USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 11
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(V) William Carl Elder, D.D.S., son of John Stewart and Sarah Ellen (Stewart) Elder, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Penn- sylvania, September 9, 1875. He attended the Blue Ridge District School, near his home, then the Greersburg Academy, from which he was graduated. He next matriculated at the department of dentistry, University of Indian- apolis, and was graduated from this institution in 1901 with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Shortly after his graduation, in association with his college room-mate, Michael William Taylor, he opened an office at East Liverpool, Ohio, and they practiced together for a period of two years. Mr. Elder was then the mail carrier on the railroad from Darlington, Penn- sylvania, for two years, and in 1906 he opened an office for the practice of
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dentistry in Darlington, Pennsylvania, and has been very successful in his chosen profession. He has taken an active interest in the public affairs of the community, affiliating with the Republican party, and has served as burgess of Darlington and as justice of the peace. He and his wife are members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He married, October 4, 1911, Olive Gertrude Taylor, born in South Beaver township. They have no children.
Mrs. Elder is the daughter of Samuel S. and Rachel Elizabeth (Conkle) Taylor. The former was a grandson of William Taylor Sr., born in Ireland, who emigrated to America and settled in what is now Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer. William Jr., son of William Tay- lor Sr., was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, where he married Mary Ann Smith, also a native of that county. They had children: Alexander, who was colonel in a Pennsylvania regiment during the Civil War, at the close of this struggle became a minister of the Methodist Church; Samuel S., see forward; Wilson, died in Andersonville Prison; Sarah Jane, died at the age of twenty-four years; Mary Ann, died at the age of nineteen years; Eliza, died at the age of twenty-five years; Albert, a soldier during the Civil War, died in Colorado. Samuel S., son of William and Mary An ( ith) Taylor, was born in Beaver county, lied in 1903. At the outbreak of tlie Pennsylvania in February, 18
Civil War he enlisted in the One Hundred and First Regiment Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry, and served for three and one-half years. He was in Andersonville Prison for a short time and was then exchanged. After the war was over he resumed his farming operations on his farm of one hundred acres in South Beaver township, and remained there until his death. He had a well earned reputation as an auctioneer at country sales, and was largely interested in money dealings in connection with oil leases. He was for many years justice of the peace of South Beaver township. He married Rachel Elizabeth Conkle, born in South Beaver township in 1842, daughter of Michael and Sarah (Todd) Conkle, see forward. They had children: Mary, married Frank Hays; Sadie D., married Joseph Rossell; Dr. C. C. Taylor, married Flora Dawson, and resides in East Rochester ; Michael W., who died at the age of thirty-seven years, married Edith L. Calvin; Olive Gertrude, married William Carl Elder, D.D.S., as above stated; H. M., unmarried, a dentist in Rochester, Pennsylvania ; Essie G., and Eva J., unmarried; Emma J., married Walter E. Duncan, and lives in Rochester, Pennsylvania.
Michael Conkle, the maternal grandfather of Olive Gertrude (Taylor) Elder, lived in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and was a farmer all his life. In later life he removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, where his death occurred. He was a very active member of the Methodist Church, holding the office of steward, and was noted for his ability to conduct prayer meetings at the homes of the members of the congregation. He was one of the leading spirits in the organization of
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the Brush Run Methodist Church. He married Sarah Todd, and had children : Susan, married T. Huffman; Rachel Elizabeth, married Samuel S. Taylor, as above mentioned; Rev. J. H., now living retired in New Waterford, Ohio, having resigned from his pastorate after service as a Methodist minister for half a century; Mary, married Hugh Chain, lives in New Waterford, Ohio; John, deceased; Lula, married D. W. Moore, and lives in East Palestine, Ohio; Calvin K., lives on his farm in Ohio, mar- ried (first) Jessie Burt, (second) Della Bradshaw.
PARK Commercial and industrial activity is the life of a community, and the wheels of trade continue over the road to success. The man or men who found and keep in successful operation extensive business interests, wherein are employed many workmen, does much more for the substantial and permanent development of a city than he who enriches it by mere gifts of money. The Park family, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, belongs to the former class.
