Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 1

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1540

USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 1

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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01181 6656

Gc 974.801 W27co

1242309

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016

https://archive.org/details/commemorativebio00jhbe_0

COMMEMORATIVE

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

-OF

WASHINGTON COUNTY,

PENNSYLVANIA,

CONTAINING

Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of many of the Early Settled Families.

ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO: J. H. BEERS & CO. 1893.

JOHN MORRIS COMPANY, PRINTERS.

W. B. CONKEY COMPANY, BINDERS . .

PREFACE.

1242309

J HE importance of placing in book form biographical history of represent- ative citizens-both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations-is admitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has been a growing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography and family genealogy.

That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature needs no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the history of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and representative citizens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose: while it perpetuates biography and family genealogy, it records history, much of which would be preserved in no other way.

In presenting the COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD to its patrons, the publishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their enterprise has received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to surmount the many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the pro- duction of a work of this character. In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was gathered from those immediately interested, and then submitted in type-written form for correction and revision. The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is placed in the hands of the public with the belief that it will be found a valuable addition to the library, as well as an invaluable contribution to the historical literature of southwestern Pennsylvania.

THE PUBLISHERS.

It. Julius Lemoyne

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

E MOYNE, DR. FRANCIS JULIUS, was born Septem- ber 4, 1798, in Washing- ton, Penn., where he spent his whole life, dying there October 14, 1879, in his eighty-second year. The father of Dr. Le Moyne was Dr. John Julius Le Moyne, who was born and educated in Paris, France. He was a practicing physi- cian at the beginning of the French Revolution in 1790, and came to the United States with the French colo- nists who settled at Gallipolis, Ohio. Several years after he came to Wash- ington, Penn., and in 1797 married Nancy McCully, who had come over from Ireland with her family when a little girl.

The subject of this memoir was their only child. From the Scotch-Irish side of the house he de- rived a robust constitution and physical develop- ment that was unusual for strength, activity and en- durance. As a young man, he had but few equals in all the sports that required strength and nerve. His school days were spent in his native town, where at the age of seventeen he graduated from Washington College in the class of 1815. He commer ed the study of medicine with his father, and finished his course in Philadelphia. On his return from Philadelphia in the winter, in an old fashioned stage coach, whose flimsy blinds were in- sufficient to repel the cold, they stopped, far in the night, at one of the hostelries in the mountains, which wasfilled with wagoners who occupied all the available space where warmth could be obtained. Not being therefore able to stop, the passengers were literally packed up to their necks in straw within the coach, and started toward Pittsburgh, 1

from which Dr. Le Moyne rode to Washington on horseback in a most terrible storm. It was a dreadful and dangerous ride, and the result was that he was so seriously injured by the expos- ure as to be a chronic sufferer from rheumatism for the rest of his life. He commenced the prac- tice of medicine in 1822. Shortly after his return from the East, he met Miss Madelaine Romaine Bureau, at his father's house, who had accompa- nied her sister from Gallipolis in order to receive medical treatment. The young Doctor being smit- ten by the charms of the sprightly young lady, they were married in May, 1823.

About this time his father suffered heavy pecu- niary losses by his endorsement for his friends, and his house, the present homestead, was sold to meet his liabilities. Francis borrowed the money from two kind friends, Mr. Alexander Reed and Mr. Kerr, who lent him upon his own endorsement, and he bought in the house. Thus he started in life heavily in debt. In a few years, by hard work and the most economical living, he not only paid off his own debts, but relieved his father from his embarrassments also. Our subject had eight chil- dren-three sons and five daughters-all of whom are living. Feeling deeply interested in educa- tion, he early manifested a desire to promote and extend its benefits. On April 2, 1830, he was elected a trustee of Washington College, in which position he remained a prominent and useful mem- ber until the union of Washington and Jefferson Colleges, which occurred in 1865. The Washing- ton Female Seminary was established in 1836, and the Doctor was one of its earliest and firmest friends, and a member of its original board of trust- ees, where he worked in company with Alex. Reed, Colin M. Reed, T. McK. T. McKennan, John H. Ewing, Alex. Sweeney, Jacob Slagle, John L. Gow and others.

