USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 24
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 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
(V) Dr. Joseph Henry Baker, son of George (3) and Emeline (War- nock) Baker, was born in New Sheffield, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1864. He passed his early life on the home farm in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and after preliminary studies in the public schools entered the medical department of the University of Western Pennsylvania, whence he was graduated, M. D. in the class of 1893. Soon after receiv- ing his degree he established in practice at Rochester, Pennsylvania, where he was a well known and active physician for eighteen years, in 1911 moving to Woodlawn, Pennsylvania, his present residence. Dr. Baker's professional career has been characterized by the influence his warmly sym- pathetic nature has had upon his actions, for none in need of medical care and attention was ever refused admission at his office, nor was he ever called in vain. He is a physician of high rank, a ceaseless student of all modern discoveries that affect his profession, and is regarded with respect and deference by his medical brethren. He owns property in Rochester, that at No. 150 Madison street. Dr. Baker and his wife are members of the Rochester Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Baker married, in 1884, Adda Luella, daughter of Arthur (de- ceased) and Angeline (Meaner) White. Children: I. Hazel, educated for the teacher's profession in the Slippery Rock State Normal School, a teacher in the public schools of Rochester and Woodlawn. 2. Joseph De Witt, a
Baker- 01.2.
739
BEAVER COUNTY
graduate of the Woodlawn high school, class of 1914. 3. Lawrence W., a student in the public schools.
WHITE (V) Thomas Howard White, son of Chamberlain (q. v.) and
Sarah M. (Elliot) White, was born in Beaver, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1873. Until the age of sixteen years he attended the public schools of Beaver Falls, and his life was the usual one of a boy living in a city of moderate size. He then obtained a posi- tion in the Art Tile Factory, where he learned to make and decorate tiles, and followed this occupation until he was twenty-one years of age. He then organized and built the White Steam Laundry, operating this in Beaver Falls, with a large and constantly increasing custom for a period of twelve years. The public offices held by his father had always been of the greatest interest to Mr. White, and he had frequently assisted him in some of his detective work, showing marked ability along these lines. In 1908 he was appointed as a policeman at Woodlawn, Pennsylvania, and after holding that position for one and one-half years was appointed, in 1910, a patrolman on the Beaver Falls police force. His work in this capacity was of a very efficient character, and in the spring of 1913 he was advanced to the rank of a lieutenant, an office he is filling very capably at the present time. He is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, and takes a deep interest in whatever concerns the welfare of the com- munity.
Mr. White married, September 15, 1893, Ella Blanch Devine, born in Pittsburgh, daughter of Henry and Rebecca Devine, the former now living in Beaver Falls. Henry Devine was a shovel maker, and for thirty years was in the employ of the H. Myers Shovel Works, in Beaver Falls ; he is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. White have had children: Medora; Howard; a child who died at the age of six years; William; Minnie; Janet.
WEIR The branch of the Weir family treated of in this review, while only in the United States a few generations, has amply proved its worth to the country both in public and in private life.
(I) James K. Weir, the first of the family to become a resident of this country, was born in Ireland, and died in 1866 while living in New Galilee, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He was taken to Scotland when two years of age and educated there, and was still very young when he emigrated to the United States. He settled at New Galilee, and was a traveling salesman for a number of years. During the Civil War he served as postmaster of New Galilee. Mr. Weir married Margaret J. Johnston, born in Middletown, Ohio, November 17, 1833, and there the marriage took place. Her parents were Germans and early settlers in Middletown, where they died. After the death of Mr. Weir, Mrs. Weir married (sec- ond) Thomas M. Miller, lived in succession in Enon Valley, New Galilee
1
740
PENNSYLVANIA
and Homewood, and died at the home of her son, Charles David, in Beaver Falls, in November, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Weir were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he was a Democrat. They had chil- dren: Thomas A., deceased; William Ashford, died at the age of two years; Charles David, of further mention. By the second marriage there were: Sarah E., married Lucien Beaner and died in Beaver Falls; Harriet Luella, died at the age of nineteen.
