History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 196

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

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dren. He subsequently came to Washington County, ac4 companied by his wife and several of his children, and settled in East Finley Township, not far from where the East Finley postoffice is now located. He and his wife remained residents of this locality for the rest of their lives.

One of the children who accompanied them to Wash- ington County was their eldest son, George Ealy, born in 1773. He became a successful farmer in East Finley Township. He married Christina Ealy, born in 1786, and they had children: John, Polly, Henry, George, Michael, Martin, Mary and Christina. The last men- tioned married Silas Sprowls, whom she survived. George Ealy, the father of the above named family, died June 19, 1869, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1849.

John Ealy, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in East Finley Township, in 1803. He was brought up on the farm and in 1834 married Eleanor, daughter of John Sprowls, of East Finley Township. Their children were: Nancy, Jane, John N., Lewis, David, George W. and Silas, all of whom attained adult age. John Ealy, the father, died November 4, 1857; his wife September 9, 1886.

John Nelson Ealy was given a substantial common school education. He was instructed in all the details · of practical agriculture by his father, and at the latter's death came into possession of the home place. He has since resided here engaged in general agriculture and in the raising of blooded stock, making a specialty of sheep, in which line of effort he has been very success- ful. His farm, which consists of 270 acres, is highly improved and the surroundings are indicative of thrift and good management, though without parsimony. Noth- ing essential to the equipment of an up-to-date stock farm has been neglected, and Mr. Ealy is now recog- nized as one of the leaders in his line of industry in the township, or, indeed, in this part of the conty gen- erally.

Mr. Ealy has served East Finley Township six years as school director, proving a competent official. He is a member of the United Brethren Church at Fairmount. A part of his farm-about 104 acres, is in West Finley Township. Mr. Ealy has never married.

George W. Ealy, mentioned above as a brother of the subject of this sketch, was born in Cross Creek Town- ship, July 8, 1847. He was educated in the common schools and came to East Finley Township when young. Here he learned farming under his father and devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. His death occurred in October, 1899. He was married December 17, 1872, to Miss L. V. Carroll, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Seeman) Carroll, and their children were: Mary E.,

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

born October 26, 1873; William Hazlett, August 3, 1876; and John Hamilton, August 14, 1880. The parents were members of the U. B. Church at Fairmount.

F. W. FISCHER, a well-known citizen of South Stra- bane Township, Washington County, which he is serving at present in the office of roadmaster, is a busy and successful farmer and resides three miles northeast of Washington, Pa., where he owns sixty-four acres of ex- cellent land. He was born in Hanover, Germany, No- vember 19, 1866, and is a son of Frederick and Sophia Fischer, both of whom spent their entire lives in Ger- many. Two of their children, Louisa and Ernest Fischer, still reside in Germany. One daughter, Mrs. Charlottie Seelhorst, who is a doctor now residing in Allegheny City, came to America four years before F. W. Fischer followed. A son, Henry Fischer, had also been in America for two years prior to the coming of the younger brother. Henry Fischer died July 9, 1909.

F. W. Fischer was seventeen years of age when he came to Washington County, having previously attended school in Germany. He secured farm work in North Strabane Township and lived with the Quail family for four and one-half years, then married and after that lived at the home of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Ellen Ed- wards, for one and one-half years, but continued to work on the Quail farm, to which he then moved and lived there for two years. From there he moved to the D. D. Porter farm and from that property to the Ed- wards farm, where he remained for eighteen months and then purchased ten acres of George Watterson. There he made improvements, repairing the house and building a stable and lived on that place for ten and one-half years, working for the Quails however all this time. He sold that farm to the local coal company and in 1892 came to his present place in South Strabane Township. The land had been cleared and the coal all sold before he took possession, but the improvements are all of his placing and all the buildings now standing were erected by him. He carries on a general line of agricultural work.

On November 8, 1888, Mr. Fischer was married to Miss Susan Edwards, a daughter of Stewart and Ellen (Uhler ) Edwards. The father of Mrs. Fischer was born at Belfast, Ireland, and came to America when twenty years of age. He married Ellen Uhler, a daugh- ter of Samuel and Nancy Uhler, and they had four chil- dren: Adaline V., who died in infancy; George B., who lives near Manifold, in South Strabane Township; Susan, who became Mrs. Fischer; and Thomas U., who lives in South Strabane Township. Stewart Edwards died in 1880 and his burial was in the Canonsburg Cemetery. His widow survives and lives near Manifold, Pa. He

was an independent in politics and both he and wife belonged to the Baptist Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Fischer have four children: George, Thomas, Ernest and Susan Freda. Mr. Fischer and family belong to the Lutheran Church. He is an inde- pendent Democrat in his political opinions and has fre- quently been elected to township offices, serving in an important one at the present time. He served twice as clerk on the election board and once was appointed con- stable, but declined to accept the office.

