Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2, Part 93

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 93
USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 93
USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 93
USA > Pennsylvania > Centre County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2 > Part 93

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Bryant D. Schoonover, the subject of this review, was born December 22, 1832, and in 1852 accompanied his parents to Morris town- ship, Clearfield county, where he purchased a 100-acre timber tract, and began lumbering. He also bought the mill property of John Cook, and has since successfully engaged in the manufacture of sawed lumber. From Jones Brothers he pur- chased 400 acres of timberland adjoining the mill, which land he is now clearing, converting the timber into lumber.

On September 30, 1890, Mr. Schoonover wedded Mrs. Lavinia Hartline, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Kyler, of Morris town- ship, Clearfield county. Kylertown was named in honor of Mrs. Schoonover's father, Thomas Kyler, who built the first house in the town. He had two children, Benjamin F., and Lavinia (Mrs. Schoonover). He died September 17, 1896, aged seventy-six years. Politically, Mr. Schoonover is an ardent Democrat. and has served as justice „of the peace one term, school director twenty years, and overseer of the poor for about eighteen years. Both himself and wife are faithful mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and take an active interest in all benevolent and charitable work. He is a man of broad capabilities, as his extensive business interests indicate, and is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

M ILTONN OWENS, a substantial. progress- ive citizen of Lawrence township, Clear- field county, resides near Clearfield upon the farm where he was born in 1856, a fact which is worthy of note in these nomadic days. His fa- ther, the late Robert Owens, was born there in 1 807, and passed his life as a successful agricult- urist, his death occurring about the year 1885. His wife, whose maiden name was Rebecca Crowell, breathed her last in 1882.

Mr. Owens, our subject, received his educa- tion in the schools of Lawrence township, and since undertaking the management of his estate he has won a high reputation as a farmer, his 1 18 acres being under excellent cultivation. He makes no specialties in his work. In 1884 he was united in matrimony with Miss Laura War- ren, a native of Boggs township, Clearfield coun- ty, where her parents settled many years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Owens have had children as fol- lows: Pearl, who died in childhood; Cora; Al- fred; Elmere; Harry, who died at the age of three years; and Ella.

Thoroughly public-spirited and progressive, Mr. Owens sympathizes with every movement for the public benefit. He is not a politician, however, and has never sought or accepted offi- cial honors, but takes great interest in political questions, and votes the Republican ticket. He is a member of two fraternal orders, the Ameri- can Mechanics and the Knights of the Golden Eagle.

R P. ROOT. Of the business interests of Becaria township, Clearfield county, this gentleman is a worthy representative. His in- dustry and enterprise cause him to be ranked among the progressive citizens, and his sterling worth has won for him the esteem of those with whom he has been brought in contact. He was born July 15, 1855, on his father's farm in Be- caria township, and his entire life has been passed in that locality.

Mr. Root's parents were Lemuel and Martha A. (Shoff) Root. The father was born Septem- ber 29, 1823, in Blair county, Penn., and in 1845 came to Clearfield county, locating in Glen Hope. He was employed by Israel Cooper for a number of years, and afterward worked for John Byers for some time. In 1850 he was married in Woodward township to Martha A. Shoff, who was born September 19, 1824, and they began their domestic life in a little cabin at the Byers sawmill, wherein Mr. Root found employment for several years. He then purchased land, ul- timately becoming owner of 216 acres, covered

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with pine, oak and hemlock timber. Clearing this place, he transformed it into a good farm, erecting a two story residence, a large barn, 60 X 72 feet, and substantial outbuildings. The land was underlaid with coal and other minerals, and the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, whose line crosses his property, has leased a portion of the land and operates a coal mine.

Lemuel Root was the eldest in his father's family. John resides on a farm in Blair county. and has four living children: Edward, the eldest, is now employed in a railway office, is married and has a family; Lemuel, of Bellwood, is mar- ried, and occupies a clerical position in a railroad office; Luther has engaged in teaching in the pub- lic schools of both Clearfield and Blair counties; Mary is married. The mother of this family died. and John Root afterward married Mrs. Lydia West, and removed to his farm in Blair county: by this union he has one son, Preston. Edward Root was married, and for some years followed railroading in Ohio; he afterward re- moved to Colorado, where he died in 1894, leav- ing a widow. Mrs. Mary A. Fimbaugh made her home in Ohio until her death. Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey resides in Ohio, and has a family. Mar- tha was twice married, and removed to Illinois. Amanda, a half-sister of Mr. Root, married a Mr. Bailey, of Ohio. Lucinda became the wife of G. Smith, and lives in Ohio. Ezra completes the family.

