USA > Indiana > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 71
USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 71
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David Rupp was reared on a farm and ob- tained his education in the schools of his neigh- borhood. Trained to farm work and farm man- agement, he engaged in farming when he came to do for himself. On September 16, 1864. he enlisted in Co. H, 199th regiment, Pa. Vols., and served until June 28, 1865, when he
was honorably discharged. Although serving but eight months, yet he saw as much hard fighting as some of the men who served for three years. He was in the engagements March 29, 1865, in front of Petersburg and at Rice's station and Appomattox Court-house. At the close of the war he returned to Kittanning- township, where he has been engaged in farming ever since. He owns a good farm of sixty acres of land, which is well improved and lies in a productive part of the township.
In 1852 Mr. Rupp united in marriage with Sarah Moorhead, daughter of John Moorhead, Sr., of Manor township. Mr. and Mrs. Rupp have had eleven children, seven sons and four daughters: Saralı E., John F., Samuel W., Margaret F., David M., Mary A., Hannah A., Arthur L., Norman H., Charles H., and James W., who died May 6, 1889, aged twenty-eight years.
David Rupp is a meniber of the Evangelical Lutheran church and a pronounced republican in politics. He has filled acceptably the offices of supervisor of roads and school director. Honest, reliable and industrions, Mr. Rupp commands the respect of his neighbors and is well situated to enjoy the comforts of life.
SIMON P. SCHALL, a leading farmer and stock-raiser of Manor township, and an influential citizen in the community in which he resides, is a son of Israel and Sarah (Hild- man) Schall, and was born in Kittanning town- ship, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, Febru- ary 20, 1838. His grandfather, Michael Schall, was born in eastern Pennsylvania in 1776, and removed to Armstrong county, where he was engaged in farming for over fifty years. He died in 1856, aged eighty years. He was an industrious farmer, a peaceable man and a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. One of his sons, Israel Schall (father), was born in Kittanning township in 1802, and resided
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BIOGRAPHIES OF
there until his death. He was a farmer by occupation, a prominent democrat in politics and at different times held various of his town- ship's offices. For a number of years he was a deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran church, of which both he and his wife were consistent members. He died in 1868, when in the sixty- sixth year of his age. He married Sarah Hild- man, who was born in Kittanning township in 1809. Mrs. Schall is still living in Kittanning township and is very active for a woman of eighty-one years of age.
Simon P. Schall was reared on his father's farm, and after receiving a common-school edu- cation, learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed for fifteen years. He then engaged in farming, which he has followed ever since. He now owns a farm of one hundred and thirty acres, some six miles from Kittanning, on the Kittanning and Leechburg road. In addition to farming Mr. Schall makes a specialty of live stock, which he raises for the eastern markets.
In 1860 he married Eliza Patrick, a daughter of Robert Patrick, of Kittanning township. They have been the parents of seven children Sarah M., Warren, Laura, Robert, Joseph, Harry, and one which died.
Simon P. Schall is a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a consistent member. He is a republican in politics, has filled various township offices and is esteemed in the community in which he resides as an en- ergetic and substantial citizen, who is ever ready to assist in any and every good cause. He is firm in his convictions of what he believes to be right, yet is considerate of the feelings and opin- ions of others, and never forces his views on any one.
JOSEPH J. SCHRECKENGOST, a de- scendant of two substantial and early families, and a prosperous farmer of Kittanning
township, is a son of Benjamin and Susanna (Oury) Schreckengost, and was born in Kittan- ning township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1829. His paternal grandfather, Coonrod Scheckengost, Sr., was a native of Germany, and came to Bucks county, where he remained a short time. He then came to Kit- tanning township, where he purchased a farm and followed farming and gunsmithing until his death. He was one of the early settlers of this township and was accompanied here by his son, Coonrod Schreckengost (father), who was : born in Bucks county. Coonrod Schrecken- gost, who lived to be eighty-two years of age, was a miller by trade, but gave part of his time to farming. He was a lutheran in religious belief, and a republican in political opinion and married Susanna Oury. Mrs. Schreckengost, was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church.
Joseph J. Schreckengost was reared on his father's farm in a day when farmers' sons had to encounter privations and hardships of which they know nothing to-day. He obtained his education in the schools of his neighborhood, which were as good as any in the county at that period. Leaving school, he learned the trade of millwright, which he followed for eight years. He then embarked in the milling business, which he followed for eight years, and at the end of that time engaged in farming, in which he has continued successfully ever since.
