Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 59

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1058

USA > Pennsylvania > Lawrence County > New Castle > Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th > Part 59

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persecution for their faith in both coun- tries. It would seem from this that the date of the family's emigration from France must be put much earlier than 1689, possibly a hundred years earlier, or during the persecution that followed the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1582. It would also appear that the family, like most of the Huguenot exodus, failed to keep together on quitting their native France. Some, we know, went to the Brit- ish Isles, others are reported in Germany, and the head of the family went to Switz- erland, where his descendants occupy, to this day, a large estate called Le Chate- lard Montreaux, near Chillon. It may be remarked in passing that Captain Marquis' daughter, Laura, is now (1908) on a visit to Switzerland, in company with the Rev. Marquis, of Beaver, and his sister, and during her tour abroad intends visiting the old family seat. The family seat is a magnificent old castle on a high bluff over- looking Lake Geneva. It ought to be added that the Swiss branch of the family has been a potent factor in the life of the lit- tle Alpine Republic for more than 200 years. One of its late members for a num- ber of years was Grand Counsellor or At- torney General of the Republic. His widow and children are still living on the Montreaux estate.

According to the more probable of the traditions mentioned above, the family were Dissenters in England, as they had been Protestants in France, and when it was made uncomfortable for them there they removed to Scotland during the reign of James I., or Charles I. From there, in the course of time, they crossed to Ireland and settled in Letterkenny, County Done- gal. How long they were there is not known.

The authentic history of the American branch begins with the year 1720, when William Marquis and his wife, Mary, emi- grated from Letterkenny to Frederick County, Maryland, crossing the ocean in a ship called the Mayflower, named for its illustrious predecessor which brought the

Pilgrims a century before. After living a few years in Maryland, they removed to Virginia and settled near the present site of Winchester, at a point called Opequon. The battle of Winchester, during the Civil War, is said to have been fought on the land taken up by them on their settlement in that state. After they arrived in Amer- ica, William and Mary Marquis had born to them one son and one daughter. The latter married a man by the name of Wil- son, who was somewhat noted in his day as a scholar and educator. James Mar- quis, the son, married and became the fath- er of four sons and three daughters. The sons were named: William, John, James and Thomas. While these children were small the father was killed by a falling tree, leaving the support and training of his family to his sister and her husband, who were childless. Owing to their home in the Wilson household, the children re- ceived a much better education than most young men and women of their day. The two younger boys, John and Thomas, were members of the Virginia Colonial militia and took part, in 1774, in what is known in history as Lord Dunmore's Rebellion. The story of that campaign, with the treachery of the governor, his betrayal of part of his troops into the hands of the Indians on the banks of the Ohio, and the bloody battle of Point Pleasant that fol- lowed, is too well known to require repeti- tion here. The governor, it seems, disap- pointed in his scheme to wipe out the Scotch-Irish troops in his colony, whom he cordially feared and hated, disbanded their regiments in the wilderness and allowed the men to make their way back to civiliza- tion the best they could. The two Mar- quis men set out together through what is now southeastern Ohio, the panhandle of West Virginia and southwestern Pennsyl- vania, in as straight a line for Winchester as they could follow. As might have been expected, they were hotly chased by Indi- ans until they reached the Ohio River. At one period of their journey they ran almost continuously for five days and

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nights, with no food but the bits of dried flesh they could pull from their deerskin blankets, sometimes eating it raw, as they ran. After crossing the Ohio at the mouth of Cross Creek, near where Wellsburg, W. Va., now is, they followed the creek to its headwaters at Cross Creek Village, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Al- though this region was almost unsettled then, the brothers were so pleased with its appearance that they determined to return the next year and begin a settlement. This they did in the spring of 1776 or, possibly, in the autumn of 1775. They left their families in Virginia, but brought with them a company of hardy pioneers who were ready to hew out homes in the wilderness. The first things they needed in those days was a fort for protection against the In- dians, and as soon as the party arrived they built two, Well's Fort, three miles west, and Vance's Fort, one mile north of what is now the village of Cross Creek. The remnants of the latter can still be seen on the farm of James Vance, a de- scendant of William Vance, a member of the Virginia expedition, who had married one of the three Marquis sisters.

