USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 10
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(II) Thomas Cook, son of James Cook, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, January 16, 1845. His early life was spent in that county and it was here that he obtained his education. At the outbreak of the Civil War he made haste to enlist in the Union forces in Company D, One Hundredth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, known to the rest of the
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army as the "Round Head" regiment, although he was obliged to conceal his real age from the recruiting officer. His regiment saw hard service throughout the entire war and he was in its engagement up to the battle of Chantilly, Virginia. In this battle, in which General "Phil" Kearny was killed, he was severely wounded and was in the hospital at Point Look- out, Maryland, until he received his honorable discharge. Returning from the front he apprenticed himself to the blacksmith's trade, and in 1865 had mastered all of its departments. He then established a shop at Darlington and there worked at his trade and manufactured carriages until 1889, when he changed his place of business to Beaver Falls and there continued in the same line of business. Mr. Cook is a Republican and an ardent supporter of all his party's principles. He is a member of Beaver Falls Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and Harmony Chapter, No. 206, Royal Arch Ma- sons, of Beaver Falls. He also holds membership in the Union Veteran Legion, No. 4, of Beaver Falls, of which he is past colonel. He married Margaret Duff, by which marriage he had the following children: William S., Frank N., Lillie D.
(III) Dr. William S. Cook, son of Thomas and Margaret (Duff) Cook, was born in Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 31, 1868. In his youth he attended the Greersburg Academy, one of the oldest institu- tions of learning in the county, established in Darlington in 1802, whence he was graduated June 11, 1886. After his graduation he taught school for a period of three years, and then decided to engage in the study of den- tistry. Accordingly, in 1889, he entered the Philadelphia Dental College and after completing his course in a brilliant manner was graduated D. D. S., February 26, 1891. He made Beaver Falls the scene of his first practice and there his efforts have met with such favorable reception that he still continues in that place, constantly employed in meeting the requirements of his large practice. He is a member of the Odontological Society of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, one of the most influential of that or- ganization. A writer of talent, his deep study of various phases of his profession has provided him with the material for scientific papers of great instructive merit, while his carefully worded phrases and well turned sen- tences lend to his treatises no small literary value. Several of these he has read before the Odontological Society, among them "The Cleft Palate," and "The Repair of the Cleft Palate by Means of the Obturator." Because of his father's active service in the Union cause, he is eligible to and holds membership in the Sons of Veterans, of which he was vice- commander in 1912, and is at present past commander, a position to which he was elevated by vote of the society on January 1, 1913. An ardent automobilist, Dr. Cook is president of the Beaver Valley Motor Club and the promoter of many of the enterprises of that organization. He is a strong believer in Republican principles, and as representative of that party has served six years on the Beaver Falls council, officiating for three years of that time as president of that body, now serving on the good roads com-
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mittee as chairman. He married, December 27, 1893, Jane E. Anderson, and he and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church.
Although it is not the pleasantest of tasks to even par- HAMILTON tially review one period of Scottish history, perhaps one of the most unfortunate and unhappy in the history of that land, which is replete with tales of bloodshed and strife, to get one of the first connections between the Hamiltons of Pennsylvania and the old Scotch stock, such mention is necessary. When, in 1542, John Knox, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, threw off allegiance to the Pope and declared himself a Protestant, he found but few sympathizers in his country- men. Few, indeed, but among that few were several, who in faith, courage and fortitude were the equals of their bold leader. Such an one was Robert Hamilton, from whom descends the family herein chronicled, and although John Knox suffered the miseries of imprisonment in French gal- leys, the humiliation of ostracism, and the persecution of his former asso- ciates, his fate was kind in comparison to that found by Robert Hamilton, who was bound to a stake, and, bravely and heroically, with a courage seldom equalled in mortals, held true to the course he had mapped out for himself, while the flames of fire crept up around his tortured body, and he was burned to death. In that dreadful deed there was added another to the list of Christian martyrs, already over-long and in his death there was much of the sublime holiness that had attended the last hours of many who had died in the cause of Christianity, beginning with Him who had suffered in the shadows of Golgotha.
