USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 29
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he would have stumped the State for The Little Giant. He was experienced in making popular addresses, and was looked to by his party as one of its campaign speakers. Mr. Binning was in early life a member of the Baptist Church, but later united with the Methodists. He was a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fra- ternities. He married a Miss Ann Eliza Staun- ton, who was born in her parents' residence on Third Street, Pittsburg, in 1819, and died in New Castle, in November, 1895. Her parents were William and Mary (Evans) Staunton, who were natives of England. Mary Evans was a daughter of Thomas Evans, whose wife was a daughter of Capt. Thompson, an officer in the British Army, who was stationed in New York City at the time the mother of Mary was born. At the close of the war, she returned at the age of twelve with her parents to England, where she in after years married Thomas Evans, and with him came to America to build up a home. William Staunton was born in Chester, England, and came to America in 1818, having become disgusted with some of the English laws, that seemed to him to be unjust and oppressive. He landed at New York City, and went direct to Philadelphia, where he went into business as a broker with a Quaker gentleman, and when their business became somewhat extended, he came to Pittsburg to take charge of a branch office they established there. In 1838 or 1839 he came to what is now known as Union town- ship, Lawrence County, purchased a farm, and made it his home the remainder of his days, passing away in the city of New Castle, at the age of seventy-two years. Of the five children born to James J. Binning, but two survive,
William S., the eldest, and George J., the third in order of birth. John, Charles H., and Edwin S. have departed this life.
George J. Binning was born in Allegheny City, Sept. 16, 1845. At the outbreak of the war he ran away to join the army, but being under the required age, he was dismissed at the solici- tations of his friends. Securing a clerkship in a grocery store he remained in that capacity a short time, and then came to New Castle, and secured a place as feeder in the nail mill, and working himself up to a high position he re- mained in the employ of the same firm twenty- two years. In 1888, he became connected with the Natural Gas Co. in New Castle, and by earn- est application rose from a common laborer in the ditches to be foreman of the works. The two brothers have a pleasant home at No. 105 Elm Street, where they live in concord, and ex- tend the heartiest of welcomes to their numer- ous acquaintances, and warm friends.
WILLIAM B. RODENBAUGH, a leading contractor of New Castle, was born at Middle Lancaster, Butler Co., Pa., Sept. 22, 1863, and is a son of John and Christiana (Beighley) Roden- baugh, and grandson of Jacob and Mary Mag- dalene (Brown) Rodenbaugh.
Jacob Rodenbaugh was born in Easton, Pa., and was a member of an old Pennsylvania Dutch family. He married his wife there, and with one child, Jesse, came to Butler County, which was considered then to be on the very edge of civilization, and settled at Old Har-
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mony, Butler Co., where he bought a small place, a few acres of which he cleared and put into crops, and there reared his family, some of whom are living to-day on the old homestead. He was by trade a pump-maker, and made the "pen- stalks" for his pumps by boring out the core of a straight oaken log of the proper dimensions. Both of our subject's grandparents lived to be over eighty years old. Their children were: Jessie; Joseph; John; Abraham; William; Cath- erine; Polly; Susan; Rebecca; and Sarah. Of the above family, all were born in Butler Coun- ty, except Jessie, who was born in Easton.
John Rodenbaugh learned the carpenter's trade, and quite early in life began figuring on building contracts, taking up his residence in 1871 in New Castle. In 1875, he built the Ce- ment Works at Wampum, this county, and was millwright for the company until his death at the age of forty-four of cancer, July 8, 1877. The children born to him were: Charles M., who died at the age of four; Almeda; William B .; Ella; Minnie; Alvin J .; and Annie. His widow married James D. Mckinley and moved to Venango County, where our subject was reared and educated.
William B. learned the carpenter's trade, and labored at his craft in Pittsburg, Butler, and New Castle. In 1886, he came to New Castle, and as a contractor and as an architect built up a large and highly profitable business, establish- ing himself in the estimation of the people as a man of ability and fertile ideas. Finished pro- ducts of his hands and brain may be seen on many of the principal streets of the city, and in- clude, among a large number of beautiful homes, the handsome residences of R. P. Mar-
shall; Dr. McKee, Capt. Gilliland, J. G. McCon- ahy, E. E. Seavy, B. A. Winternitz, and the Cro- ton M. E. Church. Mr. Rodenbaugh has also built and sold a number of houses as a personal speculation.
