Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 110

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > Butler > Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th > Part 110

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William Fred Peffer was reared on the old home place and obtained an intellec- tual training in the district schools there, and in the schools of Harmony. He worked on the farm until he was twenty years old, then traveled through the coun- try selling and repairing organs. About the year 1886, he opened his store for the sale of pianos and organs in Evans City and has since conducted a thriving busi- ness.

In October, 1887, Mr. Peffer was united in marriage with Miss Clara Stoner, a daughter of James Stoner, and they have three children, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Pauline. Fraternally, he is a member of Evans City Lodge, No. 817, I. O. O. F., of which he was secretary a number of years;

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and of the Encampment, I. O. O. F. Re- ligiously, he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, of which he is an elder. In political affiliation, he is a Re- publican.

JAMES LOYAL CHRISTIE, M. D., a leading physician at Connequenessing, where he also conducts a drug store, has been a resident of this borough for more than thirty years and is closely identified with its various interests. He was born April 19, 1852, in Concord Township, But- ler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of William A. and Sarah Jane (McJunkin) Christie.

The Christie family is of Scotch-Irish descent and probably the grandfather, John Christie, was born in Scotland and came to Westmoreland County in his youth and later became a pioneer in Butler County. He served in the War of 1812. He married Margaret McLane, who was born in the north of Ireland. The grand- father died in 1859 and Dr. Christie prizes very highly a gun that his grandsire car- ried in the army.

William A. Christie, father of Dr. Chris- tie, was born January 13, 1823, in Concord Township and died at Unionville, June 6, 1905. He followed farming in Concord Township until 1859, when he moved to Center Township and lived there during the remainder of his life. At various times he held responsible positions in county and township, serving five terms as justice of the peace in Center Township and for three years as county commissioner in Butler County. He was a man of sterling integrity and for over thirty years was an elder in the Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church. He married a daughter of James McJunkin, of Clay Township, and four of their six children grew to maturity : James Loyal; Lina, who is the wife of Dr. A. Hollman of Unionville; William M., of Medford, Oklahoma; and Harry C., of Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Christie attended the common schools in Center Township, later Wither- spoon Institute, at Butler and then Grove City Academy, the latter being the nucleus of the present Grove City College. He then entered upon the study of medicine and pursued his reading under the direc- tion of Dr. A. M. Neyman, of Butler, and from his preceptorship went to the West- ern Reserve Medical College at Cleveland, Ohio, and was graduated in the spring. of 1877, at the Miami Medical College at Cin- cinnati. He found an opening for practice at Connoquenessing and has never discov- ered any reason for separating himself from the good people of this place. Dr. Christie is probably as well known in this section as any resident, having profes- sional relations with the majority and tak- ing so active an interest in the life of the place that it could not be otherwise. In 1888 he opened a drug store, where he makes up prescriptions, thus being confi- dent as to the quality of his drugs, and in addition to carrying the stock usually found in first-class establishments of this kind, also handles paints. In his political views he is a Republican, has served as auditor and for twelve years was a mem- ber of the School Board. He is vice presi- dent of the Connoquenessing Telephone Company, of which he was one of the or- ganizers, the other officers being: Greer McCandless, president, and J. C. Brandon, secretary.

Dr. Christie was married (first) to Sa- rah Richardson, a daughter of William and Eliza Richardson. She died January 1, 1888, aged thirty-two years. She had been a devoted member of the United Presbyterian Church all her life. Two sons survived her: Frank and Karl. The former graduated from Westminster Col- lege in 1906 and resides at Butler. The latter was graduated in the same year from Reno College and lives in Pittsburg. Dr. Christie was married (second) to Miss Tyne Jamison, who is a daughter of Rev.

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

William Jamison, and they have two chil- dren, Ralph and Mildred. Dr. Christie's four children have been afforded excellent educational advantages and all have been students in the Butler High School. He is a member of the White Oak United Presbyterian Church, of which he has been a trustee since 1881. He is identified with a number of medical organizations, includ- ing the county and State societies and the American Medical Association.

