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 46
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
In 1872 Mr. Tittle married Margaret Jane Hunter, daughter of George Hunter, and four children were born to them, of whom Alice is the wife of Edwin Croyle; Anna Bell is the wife of Harry Spear; James K. is de- ceased. Mrs. Tittle died in 1879. In 1881 Mr. Tittle married Sarah C. Hawk, daughter of Samuel Hawk, and she died Sept. 18, 1891, the mother of three children: Della, wife of Joseph Lambing; William F .; and Ida, de- ceased.
H. B. TOWNSEND, a farmer of Kiski- minetas township, Armstrong county, was born April 9, 1856, in that township, son of A. K. and Mary Jane (Gamble) Townsend. The first of the Townsend family of whom anything definite is known was once a heavy landowner in England, but lost all his property
726
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Isaac Townsend, his son, was born in Eng- eight of whom survive, H. B. Townsend being the third child in the order of birth.
land about 1760, and on account of his fath- er's losses came to the Colonies about 1775. He settled in what was then Westmoreland county, Pa., but is now Kiskiminetas town- ship, Armstrong county, Pa., where he bought 400 acres from George Wolf, for which he paid seventy-five cents per acre. This prop- erty has been developed into the most valuable land in the county. A many-sided man, he could do almost anything to which he bent his mind, and became extremely prominent in his
locality, where he was called upon to settle his widow surviving until 1839.
numerous disputes among his neighbors, for his authority and level judgment were never questioned. After the organization of the Democratic party he adhered to its principles, and was elected on its ticket as auditor, as- sessor and road supervisor of his township. Although reared a Quaker, after marriage he became a member of the Lutheran Church, in which he was elder for many years. In
H. B. Townsend attended district school until eighteen years old, when he left school to 1780 he married Rachel King, who was of devote all his attention to farming, remaining German extraction, and they had ten chil- with his father until he was twenty-seven dren : John, Henry, Isaac, Robert, Joseph, years old, when he married. Following his William, Polly, Susan, and two that died in - marriage he rented a farm for two years, infancy unnamed. Mr. Townsend passed and then bought 100 acres of the home place, away in 1847, after a life of usefulness and upon which he resided for eight years. The Christian living.
Henry Townsend was born on the home farm of Isaac Townsend about 1795, and dur- ing his earlier years drilled salt wells and manufactured salt, later on in life devoting himself to agricultural pursuits. Politically he held the same faith as his father, and sup- ported the principles of the Democratic party. The Lutheran Church had in him a devout member. On Feb. 2, 1829, Henry Townsend married Catherine Ulam, by whom he had ten children.
succeeding two years he spent on the Tanner farm, but in 1893 he bought and moved upon 252 acres two miles east of Avonmore, which has continued to be his home. Mr. Townsend is a good general farmer, understanding thor- oughly the work in hand, and believing in scientific methods. His land has been brought into a fine state of development, and he reaps banner crops from his fertile acres. His prem- ises all show that a good manager is at the helm, and his stock is of good quality. Such farms as that owned by Mr. Townsend indi- cate very forcibly the change which modern inventions and ideas have wrought in agriculture.
A. K. Townsend attended the old subscrip- tion school in the district where he was born in December, 1826, on the old Townsend homestead. In addition to the educational Mr. Townsend was united in marriage with Jennie Fairman, and they have the following children : Margaretta, Myrna, Cloyd, Julia, Glade, Ruth, Gertrude and Kenneth. training he obtained in this primitive school, Mr. Townsend secured information upon va- ried subjects by reading, and kept himself well informed upon all the leading topics of The church, at Avonmore owned by the Presbyterian denomination was erected through the instrumentality of Mr. Townsend and several other members, and he continues to give it his loyal support. For the past few years he has been one of its trustees, and he is a man of importance in the organization as he is in his community. A strong Democrat, interest of his time. He became the owner of 400 acres of choice farm land, which he oper- ated profitably. A Jacksonian Democrat, he was a great admirer of Andrew Jackson. Elder's Ridge Presbyterian Church held his membership, and received his generous sup- port of both time and money. On Nov. 6, he is very active in the interests of his party, 1851, Mr. Townsend married Mary J. Gam- although not one who seeks, political ble, and ten children were born of this union, preferment.
Daniel Ulam, from whom Mr. Townsend is descended through his grandmother, was born in eastern Pennsylvania about 1745, in 1805 moving to Westmoreland county, where he bought and farmed a large tract of land. He was a Democrat. His religious faith made him a member of the Lutheran Church, which he served faithfully and conscientiously. In 1775 he married, and his family consisted of eight children. His death occurred in 1815,
Catherine Ulam carried Henry Townsend, and one of their children was A. K. Town- send, the father of H. B. Townsend, who thus traces his ancestry back through two prominent families on his father's side, the Townsends and Ulams, and through the Gambles on the mother's side.
