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 35
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Mr. and Mrs. Truby are members of the Lutheran Church at Freeport. He was a Sun- day school teacher in that church for twenty years. In his earlier years he was a noted singer, and gave singing lessons.
CHRISTIAN YERTY WYANT, late of Washington township, was one of the suc- cessful farmer citizens of that section of Armstrong county in his day. He was born in that township Oct. 19, 1834, son of Adam and Sarah (Yerty) Wyant.
Martin Wyant, his grandfather, was 'from
Adam Wyant, father of Christian Y. Wyant, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa. He was twice married, his first union being with Sarah Yerty, by whom he had seven children : Christian Yerty, born Oct. 19, 1834; Martin, born Feb. 29, 1836; Andrew, born in 1839; Archibald, born in 1843; Elizabeth, born in 1845; and Rachel and George, who died in infancy. The only survivor of this family is Elizabeth, who married Harvey Frick. For his second wife Adam Wyant married, on March 25, 1847, Sophia Bowser, who was born May 29, 1828, in Franklin township, Armstrong county, and still lives on the old farm in Washington township. Ten children were born to this marriage, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Mary, March 2, 1848; Delilah, 'Sept. 23, 1849; Eli, Aug. 9, 1851; Teney, April 13, 1853; Benjamin W., Sept. 4, 1855 ; Emma, Feb. 4, 1858; Catherine, March 13, 1860; John B. F., Aug. 7, 1863; Margaret, Sept. 4, 1866; and Susanette, June 3, 1869.
Christian Yerty Wyant was a lifelong farmer. Shortly after his marriage he moved onto the tract of 160 acres in Washington township which has ever since been the home of his family. At that time there was only one old log building on the place, but he carried on the work of improvement steadily to the end of his days, converting it into a valuable property, with handsome modern buildings. He took a public-spirited interest in the wel- fare of the community, and served his fellow citizens as township assessor and overseer of the poor. In political sentiment he was a Republican. His church connection was with the Brethren in Christ. Mr. Wyant died March 24, 1910, aged seventy-five years, five months, five days.
On Feb. 25, 1858, Mr. Wyant married Elizabeth John, who was born Oct. 6, 1834, a half mile from the farm where she now lives in Washington township, daughter of Martin and Mary (Christman) John. Eight children were born to their union : One died in infancy unnamed; Mary Ann, born March 20, 1860, married C. Phillip and resides in Butler county, Pa .; Rosa Elvira, born April 1, 1862, married Cash Cramer, a resident of Oil City, Pa .; Sarah Margaret, born Sept. 4, 1864, died June 4, 1865; Andrew Robert Elmer, born May 20, 1867, is a minister and physician of
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Chicago; Adam Martin, born Sept. 15, 1869, aged twenty-two, unmarried; Miriam married is an attorney, located at Greensburg, Pa. ; Sheridan Davidson; Ellen married James Painter. William Whitfield, born May 20, 1873, is a physician of Farrel, Pa .; Florence Bell, born July 15, 1876, a physician of Sharon, Pa., married John Matta.
Martin John, grandfather of Mrs. Christian Y. Wyant, was from Bedford county, Pa. It was he who hewed the logs for and built the Jonas Bowser cabin in Washington township still standing, and illustrated elsewhere in this work. He and his wife Esther had children as follows: John, Peter, Martin, Elizabeth, Esther, Catherine and Christina.
Martin John, son of Martin and Esther, was well known in his section as "Red Martin." He was born in 1797 in Bedford county, and coming to this region with his family passed the rest of his life engaged in farming in what is now Washington township. He was prom- inent in politics as a member of the Republican party, and took an active part in local affairs, serving as president of the township board when his portion of Washington township was included in Sugar Creek township. He be- longed to the Brethren Church. His death occurred in 1856, and his wife Mary ( Christ- man), born in 1799, died in September, 1871, aged seventy-four. They had children : Jacob, who died when one year, nine months old; Christina, who died aged eighteen years; Esther ; Ann; Michel ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Wyant ; Catherine; and Christman.
ALEXANDER B. DEEMER, who carries on farming in Burrell township, Armstrong county, is a native of the county, born July 17, 1849, on his father's farm in Kiskiminetas township, son of Philip Deemer and grand- son of Philip Deemer. His great-grandparents came from Germany at an early day and settled in Westmoreland county, near Greens- burg.
