USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 20
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
(The Springer Line.)
Although the history of the Springer family is a very ancient and honorable record, this line is traced no further than to Daniel, son of John, son of Michael Springer. Daniel Springer settled on a farm of several hundred acres on Raccoon creek, in Beaver county, about 1811, partially cleared the same, and there died in the log buildings that he had erected, his wife, Rebecca (Manor) Springer, dying in the same place. Both are buried near New Sheffield. They were the parents of Samuel, Michael, John, of whom further; William, James, Rebecca, Susan, Daniel, died young; the only survivor is James, who resides on the old homestead and at whose home an annual family reunion is held, a worthy celebration of the descendants of a worthy race. James Springer is a veteran of the Civil War.
John Springer, son of Daniel and Rebecca (Manor) Springer, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and there grew to maturity. He was a farmer all his life, his home being first near New Sheffield, later near Vanport, where both he and his wife died. He was a Democrat in
I57
BEAVER COUNTY
politics but very liberal in all his views and in the selection of a candidate for his favor gave party ties little consideration. He and his wife be- longed to the Methodist Episcopal Church. He married Catharine Kronk, born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where she died, daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Marker) Kronk. Joseph was a son of John Kronk, a native of Holland, who on immigrating to this country settled first in the state of Ohio, later moving to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, making his home in Moon township. He was a farmer and became the owner of considerable land in that locality, living there until his death. His brother, Hiram, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and one of the last survivors of that conflict. Joseph, son of John Kronk, grew to manhood in Beaver county, farming for a time in Washington county, later return- ing to Beaver county, buying a farm in Raccoon township, a part of which had been cleared. This he made free of all timber and underbrush and erected thereon buildings. Joseph and Mary Ann (Marker) Kronk were the parents of: 1. Joseph, lives in Parker, Virginia, aged eighty-four years. 2. Jane, deceased; married William Irwin. 3. Barbara, deceased; married John Stewart. 4. Catharine, of previous mention, married John Springer. 5. John, died in young manhood. 6. Mary, lives unmarried in Beaver county, aged eighty-two years. 7. Rachel, died in girlhood. 8. Matilda, deceased; married John Truax. 9. Lavina, deceased; married Jacob Morrow. 10. Louis, a resident of Parker, Virginia. 11. Amanda, married John Springer, and lives in Rochester, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Children of John and Catharine (Kronk) Springer: 1. Joseph, a carpenter of Wellsville, Ohio. 2. Amanda, married S. C. Todd; died at West Eliza- beth, Pennsylvania. 3. Anna Rebecca, of previous mention, married Ad- dison Davidson. 4. Melinda, married McGuire Scott; lives in Raccoon township, Pennsylvania. 5. Ella, lives unmarried in Raccoon township, Pennsylvania. 6. Murray, a butcher, died in Monaca, Pennsylvania. 7. Daniel, a farmer of Midland, Pennsylvania. 8. Elizabeth, unmarried, lives with her sister, Ella.
There is none of the old Beaver county families that boasts RAYL of a longer residence in the neighborhood than that of Rayl, the Scotch-Irish ancestors of the present generation having been among the first to settle that region, and in their honor was named the little village of Rayltown, South Beaver township. William Rayl, great- grandfather of John W. Rayl, of further mention, was born in that county and was a life-long resident of Ohio township, his farm being near Smiths Ferry. Although his death occurred when he was a young man he had already risen to a position of notice among his fellowmen and had served the county of his birth as commissioner. With his wife he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics upheld the doctrines of the Whig party. He married Susannah Bradshaw, a native of Beaver county,
158
PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania. Children: 1. John, of whom further. 2. Sarah, married Alfred McFall, and passed her life in Ohio township, Beaver county. 3. Robert, lived in South Beaver township, Beaver county. 4. William, lived on the old homestead, met an accidental death in the burning of an oil well about which he was working. 5. Mary Ann, married D. C. Thompson. 6. Noble, a farmer of Ohio and South Beaver townships, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 7. Nancy, married Samuel Goehring, a farmer of Ohio township, and in 1855 moved to Meigs county, Ohio, where he was the proprietor of a sawmill.
