USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including > Part 100
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981
BIOGRAPHIES OF CLINTON.
Of the union of Samuel Phipps and Amelia Halyday, of Cornplanter town- ship, thirteen children were born: Sarah H., married to Robert F. Whann, who died leaving two sons, and by second marriage wife of William Ray- mond, of Raymilton; Mary, widow of Robert Brigham, deceased; Catharine, widow of John H. Craig of Denver, deceased; Uretta, wife of James Ander- son; Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Eliza, wife of A. G. Egbert of Frank- lin; John, who died in infancy; Susan C., wife of Doctor Thomas McMil- lan, both deceased; Francis Halyday, deceased; Samuel E. of Edinboro, Erie county; Cyrus D., of Franklin; Nancy McK., wife of William Cross, and Hervey C., of Leadville, Colorado. In politics Mr. Phipps was a Dem- ocrat, and served one term as sheriff of Venango county.
MAJOR JOHN PHIPPS, third son of John Phipps, was born on the old home- stead in 1806. He was a justice of the peace for several years, and also a public auctioneer. Major Phipps married Barbara Hoffman, who bore him a family of twelve children, of whom John died at the age of twenty-seven; David married Isabella Mitchell; Catharine married Joseph Martin; Philip died in childhood; Nancy became the wife of John Wareham; Van Buren married Emily Carnes; Sarah was twice married, first to Peter Walters, who was killed in the Rebellion, and then to A. Sopher; Joseph died in child- hood; Ghost died aged twenty-seven; A. Jackson married Annie Mckean; Barbara died in childhood, and Christina married Henry Beatty. Major Phipps died in 1876, aged seventy.
ROBERT PHIPPS, fourth son of John Phipps, was born on the old home- stead, February 6, 1809. He married Ann Canan of Lawrenceburg, Penn- sylvania, and died in 1862, his widow surviving him until January 2, 1872. They were the parents of six sons and five daughters: William C. and Por- ter, of Clinton township; James, the second eldest son, who died on the homestead; John W., of Colorado; Simeon, of Butler county; Robert J., a minister of Allegheny county; Mary; Maria, wife of William Tiffany; Mary, Grace, and Sarah, all of whom died in infancy.
JOSEPH PHIPPS, fifth son of John Phipps, was born October 12, 1812, and followed farming throughout his life. He remained upon the old homestead until he was a middle aged man, when he purchased the place where his widow and two sons and daughters now reside. He always took great inter- est in the public affairs of the township, and continuously filled some local office. In 1837 he was married to Miss Elizabeth L. Whann, of Scrubgrass township, who died in 1852. Six children were born of this union: Cath- arine M., Robert J., John M., Walter W., Abraham M., and Elizabeth. The eldest and three youngest died in childhood, and John M. in 1862, from disease contracted in the army. Major Robert J., the only survivor of the family, is a resident of Franklin, and one of the enterprising citizens of his native county. Mr. Phipps married for his second wife, May 5, 1854, Miss Jane B., daughter of Samuel Anderson, of Butler county, Pennsylvania,
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982
HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
who bore him six children: Samuel, deceased; Walter A., attorney at law, Douglass, Kansas; George T .; Melvin; Vilena, and Imelda, wife of William Curtis, of Oil City. Mr. Phipps died in 1872, and his widow is living on the old homestead, which is being farmed by her sons, George T. and Mel- vin, both of whom were born and reared thereon. The latter was married June 24, 1885, to Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas Milford, of Crawford's Corners, Scrubgrass township. Two children, Alice C. and Mabel E., are the fruits of this union.
WILLIAM C. PHIPPS, eldest son of Robert and Ann (Canan) Phipps, was born in this township October 22, 1834. He was reared upon the old home- stead, and received his education in the common schools. He was engaged in the lumber business and employed on the home farm until the commence- ment of the war, when he enlisted in Company E, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and served until the close of the struggle. He participated in thirty-four engagements, and was wounded just previous to the surrender of Lee. On the close of the war he returned to Clinton township and en- gaged in the oil business for two years, and then resumed farming, which he has followed up to the present. He is a member of John M. Phipps Post, G. A. R., of Clintonville, of which he has been commander two terms, and is the present quartermaster of the post. Politically he is a Republican. He was married November 18, 1858, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Will- iam Douds, of Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and has seven living chil- dren: Benton Mc. ; Ella, wife of William Richards, of Mercer county; Will- iam T .; Harry F .; Freddie L. and Lydia, twins; and John.