J. J. Schreckengost united in marriage with Rachel J. Bouch, daughter of Eli Bouch, of Kittanning township. They have six children living, four sons and two daughters, of whom five are : Susanna P., Nathaniel, William E., Sarah Adaline and David A.
In religious belief Mr. Schreckengost is a methodist, being a member of one of the churches of that denomination. In political opinion he is a republican. He owns a very good farm of sixty-five acres of land, which he carefully cultivates. The Schreckengost and
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ARMSTRONG COUNTY.
Oury families were early settlers of this town- ship. In the assessment list of 1807 there are four of the name of Schreckengost, who were land-owners, and on the same list appears the names of Christopher Oury, who owned a dis- tillery, and Adam Oury, a farmer.
SHEDRICK A. STARR, one of the young, 2 ambitious and successful farmers and stock- dealers of Valley township, is a son of Joseph and Mary (Lucas) Starr, and was born in Val- ley township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1860. Joseph Starr, who is a promi- nent farmer and very successful business man, was born in 1818, in this county, where he has always resided. He commenced the battle of life for himself with but little capital, but by hard labor, good management and judicious in- vestments, he has secured a comfortable compe- tency and now owns four well-improved and well-stocked farms, besides having an interest in several business enterprises. In connection with farming he has always dealt largely in stock. He is a member of the Pine Creek Bap- tist church, in which he has served for several years as a deacon. He married Mary Lucas, who is a member of the same church to which her husband belongs.
Shedrick A. Starr was reared in this town- ship and received his education in its common schools. Leaving school, he engaged in farming until 1887, on the farm on which he was born and reared. In the spring of the last-named year he removed to his present farm, which is conveniently situated in regard to market, church and school.
In 1883 he united in marriage with Phebe Slagle, daughter of Daniel Slagle, of Valley township. Their union has been blest with three children, one son and two daughters. Two of their children are : Charles C. and Lulu M.
In religious faith Mr. Starr is a baptist and a member of Pine Creek church of that denomi-
nation. In political sentiment he is a democrat and believes in the principles of that party as practiced by Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleve- land. He has served as auditor of Valley town- ship for six years. He deals largely in stock, which he ships to the eastern markets. His farm contains sixty-six acres of good farming land, which is well improved. It is underlaid with coal, which is equally accessible for mining purposes with the other coal lands of that sec- tion. Mr. Starr has devoted his time largely to farming and stock-dealing, and has met with good success in his chosen line of business. He is always ready to aid the needy, and takes a justifiable pride in the progress and prosperity of his township.
J OHN STEWART, one of the prosperous farmers and respected citizens of Valley township, was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in May, 1823, and is a son of James and Re- becca (Doak) Stewart. James Stewart left his native county of Donegal and came in 1827 to Philadelphia, where he remained but six months before removing to Westmoreland county, in which he resided for nearly three years. He then came to Armstrong county, where he set- tled in Mahoning township and was engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1843, when in the seventieth year of his age. He was an industrious man and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. He married Rebecca Doak, who was like himself a native of county Donegal, and a member of the Presbyterian church. She was born in 1785 and died in 1863, when lacking but two years of being an octogenarian. They were a well-respected couple in the community in which they resided, and had a family of four sons and one daughter.
John Stewart was reared from seven years of age on his father's farm in Mahoning township, where he received a practical common business education in the country schools of that day.
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BIOGRAPHIES OF
Upon attaining his majority he engaged in farm- ing, which he has pursued profitably ever since. Mr. Stewart owns two good farms in Valley township, and his home farm, which he bought in 1846 and on which he resided since 1852, containing one hundred and sixty acres of well- improved and tillable land. He also erected liis comfortable residence and the convenient barn and numerous out-buildings which are on his home farmı.
On December 9, 1852, Mr. Stewart married Elizabeth Harris, daughter of Joseph Harris, a native of Ireland. To Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have been born seven children : Rebecca Ann, born April 8, 1854, died July 8, 1859; Eliza- beth J., born October 18, 1856, died June 8, 1878 ; Margaret A., Mary T., who was a teacher in the Kittanning schools for three years and married Hugh McIsaac, Indiana county, and Emma F. A., Anabel B. and Rebecca.
