USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. III > Part 12
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Robert, son of Joseph and Jane (Moak) Patterson, was born April 1, 1773, in Sara-
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toga county, New York, and in 1790 entered Canonsburg Academy, reciting his first les- sons under the shade of large trees, the buildings being not yet ready for occupancy. In 1794 he entered the junior class of the University of Pennsylvania, where his Uncle Robert was professor of mathematics, and in 1796 he began the study of theology. In 1801, after touring about four years, he was licensed to preach, and during the next six years ministered to two churches in the vicinity of Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1807 he moved to Pittsburgh and took charge of the Pittsburgh Academy, an institution whichı later developed into the Western Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh. From 1810 to 1836 he was in business as a bookseller, publisher and manufacturer of paper. From 1807 to 1833 he supplied the pulpit of the Presbyterian church at Highland, seven miles north of Pittsburgh. It is worthy of note that the "Manuscript Found," supposed to have fur- nished the basis of the Book of Mormon, was left at Mr. Patterson's printing house. Mr. Patterson married Jane, daughter of Colonel John Canon, founder of Canons- burg, the place being named in his honor. In 1840 Mr. Patterson retired to the country, where he passed the remainder of his life. His death occurred September 5, 1854, and two years later his widow also passed away.
Robert, son of Robert and Jane (Canon) Patterson, was born August 17, 1821, in Pittsburgh, and studied law under the pre- ceptorship of Hon. Thomas H. Baird. At the end of three years he was admitted in October, 1843, to the Allegheny county bar, and for three years more practiced his pro- fession as the associate of Judge Baird. In 1840 he had graduated from Jefferson Col- lege, where he later filled the chair of mathematics. He was also professor in several colleges, including Oakland College, Mississippi, and Centre College, Kentucky. In 1863 he became joint owner and editor of the "Presbyterian Banner." At one period in his life, Mr. Patterson rendered
military service in Kentucky, but during the Civil War his application for enlistment was rejected by reason of the fact that he was under weight and near-sighted. In poli- tics he was a Republican, and in religious belief a Presbyterian, thus maintaining the family tradition.
Mr. Patterson married, August 27, 1851, Eliza, daughter of Judge Thomas H. Baird and Nancy (Mccullough) Baird, and the following children were born to them: Thomas, mentioned below ; Jane, and Eliz- abeth. Mr. Patterson died November 30, 1889. He was a man of more than ordinary ability and of unblemished purity of char- acter.
Thomas, son of Robert and Eliza ( Baird) Patterson, was born November 14, 1856, and received his preparatory education in public schools, afterward entering the Western University of Pennsylvania, now the University of Pittsburgh. After his course at the university he taught for one year at Sewickley Academy, and in 1879- 80 studied at Columbia Law School. On December 30, 1880, he was admitted to the Allegheny county bar, and has since been continuously engaged in practice in Pittsburgh. Possessing, as he does, the judicial mind, Mr. Patterson has long since abundantly proved his peculiar fitness for his chosen profession. He had that blend- ing of broad legal knowledge, administra- tive ability and acquaintance with affairs of the day that is required of the successful lawyer, and he has, moreover, strong convic- tions and the courage to contend for them. His position at the bar is a most enviable one.
As a citizen with exalted ideals of good government and civic virtue Mr. Patter- son stands in the front rank. He affiliates with the Republicans, but is too broad- minded for partisanship. As a vigilant and attentive observer of men and measures, holding sound opinions and taking liberal views, he is consulted in regard to matters of municipal importance. Ever ready to respond to any deserving call made upon
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him, lie is widely but unostentatiously char- itable. He is a trustee of the University of Pittsburgh. He belongs to the Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati, and is a member of the Leetsdale Presbyterian Church.
In 1906 the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- vania appointed Mr. Patterson a member of the State Board of Law Examiners, a board composed of five members selected by the Supreme Court from the leading lawyers of the State, to pass upon the eligibility of applicants for admission to practice in that court. Mr. Patterson is still a member of this board. Mr. Patterson was chosen and served for one year (1906-1907) as presi- dent of the Pennsylvania State Bar Asso- ciation. He was also for a time president of the Alleghany County Bar Association. The personality of Mr. Patterson is that of a man of great force and influence, devoted to duty, and fearless in regard to responsi- bility. His countenance bears witness to this combination of qualities, and his digni- fied and courteous bearing is that of one accustomed to leadership. He is withal a man of broad, human sympathy and a great capacity for friendship.
