USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 92
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
ROBERT R. McQUILKIN. The paternal great-grandfather of Robert R. McQuilkin, of Apollo, was born about 1750, in Scotland, whence he moved to Ireland and later emigrated to the United States. He settled in Westmoreland county, and served in the war of the revolution, participating in the battle of Bunker Hill. About 1777 he married Anna Robinson.
Robert Robinson McQuilkin, son of the emigrant ancestor and his wife Anna ( Robinson) McQuilkin, was born in 1782, in Westmoreland county, and married Jane Richey, a native of county Down, Ireland, who when a child was brought by her parents to the United States. The father died on the voy- age and was buried at sea, and the mother, with her three children, settled in Westmoreland county. Mr. and Mrs. McQuilkin were the parents of the fol- lowing children: William, mentioned hereinafter ; James, Andrew R., Robert R., John, died in infancy : Margaret, wife of a Mr. Adair; Samuel, Mary Ann, wife of a Mr. McKee; Jane, Isabella, wife of a Mr. Stewart; and John (2).
William McQuilkin, son of Robert Robinson and Jane (Richey) Mc- Quilkin, was born in 1808, in Washington township, and was a farmer, own- ing three hundred acres of land, of which one hundred and fifty now belong to his son, Robert R. McQuilkin. Mr. McQuilkin married Hannah Alcorn, and their children were: John, Robert R., mentioned hereinafter ; William Richey, deceased; Rebecca, wife of Peter Wangaman, of Saltsburg; Nancy J., deceased, wife of David Mckee; Sarah Ann, wife of George Spear ; also deceased ; and Belle, wife of F. B. Rugh. The death of Mrs. McQuilkin occurred in 1882, and that of Mr. McQuilkin in 1892.
Robert R. McQuilkin, son of William and Hannah (Alcorn) McQuilkin, was born in 1844, in Washington township, near his present place of abode. In early life he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, which he has suc- cessfully and profitably followed to the present time. He has filled various township offices, among them those of tax collector and school director. He is a Democrat and a member and trustee of the Presbyterian church. Mr. McQuilkin married, March 1, 1870, Mary Jane, daughter of John and Jane ( Miller ) Reed, of Washington township, and their children are: Harry Miles, of Kansas City, Missouri ; William Reed, of Vandergrift, is married and has three children : Clark, Ora and Wade; Robert Miller, of Indiana Harbor, In- diana ; F. Robinson, deceased : John Alcorn, of Canal Dover, Ohio ; Merty Bell, deceased : Martha Mabel ; Tillie R., wife of James H. Walker, and mother of three children : Dora, William Glen and Edna Lois ; James L.
.cG- JOHN C. STEELE. The paternal great-grandfather of John C. Steel, of Saltsburg, was of Irish birth, and at an early age sought a home among the wilds of Westmoreland county. His son, Joseph Steele, was a man of considerable means and influence, owning a farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres. His wife was Barbara Blystone, who bore him the follow- ing children: Samuel, Betsy, David, John, Joseph, James, mentioned here- inafter : and Absalom.
James Steele, son of Joseph and Barbara ( Blystone) Steele, was born in Westmoreland county, and became a prosperous farmer in Franklin township. He married Eliza Shaw, also a native of Westmoreland county, and their chil- dren were: Mary, Crissman, John C., mentioned hereinafter : Samuel, de- ceased ; Nancy J., wife of W. A. Irwin ; and Harriet L. ( Mrs. Wilmot).
John C. Steele, son of James and Eliza (Shaw) Steele, was born in 1843, in Franklin township, where he grew up on the farm, receiving his education in the common schools. He early turned his attention to agricultural pursuits,
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
and is now the owner of a farm of seventy-five acres of good land well under- laid with three veins of bituminous coal which has not yet been disposed of. He operates an opening for his own use and that of any of his neighbors who desire coal for home consumption. This valuable farm was formerly the Buz- zard estate and was purchased by Mr. Steele in 1891, and under his skillful management has been rendered productive. The old log house built by the previous owner is in a fair state of preservation. Mr. Steele has served the township of Loyalhanna as school director of an independent district. He is an adherent of the Republican party, and his religious creed is that of the Presbyterian denomination.
Mr. Steele married in 1871, Sarah E. Walton. The marriage is without children, but Mr. and Mrs. Steele have an adopted son, who is now married and has one child. Mrs. Steele is a granddaughter of Samuel Walton, whose son, also Samuel Walton, was born in Washington township, and married - Long, a native of Franklin township, where the following children were born to them: Sophia, deceased; John, deceased ; Margaret, Samuel, Sarah E., born in 1842, in Franklin township, wife of John C. Steele; and William H.
