- 
 ternally, he is a member of Evans City 
 Lodge No. 817, I. 0. 0. F. 
 
 FRANCIS JOSEPH FORQUER was 
 
 born in Venango Township October 4th, 
 1861. He is a son of Hugh and Katherin 
 (Murrin) Forquer. The paternal grand- 
 father of Mr. Forquer was John Forquer 
 who was born in County Donegal, Ireland, 
 in 1782, and died August 13th, 1867, in 
 Donegal Township, Butler County, Penna. 
 The paternal grandfather on his mother's 
 side was Joseph Murrin, one of the orig- 
 inal settlers of Venango Township and 
 founders of Murrinsville. 
 
 Mr. Forquer attended the township's 
 public schools until 1871 when the family 
 moved to Loretto, Cambria County, 
 Penna., wliere he resided and went to 
 school until 1874. He then returned to 
 Butler County and worked upon the farm 
 of his uncle for a couple of years. He 
 then went to Millerstown and worked for 
 a cousin, driving team and farming. Mil- 
 lerstown at this time was having her big 
 boom as an oil country. In 1877 he went 
 to Pittsburg and went to work in The 
 Adams Glass Factory to learn the trade 
 and in 1878 was taken down with typhoid 
 fever and had to give up and return home. 
 He clerked on saw mills in Venango Town- 
 ship for a time and then entered the Clin- 
 tonville Academy where he attended school 
 for about a year. The gold fever was at 
 its height in Colorado about this time 
 and Mr. Forquer caught it and went M^est 
 to Colorado where after a time spent in 
 prospecting he was again a victim of sick- 
 ness and had to remove to a lower alti- 
 tude. He returned to Kansas City, Mo., 
 where he secured a position with the Cor- 
 rigan Street Car Company as chief en- 
 gineer of a team of mules and a street car. 
 He was a]3pointed deputy county marshal 
 by Con. Murphy, who was marshal of 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1223 
 
 Jacksou County, Mo. After serving in 
 this capacity until Mr. Murphy went out 
 of office he secured a position on the 
 famous Kansas City Fire Department 
 where he served for five years, resigning 
 to engage in the real estate business which 
 at that time was booming in the city. 
 
 Mr. Forquer was prominently identified 
 with Democratic politics in city, county 
 and state, he being one of the six state 
 delegates from Missouri that founded the 
 National Association of Democratic Clubs 
 in Baltimore in 1888. Mr. Forquer being 
 on the Resolutions Committee of that con- 
 vention. 
 
 Later Mr. Forquer went to Montana 
 where he engaged in mining and real 
 estate; he was also interested in real estate 
 in Salt Lake, Washington, Oregon, and 
 California. He later returned to Kansas 
 City and engaged in the cigar business for 
 a time; then railroad ticket brokerage; 
 then grain, stocks and bonds, and later 
 came home to Venango Township where 
 he was in time to enlist in Company F, 
 16th Regiment, N. G. P., for the Spanish- 
 American war which he served through as 
 a private with honor and distinction. 
 After the war he returned to Venango 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., where 
 his father and mother were residing with 
 a maiden aunt on the old Murrin home- 
 stead. Mr. Forquer s father and mother 
 both died within two months of his return 
 from the war, and he has resided with his 
 maiden aimt who is in her eighty-third 
 year. 
 
 Ever since Mr. Forquer has been super- 
 intendent for the St. Patrick Oil & Gas 
 Company, a Pittsburg corporation, who op- 
 erate a portion of the farm he resides on. 
 Mr. Forquer is a Democrat, a Roman 
 Catholic and a Moose. 
 
 LEWIS MARTSOLF, whose splendid 
 farm of 310 acres is situated along the 
 Franklin Road, in Brady Township, is one 
 of the substantial and re]n-eseutative citi- 
 
 zens of this section and one of its most 
 successful farmers and stockraisers. He 
 was born March 19, 1857, in Center Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Henry and Gertrude (Miller) 
 Martsolf. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Martsolf were born 
 in Germany and both came to America 
 when young. Henry Martsolf grew to 
 manhood and acquired land at Little 
 Creek, in Connoquenessing Township, But- 
 ler County, which he later sold and bought 
 the farm in Center Township where his 
 family of twelve children were born. The 
 mother of these children died March 28, 
 1874, and was survived many years by her 
 husband, whose death occurred in Septem- 
 ber, 1907, when aged ninety-one years, at 
 Butler, to which city he had retired. 
 
 Lewis Martsolf was reared on the home 
 farm in Center Township and attended the 
 neighborhood schools during boyhood. 
 He has devoted himself entirely to farm 
 pursuits, making a specialty for some 
 years i^ast of raising Shorthorn cattle. 
 His fine herds bring high prices and he 
 keeps as many as thirty-five head at one 
 time. Following his marriage, Mr. Mart- 
 solf rented land first in Franklin Town- 
 ship, later in Clay, then Butler and Clay 
 again, until 1889, when he bought the farm 
 of 100 acres, which is now occupied by a 
 son, and in 1898 he bought 130 acres more 
 and several years later purchased an addi- 
 tional eighty acres. This is some of the 
 finest land in the township and Mr. Mart- 
 solf has the best improved farm in this 
 section. In 1900 he put up his fine resi- 
 dence and all his farm buildings are of 
 substantial construction. 
 
 Mr. Martsolf married Miss Mary Mc- 
 Kinnis, who was reared in Franklin Town- 
 ship, a daughter of Robert McKinnis, and 
 they have had six children, one of whom 
 died in infancy. Those living are : Etta, 
 who married Daniel Ifft, of Franklin 
 Township, has two children, Gladys and 
 Olive; James H., residing on a part of 
 
1224 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 liis father's property, married Lizzie Mc- 
 Bride and they have one son, John; 
 Laura, who is the wife of Nicholas lift, 
 of Franklin Township; Clara, and Flo- 
 rence at home. Mr. Martsolf is a member 
 of the beneficiary order of the Protected 
 Home Circle. He takes no very active 
 part in politics but has always done his 
 part in public matters when called upon 
 to contribute labor, means or influence. 
 
 DAVID J. SLOAN is a representative 
 citizen of the borough of Eau Claire and 
 has been a life long resident of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He was born in 
 Venango Township, May 23, 1832, and is 
 a son of David, Sr. and Eachel (Mc- 
 Laughlin) Sloan, and grandson of Samuel 
 Sloan. 
 
 Samuel Sloan was the father of a large 
 family of children, all of whom grew to 
 maturity and became useful men and 
 women. Their names follow: Samuel, 
 who married Elizabeth Conn, daughter of 
 Joseph Conn, and had two sons, Lyal and 
 Perry; William, who married Jane Lay- 
 ton, a daughter of Enos Layton, and had 
 five children — Bascom, Charles, Flora, 
 Margaret and Eliza; John, who married 
 Sarah Allabaugh and had two sons, Har- 
 vey and Samuel; James; David; Henry; 
 Eobert, who married Alice Hilliard; 
 Joseph, who married Ellen Leslie, and had 
 three children — George, Washington and 
 Ephraim; Thomas, who married Sally 
 Ann Cornelius; Andrew, who married 
 Eachel Say; Jane, who became the wife 
 of Thomas Jolly; Nancy, wife of Alexan- 
 der Grant; and Betsy, wife of Samuel 
 Sloan. 
 
 David Sloan, Sr., married Eachel Mc- 
 Laughlin and the following were the off- 
 spring of their union : Matthew ; Samuel ; 
 Joseph; David J.; Jesse, who married 
 Jane Stevenson; John; Jane; Elizabeth; 
 Emeline; and Euphemia, who married 
 David Sparks and has three children — 
 John. Birdie and Minnie. Matthew Sloan 
 
 married Valley Welch, and seven children 
 were born to them: Levestone, Walter, 
 Savoy, Orval, Hormer, Anna Lena and 
 Anna Belle. Samuel Sloan married Ee- 
 becca Davis and they had eight children: 
 David, Edward, Gilbert, John, > Sherril, 
 Jennie, Ada and Bird. Joseph Sloan mar- 
 ried Eosa Donaldson, by whom he had the 
 following children : Edward, Stella, Nora, 
 Louisa, Leonidas and Eva. John Sloan 
 married Jane Morgan and the following 
 were their offspring: Clyde, Winnie, Bir- 
 die, Carl, Wesley, Myrtle, Flora and Euth. 
 Jane Sloan became the wife of Josiah Hol- 
 land, by whom slie had the following: Aus- 
 tin, Plummer, John, Estella and Emma; 
 Elizabeth Sloan married John Phitithan 
 and they have four children: William, 
 Ealph, Silvia and Carrie. 
 
 David J. Sloan first attended the com- 
 mon schools in Venango Township, and 
 later the Six Points school in Allegheny 
 Township, after which he gave his atten- 
 tion to farming on the old homestead in 
 the latter township, located about three- 
 fourths of a mile from Eau Claire. He 
 next became proprietor of a general store 
 and conducted the post-office for some 
 years. In addition he was engaged in 
 butchering for some years and sold cattle 
 on the hoof, meeting with a high degree of 
 success in his various business ventures. 
 He finally sold the store, also his farm, and 
 pui'chased three lots in the borough of Eau 
 Claire. His property is well located and 
 valuable, and each lot is well equipped 
 with substantial buildings. He is a Ee- 
 publican in politics, and serves as con- 
 stable of Eau Claire, and also as assessor. 
 
 Mr. Sloan was 'joined in marriage with 
 Jane Bovard, a daughter of Eobert Bo- 
 vard of Eau Claire, and they too have a 
 large family, namely: Ella, who married 
 Fred Stalker of Pittsburg, by whom she 
 has the following children: Earl, Plum- 
 mer, Blanche, William, Edna, Dean and 
 Ealph; Eda, who married Henry Eebold 
 and has three children — William, Minnie 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1225 
 
 aud Jessie; William of Pittsburg, who 
 married Jennie Shira and has a daughter, 
 Dorothy; Alma, wife of Samuel Alexander, 
 by whom she has five children — Myrtle, 
 Cora, Joseph, Stanley and Alva; Frank- 
 lin, who married Jennie Collinwood, 
 daughter of Charles Collinwood of Evans 
 City; Alva, who married Stella Harris; 
 Olive, wife of Gerald McGuyre; and Er- 
 nest. Religiously, Mr. Sloan is a member 
 of the M. E. Church at Eau Claire. 
 
 DAVID MANSFIELD THOMPSON, a 
 farmer and oil producer, is a well known 
 citizen of Fairview Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, where he has a fine farm 
 of ninety-six acres. There are five pro- 
 ducing wells on this farm which bring him 
 a handsome revenue. He was born on the 
 farm on which he now lives, July 5, 1856, 
 and is a son of David and Isabella (Mans- 
 field) Thompson. His grandfather, John 
 Thompson, was one of the early settlers of 
 Butler County. 
 
 David Thompson, father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1827, and his death re- 
 sulted from an accident with a threshing 
 machine, December 19, 1874. He was 
 united in marriage with Miss Isabella 
 Mansfield, who was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, in 1831, and died 
 in 1901. They were parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Samantha J., who was the 
 wife of Dr. W. L. DeWolfe of Butler, and 
 died in November, 1908, leaving two sons; 
 David M., subject of this record; John, 
 who lives in Greenville, Clarion County, 
 and who married Metta Hepler, by whom 
 he has two children, Lois and Elizabeth; 
 H. B., who was the fourth in order of 
 birth ; Clara E. ; and L. N., who married 
 Amanda Jamison (deceased), by whom he 
 had a son, Paul. L. N. Thomj:)son died in 
 190.3, and his son continues to reside in 
 Butler County. 
 
 • David M. Thompson has been a life long 
 resident of Butler County, and received his 
 
 intellectual training in the public schools 
 of Fairview Township. He engaged in 
 teaming for a period of twenty-five years, 
 but farming has been his principal occupa- 
 tion in life, although for some years he has 
 been active in the oil business. He pur- 
 chased the other heirs 'interests in the home 
 farm, on which he has made most of the im- 
 ]jrovements, having one of the best kept 
 properties in the township. The farm orig- 
 inally included 100 acres, but since acquir- 
 ing possession of it, he has disposed of 
 four acres to the Allegheny Railroad Com- 
 pany- 
 Mr. Thomas was united in marriage with 
 Miss Maria J. Glenn, the wedding occur- 
 ring April 25, 1883, at her home near Sun- 
 bury, the Rev. S. W. Bean officiating. She 
 is one of the following children who were 
 born to her parents, William M. and Kath- 
 eryn (McMahon) Glenn: Maria J.; Sarah 
 and Dorcas, twins; Norman; Theodore; 
 and Frank, who died at the age of fourteen 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson became 
 parents of the following, all of whom were 
 born on the home farm: Erla B., wife of 
 John Ellenberger, by whom she has a son, 
 Howard; Hazel, who was born August 9, 
 1888, and died September 27, 1908 ; Frank, 
 who is a teacher in the public schools of 
 Butler County ; Dean, who is in attendance 
 at High School; Daisy; and Glenn. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Thompson and his wife are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Fairview. He has frequently 
 been called upon to serve his community in 
 official positions of trust, having been 
 school director six years, tax collector one 
 year, and township treasurer two years. 
 
 MRS. NANCY A. MARTIN. The Mar- 
 tin homestead farm of 160 acres, is one of 
 the most valuable pieces of property in 
 Venango Township and it is owned by Mrs. 
 Nancy A. Martin, who has resided here 
 since 1869. She is a lady universally es- 
 teemed and was born December 7, 1849, in 
 Worth Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 
122G 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 vania. Her parents were William and 
 Mary (Sliafer) Craig. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Martin was born in 
 Ireland and her mother in Butler County. 
 They resided for many years in Worth 
 Township, where they were among the re- 
 sjiccled members of society, and there Mrs. 
 ^lartiii was reared and obtained her 
 schooling. She was married October 27, 
 1869, to the late Christopher Martin, who 
 died January 22, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Mar- 
 tin became parents of seven children, 
 namely: Cora J., who resides at Norris- 
 town, Pennsylvania; Mary E., the wife of 
 W. N. Milford (now deceased, on January 
 26, 1909), of Monroe County, Ohio; Will- 
 iam E., who lives in Oklahoma; Bertha 
 Irene, who is the wife of W. P. Cubbison, 
 of Venango County; James A., who lives 
 in Venango Township, Butler County; 
 Nina P., who is the wife of J. M. Collar, 
 of Allegheny Township and Christopher 
 C, who resides in Venango Township. 
 
 Christopher Martin was born in Ireland 
 and was a son of Robert and Jane (Patter- 
 son) Martin, who brought him to America 
 when he was three years old. His par- 
 ents came directly to Butler County and 
 settled in Venango Township and Mrs. 
 Martin's present farm is a part of the 
 original" estate secured by Robert Martin. 
 He followed farming during his life and 
 his son Christopher succeeded to the es- 
 tate and continued to improve and culti- 
 vate through all his active life. Mr. Mar- 
 tin was an estimable man and was widely 
 known. He took proper interest in every- 
 thing that concerned the welfare of his 
 neighborhood, but found his greatest pleas- 
 ure in quietly pursuing an agricultural 
 life and in looking after the rearing and 
 educating of his children. In politics he 
 was a Republican and when his party put 
 him foi-ward and elected him to local of- 
 fices, he performed the duties of the same 
 with the carefulness and regularity with 
 which he managed his own affairs. He 
 was a leading member and a trustee of the 
 
 East End Presbyterian Church, to which 
 Mrs. Martin also belongs. She is very ac- 
 tive in the church missionary society and 
 attends to many private charities. The 
 Martin home has always been known as 
 one of great hospitality. 
 
 MARKLE J. NEYMAN, general farm- 
 er and substantial citizen of Oakland 
 Townshii^, resides on the old John H. Ney- 
 man farm of 152 acres, of which he is one 
 of the four heirs. . It is situated five miles 
 north of Butler, near the Millinger school- 
 house. Mr. Neyman was born in Jefferson 
 County, Pennsylvania, November 17, 1845, 
 and is a son of John H. and Isabell ( Wil- 
 son) Neyman. 
 
 Jolm H. Neyman followed lumbering in 
 his early manhood, in Jefferson County, 
 but returned to farming during the child- 
 hod of his son, Markle J. He took up his 
 residence on his father's farm, the one 
 now owned by his heirs, who had settled 
 here many years ago. John Nejonan, the 
 grandfather, has long since passed away, 
 and John H. Neyman, the father, was acci- 
 dentally killed in April, 1881. The latter 
 married Isabell Wilson, who still survives. 
 They had six children, the present surviv- 
 ors being : Markle J. ; Mary, who is the 
 wife of John T. Montgomery, of Oakland ; 
 John Gr., a carpenter who is employed in 
 Pittsburg; and Margaret, who lives at 
 home. The two deceased are Sarah E., 
 who died aged twenty-six years; and 
 Clark, who died at the age of twelve. 
 
 Markle J. Neyman has operated the 
 home farm for about thirty years. He at- 
 tended the local schools in his boyhood, 
 since which time he has given his atten- 
 tion to cultivating the home farm, and he 
 has been numbered with the capable farm- 
 ers of this township for many years. Mr. 
 Neyman married Annie Fleeger, who was 
 a daughter of Peter Fleeger and a sister 
 of the late Captain Fleeger, of Butler. 
 They had five children: Jessie Blanch, 
 who is now deceased; Le Roy, George C, 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1229 
 
 Mary Belle and Nelson. The beloved 
 mother of this little family died in 1900. 
 Mr. Neyman is a member and liberal sup- 
 porter of the North Butler Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 CHARLES BEACHEM, of Euclid, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, has engaged 
 in coal mining during a greater part of his 
 active business career, but at the present 
 time carries on farming on the tract of 
 thirty-seven acres on which he lives. PTe is 
 a native of England, the date of his birth 
 being November 23, 1856, and is a son of 
 Francis and Caroline (Hodges) Beachem, 
 both of whom died in England. 
 
 Charles Beachem was reared to maturity 
 in England, and from the time he was ten 
 years of age worked in the mines. He was 
 married at the age of twenty-two and 
 immediately after moved to the United 
 States, where he iirst located in Trumbull 
 County, Ohio. He worked in the mines 
 there for six years, then moved to Cherry 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 where he farmed and mined for a period of 
 thirteen years. In 1897, he moved to 
 Euclid, whei'e he has since engaged in gen- 
 eral farming. 
 
 Mr. Beachem was united in marriage 
 with Miss Annie Swain, a daughter of 
 Noah Swain, she also being a native of 
 England ; her death occurred during their 
 residence in Cherry Township. The fol- 
 lowing children were born to them: Noah 
 W., who is a widower and has four chil- 
 dren — Charles, Kenneth, Noah and Geral- 
 dine; Francis Albert, who also has four 
 children — Annie, Kermit, Francis, and 
 Cecil Rhodes; Thomas; Florence; Carrie, 
 who is the wife of I. W. Kimmel and has 
 two children — Gerald Eugene and Charles 
 Wilmer; Charles; and Hannah. Mr. 
 Beachem is a man of the highest principles, 
 straightforward and honest in all his deal- 
 ings with his fellow men, and a most useful 
 citizen. 
 
 ERNEST L. STEARNS, postmaster 
 and storekeeper at Ferris Post Ofifice, in 
 Venango Township, was born in Sala- 
 manca, New York, August 29, 1873, and is 
 a son of Devillo B. and Alvira (Akerly) 
 Stearns, and a grandson of Joseph B. 
 Stearns. 
 
 Joseph B. and Mary Stearns, grandpar- 
 ents of the subject of this record, had the 
 following children: Parmilla, Cynthia, 
 Carmeda, Devillo B. and Charles. Devillo 
 B. Stearns married Alvira'Akerly, daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Akerly, and they became par- 
 ents of four children, namely: Bessie, 
 deceased ; Jessie, deceased ; Ernest L. ; and 
 Fremont, who married Emma Uhera, by 
 whom he has three children — Jessie, 
 Florence and George. 
 
 Ernest L. Steai-ns attended the public 
 schools of Salamanca, New York, and lived 
 there until August 7, 1890, at which time 
 he moved to Hilliard, in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He accepted a position as 
 weigh-master, and served as such for a 
 period of fifteen years. At the end of that 
 time he was made manager of the Ferris 
 Supply Company at Ferris, Pennsylvania, 
 of which Levi Deal is treasurer. Mr. 
 Stearns also was made postmaster on 
 August 17, 1908, and has discharged the 
 duties of that office in a most satisfactory 
 manner. The business enterprise of which 
 he is.manager is in a most flourishing con- 
 dition and has a large and well established 
 trade. 
 
 Ernest L. Stearns was joined in mar- 
 riage with Miss Sarah Liston, a daughter 
 of Jacob and Lena Liston, and to them has 
 been bo^rn one son, Devillo B. Politically, 
 he is a Republican and has served as judge 
 and inspector of elections. In fraternal 
 affiliation, he is a member of Hilliard 
 Lodge No. Ill, I. 0. 0. F., in which he has 
 passed through all the chairs and is now 
 trustee; and Hilliard Lodge, No. 92, K. P. 
 Religiously, the family attends the Baptist 
 church. 
 
11^30 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 CLAUDE GERARD, who now lives 
 retired from active work on his excellent 
 farm of eighty-six acres, located in Penn 
 Township, has been a general farmer, 
 stockraiser and oil producer for many 
 years. He was born in Penn Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, November 
 30, 1836, and is a son of Michael and 
 Margaret (Mangel) Gerard. 
 
 Michael Gerard, the father, was born at 
 Blamont, France, a son of Joseph Gerard, 
 who was a cooper by trade. Michael 
 worked with his father until he was twenty- 
 one years old and then came to America 
 and worked at coopering in the city of 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. After he married 
 he came to Butler County and located in 
 Penn Township in 1836, buying fifty-six 
 acres of woodland. This land he cleared 
 and engaged in cultivating it until 1850, 
 when he went to California in search of 
 gold. During the one year that he remained 
 there he was quite successful but died 
 before he reached home and was buried 
 near Randolph, Kentucky, August 6, 1851. 
 His wife was a daughter of John C. 
 Mangel, an early settler in Penn Township. 
 Two children were born to Michael Gerard 
 and wife : Claude and Joseph. The latter 
 was a member .of Company D, Sixty-tirst 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, during the War of the Rebellion, and 
 was killed at the battle of the Wilderness. 
 
 Claude Gerard attended the schools near 
 his home through boyhood and assisted to 
 cultivate the home farm, and until he 
 retired from active work, continued to be 
 interested in general farming in the section 
 in which he was born. During the Civil 
 War he served for eight months in the 
 Union army, as a member of Company F, 
 One Hundred Seventh Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, and at the time 
 of General Lee's surrender, was stationed 
 near Peterslnirg. He is a member of A. G. 
 Reed Post, No. 105, Grand Army of the 
 Republic, at Butler. 
 
 Mr. Gerard was married to Margaret 
 Schleigh, a daughter of William Schleigh, 
 of Penn Township. Mrs. Gerard died' 
 November 23, 1903, when aged nearly sixty 
 years. She was a most estimable woman 
 and was a consistent member of St. Paul's 
 Roman Catholic Church. To this marriage 
 nine children were born, namely: Mary, 
 residing in Penn Township, is the widow of 
 John Charles ; Stephen, who resides at 
 Benwood, Virginia; William, who lives at 
 McDonald, Pennsylvania; Joseph, who 
 operates the home farm; Magdalene 
 (Mann) ; Louisa, who married Everett 
 Albert, of Pittsburg ; and Katherine, Ellen 
 and John C, all deceased. 
 
 Mr. Gerard retired from the management 
 of the farm, which included its agricultural 
 develoi^ment and also oil production, there 
 being five producing wells on the place, in 
 the spring of 1908. When relieved of all 
 care he decided to take a leisurely pleasure 
 trip through the West and left Pennsyl- 
 vania on April 19, 1908, and returned July 
 4, 1908, having spent a pleasant season in 
 Kansas and Oklahoma. He will return to 
 Kansas in April, 1909. 
 
 ZENAS McMICHAEL, a well known 
 real estate and fire insurance dealer of 
 Zelienople, who is now serving his third 
 term as justice of the peace of the borough, 
 is a native and life long resident of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He was born Sep- 
 tember 11, 1847, in what is now Center 
 Township, near Unionville, and is a son of 
 Christopher and Barbara (Curry) McMi- 
 chael. 
 
 Christopher McMichael was a farmer by 
 occupation and at an early period came 
 from the eastern part of Pennsylvania to 
 Butler County, where he settled on a farm 
 near Euclid Station in Clay Township. He 
 has served here as a justice of the peace for 
 some time and was engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits for many years. He married, 
 in 1833. Elizabeth St. Clair, who died in 
 1845. They were the parents of the follow- 
 
MR. AND MRS. SAMPLE C. DUNCAN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1233 
 
 ing children: Joseph, who is engaged in 
 farming, and resides near West Sunbury; 
 Japhia, engaged in farming near Euclid; 
 Rev. E. S. McMichael, died near Spring- 
 field, Illinois; and Jane, wife of James 
 Milford of Witchita, Kansas. Christopher 
 was married the second time to Barbara 
 Curry, to whom was born Zenas, the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, and R. J., a practicing 
 physician of Eau Clair, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Zenas McMichael was reared on a farm 
 near Unionville, Center Township, and 
 attended the common schools of that town- 
 ship. Until twelve years ago, Mr. 
 McMichael devoted his time to agricultural 
 pursuits, in 1896 removing to Zelienople, 
 where he has since been successfully 
 engaged in the fire insurance and real 
 estate business. 
 
 In politics, our subject is a Republican, 
 although in local politics, where no issue is 
 up before the people, he votes for men 
 whom he regards best (jualified to care for 
 the business affairs of this locality. Fra- 
 ternally, he is a member of the Royal Ar- 
 canum. He holds membership with United 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 In 1870 INIr. McMichael was married to 
 Sarah D. Williams, a daughter of Robert 
 and Susanna Williams of Plain Grove, 
 Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The fol- 
 lowing offspring were born of their union, 
 namely: Laura, wife of Lawi'cnce Stoner, 
 has five children; Clyde Gr., a resident of 
 New Brighton, married Conway Meeks and 
 has one child; Helen, resides at home; and 
 Clarence B., a resident of Zelienople, mar- 
 ried Winnie Powell. 
 
 ELIAS SEATON, who has a splendid 
 farm of seventy-five acres, located about 
 one mile east of Boyers, in Venango Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, comes 
 of an old and respected family of this local- 
 ity. He was born on the home farm in 
 Venango Township, February 20, 1848, and 
 is a son of William and Rebecca (Vander- 
 
 lin) Seaton, and a grandson of Robert and 
 Margaret (Davis) Seaton. 
 
 Robert Seaton and his wife had a large 
 family, namely : Alexander, Thomas, Eliza, 
 Robert, William, James, Polly, Margaret 
 and Anna. William and Rebecca (Vander- 
 lin) Seaton also had a large family, the 
 names of its members being Catherine, 
 Margaret, Caroline, John, William George, 
 Hattie, Elias, Lewis and Amos. 
 
 Elias Seaton received his early schooling 
 at the Log school in Marion Township, 
 after which he attended the Seaton school 
 in his native township. He helped his 
 father on the farm, which has always l)een 
 his home, it having passed into his hands 
 at his parents' deaths. He has seventy-five 
 acres, of which forty are in good tillable 
 shape, and the improvements are excep- 
 tionally good. The barn was built by Elias 
 and his father, and the house was erected 
 by the former. He has never taken an 
 active part in politics, but is a Republican 
 and served three years as a member of the 
 school board. 
 
 December 13, 1871, Mr. Seaton was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Mary Ann Wasson, a 
 daughter of John Wasson of Cherry Town- 
 ship, and the following are their issue: 
 Roy, who married Emma Lowther; Elmer, 
 who married Gwen Davis ; Parker ; Clara ; 
 Merritt; and Amos. Religiously, they are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church of Boyers. 
 
 SAMPLE C. DUNCAN, who is engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits in Middlesex 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 has a farm of sixty-one acres, all under 
 cultivation. He was born on this farm 
 October 20, 1871, and is a son of James 
 and Elizabeth (Gilland) Duncan, coming 
 of an old family in Pennsylvania. 
 
 James Duncan was born in Ai'mstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, and learned the 
 trade of a ship carpenter in his younger 
 days. For some years he followed his 
 trade in various parts of the country, then 
 
1234 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 settled down on a farm in Middlesex 
 Townsliip, Butler County, where he fol- 
 lowed farmiug the remainder of his days. 
 He died in 1886 at the age of sixty-nine 
 years. He first married Belmina Tawney, 
 and their children were: Belmina, who 
 married James Elliott; Lizzie, who mar- 
 ried John Garvey; and James, who died 
 in 1888. His second marriage was with 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, widow of James 
 Thompson, and a daughter of Robert Gil- 
 land of Middlesex Township. As a result 
 of her first marriage, Mrs. Duncan had 
 four children, three of whom grew to ma- 
 turity, namely: Ephraim 0. Thompson of 
 Middlesex Township; Alfretta, wife of 
 William McKibben of Clinton Township; 
 and Eva, who keeps house for the subject 
 of this sketch. James and Elizabeth (Gil- 
 land) Duncan became parents of four chil- 
 dren, oi whom three grew to maturity, as 
 follows: George; Sample C. ; and Jennie. 
 Of these, Sample C. Duncan is the only one 
 now living. Religiously, James Duncan 
 and his wife were members of the Middle- 
 sex Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Sample C. Duncan was reared on the 
 home farm, which his father had settled 
 on a few years before his birth, and was 
 educated in the public schools of that vi- 
 cinity. He has always engaged in farm- 
 ing on this place and has sixty-one acres 
 of highly improved land, all under culti- 
 vation. He I'aises corn, oats, wheat, hay 
 and potatoes, and has also met with suc- 
 cess in stock raising. He keeps thorough- 
 bred Berkshire hogs, all of which are eligi- 
 ble for registration. He is a man of en- 
 ergy and enterprise, and occupies a place 
 high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. 
 
 Mr. Duncan was united in marriage with 
 Miss Clara Thompson, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Thompson of Clinton Township, But- 
 ler Coimty. She died without issue on No- 
 vember 3. 1906, at the age of thirty-five 
 years, a loss which fell heavily upon Mr. 
 Duncan. Religiously, she was a member 
 of the l\fiddlesex Presbyterian Church, of 
 
 which he is a trustee. He takes an earnest 
 interest in all qiiestions of public import- 
 ance and gives his support to the Repub- 
 lican party, but is in no sense a politician. 
 
 TIMOTHY SWEENEY, whose valuable 
 farm of 140 acres is situated in Donegal 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 not far from Chicora, was born in an old 
 log house then standing on the farm on 
 which he lives, November 5, 1833. His par- 
 ents were Michael and Sarah (McLaugh- 
 lin) Sweeney. 
 
 Michael Sweeney left his home in County 
 Kerry, Ireland, in 1819, and sailed for Que- 
 bec, Canada, where he lived for a short 
 time and then joined an uncle, the latter of 
 whom was already established at Oil Creek, 
 Pennsylvania. In 1824 he was married at 
 Sugar Creek, to Sarah McLaughlin, and 
 they had five children, namely: William, 
 James, Michael, Mary Ann and Timothy, 
 the latter being the only survivor. Shortly 
 after his marriage, Michael Sweeney came 
 to Donegal Township, Butler County, and 
 bought 200 acres of land, including the 
 farm now owned by his son. He purchased 
 the pi'operty from a Mr. Sanders, who was 
 the first settler on tlie place, and on tliis 
 farm Michael Sweeney and wife passed the 
 remainder of their days. He lived to be 
 seventy-five years old but his wife died in 
 her sixtieth year. 
 
 Timothy Sweeney has spent his life on 
 the present farm with the exception of one 
 year during which he worked at Brady's 
 Bend and one year which he spent in the 
 State of New York. He attended school in 
 an old log building not far from his home, 
 but in his boyhood farm youths had many 
 duties to perforin, and helping his father 
 on the farm was one of the most important 
 ones. His well cultivated land gives evi- 
 dence of the care he has given it, and the 
 many improvements he has made at differ- 
 ent times. He has two producing oil wells 
 on the place and more may be developed. 
 
 On April 23, 1861, Mr. Sweeney was mar- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1235 
 
 ried at Sugar Creek, to Miss Sarah Agnes 
 McFadden, and they have had eleven chil- 
 dren, as follows: Philometo, Hugh, Anna, 
 Joseph, Michael, Vincent, James, Mary L., 
 Frances E., Albert and Sarah A. * Of the 
 above family, Philometo married John 
 Kreagin and they live at Rockport, New- 
 York. Hugh was accidentally drowned in 
 July, 1908. Anna married Ernest Kirteh- 
 ner and they live at Pittsburg. Mary L. 
 married Thomas Cosgrove and they live at 
 Middletown, New York. Michael and Sarah 
 live at home. Joseph lives in West Vir- 
 ginia. Albert married Ella Kain and they 
 reside with Mr. Sweeney and have one 
 child, Marie E. 
 
 Mr. Sweeney is one of the township's 
 representative citizens and has served as 
 overseer of the poor and also as judge of 
 elections. Both he and wife are members 
 of the Roman Catholic Church at Chicora. 
 
 C. FOSTER WICK, owner and i)ro- 
 prietor of the hotel at West Sunbury, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, is a well known 
 citizen of the county and the establishment 
 conducted by him is one which enjoys great 
 popularity with the traveling public. He 
 was formerly engaged in buying and sell- 
 ing and training horses, producing some 
 with low marks, which established his rep- 
 utation in that business. 
 
 Mr. Wick was born in West Sunbury in 
 185.3, and comes of a prominent old fam- 
 ily of Butler County. He is a son of Jere- 
 miah C. and Rebecca (Glenn) Wick, and 
 a grandson of Jeremiah Wick, Sr. The 
 last named came from Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, to Butler County at 
 a very early date and purchased 1,000 
 acres of land, just north of West Sunbury. 
 He was a man of wide prominence in those 
 days and was extensively engaged in the 
 cattle business. With Christopher Foster, 
 who married Jane Glenn, an aunt of the 
 subject of this record, he made many trips 
 with cattle across the mountains to Phila- 
 delphia. Mr. Foster was born and reared 
 
 in Armstrong County, and also was a man 
 well known in this vicinity. In those early 
 days, the Glenns and Wicks were the lead- 
 ing families of the community. Jeremiah 
 C. Wick married Rebecca Glenn, a daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Glenn, who died in middle 
 life. Mr. Wick died in 1876, and was sur- 
 vived many years by his widow, whose 
 death occurred at St. Louis, Missouri, in 
 1908, at the age of eighty-four years. They 
 had eight children as follows: Clarissa, 
 wife of Rev. Malsein Rhodes, who is well 
 known in Butler and now resides in St. 
 Louis; Laura, widow of Homer Adams; 
 Walker, who was widely known through 
 the oil regions of Pennsylvania, and who 
 died in Colorado in 1904; Carr, who died 
 in West Sunbury in 1905 ; C. Foster, whose 
 name heads this record; Dr. J. Warren 
 Wick of St. Louis; Jennie, widow of 
 C. Bunn of St. Louis; and Nettie, who 
 died in June, 1908, and was the wife of 
 Walter Hughes of St. Louis. 
 
 C. Foster Wick was reared in his native 
 borough and received his intellectual train- 
 ing in the public schools. When about 
 twenty years old he began buying and sell- 
 ing horses, and training young horses for 
 the track. Among the best horses trained 
 by him were Juliet, Sunbury Boy, Mattie 
 Price, Harry W. and Captain Roll, all of 
 which were well known to the racing public 
 in their day. The last year Captain Roll 
 was trained, he won eleven races out of 
 thirteen starts, an exceptional record. Mr. 
 Wick moved to St. Louis and continued 
 in the same line of business for a period 
 of fifteen years, then in 1890 returned to 
 West Sunbury. He at that time became 
 OAvner of the hotel, in which he had pre- 
 viously owned an interest and which had 
 been conducted by his brother, Carr Wick. 
 He placed the establishment on a good 
 paying basis and continued it with suc- 
 cess until 1902, when it was destroyed by 
 fire. The business he had built up war- 
 ranted him in the erection of a new and 
 modern structure, which he refurnished 
 
1236 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 new throughout aud in haudsome style, 
 and it was not long before the place was 
 enjoying greater popularity aud patronage 
 than before. 
 
 Mr. Wick was united in marriage with 
 Miss Anna Cowden, a daughter of Dr. 
 Cowden of Portersville, and they became 
 parents of the following children: Dr. 
 Frank C, who died in March, 1906 ; Bessie, 
 wife of William McCarrier; Leia, wife of 
 Prof. L. L. Lock of Brooklyn, New York ; 
 Pauline, wife of Clyde Russell ; and Helen, 
 wife of Henry Groeddel. Fraternally, the 
 subject of this sketch became a charter 
 member of Parker Lodge, Royal Arcanum, 
 to which he still belongs. 
 
 JOHN A. BURK is located on a fine farm 
 of sixty acres in Venango Township and is 
 engaged in the butchering business, visit- 
 ing the trade throughout this section of 
 the country in a wagon. He was born on 
 the farm on which he lives, September 30, 
 1883, and is a son of John and Samantha 
 (McFarlin) Burk, and a grandson of John 
 Burk, Sr. 
 
 John Burk, Jr., was united in marriage 
 with Samantha McFarlin, a daughter of 
 Andrew McFarlin, and five children were 
 the issue of their union: Sarah, wife of 
 Montgomery Hutchinson; Delia, wife of 
 Lewis Ray; Margaret, deceased; Clarence, 
 deceased; and John A. 
 
 John A. Burk received his schooling at 
 the old Seaton scliool, and in the mean- 
 time assisted his father in the work about 
 the farm. He later engaged in teaming 
 in the woods until his marriage, when he 
 settled down on the home place and fol- 
 lowing farming. He has fifty-five acres 
 under cultivation, five acres in pasture land 
 and a two-acre orchard. All of the build- 
 ings on the place were erected by his fath- 
 er. He does all his own butchering and 
 lias a well established meat trade. 
 
 i\Tareh 29, 1900, Mr. Burk was united in 
 luai-riage with Miss Jessie Wriglit, a 
 
 daughter of Stephen Wright of Mercer 
 County, and the following children have 
 blessed their home: Lawrence, Otho, Lena, 
 Thomas and Margaret. Politically, he is 
 a Republican. He and his wife are con- 
 sistent members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. They have a well-located 
 home, being three miles northwest of Hil- 
 liard and four miles southwest of Eau 
 Claire, and attend church at the latter 
 place. 
 
 JOHN A. LEWIS, for a quarter of a 
 century one of Venango Township's rep- 
 resentative citizens, resides on his well cul- 
 tivated farm of sixty acres, which he de- 
 votes to general agriculture. He was born 
 July 21, 1836, in Armstrong County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of William aud Fan- 
 nie (Blaney) Lewis. 
 
 Mr. Lewis comes of Revolutionary stock, 
 an ancestry of which every American citi- 
 zen is proud. His grandfather, Ezekiel 
 Lewis, came from Wales to the colonies be- 
 fore they had secured their independence 
 and assisted the patriot army to obtain 
 American freedom. Later he settled in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he prospered and had many descendants. 
 William Lewis, father of John A., was born 
 in Armstrong County but a large part of 
 his life was passed in Washington Town- 
 ship, Butler County, where he died in 
 1859. Four of his children survive, name- 
 ly : John A. ; Fannie, who resides in Wash- 
 ington Township; Robert 0., a grocery- 
 man at Annisville, Washington Township, 
 Butler County ; and Finley E., a fai'mer in 
 Washington Township, Butler County. 
 
 John A. Lewis was two years old when 
 his parents moved to Butler County and 
 he was reared in Washington Township, in 
 boyhood attending the neighboring district 
 school. He then leai'ued the carpenter's 
 trade and also worked at lumbering, there 
 being much standing timber at that day 
 where now can be seen miles of cultivated 
 
AND REPRESKNTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1237 
 
 farm land. The Civil War turned the at- 
 tention of many of the young men to a mili- 
 tary life and in 1862 Mr. Lewis enlisted 
 for service, entering Company F, One Hun- 
 dred Thirty-fourth Regiment, Penna. Vol. 
 Inf., which became a part of the Third Di- 
 vision of the Army of the Potomac. He 
 saw much hard service before he was hon- 
 orably discharged, in June, 1863. He took 
 part in the memorable battles of Antietam, 
 Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, and 
 participated in the weary marches which 
 fell to the lot of the soldiers on the raid 
 through Maryland. Mr. Lewis was always 
 a courageous soldier and often endangered 
 his life, but he escaped all serious injury 
 and was permitted to return to his home 
 practically unharmed. Shortly afterward 
 he removed from Butler to Clarion Coun- 
 ty, but in 1873 returned to Butler County 
 and settled on his valuable farm in Ve- 
 nango Township. 
 
 On December 23, 1880, Mr. Lewis was 
 married to Miss Firzah Alsworth, of Park- 
 er Township, a daughter of James Als- 
 worth, and they have three sons: Edward 
 J., residing in Venango Township; Eljia 
 E., residing at Franklin: and Herbert B., 
 living in Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Lewis is a Republican in politics 
 but he lays no claim to being a politician. 
 He has always been interested in all that 
 concerns the well-being of his community 
 and when elected road commissioner of 
 Venango Township, gave his fellow citi- 
 zens efficient service. With his wife he 
 belongs to the Mount Vernon United Pres- 
 byterian Church in Washington Township, 
 of which he is a trustee. As a member of 
 the Samuel J. Rosenberg Post, Grand 
 Army of the Republic, at Eau Claire, he 
 often recalls, with his comrades, the dan- 
 gers and triumi)hs of the great Civil War. 
 On November the 11th, 1908, Mr. John A. 
 Lewis went to Fredericksburg to take part 
 in the unveiling of the monument of the 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of Hum- 
 phrey's Division. - 
 
 VVILLlAAi KENNEDY, an elderly resi- 
 dent of Penn Township, now living retired 
 from the active occupations of life, was 
 born in Wiufield Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, son of John and Aunie 
 C. (Smith) Kennedy. He is a descendant 
 in the fourth generation of John Kennedy, 
 born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1722, 
 who came to America, settling in Mary- 
 land in 1848. John's son, John Kennedy 
 second, served under Washington in the 
 Revolutionary war, and subsequently drew 
 a pension from the Government up to the 
 time of his death, which took place in 1835. 
 In 1786 he married and then moved to 
 what is now the site of McKeesport, Penn- 
 sylvania, and thence, in 1801, to what is 
 now W^infield Township, Butler County. 
 
 John Kennedy, third of the name and 
 father of the subject of this sketch, was 
 born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1794, and at the age of seven years came 
 to Butler County with his parents, they 
 being early settlers in Winfield Township. 
 He was there reared to manhood, but in 
 1832 he bought a farm in what is now Penn 
 Township, on which he resided for the rest 
 of his life, passing away at the age of sev- 
 enty-five years. Although quite young at 
 the breaking out of the War of 1812-15, he 
 served as a soldier therein, taking part in 
 the battle on Lake Erie. He and his wife 
 were jimong the original members, and 
 were active workers in the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church in Penn Township. He died 
 January 4, 1869. 
 
 William Kennedy when a young man 
 learned the trade of blacksmith, at which 
 he worked for about twelve years. He then 
 bought a farm and engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits in which he continued until the 
 spring of 1908. He has three producing 
 oil wells on his property and for a number 
 of years he has been interested in oil and 
 gas production. He is a Republican in 
 politics, but has always been averse to ac- 
 cepting township office, though frequently 
 urged to do so". He was elected a justice 
 
1238 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of the peace, but declined to qualify. He 
 is a member of Thoru Creek Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in which he has held 
 the otifice of trustee and class leader for 
 many years. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy married Matilda Graham, 
 a daughter of Robert Graham, of Peun 
 Township, and they have been the jjareuts 
 of ten children, as follows: William J., now 
 deceased ; Annie C, who is the wife of Bert 
 McC'andless, of Butler; Charles L., who 
 resides in Butler Township ; Lulu M., who 
 is the wife of Morris Plarshem, of Minne- 
 sota; Clara, who is now Mrs. Clara Rob- 
 bins; L. Clyde, a farmer and dairyman of 
 Penn Township; George Lewis, who re- 
 sides with his elder brother; Ada, wife of 
 Nicholas Mangel, of Penn Township; Eva, 
 and Frances M. All the living representa- 
 tives of this family are worthy and useful 
 members of the respective communities in 
 which they reside. 
 
 ANDREW LEMMON, whose death oc- 
 curred July 29, 1908, on his farm in Butler 
 Township, on which he had resided for 
 many years, was a veteran of the Civil 
 War and a well known and esteemed citi- 
 zen. He was born on the farm on which 
 he died, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 11, 1829, and was a son of Colonel 
 Robert and Nancy (Fleming) Lemmon. 
 
 The father of the late Andrew Lemmon 
 was born in Coimty Down, Ireland, and 
 came to America when he was twelve years 
 of age, in company with his widowed 
 mother and one sister. He died in 1861, 
 aged seventy-six years. At Hagerstown, 
 Maryland, he learned the trade of wheel- 
 wright and chairmaker, after which he set- 
 tled in Butler Count.y, Pennsylvania, and 
 bought the home farm in Butler Town- 
 ship, of a squatter named Lenhart. Prior 
 to moving on the farm, he raised a com- 
 pany of soldiers at Butler, and went out 
 as its captain, during the War of 1812. He 
 was a man of mark, naturally a leader and 
 
 was prominent in politics. He served as 
 county commissioner. He married a 
 daughter of John Fleming, who was an 
 early settler in xlllegheny County, and 
 they had ten children, all of whom have 
 since passed away. The only survivors 
 of the Lemmon connection are: E. K. 
 Lemmon and William Lemmon, of Canton, 
 Ohio; Miss Emma Lemmon, of Parker's 
 Landing, Pennsylvania, and her sister, 
 Lena Bovard, of Butler County; David 
 Lemmon, of Bevier, Macon County, Mis- 
 souri, and Clay Boggs, of Evans City. 
 
 The late Andrew Lemmon was reared on 
 the home farm and with his brothers 
 helped to clear it and later came into pos- 
 session of the property. It contains fifty 
 acres of excellent land, well adapted to 
 the growing of grain and the raising of 
 stock. Until within the past seven years, 
 Mr. Lemmon operated the farm himself, 
 since which time he has lived retired and 
 rented his land. For two years prior to 
 his death he was in failing health. From 
 early youth he was a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church of Butler and was a 
 consistent Christian. For seventy-nine 
 years he lived a life that was good and 
 useful and his work in this world was well 
 done in every particular. 
 
 In 1864. Mr. Lemmon enlisted for serv- 
 ice in the Civil War, in Company K, One 
 Hundred Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania 
 Volunteer Infantry, and served until the 
 close. Early in life he was a Whig and 
 later became a Republican. 
 
 Mr. Lemmon married Maria Barrick- 
 man, a daughter of Peter Barrickman of 
 Butler Township. She was born May 8, 
 1832, and when she died, February 21, 
 1902, had been married fifty years lacking 
 one month. She left no issue. Both she 
 and her aged husband were laid to rest in 
 the North Cemetery. 
 
 When six years old William James A. 
 Beatty became a member of the household 
 and remained with Mr. and Mrs. Lemmon 
 
MR. AND MRS. ANDREW LEMMON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1241 
 
 until he married in 1882. Mr. Beatty's 
 wife died in 1890 and Mr. Beatty returned 
 and was with them continually till their 
 death. 
 
 WILLIAM G. SEATON is a prominent 
 resident of Venango Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he has a good 
 farm of seventy-six acres, and comes of a 
 pioneer family of the community. He was 
 born in this township July 4, 1833, is a son 
 of William and Rebecca (Vanderlin) Sea- 
 ton, and a grandson of Robert and Mar- 
 garet (Davis) Seaton. 
 
 'William Seaton married Rebecca Van- 
 derlin, a daughter of John Vanderlin, who 
 also was a pioneer settler here. This union 
 resulted in the following issue : Catherine ; 
 Margaret, who married Theodore Hovis, 
 by whom she has the following children — 
 Marshall, William, Parker and Darley; 
 Caroline, who is the wife of James Jack 
 and the mother of four children — Grant, 
 Edwin, Nancy and Mallie ; John, who mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Thompson, a daughter of 
 William Thompson, and has three children 
 — William, Roy and Delphine; William G., 
 whose name heads this sketch ; Hattie, wife 
 of Stephen Cooper, by whom she has a son 
 and daughter, Amelia and Delbert; EHas, 
 who married Polly Ann Wasson, and has 
 the following children — Roy, Elmer, Park- 
 er, Claia, Mcnitt and Amos; Lewis, who 
 married Isabell McCoy, by whom she had 
 four children — Harry, Lewis, Edward and 
 John ; and Amos, ex-county treasurer, who 
 married Mary Laughlin, by whom he had 
 the following children — Henrietta, Del- 
 phine, Ada, Percy, Fannie, Homer R., Dar- 
 ley, Elias and Lewis M. 
 
 William G. Seaton first attended school 
 in Marion Township, and later the Smith 
 school in Venango Township. His father 
 purchased a tract of fifty acres of land, 
 which he helped to clear of timber, which 
 they burned but which would now com- 
 mand a high market value. He killed deer 
 on the home place and in this way they 
 
 raised money, during the early days, with 
 which to pay the taxes. After his mar- 
 riage in 1862, William G. Seaton settled on 
 a fifty acre tract, which he also cleared 
 and in his time has hewed many rails. He 
 purchased another tract of twenty- six 
 acres, making a total of seventy-six. Af- 
 ter acquiring this property he killed in all 
 fifteen wild deer, and much other wild 
 game. He erected a set of farm buildings, 
 including a house, and all were destroyed 
 by fire, but were immediately rebuilt in 
 more modern style. He has a coal bank on 
 the farm which was in operation at one 
 time, but farming has always been his main 
 occupation. 
 
 Mr. Seaton was united in marriage with 
 Ellen Burk, a daughter of John Burk, and 
 the following children were born to bless 
 their home: Marshall, who married Min- 
 nie Johnston, a daughter of William John- 
 ston, and has a son. Evert; Delia, de- 
 ceased; Agnes, deceased; Eva Belle, de- 
 ceased; William, who married Cynthia 
 Kerr, a daughter of Alexander Kerr, and 
 has three daughters — Gladys, Mabel and 
 Goldie; Ella, wife of Lee Heasley, by whom 
 she has three children — Paul, Ressie and 
 Lee; Katherine, who married Samuel 
 Davis, and has three children — Claire, Har- 
 ry and Mildred; Anna, who married Lewis 
 Kerr; and Plummer, who married Jessie 
 Pearl AVasson and has four children— Bes- 
 si'e, Arthur M., Earl B. and Ellen Addie. 
 Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. S9aton are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 
 Annandale. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics. 
 
 NAAMAN F. BARTLEY, a leading ag- 
 i-iculturist of Clay Township and one of 
 its prominent and representative men, re- 
 sides on his fine farm of seventy-five acres, 
 which is situated one mile northeast of the 
 Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church, ad- 
 joining the Second District School, of Clay 
 Township, was born at Birmingham, Alle- 
 gheny County, Pennsylvania, October 31, 
 
1242 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1848, and is a sou of Joseph and Mar- 
 garet (Kirkland) Bartley. 
 
 Joseph Bartley was born in the southern 
 part of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 where his father, James Bartley, had set- 
 tled when he came to Pennsylvania from 
 Ireland. In Allegheny County, Joseph 
 Bartley was married to Margaret Kirk- 
 land, and there he followed his ti'ade of 
 brickmaker until 1851, when he purchased 
 a farm in Jefferson Township, Butler 
 Comity. They lived there until about 1862 
 and then sold and moved to land in Penn 
 Township, where the remainder of their 
 lives were spent. 
 
 Naaman F. Bartley was three years old 
 when his parents moved to Jefferson 
 Township and was fourteen when the fam- 
 ily settled in Penn Township. The latter 
 farm has been foimd rich in oil deposits, 
 but this discovery was not made until it 
 had passed out of Mr. Bartley 's posses- 
 sion. He attended the township schools 
 and later the Reidsburg Academy, in Clari- 
 on County. After he returned home from 
 the academy he decided to enter the army 
 and on February 11, 1865, he enlisted, al- 
 though but sixteen years of age, in Com- 
 l)any E, Seventy-eighth Regiment, Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteer Infantry, in which he 
 served until the close of the war, being 
 stationed during the greater part of this 
 time at Nashville, Tennessee. In Septem- 
 ber, 1865, he was mustered out at Harris- 
 burg, Pennsylvania, and returned to his 
 home in Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Bartley soon began to teach school, 
 which he continued until 1875, teaching 
 three terms in Clay Township, since when 
 he has been engaged in general farming. 
 Mr. Bartley endorses many modei'u meth- 
 ods and has proved on his own land the 
 value of scientific agriculture. He has in- 
 terested himself and others in matters 
 which are of great moment to the agricul- 
 turist and has been identified with local 
 organizations, particularly the Grange. He 
 ^as one of the promoters of the Farmers' 
 
 Institutes in Butler County and in May, 
 1908, was appointed gounty chairman of 
 this agricultural body. He is also a mem- 
 ber of the State Board of Agriculture of 
 Pennsylvania. He has improved and de- 
 veloped his farm and made it one of the 
 most valuable in the township. 
 
 On March 5, 1868, Mr. Bartley was mar- 
 ried to Miss Emma Zillah MeCandless, who 
 is a daughter of William H. and Mary Ann 
 MeCandless, of Franklin Township. They 
 have had four children: William M., Vil- 
 etta Margaret, Melvin Oscar and Clifford 
 Foster. William M. Bartley is a physi- 
 cian practicing in North Dakota, a grad- 
 uate of the Baltimore Medical College. He 
 owns land in Dakota and also in Cuba. 
 He married Ada L. Miller and they have 
 three children — Charles Miller, Mary Zil- 
 lah and June. Viletta Margaret Bartley 
 died in 1898. She was the wife of Thomas 
 O. Kelly and she left two children — Philip 
 Eugene and Emma Phyrn. Melvin Oscar 
 Bartley is the manager of the home farm. 
 He married Delia May Hogg and they have 
 six children — Cleora Fay, Olive Viletta, 
 Florence Kathleen, Mabel Angle, Eugene 
 Kyle and Emma Laverna. Clifford Fos- 
 ter died IMarch 27, 1897. Mr. Bartley and 
 family are members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. 
 
 JOHN A. SLAGLE, who owns oil prop- 
 erty and engages in truck gardening in 
 Fairview Township, about two miles east 
 of Chicora, Butler County, has been a resi- 
 dent of this township since February, 1889, 
 but was born in Valley Township, Arm- 
 strong County, Pennsylvania, February 
 24, 1853. His parents were Daniel and 
 Lucinda (Bowser) Slagle. 
 
 For over fifty years the parents of Mr. 
 Slagle lived on the old Slagle homestead in 
 Valley Township, Armstrong County, and 
 they botli died there, the father when aged 
 eis:hty-four years and the mother aged 
 eighty-one years. They were quiet, vir- 
 tuous, farming people, respected, esteemed 
 
AND REPKESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 and beloved. They had twelve children 
 born to them, the record being as follows: 
 Lemuel H. ; Chambers, deceased; Miles; 
 John A.; Mary, who married Matthew Mc- 
 Cullins; Samuel; Harvey, deceased; Jane, 
 who married Thomas Bowser; Emma, de- 
 ceased, who was the wife of Calvin Peters ; 
 Catherine, who married Shadrich Starr; 
 David; and Ella, who married David 
 Frencli. 
 
 John A. Slagle was educated in Arm- 
 strong County and remained there until 
 he was about twenty-five years of age and 
 then went out on the road for a time, trav- 
 eling in the interest of a sewing machine 
 company. He came to Fairview Township 
 from McKean County, where he resided 
 for eight years previously, and- since then 
 has been engaged in truck gardening and 
 in the oil business. 
 
 On September 26, 1878, Mr. Slagle was 
 married by Rev. Armbaugh, to Miss Emma 
 Holder, who is a daughter of Joseph and 
 Susanna (Harmon) Holder, both of whom 
 were born in Armstrong County and spent 
 their lives there, the father dying at the 
 age of seventy-eight years. Mrs. Slagle is 
 the sixth member of her parents' family 
 of ten children, the others being: Mary, 
 deceased, who was the wife of Barney 
 Hiles; Mai'garet, who married Martin 
 Ward, deceased; John, deceased; William; 
 Chambers; Samuel, deceased; Mattie, who 
 is the widow of Andrew Young; Nanie, de- 
 ceased ; and Armstrong. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Slagle have an adopted 
 daughter, Nellie M., who is a bright little 
 girl of ten years, attending school. Mr. 
 Slagle and wife are members of the Re- 
 formed Church. He is not a very active 
 politician, but may always be found doing 
 his full duty by his community. He is a 
 member of the Knights of Maccabees, at 
 Chieora. 
 
 JOHN F. PEOPLES, a well known citi- 
 zen of Venango Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsvlvania, was born on the old home- 
 
 stead, tlie place on which he now. lives in 
 that township. He is a son of John and 
 Margaret (Murrin) Peoples, and a grand- 
 son of Patrick and Sarah (Callahan) Peo- 
 ples, residents of Ireland. 
 
 Patrick and Sarah Peoples became par- 
 ents of the following children: John, father 
 of the subject of this sketch, William, 
 James, Alexander, Columbus, Mary and 
 Hannah. 
 
 John Peoples was married to Margaret 
 Murrin, a daughter of Joseph Murrin of 
 Venango Township, and their children were 
 as follows: Katharine (Barr) ; Mary 
 (Shearon) ; Susan; Joseph, deceased; Han- 
 nah L. (Shearon); John F. ; and Matilda, 
 who died in infancy. Katharine Peoples 
 married William Barr of near Butler, and 
 has the following children: Margaret, 
 Sarah, Matilda, Joseph, Rosanna,. William 
 and Vincent. Mary Peoples married John 
 Shearon of Venango Township and their 
 offspring is as follows: Margaret and 
 Grace, twins ; Patrick and Mayme. Hannah 
 L. Peoples married James Shearon, by 
 whom she had three daughters and a son, 
 namely: Stella, Sarah, John and Matilda. 
 She formed a second union with Robert 
 Trumbull of Hilliard, and they have a son 
 and a daughter, Edward and Barbara. 
 
 Johhn F. Peoples in his boyhood days 
 attended the old Cochran school in Ven- 
 ango Township, after which he took up 
 agricultural pursuits. He was born in the 
 little log house which was built by his par- 
 ents in 1840 and still stands on the farm. 
 He has 152 acres of good land, forty of 
 which is under cultivation. He has twenty 
 acres of young timber, and the remainder 
 is covered with valuable timber. He has 
 an orchard and a good set of farm build- 
 ings, all of which were built by him but the 
 old log house. There are two veins of coal 
 underlying the land, which have never been 
 worked. He is a Democrat in politics, and 
 is road supervisor and road master of Ven- 
 ango Township. 
 
 August 27, 1884, John F. Peoples was 
 
1244 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 united in marriage witli Miss Sarah Mc- 
 Guinley, a daugbter of Charles McGuinley, 
 and tlie following children were born to 
 them: Charles Joseph, who is engaged at 
 the mines; James A., who also is working 
 at the mines ; John, who assists his father 
 on the farm ; Katharine Gertrude ; Francis 
 Edward, deceased ; Margaret E. ; Mary L. ; 
 Patrick Henry ; Emma, deceased ; two who 
 died in infancy; and Hugh Leo. Relig- 
 iously, they are members of the St. Also- 
 plius Church at Murrinsville. 
 
 DAVID GARVIN BASTIAN is a son of 
 William McKinley and Amy Garvin Bas- 
 tian and was born in the borough of Butler, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, on the 27th 
 day of September, 1858. He received his 
 education in the public schools of the 
 county, in the Harmony Academy, Har- 
 mony, Pennsylvania ; at the Military Acad- 
 emy, Jladdonfield, New Jersey, and at the 
 Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport, Penn- 
 sylvania. The history of wars and the 
 heroic and chivalrous achievements of tlieir 
 heroes charmed and thrilled him; and he 
 was ambitious to become a soldier. At 
 nineteen years of age, he received the ap- 
 pointment as cadet to West Point ; and the 
 star of his hopes .was luminous with prom- 
 ise. After receiving the appointment, he 
 applied himself to the required studies for 
 admission with the greatest industry and 
 perseverance and successfully passed the 
 examination; but the severe strain to which 
 he subjected himself in his mental prepara- 
 tion impaired his health and barred him 
 temporal'] ly from joining the cadets. After 
 carefully considering the lessons from this 
 incident, he concluded to abandon the life 
 of a student and soldier and enter the com- 
 mercial world. In connection with George 
 B. Bastian, his brother, he engaged in the 
 hardware business in the borough of Zel- 
 ienople, which he conducted with energy 
 and success for more than twenty years; 
 and imtil his large, commodious and hand- 
 some store building and its wares were con- 
 
 sumed by fire in the winter of 19U2. Since 
 tlien he abandoned the mercantile life and 
 turned his attention to real estate and the 
 indulgence of his natural and pronounced 
 talent for the art of the taxidermist. Mr. 
 Bastian is a born artist, and had he the 
 opportimity to develop his natural aptitude 
 for painting or taxidermy, he would have 
 taken high rank in either department. His 
 ability, skill and proficiency in taxidermy 
 were recognized by Dr. Holland, who se- 
 lected him out of a list of fortj^-seven ap- 
 plicants as one of three taxidermists at 
 the Carnegie Institute at Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Mr. Bastian married Miss Sovina Peters 
 Hofl'ecker, who is a daughter of W. L. and 
 Elmina Amelia Hoffecker, and was born in 
 Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her father was 
 an expert engineer and at the time of his 
 death was superintendent of the motive 
 power of the New Jersey Central Railroad 
 Company. His widow survived him and is 
 still living in the home city, Elizabeth, New 
 Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Bastian have four 
 children: Elmina, Garvin, Hellen Sovina 
 and William Hoffecker. In religion, the 
 family are Presbyterians. In politics, Mr. 
 Bastian is a Republican with tendencies 
 toward Prohibition. He never consented 
 to be a candidate for any political office, 
 but accepted the appointment as president 
 of the Board of Health for four years. He 
 is an intelligent and progressive citizen and 
 has always been an active and controlling 
 factor in all the commercial and civic enter- 
 prises of his town. He is a fearless and 
 uncompromising champion of human rights 
 and denounces wrong wherever he finds it. 
 He is a man of strong and intense religious 
 nature without cant or acerbity, and a jo- 
 vial, sociable and very companionable 
 neigh i3or and friend. 
 
 William McKinley Bastian was born No- 
 vember 16th, 1813, in Armstrong Town- 
 ship, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and 
 died July 9tb, 1887. He was a useful and 
 enterprising business man and an extensive 
 
ANJ) KEPBESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1245 
 
 manufacturer of agricultural implements. 
 He originated and manufactured the "Eas- 
 tian Pour-horse-power Threshing Ma- 
 chine," which was the best of its kind and 
 retained the lead and preference up to the 
 advent of the steam thresher. For a num- 
 ber of years he was engaged in an extensive 
 mercantile business with his brother-in-law, 
 John Hall, in the borough of Butler. This 
 venture was not a success ; and at its close 
 in 1859, he moved with his family to Zelien- 
 ople and purchased a hotel property from 
 John Knox, which was called "The Bastian 
 House," and which he conducted during the 
 Civil War and up to the year 1879, when 
 he sold it and retired from active business. 
 He inherited the jovial and simshiny na- 
 ture of his father, Peter Bastian, and was 
 universally loved and esteemed. He pos- 
 sessed the most open and unselfish nature, 
 and was never distrusted. He had but few 
 ambitions, and cared but little for the shout 
 of the multitude or the blare of the political 
 trumpet. He will not be remembered for 
 any great or noted achievement; but the 
 little sympathies he showed for the unfor- 
 tunate; the little acts of kindness he did 
 for others ; the little encouragements he 
 dropped into sad lives; the dainty little 
 hopes he planted in the waste places of 
 cheerless hearts; the little sunbeams of 
 cheer he drifted into the dark corners of 
 desolate souls; and the number of Hearts- 
 ease and Forget-me-nots he planted along 
 the by-ways of human experience, make up 
 the blessed heritage he left to his family 
 and friends. 
 
 He married Miss Amy Garvin, November 
 11th, 1841, and had eight children : George 
 Bvards, Margaret, Amelia, Frances, Amy, 
 Willhelmina, Eliza, David Garvin and Jo- 
 sephine; the latter died when nine months 
 of age. George Byards Bastian married 
 Caroline Endress, a daughter of Adam 
 Endress, a wealthy and retired farmer of 
 Zelienople, who is still living; Margaret 
 J^melia married Oliver C. Genther of 
 Wheeling, West Virginia ; Frances married 
 
 Frank Fletcher of Connecticut, but died 
 three weeks after her marriage ; Amy died 
 at the age of eighteen; Wilhielmina mar- 
 ried J. i\ Strieby, a prominent lawyer of 
 Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Eliza mai'- 
 ried Alton Hopkins of Denver, Colorado. 
 
 Amy Garvin Bastian was born in Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, on May 14th, 1823, and died May 
 21st, 1896. She was no ordinary wornan, 
 but a conspicuous and unique character. 
 No one ever met her without being im- 
 pressed with the magnetic strength of her 
 own individuality. She possessed great 
 force of character, a strong and iron will, 
 sound judgment, and was of queenly and 
 commanding presence. Her perceptions 
 were keen and quick, her discrimination fine 
 and intelligent and her conclusions logical 
 and accurate. She was a positive force in 
 the community where she lived. The influ- 
 ence of her life was always on the right 
 side. Her impulses were all tender, noble 
 and generous; her sympathies were as ge- 
 nial and warm as the sunshine and as broad 
 and deep as life itself. She made her life 
 valuable, and impressed her individuality 
 deep in the minds and memory of her 
 friends and in the nature and character of 
 every member of her family. The sphere 
 of her activities was not wide, but the fruit^ 
 age of her life was bountiful. She was a 
 daughter of David and Parraelia Malison 
 Garvin. Parmelia Malison was a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Amy Newtqn Malison; 
 and Amy Newton was a full cousin of Sir 
 Isaac Newton, the philosopher. 
 
 George Byards Bastian was born in 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on the 7th day of 
 January, 1844. He was educated in the 
 public schools and was a graduate of the 
 Duff's Commercial College, Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania. On August 11th, 18G2. he 
 enlisted as a private in Company C, 134th 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers; and 
 on February ]7th, 1863, was promoted to 
 the position of Second Lieutenant. After 
 leaving the army, he returned to Zelienople 
 
1246 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and became an active and energetic busi- 
 ness man and a leader in" all the progressive 
 movements in his community. He was ap- 
 pointed postmaster at Zelienople in 1872 
 and continued in office for twelve years. He 
 was deeply interested in the Agricultural 
 Society of the county and served as presi- 
 dent of the Harmony Fair Association for 
 a number of years. He was one of the chief 
 promoters in the rural districts of the Nar- 
 row Gauge Railroad Company and ren- 
 dered valuable and efficient service in hav- 
 ing the road pass through his native town. 
 He moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 
 in the fall of 1881, and opened up the larg- 
 est and most expensively furnished art and 
 toy store in central Pennsylvania. He con- 
 ducted this business with energy and suc- 
 cess until the disastrous and unprecedented 
 thirty-four-foot flood of 1889 swept through 
 the valley and made many rich men poor. 
 On account of the kind and character of his 
 stock of goods, the damage done to them 
 amounted to an absolute loss and practi- 
 cally nothing was saved from the ruin. He 
 died October 28th, 1907, and was buried in 
 East Wildwood on a beautiful slope facing 
 the setting sun, a suitable and fitting rest- 
 ing place for one whose star of business 
 hope went down behind the clouds into the 
 darkness of a night that knows no dawning. 
 The Bastians of this country descended 
 from the distinguished German family of 
 SeBastians. Their ancestors came to this 
 county before the Revolutionary War and 
 the name SeBastian was retained by the 
 family up to the present generation. 
 George Michael SeBastian married Ra- 
 ehael Wenn. After leaving their home in 
 Germany and before reaching the seaboard, 
 they were compelled to go into service to 
 accumulate more money before proceeding 
 on their journey to this country. They were 
 Lutherans. They stopped at a Catholic set- 
 tlement and attended their church; but not 
 being acquainted with their services and 
 not crossing themselves according to the 
 Catholic custom, they were privately rep- 
 
 rimanded by the priest, but agreeing to 
 conform to the Catholic practice, they were 
 allowed to continue to attend their eiuirch. 
 After remaining in this settlement for nine 
 months, they again resumed their journey. 
 Their voyage was very rough and stormy ; 
 and at one time they were cast upon an 
 island, but finally they landed at the port 
 of Philadelphia. They settled in what was 
 then Northampton but now is Lehigh 
 County, Pennsylvania. They afterwards 
 moved to Selinsgrove, where they died and 
 were buried. They had five sons and one or 
 two daughters. The sons were : Jacob, who 
 served six months in the Revolutionary 
 War; Daniel, who at the age of sixteen 
 served as a drummer boy in the same war; 
 and George, Peter and Andrew. Peter Se- 
 Bastian remained at Philadelphia, and his 
 son Peter came to Williamsport and built 
 a tavern on the south bank of the West 
 Branch of the Susquehanna River, which 
 was known far and wide for its sumptuous 
 board and the good cheer, warm greeting 
 and hosiptality of its host. He married 
 Mary Artley and their children were: 
 Henry, William McKinley, John S., Henri- 
 etta, Josephine, Mary, Julia, and Margaret. 
 The Garvin ancestors came from Scot- 
 land. The reign of Charles II of Scotland, 
 which lasted from 1650 to 1668, was one of 
 marked crueltj' to the Covenanters. All 
 those who were not killed were forced to 
 flee for their lives or renounce their re- 
 ligion. In 1684, during what was called 
 "The Killing Time," David Garvin and his 
 wife Elizabeth, and their young sons, John 
 and James, fled from their home near Dum- 
 barton in Scotland to a colony of Covenant- 
 ers, that had been established in the north- 
 ern part of Ireland near Londonderry. 
 After the death of their father in 1735 four 
 of his children, David, James, Elizabeth 
 and Thomas Garvin, emigrated to America. 
 Whittier tells the story in one of his poems, 
 published in 1888, of Mary Garvin, who 
 was stolen from her parents by the Indians 
 and returned to them twenty years later. 
 
W. F. RIIMBERGER 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1251 
 
 David Garvin, one of tlie brothers of Mary 
 Garvin, and the great-grandfather of David 
 Garvin Bastian, moved to Virginia and 
 owned a number of slaves. One of the emi- 
 grant Garvins had a daughter by the name 
 of Margaret. Her husband and five of their 
 children were massacred by the Indians. 
 She and one daughter were taken captive 
 and carried into Canada. After some years 
 of captivity, they were ransomed and re- 
 turned to their friends and died and were 
 buried in Pennsylvania. 
 
 WILLIAM F. RUMBERGER, one of 
 Butler's leading citizens, who is largely 
 identified with its business interests and 
 public affairs, has been city treasurer of 
 Butler Borough since 1902. He was born 
 July 30, 1855, at Fairview, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of William F. 
 Rumberger, who was one of the pioneer 
 woolen manufacturers of Western Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 When Mr. Rumberger was about one 
 year old, his parents moved to Armstrong 
 County, where he was reared, and he later 
 secured his education in the old Witlier- 
 spoou Academy at Butler, Pennsylvania. 
 His first introduction to business was in 
 his father's woolen manufacturing plant 
 at Craigsville, Armstrong County, and in 
 the course of time he became a member of 
 the firm with his father and continued 
 there until 1893, for some years having 
 been particularly engaged in buying wool. 
 Later he became identified with the Guar- 
 antee Safe Deposit and Trust Company, 
 of which he was -a director and was in 
 charge of the real estate department. In 
 1900 he secured his present offices in the 
 Odd Fellows' Temple, at Butler, and does 
 an extensive real estate and insurance 
 business in addition to managing his large 
 personal real estate holdings. He owns 
 one of the finest homes at Butler, its loca- 
 tion being on Oak Street, and he has built 
 and owned a number of other fine resi- 
 dences in different sections of the citv. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Rumberger was married to 
 Miss Emma P. Scott, who was born at 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they have 
 one daughter, Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Rumberger are members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church at Butler, of which 
 he has been treasurer for a number of 
 years. 
 
 WILLIAM J. SAGER, manager of the 
 Clutton General Store, at West Liberty, 
 Butler County, is one of the representative 
 men of Brady Township and has been in 
 his present responsible position since 1893. 
 He was born on a farm, in Mercer Coimty, 
 Pennsylvania, February 1, 1865, and is a 
 son of Benjamin and Ellen (Dennison) 
 Sager. 
 
 Mr. Sager attended school in Mercer 
 County until he was fifteen years of age, 
 when his parents moved on a farm in Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, Butler County, where 
 he remained until 1891. In that year he mar- 
 ried Miss Eifie Clutton, who is a daughter 
 of Jonathan and Margaret Clutton. ^Ir. and 
 Mrs. Sager have two children: Margaret 
 and George. He is a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. Lie is a very active 
 citizen of West Liberty and is a member of 
 the borough council. 
 
 Mrs. Sager is a member of a prominent 
 family of Butler County, her father, the 
 late Jonathan Clutton, for many years 
 being a successful merchant and leading 
 man. He died in February, 1903. His 
 widow is also deceased. Miss E. G. Clutton, 
 sister of Jonathan Clutton, is the propri- 
 etor of the Clutton General Store at West 
 Liberty, in which place she also owns a 
 second store building. The Clutton store 
 carries a full line of hardware, dry goods, 
 shoes and groceries and is the largest en- 
 terprise of its kind in this section and is in 
 a most prosperous condition. 
 
 Frank Clutton, a brother of Mrs. Sager, 
 is general superintendent of the Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School. He was born 
 at Prosiiect, Butler Count v, Pennsylvania, 
 
1252 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 November 15, 1857, and until he was thir- 
 teen years of age was reared by an aunt in 
 Worth Township. In 1870 he moved to 
 Slippery Rock and in 1879 was married to 
 Miss Lola F. Riddle. Five children were 
 born to this marriage, namely : Bertha, who 
 died in 1892, aged twelve years; William 
 K., a graduate of the Pharmacy depart- 
 ment of the Western University at Pitts- 
 burg, who is engaged in the drug business 
 with his brother, Paul D., at Myersdale, 
 Somerset County; Paul D., who is a mem- 
 ber of the firm of Clutton Brothers, drug- 
 gists, at Myersdale, and married Mary F. 
 Magee; Augustus T., who is a senior in the 
 Slippery Rock State Normal School; and 
 Frances E., who is a student in the Slip- 
 pery Rock High School. 
 
 Prof. Clutton learned the trade of car- 
 riage painter in his youth and then con- 
 ducted a mercantile business with his aunt, 
 E. G. Clutton, until his marriage. In 1880 
 he became manager of the branch store of 
 Bard Bros., at Coaltown, and in 1882, while 
 there, not only had all his property de- 
 stroyed by the well remembered cyclone 
 that swept through that section, but was 
 also seriously injured, to such an extent 
 that he was compelled to be out of business 
 for months. After Bard Bros, rebuilt, he 
 returned to them and continued in their 
 employ until May, 1884, at Coaltown, and 
 until October, at Slippery Rock. From 
 there he went to Hazzard, Mercer County, 
 where he had charge of the stores of a coal 
 company, leaving there in June, 1886, to 
 accept a position as bookkeeper at Millers- 
 town, now Chicora. In June, 1887, he 
 moved to Slippery Rock and went into a 
 general store business under tlie name of 
 Clutton Bros., No. 2, the firm, made up of 
 himself and brother George W., already 
 having a drug store. In 1891 George W. 
 Clutton removed to New Castle, whfere he 
 continues in the drug business, and at that 
 time Frnnk Clutton sold the general store 
 and took charge of the drug business at 
 Slippery Rock, for some time also having 
 
 an interest in the New Castle store. In 
 1899 the partnership was dissolved and 
 Frank Clutton continued the drug business 
 at Slippery Rock under his own name and 
 remained in the drug business until 1906, 
 when he sold out to the firm of Mayberry & 
 Pisor. In the meanwhile, his sons were 
 trained in the store and now do a large 
 business on their own account. 
 
 Mr. Clutton is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church at Slippery Rock, a 
 member of the board of stewards. He is a 
 Mason, Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias. 
 
 JOSEPH T. MURRIN, residing on the 
 old Murrin homestead in Venango Town- 
 ship, was born on this farm May 18, 1855, 
 and belongs to a very prominent and pro- 
 lific family of Butler County. His parents 
 were John and Bridget (Kelly) Murrin, 
 and his grandfathers were Joseph and 
 Frank Kelly. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of Mr. Mur- 
 rin were Joseph and Katherine (Keating) 
 Murrin, and they had the following chil- 
 dren : Hugh K. ; John, who married Bridget 
 Kelly; Margaret, who married John Peo- 
 ple; Susan and Joseph, neither of whom 
 married; Katherine, who married Hugh 
 Forquer; and James, who married, first, 
 Margaret McElroy, and second, Mary 
 Logue. 
 
 The childi'en born to John and Bridget 
 Murrin were as follows : Joseph T. ; Susan, 
 who married Thomas Easley; Frank, who 
 married Amelia, daughter of Joseph 
 Young; James D., who married Minnie, 
 daughter of Bernard Gardner; Katherine 
 A., who married Thomas Robison; Charles, 
 who married Katherine, daughter of Peter 
 Burns; and William A., Hugh, Mary and 
 Agnes. 
 
 Joseph T. Murrin attended the Rock 
 school in boyhood and then assisted his 
 uncle, Joseph Murrin, on the latter 's farm. 
 After lie married he rented a farm in Ven- 
 ango Township and then purchased eight- 
 een acres of the old homestead, on which he 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1253 
 
 has carried on agricultural operations ever 
 since. He has no open coal bank, neither 
 has he tested his land for either coal or gas. 
 He takes no very active part in township 
 politics, but votes with the Republican 
 party. 
 
 On .January 30, 1883, Mr. Murrin was 
 married to Miss Evelyn McGuirk, who is 
 a daughter of .Jauies McGuirk. Tiiey have 
 seven children, all of whom have been 
 gifted with a talent for music. With the 
 exception of Susan Alice, the fifth child, 
 who is the wife of William G. Pritchard, 
 none have married. Mary Helena, the sec- 
 ond child, after graduating from the Eau 
 Claire school in June, 1905, entered the 
 New York State Hospital and Training 
 School for Nurses and was subsequently 
 graduated at the Columbus State Hospital. 
 December 30, 1908, with very high marks 
 and is still following her profession in that 
 institution. The other children : James 
 Henry, Bridget Elizabeth, John Thomas, 
 Joseph F. and Helen Evelyn, all reside at 
 home. Mr. Murrin and family are mem- 
 bers of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church at 
 Murrinsville. 
 
 AARON SCHANTZ YOUNG, a promi- 
 nent agriculturist and representative citi- 
 zen of Jackson Township, residing on his 
 farm of 125 acres, which is situated two and 
 one-half miles from Evans City, was born 
 on this place, in the old hewed log resi- 
 dence, September 7, 1869. His parents are 
 S. P. P. and Catherine (Schantz) Young. 
 
 The ancestors of Mr. Young, on both 
 sides, came originally from Germany. His 
 mother is a granddaughter of the first Zeig- 
 ler, who came from east of the mountains, 
 passing through Pittsburg, and thinking it 
 of very little importance, came on to Har- 
 mony and purchased the town witli nearly 
 all the surrounding farms from the Econ- 
 omites, the present farm being among 
 them. Tt was subsequently bought by 
 Aaron Schantz, the maternal grandfather 
 
 of Aaron S. Young. Mr. Schantz built the 
 log house in 1850, the log barn having been 
 put up prior to that date. The land subse- 
 quently became the property of S. P. P. 
 Young and in 1900 was bought by its pres- 
 ent owner. 
 
 The Young family, for several genera- 
 tions, lived at llarraonj', Pennsylvania, the 
 grandfather having a tailor shop there for 
 a long period. The father of Aaron S. 
 Young learned the trade with his father 
 and followed it at Harmony until he moved 
 to Iowa, in'ior to the opening of the (livil 
 War. He served in an Iowa regiment with 
 the rank of captain. He is now in his 
 eightieth year and has been a resident of 
 Pittsburg for the past seventeen years. His 
 wif<e also survives and is seventy-six years 
 old. Of their eleven children seven sur- 
 vive, namely: Elizabeth, who is the wife of 
 W. N. Harper, of Pitt.sburg; Naomi, who 
 is the widow of Samuel Knox, resides in 
 Oklahoma; Flora, who lives with her aged 
 parents ; Annie, who is the wife of Rev. 
 W. S. Kreiger, of Ohio ; Aaron S. ; Blanche, 
 who is the wife of John Winfield Sloan, of 
 Philadelphia; and Bertha, who resides at 
 liome. Susan, Latira. Sadie and Ensign are 
 -deceased. 
 
 Aaron S. Young lived at Harmony from 
 the age of seven to fifteen years, at that 
 time going to Pittsburg, where he learned 
 the carpenter's trade and worked at this 
 for fifteen years in that city, after which 
 he came to Jackson Township and bought 
 the old family farm. He takes a great deal 
 of interest in improving the old place, 
 which is a fine tract of land, and has re- 
 cently set out an orchard; this, with his 
 vineyards, covers about fifteen acres. 
 
 Mr. Young was married in 1895 to Miss 
 Clara Haines, who was reared near Bed- 
 ford, and they have six children, with ages 
 ranging from twelve to two years, namely: 
 Paul, Glenn, Margaret, Harold, Kenneth 
 and John Carl. Mr. Younsr and family at- 
 tend St. John's Reformed Church at Evans 
 
1254 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 City. In iiis thoughtful views on public 
 questions, Mr. Young has definitely identi- 
 fied himself with the Prohibition party. 
 
 HENRY PERRY DOUBLE, a repre- 
 sentative citizen of Butler County, who is 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits on a fine 
 farm of ninefj'-six acres, lying along the 
 Western border of Cherry Township, ad- 
 joining Slippery Rock Township, is also 
 a veteran of the Civil War. Mr. Double 
 was born on a farm in Worth Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1838, 
 and is a son of Isaac and Nancy (Snyder) 
 Double. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of Mr. Dou- 
 ble, Conrad Snyder, came to Butler County 
 from Westmoreland County, and became 
 a large landholder, one of his farms being 
 the one on which Mr. Double now resides. 
 John Double, the paternal grandfather, 
 came to Butler County from Westmoreland 
 County, and settled in what is now Brady 
 Township, where Isaac Double was born. 
 After his marriage, Isaac Double went to 
 housekeeping in Worth Township, and 
 with the exception of about three years 
 spent in Virginia after the war, he and his 
 wife were residents of Worth Township 
 all of their lives, both dying there. 
 
 Henry Perry Double was reared on the 
 home farm in Worth Township, and there 
 resided until April 22, 1862, at which time 
 he came to his present farm, which has 
 been his home to the present time. In Sep- 
 tember, 1864, he enlisted in the Fiftieth 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, serving with that organization until 
 the close of the war, and ])articipating in a 
 number of engagements, including Hatcher 
 Run and Fort Steadman, although most of 
 his service was around Petersburg, he be- 
 ing present at the evacuation of that point. 
 Mr. Double received his honorable dis- 
 charge at Georgetown, District of Colum- 
 bia, and, returning to his farm, began again 
 to cultivate his land. This property on 
 his arrival had been verv little attended to. 
 
 and the only buildings it boasted were an 
 old log cabin and barn. Almost all of the 
 land is in a high state of cultivation now, 
 and Mr. Double has erected a set of excel- 
 lent farm buildings. He has been success- 
 ful in his operations, and is looked upon as 
 one of the substantial men of his commun- 
 ity. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Double was united in mar- 
 riage with Mary AlcClure, who is a daugh- 
 ter of James Aic(!lure, and they have had 
 five children: Isaac Orrin, who married 
 and died shortly thereafter; James Silas, 
 who is married and lives in Butler; Percy 
 L., who lives in Chicago; Grace E., wife 
 of Roy A. Watson, a merchant of Slippery 
 Rock; and Emma P., wife of Robert Davis, 
 ]-esiding near Hilliards. 
 
 ELIAS K. TAYLOR, residing on his 
 farm of thirty acres in Venango Township, 
 two and one-half miles west of Eau Claire, 
 erected a blacksmith shop on his property 
 after coming here and does general repair 
 work. He was born May 6, 1845, at Chi- 
 cora, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Matthew and Sarah (Kephart) 
 Taylor, and a grandson of James Taylor. 
 
 The children born to Matthew Taylor 
 and his wife were : James, who married 
 (first) Mary Love and (second) Elizabeth 
 Gallagher; Elias, who married Barbara, 
 daughter of Stephen Montgomery; Perry, 
 who married Catherine, daughter of Will- 
 iam Barnhart; Matilda, who married N. 
 Gold; William, who died in 1861, a soldier 
 in the Civil War, falling at Cedar Creek; 
 and Samuel H. and Joseph B., both of 
 whom are now deceased. 
 
 Elias K. Taylor obtained his education 
 in the vicinity of his home and then helped 
 his father on the farm until he married, 
 after which he lived for one year at Bul- 
 lion, Venango County, and then bought a 
 lot at Eau Claire, on which he built a house 
 which ]\e subsequently sold to Samuel Kas- 
 tor. He then bought a farm of seventy 
 ncyc^ which he afterward sold to James 
 
HARRY L. GRAHAM 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1257 
 
 B. MoJ unkin, and then bought his present 
 place, and since building his shop has done 
 a good business at repair work and wagon 
 making, in addition to cultivating his land. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have had the fol- 
 lowing children: Elmer; William who 
 married Margaret, a daughter of James 
 Lackey; James, who married Mary, a 
 daughter of David Taylor; Wilbert, who 
 married Gertrude, a daughter of John F. 
 Wilds; Anna, who married Calvin Sloan; 
 Clara, who married Joseph Kittler; and 
 Emma and Julia, both of whom reside with 
 their parents. Mr. Taylor and family are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Eau Claire. In politics he is a 
 Democrat and he has acceptably served 
 the township as road supervisor. 
 
 HARRY L. GRAHAM, a leading mem- 
 ber of the Butler bar and one of the city's 
 representative citizens, serving in his 
 fourth year as secretary of the Board of 
 Education, was born August 5, 1870, in 
 Concord Township, Butler Coimty, Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 Thomas Graham, father of Harry L., 
 was born September 10, 1840, in Concord 
 Township, Butler County, on the farm 
 which his father, Edward Graham, Sr., 
 entered from the Government in 1797. 
 Thomas Graham is one of Concord Town- 
 ship's representative agriculturists. 
 
 Harry L. Graham attended the public 
 schools and then enjoyed academic train- 
 ing both at North AVashington and West 
 Sunbury, Pa., graduating at the latter 
 institution in June, 1889, when he entered 
 the University at Wooster, Ohio, where he 
 completed his collegiate course in June, 
 1893, two years later receiving his degree 
 of A. M. Upon his return from the Uni- 
 versity, in 189.3, Mr. Graham began the 
 studv of law, with Attorney S. F. Bowser, 
 and was admitted to the bar on December 
 11, 1895. He has also been admitted to 
 practice in the Supreme and Superior 
 Courts of the State of Pennsylvania and 
 
 the United States District Courts of West- 
 ern Pennsylvania. With the exception of 
 a short period, Mr. Graham has been in 
 continuous practice at Butler ever since 
 his admission to the bar. In 1890 he 
 served as Deputy Prothonotary and for 
 six years was a member of the Board of 
 Auditors of Butler. He has given atten- 
 tion to all public questions and is identi- 
 fied with the Republican party, in 1900 
 serving as secretary of the Republican 
 County Committee. Aside from politics, 
 however, Mr. Graham has been an active 
 citizen, lending his influence to all move- 
 ments promising to be of practical benefit 
 to this section. 
 
 In October, 1900, Mr. Graham was mar- 
 ried to Julia Stephenson Creigh, who is a 
 granddaughter of Dr. Alfred Creigh, of 
 Washington, Pa. They have one son, 
 Harry Lee, Jr. Mr. Graham is a member 
 of St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Butler, 
 Pa., and Mrs. Graham is a member of the 
 First Presbyterian Church, also of Butler, 
 Pa. In his fraternal relations, he is a 
 member of the Ancient and Illustrious 
 order of Kniglits of Malta ; Temple Lodge 
 of I. O. 0. F. and Clement Encampment; 
 Knights of Maccabees; Kevstone Camp, 
 No. 8, Woodmen of the W^orld, F. M. C. and 
 other organizations. 
 
 ERNEST ULYSSES SNYDER, M. D., 
 of Portersville, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, has built up a large practice in the 
 community, in which he is widely known. 
 He was born two miles northwest of Union- 
 ville, in Franklin Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, ]March 17, 1880, and comes of one of 
 the pioneer families thereof. He is a son 
 of Lorenzo and Canarissa (Weigle) 
 Snyder, who have a farm of 100 acres just 
 off the Butler and Mercer Road, about two 
 miles from LTnionville. 
 
 Lorenzo Snyder is a son of Zephaniah 
 and Rachel (Kennedy) Snyder, and a 
 grandson of Conrad Snyder, Sr., who was 
 the original settler. He came from 
 
1258 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Switzerland at an early date, and in 1800 
 took up a tract of 600 acres in what was 
 then Brady Township, and in the early 
 days conducted a tavern. He was a man 
 of exceptional ability and in time added 
 to his possessions until he had 2,600 acres 
 of fine land. At his death he was buried on 
 the home farm. Lorenzo and Canarissa 
 Snyder became parents of five children, 
 as follows: Blanche E., wife of W. M. 
 Hockenbury of Worth Township ; Ottis L., 
 who has a farm in Muddy Creek Townshii) 
 and who married Miss Jennie Wigton; Er- 
 nest Ulysses ; Mary S., deceased ; and Bert 
 W.. who carries on farming operations on 
 his father's farm. 
 
 Doctor Snyder attended the district 
 schools and worked on the farm" until he 
 was eighteen years of age, when he en- 
 tered Slippery Rock State Normal School. 
 Upon leaving that institution he taught 
 school at Brewster, and later at Unionville, 
 after which he matriculated at the West- 
 ern University of Pennsylvania. He was 
 graduated in 1905, with the degree of M. 
 D., after which he served as interne in the 
 General Hospital at Uniontown. He then 
 opened his office for practice at Porters- 
 ville, and has a well established and re- 
 munerative patronage. Fraternally, he is 
 a member of the Lawrence County Medical 
 Society. 
 
 February 14, 1906, Dr. Snyder was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Miss Elverda McCand- 
 less, a daughter of J. J. and Etta McCand- 
 less, she also being descended from one of 
 the earliest families of the county. They 
 have one daughter, Marjorie. In religious 
 attachment, they are members of the Baji- 
 tist Church and are liberal in its suiiport. 
 
 VALENTINE WHITENER, an influ- 
 ential and enterprising business man of 
 Buena Vista, has been a resident of Fair- 
 view Township since 1873. He was born 
 February 11, 1843, in Shippenville, Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Val- 
 entine and Margaret (Cook) Whitener. 
 
 Valentine Whitener and his wife were 
 both born in Germany and came to this 
 country on the same ship. Three years 
 later they were married and lived for about 
 twelve years in Pittsburg, where he worked 
 at brick laying. Mr. A\'hitener died at 
 Green Oaks, Westmoreland County, and 
 his wife died at Prospect in 1863. They 
 had the following children: Valentine; 
 Caroline, deceased; Philip, deceased; 
 Katherine; Leonard and Adam. 
 
 Valentine Whitener received his educa- 
 tional training in the schools of Pittsburg, 
 Green Oak, and Butler County. Upon first 
 entering the business world he drove a 
 team of mules in a coal mine in Westmore- 
 land County for some time, after which he 
 worked for a time in a brick yard. He then 
 began work in the oil fields, spending three 
 days working on the first oil well drilled at 
 Franklin. He has continued with success 
 in the oil business since that time and is 
 interested in a large number of oil wells in 
 this locality. He owns stock in the Evans 
 Manufacturing Company of Butler and the 
 Producers Pipe Line Company. Subse- 
 quent to his marriage he moved to Law- 
 renceburg, where he worked in the oil 
 fields for about two years, after which he 
 went to Greece City, and engaged in the 
 same business for one year, since which 
 time he has been a resident of Fairview 
 Township. For a period of five years he 
 was construction boss of the Standard Pipe 
 line. 
 
 Mr. Whitener served throughout the en- 
 tire Civil War and first enlisted in Com- 
 pany E, 103d Penna. Vol. Inf. for eleven 
 months after which he enlisted in Com- 
 pany E, 78th Penna. Vol. Inf. and served 
 to the close of the war. Subsequent to 
 tlie two days of fighting at the battle of 
 Fairfax Court House, our subject was sent 
 to the hospital for three months, thence 
 Jiome for six months, and as soon as able 
 leturned to his company. At the close of 
 the war he was discharged at Washing- 
 ton. D. C. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1259 
 
 Mr. Whitener owns a fine farm of eighty- 
 seven acres in Muddy Creek Township, a 
 tract of five acres in Fairview Township, 
 as well as two pieces of town property. He 
 is a man of public spirit and enterjjrise 
 and has served his township as supervisor 
 two terms. He is a member of the G. A. 
 R., McDermott Post, and holds member- 
 ship with the United Presbyterian Cliurch 
 of Fairview. 
 
