USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 17
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The foregoing chronological narrative of the service of Mr. Nicol affords suggestion enough of the responsibilities devolving upon him, but nothing of the dangers which he daily incurred. The danger was shared in by all his men, but he carried an awful responsibility in the convic- tion that he was in a manner their guardian and protector : and in times of disaster, actual or im- pending, he displayed a degree of valor in no way inferior (in instances superior) to that of the soldier in the storm of battle. In whatever emer- gency, his self-possession never forsook him, and his resourcefulness seemed exhaustless. A strik- ing instance is found in the case of the Marvine shaft disaster. A portion of the mine had fallen.
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in, closing up three different avenues of approach to the workings beyond and imprisoning eight miners. Mr. Nicol at once made a personal ex- amination, and immediately planned for their rescue. They could only be reached by driving a passage way through one hundred and fifty-four feet of solid coal. Setting a course from the mine-map, he set his men at work in relays, tak- ing up night as well as day continuously, and per- sonally superintending the operations from be- ginning to finish. Mr. Nicol was the first to enter the chamber when the wall was finally pen- etrated. All the poor fellows were found dead, but this dreadful conclusion does not dim the lus- tre of the achievement which it was hoped would prove their rescue. The instance related is only one of many to testify to his courage and per- sistency. Yet he was never rash, in any sense of the word. He would not expose himself or his men to what he deemed a useless danger, nor would he ask a man to go where he was not ready to lead.
The death of Mr. Nicol was due to a "squeeze" in the Eddy Creek mines of the Dela- ware & Hudson Canal Company, near Olyphant. Taking with him fire boss Lavin and three other bosses ( Mason, Williams and Jones) he went in, examining for gas or other evidence of danger. On their way they passed where a fallen aid- bridge had left a large cavity in the roof. Going on to the edge of the fall they listened for a time, hearing nothing but the incessant chip, chip, chipping of the particles of coal, peculiar in mine "squeezing." Returning, they noticed as they passed the fallen bridge that the whitewashed wall built across the "cross-cut" under the air- way had turned black since the fall. Lavin was in advance, while Nicol, with the other men, were near together, undreaming of danger. One of the men raised his lamp, and an explosion oc- citrred. It was for a moment only, but it left them with lights extinguished, themselves burned and bleeding, their woolen clothes smouldering, a mile and a quarter away from the foot of the shaft, where alone they could hope for reaching the surface. Mr. Nicol instantly realized that no aid could come to them, for their plight was not discoverable. . Regardless of his own physical anguish, he felt that the men were under his charge, and he must rescue them. He plucked the flaming clothing from off his companions until he had burned the skin entirely from his own hands, and, when he could no longer endure the agony of grasping the scorching garments, he tore them away with his teeth, until his mouth
and face were raw and bleeding. Then he led the long walk of more than a mile through the dense darkness, guiding himself by sliding his foot along the rail. He urged them forward with his entreaties and prayers, and time and again they bade him leave them there to die, and make his own escape, but he would not. Still he kept them slowly groping on, and when one of the poor fellows sank down, utterly exhausted, Nicol dragged him by the coat collar all the remainder of the way, his head rubbing against the rib until the scorched flesh was rubbed from the bone. The foot of the shaft was finally reached, and the men drawn up.
It is pitiful to think that after such heroic effort the savior of these men should meet with so sad a fate. He gave the last full measure of devotion in all unconscious heroism, when, after he and his companions had been drawn out into heaven's sweet sunshine, he thought not of him- self until all his men had been cared for and taken to their homes. Thither he then went also, but he would not take to his bed until three days later, when exhausted nature asserted herself and collapse came. All that surgical skill and tender loving care could do was done. The ex- ternal wounds apparently healed well, and a new growth of skin came upon his face and hands. While he seemed to be improving physi- cally, he failed mentally. The shock and strain had been too great, and his mind wandered. It became evident that the burns in his ears had in- duced inflammation of the brain. And so he lingered until September 14, but three weeks after the dread disaster, when he passed away, the fourth victim, three of his men having died before him.
