USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania > Part 93
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Abraham HI. Wegley received a fair and prac- tical education in the Brush Creek school and then engaged in farming which he has followed ever since. Hle owns one of the most valuable farms in Hempfield township, which is very fer- tile and well improved and lies within the great natural gas belt of western Pennsylvania. Ile is a democrat of the old school, has served two terms as school director of his township and takes a deep interest in education.
A. HI. Wegley, on June 28, 1859, united in marriage with Josina Hull, a daughter of John and Susan ( Byerly) Hull and a granddaughter of the famous Andrew Byerly, who was one of Col. Henry Bouquet's most trusted scouts in the French and Indian war. To Mr. and Mrs. Wegley have been born five sons: Joseph Ste- venson, born May 31, 1862, married Agnes Longhner, daughter of John Loughnes, Janu- ary 27, 1887, and is engaged in farming; Will- iam Fleming, born April 19, 1865, graduated from Washington and Jefferson college June 12, 1889, and is studying law ; John Larimer, born December 4, 1867, died June 22, 1873: Homer Gilmer, born December 6, 1870; Curtis How-
ard, born December 31, 1873. The last two are attending school.
A. II. Wegley and family aro members of the Presbyterian church, Mr. Wegley is a trustee of his church and was a member of the building committee, both of Manor and Penn Presby- terian churches. His neighbors bear testimony of him as an enterprising and progressive farmer.
THOMPSON WOLFE was born in Sa- lem township, Westmoreland county, Pa., August 7, 1852, and is a son of John M. and Eliza (McQuaid) Wolfe. His grandfather, Andrew Wolfe, was of German descent, born in Pennsylvania east of the Alle- gheny mountains about the close of the Revo- lutionary war and died there in 1857. His son, John M. Wolfe, was born in York county, Pa., in 1812, and came to Westmoreland county in 1825. After living two years in Hempfield township he removed to Salem township, in which he continued to live until his death, Au- gust 9, 1868. For many years he held the office of school director in Salem township and was a member of Congruity Presbyterian church, recognized wherever known as an earn- est Christian. In 1840 he married Eliza McQuaid of Delmont (Salem), who bore him ten children : William A., who first married Adaline Fennel, now deceased, and whose second wife was Maggie Calhoun, of Oakland X Roads; John T., from whom nothing has been heard for sixteen years, when he was in San Francisco, on the point of departure for Australia; A. Thompson ; David G., who married Sadie Kun- kle of near Saltsburg, March 11, 1884; Edwin M., a photographer now located at Delmont ; Margaret A., wife of James Walthour of Manor station ; Lizzie M., wife of Joseph Best of Braddock, l'a .; Mary Jane, who died in child- hood ; Sarah R, who died April, 1886; and Maria C., who resides at New Salem. William McQuaid, maternal grandfather, was of Irish
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descent and probably born in Ireland ; he was one of the old settlers of Westmoreland county where he died in 1854 at the age of about eighty years. He married Margaret Davis, who bore him, among other children, a daughter whom they named Eliza. She was born in 1822, be- came the wife of John M. Wolfe, lived to the age of about sixty-three years and died January 23, 1886. A. Thompson Wolfe left school at the age of sixteen to begin farming and has ever since successfully followed that occupation. Ile purchased in 1880 the farm on which he how resides and has made many improvements on it. Mr. Wolfe is a self-made man. Starting in life as a farm laborer with no capital but a
pair of willing hands and a stout heart, he has by industry and economic management paid for a fine farm, one of the best in the township. Hle is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church at Congruity ; is a pleasant and agree- able gentleman, honest and upright, and de- serves the prosperity he enjoys.
A. T. Wolfe was married February 15, 1877, to Lydia Kunkle of Bell township and their union has been blessed with six children : Carrie Ellen, born December 27, 1877 ; Leroy Senour, born September 14, 1879; Chalmers R., born August 26, 1881 ; John Lloyd, born March 11, 1883; James Kunkle, born August 31, 1885; and Rhea Thompson, born August 26, 1888.
