USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 13
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made it his home ever since, enjoying the many good things of life that have come to him through the successful operation of a fertile and well-disposed farm. Among the agriculturists of Taylor township he is known as progressive and enterprising, and ready to adopt any new plan that promises a real advance in the present sys- tem of farming.
Mr. Sample was married in his own residence Jan. 29, 1877 to Mary Shannon, a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and daughter of Thomas and Mary (Bordman) Shannon. To them have been granted the following twelve children: Margaret Logan; Mary Bordman; Walter Scott; Robert Algernon; Oliver Hazen; Ruth Halsay, deceased; Jane Simpson; an in- fant, that died unnamed; Rachel English; Clara Cooper; Luther Howard, Jr .; and Roy Thomas. Mrs. Sample is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and well beloved by all who have the pleasure of her acquaintance. Mr. Sample in his political views is an uncompromising Repub- lican, and has served his township in every office that is within the gift of the people; for twenty years he has been justice of the peace. He ranks among the leading and most influential citizens of Mahoningtown, and is identified with every movement that he considers to be for the real advancement of the community's interest. He is liberal and free-handed, and his acts of private charity, though little known, are yet very exten- sive and reflect credit on his generous nature. He has been a member of Masonic Orders for forty years, and is now a member of Mahoning Lodge, No. 243: Delta Chapter, No. 70; and Lawrence Commandery, No. 62; all of New Castle.
JAMIES CONNOR, a member of the enter- prising grocery firm of Gunning & Connor of New Castle, was born in the above town, July 8, 1862. He was a son of Christopher and Ann (Quinn) Connor, both natives of County Meath, Ireland.
Christopher Connor learned a branch of the iron-maker's trade, and was known as an :ron shearer; he was thus engaged as an iron-worker until 1886, and since that time has devoted him- self to agricultural pursuits and teaming. He gathered about his fireside seven children, as follows: Mary, deceased, who married Francis McQuirk, and has two children-Christie and Marie; Bridget, who married Barney Rogan, and presented him with one child. Esther; Mag- gie; Anna: Christopher, Jr .; Michael; and James, our subject. The old gentleman, who is remarkably well-preserved for one of his age, takes a keen interest in local politics, and is an unflinching adherent of the Democratic party. The family are faithful communicants of the Catholic Church.
James Connor, the subject of this short per- sonal history, secured a practical education in the public schools of New Castle and in the Paro- chial School of St. Mary's Church of the same place. When he was old enough to do for him- self, he was placed in the nail mill, where he learned the nail maker's trade, and remained there eight years. In 1890. he engaged in the grocery business for two years, and then in 1892 returned to his old employment in the nail mill, where he labored steadily and industriously tintil 1896. In that year with James Gunning he opened up a grocery store, and their business has grown apace, so that now they are rushed to
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three members, as follows: Alvin Elder, a clerk in the dispatcher's office at Lawrence Junction; Lorena J., the wife of Frank Wallace; and John A., an assistant yard master for the E. & P. R. R. at New Castle Junction. Our subject and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Rhodes is an elder and trustee. He is a Republican in his political views and has served as an officer in the borough. Mr. Rhodes' portrait may be found on a preceding page.
JOSEPH O. DICKSON is one of the young men of Mahoning township who has taken up the line of work laid down by a most honorable line of ancestors, and is most ably prosecuting the many duties which fall to the lot of the mod- ern tiller of the soil who wishes to make a suc- cess of his vocation He was born April 29, 1867, on what is now known as the Duff farm. He spent his younger days in school after the usual manner of American youths, and after his home education had been completed, he lived two years in the far West on a ranch. There he becanie familiar with the ranchman's mode of life, and attained great skill in the many arts of the cattle men, such as "breaking" the broncos, "rounding up" cattle, "branding" them, etc., and being especially proficient in the manipulation of the lasso, that most important adjunct to the cowboy's outfit. Returning home, Mr. Dickson bought the old homestead, where he has since ยท continued to reside.
parents were Joseph and Rachel (Shipley) Dick- son. The great-grandparents were William and Jane (Dickson) Dickson.
