USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > Genealogical and personal history of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 63
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
PERROTT In connection with the entrance of a family into a new land one pictures the pioneer father, refusing to dwell upon any gloomy forebodings and doubts that may assail his mind, cheering his wife and the mother of his family, comforting his children during a stormy night at sea, and in a thousand other sturdy, masculine ways bearing the brunt of the venture and keeping up the spirits of his little band.
The father of Thomas Perrott left Ireland, the land of his birth, and embarking on a none too seaworthy sailing vessel for a port three thousand miles distant, where he had neither kith nor kin, and you see before you
1062
PENNSYLVANIA
the bravest of men. It was not his lot to defy columned ranks of soldiers, it did not fall to him to fire a cannon in the heat of battle, nor did he lead a crusade for the ballot, but in the story of his emigration from his native land with his children, that they might enjoy the blessings of liberty and its concomitant opportunities, there is hidden the tale of true manhood and great service. He made his home at No. 107 Beaver avenue, Man- chester (now Allegheny), Pennsylvania. Here the children were carefully reared to manhood and womanhood, and there the mother, Sarah Perrott, died, at the wonderful age of ninety-seven years. That all of her children grew to be useful, honorable men and women is the highest tribute to the watchful and loving mother-care that guided their childish feet into the paths of right and duty. All honor to her memory.
(II) Thomas Perrott, son of - and Sarah Perrott, was born in Cork, Ireland, and as a child was brought to the United States by his parents, He attended school in Manchester when a boy, and in early manhood moved to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he married. One of his first busi- ness positions was as traveling salesman for a woolen goods house of Steubenville, Ohio. Resigning his position with this firm, he was employed by Matthew Elder, a woolen manufacturer of Darlington township, one mile south of Watt's Mills. After a few years residence in that locality he moved to Fallston and became a boatsman on the Erie Canal, running two boats, the "Banner" and the "Prairie State," between Pittsburgh, Mead- ville, and Erie. His next position was as toll-collector of the Fallstou bridge, in which capacity he was employed at the time of his death, 1866. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a Republican in all political action. He affiliated with the Episcopal Church, his wife being a communicant of the Presbyterian faith.
He married Mary Edgar, born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, who survived her husband several years, remaining a widow to her death. She was a daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Lusk) Edgar, both probably natives of Lawrence county, who moved early to Fallston, Beaver county, Penn- sylvania. He was a miller by trade and conducted a mill on the Beaver river, an occupation he followed until just prior to his death. Children of Samuel and Nancy Edgar: I. Mary, of previous mention, married Thomas Perrott. 2. Nancy, married James Duncan ; died in New Brighton, Beaver county. 3. Margaret, married William Reed; died in New Brighton, Beaver county. 4. Louisa, married Samuel S. McFerron. 5. Adeline, married George M. F. Fields; died in Philadelphia. 6. Robert, a merchant. 7. James, proprietor of a livery. 8. John, a follower of his father's trade, that of miller. Children of Thomas and Mary (Edgar) Perrott: I. John R., a machinist by trade; lives in Bucyrus, Ohio. 2. Nancy S., married Jacob B. Parkinson; died in Beaver Falls. 3. Sarah, married Jacob Ecki ; lives in Beaver Falls, her husband deceased. 4. James Duncan, of whom further. 5. Thomas, died in infancy. 6. Edgar, died in infancy. 7. Rich- ard, a member of the Beaver Falls firm, Howard Stove Company. 8.
1063
BEAVER COUNTY
Mary, lives unmarried at Beaver Falls. 9. Clara, married E. L. Hutchin- son; lives in Beaver Falls. 10. Jennie L., married I. W. Bollinger; resides in Beaver Falls.