HENRY SMITH, a prosperous and enterprising citi- zen of Union Township, Washington County, Pa., who is engaged in general agriculture and dairying on a farm of 150 acres, located on the electric railroad just north of Finleyville, was born on the old home farm at Castle Shannon, Pa., February 2, 1849, and is a son of John and Ann (Croco) Smith.

This branch of the Smith family is of Irish extrac- tion and was founded in this country by Robert Smith (1), a native of Ireland, born in 1732, who came to the United States at a very early period and settled on a tract of timberland in the southern part of Allegheny County, Pa., in 1770, where he followed farming the remainder of his life. His wife's maiden name was Willson, and to this union were born, Eliza (Mrs. Nuss- kelly ), William, John, married and moved to French Creek, Crawford County, Pa .; Robert (2) and Polly (Mrs. Robb).

Robert (2) married Jean Moore, who was of Scotch ancestry. Her parents emigrated to America from Bel- fast, Ireland, in 1738, to Peach Bottom, York County, Pa. With them they brought their religion, being stanch Presbyterians of the old faith. They bought a tract of land adjoining that of Robert Smith (1) in 1774 and by the marriage of Robert Smith (2) to Jean Moore, these two tracts of land come under the name of Smith- some 300 acres well timbered and underlaid with the Pittsburg vein of coal, which has remained in the Smith name down to the present generation, Robert Smith (4), of Donnout, Pa., and John C.

To this union the following children were born: Daniel, who lived in Kansas; Jenny (Mrs. Robert Cooley), of Beaver County; Mary Ann (Mrs. Henry Keifer), of Beaver County; Agnes (Mrs. Jacob Keifer), of Beaver County; Robert (3), who lived in Iowa; Polly (Mrs. John Lessnet), of Bridgeville, Pa .; Mar- garet (Mrs. James Orr), who lived in Ohio; William, who lived at Bulger, Washington County, Pa .; and John, the father of our subject.

Grandmother, Jean Moore Smith, lived to be ninety- one years of age and often gathered her grandchildren around her and told how she hid in the woods and corn

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

fields to escape the Indians. She was also acquainted with Gen. Israel Putman.

John Smith was born in 1815 at Castle Shannon, Alle- gheny County, Pa., and spent his entire life on the old homestead engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married Ann Croco, who was born in 1820 in the same vicinity and died January 10, 1905. She came of a distinguished family, tracing her ancestry back to Croco Castle, Po- land, which is still preserved to the present day. Her grandfather was wounded in the battle of Brandywine. She had three brothers serve in the Union army and one in the Confederate army. She lived to be eighty- five years of age and several reunions were held at the old homestead, where as high as eighty-five children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered around to make her happy.

To John and Ann (Croco) Smith were born: Eliz- abeth Jane, who married William Thompson, of Smith- burg, Pa .; Margaret Ann, who is the wife of John Mc- Ewen, Beadling, Pa .; Robert (4), of Donnout, Pa .; Henry; Mary Angeline, who is the wife of George Mc- Anulty, of Knoxville, Pa .; Lucinda, who married T. Mc- Nutt, of Brush Valley, Pa .; John C., of Smithburg, Pa .; Isabella F., who is the wife of W. H. H. Wilson, of Fin- leyville, Pa .; Etta R., who married H. Gearhold, of Gree- ly, Kas .; Anna M., who married Charles Martin, of Castle Shannon, Pa .; and Miss Adeline Moore, of Castle Shan- non, Pa. John Smith died on the home farm in 1882.

