Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 93

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 93

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Riddle is a stockholder in the Mt. Air Telephone Company and is a director of the Darlington Foundry Company. In politics he is an active Republican and has served in local offices, three terms as town- ship supervisor and also as judge of elec- tions. He belongs to the order of Knights of Pythias.

HENRY LEONHARDT, owner of a fine farm of 150 acres in Slippery Rock Town- ship, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, lo- cated about eight miles southeast of New Castle, is a prosperous farmer and pro- gressive citizen of that community. He was born on his father's farm across the road from his present home, October 8, 1860, and is a son of Charles F. Leonhardt and grandson of Henry Leonhardt.

Henry Leonhardt, the grandfather, was born in Germany, and there learned the trade of a carpenter. Some time after the death of his wife he emigrated to the Unit- ed States, locating in Pennsylvania. He died in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, in 1862.

Charles F. Leonhardt was born in Ger- many and there attended the common schools. He followed farming in that coun- try, and when twenty-nine years of age crossed the Atlantic to the United States. He became the owner of seventy-six acres in Slippery Rock Township, the place now owned by his son, Charles, and there

REV. DAVID M. LOCKE.

747

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

passed the remainder of his life. He and his wife, Mollie, were the parents of nine children, namely: Henry; Minnie, wife of Joseph Syling; Maggie, who died at the age of five years; Charles, of Slippery Rock Township, who married a Miss Glas- ser; Elizabeth, who is unmarried; Sophia, wife of J. F. Young, of Wayne Township; Anna, a teacher in the public schools of New Castle; Ida, wife of Cornelius Stew- art, and Laura, who is now deceased.

Henry Leonhardt received his educa- tional training in the district schools of his native township, and during his young- er days worked on the farm by the month for his father. He also learned the trade of a carpenter, which he followed exclusive- ly for two years. At the time of his first marriage he was the owner of a farm of thirty acres in Slippery Rock Township, and upon the death of his wife, five years later, he sold that property. He then pur- chased a tract of seventy-five acres, which he farmed one year, then sold to good ad- vantage, and followed his trade for two years. He next purchased of William Vance in 1895, the 150-acre farm on which he has since resided. He made many im- portant improvements on the place and has followed general farming with good re- sults.

Mr. Leonhardt's first marriage was with Miss Anna Young, a daughter of Jacob Young, and she died some five years after their marriage. He formed a second union with Miss Kate S. Pfifer, a daughter of Adam Pfifer, who was a native of Ger- many and for many years a well-known resident of Evans City, Pa. Mrs. Leon- hardt's mother was a native of Pennsyl- vania. Four children were born of this union: Ira, deceased; Dorothy; Isabelle, and Theodore. Politically Mr. Leonhardt has always been a Republican, and takes a deep interest in the success of that party. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church, in which he has served as elder, deacon and superintendent of Sunday- school.

REV. DAVID M. LOCKE, a represen- tative citizen of Union Township, and a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born April 5, 1844, in Scott Township, Lawrence County, Pennsyl- vania, and is a son of John W. and Sarah D. (Patterson) Locke. His paternal grand- father, David Locke, was a pioneer settler in Lawrence County. The Locke family is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and has num- bered many illustrious men, one of whom was the distinguished philosopher, Sir John Locke. David Locke married Eliza- beth Nelson, who traced her ancestral line to the same Nelson family which produced Admiral Lord Nelson. The great-grand- father of Rev. Locke, in direct line, was William Locke, who, with Thomas Patter- son, on the maternal side, served in the Revolutionary War. John W. Locke, father of Rev. David M. Locke, was born in Lawrence County. He died in 1859. His father was a miller and he became a mill- wright and cabinetmaker. He was a na- tural mechanical genius, and was at home with almost any kind of tools. Mrs. Sarah D. (Patterson) Locke, mother of the sub- ject of this sketch, was a native of West- moreland County.

David M. Locke was reared in Scott Township, and obtained his education in the district schools. In April, 1861, he en- listed for service in the Civil War, becom- ing a member of Company E, One Hun- dredth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and before his honorable dis- charge on July 24, 1865, he had partici- pated in twenty-six of the memorable bat- tles of that great struggle, besides innum- erable minor engagements, in which his life and liberty had been endangered. Al- though Mr. Locke is now a man of peace, he fought with the best at Port Royal, James Island, Cedar Mountain, White Sul- phur Springs, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, Vicksburg, Jackson, Blue Springs, Campbell Station, Knoxville, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, Bethsada Church, before Peters-

748

HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

burg, Weldon Railroad, Squirrel Level, South Side Railroad, and Fort Steadman. He was wounded at South Mountain and was confined for several months in the military hospital at Frederick City, Md., and subsequently received other injuries at Spottsylvania and at the battle on the Weldon Railroad. Formerly Mr. Locke was a member of Grand Army Post No. 100, at New Castle, and of the Union Vet- eran Legion, No. 9.

