History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 130

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1474

USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Washington > History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century > Part 130

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J. Howard Clarke was educated in the schools of South Franklin Township, Washington and Jefferson College and the Iron City Commercial College at Pittsburg, and

was graduated from the latter institution. For a num- ber of years his interests have been mainly agricultural, farming and stock raising, to which he has added the specialty of fruit growing. He has devoted large sec- tions of his land to the cultivation of cherries, peaches, plums, pears and berries and those who have visited his abundant orchards can never doubt that Washington County can produce fruit equal to any other section pro- vided scientific knowledge is made use of in the planting and care of trees and vines.

On Nov. 21, 1897, Mr. Clarke was married to Miss Sarah Brinton, who was born in Allegheny County, Pa., a daughter of the late Stephen Marshal and Mary (Mc- Grew) Brinton, who were parents of five children: Samuel M., who lives on the old homestead at Pitcairn; Elizabeth (McCleary), who is deceased; M. Homer, a prominent citizen of Ellsworth, Iowa; W. M., who is now deceased, was a physician of Sharpsburg; and Sarah. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke have had four children born to them: Elizabeth B., S. Rebecca, Marshal B. and Mary B. Mr. Clarke and family are members of the Second United Presbyterian Church of Washington. He is a man of enterprise and public spirit, a Republican in politics, and for six years has served as a member of the school board of South Franklin Township.

CHARLES H. LAMBIE, president and treasurer of the Findlay Clay Pot Company, with factories at Find- lay, Ohio, and Washington, Pa., the main plant being located at Findlay, has been prominently identified with this concern since 1901, coming to Washington in 1902, when he established a plant in this city.

Mr. Lambie is a native of Pittsburg, where he was reared and educated and subsequently engaged for a period of ten years as buyer for the Joseph Horne Com- pany. He then engaged in glass manufacturing at Find- lay, Ohio, and was president of the Dalzell, Gilmour & Leighton Glass Company until 1899. In 1901 he became identified with the Findlay Clay Pot Company, manu- facturers of a general line of glass house supplies. Mr. Lambie is a stockholder and member of the board of directors of the Washington Trust Company and is also a stockholder in several other business enterprises of this locality.

In 1882 Mr. Lambie was joined in marriage with Isa- bella McClurg, a daughter of James McClurg, of Pitts- burg, and they have reared five children: James, who is vice-president and general superintendent of the Findlay Clay Pot Company, and Alice, Jessie, Hannah, and Isabel.

Mr. Lambie is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He belongs to the 1st Presbyterian Church.

HIRAM C. HORNER, residing on the National Road, in Canton Township, near Washington, Pa., is one of

RESIDENCE OF J. HOWARD CLARKE, SOUTH FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP

ROBERT H. MILLER, D. O.

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

the leading men and large land owners of this section. His farm of 72 acres, situated in Canton Township, pro- duces oil and offers also fine grazing opportunities, and he takes advantage of these and grows cattle and stock, and he owns also a stock farm of 200 acres in Greene County and Washington County, crossing the line from Morgan Township in the former county. Mr. Horner was born in Morgan Township, Greene County, Pa., Apr. 16, 1873, and is a son of Oliver C. and Amy A. (Cox) Horner.

On both sides Mr. Horner comes from good, sound stock, his grandfathers being men of sterling qualities and among those who hewed out homes from a practical wilderness. Grandfather Cox bore the name of Chris- topher and he was one of the earliest settlers in Morgan Township, while Hiram Horner, the paternal grand- father, accompanied his father, William Horner, from Maryland to Fayette County in pioneer days. Family records tell of the early troubles with the Indians and of the hardships which they faced with stout hearts.

Oliver C. Horner, father of Hiram C., died in Greene County, Pennsylvania, in 1890, having been a prominent citizen of Morgan Township, serving in township offices and being a consistent member during the later years of life of the Disciples' Church.

Hiram C. Horner was reared to manhood in Morgan Township and was educated in the schools of Greene County. His interests have always been in the line of agriculture and he carries on farming and stock raising with the success that follows industry and experience. He settled on his present place in Canton Township in 1906. In politics he is a Republican, as was his late father.

