USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 11
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 11
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Dr. C. Begley
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their love and respect for the uniform justice which character- izes all he does.
He married Grace Shultz, daughter of Peter Shultz, of Summit township, and their children are: Theodore Nevin, aged eleven years; Anna Grace, aged six years.
WILLIAM COLLINS BEGLEY.
William Collins Begley, the well known and highly es- teemed sheriff of Somerset county, is a descendant in the sixth generation of John Begley, or O'Begley, as the name was orig- inally spelled.
John O'Begley, afterward John O. Begley, married Mary Hurley in her native town, Belfast, Ireland, in 1750. One child was the fruit of this union, and it was christened James Oliver Begley, probably for two reasons: First, the preservation of the letter O, and, second, love for Oliver Cromwell.
James Oliver Begley located in Cork and married Bridget O'Neil. They had one child, John Patrick.
John Patrick Begley, a native of Cork, married Nora Ho- gan, also a native of Cork, in 1799. Their second child was named William and was the grandfather of William C. Beg- ley.
William Begley, grandfather of William Collins Begley, was born at Cork, Ireland, in 1804. He emigrated to America in 1823 and three years later married Annie Kelly. William Begley and his wife were the parents of three children: John, born 1829; David, 1833; and Nancy, 1835. Mr. Begley was a stanch supporter of the Republican party.
David Begley, father of William Collins Begley, was born in Springfield township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1833. Left fatherless at the early age of three years, all the education he received was given him by his foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Kern. Free schools did not exist at that time. He was a private in Company F, Eighty-fifth Regi- ment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, during the trying days of 1861-65. Mr. Begley married Amanda Collins, born March 19, 1841, at Mill Run, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Beg- ley's father was Dr. William Collins, who is especially noted in Somerset county for the geological survey lie made many years ago to show the mineral wealth of the county. He was the first discoverer of limestone and the first to urge its value for agri- cultural purposes. In the burning of lime he constructed the first incline railway in the county, the same extending from the quarry to the kiln. He made patterns for the wheels, built the cars and put the railway in successful operation. The incline railway was at first a great curiosity. By the introduction he suffered pecuniary losses. He was elected associate judge of
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the Somerset county court in 1882, which position he filled creditably for five years. He practiced dentistry for thirty years, conducting a large and successful business. He was a grandson of Moses Collins, one of the pioneers of Fayette county, and the man who built the first log cabin in the Indian Creek settlement. In politics he was a Republican. Dr. Will- iam Collins located and developed the first coal mines in the Meyersdale basin. His father, Henry Collins, enjoys the dis- tinction of having built the first carding mill in either Fayette or Somerset counties.
William Collins Begley, son of David and Amanda (Col- lins) Begley, was born in Stewart township Fayette county, Pennsylvania, December 3, 1870. He received his education in the common schools of Fayette and Somerset counties. He lived about three miles from the schoolhouse, and in inclement wintry weather it was a great hardship to make his way there. This had to be endured, however, as the school term was but five months of the year. By occupation Mr. Begley is a farmer. In politics he has always affiliated with the Republican party, having cast his first vote in 1892, when he voted for Benjamin Harrison and Whitelaw Reid. Since that time he has always adhered to the political faith of his family. In January, 1903, at the beginning of his term of office as sheriff of Somerset county, Andrew J. Coleman appointed William Collins Begley as deputy sheriff. In the previous political campaign, in which Mr. Coleman had had aggressive opposition, Mr. Begley, whose acquaintanceship extended over almost the entire county, was Mr. Coleman's most active and effective supporter, and his appointment as deputy sheriff was made by Mr. Coleman in recognition of his loyal and efficient political services.
Mr. Begley entered official life as he had always approached every other task, determined to do his duty. In the many delicate situations that occur in the administration of the sheriff's office, Mr. Begley always acted with consummate tact and exhaustless patience. With the unfortunate he was ever sympathetic and considerate, so that in the wake of his of- ficial career he left no enemies but many friends. Indeed, com- bined with a natural kindness of disposition that is magnetic and contagious, Mr. Begley possesses an intuitive knowledge of human nature enjoyed by few men. In the great miners' strike of 1903-04, lasting throughout the winter, and extending to almost every colliery in Somerset county, when riots and almost every conceivable form of violence were occurring daily, the brunt of the work of preserving the peace fell upon Mr. Begley as chief field deputy. How well he performed his ar- duous duties is best attested by an admiring and grateful pub- lic wherever Chief Begley comes upon the scene of disturbance.
