USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 53
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
His first wife, who was Miss Jane Scott of New Athens, Ohio, died in 1859, bore him two children, namely: Frances R., who died in 1874: and Allison T., who is engaged in railroad work in Denver, Colorado. After the death of Mrs.
-
.
552
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Winter, our subject lived alone a number of States when a young man, and settled in Mercer years, and was then joined in marriage with Co., Pa., where he purchased a farm, and en- gaged himself in its cultivation throughout the remainder of his life. He married Jane Nelson, a native of Ireland, and to them were born Will- iam; Benjamin; John; George; Robert and Sam- uel, twins; Eliza; Margaret; and Mary. In their religion, they held steadfastly to the teachings and doctrines of the M. E. Church, in which they had been raised. Mary McClelland of Mt. Jackson, Pa., and from this union three children resulted: Elizabeth M., Robert Mc., and William W. Mrs. Winter's brother, William McClelland, was adjutant-gen- eral under Governor Pattison at the time of his death, and before he was elevated to that office he was captain of Battery B, First Penn. Re- serves, having served four years in the War of the Rebellion. Dr. Robert McClelland, Mrs. Winter's father, who married a Miss Mary Woods of Mt. Jackson, this county, was him- self a native of Ireland, being brought to this country when a lad of five years by his parents. He was engaged in the practice of medicine for nearly thirty years in Mt. Jackson and vicinity. Few men were more highly respected or had greater influence in the community than he. In religion he was a United Presbyterian. In poli- tics he was a Democrat, and served one term as a member of Assembly in the Pennsylvania Leg- islature. He died in 1869, in his 70th year.
REV. ROBERT CURTIS STEWART, the esteemed pastor of Rich Hill and Volant Pres- byterian Church of Wilmington township, Law- rence Co., Pa., whose residence is in the northern part of Hickory township, was born March 27, 1865, and is a son of Robert and Melvina (West- lake) Stewart, both natives of Mercer Co., Pa.
John Stewart, the grandfather of the subject of this notice, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and came from the north of Ireland to the United
Our subject's father, after securing a common school education in Mercer County, learned the carpenter's trade, which in connection with a little farming remained his vocation. He is a stanch Republican, and uniformly shows his be- lief in its principles by casting a ballot at each election for its candidates. He married a daugh- ter of George Westlake of Mercer County, and to our subject's parents were born six children : Hannah, who married Frank McMasters of Plain Grove, and has one child, Ethel; Mary, who married Edward Reynolds of New Castle, and has borne him four children, Edith, Blanche, Bessie, and Minnie; Robert C .; Edward, de- ceased; William, who married Sadie Dight of North Liberty, Mercer County, who died and left him one child, Addie; and George. The family are Presbyterians.
Rev. Robert C. Stewart received his primary education in the schools of Grove City; he grad- uated from the high school in 1890, and then took a higher course, and graduated from that in 1892. He then entered the Western Theolog- ical Seminary, from which he received his dip- loma in 1895. He immediately commenced his service for God and humanity in his first field of labor, his present pastorate in Wilmington
553
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
township. He has been an earnest and conscien- tious laborer in the vineyard of the Master, and is held in high estimation by his parishioners. In 1890, he married Clara Covert, daughter of Jacob Covert of Grove City, Pa., and to them have been given two children, R. Francis, and M. Leila. His views on politics lean strongly toward the Prohibition party.
MRS. ELIZABETH J. BEAR of Hickory township, Lawrence Co., Pa., is the widow of the Rev. Richard M. Bear, a most highly respected Methodist clergyman, whose death took place in the city of New Castle, in 1888, when he was aged three score and ten years. Mrs. Bear was a daughter of Michael and Rebecca (Ramsey) Jor- dan, and granddaughter of Henry Jordan, who was a native of Germany. Our subject's grand- father came to America when fourteen years of age, having been drafted into the British Army, and very soon after his arrival he took part in the Revolutionary War, joining the Continental Army at New York, deserting from the British. He served through the remaining portion of the war as a private, and when discharged from the band of patriots, who had fought and bled in Freedom's cause, settled in what is now Wash- ington township, Lawrence County, where he purchased a tract of virgin soil, heavily timbered; he occupied the rest of his years in clearing the tall forest trees, and in following the peaceful and honorable calling of an agriculturist, at . which line of work he was very successful, taking high rank for general ability and excellence of
work among his brother-farmers. Although not personally interested in politics, he was, notwith- standing, a strong partisan of the Democratic party. He married Elizabeth Marsheimer, a na- tive of Eastern Pennsylvania, and the fruits of their union were: John; Henry; Daniel; George; Michael; Susan; Elizabeth; Catherine; and Mary. They looked for religious counsel and upholding faith in the Presbyterian Church. Henry Jordan died sometime in the '40's, aged ninety-two years; his wife was called to join the ransomed ones on the other shore, when in her ninetieth year, in 1851 or 1852.
