Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1, Part 21

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 21
USA > Pennsylvania > Centre County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 21
USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 21
USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1 > Part 21

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On August 8, 1862, Mr. Weaver was com- missioned second lieutenant, by Gov. Curtin, with the power to raise a company, which be- came Company B, of the 148th P. V. I. In September of the same year he was commissioned captain, and subsequently promoted to major, lieutenant-colonel and colonel of the same regi- ment. With the Army of the Potomac he par- ticipated in many of the engagements in which they took part, leading his men on many a Southern battle field. By his gallant service and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

agreeable manner he won the respect of his fel- low officers, and the love and confidence of those under him. The war being ended, he was hon- orably discharged June 8, 1865, near Alexandria, Va. At Poe River, Va., May 8, 1864, he re- ceived a scalp wound, caused by a piece of shell. On returning to his home at Milesburg, he re- sumed merchandising, which he carried on for three years in connection with J. P. Shope, and then sold out to his partner, and purchased his present homestead in Boggs township, where he has since continuously resided.

On December 23, 1851, Col. Weaver was married to Miss Mary M. Hall, who was born at Milesburg, September 25, 1831, a daughter of Thomas M. and Euretta (Roberts) Hall, also na- tives of Centre county, where they spent their entire lives. By occupation the father was an ironworker. He was elected high sheriff, iu 1845, and served as sheriff of the county for three years. He died in 1879 at the age of sev- enty-two years, his wife in 1876 at the age of sixty-nine years. Mrs. Weaver is one in a fam- ily of eleven children: James S. is deceased; Benjamin R. is a resident of Chicago; Henry B. is deceased; William T. lives in Milesburg; Dr. George, M. D., is deceased; Joseph G. lives in Kansas City, Mo .; Mary M. is now Mrs. Weaver; Ellen B., the widow of Joseph Swyers, lives in Howard, Penn .; Elizabeth is the wife of J. T. Reed, Esq., of Williamsport, Penn .; Isabella B. is the wife of J. C. P. Jones, of Milesburg; and Clara is the deceased wife of A. Thompson Boggs, a merchant of Milesburg. Four children were born to the Colonel and his wife, viz: Eliza- beth, at home; J. Willis and James H., specially mentioned farther on; and one who died in infancy.

Col. Weaver has taken a prominent and in- fluential part in public affairs, was elected county treasurer in October, 1871, for two years, and in the fall of 1876 was elected to represent his county in the State Legislature. He has also held various local offices, all of which he has filled with credit to himself, and to the satisfac- tion of his constituents, proving a most efficient and popular official. In January, 1885, Gov. Robert E. Pattison appointed him a member of the Commission whose duties were to erect the State Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. He continued to serve on said commission until the institution was completed, and turned over to the State. He is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles. He has been an earnest, energetic member of the order of Patrons ot i Husbandry for the last twenty-five years, and deeply interested in the education and elevation

of the great Agricultural class of the country, and has devoted much time in Grange work in Centre and other adjoining counties. Since IS53 he has been a faithful member of the Methodist Church at Milesburg, and filled the positions of trustee, Sunday-school superintendent, class lead- er and steward. His entire life being passed in Centre county, he is numbered among its most valued citizens who have been devoted to the public welfare; and his honorable, upright life has won him a host of warm personal friends. He has manifested the same loyalty in days of peace as in days of war, and all who know him have for him the highest regard.

J. Willis, the elder son of Col. Weaver, mar- ried Miss Blanche Holmes, daughter of Robert F. and Bethsheba Holmes, and they have two sons: Ralph and Max. James H., the younger son of Col. Weaver, married Alice M. Wagner, daughter of John M. Wagner, of Boggs town- ship, and they have seven children: . J. Fred Wea- ver, Stella, Nellie, Edith, Clarence, Mary Mar- garet and Paul, all yet living except Mary Margaret, who died October 27, 1897.

S IAMUEL H. WILLIAMS, one of Bellefonte's able and enterprising merchants, is a man whose history bears witness to a high ideal of citizenship. A gallant soldier, a successful busi- ness man, a progressive and public-spirited citi- zen, his example is worthy of emulation.

