USA > Pennsylvania > A history of the Juniata Valley and its people, Volume III > Part 30
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There is little that is definite that is known of the
WHITTAKER Whittaker family of Pennsylvania. It is probably an offshoot of the Whittaker family of Vermont, of which the immigrant ancestor came to America in 1650, from Dor- setshire, England. Like so many of the old colonial families, the Whit- takers have failed to preserve their records, or they have passed into other hands.
(I) Thomas Whittaker was born May 19, 1798. He is thought to have come to Pennsylvania, with his brother John, who was born about 1796, and who served in the war of 1812, to Huntingdon, and there located. For some time he was a teamster between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, running his own teams. Later he built a mill one mile from Huntingdon, which he ram successfully. In June of 1845 he purchased three hundred acres in Porter township, in Huntingdon county. He erected suitable houses on the upper portion, the lower having been well supplied by the former owner. Here he did general farming until the time of his death, August 30, 1864. He was a Whig in politics, af- terward becoming a Republican. He married (first) Margaret Alex- ander, born January 14, 1803, died January 23, 1845; married (second) Catherine Alexander, a sister of his first wife, born September 22, 1809. Children by first marriage: 1. John A., born April 12, 1824.
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2. William A., born July 12, 1826. 3. Caroline, born October 18, 1828. 4. Thomas S., of whom further. 5. Eliza C., born August 19, 1832. 6. James, born November 13, 1835. 7. Martha G., born February 13, 1840. 8. Margaret, born January 23, 1845. Child by second marriage : 9. Mary Frances, born October 4, 1849.
(II) Thomas S. Whittaker, son of Thomas and Margaret (Alex- ander) Whittaker, was born August 8, 1830, in what is now Smithfield township, Huntingdon county, at Whittaker Mills; and died May 6, 1909, in the county of his birth. He received his education at the Huntingdon Academy, and was reared on the farm. As a young man he was boss of a construction gang on the Broad Top railroad, and built a record track on the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad. When hostilities began between the North and South in 1861 he offered his services to his country. He enlisted in 1862 for nine months in Company C, 125th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. At the end of that time he was honorably discharged, and immediately re-enlisted, in 1863, in Company M, 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He was promoted to the first lieutenancy and served six months, and served another short enlistment. In 1866 he began farming where Alton Shaffer now ( 1913) resides, on one hundred and six acres. Here he continued to live until 1908, when he retired from active farming and moved to Smithfield, and there lived until his death the following year. He married Lydia Steele, born November 10, 1838, the daughter of George and Mary (Stoler) Steele. After his marriage in 1866, Mr. Whittaker built the house in which he died. George Steele was a farmer and cooper, and owned a large tract of land near Saxton, Bedford county, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Reformed church, while the rest of the family were Dunkards. Children of George and Mary (Stoler) Steele: Eliza- beth; Ann; David; Thomas; Frederick; Susan; Rachel; Matilda; Lou- isa; Sarah. Children of Thomas S. and Lydia (Steele) Whittaker : I. John C., born April 28, 1867. 2. Edgar B., born September 11, 1870. 3. Clarence H., born June 20, 1872. 4. Mary G., born April 8, 1874. 5. Charles S., of whom further.
(III) Charles Steele Whittaker, son of Thomas S. and Lydia (Steele) Whittaker, was born April 28, 1876, in Porter township, Hunt- ingdon county, Pennsylvania. He received his preparatory education in the public schools in his native township and finished in an academy
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in Ohio. Leaving school he taught in West Virginia and Pennsylvania for nine terms. Ile then opened a carpenter's shop in West Virginia, and later in Pennsylvania, in both of which states he did well. Next he engaged in farming, purchasing one hundred and twenty-eight acres, on which he does general farming and dairying. Ile is a member of the Presbyterian church and of the Grange; and is independent in poli- tics. He has been township auditor and has held other offices. He married, October 13, 1898, Mary L. Lincoln, daughter of Robert G. Lincoln, of Walker township, an old and important family. Children: I. William, born April 5, 1900, died within a few days of his birth. 2. Thomas C., born September 23, 1901, died March 8, 1912. 3. Alice Margaret, born November 19, 1906. 4. Walter Howard, born July 26, 1910.
