Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 36

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 36

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).

HOWARD CRAMER, editor and proprietor of The Enterprise-Call, Burgettstown, is a son of E. V. and Susan (Weight) Cramer, and was born June 8, 1856, at Spruce Creek, Huntingdon Co., Penn.

The history of the family, of which this gentle- man is a conspicuous and honored member, began with Isaac Cramer, who was born near Millville, Gloucester Co., N. J., in 1786. He was the sec- ond child in a large family, and was of English descent, his father having emigrated to this coun- try some time before, the exact date not now be- ing known; but, at any rate, there is evidence that he served as a soldier in the American army dur- ing the Revolutionary war. In 1807 Isaac Cramer married Mary Van Eman, who was born in 1783, a daughter of John Van Eman, a farmer, also of Millville, N. J. Her parents had emigrated to this country from Wales. After marriage Mr. Cramer learned the trade of an iron molder. He was drafted and served through the war of 1812, and after the close of that struggle he moved to Cumberland county, N. J. In 1832 he went to Lancaster county, Penn., fourteen miles southeast of Lancaster city. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cramer, of whom the following is a brief record:

(1) Wilson was born in 1809; married Roxanna Speelman, in Monmouth county, N. J .; they emi- grated to Lancaster county, Penn., a year or two later, and in 1843 located in the neighborhood of Johnstown. Eleven children were born to them, a majority of whom and their descendants are still living in that locality ; two sons were badly wounded in the Civil war. (2) Eliza Ann was born in 1811, and married Isaiah Hopkins in 1826. They after- ward settled in Jefferson county, Penn .; fourteen children were born to their marriage. (3) Luke, born 1813, was married, in 1834, to Eliza Trimble, of Lancaster county, by whom he had eleven chil- dren; their descendants are now living in that neighborhood; two sons were killed in the war of the Rebellion. (4) Isaac, born 1815, married in

212

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

1837, Rebecca Hunt, of Lancaster county; moved to Philadelphia, where they lived and died; they had three children. (5) Mary, born in 1817, mar- ried in 1835, William Stimeatts, of Cumberland county, N. J., and they settled in Maryland, near Sykesville; they had seven children. (6) Sarah, born 1819, married, 1835, William Holland, of Virginia; moved to Virginia where they lived a number of years, and finally returned to Pennsyl- vania, and settled near Reading; five children were born to them. (7) Eli V., born in 1821, will have special notice further on in this sketch. (8) Joseplı, born in 1823, married about 1846, Eliza- beth Garner, of Lancaster county, and moved to Baltimore, but at the outbreak of the Civil war they returned to Pennsylvania and settled near Reading; they had three children. (9) David, born in 1825, was married in 1848 to Mary Harri- son, of Philadelphia; they settled in that city. The former is still living there; Mrs. Cramer hav- ing been dead a number of years; their family consisted of three children, two of whom are now living. (10) Isaiah, born in 1827, married, about 1850, Elizabeth Gray, of Philadelphia; they also live in Philadelphia; two children were born to them. Isaac Cramer, Sr., the father of this fam- ily, died at the home of his son, Eli V., in 1857, aged seventy-one years; Mrs. Cramer passed away three years before at the same age.

Eli V. Cramer, born in 1821, was married, in 1855, to Susan Weight, at Spruce Creek, Penn., who died in 1865. She was the second of nine children born to John H. and Barbara (Zimmer- man) Weight, both Germans. John H. Weight was the eldest of four brothers and several sisters. His father came from Germany and settled in Berks county, Penn., where John H. was born in 1807; he died at Altoona, Penn., in 1887. In 1866 Mr. Cramer married, for his second wife, Mary J. Stein, eldest daughter of Richard and Jane Stein, of Blair county, Penn. By his two wives Mr. Cramer had seventeen children-five by the first and twelve by the second. He is now living at Grant, Indiana Co., Penn. Mr. Cramer was an active participant in the two Know-Nothing riots in Philadelphia. In 1847 he enlisted as a recruit to the regular troops, and served for six- teen montlis in the Mexican war, in Gen. Scott's army. During the invasion of Pennsylvania by the rebels in the Civil war, he went out at the call of Gov. Curtin, and remained until the critical period was past, but saw no active service. Those of his children who have arrived at maturity are: J. Howard, the subject proper of this memoir; Wilson T., a farmer, married and living in Huntingdon county, Penn .; Mary and Martha (twins) (Mary is the wife of Mahlon Cryder, a clothing merchant of Tyrone, Penn .; Martha is married to E. L. Butler, of Altoona); Harry, an

