USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 19
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Of a family of six sons and three daughters, born to the foregoing, Ezekiel Sankey was the seventh in order of birth. He was born on the family farm at Western Reserve Basin in Union township, Oct .. 3, 1807, and was but six years of age at his father's death, with a brother and sister still younger. With a family of small chil- dren, dependent upon her efforts, Mrs. Sankey could give them but meager educational advan- tages, and how little education they did acquire
we will leave to the reader's imagination, with the remark that the very best that could be ob- tained in this section of the country then would be considered very poor to-day. Most of his life was spent on the farm until he was nineteen years of age, when he learned the shoemaker's trade, and followed it five years. He then drove stock a few years for a leading drover of New Castle, at last carrying on the business on his own responsibility, driving his stock across the mountains to the terminus of the nearest rail- road, and shipping them from there by rail to Philadelphia. . He was also engaged for a time in boating between New Castle and Beaver,. commanding the Alpha, which was the first boat to make the trip between the two cities. In 1835, he built the first warehouse in New Cas- tle, and in the same year was elected major of a volunteer battalion of Mercer County militia, and held his commission for seven years. For a long period, Mr. Sankey was engaged in rail- road building, executing important contracts with the N. Y. & E. R. R., Pennsylvania R. R., the B. & O. R. R., and the Sandusky and Bea- ver Canal in Ohio. He was a prominent pro- moter of the Pittsburg & Erie R. R., and for the rest of his life was employed in some capacity on the railroads of Western Pennsylvania. He was at times engaged in mercantile pursuits in New Castle, and for a time was the proprietor of the old Mansion House, that once stood on the southwest corner' of Mercer and Washington Streets, the present location of the Leslie House. In the early records of New Castle, during the prime of his life, there is no name that stands out so prominent as an interested party in every enterprise that was for the progress, upbuilding
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and future development of his favorite city. Financial and political plans, as well as social and charitable, all claimed a part of his time and attention, and to every worthy project he gave liberally of his means. In 1838, he was instru- mental in establishing the New Castle Female Seminary. It was through his influence to a large degree that Lawrence County was organ- ized in 1849. His efforts and labors with mem- bers of the Legislature in securing the passage of the bill which would set off part of Beaver and Mercer Counties and form territory to be organized as a new county, were in the face of the strongest opposition, and proved that in the Legislative lobby he was no mean advocate; this convincing, winning power that he possessed was brought into use many times during the rest of his long and singularly active career. Among the many measures secured mainly by his efforts were the bills to incorporate the New Castle Gas Light Co., the New Castle Opera House Co., and the Bank of New Castle, in all of which companies he was a heavy stockholder. During the war he was active in the engineering department, gladly giving his services wherever he could. Being past the age limit for enlist- ment, he employed his energies in repairing rail- roads destroyed by the Confederates, and in de- stroying railroads over which the rebels received supplies. His talents and energies in this line won for him merited distinction. He was a man of remarkably fine and commanding appearance -one of nature's noblemen, born to lead in the battles of life, and to be the instrument of much practical good.
New Castle, and of this union ten children were born to him, as follows: Minerva S .; Charles C .; Eben B .; Laura E., who married William Mc- Donald; Rebecca E., who married Thomas H. Falls; Henry C .; James P .; William J .; and Lawrence and Kate, twins. On Oct. 15, 1862, after the death of his first wife, he married Rhoda Ann, widow of Bethuel Beeman of Youngstown, Ohio, daughter of Jacob Powers of Trumbull Co., Ohio. This second union re- sulted in the birth of two children: Jacob Pow- ers of Cleveland, Ohio, and Clinton E., our subject. 1
THOMAS J. McCLEARY, editor and pro- prietor of the New Castle Democrat, was born in New Castle, Jan. 23, 1844, and is a son of Thomas McCleary, and a grandson of Samuel McCleary, who was born in the north of Ireland, and came to this country when a boy. He set- tled in Lawrence County, and became a large land-owner-his property being located just across the Shenango River from what is -now New Castle, and which is now the site of West New Castle. He was one of the first merchants of Lawrence County, and was engaged in mer- cantile business at the time of his death, which occurred in 1844, when he was aged fifty-eight years. He married Nancy Gordon, whose par- ents were born in Ireland, but who, herself, was born on board ship in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, when many days from land; she died in 1864, when sixty-five years of age. They reared the following children: William, deceased;
His first marriage occurred Feb. 9, 1832, with Sarah S. Jones, daughter of Isaac O. Jones of Thomas, deceased; Jane (Moorhead), deceased;
MR. AND MRS. PETER S. REYNOLDS.