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In the riot at Boswell, January 18, 1904, Mr. Begley was wound- ed four times, but notwithstanding his wounds, he remained in active control of the situation all night, and thereby saved the property of the coal company from destruction. His conduct everywhere compelled the applause of the general public, and his conciliatory treatment of the men and his undoubted bravery inspired the respect and esteem of the strikers themselves.
Several months before the Republican primary election preceding the triennial election of county officers, Mr. Begley was favorably mentioned by many of his admirers as a worthy successor to Sheriff Coleman, when the latter's term of office should have expired. Mr. Begley was very diffident, but the movement for him grew from month to month. The men who arrogated to themselves the Republican leadership of Somer- set county did not look upon the Begley boom with approval. Mr. Begley's strong individuality, political independence, and sterling manhood, did not commend him to the managers of the party, and when the Republican slate for 1905 was finally made up, Mr. Begley's name was not upon it. But the Begley boom could not be overlooked; it loomed like a great cloud across the political horizon. Mr. Begley was forced into the political arena by the irresistible demand of the rank and file of his party, and the political tempest which ensued after the formal announcement of his candidacy for the office of sheriff has never been equalled in intensity in the history of Somerset county. The campaign was but of three weeks' dura- tion, but the contest was unprecedentedly fierce. William H. Deeter, Mr. Begley's opponent, was by no means a weak man, and he was supported by every influence and artifice at the com- mand of a dominant political faction. Mr. Begley's fight was made practically without money, while the opposition was plenti- fully supplied with "the sinews of war." But there are times when the passions of men rise beyond the power of money to divert them from their honestly cherished purposes. Such a time was the Republican campaign of 1905 when the people, on the twenty-fifth day of March, triumphed over their self- appointed masters. The Republican convention was held on the twenty-eight of March, at which time Mr. Begley's nomina- tion was certified with an official majority of one hundred and thirty-four votes, having received two thousand seven hundred and ninety-five votes to two thousand six hundred and sixty- one for Mr. Deeter.
While Mr. Begley has never been a member of any church, he has always been a willing and liberal contributor to the cause of religion, making no distinction as to the denomination which he wished to help. For many years past he has been a
Vol. III 7
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regular attendant of the Lutheran church. Mr. Begley is not connected in any way with any society, fraternal, beneficial or otherwise. Mr. Begley is not yet married.
HENRY FRANKLIN BARRON.
Henry Franklin Barron, cashier of the Farmers' National Bank of Somerset, descends from German ancestry. George Barron, grandfather of Henry F. Barron, was born in Somer- set township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, in 1784. He mar- ried Christena Barclay, who died June 21, 1851. He died Jan- uary 18, 1852. The children born to them were: George, Sep- tember 1, 1810; Joseph, March 15, 1812; John C., July 21, 1820, died April 16. 1897; Eliza, January 6, 1825, married Chauncey Marteeny; Polly, who married Frederick Weimer, Sr., of Som- erset, Pennsylvania, died in young womanhood. George Bar- ron was a farmer throughout his life. He was a member of the Lutheran church and politically a Democrat. His children are all dead at this writing.
John C. Barron, son of George and Christena (Barclay) Barron, was born July 21, 1820. He was a farmer in Somer- set township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, occupying the old Barron homestead. He was of the Lutheran church faith and obtained a common school education. He was twice married; first to Lavinia, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Hay) Young. They resided in Somerset township. The children born to them were: Araminta, February 26, 1849, married a farmer named Amos A. Adams, now a resident of Waterloo, Iowa; Sophia, April 12, 1850, married James Weimer, a blacksmith of Somerset county, Pennsylvania; Missouri, October 11, 1851, married Cyrus Hemminger, a farmer of Somerset township; Louisa, January 21, 1854, married A. F. Kugs, a farmer and stone mason of Somerset township. The mother of these chil- dren died February 22, 1857, and Mr. Barron married (sec- ondly) Catherine, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Queer) Gonder, in 1860, and by this union were born: Henry F., Janu- ary 11, 1861; Belinda J., May 26, 1863, married Henry Cole- man; Annie M., August 31, 1864, married J. A. Berkey, of Somerset, Pennsylvania; Edward C., March 5, 1866, married Carrie M. Berkey; Sadie E., July 18, 1867, married Edward L. Simpson; Lizzie K., March 3, 1869, died January 1, 1881; Nan- nie K., October 1, 1870, married Wesley Slagle, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; John O. K., November 24, 1872, died January 20, 1881.
