USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65
Our subject's father was born in Little Beaver township, and lived there all his life, engaged in farming, and in raising and shipping stock to Eastern markets. He was a member of the Dis- ciples Church, and politically was a Republican, serving as school director and supervisor. He died at the age of fifty-four. Our subject's grandfather was William Young, who was born in Hunterdon Co., N. J., and moved to New Galilee, Beaver County, about 1800, and later bought 225 acres in Little Beaver township, Lawrence County, on which some of his descen- dants still live. In politics, he was a Whig, and in religious matters a Covenanter.
Phillip A. Young's mother, whose maiden name was Ann Taylor, was a daughter of William and Ann (Wilson) Taylor, and her home was one mile northwest of Enon Valley. Her father was a wearer of the shamrock, and fled from Ireland at the close of the Rebellion of 1798.
Our subject has spent all of his days on the farm that has been so long in the possession of the family. He attended district school until he was eighteen, and then with his father carried on the farm until the death of the latter, when Phillip .A. succeeded to the estate. He owns 135 acres of valuable upland fields, very fertile, and under thorough cultivation. Mr. Young does . not pin his faith to any one branch of farming, although he was formerly especially interested in sheep-raising. Everything about his place seems to indicate not only that the proprietor has a complete knowledge of his vocation, but that he has put that knowledge to practical use. On May 27, 1875, Mr. Young took unto him- self a wife in the person of Mary Helen
323
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Williams, daughter of Lynch and Martha (Charles) Williams. Mr. Williams was born in the village of Ricksham, England, near the bor- der of Wales, Feb. 11, 1820; his father was a native of Wales. Lynch was a brick-mason and emigrated in 1833, following farming as an occu- pation after his settlement in America. He was a member of the Established Church of Eng- · land, when still a resident of the mother country, but after he came here he became a Presby- terian. He died Nov. 16, 1888. His parents were Bethuel and Elizabeth (Mansell) Williams, natives of Wales and England, respectively, and members of the Presbyterian Church. Bethuel Williams settled first near Beaver Falls, and from there removed to Little Beaver Valley. His wife, Elizabeth, lived to be eighty-three years old.
Mrs. Phillip A. Young's mother, Martha (Charles) Williams, was born in County Kildare, near Castle Carbrey, in Ireland, and she was a daughter of Samuel and Ellen (Wiley) Charles, both of whom were born in County Meath, Ire- land. Ellen (Wiley) Charles was a daughter of William Wiley, who married a Miss Lewis. Samuel Charles was a shoemaker by trade. The wife of our subject was one of eight children born to her parents.
Phillip A. Young is a firm believer in educa- tion as an equipment for life's duties, and he has taken great pains to have his children attend good schools. The eldest son, Cassius M., died in infancy. Clyde E. is attending college at Ada, Ohio, where he is fitting himself for a career in the legal profession; when he was a student at Slippery Rock College he taught school in Lit- tle Beaver township. Bessie M. graduated from
the district schools at the age of fifteen, and is now attending the high school, and Ethel, the youngest of the family, is attending the district school now. The entire family are members of the Disciples Church of Enon Valley. In pol- itical circles, Mr. Young is known as a strong Republican; he served one term as supervisor in his township. He also performed highly cred- itable work as collector, finishing out his brother's term, and when he turned the books over to his successor, they showed the smallest amount still uncollected that there had been since the township was organized. Mr. Young is a thorough man of business, having a clear comprehension of how accounts should balance. He is known as a successful farmer, a kind neighbor, and a good citizen.
ROBERT F. WILSON, residing on Railroad Street, Mahoningtown, is an engineer on the P. & W. R. R., a position he has occupied since Aug. 15, 1891. He was born in Petersburg, Ohio, May 15, 1867, and is a son of Craig B. and Elizabeth (Pontius) Wilson. Craig Wilson was born in Beaver Co., Pa., in the fall of 1819, and is now residing on his farm near Petersburg, Ohio; he was a son of John and Nancy (Hemp- hill) Wilson. His wife, who was born in Peters- burg, Ohio, was a daughter of John and Eliza- beth Pontius, the former a native of Erie, Pa., who died at the age of seventy-six.