Our subject married Miss Kittie B. Blaine, daughter of James A. Blaine of New Castle, and has been made the parent of three children: Beulah, born May 17, 1888; Rena, born July 8, 1890, died Dec. 28, 1890; and Elsie Dorothy, born July 19, 1895. Mr. Rodenbaugh is a strong adherent of Republican principles, but owing to the magnitude of his business, which demands his whole and undivided attention, he has never felt that he could conscientiously accept a nomination for office. He and his wife have many of the warmest of friends in the M. E. Church, of which they are leading members.
JOSEPH J. V. CAMPBELL, a retired con-, tractor of New Castle, well known throughout Lawrence County, was born in Mahoning town- ship, Feb. 1, 1837. He is a son of Alexander 'Campbell, grandson of Robert Campbell, and great-grandson of John Campbell.
Our subject's grandfather was born in Edin- burgh, Scotland, and worked at the weaver's trade until he immigrated to America. After his marriage with Maria Stewart, also a native of Scotland, he came to this country, and settled on a farm, located near West Liberty, Pa., where he was engaged in agricultural labors the rest of his life, dying at the advanced age of ninety- six years. His wife lived to be seventy-two years old. Their children bore the following names:
PERRY MAITLAND.
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John; Robert; Thomas; Henry; Alexander; Ruth; Margaret P. (Wigton); and William.
Alexander Campbell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was but a boy when his parents brought with him the rest of the family then born to this country. He followed the trade of a carpenter and millwright in connection with farming. The old homestead remained his home until 1834, when he sold it and moved to Parks- town, Pa., where he bought a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits for fifteen years; at length disposing of that property, he bought a grist and saw-mill at Covert Station and was identified with the milling business three years. He then moved to New Castle, where he lived two years, and from there went to Edenburg, Pa., where he died at the age of fifty-five. He married Cornelia Covert, daughter of Garrett Covert; she passed away aged sixty-seven years. Their children were: James; Garrett; Margaret (Fitch); Henry; Thomas; Orlando; McKee; and Joseph J. V. They were Methodists in their religious belief, and Mr. Campbell was a Whig. ยท Joseph J. V. Campbell, after receiving but a limited school education, became an apprentice in New Castle to the carpenter's and wagon- maker's trade. He followed the carpenter's trade, and was located at a number of places, but finally settled in New Castle in 1881, and began to figure on contract work, and to under- take large jobs in the building line; he was thus engaged until 1895, when he turned over the business to his son, Louis L., and since then has been content to rest from his labors and to en- joy a peaceful, retired life.
In 1858, Mr. Campbell married Mary Mor- row, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Bullman)
Morrow. They have brought up five children, as follows: Willis L., a contractor; Thomas A., who married Elizabeth Mosher and has four children-George, Leonard, Elizabeth and Wil- lis; Addison married Lovica Connors and has one child, Albert L .; Laura B. married Joseph Knoll; and Newton L., a painter by trade. Mr. Campbell's family favor the Baptist Church. He is a strong Republican, and active in his parti- sanship. Socially he is a member of Lodge No. 406, Knights of Pythias.
