USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 13
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Mr. Young married, in 1857, Mary E., daughter of Philip Shreiner, a well known jeweler of Columbia, and they were the parents of five sons: Edward S., Charles P., William, John and Wal- ter H. Mr. Young was a man of strong domestic affections, devoted to his fam- ily and delighting to entertain his friends. He possessed rare conversa- tional talents, and all who ever had the privilege of enjoying his hospitality could testify that he was an incompar- able host.
The death of Mr. Young, which oc- curred July 13, 1905, removed from York a man of strong intellectual endowments and inexhaustible charity and kindness of heart-a man so eminent in his career and exerting so great an influence that his name has became synonymous with that of the city with which he was identi- fied for nearly half a century.
Lawyer.
Roger Cope, of Beaver Falls, Pennsyl- vania, whose name occupies a conspicu- ous place on the roll of this Common- wealth's eminent lawyers, during almost a third of a century's connection with the bar of the State, has won and main- tained a reputation for ability that has given him just pre-eminence among his professional brethren. In the law, as in every other walk of life, success is large- ly the outcome of resolute purpose and unfaltering industry-qualities which are possessed in a large degree by Mr. Cope.
The Cope family can be traced for nine generations in England, prior to the immigration to America of the original progenitor of the name in this country. Oliver Cope was born in Wiltshire, Eng- land, in 1647, and died at Naaman's Creek, Delaware, in 1697. He pur- chased a tract of two hundred and fifty acres of land of William Penn, Septem- ber 8, 1681, and in 1683 took up land on Naaman's creek, Brandywine hundred, New Castle county, then in the "Terri- tories of Pennsylvania," now Delaware. He and his wife Rebecca, who died in 1728, became the parents of four chil- dren,-William, Elizabeth, Ruth and John. Oliver Cope was a son of John, of Chisledon, parish of Wiltshire, who was buried at Marden church, October 4, 1649; his wife was Elizabeth, who was living in 1681. John was a son of John, who died June 12, 1656, and is buried in Marden church; his wife was Margaret, and she died March 10, 1670. John (I) was a son of Edward, of Brixton, Dever. ill, Wiltshire, and of his wire Maud, who died in 1635. Edward was a son of Sir Anthony, of Bedhampton, Hants, and the latter was a son of Stephen, of the same place. Stephen was a son of Sir William, of Canwell county, Oxon; he was buried at Banbury, in 1513. Sir
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William was a son of Alexander, whose father, William, was a son of John, of Denshanger, county North-Hants, sher- iff and member of parliament. John died in 1417. Jesse Cope, grandfather of him whose name forms the caption for this review and a lineal descendant of Oliver Cope, mentioned above, was one of seven brothers who removed from Penn- sylvania to Columbiana county, Ohio, in the year 1803, five other brothers settling in Fayette county, this state. All the brothers were Quakers, and figured prominently in public affairs in their respective communities. During the summer seasons Jesse Cope devoted his attention to the cultivation of his farm, and in the winter months he was en- gaged in teaching school in Columbiana county. He was a famous educator in his day-rigid in discipline and thorough in instruction. The deeds to his land in Ohio were signed by Thomas Jefferson and countersigned by James Madison in 1803, and they are still held in the Cope family. He was a man of great force of character and splendid intellect, and as a citizen he commanded the high regard of all with whom he had dealings.
Roger Cope was born in Fairfield township, Columbiana county, Ohio, De- cember 8, 1850, a son of Samuel D. and Alice (Rogers) Cope, both of whom passed the greater part of their lives in the Buckeye State, where the former died June 24, 1901, and the latter Janu- ary 22, 1864. Samuel D. Cope was en- gaged in agricultural pursuits in Fair- field township, Columbiana county, Ohio, during the period of his active career, and he was honored by his fellow men for his sterling integrity of character and high moral principles. Mr. and Mrs. Cope became the parents of nine chil- dren, five of whom are living in 1912. Rufus Cope, a brother of Roger Cope, of this notice, died in Chicago, June 25, 1910. He was a man of unusual intelli-
gence and was distinguished both as a lawyer and as an author.
