USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania > Part 22
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One of Rev. Michael J. Steck's biographers makes record of him as follows : " He was em- inently practical and saw clearly what were the true interests of his church. Ile labored with untiring zeal for the introduction of the English language into the services of the church, and did much for the organization of the English congre- gations in Greensburg and vicinity. The quali- fications of a good preacher and successful pastor he united in a more than ordinary or common
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degree. His appearance in the pulpit was pre- possessing, his enunciation distinct, his manner natural, earnest and impressive, his style simple and practical, his matter evangelical and his appeals to the sinner affectionate and earnest." Hle married Catherine Cope, and unto them were born eleven children. One of their sons was Caleb A. Steck, who was born January 13, 1820, in Lancaster county, Ohio. In 1850 he married Margaret S. Baughman, daughter of Daniel Baughman, a hatter, who is still living and sister to Wilson Baughman, of Greensburg. They had two sons and two daughters: Amos, Horace Baughman Steck, stock dealer and banker in southern Kansas; Ida, married to Paul Gaither, of Greensburg, and Emily F., wife of S. C. Weber, of the same place, and now traveling.
Amos Steck was reared at Greensburg, where he received his education in the public schools and academy. At fourteen years of age he en- gaged as a clerk with Wilson Baughman at Greensburg, and such was his business ability that a few years later he became a partner in the book and stationery business with Mr. Baughman, now president of the Barclay bank. As clerk and partner Mr. Steck was in the bookstore for over nine years, and during the latter part of that time established his reputa- tion as a first class business man. Ile continued the bookstore business alone for some years. He started in the real estate business in 1879, and in 1884 took into partnership with him R. A. Hope. In 1886 he went west on several trips with land purchasers, and in 1887 went west on a three months trip to make investments in the southern portion of Kansas, along the line of Indian territory. He made his head- quarters at Arkansas city, where trade being a little dull, he also started a Building and Loan Association-a new thing then-among the members being some cow boys from the terri- tory, and such was its success that the Strong- Ross Banking company offered him the position
of assistant cashier, which was accepted and its duties entered upon. He came home to close out his partnership and return, to find that from continued illness filial duties required his presence at home. About six months after his return he dissolved partnership with Mr. Ilope, and adding the insurance business to that of real estate, started alone in the Welty corner. Mr. Steck is a prominent representa- tive of his special line of business and is care- ful of the interests of his large and rapidly growing patronage, and such is his reputation for integrity as well as business ability that the Insurance Companies represented by him do not require a security, and Messrs. Katte, of New York City, who owned about twelve acres of valuable land on the west side of Greens- burg, known as Katte's Grove, now laid out in lots and nearly all sold, he being their exclusive agent, for an aggregate of over fifty thousand dollars, did not require a bond. He is sub- stantially identified with the interests of Greens- burg and believes in its future progress and prosperity.
OHN BYERS STEEL, a member of the Westmoreland county bar in active prac- tice, is the eldest son of William and Sarah Jane (Brown) Steel, and was born February 17, 1862, on the " Hannastown farm," in Hemp- field township, Westmoreland county, Pa., which occupies the site of the famous Hannastown, burned by the Indians in 1782. The trans- Atlantic progenitor of the present Steel family lived in a stone mansion opposite the Presby- terian church at Castle Blaney, Ireland, and had three sons : John, James and William. James, the second son and great-grandfather of John B. Steel, was born in 1741, and with many other Dissenters, at the close of the Steel-boy insurrection in 1772, left Ireland for America. Hle eventually settled among the hardy pioneers of the Sewickley settlement in this county, where
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he located and bought several tracts of land from the Penns. He was married twice, first to a Miss MeMasters, by whom he had two children : Joseph, of Franklin township, and Jane, wife of William Hunter, of Loudonville, Ohio ; and second to a Miss Donaldson. Of this latter marriage there were issue of three children : James, of Oakland Cross Roads ; John, and Elizabeth, wife of Alex. Hamilton, late of Geneseo, Illinois. James Steel, Sr., died in 1823. The second son, John Steel (grandfather), was born April 7, 1789, died on his Hannastown farın May 22, 1860, and left to his children a large inheritance of real estate and personal property. On May 16, 1813, he married his cousin, Martha Walker, of West Virginia, near Steubenville, Ohio, who bore him nine children : Sarah, wife of Henry Byers; Eliza, who mar- ried Andrew Machesney : James, Joseph W., John, Margaret, wife of James Steel ; Mary J., who married II. T. Hanna ; Martha, wife of Maj. D. Mechling, and William. William Steel (father) was born October 31, 1833, and was married to Sarah Jane Brown April 3, 1860. Mr. Steel has always been identified with the farming and stock-raising interests of the county. Ile is one of Westmoreland's pioneers in raising short-horn cattle, and is one of the foremost im- porters and raisers of pure bred draft horses. On his maternal side the subject of this sketch is seventh in descent from Capt. Matthew Brown, who served in Col. Walker's Derry regiment at Londonderry and the battle of the Boyne. His ancestors were from Scotland, and his grandson, Matthew Brown, left county Donegal, Ireland, in 1774 for America, where he settled in Green- castle, Pa. His children were : David, John, Samuel, Andrew, and Mary, married to Wm. Watt. David was born in 1757, married Mar- garet Oliver in 1799, and in 1802 removed to near New Alexandria, this county, where he pur- chased the old Brown homestead farm, upon which he died in 1841. He left six children : Thomas O., David, James, Mary, Elizabeth and
Margaret. Thomas Oliver Brown (maternal grandfather) was born February 15, 1800, and on January 12, 1832, married Nancy, daughter of Robert Beatty, a native of near Belfast, Ire- land. Of this union were born six children : David O., Martha, Margaret, Nancy, Mary and Sarah J.
John Byers Steel was reared at Hannastown and attended the district school and New Alex- andria academy. He then entered Geneva col- lege as a classical student and was graduated from that institution of learning May 1885. Ile read law with Judge Hunter and A. D. Mc- Connell, and on motion of John Armstrong was admitted to practice in the several courts of Westmoreland county in August, 1888. Imme- diately after admission he opened an office with Ilon. Welty Mccullough, and in the spring of 1889 became a partner of Mr. Mccullough in the firm of MeCullough & Steel. This partnership lasted until the death of Mr. Mccullough, August 31, 1889. Since then Mr. Steel has remained at the office of the late firm and con- tinued in the practice of his profession.
EORGE TABLER, a young, energetic and successful harness maker and saddler of Greensburg, was born at Indiana, In- diana county, Pa., October 7, 1862, and is the eldest son of Jacob and Catharine (Has- singer) Tabler. Jacob Tabler was born in Wit- tenberg, Germany, about 1823, and came to America more than thirty years ago. Ile first settled in Berks county, Pa., but soon removed to Indiana, this State, where he died in 1879. He was a stone-cutter by trade, a democrat in political opinion and a Catholic in religious be- lief. He was successful in his line of business and was a peaceable and industrious citizen. He was married three times. Ilis last wife was Catherine Hassinger, who bore him ten children, of whom eight are living.
George Tabler was reared at Indiana, in
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White township, Indiana county, Pa. He re- ceived his education in the common schools and Indiana public schools. He learned the trade of harness maker and saddler with Godfrey Mar- shall, of Indiana. He worked with Mr. Mar- shall at Indiana from 1877 to February 1, 1889' when they removed to Greensburg and formed a partnership under the firm name of Tabler & Marshall. Their shop and salesroom is at No. 14 East Otterman street. They are manufac" turers and dealers in harness, saddles, bridles' collars, whips, robes, blankets, and all other articles usually found in a first-class harness and saddlery establishment. They carry a full line of horse equipments with a variety of elegant road and track harness. They are active and enterprising and have built up a business which is steadily increasing.
In politics Mr. Tabler is liberal in view and independent in opinion. He always votes for the candidate he deems to be the best man. Mr. Tabler has worked hard and won a large measure of success, which he well merits.
S G. THOMPSON, commissioner of West- moreland county, a soldier of the late war and one of the organizers of the first teacher's institute of Pennsylvania, is a son of William and Jane Thompson and was born in Washington township, Westmoreland county, Pa., first May day, 1833. S. G. Thompson is of pure Scotch lineage. His paternal grand- father, Samuel Thompson, and his maternal grandfather, William Thompson, were two broth- ers who emigrated from Ireland about the same time to Westmoreland county, where they settled in close proximity on Beaver run in Washington township. They were strong, determined men who made their mark in life. Firm in their convictions on all political and religious ques- tions, they were very free in expressing their acceptance of or dissent with men and meas- ures. They were frugal, enterprising and ener-
getic, accumulating a large amount of wealth and were an honor to their adopted county. William Thompson (father) was born April 10, 1800, and lived until October 5, 1887. His occupation was farming. He was an old-line whig and afterwards a republican. He was a member from 1827 to 1887 of the Poke Run Presbyterian church, where he led the music for over twenty years. Inheriting the firmness and conscientiousness of his race, he could neither be influenced or persuaded to take any steps that was not legitimate, honorable and just. In 1800 he married Jane Thompson, daughter of his uncle William Thompson. They had five sons and one daughter. One of the sons, Joseph M., was killed at the siege of Yorktown during the late war, and the daughter, Lucy Jane, was married to James R. Trout.
