USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 47
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Mr. Cowan married, November 26, 1888, Martha I., born in New Alexandria, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph El- liot, a farmer, who died in 1901. He was twice married, his first wife dying when Mrs. Cowan was very young. Mr. and Mrs. Cowan have had one son: Dwight Elliot, born December 30, 1889.
WALKER The name of Walker claims an almost unrivaled position in the rolls of our nomenclature, reminding us of the early fashion of treading out the cloth before the adaptations of machinery were brought to bear on this phase of the craft. Walker has disappeared as a term of trade, and the bearers of the name are to be found in many lines of industry and in many professions, and it is in the directories alone that the name declares the forgotten mysteries of early English cloth manufacture.
(I) Francis W. Walker was born in England, where he became a manufacturer of lace. In 1844 he emigrated to the United States with his family, as his health had become impaired, and it was thought a change of climate might prove of benefit. He settled on a farm in the state of Michigan, where his death occurred at the age of sixty years. He and his
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wife, who was a devout Methodist, had children: Francis W., of further mention ; George; a daughter.
(II) Francis W. (2) Walker, son of Francis W. (1) Walker, was born in England, and was nineteen years of age when he came to this country with his parents. For some years he lived on the farm in Michi- gan, where he learned the flour milling business, and about the year 1850 he removed to New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Ten years later he removed to Industry in the same county, where he operated a flour mill until 1865. In that year he removed to Wheeling, West Virginia, but was there but a short time, when his flour mill was destroyed by fire. He returned to New Brighton in 1867, found employment in the selling de- partment of a milling machinery company, and held this position until liis death. He affiliated with the Republican party, was a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and his wife was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He married, in New Brighton, in 1853, Minerva Cairns, born in Beaver, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1827, died in October, 1909. They had children: Francis William, of further mention; George L., died at the age of seventeen years; Alfred C., has a drug store in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, married Matilda Walters; Ettie V., married A. M. Lichtenberger, and lives at Lakewood, Ohio. Mrs. Walker was a daughter of William and Ellen (Morrow) Cairns, of Industry, Pennsyl- vania, where the former was the proprietor of a sawmill and a dealer in lumber. He and his wife were earnest and devout members of the United Presbyterian Church. He was a strong supporter of the Republican party, and was at one time sheriff of the county, and also held the offiec of associate judge of the county. They had the following children: Jane, married a Mr. Riley; Margaret, married a Mr. McGaffick; Ellen, married James Duff ; Eliza, married T. P. Irwin and is the only one living ; Addie, died single; Leander; Alfred, died in the service of his country during the Civil War; Minerva, previously mentioned, married Francis W. Walker. Mr. Cairns was more than eighty years of age at the time of his death.
(III) Francis William Walker, son of Francis W. (2) and Minerva (Cairns) Walker, was born at Industry, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1865. He attended the public schools of Industry, New Brighton and Kenwood until he was eighteen years of age, then entered the drug business, serving his apprenticeship in the store of R. L. Kenah, in New Brighton. Subsequently he studied pharmacy in the Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy, now a part of the University of Pittsburgh, and was graduated from this institution in the class of. 1882. He had previously purchased a drug store in New Brighton, which he conducted until 1888, when he sold it. In 1887 he organized the Beaver Falls Art Tile Company, com- mencing this enterprise as a limited partnership and in a small way. As the scope of the company broadened it was necessary to make a change in this arrangement, and in 1906 it was incorporated, the officers being : J. M. May, president ; T. S. White, vice-president; Francis William Walker,
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secretary, treasurer and general manager. They manufactured enameled and wall tile, and have about one hundred and twenty-five employees. They have a branch office in New York City, and their trade connections are all over the United States and Canada. Mr. Walker lived in New Brighton until 1906, when he moved to Patterson Heights, four years later building his present residence, in which he has been residing since that time. He is connected with a large number of other business enterprises, among them being the following: President of the Beaver County Building and Loan Association; director in the Beaver County Trust Company ; president of the Robert Rossman Company, of New York City, importers of tile; vice-president of the American Sewer Pipe Company; member of the Beaver Valley Country Club; president of the Manufacturers' Asso- ciation of Beaver County; president of the Conservation Association of the The Chenango and Beaver Valleys.
