Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2, Part 13

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1266

USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 13
USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 13
USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 13
USA > Pennsylvania > Centre County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 13

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).

In Luzerne county, on July 17, 1852, Mr. Rosenkrans was married to Miss A. M. Watrous, a native of that county, of which her father,

Jonathan B. Watrous, was an honored pioneer. There he died when past the age of eighty years. The following named children were born to our subject and his wife: Allen H. and Frank are both married and reside in Penfield; Mrs. Ella Lewis and Mrs. Clara Lewis both live at Hulton, Penn .; Friend W. is married and resides in Pen- field; Ray is at home; George and Howard both died when young.

For two years Mr. Rosenkrans most accept- ably served as district treasurer, was tax collector three years and supervisor two years. Politic- ally, he is identified with the Democracy; socially, he is identified with Clearfield Lodge No. 198, I. O. O. F., and Clearfield Lodge No. 305, K. P. He has always taken an active interest in the development and progress of his adopted county, has done all in his power to promote its welfare, and justly deserves a place among its represent- ative and public-spirited citizens.

R EUBEN HOLT, a successful teacher, and one of the leading farmers of Graham township, Clearfield county, was born April 5, 1851, in Bradford township, and is a son of John and Priscilla (Smeal) Holt, of Bradford town- ship, Clearfield county.

Thomas Holt (grandfather of our subject), who was a native of England, located in Brad- ford township on coming to the New World, and purchased a tract of timber land which he cleared, following lumbering throughout the re- mainder of his life. He was united in marriage with a Miss Meek, of Centre county, Penn., by whom he had four children-two sons and two daughters. She died in 1851, and he afterward married Catherine Watson, who is still living in Bradford township, but the grandfather has passed away at the ripe old age of eighty-four years. By his second union he had two children, one of whom is still living in Philipsburg. Penn. In the family of Thomas Holt were Vincent B .. a farmer of Bradford township, who married Nancy Wilson, and has several children; John, the father of our subject; Frank, of Philipsburg, who married a Miss Goodrich; Robert, who mar- ried a Miss Barger, of Bradford township, but both have passed away, leaving one child, Rosa- lie; Isabella, deceased wife of Alexander Mur- ray, a farmer of Girard township, and the mother of Thomas H. Murray, a distinguished lawyer of Clearfield county, who is one of six children; and Caroline, wife of Joseph Goon, a shoemaker of Clearfield, by whom he has seven children.

Of the ten children born to the parents of our subject: George died in 1835; Ellen, in

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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1850; Mary, in 1850; George, in 1852; and Al- fred in 1853. Vincent B. was killed while rolling logs on the clearing by being caught with the chain, and his limb torn and mutilated in such a manner that he died in a few days, at the age of fifteen years; Thomas M., who resides on a farm in Graham township, adjoining the old home- stead, married Isabel B. Kephart, of Decatur township, Clearfield county, by whom he had four children, and after her death wedded Mrs. Lucy Turner, by whom he has a daughter, Mamie; Stephen, who is unmarried, resides on his farm in Morris township, Clearfield county; Wilson, also a farmer of Morris township, married Emma Miller, and has two daughters, Cecil and Enid.

Reuben Holt, the subject of this sketch, com- pletes the family. He was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys, and since attaining to man's estate has engaged in teaching in con- nection with the operation of the old homestead in Graham township, on which he makes his home, and which is a well-improved and produc- tive farm. The buildings which he has erected are of a neat and substantial character, and all the improvements are made with a view to con- venience in his business.

Mr. Holt was united in marriage with Miss Margaret E. Forcey, a daughter of T. H. and Anna (Leonard) Forcey, the former of whom is one the largest lumber manufacturers of Clear- field county, and is also engaged in the banking business. Thirteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Holt, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Howard G., July 20, 1875; Clarence P., September 21, 1876; Anna E., January 23, 1878; Clyde F., April 26, 1879; Mabel M., June 10, 1880; Ora B., February 16, 1882; Minnie L., May 21, 1883; Grover C., August 6, 1884; Lloyd M., November 21, 1885; May C., September 24, 1887; Vida N., January 23, 1889: Donald R., May 19, 1890; and Carrie V., February 14, 1892. All are still living and reside at home, with the exception of Donald R., who died September 6, 1890. Howard G. is a traveling salesman, and both Clarence P. and Anna E. are successfully engaged in teaching in the public schools. The wife and mother passed away August 29, 1893, at the age of thirty-eight years, and Mr. Holt has since married Mrs. Ella M. Stillman, widow of H. B. Stillman, a promi- nent lawyer of Lewiston, Illinois.

