Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 114

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

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William S. Brandon attended the coun- try schools until he was about fifteen years of age, when he began to learn the car- penter's trade, at Butler. In early man- hood he taught schools at Evans City and Harmony, but his main business has been in the line of his trade. He is a skilled workman and has been very successful. During the past two years he has erected thirty-two houses in East Butler and has had no difficulty in disposing of them as soon as completed. He handles quite a large amount of real estate.

Mr. Brandon married Mabel Lotz, who is a daughter of William D. Lotz, of Read- ing, Pennsylvania, and they have three children, Agnes Ruth, Dorothy and Fran- ces. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and a liberal contributor to its support. He belongs to the Woodmen of the World, the Odd Fellows and the Home Guards of America.

LEWIS PARKS WALKER, better known as " 'Squire Walker," is one of the best-known residents of the city of Butler, where he was born March 10, 1833. His

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parents were David and Jane (Gilliland) Walker, and he is a grandson of Lewis Walker, one of the carly settlers of But- ler County.

Lewis Walker, who was a native of New- buryport, Mass., emigrated to what is now Allegheny County, Penna., with the Plum- mer family, prior to the Revolutionary War. He was about twenty-one years old when he came to Butler County and set- tled on an eight-hundred-acre tract of land, in what is now Cranberry Township. Sub- sequently he removed to Butler, of which place he was an enterprising and prosper- ous citizen, erecting several houses on North Main Street. His death took place in 1844. His wife was in maidenhood a Miss Parks, and they had a family of eight children, whose record in brief is as fol- lows: John, now deceased, who resided in Cranberry Township; Parks, who died in Wheeling, W. Va .; David, who served as quartermaster of the Seventy-eighth Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and died at Mercers- burg, Ky .; Samuel, who died at Cincinnati, Ohio; Simpson, who died in Washington, D. C .; Nathaniel, who died in Butler; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of James Borland; and Keziah, who married James Frazier and is also now deceased.

David Walker, son of Lewis, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Penna., in 1803. His youth was spent on the home farm, but later, giving up agri- cultural pursuits, he went to Pittsburg, where for some time he was engaged in the manufacture of brick. He subsequent- ly returned to Butler and established a brick yard here, which, after carrying on for several years, he sold in 1847 to his brother Nathaniel. From this time until 1854 he was engaged in business as a dealer in horses and cattle, which he drove to the New York markets; and subsequent- ly to this he obtained and executed a con- tract for making a cut on the North West-

ern Railroad three miles below Butler. His successful business career was cut short by the opening of the Civil War and not long after his life was brought to an untimely end from the same cause. En- listing in 1861 in Company H, Seventy- eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, he served with that regiment in the field until the ex- posure and hardships incident to military life resulted in his death, which occurred in February, 1862. In politics he was at first a Whig and later a Republican. He served as justice of the peace in Butler Township for ten years. He was a con- sistent member and liberal supporter of the Presbyterian Church of Butler. His wife, Jane, was the daughter of John Gilli- land, and their family numbered seven chil- dren, namely: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Rev. D. Hall; Lewis P., whose name appears at the head of this sketch; Mary E., who married William Slack; Ke- ziah, wife of F. W. Rhoades; Hugh B., de- ceased; Sarah B., wife of O. D. Levis; and Martha J., wife of J. W. Yeaman. Mrs. Jane Walker died in 1848. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Lewis P. Walker, the direct subject of this article, was well grounded in the ele- ments of knowledge in the common schools, and began industrial life under his father's mentorship, remaining with the elder Wal- ker until 1856. For eight years following he was engaged in hauling goods between Butler and Pittsburg. On the construc- tion of the railroad he entered into the oil business at Petroleum Center, Venango County. He continued in business at this point for about ten years, at the end of which time, or in 1874, he returned to But- ler, where he continued in the oil business and was also engaged in the lumber busi- ness up to 1880. Mr. Walker filled the of- fice of justice of the peace in Butler for fifteen years and being subsequently ap- pointed notary public has since served in that office. He is one of the charter mem-

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bers of Butler Lodge, No. 94, A. O. U. W., and is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Walker was married in 1856 to Mary D. Bell, of Butler, whose father, William Bell, formerly of Warren, Penna., constructed the second courthouse in But- ler. Mrs. Walker died in 1901, having been the mother of six children, as follows: Emma J., a trained nurse formerly lo- cated in Charlotte, N. C., now residing at home; William S., residing in Colorado, who is a train dispatcher for the Denver & Rio Grande; Harry L., who died at the age of thirty-three years; Frank H., of Butler ; Flora B., wife of Thomas E. Davis, of Butler; and Mary L., wife of A. G. Denny, residing on the old Walker home- stead.

