History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics, Part 48

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320

USA > Pennsylvania > McKean County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Potter County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Elk County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Cameron County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 48

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

MOSES REIS, of the firm of Wagner & Reis, theatrical managers, Brad- ford, was born in New York City, June 20, 1851, a son of Samuel and Caro- line (Bear) Reis, who were natives of Germany. Mr. Reis removed with his parents to Titusville, Penn., in 1863, remaining there until 1876, when he came to Bradford. He was engaged in the grocery business, both in Titus- ville and Bradford, until 1877, in which year he and Mr. Martin W. Wagner became associated in theatrical management. In politics Mr. Reis is a Repub- lican. He is a thirty-second degree Freemason, also a member of the Knights of Pythias.

T. W. ROBERTS, manufacturer of wooden oil tanks at Bradford. was born in Leyden, Lewis Co., N. Y., June 6, 1847, a son of William and Jane (Evans) Roberts, natives of Wales, former of whom came to this country in 1839, locating in Lewis county, N. Y., June 2 of that year. Mr. Roberts' mother died when he was but an infant, and from that time until he was eleven years old he had his home with Robert Morris. In 1871 he came to the oil fields of Pennsylvania, and drove a team for his brother, who was in business at

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

Parker's Landing, subsequently becoming a partner. In 1878 he removed to Bradford, where he has since been engaged in his present business. He was married in his native county in 1877 to Miss Winnie Jones, a native of Lewis county, N. Y., daughter of John E. and Mary (Perry) Jones, who were na- tives of Wales. Mrs. Roberts is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Roberts is a member of the I. O. O. F., lodge and encampment. In poli- tics he is a Republican.

WILLIAM ROBERTSON. of the firm of Robertson & Son, manufacturers of oil-well tools, Bradford, was born near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, Septem- ber 29, 1822, a son of William and Isabella (Fergusson) Robertson, both born within two miles of the town named. He was reared and educated in his native county, and there learned the blacksmith's trade. When twenty years of age he went to England, where for eleven years he worked at his trade, being in the employ of railroad companies or contractors for the same. His first railroad work was on the Lancaster & Carlisle, at Kendall, Westmoreland, for Brassey, MeKenzie & Stevenson; he next went to Shiffnal, Shropshire. where he had charge of the shops on the Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railroad; then went to Grant- ham, Lincolnshire, and took charge of the shops on the London & York Rail- road; thence moved to Bacup, and was engaged on the East Lancashire Rail- road; from there he went to the Canada Works, Birkenhead, and for some time worked for Jackson, Peto, Brassey & Betts, and was by them engaged in 1852 to go to Canada to take charge of the shops on the Grand Trunk Railroad. Thither he went in 1853, and was manager of the Grand Trunk Railroad shops there for a few years, then left on his own account and was in business for himself in Stratford, county of Perth, Ontario, for some years, remaining in Canada a period of about ten years. In about the last year of the war of the Rebellion he came to the United States, and has been in the oil region of Penn- sylvania ever since the Pithole excitement began until the present time. For the first six years after his arrival in the States, he was engaged in the manu- facture of oil-well tools at Pithole City and Petrolia, and in 1880 came to Brad- ford. where he has since carried on the same business most successfully in partnership with his son, Daniel W. The marriage of Mr Robertson took place in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, in 1848, to Miss Harriet Guy. who was born near Wellington, Shropshire, England, and six children were born to the union, of whom only two are living: Maggie and Dan W. Mrs. Robert- son and the youngest child died in Petrolia in 1880, and are interred side by side at that place; two of the children died at birth. Mr. Robertson is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, and his son, Dan W., is a Knight Templar. In politics Mr. Robertson is a Republican. and while at Petrolia served as a mem- ber of the town council.

