USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > Biographical review : v. 24, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Pittsburgh and the vicinity, Pennsylvania > Part 52
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Mr. Johnston was married January 5, 1887, to Miss Mary A. McDonald, of Allegheny. Miss McDonald was born in Pittsburg, her parents being Captain A. and Mary (Wright) McDonald. Captain McDonald was born in Uniontown, Pa., and is a veteran of the Mexi- can and Civil Wars, having served in the for- mer as private and Lieutenant; while in the latter he enlisted as private, and reached the rank of Captain. Mrs. McDonald comes of the old Wright family, which was among the earliest to settle in Pittsburg. Three chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnston died in infancy. They have one son living, George Homer. Mr. Johnston belongs to the Royal Arcanum, and also the Pittsburg Railroad Re- lief Association. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are members of the old Presbyterian church. They live at 398 Centre Street in Wil- kinsburg.
HOMAS LEE CLARK, the cashier of the Enterprise Bank in Allegheny City, is a native of New Athens, Ohio. He was born in June, 1855, son of the Rev. Alexander D. Clark, a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Mary L. (Lee) Clark, of Cadiz, Ohio.
His paternal grandfather, Alexander Clark, came with his wife from Ireland. They were both of that Scotch . Irish ancestry from which sprung so many of the early settlers of this vicinity. After remaining for a time in Lan- caster County, they moved to Belmont County, Ohio, where they remained during
the rest of their lives. Mr. Clark's maternal grandfather was Thomas Lee, born in Wash- ington County. On reaching manhood, Thomas Lee went to Cadiz, Ohio, where he was engaged in farming, owned a tannery, and served in the capacity of Judge of Pro- bate. The Rev. Alexander D. Clark, who was a clergyman of the United Presbyterian church and for some years the president of Franklin College at New Athens, upon com- ing to Allegheny became the pastor of the Sixth United Presbyterian Church, in which capacity he labored zealously from 1861 to 1884. He was also a lecturer in the United Presbyterian Theological Seminary of Alle- gheny for thirty-seven years. When he died, in 1884, he was seventy-two years old. His wife, who survives him, resides on Chartier Street, Allegheny. Seven of their eight chil- dren are living, namely: Lizzie, the wife of James Archer, of Steubenville, Ohio; Ella, the wife of the Rev. Mr. McKnight, of Can- ton, I .; Thomas Lee, the subject of this sketch; Margaret, the wife of A. H. Trimble, of Allegheny; Etta, who resides at home; Jennie, a teacher in the Pennsylvania Female College; and Nannie, who is also at home.
Thomas Lee Clark has been in Allegheny since he was six years old, the age at which he began to attend the public schools. Sub- sequently he learned the carpenter's trade in two years; but, instead of following that call- ing, he became the messenger of the Enter- prise Bank in 1873. Of this bank he has been the cashier since 1891. On the eigh- teenth day of June, 1890, he was married to Miss Della T. Carothers, a daughter of Will- iam C. and Mary A. (Harper) Carothers. Ilis children are: Mary Harper, Helen Lee, and Margaret Carothers. Both he and Mrs. Clark are devoted members and active workers in the United Presbyterian church, which he
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also serves in the capacity of Elder. In poli- tics he is a Republican. He takes the inter- est of an intelligent citizen in the industrial and social life of Allegheny, and is well in- formed on all matters of public interest; and he was for several years the Treasurer of the borough of Bellevue.
LEXANDER GILFILLAN CUB- BAGE,* who for the past fifty years has been engaged in the grocery business in Pittsburg, Pa., was born at Car- negie, then Robinson township, Allegheny County, son of James and Jeanette (Gilfillan) Cubbage. On both paternal and maternal sides he is of Scottish descent.