(I) In direct descent from the Robert Hamilton mentioned above was another Robert, born in county Down, Ireland, whither the Hamiltons had fled to escape the fate of Robert. When Robert Hamilton was but a young man he came to Scotts Valley, Blair county, Pennsylvania, and in 1801 he purchased land in Pleasant Valley, prospered, and at his death was a farmer and land-owner of means. Throughout his entire life he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, dying in that faith in 1849. He married Nancy Smith, of Scotch descent, a native of Scotts Valley, Blair county, Pennsylvania. Children of Robert and Nancy (Smith) Hamilton: 1. Polly, married James Hutchinson, a farmer, and died in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 2. Robert, met an accidental death in infancy; the family was going to church on the Sab- bath, riding horse-back, as was the custom, for the church was some dis- tance from the homestead, and Mrs. Hamilton was holding her youngest child in her arms; the horse, suddenly terrified by an unusual sound, gave a quick spring to one side, throwing the mother and her precious burden to the ground; although the mother's physical injuries were slight, the fall killed the infant. 3. James, of whom further. 4. Jonathan, married and spent his entire life on the old homestead, rearing a large family. 5. John, a farmer and coal operator, lived in Altoona, and there died. 6. Robert, died on a farm near Duncansville, Pennsylvania. 7. Sarah Ann, died unmarried.
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8. James S., a farmer all of his active life, died in Youngstown, Ohio, 1912, having attained the advanced age of ninety-six years. 9. Nancy Jane, mar- ried Gabriel Thomas, said to have been the first physician located in Al- toona, Pennsylvania. Robert and Nancy Hamilton were also the parents of two children who died in infancy, unnamed.
(II) James Hamilton, third child and second son of Robert and Nancy (Smith) Hamilton, was born in Scotts Valley, Blair county, Pennsylvania, November 7, 1807, died November 11, 1893. He spent his youthful life in that locality, attending the common schools, and when he had attained his majority took up the management of one of his father's numerous farms, of which he became the possessor, finally selling that property and buying a farm five hundred acres in extent in Stone Valley, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. This he later disposed of during the Civil War, pur- chasing as his home land on Shavers Creek. His political affiliation was first with the Whig, later the "Know-Nothing," and finally the Republican party. His religious faith was that of his father, Presbyterian, and of this church he was for a long term of years an elder, contributing generously to the fund for the erection of a church of that denomination at Unity, Pennsylvania. Nor did he confine his services to the church to his sub- scriptions, but in all of its varied activities took an actively interested part, well deserving the title of "pillar."
He married Ann Elizabeth Cadwallader, born in Birmingham, Hunt- ingdon county, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1810, died March 19, 1885, daugh- ter of Joseph and Mary Jane (Law) Cadwallader. The Cadwallader family has an interesting history, the line herein mentioned descending in a direct line from Welsh royalty of the name, ruling prior to the Norman invasion in 1066 A. D. The American representative of the family who took part in the Revolutionary War was General John Cadwallader, who, according to history, was one of the principals in a duel in which General Conway was the other combatant. His grandson, Joseph Cadwallader, came to Birmingham, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, from his home in Bucks county, to assist his two older brothers, John and Charles Cadwallader, in making an original survey of that region for the state, in whose employ they were surveyors, all the records of that nature of that time containing their names as representatives of the state. Joseph Cadwallader was a member of the Society of Friends, as was his wife, and they were married according to the ceremony of that sect at Bristol, Bucks county, Pennsyl- vania. After the execution of his brothers' commission in regard to the surveying of that locality he became a tavern-keeper on Allegheny moun- tain, near the present site of the city of Altoona, later moving to Clearfield county, where he was the proprietor of a flour mill and where he died. Joseph and Mary Jane (Law) Cadwallader were buried in Sinking Valley, Blair county, Pennsylvania: Their children: 1. Ann Elizabeth, of previous mention, married James Hamilton. 2. Emily, died unmarried. 3. Mary, twin of Emily, married Valentine Gerhart, and died in Clearfield county,
J.B. In. Namitun
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Pennsylvania. 4. Maxwell, a miller in Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. 5. Deborah, died unmarried. 6. Margaret, married David Nelson, and lived in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. 7. Thomas Mifflin, for a long time a resi- dent of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, died in Akron, Ohio. 8. Maria, still living at the present time (1913) aged ninety years. Children of James and Ann Elizabeth (Cadwallader) Hamilton: 1. Nancy Catherine, died in February, 19121 married (first) John Brown, (second) Thompson Hardy, and at the time of her death was residing in El Paso, Illinois. 2. Joseph Newton, a farmer of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, at the time of his death, in 1910, living retired in Lewistown, 3, Robert M., a mill em- ployee, met an accidental death in January, 1860. 4. A son, died in infancy. 5. Anna Mary, died in 1879; married William Thompson, and lived on Warrior's Ridge, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. 6. John Calvin, a re- tired real estate dealer and stock broker, lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. 7. James Crawford Mckinney, of whom further. 8. Sarah Matilda, married Franklin Johnson, deceased; lives in Omaha, Nebraska. 9. Margaret, died in infancy. 10. Thomas C., died in boyhood.
