Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1, Part 16

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1358

USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 16
USA > Pennsylvania > Centre County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 16
USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 16
USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 16

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While leading his regiment at the battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776, he was captured, and while a prisoner was made a brigadier-general for distinguished service. He was no less dis- tinguished in civil life after the war, holding many responsible positions, among them that of mayor of Philadelphia. Richard Miles married Mary Pugh, who was a member of the Society of Friends, and in 1792 they located at Milesburg, Centre county, where both are buried. He was a captain of militia in the Revolution, His death occurred December 16, 1823, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, and that of his wife, December 20, 1794, aged forty-four years. Richard Miles was the grandson of Richard, one of the brothers who came from South Wales in 1682 or 1683, and settled at Radnor, Pennsylvania.

The children of Abraham S. Valentine and Clarissa (Miles) were: (1) Anna married S. Stewart Lyon, and their issue are-John; Anna; Clara, the wife of William Jasper Nicholas: Mary, the wife of Ellis L. Orvis; and Rebecca. (2) Rebecca M. married Evan Pugh, Ph. D., who lived only a few months after marriage, and left no issue; he was a scholarly gentleman and dis- tinguished educator, and was the first president of the Pennsylvania State College. (3) Bond, born March 22, 1834, died April 19, 1889, mar- ried Mattie Kenney, who died August 25, 1882, in her forty-sixth year; their children are-Evan and Jane (died in infancy); Bond; and Edward K. The father of these was for years a member of the firm of Shortlidge & Co., of Bellefonte, dealers in grain and coal, and latterly he was en- gaged . in the insurance business. "He was closely attached to the Society of Friends, and was very devoted to their teachings. He was a man possessing a pure Christian character, whom everyone honored. His friends were numbered by the hundreds, who looked upon him as a man worthy of imitation, because he followed as near as he could in the paths of divine teaching. He was courteous, genial, and enjoyed being genial whether in social or business life." (4) Abram S., who resides at Atlantic City, N. J., married Eliza U. Natt, of Philadelphia, daughter of Thomas J. and Anne Natt, of England, and their children are-Charles, Arthur and Edward. Abram S. is connected with the Valentine Iron Works at Bellefonte, and for years took an act- ive part in the business interests of Bellefonte and vicinity. During the war of the Rebellion he was for a time in the service, and contributed largely toward the support of the soldiers and their families. (5) Evan M., who resides in Philadelphia, married Mary J. Taylor, of Doyles- town, who died. Their children are Harry S. and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Abram S. (6) Samuel and (7) Blanchard died in infancy. (8) and (9) Clara and Mary, respect- ively, unmarried. (10) Henry C., now con- nected with the Valentine Iron Works, married Sarah, a daughter of Thomas, and grand- daughter of Judge Thomas Burnside, and their children are-Stanley, Helen, Rebecca and Henry. Henry C. is a member of the borough council.

Bond Valentine, the youngest of the original Valentine brothers, did not remain in the iron business long, but early turned his attention to the law. His birth occurred in 1798. His early paternal training was such as to instill in his mind those principles of morality which were the guiding and controlling influence of his after life. He became a distinguished lawyer, and served in the General Assembly, 1830-32, from Centre county. In 1842, influenced by conscientious convictions, he abandoned the law that he might devote his life to the public ministry in the Soci- ety of Friends. The Friends Review, in an obituary notice, said: "His sterling integrity and the well- known simplicity of his character, averse to mere forms, won for him the increased confidence and respect of the community, and his addresses have been marked by impassioned earnestness. In social circles our friend was very attractive, without reserve, original, genial and simple."

To his first wife, Lydia, daughter of John and Susannah (Ashbridge) Fairland, farming peo- ple of near West Chester, Penn., and of English descent, two children were born, the elder of whom died in infancy; the other is Robert Valen- tine, who has long been at the head of the firm of Valentine & Co., of Bellefonte. Robert Val- entine is one of the prominent and wealthy citi- zens of Bellefonte. His second wife, to whom he was married in 1861, was Mary Natt, daughter of Thomas J. and Anne Natt, born in England, and their children are: Emily and Julia, the latter being the wife of Dr. Bond, of Baltimore.

