History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 91

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532

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The publisher, Edmund D. Barthe, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., September 7, 1829, and is a son of Gen. P. D. Barthe, in his day a prominent and well-known citizen, now deceased. He learned the printing trade in the office of the Doylestown Democrat, and in Philadelphia, and for years was employed in various offices in the Quaker City, as book, news and job printer. He ranked among the best-known printers of the city, and finally rose to the position of foreman of the News, a daily paper now defunct. He was prominent among the old volunteer firemen of Phila- delphia, and for years was one of the leading spirits of the American Engine Com- pany. When the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in the Twenty-sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, entering the service as sergeant, and coming out as captain, with a record for bravery of which any man might well be proud. In 1867 he came to Wilkes-Barre to accept a position on the Record, in which he remained until he

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assumed control of the Star. He has been an invalid for some time, but he bears his suffering with courage and patience, and takes as much interest in his paper now as when in the full tide of health. In the editing and managing of the paper, Mr. Barthe is assisted by Mr. S. C. Ward, who for over twenty years has filled the posi- tion on the paper he now holds. Mr. Ward is a native of Wilkes-Barre, and was born in 1845. Originally a sketch writer for New York and Boston papers, he finally drifted into journalism, and is likely to remain in the harness during the remainder of his daye.

AMOS ARTHUR BARTON, physician and surgeon, Plains, was born in Apalachin, Tioga Co., N. Y., February 22, 1849, and is the eldest son of Johnson J. and Catharine (Lane) Barton. He was reared on the farm, educated in the Corry High School, Wyoming Seminary, Syracuse University, and Louisville (Ky.) Medical College, where he graduated in 1876. He immediately thereafter located at Plains where he has since followed his profession with a marked degree of success. Dr. Barton was married May 29, 1877, to Miss Carrie A. Clinton, who was born in Newark Valley, Tioga Co., N. Y., July 27, 1848, daughter of George and Lydia (Brooks) Clinton, who were the parents of three children: Morris, Sarah and Carrie. Dr. and Mrs. Barton have two children: Milton A., born March 3, 1878, and Lydia R., born December 10, 1880. Mrs. Barton is a member of the Baptist Church, Dr. Barton of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been steward for fifteen years. He is a Master Mason; a member of the I. O. O. F. and Red Men; Luzerne County Medical Society and Pennsylvania State Medical Society. In politics he is a Republican.

SAMUEL TAYLOR BARTON, pharmacist, Plains, was born in Apalachin, N. Y., July 13, 1863, and is a son of Johnson and Catherine (Lane) Barton, natives of New York and of English and Irish origin, respectively. His father, who was a farmer and drover, reared a family of ten children, of whom Samuel Taylor is the seventh. Our subject spent his boyhood on the farm and attended the common school. In 1880 he engaged as clerk in the drugstore of Barton & Stark, at Plains, where he remained until 1886, in which year he entered the Medical Department of the University of New York, passing his vacations in the drug business at Long Branch, N. J. He is a registered pharmacist in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In Sep- tember, 1891, Mr. Barton returned to Plains, and accepted the position of manager for O. B. MacKnight, druggist there. In March, 1892, he took the degree of M. D. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics is a Republican.

WILLIAM H. BATES, miner, Duryea, was born in the County of Durham, England, October 13, 1849, and is son of Henry and Matilda (Cranston) Bates, natives of the same place, who reared a family of four children, of whom our subject is the youngest. He went to work in the mines about the year 1859, and came to the United States in the summer of 1873, settling in Scranton, where he lived until 1881, when he took up his residence in Duryea. Mr. Bates was united in marriage December 16, 1878, with Hannah J., daughter of George and Henrietta (Payne) Glover, natives of Westmoreland, England. Their union has been blessed with the following issue: William F., born June 3, 1880; John E., born August 10, 1882, and Mary J., born January 7, 1885. Our subject is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of the I. O. O. F., the A. O. U. W., and K. of M. S. In politics he is an adherent of the Republican party.

WILLIAM H. BATES, horse dealer, Parsons, was born in Washington, D. C , July 29, 1861, and is a son of William and Mary (Barenger) Bates, natives of Washing- ton. D. C., and of New England origin. Mr. Bates came from Washington to Parsons, this county, in May, 1884, and engaged in the horse trade, which he has extensively carried on since, sometimes having on hand as many as thirty five horses. He generally buys his stock in the western States and ships them to the East. Mr. Bates is a stanch Democrat, always faithful to the cause of that party.

