USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 23
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George J. Seanor, son of Adam and Salina (Tweedy) Seanor, was born in Salem township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1872. He was educated in the common schools of Westmoreland county, and farmed until he attained his majority, when he engaged with his brother Harry F. in the sale of farm implements and machinery at home as well as in other cities for three years. He then went to Springfield, Ohio, and accepted a position with the O. S. Kelly Company, traveling for them as an expert on steam street rollers throughout the United States. He was thus occupied for two years, and then went to the World's Fair at Chicago to take charge of their special exhibit. At the close of the fair he returned to Westmoreland county, Penn- sylvania, and again entered into business associations with his brother. He then entered the employ of the McCormick Harvest Machine Company as salesman, and remained with them for a period of about five years. In the fall of 1904, he was elected sheriff of Westmoreland county, and is now serv- ing his term of office in that capacity. He was elected by the largest majority ever accorded a Republican candidate for this office in this section of the coun- try. He had previously served as deputy sheriff under his brother Harry F. and also under Sheriff B. F. May. He has always been active, prominent and in- fluntial in the ranks of the Republican party. Mr. Seanor is also largely inter- ested in real estate transactions, and in buying and selling fine breeds of horses. Mr. Seanor married, September 24, 1894. Alice R. Keiser, born September 14, 1872, daughter of Adam and Maria (Bolinger) Keiser. Mrs. Seanor's parents were born and married in Derry township, where her father was a farmer for almost fifty years, his death occurring January 17, 1900 ; his wife, born May 24, 1832, is still living. They were both members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. George J. Seanor and his wife have children : Adam Carleton, born August }, 1895 ; Anita Maria, June 17, 1902.
LLOYD KOONTZ, proprietor of the Mount Pleasant Bottling works, one of the leading industries of that place, and one of the leading young business men of the borough, where he is universally respected and honored for his many excellent traits of character, was born October 1. 1879. in Somerset county, Pennsylvania.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Henry Koontz, father of Lloyd Koontz, was born July 6, 1855, near Som- erset, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and there reared and educated. He served an apprenticeship at the trade of wheelwright, becoming an expert mechanic, and for many years followed the same, up to 1902. In 1885 he changed his place of residence to Westmoreland county, and at the present time ( 1905) is a resi- dent of Mount Pleasant. He serves in the capacity of assistant to his son Lloyd, in the bottling works operated by him. He is an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. By his marriage to Elizabeth Baugh- man the following named children were born: Lloyd, George, Anna, Emma, and Myrtle. The family hold membership in the Reformed Church of Mount Pleasant.
Lloyd Koontz, the eldest child in the family above mentioned, was reared in Mount Pleasant and received his education in the public schools thereof. At the early age of ten years he entered the bottling works of Fred- erick Wehner, established by him in 1885, and operated by him for a period of about eight years. The plant then came into the possession of George Baugh- man, who conducted the same for a number of years, Lloyd Koontz remaining an employe, and in 1902 he purchased the same from Mr. Baughman and has conducted it in a successful manner ever since. He bottles all kinds of soft drinks, and the plant has a capacity of about eight hundred cases per day, and is frequently taxed to its utmost limit in order to supply the demand. Mr. Koontz is a charter member of Lodge No. 868, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 496, Fraternal Order of Eagles, of Mount Pleasant and Coun- cil No. 296, Royal Arcanum. Mr. Koontz is unmarried.
JOHN R. BLACK. No name stands higher in the mercantile circles of Mount Pleasant than that of John R. Black, who comes of an old Mercer county family. His grandfather, Adam Black, was a man who figured con- spicuously in local, state and national affairs, and for several years represented Mercer county in the Pennsylvania legislature. He was prosperous and had the reputation of being wealthy. He and his wife had the following children : Harriet, married Scott McCready, of Bedford, Pennsylvania : Sarah, married J. M. Fitzgerald, of Maquoketa, Iowa; Caroline, married T. W. Morrow, of Butler county, Pennsylvania ; a daughter who died single ; and Henry Calvin, mentioned hereafter. The death of Mr. Black occurred in Harrisburg, in 1848, while he was serving his fourth term as a member of the legislature.