Mr. Patterson married, June 2, 1892, Harriet W., daughter of D. Leet and Mary (Williams) Wilson. Mr. Wilson was for many years president of the Fort Pitt Na- tional Bank and is now vice-president and director of the Central District Telephone Company. He is a descendant of Daniel Leet, a pioneer of Western Pennsylvania. Mrs. Wilson is descended from Dr. Francis Herron, a leading preacher of Old Pitts- burgh, and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson are the parents of one son : Robert Leet, born Au- gust 16, 1893.
The family tradition of professional emi- nence and public-spirited citizenship has been ably maintained by Thomas Patterson, but while he has, in both spheres, achieved a measure of distinction, he is still in the prime of life and his past indicates that the future holds much in store for him.
NORRIS, Col. A. Wilson,
Soldier, Lawyer, Public Official.
The progressive faculty possessed by some men stands as one of their dominating characteristics, and gives them a distinct ad- vantage in attaining prestige in any line to which they turn their efforts. In the case of Colonel A. Wilson Norris, late of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania, it is a matter of some difficulty to decide whether he excelled as a soldier, as a statesman or as a lawyer.
Colonel A. Wilson Norris was born in Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, April II, 1841, and died May 21, 1888, in Philadelphia, while auditor-general of the State of Pennsylvania. He commenced his education in the schools of his native town and those of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and followed this preparatory education by a course of study at Georgetown College. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. He began his military career in 1861, and was discharged in July, 1865. November 20, 1861, he was appointed first lieutenant of Company D, 117th Regi- ment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was promoted to the rank of captain, March 19, 1864, and served until the close of the war. He was in a number of important engagements and spent twenty months in Southern prisons. His later military record is as colonel and aide-de-camp on the staff of the commander-in-chief, to which he was appointed, July 20, 1877, and discharged, July 12, 1878.
After his return at the close of the Civil War, he took up his studies in the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, and was graduated from this institution in the class of 1867. He read law under the preceptorship of Judge Thompson, of Phil- adelphia, and commenced the practice of his profession in that city. Well versed in legal lore, and thoroughly systematic in his preparation of the cases entrusted to him, Colonel Norris rapidly gained a large prac- tice, and followed it until 1872, at which
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time he was appointed private secretary to Governor Hartranft, of Pennsylvania. In 1876 he was appointed Supreme Court Re- porter, and in 1877, Judge Advocate Gen- eral of the State of Pennsylvania. In 1881 the people recognized his qualifications for high office by electing him to represent the Sixth Senatorial District in the State Sen- ate. In 1881, President Arthur appointed him Pension Agent at Philadelphia, and he was elected Auditor-General of the State of Pennsylvania, in 1886. He was a member of Post No. 19, Grand Army of the Re- public, of Philadelphia, and was made de- partment commander of the Grand Army of the Republic of Pennsylvania.
Colonel Norris married, in Louisville, Kentucky, Mirtie, a daughter of William and Elida (Norris) Miller, of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and an old Quaker family of Chestertown. Colonel Norris had won more than merely local renown as an orator. His delivery was quiet, yet forcible; his language, rich and choice, yet never above the heads of his audience ; and his vocabu- lary was one of unusual scope. He had the faculty of seeing the salient features of a case almost at a glance, and then placing them to the utmost advantage. He never took an unfair advantage of an opponent, and was ever ready to listen to the reason- ing of another, although he always reserved the right of forming his own opinions. His kindly nature endeared him to friend and opponent alike.
WIERMAN, Thomas T., Civil Engineer.
It is men like Thomas T. Wierman, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who are intelli- gent factors in ensuring and developing the success of all large cities and the country in general. They promote public progress in advancing individual prosperity, and they are devoted to any business interests with which they become connected.
Thomas Thornburg Wierman was an only son of Isaac and Susanna (Comly) Wierman, and was born in Butler township, Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1813, his death occurring in Harrisburg, August 2, 1887. He received his education in the private schools conducted by Judge McLean at Gettysburg, and Amos Gilbert at Stras- burg, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Until the age of twenty-three hie assisted his father in the cultivation and management of the homestead farm, and was then ap- pointed on the recommendation of Hon. Thaddeus Stevens to a position as rodman on the surveys for the North Branch Canal.
