USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 21
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 21
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Mr. Stiver married, October 13, 1892, Jennie Mabel, dauglı- ter of A. J. Stauffer, of Newburg, Pennsylvania. Two children, Marguerite and Lucy.
AMMON W. AND JAMES A. POORBAUGH.
These two brothers, who are residents of Meyersdale, are the grandsons of Samuel Poorbaugh, who was a farmer. He married a Miss Ringler, by whom he was the father of the fol- lowing children: Benjamin, William Henry, of whom later; John O., Ellen, Lydia, Simon P., Mary, Samuel W., Jeremiah R., and Elizabeth. After the death of the mother of these chil- dren, Mr. Poorbaugh married the widow of Herman Heine- meyer, of Somerset county, the issue of this marriage being one daughter, Grace.
William Henry Poorbaugh, son of Samuel and (Ringler) Poorbaugh, was born in November, 1841, in Stony
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Creek township, and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits in connection with the lumber business. He served his town- ship in various capacities, among them that of school director, an office which he held for a number of terms. He was a mem- ber of the Reformed church, Sunday school superintendent for ten years of Mt. Lebanon congregation. He was a Republican in politics. Mr. Poorbaugh married Sarah, daughter of Simon Bluebaugh, of Maryland, and their children were: Harvey E., Lucretia M., Ammon Weinbird, of whom later; Nettie, James Allen, of whom later; Alvin P., Pearl E., and Foster T. The death of Mr. Poorbaugh occurred September 24, 1893. Mrs. Poorbaugh is still living, enjoying good health, at Meyersdale.
Ammon Weinbird Poorbaugh and James Allen Poorbaugh, sons of William Henry and Sarah (Bluebaugh) Poorbaugh, were born in Northampton township, the former on May 9, 1878, and the latter on July 24, 1881. Both attended school until about nineteen years old, and were engaged in business as butchers in connection with farming during the greater part of the time until February 1, 1905, when the butchery business of their father's estate was bought out by Ammon Weinbird Poorbaugh and W. F. Muhlenberg, under the firm name of Poorbaugh & Muhlenberg. The connection was maintained until June 10, 1905, when Mr. Muhlenberg sold his interest to James Allen Poorbaugh. It is located on the corner of Center and North streets, Meyersdale. Both brothers are stockholders in the Economy Telegraph Company. Both are Republicans. Ammon Weinbird Poorbaugh is a member of the United Brethren church and James Allen Poorbaugh belongs to the Reformed church.
Ammon Weinbird Poorbaugh married, September 16, 1900, Mollie, daughter of Jacob Bowser, of Meyersdale, and they have one child, Jacob William, born June 28, 1901.
James Allen Poorbaugh married, November 13, 1903, Norah, daughter of Herman Muhlenberg, of Northampton town- ship, and they are the parents of two children: Herman and Lulu.
JEREMIAH J. LIVENGOOD.
The family of which Jeremiah J. Livengood, of Salisbury, is a representative, was founded in this country by the Rev. Peter Livengood, who was one of the early settlers of Elk Lick township. In old records the name is spelled Liebenguth, Lie- beggood and Liebegoot. The Rev. Peter Livengood married, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, Barbara. , and they were the parents of a large family, which formed a conspicuous ele- ment in the German population of Pennsylvania. Peter Liven-
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good died in his one hundredth year, and his wife, Barbara, at ninety.
Christian Livengood, son of Peter and Barbara Livengood, was born about 1775, in Berks county, and accompanied his father to Somerset county. He was one of the leading farmers and stockraisers of Elk Lick township. His wife was Eliza- beth Forney, and they were the parents of numerous sons and daughters.
John C. Livengood, son of Christian and Elizabeth (For- ney) Livengood, was born in 1800, in Elk Liek township, and was a farmer and wagoner on the National Pike. He married Mary, daughter of John Hershberger, of the same township, and their children were: Eliza, Nancy, Samuel, Jeremiah J., see forward; John, Sarah, Elizabeth, Peter, Mary, and Alex- ander. He was a German Baptist, a Whig and Republican, su- pervisor of township, and died in 1859. His wife survived him many years.
