USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. III > Part 38
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Jesse Lazear, son of Thomas and Eliza- beth (Braddock) Lazear, was born in Greene county, and was known as General Lazear. For forty years he was cashier of the Farmers' and Drovers' Bank, an insti- tution which is largely indebted to his finan- cial ability. He was active in public affairs, and during the Civil War served for two years as the Congressional representative of his district. For many years he was an elder in the Presbyterian church. General Lazear married Frances Burbridge, like himself, a native of Greene county, and they were the parents of a son, Thomas C., men- tioned below. The death of General Lazear, which occurred September 2, 1867, deprived Pennsylvania of an astute financier and a prominent and public-spirited citizen.
Thomas C. Lazear, son of Jesse and Fran- ces (Burbridge) Lazear, was born May 29, 1831, at Waynesburg, Greene county, Penn- sylvania, and received his early education in Greene Academy, at Carmichael's, in his native county. In 1848 he entered Wash- ington College, graduating in 1850, with first honors. He then spent three years in the study of the law, acting meanwhile as teller in a bank, and also holding the pro- fessorship of languages in Waynesburg College. In 1853 he entered Dane Law School of Harvard University, graduating in 1855 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
Returning to his native town, Mr. Lazear practiced for three years in partnership with R. W. Downey, his former preceptor, and in February, 1858, removed to Pittsburgh, where he acquired an extensive clientele and has for many years stood in the front rank of his profession. Gentle and courte- ous, yet firm, courageous and honest, he is particularly fitted for affairs requiring exec- utive and administrative ability, and pos- sesses all the attributes of a successful law- yer, being capable, well balanced and con- scientious and combining integrity of char- acter and moral uprightness with a rare ap- preciation of the two sides of every ques- tion.
As a true citizen, Mr. Lazear has ever manifested a deep and sincere interest in all that concerned the welfare of Pittsburgh, and in politics has always adhered to the Democratic party. He is frequently con- sulted in regard to matters of municipal importance. Ever ready to respond to any deserving call made upon him, he is widely but unostentatiously charitable. He is an earnest member of the East Liberty Pres- byterian church, in which he holds the office of elder. The countenance of Mr. Lazear is expressive of the well balanced mind and even disposition that go to the making of the judicial temperament, and it also indi- cates the genial nature that has surrounded him with a large circle of warmly attached
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friends. His intellect is luminous and vigorous, speaking in the clear, direct glance of his eyes, which, with all their keenness, yet hold in their depths the glint of humor. Dignified yet winning in manner, his pres- ence gives assurance of a true and kindly gentleman and a generous, upright man.
Mr. Lazear married, June 13, 1861, Alice, daughter of George A. and Anna G. (Sav- age) Lyon, of Pittsburgh, formerly of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A full account of the Lyon family is to be found in the biog- raphy of Mrs. Lazear's brother, the late Alexander Parker Lyon, elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Lazear have been the parents of three children: Anna, wife of Judge Charles P. Orr ; Jesse T., a promi- nent attorney of Pittsburgh; and Lyttleton L., a well known physician, now deceased. Mr. Lazear is a man of strong domestic tastes and affections and is fond of enter- taining his friends. Love of music is one of his dominant characteristics.
The truest conception of a man's person- ality may often be gained from the words of those who have known him long and well, and for this reason we present the following appreciation of Mr. Lazear's char- acter and ability, coming as it does from the pen of his former law partner, the late Hon. James H. Hopkins :
Mr. Lazear entered the profession of law not as a money-making trade, but because he loved it. He had a fair share of ambition, but it was not of the vaulting kind "which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other side." It was not a brilliant flash which dazzles for a moment and then is swallowed up in darkness; but it was a steady, clear and cheering light, shining with uniform and continual lustre. He feels a natural pride in winning cases, but he feels a greater pride in mastering them. The study of an intricate case is not a labor to him; it is a genuine pleasure. As a practitioner he was always manly, honest and frank. Never upon any inducement or under any provocation would he resort to trickery or "sharp practice." He was always steady, unflinch- ing and persistent in what he believed to be right : at the same time he has always borne himself with the utmost courtesy and fairness to the court
and to the opposing counsel. His mind is so calm and clear, his logic so forcible, his presenta- tion of the case so earnest and honest, that he has the admiration and confidence of judges, lawyers and jurors. One who obtains his legal opinion can rest assured that it is the result of the appli- cation of a clear, pure mind to the principles involved, after an exhaustive study of text books and decisions. His thorough knowledge of the science of the law, his absolute impartiality, his keen perception and zealous love of justice, his incorruptible integrity, his patient temperament and courteous manner, make the rare combination of qualities that go to make up the model judge.
