Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 92

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988

USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 92
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 92

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

ried Miss Caprell, reared a large family and is still living on a farm in Factoryville, Lacka- wanna county. Deborah N. (3), married Emanuel Dersheimer, who died in 1881. They had six children, three boys and three girls, of whom Edmond is still living on the old homestead in Falls township, Wyoming county, Pennsylvania ; C. O. is lawyer ; George is an insurance agent in Tunkhannock ; Pennsylvania : Bessie married J. P. Carter, a druggist, and resides at Syracuse, New York; Sadie married Jerome Lillibridge and resides at Blakely, Pennsylvania. Philip (4) went to California in 1859, and is now living on a ranch near Pueblo, Colorado, where since 1873 he divides his time between raising stock and prospecting. George Perry (5) was an engi- neer on the Mississippi river steamers, also in Texas, Mexico and Brazil. He now resides in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, being para- lyzed from the effects of a wound received at Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864.

John Dorrance Colvin (6), born June 25, 1835, died March 15, 1901, left home about 1854 and remained away until about 1859. when he returned home and there sojourned until the breaking out of the Civil war in 1861. John Dorrance Colvin enlisted July 2, 1861, in Company G. Fifty-second Regiment Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and was later mustered into Company G. (Captain J. P. S. Gobin, now General Goben, of Lebanon. Pennsyl- vania), Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, September 13. 1861, for three years. In December, 1861, he was transferred to the United States Signal Corps, assigned to General Brennen's brigade, and was sent to Key West, Florida, to assist in the capture of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on the Mis- sissippi, near New Orleans. After the cap- ture of New Orleans, the brigade was sent to Beaufort, South Carolina, to take part in the operations against the city of Charleston. Here he was detached from the land forces, and for several months was on board the "Wabash", Admiral Dupont's flagship, for the purpose of communicating by signals with the army, and instructing the midshipmen and quartermasters of the navy in the use of the army signals. He was placed on board the "Ericsson" when she accompanied the fleet to Charleston loaded with topedoes for the purpose of removing the obstructions near Fort Sumter-obstructions that prevented the fleet from entering the harbor. He was after-

wards assigned to duty on board the steamer "Powhattan," Captain Green, flagship of the wooden fleet. He was also for a time on duty on the gunboat "Housatonic." and was one of the signalmen on the ironclad fleet, April 7, 1863, when Admiral Dalghren made the at- tacks on Fort Sumter and Moultrie and the- batteries protecting the channel to Charles -- ton harbor. He afterward took an active part in the capture of the batteries on the lower- end of Morris Island. in the charges on Fort Wagner in July, 1863, and was on Morris Is- land during the seiges of Forts Wagner, Sum- ter, and other batteries on Cummings Point .. He was made sergeant in charge of the signals .. on the night of July 3, 1864. When General Hoyt, of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, with the One Hundred and Twenty- seventh New York Volunteers, was repulsed" at Fort Johnson, James Island, South Caro- lina, the Fifty-second Regiment having their colonel (Hoyt) and one hundred and fifty-two officers and men captured, Sergeant Colvin lost two of his signalmen by capture, both of whom afterward died in Andersonville prison. In April, 1864, by order of General Foster, Captain Clum. chief signal officer of the coast division, detailed Sergeant Colvin to endeavor- to decipher the rebel signal code. He was on this secret service until the fall of Charleston, February 18, 1865, and succeeded in decipher- ing six of their straight alphabetical code and" their fifteen changeable or disk codes. It was supposed to be impossible to decipher the lat- ter, as no two messages needed to be sent from the same key letter. By this work he gained" much valuable information, and gave General Foster such reliable information as to the- movements of the enemy, when General Terry with his division was operating with the enemy on James Island in the summer of 1864, that the general recommended him for a commis- sion. On February 14, 1865, Sergeant Colvin was commissioned a lieutenant in the United" States Signal Corps. He also received a con- gratulatory letter from Colonel Nichodemus,. of the Signal Bureau at Washington, District of Columbia, relative to his fitness for that branch of the service and the valuable infor- mation received through him. General Shem- melfennig, commanding a brigade in the coast division, wrote him a letter highly extolling his zeal and his success in his branch of ser- vice. Mr. Colvin was always desirous of pub -- licly acknowledging his thanks and apprecia --

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

tion of the assistance rendered him by such men as George H. Stone, William S. Marsden, Sergeants Eddy and Quick of the corps, to- gether with the men assigned to him from the Fifty-second Pennsylvania and One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York regiments, and the value their help was to him in de- ciphering codes and intercepting rebel dis- patches from all points along the Confederate lines. He was mustered out of service in Sep- tember, 1865, after four years of active cam- paign life. It is a remarkable fact that when Lieutenant Colvin entered the service he was sickly, and it was on this account that his friends were opposed to his enlisting, but the active service seemed to agree with him, for there was not a day in over four years that he was not able to be in the saddle, and to attend to his duties either in the navy or in the field. In fact, he reported to the morning sick call only twice during his entire service, and was absent from active duty only thirty days, and that was on a veteran furlough.

