Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Blair County, Pennsylvania, Part 19

Author: Wiley, Samuel T., editor. cn
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Philadelphia, Gresham
Number of Pages: 1160

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Frank M. Morrow is a conservative re- publican, and has been a member of the Second Presbyterian church of Altoona for several years. He is a member of Mountain Lodge, No. 281, Free and Accepted Masons ; Mountain Chapter, No. 189, Royal Arch Masons; Council No. 9, Royal and Select Masters; Mountain Commandery, No. 10, Knights Templar; and Syria Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Pittsburg. He is also a member of White Cross Lodge, No. 354, Knights of Pythias, and Altoona Lodge, No. 145, Knights of the Golden Eagle.

In business, Mr. Morrow has not confined himself to merchandising, but has invested extensively in various enterprises for the ben- efit and development of Altoona. Among these may be mentioned the Altoona Silk mill, the Mountain City Electric Light

plant, and the Wapsonnack railroad, in all of which he is a stockholder, while of the first he is also a director. He is a public- spirited citizen, and is one of that class of men who owe honorable standing in society, and remarkable success in business, to their own unaided efforts.

D ANIEL D. WOOD, train master of the Tyrone division of the Pennsyl- vania railroad, and one of the few An- cient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the thirty-second degree of Masonry, of Pennsylvania, is the eldest son and third child of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Deter) Wood, and was born at Milesburg, Centre county, Pennsylvania, March 18, 1828. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Wood, was born in Devonshire, England, came to Amer- ica with the early colonists, and settled on the James river, Virginia. He removed from there to Barre, and was an early settler of Barre, Huntingdon county, where he died when in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He was a millwright by trade, and followed millwrighting for many years. He was an old line whig in politics, a Methodist in religious faith and church membership, and married a Miss Mary Harris, of Vir- ginia, who was a sister of Col. Joseph Harris, of the revolutionary war, by whom he had eight children, five sons and three daughters. His son, Ebenezer Wood, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born at Barre, Huntingdon county, in 1798. He was an expert in iron refining, which business he followed during his life- time. He was known by all and employed by many of the iron manufacturing firms of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio. Some of the most prominent iron manufacturing

Daniel D. Head,

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OF BLAIR COUNTY.

firms for which he worked, at different times, were : The Tyrone Forges Company ; the Juniata Iron Company, of Alexandria, this State; the Duncannon Iron Company, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania; Thomas G. Gaylord, at Portsmouth, Ohio; and Baker & Co., Kentucky. In 1851, after having resided at various places, he removed to Tyrone, where he died in 1864, when in the sixty -sixth year of his age. He was a whig and republican in politics, and a very strict member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he had held all the local offices, from trustee up to class leader. While an earnest, active and prominent worker in his own church, to which he was a generous con- tributor, he was also interested in the pro- gress and success of all other Christian churches in his community, and always contributed liberally to their support. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Deter, who died in 1866, aged sixty-six years. To them was born a family of eight chil- dren, two sons and six daughters: Mary J., Rebecca, Daniel D., Angeline, Sheldon, Charlotte, Rachel, and Ebenezer. Of these children but one is now living, Daniel D.

Daniel D. Wood received his carly cdu- tion in the private schools of his neighbor- hood, and then attended an institution of higher learning at Portsmouth, Ohio. In early life he learned iron refining with his father, and followed that line of business successfully for eight years. Ile then (1859) entered the employ of the Pennsyl- vania railroad as a freight brakesman, and within the unusually short space of five years was successively promoted to freight conductor, passenger conductor, and train master. In 1864 he was made train master of Tyrone division of the present Penn- sylvania railroad, and has discharged the

duties of that position ever since with credit to himself and satisfaction to the railroad company and the traveling public. His division includes the Tyrone & Clear- field, the Bald Eagle Valley, the Snow Shoe, and the Tyrone & Lewisburg rail- roads, with all their branches, aggregating in all 246 miles of main track road, on which they run daily over eighty trains, of which twenty-four are passenger trains.

On January 8, 1852, Mr. Wood was united in marriage with Bedelia, daughter of Patrick and Esther Maloy, of Alexandria, this State, and to their union were born three children : William H., who died in infancy ; Charles A., who married Fannie Leconte, and is chief clerk at Altoona, in the office of the general superintendent of the Pennsylvania railroad; and E. Frank, a passenger engineer, who married Mary Graflius, and was killed July 22, 1891, in a railroad accident at Howard's Station, on the Bald Eagle Valley road.

