USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. III > Part 46
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William Penn. The name which for nearly three hundred years has been interwoven with the history of Massachusetts, has also for generations been incorporated with the annals of Pennsylvania. The family of Plumer is of English origin, and of ancient renown, dating from the period of the Barons' War. Many of the name were early in England and also in Scotland and it has been observed that their American descendants show marked Scotch character- istics. Arms: Per chevron fleury, counter- fleury, gules and argent three martlets, countercharged. Crest : A demi-lion, gules, his paw holding a garb, or. Motto: Con- sulto et audacter.
Francis Plumer, founder of the American branch of the family, was born probably in Berkshire, England, although some author- ities have said that he was a native of Wales. He arrived in New England with a com- pany from Newbury, Berkshire, and took the freeman's oath in Boston, May 14, 1634, having reached the colony the year before. His occupation was that of a linen weaver. In 1635 he was one of those who founded a settlement at Quascacuenquen, changing the name to Newbury, in memory of the town on the other side of the sea. Francis Plumer .was one of the original trustees of the place, and there acquired a large farm which was owned and cultivated by his descendants for more than two hundred years. He mar- ried (first) in England, Ruth -- , and they were the parents of two sons and two daughters, the second son, Joseph, being mentioned below. Ruth Plumer died July 17 or August 18, 1647, and Francis Plumer married (second) March 21 or 31, 1648, the Widow Ann Palmer, who died October 18, 1665. He married (third) November 27 or 29, 1666, the Widow Beatrice Cantle- berry, of Salem, Massachusetts. Francis Plumer died January 17, 1673. His de- scendants are to be found in nearly every State in the Union and even in Canada. Many of them have been people of promi- nence, and no fewer than five have been
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members of Congress. They were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania, and the family in that State has always been note- worthy for the possession of the attributes and characteristics of the New England stock to which it belongs. The Pennsyl- vania branch has given to the country some of the most distinguished bearers of the name of Plumer, and especially several rep- resentatives in Congress.
(II) Joseph, son of Francis and Ruth Plumer, was born in 1630, in England, and lived upon the south side of the Parker river, in the town of Newbury. In 1670 he was a freeman. He married, December 23, 1652, Sarah, daughter of John Cheney, of Rowley, Massachusetts, and of the eight children born to them, Jonathan is men- tioned below. Joseph Plumer died Decem- ber II, 1683.
(III) Jonathan, son of Joseph and Sarah (Cheney ) Plumer, was born May 13, 1668, and remained a resident of Newbury. He married, June 10, 1696, Sarah, daughter of John Pearson, of Rowley, and they had six children, of whom John is mentioned below. The death of Jonathan Plumer occurred September 27, 1726.
(IV) John, son of Jonathan and Sarah (Pearson) Plumer, was born March 25, 1697, in Newbury, and married, January 30, 1722, Rebecca Wheeler. Of their four children, Jonathan is mentioned below.
(V) Jonathan, son of John and Rebecca (Wheeler) Plumer, was born April 13, 1724, in Newbury, and remained a resident of his native place until after the death of his first wife when his affliction impelled him to seek relief in a change of scene. Ac- cordingly, he removed, with his children, to Pennsylvania, settling there and becoming a man of prominence and standing. In 1755 he acted as a commissary in Braddock's ex- pedition against Fort Duquesne, afterward settling in or near Oldtown, Maryland, and in 1758 serving in the army under General Forbes. He was present with that com- mander's force when the English took pos-
session of Fort Duquesne, changing its name to Pittsburgh. Shortly after this, Colonel George Croghan obtained a grant from the Indians of fifteen hundred acres on the southeast side of the Allegheny river, ex- tending from Two Mile Run to the Nar- rows. Jonathan Plumer, becoming inter- ested in this tract, removed there in 1761, building a cabin "by permission of Colonel Henry Bouquet," and improving the prop- erty in various ways. He afterward sold his land to Colonel Croghan. Jonathan Phimer married (first) June 6, 1744, Me- hitable Herriman, and of the three sons born to them Nathaniel is mentioned below. Mehitable (Herriman) Plumer died in New- bury, in 1749 or 1750, and in 1754 Jonathan Plumer married (second) Anna Farrell, be- coming by this union the father of four children.
