USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Genealogical and personal history of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Volume II > Part 16
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Mr. Fiester married, January, 1866, Mary A. Rowe, and the fol- lowing children were born to them: Nelson E., Ernest K., Maggie M., Cora M., and George C., deceased. Nelson E. married Nancy Dough- erty, and has one child, Clarissa P .; Nelson E. is in business with his father; Ernest K. married Jennis Kline, and has one child, Edward; Maggie M. is the wife of F. Bosswell, and the mother of four children; Ralph E., Dorothy M., Edward O. and Fletcher; and Cora M. is the wife of John M. Nancarrow, and has two children, James E. and Harry F.
Mrs. Fiester is the daughter of Adam Rowe, who went to Jersey Shore in 1842. He was a wagonmaker and for a number of years worked at his trade, but later in life became a farmer. He married Margaret Shannon, and of the six children born to them three are now living : Mary A., who became the wife of Edward K. Fiester, as men- tioned above: William N., and Emma J.
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CHILDS FAMILY.
The earliest record we have of the Childs family is of Archippus P. Childs, who was born November 31, 1797, and died February 19, 1860. He married Margaret Sax, who was born October 16, 1803, and died June II, 1892. They are buried on the east side of the Wash- ington Street cemetery, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Archippus Childs was of Scotch origin. He was a millwright by trade, and lived at Montoursville, Pennsylvania. He built the Noble mill and also the mill at Blackwells, on Pine Creek. Archippus and his wife were the parents of the following children: Bradley, born December 5, 1819, married Margaret Wilson. Julia Ann, born October 25, 1821, married John Strong. Maria, born August 15, 1824, married George Lowman. Harriet, born May 5, 1827, married William Steel. Isabell, born No- vember 27, 1829, died December 3, 1849. Margaret, born April 12, 1832, married G. L. Staples. Joseph S., born September 24, 1835, to be mentioned hereinafter. James B., born January 1, 1838, died about six years of age. Mary, born April 15, 1841, died August 26, 1844.
Joseph S. Childs, son of Archippus and Margaret (Sax) Childs, was born September 24, 1835, and received his education in the com- mon schools and in Dickinson Seminary. He learned the trade of a millwright with his father, and followed it for many years. He was also extensively engaged in the lumber business on Hoagland Run, from 1865 to 1872. He then came to Jersey Shore, and in 1867 entered into partnership under the firm name of Martin, Wood and Childs. Mr. Martin retired from the business at the end of two years, and the busi- ness was continued under the name of Wood and Childs. In 1869 they built a large mill at Jersey Shore, which they operated until 1889. They also built and operated a mill on Pine creek, below Slate Run, and in
14
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the summer of 1895 they built another mill at Cammal, Pennsylvania, which they operated until July, 1905, when they closed out the busi- ness. In the summers of 1894 and 1895 Mr. Childs, in connection with his partner, Mr. Wood, and with Mr. Robert Mccullough and Mr. Daniel Shepp, built the Cammal and Black Forest Railroad. Mr. Childs was a man of great force of character, independence, and enter- prise. He was greatly respected and highly esteemed by all who knew him. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, which he regularly attended. In politics he was a Republican, and served two terms as burgess of Jersey Shore. He was made a Mason in La Belle Valley Lodge No. 232, Free and Accepted Masons, of Jersey Shore. Mr. Childs was married at Muncy, Lycoming county, January 25, 1866, by the Rev. William Life, to Mary Elizabeth Mecum, who died in No- vember, 1902. They were the parents of nine children, of whom four are living, the others having died in infancy and early childhood.
I. Harry S. Childs, son of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth ( Mecum) Childs, was born at Houglam Run, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1867, and was educated in the schools of Jersey Shore and the Commercial College at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. Childs followed the lumber business, being the superintendent for Wood and Childs, at Cammal, from 1889 until 1904. By his close application to business he has always made a success of any position he has held. He is a member of Cammal Lodge No. 1001, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed all the chairs and been secretary for two years. He is also a member of Widauh Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men, No. 143. Mr. Childs is at present engaged in the brokerage business and has his offices in the Sallada building, on Main street, Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. He is a public-spirited citizen, and a stanch upholder of the Republican party. He was married June 26, 1888, to Miss Beulah
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Harris, daughter of Robert and Esther (Price) Harris, and they have been blessed with three children: Emily, born April 9, 1889, died March 17, 1890; Marion Esther, born January 30, 1894; and Mary Elizabeth, born January 8, 1898. Mr. Harris, Mrs. Childs' father, is living at Jersey Shore with his daughter. He is a veteran of the civil war, where he served with bravery. Mrs. Harris died August 9, 1901, under very tragic conditions. She lit the gas in a stove and threw the match over her shoulder; it fell upon a portion of her clothing and, before help could reach her, she was enveloped in flames and so severely burned that her death was but a matter of a very short time. The accident occurred in Washington, District of Columbia. Mr. Harry S. Childs bought and remodeled the John A. Gamble property, on Main street, and now resides in the same, having provided it with all modern improvements and comforts.