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Eliza (Spiese); Samuel, deceased; James, de- ceased; John N., deceased; Joseph W .; Amanda (Paisley), deceased; Eben Scott; and Leander, deceased.
Thomas McCleary was born in New Castle, and there grew up to manhood, obtaining his education in the public schools. When a young man he embarked in the grocery business in his native town, and was thus identified with its commercial life for thirty-five years, and after retiring from the grocery business was engaged in representing insurance companies a number of years. His death took place in 1889, at which time he had attained an age of seventy-five years. He was a Democrat and always interested and active in party matters, and eager to en- gage in political discussions. Religiously, he favored the Presbyterian Church. He married Rhoda Galbreath, daughter of Judge Ephraim Galbreath of Blair County, Pa .; she died in 1855, leaving five children, as follows: Samuel; Amanda C .; Calvert; Thomas J., our subject ; Joseph B .; and Charles G. He married for his second wife Mrs. Mary Frampton, who died in 1887.
Thomas J. McCleary received his education in the schools of New Castle, and at the age of four- teen commenced his apprenticeship as a printer under E. S. Durban, and was afterwards in his employ as a journeyman printer. In 1861, he enlisted in the 88th Reg. Ohio Vol., Inf., Co. D, and after serving the period of his enlistment he returned to New Castle, and went into the gro- cery business with his father, remaining with him three years. He then went to New York City, where he spent six months, and from there to San Francisco, where he worked for a time at
his trade. After returning to New Castle, he went to Texas in 1875, where he remained until 1881, when he again returned to New Castle, and bought William Gordon's interest in the Demo- crat; in 1883 he secured entire control of the paper and plant by purchasing the interest of his partner, G. W. Penn, and since that time has been sole owner and editor. The New Castle Democrat is a weekly paper devoted to the best interests of Lawrence County. Mr. McCleary also engages in job printing work in connection with his newspaper business.
Mr. McCleary married Ella C. Lynn of Al- toona, Pa .; she died at the age of thirty-eight and left one son, Paul. His second matrimonial union was with Miss Lillian O'Donnell of Alle- gheny.
PETER S. REYNOLDS. This honored citi- zen of Neshannock township, where he is suc- cessfully engaged in farming, is a native of the same, and is a son of William F. and Margaret (Gundy) Reynolds, and grandson of Robert Reynolds, of Irish descent, who came to this country from England. about the year 1775, and settled in the eastern part of Pennsyl- vania. Later he moved to Hickory township, then a part of Neshannock, took up a farm, and was industriously engaged in its cultivation the remaining active years of his life, leaving at his death as a legacy to his descendants a well-im- proved farm ranking among the best in the township and a noble name, untarnished with any suspicion of dishonesty or wrong-doing. He was a Democrat in his politics, and consistently
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upheld his chosen party. To him and his wife were born twelve children, namely: William F .; John F .; Betsey; Nancy; Mary A .; Peter and Joseph, twins; Michael; Christian; Isaac; Robert; and James. The family were governed in religious matters by the rules of life as found in the teachings of the M. E. Church.
William F., the father of our subject, received his education in Neshannock township, and fol- lowed agricultural pursuits after coming to man's estate in that township all his life. At a later period in his life, he found time to operate with a fair degree of success a grist and saw-mill for the accommodation of his neighbors, among whom he was known as a leading and progres- sive citizen. His wife, who was born in Pulaski township, made him the proud parent of eleven children, namely : Robert; Sarah; John; Eliza- beth; William; James; Peter S .; Cossitt; George; Mary; Seth. A Methodist, like his father, he trained his children in the same faith. He was a prominent and popular man, as well as suc- cessful, and as a Republican filled the township offices of squire, supervisor and tax collector. His death took place Oct. 18, 1876, following that of his beloved wife's by ten years, she hav- ing died Feb. 15, 1866.
