USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 78
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John Armstrong, son of Robert and Eleanor (McKee) Armstrong, on taking up his abode in Allegheny township purchased two farms of one hun- dred and twenty and one hundred and twenty-three acres, respectively. The land was in its primitive state, but by hard work and a thorough knowledge of the principles of agriculture he rendered it valuable and productive. Mr. Armstrong married, before leaving Ireland, Sarah A. Armstrong, a native of that country, and they were the parents of ten children, nine of whom grew to maturity : Adam, deceased, was superintendent of public instruction and mem- ber of the legislature of Kentucky; Robert A., mentioned hereinafter ; David B., merchant ; John A., a physician ; Samuel S., retired farmer ; Eleanor, Eliz- abeth, Sarah A., Mary J., and Margaret.
Robert A. Armstrong, son of John and Sarah A. (Armstrong) Arm- strong, was born in 1829, in Allegheny township, on the farm adjoining his own, and his education and training were acquired in the public school, Free- port Academy and Allegheny college. He turned his attention to agriculture, in which calling he has succeeded beyond his most sanguine expectations, be- ing the owner of one hundred and fifty acres of as good land as there is in the township. This land he maintains in a high state of cultivation, and in addi- tion to general farming carries on an extensive dairy. In 1882 lie built a fine brick residence in the rear of which is a log cabin, a relic of the past, which was
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
built in 1830. For twelve years he held the office of school director. Mr. Armstrong has been twice married. His first wife was Amanda J. Rowen, who bore him three children : Elizabeth J., wife of the Rev. J. R. Wylie ; John N., and James C., both of the National Tea Company. After the death of the mother of these children Mr. Armstrong married Margaret J. Pinkerton, and by this union became the father of the following children: Mary J., wife of D. K. Swank: Alexander M., Robert M., David M., deceased; Amanda E., wife of William McKee ; and Pearle A.
HENRY E. DAVIS. The parents of Henry E. Davis, of New Ken- sington, were David and Mary (Josephs) Davis, natives of Wales, where their son was born November 1. 1859. in Llalely. Mr. Davis died when the boy was about five years old, and in 1866 he was brought by his mother to the United States. They settled in Ansonia, Connecticut, where they lived some twen- ty-five years and where the lad received his education in the common schools and at the academy. At the age of eighteen he entered the service of the New Haven Copper Company, and later was employed by the firm of Wal- lace & Sons, of Ansonia. In 1894 he moved to New Kensington, and ob- tained a position as sheet roller in the Reduction works, where he has re- mained ever since. He affiliates with Lodge No. 512, B. P. O. E., of New Kensington, and Lodge No. 212, Maccabees, of the same place, in which he has passed all chairs. For one term he served on the Republican county committee. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Mr. Davis married Mary A., daughter of Michael and Catharine ( Hogan) Flynn, of Oxford. Connecticut, and their children are: Mary E., born Sep- tember 16, 1883; Harry J., born December 31, 1889: Helen C., born June 1, 1892; and Jessie E., born March 16, 1901, Mrs. Davis is a member of the Catholic church.
JOHN S. BARR. The father of John S. Barr, of Vandergrift, was Thompson Barr, who was born in Centre county, Pennsylvania, and soon after his marriage moved to Keokuk, Iowa. On the breaking out of the civil war he enlisted, and about 1862 returned to Centre county. Mr. Barr married Ellen Sparr. also a native of Centre county, and of their four children three survive: Jennie, wife of John B. Cromer, of Mahaffey, Pennsylvania; Iowa, wife of William Adair, of Indiana, Pennsylvania : and John S., mentioned hereinafter. Soon after Mr. Barr's return from the army the mother of these children died and they were reared by neighboring families.