After his return from the army Mr. Locke lived for a time in Lawrence Coun- ty, and then removed to Greeley County, Kansas, where he resided for fourteen years, subsequently returning to Lawrence County, and since the fall of 1905, he has been a resident of Union Township. For many years he has been engaged in evan- gelistic work, as an accredited minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has met with much encouragement in his la- bors, and enjoys, in high degree, the es- teem of those who have come within his influence.

Mr. Locke married Eunice C. Irvine, who was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and who had three sons- Charles S., residing in Union Township, and John C. and Earl L., who are both de- ceased. The former has one son, David Ray, and one daughter, Eva O. Mr. Locke has ever taken an interest in good government, and from principle is an ar- dent supporter of the Prohibition party. Formerly he was identified with the order of Odd Fellows.

W. K. HUGUS, a leading member of the New Castle bar and a citizen with im- portant business interests here, was born in October, 1868, in Venango County, Pennsylvania, where he was reared.

From the public schools of his native county, Mr. Hugus entered Grove City College, where he was graduated in 1893. During the time of attendance here he also carried on a successful mercantile business and he had also several years' experience

as a school teacher. In 1895 he was grad- uated from the law department of the Uni- versity of Michigan, and in the following year he was admitted to the bar and is en- titled to practice before the Superior Court of the State. Mr. Hugus has been continu- ously engaged in the practice of his profes- sion, and has met with satisfactory results, at present occupying a prominent place among his colleagues of the Lawrence County bar, an acknowledged able body of men. He has formed no law partner- ship. He is a member of the Lawrence County Bar Association. While taking a lively interest in public matters, he has never sought political honors for himself, although he has ever been ready to show loyalty to his friends.

In October, 1901, Mr. Hugus was mar- ried to Miss Pearle Balph, of New Castle, Pa. They are members of the First Pres- byterian Church. Mr. Hugus finds social recreation as a member of the Country Club.

REV. A. P. LENTZ, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Ellwood City, and sustaining the same relation to Mt. Hope or Zion Lutheran Church in Wayne Town- ship, Lawrence County, and to a growing church at Lilleyville, in Beaver County, is one of the busiest and most useful clergy- men in his religious body in Western Pennsylvania. He was born at Paxton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1869, and is a son of Augustus B. and Rebecca (Miller) Lentz.

The Lentz family history presents many interesting facts. The great-grandfather of Rev. Lentz was Frederick Lentz, who probably was born in Germany. For a time he lived in the Schoharie Valley, New York, but evidently that section did not present opportunities for the agricultural life which he desired to follow, and at a very early day, the family annals tell, he de- cided to seek another and more favorable location. He was evidently a man of re- source and ingenuity, otherwise he would

749

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

not have thought of building rafts and floating on the waterways to a section his judgment approved of. A colony seems to have accompanied him, but whether any but his own family finally reached Dauphin County is not in evidence. He, however, took up a large body of what was known as public lands, these being bounded as follows: South, Mahantonga Mountain; north and east by Mahontonga Creek, and on the west by the Susquehanna River, a territory that at present supports 300 peo- ple. Rev. Lentz owns the original tract which was his great-grandfather's home.

The paternal grandparents of Rev. Lentz were David and Salome Lentz, and they spent their entire lives in Dauphin Coun- ty. The maternal grandparents were Abra- ham and Anna Miller.

Augustus B. Lentz, father of Rev. Lentz, was born in Dauphin County in 1846, fol- lowed farming all his life and died there in 1905. He married Rebecca Miller, who was born in Dauphin County in 1851, and died in 1902. They had the following chil- dren: Andrew Philip; Salome, who is the wife of David Spotts, resides on the old homestead in Dauphin County; Anna, who married Arthur Moore, lives in Luzerne County ; Mary, who married Daniel Kauff- man, resides in Northumberland County ; Wesley, who married Alice Lucas, resides in Northumberland County; Kate, who married Charles Welker, lives at Harris- burg; Mabel, unmarried, lives in Harris- burg; Clinton, lives with his family in In- diana; Grant, unmarried, lives on the old homestead; and William Clayton, who re- sides with his family in the State Capital.