Mr. Horner married Miss Jeannette MeMurray, who was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Tillie J. (Dickey ) McMurray and a granddaughter of James and Catherine (Whitely) McMurray. Grandfather James McMurray was born in Ireland, Mar. 13, 1796, and was brought to America by his parents in his boyhood, and he was reared to man- hood on their pioneer farm in Pennsylvania. He was married in Washington County, in 1830, to Catherine Whitely, and ten children were born to them. After marriage he bought a farm of 218 acres, situated in Pigeon Creek Valley, near the village of Vanceville, and on that farm he spent the remainder of his life. He was a very active worker in the United Presbyterian Church of Pigeon Creek, but he cared little for politics. He died Apr. 15, 1875, having survived his wife from Dec. 26, 1867.

James McMurray (2), father of Mrs. Horner, was born near Vanceville, Washington County, Mar. 6, 1844, and was reared to manhood on the farm on which he was born. On June 2, 1875, he was married to Tillie J.

Dickey, and they had two children, one of whom died in infancy. Mrs. McMurray died in December, 1878. He was married (second) Oct. 9, 1884, to Lucy Craig, of near West Middletown, Washington County. After this marriage he moved to Kansas City, Mo., where he was engaged in the shoe business. He was a member of the United Presbyterian Church and was a strong Prohibi- tionist in his views on public questions.

Mr. and Mrs. Horner have four children: John O., Amy Elizabeth, Hazel C. and Hiram R. The family belongs to the Baptist Church.

ROBERT HORACE MILLER, D. O., whose office is located at 403-4 Brown Building, has been established in Washington since February, 1900, and has built up a large and lucrative practice. Dr. Miller was born at College Springs, Iowa, in 1869. He obtained his literary training at Amity College, College Springs, and sub- sequently taught school for three years. He then became interested in osteopathy and was led to the study of the system, later becoming a student in the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Mo., where he came under the direct teaching of the venerable Dr. Still, the founder of this modern system of healing. The prescribed course at this institution retains much that a student would be required to learn at a medical college of the old school, particularly in the department of anatomy, physiology and pathology, but for the ordinary thera- peutics substitutes the curative methods peculiar to the osteopathic system. After Dr. Miller was graduated from the Kirksville institution in 1900 he came im- mediately to Washington, where he entered into practice, being the pioneer practitioner of osteopathy in Wash- ington County. He is a member of the American Osteo- pathie Association, the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Asso- ciation and is president of the Western Pennsylvania Osteopathic Society.

Dr. Miller was married in 1901 to Miss Clara C. Brown, of Wooster, Ohio. He is a member of the First United Presbyterian Church.

WILLIAM CRAIG, one of Independence Township's substantial and respected citizens, who resides on his valuable farm of 200 acres, was born in Independence Township, Washington County, Pa., in 1847, and is a son of William Craig, Sr., who was one of the early set- tlers in this section. Other members of the family still surviving are his brothers, Robert and John S. Craig, both of whom reside in Hopewell Township.

William Craig had only the educational opportunities offered by the pioneer schools near his home, but of these he took advantage. He has followed farming and stock raising all his mature life and is a representative man in this line in Independence Township. As time has gone

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

by he has made many substantial improvements and his surroundings indicate a large degree of solid comfort. He has other investments and is a stockholder in the Pittsburg Light and Heat Company. He has given sup- port to the Grange movement and belongs to the organ- ization at Avella and is also a member of the Washing- ton County Agricultural Association; takes a good citi- zen's interest in public matters in his township and has served two terms as school director. He votes with the Republican party.

Mr. Craig was married Oct. 14, 1884, to Miss Ada M. Nuzum, a daughter of Joel and Jane (Gillespie) Nuzum, of Ohio County, West Virginia, and they have five children : Pearl, who attended the Normal School at West Liberty, W. Va .; Helen, who was educated at the Normal School of Indiana, and Irene, Pauline and William, all yet students. Mr. Craig and family belong to the United Presbyterian Church, in which he is an elder. The two older daughters are members of the church missionary society and are active in the work of this organization.

THOMAS STUART GRIER, one of the representative and substantial citizens of Canonsburg, to which place he came in 1907 from the old homestead in North Stra- bane Township, Washington County, was born in the old Grier home there, Oet. 5, 1870. His parents were James and Hannah (Van Eman) Grier.

The first of the Griers to come to America was Thomas Grier, who moved from Scotland to North Ireland, and from Belfast started for the long journey which landed him in the United States. He was followed a few years later by a brother, but in the immensity of the new country they lost each other. Thomas Grier settled first in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and moved from there to Cumberland, Pa., where he married and reared a fam- ily of twelve children.