727
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
FRANK STULL, merchant, who is en- to mining for a short time, but since 1896 has gaged in business at Bagdad, in Gilpin town- had charge of the store at Bagdad, for the Stull, Hill, Coulter Company, and is recog- nized as an able business man. ship, Armstrong county, Pa., was born at that place Feb. 25, 1855, son of Andrew Jackson Stull and a grandson of John Stull.
The paternal great-grandfather was of Ger- man parentage. He came from Lancaster county, Pa., to Armstrong county and in 1820 located where the town of Bagdad now stands, being a pioneer of that place. By trade he was a shoemaker. His burial was in Pleasant View cemetery, in Westmoreland county, near Leechburg.
John Stull, son of the settler, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., in 1790, and accom- panied his father to western Pennsylvania. He was also a shoemaker, and it is said he worked at his trade until he was ninety years of age, and lived to within fifteen days of being one hundred years old. When the old canal was in course of construction by the State he assisted in this work for some time. He married Elizabeth Allshouse, who died when aged eighty-eight years, ten months, eleven days, and both were buried in the old Forks Church cemetery, in Gilpin township. Mrs. Stull was born in Lancaster county. They had the following children: Solomon ; Daniel; Samuel; Andrew Jackson; Betsey, who married Philip Walters; Catherine, who married Samuel Kistler ; and Mary, who mar- ried Robert Lucas.
Andrew Jackson Stull, father of Frank Stull and son of John Stull, was born at Bag- dad, Pa., Feb. 1, 1833, and died Nov. 10, 1904. His wife was Margaret Shuster, born July 4, 1832, died Feb. 28, 1903. Their children were as follows: Albert, who is deceased ; Frank; John, who resides at Bagdad; Andrew Jackson, Jr., who is deceased; Wesley ; Fred- erick, who is deceased ; Henry ; Ida, who mar- ried Benjamin Brothers; and Elizabeth, now deceased, who was the wife of Jacob Lynch.
Andrew Jackson Stull spent his entire life at Bagdad, obtaining his schooling there and later entering the mercantile business. He was the first general merchant at the place and conducted his business for a number of years before he retired, his death occurring some years afterward. He and wife were mem- bers of the Forks Church and are buried in the cemetery there.
On April 15, 1879, Mr. Stull was married to Agnes Kidd, who died March 15, 1881, their only child, Grace then eleven months old dying on the same day. On Oct. 27, 1887, Mr. Stull was married (second) to Emma Morcom, and they have two sons, Howard M. and Frank H., aged respectively twenty- one and nineteen years. In politics Mr. Stull is a Republican, and while residing at Leech- burg he served in the office of constable, and in 1909 was elected a member of the school board of Gilpin township. He belongs to but one secret organization, the Odd Fellows. He belongs to the Hebron Lutheran Church at Leechburg, and has been a church member since he was fifteen years of age.
MARION HARKLEROAD, who is en- gaged in agricultural pursuits in Cowanshan- nock township, was born in Plum Creek township, Armstrong Co., Pa., Sept. 5, 1846, son of George A. and Susan (Martin) Harkle- road.
Christopher Harkleroad, the paternal grand- father of Marion Harkleroad, came from Bedford county, Pa., to Armstrong county in the early thirties, and settled in Plum Creek township, where he was engaged in farming up to the time of his demise, which was caused by his being thrown from a horse which he was riding. He married Mary Smouse, and their children who grew to maturity were: Sophia, who married Garrett Thomas ; Rebecca, who married George Rearick; Susan, who married Jonathan Yount; Lavina, who married John Rearick; Mary Ann, who mar- ried Herman Rearick; Barbara, who married David Kirkpatrick; Elizabeth, who married Henry Kirbs; George A .; William, and Philip.
Jonathan Martin, the maternal grandfather of Marion Harkleroad, was a pioneer of Indiana county, where he spent all of his life.