PERRY MAITLAND, deceased, late an ex- tensive real estate dealer and land-owner of the city of New Castle, was born in the town June 20, 1844, and was a son of William N. Maitland, who came from Chester Co., Pa., and settled two miles north of New Castle in this county on a tract of land, which he cleared and out of it made a fruitful farm of 150 acres. At first he lived in a log-house, and then built a frame dwelling, in which he resided until his death at the age of sixty-four. He married Camilla Pol- lock, a daughter of Dr. Pollock, who was one of the early physicians and surgeons of the county ; Mrs. Maitland lived to be seventy-eight years old, before she was taken away to rejoin those gone before. Our subject's father was a man who always identified himself with progress; sound in his judgment and careful and shrewd in his investments, he rarely failed to reap hand- some profits from his ventures, and thus accu- mulated a comfortable fortune quite early in life. After getting well started in life, he purchased
4
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what is known now as the Maitland Square, offered for sale in 1845, for a yoke of oxen. Far-seeing as he was and despite his confidence in the future growth and wealth of New Castle, he little realized that the city should arrive at its present condition of prosperity, or that the Square should increase in value so many fold. The property then had on it a few small build- ings, of which only one was framed; upon his taking possession of it he built a number of small houses, which he rented, and also erected a double store. He was unassuming and re- served in manner, and although well and favor- ably known, he never sought public notoriety. Five children, all living but one, were born to him, as follows: John R., who now resides on the old homestead; Irene, who makes her home in New Castle; Addie R., who married O. C. Carl of Pasadena, Cal .; William M. of Spring- field, Misouri; and Perry, deceased, the subject of this personal history. On the 23rd of May, 1871, Mr. Maitland mar- ried Miss Adda F. Farver, daughter of Joseph C. and Nancy (Carl) Farver, and granddaughter of Samuel Farver, who was a son of John Far- ver, who was a farmer of the State of Maryland. Samuel Farver came to this county about the beginning of this century in 1800 and settled in the wilderness, where he marked out his farm and built a log-cabin; the remainder of his days were spent in clearing the land, and being a mill- wright by trade in working in the Fisher Mill. The 500 acres were divided among his children after his decease, and our subject's wife and her sister own at the present time the old homestead, on which Mr. Farver in his later years built a frame house and barns. He married Rebecca Carl, a niece of Thomas Fisher, and she brought him a large tract of the Fisher farm. Samuel Farver served in the War of 1812 as a sharp- shooter at Fort Erie. His death occurred in 1861, when aged seventy-seven years; his wife Our subject attended the public schools, and in early manhood began to clerk for W. R. Clen- denin in the latter's dry goods store, and in a few years time he engaged in the grocery busi- Bank now stands. In 1874 he built the three- story block, which later on he sold to the Citi- zens' Bank. After conducting a store for some years, he moved the old store to Mill Street, and remodeled and enlarged the structure, making it bright and new throughout, and thereafter rented it for store purposes. For the past four- teen years he dealt in real estate, and was a very heavy taxpayer. In 1886, he built a fine resi- dence at No. 161 North Jefferson Street, where he resided till his death, Aug. 6, 1897. joined those gathered on the other shore at the age of eighty-five. Their children were: John; Thomas F .; Taylor; Joseph C .; William; and Mary. Joseph C. Farver was born ness, locating on the corner where the Citizens' . in Shenango township, December 4, 1817, and all his life was engaged in farming and caring for his parents, and after their death inherited the farm of some 150 acres, on which he built an entirely new set of buildings. He easily ranked as one of the most enterprising and industrious men in the town, and was high- ly thought of by all who knew his good points. Seventy-one years measured the life allotted to him, his death taking place in 1889; his wife at the age of sixty-eight is still living; she was a daughter of Joshua Carl. To Joseph and Nancy
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(Carl) Farver were born the following children: Samuel, who lived three years; Joshua, who died at the age of six months; Adda F, our sub- ject's widow; and Margaret E., who with her mother looks after the Farver homestead. They are Methodists in their religious preferences.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Maitland was not blessed with children, but for a number of years Miss Myrtle Farver, daughter of Orrin Farver, lived with them, and was a great source of enjoyment, for they were very fond of young people and welcomed her friends with the great- est warmth and hospitality. Mr. Maitland was a Democrat. We have placed the portrait of the subject of this sketch on a preceding page in proximity to this, trusting that it will be of great service in perpetuating his good name and deeds, and in calling to mind in future years his many virtues of mind and heart.
JOSEPH H. BOYD of Princeton, Slippery Rock township, Lawrence Co., Pa., one of the most active and energetic men in Western Penn- sylvania, is a good example of what constant effort, constantly directed, can in a short time accomplish. Some say that nowadays oppor- tunities to get on in the world are not as. fre- quent as they once were. Be that as it may, a young man who does not wait for opportunity to come his way but goes opportunity's way, as has the subject of this sketch, is bound to find results quite satisfactory to his taste.
