USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Genealogical and personal history of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Volume II > Part 26
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
Mr. Willits married, November 25, 1894, Sarah E. Martin. Mrs. Willits is a granddaughter of Thomas Martin, who was a farmer and whose wife, Elizabeth Allen, was a native of New Jersey. Their chil-
347
LYCOMING COUNTY
dren were: Margaret; Robert A., mentioned at length hereinafter; Rebecca, deceased; Sarah J .; John; and Priscilla, deceased.
Robert A. Martin, son of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Allen) Martin, was born March 12, 1824, in Piatt township, Lycoming county, and cul- tivated sixty-eight acres of land which he purchased from his father. He was a man well thought of by his fellow citizens and held most of the township offices. He married, December 11, 1844, Catherine Emery, who was born in 1826, near the Emery Church, in Woodward town- ship, and the following children were born to them: Sarah E., who became the wife of I. L. Willits, as mentioned above; Lemuel E .; Thomas N .; James C .; Henry M .; Robert A .; Margaret E., deceased; and an unnamed infant. The death of Mr. Martin occurred April 19, 1895, and his widow passed away May 20, 1902. Their estate was subsequently purchased by Mr. Willits, who has since resided thereon.
JOHN C. BARTO.
John C. Barto, of Piatt township, one of the representative farmers of that section of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of ancestors who came to this country from Holland at an early date.
Samuel Barto (grandfather) was a native of Muncy, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, born in 1810. After his marriage to Maria Shu- man he changed his place of residence to Porter and later to Piatt town- ship, where he gained a lucrative livelihood by the cultivation of the soil. His family consisted of eleven children, as follows: Benjamin, Mary, Sarah, John, Levi, Mattie, Lydia, Naomi, James, Samuel and William.
Benjamin Barto (father) was born in Muncy, Lycoming county,
348
LYCOMING COUNTY
Pennsylvania, in 1831. He chose for his life work the occupations of farming and lumbering, which he has successfully followed up to the present time (1905), now residing on a farm of seventy-one acres in Anthony township, which he owns and operates. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Cook, a native of Anthony township, bore him fifteen children, all but one of whom attained years of maturity: Kate, John C., William, Lizzie, Emma, Lydia and Levi (twins), Mary, Eliza, Benjamin, Cordelia and Cora (twins), Estella, Miles and Clinton D. Barto. Mary (Cook) Barto was one of eight children, namely: Sam- uel, Lydia, Mary, William, Ann, Elizabeth, Kate and Emeline, born to John and Kate (Cress) Cook. John Cook was a resident of Anthony township, where he owned-and operated a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres of land.
John C. Barto was born in Piatt township, Lycoming county. Penn- sylvania, May 8, 1858. He was reared and educated in Piatt and Mif- flin townships, and has been a resident of the former continuously since 1890, in which year he purchased his present farm of one hundred and eighty acres, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. The esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens has been evidenced by the fact that he was chosen to fill the offices of school director and in- spector of elections, in both of which he rendered valuable service. He adheres to the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, and is a staunch supporter of the principles of Democracy.
In 1880 Mr. Barto was united in marriage to Margaret E. Hoff- man, daughter of Elias Hoffman. Their children are: Jennie, who became the wife of R. McKee, and they are the parents of one child, Burke McKee. Mary, wife of Charles Harmon, no issue. Sarah, Ben- jamin, Albert, Nellie, Lulu and Clyde Barto.
349
LYCOMING COUNTY
FORREST B. DUNKLE.
Jersey Shore has no citizen whose name is at once more popular and more familiar than that of Forrest B. Dunkle. The paternal grand- father of Mr. Dunkle was a native of Germany, who, with four broth- ers, came to this country and found a home in Pennsylvania. On the maternal side Mr. Dunkle is of Scottish ancestry, his grandfather hav- ing emigrated to the United States from the "land of brown heath and shaggy wood."
Michael Dunkle, son of the emigrant ancestor, was born in Centre county, Pennsylvania, where he became a prominent farmer and citizen. He married Julia Carner, also a native of Centre county, and of the eleven children born to them the following arrived at maturity: Fre- mont, who lives at Beach Creek; Frank, who is a resident of Wellsboro; John, whose home is at Olean, New York; Ann, who is the wife of William B. Kitts, of Vanilla; William, who is a citizen of Jersey Shore; Forrest B., mentioned at length hereinafter; and Julia, who became the wife of J. W. Baily, and is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Dunkle, the parents of these children, have both passed away.
