USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Biographical review : v. 24, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Pittsburgh and the vicinity, Pennsylvania > Part 10
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John Edwin Rigg assisted on the home farm and attended the district school until he was about fourteen years old. Then he began studying with a private tutor. Subse- quently he took a college course in pharmacy with a preceptor, and at the age of sixteen en- tered a drug store at Belle Vernon. Perfect- ing himself in the study of pharmacy, he soon became a clerk in the prescription department of the store, and served in that capacity for two or three years. Then resigning that po- sition, he next took a course at the Long Island Medical College of Brooklyn, N. Y., and in 1879 was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore. Ambitious to become thoroughly familiar with the science of medicine, he took a partial course in the Johns Hopkins University, and in the winter of 1885 and 1886 he took a full course in polyclinics at Philadelphia. Previ- ous to this time, however, Dr. Rigg had es- tablished himself as a practitioner at Stoners- ville, Pa., where he was located seven years. In 1886 he came to Wilkinsburg, where he has since devoted himself to his profession, building up a large and lucrative practice, and winning a reputation as one of the most skilful physicians of the city. While caring
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for a general practice, he gives a certain part of his time to the treatment of the eye, car; nose, and throat, in which he has had especial success. He occupies a commodious and at- tractive residence, which he built in 1888 at 816 Wood Street. He is an honored member of the Wilkinson Club, the Allegheny County Society, and the American Association. He is also a Scottish Rite Mason, having mem- bership in Orient Lodge, F. & A. M., and in the Valley of Pittsburg Consistory. The Doctor is likewise a member of the Improved Order of Heptasophs and of the Royal Arca- num. In politics he is a straight Republican, and takes an active interest in public im- provements of all kinds. He was one of the organizers of the Wilkinsburg Electric Light Company, is president of the Board of Health, was School Director for two terms, and served as Township Auditor for three terms.
Dr. Rigg was united in marriage January 18, 1878, with Miss Ida Belle Weaver, daugh- ter of John H. and Eliza McDonald Weaver. Five children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Rigg - Lida, Carl H., Laura Belle, Edna Winnett, and Margaret Stella. Both the Doctor and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, which he represented in the last General Conference, held at Cleve- land.
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AMUEL EKIN GILL, a prosperous business man of Pittsburg, largely interested in mining and quarrying, is a native of this county. He was born April 23, 1840, on the Gill homestead, about a mile north of Monroeville, son of Samuel Gill. The Gill family is of Scotch-Irish origin. Some of its earlier ancestors were Scotch Covenanters. Its first representatives in Pennsylvania came from the County Down, Ireland, locating in Juniata County in 1772.
In 1790 John Gill, the great-grandfather of Samuel E., moved to Allegheny County, bringing with him his family. His wife, whose maiden name was Jean Shaw, had eight children, two of whom were born in Ireland.
Ebenezer Gill, the eldest of John's children who were born in this country, served an ap- prenticeship as a worker in iron, more espe- cially at scythe-making. Subsequently, how- ever, he turned his attention to farming, for which purpose he bought the old homestead near Monroeville in 1800. He married Agnes Mitchell, who bore him six children. These were: John, who married Jane Bell, and died in 1882, leaving three children - John, Mar- garet, and Nancy; Mary, who married Archi- bald Euwer, and left four sons - John, Eben- ezer, and Matthew, who live in this locality, and Archibald, of Washington, Ia .; Matthew, who was a bachelor until his death, which oc- curred in 1856; Samuel, the father of Samuel E .; Jane, who married John Wilson, and died in June, 1896, leaving one son, the Rev. J. T. Wilson, of De Witt, Ark. ; and Will- iam, a celebrated plough manufacturer, who married Margaretta Stevenson, and died in 1883, leaving two daughters - Caroline (now Mrs. Johnston) and Ella. Samuel Gill worked at the tanner's trade, which he learned in Xenia, Ohio, during his early manhood. Subsequently he settled down to farming on the old homestead, where he was reared. He was thus actively engaged until 1869, when he removed to Irwin, Westmoreland County, where his death occurred in September, 1875. On February 11, 1830, he married Miss Rachel Ekin, who, born at Osceola, Pa., Au- gust 30, 1809, died at the residence of her son, Samuel E. Gill, 5904 Rural Avenue, East End, on September 21, 1896. They were the parents of eight children, five of whom I grew to maturity. Of the latter two are now
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living, namely: David, of Blairsville, Indiana County; and Samuel E., the subject of this biography. William, who served in the Union army during the late Rebellion, con- tracted a fever, and died at Camp Copeland in 1863. One daughter, Mrs. Irwin, died at Manor Station, Pa., in 1878; and another daughter, Mrs. Byerly, died at Washburn, Ill., in 1881.