John S. Barr, son of Thompson and Ellen (Sparr) Barr, was born March 21, 1859. in Keokuk, lowa, and after his mother's death was received into the family of John Brett. a prosperous farmer of Centre county, Irish by birth and Presbyterian in faith. Mr. Barr was educated in the public schools, the Pine Grove Academy and the State College, Centre county. In his twentieth year he left the home of Mr. Brett and went to St. Petersburg, Clarion county, where he engaged with his father in a mercantile business, which the latter had established five or six years before. In 1887 he moved to Pittsburg and accepted a position with the Philadelphia Gas Company. In 1880 he came to Westmoreland county to look after the wells of the Pine Run Gas Company, but in a short time was transferred by the company to their Leechburg offices, where he remained about eighteen months. In the winter of 1800-91 he went to the Flat Top coal regions in West Virginia to accept the position of pur- chasing agent for the Booth Bowen Coal & Coke Company, remaining some eight years. In 1898 he came to Vandergrift and secured a position as clerk
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
in the offices of the Apollo Iron & Steel Company, but at the end of six months, seeing no chance of promotion, he accepted the offer of a position as matcher in the mills. Subsequently he was advanced by being made doubler and later pair heater, and in the early spring of 1901 was given the position of sheet heater, which he now holds. He affiliates with Kiskiminetas Lodge, No. 617, F. and A. M., being a charter member, and also belongs to Tancred Comman- dery, No. 48, K. T., and Duquesne Chapter, No. 193, R. A. M., of Pittsburg. His political views and principles are those of the Republican party. Mr. Barr married Mary D., daughter of William E. Branin, a real estate dealer of Trenton. New Jersey, and a member of an old Quaker family. Mr. and Mrs. Barr have no children.
ALFRED LAWRENCE TAYLOR. It was emigrants from Ireland who planted in the United States the family to which Alfred Lawrence Taylor, of Greensburg, belongs. Mr. Taylor is a son of Robert and Lydia B. (Smith) Taylor, and was born August 14, 1872, in Armstrong county. Until reaching the age of sixteen he attended the common schools, and then entered the ser- vice of the Coulter & Huff Coal Company, being to-day one of the most cap- able and trusted men on the force. As a citizen he is as faithful to duty as in his business relations. Mr. Taylor married, May 25, 1899, Minnie Oster- wise, and they have two children: Josephine, born July 4, 1900; and Henri- ella, born August 25, 1901. Mrs. Taylor is of German descent. She is a daughter of Lewis and Elizabeth Osterwise, and was born March 10, 1878, in Greensburg.
WILLIAM CLARENCE BOWMAN, a well known citizen of Van- dergrift, and whose services as roller are highly appreciated by the proprietors of the American Sheet Steel and Tin Plate Company, is descended through both his father and mother from the pioneer families of Armstrong county, Pennsylvania.
George Bowman, grandfather of William Clarence Bowman, was a son of Bernard Bowman, a native of Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and mar- ried Sarah Turney, who was also born in Armstrong county.
John Philip Bowman, son of George and Sarah (Turney) Bowman, and grandson of Bernard Bowman, was born and brought up on his father's farm in Armstrong county near the Forks church, May 18, 1848. Here he ac- quired a thorough practical knowledge of farming and made that his life oc- cupation. He acquired a portion of the old homestead, where he made his home and still resides there. He is a man of progressive ideas, and affiliates with the Democratic party. For many years he served as supervisor and school director, and has held office for several years as overseer of the poor, and is an incumbent of that office at the present time. He is a member of the Lutheran church, is one of the official board of that institution, and superin- tendent of the Sabbath school. He married, October 31, 1872, Ellen Mary Millen, born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, August 29, 1849 daughter of Alexander and Susannah Jane ( Morrow) Millen, a well known carpenter of Indiana county. Mr. and Mrs. John Philip Bowman have had seven children, of whom the following named are now living: William Clarence, of whom later : Sarah Minnie, wife of Edward Brown, of Armstrong county ; Susan Agnes, wife of James Stitt, of Vandergrift Heights: Carrie Belle, wife of Smith Shellhammer, of Apollo; Mary Ella, lives with her parents ; and John Turney also lives with his parents.