(III) James Duncan Perrott, fourth child and second son of Thomas and Mary (Edgar) Perrott, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, March 3, 1844. He attended the Fallston public schools, and was first employed in the capacity of clerk by Duncan & Edgar, of Fallston, in whose employ he remained for the ten years be- tween 1860 and 1870. He was then made manager of a store in New Brighton, owned by R. B. Edgar, one of the members of the firm that was his former employer. He remained in charge of this venture only until it was in smooth running order and its organization complete, then returned to the employ of James Duncan, the other member of the firm, who commissioned him to open a store in Beaver Falls. This Mr. Perrott did, although the venture was not a success, the business failing in 1872. He then went to Newcastle and clerked in a store for the firm of Strit- mater Brothers & Johnson, for one year, returning to Beaver Falls and opening a dry goods department for H. C. and S. R. Patterson, in whose employ he remained until 1874. In that year he began independent busi- ness operations, opening a dry goods store on April I, his place of business being on lower Seventh avenue. In 1884 he moved to his present location, No. 1012 Seventh avenue, and has there ever since continuously engaged in business. The necessity for larger quarters was the motive of his change of location, and in his present store he caters to a large and steady patronage. General dry goods is still his main line, the scope of his wares being wide and varied. He is at the present time president of the People's Building and Loan Association, being one of the two original organizers who are still connected with it in any capacity. Mr. Perrott was for sev- eral years connected with the Howard Stove Company, as treasurer, he being one of the original organizers in 1884; the personnel of the com- pany were: Jacob Ecki, manager; Charles Walters, mechanical engineer. He was president of the Beaver Falls Improvement Company, which built the River View Street Car Line. He served on the borough council six years, 1890-96, and during that time the first brick paving was installed, and practically all of the paving done in Beaver Falls was done by that council. During James Buchanan's administration he carried mail between New Brighton and Fallston, his salary averaging eighteen cents a day, travelling four miles every day. Mr. Perrott holds membership in the Masonic order, belonging to Beaver Valley Lodge, No. 478, Free and Accepted Masons, and to Harmony Chapter, No. 206, Royal Arch Masons. His political affiliation is with the Progressive party, of which he is an enthusiastic member.
He married, in 1875, Margaret Jane, a native of North Sewickley town- ship, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, daughter of James Jackson. Children of James Duncan and Margaret Jane (Jackson) Perrott: I. Clyde R.,
1064
PENNSYLVANIA
associated in business with his father; married Margaret Wallace, of New- castle, Pennsylvania; they are the parents of one daughter, Clarinda. 2. Howard D., connected with the Keystone Wire Matting Company ; married Mabel McPherson, and has two daughters, Virginia and Dorothy. 3. Frank C., who is engaged in the manufacturing business. 4. Helen M., married E. G. Ferguson; lives in Beaver Falls; they are the parents of one daughter, Eleanor. 5. Edward H., an employe in his father's store. 6. Lucy. 7. James Clifford, a student in Geneva College. 8. Thomas Eu- gene, a student in Geneva College.
WILSON Tracing the ancestry of Judge James Sharpe Wilson, of Beaver, Pennsylvania, back to the earliest known ancestor, leads one across the seas to the North of Ireland and to the historic battle of the Boyne-originally a Scotch family, the Wilson had prior to 1690 settled in county Cavan, Ireland, where Thomas Wilson, an officer in King William's army, had a residence and an extensive bleaching green within a mile of Coote Hill not far from the county town. Thomas Wilson at the head of his command was one of the first to cross the river Boyne on the morning of July 1, 1690, and rendered his king important military service there and elsewhere. He married and had an only son, Hugh.
(II) Hugh, only son of Thomas Wilson, was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in 1689; died at the "Irish Settlement" in Allen township, North- ampton county, Pennsylvania, in the autumn of 1773, and is buried in the old graveyard at the Settlement. He migrated to America in 1736; mar- ried there, coming to this country and settling in the "Irish Settlement," obtaining a tract of 730 acres northwest of what is now known as Hower- town in Allen township, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, to which he obtained title March 7, 1737, awarded June 29, 1738. He then erected a flouring mill which was in use until 1857 when it was torn down. He be- came one of the prominent men of his section and upon the erection of Northampton county, March 11, 1752, he was named as one of the com- missioners in the act to purchase land at Easton for the court house and prison and on June 9, 1752, he was commissioned one of the justices of the peace for the new county and in this official capacity assisted in holding the first courts in Northampton county. He continued in office for many years, his last commission being dated March 15, 1766. He held a high position in the regard of the Settlement and filled the office of justice- then a very important one-with dignity and honor. He married in Ireland, Sarah Craig, a sister of Thomas Craig, the elder, who located in the "Irish Settlement" as early as 1728. Children: 1. William, born in Ireland, was brought to the "Settlement" by his parents and there grew to manhood, later he became a merchant of Philadelphia, thence removing to the West Indies where he died. 2. Mary Ann, born May 21, 1719, in county Cavan, Ireland, died October 19, 1793. She married, before leaving Ireland, Rev.
