USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Biographical review : v. 24, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Pittsburgh and the vicinity, Pennsylvania > Part 37
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sued his medical studies at the Homoeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadel- phia, now known as Hahnemann Medical Col- lege, from which he graduated in 1853. He had settled in Allegheny on April 1, 1848; and in 1851, two years prior to his graduation, he had begun the practice of his profession here. Dr. Cooper, with possibly one excep- tion, is the oldest established practitioner in this city, where he has had a long and honor- able career, and is held in high regard as a man, a citizen, and as a physician.
Dr. Cooper was married April 3, 1844, to Miss Sarah Johnson, daughter of John and Margaret (Davis) Johnson. His only daugh - ter, Margaret E., died in her fourteenth year. His six sons are all living; namely, Philip L., Henry, John, George, William, and Sid- ney. Mrs. Cooper died March 10, 1897, in her seventy-third year. She was a member of the Methodist Protestant church. In addi- tion to being a member of the same society, the Doctor is one of its trustees and a busy worker on its various boards. In politics he is an uncompromising Republican.
ENRY A. SPANGLER, the cashier of the Third National Bank of Alle- gheny, was born on Balkam Street, September 10, 1840, son of George and Lucy A. (Schlotterbeck) Spangler. The family came from Huguenot stock. Its founders, who were natives of Alsace, fled to this country to escape persecution. The paternal great-grand- father, born in Pennsylvania, who settled near Reading, Berks County, was a Revolutionary soldier, and died in early manhood from the effects of army life, leaving a large family.
George Spangler, who was a merchant tailor, came to Allegheny about 1831. He first went into business with a Mr. Smith,
but the partnership was soon dissolved. With the exception of three years spent in Toledo, Ohio, the last thirty-five years of his life were passed in Allegheny in business for himself. He died in 1867, at the age of fifty- two years. His wife survived him until 1892, dying at the age of seventy three. They were both members of the Christian church. Her father, Jacob J. Schlotterbeck, a native of Virginia and a shoemaker by trade, was a soldier in the War of 1812. A resident of Allegheny since about the year 1826, he was made the first High Constable when the city was incorporated. He died here at the age of eighty-five. Of George Spangler's seven children four are now living, namely: Henry A, and George C .; Hannah M., the wife of R. F. Ashworth; and Rachel, the wife of Gomer D. Williams.
Henry A. Spangler ceased to attend school in Allegheny when thirteen years of age. On removing to Toledo, Ohio, with his father, he became a newsboy there. Soon afterward he went into a printer's office to learn the trade. After some two and a half years' time spent there, he was obliged to relinquish this pur- pose because of ill health, and became a sales- man in a leather store. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted in the Sixth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and served eleven months. At one time he was the con- fidential clerk of General Barnes. Later, when his regiment was keeping communica- tions open between Washington City and General Grant, he took part in a number of skirmishes with Mosby, the guerilla. After the war Mr. Spangler kept books for a year or two. Then he formed a partnership with Mr. William H. Graham, and went into the leather business, under the firm name of Graham & Spangler. In April, 1872, Mr. Spangler became the cashier of the Dollar
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Savings Bank of Allegheny, which in April, 1875, went out of business. He then became cashier of the Third National Bank, which commenced business at the date last named, and has served in that capacity for twenty-two years.
On August 27, 1864, Mr. Spangler married Margaret Graham, daughter of Harrison and Elizabeth (Thornley) Graham. They have had three children, of whom Mary G. died in early childhood. The son, Harrison G., mar- ried Nettie G. Watson, and has two children - Robert Watson and Leanore S. He is a book-keeper with the McKinney Manufactur- ing Company. The surviving daughter, Elizabeth T., married Charles S. Frye. Both parents are members of the Christian church, of which Mr. Spangler has been a Deacon for twenty-five years. He is also a member of the Odd Fellows and the Masonic fraternities, and a comrade of the Abe Petter- sen Post, No. 88, G. A. R. In politics he is a Republican, and he is serving on the Borough Council of Bellevue, where he has resided for the last five years. He was a School Director in Allegheny for three years.
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their new home amassed considerable prop- erty, becoming landed proprietors and people of influence.
