USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 39
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James Kimmy was living in Waterford, Erie county, in 1836. In 1825 he was united in marriage with Ellen McClenahan, and they had
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four children, as follows: William (deceased), Peter, Hiram (deceased), and Rachel (deceased ). Mrs. Kimmy died in 1836, and James Kimmy then married Polly Hinkson, by whom he had one son, Isaac. James Kimmy died in 1885. and his widow survived him three years. In 1909 his descendants numbered one hundred and five.
Peter Kimmy was born August 23, 1827, in Waterford township, Erie county, and married a native of Amity township, born April 16, 1836, whose Christian name was Sarah. To them were born these chil- dren, namely : William, Polly, Mary E., Syrenaus, Sylvester ( deceased ), Delford. Charles and Estella. Mrs. Kimmy died January 17, 1909. Peter Kimmy was a farmer and carpenter.
Delford Kimmy, sixth child of his parents, was born in Amity town- ship, May 12, 1867, and was educated in the common schools of his native township. In early life he learned the trade of carpentry from his father, and subsequently took up farming, which has proven very congenial to him, and in which he has been very successful. He is a practical farmer and mechanic, and owns and operates a farm of one hundred and eighty acres, which he purchased in 1905. His fine herd of twenty-three Dur- ham cows is a source of gratification and profit to him, and he makes a specialty of dairying. lle is a useful and respected citizen, and stands well in the community.
Mr. Kimmy married, January 1, 1892, Eva Ticht, daughter of Lewis and Emily (Wooden) Ticht, who was born in Delaware county, New York, April 13, 1875. Mr. Kimmy votes the Prohibition ticket.
JAMES R. SMITH, M. D. has gained enviable prestige as one of the inost able and successful of the younger practitioners of medicine and surgery in Erie county, and a man of scholary attainments he is making a deep and careful research into the two sciences to which he is devoting his life. Born at Norwich, Connecticut, in 1878, he was reared and educated there, and he prepared for his medical career at the Medico Chirurgical College in Philadelphia, of which he is a graduate with the class of 1904. His first year's practice was in Philadelphia, and he was interne one year at Adrian Hospital, Punxsutawney, was then one year at Reynoldsville, and then coming to Wattsburg he has practiced here since with uninterrupted success, maintaining his position among the leaders of the profession. He is a member of both the County and State Medical societies.
The doctor is a son of James H. and Elizabeth (Ringland) Smith, both of whom were born in Connecticut, and he was the third born of their seven children and the only one of the family living in Pennsyl- vania. He married in 1902 Miss Mary A. Palmer. He has fraternal relations with both the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 119, and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 519, Reynoldsville.
MARTIN ALFORD, a practical, industrious and progressive farmer of Amity township, was born there September 6, 1863, and is a son of Wellington and Sylvia (Long) Alford. Wellington Alford, a son of Martin and Sallie (Adams) Alford, was born March 31, 1832, in Chau- tauqua county, New York, and his wife was born May 6, 1841, being the daughter of Peter Long; they were married May 6, 1861. The Alford family came to Erie county about 1850, and the Longs were already resi- dents of the county at that time. Wellington Alford died in 188?, and his
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widow still resides in Amity township. They had children as follows : Martin, Luella, Chloe, Dexter, Minnie, Corrington, Oliver, Leon and an infant, deceased.
Martin Alford was educated in the common schools of his native township, and has since followed farming in the same place. He has a well-cultivated farm of eighty-five acres, and devotes it chiefly to dairy- ing, having a fine herd of cattle. Mr. Alford is a member in good stand- ing of the following fraternal orders: Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, No. 118, in Wattsburg, of which he is past noble grand; Odd Fellows Encampment of Union City ; Order of Rebekahs, and the Order of the Moose, of Corry. Ile is a respected and useful citizen, and enjoys the friendship of all who know him.
Mr. Alford married, July 27, 1887, Rachel, daughter of Hiram and Betsey ( Hinkson) Kimmy, who was born on the farm now occupied by herself and husband, March 24, 1871. The Kimmy family are fur- ther mentioned in this work, in connection with Delford Kimmy. Ben- jamin Hinkson came to Erie county from Vermont, about 1818. Mr. and Mrs. Alford became parents of five children, as follows: Ralph, born August 5, 1890; Melva, August 16, 1893; Carl A., November 6. 1900; Roy, the eldest child, born June 27, 1888, died the following year, and one child who died in infancy. Mr. Alford is a true blue Republican.