(II) Charles David Weir, son of James K. and Margaret J. (Johnston) Weir, was born in New Galilee, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, August 26, 1861. He received a good education in the public schools of Enon and New Castle, and attended the high school in New Castle. He then took up the study of telegraphy and upon its completion entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, with whom he remained nine years. At the end of this period he opened a restaurant at the corner of Eleventh street and Seventh avenue, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, which he conducted for twenty years. He had a substantial building erected, twenty-two by one hundred feet, and this was equipped in the most modern manner. The cuisine of this establishment was of a superior character and the service of most excellent quality. It enjoyed a large patron- age and was a most successful undertaking. In August, 1911, Mr. Weir entered the service of the Pinkerton Tobacco Company, of Toledo, Ohio, and retains this position up to the present time. His territory covers western Pennsylvania and southern Ohio, comprising twenty-three counties al- together. Mr. Weir has always been a staunch supporter of the Republican party, and has served three terms as auditor of Beaver Falls. He resides at No. 720 Thirty-fourth street, Beaver Falls, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His fraternal membership is with the Royal Arcanum and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Weir married, in September, 1892, Mary E. Hickman, born in Beaver Falls, daughter of Jerry and Catherine (Loomis) Hickman, the former born in Ohio, the latter in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. They settled in Beaver Falls, where he was a blacksmith and stationary en- gineer, and died in 1876, the mother being still living. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Weir were Levi and Alice Ann (Webster) Hick- man, residents of Ohio. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Weir were Daniel and Elizabeth (Sweezy) Loomis, old residents of Beaver county, who came there from eastern Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and a paper manufacturer, and came originally from Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Weir have had children: Willard J., a student in Beaver Falls high school; Clare D .; Helen T., who died at the age of two years; Fay I.
The early descent of the Russells and their derivation from
RUSSELL the Du Rozels, of Normandy, has been traced by Mr. Wiffen, in his "Historical Memoirs of the House of Rus-
741
BEAVER COUNTY
sell." The name comes from one of the fiefs which the first Christian of that surname possessed, anterior to the Conquest of England, in Lower Normany, in the ancient barony of Briquebec. Among the early settlers of New England and Virginia were many bearing the name of Russell, but from what part of England they came, or to what particular family they belong, there is no reliable record.
(I) Of the branch herein recorded, there is no authentic information dating back further than William Russell, one of the earliest residents of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, who lived and died on a farm near Smiths Ferry. He was quiet and unostentious in his manner of life, shunning the public eye, married and became the father of eight children: James; Hugh, of whom futher; William; John; Calvin; Susan, married Daniel Braden, and died in Indiana; Sarah Ann, married David Calhoun, and died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania ; Eliza, married - Childs, and died in the west.
(II) Hugh Russell, son of William Russell, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, died there in 1893. He followed the occupation of his father, that of farmer, and spent his entire life in Beaver county. Before the dawn of the era that brought us the forefather of our modern express he was a stage driver, his route being from Bridgewater, Penn- sylvania, to Lisbon, Ohio. A Democrat in politics he was an earnest worker for the interests of that party in local affairs. He married Nancy, born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in September, 1824, died there in November, 1885, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Phillis) Campbell. Samuel Campbell was a native of Ireland and came to the United States prior to the War of 1812-14 in which he participated as a private in the American army, receiving a severe wound in the thigh. He married Rebecca, daughter of Charles Phillis. The latter in 1792, settled on Phillis Island, in the Ohio river. He built a block house and a distillery on the mainland, the site now a part of the James Bray farm. He was a large land owner and a man of importance in the community. He died while on a trip to Ohio, the circumstances attending his death giving rise to the suspicion that it had not occurred from natural causes. Samuel Campbell and Re- becca, his wife, lived on a farm of fifty acres inherited from her father, where she died in 1862. His death took place in 1874, when he was nearly ninety years of age. Children of Samuel and Rebecca (Phillis) Campbell : I. Alfred, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. 2. Harrison, died in Louisiana. 3. Charles, died when eight years of age. 4. Elizabeth, married Joseph Ammon, both deceased. 5. Rebecca, married Thomas Russell, both deceased. 6. Nancy, of previous mention, married Hugh Russell. Children of Hugh and Nancy (Campbell) Russell: 1. Sarah Ann, born 1842; mar- ried William Metzgar; lives in Wellsville, Ohio; child living, George T. 2. Rebecca, born 1844; lives with her brother, Samuel Charles, in Industry. 3. John Alfred, a farmer of Industry township, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania; married Amelia S. Gebhart; five children: Ford R., married Ola
742
PENNSYLVANIA
Althar ; Bessie L., deceased; Etta May, deceased; Charles H., married Martha Cristler and they have one child, Helen Elizabeth; Samuel C. 4. Samuel Charles, of whom further. 5. James W., born 1858, died aged three years.
