History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 117

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

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THOMAS MILES, a soldier of the Revolution, and his wife, Mary (Treadway) Miles, natives of Maryland, settled at Plain Grove, in what is now Lawrence County, in the last decade of the eighteenth century, and from them have descended the Miles family of Mercer County. They were the parents of eight children: Aquilla, Joshua, Hannah, Sallie, Lewis, Thomas, Nellie and John. The father died in 1827. Thomas, the fourth son of Thomas, Sr., was born in 1794, was a harness-maker by trade, and served in the War of 1812 under Capt. James McCune. He married a daughter of Capt. James and Sarah (Nelson) McCune, by whom he had the following children born to him: Rebecca, married Robert Young; Aquilla, Thomas, Elizabeth, married Edward Clingan; Ellen, married Hugh Miles; Clarissa, married Morrison Lewis; Milonorris and John. The parents died in 1865 and 1863, respectively. Aquilla, the eldest son of Thomas, Jr., was born in 1820, at Plain Grove, and was reared in Shenango Township, on the homestead where his father settled the same year. In 1841 he married Catharine, daughter of John and Rebecca (Copenhaven) Riblett, and by this union they had fourteen children: John R., Mary S., married Charles Livingston; Thomas H., Rebecca M., married David Love; Hannah C., married James McCollough, of Jefferson Township; Ella J., married George Reimold, of Grove City, Penn. ; Caroline E., married Charles Hawthorne, of Lackawannock Township; James N., of Hickory Township; Sarah W., married Lewis Reno, of Jefferson Township; Frances I., married Joseph L. Baker, of Springfield Township. Thomas, the third son of Thomas, Jr., was born in 1822 on the homestead in Shenango Township, and at an early age engaged in farming, which he has since followed. He was united in marriage in 1884, to Miss Rebecca, daughter of Samuel Bell, of Shenango Township, and by this union they have the following children: Sarah, widow of Newton, Dunham, deceased; Margaret, wife of James Haggerty, of West Mid- dlesex; Jane, John N., Nancy, Clara, Alice and Thomas. Mr. Miles is an elder. in the Presbyterian Church of West Middlesex.

MATHIAS MILLER, post-office Hermitage, was born October 4, 1820, in Bavaria, Germany. In 1850 he immigrated to this country, and settled at Greenville, remaining there only one year, when he changed his location to Hickory Township, and for eighteen years he was engaged in the coal mines of that vicinity. He then purchased a farm at the same place, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In October, 1877, he purchased the mercantile busi- ness, at Hermitage, of J. W. Ormsby, and at the same time he received his appointment as postmaster of that office, which position he still fills. Mr. Miller was married in 1847 to Miss Catherine Foltz, of his native town, and by this marriage they have eight children: Jacob, who is engaged in busi-

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

ness at Sharon; Catherine, Mrs. Charles Doerr, of Sharon; Augustus, Mary, Frederick P., who is engaged in the grocery business in Sharon; Mathias, engaged in farming with his father; Maggie and Lizzie. Mr. Miller is a member of the German Reformed Church.

HON. JAMES W. ORMSBY, farmer, post-office Sharpville, Penn., was born July 15, 1808, in Pittsburgh, Penn. His parents were Matthew and Jane (Will- iamson) Ormsby, of Scotch-Irish extraction. The father came from Cham- bersburg, Penn., and the mother from Centre County, Penn. They settled in Pittsburgh, where he followed the business of cabinet-making. In 1811 they settled in Mercer County, at Greenville, and in the War of 1812 he joined the American army, and did some service. They had the following children: Dr. John, who died in Utah; James W., Dr. Oliver, who died in Mercer; Will- iam, who was killed by the Indians in Nevada; Eliza J., Mrs. Dr. Fowler, of Butler County, Penn .; Amanda, married John Reznor, who died, leaving one child, John, deceased (she then married A. D. Waldron, of San Fran- cisco, and prior to his death she returned to Mercer County, and died, leav- ing two children); Lemuel, who died in Indian Territory; David, a physi- cian, who settled in Kentucky and died there; Joel and Samuel, who died at the ages of twelve and fourteen years, respectively; and Ezra, who started with his family from Indian Territory in 1866 to California across the plains, and has not been heard from since. James W. was the second eldest child, and his early opportunities for an education were confined to the small country schools of that day. When he was sixteen years of age, or in 1824, his father died, and he remained at home for two years after his death, and assisted his mother in maintaining the family. Desiring to push himself forward in the world he induced his mother to purchase a wool carding machine, and locating at Clarksville he commenced, at the age of eighteen years, a business career that has but few equals in the history of the Shenango Valley. In 1832 he pur -. chased the place where he now resides and engaged in farming, and in 1836 he obtained the contract for supplying the meat for the men engaged in build- ing the canal that was then being constructed through Mercer County. He then engaged in purchasing all classes of stock and in driving them to the Eastern market. Maj. Ormsby was largely engaged in the coal trade of Mer- cer County, being among the first to open up its coal banks. He operated largely in real estate, and at one time owned large tracts in this county and at other points. In 1873, in company with his sons, Leander and E. W., he erected, at Sharpsville, a blast furnace, at a cost of $120,000, and engaged in the manufacture of iron. Here came the most trying period of his life, for in the panic that swept the country that year he saw pass away a fortune of over $300,000, the earnings of many years. Even the homestead where he had resided for forty-one years went with the balance, and at the age of seventy- two he found himself comparatively penniless. But future events proved that the boy who forty-seven years before had started unknown with a carding machine in a small village, as a foundation of his subsequent fortune, was equal to the occasion. Removing to a rented farm in Hickory Township he again commenced the battle of life. After remaining there a short time he went to Brazil, Ind., and again engaged in the coal business, with results that enabled him to buy back his old homestead, upon which he now resides. Maj. Ormsby has always taken a great deal of interest in the public affairs of his county and State. Under Gov. Johnson's administration he was appointed a justice of the peace, which office he filled for many years in Hickory Township. He was appointed major in the State Militia by Gov. Ritner. In 1883 he was elected a representative, and served in the long session of 1883-84. Politically