Rev. Andrew P. Lentz was reared on the home farm and through boyhood was sub- jected to strict, but just discipline. He at- tended the public schools and later Mul- lenberg College, at Allentown, Pa., where he was graduated in the class of 1895, and took a post graduate course at the Mt. Airy Theological Seminary in 1898. His first charge was at Sunbury, Pa., where he was engaged in pastoral work for three

and one-half years, serving two churches. In 1902 he came to Ellwood City, taking charge of Trinity Lutheran Church on the 1st of April of that year.

Trinity Lutheran Church of Ellwood City belongs to the General Council and was organized in 1895 by Rev. R. Durst and Rev. P. Riffer, the latter of whom served the congregation until the fall of 1901. The congregation includes 108 com- municants, additions having been made since Dr. Lentz has been in charge. The present handsome church edifice, on the corner of Fifth Street and Spring Avenue, was built in 1902. The Mt. Hope or Zion Lutheran Church, in Wayne Township, has thirty-five communicants. This church formerly was located near Wurtemburg, the building having been erected in 1854. The Lilleyville Church in Beaver County, has sixty communicants. In addition to serving these charges, Rev. Lentz assumed other responsibilities, following what he believed the path of duty, in organizing, in 1905, the Siebenburgen Church, on Frank- lin Street, between Third and Fourth Streets, Ellwood City, a religious home for foreigners, with the entire service conduct- ed in German. Already 200 communicants have responded to Rev. Lentz' invitation and in caring for the spiritual needs in per- forming the offices pertaining to his pas- torate and also in carefully looking out for the material interests of each one of these charges, Mr. Lentz certainly finds life full of usefulness and his reward in the com- fort, peace and hope that he has brought to so many souls.

In 1900, Rev. Lentz was married to Miss Alice Ritter, who is a daughter of Solo- mon B. and Amanda Ritter. She was born and reared at Allentown, Pa. They have one daughter, Margaret. The Lutheran parsonage is situated at No. 423 Spring Avenue.

Many honors have come to Dr. Lentz, both from his church and from his fellow citizens, marks of appreciation and appro- bation. He is president of the Ministerial

750

HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

Association of Ellwood City and is the old- est minister in point of service here. He is treasurer of the Hospital Association of the city, is president of the Volunteer Fire Company and is a member of the Board of Health. In political sentiment he is in sympathy with the Republican party.

J. N. EUWER'S SONS' SONS is a firm name representing one of New Cas- tle's largest business enterprises as well as one of the oldest. The present members of the firm are: Mrs. J. C. Euwer, Harry G. Euwer and Mrs. L. R. Gordon.

Harry G. Euwer was born at New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1878, and is a son of Capt. J. C. Euwer and a grandson of J. N. Euwer.

J. N. Euwer, the grandfather, came to New Castle in 1834, and, with Samuel Euwer, established the present business which has been conducted by succeeding generations of the family until the pres- ent. The founders were succeeded by J. C. Euwer and brothers, the former of whom was born at New Castle, in 1838. In the course of years the firm style became J. N. Euwer & Sons, which changed to J. N. Euwer's Sons' Sons. In 1881 two sons enlarged the business by opening a second store and both were operated in connection until 1900, when the present style came into use. The firm occupies some 20,000 feet of floor space in the main store and in addition they have a furniture depart- ment utilizing four floors, with eighty feet of frontage on South Mill street. The building is triangular in shape, running back 100 feet. This is the largest depart- ment store in New Castle and it does a business which would be considered large in a metropolitan city. Mr. Euwer owns also a bowling alley and billiard hall on Neshannock Street. He possesses the noted business qualities of the family and per- sonally is a capable man of affairs.

In 1900, Mr. Euwer was married to Miss Leah Abraham, of Swansea, Wales. Fra- ternally he belongs to the Masons and the

Elks and socially to the Lawrence and Country clubs. He is a very active mem- ber of the New Castle Chamber of Com- merce.

JOHN N. RIDDLE, general farmer and dairyman, who operates a farm of eighty- six acres for his father, in Little Beaver Township, about ten miles southwest of New Castle, was born March 1, 1875, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Overington I. and Anna (Campbell) Riddle.