Politically, Mr. Holt has always affiliated with the Democratic party, and has held the office of clerk in his township a number of years, super- visor one terin, and has also been officially con- nected with the schools. Religiously, he is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal

Church, with which his wife and seven of his children are also connected. He is one of the influential and enterprising business men of Gra- hain township, whose integrity and honor are unquestioned, and whose word is considered as good as his bond.

SRAEL SCHUCKER, a representative busi- ness man of Clearfield county, has been for over twenty-four years a leading contractor and builder at West Clearfield. Born in Brady town- ship, Clearfield county, in 1838, he has witnessed a wonderful development in all lines of enterprise, and his own well-directed efforts have been an appreciable factor in the improvement of his locality.

George Schucker, his grandfather, was born in 1772, in Lebanon county, Penn., and comes of good old pioneer stock. In early manhood he moved to Madisonburg, Centre county, where he followed the cooper's trade until 1816, when he moved to Brady township, Clearfield county, then a wilderness, and cleared a farm. He died in 1854, but the family is still represented there by some of his descendants. His son Michael, our subject's father, was born in Madisonburg in 1809, and was only seven years old at the time of the removal to Brady township, where he passed his life in agricultural pursuits. He was married there to Miss Barbara Ellinger, a native of Centre county, Penn., who died in 1882, at the old homestead, and his own death occurred three years later. They had eleven children: (1) Rachel, Mrs. Weaver, who for fourteen years past has resided in Huntingdon county, Penn. ; (2) Sarah, who died at home at the age of six- teen; (3) Mary Ann, who died at the old home; (4) Peter, formerly a resident of Huntingdon county, Penn., died January 7, 1897, of heart trouble; (5) George, who lives near Troutville, Penn., operates a sawmill and a crane; (6) Israel, our subject ; (7) Eli, who died in Brady township in 1862; (8) Michael, a farmer in Huntingdon county; (9) Cornelia, who resides in New Jersey; (10) John, who died in Du Bois, Penn., and ( II) Katie, Mrs. L. Schoch, of Troutville, Penn- sylvania.

Mr. Schucker's early education was obtained in the schools of his native township, where he grew to manhood and engaged in the business of contracting and building. In 1873 lie moved to West Clearfield to continue this occupation. He owns 113 acres in Lawrence township, Clearfield county, upon which stone of an excellent quality is found, and he is now opening a quarry there. He was married in Lawrence township July 5,

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1866, to Miss Anna Aughenbaugh, a native of that locality, and the daughter of Henry Aughen- baugh, an early settler, now deceased. Ten children were born of this union: Mary Ellen, Percy Newton, William (who is married, and re- sides in Clearfield), Harry, Warren (now in West Virginia), Michael (in Keene county, Penn.), Martin (at home), and Effie, Virgie and Fred- erick.

Mr. Schucker takes an active interest in local affairs, giving especial attention to educational matters, and has served as a member of the school board. He belongs to the order of Amer- ican Mechanics, and, while his family are Lu- therans in religious faith, he is a member of the German Reformed Church.

W ILLIAM GRAHAM, one of Clearfield county's representative business men. is the owner of a fine farm in Lawrence township, also of valuable milling property in Goshen town- ship, and during his years of active and well-di- rected labor he has done much to aid in the de- velopment of his locality.

His people were among the early settlers of Clearfield county. His grandfather, Robert Graham, was born in Virginia and came to Penn- sylvania as a young man, locating first in York county, and then in Huntingdon county upon a farm. In 1803 he went to Lawrence township, Clearfield county, then a part of Centre county, and cleared a farm in the woods. In 1804 he took his family there, and made it his home until 1817, when he moved to Bradford township, Clearfield county, to open up another farm where he and his wife, who was a Miss Walls, passed their last years. They had the following chil- dren: John, a farnier of Bradford township, now deceased; William, our subject's father; Jane, (Mrs. Solomon Kline) of Bradford township, now deceased; Polly (Mrs. Henry Buck), who died in Bradford township; Hetty (Mrs. Luzere), of Bradford township, now deceased; Isaac, who died in Clearfield borough; Ann (Mrs. Peter Crafos), now deceased; James (deceased), who was a resident of Bradford township; Minerva (Mrs. George Smith, a widow), formerly of West Clearfield (now deceased).

William Graham, Sr., was born in York county, Penn., in 1793, and after spending the first fourteen years of his life in York and Hunt- ingdon counties, went to Clearfield county. He was married in Lawrence township to Miss Polly Saligh, a native of Lancaster county, Penn., and settled upon a tract of wooded land in Bradford township, where he passed his remaining years,

His first wife died in 1857, and he was married (a second time) to Miss Vanetta, of Tioga coun- ty, Penn. She survived him, and after his death in 1864 went to the West, where she died some years ago.