In polities Mr. Wood is a pronounced democrat, of the Cleveland type. Ile is thoroughly conversant with the political issues of the day, has always been an active worker in the ranks of his party, and believes that the highest prosperity of this country can only be obtained under a dem- ocratie administration of the government. He ranks very high in Masonry, and is a thirty-second degree Mason. He is a mem- ber of Juniata Lodge, No. 282, Free and Accepted Masons, of Hollidaysburg; Mt. Moriah Chapter, No. 166, Royal Arch Masons, of Hollidaysburg; and Mountain Commandery, No. 10, Knights Templar, of Altoona. Ile is an Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Mason, of the thirty-second degree of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States. Daniel D. Wood is a

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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

pleasant, intelligent and courteous gentle- man, a remarkably good conversationalist, and a man of fine business qualifications.

S AMUEL M. ROSS, M. D., a resident physician of Altoona of over forty years' successful practice in western and central Pennsylvania, is a son of John and Eleanor (MeKnight) Ross, and was born in Indiana borough, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, No- vember 9, 1821. John Ross was of Scotch ex- traction, and in the year 1800 he left his na- tive township, in Perry county, to settle at the then small village, but now important town, of Indiana, in Indiana county. In a short time he removed to a farm five miles dis- tant, on Two Lick creek, where he resided until his death on June 8, 1846, at seventy years of age. He was a carpenter by trade, and was a contractor on several buildings, the largest of which by far was the first court- house of Indiana county, which he and a Captain IIuey erected some time before 1809. Ile was a whig in politics, but paid little heed to the political contests in his township or county, and gave his time to his trade and business affairs. He was twice married. Ilis first wife was a Miss Dean, by whom he had one child, Dr. J. D. Ross, of Williamsburg, this county, who is now eiglity-five years of age. After the death of his first wife, he married Eleanor Me- Knight, and by his second marriage had a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters : Isabella (dead); Dr. James, of Clarion, Pennsylvania, who died in 1887; Alexander, a druggist of New Castle, Law- renee county, who died in 1864; Joseph, a carpenter by trade, and a resident of Ma- honing county, Ohio; Eleanor (deceased) ; Dr. Samuel MeNutt and Eliza Jane (twins),

of whom the latter, Eliza Jane (deceased ) married Robert Pilson; and Margaret, now deceased, who married Dr. James McMullen. .

Samuel M. Ross grew to manhood in the neighborhood of Indiana, and received his education in the old Indiana academy, and the celebrated Cannonsburg academy, of Washington county. He read medicine with his half-brother, Dr. John D. Ross, of Williamsburg, this county, and entered Jefferson Medical college, from which he was graduated March 9, 1850. He returned home after graduation, and two years later went to Darlington, in Beaver county, where he practiced continuously for sixteen years. At the end of that time, in 1852, he removed to Greenville, Mercer county, at which place he remained until the first of April, 1875, when he came to Altoona, where he has been engaged successfully ever since in the practice of his profession. He has served as surgeon at Altoona for one division of the Pennsylvania railroad, and was on the staff of the city hospital for three years. IIe is a conservative republican in political opinion, but is not, and never was a politi- cian. In religion he is a Presbyterian, and has been for some time an elder of the Second Presbyterian church of Altoona. Dr. Samuel M. Ross has been a member of the Blair County Medical association ever since 1875. IIe has also been a member of the Pennsylvania State Medical society since 1854, and of the American Medical associa- tion since 1865.

On December 23, 1852, Doctor Ross mar- ried Sarah C. Spear, youngest daughter of William Spear, who served two terms as sheriff of Huntingdon county, and after- wards removed to Williamsburg, this county, where he died. To Doctor and Mrs. Ross have been born four children, two sons and

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two daughters: Dr. William Spear; Mar- garet M .; Fannie F., wife of Clarence Mendenhall, a son of Colonel Mendenhall, commandant of the United States fort at Newport, Rhode Island; and John Louis, who died September 20, 1874.

Dr. William Spear Ross, the eldest son, was born February 21, 1854, received his literary education at Thiel college, read medicine, and entered the medical depart- ment of the University of Wooster, from which he was graduated in March, 1876. IIe afterwards, in 1877, took a post-graduate course at Jefferson Medical college, of Phil- adelphia, and a special course at the Wills Eye and Ear infirmary, of the same city. Ile then returned to Altoona, where he has practiced with good success ever since as a specialist of the eye and ear. Ile married Emma Weir, and has two children : Samuel M. and Mary.

