USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. X > Part 31
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Colonel Collord married (first), in Pittsburgh, Anna, daughter of Michael and Emmeline Dravo. He married (sec- ond), April 24, 1873, Sarah, daughter of Dennis and Jane (Martin) Leonard, the former a pioneer lumber merchant of Pittsburgh, whose death occurred Decem- ber 8, 1872. Colonel and Mrs. Collord were the parents of three children: I. Grace C., who became the wife of Howard Meredith Hooker, and has one child, Mer- edith C. 2. Augusta V. 3. George Leon- ard, who is associated with the Shenango Furnaces, at Sharon, Pennsylvania, mar- ried Clarissa, daughter of Simon and Laura (Norton) Perkins, of that place, and they are the parents of one child, Laura Norton. George L. Collord is a prominent business man, inheriting a large share of his father's ability. Mrs. Hooker and Miss Collord are extremely popular in Pittsburgh society. In his domestic relations Colonel Collord was singularly fortunate. Mrs. Collord, a woman of rare wifely qualities, and ad- mirably fitted by her excellent practical mind to be his true helpmate in all his aspirations and ambitions, caused him ever to find in his home a refuge from the storm and stress of the business arena. Colonel Collord was devoted to his fam- ily and delighted in the exercise of hos- pitality. Mrs. Collord's death occurred May 29, 1913.
The death of Colonel Collord, which occurred December 16, 1898, removed from Pittsburgh a man whose business capacity was of a high order and who was ever true to the highest ideals of honor and integrity. His was, indeed, a
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Archibald Blokeley
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career singularly complete, presenting as it did to his community an example of every public and private virtue. Burd- ened with the handicap of partial blind- ness, incurred in the service of his coun- try, this brave and faithful man ran the race of life, and left a record which is best epitomized in the three words, "Suc- cess with Honor."
BLAKELEY, Archibald, Colonel, Civil War Veteran, Lawyer, Author.
Colonel Archibald Blakeley, a veteran of the Civil War, was for more than half a century a member of the Allegheny county bar, and one of the organizers of the Republican party. What an image will these simple sentences invoke before the mental vision of three generations ! Notable at the bar, distinguished on the battlefield and eminent in politics, Colonel Blakeley, now gathered to his fathers, rendered to his country three-fold and never-to-be-forgotten service.
died in 1858, his wife having passed away about 1838.
(II) Lewis Blakeley, son of Joseph and - (Harvey) Blakeley, was born · in 1793, in Allegheny county, Pennsyl- vania, and grew to manhood in Forward township, Butler county. He established a distillery on the farm subsequently owned by his son Andrew, and for many years carried on that business in con- nection with agriculture. Mr. Blakeley married, in 1815, Jane, born March 7, 1797, in Washington county, daughter of Archibald McAllister, a native of Ire- land, who settled, in 1801, in Forward township, Butler county. Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley were the parents of the follow- ing children : John, Andrew, Jesse, Isaac, Joseph, Archibald, mentioned below; Lewis, Harvey, William, Hannah J., mar- ried Edward Cookson, of Cranberry town- ship; Thomas G., and Mordecai G. The father of the family died September 3, 1845, leaving to his widow the care of such of their twelve children as had not yet attained maturity. Mrs. Blakeley, who was a woman of remarkable discretion, strong will power and great industry, possessing both moral and physical cour- age, performed well the duties that fell to her lot, giving her children every advan- tage which the times afforded. Inspired by their mother's patriotic devotion and loyalty five of the sons entered the Union army, and one, William Blakeley, Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Fourteenth Penn- sylvania Cavalry, laid down his life in de- fense of the flag: Mrs. Blakeley survived her husband nearly thirty-seven years, passing away on June 15, 1882, at the home of her daughter. Both Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley were members of the Union Church which was organized in their neighborhood.
