USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 4
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 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
Archibald Dickson. Jr .. the grandfather of our subject, was born in Kelso. Roxburyshire. Scotland. and from his father he learned the trade of a shoemaker and conducted a shoe store all his life. He was joined in marriage to Elizabeth Waite. also a native of Kelso, and to their union the following children were born: James, the father of our subject: Mar- garet: Robert: Jessie; John: and three who died in infancy. Mr. Dickson died at the age of fifty years.
James Dickson, the father of our subject. received his intellectual training in the Nor- mal School at Glasgow. Scotland, and in 1843
went to the West Indies, where he was en- gaged in missionary work for ten years. In 1853 Mr. Dickson immigrated to the United States, and located in Philadelphia, and, hav- ing prepared himself for the ministry in the meantime, he was ordained to preach on Sep- tember 13. 1854, in the Fourth Presbyterian Church of that city. While in that city he served as secretary for Albert Burns for sev- eral months. Since that time he has preache 1 in the following churches : at Camden, N. J .. in 1854: Rausch Gap and Gold Mine, Pa., in 1854-55 : Birmingham, Pa .. in 1854: Mt. Pleas- ant. Pa .. in 1859: Northumberland. from 1860 to '67: Berwick. Pa., from 1868 to '79: McIntyre. Pa .. 1880: Penndale. S'ack's Run and Baden. from 1881 to '89: Dayas Mines, in 1890: and did missionary work to 1892. Thus he has spent thirty-eight years and1 six months in the pulpit. and his salary has been contin- ued at the same rate for the remainder of h's lifetime. He is now living in retirement in the town of Berwick. Columbia County. Mr. Dickson has been twice married. He was united to his first wife. Mary Carlisle, a daugh- ter of Warren Carlisle of Brownville, Pa .. June 9. 1844. and the following children were born to them: Elizabeth Agnes. born June 29. 1847; Mary Carlisle. born February 1. 1849. who is the wife of C. N. Farrer: Agnes D .. born July 8. 1850: Warrand C., born January 7. 1852: and James Irving. born January I. 1853. and died young. Rev. Mr. Dickson's wife died at the age of twenty-six years. and he subsequently married Jeanette Duval, a daughter of Michael and Eleanor (Hatfield) Duval, both natives of Normandy. France. Michael Duval served under Napoleon the First: he came to the United States and lo- cated in Dauphin County. Pa .. where he spent the rest of his life, passing away at the age of sixty-six years. His wife died aged seventy
40
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
years. They were the parents of three chil- dren, namely: William E .; Jeanette; and Enoch S. Mr. and Mrs. Dickson reared the following children: William Sterling, born August 18, 1858, is paymaster at The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company and mar- ried Lillie Baucher, who bore him two chil- dren, Conway and David. William S. formed a second marriage with Martha Helenrich. Alexander Whilden, born December 12, 1859, is a commercial traveler, and married Sally Freece, now deceased, and five children blessed their union, namely : Edna J .: James H .; Freece; Pauline; and Alexander W. Con- way, born December 20, 1862, is a preacher in the Methodist Church at Marysville, Pa. James, born October 7. 1865. wedded Annie B. Low, who bore him one child, Myron Low. Archibald, born March 19, 1867, is a sten- ographer and had charge of the Columbia Business College for five years.
Duval Dickson, the subject of this personal history, began business life as a foreman in the lumber yards of The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company and remained in the company's employ for three years. In 1885 he began learning telegraphy and was soon appointed operator on the D., L. & W. R. R., and was given charge of the station at Ber- wick, a position he still holds to the satisfac- tion of the public, as well as to his superiors. He is also engaged in the wholesale and retail coal business, and is United States Express agent. He is popular and is held in high es- teem by his fellow-citizens, who know him to be an honest, straightforward business man. Our subject also owns a farm of eighty-five acres located at the foot of Berwick Heights, which is known as the old S. E. Smith prop- erty. He has made many improvements and spends many of his leisure hours working upon the farm.
Mr. Dickson was wedded to Amelia Long, a daughter of C. C. Long of Danville, Pa., and one child has blessed their home: Clark L .. born July 20, 1892. Our subject is a member of the Methodist Church; and is also a mem- ber of the Knights of Malta.
R EV. DANIEL THOMAS HUCK- ELL. deceased, who throughout his entire life resided on the old Huck- ell homestead near the town of Forksville. in Sullivan County, was a minister of the Gos- pel and held charges in Forksville and vicinity for many years. He was a true Christian in every respect and his life was an exemplary one. He lived for others and his many kind acts and charitable deeds will long be recalled by those who knew and loved him.