 Mr. Whitener was married January 27, 
 1870, to Martha Ann English, a daughter 
 of William and Mary Ann English, old set- 
 tlers of Muddy Creek Township, and of 
 their union were born the following chil- 
 dren: Carrie, deceased; Margaret, who re- 
 sides with our subject, was married June 
 7, 1892, to Henry C. Thorne, and has two 
 children — Elsie and Aubrey ; 0. S. married 
 Nettie Stewart and resides in Concord 
 Township ; Delia May married R. L. Wal- 
 ter of Concord Towushii) and has one child 
 — Dora E. ; and Dora, deceased, twin of 
 Delia May. Mrs. Whitener (bed August 
 15, 1908. 
 
 AUGUSTUS BOWERS, a leading busi- 
 ness citizen of Prospect, where he operates 
 a drug store, was born August 18, 1849, 
 at Baltimore, Maryland, and is a son of 
 Adam and Elizabeth (Bitner) Bauers, the 
 latter being the German spelling. 
 
 The father of Mr. Bowers was born in 
 Bavaria, Germany, and took part in the 
 Revolution of 1848 and came in that -year 
 as a refugee to America, landing at Balti- 
 more. He remained in that city, and 
 throughout his active life followed the 
 cooper's trade. He married and he and 
 wife had the following children : Au- 
 gustus; Charles A., residing at Baltimore; 
 Ferdinand, residing at Chicago ; John, de- 
 ceased; and Katherine, wife of John Zin- 
 ser, residing in Chicago. 
 
 Augustus Bowers attended school in his 
 native city until he was twelve years of 
 age, and at the age of sixteen years came 
 to Pittsburg and entered a cooperage es- 
 
 tablishment, having learned the trade with 
 his father in Baltimore. As this did not 
 suit his taste he learned that of marble 
 cutter, which he followed for fifteen years 
 or more. In 1869 he came to Prospect and 
 at first was employed by George Reed and 
 later became his partner and before he re- 
 tired from the business had a marble and 
 monument shop of his own. In 1885 he 
 started into the drug business and since 
 then has conducted' his store at Prospect. 
 Mr. Bowers married Margaret Dodds 
 Martin, whose mother and twin sister died 
 when she was born and she was reared by 
 her uncle, Jesse Dodds, in Franklin Town- 
 ship. Mr. and Mrs. Bowers have reared 
 four of their five children, namely: Jesse 
 D., residing at Pittsburg; Charles A., re- 
 siding in Slippery Rock; William Dickey, 
 residing in Wilmerding; and Hattie A., 
 wife of Dr. William A. Sproull, of Slip- 
 pery Rock. Mr. and Mrs. Bowers are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Prospect, of which he is a trustee. In poli- 
 tics, he is a Democrat and he has served 
 as school director and auditor and also 
 has been a member of the council of the 
 borough of Prospect. He was appointed 
 postmaster during President Grover Cleve- 
 land 's first administration, serving four 
 years; was again appointed during Cleve- 
 land's second term, serving four years 
 more; in addition to above, served eight 
 years as assistant postmaster. Fraternal- 
 ly, he is an Odd Fellow and belongs to 
 Rustel Lodge, No. 882, of which he is past 
 grand, and also belongs to the Portersville 
 Encampment. Personally Mr. Bowers is 
 a popular citizen. 
 
 DARIUS L. HUTCHISON, residing on 
 his excellent farm of ninety acres, which 
 is situated in Washington Township, has 
 long been one of the representative and en- 
 terprising men of this section. He was 
 born in Concord Township, Butler County:, 
 June 21, 1856, and is a son of Samuel C. 
 and Catherine (Kuhn) Hutchison. 
 
1260 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Samuel C. Hutchison was bom in Oak- 
 land Township, Butler County, and was a 
 son of Fergus and a grandson of William 
 Hutchison, the latter of whom founded the 
 family in Butler County. Samuel C. 
 Hutchison lived in Oakland Township un- 
 til 1863, when he removed with his family 
 to Washington Township and settled on 
 the farm on which his son Darius L. now 
 lives, and here he died February 20, 1894. 
 He married Catherine Kuhn, who was 
 born in Venango Township. Butler Coun- 
 ty, died December 11, 1890. Two of their 
 children survive — Dai-ius L. and Idella, the 
 latter of whom lives in Washington Town- 
 ship. For over a quarter of a century, 
 Samuel C. Hutchison served in the office 
 of school director in Washington Town- 
 ship and on the Republican party's ticket 
 he was elected, at various times, constable, 
 assessor and collector, his many sterling 
 traits of character making him an ideal 
 citizen. He gave liberal support to the 
 Presbyterian Church, of which both he and 
 wife were worthy members. 
 
 Darius L. Hutchison accompanied his 
 parents to Washington Township in 1863, 
 and he attended school here and assisted 
 his father, later becoming the owner of the 
 home farm, where he carries on general 
 farming and stockraising. Mr. Hutchison 
 married Miss Ada Smith, of Parker Town- 
 ship, a daughter of Thomas Smith, and 
 they have three children — Margaret, 
 Frances and Catherine. In politics he is 
 affiliated with the Republican party and is 
 something of a leader in Washington 
 Township. He served one year as super- 
 visor and has also been a member of the 
 board of elections. He is a Mason, belong- 
 ing to Argyle Lodge, No. 540, F. & A. M. 
 
 ORIN P. GRAHAM, who comes of one 
 of the oldest and most respected families of 
 Cranberry _ Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, resides on the old homestead 
 of 110 acres of valuable land. He was 
 born along Brush Creek, in Cranben-v 
 
 Township, July 8, 1842, and is a son of 
 Oliver H. P. and Elizabeth (Morgan) Gra- 
 ham. 
 
 The first of the Graham family to locate 
 in Butler County were William and 
 Matthew Graham, sons of Matthew Gra- 
 ham, Sr. As early as 1706 they left their 
 home in Philadelphia, seeking a location in 
 the western part of the state. They 
 dickered for a time for the farm on which 
 the city of McKeesport now stands, but 
 failing to consummate the deal left for But- 
 ler County, where they purchased land in 
 Cranberry Township. William Gi'aham 
 was the grandfather of the subject of this 
 record. He was born January 27, 1783, 
 and was but thirteen years old when he 
 accomi^anied his brother to Cranberry 
 Township. He became a prominent figure 
 in the early life of this community, and was 
 widely known in the county. He conduct- 
 ed school for some seasons in different 
 homes and was ever among the foremost in 
 tlie advancement of the interests of the 
 community. He served in the United States 
 Army during the War of 1812. William 
 Graham was united in marriage with Susan 
 McDonald, who was born in Bedford Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, but was living in Mercer 
 County at the time of marriage. They be- 
 came parents of eleven children, as fol- 
 lows: William, who married Elizabeth 
 Bowers ; David ; John ; Oliver H. P. ; Eliza, 
 who was the wife of Jacob Hartzell; 
 Susan, who was the wife of Dr. Thomas 
 Stewart; Joseph, who resided in Iowa at 
 the time of his death; Samuel; Minerva, 
 who was wife of J. M. McKee; James H., 
 who formerly lived in Penn Township, but 
 is now a resident of the borough of But- 
 ler, being past the age of eighty-three 
 years; and Harvey, who was a resident of 
 Colorado. The mother of this family 
 passed away in 1831, and Mr. Graham con- 
 tinued to reside in Cranberry Township 
 until 1856, when he went to live with his 
 son, James II., who then resided in Bed- 
 ford Coiintv. Tie died there in 1861. For 
 

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1265 
 
 many years he was an elder of Plains Pres- 
 byterian Church. He was a Whig in poli- 
 tics until the organization of the Republi- 
 can party, when he became one of its ar- 
 dent supporters. 
 
 Oliver H. P. Graham was born in Cran- 
 berry Township May 5, 1814, and was 
 i-eared on the home farm; his educational 
 training was mainly received under the 
 tutelage of his father. He was a great 
 hunter in his young days, and killed many 
 deers and other game. He lived a long and 
 useful life and passed his declining years 
 in the home of the subject of this sketch, 
 dying December 5, 1895, at the age of 
 eighty-two years. He was united in mar- 
 riage with Elizabeth Morgan, a daughter 
 of Robert Morgan. She was born in Beav- 
 er Count}', Pennsylvania, and died in 
 1858, at the age of thirty-eight years. 
 Oliver H. P. and Elizabeth Graham had 
 the following children: Ethelinda, wife of 
 Dr. J. D. Fitzpatrick of Dimkirk, Indiana; 
 Orin Palmer, subject of this sketch; Her- 
 mas, who died at the age of eighteen 
 years ; Sabina, who died in 1860 at the age 
 of eighteen ; Angle, who was the wife of 
 W. G. Siitton of Dunkirk and died in 1900; 
 Robert E., deceased, who married Anna 
 Baker of Beaver Coimty, Pennsylvania; 
 Leander S., who died in infancy ; and Rev. 
 0. H. P. Graham, Jr., a Methodist minis- 
 ter at Sheridan, Allegheny County, who , 
 married Elizabeth Hall of Beaver County. 
 
 Orin P. Graham was reared to maturity 
 on the home farm, and received his educa- 
 tion in the public schools. He has always 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits, and since 
 1871 has had charge of the home farm, on 
 which he did most of the , clearing. He 
 erected a large and substantial barn in 
 1876, and one year later built the comfor- 
 table home which now stands on the place. 
 He has always been identified with the 
 best interests of the community and has 
 frequently been called upon to serve in po- 
 sitions of public trust. He was school di- 
 rector for a number of years and is now 
 
 serving his second term as justice of the 
 })eace. He has discharged the duties of 
 this office in a most capable manner, and 
 enjoys the confidence and esteem of his 
 fellow citizens. 
 
 January 28, 1869, Mr. Graham was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary A. Allan, whose father, 
 Nicol Allan, was a native of Scotland. He 
 learned the trade of a brush maker in that 
 country, and after coming to the United 
 States established a brush factory at Pitts- 
 burg. He continued there witla success 
 for some years, then retired to a farm 
 which he purchased adjoining the Graham 
 homestead in Cranberry Township. The 
 following children were the offspring of 
 this union: Janet, who died at the age of 
 nineteen years; Allan, who lives at East 
 McKeesport; Howard K., who died in 
 childhood; Park F., who assists his father 
 in conducting the farm; Franklin F., a 
 student in Allegheny Seminary, who is 
 preparing for the ministry; Mary V., who 
 is the wife of W. J. Rowan and resides 
 near Ogle, in Canberry Township; and 
 Stanley P., who also is at home. Allan 
 Graham was first married to Mary Rus- 
 sell, who died July 5, 1900, leaving a son, 
 Orin Russell, who makes his home with the 
 subject of this sketch. Allan formed a 
 second union in 1904 with Sarah Holler of 
 Bedford County, and they have three chil- 
 dren : John, Floyd and Rehobeth May. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. and Mrs. Graham are mem- 
 bers of the Plains Presbyterian Church, of 
 which he is an elder. He is a Republican 
 in politics. 
 
 HENRY C. WELSH, one of Penn 
 Township's reliable and representative 
 citizens, whose finely improved farm of 
 106 acres indicates properly that he has 
 made a success of his agricultural enter- 
 prises, belongs to an old Butler County 
 family. He was born in Connoquenessing 
 Township, December 11, 1848, and is a 
 son of James Welsh, and a grandson of 
 John Welsh. 
 
1266 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 It was the grandfather, John Welsh, 
 who founded the family in America. He 
 was born in Ireland and came to the Amer- 
 ican colonies in 1770 and served as a sol- 
 dier in the War of the Revolution, receiv- 
 ing a serious wound at the battle of Bran- 
 dywine. Later he settled in Westmore- 
 land County, Penna., and in 1800 moved 
 from there to Butler County, where he in- 
 vested in 250 acres of land and became a 
 resident of Connoquenessing Township. 
 At that time pioneer conditions prevailed, 
 the country was covered with the primeval 
 forests, wild animals and Indians still 
 were numerous and all tlie luxuries and 
 most of the necessities of life were want- 
 ing. He lived to see, however, his lands 
 cleared, cultivated and improved and to 
 catch a glimpse of that civilization which 
 has made this one of the most favored sec- 
 tions of Butler County. His children were : 
 William, James, Thomas, John, all of 
 whom served in the War of 1812, and Mrs. 
 Susan Brandon, Mrs. Elizabeth Shannon 
 and Mrs. Morrow. 
 
 James Welsh, father of Henry C, was 
 born in Westmoreland County, Penna., 
 about 1785, and he accompanied his par- 
 ents to Connoquenessing Township, where, 
 in the course of time, he became one of 
 the leading citizens. He came into pos- 
 session of his father's estate and lived 
 through life on the homestead, dying in 
 1878, aged ninety-three years. He was 
 mari'ied three times and children were 
 born to each union. In early days he was 
 a "Wliig, but later became identified with 
 the Republican party and was a stanch 
 adherent. He was a kind, charitable man 
 and was a worthy member of the Presby- 
 terian Church. 
 
 Henry C. Welsh was reared on the home- 
 stead and obtained his education in the 
 country schools. He remained on the old 
 farm in Connoquenessing Township until 
 1889, when he bought his present farm in 
 Penn Township. He has all but ten of his 
 106 acres under cultivation, has consid- 
 
 erable fine stock and productive orchards. 
 His buildings are probably as fine as can 
 be found in any rural district in Butler 
 County, his handsome, modern residence 
 having been erected in 1892. 
 
 Mr. Welsh married a daughter of a 
 neighboring farmer in Penn Township, 
 Miss Elizabeth Brown, and they have had 
 six children, namely: Lucile C, Clara B., 
 Stella E., James E., Paul B. and a son 
 who died unnamed. Mr. Welsh belongs 
 with his family to the Brownsdale Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church. He has long been 
 active in church work, has served as Sun- 
 day-school superintendent and as trustee, 
 treasurer and steward. Mr. Welsh is 
 known as a man of strictness, fairness and 
 integrity in all his dealings with his fellow 
 citizens and as a man of such good judg- 
 ment as to give weight to his opinions on 
 matters pertaining to the welfare of the 
 community. He has not been unduly active 
 in politics, but on numerous occasions has 
 been elected to local offices on the Repub- 
 lican ticket. 
 
 CHARLES H. BOOK, a representative 
 citizen of Cherry Township, residing on 
 his farm of 101 acres of well-cultivated 
 land, was born March 14, 1847, at New 
 Castle, Pennsylvania, and is a son of James 
 and Mary (Studebaker) Book. 
 
 During the infancy of Mr. Book, his par- 
 ents returned to their farm in Worth 
 Township. Butler County, on which they 
 had ])reviously lived, and remained in 
 Worth Township until 1859, when they set- 
 tled on the land owned by their two sons, 
 Charles H. and Uriah H.,"in Cherry Town- 
 slii]i. At that time the land was nothing- 
 short of a wilderness. James Book cleared 
 it and erected a comfortable dwelling. He 
 died here April 8, 1868, and was survived 
 by bis widow until February 2, 1885. The 
 surviving children are: Charles H., Uriah 
 H. and Capt. D. F. Book of New Castle. 
 He enlisted in August of '61 in the war of 
 the Rebellion and served to the end of the 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1267 
 
 war ; was captain of Company E, One Hun- 
 dretli Eegiment, known as the Eound 
 Heads. 
 
 Uriah H. Book, who resides with his 
 brother, Charles H., was born October 8, 
 1850, in Worth Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He learned the carriage- 
 making trade and worked at the same for 
 ten years at Louisville, Kentucky, Chat- 
 tanooga, Tennessee, and Green Hill, Penn- 
 sylvania. For several years he was also 
 engaged in merchandising at Keisters and 
 Coaltown, and at the latter place was post- 
 master. For some years he was also inter- 
 ested in oil production. He has been iden- 
 tified considerably with public affairs in 
 the township, and in February, 1908, he 
 was elected justice of the peace, on the Ee- 
 publican ticket. He is serving in his sec- 
 ond year as assessor of Cherry Township. 
 He owns fifty acres of land and the broth- 
 ers operate the two farms together. 
 
 Charles H. Book married Martha Was- 
 son, who was born in Clay Township, But- 
 ler County, and resided at West Sunbury 
 until she was twelve years old. For the 
 next three years she lived on a farm in 
 Clay Township, three miles from the vil- 
 lage and then went to AVashiugton Town- 
 ship, where she was living at the time of 
 her marriage. Her parents were William 
 and Margaret (Gordon) Wassou. Her 
 father was killed at the battle of the Wild- 
 erness, during the Civil War. Her mother 
 survived her great bereavement for many 
 years, dying in June, 1907, when aged 
 eighty-seven years. After their marriage, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Book went to housekeeping 
 on the present farm and Mr. Book imme- 
 diately built a fine frame residence. This 
 home was destroyed by fire, December 10, 
 1898, but it was soon replaced by the pres- 
 ent still finer house, one of substantial con- 
 struction and fitted with everv comfort. 
 On December 1, 1908, Charles H. Book had 
 his barn burned with all hay and four 
 head of horses and twelve head of milch 
 cows and other cattle, as well as a waa'on 
 
 shed and granary, with at least 1,500 
 bushels of grain and all farm machinery, 
 entailing a loss of about five thousand dol- 
 lars. He is now preparing to build an- 
 other barn. 
 
 The Book brothers are connected not 
 only by kinship, but they are congenial 
 comrades, look at business matters in the 
 same light and are the same in their views 
 on politics and religion. Both are eld- 
 ers in the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 JOHN SCHAFFNEE, a prominent busi- 
 ness citizen of Butler and a veteran of the 
 Civil War, has engaged in general con- 
 tracting for many years and has had some 
 of the largest paving and tunneling con- 
 tracts in this section of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Schaft'ner was born on the home 
 farm in Butler Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, April 11, 1844, and is a son 
 of Jacob and Anna Maria (Martin) Schaff- 
 ner. His father, who was born in Ger- 
 many, came to America with his young 
 wife soon after their marriage and settled 
 on a farm in Butler Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He subsequently 
 moved to Slippery Eock Township, where 
 lie rented a farm for a time, then returned 
 to his farm in Butler Township, which he 
 cleared and farmed. After the death of 
 Ills wife, he lived at the home of his daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Frank Cook, until he too was 
 called to the unknown beyond. Jacob 
 Schaffner was a Eepublican in politics, 
 and was one of the first census takers in 
 Butler County. He and his wife were par- 
 ents of five children: Frances, who has 
 been a Sister in Notre Dame Convent for 
 more than fifty years ; Samuel ; Marie, wife 
 of Frank Cook; George of Springdale; 
 and John, whose name heads this sketch. 
 
 John Schaffner grew to maturity on the 
 home farm, which he aided in clearing, and 
 received a common school education. In 
 1865, when nineteen years of age, he en- 
 listed under Captain Shaw in Com])any 
 
1268 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 D, Seventy-seventh Reg. Penna. Vol. Inf., 
 and was stationed in Texas. Six months 
 after the close of the war, he returned 
 north to Butler County, and farmed the 
 home farm on shares for a period of eleven 
 years. He then worked for Davis, Hand 
 and Dan as master quarryman for four 
 years, after which he turned his attention 
 to contract work. He has followed general 
 eontraqting throughout this section of 
 Pennsylvania and has had some big under- 
 takings, always filling his contract to the 
 letter. He has been especially active in 
 paving and tunnel work, and among other 
 contracts built a tunnel of 3,450 feet at 
 DuBois, Pennsylvania, and paved fifteen 
 miles of streets in Butler. He has the con- 
 tract for paving Pittsburg Street in Evans 
 City, which work is now going on, it being 
 the first paved street of any of the smaller 
 towns of the countv. His residence in 
 Butler is at No. 410 East Clay Street. 
 
 In June, 1868, Mr. Schaffner was united 
 in marriage with Miss Catherine May- 
 scheiue, a daughter of Michael Mayseheine, 
 and they became parents of seven children : 
 Amelia, wife of George Troutman, a dry 
 goods merchant of Butler; Harry G., who 
 married Ella Call, and has seven children 
 — Vinson, Ethel, Michael D., Lorine, Jo- 
 seph, Mary and Raymond, the last named 
 living with our subject; Agnes, wife of 
 John Kemper, has one boy, Leonard ; Paul ; 
 Cecelia ; Leo, who married Lillian Munyon 
 and has two children — Mary Catherine De- 
 loris and Francis Patrick; and Josephine. 
 Keiigiously, they are members of the Ger- 
 man Catholic Church at Butler, and Mr. 
 Schaffner is a member of the C. M. B. A. 
 In political affiliation, he is a Republican. 
 
 THEODORE VOGELEY, of Butler, was 
 born in this city in 1867, youngest st)n of 
 Willipm and Mary E. Vogeley. His pater- 
 nal grandfather, George Vogeley, usually 
 known as George Vogeley, Sr., was a native 
 of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, and 
 was born August 5, 1793. This early pro- 
 
 genitor of the family, coming to the United 
 States in 1836, first settled in Pittsburg, 
 where for three years he followed the trade 
 of shoemaking. He then removed to Butler 
 County, opening a general store at Saxon- 
 burg, where also he continued to prosecute 
 his trade. At a later date he became pro- 
 prietor of a hotel in that village, which he 
 conducted for about twenty-five years. In 
 1866 he retired from active business and 
 removed to Butler, where his death subse- 
 quently took place, February 22, 1871. He 
 was for many years a leading citizen of 
 Saxonburg. He was at first a member of 
 the Evangelical Church, but after locating 
 in Butler County united with the Reformed 
 Church, of which he was thereafter an ac- 
 tive member. In politics he was at first a 
 Whig and afterwards a Republican. He 
 married in Germany Anna E. Mardorf, and 
 tlieir family numbered eleven children, 
 namely: Conrad, who died in Pittsburg in 
 1883; Christopher, who died in Allegheny 
 County in 1871; John, who died in Califor- 
 nia in 1879 ; William, who died in Butler in 
 1873; George Jr., who died in Butler in 
 1896; Edward, who died in California in 
 1850; Anna, who married Frederick HoU- 
 man, and died in 1906 ; Annie G., who died 
 in infancy; Mary E., who also died young; 
 Charles C., a resident of San Francisco; 
 Hannah, who married Ferdinand Weigand, 
 and died in 1895 ; and James, who resides in 
 Tarentum, Pa. 
 
 William Vogeley, fourth son of George 
 and Anna E. Vogeley, was born in Ger- 
 many, December 10, 1822, and received a 
 limited education in his native town. After 
 the family settled in Saxonburg, this 
 county, he worked for his father until 1842, 
 at which time he came to Butler. Soon 
 after he purchased the Rising Sun tavern, 
 a log structure, which stood upon the site 
 of the Vogeley House, now the Arlington. 
 He erected the latter and conducted it up 
 to the time of retirement in 1867. In addi- 
 tion to his hotel interests, he was largely 
 engaged in the real estate business, also in 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1269 
 
 farming, and operated a coal mine that was 
 situated on his farm. He was a public spir- 
 ited citizen who took an active interest in 
 local affairs and who exercised a strong 
 influence for good in the community. He 
 was one of tlie original members of the 
 Reformed Church in Butler and contrib- 
 uted liberally towards the erection of the 
 old church building on Mifflin Street, now 
 occupied by the Baptist congregation. He 
 was one of the first directors of the Butler 
 Savings Bank and was identified with that 
 institution for niany years. Mr. Vogeley 
 married Mary E., daughter of John Oester- 
 ling, of Sunnnit Township, a native of Ger- 
 many. They had eleven children, of whom 
 six died in youth and five grew to maturity, 
 namely: David E., who was teller of the 
 Butler Savings Bank, and died in 1875; 
 Annie, wife of W. H. Ensminger; Mary, 
 wife of W. F. Metzger; Amelia, wife of 
 W. A. Stein; and Theodore. Mr. Vogeley 
 died October 5, 1873, and his widow died 
 December 25, 1899. 
 
 Theodore Vogeley obtained his literary 
 education in the public schools of Butler 
 and at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, 
 and is also a graduate of Duff's Commer- 
 cial College, Pittsburg. He began indus- 
 trial life as bookkeeper for the Fisher Oil 
 Company, and was later promoted to the 
 position of superintendent. Subsequently, 
 he was for a time connected with the oil 
 industry in this section. In 1890 he en- 
 gaged in the real estate and insurance busi- 
 ness, with which line of business enterprise 
 he has since been prominently connected. 
 Mr. Vogeley is a stockholder in the Butler 
 Savings and Trust Company, the Butler 
 County Fair Association, and the Cottage 
 Hill Ijand Company, of which he is secre- 
 tary. He is one of the stirring young busi- 
 ness men of the city, whose wisely directed 
 energies redound not only to his own per- 
 sonal benefit, but contribute to the general 
 prosperity of the community, and for 
 whom doubtless the future holds many good 
 things yet in store. 
 
 Mr. Vogeley was married in 1895 to Miss 
 Mignonette Gumpper, a daughter of G. H. 
 Gumpper of Butler. Mr. and Mrs. Vogeley 
 are the parents of three children : Dorothy 
 Gumpper, Theodore Kenneth, and Ray- 
 mond Alfred. Mr. Vogeley is a member of 
 St. Mark's German Lutheran Church. He 
 also belongs to the Country Club and to the 
 Sterling Club, select social organizations. 
 In politics he is a Republicau. 
 
 DENNIS P. McGUIRK, a leading stone 
 and brick contrawtor at Butler, and one of 
 the city's representative and lesjx'cted cit- 
 izens, was born Octoberll, liS.")li, in .Marion 
 Township, Butler Count}', Pennsylvania. 
 
 Thomas McGuirk, father of Dennis P., 
 was born in Coimty Cork, Ireland, emi- 
 grated in youth to America, and came to 
 Butler about 1844. He settled in Marion 
 Township, Butler County, where he culti- 
 vated land and followed his trade of stone 
 cutter. 
 
 Dennis P. McGuirk went to school until 
 he was thirteen j'ears old, the sessions be- 
 ing held in an old log building not far from 
 his father's place in Marion Township. He 
 then began hard work, learning the stone- 
 mason's trade with his imcle, James Mc- 
 Guirk. Mr. McGuirk has continued thus 
 occupied for half a century and few masons 
 in this section, if any, have done more or 
 better work. Since 1884 he has given his 
 attention to contracting and his name on a 
 contract gives assurance that the work will 
 be up to specifications and completed on 
 time. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. McGuirk was married to 
 Miss Marilla Crawford, who was born and 
 reared in Butler County, and they have the 
 following children: Thomas H., who is en- 
 gaged in contracting at Butler; Grover; 
 ' Sadie ; and Pearl and Ethel, both residing 
 at home. Mr. McGuirk is a member of St. 
 Paul's Catholic Church at Butler. He is 
 interested in the charitable work of the 
 church and for fifteen years has been a 
 member of the Catholic Mutual Benefit As- 
 
1270 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 sociation. In his political views he is a 
 Democrat. 
 
 DANIEL McMAHON, farmer of Clear- 
 field Township, was the son of Michael 
 McMahon, and was born in 1840, in Ire- 
 land. When three months of age he was 
 brought to xVmerica by his parents, who 
 became residents of Clearfield Township, 
 Butler County, and here he grew to man- 
 hood. Besides farming, the McMahon men 
 were employed about the mills and iron 
 furnaces of that period, and the summer of 
 1861 found Daniel in West Virginia en- 
 gaged in the furnace business. The break- 
 ing out of the Civil War put a stop to the 
 business in which he was engaged, and Mr. 
 McMahon enlisted in Company K, Second 
 Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry, and 
 served in the Federal Army until his regi- 
 ment was mustered out of service in the 
 fall of 1864. He was twice promoted in the 
 line of duty, and was discharged as a ser- 
 geant. For distinguished service and brav- 
 very in the line of duty, he was presented 
 with a medal by the State of West Vir- 
 ginia, which bears the inscription, "The 
 State of West Virginia, 1861-1865," and 
 on the reverse side, the coat of arms of the 
 state. 
 
 After his discharge from the army, ]\Ir. 
 McMahon returned to Butler County and 
 engaged in farming, which occupation he 
 continued until his death, July 31, 1899. 
 November 28, 1865, he was married to Miss 
 Teressa, daughter of Manassa Dugan, a 
 pioneer of Clearfield . Township. Four 
 daughters were born to this union, viz. : 
 Mary T. ; Katherine; Sarah B., wife of 
 Andrew Coyle of Butler; and Grace A., 
 known in the order of the Sisters of Mercy 
 as Sister Veronica. After the death of Mr. 
 McMahon in 1899, the widow and daughters 
 removed to Butler, where they now reside. 
 The family are members of St. Paul's Cath- 
 olic Church. Manassa Dugan, above men- 
 tioned, came to Clearfield Township in 
 1794, when about twelve years of age. He 
 
 was the son of Dennis Dugan, who made 
 the original settlement on the tract of land 
 now owned by Mrs. Daniel McMahon. He 
 married Grace Dugan, daughter of Cor- 
 nelius Dugan, of Donegal Township, who 
 was not related to him. They were the par- 
 ents of seventeen children. With the ex- 
 ception of three who died in infancy, all of 
 this remarkable family lived to maturity, 
 and became prominent factors in the early 
 development of Clearfield Towmship and 
 other sections of the county. The names of 
 these children were: Andrew; Mary 
 (Duff); Peter; Manassa, Jr.; Dennis; 
 Bridget (McClafferty) ; Margaret; Nancy 
 (McCrea); Elizabeth (Denny); Katherine 
 (Giles); Teressa (McMahon); Michael; 
 and John. The log dwelling house whi»h 
 is still standing on the McMahon farm in 
 Clearfield Township was erected by Ma- 
 nassa Dugan about 1800, and is probably 
 the oldest house in the township. Manassa 
 Dugan w^as a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 and up until his death, about 1840, was one 
 of the active and progressive citizens of the 
 eastern section of the county. 
 
 OLIVER W. STOUGHTON, who, as 
 superintendent of the Butler County 
 Home, has made this public institution a 
 credit to Butler County, is one of her best 
 known and esteemed citizens. Mr. Stough- 
 ton was born March 6, 1853, in Clay 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., and is 
 a son of Matthew and Margaret (Davis) 
 Stoughton. 
 
 Mr. Stoughton comes of sturdy old 
 American stock. On both sides his grand- 
 fathers were upright, honorable men. 
 Grandfather Stoughton was a leading 
 member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in 
 Franklin Township, Butler County, in 
 which he at times served officially, while 
 Grandfather Davis was equally prominent 
 in St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 situated in Clay Township. They both 
 had come to the county as pioneers and 
 both became men of substance and large 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1273 
 
 landowners. They were both of the type 
 that promoted the solid growth of the sec- 
 tion which was fortunate in securing them 
 and through long and worthy lives they 
 encouraged and promoted the enterprises 
 which resulted in the present fertile fields, 
 churches, schools, charities, and happy 
 households amid peaceful surroundings. 
 
 Matthew Stoughton, father of Oliver W., 
 was born in Clay Township, Butler 
 County, in 1831, and diod in 1855, when 
 aged but twenty-four years. During his 
 short life after reaching matiarity, he was 
 associated with his cousin, Oliver Stough- 
 ton, of Harlansburg, in the stock business. 
 He married Margaret Davis, who was born 
 in Franklin Township, Butler County, in 
 1830, and is a daughter of Samuel Davis. 
 To tliis union two children were born: 
 Oliver W. and Mary Isabella, the latter 
 of whom is deceased. Some time later, 
 Mrs. Stoughton was married (second) to 
 Robert J. Davis, and three sous were born 
 to that marriage, namely : Elmer, residing 
 at Unionville, Butler County; Otis M., 
 deceased; and James Monroe, also of 
 Unionville. The mother lives at Union- 
 ville, where she is a valued member of 
 the Presybterian Church. Although she 
 has reached her seventy-eighth year, she 
 is active in bodj^ and alert in mind. 
 
 When Oliver W. Stoughton was about 
 four years of age, he went to live with his 
 maternal grandfather and some years 
 afterward, another relative, Mrs. Susan 
 Davis, took charge of him and with her 
 he resided until he was twelve years old 
 and then became a member of the family 
 of Thomas Brannon, with whom he re- 
 mained for five years. For this man Mr. 
 Stoughton cherishes feelings of esteem 
 and veneration. To the fatherless boy he 
 was as a parent and gave him a real home, 
 being interested in his schooling, health 
 and comfort. AVlien seventeen years of 
 age, ^Tv. Stoughton left the kind care of 
 Mr. Brannon in order to prepare himself 
 for a future life of usefulness. He came 
 
 to Butler with the expectation of starting 
 to learn the wagonmaking trade, but cir- 
 cumstances prevented and he worked 
 awhile with farmers and then learned the 
 plastering trade. While working as a 
 plasterer in the summer he went to the 
 Unionville schools in the winter until his 
 health partially failed. Then he decided 
 to prepare himself for teaching and at- 
 tended Witherspoon Institute for three 
 terms, after which he taught school for 
 some years, mainly through the winter 
 seasons, during 1874-5-6-7 and 1878. In 
 the meanwhile he was married and in 
 1876, while he was teaching, his capable 
 wife carried on a store at Holyoke, in 
 Center Township. In April, 1878, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stoughton moved to Brady Town- 
 ship and opened up a store and the enter- 
 prise gave such promise of success that 
 lie decided to give up teaching and devote 
 his entire attention to merchandising. 
 
 Mr. Stoughton continued his store busi- 
 ness for several years when he decided to 
 engage in farming and after selling his 
 stock, he rented a farm in Brady Town- 
 ship, which he operated for two years and 
 then repurchased his old store and con- 
 tinued to operate it for some years longer. 
 He still cherished, however, a desire for 
 an agricultural life and again bought a 
 farm, this time in Prospect borough. 
 While living there he organized and be- 
 came the manager of the Prospect Cream- 
 ery, his associates in thebusiness being: 
 ■John W. Shaffer, N. S. Grossman, James 
 Wilson and David West. The creamery 
 ])lant was built by a Pittsburg company 
 that failed to make it a success and Mr. 
 Stoughton and his associates purchased 
 the property for $1,000. A loss of a con- 
 siderable amount, through early misman- 
 agement, threw the burden of indebted- 
 ness on Mr; Stoughton, and he found him- 
 self liable for more than he felt able to 
 pay, but he assumed the debts and every 
 dollar was reimbursed. The selling of that 
 l>lant followed and a new one was erected 
 
1274 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and as Mr. Stoughton had full charge 
 there he made it jaay for itself and when 
 he disposed of his interest in 1898, the 
 plant was paying out to the neighboring 
 farmers from $700 to $900 a month. 
 
 After leaving Prospect, Mr. Stoughton 
 went to Evans City and for one year con- 
 ducted a store there, which he sold in 
 order to become superintendent of the 
 Condensed Milk plant at Cowdersport, 
 where he remained for one year. In 1901 
 he purchased the John C. Moore farm in 
 Center Township, containing 150 acres, 
 which he and sons have developed into 
 one of the best estates in this part of But- 
 ler County. The sons give all their at- 
 tention to the various industries of this 
 place, cultivating the land scientifically, 
 raising fifty head of cattle and many 
 horses, and wholesaling milk to the 
 amount of $2,500 a year. Almost all of 
 this large farm is under cultivation, scien- 
 tific cultivation, and it produces abun- 
 dantly, in 1908 they having a yield of 133 
 bushels of corn to the acre. Mr. Stough- 
 ton has two silos on his own farm, one of 
 200 ton and the other of fifty ton. His 
 buildings are substantial and all his sur- 
 roundings indicate the effect of intelligent 
 observation and practical application. 
 
 Mr. Stoughton was married to Parmelia 
 Agnes Garvin, the estimable daughter of 
 Benjamin Garvin, a farmer of Cranberry 
 Township, Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Stoughton have had five children, two of 
 whom died in infancy, the three survivors 
 being: Lester G. and George W., who 
 operate the farm in Center Township; 
 and Samuel J., who is in the employ of 
 the Heintz Manufacturing Company. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stoughton are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church at Holyoke, 
 in which he is an elder and Sunday-school 
 superintendent since 1880. 
 
 In 1906, Mr. Stoughton was appointed 
 superintendent of the Butler County 
 Home and his wife became the matron of 
 
 the institution. The Home accommodates 
 200 or more inmates. The coimty faiTa 
 contains 125 acres under cultivation, there 
 being 190 acres in the tract. Since Mr. 
 Stoughton has had charge but two hands 
 are needed in the summer and one in win- 
 ter, the inmates being able to do the rest 
 of the work. Mr. Stoughton applies the 
 same scientific methods to cultivating the 
 farm here that he does on his own prop- 
 erty and in 1907 he sold produce to the 
 amount of $1,997, and at the same time 
 supported the inmates comfortably. In all 
 branches of management, he and wife 
 adopt the most modern methods and have 
 succeeded in making this institution a 
 model one. In politics he is a Republican. 
 
 JAMES WILSON MeCANDLESS, pro- 
 prietor of a blaeksmithing establishment 
 and re])air shop at Eau Claire, comes of an 
 old and well known family of Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he was born. The date of his birth is Jan- 
 uarv 7, 1839, and he is a son of Robert D. 
 and Elizabeth (Turk) McCandless. 
 
 Robert D. McCandless was the youngest 
 of four children born to his parents, the 
 others being: James, wlio married a Miss 
 McKlin; William, who first intermari'ied 
 with the Ralston family, and later with 
 Miss Ann McCall of Butler; and Mark, 
 who married a Miss Russell. Robert D. 
 was united in the bonds of wedlock with 
 Elizabeth Turk, a daughter of John Turk 
 of Center Township, Butler County, and 
 to them were born six children: Emma, 
 who married William McCall of Glade 
 ]Mills, Butler County ; Martha, who married 
 Samuel McCall and lives in Missouri ; Cald- 
 well, who married Nancy McCandless, a 
 daughter of Robert McCandless, and has 
 two children ; David, who is a blacksmith at 
 Euclid; and Mary (Wick) of Butler 
 County; John, who married Jane Thomp- 
 son, a daughter of John Thompson, and has 
 four childreia — Thompson, Elizabeth, Mag- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1275 
 
 gie and Carr ; Reddick R., who first married 
 a Miss Reider, and later a^Iiss Deere; and 
 James W., -whose name heads this sketch. 
 
 James Wilson McCandless attended the 
 old Reider school and the Miller school in 
 Clay Township, and then took up the trade 
 of a blacksmith in 1856 under his brother 
 John at Beaver Falls. He subsequently 
 worked at his trade in West Svmbury, and 
 at Dudley Furnace. He was working at 
 Fairview during the early part of the Civil 
 War, and in 1862 enlisted as a member of 
 the Sixty-second Regiment, P. V. I., under 
 Colonel Black. He saw much hard service 
 and continued in the army until the last 
 year of the war, being mustered out in 
 1865. He then resumed his trade at An- 
 derson's Mills in Venango Township and 
 continued there until 1870, when he lo- 
 cated at Eau Claire. He lias since con- 
 ducted a blacksmith shop in that borough 
 and has met with a high degree of success. 
 He is the owner of three good properties 
 there, and has good substantial buildings 
 located thereon. He is deeply interested 
 in matters of public improvement, and is a 
 progressive and public spirited citizen. 
 
 Mr. McCandless was joined in marriage 
 with Miss Sarah Sutton, a daughter of 
 James Sutton of Fairview Township, and 
 they became parents of the following: R. J., 
 who married Nettie Scott, a daughter of 
 John Scott of Eau Claire ; Ursu, who mar- 
 ried Nellie Woner and has two children, 
 Arthur and a daughter who has not yet 
 been named; May H., deceased wife of Sol- 
 omon McCall, by whom she had two chil- 
 dren. Earl and Clyde. In religious attach- 
 ment, Mr. McCandless has been a member 
 of the M. E. Church of the borough for 
 more than a score of vears. He is officer of 
 the dav of S. J. Rosenburv Post, No. 538, 
 G. A. R., at Eau Claire. Politically, he is a 
 Republican. 
 
 PROF. P. S. BANCROFT was born in 
 Litchfield Countv, Connecticut, where his 
 
 parents and maternal grandparents long 
 resided. Earl Bancroft, the father of the 
 subject of this sketch, moved to Crawford 
 County, Pennsylvania, when the latter was 
 eight years of age, settling on a farm near 
 Meadville. The son was brought up on the 
 farm and educated at Allegheny College, 
 Meadville, where he graduated in the class 
 of 1855. He taught Greek and Latin in 
 Madison College, Uniontown, Pennsylva- 
 nia, for two years, and in 1861 he entered 
 the 111th Pennsylvania Volunteers, as a 
 Second Lieutenant, and siibsequently be- 
 came a member of the Third Regiment Vet- 
 eran Reserve Corps, serving in all nearly 
 four years, during the last two of which 
 he held the rank of Captain. In 1866 Pro- 
 fessor Bancroft married Bella Brinker, 
 youngest daughter of Col. Jacob Brinker, 
 and granddaughter of Abraham Brinker, 
 one of the first settlers of Butler. They 
 had two sons, and one daughter, viz. : Earl 
 D., of Butler; Grove G., deceased; and 
 Flora G., wife of William H. Tilton, of But- 
 ler. Professor Bancroft came to Butler in 
 1877, and was for several years principal 
 of old Witherspoon Institute, but finally 
 abandoned teaching for newspaper work. 
 He began writing for the Butler Eagle in 
 March, 1888, and in October 1, 1889, became 
 associate editor of the Butler County Rec- 
 ord, a position which he still holds. Pro- 
 fessor Bancroft and family are members 
 of St. Peter's Protestant Episcoi^al Church, 
 of Butler, and in politics he is a supporter 
 of the Republican party. 
 
 WILLIAM C. NEGLEY, editor of the 
 Butler Citizen, is a son of John H. and 
 Mary (Hari^er) Negley, and a grandson of 
 John Negley, the pioneer of Butler. He 
 was born in Butler borough December 18, 
 1850, attended the public schools of the 
 liorough, and passed a short term in what 
 is known as the Old Stone Academy, and 
 in 1865, he entered the United States Acad- 
 emy at Annapolis, and there studied for 
 
1276 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 four years. xVfter completing his studies 
 at the Academy, the condition of his health 
 obliged him to abandon the naval service 
 and he i-eturned to Butler, where he became 
 associated with his father in the publica- 
 tion of the Citizen. He became sole owner 
 and publisher of the Citizen in 1888 and 
 still continues in the active duties of the 
 office. Mr. Negley was married in January, 
 1878, to. Airs. Emma Stauffer, daughter of 
 Squire Armor, of Zelienople. To them 
 'have been born seven children, three of 
 whom are living: William, of California; 
 John, of Butler; and Emma, who is mar- 
 ried. 
 
 Mr. Negley has always been a staunch 
 Republican, and in his capacity as editor of 
 the Citizen has rendered invaluable services 
 to his party in the county. 
 
 WILLIAM E. LACKEY, proprietor of 
 the Lackey Hotel at Chicora, is one of the 
 prominent men of Donegal Township. He 
 was born in this township, one mile east of 
 Chicora, September 25, 1857, son of James 
 K. and Elizabeth (Wolfer) Lackey. His 
 parents were old settlers of the county. 
 The father died at the age of fifty-seven 
 and the mother at that of forty-two years. 
 They were the parents of seven children, 
 namely : Eliza, deceased ; John H. ; William 
 E.; Jacob M., deceased; Abraham M. ; Al- 
 fred, deceased ; and Rosella. 
 
 William E. Lackey when a young man 
 learned the blacksmith's trade, about 1873 
 becoming an apprentice under Henry Fred- 
 erick. He subsequently followed the trade 
 here for about thirty years, building a shop 
 on Main Street, which he carried on until 
 he retired, on May 10th, 1900. In that year 
 he pur'ehased his present hotel from John 
 Dolan, and has since conducted it success- 
 fully, proving a capal)le host and catering 
 satisfactorily to the wants of a large and 
 varied patronage. He has been a member 
 of the Chicora Fire Department for thirty- 
 two years, serving as chief for eighteen 
 years of that time, and he was formerlv a 
 
 member of the old Shannon Hose Company 
 of this place. His administration of the 
 department as chief has been progressive 
 and up to date, and for a town of its size 
 Chicora is well equipped for fire-fighting, 
 both as to apparatus and personnel. 
 
 Mr. Lackey was married November 25, 
 1880, at Chicora, by Rev. Mr. Felker, to 
 Mary A. Frederick, a daughter of Bern- 
 hardt and Katherine Frederick, her par- 
 ents being old settlers of Butler County, 
 and among the most respected. Bernhardt 
 Friederich was born at Birfelden, Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, Germany, in 1834. He came 
 to America in 1853, first settling in St. 
 Louis, Missouri, where he remained for 
 tliree years working at his trade of wagon 
 making. He then came to Millerstowu 
 (now Chicora), Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and followed his trade until 1860, 
 when his right hand was injured, making- 
 it necessary for him to tind some other 
 means of obtaining a livelihood. He ac- 
 cordingly embarked in the mercantile busi- 
 ness, beginning on a small scale, his first 
 stock costing only thirty-five dollars. The 
 oil developments in the county soon 
 brought increased business and he found it 
 necessary to erect a large two-story build- 
 ing to accommodate his trade. In 1877 fire 
 destroyed his store and the greater part of 
 its contents. In 1873 he also suffered a 
 severe loss by robbery. But not discour- 
 aged by these reverses, he built a third 
 store and was soon doing a larger business 
 than ever. In 1884, however, his entire 
 business was again swept from him by fire. 
 He then went out of the mercantile business 
 and devoted himself to oil production, op- 
 erating in the vicinity of East Brady and 
 in other fields. He was identified with the 
 German National Bank of Millerstown, now 
 Chicora, as director and stockholder, was 
 intersted in a refinery at Brady's Bend, in 
 the Buena Vista silver mine of Colorado, 
 and various other business enterprises. He 
 held at various times nearly all the princi- 
 pal offices of the borough of Millerstown 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1277 
 
 and of the school district from its incorpo- 
 ration, was one of the first members of the 
 Protected Home Circle, of Millerstown, and 
 from the age of fourteen an active member 
 of the Lutheran Church. At his death, 
 which took place October 12, 1895, his age 
 was sixty years, ten months and seventeen 
 days; his loss caused general sorrow 
 throughout the community. 
 
 In 1857 Mr. Friederich married Kather- 
 ine Frederick, of Summit Township, this 
 county. She survived her husband, dying 
 at her home in Millerstown (Chicora) April 
 2, 1907, at the age of seventy years. She 
 was a member of the Millerstown English 
 Lutheran Church and belonged to the Pro- 
 tected Home Circle. She was a woman 
 much esteemed for her many kind and 
 neighborly qualities. Mr. and Mrs. Fried- 
 erich were the parents of five daughters: 
 Mrs. Christine Foster of Parker's Land- 
 ing; Mrs. Mary Lackey of Chicora, Mrs. 
 Emma Baker of Allegheny, and Katlierine 
 and Lula. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. William E. Lackey have 
 been born the following children: Harry 
 B. F., Sylvester J., Irene Gertrude, Nina 
 L., Lucinda Christena, and Lena Emma. 
 
 Harry B. F. Lackey, born September 1, 
 1881, died February 17, 1904. He was like 
 his father, a member of the Chicora fire de- 
 partment. Sylvester J. Lackey, born Au- 
 gust 12, 1883" attended Allegheny College 
 at Meadville, Pennsylvania, after graduat- 
 ing from the public schools of Chicora. He 
 later became a student at the Medical De- 
 partment of the Western University of 
 Pennsylvania, where he was gradiiated 
 June 8, 1908. He began the practice of his 
 pi'ofession at Limestone, Clarion County, 
 Pennsylvania, November 1st of the same 
 year and has already acquired a fine prac- 
 tice. Dr. Lackey married Ethel Kemmer 
 and he and his wife have two children, 
 Evelyn R. and Lucilla Geraldine. Irene 
 Gertrude Lackey married J. W. Painter in 
 December, 1905, and lives at Oakland, Cal- 
 
 ifornia. She has a daughter, Mattie Irene. 
 Lucinda Christena and Lena Emma reside 
 at home. 
 
 Mr. Lackey is a member of the Protected 
 Home Circle, at Chicora, and of the Eagles, 
 at E. Brady. He belongs to the English 
 Lutheran Church. In addition to his labors 
 on the fire department, Mr. Lackey has 
 given three years' service as school di- 
 rector, proving very efficient in this office. 
 His record exhibits him as one of the useful 
 men of the township and he has the respect 
 and esteem of his fellow citizens among 
 whom he has passed his life thus far. His 
 surviving children are all worthy members 
 of the respective communities in which they 
 reside. 
 
 E. DeWITT CLINTON, proprietor of 
 the Hotel Clinton, one of the finest 
 equipped hotels not only in Butler but in 
 the state, has been a resident of Butler 
 for the ijast fourteen years. He was born 
 at Pleasantville, Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania. In 1894 Mr. Clinton moved 
 from Warren, Pennsylvania, to Butler, and 
 in association with his father became in- 
 terested in the oil business. 
 
 In 1900 he became engaged in the hotel 
 business. In 1906-1907 he built .the Hotel 
 Clinton. It is a fine structure, and is a 
 credit to the city. It has thirty-five rooms 
 and is modern in every particular, one of 
 the features being the magnesia mineral 
 spring which flows continually and is used 
 throughout the hotel, all bed rooms and 
 bath rooms having the running water. 
 
 In 1897 Mr. Clinton married M. Flor- 
 ence McFarland, daughter of J. Wills Mc- 
 Farland, and thev have three bright sons 
 —Edward Scott, Joseph DeWitt, and Wills 
 Hathaway — that make a happy family. 
 
 Mr. Clinton is a member of the Elks; 
 the First Ward Hose Company, having 
 been a member of the famous hose team 
 for ten years. The Company holds the 
 world's record for 250 yards, making the 
 
1278 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COl NTY 
 
 distance iu thirty-two seconds, and they 
 are also winners of many races. He is 
 one of the charter members of the Butler 
 Country Club, Butler Board of Trade and 
 of the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 RALPH GREGG, proprietor of the 
 Lowry House, a well-kept and popular 
 hotel at Butler, situated on the corner of 
 Main Street and Jefferson Avenue, has 
 been a resident of this city since 1887. He 
 was born December 14, 1855, in Buffalo 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., and is 
 a son of William S. ami Maxy Catherine 
 (Kulm) Gregg. 
 
 Robert J. Gregg, grandfather of Ralph 
 Gregg, was born in WasMngton County, 
 Penna., in 1801, and followed farming- 
 there for many years. In 1840 he became 
 weighmaster on the canal at Allegheny, 
 where he resided until 1854, in which year 
 he removed to Butler Coi;nty. He was 
 married in 1823 to Alice Hogan, a daugh- 
 ter of AVilliam Hogan, of Washington 
 County, and they became the parents of 
 four children, namely : John, Harriet, Will- 
 iam S., and Robert. Robert J. Gregg died 
 January 31, 1893, his wife Alice having 
 preceded him to the grave in 1838. They 
 were members of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church. In politics he was a Democrat. 
 
 William S. Gregg was born in Washing- 
 ton County, Penna., September 3, 1831. 
 He came to Butler County with his parents 
 and settled at Monroeville, where he kept 
 a hotel. Subsequently he operated a hack 
 line between Butler and Freeport, later 
 was in the distillery business for a while, 
 operating a plant near Freeport. In 1886 
 he removed to Butler, where, besides oper- 
 ating a hack line, he carried on a livery 
 stable. He was married in 1852 to Mary 
 Catherine Kuhn, of Butler County, and 
 they were the parents of ten children, 
 namely: John; Ralph; Ellen, wife of John 
 Waters ; Robert ; Harry ; William, now de- 
 ceased; Isabel, wife of Charles Breneman; 
 
 Annie M., wife of John FuUerton; Charles, 
 and one that died in infancy. The mother 
 of the above mentioned children died Octo- 
 ber 14, 1905, and the father, William S. 
 Gregg, now resides with his son Ralph, in 
 Butler, having now attained to a venerable 
 age. 
 
 Ralph Gregg in his youth attended the 
 district schools of his neighborhood. He 
 began industrial life on a farm and sub- 
 sequently became employed in the oil 
 fields, first at Karns City, and later in New 
 York State and in the Bradford field, in 
 Pennsylvania. In 1887 he returned to But- 
 ler and for the next twelve years operated 
 a first-class livery stable. He then went 
 to Parker's Landing and engaged in con- 
 tracting, with his brother, Charles Gregg, 
 at the same time conducting a hotel. Sub- 
 sequently he became proprietor of a hotel 
 at Petrolia. Returning later to Butler he 
 conducted the Park Hotel until April, 1907, 
 at which time he purchased the Lowry 
 House at Butlei'. This is one of the oldest 
 and best known hotels in the city, with a 
 desirable patronage, and under Mr. 
 Gregg's able management it bids fair to 
 excel even its former good record. Mr. 
 Gregg is still interested in the oil business 
 and is a prominent and prosperous citizen 
 of Butler. 
 
 Mr. Gregg was married at Parker's 
 Landing, on November 11, 1897, to Miss 
 Charlotte Gertrude Burkholder, a daughter 
 of Samuel C. and Thalia Ann (Frazier) 
 Burkholder. The father of Mrs. Gregg is 
 a veteran of the Civil War. He served 
 three years and four months in the army, 
 was wounded and taken prisoner at Ply- 
 mouth, North Carolina, and was incarcer- 
 ated for ten months in the Salisbury and 
 Libby Prisons. He served for twelve 
 years as postmaster at Pollock, Pennsyl- 
 vania. Both he and wife now reside at 
 Butler. Mr. and Mrs. Gregg have had 
 three children : Ralph Kenneth, Paul Emer- 
 son and Ruth, the latter of whom died at 
 the age of one year and ten months. 
 
RALPH GREGG 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1281 
 
 THOMAS J. GOLDTHORP, who is uow 
 living in retirement at North Hope, Wash- 
 ington Township, in Butler County, Penn- 
 sj'Ivania, was for many years engaged as 
 a glass blower, and later as an agricultur- 
 ist. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sep- 
 temper 20, 1839, and is a son of Franklin 
 and Rebecca (Scott) Goldthorp, and a 
 grandson of Josiah and Elizabeth (Pillon) 
 Goldthorp. His maternal grandfather was 
 Thomas Scott of Washington County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Some years after his marriage, Frank- 
 lin Goldthorp moved with his family to 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where 
 the remainder of his days were spent. He 
 and his wife were parents of nine children, 
 of whom there were four sons, as follows : 
 Horatio, who died in 1900; John P., de- 
 ceased; Joseph, deceased; and Thomas J. 
 Of the entire family there are but two now 
 living, Thomas J. and Mrs. Margaret Mc- 
 Murray, both of North Hope, 
 
 Thomas J. Goldthorp received his in- 
 tellectual training in the public schools of 
 Pittsburg, after which he learned the trade 
 of a glass blower. That trade he followed 
 some years, then turned his attention to 
 farming in Allegheny. He inherited a 
 tract of iifty-five acres of land, but sold 
 the pro]ierty when he retired from busi- 
 ness activity. He is the owner of one prop- 
 erty in North Hope, and is a stockholder 
 in the Washington Fair Association of 
 that village. 
 
 Mr. Goldthorp was united in marriage 
 with Mrs. Laura (Kerr) Bovard, a daugh- 
 ter of Levi Thomas Kerr of Venango 
 County, and widow of Thomas Bovard, 
 by whom she had the following children: 
 Plmnmer, who lives in California; Amy 
 Etta: Cora Lillian; Minnie Fay; Sidney; 
 and Bessie May, who sings in the choir of 
 the United Presbyterian Church at North 
 Hope. ■ They have a comfortable home in 
 North Hope and have a wide circle of 
 friends throughout this locality. Political- 
 ly, the subject of this sketch is a Repub- 
 
 lican. He is a Presbyterian in religious 
 faith, but owing to the absence of a church 
 of that denomination nearby, attends the 
 United Presbyterian Church at North 
 Hope, to the support of which he liberally 
 contributes. 
 
 LEANDER ADAMS is a prominent 
 farmer of Marion Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and is the owner of an 
 excellent farm of 111 acres, located about 
 one mile west of Murrinsville. He was 
 born in a log house on the farm now owned 
 by him, January 15, 1848, and is a son of 
 Joshua and Sarah (Kimes) Adams. 
 
 James Adams, grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, came to Butler County 
 at a very early period and settled at Adams 
 Corners, near the present borough of Slip- 
 pery Rock. He partly cleared the farm 
 and continued to reside there until his 
 death at the age of eighty years. He and 
 his wife were parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Joshua, Ephraim, John, Josiah, 
 James, Eli, William, Sarah, widow of Rev. 
 A. Dale, and Hannah Jane, who was the 
 wife of a man named McCune. 
 
 Joshua Adams was born at Adams 
 Corners, Butler County, in 1819, and as- 
 sisted in clearing the home farm, on which 
 he lived until his marriage. His wife was 
 in maiden life, Sarah Kimes, and upon her 
 marriage, her father, Thomas Kimes, gave 
 her a tract of forty-two acres, which was 
 the nucleus of the farm now owned by the 
 subject of this sketch. They built a log 
 house on this farm, which still stands, and 
 from time to time added to their posses- 
 sions until they had 120 acres. He died 
 here in ]883, and was survived by his 
 widow until 1898, when she passed away 
 at the age of seventy-two years. They 
 were parents of the following children: 
 Eliza Jane, who was the wife of Richard 
 AT'an Dike, both being now deceased ; 
 Leander, whose name heads this article; 
 Sarah Ann, widow of Jackson Bla<k; 
 Maria, deceased wife of Jacob Diblo; ]\fe- 
 
1282 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 lissa, who died in iut'aney ; Josiah T. ; aud 
 Laura, wife of Elmer Stoops. 
 
 Leander Adams spent iiis boyhood days 
 on the farm and attended the old district 
 school a few months each winter. Being 
 the eldest son, much of the farm work de- 
 volved upon him, and he early in life be- 
 came inured to hard work, which he has 
 kept up throughout his active career. Af- 
 ter his marriage he first located on a piece 
 of the home farm, sixty acres of which he 
 inherited at his father's death. He set up 
 housekeeping in the old log house and later 
 purchased a house of his brother-in-law, 
 Jacob Dible, and in this they set up house- 
 keeping. He later purchased ten acres of 
 his brother, Josiah, and in 1896 bought an 
 additional piece of forty acres from his 
 mother. He has always followed diversi- 
 fied farming, and success has crowned his 
 efforts. He takes an active interest in 
 public affairs and for some years was a 
 Republican, being elected to the office of 
 school director on that ticket. For a 
 score or more of years he has been a Pro- 
 hibitionist, and in 1908 was the party can- 
 didate for county commissioner, receiving 
 a complimentary vote of 660. 
 
 September 10, 1874, Mr. Adams was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Eliza- 
 beth Black, a daughter of Squire William 
 and Margaret (Cross) Black. Mr. Black 
 served as justice of the peace in Marion 
 Township for many years. He was first 
 married to Isabella Mitchell, who died 
 leaving eight children — Martin, Ca])tain 
 Mitchell, Hiram, William, Margaret, Julia, 
 Isabella and Jackson. His second union 
 was with Mai'garet Cross, by whom he had 
 two children : Mary Elizabeth, wife of our 
 subject; and Washington E. All are now 
 deceased except Margaret and Mary Eliza- 
 beth. Captain Mitchell, Hiram aiid Will- 
 iam Black gave their lives in the Union 
 cause during the war. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Adams became parents of the following 
 children: Lillian Jane, who is the wife of 
 Harvey Henon and has a daughter, Aven- 
 
 nell Lucile; Fannie Fern, wife of Samuel 
 McDonald; Twila Daisy; Margaret N. ; 
 Jessie M. ; Dalas LeRoy ; and two who died 
 in infancy. In religious attachment, Mr. 
 Adams and his family are members of the 
 Clintonville United Presbyterian Church, 
 and he is a member of the session. 
 
 PETER P. BROWN, the well known 
 harness merchant and justice of the peace 
 of West Sunbury, is a veteran of the Civil 
 War and is commander of W. T. Dickson 
 Post, No. 561, Department of Pennsyl- 
 vania, G. A. R. He has been commander 
 ever since the inception of the post at West 
 Sunbury. He came to the borough from 
 Butler in May, 1868, and established a har- 
 ness and repair shop, and has continued 
 the business with uninterrupted success to 
 the present time. Mr. Brown was born in 
 Penn Township, three miles south of But- 
 ler, November 26, 1839, is a son of Robert 
 E. and Catherine (Peterson) Brown, a 
 grandson of John and Mary (Elliott) 
 Brown, and great-grandson of William and 
 Christina (Thompson) Brown. 
 
 AVilliam and Christina Brown, the great- 
 grandparents, came to America from Scot- 
 land, accompanied by their son and daugh- 
 ter-in-law, George and Mary (Glass) 
 Brown. They settled about thirty miles 
 above Pittsburg, in what is now Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania, and lived there un- 
 til 1796, when all of them removed to But- 
 ler County. They took up land in Mid- 
 dlesex Township, their farm being the site 
 on which Cooperstown now stands. The 
 great-grandfather, grandfather and father 
 of the subject of this record, were buried 
 in Middlesex churchyard. 
 
 John Brown, the grandfather, was born 
 in what is now Allegheny County, Penn- 
 sylvania, September 14, 1780, and died in 
 Cooperstown, Middlesex Township, Oc- 
 tober 14, 1853. He married Mary Elliott, 
 who was born June 10, 1786, and died Jan- 
 uary 28, 1868. 
 
 Robert E. Brown was born in Middlesex 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1283 
 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and there grew to maturity. He married 
 Catherine Peterson, who was born in But- 
 ler Township. Butler County, and was a 
 daughter of Peter Peterson, who was a na- 
 tive of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. 
 This union resulted in the birth of eleven 
 children, seven of whom are living. 
 
 Peter P. Brown was reared on the home 
 farm in Penn Township, whither his father 
 had moved shortly after his marriage. 
 When the Civil War broke out he was 
 among the first to answer the call to arms. 
 April 20, 1861, he enlisted as a private in 
 Company H, Thirteenth Regiment of 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for 
 three months. At the termination of his 
 service he remained at home until August, 
 1862, then enlisted as private in Company 
 C, 134th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teer Infantry, for nine mouths, and during 
 his term of enlistment was advanced to 
 first lieutenant. As such he was in charge 
 of the company at Chancellorsville. He was 
 wounded at Fredericksburg, a ball grazing 
 the top of his head and leaving a deep 
 scar, taking out a piece of the skull. He 
 was in the hospital at Washington, District 
 of Columbia, for ten days, then returned 
 home on a furlough. He later rejoined his 
 comioany, and was mustered out at Harris- 
 burg, May 26, 1863. He took up his resi- 
 dence in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he 
 worked at harness making until February 
 15, 1864, when he again enlisted, becoming 
 a member of Company L, Fourteenth Regi- 
 ment Pennsylvania Cavalry. In all he par- 
 ticipated in sixteen important engage- 
 ments in addition to innimierable skir- 
 mishes, and was finally discharged Sep- 
 tember 5, 1865. An older brother, John 
 M. Brown, enlisted in Company L, Four- 
 teenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, in 1862, and 
 served rmtil 1865. He now resides in Colo- 
 rado. A younger brother, Samuel E. 
 Brown, enlisted in 1862 as a member of 
 the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry and served until 
 
 the close of the war in 1865. His death 
 occurred in Nebraska in 1892. 
 
 Peter P. Brown has been in the harness 
 making business at West Sunbury ever 
 since his removal from Butler in May, 
 1868, and in the meantime has identified 
 himself with all that pertains to the wel- 
 fare and progress of the community. He 
 erected the store building in which his 
 business is located, and the residence in 
 which he lives. In 1905, be was elected 
 justice of the peace of the borough, in 
 which capacity he has acquitted himself 
 with credit. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics. 
 
 Mr. Brown was married in October, 
 1865, to Miss Margaret A. Hilfinger, a 
 daughter of Mathias Hilfinger, who was a 
 native of Germany. The issue of this 
 union is: Laura, who died at the age of 
 eleven years; Wilda, wife of Charles Gil- 
 lingham, of Colorado Springs, by whom 
 she has two children: Margaret D. and 
 Charles B. ; Lucretia G., a trained nurse 
 in Pittsburg; and Lloyd Grant. Religious- 
 ly, the family is Presbyterian. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY, one of the best 
 known citizens of Venango Township, 
 where he is engaged in oil production, is 
 one of the old experienced men in this in- 
 dustry, having been connected with its de- 
 velopment in this section for many years. 
 He was born in the north of Ireland, Sep- 
 tember 25, 1841, and is a son of William 
 and Mary (Hurst) Henry. 
 
 The parents of ]\Ir. Henry wei'e born in 
 the north of Ireland, but the paternal an- 
 cestors came to the British Isles from Hol- 
 land. After the death of his wife, in 1861, 
 William Henry, Sr., decided to emigrate to 
 America, but the family, including his son 
 and three daughters, did not get started 
 imtil 1866. They settled in Washington 
 County, Vermont, and there the death of 
 the father took place in 1868, and the son 
 decided to find another field of work. He 
 found employment at Allegheny City, 
 
1284 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Pennsylvania, where he remained until 
 1872 and then settled at Petrolia, in But- 
 ler County. In the meanwhile he had been 
 working in the oil fields and after moving 
 to Allegheny Township, in 1878, continued 
 to be connected with the oil industry. For 
 twenty years he lived in Allegheny Town- 
 ship and still has a wide circle of friends 
 there and many business acquaintances. 
 Since 1898 he has maintained his home in 
 Venango Township, where he is numbered 
 with the substantial men and useful citi- 
 zens. 
 
 Mr. Henry married Miss Mary A. AVal- 
 lace, who was born in the north of Ireland 
 and is a daughter of Thomas Wallace. To 
 this marriage nine children were born, the 
 six survivors being: William, who resides 
 in Virginia ; Thomas W., who lives at Al- 
 legheny City; Mary E., who is the wife of 
 Leslie Demoss, of Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania ; Martha J., who is the wife 
 of Bert Jamison, of Venango Township; 
 Margaret A., who is the wife of Bert SloaUj 
 of Venango Township; and Thomas A., 
 who assists his father. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Henry is a stanch Re- 
 publican. With his wife he belongs to the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Eau Claire. 
 He is a member of Allegheny Lodge, F. & 
 A. M., No. 552, at Emientou. In Mr. Henry 
 is found a type of self-made man. In 
 many ways his youth was one filled with 
 difficulties, but through industry, energy 
 and business integrity he has overcome olv 
 stacles and occupies a position of inde- 
 pendence in his community, while suf- 
 ficiently young to enjoy the comforts he 
 has won for himself. 
 
 THORNLEY ROY COOKSON, a repre- 
 sentative citizen and experienced farmer 
 of Cranberry Township, residing on the 
 old Goehring farm of 105 acres, was born 
 on the old Cookson homestead, November 
 .30, 1883, and is a son of Alfred Theodore 
 and iMalinda (Goehring) Cookson. 
 
 The above mentioned land is the old 
 Goehring farm, on which the mother of 
 Mr. Cookson was born, in 18G0. Her par- 
 ents, John and Caroline Goehring, lived 
 here for fifty years and here the latter 
 died. Mr. Goehring, now aged seventy- 
 five years, resides in Beaver County. The 
 Goehring children were : William, who died 
 young; Edward, who lives in Penn Town- 
 ship ; Malinda, mother of Mr. Cookson, who 
 was accidentally killed by a railroad trmn 
 at Evans City, February 1, 1894; Cath- 
 erine, who is the wife of Christopher 
 Hoehn, of Cranberry Township; Cornelia, 
 who is the wife of William Dambach ; Mary 
 Etta, now deceased, who married Wesley 
 Graham ; John Alvin, who resides at 
 Beaver Falls; Virginia, who married Jo- 
 seph Stevenson, and lives at Centerville; 
 Emmet, who lives at Beaver Falls; and 
 Leonard, who died February 3, 1909. 
 
 On the paternal side, the great-grand- 
 father of Mr. Cookson was Edward Cook- 
 son, who moved to Beaver County at an 
 early day and settled on a tract of fifty 
 acres two miles from Brush Creek. There 
 was born his son, Israel Cookson, who later 
 married Charlotte Goehring Cookson. To- 
 gether they caime to Cranberry Township 
 about 1835 and here they lived and died. 
 They had five sons and one daughter, 
 namely: William, who died in Evans Cityj 
 Edward, who lived and died in Cranberry 
 Township ; Adam, who resides in this town- 
 ship ; Henry, who is a resident of Wilkins- 
 burg; Mary, who died unmarried; and Al- 
 fred Theodore, who was the youngest and 
 was born in Cranberry Township, January 
 1, 1855. He died October 3, 1908, and both 
 he and wife were buried in the Plains 
 Church cemetery, they having been worthy 
 members of that congregation. They had 
 four sons, namely: Walter Henry, who 
 was accidentally killed at the same time as 
 his mother, at Evans City, in 1894, this be- 
 ing a terrible family tragedy; Thornley 
 Roy; Harry Cleveland, who married Flora 
 Ehrman, a dau£>hter of George Elirman. 
 
AND EEPKESENTATI\'E CITIZENS 
 
 1289 
 
 of Cranberry Township; and Dennis 
 Floyd, who is now deceased. 
 
 Thoruley Roy Cookson attended the 
 Garvin school, District No. 4, Cranberry 
 Township, and grew to manhood on a farm. 
 He is a well educated, level headed yomig 
 man, who takes a deep interest in the de- 
 veloping and improving of his property 
 and is numbered with the most successful 
 agriculturists of the township. His resi- 
 dence was built by his maternal grand- 
 father, in 1874. In 1905 he was married 
 to Miss Maggie Davis, who is a daughter 
 of Joseph C. and Annie Jane (Vaudivort) 
 Davis, and they have two sons, Floyd Le- 
 roy and Alfred Thornley. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cookson are members of the Plains Pres- 
 byterian Church, in which he received his 
 Sunday-school training. Like his late 
 father, he is a Democrat and he has served 
 very acceptably as an officer of Cranberry 
 Township. 
 
 JOHN S. CAMPBELL, proprietor of 
 the Clearview Stock Farm, which is located 
 in Center Township, has long been also 
 identified with many of the leading busi- 
 ness interests of Butler. He was born 
 March 15, 1847, at Butler, Butler County, 
 Penna., and is a son of William and Eliza 
 J. (Shaw) Campbell. 
 
 For many years the father of Mr. Camp- 
 bell was one of Butler's most prominent 
 and successful men of affairs. He was 
 hirgely interested in railroad construction 
 and in oil development, was one of the 
 founders of the Butler Savings Bank and 
 was financially concerned in many of the 
 enterprises which served to bring about 
 the city and county's present prosperity. 
 He was married (first) to Clarissa Max- 
 well, who died in 18.*^9. On March 31, 1841. 
 he was married (second) to Eliza J. Shaw 
 and they had four children: William, John 
 S., James G. and Mary, the latter of whom 
 married Joseph A. Herron, of Mononga- 
 hela, Penna. Of the above family, William 
 
 and James G. are deceased. William Cump 
 bell, the father-, died November 17, l8'Jo. 
 
 John S. Campbell obtained his education 
 in the Butler schools and in the West Ches- 
 ter Military Academy. His first business 
 experience was gained in his father's em- 
 ploy, which he entered in 1866, when nine- 
 teen years old, and later he was a clerk in 
 a store at the Brady's Bend Iron Works. 
 From there he went to Pittsburg and be- 
 came booklceeper for Tack Brothers & Com- 
 pany and then was with Thompson &;Groet- 
 zinger, of Allegheny. His business interests 
 about this time became of more personal 
 importance. His uncle, James Gilmore 
 Campbell, died and John S., with his 
 brother, the late William Campbell, inher- 
 ited the uncle's interest in the hai'dware 
 business which had been conducted under 
 the firm name of J. G. & W. Campbell. On 
 the death of the latter, in 1893, the two 
 sons became sole proprietors and they con- 
 tinued the business as a partnership until 
 the death of William Campbell, Jr., in 
 July, 1907. 
 
 Since the death of his brother as above 
 stated, John S. Campbell has purchased 
 the entire plant and has continued the 
 hardware business alone and controls one 
 of the largest concerns of its kind in this 
 section, including store, tin shop and 
 foundry, giving employment to over 
 twenty people. His place of business is 
 thoroughly equipped and he installed the 
 second incandescent light plant introduced 
 into this State, York having had the first. 
 His other business interests cover many 
 fields. He is the first vice president of the 
 Butler Savings & Trust Company, is a 
 director of tlie Standard Plate Glass Com- 
 pany, is president of the North Side Ceme- 
 tery Association, is a director of the But- 
 ler Land and Improvement Company, and 
 has built over seventy-five houses in East 
 Butler. He was prominent in the organiza- 
 tion of the Butler Electric Light Company, 
 which since became the Butler Light, Heat 
 
1290 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and Motor Company, of which he is presi- 
 dent and principal stockholder. For a 
 number of years Mr. Campbell has been 
 largely interested in the development of 
 oil lands and is the junior member of the 
 firm of McBride & Campbell, well-known 
 operators. Formerly he was a member of 
 the Bald Ridge Oil Company, and in both 
 connections he has been active in the oil 
 fields of West Virginia as well as in Penn- 
 sylvania. His large stock farm claims also 
 a large degree of his interest and attention. 
 It consists of many acres of land in Center 
 Township which he devotes to fruit grow- 
 ing and to the breeding of registered Jer- 
 • sey cattle, Berkshire pigs and Barrel Plym- 
 outh Rock chickens. In 1908 he planted 
 1,100 Italian prune trees, 1,000 pear, 1,000 
 quince, and 400 apple trees, and set out 
 10,000 currant bushes and 1,750 grape 
 vines. His success as a stock breeder is as 
 pronounced as has been his other activi- 
 ties, all going to prove his business capac- 
 ity in whatever line he has taken up. 
 
 On October 7, 1885, Mr. Campbell was 
 married to Jennie E. Rogers, who is a 
 daughter of R. J. Rogers, a prominent 
 citizen of Attica, New York. They have 
 two children : Richard R. and John S. The 
 home of Mr. Campbell and family is sit- 
 uated at No. 415 North Main Street, 
 Butler. 
 
 In political sentiment, Mr. Campbell is 
 a Democrat. His many^ business duties 
 prevent his accepting political office, but he 
 actively supports the claims of his friends. 
 He belongs to several fraternal bodies and 
 is a thirty-second degree Mason. 
 
 WINFIELD S. DIXON, oil producer 
 and general farmer in Penn Township, is 
 one of the county's solid and substantial 
 citizens and is identified with its best in- 
 terests. Mr. Dixon belongs to one of the 
 old and honorable families of this section 
 of Pennsylvania and he was born in Alle- 
 gheny Township, Butler County, April 17, 
 
 1853. His parents were James L. and 
 Mary (McCandless) Dixon. 
 
 AVilliam Dixon, the grandfather, was a 
 son of Thomas Dixon and was born in 
 County Armagh, Ireland, and he and wife 
 came to America just six months prior to 
 the birth of their son, James L. William 
 Dixon purchased 400 acres of land, of 
 which the farm of Winfield S. is a part. 
 For many years he served in the office 
 of justice of the peace and was the most 
 important man in his community. 
 
 James L. Dixon, father of Winfield S., 
 was born in the city of Allegheny, Penn- 
 sylvania, in 1818, a son of William and 
 Isabella (Morrow) Dixon. He died June 
 7, 1894, aged seventy-six years. He came 
 to Butler County when aged twelve years, 
 and after his marriage moved to Parker's 
 Landing, where he bought and cleared a 
 farm, on which he continued to reside un- 
 til 1865, when he sold out and returned 
 to the old homestead in Penn Township. 
 He, at one time or another, held every pub- 
 lic office in the township. He was an out- 
 spoken Republican and a close student of 
 public affairs. He married a daughter of 
 Robert McCandless, of Franklin Township, 
 and they had four children, namely: Lu- 
 cinda, who became the wife of Robert H. 
 Harbison, of Penn Township ; George Cal- 
 vin, deceased; Winfield S., and one that 
 died young. The mother of this family 
 passed away June 22, 1876, aged fifty-six 
 years. Both father and mother were 
 worthy members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. 
 
 Winfield S. Dixon has engaged exten- 
 sively in general farming and stock-rais- 
 ing, making a specialty of sheep and 
 horses. He keeps about 100 head of sheep 
 on the farm for mutton and wool and each 
 year raises some fine specimens of draft 
 and driving horses. Some twenty years 
 since he began to operate for oil, working 
 in the Butler, Allegheny and Beaver 
 County fields. He now has five producing 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1291 
 
 wells on his own farm and is an inde- 
 pendent operator. Ever since he reached 
 manhood, Mr. Dixon has taken a deep in- 
 terest in public questions. He early identi- 
 fied himself with the Republican party and 
 has been one of its acknowledged leaders 
 in the county for many years, serving on 
 the State Central Committee and fre- 
 quently attending important conventions as 
 a delegate. He was the youngest justice 
 of the peace ever elected in Butler County 
 and he served with discretion and signal 
 ability for ten years. In 189.3, while a 
 resident of Butler, he was elected county 
 treasurer and served as such for three 
 years. 
 
 On April 17, 1877, Mr. Dixon was mar- 
 ried to Annie L. Balph, who is a daughter 
 of Joseph Balph, a farmer of Mount Chest- 
 nut, Butler Coimty. Mrs. Dixon was born 
 August 5, 1854, and prior to her marriage 
 had been a successful teacher for several 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon have the fol- 
 lowing children : George Clarence, a drug- 
 gist at Butler ; Winfield Russell, residing at 
 Butler, who is assistant cashier in the 
 Farmers' National Bank of that place; 
 Charles Warren, a student of medicine at 
 Washington- Jet¥erson College ; Homer 
 Scott, who is deputy county treasurer of 
 Butler Coimty ; and Frank Calvin, Paul 
 Eugene and Presley. These seven sons are 
 vigorous and healthy both physically and 
 mentally, upright in conduct and an honor 
 to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon 
 are members of the Thorn Creek Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in which he is a stew- 
 ard. Mr. Winfield S. Dixon was favorably 
 mentioned as a candidate for State senator 
 in 1908. 
 
 HENRY BUHNING, one of Clinton 
 Township's most respected citizens, resides 
 on his well improved farm of ninety-two 
 acres, which is situated about two and one- 
 half miles south of Saxonburg, on the 
 Tarentum and Saxonburg road. He was 
 
 born November 22, 1840, in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, and is a son of Frederick and 
 Emmie (Glecioncamp) Buhning. 
 
 Mr. Buhning comes of an agricultural 
 family, both his father and grandfather 
 owning and cultivating land in Germany, 
 which country they never left. Before he 
 left Hanover, Henry Buhning had attended 
 school and was educated in his own lan- 
 guage, but later, after reaching America, 
 in 1867, he attended night school for sev- 
 eral terms and thus made himself ac- 
 quainted with English. He came to Alle- 
 gheny Comity, Pennsylvania, after reach- 
 ing the United States, and found employ- 
 ment at Natrona, where he worked hard 
 and saved his money until he had acquired 
 enough to buy seventy-seven acres of his 
 present fine farm. To the first purchase 
 he continued to add, as he was able, and 
 now he owns one of the most valuable 
 farms iu Clinton Township. This farm he 
 cultivated and improved during many 
 years, but now he has practically retired, 
 his youngest son being able to carry on 
 the farm to the father's entire satisfaction. 
 General farming is carried on and enough 
 stock is raised for home use. The first 
 dwelling was a small log cabin, which is 
 utilized for farm purposes since the hand- 
 some new residence has been completed, 
 the latter being one of the finest in the 
 township. 
 
 Mr. Buhning was married at Tarentum, 
 Pennsylvania, to Miss Nellie Rinehart, 
 who is a daughter of Ludwig and Hannah 
 (Gaverman) Rinehart. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Buhning have five children, as follows: 
 Mary, who resides at home ; Frederick, who 
 married Viola Bergman, has three chil- 
 dren — Floyd, Edna and Helen ; Annie, who 
 married Andrew Held, has three children 
 — Leon, Herbert and Leonard; Amelia, 
 who married Julius Stuebgeon, has four 
 children — Albert, Sylvia and Alvin, twins, 
 and Etta ; and Charles, who is the present 
 manager of the home farm, a very intelli- 
 
1292 
 
 HISTOKY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 ^eni and capable young man. Mr. Buhn- 
 ing and family belong to the Lutheran 
 Church at Saxonburg. 
 
 BERNARD B. SIBERT, who bears an 
 honorable record for service during the 
 Civil War, is a prominent citizen of Fair- 
 view Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he resides on a farm of 110 
 acres. He was born in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, May 29, 1839, and was the 
 third of five children born to James and 
 Catherine Sibert, the others being Reuben, 
 Mary, Margaret (deceased), and Henry. 
 
 Bernard B. Sibert was two years of age 
 when brought by his parents from Arm- 
 strong to Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and ever since that time, about the year of 
 1841, has been a resident on the farm he 
 now owns in Pairview Township. He at- 
 tended the public schools of this township, 
 after which he turned his attention to 
 fn rilling-, which has been his principal oc- 
 <'iil);iiion through life, although in recent 
 ycai's he has met with success as an oil 
 producer. During the first year of the 
 Civil AVar, in 1861, he enlisted at Pittsburg 
 as a member of Company D, Sixty-second 
 Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infan- 
 try, and during the three following years 
 participated in some of the hardest fought 
 •engagements of the war. In that time he 
 was never wounded nor seriously sick, and 
 • was never absent from tlie regiment except 
 on detached duty. Among the most im- 
 portant l)att]es in which he took part may 
 lie mentioned: Fredericksburg, Gettys- 
 burg, Chancellorsville, Malvern Hill, seven 
 •days' figliting at James Mill, Second Bat- 
 tle of Bull Rim, Antietam, and Grant's 
 campaign through the Wilderness. He was 
 ■discliarged at Pittsburgh, Virginia, in 
 1S(i4, and returned to the home farm in 
 Fairview Township. He purchased the in- 
 terests of the other heirs and has farmed 
 the place continuously since. He has four 
 •valuable oil wells on the farm, all of them 
 still ])roducing. Mr. Sibert owns a farm 
 
 of 164 acres in Donegal Township, Butlei' 
 County, which he purchased some years 
 ago at sheriff's sale. 
 
 In 1865 Bernard B. Sibert was married 
 in Armstrong County to Miss Elizabeth 
 Sibert, a daughter of Henry and Sarah 
 Sibert, and she died leaving the following 
 children: James, U. S. Grant, Nicholas, 
 Levina, Catherine and Elizabeth, the last 
 named being deceased. In 1878 he formed 
 a second union with Miss Margaret A. 
 Carney, a daughter of Andrew Carney, and 
 ten children were born to them: Clara, 
 Jessie, Florence, Flossie, Genevieve, Ed- 
 ward. Maiie. Rcniaid (deceased), and two 
 who ilicil ill iiiljiiicN . Mr. Sibert is a char- 
 ter uicinlu'r of .McDcrmott Post, G. A. R., 
 at Chicora, and also of the Union Vet- 
 erans' Legion at Butler. 
 
 NELSON B. DUNCAN, postmaster and 
 one of the representative citizens of 
 Zelienople, has been a life-long resident of 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. He was 
 born September 5, 1849, on the old Duncan 
 homestead in Cranberry Township and is 
 a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Caldwell) 
 Duncan. The parents of our subject were 
 both born in Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, the father's birth having occurred 
 at Coal Hill. 
 
 The grandparents of Nelson B. Duncan 
 spent their declining years in Pittsburg 
 and were the parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Robert, was a resident of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, where his death oc- 
 curred ; David, was also a resident of But- 
 ler County; James, who resided and died 
 in Venango County, Pennsylvania, and 
 Samuel, tlie father of Nelson B. Duncan. 
 Samuel Duncan at an early age, came to 
 Butler County with his parents, who set- 
 tled on a farm in Cranberry Township, and 
 he there spent the remainder of his life 
 engaged in agricitltural pursuits. He mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Caldwell, whose death oc- 
 curred in 1882, and the following children 
 were born to them: Matilda, widow of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1293 
 
 Samuel Graham, is a resideut of Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County; ^Nlary, de- 
 ceased; Elizabeth, widow of C. H. Taylor, 
 is a resident of Believue, Allegheny 
 County; Lewis, deceased, resided in Pitts- 
 burg; Emmeline, is the wife of James Mc- 
 Marlin, of Butler, Pennsylvania; John, 
 who died in the army, was a member of 
 Company G, 131st Pennsylvania Cavalry; 
 A. G. Duncan, of Pittsburg; and Nelson, 
 the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Nelson B. Duncan, after completing his 
 education, which was obtained in the com- 
 mon schools of this locality, followed farm- 
 ing until 1901, when he removed to Zelie- 
 nople, still retaining possession of the 
 farm. In 1903 he was appointed postmas- 
 ter of Zelienople and is still serving in that 
 capacity. Mr. Duncan has taken an active 
 interest in politics since early manhood 
 and is an ardent supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party. He is fraternally a Mason, 
 being a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 
 429, and is also affiliated with the Knights 
 of Pythias. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Dimcan was united in nuir- 
 riage with Susan 0. Waldron, a daughter 
 of Hon. W. S. Waldron, of Forward Town- 
 ship, who served as county auditor of But- 
 ler County and as a member of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly. To Mr. and Mrs. Duncan 
 were born the following children, namely: 
 Alice M.; Alfred G., a dentist, residing in 
 Zelienople; William Waldron, a plumber, 
 residing in Zelienople; S. Blanche, who is 
 employed in the postoffice; John C, who 
 is married and i-esides in Glass, Ohio, 
 where he has charge of an oil lease ; Laura 
 M., who married Edward Keck, of Alle- 
 gheny, Pennsylvania, and resides in Pitts- 
 burg, Pennsylvania ; and A. Gertrude, who 
 married Joseph Kavanaugh, and resides 
 near Robison, Illinois. 
 
 JONATHAN B. HILLARD, a veteran 
 of the great Civil War and a well known 
 agriculturist of Allegheny Township, has 
 resided on his present fai'm since 1866 and 
 
 is numbered with the substantial and rep- 
 resentative men of this section. He was 
 born April 14, 1828, in Venango Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of John and Jenette (McMillan) Hillard. 
 
 John Hillard was born in Lancaster 
 County, Pennsylvania, and died in 1850. 
 He was a son of G. H. Hillard, who was 
 born in Ireland, and in early manhood set- 
 tled in Lancaster County, afterwards com- 
 ing to Butler County. He settled in Ve- 
 nango Township fully 125 years ago and 
 endured the privations and hardships that 
 fell to the lot of the venturesome settlers 
 in this section at that period. John Hil- 
 lard grew to manhood on his father's 
 pioneer farm and married Jenette McMil- 
 lan, who was born in Mercer County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they had twelve chil- 
 dren born to them, four of whom still re- 
 main, namely: Jonathan B. ; Elizabeth, 
 who is the widow of Joseph Wiles, of Eau 
 Claire, Venango Township; and Martha 
 and Daniel R., both of Venango Township. 
 The family has a 'fine military record, the 
 grandfather having served in the Revolu- 
 tionary War; the father in the War of 
 1812, in which he fought under Perry in 
 the naval battle on Lake Erie; and Jona- 
 than B., in the Civil War, three successive 
 generations testifying to their patriotism. 
 
 Jonathan B. Hillard lived on the old 
 homestead and followed farming there 
 prior to July 16, 1863, when he enlisted in 
 Company H, Sixty-second Regiment, 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in which 
 he sei'ved until July 4, 1864, when the regi- 
 ment was discharged, as its term of enlist- 
 ment had expired. On July 4, 1864, he re- 
 enlisted, entering Company C, One Hmi- 
 dred and Fifty-tifth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, in which he 
 served until the war closed, his whole serv- 
 ice being in the Army of the Potomac. He 
 participated in numerous battles, includ- 
 ing Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Rap- 
 pahannock Station, Mine Run, Boydstown, 
 Plank Road, the Wilderness, Spottsyl- 
 
1294 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER (JOUNTY 
 
 vania, North Anna, Tolopotomy, Betliseda 
 Clmrcli, Hatcher's Run, White Oak Road, 
 Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Rail- 
 road, Five Forks, and Appomattox, be- 
 sides others, and was five times wounded. 
 He was honorably discharged July 27, 
 1865, having been a witness of General 
 Lee's surrender to General Grant. He 
 has been a resident of Allegheny Township 
 since the year following the close of his 
 military service. His two brothers were 
 also in the army. 
 
 On January 18, 1861, Mr. Hillard was 
 married to Miss Catherine Logue, who died 
 November 3, 1904. She was a daughter of 
 James Logue, once a prominent resident 
 of Clarion County. The children born to 
 this union were : George E., who resides at 
 Sebastopol, California; Jonathan B., who 
 resides at Verona, Pennsylvania; Thomas 
 R., who is a physician at Duucanville, 
 Pennsylvania; Annie, who is the wife of 
 George W. Brown, of San Francisco ; Jen- 
 nie, who is the wife of Charles Corbett, 
 of Allegheny Township; Fred W., who 
 lives at Emleuton; Mary and Lizzie, who 
 reside with their father; and James H., 
 the only one deceased. He was the second 
 child and second son. On the maternal side 
 this family can take pride also in their 
 loyal ancestry. The great-grandfather, 
 John Logue, was a soldier under General 
 Washington at Valley Forge; and his son, 
 James Logue, the grandfather, was with 
 Commodore Perry in the battle of Lake 
 Erie, in 1812. The military services of 
 the father, Mr. Hillard, came next and even 
 they do not close the record, for one of the 
 latter 's sons. Dr. Thomas R. Hillard, 
 served two terms as a member of the Six- 
 teenth Regiment, Pennsylvania National 
 Guards, being an officer during a part of 
 this time and participating in the suppres- 
 sion of the Homestead riots. Mr. Hillard 
 takes a hearty interest in the Samuel J. 
 Rosenberry Post, Grand Army of the Re- 
 public, at Eau Claire. In politics he is 
 identified with the Republican party, and 
 
 for seventeen consecutive years has served 
 as a member of the Allegheny Township 
 School Board. For many years he has 
 been united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Eau Claire and has belonged to 
 its official board. 
 
 EDWIN ZEHNER, deceased, formerly 
 a representative citizen of Zelienople, 
 where he was engaged in the furniture 
 business, was born August 21, 1839, in 
 the city of Philadelphia, within a few days 
 after his parents had reached the United 
 States from the family home in Alsace- 
 Lorraine, Germany, where his father and 
 grandfather had been men of prominence. 
 His father's name was Frederick, who in- 
 termarried with a Miss Balliet, his wife 
 being of a very wealthy family. Shortly 
 after their arrival, the family settled on 
 a farm in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and Edwin was given the limited public 
 school education afforded by the country 
 schools, six months in a year, until he was 
 twelve years old; the hard work incident 
 to clearing up the farm required the com- 
 bined effoi'ts of the family. Very much 
 curtailing his educational privileges, at the 
 age mentioned he was deprived of both 
 father and mother and forced to depend 
 on relatives for whom he worked to obtain 
 a livelihood. In early manhood he learned 
 the carpenter and caliinet trade with a Mr. 
 Halstein at Zelienople and in 1865 he en- 
 tered into the furniture and undertaking 
 business for himself at Zelienople, where 
 two of his sons are yet located. He lived 
 a long and busy life meeting with ample re- 
 turns for his industry and frugality. Be- 
 ginning with practically no capital, work- 
 ing patiently on, adding each year to his 
 possessions and also to his friends and cus- 
 tomers, his inborn business ability, with 
 the aid of practical experience, asserted 
 itself and placed him the head and pro- 
 prietor of one of the largest enterprises of 
 its kind in the county. When he was 
 ready to retire from active management. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1297 
 
 he had sons whom he had trained to do the 
 same work and who were capable of carry- 
 ing it successfully on. In 1896 the present 
 commodious three-story brick building was 
 erected on the old site and the larger and 
 more convenient quarters gave opportunity 
 for more extensive operation. The busi- 
 ness he founded, now carried on by his 
 sons Alfred G. and F. Edward, has taken 
 its place as the largest and most modernly 
 equipped of any of its kind in the county. 
 Edwin Zelmer died June 18, 1907, at 
 which time he was probably the most wide- 
 ly-known man in private life in Western 
 Pennsylvania. In politics he was a stanch 
 Democrat, and during nearly the whole of 
 his life held important offices in the admin- 
 istration of borough affairs, and is said to 
 have occupied the office of burgess oftener 
 than any other individual. He was an ex- 
 emplary member of the German Lutheran 
 Church of Zelienople. He married Sophia 
 Schmidt, a daughter of Peter and Mary 
 (Dumbaugh) Schmidt, who still survives 
 him. They had the following children : Ma- 
 tilda, wife of W. A. Hartzel of Rochester, 
 Penna. ; Mary, wife of L. N. Burry of 
 • Evans City, Penna. ; Laura, now deceased, 
 intermarried with Rev. E. T. Butz; Hanna, 
 wife of N. M. Wise of Zelienople, Penna. ; 
 Alma, wife of Audley A. Hutchison of Wil- 
 kinsburg, Penna.; Alfred G. and F. Ed- 
 ward, who are continuing the business 
 founded by their father at Zelienople, and 
 Gilbert F., an attorney at Pittsburg. The 
 three sons have followed the example of 
 their father in advocating the principles of 
 Democracy and are all identified with the 
 Masonic fraternity, being members of the 
 Harmony Lodge No. 429, of which Gilbert 
 F. was the youngest worshipful master of 
 a Masonic Lodge in the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania at the time of his incumbency. Al- 
 fred G. Zehner married Miss Hazel Rich- 
 ardson, who was born in Butler County 
 and is the daughter of the late Dr. M. M. 
 Richardson of Prospect; F. Edward is un- 
 
 married, and Gilbert F. married Miss 
 Marie Allen, daughter of the late Dr. Alex- 
 ander Allen of Pittsburg. 
 
