History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 101

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288

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In February of the latter year he graduated at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, and located in practice at New Wilmington, Penn. In June, 1882, he came to Sharon, where he has since continued in that profession. Dr. Van Orsdel was married in August, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth V. Barber, of Philadelphia, who died in March, 1870, leaving one child, Annie. He was again married in April, 1874, to Miss Maggie Voke, of Philadelphia, of which union five children have been born: Carrie, William E., Mamie, Laura and Russel. Politically he is a Republican, and the family belong to the Presbyterian Church. He is a mem- ber of the Union Veteran Legion, the Masonic fraternity, A. O. U. W. and P. H. C. Dr. Van Orsdel also belongs to the Lake Erie Dental Society, the Odon- tological Society of Western Pennsylvania, and is one of the State Board of Examiners called for by the dental laws of this State.

WILLIAM L. WALLIS, of the firm of Wallis & Carley, contractors and builders, was born in Markham, York Co., Ontario, July 25, 1842, and is a son of William and Nancy (Cresap) Wallis, natives of Cumberland, England, who immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, in 1832, thence removed to Markham. When William was a small boy his parents removed to Ingersoll, and subse- quently to the vicinity of Woodstock, Ontario, where both died. At the age of fifteen years our subject returned to Toronto, and spent nearly four years learning the carpenter's trade. In the fall of 1861 he went to Buffalo, N. Y., and in 1863 located in the oil regions of Venango County, Penn., where he continued working at his trade till the summer of 1864. He then enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Sixty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After four months' service he was discharged. He then joined the Engineer Corps

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

at Nashville, Tenn., and served till near the close of the war. Returning to Venango County he remained there till the spring of 1867, when he came to Sharon, where he subsequently became a member of the firm of Faas, Kanen- giser & Co., which lasted till 1876. In that year Faas and Kanengiser retired and John Carley and Mr: Wallis formed their present firm. In October, 1876, their mill was burned, and they then erected their present mills, and have ever since been the leading institution of the kind in the Shenango Valley. Mr. Wallis was married July 3, 1870, to Miss Nancy Ricketts, of Ashtabula County, Ohio. Two children have been born to them: Thomas J. and Laura May. Politically Mr. Wallis is a Republican, and has been a member of the borough council three years. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and is one of the enterprising, progressive business men of the town.

B. F. WATKINS, superintendent of the Sharon Steel Casting Company's works, was born in Myrther-Tydfil, Glanmorganshire, Wales, March 29, 1840. His parents were John and Mary (Reese) Watkins, both of whom spent their lives in Wales. Our subject immigrated to Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1851, and in the fall of that year removed to Johnstown, Penn., where he -learned the moulder's trade in the Cambria Iron Works. In 1859 he went south, and, returning to Pittsburgh in 1861, enlisted, in October of that year, in the Fif- ty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served in the band of that regiment. All of the regimental bands were mustered out in September, 1862, and Mr. Watkins was then discharged from the service. He worked in Johnstown till 1869, when he went to La Salle, Ill., and carried on business till 1872. He then returned to take charge of the iron and steel foundries of the Cambria Iron Company, which position he filled for eleven years. In April, 1883, he went to Alliance, Ohio, to superintend the iron foundry of Morgan, Williams & Co., and the steel foundry of the Solid Steel Company, where he remained till April, 1887. He then became interested in the establishment of the plant of the Sharon Steel Casting Company, of which works he has since been super- intendent. Mr. Watkins was married September 13, 1862, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Job and Margaret Reese, of Pittsburgh, of which union four children survive: William J., Benjamin F., Lizzie T. and J. Reno. Politically he is a Republican; a member of the Masonic order, I. O. O. F. and K. of P., and both he and wife are members of the Baptist Church.

GERHARD WENGLER, retired merchant, was born in Prussia, Germany, Jan- uary 24, 1828, and is a son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Herz) Wengler, both of whom died on the old homestead in Germany. Gerhard learned the shoe- maker's trade in his native land. He served three years in the Prussian army, and has medals granted him from Prussia, which were hung on his breast by the Emperor William of Germany, now dead, and also from Baden. In May, 1854, he immigrated to the United States, first settling at New Castle, Penn. The following December he came to Sharon and started one of the first shoe- shops in the town, which he operated over twenty years quite successfully. He then retired from active business, and has since resided on the East Hill. Mr. Wengler was married February 5, 1856, to Miss Mary Shearman, of Sharon, a native of Germany, of which union two sons survive: Albert and John G. Mrs. Wengler died March 8, 1878, aged fifty-eight years. He was again married, to Miss Walburga, daughter of John B. and Frances (Sonntag) Heilig, both of whom died in Germany. Mr. Wengler and family belong to the Catholic Church. Politically he is a Democrat and one of the well-known citizens of Sharon, where he has lived for thirty-four years. Albert, the oldest son, was born November 18, 1859, and was educated in the public schools of Sharon. After coming of sufficient age to work he entered the iron mills of