HARRY LAMBERT REIGH, a resident of Greensburg, West- moreland county, Pennsylvania, and who holds the responsible position of conductor on a passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad, traces his de- scent to an honored family of Germany.
Jacob Reigh, father of Harry Lambert Reigh, was born in Germany. He emigrated to America and married at the Cove in Blair county, Margaret Greenawalt, a native of Germany, who died at the age of eighty-six years. Jacob Reigh died at the age of forty-five years. Among their children were : Harry Lambert, of whom later.
Harry Lambert Reigli, son of Jacob and Margaret (Greenawalt) Reigh, was born in Blair county, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1852. He was educated in the public schools of Altoona, and entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company when but thirteen years of age, as messenger boy for A. J. C'assat, Esquire. From this lowly position Mr. Reigh has risen, gradually and surely, through the intermediate stations of brakeman on passenger trains and baggage master, to that of conductor on passenger trains, a position which he now fills very acceptably. His faithful attention to the duties of his posi- tion and his reliability, have been highly commended. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and affiliates with the Democratic party. He married, September 20. 1874. Carrie Pearl Francis, daughter of Robert and Mary ( McDarr) Francis, of Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Mary (McDarr) Francis is a native of Xenia. Ohio. Children of Harry Lambert and Carrie Pearl (Francis) Reigh, are: I. Harry Cassatt, born July 24, 1875; is em- ployed at the Westinghouse works at Wilmerding ; married Annie Blackburn, of Pittsburgh, and they have one child : Millard. 2. Estella. 3. Leona, mar- ried Garth Romig, employed in the Westinghouse works, at Wilmerding, and has two children : Caroline and Ada.
CYRUS AHILLER TAYLOR, well known in railroad circles, is in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, holding the position of conductor with the company for twenty-five years. He is a representative of a family which has lived in Pennsylvania for a number of generations.
Daniel Taylor, grandfather of Cyrus Miller Taylor, was a farmer of Ligonier township. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and a Dent-
2-40
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
ocrat. He married Sarah Jones, born January 30, 1809; died October 10, 1867, and they had thirteen children: I. Margaret, born January 25, 1828. 2. Mary, January 5, 1830; died January 20, 1852. 3. William, of whom later. 4. Elizabeth, May 2, 1833 ; died October 28, 1866. 5. Martha, February 19, 1834. 6. Jacob, March 8, 1837; died October 31, 1839. 7. Esther, Decem- ber 23, 1838. 8. Arabella, March 7, 1840. 9. Joseph, March 15, 1842. 10. David, August 4, 1844; died December 14, 1844. II. Francis, February 20, 1846. 12. Catherine Peregrine, February 17, 1848 ; died September 10, 1884. 13. Susan, September 25, 1851.
William Taylor, third child and eldest son of Daniel and Sarah (Jones) Taylor, was born in Ligonier township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1831. He was educated in the public schools of his native town- ship, and then entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, for whom he was superintendent of the quarries for a number of years. He is a Republican and has served as county commissioner for Westmoreland county for two terms. He and his family are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. He married Sarah Wilt, born in Somerset county, Pennsylva- nia. June 29, 1834. She was the daughter of Michael and Susan ( Barnt ) Wilt. the former a farmer of Somerset county, and they were the parents of twelve children: 1. Caroline. 2. Margaret. 3. David. 4. Isabella. 5. Rachel. 6. Elizabeth. 7. Cyrus. 8. Noah, who died of spotted fever, while serving his country during the civil war 9. Michael, a soldier of the civil war. 10. Reuben, who died in the service of his country at the battle of Antietam, and whose remains were interred at York, Pennsylvania. II. Mary. 12. Kath- arine.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. William Taylor were: I. Cyrus Miller, of whom later. 2. William Baxter, born February 24, 1861, was a fireman in the employ of the Pennsylvania railroad, and was killed, April 27, 1882, by his own engine backing over him. 3. Mary Caroline, May 27, 1864, married Lewis K. Hawk, an express messenger in the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and they have three children: Lewis Taylor, born May 19, 1892; Ross Elizabeth, May 13, 1894; William Henry, April 11, 1897. 4. Frank Morrison, February 26, 1867: died May 7, 1870.