To words like these what could be added? Would that the bar of Pittsburgh, in the years to come, might be able to boast of many members of the type of Thomas C. Lazear!
STACKPOLE, Edward James, Journalist.
Edward James Stackpole, editor and chief owner of the Harrisburg "Telegraph," and president of the Telegraph Printing Com- pany, has held for a quarter of a century a leading position among the journalists of his State, and has been prominently identi- fied with the most vital interests of his home city.
Edward Henry Harrison Stackpole, father of Edward James Stackpole, of Harrisburg, successfully conducted for a number of years a general blacksmithing business and an establishment for the manu- facture of wagons and sleighs. In 1876 he served as representative of Mifflin county in the State Legislature, and in his early manhood was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War. At the time of his death, in 1890, he held the position of super- intendent of public grounds and buildings at Harrisburg. Mr. Stackpole married Margaret Jane Glasgow, and eleven chil- dren were born to them, among whom was Edward James, mentioned below.
Edward James, son of Edward Henry Harrison and Margaret Jane (Glasgow) Stackpole, was born January 18, 1861, at
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McVeytown, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and received his education in the public schools of his native place. During his school days he learned type-setting in the office of the "McVeytown Journal," which he subsequently entered as a general printer, and where he continued to be employed until 1881. He not only looked after the mechanical work of the "Journal," but did most of the writing for that newspaper, attracting the attention of the newspaper publishers of the Juniata Valley. About 1880 he was notified of an opening in the car record office of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company at Altoona, and was also tendered the position of city editor of the "Altoona Tribune." He declined both posi- tions and later was invited to become a partner of B. F. Ripple in the publication of the "Orbissonia (Huntington county, Pennsylvania ) Dispatch." This paper he conducted until the autumn of 1883, when he accepted a position as assistant foreman and exchange editor of the "Harrisburg Telegraph." He continued this relation for a year or two and was then promoted to the important position of city editor. In addi- tion he became the Harrisburg representa- tive of a large number of metropolitan news- papers, including the "New York Sun," the "Philadelphia Inquirer," the "Pittsburgh Dispatch," the "Chicago Inter-Ocean," the "Washington Post," the "Philadelphia Pub- lic Ledger," and other newspapers, including the "Iron Age" and the "New York Com- mercial Advertiser." In 1898 he resigned his position as city editor of the "Tele- graph" in order to give attention to his im- portant outside newspaper interests, but, on the death of M. W. McAlarney, the con- trolling owner and editor of the "Tele- graph," he purchased, in 1901, the Mc- Alarney interest, and subsequently became chief owner. Under his management and direction the "Telegraph" soon became one of the most influential of Pennsylvania newspapers, taking the lead in all move- ments for the betterment of Harrisburg.
It was the "Telegraph" which led the cam- paign for the Greater Harrisburg in 1901, and no similar campaign since has been without the "Telegraph's" support.
Mr. Stackpole has also been identified with local enterprises, and has always been active in municipal affairs, having served as president of the Board of Trade and in other public capacities. As president of the Telegraph Printing Company he has caused the plant to become one of the most impor- tant general printing houses in the State. He is a director of the Harrisburg Trust Company.
Politically Mr. Stackpole has always been an active Republican, having presided over party conventions in his city, and being now identified with a number of prominent polit- ical organizations. He was commander of the famous Harrison Invincibles, organized for the promotion of the candidacy of Ben- jamin Harrison for the Presidency. Febru- ary 22, 1901, Mr. Stackpole was appointed postmaster by President Mckinley, and in 1905 and 1909 was reappointed by Presi- dent Roosevelt. He brought to the adminis- tration of the office the same energy and public spirit that have characterized all his public activities, and no city has ever been given more satisfactory postal facilities. He was one of the organizers of the Penn- sylvania Association of Postmasters, and presided over the first convention held in Harrisburg. He has also taken a promi- nent part in the various State and National conventions of postmasters which were held during his tenure of office. He was a mem- ber of the Pennsylvania commission to the South Carolina Exposition at Charleston, and represented the Harrisburg Board of Trade in the famous tour of Europe which took place in the summer of 1911 under the management of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, many city experts being of the party.
