Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Part 44

Author: Gresham, John M. cn; Wiley, Samuel T. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia [Dunlap & Clarke]
Number of Pages: 1422

USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania > Part 44

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Prof. Jacob Beamer has all his life been a very diligent student of scientific subjects, in- cluding geology, astronomy, ethnology and phre- nology, and for more than a quarter of a century he has lectured on these subjects, traveling throughout the United States and Canada as well as in Europe. October 16, 1862, enlisted in Co. K, 116th regt. Pa. Vols. (Col. Jack),

and served until discharged July 13, 1863. IIe was a sergeant in the ranks but was kept on de- tached service most of the time in the Carolinas under Gen. Foster. Prof. Beamer is a member of Greensburg Post, No. 276, G. A. R., has for eight years been a prohibitionist in principle and is connected with the Presbyterian church.

On March 22, 1858, Jacob Beamer was mar- ried to Susanna, a daughter of Col. Paul Brinker, of Penn township, by whom he had eight children, six of whom are living : Asaph, born October 31, 1862, who is a prosperous barber at Manor ; William, born September 25, 1865, who owns and runs a large general store at Apollo, Pa .; Emma, born April 19, 1854, who is the wife of John Best, a leading brick and stone building contractor of Greensburg; Rosalia, born June 18, 1856, who is married to E. L. Grable, a contractor and builder of Manor; Ella M., born June 11, 1860, now the wife of Jacob Best, a shoe merchant of Manor, and Permillia C., born June 22, 1868, who married William Brinker, a merchant at Layton Station, Fayette county. Prof. Beamer's wife Susanna died July 22, 1872, and in 1875 he took unto himself a second wife in the person of Mary Jane Hunter, whose father, James IIun- ter, of Butler county, Pa., was a descendant of Scotch-Irish ancestors. Of three children born to this union two are living-James H., born September 9, 1880, and Mary Belle, born Feb- ruary 21, 1887. Lillie May, born November 2, 1877, was killed March 2, 1885, on the P. R. R. while on her way to school.

Prof. Bemmer, although having passed his

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sixty-ninth mile-stone on the journey of life, weighs over two hundred pounds, is full of activity and his vital tenacity seems to guarantee another score of years. the average age of his ancestors being in the eighties.

OL. HIENRY BOQUET. Historians have so far failed to accord to Col. Henry Boquet, who was one of the prominent military characters of the French and Indian war, his rightful place in the colonial history of the American Republic. Ile was born about 1719 at Rolle, Canton Berne, Switzerland. At seventeen years of age he enlisted in the regiment of Constance as a cadet and was pro- moted to an adjutancy for distinguished services in the campaigns of the King of Sardinia against the combined forces of France and Spain. In 1748 he entered the service of the Dutch Re. public as a Lieut .- Col. of the Swiss Guards and served for six years under the Prince of Orange in Holland, where he devoted much of his time to the study of military science and tactics. In 1754 when England and France entered into contest for the possession of the North American continent, Boquet was offered and accepted a command in the British army. Ile was com- missioned as Colonel and sent to America, where he assumed command of the Royal Americans. He became very popular in Pennsylvania and Virginia; first distinguishing himself in the services of England in 1758, under Gen. Forbes whom he induced to cut out a road from Carlisle, l'a., via Bedford and Loyalhanna creek to Fort Duquesne, instead of taking the old Braddock road, which was highly recommended and warmly advocated by Washington. In 1763 when the mighty Ottawa chieftain Pontiac, who was the greatest Indian warrior America ever produced, sought to sweep the Anglo-Saxon race from the Valley of the Mississippi, Col. Boquet was ordered by Gen. Amherst to re- lieve the western garrisons of Pennsylvania.

