USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Beaver County, Pennsylvania > Part 13
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Dan H. Stone, Sr., the father of
Stephen P. and Dan H., Jr., was born in Derby, Conn., September 27, 1802, but was very young when his parents removed to Pennsylvania. During his younger days he assisted his father and was charged with many duties of a very responsible nature. When but eighteen years of age, he was sent on horseback to Columbus, Ohio, to collect a bill for his father, amounting to $2,000. His first day's work for himself was in assisting to pole a boat eighteen miles, working from sunrise to the first star of evening and then walking home,-his salary being fifty cents per day. Like his ancestors he was very fond of the water, and as this was one of the prin- cipal employments of the day, he followed it for many years. Later, in connection with his brothers, Stephen and Charles, he owned and operated several steamboats, which ran to Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, and New Orleans. They had the contract for carry- ing the United States mail, and this yielded them large profits. Mr. Stone was very successful and accumulated considerable wealth; before the war he disposed of his in- terest in the business. Having inherited a portion of the old homestead in Marion town- ship, he built saw mills and engaged very ex- tensively in lumbering. His business was in- j .. red largely by the panic of 1873, and as he was of a generous nature, he gave assistance to others, which almost resulted in his finan- cial ruin, and left him again a poor man. His health failed and he died on March 25, 1879. July 14, 1853 was the date of his marriage to Mary Patterson, a daughter of James Patter-
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son, who was an early settler of Beaver county and a resident of Beaver Falls,-then known as Brighton. She was born November 5, 1830, and is still living at Beaver, and en- joying the best of health. Their union re- sulted in the birth of seven children, as fol- lows: Stephen P .; Elizabeth, the widow of D. F. Robinson; Dan H., Jr .; James P., who is engaged in the real estate business in Bea- - ver Falls; Mary J .; Charles H .; and Sally P., a resident of Beaver.
Stephen P. Stone was born in Beaver, Beaver county, Pa., September 17, 1854, and attended the public schools and Beaver Academy, but as his father had met with re- verses, he was obliged to seek work at an early age. He entered a saw mill when four- teen years old, and from then until 1877 he did whatever work he happened to find. He was very ambitious and applied himself with a will, and in 1877 he received the appoint- ment of deputy prothonotary of Beaver county. He gave satisfaction, and was elected prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas in 1879, serving in that capacity for six years, when he was made assistant cashier of the Beaver Deposit Bank. He was subsequently promoted to be cashier, and now discharges the duties of that responsible position. He is a man of tried business ability, is progressive and enterprising, and is held in the highest esteem by his employers and his townsmen. The Beaver Deposit Bank was established in 1871 by M. S. Quay; J. S. Rutan; D. Mc- Kinney, M. D. ; and J. R. Harrah. Mr. Quay was president, and upon his retirement, was
succeeded by S. P. Wilson. Business was first transacted in the Barkley Building, where the Buchanan Block now stands, but in July, 1887, the bank was removed to the James Allison building, where it has since been lo- cated. The subject of this sketch is one of the stockholders, and was an organizer, of the Bridgewater Gas Company of which he be- came treasurer ; he is treasurer of the Beaver Valley Traction Company, of which he was one of the organizers, and is financially inter- ested in the People's Electric Street Railroad Company.
On May 12, 1887, Stephen P. Stone was married to Louise M. Knox, a daughter of George W. Knox of Carlisle, Pa., a promi- nent, retired lawyer, of Philadelphia, and they are the parents of three children: Joseph K., born March 5, 1888; Stella Louise, born Oc- tober 22, 1889; and Virginia K., born August 24, 1894. Politically, Mr. Stone is a Repub- lican and has served as a delegate to the state convention, and on the county committee. He is a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge, of which he is a past grand; of the Masonic order, from F. & A. M. to K. T .; of the Junior Order United American Mechanics ; and of the Elks. In 1887, he built a very fine residence opposite the depot, graded the lawn and set out shrubbery and fruit, making it one of the most desirable homes in the borough. It is excellently located and commands a beautiful view of the villages and mountains along the Beaver and Ohio rivers.