(III) Samuel Charles Russell, second son and fourth child of Hugh and Nancy (Campbell) Russell, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1849. He attended the public schools and spent his early life on his father's farm. He chose agriculture as his life occupation, and in 1882 purchased a farm of sixty-three acres in Industry township, and has there ever since resided. He has erected a comfortable dwelling thereon and there he and his sister, Rebecca, make their home, Mr. Russell never having married. He confines his operations to general farming, and is known throughout the locality for his uniform success in his farming. He is a Democrat in politics, and has held all the township offices, at the present time serving his fourth term as supervisor, mute testimony to the regard in which he is held by his neighbors.
RUSSELL The greater number of those bearing the name of Russell in this country trace their descent to Sir John Russell of England. This is probably the case with the branch under review in this sketch, although the connection cannot at the present time be established with certainty. James Russell was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, near the North Star Post Office, and was one of the pioneer farmers of that section. He married Rachel --- , and had children.
(II) James (2) Russell, son of James (1) and Rachel Russell, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the district school. He assisted his father in the cultivation of the farm of fifteen acres in Washington county until 1866, when he removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he located on a farm of one hundred and seventy-four acres in Independence township, which is now in the possession of his son. He repaired and remodeled the house which was on this land, and erected a number of smaller buildings. He was an active supporter of the Presby- terian Church. Mr. Russell married Mary C. Dunlap, also born in Wash- ington county, whose parents were among the pioneer settlers of that region. They had children : Daniel, died in infancy ; James Finley, died about 1908; Franklin, see forward; William, died at about two years of age.
(III) Franklin Russell, only surviving son and child of James (2) and Mary C. (Dunlap) Russell, was born in Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1863. He was but three years of age when his parents removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and there his school education was ac- quired. In association with his father he took up farming for some time, then engaged in the livery business in Midway and McKees Rocks. With this he combined horse dealing, and he has become an expert judge of horseflesh. About 1909 he returned to his farm, but has utilized it princi- pally for the breeding of blooded horses and fine breeds of Holstein and
Samuel L Russell
743
BEAVER COUNTY
Jersey cattle. He is now making a specialty of breeding fine driving horses, and altogether utilizes four hundred and sixty-seven acres. He is a member of the Democratic party, and has always given it his earnest support, but has never desired to hold public office. His religious affiliations are with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Russell married Nancy J., daughter of Jacob Figley, and has had the following named children: Perry M., married Blanche Davison, two children, Jeneveive and Carmaleta; James M., married Ethel Schoaler, two children, Ruth and Eugene; Martha Olive, married Earle McNamee, two children, Etta Jane and Dorothy; Earl D .; Jacob.
STOFFEL Jacob Stoffel, a prominent citizen of Ambridge, Pennsyl-
vania, is of German-American ancestry, his father having been a native of Germany, where he was born, and his mother a native of Harmony, Pennsylvania. John Stoffel, the father, was not only born in Germany, but was reared and educated and spent a con- siderable portion of his life in that country. He lived upon the river Rhine and there married his first wife, by whom he had two children, Christina and Michael, the former now Mrs. Wiffer, of Ohio, the latter deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Stoffel came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the early days, and later removed to Monroe county, Ohio, where they en- gaged in farming and where Mrs. Stoffel died. Mr. Stoffel later met Marie Miller, of Butler county, Pennsylvania, her parents were early settlers in that region, and to her he was married in Pittsburgh. By his second wife, Mr. Stoffel had seven children, Margaret, John, Frederick, Henry, Jacob, George, Marie.