William Dickson was born in Scotland in 1722. He removed in his early years to the northern part of Ireland, where he married, and from where about 1768 or 1770 he immigrated to America, locating at Red Stone settlement i. Allegheny County, east of Pittsburg. There he bought a small but very desirable place, which he later on traded for 850 acres of new land, lying one mile east of Dixmont. To this tract he repaired in 1795, made a small clearing, built a rude log-house for temporary shelter till he could improve upon it, and sowed a little grain. The next year he brought on his family, and be- gan hewing down the giants of the forest in earnest. As time passed, he sold off portions of the original tract, but at his demise, which oc- curred in 1825, at the age of 103. he left a fine estate, which was in much better shape than the average farm of the new country. To William Dickson and his wife, who reached the age of ninety, six children were born: Joseph; Will- iam; Jane; Sarah; Hannah; and David. Mr. Dickson in his religious views was first a Sece- der, and later a Presbyterian. In the teachings of the latter church was his family reared.
Joseph Dickson, the grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch, entered the new country with his father, and purchased a farm of 252 acres about one mile from his father's homestead. He cleared some of the land, but did not do much farming, as he had learned the millwright's trade and could not well spare the time when it was needed. In 1816, he built the first mill ever
Mr. Dickson's parents were Captain John C. and Mary R. (Crider) Dickson, and his grand- erected on Rock Island, and followed the milling
COPY MADE BY INDIANA JONES LIBRARY
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
business as a chosen occupation. Being of a of his word, whose promise was as good as his decided mechanical and ingenious turn of mind, he was ready to adapt his talents to the varying needs of the community, even to the making of coffins, and the carving and sculpturing of head- stones. He was a great advocate of temperance, and being a man of ready speech and of wide information, his influence for the cause was far- reaching. Politically, his affiliations were with the Whigs, and in religion he was a Presbyterian. Always alive to the affairs of the commonwealth he was especially interested in the State Militia, and in 18II was commissioned a captain by Gov. Finley. Joseph Dickson came into the world in the year 1772, and departed this life in 1845. His loving wife, born in 1800, passed away in 1866. Seven of the twelve children born to them lived to an adult age; they were: David; Joseph; Matilda; John; Sarah; William; and James. Rachel died when five years of age, and four were removed in infancy.
Captain John C. Dickson was born in Alle- gheny Co., Pa., May 3, 1832, where he received his education and began his life as a farmer. Alive to new opportunities, which the opening of the State canal system gave, he removed to Moravia, Pa., and with two boats began carry- ing freight on the canals. This he followed for two years, and then returned to farming, also dealing heavily in horses and cattle. Branching out in the latter line, he soon became known all over Lawrence and Beaver Counties as one of the most extensive and most reliable dealers of the. day. Having gained a wide knowledge of men and affairs, his judgment in all matters was good, and his counsel was sought and de- pended upon by a large circle of friends. A man
bond, he was always considered a representative citizen. His success in life proved the correct- ness of his ideas and ways. In 1872 he pur- chased the farm of ninety acres, where our sub- ject now resides. This place, which he rendered more valuable by many improvements, he re- tained until his death, May 30, 1894. Besides rearing a large family, Mr. Dickson accumulated a large amount of property. His wife, Mary R., daughter of Henry and Amanda C. (Sheets) Cri- der, was born in Allegheny Co., Pa. Her father, Henry Crider, was born in the same county in 18II, and lived until 1887; while his wife, born April 22, 1816, is still alive. Mary R. (Crider) Dickson, widow of Captain John C. Dickson, and the mother of the subject of this writing, is living and residing at the old home. Her chil- dren were: Josephine, who married William F. McCormick of Montana; John C., of Mahoning township, who married Margaret Wills, and is the father of two children-Reuben C. and Wiley F .; David H., who married Elizabeth B. Gilmore, and has one child-Frank G .; Rachel Ann, the wife of Willis Ripple, and the mother of two-James W. and Anna B .; William J .; Amanda K .; Joseph O., our subject; Mary B., deceased; Cora V .; Byron C .; Benjamin W .; and Mary Belle.
Joseph O. Dickson, the subject of this article, though not a married man, is very much alive to the interests of his native section. He pos- sesses a home place that any man might well be proud of. The farm is well stocked, and is adapted especially to the raising of grain. It is in the heart of the best farming region of the Keystone State, and with good buildings, all
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
kept in perfect repair, it is the kind of an estate that would gladden the heart of anyone who loves the free, hearty and independent life of an agriculturist. Mr. Dickson's church lines are laid with the Baptist denomination, and in poli- tics he is one of the best known and most popu- lar of the young Republicans of his section. In business affairs, he is clear-headed, shrewd and upright. His methods are those that have come down to him from an honored ancestry, and it is safe to predict that his life's history will in no way suffer when compared with their bright record.