He raised the siege of Ft. Ligonier and marched for the relief of Ft. Pitt with about five hun- dred Scotch highlanders and Colonial volunteers. Not profiting by the sad fate of Braddock, he allowed himself to be drawn into an Indian am- buscade on August 5, 1763, near the site of Harrison City, this county. Darkness saved his army from defeat and on the next day, by mas- terly generalship, he drew the Indians into an ambuscade by a feigned retreat and finally routed them with great slaughter. This battle of Edge Hill or Bushy Run cost the brave Col. Bouquet one-fourth of the whole force, but taught him a valuable lesson in Indian warfare and it proved the death blow to Pontiac's scheme of Indian empire. In 1764 he organized a force of fifteen hundred Pennsylvania and Vir- ginia volunteers and cut a road from Fort Pitt into the Indian country along the Muskingum river. The Indians failed in various attempts at surprise or ambush of Col. Boquet, sued for peace and delivered up all of their prisoners. The legislative bodies of Pennsylvania and Vir- ginia voted him their thanks and recommended him for promotion in the British army. The King promoted him to the rank of Brigadier- General and placed him in command of the southern colonies, where the Indians were then troublesome. In the discharge of his duties in west Florida he contracted a fever and died at Pensacola in the autumn of 1765. Col. Bo- quet was a man of fine personal appearance, splendid physique and extraordinary qualities of mind and heart. He sleeps on the shores of the great Gulf in the sunny South, but hearts in the North-land cherish his memory and fame.

P AUL R. BRINKER, an estimable citi- zen of Penn township, a prominent busi- ness man of Manor, and one who has always sought to promote the best interests of his town and township, is a son of Josiah and Anna (Kistler) Brinker and was born near old

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Manor church, in Franklin township (now Penn), Westmoreland county, Pa., February 18, 1841. Ilis father, Josiah Brinker, was one of the sub- stantial farmers of Penn township. Ile in- herited three hundred acres of fine farming land to which he added three hundred acres more by his industry and good management. Farming was the business of his life until five years before he died when he removed to Manor. Besides his farming land which was heavily underlaid with coal, he owned valuable property in Manor and Harrison City. IIe was an old-time demo- erat, a prominent member of the Reformed church and a remarkably successful farmer and business man. Ile had served as school director, held all the local offices of his church and stood high in the estimation of his neighbors. He was born October 27, 1810 and died at Manor on July 16, 1889. He was a son of Jacob Brinker, who was a native of Huntingdon county, Pa., and married Catherine Berlin and came to West- moreland county. Josiah Brinker married Anna Kistler, daughter of Jonas Kistler, by whom he had five children : Lydia (deceased), who first married Lewis Klingensmith and after his death became the wife of Jacob Ament ; Paul R., Jacob A., Hiram, Mary, wife of Hon. John G. Bright. Mrs. Brinker died and Mr. Brinker was again married to Mrs. Elizabeth Ament; by his second marriage he had two children : Sarah M., wife of David Miller, who is a lawyer of Greensburg, and Ida May.

Paul R. Brinker enjoyed the limited advan- tages of the common schools and made farming his occupation till 1874. In that year he re. moved from his farm to Manor, where he was engaged in the lumber business as a member of the firm of Waugaman, Brinker & Co. July 8, 1875, he withdrew from this firm aud opened a large establishment on Race Street, where he dealt extensively in groceries, hardware, furni- ture, stoves, house furnishing goods and farming implements till December 4,'1889. On the morn- ing of that fateful day for Manor, a destructive

fire swept away the principal business part of the village and its relentless flame-waves con- sumed Mr. Brinker's building, embracing his dwelling and store. At the lowest calculation he has lost $10,000 by that fire. He is a mem- ber of the Royal Arcanum, Order of Solon and A. O. U. W. Ile is an active democrat, was a justice of the peace and served under President Cleveland's appointment as postmaster at Manor from October, 1885 to June, 1889. He is a trustee of the new Reformed church.