Dan H. Stone, Jr., was born in Beaver,
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Pa., September 1, 1860. He attended the public schools and the U. P. Seminary until 1875, and in January, 1880, received the ap- pointment of deputy prothonotary under his brother. Stephen P. Stone, continuing thus for two terms of three years each. In 1885, he was elected prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas (assuming his trust in Janu- ary, 1886), and was re-elected in 1888. He discharged his duties to the complete satisfac. tion of his constituents. During his incum- bency of the office, he became desirous of entering the legal profession, and as a result, he studied law with Hon. J. M. Buchanan and Hon. M. F. Mecklem,-being admitted to the bar on September 19, 1892. Imme- diately after he began practicing, and by dint of hard and conscientious labor, he has es- tablished a good reputation and a large clien- tage. Intuitively, he applies the theoretic principles of law to the common affairs of every day life, and it is to his practical faculty that his success is mainly due. He is a stanch Republican and has been an active worker in party affairs. He has taken great interest in the progress of Beaver, and has been iden- tified with the Beaver Valley Traction Com- pany ; was an incorporator, and, formerly, attorney, of the High River Bridge Company ; and of the People's Electric Street Railroad Company. He has been attorney for several railroads in Western Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, and of the Odd Fellows' lodge, of which he is past grand. He owns some valuable real estate in Beaver, and is one of its most substantial citizens.
Charles H. Stone, the youngest son of Dan H. and Mary (Patterson) Stone, was born in Beaver, Pa., where he attended the public schools. He became assistant to his brother, Dan H., when the latter was protho- notary, and also studied law with him,-being admitted to the bar on December 6, 1896. He also served as assistant clerk under his brother, Stephen P., in the Beaver Deposit Bank. He is a very popular young man in the borough, and has worked up quite a lucrative practice. Fraternally, he is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias.
HARLES RUNYON, manager of the Keystone Tumbler Co., of Rochester, Pa., is one of the enterprising and energetic men of that borough, and is well known throughout the county as fully worthy of the esteem in which he is held. He was born in Jeffer- son county, Ohio, and is a son of Philip Runyon. He came to Rochester, in 1875, and started a grocery store on New York street ; this business he continued with much success for three years. He then entered the employ of the Rochester Tumbler Co., and so won the confidence of the firm that he soon worked himself up to the position of assistant manager of the plant. When the Keystone Tumbler Co. was organized, he was one of its promoters and stockholders, and was made general manager of that company. The com- pany was organized, in 1897, and the plant was built on the site of the old Agnes brick
OLIVER MOLTER.
....
GEORGE DAVIDSON.
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of his youth, in close proximity to which was the beautiful little borough of Beaver, which he always admired and where he had many ac- quaintances and friends. After deliberating for some time, he decided to locate in Beaver, and his success has been even greater than he anticipated, thus proving the wisdom of his selection.
Dr. Armstrong wooed and won for his wife, Anna Mary Fraser, an accomplished daughter of Alexander Fraser. The Doctor and his estimable spouse have one son, a bright little boy, born January 6, 1895, and named John Alexander, in honor of both his mater- nal and paternal grandfathers. The subject of our sketch is a zealous Republican and has served as school director in the borough. He is also a member of the F. & A. M. lodge, and of the Knights of Pythias. Both he and Mrs. Armstrong are active communicants of the M. E. church, of which the Doctor is now steward.
Dr. Armstrong is a son of John and Isabella Margaret (Adams) Armstrong, grandson of John and Nellie (Dillon) Armstrong, and great-grandson of John Armstrong, who was born in the eastern part of the Keystone State, probably in Chester county, or in Phila- delphia. Tradition tells us that the family originated in Scotland, and belonged to the old Scotch Presbyterians. The founder of the American branch of the family came to America from the north of Scotland previous to the year 1800. The grandfather of Dr. Armstrong crossed the mountains of Cen- tral Pennsylvania and settled in Allegheny
county, in 1805. In addition to this informa- tion little is known of him except that he fol- lowed the occupation of a farmer, and his remains lie buried in the Concord churchyard near Baden, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He was one of four sons, whose names are : John ; Samuel and James, who both died single; and Robert.
John Armstrong, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Chester county, Pa., in the year 1800; when but five years of age, he was brought by his parents to Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He was reared on a farm, and spent his life following that occupation on farms near Darlington and Baden, where his death occurred at about the age of fifty years. His wife, whose maiden name was Nellie Dillon, lived until she had passed her eightieth mile-stone. Their children were: John, the Doctor's father ; Samuel, now deceased ; Ruth, wife of Daniel Emerick of Ogle, Pa .; Esther, deceased ; and Mary, also deceased.