HENRY For many generations the Henry family has been estab-
lished in Pennsylvania. The state records show that sev- eral of the name were enlisted men in the war of the revolution, and there are many named on the rosters of the various companies sent from Pennsylvania during the civil war. The original immigrant ancestor probably came from England about 1670, as one Thomas Henry, able seaman, made the voyage at that time on the "Spotted Cow," out from London, James Brown, master. Thomas Henry quit his ship on reaching New York, and later became one of the prominent men in an English colony in Ulster county. Later his descendants, as was the invariable custom of the times, drifted into Pennsylvania, established themselves as farmers, and there some of their posterity remains to-day.
(I) Jonathan Henry was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania; re- ceived his education in the common schools and grew to manhood on his father's farm. On reaching his majority he engaged in the cooper- age business, near Siglerville, Pennsylvania, where he established his home and shop, and where he eventually died, after a long and quietly useful life. Owing to his business he was one of the best known men in that section of the state, and he held the respect of his fellow citizens. He married a Miss Hassinger. Children, all of whom are living except Richard M. : Samuel; Wilson ; Thomas ; Richard M., of whom further ; Julia Ann; Rebecca ; Florence ; Sarah.
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(II) Richard M., son of Jonathan Henry, was born near Siglerville, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, in the Henry homestead. He was reared, educated and settled in his native county, near the home of his father, where he purchased the property that had once belonged to his great- grandfather, George Hassinger, who had come from Germany years before the revolutionary war, and who had fought valiantly for the cause of his adopted country against English aggression. Richard M. Henry was one of the prosperous farmers of his section and succeeding in accumulating a large estate before his death in 1908, which occurred in his home. He was a staunch Republican, voting with that party since its organization. At the last call of the United States government for troops he enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, and served until the end of the civil war. He, with his wife, was a member of the Lutheran church, of which he was a deacon for many years. He was a man of unbounded influence among his neighbors on account of their confidence in him as a man and fellow citizen who had their best interests at heart. They sought his advice and generally followed it, and in his death he was universally mourned. He married (first) Susanna Brown, born in Mifflin county, and died in 1890, the daughter of Christopher and Mar- garet Brown, who were descended from families which had long been established in Pennsylvania. Mr. Brown was an extensive land owner, and a wealthy man. He retired late in life from active participation in affairs and moved to Siglerville, where they both died. Their chil- dren were: Alexander, deceased; Samuel; James; John, deceased; Su- sanna, deceased; Agnes; Ellen; Jane, deceased. Children of Richard M. and Susanna (Brown) Henry: I. Wilson N., of whom further. 2. Margaret, married E. O. Heorsh, lived and died in Mifflin county. 3. Sally, married S. R. Palmer, of Altoona, Pennsylvania. 4. Robert, an employee of the Pennsylvania railroad at Altoona. 5. Sidney, an em- ployee of the Pennsylvania railroad at Altoona, Pennsylvania. 6. Emma, married Bruce Reager, of Mifflin county. 7. Brown, lives in Mifflin county. 8. Carrie, married Samuel Harshbarger, of Burnham, Pennsylvania. 9. Lizzie, married and lives in Chicago. 10. Susanna, married Mr. McElhoe. 11. George, died aged nineteen years. 12. Wil- lis, laborer in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Henry married (second), Mrs. Lucas, and had five children: Della, Frank, James, Bessie and Theresa.
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(III) Wilson N., son of Richard M. and Susanna (Brown) Henry, was born May 31, 1861, in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. He was reared on his father's farm, educated in the common schools of the township and after marriage became an agriculturist. In 1891 he moved to Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the old Crane place in Spruce Creek Valley, Franklin township, and has since made his home there. After the deeds were made to him he began improvements on the place, erected new and modern buildings, increased the fertility of the land by judicious scientific methods, and does a highly successful general farming. He is one of the prominent men of the township and has held nearly every township office, under the Republican party, of which he is a strong supporter, except that of tax collector. He has served as state road foreman, giving entire satisfaction in that capacity. Like his wife he is a member of the Presbyterian church, has been one of its trustees for years, and also superintendent of the Sunday school. During the time that he served he succeeded in imbuing the young people of the township with a deep interest in the school, thereby increasing materially the attendance. He married Annie Crain, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but a resident of Blair county at the time of her marriage, a daughter of Aram and Mary (Crain) Crain, and a descendant of a family long established in Pennsylvania. Children: Mary ; Clara, mar- ried L. F. Frank ; Gertrude, Lincoln, Harry, Roy, Kelley, Paul, Helen. Winifred, Frances, Wilson Jr.