On February 19, 1861, Mr. Brinker united in marriage with Susanna, daughter of Peter and Mary A. (Lauffer) Waugaman, by whom he has two sons and three daughters : Anna M., born July 16, 1863, and wife of D. W. Evans; William F., born March 16, 1865, and married to Clara B., daughter of Prof. Jacob Beamer ; Araminta, born December 27, 1867, and married to W. C. Rankin ; Charles, born July 29, 1869, and engaged in the mercantile business at Layton station, Pa., and Robert F., born July 26, 1876. Mrs. Brinker is a granddaughter of Peter Waugaman. (For his history, see sketch of Dr. Z. Waugaman).

P. R. Brinker contemplates erecting a new building on the site of his burned structure and again engage in the hardware and grocery busi- ness.

R. OBERT S. BYERLY, one of Penn town- ship's active and prosperous farmers and a great-grandson of the old pioneer hero, Andrew Byerly, was born in North Huntingdon township, Westmoreland county, Pa., October 9, 1825, and is the only son and youngest child of Andrew and Ann (Smith) Byerly. Ilis great grandfather was the famous Andrew Byerly, of French and Indian war fame and whose history will be found in the sketches of C Cribbs and C. A. Cope. His grandfather, Andrew Byerly, Jr., was a justice of the peace in North Hunt- ingdon township for many years. Ile married Christina Fruit, of Lancaster county, who bore

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him twelve children, of whom nine lived to be men and women : Mary, who married William MeKelvey ; Susan, wife of Christian Funks ; Adam, Rachel, wife of James Hindman ; Jacob, Catharine, wife of Philip Keek ; Andrew, Sarah, who married Peter Byerly. Mr. Byerly died in 1850. Andrew Byerly (father) was born in North Huntingdon township, December 18, 1800, and was a farmer by occupation. Ile died March 7, 1842. His wife was Ann Smith, a daughter of Robert Smith of Jacob's Creek. They were the parents of five children : Phebe, wife of Martin Rymer ; Mary, who married Wil- liam Kirkwood; Nancy, wife of Michael F. Kistler ; Martha, who married Col. Samuel Jackson ; and Robert S.

Robert S. Byerly was reared on a farm and attended the subscription schools of his neigh- borhood until he was seventeen years of age. Ile then engaged in his present occupation of farming. On March 18, 1852, he removed to Penn township where he purchased the farm upon which he now resides.

On June 8, 1848, he united in marriage with Catharine Ann George, daughter of Peter and Mary George of Franklin township, this county. Robert S. Byerly has been actively engaged in farming for nearly fifty years, yet has found time, aside from his agricultural pursuits, to de- vote to religious matters and politics. Ile is a member of the Harrison City Presbyterian church. Politically he has always voted and worked in the interests of the Democratic party, and has served his township as school director, besides holding several other offices of trust and responsibility.

J OSEPII TURNEY CORT, a descendant of an old and well-known family of the county and a leading insurance and real estate agent at Jeannette, is a son of Hon. Jacob and Jane (Carson) Cort and was born at Mononga- hela City, Washington county, Pa., August 27,

1838. The Corts, who settled in the Keystone State were a God-fearing, truth-loving and honest-acting race of people, and the family was noted for the many ministers it sent forth. llis paternal grandfather, Daniel.Cort, was born in Hempfield township, this county. Hon. Jacob Cort was born near Adamsburg in Hempfield township, this county, on September 2, 1809. He followed tinning for many years, then en- gaged in the foundry business at Monongahela City from which he removed in March, 1855, but only remained a few months when he was taken sick and returned to his native township, where he died October 13, 1855. He never enjoyed many educational advantages in boy- hood, but acquired a fair education by reading and study after arriving at manhood and became an excellent mathmetician. IIe was elected in 1848 as a member of the Pennsylvania Legisla- ture. His opponent was George V. Lawrence, and it was the only time that noted politician was ever defeated. In 1850 Mr. Cort was re- elected by an increased majority. He served as chairman of the democratic county committee for many years, was a Jacksonian democrat and a highly esteemed member of the Reformed church. Mr. Cort was married on June 21, 1835, to Jane Carson, by whom he had nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom five are living. She was a daughter of Andrew and Ruth (Clayton) Carson and passed away March 17, 1878.