1065
BEAVER COUNTY
Francis McHenry, a minister of the Presbyterian church, born October 18, 1710, died January 23, 1757. Rev. McHenry came to this country with two brothers who differed from him in religion, they being Catholic, one settling in Baltimore, the other in Pittsburgh. From this family Fort Mc- Henry was named, Hon. James McHenry, Secretary of War under Presi- dent Washington, 1796. Rev. McHenry was licensed November 10, 1738, and ordained at Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1739. In 1743 he was installed pastor over the Presbyterian church at Deep Run, seven and one- half miles northwest of Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he continued 14 years. He was a pure scholar, able preacher and a man whose godly life gave influence wherever known. Children: Dr. Matthew McHenry, a surgeon of the navy, married Martha Greegg; William, mar- ried Mary Stewart. 3. Elizabeth, born about 1721, married William Craig, a captain in the Associated Regiment of Bucks county, in 1747-48. She survived him several years; children : i. General Thomas, captain in Colonel Arthur St. Clair's regiment in the Canadian campaign, 1776; colonel of the Third Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Line, from August 1, 1776, until the close of the war; major general of the Provisional Army, 1798, and major general of Northampton county militia in 1812-14. He died in Allentown, Pennsylvania, January 20, 1832, aged 92 years. ii. Hugh. iii. Charles, first lieutenant of Captain Miller's company, Colonel William Thompson's battalion of riflemen at Boston, 1775, promoted captain in November, 1775; later was captain in the First Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Line, and received a wound in the battle of Brandywine, Sep- tember II, 1782. He married a daughter of Marks Bird, of Philadelphia. In the summer of 1782 he shot himself. iv. William, a captain in the Third Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Line, July 4, 1777, resigned June 1, 1779. v. Mary, married George Palmer, coroner of Northampton county, 1781 ; deputy surveyor, and a man of prominence in his day. vi. Sarah, married Hugh, associate judge of Union county from 1813 to 1840, son of Charles Wilson. vii. Nancy, married Dr. Taylor. viii. Elizabeth, married Captain John Craig (not a relation). 4. Thomas, of whom further. 5. Charles, born January 30, 1726, died August 20, 1768. He married Mar- garet McNair, born March 2, 1728, died November 25, 1823; children : i. Sarah, born January 3, 1757, died December, 1778; unmarried. ii. Chris- tiana, married William Latimer. iii. Hugh, born June 15, -; married Sarah Craig. iv. Anne, died in childhood. v. John, a ruling elder of the Presbyterian church in Allen township, Northampton county, for 50 years, married Ann Hayes. vi. Margaret, married James Rosebrugh. vii. Sam- uel, married and left issue. viii. Jane. 6. Samuel, married and left issue : Hugh, married Elizabeth Osman; Abram, married Mary Young; Thomas, died unmarried; Samuel, died unmarried; Sarah, married a Mulhallon ; Abigail, married a Duel; Mary, married a Sharp; Elizabeth, a Winter. 7. James, of whom no record is found. 8. Margaret, born 1737, in the "Irish Settlement" in Allen township, died July 20, 1783. She married William
1066
PENNSYLVANIA
McNair, born in Ireland in 1727, died near Mt. Morris, New York, in 1823. In 1798 this family left the "Irish Settlement" for the Genesee Valley, Livingston county, New York. Children : i. John, married Mrs. Deborah Isabella Page. ii. Hugh, married (first) Phoebe Torbert, (sec- ond) Mrs. Eliza Tate Dungan. iii. Charles, died unmarried. iv. Chris- tiana, married William Parkinson. v. Sarah, died aged eleven years. vi. William, born 1774, died 1813. vii. Margaret, married her cousin, David McNair. 9. Francis, youngest son of Hugh Wilson, the emigrant, returned to Ireland, where he studied theology and was admitted to holy orders in the Episcopal church. He later settled in Virginia, was a tutor in the family of General Lee, and died about the year 1812.
(III) Thomas, second son and fourth child of Hugh Wilson, the emi- grant, and his wife, Sarah Craig, was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in 1724, died in now Union county, Pennsylvania, one mile west of Lewisburg, February 25, 1799, aged, according to the inscription on his tombstone, seventy-four years. He was about twelve years of age when his parents came to Pennsylvania, locating at the "Irish Settlement" in Northampton county, where Thomas Wilson became a landowner and farmer and miller of Allen township. During the Revolution he sold large quantities of flour to the government for the army, receiving his pay in continental money, losing largely through its depreciation in value. In consequence he sold his land in Allen township and moved to the Buffalo Valley, now Union county. He there purchased a farm, now the site of the Union county fair buildings, about one mile west of Lewisburg on the turnpike, where he lived until his death.