E. W. ROLFE, oil producer, Bradford, was born in Concord, N. H., August 12. 1849. a son of H. M. Rolfe, an iron manufacturer of Pittsburgh, Penn .. where E. W. was reared. The first business experience of our subject was as clerk in his father's office, and in 1869 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, being the first to fill that posi- tion. He continned with the railroad company two years, and in 1872 located in Elk county, Penn., where he embarked in the lumber trade, and for eleven years conducted an extensive business, having in his employ from 300 to 400 men. A town was established near the place of his operations, which still bears his name. In 1883 he sold his lumber interests, moved to Bradford and began operating in oil. His first experience in that line of business was while clerking for his father, at which time he bought land near Parker's Landing. Penn., and had several wells drilled. He now has interests in the oil fields of

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Washington, Allegheny and Butler counties, and also in the lower oil fields. He is an active business man, and is a member of the oil exchange. He has served as a member of the board of health of Bradford, four years, from 1884 to 1888. In politics he is a Republican. Mr. Rolfe was married in 1870 to Elizabeth Davis, and they have four children: Herman, Margaret, Emma and Mary. Mrs. Rolfe is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

D. H. ROOK, funeral director and undertaker, Bradford, was born in Centre county, Penn., October 31, 1842, a son of William and Sophia ( Woomer) Rook. William Rook was born in the town of Chambersburg, Md., January 4, 1816, and Sophia Woomer, his wife, was born near Bald Eagle, Penn., January 1, 1816. They were both of German origin, and were married July 13, 1837. William Rook was a forgeman by trade, which he followed until 1840, when he abandoned it and engaged in lumbering and various other pursuits until his death in June, 1874, his wife having died some years pre- viously. The children born to the marriage of William and Sophia Rook were nine in number, and named, respectively: Susan, Decatur, Martin G., David H., Caroline E., Eliza, George W., William G. and Mariah J. The eldest of these, Susan Rook, born April 14, 1838, was married to Richard Phillips, of English origin, and became the mother of two sons and four daughters: she died in October, 1865, and her husband a few years later. Decatur Rook, born October 7, 1839, died at the age of about two years. Martin G. Rook, born November 1, 1840, married Miss Nettie Gearhart, a native of Pennsyl- vania and of German descent, and to this union have been born six children, all living but one; the family reside in Clearfield, Penn., where Martin G. is · engaged in the clothing business. Caroline E. Rook, born October 25. 1844, was married to Abednego Woomer, of German extraction, and has borne four children, all girls; the parents and children are still living. Eliza Rook was born April 14, 1846, and died April 3, 1852, aged five years, eleven months and nineteen days. George W. Rook was born April 12, 1848, and died April 5. 1852, at the age of three years, eleven months and twenty-three days. William G. Rook was born September 27, 1850, and married Miss Anna E. Erb, of German extraction, and to this union have been born three sons and one daughter, but the eldest child, a son, died in August, 1889; the remainder of the family now live in Berwick, Penn., where Mr. Rook is conducting an extensive livery business. Mariah J. Rook, born March 25, 1853, was but a few months old when her mother died; she was reared and cared for by her aunt, Mrs. Betsey Goss, until her marriage with Jacob Moyer, of German origin, and settlement near Kylertown, Penn.

David H. Rook, the fourth child and third son of his parents, was born at . the date and in the county named at the opening of this sketch, at Allegheny Forge, located on the Phillipsburg and Bellefonte turnpike, Rush township, in which forge his father was employed. The family soon moved to Phillips- burg, and a year later, when about six years of age, our subject was placed in charge of Henry Baughman, a cousin, residing on a farm in Samburn settle- ment, Clearfield county, with whom he remained until sixteen years of age, assisting on the farm for his board and clothes. He then returned to his father, who at that time lived about two miles from Phillipsburg on the old Erie Pike (the mother being then deceased), and went to work with him and an elder brother at lumbering, to the almost entire neglect of his education, the advantages for which were very limited. In the spring of 1860 he went to Phillipsburg and engaged at small wages with John Morgan, a cabinet-maker and undertaker as well as carpenter; a year and a half later he went to work for William McClelland, who was then running a muley saw-mill, but afterward

