Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 61

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 61

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On September 30, 1884, Mr. Kemm was married to Mary Galloway, who was born in Venango County, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of John M. and Nancy (De France) Galloway. John M. Galloway was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was brought to America by his parents when two years of age. He resided many years in Mercer County and died in 1888. The mother of

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Mrs. Kemm was a daughter of one of the oldest settlers of Mercer County. Mrs. Kemm has one brother, Emmet D., who re- sides at Leesburg, Mercer County. Mr. and Mrs. Kemm have had three children: Claude C., Edith N. and Beulah B., the lat- ter being the only survivor.

For a number of years Mr. Kemm has been a man of prominence in Lawrence County and has served as president of the Board of Auditors. He is a member of the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church at New Castle.

WILLIAM A. FULLERTON, a repre- sentative agriculturist of North Beaver Township for many years, now prac- tically retired, is one of the prominent citizens and substantial men of this section. He resides on his valuable farm of 130 acres, which is situated on the Enon high- way, one and one-half miles southwest of Mt. Jackson, on which he was born, July 8, 1840, in the old house that is still standing. His parents were Alexander Sharp and Jane (Allsworth) Fullerton.

The grandfather, James Fullerton, es- tablished this family in Lawrence County, coming to North Beaver Township in 1801, from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he was born July 14, 1773. In 1793 he visited Beaver Point and was so favor- ably impressed with the country that in 1797 he came and made a permanent set- tlement. The land that he then entered was later known as the Fullerton home- stead and was situated at the cross-roads, about one and one-half miles west of the home of his grandson, William A. Fuller- ton. He secured a large tract of land, prob- ably 640 acres, all of which was then a dense forest. He cleared a spot large enough to erect on it a log cabin 12 by 14 feet in dimensions. It was of the regula- tion pioneer pattern, with a generous fire- place in one end, puncheon floor and with roof of boards hewn out by hand with the most primitive tools. In 1801 he obtained a deed for his land and in the latter part of the same year he returned to Cumberland

County, where a maiden, then nineteen years of age, awaited his promised coming. On December 25, 1801, he married Mar- garet Sharp, who was born November 7, 1782. She proved a true, loving and brave wife, cheerfully facing all the privations of the early years of pioneering. When she left the old home to cross the mountains with her sturdy young husband, she carried with her a willow branch broken from one of the old homestead trees, and when she reached the rude cabin home she carefully planted it near the spring. The vitality of the willow is well known and doubtless she carefully nurtured the little branch and re- joiced when she saw that it took kindly to its new surroundings. It grew and flour- ished, becoming a tree of immense girth, and under its shade her children and grandchildren played through happy child- hood. She survived her husband, who died December 26, 1847. Her death took place August 6, 1854. James Fullerton and wife lived useful, virtuous and dignified lives and set a high standard, and the family has always sustained the same reputation. They had the following children: Mary, Margaret, James, Bathsheba, Robert, Alex- ander, John and Nancy.

Alexander Sharp Fullerton was born in North Beaver Township, Lawrence Coun- ty, Pennsylvania. His life was devoted to agricultural pursuits. On June 28, 1836, he was married to Jane Allsworth and they lived and died on the present farm. They had five children, all of whom survive ex- cept the eldest, namely: Margaret, who married N. V. Leslie; John McCune; Will. iam A .; Mary Jane, and Isabella.

William A. Fullerton grew to manhood on his present farm and since leaving school has devoted himself largely to its cultivation and improvement. He owns fine farming land aggregating 242 acres, divided into three farms. He married Mar- garet Ann Dalzell, a daughter of Hugh Dalzell, and they have had five children, namely: Alexander Harry, Samuel D., Hugh Lee, William Sharp, and John, the latter of whom died aged two and one-half

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HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

years. Hugh Lee is an electrical engineer, having graduated at the Allegheny Univer- sity. The family belong to the Westfield Presbyterian Church.

JOHN DOUGLAS COX, proprietor of the Chestnut Ridge farm, a tract of 145 acres of very fine land, which is situated in Shenango Township, was born in Pu- · laski Township, Lawrence County, Penn- sylvania, January 13, 1861, and is a son of Samuel M. and Sophia (Reynolds) Cox.

William Cox, the grandfather, was the founder of the family in America. He came from Ireland and at an early day set- tled in Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, where he engaged in farming. He married Esther Sankey and they had a family of sixteen children.