 With the death of Mr. Zehner his chil- 
 dren lost a father whose love for them 
 was enriched by the tenderest care and the 
 greatest kindness; Christianity in its 
 broadest sense lost a firm believer and the 
 community an earnest friend. 
 
 H. C. HINDMAN, who has conducted a 
 drug store in West Sunbury, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, since 1891, is a 
 prosperous business man and progressive 
 citizen, one who has done his utmost in 
 the advancement of the best interests of 
 the borough. 
 
 Mr. Hiudman was born on his fatherls 
 farm in Cherry Township in 1866, and is 
 a son of Robert S. and Ann Jane (Camp- 
 bell) Hiudman. He was reared on the 
 farm and completed the prescribed course 
 in the public schools of his home vicinity. 
 He entered the drug trade in 1891 at West 
 Sunbury, and later pursued a course of 
 study in the Pittsburg College of Phar- 
 macy, from which he was graduated April 
 18, i895. His patronage is drawn from a 
 large territory surrounding the borough, 
 and his success has been most gratifying. 
 He is secretary of the school board of West 
 Sunbury and is health officer for three 
 townships — Clay, Concord and Cherry. 
 
 Mr. Hindman was first married to Miss 
 Myrta McCandless, a daughter of W. H. 
 and Harriet McCandless, of Center Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, June 
 16, 1898. She died in May, 1903, being sur- 
 vived by her husband and one daughter, 
 Jean Harriet. Mr. Hindman formed a 
 second marital union with Miss Sarah 
 Stewart, daughter of Levi and Charlotte 
 Stewart, of West Sunbury, Pennsylvania, 
 September 25, 1906, and they reside in a 
 comfortable home in the borough. In re- 
 ligious faith and fellowship he is a mem- 
 ber of tlie Presbyterian Church. 
 
1298 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ROBERT IVELL is the owner of a fine 
 farm of eighty acres in Marion Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, but is now 
 living in retirement after many years of 
 activity. He was born in a small place 
 known as Round Thorn, Oldham Town- 
 ship, Lancashire, England, on May 31, 
 1844, and is a son of Reese and Susanna 
 (Bardsley) Ivell. 
 
 Reese Ivell was born and reared in Eng- 
 land, and there engaged in coal mining. 
 He made two trips to America during his 
 older days, but having a natural prefer- 
 ence for his native land', returned to Eng- 
 land, where he died. He married Susanna 
 Bardsley, who died in 1894, at the age of 
 seventy-five years. They w^i'e parents of : 
 Robert, Harry, James, Will, Mary Ann, 
 Emma, and Henrietta. 
 
 Robert Ivell was the only one of his 
 father's family to locate in America. He 
 started to school at the age of two years 
 and continued until his seventh year, when 
 he went to work in a cotton factory. He 
 continued at that until he was ten, then 
 worked in a coal mine until he reached his 
 majority. In 1866 he left England for the 
 United States, landing in New York after 
 a voyage of eighteen days. Three days 
 after his arrival he went to Ashland, in 
 Schuylkill County, New York, and worked 
 at coal mining until the thirteen weeks' 
 strike of 1868. He then worked at the 
 trade of a stone cutter in Pittsburg, being 
 employed on the wall at the foot of Mt. 
 Washington. In July of that year he re- 
 sumed mining in the employ of W. L. 
 Scott, for whom he worked some ten years. 
 He next mined one year at Lone Pine, in 
 Washington (!ounty, Penna., after which 
 he was in the nursery business at Beaver 
 Falls for one year. He moved to Cherry 
 Township, Butler County, and mined coal 
 one year, then in 1876 went to Venango 
 County and purchased property near Clin- 
 tonville. He sold coal there until 1881, 
 then disposed of that property to H. Sur- 
 rena, from whom he purchased fifty acres 
 
 of his present farm in Marion Township. 
 To this he added thirty acres in 1903, 
 purchasing a tract from Eli Van Dyke. 
 He has retired from farm work, his eldest 
 son working the place with success. In 
 1901 oil was struck on the place, and he 
 now has fifteen good producing wells. He 
 has a well improved property, most of the 
 improvements being made since he located 
 upon it. He is a Republican in politics, 
 and has frequently been called upon to 
 serve the township in official capacity. 
 His first presidential vote was cast for 
 Grant, and he has consistently voted the 
 ticket of his party since that time. 
 
 Mr. Ivell was married October 4, 1863, 
 to Miss Emma Johnson, who was born in 
 England and who died in Pennsylvania in 
 1873. Seven children were born to them, 
 all of whom died young excej)t John, who 
 lives on the home place. Mr. Ivell formed 
 a second union in October, 1877, with Eliz- 
 abeth Grillgrist, who died in 1890, at the 
 age of fifty-two years. This union re- 
 sulted in the birth of one son, Willie, who 
 died at the age of two years. On Decem- 
 ber 9, 1890, he was married a third time to 
 Miss Sarah H. Sergeant, a daughter of 
 Robert and Ann (Atkinson) Sergeant, and" 
 they became parents of the following: 
 Harry B. ; William R. ; James 0.; Su- 
 sanna; Mary Ann; Robert E. and Benja- 
 min F. Religiously, they are members of 
 the INIethodist Episcopal Church and take 
 a very active part in church work. He has 
 served as class leader nnd Sabbath school 
 superintendent. 
 
 ANDREW G. CAMPBELL, who was 
 formerly one of Butler County's useful 
 and valued citizens, and who served effi- 
 ciently for a number of years as. sheriff 
 of the county, was born on the old Camp- 
 bell homestead in Concord Township, But- 
 ler County, Penna., July 1, 1842, and died 
 in his native county in 1907. His yjarcnts 
 were Alexander and Eliza (Jamison) 
 Campbell. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1299 
 
 The Campbell family has loug beeu well 
 and favorably kuowu iu Butler County. It 
 originated in Scotland and in all probabil- 
 ity was established in this section of 
 Pennsylvania by the grandfather of the 
 subject of this memoir. 
 
 Alexander Campbell, father of xVndrew 
 G., was born in Butler County, April 13, 
 1813. In 1837 he bought a farm in Con- 
 cord Township on which he lived for over 
 thirty-five years, or until 1873. He then 
 purchased the farm at Mt. Chestnut, which 
 was his place of residence subsequently 
 until his demise, the latter occurring 
 November 12, 1877. In early days he was 
 a "Whig in politics but later became a Re- 
 publican. In 1839 he was united in mar- 
 riage with Eliza Jamison, who was a 
 daughter of P. Jamison, of Butler County. 
 Mrs. Campbell died December 3, 1883. 
 There were three sons born to them — 
 Joseph C, William T., and Andrew G. — of 
 whom the eldest and youngest served in 
 the Civil War. In August, 1861, Joseph C. 
 Campbell enlisted in Company E, Thirty- 
 first Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 and before his young life was yielded up 
 on the bloody field of Chickamauga he had 
 participated in twenty-two battles. Alex- 
 ander Campbell and wife were worthy and 
 consistent members of the United Presby- 
 terian Church. 
 
 Andrew (I. Camjibell was reared on his 
 father's farm in Concord Township. A 
 mill stood on the property and he im- 
 proved the opportunity to learn the mill- 
 ing trade, which he followed together with 
 farming both before and after the Civil 
 War. In August, 1862, he enlisted in 
 Comjiany C, Oye Hundred and Thirty- 
 fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 and was mustered into the service at Har- 
 risburg. The regiment was ordered to 
 Arlington Heights, and soon after Mr. 
 Cami^bell took part with it in the battle 
 of Antietam; after which he was detailed 
 to serve with the sup])ly ti'ain, and he con- 
 tinued at that dutv until he was honorablv 
 
 discharged on June 16, 1865. He then re- 
 turned to Butler County and resumed his 
 former occupations of farming and mill- 
 ing, becoming additionally interested in a 
 mercantile business. This last-mentioned 
 enterprise he continued to carry on at Mt. 
 Chestnut, from 1868 until he moved to 
 Brownsdale. Still later he moved to 
 Boydstown. In 1893 he was elected sheriff 
 of Butler County, assuming the duties of 
 this important office on January 1, 1894. 
 He continued therein for a long period 
 serving with marked efficiency and justify- 
 ing the confidence of his fellow citizens in 
 the fullest measui-e. He was a man of 
 sterling traits of character and of noted 
 public spirit and there were few men more 
 highly respected throughout the county. 
 
 On August 7, 1862, Andrew G. Camitbell 
 married Rachel J. Hutchison, a daughter 
 of George H. Hutchison, a highly es- 
 teemed citizen of Oakland Township. 
 Mrs. Campbell is still a resident of Butler. 
 The children born to Andrew G. Campbell 
 and wife were named respectively, Alex- 
 ander, Eliza A., Thomas A., William J., 
 Charles F., and Millard H. Eliza A. mar- 
 ried John H. Robb. The eldest son, 
 Alexander Campbell, was elected sheriff 
 of Butler County in 1905, the contest being 
 a close one and his majority being forty- 
 three votes. He was married in Novem- 
 ber, 1904, to Sarah A. Sweeney, who is a 
 daughter of John Sweenev, of Butler 
 County. Sheriff Campbell is an Odd Fel- 
 low of high standing. 
 
 FRED J. HAMILTON, superintendent 
 and stockholder of the Standard Coal 
 Mining Company and superintendent, sec- 
 retary and stockholder of the Mutual Coal 
 Mining Company, at Argentine, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is a riian of prom- 
 inence and has achieved a distinct business 
 success. He was born at Brookfield, Trum- 
 bull County, Ohio, December 22, 1855, and 
 is a son of Henry and Sarah (Fitch) 
 Hamilton, and a grandson of John Hamil- 
 
1300 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLPJR COUNTY 
 
 ton whose entire life was passed in Ire- 
 land. His motlier was descended from 
 Jolin Fitoh, of steamboat fame. 
 
 Henry Hamilton, father of the subject 
 of this record, was born in Ireland and 
 was eighteen years of age when he came 
 to the United States, taking up his resi- 
 dence in Trumbull County, Ohio. His 
 marriage with Sarah Fitch resulted in the 
 birth of the following children : Fred J. ; 
 Harry, who married Miss Jennie Ray of 
 Chicago, and who is in partnership with 
 his brother in both of the coal mines above 
 mentioned; Walter K., who married Flo- 
 rence Struble, a native of Ohio and a 
 daughter of James Struble; Jane, who 
 lives in Mercer County, Pennsylvania; 
 and Nellie, who is the wife of Robert 
 Keeley of Mercer County, by whom she 
 has two sons, Henry and Edwin. 
 
 Fred J. Hamilton received a superior 
 educational training in Hartford Acad- 
 emy, after which he spent four years in 
 the West, owing to poor health. tFpon his 
 return to Pennsylvania, he first located in 
 Jetlerson County, then later moved to 
 Butler County, where he became identified 
 with the Boyer Coal Mine. In 1899 he 
 became identified with the Standard Coal 
 Mining Company at Argentine, and in 
 1905 with the Mutual Coal Mining Com- 
 pany, which under the direction and man- 
 agement of him and his brother, Harry, 
 have developed into large and flourishing 
 concerns, employing a large force of men. 
 
 Fred J. Hamilton was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Annie Hanley, a native 
 of Jefferson County, and a daughter of 
 Clemens Hanley of that county. The fol- 
 lowing children have been born to them, 
 and all are living at home: John C, 
 Mary, Sarah, Alfred, Lester, Margaret, 
 Nellie, and Tennie. Religiously, Mr. 
 Hamilton is a member of the Christian 
 Church; Mrs. Hamilton belongs to the 
 Baptist Church. The former is a Repub- 
 lican in politics, and is now completing his 
 fifth year as a member of the school board. 
 
 He and his brother, Harry, are joint own- 
 ers of 100 acres of land, on which have 
 been erected some fifteen homes, which are 
 occupied by miners. 
 
 ALBERT KUTSCH, proprietor of the 
 Standard Mantel and Tile Company, with 
 business office at No. 400 North McKean 
 Street, Butler, is the founder of this busi- 
 ness, which is growing in importance, as 
 the city is building finer and more artistic 
 residences and public buildings. Mr. 
 Kutsch was born June 21, 1872, in Ger- 
 many. In his native land Mr. Kutsch 
 learned the trade of cement work and set- 
 ting tile, and after he came to America, in 
 1894, he followed it for a short time in 
 Allegheny County, Penua. From there he 
 went to Ford City, Penna., where he was 
 employed in the general office of the Pitts- 
 burg Plate Glass Company. Here he re- 
 mained until 1904, when he came to Butler. 
 He did his first work in this city on the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, which was 
 so generally approved that he felt encour- 
 aged to embark here in business. He ac- 
 cordingly established the Standard Mantel 
 and Tile Company, of which he is the sole 
 proprietor. The business includes the 
 setting of mantels and the execution of 
 plain and ornamental tile work, and in 
 both branches of the business Mr. Kutsch 
 can show many artistic designs. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. Kutsch was married to Miss 
 Katie Ganser, who also is a native of Ger- 
 many. They have four children — Henry, 
 Albert, Anna, and Elizabeth. They have 
 a pleasant home at corner of Monroe and 
 Locust Streets. Mr. Kutsch is a member 
 of St. Peter's Catholic Church, in which 
 he is also director of the choir. He is a 
 man of considerable musical ability, being 
 a skilled performer on the cornet, which 
 he has played since he was foui-teen years 
 old. He holds the position of commissary 
 sergeant of the military band of the Six- 
 teenth Regiment, N. G. P. He aims to 
 give each of his children a musical educa- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1303 
 
 tion; his son Henry, now eleven years old, 
 already plays the piano well, while Albert, 
 nine years of age, is taking up the violin 
 with every prospect of making a good 
 player. Tims the family has a refined and 
 never-failing source of pleasure in the 
 home, which can be appreciated fully by 
 all those who have any musical knowledge 
 or education. 
 
 ALFRED ZEIGLER PEEPER, who 
 comes of a prominent family of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is the owner of a 
 farm of 100 acres in Forward Township, 
 where he resides. He was born July 11, 
 1S5G, on the farm settled by his grand- 
 father, Gottlieb Peft'er, in Lancaster Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and is the son of 
 John and Catherine (Zeigler) Peffer. 
 
 Gottlieb Peffer was born in Switzerland, 
 and came to America when a young man, 
 locating in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he followed the trade of 
 tailor. He was there joined in marriage 
 with Rebecca Rice, with whom he subse- 
 quently moved to Jackson Towushij), But- 
 ler County, and settled near the town of 
 Harmony. Shortly afterwards he pur- 
 chased a farm in - Lancaster Township 
 which he improved, and there he raised a 
 family of nine children. He continued to 
 follow his trade, leaving the clearing and 
 cultivating of the farm to his sons. He 
 and his wife lived the remainder of their 
 days on the farm, which is still in the fam- 
 ily name. They were the parents of the 
 following children : Fred, who went to 
 Oregon in search of gold about 1849, and 
 died there; William; Gottlieb; John; 
 Joseph; Frank; Emeline, wife of Peter 
 Sheidemantle; Rebecca, wife of M. Zeig- 
 ler; and Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Flem- 
 ming. 
 
 John Peffer was born on the old home 
 farm in Lancaster Township, Butler 
 County, in 1830, and spent his boyhood 
 days there, assisting in clearing the home- 
 stead. After his marriage he rented the 
 
 home farm for three years, and then pur- 
 chased of Daniel Zeigler a hundred acre 
 tract in Jackson Township. In his young 
 days he was a man of great physical 
 strength, and it was a common task for 
 him to cut the trees and split three hun- 
 dred rails in a dav. He is a man of un- 
 usual business ability, and has prospered 
 beyond the average farmer. By his in- 
 dustry he purchased two additional farms, 
 one of eighty acres in Jackson Township, 
 and another of one hundred acres in Lan- 
 caster Township, adjoining the old home 
 place. He was united in marriage with 
 Catherine Zeigler, a daughter of Andrew 
 Zeigler of Harmonj-, Butler County. An- 
 drew Zeigler was boi-u in Jackson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and was a descendant 
 of Abraham Zeigler, who came from 
 Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in 1814, and 
 purchased the property of the Harmonites 
 Society. Mr. and Mrs. Peffer became the 
 parents of the following children: Alfred 
 Zeigler, whose name heads this sketch; 
 Mary, wife of I. M. Wise; and Elmer Z., 
 a contractor of Wilkinsburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania.. Mr. Peffer is now living in retire- 
 ment in Zelienople, in the enjoyment of a 
 well earned competency. 
 
 Alfred Z. Peffer, the subject of this 
 sketch, was in infancy when his parents 
 removed from Lancaster Township to 
 Jackson Township. He grew to maturity 
 on the home farm, attended the district 
 schools of his township, and later attended 
 Harmony Collegiate Institute, under Prof. 
 John C. Tinsman. He received a teacher's 
 certificate, but never entered that profes- 
 sion. With the exception of one year 
 which he spent in Kansas he lived at his 
 parents' home until his marriage, tben 
 purchased the McDonald farm in Jackson 
 Township. This farm consisted of eighty 
 acres, which subsequently proved to be 
 valuable oil territory. Later Mr. Peffer 
 sold the farm to George Dambaugh and 
 purchased his present farm of one hun- 
 dred acres from Hon. I). B. Douthett in 
 
1304 
 
 HISTORY OK rUITI.F.R OOl'NTY 
 
 Forward Towusliip. The dwelliug lionse 
 was standing at the time he purchased, but 
 he has since erected a commodious barn, 
 and made other improvements on the 
 premises. He follows general farming 
 along modern ideas, and has met with 
 good results. March 16, 1886, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Adelia Dambaugh, a daughter 
 of Frederick S. and Sarah (Davis) Dam- 
 baugh, of Connoquenessing Township, 
 Butler County. Frederick S. Dambaugh 
 was the son of Frederick Dambaugh, who 
 was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, 
 December 31, 1814, and came to this coim- 
 try with his parents, Jacob and Barbara 
 Dambaugh in 1832, and settled in Jackson 
 Township. Subsequently the family be- 
 came residents of Cranberry Township, 
 Butler County. Frederick Dambaugh 
 married Margaret Schmidt, and reared a 
 family of ten children, of whom Freder- 
 ick S. was the eldest. The latter married 
 Sarah Davis, of Cranberry Township, and 
 subsequently became a resident of Con- 
 noquenessing Township. He was a pros- 
 perous farmer and a useful citizen. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dambaugh were the parents of 
 three children, viz.: Henry; Margaret, 
 wife of Philip Schenck of New Kensing- 
 ton, Pennsvlvania ; and Adelia, wife of 
 Alfred Z. Peffer. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Peffer have two children, 
 viz.: Howard F., born April 3, 1889; and 
 John L., born February 5, 1893. The fam- 
 ily are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church of Middlesex Township, Mr. Peffer 
 having served as a member of the board of 
 trustees. He is a Republican in politics, 
 and has served his township as treasurer, 
 and as a member of the board of school 
 directors. He was secretarv of the board 
 in 1908. 
 
 HENRY C. HEINEMAN was born in 
 Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, June 13. 1828, 
 and was the son of Daniel J. and Cath- 
 erine A. (Roth) Heineman, natives of Ger- 
 manv. The family came to Pliibulclpliia in 
 
 1835, and in 1838 came to Butler County, 
 settling on a farm near the site of Great 
 Belt, whence they removed to Allegheny, 
 thence to Philadelphia, and later to Mc- 
 Kean County. In 1842 they came again to 
 this county aild settled in the borougli of 
 Butler. When the family first located in 
 this county, Henry C. worked in a confec- 
 tionary in Butler, and soon after their re- 
 turn here he entered the employ of William 
 Campbell & Son, for whom he clerked for 
 five years. In January, 18.50, he was seized 
 with the gold fever and went to California 
 by the water route, worked in the mines 
 until the following December, and then re- 
 turned to his home. In March, 1852, he 
 again went to California, crossing the plain 
 to the Pacific slope, and remained working 
 in the mines until June, 1856, when he 
 again returned to Butler. In February, 
 1857, he embarked in the book and station- 
 ery business at the corner of Main and 
 Cunningham Streets, which he followed 
 continuously up to 1900, when he retired. 
 Mr. Heineman was married October 29, 
 1857, to Mary E. Coyle, a native of Ireland, 
 who died in 1901. Seven children blessed 
 this union, viz.: Catherine A., wife of W. 
 W. Blackmore; Charles M.; Harry D. ; 
 William J.; Matilda R.; George E. ; and 
 Joseph A. Mr. Heineman and family are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, and 
 politically are adhered to the Democratic 
 party. Mr. Heineman has filled the office 
 as school director, is a member of Conno- 
 quenessing Lodsre No. 278, 1. O. 0. F.. But- 
 ler Lodee, No. 272, F. and A. M., the R. A., 
 the A. 0. U. W., and the E. A. U. From 
 the beginning of its history up to the pres- 
 ent he has been prominent in the Volunteer 
 Fire Department of Butler, and though on 
 the retired list, is one of the oldest volun- 
 teer firemen in the state. 
 
 CHARLES M. HEINEMAN. one of the 
 editors of the Times, was born in the bor- 
 oueh of Butler, July 24. 1862, and is a son 
 of Henrv C. and Marv (Coyle) Heineman. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1305 
 
 He was educated in the public schools, aud 
 at Witherspoou Institute, and began life as 
 a clerk in his father's store. During the 
 period that he clerked in the store he de- 
 voted his spare time to amateur journal- 
 ism, and as early as 1881 had established 
 one or more journalistic enterprises. He 
 was one of the founders of the Times in 
 1884, and in connection with his brother, 
 William J., has since been the editor of that 
 paper. He has taken an active interest in 
 the Democratic party, has l)een a member 
 of the school board several terms from his 
 ward, and was twice the choice of the 
 Democratic party in the district for Con- 
 gress. Mr. Heineman was married Novem- 
 ber 26, 1885, to Ella, daughter of James H. 
 Black, of Butler. Mrs. Heineman is a 
 native of this county, and a member of 
 the old family of that name of whom so 
 many are known here in the trades and 
 professions. They have two children, 
 Henry N. and Charles C. 
 
 CHARLES E. HERR, proprietor of the 
 Butler County Record, was born in Somer- 
 set, Pennsylvanin, February 21, 1850, and 
 is the son of J()se])h and Mary (Koontz) 
 Herr. He was educated in the common 
 schools of his town, but afterwards learned 
 the printer's trade in the office of the 
 Somerset Democrat. Subsequently he held 
 the foremanship of the Somerset Herald. 
 When the oil excitement was at its height 
 in Petrolia in 1877, Mr. Herr established 
 a job printing office at that place, and the 
 same year he estal)]ished the Petrolia 
 Record. The publication of the Record 
 was successfully continued until 1888, when 
 he removed the plant to Butler and changed 
 the title of the paper to the Butler County 
 Record. Mr. Herr was married in May 
 25, 1882, to Emma B. Patterson, of Bridge- 
 liort, Ohio, and tliey have three children, 
 namely : Mary, Edgar and Helen. The 
 family are members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and Mr. Herr has always 
 been independent in jiojitics. 
 
 JAMES O'HARA, a well known and 
 influential citizen of Karns City, Butler 
 County, Penna., is an oil producer and has 
 met witli a high degree of success in the 
 prosecution of that work. He was born in 
 Hastings County, Canada, November 30, 
 1852, and is the son of Philip and Margaret 
 (White) O'Hara. 
 
 Philip O'Hara was born in Ireland and 
 was brought by his parents to the United 
 States in 1833. They settled in Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, but he afterward 
 moved to Canada, and thence to Buffalo, 
 New York. He was a veteran of the Civil 
 W^ar and lived to the age of seventy-four 
 years, dying in 1892. He was four times 
 married, the first time to Margaret White, 
 mother of the subject of this sketch,, she 
 dying in 1854. Three sons were the issue 
 of this union : John, Cyrus and James. 
 
 James O'Hara lived in Canada until he 
 was nine years old, and was then taken to 
 Buffalo, New York, where he lived a couple 
 of years. He next lived in Venango 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he continued 
 until the oil excitement carried him" to 
 Karns City, in 1875. He had been through 
 the village before, but did not locate until 
 the date mentioned, since which time he has 
 lived there continuously. He is a substan- 
 tial man and is the owner of some property 
 in Karns City. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. O'Hara married Miss Mary 
 Stone, a daughter of Luther Stone, of Ve- 
 nango County, and the following children 
 were born to them, all being natives of Sut- 
 ler County but the eldest: Charles, of ,Mc- 
 Kee's Rocks, who was born in Venango 
 County, Pennsylvania, and who married 
 Martha June, by whom he has four chil- 
 dren — Ruth, Martha, Byron and Ardelle; 
 James, of Karns City, who married Sarah 
 Brumage and has a daughter, Louise; 
 Blanche, who is the wife of Louis Alabaugh 
 of Karns City, and has three children — 
 Dale, Paul and Dorothy; Clara, who mar- 
 ried Harry Corbett of Bruin City and has 
 two children, Geraldine and Gladys; Ho- 
 
1306 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 mer ; Bertha ; Ella ; Mary. Mr. 'Hara has 
 filled most of the local offices of Karns City, 
 and has served as school director about a 
 quarter of a century. Fraternally, he is a 
 member of Karns City Lodge, No. 931, I, 
 0. 0. F. 
 
 JOHN B. CALDWELL, who is entering 
 upon his duties as sheriff of Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, to which office he was elected 
 in November, 1908, is a prominent resident 
 of Jefferson Township, where he owns a 
 valuable farm of 118 acres. He was born 
 December 3, 1844, in Armstrong County, 
 Pennsylvania, but has been a resident of 
 Jefferson Township since his childhood 
 days, being in the true sense a product of 
 Butler County. 
 
 Mr. Caldwell is a sou of William and 
 Sarah Jane (Beatty) Caldwell, and a 
 grandson of Dr. Joseph Caldwell. The lat- 
 ter was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, 
 and upon coming to this country became 
 one of the early settlers and pioneer phy- 
 sicians of Washington County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. He intermarried with the Smith 
 family. William Caldwell was a farmer 
 by occupation and eai'ly in life moved from 
 AVashington County to Armstrong Coimty, 
 and thence to Jefferson Township, Butler 
 County. He was a prosperous business man 
 and a progressive citizen who entered 
 actively into the affairs of the community. 
 
 John B. Caldwell was reared on the farm 
 he now owns and worked on the place for 
 his father while in attendance at school in 
 District No. 4, Jefferson Township. Dur- 
 ing the Civil War he saw much hard service 
 with the Army of the Potomac, serving 
 some thirteen months under Colonel Barnes 
 in the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and also in the Heavy Artillery. At 
 the close of the war he returned to the 
 farm, which he conducted with iminter- 
 rupted success until January, 3909, when 
 he removed to the borough of Butler to 
 enter upon his duties as sheriff". Al- 
 though he has long been active in politics 
 
 and aided largely in the success of his 
 party, this is the first county office to which 
 he has ever been elected. Proving himself 
 an excellent campaigner and a very popu- 
 lar man, he led the ticket in Butler County. 
 He previously served as road commissioner 
 and census taker, and frequently has been 
 sent as delegate to the various conventions. 
 In November, 1866, Mr. Caldwell was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Nancy J. 
 Robinson, a daughter of Joseph and Han- 
 nah (Ramsey) Robinson, and the following 
 are the issue of their union: Clarence J., 
 M. D., a practicing physician and a gradu- 
 ate of Western University of Pennsyl- 
 vania; William E., M. D., a graduate of 
 Baltimore Medical College, who is prac- 
 ticing his profession in Connecticut ; Sadie 
 (Zigler), who lives in Pittsburg; Marland, 
 M. D., a graduate of the AVestern Univer- 
 sity of Pennsylvania, who died in the thir- 
 tieth year of his age ; Ora J., who has suc- 
 ceeded his father in the care of the home 
 farm; and Laverne, who is in the employ 
 of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago 
 Railway and makes his home at the old 
 home place. Dr. Clarence J. Caldwell mar- 
 ried Miss Mildred Buxton and they have 
 two children, Clarence B.. and Eleanor. 
 Dr. William E. Caldwell married Miss Eva 
 Root, by whom he has the following chil- 
 dren: Howard, Mildred, Kenneth, Mar- 
 land. Miss Sadie Caldwell married Zeno 
 Zigler and has three children — Effie, Wal- 
 ter and Olive. Ora J. Caldwell married 
 Miss Temoy Taylor, by whom he had two 
 children, Francis and Paul (deceased). Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Caldwell and his wife are 
 members of the LTnited Presbyterian 
 Church at Butler, and are very active in 
 church affairs. 
 
 WILLIAM CAMPBELL, who, during 
 his long and active business career was 
 connected with some of Butler's most im- 
 portant business interests, and who at the 
 time of his death was president of the But- 
 ler Savings and Trust Company, was born 
 
WILLIAM CAMPBELL 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1309 
 
 in this city April 11, 1843, and was a sou 
 of William and Eliza Jane (Sliaw) Camp- 
 bell. The family of which he was a worthy 
 representative was one of the pioneer fam- 
 ilies of the borough. 
 
 William Campbell, Sr., was in former 
 days one of the best known and most 
 widely respected business men of this sec- 
 tion, as he was also one of the most suc- 
 cessful. He established the flourishing 
 hardware firm, .since carried on under the 
 name of J. (}. and W. Campbell. He had 
 been pi'ominently connected also with 
 other business enterprises, including the 
 Butler ]\lutual Fire Insurance Company, 
 and the Butler Savings Bank, of which he 
 was one of the founders. He was also 
 interested in the oil industry. No citizen 
 was more active in promoting whatever 
 was for the welfare of the community in 
 which he lived, cherishing high standards 
 of civic duty. For some years he was a 
 useful member of the school hoard. He 
 belonged to the Presbyterian church, in 
 which be worthily held ditferent offices. 
 William Campbell, Sr., died November 17, 
 1893, having attained the age of four score 
 years. His first marriage was to Miss 
 Clarissa Maxwell, who was a daughter of 
 John Leslie Maxwell. She died in 1839. 
 His second marriage was to Miss Eliza J. 
 Shaw, who died April 21, 1892. She was 
 a daughter of John Shaw, of Glenshaw, 
 Allegheny County. Four children were 
 the fruit of the second marriage — William, 
 John S., James G., and Mary — the last 
 mentioned of whom became the wife of 
 Joseph A. Herron, of Monongahela, Penna. 
 
 William Campbell, the eldest child of his 
 parents, received a liberal education, after 
 leaving the public schools becoming a stu- 
 dent at Witherspoon Institute and later at 
 Washington and Jefferson College. For 
 some time after finishing his studies he 
 was engaged in the foundry business at 
 Pittsburg — a business in which the Camp- 
 bells have been interested for the ])ast sixty 
 years. In 1871 he returned to Butler, hav- 
 
 ing been elected in February of that year 
 cashier of the Butler Savings Bank, which 
 had just taken out a charter. .This posi- 
 tion lie held for many years subsequently. 
 Later he became president of the institu- 
 tion, which under his management devel- 
 oped into one of the most important 
 financial establishments in this section of 
 the state. . When it was finally merged 
 into the Butler Savings and Trust Com- 
 pany, Mr. Campbell was continued as pres- 
 ident and held that position at the time 
 of his death. Almost to the end of his 
 earthly existence he gave his close per- 
 sonal attention to the business, even when 
 too weak to leave the house keeping in- 
 formed as to all its operations, and its 
 marked success was due in large measure 
 to his wise and able direction. With him 
 were associated in its management an able 
 corps of assistants and dire<'tors, all men 
 of the higlK'st business standing. At tbe 
 time of his death Mr. Campbell was the 
 largest stockholder in the bank. 
 
 He was also a member up to the time of 
 his death, which took place July 27, 1907, 
 of the hardware firm of J. G. and W. 
 Campbell which firm, as above stated, suc- 
 ceeded to the business established by the 
 elder William Campbell in 1835. In addi- 
 tion to these activities Mr. Campbell was 
 interested in the oil industry, and was a 
 stockholder and director in the Butler 
 Light, Heat and Motor Company; also 
 one of the board of directors of the Stand- 
 ard Plate Glass Company, for years the 
 largest manufacturing industry of the 
 town, and of the Butler Land and Im- 
 provement Company, the concern which is 
 engaged in developing East Butler. He 
 was also a stockholder in other local con- 
 cerns and was always ready and willing- 
 to assist any concern that was likely to 
 aid in the advancement and prosperity of 
 the town. 
 
 He was extensively interested in the oil 
 business and was a large owner of real 
 estate. His advice was much sought for 
 
1310 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 by the managers of the establishmeuts in 
 which he had interests. But althoi;gh con- 
 nected with so many various enter^jrises, 
 he regarded the management of the bank 
 as his life work and devoted to it his best 
 energies and ripest powers, and its success 
 is a lasting monument to his remarkable 
 ability, which was equalled only by his 
 inflexible integrity. 
 
 Of a dee]3 religious nature, Mr. Camp- 
 bell early in life united with the First 
 Presbyterian Church. He took an active 
 interest in the affairs of the congregation 
 and at the time of his death was president 
 of the board of trustees. He was of a 
 charitable nature and his private benefac- 
 tions were large, and were bestowed in a 
 Christian spirit devoid of ostentation. 
 His manner was kind and courteous, even 
 genial, and he was a pleasant companion 
 and a true friend. He died high in the 
 respect of all who knew him and in their 
 bereavement his familv had the sympathv 
 of all. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Campbell was 
 a Democrat. He was a veteran of the Civil 
 War, having enlisted in 1862 in Company 
 K, 134th Pennsylvania Volunteers, with 
 which regiment he saw active service at 
 Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancel- 
 lorsville. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was united in marriage 
 June 11, 1889, to Miss Elizabeth Lusk, a 
 daughter of the late Dr. Joseph S. Lusk, 
 whose death took place February 2, 1889. 
 Three cliildren were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Canii)l)ell — William, Janet Douglass, and 
 James Gilmore. 
 
 JOSEPH CRISWELL, justice of the 
 peace at Lyndora, was born in Clinton 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. 
 April 8, 1840, and is a son of James and 
 Jane (Brownlow) Criswell. 
 
 James Criswell, father of Joseph, was 
 born in County Derry, Ireland, where he 
 remained until he was twenty-four years 
 
 old. He died on his farm in Butler County, 
 
 in 1868, when eighty-two years of age. In 
 crossing the Atlantic Ocean, his vessel was 
 wrecked on the shores of Nova Scotia, but 
 he was transferred to another ship which 
 took him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
 From there he walked to Pittsburg, and as 
 he was poor, worked by the way, and later 
 secured employment on a farm in Washing- 
 ton County. There he remained for eight 
 years, saving his money, and then bought 
 200 acres of land in Clinton Township, for 
 which he paid $400. When the State sur- 
 vey was made it was found that the tract 
 contained 240 acres. It was wild land that 
 he had to clear and he developed it into an 
 excellent farm and prospered as a fjfrmer 
 and cattle-raiser. He married a daughter 
 of John Brownlow, who came to America 
 from County Derry, Ireland, when she was 
 eleven years old, her parents being peoi^le 
 of means for those days. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Brownlow walked from the point where 
 their baggage was dejiosited to Butler 
 County, in order to save freight charges, 
 but their daughter was weighed in with 
 their other luggage and transported with 
 it for $7.50 per 100 pounds. Nevertheless 
 she grew to be something much more valu- 
 able than freight, a good and faithful 
 daughter and the beloved and honored 
 mother of twelve children. Those who 
 reached mature years were: William, re- 
 siding at Allegheny; James, deceased; Le- 
 titia, deceased, married Moses Marshall 
 and they moved to Kansas; Thomas, resid- 
 ing at West Elizabetli, Allegheny County; 
 Eliza, deceased, married John C. Norris, 
 residing in Clinton Township; Josei^h, of 
 Butler County; Robert Ross, residing at 
 Little Washington, Pennsylvania ; and Su- 
 san, the wife of John Burtuer, residing at 
 Butler. The parents of this family were 
 worthv members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Jose])h Criswell was educated in the 
 common schools of Butler County and re- 
 mained at home to assist his father until 
 the opening of the great Civil War, of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1311 
 
 which he is an honored veteran. In 1861, 
 under Captain McLaughlin, he enlisted in 
 Companj' H, One Hundred Second Regi- 
 ment, Pennslj'vauia Volunteer Infantry, in 
 which he served first for tliree and one-half 
 years and after re-enlistment, until the 
 close of the war. This regiment was one 
 of the fiftv to sustain the greatest losses in 
 the struggle. After the battle of the Wil- 
 derness, he was severely wovmded and was 
 absent from his company for six months 
 on this account, and was given two veteran 
 furloughs, a very unusual favor. He was 
 honorably discharged in June, 1865. 
 
 After his return from the army, Mr. 
 Criswell resumed farming, settling on a 
 projierty in Butlei- Township which be- 
 longed to his wife, and there he carried on 
 a genei'al farming and stockraising indus- 
 try He has about eighty-tWo acres under 
 fine cultivation. Mr. Criswell is a stauncli 
 Republican and in 1890 was elected clerlv 
 of the courts, having a majority of 955. 
 He was i-e-eleeted in 1893 with a majority 
 of 1,917. When he was elected a justice of 
 the ])eace, in 1904, he came to Lyndora and 
 has had his home in the village ever since. 
 This office is one of considerable impor- 
 tance. The influx of foreigners and their 
 ignorance of American laws, together with 
 their fighting proclivities, make much trou- 
 ble which can only be adjusted through re- 
 course to the various courts, and Justice 
 Criswell finds little leisure, having some 
 800 cases in a .vear, the charges ranging 
 from murder to jaetit larceny. The first 
 large gas well in this section was drilled on 
 Mrs. Criswell's fai-m. The gas was piped 
 to Butler and was the first gas used in 
 that citv. 
 
 Mr. Criswell was married April 25, 1864, 
 to Catherine S. Burkhart, a teacher in the 
 public schools, and a daughter of Elijah 
 Burkhart, of Butler Township. Her fatlier 
 was born January 12, 1801, in a log cabin, 
 wliich stood within sight of the homestead 
 on which she was subsequently born and 
 reared in Butler Township. His parents, 
 
 John and Margaret Powell Burkhart, set- 
 tled on a 400-acre tract of land about three 
 miles south of the site of the present city 
 of Butler, in the year 1796 or"97, coming 
 fi-om Allegheny County a newly married 
 couple. Mrs. Criswell's father was their 
 third son born there. He grew up, learned 
 rbe carpenter's trade with George W^olf 
 and helped build some of the first houses in 
 Butler, few if any of whicli are now stand- 
 ing. John Burkhart was a fearless, reso- 
 lute man and a great hunter. When scarcely 
 eleven years of age he was taken captive 
 b}^ Indians while driving the cow home, at 
 or near Girty's Run, and remained a pris- 
 oner for ten months. He escaped July 4th, ' 
 177(). Being asked by a big Indian if he 
 heard any news, he said he had heard that 
 independence had been declared. He was 
 given a chance to regain his freedom b}- 
 running, the Indians striking at Imn with 
 their tomahawks as he went. He escaped, 
 but received a wound on the left side of his 
 head, the scar of which he carried to his 
 grave, and which lie often showed to his 
 cliildren and grandchildren as he related 
 to them the story. He died April, 1855, at 
 the age of ninety years. His wife, Marga- 
 ret, whose maiden name was J^'owell, died 
 in February, 1856, aged eighty-seven years. 
 
 Elijah Burkhart married Rebecca, 
 daughter of Joseph and Isabelle Kennedy 
 Richardson (in July, 1831), whose ances- 
 tors came to this country with William 
 Penn. His wife died leaving four children, 
 of whom Rebecca was the eldest. Her 
 father was a teacher by profession and fol- 
 lowed that occupation for many years. He 
 finally married a second time, moved to the 
 State of Indiana and died there at the age 
 of eighty-three. 
 
 IDIijali and Rebecca Richardson Burkhart 
 had eight children, all born on the farm 
 owned by Mrs. Criswell. They were: Maria, 
 who married John Emerick (deceased); 
 Hiram, a child deceased; Joseph E., living 
 in Kansas ; Rebecca M. and Washington F., 
 deceased in childhood ; Baxter C, who died 
 
1312 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 in the army; Jacob, now deceased; and 
 Catherine S. (Mrs. Criswell). Elijah Burk- 
 hart died in 1865, March 24th, on the old 
 farm. Rebecca, his wife, died October 7th, 
 1879. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Criswell have been the par- 
 ents of the following children: Jean Re- 
 becca, who was a teacher, and is now the 
 wife of W. C. Littlewood, a foreman in the 
 Vajidegrift Mills; Joseph T., who died in 
 infancy ; James B., who taught school, went 
 South and is now in the wholesale shoe 
 liouse of Haynes, Henson & Co., at Knox- 
 ville, Tenn. ; Letitia M., who married R. C. 
 Little (deceased), leaving two children now 
 living with their grandparents, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Criswell; Kathryn M., married to T. 
 C. Stephens, an employe of the Colonial 
 Trust Co., Pittsburg, Penna., and residing 
 in Crafton ; Josephine E., married to P. E. 
 Henninger, an electrician now living in 
 Port Huron, Mich., where he has been su- 
 perintending the wiring of the tunnel under 
 the St. Clair River. Mr. and Mrs. Cris- 
 well, though living at Lyndora for the past 
 five years, still retain the old farm which, 
 as Mrs. C. says, fills an important place in 
 her life history. They belong to the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Criswell is 
 a Mason and has served his lodge as 
 worthy master for three terms. He is past 
 commander of the Union Veteran Legion 
 and is also past commander of A. S. Reed 
 Post, Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 ANDREW SCHOEPPEL, one of the 
 leading business men and successful mer- 
 chants of Evans City, Pennsylvania, has 
 been engaged in merchant tailoring in that 
 borough for more than eighteen years. He 
 has a fine home and farm in Jackson 
 Township, Butler County, located about 
 one mile from his place of business. 
 
 Mr. Schoetfel was born in Germany, 
 October 10, 1866, and is a son of Christoph 
 and Elizabeth Schoeffel. His father died 
 in Germany and his mother came to the 
 United States, making her home at the 
 
 present time in the State of Washington, 
 where a number of her sons and daughters 
 are located. She is the mother of the fol- 
 lowing children in addition to the subject 
 of this sketch: Anthony J., who lives at 
 Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania ; Margaret, 
 wife of Henry Hinnebush of Pittsburg; 
 Adam, a tailor; Carl, a merchant tailor 
 of Seattle, Washington; Elizabeth, wife 
 of Anthony Plader, a farmer in Washing- 
 ton; Annie (Ochsenfeeil), whose husband 
 is also a farmer in Washington; Mar- 
 guerite, wife of William Everett of the 
 State of Washington ; and Catherine, wife 
 of Joseph Sailer, who is connected with 
 a sugar factory at Oxnard, California. 
 
 Andrew Schoetfel, in his boyhood days, 
 learned the trade of a tailor in his native 
 land, and worked at it some seven or eight 
 years in that country. He was in his 
 seventeenth year when he came to the 
 United States, taking up his residence in 
 the city of Pittsburg, where he worked at 
 his trade imtil 1890. In that year he 
 moved to Evans City, where he has con- 
 ducted a merchant tailoring establishment 
 both continuously and successfully since. 
 He was reared to hard work and becoming 
 of an economical and frugal disposition he 
 made his way to the front without the aid 
 of other resources than those with which 
 nature endowed him. He has accumulated 
 a competency, and in 1904 purchased a 
 farm of sixty-six acres in Jackson Town- 
 ship, one mile from the borough, on which 
 he has since made his home. He is widely 
 known throughout this vicinity, and enjoys 
 the confidence and good will of everyone. 
 
 Mr. Schoeffel was united in marriage 
 with Catherine Werner, who also was born 
 ill (lermaiiy, and is a daughter of John 
 (icorg and Carlotta Werner. Ten children 
 were the issue of this marriage: Andrew, 
 deceased; Edward, who married Lulu S. 
 Smathers; Carl; Catherine, wife of 
 Charles Carson; Anthony; George; John; 
 William; Marguerite, and Prancis. Re- 
 ligiously the family is Lutheran and at- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1313 
 
 tends services at Evans City. Mr. Schoef- 
 fel has been a member of this church for 
 eighteen years. 
 
 SAMUEL BELL, a well known agricul- 
 turist of Allegheny Township, residing on 
 his valuable farm of fifty-eight acres, was 
 born February 13, 1864, in Clarion County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of William and 
 Nancy (Brown) Bell. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Bell were both born 
 in Ireland, and were acquainted with each 
 other there. They crossed the Atlantic 
 Ocean on the same vessel, in 1848, and 
 were married after -reaching America. 
 They first settled in Clarion County, Penn- 
 sylvania, where they resided until 1868, 
 when they came to Allegheny Township 
 and settled on the farm on which Samuel 
 Bell now resides. They were not only 
 closely united in life, but were separated 
 but a few days by death, the wife passing 
 away July 31, 1903, and the husband dying 
 on August 6 following. They were mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian C-hurch at Annis- 
 ville. Pour of their children survive, 
 namely: John, who lives in Clarion 
 County; William, of Venango Townshij), 
 Butler Pounty; Margaret E., widow of 
 Harry R. Thompson, lives in Allegheny 
 Township; and Samuel. 
 
 Samuel Bell was four years old when 
 his parents moved from Clarion to Butler 
 County and his home ever since has been 
 in Allegheny Township, where he has fol- 
 lowed farming for a number of years, 
 devoting himself exclusively to this indus- 
 try. He obtains excellent returns from 
 his land and is one of the township's most 
 progiiessive agriculturists. He secured 
 a good public scliool education in what is 
 known as the Cani|)boll School. 
 
 On October 24, 1895, Mr. Bell was mar- 
 ried to Miss Sarah E. Jolly, who was born 
 in Venango Township, Butler County, and 
 is a daughter of Thomas and Annie (Rus- 
 sell) Jolly, of Venango Township. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bell are members of the Asso- 
 
 ciate Presbyterian Church, at Eau Claire. 
 Like his father, Mr. Bell has always been 
 a Democrat and on the Democratic ticket 
 he was elected road commissioner, one of 
 the most important of the local offices in 
 farming districts. To all who know Mr. 
 Bell it is unnecessary to state that the 
 duties of the office were faithfully per- 
 formed. 
 
 HUGH SPROUL, one of Cherry Town- 
 ship's most respected citizens, has resided 
 on his present valuable farm for a period 
 covering sixty years, coming here a young 
 man and developing wild land into a fer- 
 tile and finely improved property. He was 
 born near Mt. Chestnut, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, July 4, 1824, and is a son of 
 John and Elinor (Pillow) Sproul. 
 
 John Sproul, father of Hugh, was boru 
 in Ireland and lived on his own land until 
 he was twenty years of age, when he came 
 to America, settling soon after at Oil 
 Creek, in Venango County, Pennsylvania. 
 He was master of a good trade, having 
 learned linen weaving in his native coun- 
 try, but found little opening for work in 
 that line where he first settled, and after 
 his marriage he removed to a farm near 
 Mt. Chestnut, on which he lived until his 
 death. His widow did not long survive 
 him. 
 
 Hugh Sproul remained with his parents 
 until he was twenty-four years of age. On 
 October 1, 1857, he was married and one 
 year later moved on his present farm, 
 which is situated three miles north of 
 West Sunbury, on what was formerly 
 known as the furnace road. It was a wild 
 place at that time, neither clearing nor 
 improving having been done, but condi- 
 tions were soon changed. When sixteen 
 years of age, Mr. Sproul had learned the 
 carpenter's trade and as soon as he was 
 prepared to do so, he began to put up sub- 
 stantial buildings, doing the work himself 
 until he had all the structures necessary 
 for familv comfort and for carrving on 
 
1314 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 extensive farming and stockraising. The 
 cultivation of the farm has mainly been 
 done by his sous, Mr. Sproul continuing 
 to follow carpenter work. Seventy years 
 is a long time to have been active and busy 
 in one line, but for this lengthened period 
 Mr. Sproul has worked at his trade, giving 
 almost his entire attention to it since his 
 sons have been old enough to take the 
 management of the farm oft' his shoulders. 
 In spite of advancing years, Mr. Sproul 
 enjoys doing carpenter work, his judgment 
 being just as sound as formerly and his 
 hand steady and his eye true. 
 
 Mr. Sproul was married, at the date 
 above mentioned, to Miss Sarah Glenn, a 
 daughter of James Glenn, of what is now 
 Concord Township, Butler County. To 
 this marriage were born twelve children. 
 The survivors are the following: John 
 Perry, who is a physician, lives at Grove 
 City, with his family; Elizabeth, who is 
 the" wife of C. S. Stouer, of Butler ; An- 
 drew, who is engaged in a mercantile busi- 
 ness at Bruin, Pennsylvania; Ada, who is 
 the wife of J. G. Renick, of Center Town- 
 ship; Clara, who is the wife of John 
 Christie, of Cherry Township ; Rella, who 
 is the wife of Samuel Hineman, of Branch- 
 ton, Pejmsylvania ; Minnie, who is the 
 widow of D. L. Hockenberry ; and Everett, 
 unmarried, who lives at home. The chil- 
 dren deceased were : two who died as in- 
 fants; James, who died at Cleveland, a 
 student of medicine; and Robert, who 
 died on the home farm, leaving a widow. 
 
 Mr. Sproul served as a soldier in the 
 (!ivil War, enlisting in September, 1864, 
 in the Sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania 
 Heavy Artillery, under Colonel IBarnes. 
 This regiment had headquarters at Fort 
 Marcy, near Washington, D. C. After 
 hostilities had ceased, it was mustered out 
 at Camp Reynolds, near Pittsburg. Mr. 
 S]iroul lias been recognized as one of his 
 township's representative men by his fel- 
 low citizens and has frecjuently been 
 elected to oflice. He has served as school 
 
 director, assessor and collector. He is a 
 member of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at West SunlSury. 
 
 MULVAIN DUNLAP, farmer and oil 
 producer of Marion Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is located on a 
 farm of ninety-five acres, which formed 
 a part of a tract of 350 acres which his 
 great-uncle, Alexander Dunlap, purchased 
 of the Indians during the pioneer days of 
 this locality. He was born near Kittan- 
 ning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 February 12, 1848, and is a son of John M. 
 and Jane (Hartford) Dunlap. The Dun- 
 laps came to this country from Ireland. 
 John, tlie grandfather of the subject of 
 this sketch, was pioljahly born after the 
 family became established in this country. 
 The latter had three brothers — James, 
 Alexander and AVilliam — and a number of 
 sisters. 
 
 John M. Dunlap was born on his father's 
 farm in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in 
 1819, and late in life came to Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He was located in 
 Ai'mstroug County, Pennsylvania, some 
 years prior to coming here in 1852, and 
 upon his arrival he purchased the farm 
 now owned by his son, Mulvain. His uncle 
 had acquired title to this land by purchase 
 from the Indians, and had moved here 
 from Beaver County. Alexander Dunlap 
 had cleared but little of the land up to the 
 time of his death, which occurred at an 
 advanced age. John M. Dunlap also died 
 on this farm, the date of his death being 
 1864. He married Jane Hartford, who 
 was born and reared in Beaver County, 
 and who died at the age of seventy-nine 
 years. Ten children were born to them : 
 Margaret Jane, deceased; John, who saw 
 service in the Union Army during the 
 Civil War; McAllister, deceased; Saman- 
 tha, wife of Lewis Miller; Mulvain; Lisan- 
 der, deceased; Clementine; Orsina, de- 
 ceased wife of Eli Van Dyke; James L. ; 
 and Violet Ann, widow of Perrv Farren. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1317 
 
 Mnlvain Dunlap was altout four years 
 of age when his parents moved from Arm- 
 strong County to Marion Township, where 
 they first lived in a log cabin. He attended 
 the rude and poorly equipped common 
 schools of tliat period for a few months 
 eacli winter, and assisted in clearing up 
 the home farm. Upon the death of his 
 father he bought out the interests of the 
 other heirs and has continued to reside 
 there ever since. He rebuilt the house in 
 1904, and in the meantime made many 
 other desirable imi)rov(:'ments, making it 
 one of the best eqnj])iicd farms in the 
 .township. He has nine iiroducing oil wells 
 on the i^lace, which have proved very 
 remunerative. 
 
 May 14, 1874, Mr. Dunlap was united 
 in marriage with Miss Emeline Pohlman, 
 a daughter of Herman Pohlman, who 
 came to this country from Germany when 
 a young man. He married Catherine 
 Stover, who was born and reared in 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dunlap have had seven children, as 
 follows: Homer Leroy, who died in in- 
 fancy; Clinton O., who runs the home 
 farm; John M., who attended Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School, and was for- 
 merly engaged in teaching school, but is 
 now located in the borough of Butler; 
 Cyrus E., who attended Slippery Rock 
 State Normal and is a graduate of Iron 
 City Commercial College of Pittsburg, 
 engaged in teaching school; Elsie May, 
 deceased, and Elva Maude, twins; and 
 Etta A. John M. Dunlap was united in 
 marriage with Miss Sadie Bailey, and 
 they have a daughter, Myrl Genevieve. 
 Religiously, the family attends the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal cliurch, of which Mr. Dun- 
 lap is treasurer. He is a Democrat in 
 politics, and has filled the office of con- 
 stable. 
 
 ^ilRS. MARGARET McMURRAY, a 
 
 well known resident of Washington Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is the 
 
 widow of George McMurray, a native of 
 Ireland, who became one of the substantial 
 citizens of this community. Mr. McMur- 
 ray 's death occurred in 1896. 
 
 Mrs. ]\[argaret McMurray was born in 
 Cincinnati, Oliio, May 2, 1837, and was a 
 young girl when her parents moved to 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Here 
 she was reared to maturity, receiving her 
 schooling in the city of Pittsburg. She is 
 a daughter of Franklin and Rebecca 
 (Scott) Goldthorp, and a granddaughter 
 of Josiah and Elizabeth (Pillon) Gold- 
 thorp. She was one of nine children born 
 to her parents, and of these, she and a 
 In'other, Thomas J. Goldthorp of North 
 Hope, are the sole survivors. With a 
 brother Horatio she inherited a tract of 
 fifty-five acres of land, and upon the lat- 
 ter 's death in 1900 she became sole owner 
 of the property. It is a farm in a high 
 state of cultivation and is underlaid with 
 three veins of coal, whicli have never been 
 mined. Tlie house in which she resides 
 was erected by Rev. Mr. Black, and by 
 him was sold to Mr. Hutchison, from 
 whom the Goldthorps obtained it. Mrs. 
 ]\IcMurray also owned a valuable property 
 of sixty-two acres in Scott Township, Alle- 
 gheny County, lying about midway be- 
 tween Carnegie and Mt. Lebanon, and this 
 she disposed of to a corporation to good 
 advantage. She has displayed excellent 
 business judgment in the handling of her 
 affairs, and has the good-will and esteem 
 of her fellow citizens. In August, 1905, 
 she went abroad, visiting in London, 
 Leeds, Oxford, Birmingham and Manches- 
 ter, in England, and also in Scotland, 
 Ireland and France. Just before her re- 
 turn to America, she paid a visit to the 
 historic old battleground at AVaterloo. She 
 is a broad-minded and intelligent woman 
 and takes a deep interest in the affairs of 
 the ■ day. In religious affiliation, she at- 
 tends the ITnited Presbyterian church at 
 North Hope. 
 
1318 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 R. P. JACK, one of Washiugtou Town- 
 ship's substantial citizens, residing in his 
 comfortable home in North Hope, owns 
 also thirty acres of very valuable farm 
 and coal land, three veins of coal having 
 been discovered. Mr. Jack was born on a 
 farm about one-half mile southeast of 
 North Hope, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, September 22, 1865, and is a son 
 of Andrew Jackson and Mary Ann (Will- 
 iams) Jack. 
 
 Andrew Jackson Jack was born in 
 Scrub Grass Township, Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania, and was a son of John and 
 Margaret (Harper) Jack, the latter of 
 whom was a daughter of an old settler, 
 Thomas Harper. In boyhood, the late 
 Andrew J. Jack went to what is now 
 known as the Himand School but was then 
 called the Macklin School. It was his 
 father, John Jack, who settled first in 
 Washington Township, and acquired 440 
 acres. When he died his son, Andrew J., 
 received 267 acres. After he had com- 
 pleted his education Andrew J. Jack en- 
 gaged in farming and then became pro- 
 prietor of the North Hope Hotel, which 
 was built on his land. Later he sold the 
 hotel and during the oil excitement he 
 built another hotel at Rousville, which lie 
 also sold and then moved to Parker's 
 Ijanding. He became interested in oil pro- 
 ducing and continued until his death in 
 the oil fields of Parker's Landing, Trout- 
 man and Petrolia. At the time of his 
 death, in 1900, was in a hotel at North 
 Hope. The late Andrew Jack was the 
 sixth born in a family of eight children, 
 the others being: William, who married 
 Polly Seaton; David; Samuel, who mar- 
 ried Fannie Say; John; Joseph, who 
 married Katie Simock; James Harper; 
 and Polly, who married Rev. Thomas 
 Graham, a Methodist minister. 
 
 R. P. Jack was educated at the Mt. 
 Emory School in Washington Township, 
 the North Hope public schools and the 
 North AVashington Academy, after which 
 
 he first engaged in farming and later went 
 to the oil fields as a tool dresser. He 
 then resumed agricultural operations. 
 
 Mr. Jack married Miss Maude C. Mc- 
 Garvey, who is a daughter of Matthew S. 
 McGarvey, of Washington Township. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Jack have seven children, name- 
 ly: Andrew M., who is a tool dresser; 
 Gertrude C, who is a popular teacher in 
 the public schools ; Ross R., a student who 
 will be a member of the graduating class 
 of 1910, at North Washington Academy; 
 Mary M., who will be in the class of 1912, 
 at tiie same institution; Robert F. and 
 Nellie A., with Frank P., the youngest, are , 
 still in the public schools. Mr. Jack has 
 an unusually intelligent family and he is 
 giving them every- educational advantage 
 in his power. The family belong to the 
 Presbyterian Church, the two older daugh- 
 ters being members of the choir and Miss 
 Gertrude being also a teacher in the 
 Sunday-school. In his political views, Mr. 
 Jack is a Republican. For a long time 
 this family has been one of ample means 
 and social prominence in Washington 
 Township. 
 
 JULIAN A. CLARK, one of Butler 
 County's leading citizens, whose pleasant 
 home is at No. 117 Grand Avenue, Butler, 
 has been long a prominent factor in the 
 politics of the county and is now serving 
 in the office of registrar and recorder. He 
 was born September 1, 1862, near Pros- 
 pect, Butler County, Penna., and is a son 
 of Rev. James A. Clark. 
 
 The Rev. James A. Clark settled near 
 Prospect in 1858 and for thirty-six years 
 was the faithful and beloved pastor of the 
 United Presbyterian Church at that place 
 — or until his death. During all that time 
 ho missed but two sabbath days. His 
 long and useful life terminated there in 
 July, 1894, when he was aged sixty-three 
 years. 
 
 Julian A. Clark was educated at Pros- 
 pect and for some years after leaving 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1319 
 
 scliool followed the occupation of farming. 
 He then entered into business as a horse 
 dealer, which for a considerable time lie 
 found profitable. Afterwards he turned 
 his attention to the insurance business and 
 dniiug the decade in which he was con- 
 nected with the Equitable Life Insurance 
 Company, of Butler County, he proved 
 himself one of the most competent insur- 
 ance men in the field in this section. After 
 the death of his father he returned to the 
 old homestead and took charge of the 
 farm, where he soon established and devel- 
 oped a large wholesale dairy business. 
 Later he moved to Butler Township and 
 there engaged in a retail, dairy business 
 for awhile. Five subsequent years were 
 spent in Center Township on a larger 
 farm, and then the educational needs of 
 his growing family caused him to give up 
 country life and he purchased his present 
 attractive and commodious residence in 
 the city of Butler, of which place he has 
 since been one of the progressive and 
 esteemed residents. For a while after 
 coming here he was connected in an indus- 
 trial way with the car shops. He is 
 politically a stanch Republican and was 
 elected to his present office on that ticket, 
 November 3d, 1908. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Clark was married to Miss 
 Laura M. Thompson, who is a daughter 
 of the late Rev. Warren M. Thompson, a 
 minister in the Baptist Church, in Jeft'er- 
 son County. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have had 
 five children, namely: Margaret A., who 
 resides at home; James A., a bright am- 
 bitious youth, who died in his fourteenth 
 year; Mary JM., who died aged eleven 
 years; Edward S., who resides under the 
 parental roof-tree; and Jean Elizabeth, 
 who died at the age of six years. The 
 three who are deceased died within four 
 days of each other of measles-pneumonia 
 and their bodies were all consigned to the 
 earth in one grave. This terrible domestic 
 affliction aroused general sympathy in the 
 neighborhood for the bereaved family. 
 
 ]\Ir. and Mrs. Clark are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church, and the for- 
 mer has taken a very active part and inter- 
 est in church aifairs. In 1892 he was a 
 delegate to the International convention 
 of the Young People's Christian Union at 
 East Liverpool, Ohio. While a resident of 
 Center Township he was superintendent 
 of the sabbath school at Holyoke for three 
 years. 
 
 REV. PETER C. PRUGH, retired min- 
 ister, was born September 13, 1822, in 
 Montgomery County, Ohio, and is a son of 
 John and Cathei'ine (Haynes) Prugh. Mr. 
 Prugh was reared on the homestead farm, 
 and after receiving a common school edu- 
 cation, entered the Dayton, Ohio, Academy. 
 He entered Marshall College, Mercersburg, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1845, and graduated in 
 1849. He then entered the Theological 
 Seminary of the Reformed Church at Mer- 
 cersburg, and when he had completed his 
 studies accepted a call to the Reformed 
 Church at Zenia, Ohio, in 1851, remaining 
 there for twenty-five years. During the 
 war Mr. Prugh -was connected with the 
 Ohio Relief Society, and Hid duty at V7ash- 
 'ington. Fort Royal, the Wilderness and 
 White House Landing, caring for the 
 woi:nded soldiers. He was also connected 
 with the Ohio militia at the time General 
 Kirby Smith attempted a raid upon Cin- 
 cinnati. While a resident of Zenia he was 
 instrumental in founding the Soldiers' 
 Orphan School at that place, and by his 
 own personal efforts raised twenty-five 
 thousand dollars in Green County alone. 
 After the completion of the home he was 
 appointed as chaplain and filled the posi- 
 tion for two years. In 1873 he accepted a 
 call from the Church of the Cross, Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, where he remained for three 
 years. He then located at Germantown, 
 Ohio, where he was pastor of the Reformed 
 Church at that place until 1882, when he 
 accepted the position of superintendent of 
 St. Paul's Orphan Home of Butler. After 
 
1320 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 a service of twenty years as superintend- 
 ent of this school Mr. Prugh resigned and 
 retired to private life, and is now a resi- 
 dent of the South Side, in Butler. He was 
 married April 2, 1852, to Charlotta, a 
 daughter of Jacob Hassler, of Mercers- 
 l)urg, Pennsylvania, a musician in the War 
 of 1812. They are the parents of eleven 
 children, seven of whom lived to manhood 
 aud womanhood. They are: Edwin N. ; 
 John H., i)tistor of the Grace Reformed 
 Church, Pittsburg; Daniel K. ; William S.; 
 Etta K., deceased; Mary A., wife of Rev. 
 I). X. Harnish, of Bvitler; aud Frances 
 Crace. 
 
 WILLIAM L. KEPPLE, who comes of 
 an old and respected familj^ of Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 is the owner of a fine farm of sixty-five 
 acres, which has one producing oil well 
 upon it. He was born jn Buena Vista, 
 Fairview Township, October 1, 1854, and 
 is a son of Isaac and Mary (Thorn) 
 Kepple. 
 
 Isaac Kepple, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was a young man at the time 
 he located at Buena Vista, and there con- . 
 tinned to live the remainder of his days. 
 He was employed on a canal boat in his 
 early life, running between Freeport and 
 Johnstown, but afterwards always followed 
 farming. He was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, in 1818, and lived to 
 the advanced age of eighty-one years. His 
 wife died at Buena Vista at the age of 
 seventy-three years. She was the daughter 
 of George Thorn, who was a very early 
 settler of Fairview Township. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Kepple settled at Buena Vista about 
 the year 1852, and there all their children 
 were born with the exception of the eldest. 
 Four children were born to them, as fol= 
 lows, and all are living within the limits of 
 Fairview Township: Angle; William L • 
 W. S., and A. D. 
 
 William L. Kepi)le was educated in the 
 public schools of Buena Vista and contin- 
 
 ued to reside in that village until he was 
 thirty years of age. He has always fol- 
 lowed farming and worked about oil 
 wells. In 1876 he came into possession of 
 the farm he now owns, which was pur- 
 chased by his father from the Union Oil 
 Company. He located on the place in 1884. 
 and has since lived there, a period of nearly 
 a cpxarter of a century. With the exception 
 of the house, which was standing at the 
 time he located here, he has made all the 
 improvements on the place and has one of 
 the best kept farms in the community. 
 
 October 28, 1884, Mr. Kepple was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary Elizabeth 
 Ellenberger, a daughter of Enos and Mary 
 (Harmon) Ellenberger, early settlers of 
 Fairview Township, who still reside at 
 Buena Vista. Seven children blessed this 
 marriage, namelv: Celia, Irene, ;\lal)el, 
 Loretta, Bert L.," Edward H., and Alfred. 
 Religiously, the subject of this sketch is a 
 member of the Reformed Church. He has 
 served as school director of the township 
 and has taken a deep interest in all that 
 pertains to the progress of the community. 
 
 WILLIAM G. ALTVATER, one of Jef- 
 ferson Township's well informed aud (uo- 
 gressive young agriculturists, is engaged 
 in farming and stockraising, in association 
 with his father, on their valuable estate of 
 seventy-five acres, which is situated one 
 and one-half miles west of Saxonburg. Mr. 
 Altvater was born in 1882, in Washington 
 County, Ohio, not far from the city of 
 Marietta, and is a son of Benjamin and 
 Barbara (Stark) Altvater. 
 
 The Altvater family was founded in 
 America by the grandfather of William 
 G., who was born in Germany and settled 
 in Washington County, Ohio, in 1850. Ben- 
 jamin Altvater, father of William G., is a 
 butcher l)y trade and also follows farming. 
 He married Barbara Stark and they have 
 four children, namely: Bertha, who lives 
 at Pittsburg; William G. ; aud Bessie and 
 Edna, both of whom live at Pittsburg. 
 
JAMES W. McKEE 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1325 
 
 William G. Altvater went from Washing- 
 ton County, to Tarentum, Pennsylvania, 
 and from there to Pittsburg, and after his 
 school days were over he went to work in 
 the steel mills, where he continued for nine 
 years and then, with his father, bought the 
 IDresent farm, which they operate together. 
 It was formerly known as the old Ilelmhold 
 place, good land, which, under the careful 
 cultivation now being given it, makes large 
 returns. 
 
 On August 23, 1905, Mr. Altvater was 
 married to Miss Mamie Hepler, who is a 
 daughter of Scott and Mary (Negley) 
 Hepler, the former of whom is a very prom- 
 inent farmer of Armstrong County. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Altvater have one beautiful little 
 daughter by the name of Helen. The com- 
 fortable farm residence has been recently 
 put up and Mr. Altvater has made other 
 improvements and has substantial barn 
 and cattle sheds. 
 
 JAMES W. McKEE, one of Butler's 
 capitalists, who is engaged in looking after 
 his extensive real estate interests in this 
 city, was born in 18-1:5 in Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania, where his social 
 and educational o])portuuities were only 
 those which come to boys who are forced 
 to depend upon their own eiforts after be- 
 ing left fatherless in early youth. 
 
 The first chance to secure work by which 
 he might ])rovide for himself, Mr. McKee 
 found in the oil fields near Franklin, and 
 in a rough environment he spent one year 
 and then went to the Armstrong fields, go- 
 ing from there to Freeport. There he 
 worked at drilling a salt well for one sum- 
 mer, and then worked in a foundry for 
 three years. One more year was spent in 
 foundry work and then he returned to the 
 oil fields to remain until 1874, after which 
 he operated a ]>laning-niill and engaged in 
 contracting at Freeport, for three years. 
 Later he was engaged in the manufacture 
 of wheels and reels near Bradford and 
 subsequently ])urchased a foundry there. 
 
 continuing his interest in the oil business. 
 He remained in that section for ten years, 
 when he moved his foundry to Butler. 
 Here he became a stockholder in the Butler 
 Manufacturing Comjiany, Limited, for the 
 nuinufacture of engines, taking charge of 
 the foundry and pattern de])aitnient him- 
 self. After six years h6 bought the inter- 
 ests of his partners and continued the 
 manufacturing business until 1902, when 
 he sold out. Since that time, Mr. McKee 
 has given his attention to looking after his 
 real "estate interests. He is a stockholder 
 in two of the banks at Butler and has 
 financial interests in other enterprises. 
 
 October 11, 1887, Mr. McKee was mar- 
 ried to Miss Margaret E. March, of New 
 C'astle, and they have one son, Vance F. 
 Mr. McKee and family reside in a beauti- 
 ful home which stands at No. 302 West 
 Pearl Street, Butler. Mr. McKee 's life 
 story is tyjiical of the indomitable energy 
 and enterjjrise which have been the factors 
 in the development of the great industrial 
 resources of this section and his sucess 
 has been greater than many another be- 
 cause he has had more natural capacity 
 and greater perseverance. 
 
 ROBERT B. CONN is a well known cit- 
 izen and prosperous farmer of Clay Town- 
 shi]>, Butler County, Penna., where he lives 
 on a farm of 104 acres, located two miles 
 south of West Sunbury, on the Butler road. 
 He was born in what is now Washington 
 Township, Butler County, February 12, 
 1841, and is a son of William and Nancy 
 (Mortimer) Conn. His grandfather, Rob- 
 ert Conn, was a native of Ireland, and upon 
 coming to the United States settled in 
 Washington Township, Butler Covmty, 
 Pennsylvania, where he was among the 
 pioneers. 
 
 AVilliam Conn was born in Washington 
 Township and at an early age learned the 
 ti'ade of a carpenter, which he followed 
 many years, Imt farming was always his 
 principal occupation. He married Nancy 
 
1326 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Mortimer, a native of Butler County and 
 a daughter of Samuel Mortimer. 
 
 Robert B. Conn was reared on the old 
 home farm and attended the public schools 
 for a brief period. At the early age of 
 twelve years he began learning the trade of 
 yarn making in the Hopewell Woolen Mills 
 in Washington Township. He worked at 
 that business some years, a part of the 
 time at Craigville, and also for W. L. 
 Keefer in Venango County. He continued 
 at this occupation for some years after his 
 marriage, and then in 1872 moved upon his 
 present farm, which he owns in conjunction 
 with his wife, who was born and reared on 
 the place. He is engaged in general farm- 
 ing, is a first class business man, and an 
 upright and useful citizen. 
 
 Mr. Conn was married in 1861 to Miss 
 Margaret E. Sutton, and daughter of Jesse 
 and Maiy Jane (Hockenlniry) Sutton, and 
 they became parents of the following chil- 
 dren : Levi E., an oil producer of Findlay, 
 Ohio; Laura J., wife of S. C. McCandless, 
 of Lincoln, Nebraska; Clarence G., who re- 
 sides on a part of the home farm; Mary, 
 wife of J. H. Timblin, of Latrobe, Pennsyl- 
 vania; Harry Elwood, who married Pearl 
 Wick and died at the early age of thirty- 
 four years ; Nancy Minerva, wife of J. A. 
 Hallstein, of Clay Township ; Minnie, wife 
 of DeLoss L. Hindman, of West Sunbury ; 
 Sylvia Ellen, wife of Charles A. Brown; 
 and Goldie Pearl, who died when only 23 
 months old. Mr. Conn is a stanch Repub- 
 lican in politics, and has served as consta- 
 ble, tax collector, school director and asses- 
 sor. He was school director for a period of 
 eight years, and was tax collector from 
 1890 until 1900, proving a most capable offi- 
 cer. Religiously, he is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 Mr. Conn's grandchildren are as follows : 
 Of Laura J., wife of S. C. McCandless, 
 children — Cecil Budd, Conrad Masserela, 
 Wesley Earl and Effie Jane; Levi E. and 
 Margaret (Dav) Conn's children — Cora A., 
 Charles Wallace and J. Earl ; Clarence G. 
 
 and Elizabeth (McCandless) Conn's chil- 
 dren — Jesse Quay, Virgin Dearl and Sarah 
 Margaret ; children of Nancy Minerva, wife 
 of J. A. Hallstein — Paul Conn, Harry 
 AVard, Carl Zinbeck, Lena Christina and 
 Sylvia Alberta; children of Minnie, wife of 
 DeLoss L. Hindman — Barbara Lucile; 
 children of Harry Elwood and Pearl 
 (Wick) Conn — Harriet Pearl and Cather- 
 ine Ellen. (Eighteen grandchildren in all.) 
 Deaths— Wiriiani Conn died August 4, 
 1881; Nancy Cotui .lied .Imic 1. IsitO; Jesse 
 Sutton died Septpuihcv I'M 1SS7; Marv 
 Jane Sutton died March 30, 1892. 
 
 JAMES N. RANDALL, engineer at the 
 Lockrie Brothers coal mine at Argentine, 
 Washington Township, Butler County, 
 Penna., is the owner of a well improved 
 tract of twenty-eight acres in Venango 
 Township, Butler Coimty. He was born in 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania, January 
 29, 1860, and is a son of Mathias and Sarah 
 (Rodgers) Randall, and a grandson of 
 James Randall, who removed at an early 
 day from" Cumberland County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, to Venango County. 
 
 Mathias Randall was one of the following- 
 children born to his parents: Simon, de- 
 ceased, who married a Miss Brown, of 
 Pi'anklin, Pennsylvania ; Joseph, who mar- 
 ried Amanda Allen of Indiana; Eli, who 
 married Marilla Rodgers of Crawford 
 County; Anna, wife of Cyrus Rodgers of 
 Venango County; Almena, wife of John 
 Work of Crawford County; and Mathias. 
 The last named, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was united in marriage with 
 Sarah Rodgers, daughter of James Rod- 
 gers of Venango County, and they reared 
 three children, as follows: James N. ; Eliz- 
 abeth, deceased; and Wilson, who also is 
 deceased. 
 
 James N. Randall was reared in Ve- 
 nango County, and attended school at Mc- 
 Kinzie's Corners. After leaving school he 
 went to work in the oil fields of Butler 
 Countv, and then learned the work of a 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1327 
 
 stationarj^ engineer, in which capacity he 
 is now employed at the coal mine of Lock- 
 rie Brothers, one and a half miles west of 
 Hilliard. He cleared his farm of twenty- 
 eight acres, and erected all the buildings 
 thereon, having a well imjaroved place. 
 
 Mr. Randall was united in marriage in 
 1885 with Miss Emma McCasslin, a dangli- 
 ter of Vanderlin McCasslin of Annandale, 
 Butler County. The following are the issue 
 of their union : Bertha, who married Milton 
 Daugherty of Butler County and has two 
 daughters, Edna and Nellie ; Maude, who 
 married Clayton Williams of Butler 
 County and has one daughter. Fay; and 
 Annetta, who is at home. Fraternally, Mr. 
 Randall is a member of Lodge No. 782, I. 
 O. O. F., at Lawi'euceburg; and the Knights 
 of the Maccabees at Eau Claire. He is a 
 Republican in politics. 
 
 D. W. DART, a successful oil producer 
 and highly respected citizen of Buena 
 Vista, Butler County, Pennsylvania, was 
 born March 6, 1849, in Lorain County, Ohio, 
 and is a son of Willard and Sarah (Adams) 
 Dart. 
 
 The parents of our subject early in life 
 came from Connecticut and located in Lo- 
 rain County, Ohio, for some time. They 
 then removed to Fulton County, Ohio, 
 where the father died; the mother died in 
 Lorain County. To them were born the 
 following children: Levi, died in the army; 
 D.. W., our subject ; George, a resident of 
 Peru, South America, married Mary Vos- 
 burg; L. L., residing in Fulton County, 
 Ohio, married Emma Dinius. 
 
 D. W. Dart was reared in Lorain and 
 Fulton Counties, Ohio, and in 1870 came to 
 Parker Township from Oil Creek. In about 
 two years he came to Buena Vista, begin- 
 ning his work in the oil fields in the fall 
 of 1872, his first work being on a 125-barrel 
 well on the old John Thorn farm. He has 
 since that time continued as an oil producer 
 and is one of the most successful producers 
 in this locality. 
 
 Mr. Dart was married December 26, 
 1877, to Emma Sutton, of Butler County, 
 the Rev. Knapp of Parker Township offici- 
 ating. Mrs. Dart is a daughter of James 
 and Harriet (Brown) Sutton, prominent 
 old settlers of Butler County. 
 
 James Sutton was born January 18, 
 1834, in Butler County and is a son of John 
 and Mary (Sutton) Sutton, who came from 
 Westmoreland County to Butler County at 
 an earl}^ period. James Sutton was one of 
 the following children: Joseph, deceased; 
 Jeremiah ; Jonathan, deceased ; Eliza J., de- 
 ceased ; James J. ; John ; Sarah ; Mary. Mr. 
 Sutton was reared in Concord Township, 
 and obtained his education in the district 
 schools. He taught for some time in Arm- 
 strong and Butler Counties, and was post- 
 master at Buena Vista for a period of eigh- 
 teen years. He is a veteran of the Civil 
 War, enlisting in 1864 in Company B, Fif- 
 tieth Peuna. Vol. Inf. and served to the 
 close of the war. Mr. Sutton is the father 
 of one child, Emma, the wife of D. W. 
 Dart. He is a member of the G. A. R. of 
 Chicora, McDermott Post No. 223, and is 
 religiously a member of the English Luth- 
 eran Church of Buena Vista. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dart have one son, J. L., 
 who was born June 22, 1881. In fraternal 
 affiliation the subject of this sketch is a 
 member of the Knights of Pythias of Chi- 
 cora, and the K. 0. T. M. of" Chicora. He 
 is a member of the English Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 WILLIAM H. GRABE, a prominent 
 farmer and representative citizen of Jef- 
 ferson Township, resides on his valuable 
 estate of 120 acres, which lies along the 
 by-road running from the Glade Mill high- 
 way, about one mile due west of Jefferson 
 Center. Mr. Grabe lives on the old home- 
 stead, which he purchased in 1879, and 
 here, in the house still standing, he was 
 born November 13, 1851. His parents were 
 George and Elizabeth (Frieze) Grabe. 
 
 George Grabe was born in (Jermany and 
 
1328 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 came to Butler County with his parents, 
 August and Catherine Grabe. George 
 Graiic iissistcd in clearing the land prepar- 
 atoix to tlic huilding of the first house at 
 Saxouliiirg and he also cleared away the 
 brush where now runs Main Street, with 
 its l)usiness liouses and busy daily traffic. 
 Later he cleared up the original farm of 
 the family, the third one located in this sec- 
 tion, and through his own industry cleared 
 oif fully 120 acres. He died April 8, 1902. 
 He was a good farmer and a highly re- 
 spected man. 
 
 In his boyhood, William H. Grabe went 
 to school whenever he could be spared from 
 home work, and then commenced his ap- 
 prenticeship in the carriage-making trade. 
 He worked at his trade until he mastered 
 it and during the winters of 1S70 and 1871 
 he attended night school and pcifccted him- 
 self in studies which he had been compelled 
 to neglect prior to this opportunity. For 
 fourteen years he carried on a carriage- 
 making business at Jefferson Center, but 
 in April, 1877, lie removed to Jefferson 
 Township and bought first a tract of forty 
 acres, which adjoined the old homestead, 
 and subsequently purchased the latter 
 property and has resided liere ever since. 
 He carries on general farming and stock- 
 raising and has made a specialty of raising 
 Sliorthorn cattle for stock shows, and one 
 winter he had forty-three head of his own 
 raising. He has the reputation of also 
 raising the best horses in the covmty and is 
 widely known, in addition, as a successful 
 raiser of fancy poultry and is the president 
 of the Butler County Poultry and Pet 
 Stock Association, of which he was a pro- 
 moter. His orchards also are a feature of 
 his farm and he has 500 peach ti-ees, two- 
 thirds of which are bearing; 400 apple 
 trees; 100 cherry trees and fifty ])ear and 
 plum trees. Mr. Gralic liclicvcs in the value 
 of the county fair exhibitions and he sets 
 the exam]i]e by yearly entering stock and 
 products. That he receives premiums on 
 the greater number of his exhibits is proof 
 
 tliat they are superior to all others. He 
 encourages agricultural organizations and 
 is an officer of the Butler County Grange. 
 On November 16, 1876, Mr. Grabe was 
 married to Miss Mary E. Wiskeman, a 
 daughter of William and Amelia (Pollard) 
 Wiskeman, prominent farming people of 
 Clinton Township. Mr. and Mrs. Grabe 
 have the following children: Oliver H., who 
 married Lula Giles, has three children; 
 Walter George, wlio married Vera Miller, 
 has one son, Howard; John Edwin, who 
 married Elizabeth Wetzel, has one daugh- 
 ter, Helen; Edna, who resides at home; 
 Amelia, who married William Weckerly, 
 has two sons, Carl and Albert; and Will- 
 iam C, Mabel and Ruth, all of whom live 
 at home. The family is a leading one in 
 the Presbyterian Church and Mr. Grabe is 
 an elder. He is a liroatl-ininded, progres- 
 sive citizen and takes an active interest in 
 all that concerns the public welfare of 
 township, county and State. On many 
 occasions he has been elected to office, in 
 1908 being made count}" commissioner. 
 
 ANDREW B. METZ, a successful busi- 
 ness man and well known citizen nl' Middle 
 Lancaster, Butler County, Pciuia., ion- 
 ducts the store established by his father 
 at a very early period, and for a period of 
 thirty-two years has been in partnership 
 with his mother under the name of A. E. 
 Metz & Son. He was born where he now 
 resides, on April 13th, 1852, and is a son 
 of Andrew and Anna Elizabeth (Luebben) 
 Metz. 
 
 Andrew Metz, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Montgomery 
 County, Pennsylvania, in December, 1811, 
 and has been deceased for fifty-seven 
 years. His widow still survives him and 
 has passed her ninety-first birthday anni- 
 versary. She was born in Phila(lel])Iiia, 
 Pennsylvania, and both she and her hus- 
 band reached maturity before moving to 
 Butler County. They were married in the 
 old Stauffer House, on the line between 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1331 
 
 Lancaster and Jackson Townships, and 
 became parents of the following children: 
 Mary L., who died in Mav, 1884, and was 
 the wife of W. E. Kirker'; Dr. Albert H., 
 a medical practitioner who died at East 
 Liverpool, Ohio, in 1890; Anna E., wife 
 of S. D. Kirker of Harmony; and An- 
 drew B. 
 
 In 1846 Andrew Metz established a store 
 in an old log house near where Middle 
 Lancaster is now located, and the building 
 still stands. About the year 1847 he 
 moved to Middle Lancaster and continued 
 the business until his death on January 
 8th, 1854. The business has continued 
 without interruption since its inception, 
 although for two years during the Civil 
 War it was conducted by Albert H. Metz, 
 and a brother-in-law, Mr. Kirker. Under 
 the proprietorship of Mrs. Metz and An- 
 drew B. Metz the business has flourished 
 and a good trade built up. 
 
 Andrew B. Metz received a good com- 
 mon school education in his hoiut' vicinity, 
 and from boyhood has been idciitificil with 
 the store. He was united in marriage 
 with Miss Nancy Robison, a daughter of 
 James Kobison of Thorn Hill, Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they are par- 
 ents of four children: Isabella, wife of 
 Rev. Leunzinger of Abilene, Kansas, for- 
 merly pastor of the Reformed Church at 
 Harmony; Mary V., who has taught 
 school in Harmony and Butler Boroughs; 
 A. Homer, a graduate of Westminster 
 College; and Letitia B., a stenographer 
 for P. Duff & Son of Pittsburg. Polit- 
 ically, Mr. Metz is a Republican. In re- 
 ligious attachment his family are members 
 of the Zelienople Presbyterian church. 
 Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Ma- 
 sonic Lodae at Butler. 
 
 A. H. KNAUF, secretary and treasurer 
 of The Hai'mony Cereal Company, at 
 Harmony, Pennsylvania, is a leading citi- 
 zen of tliis town and for many years prior 
 to 1906 was an extensive farmer and stock- 
 
 raiser in Forward Township, where he 
 still owns his fine farm of 250 acres. He 
 was born in Forward Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 19, 1861, 
 and is a son of John and Sophia (Rape) 
 Knauf. 
 
 The late John Knauf, father of A. H., 
 was born in Germany. For many years 
 he was a successful farmer in Butler 
 County and a well known, respected citi- 
 zen. He died March 5, 1900, at the age 
 of seventy-seven years. He married 
 Sophia Rape, who still survives. She was 
 born in 1825 in Cranberry Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Christian and Sarah Rape. They 
 had one son and two daughters, namely: 
 A. H. ; Mrs. Amelia Dambach, of Jack- 
 son Township, Butler County; and Mrs. 
 Sophia Meeder, of Cranberry Township. 
 
 A. H. Knauf obtained his education in 
 the Cooper School, in Forward Township 
 and remained at home and followed farm- 
 ing until he .turned his attention to milling 
 in 1906. He owns about seven-eighths of 
 the stock in the Harmony Cereal Company 
 at Haj-mony, which was incorporated in 
 August, 1906, with a capital stock of 
 $30,000. Its officers are: J. C. Bellis, 
 jiresident; A. H. Knauf, secretary and 
 treasurer, with J. C. Bellis, A. H. Knauf 
 and Smith Cavin as directors. The com- 
 pany buys and sells a large amount of 
 grain and does a large business and one 
 that is constantly expanding. The mill 
 capacity is thirty-five barrels of flour a 
 day. The plant is equipped with modern 
 machinery and the business is conducted 
 after the most approved methods. 
 
 Mr. Knauf married Miss Annie Mary 
 Knauf, a daugliter of George Knauf, of 
 Jackson Township, Butler County, and 
 they have six sons and two daughters, 
 namely: William M., John Henry, Frank 
 Walter, Edwin George, Herman Earl, 
 Harry Lelland, Eva Christina and Milia 
 Viola. Mr. Knauf and family are mem- 
 bersof the German Reformed Church. In 
 
1332 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 politics be is a Democrat and he has fre- 
 quently been elected by his fellow citizens 
 to responsible township offices and has 
 served most acceptably as auditor, super- 
 visor and assessor. He is a member of 
 Eden Lodge, Knights of Pythias. 
 
 JOHN H. TEBAY, a well known oil and 
 gas producer of Eau Claire, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, was the first male 
 child born in that village, the date of his 
 birth being September 30, 1854. He is a 
 son of William H. and Lydia (Chambers) 
 Tebay, a grandson of John and Elizabeth 
 (Stewart) Tebay. 
 
 John Tebay, the grandfather, was first 
 married to Elizabeth Stewart, who was of 
 Scotch descent and who came to the 
 United States from England. They had 
 two children: William H. and Stewart, 
 the last named dying in boyhood. John 
 Tebay formed a second union with a Miss 
 Vogan of Lawrence County, and they had 
 five children: John, deceased; Elizabeth 
 of Slippery Eock; Josephine, wife of 
 William Moore, who is a retired farmer 
 and lives at Slippery Eock; Clark, de- 
 ceased; and Chase, who resides in Slip- 
 perv Eock and has business interests in 
 the "West. 
 
 William H. Tebay attended school near 
 Porter sville and lived at home until his 
 fifteenth year, then went to Butler and 
 learned the trade of a carpenter with Pur- 
 vis & Company. He later moved to Eau 
 Claire, where he followed carpentering 
 throughout his active career. He married 
 Lydia Chambers, a daughter of Lewis 
 Chambers, who came from east of the 
 mountains of Pennsylvania, and located 
 on what has since been known as the 
 Chambers farm, one mile west of Eau 
 Claire. He, too, was a carpenter by trade. 
 His wife was Elizabeth Hilliard. a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Margaret Hilliard of 
 Ireland. William H. and Lydia Tebay 
 had the following offspring: Mary E', 
 widow of J. E. Kaylor of Beaver Falls, 
 
 by whom she has had three children — 
 Clarence E., deceased, Lamonte and Pearl ; 
 Jennie Tebay, who resides in Franklin, 
 Pennsylvania; John H., subject of this- 
 biography; 0. H., an oil man of Cherry 
 Valley; and Almira, who lives with her 
 mother at Eau Claire. 
 
 John H. Tebay attended the public 
 schools, all of them at the old Blair school, 
 and afterwards started work in Butler 
 County; he went into the oil fields as a 
 tool dresser, and later as a driller in the 
 Bradford field. He continued that busi- 
 ness in the Hudson Eiver field, and later 
 returned to Butler, where he has since 
 continued his operations. He has been 
 contracting and drilling for many years 
 and has met with success. During the 
 past nine months he has been in the new 
 state of Oklahoma, leasing land for vari- 
 ous companies, but he has maintained his 
 residence in Eau Claire as before. He is 
 the owner of a valuable property of twenty 
 acres, the northern part of the village of 
 Eau Claire lying on a part of his land. 
 
 Mr. Tebay was united in marriage with 
 Miss Florence A. Campbell, a daughter 
 of James E. and Anna (Storey) Campbell 
 of West Sunbury, and the following are 
 the issue of their imion : Paul J., a teacher 
 in Eau Claire Academy; William J., line- 
 man for the Eau Claire Telephone Com- 
 pany ; Helen L. The subject of this sketch 
 is a Eepublican, burgess of Eau Claire one 
 year, and justice of the peace ten years, 
 his term to expire in 1911. He was twice 
 candidate for the nomination for sheriff. 
 He is a member of Butler Lodge No. 170, 
 B. P. 0. E. Eeligiously, he is a member 
 of the LTnited Presbyterian church. 
 
 HENEY F. GEENET, general brick 
 contractor at Butler, with place of busi- 
 ness at No. 354 North Main Street, has 
 been identified with the brick business 
 ever since he was old enough to take an 
 interest in any industry. He was born in 
 1863, at Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1333 
 
 also he was reared. His parents were 
 James and Matilda (Foulkener) Grenet. 
 The father, James Grenet, served in the 
 Civil war as captain of Company * B, 
 Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry, under 
 appointment of Governor Curtin. He died 
 in 1897, his death occurring about two 
 years after that of his wife Matilda. 
 
 The great-grandfather of the subject 
 of this sketcli on the maternal side was 
 Charles H. Foulkener, a squatter on Alle- 
 gheny Commons, now known as the 
 Allegheny Park, where he died. 
 
 Henry F. Grenet as a boy worked for 
 his grandfather, Henry F. Foulkener, in 
 the brick business and later he learned the 
 bricklayers' trade and has worked at the 
 same ever since. For twelve years he has 
 done brick contracting; for six years of 
 this period he had Geoi'ge Gerberding 
 associated with him, under the firm name 
 of Grenet & Gerberding, since when he has 
 carried on his extensive business alone. 
 His brick work is seen in a number of 
 Butler's finest structures and among these 
 may be named: the Nixon Hotel; the 
 Leedom & Woi"ral wholesale grocery 
 building, and the Cypher Building, in 
 which he also contracted for the art plate 
 glass work. Mr. Grenet has been called 
 to other cities and a notable example of 
 his fine work is seen in the Armory at 
 Grove City. Mr. Grenet has been a resi- 
 dent of Butler for eight years and in that 
 time has proven his capacity in his special 
 line and also his standing as a good citizen. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Grenet was married to ]\Iiss 
 Anna M. Matthews, of Allegheny, and they 
 have a family of three sons and one 
 daughter: James, who is associated with 
 his father ; Alexander, who is also a prac- 
 tical brick workman; Guy; and Nellie. 
 Mr. Grenet is a member of the Brick- 
 layers' Association of Butler. In politics 
 he is a Democrat. 
 
 WILT JAM H. MILLER, a i)rominent 
 oil producer of Fairview Township, But- 
 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and owner of 
 two fine farms in this township, was born 
 April 4, 1867, in Fairview Township, and 
 is a son of Charles and Hannah (Kaylor) 
 Miller, and a grandson of Casper Miller. 
 
 Casper Miller, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Germany and early in 
 life came to America, locating in Alle- 
 gheny County, Pennsylvania, being one of 
 tlie earliest settlers of that county. He 
 was the father of the following children: 
 John, Peter, Charles, Katherine, and 
 Ellen. 
 
 Charles Miller, father of William H., 
 was born in Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and married Hannah Kaylor, a 
 daughter of Leonard Kaylor, an early set- 
 tler of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. 
 Charles and Hannah Miller became the 
 parents of the following offspring: Will- 
 iam H. is the subject of this sketch. 
 Lewis, who resides at Bradys Bend, Arm- 
 strong County, Pennsylvania, first mar- 
 ried Emma Hepler, by whom he had one 
 child, Laura. His second union was with 
 Maud Steel of Butler County, and they 
 have had two children, Grace and Lee. 
 Peter K. resides on one of our subject's 
 farms in Fairview Township, and is un- 
 married. 
 
 William H. Miller was reared and has 
 practically lived all of his life in Fairview 
 Township. He received but a limited 
 amoimt of schooling and at the tender age 
 of eleven years started out in life for him- 
 self. He first began as an oil pumper and 
 has continued in the oil business ever 
 since, working his way up, until at present 
 he is a large oil prociucer, and has an in- 
 terest in about 15 wells in this section 
 of the state. In 1900 he purchased a tract 
 of 111 acres from Oscar Kammerer and 
 on October 5, 1905, purchased another 
 tract of land in Fairview Township from 
 the Allegheny Railroad through Emmet 
 Queen of Pittsburg. 
 
