Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 91

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 91

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JOHN F. PITTS, president of the Board of County Commissioners of Lawrence County, is a successful agriculturist and one of the best known and most popular citizens. He is a native of Lawrence Coul ty, Pennsylvania, and was born in North Beaver Township, February 12, 1852. His parents were Daniel and Susan (Miller) Pitts.

For several generations the ancestors

of Mr. Pitts have been Pennsylvanians. His great-grandfather, Michael Pitts, was born in Berks County, lived for a time in Lancaster County, and came to North Bea- ver Township, Lawrence County, among the first settlers. He established his home in the western part of the township, a lo- cality in which his descendants have ever since been large land owners. He secured 300 acres of land, built a primitive log cabin and resided in North Beaver Town- ship until his death in old age. Four sons survived to perpetuate his good name, Michael, William, John and David.

John Pitts, grandfather of John F., was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but accompanied his father to Lawrence County. He was trained to agriculture and acquired first a farm near Zion Church, which he cleared from its wild condition. Following thrift and good man- agement, he became the owner of more than 300 acres of land. He died at the age of seventy-eight years and was known all through the section in which he lived as a man of probity as well as of substance. He married Annie Painter and they reared children as follows: Adam, David, John, Annie, Catherine and Daniel.

Daniel Pitts, father of John F., was born in North Beaver Township. For the great- er part of his life he followed the blacksmith trade and he was also an ex- pert butcher. In the days when each fam- ily provided its own meat, a capable butcher was in great demand all over the country, more especially in the fall of the year, when large provision was made for winter supplies. He was a worthy citizen and a good neighbor and many testified to the same when his death took place in 1865. He married Susan Miller, who still resides on the old homestead. They had the fol- lowing children: John F., Emma, Saman- tha Jane, Alfred, Catherine, Lewis H. and Mary Eliza. Of these three are deceased : Samantha Jane, Catherine and Mary Eliza.

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John F. Pitts attended the Martin School, near his home, through boyhood. In 1870 he went to Canfield, Ohio, where he concluded his apprenticeship of three years to the trade of carriage building and wood-working. Returning home in 1873, he bought out the business of D. I. Hill, at Mt. Jackson, secured the old schoolhouse, which was earlier used as a church, raised it and placed a basement underneath and thus provided excellent quarters for carry- ing on his business of manufacturing lum- ber and heavy wagons, trucks, drays and carriages, in which he embarked on a large scale. He successfully conducted this busi- ness alone until 1887, when his brother, Lewis H. Pitts became associated with him and together they developed it into large proportions. In 1890, O. L. Miller was ad- mitted to the firm and the style of Pitts Brothers & Miller was adopted. In addi- tion to their extensive manufacturing and repair business, the firm handled a full line of farming implements.

Mr. Pitts owns a large amount of val- uable property, his fine residence stand- ing on the site where Mr. Henry built the first house erected at Mt. Jackson. He married Louise Mollenkopf, who is a daughter of Daniel Mollenkopf, a well- known citizen of North Beaver Township. Their family consists of seven children, namely : Rena, Hattie, Laura, Warren, Harrison, William and Elmira.

A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Pitts has held many local offices in the gift of his party, including that of postmaster at Mt. Jackson. In the office of county commissioner he has made a creditable record and has demonstrated that he is possessed of good business foresight, sound judgment and fidelity to the interests of the public. He has been nominated for a second term and this nomination is equiv- alent to election. He is an active member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he is a past chancellor. In religious faith he is in accord with the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

GEORGE H. KANNE, secretary and treasurer of the Spring Brewing Company, of Chewton, Pennsylvania, which, under its present management is doing a pros- perous and constantly increasing business, was born January 12, 1859, at Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania. His parents were Henry C. and Mary A. (Klingenmeir) Kanne.

The parents of Mr. Kanne were both born in Westphalia, Germany, and came to America in 1848. They settled in Alle- gheny County, Pennsylvania, where both subsequently died.

George H. Kanne was educated in the public schools of his native city and after completing the High School course he be- came interested in mechanical engineering and worked along this line with several concerns until 1895, when he embarked in business for himself. He conducted the Pittsburg Valve and Machine Company un- til 1900. In the following year he was one of the organizers of the Spring Brew- ing Company which began business on Jan- uary 6, 1901, with the following officers : John N. Landgraf, president; and G. H. Kanne, secretary and treasurer. The busi- ness is capitalized at $50,000. The brewery has been in existence for a number of years but the present company has had charge for the past seven years and have made an entire success. The capacity of the plant is 18,000 barrels and the present output is 5,000 annually.