Educational advantages in new sparsely set- tled districts of a country that is still poor in everything but its natural wealth, are sometimes unconventional in the extreme, and the school- house, wherein Michael Jordan, the father of our subject, received his education was much after the usual run of school-houses of that day, when out in the remote pioneer districts. It was, of course, built of logs, unhewn, with the cracks filled up with stiff clay; the windows were small and high in the wall, and because of the price of glass were glazed with oiled paper; everything was primitive to the last degree, but who shall say that the rudiments of learning imparted in such institutions, under all kinds of obstacles, have not been of the greatest influence in mold- ing our life as a nation, and in kindling a spark of ambition for higher attainments that has led many a bright, barefoot boy to rise from one position to another, till his name becomes fa- mous, and his works have been given a place among the best works of the age. The American school-house should occupy a tender spot in every loyal American's heart. When the school
554
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
had done as much for him as it was able, he be- came a young farmer, but was also interested ex- tensively in the buying and selling of horses, cattle, sheep, etc., and at one period was success- fully engaged in the mercantile business. His was a well-rounded, vigorous character, and his energies intelligently directed in whatever direc- tion always brought him wealth and a farther rise in his station ; money once acquired became the nucleus of a larger amount, and kept on in- creasing indefinitely. He has spent all of his life in Washington township, where he is looked upon with respect as a leading citizen. He mar- ried Rebecca Ramsey, daughter of James and Sarah Ramsey, who were both natives of West- moreland Co., Pa., and of this union there re- sulted four children: James, who died in 1844, aged seventeen years; Sarah A., deceased at seventeen years of age; Maria, who married Thomas Martin of Washington township, and has a family of three children, Agnes, Eliza- beth, and Margaret; and Elizabeth, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Jordan died in 1851, aged forty-two years. Michael Jordan died in 1888, aged eighty-six years.
Mrs. Bear has been married twice. Her first marriage was in 1850 to Alexander McDowell, a native of Neshannock township (now Hickory), and by this union she became the mother of three children: Rebecca and Rachel, both of whom died in infancy; and Hannah M., who became the wife of Eliphaz B. Wilson, a native of Hick- ory township, and has five children, Lillie, de- ceased, Bertha (Mrs. E. Snodgrass) of Allegheny Pa., who has one child, Robert, Alexander Mc, who is studying for the ministry, Elizabeth, and Paul. Mr. McDowell, who was born in 1827,
departed his life in 1873, and his widow there- upon, in 1877, married the Rev. Richard M. Bear, a Methodist clergyman, who was then lo- cated at Mt. Jackson, Pa., and who for many years was a member of the Erie Conference. After his marriage with our subject he filled pas- toral positions in Jamestown, Pa., Middlesex, Pa., Fredonia, Pa., and Volant, this county. Mrs. Bear's grandmother, Sarah Taylor, was the first white woman who crossed the Slippery Rock River; she was a distant relative of Zachary Taylor.
LEWIS BANKS, a well-to-do and much re- spected farmer of Hickory township, was born on the farm, where he now lives, Nov. 21, 1852, and is a son of James L. and Sarah A. (McDow- ell) Banks, and grandson of James Banks, who was born in Juniata County, and came to Law- rence County in 1817, settling in Neshannock Falls in Wilmington township, where he pur- chased a farm that was still covered with its na- tive growth of timber. He followed farming all of his life, and proved himself to be of eminent service to the community of which he was a resi- dent. He married Mary Law of Juniata Co., Pa., and to them were born six children: Elizabeth; James L .; Rebecca A .; Margaret; and Andrew and Mary J., twins. They were Presbyterians, and followed the rules of life as laid down by that religious society.
