USA > Pennsylvania > Beaver County > History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and its centennial celebration, Volume I > Part 40
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We have now given such information concerning the attor- neys of the first court of the county as was obtainable. It remains to tell so far as possible, somewhat of those who were nearly contemporary with, and those who followed, them in after years.
In an address made at the dedication of the present court- house, Hon. Daniel Agnew said :
When I came from Pittsburg to this county in 1829, the resident lawyers were James Allison, Robert Moore, John R. Shannon, William B. Clarke and Sylvester Dunham. The court was frequented, however, by eminent lawyers-Walter Forward, W. W. Fetterman, Henry M. Watts and William Wilkins. N. P. Fetterman, a younger brother of W. W. Fetterman, did not come until 1832. The most regular prac- titioner from abroad was Isaac Leet, of Washington.
By a reference to the list of attorneys admitted to practise in the county (see end of this chapter) it will be seen that there were but few admissions between the date of the first court (1804) and the year mentioned in this quotation.
The notices to follow will be mainly limited to deceased lawyers who were resident for a shorter or longer time in the county, and will be in the order of their dates of admission.
John R. Shannon was born in Washington County, Pa., October 11, 1784, and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County October 3, 1808. He became a good lawyer and was a man of influence. In politics he was a Democrat, and he was a member of the lower branch of the Legislature for four years, 1826-29. There, with General Samuel Power, he was instrumental in securing an appropriation of $100,000 for the construction of the
Alexander Addison. Admitted 1787. Died, 1807. President Judge Fifth District, 1791-1803.
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Beaver division of the Pennsylvania Canal. Mr. Shannon re- mained a bachelor to the end of his life. He died in Erie, Febru- ary 4, 1860, having removed from Beaver to that city just before the war. He was brought back to Beaver and buried in the old cemetery.
Sylvester Dunham, a native of New England, was in his day a prominent practitioner at the Beaver bar, to which he was ad- mitted June 2, 1817. He was a Whig in politics, and a good stump speaker. He died in Rochester, Pa., May 24, 1867, aged seventy-four.
Walter Forward, a frequent practitioner in Beaver, was one of the most talented of this early group of lawyers; a man massive in body and intellect. He came from Somerset County, to Pittsburg, where most of his laurels were won. He was ad- mitted to the bar of this county, April 9, 1821. We cannot re- peat the full tale of his honors: He was a member of Congress from Allegheny County, Secretary of the United States Treas- ury, Minister to Denmark, and President Judge of Allegheny County. He died November 24, 1852. It is an unsupported tradition that he was at one time a student at Greersburg (Dar- lington) Academy, in this county.
William B. Clarke was born in Beaver in 1804. His education was obtained at the Beaver Academy and at Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pa., where he graduated. He studied law with Robert Moore, Esq., in Beaver and was admitted to the bar of this county May 21, 1827. He was a Whig in politics, and afterwards a Democrat and became a staunch supporter of the Federal Government during the Civil War. He was appointed in 1830 Deputy Attorney-General for Beaver County. Shortly after the war he removed to Pittsburg, making his home with a daughter, Mrs. Arthurs, who lived on the line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, three or four miles out of the city.
Simon Meredith came to this region from the eastern part of the State. He was admitted to the bar of Beaver County October 28, 1830, and three years later formed a partnership with N. P. Fetterman of the same bar. He was a good lawyer. After about ten years of practice here, he removed to Pittsburg.
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James H. Stewart of Pittsburg was admitted to the Beaver County bar, April 8, 1833. His grandfather was General Abner Lacock of Beaver, and his father was recorder of deeds in Alle- gheny County. He was a son-in-law of Ephraim Pentland, Esq., mentioned below.
Ephraim Pentland was a Pittsburg lawyer, son-in-law of General Abner Lacock of this county. He came to Pittsburg in 1801 or 1802, and was prothonotary of the county of Alle- gheny from 1807 to 1821, sitting with the aldermen as judge of the Recorder's court in the old court-house for the disposition of minor cases. He was a short, heavy man, very fond of his joke, and a well-known figure in the history of Pittsburg. He had been a printer and editor, and in 1803 started there the Common- wealth, a weekly Democratic newspaper. His connection with the Stewart-Bates duel has been mentioned in connection with the sketch of William Wilkins. April 11, 1831, he was admitted to practise in the several courts of this county, and appeared there occasionally until the time of his death, which took place in 1839. He had three daughters, Susan, Caroline, and Min- erva, delightful ladies, who lived many years in the General Lacock homestead at Freedom.