It was near Vance's Fort that John and Thomas Marquis located. In the spring of 1777 they returned to Virginia for their families. The winter of 1777-78 was spent in the fort on account of the hostility of the Indians, and during the months of enforced inactivity, a notable thing happened. Rev. James Powers, said to have been the first Protestant minister west of the Alleghany Mountains, and who had been preaching to some of the older settlements east of the Monongahela, visited the fort and held services. A remarkable revival of religion took place in which the two Marquis men were converted. It changed the entire cur- rent of their lives. Before this they were types of that pioneer class called "border ruffians," with the virtues and vices of their kind, rough, hot-tempered, always ready for a fight and at home on the war- path; but brave, generous and loyal to their friends. The religious awakening

which marked the inception of the settle- ment also determined its history. For a century and a quarter the community which sprang up has been noted for its sturdy religious and moral conviction. The younger of the two Marquis brothers, Thomas, later became a Presbyterian min- ister, and for thirty-three years was pas- tor of the church at Cross Creek, which grew out of the revival at the fort. He was one of the most conspicuous ministers of his day, a man of remarkable force and so eloquent of speech as to earn for him far and wide the title of the "Silver- tongued." His brother became an elder in the same church and among the descen- dants of the two are more than a score of ministers and elders of the Presbyterian faith. The two older of the four brothers, William and James, remained in Virginia, although not a few of their sons and grand- sons found their way to Pennsylvania in the closing years of the eighteenth and opening decades of the nineteenth cen- turies. It would be impossible, in a sketch of this kind, to follow the family as such, further. Our purpose has been to trace its general history until its settlement in Pennsylvania. A curious change in the family name has taken place in the last eighty or ninety years. The two brothers who came from Virginia spelled their name Marques, as the southern branch do to this day; but, for some unknown reason, those who came north adopted Marquis. Which was the original form is uncertain.

From Washington County, the grand- father of Captain Marquis, Samuel Mar- quis, crossed the Ohio northward, about the close of the eighteenth century, and located in the western part of Beaver County. This region was then an utter wilderness, where the pioneer struggle to make a home had to be fought out. The traditions of the family do not mention any trouble with the Indians in the new home, as their fathers had a generation before in Washington County, but there was many a battle with wolves and bears that would make thrilling reading in these days. Sam-

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HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

uel Marquis, with all its hardships and pri- vations in this wilderness, reared a family of ten children, six sons and four daughters.

John Marquis, the fourth son and the father of Captain Marquis, was a boy just old enough to ride horseback when the emi- gration from Washington County took place. John Marquis grew to a hardy man- hood in the free air of its woods, and, in the course of time, married Miss Eliza- beth McMillen, a name much revered in Western Pennsylvania. To them were born five sons and one daughter, namely : David, James, Samuel, William H., Milton S. and Martha. All these children were reared in Beaver County and from there entered on the careers of their choice. David, the eldest, practiced medicine in Eastern Ohio and died not many years since at New Lis- bon, where he is survived by a son, who is also a physician. James, Samuel and Will- iam were river men and two of them lo- cated at New Orleans and one at Mobile. The only sister, Martha, married Josiah Putney, and died in 1869.

Captain Marquis is the sole survivor of his parents' family. He resided in Beaver County until he was twenty-five years of age, attending the public schools of New Brighton until he was fifteen years old, when he went on the river and "keel- boated" between Beaver and Pittsburg. As a boy, he showed the energy, persever- ance and enthusiasm for work that made him so successful in later years. At sev- enteen, he took employment on the old "Cross-cut Canal," between Pittsburg and Cleveland, beginning as a driver and rising rapidly, being appointed captain at nine- teen. He was put in charge of a boat owned by John Reeves, carrying both freight and passengers, and called the Ash- land Farmer. When it is recalled that the trip from Pittsburg to Cleveland by canal boat required four days, and that he would have in his charge fifty pass- engers and thousands of dollars' worth of freight, the scope of his responsibility and the confidence placed in him can be under-

stood. He was but a boy of nineteen and his position was one that men of mature experience coveted. Captain Marquis re- mained on the canal and the Ohio River for twenty-eight years, rising from an employe to one of the largest owners of vessels then plying their waters. At one time he was part owner of a fleet of fourteen boats on the canal, and part owner of a steamer on the river. In the meantime he did not confine himself to his river and canal enter- prise, but was a pioneer in the develop- ment of the coal and limestone interests about New Castle, Pa. He was equally successful in these, and when the canal closed in 1867, he disposed of his boats and enlarged his coal and limestone enter- prises and founded a new mercantile es- tablishment which became very profitable. In all these ventures, both on the canal and later, he was associated with many men as partners and colleagues, but with one the partnership was so intimate and pro- longed that it deserves mention. Capt. O. H. P. Green was his partner for thirty- eight years, and between the two men a friendship rare and beautiful grew up.

