History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Volume III, Part 4

Author: Storey, Henry Wilson
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 940

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HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

works, the blast furnaces and rolling mills, and Mr. Price was placed in charge.

During his incumbency of the position of superintendent of the met- allurgical department occurred the "Great Flood" of 1889, which may well be said to have been the period which "tried out" every Cambria official. So well, however, did Mr. Price succeed in the work of bringing order out of chaos in his own department and placing it in condition for successful operation. that when a vacancy occurred in the general superintendency. his name was the only one that suggested itself to the principal officers of the company in connection with the position; and in October, 1890, he was made general superintendent of manufacture, his duties covering all processes of steel production and manufacture. And again, when there came a vacancy in the office of general manager, a position which imposed duties far beyond those usually accompanying such a position elsewhere, there was no question of choice among the company officers in the selection of a new incumbent, and Mr. Price was chosen to that position in the month of March. 1892; and since that time he has been the head of the works of the great Cambria Steel Company, the sole responsible head of its local operations. When he first assumed the duties of general manager the total number of men employed under his direction was seven thousand six hundred and sixteen. Some idea of the subsequent growth of the plant and the added responsibilities of the managing officer may be gathered when it is said that at the present time the Cambria pay rolls provide for fifteen thousand eight hundred and thirty-six men.

It is not merely as the finished executive skilled in the technique and minute detail of iron and steel manufacture, daily determining mat- ters that call for the expenditure of large sums of money and the plac- ing of almost an army of men, that Mr. Price is known in the city of Johnstown. With a wide reputation for executive and managerial abil- ity and an almost perfect knowledge of the iron and steel trade extend- ing throughout all its ramifications. his recognized business acumen has made him available in other lines. In 1896 he was elected president of the Johnstown Water Company and the Johnstown (now Consumers') Gas Company. and he has exercised supervisory control of the operation of these corporations. He assisted in the organization of the Johnstown Trust Company and served as its president for one year; served several years as president of the Conemaugh Valley Hospital Association, and now is president of the Citizens' Electric Light, Heat & Power Com- pany. He also is president and a director of the Manufacturers' Wa- ter Company and of several corporations subsidiary to the Cambria Steel Company. as well as having been a director of the parent organ- ization since 1897.

Mr. Price is an attendant at the services of St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal church. and in political preference is a Republican ; but he nas steadily refused to consider any suggestion of political advancement, although he has served the borough of Westmont as councilman and also as school controller. His chief personal characteristics are grasp of de- tail and determination. A patient listener, he has a remarkable faculty of quickly solving a given business problem and is equally quick in an- nouncing his decision. He is a strict disciplinarian, but always cour- teous to those with whom he is in association and to his subordinates, and it is a great compliment to the man that his methods and manner are unconsciously copied in the conduct of other men throughout the length and breadth of the Cambria works.

THE NEW YORK PUBLL L BRARY

Ase tenos and Tliden Foundations. 1909

G. H. Nagower M. Q.

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

On the ith day of June, 1883. Charles S. Price married Sarah Haws, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Haws. Of this mar- riage three children have been born, two of whom are still living: Philip Price, a student at Cornell, class of '07, and Helen Price, a little daugh- ter, the life and the light of the Price. home at Edgehill Drive, West- mont.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WAGONER, of Johnstown, widely known for his large capabilities as a physician and surgeon, and for pub- lic services of great value, both personally and in the line of his profes- sion, is a representative of an old and honored Pennsylvania family of German origin, whose members for several generations have been men of unusual intelligence and force of character.

His paternal great-grandfather, George Wagoner (or Von Wagner, the original form of the family name), was a native of the province of Wurtemberg, Germany. He was highly endowed with mental gifts, lib- erally educated, and was a preacher of independent thought and action. Becoming dissatisfied with the dogmas and doctrines of the established church, he dissented therefrom with all the energy of his nature and with scholarly ability, and his strictures brought upon him a veritable martyrdom-he was thrown into prison, and the incarceration resulted in his death.