 Mr. Miller was united in marriage in 
 1891 to Elizabeth Hepler, a daughter of 
 
1334 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Isaac and Rachel (Kammerer) Hepler of 
 Kaylor. They are the parents of four 
 children: Florence B., W. W., Olive J., 
 and J. C, deceased. 
 
 In religious affiliation, Mr. Miller is 
 associated with the St. John's ileform 
 Church of Chicora, and has been a deacon 
 of the church during the greater part of 
 his life. Fraternally, he is a member of 
 the I. 0. 0. F. lodge at Chicora, No. 947, 
 and the Encampment; the Knights of 
 Pythias, of which he is vice chancellor, 
 and the Knights of Malta of Butler. 
 
 CHARLES F. SCHOENTAG, who is 
 proprietor of a large general store at 
 Saxonburg, is a leading and substantial 
 citizen of this town. He was born October 
 21, 1865, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of John and Mary (Lerner) 
 Schoentag. 
 
 The venerable father of Mr. Schoentag 
 was boi-n in Germany and was one of the 
 first settlers at Saxonburg, where he has 
 the distinction of being the oldest resident 
 in point of years. During his active years 
 he engaged in shoemaking. He is the 
 father of six living children, namely : 
 George, Charles, William, Mary, John and 
 Emma. One daughter, Anna, is deceased. 
 
 Charles Schoentag accompanied his par- 
 ents from Pittsburg, being only three 
 years old when they settled here. He is a 
 harnessmaker by trade and for eighteen 
 years made harness and was considered 
 an expert workman. The present mer- 
 cantile business was started by his older 
 brother, George Schoentag, who conducted 
 it for one year and then sold it, in 1903, 
 to the present proprietor. He carries a 
 large and well selected stock of goods and 
 does a very satisfactory amount of busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Mr. Schoentag married Miss Mary Hil- 
 man, a daughter of George and Dora 
 Hilman, who spent their entire lives in 
 Germany. They have six children : Flora, 
 
 Robert, Elmer, George, Dora and Amelia. 
 Mr. Schoentag and wife belong to the 
 German Lutheran Church. 
 
 BAXTER R. RAMSEY, a representa- 
 tive citizen of Cranberry Township, be- 
 longs to one of the pioneer families of 
 Butler County. He was born in Cran- 
 berry Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, August .■!(), lS(i5, and is a son of 
 Anthony and Elizabeth (McGeorge) Ram- 
 sey. 
 
 Alexander Ramsey, the grandfather of 
 Baxter R., was born in County Down, Ire- 
 land, in 1776, emigrated to America in 
 1786 and lived for ten years in Westmore- 
 land County, Pennsylvania. In 1796 he 
 came to Butler County and took up land 
 in Cranberry Township, where he was one 
 of the first permanent settlers. He built 
 a log cabin and spent the remainder of 
 his life on his farm, where he died in 1843, 
 aged sixty-seven years. He married 
 Grace Smith, who was born in 1776, in 
 Chester County, Pennsylvania, who died 
 in Cranberry Township, in 1845, aged 
 sixty-nine years. Her father, James 
 Smith, was a soldier in the War of the 
 American Revolution and was killed at the 
 battle of the Brandywine. The children 
 born to Alexander and Grace Ramsey who 
 reached maturity were: Mary, Hannah, 
 James, John, William, Alexander and An- 
 thony. Mary, now deceased, was the wife 
 of Isaac Y'oung. Hannah married Joseph 
 Robinson. James was born in Cranberry 
 Township in 1805, married Annie Covert, 
 born March 4, 1812, and they had five 
 children, namely: Mary Ann, who mar- 
 ried W. H. Honoddle; Nancy and Eliza- 
 beth, single ladies, residing at Beaver 
 Falls; Alexander C. and William H., of 
 Jackson Township, Butler County. James 
 Ramsey died in 1869 and was survived by 
 his widow imtil October, 1891. For many 
 years he was an elder in the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. John Ramsey, born in 
 1807, married Sarah Covert." William 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1335 
 
 Ramsey never married. Alexander Ram- 
 sey, born August 1, 1817, in 1845 married 
 Sarah McGeorge, a sister of the mother 
 of Baxter R. They were daughters of 
 John and Elizabeth McGeorge, the for- 
 mer of whom was born in Scotland in 
 April, 1815, and was a pioneer settler near 
 Butler, Pennsylvania. Two sons of Alex- 
 ander and Sarah Ramsey reside in Jack- 
 son Township — W. S. and S. C. Ramsey. 
 
 Anthony Ramsey, father of Baxter R., 
 was born in Cranberry Township, Butler 
 County, November 20, 1820, and died on 
 the farm, on which Baxter R. resides, 
 January 31, 1880. He married Elizabeth 
 McGeorge, who was born November 17, 
 1822, and died December 18, 1884. They 
 were the parents of the following chil- 
 dren: Elizabeth, deceased, was born 
 Marcli 4, 1848, and was the wife of Joseph 
 Cashdollar; Mary Jane, born April 17, 
 1850, died aged fifteen years; Addison, 
 born January 3, 1853, married Jennie 
 West and died in 1904, leaving one daugh- 
 ter; John A., born April 6, 1855, married 
 Lila ]\Iay McKinney and they reside at 
 Evans City, Pennsylvania; Euphemia, 
 born February 3, 1857, resides with her 
 brother, Baxter R. ; Ella, deceased, was 
 born January 4, 1859; Edwin, born 
 November 4, 1861, married Ida West, a 
 daugliter of Fleming West, of Cranberry 
 Township, and tliey reside in Jackson 
 Township; and Baxter R. The parents 
 were worthy members of the White Oak 
 United Presbyterian Church which their 
 parents had been interested in organizing. 
 
 Baxter R. Ramsey attended the public 
 schools of Cranberry Township, but the 
 death of his father, when he was only 
 fourteen years of age, placed heavy re- 
 sponsibilities on him. He took charge of 
 the home farm and has continued to man- 
 age it ever since. He has sixty-three acres 
 of excellent farming land and has two pro- 
 ducing oil wells. He has other business 
 interests and is a stockholder in the Bury 
 & !Markle hardware store at Evans Citv. 
 
 In 1893, Mr. Ramsey was married to 
 Miss Maggie Garvin, a daughter of New- 
 ton and Margaret (Nicholas) Garvin, for- 
 merly of Cranberry Township. Newton 
 Garvin was born in Cranberry Township, 
 May 8, 1831, and he was a son of David 
 and Permelia (Malison) Garvin. The chil- 
 dren born to Newton Garvin and wife were 
 as follows: AVilliam P., who died aged 
 eighteen months; Mary, who married 
 Jacob Panner, of Rochester, Pennsyl- 
 vania ; Lewis, who married Catherine 
 Metz, lives in Beaver Coiinty, Pennsyl- 
 vania; Maggie; Permelia, who married 
 Henry Leonberg, of Cranberry Township; 
 CharFfes, residing in Forward Township, 
 married (first) Ora, daughter of Samuel 
 Ramsey, of Jackson Township, and (sec- 
 ond) Mrs. Pfeifer; and Emma, who mar- 
 ried Henry Weyman, of Cranberry Town- 
 ship. The parents of this family were 
 leading members of the Plains Presby- 
 terian Church. Newton Garvin was a man 
 of ample fortune, owning 300 acres of land 
 in Cranberry Township together with a 
 valuable farm in Beaver County. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey became the par- 
 ents of five children: Ethel May, born 
 June 23, 1894 ; Lavern Garvin, born April 
 3, 1897; Grace Smith, born Januarv 24, 
 1900; Pearl, born August 16, 1906; and 
 an infant daughter, Phemie Alice, born 
 January 27, 1909, who died February 7, 
 1909. The last mentioned survived its 
 mother two days, Mrs. Ramsey's death 
 taking place on February 5th. With her 
 husband she was a member of the United 
 Presbyterian Church at Evans City, and 
 was a woman greatly liked and respected. 
 In ])olitics, like his father and grand- 
 father, Mr. Ramsey is a stanch Democrat. 
 For the past six years he has served as 
 school director and has also been a mem- 
 ber of the board of elections in his district. 
 He belongs to the Knights of Pythias 
 lodge at Evans City and to Grange No. 
 908, Patrons of Husbandry, of which his 
 wife was also a member. 
 
1336 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 D. J. McMAHON, a well known resident 
 of Karns City, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, is now living a retired life after 
 many years of activity in the oil industry. 
 He was born in Ireland, April 15, 1835, 
 and is one of seven children born to James 
 and Mary McMahon. His parents never 
 came to America. 
 
 D. J. McMahon was reared in his native 
 land and there received a limited educa- 
 tion in the common schools. At the age 
 of twenty-six years he emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, and first located at Buffalo, New York, 
 where he resided a number of years. Dur- 
 ing the oil excitement, he moved to Petro- 
 leum Center and then to Karns City, in 
 Butler County, Penna., and has been lo- 
 cated there ever since. For a period of 
 more than thirty-one years he was in the 
 employ of the Standard Oil Company, and 
 being a useful and conscientious employee 
 was able to command a good salary, out of 
 which he has saved a competency which 
 enables him to spend his declining years in 
 the peace and comfort of his home, in the 
 happy companionship of his wife. He is 
 the owner of some realty in his home town. 
 
 About the year 1869 Mr. McMahon was 
 united in marriage with Miss Margaret 
 Dolan, also a native of Ireland, and they 
 are parents of eight children, as follows: 
 T. L., John L., J. C, D. F., T. J., Mayme, 
 Anna and Margaret. T. L. McMahon mar- 
 ried Miss Alice Gerding of Toledo, Ohio. 
 John L. McMahon married Miss Maud 
 Veil (deceased) and has one child — Mar- 
 garet. J. C. McMahon married Miss Eliza- 
 beth Phefler, of Ohio. Mayme McMahon 
 married P. H. Quinn of Titusville, Penna., 
 and they have three sons — Harold Vincent, 
 George P., and Joseph McMahon Quinn. 
 Margaret McMahon married Alonzo Par- 
 rish and has one child — Margaret Eliza- 
 beth. This family was well reared and 
 educated, and the sons are all holding good 
 positions, located in various parts of the 
 south and west. Religiously, Mr. Mc- 
 Mahon has been a devout member of the 
 
 Catholic church at Petrolia for many 
 years, and has been a member of the 
 C. M. B. A. for twenty-nine years. 
 
 SOLOMON ROBERT THOMPSON, 
 who o-mis over 100 acres of valuable land 
 in Brady Township, resides on this farm, 
 which is situated along the Butler-Mercer 
 tumiiike road, and was born here on March 
 17, 1831. His parents were William H. and 
 Jane (McCandless) Thompson. 
 
 William H. Thompson was a son of John 
 Thompson. The latter came from Ireland, 
 lived in different sections near Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, when his son William H. 
 was born and later acquired much land in 
 what is now Brady Township. The Thomp- 
 son and McCandless families, both promi- 
 nent ones in Butler County, have been con- 
 nected by marriage in several generations. 
 
 Solomon Robert Thompson was reared 
 on the farm he occupies and attended school 
 in his boyhood, not enjoying, however, the 
 yrcat adviintanes offered the children of 
 the |iic-i'iil liny. He was trained to be a 
 fanner ami has continually followed gen- 
 eral fa)-miug. 
 
 Mr. Thompson married Miss Martha 
 Ann McCandless, who was born and reared 
 in Center Township, Butler County, a 
 daughter of Nathan F. and Elizabeth 
 (Thompson) McCandless. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Thompson have had eight children, as fol- 
 lows: Nathan, who lives at Coraopolis, 
 married Etta Thompson and they have one 
 child, Dwight; Edna, who died May 3, 
 1908 ; E. C, a physician at West Liberty, 
 who married Bertie Stapleton and they 
 have one child, Marv; Mary Elizabeth, who 
 married W^ilbert Tebay, and had three chil- 
 dren — William, Rnynioiid and .lames AVil- 
 son; William H., wlio married Aland Spen- 
 cer, resides on a part of his father's farm 
 and has three children — J. Delbert, Lena 
 and Laura; Loretta; Charles Ward, who 
 lives at home; and William George, the 
 second in order of birth, who died when 
 aged two and one-half years. Mary Eliza- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1339 
 
 beth died December 18, 1907, and her 
 youngest son lives with her parents. Mr. 
 Thompson and family belong to the Muddy 
 Creek Presbyterian Church. They are rep- 
 resentative people in this section of Butler 
 County. 
 
 JAMES ROSS PORTER CONLEY, one 
 of the prominent citizens and large farm- 
 ers of Adams Township, resides on his 
 valuable farm, which contains 104 acres, 
 and carries on a general line of agriculture. 
 He was born November 7, 1856, on his fath- 
 er's farm in Allegheny County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of John P. and Jane 
 (Dawson) Conley. • 
 
 John P. ;Conley was born in West Deer 
 Township, Allegheny Count)', Pennsyl- 
 vania, and died in Adams Township, on his 
 son's present farm, November 21, 1904, 
 aged e^ighty-one years. His father, Nathan 
 Conley, was an early settler in Allegheny 
 County, where he followed his trade, that 
 of cabinet-maker. He also owned a small 
 farm. He had two sons : Robert, who died 
 in Colorado, and John P. The latter in- 
 herited a part of his father's estate, on 
 which he lived until 1871, when he pur- 
 chased land from William Humes, in Ad- 
 ams Township, on which he resided during 
 the 'remainder of his life. He married 
 Jane Dawson, whose father was a native of 
 Ireland. She still survives, at the age of 
 eighty-two years, and is a beloved member 
 of the family of her son, James R. John 
 P. Conley and wife had the following chil- 
 dren : Mary, deceased, was the wife of John 
 Aber, also deceased; Robert; Sarah Bellq, 
 deceased ; James Ross Porter ; Andrew T. ; 
 Joseph D. and Wilson H., deceased. 
 
 James R. P. Conley was thirteen years 
 old when his parents came to Adams Town- 
 ship and settled on his present farm, on 
 which he has passed his life ever since, his 
 occupations having been farming and team- 
 ing. In September, 1878, he was married 
 to Miss Sarah Hutchman, a daughter of 
 Jacob Hutchman, who resides on the farm 
 
 adjoining that of Mr. Conley. Five chil- 
 dren make up the family of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Conley, namely: Albert W., who married 
 Susie Eomack; Ira P., who married Ella 
 Hartung, has two children, Clare and Ken- 
 neth; John H. ; Lillian M. and Ross V. The 
 present commodious fi-ame residence was 
 erected by the father of Mr. Conley, the 
 first house having been destroyed by fire. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Conley are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. In politics 
 he is a Republican, takes an active interest 
 in public affairs and at ditferent times has 
 served as township supervisor and as a 
 member of the election board. 
 
 AMOS SEATON, ex-county treasurer of 
 Butler County, Penna., and one of Venango 
 Township's most prominent citizens, suc- 
 cessfully carries on general farming on his 
 valuable estate of 120 acres, which is situ- 
 ated one mile southwest of the borough of 
 Eau Claire. Mr. Seaton was born in Ve- 
 nango Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 August 23, 1838, and is a son of William 
 and Rebecca (Vanderlin) Seaton. 
 
 The grandparents of Mr. Seaton were 
 Robert and Margaret (Davis) Seaton and 
 the}^ had ten children namely: Alexander, 
 Thomas, Eliza, Robert, William, James, 
 John, Polly, Margaret and Anna. 
 
 William Seaton, of the above family, 
 married Rebecca Vanderlin, a daughter of 
 John Vanderlin, of Venango Township, and 
 they had the following children born to 
 them: Catherine; Margaret, who married 
 Theodore Hovis, of Clintonville, Venango 
 County, Penna., had four children — Will- 
 iam, Marshall, Parker and Darley; Caro- 
 line, who married James Jack of Washing- 
 ton Township, had four children — Nancy, 
 Mallie, Edward and Grant; John, who mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Thompson, 'of Warren 
 County, was drowned in the Allegheny 
 River, leaving three children — William, 
 Roy and Delphine; William G., who mar- 
 ried Ellen Burke, daughter of John Burke, 
 of Venango Townshiji, has six children — 
 
1340 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Marshall, William, Katherine and Ella, 
 twins, Annie and Plummer; Hattie, who 
 married Stephen Cooper, of Marion Town- 
 ship, has two children— Amelia and Del- 
 bert; and Amos. 
 
 Amos Seaton was reared on his father's 
 farm in Venango Township and in boyhood 
 went to the district schools. From the 
 home farm he went into the army when the 
 urgent call came for loyal men to put down 
 rebellion, enlisting first in Company C, 
 Eleventh Penna. Reserves, in which he 
 served for three years and then re-enlisted 
 in Company D, Fifteenth Regiment, Penna. 
 Cavalry, and served until the close of the 
 war, in 1865. During this long period Mr. 
 Seaton experienced many of the misfor- 
 tunes of war, being captured by the enemy 
 and being so seriously wounded in his 
 shoulder, at the battle of Malvern Hill, as 
 to be inconvenienced by his wound more 
 than forty years later. After he had 
 reached home and regained a fair measure 
 of strength, he resumed his farming opera- 
 tions. In 1867 he married and then bought 
 a farm of eighty acres in Venango Town- 
 ship, on which he continued until 1887, 
 when, upon being elected to the important 
 office of county treasurer, he removed to 
 Butler, where he lived until he retired from 
 that office in 1890. He sold his farm of 
 eighty acres and purchased his present one 
 of 120 acres, of Andrew Addleman, and 
 here has engaged in mixed farming ever 
 since. His land is valuable from an agri- 
 cultural point of view, no oil, gas or coal 
 having been yet found. He has excellent 
 farm Imildings, a fine orchard and is sur- 
 rounded 1)y all the comforts of life to which 
 true Americans feel their honored veterans 
 are entitled. He is a member of the Grand 
 Army Post at Eau Claire and to the Union 
 Veterans' League at Butler. 
 
 On December 10, 1867, Mr. Seaton was 
 married to Miss Mary Laughlin, a daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Laughlin, of Marion Town- 
 ship, and the following children and grand- 
 children are theirs : Henrietta, who married 
 
 Wilbur N. Stalker, of Venango Township, 
 and has six children — Oran, Roy, Ada, Al- 
 berta, Stanley and Margaret; Delphine, 
 who married F. W. Hilliard, of Emlenton; 
 Ada, who is a school teacher; Percy, who 
 is a well driller; Fannie, who lives at home; 
 Homer R., who is in Panama; Darley, who 
 resides at home; Ellas, who married Polly 
 Ann Wasson, daughter of John Wasson, 
 of Cherry Township, and has six children — 
 Roy, Elmer, Parker, Clara, Merritt and 
 Amos; and Lewis M., who married Bell 
 McCoy, daughter of H. C. McCoy, and has 
 four children — Harry, John, Louis and Ed- 
 ward. Mr. Seaton and family belong to 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church at Eau 
 Claire. In iiis ]iolitical views Mr. Seaton 
 is a stanch Re]iulilican and has been a very 
 prominent factor in the public life of But- 
 ler County and Venango Township. At 
 different times he has served most accept- 
 ably as constable, collector, auditor, school 
 director and road supervisor for his town- 
 ship, while, during his term as county 
 treasurer, his fellow citizens rested secure, 
 knowing that the public funds were en- 
 trusted to not only a capable man but an 
 honest one. 
 
 REV. JOHX S. McKEE, fifth pastor of 
 the L'nited Preslnterian CliTircli of Butler, 
 was born in Pittsl)urg, Pennsylvania, June 
 22, 1850, and was the son of William S. 
 McKee, who was a native of Ireland. He 
 was educated in the East Liberty Acad- 
 emy and the Western University, and then 
 entered the United Presbyterian Theologi- 
 cal School in Allegheny City, where he was 
 graduated in 1873. Subsequentl.v he at- 
 tended the Free Church College, Edin- 
 burgh, Scotland, for one year. Mr. McKee 
 was licensed to preach the gospel June 24, 
 1873, and was ordained and installed pas- 
 tor of East Brady Congregation, October 
 19, 1875. He remained with that charge 
 until 1880, when he received a call from the 
 United Presbyterian Church at Mercer, 
 Pennsylvania, which he accepted and was 
 
CAPT. WILLIAM H. McCANDLESS 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1343 
 
 pastor of that elmreh until October 1, 1884. 
 On that date he received a call from the 
 Butler Congregation, which he accepted, 
 and he remained its pastor until his death, 
 whicli occurred March 5, 1903. Mr. McKee 
 was married in June, 1878, to Miss Sophia 
 M. Templeton, of East Brady. His widow 
 and one daughter, Jeannie E., survive him, 
 and live in Butler. 
 
 MRS. EVA M. STEEL, widow of the 
 late James Steel of Fairview Township, 
 Butler County, and owner of a tract of 
 nineteen acres, on which she resides, was 
 born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is the adopted daughter of William and 
 Margaret (Ililes) Burtch of Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mrs. Steel resided in Armstrong County 
 until about twenty years of age, when she 
 married James Steel, a son of James Steel, 
 Sr., of Greene County, their marriage oc- 
 curring February 24, 1881, at Parker City, 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. James 
 Steel, Jr., was born January 7, 1844, and 
 died May 19, 1907. He was a farmer and 
 oil producer by occupation, and upon first 
 locating in Butler County bought an oil 
 well on the old Collins farm in Fairview 
 Township. In 1901, at the expiration of 
 their lease, they purchased the farm on 
 which Mrs. Steel now resides, fi-om Joseph 
 Barnhart. 
 
 Mrs. Steel is the mother of a large family 
 of children, namely: Edgar, Alma G., 
 Mabel, Judge J., Ethel M., Wayne J,, de- 
 ceased, Margaret E., John R., Williard A., 
 Harold 11. and Paul J., deceased. ]\lrs. 
 Steel is a member of the St. John's Reform 
 Cliurch of Chicora and is esteemed by her 
 many friends for her excellencies of char- 
 acter. 
 
 ANDREW FRED WETZEL, who is one 
 of Jefferson Township's enterprising and 
 successful general fai-mers, lives on his val- 
 uable estate of seventy acres, which lies on 
 the Great Belt road, about one and one-half 
 
 miles south of the village of Great Belt, 
 was born in his present residence, Novem- 
 ber 10, 1877, and is a son of Frederick and 
 Caroline (Hartenstein) Wetzel. 
 
 Frederick Wetzel, father of Andrew F., 
 was born in Geniiany and when fifteen 
 years old accompanied his parents, Gottleib 
 and Hannah (Merkle) Wetzel, to America. 
 The great-grandfather, Nicholas Wetzel, 
 never left Germany. Frederick Wetzel and 
 wife had eleven children, namely : Mena, 
 Caroline, Emelia, Louisa, William, Anna, 
 Matilda, John, Elizabeth, Andrew F. and 
 Herman. Those deceased are Caroline, 
 William, Matilda and Herman. 
 
 Andrew F. Wetzel attended the public 
 schools through boyhood and was trained 
 to be a practical farmer, from youth hav- 
 ing had duties to perform. He has made 
 farming his main business in life and is 
 numbered with the township's leading ag- 
 riculturists. Mr. Wetzel and his father 
 reside side by side, the new house, which 
 is occupied bv the parents, l)eing erected in 
 1903. 
 
 In April, 1905, Mr. Wetzel was married 
 to Miss Hattie Koegler, who is a daughter 
 of August and Margaret (Doerr) Koegler, 
 of Jefferson Township, and they have two 
 bright little children, Karl and Elma. Mr. 
 Wetzel is a leading member and liberal 
 supporter of the German Lutheran Church. 
 He takes a good citizen's interest in all 
 that concerns public matters in his town- 
 ship, but is not a politician. 
 
 CAPT. WILLIAM HARRISON Mc- 
 CANDLESS, a veteran of the Civil War 
 and a well known resident of Center 
 Township, is a representative of a pioneer 
 family of Butler County. He was born 
 and has always lived on the farm he now 
 owns, the date of his birth being December 
 21, 1840, and is a son of John F. and 
 Nancy (Hayes) iNIeCandless. His paternal 
 grandfather. William MeCandless, came to 
 the United States from County Down, Ire- 
 land, and took up 800 acres in the north- 
 
1344 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 # 
 
 •JvV 
 
 western part of Center Township, in But- 
 ler County, Penna. This hardy pioneer 
 became one of the prominent men of the 
 county, and was widely known to its 
 citizens. 
 
 John F. McCandless was horn on the 
 farm adjoining that now owned by his son, 
 William H., and moved to the latter at the 
 time of his marriage in 1832. They set up 
 housekeeping in a log house, in which there 
 were no doors, quilts being hung over 
 the apertures for that purpose. The 
 first house erected by him was a log 
 structure of two stories, with a two-story 
 front porch, and it was regarded as one 
 of the best houses then in the township. 
 Here John F. McCandless and his wife 
 lived until their respective deaths; all 
 their children were born therein, and it 
 was in this house that William H. Mc- 
 Candless and his wife set up housekeeping. 
 The father of the subject of this sketch 
 was joined in marriage with Nancy Hayes, 
 who was born and reared in Connoquenes- 
 sing Township, Butler County, and was a 
 daughter of William Hayes, a native of 
 Scotland. Nine children blessed this 
 union, namely: Mary J. (Findley) of 
 Kansas; Nancy A. (Miller) of Euclid, 
 Pennsylvania; Emeline (Glenn) of Alle- 
 gheny Townshi]), Penna.; William Harri- 
 son; John Milton, who died in the fall of 
 1865; Jennings Coulter McCandless of 
 Connoquenessing Township; Porter and 
 Minerva, who died in infancy; and Sarah 
 Belle (Wilson) of Allegheny Township, 
 Butler County. 
 
 Capt. William H. McCandless was 
 reared on the home farm and received his 
 educational training in the district schools. 
 When the Civil War was in progress he 
 enlisted, in August of 1862, as a member 
 of Company D, 137th Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teer Infantry, and served nine months. 
 He then remained at home until the svun- 
 mer of 1864, when he re-enlisted as a mem- 
 ber of Company A, Sixth Pennsylvania 
 Heavy Artillery, bearing the rank of first 
 
 lieutenant from that time until the war 
 closed. Upon his return home he resumed 
 agricultural pursuits, at which he has 
 since continued with uninterrupted suc- 
 cess, always on the same farm. 
 
 March 8, 1866, Captain McCandless was 
 united in marriage with Miss Harriet N. 
 Glenn, who was born and reared in Con- 
 cord Township, Butler County, and is a 
 daughter of William, Sr., and Eebecca 
 (Porter) Glenn. Five children were the 
 issue of this union, as follows: Carrie 
 Belle, who died October 20, 1906, was the 
 wife of Eobert Mellon ; Dr. Milton Lowrie 
 McCandless, a graduate of Western Ee- 
 serve Medical College of Cleveland and 
 now located in practice at Eochester, 
 Pennsylvania, married Gertrude Lyon of 
 Butler, and they have three children — 
 Harrison, Helen and Lowrie Thompson; 
 Minnie E., wife of Eev. D. P. Williams, 
 pastor of the First Presbyterian church 
 of Natrona, Pennsylvania, has two chil- 
 dren: Samuel Harrison and Harriet 
 Glenn; Myrta, who died in May, 1903, 
 was the wife of H. C. Hindman, a druggist 
 of West Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and they 
 had one daughter, Jean Harriet, who is 
 living; and Everett, an electrical engineer, 
 who is in the employ of the Westinghouse 
 Company in Pittsburg. Eeligiously, the 
 subject of this sketch has been a member 
 of the Presbyterian church at Unionville 
 many years, a member of the session for 
 thirty years, and is superintendent of the 
 Sabbath school. He is a Eepublican in 
 l)f)litics, and for the past two years has 
 served as tipstaff. He has filled most of 
 the townshii> offices, and always dis- 
 chnrge<l liis jmblic duties in a conscien- 
 tious and capable manner. 
 
 E. L. GILLILAND, a leading general 
 farmer in Connoquenessing Township, 
 owns sixty-two acres of exceedingly valua- 
 ble land, it being not only readily respon- 
 sive to cultivation but also possessing oil 
 and coal deposits. Mr. Gilliland was born 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1345 
 
 May 8, 1SG6, in Cranberry Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 William Noble and Mary (Easton) Gilli- 
 land. 
 
 William Gilliland, the paternal grand- 
 father, established the family in western 
 Pennsj'lvania and died in Allegheny 
 County. His son William Noble Gilliland, 
 father of E. L., in turn established the 
 family in Butler County. He was born 
 October 8, 1808, in some section east of the 
 Allegheny Mountains and was small when 
 his father came to Lawrence County, set- 
 tling on a small tract of land near New 
 Castle. In a very short time he moved to 
 what is now White Hall, Allegheny County. 
 A half century ago the second William Gil- 
 liland settled on an uncleared fann in 
 Cranberry Township and lived there until 
 1879, having cleared and improved the land 
 before disposing of it. From there he came 
 to Connoquenessing Township and lived on 
 the present farm of his son until his death. 
 By trade he was a carpenter and his chil- 
 dren remember how hard he worked to 
 clear up his farm, often walking a distance 
 of a half dozen miles to and from his place 
 of employment and after nightfall doiug 
 a second day's work on his property. For 
 many years he thus led an unusually busy 
 life, but notwithstanding he foimd time to 
 capably serve in the township offices to 
 which he was frequently elected by his fel- 
 low citizens. In politics he was a Demo- 
 crat. He married a daughter of George 
 and Nancy (Clevidence) Easton, early set- 
 tlers of English ancestry. Seven children 
 were born to this union, four of whom 
 reached maturity, namely: George B., of 
 Rochester, Beaver County, Pennsylvania ; 
 William J., deceased; Samuel E., of Con- 
 noquenessing Township; and E. L. Will- 
 iam Gilliland and wife were worthy mem- 
 bers of the Baptist Church of Cranberry 
 Township. 
 
 E. L. Gilliland was reared at home and 
 since coming with his parents to Conno- 
 quenessing Township has resided on the 
 
 present farm, with the exception of one 
 year which he speut at Mars. He has fifty 
 acres of his land under cultivation and 
 raises corn, oats, wheat, hay and potatoes, 
 together with a large amount of garden 
 truck and much poultry. He keeps four 
 cows and furnishes choice butter to partic- 
 ular customers at Butler. He has one pro- 
 ducing oil well and, when he is prepared to 
 do so, will probably find an independent 
 fortune in an underlying vein of coal. 
 
 Mr. Gilliland married Miss Dora Bolton, 
 who is a daughter of Edward T. Bolton, of 
 C(>uii()(|ii('n('ssiiig Township, and they liave 
 five cliildicn, namely: Wilbur, Loyal, Clare, 
 Earl and Carl Noble, who was born on the 
 100th anniversary of Mr. Gilliland 's fath- 
 er's birth. Mr. and Mrs. Gilliland are 
 members and liberal supporters of the 
 "Wliite Oak Springs Presbyterian Church. 
 In politics he is a Democrat and has served 
 in many of the local offices, having been in- 
 spector of elections, supervisor and asses- 
 sor. He is a member of Eureka Grange, 
 No. 244, at Eberhart. 
 
 DUNCAN McDonald, owner of a farm 
 of forty-eight acres of valuable land, which 
 is situated in Jackson Township, was born 
 May 9, 1855, in Hickory Township, Mercer 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Dun- 
 can and Ellen (Gardner) McDonald. 
 
 The parents of Mr. McDonald were na- 
 tives of Scotland and came to America and 
 settled in Trumbull Coimty, Ohio, in 1874. 
 The father died at Hubbaixl, Ohio, in 1895, 
 aged seventy-two years, and the mother 
 died in August, 1903, aged seventy-eight 
 years. They had lost some children before 
 coming to America, but the others were as 
 follows: John, who died in Mercer 
 County; Elizabeth, wife of John Whitaker; 
 Thomas, who lives in Illinois; Matthew, 
 who was killed in a mine accident, in Mer- 
 cer County; Dimcau; Jane, who is the wife 
 of John Bowie, a merchant residing at 
 Jackson Center, Pennsylvania; Ellen, de- 
 ceased; Marv, who-mari'ied J. C. Currv, of 
 
13-46 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Latimore, Ohio; Maggie, who married 
 William Cook, of Mahoning County, Ohio. 
 
 Dimcan McDonald is a self-made man. 
 When only thirteen years old he went to 
 work in the mines and later worked for the 
 Pennsylvania Fuel Company and still later 
 engaged in farming at Little Creek. He 
 came first to Butler County in 1907, from 
 Lawrence County, and in June, 1908, he 
 purchased his present farm. Mr. McDon- 
 ald owns this farm and some valuable real 
 estate in New Castle, having acquired it 
 all through his own efforts, with the excep- 
 tion of $200, which he inherited. He has 
 been a prudent, industrious man and can 
 look back over a worthy and well-spent 
 life. 
 
 In August, 1876, Mr. McDonald was mar- 
 ried (first) to Miss Matilda Worley, a 
 daughter of John and Martha Worley, of 
 Hubl)ard, Ohio. To this union were born 
 three children, iiamely: Julia, Ellen and 
 Duncan. Julia married Ernest Salow and 
 they reside at Hubbard, Ohio. They have 
 two children, Jean and Arthur. Ellen mar- 
 ried Lawrence Snyder, of Hubbard, and 
 both of their children are deceased. Dun- 
 can resides at Youngstown, Ohio, where he 
 has charge of an electric plant. He served 
 three years in the army in the Philipiune 
 Islands. He married Etta Covert. 
 
 Mr. McDonald lost his first wife by death 
 and was married a second time, March 1, 
 1905, to Miss Minnie Downing, of Butler 
 County. She is one of a family of fourteen 
 children born to her parents, Jacob and 
 Sarah Downing, who are residents of Little 
 Creek. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Petersville. In politics he is a stanch Re- 
 publican. He is a member of Lodge No. 
 1047, Odd Fellows, at Evans City, and be- 
 longs also to the Knights of Pythias at that 
 place. He is one of Jackson Township's 
 respected and representative citizens. 
 
 WILLIAM CHRISTLEY, who has been 
 postmaster of Euclid, Butler County, 
 
 Penna., since President McKinley's first 
 administration, bears an honorable record 
 for service in the Union Army during the 
 Civil War. He is a native of the borough 
 of Slippery Rock, the date of his birth 
 being March 26, 1842, and is a son of 
 George and Leah (Keister) Christley. 
 His father was a tanner by trade and 
 operated a tannery in Slippery Rock for 
 a number of years. 
 
 William Christley was reared and edu- 
 cated in his native borough and at an 
 early age learned the trade of a tanner 
 under his father. When the Civil War 
 broke out he early responded to the call to 
 arms, enlisting September 17, 1861, for 
 three years' service as a member of Com- 
 pany H, Seventy-eighth Regiment, Pa. 
 Vol. Inf. They were mustered into the 
 service at Kittanning, where the regiment 
 was organized, although his company was 
 raised in Butler. He participated in all 
 the engagements of his regiment, although 
 he received a slight wound in the shoulder 
 at the battle of Stone River. The regi- 
 ment was mustered out at Kittanning, 
 November 4, 1864, and he returned to Slip- 
 per}^ Rock. He owned a i)art interest in 
 the tannery there during the war, and in 
 the meantime his father passed away. 
 U])on his return home Mr. Christley sold 
 out his interest in the enterprise and 
 diverted his energies to the oil fields. For 
 a period of seventeen years he worked as 
 a driller and pumper, after which he en- 
 gaged in teaming, during this time making 
 his home in Concord Township. He fol- 
 lowed teaming in the borough of Butler 
 for ten years during this time, and a part 
 of the time lived in Clay Township. As 
 postmaster of Euclid he has given efficient 
 service and has added greatly to his popu- 
 larity. 
 
 Mr. Christley was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary E. Bortemus, a daughter 
 of Rudolph Bortemus. She was reared in 
 Penn Township where her father farmed,, 
 but some time before his death he bought 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1347 
 
 a farm iu Clay Towusliip. This union 
 resulted in the birth of eleven children, 
 nine of whom are living, namely: Will- 
 iam J., who lives in Oklahoma; Nellie J. 
 (Miller); George R.; Leah (Allen); Ed- 
 win J.; Annie L., who is assistant to her 
 father in the postoffice; Rose B. (Law- 
 rence); Cyrus 0.; and Josephine. The 
 two who died were John Russel who died 
 at two years and eight months, and May 
 who died at the age of one year and six 
 months. 
 
 ROBERT LYNN ALLISON, M. D., a 
 successful practitioner of Eau Claire, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, has been located 
 in this borough throughout his profes- 
 sional career. He was born in Center 
 Township, Butler County, September 6, 
 1864, and is a son of William and Rachel 
 (Gilliaud) Allison, and a grandson of 
 Robert Allison. The family is an old and 
 respected one of the county, having be- 
 come established here at a very early date. 
 
 Robert Allison, the grandfather, was 
 united in marriage with Miss Jane Coch- 
 ran, a daughter of William Cochran of 
 Oakland Township, and they had the fol- 
 lowing children: Thomas, who was a sol- 
 dier in the Union Army during the Civil 
 War and died of typhoid fever in the 
 service; W'illiam, John, Nancy, Mary, 
 Lydia, and Emeline. John Allison mar- 
 ried Harriet Smith, a daughter of AV. P. 
 Smith of Center Township, and they had 
 the following issue: R. Perry, Robert, 
 Lee, Olive (deceased), Jennie and Emma. 
 Nancy Allison became the wife of John 
 Campbell of Concord Township, and theii- 
 children were as follows : Amy, wife of 
 T. J. Russell of Erie; Ada, wife of Albert 
 Cumberland; Lowery, who lives on the 
 Campbell homestead iu Concord Town- 
 ship; T. R. Campbell of Concord Town- 
 ship; and W. D. Campbell, who is also a 
 resident of Concord Township. Mary 
 Allison married W. D. McCandless of 
 Center Townsliiii, and they have a son, 
 
 Charles S. McCandless. Lydia Allison 
 married J. E. Russell, theu of Concord 
 Township but now of Steubenville, Ohio, 
 and they have had three children — Eme- 
 line, wife of Walker Crammer of Har- 
 mony; Effie, wife of B. Pox of Allegheny 
 Countj^; and Augusta who also lives in 
 Allegheny County. Emeline Allison, the 
 youngest of the family, married Alexander 
 Blaine of Center Township, Butler County, 
 aud six children were the issue of their 
 union, as follows: William A., Charles, 
 Milton, AVilber, Harry, and Jane who mar- 
 ried George Shanor of Butler. 
 
 AVilliam Allison, father of the subject of 
 this record, was joined in holy wedlock 
 with Rachel Gilliaud, a daughter of John 
 Gilliaud, who came to this country from 
 County Down, Ireland. The issue of this 
 union is as follows: Robert Lynn; J. G. 
 Allison, who married Elizabeth Ferguson 
 of near Worthington, Pennsylvania, by 
 whom he had three cliildren — Mary, James 
 and an infant; John N. Allison, who mar- 
 ried Clara Johnston, a daughter of Thorn- 
 ley Johnston, and has a daughter Lucile; 
 and W. C. Allison, who married Anna 
 Johnston and has a son, W^esley. 
 
 Dr. Robert L. Allison received his early 
 educational training in the common schools 
 of Center Township, and in West Sun- 
 bury Academy, after which he entered the 
 University of Wooster, at Cleveland, Ohio. 
 He received his professional training in 
 the Medical College of Indianapolis, in In- 
 diana, receiving his degree from that in- 
 stitution in 1896. Immediately thereafter 
 he opened his office iu Eau Claire, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he has es- 
 tablished a large and remunerative prac- 
 tice. He owns a nice residence property 
 and office in the borough. 
 
 Dr. Allison was joined in marriage with 
 Miss Minnie Bradou, a daughter of J. C. 
 Bradon of West Sun bury, and ,to them 
 were born: DeWitt, who is a member of 
 the Class of 1910 in Grove City College; 
 Charles Bradon, who died on June 27, 
 
1348 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 1901; Charlotte, who attends Eaii Claire 
 Academy; and Eugene, who also is a stu- 
 dent in Eau Claire Academy. In politics, 
 the Doctor has been consistent in his sup- 
 port of Republican principles, and was for 
 six years president of the borough coun- 
 cil, and one term a member of the school 
 board of Eau Claire. He is a member and 
 medical examiner of the Knights of the 
 Maccabees, and Woodmen of the World at 
 Eau Claire, and is also medical examiner 
 for numerous life insurance companies, 
 among them the New York Life and the 
 National Life of Connecticut. In relig- 
 ious attachment he and his family are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church of Eau Claire. 
 
 farm of tifty-two acres, he has devoted his 
 ■ time to agricultural pursuits in connection 
 with carpentering and building wooden 
 tanks. Mr. Collins is a man of energy and 
 enterprise and is well deserving of the suc- 
 cess with which his efforts have met. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Collins Avas united in mar- 
 riage in Buffalo, New I'ork, with Eliza- 
 beth Ryan, a native of Dublin, Ireland, and 
 their union has resulted in the following 
 issue: Mai'y, lives in East Pittsburg; 
 Edith, married Joseph A. Burgoon of East 
 Pittsburg, and has two children, Regitte 
 and Clara ; Bessie ; Clara ; James ; John J. 
 and George, all residing at home. Mr. Col- 
 lins and family are members of the Cath- 
 olic Church at Chicora. 
 
 JOHN COLLINS, a representative of 
 the agricultural industry of Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 also a well known carpenter and tank 
 builder, was born December 20, 1856, in 
 Bi'andon, Cork County, Ireland, and is a 
 son of Edward and Mary Collins, natives 
 and life-long residents of Ireland. 
 
 John Collins is the third born of a fam- 
 ily of three children, namely: William; 
 Mary, who still lives in Ireland ; and John. 
 Our subject was educated in his native 
 country, attending school where the Rev. 
 Father Welch (now deceased and formerly 
 of Butler) received his early educational 
 training. In 1871, when about eighteen 
 years of age, Mr. Collins came to this coun- 
 try and located at Boston, Massachusetts, 
 where he worked at his trade of carpenter- 
 ing for about three years. He then was 
 employed by James Fisk of Fisk- 
 ville, after which he came to Titus- 
 ville, Pennsylvania, where for one year he 
 worked at carpentering and tank building 
 for Adam Good. He then, after staying a 
 short time at Shamburg, Pennsylvania, 
 came to Butler County and located at Mil- 
 lerstown, where he engaged in business for 
 himself as a carpenter and tank builder. 
 Since 1882, when he purchased his present 
 
 CHARLES R. BORLAND, a prosper- 
 ous merchant, who has been identified with 
 the industrial interests of Harrisville since 
 1903, was born February 6, 1859, on his 
 father's farm in Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of Samuel and Maria 
 (Nicely) Borland. 
 
 The Borland family was first established 
 in this country by the grandfather of our 
 subject, who came from Scotland with a 
 brother and settled in eastern Pennsyl- 
 vania. The grandfather, John Borland, 
 came to Venango County at an early 
 period and engaged in farming. He was 
 the father of the following children : John, 
 deceased; Hutchinson, deceased ; Andrew, 
 deceased ; Robert S., a Methodist minister, 
 residing at Mercer ; Rachel, deceased ; and 
 Samuel, father of the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 Samuel Borland was born and reared in 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania, where he 
 spent his entire life engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits. He married Maria Nicely 
 and to them were born: Emerson B. ; 
 Emma, deceased wife of Joseph Bowman ; 
 Charles Robert, subject of this sketch; 
 Edward; Austin; Louie, now Mrs. Louie 
 Felt; Arlestus and Alvin, twins. Samuel 
 Borland died in 1892 aged sixty-one years, 
 
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES R. BORLAND 
 AND CHILD 
 
AND KEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1351 
 
 and was survived one year by his widow, 
 wlio was lifty-six years old at the time of 
 her death. 
 
 Charles R. Borland grew to manhood ou 
 his father's farm in Venango County, and 
 when quite young became a clerk in the 
 general store of H. M. Davis, in wHose 
 employ he continued for a period of five 
 years. He then clerked one year for 
 Campbell & Mahoney of Reynoldsville, 
 Jefferson County. He formed a partner- 
 ship with his brother, Emerson B. Borland, 
 in 188.3, purchasing the store of A¥illiam 
 Woodburn in Venango County. They con- 
 tinued in partnership for some twenty 
 years, and for a part of that time another 
 brother, Edward Borland, was associated 
 with them. They at one time conducted a 
 hardware store at Emlenton, and a general 
 store at Kane. Prior to the dissolution of 
 the firm in 1903, Edward Borland had 
 charge of the store at Rockland, Emerson 
 B. of the store at Harrisville, and Charles 
 of that at Pittsville. In that year Charles 
 removed to Harrisville, where he has since 
 continued with uninterrupted success. He 
 is a prosperous merchant, carries a com- 
 plete and up-to-date stock of goods and 
 enjoys a liberal patronage of the people 
 of tiie community. In March, 1908, the 
 store at Rockland was destroyed by fire. 
 
 In September, 1882, Mr. Borland was 
 joined" in marriage with Ella Watson of 
 Venango County, and to them were born 
 three children, of whom but one — Harry — 
 is living. Mr. Borland holds membership 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church and in 
 politics is a Prohibitionist. 
 
 PHILIP A. DRANE, who saw long and 
 active service as a soldier in the IJnion 
 Army during the Civil War, and is now a 
 well known citizen of Buffalo Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, has a fine 
 farm of fifty-six acres, located about a 
 quarter of a mile from Sarver, on the 
 Freeport Road. He was born in this coun- 
 
 ty September 6, 1839, and is a son of K. 
 G. and Elizabeth (Burtner) Drane. 
 
 K. CI. Drane was born in Marland, where 
 he resided prior to his coming to Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. He and his wife 
 were parents of the following children: 
 Kinsey Gibbons; Nancy; Margaret; Mary 
 Ann; Elizabeth, deceased; Christina; 
 Philip A. ; William A. ; Sarah ; and Matil- 
 da, deceased. 
 
 Philip A. Drane attended the common 
 schools of his home district and always ex- 
 celled as a scholar. After leaving school 
 he engaged as a clerk in a grocery at Al- 
 legheny City, Pennsylvania, until the out- 
 break of the Civil War.- He was but little 
 beyond man's estate when he enlisted as a 
 private in the 155th Reg. P. V. I., and he 
 served full time, being mustered out with 
 the rank of sergeant. He was with the 
 Army of the Potomac, and among other 
 important engagements, participated in 
 the following: Fredericksburg, Chancel- 
 lorsville, GettysJ^urg, and the Wilderness. 
 At the battle of the Wilderness he had the 
 misfortune to be shot through the left 
 chest, and was taken to the hospital at 
 Alexandria, Virginia, being seven days en 
 route. He was subsequently transferred to 
 the West Penn Hosjntal, where he recov- 
 ered, from his terrible injury. He then re- 
 turned home and has engaged in farming 
 continuously since that time. He has a 
 nice property and has been very successful 
 in his work. 
 
 June 3, 1868, Mr. Drane was united in 
 marriage with Susan Huey, a daughter of 
 Daniel and Catherine (Black) Huey, and 
 the following children have been born to 
 them : William A. ; Effie B., wife of Thomas 
 Humes, by whom she has the following 
 children: Lillian, Marion, Myrtle, and 
 Helen; Charles W., who married Amy 
 Logan and has three children — Logan, 
 Charles, and Ronald; Emily, wife of 
 Charles Sautter; Anna, wife of Albert 
 Freehlins-, bv whom she has two children 
 
1352 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 — Chester and Howard; Harry, who is in 
 the mail service ; Nettie, wife of John Ekas, 
 by whom she has a daughter, Jeanette; 
 Russell; and Jesse. Religiously, Mr. 
 Drane and his family are members of the 
 St. Paul Lutheran Church. He was for- 
 merly an active member of the Gr. A. R. 
 Post, but has not attended in recent years. 
 
 GEORGE N. AVILSON, formerly county 
 auditor of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and a leading citizen of Jackson Township, 
 was born on the farm on which he lives, 
 July 17, 1869, and is a son of Thomas I. 
 and' Mary (Minnemyer) Wilson. 
 
 The Wilson family was established in 
 Butler County by the great-grandfather, 
 Andrew Wilson, who came from County 
 Tyrone, Ireland. The grandfather, George 
 AVilson, was the first to settle on the farm 
 now owned by George N., and his log cabin 
 stood on the land for many years. He was 
 born after his parents came to Butler 
 County and he died on this farm. Here 
 Thomas I. Wilson, father of George N., 
 was also born and died here in 1881, aged 
 forty-five years. He was a prominent man 
 in the county and had he lived beyond mid- 
 dle life, would have been doubtless still 
 more of a leader in public affairs. He died 
 just after being elected to the office of 
 county commissioner. His brothers and 
 sisters were: James and Andrew H., both 
 deceased; George W., formerly county 
 commissioner; Mary Jane; Esther Mar- 
 garet, wife of Robert Brown ; and Eliza- 
 beth E., nnmarried. Thomas I. AVilson 
 married Mary Minnemyer, who was a 
 daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Mertz) 
 Minnemyer, who were natives of Germany. 
 To Thomas I. Wilson and wife, the follow- 
 ing children were born : Eva R., deceased ; 
 Ida, wife of John Bargery, of Evans City; 
 IjuIu C.. wife of John Helm, of Coraopolis, 
 Pennsylvania; Jennie G., wife of William 
 Hudson, of Evans City; Gertrude, wife of 
 Prank Boggs, of Evans City; Homer ()., 
 
 of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, married 
 Clara Hoffman; and George N. 
 
 George N. Wilson grew to manhood on 
 the farm on which he lives and attended 
 the local schools. He was only eleven 
 years old when he lost his father, but the 
 family continued to live on the farm. 
 Thomas I. Wilson purchased the farm in 
 1863. It is a fertile tract of 100 acres, 
 which has been improved with substantial 
 buildings and has been carefully and suc- 
 cessfully cultivated. 
 
 Following the family traditions, Mr. Wil- 
 son is a stanch adherent of the Democratic 
 party and on its ticket has been elected to 
 local office at various times and in the fall 
 of 1905 was elected county auditor, a re- 
 sponsible office that he filled most accept- 
 ably to his fellow citizens, for three years. 
 He has also served as township supervisor 
 and on the board of elections, and has 
 twice been elected justice of the peace for 
 Jackson Township. He is a member of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 WILLIAM STAFF, one of Brady 
 Township's substantial and successful 
 farmers, owns 140 acres of valuable land, 
 divided into two adjoining farms. He was 
 born in Germany, November 5, 1837, and 
 is a son of Milton and Barbara Staff. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Staff' emigrated to 
 America from Germany, in 1843, and set- 
 tled first on a farm in Lancaster Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, from 
 which they moved to Franklin Township, 
 near Isle, in 1847. The father subsequently 
 ]-emoved to Center Township, and there 
 his death took place. His widow returned 
 to Lancaster Township after her second 
 marriage and died there. 
 
 William Staff was six years old when 
 his parents came to Butler County and 
 was ten years old when they settled in 
 Franklin Township, where he attended 
 school and was mainly reared. Farming 
 and stock-raising has been his business all 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1353 
 
 through life. Prior to his marriage he 
 bought his present home farm and all the 
 improving, in the way of erecting sub- 
 stantial buildings, he has done himself, to- 
 gether with placing his laud under the tiu- 
 est kind of cultivation. In 1867 Mr. Staff 
 was married to Miss Mai'y E. Koch, who 
 is a daughter of Jacob Koch, and they have 
 three children, namely: Carrie' E., who 
 married Thomas Sager, and, has two chil- 
 dren, Edwin and Paul ; and Martin L. and 
 Orrin, both of whom reside at home. Mr. 
 Staff" and family belong to the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY SHAFFER, pro- 
 prietor of a meat market at Eau Claire, 
 takes rank among the substantial business 
 men and merchants of that borough. He 
 was born in Venango County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, December 31, 1870, and is a son of 
 Israel and Mary (Hellery) Shaffer, his 
 mother being from Armstrong County. 
 
 Israel and Mary Shaffer were parents 
 of the following children : Samuel Frank- 
 lin, who married Elizabeth Kennedy, 
 daughter of James Kennedy of Venango 
 County, by whom he has four children — 
 Harry, Frank, Bessie, and Beulah; Fran- 
 ces, wife of Samuel Meals of Venango 
 County, by whom she had five children — 
 Earl, Floyd, Mary, Maud and Hilton (de- 
 ceased) ; George, who married Ida Pierce, 
 daughter of William Pierce of Emlenton, 
 Pennsylvania, and has the following chil- 
 dren — Lina, Samuel, Mabel, and William; 
 Elizabeth, now deceased; Jennie, wife of 
 John W. Smith of Venango County, by 
 whom she has three children — Warner, Er- 
 nest and Lillian; William Henry, subject 
 of this biography; Israel A. of Venango 
 County; Charles, who married Minnie 
 Hovis, a daughter of Nelson Hovis of Clin- 
 tonville; Thomas, who resides in Clinton- 
 ville; and Lottie May, who married John 
 Slye of Venango County and has two sons 
 -i- William and Thomas. 
 
 William H. Shaffer went to school in 
 
 Serubgrass Township, Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania, after which he engaged in 
 farming on the home place. He went to 
 Oakdale, Allegheny County, and followed 
 the trade of a carpenter and builder, then 
 located at Clintonville, Venango County. 
 He worked for his brother, George W. 
 Shaffer, in the meat business, and contin- 
 ued until after his marriage. He then es- 
 tablished a meat market in Eau Claire, 
 where he has since continued with fine suc- 
 cess. He rented a shop for a time, then 
 purchased a residence property and a lot 
 on which he put up a good substantial 
 store building for use in his business. He 
 also purchased a twenty-acre tract in the 
 borough, and here he maintains his cattle 
 pens, and his ice and cold storage plant. 
 He is a man of exceptional business ca- 
 pacity, and the success attained by him has 
 been due to his individual efforts, unaided. 
 
 Mr. Shaffer was married, February 20, 
 1896, to Laura Blanche Kimes, a daughter 
 of James and Ester (Gilmore) Kimes. 
 Her father was born in December, 1818, 
 and died in 1895, being survived by his 
 widow, who lives in Eau Claire. Mrs. 
 Kimes was born August 27, 1838, and their 
 marriage, which occurred in 1863, resulted 
 in the following issue : Elizabeth, who died 
 in August, 1904, was the wife of James 
 McKay of Oil City; Emma died in 1890; 
 William married Rose Latchaw, a daugh- 
 ter of John Latchaw of Venango County, 
 and they had the following children — Ed- 
 ward, Grace (deceased), one who died in 
 infancy, and Ha; Edward married Eva 
 Layton, daughter of James Layton of But- 
 ler County, and they had three children — 
 Hazel, Louisa and Seba; Harry married 
 Sarah Donaldson, daughter of William 
 Donaldson of Clintonville, and they had the 
 following children — Emma, Ester and Har- 
 old; Laura Blanche married the subject of 
 this record; and Myrta married Roy Kerr, 
 by whom she has two children, Donald and 
 Claire. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Shaffer is a Republican, 
 
1354 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and is a member of the borough council 
 and the school board of Eau Claire Acad- 
 emy. He and his wife are devout members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and she 
 is president of the Epworth League. 
 
 A. A. HOCH is an enterprising and suc- 
 cessful business man of Chicora, Donegal 
 Township, being a member of the hard- 
 ware firm of Hoch Brothers of that place. 
 He is also proprietor of the Central Hotel, 
 a well kept hostelry known to the traveling 
 public, and is profitably engaged in oil and 
 gas production. 
 
 WILLIAM McCAFFERTY, a respected 
 citizen and prosperous farmer, who re- 
 sides on a very valuable farm of 114 acres, 
 which is situated in Buffalo Township, on 
 the Pittsburg Road, about one mile west 
 of Sarversville, was born in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, August 3, 1867. The grand- 
 parents of Mr. McCafterty were James and 
 Hannah McCafferty, and his parents were 
 Robert and Martha (Love) McCafferty. 
 The family has been an agricultural one 
 for several generations. 
 
 William McCafferty has engaged in 
 farming in Buffalo Township ever since 
 he reached manhood. Through boyhood 
 he attended the public schools and is one 
 of the intelligent and well-informed men 
 of his section. His farm shows the effect 
 of careful cultivation, his stock is in good 
 condition and his two-story residence, 
 standing a short distance back from the 
 road, indicates that it is a comfortable, 
 modern rural home. Mr. McCafferty mar- 
 ried Miss Zetta Smith, who is a daughter 
 of C. P. Smith, who is a substantial farmer 
 in Butler County. They have four chil- 
 dren, namely: Florence M., Arthur S., 
 James and Charles. The family belongs 
 to the Presbyterian Church. Among his 
 neighbors, Mr. McCafferty is known as a 
 good citizen. He gives but little time to 
 politics and on no occasion has he been 
 willing to accept a public office. 
 
 HENRY F. KRIESS, proprietor of the 
 Allerton Stock Farm, a valuable tract of 
 175 acres, finely improved, makes a spe- 
 cialty of breeding fine stock, especially 
 horses, and also carries on extensive farm- 
 ing. He was born in Forward Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, March 2, 
 1870, and is a son of William and Margaret 
 (Freshcorn )Kriess. 
 
 The father of Mr. Kriess was born in 
 Germany and in his boyhood accompanied 
 his parents to America and grew to man- 
 hood near Wahlville, Forward Township, 
 Butler County. For a few years he con- 
 ducted a hotel in Evans City but otherwise 
 was engaged in farming all his mature life. 
 He married a daughter of William Fresh- 
 corn, of Forward Township, and four of 
 their children grew lap, namely: George, 
 of Forward Township; Emma, wife of 
 William McClure, of Evans City; Henry 
 F. ; and William, a practicing physician in 
 Pittsburg. The whole family belongs to 
 the German Lutheran Church. The father 
 died in 1875, in his forty-fifth year. 
 
 Henry F. Kriess attended school through 
 boyliood l)ut became interested in business 
 at an unusually early age, embarking in a 
 Initcher business at Evans City, where he 
 continued it for one year. Finding a better 
 opening in the oil fields he then engaged in 
 teaming, on his own account, and later be- 
 came an oil producer in Forward Town- 
 shi]?, and was interested there for three 
 years, retiring then to Evans City, where 
 later he engaged in the shoe business. In 
 the spring of 1905 he purchased his pres- 
 ent farm and has made it one of the best 
 stock farms in the county. His interest in 
 horses dates as far back as his fifteenth 
 year, when he owned a standard-bred 
 pacer, which he successfully raced in Penn- 
 sylvania and Ohio, up to 1904. Since tak- 
 ing charge of his present property he has 
 bred many fine specimens of cattle and 
 liorses, bringing with him as a starter for 
 his stables, a team of Percheron mares 
 that weighed 3,600 pounds. He keeps six 
 
THOMAS H. McGUIRK 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1357 
 
 brood mares and owns the standard-bred 
 stallion Geronemo. At the time of writing 
 he has fourteen head of horses and colts, 
 perfect, spirited animals, and has cattle 
 and other stock of standard strains. Mr. 
 Kriess has put up one of the finest barns 
 in all this section. He devotes 125 acres of 
 his land to raising corn, oats, wheat, hay 
 and potatoes. 
 
 Mr. Kriess was married (first) to Miss 
 Mary Link, of Mars, and they had one son, . 
 George L. He was married (second) to 
 Miss Christina Wahl, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Wahl, of Evans City, and they have, 
 one son, William. Mr. Kriess takes con- 
 siderable interest in politics and is a Demo- 
 crat in his attiliation. At Evans Cit.v he 
 was a member of the council and is now 
 filling the office of inspector of elections in 
 Connoquenessing Townshij). Mr. Kriess 
 is a thorough business man, enterprising 
 and progressive, and in every way is a rep- 
 resentative citizen of the section in which 
 he lives. 
 
 THOMAS H. McGUIRK, general con- 
 tractor in stone, at Butler, with place of 
 business at No. 41J- North McKean Street, 
 has been identified with stone work since 
 boyhood and is one of the leading men in 
 his line of business in this city. He was 
 born in 1876, in Cherry Township, Biltler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Den- 
 nis P. and a grandson of Thomas McGuirk. 
 
 The grandfather, Thomas McGuirk, 
 founded the family in Butler County, in 
 1844. He was born in Ireland. Of his 
 children, Dennis P. Guirk, father of 
 Thomas A., was born in 1850, in Marion 
 Township, Butler County, and is now a 
 resident of Butler, where, for many years 
 he has followed his trade of stone-mason 
 and contraictor. 
 
 Immediately after leaving school, 
 Thomas H. McGuirk started to learn his 
 father's trade, this being before he was 
 fourteen years old. He was ah apt pupil 
 and by the time he w^as seventeen, he was 
 
 so thoroughly reliable in his work that he 
 was drawing a man's wages. He soon be- 
 gan contracting and for the past eleven 
 years has led in the stone contracting busi- 
 ness at Butler and in surrounding towns. 
 It would be pleasant to call attention to 
 all the work done by this younger member 
 of the craft, but a few notable examples 
 will have to suffice. Mr. McGuirk is re- 
 sponsible for the fine stone work in that 
 beautiful building, the Home for Old 
 Ladies, at Zelienople; the solid masonry 
 of the Majestic Theater; the splendid resi- 
 dence of Mr. Glenn at Evans City and that 
 of Thomas Philips, Jr., at Butler, the lat- 
 ter being the most modern and expensive 
 in the city; and the Dutfy Block on the 
 corner of North and Main Streets. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. McGuirk was married to 
 Miss Anna Hall, of East Brady, and they 
 have three children — Fonsie E., Harry E. 
 and Irene L. Mr. and Mrs. McGuirk are 
 members of the First Presbyterian 
 Church. He belongs to the Odd Fellows, 
 the Odd Fellows' Brotherhood and to the 
 Protected Home Circle. 
 
 JOHN MILTON WILSON, general 
 farmer and stockraiser, was born on the 
 place where he now resides, in Jackson 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 September 20, 1855, and is a son of John 
 H. and Margaret (Houk) Wilson. He is 
 a descendant of one of the oldest pioneer 
 families of Butler County and the name is 
 as closely identified with its early history 
 as any name in it. 
 
 Andrew Wilson, the grandfather of John 
 M., was born in Coimty Tyrone, Ireland. 
 In 1766 he came to America and settled 
 first in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1800 removing to Jackson Township, 
 Butler County. He married Mary Hender- 
 son, who was born in County Tyrone, Ire- 
 laml. Auiiusl 12, 1769. She died December 
 27, T^-'w. aiicil sixty-eight years. They had 
 the lnllM\\iiig children: Elizabeth, born De- 
 cember 18, 1794, married William Martin, 
 
1358 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 April 8, 1819; George, born November 23, 
 1796, married Rebecca Wilson, June 20, 
 1822 ; Mary, born February 22, 1799, mar- 
 ried George Cooper; Nancy, born Febru- 
 ary 24, 1802, married James Garvin, June 
 28^ 1822; Rebecca, born April 14, 1805; 
 Eleanor, born June 29, 1807, never mar- 
 ried, living into old age on the present 
 home farm ; and John H., father of John M. 
 
 Jolm H. Wilson was born on the farm 
 now owned by his son, John Milton, Julv 
 15, 1809, and died here November 29, 1883, 
 aged seventy-four years. He spent the 
 whole of his long and exemplary life on the 
 fai-m on which he was born. On June 20, 
 1848, he married Margaret Houk, who died 
 •January 29, 1893, aged sixty-eight years. 
 She was a daughter of Jacob Houk, who 
 settled in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, 
 in 1797. There were six children born to 
 John H. Wilson and wife, namely: Andrew 
 Henderson, who was born June 30, 1849, 
 married Miss Ida Rice, a half-sister of 
 Rosella Rice, the well known authoress, of 
 Ashland County, Ohio, is boss carpenter 
 for the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago 
 Railroad and owns a farm near Perrys- 
 ville, Ohio ; Jonathan, who was born Febru- 
 ary 5, 1851, married Miss Susan Stam, of 
 Forward Township, Butler County, resided 
 in Jackson Township, but died at Evans 
 City, June 4, 1904 ; Mary Ellen, born June 
 27, 1853, married Leander Scott, of Lan- 
 caster Township; Sarah Elizabeth and 
 John Milton, twins, born September 20, 
 1855, of whom the former married Samuel 
 Brenneman of Portersville, Muddy Creek 
 Township ; and Jennie Townsend, born No- 
 vember 18, 1868, who married G. W. Nixon, 
 of Jackson Township. 
 
 John Milton Wilson attended the Wilson 
 School in Jackson Township, working on 
 the farm in the summer seasons. This 
 farm in the days of the grandfather con- 
 tained 420 acres and he lived in a log cabin 
 in such a wilderness that Indians were 
 their only visitors for a long period. "Wlien 
 the death of the grandfather took place, the 
 
 farm was equally divided between two 
 sons, John H. and George. John H. Wilson 
 made many improvements on his portion 
 of the land, erecting the substantial barn 
 in 1843 and the comfortable farm residence 
 in 1870. This farm is equally well adapted 
 to general agriculture and to grazing, and 
 Mr. Wilson understands how to make every 
 part of it productive. 
 
 On July 6, 1898, Mr. Wilson was married 
 to Miss Margaret A. Maharg, who was 
 born in Penn Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of James 
 •and Catharine (Brown) Maharg. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wilson are members of the Evans 
 City Presbyterian Church. He is identified 
 with the Masons and the Odd Fellows, be- 
 longing to the Masonic Lodge — old Har- 
 mony No. 429 — at Zelienople and to the 
 Odd Fellows at Evans City. In politics, 
 Mr. Wilson is a Democrat and belongs to a 
 Democratic family that has given two 
 county commissioners to Butler County. 
 His grandfather voted for Thomas Jeffer- 
 son, the third president of the United 
 States and the author of the Declaration 
 of Independence. 
 
 GEORGE W. P. ORTON, a well known 
 oil producer of Allegheny Township, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, a thoroughly ex- 
 perienced man in the oil industry, was born 
 December 26, 1861, at Corning, New York, 
 and is a son of William H. and Sarah 
 (Greenwood) Orton, both of whom were 
 natives of England. 
 
 In 1869, Mr. Orton, accompanied by his 
 mother, settled at Parker's Landing, and 
 there he was practically reared and re- 
 ceived his educational training. Almost in 
 boyhood he began work in the oil fields and 
 for a considerable time was a pumper, 
 working mainly in Armstrong ancl Butler 
 Counties. For about twenty years he has 
 been an oil producer himself and has met 
 with such success that he has considered it 
 judicious to give his entire time to this in- 
 dustry. His knowledge of the business is 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1359 
 
 practical and reliable and he is known all 
 through these fields. 
 
 On September 7, 1890, Mr. Orton was 
 married to Miss Mary E. Black, who was 
 born in Butler County, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a daughter of the late A. R. Black, of 
 Allegheny Township. Mr. and Mrs. Orton 
 have two children : Orville D. and Ethel E. 
 Mr. Orton and wife are members of the 
 Allegheny Presbyterian Church and he is 
 a trustee and is also president of the Alle- 
 gheny Church Cemetery Association. In 
 politics, he is a Republican. Formerly he 
 was identified with the Odd Fellows at 
 Parker's Landing. Personally he is pro- 
 gressive and public-spirited and as a citi- 
 zen commands the respect and enjoys the 
 confidence of his neighbors. 
 
 JOHN H. WIGTON, one of Brady 
 Township's most esteemed citizens, now 
 living retired on his valuable farm of 264 
 acres, about one-half mile west of Hall- 
 ston, was born on this farm in Brady 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 December 8, 1848, and is a son of John and 
 Rachel (Tannihill) Wigton. 
 
 The Wigton family is of Dutch descent 
 and it was established in Butler County by 
 the grandfather, John Wigton, who came 
 among the pioneers. The name of John 
 appears in every generation and John the 
 second, the father of John H., was born 
 after his father came to this part of Penn- 
 sylvania, on a farm one mile distant from 
 the one under consideration. At that time, 
 Brady Township was known as Slippery 
 Rock Township. After marriage, the par- 
 ents of Mr. Wigton went to housekeeping 
 on a fifty-acre tract of this farm, to which 
 additions were gradually made until John 
 Wigton was called one of the most substan- 
 tial men in the township and the owner of 
 500 acres of fine land. He improved his 
 property and among other buildings, put 
 up the handsome brick residence in which 
 John H. Wigton resides. Of the eleven 
 children born to John Wigton and wife, 
 
 the following survive : Isaiah, who lives in 
 Clay Township; Lewis, who lives in Cali- 
 fornia ; Josiah, who has his home in Iowa ; 
 and John H., of Brady Township. The 
 father of the family died August 8, 1886, 
 his wife's death having taken place Janu- 
 ary 15, 1883. 
 
 John H. Wigton was reared on the pres- 
 ent farm and until within a short period 
 has been actively engaged in its manage- 
 ment. In conjunction with farming he op- 
 erated a stone quarry for nine years, utiliz- 
 ing a switch track which was put in by the 
 Bessemer Railroad, which passes through a 
 small part of the farm. This land each year 
 grows more and more valuable and the 
 day may come when the village, becoming 
 a growing town, may cover the thirty rods 
 now lying between its bounds and the Wig- 
 ton farm, and even encroach upon it. 
 
 Mr. Wigton married Elizabeth Thomp- 
 son, who was born in Concord Township, 
 Butler County, and is a daughter of Will- 
 iam Thompson. Mr. and Mrs. Wigton have 
 four children: Lula, who married John 
 Borland, who conducts a grocery business 
 at Butler, has two children — Helen and 
 Arthur Holdman; Pearl; Charles, who 
 married Jennie Bollinger, has one child, 
 Elizabeth; and Frank T., who lives at 
 home. Mr. Wigton is one of the leading 
 members of the Muddy Creek Presbyterian 
 Clmrch. 
 
 HUGH GILMORE is a prosperous 
 farmer and oil producer of Marion Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, where 
 the family became established at a very 
 early period. He was born in a log cabin — 
 the same house in which his father was 
 bom — on April 21, 1842, and is a son of 
 John and Margaret (Kilgore) Gilmore, 
 and a grandson of Hugh and Ellen 
 (French) Gilmore. 
 
 Hugh Gilmore, the grandfather, was 
 about three years of age when brought by 
 his parents from Ireland, the family locat- 
 ing east of the mountains of Pennsylvania. 
 
1360 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Tliere was a large family of children, of 
 whom three came west to Butler County: 
 Joseph, John and Hugh. The last named 
 grew to maturity in the East and engaged 
 in farming and carpet weaving. He was a 
 young man when he followed his two hroth- 
 ers to Butler County, where he was shortly 
 after married to Ellen French, who was 
 living with her father, Ayres French, on 
 the farm now owned by her grandsons, 
 Hugh and William. Mr. French was later 
 thrown from his horse and killed, and the 
 farm has since been in the Gilmore family. 
 Hugh Gilmore partly cleared the farm, 
 which consisted of 300 acres, and lived in 
 an old log house on the place. He survived 
 his wife some years, dying in 1856 at an 
 advanced age. They were parents of the 
 following children: Nancy, Sally, Jane, 
 Elizabeth, Isabel, Ellen, John, William, 
 Hugh and Joseph. The farm descended to 
 the eldest and youngest sons, John and 
 Joseph. 
 
 John Gilmore was born in the log house 
 on the farm, April 19, 1807, and spent all 
 his life on this place, which he helped to 
 clear. He received some educational train- 
 ing under his father, who taught the old 
 school in the vicinity during the winter 
 months. He married Margaret Kilgore, a 
 daughter of John J. Kilgore of Veuango 
 County, Pennsylvania, and they became 
 parents of the following: Jane, wife of 
 John I.; Jobe, deceased; Ellen, wife of 
 Newton Mortland, now deceased; Dorcas, 
 who died quite yoimg; Hugh; Elizabeth, 
 wife of Alvin Mortland; John J.; Isabel, 
 wife of Isaac Clay; William A.; and Ma- 
 tilda, wife of Albert McCoy. John Gil- 
 more died on the farm in February, 1886; 
 his wife, who was born October 29, 1835, 
 died in 1894. 
 
 Hugh Gilmore, subject of this biography, 
 attended the public schools and assisted in 
 the work on the farm, as he was the eldest 
 son. He later came into possession of the 
 place with his brother, William, and has 
 alwavs lived on this farm. He erected his 
 
 present house in 1876 and has made many 
 other important improvements, making it 
 one of the best kept farms in this locality. 
 In November, 1906, oil was struck on tlie 
 place and he now has four good producing 
 wells. In politics, he is a Democrat and 
 has frequently been called upon to serve 
 the community in local offices. 
 
 Mr. Gilmore was married January 2, 
 1873, to Miss Minerva Walter, who was 
 born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, 
 and is a daughter of Philip and Catherine 
 (Smith) Walter. They have three chil- 
 dren, namely: Cora Bella, who married 
 J. A. Midbury of Marion Township, and 
 has two children, George G. and Charles 
 N. ; Nellie G., wife of Clarence Bailey of 
 Venango County; and John Morry, who 
 assists his father in conducting the farm. 
 Religiously, the family is Presbyterian, and 
 attends the church at Clintonville. 
 
 ROBERT JOHN ^ilcMICHABL, M. D., 
 
 is engaged iu the practice of his profession 
 at Eau Claire, Butler County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, and is the owner of considerable realty 
 in and about the borough. He was born in 
 Clay Township, Butler County, April 27, 
 1851, and is a son of Chris and Barbara 
 (Curry) McMichael, and a grandson of 
 William McMichael. 
 
 W^illiam McMichael, the grandfather, 
 was born January 1, 1780; he was married 
 on December 21, 1804, to Jennie Rankin, 
 who was born March 7, 1784, and died No- 
 vember 17, 1860. The following children 
 were born to them: Jane, who was born 
 June 1, 1806, and died January 5. 1852; 
 Christ, who was born November 22, 1808, 
 and died March 17, 1887; Martha, who was 
 born January 16, 1811, and became the wife 
 of Robert Christy of Butler County, by 
 whom she had four children — Dixon, Will- 
 iam, Anna and Margaret; William, who 
 was born May 27, 1813; Martha, who was 
 born September 22, 1815, and died July 14, 
 1874; David, born June 20, 1818, and "died 
 September 19, 1879; Taylor, born April 
 

 
 •1' 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1363 
 
 13, 1821, died November 17, 1851; Johu, 
 boru June 18, 1824, died January 5, 1852; 
 Samuel, born June 18, 1827 ; and Margaret, 
 who was boru May 21, 1830, and died Sep- 
 tember 24, 1875. 
 
 Chris McMichael was first married to 
 Elizabeth St. Clair, by whom he had the 
 following children: Joseph, who was born 
 February 19, 1834, and was married to 
 Sai-ah McKissick, a daughter of John Mc- 
 Kissick; Jane, who was born September 
 12, 1835, and became the wife of James 
 Milford of Kansas ; William, who was born 
 November 22, 1837, and died April 17, 
 1839; Japhia, who was born December 18, 
 1839, and married Mary E. Williams, a 
 daughter of Robert AYilliams of Plain 
 Grove ; Ethan, born June 1, 1842, died De- 
 cember 29, 1890, married Helen Renick; 
 and Zemira. born October 29, 1844, died 
 May 28, 1845. Chris McMichael formed a 
 second union with Barbara Curry a daugh- 
 ter of Robert Curry, and three children 
 were their issue: Zenias, who was born 
 September 11, 1847, and married Sarah 
 Williams, a daughter of Robert Williams; 
 a daughter, who was born and died on Oc- 
 tober 9, 1849 ; Robert J. 
 
 Dr. R. J. McMichael was primarily edu- 
 cated in the common schools of Clay 
 Township, and in West Sunbury and Day- 
 ton Academies, after which he attended 
 Grove City College. He later attended 
 Woostcr College, in Ohio, and received his 
 ])rotVvviiiiial training in Cleveland. After 
 receiving his degree he engaged in prac- 
 tice at West Sunbury, where he continued 
 for two years, then came to Eau Claire. 
 He has been in active practice here since 
 and has won a high place in the regard and 
 confidence of the people. He owns a house 
 and five lots in the borough, and eleven 
 acres on the east side of the borough. He 
 has a valuable farm of 113 acres one and a 
 half miles to the northeast, located in Al- 
 legheny Township. He purchased this 
 jiroperty of Thomas Milford, and oil and 
 
 gas have been developed on it. Politically, 
 he is a Prohibitionist. 
 
 Dr. McMichael was married to Eliza- 
 beth Campbell, daughter of James R. 
 Campbell of West Sunbury, and the fol- 
 lowing children have blessed their home: 
 Elsie, born June 7, 1881; Anna, who was 
 born November 22, 1882, and is the wife 
 of Ralph Blair of Eau Claii*e; a son who 
 was born and died November 18, 1884; 
 John Ross, born October 3, 1885; Mabel, 
 born December 10, 1887, who is a teacher 
 in the common schools ; James C, who was 
 born Jajiuary 28, 1890; Charles S., who 
 was born April 17, 1892, and died Novem- 
 ber 28, 1894 ; a son of who was born March 
 5, 1895, and died March 8th of the same 
 vear; and another son who was born and 
 died on August 8, 1896. After the death 
 of his first wife. Dr. McMichael formed a 
 second union with Sarah Allen, a daugh- 
 ter of Joseph Allen of Venango County. 
 Religiously, they are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church, in which he 
 is an elder and a teacher in the Sabbath 
 School. Mrs. McMichael sings in the 
 church choir, and is also active in church 
 work. 
 
 J. G. MOSER, proprietor of the Com- 
 mercial Hotel, and oil jjroducer, located 
 at No. 119 W. Jefferson Street, Butler, 
 Penna., is a representative business man 
 of the- city. He was born November 27, 
 1864, son of Gabriel and Mary (Reed) 
 Moser. His paternal great-grandfather, 
 John Moser, Sr., was a Revolutionary sol- 
 dier, serving at Brandywine and in other 
 battles. After the war he removed from 
 Northampton County to Westmoreland 
 Countv and from there to Butler County 
 in 1800. 
 
 John Moser, Jr., grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was long a resident of 
 Bonnybrook, where he was engaged in 
 farming. He was a soldier in the War of 
 1812 and while at Black Rock contracted 
 
1364 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the dreaded Black Rock fever, from which 
 he died shortly after returning home. He 
 married Catherine Home in Westmore- 
 land County and they had three sons — 
 Solomon, Daniel and Gabriel. 
 
 Gabriel Mdser was born in Bonnybrook 
 and received his education in the ijublic 
 schools. He learned the trade of wagon 
 maker and established a wagon manufac- 
 tory on the site of the present Commercial 
 Hotel, and conducted it for a munber of 
 years. His death occurred about 1873. 
 He married Mary Reed and they became 
 the ijarents of nine children, namely: 
 Henry; Joseph, deceased; Thomas, de- 
 ceased; William John, deceased; a daugh- 
 ter who died in infancy' ; Isaiah ; J. G. ; 
 Amelia, who married a Mr. Jewel; and 
 Catherine, who became the wife of a Mr. 
 Miller. 
 
 J. G. Moser received his education in 
 the district schools of Butler County. He 
 began industrial life as an assistant in 
 the grocery store of G. W. Miller. After- 
 wards he obtained work in a bottling es- 
 tablishment as packer. He was then 
 initiated into the hotel business, working 
 first for a Mr. Idemiller and later in a 
 hotel owned by Captain Leibold, the pres- 
 ent owner and proprietor of the Arlington 
 Hotel. Subsequently he quit the hotel 
 business for a while, being occupied in 
 painting and later becoming interested in 
 oil production. In 1905 he bought the 
 Steel Smith Building from Jacob Painter 
 and turned it into the present Commercial 
 Hotel, fitting it up in an adequate manner 
 to meet the demands of a good class of 
 patronage, which he has since readily ob- 
 tained. He makes special rates to "jury- 
 men, witnesses, regular boarders and also 
 to theatrical people, his regular rates be- 
 ing $1..50 per day. The hotel is conducted 
 on the American plan and there is a bar 
 attachment to accommodate the wants of 
 thirsty guests. 
 
 Mr. Moser married Jane Emerick, a 
 daughter of John Emerick, of Chicora. 
 
 He and his wife have become the parents 
 of four children — Eugene (married Ella 
 Vandwort whose death occurred July 7, 
 1908), John, Harry, and Catherine, the 
 last mentioned of whom is now deceased. 
 They have also an adopted daughter, Ger- 
 trude. 
 
 Politically Mr. Moser is a Republican, 
 but with enough independence to break 
 party lines when he does not approve of 
 some pai'ticular nomination, in such cases 
 voting for the man he considers best quali- 
 fied for the office. He is a member of the 
 fraternal order. Woodmen of the World, 
 and his religious connection is with the 
 Methodist church. 
 
 BENJAMIN J. FORQUER has been 
 proprietor of the Forquer Hotel at Chi- 
 cora for more than thirty-five years, and 
 has a large and well established business. 
 He was born in Donegal Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1844,, 
 and is a son of William and Rebecca 
 (Marsh) Forquer. He comes of one of the 
 oldest pioneer families of this township. 
 
 William Forquer, the father, was born 
 in Donegal Township, and died there on 
 May 12, 1874, at the age of sixty-nine 
 years. His wife, who was born in War- 
 ren County, Pennsylvania, died in 1888, at 
 the age of seventy-four years. They were 
 parents of the following children: Eliza- 
 beth Ann, who was born September 1, 1833, 
 and died in 1907 ; Eliza J., born May 4, 
 1836; Robert E., who was born May 1, 
 1838, and died in infancy ; Rose Anna, who 
 was born October 18, 1839, and died in in- 
 fancy; Benjamin J. ; Amelia, who was born 
 August 22, 1848, and died in infancy ; Mary, 
 deceased, who was born April 27, 1849; 
 Anastasia, who was born March 31, 
 1854, and married D. 0. Bennett, by whom 
 she has two daughters, Rebecca and Delia ; 
 William J., who was born September 26, 
 1859, and is now deceased; and Maiy, who 
 married John McCrea and has three chil- 
 dren — Stephen, Marsh and Laura. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1365 
 
 Benjamiu J. Forquer has thus far spent 
 most of his life in Butler County. He 
 spent his boyhood on his father's farm and 
 in attendance at the common schools. In 
 1864 he went to the oil fields about Oil City, 
 Pennsylvania, and for three years was en- 
 gaged in contracting and drilling. He then 
 became a producer and continued at that 
 until February, 1873, when he purchased 
 the hotel business of Michael Goodwin at 
 Chicora. As his business grew he made 
 many important improvements in the 
 house and its equipment, and has conduct- 
 ed one of the most popular houses of en- 
 tertainment in this part of the state. 
 
 November 28, 1876, Mr. Forquer was 
 married at Chicora to Miss Nora A. Dew- 
 ey, a daughter of John and Johannah 
 (Neville) Dewey of Duncreek, New York, 
 the Rev. Father Quilter officiating. Six 
 children are the issue of this union: Clara, 
 wife of W. J. Battegan of Butler, by whom 
 she has a daughter, Nora; Charles, who is 
 in the oil fields of Oklahoma; Albert, of 
 Butler, salesman for the National Supply 
 Company, and exalted ruler of Butler 
 Lodge, B. P. 0. E. ; Eugene, who married 
 Catherine Spaulty and lives in Oklahoma; 
 Irene, wife of Charles E. Stalker of Pitts- 
 burg, by whom she has a daughter, Mary 
 L. ; and Gertrude, who is an accomplished 
 musician and is prominent in social circles 
 in Chicora. Religiously, the family be- 
 longs to the Roman Catholic Church of 
 Chicora, being liberal in its support and 
 active church workers. Fraternally, Mr. 
 Forquer is a member and past master of 
 Blue Lodge No. 540, F. & A. M., which he 
 has represented at a meeting of the Grand 
 Lodge at Philadelphia; is a member of 
 the Knights Templar at Pittsburg; the 
 Chapter at Kittanning; the Knights of 
 Pythias at Chicora ; and the Order of Elks 
 at Butler. He has taken a deep interest 
 in the affairs of Chicora, and has capably 
 served as a member of the borough coun- 
 cil and on the school board. 
 
 LOUIS HARTENSTEIN, general mer- 
 chant at Great Belt, where, for fifteen 
 years he was also i^ostmaster, was born 
 January 6, 1845, in Jefferson Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Henry and Henrietta (Leithold) Har- 
 tenstein. 
 
 The grandfather of Mr. Hartenstein es- 
 tablished the family in Jefferson Town- 
 ship, cleared up the land and developed 
 the homestead farm. Henry Hartenstein, 
 father of Louis, spent his life on his farm 
 of 100 acres, located near Great Belt. He 
 was a very active citizen and was a mov- 
 ing spirit in all public nlatters in his neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 Louis Hartenstein spent his boyhood on 
 the home farm and attended the local 
 schools. When eighteen years of age he 
 enlisted in the United States x\rmy,'becom- 
 ing a member of Company G, Twenty-sev- 
 enth Infantry, and remained a soldier for 
 five years. His regiment took part in the 
 Atlanta campaign during the Civil War, 
 under command of General Sherman. Mr. 
 Hartenstein survived all the dangers and 
 hardships of military life and when re- 
 leased from the service, returned home. 
 He taught four terms of school in Jeffer- 
 son Township and then purchased his pres- 
 ent business, which he has conducted ever 
 since. He carries a large and carefully se- 
 lected general stock and has a large trade 
 from the surrounding country. 
 
 In May, 1877, Mr. Hartenstein was mar- 
 ried to Caroline Divener, a daughter of 
 Henry Divener, who was a farmer in 
 Donegal Township. Mrs. Hartenstein died 
 in January, 1904, leaving two children: 
 Clara, who married Philip Krause; and 
 Mollie, who resides at home. Mr. Harten- 
 stein is a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 GILMORE A. DUNCAN, D. D. S., who 
 lias been engaged in the practice of dental 
 surgery at Zelienople for the past nine 
 years, is a representative of two of the 
 
1366 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 oldest and most prominent families of But- 
 ler County. He was born October 30, 1872, 
 in Cranberry Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Nelson B. 
 and Susan O. (Waldron) Duncan. 
 
 The Duncans originated in Ireland and 
 the Waldrons in Holland. The paternal 
 grandparents, Samuel and Elizabeth Dun- 
 can, came as pioneers into Cranberry 
 Township, and from the old home their 
 many descendants have gone out into the 
 world and have performed well their part 
 in life. The first of the Waldrons to come 
 to Butler County, located near Evans City. 
 Jolui Waldron, 'the maternal grandfather 
 of Dr. Duncan, formerly represented But- 
 ler County in the General Assembly. 
 
 Nelson B. Duncan, father of Dr. Dun- 
 can, is one of Zelienople's leading citizens, 
 at present serving as postmaster of the 
 town. He was born in the old homestead 
 in Cranberry Township and for a number 
 of years engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He married Susan 0. Waldron and to them 
 were born the following children: Alice; 
 Gilmore A.; William, who resides at 
 Zelienople ; John, who resides at Marietta, 
 Ohio; Blanche, who is assistant to her 
 father in the Zelienople postoffice; Laura, 
 who is the wife of Edwin Kect, of Belle 
 View; Gertrude, who is the wife of Jo- 
 seph Cavenaugh, of Bridgeport, Illinois; 
 and an infant, deceased. 
 
 Dr. Duncan went from the Sample 
 School, in Cranberry Township, to Grove 
 City College, where he pursued his studies 
 for two years and then took up the study 
 of dentistry, in 1896 entering the Balti- 
 more College of Dental Surgery, and was 
 graduated in the class of 1899. In June 
 of the same year he located at Zelienople, 
 opening an office over the People's Na- 
 tional Bank, and has built up a large and 
 lucrative practice. He keeps thoroughly 
 abreast of the times in the wonderful ad- 
 vances made in his science, and makes use, 
 in his practice, of many of the inventions 
 
 which make a visit to the dentist no longer 
 a dreaded experience. 
 
 On April 10, 1899, Dr. Duncan was mar- 
 ried to Miss Nancy M. Riley, a daughter of 
 Owen Riley, of Baltimore, Maryland, and. 
 they have three children — Helen, Waldron 
 and Francis. He belongs to the Elks at 
 Butler and retains his membership in his 
 college fraternity, the Psi Omega. In his 
 political affiliation he is a Republican. 
 
 E. L. WASSON, M. I)., physician and 
 surgeon at Butler, a sijecialist in gynecol- 
 ogy and a thoroughly trained member of 
 his profession, was born at New Castle, 
 Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and has 
 been a resident of this city since 1892. 
 
 Dr. Wasson was reared in Butler Coun- 
 ty through his years of common-school 
 training ancl after an academic course at 
 West Sunbury, he followed school-teaching 
 for three years, in the meanwhile prepar- 
 ing for entrance in the Baltimore Medical 
 College, where he was graduated in 1898. 
 He located at Callery and remained in 
 ]iractice there for four years. In 1901 and 
 1902 he took post-graduate courses at Johns 
 Hopkins University, at Baltimore, and has 
 kept closely in touch with every late dis- 
 covery in medical science, identifying him- 
 self with various medical organizations 
 and frequently contributing to medical lit- 
 erature. He is the only specialist in gyn- 
 ecology at Butler and is the gynecologist 
 of the Butler General Hospital. During 
 1904-5 he was the president of the Butler 
 County Medical Society and belongs also 
 to the Medical Society of the State of 
 Pennsylvania and to the American Medical 
 Association. 
 
 On September 15, 1897, Dr. AVasson was 
 married to Miss Marie Hoon, who died 
 :\rarch 11, 1908. She was a daughter of 
 Thomas Hoon, formerly sheriff of Butler 
 County. Dr. W^asson has two sons, La- 
 A'ernze DeVoe and Thomas Hoon. He is 
 a member of the First Presbyterian 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1367 
 
 Cliurch at Butler. lu political sentiment 
 lie has always been ideutitied with the Re- 
 publican party and has been its chosen can- 
 didate for the Legislature. Fraternally he 
 is a Mason and belongs to Harmony Lodge, 
 and iilso to No. 170, Butler Lodge. B. P. 
 0. E. 
 
 JOHN E. AVOMER, who is prominently 
 identified with the oil industry both in 
 Butler and Venango Counties, is one of 
 Allegheny Township's leading citizens, 
 where he does a large business as a con- 
 tractor and driller of oil and gas wells. 
 He was born August 14, 1856, in Alle- 
 gheny Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a son of Isaac and Emily 
 (Morrison) AVomer. 
 
 Jacob Womer, the grandfather of John 
 E., came to Butler County from Schuyl- 
 kill County, Pennsylvania, and was an 
 early settler in Allegheny Township. There 
 Isaac Womer was born and prior to the 
 Civil AVar, he engaged in farming. He 
 entered the Federal Army and was a brave 
 and fearless soldier and was one of the 
 many hundreds who fell on the second day 
 of the struggle which is known in history 
 as the battle of the Wilderness. He had 
 married the daughter of a neighbor and 
 four of their family of children still sur- 
 vive, namely: John E. ; Elizabeth J., who 
 is the wife of John Glass, of Bradford, 
 Pennsylvania; Ella E., who is the wife of 
 George Gilles, of Coraopolis, Pennsylva- 
 nia; and William Isaac, of Cameron, Ohio. 
 
 John E. Womer was reared to man's es- 
 tate in Allegheny Township and as he was 
 a soldier's orphan he was entitled to the 
 educational aclvantages oiTered by the Sol- 
 diers' Orphans' School at Titusville, which 
 he attended for nearly five years. He re- 
 turned to Allegheny Towmship and re- 
 mained there until he was twenty years of 
 age, when he entered the Clarion County 
 oil fields, going from there to McKean 
 County and later to Allegheny County, 
 New York, spending some time in each 
 
 section and investigating into others. He 
 finally returned to Butler County and for 
 a quarter of a century has been interested 
 in oil development here. He is also con- 
 nected with the firm of Eakin Brothers, in 
 Venango County. He has met with a large 
 amount of success in his line of business 
 and is known all through the oil territory. 
 
 Mr. Womer 's early years were filled with 
 excitement that only war can bring, more 
 esi^ecially when its grim reality grasps 
 happiness from the home circle, and from 
 boyhood the marching and counter-march- 
 ing of troojjs were but too familiar sights 
 and entered into even childish plays. 
 Doubtless he inherited a taste for military 
 life and evidentlj^ possessed a natural gift 
 of command, for while he was a student at 
 school, he was chosen, out of a score of 
 other sons of soldiers, to command and 
 drill a -comjiany, which became very profi- 
 cient in the manual of arms as he taught 
 them. When the Spanish-American War 
 broke out, Mr. Womer through his own 
 personal effort raised a full company and 
 for two months he walked the distance of 
 five miles from his home to Eau Claire, 
 twice every week, to drill them, receiving 
 no remuneration whatever. Mr. AVomer 
 has been a very active Republican for a 
 number of years and is in close touch with 
 other leaders of his party in Butler Coun- 
 ty. He has been sent as a delegate to three 
 Congressional Conventions and once as a 
 delegate to the convention to nominate a 
 delegate to the National Convention. He 
 has always been a loyal party man and 
 has frequently proved his efficiency. He 
 has been a member of many important 
 committees and was a delegate to the State 
 Republican Convention at Harrisburg. 
 
 Mr. AVomer married Miss Elizabeth Al- 
 len, who is a daughter of the late John R. 
 Allen, of Allegheny Township. She has 
 one brother, Harvey L., of Allegheny 
 Township, and one sister, Orrell, who is 
 the wife of Josiah Pearce, of Allegheny 
 Township. Mv. and Mrs. AA^omer have four 
 
1368 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 children, namely : Delia M., who is the wife 
 of J ohn Keating, of Allegheny Township ; 
 Emily E., who is the wife of Frederick 
 Cobbett, of Allegheny Township ; and Una 
 E. and Carl L., the latter of whom is still 
 in school. Mr. Womer is a member of the 
 Allegheny Presbyterian Church and for 
 fourteen years has served as clerk of the 
 Session. He is identified with the Masonic 
 Lodge at Parker's Landing. 
 