C ALEB GUYER, who has had a varied business career, extending from farm work to the position of bank cashier, is a son of George and Mary (Simpson ) Guyer, and was born May 25, 1826, in Hunting- don county, Pennsylvania. George Guyer (father) was a native of Pennsylvania, born January 18, 1775, and lived nearly all his life in Centre and Huntingdon counties, dying in the latter county July 31, 1860. Ile spent the greater part of his life in blowing furnaces for various firms. He was a whig in politics, and a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Ile married Mary Simpson, by whom he had a family of eight sons and two daugh- ters: Rev. John, born February 13, 1808, married Ellen, daughter of General Greene, of Lewisburg, and died December 15, 1867;

Andrew, born February 12, 1810, married Mary A. Rois, and was a farmer in Michi- gan, and died some years ago; Rev. George, born February 28, 1812, and died March 24, 1891, after sounding the tocsin of gospel truth for over half a century, and serving as presiding elder and delegate to the gen- eral conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, being twice married -first to Jane Elder, of Half Moon, and after her death to Mrs. Jane Taylor, of Lock Haven; Rev. James, born June 3, 1817, and died August 12, 1846, having preached only four years; Catherine, married George Hubley, now a fruit grower of California; Simpson, born October 1, 1821, married Mariah Galbraith, of Bedford county, this State, and resides in Iowa; Jeremiah, born October 23, 1823, and deceased January 2, 1828; Caleb, the subject of this sketch ; and Rev. A. W., born April 26, 1832, began preaching in 1853, and now lives at Martinsburg, this county. The mother of these children was born December 18, 1792, and died March 10, 1877.

Caleb Guyer grew to manhood in Hunt- ingdon county, and received a good practi- cal education in the common schools of that county. After quitting the school- room, he engaged in farming, and followed that occupation until he was twenty-five years of age. He then embarked in the general mercantile business, which he con- ducted at Sinking Valley and Tyrone for a period of five years, when he sold out and entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Tyrone, as manager of the ticket, baggage and express depart- ments. He served in this capacity until 1871, when he resigned and engaged in the banking business at Tyrone, as cashier of the Tyrone bank, of Tyrone, which position

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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

he occupied until 1891. He is a man of recognized business talents and considerable executive ability.

In 1849, Mr. Guyer married Susan Gra- zier, a daughter of Michael Grazier, of Iluntingdon county. They had issue as follows: Frank, now agent of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company at Tyrone, who married Wilamina Berlin, and after her death wedded Blanche Lever, of Half Moon ; Mary, residing with her father; Emma, married F. G. Lane, professor of music at Bingham seminary ; William, deceased; and Ella, living at home. Mrs. Susan Guyer died in 1865, and Mr. Guyer married again, this time wedding Emma J. Wirt, of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. To their union have been born two children : Carrie and Edwin.

Politically Mr. Guyer is a republican, and is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Tyrone, and for many years was active and prominent in the work of his church. He is a member of Tyrone Lodge, No. 494, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master.

E MIL T. CHERRY, M. D. Of the young and successful physicians of Al- toona, one is Dr. Emil T. Cherry, a graduate of the Indiana Medical college, and surgeon of the 5th regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania. He is a son of John W. and Henrietta (Brotherton) Cherry, and was born in Logan township, Blair county, Pennsyl- vania, January 13, 1861. Ilis paternal grandfather, Anthony Cherry, was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and died in the city of Altoona. He was a farmer by occu- pation, and tilled the soil in a day when farm machinery was comparatively unknown in

Blair county, and markets for agricultural productions were scarce and hard to reach. Ile gave his time and attention chiefly to farm- ing, and married and reared a family. ITis wife was Susanna Kantner. His son, John W. Cherry ( father), was born in Logan town- ship, and received his education in the com- mon schools. Leaving school, he learned the trade of cabinet maker, which he followed for many years in Altoona, Blair county. IIe has retired from active life, and now resides in Altoona, where he is still active, although in the fifty-ninth year of his age. HIe married Henrietta Brotherton, who is a daughter of John and Mary Brotherton, and to them was born a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters : Blair, Annie, Laura M., Jennie, Emil, Ella, Oscar, and Roy. Annie is the wife of J. S. Leisenring, a lawyer of Altoona; Laura M., married to Dr. Charles B. Elliott, of Altoona; Jennie (deceased); Dr. Emil T .; Ella, wife of Dr. IIenry L. Hartzell, of Altoona; Oscar A., commission merchant and dealer in grocers' specialties, of the Mountain City ; and John Roy, a law student with J. S. Leisenring.

