USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 82
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JOHN G. HEASLEY, of Greensburg, a veteran of the civil war, who willingly left his home and business interests to serve his country in its hour of peril, was born in Grapeville, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1846, a son of John and Sarah ( Banghman ) Heasley, the former named having throughout his active career been engaged in the carpentering and jobbing.
His educational advantages were very limited, being confined to attendance at the common schools of the neighborhood for a few years, as at the early age of ten years he began to earn his own livelihood, being employed by John Dravo on the Monongahela river. From there he went to Penn Station and engaged in mining, which occupation he followed until 1862, when he enlisted in Company E. One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- teers, and served seven months under Colonel Mc Kee, at the expiration of which time he received an honorable discharge. He then returned home, but shortly after re-enlisted in the army, this time becoming a member of the Two Hun- dred and Sixty-sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Clark Bry- ant and Hugh J. Brady, Colonel, his term of service being for eleven months. Upon his return to civil life he located in Greensburg, where he has since re- sided, and engaged in mining. In 1866 Mr. Heasley married Susan Randa- baugh, who died September 21, 1891, at her home in Greensburg, and her remains were the first to be interred in the St. Clair cemetery. She was the mother of the following named children : William, Maria, Sarah, Ellen, Harry, Hallie, Catherine, Homer, Elizabeth, Dunkin, David, John and Harriet. Mr. Heasley married for his second wife Celia McGinnis, widow of Jeremiah Mc- Ginnis, and daughter of Joseph and Louisa ( Wagner) Thomas, who bore hini four children, namely : Celia R., born December 13, 1893 ; Daisy ()., born De- cember 1, 1895 ; Howard, born August 11, 1899 ; and Robert H., born January 11. 1903.
CHARLES E. MOMEYER, a representative citizen of Greensburg. was born in Unity township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1867, son of Joseph C. and Louise ( Blackston) Momeyer. Joseph C. Momeyer was also a native of Westmoreland county, a son of Willam Momeyer, a native of Germany, who came to this country at an early date. He is a cabinet maker by trade, which line of work he followed in his native county, where he is now residing, having attained the age of seventy-seven years. He and his, wife, Louise ( Blackston) Momeyer, were the parents of nine children, as follows : Clark W., William A., Joseph S., George A., Emma, Libbie, Jessie, Alice, and Charles E. Momeyer.
Charles E. Momeyer pursued his studies in the common and normal schools of Greensburg, and upon the completion of his education, at the age of nine- teen years, secured a position in the shipping department of the firm of Kelly & Jones, where he remained six years. He then opened a restaurant in Greens- burg, which he conducted successfully for four years, realizing therefrom a comfortable livelihood, and at the expiration of this period of time, in 1894, accepted a position as letter carrier, his present occupation. He is a staunch
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advocate of temperance, and casts his vote for the candidates of the Prohibition party. Mr. Momeyer married, September 25, 1895. Julia B. Weimer, daughter of Thomas and Sarah ( Wilson) Weimer, and their children were: Bruce P., born December 22, 1901, in Greensburg ; and Oscar C., born June 11, 1897, died October 7, 1897.
HENRY GEORGE BEAMER. Switzerland is the land whence the ancestors of Henry George Beamer, of Manor, emigrated to this country. Jacob Beamer was a resident of Hagerstown, Maryland, and it is probable that he was the first of the name to seek a home on these shores where, it would seem, he landed about the period of the revolution.
John Beamer, son of Jacob Beamer, came to Westmoreland county, passing in his journey over the present site of Pittsburg, and settled in Franklin town- ship, five miles north of Murrysville, where he took up land which he cul- tivated during the remainder of his life. He married Eve Butenbarger, and their children were: Henry, mentioned hereinafter ; Philip, married Catherine Beamer : John, married Mary Aucher; Michael, married Catherine Rubright ; Catherine, married John Hill; Sarah, died unmarried, and Margaret, married George Fix.
