USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 6
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Dr. Arter married ( first) in 1851, Mary Jane McCune, daughter of Sam- uel McCune, of Blairsville, Pennsylvania. Their children were: Charlotte B., born March 3, 1852, wife of Charles R. Miller, of Greensburg; Mary E., born October 15, 1854, married W. B. Stanley, a mechanic, of Salem, Ohio; S. Mar- cus, born November 17, 1856, married Sarah E. Loughrey, and is clerk in the county register's office. Mrs. Arter died in 1856, and Dr. Arter married (sec- ond) October 15, 1857, Caroline A. Miller, daughter of Jacob M. Miller. Their children were: Elsie B., born October 22, 1858, and Anna S., born July II, 1863, married H. S. Sembower, of Uniontown, Pa., and died June 18, 1888. Mrs. Caroline A. Arter died April 24, 1894.
PAUL HUGUS GAITHER, one of Greenburg's leading attorneys, was born in Beaver, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1852. His earliest American ancestor was John Gaither (English), settled at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1621. His grandfather, on the paternal side, was Zachariah Gaither. His father's name was Samuel, and he was born in Washington county, Mary- land, October 26, 1806. He was by profession an attorney-at-law. Mr. Gaither's mother was Lydia Hngus Gaither, born August 15, 1812, in Som- erset county, Pennsylvania. Her father was Michael Hugus, whose early ancestors were French Huguenots.
Mr. Gaither was raised in Somerset, Pennsylvania, and studied law with his father. He began the practice of his profession in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1875, being at that time admitted to the Westmoreland county bar. He located at Greensburg in February, 1886, in partnership with Mr. J. A. Marchand, solicitor of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. His present partner is the Hon. Cyrus E. Woods. Mr. Gaither has long been known as one of the leading members of the bar of Westmoreland county. In his office work, his long connection with the Pennsylvania railroad, and his ex- tensive corporation practice are sufficient warranty for his reputation for ability in that direction. He was a candidate for judge in 1895, and stood
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
so high in the estimation of his party that he had no opposition for the nomination. He was defeated at the November election, however, the county going overwhelmingly Republican; but he came from the contest with no bitterness of feeling and with his reputation and integrity unassailed. Among some of the cases in which Mr. Gaither was prominently concerned are those of Robb vs. Carnegie, 145 Pa. 324, a case which became prominent in the courts of Pennsylvania, by reason of the important legal questions involved. Also that of Baker vs. Westmoreland and Cambria Natural Gas Company, 157 Pa. 593; the case of Clarke et al. vs. Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in which the rights of riparian owners were involved, and which is reported in 145 Pa. 438. Also the case of Whitehead vs. Jones, 197 Pa. 511, deciding the question of the rights of tenants in common, with respect to a very valuable tract of land; and also the case of Case Manufacturing Company, plaintiff in error, vs. Peter H. Saxman et al., which was tried in the circuit court of the United States, at Pittsburg; appealed to the supreme court of the United States, and argued in that court on January 16, 1891 ; reported in One Hundred and Thirty-eighth United States supreme court report, page 431. This case involved the consideration of the law with respect to the novation of contracts; evidence that notes were received as payment, and acts of a financial manager as binding on his company. Mr. Gaither is a lawyer of versatile ability, and can excel in any branch of the profession which he enters. Like most country lawyers his practice has not been ex- clusively in any one line. We believe, however, that he is seen at his best in the trial of a corporate case, when arguing questions of law to the bench. or upon a review of his cause in the appeliate courts. As a jury lawyer, moreover, he has shown an ability approximating that of the ablest advocates of his time. He has long been a member of the Presbyterian church. He has traveled extensively in Europe and Palestine, and has made many addresses in non-denominational work.
WILLIAM B. PARKS, a prosperous business man of Greens- burg, was born September 13, 1838, in the vicinity of Courtney Station, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, a son of James and Mary (Woods) Parks James Parks (father ) was born in Tyrone, Ireland, where he was reared and educated, attending the common schools adjacent to his home. When twenty-five years of age he determined to seek a new home for himself amid new surroundings and accordingly emigrated to the United States, settling in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his days. At the early age of fifteen years he married, and the death of his wife occurred nine months later. He married a second time, this wife dying one year later, survived by one child, and at the age of twenty-five years he married nis third wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Woods, in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and they had eight children: Alexander, de- ceased; Martha, Nancy, Alice, deceased; Ann Jane, William B., mentioned hereafter ; Thomas, and James, deceased.
