USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania > Part 25
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promote the efficiency of the public school system, and the adoption of meas- ures by which the suspension of specie payments by banks chartered in the State was legalized during the crisis of 1857. In 1861 he was a member of the Peace Conference which assembled at Washington and presented the Crittenden compromise measures to the consideration of Congress; and in May of that year he was appointed by President Lincoln director of the United States mint at Philadelphia. He retired from this office in 1866, but was reinstated by President Grant in 1869, and in 1873 became superintend- ent of that institution. The legend, "In God we trust," was originally sug- gested by him for the national currency. In 1879 he was appointed naval officer at Philadelphia, and held that office four years; his last official posi- tion was that of Federal chief supervisor of elections, to which he was ap- pointed in 1886. He died at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, April 19, 1890, and his remains were interred in the Milton cemetery.
In personal appearance Governor Pollock was of commanding figure and somewhat above the average height, with dark eyes and hair, smooth-shaven face, and a countenance expressive of intelligence and benignity. In relig- ious affiliation he was a Presbyterian, and was for some years president of the board of trustees of the College of New Jersey at Princeton, by which the honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him in 1855. As an attorney he was a better advocate than counselor; he was in regular practice in the courts of Northumberland county from 1833 until 1844, and at intervals in his official career after that date. While his judicial incum- bency was the shortest in the history of the county, it was long enough to secure for his abilities in this position an ample recognition. He was an eloquent speaker, graceful, persuasive, and convincing, and possessed remarkable tact in gaining the sympathy and approval of his hearers. Strong conscientiousness was a prominent element in his character, and, while his official acts were at times subjected to violent criticism, the honesty of his intentions was conceded even by his most determined opponents.
Alexander Jordan was elected in October, 1851, as president judge in the counties of Northumberland, Lycoming, Centre, and Clinton, then compos- ing the Eighth judicial district. Judge Jordan was born at Jaysburg, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania (now a part of the city of Williamsport), May 19, 1798, son of Samuel and Rosanna (McClester) Jordan. His father was a boatman and pilot by occupation, and is mentioned by Tunison Cor- yell as one of the first to introduce sails in the navigation of the Susque- hanna. About the year 1802 the family removed to Milton, where the future judge was brought up and enjoyed such educational advantages as the local schools afforded. During the war of 1812 he accompanied the militia in their march across the State to Meadville, Crawford county, as deputy com- missary, and was absent several weeks. After a clerkship of several years in a store at Milton, he entered the employ of Hugh Bellas, prothonotary of
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the county, as deputy clerk. During this connection he began the study of law under Mr. Bellas, but, having a natural inclination for mechanical pur- suits and but limited time to devote to his studies, they were continued rather irregularly for some time. He served as deputy prothonotary under George W. Brown and Andrew Albright, Mr. Bellas's successors, and was at length admitted to the bar, April 19, 1820, after an examination by Messrs. Hepburn, Hall, and Bradford. He immediately opened an office at Sunbury, and rose rapidly in his profession, for which his preparation had been excep- tionally thorough. He was a dilligent student, and much of his success was due to the careful manner in which his cases were invariably prepared. When addressing the court or jury his language was concise and to the point, and, while not ornate in style, his arguments were often eloquent. In 1826 he was commissioned prothonotary of the Supreme court for the Middle district, a position which brought him into contact with the leading jurists of the State and doubtless had a strong influence in determining his future career. When the judiciary became elective in Pennsylvania and the choice of judges was transferred from the executive to the people, his high professional stand- ing and recognized qualifications for the bench, no less than the fact that he was nominated by the dominant political party (the Democratic) in the dis- trict secured his election by a large popular majority. He took the oath of office on the 28th of November, 1851; at the expiration of his first term he was re-elected,* and served until 1871, a period of twenty years.