FREDERICK CARPENTER MILLER, one of the substantial men of Mahoning town- ship, and who has proven very successful at his vocation of farming, entered this world May 8, 1827. He first saw the light of day on the same estate which he now owns, and where he makes his residence. Mr. Miller was a son of Alexan- der and Amelia (Carpenter) Miller, and a grand- son of James Miller, a West Virginian, who re- moved from his native State and became one of the first settlers of Mahoning township. He built a log house on the place where John R. Miller, his descendant, now lives, and in time cleared upwards of one hundred acres, dying at an advanced age possessed of a very handsome property. His children and heirs were: Alexan- der; John; James, who retained the homestead; Elizabeth; Margaret; Jane; and Annie.
Alexander Miller was born Oct. 30, 1790, and was married, Dec. 22, 1810, to Miss Amelia Car-
penter, who was born March 4, 1787. He pur- chased a farm, adjoining his father's homestead, and put up buildings, some of which are in use to this day. This farm comprised about one hundred acres, but as fortune smiled on his efforts and prosperity came to be present with him, he purchased additional property, so that when the suitable times arrived, he was glad and able to give each of his children a good start in life. For fifteen years Alexander Miller was a justice of the peace, and in this period settled many estates, and performed a great amount of semi-legal work. He was a man of exceedingly sound and correct judgment, and seldom did he err in his estimate of men and things; his coun- sel was much sought after, and it was at all times freely accorded. In politics, Mr. Miller was first a Whig, and later a Republican. In his day he held may offices, and there are few men, indeed, who were as useful to the community as was he. He died in his sixty-fifth year, but his widow lived to the extreme age of eighty-six. Their children were: Elizabeth, born Aug. 23, 1811; Thomas, Feb. 5, 1813; Alexander, May 19, 1816; Polly, July 31, 1819; John, Aug. 1, 1822; Ame- lia A., March 27, 1825; Frederick Carpenter, May 8, 1827; and Jane, Aug. 15, 1830. The lat- ter was burned to death in the old house when four years old.
Frederick Carpenter Miller tenderly cared for his aged parents all through their last days, and succeeded to the homestead. In time he pur- chased the Carpenter farm of two hundred acres, which adjoined, and in 1882 erected a new resi- dence. In 1887, new barns were added, and all the while and at every season of the year, the large estate was kept in prime condition, clearly
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giving the best of evidence as to the thrifty char- acter and methodical, business-like habits of the owner. Mr. Miller has followed the line of life laid down by his honored and worthy father; he is not only a keen, up-to-date farmer, but also a clear-headed business man. He is held in the highest respect by all who know him, and their name is legion. On Sept. 29, 1853, he led to the altar of Hymen Miss Julia S. Kincaid, daughter of John W. and Rachel S. (Craven) Kincaid, and there they uttered the mutual vows of fidelity, honor and love that have bound them in perfect amity these many years. She was ever a good and loving wife, a faithful helpmeet, and a kind mother, to whom the welfare and happiness of her children was a paramount desire.
The father of Mrs. Miller, John W. Kincaid, was born in the State of Delaware, and was a son of Isaac Kincaid, a New Jerseyman, and a grandson of William Kincaid, who was Scotch by parentage and birth. Isaac Kincaid was a successful farmer, and the father of three chil- dren-John W., William, and Rebecca. John W. was born Feb. 13, 1796, and early in life learned the carpenter's trade, and carried on contracting and building in Philadelphia for a time. On May 21, 1822, in Salem, New Jersey, he was married to Rachel S. Craven, and kept the Craven Hotel there until 1833, when he came to Hillsville, Mahoning township, and bought the farm, now commonly known as the Henry Smith place. He continued farming until about 1854, when he started for California by the way of Central America to join his son, John E., who had preceded him. He got as far as Nic- aragua, where he was detained; falling sick of Panama or yellow fever, he died and was buried
in that distant land. His widow, born Dec. 8, 1803, lived until June 28, 1889. Thirteen chil- dren were born to this couple: Richard C., born Aug. 21, 1823; William, Oct. 7, 1824; Maria E., July 27, 1826; John E., Nov. 27, 1827; Amanda D., Oct. 8, 1829; Julia S. (Miller), March 20, 1832; Edward S., May 14, 1833; Mary J., March 25, 1835; Albert, July 14, 1838; James C., Feb. 30, 1839; Ferdinand, Aug. 25, 1841; Rose Ann, Feb. 23, 1843; and Adaline R., Feb. 20, 1845.