The Doctor became interested in the anti-slavery

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

question in 1835 or 1836. He had the reputation of being an able debater, having a fine presence, a good clear voice, a versatile and strongly self- reliant mind, and, in addition, a flow of language that made him a very dangerous adversary on the platform. On one occasion a young man, an early advocate of the anti-slavery cause, appeared in Washington and injudiciously gave a general chal- lenge for a discussion. The challenge was at once accepted, and the day fixed for the meeting. The challenger expected to have Rev. Dr. Blanchard as his champion, but from some mischance the lat- ter had left Pittsburgh before the news could reach him, and the young man came back himself to meet the engagement with forebodings of de- feat. In this dilemma an appeal was made to Dr. Le Moyne for assistance, as he was known to be fond of intellectual gymnastics and always ready for a discussion. The Doctor, however, excused himself, had not examined the subject, was not prepared. But on being shown the constitution of the Anti slavery Society, which was for the most part a declaration of the rights of man, he was induced to enter the arena as the champion of the slave. From this time forward he was known as one of the most aggressive of the anti-slavery party, and at the same time an opponent of the American Colonization Society, which he believed was estab- lished in the interests of American slavery. He became so prominent a partizan that in 1841 he was the candidate of the Abolition party for Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania. Of course he had no ex- pectation of being elected, the object of the cam- paign being to create a political balance of power that would ultimately control the other parties. At the next election, in 1844, he was again the candidate, and also in 1847. During the early discussion both public and private, upon this ex- citing subject, there was sometimes manifested an intolerance toward him and his party that was painful and often oppressive. He was a man, however, who was not to be daunted by any show of force. Such was his peculiar mental constitution that majorities had no influence upon his judgments and actions. He was an original, independent thinker, and nothing apparently gave him so much satisfaction as the opportunity to maintain his views by discussion with a champion whom he con- sidered a worthy opponent. After years spent in advocating the cause of liberty, he had the satis- faction and happiness of seeing the object of his greatest hopes accomplished in the emancipation of the slaves of the United States, and indeed in almost the whole world.

Having suffered, as, we have already related, a severe shock from exposure, Dr. Le Moyne was compelled, when about fifty-five years of age, to relinquish the aduous practice of his profession. So great were his sufferings, which he bore with

heroic fortitude, that for twenty-nine years he never occupied a bed to seek a night's repose. Of these matters of personal suffering he was very reluctant to speak, preferring to suffer in silence rather than annoy his friends with his griefs which he well knew they could not even alleviate. The latter portion of his life was devoted to banking, farming and the interests of education. He was a successful business man, and accumulated con- siderable property. As a farmer he was very en- thusiastic and successful. He was one of the original members of the Washington County Agri- cultural Society, and maintained an active interest in it during his whole life. He farmed with brains. Being a chemist he understood some- thing of the relations of plants to soils, and fertil- izers, and it was very instructive to listen to his theories, which were, in many cases, the result of his own observation and experiments. He was one of the first to appreciate the importance of introduc- ing improved sheep, cattle and horses into the coun- ty as a means of increasing the natural wealth of the people. He left a herd of the finest cattle in the State, and an elegant stock horse of superior blood. For years he was a member of a Farmers Club, that met in Washington for the comparison of views and for the discussion of such topics as concerned their peculiar interests. In 1866 and 1867, as president of the National Wool Growers Association, he succeeded in harmonizing the views of the manufacturers and producers of wool, and as a result their united efforts obtained the passage through Congress of the best wool tariff law the country has ever had.

When the erection of the present Town Hall in Washington was first talked of, Dr. F. Julius Le- Moyne offered, if room in the building was given, to donate the sum of $10,000 to found a public library. When the building project became set- tled, the offer was accepted, and the two large reading rooms with the vault rooms in them were set apart for the use of the library. Two thousand dollars of the sum donated was used in making fire-proof vaults where the books are kept. A like sum was set apart to be invested permanently, the annual interest thereon to be used in making ad- ditions of books; the remainder, $6,000, has been expended in the purchase of the body of the library. The Citizens Library Association, in whose charge the library is, was incorporated by the court May 27, 1870, upon the petition of Dr. Le Moyne and others. The board of curators is composed of five persons: One appointed by the trustees of the col- lege; one appointed by the court; and three elected by the people to serve for the term of three years; until his death Dr. Le Moyne was a member and president of the board. No one took a deeper in- terest in the matters of the corporation than he, and no one labored more zealously to make it a