Mr. Walker married, April 25, 1882, Lelia Frances Gould, born in Athens county, Ohio, daughter of George T. and Minerva (Brown) Gould, the former a manufacturer and contractor. Children: I. Hilda Minerva, married Robert Cooper Vandevort, cashier of the United States National Bank; lives in Aberdeen, Washington; they have children: Lelia Frances and Robert Cooper Jr. 2. Francis William Jr., was graduated from the Pennsylvania State College, in mechanical engineering, and took a post- graduate course at the University of Illinois in ceramic engineering; he is now superintendent of the Beaver Falls Art Tile Company. 3. George Gould, attending the Pennsylvania State College, where he is taking a course in mechanical engineering.
The name of Bentel is one of fairly frequent occurrence in BENTEL the state of Pennsylvania, the original bearers of it in this country having come to America from Germany. They brought with them the energy, industry and thrift characteristic of the German nation, and their descendants have inherited these traits in rich measure.
(I) Frederick Bentel came from Germany and settled in Harmony, Pennsylvania, later removing to Zelienople, same state. He was a clock maker by trade, but he also devoted considerable time to the trade of black- smithing, being highly proficient in both lines of work. He was a Lutheran in religion, as was also his wife, name unknown, who bore him five children, namely: Eckart, Jacob, Catherine, -, married George Albert ; Eranius.
(II) Eckart Bentel, son of Frederick Bentel, was born, it is believed, in Butler county, Pennsylvania. He was a merchant of that county, highly successful in his undertaking. He married (first) Sarah Pollett, who bore him seven children: Thornley, Amelia, Frederick, Eckart, Hannah, Mary, Sarah. He married (second) Jane S. Philipps, who bore him nine children: Garrett T., Grant M., Eranius E., Addie, Bessie, Charles W., Wilhimina, Grant, an infant who died unnamed. After the death of Mr.
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Bentel his widow married (second) William Strutt who is now deceased : no children by this marriage.
(III) Charles W. Bentel, son of Ekart and Jane S. (Philipps) Bentel, was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1861. He attended the public schools of his native county, acquiring a practical education which thoroughly equipped him for the active business career with which he has since been identified. Upon leaving school he found employment of various kinds in mercantile life, and about the year 1883 started in this line of business independently at Zelienople, Butler county, Pennsylvania. He followed this for about seven years and then removed to Rochester, same county, and established himself as a merchant there. Subsequently he went to the west for a time, then returned to Rochester, where he again established himself as a merchant, this time in the meat and grocery line, and has now been successfully engaged in this for a considerable period of time. Mr. Bentel is a Republican in his political views, and a consistent member of the Baptist Church. He married, in 1893, Stella E. Stidham, and has children: George A. and William S.
GRAY The Gray family, now ably represented in Beaver county, Penn- sylvania, has been identified with various interests here for some generations, and came to this country from Ireland.
(I) Robert Gray was a native of Ireland, and came to this country with his wife and children. He married Martha - , and had children : Boyd; James E. McM., see forward; John; William; Thomas; Elizabeth, and Matilda.
(II) James E. McM., son of Robert and Martha Gray, was a farmer near Brownsdale, Butler county, Pennsylvania. He married Eliza Kirk, and had children: Boyd, see forward; Mary Anna ; Emilie J., and Sarah J.
(III) Boyd, son of James E. McM. and Eliza (Kirk) Gray, was born in Petersville, Butler county, Pennsylvania, October 23, 1831. He was educated in the public schools of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and fol- lowed the occupation of farming. He was a Republican in political mat- ters, and a member of the Methodist church. He married, June 23, 1857, Mary Anna, born May 6, 1834. They had children: Eliza Martha, born April 15, 1858, died February 20, 1893, on the homestead, where she had been living with her husband, E. D. McCormick; James B., born December 29, 1860; William Boyd, see forward. After the death of Mr. Gray, his widow married (second) Hugh McCormick, and had children: Mary E., born July 20, 1870; and Gertrude M., born in March, 1876.
