Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 180

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1540

USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 180

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John Wilson was born December 18, 1758, mar- ried Sarah McDowell in June, 1787, and from them has sprung the Park family, one of whose history we are endeavoring to sketch. Sarah McDowell was the daughter of Hon. John McDowell and Agnes Bradford, his wife, and was born October 24, 1769. Mr. McDowell was born September 23, 1736, in the North of Ireland, near Belfast. Noth- ing is known of his ancestry except that they came from Scotland, and that his father was a judge and a man of prominence .. But to return to John, the father of Sarah: When a young man he came to this country and lived awhile in or near Elizabeth- town, N. J., where he met and married Agnes Bradford, and they afterward lived for some years at Peach Bottom, York Co., Penn. In company with the Bradfords, Scotts and Allisons of that re- gion, they removed to Washington county about the year 1773. Mr. McDowell obtained a tract of land containing 440 acres, and erected a log cabin which has been rendered memorable as being the place where Rev. John McMillan, D. D., preached his first sermon in this western country, as learned from the Doctor's diary (this was on the fourth Sabbath or 22d day of August, 1775). This log cabin was afterward superseded by a two-story log cabin with a mammoth fireplace, which was long considered the finest dwelling in that vicinity. Mr. McDowell was one of the first elders in Char- tiers church,; one of the first commissioners of Washington county; one of the Council of Censors for the State, and was appointed one of the As- sociate Judges of the Court of Common Pleas for Washington county, by the Governor, Thomas McKean. We now return to Sarah, his daughter, who married John Park in June, 1787; they set- tled on a farm there owned by him, called "Ex- periment," where they lived seven years. His father having died, he then bought the homestead

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called "Deer Park," where they spent the remain- der of their days. John Park, though quite young at the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, did not withhold his services from his country. During that struggle he acted as a seout for some time, and rendered valuable service, but was in no severe engagement. He preceded his parents in their re- moval to Washington county. He is said to have reerossed the mountains over a dozen times, and brought baek salt and other necessities, which com- modities were carried on paek horses, and journeys were slow and wearisome, and they were occasions of much fatigue, exposure and self-denial. During his early history he had frequent calls from the In- dians, but these were generally of a friendly charac- ter. He was an active member of the church, and for years served as a trustee. One of them relates that she never knew him to stay at home from church, even on stormy days. Sarah Park, his wife, was of vigorous mind and extraordinary in- dustry; she was in every sense a helpmeet to her husband. This incident will illustrate her nerve: A wolf caught a lamb in the meadow below the house, and she saw it in the act, and seizing a stick started in pursuit of it. By the time the wolf reached the fence, she was close upon it, and in at- tempting to cross, the lamb was dropped, and she recovered it alive, though severely wounded. Like her husband, she was a devoted Christian. They often walked five miles to church when the roads were bad, or the horses had been worked hard in the busy season. One of the family remembers that she walked more than she wanted to, and says " when mother thought they ought to go, there was no alternative." The first cabin was built over one hundred years ago. It was constructed of roughly hewn logs, puncheon floor, and had but one room. This sufficed until enough land was cleared to afford sustenance. Then a two-story edifice was built, which was considered superior to the average house of the neighborhood, as it had glass windows and a floor of boards. This was burned down about the 1st of August, 1836, with a part of the con- tenits. The furniture in early times was plain, but durable; the chairs were split-bottomed, straight- backed and unpainted; carpets were at first un- known, and afterwards were home-made; the cook- ing was done at an open fireplace, with its crane and andirons, the baking being done either in the Dutch oven or in an outside oven; the dishes were decorated with colored figures much like some of the present time; pewter dishes, spoons and plates, and also wooden ones, were used. The writer of this sketch saw quite a quantity of George Wash- ington's household goods, and among other things were some plates such as are common at the present day-white, with a blue edge; some were pewter and some were wooden; also a pewter coffee-pot. A secretary, bequeathed by Judge MeDowell to