(I) William Park, the first of whom we have record in this county, came from Cookstown, Ireland, 1790, and was landed at Philadelphia. In that city he learned the trade of a stone mason, and was occupied with this until 1796, when he removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the latter city he pursued his trade for a tine, then branched out into the contracting business and erected a number of houses in Allegheny county. He settled in McMairstown, now Wilkinsburg, and still later purchased a farm in Penn township, Allegheny county, where his death occurred at a ripe old age. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and in Ireland had joined the Order of Knights Templar. He married, and had children : John, James, David, see forward; William, Robert, Thomas, Jane.
(II) David Park, son of William Park, was a wagon maker by oc- cupation. After his marriage he settled in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny county, later removed to East Liberty, in the same county, and about 1844 to Beaver township. He purchased a farm in Sewickley township, about one mile from Freedom, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He married Ann Hamilton and had children: James, see forward; George; William; John; David; Theodore; Elizabeth, married Hiram Phillip; Mary, married Rev. John Brown.
(III) James Park, son of David and Ann (Hamilton) Park, learned the trade of wagon building from his father, and was thus occupied for many years. He also engaged in the lumber business in Freedom, in which enterprise he was very successful. He married Emily McDonald and had children: Wliliam A., John H., George I., see forward; Anna.
(IV) George I. Park, son of James and Emily (McDonald) Park, was born in New Sewickley township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 5, 1871. He acquired his early education in the public schools of his native township, and upon leaving these entered upon his business career with the Park & Park Stone Quarry Company, at New Galilee, and with
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this concern he rose to the position of superintendent. He then went to Conway in order to assume the duties of superintendent of No. 2, of the Park Fire Clay Company, then to the No. 3 Works, and from there to Brady Run. He was next transferred to Kenilworth, West Virginia, re- maining there for a period of two years. From there he went to Galilee. For a time he had attended the Theological College at Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, then went to the Spencerian Business College in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as superintendent of the Monaca Brick Works, a branch of the Pennsylvania Clay Company, and later, in the year of the Beaver Centennial celebration, established himself in the real estate bus- iness. He does not act as a real estate broker, but buys and sells inde- pendently, and also builds many houses and sells them. He also established the Carpet & Rug Company of Rochester, which he sold in 1905. In 1900 he established, in association with Mr. Mahan, the Rochester Furniture and Auction Company, which is in a flourishing condition, with a volume of business of constantly increasing proportions. He is the owner of a fine residence in Beaver at the corner of East End avenue and Third street. Mr. Park is also a stockholder in the Beaver County Telephone Company. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he is a member of the Presbyterian Church. As a business man Mr. Park has earned the respect and esteem of all with whom he has had dealings, and as a citizen he bears the highest character. He is devoted to his family and friends, and has done much to contribute to the general welfare of the community. Mr. Park married Ola, daughter of Dr. Robert Kennedy, in 1901, and they have children : Mary, born 1903; Olive, 1904; William, 1905.
The United States ranks today as the foremost nation GISHBAUGHER of the modern civilized world. It has served as the melting-pot of the best characteristics of all other nations and the outcome is a fine, sterling American citizenship, consisting of strong and able-bodied men, loyal and public-spirited in civic life, honor- able in business, and alert and enthusiastically in sympathy with every measure tending to further the material welfare of the entire country. The great empire of Germany has contributed its fair quota to the up- building of this great nation and among its representatives in this country are to be found successful men in every walk of life, including the pro- fessions as well as the prosperous farmers and business men. The Gish- baugher family, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, is no exception to this rule. While the family is only in its third generation in America, they have made their mark in various directions, and have proved themselves men of sterling worth in the communities in which they reside.