Jeremiah J. Livengood, son of John C. and Mary (Hersh- berger) Livengood, was born January 1, 1835, and obtained his education in the public and subscription schools, walking five miles to school when but five years old. He attended school in winter and worked on his father's farm until attaining his ma- jority. He then went to work in a limestone quarry, contracting for one year. In 1857 he apprenticed himself to Samuel Lowry at four dollars a month, but had been with him only a short time when Mr. Lowry gave up the business, which was for one year thereafter conducted by Mr. Livengood in partnership with Samuel Meese. During the ensuing year he was variously em- ployed and then engaged in business for himself in Salisbury as carriage builder, where he has since been continuously in business, with the exception of eighteen months, during which time he was in business in Gebhardtsburg in the same line. About 1868 he was elected burgess of Salisbury without any solicitation on his part, and received all but two of the votes cast. Ile served for six years and then refused re-election. He was again elected in 1900 for a term of three years, and in Feb- ruary, 1905, was appointed to that office in consequence of the resignation of his predecessor, serving in all twenty years. He has also filled the offices of assistant assessor and auditor of the borough. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Brethren church.
Mr. Livengood married, January 8, 1859, Lydia, born No- vember 9, 1834, daughter of Jacob Lichty, of Salisbury, and they have been the parents of the following children: True- man, born September 24, 1860, died in infancy. Marshall, born September 20. 1861, is a contractor of house and carriage paint- ing and resides in Meyersdale. He is a member of the Brethren
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church and a Republican in politics. He married Carrie, daugh- ter of John Ravenscraft, who bore him five children, one of whom is deceased. The surviving children are: Eugene, Mary, Gladys, Jennie. Mary, born December 11, 1865, wife of W. V. Williams, of Meyersdale, and mother of four children; Allan, Harold, Anna and Irene. Emma, born October 10, 1870, wife of Frank Statler, of Salisbury, and mother of one child, Zilpalı. Samuel L., born June 27, 1868, a blacksmith and carriage painter, a member of the Brethren church and a Republican. He married Millie, daughter of John Green, of Carlton, Ne- braska, and lives in Salisbury. Five children were born to them, one of whom is deceased. The surviving children are: Robert J., Mabel, Margaret and Ralph. Cora, born September 13, 1875, married Alvin Kidner and lives in Salisbury.
JOHN L. GLESSNER.
John L. Glessner, of Berlin, is a son of Tobias Glessner. A full account of the Glessner family from the time of its found- ing in America, is given in the sketches of Tobias and Frank P. Glessner, which appear elsewhere in this volume.
John L. Glessner was born October 25, 1858, in Stony Creek township, where his education was received in the public schools. He worked for his father until the age of twenty, when he married and rented a farm from his father. This he cultivated for five years, and then for two years was engaged in clearing the timber from a tract of one hundred and thirty acres pur- chased from his father. The land was heavily timbered with white pine and other trees. April 2, 1887, he purchased from the heirs of Ephraim Ross the farm on which he now resides; it is situated near Downey. His very neat and pretty home he built in 1888, erecting the barn the same year. The farm is well stocked, having good orchards of apples and pears and a sugar camp of four hundred vessels. In addition to this prop- erty Mr. Glessner is the owner of another tract. For the last nine years he has been in the farm produce business, and every week throughout the year carries a load of produce to Johns- town. This business he conducts in connection with his farming enterprises and operations. He served at one time as super- visor and is a Democrat in politics. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Reformed church.
Mr. Glessner married, November 25, 1877, Hattie J. Will, and their children are: Nellie E., born in 1878, wife of Merle R. Schrock, for fourteen years a teacher in the public schools, a practical surveyor, and a Republican. He and his wife live on the home farm and are members of the Reformed church. Ivy B., born January 15, 1887, wife of John T. Stutz- man, a farmer and a Republican. Both are members of the
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Reformed church. Mrs. Glessner is a daughter of William C. and Sarah Will, the former a cooper by trade, a Republican and a member of the Lutheran church. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, among them, Hattie J., born April 9, 1858, was educated in the township schools, and is the wife of John L. Glessner. Mr. Will died April 1, 1900, aged seventy- five years, and his widow, born September 30, 1826, resides with her daughter, Mrs. Glessner.
EDGAR HOLMES MILLER.
Edgar Holmes Miller, a druggist of Salisbury, is a descend- ant on the paternal side of natives of Ireland, and on the ma- ternal side of natives of Scotland, which countries have con- tributed their quota to the citizenship of America, the repre- sentatives therefrom being among the public-spirited and patriotic men who have aided in building up the communities in which they located.
The earliest member of the Miller family on record in Pennsylvania was Christopher Miller, who was born east of the Alleghenies, of Irish ancestors. In 1782 he journeyed west and settled in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he secured a "tomahawk claim" of four hundred acres. He married and was the father of four sons, each of whom received one hundred acres of the homestead farm.