Philip Deemer, father of Alexander B. Deemer, was born March 20, 1820, in Arm- strong county, and died in February, 1904. He married Anna Black, who was born in Armstrong county July 18, 1827, daughter of Alexander Y. Black (his wife was an Eck- man), and died in March, 1908. Nine chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Philip Deemer, four sons and five daughters: Mary J., Philip A., Alexander B., Sarah, Melissa, Lemuel, John, Miriam and Ellen. Mary J. married David Howell; Philip A. married Mary J. Edwards; Sarah married Israel James Glenn, father of Joseph W. Glenn. was born in Mercer county, and settled in George; Melissa married Henry Hazlett ; Lemuel married Jane Knepshield; John died Armstrong county in the latter thirties or
Alexander B. Deemer is engaged in farm- ing in Burrell township, having a fine farm of eighty-five acres, and raising grain, hay and stock, also doing some gardening. He is one of the substantial and respected citizens of his locality. He belongs to the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a member of the Republican party.
On June 18, 1874, Mr. Deemer was mar- ried to Amanda J. Clark, of Clarion county, Pa., who was born March 13, 1858, daughter of Thomas C. and Leah (Boyer) Clark, and granddaughter of James Clark, a farmer of Clarion county, who lived to a good old age. He was of Scotch descent, his wife of German ancestry. To Mr. and Mrs. Deemer have been born four sons: James I., born Feb. 6, 1875, married Alma Cravener, and they have three daughters, Jennie E., Susanna and Alma I .; William Garfield, born Oct. 15, 1880, married Laura Mansfield, and has two daugh- ters, Leona A. and Olive; Campbell O., born May 1, 1883, married Lizzie Hawk, and they have two daughters, Mary A. and Esther E .; Philip Alexander, born Jan. 17, 1893, died Jan. 24, 1913, married Velma Kerr, and they had one son, Philip Alexander, Jr. There are eight grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Alex- ander B. Deemer living. Mr. and Mrs. Deemer are members of the Crooked Creek Presbyterian Church in Bethel township. He is a member of the A. O. U. W. and of Bur- rell Grange, No. 515.
JOSEPH W. GLENN, florist and seed dealer of Kittanning, Armstrong county, was born Feb. 10, 1857, in Manor township, this county, where the family has been settled for three quarters of a century. -
The Glenns are of Irish extraction. Mr. Glenn's great-grandfather was one of five brothers, natives of the North of Ireland who immigrated to the United States in the early part of the last century, and was a pioneer in Mercer county, Pa. His son Robert Glenn. grandfather of Joseph W. Glenn, was born in Mercer county, where he lived and died, his death occurring when he was fifty-two years old. He was a farmer by occupation. His children were: James, Valentine, Annie, Elizabeth and another whose name is not given.
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
early forties, locating in Manor township, he moved to Kittanning, Armstrong county, where he engaged in farming. He remained there until his death, which occurred in 1885, when he was ninety-two years old. He was twice married, his first wife, whose maiden name was Kunkle, becoming the mother of two children: Annie, who married James Kelley, and Margaret. For his second wife he married Elizabeth Bruner, a native of Arm- strong county, whose father was a pioneer of the county; he was of English descent. To James and Elizabeth (Bruner) Glenn were born seven children : Robert; Annie, now de- ceased ; Jennie, deceased wife of Samuel
with his family, which then consisted of seven children : Henry (now deceased), Min- erva Jane, James (deceased), Robert H., Amanda and Adeline, twins (the latter de- ceased), and John (deceased). After a resi- dence of five years in Kittanning Mr. Walker located on the place now owned by his son Robert, in 1856, and followed the carpenter's trade in addition to farming. He left that place to live in Bethel township, where he spent the remainder of his days, dying June 3, 1880, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife died, Jan. 24, 1874, at the age of seventy- Densmore; Parks A., deceased; William, liv- three. Mr. Walker always belonged to the ing; Joseph W., living; and Sarah, deceased. U. P. Church.