J. T. Cort attended the schools of Mononga- hela City. He removed in 1855 to Illinois where he was engaged in Ogle and Lee counties in farming, stock-raising and real estate business until 1883. He then returned to this county and located at Stewart's station, where he re- sides in the house in which he was married. On March 1, 1889, he entered B. W. Caldwell's real estate office at Jeannette, but he soon pur- chased Mr. Caldwell's interest and is now suc- cessfully conducting a large and prosperous real estate business.

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On June 22, 1876, he was united in marriage to Martha II. Shaw. Her parents are John and Martha (Smith) Shaw of Stewart station. The Shaws have always been industrious and well situated in life. Mr. and Mrs. Cort have four children : John S., born April 7, 1877, and is attending school at Braddock, Pa. ; Charles E., March 14, 1879; Stewart J., March 16, 1881, and Mary M., December 7, 1883.

J. T. Cort cast his ballot for Douglas in 1860, but from that year until 1876 he supported the Republican party. He left the republican ranks to vote for Peter Cooper and is now an ardent prohibitionist. He enjoys a high reputation for business integrity and is an active member of the Presbyterian church.

ORRIS DAVIS, justice of the peace, notary public and the pioneer merchant of Jeannette, was born in Baltimore, Md., March 14, 1859, and is a son of Rabbi Jacob and Rosa (Reis) Davis. His paternal grandfather, Rabbi David Davis, was a native of Prussian Poland, where he resided for many years at the town of Prossnitz. He was a rabbi in the Jewish church for fifty-one years, and ranked high as a teacher and doctor of the Mo- saic law. Ile lived a praiseworthy life and passed from the scene of his earthly labors at the age of seventy-two years. Ilis father, Rabbi Jacob Davis, was born in Prussian Poland. July 21, 1858, immigrated to the United States and had charge of a congregation at Baltimore. After residing for some time at the " Monu- mental City " he removed to Cincinnaai, where he engaged for many years in the mercantile business and then went to New York City. He is a republican and was married in 1851 to Rosa Reis, by whom he had seven children. Five of these are living, of whom the subject of this sketch is the second in order of age.

Morris Davis attended the public schools and the high school of Cincinnati and in 1874 took

a full business course at Duff's Commercial col- lege, of Pittsburg, Pa. From 1874 to 1876 he was a collector for Albert A. Moore, a brick- maker of the latter named city. In 1876 he engaged in the produce and commission business and three years later embarked in the wholesale liquor business on Penn avenue. In 1884 he went to Altoona, where he formed a partnership with N. Wayne, and they opened a wholesale notion house. The next year he became a trav- eling salesman for I. & A. Wayne, of New York City. During 1886 he was engaged in the man- ufacture of infants' apparel. In 1887 he was located at Dubois, Pa., in the wholesale and re- tail dry goods business, and on the 18th of June, 1888, his store was burned. On August 14, of the same year, he removed to West Jeannette, opened the first general mercantile store of that place and afterwards established a painters' sup- ply store at East Jeannette. Besides operating these two stores he is now erecting a large brick business structure on the corner of Fourth street and Clay avenue, which when completed will be one of the finest buildings of Jeannette. June 18, 1889, he was elected, and on November 1, 1889, commissioned justice of the peace. He ran on the Citizens' ticket and was the success- ful one of four candidates for the position. He was appointed notary public the preceding year and re-elected justice of the peace February 18, 1890. Ile is an active republican, a progress- ive business man and a member of Vovmieux Lodge, Knights of Pythias.

