USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania > Part 62
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
ability to make the best of things. He was also a man who took a hearty interest in local poli- tics, and as a Whig partisan was elected squire, tax collector, and assessor at different periods. He married Hannah Grigsby, like himself a na- tive of Susquehanna, Pa., and the following named children were born to them: Elisha; Jon- athan; George; Betsey; and Rachel. Their re- ligious belief made them devout members of the M. E. Church. Thomas Green died in 1841, hav- ing attained the very extraordinary age of ninety-six years; his wife was called to her long home in the year previous, aged eighty-five years.
George Green, the father of Alexander, was educated in the schools of Bedford, Pa., and when a young man turned his attention to agri- cultural pursuits, remaining in the locality of his boyhood until 1825, when he moved to Ohio, where he purchased a farming tract of three hundred acres, then in its natural, wild state, which he placed in excellent condition, securing for himself by his labors intelligently directed a leading position among the agriculturists of his township. He was a very active man, with a well-trained mind that aided him to no small degree in his work. In politics he was a Whig, and filled several of the elective township offices, which shows in part in how great estimation he was held by his associates. He married Mary Mc- Kinney, daughter of Alexander McKinney, and their union was blessed with seven children, viz .: Amanda, who married William Y. Greer of Nes- hannock township, and bore him three children, George, Charles, and Nettie, deceased; Andrew, who married Caroline Dimmick of the State of Connecticut; Thomas J., who married Hannah
Metzgar of Philadelphia, by whom he had two sons, Charles and John; George; Franklin, who married Jane Babcock of Montville township, Ohio, they had two children, James and Nettie; one that died in infancy; and Alexander, the subject of this notice. They were Methodists in their religious convictions. Our subject's father died Aug. 1, 1880, aged eighty-seven years, and his mother in October, 1867, aged sixty-three years.
Alexander Green, after completing his educa- tion in the district schools of his native township, remained on the home farm until his twenty-first year, when he came to Pulaski township. In 1851 he purchased 132 acres of land, on which he lived and farmed until the spring of 1853, when he moved back to Ohio, where he made his residence until the spring of 1857, when he came to Neshannock township and bought the farm he now owns, and on which he has since remained, engrossed in agricultural operations, in which he has proved himself to be a success- ful manager.
He was joined in holy matrimony with Re- becca J. Hunt, daughter of William and Lue (Newkirk) Hunt of Beaver Co., Pa., and their home has been blessed with the following chil- dren: Mary E., born Jan. 28, 1853, married Isaac S. Thomas of Pittsburg, and has one child, E. Clara; William E., deceased; George Mc, born Sept. 9, 1857, married Annie Bowman of Bedford Co., Pa., and has two children, Freddie Mc and Jasper N .; Luella, born Nov. 26, 1859, married Peter Snyder of Edinburg, Pa., and five children were born to them, Fay, Eva, William, Edith, and Carrie, deceased; Eudora H., born April 28, 1862, but now deceased, married
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Charles Ferver of Pulaski township, and five journeyman until 1865, serving five months in children resulted, Percy, George, W. Verne and William E., Beatrice; Carrie E., born March 26, 1865, married Samuel M. Cover of New Castle, Pa .; Delmer V., born March 7, 1868, married Bertha Schaffer of Mercer, Pa .; and Harry T., who was born Nov. 23, 1873, and married Mary Sweasy of Middlesex township, Pa. Mrs. Green is a member in good standing of the M. E. Church of Neshannock township, Pa.
JOHN H. PRESTON,* the general manager of the New Castle Seamless Steel Tube Co., was born in Mercer Co., Pa., and has been a resi- dent of New Castle since 1867. He is a son of Marcus and Dorothy (Yealy) Preston, and grandson of Bencunias Preston, who was a noted surveyor of his day, and ran the lines in Chau- tauqua County, and in various localities of West- ern New York. He was also engaged in agri- cultural pursuits to no small extent and profit, and owned large tracts of land. His son Marcus was born in the western part of New York, and early in life settled at Sharon, Mercer County, on the so-called Donation Tract. He devoted his energies to the lumber business, but died at the age of thirty-five. His wife, Dorothy, died Oct. 31, 1896, aged eighty-five years. Six chil- dren were born to them, of whom four are liv- ing; the record reads: Sylvester H .; Rebecca M., deceased; Mary A., deceased; George L .; James H .; and John H., the subject of this sketch.