(II) John Rayl, eldest of the seven children of William and Susan- nah (Bradshaw) Rayl, was born near Smiths Ferry, Ohio township Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in December, 1805, died July 12, 1883. He was reared on the home farm, educated in the local schools, and as a youth apprenticed himself to the blacksmith's trade, soon after his mar- riage locating on a farm in South Beaver county, building a shop in which to ply his trade on land of his father. He afterward purchased more land and had his shop on his own property, dividing his attention between work at his trade and the cultivation of his acres. He was for a time engaged in the oil business and acquired a local reputation for his successful locat- ing of oil wells, discovering good producers in apparently hopeless terri- tory, and amassed a considerable fortune in that way. Strenuous work at his trade and the open-air life of a farmer had given him a constitution of remarkable strength, vitality and vigor, and labor was his delight, his capacity for work being commensurate with his physical prowess. His family had all been members of the Covenanter Church and to this he had given his allegiance until the formation of the Free Presbyterian sect, with a crusade against slavery as their object. After the war he became a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and in that, as in the others, he held the position of elder, his sincere piety and upright manner of life being characteristic attributes known to all.
He married Jane Wells, born March 14, 1805, died January 15, 1883. Her parents were early settlers of Beaver county, Presbyterians in religion, and lived on a farm below Beaver Falls, now known as the Wissener place. They were the parents of: I. Thomas, lived on the old homestead, for a long time proprietor of a tavern. 2. Samuel, lived near his birthplace on a farm until 1857, when he moved to Wooster, Ohio, dying in that place. 3. Jane, died young. 4. Anna, married a Mr. Davids, and lived in Butler, Pennsylvania. 5. Belle, died unmarried. 6. Sarah, died unmarried. 7. Jane, of previous mention, married John Rayl. 8. Martha, married Rev. William Hughes, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and lived in Lou- donville, Ashland county, Ohio. Children of John and Jane (Wells) Rayl: I. Belinda, married John Kerr, and lived for most of her life in Smiths Ferry, her death taking place in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, aged eighty- three years. 2. Matilda, married Josiah Long, a retired farmer, and lives in College Hill, Pennsylvania. 3. William, a resident of Ohio, his home
159
BEAVER COUNTY
being near East Liverpool. 4. Wells, in 1861 went to Canal, Fulton county, Ohio, to teach school and remained in that place until his death in 1910, when he was engaged in the mercantile business. 5. John B., of whom further. 6. Susannah, married John Barclay, both deceased. 7. Walter, a dentist of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
(III) John B. Rayl, son of John and Jane (Wells) Rayl, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, March 21, 1841. The district school in the township of his birth was the scene of his early educa- tional training, and from the time of the completion of his studies until the outbreak of the Civil War he was employed upon the home farm. At the call for volunteers he enlisted, in August, 1861, for three years or during the war, his company being Company D, One Hundredth Regi- ment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, familiarly known as the "Round- heads." He saw active duty in the battles of Tilton Head, James Island, Fort Steadman, and in the Wilderness campaign. On May 23, 1862, in the engagement at North Hannah river, he received a dangerous skull wound, which confined him to the hospital for some time. Leaving the hospital, he was still in a too weakened condition to rejoin his company, and in January, 1863, was given an honorable discharge from service in the field. For a year he remained at his home, entirely recovering his impaired strength, and after that time had expired re-enlisted in the army, joining the com- pany of which he had previously been a member, and served with his old comrades, or those of them who were left, until the close of the war. After the final peace settlement he returned to his home, cultivating his father's farm until the latter's death, then purchasing the property and continuing in agricultural pursuits. In 1893 he disposed of the farm property and moved to Beaver Falls, establishing in the grocery business in the North End of the city, where he remained for six years. He was then for one year in the same business at the corner of Seventh avenue and Tenth street, in 1900 purchasing a store and residence at No. 1007 West Eleventh street, in which location he still continues in grocery dealings. His present location is not the only Beaver Falls property that he owns, as he likewise holds title to considerable real estate in other parts of the town. In his two decades of business relations in Beaver Falls, he has become well known among the inhabitants of the town, as has his estab- lishment, and his patronage is regular and generous, fair and courteous dealing impressing chance customers to repeat their visit and holding the favor of old patrons. With his wife Mr. Rayl is a member of the Re- formed Presbyterian Church, and has ever supported the Republican party, in South Beaver township for six years served as constable tax collector and assessor.
