USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 17
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learning the trade and becoming entitled to journeyman's wages, he gave it up, as he did not like it. He soon afterwards became interested in railroad building, and developed into a rail- road contractor, and was known extensively through Western Pennsylvania and the upper Ohio Valley. As soon as he was old enough, Samuel Moorhead worked with his father in street grading, paving, etc., and when of age went into partnership with him, which relation continued until his father's death in 1887, at the age of eighty-seven years. Of the six children, born to John and Jane (McCleary) Moorhead, only two survive: Samuel, the eldest, and Charles, the third in order of birth.
Samuel Moorhead was four years of age when his father moved to the borough of West New Castle, and made his home in a house on the lot where our subject now resides, and where he has been living since 1841, though the old house has been replaced with a handsome mod- ern residence, which is supplied with all the modern conveniences, and furnished tastefully throughout with all those comforts, that go to make a home so dear. He attended the various public and private schools in New Castle, and finished at the seminary, near the Presbyterian Church. After he had attained his majority, in order to further perfect himself for a successful business life, he took a course in the Iron City Business College of Pittsburg. The earliest work in which he was engaged with his father was on the Baltimore & Ohio R. R., near Wheeling, Va., in 1851, that being several years prior to their partnership. Their first work un- der the firm name of John Moorhead & Son was on the Northwestern R. R. in 1857. In sewer
construction and in grading and paving streets, Mr. Moorhead has executed a large amount of work, of which quite a considerable part has been done right at home in New Castle, and it bears eloquent testimony to his ability to per- form large contracts, and to do them well to the satisfaction of the taxpayers.
Mr Moorhead was first married to Ada Alcorn, who was born May 12, 1853, and died March 3, 1894. His second marriage was with Jennie M. Fullerton, daughter of James and Ann (Clark) Fullerton. Mrs. Moorhead is a member of the church in which her husband was baptized, and under whose watchful care he grew up. Mr. Moorhead is a Republican, and at all times gives hearty support to the men and measures of his party. He has served his borough as auditor and as assessor, and has been elected to other offices, but he has respect- fully declined to serve, for the pressure of his own business seemed to demand his whole at- tention. As a prominent and respected citizen of New Castle, we place Mr. Moorhead's portrait on a preceding page in connection with this brief outline of his life.
CHARLES F. BUCHANAN, funeral direc- tor and furnishing undertaker of Ellwood City, Wayne township, this county, is one of the lead- ing business men of that city; he was one of the first to locate in Ellwood City as a desirable field, and during all the years of his residence there has been included among the first promot- ers of the place, active and energetic, almost un-
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tiring in his efforts to advance the interests and welfare of what is one of the most remarkable cities of its size and years in Western Pennsyl- vana. He was a son of Andrew and Rosanna (Means) Buchanan, and numbers his days from March 16, 1850, when he began life near New Castle, Lawrence County.
Andrew Buchanan was born in German- town, Philadelphia County, Pa., near the City of Brotherly Love, and was Scotch by descent. He learned the carpenter's and shipbuilder's trades, and when a young man came to New Castle, and became the owner of a farm near East Brook, five miles from the city limits. He carried on farming there, although never wholly giving up his trade; he was naturally of a strong, rugged con- stitution, and met his death by accident while he was building a bridge, receiving a fall, that ter- minated his life at the age of fifty-six. His wife survived until 1880, and rounded out an allot- ment of seventy-four years. Their children were: Andrew, William, Elizabeth, James, and Charles F.