(I) Michael Gishbaugher, who was born in the Kingdom of Baden, Germany, in 1833, died in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, September 22, 1905. His early years were spent on the farm on which he was born, and on which he worked until he was twenty-four years
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of age, at which time he decided to emigrate to America. He arrived at Philadelphia, going from this city to Lowell, Mahoning county, Ohio, and worked there in the iron furnaces for a period of two years. He then re- moved to Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he found employment in the Freeman Butts coal mine, and his connection with this was uninterrupted for thirty-five years. He purchased one hun- dred and fourteen acres of land one mile east of the above mentioned mine, and resided on this property until his death. In addition to his mining labors he oversaw the cultivation of his farm, the actual work being done by his sons. In personal appearance he was of medium height, very corpulent, and of great strength. Fifteen years prior to his death he opened a coal mine on his own land and this is still in excellent operation. He and his wife were members of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Gishbaugher married Clara Kremer, born in 1832, in Germany, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1901. Her parents lived near the Swiss border, where her father was a molder by trade and employed in iron works. His widow came to America about 1850, settling in Darling- ton township, Beaver county, at the foot of Mansfield's Hill. She brought her children with her and they lived in a log cabin. Her children were : Anna, married Adam Lebbard, and lived in Canton, Ohio; Eve, Anton, Lawrence and Christian, moved to Putnam county, Ohio, where they lived on farms; Clara, who married Mr. Gishbaugher, as above stated. Mr. and Mrs. Gishbaugher had children: Mary and Kate, died unmarried in 1909; Christian, married Irene Nicely, and lives in Darlington township; Clara, married Philip Krause, and lives in Butler, Pennsylvania; Anna, died January 28, 1896; Jennie, married Edward James, and lives in New Brighton, Pennsylvania; Michael J., see forward; Maggie, married Louis Smith, and lives in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania; Sarah, died at the age of ten years; Ella, died when nine years of age.
(II) Michael J. Gishbaugher, son of Michael and Clara (Kremer) Gishbaugher, was born in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, April 21, 1871. He was born in a house at the Butts Coal Works, and attended the Oakdale district school. He was sixteen years of age when his father bought the home farm, on which Mr. Gishbaugher now lives, and for a period of ten years Michael J. drove a mule in the coal mine. He then commenced working on the farm for his father, an occu- pation with which he was identified until the death of the latter. When this death occurred, Mr. Gishbaugher, together with his sisters, Mary and Kate, bought the interests in the farm from the other heirs, and now Mr. Gishbaugher has acquired the sole right to this property. He owns ninety- four acres of land, which he cultivates to its fullest extent, making a specialty of raising large crops of potatoes. He also operates the coal mine on the farm with a marked degree of success. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party, and he is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
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Mr. Gishbaugher married, January 1, 1894, Margaret Bratny, born in Cannelton, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1867, daughter of James and Catherine (Cochran) Bratny, the former of whom died in September, 1906, the latter May 12, 1911. She was born in county Cork, and he in county Sligo, Ireland. He was eighteen years of age, she nine years of age, when they emigrated to America with their parents, and they both grew up in the city of New York. James Bratny drove an omnibus in that city for a time, then removed to Cannelton, where he was a mule driver in a coal mine for many years. Later he bought a farm on which he resided until his death. They had children: Margaret, mentioned above as the wife of Mr. Gishbaugher; Benjamin and Thomas, twins, the latter em- ployed as a digger in the coal mines; Mary, died at the age of two years. Mr. and Mrs. Gishbaugher have had children: Michael, born December 5, 1895 ; William, March 23, 1896; Leo, February 29, 1898; Paul, September 18, 1899; Joseph, October 29, 1901 ; Catherine, September 15, 1903; Louis, June 24, 1905; Leonard, January 28, 1907, died in March of the same year ; Clara, March 11, 1908; Helen, March 14, 1910.
The Duff family was founded in this country by John and
DUFF Ann (Wallace) McIlduff, of Scotch-Irish extraction, who came from near Belfast, Ireland, about 1775, and settled on land near what is now known as Export, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the farm still in the possession of some of their descendants. It is a matter of some difficulty to trace all the lines uninterruptedly, as during the early disturbances in this country many valuable church and other official records were lost or destroyed by the various enemies of the new- comers in this land. The Indians were particularly destructive, as they burned whenever the opportunity arose. There appears to be no doubt, however, that all bearing the name of Duff have this common origin.