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

put up the first and largest steam-mill in Centre county, on what was then known as Bear Run, and here Mr. Rook gained a fair knowledge of the mill- wright trade, which, in conjunction with carpenter work, he followed for some years. In the spring of 1864 he went to Port Matilda. Centre county, where he went to work for John I. Thompson, in the lumber business. Here, in a short time, he made the acquaintance of Miss Margaret Griffiths Jones, young- est daughter of John H. Jones, a native of Wales, who came to America when a boy, and about 1816 married Mrs. Mary Tombelson, by whom he became the father of twelve children, viz .: John G., Eliza G. (deceased), Marshall W. (deceased), Edward P., Ann P., Levie, Elizabeth (deceased), Edie R., Johnston (deceased), Margaret G., George T. and Ellen (the last-named also deceased). September 10, 1864, Mr. Rook took to wife Miss M. G. Jones aforesaid, the ceremony taking place in the Methodist Episcopal parsonage, and the officiat- ing clergyman being Rev. H. M. Ash, who then had charge of the denom- ination at Port Matilda. April 11, 1865, the young couple began house keep- ing, and in October they found themselves in a snug little home of their own, with workshop and wareroom attached, ready for the undertaking business, which Mr. Rook then began and has continued ever since, a period of about twenty eight years. In October, 1865, Mr. Rook united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife a few years later; subsequently, in 1868. he donated $150 toward the erection of a new church edifice, the former one hav- ing been destroyed by fire. In 1873 he bought a site, and built an extensive planing-mill, with new machinery, and in 1876 purchased the Jones farm, on which his wife had been born and reared, and on which he erected a handsome new building and an extensive new barn, and other necessary outbuildings. In 1878 he sold his then prosperous planing-mill to Hoover, Hughes & Company, but for two years was retained by that firm as its manager, when, finding his shop and farm demands increasing, he resigned and devoted his entire atten- tion to these interests. In 1884 failing strength caused him to relinquish his farm and shop at Port Matilda, both of which he sold, together with his dwell- ing, and then took his family to Curwensville, Clearfield county, where he bought a new home, engaged in mercantile business, and continued undertak- ing until November 1, 1885. when he came to Bradford, his present place of residence, and bought out the Webster Undertaking Company, which he still continues to manage. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Rook have been born nine children as follows: Harry H. (married to Emma E. Evey, and the father of one son), George M. (deceased), Benner T. (deceased), Mary E. (mar- ried to Merritt E. Starr, and the mother of one son and one daughter, the daughter now deceased), Eliza T. (deceased), Edith A. (deceased), Chauncey B., David F. and Cambridge G. Mr. Rook is a member in good standing of the the following secret societies: A. O. U. W., Knights of St. John and Malta, Royal Templars of Temperance, E. A. U., Iron Hall, S. K. of A. O. U. W., Improved Order of Red Men, F. & A. M. and the S. T. M. R. A.

HENRY SAALFIELD, proprietor of the "Arlington Hotel," Bradford. was born in Germany, December 8, 1854, a son of John C. and Margaret S. (Plogfhoft) Saalfield, also natives of Germany. He left his native country for the United States in 1870, landing in New York City, and soon after removed to Titusville. Penn., where for a time he clerked in the "American House." He then went to Petrolia, Butler county, where he engaged in business for himself. In 1872 he moved to Lancaster, Penn., thence to Armstrong county, same State, and then again to Petrolia, where he conducted the "Griffin House " a time. In 1878 he formed a partnership with George R. Griffin in the production of oil, which he has since continued, and they are

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also partners in the hotel business, Mr. Griffin having charge of the oil inter- ests and Mr. Saalfield of the hotel. Mr. Saalfield was married, in 1883, to Mary, daughter of James H. Lewis of Meadville, and they had three children : John S., Florence M., and Charles H. (who died at the age of one year). Mrs. Saalfield is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Saalfield in politics is a Republican. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has taken the thirty-second degree.

CHARLES SAMUELS, dry goods merchant, Bradford, is a native of Ger- many, where he lived till manhood, receiving a collegiate education. In 1868 he came to America, and soon after located at Union City, Penn., where he engaged in the dry goods business. He has moved several times, but finally, in 1879, located in Bradford, where he has since lived, and is now carrying ou an extensive dry goods, carpet, and millinery trade. He aims to keep a com- plete and varied stock of goods to please all tastes, and his store, which is well fitted up. is one of the best in its line of trade in the city. Mr. Samuels was married in 1881 to Miss Clara Rosenstein, and they have two children: Lillie and Rosa. He has three sons by a former marriage: Israel. Moses and Abra- ham. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Samuels are Israelites. In politics he is a Democrat.