James L. Banks was also a farmer by occupa- tion, and kept up an uninterrupted work on his farm until the outbreak of the war. He then en-
COL, ROBERT B. McCOMB.
557
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
listed in the service of the government with the three months' men in the 100th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., or, as it was popularly called, the "Round Head Regiment"; the company in which he was placed was under the command of Capt. Leasure. He was not permitted to see home or its loved ones again, for his death took place in Beaufort, S. C., in 1862, when he was forty-five years of age, his birth having been in 1817. In 1841, his mar- riage with Sarah A. McDowell, a daughter of Samuel McDowell of Westmoreland County, but latterly a resident of Hickory township, this county, took place, and this union resulted in the birth of five children: Josephine, who married James Quest of New Castle, Pa., and has a large and flourishing family of nine children-James, Edwin, Addie, Wallace, Mack, William, Lizzie, Mont, and Sadie; Samuel A .; Lewis, the subject of this brief personal history; Eva, who married Joseph Pyle of Neshannock township, and had four children-LeRoy E., James McDowell, Sarah E., and Gertrude Josephine; Edmond, who married Miss Rosa Bentley of New York State, and has one child, Thurman-his second wife was Miss Mollie Fletcher of Thurman, Iowa, where they now reside. In their religious views, they favored the United Presbyterian Church.
Lewis Banks finished his schooling satisfac- torily in the district schools of his native town, and when still a very young man took up farm- ing on the old home farm, where he has remained ever since, and where he takes care of his aged mother.
In 1880, he was joined in matrimony with . Jemima McKee, daughter of Thomas McKee of Neshannock township, and this union has result-
ed in the birth of three children: Stewart, who lives at home; Gertrude, deceased; and Bertha Adelle. In politics he is a stanch Republican, but the alluring promise of political advancement has never tempted him to enter the field of ac- tive partisanship. He is a good citizen and valued member of society and reflects honor on his excellent and worthy ancestry. In the mat- ter of religious attachments, he is a member of the United Presbyterian. Church of East Brook, Pennsylvania.
COL. ROBERT B. McCOMB, a prominent politician and lawyer of New Castle, too well- known to the residents of Lawrence Co., Pa., to need any introduction, was born Aug. 15, 1820, in Mercer Co., Pa. He is a son of Malcolm McComb, and a grandson of Robert. McComb, who was born near Wilmington, Del. After his son Malcolm moved to Mercer County, he came also in 1808, and remained until his death at the age of seventy-seven years. He married Jane Stevenson, and they reared seven children.
Malcolm McComb, the second son, was born in 1792, and in 1806 came to Mercer County and cleared a farm in Lackawanna township, where he died in 1849. He married Jane Sum- merville, who died at the age of seventy years. Six children were born to them, of whom our subject was the second son.
At the age of seventeen years he began to learn the trade of a cabinet-maker, and in 1839 went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained until 1843, when he returned to New Castle. In 1851, he undertook the study of law under the
558
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
direction of D. B. Kurtz, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. During the same year he was elected to the lower branch of the Legislature. In 1855 he was re-elected, and at the organiza- tion of the House was made chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. His posi- tion on this committee caused him to examine into the revenue system of the State, and the inequality of our mode of taxation; he then first conceived the idea of abolishing the tax upon real estate for State purposes, and proposed to make up the deficiency in the revenue by levy- ing a tax upon the gross receipts of railroad companies, reasoning that real estate had to bear the burden of local taxation, which was enough on that class of property. The tax on real es- tate was ultimately abolished. During this ses- sion he also drafted the Sunday Liquor Law. In 1856 he was again re-elected. He is a Republi- can, and holds that our prosperity depends upon the protection of American industries, and a purely national currency, adequate to the pro- ductive power of the people.
In 1862 our subject served as colonel of the 14th Reg. Pa. Vol. Militia Inf., and in 1863 was at the head of the 55th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf. Col. McComb married Anna L. (Guerard) McGuffin of Savannah, Georgia, and has one child, Har- riet G., who became the wife of Lewis B. Ham- ilton of Waterbury, Conn. Mrs. McComb was, before her marriage to Col. McComb, the wife of the late John A. McGuffin, and by this union there was one child, Johanna, who married W. N. Rodgers of Savannah, Georgia. Col. Mc- Comb's portrait is shown on a preceding page, and is an excellent likeness of a gentleman who is prominent, popular and successful in life.