S. G. Thompson was raised on his father's farm where he was trained to habits of prudence and industry. He was educated in the common schools and Elder's Ridge academy, where he was prepared to enter the junior class in college. Leaving the academy in 1851 he engaged in teaching and followed that profession for thirty years in Westmoreland, Indiana and Armstrong counties. IIc helped to organize the first teach- er's institute in western Pennsylvania, which was held by the teachers of Indiana and Westmore- land counties at Blairsville, Pa., in 1853. He advocated the county superintendency long before its establishment by the Legislature of the State. In 1870 he was principal of the Saltsburg schools and served one year. In the same year he was elected justice of the peace on the republican ticket in Bell township, which contained two hundred democrats and sixteen republican voters at the time. Ilis popularity as a justice of the peace led to his re-election, although a republi- can, in the face of an adverse, overwhelming democratie majority. He was thus fairly launched upon a political-career ere he hardly became aware of the fact. In 1878 he was elected county auditor, and nine years later he was
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nominated and elected to his present position of county commissioner. He has lived on the cor- ner of West Otterman and Joe streets, Greens- burg, for ten years.
On September 13, 1855, he was married by Rev. W. W. Woodward to Joanna Kenly, daughter of William Kenly, of Bell township.
In 1861 S. G. Thompson was among the first to enter in the Federal service. Ile enlisted on October 14, 1866, in Co. F, eleventh reg., Pa. Vols., under Col. Richard Coulter, and was at Cedar Mountain, Thoroughfare Gap, Second Bull Run, Antietam and Chantilly. He was promo- ted from private to orderly sergeant and was discharged September 27, 1862, on account of physical disability contracted in the Union service. IIis life has been one of activity and usefulness. He has been a member of the Presbyterian church ever since attending school at Elder's Ridge academy, and is at present an active member of the Greensburg Presbyterian church. As justice of the peace, county auditor and now as county commissioner, his work has been and is acceptable and satisfactory to the public.
ON. JACOB TURNEY, one of the oldest members of the bar in Westmoreland county, was born in Greensburg, Pa., February 18, 1825, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Singer) Turney. His great-grand- father was a native of Germany, emigrated to America and settled in eastern Pennsylvania probably before the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury. His name was Dorney, but like many other names in this county it has undregone a change, being now Turney. Daniel 'Turney (grandfather) was born in the province of Penn, eastern part, whence several of his brothers departed for other homes. One settled in Ohio, another in Tennessee. One located in North Carolina, and Daniel Turney crossed the Alle- ghenies to Westmoreland county, settling near the site of "ye ancient" Hannastown, which
was Greensburg's predecessor as the county- seat. Hle was a farmer and the father of eight children, one of whom was Jacob Tur- ney, Sr., the third child, born in 1788, who carly in life located at Greensburg, and after- wards held the offices of county commissioner, county treasurer, etc. Ile was an active dem- ocratie politician, and on his returnfrom a State convention at Harrisburg, to which he had been sent as a delegate, he contracted a cold while crossing the mountains, from the effects of which he died some years later, January +, 1827. His wife, to whom he was married Jan- uary 23, 1810, was Margaret Singer, of Carlisle, Pa., who was born May 11, 1792, and who bore him seven children : Daniel, Nancy Williams (deceased), Samuel Singer Turney (deceased), formerly editor of the Argus, and later post- master at Greensburg for twelve years, Lucien B. (deceased), Lucinda, married to Richard B. Kenley, Robert Williams, and Jacob Jr.