Samuel E. Gill was educated in the public schools and at the Turtle Creek and Murrys- ville Academies. While attending the latter institution, he was alternately a pupil and a teacher. Coming to Pittsburg in 1866, he first became a clerk in the carpet store of Oliver McClintock & Co., being afterward for a time in the auction rooms of T. A. Mc- Clelland. He was then clerk for a while with Bovard, Rose & Co. In 1869 he became junior partner in the firm of Roberts, Roenigk & Co., dealers in upholstery and bedding. Afterward they were succeeded by Roenigk & Gill, who continued in business until 1882. Mr. Gill then invested in lumber, and en- gaged in quarrying and mining. He has con- tinued in the two latter up to the present time. He is now the secretary and treasurer of the Hidalgo Mining Company, which he helped to organize. The field of this company's operations is Chihuahua, Mexico. About the same time Mr. Gill organized the Knox Rock Blasting Company, of which he is also secretary and treasurer.
On Septemer 9, 1869, Mr. Gill married Miss Kate Wilson, daughter of Joseph Wil- son, of the firm of A. & S. Wilson. They have four children - Bertha, Agnes, Ralph Ekin, and James Albert. Bertha is now the wife of Dr. James I. Johnston, of Pittsburg. Mr. Gill is superintendent of the Sunday- school connected with the Presbyterian church, of which he is a member, and one of the Ex-
ecutive Committee of the State Sunday-school Association, and the secretary of the World's Sunday-school Association.
ILLIAM SILL FOSTER, M.D.,. one of the most prominent members of the medical profession in Pitts- burg, and a veteran of the- Civil War, was born in this city, August 26, 1842, son of Walter and Maria (Sill) Foster. His grand- father, Alexander Foster, was born in Ireland, to which country the latter's parents had moved from Ipswich, England. Alexander emigrated to America, and settled in Western Pennsylvania.
Walter Foster, Dr. Foster's father, was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1810. In early life he settled in Allegheny County, where he resided for the rest of his life, engaged in agricultural pur- suits. His wife, Maria, was born near Mc- Keesport, Pa., in 1816, daughter of Colonel Jesse Sill, who served as an officer in some of the early military operations of this govern- ment. She is still living.
After receiving his early education in the public schools, William Sill Foster pursued courses at the academies in Mansfield and Tuscarora, Juniata County, and then entered Jefferson College in Washington County. In his Sophomore year the breaking out of the Rebellion caused him to relinquish his studies and join in the defence of the Union. On August 28, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company K, First Pennsylvania Cavalry, under Colonel Bayard, later Brigadier-general Bayard. The regiment was first sent to the capital, where it remained for several months. Subsequently, after taking part in the battles of Dranesville, Cedar Mountain, Port Royal, and the second battle of Bull Run, it was
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again ordered to the capital. On February I, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of Lieu- tenant, and was made Adjutant of the Second Battalion. Upon the reorganization of the cavalry, the battalion organization was abol- ished, and he was mustered out of service. After spending one summer in the office of Provost Marshal J. Herron Foster in Pitts- burg, he began the study of medicine with W. J. Gilmore, M.D., and was graduated from the Jefferson Medical College with the class of 1866. In July of that year he commenced the practice of his profession in Pittsburg, where he has attained prominence as a physi- cian and surgeon. For over twenty years he has been the surgeon of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He has manifested a deep interest in all organizations for the advancement of medical science, and his activity in that direc- tion is known and appreciated by most of the influential societies of the United States. He was president of both the State and County Medical Societies, is a member of the Ameri - can Medical Association, and is at the present time serving upon the Executive Committee of the National Confederation of Medical Ex- aminers. He was a member of the Commit- tee on Medical Legislation, appointed to frame the present medical laws of Pennsyl- vania; and in that capacity he rendered most efficient service to the State in protecting its inhabitants from the evil caused by unedu- cated practitioners and quackery. The pres- ent laws compel every physician who desires to practise in this State to pass before the ex- aminers, no matter from what school he has graduated. They went into effect on March 1, 1894, after a legislative contest of five years; and Dr. Foster has been a member of the Board of Examiners since its organiza- tion. He has been identified with the Pitts- burg Medical Library since its opening, and
served as its first president. In politics he is a Republican, and he served in the Select Council for one term. On November 21, 1867, Dr. Foster was united in marriage with Birdie Watt, daughter of John Watt, of Pitts- burg. Of their five children two died in in- fancy. Halsey Wright Foster, M.D., the sec- ond son, died April 14, 1895, soon after grad- uating from college. Watt Foster, M.D., is now practising in this city. Dr. Foster is a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. He was for twenty-one years a trus- tee of the Third Presbyterian Church.
