USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 74
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In his message of 1851 he recommended that the old manuscript records of the state of Pennsylvania, which up until that time had never been in print, should be published in book form in order that they might be preserved to fu- ture generations. His message asked that a billl might be passed providing that these manuscripts should be edited and published at the state's expense. An act was passed in compliance with this recommendation, and Samuel Haz- ard was accordingly appointed to supervise thetir publication. Twenty-eight volumes of the "Colonial Records" and the "Pennsylvania Archives" were pub-
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lished as the result of this act. The wisdom of Gov. Johnston has been shown in the fact that scarcely a historical document relative to Pennsylvania has been since written that does not refer to them, and moreover it will be remembered that their publication perhaps saved them from destruction in the burning of the capitol February 2, 1897. Governor Johnston also deserves credit for the manner in which he managed the financial affairs of the state during his term as governor. When he was elected the state debt was over $40,000,000 and had been increasing in indebtedness at the rate of about $2,000,000 a year for nine years preceding his election. The interest on the whole sum was paid during his term of office, and a part of the principal debt was wiped out. At the close of his term he was renominated by his party ,but was defeated in the fall elec- tion by a small majority. After retiring from this office he engaged in the practice of law, and in the manufacture of iron, producing salt, and in the pro- duction of oil, and still later in refining petroleum. He was also president of the Allegheny Railroad, which was built from Pittsburgh to Kittanning. In the Civil war he took an active part in home defence at Pittsburgh, being chairman of the executive committee of public safety. Still later he was appointed collec- tor of the port of Philadelphia by President Andrew Johnston, and filled the duties of the office for some months, but his appointment was not confirmed by the senate upon the meeting of that body.
JOSEPH MARKLE, generally known as General Markle, was born near West Newton, February 15, 1777. His father was an extensive business man, and the son began in his young days to manage a pack-horse train transporting salt and other necessaries from the east across the mountains. Early in the last century he was entrusted with flatboats which conveyed flour down the rivers to New Orleans. Several times he returned on foot, and from Natchez to Nashville the Indian trail through the lands of the Chickasaws, a distance of over six hundred miles, was taken. On these trips he camped out at night and traveled for days without seeing a sign of a human habitation. The incidents related by him of the journeys, his narrow escapes in fording large streams and from attacks by the Indians, if preserved, would make a most interesting and valuable addition to our pioneer literature.
In I&II he abandoned the river trade, and in partnership with Simon Drum, of Greensburg, erected a paper mill near West Newton. It was the third mill of that kind west of the Alleghenies. This business was scarcely started till the War of 1812 came. He raised a company of cavalry, as we have seen, and at once entered the service. When they reached Pittsburgh the provisions which were promised them were not at hand. In this exigency Captain Mar- kle, like General St. Clair, raised the necessary money by giving his own note for $1,250. The note was endorsed by Joshua Budd, William Fullerton and John Daily. It was payable in six months and was discounted by the old Bank of Pittsburg. Quartermaster Wheaton also raised $800 and these sums enabled the troops to move on to the front. Their services in the war have been briefly detailed. From an order made at the close of their enlistment,
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August 16, 1813, there can be little doubt of the gallantry of the captain and his troops. It is as follows :
"The period for which the troops of the Light Dragoons, commanded by Captain Markle, was engaged, being about to expire, the commanding general directs that they proceed to Franklintown for their baggage, and that they be there discharged, or proceed embodied to Pittsburgh before they are discharged, as Capt. Markle may think proper. Gen. Harrison returns Capt. Markle, his subalterns, non-commissioned officers and soldiers, his thanks for their good conduct whilst under his command. In the course of eleven months' service, in which they have performed as much severe duty as any troops ever did, the General has found as much reason to applaud their steady and subordinate de- portment in camp as their coolness and valor when opposed to the enemy, both of which were eminently displayed at the battle of Mississinewa and at the siege of Fort Meigs.
A. H. HOLMES, Adjt. General."
"A true extract."
A short time after their return from the army, Capt. Markle was elected a major-general of the Pennsylvania Militia for the division composed of West- moreland and Fayette counties.
