History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 116

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

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ISAAC DEFORRESt, farmer, post-office Sharon, Penn., is a son of Abraham and Margaret (Vandenberg) DeForrest. The father of our subject came to Mercer County in 1820, and settled where our subject now lives. He was a native of Hunterdon County, N. J., and an officer in the Revolutionary War. His death occurred at the ripe old age of ninety-eight years and nine months. His family consisted of nine children, viz. : Jennie (married G. Karhuff of New Jersey), Hannah (married William Hall, of Ohio), Catherine (married Mr. Koon, of New Jersey), Elizabeth (married Robert Stout, of New Jersey),.

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Sarah (married Charles Campbell, of Mercer), Jane (married Philip Homer, of Sharon), Gershom, Mary (Mrs. Peter Warren, of New Jersey), and our subject, who was born August 7, 1797, in Hunterdon County, N. J. He was reared and received his education in New Jersey, and removed to Mercer County with his parents. He has always lived on the old homestead and followed farming for an occupation. He was married in 1822 to Miss Nancy, daughter of Samuel Quinby, and by this union they reared seven children: Eliza J. (wife of Charles Brewster, of Fort Madison, Iowa), Theodore (who died in 1887), Julia (wife of William Buchanan, of Beaver County, Penn. ), Josephine (who died at the age of twenty-six), Adoniram (deceased), Nannie (wife of Joseph Higgs, of Sharon), and Teresa (wife of M. H. Staunton). Mrs. DeForrest died in 1885. Our subject is a member of the First Presby- terian Church of Sharon, and one of the oldest citizens of the valley.

THOMAS DOWNING, farmer, was born March 4, 1819, in Indiana County, Penn. He is the son of John Downing, a native of Vermont, and a soldier of the War of 1812, who served during the war in the United States service, par- ticipating in the battle of Lundy's Lane, near Niagara Falls. John was mar- ried March 20, 1817, to Miss Nancy Baux, of Centre County, Penn., where he at that time resided. She was a native of the northern part of Ireland. They had by this marriage eleven children, seven of whom are now living: Thomas, our subject; Nancy, wife of J. C. Thompson; Jane, Mrs. Jane McCord; Susan, widow of Thomas Pearson; Mary, wife of Frank Osborn; John and George. In 1838 the elder Downing located in Sharpsville, having contracted to build one mile of the Beaver & Erie Canal, which passed through what is now the borough of Sharpsville. In 1853 he removed to Jackson, Iowa, where he and wife died. Our subject was married February 5, 1840, to Miss Phebe, daughter of John and Lydia Cary, of Hickory Township. He located on his present farm, which he purchased from Mrs. Hull. By this union they have seven living children: James L., Thomas J., Harkness W., Jerome H., Melinda (wife of U. Snyder, of Ohio), Mary (wife of G. D. Gilson) and Anna. In politics our subject is a Republican. He is a member of the F. & A. M. and the I. O. O. F. Mr. Downing and wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church of Sharpsville.

DUNHAM FAMILY. - One of the pioneer settlers of Mercer County was Aza- riah Dunham, a native of New Jersey. He was a blacksmith by trade, and his first settlement in this county was made in Hickory Township. He sub- sequently removed to Trumbull County, Ohio, but returned to Mercer County, and died in Sharon about 1855. His family consisted of seven sons and one daughter-Robert, the first son, being the progenitor of the Dunhams now residing in Hickory Township. He also was a blacksmith, and carried on the business in connection with farming. He married Annie, daughter of Archi- bald Titus, of Hickory Township, and by this marriage was the father af six children: Azariah R., of Hickory; Adeline, wife of Sebastin Runser, of Sharon, Penn .; Shedrick, of Michigan; Albine, of Hickory Township; Melvin, of Sharon, Penn., and Newton, who died in 1884. Robert died in 1884, his wife having passed away in 1868. Azariah R., the eldest son, was born in 1827, in Hickory Township; was here reared and educated at the common schools. Early in life he engaged in coal drilling, and subsequently went into farming. He married in 1849 Miss Elizabeth, daughter of George and Mary (Boyer) Troutman, and by this marriage they have three children: Lawrence, Ella (wife of John Metzler, of Hadley, Penn. ) and A. Douglass. In politics Mr. Dunham is a Democrat.