William Clarence Bowman, oldest child and son of John Philip and
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Ellen Mary (Millen) Bowman, was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1873. He spent his early years on his father's farm and received a good education in the common schools of the district. When but seventeen years old Mr. Bowman commenced his business career. He obtained employ- ment in Apollo, with the Apollo Iron and Steel Company, beginning as a la- borer. He entertained the sensible idea that it was better to commence at the bottom of the ladder and work his way up, with a thorough understanding of each successive step taken. At the end of two years he was promoted to a position on the floor of the sheet mills as an opener. From this time his ad- vancement was a steady progression -- matcher, doubler, catcher, rougher, and in May, 1895. he was advanced to the position of a sheet roller, which he holds at the present time (1906). In the early part of 1897 he was trans- ferred to the Vandergrift mills. During the summer of that year he built a residence for himself on Columbia avenue, but he soon disposed of this and erected a most commodious residence, one of the finest in the town, on the most desirable site in Vandergrift, No. 174 Washington avenue. Mr. Bow- man is a man of great energy and perseverance and is certain to make his mark in the world. His political faith is Democratic, and he is a member of the Lutheran church. He is superintendent of the Sunday school attached to that institution. He is a member of Vandergrift Lodge, No. 1116, I. O. O. F .; Apollo Lodge, No. 386. B. P. O. E .: Vandergrift Lodge, No. 502, K. P. ; and Vandergrift Council, No. 1751, R. A. He married, October 1, 1895. Lillie Margaret Mckinstry, born June 21. 1878, daughter of Thompson and Mar- garet (Brown) Mckinstry, of Apollo. They are the parents of two children : Mildred Irene, born Jannary 3, 1897 : and Lillian Grace, born August 13, 1898.
EDWARD V. WILLIAMS, a well known mining man of West- moreland county, was born in Irwin, Pennsylvania, August 18, 1865, and was the son of William and Mary J. (Luker) Williams. He was one of a family of three children, of whom two survive: William Harry, engaged in the commission business at Pittsburg ; and Edward V., of whom later. His paternal grandfather came to this country from Wales, locating in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he worked in the mines. William Williams, his father, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, about 1827. He was reared at home, became a miner, and followed this profession for a number of years. Later he became a contractor, and some time afterwards owned and operated a country mine. He is still a contractor and resides in Irwin. Mary J. (Lukes) Williams, his wife, died June 19, 1903. He married ( second) Anna Owens. They have no children. Mr. Williams is a Republican, and a member of the United Presbyterian church.
Edward V. Williams was reared at home, acquiring his education in the common schools. When sixteen years of age he entered the Western Union telegraph office at Irwin, where he learned to be a telegraph operator. In 1884 he went to Charleston. South Carolina, where his brother Harry was located, being private secretary to J. Il. Averill, superintendent of the South Carolina railroad. Here he was employed for three months in an office at Charleston. At the end of this time he was given a position at Branchville. South Carolina, where he remained for about three years. In 1887 he returned liome and soon after went to Buffalo, where he took a business course in the Buffalo Business University. He then accepted a position in the car-tracing office of the Buffalo. Pittsburg and Rochester railroad. In 1889 he accepted a position with the Penn Gas Coal Company as station agent, clerk and tele- graph operator at Gratztown. One year later he was made superintendent of 2-34
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
mine No. 4 at Gratztown. When the Ayers Hollow mine was opened he was also made superintendent of this mine, and thus became superintendent of the two mines. In 1902 mine No. 3 at Blackburn was opened and the superin- tendency of this mine was also added to his list. In November, 1903, mine No. 4 was shut down and Mr. Williams was transferred to mine No. 3 at Blackburn, where he is now located. In connection with the mines here are operated one hundred coke ovens. Mr. Williams married in 1889, Josephine Hunter, daughter of William Hunter, of Donegal township. They have had four children, three of whom are living: M. Romayne, Raymond, and Fred- erick. Mr. Williams is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Royal Arcanum. He resides in Irwin, Pennsylvania.