The homes of Robert Valentine and family, and the family of Reuben B. Valentine, are par- ticularly striking, and are of the several imposing and beautiful places of the mountain town of Bellefonte. The former, a modern built, native stone structure, commodious and substantial, stands on one of the highest points of the town, and is very commanding in point of view. While the other is located a short distance from the town on a beautifully situated farm, " Burnham," this suburban country seat is surrounded by spa- cious grounds, and the old grey limestone house, built by Renben B. Valentine in 1856. is of the Colonial style.

P HILIP B. CRIDER. The lumbering in- terests of central Pennsylvania is one of the great industries which have been an important factor in the development of that section, and one of the chief sources of its great wealth. For nearly fifty years few men have played a more conspicuous part in this development than the venerable gentleman of Bellefonte, Centre county, whose name introduces this sketch, and who, though nearing his four-score years, is yet "in harness," hale and hearty. bidding fair for an unusually vigorous old age.

For probably more than one hundred and fifty years the Crider family have resided in this Commonwealth. Upward of one hundred years ago, the ancestors of our subject came from from Lancaster county, and located on Chatham run, some five miles below the present borough of Lock Haven, then in Northumberland county. where William Crider (1) and William Crider (2). the grandfather and father respectively of Philip B., figured as wood-workers and millwrights. and where now reside a number of their descend- ants. William Crider (2) was married to Mary Walker, and among their children were: Gabrial. Elizabeth, William, Catherine, Philip B. (our subject), Mary Ann, Susan, Jacob, Washington, Joseph, Emily, Ruth and Enoch, William, the father of these children, and his wife were plain everyday people, industrious, good citizens, and kind neighbors whose remains now rest, as do those of some of the older generation, in the old Plum Creek graveyard in the Crider neighbor- hood above located. William died May 15. 1880, at the home of his son, Philip B., at Snow Shoe, Penn., aged ninety-four years, and his wife died at the old homestead in Gallagher township, Clinton Co., Pennsylvania.

D. S. Maynard, in his " Historical Views of Clinton County," thus alludes to Mr. Crider under the head of Gallagher township:

In 1845, Mr. William Crider moved from Pine Creek and settled near the Irish settlement, not far from one of the branches of Queens run. He is still living there at the ad vanced age of eighty-seven years, having raised to manhood and womanhood a large family of children, among them be ing P. B. Crider, of Lock Haven. Though having lived some years beyond the time allotted man, Mr. Crider is st in good health, with faculties unimpaired, and takes pleas ure in talking of his pioneer experience in Gallagher town ship. As was the case with most of the early settlers, he was a good marksman, and delighted in the chase. The fini year he lived in the township he killed five bears, and the next year six, to say nothing of the deer, and other smaller game.

Philip B. Crider was born at the mouth of Young Woman's creek, January 9, 1822, then in Lycoming county, now in Clinton county. Penn That country being then new, and his parents poor, he had very meager school privileges, and

Philip

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

early in life started to be self-supporting. He learned the business of manufacturing woolen goods in the employ of John Rich and John Hill- ard, at their factory in the western part of the town of Pine Creek, Clinton county, and re- mained with these gentlemen some thirteen years. He then purchased the old homestead, where he farmed for several years, when he became identified with the lumbering interests of Centre county, operating first between the Moshannon creeks, where he was engaged with Samuel Crist, of Lock Haven, then the most extensive lumber operator in the county, owning upward of four- teen thousand acres of good pine timber lands. He was so occupied several years, when he began manufacturing lumber for the Snow Shoe Rail- road Company. Following this, Mr. Crist and himself purchased the plant and stock of the firm of Holmes & Wigton, and the new firm carried on extensive operations in the same line for a period of years. Mr. Crider was next associated with Gen. Beaver, Edward Humes and others of Belle- fonte, who had formed a company and controlled several thousand acres of timber land in Clear- field county, where he met with a severe acci- dent, receiving a bad cut in one of his limbs by an awkward workman, from which he was dis- abled for two or three years. This led him to make a change in his business affairs, resulting in an exchange of business interests between him and Mr. Crist, which subsequently took him to Snow Shoe, where for many years himself and son, F. W. Crider, were extensive lumber operators, also having mills and yards in other localities. Some seventeen years ago they made the borough of Bellefonte their headquarters and principal point of operations. Their plant, which is located at the corner of Race and Lamb streets, together with mills in the woods, is one of the largest and best equipped in this section of Pennsylvania. The planing mills, lumber shedding, and other necessary buildings in all cover an area of five acres, while in the various departments of the business from fifty to one hundred hands areem- ployed, and the proprietors have with character- istic enterprise availed themselves of every late and meritorious device in the way of machinery and appliances calculated to insure rapid and perfect production. The firm manufacture and deal largely in white pine, yellow pine, hard wood and hemlock lumber, lath, pailing and and shingles, window and door frames, sash, doors, blinds, mouldings, stair work, and every description of mill work and building material as well as butchers' skewers. As foreshadowed above, the firm of P. B. Crider & Son operate inills and have large lumber interests in a num-