He married, August 23, 1867, Rebecca J., born near Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 6. 1843, daughter of James Jr. and Nancy (Strain) Louthan. Children of John B. and Rebecca J. (Louthan) Rayl: I. Harry B., married Hattie Cowan, and lives in Beaver Falls, Penn-
160
PENNSYLVANIA
sylvania. 2. John W., of whom further. 3. Lucy A., married William McFadden, and lives in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. 4. Mary B., married and lives with her parents; her two children, Harry and Rebecca, are attending high school. 5. Frank S., married Olive Harbison, and lives in Findlay, Ohio.
(IV) John W. Rayl, son of John B. and Rebecca J. (Louthan) Rayl, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1872. He attended school in South Beaver township, and until he attained mature age worked on his father's farm, assisting his father in his grocery store for one year after the former's establishment in that line in Beaver Falls. In 1894 he obtained a position with the D. L. Clark Company, wholesale confectioners, for a time driving the delivery wagon which distributed the products of the company and those which it handled for other firms. In that period of the firm's history one wagon was ample accommodation for their trade, but soon after a period of expansion began that is still on the increase. Mr. Rayl was steadily advanced to more im- portant positions as his familiarity with the business and his ability war- ranted, and in 1902 was appointed manager of the company, his predeces- sors having been from 1894 to 1900 J. B. Lytle, and from 1900 until 1902 Mr. Lamp. In 1906 the Model Candy Company, composed of D. L. Clark and Mr. Rayl, bought out the former firm, Mr. Rayl directing the welfare of the new concern as general manager. The Model Candy Com- pany controls a large wholesale trade and is the only firm in the Beaver Valley manufacturing confectionery, their salary list containing twenty- five names and their trade extending over a radius of fifty miles. Their products are of uniform high quality, and since their appearance upon the market have come to be in regular demand, the manufacturers care- fully fostering the reputation of their confectionery for purity of materials used and absolute cleanliness in preparation, two rigid requirements for candy in modern days. Mr. Rayl is a strong Republican sympathizer, and belongs to the New Side Covenanter Church. He is a member of the Commercial Travelers' Association, and holds the thirty-second degree in the Masonic order.
Mr. Rayl married, November 22, 1898, Martha S. Smith, born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, daughter of David F. and Mary C. Smith, residents of Morado, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Rayl are the parents of one child, Fairman Wells, born June 4, 1904.
BELL The name of Bell was borne by many of the inhabitants of the provinces of New England as early as 1643, while in New York before 1680 and in the county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1682, it was not uncommon. The greatest number of the name who came to America were from Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Jedburg, Paisley, and Glasgow, in Scotland, some from northern England and southern Ireland,
161
BEAVER COUNTY
many from the counties of Londonderry and Antrim, in northern Ireland, where they resided probably less than a generation after leaving Scotland. A member of that family, in the north of Ireland, who left among his descendants the Maryland Bells, immigrated to New York and settled, about 1710, in Chester county, Pennsylvania, at which time Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester were the only counties in the province until the estab- lishment of Lancaster from part of Chester in 1729. It is likely that he was the ancestor of the branch found in Northumberland county, of which Charles S. Bell was a member. He was the eldest of three children, the other two being Allen S., who lived in Philadelphia, where he was at one time a cabinet-maker, later a furniture dealer and undertaker; and Ada, who married a Mr. Jones and lived in Philadelphia. Charles S. Bell was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, about 1834, died in Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1911. His boyhood was spent in the county of his birth, and while attending school he devoted his spare time to learning the cabinetmaker's trade, discontinuing both at the time of the California gold discoveries to join a band journeying thither across the plains. Under such conditions and at such a time one could not so travel without undergoing many thrilling experiences, and those of Mr. Bell were no exception. Despite a careful and continuous search that extended over a period of about two years, fortune did not reward his seeking, and he returned to Pennsylvania, convinced as were many others, that such arduous labor with so uncertain compensation was not worth while, and that the same degree of energy expended in regular and legitimate business would, in the majority of cases, bring far greater returns. That the rule of right by might prevailed in that locality in which Mr. Bell