Many complicated questions affecting large personal and property inter- ests, and involving principles not theretofore considered, arose during Judge Jordan's incumbency; in these important cases his decisions have stood the severest scrutiny and will be an enduring evidence of his ability as a jurist. He was endowed in a remarkable degree with the logical faculty, while his analytical powers-keen, incisive, and accurate-grasped at once the essential points in an argument, dismembered of all irrelevant matter. To him the law was an intricate science, and its study was quite as much a source of intellectual gratification as a professional duty. His intercourse with members of the bar was characterized by uniform courtesy, and his rulings were so given as to leave no unpleasant feelings; to the younger members his man- ner and words were kind, considerate, and encouraging.
" A professor of the Christian religion, seeking to regulate his public and private conduct in strict conformity with the Christian faith, and to exemplify, by justice and diligence, the harmony of religious principles and professions with the diversified, important, and dignified duties of a citizen, a lawyer, and a judge," he was for many years an elder in the Presbyterian church of Sunbury and superintendent of its Sunday school. Judge Jordan was twice married-in 1820 to Mary, daughter of Daniel Hurley, and after her death to Hannah Rittenhouse, formerly of Philadelphia, now residing in Sunbury at
*The counties of Northumberland, Montour, and Lycoming constituted the district in 1861.
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an advanced age. He died on the 5th of October, 1878, and is buried in the Sunbury cemetery.
William M. Rockefeller, who succeeded Judge Jordan in 1871, was born at Sunbury, August 18, 1830. His great-grandfather, Godfrey Rockefeller, emigrated from New Jersey to the site of Snydertown in this county in 1789; his father, David Rockefeller, a native of Rush township and a surveyor by profession, was engaged in the active duties of that occupation throughout Northumberland and adjoining counties for a period of nearly half a century. The Judge was brought up in his native county, attended the public schools and the academy at Sunbury, and before attaining his majority was succes- sively employed at school teaching, surveying, and clerking. His professional preparation was begun in the office of John B. Packer and continued under Alexander Jordan when Mr. Packer's election to the legislature rendered his transfer to another preceptor necessary. On the 6th of August, 1850, twelve days in advance of his twentieth birthday, he was admitted to the bar of Northumberland county; he began the practice of his profession at Miners- ville, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, whence he returned to Sunbury within a brief period, and has since resided at that borough. On the 9th of Sep- tember, 1871, he was nominated for the judgeship by conferrees from the two counties composing the Eighth judicial district, John B. Packer and William C. Lawson representing Northumberland and Joshua W. Comly and Isaac X. Grier, Montour. He was elected in the following October by a decisive popular majority, and took the oath of office on the 4th of December, 1871. In 1881 he was re-elected from the Eighth district (composed of the county of Northumberland individually), and his second term is now (1891) approaching its termination.
As a lawyer, Judge Rockefeller was painstaking and laborious; in the presentation of a case to the court or jury his style was closely logical and argumentative, evidencing thorough research and earnest investigation. The judgeship was, therefore, a position for which he was abundantly qualified by natural endowments and unremitting application to the duties of his profession. For a score of years he had been actively engaged in the prac- tice of law, and was thoroughly familiar with the class of litigation peculiar to the courts of Northumberland county, particularly the trial of actions of ejectment brought for the settlement and location of the disputed boundaries of conflicting surveys, and in a large number of the cases of this kind adjudicated in the county he had been professionally concerned. Thoroughly familiar with the fundamental principles of jurisprudence, his legal learning and personal integrity commanded the confidence no less than the respect of his colleagues at the bar and his constituents throughout the district, and he came to the bench with the disposition as well as the ability to "hold the scales of justice with an even hand." Of the manner in which the people of the county have regarded his administration, his re-election is sufficient indication.
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In the criminal calendar the most important cases tried by Judge Rocke- feller have been the homicides committed during the Mollie Maguire con- spiracy. In the civil list ejectment cases resulting from disputed land titles have been the most important. As a member of the commission by which the Metzger-Bentley contest for the judgeship in Lycoming county was recently decided, the Judge has also been concerned in the solution of intri- cate legal questions outside the ordinary field of judicial cognizance.