2. J. Bradley Childs, son of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, was born at Houglan Run, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 5, 1869. He was educated in the common schools and the Electric Institute of Jersey Shore. Mr. Childs has been engaged in the lumber business all his life. In 1896 he varied his occupation somewhat, taking up the different branches of the business, and in 1904 he was appointed superintendent of the business. On April 13, 1905, Mr. Childs moved from Cammal to Jersey Shore, where he owns five of the finest resi- dences in the place. He has just completed one at a cost of over ten thousand dollars, and occupies it with his family. Mr. Childs is a large shareholder in the Jersey Shore and Antesfort Railroad Company. His political support is given to the Republican party. He has held the office of auditor four terms, and that of town clerk three terms, at Cammal, Pennsylvania. Mr. Childs married, September 17, 1896, Miss Carrie C. Houser, born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, June 3, 1877, daughter
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of Charles and Elizabeth ( Mahl) Houser. The former was a promi- nent business man of Jersey Shore, being engaged in the brewing busi- ness. The latter still resides at Jersey Shore. J. Bradley and Carrie C. Childs are the parents of two children: Margaret M., born at Jer- sey Shore, January 13, 1898; and Joseph Sinton, born at Cammal, Penn- sylvania, October 21, 1899. Mr. Childs is a member of Lodge No. 379, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Knights of the Maccabees, the Improved Order of Red Men, Widauh Tribe, and of the National Protective Legion, all of Jersey Shore. The family are regular attendants at the Lutheran church.
3. Robert Otto, son of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, born January 14, 1872, died September 15, 1877.
4. George Irvin Pfouts, son of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, born May 3, 1875, died May 10, 1875.
5. William Hesser Childs, son of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs. was born at Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1877. He attended the common schools and the Electric Institute of Jer- sey Shore, and took a business course in the commercial college at Will- iamsport, Pennsylvania. He attended the state college at Bellefonte, 1897 and 1898, and entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1902, graduating in 1905 as a dentist. He came to Williamsport in the spring of 1905 and purchased an interest in the automobile business of Frank C. Holmes, and August 15, 1905, they formed a stock company and now have the largest place of the kind in the city, on West Third street, handling all the high grades of cars and carrying on a livery business in addition. On June 22, 1904, Mr. Childs married Miss Effie May Missimer, born at Jersey Shore, August 3, 1883, daughter of Malcolm and Rodie (Lamison) Messimer. Mr. and Mrs. Childs have no chil- dren. Mr. Messimer is a contractor at Jersey Shore. Mr. Childs affil-
Ja Svaly
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iates with the Republican party. He was made a Mason in La Belle Valley Lodge No. 232, Free and Accepted Masons, June 5, 1904, at Jersey Shore Consistory, Valley of Williamsport, June 29, 1904, Irem Temple, Wilkes-Barre, September 2, 1904.
6. Odie May, daughter of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, born August 21, 1879, died December 1, 1880.
7. Odie May (second), daughter of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, was born November 12, 1881, and married Harry Todd. They reside at St. Joseph, Missouri.
8. Mary M., daughter of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecum) Childs, born January 28, 1886, died October 30, 1893.
9. Meckly, youngest child of Joseph S. and Mary Elizabeth (Mecuni) Childs, born August 7, 1889, died in infancy.
JAMES W. SWEELY.
James W. Sweely, deceased, was for many years owner and manager of the " Williamsport Sun," which under his careful and judicious man- agement was one of the leading newspapers of the city, exerting a powerful influence for good in the community by its fearless and just editorials. He was well qualified for the position owing to his thorough training, true journalistic instincts, broad knowledge of affairs and keen discrimination of men, and his paper was the exponent of the highest interests of the city, state and nation.