Mr. Boyd was born in Slippery Rock town- ship, Oct. 2, 1858. He was a son of Robert
Stewart and Catherine (Mershimer) Boyd; the latter was a native of Lawrence County, being born in Shenango township near the city of New Castle, a daughter of Adam and Catherine (Stickel) Mershimer. Mrs. Mershimer first saw the light of day in Westmoreland Co., Pa., and was a daughter of Samuel Stickel, a noted gun- maker of the early days, and later in years a successful farmer. Adam Mershimer's birth- place was near Reading, Pa .; he was born in 1790, and died in 1865. He devoted his time principally to farming, although he also con- ducted a plow. manufacturing business of no small dimensions. He served his country in a distinguished manner in the War of 1812. The father of Adam Mershimer, Sebastian, was born at sea, while his parents were on their way from Germany to find a home in America. He fol- . lowed the trade of wagon-making, and served for seven years in the Revolution, in recognition of which services he was awarded a pension and a soldier's tract of land in the "donation" dis- trict. He died in 1845, at the age of eighty-nine. Robert Stewart Boyd, father of the subject of this briefly outlined history, came into the world June 9, 1833 on a farm in Slippery Rock town- ship. He passed his boyhood as did the sons of that day, and eventually learned the carpenter's trade. For years he followed this vocation in Lawrence, Butler and Mercer Counties, and is at present an active tiller of the soil on a small farm in Slippery Rock township. The parents of Mr. Boyd, and paternal grandparents of our subject, were John and Dorcas (McWilliams) Boyd, the latter a daughter of Robert Mc- Williams, whose wife, a Miss Wilkes, came from Ireland. John Boyd was a son of Joseph
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Boyd, who for many years was engaged in mer- the age of eighty.
parents are active in social and church matters, cantile pursuits, and who died in New Castle at being members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics, Mr. Boyd is an independent Democrat. He is very alert in fraternal matters, being a member of Scott Council, Royal Arcanum, No. 682; Round Head Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 577; and Princeton Council, Jr. O. U. A. M., No. 402.
Joseph H. Boyd, our subject, lived until he was six years of age in his native township. His father then moved with the family into Butler County, where he remained until he was seven- teen years of age. At that age our subject's school-days ended, and he began working in the oil regions and on a farm to support himself. At the age of twenty, the now young man came to Princeton, and commenced to learn his trade, that of blacksmithing in the shop of David Brackinger. Two years were sufficient for him to master the craft. He very soon bought the business of his master, and remained in the old shop some four or five years. Then as a result of his steady prosperity he built his present com- modious quarters. At the beginning of his busi- ness life, Mr. Boyd was a manufacturer of bug- gies and wagons. His trade soon grew to be too brisk for him to supply the demand out of his own shop, so he forthwith put in a selected line of vehicles from other reliable makers. Farm- ing implements were soon added along with other agricultural machinery. This business has grown into such proportions that now Mr. Boyd contemplates in the near future increasing his facilities, and adding a full stock of shelf and heavy hardware, together with the usual acces- sory lines.
Mr. Boyd was married Feb. 9, 1862, at Prince- ton, to Mary E. Sechler, a daughter of Abraham and Caroline (Houk) Sechler. From this union there has resulted seven children: Kittie; Mina and Nina, twins, the former now deceased; Wil- lie (deceased); Loy; Gearth; and Joseph. Both
Mr. Boyd is in all affairs a man of broad ideas. It is in business relations, however, that he is at his best. He does not believe in waiting for trade to come to him, but he goes after business with a force and energy that gets it. As a sales- man, he is second to very few, it being truth- fully said that in his vehicle line he sells on an average one article for every day in the year. As a farrier and blacksmith he has a most en- viable reputation far and wide. No one can strike the anvil a truer blow or place a shoe with greater nicety than he. Of late, when so many have complained of hard times, and were sitting around, Micawber-like, for something to, turn up, Mr. Boyd has, with cheerful smile and kind- ly greeting for all, gone out after business. His surroundings show that he obtained what he went after too. Times are never dull with him, for he won't have it that way.
J. JOHNSTON FISHER, an enterprising young grocer of New Castle, Pa., was born in West New Castle, Pa., Oct. 10, 1871, and is a son of Lewis A. and Mellissa (Morrow) Fisher, both natives of Lawrence Co., Pa. He comes from a family that has been identified with the growth of Western Pennsylvania for a century and a half, and whose patriotism and loyalty to
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the Government has never been questioned in by a little clearing, in the midst of which the slightest particular.
Thomas Fisher, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a farmer and a tavern-keeper of Laurel Hill, Westmoreland Co., Pa., and in that early day occupied a very high place, indeed, in the estimation of the few settlers of that neigh- borhood. To him and his good wife were born two children: Thomas, the grandfather of J. Johnston, and Polly, who married Andrew Lewis of Westmoreland Co., Pa., and bore him five children, as follows: Thomas, Joseph, Ellen, Mary, and Elvira. They were Presbyter- ians in their religious belief, and in his politics Mr. Fisher was a Whig.