(I) Oliver Duff came with his family to Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, probably from Westmoreland county direct, or pos- sibly from the edge of Allegheny county, about 1798-99, and purchased four hundred acres of land. One of his great-grandchildren, William J. Duff, now resides on a part of this tract. Oliver Duff died in 1799, leaving four sons, and he left his estate of four hundred acres to the following: James; William, see forward; Robert; John, who settled in Chippewa township, Beaver county.
(II) William Duff, son of Oliver Duff, lived and died on his share of the estate left by his father. He and his brother Robert took an active part in the War of 1812, and he received a patent for one hundred and twenty acres of land in the state of Kansas, as payment for his services in this conflict. He and his family were members of the Seceders' Church. He married Esther Caughey, of Irish extraction, whose family came to Beaver county from Westmoreland county. Mrs. Duff was a very young girl when her mother died, and she had many interesting experiences to
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relate of her girlhood days. When she and her father came to Beaver county, that section was practically a wilderness, and they went before the others of the family in order to prepare a home for them. They settled in South Beaver township, and set about constructing a log cabin. They were obliged to live in this even while it was in course of construction, as the wolves and other wild animals, then infesting the woods, made life very dangerous, and it was frequently a matter of difficulty to keep the wolves at a respectful distance. William and Esther (Caughey) Duff had children: Sarah, married David Wallace, and lived in Muskingum county, Ohio; Ellen, married Archibald McNair, and lived in Mercer county ; Samuel C., see forward; Mary, died unmarried; Eliza Jane, never married ; Esther, married Joseph Bayless, and lived in the state of Kansas.
(III) Samuel C. Duff, son of William and Esther (Caughey) Duff, was born on the homestead farm in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, October 22, 1822, died December 1, 1907. His entire life was spent on the farm on which he had been born. He was not a man of much physical strength, but he was possessed of wonderful powers of endurance, which enabled him to hold his own against difficulties which would have overcome many other He became the sole owner of the farm by purchasing the rights of his sisters, and cultivated it to advantage. He preferred to lease the coal rights under the farm rather than assume the responsibilities of personal operation. He was an ardent advocate of Republican principles, and served as township assessor. He and his wife were members of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. Duff married Emma C. Wilson, born in Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1825, died in February, 1908, daughter of Robert and Mary (McCune) Wilson, the latter born in Guernsey county, Ohio, daughter of Captain William McCune, who was an active participant in the War of 1812. Robert Wilson was born in county Down, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in early manhood. Later he removed with his family, about 1831, to Muskingum county, Ohio, where he owned a farm. They had children: William, Joseph, John, Samuel, James, Andrew, Maria, Martha, Emma C., married Samuel C. Duff, as mentioned above; Margaret, Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Duff had children: William J., see forward; Mary J .; Olive, married John Beight, lives in Mahoning county, Ohio, has three children: Catherine, Paul, Doris.
(IV) William J. Duff, son of Samuel C. and Emma C. (Wilson) Duff, was born in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, November I, 1876, on the farm on which he now resides. He and his sisters attended the Hartshorne district school, from whence they went to the Academy at Darlington, and were graduated from this institution. In 1913 Mr. Duff had a fine brick residence erected on the homestead, in which he and his sister, Mary J., now live. Up to the present time the entire life of Mr. Duff has been spent on the homestead, which is owned jointly by his sister and himself, neither of them being married. They are members of the United Presbyterian Church at Darlington, and Mr. Duff takes a deep interest
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in all public matters concerning the welfare of the community, and does his best to further community interests. He gives his political support to the Republican party.
Robert Watt, who was born in county Down, Ireland, emigrated WATT to America with his family in 1824. For a time he made his home in Quebec, Canada, then lived in Ontario for a short time. In 1825 he purchased one hundred and thirty-five acres of land in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and spent the remainder of his life there. The journey from Canada to Pennsylvania was made by wagon, and was a long and tedious journey. He and his family belonged to the Presbyterian denomination. He married Isabella Donahue, also born in county Down, Ireland, and they had children: George, who went to Mississippi, where he was a wealthy planter, receiving three hundred and fifty thousand dollars indemnity from the government for the loss he i:ad sustained by the army of Sherman during the Civil War; Hugh, was also a planter, seven miles from Vicksburg, and died during the progress of the Civil War; William James, a physician, who died in Selma, Alabama ; a daughter who died in Ireland; Reuben, see forward; a daughter, who mar- ried, and died at the age of ninety years in the state of Iowa.
