USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of genealogy and biography of the state of Pennsylvania with a compendium of history. A record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Volume II > Part 2
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Perhaps the most important of the addresses above referred to. was the one delivered September 10. 1895, on the occasion of the centennial celebration of the founding of Erie. The address, in its entirety, was a masterpiece of the kind. The background of the picture consists of a review of the providential occurrences which led up to the overthrow of French domination in North America: the treaty of peace with Great Britain in 1783; and the measures adopted to secure the peaceful settlement of northwestern Pennsylvania and northern Ohio. The fol-
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lowing extract will indicate the trend of the address in this respect : "We seldom stop to think how it has all happened. that we to-day are able to rejoice in the great heritage which has come down to us from former generations. We think of Washington, the father of his coun- try, as the great instrument in the hand of a superintending Providence for the achievement of our national independence: and of the immortal Lincoln, as a special creation of the all-wise ruler of the universe. brought forward in the fullness of time to establish a great republic in which all should be free men-none slaves; and of Grant, as the once humble individual living in obscurity, but destined to become the strong right arm of our constitutional commander-in-chief. in securing in the fullest meaning of the words, 'Liberty and Union, one inseparable. now and forever.' And it is well that we do this; sad will be the day when we cease to remember and pay our sincere homage to such men ! But. back of the war of the Revolution, as we have seen, there were important movements on the checker-board of kings which greatly changed the course of empire on this continent. And, after the war of the Revolution, and prior to the founding of Erie, there were times when it was a matter of doubt whether any . American settlement would ever be made on this spot-a doubt happily solved in our favor by that sturdy common-sense and far-sighted statesmanship which characterized the founders of our government."
The conclusion of this address possesses more than a local or tem- porary interest : it was as follows :
"Friends and fellow citizens: 1 have endeavored, to the best of my ability, to furnish at least one answer to the question, 'What is there to celebrate?', and trust that I may have succeeded in so doing. An answer to the other question, 'What good will a celebration do?', I shall not undertake to give. I can only express the hope that our celebration
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will serve to mark the beginning of an era of great prosperity for our city: a prosperity not measured solely by the number or wealth of its inhabitants, but by everything that bears a part in creating the highest and best type of modern Christian civilization: a prosperity not of the narrow and sordid kind, which begrudges the expenditure of a dollar except for personal gratification or aggrandizement, but of that kind which looks beyond self. and aids in whatever will contribute towards the highest rational and intellectual enjoyment of all the people. . As we stand upon the thresholdl of the second century of our existence as a town or city. let us remember that, while our trials and difficulties are far less than the pioneers were called upon to endure, our duties and responsibilities are far greater. They laid the foundation of what we are called upon to furnish the superstructure. . As we do this, we will. of necessity, maintain intact the institutions of civil and religious liberty handed down to us by our fathers. We will continue to foster the interests of education, and endeavor to inspire our youth with a desire to come up to the demands of the highest, broadest and noblest citizen- ship. In politics, we will first be patriots and then partisans. In re- ligion we will, under the influence of modern thought and reason, and inspired by a spirit of amity and Christan charity, do what we can to cause all sectarian prejudice and bitterness to fade away. In our social relations we will seek to promote that homogeneousness which will make us essentially one people, regardless of nationalities : and to this end we will see to it that every child is taught that there can be no prouder distinction of nationality or citizenship, than is conveyed in the words 'AAmerican citizen.' Let us recognize our responsibilities and duties to our God, to our Country, and to our City, and resolve to acquit our- selves like men. And then, should succeeding generations, encouraged by our example, be imbued with a like spirit, we may rest assured, that
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while our names and our good works may be forgotten, those who shall engage in a celebration similar to this one, one hundred years from now. will find abundant reason for being proud of Eric. May God be with them!"
ROBERT J. STONEY.