BARNEY STEIGHNER is a well known oil operator of Herman, Summit Town- ship, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and has been a resident of the county since his early boyhood. He was born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in 1850, and is a son of Christopher and Mary (Schree) Steigh- ner. His father was a very prominent farmer, the facts concerning him and other members of the family being given in greater detail on another page of this vol- ume. He and his wife were parents of the following children: Joseph, John, Barney (whose name heads this sketch), Christ, Barbara, Catherine, Lena, and Mary.

Barney Steighner was a small boy when brought to Butler County, and he here re- ceived his intellectual training in the pub- lic schools. He followed farming many years, but more recently he has devoted his energy to the oil fields, and has at- tained much success as an operator. He and his family reside in a handsome and commodious house at Herman.

The subject of this sketch was joined in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Gallagher, a daughter of John and Catherine (Bleich- ner) Gallagher, her father being a promi- nent farmer of the county. The following were the issue of this union: Edward, who married Margaret Knauer and has nine children - Harry, Clarence (deceased), Dora, Elmerine, Raymond, Alvin, Ralph, Edward, and Pearl; Agnes, deceased; Felix, Christ H., William A., and Lillian,

wife of Walter Howard, a well known oil man of Butler County, by whom she has two children, Ardelle and Regis. Relig- iously, they are consistent members of the Catholic church at Herman.

CALVIN C. COCHRANE, one of But- ler's prominent citizens, who for years has been identified with the oil industry, has resided in his beautiful residence at No. 634 Fairview Avenue, Butler, since Octo- ber, 1889. He was born near Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in 1849.

Mr. Cochrane remained in his native place until he was sixteen years old, secur- ing a good public school education that made him available as a clerk in his brother's store, at Macomb, Illinois; but after one year he returned to Kittanning and from there went into the oil fields. His connection has never ceased and he is now interested in a pipe line business. For thirty years he has been connected with the National Transit Company. He is well known all over the oil territory and his years of experience in almost every Pennsylvania field makes him an authority in all that concerns it.

In 1883, Mr. Cochrane was married to Miss Mary I. Thompson, of Parker, Penn- sylvania, and they had one child, May, whom they lost when at the engaging age of four years. Mr. Cochrane is a member of the Royal Arcanum.

PHILIP DAUBENSPECK, one of But- ler's most esteemed citizens, whose gener- ous benefactions to schools, churches and charities have made his name revered for many years past, is a worthy representa- tive of one of the oldest and most honor- able pioneer families of Butler County. Philip Daubenspeck was born August 28, 1829, in Parker Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of George and Elizabeth (Barnhart) Daubenspeck.

The father of Mr. Daubenspeck was

PHILIP DAUBENSPECK

MRS. NANCY S. DAUBENSPECK

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born in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- vania, and at a very early period of his life came to Butler County as it now is and secured a farm in Parker Township, which was then but an uncleared wilder- ness. He married Elizabeth Barnhart, who belonged to another old family of the county, and they reared a family of seven sons and three daughters, namely : Daniel, Philip, David, Abraham, William, George F., Jacob, Lavina, Susan and Mary. Daniel and William both died while serv- ing as soldiers in the Civil War. David died in 1907. Lavina was accidentally killed in a railroad accident. George Daubenspeck lived to see his pioneer farm cleared, cultivated and improved. For many years he was a man of importance in his section and his descendants have been worthy representatives.

Philip Daubenspeck attended the dis- trict schools in boyhood and assisted his father in taking care of the farm until he entered the coal mines, where he worked for a time, but later returned to farming. He continued to reside in Parker Town- ship until 1882, when he and wife moved to Butler and took possession of their comfortable home at No. 330 Center Ave- nue. On September 25, 1851, he was mar- ried to Miss Nancy Scott, who was born in Ireland and is a daughter of James Scott. They are members of the Second Reformed Church.

Since coming to Butler, Mr. Dauben- speck has interested himself in handling real estate, but there are those of his fellow citizens who seem to think that his chief occupation is in his liberal dispensa- tion of charity, his generosity to the pub- lic including rich gifts to church, college and hospitals, while his benefactions to the poor will never be fully known, for his giving has been done too unostentatiously. He justly deserves the name of philan- thropist and the affectionate and respect- ful regard which he has inspired in his fellow citizens.

