USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 25
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 25
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To none of the causes and interests aided and encouraged by Mr. Smith did he bring
perfunctory service. Whatever enlisted his effort he labored for with enthusiasm as well as ripe wisdom. Withal, he was modest and unassuming, caring nothing for the praise of men as such, but everything for the object in view. True, he appreciated in highest degree the esteem of those about him, but to court popularity by an ostentatious display of bene- volence would have been impossible in him. All his conduct was the natural outgrowth of the movings of a sincere christian spirit, of an unexpressed, but, for that reason, more elo- quent enunciation of the fact that "they serve God well who serve his creatures." He was in every phase of his life what he was as a churchman-sincere, conscientious, unselfish, patterning after that Divine One who went about doing good. He was a vestryman for many years of St. Luke's (Protestant Episco- pal) Church, and his rector, the warden and vestrymen united in saying of him: "His purse, his time, his labor, the best gifts of his head and heart, have always been freely given for the upbuilding of the church and the spread of Christ's kingdom among men. He was a helper to every good work. Such a record is indeed rare, and must, we hope and believe. be a constant incentive to all who knew and loved him, to earnest efforts to continue the work which he so faithfully and usefully car- ried on." His personal traits were such as to make him delightfully companionable. A lover of the best in literature and art, with sin- cere admiration for the true and beautiful, and with excellent conversational powers and well trained judgment, he was instructive without assuming to teach, and inspiring without ef- fort to impress. In his political convictions he was a Republican, firmly holding to the cardi- nal principles of his party, but in the same spirit in which he discharged life's duties in all other relations-with all regard for others, and with no thought of self-seeking.
The sad intelligence of the death of Mr. Smith came to the community as a great shock, occurring as it did, unexpectedly and far from home. In February, 1898, with his wife, he went to Florida for a brief respite from busi- ness. Late in March they were in St. Louis, Missouri, visiting relatives. There Mr. Smith was taken ill with neuralgia of the heart. On Friday, March 25, about six o'clock in the morning, he awoke with a paroxysm of pain, and died instantly without uttering a word. The remains, accompanied by Mrs. Smith and other relatives, were conveyed to Scranton in
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the private car of President Robinson, of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. His body was interred March 29, the Rev. Dr. Israel officiating, the active pallbearers being selected from among those who had been in his employ in life.
The tributes paid to the memory of the de- ceased by many organizations with which he had been connected, and the charities to which he had contributed, were numerous and fer- vent. The Board of Trade, the directors of the Third National Bank, the Lackawanna Trust and Safe Deposit Company and the Scranton Lace Curtain Company bore testimony to his intergity of character, and his activity in mat- ters connected with the furtherance of the in- dustry and prosperity of Scranton and vicinity, and whose life was an inspiration to all who knew him. The expressions of the authorities of the various charitable institutions, the As- sociated Charities, the Lackawanna Hospital, the Hahnemann Hospital and the Home for the Friendless : of the directors of the Pennsyl- vania Oral School for the Deaf, and of the Scranton Public Library : and of the rector and officers of St. Luke's Church-these have been epitomized in the body of this narrative, all expressive of gratitude to the warm-hearted philanthropist for his constant and liberal benefactions, and his personal service so freely rendered. His personal traits were feelingly touched upon by the Scranton Club, in whose creation and government he was a leader: "To speak of our loss is but to echo what has been felt by so many organizations with purposes widely divergent. Memories of his genial pres- ence recall a personality rich in the qualities that make for fellowship, the flower of all inter- course between man and man ; and the Scran- ton Club will ever guard those memories, not only as golden links to the receding years, but also as an inspiration toward the maintenance of the highest ideals of companionship."