N. P. Fetterman was born in the northwestern part of the State, February 4, 1804. He studied law with his brother W. W. Fetterman of Pittsburg, and was admitted to the bar of Allegheny County, August 14, 1825. After several years' resi- dence at Bedford Pa., whence he was sent to the Legislature for three successive terms, he came to Beaver, and, June 6, 1831, was admitted to the bar of this county. He remained here until 1849, when he removed to Pittsburg, where he formed a partnership with his nephew, G. L. B. Fetterman. Mr. Fetter- man had an extensive practice in all the western counties of the State and was a noted legal and popular orator. He was a war Democrat, two of his sons enlisting with his hearty approval as members of the IoIst Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was married, December 28, 1828, to Miss Anna M. Dillon of Bedford, Pa., by whom he had eight children. He died in 1877.
William Allison was born in Beaver, January 3, 1810. After enjoying the advantage of thorough preliminary training under
John Bannister Gibson. Chief-Justice of Pennsylvania. Admitted to practice in Beaver, February, 1804.
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such teachers as David Johnson and Professor John Scott, he entered Washington College at the age of thirteen and graduated with honors in the class of 1828. He then studied law with his father, James Allison, Jr., and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, December 4, 1833. He died July 23, 1844, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. His reputation is that of a fine lawyer, especially skilled in the art of conveyancing. He married a daughter of Hon. Thomas Henry, and left no issue.
Thomas Cunningham was a very influential citizen and an excellent lawyer. He was born in Ohio, February 21, 181I. He read law under John R. Shannon, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, March 4, 1835. Mr. Cunningham held the office of district attorney for some time, and filled many positions of public and private trust in the town and county. He was appointed by President Buchanan one of the Supreme Court judges of Kansas, but preferring to practise, he left the bench. Judge Cunningham was a leading Democrat in this county, receiving many honors from his party, being one of the electors in 1856 and a delegate to the Charleston convention in 1860. Becoming a Republican, he was one of the electors at large in 1864. When the Union was threatened, his voice was heard in no uncertain tones in rebuke of its enemies and in loyal support of the National Government. He died in Beaver, September 29, 1865, and is buried in the old cemetery. Strong and heartfelt expressions of regret at his death were heard in private, and formally uttered in public assemblies. A large meeting of the bench and bar was held in his memory. His widow, the youngest daughter of Judge Joseph Hemphill, died in Beaver, November 23, 1903.
Isaac Jones was born at Halifax, Dauphin County, Pa., about the year 1800. He was admitted to the bar in 1833, and in 1837 came with his family to Beaver, where, being admitted to the bar, June 5, 1837, he practised his profession until his death in March, 1852. A daughter of Mr. Jones married I. N. Atkins of Beaver.
Lewis Taylor was born in the State of New York, Decem- ber 10, 1818. In his infancy his father died, and his mother
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married Ovid Pinney. The latter came early to Rochester, where he built the house now owned and occupied by John J. Hoffman. In this house Mr. Taylor passed his boyhood days. He pursued a classical course for several years at Yale College, and later stud- ied law in Beaver with John R. Shannon, Esq., and was ad- mitted to the bar there, September 4, 1843. Soon after his admission to the bar, Mr. Taylor was appointed to the office of Deputy Attorney General of Beaver County, which he held for six years. He became one of the ablest criminal lawyers in the State. Upon the erection of Lawrence County in 1849, he re- moved to New Castle, and formed a partnership with the late Jonathan Ayres of that place, and the law firm of Ayres & Taylor continued until 1853. During this period Mr. Taylor became a leader at the bar of Lawrence County. In 1867 he removed to this county, residing at the old Pinney residence, in which his mother had then recently died. Here he lived in retirement until the time of his death, December 15, 1884. He was buried in the new cemetery at Beaver, where his grave is marked by a splendid shaft, on which his friend, Samuel B. Wilson, Esq., caused the following inscription to be placed : " Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, rectique cultus pectora roborant."
