USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 18
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Mr. Lewis is a member of the Masonic order, the Junior Order American Me- chanics, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Malta, the Knights of the Mystic Circle, the Knights of Pythias, the Heptasophs, the Modern Woodmen of America, and other frater- nal, social and beneficial organizations.
He married, May 17, 1893, Anna C., daughter of George D. Beeler, a farmer of Manchester township, now living re- tired in York, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Frederick Sultzbach, an ex- member of the Pennsylvania legislature. Children: Elizabeth, born August 29, 1897; George Robert, August 31, 1900;
Marian Justina, March 5, 1902. Mrs. Lewis died May 4, 1910.
SMITH, S. Morgan,
Clergyman, Manufacturer.
That a man should be a leader of his fellows alike in things spiritual and tem- poral, would appear to many well-nigh incredible were it not that its possibility has been so strikingly demonstrated in the career of the late S. Morgan Smith, in his early manhood pastor of Moravian churches in York and in Canal Dover, Ohio, and for many years thereafter a resident of York, and head of the cele- brated firm of S. Morgan Smith & Com- pany, of which he had been the founder.
John W. Smith, father of S. Morgan Smith, was born in 1811, in Davie coun- ty, North Carolina, which had been the birthplace of his father also. John W. Smith married Sarah Purdon Beauchamp, who was born in 1816, and whose father was a native of Davie county, her grand- father having been born in Frederick, Maryland, where her great-grandfather, a native of France, settled on arriving in this country.
S. Morgan, son of John W. and Sarah Purdon (Beauchamp) Smith, was born February 1, 1839, in Davie county, where he received his preliminary education in the public schools, afterward entering the Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsyl- vania. From this institution he was graduated in 1861 to the ministry of the Moravian church. He was immediately called to the pastorate of the church of that denomination in York, where he re- mained until 1866. In that year he be- came pastor of the Moravian church at Canal Dover, Ohio, where he labored assiduously for five years. At the end of that time failing health forced him to retire from the work of the ministry, to the great regret of all to whom he was
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known, his devotion in both his pastorates having been fruitful of good results.
Finding it necessary to turn his atten- tion to another field of endeavor, Mr. Smith's mind naturally reverted to the in- terest in machinery which he had mani- fested even as a boy. The result was the invention of the "Success" washing-ma- chine, many thousands of which were sold in all parts of the world. About 1876 Mr. Smith turned his attention to hydraulics, and soon after invented the "Success" turbine, which became very popular with the milling interests. In 1871 Mr. Smith founded the firm of S. Morgan Smith & Company, which was from its inception engaged in the manu- facture of mill machinery and turbine water wheels, the latter his own inven- tion. Other lines of business were taken up from time to time, improvements being made on the turbine water wheel, until, at the time of the death of its founder, this great manufacturing estab- lishment was the largest of its kind in the country. In 1898 Mr. Smith organ- ized the S. Morgan Smith Company, the management of which was largely turned over to his sons, this affording him an opportunity to indulge in a period of much needed rest and travel: The suc- cess of his sons in conducting and build- ing up the business founded by their father has been extraordinary. The con- pany manufactures the McCormick and the New Success (the latter their own invention) turbine wheels, power trans- mitting machinery, boilers, and other special products. The concern employs five hundred men, and it is interesting to know that it has installed a turbine outfit in the city of Jerusalem, in the Holy Land. and numbers in Japan and Russia. A number of the company's wheels are in use in the Niagara Falls power houses.
Endowed with an energy that vitalized all his undertakings, Mr. Smith, through- out his career, displayed business talents
of the highest order. Especially was he noted for the justice and generosity which ever marked his conduct toward his em- ployès who, in return, manifested the utmost devotion to his interests. Public- spirited, widely but unostentatiously charitable, ever aiding to the utmost of his power every influence which made for the well-being and advancement of the community and for the uplifting and maintenance of high standards, he might truly be called a model citizen. Of fine personal appearance, of a nature so genial and sympathetic as to possess a rare magnetism, ever meeting all with a dignified and kindly courtesy, he pos- sessed the respect and love of multitudes.
Mr. Smith married, April 8, 1862, Emma R., daughter of John Fahs, a na- tive of York, and the following children were born to them: Charles Elmer, Stephen Fahs, Beauchamp Harvey, Sarah Purdon, Susan Ellen, and Mary Delia.