Samuel M. Cox, father of John D. Cox, was born in Mahoning Township, Law- rence County, where he followed in the footsteps of his father, cultivating his land and raising good stock and rearing a fam- ily to respected maturity. He was a stanch supporter of the Democratic party and fre- quently was elected to local offices, serving his township as supervisor and for many years as school director. He married Sophia Reynolds, who was a daughter of Robert Reynolds, of New Castle, and six of their children reached maturity, name- ly : Mary, who married Henry Cooper, of New Castle; Lewis, who resides in Pulaski Township; William H., who lives at New Castle; John Douglas; Charles, who lives on the old homestead engaged in farming, and Joseph, who is a physician and re- sides at New Castle. The mother of the above family was a good, earnest Christian woman, a devoted member of the Disciples Church.

John Douglas Cox received a common school education and remained on the home farm until his marriage, when he moved to North Beaver Township, where he re- mained until the spring of 1902, when he bought his present farm. Mr. Cox has 100 acres under cultivation and grows corn, oats, wheat and hay. He does a large

wholesale milk business and keeps fourteen head of cattle.

Mr. Cox married Mary Jennie, who is a daughter of John Le Moyne and Isophene (White) Pyle, the former of whom was born in Perry Township on a farm settled by his great-grandfather. The grandfather of Mrs. Cox was Caleb Pyle, who was born on that farm, of old Quaker stock, and it remains a family possession.

Mr. and Mrs. Cox have had eight chil- dren, the survivors being: Joseph L., Vera Belle, Iva May, Helen Esther, Eva Ger- trude and Anna Grace. A heavy bereave- ment came to the family in the death of a son, Samuel Carl, who passed away in June, 1908, aged twenty-three years. Their youngest child, Ruth, died October, 1906, aged nineteen months. Mr. and Mrs. Cox are members of Center United Presbyte- rian Church. He is not actively interested in politics, but follows his father in voting with the Democratic party. He is one of the township's most reliable and esteemed citizens.

JOHN ROBERTS, a respected citizen of Slippery Rock Township of wide busi- ness experience, is engaged in farming, and owns a farm of seventy-seven acres about eight miles east of New Castle. He was born in that part of Mercer County now included in Lawrence, May 14, 1839, and is a son of Owen and Martha (Williams) Roberts, and a grandson of Edward Rob- erts.

Edward Roberts, the grandfather, was born in Wales, and upon coming to the United States first located in the East, but in 1803 moved west to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where he was one of the pioneers. Owen Roberts was born in the eastern part of the United States and was in his boyhood when he accompanied his parents to Mercer County. He always fol- lowed stone cutting and farming. He mar- ried Martha Williams, a native of Mercer County, and they had the following chil- dren: Hiram, Sarah, Ann Miranda, John, James, Mary and Martha. The survivors

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are John and James, the latter of whom ty, Pennsylvania, settling in the wilderness. lives at New Castle.

John Roberts was reared on the old home place and received such education as the schools of that day afforded. He assisted in the work on the home farm, and prior to reaching man's estate, spent two years at farming in Iowa. Upon his return to Penn- sylvania, he engaged in threshing for some time, then bought a small farm at the cross roads in Hickory Township, which he farmed for years. He moved to Neshan- nock Township and farmed three years, after which he returned to Hickory Town- ship, locating on what is now the J. Nelson farm, and worked in a cheese factory two summers. He then purchased the first traction engine in this section of the coun- try, and for a period of thirteen years suc- cessfully followed that business. In the meantime he purchased a home, which he subsequently sold, and in 1904 purchased his present place of seventy-seven acres. It is the old Andrew Fox farm, and to it he has added many desirable improvements. He follows general farming and stockrais- ing, and is prosperous.

Mr. Roberts was united in marriage with Martha Boak, a daughter of Charles Boak, who was a well-to-do farmer of Slippery Rock Township. Mrs. Roberts died with- out issue, January 21, 1908, at the age of sixty-seven years. Politically, he cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for presi- dent, and voted the Republican ticket until 1880, since which time he has given con- sistent support to Prohibition principles.