July 7, 1879, Captain John D. Colvin, Cap- tain Wilt, Captain T. C. Parker, Captain Ben- nett, Captain Rush, Captain Harvey, Captain McGinley, Captain Wenner with a number of other line officers, were instrumental in or- ganizing the Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment, and did all in their power to assist the field and staff officers to make efficient soldiers out of the "raw material," and the people of Lu- zerne county should be proud that they had men of military genius to lay the foundation of one of the finest volunteer organizations in the state. Company E, of Parsons, organized by Captain J. D. Colvin, is yet in existence. and stands second to none in the regiment. The captain was seven years an officer in the Ninth Regiment.

After his discharge from the service in 1865, Captain Colvin was connected with the work on the central branch of the Pacific Rail- road, from Atchison, Kansas, to Fort Kear- ney, and went across the Missouri river on the ferry from Winthrop, Missouri, to Atchison with the first locomotive that was placed on the road. In 1867 he returned to Pennsylvania, and was employed for five and a half years in the coal department of the Delaware and Hud- son Coal Company, when he accepted a posi- tion with the Lehigh Valley Coal Company. In 1885 his sight was affected by cataracts. In 1890 he resigned his position with the Le-

high Valley Coal Company, after seventeen years of continuous service.

Mr. Colvin was married in 1867 to Olive S. Reichardt, born April 21, 1845, in Provi- dence (now a part of Scranton) Pennsylvania, daughter of Henry and Catharine (Ackerley) Reichardt. Henry Reichardt died September 4, 1854, and his wife Catherine died in 1845. The family were among the early. pioneers that came from Germany and settled near Easton, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Reichardt's mother, Catharine Ackerly, came from New York state with her parents and settled in Abingdon in 1828. She died in May, 1898, having had children: Margaret, James, Olive S., Norman, Isaac, and Frank. Mr. and Mrs. John Dorrance Colvin had children: I. Har- ry, born July 14, 1871, married July 10, 1891, Harriet Hardwell, was assistant postmaster at Parsons, Pennsylvania, died May 29, 1900. 2. Anna, born March 14, 1875, in Parsons, and was a teacher there at the early age of sixteen ; she married June 20, 1904, Rev E. A. Loux, of the Plymouth Presbyterian Church, and now resides in Plymouth. 3. J. Frederick, born September 3, 1877, in Par- sons, married October, 1901, Jennie Blanchard, of Wilkes-Barre, and is a bookkeeper in the Peoples' Bank of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. 4. Alice, born September 20, 1881, in Par- sons, now attending Syracuse University. 5. Lena May born October 5, 1885, and is at home ; she graduated from Wyoming Semi- ary.

After his marriage John D. Colvin settled at Olyphant, Pennsylvania. From there he moved to Carbondale, and in 1870 took up his residence at Parsons, Luzerne county, Penn- sylvania, of which borough he was postmaster. In 1876 he took an active part in getting the district chartered as a borough, and was twice elected its burgess. He served as school direc- tor for twelve years, and the fine school prop- erty of the borough has been largely acquired through the exertions of Mr. Colvin, Calvin Parsons, John Alderson, Jason P. Davis, Pat- rick Cox, and William Smurl, who took the first steps toward buying the lots and erect- ing the commodious school building in 1877.

WILLIAM CLOUGH ALLAN. a promi- nent dealer in investment securities, and a man well known and highly regarded in the financial circles of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl-

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William C. allan

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

vania, of which city he is a citizen, is of Eng- lish birth, but has made the United States his home since 1887, having become a naturalized. citizen in 1892.

John Allan, father of William Clough Al- lan, was born in the town of Sleights, York- shire, England, December 21, 1836. He was educated in England and apprenticed to the trade of blacksmith, which was the calling pur- sued by his father and grandfather. He fol- lowed this for a number of years in England, and then came to America, locating at Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania, where he has since re- sided. He and his entire family are members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wilkes- Barre. John Allan is now living retired. He married Dorothy Clough, who was born at Alnwick, in Northumberland, on the borders of England and Scotland, and was a repre- sentative of an old English family. She died at Wilkes-Barre, December 14, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Allan became the parents of the follow- ing named children : William Clough, of whom later; 2. Annie, married Williani Greaves, and had two children-Hilda and Helen- and who resides in Wilkes-Barre ; 3. Frank, who lives in San Francisco, Cali- fornia ; 4. Frederick, who resides in Mexico.