George A. Harkleroad, son of Christopher Harkleroad, and father of Marion Harkle- road, was born in Bedford county, Pa., in 1817, and came to Armstrong county with his parents when still a youth. He settled with the family in Plum Creek township, but prior to 1850 purchased a farm in Cowanshannock township, which is still operated by his heirs. Later he purchased the farm now owned and occupied by Marion Harkleroad, which, with
Frank Stull attended school in Gilpin town- ship during boyhood, and afterward was em- ployed in the coal mines, for about thirty years followed this dangerous work. After quitting the mines he operated a livery stable at Leechburg for two years and then returned the assistance of his sons, he cleared and
728
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
improved, and there he spent the remainder township, who married Mary Keeler; Cath- of his life, passing away in 1892 at the age of erine, who married George Iseman and lived seventy-five years. He and his wife had the in Manor township (both are deceased) ; following children : Mary, who married Isaac, and two who died in infancy. George and Isaac are the only survivors. Daniel Beltz; Margaret, deceased, who was the wife of Henry Wampler ; William ; Nancy, who married James Ritchey; Marion; Jane, who married James Garbrant; Elizabeth, who married Casper Reefer; George A., Jr .; Christopher; and Susan, deceased, who was the wife of Henderson Harkleroad.
Marion Harkleroad, son of George A. Harkleroad, was reared to manhood in Cowan- shannock township, and received his educa- tion in the common schools. On completing his studies he followed lumbering for fifteen years in Indiana and Clearfield counties, but since 1879 he has lived on the old homestead and devoted his attention to farming. Mr. Harkleroad uses modern ideas and methods in his work, and his property gives evidence about 1888, when he engaged in farming in of the presence of thrift and good manage- ment, while his skill as a farmer and stock- man has never been questioned.
In 1874 Mr. Harkleroad was married to Mary C. Smail, daughter of John and Mar- garet (Lohr) Smail, of Plum Creek town- ship. Four children have been born to this union : Francis; Sarah E., who married Charles Lauster ; Daniel W .; and Howard C. Mr. Harkleroad's political principles are those of the Democratic party. With his wife and children he attends the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ISAAC FENNELL, who has been engaged in farming in Bethel township for many years, is a veteran of the Civil war, and he has been as useful and honorable a citizen of his home community as he was of his country in the days of that crisis. He was born Aug. 21,' 1840, in Westmoreland county, Pa., son of Abraham and Katherine (Nunnemacher) Fen- nell.
Abraham Fennell was born on Loyalhanna creek, near New Salem, Westmoreland county, and died about 1843. His wife died in 1865, aged about seventy-five years. They were members of the Lutheran Church. They had a family of eleven children, five sons and six daughters: Jacob, a farmer of Kittanning township; Margaret, who married David Shiery ; Daniel, a farmer of Washington town- ship; Susan, wife of Jacob Nunnemacher ; Abraham, a farmer of West Franklin town- ship (he was a soldier in the Civil war) ; Elizabeth, who married William Schaeffer ; George, a farmer and coal miner in Manor
Isaac Fennell passed his early youth in North Buffalo township, and was educated in public school there. In February, 1864, he enlisted for service in the Union army, join- ing Company I, 78th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served over eighteen months, receiving his honorable discharge in September, 1865. He took part in all of the great battles of 1864 in which his command was engaged, being present at Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Buz- zard's Roost, Cumberland Gap, Resaca, Dal- las, New Hope Church Pulaski, Nashville, and other engagements. After the war he worked at coal mines and stone quarries until Bethel township, Armstrong county, settling at his present home one mile above Kelly Station.
On May 31, 1865, Mr. Fennell married Mary McElfresh, of Bethel township, daugh- ter of Richard and Elizabeth (Keibler) McEl- fresh, of that township, and she died in 1867. She was a member of the Methodist Church. Ellen, the Frst child of this union, born April 4, 1866, married Peter Miller and has six children; Ida, born March 10, 1867, married William Miller, of Bethel township, brother of her sister's husband, and has had three children, two of whom survive, Carl, a school teacher, and Verna, who is attending school at Ford City. In December, 1870, Mr. Fennell married (second) Nancy Keibler, who like himself was born in Westmoreland county, daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Piper) Keibler, and they have had three children, namely : Laura B., married Lyman Bowser, a farmer of Manor township, Armstrong county, and they have six children ; John N., a coal miner, now (1912) thirty-nine years old, is unmar- ried; Charles W., a blacksmith and machin- ist for the coal company, married Eva Dickey, who died July 4, 1910, leaving five children, of whom the eldest daughter Ora, is married to Arthur Klingensmith, the others being Austin, Leona, Florence and Smith. Mr. Fen- nell, the father, is a member of the Baptist Church.
HOMER HOWARD SHOEMAKER, dealer in general merchandise at Deanville, Armstrong Co., Pa., was born in Madison township, this county, May 26, 1866, son of
729
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Joseph B. and Margaret A. (Ferguson) Aug. 26, 1902, he embarked in the general mer- Shoemaker.