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

power for good in the community. He did not limit his labors to devising plans for others to carry out, but, of choice, performed much of the drudgery himself. The first catalogue which was used for years was entirely the work of his heart and hand. It embraces several thousands of en- tries in the work, giving in one place for each work the title, name of author, shelf letter and number, and in another the name of the author, followed by the title, shelf letter and number. In doing this he would often write until after mid- night, and the neat round hand, carefully-made letters and figures show that Dr. Le Moyneslighted nothing that came under his eye or hand. He often expressed his regret at the meetings of the curators that the work did not go forward more rapidly, and even during the last year, when he was suffering intensely, expressed his willingness to do any work that would fall to him. When he be- came unable to visit the library, at almost every meeting of the board he would make inquiry of the membersas to number and character of the persons visiting the rooms nightly. Particularly was he desirous of making the library a place of resort for boys. He felt that while occupied there, they would not only be out of temptation, but would have the opportunity of acquiring useful knowl- edge. In selecting books his doubt about approv- ing a book was removed by some one saying it "was a good book for boys." The only regret he had to express was that the people did not pat- ronize the library in larger numbers, and that its influence was not more extensively felt in the com- munity. But he was never heard to take to him- self any credit for his munificent donation which breathed into life and kept on foot the library; on the contrary, he was disposed to assume that he had done nothing more than the duty he owed as a citizen of the community in which he had lived all his life.

About the time that the donation of $10,000 was made for the Citizens' library, the Doctor felt it his duty to do something for the elevation of the colored people of the South, who had been en- franchised by the war. He made a donation of $20,000 to the American Missionary Society, to be used in the erection and support of a colored normal school, in which colored people might be prepared to be the instructors of their race. A portion of this sum was devoted to building, and the remainder to the endowment of the institution. The site selected was on a bluff in the vicinity of the city of Memphis, Tenn. The school proved very successful, so much so that the Doctor added an additional $5,000 for its equipment. His views upon the subject of education were somewhat in opposition to the system under which he was brought up. In the curriculum of his day, a great deal of time was devoted to the study of Greek

and Latin, very little to natural sciences and still less to English literature. The practical bent of his mind rebelled against what he deemed a false system of instruction. He was a naturalist by in- stinct; a keen observer of all the phenomena of nature; a fine practical gardener; a devoted ad- mirer of flowers; a close botanical student and en- tomologist. These studies so charming to him were not taught him in school, and it was a matter of regret to him that they had not been. He in- sisted that the study of the ancient classics, for the unprofessional students, did not afford an equivalent for the time and money spent in their acquisition. With this idea in view he determined to endow a professorship in Washington and Jef- ferson College. In 1872 he paid to the treasurer of the college the sum of $20,000 to endow the chair entitled "The Le Moyne Professorship of Agriculture and Correlative Branches," which chair is now filled by Prof. Ed Linton. In July, 1879, he made an additional endowment of $20,000 for a chair of Applied Mathematics, with an addi- tional $1,000 to better equip the said chair and the chair of Agriculture. Five hundred of this last $1,000 gift was appropriated by the local trustees to purchase in part a set of Ward's Casts, which were on exhibition at the Pittsburgh Expo- sition.

About 1875 the Doctor became interested in the subject of cremation, and in order to show his faith in it as a proper means of disposing of the dead, he in 1876 built a crematory a short dis- tance from town. The furnace is but little more in appearance than a large gas retort. Into this, when heated, the body is placed and there con- sumed. Forty cremations have taken place in this crematory, the first being the remains of Baron De Palm, an Austrian, who died in New York, and which attracted more attention and newspaper comment than any like event since. Dr. Le Moyne's wishes in regard to his own remains were carried out to the letter, the cremation taking place on Thursday, October 16, 1879. His ashes are buried in the crematory lot, marked by a monument of granite on which is the following inscription :

F. JULIUS LE MOYNE, M. D.

born SEPTEMBER 4, 1798, died

OCTOBER 14, 1879. .

"A FEARLESS ADVOCATE OF THE RIGHT."

The disease under which he finally succumbed was saccharine diabetes. With the eye of a phi- losopher he watched the progress of the disease for nearly six years, a much longer period than is

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

c usually required for this malady to complete its work. At different periods investigations were interesting to himself and his profession. An au- topsy showed that the conclusions arrived at by himself were in the main correct.