To Mrs. Julia S. (Kincaid) Miller and her hus- band there were given these five children: Rachel Adaline, who died when an infant, seven- teen months old; Edna A., married H. D. Smith of Lowellville, Ohio, and bore her husband three children, Freda M., Grace J., and Henry M .; Julia, the wife of George Sweesy of Philadel- phia, and the mother of one child, Frederick C .; Mary E., who wedded Henry Schiffert, and has two children, Carl V., and Elsie E .; and Alex- ander C., who married Sadie E. Kincaid, a cous- in, and has charge of his father's varied interests, residing in a home that he built for himself on a part of the estate. Alexander C. Miller is the father of four children-Lester G., Alexander C., Jr., Fred W., and Elizabeth J. He is a very active person, and is devoting his best energies to the work of caring for the extensive interests in his care. He is already one of the leading spirits of the section, and is ably carrying out the plans laid down by his father.
Our subject can safely be termed a successful man. He had the early advantage of a close association with his father, who knew what hid- den springs to touch in order to bring a flow of prosperity. He has become a man of means, and still has retained to a remarkable degree the
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
affections of those in every walk of life; the fact that he has done well and utilized his talents has caused no one pains or jealousies. Mr. Miller has found time in his long and eventful life to devote to matters outside of the sphere of his own business affairs. He is a stanch Republi- can, proud of his life-long connection with the Grand Old Party, and has had much to say and to do in the guidance of that party in his section. He has held many public offices, among them that of supervisor, overseer of the poor, and school director. As to his religious views, he has always been liberal and fair-minded. The leaning of the family is toward the Baptist Church, of which the beloved mother is a mem- ber. Mr. Miller has now about completed life's battle, and stands among his family and friends a victor in the struggle, surrounded by the fruits of his foresight, his toil, and his skill.
JOHN L. WELSH of Mahoningtown is a conductor on the Pennsylvania R. R., and was born in Petersville, Butler Co., Pa., Aug. 4. '1858: he is a son of Dr. George W. and Mar- garet (Aiken) Welsh. grandson of William Welsh, who was a farmer by occupation and lived to be seventy years old. He served in the War of 1812. His father was a soldier of the Revolution, and was wounded in the shoulder at the Battle of the Brandwine, for which he re- ceived a pension many years afterward, when pensions were first allowed. Our subject's father was born in Butler County, near the Conoque- nessing River in the year 1818. and died in But- ler County in 1861 in the prime of middle life,
while living in the village of Petersville, and caring for his large medical practice. His wife was born near Portersville, Butler County, and was a daughter of Andrew and Rachel (Adams) Aiken, the latter a daughter of John Adams, who married Margaret Hall. Andrew Aiken was born in Westmoreland County in 1802, near
the Forks of Yough, and came with his parents to Lawrence County in 1804; he was a farmer during his whole life, and passed away obedient to the invisible summons in 1867. He was a son of Robert and Jane (McMains) Aiken, who were identified with farming throughout the extent of their lives.
Our subject passed the years of his youth from the age of three until he was seventeen years old in Perry township, at which time his mother with the family moved to New Cas- tle; his education was obtained in the common schools of Perry township, Lawrence County, and in the Third Ward school of New Castle, where he was a pupil for three terms. Since his tenth year he supported himself, working on farms and elsewhere, pick- ing up jobs here and there, and doing whatever his hand found to do. At the age of twenty-one, he began railroading as a brakeman and con- tinued in that position for two years; then after a short service on the W. N. Y. & P. R. R., he again became a brakeman, and after working for the Pennsylvania R. R. eighteen months in that capacity he was appointed a conductor in October, 1885. and in the past twelve years has given ample evidence of his ability and general trustworthiness.
He was married in Mahoningtown, June 27, 1888, to Rebecca Pitzer, who was born in Ma- .
WILLIAM COSGROVE.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
honingtown, a daughter of John Pitzer, a con- tractor and builder, who married Mary Rhodes. Three children now compose the household of Mr. and Mrs. Welsh: Margaret Ruth; Paul Andrew; and Gula Louise. They are members in good and regular standing of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. Welsh is identified with the Prohibition party, whose principles he be- lieves to be the best of any existing political organization. He is a kind and affectionate hus- band and father, an excellent neighbor, and a valued member of society.
