Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania, Part 85

Author: Wiley, Samuel T. ed. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Philadelphia [J.M. Gresham & co.]
Number of Pages: 652

USA > Indiana > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 85
USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania > Part 85

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

farm of two hundred acres of good farming land.

October 6, 1854, Mr. Wilson married Nancy J. Warner. They are the parents of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters: Samuel P., born July 7, 1855; H. M., born August 19, 1857; James H., born October 10, 1859; Matthew T., born March 2, 1861, married to Kate Lambing and resides at Greensburg; Mary E., born November 9, 1862; Rebecca W., born March 14, 1864; William A., born June 24, 1865; John H. and Nancy J. (twins), born December 10, 1866; Martha B., born De- cember 27, 1870; and Charles, born January 22, 1874.

In politics, John H. Wilson is a republican. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church at Olivet, in which he has always been an active and efficient worker.

W ILLIAM T. WILSON, a successful farm- er and a prominent and useful member of the United Presbyterian church in Kiskimin- etas township, was born near Elizabeth, Alle- gheny county, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1830, and is the youngest of eight children born to Hugh M. and Mary (Henderson) Wilson. His paternal grandfather, Capt. James Wilson, was born in Chester county, Pa., between 1770 and 1780. He was a small, muscular man, and removed to Allegheny county, where his wife was much afraid of the Indians. He was en- gaged in one or two Indian expeditions and commanded a company of minute-men. H was a member of the Associate Reformed church, and married (about 1783) Isabella Mitchell. To them were born six children : John, who was a member of the Legislature from Alle- gheny county ; James, Samuel, Thomas, David and Hugh. His maternal great-grandfather, Matthew Henderson, was a pioneer of Wash- ington county, and was one of the founders of Washington and Jefferson college. His son,

Rev. Matthew Henderson (maternal grand- father), was born in Chester county, January 10, 1762, and came to Allegheny county and set- tled near the Wilsons. He was a minister of the Associate Reformed church, and a whig. October 3, 1786, he married Rebecca Patterson, of Lancaster county, and they had nine children : Martha, Mary, Matthew, a member of the Con- stitutional Convention of 1838 ; Samuel, John, Arthur, Ebenezer, James and Rebecca. Hugh M. Wilson (father) was born in Allegheny county, April 1, 1793, was a merchant of Eliz- abeth, that county, for some time and then farmed and ran a saw and grist-mil until 1834, when he sold out and came . to Armstrong county, in March, 1835. He bought one hun- dred and fifty-eight acres in Kiskimninetas town- ship, and bought two other tracts of land, mak- ing six hundred acres in all. He was a whig and republican in politics. He was a member of the Associate Reformed church and after- wards united with the United Presbyterian church of Olivet, of which he was a ruling elder for fifty years. On December 21, 1815, he mar- ried Mary Henderson, by whom he had eight children : Rebecca, born in 1816, married Thos. Watson, of Indiana county ; James, born in 1818, married Nancy Wray : Matthew H. (a minis- ter), born in 1820, marricd Mary Blasdell ; Mitchell, born in 1822, married Elizabeth Moore; Martha, born in 1824, died in 1845; John H., born in 1827, married to Nancy Warner; Thomas J., born in 1829, died in 1890; and William T. Mrs. Wilson died June 30, 1867, and Mr. Wilson July 31, 1872. They both slecp in the cemetery at Olivet.

William T. Wilson is of Scotch-Irish extrac- tion and was educated in the public schools of Kiskiminctas township. He has been a farm- er all his life and by energy and perseverance has accumulated a handsome property. He enlisted in the State Militia in September, 1862, and again in July, 1863, but was not in active service.

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BIOGRAPHIES OF

On November 25, 1857, Mr. Wilson united in marriage with Eliza Scott, a native of Eng- land and a daughter of Hugh and Margaret Scott, natives of county Tyrone, Ireland. Their union has been blest with ten children : Hugh S., born in 1858, married to Mary Brown ; Mary, born in 1859 (deceased) ; Maggie, born in 1861 (deceased) ; Martha, born in 1862; Eliza, born in 1864 (deceased) ; John, born in 1865 (deceased); James C., born in 1867 (deceased) ; Rebecca E., born in 1870 (de- ceased) ; Alice, born in 1875 ; and Willie, born in 1880. Mrs. Wilson is an active church worker.