John Armstrong, father of the subject of our narrative, was born August 27, 1831, near Greersburg (now Darlington) Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Early in life, he learned the shoemaker's trade, and began working at it on the old homestead. But that occupation was not congenial to him; his active mind and equally active body required the broader field of business pursuits. He abandoned shoemaking and went to Warren county, near Tidioute, where for seven years he was inter- ested in the lumber business. During that time, he accumulated a small capital, which he desired to invest wisely. With keen fore-
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sight he purchased a tract of land along the Allegheny River, at Henry's Bend, near Oil City, paying for the tract $450 of hard- earned cash. Upon this land he carried on farming until oil was discovered in that vicin- ity. The first oil well drilled on the banks of the Allegheny River was on his farm,
and, while the excitement was at
its height, Mr. Armstrong sold the
farm for the fabulous price of $31,000. After dealing in oil for some time, he retired to Rochester, Pa., and, soon after, purchased the Jackson farm, near Beaver, con- taining 105 acres of choice farming land, upon which he has enjoyed a happy life as one of Beaver county's prominent farmers. He has made many improvements on his land, and has built handsome and substantial build- ings. In 1898, his large barn, with contents, was completely destroyed by fire, but it was re-built as soon as possible.
Mr. Armstrong is a public-spirited man, a stanch Republican, and has served as super- visor and school director. He was joined in wedlock with Isabella Margaret Adams, a daughter of John and Jeannette Adams, who formerly resided in Northumberland county, Pa., and removed later to Parkersburg. Mrs. Armstrong was born March 26, 1841; she bore her husband the following children: Calantha Abigail, still single ; Jeannette, wife of Dr. J. J. Allen of Monaca, Pa .; Annie M., deceased; John Burton, to whom this sketch pertains and who is commonly known as "J. Burt Armstrong"; and Vienna Isabella.
Alexander Fraser, father-in-law of our sub-
ject, was born January 1, 1840, near Inver- ness, Scotland. He is a son of Alexander Fraser, who was descended from Scotch nobil- ity, and came to America with his wife, Mary, and his family, in 1845,-settling in the Scotch settlement near Wellsville, Ohio. There he followed, for many years, the occu- pation of a farmer, and is now enjoying the ripe old age of eighty-seven years. He was deprived of his wife and beloved companion, however, who died at about the age of seventy years. They came to America on a sailing vessel which was six weeks in crossing the ocean ; they landed at New York City, taking the tedious route to Ohio by way of Hudson River, Erie Canal, and Lake Erie. Although a true Scotchman, "Grandpa" Fraser loves America. To him and his worthy consort were born ten children, seven of whom grew to maturity, namely : Alexander, Jr. ; William; Margaret; Isabella ; Hannah ; Mary ; and Jeannette.
Alexander Fraser, Jr., arrived at manhood just in time to respond to our country's call for brave men during the Civil War. He en- listed from Wellsville, Ohio, in the 3rd Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf. and, later, re-enlisted in the navy and went down the river from Pitts- burg, serving until the close of the war, and receiving an honorable discharge at New York City. After the war, for a period of twenty-five years, Mr. Fraser served as bag- gage master on the Pennsylvania Railroad. During the repair of that road, his train was sent over the Fort Wayne R. R. through Alliance, and at Wellsville, Ohio, his home, a
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terrible collision occurred, in which Mr. Fraser was so badly injured that he died the same evening, October 17, 1893. He left a wife and six children to mourn his unfor- tunate demise ; Mrs. Fraser was, before mar- riage, Miss Emma Hayes, a daughter of Thomas C. Hayes. She was born in old Brighton, now Beaver Falls. The names of their children are: Annie M., wife of our sub- ject; Margaret H., now deceased; Charles WV .; Chauncey M .; Grace E., deceased; and Alexander D.
EORGE M. HEMPHILL. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is the efficient and well-known postmaster of Bridgewater, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He was born in Rochester, Beaver county, and is a son of Captain Sharp and Abbie (Bloss) Hemphill.