And now, in concluding these few and hasty lines, the question may arise what was the mental condition and what was the religious hope of this strong intellectual man, as he approached slowly but surely the confines which divide the present from the spirit world? Before the days of polit- ical abolitionism Dr. Le Moyne was a member of the Presbyterian Church, but when goaded to madness by the oppressions of slavery he felt that the church did not come up to what he conceived to be its duty, and he withdrew. Some have sup- posed, on account of his withdrawal from the church, and from his views on the cremation of the dead, that he had cut loose from his Christian moor- ings, and had drifted away out upon the shoreless sea of infidelity. He maintained that the burning of the dead was wholly and entirely a secular and sanitary measure, altogether outside of any relig- ious considerations. The disposal of the dead, he maintained, should be made entirely dependent upon the safety and comfort of the living. Those who knew him best, and were most intimate with his views, are very free to assert that he never lost confidence in the great doctrine of salvation through faith in the merits of the atonement offered by the blood of Christ.

ACHEL HARDING, retired merchant, re- siding in the borough of Washington, was born in Maryland in 1828, and is descended from an English family who had immi- grated to that State in an early day. Matthew Harding, the grandfather, also a native of Mary- land, was a prominent farmer in that State, and died there.

Joseph Harding, father of our subject, was also born in Maryland, where he married Sophia Young, who died there about the year 1845. Twelve children were born to them, five yet living, . of whom: Vachel is the only one in Washington county, Penn .; Joseph is a farmer in Allen county, Ind .; Edward is a farmer in Alabama; John Hersey is a farmer in Allen county, Ind. ; Rebecca is married to John Elrichs, and lives in Maryland. The father departed this life in 1874, in Ohio, while on a visit to one of his sons. In his political preferments he was an Old-line Whig.

Vachel Harding received but a limited educa- tion at the subscription schools. At the age of fifteen he commenced clerking in a store at Hyatts- town, Md., and as he was then learning the trade he received no salary for his services while there. At the age of eighteen years he removed to Union-

town, Penn., where he remained clerking in a dry- goods store for five years, or until 1851, when he caine to Washington, this county, and here clerked for a short time for William Mills, an old-estab- lished dry-goods merchant of the place. After- ward he went into business in a partnership; then for a time carried on business alone, and, later, was associated with James Brown in the clothing business, at the same time carrying on his dry- goods department. In 1864 he gave up the dry- goods business, and later he carried on a music business in Wheeling, W. Va. (but did not mnove from Washington), which after four years he sold to Adams & Lucas. After that he purchased a coal property, and was engaged in that business several years. In 1888 he retired from active life, and is now peacefully enjoying the fruits of his industry at his comfortable home on Maiden street, Washington, where he has resided since 1861.

Mr. Harding married, October 15, 1855, in Wash- ington, Annie Le Moyne, daughter of Dr. Francis Julius and Madelaine Romaine (Bureau) Le Moyne, the former of whom was born September 4, 1798, in Washington, this county, and died October 14, 1879, his wife having preceded him to the grave in July, 1873. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Harding were born children as follows: Charles V. (is married and lives in Washington, Penn.), Madeline Sophia, deceased, and Annie, at home. Politically Mr. Harding is a Republican, and has held several offices of trust; he is now a trustee of Washington and Jefferson College, and of Wash- ington Female Seminary. He has been a member of the M. E. Church for forty years, and for a long period was superintendent of the Sunday-school. During the war of the Rebellion Mr. Harding sub- scribed liberally of his means to assist in filling the quota for the army, and also put in a substitute. He is a representative self-made man, having com- menced life quite a poor boy, and presents an il- lustration of what can be accomplished in business life by earnest application, industry and economy.

W ILLIAM L. MILNE, a leading contractor, of Washington. The Milne family, of which this gentleman is a conspicuous member, have been residents of Scotland for many generations, and trace their lineage back to one Robert Milne, whose son, David, married and reared a family of children as follows: Jennie, Jessie, Robert, David, James and one whose name has not been ascertained. The early ancestors followed farming, but the sons of the family just enumerated were for the most part mariners.

David Milne, one of these sons of Robert Milne, began a "life on the ocean wave " at the early age of ten years, and devoted his entire life to his

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

chosen vocation. He sailed around the world twice, and was a ship captain for over twenty years. In 1838 he was united in marriage with Annie, daughter of David Scott, who is supposed to have been a lineal descendant of the old Scott family. Five children were born to David Scott, viz. : Alice, Peter, James, David and Annie (the latter of whom was born in 1819 and died in 1872). David and Annie (Scott) Milne settled in Tayport, Fifeshire, Scotland, and three children were born to their union: James (now a resident of Chicago, where he was vice-president of the Board of Trade); Annie (living in Scotland, widow of Thomas Prim- rose), and William L.