James Cubbage, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Scotland. His father died in that country, and his mother immi- grated with her sons and one daughter to Pennsylvania, where they located in the wilderness, surrounded by Indians. For a while the sons worked for a Scotchman named Campbell, and they subsequently bought his farm at Campbell's Run. The young men divided the five hundred and fifty acres be- tween them, each taking a farm; and here James Cubbage lived until his death in 1854. He married a daughter of Alexander Gilfillan, of Upper St. Clair township. Her grand- father was born in Scotland, but came to the United States from Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Cubbage had nine children, all of whom grew up around him, married, and had homes of their own. They were: Margaret, who mar- ried David Wallace, and died at the age of eighty-four; Mary (deceased), wife of Major Scott, of Washington County; Martha, Mrs. Vincent, of Noblestown, Pa., deceased; Eliza (deceased), who married Richard Dewhurst, of Allegheny City; Jane, wife of John Starr,
who lives at Los Angeles, Cal .; Sarah, Mrs. Taylor, of Nebraska, now deceased; John, the eldest of the family, who went out to Califor- nia in 1849, and died at Marysville; Joseph, the youngest son, who inherited the old farm, and died there fifteen years ago, and whose family still resides on the farm. The mother died in 1862.
Alexander Cubbage in his boyhood acquired his education in an old log school-house be- fore the days of the public schools, and worked "on the farm until the age of sixteen, when he was apprenticed to his brother-in-law, Rich- ard Dewhurst, a carpenter. When at the end of four years he had mastered his trade, he went into the country, and built houses for the farmers, working entirely for himself be- fore he was twenty-one. After four years of this work, finding his health impaired, he went into mercantile business in Allegheny City. But times were dull; and a few months later he removed to Pittsburg, establishing himself here in 1847. He is now in point of business experience the oldest grocer in the city. His establishment is directly opposite the new market, which was yet unbuilt when he came to Pittsburg. Mr. Cubbage was the founder and an original director of the Union National Bank, now one of the prominent in- stitutions of Pittsburg. He also helped to organize the Union Insurance Company; and from the first he has held the office of vice- president, and has served on the Board of Di- rectors, always taking an active part in direct- ing the policy of what is now one of the strongest of the local insurance companies. Mr. Cubbage has had many other interests in business circles, and has in times past owned much real estate within the city limits. In politics he is a Republican.
He married Miss Julia Ann Mahann, daugh- ter of James Mahann, of Elizabeth, a well-
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known boat builder and river man, whose fam- ily is Scotch and Presbyterian. Mr. and Mrs. Cubbage have had four children, as follows : James C., who died at the early age of six- teen; Cornelia, now the wife of Thomas Walker, of Braddock; Anna; Charles A., who married Miss Sally McComm, and is employed in the Pittsburg Wire Works. The family is connected with the Third United Presbyterian Church. They have lived since October, 1863, in a fine house on Bluff Street, over- looking the Monongahela River.
E. P. SLEPPY, D. D. S.,* a skilful, progressive, and popular dentist of Pittsburg, Pa., enjoys the distinction of having received his degree at a more youth- ful age than any other member of his profes- sion, having been but eighteen years old when he was graduated from the University of Mary- land. He was born December 18, 1868, being a son of the Rev. M. J. Sleppy, and belongs to a family that has been prominent in the annals of Luzerne County, this State, for sev- eral generations.
The Rev. M. J. Sleppy was born in 1842 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. When about nineteen years of age he abandoned his studies to take part in the late Civil War, in which he served from 1861 until the close of the conflict. He was graduated at Mount Union College, Ohio, in 1867, and from that time until the present has been actively en- gaged in ministerial labors. He is known as a man of sterling worth and an able and de- voted preacher of the gospel. Since 1869 he has been a member of the Pittsburg Confer- ence. He married Miss Sarah A. Horner, who was born in Stark County, Ohio. They have nine children, all of whom are living in the vicinity of Pittsburg.
Dr. E. E. P. Sleppy obtained his literary education in public and private schools of Sewickley, Allegheny County, Pa., and pur- sued his professional studies at the University of Maryland, where he served as one of the faculty of the dental department in 1886-88. He then went abroad, and spent one year in England, being on the staff of the American Dental Institute. The next three years he practised dentistry at Beaver Falls, Pa. ; and after that he accepted the position of demon- strator at the University, from which he had received his degree, continuing there until 1894. He has been since located in Pitts- burg, where his professional skill has become widely recognized; and he is fast building up a practice corresponding to his desires and abilities.
Dr. Sleppy was united in marriage October 8, 1890, with Miss Emma Walling, daughter of S. Clark Wilson, of Allegheny. They have one child, a daughter named Ruth. The Doctor is a member of various fraterni- ties, including the Maryland State Dental So- ciety, the I. O. O. F., the Knights of Pythias, and the United American Mechanics. Politically, he is a gold Democrat, and in 1896 cast his Presidential vote for Palmer and Buckner.