ALBERT McCOWIN, who owns eighty- six acres of first-class farming land near the Beaver County line in Little Beaver Township, Lawrence County, has been al- most a life-long farmer on his present property. He was born here in the old log house home, March 20, 1846, and is a son of William and Matilda (Feazel) MeCowin.

The grandparents were James and Mar- garet McCowin and they came to Little Beaver Township from Washington Coun-

Indians were numerous but generally friendly and on many occasions the grand- mother of Albert McCowin fearlessly rode back to the old home on horseback in order to bring domestic necessities, especially salt. The grandfather cleared up a large tract of land and put up a log cabin on Mr. McCowin's present farm. Both he and wife, who had lived long and happily to- gether, died on the same day, when over eighty years of age, he surviving her but three hours. They had the following chil- dren: James, Samuel, John, Joseph, Al- len, Thompson and William, twins; Har- vey, Elizabeth and Jane, all now deceased.

William MeCowin assisted his father to clear the land and later he, with his broth- er, Thompson, came into possession of it. He married Matilda Feazel, who was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, and was one of the early teachers in this section, teach- ing for a number of terms in the Cook school-house. She died on this farm when aged sixty-six years and was survived eight years by her huband, his age being sev- enty-four years. They had seven children : Alexander, Thompson, Milton, Albert, James, Martha Jane and Anna Mary, the latter of whom married R. S. McAnlis. Albert and his youngest sister are the only survivors of the family.

Albert McCowin has never been fifty miles from home in his life and naturally is fond and proud of the old place in which are bound up the memories and interests of more than sixty years. His educational chances were meager, but he had a very in- telligent and careful mother, and while he had to work hard through boyhood, her encouragement and instruction were very helpful. In early manhood he spent a short time in the oil fields, but his main occupa- tion has always been farming. His land was secured from his father's estate and there are sixty-nine acres in the home place and seventeen acres further east.

On January 10, 1889, he was united in marriage with Mary C. Morrisy, who is a

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daughter of John Morrisy, and they have three children: William, Matilda Maria and John. In his political views he is a Democrat, and at various times has served in many of the township offices, being a man of unusual good judgment and one who enjoys the confidence of his fellow citizens.

JOSEPH HANNON, a member of the well-known business firm of Joseph Han- non and Bro., slate and tin roofers, with office and quarters at No. 5 East Washing- ton street, New Castle, was born at New Castle, Pa., September 17, 1865, and is a son of James and Ellen (Scanlon) Han- non.

The parents of Mr. Hannon were born in Ireland. James Hannon came to New Castle in 1851. He carried on agricultural pursuits near New Castle, where his death occurred December 23, 1904. He was a Democrat in his political views. Mrs. Han- non died April 6, 1896.

Joseph Hannon was quite small when his parents settled in Union Township, and his boyhood was spent there, assisting on the farm and attending the public schools. When he was seventeen years old he began to learn the tinsmith and roofing trade, with William Becker, who was then a well- known business man of New Castle and a former sheriff of Lawrence County. Mr. Hannon remained with Mr. Becker for six years, after which he entered into a part- nership with C. W. Dunlap, under the firm name of Dunlap & Hannon, and this busi- ness connection continued for five years. Then Mr. Hannon embarked in the tinsmith and roofing business on his own account, admitting his brother, Richard Hannon, to partnership in 1906, the latter having been in his employ for twenty years, and since then the firm name has been Joseph Han- non & Bro. Mr. Hannon has been a suc- cessful business man and enjoys the confi- dence of his fellow citizens. He is one of the city's influential Democrats and on the

ticket of his party was nominated for coun- ty commissioner in 1908.

He is a member of several fraternal or- ganizations: the Elks, the Maccabees, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Mu- tual Benevolent Association. He is a man of public spirit and a friend of the cause of education, and for eight years served as a member of the School Board of Union Township and for four years he also served there as a Director of the Poor.

JAMES NESBIT, a representative citi- zen of North Beaver Township, residing on his well-cultivated farm of 150 acres, which is situated on the Enon road, about one mile southwest of Mount Jackson, was born on an adjacent farm, April 14, 1831. His parents were James and Nancy (Harrah) Nesbit.

