USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania > Part 79
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OHN LYNN, of Rostraver township, a son of William and Elizabeth (Chain) Lynn, was born January 8, 1843, in Redstone township, Fayette Co., Pa. Ilis grandfather, John Lynn, was a native of Ireland, immigrated to America and settled in Fayette Co., near Perryopolis, where he followed the trade of tailoring. William Chain, maternal grandfather, was a laborer and lived most of his life in Tyrone township, Fayette county.
William Lynn (father) was born in 1817, near Perryopolis, Fayette county, and now resides in Rostraver township, this county, his life occupa- tion having been chiefly that of farming. He was married to Elizabeth Chain, and they had eleven children, of whom nine are living. Wm. Henry Lynn, one of the sons, enlisted in Co. G, sixteenth Pa. Cavalry in 1862 and served until June, 1865, taking part in many bloody and important battles.
John Lynn attended the common schools of his day and learned the blacksmith trade, at which he has worked ever since, carrying on wagon-making in connection therewith. The latter trade he never learned, but being naturally apt he picked it up. Previous to the war he lived in Fayette county, but in 1866 he re- moved to Rostraver township, this county, where he has ever since carried on his busi- ness. He is a democrat, an Odd Fellow and a member of the G. A. R. Post at Smith- ton. Mr. Lynn, on the 6th of September, 1862, enlisted in Co. G, sixteenth Pa. Cav-
alry and served until mustered out at Lynch- burg, Va., June 14, 1865, participating in all the battles of his regiment, among the most im- portant of which were Gettysburg, Sheppards- ' town, White House Landing, Culpepper Court House, New Market Road and the Wilderness. Ile served his country faithfully and made for himself a record as a valiant soldier.
John Lynn was first married to Mary King, a daughter of William King, of Fayette county, by whom he had two children : Alzana and Frank, both deceased. His second wife was Mary, a daughter of Henry Owens (now de- ceased) and they have had the following chil- dren : Priscilla, born March 17, 1868, now the wife of James Zearley, of Rostraver township ; William Henry, born December 9, 1869; John Elmer, born October 22. 1871; Ada, born De- cember 15, 1873; Alfred (deceased), born January 19, 1876; Allena, born January 20, 1877; Samuel B., born September 18, 1879; George Alonzo, born September 22, 1882; and Caleb Z., born August 31, 1884.
POSEPHI MARKLE, a descendant of an old and distinguished family of Westmore- land county and the owner of one of the finest farms of South Huntingdon township, is a son of Gen. Joseph and Elizabeth (Lloyd) Markle and was born in South Huntingdon town- ship, Westmoreland county, Pa., May 8, 1830. His great-grandfather, John Chrisman Merklin (written Markle in the U. S.), was born at Alsace, on the Rhine, about 1678. In 1685 or 1636 he went to Amsterdam, Holland, where he married Jemima Weurtz or Weurtzen, who was a sister of the admiral of that name. In 1703 he emigrated to Berks county, Pa., where he reared a family of nine children. His youngest. child, Gaspar Markle, removed to Westmoreland county in 1770 and founded the " South Western Pennsylvania " branch of the Markle family. (For a fuller history of Gaspar Markle and the
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Markle family see sketch of Shepard B. Markle, Jr., of West Newton.)
Ilis eldest child by his second wife, Mary Roadarmel, was Gen. Joseph Markle (father). who was born February 15, 1777. At an early age he was engaged in transporting salt from eastern cities on packhorses through unbroken forests. In 1799, 1800, 1801, 1803 and 1809 he made trips to New Orleans with boat-loads of flour from his father's mill. From his first trip he returned by what is called the wilderness route by way of Natchez, Nashville, Lexington, Chillicothe, etc. From the next trip (1800) he returned by sea as a common sailor on board the ship Mars, commanded by Capt. George. From his remaining trips he returned by sea but always as a passenger. In 1506 he built a flour- ing mill, and five years later he and Simon Drum erected the third paper-mill ever built west of the Alleghenies.
When the War of 1812 broke out General Markle was very actively engaged in prosecuting various business enterprises, but his patriotism was far superior to his business ambition, and he left his farms and mills to raise a troop of cavalry. Of this company he was elected cap- tain and led it into the thickest of the fight at the battle of Mississinewa. He also took a creditable part in the siege of Ft. Meigs. Shortly after the close of the war he was elected Major-General of Pennsylvania militia for the division composed of the counties of Fayette and Westmoreland. In 1844 General Markle was the whig candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, and was defeated by only 4,000 votes in a poll of 316,000. Ile ran 4,000 votes ahead of the whig presidential ticket in the State. Ile was a great reader, possessed a good memory, and was well known for his courage, honesty and hospitality.