Henry F. Barron, son of John C. and Catherine (Gonder) Barron, born January 11, 1861, obtained his education at the common and normal schools of Somerset, his native county. Subsequently he took a thorough course at Duff's Commercial
R& Meyers
Residence of R. S. Meyers
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College of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. From 1879 to January 1, 1891, Mr. Barron followed school teaching in the borough of Somerset and adjacent country districts.
Politically Mr. Barron has always voted and given his hearty support to the Republican party. Among the places of trust he has held in an official capacity may be named: From 1891 to 1894 he was deputy sheriff under Isaiah Good; from 1897 to 1899, inclusive, he was prothonotary and clerk of the courts of Somerset county; was school director in the borough of Somerset during 1898-99-1900; chairman of the Republican county committee for 1900-01; also twice a delegate to the Penn- sylvania State Republican Convention-1899 and 1900.
September 4, 1900, when the Farmers' National Bank of Somerset was organized and opened for the transaction of busi- ness, he became its cashier, which position he still holds. He is also one of the directors of this bank.
He is a member of the Lutheran church and served as Deacon of Trinity Lutheran church of Somerset for ten years in succession, from 1892 to 1902. He holds a membership in the following civic societies: In Masonry, he belongs to Somerset Lodge, No. 358; Hebron Chapter, No. 272, of Meyersdale, Penn- sylvania; Oriental Commandery, No. 61, of Johnstown, Pennsyl- vania; Harrisburg Consistory, A. A. S. R., Harrisburg, Penn- sylvania; Syria Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania. He is also a member of the Odd Fellows Order, Som- erset Lodge, No. 438; Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 471, of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania; Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Johnstown Lodge, No. 175, of Elks.
Mr. Barron was united in marriage at Lavansville, Penn- sylvania, by Rev. L. L. Seiber, pastor of the Lutheran church, April 6, 1882, to Mollie J. Berkey, daughter of Chauncey H. and Elizabeth (Adams) Berkey, of Somerset borough (see Berkey family sketch).
ROBERT SAMUEL MEYERS.
Robert Samuel Meyers, managing editor of the Gleaner, Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and secretary of the Gleaner Publishing Company, was born October 21, 1878, the son of David L. and Susan M. (Hay) Meyers, and grandson of Samuel and Magdalena (Lichty) Meyers. The Meyers family originally came from Germany.
David L. Meyers was born in 1842 in Brothers Valley town- ship, near Berlin. He was educated in the Somerset county schools, and was a farmer by occupation. He was a very suc- cessful agriculturist, and was held in the highest esteem by his neighbors. Politically he accorded allegiance to the Republican
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party. In church relations he was a leading member and pillar of the Brethren church, and served as trustee and deacon of same.
David L. Myers married Susan M. Hay, a danghter of George P. and (Miller) Hay, of Somerset county. Mrs. Meyers was educated in the public schools of Somerset county. Three children were born of this union, as follows: Robert S., of whom later; Frank H., who bought and lives on the old homestead farm adjoining Berlin; and Annie B., wife of Edward S. Kimmel, a farmer of Brothers Valley, Somerset county. The death of David L. Meyers occurred in June, 1904. His widow makes her home with her son, Frank H.