YRON J. COSTLEY,* attorney and counsellor at law, who has attained prominence in his profession, is a native of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and was born October 5, 1857. He is of New England ancestry ; and his parents were Levi and Betsey (Cook) Costley, the former of whom was a native of Tioga County, his wife being born in Ohio. Levi Costley was engaged in the lumber business, and also carried on a farm.
Byron J. Costley, after acquiring his ele-
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mentary education, attended Steuben Acad- emy, and later the State Normal School at Mansfield, where he was graduated in 1879, being president of his class. For three years he occupied the position of principal of the Knoxville public schools, and he then began the study of law with Judge Jerome B. Niles, of Nilesville, Pa. He was admitted to the bar in 1883, and subsequently served as a clerk in the Auditor-general's office for three years. He then began the practice of his pro- fession in Tioga County, where he continued in business until 1894, at which time he moved to Pittsburg. Mr. Costley is an able and conscientious counsellor, devoted to his profession and considerate of those who are less fortunate than himself. He is rapidly advancing to the foremost rank among his legal contemporaries in this city, and is a welcome addition to the Allegheny County bar.
On June 7, 1888, Mr. Costley was united in marriage with Bessie Reissinger, daughter of George W. Reissinger, of Harrisburg, Pa. In politics Mr. Costley is a Republican, and is a vice-president of the South End Republi- can Club.
ENRY LLOYD was for many years prominently associated with a num- ber of the leading interests of Pitts- burg, and was one of the pioneers of the iron industry. By his enterprise and honorable methods he did much to extend the fame of Pittsburg manufacturers in the days when the iron trade was beginning to grow toward its present proud eminence. His daily life was above reproach, and in the list of the bene- factors and true friends of Pittsburg the name of Henry Lloyd must ever hold an honored place.
Mr. Lloyd was born December 25, 1817, in
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. He was a son of Thomas Lloyd, who served as Sheriff for a number of years, besides filling many other positions of trust and responsibility, and who reared his children to useful lives. One of Thomas Lloyd's sons, John Lloyd, whose early religious zeal led him to offer his services toward the enlightenment of heathendom, was taken sick while on his way to a mission station in China, and died at Hong - Kong. Henry Lloyd was given only such opportu- nities for education as the common schools of his day afforded, but he made the most of them. In very early life he showed a pro- nounced aptitude for business, and began his active career as a clerk in the large forwarding and commission house of D. Leech & Co., being stationed at Hollidaysburg, on the line of the old. Pennsylvania Canal and Portage Railroad. That was a grand training-school ; and, among other noted men who obtained a start therein, may be mentioned the late Thomas A. Scott, B. F. Jones, and William Thaw.
Mr. Lloyd's great desire was to embark in business for himself; and, when a favorable opportunity presented itself, in 1854, he promptly embraced it. The Kensington Iron Works, among the oldest establishments of the kind in Pittsburg, was then offered for sale; and he, with Mr. Black, bought an interest, the firm starting in business under the name of Miller, Lloyd & Black. In 1857 the senior partner sold his interest to the others; and the new firm of Lloyd & Black came into being, and existed until the death of Mr. Black in IS72. It was during this partnership that the business was so extended, and conducted in such a manner, that it became very prosperous, the firm being recognized as one of the best and most solid among the iron-makers of the country. It was also during this period that
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Mr. Lloyd amassed the bulk of his large fort- une. He was a man of the strictest integrity, and his uprightness was shown in every detail of his vast business. His unvarying plan was to make the best article possible, and his goods always commanded the highest market prices. His business was managed on a cash basis, and it was always his rule to have a healthy balance in the bank. One feature of his business life is worthy of especial mention, and that was his noble course toward the men in his employ and their kindly feeling toward him in return. On the death of Mr. Black, Mr. Lloyd purchased the interest that had be- longed to him; and, taking his sons and Mr. Henry Balken into business, the firm name was changed to Henry Lloyd, Sons & Co.