He married, in 1760, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Jane (Love) Hays, emigrants from Londonderry, Ireland, who, after a short stay in Chester county, Pennsylvania, moved to the "Irish Settlement." Elizabeth survived her husband and in 1803 moved with her sons, William and Thomas, to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where she died, in December, 1812. Children : 1. Hugh, born October 21, 1761, in Allen township, died on his farm near Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1845. He served in the Revolution under Colonel Nicholas Kern. He moved to the Buffalo Valley where he kept a store at Lewisburg, 1798 to 1804. He married Catherine, daughter of Captain William Irvine, who was a cousin of Gen- eral William Irvine, of the Revolution. Children : i. Dr. William, married Mary Potter. ii. Elizabeth, married William Cooke Stedman, grandson of Colonel William Cooke, of the Twelfth Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Line. iii. Francis, married Mary, daughter of Colonel Aaron Chamberlin. iv. Margaret Irvine, married James Flinn. 2. Sarah, died 1884, married Richard Pruit and moved to Mercer county, Pennsylvania. 3. Elizabeth, born 1769, married James Duncan, born 1758, in Scotland, died October 14, 1843, the first sheriff of Center county, Pennsylvania. 4. William, born 1772, died November 6, 1840, in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. He mar- ried, in 1810, Anna White, who died in December, 1865. Child: Francis
1067
BEAVER COUNTY
Thomas, married Mary A. Morrison. 5. Thomas (3), of whom further. 6. Mary, married Jonathan Coulter. 7. Jane, drowned when a child at her father's mill in Northampton county. 8. James, studied law and located in New Orleans, Louisiana. His commission to practice, dated June 28, 1804, signed by Governor W. C. C. Claiborne, of Virginia. 9. Margaret, mar- ried John Thomas, of Buffalo Valley, later moving to Darlington, Penn- sylvania.
(IV) Thomas (3), third son and fifth child of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hays) Wilson, was born in Allen township, Northampton county, Penn- sylvania, June 17, 1775, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 7, 1860. In 1803 he moved to Beaver county; his widowed mother Elizabeth and brother William accompanying him, they being the first of this Wilson branch to settle in that section. They settled in what is now Franklin township, where Thomas became a large landowner and for many years a justice of the peace. He was a Whig in politics and a devout member of the Presbyterian church. He married, October 7, 1806, Agnes Joseph Hemphill, born February 19, 1783, died January 29, 1867, daughter of Moses Hemphill, whose son Joseph was judge of Beaver county courts, and died in 1834, possessed of one of the largest landed estates in the county. The Hemphills were early settlers of Northampton county, where Moses Hemphill was born November 11, 1746, his wife Agnes, January 16, 1750. Children of Thomas (3) Wilson: 1. James, born September 19, 1807, moved to Clinton, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, where he died July 25, 1873. He married Margaret Morton. Children: i. Nancy, mar- ried Thompson Warnock. ii. Thomas D., married Christina Mehara. iii. Hannah, married John McCandless. iv. William H., an attorney of Daven- port, Iowa. v. Albert H., deceased, druggist of Pittsburgh. vi. Emma O., married James Davidson. vii. Mary F., married Dr. J. Rhodes. 2. Nancy B., born December 25, 1808, married, November 26, 1830, David Frew, born in 1803 and resided at Princeton, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. Chil- dren : i. James K., married Eliza A. Gardener. ii. Thomas W. iii. Nancy J., married James B. Aiken. iv. Joseph H., married Kate Willar. v. David W., married Margaret Hawkins, and moved to Winfield, Kansas. vi. P. H., born February 26, 1843. vii. Mary E., married James A. Gardener. viii. William M., married Margaret Aiken. ix. Melissa, married James Wilson. x. Albert F., married Mary Willar. 3. Jane, born March 31, 1810, died unmarried. 4. Eliza, born January 5, 1812, married, in January 1838, Rob- ert Fillerton, of Mt. Jackson, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. Children : i. Margaret, married Robert M. Davidson. ii. John, married M. J. Gilmore. iii. Thomas W. iv. James, married Margaret E. Swisher. v. Nancy J., married William P. Kelso. vi. Albert, married Mary J. Miller. vii. Mary. viii. Robert S., married Mary B. Nesbit. ix. William. 5. Thomas (4), born November 26, 1812, resided at Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. He mar- ried, June 28, 1842, Mary Davidson. Children : i. Margaret M. ii. Nancy E., married Dr. S. Davis. iii. William H., married Augusta L. Leason.
1068
PENNSYLVANIA
iv. Clement. v. Caroline. vi. Robert C. 6. Mary A., born February 6, 1816, died unmarried. 7. Joseph H., born May 16, 1820, died in the Union army, near Ropers Church, Virginia, May 30, 1862, of disease contracted in the trenches before Yorktown, and is buried at Zelienople, Butler county, Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Jefferson College; district attorney of Beaver county for three years; member of the house of representatives of Pennsylvania, from Beaver county, 1857-61 ; commissioned colonel of the IOIst Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, October 4, 1861. 8. John Hays, of whom further. 9. Francis S., born July 2, 1824, became a farmer of Franklin township; married, February 2, 1860, Catherine Wallace. Chil- dren: Jane, Mary, Adaline, Frank W., William T., Agnes H., Belle V., Catherine E., James S. 10. Craig B., born December 14, 1827, moved to Petersburg, Ohio; married, May 11, 1853, Elizabeth Pontins; children : Alice E., Mary L., John P., Nannie H., Joseph H., William, Robert T., Edith M., Frank S.