John Park, and considered in his day a fine piece of furniture, is now in possession of one of the de- scendants, and also the family elock, extending from the floor to near the ceiling. The clothing of the early settlers was chiefly of home manufacture, being made of flax or wool. Mrs. Park was con- sidered an expert-she could spin her sixteen euts per day, and could weave her ten yards of cloth per day-six yards being an ordinary day's work for women. This home manufacture formed the ordinary wear for both male and female, except on special occasions, when the latter would wear calico, costing at that time about $1 per yard. Bonnets were mostly of straw, and were worn two or three years without change. The men in early times wore knee-breeches to church, and on special occasions; at home they wore linsey pants and woolen wamuses. Shoes for wearing abroad were made of thiek eloth with leather soles, and in win- ter shoes were made of strong leather sewed with flaxen thread well waxed. The school-house was about a mile from home, and was constructed of logs; the room was separated into two parts, the larger being laid with puncheon floor and occupied by the school, while the smaller part was used as a stable to keep the master's horse in during school hours. The seats were small logs split and shaved, and were without backs; the windows were made by cutting out a portion of a log and covering the aperture with greased paper to admit the light. The term only lasted three or four months.

The Park family attended the Chartiers church, the pastor being Rev. John MeMillan, D. D. He usually gave them two long sermons, with a half hour between as intermission. He paid little re- gard to dress, and often appeared in the pulpit in knee-breeches made of buckskin (the fronts of them so japanned with grease that they glistened), and without either coat, vest or suspenders; but his heart was in his work, and he gave them the Gos- pel truth in an impressive manner. The writer of this heard the Rev. John Lee say that when Doetor MeMillan and another minister (whose name the writer forgets ) were on their way from east of the mountains to Washington county, their provisions ran out with the exception of a little parched corn and bear's grease; that after they had eaten this a few times, and their stomachs turned against it, they prayed that as they were engaged in the Lord's work He would provide them with what they needed. They were asked if the Lord gave them anything else to eat. "No," said they, " but He gave us stomachs to eat what we had." They traveled for days without coming to any habita- tion, and at night lay down without anything over them except the blue sky and stars. Carriages were unknown then, and the traveling was by horseback principally, with a pair of saddle-bags to carry what they wanted to take with them. The

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produce was hauled in wagons to Pittsburgh, and there sold. Wheat varied in price from 50 cents to $1 per bushel; corn and oats from 12 cents to 50. The river was crossed sometimes in skiffs, but chiefly in flat-boats propelled by poles. Teams were afterward taken across in horse-boats. When in market butter was sold sometimes as low as 5 cents per pound, and at other times as high as 50; eggs as low as 64 cents per dozen, and as high as 30. The social gatherings were chiefly weddings, singings, huskings, quiltings and log-rollings. The weddings generally occupied two days; on the first the groom was attended by a company of his friends to the home of the bride, their way being often ob- structed by trees being felled across the way by mischievous neighbors, or other obstructions placed in the way. What part the Park family took in these amusements the writer does not know.

But to return to the family: John and Sarah Park had ten children born to them, viz .: Agnes, John, Samuel, William, Margaret, James, Isabell, Sarah, McDowell and Rebecca. Of these, Mar- garet married, May 30, 1822, William E. Wilson, son of Robert and Martha E. Wilson, and for seven years they lived on the old homestead farm of the Wilsons. On April 10, 1829, they settled on a farm called "Plenty," near Burgettstown, Washing- ton Co., Penn., which they had purchased a short time before. He was a successful farmer and wool grower. In 1837 he was elected elder in the Se- ceder Church of Burgettstown, a position he held until the union with the Associate Reformed Church in 1858. He stood aloof from this union, and re- mained a Seceder. He died October 2, 1870, when almost eighty years of age, being followed in 1884 by his widow in her eighty-fifth year. They had eight children: Sarah A., Samuel P., Martha E., Nancy (deceased), Isabell V., John P., Rebecca (wife of Thomas Malone), and William L. (de- ceased).

SAMUEL P. WILSON spent his early years at home on the farm, and then engaged in the mercantile business, continuing until 1871. He was post- master at Burgettstown from 1865 until 1871, and for several years he was treasurer of the Union Agricultural Association. In the fall of 1871 he purchased a farm near Gordonsville, Va., and in March following he moved his family thither. He was married to Margaret Campbell, of Smith town- ship, Penn. Mrs. Wilson died July 21, 1887. In November, 1887, he sold out at Gordonsville and moved his family to Chinook, Mont., and stayed there until 1890, when he returned to Burgetts- town, where he at present resides. They had four children, viz .: Robert C., Maggie A., William E. and Jennie E. Martha E. Wilson is the widow of Alexander Russell (deceased), formerly of Bur- gettstown. John P. Wilson's biographical record will be found at page 284, this volume.

