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 90
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Franklin Co., Pa., who was born at that place also owned a farm, died June 1, 1898; he May 4, 1766, of English parentage. The Stan- married Lizzie McDermit, and had two daugh- leys were descendants of the Earls of Derby. ters, Harriet and Sevalka. (2) William Henry Four Stanley brothers were members of the married Lizzie La Verea, a French Canadian, celebrated Queen's horse guard, in England, of North Dakota, where he was employed by composed entirely of tall men. One of Mrs. Shirley's relatives in this connection was Gen. Matthew Stanley, of Chambersburg, for whom Hon. Matthew S. Quay was named.
William Moorhead, father of Mrs. Shirley, was born Sept. 28, 1801, in Chambersburg, where he was reared. In Butler county he learned the trade of blacksmith and machinist, and after finishing his apprenticeship went to New Orleans as engineer on a steamer. He speculated in cotton and coffee, and became a man of considerable means. In 1828 he mar- ried Harriet Holmes, of Pittsburgh, and in the fall of that year came to Freeport, open- ing a shop here the same year. Here he made his home the remainder of his life, building his residence in 1830. His business prospered, the activities at the salt mines bringing him much work preparing and repairing tools for that industry. For several years he was a United States storekeeper, and he was also active in other ways until his retirement at the age of sixty-four years. Mr. Moorhead was a man of fine mind, a great reader, es- pecially of history, had a strong character, and was noted for the strictest integrity in all the relations of life. Though free from pre- tense, and without desiring honors for him- self, he was prominent in local affairs and held various offices, being a member of the council, a school director, etc. When the State of Pennsylvania was invaded, though sixty-four years old, he volunteered his services, and did post duty at Gettysburg. He was a charter member of the First Presbyterian Church of Freeport, but though frequently solicited to service as elder, refused to hold that or any other office in the church on the ground that he had decided views on some questions and had no wish to quarrel with any who might criticize his actions in that position. His char- acter may well be judged by the friends he had, for he was an associate of such men as Judge Thomas M. Howe, Judge Wilson Mc- Candless, and the widely known Dr. Alter, of Freeport, inventor and scientist, whose scientific discoveries have brought reputation to himself and the town; he was also an inti- mate friend of Edwin M. Stanton, secretary of war.
the Hudson Bay Company, later owning a large tract of land and an undertaking establishment at Pembina, N. Dak .; the town of Moorhead, that State, was named for him. He died July 3, 1897. His children were: James, Stanley, Shepley, Mary, Delia, and one or two who died in infancy. (3) Shepley W., who died Jan. 13, 1876, unmarried, was engaged as an oil producer at Oil City, Titusville, Parker, and other places in Pennsylvania. (4) David Mil- ton, who was engaged in the production of oil with his brother Shepley, died Aug. 17, 1894. He married Anna Rutter, of Arnold, Pa .; they had no children. He served three years in the Civil war, being a member of Company A, 8th Pennsylvania Reserves, under Captain Heney, of Kittanning, and later became a mem- ber of the U. V. L. (5) Sylvester, born Sept. 10, 1831, died Oct. 5, 1842. (6) Max- well, born July 5, 1838, died July 10, 1838. For his second wife William Moor- head married May 4, 1845, Mary J. Miller, who was born March 1, 1815, daughter of John and Isabella (Brown) Miller, natives of Ireland, of Scotch-Irish origin, who re- sided on a farm one mile from Freeport, in Harrison township, Allegheny Co., Pa .; Mrs. they were United Presbyterians.
Moorhead was a Presbyterian like her husband. She survived him, his death occurring Sept. 17, 1890, hers on March 20, 1894. They were the parents of six
children : John died when three years old ; Martha A. is the wife of John T. Shirley, of Freeport ; Harriet Holmes, who was named by her mother for her husband's first wife, never married; Robert M., of Washington, Pa., a former gauger for the Standard Oil Company, married Caroline McVey, and they have one son, Robert F .; Mary Isabelle is the wife of George W. Wood, who was a con- tractor for the English Oil Syndicate, and they have one daughter, Mary Mildred (their fam- ily home is in Washington, Pa.) : Elizabeth resides in Freeport. Mrs. Shirley may well be proud of her father's standing in Freeport. A man of superior mold, an associate and friend of the most intelligent men of the day in this locality, he was highly thought of by all who knew him, and well deserved the repu- tation he bore. His social qualities have been transmitted to his children, and his family
By his first wife, Harriet Holmes, Mr. Moorhead had children as follows: (1) Stan- ley R., an oil contractor, of Karns City, who have always been noted for intellect and abil-
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
ity. As shown by her work in oil Mrs. Shir- ley has natural artistic talent.