Harry Brown Stewart, who is successfully engaged as
STEWART a dairy farmer at Alexandria, Huntingdon county. Pennsylvania, has built up an extensive and profitable business, and has achieved the reputation which comes to a man when he has demonstrated his ability to overcome obstacles, and with resolute and honorable purpose pushes forward to the goal.
(I) John Stewart, the emigrant ancestor of the family of which Harry Brown Stewart is a representative, was born in county Derry, Ireland, 1756, and came to America in 1793. He was a weaver by trade, and settled at first in Perry county, removing to Huntingdon county in 1800. He located one mile north of Center Union, on "Corn Hill," where his death occurred, August 12, 1848. He married Sarah Me- Kean, a native of county Antrim, Ireland, who died April 15, 1849, at
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the age of ninety-three years. Children: James; Alexander; Mary, died at sea in infancy ; Jennie ; Robert; John P., see forward; Elizabeth.
(II) John P., son of John and Sarah (Mckean) Stewart, was born at Manor Hill, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1800, died April 6, 1877, on his farm at Standing Stone Creek, adjoining "Corn Hill." He married (first) Matilda Green, by whom he had chil- dren : Vienna, Mary, Anderson P., Marietta, Palmer L., see forward; Alvernon, Evaline R., Asbury J. He married (second) Lucy Ann, born March 1, 1820, died July 10, 1876, daughter of William Foster, who migrated from county Fermanagh, Ireland. One of her grand- fathers was William McCracken, a revolutionary soldier of Tuscarora Valley. Children by this marriage: Anna M., married William H. Linton; Oliver L .; John F .; William B .; Thompson C .; Delilah M., married J. C. Longenecker ; Adaline ; Walter S .; Harry W .; David M.
(III) Palmer L., son of John P. and Matilda (Green) Stewart, was born December 24, 1832, died April 23, 1912. He was born in Standing Stone Valley, Warm Springs, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the district schools of that section. He was a farmer by occupation and the owner of sixty-six acres of land in Juniata town- ship, which he kept in a fine state of cultivation until he retired in 1902. At the time of the civil war he enlisted in Company C, First Pennsyl- vania Cavalry, Thirty-second Regiment, and served a three-year terma. He was a Republican in political matters, and filled a number of local offices. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church. He married, 1869, Sarah Silknitter, born July 21, 1842. Her father, John Silknitter, was of German descent, and came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, to Huntingdon county; he was a member of the Baptist church; married Sarah, daughter of Moses Dickey, who was a soldier in the revolutionary war and served in Big Valley in 1777; they had eight children. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart had children as follows: Harry Brown, see forward; J. Guy, born January 20, 1872, is in the employ of the Raystown Water Power Company; Mertie, born April 4, 1874, married Clement Gill, a tablet cutter ; Charles, born March 19, 1876, deceased; Emma, born May 12, 1878, married George Megahan, pro- prietor of a grocery store; B. Franklin, born July 19, 1880, is an elec- trician in the employ of the Westinghouse Company at Pittsburgh;
HB Stewart
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Mary M., born February II, 1883, is unmarried, and is a clerk in a store.
(IV) Harry Brown, son of Palmer L. and Sarah (Silknitter) Stew- art, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1870. He received a sound, practical education in the public schools of his section of the country, and being of an observant nature has added to this con- siderably as the years have gone by. All the working years of his life have been spent on a farm, and he is thoroughly familiar with all the details of the work connected with it. In 1904 he purchased a farm in Porter township, this consisting of one hundred and two acres, well im- proved. He had this properly fenced for a dairy farm, and now has a herd of fourteen cows, Holstein cattle, Chester White hogs and Per- cheron horses. In every detail this farm is a model of its kind. The most scrupulous attention is paid to cleanliness and the care of the ani- mals, and the quality of the milk from this farm is said to be the finest in the county. In politics Mr. Stewart is a Republican, has filled a number of local offices, and is now serving as school director, in which position he is doing excellent work. Mr. Stewart married, 1896, Lula, daughter of Jeremiah Brennanan, a farmer. Three children have been born to them: One, who died in infancy; Warren, born February 17. 1901, attends school: Lester, born May 24, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Stew- art are members of the Baptist church.