JAMES W. DONALDSON, of Wattsburg, descends from one of the most prominent of the early pioneer families of Erie county. The ancestry is traced in a direct line to one James Donaldson, a native of county Galway, Ireland, a coachman who became in love with the daughter of a nobleman. She returned this love two-fold, but her father objected to the alliance and disinherited her, after which the young couple fled the country. In 1740 we find James and his wife Joannah in America, where they arrived after a long and rough voyage in crossing the Atlantic. To the union of this loving young couple were born two sons, Alexander and Andrew, but it is stated that Andrew was killed by the Indians after reaching man's estate.
Alexander Donaldson married Miss Jane Kennedy, from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1768. She was of Scotch origin and a member of a wealthy family for those days. Alexander and Jane Donaldson bacame the parents of the following children: Andrew, born in 1721; John, in 1713; James, February 20, 1775; Hannah, in 1771; Mary, in 1779; and Bailey, in 1781. Alexander Donaldson moved with his family from Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, with the inten- tion of settling in the Bald Eagle country, the wife and children, with the exception of Andrew, going by boat by way of the Susquehanna river, while Alexander and his son Andrew, then about twelve years of age, crossed through the wilderness. The mother and children arrived safely, but the father and son failed to appear, and the searching party sent out after continuous and incessant investigation found the father, Alexander, dead, but the son was never found. Years after this the widow married a Mr. Brown and had two children. Jane and Moses. Of the surviving children : John never married : Bailey married Betsy Curnahan ; Mary became the wife of John Vast, of Center county. Pennsylvania ; Hannah became the wife of a Mr. Williams, of the same place ; Moses Brown married Polly Wilson; and Jane Brown married and had ten children. These children all 'moved to Erie county with the exception of Jane Brown, who sought a home in Meadville, but her death occurred in Erie county.
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James Donaldson, the third son of Alexander, with his brothers and sisters located in Venango township of this county in the spring of 1797, hie being then twenty-two years old. The four brothers took land ad- joining, and James after the lapse of six years returned to Center county and won and wed Mary Moore on May 16, 1804. Returning to Erie county they made their permanent home here, and their children were as follows: Jane, born February 23, 1805; Betsy, August 19, 1806; Hannah, March 14, 1808; Sallie, June 30, 1810; Polly, February 28, 1812 : Anna, March 21, 1814; Margaret, February 2, 1816; Rebecca, March 13, 1818; Lydia, April 6, 1820 ; and William Alexander, Novem- ber 20, 1822. James Donaldson served as a captain in the war of 1812, serving his country well and faithfully, and he was an expert hunter and trapper, successful beyond the average hunter. His grandson, James WV. Donaldson of this review, after becoming old enough was his con- stant companion on these hunting trips. Captain James moved to Amity township in 1822, his family following in 1825, and there he built saw and grist mills and lived for over forty years, dying on the 5th of March, 1862, aged ninety-two years, and his wife Mary died December 24, 1865, aged eighty-eight years.
William Alexander, the youngest son of Captain James and Mary Donaldson, married Emily R. Church, a daughter of Isaac Church, who was born in Westchester, Connecticut, September 11, 1790. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sylvia M. Clark, was born December 21, 1795, and they were married on the 26th of February, 1818, and became, the parents of the following children: George, Almira, Sylvia, Amanda S., Emily R., Matilda, Selina A., Harriet A. and Atchison. To William A. and Emily Donaldson were born: Sylvina, on the 14th of November, 1846; James W., on the 29th of December, 1847; Helen, February 15, 1850; Florence, September 18, 1853; Willis E., January 4, 1857; Ida M., October 27, 1860; and Milo A., June 2, 1864. Willis E. married Laura A. Crook in 1882, and one child was born to them, Blanche, in 1881. He married Elizabeth Hayes in 1888, and their two children are Levi E. and Lillian I., born respectively in 1889 and 1894. Milo A. married Mary L. Blackmer in 1887, and their two children are Milton C., born in 1891, and Mayetta E., in 1894. William Alexander Donald- son died August 19, 1898, and his wife Emily, born May 13, 1825, died May 7, 1904.