Cyrus Miller Taylor, eldest child of William (2) and Sarah (Wilt) Tay- lor, was born in Derry township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, April 27, '1859. He was educated in the public schools of Millwood, and in the Greensburg Seminary. After leaving school, he sought and obtained employ- ment with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and has been in their employ for twenty-five years, as previously stated. He is at present a conductor, and has been a most successful one, having never been suspended or fined a single day, for neglect of duty. He takes a great interest in the public affairs of the township and is an ardent Republican. He is a member of the Methodist church. He married, June 26, 1883, Christina Weaver, daughter of Casper and Maria ( Messena) Weaver, and they have four children: 1. Willetta May, born May 27, 1884. 2. Charles Hazelton, June 16, 1885. 3. Arthur St. Clair, June 26, 1887. 4. Frank Messena.
HENRY DAVID SHUEY. The ancestors of Henry David Shuey, of Greensburg, were among the pioneers of Westmoreland county. Conrad Shuey, was born in central Pennsylvania, whence he migrated to Greensburg, where he passed the remainder of his life on a large farm. He was one of the garrison of Fort Wheeling and narrowly escaped capture by the Indians. He was an active Whig and a member of the Lutheran church. He and his wife were the parents of three children, two of whom survived : John, of whom
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
later : and Catharine. This pioneer ancestor, despite the perils and harships of his lot, lived to the advanced age of eighty-seven.
John Shuey, son of Conrad Shuey, was born in 1792, near Mifflin, Penn- sylvania, and soon after his marriage started for the West. Stopping in West- moreland county, he was so favorably impressed that he decided to take up his abode there, and with that end in view purchased the farm now owned by E. M. Gross, on the Harrison City road, residing there during the remainder of his days. He was a Whig, but in the latter part of his life became a Repub- lican : his church membership was with the Reformed denomination. He mar- ried Susanna, daughter of Daniel Bush, and five children were born to them, the eldest of whom was Conrad. Sce forward. In 1871 Mr. Shuey died, his prosperity having been such that he was able to bequeath a farm to each of his children.
Conrad Shuey, eldest child of John and Susanna (Bush) Shuey, was born April 17, 1814. on his father's farm, two miles south of Harrison City, in Hempfield township. He was educated in the subscription schools and early adopted the life of a farmer. On the occasion of his marriage the farm now owned by his son, Henry David Shuey, was given him, and on this property, situated one mile north of Greensburg, he resided during the greater portion of his life. He was also the owner of another farm in his native township, and about eight years before his death purchased and removed to a residence near town. He was a Republican in politics and in 1834 united with the First Reformed church, remaining a member to the close of his life. He married Maria, daughter of John Holtzer, of Franklin township, and among their ten children were two sons: Henry David, see forward; and Simon P. Mrs. Shuey died and Mr. Shuey susbequently married Sarah C. Braughy. He died May 15, 1893.
Henry David Shuey, son of Conrad and Maria (Holtzer) Shuey, was born June 2, 1853, on the homestead, where he has thus far always lived, and of which he has been for many years the owner. His best energies have been successfully devoted to the tillage of these paternal acres. Mr. Shuey aids with his vote and influence the men and measures advocated and supported by the Republican party, and is a member of the First Reformed church.
Simon P. Shuey, brother of Henry D. Shuey, was associated with him in the management of the home farm during the years of their father's retirement, and for five years after his death. On the division of the property Simon P. Shuey took that part which now constitutes his home farm. He owns another farm of seventy-two acres near the town of Grapeville, Pennsylvania. Like his brother, he is a Republican in politics, and for four years served as super- visor of the township. For the same length of time he has held the office of deacon of the First Reformed church. He married, in March, 1900, Margaret .A., daughter of George and Anna M. (Lowman) Dressman, of Hempfield township, and they have one child, Allen G.
WALTER H. FEATHER. The family to which Walter H. Feather, of Scotthaven, belongs was planted in the United States by two brothers, John and Christopher Feather, who came from Germany and settled in West Virginia, where they acquired extensive lands, almost the entire county being owned in later years by their descendants. John Feather was a very influ- ential man in his day, and for many years held the office of justice of the peace. Both he and his brother Christopher reared large families, their descendants multiplied rapidly, and the Feather family became very numer- ous in West Virginia.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Abraham Feather, son of John Feather, mentioned above, was born in 1818, in Preston county, West Virginia, and with his three sons served in the army during the civil war. In common with the other generations of the Feather family, he was prominent in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Elizabeth Boylon, born in 1818, and three sons were born to them: 1. John, who died in Andersonville prison ; 2. Josiah, who also served in the army, receiving a wound by which he was crippled for life, and who now resides in Latrobe. 3. Zaccheus M., of whom later. Few families can show a record of greater devotion to their country in the hour of need than can the Feather family.