MRS. MARGARET (TRUBY) IRWIN, of Freeport, Armstrong county, is the widow of John R. Irwin, a notably successful con- Truby and Murphy families, whose connec- tion with the early history of this section may well be a matter of pride to their posterity.
Mrs. Susan (Murphy) Truby, the mother struction engineer, and a descendant of the of this family, and her sister Margaret, who
John Truby, Mrs. Irwin's paternal grand- father, was a son of Col. Christopher Truby. He married Magdalena Reymer, and we have the following record of their children: (1) Henry, a leading man of his day, was captain of a packet on the old canal, and Charles Dickens was once a passenger on his boat. He married Alvina Hill, daughter of Jacob Hill, a pioneer of this county who re- sided in the vicinity of Leechburg, and they had five children. (2) Simon married Eliza- beth Hill, sister of his brother Henry's wife, and they had eight children. (3) William was the ancestor of Mrs. Irwin.
William Truby was a prominent citizen of Freeport, and well and favorably known all over Armstrong county. He built the first canal packet that plied between Freeport and Pittsburgh, the "John Karns," so named for one of his Freeport friends. It is said of William Truby that "if his heart had been gold he would have given it to the poor." For many years he served as a justice of the peace in Freeport, and as such benefited many in the community, sparing litigation whenever possible. He married Susan Murphy, of near Freeport, daughter of Capt. Samuel Murphy, who gave distinguished service to the Colonies during the Revolutionary war. Samuel Mur- phy married Elizabeth Powers, a beautiful woman, a native of Virginia and member of one of the oldest families of that State. She
( second) Margaret McMillan, having two children by the first union and five by the second. Samuel J. died when four years old. George W. died in infancy. Clarissa died in infancy. One child died unnamed.
never married and lived to be ninety-nine years old, were real daughters of the Revolu- tion, and the Pennsylvania Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution pre- sented them gold spoons in recognition of the fact.
Margaret Truby, daughter of William and Susan (Murphy) Truby, was first married Dec. 29, 1859, to John Burns, a native of Wil- mington, Del. He was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, in December, 1862, while serving as a member of Company A, 12Ist Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in which command he had enlisted in Venango county. Mr. Burns came to Armstrong county in 1859 from Philadelphia. He was a cooper by trade, and became foreman in a barrel factory at Oil City, Pa. He was the father of two chil- dren, Susan Adelaide and William John, the former of whom is unmarried and resides with her mother at Freeport. The son, born April 29, 1863, several months after his father's untimely death, was killed Jan. 17, 1886, by an engine at Newark, Ohio, where he was chief of telegraphy. He was a man of unusual ability. He had married Louise Bing- aman, of Meyersdale, Pa., and they had one daughter, Margaret S., now the wife of Elliott Matthews, Huntsville, Ala., and mother of four children, John Irwin, Margaret S., Ada Burns and Frances Elliott.
On Sept. 16, 1869, Mrs. Burns became the wife of John R. Irwin, of Livermore, Pa., and they made their home at Freeport and Clinton. No children were born to this union, refused a title to marry Captain Murphy, who but Mr. and Mrs. Irwin adopted a son, Edwin according to family tradition was a very Burns Irwin, who is now engaged in managing his mother's farm at Clinton, this county. He is married to Jessie I. Ayers, of Schenley, Pa., and they have two children, Margaret Truby and John R. homely man, but of noble character. They had a large family, namely: William, Thomas, Mary, James, Elizabeth, Margaret, Samuel, Benjamin; Nancy, Susan, John and George. Of this family Susan married William Truby. Eliphalet Irwin, of Westmoreland county, grandfather of John R. Irwin, had the follow- ing sons, all of whom became farmers in In- diana county, Pa. : James, John, Joseph, Samuel, Marshall and Benjamin. To William and Susan (Murphy) Truby were born ten children, of whom Mary Elizabeth died in childhood. James Henry, who resides at Clinton, Pa., married Mary Jane Ewing ; they had no children. Nancy died in infancy. John Irwin, son of Eliphalet, married Catherine Banks. Margaret is mentioned more fully below. Julia married John G. Wolf, of Painesville, JOHN R. IRWIN was a soldier in the Civil war, enlisting in an infantry company re- Ohio, and had eight children, six of whom survived. William married Maria Patton and cruited at Saltsburg, Indiana county, which
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
had the distinction of capturing Colonel Mosby. As superintendent of the western division of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad Mr. Irwin was regarded by railroad men as a genius in the line of construction work. His ambition led him to give up that connection to establish a company, the American Trans- portation Company, whose ore boats plied be- tween Duluth and Painesville, Ohio. Two of the most noted vessels of this concern, the "Alex Nimick" and "John Harper," were in their day the largest ore boats afloat. Mr. Irwin was at the head of the company, and his associates were Harry Oliver and George E. Tener, of Pittsburgh, who writes thus of their association :
"I first became acquainted with Mr. Irwin in May, 1886, when he was sent to Painesville, Ohio, by Mr. Thomas M. King, president of the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad, Mr. Solon Humphries and John T. Terry, of New York. He was given charge of the construction work on the narrow gauge road from Youngstown (Ohio) to Lake Erie, Fairport, Ohio, being the lake terminal. The work was done with remarkable rapidity and thoroughness and was turned over completed the middle of August, two weeks ahead of the most sanguine expec- tations of the promoters.
