Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 95

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 618

USA > Pennsylvania > Armstrong County > Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 95

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and found work in a blast furnace at Brecon. He was such a practical theorist that it is said of him he could "square the circle" with inolten metal-tossing up seven or nine balls where others could only toss four or five. This is the first known instance of a member of the Rees family engaging as an iron worker.) Benjamin F. Reese remained with the firm of Miller, Barr & Parkins until his father had the works started at Manorville, when he became foreman at the age of nineteen. When the Cowanshannoc works were bought he was made foreman there and cleared the works in the first six months of the entire debt. But the bent of his mind lay in gas and oil fields and had he lived to these days of vast exploiting in those fields, the germ would doubtless have fructified and borne large fruit. He was a subtle theorist, and a meta- physician of high type. He valued his word above his bond. "Your Benjamin's word stands the same as his bond in Butler county," said an oil man to Mr. Reese one day in But- ler. "It stands the same in Allegheny county and Armstrong county, wherever he is known," said the pleased father.

The flower must drink the nature of the soil Before it can put forth its blossoming .- KEATS.

Benjamin F. Reese was of a retiring na- ture, but always manly and noble-minded, even when a boy, and he was great in his generosity. He married Eleanor Mathias, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Mathias, of Chicago, Ill. He died without issue, Oct. 4, 1904. Of him Orr Buffington, who has known the family so well, said :

"The early and untimely death of Benja- min F. Reese was a severe shock to his many friends who had been endeared to him by his lovable disposition and many acts of kind- ness. His business career, though brief, was highly successful, and gave promise of great results. His clear perception, his quick men- tal grasp of a business proposition and his broad-mindedness and daring bore early fruit and his generous and manly treatment of his business associates gained their confidence and esteem. There was nothing small or nar- row in him and his mind was of a construc- tive character. He was one of the founders and heavy stockholders in the Kittanning Plate Glass Company, and in many ways promoted the progress of the county of his adoption. In his dealings with his partners and associates

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

he was the soul of liberality and fairness, and those who were so fortunate as to be associ- ated with him learned to trust him and love him as a brother."

"Elvira appears to have inherited in a marked degree the intellectual and religious endowments of both branches of the family. This she has cultivated and developed by wide, discriminating and critical reading of lit- erature in all its branches-philosophy, the- ology, poetry, fiction, etc. One of the results of her extensive reading is the publication of a literary calendar, entitled 'Showers of Bless- ing.' The book contains selections for every day in the year, culled from the writings of all nations and all ages. 'Showers of Blessing' was published by the Pilgrim Press of Boston, Mass., whose chief reader pronounced it the finest book of its kind on the market. Its con- ception and execution reveal most comprehen- sive intellectual grasp coupled with a masterly genius for details. It contains four hundred pages. The book is one of the most beauti- ful demonstrations of the doubleness of the great problem of existence-the spiritual and material, the Divine and Human, the Finite and Infinite. 'Everything that is is double.' Five hundred copies were donated to the women of the First Congregational Church of Pittsburgh (of which Miss Reese is a faithful and loyal member). to be sold for the benefit of that organization."-G. S. RICHARDS, Pastor First Congregational Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Emma, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reese, married F. L. Snowden, of Allegheny City, Pa. They have two sons : Reese Olver Snowden, now a resident of Lan- caster, Cal., and F. Laird Snowden, of the · Somerville Iron & Bronze Foundry Company, of Pittsburgh, Pa. Reese O. Snowden mar- ried Minerva Burke, of Pittsburgh; Laird Snowden married Cora Thomas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Thomas, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Walter Lawrence Reese married Tirzah. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Thomas, of Greensburg, Pa. They reside in Pittsburgh.

The family history of the Reese Jones sketch was contributed by Elvira Reese-some of the material taken from translations of Welsh letters, some from traditions, and much from a copy of a history given to her mother many years ago when in Wales by her cousin, the author of it, Richard Williams. a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

GEORGE W. REESE, one of the capital- ists of Kittanning, was born at Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1858, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Jones) Reese.

Both Isaac Reese and his wife were born in Wales, and were brought to the United States. Isaac Reese was brought to Pittsburgh, Pa., when ten years old, and grew to manhood in that city. He and his wife had eleven chil- dren, five reaching maturity : Elvira, Emma, George W., Benjamin F. and Walter L. The father died in 1908, the mother passing away in 1898.