In 1880, Mr. Kanne was married to Miss Mary Lunkenheimer, of Pittsburg, and they have two sons, Carl and Norman, the former of whom is a student at Yale Col- lege and the latter a student of the Sewick- ley High School, in which place Mr. Kanne has maintained his home for the past twen- ty-five years. With his family he belongs to the Catholic Church. Socially, Mr. Kanne is a man of engaging address, a fine con- versationalist and a genial entertainer. He denominates himself as an Independent Republican, politically. His fraternal con- nection is with the Elks at Allegheny.

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WILLIAM JAMES KIRK, agent for the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad at Ell- wood City, was born near Noblestown, Al- legheny County, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1867, and is a son of James and Cath- erine (Campbell) Kirk.

The parents of Mr. Kirk are highly re- spected residents of Smith's Ferry, Beav- er County. They reared a family of four sons and two daughters, namely: Sarah Agnes, who married Dr. R. B. Dawson, is a resident of Esther, Beaver County; D. C., who is superintendent of the Robinson Run cemetery, resides near McDonald, Pennsyl- vania; George A., who is an oil contractor, lives at Beaver ; Jennie T. and R. H., both reside with their parents; and William James, of Ellwood City.

Mr. Kirk attended the public schools through boyhood and later Oak Dale Acad- emy and after leaving school, when nine- teen years of age, still further prepared himself for future usefulness by taking a Correspondence School course in certain branches. He then became assistant and later clerk in a Noblestown business house, where he remained until 1892, and then went into railroad work, serving as a brakeman for the Panhandle Railroad for a year, at Cleveland, Ohio, and then for the Pennsylvania at East Liverpool, until 1897. He then worked at Jacob's Creek in the scale office, after which he became agent at the West Ellwood Junction, for one year and one month. When transferred from there to Bentley, Ohio, he entered upon a period of fifteen months of very hard work after which he was transferred to Ellwood City, where, for thirty-three months he has been both ticket and freight agent for the Pittsburg & Lake Erie system. Mr. Kirk is not only capable but also obliging and has made himself very popular with the patrons of the line.

On September 9, 1902, Mr. Kirk was married to Elizabeth J. Anderson, who is a daughter of Eli and Margaret Anderson, residents of Tarentum, Allegheny County.

One child was born to this marriage but it passed away in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk are members of the United Presby- terian Church of Ellwood City. Their beau- tiful home is situated at No. 418 Spring Avenue. Mr. Kirk is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Ellwood City.

In political sentiment, Mr. Kirk is a Re- publican. At present he is serving as presi- dent of the borough council. During his ten years of residence here he has con- sistently advocated good government and has given generously to objects designed to advance the city's prosperity. He is a member of Western Star Lodge, No. 21, F. & A. M., at Youngstown, Ohio; Alma Lodge, No. 420, Knights of Pythias, at Ellwood City; and Ellwood Lodge, No. 1953, Knights and Ladies of Honor.

MYRON M. SIMON, who has filled the office of rural route mail carrier over the territory covered by Route No. 1, from Edenburg, in a very efficient manner since he accepted the office December 17, 1901, is a very popular official and esteemed citi- zen of this section. Mr. Simon was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, not far distant from Lowellville, August 21, 1876, and is a son of Jonathan R. and Catherine (Kari- her) Simon, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in Pennsylvania, the Kariher family being old settlers in Law- rence County.

Myron M. Simon accompanied his par- ents to Lawrence County in 1897, when they located in Mahoning Township. He was educated in the public schools of his native county, the Lowellville High School and the Union School at Poland, Ohio. Be- fore accepting the position he now fills, he had devoted himself exclusively to agricul- tural pursuits and still cultivates his farm of twenty-eight acres, which is situated in Mahoning Township. In politics he is a Republican. He was reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with

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HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

his parents belongs to that religious or- ganization at Edenburg.

