USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 16
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see forward; Edward, a blacksmith in Warren county, Ohio; Martha Jane, married James Tyley, and resides in Pittsburgh; an infant of one year, and a recently born child died at the same time as the mother of the children. Mr. Davis had learned the trade of millwright and mechanic in his native country, and was nineteen years of age when he emigrated with his parents. He was a man of large stature, being almost six feet tall, very broad shouldered, with a deep chest and unusually well-developed muscles. He became a roller in the iron mills in Pittsburgh, and was noted as being the best worker in this line during his time.
(III) William F. Davis, eldest child of Thomas and Elizabeth (Not- tingham) Davis, was born on Saw Mill Run, then Temperanceville, a part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1849. He attended the public schools, and was but eight years of age when he lost his mother, and four years later his father entered the Union army. He and his brother and sister were placed in an orphan asylum, his father paying for their support, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. They remained in this institution two years, at which time the father married a second time, his wife being Mary Hargraves. When Mr. Davis was twelve years of age, he was taken from the asylum by his stepmother and lived with her six months, in East Liverpool, Ohio, after which he was with a farmer in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, for a period of two years. He then found employment as a riverman on the Allegheny river, between Oil City and Pittsburgh, remaining for two years. Three years were spent as light tender on the steamer "Belle," under Jim Conners; three years for W. F. Logan, in Allegheny township, Armstrong county, Penn- sylvania; three years working in the orchards of the Hon. I. F. Mans- field, in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, after which he removed to Des Moines, Iowa. Returning to Cannelton, Pennsylvania, he was employed in the coal mines, at intervals, until 1907. In 1892 he pur- chased a small farm near Cannelton, erected a house and barn on this heavily timbered land, cleared it for farming purposes, and has lived there since that time. He is a man of great executive ability, was a leader in the Coal Miners' Union, and president of the local order. He and his wife were members of the Baptist Church, and Mr. Davis has served as clerk of the finance board of that institution.
Mr. Davis married, August 14, 1875, Sarah Ann Beresford, born in Devonshire, England, May 18, 1857, died September 26, 1909. She was a daughter of William and Mary (Hall) Beresford, both natives of Devon- shire, where he was a coal miner. In 1867 he emigrated to America with his family, made his home at Cannelton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and resided there until his death, his occupation during this time having been that of a miner. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have had children: John, born March 7, 1877, a coal miner, married Ida Serfoss; Thomas, born July 11, 1880; William, born August 30, 1884; Joseph, born February 29, 1888; Samuel, born January 29, 1890; Eva Rebecca, born February 26, 1899.,
James He Bragr
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BRAY Of the five children of the Bray family of Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, there is only one living at the present time, Eliza. The following chronicle is concerned with the career of her brother, James Henry Bray. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 23, 1842, son of Irish parents whose home was in that city. In obtaining his education he never attended the public schools, but was instructed under the Rev. Smith, of the Penn Institute, a private institution. Here, while the surroundings that make for the true democracy of the public schools of our county were lacking, he obtained an excellent edu- cation under a learned and gifted instructor. His first business experience was in the employ of the Allegheny Valley Railroad Company, where he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War. He tendered the company his resignation from the place he then held in its services, which was, however, refused, the board of directors of the corporation decreeing that any who should leave the company's employ to enter the army of the United States would find their positions awaiting them upon their return from the front. He immediately enlisted in Company F, Forty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served throughout the entire war. He was in active service all of this time with the exception of three months spent as a captive in the Confederate prisons, Libby and Belle Isle. Of strong and active frame, his incarceration in no way in- capacitated him for service, and after his release he speedily rejoined his regiment. Although he never held rank in the regiment, his comrades of the line were often inspired by the fortitude and courage he displayed under the most severe fire, and, encouraged by the bravery of his example, were strengthened to withstand the terrific hail of death they often faced. At the close of that memorable four years struggle that saw liberty triumphant over the land he resumed his position as an ordinary citizen in the employ of the Allegheny Valley Railroad. In 1874 he left the service of this company and purchased fifty acres of land in Industry township, Beaver county, erecting substantial buildings and in other ways improving his newly-acquired property. Here he resided until his death, December 20, 1912, cultivating his land and rearing his family amid the healthful and uplifting influences of country life. Since the casting of his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, when that martyr was a candidate for re- election, he ever supported the Republican party. He held the thirty-second degree in the Masonic Order, was a Knight Templar, and belonged to Syria Temple, at Pittsburgh.