In 1857 Mr. Smith, while residing in Woon- socket, Rhode Island, married Miss Annie E. Jenckes, daughter of George W. C. Jenckes, of that city. Of this marriage were born two chil- dren, both of whom died young, and the mother died in 1861. In 1871 Mr. Smith married Miss Abby H. Richmond, daughter of Lorenzo Rich- mond, of Woodstock. Vermont. This was a most happy union. A lady of all womanly graces and cultivated mind, Mrs. Smith was in complete harmony with her husband in dis position, tastes and love for good works, and
were as one in thoughtfulness for the welfare. of others, particularly for the needy and dis- tressed, and counselled fully together in the disposal of their means in all charitable ways. It is pleasurable to note that Mrs. Smith has continued to bestow her benevolence with the same graciousness and liberality, and in the same unostentatious manner, many of her gifts reaching the beneficiaries so quietly that none others knew of them. A splendid work, the con- ception of Mr. Smith, is now completed under the direction of Mrs. Smith since his death- the W. T. Smith Memorial Manual Training School. This imposing structure stands on Adams street, adjoining the new public school building. It is an architectural ornament to the city, and is a model of utility, combining every advantage suitable to its purpose as an unsur- passable addition to the higher educational institutions of the state. So do the works of a good man live after him-in his own deeds, the inspiration born of his example, and the- tribute paid to his memory :
"A seed God suffers one to sow. Others will reap; and, when the harvests grow, He giveth increase through all coming years, And lets men reap in joy seed that was sown in tears.""
HON. PATRICK DELACY, of Scranton, who is widely known and greatly respected throughout the greater portion of the Keystone state, but more particularly in his own and ad- jacent counties, where as a civilian he has done good and honest service for the development and progress of the commonwealth, was among the brave men who voluntarily sacrificed every pro -- ject that was dear to them for the integrity of the Union and who served heroically throughout the entire period of the Civil war. He is a member of an old Norman family that settled in Ireland in the twelfth century, but returned to France four- centuries later, returning to Ireland to participate. in the revolution of 1798. His parents, William and Catherine ( Boyle) DeLacy, were natives, re- spectively, of county Wexford and Kilkenny, Ire -. land, and were united in marriage in Carbondale. Pennsylvania, August 1, 1832.
Hon. Patrick DeLacy, second son of William and Catherine ( Boyle) DeLacy, was born in Car- bondale, Luzerne (now Lackawanna) county, Pennsylvania, November 25, 1835. When he was about eight years of age his parents removed to Slocum Hollow, now the city of Scranton, and after a residence of one year there moved to until he attained the age of seventeen years Pat-
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Daleville, Covington township, where they pur- chased a farm in the beech woods. From then rick DeLacy worked on the farm in summer and attended school in the winter. He then went to Dunmore and secured employment in the store of the late Judge Collins, where he remained until the property was destroyed by fire, after which he worked as a laborer at loading coal in the mines. The following May he returned to his father's farm and remained thereon until the spring of 1852, when he began an apprenticeship with John Meehan to learn the trade of tanner and currier. In the spring of the following year work was begun on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, the line running close to the tannery, and the late William Dale and John Meehan established a large store, wherein Mr. DeLacy was employed a portion of the time, the remainder being devoted to the superintendency of the tannery, he being placed in full charge of that branch of the business. Later he worked under instructions at the currying business for one year, and was then employed as a journeyman currier in Kingston and vicinity until 1858. Shortly after his marriage to Rebecca E. Wonder, Mr. DeLacy moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he followed his trade for one year, and then accepted a position as foreman in the tan- mery of A. G. Hull at Bushkill, Pike county. Pennsylvania, retaining the same for one and a half years.
At the time of the breaking out of the Civil war Mr. DeLacy started to raise a company in Pike and Monroe counties, but word being re- ceived that no volunteers would be accepted he disbanded the company and removed to Trucks- ville, Luzerne county, where he leased a tannery of Isaac Rice and conducted the same for a short period of time. He then abandoned it, turning it over to his father-in-law, Jeremiah A. Wonder, to tan out and finish the stock, sell the same, turn the money over to his wife, Mrs. DeLacy, who was breaking up her home and going to live with her parents, and he entered the army as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-third Regiment. Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Cap- tain Charles Conyngham. The company was or- ganized in July, 1862,. and mustered into the United States service in August, 1862. He car- ried a musket for two years and three months as a private, corporal and sergeant, was promoted to sergeant-major in the fall of 1864, was com- missioned as lieutenant in the spring of 1865, was recommended to General Dana by General Bragg to be appointed captain for meritorious
conduct at Vaughn Road, which he did a few months later, but the order for muster out came shortly afterward and therefore he was never mustered out as captain, although he performed the duties of a commissioned officer during al- most the entire Wilderness campaign, and a great portion of the time was in command of Com- pany A, also assisting in the duties of sergeant- major.