(IV) William Boyd, son of Boyd and Mary (Anna) Gray, was born at Petersville, Butler county, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1862. He was educated at the Nickson Schoolhouse, No. 5, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and then attended the academy at Rayne. Upon the completion of this portion of his education, he was engaged in the drug business for a time, then became identified with work in the oil fields for a period of fifteen
ComButel
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years, leaving this in 1900. He then went to Washington, D. C., where he matriculated at the National College of Osteopathy for Physicians and Surgeons, and was graduated from this institution January 1, 1907. For about one year he practiced his profession at Renfrew, Butler county, then removed to Beaver county, February 20, 1908, where he has acquired an extensive and lucrative practice. He resides at No. 1428 Eighth avenue, Beaver Falls, where his office hours are from eight until twelve, and he has other office hours in Beaver, from one to five and from seven to nine p. m. He is an independent in his political opinions, and will not allow himself to be bound by party ties. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Woodmen of the World. His wife is a member of the Methodist church.
Dr. Gray married, February 20, 1900, Melinda Jane, born December 23, 1864, a daughter of Joyce and Angeline (Seaton) White, and they have had children; Hazel Angeline, born December 22, 1901; and Mary Anna, born in September, 1909.
The Barry family, of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, has been
BARRY prominently identified for some generations with the growth and prosperity of the county in various directions. Coming to this country originally from Ireland, they brought with them the numerous admirable traits which characterize the natives of that land, and have trans- mitted them in rich measure to their descendants.
(I) Charles Barry, who was born in county Down, Ireland, came to this country with his wife about the year 1830. He made his home for the space of one year in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, then. removed to Beaver county, in the same state. There he purchased a farm of one hun- dred and five acres, and devoted the remainder of his life to the successful cultivation of this piece of property. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church, and he gave his political allegiance to the Democratic party. He married in Ireland, Anna Jardine, and had the following named children : Eliza, married James Marks, and lived in Beaver county ; Jane, married Zachariah Hall, and also lived in Beaver county; Ellen, married William Johnston, and lived in Hopewell township, Beaver county; Mary, married Joseph Cooper; Michael, see forward; Esther, married Charles Johnston, and is the only one of these children now living; Martha, married Colonel Mowry, and lives in Monaca, Pennsylvania ; John, died unmarried at the age of twenty-eight years; James, married Elizabeth Phillis.
(II) Michael, son of Charles and Anna (Jardine) Barry, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1831. He was educated in the public schools of Moon township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and after some years of general business experience, engaged in business as a con- tractor. In this he was very reasonably successful, but in 1850 he aban- doned this for a time and went to the gold fields of California. There he amassed a considerable fortune, and upon his return to his native county
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purchased a large farm and also resumed his contracting business. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church, and he is a Democrat in politics. Mr. Barry married Margaret Reed Spence, born August 3, 1842, a daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Reed) Spence, of Illinois. They had children : Ella W., married J. H. Searight, and lives in Beaver, Beaver county ; Wilbert, unmarried, and lives out west ; Alfonso, married, and lives in Oakland, California; Anne Elizabeth, born October 7, 1868, married P. A. Troutman, and lives in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania; John Calvin, see forward; Philip, born March 31, 1871, married Anna Licy, lives in Cora- opolis, Pennsylvania ; Mary, twin of Philip, married Frederick Meany, and lives on the old farm in Beaver county; Sarah Johnston, married C. L. McCoy, and lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
(III) John Calvin, son of Michael and Margaret Reed (Spence) Barry, was born in Hopewell township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1869. He acquired his education, which has been a sound and practical one, in the public schools of Beaver county, and supplemented it by close observation and well-selected reading. In his youth he assisted his father in the cultivation of the farm, then engaged in the building and general con- tracting business, with which he has been closely identified since that time. He has gained a reputation for faithful and careful attention to all the details of a contract, and his reliability has gained him a large class of patronage. He resides in Beaver since 1906, where he is the owner of a pleasant home at 435 East End avenue. In political matters he is an inde- pendent, preferring to form his own opinions and not have them laid out for him. In religious matters he is a Presbyterian. He married, Novem- ber 16, 1902, Cora, daughter of Charles and Augusta Staub, and has had children: Elizabeth and Catherine.
ANDERSON The name of Anderson is one frequently met with, both in this country and in England. It was very probably derived from Andrew's son, at the time it was found necessary to adopt surnames.