James W. Donaldson is a practical and experienced machinist, and his shop is located in Wattsburg, where he has been in business since 1889. He is more than ordinarily skillful in all branches of mechanics, whether in working at his lathe or making patterns. He has spent his entire life in Erie county, born in its township of Amity, but during the greater part of the time his home has been in Venango township. On the 25th of March, 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Kate Kauffman, and their union has been blessed by the birth of the follow- ing children: Ralph, in 1877: George A., in 1880; May, in 1881; Bert W., in 1883; Kitty, in 1886; Marshall R., in 1887; Edward ( deceased), in 1889; Wallace, in 1890; Della, in 1891; Maria M., in 1893; Melvin, in 1896; and Frank, in 1899. Mrs. Donaldson was born in New York in 1858. James W. Donaldson is a Republican, has been honored by elec- tion to a seat in the borough council and to other offices. He is a charter member of North Erie Lodge, No. 1073, I. O. O. F., and in his com- munity in Wattsburg he is held in the highest esteem.
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ELFRED ROWE BARNEY, M. D. Prominent among those who are engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Erie county is num- bered Dr. E. R. Barney, of Wattsburg. Following a public school course and graduation from Waterford Academy he entered upon the study of his life's work in 1861, and subsequently pursuing a full and com- plete course in the medical department of the University of Michigan he graduated there with the class of 1872. His first practice was at Antrim in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and he continued with success there for four years. Moving then to Ithaca, New York, he was in practice there until the year 1886. Returning then to Erie, the county of his birth, Dr. Barney has since remained here, one of its oldest and most successful representatives of the medical profession. Since 1895 his home has been at Wattsburg, where he enjoys to the full the con- fidence of his numerous patrons as well as the public at large.
Dr. Barney traces his ancestry in this country to the heroes of the Revolution, his paternal great-grandfather, Joseph Barney, having per- formed good service for his country during those troublous times. The paternal family have been located in Erie county since 1833, when John Barney with his family moved from their native state of Vermont to Greene township and secured four hundred acres of land there. By his wife, Clarissa Manley, he had four children, N. C., Mrs. Jane Chapin, Franklin M. and Simeon. Franklin M. Barney was born in Vermont in 1821, and was twelve years of age at the time of the family's migra- tion to Erie county. In time he secured seventy-five acres of land here and began to build for himself a home in the wilderness. He lived and labored here for many years, and finally passed to his reward in 1904. His wife had died in 1895. She was formerly Olivia Rowe, and was from New York. Their marriage union was blessed by the birth of a son and daughter, the latter being Mrs. E. M. Gross.
Dr. Elfred R. Barney, the son, was born at the family home in Greene township, December 21, 1850. He has been twice married, wed- ding first Mary Swift, to whom five children were born,-Anna, the wife of Dudley Yaple: one who died in infancy; John S., who died in the government service during the Spanish-American war; and William E. and Helen. The doctor married secondly Ethel Irvin. He is a mem- ber of the County, State and American Medical associations, and also of the Odd Fellows fraternity at Wattsburg, Lodge No. 118. During several years he has served in the office of school director.
WILLIAM H. CORNELL is a prominent business man in Wattsburg, the proprietor of one of its largest hardware stores. He also represents one of the old established families of Erie county, for his grandparents. Justin and Cornelia (Van Alstine) Cornell, established their home here as early as 1828. They were the parents of two children, Betsey and Martin V. Justin Cornell was born in Tompkins county, New York, and was related to the founder of Cornell University at Ithaca, that state.
Martin V. Cornell was born in Harbor Creek township. Erie county, Pennsylvania, and many years of his business life were spent as a dry goods merchant, in which he was more than ordinarily successful. He died in the year of 1907. his wife having preceded him to the home beyond by two years, dying in 1905. Her name before marriage was Mary A. Laughery, and she was born in Ohio. The children of Martin V. and Mary A. Cornell are : G. H .. William H., L. H., Dr. M. C. and Dr. R. R.