After the reorganization of the firm Mr. Lloyd left many of the details and responsi- bilities of the business to the younger mem- bers, while he gave his time largely to other enterprises and various lines of usefulness. He was elected president of the Pittsburg Insurance Company, a position which he re- tained until his death; was a director of the People's Savings Bank, and likewise its presi- dent ; a director in the Merchants' and Manu- facturers' Bank, of which he was one of the founders. For many years he served as presi- dent of the Safe Deposit Company; and he was also connected with other enterprises, needless here to mention. In each and all of these banking and commercial relations he readily won and steadily held the esteem and confidence of those associated with him, and to those interests intrusted to him by others he gave the same care and sagacious oversight that he employed in his own affairs.
Mr. Lloyd was essentially a modest and unobtrusive man, with no desire for public life. He did, however, consent in 1868 to serve in the Select Council, to which he was
re-elected several terms. While there he was a member of the Finance Committee, and chair- man of the Water Committee, and in every po- sition performed his duties to the good of the city and his own credit. His judgment on all public questions was sound, and he had great influence with his official associates. In poli- tics he was an ardent Republican, and made it a matter of duty to give of his means and per- sonal effort to aid the party in all legitimate ways.
Mr. Lloyd was always active in church and Sunday-school work, even before uniting with the Presbyterian church in Hollidaysburg, freely giving of his money and time toward assisting the cause of Christianity. When Mr. Lloyd removed to the East End, there was no church or Sunday-school in the neighbor- hood; but he, assisted by the late John David- son, J. D. Carlisle, and others, organized a Sunday-school, from which in the course of years the Bellefield Presbyterian Church, one of the most prosperous religious organizations in the city, grew. For many years superin- tendent of the Sunday-school, he endeared himself to every man, woman, and child in the parish ; and it was largely through his gen- erosity that the present church edifice was erected. It is said that he furnished the site, paid fifteen thousand dollars of the twenty thousand dollars required to build the church, and blushed with modesty if the good decd were mentioned in his presence. To a denom- inational college for girls he gave ten thou- sand dollars, contributing it in the name of the Bellefield Church. Calls on him in behalf of any form of suffering always met with a prompt response, and few outside of the church, and not all in it, knew of these acts of quiet beneficence, which he considered a mat- ter of duty. The poor, the young men dis- tressed in business, and those otherwise unfort-
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unate whom he helped are legion. "The only reward that he seemed to regard was that his sense of love for humanity and duty to God should be satisfied." He was a trustee of the Western Theological Seminary, of the West- ern University, and of the Washington and Jefferson College, and an active director for many years of the American Sunday-school Union, and president of the Presbyterian Com- mittee of Missions in Allegheny County.
The loss of such a man to the community in which he has labored for so many years, bene- fiting and bettering it, seems almost irrepa- rable; and it was with heavy hearts that the people of Pittsburg learned of Henry Lloyd's death. He was attacked with typhoid pneu- monia in February, 1879, and all the aid that love and skill could devise was of no avail. He died at the family residence, on Fifth Ave -. nue, Wednesday, February 12, his Christian faith sustaining him to the last, enabling him to enter the portals of the other world peace- fully, like a child falling to sleep.
From the tribute laid by his employees upon his tomb, the following is extracted : "With bowed heads and sad hearts, we, the employees of the Kensington Iron Works, have gathered to express our deep sorrow for the loss of one we loved so well. None knew his worth better, none will feel his loss more keenly, than we. . There was no man in his employ, no matter in what capacity, but that could approach him as easily as approaching a child. ... In the darkest days of our financial panic our money was waiting for us every Saturday afternoon. In the hottest days of summer, when we were fatigued and almost exhausted from the excessive heat, he would come among us with a pleasant smile and a cheerful word that would invigorate us and inspire us to perform our arduous tasks."
Many and touching were the words uttered
concerning this good man, the iron manufact- urers at a meeting in the city placing on record the following : "As a man he was emi- nently successful; as a competitor he was the soul of fairness and honor; and, as an adviser in the difficulties that have surrounded our trade, he was safe, judicious, and prudent. He was a man, kind, considerate, courageous, and of sterling integrity, bountiful charity, and noble generosity." The directors of the various institutions with which he was con- nected spoke in a similar strain. The Oak- land Methodist Church declared that his pure life, generous charity, earnest Christian labors, and devotion to the well-being of those around him gave an occasion for an expression of respect and love. Other churches, banks, and other public institutions gave expression to like commendations in which to do honor to his memory. His mortal remains were laid to rest February 14, 1879, being borne to the tomb by six stalwart men who had been in his employ for more than thirty years, and fol- lowed by hundreds of Sunday-school children who loved him well, by hundreds of persons to whom he had been a friend as well as em- ployer, and by a large concourse of citizens. His life had been a noble and useful one, and the tributes of love and reverence most wor- thily won.