ARVEY A. LOWRY, Sheriff of Allegheny County and a prominent resident of Pittsburg, was born here, April 17, 1859, in the Seventh Ward, where he now resides, son of the Hon. James and Eliza (Shore) Lowry. Mr. Lowry's grandfather, a native of Scotland, a linen- maker by trade, came to Pittsburg soon after 1820, bought a piece of real estate, and there engaged in the foundry business. In the course of time he became one of the most influ- ential business men of Pittsburg.
The Hon. James Lowry was born in 1820 in the north of Ireland, to which place his par- ents had emigrated from Scotland. Still a child when he arrived in this country, he was educated in Pittsburg. After leaving school he went into the foundry business. Later on he was in the furniture business, where the old grain elevator at Union Depot stood, until it was destroyed in the railroad riots. After selling out that, he was in the Lower River coal trade, owning boats, on which he sent his coal South, until after the war, when he re- tired. He has been in politics for many years, and was at Lafayette Hall when the Republican party was organized, heartily in-
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HARVEY A. LOWRY.
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dorsing it. For one term he was Coroner in this county. Subsequently he was elected Mayor of the city, which office he held during the exciting times of 1864 and 1865. After that he was Collector of the Port by the ap- pointment of President Johnson. Upon leav- ing that office he did not enter politics again, and he died in 1876. In the Masonic frater- nity he had advanced to the commandery of Knights Templar. By his wife, Eliza, who came to this country from England with her parents, he became the father of eleven chil- dren. Eight of these are living, namely : Eliza, who married, and resides in St. Louis; Mayne, now Mrs. Frank Mahon; William, of this city; Eva, the wife of William Scott; Albert H., of whom there is no special record ; Kate, the wife of Charles Dalgleish; Harvey A., the subject of this sketch; and Minnie, the wife of Charles Lowry, of Pittsburg.
Harvey A. Lowry was educated in the city schools of the Seventh Ward and in Curry University. He began to work for his living as an employee of the Pan Handle Railroad, remaining with the company for twelve years, and finally being engineer. . In 1890 he re- signed in order to accept the position of Dep- uty in the Sheriff's office, being appointed by William H. McLeary on the Allegheny Dis- trict. After the expiration of his term he was promoted by Sheriff Richards to the Pittsburg City District, the most important one in the county, and in which he served until he became Sheriff of the county. To the latter office he was elected in November, 1896. It is an honorable distinction that he is the youngest man that has ever filled the office, which is the highest and most remu- nerative in the county. Previous to this he was Councilman for his ward for four terms, and served on the Committees on Public Safety, Corporations, and Surveys. He was
one of the two candidates who in 1896 were elected to the Council without opposition, having the support of the Municipal League. He is now favorably mentioned as the suc- cessor of Mr. Von Bonhorst in the office of County Recorder.
On September 2, 1880, Mr. Lowry was united in marriage with Miss Clara B. White, daughter of William J. White, an ex-chief of the Pittsburg Fire Department. Mr. and Mrs. Lowry have five children - Grace K., Edith W., Olive, Lois, and Harvey Addison. Edith W. is now a student in the high school. Harvey Addison Lowry, the youngest child, is six years old. Mr. Lowry is an active member of both the Young Men's Republican Tariff Club and the Americus Club. He be- longs to the K. of P., Knights of Golden Eagle, the American Mechanics, the Knights of Krassan, and the Order of Elks. Mrs. Lowry is a member of the Fifth United Pres- byterian Church, which her husband also at- tends and supports. The family residence is 5487 Hays Street, East End.
T HEODORE WILLIAMSON NEVIN AND JOSEPH TRAVELLI NEVIN. respectively president and treasurer ci the Pittsburg Leader, are natives of Pennsyl- vania and sons of the late Rev. Daniel E. and Margaret (Irwin) Nevin. On both the father's and the mother's side Messrs. Nevin have a distinguished ancestry. Nevin, or its equivalent, Mac Nevin, is an historical name in the annals of Scotland and Ireland. Tw: of the race came to New York from the north of Ireland about the middle of last century. The elder brother settled on the banks of :: . Hudson, . where now his descendants numerous. Daniel, the younger, continue : his journey, and settled with the Scotch-Iris
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community in the Cumberland valley, a relig- ious and intelligent class of people, who, like himself, had fled from oppression. Here he married Mrs. Margaret Williamson Reynolds, a lady of superior abilities, a widow, and sister of Hugh Williamson, member of the Conti- nental Congress and one of the framers of the Constitution. Three daughters, and two sons, John and Daniel, were born to them.