Henry Smith spent his youth on the homestead place, attended the schools of the township, and early in life began working on the home farm. Here he remained until after his marriage, at which time he came to his present farm, which he purchased from N. VanVoorhis and which is known by old residents as the Fair Ground farm. He has since followed general farming and dairy- ing, shipping milk to Pittsburg, and in 1888 he erected the commodious frame house which the family now oc- cupy. Mr. Smith was married January 9, 1872, to Emily Uhr. She is a daughter of Matthias and Regina (Sny- der) Uhr, of Castle Shannon, Pa., who came from Weis- baden, Germany, in 1851, and bought the present- farm, where she still resides at the age of eighty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Smith have reared five sons, all of whom have had college educations: Edward Uhr, Class of "97,"' Pennsylvania State College, took up mining engineering, but after leaving college, specialized on bridge building, in which he has been very success- ful, and took an active part in the construction of the largest drawbridge in the United States-that is the double-deck drawspan-over the Harlem River, New York City. He is now located with the Fort Pitt Bridge Company, Canonsburg, Pa. He married Nellie Beam Wilson and they have had the following children: Henry

Ainsworth, who is preparing for High School; Emily Ruth, Nellie F. Wilson, Lois Delena and Virginia Moore.

John Henry took dairying and agriculture in "98" at the Pennsylvania State College. After leaving col- lege he worked with the Pittsburg Coal Company on an engineering corps. He is now engaged in farming with his father. Married Levinia Smith.

L. Robert (5) took a Mechanics Art course in "04'' at the Pennsylvania State College after leaving college, worked in the templet shop of American Bridge. Com- paný, also held the position of superintendent of Pitts- burg Vanadium Company. At present he is contracting for himself. He married Helen V. Cheeseman.

Howard I., Class "07," Mining Engineer, after grad- uating took a post graduate course, receiving degree of E. M. Resigned the professorship of metallurgy and assaying at the Pennsylvania State College (1909) to ac- cept a position as chief engineer of the Corona Copper Company, Wenden, Ariz., where he is at present.

Frank M., senior in Class "1910," pursuing a course in forestry, has been offered a position with the Penn- sylvania Railroad Company.

Mr. Smith takes an active part in church work. He was a prominent figure in organizing the Finleyville Presbyterian Church, of which he was a trustee for eighteen years and of which church all of his sons and their families are members, Edward U. being an elder and superintendent of the Sabbath-school.

He always took an active interest in affairs of the Democratic party and has served as school director, town- ship treasurer and county committeeman; has also seen many changes since he located on this farm. One-third of the farm was then standing timber. This has all been cleared off. Coal was just beginning to be mined three miles away on the Monongahela River. In 1876 the Pittsburg & Southern Railroad narrow gauge was built through the farm and this railroad gave way to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad through Finleyville. He has seen the village of Finleyville grow from six houses, one store and one blacksmith shop to a town of 600 population, being the center of business in the mining of coal in the district. He has also seen gas territory developed and receives gas from a well on the farm for all domestic purposes. He has also developed an ex- tensive stone quarry on the farm, from which building stone is furnished and limestone for macadamizing. streets and roads. The Charleroi Electric Line was built through the farm in 1904 and it has been paralleled by a Flinn road, thus making a pike all the way to Pitts- burg. Also the rural telephone has been developed, he being a director in the Bethel Telephone Company. He thus has all the comforts of a city home-telephone, gas,

9048m

DAVID A. TEMPLETON

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

free delivery of mail, hot and cold water in the house, „electric cars every half hour, steam road and macadam- ized road.

DAVID A. TEMPLETON, postmaster at Washington, Pa., has been identified with this office, either as chief or assistant, for the past eleven years and has one of the best organized forces in this section of the State. He was born at Washington, Pa., April 6, 1845, and is one of a family of seven children born to his parents, who were Dr. Joseph and Helen (Murdock) Templeton. For a number of years the late Dr. Templeton was a prominent physician and surgeon, and during his later life conducted a drug store at Washington.

David A. Templeton was reared at Washington and completed his education at Washington and Jefferson College. In 1863 he enlisted for service in the Civil War, entering Co. A, 100th Pa. Vol. Inf., and was honorably discharged July 24, 1865, with the rank of corporal. He then returned to Washington and shortly afterward embarked in a railway and express business. With the exception of a few years that was his main business until he was appointed postmaster on June 27, 1906. For eight years previously he had served under Postmaster W. H. Underwood and was thoroughly quali- fied for this important office. Since taking charge on July 15, 1906, he has inaugurated many reforms in the management of the office, all tending to better service to the public, proving himself possessed of much or- ganizing and executive ability. The Washington office is one of much importance and in the proper handling of the mails he has William H. Jones as his assistant and has forty other people on his payroll.

Mr. Templeton was married to Miss Anna S. Morgan, a daughter of Jacob Morgan, and they have one son, George D. Mr. and Mrs. Templeton are members of the First United Presbyterian Church. Their pleasant home is situated at No. 239 Jefferson avenue. He is identi- fied with the Grand Army of the Republic.