Mr. Bray married, in 1868, Barbara Catherine Barth, a native of Germany, daughter of Jacob Barth. She came to the United States with her parents when ten years of age, her father dying in New York, her mother remarrying and moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where her death occurred. Children of James Henry and Barbara Catherine (Barth) Bray: I. Emma Adeline, died in infancy. 2. Fred E., a civil engineer of Pittsburgh, a graduate of Lehigh University. 3. Blanche A., lives at home.
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4. Oliver S., died aged thirty-one years. 5. William L., an engineer in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was killed when the train he was driving was wrecked. 6. Edna G., lives at home. 7. George Garfield, a clerk in the Pennsylvania Railroad offices in Pittsburgh, married Emma Shuck and has two children, Blanche A. and John Frederick. 8. Charles, a civil engineer, lives at home. 9. Grace M., married Paul B. Allen, and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To his large family James H. Bray was a kind and loving father, and in their memory, as in that of his widow, who will ever mourn his loss, will remain the impression of his tender and affectionate love.
Tarentum, Allegheny county, is the part of Pennsylvania that
DAVIS was the original home of the branch of the Davis family herein chronicled, and it was from this locality as a center that William Davis, grandfather of Robert Charles Davis, of this record, con- ducted his oil operations. He was an oil well contractor on an extensive scale, owning and leasing much productive property and was a prominent figure in the industry all through the state. Shrewd and conservative in judgment, most of his ventures were crowned with success, and he became possessed of a moderate competence. He married and became the father of the following: 1. James, died at Irwin, Pennsylvania; was a veteran of the Civil War. 2. William, died at Tarentum, Allegheny county, Penn- sylvania; was a Civil War veteran. Mary Ann, deceased; married Henry Truby. 4. Lizzie, deceased ; married Eli Hemphill. 5. John C., of whom further. 6. Hannah, died unmarried.
(II) John C. Davis, fifth child and third son of William Davis, was born in Tarentum, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Here his early life was spent and his education obtained, and when a young man he began operations in the oil field. He possessed much of the ability in this line that had marked his father's career and from the start his business dealings met with favorable fortune. He made Beaver county his first field and by 1870 his interests in that region had become so firmly established and were in such regular operation that he enlarged his field and moved to Fairview. Here he was engaged in business for several years, when he severed all his connections with oil producing industry and retired. He made his home in Allegheny, where he was proprietor of a livery, and was for some time an official at the penitentiary. When the War of the Rebellion broke out he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regular Pennsylvania Volunteers, as a private, and fought in every battle in which his regiment, which was part of the eastern army, engaged. In April, 1863, he received a second lieutenant's commission, which he held until his honorable discharge at the close of the war. He was a Republican in politics, never an office holder, and a Presbyterian in religious faith. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Davis died in Allegheny and his wife died at the home of her son, Robert Charles, with whom the last days of her life were spent.
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Mr. Davis married Helen, daughter of Robert and - (Kissick) Gilliford. Robert Gilliford was a member of an old New England family, was there a farmer, and on coming to Tarentum purchased a house and there lived retired, becoming the owner of considerable property in that place. Children of Robert Gilliford: 1. George, a farmer, died in Kansas. 2. Helen, of previous mention, married John C. Davis. 3. Elizabeth, mar- ried Thomas Humes, a farmer of Butler, Pennsylvania. 4. Nancy, married Rev. J. C. Evans, and died in Nebraska. 5. Harriet, married Alexander Esdon, deceased ; lived in Kansas. 6. Robert H., a physician of Allegheny. 7. Allie, deceased ; married Charles Pillow. 8. Martha, married Dr. Thomas Galbraith, who went to California in 1849, at the time of the gold discovery, and was very successful in his search for the precious metal, accumulating a considerable fortune. Children of John C. and Helen (Gilliford) Davis: Robert Charles, of whom further; Frank L., a blacksmith, lives in the west.