Forrest B. Dunkle, son of Michael and Julia (Carner) Dunkle, was born in 1860, at Hublersburg, Centre county, Pennsylvania, and received his preparatory education in the common schools of his birth- place, afterward taking a course at the Central State Normal School. After completing his education he taught for four terms and then turned his attention to the hotel business, which he has successfully carried on for the last eighteen years. In 1890, being then a resident of Jersey Shore, he built the Dunkle Hotel, of which he has ever since been the proprietor. The structure is spacious and commodious, fur- nished with every appliance for comfort and convenience and conducted
350
LYCOMING COUNTY
in all respects in the most admirable manner. The proprietor is no less popular as a citizen than as a host, and has served as a member of the borough council.
Mr. Dunkle married, in 1889, Emma C. Crawford, and two sons have been born to them: Frank M., deceased; and George W. Mrs. Dunkle is the daughter of George and Esther Crawford, the former a descendant of those Crawfords whose names have come down to us from the days of the colonies and who fought valiantly for the cause of inde- pendence in the Revolutionary war.
LUTHER RAYHORN.
Luther Rayhorn, who is carrying on a flourishing meat business in Jersey Shore, is of German descent. His grandfather, Henry Rayhorn, who immigrated from Germany in 1833, accompanied by his children, located first in Baltimore, Maryland, but subsequently migrated to Wayne township, Clinton county, Pennsylvania, where he settled upon four hundred acres of wild land, and became a prosperous farmer. His first wife, who died in Germany, bore him four children, three of whom are named: John, Frederick, Christine. The maiden name of his second wife, whom he married in the United States, was Nancy Smith, and of this union there were no children. Frederick Rayhorn, Luther Rayhorn's father, was born in Germany, in 1819. He accompanied his father to Baltimore and thence to Wayne township, where he eventually became the owner of a good farm, and he attained prosperity in agricul- tural pursuits. He was twice married and of his union with his first wife, who was before marriage Nancy, daughter of Dorton Hunt, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, there were six sons, three of whom are living, namely : Frederick, George and Frank. For his second wife
351
LYCOMING COUNTY
he married Martha Kissell, of Pine Creek township. The children of this union are Maggie (now Mrs. D. H. Youst), Henry J. and Luther (the subject of this sketch).
Luther Rayhorn was born in Clinton county, July 4, 1866. He was educated in the Woolrich public schools. Reared upon- a farm he spent his summer in tilling the soil and in the winter season he was employed in the lumbering industry. This routine of labor he continued to follow until 1895, when he came to Jersey Shore and here learned the butcher's trade. He subsequently spent a year in Bloomsburg and three years in Canmal, working at his trade. In 1902 he purchased the prop- erty of L. C. Thompson in Jersey Shore, where he engaged in the whole- sale and retail meat business, and is now one of the leading butchers in this locality. In addition to his selling establishment he carries on a slaughter house and a sausage factory.
Mr. Rayhorn is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. In 1897 he married Miss Anna B. Kline, daughter of J. R. and Elizabeth Kline.
WILLIAM E. GANN.
That branch of the Gann family represented by William E. Gann, of Oval, was planted in Lycoming county by John Gann, a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania. He moved to Milton, later to Lewisburg, thence to Dry Valley, and finally to the Nippenose valley, which he reached in 1808, having made the journey thither by canoe and Indian trail. He first settled at what is now Oval, where he remained six years, and then moved to what is known as the " old Gann homestead," consisting of three hundred acres, which he purchased at one dollar and a quarter per acre.
352
LYCOMING COUNTY
Mr. Gann married, at Milton, Catherine Christ, and the following children were born to them: Harry; Jacob; John; George; Andrew; Lewis; Israel, mentioned at length hereinafter; and Elizabeth. The father of the family died at the age of seventy-two, while his widow lived to be over eighty-five.
Israel Gann, son of John and Catherine (Christ) Gann, was born in 1816, on the homestead, in Limestone township, and was a success- ful farmer, accumulating considerable property. He married Leah Moore, a native of Gibraltar, Berks county, Pennsylvania, and their children were: Levi; Amanada. deceased; Catherine; Joseph; Abra- ham; William E., mentioned at length hereinafter; Susanna, deceased; and Ida J. Mr. Gann died in 1871.