GEORGE W. BATEY, proprietor of the meat market at No. 324 East Main street, Plymouth, was born September 2, 1857, at Hartlepool, England, and is the ninth

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

in the family of ten children of Atkinson and Elizabeth (Clousten) Batey, both also natives of England, the former born in the County of Durham, the latter in North- umberland, and of Scotch origin. Mr. Batey was educated in his native land, and the family came to America in 1870, locating at South Wilkes-Barre, this county, where they remained nine months, after which they removed to Plymouth, where, in 1871, the father of our subject established the meat business. Since the father's death in 1881, the business has been carried on by George W., who was a former partner. The neat brick block where his market and residence are located was recently built by the subject of this sketch, who has spared no pains in making it one of the finest and best markets in the borough. His many patrons are loud in their praises both as to the quality of his meats and the neat manner in which they are prepared for the cui- sine. Mr. Batey was married, April 8, 1879, to Miss Jennie, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Smiles) Fawcett, natives of Durham, England, and six children have been born to this union: Bessie, John A., Margaret, George F., Ethel and Helen. Mr. Batey is a Republican, and for three years has been councilman for Plymouth bor- ough. For four years he has served in the National Guard of Pennsylvania. The family attend the Presbyterian Church.

ROBERT BAUR, editor and publisher, is the eldest son of the Rev. Frederick and Caroline (Hahn) Baur. He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and received a lib- eral education, learning the bookbinder's trade. In 1848 he emigrated to the United States, locating in Philadelphia, Pa., where he remained three years, working at his trade. In 1851 he came to Wilkes-Barre and established his present business, which he has continued in with marked success. In 1851 he purchased the Watcher, estab- lished in 1842, which he now publishes in connection with his son, Gustav Adolph. He also publishes the Council Chat, the organ of the Junior Order United American Mechanics; also a German paper devoted to the interest of the Musical Societies, called the Singers Gazette. Mr. Baur is also engaged in book-binding, doing an extensive business in that line, and he is largely interested in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne county real estate. In 1854 Mr. Baur married Paulina, daughter of the Rev. Hassold, of Wurtemberg, Germany, and by this marriage he has had eight children, all of whom are deceased excepting Emily and Gustav Adolph, the latter of whom married Miss Kate Davis, and has one son, Robert Adolph. In his polit- ical views our subject is a prominent Democrat, and while he never would accept public offices, he has always taken a deep interest in the success of his party. Mr. Baur is one of the leading citizens of Wilkes- Barre; is the oldest editor in this part of the State, and the oldest living publisher and editor now residing in Wilkes- Barre.

JOHN BEACH, outside foreman, Harwood Mines. This experienced mine foreman was born in Lancaster county, Pa., February 18, 1855, and is a son of Amos and Anna (Crisp) Beach, also natives of Lancaster county. Our subject, who is the ninth in a family of thirteen children, was reared and educated at the place of his birth, and until he attained his majority worked on his father's farm. Finding agri- cultural pursuits too slow for his energetic nature, Mr. Beach turned his mind to railroading, and worked for five years as a brakeman on the Columbia & Port Deposit Railroad. In 1873 he came to Drifton, and ran a hoisting engine for Coxe Bros. & Co., remaining in the service of that company ten years. In 1884 he removed to Lattimer Mines, this county, and ran a hoisting engine there for one year, after which time he was given entire charge of machinery for A. Pardee & Co., in which position he remained three years. He then was given charge of a breaker as breaker-boss for one year, when he removed to Harwood Mines and took charge there as outside foreman, having now under his charge about 280 men. Mr. Beach is a genial, pleasant gentleman, not only in his social, but also in all business rela- tions. He was married September 24, 1874, to Amanda C., daughter of Jacob and Mary (Weaver) Hartranft, natives of Berks county, Pa., and six children blessed this union, namely: Mary A. (deceased), Nettie May, Lizzie Frances, Harry, Flora and Prentis. In politics Mr. Beach is a Republican; he is a member of the K. of

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M. and P. O. S. of A. The family are members of the German Reformed Church. JESSE BEADLE, a prominent and well-known citizen of Luzerne county, residing at Shickshinny, was born in the County of Durham, England, January 25, 1825, son of John and Jane (Lowdan) Beadle. They came to America in 1830, and located at Pottsville, Pa., where the father was mine superintendent for years, and where he died; he had reared a family of thirteen children. Our subject was reared and educated in Schuylkill county; at the age of eleven years he began life in the mines, and, since 1855, has been operator on his own account or superintending mines for others. He has been a resident of Luzerne county since 1856, at Nanti- coke until 1861, and since at Shickshinny. His wife was formerly Anna Oldknow, of Schuylkill county, Pa., and by her he has seven children: J. Henry, Emma, Carrie, Bessie (Mrs. George Warren), George, Robert and Mary. Mr. Beadle and family are attendants of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the F. & A. M., a director of the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and a Republican.