(III) Dr. James Crawford Mckinney Hamilton, seventh child and fifth son of James and Ann Elizabeth (Cadwallader) Hamilton, was born where the city of Altoona now stands, in Huntingdon (now Blair) county, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1845. He began his education when he was but four years of age, attending a school at Bear Furnace, later when he was seven years of age, enrolling in the Hamilton district school, near Altoona. When he was eight years old the family moved to the Stone Valley farm, making the trip in wagons, James C. M. helping to drive the stock. Al- though he was but eight years of age at the time, he recalls the journey vividly and in detail, his own boyish part remaining particularly fresh in his memory. In this new locality he completed his studies, attending the West school in Stone Valley until 1858, from that time until the outbreak of active hostilities between the north and the south assisting his father in the many farm duties. When the Civil War began he enlisted in Captain S. S. Hewitt's independent company of cavalry, his enlistment beginning September 21, 1861, the company, when it reported for duty at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, being transferred from the cavalry to the infantry, becoming Company D, One Hundred and Tenth Regiment Pen- sylvania Volunteers. On January 1, 1862, the company was ordered to pro- ceed to Hagerstown, Maryland, and in that place was caught in the midst of a troublesome riot, later reporting to General Lander and under his
command was engaged in the battle of Hancock, Virginia. That began his active service and from that time until the close of the war he was always present at the roll-call of his company, with the exception of a period of time spent in the hospital, recovering from wounds received in battle. On his seventeenth birthday he received his first promotion, being made seventh corporal, not, to be sure, a very elevated position, but still one that brought a large share of joy to his youthful heart. In the second battle of Bull
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Run he was twice wounded on the night of August 30, 1862, in the cheek by a rifle shot and in the body by a cannon ball. These injuries made it impossible for him to leave the hospital before November 7th, of that year, when he rejoined his regiment in the field. At the battle of Boydon's Plank Road his courage and gallant conduct was so conspicuous that he was promoted on the field, receiving his commission and captain's stripes on December 18, 1864, being placed in command of Company C, One Hundred and Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. In the campaign of 1862 he was with the army in Virginia, and from August 18 to August 30, 1863, his company was in action every day, under the command of Gen- eral Pope. In the historical charge of Pickett's men at the battle of Gettys- burg he was wounded in the side. He was also hit at the battle of Fort Hell (Sedgwick), and still has the bullet that made the wound. The force of the ball had been almost spent, and when it struck him on the shoulder hurled him to the ground. In all the battles of the Wilderness he was engaged, most of the time being under fire that it was exceedingly dif- ficult to return. In the grand review of the army at Washington at the close of the war he commanded the first platoon in his division, and was mustered out of the United States service on June 29, 1865. In all of his military record there was nothing but what could bring to his mind anything but pride at the remembrance. Proven under fire in the sight of his men, he bore their hearty good-will and respect. It has been said of the famous general, Hannibal, of Carthage, one of the greatest military geniuses that the ancient time produced, that he never said to his men, "Go," his command always being "Come." This is a soldierly trait that also characterized the conduct of Captain Hamilton. If there was a posi- tion dangerously exposed, if the opportunities for a speedy retreat if the battle went unfavorably were few, if the artillery support was poor or lacking, there was no place of security for him that could not be shared by his men, and in the thickest of the fight he was ever at their side, reassuring them and exhorting them to fresh efforts. He found no safety for himself in his rank and for this manly trait was accorded the sincerest admiration of the regiment, to whom his gallant conduct was best known.