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William H. Cornell, the second born son, is a native of Edinboro, Washington township, Erie county, born on the 29th of July, 1851, and after the completion of his education there he engaged in teaching school. In his early life he also learned the tailor's trade and in time became a merchant tailor, following that occupation for eight years .. Moving to the town of Wattsburg in 1882 he embarked in the grocery business and continued in that line until 1894 or until he purchased the hard- ware store of John Phelps and entered into partnership with the latter's son. This association continued through about twelve years, and since that time Mr. Cornell has been alone in the business. He carries a large and well selected line of farming implements and both light and heavy vehicles, and the successful conduct of this establishment has placed him among the leaders in industrial circles in this community. He is also serving his city as a justice of the peace, having held this office for three terms, and during several terms he has been a member of the school board.
Mr. Cornell married November 12, 1881, Miss Cora S., a daughter of John Phelps, and their only child was a son, John M. Cornell, who is now deceased, as is also the mother, her death occurring in 1889. In 1893 Mr. Cornell wedded Helen Myers, and she died two years later without issue, and in 1898 he married his present wife, formerly Miss Mary Montague. The two children of this union are, Owen M. and Elizabeth. Mr. Cornell has fraternal relations with the Masonic order, in which he has attained the Royal Arch degree, and with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, having filled all of the offices in both orders save that of the Chapter in the Masonic fraternity. He is a member of the Presbyterian church as is also his wife.
ERNEST L. YOUNG. The business interests of Union City number among its earnest devotees Ernest L. Young, a representative of the Shreve Company since 1904. He came to this city as a resident on the 4th of April. 1899, and has ever since been engaged in the work of chair manufacturing, while since 1906 he has had charge of the packing of all the chairs manufactured by the Shreve Company. These are packed in numbers of twos, threes and sixes, depending on the size and pat- terns of the chairs, and in this work Mr. Young has under his direct care and supervision fifteen employes. He is numbered among the pro- gressive young business men of the city and is prominently identified with its interests in many ways.
Born in Crawford county, near the Erie county line on the 13th of November, 1875, he was reared on a farm there and attended the district school near by. He is a son of W. H. and Laura Ann Young, farming people from Crawford county, and of their family of nine children six are now living, namely: George, an electric car conductor in Ohio: James, whose home is in Union City ; Henry, a contractor with the Shreve Company of Union City; Frank, a liveryman here; and Ernest L. and Dolly Zibena, also of Union City. Ernest L. Young was united in marriage to Miss Alice, a daughter of C. R. and Louise Parsons, on the 25th of December, 1900, and their union has been blessed by the birth of one child, Merideth Orlean. The family reside in a beautiful home on West High street, Union City, where they enjoy to the fullest extent the pleasure of a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances.
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HARRY T. DICK. One of the many enterprising and energetic men that are contributing their share in multiplying and increasing the in- dustrial interests of Erie county is Harry T. Dick, who is carrying on a substantial business as one of the leading liverymen of Union City. IIis finely equipped stables are up-to-date in every respect, especial care being paid to their sanitary condition. His horses are of the best, and give evidence of being well fed and cared for, while their sleek, silky coats reflect the grooming of skilful hands. He has vehicles of all kinds, and of the latest and most approved patterns and styles, cater- ing at all times to the wants of his numerous customers. Mr. Dick was born, November 15. 1872, in Union township, Eric county, a son of Henry Dick, and grandson of James M. Dick, an early settler of this part of the state.
A native of Madison county, New York, James M. Dick lived there until after his marriage with Maria Golden. Migrating with his family to Erie county in 1831, he settled first in Waterford. later removing to Le Boeuf township. In 1855 he located in Union township, and here fol- lowed farming with success until his death, October 31, 1859. His widow survived him, living to the age of four score and more years. They had a family of ten children, as follows: David, Levi, Henry, Mary A., Lorenzo, Ira, Caroline, Robert, Eunice, and Sarah.
Henry Dick was born, September 9, 1836, in Le Boeuf township, Erie county, but spent a large part of his earlier life in Waterford town- ship. After leaving school he remained at home, assisting his father dur- ing the seasons of sowing and harvesting, until twenty years old. Be- ginning then life for himself, he bought, in 1857, a farm in Union town- ship, and in the care of his land met with good success. In 1862 he bought the old Kimball homestead, on which he has since resided, and by diligent and well-directed effort, combined with practical judgment and wise management, has now one of the best kept farms in the vicinity.