I F. CARPENTER, M.D., who has practised medicine in Pittsburg since 1892, was born at Waynesburg, Greene County, December 15, 1869, son of William and Elizabeth (Silveus) Carpenter. The pa- ternal grandfather, Joseph Carpenter, was born in New York in the fall of 1812, son of a powder manufacturer of Revolutionary times. His brother Timothy, who was a director of the Bank of England, at his death, it is said, I left one hundred million dollars to the de-
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scendants of Joseph and his brothers and sis- ters, to become theirs after the lapse of one hundred years; but the records of this money were burned, with his house and factory, by the Tories during the war, and the legal proof is therefore wanting. Travelling in wagons for many miles through an unbroken forest, when Joseph was a small child, the family came to Greene County, and there took up land. Besides carrying on farming, Joseph owned and operated a large flour-mill, and, together with his son, conducted a general store. He became very prominent and pros- perous, and died September 2, 1896, one of the oldest inhabitants of the place. A pious man, he founded a Christian church in Greene County; and he was a prominent member of the School Board. The large tract of land left by him is still in the possession of the family. His wife died August 22, 1896, at the age of eighty-three. Of their eleven chil- dren who reached maturity William, Thomas J., and Eliza are deceased. Eliza was the wife of Peter Huffman. Those still living are: Mrs. Ellen Huffman -- the wife of John Huffman; Mrs. Sarah Huffman, the wife of George Huffman; and Mrs. Rachel Huffman, the wife of Jesse Huffman - the sisters marry- ing four brothers, the sons of Peter Huffman, pioneer and owner of immense tracts of land in the vicinity of their home. Elizabeth Car- penter became the wife of Dennis Meighen, of the same place, the other children being : Jesse L. M., Peter, and James.
William Carpenter was born March 10, 1842, near Waynesburg, and was brought up on his father's farm. When twenty-two years old, he erected flour and saw mills, and con- ducted them for a time. Subsequently he was engaged in the real estate business. When his son, T. F. Carpenter, was born, he was Deputy Sheriff under his father-in-law.
Finally, after some years spent in a mercan- tile business, he retired from active life, mov- ing on to his farm near Waynesburg, where he died March 15, 1892. He was an F. & A. M., and also a member of the Christian church. By his first wife, Elizabeth, there were three children: Alice, wife of Frank Phillips, and who died in 1893, leaving one child; Dr. T. F. Carpenter, the subject of this sketch; and Euphen, still at home. The mother died in March, 1873. By a sec- ond marriage there were three children, of whom L. L. and Fannie are living. William Carpenter was well and favorably known throughout the county. His father-in-law, Henry Silveus, was a prominent business man of Waynesburg, and at one time the Sheriff of the county. Mr. Silveus was connected with all the new enterprises of the county, and was especially interested in the Mount Morris Oil Fields, the earliest in Southern Pennsyl- vania, and which were largely developed by many companies. His son, the Hon. Justice L. Silveus, is now Judge of the county; and another, A. F. Silveus, is a prominent attor- ney of Waynesburg. His other sons are de- ceased. When he died at Greene about 1871, he was a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow. His wife, in maidenhood Miss Taylor, sur- vived him until 1885. He was a stanch Dem- ocrat, and was active in church work.
T. F. Carpenter received his early educa- tion in the Waynesburg schools. Then he studied medicine with Dr. J. T. Iams and Dr. J. T. Ullom. After completing a three years' course in the Western Pennsylvania Medical College, he graduated with honors. He lo- cated for practice first in the East End. Hle had become well known in the city, when he left it to take his wife South in 1895. After her death he located on Penn Avenue, where he at present resides. At the Western Penn-
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sylvania College he is demonstrator of his- tology and assistant to the chair of clinical medicine; and he is the medical examiner for several life insurance companies and for the Brotherhood of Railroad Firemen. He is a member of the Allegheny County Medical So- ciety and of the Austin Flint Society, and a member and the associate secretary of the Western Pennsylvania Medical College Alumni Association.
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