PORTER PHIPPS, third son of Robert and Ann (Canan) Phipps, was born November 30, 1842, and grew up on the homestead farm, receiving his edu- cation in the public schools of his native township, and the Clintonville Academy. In early manhood he engaged in teaching, and in 1862 enlisted in Company E, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and served until the sur- render of Lee. He participated in forty engagements, and at the close of the Rebellion resumed farming and stock raising, and now owns a farm of two hundred and sixty acres. In 1878 he engaged in the oil business, and has since been an oil producer. He is also one of the stockholders of the Bradford Orange Company, which has extensive orange groves in Florida. Politically he is a Republican, and in 1876 was elected justice of the peace, filling the office five years. He has always taken a deep interest in the progress of education in his native township. He is a member of the Pres- byterian church, and in 1885 was a delegate to the Presbyterian General Assembly held at Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a member of Alexander Welton Post, G. A. R., of which he has been commander. He was married Janu- ary 26, 1869, to Miss Sarah J., daughter of James Baird, of Clinton town- ship, who has borne him six children: Lyman S. ; Robert B. ; John H. ; Mary A .; Eva M., and Grace M. Mr. Phipps is one of the enterprising citizens of his township.
983
BIOGRAPHIES OF CLINTON.
JUDGE THOMAS MCKEE was one of the first settlers of what is now Clinton township, Venango county. He was born in Franklin county, Pennnsyl- vania, in 1771, and removed to Westmoreland county in boyhood, where he resided until 1796, when he came to this portion of the Allegheny valley and took up a tract of four hundred acres of land then covered with the primeval forest. A portion of this tract is now embraced in the borough of Clintonville, and the balance is principally owned by his descendants. In 1805 he was chosen as one of the first associate judges of Venango county, and filled the office with credit and ability over thirty years. He was also a justice of the peace in his township for a long period. Judge McKee was one of the most enterprising men of the county throughout the earlier years of its history. He erected one of the pioneer saw mills of his locality and carried on quite an extensive local lumber trade. He was also interested largely in real estate, and accumulated a great deal of valuable land.
Judge McKee married Mary Parker, a native of Westmoreland county, and they were the parents of eleven children: William P., of Iowa; Wash- ington, who died in Missouri in 1889; James, deceased; Thomas and De- Witt C. of Clintonville; Susan, deceased wife of James F. Agnew; Mary Ann, deceased, who married James Harris of Harrisville; Clarissa, deceased wife of P. G. Hollister; Jane, deceased wife of James Russell; Barbara, who died in girlhood, and Juliet, deceased wife of J. A. Allen. Judge Mc- Kee was an honored resident of Venango county for more than sixty years, and died in September, 1857, at the ripe old age of eighty-six. His widow survived him nearly ten years, and died in February, 1867, also aged eighty- six years. They were Presbyterians, and Judge McKee was for many years a ruling elder in the Scrubgrass church. He also was one of the organizers of the Clintonville church, and one of its first ruling elders. He was a stanch Democrat and one of the most widely known citizens of the county during pioneer days. He was a gentlemen of the old school, polite, affable, and kind, and was recognized as a man of strict integrity and unimpeachable character. His descendants are still numerous in this section of the state.
THOMAS MCKEE, banker and farmer, is a son of Judge Thomas McKee, and was born on the site of Clintonville, Venango county, Pennsylvania, March 15, 1821. He attended the common schools of his township and has followed successfully farming, stock dealing, merchandising, and banking. On the 4th of January, 1853, he married Miss Elizabeth Anderson, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Grant) Anderson, pioneers of Scrubgrass town- ship. Nine children are the fruits of this marriage, all of whom are living: Elizabeth, wife of Reverend J. P. Barbor; Jennie, wife of Reverend Robert McCaslin; John M. ; Frank P .; Arthalinda, wife of Reverend R. J. Phipps; Ida, wife of R. L. Riddle; Thomas P .; William C., and Maggie. Mr. Mc- Kee is an elder in the Presbyterian church, to which denomination the family adhere. He is a stanch, unswerving Democrat, and has served four
984
HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
years as county commissioner and filled the office of justice of the peace several years. 'Squire McKee is one of the most successful and substantial business men of his native county.