William B. Parks received the educational advantages afforded by the common schools of that day, attending those in the First ward in Allegheny City until he was thirteen years of age. He then engaged in the trade of brick making with his father, becoming an expert mechanic, and at the age of twenty-two years began an apprenticeship at the trade of machinist, which he followed for twelve years. He then returned to his former trade, brick
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
making, at which he labored for twenty consecutive years, and at the. ex- piration of this period of time located in Greensburg, Westmoreland county, established a general merchandise business, and has conducted the same with a large degree of success up to the present time (1905). Mr. Parks married, July 25, 1862, Amanda Baker, daughter of Joseph Baker, who bore him three children, all now deceased. Her death occurred December 23, 1865. Mr. Parks married for his second wife Eliza Brugh, a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Pool) Brugh, the ceremony being performed March 28, 1868. Their children were: William B., married Tilly Askil ; Catherine,. married Frank Peebling ; Oma Stone ; Thomas, married Ida Augustine : James deceased, married Lizzie Orr ; and Pearl, deceased.
JOSEPH KEMP ROBINSON, proprietor of the Greensburg Steam Laundry, was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, March 11, 1862, the son of William and Maria M. ( Kemp) Robinson.
The American ancestor was Irwin Robinson (1), who was a native of Ennis Killen, county of Fennaugh, Ireland. Being an English subject, when the Revolution came on in America, he was drafted into service and sent to this country to take part in that struggle. He was through the whole conflict as a British soldier, including the battle of Yorktown. He carried a Bible in his pocket, and it was struck by a Yankee bullet, cutting quite a good-sized hole in the book. At another time he was struck by a bullet in his arm, which ball he carried the remainder of his days. He was present at the surrender' of Lord Cornwallis, captured by Washington, and after peace was declared returned to England. He soon found he had been fighting on the wrong side, and although entitled to a pension from the English government, he refused to accept it, and later became one of the most loyal Americans. He studied medicine for three years and practiced his profession, especially in surgery.
His love affair was indeed quite full of romance. At twenty-five years of age he was a manly fellow, five feet nine inches high; hair brown and straight. He "fell in love" with Catherine Elliott, a beautiful slender figure. She had dark brown eyes and wore curly ringlets. She was but fifteen years of age, and for this reason they were forbidden to marry. Several times her parents locked her up in her bed-chamber. The house was a cottage of one story. At the time of the elopement her parents had kept her full: a month in her room, her bed being pushed against the wall made of stone, but the girl was not to be outwitted, and silently worked her plans to com- pletion. She finally succeeded in getting a hole through the wall large enough to let herself out and on one dark night she crept through (the moon being invisible) and met her lover and they rode away on horseback and were married. They became the parents of George and John Robinson. These three, with the Elliott family, left England for America in 1792. They came in a sailing vessel and were on the ocean from May until Sep- tember and encountered fearful storms. Mrs. Irwin Robinson brought plenty of flax along, thinking, it is related, that she could not get it "in the woods of America." They located in what is now Blair county, Pennsylvania. They purchased land of a Mr. Holliday, where now stands the city of Hollidays burg, Pennsylvania. The Elliotts settled in the Ligonier valley, between Fairfield and Ross Furnace. The daughter's love of parents caused them to settle in a less productive country four miles southwest of where Boliver 2-3
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
stands to-day. Chambersburg was the nearest place at which supplies could tlien be procured. They followed a trail across the wild country on pack- horses midst numerous tribes of Indians. Land was cheap, four dollars per acre.
Irwin Robinson was a Methodist, but Quaker in habits and language. Mrs. Robinson's mother's name was Mary Woods. She had been a member of the Church of England ( Episcopalian), but became a Methodist and three of her sons became Methodist preachers. The whole family were ·zealous in church work. Irwin Robinson and wife, the American founder of this family, had twelve children: George, John, Jane, Hance, Irwin, Thomas, Mary, James, William, Elliott, Christopher and Elizabeth. George was born July 5. 1788, died November 3, 1860. He was the grandfather of Joseph K. Robinson, whose name heads this sketch. He married Susanna Brinker, born May 23. 1795, and died August 7, 1887. They settled about four miles from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on a farm. Methodist services were frequently held at their home. Their children were: William, Susanna, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, John, Henry, Jacob, Daniel, and James. The three latter always resided in Greensburg, Pennsylvania .