Emil T. Cherry spent his boyhood days in Logan township and the city of Altoona. Hle received his education in the Altoona Iligh school, studied the dental profession with Dr. John W. Isenberg, and practiced dentistry for two years. He then determined upon medicine as his life vocation, aban- doned dentistry, and read with Dr. C. B. Elliott. When he had completed the re- quired course of reading, he entered the Indiana Medical college, of Indianapolis, that State, and was graduated from that institution in 1882. Hle served for a time in the dispensary of Indianapolis, where he also practiced for two years. lle then (1885) returned to Pennsylvania, was in

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OF BLAIR COUNTY.

active practice for three years at Madera, Clearfield county, and at the end of that time came to Altoona, where he has been in successful practice ever since. He is a republican in politics, and a member of the First Baptist church of Altoona. He is a member of Washington Camp, No. 31, Pa- triotie Order Sons of America, and Altoona Lodge, No. 3,651, Knights of Honor. He enjoys a good practice, and has served for some time as surgeon of the 5th regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania.

On April 30, 1889, Dr. Emil T. Cherry was united in marriage with Lucetta T. Isett, daughter of John D. and Margaret S. Isett, of Huntingdon county, and their umion has been blessed with one child, a daughter, named Lucetta M.

H2 ARVEY LINTON, civil engineer for the city of Altoona, has for many years been engaged in railroad, topographical and mine surveys, and railroad construction. He is a son of Nathan and Martha H. ( Harvey ) Linton, and was born February 22, 1844, in Chester county, Pennsylvania. His family is of Scottish origin, being descended from Sir Walter Lynton, whose son, Sir Arthur, settled on a royal grant of land in the county of Cumberland, England, at the time of the accession of the house of Stuart to the throne. The first of the name to come to America was John, son of Sir Arthur. John graduated at Oxford, about 1685, and afterward became a Quaker, and bound himself to serve seven years at the carpenter trade. He arrived on these shores Noven- ber 8, 1692, locating where the city of Philadelphia now stands. He was soon afterward followed by such of his brothers as had embraced the Quaker faith, leaving

his brothers, Sir Roger and James, in En- gland. James. afterwards inherited the fortune of Sir Roger, together with his title, which latter existed until within a few years (about 1886), when it became ex- tinet. John Linton lived on the banks of the Delaware until 1705, when Bucks county was being opened for settlement. He then, with a party of his associates, removed to the new county, taking up a large tract of land, where the Friends' meeting house now stands, near Buckingham. IIe resided there until his death, in 1708. His descendants are numerous in this country, but the line from James, in the old world, is supposed to be extinct. John married Rebecca Relf, in Friends' meeting, London, March 11, 1692, and one of their four children was Benjamin, born March 30, 1703, who lived, until the time of his death, January 25, 1773, near Falsington, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Benjamin was twice married : first, to Eliza- beth White, and, April 30, 1733, to Jane Cowgill, by whom he had eight children, the youngest being Hezekiah (great-grand- father), who was born December 4, 1748.

Hezekiah married Esther Blakey, May 22, 1782, and their son, Joshua Blakey Linton (grandfather), was born September 14, 1783. He married Esther Rakestraw, April 20, 1814, and had two children, Na- than and Cyrus. He lived nearly all his life in Chester county, West Fallowfield township, dying in 1858. He was a farmer, and also a surveyor and conveyancer. Na- than Linton (father) was born in Chester county, this State, March 12, 1815, and lived for many years at the old home, where the subject of this sketch learned all he knows about farming. Nathan Linton mar- ried Martha II. Harvey, March 17, 1842. She was a daughter of Samuel and Esther

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BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

( Marshall) Harvey, of Chester county. To this marriage were born three children : Harvey; Esther A., born June 25, 1846, married Caleb P. Hames, of Rancocas, New Jersey, now deceased; and Morris, born Oc- tober 18, 1857, who is employed as a draughtsman at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia. Nathan Linton died September 3, 1868.