James Grier, son of Thomas the pioneer, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and died in 1833. He purchased 160 acres of land in North Strabane Township, and founded there the Grier homestead, which was in- herited by his son, James Grier. For that land he paid $10 per acre. He was married (first) to a Miss Espey, and after her death married Mary Stuart, of North Stra- bane Township. To this marriage the following children were born: Samuel Stuart, who married a Miss Donald- son, and they both died in Columbiana County, Ohio; Thomas, who died in young manhood, was a Presbyterian minister; Guion, who died in North Strabane Township; David, who was a physician, married and lived and died in Illinois; Jane, who died when aged sixteen years; James, and several who died in infancy.

James Grier, father of Thomas Stuart, died Jan. 6, 1895, in the same house and on the same farm on which

he was born, in North Strabane Township, and was buried on his seventy-fifth birthday. He was a farmer during all his active life. He was married in 1858 to Hannah Van Eman, who was born in Cecil Township, Washington County, and died in January, 1906, in her eighty-second year. The parents of Mrs. Grier were William and Mary (Brackan) Van Eman and they had the following children: Thomas Brackan, who became a Presbyterian minister, married (first) Mary Fulton, and (second) Rachel Stuart, served a congregation at Maple Creek and died in South Canonsburg; Rebecca, who is the widow of John Donaldson, formerly of Georgetown, Ohio, lives in North Strabane Township; Jane, who mar- ried Simon B. Mercer, who was a professor in the Salts- burg Academy; Ann, a twin of Jane, who is now de- ceased, married Rev. Wilson Donaldson, a Presbyterian minister, who moved to a western State; Hannah, who became the mother of Thomas S. Grier, and James, who died young. The parents and the grandparents on both sides of the family were interred in the cemetery belong- ing to the Chartiers Hill Presbyterian Church, of which they all were worthy members.

Seven children were born to James and Hannah Grier, namely: Mary Van Eman, who died unmarried, in 1886; Jane, who is the wife of John Neill, resides at Canons- burg; Sarah Ann, who resides at Canonsburg; William J., who is also a resident of Canonsburg, married Mary Belle Rebout, and they have one daughter, Dorothy B .; Rebecca L .; Frances, and Thomas S., of Canonsburg.

Thomas S. Grier was reared and educated in North Strabane Township and continued agricultural pursuits on the old homestead until after his mother's death. When rich coal deposits were discovered on this land, contracts for its excavation and sale were made with the Pittsburg and Buffalo Coal Company and the work was carried on for some years before the surface land was sold. It is some of the most valuable land in Washing- ton County.

On Oct. 22, 1908, Mr. Grier was married to Miss Blanche Linn Boyle, a daughter of E. B. Boyle, of North Strabane Township. Mr. and Mrs. Grier are members of the Presbyterian Church.

THOMAS M. BEBOUT, a representative of a substan- tial old family of Washington County, Pennsylvania, residing in a beautiful home situated at No. 90 East Beau street, owns a valuable farm of 167 acres lying in Amwell Township, to which he gives much attention. Mr. Bebout was born in North Franklin Township, Wash- ington County, Pa., July 20, 1862, and is a son of William N. and Susan (Bebout) Bebout.

William N. Bebout was born in Amwell Township, Washington County, Pa., Feb. 19, 1820. His father, Beden Bebout, moved on the farm which our subject now

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owns in March, 1795, and died there in 1867. The fam- ily is of Holland Dutch descent.

Beden Bebout, father of William N. Bebout, was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, Apr. 5, 1773, and came to Washington, Pa., in 1788, accompanied by his brothers, Alexander and William, tailors, all young men of thrift and industry. Beaen Bebout was a tailor for years. He was married Sept. 25, 1794, to Margaret Nemons, daughter of William Nemons, and they had thirteen chilaren. In 1795 Beden Bebout bought the farm in Amwell Township which is now owned by his grandson, Thomas M. Bebout, and on that place he passed the re- mainder of his life, dying Feb. 20, 1867, at the age of ninety-five years. After he commenced farming he only worked at his trade in the winter time, going to different houses in the neighborhood as was the custom of the time, the cobbler also making his rounds, and later came the traveling dentist. All the early industries were car- ried on on Mr. Bebout's place, his wife being as in- dustrious as himself. The cloth and linen she wove he would carry to Baltimore, where the product of her loom found a ready sale. William N. Bebout frequently was heard to say that until he was twenty-one years of age he never wore any garments that had not been woven and fashioned by his mother.