( II) William Robinson, father of Joseph K., of the above named family, was born in Hempfield township, March 19, 1818, and died May 31, 1884 He was a merchant, owning a store in Greensburg for many years. He was a man of much intelligence and a devoted Christian and prominent mem- ber of the Methodist church. He was for many years a class leader. Po- litically he was a hearty supporter of the Republican party, and was an active member of the A. F. and A. M., holding the various offices of the order. He married Maria Margaret Kemp, daughter of Solomon and Mary Magdalena (Wentling) Kemp, March 3, 1847. She was born November 24. 1825. Her father's family were natives of Germany. Their children were: Emma. Homer C., Mary S., Anna M., William, Lydia B., George F., Joseph Kemp of whom further, and Jessie.
(III) Of Joseph Kemp Robinson it may be said that he received his education in the Greensburg schools and learned the stone-cutter's trade. following the same for six years. For five years prior to this, however, he was a news agent at Greensburg. He established himself in the laundry business in Greensburg in 1887, and is now located in a three-story brick building. His business extends to thirty-five towns in Westmoreland county. His plant is fully equipped with all modern laundry machinery. He was a member of Company I, Tenth Regiment Pennsylvania National Guards, for five years, but was never called out for actual service. He is identified with the Woodmen of the World, and is a member of the First Reformed Church at Greensburg. He married, June 5. 1893. near Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Mary Margaret Kunkle, daughter of Amos and Sarah (Kepple) Kunkle. farmers of Westmoreland county, residing in Hempfield township. ( See elsewhere in this work for the Kunkle family history). Their children were : Helen K., William H., Joseph J .. Sarah Maria and Carl Emery, all born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Robinson's life as a business man has been devoted to three occupations only-five years a news agent, six years a stone- cutter and eighteen years a laundryman. He is an unassuming, thorough- going business man, whom to know is but to admire and respect. He is also the proprietor of the large auditorium building on Maple avenue, a building devoted to general entertainment.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
AMOS POOL WEAVER. The names of two well-known fam- ilies of Westmoreland county are borne by Amos Pool Weaver, of Greens- burg, one representing his paternal ancestry and the other the family to which his mother belonged. Both patronymics are synonymous with good citizenship.
Jacob P. Weaver, son of Jacob and Sarah (Kiehl) Weaver, was born October 9, 1843, in Greensburg, and served as a conductor on the Penn- sylvania railroad under Andrew Carnegie. Later he was engaged in the planing mill and lumber yard business in Ludwick borough, under the firm name of Pool & Weaver, for thirty years was a farmer in Unity township, and in 1906 retired from the farm and resided in Greensburg. During the Civil war he served as a private in Company C, Fifty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Thomas Gallagher. He is a Republican in politics, and is a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. He married, December 24. 1868, Mary Jane Pool, whose family history is given below.
Mr. and Mrs. Weaver had children : Minnie S., Amos Pool, mentioned hereafter ; Jacob P., Jennie P., Howard Z., Samuel P., and Sallie K.
Zachariah Pool was born March 21, 1780, in Baltimore county, Mary- land, of English ancestry on his father's side and through his mother of German descent. Early in life he went to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1812 moved thence to Hempfield township, Westmoreland county. His calling was that of a shoemaker, which he followed in connection with farming. Although never an aspirant to office he was elected in 1827 tax collector of Hempfield township. His political principles were those of the Democratic party, and he was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. Mr. Pool married, September 19, 1805, Barbara Huffman, of Chambers- burg, and fourteen children were born to them, one of whom, Samuel, is mentioned hereafter. Mr. Pool's industrious and useful life was prolonged well-nigh to the century limit, his death occurring December 6, 1877, when he had reached the extraordinary age of ninety-seven years, eight months and fifteen days. His descendants were numerous, including, in addition to his fourteen children, one hundred and one grandchildren, one hundred and forty great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren, in all two hundred and sixty four.