Zaccheus M. Feather, son of Abraham and Elizabeth ( Boylon) Feather, was born in 1845, in Preston county, and while still a youth served with his father and brothers in the Union army. He married Nancy Metzler, also a native of Preston county, whose paternal grandparents emigrated from Ger- many. Children born to Zaccheus M. and Nancy ( Metzler ) Feather ; 1. Effa, who is the wife of Edward Teets, of Aurora, West Virginia. 2. Walter H., see forward. 3. Anna, who resides with her grandmother, at Albrights, West Virginia. 4. Ona. Mr. Feather, the father, lives in Preston county where he is the owner of extensive lands.
Walter H. Feather, son of Zaccheus M. and Nancy ( Metzler) Feather, was born April 16. 1872, in Preston county, where he was educated in the common schools. After taking the preparatory course necessary to fit him for the work of a teacher, he began, at the early age of fifteen, to practice his profession in the district schools. At the end of one term in West Virginia he went to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where he was employed in the hotel of which his uncle, James I. Feather, was proprietor. The following winter he was a teacher in the old Harper school in Dunbar, and the next summer accepted a position with R. Hogsett, as bookkeeper. Mr. Hogsett was one of the early coal and coke operators of Pennsylvania. When he sold his busi- ness to W. J. Rainey, Mr. Feather continued with the new firm and became one of their most trusted men, holding the position of bookkeeper and store manager for several years. He then associated himself with the firm of Ben- nett & Talbot, having charge of the commissary stores on a million dollar contract. The establishment was one of the largest of its kind in Cumber- land, Maryland. Some two years after Mr. Feather became connected with this firm his residence was destroyed by fire and two of his children perished in the flames. This was in June, 1902. He resigned his position and returned to the service of W. J. Rainey & Company with whom he remained one year. He was then offered and immediately accepted the position of store manager for the Shamrock Supply Company, near Uniontown. With this company he remained a number of years, and at the end of that time became store mana- ger at Scotthaven for the Federal Supply Company, which position he has. continued to hold to the present time. He is a Democrat in politics.
Mr. Feather married, in 1895, Lavada Holliday, of Newcastle, Pennsyl- vania, and they have been the parents of the following children: James I .; Lloyd Darwin ; Pearl Viola ; and Walter H., junior. The two elder of these children perished in the fire above referred to.
THOMAS C. MARTIN. The grandfather of Thomas C. Martin, of Sewickley township, was Aaron F. Martin, a native of county Antrim, Ire- land, who emigrated to the United States and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, whence he came to Westmoreland county.
John M. Martin, son of Aaron Martin, was born in 1805, probably in
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Westmoreland county, where he was reared. He was a farmer and for many years served as a member of the school board. He was a Democrat in politics and served as elder in the United Presbyterian church at West Newton. He married Jane, daughter of Henry and Mary ( Campbell) Brenneman. The latter was the daughter of Patrick Campbell, an Irishman of Scotch descent, who came to this country and settled on a farm which has ever since been in the possession of the family and which is now occupied by his great-granelson. Thomas C. Martin. It was on this farm that Jane ( Brenneman) Martin was born in 1815, and it was here that she and her husband, on the occasion of their marriage, took up their abode and passed the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of eight children, six of whom survive: James K., who lives at Malta Bend, Missouri; John C., who is a resident of Prescott, Arizona : Thomas C., see forward : Mary A., married Matthew M. Biggs, of Sedgwick. Kansas ; Clary J., who is the wife of Wilford S. Kelley, of Ros- traver township: and Belle, resides at home with her brother. Two sons are deceased : Henry B., who lived in Vermillion ; and Aaron F., who at the time of his death was city attorney of Atchison, Kansas. Mr. Martin, the father, died on the farm May 8, 1873, after which his widow resided with her son, Thomas C. Martin, until her death, which occurred in 1896.