JOHN W. WADDINGTON. The business of general merchandising in a community like East Brook, Hickory township, this county, is always of considerable importance. The man who has the faculty to carry this on successfully becomes an important factor in its general pros- perity, and, indeed, to a considerable extent, de- termines its, standing, for by his good judgment he may lead his patrons and the people of the community at large to desire the best goods and refuse to accept anything but what is superior in its line. Mr. Waddington has been such a merchant, and has dealt in all the articles re- quired by the household from provisions to clothing and embracing all intermediate articles.
Our subject is a son of John and Sarah J. (Fisher) Waddington, and grandson of Benja- min and Nancy (Burnley) Waddington. Benja- min Waddington was born in 1798 in Leeds or Eccleswell, Eng., and came to this country with the desire to better his condition in life in 1832, settling in Beaver County at first, later moving to what is now Hickory township, where he pur- chased a farm, and engaged in agricultural pur- suits a short time. His trade was that of a wool- spinner, and so we next find him interested in the manufacture of woolen goods at East Brook, Hickory township. He lived in the latter place until 1872, when on account of his wife's death, he moved to Fort Wayne, to live with his son William, where he died in 1875, aged seventy- seven years. He was a very active, progressive man, and was considered a very prosperous citi- zen. His wife, who was like him a native of England, bore him these children: John; Wilke's, who married as his first wife a Miss Simington of Wilmington township, as his second wife
559
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Nancy Galloway of Beaver County, who bore him three children, Joseph, George, deceased, and one that died in infancy, and as his third wife Catherine Lint by whom he had William, Benjamin, Frank, and C. Andrew; Sarah, who became the wife of Alexander Carpenter of East Brook; Benjamin, who married Abigail Mc- Donald of Brighton township, Beaver Co., Pa., and had six children-Laura, deceased, Joseph, Horace, Cora and Nellie, twins, and Lawrence, deceased; William, deceased, who married Rose A. Andrews of Pittsburg, Pa., and had three chil- dren-Jane, Walter, and Benjamin; Thomas, whose first wife was Bell Book of Scott town- ship, this county, by whom he had three chil- dren, Charles W., Seth, and Emma, and whose second wife was Anna Emery of Scott township, who bore him Sylvester, Thomas and William; Louisa, who married John Lankard and had two children, Ella and Mary, and then at her husband's death married William Bright of Ft. Wayne, Ind., and had three more children, Ben- jamin, Fannie, and Flora; Emeline, who married John Chriswell of East Brook, and had one child, Emma (O'Neil); J. Seth, who married Jennie Howard of Allegheny, Pa., and has five children, Emma, Lennie, Fannie, Howard, and Cora.
John Waddington, the eldest son of Benjamin, was born in England, in 1819, and came with his father from the old country in 1832, and settled in Beaver County and in a short time came to East Brook, which was then in Neshannock township, Hickory township not having been set off at that time; he was one of the pioneers of the village, there being only two houses then to mark what has become a thriving business center. He learned the cabinet-maker's trade in
Beaver County, and followed the same until 1854, when he moved his family to East Brook and he himself went to Crestline, Ohio, where he served as baggage-master a few months, re- turning at the conclusion of his service to East Brook; he engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1884, when he retired from active business life, devoting his time to the duties of his offi- cial position as postmaster of East Brook, till the date of his death. He was one of the first postmasters, his father-in-law, John Fisher, being the first. His activity far exceeded that of the ordinary man, and his energetic nature did not seem to be content unless important meas- ures were being rushed to completion. In poli- tics, he was a Whig, and then a Democrat, and served in various township offices, such as school director, auditor, etc. On June 13, 1844, he was joined in matrimony with Sarah J. Fisher, daughter of John Fisher of East Brook, Pa .; she was born Oct. I, 1825. Nine children, as fol- lows, were the fruit of this union: Isophene, who married Hezekiah McCreary of East Brook, and has three children-Frank L., Lennie, and John T .; Charles L., who married Augusta Bau- man, and has two children-William and Anna L .; Ollie, deceased; John W., our subject; Sarah J., who married Benjamin C. Rhodes of East Brook, and has two children, John W. and Cora; Anna M .; Emma, who became the wife of El- mer Shafer of New Wilmington, and has one child, Harry; two died in infancy, named Nancy and Laura.
