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 II > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
·
557
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
then embarked in the mercantile business, the western part of his property to Robert which later he removed to Rosston, Pa., re- maining there until 1906. In that year he located at Ford City, buying property upon which he built his commodious brick store structure, 52 by 82 feet, two stories in height, the largest and handsomest in Ford City. Here he opened up a general dry goods, grocery and queensware business, and carries at all times a full and fresh stock of articles in his different lines. His prices and the quality of his goods bring him a large and constantly increasing patronage from the best people of Ford City. Mr. Mateer thoroughly under- stands his trade, and knows how to meet acceptably the demands of his customers.
McMeans, and in 1840 disposed of another portion to Samuel McCartney, this farm in- cluding the site of his first cabin. About 1846 he sold more land, to C. A. Logan and to a Mr. Kroh, and purchased a farm in Wayne township, near Belknap, on which the family resided until 1868, when he disposed of that property. He moved then to Illinois, where his wife soon afterward died, and he went out to Kansas, where his death occurred Sept. 19, 1870. On June 29, 1829, he married Eliz- abeth Bricker, who was born Nov. 17, 1807, and died May 4, 1869. They had children as follows : Jane, born May 2, 1830, married Jos- eph Alcorn May 5, 1847; Catherine, born Nov. 2, 1832, married William Christy ; Mar- garet, born April 2, 1834, married John Shir- ley; Susan, born Feb. 5, 1836, married Les- lie L. Hazlett; Mary S., born July 21, 1838, married Thomas D. McColgin; David L. was A., born Jan. 12, 1843, who enlisted in the 78th Pa. Vol. Inf., and served as a soldier for three years in the Civil war, was married Aug. 25, 1868, to Susan E. Soxman; and Sarah A., born May 29, 1845, was married in Kansas, in 1871, to N. Long.
In 1893 Mr. Mateer was married to Anna M. Householder, daughter of John House- holder, of Armstrong county. They have three children : John A. (educated at the Kit- tanning high school), Marian N. and Edward A. Mr. Mateer belongs to Blue Lodge No. the father of William C. Marshall; William 244, F. & A. M., Kittanning, and to the B. P. O. Elks lodge of the same borough.
WILLIAM CURTIN MARSHALL, who is editor and proprietor of the Dayton News, one of the leading journals of Armstrong county, is a native of this county, born in David L. Marshall, son of Archibald, was born Sept. 10, 1840, was reared on the old home, and learned the carpenter's trade. On Sept. 5, 1864, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Company M, 5th Pennsyl- vania Heavy Artillery, and was honorably discharged at Pittsburgh, Pa., in July, 1865. For many years afterward he followed the carpenter's trade. In 1872 he was appointed a justice of the peace for Dayton borough and continued in office until 1884, and was Wayne township May 9, 1864, and is a son of David L. and Maria J. (Marshall) Mar- shall. His paternal line is traced as follows: Samuel Marshall, the youngest son of Wil- liam Marshall, was born in what was then York (now Adams) county, Pa. On May 20, 1791, he married Mary Sterling, probably of Indiana county, as he had accompanied his parents to that part of the State at an early date, and they lived on his farm of 300 acres in Conemaugh township, Indiana coun- elected to the same office again in 1889, con- ty. The children of Samuel and Mary Mar- tinuing to serve until his death, which oc- curred Feb. 21, 1892. On Dec. 10, 1861, he married Maria J. Marshall, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Wilson) Marshall. shall were: Mary, Walter, Joseph, Elizabeth, Jane, William S. and Sarah, twins, Archibald, Samuel S., Rebecca and John:
Archibald Marshall, son of Samuel, was Joseph Marshall, the maternal grandfather of William Curtin Marshall, was born Oct. 17, 1792. On April 1, 1819, he married Mary Wilson, born July 14, 1799, daughter of born Feb. 10, 1805, in the southern part of Indiana county. He learned the blacksmith's trade and after his marriage lived on his father's farm until 1834, when he purchased Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Wilson. about 500 acres of land in what is now Cow- Thomas Wilson was born July 18, 1772, and anshannock township, in Armstrong county, was married April 14, 1797, to Elizabeth near Bryan. When Mr. Marshall settled on Mitchell, who was born Jan. 25, 1770. To Joseph and Mary Marshall the following chil- dren were born: Elizabeth, April 1, 1820 (married Jacob Hanna) ; Archibald A., July 4, 1822 (married Sarah N. McClelland) ; this land in the spring of 1834 he found the entire tract covered with a heavy growth of woods and he probably had to clear a space before he could erect his first log cabin, which he later supplanted by a comfortable hewed Catherine, June 13, 1824 (married Nathan log building. In 1837 he sold a farm from McClelland) ; Thomas W., Sept. 18, 1826
558
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
(married Eliza Shoemaker) ; Eves W., Jan. and five years secretary ; served several terms 29, 1829; Joseph M., Sept. 3, 1831 (married as borough auditor, and in 1910 was census Eliza Welsh) ; Eunice B., Dec. 5, 1833 (mar- enumerator of the borough. Mr. Marshall is ried David K. Alcorn) ; Robert A., March 6, a stockholder in the Dayton Normal Institute, 1836; Maria J., Oct. 8, 1839 (still survives of which he was one of the organizers. He and resides at Dayton, Pa.) ; and William N. has been an active promoter and supporter of Sims, July 5, 1842 (on Sept 14, 1862, he en- the Dayton Fair Association, of which he was listed for the State defense in Company G, president for two years and secretary for sev- 22d Pa. Vol. Inf .; he married Eliza Ellen- en years. In several fraternal organizations he is quite prominent. He is past grand of Lodge berger ).