George Shoemaker, his greater-grandfather, with six brothers, John, Solomon, Adam, Simon, Samuel and Daniel, emigrated from Germany to America prior to 1770, and first settled in Loudoun county, Va. In 1798 or 1800 George Shoemaker settled at Cochran Mills, in what is now Burrell township, Arm- strong county. His wife was Margaret Miller, and their children were: Isaac; John; Peter ; Daniel; George; Jesse; Joseph; Catherine, Mrs. Blogher; Margaret, Mrs. Hind; and Hannah, Mrs. Uncapher. Of these,
Peter Shoemaker was the grandfather of Homer H. He settled in what is now Mahon- ing township, Armstrong county, near Oak- land, 1824, having purchased 200 acres of land from his cousin Philip Shoemaker, who had settled there in 1814. He cleared and improved this property, and became a prominent and The maternal grandfather of Homer H. successful man of affairs. His death occurred Shoemaker was Samuel Ferguson, a native in 1872. He married Sarah Ringer, who bore of Ireland. He was a pioneer of what is now him twelve children, ten of whom grew to Mahoning township, Armstrong county, and maturity : Isaac, William, Peter, Jesse, cleared and improved the farm now owned by Joseph B., George, Mary (who married Joseph Ferguson. His death occurred there.
Thomas Montgomery), Catherine (who mar- ried Samuel Young), Margaret and Sarah.
MATHIAS P. BOWSER, late of Boggs Joseph B. Shoemaker was born on the old township, Armstrong county, died June 3, homestead in Mahoning township July 31, 1909, on the farm there which he had owned 1839, and there was reared to manhood. and operated for many years, and which is He settled in Madison township in 1864, now carried on by his son Harvey P. Bowser. owning a tract of land of about 160 acres there, which he cleared and improved. He died there March 13, 1890, in his sixty-first year. He was a prominent farmer of his day, and his farm was considered the most valuable in Madison township. He owned the first combined reaper and mower brought to that township. In early life Mr. Shoemaker was a member of the German Baptist Church, but later he became a member of the Free Baptist Church at Deanville, of which he was a deacon for many years. He held various
This Bowser family has been settled in Boggs township for almost a century. Peter and Sarah (Russel) Bowser, parents of Mathias P. Bowser, came to this region from east of the mountains and first located in Franklin township, Armstrong county. They obtained a tract of land which they soon traded for 200 acres in Boggs township, and there they erected log buildings and made a permanent home. Mr. Bowser farmed the remainder of his life there. He and his wife had a large family of children, born as follows : township offices, was a Republican in political Elizabeth, Aug. 30, 1811; Mary, Aug. 14, 1813; Martha, Nov. 3, 1815; John, Oct. 27, 1816; Mathias P., Jan. 17, 1819; Jennet, Dec. II, 1821; Sally, March 3, 1825; Margaret, March 21, 1826; Laban, July 16, 1828; Jere- miah, Feb. 6, 1832.
sentiment, and an advocate of prohibition. He married Margaret A. Ferguson, whose death occurred May 19, 1912. They reared a family of seven children, as follows: Carrie, wife of F. E. Claypoole; Homer H .; Ora A .; Junie F., wife of Adam Shindledecker ; Bertha G., wife of John Shindledecker; Mervin L .; and Claude C.
Homer H. Shoemaker was brought up on the old homestead and received his schooling in the local common schools. He studied music and was a teacher of vocal music for sixteen years in western Pennsylvania. On
chandise business at Deanville, in which he has since continued with marked success. He is industrious, hardworking, and courteous in all his dealings and he has won success by his own efforts. On April 2, 1912, he bought the property known as the Myers Heirs farm, which bounds part of Deanville, and in the summer of that year built the first round barn in Armstrong county.
On Dec. 25, 1894, Mr. Shoemaker was mar- ried to Alice M., daughter of William and Elizabeth (Gohwen) Shoemaker, of Clarion county, Pa., and they have two children, Carl M. and Paul A. Mr. Shoemaker has served as school director of Madison township for twelve years. He is a member of the Free Baptist Church of Deanville, and has been superintendent of the Sunday school since 1908. He is a strong Prohibitionist.