John H. Preston, after serving a full appren- ticeship at the carpenter's trade, worked as a
the meantime in Capt. George Summer's Inde- pendent Militia Company. From 1874 to 1882 he carried on contracting in New Castle and elsewhere, and then entered into the lumber business, running a planing mill and keeping in stock a large and com- plete line of builders' supplies at New Castle. In 1891 our subject sold the lumber business to the New Castle Lumber Co., now known as the Gailey Lumber Co. Then, as his general health was not of the best, he decided to retire and enjoy the remaining years of his life in the home he had built for himself at 102 Court Street. Some of the best of his work as a build- er may be seen in the City Building and in the County Jail at New Castle. But his retirement was brought to a close July 2, 1894, and he again entered the walks of active business life, for he had become a heavy stockholder in the New Cas- tle Steel Tube Co., which was then being organ- ized, and, with others likewise interested in the venture, established and built the New Castle Tube Factory, providing as a site a part of the old Fair Grounds, which was purchased for that purpose. The main building, 737 feet long by II feet wide, and the roller mill, 80 by 180, were opened for active operations in January, 1895, and the factory started in to work with four forges, two heating furnaces, two trains of roll- ers, and two 150-pound hammers. The product of the factory, which is known to bicycle manu- facturers as the New Castle High Grade Seam- less Steel Tubing for Bicycles, has a demand in the United States and in England. Employment is given to about 260 men in getting out the an- nual product of 12,000,000 feet, or 4,000 tons.
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The company is officered as follows: John Stev- enson, Jr., president; John H. Preston, gen- eral manager; and D. C. Wallace, secretary and treasurer. Our subject also, in company with E. T. Kurtz, L. D. Long, and James H. Preston, bought the remainder of the Fair Grounds, formerly a part of the Long estate, and besides selling many building lots, they have laid out streets and walks and built twenty-two houses, which they let principally to employees of the Tube Co.
Mr. Preston is a stanch Republican, a mem- ber of the G. A. R. Post, and a prominent mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity. His first wife, Mary M., daughter of Robert and Dora Welsh of New Castle, died at the age of thirty-two, leaving three children: Minnie and Lulu, now deceased; and Harry, who at the age of twenty- one is billing clerk for the New Castle Tube Co. Mr. Preston married as his second wife Susie S. Welsh, a sister of Mary M., and has had six children by this union: George; John; Charles; Marcus; Martha; and Roy.
HON. JOHN SHEAFFER,* associate judge of New Castle, possesses an excellent record, rarely bettered in all its particulars, as a patri- otic, law-abiding, and loyal citizen, as a gallant and courageous soldier on the field of battle in defense of his country, and as a judge on the bench. He was born in Wilkins township, Al- legheny Co., Pa., Dec. 10, 1838, and is a son of John and Lucy Ann (McIntyre) Sheaffer, and grandson of John Sheaffer.
Our subject's grandfather was an early resi- dent of Cumberland Co., Pa., and sheriff of Car- lisle, Pa., where in early life he was engaged in the mercantile business, also doing considerable teaming. He served in the War of 1812, and lived to be upwards of eighty years of age, as did his wife also. The children born to them were: Mrs. Kimball; Rodolf; John; and Jacob.
Late in life John Sheaffer, our subject's father, moved to Wilkins, Allegheny Co., Pa., and be- gan dealing in lime. Subsequently he bought a farm and hotel on the Pittsburg and Greenburg turnpike, the hotel known as the Sheaffer House, where he lived until the Angel of Death sum- moned him to is long home, May 25, 1894. His birth took place in 1805, so that he nearly com- pleted ninety years. His wife, who was born in the same year as he, is living with her daughter, Mrs. Dowd, in Penn township. She often tells of the lrardships and trials of the early days, when she was a child, during the troubles on the border with the Indians; on one occasion she was taken in her mother's arms to the block- house near Freeport, where, with other fugitives, they were obliged to remain until the blood- thirsty redskins had retired from the war-path, and were ready to smoke the pipe of peace with their white brothers. At this writing she is en- joying her second eye-sight, can hear well, and is able to help about the house by performing many necessary though light duties. She has always been a great worker in religious circles, and is now a faithful member of the Presbyter- ian Church; her knowledge of the Scripture is nothing short of wonderful, and it is not going beyond the bounds of veracity to affirm that there is no portion of the Good Book with
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
which she is not familiar. She has reared the following eleven children: Caroline, who mar- ried J. Knox; Margaret is deceased; William is a resident of Pittsburg; Mary married S. Dhlem; John is the subject of this brief article; Harry is deceased; as is Elizabeth, Jerry, and James E .; Lenora married J. Collins; Harriet is de- ceased. Our subject's father was a Whig and later a Republican, and as an active politician held many of the town offices. He was a leading member of the Presbyterian Church.