William Curtin Marshall is an only child. No. 738, Odd Fellows, at Dayton, for several He was educated at Dayton and Glade Run years was secretary of the lodge; was chief organizer of the encampment, which was in- stituted Jan. 28, 1910, and served as first chief of Dayton Encampment, No. 121, of which he is now scribe ; he has also been clerk of Dayton Camp, M. W. of A., since it was instituted, April 3, 1899, and he served as the first cap- tain of the Sons of Veterans at Dayton. Academy, attending school regularly in the winter seasons and giving his father assistance in the summers, both on the farm and in the carpenter shop. His ambition, however, was to become connected with newspaper work, and in December, 1882, he started to learn printing in the office of the Dayton News, which was then conducted by the firm of Elder, Orr & Co., continuing in their office for one year. In WALTER L. GEORGE, business man and capitalist of Apollo, Armstrong county, was born in the county Dec. 30, 1864, near South Bend, son of Samuel and Mary A. (Lelless) George. December, 1883, he became associated as a partner with D. A. Lowe in the ownership of the News, and they continued together until 1885, when Mr. Marshall sold his interest to Mr. Lowe, after which he went to Putneyville, Samuel George was a farmer and early set- tler of Armstrong county. In 1852 he went to California, prospecting for gold in that State, and later returned to Armstrong county, where he rounded out a successful life, dying in 1903, aged seventy-three years. His widow still sur- vives, now (1913) aged seventy-three years. At the time of his death Mr. George owned 200 acres of land in Armstrong county. Po- litically he was a Democrat, and he and his wife early joined the Lutheran Church. Ten children were born to them, eight of whom survive, four sons and four daughters, and of them all Walter L. was fifth in the order of birth. Pa., where he opened a job office for one year. On April 19, 1887, he started on a trip through the West and traveled over considerable terri- tory, in every town finding work at his trade. The death of his father in 1892 recalled him to Dayton and in July of that year he purchased a half interest in the News, his partner being B. S. Pontius, whose interest he bought in Oc- tober, 1897. Since then Mr. Marshall has con- ducted the paper alone and has made it one of the leading journals of this section of the State. He has a natural talent for journalism and undoubtedly has fitted himself into the right groove in life.
On June 14, 1899, Mr. Marshall was mar- Walter L. George attended school until he was eighteen years old, and then left to be- come a clerk in a general store in Blairsville, Pa. A year later he went to Greensburg, and for five years clerked there in a general store. During the next two years he held the same position in Fayette City. Having thus gained valuable experience which educated him thor- oughly for business life, he came to Apollo and began to conduct a grocery with his broth- er under the firm name of George Brothers. This partnership continued for a decade, when the firm dissolved, W. L. George retaining the grocery business under his own name. ried to Letta L. Hays, a daughter of William Hays, of Washington township, Armstrong Co., Pa., and they have one son, Malvern Hays Marshall, who was born June 26, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are members of the Glade Run Presbyterian Church, of which he has been treasurer since his election to this of- fice in January, 1907. Politically Mr. Mar- shall is a Republican and is one of the active, interested and reliable public men of Dayton borough. In February, 1895, he was first elected a justice of the peace and served con- tinuously for five years. After the passage of five more years he was reelected to the same In 1901 the First National Bank was organ- office, in 1905, and was again reelected in 1910. ized by Andrew Gallagher, George J. Bortz, For seven years he was a member of the Day- Harry Kennedy and W. S. Beamer, and soon ton school board, one year being its treasurer
thereafter (the same year) Mr. George was
559
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
elected the president, while Charles P. Wolf Burns established himself as superintendent was made cashier. The bank has a capital stock of $50,000 and a surplus of $50,000, and does a general banking business. The safety deposit vault in the bank is considered by ex- perts to be one of the best in any banking con- cern in the county. The deposits the first year were $70,000, and they now average $400,000.