Henry Calvin Black, son of Adam Black, was born in 1838, and was reared on the farm in Mercer county, being but ten years of age at the time of his father's death. He was educated in the public schools and at Duff's Business College, Pittsburg. When a young man he engaged in mercantile business in Blacktown, Mercer county, and later moved to Harrisville, Butler county, where he was in business more than thirty-seven years. He was a successful merchant, and was prominent in public affairs. He was one of the recognized leaders of the Republican party in that section of the country, and was ever ready to aid the best interests of the organization. Though frequently urged to ac- cept office he invariably declined, but often acted as delegate to conventions. He was an active member of the Presbyterian church, in which for many years he held the office of elder. Mr. Black married Adaline, daughter of P. N. and Jane (McCoy) Painter, of Mercer county, and the following children were born to them: 1. Robert Newton, who was a dry goods merchant at Grove City, Mercer county, and died October 8, 1903, at the age of forty-two, leaving a widow and one child. 2. Austa M., wife of W. C. Hawn, a merchant of But-
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Jer county. 3. John R., mentioned hereafter. 4. Florence E., wife of C. W. Hood, a druggist of East Pittsburg. 5. Nora M. 6. James G., who was edu- cated at Grove City College, and engaged in the dry goods business ; he mar- ried Mabel Carson, of Maquoketa, Iowa, and they have two children: Mar- guerite, and Harold Calvin. Mr. Black, the father, died October, 1894, at the comparatively early age of fifty-four.
John R. Black, son of Henry Calvin and Adaline ( Painter ) Black, was edu- cated at Grove City College, and learned the dry goods business from his father by whom he was ultimately taken into partnership, the name of the firm being H. C. Black & Son. After the death of his father the firm assumed its present style of J. R. Black & Company, the junior partner being Florence E. ( Black) Hood, mentioned above. In 1899 they moved from their native Butler county, where they had hitherto dwelt, to Mount Pleasant, where they succeeded to the business of King & Mullen. The establishment has since been enlarged in every respect and is now the largest of its kind in the borough. Mr. Black be- longs to Mount Pleasant Lodge, No. 868, B. P. O. E., the R. A., the Maccabees, and various other fraternal orders. He and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Black married, in 1897, in Harrisville, Pennsylvania, Ida M., daughter of Hon. W. P. Braham, of that place, and they are the parents of two children : Helen and Carl Braham Black.
SMITH MCCLELLAND ALBRIGHT, proprietor of Albright's restaurant and confectionery, one of the leading and best patronized establish- ments in Mount Pleasant, which he has conducted since 1896, was born in Pres- ton county, West Virginia, in the vicinity of Kingwood, October 3, 1862. His parents are William and Rachel Albright, the former a miller by trade, whose operations have been conducted on an extensive scale. His grandfather, David Albright, emigrated from Germany and settled in West Virginia, purchasing large tracts of land near what is known as Albrightsville, a town named in his honor. He owned and operated a large distillery, conveying his goods to and from Baltimore, Maryland, by wagon, and in addition to this he operated a ferry across the Cheat river. He was a man of the strictest integrity, and by commendable industry and patient perseverance he carved out for himself a successful and enviable career.
Smith McC. Albright obtained the educational advantages afforded by the public schools of his neighborhood, which he attended until fourteen years of age. He then accepted a clerkship, remaining until he attained his majority, after which he engaged in the general merchandise business at Friendsville, Maryland, under the firm name of Gibson & Albright, where he remained eighteen months. He then came to Stahlstown, Pennsylvania, and in the fall of 1886 took up his abode at Mount Pleasant and engaged at clerking. The following year he returned to West Virginia, where he remained until 1891, and then returned to Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and for five years served in the capacity of clerk. At the expiration of that period of time he established his present business, that of restaurant, ice cream parlor and confectionery store. He began business in the building adjoining his present place, and after remain- ing there five years accumulated sufficient capital to purchase ground and erect a building of his own, a two-story structure, wherein he conducts a large and profitable trade. In 1899 he erected a fine frame residence on College avenue, Mount Pleasant, also a bakery, renting the latter, but this property he disposed of in 1901 at an advantageous price. Iu the spring of 1877 he became a mem- ber of Moss Rose Lodge, No. 350, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
which he is now noble grand : a member of Ezra Encampment, No. 310: a member of the Royal Arcanum, No. 592: and a member of Improved Order of Heptasophs, No. 173.