The parents of our subject had a family of seven children. (1) Amanda, born February 28, 1852, is the wife of David Semple, a farmer re- siding in Becaria township, near Utahville. They have a family of nine children, as follows: Lemuel, who married Alice Echard, and lives on a farm in Becaria township; Mary, Willie, Annie, Edward, George, Martha, Paul and an infant unnamed, all at honie. (2) Lydia E., born April 15, 1854, is the wife of Stephen Frederick, of Jordan township, and they have four children: Mattie, Annie, Ernest and Alice, all at home. (3) R. P. is the third in the order of birth. (4) John C., born December 22, 1856, married Rhoda Jane Frederick, of Becaria township, and is now proprietor of a temperance house at Eureka Mines, No. 13. He has four children: Harvey L., Russell, Lloyd and Nellie. (5) Annie M., born June 1, 1858, is the wife of Jos- eph L. Troxell. of Becaria township, and they now reside in Jordan township, with their four children: Walter, John, Ellen and an infant un- named. (6) Emma C., born May 16, 1860, died July 25, 1864. (7) Alice, born March 17, 1862, married A. L. Warrick, of Becaria township, and resides on the old Root homestead. They

have two children: Amanda and Jay. (8) Eliz- abeth H., born March 8, 1865, was married to G. W. Warrick, of Becaria township, where they are now living on a farm; they have a son, Ray- inond.

Born on the family homestead in Becaria township, R. P. Root was educated in the schools of the neighborhood, and in summer months aided in the work of the farm. When twenty-three years of age he wedded Mary M. Troxell, daughter of Joseph and Hannah M. Troxell, of Utahiville, Clearfield county, and they have had five children: Mattie E., Joseph L. and Lemuel W., at home; Edgar Roy, who died at the age of one year; and Virgie M. Mr. and Mrs. Root began their domestic life on a farm at Hegarty's Cross Roads, which he rented of Frederick Shoff, and a year later he removed his family to Utahville, where he followed rail- roading and also worked in the lumber woods for a year. Removing then to the old homestead, he operated his father's land until 1893, since which time he has been engaged in the butcher- ing business. His political support is given the Democracy, and he is deeply interested in its success, but has never sought office. He and his wife, together with one son and one daughter. are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in the community where they live they have many friends.

"ALTER R. HOOVER. Among the pio- neer farmers of Lawrence township. Clearfield county, Jacob Hoover, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, held a prominent place. His ancestors came to Pennsylvania at a very early period, and he was a native of the State, the inherited liking for frontier life lead- ing him to settle in early manhood in what was then a primitive forest in Clearfield county. He spent his remaining years there; his wife, Molly Reynolds Hoover, died in 1873. Of their six children our subject's father. Wilson R. Hoover. was the eldest; George resides in Illinois; G. Bishop lives in Curwensville, Penn. : William lives at the old home in Lawrence township: John was killed there; and Jane resides in Cur- wensville.

The late Wilson R. Hoover was born at the homestead in 1817, and became a leading farmer in his native township, taking up a tract of wild land and inaking from it a well-improved farm. His later years were spent in Boggs township. Clearfield county, where his death occurred in 1894, his life having spanned the entire period of the development which has resulted in the social

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progress and commercial and industrial activities of the county. He was married in Lawrence township, in 1844, to Elnora Lawhead, who still resides in Lawrence township. She was born in Centre county, Penn .. a daughter of one of the early settlers of Boggs township. They had children as follows: Caroline (Mrs. Haney), of Boggs township; Nathan L., a dealer in lumber and hardware at Du Bois, Penn .; Susan (Mrs. McCurdy), of Clearfield borough; William A., of Detroit, Oregon; Lettie (Mrs. Charles Brown), of Clearfield; Edward J., a luinber dealer at Clearfield, and Walter R.

Walter R. Hoover was born in 1860 in Law- rence township, whence the family removed to Boggs township during his early years, and he was educated in the schools of that section. He followed farming for a time, but in 1884 engaged in the hardware business, and four years later gave up that occupation for railroading, to which he gave his time for two years and a half. Since then he has been interested in gardening, and his nine-acre tract near West Clearfield shows great improvement under his management. In 1886 Mr. Hoover was married in West Clearfield to Miss Mary Arnott, a native of Sullivan coun- ty, Penn. He is deeply interested in the prog- ress and prosperity of his locality, and takes an active part in town affairs, having served as a member of the West Clearfield council. In poli- tics he is a Democrat.