The first of the name to locate in America was the Doctor's grandfather, William Mont- gomery, who with his wife, Mary Braden Montgomery, and their eight children, left the port of Belfast in 1839 on the ship "Bol- ivar." After a tedious voyage of seven weeks and three days they landed at Quebec, Canada, from there coming by boat and wagon to Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, whither some of their fellow-countrymen and acquain- tances had preceded them. On the way thither one of the children, now the Rev. M. J. Mont- gomery, of Wilkinsburg, fell overboard, and was rescued from drowning by a French fisher- man who chanced to be near by.
Shortly after their arrival the head of the family, William, declared his intention of voting at the next election, soon to occur. His neighbors laughed at his remark, and thought to poke a little fun at the "raw Irish- man " for expecting so soon to exercise the elective franchise; but the laugh was turned when the day of election came, as he cast his ballot under a law of 1812 regarding the rights of aliens to vote, with which he had acquainted himself before leaving his native isle, thus exemplifying the Irish love of citizenship. William Montgomery was a man of energy and ability, everywhere respected for his excellent qualities of head and heart, and was for many years a prominent farmer and stock dealer, living on the farm, which he improved until his death in 1869, at the advanced age of eighty-six. His wife, Mary Braden, lived but ten years after coming to America. The record of their children is thus given: Ann, who became the wife of Francis O'Brien : Jane, who married John Taylor; Hugh; Bes-
LLIS S. MONTGOMERY, M.D., a well-known physician of Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pa., was born January 1, 1860, near Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pa., a son of Thomas Montgomery. He is of Scotch-Irish antecedents, as, accord- ing to family tradition, the first ancestor known to history was General Montgomery, - a member of the first band of Scots to leave their native hills and seek homes in the Emer- ald Isle, anticipating by a few months the migration of those forced to flee on account of religious persecution. The Montgomerys were an industrious and thrifty race, and in ; sie, who died in 1895, aged eighty-one years,
ELLIS S. MONTGOMERY.
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the wife of William M. Mclaughlin; Mary, who died in early womanhood; Thomas; and Mathewson J.
William Montgomery retained his memory to the close of his long life, being ever ready to relate to the younger generation the tradi- tions of the family in the old country and the brave exploits of six of his cousins, who, under Wellington, participated in the battle of Waterloo, one of them obtaining marked distinction as an expert swordsman.
Thomas Montgomery, son of William, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, December 25, 1823, and in common with his brothers began his active career as a teacher. Two of the brothers continued in a professional life, becoming ministers in the Methodist Epis- copal denomination. Thomas Montgomery remained with his father until eighteen years old, when he struck out for himself, serving a short apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, at which he worked until attaining his major- ity. He then purchased a farm, for which he paid by his own energetic labor, an achieve- ment worthy of note in those days, the estate being located in the Manor. He subsequently embarked in other enterprises, becoming espe- cially noted as a manufacturer of a grain cradle recognized in the agricultural commu- nity as one of the best in the market. By his ability and shrewd management he acquired a competency, by his persistent and deter- mined efforts winning his way upward from a position of comparative poverty. He subse- quently bought a beautiful homestead in Manorville, Armstrong County, where he is living retired from active pursuits.
Politically, Mr. Montgomery is a gold Dem- ocrat, but takes no active part in local public affairs, although he served as Commissioner for Armstrong County, and assisted in build- ing the court-house. His religious faith is
that of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is active and prominent.
Thomas Montgomery married Mary, daugh- ter of Peter Shoemaker, their union being solemnized February 8, 1858. They have four children, namely: Ellis S .; Ida, wife of Dr. D. I. Giarth, Ford City, Pa. ; Ann Louise, wife of William T. Heileman, Ford City, Pa. ; and Sara, who is at home with her parents.
Ellis Shoemaker, the eldest of the four, was, as before stated, born on a farm near Kittanning, Pa., January 1, 1860. His early education was obtained in both public and private schools. He began the study of med- icine under the tutorship of Dr. C. J. Jessop, of Kittanning, Pa., in the spring of 1885. He entered the Western Pennsylvania Medical College (now the medical department of the Western University) in the fall of 1888, grad- uating from that institution in the spring of 1890 with honors. Having successfully passed the examination, he entered West Penn Hospital as a resident physician for one year; and, leaving the hospital in the spring of 1891, he succeeded the late Dr. Benham, of 431 Third Avenue, where he soon obtained a lucrative practice.