JOHN CALVIN GUFFEY, a prosperous farmer of Westmoreland county, was born in Forward township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1858. He was the son of James L. and Mary (Scott) Guffey, and was one of a family of ten children, seven of whom survive: Robert C., of Elizabeth township, Allegheny County ; Catharine E., resides at home and is the wife of Alfred Culp ; James L., Jr., living at home ; Sarah Mary, wife of Finney Wall, of Forward township, Allegheny county ; Dr. Albert A., of Mckeesport ; Lu- cinda J., wife of Sidney McConnell, Forward township, Allegheny county ; and John Calvin, of whom later.
His father, James L. Guffey, was born in 1825 on the farm where John C., now resides, and was the son of Robert and Sarah (Campbell) Guffey. He was one of a family of four children, all of whom survive: James L., the father of John C. ; Mary A., unmarried and resides at West Newton with her brother Robert; Robert Campbell, who has retired from business and lives at West Newton ; John R., of Sewickley township. James L. Guffey was reared in Sewickley township. Here he married and soon after went to Allegheny county, settling on a farm of fifty-six acres in Forward township, which was owned by his father. This farm was deeded to him and he has added to it additional land. He is now in comfortable circumstances and possesses a farm of about two hundred and twelve acres. He is a Democrat in politics, and for many years has been a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church. His wife, Mary (Scott) Guffey, was born in Elizabeth township, Allegheny county, in August, 1828. She was the daughter of Zaccheus and Catharine (Andrews) Scott. She died in 1891. The grandfather of John C. Guffey, Robert Guffey, was born on a portion of the farm which our subject now owns. In 1798 he settled on this tract, consisting of sixty acres, which had been given to him by his father, and resided there up to the time of his death at the age of seventy-six. He was an industrious and hard-working man, and acquired two other farms. The great-grandfather of John C. Guffey, - Guffey, came to Westmoreland county at a very early date from somewhere east of the mountains. He was a prosperous farmer, and acquired five farms in Sewickley township. He had one son, Joseph, who was a member of the legislature and a prominent man in Democratic politics. His father, William Guffey, when he came to the United States from Scotland, was given a tract of land by King George in the eastern part of the state, upon which he set- tled. Late in life he came to Westmoreland county and was buried at the old Sewickley church.
John Calvin Guffey grew up at home and acquired his education in the common schools. After his marriage he came to Sewickley township, West- moreland county. Here he rented a farm for three years. His brother, Will- iam F. Guffey. then came to Sewickley township and the two brothers pur-
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
chased a farm of one hundred and forty-three acres, which they farmed .in partnership up to the time of William's death in January, 1905. John C. is now living on the farm upon which he settled in 1884, when he first came to Sewickley township. He also has charge of the farm owned by himself and his brothers' heirs. He is Democratic in politics and has served one term as supervisor. He is serving his third term as a member of the school board. When he was a candidate for his second term there were seven candidates and he received the highest vote. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and of Grace Lodge. No. 405, Knights of Pythias of Suterville. Mr. Guffey mar- ried in the spring of 1884. Jennie Moffett, daughter of James F. Moffett, of Rostraver, Westmoreland county. They have six children: Beulah C., at home : James L. C., was killed with the subject's brother William F., being struck by a train on January 27, 1905: Mary A., Mabel M., Loren E., and Zola P.
GEORGE M. BRINTON. The ancestors of George M. Brinton, of Penn township, were English and members of the Society of Friends, being of the same stock as that which settled eastern Pennsylvania, a stock which has throughout the history of the state, constituted one of the best and most influential elements therein.
Edward Brinton married Hannah Pierce, and their son, George Brinton, married Esther Matlack, and was a resident of Birmingham, England. They were the parents of a son, Amos Brinton, born December 22, 1754, in Birm- ingham, married Annie Smedley, and died November 28, 1823, at the age of sixty-nine years.