Charles F. Buchanan, whose parentage has just been delineated, entered a commission- house as clerk when he was sixteen years of age. After some time in such employment, he secured a place in an undertaking establishment of Cin- cinnati, where he learned the art, and became skilled in the work. For four years he was in Western States, and then made his way back to Pennsylvania, and from 1881 to 1884 assisted Braby & Harmony in undertaking. In 1884 he went to Portland, Indiana, and formed a part- nership, which went by the name of Lusk & Buchanan; he retained his share in the furniture
and undertaking for a year, when he sold his interest, and came to New Castle, and was em- ployed by undertaker A. Vandenvort until 1886, when the concern passed into the hands of S. Dunn & Son. At this time, Mr. Buchanan found a suitable opportunity to buy the stock and business of W. H. Braby of Wampum, and he has since carried on an establishment of his own there. In 1890, he built on Lawrence Ave- nue, Ellwood City, a business block, 22x60 feet on the ground, which is now owned by Dr. George J. Boyd, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of that city. This block was built on the tract of land, originally in the John Ha- zen farm, which was laid out in city lots; in this block he opened up a furniture store and under- taking establishment, which he conducted for six years, when he disposed of the furniture depart- ment on Feb. 1, 1897, and built an office and undertaking rooms on Sixth Street. Of the pub- lic works, in which Mr. Buchanan has taken a prominent part, one was the introduction of the Bell telephone system for general use in 1891, and in 1893 he was foremost in having a connec- tion made with the long distance telephone, thus bringing Ellwood City into ready communica- tion with all the cities for hundreds of miles around. Mr. Buchanan acted as postmaster of Ellwood City from June, 1891, to November, 1892, and also served in the city council for three years.
His wife is an estimable lady, formerly Mrs. Carrie Taylor, and a daughter of William White of New Castle. Mr. Buchanan is a member and Past Grand of Wampum Lodge, No. 865, I. O. O. F .; he is also a member of Pludella Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of New Castle; and the Elks
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Lodge, No. 283, of Rochester, Beaver Co., Pa. Mr. Buchanan, as has been stated, controls two undertaking establishments, one in Wampum, and the other in Ellwood City; he is prepared to furnish undertaking furnishings or act as funer- al director ; he makes a specialty of providing cut flowers. He is peculiarly fitted for his occupa- tion, and faithfully executes the wishes of a large circle of patrons; as a mortician his long experience has rendered him an adept.
SAMUEL P. TURNER. The rapid growth of Ellwood City has given rise to numerous large and flourishing business houses, among which the "Red Letter Shoe Store" occupies a position of prominence. The prosperity of the establishment is solely due to the ability and in- tegrity of the proprietor, Samuel P. Turner, the subject of this brief biography.
A glance at his business life shows him begin- ning to farm in early manhood in Jackson Cen- ter, Mercer Co., Pa. He learned the shoe- maker's trade, working at that until 1876, in which year he went to Sandy Lake to engage in the hotel and livery business. Finding himself well occupied in the hotel business, and obtain- ing a good living from it, he retained it for eigh- teen years. He was liked by the people in the vicinity of Sandy Lake, as well as by those who were wont to stop at his hostelry as guests, and many were the expressions of regret that were given voice to, when Mr. Turner left for a wider field of usefulness. In 1891, our subject opened a fine livery stable in Ellwood City, where W.
W. Davidson's barn is located. At the end of three years, he erected the Turner livery barn, keeping as a first-class equipment sixteen good sound horses and a variety of elegant and useful carriages. Mr. Turner proved a successful stu- dent of the needs of travelers, and he catered to their wants accordingly. When he had built up a fine business and had placed everything in the best of shape he sold the livery stable and con- tents to his brother, William C. Turner, and in- vested the proceeds in the store, that is now widely known as the "Red Letter Shoe Store." It is the only exclusive shoe store in the city, and it is really very surprising the amount of business that is done there. Mr. Turner has risen to be one of the men in Ellwood City whose financial credit is sound. He is ever ready to devote time and money to forward the development of the city's resources, and any measure to make Ellwood a clean, moral city meets with his hearty approval and finds him a willing assistant. Mr. Turner is a spirited char- acter, whose membership in the Presbyterian Church means more to him that it does to many excellent people, as he takes pains to live up to his spiritual duties in every sense. As a citizen, Mr. Turner is abreast of the times, and keeps himself well informed on topics of the day. He understands pretty thoroughly the political his- tory of our country, and delights in expounding Democratic principles and theories. On ques- tions of local issue, he is invariably consulted, as he influences a large following. Mr. Turner was justice of the peace for four years, filling the office with credit to himself. He belongs to Ellwood Lodge, No. 599, F. & A. M. He is also . a member of the I. O. O. F.