CHARLES EATON, a native of Washington County, Penn., came to Mercer

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County in 1818, and made his first settlement in Springfield Township, south of Leesburg. He subsequently bought a tract of land containing 300 acres, on the line of what is now Shenango and Hickory Townships, about two and a half miles northeast of West Middlesex, and settled upon it in 1837. He mar- ried Elizabeth Pencil, and they had ten children, seven of whom grew to ma- turity: George, resides in St. Paul, Minn. ; Maria, married Joseph Caution, and resides upon a part of the homestead property; Rebecca, deceased, married James Highgate, of Canada; Charles, lives in Washington Territory; Lavinia, deceased, married James Stewart, of Michigan; Henry, deceased, and Jona- than, who now resides upon a part of the old homestead, where the parents both died. Jonathan was born in 1819, in Springfield Township, and was there reared. He removed to Hickory Township with his parents in 1837, engaged in farming and has always followed that calling. In 1847 he married Agnes, daughter of James Hood, of Lackawannock Township, who died March 4, 1879, leaving ten children, eight of whom are living: Susannah, wife of John Boyler, of Pulaski, Penn. ; Charles V., Henry, Samantha, wife of George W. Mclaughlin, of Mercer County; Alice, wife of William Wallace, of Hick- ory Township; Mary C., wife of Robert Plater, Youngstown, Ohio; Ida, wife of Judson V. Stewart, of New Castle, Penn., and William G., who resides in Hick - ory Township. He married, for his second wife, Mrs. Lizzie J. Davenport, of

Hickory Township, in the fall of 1886. Mr. Eaton has 216 acres of land, and is engaged in general farming. He is a member of the United Brethren Church, of Shenango Township, of which he has been a trustee for many years.

THE EBERHART FAMILY, consisting of four brothers, Paul, Abraham, Joseph and John Eberhart, were among the early settlers of Hickory Township. Abra- ham and Joseph subsequently went west and died, and it is the descendants of John of whom we write. John Eberhart married Susanna, daughter of Jacob and Susanna Berlin, November 27, 1827, and by this union they had eight children: Maria C. deceased; Sophia, deceased, who married Josiah Dustman, of Hickory Township; Aaron D., who married Mary A. Allen, of Jackson Town- ship; Sarah A., wife of Valentine Troutman, of Mercer County ; Emma, deceased, wife of John Phillips, of Sharon; Cyrus, deceased; John Mc., married Maggie Titus, of Mercer County, and Millie S. Mr. Eberhart was a farmer by occu- pation, and died December 15, 1878. His widow resides at Neshannock.

JOHN HAGAN FRAMPTON, farmer and lumber dealer, post-office, Five Points, Penn., a son of Jonathan and Matilda (McDowell) Frampton, was born in Clarion County, Penn., and was married in 1872 to Mary Emma, daughter of F. J. and Mary A. (Chestnut) Bean, of Pymatuning Township, Mercer Co., Penn. He commenced housekeeping on his farm, where he is now living, and in connection with farming is extensively engaged in manufacturing hardwood lumber, making a specialty of bill timber and railroad supplies. Our subject's family consists of five sons and three daughters: David A., John, Grover C., Lance and Earl. In politics he is a Democrat.