As general history is but composite biography, it naturally follows that the deepest human interest in study and investigation must lie along those lines where thought has engendered achievement, not less for the general than the individual good. In every locality where progress has left its consecutive tracings by the way there must ever be a dominant interest in reverting to the lives which have been an integral part of such advancement or in conserving material prosperity -whether on the lofty plane of "massive deeds and great" or on the more obscure levels where honest purpose and endeavor play their parts no less nobly and effectively. Standing in the pure white light of a life and character such as represented the personality of the hon- ored subject of these memoirs, we cannot fail to derive both lesson and incentive, and in the city of Pittsburg, where he has so long pur- sued the even tenor of his way in sincere and conscientious apprecia- tion of his stewardship, both in business and social relations, his name will be held in revered memory so long as there remains those who knew him or who have had cognizance of his worthy and useful life. The distinguished elements of high honor, of marked intellectuality. of broad humanitarian spirit lift high in regard the subjective person- ality of one who ever stood four-square to every wind that blows. No shadow darkened any period of the long and honorable life of Mr. Stoney, and his was the heritage of an ancestry typical of all that
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makes for integrity and true worth in the various relations of life. In offering an epitome of his business career in the city of Pittsburg and in giving appreciative estimate of his character, we can not, per- haps, do better than to quote, in an essentially verbatim way, from an article published at the time of his death :
"The death of Mr. Robert J. Stoney, which occurred on April 11. 1900, was sudden and unexpected, giving another illustration of the truth of the statement that there is nothing so certain in life as its uncertainty. Mr. Stoney was cashier of the Anchor Savings Bank of Pittsburg, and up to within a few days of his death performed the duties of his position. He was one of the oldest bankers in point of continuous service in the country. Hle was born in Borris-O'Kane. county Tipperary, Ireland, on the 22d of January. 1824, and in 1855 came to the United States, locating in Pittsburg. In 1858 he entered local banking circles, as bookkeeper in the office of the Iron City Trust Company, which subsequently became the Second National Bank of Pittsburg. In 1864 he was appointed assistant cashier. and two years later was appointed to the cashiership. After a service of nine years in that institution he accepted a similar position in the Anchor Sav- ings Bank. To the latter he devoted his fine business abilities, and to him more than to any other one man is due the prosperity of that bank. At the time of his death he had completed forty-one years of active service in local banking. and throughout that long period re- tained the esteem of a host of men prominent in financial, commercial and social circles. Nor were his friendships confined to the ranks of the prosperous. He had a heart in sympathy with all mankind, and this sympathy found practical expression in the helping hand extended to the less fortunate of his fellow men. His delicacy of feeling and kindly, genial manner won the confidence of the man he would help.
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and then it was an easy matter to instill into his protege some of the courage and perseverance which were strongly marked traits of his character. Although a busy man, he did not allow business to monopo- lize his time and attention. He was a lover of nature and a student of literature, and his many close personal friends testified to his social qualities. Mr. Stoney was a communicant of Calvary church. Protest- ant Episcopal. for nearly thirty years and in an unostentatious but none the less effective way carried his Christianity into his business, his home and every day of his long life."
The ability with which Mr. Stoney administered the affairs of the important financial institution of which he was so long the practical executive head, indicates how great was his business capacity and acumen and how mature his judgment in regard to matters of prac- tical import. He was honest in all things, small as well as large, his mind having cognizance of no other policy, and he was innately prompted to justice in his dealings and intercourse with his fellow men. He was fervent in his attachments, persevering in his intents, full of conscience, the approval of which he demanded for every action of his life, was fast in his friendships, loving and lovable, gentle and sym- pathetic, realizing the ideal of the brotherhood of man and having an abiding sympathy for "all those in any way afflicted or distressed in mind. Lody or estate." He was courageous without bravado, and tender without weakness. He was strong in his convictions but was not intolerant, and compassion and pity dwelt in him as constant guests. He was never looking for special blessings but constantly prayed for general ones. He was without envy or jealousy and rejoiced in the prosperity of every man he knew. He lived a life of usefulness, a distinct man. and died lamented by a community.