In politics, Mr. Wilson was a republican until fifteen years ago, when he became a pro- hibitionist, and is now a strong advocate of temperance. He is a member of Olivet United Presbyterian church, in which he was a trustee for eighteen years, chorister for twenty years and Sunday-school teacher for about thirty years.

TOHN M. WRAY is one who is highly es- teemed by his fellow-citizens of Kiskimi- netas township for his integrity, candor and usefulness. He is the second son of Robert and Abigail (Manners) Wray, and was born near Saltsburg, in Indiana county, Pennsyl- vania, November 23, 1817. His paternal grandfather, Daniel Wray, was born in county Antrim, Ireland, about 1754, and after resid- ing successively in Mercer and Westmoreland counties, removed to the site of Saltsburg, Indi- ana county, where he purchased two hundred acres of land when that country was all in woods and infested by wolves. He was a whig and a presbyterian, and died about 1825. He mar- ried Elizabeth McKibben, by whom he had seven children: James, Elizabeth, John, Jane, Margaret, William and Robert. Robert Wray (father) was born near Mercersburg, Franklin county, Pa., December 8, 1784, and in 1800

went with his father to the site of Saltsburg, where, after his father became sickly, he assumed management of the farm, and completed the payments on it. A portion of the purchase money he raised by boiling salt water. In 1819 he came to Kiskiminetas township, where he died. He was much respected by all who knew him, and was frequently called upon to settle disputes between his neighbors. He was a republican, had held all of his township's offices, and was a member of the Elder's Ridge Presbyterian church, on whose first building committee he served. He owned six hundred acres of land, which he divided between three of his sons, besides one hundred and twenty acres near Olivet, which he gave to another son. In 1812 he married Abigail Manners, an indus- trious and amiable woman, who was a daughter of John Manners, a strong presbyterian, who was born in Washington county in 1760, mar- ried Sallie Couch in 1785, helped suppress the Whiskey Insurrection, and came to near Avon- more coal-works, where, on his farm of two hundred acres, he reared a family of eight children : Joseph, Elizabeth, Nathan, Margaret, Nancy, George, Polly and Abigail. To Mr. and Mrs. Wray were born eleven children : Sarah, born July 9, 1814, married Robert Smith and died June 13, 1860; Daniel, born April 1, 1816 ; John M., Elizabeth, born Jan- uary 1, 1820, married John A. Ewing, and re- sides at Olivet; Margaretta, born February 29, 1824; an infant who died July 15, 1824; Wil- liam H., born December 2, 1821, and married Susan Townsend ; Nancy, born August 11, 1825, and married James D. Wilson, of Olivet ; Robert, born February 11, 1827; Anna J., born March 16, 1830; and Abigail M., born July 29, 1832.

John M. Wray was reared in Kiskiminetas township, where he received liis education in the early subscription schools which were taught in the old log school-house. Attaining his major- ity, he engaged in farming, which he has fol-

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ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

lowed ever since. He was in the mercantile business for three years at Olivet, with Henry Townsend (1857 to 1860). In 1865 he again became a partner of Mr. Townsend, but after- wards opened a store on his farm, which he con- ducted forten years, and then transferred it to lıis son.

July 19, 1840, Mr. Wray married Anna M., daughter of Robert Townsend, of South Bend. They have been the parents of eight children, two sons and six daughters: Harriet, born November 9, 1840, wife of B. H. Scott; Clara E., born in 1842, wife of T. M. Marshall; Abigail, born August 14, 1844, wife of D. D. P. Alexander, postmaster at Apollo; Hiram H., born January 24, 1848, married a Miss Har- mon; Anna M., born June 18, 1850 (dead); Robert T., born May 4, 1853; Mary A., born May 15, 1856 ; and Emma E., born December 24, 1859 (dead).

He is a member of Elder's Ridge Presbyter- ian church. Mr. Wray is a republican in poli- tics, has held nearly all of his township's offices and resides on a fine farm, where he is sur- rounded by all the comforts of life.