September 17th occurred the funeral of this noble hero. A drenching rain fell at the time, as though nature herself were grieved. All the Delaware & Hudson collieries and many others throughout the Lackawanna and Wyoming val- leys suspended for the day, and nearly all the colliery officers in the neighborhood came to tes- tify to their admiration and affection for the dead man. The pallbearers were eight of the oldest mine foremen in the Delaware & Hudson Com- pany's employ. The services were conducted by the Rev. J. H. Amies, of All Souls' Universalist Church, of Scranton, assisted by the Rev. N. F. Stahl, of the Green Ridge Avenue Presbyterian Church. Mr. Amies delivered a deeply affecting discourse and during its delivery there were few in the great concourse who could hear it but were visibly affected. An eye witness said: "Strong
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men, whose avocations were such as to make them familiar with scenes of death and suffer- ing, were not ashamed to be seen wiping tears from their eyes under the stress of the deep emo- tion they felt in consigning to the tomb all that remained of Andrew B. Nicol. In the truest sense of the word, 'He was a Man.'"
"His was a brave,noble, manly character. In- tensely earnest in his life's work, he was com- pletely absorbed in it. He was known from one end of the valley to the other and universally liked and respected. He leaves a gap in the af- fairs of the company that it will be very difficult to close. He was a devoted, loving husband, a tender affectionate father, a dutiful, obedient son a warm-hearted brother. He leaves a widow and three small children a daughter and two sons, . . to mourn his loss. The deadly foe against which he had all his life battled was victorious at last ; but in mining annals of the Lackawanna Valley the heroism and high personal courage of An- ·drew B. Nicol will not soon be forgotten."
Mr. Nicol married Miss Alice H. Brown, daughter of Orville Brown, of New York state. Of this marriage were born three children, all of whom received excellent education and now oc- cupy useful stations in life. Agnes is an instruc- . tor in the electrical department of the Scranton International Correspondence School. George B. is in the employ of the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company as foreman in the Marvine col- liery. Roy A. is engaged in the office of the pay- master of the same corporation. All the children reside with their mother in the old family home.
HON. FRANK J. GROVER. The true worth of any man cannot be fully expressed until his personal influence and example have ceased their fruitage, but the indirect influence of a man's personality and the good name which he leaves as an inheritance to those who succeed him lives on into the realm of the coming ages. Indeed a great man never dies, but lives in the hearts of those who, through the medium of history and biography, read and study his deeds of valor and munificence. So it is with Hon. Frank J. Grover, whose death on January 16, 1899, was mourned by a wide circle of friends who appreciated him at his true value.
He was born in Northampton county, Penn- sylvania, June 20, 1845, a son of Jacob and Mary C. (Fenner) Grover, natives, respectively. of Le- high and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, who were the parents of two children, Frank J. having been the only one who attained years of maturity. Jacob Grover (father) died in 1882, and his
widow passed away some years later. Frank J. Grover received a practical education in the dis- trict school, and when but a youth of seventeen years, filled with a patriotic ambition to serve his country in her hour of need, he enlisted in her defense in July, 1862, becoming a member of Company D, One Hundred and Fifty-third Regi- ment, Pennsylvania Infantry. With his regiment he was assigned to the Eleventh Corps and parti- cipated in the battles of Dumries, Chancellors- ville and Gettysburg. At Chancellorsville the regiment was on the extreme right where Stone- wall Jackson attacked, taking many prisoners. On the first day at Gettysburg it occupied the same position, the extreme right, and lost two hundred and eleven men out of five hundred and forty-five. When General Lee retreated, Mr. Grover and seventy-five others were on the skirmn- ish line and advanced, being the first to search the houses. He entered a house and found a rebel sharpshooter whom he took prisoner and marched to lieadquarters on the square. For meritorious conduct in this engagement he was promoted to be sergeant. His grandfather served in the War of 1812, and his great-grandfather in the Revolu- tion.