His ancestry dated back to the year 1517, the name at that early period having been spelled Schwille. The name points to a Slavic or rather Roman origin. Swilus, a name of the time of Homeric Eumaeus, appears as early as the sixteenth century in several branches of Pful- lingen ; Jorg, Forg, Haus, Martin, Michel Schwille (Sweely), which
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cannot be traced back to a common ancestor. Up to the present gen- cration the Martins are the principal branch in Pfullingen. In their families are to be found aristocratic sponsors, namely : Count George Adam von Wallenstein; George Meiser, of The Court; Bernhard Munch- inger, official clerk ; wife and daughter of Mr. Johann George Brotbeck, cloister inspector ; and wife of Master-of-Arts Johann Conrad Eusselin, a deacon. The numerous descendants of this old and honorable family have followed many professions and occupations, in all of which they have gained prominence and renown, and they have been instrumental factors in the growth and development of the various communities in which they resided.
James W. Sweely was united in marriage to Carrie Belle Cook, and two children were born to them, namely: Isabel Stuart and Lucius Cook Sweely.
The Cook family, of which Carrie Belle (Cook) Sweely is a repre- sentative, was founded in this country by Sir Francis Cooke, who was a pasesnger on the " Mayflower." Among his children was a son John, who in turn was the father of a son Walter, who was born in Wey- mouth, Massachusetts, 1643. Walter Cooke became a freeman in 1657, and six years later, 1663, accompanied by his wife, Katherine, and chil- dren-John, Hannah, Samuel, Nicholas and Experience-removed to Mendon, Massachusetts.
Nicholas Cooke, third son of Walter and Katherine Cooke, was born at Weymouth, Massachusetts, February 9, 1660. He resided in what is now Blackstone, Massachusetts. He married, first, November 14, 1684, Johanna Rockwood, and second, December 18, 1712, Mehitable Staples, widow of Abraham Staples, at Mendon. His children were : Josiah, born June 10, 1685; Nicholas, June 10, 1687, married Elizabeth Staples; Johanna, February 13, 1688; Mary, October 8, 1690, became
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the wife of Joseph Holbrook, December 29, 1710; Ann, March 4, 1695 ; Seth, April 28, 1699; Daniel, August 18, 1703; David, November 19, 1705, married Hannah Ballou; he served in the capacity of deacon ; Abigail, October 4, 1707; Noah in 1710, married, first, Kesiah Allbie, and second, Olive Gaskill.
Deacon Nicholas Cook, second son of Nicholas and Johanna ( Rock- wood) Cooke, was born June 10, 1687. He was a deacon of the First Baptist church, Bellingham, Massachusetts. By his marriage to Eliza- beth Staples the following named children were born: Jemima, Novem- ber 16, 1716, became the wife of Aaron Thayer, of Mendon, Massachu- setts ; Nathaniel, September 15, 1718, mentioned hereinafter ; Peter, Sep- tember 6, 1720, lived to be almost one hundred years of age; in 1739, at the age of nineteen years, he married Elizabeth Bates, of Bellingham, Massachusetts, and in 1746 married for his second wife Mercy Wanton. He was captain in the Second Company of Scituate, Rhode Island, Providence county, Colonel Knight Dexter's Regiment ; Daniel, Septem- ber 12, 1722, married Elizabeth Scott, December 25, 1746; William, December 12, 1724, married Priscilla Ballou ; Caleb, September 25, 1727, married, September 17, 1753, Providence Gaskell; Elizabeth, July 15, 1729, became the wife of Captain Abner Aldrich, December 10, 1747; Abigail, November 1, 1731, became the wife of Joseph Thayer, March 12, 1751; Nicholas, February 9, 1733, married Phillis Jillson, October 20, 1759; Susanna, March 6, 1738; Joanna, November 14, 1740: Ezekial, June 19, 1744, married Jerusha Ballou, at the age of nineteen years.
Elder Nathaniel Cooke, eldest son of Deacon Nicholas and Eliza- beth (Staples) Cooke, was born September 15, 1718. He married Martha Ballou, of Cumberland, Rhode Island. Both are buried in the Ballou burying ground in Cumberland. Their children were: Jerusha,
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born April 2, 1743, became the wife of Thomas Wood, 1764; James, July 23, 1744; Elias, August 15, 1746; Nathaniel, April 4, 1748, mar- ried Amy Whipple; Ariel, October 15, 1749, married Dorcas Whipple, February 20, 1772; Martha, September 18, 1751, became the wife of Amos Whipple; Silas, March 23, 1753, mentioned hereinafter; Phebe, January 15, 1755, became the wife of Joseph Thayer; Elizabeth, April 25, 1757, became the wife of Benjamin Thayer; Judith, January 19, 1759, became the wife of Nicholas Thayer; Ananias, June 12, 1761, married Sallie Butler.