John Sheaffer assisted his father in the farm work and in the duties attendant upon - keeping a public house, and then entered the railroad service as a fireman. In 1861, responding with alacrity and good-will to the call for troops to put down the rebellion, he enlisted in Co. A, IOIst Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., and went to the front under Gen. McClellan and took part in the fight- ing at the siege of Yorktown. From there he went with his regiment to Williamsburg, and fought thereafter in the battles of Button Bridge, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, and in the Seven Days fighting before Richmond; he served also with credit to himself in the battles of Kingston, White Hall, Goldsboro, and Ply- mouth. He had enlisted for three years, and at the expiration of his term of service he re- enrolled his name and served from then to the close of the war, never losing a day. His courage and indomitable will is known to his fellow-citizens of New Castle to-day; this fortitude was exhibited in large measure in the army-he was al- ways to the front and eager for volunteer and adventurous service; he escaped bodily injury from missiles, seeming to bear a charmed life on
the field of carnage, for his clothes were pierced time and time again with minie bullets. At the battle of Fort Comfort he, with his entire regi- ment, was captured May 3, 1864, and the entire command was marched to Andersonville Prison, where Mr. Sheaffer suffered from being de- prived of sufficient food and water, and what he did receive was hardly good enough to throw to swine. Daily he saw those who were of weak- er constitutions than himself waste away and die a miserable death, and when but a few of the regiment were left they were transferred, in Sep- tember, to Florence, where a new prison had been fitted up to relieve the congested condi- tion of Andersonville. There he was appointed hospital sergeant, and making use of the liberty allowed him, he with six others, on Oct. 2, 1864, managed to make his escape, swimming and fording rivers, to avoid the traveled highways. They were again taken prisoners at Conway- boro, after a hard tramp of forty miles, full of privation and exposure, but they soon made their escape, and were again taken prisoners at Clinton on Nov. II, 1864; however, they only delayed long enough with their captors to snatch a brief rest, and then secured their liberty once more. On Nov. II, 1864, Mr. Sheaffer reached Newburn, where he applied for a veteran's fur- lough, which he had not received since joining the army; upon receiving it he came home and was taken sick there, but when he regained his health he returned to the army in April, 1865, and was discharged in June, 1865, at the close of the war. He then came to Lawrence County, and for nine years was a clerk in the Knox Hotel at New Castle, and to-day owns the old homestead. He is now retired, although
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active in all interests pertaining to the improve- ment and progress of the county. He was elect- ed associate judge in 1892, and has held the of- fice since. He is a member of the local G. A. R. Post.
Mr. Sheaffer married Miss Harriet Robert, daughter of Samuel Robert of Shenango town- ship, and has eight children by this union, all of whom are living, and their names and occu- pations are as follows: Charles A., a clerk; John T., a tailor; William H., a merchant tailor; Ed- win R., a merchant tailor; Walter B., a glass- maker; Jay R., a tailor; James A., and Oscar, who live at home with their parents.
MAJOR HENRY DRESCHER,* wagon manufacturer and repairer of New Castle, was born in Saxony, Germany, April 23, 1836, and is a son of Andrew and Rachel (Senkel) Drescher, and grandson of Joseph Drescher. Our subject's grandfather never came to Amer- ica, but his son, Andrew, who was born in Sax- ony, came to the United States when Henry, our subject, was a baby. Andrew Drescher was a carpenter and settled in Butler County, and followed his trade, buying a home in Saxony- burg and owning a small farm. At the age of fifty-five he fell from a load of hay and sus- tained fatal injuries, which soon brought on death. His wife lived to enjoy eighty-two years; she obtained her second eyesight and could see so as to read and hear very well, and on her 80th birthday, when her son, the subject of this sketch, gave her a birthday reception, she
waltzed as lightly as in her youthful days. She was the mother of six children, namely: Chris- tina; Hannah; Maj. Henry; William F .; Pauline; and a son, who died when an infant.