John Allison, son of James Allison, Jr., was born in Beaver, August 5, 1812. He was a hatter by trade, and followed his business in Beaver and Marietta, Ohio, until the year 1843, when he began the study of law with his father, being admitted to the bar of Beaver County, November 26, 1845. Mr. Allison was a prominent member of the Whig party, being elected on its ticket to the Assembly three times-in 1846, 1847, and 1849. He was elected a Representative in Congress in 1850, defeated for a second term, but elected with a handsome major- ity in 1854. In the Assembly and in the National Legislature his voice was ever heard in opposition to slavery, and when the Republican party was organized he was a member of the con- vention at Pittsburg, and represented Pennsylvania on the Committee on Platform. In May, 1856, he was chosen chairman of the Republican State Committee, and in 1860 he was a dele- gate to the National Convention at Chicago. Mr. Allison served as paymaster from the beginning to the close of the Civil War, and
James Allison, Esq., LL.D. Admitted Feb., 1804. Died June 17, 1854.
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after his return became for a time a farmer in Mercer County. On April 1, 1869, he was appointed by President Grant to the office of Register of the Treasury. He was married in 1836 to L. A. Adams, a daughter of Dr. Milo Adams, and died in New Brighton, Pa., March 23, 1878.
Hon. Oliver James Dickey, the eldest son of John and Elvira Adams Dickey, was born April 6, 1823, at Old Brighton, now Beaver Falls, Pa. He received his education at the Beaver Academy and Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., closing his classi- cal career one year short of graduation. He entered the law office of James Allison, Esq., one of the oldest leading lawyers of the county, and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, November 26, 1845. In 1846 he went to Lancaster, Pa., and was in the office of his father's life-long friend, Thaddeus Stevens, whose partner he soon became. This partnership continued until his election to the office of district attorney. Upon the death of Mr. Stevens in 1868, he was elected to fill his unex- pired term in Congress, and was elected to the two following terms. He was a man of large views and abilities, and an ardent Republican of the Stevens school. He died greatly esteemed, at Lancaster, April 21, 1876.
Richard P. Roberts was born near Frankfort Springs, Pa., June 5, 1820. After study in the academy at Frankfort, he entered as a law student in the office of N. P. Fetterman, Esq., at Beaver, and was there admitted to the bar, March 15, 1848. Mr. Roberts became an able lawyer, and an eloquent speaker on any subject, especially distinguishing himself for his brilliant patriotic addresses at the outbreak of the Rebellion, and he soon sealed his testimony with his blood. At Gettysburg, at the head of his regiment, the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and in temporary command of his brigade, he bravely fought and nobly died on the 2d of July, 1863. Colonel Roberts was married, May 1, 1831, to Caroline Henry, daughter of Hon. Thomas Henry of Beaver. Of three children by this marriage, the sole survivor is Emma R., wife of Mr. Isaac Harter of Canton, Ohio. The resolutions adopted at the meeting of the bench and bar of Beaver County, in honor of this brave and good man, are quoted by Judge Hice in his Centennial address, which will be found in the second volume of this work.
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Joseph H. Wilson was the son of Thomas and Agnes Hemp- hill Wilson, and an uncle of the present judge of Beaver County, Hon. James Sharp Wilson. He was born May 16, 1820, in North Sewickley, now Franklin township, this county, where he received his early education. He graduated at Jefferson Col- lege, Canonsburg, Pa. He was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, June 5, 1850. From 1856-61 he represented his native county in the State Legislature, and at the breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted and was commissioned as Colonel of the IOIst Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. As stated in the chapter on the military history of the county, Colonel Wilson died in the Peninsular campaign of typhoid fever. His remains are interred at Zelienople, Butler County, Pa.
Samuel B. Wilson was born on a farm near New Castle, Pa., February 20, 1824, a son of Patrick and Rebecca (Morehead) Wilson. After having received a common school education he took an academic course and then entered Jefferson College, Canonsburg, Pa., graduating with the class of 1848. Shortly after his graduation Mr. Wilson was chosen principal of the Darlington Academy, in which position he remained until the fall of 1849, when he went to Somerset, Pa., and began the study of law in the office of Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, who was always his warm friend. In 1850 Mr. Wilson was admitted to the bar, and, at once removing to Beaver, was admitted on the 18th of November of the same year to practise in the several courts of this county. Here he soon took the commanding position as a lawyer, which he held with increasing power until the time of his death, which took place on the 17th of January, 1889.
Samuel Magaw was born in North Sewickley township, Beaver County, Pa., June 8, 1814. His education was obtained at the North Sewickley Academy; at Zelienople; at Olmstead's Institute, New Brighton; at the Beaver Academy; at Canons- burg (Jefferson College); and at Allegheny College, where he graduated in 1853. After his graduation Mr. Magaw studied law with the Hon. Thomas Cunningham of Beaver, and was ad- mitted to the bar of this county, June 4, 1855. He was a good lawyer and secured a remunerative practice. In political affilia- tions he was a Republican, and his religious connection was
Henry Baldwin. Admitted 1804. Died, 1844.