Mr. Albright married, December 25, 1883, Keziah Irvin, who died Octo- ber, 1885. leaving one child. Bertha Grace. January 1, 1888, Mr. Albright mar- ried Dora A. Davenport, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, daughter of Alexander and Hanah Davenport. natives of New York state. Two chil- dren are the issue of this marriage : Eva May, and Emma Leona. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church.
ELMER R. SPRINGER, a member of the firm of Goodman & Springer, photographers, successors to A. M. Stauffer, whose place of business is located at No. 603 Main street, Mount Pleasant, is a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, born September 14. 1876, son of Joseph F. and Hannah J. (Davidson) Springer, who were the parents of thirteen children, nine of whom are living at the present time ( 1905), as follows: Thomas Newton, James Chalfont, Harry Johnston, Lewis Walter, Charles Alden, Howard, Elmer Rutan, Emma Mary, and Hallie May. The mother of these children, who was a daughter of the late Rev James Davidson, of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, died August 14, 1898. She is survived by her husband, who is a resident of Circleville, Westmoreland county, where he is leading a retired life. He was a farmer by occupation, was a Republican and later a Prohibitionist in politics. and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The boyhood of Elmer R. Springer was spent on his father's farm, and he devoted his time alternately in assisting with the work thereon and in attend- ance at the public schools, as is the custom of boys reared in the country. L'pon attaining his majority he went to Scottdale and there learned the trade of photography, and in 1899 entered into partnership with Robert Goodman at the place mentioned above. This is the oldest established photograph gallery in the town of Mount Pleasant, and their work, both indoor and out, being of a high order of workmanship and finish, they receive a large share of the patronage of the residents of the town and also from adjoining towns, and they have the prospect of a long and remunerative business career before them. Mr. Springer is a member of Lodge No. 868, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Royal Arcanum, Pennsylvania Photoghaphers' Association, and the volunteer fire department of Mount Pleasant. Mr. Springer was married February 21, 1900, to Bertha Laura Lee, daughter of Robert T. and Eleanor Lee, of Circleville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and they are the pai- ents of one child, Laura Eleanor, born June 7, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Springer are active and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
FRANK S. DULLINGER, proprietor of the Mount Pleasant Steam Laundry, is a native of that township, born July 29. 1876, son of John and Catherine ( Trent ) Dullinger, and grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth Dullinger. Samuel Dullinger was a member of the Reformed church : he was survived by his wife, who passed away March, 1904, at the advanced age of ninety-four years.
John Dullinger (father) was a native of this section of the county. He was a teamster by occupation and a very prosperous man of business. During the Civil war he enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Penn sylvania Cavalry, with which he served three years. He participated in twenty- cight battles, and the only wound he received was a slight one in the hand at
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the battle of Gettysburg. He was a member of the American Order of United Workmen. Lodge No. 350, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Independent Order of Red Men, and Grand Army of the Republic. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Trent, and who bore him five children, namely : William ; Emma, wife ·of C. A. Springer, of Mount Pleasant ; Anna, wife of S. G. Miller, of Home- wood ; Edwin, deceased ; and Frank S., mentioned hereafter. John Dulhnger father) died in 1900, aged fifty-six years.| His widow is living at the present time (1905), residing in Mount Pleasant.
Frank S. Dullinger was educated in the public schools of his native town and at Mount Pleasant Institute. At the age of fifteen years he began to earn a livelihood for himself, becoming an employe in the Mount Pleasant Laundry, then under the proprietorship of G. C. Galley, and there he learned the business thoroughly, becoming highly proficient in all its branches. March 18, 1901, after ten years service with Mr. Galley, he purchased the plant and has since inade many changes therein, adding from time to time new machinery to the number of seven machines, and at the present time he has one of the most com- pletely equipped plants in that section of the county. He covers a large terri- tory outside of Mount Pleasant, which includes Scottdale, Unity and other places, and he has a number of agencies in various parts of the county. He makes a specialty of high-class work, which fact accounts for the extensive patronage accorded him. Mr. Dullinger is a member of Lodge No. 350. Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Royal Arcanum, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 868. Mr. Dullinger married, February 28, 1900, Minnie M. Clark, daughter of Roger and Amanda Clark, who reside near Hemminger Mills, Westmoreland county. The issue of this marriage was two children : Edmund and Clinton. Mr. and Mrs. Dullinger are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are among the representative people of Mount Pleasant.