Not only has Mr. Stackpole's public spirit manifested itself in the ways already men- tioned, but he has done his part in the main-
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Alexander Brady Sharpe
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tenance of the militia, having served three years in Company D, Eighth Regiment National Guard of Pennsylvania, under Captain Thomas F. Maloney. He affiliates with Robert Burns Lodge, No. 464, Free and Accepted Masons; Harrisburg Con- sistory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and Zembo Temple, Ancient and Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; also Harrisburg Lodge, No. 12, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is president of the Colonial Country Club, and belongs to the Harrisburg Club and a number of other social organizations. He and his fam- ily are members of the Covenant Presby- terian Church, in which he has served as elder, and he is now a member of the ses- sion of that congregation.
Mr. Stackpole married, October 10, 1889, at Harrisburg, M. Kate, daughter of Albert and Catherine Eliza (Plitt) Hummel. Mr. Hummel, who is deceased, was for many years a prominent shoe merchant of Harris- burg. Mr. and Mrs. Stackpole are the par- ents of the following children: Catherine Hummel, born August 11, 1890; Margaret, July 4, 1892; Edward James Jr., June 21, 1894; and Albert Hummel, June 28, 1897.
SHARPE, Alexander Brady, Soldier, Lawyer.
The late Colonel Alexander Brady Sharpe, for many years a citizen of Carlisle, and a leader of the Cumberland county bar, was a representative of one of the oldest fam- ilies of Southern Pennsylvania, many mem- bers of which were conspicuous in colonial and Revolutionary annals.
Thomas Sharp (as the name was origin- ally spelled), great-grandfather of Alex- ander Brady Sharpe, was a covenanter, who, because of his religious faith, was driven from his native Scotland and took refuge in the province of Ulster, Ireland, living near Belfast, county Antrim, until his emi- gration to the American colonies. He set- tled in Newton township, Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania, and two large tracts of land are recorded as having been taken up by Thomas Sharp in May, 1746. He married, in Scotland, Margaret Elder, the daughter of a laird, and of the same re- ligious faith as himself, and the following children were born to them: Robert; Alex- ander, mentioned below; Andrew, John, James, Mary, Agnes, Martha, and another daughter whose name is not recorded. All the sons were commissioned officers in the Indian or Revolutionary wars, with the ex- ception of Alexander, who served as a pri- vate. All the family owned land in Cum- berland county with the exception of An- drew, who was killed by Indians at what is now Sharpsburg, which was named in his honor.
Alexander, son of Thomas and Margaret (Elder) Sharp, became the largest land- owner in Newton township, and nearly the whole of his estate, though divided, is still in the possession of his descendants. He was also the owner of a tannery, distillery and mills. He was twice married, his first wife being Margaret McDowell, who bore him the following children : Andrew, Alex- ander, William M .; John, mentioned below ; Thomas, mentioned as "colonel"; Elder, who died unmarried, at the age of nine- teen ; and Eleanor, who became the wife of Samuel McCune. Alexander, the second of these sons, was pastor of the church at Newville from 1824 until his death, which occurred in January, 1857. He married Elizabeth Bryson, and one of their sons, Dr. Alexander R. Sharpe, married Nellie Dent, a sister of the wife of General Grant.
John, son of Alexander and Margaret (McDowell) Sharpe, was known as "John Sharpe of the Barrens." He married Jane, granddaughter of James and Abigail Mc- Cune, of Newton township, and daughter of the respected Samuel and Hannah (Brady) McCune. The latter was a daugh- ter of Hugh Brady (2), son of Hugh Brady (1), who came from Enniskillen, Ireland, and was one of the first settlers in what is
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now Hopewell township, Cumberland county. Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe were the parents of a son, Alexander (2) Brady, mentioned below.
Colonel Alexander (2) Brady Sharpe, son of John and Jane (McCune) Sharpe, was born August 12, 1827, in Newton town- ship, and in 1839 began to prepare for col- lege under Joseph Casey, father of General Joseph Casey. After the death of this pre- ceptor, Mr. Sharpe went to Academia, Juniata county, and completed his studies under the direction of Vanleer Davis, at Chambersburg. In 1843 he entered Jeffer- son College as a sophomore, graduating with the highest honors of his class, September 23, 1846. He immediately began reading law with Robert M. Bard, Esq., of Cham- bersburg, completing his legal studies under Hon. Frederick Watts, of Carlisle. On No- vember 21, 1848, he was admitted to prac- tice, and remained with his last preceptor, Judge Watts, until the following April, when he opened an office in Carlisle, and entered upon a career of independent prac- tice which continued until the close of his life, interrupted only by his period of mili- tary service.