Rev. Mr. Huckell was born on the home farm in Forks township, Sullivan County, Pa., June 25. 1833, and was a son of John and El- len (Little) Huckell, and a grandson of Thom- as Huckell. The latter was a native of Eng- land, who came to America, where we first find him located in Northumberland County, Pa. He there became acquainted with Dr. Priestly, a land agent, and also a na- tive of England, and of him he purchased for one dollar per acre a tract of 300 acres of land in Forks township, Sullivan County. Prior to coming to this country his vocation was that of a merchant and he intended following that line of business here, bringing with him many things which he found to be utterly use- less in the wilderness in which he made his home. In that section there were no roads and only the Indian trails along the creeks afforded passage to civilization. He chose a tract of well covered timberland and also flat- land, on which he built his first house, a rude
41
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
affair of logs and in the rear of where the beautiful home now stands. Ably as- sisted by his wife and children, he cleared a good farm, and there they lived happily, al- though they had few neighbors within a radius of many miles. This hardy pioneer lived to reach the age of seventy years before passing into the realms of the unknown. He married Sarah Ann Lambert, a native of England, who died at the age of seventy-seven years, and their children were: Benjamin, who died in Eng'and: Sarah, the wife of G. Lyon; Wil- liam: Ann, the wife of J. Ball; Catherine, the wife of Thomas Raper: John; Mary, wife of J. Rogers; and Harriet, who married Wil- liam Bowen.
John Huckell, the father of our subject, was born in England and came to this country with his parents. He assisted his father on the farm and upon his father's death succeeded to the ownership thereof, residing upon it un- til his death. He was past seventy years of age when he died and his wife was near eighty. His wife's maiden name was Ellen Little, and four children blessed their union : Benjamin, who died young; Sarah Ann, the wife of J. L. Snyder; Daniel T., the subject of this biographical record; and Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Molyneux.
Daniel Thomas Huckell was reared on the family homestead and obtained a good edu- cation in the district schools, as he was a boy of more than ordinary diligence and always displayed great fondness for reading and study. He determined to enter the ministry and teach his fellowmen the word of God and1 thereby aid them in their various walks of life, and as a result of this resolve he directed his studies toward that end. His father, however, persuaded him to remain at home and assist him for a time and this he did, but in 1882 he entered upon his first charge and officiated in
the pulpit until his demise. His pastoral work was principally in Forksville and vicin- ity, and he worked faithfully in the interest of the church and for the cause of Christianity. He continued as proprietor of the homestead and sold fifty acres which were laid out in town lots, on which many fine buildings now stand. In 1885 he erected one of the hand- somest residences in Forks township and im- proved the grounds, setting out fine shrubs and trees, and doing what he could to add to the general appearance of the place. Rev. Mr. Huckell was fond of good horses and always drove spirited animals. At one time he was drawing wood with a fine span of blacks and upon unloading he stood at the front end of the wagon. The horses, taking fright at some- thing, started up, and he became tangled in the whiffle-tree and was thrown into the air. alighting on his back and side. Upon exami- nation it was found that three ribs had been broken and his death finally resu ted, Novem- ber 7, 1896. His death was greatly mourned. not only by his loving wife and children, but by a large circle of acquaintances throughout Sullivan County.
September 23, 1870. Rev. Mr. Huckell was united in marriage with Mrs. Catherine M. Fleming, nee Osler, and they had one child, Sarah Ann, a teacher and student of Lock- haven State Normal School. For more than thirty years he served in an official capacity as justice of the peace and was also a member of the State Board of Agricultural Commis- sioners.
Mrs. Huckell is a daughter of John H. and Jane (Myers) Osler, and was born in Sullivan County. John H. Osler was reared in Sul.i- van County, where his mother settled after forming a second union with a Mr. Bryan, her first husband having been killed in the War of 1812. After reaching manhood he engage 1
42
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
in the woolen manufacturing business for a period of thirty-five years in Elkland town- ship. There he died at the age of eighty-four years and his wife at the age of seventy-nine. Their children were as follows: Jeremiah of Elkland township; Sarah Jane, deceased; Catherine M., the widow of our subject; John S. of Elkland township; Clay M. of Forks township; Lydia; David W. of Lycoming County; Henry W., who died young; and Edwin R. of Galestown, Md. Catherine M. Osler formed a matrimonial alliance with Dan- iel Fleming, who was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Elkland township. In the Civil War he enlisted in Co. D of the heavy artil- lery, and was wounded in the battle of the Wilderness, June 17, 1864, and his death re- sulted on June 20th, three days later. This union resulted in the birth of one son, John R. Fleming, a prosperous woolen manufac- turer of Forksville, a record of whose life ap- pears elsewhere in this Book of Biographies. Mrs. Huckell is now living in the home built by her husband and is surrounded by scores of friends, in whose midst she has lived these many years, who hold her in high esteem for her many excellent traits of character. She was a worthy helpmeet in the good works accomplished by her husband, being of a sympathetic and charitable nature, and she can never stand by and see others in distress without doing her utmost to relieve them.