HON. NORMAN HALL, iron manufacturer and member of Congress, post-office Sharon, Penn., was born at Muncy Farms, Lycoming Co., Penn., Novem- ber 17, 1829, and is a son of Robert C. and Sarah A. (Watts) Hall. He grad- uated in 1847 from Dickinson College, and in 1851 located at Marietta, Penn., where he was connected with the Marietta Furnaces. In 1862 he came to Sharon and engaged in the manufacture of iron at the Sharon Furnace, which he operated up to a recent date. In 1886 Mr. Hall was elected member of Congress from the Twenty-sixth Congressional District, which is strongly Republican, by a plurality of over 500 votes. He is a man of modest, retiring disposition, yet withal one of the most enterprising citizens of the Shenango

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Valley, while his name is the synonym of unimpeachable honor and business integrity. Mr. Hall has always taken a deep and active interest in the growth and development of Mercer County, and is a director in the First National Bank of Sharon. He is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church of that borough, to which faith he became a convert after reaching manhood.

CHRISTOPHER HANN, deceased, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Roof) Hann, na- tives of Sussex County, N. J., was born August 14, 1814, in that county. His father, Jacob, came to Mercer County in 1830, and settled about one mile south of Hickory Corners. He died October 16, 1873, and his widow October 24, the same year. They reared a family of six children: Sarah A., married William Applegate; Christopher, Mary, married Henry Shilling; James, Jacob, and Elizabeth, widow of Lemuel Troutman. Our subject was married in March, 1843, to Sarah, daughter of Jacob Trout, and he died December 29, 1886, leaving four children: Mary E., Lusetta J., wife of J. A. Ewart, of Warren County, Penn. ; S. Malvina, and William Alfred, married Jessie B. Cole. One daughter, Phebe T., wife of John N. Miles, died in 1882: Mr. Hann was a farmer by occupation, a consistent Christian, and respected by all with whom he had dealings or any business relations.

HOFIUS FAMILY .- One of the pioneer families of Hickory Township are the descendants of John Theodore Hofius, a German minister, who immigrated to this country and settled in Washington County, Penn. He there married Nancy Baker. Nothing of his early life or his family is known by his descend- ants, further than in the year 1800 he came to Mercer County with his son George, who purchased a farm of 200 acres in Hickory Township, near Sharps- ville. John Theodore died on this farm about the year 1808 at an advanced age. George, his son, was born in Washington County, Penn., and married Jane Clark, of the same place. They, with one child and father, George Theodore, came to Mercer County in the year above mentioned. At that date, A. D. 1800, Mercer County was almost a forest. A camp of Indians was located at the mouth of Pine Run, above where Sharpsville now is; also another camp where Wheatland now is. Kindashawa, the well-known chief, was a frequent visitor at the farm. George Hofius was well-known among the early settlers. He was a soldier in the War of 1812; was the father of twelve chil- dren, six sons and six daughters. He died in the year 1842, his widow sur- viving him until October, 1870, when she died at the advanced age of ninety- one years, retaining her mental faculties to a remarkable degree to the last. She could give a vivid and thrilling account of the pioneer and frontier life, and was familiar with the incidents connected with that ill-fated expedition that resulted in the burning of Col. Crawford. She had an uncle who served in Washington's army, and was killed in the battle of Long Island. She was and had been for a great many years a consistent member of the Sharon Bap- tist Church. She was the mother of twelve, grandmother of ninety-three, great-grandmother of one hundred and sixty-three, and great-great-grand- mother of eleven children at the time of her death. The descendants of George and Jane (Clark) Hofius are as follows: Henry Hofius, the eldest child, was born in Washington County, Penn., brought by his parents to Mercer County when about one year old; raised on the homestead farm in Hickory Township; received a common school education, principally under the tutorage of the well-known teacher, Master Hays. In 1823 he married Mary Reno, daughter of Charles Reno, one of the early settlers of Sharon. They settled on the farm in Hickory Township now owned by his son, George C., and remained on same until his death. He was quite a prominent military man in the days of the Old State Militia, having been commissioned captain, major, lieutenant-