JAMES GRIBBIN, one of the old and honored residents of Mount Pleasant, is a native of county Derry, Ireland, his birthplace being about twenty- four miles from Belfast, and the date of his birth December 26, 1845. He is a son of Patrick and Frances ( Mulholland) Gribbin.
He was reared and educated in his native land, remaining there until twenty-two years of age, when he went to Glasgow, Scotland, and in 1869 came to the United States, locating first at Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he resided for six months. He then came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for seven years was employed in a wholesale liquor establishment conducted by a cousin. In March, 1877, he took up his residence in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was employed as teamster, and in 1880 he removed to Mount Pleasant, West- moreland county, his present place of abode. The first sixteen years of his resi- dence there he was employed at the Standard Coal works, after which he en- gaged in the hotel business, erecting the Mount Pleasant Hotel, which he con- ducted for eight years, at the expiration of which time he purchased the prop- erty. This is one of the oldest hotels in Mount Pleasant, and also one of the best patronized, this being due to the geniality of the priprietor, the excellence of the cuisine, and the courteous treatment tendered to guests and patrons. Five years after his arrival in this country Mr. Gribbin became a naturalized citizen, and since then has taken an active interest in all that pertains toward its welfare and development. He is a Democrat in politics, and exercises a potent influence in behalf of the party whose principles he advocates. Mr. Gribbin is a
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man of thrift and perseverance, and he has steadily worked his way upward until now he ranks among the wealthy and influential residents of his com- munity.
MIr. Gribbin married, June, 1876, Bridget Gribbin, who bore him the follow- ing children: Mary, wife of John P. Logan, of Wilmington, Delaware, a plumber, and they are the parents of two children : Thomas and James Logan. Frances, wife of Michael Mullan, of Mount Pleasant, who is employed as bar- tender for Mr. Gribbin in his hotel: they are the parents of three children : Thomas, James and John Mullan. Hugh, who asists his father in the manage- ment of the hotel ; he married Annie McKinna, who bore him one child, Mary Gribbin. Eliza, who resides with her parents. Frances, deceased. The family attend St. Joseph Catholic church of Mount Pleasant.
ANDREW JOHNSON GEYER, a representative citizen of Scott- dale, in which borough he has been an active and potent factor for many years in the promotion of its varied interests, political, financial, industrial and social, was born at Schellsburg. Bedford county, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1866, son of Henry Garber and Catharine (Rettinger) Geyer, and a representa- tive of a family of which one or more members in each generation have been active participants in the wars in which America has engaged.
John William Geyer, the pioneer ancestor of the American branch of the family, and a descendant of Flavan von Geyer, one of the leaders of the rebellion in Germany about the year 1400, was born in Germany. November 12, 1723. In 1749 he emigrated to America, returned to his native land in 1751, and the following year again came to this country, locating in Pennsylvania, from whence he removed to Annapolis, Maryland. He married, November 17. 1752, Anna Marie Reeler, who was born in the vicinity of Reading, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1725, and six children were the issue of this union : Conrad, John. Henry. Michael, Catharine and Anna Margaret. John William Geyer and his two sons-Conrad and Henry- served as privates in the Revolutionary war, and were with General Washington during his perilous journey across the Dela- ware river. Mr. Geyer died February 7, 1808, and his wife passed away No- vember 26, 1806.
Henry Geyer, third son of John William and Anna Marie ( Reeler) Geyer, was born February 12, 1756, died 1833. By his marriage to Catharine Kurtz the following children were born: Catharine, Conrad, Mary, George, Eliza- beth. Frederick, Jonas, Susan, and Sarah Gever.
Conrad Gever, eldest son of Henry and Catharine ( Kurtz) Geyer, was born June 15, 1792, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married, May 1, 1833. Sus- anna Garber, of Reading. Pennsylvania, born July 10, 1807, and six children were the issue of this union, as follows: Mary, died in infancy : Sarah, also died in infancy : Henry Garber, John Calvin, Anna Marie, and Susanna. In early life he emigrated to Berks and afterwards to Bedford county, and his chief employment was teaming between Cumberland, Maryland, and Wheeling. Virginia, on the National road or old pike. A heavily loaded wagon passed over his foot and from the effects of the injury thus received he died at his home in Schellsburg. Bedford county. July 1, 1864, in the seventy-second year of his age. His wife died July 9, 1879.