William L. Milne was born March 10, 1853, in Tayport, Scotland, and received an elementary education in his native country. Following his father's example, the lad was eager to begin life for himself in his boyhood. His elder brother had emigrated to America, and sent back enthusiastic descriptions of the New World, which fired the youthful imagination of the then thirteen-year-old boy. He too must go to this wonderful country, and he too would win fame and fortune in the "Land of the free and the home of the brave." Doubtless his mind was filled (as in the case of most boys of his age) with roseate visions of the future, destined to be crushed by the stern realities of a hard life in a strange land, far from friends and home. But underneath the wild and impos- sible boyish dreams lay a firm resolve, a deterini- nation and strength of purpose, inherited from the sailor father, who had chosen his life in his child- ish years. The parents at length recognized the fact that the boy was not cherishing a mere whim or fancy, which would be crushed out by harsh ex- perience, but a fixed resolution that must guide and determine his future life. So they consented to his journey, and one morning he bade farewell to the land of his birth-a little choking in his throat as the " good-bye " words were spoken, one last look at the dear home faces, the bonny hills of Scotland-and was fairly launched on his new life with the parting words of his father ringing in his ears: "Take good care of yourself; keep clean and good company."

After landing in America the young aspirant went to Pittsburgh, Penn., where his brother was living, and bound himself out to his trade, under Col. D. B. Morris, colonel of the One Hundred and First P. V. I., and then came the test of his pur- poses, a trial to which many an older person would have yielded, and giving up their projects, have returned to the parental roof. Homesick and dis- couraged he certainly was, and so nearly van- quished by that discouraging feeling that within three weeks from the date of landing in the country of his dreams, the homesick boy would have given all he possessed (in reality the small sum of $10)

to return to his dear old Scotland. He must go home. In desperation he started to walk to New York, and getting as far as East Liberty, Penn., he asked a man how much farther it was to New York. He thought if he could reach that city he might be able there to secure passage to Scotland on some ship in the capacity of cabin-boy; but this man took him to a friendly Scotchman, who knew Col. Morris, and he advised the lad to return to his work. The little fellow rallied once more, and returning to his patron, devoted his days to the duties of his apprenticeship, and in order to com- plete his education attended night- school. He had laid his plans with wisdom far beyond his years, determining to become a master mechanic, and un- able to succeed by easier methods he concluded to bind himself out as a four years' apprentice. At that time he was the only "bound boy " in the city of Pittsburgh, but in that way he learned all the various parts of his trade, receiving from $5 to $8 per week during the latter part of his ap- prenticeship. At the end of four years he had saved $300 from his wages, and was, moreover, an expert workman, a master of his vocation. Just as he stood on the threshold of success at last, he fell sick with typhoid fever, and the $300, so hardly earned and carefully saved, was swept away by the expenses incurred in his illness. But health returned, and with the old heroic spirit of perseverance the young man in 1872 began busi . ness at Washington, Washington Co., Penn. From that date Fortune, who had so persistently frowned upon the struggling youth, began to shower upon him her richest smiles, seeming at last to realize that here was a spirit deserving of sympathy and encouragement. "It never rains but it pours," and no sooner was his financial success assured than other dreams became a reality. Love crowned the young man's life, and in 1873 he was married to Flora E., daughter of the Rev. J. S. Baldwin. of Amity, Amwell township, this county, wliose father is yet living in Iowa, aged over ninety years. Mrs. Milne is a sister of W. C. Baldwin, of Wash- ington, Penn. Three children have been born to the union of William L. and Flora E. Milne, viz. : Gertrude, Annie Elizabeth Scott and Florena May, all of whom are residing at the parental home. Mr. Milne has a beautiful home on North avenue and Beau street, and the dwelling is adorned by a handsome stucco ceiling of his own making. In 1882 he visited the " old country," and again in 1891, on which occasion he took his family with him, and made a visit to his father, who is yet liv- ing in Scotland, now in his seventy-sixth year. In politics Mr. Milne is a Republican, and he is a member of the East Washington council. In re- ligious faith he is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church; socially he is a member of the Royal Arcanum. Among the worthy and notable

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Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 1

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1540

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1540