Our subject was one of a family of ten chil- dren: Sarah (Mrs. George Wilson) resides in Bradford township; Robert moved to Poweshiek county, Iowa, and died there in 1893; Isaac died in Tama county, Iowa, in 1891; William is men- tioned more fully below: Elizabeth (Mrs. Allen Cupler) died in Goshen township in ISS8; Eman- uel married and went to the State of Washington, where his death occurred in 1893; Jacob resides in Iowa; Washington died in Colorado in 1893; Daniel, who died in Bradford township in 1888, enlisted in Clearfield county, in 1861, in the 84th P. V. I., and served three years in the Army of the Potomac; Lucinda (Mrs. Reams, resides in Poweshiek county, Iowa.

The subject of our sketch was born in Brad- ford township, Clearfield county, February 4, 1824, and grew to manhood there, receiving his education in the subscription schools of that day and locality. In 1847 he was married in Mc- Kean county, Penn., to Miss Polly Housler, a native of Youngwomanstown, Clinton Co., Penn. Her parents, John and Catherine (Chad- wick) Housler, were born in New Jersey, but made their home in Mckean county in their later years, both dying there. Her maternal grand- father, Elihu Chadwick, was a soldier in the Rev- olutionary army. After his marriage, Mr. Gra- ham settled in Goshen township upon an un- cleared tract of land, and engaged in lumbering, milling and farming. He has good water power and owns a gristmill, a shingle-mill with a yearly capacity of 200,000, and a sawmill which turns out 200,000 feet of lumber annually, and he keeps five or six men constanly employed. In 1871 he purchased an improved farm of 120 acres in Lawrence township, on the bank of the river, and has since resided there.

Mr. and Mrs. Graham have reared a family of six children: Elmira (Mrs. William Hoover, of Oregon), has two children -- (a) Elva, Mrs. Oaks, who has one daughter, Claire, and (b) Charley. (2) Lucinda (Mrs. Ira Kramer, of Goshen town- ship) has had six children-Edgar, Florence, Hallie, Millie (deceased), Earl and Carleton. (3) Amor C., who resides at Clearfield Bridge, mar- ried Nannie Dixon, and has four children-Cecil, Wayne, Virginia and Adrian. (+) Freeman H., who lives in West Virginia, married Anna Robin- son, and has three children-Cora, Laura and Clarence. (5) Nettie (Mrs. John Koozer, of Law- rence township, Clearfield county) has two chil-

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dren-Amor and Hattie. (6) Isalona (Mrs. Peter Arp, of Terre Haute, Ind. ) has one child, Alton.

Mr. Graham has always taken an influential part in local affairs, and in the work of the Dem- ocratic organization. He has been supervisor of his township, and served as a member of the school board for seven years.

W ALTER D. SHIREY, a prominent resi- dent of Clearfield, Clearfield county, now retired from active business life, is one of the representative citizens of that county, and a de- scendant of one of the old pioneer families.

Mr. Shirey, on his father's side, is of German extraction. His grandfather Shirey, a native of Germany, was among the pioneer settlers of Clearfield county, Penn., where he came and made his home in a dense wilderness, locating in what afterward became Lawrence township, where he lived and died. John Shirey, his son, and the father of Walter D. Shirey, was born on his father's farm in 1800. He married (first) Miss Helen Mopes, a native of Lawrence town- ship and a daughter of Richard Mopes, a well- known citizen of that locality. After his mar- riage John Shirey settled upon a tract of forest land in Bradford township, which he cleared and cultivated. He was a man of influence in Clear- field county, and was at one time a candidate for county treasurer, and held the office of justice of the peace for fifteen years. An independent thinker, he had the courage of his convictions, and became a Republican when there were but few in that section. To his marriage with Miss Mopes the following children were born: Sophia (Mrs. Kyler), of Boggs township, Clearfield county; Isaac, who went to Nebraska in 1860, and died there in 1895; Walter D. (our subject), mentioned farther on; Wesley and Fletcher, prominent residents of Bradford township; Mary L., who died in 1844, and Susan (Mrs. Forcey), of Bradford township. The mother of these died in 1844, and the father was married, in Lawrence township, to Miss Nancy Norris, a na- tive of that township, and a daughter of Moses Norris, an early settler there. To this union two children were born: Russell D., a manu- facturer in Philipsburg, Penn., and J. H., who died in Bradford township, in 1891. The mother of these died in 1889, having survived her hus- band twenty-six years, he dying in 1863.