Jacob Stoffel was born May 23, 1856, in Monroe county, Ohio, and was there reared up to his sixth year, when his family removed to Pittsburgh, where he received his education in the first ward school. Upon the com- pletion of his education, he entered a mercantile business, and on September 23, 1875, removed to old Economy, Pennsylvania, where, with the excep- tion of a few years spent in the west, he made his home until the year 1904. While a resident of this town, he engaged in the business of general con- tracting, and built up for himself a successful business. In 1904 he re- moved to Ambridge, and at the time of its incorporation was elected chief of police, which position he has since held. He has also been street com- missioner for the past two years. Mr. Stoffel's residence is at No. 1613 Church street, Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He occupies an important position among the citizens of Ambridge and is active in public affairs. He is a Republican in politics.
Mr. Stoffel married, 1881, Margaret Strobel, of Marshall township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and by her has had children, as follows: Nicholas, Hattie, Mary Elnora, deceased; Lottie, deceased; Anna, Myrtle, Clifford, deceased; Louis. Mr. Stoffel and his family are members of the Lutheran Church.
744
PENNSYLVANIA
This is an old Pennsylvania family of Holland descent, SHAFFER but as ancestral records have disappeared in the course of time it is a matter of considerable difficulty to trace the early history.
(I) - Shaffer was a native of Holland and emigrated to America at an early date. It is known that he settled in the state of Pennsylvania, but all further information is lacking.
(II) James Shaffer, son of the preceding, was born in 1804. He mar- ried Magdalene Kligensmith, of German descent.
(III) William Shaffer, son of James and Magdalene (Klingensmith) Shaffer, lived in various counties in Pennsylvania. He came from Westmoreland county in 1836, located in Lawrence county, then a part of Beaver county, lived for a time in Venango county, then returned to Lawrence county, where his death occurred. He was a farmer by occupation. He married Hannah -, and they had twelve children. Five of their sons-William K., Abraham, Jacob, John and -, were in active service during the Civil War, and Jacob and Abraham also served during the Mexican War. John Shaffer was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg.
(IV) William K. Shaffer, son of William and Hannah Shaffer, was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1838, died June 1, 1911. His education was a very limited one, being confined to attendance at school during a period of four months. By his own efforts, however, in his spare moments, all of which he devoted to study, he acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him to become a teacher in the public school, in which occupation he was engaged for many years. Intensely patriotic, as was the entire family, he enlisted as a private, September 30, 1861, being as- signed to the Eleventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. This regiment was engaged in scout duty until the last year of the war, during which it participated in all the battles which took place in the vicinity of Petersburg. Mr. Shaffer witnessed the memorable fight between the "Moni- tor" and the "Merrimac." The regiment of which he was a member lost more men then any other cavalry regiment in the service, and he was honorably discharged, August 13, 1865, with the rank of sergeant. Upon the close of the war Mr. Shaffer returned to Venango county, Pennsylvania, where he resumed his occupations of teaching and farming, and later re- moved to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. In 1889 he removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he located on a farm back of Beaver Falls, and in 1895 settled at Economy, Pennsylvania. While living in Venango township, Mr. Shaffer served as constable of that section, and as commis- sioner of Venanga county, and he was serving his second term as justice of the peace in Economy when he died. He and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Shaffer married, August 19, 1858, Sophronia Parker, born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, May 19, 1848. They had children: Albert; Scott; Calvin; Frank; Lorenzo Dow, of fur-
745
BEAVER COUNTY
ther mention; Lemuel; Juliet, married - Nicholas; Myrtle, married - Straub; Prinley; Clara.
William Parker, grandfather of Mrs. Shaffer, lived many years in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, and married Rebecca -, who was born in Scotland. Their son, also William Parker, father of Mrs. Shaffer, was born in 1800, died in 1864. He was master of a variety of occupations, being a cooper, carpenter, blacksmith and shoemaker. He was twice mar- ried, his second wife being Elizabeth Blosser, a widow, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Straw. Mr. and Mrs. Straw were Pennsylvania Dutch, and came across the Allegheny mountains by wagon, and were the owners of a large farm. William Parker and his first wife and their two eldest children were going by boat to Cincinnati. They had just seated themselves for a meal, and he had placed his money at the side of his plate, when the boiler of the ship blew up, and he never saw wife, children or money again. He then returned to Pennsylvania, and there married a second time. He bought a farm in Venango county and lived there until his death. By his first marriage he had three children: Elizabeth (Straw-Blosser ) Parker, died in 1882.