A chronological record of Mr. Wierman's engineering services is stated thus : Surveys for location of State Canal from Wilkes- Barre to New York State line, 1836-1838; surveys to avoid incline plane on line of State Railroad near Philadelphia, 1838; operating State Canal from Juniata Junc- tion to Wilkes-Barre, 1839-1842; return to employment on the farm in Adams county, 1843-1845; construction of Eastern Reser- voir for State Canal near Hollidaysburg, 1846; construction of Pennsylvania Rail- road from Duncannon to Iroquois, Perry county, and track laying through Mifflin county, 1847-1849; construction of State Canal from Wilkes-Barre to New York State Line, 1850-1851; construction of Junction Canal, Waverly to Elmira, New York, 1852-1854; surveys for Brooklyn Water Works, Long Island, New York, 1854; construction of Barclay Railroad, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, 1855-1857 ; superintendent, Huntingdon & Broad Top Railroad, 1857; chief engineer, Canal De- partment, Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1858-1866; chief engineer, Pennsylvania Canal Company, 1867-1887.
In the year 1840, Mr. Wierman married Emilie Victorine Piollet, of Bradford county, Pennsylvania ; there were six chil- dren of this union. He was a member of the religious Society of Friends.
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WIERMAN, Thomas T. Jr., Civil Engineer.
Thomas T. Wierman Jr., son of Thomas T. Wierman Sr., was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, November 11, 1850. He was nine years of age when he removed to Harrisburg with his parents, and was there educated in private schools and at the Harrisburg Academy. He was still very young when he became associated with his father in the work connected with the Penn- sylvania Canal Company, and to an extent inherited his father's talents and ability in this direction. Upon the death of his father he succeeded him as chief engineer of the Pennsylvania Canal Company, and held this position until the active operations of the company ceased in 1901. In 1903 Mr. Wierman was appointed special agent of the Real Estate Department, Pennsylvania Railroad Company, with offices in Harris- burg, and he still retains this position.
He is a director of the Harrisburg Na- tional Bank, and a member of the Pine Street Presbyterian Church, also serving on the board of trustees of that church.
WETHERILL, John Price, Metallurgist, Scientist.
WETHERILL, Samuel Price, Prominent Manufacturer.
The history of the Wetherill family of Philadelphia is one of deep interest, both from the commercial prominence of the family, and the peculiar historical associa- tions connected with the name. Originally members of the Society of Friends, Samuel Wetherill, of the fourth generation, dis- played such activity and patriotic ardor for the cause of independence that the Phila- delphia Monthly Meeting of Friends saw in his conduct sufficient deviation from their "Ancient Testimony and Peaceable Princi- ples" that he was disowned by them in Au- gust, 1779. This did not seem to dampen his ardor, for he continued his patriotic
work, and was the prime mover in the events that resulted in the organization of "The Religious Society of Friends," better known as "Free Quakers." Samuel Wetherill was the first clerk and preacher, three successive generations of the family having also held the office of clerk. The old patriot, who would not hide his prefer- ences under the sombre garb, was not only strong in his patriotism and religious fervor, but was a leader in the commercial world; and was one of the promoters and man- agers of the "United Company of Philadel- phia for the Establishment of American Industries," a society called into existence by the imposition of the "Stamp Act." He established a plant on his home lot on South alley, between Fifth and Sixth streets, where he wove, fulled, and dyed cloths. When dyes could not be obtained without great cost, he established a chemical labora- tory for their manufacture, this being the foundation of the immense chemical and drug business that yet exists in the family name. He supplied well-woven cloth to the Continental Congress, from which soldiers' uniforms were made, and after peace was declared, engaged in the drug business on Front above Arch street, under the name of Samuel Wetherill & Son, his son Samuel being his partner. "Wetherill's Drug Store" was long an ancient landmark, and there sons and grandsons were graduated and sent fortlı as manufacturing chemists. Samuel Weth- erill & Son were the founders of white lead manufacturing in the United States, estab- lishing a plant in Philadelphia in 1804, then abandoned textile manufacturing, and ever afterward were manufacturers of drugs, chemicals and paints. This business is now conducted by descendants of Samuel as Wetherill & Brother, probably no business in the city having existed so long ( 1762- 1914) under one family ownership and name. So Samuel Wetherill, the Quaker patriot, who suffered for his zeal, deserves well of those who venerated patriotism, for the hardest battles are not fought on the
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firing line, but down in one's soul, and when the old patriot faced ostracism and disgrace from the hands of his brethren, he displayed a courage that deserves to be commemorated in enduring marble.