He also at once began to build up his business, which consisted in flour and paper making, and in farming and store keeping. These had all greatly suf- fered during his absence. The paper business, under his supervision, grew rapidly, so that they soon supplied the greater part of Western Pennsylvania and were able to ship large quantities to Ohio and Kentucky. He retired from active business in 1829 and turned it over largely to his sons.
In politics he at first supported Thomas Jefferson and his political tenets. He also voted for Madison, Monroe and John Q. Adams. In 1828 he voted for Andrew Jackson, but did not support him in 1832, because, in the mean- time, their ideas on the tariff question became widely divergent. In 1836 and again in 1840 he supported William Henry Harrison for the presidency. In all these years he was an admirer of Henry Clay, and supported him and every other Whig and Republican candidate for the presidency up to the time of his death. In 1844 he was nominated by the Whig party for the governorship of Pennsylvania. In order to understand that campaign it will be necessary to take a brief retrospective view of the political contests of Pennsylvania. In 1835 Governor George Wolf was nominated for the third term of the governor- ship. This displeased a strong element in the party, which met and nominated Henry A. Muhlenberg as their candidate., The Whig and Anti-Masonic party followed by nominating Joseph Ritner as their candidate. With two candidates in the Democratic party, Ritner was elected. The regular Democratic party blamed their defeat on Muhlenberg, and he was very unpopular among them. Nine years later, in some way he secured the nomination for the governorshop, but his independent candidacy was not forgotten. Many Democrats in all
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parts of the state refused to touch him. The Clay and Markle Whigs were cor- respongingly jubilant, for, with the Muhlenberg defection, they had every pros- pect of a victory. But shortly before the election Muhlenberg died, and the Democrats at once united and nominated Francis R. Shunk for governor. He was one of the most popular Democrats in the state, and the cry of "Polk, Dallas and Shunk" was heard from every Democrat in Pennsylvania. His popularity united the party, and this carried the state against Clay and Markle, defeating the latter for the governorship and the former for the presidency. Markle, however, lacked only about 4,000 votes of an election, while Clay was 8,000 short. The effect of Markle's defeat in October probably accounted for Clay's reduced vote in November. Prior to this Markle had been a candidate for Assembly, and in 1838 was a candidate for Congress, but in each instance was a candidate against his wishes. When the Civil war came he was a strong supporter of the Northern cause. When our state was threatened with an in- vasion he raised a company for home defense, and was elected its captain, though he was then over eighty-six years old. All through his life he had been a great reader and had, moreover, a remarkable memory. In mature years, therefore, he had a great fund of information, and was a friend and companion of the most eminent men of his day. His leading characteristics were his cour- age, his honesty and his benevolence. Particularly did he display this last quality in visiting his poor neighbors when afflicted, and in supplying them with every necessary comfort.
WILLIAM LARIMER, JR., was born at Circleville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1809, and died near Leavenworth City, Kan- sas, May 16, 1875.
The original family name was French, Lorimier, derived from the Latin Lorum, a thong. The English form, Lorimer, may be found in many of the English dictionaries. It indicates the name of an ancient trade; not the trade of working in leather, as the word "thong" might suggest, but the "Lorimer" was a maker of bits, spurs, stirrup irons, and all kinds of metal mountings of brass and iron, including armour. The name suggests this last, as it is some- times recorded as being derived from the French, "l'armov." The first record of the name as yet found by us is in 1080, when a certain Durand Lorimer went from Caen, France, to Scotland, doubtless with the forces of William the Con- queror. In Scotland, Lorimer is quite a common name at the present time.
The first record found of the Larimers in this country relates to Robert Lar- imer, the lineal ancestor of William Larimer, Jr., with whom our sketch deals. This Robert Larimer was born about 1690 and came to this country from Scot- land, where his ancestors had located when driven from Alsace-Lorraine by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He settled in Berwick township, York county, Pennsylvania, early in 1700, and died in York county in 1772. During his residence in America he had accumulated considerable property, as there arc records of taxes paid on a farm of two hundred acres in Berwick township, and of a farm in Mount Joy township.