Allegheny, Bell, Burrells and Washington
AVID ALTER, M. D., an honored citi- zen and the leading physician of Parnas- sus and whose practice for a quarter of a century has extended over a wide area of country surrounding that live and progressive borough, is the eldest son of Joseph and Margaret C. (Dinsmore) Alter and was born on Puckety ereck in Phun township, Allegheny county, Pa., December 28, 1829. The Alter family of this State are of Swiss descent and originally settled in Cumberland county where Capt. David Alter (grandfather) was born in 1775. Ile married Elizabeth Mell, of German extraction, and re- moved in 1803 to Puckety creek where he had purchased the old " Miller" tract of land on which was erected the well-known " Alter Mills." which did the grinding and sawing in early times for a large scope of country. He served as captain of a company during the War of 1812 and his sister was the wife of Governor Ritner of Pennsylvania. To Captain and Eliza- beth (Mell) Alter were born twelve children : Nancy, wife of Major George Dugan ; Joseph, Jacob, Samuel, John. Henry, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Elias, Sampson and Elizabeth, who died young. From these children have descended the numerous Alter families of to-day. Joseph (father) was born in 1800 and followed farming and milling. He was a famous wrestler and a great athlete. He died in 1861 and is buried at the old Dugan graveyard on Puckety creek.
IIe married Margaret C. Dinsmore, daughter of Robert and Margaret (Curry ) Dinsmore. Mr.
and Mrs. Alter were the parents of three sons and eight daughters. The sons were : Dr. David, Robert D., now dead, and Rev. Joseph, a general missionary of the U. P. church at Colfax, Washington.
Dr. David Alter received his education in the common schools, Freeport academy and Madison college, Ohio. He taught school for eight terms while attending college and reading medi- cine with Dr. Thomas Galbraith of Tarentum, Pa. He attended lectures at Jefferson Medical college of Philadelphia, from which he gradu- ated March 9, 1861. After graduation he lo- cated at Puckety church, this county, and practised till 1862 when he went out to Harrison Landing, Virginia, under contract as the sur- geon of the fifth reg., New York Vols. IIe next served with the fifty-fourth reg., Pa. Mili- tia, then was a volunteer surgeon at Gettysburg and in the fall of 1863 assisted in the capture of Gen. John II. Morgan in the State of Ohio. Dur- ing the ensuing November he was a delegate to the Christian Commission to Tennessee and Ala- bama. On September 10, 1864, he was mus- tered in as a surgeon of the two hundred and sixth reg. Pa. Vols., served as such until June 26, 1865, and was among the first troops to enter Richmond after its evacuation by Lee. In the fall of 1865 Dr. Alter located at Parnassys and has remained there ever since in the suc- cessful as well as the active practice of his pro- fession, in which he ranks deservedly as one of the first physicians of the county. He is an
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ardent republican, comes of a strong anti-slavery family and has served his borough as chief bur- gess, president of the school board and member of the town council. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church, served as the first president of the Parnassus Bank and was very active in organizing the literary and philoso- phical societies of the town as well as helping to build up the graded schools of the borough. He was a surgeon of the Allegheny Valley rail- road, was once president of the Allegheny Valley : Medical association and among his distinguished students are Dr. J. L. Crawford of Greensburg. (See his sketch) and Dr. George C. Parks, late of Murrysville, whom he has just admitted into i partnership with himself at Parnassus. Dr. : Alter is a naturalist and antiquarian of consider- able note. He has one of the largest and most valuable collections in Pennsylvania of old-time relics, natural history, coins and curiosities. This collection includes the flag that hung over the speaker's stand in the Confederate House of Representatives at Richmond. besides historic maps and rare documents. He owns the old Alter family clock, which was made in 1775 of brass beaten and worked by hand, for his great- grandfather the year his grandfather was born.
Dr. Alter united in marriage December 31, 1863, with Mary Anderson, daughter of John HI. and Jane (Irvine) Anderson, by whom he has three children : Alonzo Anderson, William Irvine and Joseph Galbraith. The ellest son, AAlonzo, after advancing well in his college course engaged for several years in teaching and is
now engaged in the study of medicine. The , became a brakeman on the " Allegheny Valley second son, William I., at the age of sixteen starteda weekly paper called the Parnassus News which he conducted successfully for nearly two years when he took Greely's advice and went West. He is now printing a live little weekly paper at Verona, Allegheny county. Joseph ! Galbraith is at this date, April 1, 1890, about fitted for the junior class in college which he expects to enter the coming autumn.