Mr. Stoney received excellent educational advantages in his native
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land. and during the memorable epoch of famine in Ireland he ren- dered effective service in the commissary department of the British government. After his coming to America, in the crucial days leading up to the war of the rebellion. his sympathies naturally went forth to the oppressed, and he became a stanch abolitionist-in fact, such was his nature that the institution of human slavery could not be other than intolerable and abhorrent to him. and he was a stauch supporter of the Union during the war period. His political support was given to the Republican party from the time of its organization, but he was essen- tially a business man and never sought the emoluments or honors of political office.
Far be it from us to attempt to lift the veil which shiekled a domestic life of ideal character, and yet it is incumbent that reference Le made to this chapter in his career, and it may be said that in his home he found his greatest solace and happiness, while here came the deepest appreciation of his noble and lovable character. In the year 1849 Mr. Stoney was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Masterson. and she remained his devoted and cherished companion for a half cen- tury, while in death they were not long divided, her demise occurring on the 4th of July, 1899, while he was summoned into eternal rest on the 11th of the following April. The honored parents are survived by one son and eight daughters, their names, in order of birth, being as follows: Mary E., the wife of W. S. Ward: Margaret R., the wife of E. H. Bingler: Anabelle S., the wife of 11. W. Wightman : Kathleen J., the wife of Harry H. Phillips : Misses Alice E .. Beatrice B., Eleanor E. and Edna M .; and Robert J., Jr .. who is a prominent banker of Pittsburg.
One of the younger business men in a leading financial institution of Pittsburg has given the following appreciative tribute to the subject
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of these memoirs, and it must be borne in mind that Mr. Stoney was essentially and insistently the friend of the young men, ever aiming to be helpful in the true spirit which begets personal effort, self-reliance and honor in the objective, and that there are many young men promi- nent in the business life of Pittsburg who owe much of their success to his timely aid and wise admonitions :- "1 was with Mr. Stoney for many years and can truthfully say that I owe whatever of success 1 have attained entirely to him, as during the time I was with him it was as good as a school to me. He was one of the most learned men i ever met, and his knowledge was complete in all branches of literature. He was a man of unlimited attainments and was a born leader. He was especially strong in mathematics, comprehending with facility the most abstruse problems. As far as his heart was concerned he never grew old, and he ever enjoyed the company of young people, who were instructed by his wide fund of knowledge and amused and diverted by his rare wit and humor, always kindly and spontaneous. He was a strict disciplinarian but was invariably kind in his reproofs to his sub- ordinates, whose confidence and deep affection he ever retained." The religious element in his character was positive and of a high type, and. while reposing in the faith of and being a true soldier of the church militant, he was free from cant and narrowness, and preserved through- out his career the pre-eminent Christian character. being well prepared to have translation to the church triumphant, his having been the faith that makes faithful.
- ISAAC N. PATTERSON.
This Venango county citizen, identified with several of the leading business and financial enterprises of the county and prominent in social and political life, comes of a family that has been resident in Pennsyl-
Patterson.
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vania for almost a century, originally of Scotch origin. Grandfather Robert Patterson was born in Scotland, and later emigrated to Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where he took up the occupation of farming, but died after three months' residence here. Ile was a pioneer of the county and also one of the founders of the Presbyterian church in that section. Five brothers and one sister came from Scotland with him and took up their ahode in the same county. One of the children of Robert was named William, and he was twelve years old when he came to America, in 1814. He was a successful farmer and merchant in Mercer county until 1873, when he moved to Allegheny City, where he died in 1889. His home in Mercer county was hewn out of the woods with his own hand. In business he met with an unusual degree of success, and was conspicuous for his interest in other departments of activity. He was a member of the old Whig party and later joined the Republicans. In religious work he followed in the footsteps of his father, and was very zealous in promoting the advancement of the Presbyterian church in his vicinity. He contributed liberally to its support and assisted in the buikling of the first Presbyterian house of worship in the county. It was but natural that, with all his kindly and noble personal qualities. he should gather a host of friends around him, and these will always revere his memory. The maiden name of the wife of William Patterson was Isabel Coleman, brief memoirs of whose family appear below.