Under the influence of the old home- stead farm in Ohio, Roger Cope was reared to adult age. As a youth he at- tended the district schools in his native place, and also Mount Union College, at Alliance, Ohio. For two years to 1877 he was engaged in teaching school in Ohio, and in the fall of 1878 he was ma- triculated as a student in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in the law department, from which he was gradu- ated as a member of the class of 1881, duly receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws. For two years prior to entering the university he had read law in the office of his brother Rufus, in Illinois. He was admitted to the Michigan State bar in the city of Detroit in March, 1881, and to the Pennsylvania State bar in December, 1881. He began the active practice of his profession at Beaver Falls, and here he has resided for the past thirty-one years. During the long intervening years to the present time he has succeeded in building up an excel- lent practice for himself, and he has fig- ured prominently in some of the most important litigations in the State courts. In his political convictions he is a staunch supporter of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor. He has never aspired to pub- lic office of any description, but at one time served for two years as a member of the borough council of Beaver Falls. In early life he was a member of the Re- publican county committee. In con- nection with his law work he is a valued and appreciative member of the Beaver County Bar Association.
June 28, 1894, he was married to Miss Mary C. Mercer, a daughter of Obid and Anna (McBride) Mercer, residents of Carroll county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Cope have two daughters, Rue Alice and Eliza- beth C., both of whom are at the parental
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home. The Cope family attend the and to Beaver College, Oliver B. Shal- Christian church. In a fraternal way Mr. Cope is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias.
SHALLENBERGER, Oliver B., Electrical Engineer and Inventor.
"A truly great life," says Webster, "when Heaven vouchsafes so rare a gift, is not a temporary flame, burning bright for a while and then expiring, giving place to returning darkness. It is rather a spark of fervent heat as well as radiant light, with power to enkindle the com- mon mass of human mind; so that when it glimmers in its own decay, and finally goes out in death, no night follows, but it leaves the world all light, all on fire, from the potent contact of its own spirit."
Oliver Blackburn Shallenberger, whose demise occurred January 23, 1898, was a man of unusual prominence in the field of electricity, in which he gained distinc- tive prestige as an inventive genius. Al- though a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the time when death called him, Mr. Shallenberger was a native of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he passed most of his lifetime and where his remains are interred.
At Rochester, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1860, occurred the birth of Oliver B. Shallenberger, who was a son of Aaron T. and Mary (Bonbright) Shallenberger, the former of whom was one of the lead- ing physicians and surgeons in Western Pennsylvania prior to his demise, in 1902, and the latter of whom is now a resident of Rochester. Dr. A. T. Shallenberger was a brother of Hon. W. S. Shallen- berger, formerly a member of Congress and later Second Assistant Postmaster General. On the maternal side, the sub- ject of this review is descended from the distinguished Bonbright family of Youngstown, Pennsylvania.
To the public schools of Rochester
lenberger was indebted for his prelimi- nary educational training, which dis- cipline was later supplemented by a course of study in the Naval Academy at Annapolis, which he entered as cadet en- gineer in 1877. Out of the one hundred and twenty-six candidates examined for admittance to the Naval Academy in that year but twenty-five were admitted, and Mr. Shallenberger entered at the head of his class. He maintained first place in his studies throughout the first year, but the work of his second and third years was seriously interfered with by an ac- cident resulting in a dislocated arm and a broken wrist and by impaired eyesight, which forced him to abandon night study. Nevertheless he held third place at the time of graduation. During the entire period of his course at Annapolis, Mr. Shallenberger devoted considerable at- tention to electricity and original experi- mental investigations, and after graduat- ing he took the customary two-years' cruise upon a government vessel. He was assigned to the United States flag- ship "Lancaster," and most of his time was spent in the Mediterranean, where he witnessed the bombardment of Alex- andria. Among his contemporaries at the Naval Academy may be mentioned Frank J. Sprague, Dr. Louis Duncan, W. F. C. Hasson, Gilbert Wilkes and others, whose names are prominent among elec- tricians.