The great-grandfather, Moses Hemphill, was born in Northampton county, Pa,. of English ancestry. His life was spent in his native county, and he reared : Joseph. James, Thomas, Mrs. Kerr, and Mrs. Nogle. The grandfather of George M., Joseph Hemphill, was born in Northampton county, and became a civil engineer and surveyor. Before the year 1800, he went to Beaver county, Pa., and became one of the commissioners to form Beaver county. He served as associate judge, county treasurer, and county commissioner, and the first surveys and deeds of Beaver county were signed by him. He kept a gen- eral store in Beaver county, and was well
known throughout its limits. His death oc- curred in 1834, at the age of sixty-two, and his wife, who was formerly Jean Hay, died at the age of seventy-seven. They were both buried in Beaver county. Their children were as follows: James WV .; Cynthia, who married Dr. Smith Cunningham; Jane, who married John English; Nancy, who married Samuel R. Dunlap; Thomas ; Ellen, who mar- ried Alex Scott; Mary, who married Josephi Moorehead; Margaret, who inarried Thomas Cunningham; and Captain Sharp, the father of the subject of this sketch.
Captain Sharp Hemphill was born in Beaver county, in the town of Beaver, and was educated in the old Beaver Academy. For a short time, he was interested in mercantile business, and then he went on the Ohio River as a steamboat clerk. He continued work on the river for forty-five years, and was, for many years, captain of steamboats running from Pittsburg to New Orleans, and also from St. Louis to Fort Benton. Often, in the pio- neer days, when he was on the Missouri River, the boats were shot at by Indians. He served in the IOIst Reg. of Pa. Vol., in the reserve corps, and was a Mason. He became para- lyzed in his later life, and died at his home in Bridgewater, Pa., at the age of seventy-two. He married Abbie Bloss, a daughter of Ches- ter W. Bloss, of Peacham, Vt., and she is still living at the age of seventy-two. The chil- dren which resulted from this union are as fol- lows: Emma, who married John Coleman, of Bridgewater, Pa .; George M., the subject of this sketch; Clarence, a glass worker at
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Rochester, Pa .; Jean, deputy postmistress of Bridgewater, Pa .; Mary; Joseph, who married Annie Brunell, and lives in Pittsburg .- hav- ing two children,-Grace and Edith; Alice, who married John Thornely, of Beaver Falls, and has two children,-Arthur and Mildred; and Edith, who married H. B. Twitmyer, of Pittsburg.
George Hemphill, the subject of this biogra- phy, attended the schools of Rochester, Pa., and was employed at glass houses in Roches- ter and Monaca for nineteen years. He also spent several years on the river, and has been engaged in various occupations. He settled in Bridgewater, and June 1, 1897, was selected as postmaster to succeed L. F. Weyman. Mr. Hemphill is a member of the K. of P. He is well known in the vicinity, and takes an active interest in all affairs which are for the good of the community.
OBERT B. ROSE. It is always of great interest to trace various indus- tries from their beginning to the status existing at the present day. This is true of transportation on the rivers, for, before railroads came into existence, this was the principal means of carrying produce from the fields of operation to the points of disposition. In the first instance, rudely constructed boats served the purpose of the pioneer settlers of Western Pennsylvania, as it was the only way in which they could send the lumber cleared from their lands to a market. Next in use were the flat and keel boats, which, laden with
produce, were floated down the river. Up to this time all transportation had been attended with great difficulties, but soon the invention of Robert Fulton, which excited the wonder of the entire civilized world, was put to a prac- tical test on the Ohio River. Steam barges were built and also steam packets, which pushed boats up stream, that formerly being done by hand, with long poles. When the steamboat plied up and down the river, it was thought that facilities for traffic were com- plete, but this, in turn, has been partially su- perseded by the iron horse, owing to its great expedition. Nevertheless the steamboats are still extensively used for the transportation of freight, for they have attained a high rate of speed and are enabled to transport material at a much less cost than railroads. Among the prominent residents of Western Pennsyl- vania is an interesting and influential class of people, composed of men who have spent years of their lives as boatmen on the river. Robert B. Rose, one of the most enterprising business men of Rochester, Beaver county, Pa., is one of these. He is the proprietor of the Rochester wharfboat, and also deals largely in eggs. poultry, grain, etc.