At the close of the war Mr. Grover received an honorable discharge, and after returning to his home entered the Allentown Seminary, and later graduated from Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. On the completion of his studies. he became timekeeper and paymaster for his father, who was a railroad builder and contractor. When his father purchased a farm and retired from railroading. Frank J. took up the business of contracting and lumbering. In 1881 he came to Lackawanna county, settling at Moosic, and there he established a large lumber business, from which he derived a goodly income. He was chosen to represent his district in the legislature of 1895-96, and during his term ren- dered efficient service on the military, iron and coal, legislative and apportionment committees. While serving in the army Mr. Grover cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and ever after ad- vocated the principles of the Republican party.
Mr. Grover was a member of Grand Army Post, No. 450. He held the position of com- mander, and represented his post in the depart- ment encampment every year from its organiza- tion until his death. For almost thirty years he was a member of Porter Lodge, No. 284. Free and Accepted Masons, and in 1877 was elected worshipful master of the lodge. He was also chosen as representative to the grand lodge. He was a member of Allen Commandery, No. 20,
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Knights Templar; Keystone Consistory, of Scranton ; and Irem Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Wilkes-Barre. He was a worthy member of the Patriotic Order of Sons of America, and of the Society of the Army of the Potomac.
On September 10, 1867, Mr. Grover was united in marriage to Jennie E. Worden, daugh- ter of Harvey L. and Ann E. ( Manning) Wor- den, of Poughkeepsie, New York. One child, Herbert F., was the issue of this union, and his death on May 30, 1880, when almost ten years of age, was the only drawback to their happiness. Harvey L. and Ann E. (Manning) Worden, na- tives of Ulster county, New York, were the par- ents of ten children-three sons and seven daugh- ters. Two sons and one daughter ( Mrs. Grover) survive. All of the deceased daughters left fam- ilies. One of the sons, Levi E. Worden, repre- sented his district two terms in the legislature of New York state, and is now ( 1904) serving his third term as superintendent of the poor at Rensselaer City, New York. Another son, George S. Worden, was a carpenter and farmer, but is now living retired in Rensselaer City, New York.
THOMAS B. JACKSON. Genealogical re- search and contemporary biography have a dis- tinct and unequivocal value, and we of this twentieth century democratic type cannot afford to hold in light esteem the bearing up of an es- cutcheon upon whose fair face appears no sign of blot, and he should be the more honored who honors a noble name and the memory of noble deeds. The lineage of the subject of this sketch is of a distinguished and interesting order on both the paternal and maternal sides, and no apology need be made in reverting to this in connection with the individual record of the subject himself, who is one of the honored citizens of Scranton, whose thirtieth ward he represents as alderman, while he had long been a member of the city coun- cil before being chosen incumbent of his present office.
The annals of the old Keystone State estab- lish the fact that the Jackson family was among the earliest to be founded within its confines, and it is interesting to record that the property which was deeded to the original ancestors by William Penn is still in the possession of their descend- ants. The historic battle of the Brandywine, dur- ing the War of the Revolution, was waged on land owned by a great-uncle of our subject. The Jackson family traces its lineage back to the fine old Scotch extraction, and many representatives of the name have attained distinction in connection
with the civic, industrial, professional and public affairs of America, the well known Confederate general "Stonewall" Jackson, having been a scion of the same branch to which Thomas B. belongs. In the maternal line the genealogy of Mr. Jack- son is also of notable order, as his mother is a direct descendant from one of the families of the nobility in England, her grandfather having been a member of the house of lords, while her family, that of Brinton, was likewise founded in Pennsylvania in the colonial era of our national history.
Mr. Jackson was born in Kennett Square, Chester county, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1846, and is a son of Caleb and Letitia (Brinton) Jack- son, who continued residents of that county until their death, the father having been a cabinet- maker and undertaker, and having been a citizen. of prominence and influence in his community. He was a Republican in his political proclivities.