W. I. SIPE, proprietor of a general store at Fenelton, Butler County, Pennsyl- vania, is one of the most active and pro- gressive men of that village and is identi- fied with various business interests. He was born on the old Sipe homestead in Clearfield Township, which his father now owns and which was settled at an early date by his grandfather, John Sipe, Sr. The date of his birth is June 8, 1879, and he is a son of William S. and Callie (Pon- tius) Sipe, his mother being now deceased.

Mr. Sipe was reared on the farm and received his educational training in the old Brady School, the Chicora High School and the Cochranton Preparatory School, being a graduate of those institutions. He engaged in teaching in Butler County for three years, after which he held a position one year as traveling salesman. He then purchased of F. P. Gormley the store he now owns, and at first had W. P. Sipe, his brother, as a partner, later buying out his interest. He came to this village in 1901 and has progressed with it, his stock hav- ing been more than doubled in the time which has since elapsed. He has contrib- uted largely toward the development of

the community, identifying himself with all measures and enterprises calculated to be a benefit. He is an oil operator, hav- ing a well in operation which promises good results. He also is a prime mover in a telephone company, now in its infancy, which will give the farmers good service at the minimum cost. Its lines will ter- minate at the south border of the town, and there connect with Chicora by trunks, giving it the advantage of a large ex- change. Mr. Sipe has a large acquaintance throughout this section, and is most highly esteemed.

September 10, 1901, W. I. Sipe was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth C. Miller, a daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Kratz) Miller. Her father was a well known farmer and oil operator of Clear- field Township. Three children were born of this union: Harry Melanchthon Wes- ley, deceased; Alberta Marie and Howard Isaiah. Religiously, they are members of the Methodist Church, and Mr. Sipe has served as Sunday school superintendent and class leader. He was formerly an ac- tive member of the Woodmen of the World, but since his removal to the village has been unable to attend its meetings.

HENRY M. WISE, a substantial citizen and leading business man of Harmony, where he conducts an extensive lumber business, was born at Harmony, Butler County, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1854, and is a son of Jacob F. and Sarah (Moyer) Wise.

The Wise family is of German extrac- tion and it was established in Bucks Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, by the great-grand- father. The grandfather, John Wise, was born in Bucks County, there married and then moved to a farm in Beaver County, where he died, aged fifty years. His widow lived to be eighty-eight years old. They had the following children: Jacob. John, Killian, Samuel, Catherine, Mary, Henry and Hannah. The survivors are:

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Mary, wife of Henry Moyer; Hannah, wife of John Y. Zeigler, and Samuel, who lives in Beaver County.

Jacob F. Wise, father of Henry M., was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jan- uary 12, 1818, and accompanied his par- ents to Beaver County. He married Sarah Moyer, a daughter of Benjamin Moyer, who came to Butler County from east of the Allegheny Mountains and settled in Lancaster Township. The Moyer children were: John, who died in Indiana; Henry, who lives at Harmony; Samuel, who also lives at Harmony; Elizabeth, deceased. was the wife of Conrad Stamm, of Beaver County; Sarah; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Peter Otto; Susan, who is the widow of a Fosbeiner, and Catherine, wid- ow of Peter Textor, formerly lived at Pittsburg, but now resides in Jackson Township.

When Jacob F. Wise came first to Jack- son Township, Butler County, he went to work for Abram Zeigler, whose daughter he subsequently married, and to that union there were born five children, namely : Abram, who died in infancy; Nancy, de- ceased, who married Jacob Rice, of But- ler; John and Jacob, twins, died aged twenty-seven and twenty-eight years, re- spectively; Mary, widow of Conrad Nick- las, lives in Connoquenessing Borough. The second marriage was to the mother of Henry M. Wise and he was their second child, the other members of the family be- ing: Alfred, residing at Butler; Benja- min, residing at Spokane, State of Wash- ington; Susan, postmistress at Harmony, and the widow of Jacob Fiedler; Levi, an attorney at law, and the editor of the But- ler Eagle; Sarah, widow of J. R. Moore, of Ben Avon, Allegheny County; Israel, residing on the old homestead farm near Harmony; Noah, residing at Zelienople; Jeremiah, deceased, and Catherine (de- ceased), who married Edward Stauffer. The father of the above family followed farming and his death took place on the

home farm near Harmony. The vener- able mother of Mr. Wise died October 29, 1908, aged eighty-three years.