George W. Reese was educated in the pub- lic schools of Pittsburgh, and in the Iron City business college, graduating from the latter in 1877. In 1879 he came to Armstrong county, and embarked in the fire brick business at Manorville. In 1882 he went to Europe, and engaged to work in fire brick plants at Lon- don, and Abermant, near Swansey, South Wales. The proprietors were manufacturing a high grade of Silica fire brick, superior to any produced in the United States, and Mr. Reese engaged with this company in the hope of discovering the process. At first he worked as a laborer, then was put in the brickyards, and within six months mastered the details, so that he became an expert in the manufac- ture of this special kind of brick. Having gained his end. he returned to the United States, and began producing what is known as the Silica brick. This was the beginning of what subsequently developed into a large industry. This grade of brick is used spe- cially for furnace work. and there is a large demand for it in every State in the Union. The business was conducted under the firm name of Isaac Reese & Sons until in 1902 Mr. Reese sold to the Harbison-Walker Refrac- tories Company of Pittsburgh, although he retains stock in the concern, and is on the board of directors. For several years Mr. Reese was president and manager of the Kit- tanning Plate Glass Company, of Kittanning, and still is a stockholder and director in same. In February, 1911, he organized the Fort Pitt Powder Company, which is incorporated with a capital stock of $200,000, with himself as president. This company also deals in other high explosives. In addition to his other interests, Mr. Reese is a director in the Arm- strong County Trust Company. Fraternally, he belongs to the order of Elks.

In 1877 Mr. Reese was married to Mary MI. Donnelly, daughter of Daniel Donnelly of Pittsburgh, and one child, Margaret, was born of this union. Mrs. Reese died in 1885. In 1894 Mr. Reese was married (second) to Juanita Truby, daughter of Simon Truby, of Kittanning. The one child born of this mar- riage, George. is deceased. Mrs. Reese is

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

descended from Col. Christopher Truby, a was at Parker, engaged in the manufacture distinguished pioneer and patriot, who served as colonel in the Revolution. of brick, and then moved to Washington township, where he kept a boarding house JOHN DICK COCHRAN has been a suc- cessful farmer of Boggs township, Armstrong county, throughout his active years, but he has also had other interests, having been en- gaged for many years in the sale of agricul- tural implements, and he has filled various local offices. As farmer, business man and public servant he is well and favorably known in his district. Mr. Cochran was born June 3, 1853, in Boggs township, on the north fork of Pine creek, and is a son of James Sloan and Jane (Gibson) Cochran, belonging to old and respected families of this region on both paternal and maternal sides. during the period of the Civil war. He then settled on part of his father's homestead, a tract of 114 acres which he improved very materially, replacing the log buildings with more substantial structures. Few men of his day were beter known than Mr. Cochran. He taught school for ten winters, during the days when the teacher boarded some of the pupils, and during the greater part of his life he held township office. He was auditor of Armstrong county one year, at the time of his election to that position polling the largest vote ever received by a Democratic nominee. He was also a candidate for member of the State Legislature. A prominent member of the United Presbyterian Church, he served a num- ber of years as elder, and helped to build various churches in his section. Mr. Cochran died Nov. 27, 1890, and his wife, Jane (Gib- son), died June 21, 1886. They were the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters: A son that died in infancy, John Dick, Sarah, Jennie, Elizabeth and Matilda. . John Dick Cochran attended the common schools near his home and passed his early life assisting with the work on the homestead. He has continued to make its cultivation his principal occupation since it came into his possession, at the time of his father's death, but he had also been interested in selling agricultural implements, having acted as travel- ing salesman for the McCormicks for twenty- five years and for the Whitley Company nearly twenty years. Mr. Cochran has been honored with election to most of the township offices, having served as school director for three years, assessor three years, overseer of the poor four years, twelve years as constable. and several years as tax collector. In political connection he is a Republican.

The Cochran family was originally from the North of Ireland and has been settled in Pennsylvania for about two centuries. William Cochran, great-grandfather of John Dick Cochran, was the son of Sir John Coch- ran, and was born in eastern Pennsylvania. Shortly after the Revolutionary war William Cochran settled in what is now Armstrong county, where his son James, grandfather of John Dick Cochran, was born in 1787. He settled on a farm, acquiring the ownership of a large tract, 800 acres, then all in its primitive condition, put up log buildings, and passed the remainder of his life there. When he first came there he lived among the Indians, and they often hunted together. Besides farm- ing James Cochran engaged in the manufac- ture of iron, being the leading member of the company which projected Ore Hill Furnace, in 1845, and gave a fifty-acre tract of land upon which that furnace was erected. He built the original furnace and operated it on his own account for some time before selling it to the company. He was one of the promi- nent men of his day in that and various other connections. In religion he was a strong Presbyterian, in politics a Democrat, and he filled a number of township offices. His wife, Esther Gibson, of near Kittanning, was a member of the family of that name so numer- ously represented in Armstrong and Indiana counties, and the following children were born to their union: William (born Dec. 10, 1813, died Feb. 6, 1876, married Mary S. Quigley), John G., Samuel, Lowry, James Sloan, Levi G., Jane and Washington.