In 1883 Mr. Shallenberger returned to the United States and in the following year resigned from the naval service in order to devote his entire attention to the science of electricity. His first posi- tion was with the Union Switch and Signal Company, at Pittsburgh, in the electric light department, of which con- cern he became a prominent factor. This company was then under the manage- ment of Mr. George Westinghouse, and in the ensuing summer and fall Mr.
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Shallenberger was selected to take charge of the experiments made with the Gaulard and Gibbs alternating current apparatus which had just been imported from Europe. During this period he was associated with William Stanley and Reginald Belfield in the commercial de- velopment of the alternating current system. The result of these investiga- tions was the organization of the West- inghouse Electric Company, of which Mr. Shallenberger was appointed chief elec- trician, which position he later retained in the Westinghouse Electric and Manu- facturing Company. He was elected an associate member of the American Insti- tute of Electrical Engineers on Septem- ber 7, 1888, and was transferred to mem- bership December 4, 1888. In 1889 he went abroad and spent a great deal of time in visiting the central stations in many of the larger European cities. Two years later, however, failing health com- pelled him to resign his position as chief electrician, but the Westinghouse Com- pany, unwilling to part with his services, retained him as consulting electrician. The succeeding winters were spent in Colorado, but during the summer months he resided in Rochester, where he con- tinued his experiments in a well-equipped laboratory near his home. In 1897 Mr. Shallenberger organized the Colorado Electric Power Company, of which prominent organization he was president at the time of his deatlı. He settled per- manently in Colorado Springs in Oc- tober, 1897, and his death occurred January 23, 1898.
In regard to Mr. Shallenberger's many inventions and contributions to the ad- vancement of the electrical art, the fol- lowing paragraph, taken from "A Mem- orial," written by Charles A. Terry and published in the Proceedings of the American Institute of Electrical En- gineers in 1898, is here inserted:
"He invented the street-lighting system in which each of a series of incandescent lamps is shunted by a reactive coil having its winding so proportioned to the mass of iron in its core that, upon the interruption of the current through any lamp, a normal current is allowed to flow through the corresponding coil to the remaining lamps by reason of the consequent high magnetic satura- tion of its core. The construction of converters with primary and secondary coils separately wound and insulated was originated by him. He also was the first, in this country at least, to connect alternating current generators in parallel circuit, and he devised ingenious methods and apparatus for that purpose. The compensating indicators for showing at the central station the condition of the consumption circuit were worked out by him. His latest work was in producing a series of alternating current recording and indicating wattmeters for accurately measuring the energy consumed upon inductive as well as non-inductive circuits, and compensating for va- riations in temperature and rates of alternation. But of all his inventions, the development of the current meter bearing his name is surrounded with the greatest interest, not alone because of its intrinsic value and importance, but because it illustrates the character and mental aptitude of the man. He was original in his conceptions, com- prehensive in his grasp of ideas, conscientiously thorough in developing them, accurate in his conclusions, and complete in his final expression ; these characteristics were abundantly evident in his development of the meter. While testing an experimental arc lamp upon an alternating cur- rent circuit, his attention was attracted by the rotation of a small spiral spring, which, dislodged from its position in the lamp, had fallen upon the brass head of the magnet-spool adjacent to a projecting core of iron wires. The motion was so slow as to be scarcely perceptible, but it did not escape his quick observation. lle realized at once that he was in the presence of a new phenomenon. All his energies were immediately devoted to ascertaining the cause. Experiment followed experiment in rapid succession. Before he left the laboratory that night he developed from this accidental suggestion the complete con- ception of the alternating current meter, an object for which he, as well as many others, had for many months sought in vain. He pursued his further experiments with such zeal and good judgment that within a month he had produced a complete working meter, in essentially the same form that it is now manufactured after nearly ten years of extended use."