OHN G. KIMBLE. This expert miller has been successfully engaged in that occupation more or less all his life, and is now senior member of the firm of Kimble & Jones, manufacturers of White Rose flour and buckwheat flour, corn-meal, etc. He was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming
County, Pa., six miles above the village of Montoursville, October 7, 1845, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (McClarin) Kimble.
Peter Kimble, grandfather of our subject, was a native of New Jersey and was of Ger- man descent. He was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War and after independence had been gained he moved to Lycoming County, Pa., where he followed his trade as a blacksmith. He passed from this life at his home in Fair- field in 1845, at the advanced age of ninety-six years.
Jacob Kimble, our subject's father, was born in Lycoming County, Pa., in 1806. He attended the district school a short time and spent the major part of his leisure hours work- ing in the blacksmith-shop owned by his fath- er and soon became quite proficient in that trade. Attaining his majority, Peter moved to Loyalsock, where he pursued the occupa- tion of a blacksmith for thirty-five years. In 1857 he purchased a mill in Columbia County, Pa., located two miles above Benton, on West Creek, now the property of our subject. He successfully operated that mill until 1869. when he returned to his native county an settled in Hughesville, where he spent his re- ยท maining days in retirement. His death oc- curred in 1884. Religiously he was a member of the Christian Church. He was united in marriage to Mary McClarin, by whom he reared four sons and three daughters, namely : Lucinda, wife of Samuel Wilson of Clinton. Ill .: Peter F., a merchant residing at Spring- field, Ill .; Smith W., a well-known inventor residing in New York City; Asher, a miller by trade, who died in 1864; Jennie, a resi- dent of Hughesville, Pa .; Annie, wife of Ira J. Thomas, proprietor of the old Kimble mills in Benton township: and John G., our sub- ject.
John G. Kimble was educated in the public
HON. THOMAS CHALFANT.
45
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
schools of Benton township and then worked with his father, learning the miller's trade, at the West Creek Mill. He remained in the em- ploy of his father until 1876, when he moved to Springfield, Ill .; there he continued his former occupation for three years and then went to Mechanicsburg in the same county and engaged in the milling business four years. After spending eight years in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where he followed his trade, he returned to Mechanicsburg, Ill .. and followed milling two years. In 1894 our subject returned to Columbia County and in partnership with his brother-in-law, Ira J. Thomas, he purchased the Jonestown Mills. Mr. Thomas sold his interest in this property, and on January 1, 1899, Mr. A. W. Jones was admitted into partnership with our subject and they are operating under the firm name of Kimble & Jones. The mill is a four-story frame building, 40 by 50 feet, is operated by water-power, and has a capacity of 100 bar- rels per day. The firm's favorite flour is the White Rose, which is made from select winter wheat, and commands a ready sale in the market.
In the spring of 1898 our subject and J. W. Mathews purchased, under the firm name of Kimble & Mathews, the Benton Flouring Mills, which they propose to remodel and equip with the latest and most improved ma- chinery. This mill is also operated by water- power.
Mr. Kimble chose for his life companion Stella Jones, a daughter of James N. Jones, a descendant of one of the pioneer families of the section, and they were united in mar- riage December 29, 1869. Two children have blessed their home, namely: Lawrence, a miller by trade, residing at Amboy, Minne- sota; and Clinton, a miller, living at home. Mr. Kimble casts his vote in support of the Democratic party.
ON. THOMAS CHALFANT, the present popular postmaster of Dan- ville, Pa., and one of the honored and influential citizens of Montour County, whose portrait is shown on the opposite page, was born in the city of Philadelphia in 1819. Our subject traces his ancestral history back to Robert Chalfant, a member of the Society of Friends, who, with William Penn, emi- grated from Stoke Pogis, England, to Amer- ica and settled on land at Doe Run, Chester County, Pa., which is still in the family name. He is also a descendant of John Peden on the maternal side, a Scotch-Irish Covenanter, who immigrated to the American Continent and settled in Pennsylvania in 1732. He was one of the founders of the Covenanters Church in Philadelphia, which is located on Spruce street.
