Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3, Part 51

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1332

USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3 > Part 51
USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3 > Part 51
USA > Pennsylvania > Centre County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3 > Part 51
USA > Pennsylvania > Clarion County > Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3 > Part 51

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).

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Punxsutawney); Elizabeth married Henry Fraley, a farmer of near Elderton; Tillie S. (Mrs. North), is the fifth in the order of birth; Mary is the wife of Alexander Fistcus, a farmer in Indiana county; Nan married Parks Schrecengost, a wheelwright at Elderton; Wilson married Miss Mary Gibson, and resides on the Smith homestead in Armstrong county.

As has been said, Mr. North belongs to a prominent family. His paternal grandparents, John and Elizabeth (Pogue) North, came from Ireland in 1810, and after spending a few years in Philadelphia, moved to Indiana county, to en- gage in farming. Their son Daniel, our subject's father, was born July 11, 1827, in Indiana coun- ty, and on October 5, 1847. was married to Miss Catherine Bell, a native of McCalmont township, Jefferson county, born November 7, 1828. She was a daughter of James W. and Hannah (Gor- don) Bell, prominent among the early residents of that township; a granddaughter of John and Elizabeth Bell, of Perry township, Jefferson county; and a great-granddaughter of that noted pioneer, Robert Bell, an Irishman, who settled in Indiana county at a very early period. On the maternal side her grandparents were Alexan- der and Catherine (Pounds) Gordon, natives of Ireland, and among the first settlers in the vicin- ity of Smicksburg, Indiana county.

Daniel North made his home in McCalmont township, engaging in farming and acquiring a large amount of real estate. Generosity was a leading characteristic of the family, and he proved to be amply endowed with this admirable trait, his donations to various worthy movements being notably frequent. To the Cumberland Presby- terian Church, of which he was a member, he was especially liberal, but he also gave freely to other Churches in the neighborhood. He de- parted this life July 22, 1891, deeply lamented by all classes in the community. His estimable wife, who survives him, was given the homestead for her lifetime, and still resides there with her son, J. Curtin North. Our subject is the eldest in a family of twelve children; Mary E. is the wife of W. C. Smith, of Punxsutawney; John S. resides in McCalmont township; Anna R. died when less than five years old; Emma H. married W. R. Johnson, of Armstrong county; William H. died at the age of four years; Martha J. mar- ried A. J. McCreight, of Punxsutawney; Joanna R. is the wife of Dr. James B. Neale, of Rey- noldsville, Penn .; J. Curtin operates the home farm; Margaret L. married John B. Nichols, of Eleanor; Minnie C. is the wife of W. S. Colder- man, of Kane, Penn .; and Daniel O. resides at Eleanor.

R ICHARD ARTHURS is the genial owner of the "Commercial Hotel," at Brookville, Penn., a most popular hostelry. A biographical record of Jefferson county would be incomplete without the mention of the Arthurs family, which for almost a century has been identified with its history.

John Arthurs, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Jacks Creek, Mifflin Co., Penn., March 1, 1783, and in 1795 came to Jefferson county, where he helped to erect its first mill. In 1806 he returned to the county, but soon aft- erward went to what is now Armstrong county, and in the same year married Joanna Roll, who was born in Penn's Valley, Centre Co., Penn., June 15, 1786. He then purchased the Fergu- son farm near Clarion, this State, where he con- tinued to live until about 1812, when he removed to Port Barnet and engaged in lumbering. In 1813 he went to Tidioute, Warren Co., Penn., and in the winter of 1814 was pressed into the United States service and sent to Lake Erie; but in the spring of 1815 the treaty of Ghent was concluded, and he was allowed to return home, the war being ended.

Richard Arthurs, the father of our subject, was born in 1811, and in 1830 attended the sale of the first lots sold in Brookville, where he lo- cated two years later. After working for a short time in the cabinet shop of a Mr. McDonald, he purchased the tools and other accessories and removed to "Snyder's row," where he estab- lished a cabinet and carpenter shop in the south room, while Samuel Craig occupied the north room with his chair factory. In 1834 he sold out to the latter's brother, James Craig, and commenced the study of law with Cephas Dun- ham. Although he had received but a limited education in his youth, he became a very suc- cessful lawyer, one of the best in Jefferson coun- ty. When receiving only the meager wages of from $1 to $1.25, and paying out twenty-five cents per day for board, he managed to save $600 in two years, and thus was able to pursue his law studies; he was also very successful in business affairs, and succeeded in accumulating considerable property in later years, owning many of the best business houses in Brookville. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah J. Williams, died November 20, 1895.