William E. Gann, son of Israel and Leah (Moore) Gann, was born July 5, 1850, in the Nippenose valley, and was educated in his native county and township. His early life, up to his twenty-first year, was spent on the farm. From 1871 to 1875 he was engaged in the sale of musical instruments, and in 1876 he purchased a small farm of fifty acres which he subsequently sold in order to become agent for a nursery. This position he filled successfully until 1881, and in 1882 returned to the musical instrument business, which he carried on until 1886. He then became for three years a farmer and in 1888 he took a trip through the south. In 1889 he bought his present farm of three hundred and ninety acres, where, in addition to general farming, he raises tobacco, devoting about three acres to the cultivation of that crop. In this ven- ture he has been eminently successful. He has built for himself a finely constructed modern house, which has been his home for the last fifteen years. His fellow citizens have chosen him to fill several minor town- ship offices, among them those of tax collector and supervisor.
Mr. Gann married, June 14, 1877, Annie E., daughter of Robert
LYCOMING COUNTY 353
F. and Mary E. Hornler, and the following children have been born to them: Grace E .; Ruth A .; Susie I .; Mary C., who is the wife of Ivan Marks ; Daniel E .; Carrie M .; Martha W .; and Jessie B
LEWIS P. LOSE.
The grandfather of Lewis P. Lose, of Oval, was John Lose, who married Mary -- , by whom he was the father of seven children; among them a son, Benjamin, who was born in 1820, in Northumber- land county, Pennsylvania.
From his native county Benjamin Lose moved to Crawford town- ship, Clinton county, where he spent nine years. He was a fencemaker of some reputation and possessed much inventive genius. During the autumn it was his custom to engage in business as a butcher, and seeing the necessity of making sausage in a way more rapid than was then possible, he invented one of the finest and most complete meat grinders ever used by the public. While in Clinton county he purchased fifty- six acres of farming land. In March, 1857, he moved to Lycoming county, settling in the Nippenose valley, where he bought, at various times and places, land to the amount of three hundred and sixty acres. For sixteen years he followed the threshing business with success. He held several township offices and was at one time recording secretary of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a member.
Mr. Lose married, November 17, 1844, Mary Williams, born in 1822, in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and their children were: Lewis P .. mentioned at length hereinafter; Maria C., who is the wife of Mr. Burtnett, of Williamsport; Rachel A., who married Mr. Wagner, of Montgomery ; and Levi C. These four are the survivors of a family of
23
354
LYCOMING COUNTY
seven children. Mr. Lose died July 1, 1901, and his widow expired February 2, 1905.
Lewis P. Lose, son of Benjamin and Mary (Williams) Lose, was born in 1846, in the Nitney valley, and was eleven years old when the family migrated to the Nippenose valley. He owns and cultivates a farm of one hundred acres of good and productive land which formed part of his father's property. In politics he is a Republican, as his father was before him. He holds the office of trustee in the Methodist Epis- copal church, of which he and his wife are members, and is also secretary of the Sunday school.
Mr. Lose married, December 31, 1865, Esther A. Dentler. Of this marriage there is no issue.
WILLIAM A. DOUGHERTY.
The family of which William A. Dougherty, of Collomsville, is a member was planted in the United States by Charles Dougherty, who emigrated from Ireland and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. He was the father of two children: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Philip Wert, of Jamaica county, Pennsylvania ; and Daniel, mentioned at length hereinafter. 1
Daniel Dougherty, son of Charles Dougherty, was born July 23, 1803, in Lancaster county, and was a blacksmith by trade. About 1837 he migrated to Lycoming county and purchased four hundred acres of land from a Mr. Clark, one of the earlier settlers. This land, with the help of his sons, Mr. Dougherty cleared. He held various township offices and came within two votes of being nominated for county com- missioner by the Republican party, of which he was an ardent supporter. In religious belief he was a Dunkard.
355
LYCOMING COUNTY
Mr. Dougherty married Elizabeth Brand, who was born October 14, 1803, in Lancaster county, and of their thirteen children eleven grew to maturity, among them a son, Henry, mentioned at length hereinafter. Two other sons, Daniel and Abraham, are the only members of the family now living. The death of Mr. Dougherty occurred March 8, 1869, and his widow survived him little more than a year, passing away April 14, 1870.
Henry Dougherty, son of Daniel and Elizabeth ( Brand) Dougherty, was born in 1836, in Lancaster county, and was but one year old when his parents moved to the Nippenose valley. His trade was that of a carpenter and he engaged in the manufacture of lumber in various places. His home and the scene of his labors was Perry county. About 1870 he purchased the mill which is now the property of his son, William A. Dougherty, and operated it during the remainder of his life.