Thomas Fisher, Jr., only son of Thomas, was educated in the common schools of his native town, and after securing what schooling that he could, he clerked for a time in his father's inn. At that time the War of 1812 was being waged, and recruits were being called for, so young Fisher enlisted for the service, and under Capt. John Hill of Westmoreland County, went to Bal- timore, Md., which was then the headquarters for the troops. From Baltimore the company was sent with many more to the front, the desti- nation being Erie, Pa .; while en route, they camped on what is known as Grant's Hill, a short distance from Pittsburg, where they rested three days. At that time, neither in Pittsburg nor in Allegheny were there any railroads, pub- lic works, coal industries of any kind, nor were there any buildings of any size or significance in either city. The country was almost in its original state of nature, with the exception of where now and then the monotony of forest and open plain, mountain and valley was broken
stood a log hut, where some pioneer set- tler had started in to clear and improve the land. Mr. Fisher remained in the service until the close of the war, and after the Act of 1876 was passed by Congress, the mother of our sub- ject drew a pension for his services to the Gov- ernment. After he returned from the camp and battle-field of war to assume a place among the peaceful citizens of the land, he purchased a six- horse team and freighted merchandise from Philadelphia to Pittsburg over the mountains; the latter place was still known by its old Eng- lish name of Fort Pitt. Later on in company with several others he engaged in the manu- facture of salt-the process was a simple one and much in use to-day, it was that of pumping the brine from a salt-well and evaporating the water till the dry salt had been obtained; the salt sold for $I a bushel and the business paid them hand- some profits for three or four years. He then moved four miles to a point on the Monongahela River, where he engaged in mining coal, and remained there until the fall of 1836. He then moved to Hickory township, this county, and bought an unimproved tract of land in the wil- derness and thereafter was engaged in clearing the land and tilling the soil. He was a very in- dustrious man even when compared to those hardy pioneers who first opened up Western Pennsylvania, and was considered for very good reasons to be quite prosperous. He was born Nov. 10, 1791, and died Feb. 14, 1871, and was therefore in his eightieth year when he was taken to his home on high. In his political belief he was a stanch Republican, but was not a kind of man who aspired to office. He married Sarah
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Johnston, a daughter of a prominent lawyer of Beaver Falls, Pa., and to them were born eight children, as follows: Thomas G., who married Mary Burns, and had five children-Burns, George, Willis, Amy, and Sarah; Caroline, de- ceased; Mary Ann married William Pattan, and they had two children-Thomas, and Sarah; McGiffin married Lily A. Lindsay, and they were given four children-Amelda J., Johnston L., Lillie J., and Sarah E .; Sarah married John Crowl, and their union resulted in four chil- dren-William, Alice, Nannie, and Mary; and Lewis A., the father of our subject. They favored the Presbyterian Church in religious matters of creed and faith. Our subject's grandmother died in 1892, aged ninety-two years.
Lewis A. Fisher, upon reaching the years of young manhood, the Civil War then being in progress, enlisted in the United States service in the 100th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., and served about four years under the Stars and Stripes. When he returned from the army, he learned the car- penter's trade and worked sixteen years in the Crawford Planing Mill, and since leaving the Crawford Mill has been engaged very success- fully in contracting. He married Mellissa Mor- row, daughter of David Morrow, and she bore him four children who were named: J. Johnston; Leander C .; Kathryne K .; and Harry S. They are Methodists in their church preferences.
J. Johnston Fisher was educated in the public schools of New Castle, and for several years fol- lowing the completion of his education he was employed as a clerk in various grocery stores of the city. On April 10, 1894, he purchased the stock of groceries and business of J. Will Mitchell which had been cerried on at the stand . a number of years. He then moved to Mahon-
now occupied by Mr. Fisher. Our subject han- dles a choice line of staple and fancy groceries for family consumption and has established an enviable trade among the best families of the town, and extending all over the city. He is uniformly successful, and may be considered as one of New Castle's most enterprising young men. As the son of one who wore the blue, he is proud of his father's record, and takes much interest in the local Camp of the Sons of Veter- ans, of which he is a leading member. He is a Republican, politically, and a member and at- tendant of the M. E. Church.
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