Samuel Pool, fifth child of Zachariah and Barbara (Huffman) Pool, was born August 12. 1811, and followed the trade of a boot and shoemaker. In the sphere of politics he adhered to the Republicans, and in matters of religion to the Evangelical Lutheran church, of which he was a member. He married, September 18, 1834, Sophia Fredrica Bierer, and of their eleven children the seventh was a daughter. Mary Jane, born May 19, 1848, in Hempfield township, and became the wife of Jacob P. Weaver, as mentioned ahove. Mr. Pool died September 29. 1890. He was a man whose character was above suspicion, and he left behind him an honored name.
Amos Pool Weaver, son of Jacob P. and Mary Jane ( Pool) Weaver, was born September 9, 1871, in Greensburg, Westmoreland county, and is a blacksmith by trade, making a specialty of that branch of the business known as horseshoeing. He is a public-spirited citizen, giving evidence of being such by serving as a member of hose company No. 2, Greensburg fire department. and officiating as treasurer of the company. He also belongs to the Grand Fraternity, of which he is treasurer, and the Woodmen of the
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
World. He is a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mr. Weaver married, December 22, 1898, in Greensburg, Oma Stone, born December 2, 1873, in Allegheny City, Allegheny county, daughter of William B. and Eliza A. Parks, the former a merchant of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver have one child, Frank Parks, born March 17, 1904, in Greensburg.
JAMES E. LOUGHREY. One of Greensburg's enterprising busi- ness men of the younger generation is James E. Loughrey. He is a grand- son of John Loughrey, who was born in Derry, Ireland, emigrated to the United States about 1835, and settled in Greensburg. He married Jane McFarland, and the two enjoyed the respect of their neighbors and friends in their new home on this side of the sea.
James F. Loughrey, son of John and Jane (McFarland) Loughrey, was born in 1849, in Greensburg, where he received his education in the common schools. When about sixteen years of age he left school and learned the marblecutter's trade with a firm in Pittsburg, and this calling he followed all his life. In 1877 he married Frances E., daughter of David and Martha (Steel) Mechling, the former a farmer and a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Loughrey had children : James E., mentioned hereafter ; Carrie E., married in 1902, William H. Fisher, a jeweler of Greensburg, and has one child, Frances Elizabeth ; Martha and Jane F.
James E. Loughrey, son of James F. and Frances E. ( Mechling) Loughrey, was born February 27, 1880, in Greensburg, and was educated in the common schools of his native town. After leaving school at the age of sixteen he obtained employment with the Greensburg Steam Laundry, where he remained four years and a half. He then became connected with the Westmoreland Laundry, with which he was associated one year and a half. At the end of that time, 1901, he moved into his own building and established the Keystone Laundry. The undertaking prospered and he is still busily engaged on the same site. Mr. Loughrey's sympathies and affil- iations are with the Republican party, to which he gives the support and encouragement of his vote.
FREDERICK WILLIAM CHICHESTER. One of the foremost business men of Greensburg is Frederick William Chichester. He is a rep- resentative of an old New England family which has been for two hundred years resident in Fairfield county, Connecticut. His great-great-grandfather, Abraham Chichester, is mentioned in the annals of the Revolutionary war as a colonel in the Patriot army. The race has been largely engaged in the sphere of commerce. George Alonzo Chichester, a cattle drover, was the father of George Edward Chichester, who is a leaf-tobacco merchant of Danbury, Connecticut. He married Fannie Van Vallier De Klyn, and four children were born to them, three of whom survive: Frederick William, of whom later; Edward G., a broker in Pittsburg; and Mary Antoinette, at home.