On Oct. 19, 1880, Mr. Cochran married Rebecca Jennie Lewis, of Indiana county, Pa., and they have had six children, two sons and four daughters, namely: Charlie G., who was married Aug. 15, 1906, to Olive M. Bahma; James Lewis, at home; Verna Nellie, de- ceased ; Maudie May, who was married to Dee Gahagan Oct. 27, 1908; and Hazel Bell.

CHARLES FEICHT, late of Parker's Landing, was the pioneer butcher at that place where he had done business continuously since 1877. He was born March 25, 1838, in Wurtemberg, Germany, son of Christopher

James Sloan Cochran was born March II, 1821, and was reared on the old home place in Boggs township, the farm now owned by his son John Dick Cochran. For a time he and Catherine (Groenmiller) Feicht.

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

When sixteen years old Mr. Feicht came to to some of the best metropolitan papers and the United States, arriving here in 1854, and magazines. immediately located at Kittanning, Armstrong county, Pa., where he learned and followed the butcher's trade. Later on he embarked in business for himself, conducting a success- ful market in Kittanning until in 1869 he came to Parker's Landing, and for eighteen months

MIRS. PAUL L. (EVA GATES ) MICKENRICK, secretary of the Armstrong County Sunday School Association, was born and reared in Cambria county, Pa., attended the Kee Mar College for Women at Hagerstown, Md., came to Kittanning with her husband in 1899, and was in business here. Then he returned to has the honor of being one of the most active participants in the religious affairs of Arm-

Kittanning, in 1877, however, coming back to Parker's Landing and resuming operations, strong county. Her position in the Sunday conducting the best market in the place. He died Nov. 12, 1913, and was buried Nov. 16th at Parker's Landing.

Mr. Feicht was married Jan. 1, 1878, to Mrs. Fredricka (Eberley) Koos, widow of Philip Koos, and daughter of Christian and Johanna (Eisman ) Eberley, of Wurtemberg, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Feicht had four chil- dren: Augusta B., wife of Harry Rader ; Frederick C .; Nora C., wife of Frederick Bowser, and William P. By her first marriage Mrs. Feicht had eight children, four of whom survive: Emil Koos, a druggist of Oil City ; Albert ; Pauline, wife of William Mahoney, education of her children. of Parker's Landing ; and Charles, a merchant of Petersburg. Mrs. Feicht came to America in 1866. The family all belong to the Lutheran Church.

Fraternally Mr. Feicht belonged to Lodge No. 244. F. & A. M., of Kittanning. During the Civil war he was a member of the 22nd Pennsylvania Regiment of Emergency Men, and served for three weeks, or as long as the occasion demanded. His political convictions made him a Democrat. After coming to America, in 1854, Mr. Feicht made three trips to his native land.

PAUL L. McKENRICK, assistant cashier and a director of the Merchants' National Bank, Kittanning, is a native of Clearfield county, Pa., a graduate of the Clearfield high school and of the Eastman business college, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He read law with his father, the late J. F. McKenrick, of Ebens- burg, Pa., but preferring a business career was engaged in the coal and coke business in Ken- tucky and Tennessee for seven years, came to Kittanning in 1899, and since 1900 has been connected with the Merchants' National Bank and identified with the business, municipal and religious interests of the community. Since 1905 he has filled official positions in the First Presbyterian Church and is treas- urer of the Kittanning Presbytery. He finds time to indulge his literary tastes and talents and is a contributor (under a nom de plume )

School Association requires much statistical labor and voluminous correspondence, and the publishers are indebted to her for much of the statistical information of the churches of Armstrong county contained in this history. She is teacher of the Women's Bible class of the First Presbyterian Church, numbering seventy members and one of the largest in the county, and is associated with most of the organizations of her church, as well as sev- eral musical societies of Kittanning. How- ever, these interests are secondary to the per- sonal supervision she gives to the training and

Mr. and Mrs. McKenrick were married in 1898 and have been blessed with five children : Gerald ( deceased), Kathryn, Robert, Ruth and Helen.