On his father's side, Capt. Williams descended from an old Dutch family that lived in Lancaster county, Penn. His ancestors, however, had re- sided farther east prior to their location in this State. David F. Williams, his grandfather. a hatter by trade, was born in Lancaster county. and married Miss Lydia Scott, a member of one of the pioneer families of Chester county. He passed the last years of his life with a daughter. Elizabeth, who had married James Canon and lived at Port Matilda, in Centre county. Of his other children: one son was killed in the Mexican war: Thomas F. died in Lancaster county, Penn. . and John F. became the father of our subject The latter was a native of Chester county, and he, too, made choice of the hatter's trade, and located at Downingtown, in that county. Ile married Eliza Bunting, a daughter of Samuel Bunting, who came from the North of Ireland with his wife and settled on a farm on Muddy run in Chester county, which is still in the pas- session of the Bunting family. Of the six chil dren of John F. and wife, our subject was the eldest, the others being: Morgan R., who en- tered the army from Chester county, serving m

SAwilliams

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the 106th P. V. I., and died from the effects of wounds received in the battle of Fair Oaks; David, who died from inflammatory rheumatism; Horatio, now engaged in business in California; and John and Annie, both of whom died in in- fancy.

Capt. Williams is a native of Chester county, where his birth occurred March 19, 1839. At the age of fifteen he left his early home to learn the trade of house painting with his uncle by marriage, a resident of Stormstown, Centre county. His apprenticeship was barely ended when the Civil war broke out, and he was among the first to answer President Lincoln's call for de- fenders, enlisting April 19, 1861, in Company H, 7th P. V. I. In August of that year he returned home, his term having expired; but in February, 1862, he re-enlisted in Company H, 56th P. V. I., and served until hostilities ended, receiving his discharge July 1, 1865. His regiment was incorporated in the Army of the Potomac at its organization, and his entire service was in con- nection with it, and ended only with its disband- ment. Capt. Williams was a gallant soldier, and his military record is a highly honorable one, and is one to which his children and his chil- dren's children can refer to with pride. Enlist- ing as a private soldier, he rose step by step until he became captain. For a time he served as a musician; became a sergeant, was commissioned second lieutenant of Company H, 56th P. V. I .; was breveted first lieutenant and commissioned October, 1864; was breveted captain of .Com- pany I, same regiment, and commissioned in Feb- ruary, 1865. He shared the fate of the Army of the Potomac from the beginning to the end, par- ticipating in the numerous skirmishes and en- gagements of the regiment, among which were: Gainsville, Groveton, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancel- lorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Cold Har- bor, in front of Petersburg, Hatcher's Run, Yel- low House and Five Forks. The Captain re- enlisted in 1864 as a veteran.

At the close of the war Capt. Williams lo- cated at Philipsburg, in Centre county, where he followed his trade until 1868, when he moved to Bellefonte, which borough has since been his place of business and home. He has for years been engaged in business in the line of paints, oils, wall paper, picture frames, etc. He is active and influential in business circles and es- pecially interested and prominent in military affairs. For the past fifteen years, or longer, Capt. Williams has been identified with the N. (. P .; in 1880 and 1881 he was on Gen. Beaver's staff; and for several years following 7

this he was on the staff of Gen. Wylie as brigade commissary sergeant of the 2nd Brigade of the N. G. P. He served eight years as quartermas- ter of the 5th Regiment N. G. P., commanded by Col. Birchfield, his term expiring February 28, 1897. In politics he is a Republican, and for five years he served as a school director, and six years as a member of the borough council. Socially he is a member of the F. & A. M .; of the G. A. R. Post at Bellefonte, of which he is- past commander; also past colonel of Camp 59, U. V. L.

On November 1, 1865, Mr. Williams was married to Miss Sarah McMillen, a native of Huntingdon county. Penn., and to this marriage were born four children, namely: Horatio C., a painter by trade, who married Miss Della Osmer: John H., also a painter, who married Miss Myrtle Bullock; Ella, the wife of A. Lincoln Mc- Ginley, and has two children -- Sarah and Mar- gery; and Willis Edgar, at home. Mrs. Williams died in 1880, and in 1880 Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Miss Laura E. Hamilton, and they have one child, Marilla, born at Belle- fonte on December 4, 1883, and now one of the bright girls of the Bellefonte High School. The mother, Mrs. Laura E. Williams, a daughter of the venerable James Hamilton and wife, of Belle- fonte, a record of whose lives is given elsewhere in this volume, was born on the old Hamilton homestead near Pleasant Gap, in Centre county, where she received the benefit of the neighbor- hood schools, but later was sent to the boarding school at Jacksonville, where her education was completed. Mrs. Williams has been a member of the M. E. Church from girlhood, and is active in the Ladies Auxiliary society of the Church. She is an estimable lady.