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

he is an ardent Democrat, and has always furthered and upheld the principles of that party. He has also taken a deep interest in educational matters, and has been officially identified for years with the schools of his township. Maj. Ormsby was married in 1832 to Miss Jane, daughter of Squire Edward and Mary (Satterfield) Campbell, of Hickory Township. She died in August, 1873, leaving three children: Edward W., of Central City, Neb., who is engaged in the stock business; Leander M., who resides at Mercer and is engaged in the coal business at Jackson Centre, Penn., and Margaret J., who married Dr. Babcock. In 1876 Maj. Ormsby was married to Miss Margaret E., daughter of Thomas and Esther (Porter) Stewart, of Hickory Township. The Major is a member of Clarksville Presbyterian Church, and one of the most enterprising citizens who have ever lived in Mercer County.

THOMAS PERRY, post office Wheatland, Penn., is a son of the Rev. John and Mary A. (Fullwood) Perry, natives of England, who immigrated to this country in 1852, and located at Johnstown, Penn. In 1868 he came to Mercer County and located at Wheatland as the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and died while in charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Clarks- ville, Penn. He was twice married; by the first marriage he had four children: William, John, Elizabeth and our subject. His second wife was Mrs. Ann Griffiths, and by this marriage they had one son, Joseph, a resident of Youngs- town, Ohio. Thomas Perry was born November 3, 1844, and was edu- cated at Johnstown, Penn. At an early age he entered the mines of that lo- cality and followed the business of a miner until he was twenty-one years old. In 1865 he enlisted in the Regular Army, Second United States Cavalry, and served three years on the plains. In 1868 he located in Wheatland, and was employed on the railroad. In 1870 he entered the employ of James Wood, Son & Co. as time-keeper, subsequently, in 1873, engaging in mercantile busi- ness at Wheatland, which he conducted until 1880. In 1876 Mr. Perry was elected a member of the school board, which office he has filled up to the present time. In 1878 he was elected justice of the peace and filled that office for two years. In 1880 he was elected representative from Mercer County, and served in the session of 1881-82. Our subject was married in 1869 to Miss Kate, daughter of Jenken and Esther Reese, natives of Wales. Mr. Perry is a member of Lodge 347, I. O. O. F., of Sharon, Penn., also K. of P. 387, of Wheatland, and is the present grand chancellor of Pennsylvania, and a member of the K. of E. No. 11, of Sharon. Politically he is a Republican.

HON. DAVID ROBISON, farmer, post-office Hermitage, Penn., was born in 1818, in Huntington, now Blair County, Penn., upon the farm where his grandfather, a soldier of the Revolution, first settled. The parents of our subject were Col. Abraham and Margaret (McCune) Robison. David was educated at the common-schools, and in 1849 he removed to Mercer County, and settled at his present place of residence, in Hickory Township, about four miles from Sharon. He was elected in 1868 to represent this county in the State Legislature, and served in the session of 1868-69, his brother represent- ing the county of Blair at the same time. Mr. Robison has always taken an active interest in the public affairs of his township, having filled many offices of trust and honor. In 1849 he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Charles Gibson, of Blair County, Penn., and by this union they have bad eleven children: Margaret (Mrs. James Tenant, deceased), John M. (who married Miss Emma Graham, of Hickory Township), David W. (deceased), Mary (Mrs. Wesley Sloss, of Lackawannock Township), Abraham, Lucy J., Emma (Mrs. Joseph McGingan, of Montgomery City, Mo.), George, Charles (deceased), Alice (deceased) and William. Mr. Robison is a member of the

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

F. A. M., Sharon Lodge No. 250: In politics he is a stanch Republican, and one of the most progressing and best informed citizens of the township.