Of ten children in the parental family, Robert F. is the seventh in seniority; he remained at home until he was twenty years of age, attend- ing the schools of Petersburg till he was eigh-
324
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
teen. The first work in which he was engaged for himself was on the public lands between Youngstown and Sheffield, where he worked two years. In January, 1888, he began railroad- ing, in the employ of the P. & W. R. R. as brakeman for one year, then as fireman for two years, and on Aug. 15, 1891, was given charge of an engine with a run between New Castle Junction, Akron, Ohio, and Allegheny City, Pa. From his first connection with the railroad he has won and retained the confidence and esteem of his employers by his faithful discharge of the duties incumbent upon him, and by efficient, in- telligent service, that has left no room for com- plaint.
He was married in Youngstown, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1891, to Mary McWilliams, who was born in Mt. Jackson, this county, a daughter of Thomas P. and Melissa (Jones) McWilliams. Thomas P. Mc Williams, who was a son of James and Ann (McCloskey) McWilliams, was a prominent blacksmith of Mahoningtown. This union of our subject and wife has been blessed with two children: Helen and Fred. He and his amiable and excellent wife are members of the Presby- terian Church. Mr. Wilson is a member of Star- light Lodge, No. 224, Knights of Pythias of Petersburg, Ohio; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Division No. 411, of Painesville, Ohio; and Excelsior Lodge, No. 121, Protected Home Circle, of Mahoningtown. Our subject has made his home in Mahoningtown since his promotion to the post of engineer, and although necessarily absent much of the time on his runs, he is claimed as a citizen of the community, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors and acquaintances.
WARREN R. CLIFTON, chemist for the Shenango Valley Steel Co., was born in New Castle, Jan. 22, 1868, and is a son of Warren Clifton and grandson of Joseph H. Clifton. Our subject's grandfather was born in Boston, where he was reared and educated, and where he lived until after his marriage, working in the woolen mills. When he came to New Castle, he built a mill, and engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods; after several years he sold his milling property, and moved the machinery to Weston, West Virginia, where he again bought land and water-power, and erected a mill, and once more engaged in the same business, following it the remainder of his life. He also devoted no small attention to sheep-raising. He died at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife, Hannah Brown of Boston, lived to be seventy-four years old. They reared seven children in order and name as follows: Joseph; Warren; Frank; Richard; Ella; Ann (Barrett); and Abbie (Hershman).
Warren Clifton, father of Warren R., was born in Boston, Mass., but his boyhood days were spent in New Castle. He married, soon after becoming of age, Susanna Cartright, daughter of Lemuel Cartright of Edenburg, Pa. He fol- lowed the same business as his father, and was associated with him until the time of his death. In 1876, he moved to Pittsburg, where he lived a few years, and then went to New Castle, which he made his home for two years. He then re- turned to Pittsburg, where he lives now at the age of fifty-three years. His wife was taken to the home prepared on high when forty-eight years of age. He is a natural mechanic, and since his sojourn in Pittsburg has been engaged in that branch of industry. There were born to him the
325
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
following children: Katie (Browning); Warren R .; Minnie (Connolly); and Floyd I.
Warren R. Clifton was educated in the Pitts- burg grammar and high schools, and studied chemistry at a select school for chemists in Pitts- burg. After finishing the preparation for his profession, and having acquired skill and address at it, he engaged as chemist, in 1886, with the Isabella Furnace Co. of Sharpsburg, Pa., with whom he spent one year. From 1887 till 1890, he was with the Oliver Iron & Steel Co. of Pitts- burg, Pa., and since then has been in the employ of the Shenango Valley Steel Co. of New Castle.
Our subject sought and won the hand of Ellen M. Walter, daughter of John W. Walter, in mar- riage, and they have one child, Josephine H. In his political affiliations, he is known as an ar- dent Republican. Socially he is a member of Mahoning Lodge, No. 243, F. & A. M.