WILLIAM P. McKEE, gauger, is a son of James and Mary (Cochran) Mc- Kee, and was born July 7, 1845, in Clintonville, Venango county. His father was the third son of Judge Thomas McKee, and was born in this township in 1812. He early engaged in the furnace business, afterward in the stock trade, purchasing for eastern markets. He was a prominent member of the I. O. O. F., and filled some of the important offices in that order. He died March 31, 1851. His wife survived him and married Hugh Craig, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our subject was the oldest of a family of three children, two sons and one daughter. He was educated in the schools of Clintonville, and at the age of eighteen went to Pittsburgh, where he learned the machinist trade. In 1863 he engaged in the oil busi- ness, which he followed until 1873, when he entered the employ of the United Pipe Lines Company as a gauger, which position he has since filled. He was married March 20, 1876, to Miss Sadie, daughter of Doctor J. B. McMillan, of Clintonville, and by this marriage they have five living chil- dren: Mary A. ; Maggie L. ; John D .; Katie, and Blanche. Our subject has filled the office of burgess twice, served as school director nine years, and held other offices in Clintonville. He is a member of the Masonic order, also of the I. O. O. F., and was district deputy grand master of Venango county in 1886. Politically he is a Democrat.
THE RIDDLE FAMILY .- Among the pioneers of the southern part of Ve- nango county was Matthew Riddle, who served in the Revolutionary war, and came from Westmoreland in 1795, selected lands in this township, and brought his family to his new home in 1796. He afterward acquired about twelve hundred acres of land which at his death he divided among his four children. He was one of the chain bearers for Thomas McKee, an early surveyor of the county. His family consisted of two sons, John and Rob- ert, and two daughters: Annie, who married James Pollock, and Elizabeth. His wife died in 1817, and he survived her three years, dying in 1820. John, his eldest son, was born in Westmoreland county, and married Esther Crawford, who bore him four sons and two daughters: Matthew; Robert; John W .; William C .; Elizabeth, who married Samuel Moore, and Mary, who became the wife of George Cross. His son, Robert, was born in Westmoreland county in 1788, came with his parents to Venango county, and served in a company of militia in the war of 1812. He was married in 1816 to Caroline, daughter of John Phipps, who bore him ten children: John P .; James P .; Samuel; Robert; Wilson; David; Matthew; Elizabeth, who married James Calvert; Sarah A., and one who died in infancy. He was one of the enterprising citizens of the township, and served as justice of the peace at an early day.
985
BIOGRAPHIES OF CLINTON.
JOHN K. RIDDLE, farmer and oil producer, was born January 29, 1848, in Clinton township, and is a son of Matthew and Mary (Moore) Riddle. He attended the common schools of the township, and completed his edu- cation at Westminster College in Lawrence county. For many years he dealt in produce, which he sold at Foxburg and Parker City. His father was born in 1814, in early life was a teacher, and at one time filled the office of county surveyor. Matthew Riddle was the father of six children: Julia, wife of John Donaldson; Josiah R .; Levina, wife of Joshua Hoffman; John K .; Reverend Clinton, of Nebraska, and- Marilda J. John K. was married in 1882 to Tillie, daughter of David G. Shaw, of Parker City, Pennsylvania.
MAJOR PHILIP GHOST, a native of Germany, who served in the Revolu- tionary war, came from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, to what is now Clinton township, Venango county, in 1796, and settled on the farm now occupied by Ghost Hoffman, which he purchased from a man by the name of Jamison. He married Barbara Keltz, of Westmoreland county, and was the father of three sons and five daughters, all of whom are dead. His son, Craft, was born in Westmoreland county, and came to Venango county about the same time, settling in Irwin township. He was a miller by occupation, a man of good education, and taught school for many years. He also filled the position of county commissioner. He married Elizabeth Fritz, who bore him ten children: John; Philip, deceased; Christina, wife of Nathan Phipps; Barbara, wife of William Carroll, of Illinois; Sarah, wife of Thomas Galloway, of Irwin township; Charlotte, wife of William McCon- nell; Mary, deceased; Susanna, of Irwin township, and Betsey, deceased wife of John Coleman. The parents both died in this county.
JOHN GHOST, eldest son of Craft, was born March 2, 1806, was reared upon the homestead, and lived there until 1834, when he settled upon his present farm in Clinton township. He was married November 7, 1833, to Catharine, daughter of Philip Surrenna, of Clinton township, and by this marriage is the father of the following children: Clinton; Philip, deceased; Elizabeth, wife of Perry McFadden; Craft W .; William S .; Mary Ann, wife of Benton Moore, and Nancy, deceased. Mr. Ghost has been a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church for sixty years. His sons, Craft W. and William S., were born July 18, 1842, and April 21, 1844, respectively, upon the old homestead. The former was married November 24, 1870, to Miss Harriet A., daughter of Davidson McWilliams, who is the mother of one child, Annette. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. William S. Ghost has spent his entire life upon the old homestead, and is now caring for his parents in their declining years. He was married May 3, 1887, to Miss Barbara, daughter of James Hoffman, of Clinton township, by which union one daughter, Christina, has been born. Mr. Ghost is a Republican, a member of the K. and L. of H., and with his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church of Clintonville.