In October of same year Dr. Montgomery was appointed physician to the Pittsburg Free Dispensary, mental and nervous department. This position he filled with credit for two years, resigning on account of the stress of his office practice. In the fall of 1891 he was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in the college where he had recently been graduated, showing the esteem in which he was held by his late professors. This chair he still holds, having filled it with honor and credit to him- self and his Alma Mater. In April, 1892, he was appointed surgeon to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and in this capacity he has
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frequently been called upon to give expert testimony for the benefit of the road which he serves. He is also visiting physician to the Rineman Maternity Hospital, a member of the American Medical Association, of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, of the Allegheny County Medical Society, and of the West Penn Alumni Medical Club.
In December, 1891, Dr. Montgomery mar- ried Anna C., daughter of Dr. J. M. and Vir- ginia P. Boggs, of Pennsylvania Avenue, Al- legheny City, and shortly after he moved to his residence, 355 Atwood Street, Pittsburg, which he still occupies. He has a large visiting list among the residents of that local- ity and the East End.
Dr. Montgomery accepts the religious faith taught him in his early years, and is a mem- ber of the Oakland Methodist Episcopal Church.
R EV. NEVIN WOODSIDE, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Nevin) Wood- side, and pastor of Grant Street Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg, was born in Stroan, County Antrim, Ire- land. The name Woodside originated in the sixteenth century, when there lived near each other in Scotland, in the vicinity of an exten- sive wood, two families of the clan Cunning- ham. The family that lived nearer the wood was distinguished by the neighbors from the other family by calling it the Woodside Cun- ninghams. In troublesome times three of the Woodside Cunninghams went to the north of Ireland and settled there, taking the name of Woodside. They were Covenanters, and found a refuge in the quiet retreats of Ballycastle, Stroan, and Ballymena; and their descendants may be found to-day in all these places. One of this family, the Rev. John Woodside, came to this country at a very early period; and his
name appears on the records of the Presbyte- rians as early settlers of Massachusetts. Mr. Woodside's mother was the sister of the Rev. John Nevin, formerly of this city, and cousin of the Rev. Dr. Robert Nevin, of London- .derry, Ireland. She was the mother of seven sons and two daughters, Mr. Woodside being the youngest child. Three sons and a daugh- ter are still living. Mr. Woodside's oldest living brother is the Rev. John S. Woodside, of India, who will celebrate his fiftieth anni- versary in the mission field in 1898.
Nevin Woodside prepared for college in the Royal Academical Institution at Belfast. Subsequently he entered Queen's College, Belfast, now a branch of the Queen's Univer- sity, Ireland, and passed successfully all his examinations in his undergraduate course. He studied theology at the Reformed Presby- terian Theological Hall, Belfast. After leaving college he was appointed teacher of classics in Kilburn College, London, England, and heid that position for two years. The prin- cipal of the college was George Ogg, Esq., who, in the capacity of tutor to the royal family, when the Queen and her children were at Windsor, went to the palace twice a week, leaving Mr. Woodside in full charge of the college during his absence. Resigning the position of senior assistant in the college, Mr. Woodside came to America in September, 1865. Had he remained in Ireland two months longer, he would have been licensed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery under whose care he had been. Professor Dick, of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Hall, Belfast, said at the time he came to the United States: "I am exceedingly sorry to lose Mr. Woodside. He was worth half a dozen students."