WILLIAM L. WILSON, son of William E. and Margaret P. Wilson, was born on the home place in Smith township, where his youth was passed. He attended the public schools, receiving a thor- ough training in the common branches. Though he selected agriculture as his life work, yet he be- lieved education to be essential to any department of life. In 1888 or 1889 he bought the residence of the Rev. J. T. Frederick, in Burgettstown, and the following spring moved to town. He was un- married, his two sisters, Sarah and Isabell, living with him. On the evening of the 25th of October, 1892, while returning from the farni to his home in town, he had to cross the railroad track. A freight train was just moving off the crossing, and at that moment he stepped on to cross over, when he was struck by the limited express and instantly killed. He could not see the express for the freight train. In religious matters he was a United Presbyterian. In politics he was a Republican, cast his first vote for the Republicans, and so continued.

OHN H. CHARLTON, proprietor of the widely known and popular meat market in the borough of Washington, is a grandson of Robert Charlton, who came from Germany to Washington county in 1813, and died at Cook's Place, Chartiers township, in 1828, his wife (who accompanied him from the Fatherland ) dying some time later. They had children as follows: Samuel, Joseph (now in Iowa), John, Daniel, Jacob and Robert.

Samuel Charlton, son of Robert, was born in Germany, and came with his parents to this country and county. By occupation he was a wagoner on the National pike between Washington, Penn., and Baltimore, Md. He was twice married, first time to Miss Shipe, who died leaving two children: Robert (now deceased) and Frank (in Mannington, W. Va.). His second marriage was with Mrs. Elizabeth Marie (nee Hervey), a lady of Irish parentage, and they had a family of five children, as follows: John H., our subject; Mary, wife of Fred Hood, of Washington; Susan, also in that borough; Rebecca, deceased wife of Henry Lle- wellen (she died in 1874), and Samuel M., in Washington. The parents, soon after marriage, came to live in the borough of Washington, where the father died about the year 1858, at the age of fifty. four years, the mother in 1876, at the age of sixty-five.

John H. Charlton, of whom this sketch more particularly relates, was born in this county, in 1842, and his boyhood was passed alternately in attending the schools of the neighborhood of his birthplace and laboring on the farm till coming into the borough of Washington. Here he carried on a butchering business till 1876, when he moved

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to Ohio and there conducted a similar line of trade until 1880, in which year he returned to Washing- ton, and opened out his present meat market, in which he has met with unqualified success.

In October, 1872, Mr. Charlton was united in marriage with Miss Armmella A. Levering, of Knox county, Ohio, and four children were born to them, viz .: Mary L., wife of Charles L. Stone; and Addie H., Ethel B. and Clayton B., all at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Charlton are members of the Second Presbyterian Church of Washington. In politics he is a Republican, and at one time served as assessor. He was but a lad of sixteen when his father died, and, being the eldest of five children, had for years to give all his earnings toward the support of the family.

B ENJAMIN F. BENTLEY, a leading and influential citizen of Monongahela, is a na- tive of the county, born in Carroll town- ship in December, 1821. His grandfather, Sheshbazzar Bentley, was born in Chester county, Penn., where he learned the trade of millwright, which he followed in both that and Washington counties. In Chester county he was married, and had one child, Hannah. Afterward he came with his little family to Washington county, a wagon being their mode of conveyance, in which they brought all their chattels. They crossed into the county through the river at what is now Mononga- hela, and for the first night camped out near where the present fair grounds are located. They then proceeded up Pigeon creek until they arrived at a point where Mr. Bentley established a mill site and built the first mill on the creek. On an adjoining hill he put up for himself and family a log cabin, in which they lived some years, and then erected a hewed log house, where he passed the remainder of his pioneer life. He also at this place founded, in 1816, the village of Bentleyville, in Somerset township. His children, born in this county were House, George and Sheshbazzar.º Mr. Bentley was a Democrat in politics, and in relig- ious faith a member of the Society of Friends.