Mr. George is also president of the Apollo Lime & Ballast Company, which has a capital stock of $50,000. The mines and business offices are located in Apollo, Armstrong coun- ty. This concern produces and handles a large amount of stone and crushed rock. In addi- tion to his other interests, Mr. George has some holdings in the coal fields, and is a stock- holder in the West Penn Coal Mining Com- pany.
On Oct. 15, 1902, Mr. George was married to Edna Leydic, of Indiana, Pa. Samuel Nes- ley, born July 31, 1907, is the only child of this marriage. Mr. George's religious connection is with the Lutheran Church. On political questions he is a Democrat.
SAMUEL S. BURNS, retired farmer of Dayton, Armstrong Co., Pa., was born on his grandfather's farm in Cowanshannock town- ship, June 4, 1858, son of William J. and Mary (Thomas) Burns.
of a lumber company there, but two years later returned to his farm, where he died in Octo- ber, 1897. His wife, who was a native of In- diana county, bore him the following chil- dren : John, deceased; William T., who is farming in Cowanshannock township; Samuel S .; Joseph A., deceased; Nancy J., widow of Samuel R. Moore, now living in Cowanshan- nock township; David Duff, deceased; and Findley T., deceased.
Samuel S. Burns attended school in his home district, remaining with his father until he married. Following this he assumed charge of the farm, operating it until he came to Day- ton in 1908. During this period he proved his right to be considered a successful agricultur- ist, and since locating in the borough has inter- ested himself in some of the local financial enterprises. Mr. Burns was one of the organ- izers of the First National Bank of Plumville, Indiana Co., Pa., established in December, 1905, he being one of the original directors, and still a member of the board. He is also one of the organizers of the Dayton Normal Institute, and served it several years as trustee.
A stanch Republican, Mr. Burns has been called upon to support the principles of his party in office, having served his township as justice of the peace ( for thirteen years, until
John Burns, grandfather of Samuel S. he removed from the District), school di- Burns, was born in the north of Ireland in rector, auditor and supervisor, discharging all 1784. Coming to America with his family, he the duties pertaining to these with dignified settled in what afterward became Cowanshan- capability. The United Presbyterian Church held his membership, but he later transferred to the Glade Run Presbyterian Church, which nock township, Armstrong Co., Pa., where he bought 100 acres of land, situated in the woods. He cleared this property, and oper- he has served as trustee, and is now superin- ated it until his death. His wife bore the tendent of the Sunday school, having held maiden name of Mary Scott, and they had that position for several years, during which time he has appreciably raised its standard of excellence. one son, William J. They were members of the United Presbyterian Church in Wayne township, and are buried in the little cemetery of that church.
Mr. Burns married Sarah C. Neal, daughter of Smith Neal, of Cowanshannock township, and they have the following named children : Nancy J., who married John E. Pattison, is living on Mrs. Burn's old homestead in Cow- anshannock township; Louella Pearle, who married M. T. Millin, now lives in DuBois, Pa .; Harry died in infancy ; John N. is with the Western Electric Company of Chicago ; William L. is a member of the Johnston-Beyer vania.
William J. Burns, son of John Burns, was born in Ireland in 1826, and was brought to America by his parents when twelve years old. He received a good common school education, and when sixteen years of age began his career as an educator. For the following nineteen terms he taught school in Wayne and Cowan- shannock townships, becoming a very well- known man. In conjunction with his profes- Hardware Company of Rural Valley, Pennsyl- sion he engaged in farming. In 1878 he moved to Indiana county, where he bought farming The First National Bank of Plumville, Pa., was opened for business Dec. 26, 1905, with a capital stock of $30,000, and the following offi- cials : M. C. Wynkoop, president ; D. W. Rar- land, and operated it until his removal to En- terprise, in the same county. This homestead is still owned by Samuel S. Burns and his sis- ter. After his location at Enterprise Mr. aigh, vice president ; and D. W. Douds, cash-
560
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
ier. The board of directors is as follows: D. tion in Armstrong county. A native of the Andrews, A. W. Clowes, S. D. Kerr, Charles Tucker, H. G. Bowers, G. T. Crooks, D. W. Raraigh, S. S. Burns and M C. Wynkoop, all men of sound financial standing, whose names back of such an institution insure its stability.