The great-grandfather of Mr. Riddle was an early settler in Allegheny County and once owned a part of the land on which Pittsburg now stands. His son, Samuel Lock Riddle, was born at Pittsburg, June 15, 1814, and lived in Allegheny County un- til 1854, when he moved to Butler County. There he became a man of large estate, his investment in land proving a fortunate one on account of the discovery of oil on it. He died in 1895, at Oakmont, aged eighty- two years, and was survived three years by his widow. He married Mary Ann Shroder, in 1835, and they had seven chil- dren, of whom Overington I. was .the youngest.

Overington I. Riddle was born in Alle- gheny County, Pennsylvania, September 15, 1848, and accompanied his parents to Butler County, in 1854. He continued to live there until he came to Lawrence Coun- ty, engaging in farming and teaming in the oil fields. He married Anna Campbell, who was a daughter of Andrew Campbell, one of the prominent men of Mercer County. About 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle moved to North Beaver Township, Lawrence Coun- ty, taking possession of land given them by his father, to which Mr. Riddle subsequent- ly added until he now owns 500 acres. He is a prominent citizen of Lawrence County, is president and manager of the Enon Val- ley Telephone Company and is president of the Cralo Land Company of Pittsburg and in addition owns stock in many other concerns. His children are as follows:

751

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Harry L .; John Nelson; Emma, who is the wife of Charles Bowers; Samuel A .; Mar- garet; Minnie, who is the wife of John Duncan; and Ode.

John Nelson Riddle was brought to the present farm in his childhood and has re- sided here ever since. He obtained his ed- ucation in the township schools and ever since reaching man's estate has devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, his pres- ent property being one of his father's num- erous farms. On November 29, 1899, Mr. Riddle was married to Callie Duncan, who is a daughter of George and Serelda ( Dil- lon) Duncan, and they have two children : Ruth and Helen. In politics he is a Repub- lican and on the ticket of that party has fre- quently been elected to township offices and has served one year as tax collector and two years as constable. He is one of the township's representative citizens.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROSS, one of Ellwood City's leading business men and representative citizens, was born in Wash- ington Township, Greene County, Pennsyl- vania, March 28, 1866, and is a son of Ab- ner and Margaret P. (Mitchell) Ross.

The late Abner Ross was a man of dis- tinction in Greene County. He was born in 1838, in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and died May 2, 1907. In his early life he was a school teacher, later was in a manufac- turing business and also engaged in farm- ing. He was active in politics and when thirty years of age was elected sheriff of Greene County and later represented the senatorial district composed of Greene and Fayette Counties, in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He was a man of gen- erous impulses which caused him financial losses at one time in his life, but every dol- lar of indebtedness was subsequently paid. He was a man of honorable intentions and both in public and private life was a citi- zen, neighbor and friend who commanded respect. His burial was at Waynesburg, where he was a valued member of the Bap- tist Church. His father, Benjamin F. Ross,

was an associate judge in Greene County, where he was one of the early settlers. He was a well known member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the Blue Lodge at Waynesburg and to the Chapter at Wash- ington, Pennsylvania. Abner Ross mar- ried Margaret P. Mitchell, who was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1840. She survives and lives in the home of her son, Benjamin Ross, an honored member of the family circle. Her father, Isaac Mitchell, who lived in Greene County until his death, at the age of eighty years, had settled there at an early day. His widow survived about three years, dying in 1901, aged eighty-two years. Four chil- dren were born to Ahner Ross and wife, namely : Benjamin Franklin; Albert Lee, who died aged thirty years; Isaac W., who died aged thirty-one years ; and Fannie E., who died aged fourteen years.

Benjamin F. Ross is the only survivor of his parents' family of children. When he left school he learned the printing trade and worked at this for seven years at Pitts- burg and then entered the Carnegie mills, where he remained employed until the great Homestead strike. For several years he was his father's manager at Duquesne, in Allegheny County, where the latter had interests and then engaged there in a wholesale business for three years, after which he conducted a hotel at Homestead for several years. In 1902, Mr. Ross came to Ellwood City, living for two years across the line in Beaver Coun- ty, but for the past four years he has been identified in every way with the interests of this place. He is a stockholder in the Portland Cement Company, owns property here and also at Duquesne and Homestead, and is vice president of the National Sup- ply and Construction Company, a corpora- tion which has a capital stock of $50,000. He has engaged in business as a wholesaler ever since he came to Ellwood City, where he is recognized as one of the able and suc- cessful business men. Mr. Ross has been largely the builder of his own fortunes, cir-

752

HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY

cumstances interfering in his early busi- ness life with his receiving financial aid from his father, and his success certainly proves a large amount of native ability and persistent and persevering effort on his part.