Mr. Rose was born in Adams county, Ohio, and is a son of Smith Rose, who was at one time a merchant, but later became a steam- boat agent at Rome, Ohio, continuing thus until his death. The subject of our sketch passed his early life in his native state, and at an early age was employed at work on the river, which he has always followed. He first found employment at Rome, Ohio,
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when he purchased his first wharfboat; disposing of that, he moved to Vance- burg, Ky., where he purchased an- other. He
gained a wide knowl- edge of the boat business, and, being of an industrious nature, continued to better his condition. He removed to Rochester, Bea- ver county, Pa., and there bought the prop- erty and wharfboat of George Lukens. This was the first boat operated at Rochester, be- ing originally owned and run by John Mc- Dowell. who disposed of it to Mr. Lukens and his son. When Mr. Rose purchased the busi- ness of George Lukens, the boat had become too old to use and he sold it; he then bought another which he continued to use until 1891, when he built one of the finest wharfboats on the Ohio River. It is 158 feet long. 32 feet wide, and has a capacity of about 500 tons. On the second floor is a suite of seven fine rooms, and on the first floor is a large office and waiting room and the storage space. The borough of Rochester has never made any effort to improve the landing there, and much could be done to further the enterprise of river shipments, which would result in much benefit to the borough itself. Our subject has his boat so arranged that it moves with the rise and fall of the river, which varies over thirty feet,-the landing being on Water street at the foot of James street. Mr. Rose is prepared to give shipping rates to all points south and west, and to many points east. A large proportion of the products of the manu- facturers of Rochester and other Beaver val- ley towns is shipped from his wharf, and it is
a frequent sight to see a long string of teams and dray wagons, waiting to unload their goods. One of the most delightful trips in the central portion of the United States is on the steamers of the Ohio River, going down that river to the Mississippi, thence to New Orleans, and back. Mr. Rose is a man of pleas- ing personality, and his friends are almost without number.
He was united in wedlock with Elizabeth H. Blair, a daughter of William D. Blair, of Stout. Ohio. as the postoffice is called, though the river designation of the place is Rome. This union resulted in the birth of two chil- dren : Luella W .; and Eva Marie, who died at the age of two years.
R. JOHN C. MCCAULEY. The borough of Rochester. as regards her practitioners of medicine, is unsur- passed by any other in the state of Pennsyl- vania. There are located within its limits, men who have practiced for many years and who have attained far more than local dis- tinction, being classified with the leading men of the district. Standing prominently to the front is the gentleman whose name heads these lines, a representative of the younger generation of physicians. He is young in years, but hard and continued study in a re- nowned medical institution, combined with a natural bent for the profession, has given him that skill which ordinarily requires years of experience to acquire. He is in high stand- ing in Rochester, and among his large num-
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ber of patients are numbered men of prominence throughout this section of the state. He is a native of Rochester, and is a son of Leander and Martha M. (Andrews) McCauley.
David McCauley, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and lived there until his death. His wife, Jane (Corran), with her son Robert and her other children, came to America in 1819, settling in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Robert McCauley, who was the grandfather of the subject hereof, was twenty-one years of age when he came to this country. He possessed a superior education, and his vocation in life was that of an instructor, teaching in Pitts- burg and in Sewickley township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. In 1825, he purchased a farm of 250 acres in New Sewickley town- ship, which is now owned by his children, and there resided until his death at the age of sev- enty years. He married Mary Mitchell, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Patterson) Mitchell, who died at the age of eighty-two, and their children were: John; David C .; Leander; Robert P .; James; Elizabeth, the wife of James Mathews; Mary, who became the wife of Dr. S. H. Andrews; Emiline; and Martha, who married Joseph Briggs. Mr. McCauley was an active Democrat in his day, and served as assessor and in other township offices. Religiously, he was a member of the Presbyterian church.
Leander McCauley attended the public schools and Freedom academy, after which he engaged as a teacher in the schools of
Beaver county and also in the state of Ohio. In 1857, he removed to Williams county, Ohio, where he purchased a saw mill, and operated it for a period of five years. He then took up carpentering and pattern making, and later carried on farming on the old homestead for twenty-one years. In 1897, he retired to the town, of Rochester, where he erected him a fine home and has since lived. He married Martha M. Andrews, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Harnit) Andrews, of Enon Valley, Lawrence county, Pa., and four children were born to them, as follows: Wilfred James, who died in infancy; John C., the subject hereof; Mary M., who died at the age of six- teen years; and E. S. H., a physician and surgeon, of Beaver. Religiously, the family are Presbyterians.
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