John Nevin was of a quiet and studious dis- position, and was sent to college, his parents thinking to fit him for one of the learned pro- fessions. He, however, chose the life of a farmer. He was naturally unaggressive, and took no active part in politics; but so highly was he esteemed by his fellow-townsmen on account of his intelligence and sterling integ- rity that they proposed to send him to Con- gress. This was only prevented by his death in 1829. John Nevin's great ambition was that his sons should be trained to occupy po- sitions of honor and usefulness. His wife, Martha McCracken, bore him the following children, namely: Margaret, who married John K. Kinley, M. D., professor of natural sciences in Dickinson College; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Dr. A. Blaine Brown; Martha, who married John Irwin, merchant, an Elder in the Presbyterian church; Theo- dore, who became a prominent banker and business 'man of Pittsburg, and is now de- ceased; the Rev. Daniel E., the father of Theodore W. and Joseph T .; William, who was professor at Marshall College from 1840 to 1889; Robert, still living; and John, de- ceased.
The Rev. Daniel Nevin was born in Ship- pensburg, Pa., May 3, 1813. When quite young he came to Allegheny, making his home with his brother, the Rev. John Will- iamson Nevin, who was president of the Alle- gheny Theological Seminary. He graduated
from Jefferson College, and studied theology at Allegheny. After preaching for a number of years his voice failed, and he was obliged to discontinue pulpit work. He then became principal of Edgeworth Female Seminary, where he remained for some years. The Rev. Daniel E. Nevin was brought up in the old Whig school of politics; and, when the party was merged into the Republican, he adhered to it. Though not an active politician, his practical ability was so clearly recognized that he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue by President Grant, and held the po- sition during Grant's first administration. He married Miss Margaret Irwin, and eight children were born to them - John, Martha, Clarence, Hannah, Joseph, Wilfred, Adelaide, and Theodore W. The Rev. Daniel E. Nevin died in 1886. Mrs. Nevin died February 17, 1897, in her eightieth year.
The Rev. Daniel E. Nevin's mother, whose maiden name was Martha McCracken, was a daughter of Captain William McCracken. She was born in Scotland in 1753, and died in Shippensburg, Pa., June 16, 1803. The Cap- tain's wife was Elizabeth, daughter of John Finley, whose brother Samuel was first presi- dent of Princeton College. Captain Mc- Cracken fought in the battle of Flatbush, L. I., against the Hessians, August 2, 1776; and, after serving for a time as Second Lieutenant in Captain Matt Scott's company of State Regulars, he was commissioned as Captain of the Thirteenth Regiment, and transferred to the Pennsylvania line. A very romantic story has been handed down in the family traditions in regard to the Captain's marriage. It is said that in the engagement at Flatbush one of his friends, Captain William Peebles, was mortally wounded, and died shortly after. Captain McCracken was assigned the sad duty of breaking the news of his death to the
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widow. He must have accomplished his diffi- cult mission with rare tact and discretion, since within two days he was married to Mrs. Peebles.
The Rev. Daniel Nevin's wife, Margaret, the mother of Messrs. Theodore and Joseph Nevin, was a grand-daughter of John Irwin, who, after the retreat from Quebec in the early days of the Revolution, came to Phila- delphia, being then twenty years old. Join- ing the First Pennsylvania Regiment, he was soon made Captain, and served throughout the
war. At the massacre at Paoli he received a blow which threw him to the ground, and a British soldier attempted to bayonet him. Fortunately in his breast pocket he carried his adjutant order book, and the bayonet was stopped by it. This book is still in posses- sion of one of Captain Irwin's grandsons, and a large hole in the back and a part of the leaves shows plainly where the bayonet en- tered. Captain Irwin was left on the field for dead, but in the morning was discovered to be living, and was removed to General Washing- ton's headquarters, where he was cared for until fit for active service again. Captain Irwin was only twenty-seven years old when the surrender of Yorktown occurred; and he was one of the first, if not the first, to enter the place. After the war he became a mem- ber of the Society of the Cincinnati, an order founded by the officers of the Continental army in 1783, Washington being its first pres- ident.