(I) Joseph Blakeley, grandfather of Archibald Blakeley, was born about 1773, in Ireland, and received a fair English education. On reaching manhood he emi- grated to the United States, settling in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Allegheny county. In 1796 he purchased a farm of eighty acres in what is now Forward township, Butler county, and on this estate made his home during the remainder of his long life. He was a member of the Society of Friends. Mr. Blakeley was accompanied to the United States by his wife, whom he had married in Ireland and whose maiden name was Harvey. The following children were born to them: Jane, mar- ried William Mellis; Delilah, married Alexander Steel; Mary, married Jesse Rolls; Lewis, mentioned below; Harvey, (III) Colonel Archibald Blakeley, son and Joseph. Joseph Blakeley, the father, of Lewis and Jane (McAllister ) Blakeley,
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was born July 24, 1827, near the conflu- ence of Glade Run and the Conoquenes- sing, in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and received his education in local schools and at Marshall Academy, Virginia. Af- ter completing his course of study he be- came an instructor in the schools of his native county, reading law, meanwhile, under the preceptorship of George W. Smith. On November 10, 1852, he was admitted to the Butler county bar. The standing which the young lawyer speed- ily attained is sufficiently indicated by the fact that the following year he was elected district attorney of Butler county, an office in which he served with credit until he resigned to join the army. He early began to take an active part in pol- itics and was one of the men who met, on February 22, 1856, in old Lafayette Hall, Pittsburgh, and took steps which resulted in the formation of the Republican party in the United States. In consequence of what was done at this meeting a national convention met in Philadelphia and nomi- nated for president, John C. Fremont, of California, and for vice-president, Wil- liam L. Dayton, of New Jersey. At this convention Mr. Blakeley, then a brilliant young lawyer, and already taking his place among political leaders, was a con- spicuous figure. Sixty years later he re- mained the sole and honored survivor of the historic gathering in Pittsburgh.
A few years later the guns bombarding Fort Sumter thundered throughout the land the dread announcement of civil war, and among those who responded to President Lincoln's first call for troops was Archibald Blakeley. Distinguished in law and politics by native ability, he was a soldier by inheritance. His earliest paternal American ancestor, his great- grandfather, John Blakeley, who came from Ireland and settled in Pennsylvania, was killed in the battle of Brandywine in
the Revolutionary War; the maternal grandfather, Archibald McAllister, whose name he bore, had been a brave soldier of the Revolution, captain of Company A of the First Regiment of the Pennsylvania line, having been killed in the battle of Brandywine, and after the lapse of eighty years the spirit of '76 still burned. Arch- ibald Blakeley entered the military serv- ice of his country as lieutenant-colonel of the Seventy-eighth Regiment, Pennsyl- vania Volunteers, and for a time did duty as recruiting officer in Butler county. In October, 1861, Colonel Blakeley's regi- ment was transported by river from Pitts- burgh to Louisville, and there united with other Union troops in the attempt to pre- vent the Confederates from occupying that city. Colonel Blakeley fought with his regiment throughout the campaign which ended the war in Tennessee, Ken- tucky, Alabama and Georgia, participat- ing in the battles of Mill Springs, Fort Donaldson, Stone River, Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, and all the engagements from Chat- tanooga to Atlanta. In March, 1862, Col- onel Blakeley was detailed by General Buehl and made president of the general court-martial and military commission in Nashville, and many men of national rep- utation were brought before him, his legal training making him an ideal man for the position of president of the court.
After the battle of Stone River the col- onel of the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Regiment was transferred to another command, and Colonel Blakeley was in charge of the regiment during the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, which resulted in the defeat of the Confederates and the ulti- mate capture of Atlanta. After the vic- tories which resulted in the control of Chattanooga and the surrounding terri- tory had demonstrated the good fighting
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qualities of the Seventy-eighth, Colonel Blakeley was placed in charge of the troops on Lookout Mountain, retaining this command until April, 1864, when, at the opening of the Atlanta campaign, serious illness in his family compelled his resignation. When Andrew Johnson be- came president he nominated Colonel Blakeley as brevet brigadier-general, but the nomination was held up in the Senate during the exciting times in Congress.
After Colonel Blakeley's return from the front he again became interested in the practice of law and was engaged in many important cases in Allegheny and other counties. He was the author of "Bench and Bar of Allegheny County," and his personal knowledge of the best- known and oldest Pittsburgh attorneys and jurists renders the work one of the most useful books of information regard- ing the subject of which it treats. He was president of the Pennsylvania com- mission for the erection of monuments to the seventeen Pennsylvania organizations which took part in the battle of Chicka- mauga and other fights in and around Chattanooga. He also served as presi- dent of the National Park Association at Lookout Mountain. In the ranks of the Union Veteran Legion Colonel Blakeley was always prominent, and one of his many distinctions consisted in the fact that he was elected national commander of that body. At the time of his death he had been for many years a vestryman of Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church.