Although seriously wounded twice, Lieuten- ant DeLacy was never absent from skirmish or battle in which the regiment took part, and which numbered over twenty general battles and numer- ous skirmishes, and was also in many skirmishes in which the regiment was not actively engaged. On May 6, 1864, in the battle of the Wilderness, he captured a rebel battle flag as he led the charge that recaptured the line of works from Long- street's corps, which they had just previously taken from General Hancock's men, and for which congress presented him with a medal of honor. On May 8, 1864, assisted by George W. Engle, he saved the colors of the Second Wis- consin Regiment (see Major Stine's History A. of P.) from being captured, this being another incident of the battle of the Wilderness. On May IO, after the charge of the regiment in the even- ing, a space between the two armies, where many of the boys lay wounded, and which was covered with dry leaves and slashed timber, caught fire from the firing of the enemy's artillery, and as the wind was toward the Union line the fire made rapid progress in the directon of the wounded men. The situation was alarming. Lieutenant DeLacy suggested to the commanding officer, Colonel Charles M. Conyngham, that fire be fought with fire as he had often seen it done when a boy on the farm. It was a hazardous undertaking, as it was directly between the armies and in line with the fire of the enemy, and the colonel hesitated to give permission thinking that the men would not live to accomplish it, but fin- ally he gave the required permission and told Lieutenant DeLacy to call for volunteers to assist him. Two responded to the call-Roger Cox, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, now an engineer on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, and John Otto, of Elyria, Colorado, both of Company E. These three moved out under heavy fire to the tops of the slashed timber to within a hundred vards of the enemy's main line ; when they came up to the burning brush the enemy could not help but see them, but they kept on scraping up the dry leaves and brush, catching up burning brands and back-firing. In this way they succeeded in
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preventing the fire from extending any nearer to the wounded, who were being carried back in the meantime, and it is the belief of all three that the enemy spared them, knowing they were en- gaged in such a humane undertaking. Both of the comrades of Lieutenant DeLacy are still living at the places named.
On May 23, 1864, Lieutenant DeLacy saved the colors of the One Hundred and Forty-third Regiment at North Anna by rallying a few men around them and repulsing the charge of the enemy on the right flank ; the main part of the regiment by order of General Bragg had retired to a ridge about four hundred yards back. Not being aware of the order of General Bragg, Lieu- tenant DeLacy rallied about forty men around the colors at an old fence, running at right angles with the position the regiment had held. By rapid firing they checked the advance of the ene- my on the right flank, causing them to halt to reform, and at this moment their own artillery opened on them with grape and cannister, also the infantry back of them, they being between the two lines, and in order to get back to their own line they had to face a terrific fire. Lieutenant DeLacy rushed ahead and called out to the men along the line to cease firing and let them in, which they did, for owing to the darkness and smoke of the battle it was impossible to distin- guish between friend or foe, and when they reached the line Lieutenant DeLacy had the col- ors and four men. The little party was joined by Lieutenant Frank H. Montanya, who stayed with them. A few minutes later the man who carried the colors was shot; after Lieutenant DeLacy had held the colors for some time Merrit Coughlan, of Company K, stepped up to him and requested to be allowed to hold the flag, saying : "DeLacy, I want to reedem myself; I will hold that flag until I am shot to pieces." Previous to that time he had had some trouble in Company K by reason of which he had been reduced to the ranks. In passing the colors to him Lieuten- ant DeLacy said : "Merrit, I can trust you." He held them faithfully until the battle was over.