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colonel, his commissions bearing the signatures of Governors Shulze, Wolf and Shunk. He was five times elected justice of the peace, holding the office at the time of his death; took an active part in the political issues of the day, and in latter years great interest in the Sabbath and common schools. His wife died in 1851, and in 1854 he married Charlotte Austin, of Mahoning County, Ohio, who survives him. He was the father of seven children, all by his first marriage, four sons and three daughters. He died November 15, 1866, and was buried in Moorfield Cemetery. John Hofius, second son, was born March 16, 1801; raised on homestead farm; settled on a farm near Hermitage; was twice married, and was the father of a large family. He died in the year 1873 and was buried in the Sharon Cemetery. William Hofius, third son, was born May 12, 1806; moved to the State of Iowa about the year 1847-48, where he now resides; has been twice married, and is the father of a large family of children. James Hofius, fourth son, born August 8, 1808; moved to Wis- consin about the year 1855, where he died in the year 1865, leaving a family. Jonathan Hofius, fifth son, born May 12, 1817, on the homestead, where he has since resided, following farming. Mr. Hofius in his younger days was connected with the State Militia, holding the position of sergeant in the Shenango Sharpshooters. He was married September 25, 1847, to Sarah McHenry, who died October 28, 1849. September 23, 1888, he was again married, to Nancy, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Flower) Artherholt, of Brook- field, Ohio. Our subject and wife are members of the Baptist Church of Sharon. George Hofius, youngest child, was born July 22, 1822; was reared and edu- cated in the township of Hickory; resides on part of the old place, and has always followed farming. He was married November 24, 1854, to Betsy, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Flower) Artherholt. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Baptist Church of Sharpsville. They have four children: Mary E., N. Emelda, Luther W. and Leonard C. Of the six daughters of George and Jane Hofius, but two are living: Anna Titus, widow of the late William Titus, of Hickory Township, born in 1803, is the mother of a large family of children and grandchildren; and Sarah, widow of George Haun, late of Hickory Town- ship, born in 1819. She also is the mother of a large family. George D. Hofius, a son of John Hofius, was born in Hickory Township, July 19, 1824. He represented Mercer County in the State Legislature two terms, 1860-61. He died January 24, 1886, and was buried in the cemetery at Sharpsville. Soc- rates Hofius, son of Henry Hofius, was born March 16, 1842; was a member of Company H, Eighty -seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers; died while in the service, June 2, 1865. Seth and J. P. Hofius, sons of William Hofius, reside at Sharpsville, Penn., and are identified with the iron industry. G. C. Hofius, son of Henry Hofius, resides at Hermitage; by occupation a farmer and acting justice of the peace. M. B. Hofius, youngest child of Henry Hofius, was a member of Company D, One Hundred and Eleventh Pennsyl- vania Volunteers; resides at Grove City, Penn., and is engaged in mining and shipping coal.

THE HULL FAMILY were among the early settlers of Hickory Town- ship. Three brothers, Daniel, Bashara and John Hull, natives of New Jersey, removed in youth to the vicinity of Pittsburgh, Penn., and in 1798 or 1799 located on farms in what is now Hickory Township, Mercer Co., Penn. All reared large families, and died on their respective homesteads in Hickory Township. John Hull married Patience Elliott, born in 1784, daughter of Capt. John Elliott, an ex-officer of the Revolutionary War, who settled on the banks of the Shenango River a short time before the Hull family came to the valley. John and Patience Hull reared a family of twelve children: Hiram

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

(deceased), Annie (deceased, wife of Benjamin Reno, deceased), Mary (deceased, wife of Samuel Carnes, deceased), Emily (deceased, wife of James Mc Williams, deceased), Catharine (widow of William Budd), Lewis (who died in Hartford, Ohio), Milton (deceased), John (of Greenville), Seth (of Cleve- land), Jerusha (deceased, wife of David Strawbridge, deceased), Rue (of Greenville) and Jane (deceased, wife of William Grace), all of whom grew to maturity. When John Hull came to Mercer County his sole possessions consisted of an ax and a hoe, and he endured all of the trials and privations of pioneer days. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 at Erie. His first wife died in 1834, and he married Mrs. Sarah Wheeler, who died in September, 1858. Mr. Hull helped each of his children, and died a respected and hon- ored pioneer father of the county, which he had done so much to settle, Jan- uary 30, 1859.