Walter D. Shirey was born at the old home- stead in 1830, and grew to manhood upon the farm. He was educated in the schools of Brad- ford township, also at the Academy at Clearfield,

and later engaged in farming and lumbering. He has seen the once thickly-timbered lands of Clearfield county transformed into farms, his own labors assisting appreciably in the change. In the early days he rafted on the river, and for about forty years was a pilot. In 1868 he bought the old homestead, which comprises 141 acres, and built a new residence and barn. He followed agriculture there until 1895, when he retired and moved to Clearfield. In 1857 he married Miss Martha Ann Irwin, a native of Lawrence township, and a daughter of Joseph Irwin, one of the substantial men of the county, who died in Lawrence township in 1863. To this union one child was born, Elmer, who mar- ried Miss Elvira Thompson, of Clearfield county, and resides in Brooklyn, Iowa. They have one child-L. Lloyd.

Our subject and his wife are members of the M. E. Church, and Mr. Shirey has always been active and influential in public affairs. He is a Republican in politics, and at present is a mem- ber of the West Clearfield Council, while he has held a number of offices in Bradford township, having been auditor, overseer of the poor, mem- ber of the school board, supervisor, and inspector of elections.

J R. READ, who follows agricultural pursuits in Lawrence township, was born there on his father's farm, February 4, 1818, a son of Thomas and Mary Potter (Jordan) Read. Thomas Read was born in 1785, in Penn's Valley, Centre Co., Penn., of parents Alex and Jemima (Alex- ander) Read, both natives of Maryland, and. early settlers of Centre county. In 1802 they removed to Lawrence township, Clearfield coun- ty, and located on the Mitchell farm. Both died in this township, the grandfather in IS-, the grandmother in 1840. Their children were Alex, who died in Lawrence township, July 7, 1853; Thomas, who died in 1851; John R., who died in 1861; James, who died in 1871; Amos, who served as county commissioner in 1884, also deceased; Mrs. A. B. Read, who died in Clear- field; and Mrs. Sarah Dunlap, who died in Pike township. Thomas Read came to Clearfield county when a young man, and in 1810 was mar- ried in Lawrence township, to Mary Potter Jor- dan, a native of Centre county, and a daughter of John Jordan, who located in Lawrence town- ship in pioneer days, and there lived until his death. Thomas Read located on the Spackman farm, and, in connection with the cultivation of his land, operated a coal mine. His wife died in 1831, and he afterward married a Miss Fergu-

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son, whose death occurred in May, 1852, in Lawrence township. In politics he was a Dem- ocrat. He passed away in 1861. In the family were children as follows: Jordan, who died in Lawrence township, in 1889; Alex, who resides in the same township; Isabella, who married William Spackman, and died in 1887; Potter, who is living in Lawrence township; J. R .; William Potter, who is living in Lawrence town- ship; Thomas, who resides in Iowa; and Jemima, who resides in Lawrence township.

On his father's farm J. R. Read spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and was edu- cated in the schools of the neighborhood. In 1840 he began farming on his own account on a sixty-acre tract of timber land, where he built a log cabin. This still stands and forms a part of his present residence, but it has been boarded and otherwise improved. In March, 1840, he was married to Miss Mary Wrigley, a native of Clearfield county, a daughter of Robert and Mary (Kay) Wrigley, who were born, reared and married in England, and came to Philipsburg, Penn., in 1802. The father followed merchan- dising for a time, but afterward located on a tract of land near Clearfield, and transformed the same into a good farm. He died in January, 1859, in Bradford township, and his wife passed away January 3, 1873. Our subject and his wife began their domestic life upon their present farm, where he to-day owns a valuable property of 187 acres, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation. This couple have had nine children, seven of whom are living: Mary is the wife of James Spackman, of Law- rence township, and has two sons and one daughter-Lewis E., Lynn and Helen. (2) Rob- ert W. married Eliza J. Lytle, and is living in Nebraska. Their children are-Verne, Virginia, Alice (deceased), Catherine, Mary, J. R., Kay (deceased), and Idella. (3) Lewis died at the age of sixteen. (4) Alfred M. wedded Alice Lytle. and with their children-Lois, Robert Van Dyke, and Erma-they reside in Nebraska. (5) Kate is at home. (6) Mrs. Anna P. Brown is living in Clearfield, and has five children- Phoebe, Fred, Amanda, Ruth and Mary. (7) Josiah R., of Goshen township, married Eva Mullen, and they have seven children-Stella, Ira, Lewis, Maxwell, Frank, George and Levis. (8) Mrs. Frances McDowell is living in Brad- ford, and has one child, Homer.