iron molder, is married to Amanda King, and they are living at Grant, Penn .; R. H. is a printer in Burgettstown, Penn .; Jesse H. is a printer in Pittsburgh, Penn .; W. A., a lumberman, and Victor E., an iron molder, are both living at the paternal home. It will be noted that this family has been represented in all the wars of this country since the emigration of the regular stock. The great-grandfather of the present generation was in the Revolutionary war; the grandfather in the war of 1812; E. V. in the Mexican war, and a number of the present generation in the war of the Rebell- ion. Isaiah also served in the Civil war, and ex- perienced the horrors of Libby Prison. A singular fact in the history of the family is that the seven sons of Isaac Cramer, Sr., were iron molders, and the three daughters married iron molders. It will also be observed that they literally obeyed the Scriptural injunction to "Multiply and replenish the earth."

J. Howard Cramer, at the age of eighteen, com- menced to learn the printing trade in the office of The Times, Curwensville, Penn., afterward finish- ing same in the office of the Raftsman's Journal, at Clearfield, same State. In 1879 he moved to Pittsburgh, and worked for a while in the job print- ing establishment of Myers, Shinkle & Co .; then went to Mansfield, Penn., and worked in The Item office for nearly two years. The proprietor of The Item, C. Knepper, had established a monthly paper at Burgettstown, named The Enterprise, and in August, 1881, sold it to Mr. Cramer, who immedi- ately commenced the publication of a weekly edi- tion. On January 1, 1888, Mr. Cramer bought The Call from M. R. Allen, and consolidated the two journals under the name of The Enterprise- Call, which is now a widely-read and prosperous paper. In 1882 J. Howard Cramer was united in marriage with M. Jennie Row, of Clearfield, Penn., daughter of S. J. Row, who for thirty years was the editor and proprietor of the Raftsman's Jour- nal, the Republican organ of Clearfield county. To Mr. and Mrs. Cramer have been born four chil- dren, viz .: Amelia S., Ruth R., E. Kate (dead) and Charles H. Cramer.

R EV. HENRY WOODS, D. D. This well- known educationist is a native of Mis- souri, born in Marion county, July 2, 1838. He is of Irish descent, his great-great- grandfather having emigrated from his native land, Ireland, to America, making, in 1730, a settlement in Chester county, where he carried on farming.

Andrew Woods, great-grandfather of our sub- ject, was born, reared and married in Chester county, whence he moved to Virginia, where he died. Two of his children were named Andrew

213

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

and Archibald, of whom Andrew was born in Bote- tourt county, Va., near Charlottesville, and re- ceived his education at the public schools of the period. When a young man, he left the paternal roof and made a settlement in Wheeling (now in West Virginia), at that time a fort and trading post, and for a number of years he carried on farm- ing. He married Mrs. McCullough (nee Mitchell), widow of Major Mccullough, an Indian fighter of considerable repute. On one occasion, the Indians having succeeded in surrounding him, he made a leap with his horse over a precipice that has since been known as "Mccullough's Leap." The children born to this union were Jane (who mar- ried Rev. James Hoge, the pioneer minister of the presbytery of Columbus, where he preached for over half a century), Andrew, Samuel, Margaret (Mrs. Dr. Martin L. Todd), Robert, Alfred, and Ann (Mrs. Dr. Archibald Todd). The father of this family was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, of Wheeling, of which he was one of the founders and one of the first elders. In politics he was a Whig of the old school.

Andrew Woods, father of Henry, was born June 17, 1793, in Wheeling, Va. (now W. Va.), and, at the schools of the place, such as they were a hundred years ago, he received a liberal educa- tion. In 1821 he was married to Rebecca, daugh- ter of James Brison, of Pittsburgh, and their children were James B., of New Orleans, La. ; Oliver, deceased; Luther, in St. Louis, Mo .; John, in San Diego, Cal .; Archie, in St. Louis, Mo. ; Andrew Alfred, in New Orleans, La .; Henry, and Francis M., pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Martinsburgh, W. Va. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Woods removed to Belmont county, Ohio, where he was engaged in milling and farming for some years. In 1837, they first moved to Marion county, Mo., returned to Belmont county, Ohio, in 1839; but in 1844 removed to Missouri and there died, the mother in 1851, the father in 1873. They were members of the Pres- byterian Church. In politics, Mr. Woods was a Whig originally, but during the period of the Civil war he became identified with the Democratic party.