DALLAS M. YOUNG, of the prominent clothing firm of Green & Young, at Butler, is one of the city's most enterprising and progressive young business men. He was born December 23, 1880, near Sunbury, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Thomas B. Young, who is one of the most prominent oil operators in this sec- tion.

Dallas M. Young was educated in the local schools, Grove City College, the Slip- pery Rock State Normal School, and com- pleted his studies, with a view of entering into business, at the Butler Commercial College. For two years he was identified with the oil industry, after which he turned his attention to mercantile life and on August 1, 1901, in association with Paul E. Green, bought out the clothing firm of T. H. Burton, at Butler, establishing the firm of Green & Young. Energy and en- terprise, together with ample capital, soon advanced this firm to the front rank among Butler's representative business houses. The firm owns two valuable properties on Main Street, Butler, and each partner has farming interests in the county.

In December, 1903, Mr. Young was mar- ried to Miss Anna Katherine Leidecker, who is a daughter of Henry Leidecker, a prominent oil producer of Butler County. Mr. and Mrs. Young are members of the Second Presbyterian Church at Butler. He is affiliated with both the Masons and Odd Fellows.

CHARLES R. GOEHRING, owner of a farm of ninety acres in Forward Town- ship, located on the traction line about twelve miles southwest of Butler, comes of an old and respected family of the county. He was born on his present farm May 19, 1872, and is a son of William and Sarah (Rape) Goehring.

William Goehring was born near Zelie- nople, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, his father being one of the pioneers of that vicinity. He remained on the home place

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until his marriage, then purchased a farm on Muddy Creek, on which he lived until he bought the farm in Forward Township, on which Charles R. Goehring now lives. The latter years of his life were spent in retirement at Evans City, where he died in 1901, at the age of seventy-one years. Mrs. Goehring, who also was born near Zelienople, in Butler County, is now living at the old home in Evans City. They had the following children: John; Gellard; Matilda, wife of Gus Beam; Sarah, wife of John Entrest; Sophia, wife of George Milliman; Nettie, wife of C. Murberger; Ella, deceased wife of Martin Spithaler; Christina, wife of Henry Lutz; Susan, wife of W. A. Lutz; Charles Raymond; and Abigail, wife of Henry Knauff.

Charles Raymond Goehring was reared and has always lived on the farm where he now resides. He received his educa- tional training in the public schools and early turned his attention to agricultural ,pursuits. He assumed charge of the home place the year prior to his marriage, and although most of the buildings were previ- ously erected he has made numerous im- portant improvements and kept the land under a high state of cultivation. Oil was developed on the property in 1888, and there are now six paying wells on it. He follows general farming, and is a pro- gressive and successful business man.

September 15, 1898, Mr. Goehring was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Gross, a daughter of William Gross, and they have two children, Frances May, and Twila Alberta. Religiously, they are mem- bers of the Reformed Church. In political affiliation, Mr. Goehring is a Republican and takes an active interest in the success of that party.

FRED EYLES, one of the substantial business men of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, whose large piano and musical instrument establishment is located in the First National Bank Building on New Castle

Street, was born August 8, 1865, in Alle- gheny, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Emil A. and Barbara (Jenny) Eyles.

Emil A. Eyles was born in Frankfort, Germany, and came to this country with his parents in young manhood, settling in Allegheny where for eighteen years he was connected with Hartley Brothers, tanners and belt manufacturers of Pittsburg. From Pittsburg he removed to East Pales- tine, where the remainder of his life was spent, and where for some years he served as postmaster. He served as a member of the Forty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and it was from the effects of a bullet wound, received at the battle of Lookout Mountain, that he died in 1888. His wife, who was born in Switzerland, came to the United States when six years old with her father, Baltzaher Jenny, who was one of the early restaurant keepers of Allegheny. Her death occurred in 1904, in Allegheny. All of the six children of Emil A. and Bar- bara Eyles are still living, namely: Ed- ward, who for eighteen years has been connected with the Adams Express Com- pany, at Allegheny, and married Emma Wahl; Albert, also with the Adams Ex- press Company, married a Miss Weaver; Julius, who is connected with the Pittsburg Printing Company, and for many years with the Gazette and Despatch, married Mrs. Rebecca Kohler; Fred; Susan mar- ried John Coyne, a conductor on the Pitts- burg & Lake Erie Railroad, and resides at McKees Rocks; and Amelia, the wife of Dan Rollins, who is connected with a hide and leather firm of Pittsburg as head bookkeeper, lives in a suburb of Pittsburg.