Henry Beamer, son of John and Eve (Butenbarger) Beamer, was born at Taneytown, near Hagerstown, Maryland, coming to this county with his father when about five years of age. During his youth and early manhood he was the assistant of his father in the labors of the homestead, and on the occasion of his marriage bought a farm near Murrysville, and there passed the remainder of his life. Mr. Beamer married, about 1822, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Susan (Kemerer) Lauffer, of Penn township, and their children were: John, married Nancy Rubright and lives at West Newton : Henry, mentioned herein- after : Seth, married Maria Ludwick; Jacob, married Susannah Brinker and after her death Mary J. Hunter, of Butler county, and is a resident of Manor ; Michael, married Susan Ludwick, after her death Margaret Burger, and lives at Manor : Sarah, married Andrew Silvis, and after his death became the wife of Adam Drake, of Apollo, Pennsylvania : and Susan, died at three years of age. Mrs. Beamer died about 1843, and the death of her husband occurred December 16, 1856.
Henry Beamer, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Lauffer) Beamer, was born August 29, 1826, in Franklin township, and until his marriage aided in tilling the home farm. He then opened a general merchandise store at Harrison City, and for five years he hauled produce by wagon to Pittsburg, returning with goods for his store. At the end of that time he bought his present smal! farm near Harrison City, which has been his home for about forty years. He is a Democrat, and a member of the Reformed church, in which for many years he has served as deacon and elder. Mr. Beamer married, August 29, 1852, Julianna Maria, daughter of George G. E. and Elizabeth (Schumacher ) Bur- ger ( for history of George G. E. Burger see sketch of Joseph A. Burger), and they have four children: Josephine Louisa, born June 2, 1855, married H. A. Lauffer, of Manor ; Margaret Elizabeth, March 30, 1857; Annetta Clar- issa, November 19, 1859, wife of Elijah Kemerer, of Turtle Creek ; and Henry George mentioned hereinafter. Margaret Elizabeth Beamer, the second of the daughters, is unmarried and lives at home with her parents. August 29. 1902, Henry Beamer and wife celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their mar- riage.
Henry George Beamer, son of Henry and Julianna Maria ( Burger) Beamer, was born September 17, 1863, at Harrison City, and received a common school education. Until the age of nineteen he assisted his father on the farm
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
and then assisted his brother-in-law, Henry A. Lauffer, in his general store, first at Penn Station, then at Irwin and moved thence to the present situation at Manor. Mr. Beamer belongs to Philanthropy Lodge, No. 225, F. and A. M., Greensburg, Urania Chapter, No. 192, R. A. M., Kedron Commandery, No. 18, K. T., all of Greensburg, and Manor Council No. 716, R. A. He is a Democrat, and at present a member of the Manor school board. He is a member of the Reformed church and for six years has served as deacon. Mr. Beamer married, December 24, 1896, Mary S. Wagner, and their children are : Russell Wagner, born November 29, 1897 ; Henry George, born April 18, 1899; Ruth Julian, born August 1, 1902 ; and Mary Elizabeth, born January 7, 1904. Mrs. Beamer was born October 9, 1871, is a graduate of Slippery Rock State Normal School, and prior to her marriage taught in the public schools. She is a granddaughter of John and Barbara (Gronzinger) Wagner, and a daughter of Gottlieb and Elizabeth (Schumacher) Wagner. The former, born August 23, 1826, came from Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1854, settling at Wheeling, West Virginia, whence he moved to Greensburg, and then to a farm near Har- rison City, where he died October 2, 1898.
CHARLES ROSSELL McDONALD, who has for some years occupied the responsible position of superintendent of the Hostetter Connellsville Coke Company, at Whitney, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of an old Scotch family, one of whose members emigrated to America about one hundred years ago.
Malcolm McDonald, grandfather of Charles Rossell McDonald, son of Malcolm McDonald, and founder of this branch of the McDonald family in this country, emigrated from Scotland in or about 1790, and settled in Flat- woods, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Here he followed the occupation of farming. He and his family were members of the old Scotch Covenanter church ; the descendants are now mostly Presbyterians. His wife, Parthenia, came over with him. The children of Malcolm and Parthenia McDonald were: Malcolm, David, John, Mordecai, Jane, Annie.
James Guthrie McDonald, son of Malcolm and Parthenia McDonald, was born at Flatwoods, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1829. He was reared on the farm of his father, and early in life entered upon his business career. He engaged in business as a clerk with a merchant, and was thus occupied for some years. He then established himself in business, and became a prominent merchant of Perryopolis, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. He was actively en- gaged in the management of this business until late in life, and was remarkably successful. He had many friends and was highly respected and esteemed for his integrity and business ability. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. He married Margaret Rossell, daughter of Charles and Sarah (Lay- ton ) Rossell, and she had two brothers and one sister: James, Abraham and Mary. The children of James Guthrie and Margaret ( Rossell) McDonald are: Charles Rossell, and Annie Julia, now Mrs. Howard B. Cunningham, of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania.