(V) John Hays, fourth son and eighth child of Thomas (3) and Agnes (Hemphill) Wilson, was born May 22, 1822, in Beaver county, died there June 16, 1891. He was educated in the public schools and devoted his life to agriculture. He was a large landowner and influential citizen, hold- ing many local offices, including justice of the peace, and also served as county commissioner, 1891 to 1894. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and a man held in high esteem for his manly, upright character. He married, March 8, 1849, Mary Elizabeth Mehard, whose parents came from county Antrim, Ireland, about 1820. The home farm of the Wilsons was in Franklin township. Children: I. Agnes L., born December 26, 1849, married Dr. J. M. Withrow, of North Sewickley. 2. Christianna, born February 17, 1852, married J. C. McCandless, of New Galilee, Beaver county. 3. William L., born May 2, 1854, married, in October, 1880, Anna Hillman, and located at Clinton, Beaver county. 4. Omar T., born March 4, 1857, married, October 30, 1882, Virginia West, and resides at North Sewickley. 5. James Sharpe, of whom further. 6. Loyal W., born March 25, 1866.
(VI) James Sharpe, third son and fifth child of John Hays and Mary Elizabeth (Mehard) Wilson, was born on the farm in Franklin township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, November 10, 1862. He obtained a good preparatory education in the public schools and Sewickley Academy, also was a teacher in the public schools at the age of fifteen years. He later entered Geneva College, from whence he was graduated, A.B., class of 1885. He then began the study of law, entering the office of Hon. Henry Hice, of Beaver, as a student, teaching at the same time in the academy at Harmony, Pennsylvania, and two terms in the night schools of New Brighton. He completed his studies, passed the required examinations, and, on June 4, 1888, was admitted to the Beaver county bar. The same year he began prac- tice in Beaver, was in due time admitted to all state and federal courts of the district, attaining and holding a high position at the bar. In 1895 he was
1069
BEAVER COUNTY
the nominee of the Republican party for president-judge of Beaver county, and was elected the following November, taking his seat the following Jan- uary and serving a ten years' term, ending in 1906. He declined re-election and returned to the practice of his profession in Beaver. Judge Wilson was an exceedingly able jurist, and while on the bench displayed a profound knowledge of the law and a quality of fairness to all, that endeared him to the entire bar. The judge has always been interested in political affairs although he has never been a candidate for political preferment, his term as judge of the thirty-sixth judicial district being accepted for purely pro- fessional reasons. In 1906 he assisted in the reorganization of The Fort McIntosh National Bank, and in that year was chosen its president, a posi- tion he now fills. In addition to his private practice he is general counsel for the court and director of the Chester Cement Company of Walton, and has other business interests of importance. His alma mater, Geneva Col- lege, of Beaver Falls, has also conferred upon him the degree of A.M. In religious faith he is a Presbyterian. He is a prominent member of the Masonic order, belonging to lodge, chapter and commandery, also holding the thirty-second degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
Judge Wilson married, December 25, 1888, Sarah Ida Hazen, daughter of Nathan and Judith Hazen of North Sewickley township, Beaver county, granddaughter of Samuel and Eliza (McDannel) Hazen and great-grand- daughter of Nathaniel Hazen who came from New Jersey and settled on a farm in Beaver county. Nathan Hazen was a farmer and merchant, con- ducting a store in North Sewickley for eight years. He married, March 4, 1851, Judith, daughter of Abraham Zeigler and granddaughter of Chris- topher Zeigler, who was one of the early settlers of Franklin county, Penn- sylvania, dying in Mahoning county, Ohio, about 1853, aged ninety-seven years. Children of Judge James Sharpe Wilson: 1. John Howard, born February 1, 1890, graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, A.B., class of 1911, and of the law school of the University of Pittsburgh, 1914, and admitted to the practice of the law, June 15, 1914. 2. James Sharpe (2), born June 5, 1894, now a student of medicine at University of Penn- sylvania. 3. Hugh Hazen, born March 9, 1898, now a student in Beaver high school. 4. Mary Elizabeth, born June 5, 1899, student in Beaver high school.
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.