PATRICK A. BEATTY, miner, Plymouth. This experienced miner was born Jan- uary 17, 1833, in County Mayo, Ireland, and is the second in the family of seven children of Charles and Kate (Conway) Beatty, also natives of Ireland. Our sub- ject was educated in the place of his birth, and in 1864 he came to America, settling in Schuylkill county, where he was engaged in mining for about one year. He then came to Plymouth, Pa., where in 1866 he assisted in sinking the famous Nottingham Shaft, where, when it was completed, he began working as a miner, continuing as such until 1880, when he went West, locating near Denver, Colo., and there mined silver one year. In 1882 he returned to Plymouth, and resumed his old occupation at the Nottingham Shaft, where he has been employed ever since. Mr. Beatty was united in marriage February 11, 1858, with Miss Margaret, daughter of Michael and Ann (Fraley) Murry, natives of Galway, Ireland, which union has been blessed with four children, viz .: Charles, a resident of Olyphant, Pa. ; Michael, a resident of Wilkes-Barre; and Annie and Maggie, residing at home. The family attend the Catholic Church, and in his political preferences Mr. Beatty is a Democrat.

HON. ANDREW BEAUMONT was a son of Isaiah Beaumont, who was born 1757; son of William Beaumont, 1725; son of Samuel Beaumont; son of Samuel Beaumont, 1657; son of William Beaumont, who came to Saybrook, Connecticut, 1635, where he married Miss Lydia Stanforth, daughter of Nicholas Stanforth, deputy governor of Massachusetts. William Beaumont, the father of Isaiah, set- tled in Lebanon, Conn., where he married Sarah Everett, of Windom, or Lebanon, and died August 22, 1812, aged eighty-seven years. Isaiah Beaumont was a Revo- lutionary soldier, having enlisted December 1, 1775, in Col. John Durkee's regi- ment; was at the siege of Boston, served with the army in New York and during its retreat across Jersey to Pennsylvania. His term of service expired just before the battle of Trenton; but he was among the few who volunteered for further service, and was in that fight. and a short time afterward in the battle of Princeton, where he was severely wounded. Later, during the Revolutionary war, he was again in the service, on temporary duty, to repel an invasion in Connecticut. He became a pen- sioner, and in 1791 removed to Wyalusing Creek. The wife of Isaiah Beaumont was Fear Alden. Capt. Jonathan Alden, fourth son of John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden, had four children, and Andrew, his eldest child, married Lydia Stanforth February 4, 1.714, and they had eight children. They resided in Lebanon, Conn., and there Fear Alden, his daughter, married Isaiah Beaumont. Prince Alden, third son of Capt. John, and brother of Andrew, married Mary Fitch, who bore ten children. Prince Alden removed to the Wyoming Valley in 1772, and settled in Newport township; afterward removed to Meshoppen, Wyoming county, where he died in 1804. Isaiah Beaumont had four brothers, all of whom are said to have served in the Revolutionary army. William Beaumont, his brother, was a lieu- tenant in the Fifth Regular Connecticut Continental Infantry, and retired January 1, 1873. He was a member of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati.