In length of residence in this country and prominence in its
PECK public affairs the Peck family ranks with the oldest and highest. The immigrant progenitor, John Peck, came from Devonshire, England, about 1626, and landed in Virginia, at Jamestown. He later found his way to New Amsterdam, and settled on Manhattan Island, about a mile from what is now known as Battery Park. He and his Dutch neighbors were friendly and the relations between them were cordial until the day of his death. Being an Englishman, he took no part in the deliberations of the village. but pursued the even tenor of his way unmolested. He died on Manhattan Island. It is thought that he married and brought his wife with him from England, for neither the Virginia nor the Dutch Colonial records make any notice of his marriage. He had a large family, and the descendants of his sons and daughters are widely scattered over the United States. They have occul-
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pied every walk of life, many have been state and national representa- tives; others writers; others yet ministers of the gospel; still others have been teachers, farmers and journalists. In whatever position they have served they have done so with dignity and distinction. Among the sons of John Peck was John, of whom further.
(II) John (2), son of John (I) Peck, the immigrant, was born most probably on Manhattan Island. He was a farmer and a fisherman; at times a trapper and hunter, and also was an Indian fighter. He lived and died on Manhattan Island. Among his children was Abner, of whom further.
(III) Abner John, son of John (2) Peck, was born on Manhattan Island, and like his father combined the occupations of farming, fishing, hunting, trapping and fighting Indians. Among his children was Albert or Alfred, of whom further.
(IV) Albert (or Alfred), son of Abner John Peck, was born in New York, probably about 1730. There is little known of him except that he married Katrin Schuyler, the daughter of a Dutch immigrant. Among his children was John, of whom further.
(V) John (3), son of Albert and Katrin (Schuyler) Peck, was born in New York in 1755. He grew to manhood in the place of his nativity. He was a soldier in the war of the revolution, enlisting in the Continen- tal army from New York. He was with General Anthony Wayne, and was in the battle of Stony Point. He was wounded, and remained at home for over a year. Recovering he again entered the army and re- mained until articles of peace were signed between the Colonies of America and the English government. He grew to prominence after the war as a man of business, and at his death was considered a rich citizen. His estate was in litigation for some years because he disin- herited a daughter who had married a man of whom he disapproved, probably the son of a Tory. Among his children was Liflett, of whom further.
(VI) Liflett Peck, son of John Peck, the revolutionary soldier, was born in Jefferson county, New York, where his father moved prior to his birth. He lived and died at Stone Mills, on his farm of two or three hundred acres. He and his wife were active members of the Baptist church, and were generous in their support of it. He married Lois Webb, born in Jefferson county, near Stone Mills. She was, a member
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of the prominent Webb family of that section of the state, descendants of General William Brewster, who came over in the "Mayflower." She had five brothers, all of whom were highly educated men and all were noted divines of the Baptist church. Mr. James B. Webb, a member of the family and a prominent attorney of Lombard, Illinois, has written a complete history of the Webb family, which is considered one of the most valuable contributions to the pioneer, colonial, revolutionary and Baptist histories of this country. One of the ancestors of the Webb family accompanied King Richard Cour-de-Lion into Palestine in the third crusade, or holy war. Children of Liflett and Lois ( Webb) Peck : 1. William, died a young man. 2. Walter Webb, of whom further. 3. Frank, died in Salina, Kansas, in 1913. 4. Elliott, died in Salina, Kan- sas, in 1913. 5. Abner W., lived many years on the homestead; once sheriff for two terms and assemblyman of Jefferson county, New York ; a soldier, captain during the civil war; died in Watertown, New York. 6. A daughter, died a young woman.