Mr. Woodside came to America in company with his brother Thomas, who was then senior
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partner in the firm of Woodside & Wallace, wholesale druggists of Wood Street, Pittsburg. He spent his first winter in the country at the Western Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in the following spring. A val- ued souvenir of that occasion is a pocket Bible, then presented to him by Dr. A. A. Hodge. In April of the same year, at the spring meeting of the Pittsburg Presbytery of the Rcformed Presbyterian General Synod, held in the old Oak Alley Church, he was licensed to preach, and by appointment of the Synod visited congregations in the West. He received several calls, both from the East and West, and eventually accepted a call from the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Brook- lyn, N. Y., then a struggling parish, and was ordained by the Northern Presbytery, Janu- ary 17, 1867. He remained in Brooklyn for twelve years; and during the whole of that time the congregation, which, previous to his pastorate, had been receiving aid from the Synod, was self-supporting. After Dr. Douglas resigned the pastorate of Oak Alley Church, the congregation gave Mr. Woodside a call. He could not conveniently come to Pittsburg then, but accepted the call for his services in October, 1879. Disturbances which arose at the time of his settlement in this field led him and the majority of the con- gregation to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the General Synod. Subsequently ministers from other denominations joined with Mr. Woodside, and a Presbytery was constituted, which is now known as the Presbytery of Pittsburg and Ontario. It has four settled pastors, one licentiate, and two students pre- paring for the ministry, and embraces under its care five congregations. The Rev. Mr. Woodside's church has become one of the most efficient of the name in the United States, and is the largest Reformed Presbyterian Church
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west of the Alleghany Mountains. On Janu- ary 17, 1897, Mr. Woodside completed thirty years of pastoral work in Brooklyn and Pitts- burg ; and during the week following that date anniversary exercises were held in the church. The church debt, which was at that time an even five thousand dollars, through the efforts of a committee of forty of the members was largely reduced. Besides attending to his ministerial duties, Mr. Woodside has been en- gaged in editorial work since 1867. He was chiefly instrumental in establishing the Re- formed Presbyterian Advocate, the present de- nominational organ of the General Synod; and fourteen years ago he started the Christian Sentinel. The Rev. H. W. Reed, of Tees- water, Ont., is the junior editor of the Sentinel; and the periodical was never in better condition than at present. Editorials, sermons, poems, historical sketches, and con- troversial articles have come from Mr. Wood- side's pen regularly for the last thirty years. He has preached and lectured in all the large cities east of the Rocky Mountains. Besides being a writer, Mr. Woodside is a musician of considerable merit. In politics he is a Re- publican.
On November 26, 1874, Mr. Woodside was united in marriage with Mary Maud, third daughter of Captain McVeety, of the British army. Five daughters and two sons have blessed the union; namely, Robert G., Louise E., Anna J., Elizabeth N., Margaret G., Emily S., and Nevin.
LFRED JEROME NILES, Assistant City Attorney of Pittsburg, was born
in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pa., November 27, 1866, son of Jerome B. and Phoebe Ann (Toles) Niles.
He is a lineal descendant of Captain John
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Niles, who is said to have come from Wales. According to Savage, he was in Dorchester, Mass., in 1634, and in 1636 at Braintree, where he died in 1694, aged ninety-one years.
Nathan Niles, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a great-grandson of Captain John Niles, and was an extensive merchant, living in Connecticut during the years of the Revolution. He had a number of vessels employed in the coasting trade with the West Indies. These were largely de- stroyed by the English ships, and the end of the war left him with a large family and a shattered fortune. In 1796 Nathan Niles, having bought a large tract of land in what is now the county of Tioga, Pennsylvania, under what is known in history as the "Connecticut Title," left Hebron, Conn., and settled thereon. He was the first Justice of the Peace and the first Commissioner in Tioga County. Aaron Niles, son of Nathan, and the grandfather of Alfred, was twelve years of age when his father moved to Tioga County. He lived there the rest of his life, engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Jerome B. Niles, father of Alfred J., was born in Niles Valley, Tioga County, Pa., September 25, 1834. He attended the com- mon schools and Union Academy, and after leaving school began the study of law with the Hon. Henry Sherwood, of Wellsboro. He was admitted to the bar on September 6, 1861, and immediately entered into practice. In 1862 he was chosen Message Clerk of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and acted as such for two years. He was elected District Attorney in 1862, and again in 1865, and was a member of the legislature during the years 1869, 1870, 1881, 1883, 1893, and 1895. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in 1872 and 1873, was elected Auditor-general in 1883, and
served as such from 1884 to 1887. In poli- tics he is a Republican, and takes an active part in all party conventions. When not en- gaged in an official capacity he attends to pro- fessional work, and is regarded as one of the most able and successful lawyers in Tioga County. In Masonry he has advanced to the Commandery. Jerome B. Niles married Phoebe Ann Toles, daughter of Rensselaer Toles, of Tioga County, July 18, 1858. They became the parents of three children, namely : Aaron R., an attorney of Wellsboro; Alfred J., the subject of this sketch; and Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Jerome B. Niles, Anna, and the subject of this sketch, are members of the Presbyterian church.