Mr. Smith was a man of strong domestic affections, devoted to his home and fam- ily. His rare social gifts were never more happily manifested than when he appeared as a host, as all who ever en- joyed the privilege of his hospitality can most conclusively testify. The death of this gifted and lovable man, which oc- curred April 12, 1903, in Los Angeles, California, whither he had gone on a visit to his son Beauchamp, was mourned deeply and sincerely by all classes of the community. At all times he had stood as an able exponent of the spirit of the age in regard to progress and improvement ; and over the record of his life, both as a business man and a private citizen, there falls no shadow of wrong or sus- picion of evil. As a faithful pastor Mr. Smith exemplified in his life the virtues which, by his teaching, he inculcated, and as a business man he found larger scope for their exercise. For many years he stood before the world as one of the strong men of the old city of York, aid-
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Flow Chalfant
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ing greatly in placing her in her present commanding position among the manu- facturing cities of the United States, and ever, by his example, upholding the lofti- est standard of commercial honor.
CHALFANT, John Weakley,
Manufacturer, Financier, Philanthropist.
Pittsburgh's natural resources-steel, coal, gas-and the untold wealth of the mines of Western Pennsylvania, have all been brought out and harnessed to the vast wealth-producing machine of the city's industries. "And by whom?" the observer asks; "by what men of Titanic mould were these wonders accom- plished?" The answer is: "By men of the type of the late John Weakley Chalf- ant, of the famous firm of Spang, Chalf- ant & Company, iron manufacturers, and probably the first man in the world to use natural gas for manufacturing pur- poses." For nearly half a century Mr. Chalfant was renowned throughout Western Pennsylvania as a leader in the iron industry, an astute financier, and a successful man of affairs.
John Chalfant, founder of the Ameri- can branch of this well-known family, came to Pennsylvania with William Penn in the ship "Welcome," and was given a deed for six hundred and forty acres of land in Chester county. This was about 1682, and in 1699 he settled on a tract of two hundred and fifty acres in Rockland Manor, Chester county, obtain- ing a warrant for it October 22, 1701. Jolin Chalfant died in August, 1725, leav- ing two sons: John, mentioned below; and Robert.
John, son of John Chalfant, married, and among other children had three sons : John ; Solomon ; and Robert, men- tioned below.
Robert, son of John Chalfant, married Ann, daughter of John and Mary Bent- ley, of Newton, Chester county, and their
children were: Jolm mentioned below ; Mary, Jane, Ann, Robert and Elizabeth.
John, son of Robert and Ann (Bent- ley) Chalfant, married and had one son : Henry, mentioned below.
Henry, son of John Chalfant, married, August 5, 1740, Eliza Jackson, and they were the parents of nine children, the eldest being Jonathan, mentioned below.
Jonathan, son of Henry and Eliza (Jackson) Chalfant, was born April 8, 1743, and married, December 24, 1777, Ann, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Carter) Barnard, Bernard, or Burnard, as it is variously spelled. Thomas Barn- ard is first mentioned in 1701, as of West Marlborough; his first wife was Eliza Swain, of Newark, New Jersey, and he died in 1732, at Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Chalfant became the parents of the fol- lowing children: Thomas, born Novem- ber 2, 1778; Ann, May 11, 1780; Jonathan, May 15, 1783; Jacob, November 3, 1786; Annanias, August 24, 1788; Henry, men- tioned below; Eliza, born October 8, 1794, died October 15, 1794; Eliza (2), born August 25, 1797; Amos, December 9, 1799.
Henry, son of Jonathan and Ann (Barnard) Chalfant, was born May 13, 1792, and about 1827 removed to Turtle Creek, Allegheny county, where he con- ducted a general store and kept the post office and relay station for the Pitts- burgh and Philadelphia stage coach line, which traversed the old Greensburg turnpike. About 1840 he settled on a farm of several hundred acres about half way between Wilkinsburg and Turtle Creek, making his home there during the re- mainder of his life. Mr. Chalfant mar- ried, March 27, 1827, at Carlisle, Penn- sylvania, Rev. George Duffield officiat- ing, Isabella Campbell, born January 12, 1801, daughter of Samuel and Hetty (Lusk) Weakley, and their children were: John Weakley, mentioned below ; William Barnard, born July 8, 1820, died
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August 1, 1830; Sidney Alexander, born unacquainted with his extraordinary May 14, 1831, now of Pittsburgh; Ann Rebecca, born August 8, 1833, married, 1874, Albert G. Miller, and died October 17, 1896; Hetty Isabella, born April 4, 1835, died January 30, 1840; Henry Rich- ard, born July 25, 1837, died September 30, 1887; James Thomas, born May 18, 1839, died April 20, 1901 ; George Alex- ander, born March 13, 1841, died August -, 1904; William Lusk, born August 3, 1843, died April 20, 1895; and Albert Mc- Kinney, born October 6, 1846, now of Pittsburgh The father of this family died December 14, 1862, and the mother continued to reside on the homestead with her son, Henry Richard, and his family, until her death, March 4, 1885.