AMES A. DEWALT, an industrious citi- zen and a contractor and builder of Manor, is of French descent and was born near the old Manor church, in Penn township, West- moreland county, Pa., October 28, 1849. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Hill) Dewalt, were natives of Westmoreland county. Henry Dewalt was a son of Henry, Jr., and Catharine (Ament) Dewalt, and was born in 1814. Ho

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was a carpenter and a contractor. As a demo- siderable amount of insurance in the last two crat he was very active in the interests of his ; named orders and has served as secretary of Odd political party. His services were appreciated : Fellows and Royal Arcanum lodges at Manor. by the democrats, who elected him as auditor of Mr. Dewalt is a conservative democrat and an honest and industrious citizen. He and his wife are members of the Reformed church. Westmoreland county in 1858. His record as | a public official was highly creditable to himself, and death eut him down in 1863 when the chances were in his favor for further political preferment. He was an earnest and zealous A. EBERHART, a leading glass worker of Jeannette, was born August 9, 1844, member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. In 1847 he married Elizabeth, daughter of James Hill, who resides near Oakland X roads. She died in 1855.

At nine years of age James A. Dewalt went to reside with Josiah Berlin, who then resided near Murrysville, but afterwards removed to Manor station. Mr. Dewalt did not enjoy the privileges of attending very many terms of school, but nevertheless by a diligent use of his spare moments acquired a fair business educa- tion. In 1865 he went to Venango county, l'a., where he was engaged in well-drilling with dif- ferent firms for thirteen years. In 1878 he re- turned to Manor and became a contractor in the oak lumber business for the " Pennsylvania Gas Coal Company " and has been in their service ever since.

On September 26, 1876, he married Lucinda Gibb, daughter of James Gibb, of St. Peters- burg, Clarion county, Pa. To this union have been born three children, one son and two daughters : Elverda, born March 4, 1878; Harry K., born January 12, 1880, and Sarah B., born March 16, 1884.

J. A. Dewalt with commendable energy and industry has made his own way in life and has overcome many obstacles in his pathway to suc- cess that would have defeated a less determined man. He is a member of Philanthropy Lodge, No. 225, F. and A. M. ; Manor Valley Lodge, No. 879, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ;

1 Westmoreland Lodge, No. 66, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Manor Station Council, No. 716, Royal Arcanum. He carries a con-

at New Geneva, Fayette county, l'a., and is a son of A. B. and Permelia Eberhart. Adolph Eberhart, his grandfather, was born in Maryland on the Monocksey river. His father, Martin Eberhart, and his mother came to this country, settled in Maryland, and married four years afterwards. Adolph Eberhart learned the trade of glass-blower at the works of Albert Gallatin, one mile above New Geneva, on Gor- ges creek, and after working at his trade in Cincinnati for some time he returned to New Geneva, Fayette county, Pa., whither he had formerly removed from Maryland. He was a successful business man and at his death which accurred at a ripe old age left each of his five children . a farm. His wife was Elizabeth Phillips, a daughter of Theophilus Phillips, who lived on a farm one mile from New Geneva, in Springhill township. His son, A. B. Eberhart, was born in Fayette county, Pa., August 9, 1807. In company with his brother, Martin Eberhart, he embarked in the window glass business, running a factory at New Geneva from 1847 to 1854. In politics he has always been a prominent democrat having cast his first presi- dential vote for Andrew Jackson in 1828. He has been on the school board for a number of years, and is identified with the Presbyterian church. He first married Catharine Hertzog, by whom he had four children, all of whom are living in Fayette county : Isaac P., Sarah P., Margaret J., and Permelia S. Isaac P. Eber- hart married Rebecca Davenport; Margaret married H. T. Davenport ; Permelia S. is the

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wife of W. C. Sackett, and Sarah was married to J. C. Gans. The second wife of A. B. Eberhart was Permelia Phillips Williams, a daughter of Thomas Williams, Esq., by whom he has three children living : John P., a glass- cutter, of Pittsburg ; Joanna, wife of Adelbert Rhoades, of Masontown, Fayette county, and Adolph A.