ber of the neighboring counties, which places them in the front rank of the manufacturers of lumber in this section, contributing to the com- mercial importance of these various places. Owing to the extent of their operations, the large capital invested, and many hands employed, they distribute large sums of money, and they are leading factors in the success of those com- munities.

Our subject has been a most successful busi- ness man. Possessed of good common sense. accompanied with business tact, and that energy which is characteristic of his German lineage, he has overcome obstacles and gradually forged steadily to the front until he occupies an envious position in business circles. His entire business career has been one of uprightness. Fair in all of his dealings with his fellow men, and of the strictest integrity, he now enjoys that satisfac- tion which such a life gives. He is an esteemed citizen of Bellefonte, and a man of considerable means, and of retiring disposition, modest and unassuming.

In 1844. our subject was married to Catherine Miller, a daughter of John Miller, of Clinton county, Penn., a lady of uncompromising integ- rity, from the Crider neighborhood on Chatham run. To this union were born three children, namely: Fountain W., a sketch of whom fol- lows; Isaac S., born August 31, 1847, who was a successful farmer on Beech creek, Clinton county, where his death occurred November 17, 1877, as the result of an accident while out hunt- ing; and Josephine H., who was born August 22. 1850, and died May 4, 1870. The mother of these was born at Milton, Penn., August 15, 1829, and died September 26, 1885. Their remains rest in the beautiful Cedar Hill Cemetery at Lock Haven.

F MOUNTAIN W. CRIDER. Foremost among the business men of the Bellefonte of to- day, whose enterprising handiwork in the city's progress and beauty, is conspicuously noticed in the several imposing business blocks-the pride of its citizens and the admiration of strangers- which stand as monuments to his enterprise. taste and thrift, is our fellow townsman-Foun- tain W. Crider. Though yet a young man, Mr. Crider occupies a prominent position in the busi- ness circles of the Commonwealth, and is an ex- ample of what may be accomplished in a few years, comparatively speaking, by industry, econ- omy and a fixed purpose with a determination to succeed.

Our subject is a native of Clinton county, this

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

State, born near Lock Haven, September 7, 1845. His ancestors and the family are noticed in the sketch of his father, Philip B. Crider, which precedes this, as is also there given, in main, the history of the large manufacturing plant of P. B. Crider & Son. His early boy- hood up to the age of fourteen years was passed on the farm, not unlike that of general farmer lads, receiving the benefit of the neighboring schools at the Plum Creek School House. In 1859, then a boy of fourteen years, he entered the employ of John F. Rich & Son, then operat- ing a woolen-mill on Chatham run below Lock Haven. He had, in object, the learning the business of manufacturing woolen goods, and ac- complished his purpose, remaining in the mill some three years, excepting a period of three months each year, which were reserved for at- tending school at Lock Haven. At eighteen he turned his attention to the business portion of his education, and began clerking in the store of J. J. Bisel & Co., of Lock Haven, and after serv- ing for a period as salesman he became book- keeper, and remained with them two years, during which time he made his first venture in the line of speculation, investing his savings in oil, which he lost. At the age of twenty years he entered the Eastman Business College, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and was graduated there- from in 1865. While young Crider was deprived of much of his boyhood, he was practically schooled in business, and before reaching his majority was well equipped for the battle of life, and entered the business world not without some knowledge of the roughness of the road he was to travel. But fully prepared and eager for the fray, he launched out, and though he has by no means ever sailed under a cloudless sky, he has stood nobly at the helm, and so wisely directed the barque that he has weathered the storms en- countered, and to-day sails under a triumphant banner upon a smooth sea.