JOHN WALLACE is a substantial farmer of Little Beaver township, and lives near Enon Valley in that township. His birth occurred Jan. 26, 1821, near the village of Darlington, Beaver Co., Pa. He was reared in his native township, and attended the district schools until he was a young man of twenty years. In March, 1845, when he was twenty-four, John Wallace and Margaret McClusky were bound by the mutuals vows and obligations of matri- mony, and began housekeeping on a farm of thirty acres. Not long after he sold the farm, but the sale fell through because of the failure of the intending buyer to turn over the necessary
funds; at length, however, he disposed of the land satisfactorily, and lived as a tenant on rent- ed farms until 1862, when he became the owner of his present home. Mrs. Wallace was a daugh- ter of William and Ann (Wilson) McClusky, and she bore her husband five children: William, who was a loyal soldier in the Civil War, and married Eliza McKean and has threee children; David C., who died in babyhood; Harriet J., de- ceased, who married William J. Young; Lucin- da A., who accepted Robert Young of Beaver County, and became his wife-they have seven children; and Mary A., deceased. Mr. Wallace belongs to the United Presbyterian Church. He is a Republican politically, and has served as a school director in both Beaver and Lawrence Counties. Mr. Wallace contracted a second marriage in October, 1888, with Angeline Wil- son, daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Sprout) Wilson of New Castle. He is a practical, pro- gressive farmer, making each part of the whole 125 acres yield some income. In addition to general farming, he has a dairy, which diverts no small portion of his time and attention. Mr. Wallace is a representative farmer of this coun- ty, and has won an enviable reputation for the thoroughness of his business methods, his up- rightness in all his dealings with his fellow-men and for his unfailing kindness to all with whom he comes in contact. At a ripe old age he is enjoying the comforts of a beautiful home, which has been fairly won by his industry.
Our subject's father, David Wallace, was born in Ireland, and at the age of eight years accom- panied the family, when they sought a new home in America. His father, Patrick Wallace, died in this country, aged fifty-three years, but David
326
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
possessed wonderful vitality, and after a long life spent in agricultural pursuits answered the summons of death when eighty-four years of age. His wife, Jane Scott, was born in Northern Ireland, and when she was an infant of twelve months, her parents, John and Jane Scott, emi- grated to America. They lived for a time at Baltimore, and then removed to Chippewa town- ship, Beaver Co., Pa., where John Scott main- tained his family by weaving. He was a mem- ber of the Covenanter's Church, as was our sub- ject's father. He stood the flight of time re- markably well, being very strong and healthy up to a few months preceding his death at three score and ten.
WILDRESS A. KENNY, a substantial far- mer and prominent citizen of Little Beaver township, resides on his farm about two miles from Enon Valley, on which farm he was born Jan. 8, 1853. Mrs. Kenny holds title to this same piece of land, the deed being made in 1799, when John Beer, maternal great-grandfather of the present owner, cleared the fields and re- claimed them from their natural state of rugged timber growth. Mr. Beer was in truth a pion- eer, for he was the first white man to pass the winter in Lawrence County. He came with two companions, and they felled the trees, put up log-cabins, and began to render the land capable of sustaining civilized man. The two other men made their way back to their home in West- moreland County in the fall, but Mr. Beer re- mained with grit and determination in the new
country and stayed in his cabin until spring, when he went back to bring his family. His wife was a Miss Hunter. He lived on the farm until his death at seventy-five years of age. His son, David, lived on the homestead and married Mary Fisher, who came from Westmoreland County at an early day; their daughter, Mar- garet Beer, was born on a neighboring farm, where she grew up and married Irwin Kenny, becoming the mother of the present Mr. Kenny.
Irwin Kenny, father of Wildress A., began life near Calcutta, Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1819, and his career came to a close in 1881. He mastered the carpenter's trade, but did not fol- low that trade to amount to much, for he always lived on a farm. He was a son of David and Esther (Hunter) Kenny, the father having served as a privateer in the Revolutionary War. Irwin's grandfather, James, came from Lancas- ter County, Pa., where the great-grandfather, John Kenny, settled late in life after his emigra- - tion from Ireland; John's father was a partici- pant in the Battle of the Boyne, ranking as an officer in the army. Irwin and Margaret (Beer) Kenny were the parents of nine children, as fol- lows: Robert, who was born in Allegheny City; a girl, who died unnamed; David, who died in infancy; Wildress A .; Thomas; Mary; Samuel; Maggie; and Nellie.