E B. WAYLAND. Prominent among the representative business men and agricult- urists of Brady township, Clearfield county, stands the subject of this sketch, who was born December 3, 1861, on the old family homestead in Winslow township, Jefferson Co., Penn., two miles from Reynoldsville, and is a son of J. V. and Sarah (Baum) Wayland. His father. a native of the saine county, was born in Summer- ville, and throughout life successfully followed the occupations of farming and lumbering, own- ing at the time of his death 300 acres of valuable land in Winslow township. There he died in 1878; his wife passed away in 1893. He was one of the most enterprising and energetic busi- ness men of Jefferson county, and was widely and favorably known.

Our subject is the fifth in the order of birth in a family of nine children. the others being as follows: (1) Pearl, born in Jefferson county, in 1851, was eight years old when his father bought the home farm in Winslow township, upon which he worked until reaching manhood. In 1874 he married Susan Walburn, of Clearfield county,

and for a short time resided at the old home- stead, but has removed to Port Barnet, near Brookville, where he is engaged in the sawmill business. He has one son, George. (2). George W., born in Pine Creek township, Jefferson county, in 1852, was married in 1875 to Mary A. Deemer, of that county, and has since pur- chased a part of the home farm, where he built a house and barn, and still resides. He has ten children. (3) Frances, born in Falls Creek township, Clearfield county, in 1854. married William K. Smith, of Reynoldsville, and lived upon a part of her father's farm until her death in 1880. She left a husband and one child, Frank, who died in infancy. (4) Jessie, born in 1857. at Falls Creek, is. the widow of William Deemner, late of Jefferson county, who lived upon a part of her father's farm until his death in 1895. She has since married a Mr. Smith, of Jefferson county, and they have one son. By her first marriage she had two children. Nettie and Edna. (6) William C., born in Winslow township, Jefferson county, in 1864, follows lum- bering, and resides near Reynoldsville, in the same county. In 1891 he married Nora Het- rick, of Jefferson county, and has two children. (7) Johanna, born in 1866, became the wife of Samuel Pantell, of Clearfield county, and they live at Cleary Run Camp, near Du Bois, where he is managing the camp stables. Their two children are Theof and one whose name is not given. (8) Sarah Estella, born in 1870, is the wife of Herbert Pentz, formerly of Union town- ship, Clearfield county, and they make their home near Du Bois. (9) Charles A. H., born in 1873, is engaged in surveying, and resides in Du Bois.

As soon as he had reached a sufficient age, E. B. Wayland, our subject, entered the public schools of his native township, which he at- tended during the winter months, until thirteen years of age, when he laid aside his text books. and began his business career. Until he attained his majority he assisted in the cultivation of the home farm, and then bought timber of his mother, and engaged in logging on Big Sandy creek for two years. Subsequently, in partner- ship with his brother, George, he purchased a tract of timber land in McCalmont township, Jefferson county, where he continued logging for three years. At the end of that time he bought one hundred acres in Winslow township, near the old homestead, and there engaged in the manufacture of lumber and railroad ties until 1893, when he sold out to Robert Douthit and Mrs. Hartman.

In 1887 Mr. Wayland was united in marriage

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with Miss P. A. Faltz, of Winslow township, Jefferson county, and they began their domestic life upon his first purchase, remaining there until 1893, the year of his mother's death, when he returned to the old homestead. In March, 1895, he bought his present farm, in Brady township, Clearfield county, comprising sixty-five acres of improved land, known as the Katherine Dunlap farm, which is pleasantly located one and one- half miles east of Troutville. Here he is suc- eessfully engaged in farming and operating in coal, a six-foot vein of the finest coal underlying his land.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayland have six interesting children, all born in Jefferson county, with the exception of the youngest, and their names and dates of birth are as follows: Alfred, October, 1887; Curtin Cyrus, May, 1889; Laura May, October, 1890; Scott, May, 1892; Irvin, May, 1894; and one whose name is not given. The parents are both consistent and active members of the United Brethren Church, and being a strong temperance man, Mr. Wayland is a leader in the local Prohibition organization, always sup- porting the men and measures of that party by his ballot. His record is that of a man, who has, by his own unaided efforts, worked his way up- ward to a position of affluence. His life has been one of industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods which he has followed have won him the support and confi- dence of many.