JAMES SATTERFIELD, farmer, post-office Wheatland, is a son of Rev. James and Anna (Gibson), Satterfield. The grandparents of our subject were James and Margaret (Mead) Satterfield. The former was a native of Queen Ann County, Md., where the father of our subject was born in August, 1776. After the death of James, Sr., his widow married a Mr. Davis, and removed to Washington County, Penn. The Rev. James Satterfield was licensed to preach in 1800. He was then sent as a missionary to the Indians, and traveled as far west as Detroit. In 1801 he removed to Mercer County, and settled upon the land where his son, James, now resides. In March, 1802, he was ordained and installed as pastor of the two churches of Moore- field and Upper Neshannock by the Presbytery of Ohio. He subsequent- ly had charge of the church in Brookfield, Ohio, in connection with Hub- bard and Moorefield. His death took place at his homestead November 20, 1857, in his ninety-first year. He was thrice married; his first wife was Polly Orbison, of Washington County, Penn. He married for his second wife Miss Anna Gibson, who died September 12, 1815, leaving two sons and three daughters. His third wife was Miss Sarah, a daughter of Gen. David Mead, the founder of Meadville. She was the first white child born on the site of that city. She died in 1823, leaving one son and one daughter. Our subject. is the only living representative of this family in the county, and was born in 1815. He was reared and educated in Mercer County, and has always followed farming as an occupation. He was united in marriage in 1839 to Miss Mar- garet, a daughter of Elijah Satterfield, of Maryland, who died March 11, 1888, leaving two children, Edward C. and Laura N.

THOMAS B. SATTERFIELD, deceased, was born in 1831 in Maryland. He was the son of Peter and Martha (Smith) Satterfield, natives of the same State. On the death of his father, which occurred when he was four years of age, he was brought to Mercer County, and reared and educated by his uncle, E. D. Satterfield, who resided near West Middlesex. Upon reaching his majority he engaged with his uncle in the purchase of horses and cattle and general farm- ing, which he continued until his death, July 23, 1887. Mr. Satterfield's death was occasioned by the kick of a horse while bringing a number to his home. He was a man of unusual ability, of sterling integrity, a kind father and a true friend, and his untimely death was regretted by all who knew him. He was married in 1866 to Addie, a daughter of Robert and Phoebe (Newkirk) Donthitt, of Beaver County, Penn. He left to mourn his loss eight children: Charles D., Sarah H., Helen P., Ida H., Robert W., Thomas R., Mary A. and George Mc. The children are all at the home of his widow, known as Sunny Side Residence, in Hickory Township, which she purchased since his death.

THE SHILLING FAMILY were among the first settlers of Hickory Township, and are noted for longevity. The parents, George and Elizabeth (McBride) Shilling, were natives of Westmoreland County, Penn. The former was born February 24, 1781, and learned the blacksmith trade, and also served an apprenticeship to shoemaking in early youth, but after he was married he fol- . lowed farming and blacksmithing. In 1814 he removed with his mother, wife and four sons, George, Andrew, Samuel and Henry, to Mercer County, and settled on a tract of 500 acres whereon the borough of Wheatland now stands. Here three children, Mary, William and Sarah, were subsequently born. The four eldest were born in Westmoreland County, Penn. George was born September 4, 1808, was married to Eliza Davis, of Meadville, Penn.,