William N. Bebout attended the subscription schools in the neighborhood of his father's farm and assisted at home as his services were required, and after his mar- riage, in 1845, lived for fifteen years longer on the old farm. He then purchased a farm in Franklin Township, on which he lived for ten years and then sold it and bought a farm in Marion County, West Virginia. After residing there for eight years he disposed of that prop- erty and returned to Washington County and he and wife resided in Buffalo Township until 1888, when he pur- chased a comfortable home on East Beau street, Wash- ington, and in that both Mr. and Mrs. Bebout lived until the close of life. His death occurred in 1897, but she sur- vived until 1909. They were members of the Second Presbyterian Church. In politics he was a Democrat and at various times he served acceptably in township offices.

On Sept. 25, 1845, William N. Bebout married Susan Bebout, whose grandfather was a second cousin of Mr. Bebout's grandfather. She was a daughter of Peter and Isabel (Cooper) Bebout, who settled in North Strabane Township, Washington County, in 1823. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. The following children were born to William N. and Susan Bebout: Alexander; Isabel; Margaret, who married H. L. Barnes; Elizabeth, who married Franklin Arnett; Frank J .; Nettie, who married George Ritchey; Flora, who married W. S. Noble; Thomas M., and Ida and Beden, the former of whom married Theodore Bell.

Thomas M. Bebout was six years old when his parents

moved to Marion County, West Virginia, and during their residence there he attended school and then accompanied them back to Washington County. He remained on the home farm in Buffalo Township until 1884, when he went into the hardware and agricultural implement business at Morgantown, West Virginia, and continued for two years, and then returned to the old farm in Amwell Township, on which his grandfather had settled in 1795. He now owns that farm and resided there until 1905, when he took up his residence in Washington. He con- tinues to look after his farming and sheep raising, but no longer takes part in the actual labor.

In 1882 Mr. Bebout was married to Miss Martha E. Ziegler, and they have two children: Mary Belle and William N. Mr. Bebout and family are members of the Second Presbyterian Church at Washington. He is a member of the fraternal order of Eagles and the Royal Order of Moose, and belongs also to the Knights of Pythias, the lower lodge and the Uniform Rank.

D. MAJOR BELL, M. D., a trusted physician and sur- geon engaged in the practice of his profession at Clays- ville, Pa., was born at Midway, Washington County, Pa., Dec. 7, 1875, and is a son of James and Jane (Major) Bell.

The parents of Dr. Bell both reside in the old home at Midway. They were born in North Ireland. The ma- ternal grandfather, David Major, at one time lived in Smith Township, Washington County, Pa., but later moved to Carlton, Kas., where he still resides.

Dr. Bell attended school at Midway, at Oakdale Acad- emy, and completed his purely literary training at Duquesne College at Pittsburg, after which he entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, where he was graduated in 1903. He located first at Camden, N. J., and from there came to Claysville and here has built up a very substantial practice. He is a member of the county and state medical societies and also of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Dell married Miss Jennie Russell, a daughter of J. C. Russell, of Bulger, Pa., and they have two children: James R. and Gladys. He has long been prominent in Masonry, having attained the Thirty-second degree. He is a member of Trimble Lodge, No. 117, F. and A. M., at Camden, N. J .; of Chapter No. 19, Van Hook Council, of Camden, and of Cyrene Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templars, at Camden, and belongs also to Excelsior Con- sistory there. During the Spanish-American war he was a member of Co. C, 14th Pa. Vol. Inf. Dr. Bell not only stands high in his profession, but ranks with the most valued citizens of Claysville.

JOSEPH W. BYERLY, who is now living retired at McDonald, Pa., was for many years identified with the

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

milling business in Washington County as one of the proprietors of the Roller Mills. Mr. Byerly was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Aug. 8, 1830, and is a son of David and Harriet (Clark) Byerly.

David Byerly, who was a farmer all of his life, died at Plumville, Indiana County, where both he and his wife were buried. They had the following children: Samuel and Levi, who are deceased; Joseph W .; Mary Jane, who is deceased; Sarah, deceased, who was the wife of Daniel Rareigh; Hannah, who is the widow of John Walker, and Florinda, who is the widow of Isaac Howard.

Joseph W. Byerly attended the common schools of Fayette County, after leaving which he engaged in farm- ing on the home place until he was 21 years old and then went to learn the milling business, in which he continued throughout the remainder of his active life, a period covering 55 years. He was in partnership with C. R. Potter as owner of the Roller Mills for 40 years, and after disposing of his interests in this line retired from active life and has since lived quietly at McDonald, where he owns considerable real estate. He is a Demo- crat in politics, as was his father before him, and he and his wife are consistent members of the Presbyterian Church at McDonald.