All who ever had the privilege of meet- ing Colonel Blakeley, or even passing him in the street, know that he was a man who looked what he was. His military bear- ing proclaimed the soldier, and his finely- cut features bore the stamp of the intel- lectual vigor which gained for him his place at the bar and his influence in the political world. His dark blue eyes, keen,
steadfast and compelling, showed him to be a leader of men. In his latter years a crown of abundant white hair and a full beard of the same hue imparted to him an air of singular distinction, an appearance at once venerable and commanding. A representative of one of the most momen- tous epochs in our national history, no one who beheld him, though but for a few moments, ever forgot that noble face and form.
Colonel Blakeley married, in 1854, Susan Drum Mechling, whose ancestral record is appended to this biography, and they became the parents of three sons: Frederick J., of Roseburg, Oregon: Wil- liam A., of Pittsburgh, former district at- torney of Allegheny county ; and Archibald M., an attorney of New York City. In his wife, "a perfect woman nobly planned," Colonel Blakeley ever found an ideal helpmate, a true comrade and the sunshine of his home.
Until within two years of his death Colonel Blakeley was engaged in the ac- tive practice of his profession, and almost to the very end he retained his keen and broad-minded interest in the affairs not of his own community and nation alone, but of the world-at-large. On August 27, 1915, he passed away, "full of years and of honors," able lawyer, brave soldier, pa- triotic citizen, upright and warm-hearted man. In every class of society and in every walk of life friends rose up to honor his name and offer tributes to his memory.
One of the Pittsburgh papers, the "Tel- egraph," said, in part :
In the fullness of years Colonel Archibald Blakeley passed from this life yesterday evening. Had he done nothing more than assist in the organization of the Republican party he would have earned the esteem of his fellowmen; but he did much, much more, for the honor of his country and his State. In his declining years, as in his prime, he was distinguished for his integ-
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rity and his devotion to the best interests of the community. And so it is that his memory will be cherished by all who knew him.
By triple links which were as "hooks of steel," the life of this noble man con- nected the present with the past. He represented sixty years' history of the Pennsylvania bar, and his presence was a perpetual reminder of the war which resulted in the birth of a nation. But he linked us with events more remote than that. As one of the great ante-bellum group which helped to prepare the way for the war and its results, he stands be- fore us not only as one of the actors in a mighty drama, but in a sense, as one of its creators. His figure looms large in history, and the mists of time will have little power to obscure its heroic propor- tions.
(The Mechling Line).
(I) Jacob Mechling, the first ancestor of record, was a native of Germany, and not many years prior to the Revolution- ary War emigrated to the American col- onies, settling in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and removing thence to Westmoreland county, where they passed the remainder of their lives. The words "they" and "their" are used not without reason, for Jacob Mechling was accom- panied in his wanderings by his wife, whom he married in Germany and whose name was Catherine. They died, respec- tively, on November 1, 1827, and August 18, 1832, each having attained the age of eighty-four years.
(II) Jacob (2) Mechling, son of Jacob (1) and Catherine Mechling, was born December 8, 1770, in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and enlisted in the United States army. In 1792 he was sent with his company to Chambers' Station, Westmoreland county, to guard the set- tlers against the Indians, and in 1796, after the Indian troubles had subsided, he
went to Butler county and purchased a tract of land in what is now Washington township. Later he removed to the bor- ough of Butler and engaged in the hotel business, also becoming one of the pion- eer merchants of the town. Though a Democrat in politics, Mr. Mechling voted for Washington in 1792, but from Jeffer- son to Buchanan always cast his presi- dential vote for the candidate of his party. In 1803 he was elected county commis- sioner, and in 1804 justice of the peace. The same year he was chosen a member of the Legislature, serving continuously by re-elections until 1808. In 1809 he was appointed prothonotary, an office which he retained nine years. He served sev- eral terms in the Council, and for three years was chief burgess of the borough. He was a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Mechling married, December 30, 1794, Mary Magdalene Drum, and their children were: Jacob, mentioned below ; Susanna, born July 8, 1797, married (first) John McCleary and (second) Judge Cole, of Peru, Indiana; George, born June 3, 1799; Simon, born Septem- ber 16, 1801; Philip, born August 20, 1803; Catherine B., born March 3, 1806, married Judge Joseph Buffington ; Christ- ian, born January 24, 1808; Benjamin, born March 28, 1810; Henry, born March 22, 1812; Samuel, born June 21, 1814 ; and Thomas, born August 30, 1816. Jacob Mechling, the father of the family, died January 10, 1861.