TACOB ALTER, one of Pennsylvania's vet- eran soldiers of the late war and the efficient and obliging ticket agent and telegraph op- erator at Chartier's station on the Allegheny Valley Railroad, was born in Allegheny town- ship, Westmoreland county, l'a., October 3, 1842, and is a son of Samuel and Ann (Stotler) Alter. Samuel Alter was born in Allegheny township in 1809 and died in 1885 at the age of seventy-six years. He was a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church, always supported the whig party, and upon its downfall entered the ranks of the then but just organized Repub- lican party. He served his township for several years as a member of its school board. IIe mar- ried Ann Stotler of Allegheny county and reared a family of eight children. Mrs. Alter is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and resides upon the Allegheny township farm.
Jacob Alter was reared on the farm and at- tended the township schools until he was nine- teen years of age, when he enlisted (1862) as a soldier in Co. I, 123d reg., Pa. Vols., and served for nine months. At the end of his term of ser- vice he came home, but in a few weeks enlisted for three years in Thompson Independent Bat- tery or Co. C, Light Artillery, and served to the close of the war. He took part in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Antietam, and was discharged in Pittsburg on June 30, 1865. During the latter part of that year he went on the Mississippi river where he served for two years as watchman on the steamers, Kenton and Leonidas. In 1800 he left the western waters, Railroad " on which he lost a limb one year later. He then secured the position of night watchman at the general office of the road in Pittsburg. After twelve years satisfactory service as watch- man, he solicited and obtained his present posi- tion of freight and ticket agent and telegraph operator at Chartier's station. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, O. R. T., and the Railroad Station Association. He is a re-
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publican but is not an extremist in political affairs.
Ile was married on June 15, 1868, to Jane II. Morrison, daughter of William Morrison, of Allegheny township. They are the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters : Frank R., Frederick S., Stella M., Nannie L., David and John.
S AMUEL L. ALTER, a progressive far- mer, a successful dairyman and a reliable citizen of Lower Burrell township, was born in Allegheny township, Westmoreland county, Pa., June 17, 1848, and is a son of Samuel and Ann (Stotler) Alter. Samuel Alter was born near Logan's Ferry, Allegheny county, Pa. He learned the trade of blacksmith and re- moved, when a young man, to Allegheny town- ship, this county, where he pursued his trade for several years. He then purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land which he continued to cultivate until his death in 1882, at the age of seventy-eight years. Ile was a mem- ber, steward and trustee of the Methodist Epis- copal church and an earnest and enthusiastic re- publican in politics. He married Ann Stotler and reared a family of six sons and two daugh- ters. Mrs. Alter resides upon the farm and is a member of the M. E. church.
Samuel L. Alter was reared in his native town- ship and received his education in the common schools. At twenty years of age he immigrated to Richmond county, Ohio, where he remained one year and then returned home. Two years later he went west again and spent one year in farm- ing in Peoria county, Illinois. The next year he located at Franklin, Venango county, Pa., where he was engaged in the oil business for about five years. At the end of that time he purchased a farm in Allegheny township and was engaged in farming and the dairy business until the spring of 1889, when he bought a small farm in Alle- gheny township and removed to the farm of R. II. Martin, of ninety-six aeres in Lower Burrell
township, which he is now cultivating in addi- tion to conducting a large dairy. He is a pro- hibitionist in polities, a member of Parnassus Methodist Episcopal church, an energetic and successful farmer and dairyman and a well re- spected citizen.
Samuel L. Alter was married on August 11, 1870, to Harriet L. Martin, a daughter of Rob- ert H. Martin, of Lower Burrell township. Their union has been blessed with three children, all sons : William R., born September 27, 1871 ; Dallas L., born September 27, 1873, and Charlie R., born January 18, 1876.
R OBERT P. ARNOLD, a resident of Lower Burrell township and ex-commis- sioner of Westmoreland county, is en- titled to the credit of being the first person who ever brought oil down the Allegheny river and placed it on the Pittsburg market for sale. IIe was born at Kittanning, Armstrong county, Pa., May 15, 1832, and is a son of Andrew and Isabella (Parks) Arnold. Andrew Arnold was born and reared near Kittanning where he suc- cessfully operated a large tannery for over forty years. He was an old-line whig, a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church and died in 1861, aged 66 years. He married Isabella Parks who was an exemplary presbyterian and died in 1880 when in the eighty-sixth year of her age. Robert Parks, the maternal grand- father of the subject of the sketch, was a native of Mifflin county, this State, and removed when a young man to Armstrong county where he re- sided until his death at ninety-two years of age. He was a prosperous farmer, a Jacksonian demo- crat and an earnest presbyterian. His wife, Isabella Parks, whose maiden name was Bratton, was a member of the same church as her hus- band and passed away in the eighty-ninth year of her age.