Joseph W. Glenn grew to manhood on the cated in the common schools there. When eighteen years old he began work on his own account, as an employee in the Kittanning Rolling Mills, and he continued in that line until 1884, working at rolling mills in different sections of the country. In 1884 he settled at Wichita, Kans., where he worked on a ranch for three years and then for four years was engaged in market gardening there. In 1891 he returned to Armstrong county, Pa., locating in North Buffalo township, where he began business as a market gardener and florist. He remained there until 1903, when he removed to Kittanning and entered the business he has Robert H. Walker came to his present homestead in Manor township and was edu- home with his family, and four years later married. In those days the place was en- tirely unimproved, and was overgrown with underbrush, which added to the hardships of preparing land for cultivation in those days of primitive appliances. Under his father's tuition he learned the carpenter's trade, and the house and barns now on the property are the work of his hands. The tract origi- nally comprised 160 acres, IIO of which are still owned by Mr. Walker. He has made his home there continuously, and through- out his active years carried on general farm- ing successfully, becoming one of the well- to-do farmers of his section. As a citizen since carried on, being engaged as a florist he has been useful to the community in vari- and seed dealer at No. 124 Market street. He ous capacities, holding several important local offices. In his political views he has always been a Republican. In church connection he is a Baptist. is a stockholder in the Kittanning Brewing Company and has acted as road salesman for that concern since 1906, his various interests keeping him busy. He is well known in the
On Feb. 16, 1859, Mr. Walker married local fraternal bodies, belonging to the B. P. O. Elizabeth Lockheart, who was born in In- Elks, Fraternal Order of Eagles and I. O. H. His religious connection is with the Episcopal Church, and in politics he associates with the Republican party.
On Dec. 13, 1877, Mr. Glenn married Lydia Mitchell, daughter of William and Margaret (Sweitzer) Mitchell, of Juniata county, Pennsylvania.
ROBERT H. WALKER, now living re- tired, was engaged in farming throughout his active years on the place in Rayburn town- ship, Armstrong county, which he still occu- pies. He is a native of Allegheny county, Pa., born Feb. 16, 1835, son of James and Jane (Bigham) Walker.
diana county, Pa., Aug. 19, 1835, daughter of Thomas Lockheart, of that county, who later settled in Boggs (then Valley) township, Armstrong county. Mr. and Mrs. Walker have had the following children: James T., Elmer E., Minerva Jane, Margaret (de- ceased), John, Robert (deceased), Elizabeth (deceased), Mattie (deceased), Harry White (deceased ), William Grant (deceased), Amanda and Carrie.
JAMES HARVEY MINTEER, who has followed farming all his life in West Frank- lin township, Armstrong county, is a descend- ant of an old and representative pioneer family of this section.
James Walker, the father, was born in William and Mary (Nicholson) Minteer, his grandparents, were natives of Ireland, of Pennsylvania, in either Washington or Alle- gheny county. Some time after his marriage Scotch-Irish descent, and in 1813 settled in
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
what is now West Franklin township, Arm- McMillen, daughter of Oliver D. and Sarah strong Co., Pa., purchasing 200 acres of land (Witherup) McMillen, of West Franklin township, and they have a family of eight children: Boyd S., Jessie E., Sarah Ellen, Effie R., Ivie, Harvey D., Cora A. and Howard V. Mr. Minteer is a member of the Royal Arcanum. He is independent on political questions. and settling another 100 acres. They gave their son William, Jr., 150 acres and their son John fifty acres and allowances. Daniel O'Neil purchased fifty acres of what had been settled, leaving John the remaining fifty acres and allowances. William Minteer cleared and improved his place and he and his wife passed .13: 47 the remainder of their lives there, his death occurring Oct. 30, 1851, when he was seventy- three years old, hers June 1, 1851, at the age of sixty-three. This pioneer couple reared a family of twelve children: James; Wil- liam; Andrew; John; Joseph; Alexander ; Mary, who married Matthew Rayburn; Jen- nie, who married William Smith; Ellen, who married John Smith; Nancy, who married John Milligan; Elizabeth, who married Robert Galbraith; and Margaret, who married Anthony Williams. The son William served in the Mexican war and John and Joseph three years in the Civil war, in the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. William Minteer, the father of this family, and Abram Smith built the First Associate church at Slate Lick in 1815; it was a log structure 33 feet square, and they and their families worshipped there for many years, being obliged to walk five or six miles, each way, to attend services.
John Minteer, son of William, was born on the old homestead April 14, 1825, and there spent sixty-seven years of his life, pass- ing the rest of his days at Worthington, where he died Sept. 24, 1900, in his seventy-sixth year. He married Elizabeth Milligan, daugh- ter of Samuel and Mary (McElwee) Milli- gan, natives of Ireland of Scotch-Irish de- scent who came to this country and settled in Clearfield township, Butler Co., Pa., in the early days of the development of that section. Mrs. Minteer died in 1902, at the age of seventy-nine years. She and her hus- band had a family of seven children, four of whom grew to maturity: William, J. Harvey, John (now deceased) and Margaret.
old Minteer homestead, where he still resides, has been engaged in mining, as assistant boss
James Harvey Minteer was born on the Oct. 6, 1856, and has passed all his life at that place. He was educated in the local common schools, and has been engaged in farming throughout his active years, now cul- tivating that portion of the home property which has come into his possession, 130 acres and allowances. He is a successful worker and is counted among the substantial residents of his section.