D ANIEL WRAY, one of the energetic, thrifty and comfortably situated farmers of Kiskiminetas township, is the eldest son of Robert and Abigail (Manners) Wray, and was born at Saltsburg, Indiana county, Pa., April 1, 1816. Daniel Wray (grandfather) was born in county Antrim, Ireland, about 1754, came to America in the early part of the eighteenth century and settled near Mercersburg, Franklin county, Pa. In a short time he went to Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland county, and after a residence there of a few years he removed to the site of Saltsburg and purchased a farm of two hundred acres of land. A portion of that town is now built upon this farm, but then it was in woods, and wolves frequently attacked his sheep and drove them to liis cabin door. He

died about 1825. He was active in the interests of the Whig party, was useful as a member of the Presbyterian church and about 1781 mar- ried Elizabeth Mckibben, by whom he had seven children: James, Elizabeth, John, Jane, Margaret, William and Robert. John Manners (maternal grandfather) was, in all probability, born in Washington county, about 1760, and® about 1810 moved to Kiskiminetas township, where he bought a farm of two hundred acres, adjoining the coal works at Avonmore. He was an active, energetic man of good business tact, was a member of the Presbyterian church and helped to suppress the " Whiskey Insur- rection " in Pennsylvania. In 1785 he mar- ried Sallie Couch, by whom he had eight chil- dren: Joseph, Elizabeth, Nathan, Margaret, Nancy, George, Polly and Abigail (mother of subject). Robert Wray (father) was born near Mercersburg, Franklin county, December 8, 1784. In 1800 he went to Saltsburg with his father, who had purchased a farm, and, becoming sickly, left its management to liim. By farming and boiling salt water, he raised means sufficient to complete the payments on the farm as fast as they became due. In 1812 he married Abigail Manners and in 1820 came to this township, where he died August 15, 1869, in his eighty-, fifth year. (For further history of him, see sketch of John M. Wray.)

Daniel Wray was reared on the farm until twenty-four years of age, and received his edu- cation in the subscription schools of Kiskimine- tas township and Saltsburg. He came with his father to Kiskiminetas township in 1820. He began teaching school in 1840 and taught six winter terms, working on the farm during the summer. At the end of this time he gave all his attention to farming and is now the posses- sor of a well-improved farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres of land.

On October 20, 1840, he married Sarah France, who was born June 22, 1820, and is a daughter of John France, a farmer of South

ed be

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BIOGRAPHIES OF

Bend township. They have been the parents of seven children, four sons and three daugh- ters: Robert, born February 15, 1842; Mary E., born April 30, 1844; Nancy J., born November 19, 1847; John M., born December 16, 1849, married to Annie Burnside; James H., born Marclı 6, 1854, and died in infancy ; William 'A., born May 9, 1855, married to Annie Anderson; and Anna M., born March 23, 1858, wife of Rev. Theodore Lee.

In politics, Mr. Wray is a stanch republican and takes an active part in the interests of his party, but has never aspired to political honors. He is a zealous church worker, belongs to the Presbyterian church at Elder's Ridge and aids the cause of Christianity in every possible way. He is an honest and upright man and highly respected by his neighbors.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The three following sketches were not ob- tained in time to insert in their proper place in this work:

TOHN W. MORROW, M.D., a physician in successful practice at Marchand, Indiana county, Pa., is a son of David and Margaret (Lytle) Morrow and was born in South Ma- honing township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1849. His paternal grandfather, John Morrow, was a native of county Down, Ireland, and in 1812 came to Indiana county, where he settled at West Lebanon, in Young township. He was an ardent presbyterian and late in life removed to Armstrong county, where he died. He married Margaret Gillespie and their chil- dren were Andrew, who married Mary Coch- rane, and after her death Isabella Rankin; James, married Mary Meanor ; William, mar- ried Martha Hutchinson ; Martha, widow of John Marshall; Elizabeth, wife of Abel