Robert P. Arnold was reared at Kittanning where he received his education in the common
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schools and academy of that place. In 1858 he ! Barber (father) was born in Ireland about the removed from Kittanning to the farm on which year 1784 and was brought here by his parents he now resides. In 1862 he enlisted in the ; when five years of age. He was fifteen years HRcouth Pa. Cavalry, participated in all the old when the family removed to Washington township in 1795 where he died in 1865, having followed farming all his life. Martha Jamison (mother) was born in Washington township and was of Irish descent. She, too, belonged to the Reformed Presbyterian church, and died in 1884, aged 82. Lattles in which his regiment was engaged and was honorably discharged from the United States service in Nashville, Tennessee, in June, 1865. Hle then came back to Lower Burrell township where he has been engaged in farming ever since. His farm of eighty-five acres is well watered and nice lying-land for agricultural pur- poses, and on it are erected good buildings.
In July, 1868, he married Josephine Irwin, daughter of Isaac Irwin, of Lower Burrell town- ship. In 1882 Mrs. Arnold died and left two children, both sons : Parks Crawford and Harry Isaac Arnold.
After the war Robert P. Arnold was engaged for some time in coal and mercantile business. Ile was the first person who ever brought oil down the Allegheny river to Pittsburg. He sold his first lot to the Penna. Salt Manufacturing company at thirteen dollars per barrel.
Ile is an enthusiastic democrat, served as county commissioner from 1876 to 1879 and has been school director of his township for over ten years.
FOHN BARBER, a son of Thomas and . church.
J
Martha (Jamison) Barber, was born April 4, 1827, near North Washington, West- moreland county, Pa., and still resides in Wash- ington township. His grandfather was John Barber, a nativo of Ireland, who emigrated to this country about 1799, settling at New Texas, Allegheny county, l'a., where he followed the trade of weaving and coloring until about 1809, 1
when he removed to Washington township and continued at his trade until his death, which occurred in 1851. He was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) church, whose members take no part in the political affairs of the country for the reason that God is not recognized by the Constitution. Thomas
John Barber received his education in the common schools and in his younger days began farining on the old Wharton farm, where he re- mained until 1855, when he purchased his pres- ent homestead, on which he has ever since con- tinued his agricultural pursuits. He is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church at Apollo and in politics is a democrat. In 1861 he enlisted in the Fourth Pa. cavalry, Col. Campbell, and served continuously till 1864, when he was sent home severely wounded. He was in numerous engagements and received his wound while with Sheridan before Richmond, May 11, 1864.
John Barber's wife was Miss Rachel Nesbit, a native of Franklin township, who is the mother of four living children: Elizabeth, Thomas, Sarah and Calvin. Her parents came from Ireland and were brought up in the U. P.
HARLES W. BAXTER, a prominent farmer of Lower Burrell township, was born April 1, 1862, in Allegheny town- ship, Westmoreland county, Pa., and is a son of John and Margaret A. (Hays) Baxter. ITis grandfather was James Baxter, of Irish descent, but a native of eastern Pennsylvania, who at an carly day came as a settler to this county, pur- chasing the farm now owned by Charles W. Baxter, which at that time was entirely covered with timber and on which he resided until his death in 1879 in the eighty-third year of his age. He was a democrat and a member of the U. P. church. John Baxter (father) was born
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in Allegheny county and moved with his father to the farm which he bought, and on which he lived from 1836 until 1887, when he removed to Leechburg and retired from active labor. Though he never desired office yet he is a republican and has been active in behalf of his party. Hle is a member of the M. E. church. His wife, a native of this county, is a member of the same church.
Charles W. Baxter was reared in the country, educated in the common schools and at Parnassus academy and has always been engaged in farm- ing. now owning the old homestead consisting of 150 aeres of choice, well-improved land especially adapted to stock-raising. lle is a republican and takes an active part in behalf of his party and is now serving as school director and judge of election. He is identified with the M. E. church at Bethel, in which he is steward.
Charles W. Baxter was married February 1, 1887, to Miss Lillie M., a daughter of Hiram Shearer of Lower Burrell township and they have one child, a daughter named Emily A.