The Wetherills trace an English ancestry to the eleventh century. Burke's "Landed Gentry" refers to the Wetherell family as long seated in the county of Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire, and de- scribes the arms borne by the family as "Argent, two lions passant, guardant, sable, on a chief indented of the last, three covered cups, or." This same coat-of-arms was brought to New Jersey by Christopher Wetherill, who came in 1683, settling in New Jersey, at Burlington, there owned a large landed estate, was a member of the Proprietary Council of the Province, 1706- 1707, filling other official positions, includ- ing that of sheriff of Burlington county in 1700. The line of descent is through Thomas, eldest son of Christopher and his wife, Mary Hornby, who died in England in 1680, the mother of four children. Chris- topher had no issue by his two American wives.
Thomas Wetherill, born in York county, England, November 3, 1674, died in New Jersey in 1749. He inherited the greater part of his father's lands in New Jersey. and was a wealthy landowner of the prov- ince, to which he came in 1683. He mar- ried, June 22, 1703, Anne Fearson, "late of England, but now of Burlington County," daughter of John and Elizabeth Fearson, of Great Broughton, Cumberland county, England. Both Thomas and his father, Christopher, were prominent Friends.
Christopher, eldest son of Thomas and Anne (Fearson) Wetherill, was born in April, 1706. He inherited a large part of the lands descending from his father and grandfather in Burlington, Hunterdon, Morris and Essex counties, New Jersey, de- vising them at his death to his children, most of whom had moved to Philadelphia. He married, in 1735, Mary, daughter of
Judge John Stockton, of the Common Pleas Court of Somerset county, New Jersey, and a sister of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, from New Jersey. She was a granddaughter of Rich- ard Stockton, from Cheshire, England, one of the early settlers of Princeton, New Jersey, and a great-granddaughter of Rich- ard Stockton, of Malapas, Cheshire, Eng- land, baptized in 1606.
Samuel, eldest son of Christopher and Mary (Stockton) Wetherill, was born in Burlington, New Jersey, April 12, 1736, died in Philadelphia, September 24, 1816. As noted previously, he became a Philadel- phian of great public spirit, taking the live- liest interest in public affairs. His connec- tion with textile manufacturing and the establishment of drug store and chemical plant has been narrated, also his early con- nection with the "Free Quakers" after his disownment by the Society of Friends for his patriotic ardor. The meetings of the "Free Quakers" were held at his house fre- quently until the erection of a meeting house at the southwest corner of Fifth and Arch streets, still standing. The subscription fund for this church was contributed to by Franklin, Washington, and many others. A lot was also granted them by the State of Pennsylvania on the east side of Fifth street. below Pine. Samnel Wetherill con- tinued to preach after he became so fecble at eighty years of age that he was carried from his carriage to the church in a chair. He was a member of the Philadelphia Com- mon Council, chairman of the Yellow Fever Committee of that body in 1793, and was one of the most active members of the Water Committee. He married, April 5, 1762, at Philadelphia Monthily Meeting, Sarah Yarnall, born August 27, 1734, died July 27, 1816, daughter of Mordecai Yar- nall, an eminent minister of the Society of Friends, and granddaughter of Francis Yar- nall, a member of the Colonial Assembly in IZII.
Samuel, eldest son of Samuel and Sarah
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(Yarnall) Wetherill, was born in Philadel- phia, April 27, 1764, died there September 29, 1829. He was his father's business asso- ciate from youth, became a partner with him as Wetherill & Son in the drug and chemical business on Front street, and later in the white lead and paint establishment on Twelfth street, in which later his own sons and grandsons became partners. He was a member of the Philadelphia Common Coun- cil, as was his father, and later his son also became a member. He succeeded his father as clerk of the Society of Free Quakers, serving until his death. He married, April 24, 1788, Rachel Price, born January 28, 1766, died February 9, 1844, daughter of John Price, of Reading, Pennsylvania, and his wife, Rebecca, daughter of General Jacob Morgan, of Morgantown, Pennsyl- vania.