HENRY ALEXANDER COLWELL, president of the National Kittanning Bank and vice president and superintendent of the Kittanning Iron and Steel Manufacturing Company, the former one of the leading finan- cial institutions of that borough, the latter one of the most important industrial concerns of Armstrong county, is a citizen whose value has been demonsrated through his long and intimate connection with affairs affecting the welfare of this entire section.
The members of the Colwell or Caldwell family have used various spellings of the name, the form Caldwell prevailing among a large number for several generations. It is also found written Coldwell and Coaldwell. Caldwell applied to place and family is traced in England, Scotland, Ireland and France, and from England, Scotland and Ireland emi- grated many of the name to New England. Again, Coldwell as applied to place and fam- ily appears as remotely as in the time of the Conqueror, 1066-87, whom it is said the fam- ily accompanied to England, participating in the stirring events of that day. In Scotland the Caldwells, of Caldwell in Ayrshire, had become a prominent family as early as 1349, at which date it furnished a chancellor of Scotland.
William Colwell, the grandfather of Henry Alexander Colwell, was the first of his an- cestors to settle in America, coming from Ireland. His elder brother, Alexander, had preceded him to this country, and lived at Kittanning among the early residents of that place. In 1814-15 he was engaged in the man- ufacture of nails at Kittanning. He married Margaret Henry. William Colwell was a farmer by occupation. He and his wife, whose maiden name was Bingham, settled in what is now East Franklin township, Arm- strong Co., Pa., and they lived to advanced age. They were Presbyterians in religious faith. Among their children were: James, William, John Alexander, Mark and two daughters, Mary A. (who died when a young girl) and Mrs. John Barnett. Mark Colwell's widow lives on a farm two miles west of Kit- tanning over the river.
John Alexander Colwell, son of William, was one of the leading citizens of his genera-
North of Ireland, born (possibly in County Derry) in 1812, he was twelve years old when he came to this country, with the rest of the family. He lived in Kittanning with his uncle Alexander, who was engaged in business as a merchant, and was associated with him as clerk and partner in the store. In 1844, in partnership with Christian Shunk, they built the Mahoning Furnace on Mahoning creek, in Pine (now Mahoning) township, Mr. Shunk withdrawing from this association in 1845. This was one of the first places where pig metal was made, and though it was not the first establishment of the kind in Arm- strong county, Mr. Colwell may be regarded as one of the pioneer iron manufacturers of this region. He continued with his uncle until the latter died, about 1866-67, leaving his in- terest to his daughters, who sold it to John Alexander Colwell and his son Henry Alex- ander Colwell, the business being still con- ducted under the name of J. A. Colwell & Co. until 1878, when they abandoned the plant. In October, 1879, father and son joined James E. Brown, James Mosgrove and Charles T. Neale, of Kittanning, and several Pittsburgh men associated under the style of Graff, Bennett & Co. (John Graff, James I. Bennett, Robert Marshall and Henry King), in the organization of the Kittanning Iron Company (Limited), with a capital of $150,- 000. Purchasing the property of James E. Brown, Trustee, they enlarged the facilities and began the manufacture of iron on an extensive scale. Within a few years great improvements had been effected and many additions made to the plant, the latter includ- ing a large blast furnace, part of the product of which was sold and part manufactured by the company into muck bar. New puddling furnaces were constructed and old ones re- paired, and all necessary machinery for the manufacture of iron in all its forms was in- stalled. In its early days the company spent fully $100,000 (then an immense sum) in modernizing the plant, building railroad side tracks, etc. Moreover, about a year after organizing they purchased a gas well three miles west of the works, to which the gas was conveyed in large pipes for use in puddling. The company acquired another important ad- junct to the business in the ownership of several thousand acres of iron land, and leased several thousand more, in the Allegheny val- ley, in Armstrong and Clarion counties, using the ore therefrom in the blast furnace without admixture. The pig iron for the puddling
561
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
furnace was taken from the blast furnace to the rolling mill and was there converted into muck iron. About five hundred pounds of Lake ore was used in addition to the pig iron to produce one gross ton of muck iron. A part of the coke used was made at the works from coal mined in the vicinity. Thus it will be seen that a great plant was built up by this enterprising concern, and the fact that it af- forded employment to several hundred men, about four hundred in the neighborhood and three hundred elsewhere, chiefly at the ore mines, made it one of the valuable institutions of this part of the State. It has had a con- tinuous existence to the present, and with increased capital and equipment is now con- ducted under the name of the Kittanning Iron and Steel Manufacturing Company. A branch has also been established at Pittsburgh. Henry A. Colwell is now the only survivor of the original organizers. The establishment is the only one of its kind in Armstrong county. John A. Colwell continued to be prominently connected therewith until his death, which occurred in February, 1902. He was an able business man, one who gained and held the confidence of his associates. He was a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity and of the Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Rebecca (Pritner) Colwell, had a family of seven children, five of whom are yet (1913) living. Wilson, the first born, died in in- fancy, and Mary, wife of Edward H. Jen- nings, president of the Colonial Trust Com- pany of Pittsburgh, Pa., is also deceased.