WILLIAM JAMISON, JR., merchant, post-office Wheeler, was born in Hickory Township, this county, January 29, 1847. He is a son of William and Ma- tilda (Kelly) Jamison, natives of Ireland. William immigrated to Mercer County, Penn., in 1832, and Miss Kelly in 1835. They were married in June, 1839, and located in Hickory Township, where they lived until about 1875. The mother died August 19, 1869, and the father has for the last ten years lived with his son William, being now eighty-five years old. There were six children born to them: John H., Anna B., wife of Wirt W. Fruit, of Jefferson Township; Samuel, William J., Sarah J., deceased, and George G., deceased. The parents were members of the United Presbyterian Church, and politi- cally he is a Democrat. John H. enlisted in the War of the Rebellion, was wounded June 22, 1864, before Petersburg, Va., from the effects of which he died June 24, 1864, in the hospital at City Point, Va., and his remains lie in the National Cemetery there. Our subject graduated at Duff's Commercial College, Pittsburgh, Penn., June 24, 1864. He then accepted a situation with J. W. Ormsby & Co. in 1866, and remained in their store at Hermitage over two years, afterward keeping books for the same firm over two years. In 1871 he became a partner with his brother and Enoch Filer at Pleasant, and remained until 1884, when their property was consumed by fire. He was postmaster there for over twelve years. He then removed to the borough of Bethel, where he is engaged in a general mercantile store, and in 1886 was ap- pointed postmaster here. He was married September 12, 1876, to Frances, daughter of Dr. A. Parsons, of Springboro, Crawford Co., Penn. They have five children: John P., died in infancy; Ada F., William B., Samuel H., Anna M. Politically he is a temperance Democrat, and the family belong to the United Presbyterian Church.

MOSES W. JENKINS, post-office Sharon, mining and civil engineer, is a son of John and Rachel (Jones) Jenkins, who immigrated to this county in 1849, and located in Clarksville, Penn. They had seven children: Ellis J., pastor of the United Brethren Church of Newburgh, Ind. ; Jacob, of Ohio; Phillip, Joshua, who died August 29, 1888; Herbert R., of Mercer County; Dinah, Mrs. Bertwhistler, and our subject, who was born in 1845. At the age of eight years he started to work in the coal mines at Clarksville. Being de- prived of the early advantages of an education, he had to rely upon his own resources to obtain his profession. In 1874 our subject leased the coal mine of Porter, Bailey & Co., and operated it for one year. He located at Jackson Centre in 1875, and opened a coal mine on the farm of B. A. Williams. The result of the opening of this mine necessitated the building of the branch of the Pittsburgh, Buffalo & Western Railroad into Jackson Township. In 1879 he engaged with E. A. Wheeler and opened the coal mine in the west tract be-

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low West Middlesex, where he remained one year and a half. He took charge of the Filer, Westerman & Co. mine at Jackson Centre in 1882, and remained with them four years as mine boss. In 1886 he connected himself with the New Virginia Coal Co., located in Hickory Township, as superintendent and mining boss. Mr. Jenkins was married in April, 1867, to Miss Hannah, daughter of Samuel Siddaoe, of Sharon, Penn. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge No. 347, of Sharon, Penn.