John Price, son of Samuel and Rachel (Price) Wetherill, was born in Philadel- phia, October 17, 1794, died July 23, 1853. He obtained an excellent education in his youth, and, an enthusiastic and tireless stu- dent, in 1817 became a member of the Acad- emy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, and was vice-president for many years, also belonging to the American Philosophical Society, the Franklin Institute, the Geo- graphical Society, an honorary member of the Boston Society of Natural History, the Mineralogical Society of St. Petersburg, the American Society for the Advancement of Science, and the New Jersey Society of Natural History. He became identified, in young manhood, with the chemical and paint manufacturing business of his father and grandfather, and was connected therewith for many years, during which time the firm ably maintained its supremacy in its field. John Price Wetherill, already a man of many interests, entered the sphere that was most productive of good, and in which he gained the greatest fame upon his election to the Common Council of the city of Phil- adelphia, October 13, 1829, the third gener- ation of his family to hold membership in
that body. Three years after being elected to the lower house of the City Council, he became a Select Councilman, a position he held until his death, a period of nearly twenty-four years, during which time he was chairman of the water committee, and took an active part in the discussion and debate on all important bills and measures reaching that body of council. He succeeded his father as clerk of the Society of Free Quakers, an organization then greatly re- duced in numbers by the deaths of the early members and the reversion of others to the sect from which they sprang, the Society of Friends, and for a time Mr. Wetherill was almost the only regular attendant, prior to the discontinuation of regular meetings for worship. The meetings of the society having thus lost their usefulness, Mr. Wetherill completed arrangements for the organization of a charitable society, to which the control of the property was transferred. The Apprentices' Library became housed therein in 1841, soon after its organization, the nominal rental being directed toward the purchase of books adapted to the re- quirements of the patrons of the library. John Price Wetherill was succeeded in the clerkship of the Society by his son, John Price Jr., who with other members of the family retained the organization, and since 1882 meetings have been held on the first Wednesday of November of each year, the present clerk of the Society being William H. Wetherill, the fifth of his family thus to serve.
At his death John Price Wetherill was senior member of the family drug firm, associated in various advisory and executive capacities with many of the city's institu- tions, and president of the Schuylkill Bank, an office he had held since 1846. For sev- eral years he was captain of the Second Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry. He con- tracted his fatal illness while a member of the committee appointed by Select Council to receive President Franklin Pierce, when that dignitary visited Philadelphia. He mar-
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ried, August 14, 1817, Maria Kane, born May 24, 1797, died August 30, 1877, daugh- ter of Jolin Prescott Lawrence, M. D., of Fort Edward, New York, by his wife, Abi- gail Kane, and a descendant through twenty- two generations from Sir Robert Lawrence, of Ashton Hall, Lancaster county, England, a Crusader, knighted by Richard Coeur de Lion at the siege of Acre, A. D. 1191. Chil- dren of John Price and Maria Kane (Law- rence) Wetherill: 1. Rachel. 2. Elizabeth K. 3. Samuel, of whom further. 4. John Price, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, a manufacturer of Philadel- phia ; member of Select Council; one of the Guardians of the Poor; member of the Board of Education; inspector of Moya- mensing Prison; member Constitutional Convention, 1873; member of Board of Finance of the Centennial Exposition ; pres- ident of Board of Trade of Philadelphia ; director of Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany ; president of American Steamship Company, of the Western Savings Fund Society, and member of the American Philosophical Society. 5. Elisha Kane. 6. Rebecca.
Samuel, eldest son of John Price and Maria K. (Lawrence) Wetherill, was born in Philadelphia, May 27, 1821, died at Ox- ford, Talbot county, Maryland, June 24, 1890. He was educated in the city of his birth, and received his early business train- ing in the white lead and chemical works of Wetherill & Brother, his father and uncle then composing the firm, and, familiarizing himself with the entire business, was actively connected therewith until his twen- ty-ninth year. As a skillful chemist he entered the employ of the New Jersey Zinc Company, whose plant was at Newark, New Jersey, and while there conceived an idea with the practicality of which he experi- mented constantly, in 1852 perfecting a pro- cess by which white oxide of zinc was de- rived direct from the ore. The organiza- tion of the Lehigh Zinc Company for the marketing of his invention was completed
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