986
HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
THOMAS BAIRD, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and a sur- veyor by profession, purchased a tract of land where his grandsons now live in Clinton township, for which he paid six hundred dollars, and settled upon this land about 1796. He served in Captain McManigal's company in the war of 1812, and was one of the pioneer justices of the peace of this part of the county. He married Martha McKee, a sister of Judge McKee, who bore him the following children: John; James; William; Thomas; Hugh; Susan, married to John VanDyke; Mary; Elizabeth, who married Doctor Coulter, and Matilda, wife of Gibson Vincent. Thomas Baird died in 1864 at the age of eighty-six.
JAMES BAIRD, born in 1807, son of Thomas and Martha (McKee) Baird, was a surveyor by profession and laid out many of the principal roads of the township. He was a life-long member of the Presbyterian church and an elder for many years. He died February 24, 1864, leaving a widow, who resides in Clintonville, and seven children: Martha, wife of John Vin- cent; Ann E .; Susan, deceased wife of Doctor J. M. Foster; Sarah, wife of Porter Phipps; Mary, wife of J. A. Porter; J. M., and William A.
J. M. BAIRD, farmer, was born in Clinton township October 29, 1848, son of James and Mary (Kilpatrick) Baird, was educated in the common schools, and on the death of his father took charge of the home farm upon which he still resides. He was married October 5, 1871, to Miss Mary G., daughter of David Hovis, of Clinton township, and is the father of six children: Susan M .; David E .; James C .; Frank P .; Meda F., and Jesse Hays. Mr. Baird is one of the enterprising citizens of the township, polit- ically a Democrat, and a member of the Presbyterian church. His brother William A. also resides upon the old homestead, where he was born Sep- tember 12, 1851, and is engaged in farming and oil producing. He was married June 14, 1888, to Miss Jennie, daughter of William Courtney, of Grove City, Mercer county, Pennsylvania.
THE EAKINS .- In 1799 Samuel Eakin came from Juniata county, Penn- sylvania, and located in what is now Clinton township, Venango county. Two years prior, in 1797, he emigrated from Ireland to Juniata county. At the time of their arrival in Venango county his family consisted of his wife, Mary (Reilly) Eakin, and two children: Mary, who married Robert Moore, and William. Subsequently there were born: James; Jane, who married James Scott; Samuel; Elizabeth; Margaret, who married a Mr. Moore, ' and David. Soon after Samuel's settlement his brother William and sister Margaret, the latter the wife of a Mr. Curry, located in the same region and developed farms. Samuel settled on one hundred and fifty acres of land, and held various township offices. His wife died in 1821, and he survived her until September, 1851, passing away at the age of eighty-four years. All of his sons and daughters became settlers of Venango county, and all of them are dead, the last one, Samuel, dying in November, 1888, at the age
Porter Phipps.
989
BIOGRAPHIES OF CLINTON.
of eighty-two. The other members of the family also lived beyond middle age. The old homestead, after the death of Samuel, Sr., became the prop- erty of his youngest son, David, who died October 11, 1851, aged forty-one years. David was married to Rebecca Stalker, daughter of Thomas Stalker, and was the father of nine children: Rachel, who married S. D. Porter; Samuel; Thomas, deceased; Thomas J .; Mary Jane, who married S. M. Lockhart; Martha L., wife of William Witherup; Elizabeth, married to John Fabian; Sarah Ann, wife of John Myers, and David V. The father dying, Mrs. Eakin was married to David Phipps, of Clinton township, by whom she had one daughter, Henrietta, married to a Mr. Thero, of Colorado. Mrs. Phipps died in February, 1878.
THE WITHERUP FAMILY. - John Witherup was a native of England who immigrated to Trenton, New Jersey, and from there went to Philadelphia, and subsequently to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was employed in the transportation of freight between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which in those days was done by wagon. In 1800 he came to Venango county and settled in Scrubgrass township. While in Pittsburgh he had the contract to supply the lumber for building the first court house erected in that city; and always spoke with pride of being the man who cut the first piece of timber used in its erection. His settlement in this county was made on a tract of four hundred and forty acres near the mouth of Big Scrubgrass creek, upon which he erected the first saw and grist mill in the township. He was engaged in farming, milling, and lumbering for many years. In 1805 he was elected the first sheriff of Venango county, was one of the early justices of the peace, and filled that office for twenty-five or thirty years. He married Mary Brockingham, a native of England, who bore him the fol- lowing children: Abraham; David, who died in Missouri; William, who died in Virginia; John, deceased; Alexander, who died in Scrubgrass town- ship; Martha, who married Colonel William W. Shorts, of Sandy Creek township, and Robert, who died on Red river. Mr. Witherup died in 1843.