General Markle was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Painter, a daughter of Judge Jacob Painter, by whom he had three sons and one daughter. His second wife was Elizabeth
Lloyd, daughter of Col. Joseph Lloyd, who was born in the Ligonier Valley. General and Mrs. Markle had twelve children. (For account of these children see sketch of George W. Markle.)
Joseph Markle was reared on the homestead farm of his father. He received his education in common and select schools, and at an early age turned his attention to farming and stock- raising which he has successfully pursued for many years.
In December, 1855, he was married to Jane Pinkerton, a daughter of Squire Pinkerton, who had been justice of the peace for many years in Sewickley township. They have five children, three sons and two daughters: Clara E., wife of J. R. Cannon of Allegheny City, Pa. ; Mary E., who married William P. Bell of South Hun- tingdon township; John P., who married Lizzie, daughter of David Baer; Shepard E., a hard- ware merchant of New Haven, Pa., and George Lloyd.
Joseph Markle is a republican in politics, but is not an extremist. Ile owns a farm of one hundred acres of first-class land, which is a part of the ancient homestead and is well adapted to tillage or stock-raising. Mr. Markle and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church at West Newton. He is well informed, honest and hospitable.
.EORGE W. MARKLE, a grandson of Gasper Markle and a highly respected citizen of South Huntingdon township, was born in South Huntingdon township, West- moreland county, Pa., December 2, 1841, and is a son of Gen. Joseph and Elizabeth (Lloyd) Markle. He is a grandson of Gaspar Markle whose father, John Chrisman Markle, was born in Alsace on the Rhine and came to America in 1703. Another member of the Markle family, Ilon. Abraham Markle, removed from Germany to Canada, where he served as a delegate in the Provincial Parliament. He came to the United States in 1812, served as colonel in the Ameri-
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can army and received four sections of land from the government in place of his property in Canada which was afterwards confiscated by the British authorities. Several of Gaspard Mar- kle's sous served in the Indian wars and one of them, George, was prominent in the defense of Wheeling, while his (Gaspard's) brother was under Commodore Barney in the Revolution. Gaspard Markle made some of the first flour manufactured west of the Allegheny mountains, and Jacob Yoder who transported it on flat-boats to New Orleans had a monument erected over his remains by the citizens of Spencer county, Ky., to commemorate that fact. (For further history of the Markle family see sketch of Joseph Markle and also of Shepard B. Markle, Jr., of West Newton). Gen. Joseph Markle served with distinction in the War of 1812. From a general order issued by Gen. William H. Harrison on August 16, 1813, we extract the following in regard to Gen. Markle and his company : " In the course of eleven months service in which they have performed as much severe duty as any troops ever did, the General has found as much reason to applaud their steady and subordinate deportment in camp as their coolness and valor when opposed to the enemy, both of which were eminently displayed at the battle of Mississnewa and at the siege of Ft. Meigs." On January 18, 1805, Gen. Markle married Elizabeth Painter. Their children were Shepard B., Mary E., widow of John Boyd, Elias R., died in 1818, and Gen. Cyrus P. His second wife was Elizabeth Lloyd, whom he married on September 27, 1825. By this second union there were twelve children of whom six are dead : George W., Lafayette, a lawyer by profession and who edited the Nyack Chronicle, Rockland county, N. Y., at the time of his death, Joseph, Roxanna, wife of Dr. W. L. Miller, of Allegheny city, Sidnie, wife of Robert Taylor, of West Newton, and Margaret. Gen Markle was a member of the Presbyterian church. In the late war upon a threatened in-
vasion of Pennsylvania he raised a company of cavalry for home defense when eighty-four years of age. Ile died March 15, 1867.
George W. Markle was reared upon a farm and received his education in common and private schools of the county. When old enough to en- gage in business for himself he embarked in faming in which he has continued successfully ever since.
Ile was married on June 3, 1875, to Elizabeth L. Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd. To their union have been born six children : Edith B., Lawrence L., Alice, Harry W., Robert L. and Maggie E.
In political opinion Mr. Markle is a republi- can. He is a member of Youghiogheny Grange, No. 916, Patrons of Husbandry and Sewickley Presbyterian church, of which he is a trustee. Hle owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of very good farming and grazing land in South Huntingdon township, upon which he resides. As a citizen and a man he is highly respected and esteemed.