Frederick William Chichester, son of George Edward and Fannie Van Vallier ( De Klyn) Chichester, was born August 9, 1873, in Danbury Con- necticut, where he received his education in the public schools. From early hovhood he had the advantage of a thorough business training under the guidance of his father, and in 1890 was offered and accepted a position as general bookkeeper with the Danbury National Bank, where he remained four years. In 1894 he went on the road for his father, covering territory
Roth & Jamison
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
extending from New York city to Omaha, Nebraska. After working in this capacity for about two years he went to Pittsburg, where he was as- sociated with a coal company until 1898. He then removed to Greensburg, where he engaged with the firm of Maxwell & Wildman, succeeding that firm under name of Chichester & Hudson. In 1902 he engaged in the whole- sale grocery business and has since organized the Westmoreland Grocery, an incorporated company, and the pioneers of the wholesale grocery business in Westmoreland county. The enterprise has prospered beyond the expec- tations of its originators and the business is growing rapidly. Mr. Chichester is a member of Union Lodge, No .. 40, F. and A. M., and Eureka Chapter, No. 10, both of Danbury, Connecticut. He also belongs to Pittsburg Com- mandery, No. I, K. T., Syria Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., both of Pitts- burg, in addition to being identified with Greensburg Lodge, No. 511, B. P. O. E. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Mr. Chichester married in 1901, Laura, daughter of Josiah Wagner, a prominent farmer of Irwin, Pennsylvania, one child, George DeKlyn.
JAMISON FAMILY. Robert S. Jamison was born near Greens- burg, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1835, and died March 14, 1903, at Redlands, California, where he had gone a few weeks before on account of ill health. In his youth he received a fair common school education, and having been reared on a farm became a land-holder almost as soon as he was of legal age. Although devoting much time to other pursuits, he was a farmer all his life, and was a leader in scientific methods for improving the land, using labor-saving machinery and introducing new and better strains of live stock. He took an active part in establishing the Westmoreland Agricultural So- ciety, being its president for a number of years. In early manhood his mind was attracted to the growing importance of the coal and coke industry of western Pennsylvania. With keen foresight of the needs of the future, he began to study the coal basins of his own locality. In 1880, associating him- self with others, he began buying coal lands extensively in Westmoreland county and continued to do so for more than twenty years, and time has amply proved the wisdom of these ventures. All the properties purchased by him have become incorporated into large and flourishing industries. At the time of his death he was president and large owner of the coal and coke company that bears his name. In private life he was genial, fair, uniformly courteous and charitable. He was a member of the Second Reformed Church in Greensburg, and one of its officers for many years. He married Caroline Wible, also native to Greensburg, who died May 24, 1905. Both are buried in St. Clair cemetery. The names of their ten children are: Mary Emma, died 1877: William W., Joseph Henry. died 1865: John M., Thomas S., Charles M., Robert S., Hugh D., Richard H., and Jay C. Jamison.
The family history in this country begins with Francis Jamison, Sr., who with his wife, four sons and two daughters emigrated from the north of Ireland in 1764, and settled in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. His chil- dren were: John, Robert, Margaret, Rosanna, Marmaduke, and Francis. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Jamison, Sr., lived to a ripe old age, and both died while on a visit to their children in Westmoreland county and are buried at Ridge Church.
II. John Jamison ( 1749-1819) came to Westmoreland county in 1769 with his brother Robert, and each took patent to about three hundred acres
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
of land. Robert Jamison located in Unity township, and his grandson, Joseph Jamison, owns and still lives at the old homestead. John Jamison located in Hempfield township, and after remaining for more than one hun- dred years in his family the land is now owned by the Westmoreland Water Company, the present reservoir covering the site of the original buildings. In 1774 John Jamison married Janet Martin*, daughter of John Martin, of Big Cove, Fulton county, Pennsylvania. She was a sister of Hugh Martin, who also came to Westmoreland county about that time. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Jamison were: Francis, John, Hugh, Robert, Benjamin, James, Margaret, Janet, Mary, and Martha. Hugh and James inherited the old homestead and spent their lives upon it.
III. Hugh Jamison (1785-1873), father of Robert S. Jamison, married Jane Stuart in 1817. A farmer by occupation, he taught for many winters in the public schools near his home. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His children were: John (1818-1902), Daniel Stuart ( 1822-1891), Hugh Martin, now living in the state of Texas; Margaret J., now living in Greens- burg, and Robert S. Jamison ( 1835-1903).
WILLIAM STOKES TURNEY, one of the prosperous, active busi- ness factors of Greensburg, engaged in the commission and storage business, was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, July 7, 1857, the son of Robert Williams and Elizabeth (Cook) Turney.
(I) The great-great-grandfather was a native of Germany, emigrated to America and settled in eastern Pennsylvania, probably before the middle of the eighteenth century. His name was Dorney, but like many other names in this country, it has undergone a change, being now spelled Turney.
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