Jacob Turney attended the common schools and Greensburg academy, meanwhile devoting a portion of his time to learning the printer's trade. Later he served as deputy sheriff and was em- ployed as clerk in the register and recorder's office ; while thus engaged he became a student of law with Hlon. A. G. Marchand, who died before Mr. Turney had finished his studies, in consequence of which the latter continued his legal studies under Henry C. Marchand, and was admitted to the bar in 1849, May term. Owing to ability, character, affability and strict attention to business he at once secured a large and paying practice. In 1850 he was elected district attorney of Westmoreland county and re-elected in 1853, serving in all six years. Among the noted trials conducted by Mr. Tur- ney during this time was the case of Hugh Corri- gan, who was convicted of murder in the first de- gree and condemned to the gallows for the murder of " Big Mary," his wife, but who com- mitted suicide before the day of execution ar- rived. When the know-nothing movement swept
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over the county in 1855-56, Mr. Turney, a stanch democrat, was vigorous in his opposition to it, and mounting the rostrum, raised his voice in denunciation of its principles. In the Bu- chanan campaign he was one of the Presidential electors, and in 1857 was elected State Senator for the district composed of Westmoreland and Fa- yette counties. In 1871 he was prevailed upon to accept the complimentary nomination for State senate in the hopelessly republican district of Westmoreland and Indiana counties, his op- ponent being Hon. Harry White, who was elected by a reduced majority. In 1874 Mr. Turney was elected to the forty-fourth Congress from the twenty-first district, composed of the coun- ties of Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene, and two years later was re-elected, becoming a mem- ber of the forty-fifth Congress. While a mem- ber of the House of Representatives he served on the committees on mines, mining, territories. elections and privileges, and various others, and acquitted himself with credit. Since leaving the halls of National legislation, Mr. Turney has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession in which he has achieved a wide and enviable reputation. He was one of the most progressive and substantial citizens of the county, a man whose life and character are noble monuments that will preserve his memory for generations yet to come.
Hon. Jacob Turney was united in marriage February 2, 1854, with Mary Stuart, a daughter of William HI. and Henrietta D. Richardson, of Indiana county, and to them have been born eight children : Barton R., died October, 1856; Catharine M., wife of A. L. Kinkead, Esq., of New York; Mary Stewart; William R .; Thomas C .; Elizabeth F .; Jacob M., and Henrietta M.
B FRANKLIN VOGLE, one of the editors and proprietors of the Westmoreland Democrat, was born May 10, 1854, in Greensburg, Westmoreland county, Pa., and is
the youngest son of Augustus and Mary Ann (Winsheimer) Vogle. His grandfather, Augus- tus Vogle, lived and died in Germany, where he was in active military service for fifty-six years, holding the rank of general ; on his retirement from the army he was signally honored by a banquet given by the King, who also presented him with a silver tankard, on which was en- graved a befitting inscription, as a token of his esteem. Augustus Vogle (father) was born in the city of Darmstadt, Germany, in 1816, and was educated in the military institutions of that country. Shortly after his graduation he was placed in command of the military post at Mayence, on the Rhine, a strongly fortified station of much importance on the border be- tween France and Germany. He held the rank of captain and had flattering prospects, but owing to some difficulty with his superior officers, and being a firm believer in a republican form of government, he resigned his position and came to the United States in 1839, being then twenty- three years of age. Coming to Westmoreland county almost directly, he engaged in the tanning business at Greensburg, and soon invented a process which so facilitated the art of tanning that results formerly requiring nine months could be accomplished in one-third of that time. Ilis new process was adopted widely throughout the country, and the art of tanning was prac- tically revolutionized. Ile successfully engaged in the tanning business until his sudden death, which resulted from drinking ice-water while heated by work ; he died March 9, 1856. Mr. Vogle was a man of literary ability, took all the leading magazines and left behind him a number of sketches and short poems, some of which give evidence of much ability. He was one of the founders of Odd Fellowship at Greensburg, having organized the first lodge of that place. Decided in his convictions, strong and impulsive in disposition, upright in character and bright in intellect, he was a man whose influence for good was felt and whose impress was necessarily
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left on his generation. He was a typical, blue- eyed German a pronounced democrat, and an active member of the Lutheran church. His wife was Mary Ann, a daughter of Michael Winsheimer, by whom he had five children. The Winsheimers originally came to this country from near Neuremburg, Germany, at an early day in the history of this county.