(II) Reuben Watt, son of Robert and Isabella (Donahue) Watt, was born near Dungarvan, Ireland, January 1, 1812, died December 5, 1885. He was twelve years of age when he came to America with his parents, and after they had settled in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, he attended the district schools in the township in which they lived. After the death of his father he purchased all the interests of the other heirs in the home- stead farm, and in 1863 he traded it for a grist mill on Little Beaver creek, on the boundary line between Darlington and South Beaver townships. Jesse Martin had been the previous owner. The mill has been operated in the name of Watt since that time and has earned a widespread reputation for the quality of the flour it turns out. Mr. Watt was a staunch Republican and a strong Abolitionist. He served for a quarter of a century in the office of justice of the peace, and for more than forty years was connected in official capacity with the local school board. He married Sarah Ann Aylmer, born in Queenstown, Canada, in 1818, died in 1906, daughter of Thomas Aylmer, who with his wife, both natives of England, emigrated from that country to Canada. He was the father of a large family, and after the death of his wife, removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he also settled in South Beaver township. His children moved to the larger river section of Pennsylvania, where several of them purchased an entire township, while the others became merchants. The mail service at the time was not in its present well ordered condition, and in the course of time the Watts and the Aylmers lost trace of each other. Mr. and Mrs. Watt had children: Thomas, see forward; James, lives with Thomas and assists in the mill operations; George, a carpenter, lives in North Gales,
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Arizona; Samuel, lives at Tombstone, Arizona, and works in a gold mine ; Isabella, married Robert Gilchrist, now deceased, and lives in Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Margaret Ann, keeps house for her two brothers, Thomas and James, on the homestead. George and Samuel left their home in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1879, and have been prospecting in Nevada, Colorado and Arizona since that time.
(III) Thomas Watt, eldest child of Reuben and Sarah Ann (Aylmer) Watt, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1841. He was educated in the Johnson School near his home. August 28, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, One Hundredth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out, July 26, 1865, an honorable and creditable record. He was in Grant's army throughout the war, and was in the Ninth Corps at the siege of Vicksburg. He was wounded in the shoulder by a bullet, June 17, 1864. At the conclusion of the war he went to Iowa, and spent somewhat more than a year in looking about the country. He then returned to his father's mill, in the operation of which he assisted until the death of his father, since which time he and his brother James have operated it together. That the mill has a reputation of its own is evidenced by the fact that people come from hundreds of miles to have their flour ground there. The buckwheat flour they turn out has an especial reputation of its own. Mr. Watt's sister and brother are mem- bers of the Covenanter Church of Darlington, and he is a member of the United Presbyterian Church at East Palestine, Ohio. He is a Republican, and he and his brother have filled a number of township offices. Mr. Watt is not married.
WOODRUFF The Woodruff family is an old one of Connecticut, the branch in Western Pennsylvania having been introduced into that section by Jemuel Woodruff, born in Hartford, Connecticut, who, deciding to leave New England, the family home for several generations, loaded the more valuable of his possessions into a wagon, attached thereto one horse, all of his live stock that he retained, and with his wife made the journey to Rochester, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, where he died in 1900, at the advanced age of ninety-six years. In this county he engaged in furniture making, at one time being the pro- prietor of a factory devoted to this industry, and was also an undertaker, discontinuing both of these businesses at the time of the gold discoveries in California, when he joined the westward rush in search of sudden riches, a desire only realized in small part. He married Julia Ann Oatman, born in Connecticut, in 1810, died in Rochester, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, about 1897. Children of Jemuel and Julia Ann (Oatman) Woodruff : Ellen, died in 1910; George Elmer, of whom further) ; Alden, died about 1898. During nearly all of his mature years Jemuel Woodruff held member- ship in the Masonic Order, and at the time of his death was one of the oldest Masons in the United States.
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