Thomas C. Martin, son of John M. and Jane (Brenneman) Martin, was born December 11, 1848, on the farm where he now lives. He was educated in the common schools, and after finishing his studies taught for one term in Illinois. With the exception of this one year, spent partly in Iowa and partly in Illinois, his entire life, thus far, has been passed on the homestead, of which he took charge on his return from the West. In 1883 he purchased the Blackburn farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres, and in 1887 the Brenneman farm of thirty-eight acres, about the same time inheriting twenty- five acres of the home farm. For many years he has taken an active part in the councils of the Democratic party. He was nominated for county com- missioner and was elected by the largest vote on the ticket. Later he received the nomination for county treasurer, but was defeated, the county having be- come strongly Republican. He has frequently been a delegate to the state convention, and belongs to the school board, on which he has served nine- teen years. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church. . He married, October 23. 1895, Catherine, daughter of Morgan Paul, a well-known miller of Rostraver township. Of this marriage there was no issue. The death of Mrs. Martin occurred in 1903.
CYRUS MARKLE, son of Jasper and Mary ( Levenger) Markle, was born October 31, 1822, on the farm where he now resides. He is one of three surviving children of a family of eight, the others being: Shephard, a citizen of Sewickley township; Sophia, widow of Joseph Fulton, of Irwin, Pennsylvania.
The paternal grandfather. Jasper Markle, of German descent and possi- bly a native of Germany, on coming to Westmoreland county located at what is now known as Millgrove, bought land of the government, and at his death was the owner of several hundred acres. This was divided among his chil- dren, and Jasper Markle, the father of Cyrus, received something more than two hundred acres. Here he spent his life and here he died, August 26, 1880, at the age of ninety years, one month and eighteen days. He was born in Se- wickley township. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and a con- sistent Christian.
Cyrus Markle attended the common schools and continued to reside at
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
home until 1874, when he was allotted his present farm of one hundred and eight acres. He is a cousin of General Joseph Markle, whose family is the subject of an exhaustive sketch elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Markle is a most highly esteemed citizen of the township of Sewickley and is a member and generous supporter of the Presbyterian church. In politics he casts his vote with the Republican party. Mr. Markle has remained unmarried.
SARVER FAMILY. The Sarver family emigrated at a very early date to America, being driven from their home in Alsace-Lorraine by religious persecution. Three brothers of this family, with their wives and children, and a number of other refugees, made their way to England and were helped on- ward to their new home by English Protestants. They settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania, where they found the religious freedom for which they longed, and where they engaged in the peaceful occupation of farming. Thy belonged to that great middle class of people which has always been the backbone of our country. They neither aspired nor attained to high places in the state, but helped to support the church of their choice, and lived at peace with all men. They were upright, honest and honorable citizens, and possessed the virtues of industry, frugality and contentment with their lot. They were noted for their morality, sobriety and family purity of the colony which they formed. They never amassed great wealth, but by industry and economy attained a competence.
Jonathan Sarver was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and there grew to manhood. About 1785, while still young, he, in company with his father-in-law, Shaeffer, crossed the Alleghenies in wagons and settled near Greensburg, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. He bought a farm near the present town of Greensburg, at that time known as the Amos Kunkle farm, now owned by George F. Huff, and forming part of the Huff estate. Here he lived and died. He married and reared a large family, one of whom was Jonathan.
Jonathan Sarver, son of Jonathan and - (Shaeffer) Sarver, was born on the farm of his father, where he grew to manhood. He migrated to Salem township, near Geary, purchased a large tract of land, which he cleared, cultivated and made into a profitable farm, and upon this built a log house and brought his young bride. Here he labored until his death. He married Susanna Klingensmith, daughter of John Philip and Barbara ( Broad- sword) Klingensmith. She was born and raised on a farm on the present site of the Fort Pitt glass works, near Jeannette, her father being the owner of the land. The Klingensmiths settled in that section at a very early date, before the war of the revolution. Their names were among those who signed a petition to Governor Penn in 1774. On the farm of her grandfather stood a blockhouse known as "Fort Philip Klingensmith," which served as a place of refuge for the surrounding settlers during the numerous hostile at- tacks of the Indians. During one of these attacks, her grandfather, Pilip Klingensmith, and his wife were killed, and her paternal uncle, Peter. who was then a child of five years, was taken captive by the Indians. He was treated with kindness, grew up, married an Indian woman, and reared a fam- ily. He had a faint recollection of his early home, and in after life paid a visit to his brothers and sisters, but soon returned to his Indian wife and family. Mrs. Sarver's father, John Philip Klingensmith, was one of the founders of Lutheranism in this section. The itinerant Lutheran preachers always found a warm welcome in his home, and he would leave his farm labors, go about among the neighbors to invite them to a meeting at his house,
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