Robert Samuel Meyers obtained his early education in the common schools of the county, and also attended Freeburg Musical College. At the age of sixteen he commenced teaching school, and was thus engaged very successfully in several of the county schools for five years. He was a census enumerator for Brothers Valley township on the census of 1900, being then barely twenty-one years of age. After the completion of this work, he went west, visiting the states of Illinois and Iowa, and finally located at Carleton, Thayer county, Nebraska. For two years he taught in the Carleton public schools, and while this occupied purchased the Carleton Leader, a Republican news- paper. He edited that journal for one year, in addition to his school work. At the expiration of his second year of teach- ing he resigned this work, and gave his entire attention to the newspaper. During this period, Mr. Meyers came back to Som- erset, was married, and returned to Nebraska with his wife. They remained in Carleton another year, and in 1903 Mr. Mey- ers sold out his western interests and removed to Somerset, where he engaged in the manufacture of tobacco. At the time of the death of his father, in 1904, Mr. Meyers removed to Berlin, where he now resides. There he organized a company and purchased the Gleaner, a Prohibition paper. Mr. Meyers converted this paper into an independent political sheet, the first one of its kind in the county. He is managing editor of this paper. The enterprise is a successful one, the paper hav- ing a generous patronage and the confidence of the public. Mr. Meyers is also secretary of the Gleaner Publishing Company.
In his political affiliations he is an ardent Republican, and interested in all pertaining to the welfare of that organization. Fraternally he holds membership in the I. O. O. F., Berlin Lodge, No. 461, having been identified with this organization since 1899; in 1902 Mr. Meyers joined the Masonic order, and is a member of Gavel Lodge, No. 199, Carleton, Nebraska, in which he served as secretary. He is a member of the Brethren
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church, having joined the same when he was thirteen years of age.
June 25, 1902 Mr. Meyers married Nellie A. Sipe, daughter of Henry L. and Martha Sipe. Henry L. Sipe is a merchant of Somerset. He was for years in the grocery business, and is now a jobber of manufactured tobacco. When the Farmers' National Bank was organized, Mr. Sipe was its first president, an office which he still holds. His father, Peter Sipe, was one of the oldest Somerset county merchants, and on the discovery of gold in California was one of the party who made the jour- ney overland in wagons. Their hope of finding gold was not realized, and they made the return trip in the same way. Mrs. Meyers was educated in the schools of Somerset. One child, Bernice, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Meyers, at Carleton, Ne- braska, May 10, 1903.
BENJAMIN JOHNSON BOWMAN.
Benjamin Johnson Bowman, postmaster of Berlin, Somer- set county, Pennsylvania, was born in Jefferson township, Oc- tober 23, 1864, the son of Cyrus and Matilda (Hay) Bowman, and grandson of John Bowman, who was a prosperous farmer of Somerset county. The original ancestor of the family in this country came from Switzerland, and settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania.
Cyrus Bowman (father) was born in Brothers Valley town- ship, Somerset county, Pennsylvania. He received what edu- cation the public schools of that day afforded, and turned his attention to the occupation of a farmer. He was a member of the German Reformed church. He married Matilda Hay, a descendant of a prominent family of this county, daughter of Simon Hay, who was born in 1807. He cast his first presi- dential vote in 1828, and voted for each succeeding president, down to the second candidacy of William McKinley in 1900. His death occurred in 1903. The death of Cyrus Hay occurred in August, 1878.
Benjamin J. Bowman acquired his early education in the public schools of the county, and later became a pupil in the Meese Preparatory School at Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bowman engaged as a school teacher for six years, but relin- quished this occupation for agricultural pursuits, being thus engaged for eight years. He removed to Berlin in 1896. In his political affiliations he is a stanch Republican, and has served his township in various offices. In 1897 he was appointed postmaster by President MeKinley, and the following year was elected to the office of county auditor, which necessitated his resigning the former position. At the expiration of his term as auditor he was again appointed postmaster by President
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Roosevelt, which office he now holds. He is also interested in educational affairs, and has served as school director. Mr. Bowinan is a member of the Reformed church at Berlin, and has held the offices of deacon and elder of same. He is a well- known citizen of Berlin, and well thought of throughout the community. In the various positions of trust to which he was elected he discharged his duties in a most creditable and effi- cient manner, thus gaining the confidence and respect of his fellow-townsmen.
Mr. Bowman married, September 4, 1887, Minnie Stahl, daughter of Samuel and Druscilla (Walker) Stahl, the former a blacksmith. Mrs. Bowman was educated in the public schools, and during her husband's term of office as county auditor, was appointed postmistress to fill out his unexpired term, and filled this position very satisfactorily for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Bowman have children as follows: Vida M., Clarence H., Mary E., Eugene K., Benjamin S., and John Oliver. These children all live with their parents and are attending school.