When a young man our subject looked about him for a suitable trade to engage in and become familiar with, and deciding on the wagon-mak- er's trade, he worked at that occupation fourteen years in Butler County before coming to New Castle in 1881. When he moved to this county he opened up in business directly for the manu- facture of heavy wagons and all kinds of wagon repairing; each year he turned out a large num- ber of orders, that were executed in a first-class manner, and were in every way substantial and serviceable, and many of his wagons, made dur- ing his first year's residence in New Castle, are being used at this date, and bid fair to last much longer, and give their owners all the service that could possibly be expected. He now devotes his time and labors principally to repairing. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. E, 169th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., for a nine months' term of service, and upon its expiration he re-enlisted in Co. E, 78th Reg. Pa. Vol. Inf., and was mustered out of the ser- vice at the close of the war as drum major. He is a natural musician, and in his younger days was associated with the band. Upon deciding to remain in New Castle he bought himself a home on Lawrence Street, where he has lived since. He has been a member of the Knights of Pythias order for twenty-six years, and has been through the chairs three times; for twenty years he has officiated as secretary and keeper of the records.
In March, 1858, Maj. Drescher was joined in the holy bond of matrimony with Miss Mary E.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Eriser, daughter of Frederick Eriser, and three children have come into the home to cheer and brighten it, namely: Annie, who died in youth; William, who married Mary D. Quimbley, is a wagon-maker by trade, and has two children, Edna and Bruce; Joseph, the youngest of our subject's children, did not live to grow up, but was taken back to Him who gave him.
ALEXANDER JORDAN,* a representative and enterprising farmer of Washington town- ship, belongs to a family that has had more to do with the upbuilding of the portion of Lawrence County in which its founder settled than any other. The pioneer Jordan, Henry by name, the great-grandfather of the subject of this nar- rative, was one of the men who at a very early date made a home in the wilderness of Western Pennsylvania, forced to be content with the wandering Indians and the wild beasts of the woods for companions. Henry Jordan, the el- der, came from Germany, when a young man, about 1762; he served through the Revolution- ary War, and at its close sought a place where he could obtain a home cheaply and grow up with the country. His instincts led him to ag- ricultural lines, and in search of a suitable home he took his family and struck out over the mountains, bound for a district which he had heard was beautiful and fertile, and which was as yet virgin land to the settler. He arrived in Washington township and soon found a loca- tion to his liking, where he took up a vast tract of timber-covered land. Here he started in to
build a home for himself and for those who should come later. His estate was cleared mainly by his own strong arm and a house was erected which was, for those days, considered spacious and elegant. His wife, Elizabeth, bore him a family of ten children, who were named as follows: Elizabeth; Margaret; John; Henry; Ann; Mary; George and Daniel, twins; Mercy; and Michael.
Of the foregoing family Henry was the grand- father of our subject. He was born east of the mountains and lived in Baltimore, Md., for a pe- riod when a young man; he followed his father to his new home, and was assisted in buying a large farm of 200 acres near the home place. This farm of his, which was almost entirely new land, remained his home for the remainder of his life; he had the full arduous experience of the pioneer farmer in reclaiming the soil from the forests. He built a house, which is now standing as a monument of how well he did his work. To him and his beloved wife a family of eight children came, namely: Alexander, our subject's father; Elizabeth; Margaret; Henry; the place is especially well adapted. Mr. Jor- dan was a Miss Anna Anderson, a daughter of Alexander Anderson, a native of Ireland. Henry Jordan brought his family up in the faith of the Presbyterian Church, and from him his sons in- herited the soundest kind of Democratic doc- trine. He lived to see his ninety-third year.
Alexander Jordan, Sr., was born and grew to manhood in Washington township. Agricultu- ral pursuits claimed his time and attention. He was early impressed with the resources of his na- . tive section, and labored hard and faithfully to develop them. He brought his farm into en-
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
tire subjection, improved it with new buildings and a splendid system of underdraining, and was a very successful and progressive breeder of stock. He died at the age of sixty-nine, leav- ing his second wife, who was a Miss Julia Coop- er, and two children by the second marriage --- Nancy J. and John A. His first wife's maiden name was Margaret McComb, and she bore him five children: Alexander; Henry; Elizabeth; Re- becca; and Sarah Ann. In their church ideas they held to the traditions of the family, and kept up a close connection with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Jordan was affiliated with the Democratic party, and was fearless and unre- served in expressing his opinions and ideas.