Charles Rossell McDonald, son of James Guthrie and Margaret (Ros- sell) McDonald, was born in Perryopolis, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, April 7. 1862. He enjoyed the advantages of a good education in the common schools, and at the normal school at California, Pennsylvania. He engaged in teaching in the schools for several years, then accepted a position as book- keeper for the Hostetter Connellsville Coke Company. Here his reliability and faithful attention to the duties of his position procured for him advance- ment, and during the fourteen years he has been with the company he has ad-
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
vanced step by step and now (1900) serves in the capacity of superintendent. He is very methodical and systematic in his business habits, and his ideas are. progressive. He has always been greatly interested in educational work, and has served on the various school boards where he has resided. In politics he is a Democrat. and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He mar- ried. September 8, 1886, Annie Mercilla MeIntire, who was educated in the Pittsburg Female College. She is the daughter of Rev. John and Mary Jane (King) MeIntire, the former of whom was a minister in the Methodist Epis- copal church from his early manhood until his death. Mr. and Mrs. McDon- ald have one child: Charles Paul, born in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, August 24. 1887. He is now a student in Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsyl- vania.
EVAN JAMES FRANCIS. Evan Francis, grandfather of Evan James Francis, of New Kensington, was for fifty years superintendent of the Pontymoil tin plate works, Monmouthshire, England, owned by Copele Lord Ambrey Lee, of the county of Monmouthshire. Mr. Francis married Esther Pope, who was the first milliner in the town of Pontypool, England.
John Francis, son of Evan and Esther Francis, married Louise Pope, and they were the parents of a son : Evan James Francis, born December 22, 1846, in Pontymoil, and in 1873 emigrated to the United States, settling in Leech- burg, October 9. 1873. He immediately entered the sheet and tin plate mill of · Rogers & Birchfield, where he remained one year, going then to Demmler, Al- legheny county, and entering the service of Demmler Brothers, with whom he- remained until 1876. In that year he returned to Leechburg, where he was employed until 1887 by the firm of Kilpatrick & Beals. He then worked in Apollo and for about one year worked for Laufman & Company, after which he went to Irondale, Ohio, with Wallace Banfield & Company, remaining until October, 1889. His next removal was to New Zealand, where he worked in the first sheet mill ever erected in that country. He took with him the first Bessemer steel billets for making sheet steel that had ever been sent to New- Zealand. In conjunction with Charles Banfield, Mr. Francis invented the first cinder bottom for sheet heating furnaces. To him belongs also the honor of having been the first roller to use natural gas in making sheet iron or tin plate. He made this successful experiment in 1874. while working in the mills of Rogers & Birchfield, at Leechburg. the gas being produced in Westmoreland county. In 1896 he moved to New Kensington and took a position in the- Pittsburg works as roller. January, 1905, he was appointed night superintend- ent, which position he now holds. He affiliates with Lodge No. 651, I. O. (). F., of Leechburg, and is a member and trustee of the Baptist church of New Kensington.
Mr. Francis married. in his native country, Cecilia, born April 12. 1847, daughter of Edward and Margaret Thomas, of Pontynewynydd, South Wales, and their children were: Esther .Ann, born May 25, 1872. wife of George B. Campbell, civil engineer of Duboise : Margaret L., born May 29. 1875, wife of Robert Sheppard, real estate agent of New Kensington : Leopold J., born April 22, 1878. of Follensbee, West Virginia : Mary Ada, born October. 1880, died May 11, 188r : Clarence J .. born February 5, 1883, at home : Beatrice C., born May 26. 1885. died January 12, 1892: Edith Elizabeth, born June 27, 1887, died August 13, 1887 : and Augustus L., born January 1, 1889, died February 1, 1889. All the deceased children are buried at Leechburg.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
JOSEPH T. DOUGHERTY. A visitor in Vandergrift would not be long in discovering that Joseph T. Dougherty is one of the moving spirits among the "mill men" and therefore one of the representative men of the com- muity. From the hour that Mr. McMurtry signified his desire to "give every man a show for his white alley," Mr. Dougherty has been a progressive and .enthusiastic promoter of every good thing. He is an original thinker. His mind is constantly at work devising ways and means for the improvement of men and conditions and for the development of all phases of life in this indus- trial center. Impulsive in temperament, generous in disposition, he does not stop to consider whether policy would sanction the carrying out of his plans. He is not a trimmer in any sense. Were lie more sauve, were his motives mercenary or ulterior, and did he go about guided by policy, he might be more popular and gain more votes at an election, but he is controlled by none of these things. He is an altruistic optimist. If he can help the other fellow he will gladly do it, cost what it may.