In politics, Mr. Read is a Democrat. He has served as constable, was deputy sheriff one year, and in 1855 was elected sheriff, serving for three years. He and his wife are numbered among the pioneer settlers of Lawrence town-

ship, and their long residence there has made them widely known, while their many excellent qualities have gained them the respect and es- teem of all with whom they have been brought in contact. Their home is noted for its hospi- tality, and their friends are many.

E RASTUS LUTHER, the well-known lum- berman of Troutville borough, Clearfield county, is a representative self-made man and his success in business life demonstrates the pos- session of more than ordinary sagacity and enter- prise. He comes of a prominent pioneer family, as his grandfather, Lebbeus Luther, a native of Massachusetts, was the founder of Luthersburg, Clearfield county, and took an active part in the movements of his time. As early as 1819 he moved to Curwensville, but did not long remain there, the following year finding him at the pres- ent site of Luthersburg, Brady township, where he built the first house. For many years he kept a hotel there known as the " Cream Hill Hotel," and as there was no other house between that point and Curwensville, a distance of thir- teen miles, it became a noted landmark. Later he moved to a farm in the same township called Woodside place (now Helvetia), and in 1847 he removed from Brady township to Ridgway, Elk Co., Penn., where he died in 1870. His wife, Elizabeth Hoover, who was born in Lawrence township, Clearfield county (then a part of Cen- tre county), survived him, breathing her last at the home in Ridgway, in 1883. Of their ten children, we have record of the following: Mar- tin H., our subject's father; Mary Ann (Mrs. Horam); Lavina (Mrs. P. T. Brooks): Jane . Mrs. P. W. Barrett); David S. (deceased in 1897); Eliza (Mrs. Patterson, of Idaho); and J. Calvin (the youngest son); the others died when young.

Martin H. Luther, the father of our subject, is now the oldest resident of Brady township, Clearfield county. He was born in what is now Pike township, Clearfield county, in 1814, and experienced in his youth all the disadvantages of pioneer life. There were no schools near his home, and in 1826 he attended school for a time in Salona, Centre county. In 1827 the first school house in Brady township was erected at Luthersburg, and from that time Mr. Luther re- ceived his instruction there. He was a hardy youth, of excellent abilities and much determina- tion and at the early age of thirteen he was sent to carry the election returns of his locality to Curwensville. In 1835 he married Miss Sarah M. Brisbin, of Nittany Valley, Centre county, and settled upon his present farm, where his wife

Erastushither

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

died in February, 1896. Our subject is the eld- est of a family of ten children, the others being: (2) Lebbeus T., an artist, died in Brady town- ship, September 28, 1880; (3) Clarence S. is a teacher in DuBois; (4) Winfield S. is also a teacher in DuBois. (5) Herbert T. (twin of Winfield S.) resides on a farm one mile east of Luthersburg, in Brady township. (6) Elmyra V. (Mrs. J. W. Gaghan), a widow, is a resident of DuBois. (7) Theresa E. (Mrs. Jesse T. Spen- cer) resides with her father on the old homestead. (8) Enos B. (9) Elizabeth, and (10) Austin T. died young.

The subject of this biography was born near Luthersburg December 12, 1835, and was reared at the old homestead, attending the local schools and working on the farm. He was married in the same township June 7, 1859, to Miss Mary Ann Kirk, a native of the same locality and a member of a respected pioneer family. After his marriage Mr. Luther settled in what is now Bloom township, Clearfield county, purchasing 248 acres of timber land and engaging in lum- bering. He sold out after spending six and one- half years there, and returning to Brady town- ship bought the Rhodes farm, near Troutville, where he followed farming and lumbering. He still conducts the sawmill and shingle mill which he built there, and employs ten or eleven men. On November 25, 1889, he moved to Troutville, having erected there one of the finest residences in Clearfield county, and has since been an im- portant aid in the various public enterprises of that place as he has been in every locality in which he has made his home. He assisted in organizing the borough, and was its first burgess, serving three successive terms, and he is one of the leading advisers of the Democratic party in that section. While residing in Bloom township, he held the office of township assessor for three years. Socially, he is identified with the K. of P., and was one of the charter members of the local lodge.

Mr. and Mrs. Luther have four children, all living: (1) Austin Kirk, a resident of Troutville, married Charlotte Yoas, and has had three chil- dren-Guy, Ruth, and Lulu. (2) Harvey Leroy, a farmer at the homestead, married Lizzie Ed- dinger, and had one child that died in infancy; (3) Blanche married J. E. Kester, a photographer, of Brockwayville, Penn., and has one child-E. Luther. (4) Lafayette is at home, doing photo- graphic work.

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Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2, Part 13

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1898 Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1266

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1266