(VI) Nathaniel, son of Jonathan and Mehitable (Herriman) Plumer, was born in 1745, in Newbury, and married in Penn- sylvania, his son Samuel being mentioned below. In 1789 Nathaniel Plumer settled on four hundred acres of land of which he had become by purchase the owner, the tract comprising part of the site of Mount Wash- ington, afterward one of the wards of Pitts- burgh, on the south side of the Mononga- hela river.
(VII) Samuel, son of Nathaniel Plumer, was born October 6, 1772, and in 1800 set- tled in Jackson township, Venango county, Pennsylvania, but in 1810 returned to Alle- gheny county, where he passed the remain- der of his life. He married, February 4. 1796, Patty, daughter of Captain Benjamin and Mary (Harriman) Adams, of Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania. Captain Adams belonged to one of the oldest fam- ilies of Massachusetts, served as a soldier during the Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Legislature of his native State. In 1790 he removed to Pennsyl- vania. Samuel Plumer and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom Arnold is mentioned below. The death of
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Samuel Plumer occurred October 31, 1820. His widow removed with her family to Franklin, Venango county, where she died October 2, 1847.
(VIII) Arnold, son of Samuel and Patty (Adams) Plumer, was born June 5, 1801, in Jackson township, Venango county, Penn- sylvania, one of the first children of Cau- casian parentage ushered into life in that vicinity, and destined to become its most distinguished citizen. The fact that his mother was a remarkable woman is best conveyed in the statement that her son is said to have received from her his best in- struction. Early in life he evinced an active interest in politics, allying himself with the Democratic party, and becoming a leader of the organization in his native county. Four months after reaching his twenty- second year he was elected sheriff of Ve- nango county, acquitting himself so credit- ably in that capacity that on January 30, 1830, he was appointed by Governor Wolf prothonotary and clerk of the courts, regis- ter and recorder, which combination of offices he held for the next six years. In 1836 Mr. Plumer was elected a member of the Twenty-fifth United States Congress, representing the district composed of Craw- ford, Erie, Warren and Venango counties. On May 20, 1839, he was named by Presi- dent Van Buren as United States Marshal for the Western District of Pennsylvania, filling that office until May 6, 1841. In October, 1840, he was elected to the Twen- ty-seventh Congress, and on December 14, 1847, was again appointed United States Marshal for the same district. On April 3, 1848, he resigned in order to accept the State Treasurership. At the expiration of his term he retired from public life, though never ceasing to take a keen interest in politics. The record of his services forms part of the annals of his State and Nation. In 1855 Mr. Plumer, as a warm personal friend of James Buchanan, was entreated, by other friends of that statesman, to ac- cept the nomination for Canal Commis-
sioner, in order to harmonize the Demo- cratic party after its defeat the preceding year. It was then a political maxim that "as Pennsylvania goes, so goes the Union," and, as Mr. Plumer was regarded as the strongest possible nominee, his candidacy was desirable to establish Democratic su- premacy previous to Mr. Buchanan's nomi- nation for the presidency the following year. Accordingly, he made a personal can- vass, winning an election in the Buchanan interest. He was offered the place of Post- master-General in President Buchanan's Cabinet, but declined on account of ill health.
During his twenty years of private life Mr. Plumer accumulated, by his remarkable foresight and business acumen, the largest fortune ever before acquired by any one resident of Venango county. He was one of those who regard wealth as a trust, and actively aided a number of institutions by his influence and means, while his private charities were both numerous and compre- hensive. In all movements which meditated the moral improvement and social culture of the community he was deeply interested. The qualities which made Mr. Plumer a leader among men were his intuition, his courage, his self-reliance and, above all his fidelity to his word. When he had said he would do a thing, he did it. Loyal to obligation, firm in principle, rock-bound in his convictions, he possessed the implicit confidence of the public. Of tall stature and majestic appearance, dignified in bear- ing, and possessing to a striking extent the courtesy of the old school, his presence in any assembly attracted general attention. As a public speaker he practiced none of the arts of oratory, talking simply, earnestly and directly to the point, but in language so forcible and aggressive and, above all, con- vincing, that his services on the platform were in great demand.