The birth of our subject occurred in 1850, and in the academy of Brookville he acquired a good education in his youth. He followed vari- ous employments during the early years of his life, working in the lumber woods. at the age of twenty-one going to the oil fields of Pennsyl- vania, where he remained some four years. Re-

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turning to Brookville, he here engaged in mer- cantile pursuits for two years, and then embarked in the hotel business, which he has since suc- cessfully carried on. In 1875 he was united in marriage with Miss Alice J. Carroll, a daughter of John E. Carroll, a worthy citizen of Brook- ville, and to them has been born a daughter, Anna. Mr. Arthurs is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the Blue Lodge, Chapter. and Commandery, and also to the Mystic Shrine, while politically he is an ar- dent Republican, but cares nothing for public office. He is a straightforward, progressive busi- ness inan, and an influential and valued citizen of the community where almost his entire life has been passed.

J OHN R. VANLEER, a representative and prominent business man of Brookville, was born in Jefferson county, in 1849, and is a son of William and Esther (Heims) Vanleer. The fa- ther was a native of Pennsylvania, and about 1830 took up his residence in Jefferson county, with whose farming and lumbering interests he was prominently identified during the remainder of his life. His death occurred August 26, 1896, and his wife was called to her final rest in 1879. They were-highly respected by all who knew them, and had many friends throughout the county.

Our subject was reared in much the usual manner of farnier boys of his period, attending the district schools and assisting in the labors of the farm. At the age of twenty he left the pa- rental root, and learned the carpenter's trade, which occupation he followed from 1869 until 1876. In the Centennial year he became inter- ested in a planing-mill and the manufacture of lumber, and two years later admitted his brother, W. N. Vanleer, to a partnership in the business, which has since been conducted under the firm style of Vanleer Brothers. Theirs is one of the most important industries of the kind in Jeffer- son county, all kinds of building material being manufactured, and employment given to some ten workmen all the year round. The brothers are progressive, energetic business men of known reliability, and the place which they occupy in business circles is in the front rank.

stalwart Republican, and is a strong advocate of "sound money and protection. Social, educational and moral interests have been promoted by him. and anything tending to uplift and benefit hu- inanity secures his hearty co-operation. At this writing he is the popular president of the city council of Brookville, and discharges his duties with a promptness and fidelity that have won for him the commendation of all. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past grand; of the Knights of Pythias, in which he is past chan- cellor; and of the Ancient Order of Artisans, in which he is past supreme master. He is one of the most honored business men of Brookville, and is unquestionably one of the strongest and most influential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of Jefferson county.

C LAMDON MITCHELL, of Reynoldsville, a prominent member of the Jefferson County Bar, is also one of the ablest financiers, and in addition to his lucrative professional work is con- nected with some of the most important enter- prises of his locality, notably the First National Bank of Reynoldsville, of which he is president.

Mr. Mitchell was born, in 1849, at Punxsu- tawney, Jefferson county, where his father. Thomas L. Mitchell, a native of Indiana county. Penn., had settled in early manhood, engaging first in the tailoring business. and later in lum- bering, which he continued until his death in 1870. He was a man of unassuming manners, and his time being given mainly to his own af- fairs he took but little part in public movements. although fully in sympathy with progress. He married a most estimable lady, Miss Ann C. Johnson, a native of Huntingdon county. Penn .. who died some years before his own demise.

The foundation of our subject's education was laid in the public schools of his native place, and he subsequently took an academic course at Clarion, Penn. His legal studies were begun in the fall of 1868 in the office of Messrs. Jenks & Winslow, of Punxsutawney, and he was admit- ted to the Bar in the February term, 1872. He at once opened an office at Reynoldsville, and has since practiced continually and successfully. being now recognized as one of the leading at- torneys of the locality. He not only does a large business in his own county, but his practice extends into adjoining counties.

In 1868 John R. Vanleer was married to Miss Frances Heims, of Jefferson county, and to them have been born four children: Vertie, wife of H. W. Heasley; Lottie B., at home; Bertha A., wife of David Brown; and Orlando R. The His sound judgment makes him a valued as- parents hold membership in the Lutheran . sistant in corporate enterprises, and on the or- Church. In his political views Mr. Vanleer is a , ganization of the First National Bank at Rey-

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noldsville in 1893, he was made its president, and still discharges the duties of that responsible position. He is also an officer in the Reynolds- ville Water Company, and in many ways he has shown that he is fully alive to the needs of his · town. His work in the cause of education should be specially noted, as owing to the pressure of other interests he has uniformly avoided public office except as called upon to serve on the board of school directors, where his vote and influence have always been given on the side of progress. Politically he has always been a Republican, and he is a stanch friend of sound money and pro- tection.