HOWARD M. WELSH, M. D., physician of Leechburg, Pa., was born in Allegheny township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., Feb. 12. 1874, son of William Welsh and grandson of John Welsh.

John Welsh was born in Scotland, and in company with a brother came to the United States. both locating in Pennsylvania, the brother near Philadelphia and John at New Alexandria, in Westmoreland county. He passed the remainder of his life in that county, following farming as an occupation, his death occurring in 1881 at a place called Craw- ford's Mill. about three miles north of Leech- burg. He married a member of the Bolinger family. and they had fourteen children, not an unusual number in those days. Those who survived childhood were: Peter. who is a farmer residing near Greensburg, Pa .; Alex- ander, who is a resident of Chicago. Ill. : Charles, who remains in the old home at Craw- ford's Mill ; William; Abraham, who lives at Chicora. Butler Co., Pa .; John, who resides at New Kensington. Pa. : Sophia, who is the wife of John Wolf. residing in Gilpin township. Armstrong county; Elizabeth, who died in IQII. at Ann Arbor, Mich., the wife of James Brokaw : Mary, who is the widow of Adam

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Norris, and resides at Tarentum, Pa .; and in Lower Burrell township, Westmoreland Annie, who is the wife of Jeremiah Wray, county, and after a winter there taught sum- living in Gilpin township, Armstrong county. mer school at Markle Academy, later accept- William Welsh, son of John and father of Dr. Howard M. Welsh, was born Feb. he began his business life as a farmer, later stock business, in which he continued for twenty years. In 1898 he moved to Vander- grift, Pa., where he continues one of the rep- resentative business men. He is largely in- terested in dealing in real estate and is vice president of the Citizens' National Bank, of ing the position of principal of the Pitcairn schools and subsequently of the Freeport pub- 5, 1847, in Westmoreland county, Pa., where lic schools. His success in the educational field was gratifying, but it did not satisfy his becoming more especially interested in the ambition, the profession of medicine having been the goal toward which he worked from youth. On May 29, 1902, he was graduated from the medical department of the Western University, now known as the University of Pittsburgh, and immediately located at Leech- burg, where he has built up a very satisfactory

which he was one of the organizers. He mar- practice. In 1908 he took a post-graduate ried Catherine McCracken, daughter of James course of one year at Johns Hopkins Univer- sity, Baltimore, Md., and in 1912 did a year's post-graduate work in the German University at Munich, Germany. and Ann (Mears) McCracken, and they have three children : Howard M .; Edward H., who is editor of the Vandergrift Citizen, a well established weekly newspaper; and Curtis C., who is an employee of the Vandergrift Foun- dry & Machine Company.

John McCracken, grandfather of Mrs. Wil- liam Welsh, was of Scotch-Irish parentage. He lived and died in Indiana county, Pa., where he was an agriculturist.

M. Welsh, was born in Indiana county, Pa. He spent the larger part of his active life as a farmer in Westmoreland county and when he retired came to Leechburg, where his death occurred some years later. He married Ann Mears, daughter of James Mears, and seven children were born to them, namely: James and John, both of whom died in infancy ; James (2), who is deceased; John (2), who is a minister in the Presbyterian Church, re- siding at Vandergrift; Martha, who died in infancy; Catherine, who married William Welsh ; and Samuel, who is deceased.

Howard M. Welsh attended public school in Allegheny township until he was fifteen years of age, making good use of his oppor- tunities, for at that unusual age he secured a certificate and began to teach school, his first effort being at the Stewart school in Allegheny township, after which he taught the joint school, in Lower Burrell township, both in Westmoreland county, later the Evans school, on the site of the present town of Van- dergrift, and still later the McGreary school, in Allegheny township, four terms in . all. The young teacher then sought more thorough training for himself and entered the Indiana Normal School, where he was graduated in 1895. as honor man of his class. Resuming teaching, he took charge of the Ross school

Dr. Welsh was married in October, 1902, to Edith E. Barr, daughter of Dr. John A. Barr, of Mckees Rocks, Allegheny county, and they have one son, John William. Dr. and Mrs. Welsh attend the Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Welsh is an active and thoroughly in- terested citizen, but gives little of his valuable

James McCracken, father of Mrs. Wil- liam Welsh and grandfather of Dr. Howard time to politics. He is identified with numer- ous medical organizations, belonging to the Phi Rho Sigma College fraternity, to the Arm- strong County Medical Society, and the State and National Medical Association. He is also a member of the Leechburg Scientific and Pro- tective Association, a local organization of medical men, and is its treasurer. It was organized in January, 1911, with Dr. U. O. Heilman as president ; Dr. C. C. Parks as sec- retary, and Dr. H. M. Welsh as treasurer. He belongs to Allegheny Lodge, No. 221, F. & A. M., Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

ANDREW C. BAILEY, contractor, of Manor township, Armstrong county, was born Oct. 24, 1860, in that township, son of Jack- son and Jane ( Bailey) Bailey.