General G. A. Scroggs. Admitted 1845. Died, --.
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with the Baptist Church. He died at New Brighton, Septem- ber 13, 1879.
Warren S. Dungan, a grandson of Levi Dungan, who was probably the first settler of Beaver County, was born Septem- ber 12, 1822, at Frankfort Springs, where Levi Dungan had located in 1772. He was educated at Frankfort Academy, and studied law with Colonel Calvin Miller of Panola, Miss., and with Roberts & May in Beaver. March 10, 1856, he was ad- mitted to the bar of Beaver County, and at once removed to Chariton, Iowa, where he commenced to practise, and where he still resides. He was elected on the Republican ticket in 1861 as a member of the Senate of his State, but at the outbreak of the Rebellion he resigned, enlisted as a private, recruited a company of which he was chosen captain, and took the field. Later he was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the 34th Iowa Infantry, and was made Brevet-Colonel of United States Volunteers for gal- lant conduct at Mobile, Ala. In 1872 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and in the following election was a presidential elector. Twice since he has been in the Iowa Legislature as a representative, and in 1887 was elected to the Senate; and he has been twice a delegate to the General Assem- bly of the Presbyterian Church, in 1875 at Toledo, Ohio, and in 1885 at Cincinnati, Ohio.
William Seely Morlan, the son of Richard and Mary Erwin Morlan, was born in Fallston, Beaver County, Pa., April 19, 1828. He learned the trade of blacksmith and worked at the forge for many years, but, having a taste for learning, he studied law with Brown B. Chamberlin and John Cuthbertson, Esqs., and was admitted to the Beaver County bar, September 14, 1857, entering at once upon the practice of his chosen profession. His wife having died, he enlisted in Company F, IoIst Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry, on November 9, 1861, serving through all campaigns in which his regiment took part. He was cap- tured at Plymouth, N. C., April 20, 1864, and was confined in Andersonville Prison until December 11, 1864. On the expira- tion of his term of service (being mustered out, March 8, 1865),. he returned to New Brighton, where he resumed the practice of law, and was elected a justice of the peace. Mr. Morlan died June 15, 1895, at the Soldiers' Home at Dayton, Ohio, to which
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he had been admitted about a month before. Squire Morlan, as he was familiarly called, was an upright man, a good and faith- ful soldier and a conscientious lawyer. His perception of legal principles was unusually clear.
Edward Black Daugherty was born in New Sewickley town- ship, afterwards Pulaski, now Daugherty, township, Beaver County, October 22, 1833. His ancestors were pioneers in this region. Daniel Daugherty, father of Edward B., was born in Londonderry, Ireland; and in 1796, when he was six years of age, was brought by his father to America, the family settling in Delaware County, Pa. Later the family removed to Beaver County. Daniel Daugherty married Elizabeth Black, who was born in this county in 1805. Edward B. Daugherty, the sub- ject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm, attended the common schools and Beaver Academy, taught school and stud- ied civil engineering and surveying, and followed the latter occupation for some time. Finally choosing the law as his pro- fession, he studied under the late Samuel B. Wilson, Esq., and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, June 4, 1860. He located at New Brighton, where he remained for nine years, when he removed to Beaver. Mr. Daugherty became one of the ablest lawyers at the county-seat, and for years occupied a posi- tion of prominence in the community, beloved and respected by all who knew him. May 5, 1870, he was married to Mary Cun- ningham, by whom he had two children, Samuel Wilson, de- ceased, and Mary. Mr. Daugherty was a devout and consistent member of the Roman Catholic Church, and a Democrat in politics. Perhaps the bar of Beaver County never had a mem- ber who left in the memory of his associates so many of his apt and peculiar expressions, which still pass as current coin. Mr. Daugherty died March 29, 1896, and his body was laid beside that of his only son in St. Mary's Cemetery, Pittsburg.
James S. Rutan was a native of Carroll County, Ohio, on one of whose beautiful farms he was born, May 29, 1838. His edu- cation was obtained at Richmond College, in the same State and .at the Beaver Academy. After a brief experience as a teacher, he turned to the profession of the law as his life work, and entered the office of Col. Richard P. Roberts as a student. He was admitted to practise in Beaver County, January 16, 1861,
William Allison. Admitted 1833. Died, 1844.