In 1855 Captain Marquis settled at New Castle, which became the scene of most of his activities after leaving the canal. In 1885 he purchased the interests of his partners in their limestone enterprises and continued thereafter to manage them alone. About this time he established a brick man- ufacturing plant, which was then one of the largest in the country, having a ca- pacity of 100,000 brick a day, which was a phenomenal output at that time. In this business he continued until 1901, when his health became infirm, and on the advice of his physicians he withdrew from active participation in the enterprises which he had built up. For eighteen months he trav- eled through the South and West and the West Indies. After regaining his health, he established the Home Trust Company at New Castle, of which he is still the head. His remarkable energy and public spirit made him a factor in almost every great industry located in the growing and pros-

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perous region in which he resides. He has been a founder and builder all his life, and in this generation of successful business men and large enterprises, he has been a leader.

On August 8, 1854, he led to the altar Miss Martha Stoffer, who still survives after more than fifty years of happy wed- ded life. To them were born eight chil- dren, one dying in infancy. Elizabeth, the eldest, became Mrs. Frank Biddle, and is now a widow, living at Morgantown, W. Va. Misses Laura and Ida M. are with their parents at New Castle. Will- iam H. married Carrie Elizabeth Jones and is associated with his father in busi- ness, as is his brother, Frank. Grace G. married Charles Greer, and, with her hus- band, resides near the old home at New Castle. Charles, a most promising young man, died not many years ago in the bloom of early manhood.

In middle life, Captain Marquis became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at New Castle, and has been active and devoted in his Christian life and serv- ices ever since. He is an earnest advocate of the rugged principles of Methodism as preached by the Wesleys. His religious life, ever since he made a profession of his faith, has been very marked, and he has thrown himself into the services of his church and his Lord with the same energy and devotion he gave to his business. In politics he was identified with the Repub- lican party until the organization of the Prohibition party, when he went over to it and has been one of its stanchest and most liberal supporters in its history. He will long be remembered by those who know him, not only as a clear-headed, suc- cessful business man, but chiefly because of his tender heart and Christian devotion. Wherever he has lived he has been known as the friend of the poor and the pattern of the young. No young man willing to work hard and meet life bravely has ever gone away from Captain Marquis without an encouraging word and a helping hand.

HORACE R. DUNGAN, one of North Beaver Township's representative citizens, resides on his excellent farm of fifty acres, which lies on the Small's Ferry road, just south of the Mount Jackson-Petersburg lower road. He was born on this farm in North Beaver Township, Lawrence Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1857, and is a son of Hon. Thomas and Cynthia (Ham- ill) Dungan.

The late Hon. Thomas Dungan was one of Lawrence County's prominent men and was a leading factor in public life for a number of years. He was born in Hol- liday's Cove, W. Va., and was a son of Robert Dungan. Thomas Dungan came to Western Pennsylvania a young and ambitious man. He settled on land which is now the site of Mount Air, which farm he sold in 1856 and moved on the farm which is now owned by his son, Horace R. His occupation through life was farming, but public affairs claimed a large measure of his attention. He was the first representative sent from Law- rence County to the General Assembly and served two terms, and he secured the charter for the courthouse and the old cemetery at New Castle. He died on the present farm July 10, 1873, aged seventy- five years. He was married (first) to Jane Witherspoon and (second) to Cyn- thia Hamill. The latter was a daughter of Nathaniel Hamill, who was a soldier in the War of 1812. The second Mrs. Dungan died April 21, 1903, having been the mother of four children, namely: Alonzo H., who died in boyhood; Horace R., Emmet Wil- son, residing at Mount Air, and Charles, who died in California. There were eleven children born to Thomas Dungan by his first marriage: Mollie, who died in the spring of 1908, was the wife of James Mc- Laughlin; Harriet, deceased, was the wife of William Davidson; Thomas Stephen, deceased; Deborah, deceased, was the wife of William Miller; Betsey Jane, deceased; Robert H., residing at Mechanicstown, Ohio; William W., residing at Hastings,

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Neb .; George, residing at Hastings; John Mitchell, residing at New Castle; Quinton Albert, residing at Lincoln, Neb., and Thomas Edwin, who died in infancy.