On Nov. 6, 1874, Mr. Minteer married Ann
WILLIAM R. MILLER resides upon a farm in Bethel township, Armstrong county, which has been in the possession of his fam- ily for a period of seventy years, he having owned it for the last forty-five years, and his father before him having owned and lived upon the place for twenty-five years. He is one of the substantial and reliable citizens of the township, a man whose upright and industrious life entitles him to the esteem of all who know him. Mr. Miller was born in Cowanshannock, Armstrong county, Jan. 17, 1857, son of Isaac and Sarah (Klingensmith ) Miller and grandson of Peter Miller. The grandfather, formerly of Westmoreland county, came to Armstrong county and set- tled in Kittanning township. He was twice married, his first wife being a Miss Altman, his second Margaret Turner.
Isaac and Sarah (Klingensmith) Miller, parents of William R. Miller, were both na- tives of Armstrong county, and they had a family of nine children, four sons and five daughters, five of whom still survive : William R .; Martha, who was twice married, first to George Schaeffer and second to Franklin Kemple; Sarah Alice, who was twice married, first to James McKelvey and second to Charles Beach; John W., who married Rose Hawley; and Calvin Peter, who married Sarah E. Fen- nell. Isaac Miller, the father, died April 19, 1889; the mother died Dec. 4. 1875.
William R. Miller was reared in Bethel township and received his education in the local schools. His father settled on his pres- ent farm in 1867, and made his home there for twenty-five years, and it has been the property of William R. Miller since 1893. He and miner for the Raridan & East Brady Coal Company.
On July 29, 1886, Mr. Miller was married to Ida Fennell, daughter of Isaac and Mary (McElfresh) Fennell, of Armstrong county, and granddaughter of Christopher Fennell, of Butler county, Pa., and of Richard and Cath- erine (Keibler) McElfresh. They have had three children : Carl, born July 1, 1888, is en- gaged in school teaching at Logansport ; Wylie,
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
born March 13, 1894, died July 24, 1910; Ver-" Miss Bertha King, now deceased, and after- nie, born July 28, 1895, is attending high school at Ford City. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are mem- bers of the Homewood Baptist church. He is a Democrat in politics, and a good citizen, favoring every project for the advancement of the general welfare.
JACOB WOLF was one of the early pio- neer settlers of Bethel township, then a part of old Allegheny township. He was born Oct. 10, 1813, at what is now Logansport, and was one of a family of thirteen children, three sons and ten daughters, viz .: Jacob ; Elizabeth, Mrs. William Van Dyke; Lydia, Mrs. Hamil- ton Kelly ; Polly, Mrs. Gideon King; Susanna, Mrs. Andrew Jack; Christina, Mrs. John King; Margaret, Mrs. George Kerns; George, married to Margaret Cumsty ; Eveline, second wife of Hamilton Kelly ; Rachel, Mrs. Samuel Murphy ; Harriet, Mrs. Jonathan Painter ; Di- anna, Mrs. Socrates Dickey; Henry T., mar- ried to Mary Weaver. The father of the above named children was George Wolf, who owned and lived upon a farm near Logans- port; his first wife was Susanna Williams, who was the mother of the first nine children. After her death he married Mrs. Elizabeth Williard, who was the mother of the last four named. The father of George Wolf was Jacob, who was also the father of about a doz- en children ; his parents came from Germany away back in Revolutionary times.
ward married Miss May Davis (they have three children, Nellie, Inez and Lloyd). Mr. and Mrs. Chambers W. Wolf also had one daughter, Warna May, who married Frank Truby, and both are deceased. Hiram G. mar- ried Miss Harriet I. Montgomery, of Manor township, and they reside on a part of the Wolf farm near Center Valley; their family consists of Alfred Clyde, a civil engineer ; Frances Luella, a teacher; Coral Ethel, mar- ried to Artie Freeland Caldwell, a fireman (they have one son, Myron Freeland Cald- well, now eight years old) ; and Carrie Ma- bel, a teacher. Labanna Earhart and Austin Van Dyke died of diphtheria in February, 1862, within a few days of each other, aged fifteen and thirteen years, respectively. Fran- ces followed next in line, and then Jacob Oscar (see separate sketch) ; they reside at the old home.