Hon. Thomas Chalfant was reared and edu- cated in the city of Philadelphia, and when a young man he learned the trade of a carpen- ter and patternmaker, which occupation he followed in his native city until 1840. He then moved to Danville, Pa., and in 1847 went South and located in the state of Georgia. where he assisted in the erection of a number of sugar and cotton mills. Returning to his native state he became a resident of Danville. where, in partnership with his brother-in-law. Dr. Isaac Hughes, he opened and conducted a drug-store for many years, meeting with the greatest of success. On October 1, 1853, our subject was commissioned postmaster of Dan - ville and held that position until July 15, 1861, when he took charge of the Danville Intelligencer, one of the leading papers of Montour County. June 28, 1863, he enlisted in the Union Army for a term of three months and was commissioned as captain of Co. D. 53rd Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., October 6, 1866. Mr. Chalfant was elected a member of the
46
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
State Legislature as a representative of Co- lumbia and Montour Counties, and was re- elected to the same office in the following year. During his latter term he was largely instrumental in passing the bill appointing commissioners to select a site for the erection of a state hospital for the insane, and the se- lection of a site in Danville was also due to the efforts of our subject. In 1872 Mr. Cha !- fant was again honored with a seat in the State Senate, representing Columbia, Montour, Ly- coming and Sullivan Counties. In 1883 he was appointed one of the trustees of the Dan- ville State Hospital, which position he still re- tains. Mr. Chalfant was elected president of the Pennsylvania State Editorial Association in 1881; and in 1885 he was appointed post- master of Danville under Cleveland's admin- istration, and has held that position to the present time, filling it with great credit to himself and entire satisfaction of the citizens of Danville.
In 1842 Mr. Chalfant married Eliza Hughes, a daughter of Ellis Hughes of Dan- ville, and two sons and two daughters blessed this union, of whom none survive but Charles, ex-publisher of the Danville Daily Sun, and now a prominent attorney of Danville. In politics our subject is strongly Democratic and endorses the views of his party conscien- tiously. Mr. Chalfant is one of the repre- sentative men in this section of the state and his opinions are sought and valued as those of a man of deliberate and temperate judgment and intelligent thought.
APT. JAMES BOYD ROBISON, who served with great credit as a captain in the Union Army during the Civil War, is a man who has attained particular
prominence as an attorney-at-law in Blooms- burg, Columbia County, Pa. He resides in a handsome home at Espy, but every day finds him in his office in Bloomsburg looking after his extensive practice. He was born in Bloomsburg, January 3, 1838, and is a son of William and Betsey (Barton) Robison.
His great-grandfather was William Robi- son, who was born in the North of Ireland and was of Scotch-Irish parentage. He was unmarried when he came to America, but sub- sequently was joined in wedlock with Martha Huston, a native of this country. They re- sided in the beginning of the last century in the Juniata region, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits the remainder of his life. In religious attachments he was a strict be- liever in the Presbyterian faith. He was the progenitor of the following children: James; Hugh; John; Alexander; David; William; Joseph; Margaret; Agnes; Elizabeth; Jane; and Rebecca.
Alexander Robison, grandfather of our sub- ject, also took to agricultural pursuits at Mc- Veytown, Pa., where he was born and lived all his life. He married Elizabeth McKee and among the children who blessed that union was William, the father of our subject.
William Robison was born in McVeytown, Pa., January 19, 1789, and was reared upon his father's farm, obtaining his intellectual ed- ucation in the district schools. In 1810 he located near Orangeville, Columbia County, where he opened and conducted a general store for four or five years, and then moved to Bloomsburg with his brother John. They operated a tannery at the corner of Third street and Miller's alley with much success until 1826. In connection with the tannery they built the stone house, corner of Third street and Miller's alley. It was first occupied by William and his wife on their marriage.