Our subject from the first years of manhood devoted the most of his attention to agricultural pursuits, although he also learned the stone- mason's and carpenter's trades, and built a num- ber of residences, among which is the house in which he now makes his home. He enjoys in a large degree the confidence and respect of his neighbors and the community at large. He is a Republican, and has served efficiently as school director, overseer of the poor and as supervisor.
He is not by any means an "offensive partisan," but a genial and whole-souled citizen, and a gen- eral favorite among his townsmen.
In 1865, Jan. 25, Mr. Reynolds was joined in marriage with Lydia A. Kemp, daughter of John P. Kemp, deceased, of Neshannock township, whose biography appears elsewhere in this vol- ume. Eight children have been born to our sub- ject and wife as follows: William J., who mar- ried Louisa Bludorn, and has eight children, Bessie and Jessie, twins, Nettie, Nestor and Chester, twins, Amelia, Forbes, and Lydia; Net- tie, who married George M. Shoaff and has borne him four children, Paul, Mabel, Hazel, and Merrill; Forbes; Alice; Joseph B .; and Es- ther A. Those deceased are Della and Nellie. The family are members of the M. E. Church.
The companion portraits of Peter S. Reynolds and his wife Lydia, that appear on a preceding page, add a decided interest to the accompany- ing sketch.
JAMES J. MENICE is a contractor of Ell- wood City, who is chiefly interested in heavy ma- sonry work. He was born in Philadelphia, Oct. 7,1852, and comes of good Irish stock, his father, James Menice, having been born in County Cavin, Ireland. The elder Menice came to Am- erica when a young man, and, settling near the city of Philadelphia, worked in the mills until his untimely decease at the age of forty. The whole duty of caring and providing for the five fatherless children thus fell on the widow, who proved unequal to the heavy task, and followed her husband on his pilgrimage to an unknown
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country, passing away when James J., our sub- ject, was a babe of six weeks. The four older children were John, Thomas, Harry, and Cassie.
Our subject being left an orphan at such a tender age was reared and educated in St. John's Catholic School of Philadelphia, Pa. Starting out for himself, one of his first business enter- prises was taking the contract to build the road- bed and abutments of the East Broadtop and Bloody Run R. R. in Huntingdon Co., Pa. Then for some time he was engaged in operating sandstone quarries in Beaver County at Wal- lace's Run. In 1890, Mr. Menice came to Ell- wood City as the foreman of the Pittsburg Co., his duties pertaining to the laying out and grad- ing of the streets and walks, putting in water pipes, and providing the necessary facilities for the drainage of the city and for the disposal of the sewage. At the present time, Mr. Menice has charge of almost all of that line of work for the company, and in addition has many other interests. His residence at No. 534 Fifth Street, was built in 1891. Mr. Menice operated the Ell- wood City Stone Quarry for three years, and during that period he laid the foundations and furnished the material for almost all of the Pitts- burg Co.'s houses, the tin plate manufactory, two glass factories, and a foundry. The finest piece of work that he has executed and which has given him a wide reputation is the abutment of the South Street bridge in Warren, Ohio, which was completed in 1895.
Mr. Menice was bound by marriage ties to Ellen Shields of Ellwood City, and to them eight children have been born: James, Catherine, Ellen, Harry, John P., Mary Ellwood, now de- mised, who was the first child born in Ellwood
City, Powell F., and William J. Our subject holds to Democratic principles in political affairs, and was a member of the first city coun- cil of Ellwood City, serving as chairman of the committee on streets and sidewalks. He carries his conscience into politics as well as into his daily transactions, and his energy, probity and shrewd- ness have won him the respect and esteem of all his fellow-citizens. Being a man of enterprise he has always evinced a fitting interest in the welfare of the place of his present residence. He has held various responsible positions in the Catholic Church, where he is highly thought of as a true son, and he is a member of the A. O. H. B.