John Brinton, son of Amos and Annie (Smedley) Brinton, was born De- cember 3. 1784. in Birmingham, and in early manhood emigrated to the United States, where he passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. During the war of 1812 he served in the army. He married Sarah Matlack, and their chil- dren were: Sarah Ann, Juliet, Amos, George M., mentioned hereinafter ; Jani- than, Edward S., Stephen M., Joel M., and William P. The death of Mr. Brin- ton occurred July 12, 1839, when he was but in the fifty-fifth year of his age.
George M. Brinton, son of John and Sarah ( Matlack) Brinton, was born March 4, 1814, and was by occupation a farmer, owning a tract of land of three hundred and eighty acres on which Trafford City now stands, the old Brin- ton homestead being now used as the schoolhouse. Mr. Brinton married Su- sanna MI. Funk, and their children were: Levi, married Annie Mckinney ; Sarah, married William Blackburn ; Henry, married Bella Pettibone ; Jane, married Richard McWilliams: Dawery, deceased, was married to Barbetta Shafer, left two children, Susan and Elma: Susan, wife of J. C. McGinniss ; George MI .. mentioned hereinafter : Nora, died in early childhood : William P., died in early childhood. Mr. Brinton, the father of the family, died Febru- ary 13. 1895, at the advanced age of eighty-one years.
George M. Brinton, son of George M. and Susanna M. (Funk) Brinton, was born February 21, 1857, and like his father and grandfather has led the life of a farmer. In 1901 he purchased a farm of sixty-eight acres in Penn township, and has since made his home thercon. He has travelled exten- sively in the United States, and in 1888 took his family for a trip which lasted four years, during which time they visited all the principal cities of the west. He now holds the office of tax assessor. He belongs to Turtle Creek Lodge, No. 777. 1. O. O. F., and in politics is identified with the Republican party. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he wields a potent influence. Mr. Brinton married, April 12, 1883, Naomi, daugliter of
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Joseph and Mary (Paterson) Chadwick, of Harrison City, and their children are: Frank E., born March 2, 1884; George M., born September 23, 1885; Naomi J., born October 18, 1887; Samuel C., born February 10, 1890, died March 12, 1891 ; Susan B., born October 18, 1891 ; Mary B., born January 20, 1894; Paul H., born September 17, 1895; Eliza M., born July 30, 1897 ; John C., born February 27, 1899 ; William P., born December 24, 1900; Eugene A., born November 16, 1902. Mrs. Brinton was one of a family of ten children, the names being as follows: Kate, Elizabeth, Jennie, Bella, John, Cydonia, Simpson, Naomi, mentioned above as the wife of George M. Brinton ; C'rilla, and Edmond.
JOSEPH MUSE. Kentucky was the original home of the family of which the late Joseph Muse, of Robbins, was a member. Mr. Muse was a son of John Muse, who was born in Handy Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to what is now Elrod, Allegheny county, Pennsylvaia, and later to the Muse homestead in the same county. He was twice married, his first wife being Re- beca Edmundson, by whom he had five children : Fauntley, born 1821, married Annie Miller, and died in 1864, from the effects of a wound received in the civil war; Joseph, mentioned hereinafter ; Catherine, born in May, 1825, mar- ried John Ludwick, of Allegheny county : John, born in March, 1827, married Martha Ludwick, also of Allegheny county ; and George, born in 1830, died unmarried while serving in the army during the civil war. Mrs. Muse, who was a native of the same state as her husband, died in 1863, and Mr. Muse subsequently married Mrs. Ellen Wilson, of Allegheny City. By this marriage he was the father of three children: Harry, born in August, 1864, married and died several years ago; Blanche, born in September, 1865, is unmarried and lives with her mother at Mckeesport; and Minnie, born in October, 1867, married C. L. Jones, of Mckeesport.