(V) Lorenzo Dow Shaffer, son of William K. and Sophronia (Par- ker ) Shaffer, was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1869. At an early age he was obliged to assist in the labors of the farm, and this left him but little time to acquire a school education. When he was but fourteen years of age he was already doing a man's work on the farm and assuming a man's responsibilities. When he had attained the age of seventeen years the entire family removed to Oil City, Venango county, and there for a period of one year he worked as a gardener. The family having settled at Sugar Creek, Ohio, the father established himself there in the grocery business, and there Lorenzo Dow assisted him for a time. He then went to the oil fields of Ohio with his brother Albert, and they were engaged in constructing derricks for one year. He then returned to Penn- sylvania, where he has been identified as a contractor in the same line, of business since that time. His work has been all around the city of Pittsburgh, and he has also been engaged to a considerable extent in building houses, in which he has also been successful.
Mr. Shaffer married, August 4, 1890, Anna McDonald, and they have children : George, Grace, William, Bernard, Irene. Mr. Shaffer is a staunch supporter of the Prohibition party, and he and his family are mem- bers of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church.
The Wilson family of Beaver county, in both generations
WILSON that have lived there, have been tillers of the soil. George Wilson, a native of county Fermanagh, Ireland, was a farmer in his home country, and on coming to the United States, about 1820, made that his occupation. Upon coming to Beaver county, he visited at the home of a friend, on the Ohio river near Industry, until he could find
746
PENNSYLVANIA
a suitable location on which to make his home. This spot he selected on the Tuscarroras road, but soon after settling there sold his property and purchased two hundred acres in Industry township. This was an ideal site for a home, situated in a sheltered ravine, close to a spring. He built a temporary log cabin residence, later replacing it with one of hewn logs, on the site of the present Wilson home. George Wilson was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and although he performed with punctilious care the duties of a good citizen, he always preferred to pay close atten- tion to his home affairs and to his family rather than to take part in public or political activity.
He married Elizabeth Lindsey, who was a native of Ireland, in which country they met and were married. Children of George and Elizabeth Wilson: I. Thomas, of whom further. 2. Catherine, married William Humphrey; both died in Ohio. 3. John, at one time county commissioner, died on the old homestead in Industry township. 4. Margaret, married William Sutherland; both died in Ohio. 5. James, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church; married Nancy White; died near St. Louis, Missouri. 6. George, a plasterer, died in Beaver county.
(II) Thomas Wilson, son of George and Elizabeth (Lindsey) Wilson, was born in county Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1811. After attending the public schools, he worked on his father's farm and in a few years relieved his father of the entire responsibility of its management. In addition to conducting operations on the home farm he purchased an adjoining tract and added to it a portion of the homestead as his personal property. Shortly after he purchased sixty acres more of the original property and was then the owner of one hundred and eighty-five acres of the best farm land in the region. This he cultivated with skill gained in the school of experience, and in the production of paying crops was very successful, his well directed and untiring efforts receiving a bountiful reward. One of the improvements to the property for which he was responsible was the erection of a substantial frame dwelling on the site formerly occupied by the structure built of logs. Nor was he only prominent in the community because of his success in agricultural operations, for in all the public affairs of the township he was a leading spirit. As a Republican he held the offices of supervisor and school director, and was intimately connected with all projects designed for the advancement of the township's interest. He was held in respectful regard by his fellow citizens as a man of unsel- fishness of purpose and openness of character, unassuming and modest, but of sterling worth and merit. In his home relations the true warmth and depth of his nature was keenly seen and felt. Loving and considerate as a husband, as a father he was affectionate and kind, honored, revered and loved with the purest of affection by all of his family. In them was his delight and pleasure and he could feel no keener joy than that which pos- sessed him at the sight of their happiness. With his wife he was a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church.
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.