Francis Nesbit, the grandfather of James Nesbit, the younger, came from the eastern part of Pennsylvania to North Beaver Township, then a part of Beaver County, in 1795. He had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He secured a half section of land which is the site of the vil- lage of Mount Jackson, and on this he lived until his death in 1802. His son, James Nesbit, was born in the eastern part of Pennsylvania in 1794, and as a youth of eighteen years he participated in the War of 1812. With his brother William he set- tled on the farm which is now the posses- sion of his son James, it then consisting of 200 acres. James cleared the west end of the property and William settled on the eastern portion. James Nesbit lived to be ninety-two years of age and it was a re- markable coincidence that his wife sur- vived to the same unusual age. His death took place in 1886 and her's in 1893. She was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, and was a daughter of William Harrah. Of their seven children, the two survivors are: James and Nancy A., the latter being a resident of Mount Jackson.

James Nesbit was reared on the west

CHARLES A. MARTIN.

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end of the present farm and he has de- voted his best energies to agricultural pur- suits through a long and busy life. On October 14, 1858, he was married to Ma- tilda Jane Henry, who was a daughter of William Henry, and they had three chil- dren: Blanche, who is the widow of Rob- ert Sharp Fullerton, who died in 1881; Jennie, who is the wife of Thomas Alvin Gilkey, has two children, Pauline and Cor- nella Jane; and Lucy Annetta, who is the wife of James N. Fullerton, of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. They have one child, Frances Nesbit. Mrs. Nesbit died in 1893, leaving behind a large circle of mourning friends.

After his marriage, James Nesbit moved to a farm one mile south of his present one and lived there until 1870, when he took possession of his present place. He has made many substantial improvements, erecting the large frame residence in 1874 and the commodious barn in 1883. His son-in-law, Mr. Fullerton, rents the farm but does not operate it himself, sub-letting it. Mr. Nesbit has been active in every- thing that has been of benefit to his com- munity for many years. He has helped to increase the influence of the Westfield Presbyterian Church, not only being a faithful member, but since 1886 has been one of the elders.

CHARLES A. MARTIN, president of the People's National Bank of Ellwood City and general manager of the Steel Car Forge Company, of the same place, has been actively identified with Ellwood City interests since 1899. He was born at Car- lisle, Pa., September 11, 1862, and is a son of John and Eliza (Abrahams) Martin.

The Martins are of Scotch extraction. Three brothers came to America together and after landing separated, one going to Tennessee, where his descendants survive; the second locating in Virginia, one of his descendants being United States Senator Martin, and the third, who was the grand- father of Charles A. Martin, of Ellwood

City, settled in Pennsylvania, establishing his home in Cumberland County, near Pine Grove Furnace. There Richard Martin and his wife lived during the remainder of their lives. John Martin, father of Charles A., was born in Pine Grove Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He subsequently became general agent for F. Gardner & Sons, dealers in farm imple- ments, and was the first man to establish an agency for this line of goods in the South after the close of the Civil War. He continued in this business until within a few years of his death, which occurred June 1, 1905, when he was aged seventy- nine years. He married Eliza Abrahams, who still survives, aged eighty years. They had three sons : Samuel A., Charles A. and John H. Samuel A. Martin is foreman of the Altoona pattern shops of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company; and John H. Martin is superintendent of the car serv- ice of the Berwin White Coal Company.

C. A. Martin graduated from the public schools of Carlisle at the age of sixteen years. In 1879 he entered the employ of the Government at Washington, D. C., in the House Document Room, and later, for two years, served as private secretary to Hon. F. E. Beltzhover, member of Con- gress from the district made up of Cum- berland, York and Adams Counties. From 1883 to 1888 he was connected with the mo- tive power department of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad at Altoona, and for eleven subsequent years served as secretary of the Water Commission for the city of Al- toona, sent there by the Pennsylvania Rail- road when it was increasing the water sup- ply and building the reservoirs in the Horseshoe Bend. On December 25, 1899, Mr. Martin came to Ellwood City and in November, 1900, he was made general manager of the Steel Car Forge Company. The People's National Bank of Ellwood City was organized May 9, 1907, and since that time Mr. Martin has been at its head as president. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Standard En-

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HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

gineering Company and during 1896-7 was its president.