ILLIAM MEREDITH, a resident of East Huntingdon township, a promi_ nent locomotive engineer and the in- ventor of exhaust nozzel, is a son of William and Mary (Williams) Meredith, and was born in Stafford county, England, December 30, 1842. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Mere- dith, was a native and resident of Shropshire, England, where he had the management of a parish for a gentleman by the name of Booth. Ile was a member of the Established church of England, married Mary Fellows, and had four children : Joseph ; John, who was a large shoe manufacturer of London ; Thomas and Will- iam, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch. William Meredith, Sr., lived and died in his native country. He married Mary Williams, a daughter of William Williams, who was a mem- ber of the Established church, and lived to be ninety-six years of age. They had eight sons and three daughters, of whom ten are living.
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William Meredith was reared in England where he received a very fine education, and served for some time as a valet to a distinguished gentleman of that country. He then learned the trade of locomotive engineer, and in 1879 immigrated to Canada where he was a superin- tendent of a large iron-works for one year. At the end of that time he came to Westmoreland county and accepted his present position as en- gineer at the Morewood coke-works. He is a republican in politics. He is a member of M. E. church, Mt. Pleasant Lodge, No. 90, Knights of the Domestic Chain, Hylas Lodge, No. 474, Knights of Pythias, and the National Associa- tion of Stationary Engineers, and while in England he was a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters of that country. He owns a fine and attractive residence property in East Hunt- ingdon township, near Mt. Pleasant, upon which he has erected a modern and well finished house of six rooms.
On June 8, 1862, he married Martha Brom- yard, who is a native of England. They have one child : Bertha, who was born May 1, 1863, and is the wife of William Hitchcock, who is a locomotive engineer and owns considerable property at Morewood.
William Meredith is the inventor of the " Exhaust Nozzel " for locomotives. It saves both water and fuel, takes the back pressure from the engine and arrests and prevents sparks from flying. Ile has taken out patents on this invention in Scotland, England, Ireland, Canada and the United States. Those who are com- petent to speak upon the subject pronounce it useful and valuable invention and predict its introduction into general use at no distant day in the future.
OBERT MCGUFFEY, of Scotch-Irish descent and one of South Huntingdon's many prosperous and reliable farmers, is a son of Robert and Catharine (Weaver) MeGuf-
fey, and was born in South Huntingdon town- ship, Westmoreland county, Pa., February 13, 1851.
Ilis paternal ancestors are of Scotch-Irish ex- traction. His grandfather, Robert McGuffey, Sr., moved his family on pack-horses to West- moreland county, where he settled on a tract of land which now comprises the farms of the sub- ject of this sketch and his brother. He was a farmer and owned and operated a small distillery. Robert McGuffey, Jr., (father) was born in 1801 on the home-farm on which he died. He was a millwright and carpenter but gave a portion of his time to the management of the large farm which he owned. He was a democrat, had held various township offices, served in the Pennsyl- vania militia and was a member and trustee of the Sewickley Presbyterian church. He mar- ried Catharine Weaver, a daughter of John Weaver, who was a native of South Huntingdon township and removed to the " Forks " in Alle- gheny county, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. McGuffey had six children, all of whom are living : Benja- min F., married Alma Aspey and lives at Hun- ker's station ; Martha, who is married to William F. Pool of Manor station ; Robert, Catharine, Mary J., widow of A. G. Milligan and John C.
Robert McGuffey, after receiving his educa- tion in the common schools, engaged in farming which he pursued until he removed to Painters- ville, where he formed a partnership with a Mr. Stanton in the wholesale feed business which lasted for sixteen months. He then returned to his farm and resumed farming and stock-raising which business he has continued to follow ever since. He owns a farm of two hundred and fifty-four acres of first-class land which is well- improved and in a good state of cultivation.
HIe is an active democrat, served as collector of taxes in 1889 and was re-elected in the spring of 1890.
On October 19, 1881, he married Hattie Stewart, a daughter of William and Harriet Stewart of Sewickley township. Mr. and Mrs.
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McGuffey have four children : Mary J., Grover C., Harrison and Bertha A.
Robert MeGuffey is a member of the Grange and Junior Order of United American Mechanics at Mendon.