(III) Jacob (3) Mechling, son of Jac- ob (2) and Mary Magdalene (Drum) Mechling, was born October 20, 1795, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and succeeded to the hotel business of his father which he conducted until 1865, when he retired. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving as lieutenant of a company from Butler which was sta- tioned at Black Rock, on the Niagara
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river. He was successively a Whig and a Republican, and held the offices of asso- ciate judge, prothonotary and treasurer of Butler county, also serving in 1849 as chief burgess of Butler. In early life he was connected with the Lutheran church, but in later years united with the Protest- ant Episcopal church of Butler in which, for many years, he served as vestryman and senior warden. Mr. Mechling mar- ried Jane, daughter of John Thompson, and sister of the late Chief Justice James Thompson, and their children were: Mary J., married L. L. Lord, and is now deceased ; Susan Drum, mentioned below ; William T., deceased, graduated from West Point, was a colonel in the regular army; Jacob J., of California ; Simon S., deceased ; and Joseph B., of Butler town- ship. Mrs. Mechling passed away in May, 1872, and her husband did not long survive her, his death occurring Septem- ber II, 1873. Colonel William T. Mech- ling, of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, son of Simon Mechling, is now postmaster at Butler.
(IV) Susan Drum Mechling, daughter of Jacob (3) and Jane (Thompson) Mechling, became the wife of Colonel Archibald Blakeley, as stated above.
BLAKELEY, Frederick J., Representative Citizen.
Frederick J. Blakeley was born Novem- ber 4, 1855, at Butler, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Colonel Archibald and Susan Drum (Mechling) Blakeley. One mem- orable event stands out distinctly in the boyhood of Frederick J. Blakeley. He ac- companied his mother when she went to visit his father at the front, arriving at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Colonel Blakeley was stationed, two days after the battle of Stone River. When the army was commanded to move forward they returned home, but the time spent at the camp was a never-to-be-forgotten episode in the life of the boy.
After the close of the war the family moved to Franklin, Pennsylvania, where Frederick J. attended school, later going to Kenwood School, at New Brighton, Pennsylvania. In 1867 the family took up their abode in Pittsburgh and there Frederick J. attended the Western Uni- versity of Pennsylvania (now the Univer- sity of Pittsburgh), afterward finishing his education at Lehigh University, Beth- lehem, Pennsylvania. On leaving this in- stitution he studied law with his father, but before he had completed the course decided to abandon the idea of a profes- sional career and to identify himself with railroad interests. His first step in this direction was to enter the engineering de- partment of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, the headquarters being at Nor- walk, Ohio. Subsequently he associated himself with the Toledo, St. Louis & Kan- sas City Railway in the capacity of pay- master, with headquarters at Toledo, Ohio. After holding this position about one year he was recalled to the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to assume the office of assistant managing director, in charge of the right of way department.
A varied and eventful record is that of Frederick J. Blakeley, now of Roseburg, Oregon, but belonging by birth and an- cestry to Pennsylvania. For a number of years Mr. Blakeley was closely associated with railroad interests in Ohio, and subse- quently he took, for a time, a prominent part in the political life of Detroit, Mich- igan. Since becoming a resident of Ore- gon, Mr. Blakeley has been actively iden- After his marriage, Mr. Blakeley lived for a time on a stock farm in Michigan, tified with the elements most essential to the upbuilding and progress of that State. near Toledo, but after several years re-
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turned to that city, having secured a large railroad contract with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad.