The People's National Bank of Ellwood City has a paid in capital of $50,000. Al- though it has been doing business but a little over one year, its bank statement shows a healthy condition and encouraging prospects far beyond natural expectation. It does a regular banking business, pays 3 per cent on savings accounts and time de- posits, and by its careful, conservative methods and uniform courtesy has gained the full confidence of corporations, capital- ists and the plain people of this section. The names of its officers and directors give strength to any enterprise with which they are associated. The president is C. A. Martin; the vice-president is J. E. Van Gorder; and the cashier is J. E. Cobler. The directors of the bank are: C. E. Mar- tin, E. P. Mellon, Morris Keller, A. C. Knox and J. E. Van Gorder.

The Steel Car Forge Company, of Ell- wood City, of which C. A. Martin is gen- eral manager, is also an important factor in the industrial life of this community. It was founded by James Baker for the purpose of manufacturing wagon hard- ware about 1894. Business was started under the title of the Baker Forge Com- pany, which continued until 1899, when it became the property of the Steel Car Forge Company. Its present officers are : John M. Hanson, president; C. W. Wright, secretary; T. A. Gillespie, treasurer; and C. A. Martin, general manager. The plant at Ellwood City occupies seven and one- half acres and employment is given 700 men, high class workmen, who are paid commensurate wages. The specialty is car work, with forging and drop forging. This was the first plant in the country to turn out mechanical blacksmithing which was formerly done by men over the anvils. It is the policy of the company to train its own men, initially employing an intelli- gent class of labor and judiciously promot- ing from the ranks those most competent. The different plants, all connected with the

Standard Steel Car Company, are situated at Ellwood City, Butler and New Castle, Pa., and at Hammond, Ind. The finished products goes to every part of the civil- ized globe. To be general manager of so large an enterprise requires particular tal- ents, a wide range of knowledge and execu- tive ability far beyond the ordinary.

In October, 1891, Mr. Martin was mar- ried to Miss Ella Robeson, who is a daugh- ter of John W. and Emily (Cadwallader) Robeson, residents of Altoona, Pa., where Mrs. Martin was born, reared and edu- cated. They reside at the Hotel Lawrence, at Ellwood City. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, is chairman of its board of trustees and is a teacher in and assistant superintendent of the Sunday-school. Since locating at Ellwood City he has taken no active part in poli- tics. In fraternal life he belongs to Logan Lodge, No. 79, Knights of Pythias, Al- toona, which is one of the largest lodges of this organization, and is also a member of Centennial Castle, No. 3, Knights of the Golden Eagle at Altoona and of Conclave No. 792 of the Improved Order of Hepto- sophs, of Ellwood City. He is a member of the Ellwood City Board of Trade and has been active in all matters tending to the advancement of the borough. Mr. Mar- tin is a fine example of the benefits that may be derived from athletics and outdoor amusements, in which he takes an enthusi- astic interest.

JAMES NEAL was one of the foremost citizens of Pulaski Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, of which he was a lifelong resident. He owned a farm of 166 acres, on which his widow now lives, and was extensively engaged in farming, stock raising and stock dealing. He was well known to the people of the county, among whom he had dealt so many years, and his death, which occurred Sep- tember 12, 1906, was felt an irreparable loss to the community in which he lived. Mr. Neal was born in Pulaski Township,

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June 18, 1841, and was a son of Alexander, Sr., and Nancy (Mayers) Neal, the former a native of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Trumbull County, Ohio.

Alexander Neal, Sr., was a soldier in the War of 1812. At an early age he settled in the woods of Pulaski Township, Lawrence County, and there became a large land- owner, his home farm being that now owned by the widow of his son, James. He was an important figure in the business and social life of the community, and his death was sadly felt by his fellow men. He died August 1, 1878, and his widow some two years later, on August 29, 1880. Of their children but two now live, Benjamin of Pulaski Township, and Sarah A, widow of James Stevenson.

James Neal was reared on the home farm and attended the common schools. Except for the time spent in the Union Army during the Civil War, he had always lived on this farm, and was exceedingly active in business affairs. He raised stock and was an extensive live stock dealer, having transactions with the people throughout this section of the state. He was ever honest and straightforward in his dealings, and there were none who held the confidence and respect of his fellowmen to a higher degree than did he. He erect- ed a fine home and good substantial out- buildings on the home farm, having one of the most highly improved estates to be found in the township. He was ever active in the affairs pertaining to the develop- ment of the community, being especially interested in raising the standard of the schools. He was a friend of the cause of education, and was ambitious that his chil- dren be given greater educational advan- tages than had been his own.

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Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 61

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