(III) Robert Charles Davis, eldest of the two sons of John C. and Helen (Gilliford) Davis, was born in Tarentum, Allegheny county, Penn- sylvania, January 18, 1857. He attended the public schools of his birth- place and completed his studies at the academy there located. During the first few years of his business life he engaged in teaming, hauling oil from the new wells opened in the vicinity. After his marriage he rented and cultivated his father-in-law's farm for about seven years, in 1890 moving to Fairview and establishing a general store. Here he still continues, and although at the beginning of his enterprise his place of business was small and unpretentious, his increased trade and growing custom have made necessary a store carrying a complete line of general merchandise, as well as all commodities needed by the farmers of the region, feed, harness and farm implements. He has recently, in connection with the management of his business, begun farming operations on his father-in-law's farm, an occupation to which he has been for a long time unaccustomed, but in which he has had considerable experience. He is a Republican in political sympathy, and with his wife is a member of the United Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Davis married, July 7, 1881, Ida Olive, daughter of Silas and Mary (Reed) Moore. Silas Moore, son of William Moore, a pioneer of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, was a native of Beaver county, and there lived all his life, born June 1, 1820, died March 2, 1913. He was a land owner and farmer, noted throughout the county for the excellent grade of horses he bred and for his fine sheep. He was a Republican and promi- nent in public affairs and served the township in the capacity of supervisor. He and his family were members of the Four Mile United Presbyterian Church. He married Mary, daughter of William Reed, an early settler of Ohio township, likewise a native of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, who died August 29, 1894. They were the parents of ten children, of whom six died when under ten years of age. The others are: 1. Mary, married
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Thomas Shane, deceased 2. Agnes. 3. Jennie. The three above men- tioned live on the home farm, Agnes and Jennie, both unmarried. 4. Ida Olive, of previous mention, married Robert Charles Davis. Child of Robert Charles and Ida Olive (Moore) Davis, Zelia, died aged twelve years.
ROBERTSON The parents of John Robertson, of Washington county, Pennsylvania, were among the pioneer settlers in that section of the state of Pennsylvania, and bore their share bravely in the upbuilding of that region. John Robertson was born in Washington county, and was educated in the district schools of that day. He was a farmer by occupation, and about 1820 located in Hanover township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he followed this calling until his death, November 16, 1862. He married Elizabeth Shillito, whose father, George Shillito, had served as a soldier during the War of 1812. He boarded the students of the Service United Presbyterian Seminary when the country roundabout was still primeval forest. Dr. Anderson was teacher and preacher at the time. Mr. Robertson and his family were members of the United Presbyterian Church, and he supported the Re- publican party. He had children: George Louis, Alexander Allison, see forward; Margaret ; Nancy, Samuel Shillito, Jane, William Wallace.
(II) Alexander Allison Robertson, son of John and Elizabeth (Shil- lito) Robertson, was born in Raccoon township, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, September 24, 1823, died May 5, 1912. He attended the public schools at Service, and at a suitable age was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade, which he did under the supervision of General John S. Little, of Hookstown. He was obliged to abandon this trade when he took charge of the home farm for his parents, and since that time he has been engaged in general farming. He has a farm of one hundred and thirty-seven acres, on which he has erected all the necessary buildings. He has been a Republican for twenty-one years, and is now a member of the Prohibition party. He has served as a school director and as a member of the board of road commissioners. For the unusually long period of half a century he has served as an elder in the Service United Presbyterian Church. He married, in October, 1849, Margaret, born December 24, 1830, daughter of Richard Calhoon. Margaret (Calhoon) Robertson is still living, making her home with her son George S .; also the sister of Mr. Robertson, Mrs. Mehaffy, resides with him. A. A. Robertson had chil- dren: I. Sarah Calhoon, married, February 20, 1870, Joseph Mehaffy, a merchant, who died December 27, 1912; children: Lily Dixon; Frederick Ardon, married Sadie Fulton, of Butler county, Pennsylvania, and had. children: Byron Allison, Arthur, Joseph Harold and Frank Fulton. 2. George Shillito, see forward.