 S. Gr. CLAY'', a well known and respected 
 citizen of Forward Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, is the owner of a valua- 
 ble farm of 140 acres. He was born on 
 his father's farm in Venango County, 
 Pennsylvania, August 29, 1858, a son of 
 David and Catherine (Grove) Clay. 
 
 David Clay, father of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania, August 7, 1823, and was there 
 reared to maturity. He early turned his 
 attention to agricultural pursuits — his 
 principal occupation through life — and also 
 at an early day engaged in rafting down 
 the Allegheny and Ohio rivers to Cincin- 
 nati and Louisville. At the time of his 
 death, which occurred May 15, 1879, when 
 he was fifty-five years, nine months, and 
 eight days old, he resided in Clintonville. 
 He is survived by his widow, who was 
 eighty years of age December 24, 1908, and 
 is in the enjoyment of good health. They 
 were married July 29, 1846, and became 
 the parents of the following children: Mrs. 
 A. J. Henderson of Clintonville, Venango 
 County ; I. J. Clay of the same place ; Mrs. 
 Al. Heckard of Star Crossing, Butler 
 County; William 0. Clay of Mariposa, 
 Cal. ; Simeon G. Clay of Brownsdale, But- 
 ler County, Pa.; Alva E. Clay of Evans 
 City, Butler County; Mrs. Charles Day of 
 Kane, Pa. ; George A. Clay of New Castle ; 
 Mrs. Charles N. Islen of Pittsburg, and 
 three who died in infancy. 
 
 S. G. Clay was reared on his father's 
 farm in Venango County, and continued to 
 reside under the parental roof tree until he 
 
 reached his majority. He then became ac- 
 tive in the oil fields, where he was em- 
 ployed for some years with profitable re- 
 sults. He moved on to his present farm in 
 
 1902, having purchased it of D. B. Crowe, 
 and has engaged in general farming. An 
 energetic and progressive man, he is high- 
 ly esteemed by his fellow citizens. 
 
 Mr. Clay was imited in marriage with 
 Miss Rebecca Crowe, who died May 11, 
 
 1903. She was a daughter of David B. and 
 Ellen Jane (Anderson) Crowe. This 
 union was blessed with children as fol- 
 lows: Reatha Eleanor, wife of Lawrence 
 Black; Cora Cathryn and Leroy David 
 Clay. Fraternally Mr. Clay is a member 
 of Oakdale Lodge, No. 29, K. 0. T. M. In 
 l)olitics he is a Democrat. 
 
 LEVI THOMAS KERR, deceased, was 
 a prominent resident of the boroiigh of Eau 
 Claire, where he had conducted a hotel for 
 nearly a score of years, but at the time of 
 his death was retired from that business. 
 He died on August 26, 3907, and his death 
 was mourned as a loss to the community, 
 in which he was so widely known. Mrs. 
 Kerr still resides in Eau Claire, where she 
 is the owner of some good property as well 
 as the old Kerr homestead in Allegheny 
 Township. 
 
 Levi Thomas Kerr was born in Alle- 
 gheny Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, December 23, 1832, and was a son of 
 Thomas Bradon and Tammer (Williams) 
 Kerr, and a grandson of Joseph Kerr, who 
 was an early resident of Allegheny Town- 
 ship. The last named was the father of the 
 following children : Harnei', Parks, James, 
 John, Joseph, Zachariah and Thomas 
 Bradon. 
 
 Thomas Bradon, father of the subject 
 of this record, was married to Tammer 
 Williams, a daughter of Levi Williams of 
 Scrub Grass, Butler Coimty, and his wife 
 who in maiden life was Mary Phipps. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Kerr had one son. Levi Thomas 
 Kerr, subject of this sketch. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1371 
 
 Levi T. Kerr attended the public schools 
 of his home community, and then went to 
 work on his father's farm, which he came 
 into possession of at the time of his mar- 
 riage. It consisted of fifty acres of land, 
 and to this he added forty-five acres which 
 he purchased of James Miller, who in turn 
 had acquired it of Squire John Commigan. 
 This made a total of ninety-live acres of 
 valuable and tillable laud, on which he 
 erected a comfortable home and a fine set 
 of farm buildings. Oil and gas were de- 
 veloped in paying quantities, and three 
 veins of coal were discovered underlying 
 the land. Eetaining ownership in the 
 farm, Mr. Kerr purchased a hotel at Eau 
 Claire, rebuilt it and erected a good barn, 
 and for a period of eighteen years he con- 
 ducted the establishment with good suc- 
 cess. He then sold out to William Mitchell 
 and purchased an adjoining lot, on which 
 he erected a fine home. He lived there un- 
 til his death at the age of seventy-five 
 years. 
 
 Levi T. Kerr was united in marriage 
 with Mary Ellen Williams, who was born 
 in Allegheny Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, January 2, 1835, and is a 
 daughter of Thomas M. and Ella M. (Will- 
 iams) Williams, and a granddaughter of 
 ~Sh\vk AYilliams, who was of Clarion Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. Thomas and Ella Will- 
 iams were parents of the following: John 
 Milton, who married Sabine Strait and has 
 three children— Mary, Nora and Cornelius ; 
 Sarah, wife of AVilliam Bailes of Harmony, 
 by whom she had the following children — 
 Amelia. Luella, Cora Sarah; Marcus, who 
 married Keziah Morrison, daughter of 
 James ^lorrison of Allegheny Township, 
 and has the following children — Sylvanus, 
 Oran, Clara, Miunie, Ella, Mary, James 
 and Newton ; Abraham, who married 
 Amanda ]\rock of Centerville, and had the 
 following offspring — Louise, Eoy, Rex, 
 Eoss, Maude and Mabel; Asenath, who 
 married Thomas Williams, son of Levi 
 Wallace Williams, and had the following 
 
 children — Emma, Effie, Delia, Alice, May, 
 Harry, Edison, Clyde, Lulu, Winnifred and 
 Eenaldo; Almira Jane, who married Ed- 
 ward Graham of Washington Township, 
 by whom she had three children — Charles, 
 Verner Edward and Celora (deceased) ; 
 James, who married Gussie Thompson, 
 daughter of Alexander Thompson of 
 Clarion County, and has five children — 
 Harry, Charles, Mark, John and Mossie; 
 and Thomas, the youngest of the family, 
 who is deceased. 
 
 Levi T. and Mary Ellen (Williams) Kerr 
 reared the following family : Laura Deleua, 
 who married Thomas Bovard; Carmila 
 Carleton; Thomas Meridan; Mary Almira 
 (Daubenspeck) ; Tammer, deceased; John 
 Hamilton H., who died in California; Sa- 
 bine (Hoffman); Levi Phipps, deceased; 
 Bessie C, who is attaining much success as 
 a professional nurse; and Eoy. Laura 
 Delena Kerr married Thomas Bovard, a 
 son of Eobert Bovard of Eau Claire, and 
 the following were born to them : Gertrude, 
 deceased; Plummer of Los Angeles, Cali- 
 fornia; Amy, wife of Henry Kelly of 
 Clarion County; Cora, wife of Homer Nes- 
 bit of Oakdale, Allegheny County; Elsie, 
 deceased; Minnie; Sidney; Bessie; and 
 Delbert, deceased. Carmila Cai'leton Kerr 
 married Elizabeth Shook, a daughter of 
 Henry Shook of Butler County, and the 
 following were boi*n to' them: Ealph; War- 
 ren, who married Elsie Hilliard of Clin- 
 touville; Myrth; and Elsie. Thomas Meri- 
 dan married Eennie English of Mercer 
 County, Pennsylvania, and to them were 
 born the following: Eoy, Lena, Elsie, 
 Frank, Mary and Edward. Mary Almira 
 Kerr married James Daubenspeck of Park- 
 er Township, and the following children 
 blessed their union: Harry, Eoss, Essie, 
 Ellis, Clitford, Vernie, and one who died 
 in infancy. John Kerr was joined in mar- 
 riage with Ella Mahood, daughter of 
 George Mahood of North Washington, But- 
 ler County, and to them were born : George, 
 Brown, Charles, Harry (deceased). Belle, 
 
1372 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Mary, Ross, Paul and Flossie. Sabine 
 Kerr married Philip Hoffman of Clinton- 
 ville, and their children are: Carmila C, 
 Leon, Colter, Dean, Mary and Rex. Roy 
 Kerr married Mary Keim, a daughter of 
 William Keim of Marion Township, and 
 they have two children, Donald and Claire. 
 In religious attachment, Mrs. Kerr is a 
 devout member of the Presbyterian Church 
 at Scrub Grass, of which her mother was 
 a member for seventy-three years. She is 
 a lady of many pleasing qualities, and has 
 friends throughout the community. 
 
 THOMAS WILSON, who comes of an 
 old and prominent family of Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock rais- 
 ing on an excellent farm of nearly 500 
 acres, which is owned by him and his sister. 
 Miss Mary Elizabeth Wilson. He was 
 born on this farm December 15, 1844, and 
 is a son of James and Mary (Carothers) 
 Wilson. 
 
 James Wilson was a son of James AVil- 
 son, Sr., and was a small boy when he ac- 
 companied his parents from their native 
 land, Ireland, to the United States. They 
 settled in Butler County and the father of 
 our subject grew to be an extensive land 
 owner and substantial citizen of Clay 
 Township. His death occurred here in 
 18S8, after a long and useful life. He mar- 
 ried Mary Carothers, a daughter of Thom- 
 as Carothers, who came originally from 
 Ireland, and she too is now deceased. They 
 became parents of the following children : 
 Nancy Jane, whose husband, Isaiah Don- 
 aldson, died on January 11, 1908; Thom- 
 as ; Margaret Ann, deceased ; James Madi- 
 son; John, deceased; Mary Elizabeth; Al- 
 len, deceased; and Sarah Ellen, who died 
 in June, 1903, and was the wife of John 
 Dull, by whom she had a son, Ralph W. 
 Dull, who makes his home with the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. 
 
 Thomas Wilson and his sister. Miss 
 Mary E. Wilson, reside in the old home lo- 
 
 cated on the northeast hundred acres of 
 the farm, which they own conjointly. Ad- 
 joining this tract she has 220 acres, and 
 he 150 acres making in all 470 acres. It 
 is an excellent property, under a high state 
 of cultivation, and is well improved 
 throughout. They have spent their entire 
 lives in this locality and enjoy a wide ac- 
 quaintanceship. 
 
 JACKSON McMILLEN VAN DY^KE, 
 who comes of one of the early pioneer fam- 
 ilies of Marion Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, is located on a part of the 
 farm acquired by his grandfather at the 
 time of his arrival here. He has sixty 
 acres of good tillable land and is engaged 
 in general farming. He was born on the 
 old home farm February 1, 1844, and is a 
 son of Thomas and Mary (Monjar) Van 
 Dyke, and a grandson of Samuel Van Dyke. 
 
 Samuel Van Dvko, the grandfather, was 
 of Scotch (Icscciit. and was (.iic of the earli- 
 est settlcis of Clarion Townsliip. lli' set- 
 tled on 300 acres of land, and after mak- 
 ing a clearing erected a primitive log house, 
 which in later life he replaced with a stone 
 house, which was one of the best in the sur- 
 rounding cormtry at that time. He lived 
 to reach a ripe old age, and died in the old 
 stone house. He had three sons and three 
 daughters, Thomas being the youngest son. 
 
 Thomas Van Dyke was born in Marion 
 Townsliip, Butler County, in 1805, and died 
 in 1880, at the age of seventy-five years. 
 He was reared on the old farm, a part of 
 which he cleared, and after a time he in- 
 herited a portion of it. He was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary Monjar, who 
 was born in Venango County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, in June, 1807, and is now living at the 
 remarkable age of one hundred and one 
 years. She is in good health, has a reten- 
 tive memory and excellent eye sight, and 
 is possessed of great vitality for one of her 
 years. She now resides at the home of her 
 daughter, Mrs. Peter Ghost. Nine chil- 
 dren were born to Thomas and Mary Van 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1373 
 
 Dyke, as follows: Isabella, wife of J. C. 
 Hutchison; Richard, deceased; Elizabeth, 
 deceased; Mary Ann, wife of James I)u- 
 gan; Julia, wife of Peter Ghost; Sarah, 
 who was the wife of John Dugan, both now 
 deceased; Jackson McMillen; Frances, 
 wife of R. M. Hovis ; and Joseph, who lives 
 in the old homestead. 
 
 Jackson M. Van Dyke spent his boyhood 
 days on the farm and also helped to clear 
 it. He attended the old schoolhouse which 
 then stood in his home district, and has 
 witnessed a wonderful change in the pub- 
 lic schools since that time. He lived at 
 home until his marriage, and has always 
 followed farming. He is a progressive citi- 
 zen and takes an earnest interest in all 
 that pertains to the welfare of the com- 
 munity and public improvements. , 
 
 Mr. Van Dyke was married January 7, 
 ISG'J, to MissElizabeth Fleegar, and they 
 became parents of the following: Samuel, 
 who married Bertha Hemminger; Abigail, 
 wife of James A. Gillgrist; Richard, who 
 married Alberta Dodds ; Thomas Harrison, 
 wlio married Sadie Shaw ; Lee ; Sadie, who 
 is the wife of James McNeil; Daisy, wife 
 of Richard Huff; Maimie; Amanda; Jo- 
 seph; and Charles. In political affiliation 
 Mr. Van Dyke is a Republican, and has 
 served as school director and as road su- 
 pervisor. 
 
 LEONARD SMITH, whose excellent 
 farm of fifty arics is situated in Venango 
 Townshi]), two miles wi'st of Eau Claire, 
 was liorn in Wiuti'iuhcrg, Germany, May 
 4, 1844, and is a son of Leonard and Eliza- 
 beth (Streker) Smith, whom he accompa- 
 nied to America at the age of ten years. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Smith emigrated to 
 the United States in 1854, came to Penn- 
 sylvania and lived at Chicora in Butler 
 County and at Brady's Bend, in Arm- 
 strong County. They had the following 
 children: Leonard; George, who was mar- 
 ried (first) to Sarah Rankin, daughter of 
 Thomas Rankin, of Bradv's Bend, and 
 
 (second) to Mary McMund, had three chil- 
 dren to his first union — Thomas, Samuel 
 and Ida, and three to his second — Charles, 
 Dolly and Leslie; Rosanna, who married 
 John Bessenieker, has five children — Will- 
 iam, John, Henry, Susanna and Elizabeth ; 
 Elizabeth, who married William Ford, had 
 an infant, now deceased; Susanna, who 
 married Ilugh McElroy, has one daughter, 
 Margaret; Mary, who died aged ten years; 
 Samuel and Philip, twins; and William, 
 who died in infancy. 
 
 After his parents settled near Chicora, 
 Leonard Smith went to school in the village 
 and also attended school after the family 
 removed to Brady's Bend. After his mar- 
 riage, in 1870, he moved to Troutman Hol- 
 low and worked for two years as a team- 
 ster in the oil fields, after which he pur- 
 chased his farm of fift,y acres. This was 
 unimproved land and Mr. Smith had it to 
 clear and at present has forty acres under 
 cultivation and has excellent farm build- 
 ings, all of which he had erected since com- 
 ing here. His land is excellent for farming 
 purposes and it may, like many others in 
 this neighborhood, be also rich in oil, gas 
 and coal, l)ut he has never tested for either. 
 
 On April 7, 1870, Mr. Smith was mar- 
 ried to Miss Sarah Belle Morrow, who is 
 a daughter of Mathew Morrow, of Concord 
 Township, and the following children have 
 been born to them: Dora, who married 
 William Ferguson, of Venango Township, 
 has four children — Carl Thompson, Nancy 
 Belle, Mary Jane and Leonard Allison; 
 Sarah Emma, who resides at Pittsburg; 
 Harry, who married Cora Serena, daugh- 
 ter of John Serena; Clyde, Bertha and 
 Albert, all of whom reside at home; Rosa, 
 who is a member of the class of 1911, at 
 Eau 'Claire Academy; Pearl, who is a 
 school teacher; and Mary, who is also a 
 student. Mr. Smith and family are mem- 
 bers of the Ignited Preslnterian C'hnreh at 
 Eau- Claire, of which ]\[iss Bertha has been 
 treasurer and Miss Pearl several times sec- 
 retary of the Sundav school. Politically, 
 
1374 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Mr. Smith is a Republican but he has never 
 consented to fill any township office except 
 that of school director, in which he is serv- 
 ing in his second term. He is one of the 
 representative and reliable citizens of Ven- 
 ango Township. 
 
 JOHN L. CARPENTER, who has at- 
 tained a high degree of success as an oil 
 producer, is a resident of Fairview, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is the owner of 
 considerable property in that vicinity. In 
 addition to his village property, he has a 
 tract of twenty and three-fourths acres 
 with one producing oil well upon it, and 
 another tract of fifty acres with six excel- 
 lent wells upon it. 
 
 Mr. Carpenter was born in Crawford 
 County, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1843, and 
 is a son of AVelcome A. and Lucinda (Dick- 
 son) Carpenter. His paternal great- 
 grandfather was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary War. He was one of the following 
 children born to his parents : Prescott, Car- 
 rie, John L., James D., M. L., Mary, Allen 
 and Homer. The two last named are de- 
 ceased. 
 
 John L. Carpenter was reared in his 
 native county and upon arriving at his 
 majority went to Pittsville, in Venango 
 County, where he became identified with 
 the oil business. After a brief period of 
 three months, he went to West Hickorj^, in 
 Forest County, thence to Warren County, 
 and still later to the Borough of Butler, 
 where he was located three years. He then, 
 in 1873, purchased a farm of Thomas 
 Hayes in Fairview Township, Butler 
 County, upon which he lived until 1902. He 
 then purchased property in the village of 
 Fairview, where he has since resided. He 
 has in the meantime continued his activity 
 as an oil producer. 
 
 November 1, 1869, Mr. Carpenter was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sophia J. 
 Courson. a daughter of Benjamin P. and 
 Elizabeth P. (Morrison) Courson of War- 
 ren County, Pennsylvania. Her father 
 
 died at the early age of thirty-one years, 
 and her mother survived to the age of sev- 
 enty-two. Mrs. Carpenter is one of the 
 following children born to her parents: 
 Sophia, Hiram (deceased), Eveline, Oren 
 W. (deceased) and Ellen. The subject of 
 this sketch and his estimable wife are par- 
 ents of three children : Melville A., of But- 
 ler County, who married Grace Snow and 
 has had two children, Gail and Clara, the 
 latter dying at the age of fourteen months ; 
 Elizabeth L., who is the wife of J. F. Jew- 
 art and lives at Buffalo, New York; and 
 Carrie B., who resides with her parents and 
 is connected with the postoffice at Fair- 
 view. Religiously, the family is Presby- 
 terian. Mr. Carpenter is a member of the 
 Protective Home Circle. 
 
 JOHN A. MEAKIN, weighmaster for 
 the Erie Coal & Coke Company at Ferris, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and assist- 
 ant postmaster of that village, was born 
 in Eastwood, England, August 19, 1885. 
 He is a son of Frank and Harriet (Poster) 
 Meakin, and a grandson of Thomas and 
 Elizabeth Meakin. 
 
 Thomas Meakin, the grandfather, and 
 his wife had the following offspring : An- 
 na, wife of Albert Piper; Haiiiiah Myra, 
 wife of Chai'les Mabbott, by whom slio has 
 the following children, — Annie, ]\label, 
 Charles, Leonard and Douglas; and 
 Frank. 
 
 Frank Meakin married Harriet Foster, a 
 daughter of James Foster of Brinsley, 
 England, and their children are as follows : 
 William, who owns a drug stoi'o in Not- 
 tingham, England, and who married Nellie 
 Newton; Elizabeth, who married AVilliam 
 Patrick and has two children, Annie Eliza- 
 beth and William Ray; John A., whose 
 name heads this record; Frank, who is en- 
 gaged in mining in England; Thomas of 
 England; 8amuel, a gardener residing in 
 England; and Arthur, who is attending 
 school in England. 
 
 John A. Meakin attended school at East- 
 
JOHN A. MEAKIN 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1377 
 
 wood, in his native country, after which he 
 engaged as clerk in a store in that village. 
 He later took up gardening and mining, 
 and still later was employed as a clerk in 
 a drug store. He then emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, landing at New York City, and thence 
 made his way to Hilliard, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He here engaged in cutting- 
 coal for a time, and subsequently became 
 weighmaster for the Industrial Coal Com- 
 pany of Pittsburg. Leaving that position 
 he worked as brakeman on the Bessemer 
 and Lake Erie Railroad, and then served 
 for two and a half years as weighmaster 
 for the Bessemer Coal Mining Company. 
 At the end of that time he accepted his 
 present position with the Erie Coal & Coke 
 Company at Ferris. He is a man of well 
 known ability and stands high in the es- 
 teem of his fellowmen. 
 
 Mr. Meakin was married to Elsie E. 
 Foster, a daughter of Thomas J. Foster of 
 Ferris, and they have a sou, Ernest La- 
 mont. Fraternallv, he is a member of Hil- 
 liard Lodge No. 11, I. 0. 0. F.; and Hil- 
 liard Lodge, No. 92, K. P. He has passed 
 through all the chairs of both orders. He 
 is a Republican in polities, whilst in relig- 
 ious attachment he is a member of of the 
 Church of England. From April 22, 1908, 
 to June 2nd of that year, he was at his old 
 home in England, in the enjoyment of a 
 well earned vacation. 
 
 CHARLES T. WALTERS, who has 
 charge of the pumping station of the 
 American Natural Gas Company, in Clin- 
 ton Township, Butler Coimty, Pennsylva- 
 nia, is also the owner of a fine farm of 
 sixty-six acres in that township, on which 
 he follows general farming. He was born 
 on this farm, which is located about one 
 and a half miles south of Ekastown on the 
 Tarentum road, the date of his birth being 
 September 15, 1858. He is a son of Frank 
 and Almira (Douglas)" Walters, and a 
 grandson of Davis Walters, who was of 
 
 German parentage and possibly of German 
 birth. 
 
 Frank Walters was born in Clinton 
 Township, Butler County, where his par- 
 ents were early settlers, and throughout 
 •his active life engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits. He and his wife Almira became par- 
 ents of the following children : Charles T. ; 
 James, deceased; Edward; Frank, de- 
 ceased; Daisy; Susan; Beulah; and Anna. 
 
 Charles T. Walters attended the common 
 schools of Clinton Township and was 
 reared to maturity on the farm. He 
 learned stationary engineering, which he 
 has followed for the last eighteen years 
 with good results. He has held his present 
 responsible position with the American 
 Natural Gas Company for two years, and 
 in addition to the discharge of its duties 
 has continued his farming operations. He 
 follows general farming and raises some 
 stock. His farm is under a high state of 
 cultivation and is well improved; Mr. Wal- 
 ters has a fine two-story home and a large 
 barn, together with other necessary out- 
 buildings. 
 
 April 5. 1891, he was married to Miss 
 Mary ]McKrell, a daughter of James and 
 Jane (Taylor) McKrell of Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania. Her father was a 
 prosperous farmer and a well known citi- 
 zen of the community in which she was 
 reared. Two children were born of this 
 union : Ethel Jane and Frank DeHass, both 
 of whom are in attendance at school. Re- 
 ligiously, the family belongs to the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Walters mar- 
 ried, second. Ethel Martin. 
 
 GEORGE B. IRWIN, general farmer in 
 Venango Township, residing on his excel- 
 lent farm of fifty acres, which is situated 
 one and one-half miles west of Eau Claire, 
 was born in Venaugo Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1843, 
 and is" a son of Samuel C. and Elizabeth 
 (Curtis) Irwin, and a grandson of Reuben 
 Irwin. 
 
1378 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The parents of Mr. Irwin were farming 
 people in Venango Township for a number 
 of years. The mother was a daughter of 
 Truman Curtis, of Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania. The children of Samuel C. Irwin 
 and his first wife were: Reuben, who was 
 killed in the battle of the Wilderness, in 
 the Civil War; Truman C. and Ephraim, 
 both of whom are now deceased; Geoi'ge 
 B. ; Margaret, who married Samuel Sloan, 
 both now deceased, is survived by five chil- 
 dren — Amanda, Pinley J., Sarah Jane, 
 Louisa Margaret and Loretta. Samuel C. 
 Irwin was married (second) to Martha 
 Boyle Atwell, and they had two children — 
 James A. and Mary. 
 
 George B. Irwin secured an excellent 
 common school education, attending what 
 was known as the Pine Tree School and 
 the Big Bend School, both in Venango 
 County, and later the Mt. Pisgah School, in 
 Butler County. His first work was done 
 as a driller and tool dresser in the oil fields 
 and after four years of that kind of labor, 
 he went to lumbering along the Allegheny 
 River, in Clearfield Countj^ After the 
 death of his father he received fifty acres 
 of the home farm as his portion and then 
 turned his attention to improving it with 
 buildings and has continued to make im- 
 provements while cultivating his land. So 
 far he has been satisfied with the ample re- 
 turns he has received from its tillage, hav- 
 ing never tested for oil, coal or gas. 
 
 On March 28, 1879, Mr. Irwin was mar- 
 ried to Miss Margaret A. Sloan, a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas Sloan, of Venango Town- 
 ship, and they have had the following chil- 
 dren: Samuel E.; Calvin R. ; Marilda E., 
 who married AVilliam Campbell, of Barren 
 City, Pennsylvania, and has had three chil- 
 dren — Laverne I., Paul L. and Florence 
 A.; and Alma Belle, who lives at home. 
 Mr. Irwin and family attend the Seceder 
 Church at Eau Claire. He is well informed 
 on public questions and is a staunch sup- 
 porter of the Democratic party, but he has 
 never aspired to public office. He is one of 
 
 the township's practical farmers and rep- 
 resentative men. 
 
 JOHN MAIZLAND, whose exceptionally 
 fine farm of 128 acres lies in Clinton 
 Township, on the Saxonburg and Pitts- 
 burg road, about two and one-half miles 
 southeast of Saxonburg, is not only one of 
 the youngest independent farmers in But- 
 ler County, but also one of the most enter- 
 prising and successful. He was born 
 August 16, 1876, on his present farm and is 
 a son of Robert (deceased February 12, 
 1892) and Mary Elizabeth (Wilkinson) 
 Maizland, and a grandson of John and 
 Agnes (McMillan) Maizland. 
 
 The grandparents of Mr. Maizland were 
 of Scotch descent. When they came first 
 to Pennsylvania, they settled in Allegheny 
 County • and came to Clinton Township, 
 Butler County, in 1858. The parents of 
 Mr. Maizland had three children, namely: 
 John, Mai'garet, who married Albert Al- 
 derson, and has one child — Flora; Eliza- 
 beth; and Flora, who resides with her 
 brother. 
 
 John Maizland obtained a good common 
 school education, working on the farm 
 while attending school, giving attention 
 both to his books and to farm work for 
 some years. Since then he has devoted 
 himself entirely to agricultural pursuits 
 and through his excellent methods has de- 
 veloped his land into its extreme of pro- 
 ductiveness. He may yet develop gas in 
 paying quantities, as experiments have 
 proved that it exists on his land. 
 
 In February, 1907, Mr. Maizland was 
 married to Miss Lottie Knoch, a daughter 
 of Henry and Margaret (Clendennon) 
 Knoch, of Clinton Township, and they have 
 one child, Grladys Marie. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Maizland are members of the Presbvterian 
 Church. 
 
 HARVEY D. HOCKENBERRY, M. D., 
 a prominent physician and surgeon of 
 West Sunbury, where he has been engaged 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1379 
 
 in active practice for thirty years, and 
 Medical Inspector of Butler County, was 
 born in the town of Centerville, now known 
 as Slippery Eock, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, October 17, 1850, and is a son of 
 John and Mary Jane (Christley) Hocken- 
 berry. 
 
 Dr. Hockenberry was reared in Slippery 
 Eock, where until sixteen years of age he 
 attended the village schools, and then went 
 to a farm in Cherry Township with bis par- 
 ents. For three years he attended the 
 West Sunbury Academy, and at an early 
 age began teaching school, continuing in 
 that occupation for upwards of ten years. 
 Deciding on tlic iiuMlical jirdfcssion as his 
 life work, lie spent one year with Dr. A. M. 
 Patterson of Slippery iux'k, and in 1877 
 entered the medical department of Wooster 
 University, Cleveland, Ohio, and was grad- 
 uated therefrom in 1879, when he began 
 practice in West Sunbury. Seven years 
 later he took a post-graduate course at Jef- 
 ferson Medical College, Philadelphia. Dr. 
 Hockenberry soon won the confidence of 
 the people of his community, and in a 
 short time built up a large practice, which 
 he has retained to the present time. He 
 is a close and careful student, and his con- 
 tinued success is due not only to his skill, 
 but to his personal chai-acteristics. In 
 1904, the Doctor was elected t(. the (iniee of 
 Medical Inspector of Butler County, a yio- 
 sition which he still holds. He is piesident 
 of the board of trustees of West Sunbury 
 Academy, and is connected with the State 
 and County Medical Associations and the 
 International Tuberculosis Association. 
 Dr. Hockenberry owns a handsome resi- 
 dence, adjoining which is a property of 
 sixty acres. 
 
 Dr. Hockenberry was married to Miss 
 Mary A. Smith, who is a daughter of 
 James. Smith of Cherry Township, and 
 they have had eleven children, namely: 
 John Bertram, deceased ; James Amos, de- 
 ceased; Ella Smith, a graduate of Wilson 
 College of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 
 
 and now teaching in the public schools of 
 Wilkinsburg; Carl Morrison, deceased; 
 Zoe Dora, a graduate of West Sunbury 
 Academy, who also attended Westminster 
 College, and is now teaching school at 
 Bridgeville, Allegheny County; Amy June, 
 deceased; Bernice, a graduate of Martin's 
 Business School, at Pittsburg, and for 
 three years treasurer and bookkeeper 
 thereof; M. S. Quay, deceased; Hazel D., 
 at home; Hugh DeWitt, deceased; and 
 Hannah Hazel, who also resides at home; 
 an adopted daughter. 
 
 HUGH THOMAS MUEEIN, a promi- 
 nent and substantial citizen of Venango 
 T»nvnslii[), Butler County, residing on his 
 valuable farm of Ll.jO acres, situated two 
 miles southeast of Murrinsville, was born 
 on this place on June 22, 1840. He belongs 
 to a family that has been one of impor- 
 tance in this section for many years and 
 his parents were George and Sarah (Keat- 
 ing) Murrin. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of Mr. Mur- 
 rin were Hugh and Polly (Shaw) Murrin 
 and they had the following children: Jo- 
 seph, who married Catherine Keating; 
 John, who married Elizabeth Keating; 
 James, who married Polly Kimes ; William, 
 who married Margaret Keating; George, 
 who married Sarah Keating; Philip, who 
 married Nancy Forkner; and Hugh and 
 Peter, both unmarried. 
 
 The following" children were born to 
 George Murrin and wife: Catherine, who 
 married William Holland ; Mary, who mar- 
 ried Patrick Cary; James, unmarried; 
 Margaret, who married Michael McLaugh- 
 lin; Sarah, who married John Martin; El- 
 len, who married John Dutfy; Martha, 
 who married Francis Gormley ; Nettie, who 
 married Patrick McMurrer; Hugh Thom- 
 as; and Cecelia, who married Cornelius 
 Gormley. 
 
 Hugh Thomas Murrin first attended 
 school about one mile from the homestead, 
 the sessions being held in an old log cabin 
 
1380 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 there, arid later he went to the Seaton 
 school and still later to the new brick 
 school house. His father then needed him 
 to help on the farm for a time, after which 
 he left home and engaged in rafting on the 
 rivers, living at Warren and Pittsburg, 
 Pennsylvania, and at Cincinnati, Ohio, for 
 about six yeai's. He then opened up the 
 coal bank on the home farm, which is still 
 being worked, and during the years of 
 great oil production in this neighborhood, 
 sold a large amount of coal. On his own 
 land he has six producing wells. With the 
 exception of 100 acres covered with valu- 
 able timber, and two fine orchards, Mr. 
 Murrin has all his land now under tillage. 
 Formerly he dealt extensively in sheep and 
 cattle, for some years raising and selling 
 much live stock. His well improved place 
 is the result of his own effort and care, he 
 having erected all the substantial farm 
 buildings now on the farm. 
 
 Mr. Murrin married Miss Ellen Thorn- 
 buiy, who is a daughter of Patrick Thorn- 
 bury, and they have had the following chil- 
 dren: George P., who married Nellie 
 Smith; Clarence A., who married Stella 
 Smith, of West Virginia; Nancy A., who 
 married • Lawrence M. O'Keefe; Lavisa, 
 who married E. J. Hovis; Arthur P., who 
 remains at home; Margaret K., who mar- 
 ried M. J. Sherman, of Butler; Hugh F., 
 who is now deceased ; and Harold E., who 
 resides at home. Mr. Murrin and family 
 are members of St. Alphonsus Catholic 
 Church, at Murrinsville, of which Mr. Mur- 
 rin was treasurer for three years and a 
 member of the church committee for five 
 years. In politics he is a staunch Demo- 
 crat and has been an influential one in Ven- 
 ango Township almost all his mature life. 
 He has been many times elected to office 
 and has given very efficient service. For 
 twelve years he served as school director, 
 one year as tax collector, one year as con- 
 stable, one year as assessor, three years 
 as auditor and three years as road super- 
 visor. 
 
 WILLIAM HENEY PICKARD, found- 
 er of the Starlight Refining Company, Lim- 
 ited, at Karus City, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a prosperous business man and 
 liighly respected citizen of that village. He 
 was born at Brady's Bend, in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1846, and 
 is a son of Amos and Eliza (Hines) Piek- 
 ard. 
 
 The parents of the subject of this sketch 
 were early pioneers in Armstrong County, 
 where the greater jDortion of their lives 
 was passed. She died in middle life, at the 
 age of forty-five years, and he survived 
 her many years, dying at the advanced age 
 of eighty-live. The following children were 
 born to them : Jennie, William H., George, 
 deceased, Anna, Frank, Mai'y, Martin, Le- 
 vina, and Edward. 
 
 William H. Pickard attended the pub- 
 lic schools in Armstrong County, and after 
 that worked at coke making with his fath- 
 er, who, it was said, was the oldest coke 
 maker in the United States. In 1872, he 
 moved to Karns City, where he first en- 
 gaged in teaming and drove stage to vari- 
 ous surrounding towns; he also engaged in 
 the junk business for some years. In 1892 
 he embarked in the refining business, 
 founding the Starlight Eefining Company; 
 this business he carried on alone for a few 
 years, then took his son, John F. Pickard, 
 into partnership, and 1903, sold a one- 
 fourth interest in the business to Mr. C. 
 H. Johnson, the firm name being changed 
 to the Starlight Eefining Company, Lim- 
 ited. They employ a force of six men, and 
 have a monthly output of 1,500 barrels. 
 Mr. Pickard has been active in the atfairs 
 of the village and has frequently held lo- 
 cal offices of trust. He was constable three 
 years, school director a like period of time, 
 and has served as a member of the town 
 council. 
 
 September 16, 1869, Mr. Pickard was 
 married at Brady's Bend to Miss Caroline 
 Fox, a daughter of John and Kathryn Fox 
 of Armstrong County, and the following 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1383 
 
 are the offspring of their union : Adda, who 
 was born June 18, 1870, and lives at home ; 
 George C, who was born November 24, 
 1871, and died August 28, 1874; Ella M., 
 who was born February 13, 1874, and died 
 September 8, 1878; William H., who was 
 born Jime 17, 1876, and married Myrtle 
 Brake, by whom he has a son, William; 
 John T., of Karns City, who was born June 
 24, 1878, and married Bertha Mortimore; 
 Charles E., who was born May 25, 1880, 
 and died October 20, 1908; Mary A., who 
 was born August 24, 1882, and is the wife 
 of AVilliam J. Anderson of Washington 
 Township, Butler County; Carrie E., who 
 was born May 26, 1887, and lives at home ; 
 and Edgar C., who was born March 13, 
 1889, and also lives with his father. W^ill- 
 iam H., Jr., resides at Salem, West Vir- 
 ginia. Mrs. Pickard was called lo her final 
 rest on March 20, 1906, at the age of fifty- 
 nine years. In religious attachment, she 
 was a member of the Lutheran Church, of 
 which Mr. Pickard is a member. He was 
 one of the charter members of the Knights 
 of the Maccabees at Chicora, when the 
 lodge was installed at that place in 1891. 
 
 MICHAEL HOOVER, residing on a 
 farm of thirty -five acres in Fairview Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is a 
 well known citizen of the community. He 
 was born in Donegal Township, Butler 
 County, May 2, 1855, and is a son of Henry 
 and Margaret (Leiclmer) Hoover, both 
 natives of Germany. 
 
 Henry Hoover and his wife, upon com- 
 ing to this country from their native land, 
 located first in Allegheny County, Penn- 
 sylvania. They in 1854 moved to Donegal 
 Township, Butler County, from Oakland 
 Township, where they had lived for a few 
 years after leaving Allegheny County. 
 They purchased a farm of fifty acres in 
 Donegal from a Mr. McNally, and lived 
 there until their respective deaths, he dy- 
 ing in 1864, and she in 1895. Nine children 
 were the offspring of their marriage, as 
 
 follows : John, Tina, Katherine, Elizabeth, 
 Henry, Michael, Daniel, Susanna, and Mar- 
 garet. 
 
 Michael Hoover was reared to maturity 
 in his native township and there received 
 his educational training in the old Wal- 
 ford School, which all his brothers and sis- 
 ters attended. For a time after leaving 
 school he engaged in teaming, then turned 
 his attention to farming, at which he has 
 been verj^ successful. He lived in Donegal 
 Township until his twentieth year, and 
 since 1882 has lived on his present farm in 
 Fairview Township, on which he has made 
 nearly all the improvements. 
 
 Mr. Hoover was married, April 5, 1877, 
 to Miss Mar}^ Andre, a daughter of Mi- 
 chael and Elizabeth (Ellenberger) Andre, 
 old residents of Fairview Township. She 
 died February 26, 1901, leaving four chil- 
 dren, as follows : Margaret (Dally) ; Wil- 
 helmina; Edith, who died November 5, 
 1903 ; and Oscar. Maggie Hoover was mar- 
 ried in June, 1902, to Gustave Dalley of 
 this township, and they have three chil- 
 dren, Reinhold, Henry and Wilhelmina. In 
 religious faith and fellowship, Mr. Hoover 
 is a member of the German Lutheran 
 Church at Chicora. He is a man of high 
 principles and has iftany friends. 
 
 ROBERT S. HINDMAN, a veteran of 
 the Union Army during the Civil War, is 
 a highly respected citizen of West Sunbury 
 and is at the present time rural mail car- 
 rier of that borough. He also is owner of 
 a fine farm of 200 acres in Cherry Town- 
 ship, which he rents. He was born on that 
 farm, located two miles north of the bor- 
 ough, August 30, 1841, and is a son of John 
 and Eliza (Shryock) Ilindman. His grand- 
 father was Robert Hindman, an earh' set- 
 tler here. 
 
 Robert S. Hindman was reared on the 
 farm in Cherry Township and attended the 
 public schools. He early responded to the 
 call to arms during the war, enlisting June 
 10, 1861, as a member of Company C, 
 
1384 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Eleventh Regiment Pa. Vol. Reserves, for 
 three years ' service. He was mustered out 
 at Pittsburg on Jime 17, 1864. Early in 
 life he tui-ned his attention to farming, 
 which he always followed until his removal 
 to West Sunbury, except for three years 
 spent in the mercantile business at Moni- 
 teau, Cherry Township, where he owned a 
 half interest in a store, and the time spent 
 in the army. He moved to the borough in 
 December, 1896, renting his farm on 
 shares, and since 1906 has been a rural 
 mail carrier. He is one of the progressive 
 spirits of the community and has always 
 been found in support of those measures 
 calculated to bring about public improve- 
 ments. 
 
 Mr. Hindman was first married to Ann 
 Jane Campbell, by whom he had six chil- 
 dren, all of whom are living: H. C. Hind- 
 man, the druggist at West Sunbury ; Rhoda 
 L. ; Sarah Belle, wife of N. G. Glenn ; De- 
 Loss L., manager of the Phoenix Milling 
 Company; Kate, widow of Ross Sproul; 
 and Margaret Jane, wife of H. M. Black. 
 Mrs. Hindman died in 1884, and he formed 
 a second union with Miss Mary E. Hilliard, 
 daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Jami- 
 son) Hilliard. She was born and reared 
 in Washington Township, Butler County, 
 where her father followed farming. Two 
 children have blessed their union: Clyde 
 K., who also is a partner in the Phoenix 
 Milling Company; and Bernice. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch was the organizer of the 
 Phoenix Mills, and is still financially inter- 
 ested in it. He is a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and prior to his removal to 
 West Sunbury was an elder of Pleasant 
 Valley Church. 
 
 FOSTER SLOAN, residing two miles 
 southwest of Eau Claire, on his valuable 
 farm of seventy-three acres, which is sit- 
 uated in Venango Township, was born 
 here, November 7, 1851, and is a son of 
 James F. and Martha (Oliphant) Sloan. 
 
 The grandparents of Mr. Sloan were 
 
 Samuel and Mary (Foster) Sloan and they 
 had the following children, many of whose 
 descendants are among the leading people 
 of this part of Butler Cormty: Samuel T., 
 who married Betsey Conn, had five chil- 
 dren — Mary Jane, Samuel Perry, Nancy 
 Ellen, Margaret and W. C. ; John, who 
 married Sarah Alabaugh, had five children 
 — Harvey, Sarah >]lizabeth, Emma Jane, 
 A\'illiam and Samuel; William, who mar- 
 ried Jane Hoffman, had four children — J. 
 B., Flora, Margaret and Louise; Betsey, 
 who married Richard, son of Wilson, had 
 five children — Samuel, Nancy, Thomas, 
 Rosa and Burt; James F., father of Fos- 
 ter ; David, who married Phebe Byers, had 
 seven children — Joseph, Elizabeth, Fred, 
 Mary, Simon, Margaret and Melviu; Jo- 
 siah, who married Betsey Sackett, had 
 three children — Elizabeth, Elsado and 
 Samuel O. ; Joseph C, who married Bet- 
 sey Byers, had eight children — Ellwood, 
 Mary, Albert, Lavina, Elizabeth, Sarah, 
 Lottie and Warren. 
 
 The children born to James F. Sloan and 
 his wife Martha, who was a daughter of 
 Isaiah Oliphant, of Venango County, were 
 as follows: Foster; Richard, who married 
 Sarah McKinney, daughter of Robert Mc- 
 Kinney, has five children — R. C, Zella, 
 James, Gertrude and Oscar; Eli, who mar- 
 ried Ella Scott, daughter of William Scott, 
 has five children — Wilbert, Austin, Henry, 
 Frank, Edward and Lester; Calvin, who 
 married Annie Taylor, daughter of Elias 
 Taylor of Venango Township, has two chil- 
 dren, Ethel and Earl ; Mary Elizabeth, re- 
 sides at home ; Samuel, who married Kath- 
 eriue Brown, has one daughter, Martha; 
 Margaret, who married Fred Campbell, of 
 Ashtabula, Ohio, has two children, Clinton 
 and Ethel; James Austin, who resides in 
 Montana, has two children, Gladys and 
 Hazel ; Silas, Nancy J., Rosa B. and Sarah, 
 all residing at home; and Herman, who is 
 deceased. 
 
 Foster Sloan obtained his early educa- 
 tion in the Pisgah School and later had one 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1385 
 
 term at Clintonville, following which he 
 took up farm duties and continued to assist 
 his father until he went to teaming in the 
 oil fields near his home, but later returned 
 to the farm. Prior to his death, the father 
 sold twenty-five acres of the homestead to 
 his son Calvin and the remainder to Foster, 
 wlio has remained on the place ever since 
 and has developed the property to its full 
 extent. He has fine farming land and two 
 productive orchards, five producing oil 
 wells and a private coal bank has been 
 opened. He has also seven acres yet in 
 timber and devotes about eight acres to 
 pasturage. He assisted in the erection of 
 all his farm buildings, with the exception 
 of the barn, which his father put up when 
 Poster was an infant. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Sloan is a Republican 
 and he is a member of the Republican 
 Township Committee. At different times 
 he has held local offices, for nine years be- 
 ing the very efficient township auditor. He 
 is a leading member of the United Presby- 
 terian Church at Eau Claire, of which he 
 is treasurer and one of the trustees. 
 
 SAMUEL T. DODD, a representative 
 citizen and secretary of tlie council of 
 Fairview, Pennsylvania, operates a valua- 
 ble farm of twenty-four acres in Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, and is also a 
 veteran of the great Civil War. He was 
 born at Orange, Essex County, New Jer- 
 sev, December 23, 1838, and is a son of 
 Sam.uel T. and Eliza T. (Sisco) Dodd, 
 whose other seven children were Zebina, 
 Israel L., Stephen H., John, James, Jo- 
 seph B., and Phoebe. Samuel T. is the 
 only surviving member of this family. 
 
 Samuel T. Dodd went to Ohio early in 
 life, and in 1863, at Monroeville, "that 
 State, enlisted in Company C, Eighty- 
 eighth Regiment, Ohio Vol. Inf., with which 
 company he served three months, during 
 which time he participated in the battle of 
 Nashville. He re-enlisted in Company H, 
 
 Sixty-fourth Ohio Regiment, with which 
 he served bravely for eleven months, and 
 received his honorable discharge at Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, in 1865. Mr. Dodd came to But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, in 1874, settling 
 at Millerstown, where he resided for about 
 four months, and then removed to Trout- 
 man, Concord Township, where he was em- 
 ployed in the oil fields until 1877, in which 
 year he turned his attention to agriculture 
 in Fairview Township. He has cultivated 
 the farm to a highly fertile state, and on 
 it also are located one producing oil well 
 and a valuable coal bank. Since 1901 Mr. 
 Dodd has made his home in Fairview, 
 where he has bt'cdinc prnniinciit in munici- 
 pal affairs, haviiii;- Ix'cii srlicinl director for 
 two years, and at present being secretary 
 of the council. 
 
 On September 5, 1876, Mr. Dodd was 
 married at the William Ellenberger home 
 to Mary E. Ellenberger, who is a daugh- 
 ter of William and Harriet (Reep) Ellen- 
 berger, old settlers of Butler County. The 
 four children of this union are as follows : 
 Laura P., who married Albert Palmer, of 
 Indiana County, has five children — Ruth 
 v., Samuel A., Margaret M., Harry R., 
 and Alice L. ; Harriet E., a school teacher 
 at Kepples Corners; William T., living at 
 Mineral, W. Va., who married Celia Thorn- 
 hill; and Elmer R., an emi)loye of the mail 
 service, who is living at home with his par- 
 ents. Mr. Dodd is a member of Campbell 
 Post, Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. 
 Dodd is a member of the Reformed Church. 
 
 WILLIAM HUMPHREY, who for many 
 years has been one of the most active busi- 
 ness men in the western part of Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is with his two sons, 
 J. R. and E. W. Humphrey, owner and 
 l)roprietor of a large general store at Por- 
 tersville. He has followed this business 
 in Portersville for more than forty years, 
 and also for many years engaged as a ci^al 
 engineer. In season, he is a wool buyer on 
 
1386 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 an extensive scale. He is prominently 
 known throughout the vicinit}', and wher- 
 ever known is respected and highly es- 
 teemed. 
 
 Mr. Humphrey was born on the old 
 Humphrey homestead in AVorth Township, 
 Butler County, August 22, 1835, and is a 
 son of William, Sr., and Elizabeth (Dun- 
 bar) Humphrey, and a grandson of Thom- 
 as and Ruth (Coulter) Humphrey. 
 Thomas, the grandfather, came to the 
 United States from Wales, and first took 
 up his residence in Greensburg, Westmore- 
 land County, Pennsylvania. He and his 
 wife later made the trip on horseback to 
 Butler County, and were among the very 
 earliest settlers of Worth Township, ar- 
 riving some time during the year 1798. He 
 acquired and largely cleared a tract of 
 400 acres of land, on which he lived until 
 his death in 1839. He and his wife were 
 buried in the cemetery at Plain Grove, in 
 Lawrence County. They were of the Pres- 
 byterian faith. William Humphrey, fath- 
 er of the subject of this sketch, was born 
 on the old farm in Worth Township, and 
 although he learned the trade of a carpen- 
 ter in early life, his chief occupation was 
 farming. 
 
 William Humphrey, whose name heads 
 this record, was reared on the farm and 
 received a good schooling for those days. 
 He learned surveying in the schools and 
 followed that profession off and on for a 
 score of years, surveying much of the land 
 in this part of the county. He became a 
 partner to James Newton in the general 
 merchandise business at Portersville in 
 1869, but sold out and established a store 
 for himself at his present location, where 
 he has continued with uninterrupted suc- 
 cess to the present time. His two sons 
 were later taken into the firm and now per- 
 form most of the active duties in connec- 
 tion with the business. The store is com- 
 pletely stocked with a large line of goods, 
 and would be a credit to a village many 
 times larger than Portersville. 
 
 In 1856 William Humphrey was married 
 to Elizabeth Riddle, a daughter of John 
 and Margaret (Hay) Riddle. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Humphrey are parents of the follow- 
 ing : James, who lives at home ; John Rid- 
 dle, who is in partnership with his father; 
 Newton, M. D., a graduate of the Medical 
 Department of the Western University of 
 Pennsylvania, and a practicing physician 
 at Sharpsburg; Margaret, who married 
 Rev. W. H. Sloan of Hooker, Pennsylva- 
 nia, and has three children — William, Eliz- 
 abeth and Helen; and Edwin W., who is 
 a partner in the store and secretary and 
 manager of the Portersville Telephone 
 Company. John Riddle Humphrey mar- 
 ried Laura Moore and has three children 
 — Ernest, Helen and Walter. Dr. New- 
 ton Humphrey married Florence Depue 
 and has a son, William D. Religiously, 
 the subject of this sketch has been very ac- 
 tive in the Presbyterian Church, of which 
 he has been elder for twenty-five years. He 
 served more than a quarter of a century 
 as Sunday School teacher but finally re- 
 tired from that duty. Politically, he has 
 l)een a firm advocate of Prohibition prin- 
 ciples for some years. 
 
 JOHN BYERS, who has been extensive- 
 ly engaged as a contractor and carpenter 
 for more than half a century, has a com- 
 fortable home in Venango Township, lo- 
 cated about two and a half miles north of 
 the borough of Eau Claire. He was born 
 in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 March 15, 1836, and is a son of Fred and 
 Elizabeth (Sowers) Byers. 
 
 Fred and Elizabeth Byers became par- 
 ents of the following children: Samuel, 
 who died in infancy; Jacob, who also died 
 in infancy; William, who married Lucy 
 Hilliard, a daughter of Philip Hilliard; 
 Mary, wife of William King of Butler 
 County ; Margaret, wife of James Blair of 
 Butler County; Phoebe, wife of David 
 Sloan of Butler County ; Fred S., who mar- 
 ried Sarah Sloan, a daughter of James 
 
WILLIAM A. STEIN 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1389 
 
 Sloan; Elizabeth, who married Joseph 
 Sloan of Butler County; John, subject of 
 this sketch; and Katherine, deceased. 
 
 John Byers attended school at Annan- 
 dale, after which he learned the trade of 
 a carpenter under William Shira of this 
 county. He was married in 1858 and at 
 that time moved to Rockland, Venango 
 County, but later returned to Butler Coun- 
 ty and took up his residence in Venango 
 Township, where he purchased a small 
 tract of twenty-four acres, from Jesse 
 Jones. He subsequently disposed of six 
 acres of this place and retains eighteen 
 acres, although he does no farming. He 
 erected a comfortable home on the jilace 
 and built all of the other buildings, mak- 
 ing it a most desirable country home. Car- 
 pentering and contracting has continued 
 his business since early manhood and he 
 has erected many of the residences, barns 
 and public buildings in this part of the 
 county. He assisted in building the East 
 I'nity Church, and also two churches in 
 Eau Claire. He is a man of wonderful 
 constitution, and was never sick but once 
 in his life, upon that occasion being taken 
 with typhoid fever; he is still capable of 
 doing a hard day's woi'k. 
 
 Mr. Byers was married November 5, 
 1858, to Mary Eakins, a daughter of Sam- 
 uel Eakins of Venango County, and they 
 reared a large family of children, as fol- 
 lows: Emma, Samuel Harvey, Alice, Cas- 
 sie, Elmer, Mertilla, Adda, Mary, James 
 Marshall, and Joseph Edison. Emma 
 Byers married Samuel Kerr of Mercer 
 County, and is the mother of four children 
 — Belle, John, Pearl and Mary. Samuel 
 Harvey Byers was first married to Selina 
 Williams, a daughter of John Williams, 
 and they had three children: ]\lary Wilda, 
 Earl and Roy. His second marriage was 
 with Olive Meals, a daughter of Samuel 
 Meals of Butler County. Alice Byers mar- 
 ried William Calvin Jamison, and four 
 children were born to them : Myrtle, Beu- 
 lah, Jessie and John. Cassie Bvers be- 
 
 came tlie wife of James Campbell of Ve- 
 nango County, and they have three chil- 
 dren — Charles, Carrie and John. Elmer 
 Byers married Sephina Jacob, a daughter 
 of Jonah Jacob, and the following is the 
 offspring of their union: Lulu, Burton, 
 Jonah, Sylvia, Lena and Alice. Mertilla 
 Byers married Frank Eakins of Venango 
 County and they have three children — Car- 
 rie, Jennie and Bessie. Adda Byers mar- 
 ried Edward Kingsley of Butler County 
 and their children are as follows : Leona, 
 Mary, Alice, Meliss, Delmar and Frances. 
 Mary Byers is the wife of Ephraim Sloan 
 of Butler County, and they have the fol- 
 lowing children: Carl, Loyal, Raymond, 
 Alice and Wilma. James Marshall Byers 
 married Clara Sloan, a daughter of Wash- 
 ington Sloan of Butler County, and they 
 have four children — Forest, Lloyd, Dor- 
 othy and W'ayne. Joseph Edison Byers 
 married Harriet Cross, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Cross, and they have a son and a 
 daughter, Isabelle and Harold. 
 
 John Byers has for fifty years been a 
 member of the United Presbyterian Church 
 of East Unity, and in politics is a Pro- 
 hibitionist. 
 
 AVILLIAM A. STEIN, one of the stir- 
 ring citizens of Butler, who has been an 
 important factor in the business and finan- 
 cial prosperity of the city, was born at 
 Butler, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1853, and 
 is the eldest son of Louis and Matilda 
 (Dicker) Stein. His education was ac- 
 quired in the public schools and at Wither- 
 spoon Institute. He entered business life 
 in 1873, as his father's clerk, and so con- 
 tinued for nine years, when he became a 
 member of the firm of L. Stein & Son. His 
 business mterests have since greatly ex- 
 panded. He was one of the organizers of 
 the Standard Plate Glass Company, of 
 Butler, and one of its original stockhold- 
 ers, and at present is serving as second 
 vice president of the Butler Savings and 
 Trust Company. He has met all demands 
 
1390 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 made ou his business capacity, and has at- 
 tained a position as one of the reliable and 
 substantial citizens of Butler. Mr. Stein 
 is a Free Mason, being past master and 
 secretary of Butler Lodge, No. 272 F. & 
 A. M., and also secretary of the Chapter, 
 R. A. M. He has been president of the 
 Butler Business Men's Association since 
 its organization. His political affiliations 
 are with the Republican party. 
 
 In 1878, Mr. Stein was united in mar- 
 riage with Amelia Vogeley, a daughter of 
 William Vogeley. His family includes six 
 children: Gertrude F., Cora M., Alberta 
 L., Clarence L., Emilv H. and Janet V. 
 The family residence is at No. 227 Mifflin 
 Street. Mr. Stein attends the German 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 Louis B. Stein, born December 28, 1855, 
 is secretary and treasurer of the Butler 
 Savings and Trust Company. In 1885 he 
 married Julia Wisener and they have two 
 children : Laura M., wife of Fred T. Roes- 
 sing, son of W. P. Roessing, and Edna M. 
 
 Albert 0. Stein, born March 23, 1858, 
 is connected with the fii-m of L. Stein & 
 Son, and resides with his mother at the 
 family residence at No. 127 Mifflin Street. 
 
 SAMUEL H. TEMPLETON, who has 
 been postmaster at Baldwin, Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 since 1887, is a most efficient juiblic offi- 
 cial and enjoys great popularity. He was 
 born near Middlesex, in Armstrong Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1859, and 
 is a son of Philip T. and Lucinda (Bur- 
 ford) Templeton, both natives of Arm- 
 strong County. 
 
 Philip T. Templeton, who met with suc- 
 cess in the oil fields, was born September 
 10, 1830, and died December 27, 1902. He 
 married Lucinda Burford, who was born 
 ^larch 12, 1837, and now makes her home 
 with the subject of this record. Six chil- 
 dren were the offspring of this marriage : 
 Mary I. (Black), deceased; Edith M., who 
 
 married George W. Boord of Turtle Creek, 
 Allegheny County; Carrie C, who died at 
 the age of five years ; Samuel H. ; and two 
 who died in infancy. Mary I., the eldest 
 of the family, was married to R. N. Black 
 of Harrisville, Butler County, and both 
 are now deceased; they were parents of a 
 son, Edward T., now seventeen years of 
 age, who makes his home with the subject 
 of this sketch. 
 
 Samuel H. Templeton lived in Arm- 
 strong County until 1878, then moved to 
 Baldwin where his father had oil inter- 
 ests. He attended the Mill school at 
 Brady's Bend, in Armstrong County, re- 
 ceiving a good public school education. In 
 1887 he was made postmaster at Baldwin 
 and has since filled that position in a most 
 creditable manner. In religious attach- 
 ment he is a member of the Methodist 
 Church, to which his parents also belonged. 
 
 AVILLIAM P. HINES, general merchant 
 at West Liberty, owns a valuable farm of 
 twenty-eight acres, in Brady Township 
 and within the limits of West Liberty bor- 
 ough. He was born in Slippery Rock 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April, 5, 18-46, on the farm now i)ecupied 
 by his brother, G. W. Hines. His parents 
 were William and Margaret (Robison) 
 Hines, both of old and prominent Butler 
 County families. 
 
 William P. Hines was reared on the home 
 farm in Slippery Rock Township and has 
 always devoted himself more or less to 
 farming and stockraising, having pur- 
 chased his present property in 1873. He 
 has erected excellent buildings and utilizes 
 a part of the residence for store purposes, 
 carrying a full line of dry goods and gro- 
 ceries calculated to meet the wants of 
 neigiiborini; fjiniiers. Mr. Hines was mar- 
 vied t(i Mis> ' Hive Boyd, who was born in 
 Lawrcmc Ci unity, Pennsylvania, and re- 
 sided at Ilarlansburg for some years, 
 where she attended school. She is a daugh- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1391 
 
 ter of Jackson and Sarah A. (Nelson) 
 Boyd. Mr. and Mrs. Hines are members 
 of tlie West Liberty Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 BERTON EUGENE SLOAN, general 
 farmer residing on his valuable property 
 of sixty-two acres, which is situated in Ven- 
 ango Township, two and one-half miles 
 north of Eau Claire, was born in Allegheny 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 August 13, 1877, and is a son of Lycurgus 
 C. and Laura (Slagle) Sloan. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of Mr. Sloan 
 were Andrew and Rachel (Say) Sloan and 
 they had thirteen children, namely : Lycur- 
 gus C, father of Berton Eugene Sloan; 
 Mina, who married Hugh Morgan, of But- 
 ler, Pennsylvania ; David ; Anna, who mar- 
 ried James Bell; Margaret, who married 
 Alexander Wilson; James, who married 
 Lou Wagner; Samuel; William; Tressa, 
 who married Pinley Hosack; Jennie, who 
 married James Shane; Ulysses, who mar- 
 ried Edna Walter; Elizabeth, wlio married 
 Abraham Caruahan; and an infant that 
 died. 
 
 The children born to the parents of Ber- 
 t(m Eugene Sloan were: Sarah, who mar- 
 ried Melvin Sloan, and has two children, 
 Floyd and Keath; Lillian; Berton E.; and 
 Nellie, who married Arthur Blair. 
 
 Berton E. Sloan attended school at Six 
 Points and in Cherry Valley and then gave 
 his father assistance on the home farm 
 until his marriage, after which he rented 
 the farm for four years and then purchased 
 his present one, on which he engages in 
 general farming. A test has been made 
 and gas has been discovered on his farm, 
 but no oil. and there is one open coa.l bank 
 which may prove very profitable in the 
 future. Mr. Sloan keeps up his fine or- 
 chard and otherwise develops his farm. 
 Farm buildings were standing when he 
 purchased here but he has added others, a 
 wagon shed and a very fine residence. 
 When not devoting Iiis attention to his 
 
 land, Mr. Sloan is engaged in teaming 
 through the neighboring oil fields. 
 
 On September 20, 1899, Mr. Sloan was 
 married to Miss Margaret Henry, a daugh- 
 ter of William Henry, of Allegheny Town- 
 ship, and they have one son, Henry, who is 
 attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Sloan are 
 members of the Scrub Grass Presbyterian 
 Church, in Venango Coimty. In jpolitics 
 he is a Republican. He is a well informed, 
 reliable and representative citizen of his 
 section. 
 
 JOSEPH BARRON, one of Worth 
 Township's most substantial citizens, re- 
 sides on his large estate known as the Slip- 
 pery Rock Stock Farm, which contains 325 
 acres and is situated on Slippery Rock 
 Creek, on the old mill road, four miles from 
 Slippery Rock. Mr. Barron was born Sep- 
 tember 30, 1854, on a farm that adjoins his 
 own, in Worth Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Robert and 
 ]\Iary (Shaffer) Barron. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Barron are among 
 the older residents of Worth Township, 
 well known and highly esteemed. The 
 father was born in Ireland and came to 
 Amei'ica when nineteen years of age, land- 
 ing at Baltimore, Maryland, from which 
 city he came directly to Butler County, 
 where an aunt was then living. His father 
 died in Ireland and his mother married 
 again and subsequently Robert Barron 
 sent for his mother and step-father and 
 established them in a home in Butler 
 County. He learned the plastering trade, 
 found plenty of Avork and was saving with 
 his money and after his marriage bought 
 100 acres of his present farm in Worth 
 Township and continued to add to his pos- 
 sessions imtil he owned 300 acres. He be- 
 came a man of consequence in county af- 
 fairs and was elected a county commis- 
 sioner and since retiring from that office 
 has lived a quiet life. Robert Barron and 
 wife had five children born to them, 
 namely: Mary, who is the wife of Alfred 
 
1392 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Grossman; Elverda, who is the wife of 
 J. C. Millaman; Lizzie J., who is the wife 
 of Patterson Martin ; and Joseph and Rob- 
 ert J., deceased. 
 
 Joseph Barron was reared in Worth 
 Township and his boyhood and youth were 
 alternately spent in school and in work on 
 the home farm. On his large estate he 
 carries on general cultivation of the soil, 
 but devotes a large part of his land and 
 attention to the breeding of the fine stock 
 which has made the Slippery Rock Stock 
 Farm known all through this section of the 
 state. He has made a specialty of raising 
 sheep and has a reputation in this line all 
 over the United States. In association 
 with his son James, he owns at the present 
 writing, 230 fine sheep, all thoroughbred 
 Merinos, Delaines, Eamhouletts, South- 
 downs, Lincolns, Shropshires and High- 
 landers. These sheep have been on exhibi- 
 tion at different fairs for a number of 
 years. In 1904, at the St. Louis Exposi- 
 tion, Mr. Barron took the grand prize 
 against the whole world, in Delaine wool, 
 which is conceded the best wool raised. 
 This wool went to the Pennsylvania State 
 Agricultural College for purposes of edu- 
 cating students in this commodity. In ad- 
 dition to growing the best sheep in West- 
 ern Pennsylvania, Mr. Barron raises also 
 prize winning hogs and cattle, giving the 
 preference to Berkshire and Poland-China 
 swine and Shorthorn Durham cattle. Mr. 
 Barron has done a great deal in the way of 
 raising the standard in live stock in this 
 section. Mr. Barron has excellent accom- 
 modations provided for his stock and poul- 
 try, their great value requiring careful at- 
 tention, as a loss of a single specimen is a 
 very serious matter. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Barron married Miss Eliz- 
 abeth Black, who is a daughter of Alexan- 
 der Black, and they have had twelve chil- 
 dren, namely : Charles S., deceased ; Harry 
 C, who is a graduate of the Slippery Rock 
 Normal School and a successful teacher in 
 Westmoreland County; Edith, who is a 
 
 popular teacher at West Newton and also 
 a graduate of the Slippery Rock Normal 
 School; Bessie, also a teacher at West 
 Newton, who graduated at the Slippery 
 Rock Normal School; James, who is the 
 practical stockman on the farm and his 
 father's able assistant in all his enter- 
 prises; Angeline, who is in the senior year 
 at the Slippery Rock Normal School ; Zina, 
 Lois, Waldo and Esther, all bright students 
 in the loublic school, and Frances Willard 
 and Ruth, the little ones at home. Mr. 
 Barron with his family belongs to the Unit- 
 ed Presbyterian Church at Slippery Rock. 
 In politics he is a Republican. 
 
 WILLIAM STOREY, who served 
 through nearly the entire Civil War 
 and participated in many of the most im- 
 portant engagements of that great strug- 
 gle, is a prosperous farmer of Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 making his residence in the village of 
 Fairview. He was born on a farm about 
 one mile south of this village, December 
 31, 1835, and is a son of William and Mary 
 (Smith) Storey. His grandfather, Alex- 
 ander Storey, came from Ireland at an 
 early date, bringing his family with him, 
 and they were twenty-one weeks on the 
 water. 
 
 William Storey, Sr., father of the sub- 
 ject of this record, was born in Ireland and 
 was eight years of age when his parents 
 brought him to the United States. He was 
 reared to maturity in Fairview Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, where his 
 father owned a tract of 400 acres of land. 
 He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
 upon his return from the front took up 
 farming, which he followed all his days, 
 dying at the advanced age of eighty-seven 
 years. He was married to Mary Smith, 
 who was born in Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania, and died in December, 1876, 
 aged eighty-three years. They were par- 
 ents of ten children, namely: Elizabeth, 
 Alexander, Martha, Nancy, Ellen, Mary, 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 lo!^o 
 
 Margaret, Mathew S., Ann and William. 
 Elizabeth and William are the survivors 
 of this familj^ The former, who lives in 
 Washington Township, Butler County, is 
 the widow of Alexander Clark and has the 
 following children: Alexander, W^illiam, 
 Daniel, John and McClellan. 
 
 William Storey, whose name heads this 
 record, was reared and has always lived 
 in Fairview Township, excepting that pe- 
 riod spent in the Union Army. After com- 
 pleting his schooling he devoted his atten- 
 tion to farming and lived on the home farm 
 until 1874, when he moved to the village of 
 Fairview. He is at present the owner of 
 two good town properties and has a valu- 
 able tract of twelve acres in the countynear 
 by. In August, 1861, he enlisted as a pri- 
 vate for three years in Company H, 102nd 
 Regiment, Penna. Vol. Inf., and at the end 
 of that term re-enlisted. He served in the 
 Army of the Potomac, under Grant, par- 
 ticipating at the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, 
 and Petersburg, and then was under Sheri- 
 dan at Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and 
 Cedar Creek. He returned with his regi- 
 ment to the Army of the Potomac and was 
 at the taking of Petersburg and the sur- 
 render of Lee. He was slightly injured at 
 Petersburg, but did not leave the command. 
 At the close of the war he was mustered 
 out at Washington, after which he re- 
 turned to his home. 
 
 Mr. Storey was married February 14, 
 3867, in Armstrong County, to Miss JEliza 
 Ann Hayse, a daughter of Robert and De- 
 bora J. Hayse of Armstrong County, and 
 they became parents of the following : Jen- 
 nie D., a music teacher of Denver, Colo- 
 rado ; Harvey L., who was engaged in con- 
 ducting a general store at Karns City un- 
 til the destruction of his establishment by 
 fire, and is now living at home; Charles M., 
 employed in the steel car works at Butler, 
 who married Netta Chambers, whose death 
 occurred in July, 1908; William H., who 
 is engaged in farming and lives at home; 
 John B., principal of the schools at Mars, 
 
 Butler County, who married a Miss Burke 
 and has a daughter, Catherine ; and Maria 
 P., wife of Bert Michael of Fairview, by 
 whom she has three children — Margaret 
 A., Dorothy E. and Ward B. Mr. Storey 
 has frequently filled local offices of trust, 
 serving three years as justice of the peace, 
 ten years as school director, and two years 
 as health officer, in which capacity he now 
 serves. He is a member of Campbell Post, 
 G. A. R. of Petrolia. His son, John B., en- 
 listed for service during the Spanish- 
 American War. Religiously the family is 
 Presbyterian. 
 
 ALBERT SMITH, a prosperous farmer 
 and well known operator in the oil and gas 
 fields, is the owner of a farm of 110 acres 
 located about a mile and three-quarters 
 from Great Belt on the Coylesville Road, 
 in Clearfield Township. He is a son of 
 Herman J. and Lena (Eyght) Smith, who 
 lived at Herman in Butler County. The 
 grandfather of the subject of this sketch 
 came from Germany at an early date and 
 settled at Herman, owning and clearing- 
 much of the land about that village. Her- 
 man J. Smith was a farmer and black- 
 smith at Herman and a man of consider- 
 able importance in the community. 
 
 Albert Smith was born in 1851 and was 
 educated in the public schools. He turned 
 his attention to farming at an early date, 
 and has continued to the present time, al- 
 though he has given some of his time to 
 other interests. He has one of the finest 
 residences in the township, and his other 
 buildings are in keeping with it. He has 
 followed general farming and has raised 
 considerable fine stock. Mr. Smith is an 
 oil and gas promoter and has leased con- 
 siderable land for that purpose in this 
 section of the county. He furnishes gas 
 to the country round about and has met 
 with success in this branch of his business. 
 In 1871 he went to California and stayed 
 there for some years, returning in 1877. 
 While there he ran a stage line of his 
 
1396 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 own between Los Angeles and Calan- 
 tliia, Cal. In August, 1877, he went into 
 the hotel business at Herman, Butler 
 County, Penna., and so continued for nine 
 years, during eight years of which time 
 he was postmaster at Herman. In addi- 
 tion to these activities he also raised 
 horses and cattle. Thus it will be seen 
 that Mr. Smith has been a busy man and 
 has seen a considerable and interesting- 
 portion of this great country. Whatever 
 measure of success he has achieved is due 
 to his own enterprise and good business 
 foresight. He has always been industri- 
 ous and is known throughout the township 
 and beyond its limits as a good and re- 
 liable citizen. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four years Mr. 
 Smith married Miss Mary Stutz, a daugh- 
 ter of Conrad Stutz, who came from Ger- 
 many to Butler County, Penna. Eleven 
 children were born to them, namely: 
 Eugene, Addellia, Henrietta, Windilena, 
 Viola, Elnore, Camilla, Laura, Bertilla, 
 Clarence, and Alvin. 
 
 Windilena married Albert J. Schiebel 
 and has three children — Ralph, Harry, 
 and Bernard. Elnore married Perry E. 
 Stubblefield and has one daughter — 
 Thelma. Viola married Peter A. Michaels. 
 Religiously the family is CMholic and 
 takes an active part in church affairs. 
 
 JOHN CALVIN SCOTT, general farm- 
 er, owning with his wife 100 acres of ex- 
 cellent land in Eau Claire Borough and 
 thirty acres in Venango Township, has 
 spent his whole life in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and was born in Muddy 
 Creek Township, June 29, 1849. His par- 
 ents were John and Jane (Wright) Scott. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Scott were old resi- 
 dents of Muddy Creek Township and they 
 had the following children born to them: 
 William, who married Margaret C. Wilson, 
 daughter of James W^ilson, also of Butler 
 County, and had four children — John, 
 Odessa, Laverne and James; James, who 
 
 mari'ied ]\Iary Brown, daughter of James 
 Brown, of Lawrence County, and has one 
 daughter, Dora ; Anna Margaret, who mar- 
 ried Mac Fulton, then of Oil City, Penn- 
 sylvania, but now of Scott, Webster Coun- 
 ty, Nebraska, and has four children — Jen- 
 nie, Llerbert, Jessie and Etta ; Rachel', who 
 married Robert Moore, of Portersville, 
 and has eight children — Cora, James, 
 Anna, Sarah, Mai-y, Nannie, Robert and 
 Frances; Elizabeth, who married Robert 
 Clelland, of Muddy Creek Township, and 
 has one son, Scott; John Calvin; and Jo- 
 seph, the youngest of the family, who re- 
 sides in Nebraska, and is unmarried. 
 
 John Calvin Scott attended the Pleas- 
 ant Hill and the Bouder Schools, in Mud- 
 dy Creek Township, after which he woi'ked 
 until his marriage, on different farms 
 through the county. He was married in 
 1871, after which he rented land in Muddy 
 Creek To-wnship for two years and then 
 bought a farm in Franklin Township, on 
 which he lived for ten years, then sold out 
 and bought 130 acres in Venango Town- 
 ship, fifty acres of which he subsequently 
 sold to Mary Kennedy, to whom he later 
 sold thirty more. When Mary Kennedy 
 died it was found that she had willed the 
 eighty acres to Mrs. Mary E. Scott, wife 
 of John Calvin Scott. Of land that he 
 owned, Mr. Scott also sold fifty acres to 
 John M. Eakins, of Eau Claire. After tak- 
 ing possession of this farm Mr. Scott found 
 all the present buildings here but a large 
 amount of repairing had to be done and he 
 has continued to make improvements. He 
 has sixty acres under the plow, has twenty 
 acres devoted to pasturage, has an excel- 
 lent orchard and two veins of coal have 
 been discovered. A test well made the 
 presence of gas certain, but Mr. Scott has 
 none of his land leased at the present time 
 for experimenting. 
 
 On May 1, 1871, Mr. Scott was married 
 to Miss Mary Eleanor Kennedy, who is a 
 daughter of Amos and Margaret Kennedy, 
 who reside near Prospect, Butler County. 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1397 
 
 They have had ten children born to them, 
 as follows: Nettie Tazetta, who married 
 E. J. McCandless, of Eau Claire; Amy 
 Blanche, who married W. E. Mahood, of 
 North Hope, has five children — Josephine, 
 William, Eeed, Eoy and James; Francis, 
 who married Margaret Grossman, daugh- 
 ter of John Grossman; Maude, who died 
 November 16, 1896; Jane, who resides at 
 home; Louisa, who married Prof. A. W. 
 Kelly, of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, has 
 one child, Louisa; John, who is a lineman 
 with the Eau Claire Telephone Company; 
 David, who died in infancy; Paul, who is 
 attending school at Bridgeville ; and Helen, 
 who is in the class of 1911, at Eau Claire 
 Academy. Mr. Scott and family are mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church at 
 Eau Claire, and Miss Helen is a member of 
 the church choir. In his political views 
 Mr. Scott is a Eepublican, but has never 
 sought office. He is one of the solid, re- 
 liable, respected citizens of his township. 
 
 A. D. KEPPLE, a life-long resident and 
 well known oil producer of Buena Vista, 
 Fairview ■ Township, was born May 13, 
 1864, on his present farm of 53 acres, and 
 is a son of Isaac and Mary (Thorn) Kep- 
 ple. 
 
 Isaac Kepple was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pennsylvania, but at an early 
 period came to Butler County and settled 
 on the farm now owned by our subject. 
 He married Mary Thorn and reared a fam- 
 ily of four children, namely: Angeline; 
 William, married Elizabeth Ellenburger 
 and has a family of seven children, all liv- 
 ing; Winfield, and A. D., the subject of 
 this sketch. Isaac Kepple died in 1898 and 
 was survived by his widow until 1904. 
 
 A. D. Kepple was reared on his father's 
 farm and early in life learned the painter's 
 ti'ade, at which he worked a number of 
 years. He then began drilling oil wells 
 and is still actively engaged as an oil pro- 
 ducer, which he manages in connection with 
 his farming interests. There are two pro- 
 
 ducing oil wells on his farm, which he and 
 his brother inlierited from their father, our 
 subject later buying his brother's interest. 
 October 19, 1898, Mr. Kepple was joined 
 in marriage with Beulah Mary Fleeger, a 
 daughter of William B. and Nancy (Gra- 
 ham) Fleeger of Greece City, Butler 
 County. Mrs. Kepple is one of a family 
 of seven children born to her parents : Ella ; 
 George; Walter; Adda; Beulah; Mary 
 (Mrs. Kepple) ; AVilliam; and Inez. Mrs. 
 Kepple 's mother is still living. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Kepple are the jjarents of the follow- 
 ing children: Marjorie, Eobert, Frank, 
 Hugh, and Walter. In fraternal societies, 
 Mr. Kepple is associated with the Knights 
 of Pythias lodge of Chicora. 
 
 HENDERSON OLIVER, a well known 
 and affluent farmer of Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, is the 
 owner of two good farms in that township, 
 constituting in all about 260 acres of valu- 
 able land. His home farm is located about 
 one mile from Portersville, on the New 
 Castle Eoad, and is highly improved and 
 modernly equipped with a large brick home 
 and substantial outbuildings. He at the 
 present time is living in retirement from 
 business activity, but still continues to take 
 an active and i^ublic-spirited interest in the 
 welfare and development of the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 Henderson Oliver was born on his 
 father's farm near Portersville Station, in 
 Muddy Creek Township, May 6, 1834, that 
 farm being later traded for the old hotel 
 in Portersville. He is a son of John and 
 Jane (Stewart) Oliver, and grandson of 
 Thomas and Sarah (Patterson) Oliver. 
 John Oliver was a farmer by occupation 
 apd was born in England, being a young 
 man when he accompanied his parents to 
 this country. Thomas Oliver was well 
 along in years when he came to this coun- 
 try and located in Muddy Creek Township ; 
 he was buried at Moundville, in Lawrence 
 County, Pennsylvania. The subject of 
 
1398 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 this sketch was one of the following chil- 
 dren born to his parents, of whom the two 
 oldest are the survivors: Henderson, 
 Sarah, widow of John Glenn, Eliza, John, 
 Sidney, and Jeannette. 
 
 Mr. Oliver spent his boyhood on the farm 
 and received a meagre education in the 
 public schools, such as they were in that 
 day. He then clerked for a time in a gen- 
 eral store at Portersville, and was later 
 taken into the business as a partner. We 
 next find him engaged in the oil fields, but 
 he soon 'turned his attention to agricul- 
 tural pursuits, which has occupied his time 
 during a greater part of his active career. 
 In addition to his home farm, he has a 
 tract of land about two miles south of Por- 
 tersville, lying on the road connecting the 
 Yellow Creek and Prospect roads. Mr. 
 Oliver has raised forty-eight crops of 
 strawberries and sold to one house, whole- 
 sale, for thirty-eight years, and in that 
 time has seen frost, hail, drouth and some 
 sunshine. 
 
 February 9, 1860, Mr. Oliver was joined 
 in marriage with Jane Kennedy, a daugh- 
 ter of Daniel and Cassandra Kennedy, and 
 a granddaughter of David and Jane (Gray- 
 son) Kennedy, who came to this country 
 from County Kilkenney, Ireland. David 
 Kennedy first located at Philadelphia, and 
 later moved west to Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, where he acquired some 300 acres 
 of land about three miles south of Porters- 
 ville. Four children were born to the sub- 
 ject of this sketch and his estimable wife, 
 namely : Eliza, who lives at home ; Frank, 
 who married Miss Jennie Koch, and has 
 two children, Mary Jane and Wilma; 
 Charles, who is unmarried and lives at 
 home ; and Edward, who also lives at home 
 and with his brother, Charles, carries on 
 the operations on the farm. Religiously, 
 Mr. Oliver is a Presbyterian. 
 
 WILBERT LAMONT CALER, a well 
 known merchant of Eau Claire and a mem- 
 ber of the firm of W. C. Jamison and Com- 
 
 pany, has had a wide and varied experi- 
 ence in the business world. He is at the 
 present time president of the board of Eau 
 Claire Academy, and is secretary of the 
 borough council. He is a native of this 
 borough, the date of his birth being No- 
 vember 9, 1876, and is a son of James B. 
 and Mary Elizabeth (Tebay) Caler. 
 
 James B. Caler received his educational 
 training in the public schools at Lisbon, 
 Ohio, after which he learned the trade of 
 a marble cutter. He moved to Butler 
 County, where he at different times was 
 engaged in business at Eau Claire, Pros- 
 pect, Evans City and the borough of But- 
 ler. He died at Warren, Pennsylvania, 
 and was brought back to Eau Claire for 
 interment. He married Mary E. Tebay, a 
 daughter of William Tebay of Eau Claire, 
 and to them were born the following : Clar- 
 ence C, deceased ; Wilbert L. ; Arthur, de- 
 ceased; and Pearl, who married Frank 
 Stauffor of Landisville, Lancaster County, 
 Pennsylvania, and has two children living 
 — Marion and Robert Lamont. 
 
 Wilbert L. Caler first attended school in 
 the basement of the M. E. Church at Eau 
 Claire, the public school being held there 
 at that time, and later attended Prospect 
 Academy. When his parents moved to 
 Millerstown, or Chicora, he entered the 
 grocery store of J. C. Martland. He next 
 worked two years in the Leechburg Roll- 
 ing Mills, after which he returned to Mil- 
 lerstown and worked in the machine shops 
 for William Westerman. He conducted a 
 feather renovator at Chicora four months, 
 and then engaged in the fish business until 
 he went out on tlie road as advance agent 
 for the Monarch Ethiopian Company. The 
 company became stranded at ^It. Alton, 
 near Bradford, and Mr. Caler walked more 
 than 100 miles in two feet of snow to get 
 back home. He met with some novel ex- 
 periences in roughing it for a time and saw 
 much country. He finally returned to Chi- 
 cora as grocery clerk for W. W. Campbell, 
 and then became part owner of a bakery. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1399 
 
 After about three moutlis lie bought out 
 his partner's interest, and conducted the 
 business successfully for one year. He sold 
 out the business and went to Pittsburg, 
 where he clerked in a grocery for two 
 weeks, then entered the employ of the Mil- 
 ler Grocery Company. He became fore- 
 man for the Grand Union Tea Company, 
 and later salesman for the Reineke Wilson 
 Company, in the stove and range depart- 
 ment, his work taking him to Ohio, Michi- 
 gan and Kentucky. After his marriage he 
 settled down at Eau Claire, buying an in- 
 terest in the store of W. C. Jamison & Com- 
 pany, with which he has since been identi- 
 fied in a most successful manner. 
 
 Wilbert L. Caler was united in marriage 
 with Mja-tle May Jamison, a daughter of 
 AV. C. Jamison of Eau Claire, and they had 
 the following offspring: Harold Lamont, 
 deceased ; Wayne A. ; and May Lucile. Re- 
 ligiously, they are members of the M. E. 
 Church, in which Mrs. Caler sings in the 
 choir. Mr. Caler is a member of the Em- 
 pire Quartet of the church, was superin- 
 tendent of the Sabbath School for one. 
 year, and assistant superintendent for the 
 year of 1909. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics. In political affiliation he is a member 
 •of Lodge No. Ill, I. O. 0. F., at Hilliard, 
 and of the Knights of Pythias at Chicora. 
 
 E. C. THOMPSON, M. D., physician and 
 surgeon at West Liberty, is one of the bor- 
 ough's leading citizens. Dr. Thompson 
 was born on his father's farm in Brady 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 July 14, 1861, and is a son of Solomon R. 
 and Martha (McCandless) Thompson. 
 
 Dr. Thompson was reared in Brady 
 Townsliip and there attended the district 
 schools, then entered West Sunbury Acad- 
 emy, later attending Grove City College. 
 He then turned his attention to the study 
 of medicine and in 1882 entered old Jef- 
 ferson College, Philadelphia, where he was 
 a student in 1882-3 and in the latter year 
 entered the medical department of the 
 
 Western Reserve College at Cleveland, 
 Ohio, where he was graduated and received 
 his medical degree, in 1885. He immedi- 
 ately settled at West Liberty and here has 
 built up a large and lucrative practice and 
 at the same time has taken an active in- 
 tei-est in all that pertains to the public wel- 
 fare of the place. 
 
 Dr. Thompson was married to Miss 
 Berdena Stapleton, a daughter of David 
 Stapleton, and they had two daughters, 
 Franc (deceased), and Mary Lucile, who 
 is a student at Grove City College. Dr. 
 Thompson and family are members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church. Dr. Thomp- 
 son belongs to families on both paternal 
 and maternal sides which have long been 
 particularly prominent in Butler County. 
 
 ROBERT EAKIN, who has been promi- 
 nently engaged in carpentering and con- 
 tracting for many years, is now living in 
 practical retirement at Eau Claire. He 
 was born in Irwin Township, Venango 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1843, 
 and is a son of John M., Jr., and Elizabeth 
 (Campbell) Eakin, and a grandson of John 
 M. Eakin, Sr. 
 
 John M. Eakin, Sr., was united in mar- 
 riage with Margaret Campbell, a native of 
 Ireland, and to them were born the fol- 
 lowing : John M., Jr. ; David, who married 
 Rose McClintock and had the following 
 children, — Margaret, David M., Eliza Jane, 
 Catherine and one who died young; Eliza- 
 beth, who married W^illiam Blair and had 
 four children — John, Rachel, Rebecca and 
 Louise; Margai'et, who became the wife of 
 Rol)ert Bovard and had the following chil- 
 dren — John, James, Thomas and Samuel; 
 and Thomas,, who married Eliza Blair, 
 daughter of Robert Blair, and whose chil- 
 dren were : Nancy Jane, John McClelland, 
 Robert Stewart, " Lavina, Mary, Thomas 
 and Carluvis. 
 
 John M. Eakin, Jr., was joined in mar- 
 riage with Elizabeth Campbell, whose 
 father, David Campbell, came to this conn- 
 
1400 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTI.ER COUNTY 
 
 try from Scotland. The issue of their union 
 was as follows : David, who married Julia 
 McDowell, a daughter of Isaiah McDowell, 
 and had the following children: Warren 
 Renuick, Ada Blanche, Silas G. and Will- 
 iam; Thomas, who married Susan Myers, 
 a daughter of George Myers ; Robert, sub- 
 ject of this biography; John Alexander, 
 who married Sarah Bennett, a daughter of 
 David Bennett, by whom he had the fol- 
 lowing children — Stella, Ord, Jessie, Floyd, 
 AVinnie and Ruth; Mary Ann; Margaret 
 Elizabeth, wife of Emory Myers, by whom 
 she has a son, Henry; Maria, deceased; 
 and Jane, who also is deceased. 
 
 Robert Eakin first attended school at 
 Wesley, in Venango County, and later 
 Green High School, in Green Township, 
 Trumbull Count}', Ohio. He entered the 
 Union Army early in the war of the Rebel- 
 lion, and served three years and three 
 months in a most creditable manner. He 
 bore the rank of duty sergeant and saw 
 much hard fighting during his enlistment. 
 He was taken captive at Brown's Ferry, 
 but before being removed from the field 
 was rescued by the Union forces. After 
 receiving an honorable discharge he re- 
 turned home and began working at the 
 trade of a carpenter at Oil Creek. He sub- 
 sequently purchased a farm of David 
 Hoover, located one and a half miles south 
 of Eau Claire, in Venango Township. He 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits, but de- 
 voted a portion of his time to working at 
 his trade. He sold off all but seventy-five 
 acres of his land, which he still owns, and 
 moved to Eau Claire, where he purchased 
 a good residence property. He then de- 
 voted himself exclusively to the work of 
 contractor and builder, and erected many 
 of the best buildings throughout this part 
 of the country. He erected all of the 
 buildings on the farm and has one of the 
 best improved places in that vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Eakin was joined in marriage with 
 Miss Achsah Octavo Hall, a lady of most 
 pleasing personality and a daughter of 
 
 Richard Hall. In religious attachment 
 they are members of the Presbyterian 
 church at Annisville, of which he is a trus- 
 tee. He is a member of Eau Clairfe Post, 
 No. 538, G. A. R., and is senior vice com- 
 mander of the post. Mr. Eakin is a stanch 
 Prohibitionist in politics, and frequently 
 has been called upon to fill offices of public 
 trust. He served as clerk and treasurer 
 of Irwin Township, Venango County ; is a 
 member of the borough council at Eau 
 Claire and street commissioner. He was 
 formerly trustee and vice-president of the 
 board of Eau Claire Academy. 
 
 PETER I. MAYS, an enterprising and 
 successful farmer of Fairview Township, 
 the owner of eighty acres of good farming 
 land, was born on his present farm in this 
 township May 11, 1858, a son of Solomon 
 S. and Elizabeth (Kaylor) Mays. His pa- 
 ternal grandfather was Andrew Mays, one 
 of the early settlers of Butler County, who 
 came from Luzern County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Solomon S. Mays, father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in Concord Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and was a life-long 
 resident of this county, residing for over 
 fifty years on the farm now owned and op- 
 erated by his son Peter. His wife, in maid- 
 enhood Elizabeth Kaylor, was born at 
 Brady's Bend, Armstrong Coimty, Penn- 
 sylvania. Her grandfather, Leonard Kay- 
 lor, at an early day settled on the tract of 
 land forming a part of the present farm of 
 our subject, the tract then consisting of 
 fifty acres, the other thirty acres having 
 been added to it since at different times. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Solomon S. Mays were the 
 parents of four children — Margaret Ann, 
 Elizabeth, Peter I., and Luella Jane, whose 
 record in brief is as follows : 
 
 Margaret Ann married Herbert Bloom and 
 resides at Cui-weusville, Clearfield County, 
 Penn.sylvania. She has six children, name- 
 ly: Clayton, Peter I., Lee Roy, Alma E., 
 deceased, Hariy S., and Luella, deceased. 
 Elizabeth Mavs married J. C. Polliard and 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1403 
 
 lives at Renfrew, this county. She lias a 
 large family of nine ehildi'en — Cora May, 
 George E., Emma J., Alma E., Laura A., 
 Grace E., Francis J., AVilliam E., and Mary 
 I. Of the above named children of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Polliard, Cora May married William 
 F. McGinnis and lives at Kittanning. She 
 has four children — Ethel, AVilliam, George, 
 and AValter. 
 
 Luella J. Mays is the wife of James Mc- 
 Elroy of Armstrong County and lives in 
 Pairview Township, Butler County. Her 
 children are James H. and Mary E. 
 
 Solomon S. Mays died September 8, 
 1902, at the age of seventy-eight years. His 
 wife Elizabeth is still living, having now at- 
 tained the age of eighty-one. She resides 
 with her son Peter, the subject of this no- 
 tice. 
 
 Peter I. Mays, who has always resided 
 at his present location, was early trained 
 to farm life and labor and became a skilled 
 and successful agriculturist. Besides culti- 
 vating the usual crops, he makes a spe- 
 cialty of hog raising, and has also cut some 
 figure as an oil producer — a l»u-iiir-- tliat 
 requires good judgment and intclliiiciit op- 
 eration. His success has been well deserved 
 and he his now numbered among the sub- 
 stantial citizens of the township. Mr. Mays 
 has no matrimonial record, as hitherto he 
 has remained a bachelor. 
 
 DAVID HENEY LOGAN is a prosper- 
 ous farmer of Jefferson Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, residing on a farm 
 of 125 acres about five miles southeast of 
 the borough of Butler, on the Saxonburg 
 road. He was born in Jefferson Township, 
 July 14, 1858, and is a son of David and 
 Mary Ann (Sefton) Logan, David Logan 
 having come from Lancaster County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and a grandson of Joseph and 
 Elizabeth Logan. 
 
 Joseph Logan came from the North of 
 Ireland to the United States and located 
 first in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 He subsequently came to Penn Township, 
 Butler County, where he cleared and culti- ~ 
 vated a tract of land, in addition to follow- 
 ing his trade as a stone mason. 
 
 David Logan, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was a boy when he came from 
 Lancaster County, and he here took to 
 farniing. He became owner of what is 
 known as the Erastus Logan farm in Penn 
 Township. His first marriage was with 
 Elizabetii Davis, by whom he had the fol- 
 lowing children: Nancy J., deceased; 
 John; Joseph, deceased; Levi; Baxter; 
 Samuel, deceased; Matilda; Calvin, and 
 Eliza B. His second union was with Mrs. 
 Mary Ann Cox, nee Sefton, and they reared 
 two children — David Henry, and Edward 
 Perry, M. D., who is engaged in the prac- 
 tice of his profession at North Side, Pitts- 
 burgh, Pennsylvania. 
 
 David Henry Logan was reared in Jef- 
 ferson Township, and received his educa- 
 tion in the public schools. He has always 
 followed farming with uniformly good re- 
 sults and has a well improved place in 
 every re.spect. Mr. Logan was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Martha B. Cook, a 
 daughter of Squire and Sarah (Miller) 
 Cook of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. 
 The following children are the issue of the 
 marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Logan: Eev. 
 Harvey Wilbur; George Clifford, who con- 
 ducts a blacksmith shop in Jefferson Town- 
 ship; Earl Richard, who lives on the old 
 farm; Elry Robinson and Glenn Baxter, 
 the two last named being in school. 
 