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In regard to his private home life, there are a number of items that should not be omitted, be- cause they are so very closely connected with his inner life. He married as his first wife Harriet Bowers, who died at thirty-four years of age, leaving three children; of these Frances married William Lathem of New Castle and has a child, William; Charles is a conductor on the P. & L. E. R. R., having his home in New Castle; Tena married James McCurdy, a farmer of Jackson township, Mercer County, and they have three children. Mr. Turner then contracted a mar- riage with Mary Peters, whose father was Jona- than Peters. She died at forty-two years of age, leaving five children as a legacy to her husband. Laura, the eldest, is married and is no longer under the parental roof; Alfred and Judson are intelligent, hard-working mechanics; Tony, the youngest, lives at home Mr. Turner's present wife was formerly Mrs. Jane Jack. She posses- ses many admirable traits of character, and is a lady who is thoroughly liked by all her neigh- bors.
Samuel P Turner was born in Jackson Cen- ter, Mercer Co., Pa., March 25, 1843. He was a son of Esben and Rachel (Clark) Turner. There was a large. family in the Turner home, and the children were living exponents of the principle that fresh air, good food, and plenty of exercise make strong, vigorous constitutions. A brief re- sume of the record is as follows: Mary A. wed- ded A. H. Turner; Wiliam C. married Rachel Ride; Hester J. became the wife of J. F. John- son; Catherine married G. W. Armstrong; Sam- uel P., our subject, was the fifth child; George W. entered the ministry and married Martha J. McClelland; Milcah P. became the life-compan-
ion of John Hosac; Clarissa W., alone, was called by death to leave her place in the home; Evaline was espoused by M. M. McElwain; Ida R. married R. P. Robenson; Clarence E. select- ed for his helpmeet Alta R. Webb. The father of this interesting family, Esben Turner, was a native of Jackson township, Mercer County, where he was born May 14, 1812. Going back to his life story brings up the scene often de- scribed in the settlement of a new country: the father going out to work, axe on his shoulder, with only primitive tools with which to fell the trees, yet with patience and great effort slowly clearing the timber away from his acres of for- est land, that he might till the rich soil thus ex- posed. By painful, unceasing labor, Mr. Turner provided for his family, and at length became possessed of considerable property, the fruit of his own exertions and sacrifices. He built a saw-mill of the kind used then, the up and down saw; that brought in custom work, and was a fruitful means of adding to the family purse. With lumber from his own mill, he erected a frame dwelling of commodious proportions on the road between Mercer and Franklin, and the house being favorably located and well suited for such purposes he conducted a hotel, becom- ing a popular host and increasing his acquaint- ance considerably through the county. This hotel was run for many years, but the structure is now used as a private dwelling. Mr. Turner lived successively in Centertown and Sandy Lake, finally returning to Jackson Cen- ter. His life terminated at sixty-six years, the cause being heart failure. Esben Turner was largely a self-made man, and his life was a good example for his sons to emulate. Being a
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man of strong religious belief, Mr. Turner never deviated from the teachings of the Presbyterian Church, and embodied them as far as possible in his daily avocations. Mrs. Turner, the mother of our subject, lived to attain the age of seven- ty-seven.
One more chapter in the Turner genealogy brings to view the pioneer, Alexander Turner, the grandfather of Samuel P. He was the second son of William Turner, who went from Scotland to Ireland about 1760, settling in County An- trim, where he followed the trade of a weaver. His three children, John, Alexander, and Mary, were taught his trade. Suffering the loss of his wife, William Turner remarried, but his choice was disapproved by his sons, who left him on that account. In 1788, the sons sailed for Am- erica. A terrible accident, fatal in its consequen- ces, happened soon after their arrival in New York. They secured work on a farm, and John was riding horseback one day, when he was thrown from his saddle, and struck a great scythe, which caused his death. After that sad event, Alexander went to Philadelphia, where he engaged in weaving. He married Nancy Krick- baum, and lived contentedly several years until he was seized with a desire to make a home on the frontier. His wife was not the woman to be daunted by the difficult journey through wilder- nesses and over rugged mountains. She shoul- dered a gun, and led the cow the entire length of the journey. Three horses hitched in tandem fashion were burdened with great panniers on their backs, therein being bestowed their world- ly goods and, what was more precious to them, their four small children. Thus they journeyed by easy stages past Mauch Chunk and Bellefonte,
crossing the Allegheny River below Franklin, to what was then known as Westmoreland County, a trip of three hundred miles. In reality all ter- ritory west of the Allegheny Mountains was known by that name. In reward for their long dangerous journey, Mr. Turner succeeded in ob- taining a large tract of land, a mile and a quar- ter north of the place that is now Jackson Cen- ter. Mrs. Turner was the second white woman to come to this section of the country, and being even handier with the axe than was her hus- band, she was able to help materially in clearing the forest and building the first log-house. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Tur- ner were: William; Elizabeth; Alexander, Jr .; Annie; John; James; Samuel; Krickbaum; Clar- issa; Milcah; Esther; and Esben. Mrs Turner passed away July 24, 1824, and Mr. Turner went to his reward Nov. 20, 1840.