(III) George Shillito Robertson, son of Alexander Allison and Mar- garet (Calhoon) Robertson, was born September 3, 1854. Until the age of twenty-two years he was occupied solely with agricultural pursuits, and
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then took up undertaking in connection with his farm work. In his under- taking business he attends to a considerable clientele. He keeps a full equipment and is a certified embalmer, having taken his instructions in Pittsburgh. He cultivates the farm in Hanover township, near Mechanics- burg, for general products, and has been very successful. He has been a member of the Service United Presbyterian Church with his family for many years, and is a strong supporter of the Prohibition party. He has filled very capably the offices of township commissioner and of road commissioner. Mr. Robertson married, June 26, 1879, Mary Effey Brunton, of Salem, Illinois, daughter of William and Cynthia (Morris) Brunton, natives of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and Salem, Illinois. Children: Claudie Oscar, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, married Emma Barow, of East Liverpool, Ohio; Maggie May, deceased; Allison Eldon, deceased.
ROBERTSON The Robertsons of Scotland are members of the Clan Donnachaidh, or Duncan, so called, it is said, from Duncan, its founder, a descendant of the earls of Athol. He was born about 1275, and inherited from his father, Andrew, a portion of the earldom of Athol, and was the first of the lairds of Struan or Strowan. He was an adherent of Robert Bruce, and entertained and protected that king and his queen when in hiding after the defeat at Methven in 1306. The clan has distinguished itself in many wars, and is said to have saved the day at Bannockburn. Many distinguished men in Europe and America are descended from the Robertsons of Struan. After the Scottish rebellions many Robertsons fled to Ireland, whence they or their descendants came to America. For the most part these were engaged in agriculture. They have been energetic and progressive, and have engaged in industrial pursuits greatly to the benefit of the country.
(I) John Robertson, the first of the line under discussion here, was born in Scotland, and died in county Tyrone, Ireland, whither he had migrated.
(II) William Robertson, son of John Robertson, was born in Tivaney, county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1753, died in 1791. He married Margaret Denny.
(III) Matthew Robertson, son of William and Margaret (Denny) Robertson, was born in county Tyrone, Ireland. He and his wife and children were captured by the British during the War of 1812, and were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he died at the early age of thirty- seven years. His widow, Rebecca, with her children: William, Archibald, James and Margaret-later removed to near Coshocton, Ohio, where, al- though she had but limited means, she contrived to keep her family together and raise them up to be good and useful citizens.
(IV) Archibald Robertson, son of Matthew and Rebecca Robertson, was born in county Tyrone, Ireland. He came to America with his parents during the War of 1812, when they were taken to Halifax as above related.
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He was but a few years old at this time, and received his education in the public schools of Ohio, walking four miles to the nearest school. This was held in a small log cabin with oiled paper in lieu of window panes. He was early apprenticed to learn the millwright's trade, in which he became proficient, and at the age of twenty-four years, in 1829, built a steam paper mill at Beaver Falls and operated it until 1849. He then erected a water power mill of the same kind at Adamsville (a part of Beaver Falls). He retired from active business life two or three years prior to his death which occurred July 1, 1871. He was prominently in the public eye in political matters, representing his section in the state senate in 1851-52, and was collector of internal revenue, 1866-67-68-69. He and his family were members of the Presbyterian Church. He married Ann Ray Baker, of Baltimore, and they had two daughters and four sons.
(V) William (2) Robertson, son of Archibald and Ann Ray (Baker) Robertson, was born in Old Brighton (Beaver Falls), Beaver county, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1844. He received his education in the public schools of New Brighton, and at Duff's Business College, in Pittsburgh. Upon the completion of his education he entered the employ of Scott & Company, as clerk, they being coal shippers at Clinton, Pennsylvania. His next position was with the Pittsburgh Hinge Company, at Beaver Falls, this later becoming the Baker Chain Company, and in 1900, the Standard Chain Company, located in Pittsburgh, Mr. Robertson becoming assistant treasurer, and in 1903 treasurer of this corporation, and still holding that office. In 1907 he and his son James L. engaged in the clay shipping bus- iness, their plant being located in Dougherty township, just outside of New Brighton. The family home is also in that location, but from 1891 to 1903 they resided at Bellevue, Pennsylvania. Mr. Robertson married, November 12, 1868, Harriet W. Wendt, of South Side, Pittsburgh, who died September 26, 1911. They had three children: Anna R., married E. W. Arthur, of Cheswick, Pennsylvania; Margaret, married J. E. Douglas; James Lovejoy, unmarried. The family attends the Presbyterian Church.