47
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
January 30, 1816, and is now the oldest house in town. In 1822 William Robison was ap- pointed sheriff of Columbia County, serving in that capacity for a short time. From 1826 to 1840 he conducted a first-class hotel at the corner of Second and Center streets, where Moyer's drugstore is now located. During this period he was also extensively engaged in staging,-providing the only transportation from Bloomsburg to many points, and he did a very large business. In 1840 he rented his hotel and became interested in farming, pur- chasing a large farm in Hemlock township, which is now owned by J. Trout, Esq., and continuing there until 1846, when he again returned to Bloomsburg and carried on a mercantile business in the hotel building for eight years. Being past sixty-six years of age. in 1855 he retired from active life and lived happily until his demise, in 1866. Politically he was originally a Democrat and then a Clay Whig, but later became a Republican, remain- ing so the rest of his life. He ownel one-third of the lot on which the court-house stands and presented it to the county. In religious views he was a Presbyterian. Socially, he was a member of the Masonic fraternity. January 30, 1816, he married Betsey Barton, who was born in Bloomsburg. January 30, 1799, and was a daughter of Elisha Barton, one of the early prominent men of Bloomsburg, and this union resulted in the following issue: Alex- ander, deceased, who married Mary E. Thompson; Jane McKee, wife of Lynd El- liott; Anna Maria, wife of Ariovistus Pardee; Martha Elizabeth, who married Andrew M. Rupert; Harriet, wife of Charles E. Frazer; Ellen Boone, wife of Dr. William B. Hawkins; Emily A., wife of George B. Markle; Isabelle, wife of Nathaniel L. Campbell; William Bar- ton, who died at the age of four years; Mary Augusta, deceased; James Boyd, the subject
of this biographical record; Isaiah B., a sol- dier in the Civil War who gave up his life for the cause of his country at the battle of Peach Tree Creek in 1864; and Hannah Amelia, wife of Fred E. Barber.
James Boyd Robison attended the public schools and the Bloomsburg Academy and ap- plied himself with such diligence that he was considered qualified to teach and received an appointment in Mifflin township, Columbia County, January 10, 1854, just one week after his sixteenth birthday. On August 19, of that year, he was awarded the first permanent cer- tificate issued by Carbon County. He taught at Summit Hill for seven months and then served for two months on a corps of engineers who laid out the Yeddo Branch of the Hazle- ton Railroad. In 1855 he entered Lafayette College at Easton, Pa., from which he re- ceived the degree of A. M. in 1867, but in 1857 he went to Washington, D. C., where he was engaged in writing patents for the land office for five months. He held a position as bookkeeper at Mauch Chunk, Carbon Coun- ty, for three months, when he went to Illi- nois, where he engaged in teaching school and selling books from 1858 to 1859. In August. 1859. he began to prepare himself for the legal profession. entering the office of Jason T. Giebner, a well-known lawyer of Mercer. Mer- cer County, Pa., in the meantime making enough as a clerk in the sheriff's office to sup- port himself. When the first shot, which startled the world, was fired at Fort Sumter in 1861, opening the real hostilities between the Union Army and the Secessionists, our subject was one of the first to offer his aid to his country. On the day after receiving intel- ligence of the first encounter he drew up an enlistment paper and headed it with his own name. This was the first enlistment in Mer- cer County. The company was soon organ-
48
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
ized and was at first known as the Mercer Rifles, but was mustered in June 17, 1861, as Company G, Ioth Regt. Pa. Vol. Reserves, under Capt. A. J. Warner, for a period of three years. Mr. Robison was a sergeant of the company and remained in the service until he received a severe wound in the left hand at the second battle of Bull Run, when he was sent to the hospital, receiving his discharge December 18, 1862. In June of the year fol- lowing he was elected captain of Company H. of the 35th Regiment, at Harrisburg, Pa., with which he served until August, 1863, when he returned home and thence to Mercer and resumed his studies, being admitted to the bar in November, 1863. During the follow- ing winter he taught school at Sandy Lake. Mercer County. On June 1, 1864, he went to Washington, D. C., as a clerk under Capt. J. T. Giebner in the commissary department, who was assigned to the 19th Army Corps under Gen. Sheridan in the Shenandoah Val- ley. It was his misfortune to be captured by the Rebels on September 26, and on October 17 he was cast into Libby Prison, where the Union men received the treatment commonly accorded Union prisoners of war. On Febru- ary 17, 1865, he secured his release and re- turned to Mercer, Pa., where he shortly after was elected district attorney. Serving only a short time, he resigned and moved to St. Louis, Mo., at the beginning of the year, and with two others engaged in the real estate business until 1867. Owing to the weakness of the leading member of the firm in the use of liq- uor, the business was not a success and had to be abandoned. Removing to Bloomsburg he entered upon the practice of law and was subsequently appointed United States Com- missioner. From 1872 to 1875 he served as notary public, and for several years as corpor- ation counsel. . The greater part of his life he
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.