In March, 1862, he married Marietta Kimball, a native of Sugar Grove, Chautauqua county, born in 1831, and they became the parents of two children, namely: Jennie R., wife of M. W. Fairchild ; and Harry T., of this brief personal narrative. Prior to his marriage, however, Henry Dick enlisted, in May, 1861, in Company H, Eighty-third Penn- sylvania Infantry, and fought valiantly in defense of his country's honor until the expiration of his term of enlistment, and he is now a member of McLean Post, No. 102, G. A. R.
Growing to manhood on the home farm, Harry T. Dick attended the schools of his neighborhood, and during his carlier life confined his attention to agricultural pursuits. Desiring a change of occupation, he came, in 1898, to Union City, and was here for seven consecutive years engaged in the plumbing and hardware business. Retiring in 1905 from commercial pursuits, he embarked in the livery business, and by reason of his energy, progressive spirit, courtesy, and willingness to oblige, has built up a remunerative patronage.
Mr. Dick married, in 1897, Katherine B., daughter of E. S. and Rachel Crooker. Their only child, Audrey L., was born September 23, 190S. Mr. Dick takes an intelligent interest in local and national af -. fairs, and while living in the township served as tax collector. Fratern- ally he belongs to Clement Lodge, No. ?? 0, I. O. O. F., of which he is past noble grand, and to the Sons of Veterans.
THOMAS DOYLE is well known in the business circles of this com- munity as the proprietor of the Union City Steam Marble Company, manufacturers of the best New England stone quarried in Quincy, Mas-
TAS NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOK LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
seo. O. Chiffith
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
sachusetts, and in Berry, Vermont. The business was organized in 1883 by John McIntyre, and was conducted by him for twenty-four years, the plant then being purchased by Mr. Doyle in 1908. It covers a ground space of forty by two hundred feet, and the polishing of the marble is beautifully executed by steam power, and artistically designed, in consequence of which the patronage is large and appreciative.
Mr. Doyle was born in Columbus, Ohio, in April, 1875, a son of John and Mary ( Sweeney) Doyle, natives respectively of Ireland and Ohio. Thomas Doyle learned and followed his trade in his native city of Columbus until coming to Union City, Pennsylvania, in 1906, two years before taking over the McIntyre marble business. He married in 1896 Miss Pearl Ford, and their two children are Leona and Regene. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Roman Catholic church.
GEORGE PERRY GRIFFITHI. In a history of western Pennsylvania it is imperative that mention be made of George Perry Griffith, for through a long period he was closely associated with professional in- terests of Erie as a member of the bar and with many public move- ments that were factors in municipal progress and development. A native of Chautauqua county, New York, he was born at Mayville, October 29, 1831. a son of Stephen and Susan (Perry) Griffith. The father was born in Pomfret, near Fredonia, Chautauqua county, New York, in 1812, and was of Welsh descent, while the mother's birth occurred in the same place January 25, 1814. Both were pioneer resi- dents of that part of New York, their parents having removed from New England to the Empire state, blazing their way through forests. Mrs. Griffith was a representative of the old Perry family to which Commo- dore Perry belonged. When a young lady she was one of twenty-four chosen to represent the twenty-four states of the Union in a celebration of welcome extended to Marquis Lafayette when he visited the United States as the nation's guest fifty years after he came to America to aid the colonies in their struggle for independence. The marriage of Stephen Griffith and Susan Perry was celebrated in 1835 and in 1846 they re- moved to North East, Erie county, Pennsylvania, where they spent their remaining days, honored and loved by all who knew them for their sterling traits of character. Mr. Griffith was there engaged in the manufacture of hats for a number of years and aside from his business interests was associated with various affairs of public moment, serving from 1860 until 1865 as justice of the peace. He was also a prominent and influential member of the Methodist church and acted as superin- tendent of its Sunday-school. He passed away in North East in 1883 while his wife died there on the 26th of August, 1895. Their children were George P., John W. and Josephine S. and Benjamin P.
George Perry Griffith was educated in the Fredonia (N. Y.) Acad- cmy, where he pursued his studies to the age of fourteen years when he began learning the printing trade with Williard Mckinstry, one of the old and prominent newspaper editors of Fredonia. When he had com- pleted his term of apprenticeship he worked with Mr. Mckinstry for a time and then went west to Freeport, Illinois, taking up newspaper work in that city. While there he reported the famous debate between Lincoln and Douglas which was held at that place.
Coming to Erie Mr. Griffith was connected with the old Observer for a time bit later withdrew from journalism to engage in the oil Vol. II-18
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