Silas Cooke, fifth son of Elder Nathaniel and Martha (Ballou) Cooke, was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, March 23, 1753, and died in Pelham, Massachusetts, February 12, 1842. His wife, whose maiden name was Joanna Darling, and whom he married October 26, 1775, bore him thirteen children, namely : Reuben, December 27, 1776; Philena, September 24, 1778; Phebe, July 16, 1780; James, May 27, 1782 ; Silas, February 22, 1784; Joanna, February 7, 1786; Olney, June 29, 1788; Ziba, February 27, 1791; Miranda, April 9, 1793; Michael, May 29, 1796; Michael (2), November 23, 1798; Olney (2), October 9, 1801; Maria Anna, April 4, 1819, this being the child of his second marriage.
Olney Cook, youngest child of Silas and Joanna (Darling) Cooke, was born October 9, 1801. He dropped the "e" in the name. He married Emily Draper, who bore him a number of children.
Lucius W. Cook, son of Olney and Emily (Draper) Cook, was born October 20, 1832. He married Isabel A. Clark, daughter of Wil- kins Vurnett and Catherine Flagg (Stuart) Clark, and their children were: Carrie Belle, who married James W. Sweely, the subject of this sketch, and who died January 8, 1904, and their children were: Isabel Stuart and Lucius Cook Sweely; Frank Lucius, unmarried, who
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resides in Harrisburg; George Dexter, who married Bertha May Bunker, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and now resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They have one child, Louise Webster Dexter, born May 15, 1905.
HON. J. HARRIS MCKINNEY.
Hon. J. Harris Mckinney, one of the distinguished citizens of Ly- coming county. president of the National Bank of Jersey Shore, and a leading representative of the agricultural interests of his section of the state, is a descendant of an honorable and eminent ancestry. He is a representative of the Scotch-Irish element that forms so important a factor in our American citizenship. The name was originally spelled McKinnie, and the family was founded in America by Henry McKin- ney, great-grandfather of J. Harris Mckinney, who was born in Scot- land or the northern part of Ireland, and came to this country in 1720, settling in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming. He was the father of several children, among whom were the following : Henry, James, John and Mathew, James and Mathew removing to Mer- cer county, Pennsylvania, in young manhood. Henry McKinney (great- grandfather) died at his home in Dauphin county, and his remains are supposed to have been interred in the historic graveyard surrounding Derry Church, in which he held membership and was one of its most faithful workers.
John McKinney, grandfather of J. Harris Mckinney, was born on the banks of the Swatara river. Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and was reared to manhood there, making farming his life occupation. In 1780, accompanied by his wife and five children, he removed to Northum- berland county, traveling by team, and upon the farm which he pur- chased in Turbot township spent his remaining days. He served in the
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capacity of elder in Derry Church, in Dauphin county, which was known as the fighting church, for the members were forced to carry their guns with them in order to protect themselves from the Indians. Mr. Mc- Kinney, with several others, founded the Warrior Run Church in North- umberland county, to which they gave the name of Derry Church. He was a man of unflinching honor and integrity and very prominent in the community. By his marriage to Jane Laird sixteen children were born, eleven of whom died in early life and were buried in Derry churchyard, and those who reached years of maturity were: John, who married Nancy Wallace and died in Northumberland county ; James Harris, mentioned hereinafter; Catharine, wife of John Innes, of Dunn- stable township, Clinton county; Mathew, who died in Porter town- ship, Lycoming county; and William, who was killed by the falling of a tree in Northumberland county. John McKinney, father of these children, was buried with the other members of his family in Derry churchyard.