George Wagoner, son of him whose fate has been narrated, deter- mined to escape like persecution and to secure for himself the blessings of the greater religious liberty afforded in the United States, became a self-elected "Redemptioner," selling his time to a ship company in order to procure transportation to these shores. Arrived in Philadelphia, he was placed with a Quaker with whom he remained until his obligation was discharged. In such kind hands he found not only humane treat- ment, but was afforded opportunity for securing an education, an oppor- tunity of which he made such excellent use that when, a few years later, he removed to the western part of the state, his mental qualifications were superior to those of the majority of the young men, "native and to the manner born," with whom he found his lot cast. So well equipped had he become that in Madison, Westmoreland county, where he took employment in a pottery works, he was engaged as a school teacher dur- ing the winter months, and served most creditably in that capacity. He inherited his father's deep religious zeal, engaged actively in the religious life of the community, was ordained a minister of the United Brethren church, and for many years labored earnestly and with much success for the cause of Christianity. A man of strong individuality, a deep think- er, eloquent speaker and forceful writer, with voice and pen he moulded public opinion along various new lines, an instance being found in his intense effort in behalf of anti-slavery views, in which field he was num- bered among the earliest and most aggressive pioneers. In another cause he anticipated advanced thought by three-quarters of a century. publishing as early as 1835 a volume entitled "A Plan for Abolishing War." and which embodied many of the principles and plans formu- lated by the Peace Commission at its sessions in Washington City a few years ago. In 1850 he determined to pass the remainder of his life in lowa, and died while on his journey to that state.

His son, Rev. George Wagoner, was of the same spirit as his sire and grandsire, and, like them, gave his life to the service of the Master, al- though he did not uninterruptedly labor in the ministry. He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1826. He received a common

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

school education, but his higher mental training and bent of character came from his honored father. When twenty years of age he was li- censed as a preacher in the United Brethren church, to which he de- voted the best years of his life, serving it in every capacity. In 1850 he located in Johnstown, which he thereafter deemed his home, although his ministerial work required repeated brief removals. He was, however, a continuous resident of that city after 1869. Unremitting application to his work as a preacher ultimately impaired his health, and he desisted from its constant practice in 1860. Having mastered dentistry, he prac- ticed that profession, in addition to performing much ministerial work and serving a mission church in Kernville. He was the oldest minister in length of service in the Allegheny Conference. He was distinguished for courageous maintenance of the right, and for his readiness to uphold the weak and deserving. Affectionate, congenial and lovable in his per- sonal relations, his was a truly model household. He married Mary L. Heurie.

George Washington Wagoner, son of Rev. George Wagoner, was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1856. He obtained his early education in the public schools of Johnstown. He subsequently learned the printer's trade, serving for two years in the office of the Johnstown Tribune. His aptitude for this calling was manifested when at the age of seventeen he began the publication of The Literary Record, an amateur weekly newspaper thirteen by twenty-six inches, which he published for one year, carrying on in connection therewith a general job printing business. In this venture he displayed abilities which pointed to a large degree of success in the field of journalism had he per- sisted in it, but he was predisposed to the medical profession, and in 1875, at the age of nineteen, began a course of study in the office of Dr. A. N. Wakefield, of Johnstown. He completed his professional studies in the Medical Department of the Western Reserve University, Cleve- land, Ohio, and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1878, when twenty-two years old. He at once entered upon practice in Johns- town, Pennsylvania, and steadily arose in his profession, soon coming to be regarded as one of the safest and most amply equipped practition- ers in the valley. His standing in his profession is attested by the nu- merous responsible positions he has occupied from time to time. He was secretary of the Cambria County Medical Society from 1887 to 1889; its president from 1890 to 1891, and is now and has been for three years past treasurer of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the American Medical Association. Under the administration of President Cleveland (1884-89) he was secretary of the local United States Pension Examining Board. When occurred the great Johnstown Flood, signal recognition of his professional and executive abilities came in his appointment as deputy medical inspector for the Pennsylvania State Board of Health, and the committal to him of the direction of sanitary operations in a large section of the flooded district, covered with all manner of disease-bearing debris, and an almost house- less population of thirty-five hundred souls, and that a great epidemic at that time was averted was largely due to his ceaseless vigilance and unremitting industry. He was one of the organizers of the Conemangh Valley Memorial Hospital and its Hospital Director from 1892 to 1896, when he resigned on account of pressing civic duties then devolving upon him, retaining, however, his seat in the directorate. From 1889 until he resigned he was secretary of the board, and subsequently resumed that position, which he still holds. He has contributed a number of scien-

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

tifie papers to the medical journals of the country, and in 1905, by special appointment, read the "Address on Hygiene and State Medicine" before the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania.