Joseph Muse, son of John and Rebecca (Edmundson) Muse, was born July 29, 1823, in Allegheny county, on the old Muse homestead, which is still in the family. He assisted in the care and management of these acres until the occasion of his marriage, when he moved to Westmoreland county, and bought the present Muse farm, which he cultivated during the remainder of his life. For some time he held the office of supervisor. He affiliated with the Republican party, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Muse married, October 28, 1848, Cynthia, daughter of William and Sarah ( Paul) Campbell, of Sewickley township, Westmoreland county. Mrs. Muse was born October 1, 1824. The children of this marriage were: Rebecca E., bori September 21, 1849, married E. B. Sweeny of Derry township; James, born May 3, 1851, died July 27, 1863; John J., born February 19, 1853, lives at home : George W., born May 19, 1855, married Margaret Paul and lives at West Newton: Samuel P., born May 13, 1857, died December 16, 1880; Sarah E. F., born January 1, 1859. died February 26, 1864; Joseph P., born September 19, 1860; Fauntley E., born October 10, 1862, is unmarried and lives in Montana : and Asbury S., born June 25, 1868. The last named with his brothers. John J. and Joseph P., lives on the homestead. All three are unmarried. The death of Mr. Muse occurred October 22, 1886, when he was but little past the prime of life, and his widow, who survived him a number of years, expired November 1I, 1902.
HARRY THOMAS MORRISON. The birth of Harry Thomas Morrison, of Vandergrift Heights, occurred March 23, 1861, in Upper Burrell township, where he was reared on the farm of his grandparents and educated
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
in the common schools. In his twenty-third year he entered the service of the Allegheny Valley railroad as engineer and watchman in the round house at Braeburn. One year later he resigned and accepted a position in the Crescent Steel works in Pittsburg, where he remained some eight years in the capacity of weighmaster. In December, 1893, he moved to Apollo and secured a posi- tion in the mills of the Apollo Iron & Steel Company. For a short time he worked in the humblest capacity, but soon rose to the position of shearman, which he filled for a year. He was then made weighmaster and after serving five years again became shearman, that having been made in the interval a better position, and in this capacity he has ever since served. In June, 1897, hav- ing been transferred to the Vandergrift mills, he removed his family to the new residence on Vandergrift Heights which he had built and in which he has since resided. He is a Democrat and served as first assessor of the borough of Vandergrift Heights. He affiliates with Vandergrift Lodge, No. 1751, Royal Arcanum, and is a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Morrison married, in 1891, Maud M., daughter of James G. Borland, of Upper Burrell township, and three children have been born to them : Alta Mercedes, deceased ; Hallie Lucille, and Hazel Marie.
PETER WHITEHEAD. The Whiteheads of North Huntingdon township are of German descent, and the original Teutonic rendering of the name was Weiskopf. During the latter half of the eighteenth century a Ger- man couple of that name emigrated to America, settling in Richmond, Vir- ginia, and while at sea the wife gave birth to a son, Valentine, whose star of destiny led him at an early age into the then almost unbroken wilderness of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. When a mere lad Valentine accom- panied a company of soldiers to Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh), where he made himself useful as guard over the woodpile and also rendered other services to the garrison. Endowed with the necessary courage he readily accustomed himself to the dangers and vicissitudes of frontier life, and subsequently be- came actively concerned in numerous offensive and defensive operations against the savages. When a young man he located in Sewickley township. from whence he removed to North Huntingdon, and was the founder of the present Whitehead estate in that township. His adventures and exploits, which were numerous, have been handed down through his descendants, and they serve to remind the present generation of the indomitable courage and . prseveranc displayed by their ancestors in the interest of civilization. "Twice was his cabin burned by the Indians and his encounters with them were many and fierce. It is related that on one occasion, while plowing, his horse gave indications of fear and refused to approach a certain portion of timber. Leaving his team Whitehead made a circuit of the field through the woods and shot an Indian, whom he surprised in ambush." The christian name of his wife was Mary, but her family name cannot now be obtained.
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