James Harris Mckinney, father of J. Harris Mckinney, was born on the bank of the Swatara river in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, June II, 1793. During his boyhood his educational advantages were limited to the knowledge obtained in the district school, but in later years he added to the same by diligent study and keen observation. When nine- teen years of age he joined the army for service in the war of 1812 under Captain Gaston, and performed the duties allotted to him in a creditable manner at Black Rock, New York, with the Warrior Run Rifle Company. He served his country faithfully and was rewarded in later years with a pension from the government. On attaining his ma- jority he removed to Northumberland county, where he engaged in farming for several years, and in 1830 came to Nittany Valley and pur- chased a farm in Clinton county, making many excellent improvements
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thereon during his seven years residence there. After disposing of the same he removed to Pine Creek township and purchased the Myers farm, located ten miles from Lock Haven and consisting of two hundred acres, and thereon built a handsome brick residence at a cost of more than four thousand dollars, also a commodious and substantial barn. He placed his land under a high state of cultivation, stocked it with a fine grade of cattle and horses, and in due course of time it ranked among the finest pieces of property in that section of the state. In Northum- berland county, January 1, 1818, Mr. Mckinney was united in mar- riage to Ruth L. Ferguson, who was a native of that county, born April 11, 1799, daughter of Andrew Ferguson, a farmer of North- umberland county, and of Scotch-Irish descent. Their children were as follows: John, deceased. Esther G., deceased, who was the wife of Robert M. Russell, of Dewart, Northumberland county. Nancy, who died in young womanhood. Andrew C., deceased, formerly a miller of Pine Creek township. William L., who died at the age of twenty-two years. Jane, who died in Nittany Valley. David F., a physician, who served as surgeon of the Eighty-seventh Regiment during the war of the rebellion; he married Mary Trego, only daughter of William E. Trego, of Baltimore, Maryland, and they reside in Frederick City, Maryland. J. Harris, mentioned at length hereinafter. Priscilla, widow of Oliver P. Montgomery, of Watsontown, Pennsylvania. James H. Mckinney, the father of these children, was a Whig and Republican in politics and was called to various local offices, in which he served with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He and his fan- ily were consistent members of the Presbyterian church. He died at the old homestead March 14, 1879, and his wife passed away July 3, 1880, and their remains were interred at Jersey Shore.
J. Harris Mckinney acquired his preliminary education in the dis-
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trict school of his native township, and afterward attended the high school of Jersey Shore, at that time under the direction of the Presby- terian church. He then returned to the farm where he has since con- tinued, and during the declining years of his parents administered to their comfort and welfare. After the death of his father he assumed charge of the homestead, and during the intervening years has added thereto many improvements, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the entire estate bespeaks the personal supervision of a master hand. He is one of the extensive tobacco growers in this section of the county, and has erected some excellent tobacco sheds for the drying and curing of the same. On March 29, 1901, he removed from Clinton to Lycom- ing county, and erected a magnificent residence which stands on the bank of Pine creek near the county bridge, which divides Clinton and Lycoming counties. The site is one of the finest in the country, and the house which is built of brick is thoroughly equipped with all mod- ern improvements and luxuriously furnished. The National Bank of Jersey Shore, of which Mr. Mckinney is the president, A. G. Palmer, vice president, J. G. Calvert, second vice president, and James B. Graham, cashier, was established March 12, 1902, with a capital of $50,000.00, and is now one of the leading financial institutions of that thriving borough. The directors of the institution are as follows: J. Harris Mckinney, J. G. Calvert, A. G. Palmer, G. J. Dennison, Edward Wentz, J. H. Messerley, A. T. Sheadle, A. T. Welker, M. D., W. A. Selts, James B. Graham, Robert Dunbar, and A. Underwood. The National Bank of Jersey Shore has arranged to distribute among its customers and friends a savings bank safe, which is a handsomely oxidized copper safe with combination lock, and is highly ornamental and convenient; all sizes of coin or paper money can be put into it. These banks will be loaned, free of charge, to present depositors in the savings department,
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or to any person who will deposit $1.00, credit for which will be given in a pass book, and shall not be withdrawn until the bank is returned in good order, and shall be forfeited if the bank is not returned in good order. On the first day of January and July of each year interest is credited on sums of saving deposits at the rate of two and a half cents per annum.
Mr. Mckinney has been prominent in political affairs as a leader of the Republican forces of his township and county. He was elected town- ship auditor for six terms, and in 1895 was elected associate judge of Clinton county by a good majority, securing many of the votes -of the opposite party. He is an active advocate of the cause of temperance, and all questions which claim the public attention receive from him an earnest support. He is a valued and consistent member of the Presby- terian church, in which he has served as elder and steward, and in the Sabbath school connected therewith has served in the capacity of teacher.
In Watsontown, Northumberland county, August 12, 1874, Mr. Mckinney was united in marriage to Rebecca McKee, a native of North- umberland, and daughter of Robert and Sarah (Caldwell) McKee, who were the parents of five children. Robert McKee was a farmer in Northumberland county, and was of Scotch-Irish extraction. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mckinney, namely: Sarah McKee and Ruth Ferguson, twins, the former of whom is a graduate of the high school of Jersey Shore, taking first honors in the class of 1895, and the latter of whom died in infancy, and Hester Graham, who also graduated from the high school in Jersey Shore. The mother of these children died May 29, 1886. Mr. Mckinney married, November 21, 1888, Ella Leib, of Wellsboro, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, daughter of George Leib, a merchant of that county. Her death occurred Septem- ber 5, 1895.
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