John Stewart is neutral in politics and a member and elder of the Reformed Presbyterian church. He is one of the substantial and in- dustrious farmers of this prosperous township.
A NDREW H. WARNER, the present post- master and a successful merchant of Greendale, is one of the leading citizens and representative business men of Valley town- ship. He was born in the kingdom of Wür- temberg, Germany, January 27, 1843, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Warner) Warner. Henry Warner was a life-long resident of Würtemberg, in which he followed farming. He was a steady, honest man, a member of the Lutheran church, and died in 1845. He mar- ried Mary Warner, a native of Würtemberg, who is a lutheran in religious faith, and resides now at Greendale.
Andrew H. Warner was reared in Germany until he was fourteen years of age, when he came with his mother, in 1857, to Lawrence
county, where she resided for thirty years. He received his education in the excellent public schools of Germany and the common schools of Pennsylvania. At seventeen years of age he went to Pittsburgh, where he entered the employ of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh R. R. company. He remained with them for twenty- four years, and during that long period of time served as lost car agent, yard dispatcher, and in various other trustworthy and responsible positions. In 1884 he resigned the position which he then held in the company's service, and came to Valley township, to his present farm, which he had purchased in 1876. From 1884 to 1890 he devoted his time chiefly to farming and stock-raising. In the spring of 1890 he opened a general mercantile store at Greendale, which is well stocked with dry- goods, groceries, hardware, notions and every- thing needed in the mercantile line in his section. Greendale seems to be a good loca- tion for a store, as he has built up an unex- pectedly large trade in the few months since he commenced business.
On Aug. 30, 1863, he married Fredericka Shurke, a native of Germany. They have eight children, five sons and three daughters : Annie, John, Edward, Lydia, Margaret, Charles, William and Ralph.
A. H. Warner is a republican in politics, and has served Valley township as auditor. He was appointed postmaster at Greendale in April, 1890, which position he still holds. In , re- ligious faith he is a member of the Reformed church. His farm of one hundred and ninety acres was originally two farms, which he bought in 1876. In farming and merchandising Mr. Warner has been successful. To whatever business he has in hand he gives that close at- tention which is essentially necessary to sub- stantial success. As a citizen and a business man he stands well with the public.
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ARMSTRONG COUNTY.
M ARCUS D. WAYMAN, of Ford City, who has been interested in the plate-glass business for twenty years, has made more ma- chinery for plate-glass works than any other man in the United States. He is a son of Garey and Nancy (Shellers) Wayman, and was born in Washington county, State of Indiana, March 10, 1830. Garey Wayman was born in 1809, in Maryland, and when a young man went to Lexington, Ky., where he entered and served for some time in a printing establish- ment. He then removed to New Albany, In- diana, where he made his home until his death, in the fall of 1843, when he was only thirty- eight years of age. He was a member of the Baptist church, and married Nancy Shellers, a daughter of John Shellers, of Frankfort, Ky., by whom he had six children. Mrs. Way- man was born in Frankfort in 1809, is a mem- ber of the Methodist church, and now resides with her son, the subject of this sketch.
Marcus D. Wayman was principally reared in Kentucky, where he received a common- school education and learned the trade of foun- dryman. In 1850 he and nineteen other young men crossed the plains, with ox-teams, to the gold regions of California. After five years' successful experience in gold-digging, he re- turned to Louisville and purchased a foundry, which he has operated ever since. In this foundry he built the machinery for a large number of steamboats, and has fitted out as high as eleven steamboats a year. During the late civil war he had charge of the government works at Cairo, Ill., and since 1870 Mr. Way- man has been connected with Mr. Ford in the manufacture of plate-glass. In 1870, under a contract with J. B. Ford, of New Albany, In- diana, he built the first machinery made in the United States for a plate-glass works, and since that time has constructed the machinery for the following plate-glass works : the Crystal works of St. Louis, Mo., the Louisville plant, the Jef- fersonville plant, the Creighton plant, the Taren-
tum plant and the two plate-glass works at Ford City. In 1880 he moved from Louis- ville, Ky., to Tarentum, Pa., and ten years later to Ford City, where he has resided ever since.