William Clough Allan, eldest child of John and Dorothy (Clough) Allan, was born in Brotton, Yorkshire, England, May 6, 1866. He spent his early years in his native town, receiving a good education in the common schools of that place. He then entered the employ of the North Eastern Railway Com- pany of England, and remained with it a num- ber of years. He came to the conclusion that America offered a better field in which to achieve success, and in April, 1887, came to the United States. He became connected with the Sheldon Axle Works of Wilkes-Barre, and retained this position for a period of two years. He then accepted a clerical position with Charles Parrish (See Parrish family),

acting as his private secretary for seven years. During that period he was also secretary

and paymaster of the Annora Coal Company, secretary, treasurer and paymaster of the Newport Coal Company, and secretary of the West End Coal Company. Subsequently (in 1896) he established himself in his present business, which he has conducted with un- varied success up to this time. In 1904 he became interested in the subject of purifying water by electricity. He organized a company

to exploit this matter (working under the_ Leon Dion patents), and in all probability it. will be a successful venture. Mr. Allan is a man of great determination and keen business. insight. He considers an undertaking well before embarking in it, but when once the matter has been commenced, he feels bound to carry it to a profitable ending. He is a mem- ber of the Episcopal church. He has been associated with the Masonic fraternity for a number of years, being a past master of Lodge No. 61, Free and Accepted Masons, Wilkes- Barre. He was master of this lodge at the time of the celebration of its centennial, in 1894. He is a past high priest of Shekinah Roval Arch Chapter, No. 182, a sir knight of Dieu Le Veut Commandery, No. 45, Knights. Templar, an Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Mason (32 degree), and a noble of the Mystic Shrine. He has held office in all these bodies.

He married, August 5, 1896, Karoline Louise Kühner, of Kaiserslautern, in Bavaria, Germany, who traces her pedigree back four hundred years. They have one child, Mar- garet Kühner, born at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl- vania. June 29, 1899.

GEORGE WASHINGTON BROWN, a well known citizen of West Pittston, Pennsyl- vania, and for many years a ticket agent for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, a position which he held until the time of his death, was the son of James and Lydia (Killmer) Brown, the former a native of Scott Valley, Pennsylvania ; the latter a native of New York state.

George Washington Brown was born in Dutchess county, New York, April 13, 1843. He received his education in the public schools, and was always earnest and thorough in whatever he undertook. When but eighteen years of age he went west and obtained a position as a clerk in a store in Illinois. Here he remained for several years, but resigned this position in 1865 in order to enlist in the army. He became a member of the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, February 4, 1865. and served with great bravery until mustered out in 1866. On February 18, 1865, he was appointed sergeant, at Springfield, Illinois, and served un- der Captain James H. Reynolds. He went with his regiment to Georgia, where they were called upon to do duty at a number of different places in that state. They finally reached Savannah, and here they remained until January 20. 1866, when

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

they were ordered to Springfield, Illinois, and there mustered out February, 1866. During his period of service he was often commended for his faithful attention to his duties, and his bravery was undoubted. He did his utmost to make field service bearable for his companions, even at the expense of personal discomfort. After being mustered out, he resumed his work as a clerk in Illinois, but soon after resigned his position and returned to Pittston, where he made his home with his sisters, and followed the trade of a car- penter for a few years. This he gave up in order to accept a position as detective in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He was also ap- pointed ticket agent for the same company, and this latter position he held to the mutual sat- isfaction of the company and himself until his death, which occurred May 3, 1899. Mr. Brown was a man whose pleasing personal- ity, affable demeanor and unfailing courtesy won him a host of friends, and his death was sincerely regretted by all who knew him. He was a stanch Republican, although he never found time to devote himself actively to the public affairs of the time. In religion he was an Episcopalian, while his wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Brown was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the United Order of Ameri- can Mechanics.

Mr. Brown married, September 19, 1871, Mary Elizabeth Brenton, born October 19, 1849, in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, daugh- ter of Frank and Fannie Brenton, both natives .of England. Mr. and Mrs. Brenton emigrated to America and settled in Tunkhannock, Wyo- ming county, Pennsylvania, where their two ·children were born. The first was Mary Eliz- abeth, who married George Washington Brown. The second was Frank H., born Au- gust 17, 1851. Frank had a limited education and then obtained work as a clerk in a store for a time. He then followed the occupation of glazier for about a year, giving this up in favor of a position with the Adams Express Company, a position which he held for, ten years. He was then employed as billing clerk by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, remaining with them for eleven years, and was then a travel- ing salesman for fifteen years. He is a mem- ber of the Knights of Malta ; of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Im- proved Order of Red Men. Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Brown were the parents of five children, as follows: I. Willis Henry, born June 28, 1872, who is a salesman for W.