The following morning, the enemy having been repulsed the little company found the regi- ment, Major C. K. Hughes in command, and he was overjoyed when presented with the colors, which he thought was lost in the battle of the previous evening. On June 18, 1864, Lieutenant DeLacy had command of Company A in the charge in front of Petersburg, and when they had nearly reached the enemy's line of works the division to the left gave way and they were com-
pelled to fall back a short distance and. lie down. Lieutenant DeLacy was sent back twice to report and receive orders to the division commander, General Griffin, the second time having addi- tional orders from Colonel Glenn of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth, then in command of the One Hundred and Fortv-third, Colonel. Reichard of the latter named having been wounded in the charge. The position of the brig- ade was so perilous after the charge that they could neither go backward or forward, but had. to lie down and try to hold the position as di- rected. Lieutenant DeLacy had to pass from the: front to the rear line on the ridge back of them,. over a quarter of a mile, under a terrific fire each time for four times until the darkness became so dense that it was impossible to have the wounded removed from the field, after which the brigade- was drawn back. Colonel Chamberlain, the com- mander of the brigade, had fallen as was sup- posed mortally wounded, but this was not so, and. for his bravery in that charge he was appointed by General Grant brigadier-general on the field. Shortly afterward the brigade erected Fort Hell,. and on August 18, 19 and 21 fought the Weldon Road battles, engaged in the Vaughn Road action in November, and soon afterward the first battle of Hatcher's Run was fought.
At the second battle of Hatcher's Run or- Gravely Run in February, 1865, the regiment had a very hot fight in a dense woods, and owing to. the division on the left breaking it allowed the One Hundred and Forty-third to be flanked. Lieutenant DeLacy had charge as an officer of about fifty men, and with these men deployed as a skirmish line he covered the regiment as it fell back. He held and checked the enemy's line of battle for several hours, or until near night, when he drew the line off, moved back and joined the regiment, which was in line back at: the run, just about to stack arms. When Lieu- tenant DeLacy marched his men in front of the colors to break ranks, the report having prev- iously gone through the regiment that he had been killed, Colonel Dana was much excited, and walking up to him and putting his arms around his neck embraced him like a child in the pres- ence of the regiment. He slapped him on the shoulder, saying at the same time: "My dear boy, you are entitled to two stars; they told me vou were killed-shot from behind a tree-but I said, 'DeLacy never took a tree, and I did not believe it.'" Captain Gaylor, with other officers came up at the same time and grasped his hands, and Gaylor exclaimed : "Old boy, it made me -
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
feel bad when I heard you were killed," and then added : "Old Gaylor got through one fight with- out being hit, but we fight again to-morrow, DeLacy," and a tear ran down his face. We did fight again on the next day and Captain Gaylor was killed; then the tears ran down my cheeks for it was my time to sorrow for my dear friend and comrade. The estimation in which Lieu- tenant DeLacy was held by his old commander, Colonel C. M. Conyngham, one of the most gal- lant soldiers and distinguished officers of the Army of the Potomac, is shown by the following letter written by him to Harry S. Davis, when the friends of the captain were thinking of running him for mayor of the city of Scranton :
Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Nov. 15, 1888. Mr. Harry S. Davis :
Dear Sir :- Your favor of yesterday received. If you want a full statement of Capt. DeLacy's military records, and willl call on me at any time, I will give you with great pleasure such data as will be necessary for your purpose. For a short record, I can only say that I look upon Capt. DeLacy as one of the most gallant men that ever wore a uniform, under any flag in the wide world. His coolness in danger, his sound military judg- ment, and especially his perception of the right thing to do under the circumstances, always made a wonderful impression upon me. Had circum- stances been more favorable for bringing Capt. DeLacy into public notice, I am satisfied that he would have made a military record for himself, seeond to no one's. Whether for military or civil trust. I can most heartily endorse my friend, Cap- tain DeLaey.
Very truly yours, C. M. CONYNGHAM.
After the close of the war Captain DeLacy set- tled in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and for a time was employed at his trade, later being engaged for several years in the leather business. In 1867 he was appointed deputy United States marshal under General Thomas A. Rowley, and was re- appointed by Marshal Murdock. In the fall of 1871 he was elected to the state legislature, and re-elected the following year and his popularity was plainly evinced by the faet that he ran nine hundred votes ahead of his ticket. In the fall of 1874 he was a candidate for state senator, but ow- ing to a division in the party was defeated. While in the assembly he secured the passage of a bill establishing Lackawanna Hospital and was also instrumental in forwarding other important bills. He was appointed county auditor by the eounty courts, and was also a candidate for the office of prothonotary of Lackawanna county.