On Sept. 20, 1871, he married Margaret Mongavin, daughter of Thomas Mongavin, of Louisville, Ky. To their union have been born six sons and four daughters : Mary, Albert, Marcus D., Jr., Samuel, Thomas, Garey, Mar- garetta, Ruth, Ruby and Kenneth.
Marcus D. Wayman is a liberal republican in politics. He is chairman of the board of trustees of the Ford City Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a member. Mr. Way- man is the pioneer in the manufacture of Amer- ican plate-glass machinery, and is known as an energetic, practical business man.
TOHN WIBLE, a comfortably situated farmer of East Franklin, and a Union soldier in the famous old 14th Pa. Cavalry, is a son of Isaac and Mary (Daugherty) Wible, and was born in East Franklin township, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, April 6, 1825. His paternal grandfather, John Wible, was a life- long resident of Westmoreland county, where he followed farming until his death. His pa- rents were of that industrious and sturdy class of early settlers in this State that is known as Pennsylvania German. One of John Wible's sons was Isaac Wible, the father of the subject of this sketch. Isaac .Wible was born in the first year of the present century, and in 1818 came from Westmoreland to Armstrong county, where he purchased a farm of three hundred and twenty-five acres of land and became an extensive farmer and stock-raiser. He was a republican politically and a member of the Presbyterian church, whose every-day walk in life corresponded with his religious profession. He died in 1882, aged eighty-two years. He married Mary Daugherty, who was born in 1801 (see G. B. Daugherty's sketcli of Kittan-
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BIOGRAPHIES OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.
ning) and whose father, Patrick Daugherty, was a native of Ireland. Her mental faculties are wonderful for one who is verging on her ninetieth year, and is remarkably active for a woman of nearlythree hundred pounds weight. Mr. and Mrs. Wible were the parents of nine children, of whom seven are living.
John Wible was born and reared on his father's farm and received his education in the schools of his neighborhood. Leaving school, he engaged in farming, which has been the main business of his life ever since. On No- vember 23, 1862, he enlisted in Co. M, 14th Pa. Cavalry (or 159th regiment, Pa. Vols.), and served until June 3, 1865, when he was discharged at Washington City. During his term of service he participated in over forty skirmishes and battles of lis regiment, which encountered all manner of privations and hard- ships in the two Virginias.
In 1854 he married Elizabeth Bowser, daughter of Samuel D. Bowser, of this town- ship. They have three children, two sons and one daughter : Rebecca J., Thomas L., a car- penter at Apollo; and John M., who is engaged in well-drilling.
John Wible is a republican in politics and a member of Glade Run Presbyterian church. He served his township as road supervisor, when elected as such, but is no aspirant for office. His farm is three miles from Kittan- ning and contains sixty acres of good farming. and grazing land. He is well situated and has the respect of all who know him.
R OBERT WALTER SMITH "was born at Litchfield, New Hampshire, June 16, |press."
1816, at the residence of his grandfather (on the maternal side), Judge Parker. His great- grandfather, Ebenezer Smith, was an officer throughout the whole of the Revolutionary war, and was appointed captain of the guard over Maj. Andre the night before his execution. His grandfather, the Rev. David Smith, D.D., was at the time of his death in his ninety-fifth year, probably the oldest Yale college graduate in the United States. His father, the late Rev. David M. Smith, was also a graduate of Yale college, being a member of the class of 1811. He studied theology at Andover, Massachusetts, and was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian church."
R. W. Smith graduated from Hamilton col- lege in 1837, read law and was admitted to the bar prior to 1846. In that year he came to Kittanning, where he practiced his profession for thirty-five years. In 1881 he visited his brother at Bronxville, New York, where he died on December 6th of that year. He was county superintendent of free schools from 1856 to 1860 and from 1863 to 1866. He was a careful lawyer and an efficient county superin- tendent, but it is as the author of "The Arm- strong County History" that his name will be preserved for all time to come in Armstrong county.
" He was a man of studious habits and liter- ary tastes. Conceiving the idea of writing an elaborate history of the county, he entered upon his arduous, self-imposed task with the deter- mination of making it thorough and reliable. Toward this end he toiled patiently for full five years. Sadly enough the author was not per- mitted the quiet satisfaction of seeing the book on which he had so long toiled come from the
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RED BANK, WAYNE, COWANSHANNOCK, PLUM CREEK AND SOUTH BEND TOWNSHIPS.