DR. CHARLES LEWIS EHRENFELD became a citizen of Washington County in 1871 upon his becom- ing principal of the Southwestern Normal College, char- tered as State Normal School of the Tenth district and located at the borough of California, on the Monon- gahela River. He took charge July 18, 1871, being then in his thirty-ninth year.

He is a native of Mifflin County, youngest child of Med. Dr. Augustus Clemens Ehrenfeld, and his wife, Charlotte Catherine Stitzer, daughter of Henry Stitzer, an American soldier of the Revolution.

In his seventh year his father died, but this did not defeat his father's ambition as to his boy's education. What the local schools could not give him he acquired

in his home. Two brothers were college bred, besides two brothers-in-law, who were much of the time mem- bers of his home circle. One of these was John Brown Brackenridge, of Brownsville, Pa., principal of the Academy at Lewistown, Mifflin County, an enthusiastic scholar, a physician, afterwards minister of the Gospel, a cousin by the way, of Henry M. Brackenridge, author of History of the Whiskey Insurrection.

But the boy had inherited the spirit and traditions of ancestral scholarship and of the liberal professions. His father and three of his immediately preceding lineal ancestors were educated at German universities, one of whom, John George Ehrenfeld, born 1638, was Judge of the Court in the "imperial free city" of Heil- bronn Würtemberg, Germany, dying in 1706, the year in which Benjamin Franklin was born.

Not the least factor in the boy's education were the frequent discussions in his home circle of questions of religion, education, politics and slavery.

Personal friendships of his brothers and the progress- ive spirit of the President of Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Ohio, were the occasions of his going thither where he graduated in 1856, was then tutor there two years; studied theology two years, when he was called to First Lutheran Church at Altoona, Pa. In same year married Helen M., daughter of Warner Hatch, of Spring- field, Ohio, and granddaughter of Asa Hatch, of Massa- chusetts, captain in the Revolutionary War.

He was in the active ministry eleven years at Altoona, Shippensburg, Hollidaysburg, Pa. These were regarded by many of his friends as the most strenuous and most important in his career. In them occurred the terrible Civil War, in which he was not a cipher. In those years also occurred a reactionary movement in his denomi- nation against which he set himself and was "on the firing line." No place here for these chapters in his life.

Soon after resigning his congregation at Hollidays- burg in 1871 he was invited to visit the Normal School above named, though he had never before known of either the school or the town. Under the advice of others and the express desire of the Department of Public In- struction he accepted the prospectively trying position and entered upon its duties in July, 1871.

The population of the village where the school had been located scarcely equaled one thousand, but among them were some of the excellent of the earth that have always been an effective leaven for good in the com- munity; and there were some who, though possessing no wealth, aimed nevertheless at large things. Among the founders of the village were some "Forty Niners," who fondly named it California, not foreseeing what an un- fortunate handicap they were putting on the town and the school.

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

Mr. Ehrenfeld soon learned that the school financially had come to a "standstill," but that it was mortgaged for all its property could bear with a floating debt be- sides. Of Mr. Ehrenfeld's administration, of the rescue of the school and of its obtaining "recognition" by the State, May 26, 1874, the reader may find an account in a chapter of history now in the publishers' hands. January 1, 1877, Mr. Ehrenfeld resigned the Normal School to become financial secretary of the Department of Public Instruction. The next year he was appointed State Librarian. His conduct of that department, the report he made of the gaps in it, the appropriations he obtained and the valuable collections of books secured for it made his administration an epoch in its history; but Mr. Ehrenfeld would not be satisfied to omit saying that the present governor, Edwin S. Stuart, then at the head of the "Old Leary Bookstore," helped much by his intelligent co-operation in several ways, to make that uplifting of the State Library possible. Some time after he had taken charge of the State Library he was asked to become principal of one of the new State Normal Schools, but, although the offer was tempting, he was not yet rested from the weary toil of the school he had recently resigned.

But in 1882, after he had entered upon his second term as State Librarian, he resigned to accept a pro- fessorship of Latin, afterwards of English and Logic in Wittenberg College, his alma mater. There he re- mained ten years.

In 1893 he was engaged chiefly in journalism, when he was requested by the board of trustees of the South- western Normal School to act as its principal that Dr. T. B. Noss might have a year's leave of absence to study in Europe. He acceded to their request and except for two short intervals he has been connected with the school ever since, having acted as its vice principal till the year before the lamented death of Dr. Noss.