Thomas B. Jackson secured his preliminary education in the common schools of his native town and later continued his studies in the schools. of Maryland, also West Nottingham Academy, while he has ever been a wide and appreciative reader of the best literature and is a man of broad, general information. In early life he learned the cabinetmaker's trade under the direc -. tion of his honored father, and he followed the same successfully for several years. In the office of the Republican, in Wilmington, Delaware, he also learned the printer's trade, which he made his vocation for a period of four years, during which he was foreman in the office mentioned. In 1884 he came to Scranton, where he turned his attention to contracting and building, an enter- prise for which his training as a cabinetmaker liad well fitted him, and for eleven years he car- ried on a prosperous business, retiring from the same at the expiration of that time. He proved himself a practical business man and one of much executive power, and thus his success came as a natural result. He is the owner of real estate in his home city and has other capitalistic invest- ments. Mr. Jackson has been called upon to serve in positions of civic trust and responsibility, not because of his political partisanship but by reason of his unmistakable eligibility and on ac- count of the respect and confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens. For two years he rep- resented the thirtieth ward of Scranton in the- city council, and for two and one-half years was superintendent of the bureau of building inspec- tors, while in October, 1904, he was chosen to his present office as alderman from his ward. He takes a deep interest in all that touches the wel-
LLI_WILIK
m.A. Lavin
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fare and progress of his city, and is indefatigable in his efforts to promote a wise and effective ad- ministration of the municipal government. In politics he gives a stanch allegiance to the Repub- lican party, and both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Jackson has attained to a high degree in Scot- tish Rite Masonry, being affiliated with Scranton Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, at Scranton. He is also affiliated with
Lodge, No. 597. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons : and with Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Wilkes-Barre. Aside from these affiliations we find him a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, the Patriotic Order Sons of America, the Sons of Temperance, the Inde- pendent Order of Good Templars, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Arcanum and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He enjoys marked popularity in business, fraternal and social circles, and is one of Scranton's loyal and representative citizens. In 1880 Mr. Jack- son was united in marriage to Mary E. Squires. who is of French ancestry, being a daughter of Ira and Emaline Squires. The three children of this union are : Lillian M., Elwood (deceased ). and Myrtle E.
MADISON F. LARKIN, controller of the International Textbook Company, having in charge the accounting and auditing of that cor- poration, with its world-famous International Correspondence Schools, is widely recognized for his financial and directorial abilities, and in- telligent enthusiasm in guarding the great in- terests committed to him. His versatility and brcad usefulness have been displayed in varied fields of effort, and he has borne an active part in promoting various important enterprises throughout the country, and particularly in the far west.
The Larkin family is of English origin, its seat being at Lark River, Suffolk county, Eng- land, and its antiquity is attested by the family coat of arms which dates back to 1198. It is not definitely known at what time the first im- migration to this country took place. Hugh Larkin. his great-grandfather, was born Octo- ber 12, 1745, whose wife Sarah was born April 25. 1751. Their son, Moses Larkin, was born January 29, 1793. in Virginia, and in 1812 emi- grated from Botetourt county in that state to Ohio, and finally located in Clermont county. where he married Mary Fagin.
Joseph Franklin Larkin, son of Moses, and father of Madison F. Larkin, was one of the most prominent men of Cincinnati in his day, and was a familiar friend of many of the great men of his times. He was born January 12, 1821, at Felic- ity. Clermont county, Ohio. During his boy- hood he numbered among his playmates Ulysses Simpson Grant, the afterward great general and president of the United States. Until he was fifteen years old, he attended a common school, displaying a fondness for mathematics in pref- erence to all other branches of study. His time out of school was given to arduous farm labors, and he thus early gave exhibition of his strength of character, by leaving the harvest field on ac- count of liquor being served to the men with their luncheon. He clerked in a store at Neville for a short time, and afterward learned varnishing in the same village where for the first time he han- dled wages of his own earning-twenty silver half-dollars, which appeared to him as bound- less wealth. His first venture from home was on a boat down the Ohio river as far as Louis- ville, his time being employed in varnishing fur- niture and otherwise preparing it for the market. He was then apprenticed as a clerk to Robertson and Shields, merchants at Batavia, Ohio, for a term of three years, for which he was to receive board and washing and fifty dollars a year. His employers, however, suspended before his time was half completed, and he was thrown upon his own resources. He had saved one-half his earn- ings, with which he bought a note-his first en- deavor in banking. He worked in various coun- try stores until he was eighteen years old, when (in 1839) a friend of his father, Rev. Maxwell P. Gaddis, who knew something of the young man's ability, wrote him that he could secure for him a situation in Wood & Sharp's wholesale drygoods house in Cincinnati. In response, young Larkin rode to that city on horseback, ac- cepted the situation, and returned to arrange for his removal, but found the family home burned to the ground. On his return to Cincinnati he entered upon his duties with five dollars as his entire fortune. While in the Wood & Sharp store an incident occurred, but for which he might have lost his opportunity and never found the field in which he achieved his great success. This was a question as to superiority in penman- ship between himself and another employee, and young Larkin's ability moved him to seek em- ployment in the bank of B. W. Hewson and Company, in which he became an assistant and afterward teller. He became a member of Mr.