C. W. Baxter is one of the most enterprising farmers in his section, raises a great deal of stock and belongs to an old and highly respected family. He is intelligent, of strict integrity, good moral character and an agreeable com- panion.
J
FOHN C. BOAL, one of the energetic, thrifty and comfortably situated farmers of Alle- gheny township, is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Taylor) Boal, and was born on the farm on which he now resides in Allegheny township, Westmoreland county, Pa., July 23, 1818. He is of Irish extraction. His father (Samuel Boal) was born in county Monaghan, province of Ulster, Ireland, in 1800. Hle attended the national schools of Ireland, learned the trade of weaver and at twenty-one years of age crossed the Atlantic. Upon landing at New York he immediately pushed west- ward and located in Allegheny township where
he died June 1, 1873. Soon after his arrival he went to near Mckeesport in Allegheny coun- ty, Pa., where he resided for a few years and worked at his trade of weaving. He then re- turned to Allegheny township where he was en- gaged in farming as long as he lived. He mar- ried Sarah Taylor who was born in Washington county, this State, in 1813, and died in Alleghe- ny township May 3, 1889. They reared a family of several sons and daughters. Samuel Boal and his wife were consistent and useful members of the United Presbyterian church. Ile was an active, thorough-going and hard- working man. Kind-hearted, he was gentle in manner to all and tender to those in distress. He was generous to a fault, always a friend to the poor and helpless. He was a very modest man who was highly esteemed by his friends and re- spected by all who knew him.
John C. Boal was reared to farming and re- ceived his education in the common schools of his native township. Arriving at manhood he made choice of farming as a life pursuit and has followed that business successfully ever since. He owns a farm of fifty-three acres of productive land, which he cultivates carefully and upon which he has made valuable improvements. Mr. Boal is a member of the United Presbyterian church and takes a deep interest in the success of his own and other religious denominations.
'f ESSE BUTLER, a descendant of the Butler family of Revolutionary fame and one of the prominent citizens and leading business men of Allegheny township, was born in Wheat- field township, Indiana county, Pa., January 9, 1828, and is a son of James and Martha (Clark) Butler. The Butler family has won honorable distinction in every section of the Union and in every era of its history. Capt. William Butler (grandfather) was one of the five " fighting" Butlers, who were sons of Thomas Butler, who was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. Richard, the
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eldest brother, rose to the rank of major-general and fell in St. Clair's defent ; Capt. William was the next, and the three younger ones were Maj. Thomas, Adjt. Gen. Percival and Capt. Edward, who all served with great honor in the Revolutionary war. Capt. William (grandfather), " the second son, who accompanied St. Clair to Canada and Ticonderoga, was an officer through- out the Revolutionary war, rose to the rank of colonel and was in many of the severest battles. Ile was the favorite of the family and was boasted of by this race of heroes as the coolest and boldest man in battle they had ever known." He afterwards was a captain in the War of 1812. Hle was born in Ireland, lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and four years and died in Crawford county, Pa., in 1826. A very inter- esting account of these five Butler brothers will be found in George Dallas Albert's History of Westmoreland county. One of Capt. William Butler's sons was James Butler (father), who was a native of this county. He went to In- diana county where he followed farming for many years, and was also a moulder and furnace man in the old Ross furnace of this county, and then removed to Crawford county, this State, where he died in 1833 aged sixty years. Ile married Martha Clark, who was a member of the old and well-known Clark family of this county.
Jesse Butler was reared on an Indiana county farm and received his education in the subserip- tion schools of that day. At eighteen years of age he learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he continued to work till 1872. From 1872 to 1880 he was engaged in the oil business in which he was very successful. Since 1880 he has been a resident of Allegheny township, where he owns a very valuable farm of one hun- dred and forty-three acres of fine land. He has been a class-leader for thirty-five years in the M. E. church, of which he has been a member for forty-five years. Ile is an active republican and has been a township central committee-
man of that party for eight years. He is a fine mechanic and worked for twelve years at his trade in Pittsburg, where he was engaged in the erection of the largest rolling mills of that city.
In 1848 he married Comfort Greenhill, who was a daughter of R. B. Greenhill, and died in 1854, leaving two children: William J. and John D. On September 13th, 1856, Mr. Butler married for his second wife Mary E. Oakes, daughter of Samuel Oakes, of Indiana county, Pa To this second union have been born six children : Albert E., Maggie B., Lula M., Ira E., Harry B. and Richard II.
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