Associate Judges .- Article Vth of the constitution of 1790 provided for the appointment by the Governor of "not fewer than three nor more than four judges" in each county, who, during their continuance in office, should reside therein. An act was passed by the legislature, April 13, 1791, to carry this article into effect and organize the judiciary under its require- ments; by the terms of this act, the new system went into operation on the 31st of August, 1791. The first legislation affecting the number of associate judges was the act of April 1, 1803, which provided that in any county thereafter organized and in case of vacancy in any existing county, "the number of the judges in the said county where such vacancy shall happen shall be reduced, and there shall be no more than three associate judges in the said county, and the office so become vacant shall hereafter be abolished." The number was still further reduced by the act of February 24, 1806, providing that "if any vacancy should hereafter happen in any county at present organized, . .. the Governor shall not supply the same, unless the number of associates be thereby reduced to less than two." There were four associate judges in Northumberland county from 1792 to 1804, three from 1804 to 1813, and two after the latter date. They were appointed for life under the constitution of 1790; the amendments of 1838 reduced the term of office to five years, and made the concurrence of the Senate necessary to the nomination of the Governor; in 1850 amendments were adopted by which the judiciary became elective; and the constitution of 1873 declares that, "the office of associate judge, not learned in the law, is abolished in counties forming separate districts; but the several associate judges in office when this constitution shall be adopted shall serve for their unexpired terms."
The following is a list of associate judges *:-
John Macpherson, 1791-1813. Andrew Albright, 1813-18.
Thomas Strawbridge, 1791-98.
Jacob Gearhart, 1814-39.
William Wilson, 1792-1813. Samuel Maclay, 1792-95.
Henry Shaffer. 1818-33.
Peter Martz, 1833-34.
William Cooke, 1796-1804.
George Weiser, 1834-42.
James Strawbridge, 1799.
John Montgomery, 1839-50.
William Montgomery, 1801-13.
George C. Welker, 1842-51.
*William Montgomery and Joseph Wallis were commissioned as associate judges, August 17, 1791; but as both resigned without entering upon the duties of the office (so far as shown by the court minutes), it has not been deemed proper to Include their names in this list.
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John F. Dentler, 1851-56.
Abraham Shipman, 1861-71.
George Weiser, 1851-56.
Isaac Beidelspach, 1866-69.
William Turner, 1856-66.
Casper Scholl, 1856-61.
George C. Welker, 1871-74. Joseph Nicely, 1869-75.
John Macpherson resided in that part of the original territory of North- umberland county now embraced in Union township, Union county. Noth- ing is known concerning his early life and education. He served in the American navy during the early years of the Revolution as a midshipman on the frigate Randolph, commanded by Captain Nicholas Biddle, and was wounded in action with the True Briton, a twenty-gun ship, which was captured and taken into Charleston harbor. On the 10th of September, 1777, Captain Biddle granted him a permit to leave the Randolph, on account of incapacity for further service, and he joined the Northampton Privateer, ultimately returning to Northumberland county, where he purchased property at Win- field, Union county. In consideration of his services he was granted a monthly pension of seventeen shillings, six pence, from the date of his discharge, by the orphans' court at June sessions, 1786. In 1785 he filled the position of clerk to the county commissioners. He was commissioned as associate judge, August 17, 1791, and served in that capacity until the erection of Union county in 1813 placed him beyond the limits of Northumberland. The rec- ords show that he attended the sessions of the court with almost undeviating regularity, and, with other associates, frequently conducted the sessions in the absence of the president judge. His death occurred on the 2d of August, 1827.
Thomas Strawbridge was a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and learned the trade of tanner. He entered public life in 1776 as a delegate from Chester county to the convention which framed the first constitution of the State. His military career began in May of that year, when the Committee of Safety for his native county appointed him captain. He received a commission as sub-lieutenant, October 16, 1777, sub- sequently rising to the rank of colonel, and was detailed to superintend the manufacture of arms during the closing years of the war. He married Mar- garet Montgomery, a sister of General William Montgomery, and, doubtless through the influence of the latter, removed to that part of the original area of Chillisquaque township, Northumberland county, now embraced in Liberty township, Montour county, about the year 1784. There he established a tan- nery, one of the first north of Harrisburg, and engaged extensively in farm- ing; for some years he was the largest tax-payer in Chillisquaque township. On the 17th of August, 1791, he was commissioned as associate judge for Northumberland county, serving continuously until his retirement in 1798. He died at the age of eighty-two, September 13, 1813. The name of James Strawbridge appears as an associate judge at several terms in the year 1799, but nothing definite concerning his appointment or personal history has been learned.