Such is the history as traced from the family records-a tale of hard-working, honest people, who were easily led, when they knew the way to be the right one, but firm as a rock against evil doing. The descendants of the early pion- eer are scattered to many different parts of the world, but wherever met with they are known as worthy and eminently respectable people.
THOMAS DUGAN is the enterprising pro- prietor of the Dugan Hotel of Ellwood City, where he is widely known to the traveling pub- lic as a genial and accommodating host, and as a gentleman of sterling qualities. He was born in England, July 3, 1834, and was a son of Sam-
MRS. NANCY COCHRAN AND HER HUSBAND JAMES.
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uel Dugan, who was a butcher and a grocer as - principles of the Republican party. His influ- well as hotel-keeper. ence is invariably cast on the side of high moral principles and strict integrity, and while not iden- tifying himself with any religious denomination, he has the highest respect for that true Christian- ity which impels man to recognize his brother- man in all the relations of life. He is now in the enjoyment of a well-earned competence, the re- sult of his own skill, industry, and perseverance, and can look back upon a well-spent life, con- scious of never having done a willful wrong to anyone. He has the esteem, confidence and af- fection of a wide circle of friends who delight to do him honor.
The present Mr. Dugan passed his youth in England, crossing to this country when fully grown and able to care for himself, and finding employment in the rolling-mills at Cleveland, Ohio, as a heater. Then he worked in Pittsburg four years, and at the end of that period, Mr. Dugan took charge of the old English Hotel in Pittsburg, and retained that position many years, and so long was his service there that at one time he contemplated retiring permanently from active labor. When Ellwood City began to grow and to attract favorable attention because of its rapid progress, Mr. Dugan came here and invested in real estate, building an elegant brick block in 1893 that contained a double store, the dimensions being 66x60 feet, which structure is located at No. 948 Lawrence Avenue. In the following year, Mr. Dugan fitted up the building as a hotel, and again demonstrated successfully his ability to cater to the wants of travelers, as he made it thoroughly modern in all of its ap- pointments and conveniences, and furnished it with elegance. Mr. Dugan has extensive prop- erty interests, as he owns in addition to the block, already mentioned, considerable real estate and a number of tenements. He has always been ready and willing to further in any possible manner the progress of the flourishing city in which he has become one of the prominent citzens.
Mrs. Dugan is also of English extraction, as her father, George Rowley, was a native of the mother country. Mr. Dugan participates in municipal affairs with his usual spirit and en- ergy, and on occasions when party politics pre- vail he unflinchingly maintains the platform and
MRS. NANCY COCHRAN, one of the best- known and most highly respected women of Lawrence County and North Beaver township, was born at Hilltown, and is the widow of the late James Cochran. She is the daughter of Robert and Jane (Miller) Lochlin, and the granddaughter of Robert and Nancy (Anderson) Lochlin, both born in County Down, near Done- gal, Ireland. Robert Lochlin, the grandfather of the subject of this article, came to America with his wife, making the trip on a sailing-vessel, and being for seven weeks out of sight of land. They settled in North Beaver township, about two miles from what is now known as Mt. Jackson. Later on, Mr. Lochlin and his family resided in Moravia, and finally moved to New Bedford, where he died aged eighty-nine years. His faith- ful wife, the companion through a long and sin- gularly happy married life, lived until her sixty-
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eighth year. Their children were: Martin, Polly, William, Alexander, Martha, John, James, and Robert, the last the father of Mrs. Cochran. Robert Lochlin, the younger, was born in North Beaver township, and at an early age began studying for the Christian ministry. His health failed him, however, to his great disappointment, and he had to give up his studies for some out- side employment that would put health and vigor into his constitution. He chose civil en- gineering as a pursuit and followed it for several years, finally embarking in mercantile lines. But he soon found this too confining, and according- ly taught school in Lawrence County and across the line in the State of Ohio for a number of years. He died at the early age of thirty-six years, and the grass had grown green over his grave but a few summers, when his wife, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Law) Mil- ler, followed him. William Miller, the maternal grandfather of the subject of this biography, was a well-known and patriotic citizen; he served in the army at Fort Erie during the War of 1812, and sickened and died there; his widow drew a pension after his death. Robert Lochlin left four children: William and Robert, both de- ceased; John, who resides in the State of Kan- sas; and Nancy (Mrs. Cochran).
