USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 51
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James Shearer, who was born in Washington Co., Pa., on the date above mentioned, ran the hotel, after it was given into his hands by his father, several years, and also engaged in mer- cantile pursuits to some considerable extent. Later on, he sold the hotel, and bought a farm in Shenango township, where he carried on
farming the rest of the active years of his life. He was a stanch Democrat, and as he was a prominent and influential man, he was given the office of postmaster of Mt. Jackson under the administration of President Martin Van Buren. In 1828, he was joined in wedlock with Mary Clark, who was born in Cumberland Co., Pa., in 1801, a daughter of Uriah Clark, and gathered about him a family of five children: Jane, born Dec. 26, 1829, who married William Breckin- ridge, and has six children-Caroline, Mary, Ella, Anna, Margaret, and William; John C., the subject of this sketch; Catherine, born in Decem- ber, 1836, who married James H. Cline, a resi- dent of Slippery Rock township, and a major in the United States Army, the children numbering nine are named John, Frank, George, James, Jacob, Edward, Mary, Eva, and Nettie; Harriet, born Aug. 7, 1840, married James H. Stoner of Lawrence Co., Pa., and they have two children, Sadie and Charlie. The father of these children passed away March 14, 1873, and he was fol- lowed by his wife Nov. 8, 1883. They were United Presbyterians in their religious convic- tions.
John C. Shearer began his education in the public schools of New Castle, later became a pupil of the Mt. Jackson schools, then continued his education in the New Castle schools again, and concluded in the schools of Shenango town- ship. Our subject remained under the parental roof, and worked on his father's farm till the lat- ter's death, when our subject at the age of forty- three years sold the paternal estate, and moved to Slippery Rock township, where he purchased the Rev. Robert McMillin's farm, where he lived for sixteen years. In 1890, he moved to New
JAMES WARD.
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Castle, and three years later took up his resi- James Ward & Co. continued to roll metal until dence in Neshannock township. His farm is a fine one, and in the prosecution of his voca- tion, which he has followed all of his life, he has met with far more than ordinary success.
In 1893, he was joined in matrimony with Mary J. Pomeroy, daughter of John Pomeroy of Neshannock township. They are attendants of the Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Shearer is a member, while our subject in his political views inclines strongly toward the Re- publican party.
JAMES WARD, a respected citizen of New Castle, formerly engaged to a large extent in the iron manufacturing business but now occupied in acting as attorney for the William H. Brown estate, was born May 17, 1842, in Pittsburg, Pa. He is a son of James Ward and grandson of William Ward. William Ward and his wife Sa- rah were born in Staffordshire, England. Our subject's father, James Ward, Sr., was born near Dudley, Staffordshire, England; when he was four years old his parents immigrated to Pitts- burg, Pa., bringing him with them. His educa- tion was limited, and concluded when he was thirteen years old. He then began life's work in earnest, his first vocation being the assisting his father in the manufacture of wrought iron nails. This he continued until the age of nineteen, when he began the study of engineering, and remained in that profession until 1841. In 1842 he moved to Niles, Ohio, and became interested in the rolling mill business, and under the firm name of
his death, July 24, 1864. Even from the time when he was a boy, he was looked upon by the business men as possessing all the elements suit- able for the vocation in which he was finally en- gaged. By his ability and faithfulness to his bus- iness he became a man of first rank in his chosen occupation, and filled out such a career as had been predicted of him. He was married in 1853 to Miss Eliza Ditridge, daughter of William and Elizabeth Ditridge, natives of Staffordshire, England. Seven children were born to them, all of whom are dead, excepting James Ward, Jr., the subject of this sketch. He was the first man to practically use pig iron made from raw coal, and was also the first to use black band ore. The furnace built by him in 1859 is still in use. There were none who knew Mr. Ward but respected his name and appreciated his character, Ener- getic and forceful in business, he also was known for his strict integrity and honorable dealings with whomever he came in contact.
Upon the death of James Ward, Sr., his son, the subject of this sketch, took charge of his `business and managed all the iron interests. He built two more mills at Niles, and one at New Philadelphia, Ohio. In 1884 his interests in the iron industry were relinquished, and in 1886 he moved to New Castle as the attorney of the Will- iam H. Brown estate, in which capacity he still continued to labor.