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Sharon, and worked there till 1880, when he engaged in the restaurant busi- ness which he now conducts. He married Miss Margaret, daughter of Sebastian and Annie Herrmann, of Sharon, and by this union two children have- been born: Ferdinand A. and Francis. Mr. A. Wengler is a Democrat, and a member of Branch No. 6, C. M. B. A., of Sharon ..

JAMES WESTERMAN, deceased manufacturer, whose name was connected with the prosperity and progress of the borough for more than twenty years, was. born in Paris, France, November 26, 1819, of English parentage, of Alsatian descent. His father was an extensive cotton manufacturer in Paris, but the French Revolution of 1830 ruining him, he immigrated to the United States, aud located in Pittsburgh, Penn., where he again engaged in cotton manu- facturing. He retired from business in 1837, and died in Sharon in 1869. Our subject received his early education in Paris, France, and subsequently attended the public schools of Pittsburgh, where, in 1838, he entered the Kensington Iron Works as an operative. Four years later he assisted in building the Onondaga Iron Works, at New Castle, Penn., and in 1846 super- intended the construction of the iron works of Reis, Brown & Berger, of the same town. In 1855, in connection with Joseph Brown, William Bonnell and others, he purchased the Mahoning Iron Works, at Youngstown, Ohio, remain- ing there until 1861, when, in company with William Coleman, C. B. Wick and P. W. Keller, he bought the Sharon Iron Works of Gen. Curtis. From 1865 until he withdrew from them, in March, 1874, these works, then known as the Westerman Iron Company, were under his efficient management. In 1872 he became vice-president of the First National Bank, but subsequently withdrew from that institution, and in 1875 helped to organize the Sharon National Bank, of which he was chosen vice-president. He filled that position till 1878, when he was elected president, and annually re-elected until his death, July 20, 1884. A few years prior to his death Mr. Westerman became largely interested in developing the coal fields of the eastern part of the county, and was a partner in five coal firms operating mines in Mercer County, besides having valuable interests elsewhere. He was married in Pittsburgh, Penn., July 7, 1842, to Mary, daughter of John and Elizabeth Leonard, who died in June, 1884, leaving two daughters: Mrs. C. Q. Carver, of Sharon, and Mrs. C. G. Sutliff, of Lockport, N. Y. One son, Edward, died prior to his parents, at the age of twenty-three years. Politically Mr. Westerman was a stanch Republican, and the elector from this district on the Grant and Colfax ticket in 1872. Mr. Westerman was the inventor and patentee of several in- ventions important in the manufacture of iron, including a boat spike machine, a puddling furnace; a smoke consuming apparatus, a coal cutting machine, etc. He was a man of indefatigable and determined character, enterprising to a remarkable degree and usually carried through whatever he undertook. He accumulated through the passing years a large estate, which his children in- herited at his death.

EARL A. WHEELER, manager of the Wheeler Furnace Company, was born in Brookfield Township, Trumbull Co., Ohio, September 28, 1828, and is a son of Alfred and Sabra (Andrews) Wheeler, both natives of Connecticut. Alfred Wheeler removed with his parents, Simeon Wheeler, a Revolutionary soldier, and his wife, Anna (Sanford) Wheeler, to Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1801, where he grew up and married Sabra Andrews, who came from Con- necticut with her parents, Daniel and Polly (Hotchkiss) Andrews, to Trumbull County in 1814. Alfred Wheeler died in that county in 1884, and his widow still resides there. Our subject grew to manhood in his native county, and received the meagre advantages which the pioneer schools of that vicinity