At the close of the war he returned to his father's farm, but after a year spent thereon found that the rigors of military life had so sapped his vitality that he was quite unfitted for any strenuous physical exertion. His succession to his father's estate had been his only plan of life work, but finding labor of that kind impossible he began to plan for a profession and accordingly began to study dentistry under the preceptorship of Dr. E. J. Green, with whom he remained for several years. After mastering this profession, in 1871, he began practice in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, in partner- ship with Dr. Logan, a connection that continued with mutual benefit, satis- faction and pleasure until 1873, when on account of illness Dr. Logan retired and Dr. Hamilton established alone. From that year until 1895 he was active in his profession, enjoying a lucrative practice of wide dimen-
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sions, and he made permanent patrons by the excellence of his work and the capable, careful manner in which it was performed. While a resident of Tyrone, Dr. Hamilton did not confine his relation to the life of the town to his office hours and the practice of his profession, but is remem- bered as one of the organizers of the electric light company which at the present time supplies the local electric illumination, and also as a member of the council was instrumental in securing the passage of many ordinances that have proved their worth in directing and inducing the growth of the town along beneficial lines. In 1904 Dr. Hamilton located in Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and there began the practice of the profession he had previously followed for nearly a quarter of a century, and since that time has gained a large share of popularity, his office always being the busy scene of those who require his ministering attentions in either preventative or curative capacity.
Aside from the many and varied pursuits that at different times have claimed liberal shares of his time and attention, he has been able to devote himself in a small degree to literary work, an art in which he has shown much native talent. Ever an absorbed student, he has read all of the best classic models of the language, and with this master-key to the works of the writers of fame has produced several works of merit. He is at his best in the short story field, said to be one of the most difficult forms of literary composition, poetry not excepted, and in 1911 he published a volume called the "Golden Key," many of which would compare favorably with the products of the pens of contemporary writers of note. Another of his books, "The New School Mistress," is soon to be published. In addition to his longer works, he has written the words for many songs, and in some cases has composed both the words and the music, musical ability being another of his many distinguished accomplishments. His literary work is characterized by the purity of its diction, the sympathy of expression, the smoothness of its structure, and an excellent choice of words. Mechanically, it would be difficult to improve upon, and in all his stories Mr. Hamilton has so intricately woven a deep knowledge of human nature, men and men's motives, that each makes an individual appeal, his compositions being free from the curse of sameness. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 164, and belongs to the Pres- byterian Church, the religion of his family for generations. At first a Republican in politics, he now allies himself with the recently formed Washington party, in whose principles he is a sturdy believer.
Dr. Hamilton married, December 17, 1867, Anna Elizabeth Wilson, born at Shavers Creek, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, daughter of John C. and Margaret Wilson, the former named having been a farmer of that county. Children of Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton: 1. Walter C., engaged in newspaper work in Beaver Falls; married Louise Metzgar. 2. Effie C., lives at home. 3. Paul W., a photographer of New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania; married Jessie Merriman. 4. Philip Earl, an attor-
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ney of Beaver Falls, lives at home. 5. Inez, died in infancy. 6. A daugh- ter, died in infancy, unnamed.
SHANOR The approach of the Shanors of Germany into Pennsylvania was from the south, the first of that name in this country making their home in Maryland and Virginia, whence it was an easy step into the land of Penn.
(I) Henry Shanor, born in Maryland, 1758, is the member of the family of whom the earliest record is found, and in the place of his birth he remained until maturity, when, leaving his home and family to enter upon the old, old quest, he came to Butler county, Pennsylvania. He be- came the owner of two hundred acres of land in Muddy Creek township, building his cabin and living there until his death in 1838. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran Church and both are buried in the graveyard of the old Stone Church, in Lancaster township. Henry Shanor married Elizabeth Buttonbarger, a native of Westmoreland county, who survived him four years, her death occurring in 1842. Children: Henry, Daniel, Elizabeth, married Thomas Johnson; Susan, Abraham, Michael, Solomon, Christina, Margaret, married Abraham Zerley; Lydia, married Jacob Moyer.