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

January 1, 1829, and with his wife resides in Lackawannock Township. They have reared three children, viz .: Amanda, wife of Robert Rankin, of Lacka- wannock Township; Henry A., lives near Hadley, and Gabriel D., of Findley Township. Andrew was born October 19, 1809, and lives near Wheatland. Samuel was born February 7, 1811, and was married November 26, 1835, to Mary, daughter of William G. and Elizabeth Welch, pioneers of Hickory Township. She was born in this township January 17, 1809, and reared two children, Dr. George W. and Elizabeth, both of Sharon. A few years after their marriage Samuel and wife moved to Ohio, where they resided until the spring of 1862, when they located in Sharon, and are still residents of that borough. Henry was born April 7, 1812, and on reaching maturity married Mary, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Hann, who settled in Hickory Town- ship in 1830. She was a native of New Jersey, was born December 11, 1816, and reared five children: Elizabeth. wife of B. A. Williams, of Mercer; Albert L., of Wheatland; Jacob H., of Findley Township; Mary L., of Wheatland, and W. W., an attorney of Sharon. The parents spent their lives on the old homestead at Wheatland, where Henry died September 16, 1882, and his widow February 10, 1885. He was one of the substantial and respected pioneers of Hickory Township. Of the three youngest children of George and Elizabeth Shilling, Mary was born June 17, 1815, and married Seeley Castor, both of whom are dead; William was born December 30, 1816, and is now living in Iowa, and Sarah was born June 1, 1822, married Andrew Small, and both are dead. Elizabeth, wife of George, Sr., died in the Presbyterian faith in Decem- ber, 1836, and he married Mrs. Jane (McFarland) Canon, who died without issue. He was again married, to Anna Lawton, who bore him one son, Miller, since deceased. George Shilling was a member of the Baptist Church, in poli- tics a Democrat, and died on the old homestead in February, 1860. He was highly respected, and is still kindly remembered by many of the citizens of Mer- cer County. His mother resided with him until her death at the remark- able age of over one hundred years. George Shilling, Sr., was a man of won- derful energy and determination, and was the principal in the great land suit with the Bedford Land Company.

ANDREW SHILLING, farmer, post-office Wheatland, son of George and Eliza- beth (McBride) Shilling, was born October 19, 1809, in Westmoreland County, Penn. He was reared upon the homestead at Wheatland and educated in the district schools. He early engaged with his father in farming, and has always followed that calling, and now resides upon the old homestead. He was mar- ried October 16, 1836, to Salina, daughter of Andrew Satterfield, and by this union they had six children: William, of St. Louis; Porter, deceased; James K., John, Sarah, wife of William Fulton, of Allegheny County, Penn .; Amanda E., wife of Milton Troutman. Mr. Shilling's wife died in 1874. He is a. member of the Presbyterian Church of West Middlesex. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a representative of one of the pioneer families of the Shenango Valley.

ALBERT L. SHILLING, farmer, post-office Wheatland, Penn., son of Henry and Mary (Hann) Shilling, and grandson of George and Elizabeth (McBride) Shilling, was born September 25, 1841, and reared on the old Shilling home- stead, where Wheatland now stands. He was educated in the common schools of the Township. In 1863 he was united in marriage to Miss Josephine, daughter of Alden Woodward, of Hickory Township. By this marriage they have two children: Virgie, wife of William Laird, of Westmoreland County, Penn., and Mary B. Our subject early in life engaged in farming, and has followed it as an occupation. Politically he is a Democrat.

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

S. C. SIMONTON, JR., farmer, post-office Clark, Penn., son of Maj. S. C. and Silva (Gleason) Simonton, was born February 27, 1851, in Clarksville, Penn. ; was educated at the Edinboro Normal School, in Erie County, Penn., and completed his education and graduated from the Iron City College, of Pitts- burgh, in 1870. In the same year our subject located at Sharon and engaged in the insurance business. In 1881 he was elected prothonotary of Mercer County, and at the expiration of his term of office he resumed bis insurance business at Sharon, which he continued until 1886, when he removed to his farm in Hickory Township, on the line of Pymatuning, and is now engaged in gen- eral farming. Mr. Simonton was married February 19, 1879, to Alda, daughter of Alonza Alderman, of Sharon, and by this union they have one child, Will- iam W. Our subject is a member of the K. of P., Lodge No. 398, of Sharon, and in politics is a stanch Democrat.

M. HENRY STAUNTON is a son of William and Mary (Evans) Staunton, natives of England, who settled in Allegheny City in 1818. Our subject was born September 23, 1831, in Allegheny City, and received his education in the public schools of that city. He early engaged as a clerk in a drug store, and . subsequently engaged in that business for himself, conducting stores in New Castle, Sharon and Wheatland. In 1854 he married Miss Teresa, daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Quinby) De Forest, and by this marriage they have six chil- dren: Teresa, Isaac D., Harry L., Adoniram, May and Birdie. In 1882 he bought the farm of his father-in-law, and since that time has been engaged in farming.