Mr. Mitchell was married in 1868 to Miss Cora O. Wallace, of Clarion county, and nine living children brighten their home-Thomas L., James E., Lucille, Bruce, Ann, Joseph Blucher, Fred, Wallace and Alice-six others being de- ceased. Mrs. Mitchell is a member of the Bap- . tist Church, and is prominent in its varied lines of work.

J OSEPH PEACE, a leading agriculturist and lumberman of Henderson township, Jefferson county, is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war, having entered the army as a youth of seventeen. Although he is most unassuming in manner and disposition, never seeking official place or public recognition, he enjoys to an unusual degree the esteem and confidence of the people among whom his life has been spent.

His family have been identified with Penn- sylvania for several generations, and Solomon Peace, his father, was born in Dauphin county in 1819. On attaining manhood's estate, Solo- inon Peace decided to seek his fortune in a less thickly settled community, and in 1842 he re- moved to the vicinity of Punxsutawney. There he met Miss Mary Dunmire, whom he married in the following year, and after residing some time near Punxsutawney he moved to Clearfield coun- ty, locating on what is known as the Robert Lawshie farm in Bell township. Four years later he removed to McGee's Mills; and there spent three years, afterward residing for short periods on the Buena Vista farm on the river road, and on the Curt Mitchell farm in Burnside township. In 1859 he purchased a tract of land on the line between Clearfield and Jefferson counties, known as the Lewis May tract, where he cleared a farm and built a residence. His remaining years were passed at this homestead, his death occurring in 1886; his estimable wife survived him until 1897. Of their ten children: (1) Elizabeth, who was born near Punxsutawney,

died in infancy. (2) John, born near Punxsu- tawney, died in Clearfield county at the age of twenty-two. (3) Solomon, who was born, in 1843. at the same place, now resides upon a farm adjoining the homestead. He married Miss Lucinda Sheesley, of Jefferson county, and has a large family of children. (4) Catherine, born in 1845, at Punxsutawney, married G. W. Bouse, of Armstrong county, Penn., and they now re- side in Bell township, Clearfield county, on a farm adjoining the homestead; they have several children. (5) Joseph, our subject, is mentioned more fully below. (6) Daniel, born in 1849, in Jefferson county, resides upon a farm between Troutville and Big Run. He grew to manhood in Clearfield county, and was married there to Miss Sabella Rupert, by whom he has had eight children. (7) Henry, who was born in Clearfield county in 1851, resides in Bell township, same county. He married Miss Elizabeth Sheesley, of Clearfield county, who died in 1890, and he afterward wedded Miss Annie Rishel, of Jeffer- son county. By his first marriage he had five children, and by his second he has one child. (8) Thomas, born in 1853 on the Lawshie farm, married Miss Elizabeth Pierce, of Indiana coun- ty, Penn., and they now reside in Eleanor, Jefferson county; they have a large family. (9) Mary E., born at McGee's Mills, married An- drew Pierce, of Indiana county, and they now reside upon a farm in Glen Campbell, Cambria Co., Penn .; they have several children. (10) Margaret, born in Clearfield county, married Jacob Pierce, of Indiana county, and they now reside at the homestead; they have six children.

Our subject was born in July, 1847, near Punxsutawney, and his experiences in youth were not greatly different from those of other country lads, until he reached the age of seventeen. He then enlisted, at McGee's Mills, in Company K, 105th P. V. I., under Capt. Adair, and after being sworn into service at Ridgway, Penn., the new recruits were sent to Carlisle Barracks, and from there went to the seat of war, traveling by rail to Baltimore and by boat to City Point, Va. They joined their regiment at the winter quarters at Hatcher's Run, and three days later they were ordered to march to Petersburg, where they had an engagement with the enemy. They fol- lowed Lee and his army to Sailor's Creek, where they had another battle, and from that time un- til they surrendered, on April 9, 1865, they con- tinued in active service. The regiment remained in camp at Appomattox for ten days, and then marching to Washington they took part in the Grand Review. On receiving a final discharge at Pittsburg, Mr. Peace returned to Clearfield county

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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and engaged in lumbering, which he has ever since followed. In 1868 he married Miss Jennie Shields, of Indiana county, and settled upon a tract of land in Gaskill township, Jefferson county, where he engaged in farming in connec- tion with his lumber business. In 1 890 he sold that place, and removed to his present . home near Troutville.