(II) Abraham Shanor, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Buttonbarger) Shanor, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where his father had resided for a short time after his arrival in Pennsylvania, died in Lancaster township, Butler county, Pennsylvania. His farm in Lancaster township was two hundred acres in extent and there he followed agri- cultural pursuits throughout his entire life. He was an adherent to the family faith, as was his wife, both being members of the Lutheran Church, regular in their attendance, simple and faithful in their worship. Abraham Shanor married Susan Fox, born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. They were the parents of: 1. Susan, married William Boston, and lived in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. 2. Lydia, married Joseph Beighley, and lived on a farm near Franklin, Venango county, Pennsylvania. 3. Abraham, a farmer of California, died in that state. 4. Polly, married Jacob Seckler, and lived on a farm in Venango county. 5. Elias, of whom further.
(III) Elias Shanor, son of Abraham and Susan (Fox) Shanor, was born in Lancaster township, Butler county, Pennsylvania, in July, 1830, there attending school and growing to manhood, later purchasing one hun- dred and fifty acres of land in Conoquenessing township, that county. He resided in this locality until 1876, when he and his family moved to Clark county, Iowa, settling on a farm of considerable size near Osceola. In his agricultural operations he has prospered, and with a comfortable com- petence he lives retired in Ashland, Nebraska, he and his wife spending their latter years in ease and comfort, both having lived active, useful lives, the parents of nine children, all of whom attained maturity, proof that Elias and Susan Shanor did not shirk their duty in the scheme of
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life. Both in their earlier years were members of the Lutheran Church, although they afterward became regular attendants at the Methodist Epis- copal Church. His political sympathies incline toward the Republican party, to which he has ever given his support. He married Susan Myers, born near the old Stone Church in Lancaster township, Butler county, Pennsyl- vania, April 29, 1830, daughter of John and Catherine (Beighley) Myers. The Myers family was planted in this country in the early days of the colonies, the southland being the region in which its members were most numerous, Virginia being the place of birth of Solomon Myers, of German descent, who settled in Butler county in later life. He was a farmer in occupation, leaving his land to take an active part in the American Re- volution, and was twice married, John Myers being a son by his first wife. A son by his second wife, David, inherited the homestead in Lancaster township, Butler county, and the place is now occupied by Samuel, son of David Myers. In his early life John Myers was confirmed in the Lutheran Church, but his father's second wife being a Baptist of decided convictions, her children were reared in that faith. Children of John and Catherine (Beighley) Myers: I. George, deceased; moved from Pennsylvania to Kansas, cultivating a farm near Leavenworth. 2. Solomon (2), a carpenter, lived for several years in Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, now lives retired in Woodville, Pennsylvania. 3. Lydia, married (first) George Neice, (second) Harvey Thompson, a veteran of the Civil War and ex- sheriff of Butler county, and lives on a farm near Butler, Pennsylvania. 4. Samuel, a soldier in the Union army in the Civil War, was killed in action at the battle of Fair Oaks. 5. Elizabeth, married Martin Hayes, deceased ; lives on a farm near Lawrence, Kansas. 6. William, unmarried; lives on the old homestead. 7. Susan, of previous mention, married Elias Shanor. Children of Elias and Susan (Myers) Shanor: 1. William Addi- son, of whom further. 2. Ada, married Winfield Cratty, and lives on a farm near Warren, Ohio. 3. John, proprietor of a cattle ranch, lives at Dayton, Wyoming. 4. Abraham, a farmer of Iowa, owns land near the town of Emerson. 5. Elizabeth, married John Piper, deceased, a stock dealer, and lives at Ashland, Nebraska. 6. Agnes, married William Wilson, deceased, and lives in Ashland, Nebraska. 7. Minnie, married a Mr. Mc- Cormick, and lives in Iowa. 8. Maud, married Joseph Kessler, and lives in Iowa. 9. Elsie, unmarried, a school teacher in Great Falls, Montana.
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