DAVID P. COOPER, a retired farmer who lives at No. 165 North Jefferson Street, New Castle, Pa., is the son of James Cooper and grandson of Robert Cooper, who was born in County Down, Ireland, and came to America about 1790. He married his wife on his native soil, and four children were born to them there and five after their settling in this country. Their names are as follows: William; Robert; John; Richard; James; Joseph; Peggie; Margaret; and Elizabeth. Our subject's grandfather was a weaver by trade, but after coming to this coun- try, and locating near Philadelphia, he did not follow his aforetime trade, but took up agricul- tural pursuits; after a stay of four years at the above-mentioned place, he moved to Washing- ton Co., Pa., where he remained one year, going from there to Allegheny Co., Pa., where he fol-
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lowed agricultural pursuits the remainder of his his gun, for he thought that the animals had natural life.
His son, James Cooper, was born in Alle. gheny Co., Pa., in 1796, and in 1843 moved to Lawrence County, where he secured a farm and identified himself with the agricultural interests of the town and county, departing this life in 1861. His wife, Elizabeth McLister, who died at the age of seventy-six, bore him seven children, four girls and three boys.
David P. Cooper was born in Finley town- ship, Allegheny County, July 4, 1830. He came with his parents when they moved to Lawrence County, and started in life for himself at the age of fourteen as a driver on the canal, receiving promotion until he was captain of the packet. After saving up a comfortable sum of money he took to traveling, and when only twenty-one years old had been in twenty-two States and three territories, and had seen an unusual amount of the world for one so young. While he was on the canal, he was a popular and fa- miliar figure, and it is stated that he knew every person in New Castle, and was well acquainted with residents along the canal and with the traveling public. The period between 1860 and 1862 he was touched with the oil craze and speculation, and was employed in drilling many wells in Pennsylvania and in Canada. In 1864, when the Idaho gold mines were opened up and golden possibilities of the future rose up before those who were of sanguine temperament, Mr. Cooper started for that territory to realize sud- den wealth if possible, leaving St. Joseph, Mo., May 5, 1864, and reaching Virginia City, Idaho, Aug. 27, 1864, traveling with three pair of oxen. Our subject walked the entire distance, carrying
plenty to do in drawing the carts and supplies. Upon his arrival in the El Dorado of his hopes, he found the country to be very uncivilized, at least when compared to the life and conditions to which he had been accustomed, and to hang a man was of daily occurrence. One thrilling incident, which goes far to show how very rude and even dangerous were the conditions of life there, and which has served as the theme of a truthful story, was related to us in substance by Mr. Cooper as follows: Some seventy-five miles from Virginia City was a village, Banic, which was reached by stage running at regular inter- vals. Between the two places was a canon, where it became a frequent occurrence for the stage-coach to be held up, and the passengers relieved of their valuables at the muzzle of loaded guns. One day, a merchant of Virginia City, desiring to transact some matter of business in this neighboring village, became a passenger on this local stage line; when the coach approached the dismal spot, the scene of many highway rob- beries, sure enough they were held up in true Western fashion, and asked to "shell out" what- ever they had with them in the shape of watches, jewelry, and money, which you may be sure was acceded to very promptly, accentuated as the request was by the shining barrels of some half dozen guns leveled at them. When the destina- tion was reached, the merchant approached the sheriff of the county to secure assistance in the recovering of his lost articles, and was some- what surprised to meet with a curt refusal to aid in anything of that sort, the officer claiming he had no control over such men! As the merchant desired to take home with him quite a sum of
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money, he explained to the sheriff what he wished to do and asked for a guard to pilot him home and help him to protect his money from the highwaymen. The sheriff refused to even consider this, and the merchant was about ready to give up the idea of taking anything of value with him, when he found a man in search of work, and after a few moments conversation, arrangements were completed for the man to ac- company him back to the city; he also explained the danger to him, and they provided arms for their defense. They started towards home, and when they reached the canon, the driver was commanded to hold up his hands by the desper- adoes, and when the stage came to a standstill, the door was opened by one of them, who to his great surprise found a rifle aimed directly at him ready for action. He was forced back, and they journeyed- home with no farther molestation. The merchant studied over the refusal and in- different actions of the sheriff, and the more consideration he gave to the vexed question the more certain was he that the sheriff knew more about the gang of desperadoes than he cared to admit, and this growing suspicion of the sheriff prompted him to call together the first business men of Virginia City and explain to them the circumstances, and give them the result of his conclusions. They at once resolved themselves into a vigilance committee, formed an armed body of men, went back to the sheriff's home, surrounded his place, and searched the premises. In his keeping was found certain and indisput- able proof of an organized gang for the system- atic robbing of the people of the two places. No mercy was shown. The sheriff was hanged and his associates in crime hunted down and treated
likewise -- seven meeting death in the sheriff's own village and more than twenty in Virginia City. If there were any of the gang left, they must have thought that other places wore a more inviting appearance and cleared out, for no more trouble was experienced with them, and the entire territory made better by the riddance of a dreaded class of people by the somewhat rash and foolhardy act of the merchant in brav- ing death by resisting them.