After completing the usual district school course, Henry M. Wise attended school in Zelienople for six months, where better advantages were afforded. In 1870 he took charge of a distillery, which he conducted until 1875. In the following year he entered the Harmony Savings Bank as cashier and remained there until 1884, when he embarked in a lumber busi- ness and has maintained his interest in this line ever since, dealing extensively. He has many other interests and is vice president of the First National Bank of Zelienople.

In 1877 Mr. Wise was married to Miss Jeanette Lusk, who is a daughter of the late Dr. Joseph A. Lusk, formerly of Har- mony, later of Butler, where he died. His widow survives and resides in the latter city. Mr. and Mrs. Wise have had two children, Howard and Joseph, the latter of whom died when aged eight months. The former resides at Harmony and is as- sociated with his father in the lumber busi- ness. He married Miss Annie Anderson of Rochester, Pa., a daughter of Mrs. G. Anderson, and has one child, Henry How- ard, born November 30, 1908.

Mr. and Mrs. Wise are members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican and is serving in his third term as justice of the peace. He is an in- fluential member of his party and for a number of years has served on the Repub- lican County Committee. He is identified with the leading fraternal organizations. belonging to Harmony Masonic Lodge, No. 429; Harmony Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 648; Harmony Knights of Pythias, No. 311; the Royal Arcanum, No. 698, and the Knights of Maccabees.

JOHN R. HENNINGER, attorney at law at Butler, where he is numbered with the leading members of his profession, was

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born April 12, 1870, in Penn Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Frederick Henninger.

Frederick Henninger was born in Ger- many and came to Butler County in the fifties. In 1868 he purchased his present farm in Penn Township and is one of the prominent men of the county.

John R. Henninger was reared on the home farm and from the country schools entered Edinboro and Clarion State Nor- mal Schools, and was graduated from the latter institution in 1892. While teaching school he prepared for Dickin Law School and was graduated therefrom with the de- gree of B. L., in 1896. He immediately located at Butler. He has been concerned in many important cases of litigation in the local courts and in the Superior and Supreme Courts. He is a member of the Butler County Bar Association. For three years he served in the important office of district attorney, being elected on the Democratic ticket. On November 3, 1897, Mr. Henninger was married to Miss Mar- garet Weber, who was born also in Penn Township. Mr. and Mrs. Henninger are members of the English Lutheran Church at Butler.

LEWIS B. OESTERLING, who owns a fertile farm of fifty-seven acres, which is situated just east of Carbon Center, on the line separating Summit and Clearfield Townships, carries on a general farming business and engages in teaming when his land does not need his attention. He was born in Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1868, and is a son of Leonard and Margaret (Floor) Oester- ling, who are venerable and respected resi- dents of Carbon Center.

Lewis B. Oesterling was less than two years old when his parents came to Sum- mit Township and here he was reared and educated. He is the youngest son and next to the youngest member of his par- ents' family of twelve children. He came

to his present farm in the spring of 1905.

Mr. Oesterling married Clara Pfaff, who is next to the youngest member of her par- ents' family of nine children, the others being: Mrs. Margaret McMillen, Anna Catherine, Harry, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Fennel, Mrs. Freda Faber, Mrs. Louisa Esler, Mrs. Laura Cowan and William. All are living except Mrs. Fennel, who died May 26, 1908. The parents of Mrs. Oes- terling were Nicholas and Anna Margaret (Reibold) Pfaff, both of whom were born in Germany. The father came to Amer- ica when he was twenty years of age and the mother when aged eleven years. They lived at Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, where the father worked for a time in the coal mines and then bought the farm on which he died in 1904. The mother still survives.

Mr. and Mrs. Oesterling have three chil- dren: Leonard Paul, Nicholas Pfaff and Anna Margaret. The family belong to the German Lutheran Church.