He is positive in his make-up, a man with iron in his blood. You always know where to find him on every issue. He has a high moral sense of the pos- sibilities before the people of Vandergrift. He is so appreciative of all the good things done for the people and is so enamoured of the scheme by which the company has always been willing to "help the people to help themselves" that he has not only endeavored to get for himself and his family all that he could, but has been glad to co-operate in every endeavor to promote the indus- trial, educational, political and religious welfare of all. Owing to the public spirit manifest, he was elected a member of the first school board, serving in that capacity for five years, during three of which he was its president, render- ing invaluable service in the construction of our school buildings and bringing the public school system of our town at once into the front rank of the county. He was president of an association which fostered a Boy's Brass Band, secur- ing for the young men the necessary musical instruments and providing trained leadership, developing through their public performances a civic spirit. In all the agitation for the creation of a Young Men's Christian As- sociation he has been a leading spirit. When Mr. Oscar B. Lindquist was com- pelled to resign as burgess, owing to his removal from the town, there was a . general call for the appointment of Mr. Dougherty as his successor. When the legal question was raised as to the possibility of his being burgess and be- ing a member of the school board at the same time, he resigned as burgess, pre- ferring to remain as a promoter of the schools. Mr. Dougherty joined the First Methodist Episcopal church and has been one of its most active members, carrying into all his church work the same earnest and enthusiastic spirit. He has been and still continues superintendent of the Sunday school, three times being elected a delegate to the lay convention which meets at the same time of the annual ministerial conference.
But is is among the working men that his strong and masterful personality has been felt. A man of intense convictions, positive in utterance, with the temperament of the orator, his magnetic influence has been felt in all the gatlı- erings of the men. As presiding officer or as the spokesman of the men he has had a large place in the shaping of legislation, in the evolution of policies and in the presentation of the wishes of the men to their employers. No one has commanded the respect of the employers more than he. Such has been his manifest sincerity of purpose and down-right honesty and such has been his absolute confidence in the integrity of the promoters of Vandergrift and their real and sincere desire to do all in their power, not only to make money for themselves, but to have the world see by their actions that it "pays to
JT Dougherty
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
treat labor decently," that we are not surprised to know that during the labor troubles of 1903 not one man in all the Kiskiminetas Valley threw down his tongs to join forces with the strikers, but every last man stood by the company. Widows were not pinched, children were not starved, men were not crazed by drink and passion, but in peace and sweet contentment every man sat under his own vine and under his own fig tree. A marked advance was made in the solution of labor troubles and a new era began in the industrial world. When in times of prosperity a company voluntarily advances its men, when in times of depression the men voluntarily ask for a reduction, one may believe that confidence and mutual interest dominate the life of that industrial center.