JOHN STEVENS, farmer and carpenter, post-office Sharpsville, Penn., son of John and Hannah (Madox) Stevens, was born in 1824, in Pymatuning Town- ship, Mercer Co., Penn. The father of our subject was a native of Crawford County, Penn., and about 1813 removed to Mercer County, and settled in Pymatuning, on the line of Hickory Township, about two miles southeast of Clarksville. He was a carpenter and farmer. His family consisted of nine children: Mary A., Lewis M., Elizabeth, John, Jesse, William V., Hannah, Car- oline and Angeline. Our subject was reared in Pymatuning Township, learned the carpenter's trade, and was engaged in that business for three years after serving his time. He then engaged in farming and followed it for thirty years. In 1884 he purchased his present place on the Sharpsville and Mercer road, in Hickory Township, and is engaged in the carpenter business in connection with farming. He was married in 1847 to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Berton Bust, of Pymatuning Township, and by this marriage they have seven chil- dren: Armelda J., wife of A. K. Mattocks, of Pymatuning Township; Will- iam H., James W., Mary, wife of John Blaney, of Hickory Township; John WV., Maggie M., Nannie L. Mr. Stevens has been a member of the Clarks- ville Methodist Church for forty years.

CHARLES STEWART, a native of Westmoreland County, Penn., married Miss Fannie Stockton, of the same county, and settled in Hubbard, Ohio, about 1812. He was the progenitor of the Stewarts of Mercer County. They had twelve children: John, Robert, Margaret, Mrs. Jesse Welch; Sarah, Mrs. Benjaman Love; Charles, Joseph, Elizabeth, Mrs. Samuel Dennison, of Ohio; Fannie, Mrs. Henry Dennison, of Ohio; Thomas, Samuel C., deceased, of California; James G. and William S. The father died in Ohio, about 1840. James G., the seventh son, was born July 4, 1807, in Westmoreland County, Penn. He was a tanner by trade, and in 1831 located in Hickory Township, erected a tannery and carried on the business for twenty years, and then engaged in farming. He was married in 1831 to Miss Margaret, daughter of William Porter, of Lawrence County, Penn., and by this marriage they had

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four children: William F., Francis, deceased, Linus and Emma. Linus enlisted, in 1862, in the One Hundred and Forty-second Pennsylvania Volun- teers, and died from wounds received at the battle of Fredricksburg. William F., the eldest son, was born in 1834, in Hickory Township, upon the farm where he resides with his mother and sister Emma. He was educated in the common schools of the township and at Kingsville Academy, in Ohio, and turned his attention to teaching, following it as an occupation for some years, in connection with farming. He is unmarried, is a member of the Presbyte- rian Church of Clarksville, and in politics is a Republican. Thomas Stewart, the fifth son of Charles Stewart, was born in 1801, in Westmoreland County, Penn. He came to Mercer County about 1827, and settled in Hickory Town- ship, five miles east of Sharon, and was a farmer by occupation. He married Esther, daughter of William Porter, of Lawrence County, Penn. They had eleven children: Samuel P., of Pymatuning Township; William, deceased; Amanda J., Mrs. Lawrence Lightner, of Mercer County; James, deceased; Margaret E., Mrs. Hon. James W. Ormsby, of Hickory Township; Alexander, deceased; Charles, deceased; N. Coe, of Cleveland, Ohio; Emeline and Anne, deceased, and John W., of Cleveland. Thomas Stewart died in 1875, his wife having previously passed away, in 1861. The simple home lives of such pioneers are well worthy of preservation in the annals of local history.

ARCHIBALD TIrus was born in the State of Delaware in 1770, son of a Scotch immigrant, and was married to Nancy Hartford, who was born in New Jersey in 1778, and immigrated to Hickory Township in the year 1802. He had a family of eleven children, five sons and six daughters: Isaiah, Martha, William, Lucy, John, Annie, Mary, Samuel, Sarah, James, Eliza. The

descendants of the family now embrace ninety-five families and 447 persons, at present scattered over thirteen different States and Territories. Eliza (wife of Elijah Baker), the youngest, is living on the old place, and eating of the fruit planted by her parents eighty years ago. Archibald Titus did his full share of the pioneer duties of his day, was a stockholder of the first turnpike roads built in Western Pennsylvania, and was a member of the militia regi- ment called out to defend the building of the fleet of Commodore Perry. at Erie, in 1813, accompanied by his son-in-law, James Morford. The family had eleven representatives in the war for the suppression of the rebellion, and one now sleeps in an unmarked grave on a Southern battle-field. Of the orig- inal eleven children only two remain, Sarah and Eliza (October, 1888). Isaiah Titus, the oldest son of Archibald Titus, was born May 15, 1804, settled on a claim of his father's, four miles east of Sharon, where he resided the remain- der of his days. He was one of the founders of the first Methodist Episcopal Church in this section of the country, and was a consistent member up to the

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History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 117

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