"During the winter of 1886-87 Mr. Irwin was sent out by the Baltimore & Ohio Com- pany to Newark, Ohio, and Chicago Junction, to raise a freight blockade, which he cleaned up in a most satisfactory manner, and in the following spring he took charge of the docks at Fairport Harbor for the various Pittsburgh interests represented there in the Consumers' Forwarding & Storage Company and the Pittsburgh & Northwestern Dock Company. This position he held until his death.
"During all these years I was most inti- mately associated with him and with his work on the railroad and dock management, and this association was most delightful in every re- spect. Never have I seen him faced up against a situation, no matter how hard and difficult, that he could not overcome, and through good and evil repute I always found him thoroughly business-like and reliable in every way, and with wonderful tact and ability in handling men and securing the best possible results, and always the same whole-souled, genial com- panion, no matter how hard or how strenuous the conditions might be.
"He was elected mayor of Painesville in 1894."
Mr. Irwin's personal character was as
remarkable as his intellect. He was a man of generous nature, and his friend, Dr. Jessop, of Kittanning, speaks of him as one of the noblest men who ever lived. He died beloved by all Aug. 13, 1895. He took an active in- terest in the welfare of Painesville through- out the period of his residence there, and served as mayor of that place with his custo- mary regard for his duty toward his fellow men. He was holding the office at the time of his death.
Mr. Irwin was a Scottish Rite Mason, mem- ber of the Knights Templars, a Shriner, and had attained the thirty-second degree, passing all the chairs. He was a member of the Episcopal Church, and his wife belongs to the church of that denomination at Freeport.
GEORGE W. DAUGHERTY, brick con- tractor and reliable business man of Kittan- ning, was born at that place April 3, 1866, son of George B. and Agnes Daugherty.
Patrick Daugherty, his great-grandfather, was the first permanent settler of Kittanning. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, enlisting in Capt. James Alexander's company, which was ordered to Black Rock, N. Y. He was killed by the Indians at Lake George. Under the heading "An Indian Trader," in the chap- ter on Manor township, in this work, will be found an interesting account of Patrick Daugherty, and something of his father-in- law, Jeremiah Cook, who is likewise mentioned among the "First Settlers."
James Daugherty, son of Patrick, was born in Kittanning, as were his children, they being as follows: George B., James P., Homer, Augustus, Mary, Nancy and Hannah.
George B. Daugherty was a successful brick manufacturer. His children were as follows : Dora, William B., Alexander R .. George W .. Lusetta, Emma, John. Esther and Adella.