On April 21, 1861, Mr. Sharpe enlisted in the Union army, becoming a private in Company A, Seventh Regiment Pennsyl- vania Reserve Volunteer Corps, which was attached to the Second Brigade, McCall's Division. He served in the ranks until Sep- tember 25, when he was commissioned sec- ond lieutenant of Company E, same regi- ment, and appointed adjutant. On Decem- ber 4 he was relieved from duty with his regiment and ordered to report to Brigadier- General Ord, commanding the Third Bri- gade, who had appointed him aide-de-camp. He joined General Ord the same day and served on his personal staff until the Gen- eral was wounded and temporarily disabled for field service, when he resigned. After General Ord's recovery, Lieutenant Sharpe was at his instance again commissioned cap- tain and assigned to duty with him, serving
until his resignation on January 28, 1865. With the exception of the period from De- cember 27, 1862, to August 28, 1863, he was in constant service, being on field duty with the armies of the Potomac, Rappahannock, Tennessee, West Virginia, the Army of the Gulf and the Army of the James. He actively participated in the battles of Drainesville, December 20, 1861 ; Iuka, Sep- tember 18-20, 1862; Big Hatchie, October 5, 1862 ; Burnside's mine explosion, July 30, 1864; Newmarket Heights and the capture of Fort Harrison, September 9-10, 1864. He was brevetted and promoted to the rank of captain and aide-de-camp, United States Army, for gallant and meritorious conduct at the battle of Drainesville, and on March 13, 1865, on the recommendation of Gen- erals Ord, Meade and Grant, received the brevet ranks of major, lieutenant-colonel and colonel, United States Volunteers, for gallant conduct at Petersburg and in the various operations before Richmond, Vir- ginia.
In politics, Colonel Sharpe was a staunch Republican, joining the party at the time of its organization, but never held office or was a candidate for official honors of any kind. He was connected with Captain Col- well Post, No. 201, Grand Army of the Re- public, and with the Loyal Legion, and was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle, thus maintaining the religious traditions of his ancestors.
Colonel Sharpe married, December 19, 1854, Katherine Mears, daughter of Major George and Mary E. D. (Biddle) Blaney. Major Blaney belonged to the Engineer Corps, United States Army, and built Fort Fisher, Fort Caswell, and other defenses for the government ; he was a graduate of West Point (Engineer Corps), and a class- mate of General Robert E. Lee.
The death of Colonel Sharpe, which oc- curred December 25, 1891, at his home in Carlisle, was lamented by all classes of the community as the removal of one who had ever labored for the promotion of the best
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interests of his home city, and who, during the long period of his residence, had stood before her as the type of an able lawyer and a gallant soldier.
STUART, Walter, Financier.
Walter Stuart, vice-president of the Farmers' Trust Company of Carlisle, Penn- sylvania, is a descendant of that sturdy Scotch-Irish stock which has constituted such a potent factor in the history and de- velopment of the Cumberland Valley.
Samuel Stuart, great-grandfather of Wal- ter Stuart, of Carlisle, came from the North of Ireland to the province of Pennsylvania shortly before the outbreak of the Revolu- tionary War, and settled in Cumberland county. His object in emigrating was to seek for his brother Walter, who had set- tled in what is now Dickinson township and the discontinuance of whose letters home had alarmed the family. Samuel Stuart, on finding that his brother had died without leaving data sufficient to give his heirs title to the land which he had preempted, re- mained in this country, settling near the place where Walter had made his home. There he lived for five or six years, acquir- ing a considerable tract of land. In Sep- tember, 1778, he purchased a house and lot on South Hanover street, Carlisle, and on removing to it became the proprietor of a hotel. In 1780 the destruction of his prop- erty by fire compelled him to move to the opposite side of the street, where he tem- porarily continued his business. At one time he had as guests some of the Hessians who were held at Carlisle as prisoners of war. In May, 1791, he purchased a farm in what is now Dickinson township, and made it his home during the remainder of his life. He married Margaret Carson, and their chil- dren were: James, Mary, Margaret, Ann, Samuel, mentioned below; Walter, and Martha. Samuel Stuart died September II, 1828, aged eighty-three years.