House Bentley attended in his early boyhood the subscription schools of the neighborhood of the place of his birth, Bentleyville, until he was old enough to work, when he entered his father's mill to learn the trade. While a resident of Bentleyville he married Fannie, daughter of Will- iam Wallace, of Somerset township, and the chil- dren born to them were Hannah ( Mrs. John Ken- nedy), Elizabeth, Sheshbazzar, William, Martha, Margaret, Benjamin F. and Amanda (Mrs. Joshua Stevens). After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bentley moved to Carroll township, where he built a mill on Mingo creek, which he carried on many years. In 1824 he moved to a farm near Monongahela

river, and there passed the remainder of his busy life, dying in 1852, a member of the M. E. Church. Politically he was a Whig, actively and enthusi- astically patriotic, and was considerably interested in militia matters, having at one time been a general.

Benjamin F. Bentley was reared in Carroll township, in the primitive subscription schools of which he received a fair education for those early days. The schoolhouse was made of logs, the floor and seats being rough puncheons, and the windows of greased paper in lieu of glass. He lived on the farm four or five years after marriage, and then came to Monongahela, where he has since made his home. He built his present comfortable and commodious residence in 1873. In 1849 Mr. Bentley was married to Mary, daughter of Daniel Van Voorhis. They have no children. They are members of the Baptist Church, in which he has served as deacon, and in his political affiliations he is a Republican. Mr. Bentley represents a family prominent and influential in the affairs of Wash- ington county.

B LACK. Samuel Black, the first of this family in Washington county, of whom there is any record, was born in 1775, in County Down, Ireland, where the family were all farmers. In 1791 he came to America, landing in New York, whence in 1793 he proceeded to Washington county, Penn., and here embarked in trading, open- ing a general store in Williamsport (now Mononga- hela ), the first in the place, which he conducted a few years. This store was known as the " Old Red House," and stock was brought from the East on pack horses, and traded for farm products which Mr. Black would take to New Orleans, down the river on flat boats, there sell for cash, proceed to New York, purchase a new stock of merchandise, and bring same back to Williamsport. He pur- chased of Joseph Parkison a lot near First street, on which he erected a house and store combined; also bought large tracts of land in Washington county, and at the time of his death was one of the largest landholders in the county. In 1824 Mr. Black built the first mill at Dry Run (a " tramp mill "), the power for which was supplied by oxen, and he operated a sawmill on Pigeon creek. He also erected the glass factory at Dry Run, besides the dwelling houses surrounding same. In short, he was a thoroughly representative self-made man, a progressive and useful citizen. His death occurred in 1848.

In 1793 Mr. Black married Mary , who bore him the following named children: Elizabeth (Mrs. William Bentley ), Maria ( wife of Dr. Samuel. King), Mary, Samuel, Marcus, Cyrus, Caroline (Mrs, Robert Smith), Jane ( Mrs. Wm. S. Mallingar), Ross .

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Wilson S., Mary (Mrs. George A. Clark ), and Hes- ter A. (Mrs. John McNeal). In his political prefer- ences Mr. Black was a Federalist, and in his church connection was a leading Presbyterian, and one of the first trustees of his church.

C HARLES W. ADAMS, for sixteen years a well-known harness maker in the borough of Washington, and since 1890 a prominent real-estate dealer and insurance broker, is. a Virginian by birth, having first seen the light on May 10, 1840.

His father, Charles Adams, also a native of Vir- ginia, a miller by trade, married Charlotte, a daugh- ter of James Yates, also of that State, and they had three children, our subject being the only survivor, the other two having died when young. The father departed this life in 1843, aged forty-three years, and the widowed mother continued to reside in Virginia until her son, Charles W., was about eleven years old. She passed from earth in 1868, in Marion county, W. Va., at the age of sixty-three years.