Fred Eyles attended the public schools of the Third Ward, Allegheny, as well as the High School, which he left at the age of seventeen years to engage in his present business. He played at the old Allegheny Exposition, became a teacher of music, and for a number of years acted as agent for

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Lechner & Schoenberger of Pittsburg. For the past six years, Mr. Eyles has been engaged in the piano and musical instru- ment business in Zelienople, where he has built up a large trade. He makes a spe- cialty of Kranich and Richmond pianos. Mr. Eyles has devoted his entire business life to his present occupation, and he has become known as the composer of some very fine music. Over forty compositions have come from him, and all have been exceedingly popular, and enjoyed a large sale.

Mr. Eyles was married to Margaret Mendel, a daughter of Henry Mendel, of Allegheny, and two children have been born to this union: Elmer W., formerly assistant foreman at the Iron City Enamel- ing Works, who also conducts a moving picture theatre; and Harvey R., a student of the Zelienople High school.

Mr. Eyles's fraternal connections are with the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fel- lows, the Modern Woodmen, and the Elks, and he is also a member of the Sons of Veterans. He is a Republican in politics. His religious belief is that of the English Lutheran Church.

O. H. NICHOLAS, one of Butler's active and enterprising business men, has been a resident of this city for thirty-two years and now controls a large transfer and transportation business and has interests in other enterprises. He was born in Con- noquenessing Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, in May, 1870, and is a son of the late Henry W. Nicholas, who came to Butler in 1876.

O. H. Nicholas obtained his education in the public schools and his first money was earned when he became the employe of the Pennsylvania Railroad and wheeled the mail bags from the railway station to and from the post-office. He proved re- liable and later was employed in the car inspection department and was given charge of the freight and baggage room at

Butler. He was thus employed until 1902 when he went into the transfer business for himself and has operated with such efficiency that he has been given the larger amount of city patronage. He has ex- cellent accommodations in the way of transfer wagons, quite equal to any to be found in larger cities. He is a stockholder in other enterprises, notably the Butler Compressed Air & Vacuum Cleaner Com- pany.

In August, 1895, Mr. Nicholas was mar- ried to Miss Amelia Oesterling, of Butler County, and they have the following chil- dren: Ralph Albert, Orin Henry, Charles William, Robert Edgar, four fine sons, and a wee daughter, Emily Elizabeth. Mr. Nicholas and wife are members of St. Paul's Reformed Church of the South Side, in which he is a deacon. He is a member of the Knights of Maccabee.

JACOB G. RENICK, one of Center Township's most prominent citizens, jus- tice of the peace and the owner of 305 acres of fine farming land which is situ- ated on the graded or Sunbury Road, about seven miles north of Butler. Mr. Renick was born on a farm in Butler County, Pennsylvania, seven miles south of the city, September 3, 1852, and is a son of William and Caroline (Snyder) Renick.

William Renick and wife were both born in Germany but were not married until after they came to America. By trade he was a blacksmith and when his son Jacob G., was one and one-half years old he moved to Slippery Rock Township, where he operated a blacksmith business for many years. He also invested in farming land and prospered, so that at the time of his death, he owned 1,100 acres.

After Jacob G. Renick had completed his education, which he obtained in the coun- try schools and the Iron City College at Pittsburg, he went to the oil fields, where he found work as a tool dresser and also

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did some contracting and later became a lumber contractor. He purchased a port- able saw-mill and worked all over Butler County for some seven years and then turned his attention to farming, settling on what was the old Moses Thompson farm. He continued his lumber business to some degree until within the past sev- eral years. With the assistance of his sons he carries on extensive farming oper- ations and raises some fine stock.