Mr. Plumer married, February 6, 1827, Margaret, daughter of George McClelland, of Franklin, Pennsylvania, and they were
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the parents of six children, among whom was Samuel, mentioned below. Devoted in his family relations, Mr. Plumer ever found his home a refuge from the strenuous duties and engrossing cares of public life and one of his chief pleasures was the exercise of hospitality. On April 28, 1869, this man, so nobly planned and so true to every trust, passed away at his home in Franklin. His death removed from the community a true patriot and a model citizen and all classes of society united in sincere mourning.
(IX) Samuel, son of Arnold and Mar- garet (McClelland) Plumer, was born April 2, 1830, in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and re- ceived his rudimentary education in the schools of his native town, afterward taking a two years' course in the academy at Jamestown, New York, and then entering Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he studied two years more. He read law under the guidance of Judge Alexander McCalmont, and on July 7, 1852, was ad- mitted to the bar. He immediately began practice, forming a partnership with Edwin C. Wilson and maintaining the connection during the ensuing three years. In the autumn of 1855, Mr. Plumer removed to Minnesota, where he practiced his profes- sion until the spring of 1857, when he was appointed by President Buchanan as Regis- ter of the Land Office for Southern Minne- sota. In this capacity he served most credit- ably until the beginning of the Lincoln ad- ministration, returning then to Franklin, where he associated himself in the practice of law with James K. Kerr. His thorough equipment, profound and comprehensive learning and great innate ability, caused Mr. Plumer to be recognized as an acknowl- edged leader of the local bar, and he was soon surrounded by an extended and impor- tant clientele.
Until the death of his father, Mr. Plumer continued active in his profession, but being then elected president of the First National Bank of Franklin, he thenceforth devoted his attention to the affairs of that institu-
tion, taking an influential part in the pro- motion of its interests. His talents as a financier were of a high order and his exec- utive force was of the greatest service in the development of the important enterprise of which he was the head. As a true citizen, Mr. Plumer ever accorded to every move- ment tending to promote the general welfare his ready support and hearty cooperation. Always steadfastly adhering to the princi- ples of the Democratic party, he was a vigi- lant and attentive observer of men and measures, and possessed to a remarkable degree the ability to read "the signs of the times." No good work done in the name of charity or religion appealed to him in vain. In combination with strong mental endowments, Mr. Plumer possessed gener- ous impulses and a chivalrous sense of honor. He was a man whom it was a de- light to know. His very presence conveyed the impression of those sterling qualities of manhood which were so strikingly mani- fested throughout his career and a genial nature which recognized and appreciated the good in others surrounded him with de- voted friends. His countenance and bear- ing showed him to be what he was-a true and kindly gentleman and an upright, cour- ageous man.
Mr. Plumer married (first) Mary My- tinger, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of two sons: Lewis Mytinger, mentioned below; and Arnold Gilmore, deceased. Mrs. Plumer died Au- gust 21, 1878, and Mr. Plumer married (second) in November, 1879, Eleanor Bos- ler, of Philadelphia.
Mr. Plumer was a man of strong domestic tastes and affections, passing his happiest hours in the home circle, and all who were ever privileged to be his guests could testify that he was an incomparable host. The death of Mr. Plumer, which occurred Octo- ber 8, 1902, deprived the community of a man of exceptional ability, great courage and unswerving loyalty. Respected by all, he was loved by many, and those who were
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admitted to his intimacy felt that in losing him they had lost a part of themselves and that life could never again be as complete as it had been. The resolutions adopted by the Venango County Bar Association were strongly expressive of the high esteem in which he was held, the following extracts being especially significant :
Samuel Plumer, the seventh in descent from two New England families who landed upon the shores of Massachusetts early in the seventeenth century, the fifth in descent from the first of his race to settle in Pennsylvania, and the third from the pioneer of his name in Venango county, was an American in the truest and broadest sense. He inherited the personal qualities and principles which have made America great, and cultivated that veneration for the Constitution of his coun- try and for the laws made in pursuance thereof without the general prevalence of which Amer- ican citizenship will be but a name and American greatness cannot endure.