 Rev. H. AV. Logan, before completing his 
 course at Grove City College, taught for 
 three years in the public schools of this 
 county. He was graduated from college 
 with the class of '05 and the following Au- 
 tumn entered the Allegheny Theological 
 Seminary, from which he received his di- 
 ploma in the Spring of 1908. In May of 
 the same year he was united in marriage 
 to Miss Mary Prescott Jack. George Clif- 
 ford Logan "was married to Miss Edith 
 Grohman and they have two sons, Hollis 
 
1404 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 Henry and Eminerson Glenn. The family 
 belongs to the United Presbyterian Church. 
 George Clifford Logan was married to 
 Miss Edith Grohman, and they have a son, 
 Hewitt Henry. Eeligiously, the family be- 
 longs to the United Presbytei-ian Church. 
 
 DAVID McCOLLOUGH is a prominent 
 farmer of Fairview Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is the owner of 
 a farm of 133 acres. He was born in this 
 township, April 10, 1830, and is a son of 
 William and Elizabeth (Eumbaugh) Mc- 
 Collough. His grandfather, John McCol- 
 lough, came from Scotland and was one 
 of the early settlers in Butler County. He 
 served in ithe American army during the 
 War of 1812. 
 
 William McCollough, father of the sub- 
 ject of this record, was born and reared in 
 Butler County, where he always lived and 
 engaged in farming. He died at the age 
 of eighty-one years and six months. He 
 married Elizabeth Eumbaugh, whose death 
 occuri'cd at the age of seventy-eight years, 
 and they became parents of four children, 
 as follows : Polly, deceased ; David, Peter, 
 and Samuel. 
 
 David McCollough was roared to matur- 
 ity in Fairview Towiisliip, .iiid received as 
 good an education as the }iul)lic schools of 
 his boyhood period afforded. He has al- 
 ways devoted his energies to agricultural 
 pursuits, and has met with unusually good 
 results. His farm of 133 acres is well im- 
 proved as to the residence and farm build- 
 ings, and the land is all under a high state 
 of cultivation. He is a liberal minded and 
 progressive citizen, who is accorded the 
 good will and esteem of his fellow citizens 
 to a high degree. 
 
 Mr. McCollough was united in marriage, 
 December 8, 1853, with Miss Mary Emrick, 
 now deceased, who was a daughter of 
 William Emrick of Butler County. The 
 following are the issue of their marriage: 
 Elizabeth, who is the wife of John Lewis 
 
 of New York State, by whom she has eight 
 children; Lydia E. of Little Washington, 
 who is the widow of David Kirkland and 
 has five children; Anna M., who is the wife 
 of George Hayes of Little Washington and 
 has eight children; William; Laura A.; 
 Sarah; and Curtis, of Fairview Township, 
 who married Ella Smith and has five chil- 
 dren. Eeligiously, the family is of the 
 Lutheran faith. 
 
 ■ THOMAS H. HENON, residing on his 
 valuable farm of 108 acres, which is favor- 
 ably situated in one of the best sections 
 of Washington Township, was born in 
 Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, February 
 17, 1852. His parents were Thomas M. 
 and Hannah (Johnson) Henon. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of Mr. Henon 
 was a native of Scotland. He was killed 
 in the War of 1812, leaving his widow with 
 an infant son, Thomas M., who was born 
 January 1, 1812. The latter was married 
 in early manhood to Hannah Johnson, who 
 was a daughter of Eichard Johnson, who 
 was born in Ireland. To this marriage 
 were born the following cliildren: Cas- 
 sandra, who married (first) Christopher 
 Bower, and (second) Capt. William Low- 
 ery; James Harvey, who married Eliza- 
 beth Veyon; Mary Adell, who married 
 Thomas Black, of Lawrence County ; Rich- 
 ard M., who married Mary Jane Hilliard, 
 of Butler County; Thomas H., who mar- 
 ried Vienna C. Hilliard; and Elizabeth, 
 who married Capt. Thomas Morns. The 
 father of the above family made his home 
 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County, 
 and his business was railroad contracting 
 until he retired. 
 
 Thomas H. Henon attended school in 
 Shenango Township and then learned the • 
 trade of stone-cutter, and later stone work 
 of all kinds, including bridge-building, to- 
 gether with structural iron work. Mr. 
 Henon can point to a large amount of sat- 
 isfactory work done in this line in former 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1405 
 
 years, but he devotes a large part of his 
 attention to cultivating his land, carrying 
 on general farming. He grows the usual 
 grains of this climate and enough stock 
 for his own use. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Henon have four children, 
 namely: Harvey N., who married Lillian 
 Adams, a daughter of Leander Adams, of 
 Murrinsville, Pennsylvania, and has one 
 child, Avalena C. ; John C, who married 
 Pearl Jack, of Anuandale, Butler County; 
 Goldie Adell, who married W. W. Patter- 
 sou, of Hilliards, and has two children, 
 Stillman Lee and Lillian Pearl ; and David 
 Leslie, who is a popular and successful 
 teacher in the township schools. Mr. 
 Henou and family are members of the Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church at Annandale. In 
 l)olitics, he is a Democrat. He is no seeker 
 for office, but consented to serve three 
 terms as school director. He belongs to 
 the Odd Fellows at Slippery Rock and is 
 vice chancellor of the Knights of Pythias 
 lodge at Hilliards. He is a well known and 
 highly respected citizen of Washington 
 Township. 
 
 LEWIS C. WICK, a well known and en- 
 terprising business citizen of Butler, was 
 born in Slippery Rock Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1852, 
 a son of Henry E. and Elizabeth Wick. His 
 parents were both natives of this county, 
 in M-hicli he himself has always resided, 
 with the exception of four years spent in 
 Bourbon, Indiana, and Chicago. He be- 
 gan industrial life at the age of sixteen 
 years, entering a general store, where he 
 acquired a knowledge of business methods, 
 also engaging in the wholesale flour and 
 feed business at Hilliards, Pennsylvania. 
 He has remained interested in the lumber 
 business up to the present time, being now 
 the proprietor of one of the principal lum- 
 ber and planing mills in the city, and con- 
 ducting also a similar business at Pitts- 
 Inirg, Pennsyh 
 
 The Butler vard was started in Febru- 
 ary, 1884, by L. C. and Walter S. Wick, 
 who in 1885 bought out the firms of Leech 
 Bros., McGee & Dunlap, and AV. C. Heiner. 
 In March, 1887, Walter S. Wick sold his 
 interest to C. E. Hammond, and in Mav, 
 1888, L. C. Wick bought out Mr. Hammond 
 and has since been sole joroprietor of the 
 business, which is now in a very pi'osperous 
 condition. 
 
 In addition to his activities in connection 
 with the above mentioned concern, Mr. 
 Wick is a large property holder, having 
 over one hundred houses in Butler and 
 Pittsburg. He is also a trustee of the 
 Springdale Water Company, of which he 
 was one of the chief promoters, a member 
 of the board of managers of the Butler Silk 
 ]\[ill, and president of the American Mir- 
 ror Comp?mj^ in which he is one of the 
 largest stockholders. A business man of 
 more than ordinary sagacity, he has con- 
 tributed largely to the success of the vari- 
 ous enterprises with which he is or has 
 been connected, and his judgment and ex- 
 perience along the lines of industrial en- 
 terprise are among the potent factors that 
 have contributed to the present commercial 
 and industrial prestige of the city of But- 
 ler. 
 
 Mr. AVick was first married February 10, 
 1874, to Mary Frances Curran, daughter 
 of Samuel and Sarah Curran of Slippery 
 Rock, Butler County, Pennsylvania, who 
 died Decembel- 10, 1874. He was again 
 married October 16, 1878, to Florence P. 
 Curran, a daughter of Rev. Richard A. 
 and Elizabeth Curran, of Decatur, Indi- 
 ana. To this union have been born four 
 children — Richard H. ; Helen E. and 
 Louisa 0., both of wliom are deceased ; and 
 Olive Bartine. Richard H. Wick is a mem- 
 ber of the firm of L. C. Wick & Son, lumber 
 dealers of Pittsburg. Olive B. resides at 
 home with her parents. In politics Mr. 
 Wick is a stanch Prohibitionist, casting his 
 vote for that political party in 1882. 
 
1406 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 HENRY ERNEST MONTAG, a success- 
 ful general farmer and stock-raiser of Jef- 
 ferson Township, resides on a valuable 
 farm of 100 acres, which is situated on the 
 east side of the Saxonburg road, two and 
 one-half miles from that town. He was 
 born December 18, 1850, in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of John and 
 Dorothy (Hesse) Montag. 
 
 John Montag came to America from 
 Germany, leaving his parents in the old 
 country. He had his own way to make in 
 the world and worked hard to secure his 
 farm in Jefferson Township. He married 
 Dorothy Hesse and they had one child — 
 Henry Ernest. 
 
 Henry Ernest Montag has spent his life 
 in Butler County and is regarded as one 
 of its leading citizens in the section where 
 he went to school, engaged in industriously 
 cultivating his own land, married and has 
 reared a family which is a credit to its 
 parents and the neighborhood. On Febru- 
 ary 13, 1872, Mr. Montag married Miss 
 Mary Roenick, who is a daughter of Fred- 
 erick and Elizabeth (Smith) Roenick. Mrs. 
 Montag 's mother was born in Germany and 
 was nine years old when she was brought 
 to America. To Mr. and Mrs. Montag 
 eleven children have been born and there 
 has been but one lireak in the family, Au- 
 gust, the third child, having died. The eld- 
 est, Mena, married William Frederick and 
 they have had five children — Viola, Edna, 
 Henry, Arthur and Richard, Arthur being 
 deceased. The eldest son of Mr. Montag, 
 Henry, follows the carpenter's trade. He 
 married Edna Grabe. Emma married 
 Charles Bachman and they have five chil- 
 dren — Lydia, Clarence, Gertrude, Elmer 
 and Elsie. Charles works on his farm in 
 the near neighborhood. Lydia resides at 
 Freeport, Pennsylvania. Ottilie lives at 
 home. Frank carries on a huckster busi- 
 ness, and Alfred, Elmer and Norman re- 
 side at home, the latter lieing still in school. 
 Mr. IVTontag is a leading member of the 
 
 German Lutheran Church in Jefferson 
 Township. 
 
 ALBERT ELIAS MALTBY, A.M., C.E., 
 Ph.D., principal of the Slippery Rock State 
 Normal Schools, at Slippery Rock, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, has been identified 
 with that institution during its entire ex- 
 istence, excepting the first eighteen months. 
 He has had wide experience as an educa- 
 tor, has devoted much time to lecturing be- 
 fore teachers' institutes, and takes high 
 rank in the profession. 
 
 Mr. Maltby was born in Fayetteville, 
 near Syracuse, New York, October 27, 
 1850, and is a son of Jolm and Rachel E. 
 (Crawford) Maltby; he is of English de- 
 scent. His father was superintendent of a 
 joaper mill in New York State. Albert E. 
 Maltby attended the public schools at 
 Fayetteville, and early in life learned the 
 trade of a sash maker; while working at 
 his trade, he gave vent to his ambitions by 
 pursuing a course of study outside of work 
 hours. He made rapid advancement in 
 his work, becoming superintendent over 
 ten men in the shop. At the age of twenty- 
 two years he quit the shop and three days 
 later matriculated at Cornell University. 
 Ambitious, persevering and studious, he 
 acliieved a record in that institution full of 
 honors. In addition to the civil engineer- 
 ing course, in which he was enrolled, he 
 took a special literary course and also 
 mastered the French, Spanish and German 
 languages, which he became able to speak 
 fluently. During his senior year he repre- 
 sented the university in an inter-collegiate 
 mathematical contest held in New York 
 City, the famous universities of the East 
 competing. He graduated from Cornell in 
 1876, with the degree of C. E., and imme- 
 diately thereafter was employed on the 
 coast survey. He was appointed civil en- 
 gineer in charge of the survey of the con- 
 tested line between the countries of Guate- 
 mala and Mexico. He also followed en- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1409 
 
 gineering in the western part of this coun- 
 try a couple of" years. In 1880 he took up 
 the profession of teaching, accepting ap- 
 pointment as principal of a private school 
 in Philadelphia. He continued there two 
 years, then tilled the chair of mathematics 
 at the St. Lawrence University, in North- 
 ern New York State. From there he went 
 to the Episcopal Church school at Toledo, 
 Ohio, as principal, continuing one year, 
 and since that time has been identified 
 solely with Pennsylvania institutions. 
 After teaching for a time in the public 
 schools of Philadelphia, he in 1884 took up 
 normal school work. He was professor of 
 sciences at Indiana Normal School in this 
 state until 1889, after which he was prin- 
 cipal of the Model School at Millersville 
 until he came to Slippery Rock. The sub- 
 jects under his instruction in this institu- 
 tion are psychology, pedagogy and history 
 of education. The high standard of the 
 school has been continued during his 
 regime, and he occupies a place high in the 
 esteem of the students, and of the people 
 of the community in general. Mr. Maltljy 
 is a director of the Citizens' National Bank 
 of Slippery Eock. 
 
 He was united in marriage with Miss 
 Harriet A. Dezell, a lady of accomplish- 
 ments and refinement. Religiously, they 
 are members of the Episcopal church. 
 
 SAMUEL AUSTIN BEAM, one of the 
 leading citizens of Harmony, and owner of 
 the Hotel Beam, has been a life long resi- 
 dent of Butler County, and comes of a 
 family long established in this county. He 
 was born April 1, 1847, in the building 
 which is now known as the Beam House in 
 Harmony, and is a son of George and Mar- 
 garet (Enslen) Beam, and a grandson of 
 Samuel Beam. 
 
 Samuel Beam, uraiidfather, was a black- 
 smith by trade, and af a very early period 
 came from tlio casfcin part of Pennsylva- 
 nia and located in Beaver County about 
 seven miles from Harmony. He subse- 
 
 quently returned east of the AUeghanies, 
 in order to purchase an anvil and hammer. 
 Upon returning to Beaver County he made 
 his own tools and opened a shop, which he 
 conducted successfully for many years. He 
 was the father of the following children: 
 George, father of our subject; Abram, 
 Mrs. Dickey, Mrs. Bolton, Mrs. Welsh, 
 Mrs. Graham, and Nancy, all now deceased. 
 
 George Beam, who was born in Beaver 
 County in 1812, died in Harmony in 1888, 
 aged seventy-six years. He was an ex- 
 tensive farmer and large land owner and 
 banker, buying and selling in large tracts. 
 He married Margaret Enslen, who was 
 born east of the mountains in 1822. Her 
 father also came from the eastern part of 
 Pennsylvania and located first in Beaver 
 County, later coming to Butler County, 
 where he settled near Harmony. Mrs. Beam 
 had five sisters, namely: Mrs. Sleppy; 
 Mrs. Deitrich; Mrs. Dersheimer; Mrs. Pil- 
 low ; and Mrs. Reiber. Seven children were 
 born to the parents of our subject — 
 Enslen, a resident of Allegheny, Pennsyl- 
 vania; Samuel A.; Beriah, deceased; Sue, 
 wife of Levingston McQuistion, a promi- 
 nent attorney of Butler; Elizabeth, who 
 married Mr. Conway, resides in Chicago; 
 Agnes married Henry Dindinger of Alle- 
 gheny; Nettie married Frank Hoops of 
 New Brighton, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Samuel A. Beam attended the public 
 schools of Harmony and Hayesville, Ohio, 
 also taking a course of study at the Agri- 
 culture College in Center County. After 
 leaving school he hauled water for the 
 town of Harmony, and engaged in all kinds 
 of trapping, at which he made consider- 
 able money. He then worked for his fath- 
 er on the farm, where he later opened a 
 coal bank, from which he supplied coal for 
 adjoining counties and carried on a very 
 successful business. In 1873 Mr. Beam 
 moved to Butler, where he purchased a liv- 
 ery stable, whicli he later moved to Har- 
 mony and conducted in partnership with 
 Albert Wise, to whom he later sold his in- 
 
1410 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 terest in the business. On December 21, 
 18S1, be purchased from Mr. Hyle, the 
 Beam House, of which he continued as pro- 
 prietor until 1908, when be gave its man- 
 agement to bis sou Charles. Owing to the 
 courteous treatment extended his guests, 
 combined with the prompt services ren- 
 dered, Mr. Beam enjoyed an extensive 
 patronage and proved himself a genial 
 host and able manager. Mr. Beam resides 
 on a beautiful farm of thirty-one acres 
 near Harmony, which he owns in partner- 
 ship with Mr. McQuistion, and which con- 
 tains the largest collection of antiquities 
 in the county. He also owns, in partner- 
 ship with Henry Wise, a fine farm of 400 
 acres at Middle Forks, West Virginia, be- 
 sides a number of valuable lots. 
 
 Mr. Beam was married January 1, 1880, 
 to Sarah Miller, a daughter of John Miller 
 of Butler County. Three children were 
 born to Mr. and Mrs. Beam, namely : Jose- 
 phine, a graduate of St. Xaviers College, 
 who married Walter Young, superinten- 
 dent of the Bartlesville Oil Company of 
 Oklahoma, and resides in Bartlesville, 
 that state; Charles, unmarried, who is 
 manager of the Beam Hotel of Harmony; 
 and Howard, a student at St. Vincent. Mr. 
 Beam is a Democrat in polities and is fra- 
 ternally a member of the B. P. O. E., Royal 
 Arcanum, and the Knights of Pythias. 
 
 JOHN H. WASSON, a contracting car- 
 penter, residing on a small well cultivated 
 farm of fifteen acres, situated in Washing- 
 ton Township, two miles southeast of Hil- 
 liards, was born at West Simbury, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, September 19, 1853. 
 His parents were William A. and Margaret 
 (dordon) Wasson, and his grandfather 
 was William Wasson, who lived and died 
 at North Hope, Butler County. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Wasson were natives 
 of Butler County and the maternal grand- 
 father was William Gordon, of Clay Town- 
 ship. There were six children born to 
 William A. Wasson and wife, namely: Lu- 
 
 cinda, who married Dr. Perry Sproull, of 
 Cherry Township ; Martha A., who married 
 Charles H. Book ; William James, who mar- 
 ried Samantha Rumbaugh, of Washington 
 Township ; John H., of AVashington Town- 
 ship; Thomas M., who married Ellen 
 Hovis; and Mary Catherine, deceased. 
 
 John H. Wasson attended school through 
 boyhood at Euclid Station, in Clay Town- 
 ship, and then learned the carpenter's 
 trade, at which he has worked more or less 
 continuously ever since. He has done a 
 large amount of work in this section and 
 for some years has engaged in carpenter 
 contracting-. He took the contract and 
 built the largest store building in Wash- 
 ington Township and has erected innu- 
 merable substantial barns and dwellings, 
 his own farm improvements testifying to 
 his taste and skill. He has never tested his 
 land for oil, but it lies in a district where 
 oil has been found in paying quantities. 
 
 Mr. Wasson married Miss Mary Uhry, 
 a daughter of Baltser Uhry, of Mercer 
 Coimty, and they have had the following 
 children : Elto, Clyde W., Clarence P. and 
 Arthur M., surviving, and two who died in 
 infanc5\ Clyde W. is an engineer on the 
 Bessemer Railroad. Miss Elta is a tele- 
 phone operator on the AVasson Exchange, 
 at Hilliard. Mr. Wasson and family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church at An- 
 nandale. Miss AVasson is a member of the 
 church choir and formerly was organist. 
 In politics, Mr. Wasson is a Republican 
 and on that ticket he was elected super- 
 visor of Washington Township and served 
 honestly and efSciently. He is a represen- 
 tative and respected citizen. 
 
 JOSEPH REITH, who has a comfort- 
 able home and fifty-two acres of land in 
 Buffalo Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, is a well known citizen of the 
 community. He was born December 4, 
 1852, and is a son of Joseph and Sophia 
 Reith, the father from Gei-many and the 
 mother from England. He was one of the 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1411 
 
 following children born to his parents: 
 John, Ernest, Matilda, Dora, Joseph, 
 Frank, William, Hettie, Sophia and Fred- 
 erick. 
 
 Joseph Reith, subject of this sketch, was 
 reared on the farm and received his edu- 
 cational training in the common schools. 
 He early in life turned his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits, which he has fol- 
 lowed nearly all his life in connection with 
 coal mining, his tifty-two acres of land 
 being underlaid with coal. He has not 
 mined any during the past few years. He 
 is a man of business aliility and standing, 
 and is highly regarded by his many friends 
 and acquaintances in this part of the 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Reith was united in marriage with 
 Elizabeth Beckman, a daughter of Irvin 
 Beckman, who came to this country from 
 Germany and engaged in farming in But- 
 ler County ; he was a soldier in the Union 
 Army during the Civil War. This union 
 was productive of the following offspring : 
 Fred, who married MoUie Gibson and has 
 the following children : Birdie, Lloyd, Ar- 
 thur and Elizabeth; Mamie, wife of Paul 
 Smith ; Joseph, Jr. ; Arthur, who married 
 Etta Heckart and has one child — Wesley; 
 Stella; Carrie; and Jesse. Religiously, 
 they are members of the Lutheran church. 
 
 HENRY CROMLING, who has been en- 
 gaged in the butcher business at Peti'olia 
 for many years, also has farming inter- 
 est and is the owner of a valuable property 
 in New York State. He was born in Ger- 
 many August 25, 1843, and was one of four 
 children born to Henry and Mary Crom- 
 ling. The others were Mary (deceased), 
 Dora, and Frederick (deceased). 
 
 Mr. Cromling was twenty-three years of 
 age at the time he came to the United 
 States, and he located in Maryland, where 
 he worked in the mines. In 1873 he came 
 to Butler County, Pennsylvania, locating 
 first at Karns City, where he engaged in 
 butchering for two years. He then re- 
 
 moved to Petrolia, where he has since been 
 engaged in the butcher business in a most 
 successful manner. He is an enterprising 
 and progressive citizen and has given ma- 
 terial aid to the advancement of the best 
 interests of the community. He has been 
 constable here for a period of sixteen 
 years, and has served as committeeman 
 for the Republican party for a number of 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Cromling was married March 4, 
 1869, in Maryland, to Miss Rachel Farin- 
 son, and they became parents of the fol- 
 lowing cliildrcn: Mary, deceased; John, of 
 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, who 
 is married and has four children; Dora, 
 wife of John McLean of Cleveland, Ohio ; 
 Maggie, wife of Thomas Connors of But- 
 ler, by whom she has a daughter, Bertha ; 
 Charles, of Cleveland, Ohio, who married 
 Maggie Walters and has a son, Edward; 
 George of Westmoreland County, who is 
 married and has a daughter, Rachel; 
 Henry; Frederick; and Grover, deceased; 
 William, of East Brady, Pennsylvania, 
 married EUzabeth Nealor. Religiously, 
 the family belongs to the German Lutheran 
 church. 
 
 WILLIAM C. ARNER, who carries on 
 general farming on his valuable estate of 
 fifty acres, which is situated three miles 
 southwest of the village of Hilliards, in 
 Washington Township, also carries on a 
 very successful photographic business, for 
 which he has fine, modern equipments. Mr. 
 Arner was born in Washington Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, January 22, 
 1869, and is a son of George and Ermina 
 (Campbell) Arner. 
 
 George Arner was a son of Tobias and 
 Catherine (Daubenspeck) Arner, of Par- 
 ker Township, Butler County. They had 
 the following children : Mary, who married 
 John Day, of Clay Township ; Betsey, who 
 married Andrew Kelly, of Warren County ; 
 Philip, deceased ; David, who married Eliza 
 McCandless, daughter of Mark McCand- 
 
1412 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 less, of Cherry Township; George; Anna, 
 who married James Grant, of Washington 
 Township; and Christina, who married 
 Tliomas Troutman. For several years 
 George Arner conducted the Wick House. 
 
 William C. Arner obtained a public 
 school education in Washington Township 
 and then engaged in farming. His fifty 
 acres are all under cultivation and the land 
 responds readily to the care given it. Mr. 
 Arner may also realize a fortune from 
 coal, as there have been found four veins 
 of this valuable substance underlying his 
 fields. Mr. Arner is a good fanner, but 
 he has other interests, having developed a 
 very profitable enterprise in "the line of 
 photography. He learned the photograph 
 business after he had finished school and 
 after his marriage instructed his wife and 
 together they turn out a large amount of 
 beautiful and artistic work. Mr. Arner 
 worked in studios at Butler and at Pindlay, 
 Ohio, and is thoroughly competent. He 
 has about $.300 invested in cameras and 
 other necessary equipments and his work 
 compares favorably with that done in a 
 city studio. 
 
 In 1894 Mr. Arner was married to 
 Amelia Cooper, who is a daughter of 
 Ste])]ien and Henrietta Seaton, and a 
 granddaughter of W'illiam Seaton, of Ve- 
 nango Township, Butler County. The late 
 Stephen Cooper was- born in Slippery Rock 
 Township, Butler County, and was taken 
 to Indiana while young, hut later returned 
 to Butler County. He enlisted in 1861, for 
 three months' service in the Civil War, as 
 a member of the Seventy-eighth Regiment, 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was 
 captured on one occasion by the enemy, but 
 fortunately escaped before the prison was 
 reached. He returned to his home and re- 
 sumed farming. Mr. and Mrs. Arner have 
 the following children : Lee Carl, Dale D., 
 Hazel H. and Gladys E., all bright students 
 in the public school ; and an infant. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Arner ai'e members of the Eng- 
 lish Lutheran Church at Annandale. In 
 
 politics, Mr. Arner is identified with the 
 Republican party. 
 
 SAMUEL SHERW'IN, a prominent coal 
 operator of Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 is the owner of seventy-five acres of farm 
 land in Fairview Township, on which he 
 lives, and also has the coal rights to one 
 hundred and thirty acres in the same town- 
 ship. He is a native of Clarion County, 
 Pennsylvania, the date of his birth being 
 February 8, 1873, and is a son of Peter D. 
 and Anna (Blackett) Sherwin. 
 
 Samuel Sherwin, grandfather of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was identified with the 
 coal industry in England prior to his com- 
 ing to the United States, a line of busi- 
 ness with which the family has been con- 
 nected as far back as there is any record. 
 Peter D. and Anna (Blackett) Sherwin 
 became parents of the following children: 
 Samuel ; John B. ; W. E. ; James G. ; Grace 
 B. and Charles P. All of this family now 
 reside in Butler County, the parents being 
 located in the borough of Butler. 
 
 Samuel Sherwin was about three years 
 of age, when the oil excitement caused the 
 removal of the family from Clarion County 
 to Karns City. Four years later they moved 
 to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where they re- 
 mained aViout six years, then returned to 
 Butler County, where our subject has lived 
 for more than a score of years. He has 
 been living on a farm in Fairview Town- 
 ship about fifteen years, and in 1906 pur- 
 chased his present place from Joseph Ear- 
 hart. He has been engaged in coal mining 
 all his life, starting in the employ of his 
 father, and for some years was superin- 
 tendent of the latter 's mine, known as the 
 Sherwin ^line and located iai Clay Town- 
 ship. He continued as superintendent 
 fourteen years, then branched out into 
 business for himself. He opened his pres- 
 ent mines two years ago, made all the im- 
 provements and has what are considered 
 the best mines in the county. They em- 
 ploy seventy men and have an output of 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1413 
 
 about 300 tons per day, all of which is 
 taken by tlie Great Lake Shipping Com- 
 panj'. He is a man •of great energy and 
 enterprise, and has won his way to the 
 front rank through his individual efforts. 
 Mr. Sherwin was united in marriage 
 with Miss Alice Kaylor, a daughter of 
 David and Keziali (Byers) Kaylor, old 
 residents of Butler County. They were 
 married at Butk^r, March 23, 1891, and 
 have the following children : Harriet, Peter 
 D., Jessie H., Hazel, Ella and Joseph. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Sherwin and his family are 
 members of the Methodist church. He is 
 affiliated with Grove City Lodge No. 910, 
 I. 0. O. E., and Encampment No. 245, I. 0. 
 0. F., at Grove City. 
 
 JOHN ^\. HILLIARD, who comes of an 
 old and respected family of Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, is a contractor in oil 
 well drilling and is a member of the tirm 
 of Ekas & Hilliard. He makes his home 
 on a tract of twenty-five acres which 
 formed a part of the old homestead of 400 
 acres in Washington Township, but he 
 does not do any farming. There are three 
 veins of coal on this property, but as yet 
 no banks have been opened. 
 
 Mr. Hilliard was born on the farm on 
 which he now lives, September 25, 1866, 
 and is a son of John M. and Elizabeth 
 (Shira) Hilliard. He was one of the fol- 
 lowing children born to his parents : Anvia 
 (Henon); Margaret, wife of Adam Fogle 
 of Washington Township; Olive, wife of 
 Leslie Huffman of Lawrence County, by 
 whom she has two children, Blanche and 
 Fisk; Alvira (Rumbaugh) ; Newton; Lena, 
 who is unmarried and lives in Washington 
 Township; Vina, wife of Harry Gutlirie, 
 by whom she has thi'^e children — La- 
 Vernge, Irene and Leola ; Jacob, deceased ; 
 IMcClelland, deceased; and John William, 
 whose name heads this sketch. Anna Hil- 
 liard married Thomas Henon of Wash- 
 ington Township and they had the follow- 
 ing offspring: Harvey, who married Lil- 
 
 lian Adams of Marion Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, wife of 
 Miles Hutchison ; Thomas, deceased ; OUie, 
 deceased; Claiide, who married Pearl Jack, 
 a daughter of William Jack; Goldie, wife 
 of AVade Patterson of Hilliards; and 
 David, who is a teacher in the public 
 schools. Alvira Hilliard married Henry 
 Rumbaugh of Washington Township and 
 their children are: Ford, Earl, Ina, wife 
 of Eli Gaiser, and Vance. Newton Hilliard 
 married Sarah Hutchinson, a daughter of 
 White Hutchinson of Cherry Township, 
 and to them were born ; Miles ; Harry Jay ; 
 and Twila, who married Edward Seaton of 
 Marion Township and has three children — 
 Lee, Pearl, Vevia. 
 
 John William Hilliard attended the pub- 
 lic schools of Washington Township, first 
 attending the old Stoops School. His first 
 occupation on leaving the farm was as tool 
 dresser in the oil fields. He later began 
 drilling wells and finally branched out as 
 a contractor, becoming a member of the 
 Ekas & Hilliard Contracting Company, of 
 Butler. He has achieved a distinct suc- 
 cess in this field of operation and takes 
 rank among the substantial men of the 
 community. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, and his many friends twice advanced 
 his candidacy for the office of county com- 
 missioner. 
 
 Mr. Hilliard was united in marriage 
 with Miss Helen Heinauer, a daughter of 
 Andrew Heinauer of McKee's Rocks, Alle- 
 gheny County. Andrew married Mary 
 Burkhart, a daughter of John Burkhart of 
 Woodsfield, Ohio, and they had the follow- 
 ing children: Helen, wife of the subject 
 of this record ; Katherine, deceased ; John, 
 deceased; Charles, who married Mary 
 Hotchkiss, a daughter of Charles Hotch- 
 kiss, and has a son, Charles, Jr.; Edward; 
 and Agnes. Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard have 
 three children : John L., who is a member 
 of the Class of 1909 at North Washington 
 Academy; Vevia L., who is attending the 
 public schools; and LaVernge J. Relig- 
 
1414 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 iously, they are active members of the 
 Lutheran Church at Anandale, and Miss 
 Vevia and John L. Hilliard sing in the 
 church choir. Fraternally, the subject of 
 this sketch is affiliated with the Woodmen 
 of the World. 
 
 GILL M. THOMPSON, one of Center 
 Township's leading farmers and reliable 
 and substantial citizens, resides on his 
 farm of 100 acres of excellent land, which 
 is situated on the Sunbury and McGrath 
 mill road. Mr. Thompson was born June 
 9, 1861, on the farm in Center Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, which is now 
 the property of J. G. Renick, and is a son 
 of Anthony and Abigail (Russell) Thomp- 
 son. 
 
 Anthony Thompson was born May 5, 
 1838, in the same house that saw the birtli 
 of his son Gill M., and was a son of Moses, 
 who was a son of Anthony Thompson, who 
 was born in Ireland. This Moses Thomp- 
 son married his cousin, a daughter of 
 James Thompson, who came also from Ire- 
 land to Pennsylvania and settled on the 
 farm on which Gill M. Thompson and his 
 father were born. Moses Thompson was 
 born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and 
 he was eighteen years of age when he came 
 to Center Township. The father of Gill 
 M. Thompson still survives and he and 
 wife reside in Center Township. He mar- 
 ried Abigail Russell, who was born in 
 Scrubgrass TownshiiJ, Venango County, 
 May 27, 1836, and is a daughter of William 
 Russell, who was born in Concord Town- 
 ship, Butler County. The father of Will- 
 iam Russell was an early settler in Con- 
 cord Township, to which he came from 
 Eastern Pennsylvania. William Russell 
 and wife moved to a farm in Venango 
 County, where he cleared up a farm from 
 the dense forest, about 100 aot's. made im- 
 provements there and later sold the ])hu'e 
 and decided to make a itiosiicctiiig trip to 
 Illinois. On this his family remained be- 
 hind and he subsequently returned to But- 
 
 ler County. To Anthony and Abigail 
 Thompson were born six children, namely : 
 Gill M., Mrs. Lizzie A. I'^oung, Mrs. Mag- 
 gie Upham, Bert, Martha and William, the 
 two latter being deceased. 
 
 Gill M. Thompson was one year old when 
 his parents moved on his present farm and 
 this has been his home ever since. He has 
 carried on general farming and met with 
 excellent success. For a time he spent his 
 winters in the oil fields, as a tool dresser, 
 cultivating the farm during the summers, 
 and has one well on his own land that is a 
 constant producer. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was married in Cherry 
 Township to Miss Annie E. Wolford, a 
 daughter of Perry and Elizabeth Kiester 
 Wolford, and they have five children: 
 Grace, Mary, Wayne, Florence and Ralph. 
 Mr. Thompson is a member of the order 
 of Odd Fellows. He is not active in poli- 
 tics but he has the best interests of his 
 community at heart and he served three 
 vears as school director of School District 
 No. 3. 
 
 A. W. DAVIDSON, who fills the office of 
 tax collector for the borough of Butler, of 
 which he has been a resident for some 
 twenty-two years, was born in 1865, in 
 Slippery Rock Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Isaac A. and 
 Analiza Davidson, and a grandson of Rob- 
 ert Davidson. 
 
 Isaac A. Davidson was born in 1826, in 
 Slippery Rock Township, where his father 
 had been one of the earliest settlers. He 
 died in May, 1905, on the farm on which 
 he was born and on which he had spent 
 his entire life. 
 
 A. W. Davidson was reared on the old 
 homestead and there he remained until he 
 was about twenty-one years of age, in the 
 meanwhile securing an excellent common 
 school education. He then came to But- 
 lei" and began work in the old fields, later 
 was a clei-k in a store for a time and still 
 later embarked in a grocery business which 
 
A. W. DAVIDSON 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1417 
 
 he continued for nine years. In the spring 
 of 1906 he was elected to the office he has 
 since efficiently filled. He has been an ac- 
 tive citizen, working ever for the good of 
 the community. For one term he served 
 as school director in the Second Ward, but 
 has seldom aspired to public office. 
 
 Mr. Davidson was married May 17, 1893, 
 to Miss Tillie D. Gilgrist, who was born in 
 Butler County, and they have five sons — 
 Wallace A., George B., Ira Roland, John 
 Elmer and Thomas D. Fraternally, Mr. 
 Davidson is idciitifuMl witli the ^lasoiis, the 
 Elks, the 0(1(1 i-'cllows and tlic Myslic Cii- 
 cle. He is a iiicinhcr of tlu.' I''ii>t Prcsliy- 
 terian Church of Butler. 
 
 PERRY FRANKLIN RAY is a repre- 
 sentative farmer and business man resid- 
 ing on a fine farm of 195 acres in Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania. He is engaged in general farming 
 and stock raising, making a sijecialty of 
 pedigreed stock. Mr. Ray was born in 
 Fairview Township, Butler County, Sep- 
 tember 11, 1856, and is a son of William 
 and Nancy (Campbell) Ray, and is a 
 grandson of AVilliam Ray, Sr., who came 
 to this country from Ireland at an early 
 date. His maternal grandfather was An- 
 drew Campbell of Fairview Township. 
 
 William Ray, father of the subject of this 
 sketch, was a well known citizen of Fair- 
 view Township. He first married a Miss 
 Hindman, and of the children born of their 
 union the following are living: Jane, who 
 is the wife of John Porter of Oil City; 
 Mary Ann, wife of Harvey McConnell ; and 
 Margaret, wife of John Weeks. Those de- 
 ceased are Robert, William, Andrew, 
 James, Thomas, John and George. Mr. 
 Ray formed a second marital union with 
 Nancy Campbell, and they became parents 
 of two children: Ada, wife of Mathew 
 Banks ; and Perry Franklin. 
 
 Perry F. Ray was reared in Fairview 
 Township, and there received his educa- 
 tional training in the common schools. He 
 
 has a farm of 195 acres, of which 160 are 
 in tillable shape. He raises standard-bred 
 horses and pure-bred Durham cattle, in ad- 
 dition to sheep; he makes a specialty of 
 small grain, raising approximately 600 to 
 1,000 bushels of oats, 200 to 300 bushels of 
 buckwheat, and from 300 to 400 bushels of 
 corn each year. He has made many impor- 
 tant improvements on the place since it 
 came into his possession, rebuilding both 
 house and barn and erecting the other 
 structures on the place. He has five good 
 producing oil wells but little gas. He has 
 two coal mines opened, and another 'vein 
 of coal which has not been touched. He is 
 a jsrogressive and public spirited man, 
 taking an active interest in the develop- 
 ment and welfare of the community. 
 
 Mr. Ray was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary Badger, a daughter of Alonzo 
 Badger of Fairview, and they reared six 
 children: Erla Pearl, who is the wife of 
 G. W. Marshall of Pollock, Clarion Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, by whom she has three 
 children — Ossoli, Rosilla and Georgena; 
 Cora Etta, wife of Edward Kuhn of 
 Wilkinsburg, by whom she has a daughter, 
 Mary Katherine; William, deceased; 
 Lewis ; Charles, who is married and has a 
 son, Virgil; and Mary, who is at home. 
 Mr. Ray formed a second union with Miss 
 Sarah Campbell, a daughter of Mathew 
 Campbell of Washington Township, and 
 they have three children — Myrle C, Floyd 
 G., and Harriet Ray. He is a Republican 
 in politics, and has served two years as 
 trustee of the Presbyterian Church at 
 North Hope, of which he is an active mem- 
 ber and a lil3eral supporter. 
 
 CHARLES ADAM OHL, a well known 
 business man of Sarver, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, is proprietor of a hard"ware 
 store and an extensive dealer in farming- 
 implements. He was born in Slippery 
 Rock Township, Butler Coimty, January 
 17, 1862, and is a son of Henry and Jo- 
 hanna (Kramer) Old, and grandson of 
 
1418 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Adam Ohl. The last named was a native 
 of Germany, and located in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, at an early date, settling 
 at Saxonburg. Henry Ohl engaged in 
 blacksmithing at Saxonburg, and also fol- 
 lowed general farming. 
 
 Charles A. Ohl received his educational 
 training in the common schools, mainly at 
 school No. 2, in Jefferson Township. At 
 the age of fifteen years he began learning 
 the trade of a harnessmaker with William 
 Schrotli, at Saxonburg, and from there 
 went to Chicora, where he resided one 
 year. He then went to Warren, Pennsyl- 
 vania, thence to the borough of Butler, 
 where he continued for eight "and one-half 
 years. He left Butler with Jacob Kiefer 
 and went to Pittsburg, where they pur- 
 chased the store and business of Hartman 
 & Kost, which they conducted for twelve 
 years with good results. At the end of 
 that time, or in 1893, Mr. Ohl came to 
 Sarver and established the hardware store 
 which he now conducts. He is one of the 
 leading business men of the village, and 
 enjoys a large trade throughout the con- 
 tiguous territory. He has a comfortable 
 two-story home on Main Street, opposite 
 the store. 
 
 August 9, 1883, Mr. Ohl was united in 
 marriage with Miss Maggie Schwartz, a 
 daughter of Christian and Barbara (Bip- 
 pus) Schwartz, her father being a pros- 
 perous fanner of Butler County. Two 
 children were born to bless this union, 
 namely, Louis Edward and Ina. Louis 
 Edward, who received his education in the 
 Allegheny schools and Iron City College, 
 is head clerk in the store at Sarver. He 
 married Miss Lorine Bierley, and they 
 have a son, Charles Adam, Jr. Ina died 
 at the age of eight years. Religiously, the 
 subject of this sketch is a member of the 
 Lutheran church, of which he is an elder. 
 
 H. M. BARNEY, a representative citi- 
 zen and business man of Petrolia, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, is owner and pro- 
 
 prietor of the Petrolia Boiler Works. He 
 has a fine shop, with modern equii^ment, 
 and does a large business. 
 
 Mr. Barney was born in Erie County, 
 Pennsylvania, May 15, 1852, and is a son 
 of Garry Columbus and Nancy (Allen) 
 Barney. He had a brother Frank, who 
 met his death by drowning in Lake Erie; 
 the latter was twice married, his first union 
 being with Miss Rose Berry, who died leav- 
 ing four children: Blanche, Grace, Rose 
 and Rell. A sister to the subject of this 
 sketch, Emma, married Thomas Hinton, by 
 whom she has three children — Glen, Jo- 
 seph and Lent. They live in Oklahoma. 
 Garry C. Barney died at the old age of 
 eighty-four years, and is survived by his 
 widow, who is now seventy-six years old. 
 
 H. M. Barney lived in Erie County until 
 he was fifteen years old, then moved to 
 Petroleum Center, in Venango County, 
 where he remained six years and ciinagcd 
 in the oil business. He then ciuiic to l>nt- 
 ler County and for a period of iiior(- than 
 thirty-four years has resided within a 
 radius of five miles of Petrolia, most of 
 the time being located near Bruin and 
 Karns City. He engaged in the oil busi- 
 ness until 1901, when he moved to Petrolia 
 and bought out the boiler works of Beatty 
 Brothers, which undertaking he has car- 
 ried on on an enlarged scale. He has al- 
 ways taken a deep interest in the public 
 affairs of the community in which he has 
 resided; he served two terms as burgess 
 of Petrolia and as a member of the town 
 coimeil. He was a school director in Par- 
 ker Township for some years. 
 
 Mr. Barney was married in Erie Coun- 
 ty on November 2, 1872, to Miss Emma 
 Ban»ister, daughter of Josiah Bannister, 
 and they became parents of the following 
 children : Archie of Rochester, -New York, 
 who married Miss Lena Wlieelliouse of 
 Jamestown, in that state; Walter, who 
 lives in Fairview Township and married 
 Susan Eddinger, by whom he has a son, 
 Herbert B. ; Fred, who married Lotta Jen- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1419 
 
 niugs and lives in Fairview Township; 
 and Earl C, who mai'ried OUie Henry and 
 lives at Petrol ia. Eeligiously, the subject 
 of this record is a member of the Meth- 
 odist Church. He is a member of the 
 Knights of Pj^thias of Chicora. 
 
 WILLIAM PLUMMER STICKLE, a 
 
 prosperous business man and well known 
 citizen of Eau Claire, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, is a hai'nessmaker by trade 
 and is at the present efficiently discharging 
 the duties of office as justice of the peace 
 of the borough. He was born at Wimer- 
 ton. Worth Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, January 4, 1860, and is a 
 son of Abraham and Margaret Ann (Gal- 
 lagher) Stickle, and a grandson of Simon 
 Stickle. 
 
 Simon Stickle, the grandfather, was 
 married to Miss Susan Howe of Lawrence 
 County, and to them were born the follow- 
 ing: Samuel, William, Jacob, Simon, 
 George, Abraham, Shimp, John, and Susan, 
 who is the wife of Jefferson Wimer of 
 Worth Township, and has two sons, Will- 
 iam and Gilmer. 
 
 Abraham Stickle was joined in marriage 
 with Margaret Ann Gallagher, a daughter 
 of William Gallagher of Worth Township, 
 and the issue of their imion was : William 
 Plummer, whose name appears as the head 
 of this sketch; Hannah M., who married 
 M. D. Maxwell of Plain Grove, Lawrence 
 County, and has six children — Olive, Ray- 
 mond, Grace, Sherrill, Ralph and Gladys; 
 Clifford G., who married Sarah Stoughton 
 and has a son, Arthur; and Samuel, who is 
 deceased. Abraham Stickle, the father of 
 this family, received his educational train- 
 ing in the public schools at Princeton, in 
 Lawrence County, and in Muddy Creek 
 Townshijo, Butler County. He learned the 
 trade of a shoemaker in Muddy Creek, and 
 also followed it in Worth Township. He 
 later learned the trade of a harnessmaker. 
 
 both of which he followed with much suc- 
 cess, at Jacksville. 
 
 William P. Stickle attended Zion and 
 Billsbui'g schools in Worth Township, the 
 Mt. Pleasant School in W^estmoreland 
 County, and later was enrolled in Grove 
 City College, Mercer County, for a time. 
 He then engaged in teaching one term in 
 Perry Township, Lawrence County, and a 
 term in Franklin Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty. He learned his trade as a harness- 
 maker under David Gill at Harlansburg, 
 under David St. Clair at Jacksville, un- 
 der T. M. Ehoades at Slippery Rock, and 
 William Young at Grove City. He then 
 started into business for himself at Eau 
 Claire in 1884, but later became estab- 
 lished in a general store in partnership 
 with G. F. Gardner at Plain Grove, in 
 Lawrence County. He then returned to 
 Eau Claire, where he has built up a large 
 and well paying business. He has owned 
 three different properties in the borough, 
 but at the present owns but the property 
 on which he lives. He is a Prohibitionist 
 in politics, and has been active in the 
 party for many years ; he was elected jus- 
 tice of the peace for the borough and is a 
 member of the Prohibitionist County Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 William P. Stickle was united in mar- 
 riage with Emma E. Gardner, a daughter 
 of Nicholas Gardner, and four children 
 were born to them — Fern M., Ida M., Mar- 
 jorie, and a son who died unnamed. He 
 was called upon to mourn the loss of his 
 beloved wife on October 29, 1900, and she 
 lies buried in Zion cemetery in Worth 
 Township. She was a member of the M. E. 
 Church at Eau Claire, to which Mr. Stickle 
 belongs. He is very active in church work, 
 serving as Sunday School superintendent, 
 and also steward. Fraternally, he is a 
 member, and at present chaplain, of Eau 
 Claire Tent, No. 23, K. 0. T. M. ; and for- 
 merly was a member of the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows at Plain Grove. He 
 
1420 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 is a man who retains the highest regard of 
 his fellow citizens, and always allies him- 
 self with the best interests of the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 JOHN HARVEY SNl^DER, general 
 superintendent of gas-pumping stations 
 for the T. W. Phillips Gas and Oil Com- 
 pany of Butler, Pennsylvania, is a resident 
 of Buffalo Township, Butler County, and 
 is a man of recognized standing in the 
 community. He was born in Armstrong 
 County, Pennsylvania, December 27, 1872, 
 is a son of James M. and Mary (Lamison) 
 Snyder, and a grandson of John Snyder. 
 
 John Snyder, the grandfather, engaged 
 in the blacksmith's trade for some years, 
 but later made his chief pursuit oil operat- 
 ing. His later years were spent on the 
 farm, his death occurring in July, 1906. 
 His wife, in maiden life Emeliue Somers, 
 died some eight years prior to his death. 
 
 James M. Snyder is widely known in the 
 oil and gas fields of Armstrong and Butler 
 Counties; he engaged in the oil business 
 for many years, and is now successful in 
 the gas "business. He was joined in mar- 
 riage with Mary Lamison, a daughter of 
 Adam Lamison, a collier in the various 
 furnaces in this part of the state. Nine 
 children were the issue of their marriage : 
 John Harvey; Adam, who married Belle 
 James; Samuel, who married Clara Clay- 
 pool; Jesse, who married Tillie Bauldoff; 
 Mary Ellen, deceased; William B., de- 
 ceased ; Dee Viola, wife of Abraham Flick ; 
 Carrie Elizabeth ; and Margaret. 
 
 John H. Snyder received a common 
 school education in Butler and Armstrong 
 Counties, and during his boyhood days 
 worked on the farm. At the age of six- 
 teen vears he entered the emplov of the 
 T. W". Phillips Gas and Oil Company, do- 
 ing ordinary labor work; a conscientious 
 discharge of his duties resulted in advance- 
 ment from one position to another until 
 he was made general superintendent of the 
 pumping station, the position he now fills 
 
 with marked ability. He is a capable busi- 
 ness man and a progressive one, and has 
 the esteem of all with whom he is brought 
 in contact. He goes to and from his work 
 in an automobile of the Thomas 1907 
 model. 
 
 September 6, 1899, Mr. Snyder was 
 joined in the bonds of wedlock with Miss 
 Clara Lyon, a daughter of Josiah and 
 Clara (Howard) Lyon. Her parents came 
 from the East, and Mr. Lyon became an 
 operator in the oil fields. Religiously, the 
 subject of this sketch and his wife are 
 members of the .Methodist Church, and 
 have been very active in church and so- 
 cial affairs. He was for a long period 
 superintendent of the Sunday School. Fra- 
 ternallv, he is a member of Blue Lodge, 
 F. & A. M. ; and the Chapter No. 540, at 
 Chicora, Pennsylvania. 
 
 THOMAS V. ROACH, owner of the 
 Petrolia Refining Company of Petrolia, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, has a large 
 and well established business. The firm 
 of which he is the head manufactures a 
 white petroleum jelly, of the purest qual- 
 ity, known as Petrdlatuni. and is disposed 
 of mainly to larL;-e wholesah' diiii;- firms, 
 its exceptional (niality giving it a ready 
 market. 
 
 Mr. Roach was born in Petrolia, Febru- 
 ary 14, 1875, and is a son of Michael and 
 Anna (McFarland) Roach. His father is 
 at present burgess of Petrolia. Michael 
 and Anna Roach became parents of the 
 following: Frank, who married Lottie 
 Osenbaugh and lives at Oakdale, Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania; Thomas V.; Jo- 
 seph; Walter, who married Gertrude Car- 
 nihan and lives at Petrolia; and Mary. 
 The father of this family came to Petrolia 
 during the oil excitement, and he and most 
 of his sons have always engaged in the oil 
 business. 
 
 Thomas V. Roach has always been in 
 the oil business and in 1901, in partnership 
 with Frank Hernon, purchased the Pe- 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1423 
 
 trolia Refining Company, of George Son- 
 rieker. The last named, in association 
 witli Frank Carman, had established the 
 business in 1900. The subject of this 
 sketch and his partner established the com- 
 pany on a firm business basis and con- 
 tinued together until 1904, wlien in Feb- 
 ruary, of that year, the former purchased 
 the interests of his jjartner. He has since 
 continued alone and has achieved a high 
 degree of success. He employs an aver- 
 age of three men, and produces a large 
 quantity of petrolatum per year. In addi- 
 tion he refines oil and gasoline of high 
 grade. 
 
 WILLIAM BAEBER, residing on his 
 valuable farm of 160 acres, situated in 
 Washington Township, Butler County, was 
 born at Harlansburg, Lawrence County, 
 Pennsylvania, March 18, 1859, and is a 
 son of AVilliam and Anna (Kauffman) 
 Earlier. 
 
 The father of Mr. Barber was born in 
 the State of New York and was brought to 
 Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, in his 
 boyhood. He engaged in farming there un- 
 til 1860, when he moved to Missouri, but 
 subsequently returned to Lawrence Coun- 
 ty and in 1866 he bought a farm in Butler 
 County, on which he died when aged sev- 
 enty-three years. He married a daugh- 
 ter of Adam Kauffman, of New Castle, 
 Lawrence County. 
 
 William Barber attended school during 
 his boyhood, as opportunity offered, but 
 his advantages were not many, and he is 
 largely a self-made man. Before he set- 
 tled down to fai'ming as his chief busi- 
 ness, he worked at the Butler Glass Works, 
 having a contract to put in all the sewer- 
 age. He also has done a large amount of 
 teaming at various times. At present, Mr. 
 Barber is much interested in sheep grow- 
 ing and is making preparations to handle 
 100 head and will no doubt make a suc- 
 cess of the enterprise, as he has made a 
 
 study of the industry. From two oil wells 
 on his land he receives a royalty. 
 
 ]\[r. Bai'ber married Miss Margaret Hil- 
 liard, a daughter of F. M. and Hannah 
 Hilliard, residents of the village of Hil- 
 liards, the family giving the place its name. 
 To ]Mr. and Mrs. Barber have been born 
 the following children: J. F., residing at 
 Thompson Corners, is a blacksmith by 
 trade ; Thomas M., residing also at Thomp- 
 son Corners, is a carpenter; Jessie, who is 
 the wife of James Gillespie; L. A., and 
 Tillie May, both residing at home; and 
 Hannah, Carl and Albert, all three bright 
 students in the country schools. Mr. Bar- 
 ber and family belong to the United 
 Brethren Church. He belongs to the Odd 
 Fellow lodge at Hilliards. He has taken 
 considerable interest in public affairs in 
 AVashington Townshij) and served one term 
 as supervisor. In politics he is a stanch 
 Republican. Mr. Barber is one of the 
 substantial and respected citizens of Wash- 
 ington Township, a representative man of 
 this section. 
 
 JAMES C. BUCHANAN was born in 
 the old log house which adorned the home 
 farm in Mercer Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, the date of his birth being 
 August 10, 1857. He is a son of James 
 and Isabelle (Pringle) Buchanan, and a 
 grandson of Alexander and Mary (Bo- 
 vard) Buchanan, natives of Ireland. Alex- 
 ander Buchanan moved from County 
 Down, Ireland, with his family in 1834, and 
 took up his residence in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, first stopping at the home 
 of Associate Judge Bovard, who was a 
 cousin of his wife. He purchased the old 
 Donahue farm in Mercer Township, which 
 he largely cleared, and there he and his 
 wife passed the remainder of their days. 
 They were parents of the following chil- 
 dren : Margaret, who married a Mr. James 
 in Ireland, and by whom she had several 
 children. Her husband died in Ireland 
 
1424 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and the children came with her to this 
 country. Afterward she became the wife 
 of Joseph Russell. Sarah, wife of Will- 
 iam Russell; Mary, who married a Mr. 
 Stephenson; Susanna, wife of Joseph 
 Bailey; Charles; Robert; Washington; 
 James; and John. All these aud their 
 consorts are now dead, except Joseph 
 Bailey, who is still living at the advanced 
 age of 93 years. The old homestead fell 
 into possession of Washington and James 
 Buchanan. James Buchanan, father of 
 the subject of this sketch, was born (1825) 
 in County Down, Ireland, and was eight 
 years of age when he accompanied his par- 
 ents to the United States. He was reared 
 on the farm in Mercer Township, Butler 
 County, which he aided in clearing, and 
 there spent his entire mature life, engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits. He also was the 
 owner of a farm in Marion Township, But- 
 ler County, which his son, Alexander, now 
 owns. 
 
 The first marriage of James Buchanan 
 was with Miss Isabelle Pringle, daughter 
 of Robert and Margaret (Nelson) Pringle, 
 who also was born in Ireland and in child- 
 hood accompanied her parents to this coun- 
 try. Her death occurred February 20, 
 ] 860, at the early age of 36 years, and was 
 survived by seven children, these being: 
 Margaret, widow of R. A. Hartley; Alex- 
 ander ; Sarah, wife of William Moore ; Rob- 
 ert; William; Mary, widow of G. D. Fos- 
 ter; and James C. James Buchanan sub- 
 sequently was joined in marriage with 
 Mrs. Eleanor Martin, widow of James 
 Martin and a daughter of George Ray. By 
 this union three children were born, Isa- 
 belle, wife of David Bovard; George, who 
 died October 18, 1865, and Susanna, who 
 died October 18, 1871. 
 
 Dr. James C. Buchanan was reared on 
 the old homestead and attended the public 
 schools of that district. He turned his at- 
 tention to farming aud continued at that 
 until he was twenty-eight years of age. He 
 was then in the employ of the Bessemer 
 
 Railroad for a period of seven years, and 
 in 1889 he began his preparation for the 
 profession of dentistry. He entered the 
 Baltimore College of Dental Surgery from 
 which he received the degree of D. D. S. in 
 1892. In April of that year he opened an 
 office for practice on Main Street in Har- 
 risville, and he has since continued in this 
 borough with good results. He resides on 
 a farm of ten acres in the borough, and 
 also is possessed of a valuable tract of 
 seventy-two acres (a part of the old home- 
 stead), together with twenty-five acres 
 (formerly owned by James McKisson), of 
 which nearly all is underlaid with lime- 
 stone. The Pittsburg Limestone Quarry 
 is located on this property. 
 
 Dr. James G. Buchanan was united in 
 marriage November 22, 1877, with Miss 
 Alice C. McKisson, a daughter of James 
 S. and Elisabeth (Wiley) McKisson of 
 Mercer Township, Butler County. The 
 following children were born to them : Her- 
 man I)., born February 8, 1880, died Au- 
 gust 27, 1883 ; Dr. James L., born June 6, 
 1882, and graduated from the dental de- 
 ])artment of the Western University of 
 Pennsylvania in 1906, and is engaged in 
 practice at Portersville, Pennsylvania; 
 Lester D. was born April 16, 1884, served 
 in the United States Army during the 
 Spanish- American war; Benjamin K. was 
 born July 17, 1888, and is a graduate of 
 the Slippery Rock State Normal School; 
 Gaylord W. was born May 20, 1892, and is 
 in attendance at Mercer Academy; Dean 
 H. was born November 25, 1894, and is an 
 attendant at the public school of Harris- 
 ville. Dr. James L. Buchanan was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mellissa Jack, September 29, 
 1903. Their children are as follows : James 
 William, Lawrence Douglas, and Alice 
 Floy. The subject of this record is a mem- 
 ber of the Butler County Dental Society. 
 In 1900 he pursued a post-graduate course 
 at Marchants Post-Graduate School of 
 Prosthetic Dentistry (Baltimore). Relig- 
 iously, he is a member of Harmony United 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1425 
 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he is a trus- 
 tee and a member of Session. In politics 
 he is unswerving in his support of Pro- 
 hibition principles, and was the candidate 
 for county treasurer on the Prohibition 
 ticket in 1908. He has served as president 
 of the Harrisville Council, of which body 
 he is at the iircsoit fiiiic secretary. He is 
 also ]iicsi(lcnt ;ui(l .livncral manager of the 
 Harrisville 'lele[ilinne Cuiiiiiauy, in wliich 
 he is a stockholder. 
 
 JOHN WESLEY POWELL, i)ostmaster 
 and general merchant at Sarver, Butler 
 Coimty, Pennsylvania, has had a varied 
 experience in the Imsiiiess world and has 
 met with a high decree of siu'cess. He was 
 born in this couuty, Sepleniber 11, 1853, 
 and is a son of Butler and Nancy (Black) 
 Powell. The Powell family has long heeii 
 one of prominence in eastern Pennsyl 
 vania, and dates back in this country to 
 the time of William Penn, from whom "they 
 received grants. They came from Eng- 
 land. The Powells in Butler County are 
 the direct heirs to valuable land in Phila- 
 delphia, which is now in litigation. 
 
 Butler Powell, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Allegheny County, 
 Pennsylvania, and was a son of Malachi 
 Powell. His mother's maiden name was 
 Butler. These parents came from the 
 eastern part of Pennsylvania about 1812, 
 and were farmers. Butler Powell was a 
 painter by trade and was one of the 
 pioneers at that trade in this part of But- 
 ler County. He later purchased a farm 
 in Buffalo Township, and there engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits the remainder of 
 his clays. He was united in marriage with 
 Nancy Black, and they became parents of 
 the following children: James, deceased; 
 Elizabeth Jane; John W.; David Alex- 
 ander, deceased; George Calvin; Clara 
 Belle; and Margaret Ann. 
 
 John W. Powell received his early edu- 
 cation in the common school of his home 
 district, supplemented by a course in the 
 
 state normal school at Edinboro, in Erie 
 County, Pennsylvania. He later engaged 
 in teaching in Buffalo Township for three 
 years, and then returned to Edinboro, 
 where he was graduated in the commercial 
 department. He went to Homestead and 
 was employed in a store for three years, 
 then went to Pittsburg, about the year 
 1881, and worked as booldieeper two years. 
 At the end of that time he was for one 
 year connected with a wholesale grocery 
 business at Allegheny, after which he re- 
 turned to the home farm in Buffalo Town- 
 ship and farmed for three years. He then 
 engaged in the mercantile business in 
 Sarver, and continued with uninterrupted 
 success for eleven years, when he sold out 
 and returned to the old farm. He followed 
 farming two years, and in the meantime 
 made the canvass for county treasurer. 
 He next went to New Kensington, where 
 he was in business three years, then re- 
 turned to Sarver, where he purchased the 
 l)roperty on which he is now located. He 
 has an up-to-date store, with a compre- 
 hensive line of dry goods, groceries and 
 hai'dware, and the thousand and one things 
 for which there is a demand in a small vil- 
 lage. He is widely known through this 
 section, and enjoys the liberal patronage 
 of the people. He has a large and com- 
 modious two-story residence on Main 
 Street, which is neat and attractive in ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 February 1, 1887, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Agnes Weber, a 
 daughter of John and Maria (Markle) 
 Weber, of Penn Township. They became 
 parents of the following children: Lillian, 
 who graduated from New Kensington 
 High School with the class of 1906, and is 
 now ticket agent at Sarver; Grladys; John 
 Butler; and David AVeber. Fraternally, 
 Mr. Powell is a member of Lodge No. 401, 
 Jr. O. IT. A. M. ; and Darling Coimcil No. 
 888, Royal Arcanum. He was one of the 
 charter members of the latter, which is at 
 present the banner council of Western 
 
1426 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Pennsylvauia, aud one of the strongest in 
 the entire state. Religiously, he is a mem- 
 ber of Fisk Chapel M. E. Church at 
 Leasureville, of which he is a steward. 
 
 a. W. KAYLOR, one of Fairview Town- 
 ship 's substantial citizens, residing on his 
 farm of 165 acres of valuable land, favor- 
 ably situated but three and one-half miles 
 east of Chicora, carries on threshing in 
 season, and also operates a saw-mill in ad- 
 dition to cultivating his large farm. He 
 was born on this farm, July 5, 1863, and 
 is a son of John and Susana (Pontious) 
 Kaylor. 
 
 The father of Mr.. Kaylor was born in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, but 
 married and spent the larger part of his 
 life in Butler County, where he died when 
 aged eighty-two years. His family con- 
 sisted of nine children, namely: Gabriel 
 W., J. G., John M., Lewis J., Hannah M., 
 Carolina E., Phoebe A., Emma D. and 
 Mary. 
 
 Gabriel W. Kaylor has devoted himself 
 entirely to agricultural pursuits and lum- 
 bering and has resided all his life in Fair- 
 view Township with the exception of one 
 year which he spent in Clearfield County, 
 Pennsylvania. He obtained a public school 
 education in his boyhood, but has been ac- 
 tively engaged in business ever since he 
 attained manhood. His farm is numbered 
 with the best ones in the township, giving 
 excellent crops, at the same time proving 
 rich in oil, there being three producing 
 wells on the place. Mr. Kaylor is an ener- 
 getic, practical man and has met with con- 
 siderable success in conducting his several 
 enterprises. 
 
 Tn 1893, Mr. Kaylor was married to Miss 
 Edna E. Linaberger, who is a daughter of 
 John Linaberger, of Armstrong County, 
 and thev have three children: Russell L., 
 born February 9, 1894; Clifford R., born 
 July 12, ] 895, and Thomas G., born August 
 6, 1897. Mr. Kaylor takes no very active 
 interest in politics, but he is always ready 
 
 to do a good citizen's duty when the wel- 
 fare of his community is at stake. 
 
 MANUEL A. KORONA, engineer at the 
 Nellie Coal Mine, at Argentine, in Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, has always lived in this community. 
 He was born in Washington Township, 
 July 14, 1887, and is a son of Louis L. and 
 Elizabeth (Wade) Korona. 
 
 Louis L. Korona was a well known resi- 
 dent of Washington Township, where he 
 resided imtil his death in 1897. He mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Wade, whose father, Isaac 
 Wade, was a soldier and lost his life in 
 battle. The following children were born 
 of their union : Manuel A. ; Mary ; Eliza- 
 beth, deceased; Annie; Louisa; and Louis. 
 
 Manuel A. Korona received his educa- 
 tional training in School No. 9, at Argen- 
 tine, and immediately thereafter entered 
 the employ of the Nellie Coal Mining Com- 
 pany, with which he has since continued. 
 He has been engineer at their plant for the 
 past two years and is one of their most 
 trusted employees. He was placed upon 
 his own resources at an early age, and the 
 success he has attained has been due to his 
 own cfloiis sdlcly. He is a Republican in 
 politics, and lakes an earnest interest in 
 the affairs of the community. Religiously, 
 he is a member of the LTnited Presbyterian 
 Church at North Hope. 
 
 WILLIAM J. BARTLEY, a veteran of 
 the Civil War and a pros^Derous farmer 
 of Buffalo Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, is the owner of a valuable tract 
 of seventy-two acres. He was born in 
 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, January 
 10, 1840, and is a son of Thomas and Mary 
 (Dick) Bartley, and a grandson of Thomas 
 Bartley, Sr. 
 
 Thomas Bartley, Sr., was born and 
 reared in County Antrim, Ireland, and 
 there learned the trade of weaver in the 
 town of Milletroy, where he lived. He 
 came to the ITnited States at an early date 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 and became an extensive landowner. He 
 lived in Penn Township, Butler County. 
 
 Thomas Bartley, Jr., was born on the 
 old Bartley homestead in Penn Township 
 which is still in the family name. He was 
 married to Mary Dick, and the following 
 children were born to them, all of whom 
 are now living: AVilliam J., subject of this 
 record; Isabella; Thomas A.; Joseph- 
 Margaret; and Mary L. They all reside 
 in this section of Pennsylvania. 
 
 William J. Bartley began his business 
 career by working in a brick yard with his 
 father, and in the meantime attended the 
 public schools. His educational training 
 was continued in Oakland Township, where 
 his father had purchased some 250 acres 
 of land and whither his family had moved. 
 In Sei^tember, 1864, he enlisted as a pri- 
 vate in Company K, 5th Reg., Pa. Art., at 
 Butler, and during the remainder of the 
 war served in the Army of the Potomac, 
 serving in all of the engagements fought. 
 After the war's close he returned to But- 
 ler County, and resumed farming ojiera- 
 tions. He has followed general farming, 
 and liis property in Buffalo Township is 
 one of the best improved in that vicinity. 
 He has taken an earnest and active inter- 
 est in the affairs and development of the 
 township, especially in matters pertaining 
 to the schools. He served on the school 
 board for a period of twenty years with 
 marked efficiency, and would probably be 
 serving yet had he not resigned. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Bartley was united in mar- 
 riage with ]\Iiss Emeline Millinger of Oak- 
 land Townshi]>, a daughter of Lewis S. 
 and Sarah (Buyer) Millinger. Her father, 
 now deceased, was a prosperous farmer of 
 that township, and her mother is now liv- 
 ing at the advanced age of eighty-five 
 years. The following children were born 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Bartley: Harry M., who 
 mnnied Miss Nora Williams; William D., 
 who married Miss Lulu Bierley; James L., 
 who now manages the home farm; and 
 
 1427 
 
 Zetta v., a graduate of Slippery Rock 
 Normal School. Religiously, they are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 church in Freeport. Mr. Bartley is a 
 member of James Harvey Post No. 514, 
 G. A. R., in Clinton Township, of which he 
 was commander for a number of years. 
 
 FRANK TOTTEN, an oil producer and 
 well known citizen of Petrolia, Butler 
 County, Penna., has been a resident of this 
 borough for the past sixteen years, and is 
 the owner of considerable oil and town 
 property. He was born in New York 
 State, December 28, 1869, and is a son of 
 Eber and Rebecca J. (Clapsaddle) Totten. 
 Eber Totten, now deceased, was an oil 
 producer and a successful business man. 
 He died at the. age of seventy-five years, 
 and his wife at the age of fifty-five years. 
 They were parents of the following chil- 
 dren : John, deceased; Burless, deceased; 
 Prank; Buelah; Burrell; Emma, deceased; 
 and Benjamin. 
 
 Frank Totten was about three months 
 old when his parents moved from New 
 York State to Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, 
 where the father engaged in the oil busi- 
 ness. He was about fourteen years old 
 when he came to Butler County, which has 
 been the seat of his entire business activ- 
 ity. He has always been identified with 
 the oil industry and is the owner of valu- 
 able properties. His home in Petrolia is 
 one of the finest in the borough. 
 
 Mr. Totten was married on June 17, 
 1896, to Miss Mary Sophia Milburger, a 
 daughter of John Milburger, their mar- 
 riage occurring at Petrolia. Her father is 
 deceased, and her mother is living at the 
 age of seventy-eight years. Religiously, 
 they are members of the Methodist church. 
 In fraternal affiliation, the subject of this 
 sketch is a member of the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of the 
 Maccabees at Petrolia, and the Masonic 
 Lodge at Parker. 
 
1428 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 CALEB B. McFARLIN, JR., is weigh- 
 master at the mines of the Nellie Coal 
 Mining Company, at Argentine, Waslung- 
 ton Township, in Butler County, Penna. 
 He was born at Salem, Ohio, and is a son 
 of Harmon and Alice (Whaley) McFarlm, 
 and a grandson of Samuel and Mary 
 (Kirk) McFarlin of Mercer County, Penn- 
 sylvania. ^ ^ „ 
 
 Harmon McFarlin was the youngest ot 
 the following children born to his par- 
 ents: Caleb B., superintendent of the 
 Nellie Coal Mining Company at Argen- 
 tine ; and Harmon. The latter was united 
 in marriage to Miss Alice Whaley, a 
 daughter of Samuel Whaley of Mercer 
 County, and to them were born five chil- 
 dren—Harry, Caleb J. Jr., Jennie, May 
 and Nellie. 
 
 Caleb B. McFarlin, Jr., attended the 
 public schools at Mansfield, Ohio, and later 
 the schools at Annisville, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, whither his father had 
 moved. His first work was with the 
 United States Telephone Company of 
 Ohio, which position he left to accept that 
 of weighmaster with the Nellie Coal Com- 
 pany. He is a man of good business abil- 
 ity, and is highly regarded by his asso- 
 ciates and friends throughout this com- 
 munity. He is a member of the Knights 
 of Pythias of Annandale. He is a Repub- 
 lican in polities, whilst religiously he at- 
 tends the Free Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Argentine. 
 
 MARTIN SAUTER is a prosperous 
 farmer of Buffalo Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and owns a farm 
 of 12.3 acres of fine land located about a 
 quarter of a mile south of Sarver on the 
 east side of the Ih-oeport Pike. He was 
 born in Germany November 11, 18.38, and 
 is a son of Joseph and Mary (Sehree) 
 Sauter, and a grandson of Michael Sauter. 
 His father engaged in farming in that 
 country, where he lived all his life. 
 
 Martin Sauter, after receiving a supe- 
 
 rior education in the public schools of 
 Germany, learned the trade of a shoe- 
 maker and was thus employed there until 
 1866. He then came to the United States, 
 just after the close of the Civil War, and 
 for a period of fifteen years engaged at 
 the shoemaking trade in Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania. He then purchased his present 
 farm in Buffalo Township, Butler County, 
 where he has since continued with uninter- 
 lupted success. 
 
 May 30, 1870, Mr. Sauter was united in 
 marriage with Miss Alberta Neibert, by 
 whom he has the following children : Emil, 
 deceased; Charles, a carpenter by trade, 
 who was married to Emily Drane; Leon- 
 ard, deceased ; Emma, wife of Roy Kling- 
 smith; Theodore, who at the present time 
 is the active head on the home farm. — He 
 is twenty-six years of age and a fine 
 sjDecimen of physical manhood, being an 
 all-around athlete; — and Tillie, who is the 
 youngest of the family. Religiously, they 
 are devout members of the Catholic 
 cliurch. Mr. Sauter has a fine home of two 
 stories, and has one of the best improved 
 farms in his section of the county. 
 
 SAMUEL H. KAMERER, a prominent 
 citizen of Fairview Township, resides on 
 his fine farm of 125 acres, which is not only 
 well adapted to agriculture, but is also rich 
 in gas and oil. Mr. Kamerer was born in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylavnia. Janu- 
 ary 25, 1853, and is a son of Daniel L. and 
 Anna Harriet (Daubenspeck) Kamerer. 
 
 The grandfather, Peter Kamerer, set- 
 tled in Armstrong County in 1790, and 
 there his son, Daniel L., was born in 1811. 
 The latter, in 3853, removed, with his fam- 
 ilj', to Butler founty and settled on the 
 farm in Fairview Townslii]i wliich now be- 
 longs to his son, Samuel H. Daniel L. 
 Kamerer and wife had thirteen children 
 born to them, as follows: Peter, John, 
 Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, George D., 
 William, Adam, Catherine, Lavina, Lewis 
 L., Hannah and Samuel H. The father of 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1429 
 
 this family died in 1896, and the mother in 
 1905, having reached her ninety-third year. 
 They were well known and respected peo- 
 ple. 
 
 Samuel H. Kamerer was two years old 
 when his parents came to his present farm 
 and this has remained his home ever since. 
 In his boyhood he attended the coimty 
 schools and since then has been interested 
 in developing and improving his farm and 
 in late years has also been engaged in oil 
 production. At the present time he has 
 five producing oil wells and two gas wells 
 on his place. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Kamerer was married at 
 Muncey, Pennsylvania, to Miss Nina A. 
 Henton, who is a daughter of the late 
 Charles and Lydia Henton, former resi- 
 dents of Erie County, Pennsylvania, where 
 the father died aged seventy-four years 
 and the mother aged sixty years. Mrs. 
 Kamerer is one of a family of nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Jennie, deceased, Fannie, 
 Tillie, Nellie, Lettie, Nina, William, and 
 two that died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kamerer have three chil- 
 dren—Ethel L., Obed G. and Edna B. Ethel 
 L. was educated in the Slippery Rock State 
 Normal School and the Irvin Academy for 
 Young Ladies, at Mechanicsburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania. She married Dr. S. J. Lackey, of 
 Chicora, and they reside at Limestone, 
 Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and have 
 two children: Evelyn Romain and Geral- 
 dine Lucile. Obed G. Kamerer attended 
 the State Normal School at Slippery Rock 
 for two years and on June 16, 1908, was 
 graduated from Duff's Business College at 
 Pittsburg. Mr. Kamerer and family are 
 members of the Ijutheran Churcii at Mt. 
 Pleasant. 
 
 Mr. Kamerer takes a prominent i)art in 
 public affairs in his township and has fre- 
 quentl.y served in the local offices, for 
 twelve years consenting to be a school di- 
 rector. He is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows, belonging to both the subordinate 
 lodge and the Encamimient, is a member 
 
 of the Maccabees lodge at Chicora, and has 
 passed all the chairs in the lodge of 
 Knights of Pythias. He is a man of wide 
 acquaintance and much influence. 
 
 ALBERT WARREN ROBB, a well 
 known and popular young citizen of Wash- 
 ington Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 is fireman at the Nellie Coal Mine at Ar- 
 gentine. He was born in Parker Town- 
 ship, Butler Coimty, October 7, 1880, and 
 is fi son of Madison C. and Bertha (Sims) 
 Robb, and a grandson of John Robb. 
 
 John Robb, the grandfather, reared the 
 following family of children: Frank of 
 Oil City, Pennsylvania; Sarah, wife of F. 
 Milford ; Martha, who married George Mc- 
 Mahan; and Madison C. The last named 
 was married to Bertha Sims, and the fol- 
 lowing children were born to them : Albert 
 Warren, Finley, who married Pearl Knox, 
 Deljihia, Clyde, Stella, who is the wife of 
 Edward Sedwick, Irene, Mary, Floyd, 
 Howard, and Roy. 
 
 xVlbert Warren Robb was reared to man- 
 hood in his native township, and there re- 
 ceived a common school education, first at- 
 tending the McMahan School. His first 
 business employment was at dressing tools 
 in the oil fields, which he continued until 
 he l)ecame fireman at the mines of the Nel- 
 lie Coal Company. He is an able and con- 
 scientious workman, and enjoys the- esteem 
 and confidence of his employers and fellow 
 workmen. Mr. Robb is a Republican in 
 politics. Religiously, he is a member of 
 the Presbyterian church at New Salem. 
 
 JOHN L. M. HALSTEAD, M.D., a busy 
 ]ihysician and surgeon of Sarversville, is a 
 representative of one of the oldest families 
 in Clinton Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, where he was born, in 1869. He 
 is a son of John and Sarah A. (Hazlett) 
 Halstead and a grandson of Henry Hal- 
 stead. 
 
 It was Dr. Halstead 's grandfather, 
 Henry Halstead, who came from England 
 
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 and established the family now so well 
 known to Clinton Township. He cleared 
 the land on which the home of Dr. Halstead 
 stands and he laid out the present town of 
 Sarversville, which he named Whalley, in 
 remembrance of his native village in Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Dr. Halstead was reared on his father's 
 farm in Clinton Township and started to 
 school when he was but five years old. 
 When aged nineteen, he entered the West 
 Snnbury Academy, after which he read 
 medicine and attended medical college at 
 Louisville, Kentucky, where he was gradu- 
 ated in 1898. After his return to Penn- 
 sylvania, he took the required examination 
 before the State Board, and then entered 
 into practice at Tarentum, where he con- 
 tinued for three years. Since then he has 
 lived on the G. W. Painter liomestead in 
 Buffalo Township. Being the only physi- 
 cian in the extreme south end of the 
 county. Dr. Halstead enjoys an unusually 
 large practice. Many of the old families 
 in that section have known him from child- 
 hood and many others have tested his med- 
 ical skill within the past few years, and a 
 markedly large number of his fellow citi- 
 zens repose confidence in him profession- 
 ally and respect him l^ersonall}^ 
 
 Dr. Halstead married Miss M. Helen 
 Painter, who is a daughter of George W. 
 and Mary (Buckley) Painter, substantial 
 farming people of Clinton Township. Dr. 
 Halstead was reared in the Presbyterian 
 Church in which his parents were active 
 for many years. 
 
 JAMES C. WIDGER, a representative 
 citizen of Fairview Township, where he 
 owns oil leases, has been identified with the 
 oil industry during the entire course of his 
 business life. He was born April 9, 1850, 
 near New Brighton, Beaver County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of James and Sarah 
 (Saddler) Widger. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Widger came to 
 Western Pennsylvania from Philadelphia. 
 
 The father engaged in paper manufactur- 
 ing, first at New Brighton and later at 
 Pittsburg, and then moved to Oil City and 
 went into the oil refinery business. He 
 survived to the age of eighty-one years but 
 his wife died when aged sixty-one. They 
 had children as follows: Lafayette and 
 John, both deceased; James C. ; Hannah, 
 deceased, was the wife of John Love; 
 Eliza, married Mathias Cole; Phebe, de- 
 ceased; Mary E., married I). S. Criswell, 
 and three died in infancy. 
 
 James C. Widger was three years old 
 when his parents moved to Pittsburg, 
 where they lived until he was eight years 
 old, when they located at Oil City. There 
 he went to school through early boyhood 
 but as soon as old enough, he found work 
 to do for his father. He remained at Oil 
 City until 1868 and then moved to Petro- 
 lia, Butler County. He grew up in the oil 
 business and has had much experience in 
 every phase of it. 
 
 On April 14, 1885, Mr. Widger was mar- 
 ried to Miss Lida Fall, who was born in 
 England and is the third member of her 
 parents' family of six children, she, with 
 two older brothers, Henry and William, 
 having been born before the family left 
 England, and Anna, Catherine and John, 
 after the family settled at Pittslturg. Air. 
 and Mrs. Widger have one son, Howard, 
 who was born February 10, ]S9."). Mr. Wid- 
 ger is a member of the Royal Arcanum 
 lodge at Petrolia, and the Masonic lodge 
 at Chicora. 
 
 O. P. BERRY, founder and for some 
 years yjroprietor of the Berry Machine 
 Company at Petrolia, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, is the inventor of the Berry 
 Pump Piston or Plunger Valve, which is 
 coming into more general use in sand wells 
 every day. It is an article which has been 
 tried in service for some years and not 
 found wanting, and its durability and ef- 
 ficiency enables it to outstrip its competi- 
 tors. 
 
> 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1433 
 
 0. P. Berry was born in Elk County, 
 Pennsylvania, July 8, 1845, and is a son 
 of John and Elizabeth (Silvers) Berry. His 
 father was born near Brady's Bend in 
 1810, and died at the age of forty-nine 
 years. His mother was born in Butler 
 County in 1821. There were the following- 
 children born of their marriage: David, 
 John, O. P., Wakefield, George A., Thomas 
 M., Miles H. and Catherine. The mother 
 of this family formed a second marital 
 union with Samuel Jordan, and they had 
 two children, Abner M. and Annie E. 
 
 O. P. Berry lived in Elk County until 
 his seventh year when his parents moved 
 to Clarion County, his father dying at 
 Monterey. He was reared in that county 
 and there learned the trade of a machin- 
 ist ; for a period of nine years he traveled 
 a))out for H. T. Blaiiey, setting up 
 machinery. In 1896 he established what 
 has since been known as the Berry Ma- 
 chine Company, which he operated with 
 much success for some years and then 
 turned it over to his .sons. He obtained a 
 patent from the government on his inven- 
 ,tiou. He is a inciiil)er of the order of 
 Amei'ican Ali'rlijinics. 
 
 Mr. Berry is a veteran of the Civil War, 
 having enlisted in 1861 as a private in 
 Company F, Sixty-seventh Regiment of 
 Pennsylvania, and served until January 
 4, 1865, when they were discharged at 
 Washington, D. C. The regiment was in 
 many important fiinanciiiciits and all its 
 members were taken inisdiiers in tlie Shen- 
 andoah, the regiment lieing hadiy demor- 
 alized. He is a member of the Grand Army 
 of the Republic. He has always taken a 
 deep interest in public affairs, and has 
 served the village as constable and as coun- 
 cilman. 
 
 September 3, 1872, Mr. Berry was mar- 
 ried to Miss Melinda J. Bowser, a daugh- 
 ter of Peter and Jane Bowser. Her father 
 died May 14, 1879, and her mother lived 
 to reach the age of seventy-eight years. 
 They were parents of the following chil- 
 
 dren: Alfred, Lewis, Logan, Andrew J., 
 James M., Ross T., Harry M., Melancthou 
 G., Adeline, Melinda J. and Amelia. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs.^Berry also became parents 
 of eleven children: Lewis D., John P., 
 George I., Harry II., Pryor, Roy, Eliza- 
 beth J., Alma v., Adeline, Arminta L. and 
 Lotta G. Lewis D., who lives at Petrolia, 
 married Clara Stoughton and has two 
 children, Ruth iind Pauline. John P. 
 Berry of Petrolia, mari-ied Allie Given 
 and they have three children — Chester, 
 Mary M. and Iva. Elizabeth J. Married 
 Demer Hemphill of Fairview Township, 
 and they have a son, Roy. Alma V. mar- 
 ried AVilliam Neal of Petrolia and they 
 have two children, Elizabeth and Pryor. 
 Arminta married James W. Espey and 
 has Laurine, Helen, and Walter R. Ada 
 Berry married Geo. L. Gilchrist and has 
 one son, Lawrence. 
 
 HARVEY A. SLOAN, a well known citi- 
 zen and business man of Eau Claire, But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, is engaged in 
 the jewelry business and is also efficiently 
 discharging the duties of postmaster of 
 that village. He was born in Emlenton, 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania, November 
 12, 1847, and is a son of John and Sarah 
 (Allabaugh) Sloan. 
 
 Samuel C. Sloan, grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch, was united in mar- 
 riage with Mary Foster, a native of Ire- 
 land, and they had two sons, Samuel and 
 John. Samuel married Elizabeth Conn 
 and had the following children — Mary 
 Jane, Caroline, Nancy Ellen, Margaret 
 and Perry. John married Sarah Alla- 
 baugh, daughter of Henry Allabaugh of 
 Berks County, Pennsylvania, and they be- 
 came parents of the following: Harvey 
 A., whose name heads this record; Sarah 
 Elizabeth, wife of John Sowasli, by whom 
 she has the following children — Elmer, 
 Frances, Emma, George, Jackson, and 
 Harry; Emma, who married Stewart 
 Eakins of Venango Township and has four 
 
1434 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 children — Plummer, Frank, Charles and 
 Harry; William, who is married and lives 
 in California; Samuel, who married Pris- 
 cilla Eisenbaugh; and Melvin, who is de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Harvey A. Sloan received his educa- 
 tional training in the public schools of Em- 
 lentou, and in Cherry Valley, whither his 
 parents had moved. He early in life 
 learned the trade of a jeweler and watch 
 repairer, which he has followed through- 
 out his active business career, although for 
 a period of twenty years he also engaged 
 in barbering. He owns the home in which 
 he lives in Eau Claire and is a prosperous 
 citizen. For more than two years he has 
 discharged the duties of postmaster, and 
 has gained the good will and approval of 
 the citizens. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, and for a period of six years served 
 as school director in West Sunbury, and a 
 like period in Clintonville. He also served 
 three j^ears as councilman at Clintonville, 
 and six years as constable. 
 
 Mr. Sloan was united in marriage with 
 Miss Amelia C. Delamater, a daughter of 
 Leonard Delamater, and to them were 
 born the following : Marshall, who resides 
 in Nebraska; Harry L., an instructor in 
 the public schools ; Edith, who was gradu- 
 ated from Eau Claire Academy with the 
 class of 1908; Esther; Homer, deceased; 
 and Hazel. Religiously, the family belongs 
 to the United Presbyterian Church of Eau 
 Claire, and Mr. Sloan has been a church 
 member for more than forty years. Miss 
 Edith Sloan is church organist and is also 
 a teacher in the Sabbath School, being 
 verv active in church work. 
 
 16, 1865. His parents were John and Eva 
 Falkner. 
 
 John Falkner and his brother Lawrence 
 were born in Germany and both came to 
 America young, leaving their parents in 
 the old country. Lawrence Falkner settled 
 at Cleveland, Ohio, where he reared a large 
 family and died about 1894. John Falkner 
 came to Butler Count}' and secured the 
 present farm in Buffalo Township and 
 here worked hard to improve his property 
 and develop the capacity of the soil. This 
 farm has been cultivated for about a half 
 century. John Falkner had seven children : 
 John W., Louis H., William, Samuel, Mat- 
 thew, Lizzie and Anna (deceased). 
 
 Samuel Falkner obtained his education 
 in the public schools. His home has always 
 been on his present farm and since it has 
 come into his possession he has continued 
 the work his father commenced. The land 
 is fertile and well watered, and lies on both 
 sides of the Bear Creek road. Mr. Falkner 
 grows the usual grains of this climate and 
 raises stock for his own use and does dairy- 
 ing for domestic purposes. On December 
 25, 1888, he was married to Lizzie Wagner, 
 who is a daughter of Daniel Wagner, who 
 formerly lived at Pittsburg. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Falkner have had ten children, namely: 
 Eva, Albert, Ida, Helen, Bessie, Frederick, 
 Samuel, Harold, Berenice and Lewis, all of 
 whom survive except the youngest. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Falkner are valued members of 
 the Lutheran Church, in which he was an 
 elder at one time. They are estimable, hos- 
 pitable, people who live in pleasant accord 
 with their neighbors and have a wide circle 
 of friends. 
 
 SAMUEL FALKNER, one of Buffalo 
 Township's most respected citizens, re- 
 sides on his finely cultivated farm of sev- 
 enty acres, which lies on the Bear Creek 
 road about one mile east of Sarver. This 
 is a part of the old Falkner homestead, 
 and iiere Mr. Falkner was born November 
 
 ISAAC KAYLOR, owner and proprie- 
 tor of 119 acres of good farming land in 
 Fairview Township, was born on his pres- 
 ent farm, January 5, 1843, son of Peter and 
 Anna (Silvis) Kaylor. His paternal grand- 
 father, Leonard Kaylor, was one of the 
 early settlers of this township. Leonard 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1435 
 
 Kaylor, with his son Peter, fatlier of the 
 subject of this sketch, cleared this farm, 
 whicli when they took hold of it, was all 
 brush and woods. 
 
 Peter Kaylor was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Penna. Both he and his father, 
 Leonard, served in the War of 1812-15. 
 Peter Kaylor died in 1861, at the age of 
 sixty-six years, and his wife Anna died at 
 the same age in 1874, she being about thir- 
 teen years younger than her husband. They 
 were the parents of eight children, who 
 were as follows: Jacob, born March 24, 
 1825; Elizabeth, born February 3, 1827; 
 Pollj-, born September 28, 1829; Anna, 
 born March 10, 1832; Christina, born 
 March 8, 1834; Sarah, born February 20, 
 1838; Sophia, born March 22, 1840," and 
 Isaac, born January 5, 1843. 
 
 Isaac Kaylor has always resided on his 
 present farm. In boyhood he attended the 
 old log schoolhouse on the McLaughlin 
 farm anxl afterward a frame school that 
 w^as erected on the William McLaughlin 
 farm. He was brought up to agriculture 
 and has always been a farmer. When he 
 reached his majority the Civil War was 
 raging, and, resolved to do his part for the 
 preservation of the Union, he enlisted for 
 three years, at Butler, in Company H, 102d 
 Pennsylvania Infantry, with which he took 
 part in the battles of the Wilderness, siege 
 of Petersburg, Sailors' Creek, and in the 
 pursuit of Lee to Appomattox, being pres- 
 ent at the surrender of the main Confed- 
 erate army under that general, May 5, 
 1865. He was wounded in the battle of the 
 Wilderness by a gun shot in the left cheek, 
 which shattered the jaw bone, cut the 
 tongue and affected the left eye. He was 
 in the hospital at Washington for about 
 two weeks and in the Satterlee Hospital at 
 Philadelphia until near the end of the year 
 (1864), when he was furloughed for twenty 
 days, rejoining his command at the siege 
 of Petersburg. He was honorably dis- 
 charged June 28, 1865, near Washington, 
 D. C, and returning home resumed farm- 
 
 ing and has resided at his present location 
 ever since. 
 
 Mr. Kaylor was married, January 17, 
 ]867, at the home of his bride, to Priscilla 
 Barnhart, a daughter of Michael and 
 Ivachel (Hemphill) Barnhart, of Donegal 
 Township, Butler County, Penna. Mrs. 
 Kaylor was one of six brothers and sisters, 
 namely: Kathryn, Peter A., Anna M., 
 Adam, Ruben, and Priscilla. Her father 
 died November 16, 1895, at the age of 
 eight.v-six years, and her mother March 17, 
 1887, at the age of eighty. 
 
 'Mv. and Mrs. Kaylor 's family number 
 two children, both daughters — Rachel E. 
 and Anna E. The former married Joe 
 Kaylor and resides in Armstrong Coimty, 
 this State. She has had four children — 
 Edna A. (deceased), Priscilla J., Mary L., 
 and Isaac L. Anna Kaylor married J. B. 
 Jordan and resides in Butler County. She 
 has two children — Herbert I. and Rich- 
 ard S. J. 
 
 Mr. Kaylor is a member of Campbell 
 Post, G. A. R., of Petrolia. He has served 
 the township acceptably as judge of elec- 
 tion and as school director as well as in 
 other minor offices. He and his family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church of Mt. 
 Pleasant. 
 
 JOHN FULTON GALLAWAY, a well 
 known citizen and substantial business 
 man of Hilliard, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, is proprietor of the hotel at that vil- 
 lage and has a well established business. 
 He was born in Mercer County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, April 8, 1849, and is a son of 
 Thomas and Sarah (Ghost) Gallaway. and 
 a grandson of AA'illiam Gallaway. 
 
 Thomas Gallaway was born in Ireland 
 and was one of the following children born 
 to his parents: William; John; Thomas; 
 Isaac, who married Eliza Kohlter, daugh- 
 ter of John Kohlter of Mercer County ; and 
 Eliza, dece'ased. Thomas came to the 
 United States at the age of seventeen 
 
1436 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 years and landed at New Y^ork City with 
 just seventy-five cents in liis pocliet. He 
 received employment at blasting rock in 
 the construction of the Erie Canal, then 
 worked for a distiller in New York State. 
 He was an industrious man, and of a fru- 
 gal and saving disposition, and while tlms 
 employed accumulated enough money to 
 purchase a farm of 150 acres in Mercer 
 County, Pennsylvania. It was a heavily 
 timbered tract, but little of the land having 
 been cleared. He cleared the farm and 
 lived upon it for a time, then purchased 
 the Ross tract of land, consisting of 300 
 acres, on which he engaged in stock raising 
 on an extensive scale. He at the same time 
 carried on a general store at Mechanics- 
 ville, in Venango County. He married 
 there to Sarah Ghost, a daughter of Philip 
 Ghost, of Venango County, and they 
 reared the following children : Craft, who 
 married Mary Ellen Atwell, a daughter of 
 John Atwell of Mercer County, and has 
 three children, — Thomas, Clyde and Eliza- 
 beth; Isaac, who married Mary Jane Bon- 
 ner, a daughter of Archie Bonner of Ve- 
 nango County, by whom he has one son 
 and two daughters, — John, Elizabeth and 
 Susan; John F., whose name heads this 
 sketch; Ann Elizabeth, deceased; Mary, 
 deceased; Lytle, deceased; and Martha, 
 deceased. 
 