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

afforded. He worked on a farm until fifteen years of age, and then began learning the tinner's trade in Warren, Ohio. In September, 1848, he came to Sharon and opened the pioneer tin and stove store of the borough. He con- tinued that business till 1862, in the meantime extending the business by adding general hardware and the manufacture of stoves thereto. Beginning on a small scale, he yearly increased his sales, until he finally had one of the largest establishments in Sharon. In 1862 he sold out, and went into the coal business, which he followed successfully for ten years. He then organized a company and built the Wheeler Iron Company Furnace, which began busi- ness in 1873. The panic of 1873 crippled the company, and, though it kept the furnace and rolling mill which they had afterward attained, and struggled along for twelve years, they finally closed up the business by a dissolution of partnership. Mr. Lloyd G. Reed, of Erie, took the plant and became respon- sible for all liabilities of the company, which have been paid or fully secured. In the fall of 1885 Mr. Wheeler leased the furnace, and has since been oper- ating it very successfully. He was married September 10, 1849, to Miss Mary Fuller, of Trumbull County, Ohio. One daughter was born of this -union, Frances M., wife of Maj. James L. Paul, of California. Mrs. Wheeler died in 1852, and he was again married December 15, 1854, to Mrs. Sally Gates, nee Hill. Before the war Mr. Wheeler was a Democrat, but at that time united with the Republican party. In the fall of 1869 he was elected to the Legislature, and re-elected in 1870. During his last term he introduced the first high license law, known as the "Mercer County Iron Clad," which, though then unpopular, was the entering wedge to the present temperance agitation, which is now making overwhelming progress all over the State. Mr. Wheeler is a man of strong temperance views, and was once the Prohibi- tion candidate for surveyor-general of the State. He has filled the office of councilman several terms, and has also been a director on the school board twelve years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and A. O. U. W.

WALTER WHITEHEAD, of the Eagle Printing Company, was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, July 16, 1861, and is a son of Abraham and Lydia Whitehead, natives of England. The mother died while Walter was quite small, and his father immigrated to the United States, and is now a resident of Kansas. In July, 1870, Walter came from England to Hickory Township, this county, and in the fall of 1880 began to learn his trade in the office of the Sharon Herald. In 1882 he went to Salina, Kas., and was connected with the Salina Herald one year. He subsequently worked in Kansas City, and in March, 1886, returned to Sharon, and with James L. Ray purchased the Mercer County Eagle, changing the title to Sharon Eagle, and has since been connected with that paper. He was married June 16, 1884, to Miss Milda Davis, of Sharon, and has one child, Francis E. Politically he is a Republi- can. and is a member of the Protected Home Circle.

JAMES B. WILKES, merchant, was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Eng- land, December 8, 1833, and is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Jones) Wilkes, the former a native of England, and the latter of Wales, both of whom died in Monmouthshire, England. James B. grew to manhood in his native land, and worked in the iron mills of Tredegar, one of the great iron towns of that portion of England. In the spring of 1861 he immigrated to Scran- ton, Penn., from there he moved to Duncansville, and then to Pittsburgh. In September, 1863, he located in Sharon and found employment in the iron mills of Coleman, Westerman & Co., afterward the Westerman Iron Co. He continued as one of the trusted men of the company as long as it existed, and for three years was assistant manager of the mill. He was one of a company

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of thirty who erected the iron mill at Canal Dover, Ohio, in 1865-66, and was interested in that mill till 1874, when they sold it. In 1877 he opened his present store on Penn Avenue, which he has since carried on. Mr. Wilkes was married December 23, 1855, to Miss Margaret Davis, daughter of Daniel and Mary Davis, natives of Wales. She has borne him eleven children, seven of whom survive: Elizabeth, wife of John O. Davis, of Sharon; Mary, wife of William Foxall, of Sharon; Samuel, William, Isabella, Benjamin and John. The family belong to the Welsh Baptist Church, and politically he is a Re- publican.