On January 1, 1866, young Crider joined his father at Snow Shoe in the manufacture of lum- ber, and formed the firm of P. B. Crider & Son, which still exists, and is one of the great manu- facturing industries of central Pennsylvania. Their business has constantly grown until it has extended into the neighboring counties of War- ren, Jefferson, Huntingdon, Clinton and Mifflin, having mills at various points in this territory with general headquarters at Bellefonte. The new life given to the business in the addition of young Crider, who took hold with that energy that youth possesses, and which was so char- acteristic of his make-up, was marked, and it was not long until the extensions referred to were

made, and the firm was in possession of large tracts of timber land, which were so judiciously handled as to result in great profits to the firm --- some of the tracts involving upward of one hun- dred thousand dollars. These men became en- gaged in great interest outside of their lumber deals and the special business of manufacturing; they were large manufacturers of charcoal also. In the sale of timber lands, they reserved the oil, gas and mining rights, and are now possessed of these privileges in Jefferson county; merchan- dising and farming have been no small part of the business of P. B. Crider & Son, and they are now cultivating in the neighborhood of 1, 500 acres. The annual output of lumber at their several mills amounts to millions of feet. In their varied extensive interests they have for years given employment to many men, and kept in circulation great sums of money, which have been of great benefit to this section of the State.

Our subject is a most capable and broad- minded business man, enterprising and progress- ive. In 1888 after the great fire which destroyed some of the best business buildings in Bellefonte, he purchased the site of the present "Crider's Exchange," and erected that most imposing business block which would be a credit and an ornament to a much more pretentious city. It is the finest business block in Bellefonte, and is a structure of modern scientific architectural beau- ty; built of brick and stone and occupying one of the most conspicuous corners of the borough. His palatial residence, which crowns one of the hills of the mountain-town-one of elegance and grace-is but another evidence of his enterprising spirit and love to see the place of his adoption the ideal " Home of the Governors."

Mr. Crider's life has been one of great ac- tivity-a busy one; and like most men whose lives are absorbed in great business interests he has given little time to politics, and has evinced no desire for public office. He is in no sense a politician, though he takes an interest in all pub- lic questions affecting the good of mankind and the elevation of the race. Since early boyhood he has been identified with the M. E. Church, giving liberally of his means to its support. He has served in the borough council, and made a most efficient record. As may be inferred, Mr. Crider is a man of wealth, and of influence, which is not confined to Bellefonte alone, but extends throughout the State where his connec- tion with great, business interests have given him a wide acquaintance. Mr. Crider, too, is a self- made man-a man that has risen from the poor country boy to the head of a great industry, and to the presidency of the great banking company

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of Jackson, Crider & Hastings; a man of wealth and influence, which, however, has in no way affected his manhood-his feelings and sympathy for mankind-these are the same as when he himself walked the paths of doubt amid the early struggles, and he is easily approached, greeting one with a smile and extending one that hearty welcome which makes the timid one feel at ease. Commanding in appearance, fine looking, with an intelligent face, his personality is striking, and but to know him is to account for his popularity. He is a great home man, and outside of business hours may be found with his family. Individually, he owns considerable property in Bellefonte and Centre county, other than the block referred to. In politics he is a Republican.

On July 21, 1868, Mr. Crider was married to Miss Mary Adeline Sullivan, a daughter of Will- iam and Ann (Henderson) Sullivan, of White Deer Mills, Union Co., Penn. Her parents died when she was young, and she was reared by her grandparents, Samuel and - (Barber) Hender- son, of Union county, the grandfather being a substantial farmer and a citizen of some promi- nence there. The wedding occurred at Elmwood, Ill., where Miss Sullivan was visiting an aunt, Mrs. Rynearson. Mrs. Crider was a woman of education and refinement, and a very interest- ing lady, possessed of the virtues that won her a host of friends. Her birth occurred in Union county, Penn., May 25, 1845, and her death at Bellefonte, April 6, 1879. "She was a very earnest Christian lady, and died in the full hope of a glorious immortality." The children born to this marriage were: (1) Burns H., born Au- gust 2, 1869, now a photographer at Easton, Penn., of the firm of Kreidler & Crider. (2) Carrol Low, born August 20, 1872, died August 30, 1891. In January, 1891, Carrol had entered the Freshman class, Dickinson College, at Car- lisle, Penn., with many bright hopes and a prom- ising future, but his young life was cut short and the hopes of his father blasted, for in less than a year he was summoned higher, having contracted A fatal disease at college. His life had been one of purity and simpleness, and in his last breath he exclaimed: " I am the child of a King; I am not dying but am only going home to see Jesus. " 31 May S., born August 28, 1877. is now in school at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