WILLIAM EDGAR PATTON, who owns a valuable farm of 101 acres in Hick- ory Township, Lawrence County, Pennsyl- vania, located on the south side of the Har- lansburg Road, has resided on this place all his life. He was born January 14, 1855, and is a son of Hugh B. and Elizabeth (Young) Patton. His paternal grand- father, William Patton, was born in Coun- ty Down, Ireland, and upon coming to America located in Hickory Township, about 1805. With the assistance of a brother, he cleared the farm on which Will- iam E. Patton now lives. He farmed there the remainder of his days, and Hugh B., father of William E., succeeded him and followed the same pursuits.

William E. Patton was reared in his na- tive township, and received his intellectual training in the public schools. He has al- ways followed the occupation of a farmer and is reckoned one of the substantial and progressive men of his home community.

On May 30, 1880, Mr. Patton was united in marriage with Miss Mary Reynolds, a daughter of James and Lydia (Tidball) Reynolds, and four children were born to bless their home, as follows: Anna Genev- ra, Velma Elena, Loy Clayton, and Alta Belle. In religious faith and fellowship, he and his family are members of the United Presbyterian Church, and are very active in church work.

FERDINAND BUSER, who conducts a first class bakery at No. 105 East Long Avenue, New Castle, is an enterprising and useful citizen who has resided here since March 9, 1895. He was born January 10, 1863, in Switzerland.

Mr. Buser attended school in his native land and came to America when seventeen years of age and remained in New York city for fifteen years, where he learned the catering, confectionery and bakery busi- ness. In 1895 he came to New Castle and

worked first for J. L. Myland in the baking business, for something over five years, then was with Mr. Taylor for nine months, and with Mr. Wheelock for four years, spending thus about ten years with three employers. Mr. Buser then decided to em- bark in business for himself and on May 15, 1905, he bought out the John Miller bakery on East Long Avenue, where he has remained ever since. Mr. Buser en- joys a large amount of profitable patron- age and he is prepared to supply every de- mand in his line of business.

In 1885, Mr. Buser was married to Meta Hach, who was born in New York city, and there were sixteen children born to them, the survivors of the family being as fol- lows: Albertina, who was formerly a suc- cessful teacher in the public schools, mar- ried Harry M. Fahr, who is engaged in the drug business at Sunbury, Pennsylvania ; Alphonse, who is engaged in business with his father; and Elsie, Carrie, Arnold and Joseph. Mr. Buser has reared his family in the faith of the German Lutheran Church. He is a man of very liberal and charitable tendencies and is a member of the German Beneficial Union.

ENOCH J. HAZEN, a representative citizen of Ellwood City, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, was born in N. Sewickley Township, Beaver County, August 17, 1852. He is a son of Joseph and Jane (Thompson) Hazen, a grandson of James and Jerusha (Runyan) Hazen, and great- grandson of Nathaniel and Mary (Bell) Hazen.

Nathaniel Hazen was born March 17, 1745, and was a soldier in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He was married November 27, 1767, to Mary Bell, and they subsequently moved to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. There they resided until about the time of the Whiskey Insurrection, then in 1792 moved to Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where the family has since been closely identified with affairs. He took up land

JOHN F. HAINES.

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in N. Sewickley Township and there re- sided until his death, November 3, 1835. His wife, who was born October 24, 1748, died December 29, 1834. They were par- ents of twelve children, namely : Jeremiah, who was born October 11, 1769, died May 14, 1814, in the military hospital at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, having been a soldier un- der Gen. W. H. Harrison; James, a sol- dier in the War of 1812, was born Janu- ary 17, 1772, and died in Beaver County, in 1851; John, a soldier in the War of 1812, was born November 10, 1773, and died in Lawrence County, June 12, 1851; Isaac, who was born October 10, 1775, and died May 23, 1861, was a soldier in the War of 1812, during which he received a wound in the leg which left him lame the remainder of his life; Sarah, who was born September 5, 1777; Mary; Nathaniel, who was born July 30, 1780; Deborah (Hill), born August 14, 1782; Mary, born September 2, 1784, married Samuel Bald- win, and died in Lawrence County, Feb- ruary 23, 1866; Nathan, born May 1, 1786; Hannah, who was wife of John Merrick, was born July 20, 1788, and died at Clin- ton, Indiana, February 18, 1875; and Samuel, born August 27, 1791, died in Beaver County, in August, 1855.