PERRY L. WILLIAMS, deceased, was born February 18, 1821, in Hartford Township, Trumbull Co., Ohio. His parents, Hector and Mary (Marvin) Will- iams, were natives, the former of Waterbury, Conn., and the latter of North East, Erie Co., Penn. They were married in Sandy Lake Township, Mercer County, where Miss Marvin had settled with Jared Tuttle, because of the death of her parents when she was small. The father removed with his parents to Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1808. His union with Miss Marvin occurred in 1819, and they located in Trumbull County and lived there until 1840, when he settled on a farm near Sharon. He retired to Sharon five years before his death, which took place July 20, 1864. His widow died December 18, 1880. Their children were: Perry L., deceased; Laura, widow of James Kennedy; Lester M., Riley, deceased; Alfred, Matilda, deceased, and Nelson L. The parents were Presbyterians. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and was brought up at farm labor. At the age of twenty-one he began for himself by entering upon the arduous labor of a shoemaker's trade. This he continued for many years. He was married April 6, 1843, to Miss Frances, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Jennings) Buck, and the following month came to Sharon, where he opened a shoe-shop. In 1864 he began dealing in ready- made boots and shoes. In 1880 his son George became a partner and has since continued in the business. His children are Lester, Albert, George L., Samuel, Martin and Della, married to B. F. Price, of Hubbard, Ohio. Mr. Williams was elected sheriff of Mercer County in 1884, and served a full term. He belonged to the Disciple Church, was a Republican, and a member of the school board of Sharon for sixteen years and also of the town council several terms. He died October 26, 1888, from the effect of a fall from an apple tree.

ALFRED WILLIAMS, of the firm of Powers & Williams, general grocers, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, January 31, 1834, and is a son of Hector and Mary (Marvin) Williams, previously spoken of in the sketch of his brother, Perry L. Our subject grew up in Brookfield, Ohio, and principally resided in that village until January, 1865, when he came to Sharon, and for the greater portion of his residence here has been engaged in the boot and shoe business. In June, 1887, he went into the grocery trade, forming a partnership with Charles L. Powers, in which he is yet engaged. Mr. Williams was married October 9, 1852, to Sarah A. Drury, of Hartford, Ohio. Three children survive this union: Mary, wife of W. T. May, of Sharon; Emma, wife of F. J. Smith, of Sharon, and Frank H. Politically Mr. Williams is a Republican, and has been borough assessor three years and collector four years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and A. O. U. W., and the family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

A. W. WILLIAMS, attorney at law, was born in Brookfield, Ohio, December 22, 1851, and is a son of Riley and Rachel (Porter) Williams. The Williams family were from Connecticut, and settled in the Western Reserve, while the Porters were pioneers of Mercer County, Penn. To Riley and Rachel

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Williams were born two sons and two daughters, Alfred W., of Sharon; Wil- bert M., of Cleveland, Ohio; Ella, widow of John Service, and Julia, wife of W. K. Naylor, of Bellaire, Ohio. Riley Williams died in Sharon, October 26, 1865, and his widow is still a resident of the borough. He was one of the pioneers in the development of the Pennsylvania oil country, and was postmaster of Pitthole Centre when that decayed town was at the height of its prosperity. Our subject came to Sharon with his parents, and here grew to manhood. On the death of his father he was thrown upon his own resources, and worked in one of the rolling mills in Sharon for several years. At the age of eighteen he began learning the carpenter's trade and architectural drafting, and worked as a carpenter and builder from 1870 up to the close of 1881. In December, 1881, he received an appointment from Hon. S. H. Miller, of Mercer, as paster and folder in the folding department of the House of Representatives, but was soon afterward promoted to a clerkship, which he filled till January, 1884, and was then appointed to a position in the architect's office of the United States Treasury Department. For a number of years he had a desire to enter the legal profession, and accepted his first appointment at Washington with the intention of studying law. In February, 1882, he entered the Columbian University, Washington, D. C., where he took his degree of B. L. in June, 1883. In June, 1884, he took the degree of M. L., having taken the post-graduate course, and on the fourth of the same month was admitted to the supreme court of the district. £ He at once returned to Sharon, and on June 10, 1884, was admitted at Mercer, and opened an office in Sharon, where he has since practiced his profession. He has since been admitted to practice in the supreme court of Pennsylvania. For the past two years he has been borough solicitor, and is also the attorney of the Supreme Circle of the P. H. C. Mr. Williams was married March 29, 1876, to Miss Louisa Hull, who died May 26, 1877, leaving one daughter, Louisa. He was again married December 7, 1886, to Miss Ida Boyce, of Sharon. Politically Mr. Williams is a Republican, and a member of the Masonic fraternity and the P. H. C.

FRANK L. WILLIAMS, agent of the Adams Express Company, was born in Lowellville, Ohio, April 23, 1861, and is a son of John W. and E. J. Williams, the former deceased and the latter a resident of Jamestown, Penn. Frank L. grew up in Jamestown, and in 1879 located in Sharon. Since that time he has been connected with the Adams express office, and for the past two years has been their local agent. Mr. Williams was married April 11, 1883, to Miss Rannie Linn, of Sharon. He is a Republican, and a member of the Masonic fraternity and National Union.