The family to which William Shannon, of Beaver county, SHANNON Pennsylvania, belongs, traces its family residence to Ire- land, the garden spot of the British Isles. The home of the emigrant ancestor was on the banks of the river Shannon, but whether the family derived its surname because of its close association with the river, or the latter was named from the family, is uncertain. However, it is from that locality that the American ancestor came, and it is highly probable that some such relation existed between the name of the family and that of the water-course.
(I) Robert Shannon, the father of William Shannon, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1799, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1868. His youthful life was passed in the
Mr. & Mrs. William Shannon
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locality of his birth, and after his marriage, which was solemnized in Butler county, made his home in the region north of Pittsburgh. In 1828- 29 he came to Beaver county and purchased one hundred and six acres of land in Big Beaver township, continuing in his life-long occupation, that of farming. The farm was partially cleared and was graced with a log structure occupied by the former owner. Mr. Shannon's first improvement was the erection of a barn to shelter his live stock, and after the completion of that work he finished the task of removing the timber and underbrush from the land. By the time this was accomplished he felt the need of a new dwelling and caused a substantial frame building to be raised to take the place of the cabin that had been the home of Mr. Shannon's predecessor in possession. Before his death he had acquired two adjoining farms, one of fifty and the other of ninety acres area, and had both under profitable cultivation. He was a Democrat in political faith, although not a public servant, and was, with his wife, a member of the United Presbyterian Church. He lies beside his wife in the Rocky Spring Cemetery, finishing out with her his earthly residence in the body, while their spirits are joined in the land of eternal day. He married, in Butler county, Pennsyl- vania, Nellie Miller, born February 28, 1797, died in Beaver county, Penn- sylvania, January 9, 1876. Children of Robert and Nellie (Miller) Shannon: I. Jerusha, born August 12, 1820; married John Dillan; died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 2. Aaron, born June 3, 1825, died in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. 3. Joseph, born November 27, 1826; a farmer ; married Eliza Jane Beatty ; died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 4. Samuel, born September 25, 1828; a farmer of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he died. 5. Nellie, born June 15, 1830; married Levi Dillan; died in Big Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 6. Robert, born September 19, 1831; a farmer of Big Beaver township, where he died. 7. Mary, born October 2, 1834; married William Baker, a farmer; died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 8. George, born October 1, 1836; a farmer of Kansas; died in that state. 9. Rachel, born November 22, 1838, died young. 10. William, of whom further.
(II) William Shannon, youngest of the ten children of Robert and Nellie (Miller) Shannon, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on the farm where he now lives, October 4, 1840. He was educated in the public schools of Big Beaver township, and by experience on the home farm was fitted for the life of a farmer, which he has since followed, with the exception of three years devoted to the cause of the Union. He enlisted on June 20, 1861, in Company K, Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves. Among the battles in which his regiment was actively engaged were Dranes- ville, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Charles City Cross Roads, Bethesda Church, Malvern Hill, Groveton, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericks- burg, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anne River, and Tolopotamy, in all of which he participated. He was taken prisoner by the enemy at the battle of Fredericksburg and for
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twenty-eight days was confined in Libby Prison, but after that time was placed under less strict guard, and in the following April was exchanged, returning to his regiment in the latter part of that month. After his return from the front he assumed the management of the home farm and upon the death of his father inherited the place of one hundred acres. He has prospered in the various operations that he has undertaken, mainly general farming and stock raising, and has added to the property be- queathed him, now having one hundred and eighty acres. On this property he built, in 1890, a spacious barn, well-lighted and ventilated, in which his stock is surrounded with the most healthful of conditions, their quarters being warm and snug in winter and as cool as the outside temperature will permit in summer. In 1908 he remodeled his house, making it still more comfortable and convenient than in its former condition. A Democrat in political action, Mr. Shannon has served the township as school director, supervisor and judge of elections. He is a member of the Union Veteran Legion.
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