It was about this time that Mr. Blake- ley became prominent in the political field, his abilities as an organizer having attracted special attention. In conse- quence of this he was solicited to conduct the campaign for the nomination of May- or Pingree, of Detroit, Michigan, for gov- ernor of the State. When he took charge of this campaign Mr. Blakeley found that the mass of the people were with Pingree, but that they had no organization and were opposed by the old guard, who had been in the harness for years, had a good organization, were well equipped finan- cially, and seemed to have everything in their favor. The campaign was one of the most bitterly contested in the history of the United States, but ended triumphant- ly, not only in the nomination of Mr. largest majority ever received by any gubernatorial candidate in Michigan. Mr. Blakeley was justly awarded great credit for the management of this campaign and was induced to remain in Detroit, resid- ing in that city until 1901.
In that year Mr. Blakeley, who was as- sociated with Eastern capitalists in West- ern timber, went to Oregon to look after their holdings, and in 1905 decided to make his home in Roseburg, in that State, where he has resided continuously ever since. He has become active in the up- building and development of Oregon, and has taken a leading part in the political affairs of the State. Not only there, but also in the other places where he has re- sided, he has served as president and director of a number of corporations. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. As may be inferred from his record Mr. Blakeley is a man of aggres- sive energy, much foresight and gifted both as an executant and administrator.
Another of his endowments is his capac- ity for making friends, and also for keep- ing them. Loyal himself, he inspires loy- alty in others. He looks like what he is, a successful man of affairs and a man of race, true to the traditions of a noble ancestry.
Mr. Blakeley married, June 15, 1882, Ada, daughter of Dr. W. W. and Adaline (Knaggs) Jones. Dr. Jones, who was mayor of Toledo, Ohio, was a lineal de- scendant of Captain Jones, of the "May- flower." Mrs. Jones was a great grand- daughter of Jonathan Carver, and a granddaughter of Whitmore Knaggs, who was Indian agent with General Lewis Cass of Detroit, Michigan, and in associa- tion with whom he helped to negotiate some of the most important Indian treat- ies. Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley became the parents of a son and two daughters: I. William J., whose biography follows. 2. Pingree, but also in his election by the · Adeo Sue, born December 31, 1885, died May 8, 1910. 3. Grace Jones, born Octo- ber 15, 1889; married, February 10, 1915, H. J. Hildeburn, of Roseburg, Oregon. Care for the welfare of those nearest and dearest to him has ever been the dominant motive of Mr. Blakeley's life and his home was always to him a place of rest and refuge from the turmoil of affairs. The wife and mother, who was the center and source of the happiness of that home, passed away on February 23, 1917, the event calling forth a spontaneous and touching proof of the place she had held in the hearts of the people of Roseburg. Her funeral services were conducted, by public request, at the Armory, and at the hour appointed all business houses were closed and all courts adjourned. The services were conducted by the Grand Army of the Republic and the Women's Relief Committee, in conjunction with the rendering of the last rites of the Protest- ant Episcopal church.
Frederick J. Blakeley has played an
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active and influential part in the indus- trial development and political affairs of no fewer than three states of the Union, but never does Pennsylvania forget that he is her son. With the pride of posses- sion she has watched each successive step of his career, and in any history of her representative men she claims the appear- ance of his biography and portrait as one of her inalienable rights.
BLAKELEY, William Augustus, Lawyer, Public Official.
The career of the late William A. Blake- ley, former district attorney of the city of Pittsburgh, furnishes a striking refuta- tion of the popular belief that it is more difficult for the son of a successful man to make for himself a name and place in the world than it is for him who enters the arena unheralded. Comparison with his eminent ancestors shows a balance in Mr. Blakeley's favor, the distinction which he attained in his private practice being sur- passed only by the richly-merited honor which attended him in his official life.
William Augustus Blakeley was born February 24, 1866, in Franklin, Venango county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Colonel Archibald and Susan Drum (Mechling) Blakeley. While he was still an infant his parents moved to the old city of Allegheny (now North Side, Pitts- burgh), and it was in the public schools of that neighborhood that he received his early education. Later he attended the Sewickley Academy, where he was pre- pared for the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh), whence he proceeded to the University of Michigan. From that in- stitution he graduated in 1887 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Immediately after this event Mr. Blakeley returned to Pittsburgh, where he at once engaged in
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