While Mr. Peace has never sought public honors, he is keenly interested in the questions of the time, and is a stanchi adherent of the Dem- ocratic party. He and his wife are both prom- nent members of the M. E. Church at Trout- ville. Of their seven children, all but one are living: - (1) A. T., born in 1869, not married, is employed in a tannery at Big Run. (2) R. H., born in 1871, resides near Big Run; he mar- ried Miss Sarah Yohe, of Jefferson county, and has one son-Cloyd D. (3) Margery S. died at the age of seven years. (4) Jennetta, born in 1875, married Daniel Barclay, of Rathinel, Jef- ferson county; they have no children. (5) W. E., born in 1881, (6) Harry B., born in 1883, and (7) Nora E., born in 1885, are all at home.

SAMUEL STEFFY JORDAN. The Jordan homestead, in Oliver township, Jefferson county, is one of the old estates of that locality, where the family has been held in high.esteemn fromn pioneer times.

Robert Jordan, his great-grandfather, came from Ireland at an early day, and located in In- diana county, where he made his home on a farm on the ridge between Smicksburg and Per- rysville. He was a teamster in the American army during the Revolutionary war. He lived to the advanced age of eighty-three years, and reared a large family of children; by his first wife, Hanuah (Hill), there were five children: Alexander, Samuel, Joseph, James, and Margaret (who married Isaac Matson). . His second wife, Catherine (Pounds), bore him seven children: Robert, Hannah (Mrs. James W. Bell), Nancy (Mrs. Enoch Crissman), Mary (Mrs. George Mo- gle), Mattie (Mrs. John McHenry). John (who married Martha Sharrard), Margaret (Mrs. Grif- fin Rowland), and William (who married Eliza Riddle). William Jordan and his wife are resi- dents of Frostburg, Jefferson county, but all the others mentioned above are now deceased.

Samuel Jordan, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in Indiana county, in 1792, and at an early age he came to Oliver township, Jef- ferson county. Ile was married in Indiana county to Miss Lida Cochran, a native of Mifflin county, Penn., who died in 1864, aged sixty-

four years. Her parents, Isaac and Sarah "Cochran, removed from their first home in Juniata county at an early day, and after making their home for a few years in Indiana county, lo- cated permanently in Jefferson county, where they were prominent among the pioneers. In 1815 Samuel Jordan and his wife left Indiana county, and made their home in Jefferson county upon a tract of land which they supposed was open to settlement; but finding afterward that it had been taken up, they moved to Oliver (then Perry) township, where they purchased 160 acres of land at $1.25 per acre. In early life they had been united with the Presbyterian Church, but after his wife's death, Samuel Jordan iden- tified himself with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Their remains were interred in Olive cemetery, near the home where they spent so many years of their useful and honored lives. They had the following children: Isaac C .; Han- nah H., now the widow of John McBrier, of Rose township, Jefferson county; Robert, a farm- er in Jefferson county, who married Elizabeth Fetterhoff, and is now deceased; Sarah, who married (first) James Cary (now deceased), and (second) John McPherson, of Clearfield; John, who married Nancy Bell, and resides at Perry, Jefferson county; Joseph, a resident of McCal- mont township, Jefferson county, who married Elizabeth Law (now deceased); William A., a . farmer in Oliver township, who married Mary J. Reed; James B., who married Anna M. Smith, . and resides in Punxsutawney. He is a veteran of the Civil war, and a leading politician of this section, having served six years as county com- missioner, and three as county auditor.

The late Isaac C. Jordan, our subject's father, was born July 14, 1816, in Indiana county, but his life was mainly spent in Oliver township, Jef- ferson county, where he owned a large farm. Be- ginning life in very poor circumstances, he made his own way successfully, and acquired a hand- some competence. He was a well-known luni- berman, and had several sawmills there and in neighboring townships. His death occurred in McCalmont township. November 12, 1884, after a brief but severe illness while he was visiting one of his sawmills in which his sons, Charles B. and Albert, were his partners. His remains were taken home for burial, and was interred in Olive ceme- tery. He was a man of prominence, and for many years was a ruling elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Oliveburg; he also held mimerons township offices, and was an influential worker in the Republican party. At one time he was the Republican nominee from the county for the Legislature, but there was a Democrat land-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHIICAL RECORD.