J OHN IRVIN THOMPSON, JR., M. S. A., the able and efficient bookkeeper at the Penn- sylvania State College, is also well known in that section as a progressive agriculturist and a reliable and substantial business man. He was born October 11, 1843, at Centre Furnace, Cen- tre county, and is a son of Moses and Mary (Irvin) Thompson.

The early years of our subject were spent at his native place, and in 1859, having progressed beyond the somewhat limited course offered in the local schools, he entered The Farmer's High School for a wider range of study. His course, however, was interrupted early in the war of the Rebellion by his enlistment in the Pennsylvania State Militia; but, after a few weeks of guard

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

duty at Chambersburg, he returned to his books. In 1863 another call to arms met his response, and he spent two months in service in Somerset and Bedford counties. He should have gradua- ted with the class of '62, but owing to these hindrances he did not receive his diploma until the following year. From 1864 to 1869 he was engaged in bookkeeping at the Milesburg Iron Works and at Centre Furnace, and then he and his father and brother William formed the firm of John I. Thompson & Co., and opened a bank at Lemont. For a time it was successful, but, a panic threatening, the firm decided to return all deposits and close up the business. Mr. Thomp- son next became interested in the coal and grain business at Lemont, and continued in the busi- ness until 1890, since which time he has filled the position of bookkeeper at the Pennsylvania State College, and has also kept the accounts of the Experiment Station there.

On October 12. 1870, Mr. Thompson was united in matrimony with Miss Elizabeth Boal, who was born at Boalsburg, January 8, 1846. Five exceptionally bright and intelligent children are entering upon useful and honorable careers under the watchful care of their parents: Mary Irvin is a student in the Woman's Medical Col- lege at Philadelphia; Helen assists her father in the office; George Boal is attending dental col- lege in Philadelphia; Bess B. is a member of the class of '97 at State College; and Charles is also a student at State College. Mr. Thompson has a pleasant home at Lemont, is an elder in the Presbyterian Church at that place, and takes a generous interest in all enterprises that promise to result in good to the community. He is an ardent friend of temperance, and votes the Pro- hibition ticket.

The Thompson family is of Scotch-Irishstock, and our subject is of the fifth generation in de- scent from the original emigrant who crossed the ocean about 1745. Gen. John Thompson, our subject's grandfather, married Elizabeth McFar- lane, whose grandfather. Matthew Louden, a Covenanter, was driven from his home in Scot- land by the religious persecutions of his day. Elizabeth McFarlane was the daughter of James McFarlane, a lieutenant in the Continental army, who was attached to Gen. Morgan's brigade, and who was captured by the British at Fort Green in the Hudson river above New York City, re- inaining a prisoner until the close of the war, after which he married Mary Louden. Gen. Thompson's wife moved from Mifflin county, Penn., in 1809, and settled upon a farm in what is now College township (then Ferguson, and, later, a part of Harris township). In 1814 Gen.

Thompson built a substantial stone house near the log cabin in which he had first made his home.

Moses Thompson, the second son of this wor- thy pioneer couple, was born March 25, 1810, and his reminiscences cover an interesting por- tion of the early history. Young as he was at the time, yet he remembered the excitement caused by the soldiers of the war of 1812, the troops passing his father's house in going to or returning from Erie by way of Bellefonte. His mother, a devout woman of lovely character, in- structed him in the faith of her forefathers until her death, which occurred in the spring of 1822, when he was twelve years old. The educational advantages offered by the subscription schools of that time and locality were meager, as the funds available were not sufficient to secure competent teachers, and men who had failed in every other line of work, or who through age or ill health were fit for nothing else, were usually employed. and Mr. Thompson fared no better than other farmers' sons. . At the age of nineteen or twenty he assumed the responsibility of the farm, thus relieving his father from care, and one of his first acts was to banish liquor from the place, not- withstanding the fact that it was universally used, especially in harvest time. After his father's death, in 1832, the care of the family devolved upon him, and this heavy burden on him while yet a youth so aged him that he was at that time considered by all his acquaintances as an "old man." He managed the farm with economy, energy and industry, until 1839, when he left it to his brothers.