Historical and Descriptive .- These five town- ships lie along the eastern boundary line of Armstrong county. Nearly all of Red Bank and Wayne townships are in the Lower Pro- ductive Coal measures, and have heavy veins of ferriferous lime, while small areas of these measures are to be found in the western part of Cowanshannock, the southeastern and south- western parts of Plum Creek and the central and western parts of South Bend. The re- mainder of the three last-named townships are in the Lower Barren measures, and contain valuable beds of the Upper Freeport coal. A small area of the Pittsburgh Coal-bed lies in the south western part of South Bend township.
Red Bank Township was organized Septem- ber 18, 1806, and now contains only about one- seventh of its original territory. In the north- western part of the township was "Old Town," an Indian village, which was founded prior to 1770.
Presque Isle was founded in 1850, and Inde- pendence was established in 1855.
Wayne Township was formed from Plum Creek, on March 19, 1821, and was named in honor of Gen. Anthony Wayne. The North American and Holland land companies owned considerable land in this township. Glade Run Presbyterian church was organized, in 1808, with eight members: James and Margarct Kirkpatrick, William and Mary Marshall, William and Martha Kirkpatrick and Wil- liam and Mary Shields. The first grist-mill 32
was built by Joseph Marshall, Sr., in 1822, the first fulling-mill was erected in 1828 by David Lewis, and the first grange in the county was organized in Wayne township. Glade Run post-office was established Dec. 17, 1828, Bel- knap, Sept. 21, 1855, and Echo, July 14, 1857.
Cowanshannock Township was formed from parts of Kittanning, Plum Creek and Wayne townships, on December 22, 1848, and was named after the crcek of that name. On the Thomas McCausland farm are vestiges of an old fort of Mound-builder origin. Atwood, named from being at or near the woods, was founded by Dr. Allison, who cleared the town site in 1860.
Green Oak was laid out in 1869, by W. Chrisman, and Rural Valley dates its existence as a town from the establishment of its post- office, in 1830, but was not laid out until six years later.
Plum Creek Township was taken from Kit- tanning on June 20, 1810, and derived its name from Plum Creek. Several townships have been carved out of its original territory. It was settled at an early day and contained two block-houses, one of which, on the Downs farm, was once attacked by Indians, who cap- tured and carried off Jolin Sloan and his sister Nancy. Among the early settlers were George Miller, who came in 1766, and Absalon Wood- ward, Sr., who arrived in 1788. Elderton was laid out by the name of New Middletown, on Nov. 20, 1820, by Robert J. Elder, and Whites-
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BIOGRAPHIES OF
burg, named in honor of Major James White, was founded in 1828. Capt. Andrew Sharp, who served under Washington, came to this township in 1784, and ten years later traded his farm for one in Kentucky, and with his wife and six children and some twelve others embarked on a flat-boat to make the trip to his southern home. At the mouth of Two Mile creek, below the site of Apollo, where he had fastened up the boat for the night, he was fired on by seven Indians. While cutting his boat loose lie received two balls, one in his left side and the other in his right side. He died from the effects of these wounds at Pittsburgh, on July 8, 1794, forty days after he was wounded.
South Bend Township .- On June 4, 1867, South Bend was formed out of part of Kiski- minetas and Plum Creek towhships. Thirty-five tracts of land in this township were surveyed as early as 1773. There was a block-house on Jones' Hill and another at Townsend's Mills, both of which were built prior to 1795. This township had one of the numerous Soldiers' Aid societies that were formed in the county during the late war. Among thie early settlers were the Browns, Clarks, Hoovers, Householders, Kings, Sloans, Todds and Woodwards.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
TOHN A. BLANEY, an influential citizen of Plum Creek township, a business man of great energy, and the present postmaster of Whitesburg, is a son of Hugh and Hannah (Shots) Blaney, and was born September 11, 1832, in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania. Hugh Blaney (father) was born in Ireland in 1796, and emigrated from that country to Arm- strong county about 1815, when the old "State road " was being built. That great highway of traffic started from Philadelphia and passed through Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. This pike
was the great road through Armstrong county until the era of railroads. Hugh Blaney was a shoemaker by trade, but after coming to this country he bought a farm which he tilled until his death. He was a consistent member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and married Hannah Shots, of Kittanning township, by whom lie had seven children.
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