Isaiah's brother Samuel had a son, William, who was a surgeon in the United

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States army, and became celebrated on account of his discoveries regarding the action of the stomach on various foods. He was erroneously supposed to have been a Frenchman. He was Hon. Andrew Beaumont's first cousin. Andrew Beau- mont was born in Lebanon, Conn., in 1791, and came to Wilkes-Barre in 1808 (a mere youth of seventeen years) to obtain an education, and attended the Old Academy for several terms, paying his way by his labor, in the meantime. He soon became a teacher where he had before been a student, and for some time he and Garrick Mallery taught the old school, in the meantime reading law, and afterward he entered the office of Mallery as a law student. In January, 1814, he was appointed, by President Madison, collector of revenue, direct taxes and internal duties for the Twentieth Collection District of Pennsylvania, which included Luzerne county. This office he held until 1816, when he was appointed prothonotary and clerk of the courts of Luzerne county, which offices he held until 1819. In 1821 he was elected to the Legislature, and re-elected in 1822; in 1826 he was appointed postmaster at Wilkes-Barre, holding the office until 1832. During the latter year he was a candidate for Congress, for the District composed of the counties of Luzerne and Columbia. The candidates were Mr. Beaumont, Dr. Thomas W. Miner and James McClintock, Mr. Miner being a Whig, the other two Democrats. This was a noted campaign and triangular fight, spirited from the start, and toward the close very bitter. The District was thoroughly canvassed, big meetings and barbecues were held in every neighborhood; speaking and discussion, newspaper articles, pamphlets and every means possible were used by the candidates to stimu- late their friends, seeming sometimes to inflame them to a degree that bordered on. the dangerous. Mr. Beaumont was a poor young man fighting his way in the world against as strong a combination as, perhaps, was ever formed to repress the ambi- tion of one whom the older heads regarded as, probably, a dangerous coming rival. Notably, the early strong men of the Valley were Old-line Federalists, while Mr. Beau- mont was a man of the people, and a strong Jackson Democrat. As said, the cam- paign was a noted one, and in some respects was an episode in the political history of Luzerne county; the turning point that in the end brought forth the triumphant Democracy of this section. The election was over, and then came the long wait and eager interest to know the result, which was not ascertained to a certainty for more than a week, when it was officially announced that Mr. Beaumont's plurality was eighty-eight votes. He was easily re-elected to his second term in 1834. During his service in Congress, the celebrated contest of President Jackson against the United States Bank occurred, and Mr. Beaumont was a distinguished figure in upholding the hands of the President in this celebrated contest of opposition to the support of private institutions by the General Government. His constituents warmly sustained him in his course. He also opposed and steadily voted against the bill to distribute the surplus revenue among the States. His course in Congress brought him into the closest confidence with Presidents Jackson, Van Buren and Polk, Vice-Presidents King and Lewis Cass. He declined a renomination, and in 1840 was tendered, by President Van Buren, the appointment of treasurer of the United States Mint at Philadelphia, which he declined, believing that his services were more needed at home. In 1847 he was tendered the appointment, by President Polk, of commissioner of public buildings and grounds for the District of Columbia, at that time an office of great responsibility, and requir- ing executive ability of a high order in the incumbent. He accepted this office, entering actively on his duties; but his nomination was rejected by the Senate, through the influence of Senator Benton, of Missouri, who opposed him on personal grounds. During the year 1849 he suffered from protracted ill- ness, from which he partly recovered, but exposed himself in trying to extinguish a fire in Wilkes-Barre, and thus was sown the seed of disease which finally carried him off. However, during this year of illness he was elected, against his will, to the State Legislature. Enfeebled as he was, he repaired to Harrisburg and entered upon the discharge of his duties, apparently with the vigor that characterized his

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former life. He was the first man in the Legislature to propose the establishing of direct relations between the State and the General Government, and through his exertions and arguments the committee on federal relations was finally created; he was appointed chairman, and made the first report ever presented to the Pennsyl- vania Legislature on that subject-a State paper, so thoughtful, strong and suited to the time that it may appropriately be called a "landmark in the history of the law-making of the country." In the young man's struggle for political recognition there is one remarkable peculiarity. It is charged by his friends, was believed by him, and is supported by some strong evidence, that for certain cliques or possible combinations, his coming and his stay were, for some accountable reason, not over- welcomed. Whether there was much in this or not it is not now important to dis- cuss, but, in writing of him at the time of his death, the eulogist felt constrained to say of one little circumstance of his life in substance as follows: "In early life it was Mr. Beaumont's desire to qualify himself for the practice of the law. At this period he had become a thorough classical scholar, and quitting his school for a more lucrative employment he enrolled his name as a student in the law office of Judge Mallery, and devoted every moment of his leisure to the acquisition of that profession. At the termination of the usual period of study, he was pronounced by a competent committee fully qualified for admission to the bar, but the presiding judge declined to admit him, alleging as the reason that his reading had not been pursued for what he deemed a necessary period in the office of an instructor. Mr. Beaumont and his friends always regarded this as a mere pretext, but it had the desired effect, and drove this bright young man from the profession." The writer continues and says: " We desire to cast no objectionable reflections, but justice, and the stern spirit of truth, demands that we should say that at this point was first exhibited that spirit of persecution, if not malevolence, which pursued Mr. Beau- mont to his grave. Established interest and organized associations began to look at the young man evidently with doubt and apprehension. Of medium height, without being robust, of a muscular and compact frame, hazel eyes and strongly- marked features, a massive head (perhaps the largest ever seen in the Valley) crowned with raven hair, a mind with the largest capacity earnestly seeking the truth and fearlessly declaring it, he formed an object of terror to the practices on the patience of mankind of those who lived upon old impressions and old abuses. He was, as he afterward many times became, the victim of a cruel conspiracy. His subsequent career proved how noble an ornament he would have been to the com- munity. With his stern love and practice of truth, how useful he might have been in that profession to mankind."