Our subject was brought up on the farm that was his birth-place, attending school until he was seventeen years old, and engaging in farm work. When his duties in agricultural lines are not pressing, he works at the carpenter's trade, which he learned from his father, and in winter he has been occasionally employed in the coal mines. His mother was a devout member of the
ADAM TRESER
329
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Presbyterian Church, and was personally inter- ested in the building of the church structure of that denomination, that was the oldest in the community or township. Mr. Kenny is thor- oughly imbued with the principles of the Demo- cratic faith, and he has served as school director. He has worked and labored to keep the home- stead which has belonged to his family for al- most a century intact, and he may well be proud of his farm and his history.
ADAM TRESER, a retired brewer and a prominent and wealthy citizen of New Castle, Pa., whose portrait appears on an opposite page, was born in Germany, Dec. 21, 1819, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Horn) Treser, both natives of the Fatherland. Our subject's father was engaged in farming and inn-keeping all his life, carrying on both pursuits at the same time. His native thrift and sound judgment, which the citizens of New Castle have seen ex- emplified in his son Adam, raised him to an eminent place among his townsmen. He mar- ried Elizabeth Horn, and to them were born seven children as follows: Magdalena; Cather- ine; Michael; Elizabeth; John; Adam; and Liz- zie. They were Lutherans in their religious be- lief.
Our subject acquired his education in the schools of Germany, and having proved himself an apt scholar and of a studious bent of mind, he was selected by those who had charge of the educational interests of the town to officiate as pedagogue, and accordingly filled the position
of school-teacher for several terms. He then turned his attention to the butcher's trade, the details of which he mastered, and in which he was engaged until his emigration to the United States in 1840. Upon coming to this country he settled in Pittsburg, Pa., where he followed nearly the same general line of business for twelve years more. In 1852, he moved to New Castle, Pa., where he continued in the butcher's business until 1865, when he, in company with Jacob Siegle, under the style of Treser & Siegle, commenced to operate a brewery, and did a very successful business, which proved very re- munerative to our subject and his partner. In 1877, the partnership was dissolved, and Mr.
Treser carried on the brewing business until 1890, when he retired from active participation in the affairs of the business world. His views on questions of political moment are those advo- cated by the Republican party; he is everywhere respected as a man of sterling good qualities, and of unimpeachable integrity; he served sev- eral years as a city councilman to the entire sat- isfaction of his constituents and of the city at large.
On March 2, 1843, our subject linked his life and fortunes with those of Catherine Kocher, daughter of Frederick Kocher of Pittsburg, Pa., in the holy bonds of matrimony. Seven chil- dren has blessed this union, as follows: Mag- dalena, deceased; Elizabeth and John, twins, the former of whom is deceased; William, de- ceased; Lavinia; Emma; and Catharine. John married Martha Morris of New Castle, and has the following children: Stanley, Norman, Flora, Elizabeth, and Albert. Lavinia married Charles Strieb (now deceased) of New Castle, and she
330
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
became the mother of five children: William, . Albert, Charlie, Frank, and Earl. Emma mar- ried Rev. John Miller of Beaver Falls, Pa., and the sole issue of the marriage was one child, Paul L., who was left an orphan by the death of his mother a few days after his birth. Paul L. Miller has lived with his grandparents ever since he was eleven days old, and has now at- tained an age of thirteen years, extremely bright for his years; he attends the public schools of New Castle, and is the pride of his grandparents. Katharine, the youngest child of our sub- ject, lives at home with her parents. On March 2, 1893, Mr. and Mrs. Treser celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding. Their friends came from different cities to remember them on the joyous occasion; many beautiful presents were bestowed. The family attend the Lutheran Church of New Castle, and are accounted among its warmest friends and sup- porters.
JOHN RILEY, a retired and highly respect- ed citizen of New Castle, was born in Lancaster- shire, Eng., April 1, 1827, and was a son of John Riley, Sr., who was born in the same place, and was engaged throughout the active period of his life as a coal-miner. He was the father of twelve children, of whom the following grew to maturity: Elizabeth, the widow of the late An- drew Whittaker of New Castle; John; Joseph; Violet; Samuel; and Rosa. After his son John, the subject of this sketch, was well established in business he sent for his father and mother, and they accordingly came to New Castle, and lived
with our subject until they died, the father being sixty-five years of age at death, and the mother seventy-seven years old. Our subject's mother's maiden name was Mary Newton, and she was born in Olden, Lancastershire, Eng.