George W. Daugherty was educated in the public schools of Kittanning, attending them until fifteen years old. He then left home, and was apprenticed to learn the harnessmak- er's trade. After four years at that work he returned to Kittanning and began learning the trade of brickmason. When he had mas- tered the details of this work and become an expert, he engaged in contracting for brick work, and is now one of the leaders in his line. Among the buildings he has erected are the Kittanning Academy building, Ford City high school, Schenley distillery and ware- houses, New Bethlehem brewery, Kittanning brewery (complete), Logansport distillery and
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
warehouse, Kittanning post office building, Colwell & Arnold building, Reese building, Leechburg opera house and Klingensmith hotel, and the McGeary building at Leechburg, the warehouse for the Penwick Distilling Company at Cheswick, seven double houses for Judge J. H. Painter, and five houses for Bush Brothers. His field of operation ex- and few men are better known than he. Fra- Whig in political opinion, but early took sides with the Abolition party, supporting the first Abolition ticket ever voted for in Apollo. He was one of the three men at Apollo who voted for Kimber Cleaver, the Free-soil candidate for governor of Pennsylvania. He was one of the early Methodists in his section of the county, and his wife also belonged to that tends over Armstrong and adjoining counties, church. Mr. Elwood was married at Apollo to Mary Patterson, of Washington county, ternally he is a member of the Royal Ar- Pa., who was of Kentucky stock, and whose' canum, the Elks, and the Order of Moose, being a past dictator of Moose Lodge No. 137. father, Robert Patterson, was lost at sea while on the way to Europe. Mr. Elwood spent In 1887 Mr. Daugherty married Ninna Schreconghost, of Armstrong county, and they had two children: Maria O., who mar- ried Rudolph Burg, an architect of Pittsburgh, and Agnes, who married Thomas Hudson, of Kittanning. Mrs. Daugherty died in 1891. Mr. Daugherty married (second) Jessie T. Snyder, daughter of H. N. Snyder, an attor- ney of Kittanning, and they have had four children : Nelson, James, Josephine and Grace. the last of his life in retirement at Apollo, dying in 1872; he is buried there. His wife died in 1880. Of the four children born to this union, all sons, Benjamin F. died in in- fancy. The other three, William J., Robert D. and Thomas Jefferson, became associated in the mercantile and manufacturing business at the close of the Civil war under the firm name of Elwood Brothers, the firm being dis- solved in 1873, after which William remained in Apollo, where he continued to follow mer- JOHN B. ELWOOD, of Leechburg, who is engaged by the American Sheet & Tin Plate Company as sheet roller, is a native of the borough in which he has passed all his life, born Jan. 21, 1878. chandising, and Robert D. removed to Pitts- burgh, where he engaged in business. Thomas J. stayed at Leechburg. William J. is now living retired at Vandergrift, Pa. Capt. Rob- ert D. Elwood organized Company I, 78th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel Sirwell commanding, General Negley's bri- gade, and served in the Civil war as captain of that company, taking part in the battles of Stone River, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, and was mustered out with his regiment at Kittanning. Later he entered the grain and feed business at Pittsburgh, where he became very successful. He is now living retired at Verona, in Allegheny county, Pa. He was one of the early burgesses at Leechburg. He is of the Loyal Legion of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Elwood is a member of the fourth gen- eration of his family in America, whither James Elwood came from the North of Ire- land in company with a brother, the latter settling near Philadelphia. James Elwood came westward to Westmoreland county, and there passed the remainder of his life, reach- ing the ripe old age of ninety-six years. (An- other account says his name was William Elwood, and that he settled on Turtle Creek, Westmoreland county, in 1783.) He was a a member of Pittsburgh Post, G. A. R., and farmer by occupation. In religion he was a strict Presbyterian.
Thomas Jefferson Elwood, son of John, was John Elwood, son of the founder of the born March 4, 1844, at Apollo, and there re- family in this country, was born in 1796 in ceived his education in the public schools. He Westmoreland county, three miles from Oak- learned the trade of harnessmaker, and also followed canalboating. When the war broke out he enlisted in the Union service, joining the 17th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was detailed to duty at the Allegheny arsenal as harnessmaker, being stationed there for three years, serving out his term of en- listment. Then coming to Leechburg, he en- gaged in the manufacture of salt, and later be- came interested in the grain, flour and feed business for several years, purchasing the Leechburg Flour Mill, which he operated un- til he sold it in 1884 to Schwalm & Elwood. land Cross Roads. He learned the trade of cabinetmaker and also became a contractor and builder. Coming from Mifflin county to Warren (now Apollo), Armstrong county, about 1830-31, he followed his trade, erecting many houses at Apollo and elsewhere in the southern section of the county, kept a stable at Apollo for canal horses and was employed upon the canal. He owned several boats. He was an active citizen, and a man who inter- ested himself in all the affairs of his day, hold- ing various township offices. He was first a
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