Mr. Dougherty married Susannah Hoffman, a native of Perry county, and the following children were born to them: Edward F .; Kirk M .; William A., mentioned at length hereinafter; Eleanor, de- ceased; and Jenetta G., also deceased. Mr. Dougherty died March 22, 1892, and the death of his widow occurred June 8, 1897.
William A. Dougherty, son of Henry and Susannah ( Hoffman) Dougherty, was born October 10, 1865, in Perry county, and was edu- cated in the common schools of Collomsville. Under the supervision of his father he turned his attention to the manufacture of lumber, a fact which accounts for his thorough knowledge of the business. In 1899 he bought of John Engler the mill which the latter had purchased of Henry Dougherty, who had operated it for about twenty years. This mill is situated about one-half mile southwest of Collomsville and is furnished with both water and steam power, fifteen-horse power of the former and twenty-five-horse power of the latter. He has added a
356
LYCOMING COUNTY
cider press with a capacity of seventy-five barrels per day. He was on one occasion elected by his neighbors to the office. of auditor of the township, and is a Republican in politics.
Mr. Dougherty married, in 1895, Nora Kline, and four children have been born to them, three of whom are living: Ralph E., Martha E., and Evelyn M.
OLIVER J. DECKER.
The pioneer ancestor of the Decker family was Alexander Decker, who came to America from Germany in 1834 and settled in Armstrong township. He followed farming as a means of livelihood and by dint of industry, perseverance and thrift, characteristics of the German race, accumulated considerable property in that section. He and his family, as all of their descendants have since been, were members of the Lu- theran church. He died in March, 1878. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Herman, bore him the following children :
Catharine, deceased, who was the wife of John Lehman, of Clinton county, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth B., deceased, who became the wife of George Schmohl, of Vandalia, Illinois.
Henrietta, deceased, who became the wife of Jacob Sweeley, of this county.
Gottlieb F., who married Mary Fousel, the issue of which union was as follows: Alexander G. and Albert P., both of this county ; Edward J., of Philadelphia; and Clara A., intermarried with H. H. Lampe, of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Henry, deceased, who resided at Montgomery, and who was mar- ried to Mary Hurr. They were the parents of twelve children, as fol- lows: Henry, Rosanna (deceased), Catharine, Alexander, William,
357
LYCOMING COUNTY
George, Mary, John, Frank, Edward, Albert and Isaac C. Henry Decker was the largest holder of real estate in Montgomery, and was also per- haps more largely interested in her industries than any other person in the history of the borough.
John C., now residing in South Williamsport, who married Julia R. Fousel. They have four children, as follows: Alice E., William A., Henry P., and Oliver J. John C. Decker owns considerable prop- erty in the county, as well as being interested in several business enter- prises. 12
Oliver J. Decker was born in Armstrong township February 2, 1879. He received his early education in the public schools of the district, later attending the Lycoming County Normal School and Bucknell Academy, from which he graduated in 1895. He graduated from Bucknell University in the class of '99, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. During his college course he took the Class of '71 Prize for excellence in Latin and Mathematics, and also the Essay Prize. At graduation he was a Commencement speaker. He also attended the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania. He was registered as a law student in Williamsport in the office of James B. Krause, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of Lycoming county October 27, 1902, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession in Williamsport. He is a member of Messiah's Lutheran Church, of South Williamsport.
CLINTON BORTLE MCCULLOUGH.
The paternal grandfather of Clinton Bortle Mccullough, of Jersey Shore, was William J. Mccullough, born in 1812, in Belfast, Ireland. At the age of twenty-one or twenty-two he emigrated to the United
358
LYCOMING COUNTY
States and settled in Ulster county, New York, where he became a prominent lumberman.
Mr. Mccullough married, in his native country, Mary Wilson, who was born in Ireland, about 1823, and their children were : I. Thomas, resides below Jersey Shore. 2. Edward, of Cogan Valley. 3. Jen- nie, widow of Adam Jacky, of Philadelphia. 4. Josephine (twin to Jennie), deceased. 5. John, killed in the backwoods. 6. Robert, mentioneed at length hereinafter; and four others who died young. Mr. Mccullough, the father, died in 1862, at Kingston, New York, and his widow passed away in December, 1868.