Mary Irvin, to whom he was married, was a daughter of John and Ann (Watson) Irvin, of Harris township, Centre county. For a year they lived at the old homestead, but on April 1. 1839, they moved to a farm which he had pur- chased a short time before. It lies near Oak Hall factory, and is now owned by the heirs of Dr. E. W. Hale. During this three-year resi- dence and ownership, he made many improve- ments. and his industry and economy were re- warded by a profit of $500 per year. On Apr !! 1, 1842, he removed to Centre Furnace, having purchased from Gen. James Irvin, his brother-in- law, a sixth interest in Centre Furnace and Miles- burg Iron Works. In 1848, in company with his brother, William Thompson, he purchased of William Irvin a sixth interest in the same works. but, later. Moses Thompson bought his brother's interest, thus becoming owner of one-third of both properties. In August, 1864, he bough: one-half of Gen. Irvin's interest, the other hal: having been taken by Dr. J. M. McCoy and

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James H. Linn. On. September. 23, 1865, he sold his half interest in the Milesburg Iron Works to Messrs. McCoy and Linn, and bought their in- wrest in. Centre Furnace, becoming the sole owner :: His real-estate transactions were a source of : profit, and at his death he was the largest land owner of Centre county, one of his estates comprising 6,000 acres in one tract.

Many enterprises have felt the influence of his energetic support. He, with his partners, Gen. James Irvin and Hon. Andrew Gregg, sub- scribed .a large part of the stock of the Bald Eagle Valley canal. He also contributed liber- ally to the building of the Bald Eagle Valley railroad, and gave more than any one else of money, time and oversight to the construction of the Boalsburg and Bellefonte turnpike and the Agricultural College and Junction turnpike. He was one of the largest (if not the largest) contributors in the county to the Lewisburg, Cen- tre & Spruce Creek railroad, and assisted greatly in establishing upon an efficient basis the Penn- sylvania State College, of which he was treasurer for many years.

The influence of his mother's moral teachings was never lost, and at an early age he united with the Spring Creek Presbyterian Church, in which he long held the office of ruling elder. He never permitted his name to appear as a candi- date for public office, although as a private citi- zen he took keen interest in the country's welfare.

Despite the anxieties of his life, and his un- remitting devotion to business, he lived past the allotted term of man. He was possessed of splendid physique; stood six feet high, straight as an arrow, and weighed over two hundred pounds. Eminently successful in all his undertakings, he was one of Centre county's representative self- made men. He began life with only a seventh interest in his father's farm, and the courage, en- terprise and judgment which enabled him to gain his fortune teach an encouraging lesson. His indurance, foresight and business tact were tested to the utmost during the panic of 1857. when only the closest attention to his imperiled inter- " ts saved them from failure. He died June 19, :Ng1, aged eighty-one years, two months and twenty-five days. His wife died August 22, 1890.

In his old age Moses Thompson had the su- preme satisfaction of seeing his children settled "ear the old home, all occupying honorable posi- Tions in life. He had eight children, two of whomn bed in infancy. Of the others all are living ex- pt Sarah Irvin, who was married to Dr. Theo- ! fe S. Christ; those surviving their father being: izabeth McFarlane, wife of John Hamilton, of Mate College; John Irvin, of this sketch; Will-

iam, who married Anna Elliott, of Lewisburg; James Irvin, who married Jeanie Shaw, of Clear- field; and Annie, who is not married ..

H ARRISON KLINE, the efficient and popu- lar treasurer of Centre county, is a native of Snyder county, Penn., born May 12, 1841, a son of George and Elizabeth (Fetterolf) Kline, who brought their family to Centre county in 1851, locating first in Penn's Valley. and are. still honored residents of College township, where the father engaged in agricultural pursuits. Both are of German lineage, and are prominent and highly respected people. The mother is a daughter of Andrew Fetterolf, of Snyder county,; a blacksmith by trade, also owning and operat- ing a farm.

Ten children were born to the parents of our subject, of whom one son and one daughter died in infancy. The others are as follows: Harrison is the subject of this sketch; Robert, a minister of the Episcopal Church, now located in Allen- town, Lehigh Co., Penn., married Anna Erdman and has four children; Margaret is the wife of William Ishler, ex-sheriff of Centre county, by . whom she had nine children, three of whom are yet living, and they now reside in Bellefonte: John, an attorney of that city, married Kate Olwine, whose father was a prominent farmer of Centre county, and they have two children: William married Adaline Myer, of Boalsburg, Centre county, died in 1890, leaving a wife and four children, and was buried in Shiloh cem- etery; Sarah is the wife of Harvey Meese, a car- penter of Benner township, Centre county, and they had ten children; Wesley, a practicing physician of Centre county, married a Miss Boal, of Centre Hall, and died several years ago, and Alice lives with her parents in College township.