The rope-walk owned by the Irwin family, and the first of its kind established west of the Alleghany Mountains, was founded by Cap- tain Irwin and his wife. Being incapacitated for work on account of his many wounds, the Captain was obliged to give up the manage- ment of the business to Mrs. Irwin, who mas- tered the details, and carried it on success-
fully. When her son, John Irwin, Jr., was only twelve years old, she took him into part- nership; and he grew to be one of the wealthi- est and most respected business men of Pitts- burg. Many of the people of that city remem- ber him yet as a courteous and polished gentleman of the old school, tall, straigh :. and dignified, with a military bearing, and always scrupulously careful in regard to his personal appearance. Mr. John Irwin, Jr., occupied many important executive positions, and, dying in 1863, left behind him the mer :- ory of a life which stands out in clearer ex- cellence as the days go by.
Theodore W. Nevin prepared for college at Sewickley Academy, and then entered the Western University. After completing bis education, he connected himself with the Pittsburg Leader, which had been founded by his brother John and his uncle, Robert Nevis. He started as a printer's devil, and became successively a compositor, reporter, edite .. working in all departments except the press- room. He was Washington corresponde :: for two winters, and, while at the national capital, came in contact with the leading statesmen of the country. While Mr. Nevin is earnestly interested in all political ques- tions, he has remained an independent in atti- tude, and has not participated largely in 5 :- tive politics. For a time he thought of pre- paring himself for the legal profession; and, after studying law for two years in the office of Major A. M. Brown, of Pittsburg, passed the preliminary examinations for tie bar, but in the end he concluded to remain in the newspaper business. In 1876 Mr. Net ::: went to Europe, spending six months in Gez- many studying the German language and liter- ature, and then travelling for the remaining half of the year, and sending letters to his paper from the different European countries.
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On November 12, 1890, Mr. Nevin married Miss Mary Elizabeth Appel, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Appel, D.D., of Lancaster, Pa.
Joseph Travelli Nevin was born in Sewick- ley, February 7, 1847. He was educated in Sewickley Academy and in Western Univer- sity, graduating from the last-named institu- tion in the class of 1864. After his gradua- tion he entered the employ of his uncle, T. H. Nevin, engaging in a manufacturing business. He was book-keeper and manager for some years, and then came to the office of the Pitts- burg Leader in 1878, first as manager of the circulation, later as assistant business manager, and in 1884 becoming business manager-in- chief. He is, besides, president of the Na- tional Water Works Company of Pittsburg and a member of the American Publishers' Association. Mr. Nevin has taken active in- terest in the public schools of Sewickley, of which he has been a director for a number of years. As one of the promoters of the Se- wickley Public-school Building, a three-story brick structure and one of the finest school buildings in the State, he was largely influen- tial in engineering the work through and in making it the success it is. In this he showed his public spirit and his accustomed thoroughness and patience. Mr. J. T. Nevin is Past Master of Ionic Lodge, No. 525, F. & A. M., of Allegheny; and member of Chapter No. 27, and Past Eminent Commander of Alle- gheny Commandery, No. 35.
In 1874 Mr. Joseph T. Nevin married Miss Sarah Lawson, daughter of Captain William Cunningham, of Pittsburg. Four children have been born into their home: William C., Frederick McIntyre, Henry Irwin, and Mar- garet Irwin. Mrs. Sarah L. Nevin is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and an active worker in the religious societies con- nected with that organization.
ILLIAM H. KIRK, M.D., one of the successful physicians of Pitts- burg, was born in this county, July 26, 1870, son of the Rev. James Kirk. The paternal grandfather, also named James Kirk, was born, bred, and educated in Ireland. where he lived until after his marriage, work- ing at the trade of cabinet-maker. After coming to this country with his family, and settling on a farm in Westmoreland County, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and reared six children.
The Rev. James Kirk received a liberal ed- ucation, becoming familiar with the science of medicine at the Jefferson Medical College, taking a classical course at Yale, and being graduated from Princeton College. Just be- fore the late war he had the pastoral charge of a church, and also taught classics in Alex- andria, Va. From Virginia he went to Iowa, staying there until called to the Presbyterian church of Pittsburg, where he was engaged in his ministerial labors for forty years. He married Miss Abbie Morrill, who was a native of New Hampshire. By her he became the father of nine children - George W., Jacob M., Jennie E., James A., Ida M., Elizabeth, Hattie, William H., and Chauncey. Jennie became the wife of Dr. J. M. Duff. James A. is a physician located on Southern Avenue. William and Chauncey were born twins. The latter is also a physician.
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