Jolin Weakley, son of Henry and Isa- bella Campbell (Weakley) Chalfant, was born December 13, 1827, at Turtle Creek, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and re- ceived his early education in the district schools of the neighborhood. In the course of time he matriculated at Jeffer- son College, Canonsburg, graduating in the class of 1850. Immediately there- after he entered the service of Zug & Painter, iron manufacturers of Pitts- burgh, remaining until 1856. In that year he purchased an interest in the firm of Spang & Company, iron manufactur- ers, and in 1858 the style was changed to Spang, Chalfant & Company, the mem- bers being Charles H. Spang, John Weakley Chalfant, Campbell B. Herron, Alexander M. Byers and A. G. Lloyd. In 1863, George Alexander Chalfant, a brother of Mr. Chalfant, was admitted to partnership. The latter had by this time won an assured place in the business world as an able, clear-headed merchant and manufacturer, of broad views and aggressive methods, and of unfailing self-reliance and unblemished integrity.
mental powers and rare executive ability. He was associated with nearly every en- terprise having for its end the upbuilding and development of the financial, manu- facturing and social interests of Pitts- burgh and its vicinity. He was the pro- moter and organizer of the Pittsburgh & Western and the Pittsburgh Junction railroads, and also aided in the organiza- tion of the People's National Bank, in which for years he held the office of presi- dent. He was president of the Manufac- turers' and Merchants' Insurance Com- pany of Pittsburgh, and a director in the People's Savings Bank, the Isabella Fur- nace Company, and the Pittsburgh Lo- comotive Works. To Mr. Chalfant be- longs the distinction of having been, so far as is known, the first man in the world to apply natural gas to manufacturing purposes. In this were exemplified his originality of thought and his readiness to take the initiative. He caused the gas to be led in pipes to his iron works be- fore other manufacturers had even con- ceived the idea of utilizing it-a pioneer both in theory and practice, and abun- dantly did the result justify his bold- ness.
When it was decided during the Civil War to hold a Sanitary Fair for the benefit of the soldiers in the field, Mr. Chalfant, with two others, was sent to Cleveland, Ohio, to negotiate for build- ings which had been used for similar purposes in that city. Upon their arrival the committee found that the bargain, if secured, must be closed at once, and, without waiting to confer with those by whom they had been sent, gave their individual notes for $10,000. The Fair proved a great success, the amount real- ized exceeding $250,000. All honor to Pittsburgh's patriotic business men !
The number of Mr. Chalfant's interests In politics Mr. Chalfant was a Repub- lican, and, while he never consented to throughout his business career would seem nothing short of marvellous to one hold office, was nevertheless somewhat
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active in political circles, and always as a citizen gave loyal support to measures calculated to promote the welfare of Pittsburgh and to facilitate her rapid and substantial development. No good work done in the name of charity or religion appealed to him in vain, and by his in- fluence and means he actively aided a number of institutions, serving as a direc- tor in the Western Pennsylvania Hospi- tal, the Allegheny General Hospital, and the Western Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. He was for many years president of the board of trustees of the First Presbyte- rian Church. Of fine personal appear- ance, his countenance expressive at onee of the force and resolution of his nature and the kindliness of his disposition, Mr. Chalfant possessed a rare magnetism which drew men to him and caused him to be a conspicuous figure in the social life of the city. He was one of the founders of the Duquesne Club, and for a number of years its president.
Mr. Chalfant married, May 31, 1860, Ellen Quigley, a woman of winning per- sonality and the most charming domes- tieity, daughter of William and Liberty McCrea, and they were the parents of the following children: Mary L., wife of Major George Wilson McKee; Isabella C .; Henry, married Harriet B. Watson ; Eleanor, and Annie.
every relation of life, one whose motives were never questioned, and who, while advancing the interests of his city and State, reflected honor upon both. Among the numberless tributes to his personality and work was one from Rev. Matthew B. Riddle, who said, in part: "Excep- tionally frank in utterance and manner, with elear perceptions, good judgment of men and things, capable of warm attach- ments and readily winning to himself people of all stations in life, he was to me a peculiarly attractive personality. While he lived intercourse with him was delightful, and since his death I have missed him continually. Benevolent in feeling, beneficent in action, cheery in conversation, his large frame seemed suggestive of his large soul."