The parents of Mrs. Frances Wolf were George and Elizabeth (Sipes) Van Dyke, of South Buffalo township, whose family con- sisted of eight children, three sons and five daughters, namely: Frances; Mary, married to Solomon Wolf; William Van Dyke, who married Elizabeth Wolf ; Margaret, who mar- ried Stephen Mahaffey; George, who died unmarried; Eliza, who married James Arp; John, who married Harriet Atwood Wilson ; and Susanna, who married Andrew Hindman. The ancestors of the Van Dykes came from Holland. William Van Dyke was the grand- father of the children named in this article.
Jacob Wolf, the subject of this sketch, was as stated the eldest of the family of George Wolf. He was married March 12, Jacob Wolf, whose name introduces this article, was in his early years a "schoolmaster." Until quite recently there remained standing in what is called Pine Run an old log schoolhouse in which he taught a school of some sixty or seventy young men and women more than seventy years ago. For a number of years this old schoolhouse was used as a dwelling-house ; the last person to own and use it as such was Mr. Daniel McElfresh, one of Mr. Wolf's pupils at that time. Pupils then traveled four or five miles to attend school. About seven years after his marriage he purchased and moved to his farm, and built a house upon it, when deer and wild turkey might be had for the taking, and bears, wildcats, etc., prowled in the woods at night. After years of hard labor he succeeded in clearing it of its heavy growth of timber and putting it into a state of cultivation. Later in life he followed boating on the Allegheny river, and was owner of a boat, the "Clipper," for carrying merchandise 1835, to Frances Van Dyke, of South Buf- falo township, who was born Oct. 11, 1812. The venerable "Squire" Gibson of Freeport performed the marriage ceremony. They became the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters. Elizabeth, their first child, died in infancy. Susanna married Godfrey Exley, of Clarion county, and died April 8, 1899, Mr. Exley dying about two years previous. William Lee married Miss Mary Montgomery, of Manor township, and died June 14, 1898, leaving his wife and two sons, Edgar Roy, a teacher, and Nor- man Lee, who usually works in gas fields. Chambers W. married Miss Emma E. Look- abaugh, of Parks township, and died April 8, 1908, leaving his wife and two sons : Harry Lee and J. Clyde (the latter unmar- ried), both of whom are employed by the Pennsylvania Railway Company, Harry as telegrapher, Clyde as auditor, and reside in New Kensington, Pa .; Harry Lee married from Pittsburgh to Oil City and other towns
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
along the river. He was one. of a committee church, and by the side of his wife, who died who banded themselves together to found a Sept. 6, 1890, aged seventy-eight years. church, the Bethel Lutheran, in what is now. Bethel township. He lived to see and assist in building in 1880 a second, larger and better, church upon the same ground, selected by that committee.
Politically Mr. Wolf was a Republican from the birth of that party. His first presidential vote was cast for William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate. He was twice elected justice of the peace and held a number of other offices in old Allegheny township, although the Democrats outnumbered the Republicans two to one. He maintained that it was the duty of every man to vote and he seldom if ever failed to perform that duty. At one time while per- forming his duty as tax collector he chanced to be in the most remote part of Allegheny township, ten or twelve miles from his home. During the day and night snow fell to the depth of almost three feet. In the morning he started for his home, on horseback. In the afternoon, to relieve his horse, he dis- mounted, when the horse, taking advantage of the opportunity, succeeded in getting away from him and he was obliged to follow after in the trail on foot. The horse arrived at home several hours in advance of him and caused considerable alarm to his wife and children.
PROF. J. OSCAR WOLFE, ex-county superintendent of schools, who is known throughout Armstrong county for his services in various capacities in the field of public in- struction, is a resident of Bethel township and was born on the farm where he still resides. His parents, Jacob and Frances (Van Dyke) Wolf, had a family of nine children, of which he is the youngest (see sketch of Jacob Wolf ). It became the duty of him and his sister Frances to care for their parents in their declining age, and after their death J. O. Wolfe purchased the old home where he and his sister reside.
Mr. Wolfe began his education in the pub- lic schools near his home at the age of six years; and continued to attend the public schools during the winter months until he was licensed to teach. During the summer, for a number of years, he supplemented his early instruction with study at a number of select schools and teachers' training schools of Armstrong county. He has studied under Prof. James A. Storey, principal of the Leech- burg Select School for teachers; Rev. Leslie E. Hawk, of Slate Lick, principal of the Mc- Vill Select School; and Prof. H. T. Duff, principal of the Leechburg Select School for teachers and others, and of the Leechburg Classical and Normal School three terms. The object of this school was to prepare the young men and women attending the institu- tion for the teaching profession and also to qualify all those desiring a higher education to enter the freshman class in any of the col- leges, in the State or elsewhere. The faculty
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