 John Fulton Gallaway attended school 
 in Venango County, after which he en- 
 gaged in farming and clerked in the store 
 conducted by his father. He purchased 
 eighty -five acres of land one-half mile south 
 of Westley P. O. He went from there to 
 Callery Junction during the oil excitement 
 and teamed, having three teams. These he 
 traded for a store and stock of merchan- 
 dise at Barkeyville, Venango County, pay- 
 ing the diiference in value in cash. He 
 went from there to Mechanicsville, where 
 he rented the Woods property for one 
 year, then purchased that farm. He later 
 traded that farm for sixty-five acres of 
 land located about two miles north of Har- 
 
 risville, in Butler County, and carried on 
 general farming until the marriage of his 
 son, Walter, when he left the farm in the 
 latter 's charge. He then returned to Me- 
 chanicsville, and after a time sold his prop- 
 erty to Robert B. Eakin and moved to 
 Richland Township, Butler County, where 
 he purchased fifty acres of coal land. He 
 later came to Hilliard and in competition 
 with others obtained the contract for the 
 Star Mail Route from Hilliard to Petrolia. 
 When the rural free delivery was estab- 
 lished he was given Route No. 52, over 
 which he carried the mail for two years 
 and three months. He then purchased the 
 hotel at Hilliard, which he has since con- 
 ducted with uninterrupted success. 
 
 Mr. Gallaway was united in marriage 
 with Miss Caroline Holfman, daughter of 
 Walter Hoffman of Venango County, and 
 they have four children: Thomas, who 
 married Emma Syrena, daughter of Fin- 
 ley Syrena, and has three children — Ralph, 
 Raymond and Leonard; Walter, who mar- 
 ried Blanche Syrena, a daughter of John 
 Syrena; Mary, who married John A. Blair, 
 son of A. N. Blair, and has three chil- 
 dren — Marie, John Freeman and Edna; 
 and Ida. who married J. S. Kohlmyre, son , 
 of Marion Kohlmyre of Butler County, and 
 has one child, Althica. Religiously, they 
 are members of the M. E. Church. Politi- 
 cally, Mr. Gallaway is a Prohibitionist. 
 
 CHESTER A. EKAS, a progressive 
 and enteri^rising young farmer of Buffalo 
 Township, residing on his excellent farm 
 of fifty acres, which is situated on the 
 Butler Road, about a quarter of a mile 
 from Ekastowu, was born on the old Ekas 
 homestead, in Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, May 28, 1887. His parents are 
 Adam and Mary Jane (Kirk) Ekas, and 
 he is a grandson of John Ekas. 
 
 John Ekas, the grandfather, was born 
 in Germany and when he came to Buffalo 
 Township, Butler County, he found him- 
 self one of the earliest settlers. The vil- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1437 
 
 lage that subsequently came into beiug 
 near his farm was named in his honor. 
 
 Adam Ekas, father of Chester A., suc- 
 ceeded his father and has been engaged 
 in farming tlirough the whole of his 
 mature life. His children were Agnes, 
 James, Clementine and Chester A. 
 
 Chester A. Ekas attended the schools 
 near his father's farm, on which he has 
 always resided. He was trained to agri- 
 cultural pursuits in the most practical 
 way, and, although he is one of the young- 
 est inde])endent farmers of the county, he 
 is one of the most successful. His farm 
 is a portion of the old Ekas homestead 
 and its present owner takes a deep inter- 
 est in its development and improvement. 
 On February 12, 1908, he was married to 
 Miss Carrie Ohl, who is a daughter of 
 George E. and Mary (Higgins) Ohl. ^Mr. 
 Ohl is a successful farmer of Butler 
 County. His parents were Henry and 
 Johanna (Kramer) Ohl. Grandfather Ohl 
 came from Germany to America very 
 many years ago and was an early settler 
 in Butler County, where he has many de- 
 scendants. The above marriage united 
 two prominent families. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ekas are members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. They are very popular in 
 the pleasant social life of the community. 
 
 PURMAN STEWART, a successful 
 farmer of Washington Township, who is 
 carrying on operations on an excellent 
 tract of 120 acres, was born on his pres- 
 ent property in Washington Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, January 27, 
 1876, and is a son of William C. and Mary 
 (Stanley) Stewart. 
 
 William M. Stewart, the grandfather of 
 Furman, married Rebecca Jane McCall, 
 who was a daughter of Samuel McCall, of 
 Donegal Township, and they had the fol- 
 lowing children : Samuel M., died in young 
 manhood; John, died when young; Nancy 
 Jane, deceased; William C. ; Anna Eliza, 
 married Reuben Heckathorn, of Venango 
 
 County; Wilson McCall married (first) 
 Sarah Day, daughter of John Day, and 
 (second) Mary Johnce, daughter of Hir- 
 man Johnce; and Louisa M., married 
 Joseph Campbell, of Concord Township. 
 
 William C. Stewart was married to 
 ]\Iary Stanley, who was a daughter of An- 
 drew Stanley, of Lawrence County. Mr. 
 Stanley married Elizabeth Heckathorn, 
 daughter of John Heckathorn, a cabinet- 
 maker, and they had the following chil- 
 dren: John, married Barbara C. Fox, 
 daughter of Michael Fox ; Sarah, married 
 Peter Young, of Slippery Rock Township, 
 Lawrence County; Elizabeth, married 
 Mark Mencer, of Indiana County; Ann. 
 married Milton L. McCormick, of Slippery 
 Rock Township; Maiy; Jane, who mar- 
 ried George Smitb of Slippery Rock 
 Township, died in Lawrence County, 
 Pennsylvania; Andrew, married Isabelle 
 Wood, daughter of Gideon Wood of Law- 
 rence County; Rachel; and Cephas, who 
 married Elizabeth Hunt, daughter of 
 James Hunt of Lawrence County. The 
 children born to William C. and Mary 
 (Stanley) Stewart were: Elizabeth Jane, 
 residing on the homestead; William A., 
 married Cora A. McCoy, daughter of 
 Lewis McCoy, of Grove City, Mercer 
 County; Lena, married A. M. Christy, of 
 Washington Township; Mary Eva, mar- 
 ried L. M. Dickey, of Butler; John S., 
 married Lydia Ross, daughter of John 
 Ross of Cherry Township, and resides at 
 Butler; and Furman. Both William C. 
 Stewart and Andrew Stanley offered their 
 services in their coiiiitiy's (IcftMisc during 
 the Civil War, but the Uninw was refused 
 on account of dcft-ctivc teeth al'tei- liaving 
 gone as far as Pittsburg. Mr. Stanley 
 served in the struggle, however, and was 
 never wounded, although he had a narrow 
 escape from injury at Pittsburg Landing, 
 his cap being shot from his head while he 
 was eating breakfast. 
 
 Furman Stewart first attended the com- 
 mon schools of his native vicinity, and 
 
1438 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 later took a course at an academy, after 
 leaving which he engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits, in which he has been engaged 
 ever since. He now owns a fine farm of 
 120 acres in Washington Township, on 
 which he has erected a handsome resi- 
 dence, his father having built all of the 
 other farm buildings. Although he has 
 never tested for oil on his farm, there 
 are believed to be three or four wells on 
 the property, and it is considered one of 
 the valuable tracts of farming land in 
 Washington Township. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was married to Sarah 
 Hummel, who died January -25, 1909. She 
 was a daughter of Jeremiah Hummel of 
 Cherry Township. Of this union there 
 were born seven children, as follows: 
 Ethel, Cora, Lois and Paul, who are stu- 
 dents in the public schools; and Charles, 
 Mary and William John, residing at home. 
 In his political views, Mr. Stewart is a 
 Republican. He attends the Presbyterian 
 Church at Pleasant Valley. 
 
 REUBEN FRANKLIN RUCH, who 
 
 has a comfortable home and six acres of 
 land on the road between Petrolia and 
 Karns City, has been a resident of Fair- 
 view Township, Butler County, Penna., 
 since May, 1872. He followed oil well 
 drilling and contracting with good success. 
 He was born in Lehigh County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, May 14, 1844, and is a son of 
 Charles and Sarah (Burkhalter) Ruch. 
 
 The Ruch family is an old and promi- 
 nent one of Lehigh County. General 
 Peter Ruch, grandfather of the subject of 
 this sketch, was a soldier in the War of 
 1812, and afterward received his title of 
 general in the State Militia. He was born 
 in Lehigh County, Februai-y 28, 1779. and 
 was a son of Lawrence Ruch, a soldier of 
 the Revolutionary War, who was born on 
 November 14, 1744. The father of Law- 
 rence Ruch was George Ruch, who came 
 to the United States from Alsace, Ger- 
 many, and was buried in Lehigh County, 
 
 where he died at the remarkable age of 
 one hundred and five years. 
 
 Charles Ruch, father of our subject, was 
 born in Lehigh County, August 23, 1803, 
 and there passed a long and useful life. 
 He was married to Sarah Burkhalter, 
 whose great-grandfather, John Peter 
 Burkhalter, was a soldier in the American 
 Army during the Revolutionary War. She 
 is descended from one Ulrich Burkhalter, 
 who came to this country on the "Samuel 
 of Sweden," landing on August 11, 1732. 
 He had a son, Peter, and a daughter, Eliz- 
 abeth Barbara, the latter intermarrying 
 with John Jacob Mickley. Charles and 
 Sarah (Burkhalter) Ruch became parents 
 of the following children: Henry, de- 
 ceased ; Allen P., who was a soldier in the 
 Union Army during the Rebellion; Ste- 
 phen, deceased, who was a physician; 
 Solomon; Reuben Franklin; Edwin L., 
 whose recent death at Karns City resulted 
 from an accident; Susan, deceased; and 
 Sarah, who married John J. Reel and lives 
 at Scranton. 
 
 Reuben F. Ruch lived in Lehigh County 
 until he was about twenty-one years of 
 age, and there received his educational 
 training and learned the trade of a shoe- 
 maker. AVith the Civil War in full swing, 
 he was consumed by the fighting spirit 
 and patriotism inherited from his ances- 
 tors, and on September 22, 1862, enlisted 
 for nine months as a member of Company 
 F, 153rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teer Infantry, at Easton, Northampton 
 County, Pennsylvania. He served ten 
 months, participating in two of the most 
 important engagements of the war, Chan- 
 cellorsville and Gettysburg. In the latter 
 was wounded by a shot in the knee and was 
 confined in the hospital at Harrisburg for 
 one month. He was then taken in a car- 
 riage by his captain to Camp Curtin, 
 where he was mustered out July 24, 1863. 
 He returned to his home and spent six 
 months in convalescing. He then taught 
 school from Novembei*, 1864, to 1865, in 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1441 
 
 which year he went to Oil City, arriving 
 there on the night of the assassination of 
 President Lincoln. He worked in the oil 
 fields there at drilling and contracting, 
 and then in 1872 moved to Petrolia, But- 
 ler County, during the oil excitement. 
 Here he continued the business of drilling 
 and contracting and met with great suc- 
 cess. In March, 1887, he purchased his 
 present place of Jesse L. Cole and has 
 since resided here. 
 
 September 25, 1870, Mr. Euch was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Sarah Gross, 
 a daughter of Jesse Gross, and she died 
 March 21, 1902. They adopted a daugh- 
 ter. Miss Zella, who keeps house for Mr. 
 Euch. Fraternally, he is a member of 
 Karns City Lodge, No. 931, L 0. 0. F.; 
 Karns City Dura, No. 498, K. P. of Petro- 
 lia; and Campbell Post, G. A. R. He lias 
 been representative to the Grand Lodge 
 of each of these orders and passed through 
 the various chairs. He is a Democrat in 
 politics, and is at the present roadmaster. 
 
 WILLIAM WAHL, owner and pro- 
 prietor of the Waldorf Hotel of Evans 
 City, Pennsylvania, comes of one of the 
 prominent old pioneer families of that sec- 
 tion of Butler County. He was .bo-rn on 
 his father's farm in Forward Township, 
 February 15, 1852, and is a son of Martin, 
 Jr., and Christina (Kriess) Wahl. 
 
 Martin Wahl, Sr., grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch, with his wife, Lena, 
 and their family emigrated from Alsace- 
 Lorraine, France, about 1833, and took up 
 their residence in Jackson Township. But- 
 ler County, Pennsylvania. He became the 
 owner of a small farm there and lived to 
 reach the advanced age of ninety-four 
 years. He and his wife had three children, 
 as follows: Martin; Lena (Burr); and 
 Mrs. Jacob Hite. All are now deceased. 
 
 Martin Wahl, Jr., was born in Alsace- 
 Lorraine, France, in 1823, and was ten 
 years of age when he accompanied his par- 
 ents to Butler Countv. He immediatelv 
 
 began work by caring for Mr. Zigler's 
 stock at Harmony, and spent the remain- 
 der of his life in Butler County. He was a 
 man of great energy and industry and ac- 
 cmnulated a large property. His old home 
 farm was the site of the town of Wahlville, 
 which bears his name, and in later years 
 he purchased the John Stewart farm in 
 Evans City, which he laid out and sold in 
 lots. He entered actively into the business 
 life of Evans City, aiding materially in its 
 development and growth, and was one of 
 the town's most substantial citizens. His 
 death occurred in 1905. His first marriage 
 was with a Miss Hultery, by whom he had 
 a son, Martin, deceased. His second union 
 was with Miss Christina Kriess, whose 
 death occurred in 1896. They were par- 
 ents of twelve children, as follows : Chris- 
 tina, wife of Henry Basnecker; William; 
 Henry ; Andrew ; Katherine, wife of Henry 
 Mickley; Lena, wife of John Marburger; 
 Matilda, wife of W. C. Laderer; Asmus; 
 George; Anna, wife of Adam Danibach; 
 and two who died in infancy. 
 
 William Wahl was reared on his father's 
 farm and received a public school educa- 
 tion. At the age of fifteen years he entered 
 the grist mill at Evans City, conducted by 
 his father in partnership with Eobert Ash, 
 and he continued at that work for eight 
 years. About the year 1878, he opened a 
 hotel at Middle Lancaster and received a 
 license from Judge McJunkin, which he 
 had granted him nine times and trans- 
 ferred once. He moved to Allegheny 
 County, Pennsylvania, where he conducted 
 a hotel for some time and also engaged in 
 the oil business. He continued there some 
 thirteen years, then moved to Evans City 
 in 1899 and opened a hotel, in which busi- 
 ness he has continued with uninterrupted 
 success since. In 1904 he moved to his 
 present location at the corner of Pittsburg 
 and Washington Streets, a property owned 
 by him. The Waldorf Hotel contains 
 thirty rooms, equipped and furnished in 
 up-to-date style, and enjoys a liberal pat- 
 
1442 
 
 ITISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ronage at the hands of the traveling pub- 
 lic. Mr. Wahl is also the owner of consid- 
 erable property in the town and is rated 
 among the most substantial men of the 
 place. 
 
 September 12, 1872, William Wahl was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary B. Mc- 
 Kinney, a daughter of C. A. and Margaret 
 D. McKinney, and they became parents of 
 twelve children : Margaret and Christina, 
 twins; Myrtle; Emma, deceased; William; 
 Sarah; Edward; Bertha; Laura; Ida; 
 Floyd; and Zelda. Politically, Mr. Wahl 
 is a Democrat. In religious attachment, he 
 and his wife are members of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 MATTHEW FALKNER, one of Buf- 
 falo Township's rej^resentative citizens, 
 resides on his valuable farm of sixty-five 
 acres, which is situated on the east side of 
 the Bear Creek Road, about one mile from 
 the village of Sarver, in Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, was born on this farm, Sep- 
 tember 23, 1868, and is a son of John and 
 Eva (Strimstifer) Falkner. 
 
 The Falkner family is of German origin 
 and John Falkner, father of ^Mattlicw, was 
 the first of its members to I'diiic to Amer- 
 ica. He purchased the present homestead 
 about 1858, from John Kreitzer. The land 
 at that time was uncleared and during his 
 life-time he developed it into a good farm. 
 His children, seven in number, were 
 named as follows: John W., Louis H., 
 William L., Samuel, Matthew, Elizabeth 
 and Annie, the latter of the daughters 
 being deceased. 
 
 Matthew Falkner was reared on the 
 farm on which he has spent all his life ex- 
 cept during the time he was working as a 
 blacksmith, at Sarver Station. He ob- 
 tained his education in the public schools 
 of Buffalo Township. He carries on gen- 
 eral farming, in which he takes much in- 
 terest. He has improved the property very 
 considerably since it came into his posses- 
 
 sion and his residence and farm buildings 
 indicate a large degree of prosperity. 
 
 On April 18, 1892, Mr. Falkner was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Schweizer, who is a 
 daughter of Martin and Mary (Nanstiel) 
 Schweizer, who are prominent farming- 
 people of Butler County. Mrs. Falkner 
 has a twin brother, Martin Schweizer. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Falkner have seven children, 
 namely: William Martin, Elmer L., Lil- 
 lian Mary, Nellie P., Matthew J., Merl Jes- 
 sie, and Elizabeth. Mr. Falkner and fam- 
 ily belong to the Lutheran Church, in which 
 he formerly was an elder. He takes no ac- 
 tive part in politics, but is a good citizen, 
 who pays liis 1;l\('>. i^ives support to school 
 and church and tlcals honestly with his fel- 
 low men. 
 
 SAMUEL PLUMMER CHRISTIE, a 
 successful farmer and leading citizen of 
 Washington Township, residing on his 
 valuable farm of ninety-eight acres, was 
 born June 27, 1863, in Washington Town- 
 ship, Butler Countv, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Thomas" T. and Catherine T. 
 Christie. 
 
 The father of Mr. Christie was married 
 twice and the children born to his first 
 union were : Oscar L., who married Mira 
 Louden, a daughter of Captain Louden, of 
 west Sunbury ; Cornelia, who married J. B. 
 Campbell, of Washington Township; Eber 
 L.. who married Bessie McNare, a native 
 of New Jersey ; Emma, who married Dr. J. 
 A. Brison, of Creekside, Indiana; Effie, 
 who married Walter Christley, of Denver, 
 Colorado ; and Samuel Plummer, of Wash- 
 ington Township. The second marriage of 
 Thomas T. Christie was to Lydia Borland, 
 of Butler, and they had three children : 
 Thomas B., deceased ; Victor, a resident of 
 San Francisco; and William. 
 
 Samuel Plunnner Christie has spent his 
 life in Washington Township and has been 
 engaged in farming and stock-raising for 
 many years. His farm of ninety-eight 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1443 
 
 acres is a part of the old homestead, which 
 originally contained 600 acres. His land is 
 known to be rich in coal and probably also 
 in oil. He carries on mixed farming and 
 raises fine horses. Each year he has from 
 three to eight colts, thorough-bred, and has 
 made this a paying industry. His cattle 
 are of registered stock and his herds show, 
 in their sleek appearance and graceful 
 shapes, that they have come from no com- 
 mon stock. Mr. Christie has made all the 
 improvements on his place and has put up 
 his present substantial buildings. He has 
 what is probably the finest spring-house in 
 the township, built of stone and cement. 
 
 Mr. Christie married Miss Jessie M. 
 Bell, who is a daughter of Alexander Bell, 
 of Washington Township, and they have 
 five children, namely: Claire, residing at 
 home, assisting her mother; Francis, Lee 
 and Katherine, bright students in the pub- 
 lic school; and Mildred, who is yet an in- 
 fant. Mr. and ]\lrs. Cliiistie attend the 
 Presbyterian Church in Washington Town- 
 ship which is situated at North Hope. He 
 is a Republican in politics and takes a 
 hearty interest in public affairs, particu- 
 larly in his own neighborhood, where he is 
 serving as a school director. He is a stock- 
 holder and one of the board of directors of 
 the North Washington Fair Association 
 and each year has many exhibits to send 
 from his own farm. For a number of 
 years he has been an active member of 
 Naomi Lodge No. Ill, Odd Fellows, at Hil- 
 liards, and has served in all its official 
 positions. 
 
 W. H. DAUGHERTY, a prominent cit- 
 izen of Petrolia, Butler County, Penna., 
 was the founder of the large refinery at 
 that place which is operated under the 
 name and style of W. H. Daugherty & 
 Sons' Refining Company. The plant was 
 established by him in 1880, and in 1901 his 
 two sons were taken into partnership. In 
 1904 the business was incorporated under 
 the name of W. H. Daugherty & Sons, in 
 
 the State of Delaware, and the following 
 were chosen as its ofiicers : Dr. F. Sonne- 
 born, president; Sigmund B. Sonneborn, 
 treasurer; and Carl R. Daugherty, vice- 
 president and manager. It is one of the 
 largest independent refineries in the coun- 
 try, and is the largest producer of petro- 
 lemu jelly. It is affiliated with the firm 
 of L. Sonneborn & Sons, of New York, 
 Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore in this 
 country, and with Oelwerke Stern-Sonne- 
 born, Aktien Gesellschaft, of Hambui"g, 
 Paris, London, Genoa, Koln and Moscow, 
 with some sixty European branches. The 
 local output is 1,500 tons per annum, and 
 they have their own pipe line service, 
 transporting the crude oil from the wells 
 to the refinery. They employ about fifteen 
 men at the plant. 
 
 W. H. Daugherty was one of the earliest 
 refiners in the country and is probably the 
 oldest now living. He began in Titusville, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1861, where he was in 
 business with Burtis Brothers and others 
 until 1868. He then became a producer 
 and as early as 1873 began operating at 
 Petrolia although it was not until 1876 
 that he took up his residence in that vil- 
 lage. In connection with his two sons he 
 ac(|uii(Ml extensive oil producing proper- 
 ties, whicli :iic now carried under the firm 
 name of W. II., M. G. and C. R. Daugherty 
 and are under the management of Carl R. 
 Daugherty. 
 
 W. H. Daugherty was born in Stark 
 Comity, Ohio, near the city of Alliance, 
 July 3, 1835, and lived there until eleven 
 j'ears of age when he moved with his par- 
 ents to Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was 
 married in 1857 to Miss Jane Nesbit, a 
 daughter of John Nesbit of Erie County, 
 Pennsylvania, and three children were 
 born to them: H. Ward, who married 
 INIary G. Davis, by whom he had four chil- 
 dren — Eugene, deceased, Roy, Ward and 
 Frances; Cora, who is the wife of A. W. 
 Frey of Washington, Pennsylvania, and 
 has three children — William, Carl and 
 
1444 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLP^R COUNTY 
 
 Jane ; and Carl R., who on June 24, 1908, 
 was united in marriage with Miss Netta 
 Black, a daughter of R. M. Black of But- 
 ler County. H. Ward Daugherty died at 
 the age of thirty-seven years just as he was 
 entering the prime of life. The subject of 
 this sketch is a member of the Masonic 
 Lodge at Titusville, and the Knights of the 
 Maccabees at Petrolia. His son, Carl R., 
 is a member of the Modern Woodmen and 
 the Knights of the Maccabees. Religiously, 
 the family is Presbyterian. 
 
 HON. JOHN MORGAN GREER, head 
 of the well known law firm of John M. 
 Greer & Sous, of Butler, is a citizen who 
 has gained well earned recognition, not 
 only as a leader in the ranks of his .pro- 
 fession, but also as one who has ably up- 
 held the dignity and honor of the Bench, 
 and has proved his ability as a legislator, 
 serving for eight years as a member of the 
 State Senate. 
 
 Mr. Greer was born in Jefferson Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, August 
 .3, 1844. His parents were Thomas and 
 Margaret Jane (Morgan) Greer, and his 
 grandparents, on the paternal side, were 
 Matthew and Isabella (Boise) Greer, who 
 were natives of County Tyrone, Ireland. 
 
 Mr. Greer's literary training was com- 
 menced in the common schools and con- 
 tinued at Connoquenessing Academy, at 
 Zelienople, and, as has been the case with 
 so many men of mark in State and Na- 
 tional history, the knowledge thus gained 
 was the more fii"mly impressed upon his 
 memory by his being required to impart 
 it to others. During the winter of 1861-2 
 he taught school in Winfield Township 
 and in 1863-4 in Jefferson Township. This 
 Avas an eventful period of his life, for the 
 Civil War was now raging and he was 
 eager to perform his patriotic duty to his 
 country. In July, 1862, he enlisted in 
 Company D, One Hundred and Thirty- 
 seventh Regimen^;, Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teers, with which he participated in the 
 
 momentous battles of South Mountain, 
 Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancel- 
 lorsville, serving until the end of his term. 
 In March, 1864, he reenlisted, entering 
 Battery E, Second Pennsylvania Artillery, 
 but as this regiment had more than its 
 quota, a new regiment was organized by 
 the War Department, and called the Sec- 
 ond Provisional Artillery, in which Mr. 
 Greer served as sergeant of Battery B, in 
 Ledlie's Division, Ninth Army Corps, un- 
 til the close of the war. With this battery 
 he took part in the battles of the Wilder- 
 ness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, 
 Cold Harbor and Petersburg, including 
 the Mine Explosion, where he was wounded 
 in the thigh by a minie ball, while in com- 
 mand of his company. He remained in 
 the hospital until January, 1865, when he 
 rejoined his battery in time to be present 
 at the eventful surrender of General Lee. 
 He was mustered out with his regiment in 
 February, 1866. 
 
 On his return from the army, Mr. Greer 
 resumed teaching, but in a short time 
 turned his whole attention to the study 
 of law in the office of Judge Charles Mc- 
 Candless. In September, 1867, he was ad- 
 mitted to the bar and at once opened a law 
 office. His legal ability soon attracted at- 
 tention and in the following year he was 
 elected to the office of district attorney, 
 which he filled for three years. In 1873 
 he formed a partnership with Judge Mc- 
 Candless, which continued for five years. 
 His public life, in a wider sense, may be- 
 said to have begun in 1876, when he was 
 elected on the Republican ticket, senator 
 of the Forty-first District, composed of 
 Butler and Armstrong Counties. In 1880 
 he was reelected and was a member of the 
 Senate of Pennsylvania for eight years, 
 during all of, which period he served on 
 the Judiciary Committee. He was the 
 author of several important bills relating 
 to judiciary matters, one of them provid- 
 ing I'oi- an appeal to the Supreme Court, 
 in case of the refusal of the lower court to 
 
AND REPRESENTxVTIVE CITIZENS 
 
 open a judgment entered on a power of 
 attorney, on a note or bond. Another, 
 equally important, was one providing that 
 no deed, regular and absolute on its face, 
 shall be treated as a mortgage, unless the 
 defeasance is in writing, made at the time 
 of the deed, and placed on record within 
 sixty days. Another important bill intro- 
 duced by Senator Greer was one providing 
 that judgment by default, against one of 
 several defendants, shall not bar a recov- 
 ery against other defendants in the same 
 suit. 
 
 In 1882, Senator Greer was honored by 
 a nomination, on the first ballot for the 
 office of Secretary of Internal Affairs, and, 
 although his party suffered defeat that 
 year, he led the ticket by a res})ectable 
 majority. In 188-1: he was nominated as 
 one of two judicial candidates in the Sev- 
 enteenth District, and failed of election by 
 less than 200 votes, the people of Lawrence 
 County supporting Judges Hazen and Mc- 
 Michael as a matter of local pride. 
 
 In 1887, Senator Greer formed a law 
 pai'tnership with Everett L. Ealston, which 
 continued until 1893. Also in 1887, lie was 
 appointed by tlie Governor, inspector and 
 examiner of Soldiers' Orphan Schools, 
 which office he held for four years, when 
 he resigned. On the death of Judge Mc- 
 Michael, in 1892, Mr. Greer was elected to 
 succeed him, and in the following year, on 
 the division by the Legislature of the Sev- 
 enteenth District into two separate dis- 
 tricts, Judge Greer became president 
 judge of the Seventeenth District. In this 
 position, the well balanced, judicial quali- 
 ties of his mind were conspicuously mani- 
 fested on every imiDortant occasion, and 
 were enhanced by a courteous demeanor 
 that rendered him very popular with the 
 members of the bar, as well as with the 
 general public. He has ever tempered jus- 
 tice with mercy, and no righteous cause 
 has ever suffered at his hands, from a 
 lack of wisdom of .judgment or want of 
 judicial fairness. Since his retirement 
 
 from the Bench, which took place in 1903, 
 he has been engaged in the practice of law 
 in association with his two sons, John B. 
 and Thomas H., under the style of John M. 
 Greer & Sons, the firm being known as 
 one of the strongest law firms in Butler 
 County. 
 
 Judge Greer was married March 24, 
 1864, to Miss Julia S. Butler, who was 
 l)orn in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a daughter of John B. and Harriet N. 
 (Stebbins) Butler. To this marriage were 
 born four children, namely: Hattie, who 
 died in 1876, at tlie age of nine years; 
 Thomas H. and John B., both of whom are 
 associated with their father in the practice 
 of law,- and Robert B., who is a physician. 
 
 The religious affiliations of Judge Greer 
 ant I his family are with the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He has taken a hearty 
 interest at all times in educational uuit- 
 ters, having been one of those Butler 
 Couuty citizens who were instrumental in 
 establishing Slippery Rock State Normal 
 School, of which lie has since been one of 
 the State trustees. For six years he has 
 also been one of the trustees of tlie State 
 College. In many other public matters his 
 counsel and encouragement have proved 
 of value, and the people of Butler County 
 are proud to denominate liim one of tlieir 
 best and most representative citizens. 
 
 CHARLES F. HOSFORD, residing at 
 450 North Main Street, Butler, came to 
 the Pennsylvania oil fields in the early 
 days of Titusville, Pleasantville, Pithole, 
 and Tidiout, moving to Butler County 
 when Petrolia first began to develop into 
 an oil town. He later resided at Greece 
 City for a time and in 1874 located in But- 
 ler, going to West Virginia when the oil 
 fields were being developed in that state, 
 and returning to Butler in 1903. Mr. Hos- 
 ford has been engaged in the hotel busi- 
 ness nearly all his life, also in the produc- 
 tion of oil. In the year 1885 he was mar- 
 ried to l\riss Emma Reiber of Butler. They 
 
1446 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLEE COUNTY 
 
 have one son, Charles F., Jr., a Princeton 
 man and now a student at the law depart- 
 ment of Harvard University. The family 
 are members of the First English Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 W. CLAEK CULBEESON, oil producer 
 and manufacturer, treasurer of the Butler 
 Torpedo Company, is one of the repre- 
 sentative men of this city. He- was born 
 August 18, 1865, in Clarion County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of William Culber- 
 son, who was one of the early oil men of 
 this section. 
 
 Almost since leaving school, Mr. Cul- 
 berson has been in the oil business and his 
 operations have been carried on in the oil 
 fields of New York, "West Virginia, Penn- 
 sylvania, Ohio and Illinois. In 1884 he 
 came to Butler County and was much in- 
 terested in the developments on Thorn 
 Creek. Mr. Culberson has been an ex- 
 tensive but judicious operator. He is a 
 stockholder in the Pittsburg Oil & Gas 
 Company, the Clarion Gas Company, the 
 Southern Oil Company and the Butler 
 Torpedo Company, the works of the latter 
 beiug located at Gallery. He is interested 
 also in real estate at Butler. 
 
 On September 14, 1887, Mr. Culberson 
 was married to Frances Fidelia Cheers, 
 who was born in Chautauqua County, New 
 York, and they have one daughter, Har- 
 riet S., residing at home. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Culberson are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church and he belongs to the 
 official board. His fraternal connections 
 include the Elks, the Odd Fellows and the 
 Maccabees. 
 
 THOMAS TUCKEE STEWART, one 
 of the best known pioneers and respected 
 citizens of Center Township, resides on 
 his farm of 120 acres, which is situated 
 about five miles north of Butler. Mr. 
 Stewart was born June 3, 1834, in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 John and Nancy (Scott) Stewart. 
 
 When Mr. Stewart was about one year 
 old, his parents brought him to this farm, 
 and with the exception of three years after 
 he was married, he has spent his entire 
 life on this place. When his parents set- 
 tled here it was nothing but a wilderness 
 and it required years of hard work for 
 both father and son to put it into the 
 shape it now is. With constant industry 
 and i^rudent saving, Mr. Stewart gradu- 
 ally was enabled to put up the substantial 
 buildings which make it a very comfort- 
 able home. The parents died here when 
 full of years. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was married to his cousin, 
 Nancy Stewart, who died in 1901. They 
 had five children: Eobert W., Emma C, 
 Milton A. and two unnamed infants. Eob- 
 ert W. lives in Pittsburg. Emma C. mar- 
 ried (first) Christian Shaw and had two 
 children : Eussell C. and Bertha, the latter 
 of whom married Harry Seigfried and 
 they have a son, George. Mrs. Shaw be- 
 came a widow and married Harry AVright 
 and the}'^ have one son, Eobert. Milton A. 
 is deceased. He reached manhood and was 
 married and settled at Butler, where he 
 died leaving no children. 
 
 Until within four years, Mr. Stewart re- 
 tained his health and strength but he then 
 suffered from a fall which has left him 
 crippled. Nevertheless he still looks 
 largely after his affairs and lives alone in 
 his house since the death of his wife, car- 
 ing for his necessities himself in spite of 
 his advanced age. Although well able to 
 reside in any village or town and hire 
 others to serve him, he is like many an- 
 other one, devoted to the place where he 
 has lived so long and determined to be 
 independent as far as possible. All his 
 life he has been provident and thus has 
 accumulated property, more than could 
 ever be used in making his declining years 
 full of comfort. Almost all his life Mr. 
 Stewart has been a consistent member of 
 the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Stewart is 
 a man of intelligence and general informa- 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1447 
 
 tion and a visit to him proves jjrofitable 
 and interesting. 
 
 HENRY MENKEN, wlio resides on his 
 farm of fifty acres, which is situated in 
 Winfield Township, on the Butler Turn- 
 pike road, about tliree miles from Cabot, 
 is a well known and substantial citizen of 
 Butler County. He was born in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1862, 
 and is a son of George and Elizabeth 
 (Hoffman) Menken. The father of Mr. 
 Menken is still living. Born in Holland, 
 he came to America in 1840, and has re- 
 sided in Butler County ever since. 
 
 Henry Menken learned the trades of 
 stone-mason and bridge builder and has 
 done a large amount of work in this line 
 in Butler County, being the only con- 
 tractor in this kind of work in Winfield 
 Township. In addition, he carries on gen- 
 eral farming and resides in a comfortable 
 two-story farm house, which has an at- 
 tractive appearance without, and within 
 which the friendly visitor is sure of a hos- 
 pitable welcome. 
 
 Mr. Menken was married (first) to Satia 
 Elit, who was a daughter of Thomas and 
 Sarah (Elit) Elit, and to this marriage 
 four children were born — Bertha, Mary 
 (deceased), Elizabeth and Willis. Mr. 
 Menken was married (second) to Alice 
 Lavery, who was born in Butler County, 
 of which union there is one child — 
 Mary Evelyn. They are members of 
 the Buffalo Presbyteri&n Church. Mrs. 
 Menken was married first to Clyde Gra- 
 vatt, and they had two children — Emmett 
 Raymond and Beatrice Iriene. Formerly 
 Mr. Menken was a member of the Grange, 
 but at present he belongs to no secret or- 
 ganization. He takes no active interest in 
 politics, being a thoroughly practical busi- 
 ness man and finding enough to occupy his 
 time in attending to his own affairs. 
 
 PHILO L. KING, capitalist and repre- 
 sentative citizen of Butler, is the man to 
 
 whom this city is indebted for the most 
 beautiful, artistic and well cared for ceme- 
 tery, in all Butler County, his services as 
 sui:)erintendent having covered some nine 
 years. Mr. King was born at Charles- 
 town, Ohio, in 1838. 
 
 The parents of Mr. King moved, in the 
 year of his birth, to Marion County, Illi- 
 nois, but when he was ten years old they 
 returned to Ohio and settled at Ravenna, 
 where he was educated and lived until 
 1855. In that year he left home and spent 
 eleven months at St. Paul, Minnesota, af- 
 ter which he hired out to the Northwestern 
 Fur Company and worked for that con- 
 cern for two years in Oregon, which then 
 was indeed a wild section. Mr. King spent 
 one summer on his way east, at Clayton, 
 Iowa, and then went to work in the lumber 
 woods near Saginaw and Vassar, Michi- 
 gan. In the summer, following a hard 
 winter in the logging camps, he located 
 timber tracts and subsequently went into 
 partnership in the lumber business with 
 John Dasey, which continued for fourteen 
 years. Mr. King then went into a mer- 
 cantile business in Michigan and became 
 so desirable a citizen there that both 
 Kingstown town and township were both 
 named in his honor. He cut down the first 
 tree that ever fell by a white man's agency 
 in Kingstown Township, section 32. After 
 three years he sold his store and for eight- 
 een months conducted a hotel, and then 
 decided to return to the East, and located 
 at Akron, in his native state. There he 
 was connected with Mr. Schumaker in a 
 mill business for two years, dui'ing this 
 time being in charge of the oatmeal mill, 
 and afterward, with his brother-in-law, 
 bought a sawmill at Ravenna, where they 
 subsequently added a planing mill and pail 
 factory and prospered for three years, 
 when they lost their plant by fire. For 
 about one year Mr. King followed rail- 
 roading, and then returned to Ravenna 
 and accepted the position of superinten- 
 dent of the Ravenna Cemetery. For twen- 
 
1448 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 ty years he remaiued there and was then 
 induced to come to Butler and accept the 
 same position for the North Side Ceme- 
 tery. Mi: King owns valuable realty and 
 has an interest in the tine structui;e here 
 known as the Opera House Block. 
 
 In 1860, while residing in Michigan, Mr. 
 King was married to Miss Caroline Har- 
 mon, who died in 1899, leaving one child, 
 Nina D., who married George Burkhalter. 
 Mr. King was married (second) in 1906, 
 to Miss Phillis Mason, of Butler. 
 
 Mr. King is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, having been a loyal 
 defender of his country, a soldier in the 
 ranks and a fighter on many a battle field, 
 having enlisted in 1861, in Company E, 
 Seventh Regiment, Michigan Volunteer In- 
 fantry, which was attached to the Army of 
 the Potomac. His service covered two 
 years and four days when he received his 
 honorable discharge. During his resi- 
 dence in Michigan he was active in poli- 
 tics and for seven years served as super- 
 visor of Kingstown Township. In his re- 
 ligious belief, he is a Universalist. Fra- 
 ternally he is a Mason and Odd Fellow, 
 and belongs also to the Royal Arcanum. 
 
 ALPHEUS SITLER, who is engaged 
 in the drug business at Zelienople, and 
 also is a member of the well known firm 
 of Sitler, Swain & Moyer, of Harmony, all 
 representative men of this place. Mr. 
 Sitler was born in Jackson Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, one mile 
 east of Harmony, and is a son of Mar- 
 tin H. and Fannie (Zeigler) Sitler. 
 
 Solomon H. Sitler, grandfather of 
 Alphens, accompanied his father, Martin 
 Sitler, a colonel in the War of 1812, to 
 Columbiana County, Ohio, about 1805, 
 and there he subsequently married Eliza- 
 beth Hoke, who died aged eighty-six 
 years ; he survived to be seventy-one years 
 old. Six of their family of thirteen chil- 
 dren still survive, the oldest of whom is 
 eighty-three years of age and the youngest 
 
 sixty-three. They are: Samuel, residing 
 in Columbiana County, Ohio ; Melvina and 
 Velina, twins, the former the widow of 
 Simon Bricker, and the latter the widow 
 of Samuel Nold; Catherine, who married 
 (first) a Mr. Gilbert and (second) Price 
 Van Fleet; Celinda, who is the widow of 
 Jacob Alowery; and Martin H. 
 
 Martin H. Sitler was born in Colum- 
 biana County, Ohio, February 3, 1828, 
 where he remained until the fall of 1850. 
 He then moved to Butler County and set- 
 tled on a farm in Jackson Township, where 
 he resided until the fall of 1907, when he 
 moved to Harmony. 
 
 His original farm contained 200 acres, 
 but he has reduced it to 130 and for many 
 years carried on general farming, taking 
 an active part in it for fifty-seven years. 
 On October 14, 1850, he married Fannie 
 Zeigler, who was a daughter of Jacob H. 
 and Elizabeth (Tinsman) Zeigler. Jacob 
 H. Zeigler was born in 1800 and he became 
 a man of substance in Jackson Township 
 and the owner of the Eideuan Mills. He 
 had one son and the following daughters: 
 Fannie; Elizabeth, who married John 
 Euslen; Annie, who married Frederick 
 Haines; and Catherine, who married 
 George Bame. Mrs. Sitler was born June 
 14, 1828, and died in August, 1908, aged 
 eighty years. There were four children 
 born to Martin H. Sitler and wife, namely : 
 Alpheus; Loraine, residing in Jackson 
 Township, who is the widow of James 
 Gallagher; Jacob, residing at Zelienople, 
 owns a farm in Jackson Township, mar- 
 ried Mollie Thomas; and Elizabeth, who 
 is the wife of Charles Goehring, a retired 
 farmer residing at Harmony. 
 
 Alpheus Sitler obtained his education in 
 the schools of Zelienople and at Heidel- 
 berg College, Seneca County, Ohio. He 
 prei:iared for professional life at the Phil- 
 adelphia College of Pharmacy, prior to 
 which he had done considerable work in 
 the line of surveying, both for railroads 
 and private parties in Butler County. He 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 U-i9 
 
 remained at home aud assisted ou the farm 
 nntil he reached his majority and then 
 turned his attention to the study of phar- 
 macy, for this purpose buying a half in- 
 terest, in 1875, in a drug store at Har- 
 mony. In 1879, after completing his 
 professional course, he purchased the only 
 drug store at Zelienople, which was the 
 property of Dr. Amos Lusk, In 1882 he 
 disposed of this store and again took up 
 surveying, which he continued until 1887. 
 In that year he went to Pittsburg with 
 A. W. Zeigler and together they purchased 
 a drug store on the south side of the city 
 on the corner of Carson and Twenty- 
 seventh Streets, and there Mr. Sitler con- 
 tinued in the drug business for ten years. 
 He then disposed of his interest and on 
 his return to Harmony, he entered into 
 partnership with G. D. Swain, in the dry 
 goods and grocery business, but four years 
 later he sold his interest to his partner. 
 He then bought his present business in- 
 terest at Zelienople, and two years later 
 established the firm of Sitler, Swain & 
 Moyer, of Harmony. 
 
 Mr. Sitler married Miss Clara E. Swain, 
 who is a daughter of Gellert and Sarah 
 (Sechler) Swain, and a granddaughter of 
 Samuel Swain, who was one of the early 
 settlers of the county. The father of Mrs. 
 Sitler died in 1894 but her mother sur- 
 vives. Four sons have been born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sitler: ]\Iaxwell Swain, Lei'oy R., 
 Stanley Alpheus and Carl William. They 
 are all bright and satisfactory j^upils in 
 the public school, preparing for good 
 American citizenship. Mr. and Mrs. Sit- 
 ler, with the two oldest sons, are members 
 of Grace Reformed Church of Harmony, 
 with which congregation Mr. Sitler has 
 been identified ever since 1868, except dur- 
 ing his period of residence in Pittsburg, 
 lu politics, like his father, he is a Repub- 
 lican and after a service of six years in 
 the town council, he declined renomination 
 for election. He is a member of the Royal 
 Arcanum and also of Harmony Lodge No. 
 
 429 F. & A. M. and is also a member of 
 the Odd Fellows at Harmony. 
 
 W. C. WEBBER, who is engaged in a 
 blacksmith business at Slippery Rock, of 
 which place he has been a resident since 
 November 4, 1880, was born on a farm in 
 Franklin Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, one mile distant from Prospect, 
 December 1, 1858. He is a sou of John 
 and Mary (Campbell) Webber. 
 
 The father of Mr. Webber was a brave 
 soldier in the Civil War, who gave up his 
 life in defense of his country, at the sec- 
 ond battle of Fredericksburg. He was a 
 member of the One Hundred and Thirty- 
 seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer 
 Infantry. 
 
 After the death of his father, when eight 
 years old, W. C. Webber was placed in 
 the Soldiers' Orphans' School at Mercer, 
 Pennsylvania, where he remained until he 
 was sixteen years of age, when his guar- 
 dian and step-father, James Wilson, 
 bound him out to Nicholas Weitzell, of 
 West Liberty, to learn the blacksmith's 
 trade. Mr. Webber served his full ap- 
 prenticeship to Mr. Weitzell, remaining 
 with him for three years and during this 
 time received the sum of $140. From 
 West liberty he went to Fairview, Butler 
 County, and worked for three more years 
 for Hughie Young and then came to Slip- 
 pery Rock and for two years was in the 
 employ of William Kauffman, after which 
 he embarked in business for himself. He 
 built the shop now occupied by Mr. S. A. 
 Heyle, where he conducted his -business 
 for twenty years, then sold out and entered 
 into partnership with his brother-in-law, 
 l^avid Morrison, and this partnership has 
 existed for the iiast three years. The busi- 
 ness is li(>is('-sli(i('ing and general repair- 
 ing. First-ciass work is done and the firm 
 enjoys a large amount of patronage. 
 
 Mr. Webber was married November 1, 
 1882, to Miss Emma ^lorrison, who is a 
 daughter of Samuel and Isabella (Stephen- 
 
1450 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 sou) Morrison. She was born and reared 
 at Slippery Rock. Mr. and Mrs. Webber 
 have had two children : Alma, who is the 
 wife of Dr. S. S. Smith, of Derry, Penn- 
 sylvania ; and Daisy May, who died when 
 aged twenty-one months. Another mem- 
 ber of the family is almost like a daughter. 
 She is Alma Morrison, a daughter of John 
 Morrison, Mrs. AVebber's brother, and has 
 resided with Mr. and Mrs. Webber for the 
 past seven years, being now fourteen, and 
 a bright student in the high school. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Webber is a Democrat. 
 He is active in local affairs and has served 
 as a member of the borough council. He 
 belongs to tlie fraternal order of Odd 
 Fellows. 
 
 JOSEPH BALL, proprietor of the City 
 Transfer Company, at Butler, and a mem- 
 ber of the City Council, representing the 
 Fourth Ward, is one of Butler's repre- 
 sentative men. He was born in June, 
 LS64, on a farm in Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, about six miles northeast of the 
 city, and is a son of the late John Ball. 
 
 John Ball was born in Germany and 
 came to Butler County in 1859. For many 
 years he was extensively engaged in the 
 bujang and shipping of stock and was 
 well known all over this section. In poli- 
 tics he was a Democrat. His death took 
 place at North Oakland, in 1896. 
 
 Joseph Ball obtained his education in 
 the common schools of Butler County and 
 he remained on the home fann until the 
 fall of 1899, when he came to Butler and 
 bouglit the business of Mr. Reisman, who 
 then operated the City Transfer Company, 
 an enterprise which has been conducted 
 by Mr. Ball ever since. As the city has 
 grown, this business has been expanded to 
 meet all exigencies and Mr. Ball prac- 
 tically controls this industry. In politics, 
 like his late father, he is a standi Demo- 
 crat. He has been an active citizen ever 
 since locating here and is a useful and 
 judicious member of the city council, his 
 
 own successful business experience making 
 him a valuable advisor in that body. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Ball was married to Miss 
 Mary P. Oswald, formerly of Pittsburg, 
 and they have six children : Minnie, Philip, 
 Joseph, Cyril, Virginia and Valeria, all 
 residing at home. Mr. Ball and family 
 are members of St. Peter's Catholic 
 Church and he belongs to the order of 
 Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Mutual 
 Benefit Association, the Woodmen of the 
 World, the Knights of Maccabees, and to 
 Butler Lodge, No. 170, Elks. 
 
 HENRY JACOB MYERS, cashier of 
 the Millerstown Deposit Bank, a private 
 banking institution at Chicora, has been 
 identified with banking since 1881 and is 
 well and favorably known in financial 
 circles all through this section. He was 
 born in Butler, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of John G. and Catherine (Fetzer) Myers. 
 
 Both parents of Mr. Myers were born in 
 Germany. The father was three years old 
 and the mother was fourteen years old 
 when their parents brought them to Amer- 
 ica. They wei'e married at Butler in 1858, 
 and had the following children: Henry 
 Jacob, Charles L. (deceased), Estelle D., 
 Gustavus J., and two babes that died. The 
 old Myers homestead in Oakland Town- 
 ship, a tract of sixty acres, is owned by 
 John G. Myers. He was born November 
 16, 1828, and his wife was born Septem- 
 ber 12, 1832. In early manhood he worked 
 at the plastering trade at Butler and at 
 Brady's Bend. In 1868 he went into part- 
 nership with his brother-in-law, G. F. 
 Fetzer, in a flour mill business, together 
 with farm interests, which was continued 
 until April, 1905, when Mr. Myers with- 
 drew. When the Millerstown Savings 
 Bank was organized, in 1873, he became 
 one of the board of directors. Two years 
 later it was reorganized imder the name 
 of the German National Bank and business 
 was continued until 1884, when it went into 
 voluntary liquidation. In 1887 they organ- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1451 
 
 ized the Millerstown Deposit Bank, with 
 tlie following officers: John Gf. Myers, 
 president ; Henry J. Myers, cashier ; Gus- 
 tavus J. Myers, assistant cashier; and 
 Miss Estelle D. Myers, bookkeeper. Its 
 affairs are conducted along careful, con- 
 servative lines and the institution does a 
 large business with solid, responsible 
 parties. 
 
 John G. Myers is a leading member of 
 the German Lutheran Church at Chicora 
 and is the senior elder. He is a man whose 
 business standing and personal character 
 are high. 
 
 Henry Jacob Myers together with his 
 younger brother, Gustavus, graduated 
 from the Chicora High School and both 
 attended Capitol University at Columbus, 
 Ohio, the former for two and the latter 
 for five years. Banking has been the main 
 interest of both Mr. Myers and his brother. 
 They both are prominent in Free Masonry. 
 They are not particularly active in poli- 
 ties, but father and sons have always been 
 men of liublic spirit and honorable citizen- 
 ship. 
 
 R. L. STACKPOLE, M. D., a member of 
 the Butler County Medical Society and of 
 the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, 
 is numbered with the leading medical prac- 
 titioners at Butler, maintaining his office 
 at No. 128 South Main Street. He was born 
 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. 
 
 After completing the common school 
 course and graduating from the High 
 School at Venango, Dr. Stackpole entered 
 Allegheny College, where he remained for 
 two years and then went to the Western 
 Reserve University at Cleveland and was 
 graduated there from the medical depart- 
 ment in the class of 1901. Following his 
 graduation he spent one and one-half 
 years in St. Vincent's Hospital, at Cleve- 
 land, and then came to Butler where he 
 has built up a very satisfactory practice 
 and has become recognized as a useful citi- 
 zen. He is the present nominee of the Re- 
 
 publican part}' for county coroner. He is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Butler. His fraternal connec- 
 tions are with the Eagles and the Odd Fel- 
 lows. Through the medical organizations 
 he keeps in touch with the wonderful prog- 
 ress being made in his profession and ap- 
 plies in his own practice the discoveries 
 that he has proved to his own satisfaction 
 are beneficial. 
 
 JOHN BALFOUR, a highly respected 
 citizen and prominent general farmer re- 
 siding on his valuable estate of ninety-one 
 acj-es, which lies in Adams Township, one 
 mile west of Mars, was born in Wigton- 
 shire, Scotland, August 4, 1835, and is a 
 son of David and Margaret (Stephenson) 
 Balfour. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Balfour were born, 
 reared and married in Scotland, and they 
 came to America with their two children, 
 Samuel and John. The former married, 
 but Iwth he and wife ai'e deceased. When 
 David Balfour brought his little family to 
 the United States his younger son was 
 about ten months old. The voyage in the 
 old-fashioned sailing ship consumed 
 many weeks, but in August, 1836, the 
 weary travelers were landed at the port 
 of Philadelphia. David Balfour secured 
 a horse and wagon, and in this convey- 
 ance he was safely transported over the 
 mountains, and then, by way of the canal, 
 in the course of time, reached Pittsburg, 
 the place he had in view when he left Scot- 
 land. He soon found remunerative work 
 and then sent for his wife and boys, who 
 joined him at Pittsburg, where they lived 
 for one year. Tiring of city life, he con- 
 cluded to engage in farming and first rent- 
 ed land in what is now McAnlis Township 
 Allegheny County, not far from Perrys- 
 ville. There the family lived for four 
 years, and then settled on a rented farm 
 in Franklin Township, Allegheny County, 
 for the succeeding seven years. By this 
 time Mr. Balfour had developed into an 
 
U5-2 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 excellent farmer and was able to purchase 
 land for himself, and in February, 1851, 
 he bought 185 acres in Adams Township, 
 from Hon. John Braden, and moved on the 
 place in the following April. David Bal- 
 four had worked hard to secure this home 
 for his family, but he enjoyed it for a short 
 time only, his death taking place on August 
 16, 1851, when aged fifty-three years. His 
 widow survived until 1878, being seventy- 
 eight years old at the time of her death. 
 
 There were buildings on the farm when 
 the Balfour family came to it, but they 
 were in a very dilaiiidated condition, and 
 'after the death of the father the mother 
 and her two sons imdertook to do a large 
 amount of improving. The boys cleared 
 the land and fenced it and the mother gave 
 such assistance as pioneer mothers usu- 
 ally afforded, and they lived happily to- 
 gether and worked for the conmion good. 
 In 1862 the elder son, Samuel, was mar- 
 ried and then the land was divided, he 
 taking the north farm and John taking the 
 south farm, and then mother took up her 
 residence with the younger son. At that 
 time there was no indication how valuable 
 this land would subsequently become, and 
 had any one predicted to David Balfour 
 when he settled here that his descendants 
 would derive a more than ample income 
 from the oil that lay concealed under the 
 rough soil, he would have thought they 
 were dealing in romance. But the fact 
 is that on this farm was drilled the first 
 lOO-foot oil well in Pennsylvania, probably 
 in the United States. The drilling was 
 accomplished in 1885 and for three years 
 it produced sixty barrels of oil a day. Mr. 
 Balfour at the present writing (1908) has 
 five producing wells. He also carries on 
 a general agricultural line, raising grain, 
 liay and stock. 
 
 In 1873, Mv. Balfour was married to 
 Miss Mary Ann Cochran, of Allegheny 
 County, who died in October of the same 
 year, aged thirty-two years. On October 
 12, 1875, he was married (second) to Miss 
 
 Nevie Richardson, a daughter of G. W. 
 Richardson, one of the early settlers of 
 Butler County, and to that union eight 
 children were born, namely: Amelia; 
 Stewart, who died in 1897, aged nineteen 
 years; Oliver, who died in 1885, aged six 
 years; Frank; Isabella, who died in Octo- 
 ber, 1884, aged nine months ; Chalmers and 
 Myrtle, twins; and Dight. Myrtle was 
 married October 25, 1906, to Leonard L. 
 Besnaeker. Mr. Balfour and family are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church at Mt. Pleasant and he has been 
 active in its various branches of work. In 
 politics he is a Democrat and he has 
 served as township auditor and in other 
 offices. 
 
 WILLIAM WHITE HUNTER, who re- 
 sides about ten miles south of Butler, in 
 Forward Township, is the owner of a fine 
 farm of 125 acres, well improved and all 
 under a high state of cultivation. He was 
 born on this farm, July 27, 1861, and is a 
 son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Dixon) 
 Hunter, and a grandson of William and 
 Nancy (White) Hunter. 
 
 William Hunter, the grandfather, spent 
 all his early life in Ireland, and was there 
 married to Nancy White. In 1842, they 
 came to America, the voyage consuming 
 some six weeks, and were accompanied by 
 the following children, all now deceased: 
 Alexander, Joseph, Fannie, Jane, Mary, 
 Ann, Rosa and Eliza. They first located in 
 Pittsliurg, where the family temporarily 
 remained, M'hile William and his son Alex- 
 ander, who then was twenty-one years of 
 age, came to the woods of IButler County. 
 He purchased 250 acres of Alexander 
 Boyd, who was the owner of 1000 acres in 
 the vicinity. There were about fifty acres 
 imder cultivation, and a log house, a rude 
 barn, and a building which Boj'd had used 
 for store purj^oses, stood on the place. It 
 was quite a wild community at that time, 
 fox, dear and other game being plentiful. 
 They returned to Pittsburg for the rest of 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1453 
 
 the family, and here William ami liis wife 
 spent tlie remaining years of life, dying in 
 advanced age. 
 
 xVlexander Himter remained on the home 
 place, which he cleared of its timber, and 
 erected most of tlie buildings thereon. The 
 brick house built by him was one of the 
 first in this section, and was a modern 
 structure in all its appointments. He was 
 joined in marriage with Elizabeth Dixon, 
 who was born in Pittsburg, whither her 
 parents had come from Ireland. She was 
 reared in Penu Township, Butler County, 
 Peuna., and died in the prime of life. Alex- 
 ander Hunter died in October, 1888, at the 
 age of seventy-one years. He was a Whig 
 in politics, oi'iginally. and later an ardent 
 Republican. He never aspired to polit- 
 ical preferment, but in the early days 
 served for a time as school director. He 
 and his wife reared two sons, W^illiam 
 White and Alexander Dixon, each of whom 
 owns one-half of the old home farm. 
 
 William W. Hunter was a small child at 
 his mother's death. He attended the dis- 
 trict school during the winter months, 
 about four months each year, and during 
 the remainder of the time was engaged in 
 hard work upon the farm. He has always 
 lived on this place, which is one of the best 
 improved in this locality. A tine brick 
 house, surrounded by stately locust, spruce, 
 pine and apple shade trees, presents a 
 beautiful and attractive appearance. He 
 is engaged in general farming and stock- 
 raising, and is meeting with the best of 
 success. 
 
 On October 10, 1883, Mr. Hunter was 
 married to Miss Susie P. Hutchman, a 
 daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Plumer) 
 Hutclamau, and three children have been 
 ])orn to them: Margaret Elizabetli, Laura 
 AVhite, and William Hutcliman. Political- 
 ly, he is a Republican, has served as school 
 director, and at the present is ]iresident of 
 the township boai'd of supervisors. Re- 
 ligiously, he and his wife are members of 
 the Presbvterian Church at ^Middlesex. 
 
 xiPHES A. COOPER, one of Adams 
 Township 's well known men, resides on his 
 finely improved farm of fifty-six acres, on 
 whieli he has erected all the buildings, be- 
 ing a practical carpenter and builder. He 
 was born March 18, 1860, in Forest County, 
 Penna., and is a son of Robert and Martha 
 (Johnson) Cooper. 
 
 James Cooper, the grandfather, came 
 among the first settlers in the vicinity of 
 Evans City, Butler County, where he 
 cleared up a farm that remained in the 
 possession of the family until recently, 
 when it was purchased by James Ramsey. 
 This farm is situated in Forward Town- 
 ship and there Robert Cooper, father of 
 Aphes A., was born, December 6, 1827. He 
 was one of the yoimger members of a fam- 
 ily of eleven children and is one of the two 
 survivors, his brother Uriah Cooper, be- 
 ing a resident of Ohio. Robert Cooper 
 spent seven years in Forest County, where 
 he was engaged in a lumber business, and 
 gave ten months to the service of his coun- 
 try, during the Civil War. After the close 
 of his army life, he bought a farm in Adams 
 Township, Butler County, on which he re- 
 sided from 1865 until 1882, when he pur- 
 chased property in Penn Township on 
 which he lived until 1902, when he retired 
 and moved to Evans City. In that year 
 occurred the death of his wife, formerly 
 Martha Johnson, who lived to the age of 
 seventy-four years. They had the follow- 
 ing children : Alfred, Amos, Harvey, Sam- 
 uel, Aphes, Perry, Anna, Ella, Minnie, 
 Harry, and an unnamed infant. Anna is 
 the wife of Robert Leslie, and Ella is the 
 wife of Samuel Zeigler. Alfred, Samuel, 
 and the infant are deceased. 
 
 Aphes A. Cooper was small when the 
 family came to Butler from Forest Coun- 
 ty and he was able later to assist his father 
 greatly in clearing up the farm in Adams 
 Township. His education was obtained in 
 the district schools in the neighborhood, 
 and when he was fifteen years old he start- 
 ed out to take care of himself. He learned 
 
1454 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the shoemaking h'ade with his cousin, John 
 Cooper, and worked at it for three years. 
 Although he soon turned his etlforts in an- 
 other direction, he never regretted the dis- 
 cipline of long months on the bench. In 
 carpenter work, however, he was able to 
 take a deeper interest and under R. T. Mc- 
 Anlis, became a good workman and con- 
 tinued with him for seven years. Mr. 
 Cooper then went into general contracting 
 which he continued until 1906, and during 
 his active years in that line, put up many 
 of the buildings through Butler County and 
 also did a large amount of building in Al- 
 legheny County. In 1883 he bought thirty- 
 five acres of his present farm, from Wiil- 
 iam Sloan and subsequently added until 
 his farm now contains fifty-six acres, where 
 he carries on general farming. 
 
 On March 9, 1881, Mr. Cooper was mar- 
 ried (first) to Hannah Gilkey, a daughter 
 of John Gilkey. She died October 20. 
 1897, having been the mother of the follow- 
 ing children: a babe that died in a short 
 time following birth; Luella, who is the 
 wife of Harry Eichenberg; Bessie, who is 
 the wife of Roy McMillen, has one child, 
 Clarence Leroy; Charles, who died aged 
 nineteen years and ten days; John; and 
 Olive, who died aged twelve years and four 
 months. Mr. Cooper married (second) 
 Ida Rennison, who is a daughter of John 
 Rennison. Mr. Cooper is a man of recog- 
 nized standing in his community and is a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. In politics, he is a Republican. 
 
 SAMUEL ALEXANDER LESLIE, a 
 well known citizen of Middlesex Township, 
 Butler County, Penna., has a fine farm of 
 106 acres and is engaged in general farm- 
 ing. He is now serving his fourth consecu- 
 tive term as justice of the peace, the duties 
 of which office he has discharged in an able 
 and conscientious manner, and to the en- 
 tire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. He 
 was born in Plain Grove Township, Mer- 
 cer County, Penna., Januarv 21, 1842, and 
 
 is a son of Hon. Alexander and Sarah (Al- 
 len) Leslie, and a grandson of Alexander 
 Leslie, Sr. 
 
 Alexander Leslie, the grandfather, was 
 born in Allegheny County, Penna., and at 
 an early date settled on the farm now 
 owned by the subject of this sketch, which 
 was then almost wholly uncleared and un- 
 improved. This hardy old pioneer was a 
 member of the State militia of that early 
 period. 
 
 Alexander Leslie, Jr., was born in Al- 
 legheny County, Penna., and during his 
 early years worked on the river. He later 
 settled in Plain Grove Township, Mercer 
 County, and engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits imtil about 1847, when he located on 
 the home farm in Middlesex Township, 
 Butler County, where he passed the re- 
 mainder of his days. He died in 1883, at 
 the age of sixty-four years. He was an 
 active Republican in politics, and served 
 two terms in the State Legislature. Mr. 
 Leslie was first united in marriage with 
 Miss Sarah Allen, who died early in mar- 
 ried life, and as a result of their imion four 
 children were born, two of whom grew to 
 maturity : Samuel A. ; and Eliza, deceased 
 wife of Philip Snyder. Mr. Leslie formed 
 a second marital union with Miss Aphia 
 Ross, by whom he had six children : Cor- 
 delia (Donahea) of Braddock; Harvey, of 
 Columbus, Ohio; John of Pittsburg; Will- 
 iam, a resident of California; George of 
 Valencia, Penna. ; and Susan, deceased. 
 Religiously, Alexander Leslie was a mem- 
 ber and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and served as class leader and 
 supei'intendent of the Sunday-school. 
 
 Samuel A. Leslie was about five years 
 of age when his parents located on his 
 present farm in Middlesex Townslii]», and 
 was nine years old at his mother's death. 
 He was then taken to Bakerstown where 
 he lived four years, after which he resided 
 continuously on the home place except for 
 that pei'iod spent in his country's serv- 
 ice, during the War of the Rebellion. He 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1455 
 
 enlisted August 1, 1861, as a member of 
 Company B, Sixty-first Regiment Penna. 
 Volunteer Infantry, and participated in 
 all the engagements of his regiment until 
 September 7, 1864, and he was wounded at 
 the Battle of Fair Oaks. He was in num- 
 erous hotly contested battles, and acquit- 
 ted himself with honor and credit. He re- 
 turned to the home farm upon leaving the 
 service and has engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits without interruption since. He 
 follows general farming, but makes hay 
 his principal crop. Located on his farm is 
 a gas well with a strong flow, which has 
 been producing for a period of fifteen 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Leslie was united in marriage with 
 Miss Rebecca E. McBride, a daughter of 
 Samuel McBride of Middlesex Township, 
 and they became parents of four children, 
 namely: Samuel McBride, of Middlesex 
 Township ; Sarah, wife of Adam Kind, and 
 they make their home with Mr. Leslie; 
 Wilda, wife of S. Cunningham Trimble, 
 of Butler; and Howard, deceased. Mrs. 
 Leslie passed from this life in 1899, at the 
 age of fifty-six years. She was a member 
 of the ]\Ietliodist Episcopal Church, of 
 which Mr. Leslie is also a member and a 
 trustee. He was a member of Scott Post, 
 No. 470, G. A. R. of West Deer Township, 
 Allegheny County, now disbanded, and 
 served as post commander -four years, and 
 is a member of Union Veterans ' Legion of 
 Butler. He is a stanch Republican in poli- 
 tics, and served as school clirector a period 
 of eighteen years, is now serving his third 
 year as road supervisor, and his fourth 
 term as justice of the peace. 
 
 J. C. .KISKADDON, a representative 
 citizen of Butler County, now serving in 
 the office of deputy county treasurer, was 
 born in Armstrong County, Penna., in 
 1844, and is a son of James and Eleanor 
 (Sloane) Kiskaddon. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Kiskaddon moved to 
 Allegheny Township, Butler County, when 
 
 he was ten years old, and he grew to the 
 age of eighteen on his father's farm, leav- 
 ing its peaceful seclusion to enter Company 
 G, One Hundred Thirty-seventh Regiment, 
 Penna. Volimteer Infantry, as a soldier in 
 the Civil War. He served through his first 
 eulistment, a period of nine months, and 
 was attached to the Army of the Potomac. 
 He immediately reeulisted, his second 
 choice being the cavalry and he served as 
 a member of Company L, Fourteenth Reg- 
 iment, until he was disabled by a gunshot 
 wound and was honorably discharged in 
 June, 1865. His wound proved a very seri- 
 ous one. It was received in October, 1864, 
 from the band known as McNeil's guerril- 
 las, while he was on duty in the Shenandoah 
 Valley. He was in the hands of the enemy 
 for four months thereafter and was con- 
 fined in the prison hospital at Richmond, 
 Virginia. All through his service, Mr. 
 Kiskaddon was at his post of duty and he 
 participated in notable battles, including 
 Antietam, the protracted campaign under 
 General Burnside, and Chancellorsville, 
 all while in the infantry. Duriug his sec- 
 ond enlistment he was under the command 
 of General Sheridan in the Shenandoah 
 Valley. 
 
 After Mr. Kiskaddon had recovered suf- 
 ficiently from the wound he had received 
 in his coimtry defense to be able to per- 
 form any duty, he was appointed a dep- 
 uty sheriff in Armstrong County, this be- 
 ing in 1866, but he retained the office for 
 less than one year and then turned his at- 
 tention to farming. Later he entered into 
 the oil business and worked also as a car- 
 penter. In December, 1890, having been 
 elected a county commissioner in Butler 
 County, he came to the city of Butler. 
 After "the close of his term of office of three 
 years, he followed the carpenter trade for 
 about the same period and then was called 
 back to public life, being appointed clerk 
 for the Board of County Commissioners 
 and served in that capacity for nine years, 
 and then served as deputy treasurer of the 
 
1456 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 county from July, 1906, to January, 1909. 
 He lias been a very active Republican and 
 was the successful candidate of liis party 
 for the office of county commissioner at the 
 election on November 3, 1908. He is very 
 popular at his home and his friends may 
 be found in all parts of the county. 
 
 In 1868, Mr. Kiskaddon was married to 
 Miss Nancy J. Colgin, who was a native 
 of Butler County. She died in 1894 and 
 was survived by four children: James R., 
 residing at New Castle; William, residing 
 at Chicago; Alice, wife of H. B. Burns, of 
 Southersland, Iowa; and Edith J., wife 
 of Joseph Elliott, of Butler. 
 
 Mr. Kiskaddon is identiiied with the A. 
 G. Reed Post, No. 105, Grand Army of the 
 Republic, and he belongs to Connoquenes- 
 sing Lodge, No. 278, Odd Fellows. For 
 many years he has been a member of the 
 Second Pi'esbyterian Church at Butler. 
 
 GUSTAVE ORVILLE HAMMER, pro- 
 prietor and sole owner of the Roebling 
 Hotel, at Saxonburg, is one of the promi- 
 nent and forceful men of Butler County 
 and for years has been identified with 
 large enterprises in Western Pennsyl- 
 vania. He was born in the city of Bremen, 
 Germany, June 30, 1864, and accompanied 
 his parents to America in 1868. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Hammer were Will- 
 iam G. and Sophia L. (Von Rautenburg) 
 Plammer, natives of Holland. Mrs. Sophia 
 L. Hammer came from Friesland in the 
 north of Holland. When they first reached 
 the United States, they settled in New 
 York but came later to Pennsylvania. He 
 had conducted a furniture factory in Ger- 
 many and began the manufacture of furni- 
 ture at Pittsburg and was interested at 
 other points. His children were as fol- 
 lows: Gustave 0., John, Louis G., Hen- 
 rietta, Wilhelmina, Ferdinand G., Carl and 
 an infant. 
 
 Gustave O. Hammer attended school at 
 various ])laces where the father was in 
 Imsiuess for a more or less longer time. 
 
 this including Pittsburg, New Brighton, 
 Zelienople and Butler. In the latter city 
 he completed his school course and then 
 went into business with his father. This 
 city remained the family home for seven- 
 teen years. The death of the mother, in 
 1881, broke up the domestic circle and then 
 Gustave 0. started out in the world for 
 himself. He visited a number of cities: 
 Chicago, Illinois; Springfield and Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, remaining in the latter city for 
 two years; then back to Springfield; 
 south then to Chattanooga, Tennessee; 
 then back to Cincinnati and Pittsburg. 
 Mr. Hammer during this time- had in- 
 vented several articles and while at Pitts- 
 burg had them patented and went into a 
 manufacturing business on Water Street, 
 in that city. On January 7, 1889, he em- 
 barked in a furniture business at Oak- 
 land and remained there for twelve years, 
 after which he came to' Saxonburg and 
 bought the gas plant, in 1898, moving to 
 this place in 1900 and remained in the 
 business imtil the fall of 1906, when he 
 sold out to the Saxonburg Heat and Light 
 Company. In 1902 he built the Opera 
 House and sold it in 1905. . During that 
 period of residence he was a leading citi- 
 zen of the place, served in the town council 
 ai\d was town burgess for three years. At 
 ])resent he is president of the School 
 Board. He was the first president and one 
 of the organizers of the Saxonburg Tele- 
 phone Company and was the organizer 
 and vice president of the Bessemer Brick & 
 Tile Company. 
 
 In 1906 Mr. Hammer returned to Pitts- 
 burg and engaged in a stock brokerage 
 business and then became extensively in- 
 terested in real estate, under the firm 
 name of Hammer & Mandeville, and while 
 there laid out the G. 0. Hammer plat of 
 lots in Saxonburg, which he sold, and also 
 laid out the Norfolk-Heights plat in Mc- 
 Candless Township, Allegheny County, in 
 the Perrysville District, on the car line be- 
 tween New Castle and Harmonv. j\Ir. 
 
HENRY D. WALLET 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1457 
 
 Hammer is oouuected with, the Cottage 
 Hill Laud Company of Butler. He has 
 been interested also in oil, gas and railroad 
 enterpi-ises and was one of the promoters 
 of a traction line between Tareutum, But- 
 ler and Saxonburg. In May, 1907, Mr. 
 Hammer sold out his various interests in 
 Pittsburg and returned to Saxonburg and 
 purchased the Boebling Hotel. This was 
 formerly called the Kohnfelter Hotel and 
 was built in 1862, the tirst brick building 
 erected at Saxonburg, the bricks being 
 manufactured on the premises. It is 
 widely known and under Mr. Hammer's 
 management is the leading hotel in this 
 section. He retains his interests in oil and 
 gas production in the county and is one 
 of the directors of the Scott Eidge Oil and 
 Gas Company, at Zelienople. In all these 
 various enterprises Mr. Hammer has pros- 
 pered, his business foresight and judgment 
 being remarkable. 
 
 Mr. Hammer was married in 1891, at 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Miss Clara 
 Pauline Pickel, who is a daughter of John 
 S. Pickel, and they have eight children, 
 namely: John M., Orville J., Henrietta, 
 Charlotte, Freda, Mary, Bonita, and Jen- 
 nings. The two older sons are students at 
 college. Mr. • Hammer and family are 
 members of the Lutheran Church. He is 
 connected with several of the leading- 
 fraternities, having pa.ssed all the chairs 
 in Herder Lodge, No. 279, Knights of 
 Pythias; is a charter member of the order 
 of Moose and belongs to tlie order of 
 Woodmen of the World at Saxonburg. 
 
 CAESON G. GEAY, postmaster at 
 Petrolia, of which place he has been a 
 resident for more than thirty years, was 
 born in Washington Township, Erie 
 County, Pennsylvania, November 10, 1836, 
 and is a son of Lemuel and Diadema 
 (Gardner) Gray. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Gray reared a fam- 
 ilv of six cliildr(in, namely: George W., 
 Otis N., A. E., Carson G., E. W., and 
 
 Leonard S., the only survivors being Car- 
 son G. and E. W. The father died in his 
 eighty-fourth year and the mother when 
 aged seventy-three years. 
 
 Carson G. Gray was reared in Erie 
 County and there attended school and also 
 learned the trade of paper hanging and 
 painting. He served in the Federal army 
 from April, 1865, until June of the same 
 year, in Company E, Ninety-eighth Eegi- 
 ment, Pennsylvania Infantry, and partici- 
 pated in a number of sharp skirmishes. 
 He belongs to the Grand Army of the Ee- 
 public, being a member of Campbell Post, 
 Petrolia. 
 
 After the close of his military service, 
 Mr. Gray returned to Erie, Pennsylvania, 
 where he went to work in the car barns as 
 a painter, and he remained there until 
 1877, when he came to Butler County and 
 settled at Petrolia. For a number of years 
 he conducted a shop of his own and did 
 a hii-go amount of business, especially be- 
 fore 1884, when he was very seriously 
 injured by a railroad train, at Foxburg. 
 In 1898 he was appointed postmaster and 
 has continued to serve in this office ever 
 since, giving the city a very efficient admin- 
 istration. 
 
 On December 25, 1862, Mr. Gray was 
 married to Miss Agnes A. Eay, who is a 
 daughter of John Eay, of Erie County. 
 They have had two daughters, Mary and 
 Maud. Mary married William Harring- 
 ton, and they live in Delaware. Maud 
 married William Kelley, of Ohio, and died 
 in 1884, when only twenty years of age. 
 Mr. Gray is a Eepublican in his political 
 views, and on numerous occasions he has 
 been elected to local offices at Petrolia. 
 He belongs to the order known as the Pro- 
 tective Home Circle. With his family he 
 is identified with the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 IIENEY 1). AVALLET, i)ostmaster at 
 Great Belt, resides at Great Belt, and has 
 lived in this section almost the whole of 
 his life. He was born in 1857, in Pitts- 
 
1458 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 biirg, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Daniel 
 and Mary (Schmidt) Wallet, and a grand- 
 son of Philip and Catherine (Bleichner) 
 Wallet, natives of Germany and early set- 
 tlers in Allegheny County. 
 
 Daniel Wallet worked in a glass factory 
 at Pittsburg before he moved on his farm 
 of sixty acres in Jefferson Township, But- 
 ler County. He became a man of local 
 prominence, serving in both township and 
 county offices. He married Mary Schmidt, 
 who still survives, and they had eleven 
 children, the seven still living bearing re- 
 spectively tlie following names : Henry D., 
 Mary, John, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Maggie 
 and Eosie. 
 
 Henry D. Wallet obtained his education 
 in the country schools in North Jetferson 
 Township and later in the Herman School, 
 after which he spent about two years in 
 the far West. When he returned he en- 
 gaged in the grocery business but later 
 sold out and went back to cultivating the 
 farm. He has been postmaster at Great 
 Belt for the past two years. In politics he 
 is a Democrat and he has served in town- 
 ship offices, four years being supervisor. 
 Mr. WalJet is a member of the Catholic 
 Church at Herman. He belongs to the 
 Catholic Mutual Benefit Association lodge 
 at Herman and for twelve years has been 
 recording secretary of this organization. 
 He is a representative citizen of this part 
 of Jefferson Township and is well and 
 fnvorably known. He is one of the heirs 
 of his father's estate. 
 
 HON. GEO. H. GRAHAM, justice of the 
 peace and representative citizen of Fair- 
 view Township, owns twenty- five acres of 
 valuable farm land in this township and 
 forty-seven additional acres in Parker 
 Township, Butler County. He was born in 
 Venango County, Pennsylvania, March 1, 
 1833, and is a son of John and Mary (Hill) 
 Graham. 
 
 Mr. Graham comes of Irish ancestry and 
 of Revolutionary stock. His great-great- 
 
 grandfather was born on the Atlantic 
 Ocetm while his parents were on one of the 
 slow old sailing ships between Ireland and 
 the United States, then the British col- 
 onies, for it was as early as 1700. His 
 parents settled in Cumberland County, 
 Pennsylvania, not far from the present site 
 of the great Indian School at Carlisle, and 
 that section presumably .was the family 
 home for many years. Richard Graham, 
 tlie great-grandfather was a soldier in the 
 Revolutionary War and when it was over 
 he resided in Chester County until 1795, 
 when he accompanied his son, Samuel Gra- 
 ham, to Allegheny Township, Butler Coun- 
 "ty, where he died in 1806. Samuel Gra- 
 ham, grandfather of George H., was a vet- 
 eran of the War of 1812 and he subse- 
 quently died in a hospital at Meadville, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 John Graham, father of George H., was 
 born in Allegheny Township, Butler Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, in 1800, and died in 
 Parker Township in 1856. He was a farm- 
 er, carpenter and contractor and in 1845 
 he settled near Bruin, Butler County. He 
 married Mary Hill, who'lived to be eighty- 
 six years of age. They had the following 
 children: Xaiicy J., Phoebe Ann, George 
 H., Floriiida, Ruth, Mary, Adelaide, Mag- 
 gie and William. Of these three now sur- 
 vive: Geoi-ge H., Florinda, and Adelaide. 
 
 George H. Graham lived in Venango 
 County until he was about twelve years of 
 age, attending school for a time at Emlen- 
 ton, and later taking a university course at 
 Allegheny College. After his parents 
 moved to near Bruin, Butler County, he 
 worked in both the ore and coal mines for 
 a short time, when, through natui'al al)ility 
 and study he fitted himself for other work. 
 He has done a vast amount of surveying, 
 has been a civil engineer, has done consid- 
 erable-farming and oil producing, and for 
 many years he was considered the most 
 successful public school teacher in the 
 county. When the Civil»War opened, Mr. 
 Graham entered the army, enlisting as a 
 
HON. GEORGE H. GRAHAM 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1459 
 
 member of Company G, One Hundred and 
 Thirty-seventh Regiment, Pa. VoL Inf., 
 under Colonel Bossart, and shortly after- 
 ward was commissioned quartermaster of 
 the regiment and served on the staff of 
 Uen. J. R. Paul. He was with his regiment 
 at Antietam, South [Mountain, Fredericks- 
 burg and Chancellorsville, and was mus- 
 tered out at Hari-isbui-g, in June, 1863. 
 
 Mr. Graham returned to Bruin and dur- 
 ing the winters of 1857-8 and 1859, he 
 taught school -in Parker and Washington 
 Townships, and in the spring of 1867 be- 
 came a teacher in the West Sunbury Acad- 
 emv, where he continued to teach until 
 1869. In the fall of 1874 he made Fairview 
 his home and has continued here ever since. 
 He has acce])tably filled all the borough of- 
 fices, has been school director for thirty 
 years, has served as jury commissioner, 
 for three years has been a justice of the 
 peace, ancl in 1880, he was a member of 
 the State Legislature, giving good service. 
 Mr. Graham has lived a very busy and use- 
 ful life and his acquaintance extends all 
 over Butler County, while his friends are 
 legion. 
 
 Air. Graham was married in 1860 to Miss 
 Eleuor J. Wilson, who died November 9, 
 1892. To this marriage were born five 
 children: Clara, Anna, Addie, John H. and 
 William J. Clara married J. C. McKee 
 and they have one child, which they have 
 named after her mother, Elenor. Anna 
 has been a successful teacher for fifteen 
 years. Addie married William Shoenfeld 
 and they live at Bruin and have two sons, 
 Wayne and Walter. John H. married Vir- 
 ginia Bollinger, who died two years later, 
 leaving one son, Claud R. William J. mar- 
 ried a Miss Idelle Gifford and they live at 
 Homestead and have two children, Leslie 
 and George. Mr. Graham takes much in- 
 terest in the educating of his grandchil- 
 dren. He is a valued member of the J. G. 
 Campbell Post of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic at Petrolia. 
 
 JAMES A. MILLIRON, engaged in the 
 livery business at Karns City, Butler 
 County, Pciinsylvaiiia, in partnership with 
 Mr. George Aclaiiis. is an enterprising and 
 progressive business man and conducts 
 an establishment which is a credit to the 
 village. He was born in Armstrong Covm- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1877, and is a 
 son of William and Rebecca (Reges) Mill- 
 iron, old residents of Armstrong County, 
 who now reside in Euclid, Clay Township, 
 Butler County. They are parents of seven 
 children, all living and all natives of Arm- 
 strong County, namely: George, John, 
 James A., Gertrude, Maud, Mima and 
 Elizabeth. William Milliron, the father of 
 this family, was born in 1849. 
 
 James A. Milliron was about ten years 
 of age when he accompanied his parents to 
 West Winfield, and there he lived for twen- 
 ty-two years. He received his intellectual 
 training in the public schools, and there- 
 after engaged in the livery business at 
 West Winfield for about five vears. He 
 jnoved to Karns City in the fall of 1908 
 and embarked in the livery business in 
 partnership with Mr. Adams. He also is 
 interested in the timber business in both 
 Butler and Indiana Counties, Pennsylva- 
 nia. Fraternallv, he is a member of West 
 Winfield Lodge No. 291, K. 0. T. M. ; and 
 of the Order of Unity of Pittsburg. In re- 
 ligious attachment, he is a member of the 
 German Reformed Church of Sugar Creek 
 Township, in Armstrong County. 
 
 George Adams, who is in business with 
 ^\v. Milliron, is also a new arrival in Karns 
 City, locating there in the fall of 1908. 
 His life prior to that time was spent in 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he was born November 16, 1869. His par- 
 ents, John and Margaret (Moore) Adams, 
 were early settlers of that county, where 
 all of their five children were born. Their 
 names are as follows : Charles, James, Ed- 
 ward, George, and John, and all are liv- 
 ing but the last mentioned. John Adams, 
 
1460 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 the father, died in 1903, at the age of six- 
 ty-three years, and is survived by his 
 widow. George Adams was married June 
 9, 1896, to Miss Maggie Steele, a daugh- 
 ter of Amos Steele of Armstrong County, 
 and they have four children — Iva, Paul, 
 Ruth and Gladys — all born in Armstrong 
 County but Gladys, who is a native of West 
 Winfield. Religiously, Mr. Adams and his 
 wife are members of the Lutheran Church 
 of Mt. Pleasant, Armstrong County. Fra- 
 ternally, he is a member of West Winfield 
 Lodge No. 291, K. 0. T. M. 
 
 LOREE L. OSTRANDER, one of Pe- 
 
 trolia's substantial citizens and business 
 men, is engaged in oil producing. He was 
 born in Steuben County, New York, Sep- 
 tember 30, 1847, and is a son of Van Rens- 
 selaer and Mary Jane (Schanck) Ostrand- 
 er. His father died at the age of forty- 
 six years, and his mother at the age of 
 sixty-four years. They were parents of 
 the following children : : Matilda, Eleanor, 
 Louisa, William, Susanna, Mary, de- 
 ceased ; Carrie, Loree L. and John. 
 
 Loree L. Ostrander was reared in Steu- 
 ben Coimty, New York, until his sixteenth 
 year, and there received a common school 
 education. He then located at Brockway- 
 ville, Jefferson Coimty, Pennsylvania, and 
 one years later moved to Cameron County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he remained two 
 years. He next located in Venango Coim- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, where he embarked in 
 the oil business, at which he has since con- 
 tinued. He moved to Butler County in 
 3876, settling at St. Joseph, Donegal Town- 
 ship, and later lived upon the Divener 
 farm in that township. He next moved 
 upon the Daugherty farm in Fairview 
 Township, upon which he resided for twen- 
 ty-four years. In 1906 he moved to the 
 borough of Petrolia, where he owns prop- 
 erty and here he has since resided. He has 
 four producing oil wells, which are very 
 remunerative, they now being in charge of 
 his son, Clarence. 
 
 Mr. Ostrander was united in marriage 
 with Miss Adeline Alford, a daughter of 
 William and Catherine Alford, their mar- 
 riage occurring March 18, 1873, at Sager- 
 town, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. 
 Four children are the issue of this union: 
 William, of Coylesville, Butler County, who 
 married Flora Jones and has a daughter, 
 Florence; Lula, wife of Clarence Yeager 
 of Petrolia, by whom she has two children, 
 Josephine and Allen ; Edna, who is the wife 
 of Arthur Starr of Butler; and Clarence, 
 who married I^fabel Snyder and lives on 
 the Daugherty farm in Fairview Town- 
 ship. In religious attachment, Mr. Os- 
 trander and his family are members of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Petrolia. 
 
 ANDREW 0. MILLER, who for many 
 years has been prominently identified with 
 the business interests of Eau Claire, is pro- 
 'prietor of a drugstore at the present time 
 and is treasurer of the Eau Claire Tele- 
 phone Company. He was born in Monroe 
 County, West Virginia, June 25, 1839, and 
 is a son of John and Selina S. (Neel) Mil- 
 ler, and a grandson of Andrew and Isabella 
 Miller. 
 
 Andrew Miller was born in Scotland and 
 when a young man, some time prior to his 
 marriage, came to the United States. He 
 and his wife became parents of the follow- 
 ing : Margaret, who became the wife of Gib- 
 son Jarrell and had two children, Andrew 
 and Eliza, was born in 1797 ; Thomas ]\Iil- 
 ler, who was born in 1799, married Mar- 
 garet Neel of Monroe County, West Y'lv- 
 ginia, and they had two children — William 
 F. and Jane, the last named being de- 
 ceased; Christina, who was born in 1805, 
 and died May 7, 1851 ; John, father of the 
 subject of this sketch, was born in 1807; 
 Eleanor, born in 1811, became wife of 
 Smith Waiters of West Virginia; and 
 James Y., who was born in 1814, married 
 Sarah Burdette and four children were 
 born to them, — Andrew, Mary, William 
 and Yeman. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1461 
 
 John Miller married Selina S. Neel, a 
 daughter of Joseph Neel of Mouroe Coun- 
 ty, West Virginia, and the following were 
 the issue of their union : an infant son, who 
 was born and died on j\Iareh 5, 1838 ; An- 
 drew O., whose name heads this sketch; 
 Isabelle R., born May 1-t, 1846; Melvina J., 
 born Api-il 1, 1849; and James T. C, who 
 was born July 26, 1853. Isabelle R. Miller 
 married Robert Burdette of West Vir- 
 ginia, and their children are Rosa L. Bur- 
 dette, born July 26, 1870; Ella S. S., born 
 April 2, 1872; Mary Martha S., born July 
 10, 1874; Carrie Judson, boi'u March 15, 
 1877; Emma B., born February 8, 1880; 
 Robert 0., born February 9, 1883; and 
 Clara Elizabeth, born August 1, 1887. 
 Melvina J. Miller married Andrew J. Bur- 
 dette of Mouroe County, West Virginia, 
 and the following are their offspring : Cora 
 A., born November 23, 1880; U. Grace, born 
 July 8, 1885; Zella M., born April 17, 1887. 
 James T. (i. Miller was married to Dorothy 
 Edds, and to them have been born four 
 children — Vida, born August 21, 1885; C. 
 Fay, born February 19, 1887; Myrtle M., 
 born March 14, 1893; and Gleuna 11., born 
 July 10, 1896. 
 
 Andrew O. Miller went to school in his 
 home district, about nine miles west of the 
 county seat in Monroe County, West Vir- 
 ginia. He taught school for one term in 
 each of the following years, 1867, 1868, 
 1869, 1870, and in 1871, and in the mean- 
 time raiiicd on agricultural pursuits. He 
 w;is tlic owner of a farm of 400 acres, which 
 he disposed of, and in 1872 he went west 
 to Minnesota where he acquired a quarter 
 section of land, located about eight miles 
 west of Worthington, in Nobles County. 
 He continued there until 1874, then sold 
 out and after a time returned east, work- 
 ing at farming in every state through 
 which he passed. He was for a time locat- 
 ed in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and 
 was able to see much of the country. He 
 located in Butler County and engaged in 
 house painting, in addition to farming, for 
 
 a time, then moved to Fulton County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he continued his 
 former occupations and also worked at 
 carpentering. He next went to the old 
 home farm in Monroe County, \\ est Vir- 
 ginia, visiting his mother and assisting in 
 the care of the place. He moved to Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, and again took up 
 carpentering and jaainting, in connection 
 with farming, then in 1885 returned to 
 Butler County, purchasing a drug-store at 
 Eau Claire of Dr. R. J. Grossman. He has 
 since carried on the drug business with un- 
 interrupted success, but has also devoted 
 much of his energy to other enterprises. 
 He became active in the Butler County and 
 Ohio oil fields, and later became one of the 
 stockholders in the Eau Claire Telephone 
 Company, of which he was made bookkeep- 
 er and treasurer. He is a man of excep- 
 tional ability in business affairs and has 
 prospered. His drug-store and residence 
 are located on the same lot, and in addi- 
 tion to these he owns the property in which 
 the hardware store is located, and a house 
 and lot in the south part of the borough. 
 He is a stockholder in the Eau Claire Tele- 
 phone Company. He is a Republican in 
 politics, and for fourteen years was school 
 director, and twelve years director and 
 trustee of Eau Claire Academy. 
 
 Mr. Miller was a conscript in the 
 Southern Army, serving from 1862 imtil 
 September 19, 1864, when he was taken 
 prisoner at the battle of Winchester. He 
 was held prisoner at Point Lookout, Mary- 
 land, until March 24, 1865, and except for 
 the fact that he^did not always get full ra- 
 tions, fared very well, a rugged constitu- 
 tion enabling him to stand the confinement 
 without ill results. 
 
 Mr. Miller was united in marriage with 
 Mary Ann McGinnis, a daughter of 
 Thompson McGinnis of Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and they have had four chil- 
 dren : John T., who was boi-n June 30, 1 889, 
 and died October 2, 1890; Zethina A., who 
 was born March 18, 1892 ; T. A. Owen, who 
 
1462 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 was born May 29, 1895, and is a student at 
 Eau Claire Academy; and Rutherford B., 
 who was born July 13, 1897, and is also in 
 attendance at the academy. Religiously, 
 Mr. Miller is a member of the Associate 
 Presbyterian Church, of which he is a dea- 
 con, and has served twelve years as treas- 
 urer of the church board of publication, 
 and the church organization. 
 
 OTHO J. GILLESPIE, an electrician by 
 profession and a prominent business citi- 
 zen of Ferris, Butler County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, was born in Morgan County, Ohio, No- 
 vember 6, 1874. He is a son of* Thomas B. 
 and Sarah (Medley) Gillespie, and a 
 grandson of David Gillespie. 
 
 David Gillespie and his wife, whose 
 maiden name was Dumars, had the follow- 
 ing children who grew to maturity : Alex- 
 ander D., who married Nancy Lynn and 
 had three children: E. P. (deceased), A. 
 D., who is superintendent of the Green- 
 ville Electric Light Plant, and A. J. of 
 Youngstown, Ohio; Sarah J., wife of J. L. 
 Turner, by whom she has a sou, John A., 
 of Grove City, Pennsvlvania ; and Thomas 
 B. 
 
 Thomas B. Gillespie married Sarah Med- 
 ley, a daughter of Bazell Medley, and six 
 children were born to them, namely : John 
 T., who married Sarah Allen, daughter of 
 James Allen of Mercer County, and has 
 three children — Lea, May and William; 
 Sarah J., wife of Grant Shuler of Wash- 
 ington Township, by whom she has five 
 children — Sarah, Hannah, Arthur, Chloe 
 and Thomas; Otho J.; Haftnah L., wife of 
 Robert Hovis of Washington Township, 
 by whom she has two children, Eugene and 
 Bessie ; David, who is unmarried and lives 
 at the home place; and Eugene B., who 
 married Jessie Barber, a daughter of Will- 
 iam Barber of Washington Township, and 
 has a daughter, May. 
 
 Otho J. Gillespie first attended the pub- 
 lic schools in Wayne County, Michigan, 
 and afterward at Hilliard, Pennsvlvania. 
 