Rev. Henry Woods, whose name heads this sketch, attended school in his native State part of the year, and when fourteen years of age he entered the academy at Morgantown, W. Va., where he remained three years, and then entered the junior class of Washington College, from which he was graduated in 1857. After this he taught at Morgantown, W. Va., two years, at the end of which time (in 1859) he entered the Western Theological Seminary, at Allegheny, from which he graduated in 1862. He received the degree of D. D. from Westminster College, in 1879. Mr. Woods now entered the pastorate, his first charge

being the First Presbyterian Church of Steuben- ville, Ohio, of which he remained pastor for five years, or until 1867, when he accepted the profess- orship of ancient languages in Washington and Jefferson College. In 1869 the departments of Instruction were rearranged and he was appointed to the chair of Latin. Professor Woods has ever since been connected with this institution, and partly to his untiring efforts is to be credited the high standard which the college has attained, in the classical department, among the prominent educational institutions of the country. On June 15, 1863, Rev. Woods was united in marriage with Mary L., daughter of Hon. John Hoge and Ellen (Blaine) Ewing, of whom considerable mention is made elsewhere. Seven children have been born to them, three of whom died in early childhood; the survivors are: Margaret, now a missionary in China, married to Rev. William B. Hamilton; Mary; John E., in Pittsburgh, and Frances H. For the past twenty two years our subject has served as pastor of the East Buffalo Church, in Buffalo township. In his political predilections he was formerly a Whig; but since the organization of the Republican party has been identified with it.

(ONAS ELY, M. D., although one among the comparatively young men in professional life, has reached an eminence for scientific attainments as well as thorough scholarship that is attained by few even of those who have de- voted a long life of patient toil in the work of their profession. He is a native of Greene county, Penn., born March 2, 1853, near Waynesburg, in Whiteley township. His ancestry were of Ger- many, from which country the great-grandfather emigrated at an early day to America; on the voy- age he was so ill that at one time he was thought to be dead and was about to be cast into the sea, when signs of life were discovered in him, happily in time to save him from a watery grave. Jonas Ely, grandfather of our subject, came to Washing- ton county from Berks county, Penn., when a young man, and followed farming and stock raising in Franklin township; he married a Miss Euphen Wilson, and they both died in Greene county, same State.

George Ely, father of Dr. Jonas Ely, was born in Washington county, Penn., September 5, 1818, and was married to Mary Warrick, also a resident of Washington county. After their marriage they moved to Greene county, same State, where they made their home, having born to them seven chil- dren-four sons and three daughters. They were both members of the M. E. Church from early life, and were zealous, conscientious Christians. Mrs. Ely passed away December 29, 1887, aged sixty-two years. She died as she had lived, leav-

214

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

ing testimony behind that her work was well done. Mr. Ely is still living, and has been one of the successful farmers and stock raisers of that county. He has more than an ordinary mind, and has characteristics worthy of example, always living up to the ' golden rule." He was frugal, indus- trious, patient and upright in all his dealings. He has the respect and esteem of all who know him. A neighbor made the remark to an attor- ney, when riding past Mr. Ely's farm, that if all men were like him we would have no use for lawyers.

Dr. Jonas Ely was reared on his father's farm. He received his education at select schools and Waynesburg College, studying all the branches re- quired there for graduation. However, from the age of fifteen his ambition was to become a fol- lower in the footsteps of Hippocrates and Galen, and all his spare time he assiduously devoted to the private study of medicine till 1883, when he entered Cincinnati Medical College, from which he graduated in the class of 1887 at the head of his class. In March of that year he came to Wash- ington, this county, and commenced the practice of his chosen profession, in which he has been de- servedly successful. On December 25, 18.73, Dr. Ely was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Jane Schriver, of Greene county, Penn., where the former is a successful farmer. To this union two children have been born: John R. and Tillie S. The Doctor has been a member of the M. E. Church since the age of sixteen years, and has been steward in the same for some time.

J AMES S. STOCKING. The family, of which this gentleman is a worthy representative, are on his paternal side of Holland Dutch ancestry who came to America at an early date, and on the maternal side are descended from " Mayflower " Pilgrims who established a settle- ment near Worcester, Mass. James Phillips, a lineal descendant of the latter, came in 1800 to Washington, where he died. He had several sons, one of whom, James, was in the Mexican war, and was killed at Pueblo. The father of these sons was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch.

Julius Stocking, father of James S., was born near Auburn, N. Y., was educated at the sub- scription schools of his day, and learned the trade of weaver. In 1835 he came to Washington, where he was engaged in trading and speculating, but later moved to Rockport, Ind. In 1836 he was married to Mary, daughter of James Phillips, above referred to, and a native of Washington county, Penn. To this union were born the fol- lowing: Alfred, now in Ohio; Mary, wife of Will- iam Jenkinson, of the firm of R. & W. Jenkinson,

in Pittsburgh; and James S. The father died in 1870, aged sixty-eight years, the mother in 1874, at the age of fifty- four years.