Henry Alexander Colwell was born July 15, 1844, in Kittanning, Armstrong Co., Pa. He attended school at Mahoning Furnace, Pa., later was a pupil in the academy at Se- wickley, Pa., for two years, and for one year attended school at Elder's Ridge, Pa. In 1861 he found employment at Kittanning as a clerk in the general mercantile establishment of McConnell & Campbell, with whom he remained about eighteen months. He next entered the employ of R. L. Brown & Co., who had an iron and rolling mill business at Kittanning, remaining with them about two years, and in March, 1865, took the position of superintendent at the Mahoning iron fur- nace. So well did he look after the affairs of that company in this responsible capacity that he became his father's partner and re- mained there until the plant was abandoned, as before related, in the spring of 1878. In 1879 he became a partner and foreman of the coal and iron mines of the Kittanning Iron Company (Limited), of which his father was
one of the organizers, this concern in time becoming the Kittanning Iron and Steel Com- pany. He has since been associated with this business, of which he has been one of the owners since 1879, and he is now the last sur- vivor of the original group who organized this company. Upon the reorganization, when the concern took its present title, Mr. Colwell became vice president and · superintendent, which position he has since filled. About three hundred hands are now regularly em- ployed, a fact which makes the prosperity of the plant of the utmost importance to the well-being of the locality. Mr. Colwell is an all-around business man, and in addition to his manufacturing and banking interests has valuable holdings of farm lands in the county, which he has managed with the same good judgment which marks his conduct of other affairs. He is prominently associated with local financial institutions, being president of the National Kittanning Bank and a director of the Farmers' National Bank.
On Jan. 16, 1867, Mr. Colwell married Phebe Bratton Mosgrove, daughter of James and Rebecca J. (Brown) Mosgrove, of Kit- tanning, and they have three children: (I) James Mosgrove, who died at Salem, Va., April 26, 1913, was married twice, his first wife being Marion Hyde, his second Ida M. Sparry. There was one son by the first mar- riage, James Mosgrove Colwell, and by the second there were two sons, Craig Alexander and Henry Alexander. (2) John A. married Helen Wally, of Troy, N. Y., and they had two children, Phoebe Mosgrove, wife of John D. Bibb, of Montgomery, Ala., and Henry Alexander. The father died Aug. 6, 1913, at Anniston, Ala. (3) Henry Clifford is un- married and lives at home in Kittanning.
Mr. Colwell is a Mason, belonging to Blue Lodge No. 244 at Kittanning, and he is a member of the Pennsylvania Society of New York. He and his wife attend the Episcopal Church.
JOHN MOSGROVE, grandfather of Mrs. Henry Alexander Colwell, was born in Ire- land, and was quite young when he came to this country. He was one of the first settlers at Kittanning, Armstrong county, having come to this region about the time this place was laid out. He continued to live there until his death, following his trade, that of car- penter, during the greater part of his resi- dence at Kittanning. He married Mary Gil- lespie, daughter of John Gillespie, a pioneer of Armstrong county. She was a cousin of James G. Blaine. John Gillespie conveyed
36
562
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
116 acres and 100 perches to Nicholas Clark Republican won the election by 756 votes. In in West Franklin township, June 28, 1848, 1882 he was renominated, but he declined to for $1,000; 71 acres and 106 perches Clark conveyed to James Blaine, April 2, 1858, for $925. Five children were born to their union, two sons and three daughters, namely : James is mentioned below; Andrew J., an attorney by profession, entered the United States vol- unteer service during the Mexican war and died while in the army; Margaret mar- ried Thomas B. Storey ; Phebe Isabella married Judge Jackson Boggs; Anna Jane married Simon Truby.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.