W H. ALBERT, the genial and popular proprietor of the " Windsor Hotel," Du- Bois, Clearfield county, deserves special mention as one of the most enterprising and successful of the younger business men of the city. Born March 8, 1864, in Boggs township, Clearfield county, he has always been identified with this section. After completing his education in the schools of his native township he engaged for a time in lumbering in the same locality; but in 189t he became interested in the hotel business at Woodland, Clearfield county.

Finding the occupation congenial, Mr. Albert resolved to secure a wider field of action, and in 1893 went to Du Bois and rented the " Windsor Hotel," which had been newly furnished in April of that year. It contains twenty-five rooms, and under Mr. Albert's capable and energetic man- agement enjoys increasing prosperity. Its loca- tion, at the corner of Long avenue and Franklin street, is excellent, and everything points to the continued success of the enterprise. In 1882 . Mr. Albert was married in Decatur township,

Clearfield county, to Miss Gertrude Kephart, a native of that township and a daughter of Adam Kephart, an early settler, who died there.

Mr. Albert's grandparents were pioneers of Centre eounty, Penn., and his father, the late Edward Albert, was born there in 1822. The latter grew to manhood in Clearfield county, and engaged in lumbering and agriculture, making his home in Boggs township, where he cleared a fine farm. He was a man of excellent standing, and was well known throughout the community. His wife, Anna Jane (Cross), died in 1895, he surviving her only twelve weeks. They had eleven children, namely: George, a resident of Boggs township, Clearfield county; Ella, who died at the homestead; Allen, a resident of Boggs township; Edward Breckenridge, of Bradford township, Clearfield county; Ernest, a merchant of Woodland; W. H., our subject; Helen, who died at the homestead in 1896; Russell, a resi- dent of Bradford township; and Maggie, Walter and Anna, all residing in Boggs township. In his political preferences Mr. Albert is a Repub- lican.

T J. WAYNE, senior member of the well- known hardware firm of Wayne, Weber & Co. (Limited), of Du Bois, Clearfield county, although a young man, ranks among the leading capitalists of that town. He starts in business life with every advantage, his ancestors bequeath- ing him a goodly maternal heritage, together with a brain quite equal to the task of increasing it.

As early as 1842 William and Ann (Bass) Wayne, the grandparents of our subject, came from Leicestershire, England, their native land, and settled in the woods in Sandy township, Clearfield Co., Penn., where they made their permanent home, clearing a farm. They had two children, Thomas, our subject's father, and Emily, who married Elihu Dixon, of the same township.

The late Thomas Wayne was born March 12, 1821, in Leicestershire, England, and conse- quently was about twenty-one years of age when he came to the new home in Sandy township, Clearfield county. He was married there, not many years afterward, to Miss Margaret E. Mix, a native of Clarion county, Penn., and a daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Reed) Mix, who set- tled in Jefferson county. Penn., at an early day to pass their remaining years. The young couple settled in Sandy township upon a farm, and be- came known and respected throughout that reigion for their excellent qualities of character. The father died July 7, 1892, and the mother on

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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December 7, 1893, their remains being interred upon the homestead in a family burial lot which was opened fifty years ago. A handsome monu- ment has been erected to their memory by our subject. Of their children, four are living: Lavina E. (Mrs. E. F. Hand, of Du Bois); Ry- some. a resident of Big Run, Jefferson county; Araminta D., who resides at the homestead; and T. J., our subject.

Mr. Wayne, whose birth occurred at the old farm May 13, 1866, was reared after the custom of country boys, attending the local schools and gaining a practical insight into farm work under his father's direction. He still resides at the homestead, but since 1896 he has been engaged in the hardware business in Du Bois. In that year he and his partner purchased the hardware business of Grier Brothers, and they now carry a complete stock of goods in that line, and do an extensive and profitable trade, both wholesale and retail. Mr. Wayne is the owner of a large amount of realty. With his sister he owns a fine farm of 320 acres in a good state of cultiva- tion, and among his holdings in Du Bois we may mention the two-story brick business block on Brady street, which he built in 1889, the " Wayne Hotel," a good three-story building containing about forty rooms, a brick store building, which he rents, and a valuable lot on Brady street.

Mr. Wayne is a Democrat in politics. So- cially he is popular, and he is prominently identi- fied with Du Bois Lodge, No. 951, I. O. O. F.