A. A. Eberhart was educated in the public and private schools of his native county. In August, 1862, at the age of eighteen he enlisted in Co. G, 16th regt., Pa. Cavalry and remained with the regiment two years, but was made dispatch or- derly on the staff of Gen. Wright, of the 6th corps ; was with Gen. Sheridan in all his raids up to the time of leaving the regiment in July, 1864, and was mustered out July 3, 1865, at Lynchburg, Va., being then but twenty-one years old. After the war he worked at oil drilling for a time, and having returned in 1868 from a short stay in Missouri, worked one and one-half years with his brother Isaac at Sligo factory. With the exception of two years he has been with A. & D. II. Chambers ever since 1870, and in September, 1889, was made fore- man of the cutting department in the great glass works at Jeannette; from September, 1879, to June, 1884, he held the same position for Mr. Chambers at Mckeesport. Mr. Eber- hart is a member of the Jr. O. U. A. M .. the Baptist church, and the Glass-blowers' Associa- tion, in which he has served on the executive council. Ile is a man of decided views and convictions, of excellent character, upright, faithful and just. On July 20, 1870, he was united in marriage with Bettie A., a daughter ·of Thomas Nettle, of Port Tobacco, Maryland.

'RANKLIN L. FRY, a leading pharma_ cist of Manor, was born at MeKeesport, Allegheny county, l'a., July 13, 1867, and is a son of Dominic and Sarah (Gress) Fry. Dominic Fry was born August 6, 1825, in Ger-

many and died at Manor station June 23, 1885. IIe learned the trade of tinner prior to immigra- ting to the United States and after his arrival in this country settled in Westmoreland county, where he worked for some time at tinning, car- pentering and cabinet making. He then pur- chased the distillery now operated by Fry & Mathias, but soon sold it and removed to Mc- Keesport. In 1877 he returned to Penn township where he bought his former distillery, entered into partnership with Jacob Mathias and was engaged in distilling until his death. He was a democrat who always took an active part in political campaigns and a member of the German Reformed church who always contributed liber- ally to his own and many other churches. He was generous, accommodating and popular. On January 29, 1863, he united in marriage with Sarah Gress, by whom he had three children : Warren G., born August 9, 1864, who is engi- neer for Fry & Mathias, and married Francis V., daughter of John Kemerer, of Manor sta- tion, Franklin L. and Clarion George, born March 7, 1869. Mrs. Sarah Fry was a daugh- ter of John Gress, who lived near Adamsburg. She was born September 26, 1837, and died on July 23, 1872.

Franklin L. Fry attended the public schools and then took a full business course at the Iron City Business college. In 1886 he served as bookkeeper for Kemerer, Moore & Co. About April 1, 1887, he purchased the Beamar drug store at Manor and has continued successfully there in the drug business ever since. His establishment is one of the most reliable and popular in his section of the county. During the winter of 1886 he took a thorough course in the " Pittsburg College of Pharmacy," and since then has given special attention to com- pounding physicians' prescriptions. He carries a complete stock of drugs, chemicals, proprietary medicines, toilet articles and druggists' sundries. IIe contemplates removing his drug store at an early day to a larger and more commodious

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room, and had purchased such a room in the Waugaman building which was partially con- sumed and totally damaged by the Manor fire of 1889. Mr. Fry is a member of Philanthropy Lodge, No. 225, F. & A. M., Manor Star Lodge, No. 1,116, Knights and Ladies of Honor and past councillor of Trovilla Council, No. 158. Jr. O. U. A. M. He is an active young democrat, a member of the Manor Reformed church and an expert and successful druggist.

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Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Part 44

Author: Gresham, John M. cn; Wiley, Samuel T. cn Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia [Dunlap & Clarke] Number of Pages: 1422

Author: Gresham, John M. cn; Wiley, Samuel T. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia [Dunlap & Clarke]
Number of Pages: 1422