On December 14, 1882, our subject was again married, this time to Rebecca Jane North, and they have two children, High North, born Sep- ''nber 27, 1883, and Mary Isabell, born March :6. 1886, both attending the Bellefonte Academy. The mother of these is a native of Juniata coun- 'y l'enn., born June 9. 1850, daughter of Hon.

James and Susana Matilda (Strouse) North, of Juniata county. She is a lady of refinement and culture, and presides with dignity and grace at their elegant home, which is often the scene of social gatherings.

Hon. James North, father of Mrs. Crider, though now nearly four-score years of age, is quite active in the business affairs of Juniata county, where he has long been a resident of prominence in public affairs and in business cir- cles. He has represented that county in the General Assembly of the State, and has been conspicuously connected with the railroad inter- ests of the Commonwealth; prominent, too, as a merchant and banker. His wife died on Novem- ber 21, 1896. Their children were six in number. namely: Nathaniel died in infancy; Caleb is in the Columbian National Bank at Washington, D. C .; Washington -is in the employ of the Penn- sylvania Railroad Company, as ticket and freight agent (also a dealer in coal and lumber) at Mifflin, Penn .; Rebecca Jane (Mrs. Crider); Hon. Her- man H., a lawyer at Bradford, Penn., who has served three times in the General Assembly of the State; and Mrs. W. M. Jacobs, widow of George Jacobs, formerly a lawyer at Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

C HARLES R. KURTZ, of Bellefonte. The ability to meet the emergencies of an exact- ing profession in a quiet, yet prompt and effi- cient manner, is a test of a well-disciplined mind, and a visit to the sanctum sanctorum of the gifted editor of The Centre Democrat, one of the leading Democratic papers of Centre county, impresses one with the value of this rare acquirement, the large and rapidly developing business of the establishment being managed with apparent ease. Mr. Kurtz, the editor and publisher of The Cen- tre Democrat, has had unusual advantages in the way of preparation for journalism, having been practically trained to it from boyhood in the office of The Centre Hall Reporter, of which his father, Hon. Frederick Kurtz, is editor. Notwithstand- ing the arduous labors which have brought the Democrat to its present prosperity, Mr. Kurtz has also found time to share in the varions pro- gressive movements of his locality, and is es- pecially prominent in political work. Gifted as an orator, his services in that line are frequently in demand, which shows growing appreciation, and points to a brilliant future.

Mr. Kurtz has been identified with Centre county from his birth, which occurred at Aarons- burg, October 31, 1864. His academic educa- tion was mainly obtained in the schools of Cen-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tre Hall, where he attended . until the age of seventeen. He then entered the Univer- sity of Lewisburg (now Bucknell University), completed a scientific course, and was gradu- ated in 1886. Returning home, he took charge of The Centre Hall Reporter for two years, and in 1888 went to Bellefonte to. conduct The Centre Democrat. At that time, and for many years previous, the paper was financially involved, and had proven a bad venture from its inception. It then had a very small circulation, but little advertising and little or no patronage. Under the able management of Mr. Kurtz, it soon showed marked improvement in both re- spects. The subscription list has grown from seven hundred to almost two thousand substan- tial names, and its columns are patronized by the leading business men of the vicinity. In July, 1895, Mr. Kurtz purchased the entire business, which had previously been owned by a stock company, The Centre Democrat Co., and has equipped it throughout with late and iniproved type, fast presses, folder and engine. When Mr. Kurtz took charge of the plant it had a small circulation. Now it boasts of having the largest number of readers of any Democratic paper in Centre county.

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Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1, Part 16

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1898 Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1358

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1358