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The children of Robert and Sarah Larimer were Thomas, John, William, Mary, Margaret, Jean, and Robert. Thomas, the eldest son, was born about 1745. To this son was deeded the farm in Mount Joy township, and there he established his home. He married Catherine , of Berwick township. During the Revolutionary war, Thomas Larimer served in a Ger- man regiment commanded by Colonel Weltner. He died at his homestead in Mount Joy township, Adams county, in September, 1816. His lands and bonds he bequeathed to his children. The homestead still stands near the town of Gettysburg. The children of Thomas and Catherine Larimer were: Will- iam, Sr., Thomas, Margaret, Mary, Sidney, Nancy, and Elizabeth.
William Larimer, Sr., eldest son of Thomas Larimer, was born in 1771. About twenty years of his life was spent in Adams county, but about 1790 he had removed to Westmoreland county. He was twice married. His first wife, Martha McNease, of Westmoreland county, died young, leaving two children, John and Catherine. The second wife was Anne Sheakley, of Adams county. The children of William and Anne Larimer were Margaret, George, William, Jr., Martha, Washington, Hamilton, James, Anne, Thomas, and Mary.
William Larimer, Sr., was an energetic man, possessed of good business qualifications. When he died, September 18, 1838, he left his affairs in a flourishing condition and his children were unusually well provided for. Anne, the wife of William Larimer, Sr., was a woman well fitted both by character and inheritance to be a helpmeet to her husband in their pioneer life in West- moreland county. Her grandfather, William Sheakley, was a man of ability and wealth. When it became evident in 1775 that the colonies would take up arms against England, he was elected one of the committee of observation for York county. Anne's father, George Sheakley, was commissioned ensign un- der Captain Jolin McIlvain, at the age of nineteen, during the Revolutionary war.
The home of William and Anne Larimer was known as the "Mansion Farm," now the site of Circleville, North Huntingdon township. The home- stead has been remodeled, but the large oak logs of the original house are still there, and are more like iron than oak, their dark brown coloring similar to the antique oak of today. There, on the "King's Highway," (the old turnpike) be- tween the far East and the Ohio river, William and Anne Larimer lived for about fifty years, and there entertained many of the prominent men of the time who journeyed to the West or the South, among whom were William Henry Harrison and Aaron Burr. Anne had seen General Washington also as he passed her childhood home in York county in his carriage. Washington was President of the United States at that time (1794). An interesting incident is related in regard to a business transaction between Mr. W. H. Harrison and William Larimer. The latter sold a negro girl to Mr. Harrison, neither of them knowing at the time that a law had been passed making the buying or selling of slaves in Pennsylvania illegal. As soon as Mr. Larimer was cognizant of the error he at once returned the money to Mr. Harrison, and the girl was. returned.
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William Larimer, Jr., third child of William, Sr., and Anne Larimer, was born in the old Larimer homestead, now Circleville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1809. His wife was Rachel McMasters, daughter of John and Rachel Hughey McMasters, (who were also wealthy pioneers) whom he married at her home at Turtle Creek, Alleghany county, October 16, 1834. The children of William and Rachel Larimer were John, William, Ed- win, Thomas, Cassius, Joseph, George, Annie, and Rachel. The two daugh- ters, Annie and Rachel, settled in Pittsburg. Annie married T. M. Jones, of the firm of Jones and Laughlin, in 1858. Rachel married James Ross Mellon, son of Judge Thomas and Sarah Negley Mellon, of Pittsburg, in 1867.
William Larimer, Jr., was one of the prominent business men of his day. Larimer township, in Somerset county; Larimer station, on the Pennsylvania railroad; Larimer avenue, in Pittsburg; Larimer county, in Colorado; Lari- mer street, in Denver; and Fort Larimer, in Arkansas, were all named in his honor.
At Larimer Station he and Hon. John Covode organized the Westmoreland Coal Company, which is still one of the largest in the state. But his first exten- sive business enterprise was with his friend and neighbor, John Irwin, of Irwin, Pennsylvania, in the "Conestoga Wagon System." By means of wagons they carried goods between Pittsburg and Philadelphia as early as 1830, many years before the railroad was projected. His next business venture was in partnership with his brother-in-law, John McMasters, Jr., in merchandising. It was a time of new enterprises, and in many of them William Larimer was interested. For over twenty-five years he was very successful, and held many important positions. He was the first president of the Pittsburg and Con- nellsville railroad; treasurer of the Ohio and Pennsylvania (now Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne, and Chicago) railroad ; chief proprietor and creditor of the Yough- iogheny Slack Water System; chief projector and builder of the Remington Coal railroad at McKees Rocks; and a large share-holder in numerous Cali- fornia gold mining enterprises, and Overland Transportation Companies. He was uniformly successful in all his enterprises and acquired considerable wealth, indeed a large fortune for those times. His public spirit, enterprise, and generosity made him hosts of friends to whom the hospitality of his homes, one in Penn avenue, Pittsburg, and the other in Larimer avenue, East End, was ever free.