Isaac N. Patterson was the third of eleven children born to Will- iam and Isabel (Coleman) Patterson. His birth occurred in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. December 12. 1833. Until he was sixteen years of age he attended the public schools, and then was a student in an academy in Butler county, Pennsylvania, for a time. His active career began as a clerk in his father's store, where he soon had principal charge. and where he remained for twenty-five years. lle also engaged in
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mercantile ventures on his own account, and in the early oil excitement was a partner with his brother in the producing of oil. this relationship lasting for twelve years. In 1872 Mr. Patterson came to Franklin, Venango county, and ever since that time has been considered one of the leading oil producers in the county. He has prospered in his various enterprises and has amassed a fortune. He is modest of manner. car- ing little for display, but is very public-spirited and interested in all matters affecting the general welfare of the county. He is president of the Franklin Savings Bank and is president of the Grand Junction Smelting Company, which is incorporated under the laws of the state of Maine.
Mr. Patterson was an active Republican in early life, and still casts his ballot for that party. He was married on July 2. 1873. to Miss Ella D. Frame, and three children have been born of this union, two dangh- ters and one son.
Isabel Coleman, mentioned above as the wife of William Patterson and the mother of Isaac Newton Patterson, is connected with the old Montgomery family, which has been established in western Pennsylvania for almost a century. William Montgomery was a native of Scotland. and his wife. Mary Evans, claimed Wales as her birthplace. He brought his family to Delaware in 1760 and settled in the neighborhood of Wil- mington, where he owned a large farm and tannery: he also held slaves. but these he afterward freed.
There were eleven sons and two daughters in the family of Will- iam Montgomery, and during the Revolutionary war ten of the sons,- the youngest being too young for service-enlisted in the continental army and engaged in the battles for liberty until peace was declared. Not one of this gallant band of brothers received a wound, although the Delaware regiment in which they served suffered severe diminution in
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numbers from disease and bullets. The family home was in such prox- imity to the scene of action that its members witnessed all the horrors of the struggle. A force of five thousand British encamped on the farm and established their winter quarters. They slaughtered the cattle for beef and did not hesitate to appropriate anything they wished for their use. They used the large stone house for a hospital. They had seized all the linen of the household for dressing wounds, and on one occasion a soldier rudely tore off a linen neckerchief worn by the lady of the house, but the natural gallantry of the English officer asserted itself and he reproved the soldier and offered the lady in compensation his own silk scarf.
One of these eleven sons was named William, who was the grand- father of Isabel Coleman. Soon after the beginning of the Revolution he married Mary Nicholas, and several years after the establishment of peace, in 1791. he brought his family and household goods, in a four-horse wagon, to a point on Chartiers creek seven miles below Pittsburg, where he remained for six years. In March. 1797, having purchased a land- right for two tracts of four hundred and twenty-seven acres each, he came to Wolf creek (now Wolf Creek township, Mercer county, Penn- sylvania ), bringing with him his two oldest sons, William and Thomas, boys of fifteen and eleven years of age. They established a settlement and built a cabin within what is now Robert Thompson's orchard, and they also built on the other tract, within the boundaries of what is now the Coulter farm. The father left the sons to keep possession of the new settlement. and returned to his former home for provisions and other supplies, among other articles, kettles for making maple sugar. On the way back he broke his arm and was compelled to return to the old settle- ment and remain there six weeks,-long, lonely and anxious weeks we may imagine they were for the boys in their lodge in the wilderness.
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with only the red man for a neighbor. During all this time they saw only two white men, but were never molested, although they could hear the Indians shooting in the forest every day. On one occasion, hearing a commotion at the hen-roost and thinking it was caused by Indians. they prepared as best they could for defense, but were much relieved on finding the cause of their alarm to be wolves. They were almost out of provisions when their father returned, but they had cleared a field for corn. and after the summer spent in taking care of the crop they went back to the older settlement and in the following spring the entire family moved to the new abode.