The old home farm has always been Mr. Dungan's home and he has given his attention to cultivating its acres and im- proving its natural advantages ever since he reached manhood. He is a member of the Bethel United Presbyterian Church, and it was his great-grandfather, John Lackey, who donated the land on which this church stands. Mr. Dungan's imme- diate family and its connections have all been people of high standing and useful- ness in this section for many years.

WILLIAM BECKER, who served as sheriff of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, from 1894 to 1897, has been a resident of New Castle for more than sixty years. He was prominently identified with the busi- ness interests of the city for a long term of years, and, although now living in re- tirement, still retains various property in- terests. He was born in Germany March 28, 1833, and is a son of Christian and Amelia (Krops) Becker.

Christian Becker moved with his family to America in 1842, landing at Baltimore on July 6 of that year. He immediately wended his way westward to Pittsburg, where he worked as journeyman at the blacksmith trade until 1846. In April of the latter year he moved with his family to New Castle, Pa., and, with four sons, worked in the rolling mill. He later established a blacksmith shop of his own and continued at that until his death.

William Becker was nine years of age when brought to America by his parents. Upon their removal to New Castle in 1846, he became a rolling-mill worker and con- tinued as such for nine years. In 1856 he established a meat market in the old market house on the Diamond, where the Soldiers' Monument now stands. He en- joyed a remunerative trade and continued that business with uninterrupted success for a period of thirty years. He then

purchased the building now occupied by Brown & Hamilton, and for nine years suc- cessfully engaged in the hardware busi- ness. At the end of that time he disposed of both building and store, and has since lived in practical retirement. He is still financially interested in the New Castle Wholesale Grocery Company, and is owner of the grounds on which the New Castle Golf Club is located, as well as residence property in the city. He is a man of wide acquaintance through the county, and is held in high esteem. As sheriff he made a record of which he may well feel proud, and added greatly to his popularity among the people.

Mr. Becker was joined in marriage, No- vember 27, 1855, with Miss Belinda Weak- ley, a daughter of Robert Weakley, who was a soldier in the War of 1812. She was born and reared in Mercer County. The following children were the issue of this marriage: Elizabeth, wife of Hiram Hartsuff; Clara, who died at the age of twenty-seven years; Ida May, wife of Rob- ert C. Howe, and Anna, wife of Harold Blakeley. Fraternally, Mr. Becker has been very active as an Odd Fellow, having become affiliated with that order as early as February 5, 1855; he also is a member of the Masonic Order. He has traveled extensively, both in this country and abroad, having made three trips to Europe, being accompanied by his wife upon two occasions. He is a progressive and pub- lic-spirited man and a credit to the com- munity.

HON. HENRY S. BLATT, who is a prominent factor in the business and finan- cial circles of Lawrence County, Pennsyl- vania, is a well known citizen of Ellwood City. He was born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, August 26, 1845, and is a son of Jonas and Hannah (Grove) Blatt.

Jonas Blatt was born in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, and was in his teens when he moved to French Creek Township, Mercer County, some time between 1835 and 1840. He was joined in marriage with

HON. HENRY S. BLATT.

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Hannah Grove, a daughter of Abram and Elizabeth Grove, who arrived in Mercer County at an early date and died there. To Jonas and Hannah Blatt were born the following children: Rachel Elizabeth, who married R. S. Hogue and resides on the old home farm; Mary Catherine, deceased wife of Albert Glenn; Isabel, who married Frank D. Muse, lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Henry S.