prospected is eloquently spoken by an ancient Smith and Wesson revolver, now in the possession of Mr. William F. Bell, that his father carried on his western trip. He was still little more than a boy in years when he returned to Pennsylvania, and when a young man he moved to Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, where he was married and in which place he remained until 1876. In that year he and his family made their home in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where he lived until his death, being proprietor of a retail furniture store. His political inclination was Republican, and in Union county he and his wife had been members of the Lutheran Church, in Beaver county associating with the Presbyterian Church. He married Mary Ellen, born in Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, in 1842, died in Beaver Falls, Beaver county, Penn- sylvania, in August, 1913, daughter of Jacob and Susan (Boone) De Frain. She was a descendant of an ancient French family of honorable lineage, the name, variously written De Frain, Du Frain, Du Fresne, occurring in many localities in France, one branch belonging to the nobility of Nor- mandy. Members of the family were largely Protestant and must have suffered exceedingly from religious persecutions, as refugee families of this name are found in the Palatinate, Switzerland, England, South
162
PENNSYLVANIA
Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The passenger list of the ship "Louther," which arrived in Philadelphia in 1731 contains the name "Maria Forrain," whose husband may have perished at sea, circumstances point- ing to her being the mother of the De Frain family of Montgomery. Her children: 1. Martin, who married prior to 1743. 2. John, who married prior to 1746. 3. Jacob, born 1730, confirmed in 1748. 4. Peter, married in 1753. 5. Elizabeth, who prior to 1747 married Adam Heilman. Muehlen- burg, the founder of the Lutheran Church in America, in reporting the confirmation of the above-mentioned Elizabeth Du Frain, says her parents were Huguenots, with the inference that she was orphaned in early youth. In 1794 Louis Fontaine De Fresne, of Paris, took the oath of allegiance at Philadelphia. In 1788 Dr. Albert Du Fresne, with his family, arrived from Switzerland, whither his people had fled from persecution. He was a physician and minister, born 1748, died in 1823, and was a prominent citizen of Lancaster until his death. His is the line to which the De Frains of this chronicle belong, Jacob, father of Mary Ellen De Frain, being one of a family of nine children: 1. Isaac, a wagon-maker, lived in Nippenose Valley, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. 2. George, lived in Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania. 3. Henry, a farmer, lived in Fulton county, Illinois. 4. Samuel, a farmer near Manito, Mason county, Illinois. 5. Rebecca, married and lived in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. 6. Jacob, of whom further. 7. Lydia, died unmarried. 8. and 9. Caroline and Kate, married and lived in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Jacob De Frain was born in Lancaster, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1822, died in 1894. He was a blacksmith by trade and was the proprietor of a large shop in which he employed several others of his trade, his work in his later years being confined to managerial duties. He received the patronage of the inhabit- ants of the country-side for miles around, and the fire in his forge was ever blazing brightly, while from the anvils came the constant ring of metal against metal. He and his family adhered to the Lutheran Church, and were earnest, devoted, workers in all of its organizations. His service was rendered the more efficient by his close familiarity with all of the needs and requirements of the church and Sunday School, and for fifty years he was seldom absent from a session of the school. In political affairs he endorsed the attitude and platform of the Republican party. He married Susan, daughter of Benival and Sophia Boone, members of the family to which the famous pioneer, Daniel Boone, belonged, the town - of Booneville, Pennsylvania, having been named in the family's honor. Benival and Sophia Boone were residents of Sugar Valley, Logan county, Pennsylvania, and had children. Children of Jacob and Susan (Boone) De Frain: 1. Mary Ellen, of previous mention, married Charles S. Bell. 2. John A., a retired blacksmith, lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. 3. Rosetta, died in January, 1912, married George M. Courtney, and lived in Chicago, Illinois. 4. Laura H., married Christopher C. Hazen, and lives in New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 5. Anna, married
163
BEAVER COUNTY
John E. Taylor, a member of the Maryland legislature, and lives in River- ton, Maryland. Children of Charles S. and Mary Ellen (De Frain) Bell: I. William F., of whom further. 2. Ella, married Frank S. Lewis, pro- prietor of a delicatessen store in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where they live. 3. Bessie B., married Harry C. Phillis, a painting contractor, and lives in Chicago, Illinois.