Mr. Beaumont was one of the organizers of the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church of Wilkes-Barre in 1817, and one of its first vestrymen; one of the founders of the Luzerne Bible Society, in 1819, and one of its first officers. About the time of his death one who knew him well wrote: " With a friend who could appreciate the force and depth of his remarks, the corruscations of wit, fancy, eloquence and pathos, adorned with wealth which his tenacious memory had extracted from classical and contemporary literature, would pour from his lips apparently unconscious of hours. In figure of speech, ready, trite and opposite comparisons, we never knew his equal." He was well-known for a period of forty years in Pennsylvania as a political writer, and his essays on economic subjects would fill volumes. He was married in 1813, at the age of twenty-two, with Julia Colt, second daughter of Arnold Colt, who was one of the most enterprising pioneers of the Wyoming Valley. Arnold Colt was born in Lyme, Conn., in 1860, and married Lucinda Yarington, by whom he had seven children. He was a son of Harris and Elizabeth (Turner) Colt, a grandson of Benjamin and Miriam (Harris) Colt, who was a son of Harris, who was a son of Benja- min, who was a son of John, born in Hartford, Conn., in 1658. The last named was a son of John Colt, of Colchester, England. Nearly all the Colt families of of America are branches of this family. To Mr. and Mrs Beaumont were born nine children, viz: John Colt, William Henry, Andrew B., Eugene B., Elizabeth Colt

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(who married Samuel P. Collins), Sarah Griswold (who married George W. Leuffer), Julia B. (who married Dr. Cyrus D. Gloninger, of Lebanon, Pa.), Eleanor B. and Hortense. Hon. Andrew Beaumont died in Wilkes-Barre September 30, 1853; his widow survived until October 13, 1872. Their eldest son, John Colt Beaumont, became a midshipman in 1838; and he died, in 1882, a rear admiral in the United States navy.

WILLIAM HENRY BEAUMONT, second son of Andrew Beaumont, was born in Wilkes- Barre, November 27, 1825, and read law with Charles Denison of that city. He served throughout the whole Mexican war, and was first sergeant of Company I, First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. In connection with M. B. Barnum he, in 1852, started the True Democrat, a strong Democratic newspaper, which existed about one year. He was a great reader, had a fine memory, and was one of the wittiest men

ADMIRAL JOHN COLT BEAUMONT was born at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., August 27, 1821, and was appointed acting midshipman, U. S. Navy, March 1, 1838. During his career in the navy he circumnavigated the globe, and had a happy faculty of de- scribing his adventures by land and sea. He became eminent as a skillful and bold seaman, one of the best in the navy. "By his bravery, bonhommie, coolness under fire, and his pleasant companionship in times of peace, he won for himself a host of friends. His jokes and pranks would fill a volume, and his quick and ready wit was always at command. At the same time he was a thorough sailor, and a strict disciplinarian," writes one of his warm admirers. During 1866 and 1867 he had the distinguished honor to command the celebrated double-turreted Monitor " Mian- tonomah," and took her safely to Europe and back without accident. The ship was everywhere received with special honors. Admiral Beaumont was twice married. His first wife, Fanny, daughter of the Rev. John Dorrance, of Wilkes-Barre, was a woman of rare beauty and intelligence. Many years after her death he married, in 1874, Fanny King, of Washington, D. C., who survived him. Three children were born of this marriage: Ethel Agnes, Ammen and John Beaumont, now living in Hagerstown, Md.

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History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 91

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.) Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1532

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532