Mr. Renick was married (first) to Nar- cissa Christy, who left two children at death: Clyde and Flossie, the latter of whom is the wife of S. J. Wick. Mr. Renick was married (second) to Ada Sproull, who is a daughter of Hugh Sproull, a resident of Cherry Township. Ten children were born to the second union, the eight survivors being Paul, Grace, Hugh D., Bertha, Hazel, Beatrice, Lillian and Alice. Grace is the wife of Oscar Fleeger. Few citizens of Center Township are better known than Mr. Renick. He is highly esteemed as a man of judgment and probity by his fellow citi- zens who have elected him a justice of the peace, tax collector and road supervisor. On all matters of public interest in the township his advice and counsel are sought.

ADAM ENDRES, who has the distinc- tion of being the oldest male resident of Zelienople and the oldest also of Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania, bears well his weight of eighty-five years and looks out on life with that clearness of mental vision that comes only through long ex- perience and the solving of many of the perplexing problems which still face the younger generations. He was born Decem- ber 26, 1823, near Falseburg, in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, and is a son of Adam and Christina Endres.

In 1835 the parents of Mr. Endres de- cided to emigrate to the United States and they set sail from Havre de Grace on a vessel bound for New York, which port

they safely reached after a voyage of fifty- two days, and landed at Castle Garden. The objective point was Zelienople, where other emigrants known to them had al- ready settled. In those days the distance between New York and Butler County was only covered by a long and tortuous route. By steamboat the party went from New York to Albany, from there by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and from there again by water to Erie, Pennsylvania. At that point a wait of nine days had to be en- dured before wagons could be secured to transport the travelers to Zelienople. In the meanwhile, the father was offered a tract of 106 acres of land for $700, this now being a part of the busiest section of the city of Erie, but advantage was not taken of that offer, the family thereby los- ing a fortune. The father finally selected land in Beaver County, about four miles from Zelienople and that remained the family home until the death of his wife. By trade he was a wagonmaker. He was a man of excellent business qualifications and proved himself a great addition to the good citizenship of the section in which he settled, doing all in his power to develop the neighborhood in which he lived and to help those who were less fortunate than himself. In 1858, after his mother's death, Adam Endres the younger bought 300 acres of land adjacent to Zelienople and moved on it, his father accompanying him. The latter died aged sixty-eight years. The family consisted of two children: Adam and Caroline. The latter married Lewis Teets, of Beaver County, where she died when aged seventy-six years. She was six years younger than her brother.

Adam Endres was only twelve years old when the family reached Zelienople, then a small settlement of log cabins. He can recall many exciting events of that time and one of these would probably have re- sulted in the family returning to Germany had not the father's money been all in- vested in the new home. It was a new

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experience to the careful, tidy house- keeper, his mother, to start to housekeep- ing in a log cabin and no doubt the pros- pect was very discouraging to her. It was also terrifying when, the first night, a. great snake fell on her bed, so alarming her that she could sleep no more and spent the hours in tears. With forests, heavy underbrush, undrained swamps, there were plenty of places in which all wild things, including serpents, could conceal them- selves in all this section at this time, and many subsequent adventures finally wore away the first feelings of terror. Mr. Endres, himself, killed the last rattlesnake ever found or reported seen in Beaver County. After acquiring his first farm he made dairying his main industry, keeping as many as twenty-four head of cows. For thirty-two years he made a weekly trip to Pittsburg, where he supplied the old Monongahela House and other hotels, together with a number of the most par- ticular people with high class butter, get- ting the best prices then paid for this luxury. He owned at one time 300 acres also in Beaver Township but has disposed of all that land. His present farm, ad- joining Zelienople, is very valuable and he can foresee the day when a part of it will be converted into busy marts of trade for his descendants. When he first visited Allegheny, now a rich and busy city, there was only a wide expanse of land for the eye to rest on. In 1880 Mr. Endres built his present comfortable residence.

In 1846 Mr. Endres was married (first) to Miss Elizabeth Wurster, a daughter of Jacob Wurster, who was one of the first settlers in Jackson Township. Mr. Endres was married (second) to Miss Maria Voegtley, whose grandfather owned all the land which is now included in the upper part of the city of Allegheny, at the time the Endres family came to Western Penn- sylvania. Mr. Endres has had ten chil- dren, the four survivors being: Caroline, who is the widow of George Bastian, re-

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 110

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526