(II) William F. Bell, son of Charles S. and Mary Ellen (De Frain) Bell, was born in Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1864. The public schools of Lewisburg and Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, were the scenes in which his student years were passed, his studies being dis- continued when he was in his senior year in the high school of the latter place. In 1881 he obtained a position as messenger in the bank of the Harmony Society at Beaver Falls, not long afterward becoming book- keeper, remaining in the employ of that bank under the tutelage of George W. Morrison. He became connected with the First National Bank of Beaver Falls in 1888, and has ever since continued the association, from 1888 until 1893 as teller, being made assistant cashier in the latter year. In 1903 he became cashier of the institution, and at the present time capably fills that office, a life-long experience in the banking business and a quarter of a century in the First National making him a most valuable member of the executive staff of the bank. For about the same length of time that he has been an employee of the First National he has been secretary of the People's Building and Loan Association, showing the same able administra- tion of the complicated reports of that organization as he exercises in his daily business. On state and national issues he is a sympathizer with the Republican principles, but locally has ever held an independent political course, and has served as treasurer of the city of Beaver Falls. His religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church, and he holds membership in the Masonic order, having attained the Knights Templar degree, and the Modern Woodmen of the World. His home is at No. 1201 Fifth avenue, Beaver Falls.
Mr. Bell married, November 29, 1894, Nettie, born at New Brighton, Pennsylvania, daughter of William J. and Myra McKee, her father de- ceased, her mother living in St. Louis, Missouri. William J. McKee was one of the first conductors on the Old Fort Wayne railroad. Mr. and Mrs. Bell are the parents of one daughter, Miriam De Frain, born January 25, 1899.
McHATTIE It would be an interesting occupation, if one were so inclined, to compile statistics showing the proportions of Americans, descendants of parents and ancestors of different nationalities, who have, to put it in American phraseology, "made good" in their respective lines of endeavor. Certain it is that such a bold comparison would not be to the disadvantage of those who claim parentage
164
PENNSYLVANIA
originating in the British Isles, most surely not to the embarrassment of Scotch descendants. Traditionally a race in which acquisitory instincts were strongly developed, the Scot has ever been depicted as anxious to earn and reluctant to part with worldly goods. In various forms of literature, mainly the novel and the drama, this tendency has been exaggerated and distorted until the impression held by the proletariat was that a Scotchman on his native soil represented the height of close-fisted parsimony. In modern days this impression has, of course, been dispelled, and those of that race are known as industrious and diligent laborers in the cause of advancement of any nature, material, spiritual, mental, or moral, and of those of that nationality whom America and the United States have had the opportunity of receiving on their shores, the great majority have brought forth works of benefit to their adopted land and which honor the country that gave them birth.
(III) It is of a family of that race that this chronicle tells, Peter McHattie having been born in Scotland, where he was educated and where he learned and followed the trade of tailor. During a life spent in industri- ous pursuit of his trade he acquired a comfortable competence, and in the evening of his life he and his wife, Isabella (Frazier) McHattie, came to the United States to live for their remaining days, at the home of their son James, who had preceded them to this country, and in his home, sur- rounded by all the comforts that could be provided by a loving son, both breathed their last, and are buried in Sewickley Cemetery. Both were devoted members of the Presbyterian church, with which they had affiliated in Scotland. They were the parents of: I. Isabella, married William Russell; died near Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. 2. Elsie, deceased; married John Probert, and lived in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. 3. Ellen, married Lyman Woodworth, deceased, and lives at Mckeesport, Pennsylvania. 4. Jessie, married Thomas Tracy; died at Mount Washington, Pennsylvania. 5. Jean, died in Scotland before attaining maturity. 6. George, of whom further. 7. James, died near New Galilee, Pennsylvania. 8. John, moved to Michigan, after which all trace of him was lost. 9. Peter, a retired farmer, lives near Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. 10. William, lives retired at Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. 11. Adam, a resident of California.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.