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Following is a letter written by Nikola Tesla, a fellow electrician, a short time after the death of Mr. Shallenberger. It is one chosen from many that were writ- ten to express regret that so great a man should be called from his lifework in the early prime of his manhood, just when he was beginning to achieve such marvelous success in his inventions and discoveries. This letter was sent to Charles A. Terry for publication in the article previously mentioned :
"I am glad that your letter gives me an oppor- tunity to express how deeply I have regretted the death of Shallenberger. The electro-technical profession has lost in him one of its most gifted members. Many a bright idea is recorded in his numerous patents, and much of his work is em- bodied in the splendid machinery which, during a number of years, he has helped to develop. Although stricken down in the prime of life, he leaves a brilliant record in the profession.
"Shallenberger has also made a record as an original discoverer; for, although at a later date, he independently observed some rotations in a magnetic field, his merit is all the greater, as he did not stop at a laboratory experiment, but quickly applied the principle practically and pro- duced his beautiful measuring instruments.
"Shall we content ourselves to merely men- tion the name of a man who has done so much? I will not presume to make a suggestion in my capacity as one of his co-workers, but Shallen- berger was a friend whom I have liked and esteemed highly, and particularly in this quality I would feel very gratified to see his name more fitly commemorated."
In connection with his lifework, Mr. Shallenberger was recognized as an au- thority on everything pertaining to elec- tricity and its development throughout the world. He was one of the promoters of the Rochester Electric Company, and was financially interested in a number of important business enterprises. Mr. Shallenberger was a man of great kindli- ness of spirit and charitable impulses, but there was a modesty and lack of all ostentation in his work as a benefactor. His entire life was characterized by up- right, honorable principles, and his deep human sympathy and generous nature make his memory an enduring monu- ment more ineffaceable than polished marble or burnished bronze. "To live in the hearts we leave behind, is not to die."
DAVIDSON, James J.,
Lawyer, Congressman.
Hon. James J. Davidson was an honored citizen and representative busi- ness man of Beaver, Pennsylvania, dur- ing his active career. He left an indeli- ble impress upon the civic and industrial annals of the city, and upon his record there rests no shadow or blemish. His strength was as the number of his days, and not only did he accomplish much in connection with the practical affairs of life, but his nature, strong and kindly in tolerance, was everywhere a potent influ- ence for good. Mr. Davidson was born at Connellsville, Fayette county, Penn- sylvania, November 5, 1861, and he was summoned to the life eternal January 2, 1897, at the comparatively early age of thirty-five years.
November 27, 1889, Mr. Shallenberger married Miss Mary Woolslair, who was born in Pittsburgh and reared in Beaver county, and who is a daughter of the late John and Caroline F. (Schreiner) Wool- slair. Two children were born to this union: John W., a graduate of Yale University in the class of 1912; and Ger- James J. Davidson was a descendant of ancestors who as Protestants were driven by religious persecution from their native Scotland and took refuge in the northern counties of the Green Isle, their children and grandchildren forming trude. During his lifetime Mr. Shallen- berger was a devout member of the Bap- tist church, and his family are likewise members of that denomination. Mrs. Shallenberger survives her honored hus- band and maintains her home at Beaver. that stalwart Scotch-Irish stock which
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has given to the United States some of her best and ablest citizens. The founder of the American branch of the Davidson family came about 1695 from the North of Ireland and settled near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is a noteworthy fact that he had lived in Londonderry during the famous siege of that city by the Eng- lish.
William Davidson, grandfather of James J. Davidson, was born February 14, 1783, at Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and in 1808 settled in Fayette county, in the same State. His first important position was that of manager of the Laurel Furnace, and later he became iron-master at Break- neck. Mr. Davidson was a recognized leader in the public affairs of Fayette county, and stood high in the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, as ap- pears from the fact that he was a member of both the Senate and House of Penn- sylvania, serving also as speaker of the latter body. His influence among his colleagues in the legislature was very great. Mr. Davidson married Sarah Rogers, a woman of strong personality and a high order of intellect, and they became the parents of three sons, among them Daniel R., mentioned below; and two daughters.