(X) Lewis Mytinger Plumer, son of Samuel and Mary (Mytinger) Plumer, was born August 31, 1853, in Franklin, Venango county, Pennsylvania, and received his edu- cation at Trinity College, Hartford, Con- necticut, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and later receiving that of Master of Arts. Having an inherited taste for the law, he took up the study of that profession, and in September, 1876, was admitted to the bar. Entering at once, in Pittsburgh, upon a career of active prac- tice, Mr. Plumer has ever since been con- tinuously engaged in the duties of his pro- fession. He is one of the most prominent attorneys in Pittsburgh, and has established an enviable reputation as a lawyer of broad legal knowledge, administrative ability, acquaintance with the affairs of the day and, above all, the courage of his convictions.
Not content with a legal business which would satisfy the ambition of most men, Mr. Plumer is actively associated with a variety of interests. As director and attor- ney of the Pittsburgh Bank for Savings, he has for many years been identified with
banking, and in 1906 he was elected vice- president of that institution, an office which he still retains. In all things pertaining to the welfare and advancement of Pittsburgh, Mr. Plumer has ever taken a public-spirited interest. Politically he is a Republican, and, while he has never consented to hold office, has rendered loyal and influential support to all measures which, in his judgment, tended to promote good government and further the cause of municipal reform. He belongs to the Duquesne, Country, Univer- sity and Union clubs, and to the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, and is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.
The character and career of Mr. Plumer furnish striking evidence of a noble ances- try. Of strongly marked characteristics, great vigor of intellect and unusual breadth of view, he is thoroughly a man of affairs. Gentle and courteous, yet firm, courage- ous and honest, he possesses peculiar apti- tude for matters requiring executive and diplomatic talent. Of fine appearance, his patrician features accentuated by snowy hair and moustache, his keen but kindly eyes flashing at the beholder through glasses, the predominant impression conveyed by his personality is that of dignity and force. Genial and companionable, he is endowed with the capacity for feeling and inspiring ardent and enduring friendship.
Mr. Plumer married (first) Clara M., daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Stewart) Bradley, of Pittsburgh, and they became the parents of one son: Samuel, born June 18, 1876, married Katherine Mor- gan, of Brazil, Indiana ; children : Margaret and Clara. Mrs. Plumer died January 24, 1890, and Mr. Plumer married (second) June 5, 1894, Caroline, daughter of Robert Charles and Mary Eliza (McKenna) Schmertz. Mr. Schmertz, who died May 16, 1888, was a representative of an ancient German family and one of Pittsburgh's most prominent glass manufacturers, finan- ciers and business men, having been one of the founders of the Pittsburgh Bank for
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Savings. Mrs. Plumer, who died December 3, 1910, was one of the best known club women and charitable workers of Pitts- burgh, taking a special interest in the work of the Children's Hospital, of which insti- tution her parents had been ardent sup- porters. She was one of the originators of the movement which resulted in the build- ing of the Pittsburgh Hospital, and for a time served as president of its board of managers. Mrs. Plumer was a charter mem- ber of the Twentieth Century and Tuesday Musical clubs, and was also identified with many other organizations of women. Mr. Plumer married (third) in Franklin, Penn- sylvania, June 12, 1912, Margaret (Ander- son) Bryden, daughter of Thomas and Marguerite Anderson, of Franklin, Penn- sylvania.
To the distinguished name that he in- herits, Mr. Plumer has added the lustre of unstained achievement and high personal character. His record as a lawyer and man of affairs most worthily forms part of the annals of a family whose history, from gen- eration to generation, has been a story of honor.
PLUMER, Arnold A., Soldier, Financier.
Arnold A. Plumer, second son of Hon. Arnold and Margaret (McClelland) Plumer, was born March 25, 1839. He was educated in the Franklin Academy and in Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, now Washington and Jefferson College. When the Civil War broke out, he yielded to the patriotic fervor that was instinctively his by inheritance from a sterling Revolutionary ancestry, and on October 14, 1861, enlisted in Company H, Fourth Pennsylvania Cal- vary, under Captain James H. Pennell. Soon after entering the service he received a commission as first lieutenant and bat- talion adjutant. In July, 1862, when the cavalry was reorganized, the battalion ad- jutants were mustered out, but Lieutenant
Plumer remained with the regiment for three months thereafter. On October 17, 1862, he commanded Company H at the battle of Antietam, although he had been mustered out three months prior to that battle.