John Miller, one of the four sons of Christopher Miller, was born in 1780. He married, in 1802, Margaret Guy, born near Fredericktown, Maryland, who bore him six sons and one daughter.
Christopher Miller, son of John and Margaret (Guy) Miller, was born in Donegal township, Washington county, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1811, on his father's farm, part of the original "tomahawk claim," and here he always lived. His wife, Sarah J. (Knight) Miller, bore him the following children : William, deceased; John, deceased; Calvin, Leliman, deceased; George, Charles W., see forward; Mary Jane, Mar- garet and Emily.
Charles W. Miller, son of Christopher and Sarah J. (Knight) Miller, was born March 15, 1848. He was a miller by trade, but for many years has been a traveling salesman for a prominent wholesale house of Pittsburg. He resides in Clays- ville, Pennsylvania. He married Nancy Elizabeth Holmes, born May 28. 1852, and their children are: Edgar Holmes, see for- ward; Willard H., a druggist of Berlin; Alice Pearl, and Lulu Elizabeth. William Holmes, great-grandfather of Nancy E. (Holmes) Miller, was captain of a ship plying between Norway and Scotland. He was accidentally killed and was buried in Norway about 1782. William Holmes, son of William Holmes,
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emigrated to the United States in 1830, landing in New York. He journeyed through Canada, seeking a location, returned to the United States by way of Niagara Falls, and finally decided to locate in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he se- cured a farm which has ever since been in the Holmes name. He returned to New York for his family, came by water to Baltimore, Maryland, and thence by wagon over the Cumber- land road to Claysville. George Y. Holmes, son of William- Hohnes, was born in Saltcoats, Scotland, May 13, 1820, a farmer of Claysville, married Elizabeth Snodgrass, and they were the parents of Nancy E. ( Holmes) Miller.
Edgar Holmes Miller, eidest son of Charles W. and Nancy E. (Holmes) Miller, was born in Dallas, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1877. He attended the public schools, graduating from the high school of Claysville in 1897. The following year he en. tered the Pittsburg College of Pharmacy, from which he gradu- ated in 1900. After completing his professional studies, Mr. Miller selected Salisbury as a location and there in August, 1900, opened an up-to-date pharmacy, which is a model of ap- pointment and efficient service, and here he attained financial success. In April, 1905, in company with his brother, Willard H., he opened a drug store in Berlin under the firm name of Miller & Miller, and in September, 1906, the firm added another store by the purchase of the drug business of W. C. Martin at Munhall, Pennsylvania, a business founded in 1875. Mr. Miller is a Republican and a member of the Reformed church. Al- though a young man and not long a resident of Somerset county, Mr. Miller has made for himself an honored name in the com- munity with which he has cast his lot and where his social and business qualities have won him many friends.
Mr. Miller married, September 19, 1900, Mary Edith, born January 19, 1876, daughter of T. H. Sawhill, of Claysville. She was educated in the schools of Claysville. Their children are: Edgar Holmes, Jr., born June 10, 1903, and Darrell S., born June 20, 1904.
NORMAN D. HAY.
The family of which Norman D. Hay, of Meyersdale, is a representative, was founded in this country by Simon Hay, who was born near Berlin, Germany, and in 1763 emigrated to the American colonies in company with his brother, John Fran- cis Hay. Simon Hay settled first in the eastern part of Penn- sylvania, where he followed his trade of weaving. While tem- porarily engaged in threshing, he became acquainted with a man named Countryman, who was his assistant. Countryman, who was the owner of a large tract of land in Brothers Valley township, persuaded Mr. Hay to remove thither and purchase
Vol. III 13
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three hundred acres. On this land he built a gristmill and after- ward a fulling mill, which he operated to the advantage of him- self and his neighbors. He was the father of the following chil- dren: Mary, Elizabeth, Catharine, Susan, Valentine, Michael, Jacob, George, and Peter S., see forward. Mr. Hay, at the time of his death, which occurred in 1842, was more than a cen- tenarian, being one hundred and three years old.
Peter S. Hay, son of Simon Hay, was born in 1789, and succeeded his father in the possession of the farm. He also came into possession of the gristmill on the death of his brother, Valentine, who had previously operated it. To the close of his life he was a farmer. He and his wife were members of the Reformed church. Mr. Hay married Elizabeth Walker, and of their twelve children the following reached maturity: David, see forward; Michael, Philip, Peter S., Valentine, Mary, Susan, Elizabeth. Catharine, and Caroline. Mr. Hay, the father, died in 1845, and his widow survived him many years, passing away in 1880.