While thus active in his profession, Dr. Wagoner has at the same time been a prominent and useful factor in civic affairs. As a Democrat he has always taken an active part in the counsels of his party, and has frequently sat as a delegate in its conventions and other deliberative bodies. For a number of years he served as ward committeeman, was a delegate in the state conventions of 1884 and 1889; was a member of the state central committee, and an alternate delegate to the national con- vention at Chicago in 1884. In 1896 he was elected mayor of Johns- town, and his administration of municipal affairs was characterized by a lofty public spirit and progressiveness which resulted in marked ad- vaneement of the material interests of the city, and stamped him as a highly competent executive officer. On April 24, 1906, he was appointed a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the city of Johnstown, charged with the organization and control of a paid fire department. When the commissioners met for organization he was elected president of the Board.

Dr. Wagoner has taken high rank in the Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Cambria Lodge No. 278, F. and A. M .; Portage Chapter No. 195, R. A. M .; Oriental Commandery No. 61, K. T. ; and is a Noble of Syria Temple, Mystic Shrine, and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Knights of Pythias.

TION. LUCIAN D. WOODRUFF, former mayor of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and who has held many positions of trust and responsibility in the county, is a descendant of one of the old- est English families of Connecticut, many members of which have made fine records in military, professional and commercial circles. The Woodruff family which settled in Connecticut was descended from Puri- tan ancestors who came to the Massachusetts Bay settlement in the early days of the colonial history. Philip Woodruff, the great-great-grand- father of Hon. Incian D. Woodruff, settled in Waterbury, Connecticut, and his grandson Philip was the grandfather of Hon. Lucian D. Wood- ruff.

Captain Henry D. Woodruff, son of the last-named Philip, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, September 24, 1825. His boyhood days were spent in Windsor, New York, and at the age of eighteen years he removed to Perry county, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in teaching until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. In April of that year he recruit- ed Company D, Second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, three months' troops, at New Bloomfield, and when it was mustered into service Mr. Woodruff was appointed captain. This company was assigned to the Sec- ond Regiment, April 20, 1861, under the command of General Robert Patterson. At the expiration of the three months Captain Woodruff raised Company D of the Forty-seventh Regiment, and was mustered in September 20, 1861. This regiment was in some of the most important engagements of the war-the defense of the city of Washington, and was stationed at Key West, Florida; and took part in the battles of Poco- taligo, South Carolina; Pleasant Hill and Sabine Cross Roads, under Banks, and Opequon and Cedar Creek under Sheridan. The Forty-sev- enth was the only Pennsylvania regiment in the Red River expedition. It saw service in seven different southern states, marched over twelve hun- dred miles, and made twelve voyages. Company D. under Captain Woodruff,

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

performed its full share in siege, battle, march and voyage, and returned to its home with a well-deserved reputation for bravery and efficiency, due in a great measure to the gallant example set by its captain. At the conclusion of the war Captain Woodruff settled in Johnstown, where he was engaged with his son, Hon. Lucian D., in the conduct of the Demo- crat, from 1864 to 1876. He then retired to private life in Blairsville, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, where he died. He married Elizabeth Harper, born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania. Captain Henry D. and Elizabeth (Harper) Woodruff had children: Lucian D., sec forward; Mrs. Ada Tittle. Edward C .; and four died in youth.