Joseph Hazen, father of Enoch J., was born in N. Sewickley Township, Beaver County, October 17, 1814, and was a car- penter and millwright by trade. His en- tire life was spent within a half mile of his birth place, and he there owned a large farm, and during the last twenty-five years of his life operated a flour mill. His death occurred April 6, 1886. He was united in marriage with Jane Thompson, who was born in N. Sewickley Township, and died there in 1892, aged seventy years. They were parents of the following children: Rosanna, who was born September 18, 1842, and is now deceased; Shadrick Bur- nie, born October 29, 1844, and died Oc- tober 29, 1885, married Mary Jane Booth of Achor, Ohio, where he lived at his death ; James, born August 13, 1848, died in in-

fancy; Joseph, born January 12, 1851, died in infancy ; Enoch J .; Melvin L., born February 29, 1856, lives on the old home- stead in N. Sewickley Township; and Ro- sanna Cecelia, wife of James Bruce, was born July 15, 1858, and died April 16, 1907, in N. Sewickley Township.

Enoch J. Hazen attended the district schools of his home community, and select school at Wurtemberg, after which he worked on the farm and in his father's mill. After his marriage he operated the homestead in N. Sewickley Township, where he farmed until 1896, since which time he has maintained his home in Ell- wood City. He is a man of enterprise and public spirit, and of recognized business ability.

May 24, 1877, Mr. Hazen was united in marriage with Miss Allie S. D. Booth, who was born in Achor, Columbiana County, Ohio, February 13, 1855, and is a daughter of Jeremiah and Sarah (Richards) Booth. Three children were born to bless their home, as follows: Carrie Ethel, born Au- gust 24, 1880; Lulu Grace, born August 19, 1885, died December 19, 1892; and Lylia Belle, born January 18, 1892, is attending High School and is a member of the junior class. Religiously, Mr. Hazen and his fam- ily are members of the Baptist Church of Ellwood City, of which he is a deacon. In political attachment, he is a Democrat, and an active supporter of the cause of tem- perance.

JOHN F. HAINES, secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Ellwood Lum- ber Company of Ellwood City, Pa., has thus far had a very active and varied career in the field of business, dating back to his early years, and few young men there are who deserve more credit for tak- ing advantage of meager opportunities in life than he, and if space would permit us to write of even a comparatively small por- tion of the incidents connected with his early struggle for even the necessaries of life, it would show that very few have had

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HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

more adverse circumstances with which to contend. It can be truly said of Mr. Haines that he is a self-made man. He was not "born with a silver spoon in his mouth," but of very humble, though sturdy, honest and patriotic parentage.

John Fox Haines was born in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1871, and is a son of Thomas and Emaline (Fox) Haines, his mother being a lineal descendant of the well known old Quaker, John Fox, spoken of in the history of Pennsylvania and one of its prominent early settlers. His father, Thomas Haines, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., and for nearly thirty years served as a sailor under the United States flag. He served with credit in the navy throughout the Mexican War, and after remaining in the service a while longer, settled in Read- ing, Pa., and learned the trade of a boiler maker, being employed for quite a number of years by the Pennsylvania R. R. Com- pany. As soon as the great Civil War broke out he at once re-entered the service in the navy, serving until the war was over. He helped organize the first volunteer fire department and the first K. of P. Lodge in the city of Reading. It was after the death of his wife, leaving him with five small boys on his hands, that his real struggle commenced, which he often said took more of his strength and courage than eating wormy biscuit or facing shot and shell on board a man-of-war. Shortly after the death of his wife, which occurred Nov. 11, 1876, he moved with his four younger boys to Sandusky, Ohio, then after two or three years' hard struggle trying to keep soul and body of himself and little ones to- gether, he got out of work and moved the three younger ones to Akron, Ohio, where they remained for close to three years and then moved to Canton, Ohio. While at Canton, he became intimately acquaint- ed with the martyred president, William McKinley, then merely a prominent citizen of Canton and a director in the Fairmount Children's Home, near Alliance, Ohio, and

upon the advice of Mr. Mckinley, Mr. Haines placed his three children, John, George and Thomas, in that home, where they might be better provided for than he could provide for them, owing to his ad- vanced years and failing health. His four children were as follows: Jediah P., a resi- dent of Reading, Pa., engaged in the pro- duce business; Henry J., a resident of Toledo, Ohio, and a conductor on what is known as the Clover Leaf Railroad; John F., whose name heads this sketch; Thomas L. (twin), a resident of Ellworth City, Pa., and a traveling salesman for the Goodwin Lumber Co., Pittsburg, Pa., and vice presi- dent of the Ellwood Lumber Co .; and George W. (twin) who is a conductor on the Pittsburg and Lake Erie R. R. and a resident of Youngstown, Ohio.