David Hay, son of Peter S. and Elizabeth (Walker) Hay, was born September 3, 1814, in Brothers Valley township, and purchased of his father the gristmill, which he operated until about 1850. In that year he disposed of the property and moved to Southampton township, where he purchased a farm, but in a short time, owing to the death of his wife, abandoned agricul- ture and passed two years in teaching school at a salary of ten dollars per month, and in other occupations. After his second marriage he moved to the farm in Elk Lick township now owned by his son, Norman D. Hay. The property then presented an uninviting appearance, but the aspect of things was soon changed by the fine buildings which Mr. Hay caused to be erected. In accomplishing this he was materially aided by his wife. who also furnished the plans for the erection of the house. Mr. Hay was largely interested in real estate, dealing in farms not only in his native state, but also in the west, and was a suc- cessful financier. He settled up numerous estates in a manner satisfactory to all concerned. In 1857 he was elected to the state legislature on the Democratic ticket. He was a member of the Reformed church, and not only gave two thousand dollars toward the erection of the present church edifice, but also one thousand dollars to the church, in trust, the proceeds to be de- voted to alleviating the sufferings of the poor in the neighbor- hood.
Mr. Hay married Polly Cook, who bore him two sons: Will- iam H., and Calvin Theodore. Mrs. Hay died September, 1850, and Mr. Hay subsequently married Mrs. Mary A. (Rauch) Boose, by whom he was the father of one son, Norman D., see forward. Mrs. Hay was born in 1825, and was a daughter of
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John Rauch, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Hagers- town, Maryland, to Brothers Valley township, where he was one of the first settlers. The first husband of Mrs. Hay was. John A. Boose, to whom she was married in 1846; his death occurring in 1847, when in his twenty-second year. He was a member of the Lutheran church. By her first marriage Mrs. Hay was the mother of one son, John Rufus Boose, recorder of Somerset county. The death of Mr. Hay occurred April 14, 1878.
Norman D. Hay, son of David and Mary A. (Rauch) (Boose) Hay, was born October 2, 1854, on the homestead in Elk Lick township, where he attended the public schools until the age of nineteen. Upon the death of his father he took charge of the farm, of which he became the owner and which he has since retained and managed. The estate consists of two hundred acres. Since 1891 he has also owned and worked the Rauch farm in Brothers Valley township. He is interested in mineral lands in various parts of Somerset county. He is a stockholder in the Farmers' Bank of Somerset, a stockholder and director of the First National Bank of Salisbury, and vice-president of the Farmers' Union Association and Fire Insurance Company of Somerset County. For six years he held the office of school director. He is a Democrat and a member of the Reformed church, in which for six years he served as deacon, and for the last twenty years has been elder.
Mr. Hay married, December 11, 1879, Agnes, born in 1856, daughter of John Glotfelty, who, when a lad of eleven years, carried the mail from Grantsville, Maryland, to Ebensburg, Cambria county, a distance of ninety miles, along unfrequented roads which crossed the Allegheny mountains, taking a week to make the trip. Mr. and Mrs. Hay are the parents of the fol- lowing children: Mary, born December 1, 1881; Blanche and Pearl (twins), March 21, 1886; Maude, November 30, 1889; and Florence, September 27, 1894. Of these children, Mary was educated at the Woman's College, of Frederick, Maryland, and is engaged in teaching. Blanche and Pearl are graduates from the Salisbury high school. All are musicians, Mary, Pearl and Maude being pianists and Blanche a violinist.
FREDERICK GROFF.
Frederick Groff, one of the leading merchants and repre- sentative citizens of Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, is a native of that town, and is of German descent.
(I) Frederick Groff, grandfather of Frederick Groff, and . the founder of the family in America, was born in Bavaria, Ger- many, March 9, 1811. He married Christiana Slager, born in
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Bavaria, Germany, February 18. 1812, and they emigrated to this country about 1835. and settled in Pennsylvania.