REV. WILLIAM G. SCHROCK.
Rev. William G. Schrock, bishop of the Brothers Valley congregation of the German Baptist church, was born March 27, 1840, in Donegal township, Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania, a son of George and Susan (Horner) Schrock.
Christian Schrock (grandfather) was the founder of the family in America. He was a native of Germany, born 1780, came to this country in 1805, settling on a farm in Brothers Valley, which has since been made into two farms, now owned by Rev. William G. Schrock and E. L. Knepper. The farm originally comprised three hundred acres, and Christian fol- lowed farming exclusively. He married Franie Good, who was born in 1789 and died in 1870, aged ninety-one years. Her father was a large land owner of Brothers Valley. This couple were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to a good old age. One daughter, who is still living near Somerset, married Rev. Jacob Spicher, deceased. Christian Schrock died in 1847, aged sixty-seven years.
George Schrock, son of Christian Schrock, was born on his- father's farm, in 1816. He was educated in the public schools of his native place, and studied for the ministry. For many years previous to his death he was bishop of the Brothers Val- ley congregation of the German Baptist church. Although the owner and manager of his farm, his life was largely devoted to church work. In politics he was first a Whig, but after the for- mation of the Republican party gave his support to that organi- zation. In 1838 he married Susan Horner, a daughter of David and Elizabeth Horner, of Summit township. She was born in
W. C. Schrock
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1818 and died in 1865. The children of this marriage were: William G., of whom later; and Rebecca, who was born in 1842, married Samuel F. Rieman and is living with her son, George, near Berlin. George Schrock's useful life came to an end in 1892.
Rev. William G. Schrock received his initial education in the public schools of the county and later attended the summer normal schools. He also spent some time at Juniata College, at Juniata, Pennsylvania, and taught for several terms in the public schools. At the age of twenty-one he connected himself with the German Baptist church of Brothers Valley, his father being bishop of the congregation. He now owned and con- ducted his farm, and commenced a course of reading and study, preparing himself for a ministerial career. In 1880 he was elected a minister of the first degree, passed to the second and in 1890 was ordained a regular minister of the German Baptist church, with full power and authority. He is now bishop of the Brothers Valley congregation, comprising five churches, who are guided in their spiritual affairs by Rev. Mr. Schrock, Rev. Daniel H. Walker, Rev. J. J. Shaffer, Rev. P. U. Miller and Rev. S. U. Shober. Rev. Mr. Schrock has always been a firm believer in the value of Sabbath schools in connection with churches, and in the face of considerable opposition was the first to establish them in Brothers Valley congregation. All so- cieties for the encouragement of religious work among the young meet with his hearty commendation and support, notable among these being the Christian Workers, the young people's society in his congregation. Mr. Schrock has now practically retired from farming life and devotes his entire attention to his pastoral duties, at home and in other fields. He has a fine library of theological and metaphysical books, and this collec- tion he is constantly increasing. A glance over the shelves shows the wide range of his studies, and his books are a sure index to his broad enlightened mind and character. He is a member of the Western District Conference of Pennsylvania, and has several times been a delegate to the International Con- ference, at which delegates assemble from all parts of the world. In political affiliations Rev. Schrock is strictly inde- pendent.
He married, December 13, 1860, Rebecca Walker, a daugh- ter of Rev. Daniel P. (a minister in the German Baptist church) and Elizabeth (Horner) Walker, and who was born May 25, 1838. Her parents were married about 1830, and reared a fam- ily of eight children. Their son, Daniel H. Walker, is a minis- ter of the German Baptist church. Mrs. Schrock was born, educated and married in Stony Creek township. Mr. and Mrs. Schrock have one child, Emma S., who was born on the home
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farm November 3, 1865. She was educated in the county public and normal schools, and also attended Juniata College. She married E. L. Knepper, a farmer and stock dealer. She is the mother of one son, and her home, adjoining her father's, is a part of the original Christian Schrock homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Schrock adopted a nephew, Galen K. Walker, in baby- hood. He was given a good elementary education and was then sent to Juniata College, from which institution he graduated with honor. He is now twenty-two years of age, a fine speaker and gives great promise of becoming a leading spirit in what- ever profession he embraces. He is very dear to the hearts of his adopted parents, who take the deepest inerest in his career.
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