CAPTAIN ABRAHAM WITHERUP, eldest son of John, was born in Philadel- phia, in 1787, and came with his father to Venango county. He lived for a time in Rockland township, and then settled upon the old homestead, where he followed farming and the lumber business. He was one of the early oil producers of the county, commencing in 1865, wells to the number of forty having been drilled upon his farm, which, with the exception of a few, averaged from two to one hundred and sixty barrels daily for the period of seven or eight years. Captain Witherup commanded a company from Venango county in the war of 1812. He was a life-long Democrat, filled the office of justice of the peace for twenty years, and was one of the enter- prising men of his day. He married Elizabeth, fourth daughter of John Phipps, Sr., who bore him thirteen children, and lived her four-score years. The children are: Mary, deceased wife of James Haslett; Catharine, de-
55
990
HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.
ceased wife of Nathaniel M. Wasson; Sarah, wife of O. D. McMillin; Mar- tha, wife of Elliott Davis; Elizabeth; John, deceased; Robert; David, de- ceased; Joseph; Abraham; Samuel P .; James B., and William. Captain Witherup died in 1875, loved and respected as a patriotic citizen.
His youngest son, William, was born August 24, 1832, on the old home- stead and received such education as the common schools afforded. He has always been engaged in farming and the lumber business. Politically he is an ardent Democrat. He was married November 19, 1863, to Miss Martha L., daughter of David Eakin, of Clinton township, and by this union is the father of ten children: Forest F. ; Melda M .; David F .; Harry K .; Joseph A. ; Lewis H., deceased; Samuel B .; Jesse L .; William V., and Bessie P.
ALEXANDER PORTER, an early settler of Venango county, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and of Irish parentage. He located on a tract of four hundred acres, where his grandsons, Samuel and Thomas V., now reside. He was a blacksmith, and carried on this business in connec- tion with farming. He married Margaret Braden, whom he brought to his home in the forest of Venango county, in 1798. She bore him twelve children: Joseph; Mary; Elizabeth; Isabel, who married William Coulter; Nancy, who married William Osborn; James; Annabel, who married James Kerr; Samuel; John; Margaret, who married Benjamin Yard; Lucy, and Alexander, all of whom are dead excepting Annabel, Margaret, and Alex- ander. He died September 26, 1847, his widow surviving him until 1850.
JAMES PORTER, the second son, was born December 21, 1801, on the old homestead, where he resided until about 1828, when he purchased an adjoining farm in Butler county, upon which he lived until 1857. He then purchased the old homestead in this township, where he resided until his death. While a resident of Butler county he filled the office of justice of the peace. He was an ardent supporter of the temperance cause, and prominent in temperance circles. Mr. Porter was twice married, first to Sybella Coulter, who died, leaving two sons: Levi and James C. He subsequently married Harriet, daughter of James Vincent, of Butler county, who bore him two sons: Samuel and Thomas V., and died May 31, 1863. James Porter died June 18, 1887.
SAMUEL PORTER, third son of James, was born June 18, 1854, in Butler county, Pennsylvania, and grew to manhood upon his present homestead, in Clinton township. He was married in March, 1879, to Miss Tabitha, daughter of Richard Van Dyke, of Butler county, who is the mother of five children: Harriet A. ; Richard; James B. ; Mary R., and Benjamin Alexan- der. In 1884 Mr. Porter and brother, Thomas V., engaged in the produc- tion of oil upon their farm, and have met with fair success. They also have in operation a saw and chop mill.
THOMAS V. PORTER, fourth son of James Porter, was born December 31, 1856, in Butler county, and was reared upon the homestead in Clinton town-
991
BIOGRAPHIES OF CLINTON.
ship. He received his primary education in the common schools, and completed his studies in Westminster College, in Lawrence county, Penn- sylvania. He was married in 1881 to Miss Eva, daughter of Robert Long, of Harrisville, Butler county, who has borne him two children: James Clay- ton and Margaret L. Mr. Porter is a member of the United Presbyterian church, and politically he is a Prohibitionist.
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