James Cochran was born in Allegheny Co., Pa., and resided there many years. When a young man he learned and became very profi- cient at the silver-plating trade, and followed that trade for a long time. Later on he turned his attention to farming and bought a place, where he supported himself and family by agri- cultural operations. He was upright, industrious, and progressive. Success seemed to crown his
efforts from the start. Before many years had passed he was enabled to retire to Edenburg, where he passed away in 1878, aged sixty-eight years. Mr. Cochran was twice wedded before he married his last wife, Mrs. Nancy Cochran, the subject of this article. First he was united to Sophia K. H. McFarland, who died leaving six children: Margaret Ann, William, Andrew M., Hannah E., R. Sylvester, and Mary Ann. Mr. Cochran's second wife was a Miss Jane Needler, who died leaving no issue.
Mrs. Nancy Cochran has always been a bright, active woman. From her father she inherited a good mind and scholarly instincts. She received a good education, and was trained in the art of dress-making and millinery, lines in which she became very skilled and successful. Her bright, cheerful ways have always made her very popu- lar, while her shrewd, business-like methods gained her the respect of all. After the death of her husband Mrs. Cochran settled down at Mt. Jackson. Always of a vigorous, restless tem- perament, she desired to busy herself at some- thing. She was the possessor of an ample com- petence, sufficient to keep her in comfort the remainder of her life, but her thrifty habits would not allow her to idle any time away, so she began . nursing people that were ill. It is safe to say that no poor, suffering, tortured mortal ever had a more tender, motherly attendant, or one whose touch was more gentle, or whose voice was more soothing. She has taken many elderly ladies to care for. So simple and unostentatious has Mrs. Cochran been in her ways, yet such a power for doing good to them in need, that there is noth- ing to be wondered at in the fact that she is so widely known, loved and esteemed. Her prop-
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erty she manages wisely and well. She owns W., William, Robert John, Samuel, Thomas, considerable real estate in and about Manhon- Jane, Emeline, Mary, Rachel, Lizzie, Lavina, and Nancy. ingtown, as well as some houses and lots at other points. She enjoys most excellent health, being the possessor of a very strong constitu- tion. It is the unanimous wish of her exceeding- ly wide circle of friends that she be spared to them for many years to come.
On a preceding page we present the portraits of Mrs. Cochran and her late husband.
WILLIAM A. SHANNON, M. D. Promi- nent among the successful professional men of Ellwood City, who by carefully diagnosing his cases, and bringing his knowledge to bear in their treatment, has established a reputation sec- ond to none in the city or in the vicinity, is the subject of this sketch. He is indigenous to this part of Pennsylvania, as he began life near Mer- cer, Mercer Co., Pa. He is descended from George W. and Jane (Johnston) Shannon, and back one generation from John and Nancy (Ross) Shannon. The grandparents lived on a farm in Mercer County, although Mrs. Shan- non was born in Crawford County. They were people of the persevering, patient type, that , make haste slowly but surely in the matter of accumulating wealth. They removed to Sandy Lake about 1872, where they spent the closing days of life. There is a remarkable record in the Shannon family, and that is that of fourteen children, only one is deceased, and the eldest was sixty-three years of age in 1897. The twelve of the family now living are: James, George
George W. Shannon, the Doctor's father, when he started out for himself, bought a farm near Mercer, where he still resides, and where he is engaged in breeding horses, and in carry- ing on general farming. He learned correct methods from his father, and sound judgment aided his natural taste for agriculture, so that in time he became one of the solid and reliable men of Mercer County. His name was on the drafted list during the Rebellion, but he was not called on for active service. In his political preferences he is a stanch Republican, and zealously upholds the principles brought forward by that party. His wife's early home was in Pittsburg. They have five children, all of whom are living, name- ly: William A., the subject of this article; Agnes; James J., a dentist of Ellwood City, Pa .; Gilbert L .; and David E.
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