John W. Waddington was born March 12, 1857, received his elementary education in the common schools of East Brook, and finished with a college education at Beaver College, and
560
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
also at New Castle, Pa. As soon as his school days were fairly over, he engaged in the mer- cantile business with his father in 1879, and con- tinued with him until 1881, when he purchased the latter's business and in company with his brother-in-law, B. C. Rhodes, ran the store one year on a partnership basis, when Mr. Rhodes purchased the stock of goods and good-will of the business of our subject and carried on the business alone one year, during which time Mr. Waddington was engaged in dealing in stock of all kinds. In 1884, he bought the store of Mr. Rhodes and carried on the business himself for two years, selling out at the expiration of that period to T. W. Chambers. Mr. Waddington then moved to New Castle, and accepted an im- portant position in the new rod mill as foreman, and continued to serve in that capacity for two years and a half. He then in company with his aforetime partner, B. C. Rhodes, purchased the stock of grocers Kay & Wilkinson of New Cas- tle, and conducted a stand in the city until our subject disposed of his interest, returned to East Brook, and has been located there ever since. He is evidently on the high road to prosperity, is a fair and square business man, and, though still young in years, has made his mark in the com- munity of which he is a resident and honored citizen. He has a large and increasing trade, and is esteemed throughout the county for his strict business principles and upright character.
His marriage with Amanda Jordan, daughter of George Jordan of Washington township, was celebrated March 12, 1879, and this happy union has resulted in the birth of six children: Will- iam; Frank; Ollie, deceased; Lennie, deceased; Gertrude; and John. Since arriving at his ma-
jority he has always supported the Republican party, and now occupies a prominent place in the local councils of that party ; he is now a member of the Republican County Committee from Hickory township. He has been auditor for three years, and is at the present time a school director; he has also been postmaster under Cleveland's administration, but resigned, his place being filled by Mr. Chambers. Socially, he is a Mason, and belongs to Mahoning Lodge, No. 243 of New Castle. He is also a member of the. Protected Home Circle, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and Ancient Order of United Workmen. In his religious attach- ments, he is a member of the M. E. Church.
MRS. FLORENCE L. PHILLIP, the widow of the late Ephraim Phillip, is a woman whose influence for all that is good has been long felt and recognized in and about North Beaver township. For many years she and her devoted husband lived in harmony, rearing a well-trained family, and doing good to all who came within the range of their Christian influence.
Mrs. Florence L. (Gilmore) Phillip was a daughter of highly-respected parents, Joseph and Sarah (Pitts) Gilmore. She married the late Ephraim Phillip, nobly assuming the care of sev- eral children born to him by his first wife, who died at an early age. Ephraim Phillip was the son of Ephraim and Anna (Newton) Phillip. Ephraim Phillip, Sr., was a native of the State of New Jersey, as was his wife; after their mar- riage they journeyed to Lawrence County and
561
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
purchased a place near Enon Valley. The coun- try was then new, and a log-house was their first abiding-place; this rude building continued to be their home until Mr. Phillip began to manu- facture brick from a fine bed of clay he found on his estate, and thus was provided with the material for a new house. A brick structure was accordingly erected, and is standing to-day, a tribute to his excellent, painstaking work. Being located on the State Road he saw a chance to make money in the tavern business, which he followed for some time. He also built a saw- mill, and did a great amount of custom-work for the early settlers thereabouts. He died at the early age of forty-three years, having accom- plished very much in that comparatively brief period. His children were: Thomas, deceased; Catherine; Isaac N., deceased; Sarah; Ephraim, Jr .; John Taylor; Mary, deceased; Charles M .; and Thomas W. Ephraim Phillip, the younger, and the husband of the subject of this sketch, was born in Little Beaver township, Feb. 23, 1824, and died April 29, 1897. He was known from his youth up as a man possessed of the highest Christian attributes and virtues. Edu- cated at the Meadville Academy, he in early life preached the gospel and assisted in the erection of the Disciples Church at New Castle, Pa. Later in life he retired from active work in the ยท ministry, and purchased the beautiful home, now the home of his honored widow. Many improve- ments were added as time passed. His attention was given over chiefly to agricultural pursuits, and his devoted wife ably seconded him, what- ever the interests were that were at stake. On a part of his estate, he erected five cottages, and sold off lots from the portion which is now
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.