That was a great day in the history of Vandergrift when all the working men, at the close of those troublous times, gathered together in the Casino for good fellowship. By a coup de etat. Mr. McMurtry was present. It must have been the proudest day of his life. After the ostensible purpose of the meeting had been carried out, its real object was discovered when, as the spokesman of the working men, Mr. Dougherty, who had championed the plan from its inception, was introduced and in a speech that was a model in composi- tion and with emotions stirred far beyond the ordinary, presented to Mr. Mc- Murtry a loving cup, the gift of every man in his employ, intrinsically valued at $4.500.00, designed and wrought out by Tiffany, but in reality the faintest evidence of the real love and abiding affection of every man, woman, and child, for they all knew him as a real friend in every way. One can now more readily believe that the armies of capital and labor will yet meet, not as did Caesar and Pompey at Pharsalia in deadly conflict, but like Jacob and Esau in the moun- tains of Gilead in brotherhood and joy-the fued ended. Such an opportunity comes to few men. To have been chosen by his fellows for this high honor was a mark of distinction of which every man might well be proud. But this was not the only time he was called upon to represent his fellow workmen as they sought to show appreciation of some one with whom they had been as- sociated in the work. When Mr. S. A. Davis, long the division superinten- clent of the mills, removed from the town to accept a still higher position in the company. Mr. Dougherty was compelled to leave a sick room that he might, in the presence of a great company, voice the sentiments of the employees, as he presented Mr. Davis and his esteemed wife with beautiful and costly gifts. Possessed of a fine command of language, a musical voice and a commanding presence, as a speaker he wins attention and hence is in frequent demand. A fraternal order to which he belongs, when the annual memorial service is held for the departed members, though professional speakers may come from a distance, he is always expected to make one of the addresses.
Seeking to advance the interests of the men, he was largely instrumental in forming the Steel Workers' Relief Association, composed of the workmen of the various mills located in the Kiskiminetas Valley, and was selected as the first president, which position he still holds. A student of inen more than of books, though an industrious reader, he knows men. Having reached this in- fluential position while yet in the prime of young manhood. the steps by which it has been attained have been those of toil. The son of a man who bravely served his country during the Civil war, the greater part of the education that was obtained within the walls of the school room came from attendance at the Soldiers' Orphan School located at Dayton, Pennsylvania, where his years from cleven to fifteen were spent. Leaving at this youthful age he has bravely made his way by depending on his own exertions. Laboring about lumber mills and coal mines for a time, he entered the service of the Pennsylvania railroad. to which he gave almost seven years service. Then entering the em-
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
ploy of the Apollo Iron and Steel Co., at Apollo, Pennsylvania, in six months he had passed from a subordinate position to the charge of a pair of rolls, the most responsible and best remunerated position among the workmen of the mills.
Mr. Dougherty married, in 1892, Lizzie Belle, daughter of Major Thomas A. Cochran, of Apollo, and they are the parents of a son and daughter, Thomas Cochran, and Margaretta Loomis.
PURLEY M. GOODENOW, of New Kensington, is the grandson of Thomas Goodenow, who married Mary Jenkins, by whom he was the father of the following children: Catharine, wife of Philip Crowley ; Lydia, wife of Simon Harding : and George, mentioned hereinafter.
George Goodenow, son of Thomas and Mary (Jenkins) Goodenow, was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where his life was passed, being employed on the railroad. He married Jennie L. Johnson, and they were the parents of two sons: George Walter, employed in National lead and oil works, New Kensington : and Purley M., mentioned hereinafter. Mr. Goodenow died in 1883.
Purley M. Goodenow, son of George and Jennie L. (Johnson) Goodenow, was born August 15, 1881, in Covington, Pennsylvania, where he was educated in the borough schools. In June, 1896, he entered the service of the National Lead & Oil Company, New Kensington, beginning as office boy, and by strict attention to business gradually rising, until in January, 1904. he was made superintendent of the New Kensington factory, a position which he still re- tains. He affiliates with Ben Hur Court, No. 1I, of New Kensington, and is a member of the Baptist church of that place. Mr. Goodenow married, Octo- ber 12, 1904, Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary Thomas, of New Ken- sington.
JOHN A. HUNTER, a young and very capable farmer of Cook township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, is a representative of a family which has been domiciled in this country for several generations.
William Hunter, father of John A. Hunter, volunteered for service at the first outbreak of the Civil war. and served with honor and bravery until its con- clusion. He married Susan Fry, and their children were: George, lives at Bradenville, married Laura Jones and has two children : Sadie, married Philip Krobough, of Latrobe, and has two children; Laura ; and John A., of whom later.
John A. Hunter, youngest child of William and Susan (Fry) Hunter, was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1876. He received his education in the public schools of the district. His father died when John was a very young lad. and he was thus early thrown on his own resources. He began working on a farm and having learned it thoroughly and practically, understands agricultural work in all its details. He is at present ( 1906) em- ployed on the farm of John G. Campbell, with whom he makes his hime. Mr. Hunter is highly respected and esteemed in the community as a young man of integrity and strong moral character. He is unmarried and possesses a host of friends. In politics he is a Republican.
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