Mr. Ward was married in 1863 to Lizzie L. Brown, daughter of William H. Brown of Pitts- burg, and they have had a family of six children, namely: James, Jr., now in Pittsburg; William H., also a resident of Pittsburg; Charles S., who died at the age of twenty-one; Mary, who mar-
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ried Jonathan Warner, manager of the Sheet Iron Mill at Strouthers, Ohio; Elizabeth, who died at the age of fourteen years; and a daughter, who died in infancy. We are pleased to be able to present on a previous page a portrait of Mr. Ward, that is an important addition to our pictorial gallery.
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. New Wil- mington, the site of Westminster College, is lo- cated on the Sharpsville railroad, which connects with the W. N. Y. & P. at Wilmington Junction, and with both the Erie & Pittsburg and the N. Y. P. & O. at Sharpsville. This excellent con- nection with the leading railroads of Western Pennsylvania makes it easily accessible from all points.
The College is incorporated by the State of Pennsylvania, and has full University powers entrusted to it. Its management is in the hands of a board of trustees, composed of forty mem- bers, of whom three are elected every year by the First Synod of the West, and three by the Synod of Pittsburg, which Synods are under the immediate control of the general assembly of the United Presbyterian Church. The alumni have a voice in the management of college affairs, in that two members of the board of trustees are chosen by them at each annual commencement. Although the first class graduated in 1854, it appears from the records that the charter of the College was issued in 1852. Commencing with one graduate, the College has so steadily in- creased in the number of its student-body, that
in its forty odd years of existence over 1,000 young men and women have received a colle- giate education, and have been graduated from its halls. From the summary given in the 1895 catalogue, it appears that there was a total of 148 students in regular college classes, and this aggregate number was very nearly equalled by the aggregate in the preparatory, music and art departments.
The officers of the board of trustees are: Rev. E. N. McElree, D.D., president; Rev. J. W. Witherspoon, D.D., secretary; Joseph McNau- gher, Esq., treasurer. The faculty consists of the following: Rev. R. G. Ferguson, D.D., president and professor of mental and moral science; S. R. Thompson, A. M., professor of physics; Margaret McLaughry, A. M., profes- sor of the English language and literature; John J. McElree, A. M., professor of the Latin lan- guage and literature; C. C. Freeman, A. M., professor of mathematics and chemistry; Ina M. Hanna, B. S., professor of botany; Morgan Barnes, A. M., professor of the Greek language and literature; Hanna E. Peebles, A. B., instructor in English; Alice Elli- ot, assistant in German; Daniel Hahn, director in music; Mary Cotton Kimball, assistant in mu- sic; Linnie Hodgen, instructor in art; W. J. Holmes, physical director; Rev. J. H. Veazey, financial agent; Margaret McLaughry, A. M., librarian and secretary.
The classical course is a prominent feature in the College, from the conviction that it best se- cures such culture as meets the demands of a liberal education. The facilities for scientific in- struction have been greatly increased by the erection of a new building, planned on the most
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approved modern lines, in which are housed all the scientific departments of the College. In the literary course, exceptional advantages are af- forded to gain an extended acquaintance with the most noted authors. Examinations for admis- sions are held in June and at the opening of the College year in September. The work of the College Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A., together with the thorough Bible study required in each of the courses, provides that Christianizing and refining influence, which will be always the best feature of colleges that are managed by the gov- erning bodies of various Christian sects.
Robert Gracey Ferguson, D.D. Dr. Fergu- son is sprung from the Scotch-Irish race which has done so much for the advancement of edu- cation and religion in Pennsylvania, and has contributed so heartily to the growth and devel- opment of the natural resources of this part of the State. His grandfather, David Ferguson, was born in the north of Ireland, and came to America and settled in Pennsylvania when a young man. His father was James Ferguson. Dr. Ferguson was born at Dry Run, Franklin Co., Pa., Feb. 16, 1842, and after preparing him- self for a collegiate education he became a stu- dent at Jefferson College, graduating from that institution in 1862. His theological studies were pursued at Allegheny Seminary, and he was licensed to preach on the 12th of April, 1865, by the Monongahela Presbytery. He was form- ally ordained Oct. 17, 1866, by Big Spring Pres- bytery, and entered upon the duties of a pastor in the same year. During the period from 1866 to 1874, in which he faithfully labored at Mercer- burg and the Cove, he made a reputation of being an able pulpit orator, and a thinker of
high logical powers. In July, 1874, he went to Butler, Pa., and remained there as the pastor of the United Presbyterian Church until the 8th of July, 1884, when he assumed the duties of his present position of responsibility. Dr. Fergu- son is a quiet, rather reserved man. One, how- ever, who knows Westminster of a few years ago and Westminster of the present day, cannot help giving Dr. Ferguson great honor for what he has done in his unassuming but effective way for the College. He is a master of both the science of teaching, and of the practical admin- istration of college affairs.