LEXANDER McMAHAN, one of the intelligent and substantial citizens of Webster, was born July 17, 1843, in Allegheny county, Pa., and is a son of Hugh and Margaret (Manown) McMahan. His grand- father, also named Hugh McMahan, was a native of Ireland who emigrated to America in 1816 and settled in Allegheny county, Pa., where he re- mained until 1828. He then removed to Ros- traver township in the adjoining county of West- moreland, where he carried on the business of farming until his death. He was a democrat and a devout member of the Catholic church. Hugh MeMahan (father) was born in Ireland in 1802 and came with his father to America where he followed farming until his death, which oc- furred in 1882. At the time of his death he owned a tract of five hundred acres of land. The first crop of wheat he raised on his farm was cut by himself with a sickle, and the last erop during his life was taken off by five reapers and one self- binder, all running at one time, which shows the vast progress made in farming and the use of agricultural machinery. Mr. McMahan was the father of nine children, five of whom were boys. In politics he adhered firmly to the democratic faith and held several important offices in his township. He was a man of very high standing in his community, being universally recognized as a modest, industrious gentleman of undoubted integrity and consistent Christian character. IIe was an active member of the Catholic church and a man whose noble example lives after him. John Manown (maternal grandfather) was a na- tive of Ireland who emigrated to America and settled in Allegheny county, Pa., where he re- mained until removed by death.
Alexander McMahan was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Rostraver township, after which he carried on farming till 1888 when he embarked in the hotel business at Webster, in which he is now engaged. Politically he adheres to the democratic faith while in religion he is an active, earnest member of the Catholic church. He is a man of excellent business qualifications, sober, quiet and industrious.
Mr. McMahan married February 5, 1867, Mary Ellen, daughter of Thomas Daly, of Dela- ware, and sister of Thomas Daly the efficient foreman of the great Gibsonton distillery at Belle Vernon. She has borne him nine chil- dren whose names are Anastatia, Margaret A., Hugh, Athalia, Thomas Lafayette, Lillian E., Ella, Harold and Marr Daly.
LEXANDER S. MILLIGAN, a descend- ant of a Scotch-Irish family noted for its longevity as well as its thrift and moral- ity, and an intelligent citizen of Sewickley town- ship, is a son of John and Sarah (Simeral) Milli - gan, and was born in the house in which he now resides in Sewickley township, Westmoreland county, Pa., December 18, 1841. John Milli- gan (great-grandfather) was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, came to this country before the Revo- lution and lived for some time near Carlisle, in the Cumberland Valley, where he tended a mill and often ground flour and meal for Washing- ton's army. Ile married Mary Adams and in 1780 removed to Westmoreland county where he located on the farm of John Carnahan, now known as the Willow Tree Farm. He patented four hundred acres of land in Sewickley town- ship and served for many years before his death as justice of the peace. He married more young couples than any other magistrate in the county on account of his short marriage ceremony. IIe was born in 1752, married Mary Adams in 1775 and had ten children, three sons and seven daughters : Jean married Col. David Nelson of Crawford county ; Nancy married Richard Sim-
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mons ; Alexander, who married Nelly McLin- tock ; Mary died at fifty-two years of age; Peggy, who died aged one year, and the next child was also named Peggy, who married Sam- uel Miller : James C. married Deborah Eckles ; Nelly married Hugh MeLintock ; Ann married William Hutchinson and John (grandfather) who married Margaret Thompson. In 1802 John Milligan started with a boat load of flour and whiskey to New Orleans. The flour souring on the way he took it to Liverpool, England, sold it to the starch manufacturers of that city and in- vested the proceeds in dry goods and queens- ware. Ile then visited his native place in Scot- land and induced his half-brother, the Rev. James Milligan, an eloquent Associate Reformed minister, to come with him to America where he became noted as one of the early Abolitionists, and while pastor of a church at Bygate, Ver- mont, was egged by a pro-slavery mob. John Milligan (grandfather) was born June 20, 1789, on the home farm where he always lived and upon which he died August 17, 1872. He served in Capt. Markle's cavalry company dur- ing the War of 1812 and was a strong whig. Ile was an elder in the old " Dick " U. P. church which he helped to found in 1808 and to re-build the house in 1833, which occupied the site of the present church edifice erected in 1882. He mar- ried Margaret Thompson who bore him four sons and two daughters, all of whom are dead except one son, Joseph. The sons were : William T. who married Rosana Bell; Joseph married Hannah Highberger ; Alexander, who married Mary Brisbin, and John. The daughters were: Jane, wife of John Mc Ycal, and Mary Ann, who married Israel Miller. John Milligan (father) was born March 28, 1819, in the old homestead house in which he always lived and where he died December 20, 1879. He now sleeps with his father and grandfather in the old Dick grave- yard. He was a whig and later a republican. He was a supporter and regular attendant of the U. P. church. In 1840 he married Sarah Sim-
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eral, daughter of Alexander Simeral, of Sewick- ley township. They had five children : Alexan- der S. and Margaret Jane (twins), born Decem- ber 18, 1841 ; Harrison and Mary Ann (twins), born September 4, 1815, and Sarah R., born September 27, 1853, married George H. Bun- ner, January 4, 1883, and has two sons : John Milligan, born November 28, 1886, and Walter Milligan, born July 27, 1888. Harrison, the second son, married Elizabeth Robertson and lives in Rostraver township and has one son : Arthur Edgar.