The boyhood and youth of our subject were . passed upon the home farm, where he assisted his father in the labors of the fields, attending at the same time the public schools of the neigh- borhood, where he acquired a good practical ed- ucation which would fit him for the responsible duties of life. As his vocation he chose agricult- ure, and has become one of the most prosperous, energetic and progressive farmers of Spring town- ship. On November 12, 1863, he was married to Miss Annetta Gentzel, who died in 1869, leav- ing four children, namely: Elizabeth, wife of Elmer Showers, an engineer living in Buffalo, N. Y .; D. M., a farmer of Spring township, Centre county, who married Alka Keller, and has one child; Henry, a miner, having charge of the men at Washau Banks, in Spring township, who mar-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ried Bertha Miller, and has three children, and Robert, a resident of Bellefonte, who married Margaret Swartz, and has one child. Mr. Kline was again married April 7. 1872, this time to Miss Sarah Gephart, of Zion, and to them were born two children: Anna C., at home with her parents, and Orian, who is attending school in Bellefonte.

In politics Mr. Kline is a steadfast adherent of the principles formulated by the Republican party, and on November 3, 1896, he was elected (on that ticket) treasurer of Centre county by the handsome majority of 326 votes. Methodical and systematic in business, he will undoubtedly prove a most capable official, and serve with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents. He has been very successful in his life work, and being endowed with many virtues and a genial, hospitable manner, he receives the respect and confidence of the entire community. He is a worthy member of the Evangelical Church, and is an active and prominent member of the Grange, at present serving as steward of that organization, also of the Royal Arcanum at Bellefonte, being one of the charter members of the lodge there.

R ANKIN FAMILY (THE) of Centre county, of which William B. Rankin, of Bellefonte, is a worthy and respected representative, is of old Pennsylvania stock. The first of the line to set- tle in Centre county was William Rankin, the grandfather of the gentleman named, and a na- tive of Franklin county, Penn., born November 5, 1770. He took a prominent place among the pioneers of this section, and was the second sheriff of Centre county, and from 1806 to 1810 a member of the State Legislature. His resi- dence was in Spruce Creek Valley, where he died November 29, 1847, at the age of seventy- seven years. By his first wife, a Miss Maginley, he had eight children: (1) William M. and (2) James Munsey were prominent physicians, the former of Shippensburg, Penn., and the latter of Muncy, Penn .; (3) Joseph Alexander is men- tioned more fully below; (4) Abigail married Ephraim Bailey, and now resides in Kossuth. Iowa; (5) Adam, deceased, was a farmer at Stormstown, Penn. : two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, died unmarried. By a second mar- riage (the last time), with Miss Huston, there was one daughter, Susannah, who died in early womanhood.

The late Joseph Alexander Rankin, father of William B. Rankin, was reared upon a farm in Penn's Valley, at Centre Hill, near Potters Mills,

the district schools of the vicinity furnishing the usual educational opportunities, of which he made the utmost, preparing himself for teaching. He followed this occupation until 1850 when. his approaching marriage causing him to seek more remunerative work, he engaged in the in- surance business. On April 17, 1851, he was united in wedlock with Miss Mary E. Blair, a native of Penn's Valley, born October 23, 1824. and six children blessed this union: (1) Abigail (deceased), who married Charles F. Cook, and had five children-Annie M., William H., Nettie J., Joseph R. and Abbie; (2) William B., of this sketch; (3) Sarah C., who died in the spring of 1896, in her fortieth year: (4) Annie M., who died in 1882 at the age of twenty-four years; (5) Caroline E., who resides in Clearfield county; and (6) John, who died Nov. 14, 1893, in his thirty- first year. After his marriage Joseph A. Rankin made his home for twelve years in Spruce Creek Valley near the line between Centre and Hunt- ingdon counties, but the remainder of his life was spent in Bellefonte. He made a specialty of fire insurance, and built up a large business which he continued until five years before his death. In political faith he was first a Whig and later a Republican, and he was a leading member of the Presbyterian Church, with which the family had been identified many years, his father having been a ruling elder in the society at Spruce Creek. Joseph Rankin died February 15, 1888, but Mrs. Rankin, who is a lady of fine intelligence, is still living and enjoying excellent health for one of her age.

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Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 1, Part 21

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