CHARLES S. LOVE, farmer, post-office Sharon, Penn., is a son of Benjamin and Sarah (Stewart) Love, the latter being a daughter of Charles Stewart, of Westmoreland County, Penn. Our subject was born in 1815 in Mercer County. His father in 1814 removed from Westmoreland County, and settled in Hickory Township on the McBride tract. He had a family of twelve chil- dren: Margaret, wife of Emanuel Millikin, of Ohio; Hugh, Mary A., Charles S., Robert, Joseph S., Dr. James, who died in Mckean County, Penn. ; John, Samuel C., Dr. Benjamin, died in Sharpsville, Penn .; William, Flora E., Thomas B. and Charles S. Our subject was reared on the homestead farm where he now resides. He learned the carpenter's trade and was engaged in that business for a number of years. In 1847 he engaged in farming, and has since followed that occupation. He was married in 1847 to Miss Tirzah daughter of Robert McClellan, of Ohio. Our subject and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church of Sharon, and politically he is a Republican.

JOSEPH LINN, deceased, was a son of James and Esther (Donehay) Linn, natives of Ireland. Joseph came from Coitsville, Ohio, in 1828, and pur- chased a tract of land containing 100 acres, which was afterward increased to 300 acres, in Hickory Township, and made his settlement on it in 1836. He married Nancy Gordon, of Lackawannock, and by this union they had four children: Eliza, deceased; Sarah, deceased; Jane, deceased, and Newton. Joseph died in 1882; his wife survives him and resides upon the homestead farm with her son Newton. Mr. and Mrs. Linn were members of the Pres- byterian Church, of Clarksville, from its organization. He was a Democrat in politics, and a man who took great interest in the offices of his township. Newton, the youngest child, was born in 1854 on the home farm, and was reared in the township. He has always followed farming, and taken an active interest in the offices of his township, and was secretary of the school board from 1882 to 1884. He is a Democrat in politics, and has worked for the wel- fare of his party, filling all the positions on the election board. He is a mem- ber of the Clarksville Presbyterian Church, has been one of its trustees and secretary of the Sunday-school. He was united in marriage in 1877 to Nannie J., daughter of William B. and Rebecca Ann (Butterfield) Rust, of Hickory Township, and by this marriage has four children:' James W., Joseph C., Nannie N. and Charles C.

PROF. WILLIAM S. LYTLE, post-office Hermitage, Penn. The subject of this sketch was born in Huntingdon County, Penn., in 1822, and is a son of William and Ruth (Everhart) Lytle. He was reared and educated in Venango and Lawrence Counties, of this State, and came to this county in 1848. His early life was engaged in farming, and in 1844 he engaged in the iron business. He was subsequently engaged in teaching at Shaffer's school-house, now Reno, Venango Co., Penn. In 1860 he was in the employ of Veach & Burnett, of West Middlesex, astheir book-keeper until 1865, when he located in Pittsburgh, as book- keeper for A. Fultons, Son & Co. In 1883 our subject located in Indian Terri- tory, and was employed for three years as a teacher among the members of the Choctaw Nation, and is vice-president of the Wilberforce Institute of the Choc- taw Nation, and professor of natural and mental philosophy of that institution.

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

Mr. Lytle has spent the larger part of his life teaching in the schools of Hickory Township. He is a member of the F. & A. M., Lodge 517, of Sharpsville, Mer- cer Co., Penn., also a member of the Indian Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, No. 1, of Indian Territory. He was married in 1846 to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Bell, of Venango County, who died in 1847, leaving one son, Christian E., of Washington County, Penn. His second wife was Miss Margaret, daughter of Abram Leasure, of Mercer County, to whom he was married in 1850, and by this union they have six children now living: David S., who resides in the Indian Territory; Mary, wife of Aaron Coon, of Transfer, Mercer County; Eliza- beth M., wife of George Teeager, of Indiana; Nettie, wife of D. J. Stewart, of Pittsburgh; Anna, wife of Edward Peters, of Sharpville, and Ella, now at home. Mr. Lytle is a member of the Congregational Church of the Choctaw Nation. He is the author of the history of the coal and iron interests of Mercer County, in a former history of the county.

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History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 116

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