L. Righter Coal Company, of New York, wholesale dealers in coal, and resides in Brooklyn, New York. He married Jean- nette E. Evans, January 26, 1897, and they have one child, Isabelle Jeannette. 2. Eva Grace, born August 23, 1874, married, June 5, 1905, William Tyler Hall, of Hall & Parker, merchants at Waverly, Pennsylvania. 3. Rich- ard Brenton, born December 14, 1876. He is a bookkeeper for the Temple Iron Company, at Mount Lookout breaker, West Pittston, Pennsylvania, where he resides. He married Mary Elizabeth Evans, January I, 1903, and has one son, Brenton Olin, born December 24, 1904. 4. Norman Ray (twin), born May 28, 1881, is bookkeeper for the Temple Iron Com- pany, at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and resides t West Pittston, Pennsylvania. 5. Helen May (twin), born May 28, 1881, resides at West Pittston.

FREDERICK BENHAM MYERS, de- ceased, who was a lifelong resident of the Wyo- ming valley, Pennsylvania, was born June 10, 1845. in Kingston, Luzerne county, son of Madison F. and Harriet (Myers) Myers, natives of Frederick county Maryland, and Kingston township, Pennsylvania, respectively, and grandson of Michael Myers, of Frederick county, Maryland, who was one of four broth- ers-Lawrence, Philip, William and Michael -who emigrated to this country at an early date.

Madison F. Myers (father) came to the Wyoming valley, Pennsylvania, and settled on the old homestead in which Frederick Ben- ham Myers lived, located in Kingston near the present Kingston depot. The patent for the homestead was issued May 20, 1805, and the farm represented here has never been out of the possession of the Myers family since. Madison F. Myers cultivated and improved this property, making it one of the highly pro- ductive farms of the locality, and resided thereon until his death, which occurred Au- gust 2, 1859. His wife, whose maiden name was Harriet Myers, bore him the following chlidren who lived to reach maturity: Mi- randa, deceased, who was the wife of Charles Steele, of Pittston, later removing to Fall City, Richardson county, Nebraska. Philip Thomas, deceased, was a resident of King- ston. Martha A.,

married Archibald J. Weaver, now deceased, and they were the parents of four children who lived to maturity ; they resided in Fall City, Nebraska, and Mr.

Frederick B. Mayero

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

Weaver served as district attorney of that city two terms, and also as judge and congressman for the district. Frederick Benham, of whom further mention is made. William P., mar- ried Helen McCarty and have three children, reside in Fall City, Nebraska .. Mrs. Madison F. Myers, died December 5, 1889, at the age of eighty years.

Frederick Benham Myers acquired a lib- eral education, having been a student in the public schools of Kingston, Wyoming Sem- inary, Kingston, and Cazenovia Seminary, New York. He always followed farming and gardening, commencing this line of work when in his 'teens and having charge of the farm before he was of age, after the death of his father, and- working during vacations while pursuing his studies. Later his operations were conducted near Dallas, where he had a large truck farm, and in Westmoor, near Kings- ton, Pennsylvania, where he had a large garden farm, the largest in that vicinity. The truck farm is on a portion of the old homestead, and another part is now being cut up into build- ing lots and sold, and constitutes the Myers annex to Edwardsville. Through his ability and the exercise of energy and unconquera- ble determination he made a success of this enterprise, and also gained a reputation as a progressive and practical agriculturalist. He bore a full share in the promotion of com- munity interests, and was chosen to serve as director in the Commonwealth Telephone Company of Scranton, and in the Centremor- land Telephone Company, in both of which he discharged his duties with credit and ef- ficiency. Prior to the Civil war, about 1859 or 1860, he was a member of the First Fire Company of Kingston. Mr. Myers was a Pro- hibitionist in principle, a Republican in na- tional politics, but in local affairs cast his vote for the man who in his opinion was the best qualified for the office.