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
William Wilson was a native of the North of Ireland and immigrated to Northumberland county at an early period in her history. When the Revo- lutionary struggle became imminent, it was resolved by Congress to enlist six companies of riflemen in Pennsylvania for one year's service; in one of these companies, Captain John Lowdon's, which formed part of Colonel William Thompson's Rifle Battalion, William Wilson enlisted as third lieutenant, and was promoted to second lieutenant, January 4, 1776. He re-enlisted in Cap- tain James Parr's company of the First regiment (commanded by Colonel Edward Hand); of this company he was second lieutenant until September 25, 1776, when he became first lieutenant; on the 2d of March, 1777, he was promoted to captain, and was in active service with his command until 1783. At the battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, he captured the colors of the Royal Grenadiers and the sword of Colonel Monckton; the former was fre- quently brought into requisition in patriotic demonstrations in Northumber- land county in subsequent years; the sword was presented by Captain Wil- son to General Wayne and by the latter to the Marquis Lafayette, by whom it was borne through the French Revolution and his imprisonment at Olmutz, and, on the occasion of his visit to the United States in 1824, returned to a son of Judge Wilson through Captain Hunter .* At the close of the war he engaged in business at Northumberland in partnership with Captain John Boyd; they also erected Chillisquaque mills, to which reference is made in the history of the township of that name. On the 20th of May, 1784, he was commissioned as county lieutenant; in 1787 he was chosen as a delegate from Northumberland county in the convention by which Pennsylvania ratified the Federal constitution; in 1789 he represented the county in the Supreme Executive Council of the State; and on the 13th of January, 1792, he was commissioned as associate judge, serving in that capacity until his death in 1813. A Federalist in politics and an ardent supporter of the national ad- ministration during the Whiskey insurrection, he did not, perhaps, enjoy the popularity to which his public services justly entitled him, but posterity will honor him none the less because his convictions did not harmonize with the general trend of public sentiment in this locality at that time.
Samuel Maclay was born in Lurgan township, Franklin county, Pennsyl- vania, June 17, 1741, son of Charles Maclay, a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and descendant of Charles Maclay, Baron Fingal. His first active work in life was performed in 1767-68 as assistant deputy surveyor to his brother, William Maclay, whom he also assisted in 1769 in surveying the lands in Buffalo valley appropriated to the officers in the French and Indian war. He also did considerable surveying in Mifflin county. As a result of his experience on the frontier he became an expert marksman, and on one occasion demonstrated his superior skill in rifle practice in a contest with Logan, the Mingo. He made his residence in Buffalo valley as early as
*Linn's Annals of Buffalo Valley, pp. 161-162.
Eng. byF G Kernan, NY
Solventon
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1775, when his name appears upon the assessment list as the owner of twenty-five acres of land, two horses, two cows, one slave, and one servant, and in that year he was commissioned a justice of the peace for Northumber- land county. As lieutenant colonel of a battallion of associators he attended the Lancaster convention, July 4, 1776, and participated in the organization of the State militia. He was commissioned as associate judge, February 23, 1792, and served until his resignation, December 17, 1795. His legislative services began in 1787, when he was elected member of Assembly from Northumberland county; he was re-elected in 1788 and 1789, and also returned to the House of Representatives in 1790, 1791, and 1797. In 1798 he was elected to the State Senate, and re-elected in 1802 upon the expira- tion of his term; he was Speaker of that body from December 2, 1801, to March 16, 1803, and resigned his seat on the 2d of September, 1803, hav- ing been elected United States Senator from Pennsylvania, December 14, 1802. He continued in the latter position until January 4, 1809, when he resigned. In 1793-96 he was a member of the national House of Representatives. A man of large intelligence, sound judgment, and fine social qualities, he en- joyed unbounded personal popularity, and received the almost unanimous endorsement of his fellow citizens whenever he appeared as a candidate for office. He filled important public positions continuously during a period of nearly a quarter of a century, and is justly regarded as one of the most important characters in the political history of the county. He died on the 5th of October, 1811, and is buried in Buffalo valley.