Politically, Mr. Larimer identified himself with the anti-slavery movement, and assisted in the organization of the old Liberal party, supporting Birney for president in 1844. From this time up to the defeat of General Scott in 1852 he was in sympathy with the principles of the Whig party, and took quite a prominent part in the politics of Pennsylvania. He was made major-general of state militia in 1852, and was mentioned as a possible candidate for governor. Religiously he was an "old school" Presbyterian. He was also an enthusiastic temperance worker, and gave substantial aid to the cause.
After financial difficulties which reached a climax during the general busi-
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ness depression in 1854-55, General Larimer decided to start anew in the West, and left Pittsburgh for Nebraska the next year. Soon after his arrival he was elected to the legislature of that territory. He took an active part in behalf of Republican principles, and the meeting at which the Republican party of Nebraska was organized was held at his home in Omaha. He moved to Kan- sas in 1858, but remained there only a few months. During the Pike's Peak gold excitement of that year he went to Colorado. He was one of the founders of the city of Denver, and he built the first house on the site of the present city, on the land which he and his son William H. H. Larimer had pre-empted for their own private possession. While a resident of Colorado, General Larimer served for a time as United States commissioner and judge of probate for the First Judicial District of the territory. He became well known throughout the West, being prominently identified with the public interests of Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado for more than twenty years.
At the outbreak of the Civil war, General Larimer raised the Third Regi- ment of Colorado Volunteers, and was its first colonel. After a short term of service he resigned and returned to Kansas, but soon entered the service again as captain of General Blunt's bodyguard. After the massacre of Baxter Springs he was commissioned captain of Company A, 14th Kansas Cavalry, by Governor Thomas Carney.
After the war General Larimer was a member of the Kansas state senate, 1867-70. At that time it was said of him, "He is earnest in his convictions ; conscientious in the discharge of his duties, and zealously labors for the good of the people he represents." At this time he was frequently spoken of by the press of the state in connection with the gubernatorial chair and United States senatorship. While General Larimer was living in Pittsburg he was person- ally acquainted with prominent bankers, journalists, and statesmen of New York, Philadelphia, and western Pennsylvania, and many of them were enter- tained at his home in Penn avenue. The great editor and philosopher, Horace Greeley, was a frequent guest. Mr. Greeley looked more like a farmer than a noted man of letters. One morning when Mr. Greeley and Mr. Larimer were walking down Penn avenue, a neighbor, seeing them, stepped back into his house, "To spare Mr. Larimer the embarrassment of introducing his country cousin," thus missing an introduction to the great journalist. In later years Mr. Greeley visited General Larimer in his cabin in the early pioneer days of Denver City. After years of friendship and correspondence, it was natural that General Larimer should take a prominent part in the Greeley campaign in 1872, and should be the first man to suggest the name of Mr. Greeley in con- nection with the presidency. After Mr. Greeley's death, in response to his daughter's request, his letters to General Larimer were sent to her. When the letters were returned, Mrs. Smith sent her father's favorite pen to his life- long friend. Another friend of General Larimer's was Governor Samuel Houston, the liberator and first governor of Texas. He expressed his appre- ciation of the General in gifts of value ; at one time presenting Mrs. Larimer
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with a beautiful brocade gown, and on another occasion with two miniatures of himself in solid gold frames.