Charles W. Adams received a limited education at the public schools of the neighborhood of his home, but being fatherless had to commence work very early in life. When eleven years old he en- tered upon a three years' apprenticeship to the har- ness business in Taylor county, Va., and before finishing, attended school for a time, but in this essential his opportunities were of necessity much circumscribed. His mother was not exempt from . toil either, for, having lost the greater part of her means through becoming security for others, she had to seek employment in order to support herself and son during his boyhood days. After finishing his trade, Mr. Adams moved to Marion county, same State, where, as already related, his mother died. In 1863 he was married to Sarah Weddle, whose parents were of Wheeling, W. Va., and three children came to this union: Alice and Louisa, now living in Washington, and one that died in infancy. In 1882, while residing in Washington, the mother was called to her long home, at the early age of thirty-five years. In 1867 Mr. Adams moved with his family to Wheeling, W. Va., where he carried on a harness business for his own account until 1874, in which year he came to Washington, Penn., and embarked in the harness trade, which he carried on with satisfactory success until 1890, when he sold out and engaged in his present real-estate and insurance business.

Under the President's call, in 1863, for " more men" to suppress the Rebellion, Mr. Adams enlisted in Company E, Sixth West Virginia Cavalry, and served in Virginia and West Virginia to the close of the struggle. He participated in many engage- ments, but was never wounded, though he had a narrow escape from capture on November 28, 1864,

when he was obliged to swim the Potomac to save falling into the hands of the enemy. Along with him was a personal friend, James A. Taggart, who was a better swimmer; Mr. Adams struck a stiff current and thought he would drown before getting out of it, so called to his comrade, who was swim- ming ahead of him, for help. Taggart responded by turning back, with true patriotic friendship, but by dint of much struggling our subject succeeded in reaching the shore, where, thoroughly exhausted, he laid down among some weeds, while the enemy passed by fortunately without seeing him. His wife was with him up to the time of his plunge into the river, and she fell into the hands of the Con- federates, who, after searching her trunk, released her without further molestation. Poor Taggart died of "spotted fever " while in the service. At the close of the war Mr. Adams was sent to the plains of Nebraska and Colorado, on Indian service, and in this as in his war experiences, he escaped in- jury of any kind. In 1866 he returned to West Virginia, and in 1867 settled down to his trade in Wheeling, as above narrated. In 1884 Mr. Adams married, for his second wife, Alice Weddle, sister to his first, and by this union two children were born, viz .: Charlotte, in 1885, and Charles W., in 1891. Our subject is a member of the G. A. R., W. Templeton Post, of Washington, also of the I. O. O. F. He and his wife are members of the First M. E. Church.

C APTAIN ROBERT PHILLIPS is a son of William Phillips, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and was united in marriage with a widow lady, Mrs. Elizabeth (Matthews) Paden. She was the mother of four children by her first marriage, namely: Samuel, Mary, Marga- ret, and Martha. After the death of Mr. Paden she became the wife of William Phillips, and bore him the following children: John, Rezin, David, Jane ( wife of Abraham Van Voorhis), Nancy ( married to William Wickerham), and Robert. The father, who was a miller by trade, died in Fayette county, Penn., when Robert was eight months old. After the death of her husband Mrs. Phillips was married to William Jones, of Monongahela.

Captain Robert Phillips was born March 31, 1817, near Broadford, Fayette county, Penn. When about ten years of age he came to Monongahela, and there received a public-school education. At the age of fifteen years he began life for himself, working on a farm for several years, then went on the Monongahela, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. He was promoted from a deck-hand to the position of mate, and in 1866 became captain of a vessel, hav- ing run on both freight and passenger service. On March 26, 1839, he married Olivia, daughter of Benjamin Parkison. She died July 10, 1886, and

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on January 5, 1888, he was united in marriage with Anna, daughter of John Longwell. Mr. Phillips has won success by earnest, unremitting efforts, and though the struggle was a hard one, many amusing incidents occurred to brighten his early life. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party, and in religion he is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

M ARTIN M. SLATER (deceased) was a native of Donegal township, this county, born August 4, 1815, on his father's farm. He was of Irish ancestry, his grandfather, William, having been born in County Down, Ireland, where he was educated, and mar- ried to Elizabeth Bell, a resident of the same county. He immigrated to America soon after the Revolutionary war, and took a farm of 160 acres, lying near West Alexander, in this county. Soon afterward he purchased a farm south of West Alex- ander, where he made a permanent home. He had five children, namely: Betsey, Margaret, Jane, David and James. Politically Mr. Slater was a Republican, and in religion a member of the Pres- byterian Church.

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Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 180

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1540

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1540