On Oct. 1, 1862, Mr. Byerly was married to Rachel Ellen Potter, daughter of Joseph R. and Margaret Pot- ter, and three children have been born to this union: Clarence E., an oil producer of California; Mary Agnes, wife of J. W. Wallace, and Joseph W., in the mercantile business at Pittsburg, Pa.

J. H. KURTZ, a representative business citizen of Washington, Pa., a member of the Kurtz & Ramsey Monument Company, is a representative of one of the oldest families of Juniata County, members of which colonized Kurtz Valley prior to the Revolutionary War. Mr. Kurtz was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1863.

When seventeen years old Mr. Kurtz went to Lan- caster, Pa., and began to serve an apprenticeship as marble and granite cutter and completed his trade at Newport, in Perry County. Since then he has been employed in some of the largest shops in the country, learning important details and different methods so that he can claim an all round education in his special line of work. In 1903, when he came to Washington, h'e entered the shops of the Howarth Marble and Monu- mental Works, and after the death of Mr. Howarth he managed the plant until in April, 1809. Then, in asso- ciation with U. B. Ramsey, he formed the present com- pany. They are so equipped that they can do all kinds of marble and granite work and they have every reason to expect a prosperous business career.

In 1889 Mr. Kurtz was married to Miss Louisa Kern, of Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pa., and they have had four children born to them: Earl, Hazel, Carl and Marian, a band of bright and intelligent public school students. Mr. Kurtz and family are members of the Jefferson Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church and he is the much beloved superintendent of the Sunday- school. He is a member of the beneficiary order of Pro- tected Home Circle.

HON. JOHN N. McDONALD, deceased, who served in the State Legislature from Washington County, Pa., in 1853 and 1858, and held many other positions of honor, trust and responsibility, was long a representative citizen of his county and a respected resident of Me- Donald. He was born in Robeson Township, Washing- ton County, Pa., Feb. 10, 1820. His education was ob- tained in the subscription schools. On Oct. 29, 1862, he married Elizabeth M. Lee, a daughter of Maj. William Lee, of Cross Creek Township, and they had the fol- lowing children born to them: Edward, Jane Craig, Mar- garet, William Lee and J. Nesbit.

In his early years of manhood, Mr. McDonald was a Whig, but later identified himself with the Republican party and became a man of wide influence in its ranks. In addition to serving in the Legislature, he was a dele- gate to the Union State Convention, in 1856, and a rep- resentative delegate in 1876 and again in 1880 and once again in 1884. For many years he was a member of the board of directors of Washington and Jefferson College. He was deeply interested in schools and religious bodies and formerly was a trustee in the First Presbyterian Church at Candor, but in 1886 he became an elder in the First Presbyterian Church at McDonald. His death occurred May 23, 1889, and his burial was in Raccoon Cemetery.

Edward McDonald, the eldest son, was born on the old homestead at McDonald Jan. 11, 1864, and in 1884 was graduated at Washington and Jefferson College. He then took charge of the home farm in partnership with his father, and carried on farming and stock rais- ing until April, 1892, when he was elected president of the First National Bank at McDonald.

This bank was organized June 15, 1892, with a capital stock of $50,000. Its president was Edward McDonald; vice president, W. B. Moorhead; cashier, G. S. Campbell; and assistant cashier, Miss Ida V. Steen. The directors were: W. B. Moorhead, Samuel Shane, J. R. Gladden, J. D. Sauters, D. Campbell, P. Hoey, Samuel Sturgeon, J. Hunter and Edward McDonald. The present officers are the same as at first with the exception that J. D. Sauters is vice president in place of W. B. Moorhead, deceased. The present board of directors are: Edward

Khu Z. Mi Dowall

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

McDonald, J. D. Sauters, G. S. Campbell, C. Ferguson, N. G. Cook, Mel Moorhead, J. N. McDonald, Samuel Shane and D. Campbell.

WILLIAM W. THOMPSON, an unusually prosperous agriculturist of Independence Township, where he owns a fine farm of 174 acres, was born in Cross Creek Town- ship, Washington County, Pa., Mar. 6, 1858, and is a son of James. and Mary A. (Provines) Thompson.

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History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 130

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1474

Author: McFarland, Joseph Fulton; Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1474