Stewart ; John, married Margaret Gibson; Mar- garet, who married Thomas Ormond ; Nancy, married Samuel Lytle ; Wilson, married Mar- garet Stuchel, and David. Of these children but two are living : Martha and Elizabeth. Dr. Morrow's maternal grandfather, Robert Lytle, was born in the Ligonier Valley, Westmoreland county, and came to West Mahoning township, where he became a large landholder. He was an elder in the United Presbyterian church, was connected with the " underground railroad " and helped many slaves to reach Canada. He mar- ried a Miss Lytle, who was no relation to him, and their children were William, who married Sarah Reed ; Robert, married a Miss Smith ; Alexander, who married a Miss Smith, and one of liis sons is a missionary in India ; John, mar- ried Lovina Reed ; Samuel, who married Mar- garet Morrow ; Thomas, married Rachel Miller ; Sarah, widow of John S. Marshall ; Elizabeth, Margaret (mother), Keturah, married Thomas Watt, and Jane. Of these children but two are living : Sarah and Margaret. David Morrow (fatlier) was born in 1807 and died in 1851, in South Mahoning township. He lived for sev- eral years with a Rev. Hyndman, who gave him a good education. He taught school for several terms and purchased a farm, which he tilled until his death. He was a whig and abolitionist and served for several years as a justice of the peace. He was a united presby- terian, took an active part in political affairs and married Margaret Lytle. Their children were Jane, Catherine, wife of Jesse William- son ; Robert (dead); Thomas, wlio married Nancy Stewart ; Dr. John W., and David, who married Clara Cochrane and is superintendent of an oil company at Bradford, Pa. Mrs. Morrow, after her husband's death, married a Mr. Laney, who is dead, and slie now resides on the liome farm.

John W. Morrow worked as an oil well driller and taught school for several terms to secure the means to attend Dayton academy.

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ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

Completing his academic course, he read medi- cine with Dr. C. McEwen, of Plumville, and in 1872 entered Jefferson college, from which he was graduated on March 11, 1875. After graduation he returned to Marchand, where he had practiced during his vacations in 1873 and 1874. He has a remunerative and extensive practice throughout the section of country sur- rounding Marchand.

He is a republican, and in 1890 was nomi- nated by his party as their candidate for the legislature, by a majority of nine hundred over his closest competitor. He owns a farm of three hundred acres of land adjoining Mar- chand, where he has some valuable real estate. His farm is underlaid with coking coal and lies in a productive gas belt. From 1886 to 1890 he and a Mr. Brown were engaged in the general mercantile and drug business. He is a member and an elder of the United Pres- byterian church. Dr. Morrow is an earnest advocate and supporter of all educational move- ments in his section and was one of those who organized Marchand Normal academy, for whose establishment he worked zealously and unceasingly.

R OBERT A. McELHOES is a prominent democrat and leading farmer of Rayne township, Indiana county. He was born on the farm on which he now resides, in Rayne township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, May 15, 1833, and is a son of Samuel and Martha (McCluskey) McElhoes. His paternal grand- father, Thomas McElhoes, was a native of Scotland, where he married. He came to America and settled near Philadelphia, but afterwards moved to near Indiana, Indiana county, where he took up a large tract of land which he farmed until his death. Robert Mc- Cluskey (maternal grandfather) was a native of Ireland, came to America and settled in West- moreland county, and shortly afterwards re-

moved to Indiana county, where he died. He was a farmer of what was then Washington (now Rayne) township. Samuel McElhoes (father) was born in Chester county, Pa., about 1787, and died in Rayne township in 1855. He purchased the farm on which the subject of this sketch now lives. He followed farming, stock-raising and milling: He and his brother built the first grist-mill, known as McElhoes' mill, which is now owned by Robert A. Mc- Elhoes. He was a democrat and married Martha Mccluskey, by whom he had three children : Robert A., Agnes and John, all of whom live on the home farm.

Robert A. McElhoes received his education in the common schools. He has always been" a farmer and owns and operates a saw-mill. He and his brother own about eight hundred acres of land. His home farm of three hun- dred acres is well improved and is underlaid with a heavy vein of coking coal. In 1872 he built a large brick house, which is modern in appearance, and erected a large frame barn in 1881, besides all necessary out-buildings. He is a democrat politically, but no office-seeker. He has represented his party twice as delegate to State conventions and is frequently a dele- gate to county conventions.

He married Lovina Prothero, daughter of John Prothero, of Indiana county, and a native of England. Their union has been blest with nine children : Samuel E., Martha H., William C., Mary I., Sarah, Charles J., Harvey J., Ephraim and Agnes La Rue.