Henry Garber Geyer, eldest son of Conrad and. Susanna ( Garber) Geyer. was born at Schellsburg. Bedford county, May 1. 1834. He was reared on a farm and followed farming for a number of years, after which he turned his :attention to carpentering and contracting, which occupations he followed in
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the borough of Scottdale, whither he moved to on May 15, 1873. In 1882 he erected a large frame hotel, known as the Geyer House, which he successfully conducted until his death, and was the first landlord at Scottdale to obtain li- cense after the passage of the local option law. He was an active member of the Reformed church, which he joined in Schellsburg, in 1851. He was a Dem- ocrat in politics, but the only office he ever held was that of squire, and his com- mission bearing the signature of Andrew G. Curtin is still in the possession of the family. Ill health prevented him from joining the army in 1862 with his brother John, who enlisted as a private in Company H. Fifty-fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was promoted for bravery to the rank of first lieutenant and adjutant. He married, January 2, 1863, Catharine Rettinger, who was born February 20, 1843, in the vicinity of Mann's Choice, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, her parents having come to this country in 1830, locating near Mann's Choice. Their children are as follows: John Calvin, Andrew Johnson, Anna Mary, who became the wife of George A. Smith, of Cleveland, Ohio : Margaret Ellen, who became the wife of J. J. Price, of Clinton, Missouri ; and William Henry. Henry Garber Geyer ( father) died December 11, 1884, and since then his widow has conducted the hotel.
Andrew J. Geyer, second son of the late Henry Garber and Catharine (Rettinger) Geyer, graduated at St. Vincent College in 1888, after which he pursued a special course in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. For a number of years he was the editor and proprietor of the Scottdale Herald, this being the only Democratic paper ever published in that borough. He has been awarded the contract for the designing of churches, school houses, business blocks and dwellings in various parts of four states, and in 1900 he designed and built the Geyer Theatre in Scottdale, in the management of which he has since been engaged. He was instrumental in the organization of the Broadway National Bank in 1902, and has served since then as a member of the board of directors, also filling a similar position in the F. A. Black Manufacturing Com- pany. He was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the office of town coun- cilman, and was elected in a Republican stronghold by a large majority, a fact which testified to his popularity as a citizen. During the Spanish-American war he enlisted in Company E, Eighteenth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer In- fantry, and was mustered out at the close of hostilities. In 1884 Mr. Geyer joined the Trinity Reformed church, and since 1901 has served in an official capacity. He is a member of Lodge No. 562, Free and Accepted Masons ; Jerusalem Chapter, No. 3. Royal Arch Masons, this being the oldest chapter in the United States : Lodge No. 777, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and the Royal Arcanum.
Mr. Geyer married, November 25, 1902, at Wilkensburg, Pennsylvania, Nora Virts Sewell, who was educated in the public schools of Scottdale, and the issue of this marriage was one child, Andrew Johnson, Jr., born March 14. 1904, at Scottdale, Mrs. Geyer is a daughter of Colonel George H. and Jen- nie ( Horne) Sewell, who were united in marriage in 1872. Colonel Sewell was born in Baltimore, Maryland, June 20. 1849, enlisted as a drummer boy in Company B, First Maryland Regiment, and was later transferred to the secret service, where he remained until the close of the war. His wife, who was a na- tive of Allegheny county, Maryland, died April 23, 1896. Colonel Sewell was a son of the Rev. Thomas Sewell, a lineal descendant of Pocohontas, who in 1835 was appointed collector of the port of Baltimore, which position he held' for eight years.
P. G. Maloy ,
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
PATRICK J. MALOY, the genial and popular proprietor of the Kromer House, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, is a native of that state, born in North Uniontown, June 15, 1867, son of Patrick and Mary (Mullen ) Maloy, both na- tives of county Galloway, Ireland. They came to the United States about 1851-52, visited different localities, and finally located in Pittsburg, where they remained until 1865, when they took up their abode in Fayette county and have since resided there. Patrick Maloy served the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Com- pany for many years as section boss, but is now leading a retired life, enjoying the competence he accumulated during his years of activity. Their family con- sists of four children : John, employed as clerk in the Kromer House, conducted by his brother, Patrick J. Maloy ; Mary : Patrick J., mentioned hereafter ; and Matthew, engaged in the construction of iron at Indianapolis, Indiana.
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