slide that year, and although he ran ahead of his ticket he was defeated. On October 30, 1839, in Jefferson county, he was married by Rev. Charles R. Barkley, a minister of the C. P. Church, to Miss Leanna Steffy, a native of Rock- ingham county, Va., born November 21, 1818, and they had ten children: Miss Mary E. re- sides at the homestead with her mother; Samuel S. is a resident of Oliver township; Charles B. is a farmer and lumberman residing in Oliver township, Jefferson county; Lida A. died at the age of four years; Winfield S. lived but one year and ten months; Albert is our subject; Minerva J. is the wife of William Morrison, a merchant, lum- berman, and farmer at Oliveburg; Leah married Frederick Parr, a farmer in Oliver township; Lena J. is the wife of J. W. Martin, an attorney at Punxsutawney; and J. Simon, a farmer in Oliver township, married Miss Maggie Anthony. All of the surviving children reside near the old home, their parents having encouraged them to do so.

The Steffy family is of German origin, but has long been identified with the State of Vir- ginia. Philip Steffy, our subject's great-grand- father, was a farmer and shoemaker in that State, and his son, Samuel Steffy, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared there. Samuel Steffy married Mary Bowers, daughter of John Bowers, a farmer, and his wife, who were natives . respectively, of Germany and Virginia. In 1820 Mr. Steffy removed to Jefferson county, and lo- cated upon a farm in Bell township. He was en- gaged in lumbering as well as in agriculture, and piloted the first raft sent from the upper end of Mahoning creek. He was a Democrat in poli- tics, and a devout member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. His death occurred in 1878, when he was aged eighty-four years, and his first wife, our subject's grandmother, died in 1823, aged thirty, the remains of both being in- terred in Mt. Pleasant cemetery, Jefferson county. By his first marriage he had four children: Elzi- abeth, widow of John Corey, of Punxsutawney; Leanna, our subject's mother; John, who died in Kansas; and Simon, who entered the Union ariny during the Civil war, and died in Libby prison. By a second marriage with Ann Cook, of Ship- penburg, Penn., there were four children: Mary, widow of William Yost, of Millville, Penn. ; Will- iam, a resident of Punxsutawney; Maria, wife of A. Miller, a farmer in Virginia; and Joseph, de- ceased.

Samuel S. Jordan, whose name opens this re- view, was born May 24, 1846, near Oliveburg, Jefferson county, and was reared at the old home- stead, acquiring at an early age a practical

knowledge of farming and lumbering. When very young he engaged in the latter business, and has ever since been more or less extensively in- terested in the same. On August 24, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, 206th P. V. I. under Capt. William Neale, and remained in the serv- ice until July, 1865, when he returned home. In February, 1866, he was married by Rev. D. Cooper, to Miss Mary J. Pantall, and in the fol- lowing year located at the Pantall homestead in Oliver township, Jefferson county, where he spent one year. Since that time he has resided at his present farm, a fine estate on which is a handsome and well-furnished residence. The family is prominent in social life, and attend the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Jordan is a trustee. He is also a member of Post No. 237, G. A. R., of Punxsutawney. Politically, he is a Republican, and his sound judgment and high character have made him a leader in local affairs. For three years he has held the office of supervisor of his township.

His wife died February 18, 1891, at the age of forty-seven, and her remains were buried in Olive cemetery. She was a member of a well- known family of this section, and a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Reece) Pantall, natives of England. Her father came to America in 1825, and after a short residence at Philipsburg. Centre county, located in Punxsutawney, where he spent five years in the milling. business. His last years' were passed upon a farm in the same locality. He died in 1882 at the age of eighty-four. His wife, a woman of most estimable character, died in April, 1867. Eight children were born to the marriage of our subject, all of whom are living: Clarence C. married (first) Miss Sadie Miller (de- ceased), and (second) Miss May Vorner, of Young township, Jefferson county; Ella is the wife of Lott North, a farmer of McCalmont township, Jefferson county: Villa Viola, who is extremely popular in the best social circles, resides at home; Thomas T., Ora, Lillie, Paul and Walter are all at home. On December 7, 1892. the fa- ther of these was again married, this time at Clayville, Penn., by Rev. J. C. McDonald, a Methodist minister, to Miss Eva C. Wilson, by whom he had one daughter, Ruth W. Mrs. Jordan possesses unusual mental gifts, and is a graduate of Carrier's Seminary, in Clarion coun- ty, this State, and of the, Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. For eleven years previous to her marriage she was a successful teacher. Her family is an excellent one, including many who have been engaged in intellectual pursuits. Samuel Wilson, her great-grandfather, was a res- ident of New York throughout his life, with the

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Commemorative biographical record of central Pennsylvania : including the counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion, Pt. 3, Part 51

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1898 Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1332

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1332