William Cooke was born in Donegal township, Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania. He was among the pioneers of Northumberland county, of which he was the first elected sheriff, serving in that office from 1772 to 1775. He represented Mahoning township in the Committee of Safety which organized at the house of Richard Malone on the 8th of February, 1776. On the pre- ceding day, at a meeting of the officers and committee-men of the lower division of the county, he had been elected lieutenant colonel of the battalion, and thus early in the Revolutionary struggle was called upon to assume the responsibilities of military leadership. He was a delegate to the Provincial Conferences of June, 1775, and June, 1776, and to the Constitutional Conven- tion of 1776. On the 2d of October, 1776, he was commissioned colonel of the Twelfth Pennsylvania regiment of the Continental Line, which was so reduced in numbers at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown that its officers and men were assigned to other commands or mustered out of the service. In 1781, 1782, and 1783 Colonel Cooke was elected to the Assembly; on the 3d of October, 1786, he was commissioned a justice of the courts of Northumberland county, and on the 19th of January, 1796, he became asso- ciate judge, serving in that office until his death in April, 1804. Howell's map of 1792 locates his residence in Point township near the North Branch above Northumberland.
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Andrew Albright was born on the 28th of February, 1770; in 1798 he engaged in hotel keeping at Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania (then Northumberland), where he at once became popular and entered into politics. He was sheriff of the county, 1803-06; member of the House of Representa- tives, 1809-10; county treasurer, 1812-13; associate judge (commissioned, September 7, 1813; qualified, October 12, 1813), 1813-18; prothonotary, 1819-21; he was elected to the State Senate from the district composed of Northumberland and Union counties in 1822, and died on the 26th of No- vember in that year. After his election as sheriff he resided at Sunbury the remainder of his life.
Jacob Gearhart was of German origin, a son of Jacob Gearhart, who emi- grated from New Jersey in 1790 and purchased large tracts of land in Rush township, Northumberland county; part of this land is now the residence of Mrs. I. H. Torrence, granddaughter of Judge Gearhart. The Judge was a farmer by occupation, but possessed intelligence and education far above the average in that calling. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat; a meet- ing was once held at his house by Simon Cameron, whom Jackson had requested to secure the Pennsylvania influence in favor of the nomination of Martin Van Buren. He was a pioneer Methodist, and frequently entertained Rev. Francis Asbury, the first bishop of that church in the United States. He was commissioned as associate judge, January 10, 1814, as successor to Judge Montgomery, and served until 1839, when he resigned, his official incumbency having continued longer than that of any other associate judge in this county. He died, August 2, 1841, and is buried in Mount Vernon cemetery. Gearhart township is so named in honor of this family.
Henry Shaffer succeeded Andrew Albright; he was commissioned, March 25, 1818, qualified, April 3, 1818, and served until his death, March 1, 1833. He was for many years proprietor of a hotel that occupied the site of the Neff House in Sunbury. His son, Solomon Shaffer, was register and recorder of the county, 1830-36.
Peter Martz succeeded Judge Shaffer. He was commissioned, April 12, 1833, qualified on the following day, and served a little more than a year.
George Weiser was born at Tulpehocken, Berks county, Pennsylvania; he was reared in Union county, whither his parents removed in his childhood, and learned the trade of tanner, which he pursued for many years at Sunbury. He was county treasurer several terms; July 8, 1834, he was commissioned as associate judge, succeeding Peter Martz, and served until 1842; he died on the 2d of July, 1857.
John Montgomery succeeded Judge Gearhart. He was first commis- sioned, July 19, 1839, and took the oath of office, August 5, 1839; on the 20th of March, 1840, he was recommissioned, and served until the office became elective under the amendment of 1850. He was a member of the well known Montgomery family of Paradise, born on the 26th of July, 1792, and died, March 17, 1866.
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