DAVID BARNETT, whose residence is at No. 52 Walnut Street, New Castle, where he is leading a practically retired life, was born in Al- legheny City, Sept. 29, 1835, and is a son of David, Sr., and Jane (Thompson) Barnett. Jane Thompson, the second wife of David Barnett, Sr., was a native of Washington County, where she was born Dec. 5, 1806. David Barnett, Sr., also a native of Washington County, was born near Pigeon Creek, June 8, 1796; in April, 1808, although very young, he went to Pittsburg to learn the carpenter's trade, and served an ap- prenticeship of four years. After following his trade a few years in Pittsburg as a journeyman carpenter, he went to Jefferson City, Mo., where he remained four years, and then returned to Pittsburg, where he secured a position with Mc- Clurg, Waite & Co., and while in their employ helped to build the first locomotive on the Penn- 'sylvania Co.'s railroad. To men of the present day, who are familiar with the latest achieve-
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ments in the industrial world, it may seem strange, but it is nevertheless a fact, that at that early stage in the development of the railroad, the trains ran on wooden rails, which were pre- served from wear and breakage by being cov- ered with strap iron. When getting well along in years, David Barnett, Sr., moved to Slippery Rock township, Lawrence County, where he purchased a fine farm of II0 acres, and lived un -. til his death at the age of sixty-seven. Of his first marriage three children were born. His second union with our subject's mother resulted in six children, the eldest of whom was David Barnett, Jr., the subject of this sketch.
David Barnett received his education in the district schools of Slippery Rock township, which schools he attended until he was eighteen years old. When he had attained his majority, he went to Nemaha Co., Kan., where he took up a quarter section of land as a pre-emption claim on Soldier Creek, where he lived eighteen months, and proved his land. He then came home, and enlisted at Pittsburg, August 28, 1861, in Co. F, 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was in the service four years lack- ing twenty-nine days, having re-enlisted in the field December 28, 1863, and was honor- ably discharged and mustered out at Harris- burg, Pa., on July 28, 1865. He was engaged in Virginia and South Carolina the greater part of the time, and was in the following battles: Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Antietam, Freder- icksburg, Siege of Vicksburg, Siege of Knox- ville, The Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Har- bor, and Petersburg. After the war, Mr. Barnett lived on the farm eighteen months, and then be- came a resident of New Castle, and shortly
afterwards opened a grocery store, which he conducted from 1867 to 1889 with very success- ful results, which have enabled him to retire from active work, and seek rest and content- ment the remainder of his life.
March 3, 1864, he was married in Slippery Rock township to Martha Campbell, who was born in Shenango township, a daughter of John G. and Hannah (Gaston) Campbell, the latter a daughter of Robert and Anna (Matthewson) Gaston, both natives of Warren Co., Pa. John G. Campbell, a blacksmith by trade, was born in Lawrence County, of Scotch descent. His father, who began farming in Plain Grove township over a century ago, was married twice and was the father of twenty-two children. Our subject's wife was fifth in a family of twelve children born to her parents. She is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, and of the Ladies of the G. A. R. Mr. Barnett is a member of the G. A. R., Union Veteran Legion, and is also an Odd Fellow.