Hon. Lucian D. Woodruff, first surviving son and child of Captain Henry D. and Elizabeth (Harper) Woodruff, was born at Landisburg, Perry county, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1845. He received an excellent education at the New Bloomfield Academy and then followed the profes- sion of teaching for one term. He learned the trade of printing in the office of the Perry County Democrat. He removed to Johnstown in 1864 and became associate editor and proprietor of the Johnstown Democrat, and after the retirement of his father in 1876 he was the sole editor and proprietor until 1893, when he disposed of the entire plant. The follow- ing year he was appointed postmaster of Johnstown by President Cleve- land, a position which he filled very creditably. He served in the house of representatives of Pennsylvania from 1879 until 1882. He was a del- egate representing the Congressional district composed of the counties of Blair, Bedford, Cambria and Somerset in the national Democratic con- vention that met in Chicago in 1884, which nominated Grover Cleveland for President : and was named as one of the presidential electors from the Twenty-first Pennsylvania Congressional district in 1904.

After Johnstown was organized as a city, he served for several terms on the school board, and in 1899 he was elected mayor. During his term of office he made many improvements and introduced innovations by which the city was greatly benefited. He has always had the public wel- fare at heart, and his time, labor and money have been given freely in its service. His unvarying courtesy and pleasant demeanor have won for him many friends in all ranks of life. He married (first) December 26, 1865, Maggie W. Lynch, born in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, and they had children: Jessie, who married Anderson H. Walters; Harry D .; Lucian D. ; and two who died in infancy. He married (second), Jan- uary 24, 1894, Maria A. Dick, daughter of George Dick, of Baltimore, Maryland.

CHARLES EDMUND HANNAN, M. D., surgeon to the Cone- maugh Valley Memorial Hospital at Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn- sylvania, is descended from a family of Irish lineage which was founded in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Martin Hannan, grandfather of Dr. Hannan, and the founder of the Hannan family in America, was born in county Longford, Ireland. in 1809. He came to America in 1830 and settled in the city of New York, where he remained for some years. He removed to Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, in 1840, and died there in 1860. During all these years he had followed the business of contracting and building. He married Ellen O'Ronke, who was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in 1812, and came to New York with her parents in 1832. Their children were: James : John, of whom later; Margaret ; Mary; and Jane. All but John are now deceased.

Hon. John Hannan, second son and child of Martin and Ellen

- THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Astor Lenox and Tliden Foundations. 1909

2 E matthew m.D

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

(O'Rouke) Hannan, was born in the city of New York, December 18, 1836. He was educated in St. Francis College, in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and after leaving school was apprenticed to learn the trade of moulding, at which he worked until 1866. He then went into the mercantile busi- ness, establishing himself in Franklin street, Johnstown, where he con- tinued until 1878. He then started a foundry in Centre street and op- erated this until the great flood of May 31, 1889, when he lost his entire property. Two of his children-Mary Ellen and Eugene-also perished at that time. At this time Mr. Hannan was made chairman of the committee of inquiry concerning the flood, a very thankless piece of work. Two years later, when he had finished the work connected with this try- ing position, he again went into the foundry business, but was obliged to abandon it at the end of two years on account of failing health. He then purchased the hardware stock of Waeldin & Whittaker and established himself in this business. The Hannan block was destroyed by fire March 4, 1896, but it has since been rebuilt, and Frank, one of Mr. Hannan's sons, carries on a drug store there. Mr. Hannan. who is a strong Demo- crat, has been a member of the town council, and of the state legislature. He married, Angust 29, 1859, Agnes P. Matthews, daughter of John Matthews, of Summit, Pennsylvania. The children of Hon. John and Agnes P. (Matthews) Hannan were: Jennie, deceased; Martin E .; James ; Mary Ellen, deceased ; John V., deceased; Charles E., of whom later ; Harry J. ; Frank, a druggist in Johnstown ; Eugene, deceased ; and Leo, died in infancy.