Mathias P. Bowser was born in Pennsyl- vania, but it is not certain whether his birth- place was east of the mountains or in Arm- strong county, where he was reared. He was trained to farm work from the time his serv- ices were of any use, and in young manhood began farming on his own account. He also ran a sawmill. He owned and lived upon
730
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
fifty acres of his father's old place, thence in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Oct. 14, 1837. moving to the place where Robert Walker In his native land George Hechler had eight full years of schooling. He started for the now lives, above Mosgrove, and later to a farm at Pine Furnace, which he had been United States when twenty-seven years of age. cultivating for twelve years at the time he At that time crossing the Atlantic ocean meant entered the Union service during the Civil a long voyage and Mr. Hechler was on the water for forty-three days before he landed at the city of New York. He found work there and for three months was employed in the largest hotel in the city, which was then located at No. 381 Fourth street. In February, 1865, he came to Brady's Bend, Pa., and on March 29, 1865, began work with pick and shovel for Gust Uhl, his wages being $1.65 per day. He was afterward employed for about three months in unloading coal at the rolling mills, and then went to work in the blast fur- nace, where he remained until that plant closed war. He had formerly been captain of a company of State militia whose camp or training ground was at or near what is now Snyderville, filling that position until the com- pany's time expired and it gave up training. In 1862 he joined the 78th Regiment, Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served three years as a member of Companies I and B, receiving an honorable discharge in March, 1865. He was captured and paroled. Returning home from the army he lived a few years more on his property at Pine Furnace,
in April, 1870, removing to the place in Boggs down in 1873. From there he made his way township where he ever afterward made his home. He bought 120 acres, partly cleared, on which stood an old log barn and a small house, and in the course of his residence here improved the land in every respect, and as prosperity enabled him erected modern build- ings. He also owned a sixty-acre tract above, known as the John Baum place. He became one of the most respected men in his neighbor- hood, serving his fellow citizens in various township offices, was an influential member of the Democratic party in his locality, and in religious connection was a member of the United Presbyterian Church.
On April 10, 1844, Mr. Bowser married Sarah Ann Baum, who was born March 26, 1826, daughter of John Baum, and eleven chil- dren were born to them, as follows: Wilson L., March 31, 1845; Ross Mechlin, Dec. 8, 1847; Harvey Peter, Dec. 5, 1849; Dewitt Clinton, Dec. 23, 1851 (died in 1853) ; Hetty Williams, July 23, 1853; Templeton B., Oct. 9, 1855; Sarah Jane, May 23, 1857; Madison Monroe, Feb. 14, 1860 (died aged fifty-three years) ; McClellan G., April 5, 1862; James Neal, Jan. 20, 1866; Rebecca P., May 15, 1867.
GEORGE HECHLER, farmer and oil producer, residing on his farm of fifty acres situated in Brady's Bend township, one mile east of Kaylor, Armstrong county, was born
to Chicora, where he helped to build large oil tanks, his wages being then $2.50 per day. He was a man of business enterprise, as was shown by his renting and operating coal banks in Donegal township, near Chicora. For eight years he followed teaming, and after that for six years was engaged in buying oil wells. He helped to drill eight dry holes in Brady's Bend township. Mr. Hechler continued as an inde- pendent dealer in oil until he had to sell for fifty-one cents a barrel, when he retired from the business and bought his present fine farm, which he has enjoyed improving. He erected the present comfortable residence and set out a fruit orchard. He has also one oil well and one gas well on the place. Mr. Hechler has built up his present fortune from a very small beginning, as he had but six dollars in gold and less than two dollars in paper money when he reached Brady's Bend.
On Sept. 5, 1865, Mr. Hechler was married to Elizabeth Lieabac, who was also born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and they have had the following children: Adam, Lizzie, Mary, Annie, Maggie, Louisa, Lizzie (2), George, Henry, Emma, Lewis and Carl, all of whom are living except the first Lizzie and
HARVEY PETER BOWSER, son of Mathias P. Louisa. They also have an adopted son, Wil- Bowser, was born Dec. 5, 1849. After his liam. The family belong to the Lutheran father gave up active work the care of the Church. In politics Mr. Hechler is a Republi- home place devolved upon him, and he has can, and for seven terms, or fourteen years, he served in the office of overseer of the poor. continued to live there, his mother, who is now in her eighty-ninth year, making her home with him.
WILLIAM HARRISON MOORE, JR., general merchant and postmaster at Mosgrove Armstrong county, where he does a thriving business, belongs to a family of German origin which has long been settled in Penn- sylvania.
731
HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Archibald Moore, his grandfather, was born in Pennsylvania, and died around the year 1850, when about forty years of age. By occu- pation he was a farmer and riverman. His wife, Katie (Sipes), a native of Franklin township, Armstrong county, died in 1867, at the age of sixty-three years. She, too, was of a family of German descent which settled in Pennsylvania, being a daughter of John Sipes, who followed farming all his life. To Archibald and Katie (Sipes) Moore were born eight children: Sarah, William H., Harriet, Jonathan (deceased), John (deceased), Cath- erine (deceased), Adeline (deceased), and Ellis B. (of Ironton, Ohio).
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.