Harvey Linton was reared in his native county of Chester, and received an English education in public and private schools, and in Friends' Boarding school, at West Town, that county. He came to Altoona April 15, 1864, when twenty years of age, as a clerk, in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in the motive power department, where he remained until March 15, 1865, when he went to Bedford, Penn- sylvania, as a rodman on the surveys of the proposed railroad between Chambersburg and Pittsburg -then known as the Connells- ville & Southern Pennsylvania railway - with Richard B. Lewis chief engineer. He was employed on these surveys as topogra- pher, after 1865, until 1868, when he was employed in connection with the surveys, location and construction of the Low Grade division of the Allegheny Valley railroad, from Red Bank to Driftwood, under John A. Wilson, chief engineer, until June, 1874. During this time he located, in 1871, the railroad from McKee's Gap to Martinsburg and Henrietta, Pennsylvania, and, in 1873, he made the surveys and location of the railroad from Fall's Creek to Ridgeway, in Clearfield and Elk counties, Pennsylvania. From 1874 to 1880, he was located near Loysburg, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in the lumber manufacturing and planing mill business. IIe was afterwards engaged in topographi-

cal and coal mine surveys in the Broad Top, East Broad Top, Houtzdale, and Reynoldsville districts, in this State, until July, 1881, when he entered the employ of the Pittsburg & Western Railroad Com- pany as assistant engineer, and located and had charge of the re-construction of the road from Sharpsburg to, and including, Summit Tunnel, under H. A. Schwanecke, chief engineer. He also had charge of the construction of the Pittsburg & Western railroad, for some months before its com- pletion, down the west bank of the river, to Oliver Brothers' and Phillips' rolling mills, in Allegheny. In the latter part of 1882 he opened an office in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, and was engaged in civil and mining engineering. In May, 1883, he went to Philadelphia, as assistant engineer on sur- veys in the Perkiomen and Lehigh water sheds, under Rudolph Hering, engineer in charge of surveys, and Col. William Lud- low, chief engineer of the Philadelphia water department. In 1884 he became a member of the Engineers' club, of Phila- delphia. In 1886 he opened an office for general engineering work, in Philadelphia, where he was engaged until 1887. ITis home was in Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, from 1883 to 1888. In March, 1887, he entered the employ of the Norfolk & Western Railroad Company, in Virginia, as assistant engineer, under W. W. Coe, chief engineer, having charge of surveys of the Clinch Valley division, about one hun- dred miles. He made the reconnaissance survey for this road, and for about two hundred miles of railroad, now under con- struction, between Pocahontas, Virginia, and Ceredo, West Virginia, on the Ohio river; and also for the railroad crossing the Blue Ridge, between Mt. Airy, North Caro-

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OF BLAIR COUNTY.

lina, and New River, Virginia. IIe located in Altoona in 1888, after he was elected as civil engineer of the city. On the expira- tion of his term, in 1890, he was re-elected for a second term of three years.

On September 5, 1871, Mr. Linton was wedded to Rebecca II. Moore, of Bedford, Pennsylvania, by whom he had three chil- dren, who are now living: Martha M., whose home is with her uncle at Moores- town, New Jersey, born June 7, 1872; Harvey II., born September 6, 1876; and Sarah Ethel, born September 9, 1878.

Mrs. Linton died May 5, 1881, at Bed- ford, Pennsylvania. On June 16, 1886, Mr. Linton was united in marriage with Emma Louise Reardon, of Yorklyn, Dela- ware. To this second union were born : Thomas Reardon, May 5, 1887; and Robert Cresson, September 27, 1889.

JOHN B. WESTLEY, one of the sub- stantial business men of Altoona, erected the first house ever built in that place, and has been identified with its growth from a small, quiet village, to a mighty city, full of activity and push. Ile is a son of John and Peggy ( Behm) Westley, and was born near the city of Reading, in Berks county, Penn- sylvania, June 7, 1810. The Westleys are of German descent, and Michael Westley, the paternal grandfather of Jolm B. Westley, settled in Berks county in the first half of the last century, and in all probability came from Germany. Like all other settlers in that early day, his residence was a log cabin, in which he reared a family of in- dustrious sons and daughters. He followed farming, and by hard work had cleared out and improved a part of his large farm before his death. Of the sons born to him in his

Berks county home, one was John Westley (father), who was a life-long resident of his native county, and spent the larger part of his life on the small farm, where he died when well advanced in years. He continued during his life clearing out and improving a small tract of land, which he owned near the present city of Reading; but his principal employment was in manufacturing charcoal for the Joanna furnace, that was situated a few miles from his farm. IIe was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and during the latter years of his life was a republican in politics. He was twice mar- ried. His first wife was Peggy Behm, by whom he had ten children, all of whom lived and died in Berks county except John B., now resident at Altoona, and one daughter, Mrs. Catherine Westley, who resides in Berks county. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Westley married Catherine Glass, who bore him four children.

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Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Blair County, Pennsylvania, Part 19

Author: Wiley, Samuel T., editor. cn Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Philadelphia, Gresham Number of Pages: 1160

Author: Wiley, Samuel T., editor. cn
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Philadelphia, Gresham
Number of Pages: 1160