years and became a power in developing the business resources of this part of the State. Later Colonel Davidson (as he was always called) promoted the Fayette County railroad, and lie was also one of the promoters of the Southwestern Penn- sylvania railroad. His fine business abilities were not devoted to the develop- ment of railroads alone, but were also of service in utilizing the resources of the great coking-coal lands in Fayette county. He was the owner of two plants in the coke region, and was president of the Love Manufacturing Company of Roches- ter during the period of its existence. He was one of the organizers of the National Bank of Commerce, Pittsburgh, and dur- ing his later years was president of that institution. Colonel Davidson married Margaret C. Johnston, and twelve chil- dren were born to them, among whom were the following: George, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; James J., mentioned below; and Freder- ick, a prominent business man of Beaver. Colonel Davidson resided for years on his farm near Connellsville, widely sought as a counsellor in business, poli- tics and personal matters. Though ac- tively interested in public affairs, he could never be prevailed upon to accept office. At the time of his death, which occurred in 1884, he was one of the prominent men, not only in his own county, but also in Western Pennsyl- vania.
Daniel R., son of William and Sarah (Rogers) Davidson, was born January 12, 1820, at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and received his education in the public schools at Fayette county, where the Hon. James J. Davidson, of this notice, was educated in the public schools of his native place and he also attended Beaver Seminary. In 1878 he was matriculated as a student in Bethany College, at Bethany, West Virginia, and later spent three years in the University of Ken- tucky, at Lexington, in which institu- tion he was graduated as a member of the class of 1883, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After leaving college greater portion of his life was passed. After completing his course of study he turned his attention to agriculture, cul- tivating with signal success a tract of land given him by his father. At the age of twenty-one he became interested in the project of the railroad from Pitts- burgh to Connellsville, and was instru- mental in securing rights of way and funds with which to further the under- taking. The road was completed in five he took up the study of law in the office
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of Hon. John J. Wickham, of Beaver, de- voting his attention to legal work for the ensuing two years. In 1886 he became interested in oil development as a mem- ber of the firm of Darragh, Watson & Company, prominent oil producers, and with the passage of time he gradually be- came interested in other important busi- ness enterprises in Beaver county. He was elected president of the Union Drawn Steel Works, of Beaver Falls, and his brother Frederick is now the controlling spirit in that institution.
Early in life Mr. Davidson affiliated with the Republican party, in the local councils of which organization he be- came an active factor. In 1894 he re- ceived the unanimous endorsement of his party in Beaver county for delegate in Congress, but at the District Congres- sional convention later in the year, held at Beaver Falls, he withdrew his candi- dacy in favor of Hon. T. W. Phillips, of Lawrence county. In 1896 he was again the unanimous choice of Beaver county for Congress, and at the district conven- tion held at Butler he was nominated on the first ballot, and at the ensuing election won by a big majority. Shortly after the election he went west in order to recuperate his health, which had been seriously affected by an attack of pneu- monia. He spent considerable time in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs, and eventually settled at Phoenix, Arizona, where January 2, 1897, he died in his thirty-fifth year.
Mr. Davidson was married, January 31, 1889, to Miss Emma Eakin, a daughter of John R. Eakin, of Beaver. Two children were born to them, namely : Philip James, whose birth occurred on May 26, 1901 ; and Sarah Norton. Mrs. Davidson resides in Beaver with her two children.
In a fraternal way, Mr. Davidson was prominent in Masonry, having attained to the thirty-second degree in the Scottish
Rite branch, and having likewise passed through the circle of York Rite Masonry. He was a valued and appreciative mem- ber of Tancred Commandery, Knights Templar, and of Syria Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was connected with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the American Me- chanics and the Americus Club of Pitts- burgh. He was for many years a lead- ing and influential citizen of Beaver, and his activity in business affairs, his co- operation in public interests and his zealous support of all objects that he be- lieved would contribute to the material social or moral improvement of the com- munity, kept him in the foremost rank of those to whom the city owes its pres- tige as a commercial center of the State.
CRUMRINE, J. Boyd, Lawyer.
This name in Washington county is as a "household word," so familiarly is . it known. The family is of German lineage, descending from George Lenhart Krumrein, who landed September 5, 1748, from the ship "Edinburgh," James Russell, master, from Rotterdam last from Portsmouth, at the port of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania. Ile remained in Philadelphia a short time, then went to Maryland and perhaps to Georgia, but returning to Maryland at a later day.
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