Samuel (2), son of Samuel (1) and Mar- garet (Carson) Stuart, grew to manhood on his father's farm, receiving his education in the country schools. He made agricul- ture his life work, and was for many years a member of the Dickinson Presbyterian Church. He married Nancy, daughter of William and Jane (Ramsey) Donaldson, and granddaughter of Andrew Donaldson. William Donaldson was one of the early settlers of Cumberland county, and during the Revolutionary War a captain in the Sec- ond Battalion of the Pennsylvania Militia that was called in August, 1780, serving under Washington, in the vicinity of New York. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stuart : Samuel, mentioned below ; Walter, and Jane Eliza. Mr. Stuart died January 31, 1874, at the age of eighty- five.
Samuel (3), son of Samuel (2) and Nancy (Donaldson) Stuart, grew up on the homestead, attending the schools of the neighborhood. Like his father and grand- father, he was a farmer, and an energetic and progressive citizen, respected by the entire community. As a young man he be- came a captain in the militia, and so appro- priate to his personality did the title appear, that it ever afterward clung to him. In his latter years he was universally known as Captain Samuel Stuart, and was so remem- bered for a long time after his death. He was a member of the Dickinson Presby- terian Church, and long one of its ruling elders. He married his cousin, Elizabeth Sprout, daughter of Robert and Jane (Hus- ton) Donaldson, and granddaughter of Wil- liam and Jane (Ramsey) Donaldson, and they were the parents of the following chil- dren : James Alexander, born November 9, 1849, died August 26, 1862; Robert Donald- son, born July 10, 1851, died March 12, 1860; Samuel Carson, born January 12, 1855, died February 9, 1860; Walter, men- tioned below; Huston Kennedy, born Feb- ruary 15, 1859, died March 8, 1860; and Elmer, born January 16, 1862, died Octo-
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ber 6, 1867. Captain Samuel Stuart, the father of the family, passed away May 2, 1873, aged fifty-five.
Walter Stuart, son of Samuel (3) and Elizabeth Sprout (Donaldson) Stuart, was born July 27, 1856, in Dickinson township, and in the spring of 1868 his parents moved to Carlisle, where he attended the public schools, graduating from the high school in 1875. He then took a course at Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, New York, graduating in 1876. In January, 1880, he was appointed to a clerkship in the Farmers' Bank of Carlisle, and has ever since been connected with that institution, filling every position from the one in which he began to that of cashier, to which he succeeded on the death of J. C. Hoffer, in 1889. In 1902, when the bank was absorbed by the Farm- ers' Trust Company, Mr. Stuart became a member of its board of directors and of its executive committee, and was also made secretary and treasurer of the company. In 1910 he was elected vice-president. Though deeply absorbed in his responsibilities, Mr. Stuart finds time for public duties and other interests. He is identified with a number of corporated enterprises in Carlisle and Harrisburg, and was long a member of the Carlisle school board, taking an active part in all its affairs, and serving seven years as its president. In politics he is an Inde- pendent Republican. His fraternal affilia- tions are with the Masonic order, and St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia. He is a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle.
Mr. Stuart married (first ) December 21, 1882, Barbara Ellen, born April 13, 1860, in South Middleton, daughter of George Peter and Martha (Stuart) Searight, and a descendant of two of the oldest and most prominent families in South Middleton township. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart had the following children: George Searight, born October 23, 1883, died September 6, 1884; Samuel Donaldson, born December 30, 1884; Walter Searight, born September 22,
1886; and John Bruce, born April 10, 1888. Mrs. Stuart died February 19, 1900, and Mr. Stuart married (second) February 14, 1907, Nellie, daughter of F. K. Ployer, cashier of the Second National Bank of Mechanicsburg.
During the Revolutionary period, the name of Stuart was identified with Carlisle, and the connection, severed for three-quar- ters of a century, was renewed by the com- ing of Mr. Stuart's father to Carlisle. Mr. Stuart himself, by his long career as an able financier and by his public-spirited interest ir. municipal affairs, has maintained the tra- ditions of good citizenship which have ever been inseparable from the name he bears.
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