JACOB C. BRANDON, Justice of the Peace in the borough of Connoquenessing, belongs to one of the old and substantial families of Butler County. He owns a valuable farm of sixty-eight acres, situ- ated in Connoquenessing Township, but he was born in Forward Township, Janu- ary 15, 1844. His parents were John W. and Ruth Ann Catherine (Beighley) Bran- don.

John W. Brandon, father of Jacob C., was born in Forward Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, September 6, 1814, a son of John and Sarah Brandon. He grew to manhood under the parental roof and then acquired land of his own, in Con- noquenessing Township, where he engaged in farming through life and died there Sep- tember 9, 1890. This farm became widely known for its richness in oil. In early life he was a Whig and later a Republican, but during his last years was affiliated with the Prohibition party and served as chair-

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man of its county committee. He served one term as county commissioner and for many years was a justice of the peace. He was a leading member of the Mt. Nebo Presbyterian Church and one of its elders. John W. Brandon married Ruth Ann Cath- erine Beighley, December 24, 1840. She was born in Connoquenessing Township, Butler County, March 17, 1820, and still survives. This venerable lady is a mem- ber of the Second Presbyterian Church at Butler. There were ten children born to this marriage, as follows: William W., residing in Connoquenessing Township; Sarah Jane, wife of Peter H. Eckert, of Kansas; Jacob C .; John Calvin, deceased; Susan, wife of John A. Brandon, of Con- noquenessing Township; Martha Elmina, wife of Samuel Wright, of Zelienople; Quincy, deceased; Washington D .; James E. and Junius, deceased.

The paternal grandfather, John Bran- don, was of Dutch extraction. He served in the War of 1812 and was the founder of the family in Butler County. It was remarkable that he should have become a man of importance and means in the new settlement, as he suffered all the rest of his life from injuries received during his military service. His father, William Brandon, was born in Holland and be- longed to the House of Brandenburg. He was a soldier in his own land before com- ing to the Colonies and served in the Pa- triot army through the whole of the Revo- lutionary War. After its close, William Brandon settled in Mercer County, Penn- sylvania, but did not long survive. He married Sarah Livingston, who came of a French Huguenot family, who had escaped from France and gone first to Scotland and subsequently crossed the Atlantic and settled in Eastern Pennsylvania. They had six sons. In religious faith the fam- ily has been Presbyterian for generations.

The maternal grandfather of Jacob C. Brandon was John Beighley. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl-

vania, and was four years old when his parents brought him to Butler County. The family lived in Connoquenessing Township, where John Beighley followed milling for a time and then went as a pio- neer to Wisconsin, where both he and his wife died. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. His father was Henry Beighley, who was also born in Westmoreland Coun- ty, and his father, the great-great-grand- father of J. C. Brandon, was born on the sea during the passage of his parents from Germany to America. The tracing of these old families brings to light many interest- ing facts and in considering the exploits of these hardy people who dared so much and faced so bravely the hardships which met them on every side, the conviction must be forced on their descendants that they were, indeed, people of intrinsic worth and forebears whose deeds and virtues de- serve to make their names perpetuated.

Jacob C. Brandon was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the district schools. He has always been interested in farming to some degree, and is a skilled carpenter, doing all his own work in this line and quite a large amount for his neighbors. In 1868 Mr. Brandon went to Kansas, taking up a homestead there and remained in Washington Coun- ty, in that State, until 1873. For fifteen years prior to 1905, he engaged in the brick manufacturing business, first at Grove City, in 1891, removing his plant to Butler, where he continued the business until 1905, giving employment to about fif- teen workmen. He then returned to the farm and gives attention to its cultivation, although he has other interests that also claim his attention. Formerly this farm was very rich in oil and there remains one very valuable producing well.

In his political views, Mr. Brandon is a Prohibitionist. He has always been a loyal citizen and in August, 1862, he en- listed in Company D, One Hundred Thirty- seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,

LEONARD OESTERLING, SR.

LEONARD OESTERLING, JR.

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and served nine months in the Army of the Potomac. He has never sought political office, but on many occasions his fellow citizens have elected him to positions of civic responsibility. He is serving his township at present as assessor and in the office of justice of the peace. He was one of the organizers of the Connoquenessing Telephone Company, a very prosperous local enterprise, of which he is secretary.