(II) John A. Groff, son of Frederick (1) and Christiana (Slager) Groff, was born in Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, February 1, 1841. He received a good education in the public schools of his native town. He enlisted, August 20, 1862, in the !inion army as a private in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second Infantry Regiment. Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was severely wounded in the thigh by a minie ball in the battle of Fredericksburg. and was sent to the hospital. After his re- covery he was transferred by general order No. 202, adjutant- general's office, to the Veteran Reserve Corps. Twelfth Regi- ment. Company A, Captain James Cromies, from which he was honorably discharged June 27, 1865. After the war he turned his attention to farming. He was a Republican for many years, but later in life became an adherent of the Prohibition party. He was a member and regular attendant at Trinity Lutheran church. and died November 13, 1902. John A. Groff married, February 9, 1868, Elnora Swope, born September 13, 1847, in Berlin, daughter of Frederick Swope, born in Germany, August 12. 1791, and his wife, Barbara. born in Germany, April 13, 1809. Mr. and Mrs. Swope came to America when they were both very young. Mrs. Groff is a member of the Reformed church and resides in Berlin. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Groff were: Frederick Groff, of whom later; Augusta, now Mrs. C. C. Es- kens. of Berlin; John, married Lucy Ream. He is a clerk in Berlin: Sophia, married W. P. Walker, now living in Cedar Falls, Iowa; Edwin. died in childhood; Edna. wife of H. W. Musser. of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Harry, married Lizzie Feigley, and lives in Pittsburg; Frank, a clerk in Berlin; and Robert, a cigarmaker of Berlin.
(III) Frederick Groff, son of John A. (2) and Elnora (Swope) Groff, was born in Berlin, Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, January 19, 1869. He was educated in the public schools of Berlin and was an earnest, studious pupil during his attend- ance there. He commenced his business career as clerk in some of the stores of the town. and was thus occupied for about three years. During 1889-90 he taught school in Allegheny and Northampton townships. During the spring of 1891 he took a commercial course in the Tron City Business College in Pitts- burg. Pennsylvania, in order to fit himself for a mercantile life. In the same year he opened a grocery store in Berlin, and this venture proved so successful that other departments were added from time to time until now Mr. Groff is the proprietor of a finely equipped modern department store, which has succeeded the little grocery store, its progenitor. A large force of elerks is employed, exclusive lines of well known manufactures are han-
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dled, and the goods are displayed in an elegant and attractive manner. This result has been achieved by close application to business, good practical methods, and a liberal use of modern advertising methods, in which Mr. Groff is a firm believer. When the First National Bank was organized, Mr. Groff was chosen one of the directors and elected its first vice-president, an office he still fills ; he is also treasurer of the Co-operative Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Somerset County, holding this office since the organization of the company in 1898. Since cast- ing his first vote Mr. Groff has been an ardent member of the Third Party Prohibitionists. For two years he was chairman of the county committee of that party, and a liberal contributor to its funds and success. He has been burgess of Berlin, and a councilman elected on the Prohibition ticket. He is a political enthusiast and fearlessly expresses his opinions, firmly believ- ing that Prohibition is the true solution of the liquor question. He is a member and steward of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife is also a member. He is also a member of Lodge No. 461, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of W. E. Conrad Camp, No. 118, Sons of Veterans.
Mr. Groff married, November 8, 1890, Elizabeth J. Musser, born November 17, 1869, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Musser, of Brothers Valley township, Pennsylvania. Mr. Musser was a farmer, a member of the Reformed church, and a Dem- ocrat. He died October 19, 1889. The children of Frederick and Elizabeth Groff are: Margaret Edna, born May 21, 1892; Eleanor Grace, May 19, 1894; Marion Elizabeth, June 9, 1898; Ena Gertrude, March 26, 1900. The children were all born in Berlin and are attending the public schools in that town.
HIRAM P. HAY.
The family of which Hiram P. Hay, of Berlin, is a repre- sentative, was founded in this country by Simon Hay, who came from Germany in 1763 and settled in the eastern part of Penn- sylvania, where he followed the trade of a weaver. He was induced to purchase a tract of three hundred acres in Brothers Valley township, and settled on the farm now owned by E. E. Boyer, erecting a gristmill, and afterward a planing mill. On the farm still stands the old stone house, erected in 1790, and today in good condition. Simon Hay and his wife, who was Miss Anna May, were the parents of the following children: Mary, Elizabeth, Catharine, Susan, Valentine, Michael, Jacob, George, and Peter, of whom later. Mr. Hay lived to be more than a centenarian, his death occurring in 1842 at the age of one hundred and three.
Peter Hay, son of Simon Hay, was born in 1789, and suc- ceeded his father in the possession of the farm, and after the
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