REUBEN WILLIAMSON was born in England, January 20, 1836, and in 1853 came to America, and to Sharon in 1864, where, under the auspices of William Coleman, he became connected with the Sharon Iron Mills. He re- mained with that company and its successors about ten years, when he became interested in the . Greenville Rolling Mills. In 1879 Mr. Williamson was elected to his present position, as secretary and treasurer of the Emmitt Min- ing Company, and later the Hamilton Ore Company. He is a member of the Keel Ridge Coal Company and treasurer of the Black Diamond Coal Company, well known enterprises of the Shenango Valley. Mr. Williamson was married in Pittsburgh, in 1856, to Miss R. E. Eaton, who is the mother of seven children, four of whom are living. The family are members of the Episcopal Church. Politically Mr. Williamson is a Democrat; was the first E. C. of Rebecca Commandery No. 50, and a Thirty-second Degree Mason, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F.

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

JAMES M. WILLSON, furniture dealer, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, August 7, 1820. His father, James V., was a native of Ligioner Valley, West- moreland County, Penn., and removed in boyhood with his father, Col. Samuel Willson, an officer of the Pennsylvania Line in the Revolutionary War, to Washington County, Penn., where he grew to maturity. He went to Beaver County, Penn., and learned the wheelwright trade, with Thomas Kennedy, of Brady's Run. He was there married to James Kennedy, a sister of his em- ployer, and in 1806 removed to Brookfield Township, Trumbull Co., Ohio, where he was afterward joined by his parents, Col. Samuel and Jane (Vance) Willson, both of whom resided with him the balance of their lives. He served under Harrison in the War of 1812. He reared a family of nine children, four of whom are living, and three are residents of Sharon. In 1834 the family removed to Greene County, Ohio, where the mother died in the Presbyterian faith in 1842. After her death he spent his days among his children, and died at the home of his son, James M., in January, 1865, aged eighty-one years. Our subject grew to manhood in Ohio, and in the fall of 1842 came to Harts- town, Penn., where he learned the furniture business with his brother Samuel. In February, 1845, he located in Sharon, and, in partnership with Joseph Partridge and William Logan, under the firm name of Willson, Logan & Partridge, engaged in manufacturing furniture. For the past forty-three years Mr. Willson has carried on that business in Sharon, and is to-day the oldest business man in active business in the borough, He was married December 4, 1849, to Miss Mary, daughter of Samuel Quinby, whose father was a pioneer of Sharon, of which union nine children have been born, six of whom survive: Anna, wife of Edwin D. Echols, of Sharon; John R., of Youngstown, Ohio; Clarence A., of Willson & Son, Sharon; Ollie M., Herbert M. and Mary T. Mr. Willson was an original anti-slavery man, was after- ward a Republican, and is now a Prohibitionist. He has served in the council and as school director, and both he and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.

JOHN W. WILSON was born in Lancashire, England, June 24, 1823, and is a son of Edward and Mary Wilson, both of whom spent their lives in England. John W. grew up in his native land, and followed the trade of a cotton spinner. In July, 1847, he immigrated with his wife and one son to Sharon, where he has resided continuously for more than forty-one years. He followed coal mining in the Curtis bank up to 1871, when he retired from act- ive life. For several years past he has been occasionally engaged by the bor- ough of Sharon. He was married in England, November 19, 1843, to Han- nah Tidswell, of which union five sons and one daughter survive: Richard, Edward S., John, William H., Alfred and Hannah. Seven children died in infancy, and Mary died at the age of twenty. Mrs. Wilson died June 23, 1881, and he was again married January 1, 1883, to Mrs. Rebecca E. Ormond, daughter of Robert Campbell, of Butler, Penn., and widow of A. P. Ormond, of Pittsburgh, Penn., by whom she had four sons: John I., George K., Alfred C. and Thomas. She is a Presbyterian, and her husband is an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Mr. Wilson is a Democrat, and has served one term in the borough council. He is one of the few living citizens of Sharon who have watched the growth of the town from a small hamlet to its present flourishing proportions.

EDWARD WILSON was born in Lancashire, England, December 18, 1827, and is a brother of John W., previously mentioned in this chapter. Edward grew up in his native land and worked in a cotton factory till immigrating to ,Sharon, Penn., in March, 1854. He began working at the coal mines and

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History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 101

Author: Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1288

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288