Mr. Brandon was married (first) to Miss Nancy Steen, a daughter of William Steen, of Connoquenessing Township, and six of their children grew to maturity, namely : William J., a United Presbyterian minis- ter, who is a missionary in the Punjaub District, India; Ella, who is the wife of Rev. John A. Erbe, of Perrysville, Ohio; Cameron G., who resides at Butler; Ethel Clare, who is the wife of C. B. Miller, su- perintendent of the Hammond Steel Car Works, and Orry Dight and Loyal J., both at home. The mother of these children died May 31, 1901, aged fifty-seven years. She was a consistent member of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. Brandon was married (second) to Miss Mary White, of Mercer County. They are leading mem- bers of the United Presbyterian Church.

LEONARD OESTERLING., Sr., a well known and much esteemed resident of Car- bon Center, residing on his valuable farm of 100 acres, was born in the harbor of Bremen, Germany, after his parents had embarked for America, April 18, 1831, and was two weeks old when the vessel got under way. He is a son of John and Eliza- beth (Ripper) Oesterling.

After reaching Pennsylvania, the par- ents of Mr. Oesterling settled on a farm in Summit Township, Butler County, near the present village of Herman, but in six weeks' time moved to a more desirable place, the old Oesterling homestead, which is situated near where the Summit road crosses the old State road, in Summit

Township. Both parents died on that farm.

Leonard Oesterling was about six years old when his father and mother settled on the old farm above mentioned and he con- tinued to live there until he was twenty- one, when he married and afterward re- sided for a year and a half on a rented farm in Summit Township and then moved to Brady's Bend, Armstrong County. For sixteen following years, Mr. Oesterling worked in the rolling mills there and then returned to Summit Township, buying his present farm in 1870. He continued to work two more years in Armstrong County, in the mills and then took up his residence in Summit Township, where he engaged in farming until a few years since, when he retired, turning the active operation of the farm over to his sons.

In 1852 Mr. Oesterling was married to Margaret Floor, who was born in Ger- many and was eighteen years old when she came to America, leaving her parents in the old country. Of Mr. and Mrs. Oes- terling's children two died at birth. The survivors were as follows: John, who owns over 100 acres of land in Summit Township, is a well known citizen; Mary, who is the widow of William Kellerman, resides in Summit Township; Adam, who died aged nine months; Leonard, Jr., a substantial farmer of Summit Township; George, who died aged one year; Simon, who died aged nine months; Maggie, who married Morgan Davis, of Butler; Will- iam, who is a farmer and oil man of Sum- mit County; Lewis Benjamin, who is also one of Summit Township's representative men; Emma, who died aged one year; and Annie, who is the wife of William Regar, of Clearfield Township. Mr. Oesterling is a member of the German Lutheran Church.

LEONARD OESTERLING, Jr., gen- eral farmer in Summit Township near

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Carbon Center, residing on his farm of fifty acres, has also been engaged in oil contracting for the past twenty years. He was born at Brady's Bend, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, September 29, 1856, and is a son of Leonard and Margaret (Floor) Oesterling.

The venerable parents of Mr. Oesterling still survive and reside at Carbon Center, aged respectively eighty and seventy- seven years. The father was born on the ship on which his parents had embarked for America, before it left the harbor of Bremen, Germany, and his infant cries were lulled by the sounds of the sea dur- ing the long passage. His father, John Oesterling, brought his wife and infant son to Summit Township, Butler County. The latter grew to manhood on the home farm and after his marriage he moved to Armstrong County, where, for twenty- three years he worked as a puddler in the rolling mills. In 1869 he bought and moved to the farm on which he still lives, it adjoining the one owned by his son, Leonard.

Leonard Oesterling, Jr.,. was fourteen years of age when his parents returned to Summit Township and this has been his home ever since. For twenty years he has been in the oil business as a contractor driller and is well and favorably known over the whole district. He is also a suc- cessful farmer. His property was first purchased by his father from the heirs of Joseph Gold, and in 1895 Mr. Oesterling bought it of his father and has made the many excellent improvements, including the building of house and barns.

Mr. Oesterling married Rachel Knouse, who is a daughter of Andrew Knouse, a well known citizen, and they have six chil- dren, namely: Lewis Edward, who oper- ates a pumping station for the Standard Oil Company at New Cumberland, West Virginia; Annie, who is the wife of Henry Carter, of Little Washington, Pennsyl- vania; Harry, who is engaged in a black-

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 114

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