Mr. Ross was united in marriage in 1889, to Miss Margaret J. Smith, who is a daughter of Jacob B. and Mary (Strong) Smith, farming people in Greene County. To this marriage four children have been born, the two survivors being: Fannie E., who is a bright student in the Junior class at the Ellwood City High School, and Edna P., who is also in school. A son, Jesse I., died aged three and one-half years and a daughter died in infancy.

Mr. Ross belongs to a number of fra- ternal organizations. He is a member of Eclipse Lodge, No. 892, Odd Fellows, of Duquesne; of Vesta Lodge, No. 352, Knights of Pythias, at Duquesne; to Aerie No. 1246, order of Eagles, at Ellwood City ; and to Lodge No. 348, Elks, at Beaver Falls. In politics, he is a Democrat, but he takes only the interest which all good citizens display in the management of pub- lic affairs.

ROBERT GORMLEY, who owns 112 acres of fine land in Hickory Township, which is situated three miles east of New Castle, on the north side of the road be- tween the State and Harlansburg road, is a representative farmer of this section. He was born January 18, 1828, and is a son of Robert and Sarah (Hammond) Gormley, and a grandson of Thomas Gormley, whose whole life was passed in Ireland.

Robert Gormley attended the early schools and for some years studied in prep- aration for the ministry. Later, however, he turned his attention to farming and in this vocation found enjoyment and profit and was thus led to make it his life work. He is numbered with the successful agri- culturists of Hickory Township, and is held in esteem as one of her best citizens.

Mr. Gormley married Margaret Mouck,

a daughter of Daniel Mouck, of Henderson- ville, and they have six children, namely : Thomas Boston, who married Cora Lou- den, has three children, Thomas B., Rob- ert and Catherine; James R .; Mary Mel- vina, who married John White; R. Clyde, who married Jennie Sloan, has two chil- dren, Russell and Rex; Frederick T., who married Myrtle Farmer, has one son, Ken- neth; and Sarah Lula. The family home is a comfortable residence set in a beautiful lawn and is flanked by substantial farm buildings.

Mr. Gormley and family belong to the United Presbyterian Church in which he is an elder.

MELVIN G. BEST, justice of the peace and prominent citizen of Little Beaver Township, residing on his valuable farm of eighty-seven and one-half acres, was born July 23, 1859, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Charles L. and Dorothy (Fisher) Best.

The father of Judge Best was born in Germany and was twelve years old when he accompanied his parents to America. The Best family settled at Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania, where Charles L. Best ran a butcher shop for many years. He now lives retired at Enon Valley. He was mar- ried in Pittsburg to Dorothy Fisher and they had seven children born to them, namely : Melvin George; Emma, who mar- ried C. M. Burns ; Griselda, who married J. I. Martin; Rose, who married J. C. Martin ; Carl; Anna ; and Norman, who died young.

Melvin G. Best was fifteen years old when his parents moved to Enon Valley and he gave some assistance to his father, who conducted a meat market there. Later he returned to Pittsburg and in that city learned the house and sign painting busi- ness which he subsequently followed for twelve years. In 1896 he returned to Enon and purchased his present farm from J. H. Russell. Here he carries on general farm- ing and dairying and owns a fine herd of Holstein cattle. He has greatly improved

753

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

the place and erected all the building's now standing.

On September 5, 1888, Mr. Best was married to Winnie Staude, who was born at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they have one son, Harry, a student at Geneva Col- lege. In politics, he is a Republican and he is serving in his second term as justice of the peace. He is a member of Enon Lodge, Knights of Maccabees.

ROBERT T. WITHERS, one of New Castle's respected citizens and well known business men, who is engaged in a plumb- ing business at No. 556 South Mill Street, was born in Scotland, in January, 1866.

Mr. Withers remained in his native land until he was about seventeen years of age and then came to America. He located first at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a blast furnace for three years and then went to Mexico, Missouri, and for three more years was engaged in railroad work between Mexico and Kansas City. In December, 1887, he came to New Castle, where he engaged at first in blast furnace work, later followed contracting for two years and then returned to the furnace, where he continued until 1907, when he em- barked in his present line of business. In the above year he built one of the finest business structures on South Mill Street, a three-story brick block, 25 by 83 feet in dimensions, and he occupies a part of the same.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Century history of New Castle and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 20th, Part 93

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