In 1878 he was elected treasurer of Armstrong county and served his term with high credit. Returning to Leechburg at the close of this service he became associated with B. F. Jen- nings as assistant superintendent of the West Penn Sheet & Steel Company, and later be- came weighmaster for Kirkpatrick & Co., at Leechburg. In 1891 he was elected to the office of justice of the peace, serving as such until his death, which occurred Feb. 22, 1906. He is buried at Leechburg. In politics Mr. Elwood was a Republican. On Jan. 12, 1877, he married Isabella Parks, daughter of James B. Parks, of Farmers' Delight, Parks town- ship, Armstrong county, and she died Feb. 13, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Elwood are buried side by side. They were members of the Presby- terian Church, and both took an active part in its work. Mr. Elwood was a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the Masons, hold-
John Bratten Elwood was educated at Leechburg, attending the high school there, and when sixteen years old entered the mill as a cold roller boy, later advancing to the position of sheet roller, which he still holds. Meantime he took a three years' evening busi- ness course under Professors Smeltzer and Hepler. He has been active in the community in various capacities which prove his interest in the general welfare, serving as game warden of Armstrong and Westmoreland counties and humane agent in the same district, and being assistant chief of Fire Companies Nos. I and 2 of the Leechburg department. The latter work has had particular interest for him. The first recorded meeting of the Leechburg Vol- unteer Fire Company was held Sept. 5, 1891, with Dr. J. D. Orr presiding, S. M. Anderson as recording secretary, C. H. Sloan, corre- sponding secretary, J. H. Parks, treasurer, M. M. Weiser, first vice president. The sec- ond recorded meeting was held Sept. 12, 1891, when J. D. Orr was elected chief, A. J. Laughrey, assistant chief, and M. M. Weiser, second assistant foreman. On Sept. 26th of that year, hose cart, hose and appliances were ordered. On Nov. 3, 1891, a hook and ladder truck was purchased from Hail Clark at Salts- burg. The fire company has lost thirteen mem- bers by death since its organization, namely : M. M. Weiser, John Martin, Frank Critsor, 61
Harry Kunkle, David Kistler, H. Lookabaugh, Fred Schotte, H. P. McKallip, P. I. Murphy, Frank Beale, Samuel Klingensmith, Stephry J. Lock and H. W. Beale. The present offi- cers of Mr. Elwood's company are : President, S. R. Saunders; first vice president, J. B. Cruikshank; second vice president, T. E. Jones; secretary, M. V. DeWitt; treasurer, W. C. Stevenson ; trustee, P. A. McCracken ; chief, Harry May; first assistant, J. B. El- wood; second assistant, Lloyd Parks. Mr. Elwood is also a member of the local lodge of Elks, No. 377, and in politics he is a Republican.
On Oct. 12, 1909, Mr. Elwood married Lena Toella, daughter of August and Fred- ericka Toella. Mr. and Mrs. Elwood are members of the German Lutheran Church.
WOODWARD PATTERSON BROWN, ing membership in Kittanning Chapter, R. A. of Kittanning, though one of the younger M. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Elwood: John B .; Thomas Jefferson, Jr., who is receiving teller in the First National Bank of Pittsburgh, Pa .; and Robert Parks, who is with Smail & Hill, hardware merchants, at Leechburg, Pennsylvania.
business men of that borough associated with important interests, has had responsible con- nection with the Brown Drug, Book and Music Store for many years, the untimely death of his father having forced its manage- ment upon him when he was little more than a boy. He has measured up to the require- ments of the business and its steady expan- sion forms part of the commercial history of Armstrong county. For several generations Mr. Brown's ancestors, both paternal and maternal, have figured in public and business life in Kittanning.
The Browns are descendants of such su- perior families as the Pattersons, Reynolds, Rohrers and Woodwards, and others of like distinction. Griffin Brown, grandfather of Woodward Patterson Brown, though he died when a comparatively young man had at- tained high position in Warren county, Pa. He was a prominent oil producer and served as associate judge at the time of his death. He married Elizabeth Rohrer, daughter of Fred- erick and Mariamne (Stevenson) Rohrer. Frederick Rohrer served as treasurer of Armstrong county, and owned the first news- paper in the county. To Griffin Brown and his wife Elizabeth (Rohrer) eight children were born : Charles, deceased, married Adelaide Leonard, was an employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for many years; Frank, who married Mrs. Ida Jones, is in the oil business in Independence, Kans .; Amnie married Howard M. Clarke, of Fre- donia, N. Y .; Carrie, never married, lives in Tidioute; Asa, deceased, was a druggist in Kittanning; Carl. married to Gertrude Stur-
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HISTORY OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
geon, of Virginia, is a real estate dealer in I, 1882, in Kittanning. He was reared and Philadelphia ; John Rohrer is a manufacturer educated in the borough, attending public of Memphis, Tenn .; and George Rohrer Brown was the father of Woodward Patter- son Brown.
George Rohrer Brown was born in Tidioute (near Warren), Warren Co., Pa. He was reared principally in the home of his uncle, John W. Rohrer, by whom he was adopted when ten years old, his father having been accidentally killed. His education was re- ceived in the borough schools and he learned the drug business with another uncle, George Stevenson Rohrer. In 1880 he founded the Brown Drug, Book and Music Store, now owned by his widow and managed by his son, and conducted it ably until the time of his death in 1899. George Rohrer Brown mar- ried Isabel Patterson, daughter of David Pat- terson and his wife Eliza (Reynolds) Patterson.
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