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A RCHIBALD J. T. CRAWFORD, a well- known citizen and a justice of the peace of North Mahoning township, Indiana county, was born in East Mahoning township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, August 21, 1819, and is the eldest son of Moses and Mary (Jamison) Crawford. The Crawford family was one of the pioneer families of Kentucky, and helped

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BIOGRAPHIES OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY.

to win the " Dark and Bloody Ground" from the dominion of the Indian. Moses Crawford (father) was born about 1772, and came at an early age from Kentucky to Indiana county, where he located near Centreville. He after- wards removed to East Mahoning township, · where he died in 1831. He was a carpenter by trade and a whig in politics, and gave most of his time to farming. He served as a scout in the war of 1812. He was twice married. His first wife was a Miss Scroggs, by whom he had nine children : Jane, Samuel, Mary, John, Allen, David, Ann, Elizabeth and James. His second wife was Mary Jamison, daughter of Archie Jamison, a Scotch covenanter, who set- tled near Armagh, where he followed farming. By his second marriage Moses Crawford had seven children : Archibald J. T., Rachel (dead); Margaret, William, Isabella, Martha and Mo- ses, Jr.

A. J. T. Crawford received his education in

the schools of his neighborhood. He taught seven terms of school (six of them at one place) and then engaged in his present business of farming and stock-dealing. He is a republican in politics and was elected justice of the peace in 1872. He was re-elected in 1877 and again in 1888. He has held other township offices and is a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church.

He married Emily Sprankle, daughter of Fred- erick Sprankle. Their marriage has been blest with three children: Amelia, wife of Henry C. Peffer, a farmer of North Mahoning township ; Mary, wife of M. D. Shields, of Pittsburgh, a mechanic and superintendent for Vandergrift & Co .; Rev. Frederick S., married Mary Re- pey, and is pastor of the Presbyterian church at McDonald, Washington county, Pa. Rev. Frederick was graduated from Westminster college and also from the Theological seminary at Allegheny city.

ERRATA.

The following corrections were secured too late to be in- serted in their proper places in the respective sketches to which they belong :

In sketch of H. M. Bell (page 94), Mary (Beatty) Bell should be Mary (Bates) Bell ; of the Methodist Episcopal church should be Presbyterian church until his marriage, when he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church ; Mary Beatty should be Mary Bates; McFarland should be Irwin McFarland; in 1876 should be Sept. 21, 1877, and Gilmore C. should be Gilmore F.

In sketch of Robert Thompson, on page 165, in the fourteenth line read Mary née Tompson, and after August, 1794, in the same column, read the land on which this settle- ment was made was originally vested in a near kinsman of Mrs. Thompson's, James Cannon, by deed from Thomas and John Penn, and the Thompsons afterwards became its owners. On page 165, second column and eighth line, read Dec. 4 for Oct. 5, and in the same column, read T. St. Clair for F. St. Clair.

On page 168 D. Harrison Tomb should read D. Harbi- son Tomb.

On page 276, insketch of Capt. Jacob Creps, the following information has been obtained : Jacob Creps married Mary A. Gora, of Bucks county ; Susanna Lutes should be Susanna Lutz; 1st instead of 63d regiment; at the battle

of Fair Oaks Capt. Creps received five bullet marks, and the names of Minorica, Ella E., Eliza and Percy should read Winona, Elby E., Elizabeth and Percy A. In 1890, in a campaign of ten days, Capt. Creps reduced the repub- lican majority 10,000 in his Congressional district, and he is not a member of the G. A. R.

On page 289, in sketch of Archibald Smitten, after : word married insert August 11, 1853. Additional in- formation : Ida J., born June 10, 1859, and married July 3, 1876; William B., born July 18, 1863, and married August 11, 1880 ; Hugh W., born April 5, 1866, and Mel- tha Belle, born June 14, 1874. Mr. Smitten is a member of Amor Lodge, No. 608, and Pine Grove Grange, No. 421.

In sketch of W. J. Steele, on page 457, read two miles for six miles south of Oakland X roads. On page 458, in first column, second line, omit words "for a short time" and add in fourth line after 1886 "aged sixty years." In line after word Steele add "in the dry-goods business, in Paulton, Pa." C. G. L. for G. L. Pfeffer. In the line, after word sold add " his store to Squires Brothers and accepted the position of." In second column, in line nine, after word and add "when run to their fullest capacity." In the twenty-second line of the same column for seven children read they have five children, two sons and three daughters : Ethel, Etta, Clifford Banks, Maurice Edgar and Irma.

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Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania, Part 85

Author: Wiley, Samuel T. ed. cn Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Philadelphia [J.M. Gresham & co.] Number of Pages: 652

Author: Wiley, Samuel T. ed. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Philadelphia [J.M. Gresham & co.]
Number of Pages: 652