WILLIAM COSGROVE, a keen and pro- gressive farmer of Wampum, who has made a splendid record for successful work in agricul- tural lines, and is an honor alike to his township and his county as a representative of the best class of citizens, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, June 4, 1845. He is a son of James and Elizabeth (McKinley) Cosgrove, and a grand- son of William Cosgrove, who was a weaver and draper in County Armagh in the north of Ire- land, and employed a large number of men at one time. He died at the age of sixty, and was laid away according to the burial service of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a life member.
James Cosgrove, the father of the present scion of the family, farmed in Ireland until he came to America in 1851. In the spring of that year, he took passage in a sailing vessel out of Belfast, and came very near not living to tell the dreadful experience that befell him and his fam-
ily, for they were shipwrecked, and none of their goods saved, and their only possession on land- ing in the new country was the money in the belt that Mr. Cosgrove wore strapped around his waist. After their arrival in New York City, they moved to Little Falls, N. Y., where they lived but a short time. Friends had preceded him several years before to Washington Coun- ty, and they provided him a house, where he lived a year and a half while he was looking about for a suitable property in which to invest his money. He soon selected two hundred acres of land on high ground a few miles from New Galilee in Big Beaver township, Lawrence County. By the following fall he had made ready a house, and taken possession of it with his family, most of whom are still living on the estate. Mr. and Mrs. James Cosgrove brought nine children into the world, namely: Margaret; William, the subject of this sketch; James, who lives in Little Beaver township; Mary, who is the wife of Dr. William McCune; Elizabeth J., deceased; Samuel P., whose home is in Little Beaver township; Maria, who became Mrs. Al- bert Scott; David S; and Mattie A., who is the wife of Robert Dawson. James McKinley, our subject's maternal grandfather, was a farmer, who lived in Ireland, and followed his chosen occupation until his death when upwards of eighty years of age.
Ever since he was eight years old, our subject has lived in Lawrence County, and most of the time on the farm to which his father brought the family. He attended school until he was eigh- teen, working on the farm in the summer. When he was twenty-five years of age, Mr. Cos- grove bought from his father fifty acres of land,
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
paying for it in cash $1,200, besides the value of Boyce. Mr. Cosgrove exemplifies the virtues of his labor for the preceding four years. To this original tract he has added by purchase twenty- one acres on the north and forty-seven on the south, making a farm of almost 120 acres, which he devotes to general farming, although his or- chards come in for a large share of his attention.
In 1876, Mr. Cosgrove built an elegant house, 28x32 feet, and has fitted it up in the most com- plete style, introducing hot and cold water throughout the house, and heating the rooms with a furnace. Only gas or electric light is lacking, and that is hardly available as yet for a residence outside of a city. In 1890, he built a large barn, 40x60, and put up a steel windmill to force water from a good spring to a tank that is placed on the highest spot in the orchard. Water is then supplied from the tank for the house, both upstairs and downstairs, and for the barn. Mr. Cosgrove has a fine country-seat, and it would be a hard matter to find one more pleas- antly located, more completely furnished, or more conveniently arranged in Lawrence Co. He well deserves such a home, for he is cordial in his friendships, kind to his neighbors, ready to oblige in any matter within his power, and thrifty and enterprising in his business. The house, being on an elevation, commands a mag- nificent view of the Little Beaver River, and the wooded slopes beyond.
In 1880, Mr. Cosgrove wedded Ann Rhodes of Beaver County, daughter of Smiley Rhodes, and she became the mother of one son, William J., before her death. In August, 1889, our sub- ject entered into his second union, his wife being Nancy Boyce, who was born in Pittsburg, and was a daughter of Hugh and Mary (Young)
a refined, Christian gentleman, and reflects great credit on his parents for his excellent bringing- up. He and his beloved wife are members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, to whose spir- itual and material support they give liberally. His political views coincide with straight Re- publican doctrines, and he has served as school director three years, and as supervisor one year. The manner in which Mr. Cosgrove has executed the responsibilities of the trusts that have de- volved upon him proves the genuineness of his integrity and the justice of the reputation he has earned for energy and executive ability, as well as probity and unswerving rectitude. Mr. Cos- grove's portrait may be found on a preceding page.
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