Alexander Jordan, our subject, began his life Aug. 15, 1855. While still a lad he learned the business ways and the agricultural methods that have made the family name well-known through Lawrence County, and have contributed so much to our subject's own prosperity. He in- herited his farm from his father, and it could not have fallen into better or worthier hands. He has followed the same line of farming as did his father before him, a style of farming to which the place is especially well adapted. Mr. Jor- dan's wife is Agnes (Pasley) Jordan, who was born of a prominent family in Lancaster, Pa. They are both attendants of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr Jordan is a young man for one who has accomplished so much. He finds time for all things, and keeps well-posted on the events of the present day, and the progress and material development of this end of the nineteenth cen- tury. He has all the native shrewdness and sound judgment that one expects to find in a
Jordan, and is on all sides cordially liked and highly esteemed. As to his politics, Mr. Jor- dan is naturally a Democrat, dyed-in-the-wool, as it were, but beyond his giving his allegiance to that party from custom, he has good and suf- ficient reasons for his choice. He has accept- ably filled several offices, among which might be named those of assessor and school director. In all matters, whether great or small, he is a typical American citizen, and an upright, straightforward man, whom it is a real pleasure to meet.
DR. LEANDER F. CAIN,* the able editor and proprietor of the Ellwood Motor, an eight- page, six-column weekly paper of Ellwood City, and one of the most popular of the excellent body of citizens, who have made that thriving little city what it is to-day, was born in Caldwell, Marion Co., Ohio, July 21, 1856. Versatility and readiness to adapt himself to the most try- ing situations seem to be leading characteristics in the make-up of our subject. In him may be found the representative of three leading profes- sions-law, medicine and journalism-in each of which he has achieved a reputation for thor- ough, earnest and reliable work. As a journal- ist his history since coming to Ellwood City in 1895 is inseparably linked with the city of his choice.
His father, James Cain, was a school-teacher in Marion County for forty years, and then en- gaged in mercantile life for ten years in Enoch, Ohio, after which he bought a farm and spent
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, LAWRENCE COUNTY.
the remainder of his years near to Nature's heart, dying at the age of seventy-four.
The subject of this writing attended the com- mon schools until he was prepared for college, and finished his collegiate course in 1879. He taught school for a while, but did not inherit his father's taste for instructing the young, so he entered the law office of Semtis & Grubbs in Indiana, where he studied law until his admit- tance to the bar in 1881. He practiced in his profession, and met with some difficult cases, which he handled with credit to himself, but more and more he felt impelled to study medi- cine, so he became a student in the Medical Col- lege at Louisville, Kentucky, from which insti- tution he was graduated as a physician and sur- geon in 1885. For six years previous to his coming to Ellwood City, he was practicing law in Hutchinson, Kansas; upon becoming a citizen of Wayne township's metropolis, he purchased the Motor, a weekly paper, that was established in 1893 by A. L. Weighe, who was succeeded as editor and proprietor by John Mellon, the immediate predecessor of Dr. Cain. The pres- ent proprietor has made it his aim to give the people of the vicinity and of neighboring coun- ties a readable, newsy sheet, which will outline ter. the daily occurrences of the preceding week, furnish local items of interest, and provide bright, clean literature for the home and fireside. The circulation of the paper has shown the ef- fect that his stimulus had upon it by mounting in two years from 475 to 1,000 copies; the size of the paper has been enlarged to meet the de- mands from a five-column sheet to a six-column paper. The Motor advocates the best of Repub- lican doctrines, and is conducted in a spirited
manner, as Dr. Cain had considerable experience in political life, and needs no instruction how to wield his lance, or where to direct the attack. He is a fluent, ready speaker, a gift that was per- fected by his experience at the bar, and stumped Western Pennsylvania and Ohio in the exciting campaign of 1896, proving of great assistance to the party.
Dr. Cain has an extensive membership in fra- ternal brotherhoods. He belongs to the Legion of Honor, Protected Home Circle, and the Ju- nior Order of United American Mechanics. In Indiana he became a Mason. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the Knights of Pythias, in each of which orders he is a Past Grand. Dr. Cain was united in the holy bonds of mat- rimony with Quintella J. Wiley, daughter of Samuel Wiley of Sharon, Ohio, and Dr. and Mrs. Cain are the proud and happy parents of five children. Carl D. is his father's assistant in the Motor office; Wiley M. lived for the brief space of nineteen months to gladden the home; James C. is a clerk in the office of the Hartman Manufacturing Co. of Ellwood City; Wilbur G. passed away at the age of nine months; and Jo- sephine B., who is cherished as the only daugh-
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