Shortly after the battle of Antietam, Licu- tenant Plumer returned to Franklin and from 1865 to 1885 was engaged in the liard- ware business with his cousin, G. W. Plumer. At all times until the beginning of his invalidism, he was active in business and was an influential factor in promoting the material and social welfare of the com- munity. For years he was prominently connected with the direction of the First National Bank of Franklin and of the First National Bank of Oil City, and identified with other financial and industrial enter- prises. Clear-headed, open-handed and broad-minded, he commanded the respect and confidence of all who were associated with him in business affairs. As a logical sequence of his character and business capacities, he greatly expanded his large patrimony until he came to be considered one of the wealthiest men of the locality with which he was identified.
From early manhood Mr. Plumer took an active interest in politics, in the better sense of the term. He was a sincere advo- cate of the principles of the Democratic party, and did much to promote its welfare and success. His wise and safe counsel was widely sought by the leaders of the party. He could never be persuaded to take office, though such was his popularity that he could easily have sccured preferment and official honors. He had no inclination to the modern game of politics. In his partici- pation in politics, as in all the affairs of his life, he evinced a firmness of principle and courage that never turned its back on a friend or foc. His true place was in the arena of the better order of politics, in which his distinguished father had shone so con- spicuously and honorably.
He was a member of Major William B.
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Mays Post, No. 220, Department of Penn- sylvania, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Military Order, Loyal Legion of the United States. He was also a member of Myrtle Lodge, No. 316, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Franklin Commandery, No. 44, Knights Templar, and was for many years a member of the Duquesne Club, one of the leading social organizations of the country. He was an adherent and generous supporter of the Episcopal church. He died September 20, 1904.
He married, December 28, 1865, Rachel L. Smith, daughter of Daniel and Hannah Smith, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. She died September 6, 1901.
PLUMER, Henry B.,
Lawyer, Congressman, Government Official.
There are men whose memories are al- ways green in the minds of those who knew them; whose personalities are so vivid that the recollection of them is fadeless; men of whom we cannot say, "They are dead," because their life still throbs in the hearts that loved them. To this class of men be- longed Henry Baldwin Plumer, for many years prominent in legal and political circles of Pennsylvania.
Henry Baldwin Plumer, son of Arnold and Margaret (McClelland) Plumer, was born in Franklin, Venango county, Pennsyl- vania, September 25, 1841. He received a substantial education and his boyhood was spent under the direction of his distinguish- ed father, and his mental and moral char- acteristics were shaped in the way that afterward made him distinguished. He was particularly taught to revere those princi- ples of life and morals which had won for his father the confidence and respect of all who had business or professional relations with him. He studied in the University of Pennsylvania, being a member of the class of 1862, and was graduated from the Har- vard Law School in 1863. He was admitted to the bar in Boston in 1863 and subse-
quently to practice at the bar of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and at the bar of Philadelphia. He began practice in the office of his brother-in-law, Judge Samuel Gilmore, of Uniontown, and later removed to Franklin, Venango county, where he practiced with his brother, Samuel Plumer. In the practice of his profession, Mr. Plumer held an enviable reputation for his legal knowledge and skill and for his eloquence in presenting cases to the court. He looked with disdain upon any one whose standard was, first, success, no matter what the means. He threw himself with all the zeal of his nature and with all of his great learn- ing into the cause of his client. He was am- bitious for success, but he never wished it at the price of his honor. He belonged to that class of lawyers who look upon the pro- fession of the law as an order of govern- ment, and that whether in office or out of it, he who measured up to his full height should give public service. As a lawyer he stood as an example and exemplification of what a lawyer's life and attitude should be, not merely to the bar, not merely to his clients, but more important still, to his country at large and to the community in which he lives.
Developing a deep interest in public affairs, he became a leader of Democratic thought in Venango county at a very early age, but office holding had little allurement for him. In 1881, without his consent, his name was brought forward as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for State Treasurer, and his friends and supporters made a strong campaign for him, although he did not receive the nomination. In the following year, however, he was nominated for Congress in the Twenty-sixth district of Pennsylvania, composed of the counties of Venango, Erie and Warren. Although the district was strongly Republican, he re- duced the normal majority very largely, and some sections, notably his own county, he carried by a handsome majority. When
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