John B. Jackson, himself now deceased, said: "Among the prominent Pittsburgh- ers of a few years ago was Mr. John W. Chalfant. To the writer he was not known so much in business as in social relations, and yet his strong personality was felt by all with whom he came in contaet. He was a man of very deep convictions and, believing himself right, would carry out his ideas in a way some might consider overbearing. A born leader, he would assume command, so to speak, and move forward, overcoming many an obstacle which would discourage a less determined spirit. In disposition he was remarkably kind, a true, genuine friend; but it could not be said that he was the opposite, 'a good hater,' for his goodness halted on the dividing line, re- maining on the pleasant side. He was an ideal host, the personification of hos- pitality. He had a fine sense of humor, readily seeing the point of a joke, and gave expression to his pleasure in a con- tagious laugh."
Mr. Chalfant was devoted to his home and family, and delighted in entertaining his many friends. He was a brilliant con- versationalist, numbering among his not- able social gifts that rarest and most ex- quisite faculty of causing all about him to appear at their best, and all who ever had the privilege of enjoying his hospi- tality unite in bearing testimony to his incomparable charm as a host. His death, which occurred December 28, 1898, The late Benjamin F. Jones spoke thus : "Mr. Chalfant had natural mental facul- ties of the highest order. His culture deprived not only Pittsburgh but the State of Pennsylvania of a representative resident, a man of stainless character in and thorough business training, together
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with his robust health and habits of ex- traordinary industry, gave him force of character which distinguished him among men. His honesty of purpose, kindness of heart, and noble generosity endeared him to all who knew him, and rendered his society most attractive, as evidenced by his host of friends and the entire absence of enemies."
These words were written of one who came of the finest Pennsylvania stock- a descendant of men who helped to found and build up the Province, and whose sons and grandsons were among those who laid the foundations of the Keystone State. That John Weakley Chalfant took up and worthily continued the work be- gun and carried forward by his ancestors, the City of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania bear abundant testimony.
JACKSON, John Beard, Financier, Philanthropist.
As we recall in memory the Pittsburgh of the last half-century, there is one fig- ure which, as it looms commandingly through the mist of the receding years, shines with a lustre all its own-the lus- tre of a noble and stainless life. It is that of the late John Beard Jackson, president of the Fidelity Title and Trust Company, and prominently and insepar- ably identified with all the best and most vital interests of his native city.
The Jackson family was anciently es- tablished in Yorkshire, England, whence some of its members removed to the south of Scotland, and in other parts there were families who bore this name. The common origin of the race is proved by a similarity of coat-armor among its scattered branches, showing the basic theme of development to have been a fesse between three birds. In some cases these three birds were shovelers; in others, shadrakes, hawks and jackdaws. The Jackson arms are as follows: Arms :
Gules, three shovelers tufted on head and breast argent, each charged with trefoil vert. Crest: A shoveler as in arms. Motto: Malo mori quam foedari. Sus- pended from base of shield an octofoil (charged with gold maple leaf) vert by ribbon of the same.
A branch of the Jackson family estab- lished itself at Doncaster, Yorkshire, and became known as the Jacksons of Don- caster. It is to this branch that the Jack- sons of Pittsburgh belong. The arms borne by the Doncaster Jacksons are as follows: Per pale gules and ermine, cotised argent, between three shovelers of the last, a cross-crosslet between two an- nulets of the field.
James Jackson, the first ancestor of rec- ord, was born April 24, 1642, on the family estate at Fairburn, in the Parish of Ledsham, Yorkshire, where the Jack- sons had been seated for several genera- tions, the parish registers exhibiting memorials of them from the year 1542. James Jackson died May 22, 1703, at Ledsham, leaving one son: James, men- tioned below.
James, son of James Jackson, was born in 1664, and was lessee, under the Dean and Chapter of York, of the tithes of Fairburn, having also at that time a free- hold estate. He died in 1745, leaving children : James; John, born 1710; Charles, mentioned below; probably others.
Charles, son of James Jackson, was born in 1711, in Fairburn, and married, in 1736, Jane Booth, of the same place. The date of his death is unknown, but it is probable that both he and his wife died young, there being no record of other issue than one son: Charles, men- tioned below.