James Stevens Stocking, the subject proper of this memoir, was born December 4, 1839, in Washington, Penn .; attended the public schools until twelve years of age, when he began to make his own living, but found time to acquire a good education by self-teaching. At President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, for three months, he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served for the term of enlistment; re-enlisted in the One Hundredth Pennsylvania Volunteers (" Roundheads") and served two years and eight months; re-enlisted as a veteran for three years, and served thirteen months, making in all full four years' service in the Union army; lost an arm at Hatcher's Run, October 27, 1864; entered the army as a private, and was mustered out as first lieutenant; was appointed U. S. store- keeper in 1871; was unanimously nominated by the Republican County Convention of 1872 for clerk of courts, and was elected, receiving 5,465 votes to 4,818 for Samuel Ruth, Democrat, and running 171 votes ahead of his party's candidate for governor; was re-nominated without opposi- tion in 1875, and re-elected, receiving 5,152 votes 10 4, 702 for W. C. Scott, Democrat, and running 235 votes ahead of the Republican candidate for governor; was one of the editors and proprietors of the Washington Observer from October 17, 1879, to October 17, 1882, when he sold his inter- est in the paper on account of ill health; was ap- pointed postmaster at Washington by President Arthur in February, 1885, and served twenty months, when he was removed for being a Repub- lican; was nominated and elected to the Assembly in 1888; re-nominated an re-elected in 1890, as a Republican. On November 1, 1891, without solici- tation, he was offered and accepted the position of assistant chief and superintendent of the seed room in the Seed Division of the Agricultural De- partment at Washington, D. C., where at present he is located.

On January 4, 1866, Mr. Stocking was married to Miss Elizabeth Hallam, of Washington, Penn., a sister of the well-known Hallam Bros., and she bore him three children: Hugh, Harry (deceased) and Maud, and died of smallpox February 2, 1881. On March 17, 1883, our subject married Mary Josephine, daughter of James Robinson, of Co- shocton, Ohio, and great-granddaughter of Gen. Robinson, of Revolutionary fame, who made a settlement in the Muskingum Valley, where he took up a U. S. grant of 3,000 acres; he was captured by Indians, made to run the gauntlet, and was actually tied to the stake to be burned alive, when he was rescued by Logan, the Mingo chief. At the age of twenty-four Mr. Stocking

215

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

lost his arm, as above related, and in his twenty- fourth year his son, Hugh, lost his left arm by be- ing caught in a power printing press. In 1884 Mr. James S. Stocking engaged in the real-estate business, and laid off an addition to Washington, Penn., known as "Kalorama." In 1887, in con- nection with B. F. Hassun, Esq., platted and sold another addition, named "Woodland." In 1888, in connection with James Kuntz, Jr., L. McCar- rell and E. F. Acheson, he platted and sold the Weaver farm, under the name of West End, and in 1889, in connection with the same parties, he platted and sold the Shirls Grove property. Woodland, West End and Shirls Grove additions are now consolidated into a borough, and is known as "West Washington."

RANCIS HANLIN. The Hanlin family have for almost a century been identified with the progress and development of Hanover township. They have assisted in the ad- vancement and support of the schools and churches, and all other enterprises which have served to place Hanover township in its present position with the magnificent galaxy of townships contained in Washington county, Penn.

The present generation of this family trace their ancestry to four brothers, William, John, James and Alexander, who were children of Alexander and Nancy (Stewart) Hanlin, and natives of Coun- ty Tyrone, Ireland. The father dying in County Tyrone, the family, consisting of the widow, four sons and three daughters (Elizabeth, Nancy and Jane), came to America in 1792. Their first loca- tion was in Lancaster county, Penn., where the sons engaged in various kinds of employment. Energy and health formed their sole capital. One daughter, Nancy, was married in eastern Pennsyl- vania, and there passed her days. Between 1795 and 1800 the other members of the family came farther west, locating on the waters of Buffalo creek, in Washington county, on the "Lawton Farm." The brothers continued to work in part- nership until the beginning of the present century, when James purchased land near Paris, Hanover township, this county, and followed the river, mak- ing trips to New Orleans. He was married to a Miss Mills. William, John and Alexander jointly purchased, of one Charles Campbell, a large tract of land near Harmon's creek, in Hanover township, this county, to which they moved. William was affianced to Anna, daughter of John Fulton, of Hanover township, and his wedding day was set, but he died before the marriage was consummated. John Hanlin was born in 1771. in County Tyrone, Ireland, and in 1823 married Nancy Hanlin, a dis- tant relative, and a native of Ireland. Her parents came to America, locating at Steubenville, Ohio,

leaving their infant daughter with an aunt in Ire- land, with whom she crossed the ocean when but two years of age.