Charles Edmund Hannan, M. D .. fourth son and sixth child of Hon. John and Agnes P. (Matthews) Hannan, was born in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, December 15, 1869. He was educated in the public and private schools of his native town, and thus prepared for entrance into St. Vincent's College, of Westmoreland county, Pennsyl- vania, where he completed his literary education. His professional train- ing was received in Jefferson Medical College, and the degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred upon him in 1892. He was appointed to the position of interne in Jefferson Hospital, but resigned this in order to enter upon the private practice of medicine in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he has since remained. He has been lecturer in antiseptic surgery and anæsthesia in the Training School for Nurses, and is at present (1906) surgeon to the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital in Jolins- town. He was appointed a member of the first staff of that institution and has since been connected therewith in official capacity. He is a mem- ber of the American Medical Association, of the Cambria (Pennsylvan- ia) Medical Society, and the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. He is also interested in public affairs pertaining to the welfare and progress of his community, and is now serving as a member of the common coun- cil of Johnstown. He takes a very active and helpful interest in poli- ties as a supporter of the Democratic party, and is chairman of the cour ty Democratic committee of Cambria county. His social relations al with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Amicus Cl of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

He married, October 26, 1898, Susanna McMillan Rosensteel, of Johnstown, who died in July, 1899.

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS, M. D. Were a list of physicians com- piled who are ever ready to sacrifice personal comfort and safety to the demands of their profession, the name of Dr. William E. Matthews, since 1889 state medical inspector of Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and a

HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

valued practitioner of Johnstown in that county, would rank high. His paternal ancestors have been settled in this country for a number of generations; through his maternal ancestry he traces his family to Ire- land.

Samuel Matthews, great-grandfather of William E. Matthews, M. D., and the pioneer ancestor of the Matthews family in America, emi- grated to this country about 1790 and settled in the Ligonier valley, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. His occupation was that of farm- ing. He married, and among his children was a son named Archibald Matthews.

Archibald Matthews, son of Samuel Matthews, was born in 1784 and came to America with his parents in 1790. He was at one time a prominent merchant and shipper in East Wheatfield township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and owned and operated a large woolen mill. The last few years of his life were spent on the farm at East Wheatfield, now known as Cramer. He married, in 1802, Elizabeth Findley, born in Ha- gerstown, Maryland, January 28, 1784, died April 22, 1881, in her ninety-eighth year. She was the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Gal- braith) Findley. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews had children : Jane, Martha, Eliza, Isabella, George F., William, James, Archibald, see forward; Mary Ann, Sarah and two others.

Archibald Matthews, son of Archibald and Elizabeth (Findley) Matthews, was born in East Wheatfield township. Pennsylvania, Febru- ary 1, 1828. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and he and his wife and youngest daughter are now (1906) living in Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. He married, February 15, 1859, Matilda J. Mitchell, born at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1841, sixth child of Hugh and Nancy (Lehmer) Mitchell, who were the parents of the following children : Amanda, born December 25, 1831; William W. and Samuel Lyons (twins), born September 24, 1833; James E., born April 24, 1836; Mary Elizabeth, born January 13, 1840; Matilda, mentioned above; Emma V., born January 10. 1844; and Elisha B., born August 24, 1846. Hugh Mitchell was born November 8, 1808, son of Samuel and Mary (Lyons) Mitchell, came from Ireland and settled in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and died January 24, 1849. His wife, Nancy (Lehmer) Mitchell, was born January 24, 1814. died May 4, 1887. The children of Archibald and Matilda J. (Mitchell) Matthews were: Will- iam E., see forward : Emma M., born August S. 1861; James M., Decem- ber 26, 1863; Nancy E., February 8, 1866; Alice A., June 25, 1867; Louis A., December 31, 1869; Charles A., January 22, 1871 ; Mary A., August 4, 1873; Harry F., October 21, 1875; and Bennett M., May 2, 1878.

William E. Matthews. M. D., eldest child of Archibald and Matilda J. (Mitchell) Matthews, was born in East Wheatfield township. Indiana county, Pennsylvania, January 11. 1860. He received an excellent com- mon school education in his native county, and early showed his inclina- tion for study. Later he attended the State Normal School, from which he was graduated in 1884. He became a student at the Jefferson Med- ical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from that institution in 1887. Then followed one year of practice at St. Joseph's Hosptial in Reading. and one year and a half at the Philadelphia Hos- pital. after which, in 1889, he came to Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, intending to make that town his future home. He com- menced the practice of his profession April 1, 1889, and in the flood

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History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Volume III, Part 4

Author: Storey, Henry Wilson Publication date: 1907 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 940

Author: Storey, Henry Wilson
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 940