After Mr. Cooper spent three years in the wild west, he returned to his native State, married and settled down on a farm just outside the city lim- its of New Castle. A farm was bought by him and his brother, which was later developed into a large limestone quarry; they derived a com- fortable income from leasing the property, for they did not care to quarry themselves. Our subject married Annie Casey. In 1890, he built a comfortable residence in the city on North Jefferson Street, and has lived there since.
THOMAS ALLEN. Among the many con- tractors and builders of New Castle, our sub- ject stands pre-eminent because of his large ac- quaintance with the work, and also because of the many large and elegant structures he has erected which rank among the first buildings of of the city and are the pride of its citizens. Mr. Allen was born in Robinson township, now Stow, Allegheny Co., Pa., March 13, 1829, and is a son of William and Rebecca (Day) Allen, both natives of the Keystone State.
John Allen, our subject's grandfather, was a native of County Down, Ireland; when he
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crossed the Atlantic with his family, he came to the State of Pennsylvania, like many others of his countrymen, and settled in the vicinity of Pittsburg, where he purchased a farm, and re- mained a few years engaged in agricultural pur- suits. The latter part of his life was spent in the same pursuits in St. Clair township, and for those days he was considered a very well-to-do man. He married Jennie McGee, also a native of Ire- land, and to them were born the following chil- dren, seven in number: John; Thomas; Will- iam, our subject's father; Alexander; Mary; Margaret; and Jane. They were Presbyterians.
William Allen was educated in the schools of St. Clair township, and, like his father, followed agricultural pursuits to very good advantage, be- coming a prosperous citizen of the community in which he lived and very highly respected for his many sterling qualities. In his political views, he adhered to the doctrines of the Democratic party, but never cared to enter the field of poli- tics, and contest for public office. He married Rebecca Day, a daughter of Jacob Day of St. Clair township, and gathered about him the fol- lowing family: Jacob, who married Adaline McIntire of Lancaster Co., Pa .; John; Jane; Rebecca, who married Bernard Ingles; Mar- garet, who married George Blazier of Stow township; Thomas, our subject; and Susan, who married Thomas Hughes of Allegheny, Pa. They favored the Presbyterian Church. Our subject's father died about 1837, aged forty years; his wife survived him many years, finally departing this life to join those gathered on the other shore in 1873, when aged eighty years.
Our subject was educated in the schools of his ยท native town, and then learned the carpenter's
and joiner's trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years under Charles Campbell of Allegheny City, Pa. He then accepted a position on one of the Mississippi River steamers, plying be- tween St. Louis and New Orleans and continued in that connection eight years. He then went to Allegheny City, where he built several coal barges, which during the war were sold to the United States Government to use as transports. In 1867, he came to Lawrence County, settling at first in Mahoningtown, Taylor township, but two years later moving to New Castle, where he has been very extensively engaged since in contracting and building. He is known as an honest and conscientious workman, and he has the reputation of allowing none but the best labor and materials to enter into the construc- tion of the various buildings which he contracts to build; he has built some of the finest struc- tures now standing in the city of New Castle, among which are the residences of William Pat- terson, president of the Lawrence County Bank, and J. A. Crawford, Allen's Opera House, the Y. M. C. A. Building, and the First Presbyterian Church of New Castle, which is the largest and finest structure of its kind in Western Pennsyl- vania. The edifice is constructed of sandstone and fire-flashed buffed brick. Throughout his connection with the building industry of New Castle, Mr. Allen has always received the hearty patronage of those who want good jobs by one who will not allow his reputation in that line to diminish in the least.
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