There were four sons and six daughters in this household. Eliza- beth married John Miller: Margaret, the next in order of birth, became the wife of AAndrew Irwin : William married Sarah Barnes: Mary mar- ried Joshua Coleman, and they were the maternal grandparents of Isaac Newton Patterson: Thomas married Margaret Waldron: John was the husband of Elizabeth Barnes: Alexander married Nancy Cassiday : Nancy married Matthew Irwin: Ann was the wife of Samuel Vaughn : and Isabelle married Thomas Leisure.
WILLIAM ASHBRIDGE BALDWIN.
William Ashbridge Baldwin, president of the Cleveland and Mari- etta Railway Company, son of Joseph Trimble Baldwin and his wife. Louisa Ann Baldwin, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 28. 1835-
He is the sixth in direct descent from William Baldwin, of Gis- bourne, Yorkshire. England. who, about the year 1714. settled in Bucks county. Pennsylvania. \ minister of the Society of Friends. he came first to the new world on a "religions visit" or mission, which
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included in its scope Maryland. Virginia and the Carolinas, as well as Pennsylvania and parts of New England, where there were congre- gations of his co-religionists; and, according to the records, gave satis- faction to those among whom he ministered. For four generations the family remained Orthodox Friends. Migrating to Chester valley, they intermarried with Puseys. Edges. Trimbles and Thomases-names well known in the annals of the Quaker Society in that part of the world. . \ great-grandson of the founder of the family in America, was, like his ancestors, an "esteemed minister." but two of his sons, while adhering to the principles of Friends, lost their birthright mem- bership by marrying outside of the Society. One of these. Joseph Trimble Baldwin, father of the present William AAshbridge Baldwin. was a merchant of Philadelphia-a man beloved for his warm and generous heart. as well as for his sterling integrity, personal charm and bright intellect.
With such a heritage William Ashbridge Baldwin came into the world, well endowed with good mental and physical abilities. The early death of his father obliged him to depend mainly upon his own exertions for success in life. The greater part of his education was received in the school of his uncle. Thomas Baldwin. a conscientious and distinguished instructor and man of letters in his day. This was supplemented by a year with Sammuel Alsop. at Wilmington, Delaware, and a subsequent course of engineering. Ile entered the railway service, in November. 1851. as a chainman of the Coal Run Railroad, in Schuylkill county. Pennsylvania. From 1852 to 1854 he was assist- ant engineer of this road, and in the latter year was appointed leveler and topographer of the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad. He manifested such an enthusiastic liking for his profession and such intelligence in the work assigned him that he was offered the position
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of assistant engineer, leveler and topographer of the Honduras Inter- Oceanic Railroad. Central America, under Mr. John C. Trautwine. one of the foremost civil engineers of his time in the United States. this survey occupying the year 1857 to late in 1858. Thus, though not a graduate of any school of technology, he was prepared for his life work by a varied and practical education in the school of ex- perience.
December 1. 1858, he received the appointment of clerk to the superintendent of the Western Division of Pennsylvania Railroad. located at Pittsburg. Pennsylvania. From January, 1860, to Febru- ary. 1862, he was assistant engineer. Pennsylvania Railroad. under Mr. Hlaself W. Wilson, its chief engineer. From February 7. 1862. to March 13. 1868, he was superintendent of the Western Division of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad lessee, located at Erie, Pennsylvania.
From March, 1868, to May. 1870, he was assistant general super- intendent of the Philadelphia and Eric Railroad. From May. 1870. to October, 1873. he was general superintendent of the Philadelphia and Erie Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. From October, 1873. to September. 1881, he was general superintendent of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, and also of the Susquehanna and Shamokin divisions of the Northern Central Railroad, making his home at Williamsport. Pennsylvania.
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