 He then began working about the mines of 
 this vicinity and was employed in various 
 capacities at inside and outside work. Al- 
 ways ambitious for success, he zealously 
 pursued a course of study in electricity 
 through the International Correspondence 
 School of Scranton as a means to that end. 
 He installed a plant at the Keystone Mine, 
 where he remained one and a half years, 
 and in 1907 located at Ferris, which has 
 since been his home. In 1909, he was em- 
 ployed by the Bessemer & Lake Erie Coal 
 Mining Company to put in a plant in West 
 Virginia. He purchased the Jerry Hilliard 
 farm of sixty acres in Washington Town- 
 ship, from A. D. and T. B. Gillespie, and is 
 the owner of three houses and lots in 
 Hilliard. He also is a stockholder in the 
 International School of Correspondence. 
 His farm is an excellent property and is 
 underlaid with coal, one of the banks hav- 
 ing been opened. It has never been tested 
 for oil or gas. 
 
 Fraternallv, Mr. Gillespie is a member 
 of Hilliard Lodge, No. Ill, I. 0. 0. F. ; and 
 Hilliard Lodge, No. 92, K. P. He is a 
 Democrat in politics and serves on the 
 election board in Washington Township. 
 In religious attachment, he attends the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. April 22, 
 1908, Mr. Gillespie began an enjoyable so- 
 journ in England, which ended June 3, 
 1908, when he set sail from Liverpool. 
 
 CALEB B. McFARLIN, a man well 
 known to the peo])le of Washington Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, has 
 been a resident there since 1881, and has 
 been prominently identified with its lead- 
 ing interests. He opened the first mine of 
 what is now the Nellie Coal Company, an 
 incorporated concern of which he is at the 
 present time vice-president. It is capital- 
 ized at $8,000, and in addition to the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, its officers are H. K. 
 Wick, of Youngstown, Ohio, president; and 
 W. D. Ward, of Buffalo, New York, sec- 
 retary iv-l treasurer. Employment is 
 
OTHO J. GILLESPIE 
 
JOHN R. HELMBOLD 
 
 THEODORE HELMBOLD 
 
 MRS. MARY E. HELMBOLD 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1463 
 
 given to a force of 127 men, aud 300 tous 
 of I'oal are mined each day. Tlie mines are 
 located at a point known as Argentine, one- 
 lialf mile from a railroad connection, but 
 it is expected that railroad facilities will 
 be provided in the near future. Before the 
 organization of the company, Mr. McFarlin 
 had 200 acres of land under lease; at the 
 present time 750 acres are leased aud 600 
 acres are owned by Mr. H. K. AVick. One 
 well was drilled as a test on the Whitt 
 property adjoining H. K. Wick property, 
 and oil and gas were found in paying 
 quantities. 
 
 Caleb B. McFarlin was born in West 
 Middlesex, Mercer County, Peuusylvania, 
 Pebruarv 18, 1854, and is a son of Samuel 
 and Marv ( F\irk].atrick ) McFarlin. He is 
 of Scotcli-Irish descent, but the family has 
 been estal)lislied in this country for some 
 generations l)ack. The uuiterual grand- 
 father was Andrew Kirkpatrick, who saw 
 service in the Continental Army during the 
 Revolutionary War. Samuel and Mary 
 McFarlin became parents of the following- 
 children: Harmon; Ralph, deceased; 
 Mead, deceased; and Caleb B. 
 
 Mr. jMcFarlin is a Democrat in politics, 
 but is inclined to be independent, giving his 
 supj)ort to the man he deems best fitted 
 for the oflice in issue. He is now serving a 
 three years' term as road supervisor of 
 Washington Township, and is game war- 
 den for Butler County. He is a sportsman 
 of the highest, and as a marksman is un- 
 excelled in the county. He is the owner of 
 a valuable farm of 145 acres in Mercer 
 County. 
 
 JOHN R. HELMBOLD, a prominent 
 citizen, and postmaster at Saxonburg, was 
 born at Saxonburg, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, July 5, 1862, and is a son of 
 Theodore and Marv E. (Graham) Helm- 
 bold. 
 
 The Helmbold family came to these 
 parts aliout the same time as the Roebling 
 
 — the pioneer famih' — and has been an im- 
 portant one in the upbuilding of this sec- 
 tion. The grand))arents, John G. and 
 B'rederika (Speack) Helmbold settled in 
 Jeflferson Township, Butler County, in 
 1834. John G. Helmbold bought 800 acres 
 when he settled in Jefferson Township, 
 aud there the late John G. Helmbold was 
 born. He married Mary E. Graham and 
 they had ten children born to them, name- 
 ly; John R., Etta L., Charles R., Louis A., 
 Clarence E., Elmer G., James A., and three 
 deceased. 
 
 With the exception of four years, during 
 which he was gaining mercantile experi- 
 ence in a store at Evans City, John R. 
 Helmbold has spent his life in Butler 
 County and identified himself with her in- 
 terests. He assisted his father in his 
 youth in his store, the latter conducting a 
 large mercantile business here through 
 many years, and also worked on the farm. 
 Since March, 1906, he has been the popu- 
 lar postmaster of Saxonburg and, although 
 not an active politician, has served on the 
 School Board and Election Board. He is 
 a man of public spirit and of progressive 
 ideas and has recently installed a new tele- 
 phone plant, which is a sub-license of the 
 Bell Company, and which is a great con- 
 venience to the people of Saxonburg in 
 general. 
 
 Mr. Helmbold is a member of the Wood- 
 men of the World and the Maccabees, and 
 was formerly active in the Odd Fellows 
 and Knights of Pythias. He has been very 
 prominent in the Knights of Maccabees 
 and has served in official positions in the 
 order for some twelve years. 
 
 DAVID S. CRISWELL*, a leading resi- 
 dent of Isle, has been identified with the oil 
 industry for many years, and has large in- 
 terests in Butler County, as well as in 
 other sections. He was born in Clarion 
 County, Penna., January 12, 1842, son of 
 Robert and Sarah (Pickles) Criswell. Mr. 
 
1464 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COQNTY 
 
 Criswell's paternal grandfather served in 
 the Revolutionary War, and after its close 
 settled as a pioneer in Indiana. 
 
 Robert Criswell, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born in Dearborn County, 
 Ind. In early manhood he went to Arm- 
 strong County, where he was engaged for 
 many years in the hotel business. In 1861 
 he went into the oil country and drilled the 
 first well on Cherry Run, Venango County, 
 but this well did not produce until after he 
 had leased it to William Reed, who shot 
 the well with a torpedo. It is said that 
 this was the first time that this since com- 
 mon expedient was resorted to. He con- 
 tinued his experiments and operations in 
 this iield until he had secured an ample 
 fortune, and then retired to Aurora, Indi- 
 ana, where he spent the remainder of his 
 life. A Democrat in politics, he served as 
 justice of the peace at Oil City, Arm- 
 strong County. He married Sarah Pickles, 
 who was born in England, and of their 
 thirteen children eleven grew to maturity. 
 The parents were members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Churcli. 
 
 David S. Criswell was reared near Mon- 
 terey, Armstrong County, and from boy- 
 hood was associated more or less with his 
 father's enterprises in the oil fields. After 
 the elder Criswell sold out his interests, 
 the subject of this sketch continued his 
 operations, which he has since extended all 
 over the Pennsylvania oil territory. In 
 1890 he began to operate his present lease 
 and now has twelve wells that are pro- 
 ducing. Since 1902 he has resided in the 
 pleasant village of Isle. 
 
 Mr. Criswell's success has been largely 
 due to his powers of close observation and 
 to his original methods of thought. In the 
 prosecution of his daily business he has 
 been led to delve deeply into Nature's 
 secrets and to inquire closely into the 
 causes that have had to do with the laying 
 down of the vast stores of petroleum con- 
 tained within the earth's crust in order 
 that he might have some tangible clue to 
 
 guide him in the selection of new localities 
 for drilling and avoid the heavy financial 
 losses that are the usual sequel of haphaz- 
 ard work in this direction. In his investi- 
 gations he has not been content to accept 
 the views laid down in the ordinary ge- 
 ologic text books, but has developed ideas 
 and theories of his own which are in accord 
 rather with the doctrine of special creation 
 than with the modern geological theory 
 that the present condition and arrange- 
 ment of the earth's crust and surface is the 
 result of a long series of natural processes 
 operating successively through immense 
 periods of time. His views he has eluci- 
 dated in a number of articles which have 
 been published at different times in lead- 
 ing journals devoted to the oil and gas in- 
 dustry. Certainly his success in locating 
 profitable wells would indicate that he is 
 possessed of knowledge, which for practi- 
 cal purposes is superior to any mere the- 
 ories developed by college professors, how- 
 ever ingenious and attractive they may ap- 
 pear in the class-room. 
 
 Mr. Criswell married Miss Mary E. 
 Widger, and they have five children, name- 
 ly : Robert, Mrs. Mabel Cotterell, residing 
 at home; Cecil, who married Robert K. 
 Williams, of San Francisco ; Byron Gr., who 
 is a i-esident of Rawhide, Nevada; Minnie 
 L. Nevins, who resides in New York City. 
 In politics Mr. Criswell is a Republican. 
 He takes an intelligent interest in both 
 local and national governmental affairs, 
 but has never sought office. 
 
 W. J. McDowell*, proprietor of the 
 McDowell Laundrj^ which is situated on 
 South McKean Street, Butler, is one of the 
 city's progressive business men and sub- 
 stantial citizens. He was born in 1855, in 
 Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where he 
 was reared and educated. 
 
 Mi\ McDowell's early life was devoted" 
 mainly to fai-nilng, luit after he came to 
 Butler, in ISIH). he einluirked in the laun- 
 dry business and established the first steam 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1465 
 
 laundry in the place. He started his plant 
 near the flats along the Bessemer Railroad, 
 but when the tracks began to encroach, he 
 bought his present site on McKean Street 
 and on this land built a substantial build- 
 ing with dimensions of 30 by 100 feet, with 
 boiler rooms in the rear. In 1896 he took 
 possession of it and has done a large and 
 satisfactory business ever since. He gives 
 employment to twenty-one people, makes 
 a specialty of fine work, the possibility of 
 this being increased as Mr. McDowell con- 
 tinues to add superior equipments to his 
 already very modern establishment. He 
 has other business interests, being a stock- 
 holder in the People's Telephone Com- 
 pany; in the Butler Silk mill and in the 
 American Mower works. 
 
 On March 28, 1877, Mr. McDowell was 
 married to Miss Elizabeth Smith, and they 
 have four children, namely : Lawrence H., 
 who is associated with his father; John Q. 
 A. and Paul F., both concerned in the laun- 
 dry business ; and James W. Mr. McDow- 
 ell is an Odd Fellow, a member of Conno- 
 quenessing Lodge. He is not particularly 
 active in politics, but cheerfully performs 
 the diities of a citizen and is numbered 
 with those who represent its best interests. 
 
 JOHN EDGAR THROWER,* general 
 fai'uier and stockholder, being particularly 
 interested in developing fancy cattle and 
 fast horses, resides on his valuable farm 
 of eighty acres, which is situated in Clin- 
 ton Township, about three miles from 
 Saxonburg, on the Laidentown and Saxon- 
 burg Road. Mr. Thrower was born 
 December 20, 1862, on the present farm, 
 and is a son of Matthew and Mary (Alder- 
 son) Thrower. 
 
 The father of Mr. Thrower was born in 
 Lincolnshire, England. He came to Alle- 
 gheny County, Pennsylvania, in early 
 manhood, and for a number of years was 
 engaged in the charcoal industry and at 
 one time was a river man, sailing on both 
 the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The 
 
 money with which he purchased the farm 
 of his son, John Edgar, was made in char- 
 coal. At the time of purchase it was not 
 valuable as it now is, because its present 
 owner has greatly improved it, but it has 
 always been considered excellent land. 
 Matthew Thrower married in America 
 and both he and wife died in Butler 
 County and their remains lie in the old 
 Sarver cemetery. They had four children, 
 as follows : Thomas ; John Edgar ; Nettie, 
 who married John McCurdy, and had one 
 son, Walter, since deceased; and Mary 
 Jane. The last mentioned is deceased. 
 She was married (first) to George Crout, 
 who left one daughter, Sadie. She was 
 married (second) to Richard Parker. 
 
 Since the death of his father, John Ed- 
 gar Thrower has been at the head of the 
 farm. He obtained his education in the 
 public schools, attended the Love School 
 when it was under the care of Professor 
 Fulton, and he completed his education at 
 the Saxonburg High School. Formerly 
 Mr. Thrower raised Jersey cattle, but for 
 several years has been more interested in 
 Durhams, of which he has a fine herd. He 
 raises horses for speed, mainly for his 
 own use, but they command a very high 
 ]irice on account of the records many have 
 nuide. Mr. Thrower believes it is as easy 
 to raise live stock of good blood as of the 
 commoner kind and assuredly it is more 
 profitable. Mr. Thrower is unmarried. 
 He is a consistent member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 ELI VANDYKE* is a prosperous 
 farmer and well known citizen of Marion 
 Township, Butlei- County, Penna., where 
 he has a well improved farm of eighty-six 
 acres. He was born on the old family 
 homestead in that townshi]>, Ajn-il 27, 1852, 
 and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Mon- 
 jar) Vandyke, and a giandson of" Samuel 
 Vandyke. 
 
 Samuel Vandyke was of Scotch descent 
 and became one of the earliest settlers of 
 
U66 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Marion Township, where he acquired 300 
 acres of land. This was in a wild and 
 uncultivated state at the time of his ar- 
 rival and it was necessary for him to make 
 a small clearing before he built a log- 
 cabin, which served as the family home for 
 some years. He later built a stone house 
 which was one of the best in all the sur- 
 rounding country at that time. 
 
 Thomas Vandyke, father of the subject 
 of this record, was one of three sons and 
 three daughters born to his parents, the 
 date of his birth being 1805. He was born 
 on the home place in Marion Township 
 and died on the same farm in 1880, at the 
 age of seventy- five years. He was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary Monjar, who 
 was born in Venango County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in June, 1807, and is now living at 
 the remarkable age of one hundred and 
 one years, and in the enjoyment of good 
 health and unimpaired faculties. Nine 
 children were born of this union : Isabella, 
 wife of J. C. Hutchison; Richard, de- 
 ceased; Elizabeth, deceased; Mary Ann, 
 wife of James Dugan; Julia, wife of Peter 
 Ghost; Sarah, who was wife of John 
 Dugan, both being now deceased; James 
 McMillen of Marion Township; Frances, 
 wife of R. M. Hover ; Joseph, who lives on 
 the old homestead; and Eli. 
 
 Eli Vandyke was the youngest of the 
 family born to his parents, and spent his 
 boyhood days on the old farm. He re- 
 ceived but little schooling, his inclination 
 being to get out and make his way in the 
 world. He lived at home with his father 
 and mother until he was thirty years old 
 when he was married. He always engaged 
 in farming in his younger days, and 
 shoi'tly after his second marriage moved 
 upon his present farm which he purchased 
 of Mrs. Vanderbilt. He has three good 
 producing wells on this property and for 
 a period of twenty years has been identi- 
 fied with the oil industry, leaving the care 
 of the farm to his sons. He is at the 
 
 present time pumping for the Mechanics- 
 ville Oil Company. 
 
 Mr. Vandyke was first married to Miss 
 Orsina Dunlap, who did not live many 
 years after their union. They had four 
 children: Clarence, Floyd, Joseph and 
 Velma. Mr. Vandyke was subsequently 
 married to Mrs. Laura Shields, widow of 
 Samuel Shields and a daughter of Nicholas 
 Yard. A daughter. Miss Ruth, was born 
 to them. Religiously, they are members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 
 subject of this sketch is a Republican in 
 politics, and has consistently supported 
 the principles advocated by that party. 
 He is a member of the Knights and Ladies 
 of Honor. 
 
 GEORGE and CHARLES WEIGAND* 
 are prosperous and progressive farmers 
 of Butler County, Pennsylvania, the for- 
 mer owning a farm in Winfield Township, 
 and the latter in Buffalo Township, each 
 consisting of fifty acres. They are brothers 
 and are sons of Valentine and Henrietta 
 (Miller) Weigand, and grandsons of Dan- 
 iel Weigand, who emigrated to this coun- 
 try from Germany and settled on the 
 farms now owned by his grandsons in 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania. He clea!""d 
 most of the land and was a successful man 
 of his day. 
 
 Valentine and Henrietta (Miller) AVei- 
 gand became i)a rents of the following chil- 
 dren: So])liia, deceased, married Chi'istian 
 Kimmer, by whom she had three children 
 — Walter, Edna and Eugenia, the latter 
 being now deceased; Louise married 
 Nicholas Mangel and had the following- 
 children — Walter (deceased), Gertrude, 
 George and Ermie; Conrad is single and 
 lives in Butler; Anna is the wife of Will- 
 iam Post, by whom she had three children 
 — Chester (deceased), Henrietta and Will- 
 iam Lee; George, the next in order; 
 Charles; and Mary, who died unmarried. 
 
 George and Charles Weigand are both 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 engaged in general farming and have well 
 improved farms; they are public spirited 
 and always found in support of such meas- 
 ures and enterprises as tend to benefit the 
 community. The former operates a thresh- 
 ing machine and does most of the work in 
 that line in this part of the country. They 
 belong to Saxonburg Lodge No. 72, K. P. 
 Both are members of the Lutheran church, 
 of which Charles is church librarian, and 
 on Sundays takes the contributions. 
 
 JAMES M. HINES,* one of Slippery 
 Rock Township's large land owners and 
 representative farmers and stockraisers, 
 resides on his estate of ninety-three acres, 
 which is situated on the New Castle Road, 
 about one mile west of Slippery Rock, and 
 also owns fifty more acres in this town- 
 ship, lying along the Plain Grove Road. 
 Mr. Hines was born July 17, 1848, in Slip- 
 pery Rock Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of William and 
 Margaret (Robison) Hines. 
 
 William Hines was born in Brady Town- 
 ship, Butler County, and was a son of 
 Richard Hines, who was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, and came to Butler County 
 when eighteen years of age. He lived in 
 Worth Townshijo, near Brady, in Butler 
 County, and there subsequently married 
 a Miss Brandon. William Hines spent 
 his life in Butler County and both he and 
 wife died on their farm in Slippery Rock 
 Township. Of their family of ten chil- 
 dren, eight are living. 
 
 James M. Hines was reared and edu- 
 cated in Slippery Rock Township and like 
 his father and grandfather has devoted 
 himself to agricultural pursuits. His land, 
 naturally fertile, has been made unusually 
 jiroductive by his methods of cultivation, 
 and he has been equally successful in his 
 management of stock, as his fine herds and 
 flocks, scattered over his rich pastures, 
 sufficiently prove. 
 
 Mr. Hines has been twice married, 
 (first) to Miss Sarah Cornelius, who, at 
 
 1467 
 
 death, left four children, namely: Mar- 
 garet Lavina, who married E'inley Taylor, 
 and has four children ; Lillie Rosella, who 
 married Henry Taylor, and has four chil- 
 dren ; Viunie Annetta, who married Perry 
 Davis, and has one child, Ray; and Irona 
 S. Muriel, who married Andrew Pounds, 
 and has two children. Mr. Hines was mar- 
 ried (second) to Miss Hannah Reed, and 
 they have two children— William Reed, 
 who is married and lives in Slippery Rock; 
 and John Ross, who resides at home. 
 
 Mr. Hines and family have resided on 
 the present farm since he purchased it in 
 April, 1886, purchasing his second prop- 
 erty in 1898. He cultivates both, and in 
 1901 he built his commodious modern resi- 
 dence on the former farm and made many 
 other improvements. Mr. Hines and fam- 
 ily are highly respected people of this 
 section. Neither he nor his sons are very 
 active in politics, but they are all num- 
 l)ered with the reliable and representative 
 citizens of Slii)pery Rock Township. 
 
 HENRY GERNER,* general manager 
 of the G. L. Cabot Gas and Carbon Com- 
 pany, in Winfield Township, owns a fine 
 farm of 106 acres, which lies on the Sar- 
 versville Road, three miles east of Cabot, 
 a valuable pro]ierty containing agricul- 
 tural possibilities as well as reservoirs of 
 gas. Mr. Gerner was born Januarv 13, 
 1863, near East Brady Bend, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Anthony and Elizabeth (Boltz) Gerner. 
 
 The i)a rents of Mr. Gerner were born in 
 Germany. The father accompanied his 
 father to America many years ago, was 
 reared on the paternal farm and later set- 
 tled on the farm in Winfield Township 
 which is now the property of his son 
 Henry, and there Anthony Gerner and 
 wife died. 
 
 Henry Gerner has lived in several dif- 
 ferent States, but his native State and 
 county have always been of most im- 
 portance to him. During his school period 
 
1468 
 
 HISTORY OP BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 he was with a brother iu Illinois and later 
 he engaged in farming in Bremer County, 
 Iowa; bie also visited Fargo, North Da- 
 kota, then went back to Illinois and from 
 there returned to Butler County. Since 
 then Mr. Gerner has been engaged in 
 farming and raising stock, on his present 
 place, and also iu developing his gas in- 
 dustry, this commodity being sold as pro- 
 duced to the G. L. Cabot Gas and Carbon 
 Company. Mr. Gerner has been identitied 
 with this organization for some years. He 
 began in a humble position but has always 
 had the confidence of his employers and 
 his promotion from one position to an- 
 other has come about as the natural result 
 of his fidelity and efficiency. He has been 
 general manager for the past three years. 
 On April 5, 1889, Mr. Gerner was mar- 
 ried to Catherine Roenigk who is a daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Catherine (Schrump) 
 Roenigk. They have four interesting, in- 
 telligent children: Anna May, Margaret 
 G., Herman, and Roy Arthur Henry. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Gerner are members of the Luth- 
 eran Church at Little Germany. Mr. 
 Gerner is an enterprising, progressive 
 business man who stands very high 
 throughout the whole extent of Winfield 
 Township. 
 
 JOSIAH BYERS,* a well known gen- 
 eral farmer of Concord Townshiji, and 
 owner of a tract of twenty-two acres of 
 farm land, resides on a farm of seventy- 
 three acres, on which he has a life lease. 
 He was born December 11, 1852, in Clarion 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 Simon and Christina (Byers) Byers, 
 both natives of Westmoreland County, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Simon and Christina Byers resided for 
 about thirty years in Clarion County and 
 reared a family of twelve children : Henry, 
 Simon, George, John, Samuel, and Reuben, 
 all deceased; Thomas, Isaac, Mary, ,Jo- 
 siah; David, deceased; and Estlier, de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Josiah Byers was about twelve years old 
 when his parents moved from Clarion to 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Owing 
 to ill health and the distance of the school 
 from his home, he received but a limited 
 amount of schooling. He became a farmer 
 by occupation and remained in Armstrong 
 County, engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 until 1887, when he came to Butler County 
 and located on his present farm in Con- 
 cord Township. He has always followed 
 general farming and in 1902 purchased his 
 tract of twenty- two acres at a sheriff's 
 sale. 
 
 In June, 1884, Mr. Byers was united in 
 marriage with Anna L. King, who died 
 in 1898, leaving four children: Mary, 
 Ollie, John and Samuel. Mr. Byers formed 
 a second union January 22, 1903, with 
 Esther (Miller) Day, a widow, and by this 
 marriage has two children: Isaac and 
 Hazel. Mr. Byers is one of the pro- 
 gressive farmers of the township and is 
 regarded as one of the leading and valued 
 citizens of his community. 
 
 MRS. ELLSWORTH EWING,* one of 
 the well known and very highly esteemed 
 residents of Winfield Township, prominent 
 iu church and social life iu her community, 
 resides on the old Blaine homestead, a 
 farm of ninety acres, which is situated 
 three miles from Cabot, on the south side 
 of the Bricker Road. Mrs. Ewing was 
 born on this farm, January 15, 1867, and 
 is a daughter of John P. and Nancy 
 (Blaine) Bricker. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Ewing died in 1887 
 and was one of Winfield Township's well 
 known citizens. He married Nancy Blaine, 
 who is a daughter of James and Margaret 
 (Morrison) Blaine, the eldest of their 
 seven children. Mr. and Mrs. Bricker had 
 two children: James B. and Anna E. 
 After the death of the father the home- 
 stead was divided between the two chil- 
 dren and James B. carries on the work 
 on the farm. 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1469 
 
 Anna E. Brieker was educated in the 
 country schools and grew into an intelli- 
 gent, well poised young woman, with a 
 sunny disposition which brought many 
 friends. On June 4, 1889, she was married 
 to Ellsworth Ewing, who is a son of John 
 L. Ewing, the latter of whom is engaged 
 in the oil business in Armstrong County. 
 Ellsworth Ewing has visited many sec- 
 tions in his business of drilling for oil 
 and has met with much success. He also 
 carries on farming. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing 
 have five children, namely: Mabel, born 
 in 1889, is a student at the Cabot Institute ; 
 John \V., born in 1891, attends school and 
 also works on the farm; Estella, born in 
 1893, has musical talent which she is pre- 
 paring to cultivate; Ralph, born in 1895, 
 and Ruth, boru in 1897, attend the local 
 school. Mrs. Ewing and family belong to 
 the Buffalo Presbyterian Church. She is 
 very active in its work and is a leader in 
 the missionary and benevolent societies. 
 The family residence is a very comfortable 
 two-story house set amid pleasant sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 JAMES ANDREW GILLGRIST,* who 
 is the owner of 100 acres of land in Marion 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 is engaged in general farming and is also 
 a dealer in live stock. He was born on the 
 old home farm in Marion Township, Sep- 
 tember 2, 1868, and is a son of Thomas 
 and Maria (Hoffman) Gillgrist, and a 
 grandson of John Gillgrist. 
 
 John Gillgrist, the grandfather, came 
 to this country from Ireland, and at the 
 time he settled in Marion Township, But- 
 ler County. Pennsylvania, it was in a wild 
 uncuItivalCd stntr. He made a clearing 
 and followed fanning here the remainder 
 of his long and useful life. He was the 
 father of three children — John, Thomas 
 and Harvey, of whom Thomas is the only 
 one now living. 
 
 Thomas Gillgrist was born and reared 
 on the fjiim which is now his home, and 
 
 aided in its clearing. He has always fol- 
 lowed farming. His first marriage was 
 with Miss Isabella Donaldson, whose death 
 occurred a few months afterward. He was 
 later married to Miss Maria Hoffman, who 
 was reared in Venango County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and who died in February, 1908, at 
 the age of sixty-four years. Three chil- 
 dren were the offspring of their union: 
 John, who lives on the home farm ; James 
 Andrew, subject of this biography; and 
 George, who married Zella Thompson and 
 lives on a part of the home farm. John 
 Gillgrist married Minerva VanDyke and 
 they have three children — Richard, Del- 
 bert and Thomas. 
 
 James A. Gillgrist was reared in Marion 
 Township and attended the public school 
 during his boyhood days. He learned and 
 followed the trade of a carpenter when a 
 young man, then turned his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits, at which he has been 
 so successful. He purchased the old Mar- 
 shall farm of 100 acres in Marion Town- 
 ship, on which he erected all of the i3resent 
 modern and substantial buildings, having 
 a Jiighly improved property. 
 
 Mr. Gillgrist was married in May, 1892, 
 to Miss Abbie VanDyke, a daughter of 
 Jackson VanDyke of Marion Township, a 
 sketch of whom appears on another page 
 of this work. Five children are the issue 
 of this union : Ralph, Hazel, Pearl, Myrtle 
 and Dalas. Religiously they are members 
 of the Church of God. Mr. Gillgrist is a 
 Democrat in politics, and is serving his 
 second term as tax collector. He is a man 
 of high character and sterling qualities, 
 and stands high in public esteem. 
 
 HENRY PFABE*, who owns a fine 
 farm of thirty acres, which is situated in 
 Jefferson Township, on the north side of 
 the Jefferson Center Road, about one and 
 one-lialf miles from Saxonburg, was born 
 February 12, 1854. in Jefferson Township, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son 
 of Henry and Amena (Hoffman) Pfabe. 
 
1470 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 The father of Mr. Pfabe came to Jeffer- 
 son Township from Germany and was one 
 of the tirst settlers of Saxonburg. He was 
 of that class of men denominated jack of 
 all trades, that is he was able to work well 
 at various industries and kept himself use- 
 fully employed, at the time of his death 
 being engaged in farming. His father also 
 came from Germany to America and died 
 at Red Bank, Pennsylvania. 
 
 The second Henry Pfabe, now of Jeffer- 
 son Township, has mainly devoted his at- 
 tention to farming, but has also been some- 
 what interested in gas production and 
 owns a certain percentage in one producing 
 well. On his farm he raises the usual 
 grains that do best in this locality and also 
 plenty of stock for his own use. He mar- 
 ried Caroline Cooper, who is a daughter of 
 John and Anna Martha (Reiger) Cooper, 
 the former of whom is a well known farmer 
 of Jefferson Township, where he still re- 
 sides with his wife and five children. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Pfabe have two children : Anna 
 Martha, who is the wife of William Jack- 
 son, an employe of the Plate Glass Fac- 
 tory at Biitler, and has three children, Le- 
 roy, Theresa and Clifford; and Clifford, 
 who married Mary Kirkpatrick, and has 
 one daughter, Evelyn. Clifford Pfabe and 
 family reside at Cabot, where he follows 
 the cai'penter's trade. Mr. Pfabe is a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church. He takes 
 some interest in local politics and has 
 served two terms as township supervisor. 
 
 JOSEPH C. THOMPSON*, geneVal 
 farmer and substantial citizen, residing on 
 his well improved estate of sixty acres, 
 situated in Franklin Township, was born 
 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, October 
 11, 1856, and is a son of Joseph W. and 
 Cordelia (Caldwell) Thompson. 
 
 Joseph W. Thompson was a son of Jo- 
 seph Thompson and was born in Beaver 
 County, about 1829 and died in 1890. He 
 engaged in farming, took a mild interest in 
 public matters, voted with the Democratic 
 
 party and held minor township offices. He 
 was one of the lihcral su]ip(irters of Mt. 
 Zion Baptist Church, lie married a daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Caldwell, of Beaver County, 
 and of their children the following grew to 
 maturity: Elizabeth, wife of Robert Mc- 
 Kissick, of Homewood, Beaver County; 
 Samuel, a resident of Beaver Falls ; Joseph 
 C; Rosanna, wife of George Sarver, of 
 Franklin Township; Margaret, wife of 
 Martin McAnallen, of Center Townhip; 
 John E., of Beaver County; and Mary, 
 wife of Frank Thompson, of Freedom, 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Joseph C. Thompson was six years old 
 when his parents settled on his present 
 farm. His education was secured in the 
 public schools and he has made use of it in 
 intelligently and successfully managing his 
 land, giving attention to raising corn, oats, 
 wheat, potatoes and hay and some excel- 
 lent stock. His surroundings present an 
 appearance of care and thrift and when the 
 residence he has in course of construction 
 is completed, it will be one of the handsom- 
 est and most modern in type in the town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was married (first) to 
 Dillie Rubv, a daughter of Harrison Ruby, 
 of Franklin Township. She died in 1884, 
 aged twenty-eight years, leaving three 
 children, namely: Cora, who is the 
 wife of Dr. Ross W. Thompson, of Mc- 
 Kean, Pennsylvania; Pearl, residing at 
 home; and Jessie, now deceased, who was 
 the wife of Robert Moore. Mr. Thompson 
 was married (second) to Miss Martha 
 Long, who is the daughter of J. B. 
 Long, of Franklin Township. Mrs. Thomp- 
 son is a member of the Lutheran Church 
 at Prospect, while Mr. Tliomi)son belongs 
 to the Mt. Zion Ba])tist Church. In poli- 
 tics he is a Democrat and has served as 
 township auditor. 
 
 JOHN GEORGE SELL*, who is among 
 the most successful of the younger genera- 
 tion of farmers of Winfield Township, But- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE (^ITIZENS 
 
 1471 
 
 ler County, Pennsylvania, is the owner of 
 a fine farm of sixty-one acres, all under a 
 high state of cultivation. He was born in 
 A¥infield Township, is a son of Conrad and 
 Catherine (Zier) Sell, and grandson of 
 Nunk and Mary (Harding) Sell, the family 
 being an old and prominent one in this part 
 of the county. 
 
 Conrad Sell was a prosperous fai'mer of 
 Winfield Township where he spent nearly 
 all the days of his life, dying on March li, 
 1906. He was the father of six children: 
 John G., August, who married Valley Hes- 
 selgesser and has three children — Clar- 
 ence, Gladys, and Lionel ; Herman, a stone 
 mason by trade, who also follows threshing 
 and sawing in the county; Bart married 
 Rickie Fernia and has a daughter, Mary; 
 William works on the old home farm ; and 
 Harrison also is at the old home. Mrs. 
 Sell, the mother of this family, lives on the 
 old home place, where she has lived for the 
 past thirty-six years and is surrounded by 
 many old friends. 
 
 John G. Sell received his educational 
 training in the public schools of his native 
 county, and has always engaged in agricul- 
 tural ])iirsnits, at which he has made an 
 unqualitied success. He has a comfortable 
 home of seven rooms, located on a part of 
 the old home place, and has sixty-one acres 
 of good tillable land. He was married on 
 June 6, 1899, and is the father of four chil- 
 dren : Catherine, deceased, Velma V., Ella, 
 and Howard. Religiously, he is a member 
 of the Lutheran Church of Little Germany, 
 and is very active in church work. 
 
 P. W. LEEDOM*, second vice president 
 of the Leedom & Worrall Wholesale Gro- 
 cery Company, at Butler, one of the largest 
 enterprises of its kind in Western Penn- 
 sylvania, was born in Warren County, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1879, but was brought to 
 this citv by his parents, when four years 
 old. 
 
 Mr. Leedom secured his education in the 
 Butler ]mblic schools. His first mercantile 
 
 experience was gained as a clerk in the 
 clothing store of I). A. Heck, of Butler, and 
 later with J. N. Patterson, in the same line, 
 with whom he continued for eleven years. 
 Mr. Leedom then went into the wholesale 
 grocery business at Marietta, under the 
 firm style of the Worrall Grocery Com- 
 pany, and while the business remained in 
 Ohio, he served for four years as vice 
 president of the concern. Finding a wider 
 commercial field at Butler, the business 
 was transferred to this city where it has 
 been conducted ever since under the pres- 
 ent style of the Leedom & Worrall Whole- 
 sale Grocery Company, and Mr. Leedom 
 has served as second vice president ever 
 since its organization. He is an active citi- 
 zen, but in taking a stand in public affairs 
 he is deliberate and cautious, as he is in the 
 management of his own business. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Leedom was married to Miss 
 Ivarine Wilson, who was born in the State 
 of New York. They have two daughters, 
 Janet and Helen. Mr. Leedom and wife 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He is a very popular citizen and 
 is a member of the exclusive Country Club. 
 
 THOMAS D . McFARLAND*, general 
 farmer and respected citizen of Clinton 
 Township, resides on his valuable estate of 
 eighty-five acres, which is situated on the 
 Tarentum and Saxonburg Road, two miles 
 southeast of the latter place. He was born 
 March 31, 1844, in Allegheny County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of William and 
 Reliecca (Davis) McFarland, the former 
 of whom was a son of an early settler, who 
 came to Allegheny County from Washing- 
 ton County. 
 
 Thomas D. McFarland obtained his edu- 
 cation in Allegheny County and as soon as 
 old enough, he learned the carpenter's 
 trade, at which he worked until he enlisted' 
 for service in the Civil War. He was a 
 member of the Fiftieth Regiment, Pennsyl- 
 vania Infantry, under Colonel Swank, and 
 was attached to the Army of the Potomac. 
 
1472 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 He took part in a number of the serious 
 battles toward the close of the long strug- 
 gle, and was one of that victorious army 
 that compelled the surrender of General 
 Lee. In 1882, Mr. McFarland came to But- 
 ler County and engaged in farming, and in 
 1900 he purchased his present place in 
 Clinton Township, on which he carries on 
 farming and stockraising. He has made 
 many improvements and has a very at- 
 tractive residence and large and substan- 
 tial farm buildings. 
 
 Mr. McFarland was married (first) in 
 1877, to Miss Emma Neely, a daughter of 
 George Neely. He was married (second) 
 to Miss Martha Baker, a daughter of 
 Thomas and Rebecca (Boone) Baker, 
 farming people living near Bakerstown, in 
 Allegheny County. Mr. and Mrs. McFar- 
 land are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. He has long been active in poli- 
 tics and has frequently been elected to re- 
 sponsible offices, serving both in Penn and 
 Clinton Townships as township ti'easurer, 
 and three terms as township supervisor. 
 
 SAMUEL RENWICK WIER*, whose 
 farm of twenty-five acres is situated in Ad- 
 ams Township, has spent a large portion 
 of his life in the different oil fields and is 
 an experienced worker in the various 
 branches of the oil industry. He was born 
 on his father's farm in Beaver County, 
 Pennsylvania, August 19, 1862, and is a 
 son of John and Jane (Pyle) Wier. 
 
 Grandfather Wier came to America 
 from Germany, with two brothers but they 
 became separated shortly afterward. 
 Grandfather Wier came to Butler County 
 and married bi;t disappeared shortly after 
 the birth of his son John. It is supposed 
 by the family that he was accidentally 
 drowned. At a later date his widow moved 
 to Lawrence Countj^, where she married a 
 Mr. Stewart and they had two sons, 
 Thomas and James Stewart. 
 
 John Wier, father of Samuel R., grew to 
 manhood in Lawrence County and in early 
 
 manhood married Margaret Moffett, who 
 died very soon after the birth of their only 
 child, Thomas, who was a soldier in the 
 Civil War ancl is now a resident of Mis- 
 souri. For his second wife, John Wier 
 married Jane Pyle, a daughter of Caleb 
 Pyle. of Lawrence County, and they had 
 the following children: John C; Caleb 
 E. ; Johanna, who married James Rander- 
 poole; Rosetta, deceased; Samuel R., 
 Letitia Jane, who married John Stew- 
 art; Mary A., who married Harry Ew- 
 ing ; and Amos L. The father of the above 
 family died at the age of forty-three years. 
 His widow survived him until the age of 
 sixty years. 
 
 Samuel R. Wier was reared in Beaver 
 County, to which his father moved when 
 he was small, buying' two farms there. 
 After the death of his father, Samuel R. 
 remained with his mother until he was 
 twenty years old, on the farm at Camp 
 Run, and then went to Butler County and 
 rented a farm of Dr. Urvine, who was an 
 uncle of his wife. He remained on that 
 farm for five years but when the sensa- 
 tional discovery of oil was made in Butler 
 County, he decided to enter into the oil 
 business. He engaged in pumping, tool- 
 dressing and drilling all through the oil 
 territory of Pennsylvania and West Vir- 
 ginia and for ten years was foreman for 
 Walker Kirk. In 1904 :\lr. Wier resumed 
 farming, at that time inn'cliasing his pres- 
 ent property from the liiclinrdson estate. 
 It had been badly neglected but Mr. Wier's 
 previous experience had given him the 
 necessary knowledge required for fertiliz- 
 ing the land and he has developed it into 
 a productive farm. He has done a great 
 deal of improving and probablj' has dou- 
 bled the value of the place. 
 
 On November 18, 1884, Mr. Wier was 
 married to Margaret J. McAnlis, who is a 
 daughter of David and Elizabeth McAnlis, 
 of Adams Township. They have five chil- 
 dren, as follows: Alva Seward, Joseph 
 Howard, Bessie May, Angeliue E. and 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1473 
 
 Cecil Quillen. Mr. Wier is a member of 
 the United Presbyterian Clmrch. In his 
 political views he is a strong Republican. 
 He is considerecl a reliable citizen and at 
 various times offices of responsibility, in 
 the township, have been entrusted to his 
 management and the duties of these have 
 been efficiently performed. 
 
 JOHN S. SPARGO*, who, for the past 
 eight years has been the accommodating 
 and popular agent of the Winfield Rail- 
 road Company, at West Winfield, has been 
 identified with railroad affairs ever since 
 he entered into business. He was born on 
 his father's farm two miles from Freeport, 
 Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, and is 
 a son of Peter and Margaret (Bremer) 
 Spargo. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Spargo have lived 
 retired for some years. The grandfather 
 was a well known river man at one time 
 and operated a steamboat between Pitts- 
 burg and New Orleans. The children of 
 Peter Spargo and wife were Mary, Sarah, 
 Amelia, Elizabeth, James and John S. 
 
 John S. Spargo was educated in the 
 schools of Armstrong County and later 
 learned telegraphing and the first details 
 of railroad business, at Butler Junction, 
 and has devoted his life to this line of 
 work. His duties at West Winfield are 
 numerous but are so carefully looked after 
 that the safety of the public is ensured and 
 the company's full confidence is placed in 
 him. 
 
 Mr. Spargo was married in 1897, to Miss 
 Emma Krise, who is a daughter of Dr. 
 Krise, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and they 
 have six children, namely: Margaret, 
 Cecil, Audley, Severinus, Bremer and 
 Enos. With his family, Mr. Spargo be- 
 longs to the Roman Catholic Church. The 
 family home is a commodious residence 
 situated on Walnut Street, West Winfield. 
 Mr. Spargo is a Maccabee and is affiliated 
 with the order at West Winfield. 
 
 PETER W. ALBERT*, one of Alle- 
 gheny Township's prominent and most 
 substantial citizens, who has resided on his 
 valuable farm of 172 acres, since 1896, was 
 born in Franklin Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1854, 
 and is a son of Peter and Rachel (Miller) 
 Albert. 
 
 Among the earliest settlers of Franklin 
 Township, Butler County, was Adam Al- 
 bert, who was born in Virginia. His fam- 
 ily accompanied him into what was then a 
 wilderness, and there both he and wife 
 died. Peter Albert, son of Adam and 
 father of Peter W., was a child when his 
 parents came to Franklin Township and 
 there his whole subsequent life was spent, 
 his death taking place December 17, 1895- 
 He married Rachel Miller, who has spent 
 her entire life of eighty-seven years in But- 
 ler Coimty. Of their children, the six sur- 
 vivors are: John D., residing at Prospect, 
 Pennsylvania; Peter W. ; Oren M., living 
 in Franklin Township; Mary A., wife of 
 J. G. McCullough, residing at Kittanning; 
 Annie Z., wife of Everett Campbell, of 
 Franklin Town.ship; and Rachel C, also a 
 resident of Franklin Township. The ven- 
 erable mother, now one of the oldest pio- 
 neer women of that section, is a daughter 
 of Richard Miller, one of the earliest set- 
 tlers. Mrs. Albert retains her faculties to 
 a remarkable degree and her recollections 
 of the early times in Franklin Township 
 are very interesting. Both she and her 
 late husband were among the founders of 
 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in their 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Peter W. Albert obtained his education 
 in the public schools of Franklin Town- 
 ship. He learned the shoemaking trade and 
 worked at it for eighteen years, during the 
 larger part of this time having his own 
 business. Later he engaged for some years 
 in the oil industry, in Clarion, Allegheny 
 and Butler Counties, but in the spring of 
 1893, turned his attention to agricultural 
 
1474 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 pursuits iu Fraukliu Townsljip, aud three 
 years later took possession of his present 
 valuable property in Allegheny Township. 
 During a period of residence in Mercer 
 Townsliip, lie served for three years as 
 constable, but has accepted no political of- 
 fice since locating in Allegheny Township. 
 In politics he is a Republican, as was his 
 father. 
 
 On October 14, 1876, Mr. Albert was 
 married to Miss Elizabeth Youkers, who 
 was born in Center Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of the 
 late Jacob Youkers. They have four chil- 
 dren, namely: Edward R., who lives in 
 Allegheny Township; Caroline C, who is 
 the wife of J. A. Albert, of Avalon, Penn- 
 sylvania; Anna L., who is the wife of Aus- 
 tin Ritter, of Allegheny Township; and 
 Carl W., who lives at Westview, Pennsyl- 
 vania. Mr. Albert and family belong to 
 the Allegheny Presbyterian Church. He 
 is a member of the order of Maccabees at 
 Foxburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
 PHILIP P. KRAUSE*, who conducts a 
 general store at Saxonburg, operating un- 
 der the firm name of A. Krause & Son, is 
 a successful business man and one of the 
 youngest merchants in the county. He was 
 reared to the business, working in his 
 father's store at Marwood during his 
 school days, and was about twenty-seven 
 years old when he embarked in his present 
 business at Saxonburg. His store is one of 
 the largest and most complete to be found 
 in any village in Butler County, and its 
 trade is an extensive one. 
 
 Mr. Krause was born in Marwood, Penn- 
 sylvania, June 25, 1877, and is a son of Al- 
 phonse and Amelia (Leighthold) Krause 
 Alphonse Krause has for many years been 
 a prosperous merchant at Marwood, and 
 also engages in agricultural ]nirsuits. He 
 and his wife are parents of the following 
 children: Emma, who is the widow of 
 Henry Paul and has two children, Edna 
 and Chester; Albert, who married Ger- 
 
 trude Miller and has three children, — 
 Gladys, Verna and Kenneth; Lydia, who 
 married Rev. Philip Wilhelm and has five 
 children; Josephine, who is wife of Harry 
 H. Goetz; Hattie; Philip; and Clara, de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Philip P. Krause received his educa- 
 tional training in the public schools of his 
 native county, and in boyhood his business 
 education began in his father's establish- 
 ment in Marwood. At Saxonburg they own 
 the property on which his store and" resi- 
 dence are located, the land, which consists 
 of two acres, extending fcom Main Street 
 back to Water Street. The building is a 
 two-story structure of modern arrange- 
 ment, is substantially built and equipped 
 with a slate roof. He has taken a forward 
 position among the progressive men of the 
 community, and has been most active in 
 the furtherance of its best interests. 
 
 Mr. Krause was married February 21, 
 1905, to Miss Clara E. Hartenstein, a 
 daughter of Lewis and Caroline (Beck) 
 Hartenstein, her father being a merchant 
 in Great Belt. Religiously, they are mem- 
 bers of the English Lutheran Church, in 
 the affairs of which he is very active. He 
 is a member of Lodge No. 279, Knights of 
 Pythias, and is past chancellor com- 
 mander. Mr. Krause is at the present time 
 a member of the Saxonburg town council. 
 
 W. D. McCUNE, M. D.,* one of the best 
 known physicians in North Butler County, 
 with which he has been identified for the 
 past twenty-eight years, has been estab- 
 lished at Branchton since 1898, coming to 
 this flourishing town from Bovard, where 
 he had been engaged in medical practice 
 for eighteen years. He was born near 
 Grove City, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 
 October 5, 1847, and is a son of Robert and 
 Jane (Devin) McCune. 
 
 Dr. McCune 's boyhood was passed on 
 his father's farm, his educational ad- 
 vantages being covered by the few winter 
 months when farm work was at a stand- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 still. He was ambitious, however, and 
 made much of his limited opportunities 
 and later entered Grove City College. 
 From boyhood his -study and observation 
 had been in the direction of medical 
 science and after leaving college he per- 
 severed until he became a student in the 
 medical department of the Miami Uni- 
 versity at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which 
 institution he was graduated in 1879. He 
 immediately settled at Bovard, which vil- 
 lage offered a promising lield at that time, 
 and from there he came to his new home 
 followed by the appreciation and good will 
 of those to whom he had ministered so 
 long. He has been most cordially received 
 at Branchton and has a large and lucra- 
 tive practice. His handsome residence he 
 erected since coming to this place. 
 
 Dr. McCune married Miss Mary Cos- 
 grove and they have one son, Harry B. 
 He is engaged as freight agent at Grove 
 City for the Bessemer Railroad and is a 
 highly esteemed young business man. He 
 married Miss May Bovard, a daughter of 
 W. H. Bovard, Esq., and to them were 
 born three children: Velma, and Henry 
 and Harriet, twins. The young mother 
 died when her twin babies were six weeks 
 old and they are being reared by Dr. and 
 Mrs. McCune. The older daughter lives 
 with her maternal grandparents. 
 
 In all that concerns the public welfare. 
 Dr. McCune has shown a continued inter- 
 est, but his professional duties have more 
 or less prevented his accepting public 
 office. He is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows, having been identified with that or- 
 ganization since he was twenty-one years 
 of age. 
 
 WILLIAM ilcINTYRE,* of Danville, 
 Butler County, Penna., is engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits and makes his home with 
 his sister, Mrs. Martha Iman. He is a 
 veteran of the Union Army, having served 
 from the first year of the Civil War until 
 
 14759 
 
 r 
 
 its close, and took part in many of its most 
 important engagements. 
 
 Mr. Mclntyre was born in Indiana 
 County, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1844, 
 and is a son of Hugh and Alice Mclntyre. 
 His father also served in the Union Army 
 during the Civil War and lived to the age 
 of sixty-eight years. The mother of the 
 subject of this sketch died at the age of 
 seventy-six years. They were parents of 
 the following children: Nancy J., de- 
 ceased; James, deceased; John; Hugh; 
 Rebecca; Anna, deceased; William; Le- 
 viua; Martha (Iman); Harry; Tillie; 
 and Margaret. 
 
 William Mclntyre resided in Indiana 
 County, Pennsylvania, imtil he entered the 
 army. He enlisted in 1861 at Greensburg, 
 Pennsylvania, as a private in Company D, 
 Forty- sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol- 
 imteer Infantry, and served until 1865, 
 being mustered out at Ilarrisburg. Among 
 the battles in which he took part may be 
 mentioned Tunnel Hill, Pine Knob, Re- 
 saca. Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Savan- 
 nah, Chattanooga and Bentonville, the 
 last named engagement being the last 
 fought during the war. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Mclntyre was united in 
 marriage with Miss Maggie J. Ingram, 
 and five children were born to them: 
 ]\Iary K., deceased; Agnes, deceased; 
 Matilda, deceased ; David E. ; and Mary J., 
 deceased. David E. Mclntyre, the only 
 one of the family living, is a resident of 
 Scottdale, Westmoreland County; he mar- 
 ried Lottie Donahue and they have four 
 children. 
 
 William Mclntyre was for some years 
 a resident of Scottdale, where he served 
 as chief of ]wlice, and of Livermore, 
 where he faithfully discharges the duties 
 of the offices of street commissioner, 
 tax collector and constable, at different 
 times. He is a member of Ellsworth Post, 
 No. 209, G. A. R., of Livermore, and a 
 member of the Royal Arcanum, Knights 
 
1476 
 
 mSTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 of Labor, and Junior Order United Amer- 
 ican Mechanics at Scottdale. Eeligiously, 
 he is a member of the Methodist Church 
 at Livermore, and served a number of 
 years as steward and trustee of the church 
 organization. 
 
 GODFREY WILKEWITZ,* one of Buf- 
 falo Township's substantial citizens, re- 
 sides on his farm of fifty-three acres and 
 owns a second farm of thirty acres, the 
 two valuable pieces of property being 
 divided by tlie Bear Creek road and both 
 lie about one-half mile south of Sarver. 
 Mr. Wilkewitz was born in Dantzig, Ger- 
 many, February 20, 1852, and is a son of 
 Frederick and Mary (Memberg) A¥ilke- 
 witz. 
 
 Jacob Wilkewitz, the grandfather, was 
 a soldier under Napoleon in Russia, being 
 one of the 22,000 men that the King of 
 Prussia turned over to Bonaparte to assist 
 him in his proposed conquest of Russia. 
 Veteran Wilkewitz returned safely to 
 Germany after the disastrous defeat of 
 the French army, and, unlike many of his 
 unfortunate comrades, was able to die in 
 his own land. In October, 1880, Godfrey 
 Wilkewitz started for America and he was 
 accompanied by his father, Frederick, who 
 still survives and enjoys excellent health, 
 although he is eighty-six years old. His 
 wife died in .Germany in 1871. 
 
 Godfrey Wilkewitz displayed excellent 
 judgment when he purchased his land in 
 Buffalo Township, its situation ensuring 
 its increase in v^lue. He has devoted 
 much attention to improving and increas- 
 ing the fertility of the soil and in this 
 work has used old German methods, which 
 have had their benefits shown by time. 
 He was the first farmer in Buffalo Town- 
 ship to use lime as a fertilizer. He has 
 worked hard ever since he came to Buffalo 
 Township, but has his reward in now own- 
 ing one of the best farms in this section. 
 In addition to the property mentioned, Mr. 
 AVilkewitz owns a lot in Sarver, on which 
 
 he has a tenant, and which he is holding 
 as an investment. 
 
 Mr. Wilkewitz was married in Germany, 
 on November 5, 1876, 'to Mary Dumske, 
 who was a daughter of Godfrey and 
 Louise (Stender) Dvunske, who died be- 
 fore Mr. and Mrs. Wilkewitz left their 
 native land. Mrs. Wilkewitz died October 
 11, 1905, the mother of eight children, 
 namely : Frederick, born in Germany, who 
 married Mary Herselgesser ; Elizabeth, 
 who married John Freeling; and Robert, 
 Annie, Lena, Maggie, Willis and Harry, 
 the two last named being deceased. Mrs. 
 Wilkewitz was a consistent member of the 
 Lutheran Church and was a woman who 
 was loved by all who knew her. For a 
 year prior to her death she had been in 
 poor health, but she bore her afflictions 
 with Christian fortitiide. Her burial was 
 at Sarversville. Mr. Wi-lkewitz and his 
 children also belong to the Lutheran 
 Church, in which he was a member of the 
 council for two years. He devotes his at- 
 tention to general farming and to stock- 
 raising and makes these industries profit- 
 able. His residence is a large two-story 
 house and his farm buildings i^resent an 
 excellent appearance. He is a highly re- 
 spected citizen and a useful member of 
 the community, giving liberal support to 
 schools and church. 
 
 MILTON CRESS,* a general farmer 
 and building contractor, whose home is on 
 his own valuable property consisting of 
 115 acres of improved land in Connoque- 
 nessing Township, was born on this farm, 
 jn Butler County, Pennsylvania, April 15, 
 1848, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth 
 (Riefler) Cress. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Cress were born in 
 Ilesse, Germany. The father learned the 
 shoemaking trade in his own country and 
 after coming to America, settled in Con- 
 noquenessing Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania. He lived on the present 
 farm for aboiit twenty vears and then 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1477 
 
 went to Missouri, where he subseqently 
 died. He was the father of the following- 
 children: John, who lives at Colesville, 
 Pennsylvania; Nicholas, who lives in 
 Beaver County; Henry, deceased; Eliza- 
 beth, wild )iiai-nea Casi)ar Fonst. of :\lacon 
 Couiity, .\iis>(,ui-i; William, (Icccnscd: Mil- 
 ton; Kathei-iiio, who married James Mol- 
 lineux, of Missouri; Jacob, who lives in 
 Missouri ; Mary, who married John Jones, 
 of Missouri ; and Daniel, who resides in 
 Missouri. The parents were memliers of 
 the Lutheran Church at Butler. 
 
 Milton Cress was reared in Connocjue- 
 nessing Township and attended the pul)lic 
 schools. He accompanied the family to 
 Missouri, lint after three months there 
 concluded to return to Butler County. He 
 is a natural mechanic and without serving 
 an apprenticeship to the carpenters' 
 trade has become an expert workman, is 
 engaged in contracting and has built many 
 houses and barns all through the county, 
 having the name of building more barns 
 than any other builder in this section. 
 They are thoroughly constructed and his 
 work has always given the best satisfac- 
 tion. For the past thirty years he has 
 occupied his present farm and divides his 
 time between his building work, having a 
 portable saw mill also, and its cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Cress married Miss Louisa Burch- 
 ert, who was born in Germany, but was 
 brought to America and was reared in 
 Jefferson Township, Butler County. They 
 are leading members of the Lutheran 
 Church at Petersville, in which he has 
 served as deacon and elder. He does his 
 own political thinking and casts his vote 
 independently. 
 
 PETER KINU LAWRENCE* is a 
 prominent agriculturist of Muddy Creek 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 and resides on a fine farm of 158 acres, 
 located about three miles northeast of 
 Portersville, about midway between But- 
 ler and New Castle. In addition to this 
 
 property, he owns a well improved farm 
 of 200 acres in Worth Township, making 
 a total of 358 acres. He was born in But- 
 ler County, April 19, 1859, and is a son 
 of Robert and Catherine (Keister) Law- 
 rence, and a grandson of Samuel Law- 
 rence, who came from County Down, 
 Ireland, and was a pioneer settler of But- 
 ler County. 
 
 Robert Lawrence was a stone mason by 
 trade and worked as a foreman in the con- 
 struction of the canal. In this employ- 
 ment he managed to accumulate a suffi- 
 cient sum to purchase 200 acres of land, 
 on which he farmed during the remainder 
 of his life. He and his wife became par- 
 ents of six children, as follows: Martha, 
 deceased; Sarah; Samuel, deceased; Su- 
 san; Robert, deceased; and Peter King. 
 
 King Lawrence was reared in his native 
 township and received a common school 
 training, in the meantime working on the 
 home farm. He has always engaged in 
 general farming, raising enough stock for 
 his own use, and has been more than ordi- 
 narily successful. He is a man of strong- 
 personality and a progressive citizen, who 
 enjoys the highest esteem and confidence 
 of his fellow men. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was married September 9, 
 1880, to Miss Margaret A. Fisher, a 
 daughter of Isaac and Hannah (Wimer) 
 Fisher of Worth Township, and they have 
 two children: Robert J. and Cora. Rob- 
 ert J. Lawrence was married to Mary S. 
 Snyder, who died six months later, and 
 he formed a second union with Miss Mary 
 A. Wilson, by whom he has a son, Albert J. 
 ]\iiss Cora Lawrence was joined in mar- 
 riage with J. W. McCandless, and they 
 have two children. Flora Leota and Carl. 
 Fraternally, the subject of this sketch is 
 a member of Portersville Lodge No. 909, 
 I. O. O. F. In religious attachment, the 
 family ts Baptist. 
 
 WlLLJA:\t II. RADER,* owner of a 
 farm of 165 acres in Forward Township, 
 
1478 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Butler Coimty, Pennsylvania, comes of an 
 old and well known family of that com- 
 munity. He was born on the farm on 
 which he now lives, in March, 1868, and is 
 a son of Peter and Caroline (Sheaver) 
 Rader. 
 
 Peter Rader, father of the subject of 
 this sketch, was born and reared in Ger- 
 many. Shortly after his first marriage he 
 emigrated to America and located on a 
 farm near Middle Lancaster, in Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania. While a resident 
 there, his first wife died and he formed a 
 second union with Caroline Sheaver. She, 
 too, was a native of Germany and was but 
 eight years of age, when her father, Henry 
 Sheaver, moved with his family to the 
 United States. In the spring of 1858, Mr. 
 Rader moved to Forward Township and 
 purchased what has since been known as 
 the Rader home farm of a Mr. Deitch. He 
 and his wife became parents of six chil- 
 dren, as follows : Mary, wife of George 
 Briggle; Margaret, wife of Ferd Feigel; 
 Lewis; Elizabeth, wife of William May; 
 Emma, wife of James Steen, is deceased; 
 and William Henry, whose name heads 
 this sketch. The ]mrents of this family 
 moved to Petersville in 1894, and Mrs. 
 Rader there passed away in 1900, at the 
 age of sixty-eight years. He died in But- 
 ler in 1905, at the age of seventy-four 
 
 William Henry Rader has always lived 
 on the home farm, which he inherited at 
 his father's death. At the age of twenty 
 years he began working in the oil fields, 
 teaming and drilling for some years, but 
 farming has been his main occupation in 
 life. Twenty-seven wells have been drilled 
 on the farm, without a dry hole, and he 
 now has six producing oil wells on this 
 farm; he also has an interest in various 
 other wells in this vicinity. He and his 
 brother Lewis are owners of the Rader 
 Gas Company at Petersville, and together 
 they own a tract of 640 acres in Lawrence 
 
 County, mostly coal, limestone and tim- 
 berland, which they purchased in 1902. 
 
 William H. Rader was married in 1880 
 to Miss Nina Hays, a daughter of Robert 
 Hays, and their union has been blessed 
 with five children: Stella, Bessie, Clara, 
 Hazel, and Clarence. Mr. Rader is a man 
 of ability, and a progressive citizen, who 
 stands high in the esteem of his fellow 
 
 SHERMAN CLYMORE HUMPH- 
 REY*, one of Butler County's substantial 
 and representative men, resides on his 
 farm of 100 acres, which lies in Worth 
 Township, on the Portersville and North 
 Liberty road, about six miles north of the 
 former village, and together with his 
 brother, William H., owns a second farm 
 of 100 acres, also in Butler County. Mr. 
 Humphrey was born in Worth Townshi]3, 
 Butler County, Pennsylvania, September 
 21, 1866, and is a son of John and Lydia 
 (Studebaker) Humphrey. 
 
 John Humphrey, father of Sherman C, 
 was one of Butler county's prominent citi- 
 zens. He was born in Butler County and 
 was a son of William and Elizabeth (Vo- 
 gan) Humphrey. William Humphrey was 
 one of the earliest settlers in Worth Town- 
 ship and helped to clear the land on which 
 his grandson now lives. John Humphrey 
 served in township offices and then was ap- 
 pointed deputy sheriff and filled that office 
 under W. H. Hoffman for thirty years. 
 Later he was aiapointed to fill the vacancy 
 caused by the death of County Commis- 
 sioner John L. Kelley and at the expira- 
 tion of the term was elected to the office 
 with the largest vote ever given to a com- 
 missioner, in the county. He died June 
 28, 1895. 
 
 Sherman C. Humphrey completed his 
 education at Edinboro and when he re- 
 turned home his father retired and moved 
 to Butler, and then the young man took 
 charge of the farm and since his father's 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1479 
 
 death has been the actual head. He i« a 
 mau with iDractical ideas and in the main 
 follows modern methods in managing his 
 land and finds them satisfactory. The 
 stock he raises he keeps for his own use. 
 
 On September 16, 1890, Mr. Humphrey 
 was married to Miss Clara Studebaker, 
 who is a dau.nJiter of John and Jane (Rut- 
 ter) Studeliaker. The Studebakers were 
 very early settlers in Worth Township, the 
 grandfather, Joseph Studebaker, coming 
 as a pioneer. The father of Mrs. Humph- 
 rey is still actively and successfully en- 
 gaged in farming although he has reached 
 his seventy-third year. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Humphrey have three children, Thelma, 
 Glenn and Grace. The family belong to 
 the Zion Baptist Church, being among its 
 most active and interested members. 
 
 DR. DANIEL \X. FIEDLER*, a prom- 
 inent physician of Harmony, Pennsylva- 
 nia, is a representative of one of the pio- 
 neer families of Butler County and is of 
 German descent. He was born August 9, 
 1855, in Harmony and is a son of Daniel 
 and Lena (Zeigler) Fiedler, and a grand- 
 son -of Jacoli Fiedler, who came to this 
 country from Germany and located in Bal- 
 timore, ^Maryland. 
 
 Daniel Fiedler, father of our subject, 
 was born in Jackson Township, Butler 
 County, in 1828, and was the eldest of a 
 family of seven children, namely : Daniel ; 
 Jacob, a resident of Harmony, now sev- 
 entj'^-seven years of age ; George, a resident 
 of Hubbard, Ohio; Harrison, who is en- 
 gaged in farming near Middlesex, Mercer 
 Countj' Pennsylvania; Caroline, residing 
 in Harmony, the wife of Abraham Zeigler ; 
 ^lelissa, deceased wife of Eli Zeigler; and 
 Louisa, deceased wife of Gottlieb Pfeitfer. 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject 
 was Jones Zeigler, a son of Abraham Zeig- 
 ler, who purchased all of the holdings, con- 
 sisting of 1,500 acres of land, from Jones 
 Zeigler. Jones Zeigler, grandfather of our 
 subject, married Elizabeth Shontz and 
 
 reared a family of three sons and five 
 daughters, namely : Mary, widow of Peter 
 Nesbitt, resides one mile east of Harmony 
 in Jackson Township ; Lena, mother of Dr. 
 Daniel and wife of Daniel Fiedler; Eliza- 
 beth, is the wife of Jacob Hobinger of 
 Buena Vista, Ohio ; Annie, married Robert 
 Crooks of Pittsburg, and both are de- 
 ceased ; Barbara, wife of Leslie P. Hazlett, 
 president of the Butler County National 
 Bank of Butler; Jones, deceased; Aaron, a 
 resident of Harmony Junction; and Moses, 
 a resident of Zelienople. 
 
 The late Daniel Fiedler was a farmer by 
 occupation and for many years conducted 
 tlie Harmony Flouring Mill. He married 
 Lena Zeigler and to them were born the 
 following offspring: Jacob, who married 
 Susanna Wise, died leaving four children, 
 two of whom are now deceased; Jonas, 
 who resides in Butler, married Lydia 
 Stouffer and has four children; Daniel W., 
 is the subject of this sketch; Benton, who 
 married Louisa Schaffer, died leaving two 
 sons, one now deceased ; Louisa, widow of 
 George Walker, resides at Harmony, but 
 was for many years a resident of Neshan- 
 nock. Mr. Fiedler died in 1901 and is sur- 
 vived by his widow, who is now in her sev- 
 enty-sixth year. 
 
 Dr. Daniel W. Fiedler was reared in 
 Harmony and attended the public schools 
 after which he became a student at Heidel- 
 burg College of Tiffin, Ohio, for three 
 years. He then read medicine with Dr. Ly- 
 man of Butler, after which he studied at 
 Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, 
 graduating with the class of 1880. Subse- 
 quent to his graduation he practiced sev- 
 eral years in Pittsburg, but since 1886 has 
 been located in Harmony, where he has 
 been eminently successful, his capability 
 having gained for him the support and 
 confidence of the commimity in which he 
 lives. 
 
 Dr. Fiedler is a member of the Jetf erson 
 Alumni; the State Board, and also the 
 Medical Board. He is a Republican in poli- 
 
1480 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 tics and lias served as a member of the 
 seliool board some years. He is fraternally 
 a member of the I. 0. 0. F. No. 648, Har- 
 mony, and his religions connection is with 
 the Grace Reformed Church of Harmony. 
 
 C. I. GOERMAN*, a general contractor 
 doing business at Butler, of which city he 
 has been a resident since 1902, was born in 
 1874, in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 
 and grew to the age of thirteen years on 
 the home farm. 
 
 About 1887 Mr. Goerman went to Mur- 
 rinsville, Butler County, and his first work 
 was done in the Glass Works at Ford City. 
 In that city he later learned the carpen- 
 ter's trade, at which he has worked ever 
 since and for the past five years has en- 
 gaged in a general contracting business. 
 There are many older contractors in But- 
 ler than Mr. Goerman but a mention of all 
 the work he has done in his line would 
 show that in spite of close competition, he 
 has had his full share of public patronage. 
 
 In 1896 Mr. Goerman was married to 
 Miss Bertha Kopp, who is a daughter of 
 the late John Kopp, a well known citizen 
 of Butler. Mr. and Mrs. Goerman have 
 four children : Helen, John, Gertrude and 
 an infant. Mr. and Mrs. Goerman are 
 members of the First English Lutheran 
 Church. He belongs to the order of A. I. 
 U., of Columbus, Ohio. He takes no very 
 active interest in politics, but is a fair- 
 minded, intelligent citizen wlio does his full 
 duty, as he sees it, to his country, commu- 
 nity, church and family. 
 
 PETER MILLER*, general farmer and 
 representative citizen of Muddy Creek 
 Township, whose estate of 112 a^res is sit- 
 uated about one and one-half miles south 
 of Portersville, on the west side of the 
 Mercer road, the highway passing through 
 a portion of his land, was born June 8, 
 1838, in France. His parents were Peter 
 and Catherine (Lights) Miller. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Miller emigrated to 
 
 America in 1847, landing at New Orleans, 
 Louisiana, on Christmas Day, and came 
 right on to Pittsburg and later to Alle- 
 gheny, where the father worked for a time 
 as a blacksmith. He then bought a farm 
 of 114 acres, in Lancaster Township, which 
 is now owned by the present Peter Miller. 
 The latter was only nine years old when his 
 parents brought him from his native land, 
 but he had already been at school and un- 
 derstands both the French and German 
 languages and later obtained a good know- 
 ledge of the English tongue. As both 
 father and grandfather had been black- 
 smiths, he learned the trade and worked 
 for a time as a smith, but has devoted his 
 main attention to agricultural pursuits, in- 
 cluding general farming and the raising of 
 sufficient good stock for his own use. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married (first) to Miss 
 Mary Flinner, a "daughter of John and 
 Barbara (Rader) Flinner. At her death 
 two children survived her : Emma L., who 
 married John Bander and has two chil- 
 dren — Mary and Walter; and Margaret 
 M., who married William Heberling and 
 has two children — Florence and Esther. 
 Mr. Miller was married (second) to Miss 
 Mary Mowery, a daughter of John and 
 Mary (Bander) Mowery, and they have 
 two daughters: Mary C., who married 
 Louis Rutter and has one child, Helen D. ; 
 and Anna L., who married W. C. Neer, of 
 Steubenville, Ohio, and has four children — 
 Bonnie Lee, Dale, June and Blanche. Mr. 
 Miller and family belong to the Lutheran 
 Church, he being a member of the council. 
 He takes no very active interest in politics 
 but on one occasion consented to serve as 
 road supervisor, declining a second elec- 
 tion. 
 
 HON. NELSON H. THOMPSON*, for- 
 merly a member of the Pennsylvania State 
 Legislature and a representative citizen 
 of Brady Township, of which he is audi- 
 tor, resides on his valuable farm of 130 
 acres, which lies on the turnjiike road run- 
 
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1481 
 
 ning tlirougli the eastern part of the town- 
 ship, north and south, between Euclid and 
 West Liberty. He was born on his present 
 farm in Brady Township, Butler County, 
 Pennsylvania, March 21, 1848, and is a son 
 of Robert W. and Frances (Craig) 
 Thompson. 
 
 Robert W. Thompson was born in what 
 is now Brady but was then Center Town- 
 ship, Butler County, in 1803, and was a son 
 of John Thompson, who came from Ire- 
 land, after his marriage. He settled first 
 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 
 where two of his children were born, and 
 in 1798 settled in what is now Brady Town- 
 ship on a farm adjoining the one that is 
 occupied by his grandson. That farm is 
 now owned by the heirs of Rev. William 
 Thompson. John Thompson had about 
 1,000 acres of land. He died May 15, 1844. 
 On the maternal side, the ancestors of Mr. 
 Thompson came also from Ireland. His 
 maternal grandfather, Andrew Craig, came 
 to America late in life but never visited 
 Butler County. The mother of Mr. Thomp- 
 son was brought to Philadelphia from Ire- 
 land, a motherless little girl of seven years, 
 by her uncle, John McKinney, and in early 
 womanhood she accompanied the McKin- 
 ney family when it came to Butler County 
 and settled in Concord Township. 
 
 Robert W. Thompson inherited lands 
 and stock and always engaged in farming 
 although he turned his attention also to 
 other enterprises. In 1833 he put up a 
 building and rented it out for hotel pur- 
 poses, until 1845, after which he conducted 
 it as the Forest House, which was situated" 
 on the site of his son's present handsome 
 dwelling, for six years. He also was post- 
 master for years of the Forest Post Office, 
 which was later changed to the Memphis 
 Post Office. At that time, the turnpike road 
 was the main thoroughfare between Pitts- 
 burg and Erie, there being then no railroad 
 communication. Robert W. Thompson 
 lived to be forty-four years old before he 
 married and then brought his wife to the 
 
 present farm and they went to housekeep- 
 ing in a little red house which their son has 
 preserved and utilizes as a summer house. 
 Robert W. Thompson died September 9, 
 1863, but his aged consort still survives, 
 having passed her ninety-third birthday on 
 December 24, 1908. They had five 'chil- 
 dren, namely : Nelson H. ; Martha V., wife 
 of Benjamin Scott; Jennie, deceased; Mag- 
 gie, wife of Frank Critchlow; and Robert 
 C, residing in Clay Township. 
 
 Nelson H. Thompson was fifteen years 
 old when his father died and he has man- 
 aged the farm ever since, adopting many 
 new methods and making many improve- 
 ments. The larger number of the old build- 
 ings he tore down and in 1903 he erected 
 his present tasteful residence and built his 
 substantial silo. He makes a specialty of 
 pure milk, selling wholesale and shipping 
 from Claytonia to Butler. 
 
 Mr. Thompson married Miss Jessie A. 
 Kerr, who was reared in Slippery Rock 
 Township and is a daughter of Thomas 
 Kerr, and they have four children, namely : 
 Robert W., Elsie P., Nelson Kerr and 
 James Eugene. Robert W., who is a grad- 
 uate of the Slippery Rock State Normal 
 Seiiool, is a student of engineering at 
 Ursinu College, near Philadelphia. Elsie 
 F.; who is also a graduate of the Slippery 
 Rock State Normal School, is a successful 
 teacher in Allegheny County. Nelson 
 Kerr, also a graduate of the Slippery Rock 
 Normal School, is a student at llrsinu Col- 
 lege. Mr. Thompson and family belong 
 to the Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church. 
 He has long been active in public affairs, 
 has frequently served in township offices 
 and ably represented his district in the 
 State Legislature, serving through 1901, 
 elected on the Republican ticket. 
 
 MILTON HOWARD KELLY,* who has 
 resided at his present home in Fairview 
 Township, Butler County, Penna., for a 
 ]ieriod of thirty years, has been success- 
 fnllv engaged as an oil pi-oducer for many 
 
1482 
 
 HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 years and is also in the ice business, sup- 
 plying the residents of Chicora. He was 
 born in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, 
 March 22, 1854, and is a son of William D. 
 and Julia Ann (Kelly) Kelly, coming of 
 old CJai'ion County families on both sides. 
 His paternal grandfather, John Kelly, 
 came from east of the mountains of Penn- 
 sylvania and located in that county in the 
 pioneer days. 
 
 William D. Kelly was reared in Clarion 
 County and was there married. He en- 
 gaged in farming there until about the 
 year 1866, then moved to Callaway County, 
 Missouri, where he purchased a farm ancl 
 lived for five years. At the end of that 
 time he returned to Pennsylvania and for 
 one year resided at Martinsburg, Butler 
 County. He then lived a like period at 
 Angelica, Fairview Township, after which 
 he lived tlie remainder of his days in 
 Millerstown, dying at the age of sixty- 
 eight years. He was survived some years 
 by his widow, who passed away at the age 
 of seventy-eight years. They were par- 
 ents of the following: Nancy, widow of 
 Jacob Callender; Prethina, wife of C. J. 
 Loge; Minerva, deceased; Darilla, de- 
 ceased; Milton H. ; Toi'sa, deceased; 
 Joseph L. ; Samuel G. ; Anna, wlio be- 
 came the wife of James Stewart; and 
 William P. 
 
 Milton H. Kelly was twelve years of age 
 when his parents moved west to Missouri 
 and was about seventeen when they re- 
 turned to Pennsylvania. He remained 
 with his parents in their various moves 
 in Butler County, and was given a good 
 common school education. He engaged in 
 farming until he located in the oil regions, 
 since which time his energies have been 
 devoted to the oil industry. He is a man 
 of exceptional business ability, and has 
 prospered beyond the average. His ice 
 business has also been a source of con- 
 siderable income to him. 
 
 April 8, 1881, Mr. Kelly was joined in 
 marriage with Miss Emma Duffort, who 
 
 was one of the following children born to 
 Jacob and Mary (Hepler) Duffort of 
 Fairview: W^ S. Duffort, Emma (Kelly), 
 Amelia, Anna, James, Charles, Minnie, 
 Grace, Edward, and David, who is de- 
 ceased. Mr. Duffort passed away at the 
 age of fifty-eight years, ten months and 
 fourteen days, and is survived by his 
 widow who is living in the enjoyment of 
 good health at the age of sixty-nine' years. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kelly have three children, 
 as follows: Luella, who is the wife of 
 C. A. Fleeger of Armstrong County, and 
 has two children, Victor and Ethel ; Beryl, 
 who is the wife of C. W. McCollough of 
 Fairview Township, and has a daughter, 
 Velma ; and Loyal H., who was born Sep- 
 tember 8, 1885, and lives with his parents. 
 Fi-aternally, the subject of this sketch is 
 a member of Chicora Lodge No. 947, I. 0. 
 O. F., and has passed through the various 
 chairs of that lodge. 
 
 ELRIDGE HARVEY, who is among 
 the most prominent of the younger gener- 
 ation of farmers of Clinton Township, is 
 the owner of a valuable farm of 109 acres, 
 located about five miles south of Saxon- 
 burg, on the Tarentum road. He was born 
 Jime 12, 1879, and is a son of Newton and 
 Agnes (Riddle) Harvey. 
 
 Newton Harvey, a son of William and 
 Betsy Harvey, was for many years a resi- 
 dent of Clinton Township, and was a man 
 of wide acquaintance. He was a farmer 
 by occupation and highly successful in 
 business affairs. His death occurred July 
 7, 1893, and the community regarded his 
 death as an irreparable loss. 
 
 Elridge Harvey was reared to maturity 
 in his native township and received a 
 superior education in the public schools. 
 He has always followed farming and at 
 the time he took the management of the 
 home place was probably the youngest 
 agriculturist in this part of the county, 
 llis i»hice is well improved and he has 
 been highlv successful. 
 
AND REPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1483 
 
 December 23, 1903, Mr. Harvey was 
 imited in marirage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Smith, a daughter of Joseph and Jane 
 (Slagle) Smith, and they have three chil- 
 dren — Wilma, Lester and Joseph. Ee- 
 ligiously, they are members of the United 
 Presbyterian church. 
 
 OEENZO WAYNE EAGAL,* proprie- 
 tor of Eagal's mill, in Connoquenessing 
 Township, is a man whose milling experi- 
 ence covers many j-ears, it having been his 
 main interest since he was fourteen years 
 of age. He was born July 22, 1866, in 
 Center Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and is a sou of Eli D. and Mary 
 (McCandless) EagaJ. 
 
 The father of Mr. Eagal has been a resi- 
 dent of Center Township for a long period 
 but he was born in Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania. He is a veteran of the Civil War, 
 in whieli he served for three years, and 
 was wounded at the battle of the Wilder- 
 ness. His occupation has been farming 
 and he has also given time and attention to 
 the duties of public office. He is identified 
 with the Eepublican party. He married a 
 daughter of Eobert McCandless, of Center 
 Township, and three of their four children 
 grew to maturity, namely: Nora, who is 
 the wife of W^illiam Bortmas, of Center 
 Township ; Hetty, who is the wife of Harry 
 Thompson, of Butler ; and Orenzo Wayne, 
 who is the eldest. 
 
 Orenzo W. Eagal attended school until 
 he was fourteen years of age and then en- 
 tered his father's mill and learned the busi- 
 ness in the mill that he now owns. It is 
 one of the landmarks of this section, the 
 first mill on the site having been erected 
 by William Bryson in 1828. When Eli D. 
 FJagal purchased the mill it was opei*ated 
 with but three burrs and not many im- 
 pi'ovements were introduced imtil its pres- 
 ent owner took charge. He has installed 
 modern machinery and a 35 horse-power 
 engine, and his capacity is about twenty- 
 five l>arrels of wheat flour and the same 
 
 of buckwheat flour a day. He also does a 
 large amovmt of business in grinding feed. 
 Mr. Eagal was married to Miss Dora 
 Campbell, a daughter of E. D. Campbell, 
 of Connoquenessing Township, and they 
 have the following children : Belle, Eobert, 
 Wayne, Gladys, Eose and Grace. The eld- 
 est daughter is the wife of David Burry. 
 Mr. Eagal and family belong to St. John's 
 Eeformed Church. In politics he is a Ee- 
 publican but the only township office he 
 has ever accepted has been that of school 
 director. He is one of the reliable, sub- 
 stantial men of his section. 
 
 LAWEENCE M. AVHITE,* contractor 
 and builder, is a repi-esentative citizen of 
 Butler, of which city he has been a resi- 
 dent for eighteen years. He was born in 
 1868, in Muddy Creek Township, Butler 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Mil- 
 ton J. White. 
 
 The White family has lived in Butler 
 County for generations, the grandfather, 
 Joseph White, establishing his home in 
 Muddy Creek Township, in early manhood. 
 There he reared his family and spent his 
 remaining days. Milton J. White, father 
 of Lawrence M., was born in the old home 
 in Muddy Creek Township, in 1840, and 
 his life was devoted entirely to agricul- 
 tural pursuits, after a few years in the 
 huckster business at Pittsburg. 
 
 Lawrence M. White attended school 
 through boyhood in Muddy Creek Town- 
 ship and then learned the carpenter's 
 trade at Butler, to which city he came when 
 twenty-two years of age. For four years 
 he worked at Cleveland, Ohio, and two at 
 Pittsburg, but with the exception of that 
 period he has been a resident of Butler, 
 returning to this city in 1902. He has been 
 engaged in biiilding and contracting since 
 that date and has clone a large amount of 
 the city's excellent work, some of which 
 may be seen on the Eberle Block, the fine 
 brick residences on North Street and a 
 number of other handsome and substantial 
 
1484 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 buildiugs. He has invested in city real es- 
 tate and is engaged in its improvement. 
 In 1882 Mr. White was married to Miss 
 Myrtle McGinuis, who was born in Arm- 
 strong County, and they have one son, 
 Floyd Carlisle. Mr. and Mrs. White are 
 members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church. He is affiliated with the fraternal 
 order of the Woodmen of the AVorld and 
 belongs to the Builders' Exchange. 
 
 AMOS M. HALL,* residing on his well 
 improved farm of 100 acres, which is sit- 
 uated in Slippery Rock Township, about 
 one mile south of Keister Station, belongs 
 to one of the old pioneer families of But- 
 ler County. He was born in Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, June 
 14, 1859, and is a son of Jesse R. and 
 Catherine (Dunbar) Hall. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Hall are now aged 
 people, but they retain their faculties and 
 live in comfortable retirement on their 
 farm of eighty acres, situated in Brady 
 Township. They were born in Clay Town- 
 ship and have been residents of Butler 
 County all their lives. 
 
 Amos M. Hall was reared in Brady 
 Township and there followed farming and 
 teaming until 1888, when he came to his 
 present property. This land was unim- 
 proved and in poor condition at that time, 
 but now ranks well with other farms in this 
 township and few of these have better resi- 
 dences or more substantial farm buildings. 
 Mr. Hall has his farm well stocked and 
 owns a large amount of valuable farm ma- 
 chinery. 
 
 Mr. Hall married Miss Maggie Renick, 
 a daughter of William Renick, and they 
 have a very pleasant family of seven chil- 
 dren: Reed, Caroline, Alma, Charles, 
 Donna, Wilda and Paul. The eldest son 
 married Amanda Grove and they have one 
 son, Stanley. Mr. Hall is an intelligent, 
 progressive man, takes considerable inter- 
 est in township affairs and votes according 
 
 to his judgment. He belongs to the Junior 
 Order of United American Mechanics. 
 
 SAMUEL N. TAGGART,* one of Worth 
 Township's representative men and suc- 
 cessful agriculturists, lives on his valuable 
 farm of 100 acres, which is situated on the 
 highway between Butler and New Castle 
 road and about three and one-quarter miles 
 southwest of Slippery Rock. Mr. Taggart 
 was born on his present farm in Worth 
 Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 15, 1857, and is a son of John W. 
 and Martha (Hoge) Taggart. 
 
 The father of Mr. Taggart was born on 
 the Worth Township farm and died here 
 in September, 1899. His parents were 
 John and Mary (McDonald) Taggart, who 
 settled in AVestern Pennsylvania in 1800, 
 and his grandparents were James and 
 Elizabeth (Hines) Taggart. The latter 
 couple probably came to America from Ire- 
 land about 1795 and in 1800 came to But- 
 ler County and made the first settlement 
 on the land now owned by Samuel N. Tag- 
 gart, who was born in the second log house 
 built on the place. The father of Mr. Tag- 
 gart, John AV. Taggart, was both a farmer 
 and carpenter and was one of the best 
 known men of this section. He married 
 Alartha Hoge, who died about 1899 and 
 both she and her husband were buried in 
 the cemetery at AVest Liberty. They had 
 two children: Mary J., wlio is the wife 
 of C. J. McLaughlin; and Samuel N. 
 
 Samuel N. Taggart was reared on the 
 home farm and from boyhood has taken an 
 interest in all kinds of farm work. As 
 soon as he finished school he began to ma- 
 terially assist liis father and later assumed 
 about all the responsibility, being the only 
 son. He carries on general agriculture and 
 raises stock and Percheron horses, hav- 
 ing annually some to sell. Since coming 
 into the home property, Mr. Taggart has 
 done a large amount of improving and his 
 farm buildings are of substantial construc- 
 tion and of commodious size. 
 
AND EEPEESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1485 
 
 On December 29, 1881, Mr. Taggart was 
 married to Miss Mary E. Dennisou, who 
 is a daugliter of Alexander and Margaret 
 (Wright) Dennison. The Deunisons were 
 of old Mercer County stock, while the 
 Wrights were pioneers in Washington 
 County; Mr. and Mrs. Taggart have had 
 five children, namely : Ida May, who mar- 
 ried W. M. McDeavitt, and has two chil- 
 dren, Ora L. and Berenice M. ; Clyde, 
 Emma C. and William J., who live at 
 home; and Harry E., who is deceased. 
 Mr. Taggart has the satisfaction of know- 
 ing that all his family belong to the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church with himself and 
 all are active Christian workers. 
 
 GIDEON R. ALLEN,* a prominent citi- 
 zen of Clay Township and one of the large 
 landowners of this section, resides on one 
 farm of 139 acres, which lies on the road 
 between Hallston near to the Muddy Creek 
 Church, and owns also a second farm, con- 
 taining 117 acres, situated north of the 
 one on which he lives. Mr. Allen was born 
 in 1840, on a farm in Clarion County, 
 Pennsylvania, and is a son of Robert and 
 Caroline (Richardson) Allen. 
 
 The mother of Mr. Allen died when he 
 was three years old and when he was four- 
 teen, his father returned to the homestead 
 farm on which he was born, in Clay Town- 
 ship, Butler County, which had been set- 
 tled by the grandfather, Stephen L. Al- 
 len, in 1800. Gideon R. Allen has lived 
 continuously in Clay Township from that 
 time until the present, with the exception 
 of his long period of service in the Civil 
 War, and one year spent in Missouri. 
 
 Mr. Allen had just reached his majority 
 when the country became convulsed by 
 Civil War. He immediately decided to of- 
 fer his services in defense of the flag he 
 had been taught to reverence, and by Oc- 
 tober 12, 1861, had so arranged his affairs 
 that he felt at liberty to leave everything 
 behind and enter the army. He then en- 
 listed in Company H, Seventy-eighth Regi- 
 
 ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 which was commanded by Capt. William S. 
 Jack and Col. W\ G. Sirwell, and .entered 
 vipon a long and dangerous service which 
 covered three years and two months. Dui-- 
 ing all this period Mr. Allen was ever at 
 the post of duty and his remarkable record 
 shows that he was a soldier who not even 
 once was off duty for a single day, never 
 missed a roll call, never fell sick and suf- 
 fered neither imprisonment nor injury in 
 battle. Further than this the record 
 proves that he participated in a large num- 
 ber of the most serious battles of the whole 
 war and looking back over his experiences, 
 he can scarcely understand how he could 
 have escaped the misfortunes which left 
 many of his comrades to fill unknown 
 graves or to pass through life as disabled 
 pensioners of the Government. He took 
 part in the following engagements in 
 1861-2: Wildcat Gap, October 21; Mill 
 Spi'ings, Kentucky, January 19; Shiloh, 
 Tennessee, April 6-7; Murfreesboro, Ten- 
 nessee, July 13 ; Richmond, Kentucky, Au- 
 gust 30 ; Mumfordville, Kentucky, Septem- 
 ber 14-16 ; Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 
 and Stone River, Tennessee, December 31. 
 In 1863 he participated in the following 
 battles, again, 'as his record discloses, be- 
 ing ever at the post of duty : Port Donel- 
 son, Tennessee, February 3; Thompson's 
 Station, March 4-5; Hoover's Gap, Tennes- 
 see, June 24 ; Liberty Gap, Tennessee, June 
 25; Shelbyville, Tennessee, June 27; Mor- 
 gan's Raid, Kentucky, July 2-26; Chicka- 
 mauga, Georgia, September 19-20; Wau- 
 hatciiie, Tennessee, October 27; Mission- 
 ary Ridge, Tennessee, November 23-25; 
 and Ringold Station, Georgia, November 
 27. In 1864 the battles were no less im- 
 portant, February 27 chronicled by Buz- 
 zard's Roost, Georgia; and on the way to 
 Atlanta, beginning May 1 and terminating 
 May 31, Mr. Allen took part in the engage- 
 ments at Red Clay, Rocky Face Ridge, 
 Tunnel Hill, Mill Creek or" Dug Gap, Buz- 
 zard's Roost Gap, Varnell's Station, 
 
1486 
 
 HISTOEY OF BUTLER COUNTY 
 
 Eesaca, Tilton, Tanner's Bridge, Adairs- 
 ville, Rome, Kingston, Dallas, New 
 Hope Church, Burned Hickory, Pumpkin 
 Vine Creek, Allatoona Hills, Cassville Sta- 
 tion, Burned Church and Moulton. In ad- 
 dition, daily and even hourly there were 
 skirmishes and attacks that only constant 
 vigilance could prevent being dangerous 
 to the Federal troops and these demanded 
 courage and endurance that sadly tried the 
 already over wearied soldiers. Mr. Allen's 
 term of enlistment expired October 14, 
 1864, and at that time he was with that 
 portion of his regiment that had been 
 mounted and, under the command of Gen- 
 eral Thomas, was guarding the rear of 
 General Sherman's army which was on 
 its way to the sea. Mr. Allen was mus- 
 tered out of the service at Kittanning, 
 Pennsylvania, and reached his home on 
 Hallow Eve, 1864. 
 
 For some years Mr. Allen worked as a 
 driller and tool dresser in the Butler oil 
 tields and spent one year, 1867, in Mis- 
 souri, and then engaged in farming on the 
 homestead, in 1870 purchasing his present 
 property, where he carries on general 
 farming and stock-raising. 
 
 In 1892 Mr. Allen was married to Miss 
 Leah Christley, who is a daughter of Will- 
 iam Christley, and they have two children : 
 Gideon R. and Manila Bay. He takes no 
 very active part in politics but has always 
 proved himself a worthy citizen. He is 
 identified with the order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 B. M. HOCKENBERRY,* who resides 
 on his valuable farm of 180 acres, which 
 is situated in Cherry Township, is one of 
 the extremely well educated and progres- 
 sive citizens of this section. He was born 
 in Cherry Township, Butler County, Penn- 
 sylvania, October 12, 1875, on a farm ad- 
 joining the one he owns, and is a son of 
 William and Frances (Cowan) Hocken- 
 berry. 
 
 The Hockenberry family is an old ])io- 
 neer one of this section. Tlie late AVill- 
 
 iam Hockenberry was born in Cherry 
 Township, where he spent his life, mainly 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. He died 
 March 14, 1883, his widow still surviving. 
 
 B. M. Hockenberry attended the Pipe 
 Stem country school and later the West 
 Sunbury Academy, going from there to the 
 Slippery Rock Normal School and still 
 later to Grove City College. Mr. Hocken- 
 berry has divided his attention, giving a 
 part of his time to operating his large 
 farm, which was formerly known as the 
 old John Smith farm, and a part to teach- 
 ing school. He has taught the Coaltown 
 School, formerly known as the Pigeon 
 AVing School, the old buildings having been 
 destroyed by the cyclone of 1880, for some 
 five terms and is a capable and popular 
 educator. 
 
 Mr. Hockenberry was married to Miss 
 Delia Campbell, who is a daughter of John 
 Sheppard Campbell, Esq., one of the most 
 prominent citizens of Cherry Township, 
 and they have three children: Margaret, 
 Benj. and Alice. Mr. Hockenberry is a 
 member of the fraternal order of the 
 Woodmen of the World. 
 
 WILLIAM FRANKLIN BOOK* is a 
 well known citizen and agriculturist of 
 Worth Township, Butler County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and owner of a farm of 225 acres, 
 located about four miles north of Porters- 
 ville, just off the Pittsburg and Mercer 
 Pike. He was born on the old Book home- 
 stead a]5out two miles north of his pres- 
 ent home, February 3, 1856, and is a son 
 of Thomas and Sarah (Bennett) Book, be- 
 ing an only child. His grandfather, George 
 Book, Jr., and great-grandfather. Captain 
 George Book, came from across the moun- 
 tains and settled in Worth Township dur- 
 ing the pioneer days. Captain George 
 Book was captain of a military company 
 which marched from Butler County to 
 Erie, Pennsylvania, where they joined Col- 
 onel Prescott's command for service dur- 
 ing the War of 1812. 
 
AND EEPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 1487 
 
 William F. Book attended the public 
 schools of his home vicinity and being the 
 only child in the family, much of the work 
 on the farm devolved upon him at an early 
 age. He has always followed general farm- 
 ing with a high degree of success, and is 
 endowed with exceptional business quali- 
 fications. He has 225 acres of good tilla- 
 ble land, on which he has a fine modern 
 home and the other necessary and sub- 
 stantial farm buildings. 
 
 Mr. Book was married in May, 1884, to 
 Miss Lizzie Humphrey, a daughter of John 
 
 and Lydia (Studebaker) Humphrey, and 
 they are parents of four children: Mabel, 
 who is a graduate of the local schools and 
 resides with her parents ; Walter, who at- 
 tended Eose Point High School and is now 
 practically in charge of the farming opera- 
 tions at home; Alta, who is in attendance 
 at the Slippery Rock State Normal School ; 
 and Fred, who is in the public schools. 
 Fraternally, the subject of this sketch is a 
 member of Portersville Lodge, No. 909, 
 I. 0. F., and takes a very pi'omiuent 
 part in the work of the order. 
 
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