Alexander S. Milligan received his education in the common schools and at the present time is engaged in farming and stock-raising. His farm of one hundred and fifty-six acres of land is in Sewickley township. He is a republican, always takes an active part in politics and is a clear-headed and energetic business man.
TAMES M. MILLIGAN. A family which is numbered among the early families of Westmoreland county is the Milligan fam- ily, which was founded by John Milligan, a Revolutionary soldier and the grandfather of James M. Milligan, who is one of the well- known and highly-respected citizens of Sewick- ley township. James M. Milligan is a son of James C. and Deborah (Eckles) Milligan and was born in Sewickley township, Westmoreland county, Pa., New Year's Day, 1819. The Mil- ligans are of Scotch descent and locate the home of their trans-Atlantic ancestors near the birth- place of the poet Burns, in Ayrshire, Scotland. John Milligan (grandfather) left Scotland prior to 1774; settled in Chester county, Pa. He ground corn for Washington's army when they were encamped at Valley Forge and after the Revolutionary war came to Westmoreland county. Ile settled at the " Willow Tree " farm, but soon removed (1785) to Sewickley township, where in 1786 he patented four hundred acres of land. lle married Mary Adams and they had three
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sons and six daughters : Alexander, John and James C., Jane, Elinor, Margaret, Mary, Nancy and Anna. (For further account of John Mil- ligan and his son James C., see sketches of Dr. J. D. Milligan, of Greensburg, and A. S. Milligan.)
James M. Milligan received a common school education and also taught school in Sewickley township. Since then he has been engaged in farming and takes especial delight in the care and management of his well-kept farm.
On February 17, 1842, he married Rosan Murtland, of Irish descent and who died Feb- ruary 27, 1846. By this marriage he had one child : Daniel Murtland, who was born May 26, 1843; enlisted in Co. A, fifteenth Reg., Pa. Cavalry, August 19, 1862; participated in the battle of Murfreesboro, was promoted to first sergeant for bravery ; carried dispatches for Gen. Rosecrans in several battles ; served under Sherman in the march to the sea and was wounded in North Carolina on the 13th of April, 1865; came home, entered and gradu- ated from Iron City Business college and be- came bookkeeper for the James Sparks steel- works, but his wound never healed rightly and finally caused his death April 19, 1869. IIe was an exemplary young man and was a con- sistent member of the United Brethren church. On October 10, 1850, James M. Milligan united in marriage with Elizabeth Davidson, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Davidson, of Madison. To this second union have been born two sons and two daughters: Dr. John D. (see sketch); Rosetta II., born February 27, 1855, married John S. Cope, September 27, 1874, and has two children-Alverda M., born December 15, 1876, and Clayton C., born July 22, 1883-Sadie E., born April 19, 1858, and Harry E., born Octo- ber 15, 1867.
In politics Mr. Milligan is a republican. IIe voted for General William Henry Harrison in 1840 and for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, in 1888. Ile and his wife and children are members of the United Brethren church.
ILLIAM MITCHELL, SR. (deceased), who was a well-known citizen of Se-
wickley township, was a son of John and Mary (Leech) Mitchell. He was born in Philadelphia county, Pa., May 8, 1818, and died in Sewickley township, February 13, 1885. His father, John Mitchell, was a native of Eng- land and came to Philadelphia county, Pa., where he was engaged in the general mercantile business for several years. He then removed to Sewickley township and purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres, near Madison, on which his grandsons, William and John Mitchell, now reside.
William Mitchell, Sr., was reared in Phila- delphia county, this State, and came with his father to Sewickley township, where he engaged in farming as a life-long pursuit. His life was straightforward, unchequered and uneventful. He was a democrat in political opinion, an earnest and consistent member of the United Presbyterian church and a plain, unassuming man who was highly respected by his neigh- bors. He was a kind husband, a loving father and a generous friend.
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