DR. GEORGE N. MEALY, a leading medi- cal practitioner of the borough of New Wilming- ton, Lawrence Co., Pa., was born in Claysville, Pa., Sept. 21, 1845. He is a son of Anthony Mealy, who is now the oldest citizen of Clays- ville, his birth dating back to 1816. He is a shoemaker by trade, and toiled at the bench with awl and last until he retired from active work. He married Jane McCaskey, who was taken to the abode of the blessed in 1890, at the age of seventy. The teachings of the Presbyterian Church embodied their ideas of their duty to
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God, to their fellow-men, and to themselves, and well did they live up to the rigid standard of the church. Our subject's father is a Democrat in regard to his politics, and is very pronounced and decided in his opinions. For nineteen years previous to the Civil War, Mr. Mealy was post- master of the office at Claysville, and gave un- limited satisfaction by his courteous, painstak- ing, and obliging manners. He gathered around him in the home the following five chil- dren: Margaret (Warrell); Julia A. (Short); Rev. J. M. Mealy; Dr. George N., our subject ; and Rev. Anthony A. Mealy.
The subject of this brief biography received his primary education in the schools of his na- tive town, mingling and associating with many a bright young comrade in boyhood's pleasures who is now occupying some post of distinction and of honor. This common school education was added to and supplemented with the instruc- tion he received under private tutorship. Thus, well-equipped, he began the study of medicine with Dr. John Kelly and Dr. Vance of Clays- ville, Pa., giving attention to his medical books in the summer, and still attending school during the winter. To bring to a completion his studies in the healing art, he entered Jefferson Medical College, and graduated towards the head of his class in 1867. His first year as an accedited physician was spent in Middlebourne, W. Va .; he then removed to Sistersville, near by in the same county, and remained there in the enjoy- ment of a flattering practice until 1875, when he came to New Wilmington, Pa., where he is still engaged in active practice, being the oldest phy- sician of that place. Because of his long resi- dence in Wilmington township, he has a large
and extended acquaintance over the township and beyond its borders. His many years of ex- perience have made him cool and practical in critical and important cases, and cause his skill as a physician of the old school to be thoroughly relied on.
Dr. Mealy was married Jan. 27, 1869, to Mary McAnall, daughter of Hugh McAnall, who was born near Wheeling, W. Va. Three children have resulted from this union, who are as fol- lows: Dr. Harry M., who is practicing medicine in Palmyra, Ohio; Dr. John E., who ministers to the ills of a large circle of patrons in Girard, Ohio; Mary H., who lives at home with her parents. Like his father in many respects, Dr. Mealy still adheres to the Presbyterian faith, and in political struggles gives his hearty support to the Democratic party. He has fully developed in him the Christian virtues which are made still stronger with every passing year that sees him still practicing his profession, for medical ex- perience has the effect of making a man sympa- thetic, true, and noble in every sense of the word.
GEORGE W. ARROW, a highly respected citizen of Hickory township, where he is profit- ably following pursuits of an agricultural nature, was born in Neshannock township, Feb. 12, 1847, and is a son of John R. and Mary J. (Tur- ner) Arrow, and grandson of George Arrow, who was born in England and lived there all of his life engaged at his occupation of a jobber. To our subject's grandparents were born the fol- lowing children: Tobias; Thomas; Robert;
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
George; William; James; John; Elizabeth; and a daughter, whose name is not given.
John R. Arrow was born in England near Lancaster, and came to the United States in 1844, settling in New Castle, this county, where he first engaged in the mining of coal in Nesh- annock township on what is now known as the People's Farm. Later in life he purchased a farm in Hickory township, the one now owned by his son, George W., the subject of this narra- tion, where he spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits, his death taking place Jan. 12, 1892, at the age of eighty-three years. His agricultural labors were crowned with success, and he left at his death two finely improved farms to his three sons. He was a man of un- questioned integrity, a good citizen, and has left an enviable record behind him for honesty and moral worth. He inclined toward the Demo- cratic party in politics. His wife was a daughter of Gideon Turner of New York State; she bore him seven children: George W., our subject; Charles, who married Matilda Cox of Wilming- ton township, and has a family of four-William, Mary, George, and Sylvester; Thomas, deceased; Harriet, deceased; Robert, deceased; John, who married a Miss Louise Lockhart, and lives in the West; and Franklin, deceased. Those de- ceased all died in infancy. The parents were consistent members of the M. E. Church. The mother died Feb. 28, 1870, aged forty-four years.
George W. Arrow was educated in the com- mon schools of Neshannock township and Hick- ory township, and after completing his schooling turned his attention to agricultural pursuits on the homestead, which was then still owned by his father, but was purchased by our subject after
his parents' death. He has a very good farm, with buildings tastefully arranged and kept in the best repair, and on all sides may be seen evi- dences of thrift and prosperity on the part of the owner.