Dr. Ehrenfeld had five children, of which three sons survive, all of whom are college graduates, two of them post graduates of the University of Pennsylvania, the other also a student there for a year in Department of Philosophy. All are occupying chairs as teachers.

JACOB GERLEIN, a highly, esteemed citizen of Scenery Hill, where he now conducts a popular hotel, was for many years engaged in blacksmithing in this section of Washington County, Pa. Mr. Gerlein was born in Bavaria, Germany, April 23, 1846, and was twenty years of age when he came to the United States.

On locating in New York City, Mr. Gerlein engaged in the blacksmith business, which he later carried on in Philadelphia, and in Lehigh County, between Bethlehem and Allentown. He then went back to Philadelphia, whence he removed to Baltimore, Md., and subsequently

to Cumberland, where he was engaged in business until locating on the present site of Scenery Hill. Here he. erected a shop and started to build up a large trade. He met misfortune when his shop was destroyed by fire, but nothing daunted, he rebuilt his place of business, and continued to command a large share of the patron- age of the residents of his vicinity until his retirement in 1903. On February 28, 1905, he purchased his hotel property from Mrs. Tombaugh, which includes twenty- four acres of land, and since coming here he has made this hotel one of the most popular resorts in West Beth- lehem Township.

In August, 1868, Mr. Gerlein was married to Eliz- abeth Platts, daughter of Ignatius Platts, and three children were born to this union: Theresa, who married David Powell; Charles, who married a Miss Smith; and Henry, a musician and graduate of Thiel College, Green- ville, Pa. In 1893 Mr. Gerlein's first wife died, and she was buried at Scenery Hill. On April 14, 1896, he was married (second) to Katherine Gaus, and they have had two children, Jacob, who is attending school, and Joseph, who is at home.

THOMAS H. COWAN, residing in his pleasant home at Canonsburg, Pa., which is situated on Ridge avenue, is a very well known citizen of this borough and is one of the honored survivors of the great Civil War, in which he served with courage and fidelity for three years of his young manhood. He was born near Bridgeville, in Allegheny County, Pa., November 30, 1839, and is a son of George and Julia Cowan.

George Cowan was born at Mckeesport, Allegheny County, Pa., in 1812, one of a family of twelve chil- dren, and died at Canonsburg in 1898, surviving his wife for two years. In 1858 they moved to Canonsburg, where the father followed the shoemaking trade. They had the following children: Nancy Jane, who married John Scroggs, of Des Moines, Iowa; Thomas H .; Addie Jane, who died in Oregon; Alice, who married Mr. De France and lives at Youngstown, Ohio; George T., who resides at Houstonville, Pa .; Mrs. Fannie Case, -who lives in Nebraska; Mrs. Elizabeth Shaler, who lives in West Washington; and Theodore and Joseph, who died young.

Thomas H. Cowan attended the district schools until he was old enough to learn a trade, after which he worked with John McFarland, of Washington, for three years and then came to Canonsburg and continued at the same work until the opening of the Civil War. In August, 1861, Mr. Cowan enrolled as a private in Co. I, 1st Pa. Vol. Cav., and was honorably discharged three years later and was mustered out at Philadelphia in 1864. He had seen a large amount of serious fighting and participated in battles which will always be recalled

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HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

as the most hotly contested of the Civil War: Draines- ville, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg and Richmond. After his military service was over, Mr. Cowan returned to Washington County and settled in Chartiers Township, where he worked continuously at his trade until 1882, when he returned to Canonsburg, where he has resided, ever since and still continues actively en- gaged at his trade.

Mr. Cowan was married (first) to Miss Sarah Hall, of Washington, who died in 1892. Five children were born to that marriage, namely: Addie Jane, who is the wife of Addison McWilliams, of Canonsburg; Mary Tabitha, who is the wife of William Sheaf, of Canonsburg; Mar- garet B., who is the wife of James Melva Donaldson; Mary, who died young; and George F., who was acci- dentally killed on a railroad. Mr. Cowan was married (second) to Miss Sarah Patterson, a daughter of William and Jane Patterson, of North Strabane Township. To this marriage one daughter was born, Virginia, who is attending school. Mr. Cowan rejoices in the fact that he has twenty-one grandchildren and four great-grand- children, all of whom promise to reflect credit upon a virile ancestry and an honorable name. He is a Demo- crat in his political views. He is identified with the Union Veteran Legion, at Pittsburg, and with Chartiers Lodge No. 297, F. & A. M., at Canonsburg, of which he has been a member for thirty years.

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History of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens 20th century, Part 196

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