Not only was General Larimer loved by his friends, but he had a personal magnetism that held an audience's attention when he was called upon for a public speech. He was a man of fine appearance, with a martial bearing due to his lifelong military training. His height was about six feet, his hair a soft brown, his eyes hazel. He could speak in public without notes or the slightest preparation. He had command of a great fund of general knowledge, and never seemed at a loss for words with which to express himself. The way in which he was received by an audience is shown in the following quo- tation from the Rocky Mountain News of September II, 1862. At the time he delivered the speech mentioned, (two paragraphs of which only are given), he was recruiting officer for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers :
"The war meeting held here Saturday night last was the largest and most enthusiastic ever held in the territory. The meeting was scarcely organized before General Larimer was called for by the immense crowd in attendance. He came forward and was received with hearty cheers and most kindly feel- ings. Lights were called for in order that they might see his face. When these were brought, the applause was renewed. The General spoke as fol- lows :
".Mr. Chairman and fellow citizens: I am an old pioneer. I came to this country in the fall of 1858. I am one of the first settlers of our Rocky Moun- tain Territory. I wrote one of the first letters ever written from this country, certainly the first ever written from Denver City. I had dated my letter the night before, "Golden City," but after writing it, we met and changed the name to Denver, after our Governor, an honor to his country and to his name. Well, Denver is there still, and I believe will be for ages to come. * *
"'Abraham Lincoln has been trying to preserve the Constitution and the Union, sustaining every state in all its rights, whether real or fancied, and to leave slavery untouched wherever it existed, believing that the National gov- ernment was not responsible for it. He has been moving slowly, and has done everything that could be done to conciliate and assure the south that their in- stitution should be untouched. In this course I have been disposed to stand by the President. Now I begin to think that I can see the hand of God in this matter. Had this war been ended a year ago, slavery would have remained untouched ; the millions who have so long been bowed down by tyranny and oppression would never have scented the air of freedom and universal liberty as it passed on every breeze over the plantations of the south from every far-off blood-stained battlefield; but now they have breathed its breath, heard its words, drunk in its spirit, and 'as the lightning cometh out of the east and shin- eth into the west,' so hias the light of universal freedom flashed tongue to tongue and mind to mind over all the land.' "
William Larimer, Jr., spent the last years of his life on his farm near Leav- enworth, Kansas, where he died on Sunday morning, May 16, 1875. Of him
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it may be truthfully said, he was a man of ability ; genial and companionable ; broad-minded; always ready to give the best he had; true to his Huguenot descent and principles. He served his country as an officer of the National Guard of Pennsylvania and of Nebraska, and in the Civil war. The follow- ing are his seven commissions : 1. Second Lieutenant, Eighth Infantry, August 3, 1828, by John Andrew Shulze, Governor of Pennsylvania. 2. Major First Battalion of Sixth Regiment Allegheny County Volunteers, April 15, 1845, by Francis R. Shunk, Governor of Pennsylvania. 3. Brigadier General, June 4, 1848, Pennsylvania Troops, by William F. Johnston, Governor of Penn- sylvania. 4. Major General, December 22, 1852, by Willliam Bigler, Governor of Pennsylvania. 5. Captain La Platte Guards, October 17, 1855, by Mark N. Izard, Governor of Nebraska. 6. By Hon. James H. Lane, August 7, 1862, to raise Third Regiment Colorado Volunteers. 7. By Governor Thomas Carney, August 7, 1863, Captain Company A, Fourteenth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.
GENERAL JAMES KEENAN was born in Youngstown, Pennsylvania, November 16, 1823. He was the son of Joseph and Isabella (Johnston) Kee- nan. His father died before his son had reached manhood, and the care of his widowed mother and her younger children devolved largely on him. His youth was filled with hardship and privations, all of which he met manfully. Doubt- less the adversities of his young days fitted him to perform the stern duties which confronted him in after years.
He entered Mt. St. Mary's College at Emmittsburg, Maryland, but his course was eut short by the breaking out of the Mexican war, in which he en- listed as a private with the Duquesne Grays of Pittsburg. In this company was also Richard C. Drum, later adjutant general, U. S. A. Going to Mexico in 1846, Keenan returned in 1847 afflicted with a disease incident to the hot climate. On his partial recovery he was appointed a lieutenant in the Eleventh Infantry, U. S. A., and began to recruit for the service. In 1848, with his recruits, he returned to Mexico and remained in the service till the war ended and his commission expired. He had been a gallant and daring soldier in the war, and found himself a hero indeed when he returned home. In the fall of 1849 he was elected register and recorder of Westmoreland county, and was again elected in 1852, each time for a term of three years. He proved to be a methodical officer, and introduced many improvements in the office which were highly appreciated by its patrons.
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