Charles, son of Charles and Jane (Booth) Jackson, was born in 1739, and was in Roscrea, Ireland, as early as 1757. When or why he removed thither has not been definitely ascertained, but as
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many of his cousins settled in that coun- try, it is probable that they all left Yorkshire about the same time. Charles Jackson married Mary -, and their children were: John, mentioned below; Thomas, a clergyman of Roscrea, Tipper- ary; Letitia, died in Portarlington, Ire- land, unmarried; and probably others. Charles Jackson was a merchant in county Kings, Ireland. No record of his death can be found.
John, son of Charles and Mary Jack- son, was born in 1766, in Roscrea, Tip- perary, Ireland, and in 1806 emigrated to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh, where he engaged in business, meeting with a fair measure of success. Ile gave his children the best educational advan- tages, including Latin and French, as old school-books still in possession of the family testify. John Jackson married, in Ireland, Margaret Davis, and they were the parents of the following children, all of whom, with the exception of the . youngest, were born in Ireland: Mary, married Rees Cadwalader Townsend ; Martha A., died, unmarried, in Pitts- burgh; George Whitten, mentioned be- low ; and Letitia Whitten, married Audley Gazzam. The fact that the name of Whitten was borne by the third and fourth children of this family indicates that it was a family name. Mr. Jackson died in Pittsburgh, December 16, 1826, leaving the reputation of a man of great strength of character, sterling integrity, and withal a staunch churchman.
George Whitten, son of John and Mar- garet (Davis) Jackson, was born in 1801, in Roscrea, Ireland, and attended the rudimentary schools of the then new city of Pittsburgh, by self-study extending his knowledge beyond the meagre course given in the public schools of that time. His first employment was as clerk in the grocery store of John Albree, and proof of his business ability is furnished by the fact that he was soon received into part-
nership, the firm becoming Albree & Jackson. On the death of his father, Mr. Jackson disposed of his interest in the business and assumed the management of his father's manufacturing plant. This, however, did not prove either as profit- able or congenial as he desired, and he therefore sold out and engaged in pack- ing pork for the southern and western trade. The enterprise was successful from its inception, and speedily war- ranted Mr. Jackson in establishing pork- packing houses in Cincinnati, Columbus, and other western towns, and these in- creased facilities resulted in the accumu- lation of wealth. In 1845, in association with R. W. Cunningham, he engaged in the business of providing merchandise to the west, the firm being led thereby to dealing in grain, iron, steel and glass, the three last-named commodities being ex- tensively manufactured in Pittsburgh. The place of business was at New Castle, where the firm also operated a foundry and machine shop. In 1849 Mr. Jackson acquired an interest in the Anchor Cot- ton Mills, one of the first mills of the kind established in Pittsburgh, and these allied interests secured for him a position in trade centres, causing him to become one of the leading business men of Western Pennsylvania.
In 1837 Mr Jackson became a member of the board of directors of the Mer- chants' and Manufacturers' Bank of Pittsburgh, and he was instrumental in promoting the building of the Allegheny Valley railroad. In 1857 he was chosen a director of the company, and was one of the members of the party sent to deter- mine the best route for the extension of the road. In its construction and equip- ment he took an active personal part, and in 1859 ivas forced by ill health to resign the directorship. Mr. Jackson also belonged to the Smithfield Street Bridge Board and the Western Insurance Company, and held the office of director
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in the Bank of Pittsburgh, the oldest banking institution in Pennsylvania. In 1845, after the fire which that year destroyed the greater part of the city, Mr. Jackson, then a member of the com- mon council and president of the select council, appointed to care for the well- being of the sufferers, was placed on the relief committee charged with the dis- tribution of the funds contributed by neighboring cities.
In politics Mr. Jackson was originally a Democrat, but identified himself with the Republican party at its organization, and in 1856 was a delegate to the Na- tional Convention in Buffalo that nomin- ated John C. Fremont for President of the United States. He was also inter- ested in the colonization movement in- stituted to prevent the introduction of slavery into the territories, and actively participated in the Kansas immigration scheme, resulting in the Kansas conflict and ultimately leading to the Civil War. Throughout its early months, and to the close of his life, Mr. Jackson's loyalty to the Union and the Constitution were un- swerving and unqualified. He was a man of great kindness of heart, taking an active interest in the House of Refuge of Western Pennsylvania, the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, and other benevo- lent and charitable institutions, especially in the hospital for the insane now known as "Dixmont." He was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, in early life attending Trinity Church and after- ward St. Andrew's.
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