Mr. Myers married Naomi A. Mott, daugh- ter of James and Mary Ann (Barber) Mott, of Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, and their children are as follows: Frederick Madison, born September 1, 1870, educated at Wyoming Seminary, and now an architect and contractor. He married Anna Dudley, and resides in Westmoor, near Kingston, Pennsylvania. 2. Mary Mott, born Septem- ber 10, 1872, educated at Wyoming, resides in Kingston with her mother. 3. Lawrence Winfield, born December 25, 1875, died at

Peckville, June 29, 1876, buried at Blakely borough, Pennsylvania. 4. Harriet E., born November 17, 1878, graduated from the Wyo- ming Seminary, and then attended the Bloomsburg State Normal School, from which she also graduated. She married, May 15, 1900, Henry McComber, of Binghamton, New York, a farmer and gardener, and they have one daughter, Naomi Myers, born May 19, 1903. 5. Philip Thomas, born October 31, 1880, graduated from Wyoming Seminary, and then entered Cornell College in order to study civil engineering, but an attack of typhoid fever and the failing health of his father caused him to give up this idea, and he now lives at home, acting as general man- ager of his father's estate, and has taken charge of the truck farms. 6. Laura Naomi, born February 28, 1885, a student at Syracuse University, where she has won a public schol- arship. 7. Jessie Minerva, born July 28, 1889, resides in Kingston and attends the Wyoming Seminary. The family are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Kingston, in which body Mr. Myers was a member of the official board and formerly a mnost active worker. Frederick Benham Myers died January 16, 1906, at noon. The interment was in the old Myers plot at Forty Fort. He is survived by his wife and six children.

EDWARD STERLING LOOP. for many years actively identified with the Wyoming State Bank and its successor, the Wyoming National Bank, was born in Elmira, New York, February II, 1823, a son of Peter P. and Eliza Irene (Ross) Loop, and grandson . of Peter Loop, Jr., one of the commissioners appointed by the Susquehanna Company, Sep- tember 25, 1786.

Peter P. Loop (father) was also a native of Elmira, Chemung county, New York, born in 1793. He was united in marriage to Eliza Irene Ross, born August 25, 1799, daughter of the late Gen. William Ross, in 1820. Their children were: William Ross, born 1821. served in the Mexican and Civil wars, died at Elmira, New York, 1887. John Miller, a lawyer, a resident of Wilkes-Barre. Pennsyl- vania ; Edward Sterling, a twin of John Miller ; De Witt Clinton, who became a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church : Sarah Eliza, married Sidney B. Roby, of Rochester, New York; he died May 28, 1897. Their children

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

are: I. Margaret B., married Wendell Cur- tis, proprietor of the Rochester (New York) Union Advertiser. 2. Sidney B., graduate of Yale, 1888. 3. William Sterling, graduate of Yale, 1890. 4. Dr. Joseph, graduate of Yale, 1893; College of Physicians and Sur- geons of New York City, 1896; married Alice iviontgomery Rogers, daughter of Clinton and Fanny (Rochester) Rogers. They reside in Rochester, New York. 5. Cathrine G., mar- ried W. T. Dorrance, graduate of Brown Col- lege, 1893; civil engineer, Boston Technical School. They reside in Flushing, New Jersey. Peter P. Loop died at Belvidere, Illinois, in 1854. He was survived by his wife, who re- sided for many years thereafter in Rochester, New York, and her death occurred at the age of ninety-three years. They were mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church.

Gen. William Ross, father of Mrs. Peter P. Loop, was born in New London, Connecti- cut, March 29, 1761, a son of Jeremiah and Ann (Paine) Ross, who were married Octo- ber 31, 1744, grandson of Joseph and Sarah (Utley) Ross, and great-grandson of Joseph and Mary Ross, descendants of an English ancestry. General Ross emigrated to Wyo- ming about 1775, and the day previous to the "massacre" was with the army in its march to Exeter and would have been in the battle had not his older brothers-Jeremiah and Perrin-both of whom were butchered in the massacre, July 3, 1778, needed his arms. Hav- ing a natural taste and aptitude for military affairs, General Ross rose by gradual grada- tions from major to brigade inspector and general in the militia. He was rewarded by the supreme executive council of Pennsylva- nia with a sword, which is now in the posses- sion of Edward Sterling Loop, bearing the following inscription : "Captain William Ross : The Supreme Executive Council present this mark of their approbation acquired by your firmness in support of the laws of the com- monwealth on the 4th of July, 1788. Charles Biddle, Sec'y." This was given to him for his rescue of Timothy Pickering, who was sent to the Wyoming valley to pacify and heal up the local strife. General Ross served in the capacity of magistrate for two decades, and also represented the district composed of Luzerne and Northumberland counties in the senate of the state. He married Eliza- beth Perkins, born November 3, 1768, daugh- ter of Samuel Sterling and Elizabeth Perkins.

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 92

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin Publication date: 1906 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 988

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988