In 1877 he was appointed chief of police by Hon. Robert H. MeKune, then mayor of the city of Seranton, and to him is due the credit of organ- izing the present force and adopting the uniform system. During his term of office he did more than any other incumbent to eliminate criminals and subdue crime of all sorts. In 1885 he ten- dered his resignation in order to accept the posi- tion of assistant postmaster under Hon. D. W. Connolly. He also served in the capacity of alderman of the Seventh ward, having served three terms, in 1892, 1897 and 1902. In various campaigns he not only received the hearty sup- port of his own party, but also received many votes from the ranks of the Republicans.
Captain DeLacy is a member of the Medal of Honor Legion, of which he was appointed aide on the staff in 1895, and was a candidate for presi- dent against General Howard, being defeated by only four votes ; the Grand Army of the Republic, which he joined in 1870, was commander of the Colonel Monies Post for five terms, and quarter- master for many years ; and of the Veteran Sol- diers' Association of Seranton, of which he was president for over twenty years. In 1892 he was elected president of the First Corps Association, Army of the Potomae ; in 1893 was elected first vice-president of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, at Boston ; and in 1897 was elected sen- ior vice-commander of the Medal of Honor Le- gion of the United States at the convention held in Scranton. At the thirty-eighth annual reunion of the One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsyl- vania Regiment last year, he was elected presi- dent of the association for the thirty-ninth time, a record not equalled in all the history of Civil war associations.
Captain DeLaey married, January 9, 1858, Rebecca Elizabeth Wonders, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April 11, 1840, daughter of. Jere- miah and Sarah A. Wonders, of Wyoming, form- erly of Reading, Pennsylvania. Their children were as follows: . Sarah Catharine, widow of M. D. Roche, an attorney, and the mother of two children ; she is post-state commander of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a member of the National Council of Administra- tion of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Re- public, of which she is now state secretary. Mary Elizabeth, who became the wife of James Hicks, of New York. Anna C., who became the wife of John Peel, of Hot Springs, Arkansas. William P., a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and now a practicing physician in Springfield, Il- linois. Nellie, deceased. Julia, deceased. Su- san, deceased.
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GEORGE A. LONG. A potent factor in the manufacturing interests of the county is the Long Manufacturing Company, of Scranton. The two brothers who have given their name to the firm are the great-great-grandsons on the paternal side of the first presiding judge of Schuylkill county.
A. Z. Long was a native of Schuylkill county, and came to the Lackawanna Valley prior to the Civil war. He was a contractor and builder, but subsequently became a pattern-maker for Dick- son. He possessed mechanical genius to an un- usual degree. He married Mary A. Grattan and their family consisted of six children, five of whom are living : Eugene F., mentioned at length hereinafter ; Robert E .: Carrie M .: George A., mentioned at length hereinafter; and Mary A. The death of Mr. Long occurred in 1872. Mrs. Long, who is a native of Albany, New York, is still living.
Eugene F. Long, son of A. Z. and Mary A. Long, was born in 1860, in Scranton, and learned the machinist's trade, at which he worked for some years. He is now a member of the Long Manufacturing Company, the other members being his brother, George A. Long, and J. A. Scranton. The company manufactures what is known as the Long solderless mining lamp. This lamp is the invention of Mr. Long and is secured by letters patent. Mr. Long also secured by patent in 1891 a contrivance for coupling cars, which, though not yet in use, is superior to any- thing now in the market. In 1892 Mr. Long in- vented and patented a slate-picker, which is used in many of the colleries of the anthracite valley. The versatility of his genius is indicated by the fact that in the intervals of relaxation from the execution of his larger and more important con- ceptions he has invented a revolving toy whistle of unique but simple construction.
George A. Long, son of A. Z. and Mary A. Long, was born in 1867, in Scranton, and al- though he did not learn a trade was engaged in various mechanical pursuits, possessing as he did no small share of the mechanical genius of his elder brother. He is now one of the most useful and influential members of the Long Manufactur- ing Company. The firm has a large and fully equipped factory in Academy street, where it carries on a flourishing business. Mr. Long is active as a citizen, and is a recognized political leader. For three years he filled most creditably and acceptably the office of deputy county treas- urer.
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