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and in the fall of that year enlisted in the army and was made First Lieutenant of Company F, IoIst Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was discharged July 18, 1862, on account of sickness, and returning to his practice in Beaver, he was elected to the office of district attorney, which he held for six years. In 1865 he was married to Miss Eliza Cox, a daughter of Rev. William Cox, D.D., of Beaver. In 1868 he was the representative of Pennsylvania to carry the electoral count to Washington. In the following year he was elected to the State Senate, and was speaker of that body in 1872. He served from 1870 to 1875. Removing afterwards to Allegheny City, he was elected from that Senatorial District, and served from 1887 to 1890. He died at his home in Allegheny City, June 18, 1892, and is buried in the new cemetery at Beaver.
Frank Wilson was born in Beaver in 1844. His education was obtained in the common schools and at the Beaver Acad- emy. For three years he taught school, at the same time pur- suing the study of law in the office of his uncle, Samuel B. Wilson, Esq., of the Beaver County bar. He was admitted to practise at that bar, March 27, 1866. In 1877, Mr. Wilson was married to Miss Anna Gregg of Washington, Iowa. What promised to be a useful and brilliant career was cut short by death, February 22, 1883. The good which he did has not been interred with his bones, as he is spoken of affectionately by all who knew him.
E. P. Kuhn was born in Brighton township, Beaver County, Pa., October 28, 1838. He was educated in the common schools, in the Beaver Academy, and at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., and read law with S. B. Wilson, Esq., of Beaver. March 27, 1868, he was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, and immediately began practice in the county-seat.
In 1866 Mr. Kuhn was married to Miss Maria L. Smith, daughter of Captain Samuel and Margaret (Richardson) Smith, of Smith's Ferry, this county. There were born of this union four children, Margaret, Lucy, Paul, and E. P. Kuhn, all of whom are living, except Paul. Mr. Kuhn was a Democrat in political affiliation. He died in Beaver, May 4, 1873, and is buried in the cemetery at that place.
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Nathaniel Callender Martin was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, April 3, 1848. His early education was obtained in his native place, and he read law with E. P. Kuhn, Esq., in Beaver, where he was admitted to practise in the several courts of this county, September 1, 1873. He practised in Beaver until his death, which occurred November 29, 1880. He was buried in the new cemetery in Beaver. In religious connection Mr. Martin was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics a Republican. November 3, 1873, he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret M. Taylor, daughter of Rev. W. G. Taylor, D.D., then of Phillipsburg (now Monaca), who lately died in Beaver. There were three children of this union, William T., Erwin S., and Charlotte E., all living. His widow resides in St. Paul, Minn.
John Wilson Moorhead was born near Venice, in Cecil town- ship, Washington County, Pa., May 17, 1852, and was educated at Hookstown and Frankfort Springs academies and in Wash- ington College. He read law in the office of Wilson & Moore, Esqs., of Beaver, and was admitted to the bar of Beaver County, June 7, 1875. Beginning the practice of his profession at the Washington County bar, he later removed to Beaver, and was there entering upon a successful career as a lawyer, when his health began to show signs of breaking. Hoping to restore his strength he went to New Mexico, but, realizing that he was sinking, he turned his face homewards. He was only able to reach the home of a near relative, S. M. S. Campbell, Esq., near Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, where he died April 29, 1884. His body was brought back and buried in the church- yard at Clinton, Allegheny County, Pa.
May 5, 1884, John M. Buchanan, Esq., announced in court the death of Mr. Moorhead, and the court appointed a commit- tee consisting of John M. Buchanan, J. R. Harrah, and J. H. Cunningham, Esqs., to prepare suitable resolutions of respect. July 30th following, the report of the committee was presented, approved, and filed and recorded at length in Minute Book, No. 2, page 319.
Alexander Winfield McCoy was born in Hanover township, Beaver County, Pa., August 14, 1852, the son of William W. and Nancy (Campbell) McCoy. He was educated in the public schools, later attended New Sheffield Academy and Westminster
Thomas Cunningham. Admitted 1835. Died, 1865. .
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College, New Wilmington, Pa., and graduated at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill. Having studied law with Samuel B. Wilson, Esq., of Beaver, he was admitted to practise in the several courts of this county, June 10, 1878. He was a diligent worker in his chosen profession, in which he had high hopes of success, when he was stricken with typhoid fever in the fall of 1890, and died November 3d of that year. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Elizabeth C. McCoy, who is a successful teacher in the public schools of Rochester, Pa., and principal of the Second Ward building.
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