(I) John W. Anderson was a native of Scotland and emigrated to America, where he settled in Brighton township, Beaver county, Pennsyl- vania, and followed farming all his life. He married Margaret Anderson, born in Ireland in 1791, who came to America in 1798 on the ship "North America," Captain Caswell commanding. They had children: Louisa, de- ceased; James, deceased; John, died in Andersonville Prison; William, of further mention ; and Mary, deceased.
(II) William Anderson, son of John W. and Margaret (Anderson) Anderson, was born in Brighton township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1830, and died April 8, 1891. In his earlier years he assisted his father in the cultivation of the homestead farm, then learned the saddler's trade. During and prior to his enlistment as a soldier during the Civil War, he was engaged in the manufacture of heavy harness for the United States
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Government, for use in the cavalry regiments. He enlisted, September 6, 1862, in Company A, Seventeenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was discharged for disability, March 15, 1863. Upon his return to Beaver county, he en- gaged in the promotion of oil and clay mines, and was identified with these interests until his death. Mr. Anderson married (first) Elizabeth J. Beacom, and had children: Margaret, Agnes, Robert and Lola J. He married (second) Mary Beacom, a sister of his first wife, and had children: Carrie E .; Mary; William S., of further mention.
Robert Beacom, father of Mrs. Anderson, was born in Brighton town- ship, Beaver county, April 1, 1807, and died February 19, 1876. His death occurred on the same farm on which he had been born, and on which his entire life had been spent. He married (first) Elizabeth Wilson, who died in 1841, having had children: Elizabeth J., born in 1832, married William Anderson, died in 1864; Mary; William. He married (second) Elizabeth Alexander, born in 1801, died in 1886. No children by this second mar- riage.
(III) William Stafford Anderson, son of William and Mary (Beacom) Anderson, was born in Beaver, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, September 25, 1871. He was educated in the public schools of his native town, then attended the high school. For a time he was then a clerk in the freight department of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Company, and then spent a number of years as a traveling salesman. In 1894, in association with George Robinson Bovard, he established a retail grocery business in Beaver, which they conducted successfully until 1904. They then engaged in the real estate business under the firm name of Bovard & Anderson, and they met with decided success. They negotiate mortgages, loans and in- surance of all kinds, on both improved and unimproved property. The large clientele which this business now has is a proof of the satisfactory methods of business employed by these two young men, who have gained a reputation for probity and reliability of which any man might well feel proud. Mr. Anderson, who was formerly a Republican and then a Pro- gressive, is an independent voter, and has the courage of his convic- tions. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and of the following or- ganizations : St. James Lodge, No. 456, Free and Accepted Masons; In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows; Sons of Veterans. Mr. Anderson mar- ried, December 9, 1896, Jessie Stafford, a daughter of Milo R. and Emma (Weyand) Adams, and they have had children: Isabelle, born June 5, 1901 ; Adams, born January 10, 1903; Marion, born November 17, 1907.
The Anderson family of this review have been resident ANDERSON in the state of Pennsylvania for a number of genera- tions, and they have amply proved their worth as patriotic and desirable citizens.
(I) James Anderson was a native of Ireland and upon coming to this country settled near the Four Mile Church. Later he came to Beaver
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county, Pennsylvania. He was a stone mason and bricklayer by trade.
(II) William Anderson, son of James Anderson, was born in Beaver, Pennsylvania, in 1816. At a suitable age he was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a number of years, then branched out into the contracting business, in which he was very successful. He married Mary Barclay, whose father, Thomas Barclay, was a native of Ireland, and settled near Four Mile Church, and was a large land owner. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson: James Thomas, of further mention; Minta D., married Edward Dosh, of Guthrie Center, Iowa, who died in December, 1910, and she is still living there.