Alexander Hanlin was married in 1805 to Eliza- beth Scott, who was born February 14, 1780, in Ireland, and when only two or three years of age was brought to America. Her father, Franklin Scott, was one of the first settlers in Jefferson township, this county, first locating there about the time of the Revolution. He was obliged to flee from the country to Ireland, was married, and again crossing the Atlantic settled in Jefferson township, Washington Co., Penn., where he died. After the marriage of Alexander Hanlin, the land belonging to the three brothers was divided, and he received the southern part of the tract, residing there until his death. He was a consistent mem- ber of the Episcopal Church, to which he contrib- uted liberally, his wife being identified with the Methodist Episcopal Society. Although possess- ing no property when he landed in America, by energy and toil Mr. Hanlin accumulated a good property. In politics he was first a Whig, then a

Republican. He died at the advanced age of ninety years, his wife dying eight years before him, and they were buried in the cemetery of Tucker's Church.

Their children were: Alexander, killed accident- ally by a cider press, born January 1, 1806; William, deceased in Carroll county, Ohio, born August 20, 1807; Francis, whose name opens this sketch; John, a farmer of Hanover township, born Feb- ruary 3, 1812; James (deceased), born Febru- ary 17. 1814; George (deceased), born March 28, 1816; Stewart, a miner (died in California), born March 2, 1818; Charles, a farmer of Jefferson township, born September 26, 1820; Grant, a farm- er and miller of Hanover township, born October 28, 1823; and Eliza Ann (unmarried), born January 30, 1826. The town of Hanlin, a station on the P. C. C. & St. L. R. R, is named from the four Hanlin brothers, one of whom was the father of this family.

Francis Hanlin, son of Alexander and Elizabeth Hanlin was born April 16, 1810, in Hanover town- ship. He was reared on his father's farm, and at- tended the subscription schools of that period. In 1839 he was married to Ruth Criss, who was born in 1821, in Hanover township, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Ritenhouse) Criss. To this union three daughters were born, namely: Nancy (Mrs. Pressly Boyd, of Columbiana county, Ohio), Han- nah (unmarried, living at home) and one daughter, who died in infancy. The mother died many years ago, and on November 20, 1849, Francis Hanlin selected as his second wife Betsy Lyons, a daughter of James and Sarah (Steen) Lyons. The children of this marriage were born as follows: Sarah (deceased wife of Samuel Jackson), Stewart

216

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

(a farmer of Hanover township). Mary (Mrs. Frank Ferguson, of Colliers, W. Va.), James (of Irondale, Ohio, was one of twins, the other of whom died at birth), Elizabeth (Mrs. John Ste- phenson of Hanover township), an infant daughter (deceased), and Letitia (deceased wife of Samuel Work). In 1845 Francis, Hanlin and his brother John purchased a part of " the Davis farm " in this county, which was divided, and the brothers located on adjoining farms, where they have since lived. Francis Hanlin has been a lifelong farmer, and has passed over eighty-two years of a most indus- trious life. As a result he has accumulated a valu- able property and is an extensive landowner of Hanover township. On July 6, 1890, Mrs. Hanlin passed away and was buried in Tucker's Church cemetery. For many years he has been a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has held numerous offices. In politics he has always voted with the Democratic party. Notwith- standing his advanced age Mr. Hanlin is compar- atively a vigorous and well-preserved man.

R V. JOHNSON. FAMILY RECORD. - John Johnston and his wife Elizabeth, of Coun- ty Down, Ireland, were Presbyterians of Scotch-Irish descent, and their children were: William, Esther, Jane, Margaret, Elizabeth, Richard, and John, the last named dy- ing in Ireland. They, with their six children, em- barked for America in the year 1772, but both died of fever on shipboard during the voyage. The children located in Delaware, whence in the spring of 1791 they removed to western Pennsyl- vania near Canonsburg. William married in 1774; Esther married Hugh Jackson in 1777; Jane mar- ried James Hindman in 1780; Margaret married John Anderson; Elizabeth married William Camp- bell; and Richard married Jane Bradford August 23, 1796.

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.

Commemorative biographical record of Washington County, Pennsylvania, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 36

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