Robert Mccullough, son of William J. and Mary (Wilson) Mc- Cullough, was born December 18, 1843, in the state of New York, where he attended the public schools. After leaving school he went west, where, for three years, he was employed on a farm. In 1862 he re- turned to his native state and began working as a tanner. In 1867 he went to Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, where he was foreman in a tannery, and whence, in 1874, he moved to Salladasburg, where he purchased a tannery owned by the Gamble Brothers. The output of this tannery was from eight thousand to nine thousand sides per year and gave em- ployment to about seventy-five men. He continued the business until about 1885, when he moved to Jersey Shore, where he now conducts one of the largest general stores in the place. He is vice-president and direc- tor of the Jersey Shore Banking Company.
Mr. Mccullough takes great interest in the progress of his adopted town, and in connection with Hamilton B. Humes furnished half the money for the Jersey Shore Electric Street Railway. Mr. Mccullough is one of the charter members of this organization, in which, at one time, he held the office of vice president. He is president of the Jersey Shore & Antesfort Railroad Company, president of the Pennsylvania
359
LYCOMING COUNTY
Steam Coal & Coke Company, president of the Cammal and Black Forest . Railway, and formerly held this office in the Larry's Creek Plank Road : Company. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and he and his family are members of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Mccullough married, in 1867, Helen, daughter of Harrison and Catharine Bortle, of Delaware county, New York, and they are the parents of three children : Clinton Bortle, mentioned at length herein- after; Harry W., also mentioned at length hereinafter; and Catharine, born at Gouldsboro, wife of Lee Lasmer, manager of the Mccullough general store, Jersey Shore. They have no children.
Clinton Bortle Mccullough, son of Robert and Helen ( Bortle) Mc- Cullough, was born May 30, 1870. In 1893 he was employed by his father in the tannery at Salladasburg, in 1894 began surveying for the United States Leather Company, and in 1895 was chief engineer in the building of the Cammal & Black Forest Railroad.
In 1901 he moved to Jersey Shore and became associated with the Jersey Shore Electric Company in the capacity of manager. He is now secretary and manager of the Jersey Shore & Antisfort Railway, and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Steam Coal & Coke Company, West Virginia. He holds the offices of secretary and treasurer in the Potaw Coal & Mercantile Company and in the Port Smith, Potaw & Western Railroad Company.
Following are the fraternal organizations to which he belongs with the dates of his admission : La Belle Valley Lodge, No. 232, F. and A. M., March 9, 1900; Lycoming Chapter, January 14, 1902; Council, No. 26, June 24, 1902; Baldwin Commandery No. 22, April 17 1902; Williamsport Consistory, March 31, 1900; and Irem Temple, April 25, 1901. He is also a member of the Golden Eagles, Jersey Shore. He attends the Presbyterian church, of which his wife is a member.
360
LYCOMING COUNTY
Mr. McCullough married in 1893, Ancdella M., born at Salladas- burg, daughter of F. W. and Martha Fettei, of Jersey Shore, and they have one child: Robert, Jr., born July 24. 1896, at Cammal, Pennsyl- vania.
Harry W. Mccullough, son of Robert and Helen ( Bortle) McCul- lough, was born December 1, 1874, at Saiadasburg, where he attended the common schools from which he passed to the Jersey Shore high school, which was then controlled by the Presbyterian church. He was employed by his father in the tannery and as clerk in the general store. He has filled the office of auditor of Sall .. dasburg.
Mr. Mccullough married, July 7, 1892, Rachel, born at Jersey Shore, daughter of Charles and Jemima (Schewer) Bubb, both de- ceased, late of Jersey Shore. Mr. and Mrs. McCullough are the parents of two children : Helen, born August 9, 1894; and Harry, born Janu- ary 28, 1897.
NILS LARSON.
By birth and parentage Nils Larson, of Okome, is a Swede. His father, Lars Gust Larson, married Christine -, by whom he had five children : Caroline; Nils, mentioned at length hereinafter; Beata; Charlotte ; and Andrew. After the death of his wife he married Chris- tine --. to whom two daughters were born: Augusta and Hulda. The children of both marriages, with the exception of Caroline, are residents and citizens of the United States. Mr. Larson, the father of the family, died in his native country.
Nils Larson, son of Lars Gust and Christine Larson, was born in 1853. in Sweden, and in 1872 emigrated to the United States. After prospecting in various parts of the country he found his
361
LYCOMING COUNTY
way to Williamsport and 'settled on the south side, where he erected a house. In 1888 he exchanged this property for a farm in McHenry township owned by Neals Farson, his fellow-countryman. The estate consists of one hundred and eleven acres of farming land, about sixty of which have been brought, by the intelligent industry of the owner, into a high state of cultivation. 'Since he has occupied this farm he has been elected supervisor of the township, an office which he now holds.
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.