H G. PURNELL, M. D., a prominent and leading physician and surgeon of Anson- ville. Clearfield county, is meeting with excellent success in his chosen calling. Most of the more exacting of all the higher lines 'of occupation to which a man may lend his energies is that of the physician. A most scrupulous prelimin- ary training is demanded, and a nicety of judg- ment but little understood by the laity. Then again the profession brings its devotees into almost constant association with the sadder side of life-that of pain and suffering-so that a mind capable of great self-control and a heart responsive and sympathetic are essential attrib- utes of him who would essay the practice of the healing art. Thus when professional success is attained in any instance it may be taken as cer- tain that such measure of success has been thor- oughly merited.

Dr. Purnell was born July 1, 1869, in George- town. Sussex Co., Del., a son of Charles and Maggie (Wingate) Purnell, who belonged to honored families of that State, and are widely

and favorably known. The grandfather, Ken- dall Wingate, for many years followed the black- smith's trade in Georgetown, accumulating quite a large estate, and now in his declining years he is living retired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. He is serving as trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a leading member. The parents of the Doctor are still residents of Georgetown, Del., where the father is interested in the lumber trade and other bus- iness enterprises. He is a recognized leader in the ranks of the Democratic party in his local- ity. takes an active and prominent part in polit- ical affairs, and has creditably filled a number of important offices of honor and trust, including that of sheriff of Sussex county. With the Methodist Episcopal Church he and his wife hold membership, and he is now serving as trus- tee in the same. In their family are four chil- dren: H. G., of this sketch; Mattie, wife of Dr. Messick; Mary, wife of J. B. Townsend; and Annie, a teacher of recognized ability.

The primary education of Dr. Purnell was obtained in the common schools, and he later attended the State University at Newark, Del., where he graduated. As a boy he worked in a printing office in Georgetown, and for five years clerked in a drug store. After completing his university course he went to Philadelphia, where he secured a position in a drug store, and with Dr. Joseph Hearne, as preceptor, he began read- ing medicine. A year later he entered Jefferson Medical College, where he graduated in 1889, and the year following served as resident phy- sician of Jefferson Hospital, thus gaining a good practial, as well as theoretical, knowledge of the science of medicine and surgery. In 1891 he opened an office in Ansonville, Clearfield county, where his skill ahd ability soon won recognition, and he now enjoys a large and lucrative practice.

T HOMAS HENDERSON (deceased) was one of the most prominent business men of Woodward township. Clearfield county, being connected with its industrial, agricultural and mercantile interests. He was progressive and enterprising, and his well-directed efforts brought to him success, while his honorable dealing se- cured him the confidence of the entire community.

His parents were Hugh and Margaret (Gem- mel) Henderson. The former was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, and on crossing the At- lantic to America, first located at Philadelphia, whence he removed to Philipsburg, Centre Co., Penn. Afterward he resided for two years in Amesville, and then purchased one hundred acres

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of timber land in Woodward township. In the midst of the forest he erected a log house and made a home for his family, consisting of his wife and six children: (1) Thomas was the eldest. (2) Robert, who purchased 105 acres of land adjoining the old homestead, married Martha Mathers, and reared a family of four children. (3) William, who lived on his fa- ther's farm, married Isabella Mathers, and had nine children. (4) Samuel H. married Sarah Goss, by whom he had nine children, and resided near the homestead in Woodward township. (5) James, who resides on a farin near Bellefonte, Penn., married Margaret Mathers, of Woodward township, and has ten children. (6) Margaret resides on the old homestead with her brother Willianı.

Thomas Henderson was born in 1820, in Tyrone, Ireland, and came to America with his parents in 1827. The family located in Philips- burg, and he was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade under John Hegarty. When he had mas- tered the business he built a shop on his father's farm, and there carried on operations. In Sep- tember, 1846, he married Miss Eliza, daughter of Daniel and Ellen Kephart, of Decatur town- ship, Clearfield county. The ancestors of her family came from Germany. Her father was a native of Reading, Penn., and after his marriage located in Decatur township, near Osceola, where he reared a family of sixteen children, of whom the following are living: Mrs. Britton, of : sin when a young man, and for five years worked Sinnamahoning, Penn. ; Mrs. Doll, of the same . place; Mrs. Lydia A. Potter, of Nebraska: Andy. who married Lucinda Kennedy, and with his family of seven children resides near Osceola; Daniel, of Sterling, Penn., who married Susan Walker, and has seven children; and John, who is living on the old Kephart homestead.

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Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 2, Part 93

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