(III) James Thomas Anderson, only son of William and Mary (Bar- clay) Anderson, was born in Beaver, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1853. The public schools of that section furnished him with an excellent education, and when he left them at the age of sixteen years, he worked in the employ of an uncle on the farm until he was twenty years of age. He then formed a connection with Harton & Tallon, contractors and builders, of Beaver, and while with them learned the carpenter's trade. After re- maining with this firm for a period of fifteen years, he determined to estab- lish himself in business independently, and in furtherance of this idea formed a partnership with Thomas Brown, the business being conducted under the firm name of Anderson & Brown for four years, and after this Mr. Anderson carried it on alone for about one year. He then formed a partnership with Frederick H. Cook, the firm name being Anderson & Cook, this continuing until 1914, when the business was incorporated under the style of The Cook-Anderson Company, Mark K. Anderson, a son, being admitted to the firm. The business consists of a lumber yard, plan- ing mill, builders' supplies, etc. Among the numerous buildings erected by this company may be mentioned the following: Methodist Episcopal Church, United Presbyterian Church and Buchanan Building, of Beaver; Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Passenger and Freight Station, a four story building, and other stations of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Com- pany; Federal Title & Trust Building, at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania; churches and school houses at Rochester, Pennsylvania. Mr. Anderson is a Republican and was one time borough auditor of Beaver, Pennsylvania. He has acquired a tract of twelve acres of land on Dutch Ridge Road, where he built himself an ideal home, and is practically living in retire- ment there.
Mr. Anderson married, November 1, 1882, at Pittsburgh, Rose B., a daughter of Henry and Martha Kinsey, of Georgetown, Pennsylvania, and they have had children: June E., married Walter M. Goettman, treasurer of the Rochester Tumbler Works, and they have one child, Rose Mary, born December 1, 1913; Hazel L., married Allen Stittler, and died May 24, 1912; Dosh, a carpenter with the Cook-Anderson Company; Mark K., mentioned above; Mary, died young; Lois, was graduated from the Beaver high school in 1914.
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Among the families worthiest to be mentioned in this ANDERSON history as early settlers, home builders, developers and producers of the agricultural wealth of the country, and people of fine personal integrity and influence as citizens, is that of Ander- son, a name now to be met with in many sections of the country.
(I) John Anderson, the first of the line herein recorded, married Elizabeth Bigger.
(II) Benjamin Anderson, son of John and Elizabeth ( Bigger) Ander- son, was born June 25, 1773, died December 4, 1818. He married, De- cember 25, 1798, Mary Campbell, born January 17, 1779, died July 22, 1845. She was a daughter of John Campbell, born August, 1753, died February 23, 1824, a son of Mary Campbell, born September 9, 1703, died February 17, 1795. He married, March 22, 1778, Alice, born January 27, 1758, a daughter of Robert Huey, who was chaplain of an English war ship.
(III) Benoni Anderson, son of Benjamin and Mary (Campbell) Anderson, was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 27, 1819, died November 27, 1874. He was a merchant and farmer in Allegheny and Beaver counties. He married, in October, 1841, Jane McElhaney Thom- son, born May 21, 1815, died March 21, 1845, a daughter of Alexander and Jane (McElhaney ) Thomson; granddaughter of William Thomson, a Revolutionary soldier ; great-granddaughter of Alexander Thomson; and granddaughter of George and Martha (Stringer) McElhaney. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had children: Alexander Thomson, of further mention; Mary E., married John M. Springer; a child which died in infancy.
(IV) Alexander Thomson Anderson, son of Benoni and Jane Mc- Elhaney (Thomson) Anderson, was born in Independence township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1842. He was educated in the public schools, after which he was engaged in business as a merchant, and also conducted an extensive real estate business, in which he achieved decided success, in Beaver, Pennsylvania. He is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Anderson married Susanna C. Duncan, born August 26, 1839, and they had children: L. Luella, married William Harper, and has: Mary Luella and Eleanor; Harry Duncan, of further mention; Benoni, born May 29, 1873, died in early youth; Laura B., born May 3, 1878, married William W. Hamilton and had one child, Eleanor, who died aged two years.
Mrs. Anderson is a daughter of John Duncan Jr., born in 1798, died in 1876. He married, in 1824, Jane Smith, born in 1805, died in 1861, a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Scott) Smith, the former born in 1757, the latter born in 1763, died in 1858. John Duncan Jr., was a son of John Duncan Sr., who was born in 1768, died in 1850, who married Eliza- beth Moreland, born in 1771, died in 1803, and a grandson of Alexander Duncan, who married, in 1756, Susanna Wilson. John and Jane (Smith) Duncan had children: Elizabeth, born near Florence, Pennsylvania, March
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