Henry S. Blatt received his education in the public schools at Sandy Lake, and at New Lebanon Academy. He learned the trade of a carriage-maker, which he fol- lowed for seven years, then engaged in the hardware business at Sandy Lake. He has continued in that business since and in 1891 established the business of the H. S. Blatt Hardware Company, incorporated, at Ellwood City. He met with great suc- cess and soon branched into other fields of business. In 1900 he organized the Ell- wood City National Bank, with a capital stock of $75,000, and served as its presi- dent until the institution liquidated in 1904. He next organized and was presi- dent of the Ellwood City Trust Company, which had a capital stock of $250,000. The Trust Company liquidated in January, 1908, and consolidated with the First Na- tional Bank of Ellwood City, which has a capital stock of $100,000. He at that time retired from the presidency, but is now vice-president and director of the First National Bank ; vice-president and director of the Standard Engineering Company ; president of the Glen Manufacturing Com- pany of Ellwood City; director and stock- holder of the Pittsburg Company, which purchased the site and founded the town of Ellwood City; president and director of the Beaver and Ellwood Railroad Com- pany; vice-president and director of the Ellwood Water Company; director of the Pennsylvania Power Company; vice-presi- dent and director of the Ellwood Hotel Company ; and is a stockholder and direc- tor in the International Savings and Trust Company of Pittsburg. He has large realty holdings in the county, and is one

of its most substantial and influential men. He was without a dollar to call his own at the time of his marriage, and his great suc- cess has been brought about by the exer- cise of keen business sagacity, unceasing toil and close application to his business interests. He is truly a self-made man in every sense the term implies, and it can be said his good fortune has not resulted from the misfortunes of others. He is a man who enjoys the greatest confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, and has a wide acquaintance throughout North- western Pennsylvania.

In 1863 Mr. Blatt was united in marriage with Miss Hannah MeClure, a daughter of James and Hannah (Gamble) McClure of Mercer County, and they are parents of six children, as follows: Charles H., who is interested in the H. S. Blatt Hardware Company, but during the past four years has traveled in search of health, being at the present time located at Denver, Colo. He married Miss Lydia Parks. James J., who resides in Ellwood City; William R., who is teller of the International Savings and Trust Company of Pittsburg, and Catherine, widow of James F. Hainer, who was manager of the H. S. Blatt Hardware Company.

Hon. H. S. Blatt has been very active in the ranks of the Republican party and has frequently been called upon to fill of- fices high in public trust. Upon reaching his majority he was elected justice of the peace, and when twenty-six years of age, in 1874-1875, represented Mercer County in the General Assembly at Harrisburg. He served one term as burgess of Ellwood City, and in 1898 was appointed postmas- ter of Ellwood City, but resigned at the end of his third year in order to accept the presidency of Ellwood City National Bank. Fraternally, he is a member of Blue Lodge, F. & A. M., at Ellwood City; New Castle Commandry, K. T .; Knights and Ladies of Honor, being chairman of the finance committee of the Supreme Lodge; and of the Ancient Order United Workmen. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs.

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Blatt are faithful members of the First Presbyterian Church of Ellwood City.

JOHN C. HOUK, general farmer, re- siding on his valuable farm of 100 acres, in Shenango Township, where he has eighty acres under cultivation, is one of the representative citizens of this section. He was born in Shenango Township, Law- rence County, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1850, and is a son of David and Margaret (Newton) Houk.

The Houk family was established in Law- rence County by Philip Houk, who came from New Jersey and settled in Wayne Township, where he acquired 150 acres of land, purchasing it from Ben Chew. The date of this transaction has not been estab- lished, but there is a record of one of his daughters marrying a John Newton, in Wayne Township, in 1792, the two fam- ilies having been closely identified for a long period. The above Philip was the great-grandfather of John C. Houk, and the grandfather had the same name, and he became a resident of Shenango Town- ship, where his son, David, was born. Da- vid Houk died in that township May 1, 1871, aged fifty-five years. He was a gen- eral farmer and stock-raiser, and at vari- ous times in his life held township offices, to which he was elected on the Repub- lican ticket. He married a daughter of John Newton, of Wayne Township, and seven of their ten children grew to ma- turity, namely: Samuel, deceased; Nar- cissa, deceased, married John Newton; Nina, deceased, married Arthur A. New- ton, also deceased; Alexander M., residing in Shenango Township; John C., Mary Ann, deceased, and Preston, residing in Slippery Rock Township. The parents of the above family were members of the Slippery Rock Presbyterian Church.

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Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 59

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co. Number of Pages: 1058

Author: Hazen, Aaron L. (Aaron Lyle), 1837- comp. and ed. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1058