Richard Bailey, his grandfather, married a Miss Johnson. He was born in Center county, Pa., and later came to Armstrong county, arriving here about one hundred years ago. Becoming the owner of a large tract of land, a portion of which is now the site of Ford City, he was extensively engaged in farming and lumbering. His children were: Jackson ; Charlton; Alexander; Margaret, wife of James Boggs; Eliza, wife of Joseph Wilson ; and Sarah, wife of J. A. Logan.

Jackson Bailey was engaged in the" Jaw- mill and lumbering and lime business for

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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

several years, and also carried on farming. Children as follows were born to himself and wife: Cyrus; Richard; William C .; Annie, wife of J. K. Beattie; Nettie, wife of John Charlton; James M .; Sallie, wife of Harvey S. Huston ; Margaret, wife of James L. Piper, and Andrew C .- all living; and Jackson, de- ceased. The parents were members of the Presbyterian Church.

Andrew C. Bailey, after going through the district school course, worked for his father until he was twenty years old. Then he began his independent business career as a clerk in the store of William Gates, of Kittanning, remaining in that connection for seven years, at the end of which period he opened the first general department store in the county, lo- cating it at Ford City. This establishment was most complete in every detail, and Mr. Bailey enjoyed a heavy trade, but was forced to go out of business on account of several heavy losses by fire. He formed a lime company at Garretts Run, but after a short time sold his interest in that concern and became president of a large oil company at Laramie, Wyo., in the year 1913.

In 1886 Mr. Bailey was married to Susan L. Graff, daughter of Joseph Graff, and four children were born of this union: Ross R., Jean R., Judith, and Joseph (the last named deceased). Mrs. Bailey died in 1896. In 1902 Mr. Bailey married (second) Isadora Rey- nolds, daughter of Franklin Reynolds, and she died in 1906. Mr. Bailey is a Republican, and stands well in the party, having been a candi- date for county commissioner.

SIMON SCHAEFFER, of Blanket Hill, Armstrong county, has been engaged in the general mercantile business there for several years, previous to which time he carried on farming. He is serving as justice of the peace and is one of the most respected citizens of Kittanning township. Mr. Schaeffer was born June 6, 1837, in Kittanning township, son of Isaac Schaeffer and grandson of John Philip Schaeffer.

Anthony Schaeffer, great-grandfather of, Simon Schaeffer, was the first of the family to come to this country from Germany, and settled in Northumberland county, Pa., in or about 1782. Shortly afterward he was married, and he had two sons and several daughters, his sons, George Peter and John Philip, coming to Armstrong county, Pa., and settling near Cochran Mills, both on farms.

John Philip Schaeffer was born in North- umberland county, Pa., and as previously

stated came to Armstrong county in 1810. In his early life he learned blacksmithing, and he followed that work and gunsmithing as well as farming. He and his wife, whose maiden name was Zerphas, had the following children : John, Philip, Isaac, Anthony, Michael, Frederick, Mary and Elizabeth.

Isaac Schaeffer, son of John Philip, was born in Burrell township, and educated in the country schools in Armstrong county, living at home until his marriage. In 1832 he located at Blanket Hill, in Kittanning township, his farm being the original Blanket Hill, and he became one of the well-known farmers of his district, a man esteemed by all who met him. He was a Democrat, and a member of the Lutheran Church. He married Elizabeth Schall, a native of Armstrong county, and they became the parents of thirteen children, of whom the following grew to maturity : Adam, who is now deceased; Sarah, deceased ; Catherine, deceased ; Mary Ann. now deceased, who married Daniel Forster, a veteran of the Civil war (she survived him, living in Kittan- ning township until her death) ; Simon; John P., who is engaged in farming on the old homestead; James, living at Manorville, Pa .; and Eve, who married Isaac Dunmire, of Kit- tanning township.

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Armstrong County, Pennsylvania her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 95

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 618

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 618