Alfred Jerome Niles was graduated in 1885 from the Wellsboro High School, and he con- tinued his studies for a time at the Harrisburg Academy. In the fall of 1886 he began the reading of law in his father's office; and, enter- ing the Harvard Law School a year later, he pursued the regular three years' course, and was graduated in 1890. He was admitted to the Tioga County bar in September of the same year, and, entering the law firm of Jerome B. Niles & Sons, practised in Wells- boro until August, 1894. He then took up his residence in Pittsburg, and a short time later was appointed Bank Examiner by Bank- ing Commissioner B. F. Gilkeson. That po- sition he held until October, 1895, when he resigned in order to accept the office of Assist- ant City Attorney. In this capacity he is now serving. In April, 1896, he formed a partnership with Richard B. Scandrett, under the firm name of Scandrett & Niles, and is rapidly building up a large general practice.
Politically, Mr. Niles is a Republican. He is exceedingly active in the party organization, and has figured prominently as a speaker dur- ing the last three national campaigns.
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A LEXANDER KING was born in Mil- ford, County Donegal, Ireland, in the year 1816, and left his native land at the age of seventeen years to join relatives in Baltimore. Mr. King had received a clas- sical education in Ireland, being intended for the ministry of the Presbyterian church; and these classical studies of early youth he kept bright and familiar to the very close of his life.
Young, energetic, and educated, of manners cultured and engaging, he easily found em- ployment in a large wholesale grocery estab- lishment in Baltimore. Having discharged the duties of his position with exemplary fidelity and diligence for three years, he came to Pittsburg. Here he entered the store of his elder brother, R. H. King, Esq., who was then largely engaged in the grocery business. After the lapse of a few years he began his successful mercantile career alone, and, though still young in years, was ripe in train- ing, capacity, and experience. From this time the tide of his successful ventures in trade "knew no retiring ebb." It may be stated, incidentally, that Mr. King was the first merchant in this country to import from England soda ash, which he furnished in large quantities to our numerous glass houses, and subsequently became a glass manufacturer himself. He was particularly noted for his strong force of character. The long mercan- tile and manufacturing life of Mr. King was one of uninterrupted prosperity, success at- tending him in all the multifarious depart- ments of his extensive business. In banking, insurance, and other institutions of which he was a director, his ability was recognized, and valuable services appreciated. He was a close and sagacious observer of public meas- ures and men, and, when in the councils of the city of Pittsburg, took an enlightened in-
terest in the cause of municipal retrenchment and reform. He always sought efficiency and economy in all our city affairs. He was also very much interested in the Scotch-Irish Con- gress, and took quite an active part.
Mr. King was ever foremost in the good work of alleviating the burdens of the poor and destitute, and in all his generous bene- factions rigidly obeyed the Scriptural injunc- tion, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." He possessed a mind of a very high order, which he had wonderfully en- riched by varied and extensive reading. He revelled in the treasures of his large library. Familiar with the English poets from Chaucer to Tennyson, he would quote the best passages with aptness and accuracy, and until the day of his lamented demise he also maintained a familiar acquaintance with all the Latin authors of his school-boy days. He was able to repeat every line of Robert Burns, and re- garded the performance as no extraordinary feat. That the memory of Mr. King was one of marvellous power, that it was truly "wax to receive and marble to retain," was obvious to all his literary friends whom he so cordially entertained and rejoiced to see around him in his palatial home at "Baywood," where a "shrubbery bloomed around him that a Shen- stone might have envied." Mr. King was fond of horses, and long maintained a noble stable, which he drove with a consummate mastery of horse and rein.
Mr. King was a most delightful and in- structive companion, and as such his company was eagerly sought by the refined and en- lightened. His manner, always gracious and fascinating, would not permit him to manifest impatience with dulness or stupidity. But it was in the bosom of his happy and affection- ate family that he displayed the noblest traits of his amiable and domestic character; while
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