John F. Haines was only between five and six years old at the time of his moth- er's death and the twins were some three years younger. He was about nine years of age when he was taken to Akron, Ohio, and made his first pennies selling news- papers on the streets of Akron; and while in this city he earned money to purchase the first pair of shoes he ever bought for himself, by working at 25 cents per day for the Diamond Match Co. He had but little opportunity to attend school until after his two younger brothers and him- self were taken to the Fairmount Chil- dren's Home, which was on February 3, 1882, and up to this time scarcely knew more than his alphabet. He remained in the Home until October 18, 1882, at which time he was taken into the family of Dr. John B. Moody, of Harlem Springs, Car- roll County, Ohio. The doctor was quite a prominent country physician and a very extensive landowner, owning over 2,000 acres of land in Carroll County. He lived to the advanced age of ninety-eight years, dying in March, 1908. According to the rules of the Children's Home, Mr. Haines was to be free from the jurisdiction of the Home or of Dr. Moody when he reached the age of eighteen, at which time the doc-

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tor was to give him $100, two suits of clothes and a Bible, and during his appren- ticeship the doctor had to pledge himself to send him to school at least four months in the year, and the authorities of the Chil- dren's Home made it a rule to see that these provisions were strictly enforced upon those who took children from them. Owing to Dr. Moody having so much land and stock to look after, Mr. Haines was compelled to work very hard, and during all his service with Dr. Moody he was never more than twenty-five miles away and never on a railroad train, in fact was very seldom further away from the farm than Harlem Springs, two and one-half miles distant, where he attended Presby- terian Church and Sunday-school services regularly each Sabbath, rain or shine, and where for a few months he attended col- lege, riding back and forth to the college on horseback. While attending college, John was obliged to get up a 4 o'clock each morning and assist in feeding the stock and get his horse ready to ride to school about 7:30; then he would come home about 1 p. m., and study until about 4 p. m., and again work at farm chores until after dark, then study by the light of tal- low candles (which the old doctor always preferred and used) until nearly midnight. Nothwithstanding these various handi- caps, John always learned rapidly at school and kept at the head of his classes, and at the early age of eighteen was ready to teach public school. The doctor, while perfectly able to have helped him finan- cially, was somewhat peculiar in his ideas of how a boy should be reared, and often told John that he believed every boy should be compelled to work out his own destiny and learn to depend entirely upon himself. After John was eighteen he hired with the doctor as a farm hand for a term of six months, at $13 per month, and when his time was up, in the fall of 1889, he visited his brother, Henry, at Sandusky, Ohio, whom he had not seen for about nine years, and after this visit, with only about $130

left, he started to Cleveland, Ohio, to at- tend the Euclid Avenue Business College, under the management of M. J. Caton. Appearing before Mr. Caton, John made a frank confession of his circumstances and the difficulties he had been obliged to contend with thus far in life, and asked Mr. Caton how he could get through a business course and clothe and board him- self on his small amount of capital. Mr. Caton at once said, "I will take your note for a life scholarship in both the short- hand and bookkeeping departments, for $150, you to take the shorthand course first and pay me when and as you can after you get a position. Then, when you get a po- sition as a stenographer, you can attend night school and take up bookkeeping." This proposition looked good to John, and was at once accepted, and he entered into the study of shorthand and typewriting with all his might, completing the course and graduating in less time than any student Mr. Caton ever had up to that time. Within about three months he had a position at $10 per week, as stenographer and typewriter for the well known whole- sale lumber firm of N. Mills & Co., Cleve- land, Ohio; now doing business under the firm name of Mills, Carleton Company. After three years with this firm, during which time his wages were twice raised, he accepted a more lucrative position as stenographer and assistant bookkeeper with the Lutcher & Moore Cypress Lum- ber Co., of Lutcher, La., the largest cy- press concern in the South. He remained there for abor' one and one-half years, then, owing to the ill health of his wife, whom he had married during this period, and upon the earnest solicitation of Mr. E. M. Carleton, of the firm he had worked for in Cleveland, Ohio, he moved his wife to Ellwood City, Pa., in the spring of 1894, to become secretary, and a few months later, also treasurer, of the newly organ- ized Ellwood Lumber Co., an account of which company is to be found on another page in this work. After about three

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Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 91

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