(VII) Walter Webb, son of Liflett and Lois (Webb) Peck, was born January 17, 1818, in Jefferson county, New York, died November 4, 1890, in Salina, Kansas. He received his preparatory education under private tutors, afterward attending the public school. About 1842 he went south, to Jefferson county, Mississippi, to teach, and con- tinued at that occupation for several terms. He then turned his atten- tion to planting, purchased a plantation of seven hundred acres of ex- ceedingly fertile bottom land in Jefferson county. He remained south until 1871, continuing the planting of cotton, when he disposed of his plantation and moved with his family to Salina, Salina county, Kansas. He purchased four hundred and sixty acres of land, the oldest farm, it is said, in Salina county, there established himself until his death. He raised stock and farmed, and had one of the model farms of that sec- tion. He was a strong Democrat, working for the party at all times. He and his wife were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Kate May Osteen, born in Jefferson county, Mis- sissippi, May 31, 1840, a former pupil. She was the daughter of Thomas Sheriff and Elizabeth Osteen, of Jefferson county, Mississippi. They were natives of South Carolina, descending from good old Salz- burger families, whose forbears came from the Salza Valley, Switzer- land, at the time that General Oglethorpe induced emigrants to join the
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English in the new colony of Georgia. The Salzburgers, as they are locally known in South Carolina and Georgia, were persecuted with fiendish cruelty by Grand Duke Leopold because of their adherence to the Protestant faith, and to escape the inquisition they emigrated in great numbers to the New World. It is to the credit of the Salzburgers that they insisted that a clause be inserted in the constitution of the col- ony of Georgia forbidding slavery, black and white, and among those who approved the clause most vigorously was David Osteen, whose de- scendants afterward moved across the Savannah river into South Caro- lina. Slavery was finally introduced into Georgia through the efforts of four or five families from Dorchester, Massachusetts, who moved south and carried with them their slaves, intending to enter Georgia. The Salzburgers met them at the river and forbade them to cross. Later, after spending five years on the South Carolina side of the river, and sending messengers to King George and General Oglethorpe, over the earnest protest of David Osteen and other Salzburgers, they were given permission to bring in their slaves, and the constitution was changed to meet the demand of the people from Massachusetts. Mr. Osteen was a cotton and rice planter in South Carolina, and moved to Mississippi prior to the civil war. He was, also, a large slave owner, and was known for his kindness to the latter. He and his wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which faith their immigrant ancestors were among the first members after it was organ- ized by John and Charles Wesley on their visit to the colony of Georgia, and John Osteen was among the first teachers of the first Sunday school ever held in the world. The Osteens were also prominent in the or- ganization of the first orphan asylum in the colony of Georgia, and later organized one in South Carolina. Thomas Sheriff and Elizabeth Osteen assisted in organizing the Cane Ridge Methodist Episcopal church, in Mississippi, which is still in existence and is regarded as a monument to them. They were prominent socially, commercially and in religious matters in whatever part of the country they lived. Children: Mary, widow of Rev. Calvin Critchfield Watkins, a Metho- dist Episcopal minister of Mississippi; Kate May, married Walter Webb Peck; Jennie, married Dr. Addison J. Mattox, a wealthy and prominent physician and planter of Mississippi and Louisiana. Children of Walter Webb and Kate May (Osteen) Peck: 1. Frank Leon, of whom further.
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2. Albert, died in infancy. 3. Raphael Douglas, resides in Lancaster, California, a farmer. 4. Ernest Lee, died in 1892, in Salina, Kansas. 5. George Clinton, a fruit grower in Los Angeles, California. 6. Walter Killingsworth, a newspaper man in Los Angeles, California. 7. Lily, died unmarried in 1896.
(VIII) Frank Leon, son of Walter Webb and Kate May (Osteen) Peck, was born August 1, 1857, on his father's cotton plantation in Jef- ferson county, Mississippi. He received his preparatory education in Mississippi, finishing at the high school in Salina, Kansas. Leaving school he taught two terms, and then engaged with his father in stock raising and farming in Salina county. In the fall of 1881 he moved to Pennsylvania and located near Tyrone, and with the exception of three years he has since lived in this vicinity, where he does general farming and stock raising. He is a Progressive Republican; a member of the Grange, and he and his entire family are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Peck commands the respect and es- teem of his fellow citizens by his integrity, honor, right living and right thinking. He married, December 29, 1881, Anna Mary Waite, born September 21, 1855, in Eden Valley, Pennsylvania, near Spruce Creek, daughter of John G. and Isabella (Henderson) Waite. Her forbears were: Caspar and Eva (Pool) Waite, who were among the early set- tlers in the Juniata Valley, he being direct from Germany ; was a farmer and large land owner; children: Eliza, Eva, Margaret, Joseph, Jacob, Caspar, Daniel, John, Molly. John Waite, son of Caspar and Eva (Pool) Waite, was born February 3, 1787, in Sinking Valley, Hunting- don county, Pennsylvania ; married Esther Wagner, born December 18, 1793; children : Daniel, born January 18, 1818; Mary, born December 13, 1820, married Jacob Stover, died February 12, 1891, near Tyrone ; Abram, born November 12, 1822, died unmarried; John G .: Eve, born January 3, 1826, died August 29, 1898, married George Walter ; Henry, born January 3, 1828, died May 25, 1872, in Center county, Pennsyl- vania ; Esther, born 1830, married Augustus Weekland.
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