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Hewson's family, enjoying his confidence and es- teein and continued with him until 1842, when the bank suspended. Mr. Hewson desired that the bank should be turned over to Mr. Larkin, such was his confidence in his ability, but this was not consummated. He was offered various positions in distant banks, but was disinclined to leave Cincinnati and declined. In 1842 he took a clerk- ship in the auction and commission house of Hop- per, Wood and Company. In 1844 he became a partner of John M. Wood, in the firm of Wood and Larkin, wholesale drygoods, and in 1848 sold his interest to his partner. He then purchased the store of Hines, Strobridge and Company, but the consummation of the sale failed, and he bought his partner's interest and consolidated the two stores. This, however, proved too heavy a burden and Mr. Larkin made an assignment, pay- ing to his creditors forty per cent of their claims. In this connection it is proper to state that twen- ty-three years afterward Mr. Larkin assembled his old creditors and made full payment of the balance with six per cent interest from. the date of his assignment-an exhibition of his high sense of honor and desire to render to every man his due. For four years from 1849 he was a clerk for Thomas Sharp and Company and for one year afterward was connected as a member of the firm of Morris S. Hopper and Company, receiving one-third of the profits for his services. He then went on a collecting tour through In- diana for the firm. This was in the days of free bank currency and the unstable paper issues passed in that state at a discount of from five to forty per cent. Aware of the fact that in Ohio the same money passed at much higher rates Mr. Larkin conceived the idea of speculation and he decided to engage in business upon his own ac- count. Taking desk room in the banking house of James F. Meline and Company, Cincinnati, he began the buying and selling of free bank notes in Ohio and Indiana and negotiating loans on securities for contractors on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. This led him into a gen- eral brokerage business. In 1857 he removed to the house of the Savings Bank of Cincinnati, where he entered. upon a regular banking busi- ness, and effecting large transactions in the re- demption of the currency of that bank in gold, charging it only the premium of the gold so em- ployed, and the bank charging him but a nominal rent for office room. As time went on all who had dealings with him came to repose confidence in his business capacity, integrity, promptitude and reliability as a financial agent, and his field of operations largely widened before him. He
subsequently formed a partnership with George- and Thomas Fox under the firm name of Larkin, Fox and Brother, to continue for three years. As head of the firm Mr. Larkin gave his exclusive- attention to the direction of the business, and built up a most prosperous business. In 1866 the firm expired by limitation, and that of Joseph F. Larkin and Company had its origin, with a capital of $150,000 and in which were included some of the leading capitalists of the city. Mr. Larkin added much to his prestige as the head of this institution, and after the dissolution of the firm by limitation he (in 1871) formed the firm of Larkin, Wright and Company, with a capital of $300,000, which transacted an im- mense business from the outset. In course of time Mr. Larkin bought the interest of Mr. Wright, and the business was continued until 1881. Through all the period of contraction of currency, depression in all values, resumption of specie payments, and consequent wreck of many banks, firms and individuals, Mr. Larkin safely conducted the immense business of the house. In 1881 the Metropolitan National Bank of Cin- cinnati was formed out of the business of J. F. Larkin & Company, with Mr. Larkin as presi- dent, a position which he held until 1883, when he resigned and addressed himself to the organi- zation of the Cincinnati National Bank, of which he became president. He was also one of the organizers of the Union Central Life Insurance- Company.
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