In 1872, he was joined in marriage bonds with Sarah Ann Michael of Washington township, daughter of William Michael, and to Mr. and Mrs. Arrow have been given three children: Wiliam J., deceased; Wilhelmina; and John, de- ceased. In their religious belief, they strongly favor the M. E. Church, of which they are mem- bers.
JOHN BELL. Among the self-made men of Lawrence County, farmers by vocation, and men who have succeeded through their own ener- gy and perseverance, and to-day are the proprie- tors of fine and productive farms, men who are passing the sunset of life in the enjoyment of a competency obtained through years of honest toil and economy, is the subject of this brief his- tory. His farm is nicely located in Neshannock township, not far from New Castle. He is a son of Edward and Barbara (Richardson) Bell, both natives of England. Edward Bell was a coal miner by occupation, and followed that occupa- tion throughout a long and singularly active career. He was as honest as the day was long, and no one could have been more upright and honorable in their dealings; naturally a hard- worker, it is not surprising that he was able to provide his family with many of the little com- . forts so little seen among those who labor in the mines. He and his wife were blessed with the
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REV. FRANCIS JOSEPH EGER.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
birth of three children, as follows: Catherine, who married Joseph Ward, and lives in the State of Illinois; Thomas, deceased; and the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Bell dying in 1829, our sub- ject's father contracted a second union with Su- sie Brown, by which marriage he had several more children. His death took place in 1840, when he was aged forty-five years. The family were Methodists.
John Bell of this history was born in Durham, Eng., Sept. 18, 1825. Until coming to this coun- try in 1849, he was engaged in the same line of work as his respected parent, and even after his arrival in the United States, and for many years thereafter, he was still engaged in mining as a means of securing a livelihood. He settled at first in Greenville, Pa., where he worked in the coal mines, going from there to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was employed in the coal mines one year. He then went to Moundsville, W. Va., where he leased a coal bank, and worked it for about a year, disposing of the product to the transportation companies, and at last selling the lease itself to good advantage. In 1852 he moved to New Castle, Pa., and has lived in its vicinity ever since. After living in the city a short time, he moved to Neshannock township, where he purchased a farm, and has since been engaged in its successful cultivation, and in min- ing coal to some extent. Mr. Bell is a man of great industry and excellent habits of life, and always secures the respect of the community wherever he chances to locate.
In 1850, he was joined in marriage with Isa- bella Brothers, who was born Aug. 22, 1832, in the State of Ohio. This union has been abun- dantly blessed with twelve children, as follows:
Edward, who married Jennie Stinson of Croton, Pa., a suburb of New Castle, and had one child, Montgomery L., both parents are deceased; Jo- siah, who married Mary Donaldson of Neshan- nock township, who bore him three children, John, Carrie, and Margaret, and by his second wife, Margaret McKee of Neshannock township, he became the father of four more children, Sa- die, Grover C., James, and Annie; Jennie, who married Seymour McWilliams of Illinois, and has four children, Jennie, John, Mark, and an infant; Catherine, who married Charles Miller of Neshannock township, and has two children, Edith and Eva; Della, who married Edward Sergeant of Neshannock township, but now of East Brook, Lawrence County, and has three children, Abbie, Edward, and Mildred; Abbie, who married John W. Dinsmore of East Brook, and has one son, John Alford; and Richard W., a practicing physician, who married Margaret McGoun of New Castle; Sarah; Maria; William; Johnnie; and an infant are deceased. The fam- ily is to be found among the regular attendants of the United Presbyterian Church.
REV. FRANCIS JOSEPH EGER, pastor of St. Joseph's Church of the city of New Castle, whose likeness appears on the opposite page, was born near Carrolltown, this State, in 1863. He entered St. Vincent's College in 1874, and was ordained a priest in the Abbey by the Rt. Rev. Richard Phelan, D. D., on July 8, 1886. He was then sent as assistant to the German congregation in Allegheny City. On the IIth of
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
August, 1888, Father Eger was appointed pas- tor of the church of New Castle; he arrived in New Castle August 23, and celebrated mass for the first time in the lecture-room of the old Jefferson Street M. E. Church. On Sunday, Au- gust 26, the congregation assembled for the first time for public worship, and in the evening of the same day a congregational meeting was held.
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