B. Franklin Vogle, a " worthy son of an illus- trious sire," received his education in the pub- lic schools of Greensburg and began life as a printer, learning his trade in the office of the Democrat, edited at that time by Edward J. Kee- nan, a distinguished lawyer and a noted politician. After completing his trade he and a company of others purchased the material of Frank Cowan's paper and established in September, 1875, the Democrade Times, which had an ex- istence of two years, Mr. Vogle being the real and E. J. Keenan the apparent editor, because of the almost continuous sickness of the latter during that time. In 1877 Mr. Vogle became the editor of the Oil Times, owned by James F. Campbell and published at Edenburg, Clarion county, l'a. A year later he became city editor of the Daily Breeze, of Bradford, Pa., which was afterwards merged into an established paper of that place, the Daily Era, of which journal he was for three years city and managing editor, and was at the same time the representative of the Associated Press for the northern oil regions. During that period Mr. Vogle was likewise the special correspondent at that busy petroleum centre of several of the leading newspapers of New York and Philadelphia. Early in 1882 Mr. Vogle removed to Pittsburg and was em- ployed on the staff of the Leader of that city, and also did considerable work for several of the morning papers at the same time. In Novem- ber, 1882, he returned to Greensburg, and in company with T. R. Winsheimer, purchased the Westmoreland Democrat, which they have ever since edited and published. The Democrat is a live weekly democratic journal and circulates
largely among the old families of the county, being the second paper founded west of the Allegheny mountains, having been established in 1798.
B. F. Vogle is an carnest democrat and an able exponent of the principles of his party ; he is at present a member of the State central committee. Enterprising, industrious, cultured, courteous and intelligent, he is an excellent citizen, a most agreeable companion and a com- petent editor, publishing a strong and splendid paper whose influence extends far and wide. Mr. Vogle, having successfully withstood the shafts from Cupid's bow, is yet enjoying " single blessedness."
UGH W. WALKINSHAW, a member of the Greensburg bar in well-established practice, was born near Saltsburg, Indi- ana county, Pa., July 27, 1850, and is a son of Joseph and Margaret B. (Dougherty) Walkin- shaw. Joseph Walkinshaw (father) was born in Bedford county, Pa., in 1803. He learned the trade of shoemaker, removed to Indiana county, where he was married to Miss Margaret B., daughter of Hugh Dougherty, of Loyalhanna township. He was a democrat, and in his foot- steps, politically, all his sons have followed. In religious opinion he was a member of the United Presbyterian church and held the office of jus- tice of the peace two terms.
Hugh W. Walkinshaw received his education in the common schools and Elder's Ridge acad- emy. Ile entered upon active life as a clerk for Stewart & Pierce, who were engaged in the mer- cantile business at Saltsburg. He was next employed as a teacher in the common schools for three years, and in June, 1871, was regis- tered as a law student with Hon. Silas M. Clark, now Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylva- nia. After his admission to the Indiana county bar, June 11, 1873, he was engaged for a short time at Brookville, then removed to Saltsburg
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in 1874, and was active in the practice of his profession for four years. In February, 1878, he came to Greensburg, opened a law office and has continued to practice his profession success- fully until the present time.
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On November 4, 1873, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Lottie A., daughter of L. W. Ralston, of Howard, Ohio, and sister of Lieut. D. C. Ralston, of the Greeley expedition. They have three children, Lewis C., born August 24, 1874; David R., January 14, 1880, and Myrtle H., July 23, 1885. For several years he served as school director, is a member of the Knights of Honor, Royal Arcanum, Free Masons, a member of the Baptist church and is also superintendent of the Sabbath school and treasurer of the Bap- fist church. IIe is a strong democrat, and in June, 1881, at the Westmoreland county demo- cratic primary election he received the second highest vote polled for district attorney, having been but three years in the county at the time. As a lawyer he is attentive and faithful to the interests of his clients ; as a citizen he is always interested in the prosperity of his adopted town and county, and as a man he is upright, honest and true.
L. WAUGAMAN, D.D.S. Greensburg has reason to be proud of her representa- tives of the profession of dental surgery, and prominent among the number is Z. L. Wau- gaman, who is one of the oldest resident dentists of Westmoreland's county seat. He was born on his father's farm in Penn township, West- moreland county, Pa., August 30, 1847, and is a son of Peter and Mary Ann (Lauffer) Wauga- man. The Wangamans are of German descent, and the founder of the Pennylvania branch of the family came to the United States prior to 1776. Ile served as a drummer in the Conti- mental army during the Revolutionary struggle of the American colonies for independence. Ilis son, Peter Wangaman, Sr., moved to Westmore- land county where he lived and reared a family
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