Our subject worked in the coal mines in his Old World home until 1849, when he came to America, and settled in New Castle, Pa., where he worked in the "People's Mines," then for George Crawford about fifteen years, when he with others began operating a mine in Athens, · Ohio; but this not proving a success he returned to New Castle and a year later he bought a saw- mill, which he ran about one year, then, in com- pany with his brother, he sank a shaft and mined there three years, when they sold to Rhodes & Patterson, and Mr. Riley remained with the firm till Mr. Rhodes died, and the mine being run by trustees, Mr. Riley still engaged with them as boss. He then bought the lease and worked the mine five years when he sold to his brother and went as boss for the Pennsylvania Company. He then bought the George Crawford farm of 146 acres, which had formerly been leased to a company for mining coal, and had a shaft al- ready sunk, and a railroad built.
In 1886, he retired from active work, and moved to the city of New Castle, and bought the Falls property of five acres on Highland Ave- nue; very soon after taking possession of the property, he built an addition to the old house, graded and laid out West Park Avenue, and sold a large number of building lots; in doing this work, he had to cut down a high knoll, and fill in the rough surface and bring everything to grade, and make many other valuable and im- portant improvements, and the property thus
.
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY. 331
laid out and improved will in a very few years be built up with beautiful homes. He has also built two fine houses, one on the corner of Park Avenue and Highland Street, in which he lives. Besides the improvements he has been engaged in to further the progress and growth of New Castle, he has also loaned money and dealt very much in real estate.
In 1859, he married Mrs. Ann Jackson, widow of Joseph Jackson, who was born in County of Durham, England, and came to Lowville, Ohio, in 1854, where he at first labored as an iron ore worker. He died at the age of twenty-four years of typhoid fever. Our subject's wife was born in County Durham, England, and was a daughter of Henry Burton, who settled in Low- ville, Ohio, and died in 1859, aged fifty years of heart trouble. His wife passed away to the land of rest at the age of seventy-five. Mr. and Mrs. Riley have never been blessed with children, but nearly always their home has been brightened by the presence of some of their nieces or nephews. In their religious views, they are Methodist Episcopalians, of which church our subject's wife is a devout and faithful member.
JOHN H. WILKIN, a representative and prominent citizen of Harlansburg, Scott town- ship, who is engaged in carrying on a very suc- cessful general store in the above village, was born in Scott township, April 10, 1861. He is a son of Willliam B. and Fannie (McCutchin) Wil- kin and grandson of John Wilkin.
. John Wilkin was born in Eastern Pennsyl- vania, in Chester County, and was a millwright
by trade. About 1810 he removed to the west- ern part of the State to New Castle, where he built what was long known as the "old forge"; he was a very good mechanic and found plenty of work in his line in the new country, for the settlers for many miles around would come to him when they wished a good job done. In 1817 he moved to Harlans- burg, where he occupied a position of promi- nence and influence as one of the pioneer set- lers of that place. He was, like most of the men of the early times, a hard worker, and being sav- ing in his habits and economical in his tastes, he was able to lay by a comfortable competence, which he invested in landed property. The last years of his life were spent in retirement, enjoy- ing the fruits of his early toil, and being accord- ed that respect and affection which is always the due of every man who has fulfilled all the obli- gations of a good citizen. He was a stanch Re- publican, but never held any public office. His religious affiliations led him to unite with the Presbyterian Church. He married Sarah Elder, a native of Bradford Co., Pa., and to them were born four children, as follows: William B., Nancy, Elizabeth, and Sarah.
William B. Wilkin received a common school education in Harlansburg, and served an ap- prenticeship at the cabinet-maker's trade, which he followed until late in life in his native town. When well advanced in years, he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and carried on a general trade in the place where his son, John H., now carries on the business. He, like the father, was considered a very prosperous man for his time and surroundings, and as an honest man and good citizen occupied a place in the front rank
.
332
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
of his townsmen, and was an important factor in the building up of the prosperity of his township and county. He was a Republican of firm con- victions and held a number of the township offices. He married a daughter of Henry Mc- Cutchin of Scott township, and to them were given three children-Frances, Nannie A., and John H., our subject. They were members in good standing of the Presbyterian Church. Our subject's father departed this life in 1891, when aged seventy-one years, after many years of sep- aration from his dear companion in early life, who had preceded him in 1864 to that far land from which no traveler ever returns.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.