GEORGE SANFORD, retired, Bradford, is one of the few men now living in that city who have watched the development of Mckean county from a wilderness to its present state of thriving villages and towns. In the early days he cut logs, rolled them into the creek at Bradford, and took them thence to the river, and so on to Cincinnati, Ohio, having made thirty trips to and from that city on such business. He was born in Columbia county, N. Y .. January 23, 1810, a son of John and Hannah (Hicks) Sanford, natives of New York, of English de- scent. He was reared a farmer, but after he attained his majority learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked in addition to farming. He came to McKean county in 1838, and here bought considerable land (a part of which was afterward within the corporation limits of Bradford), which, at the time of the oil boom, he leased for several years, and several good producing wells were drilled on his land. He has sold a number of lots, but still owns twelve acres within the city limits. Mr. Sanford was married July 21, 1841, to La- vantia Whitaker, a native of Rochester, N. Y., daughter of Jonathan and Betsy (Lafferty) Whitaker. They have two children: Albina T. (wife of F. W. Davis) and Emily R. (wife of Frank P. Wentworth). In politics Mr. Sanford is a Republican.

CHARLES E. SCHEANCK, wholesale produce merchant, Bradford. was born in Allegany county, N. Y., March 31, 1864, a son of W. C. and Polly M. (Ellsworth) Scheanck, natives of that county, and who still reside there. His father is a mechanic by profession, and politically a strong sup- porter of the Prohibition party. Charles E. was educated at the public schools, and learned the trade of a paper maker, which he followed for five years. In 1886 he came to Bradford, and engaged in his present business, the firm being then Russell & Scheanck, formerly Madison, Russell & Co., and during last year Mr. Scheanck purchased the entire business which he now conducts at 19 Kennedy street. In 1887 he married Miss Nellie, daugh- ter of William Davidson, of Allegany county, N. Y. Mr. Scheanek is a member of Angelica Lodge, A. O. U. W., and the Bradford Tribe of the Maccabees He is a strong supporter of the Prohibition party.

O. F. SCHONBLOM, president of the Bradford National Bank. Brad- ford, is a native of Prussia, born September 26, 1838, a son of John P. and Elizabeth (Schutz) Schonblom. He is the eldest of a family of six

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

children. His parents came to the United States when he was a child, and settled in Buffalo, N. Y., where he was reared. He has lived in Bradford since 1879, and is one of the leading business men of the place. Mr. Schon- blom was married in Erie county, N. Y., in 1864. to Miss Christine Burkhal- ter, a native of New York, of French descent, and they have three children: Anna (wife of Thomas H. Kennedy), Clara and Harry. In politics Mr. Schonblom is a Republican. He is a Knight Templar.

J. L. SEYFANG, of the firm of Bovaird & Seyfang, manufacturers, Brad- ford, was born in Germany May 3, 1844, a son of George and Mary B. (Heim) Seyfang. His father died in Germany in 1849, and in 1850 his mother came to America with her three children, J. L. being the eldest, and settled in Buffalo, N. Y. Mr. Seyfang was reared in Buffalo, where for a time he attended the graded schools, but in his youth learned the machinist's trade, at which he served an apprenticeship of four years. He then worked at his trade in Buffalo two years, and in 1868 moved to Petroleum Centre, where he was employed at the oil wells five months, and then returned to Buffalo, and worked at his trade a year. Early in 1869 he came to Shamburg, Ve- nango county; in 1875 he removed to Titusville, Crawford county, and in 1879 established his present business on a small scale. His trade has con- stantly increased from the start, and is now the largest manufacturing estab- lishment in the city, giving employment to 200 men. In 1875 he admitted David Bovaird as a partner, who has charge of the outside work, Mr. Sey- fang being manager and general superintendent of the factory. They manu- facture steam-engines, boilers, drilling tools, and all kinds of special machin- ery. Mr. Seyfang was married in July, 1869, to Miss C. T. Montgomery, a native of Franklin, Venango Co., Penn., a descendant of the old Dutch colon- ists. They have six children: Kittie A., M. M .. John E., Charles F., Clarence L. and Herbert C. Mr. and Mrs. Seyfang are members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican, and was president of the common council of Bradford.

P. M. SHANNON, oil producer, Bradford, was born September 2, 1846, in Shannondale, Clarion Co., Penn., a son of C. S. and Martha (McFarland) Shannon, natives of Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish and English descent. He was reared in his native town, and had just entered on his college course, when, January 1, 1862, in response to the President's call for more men to assist in suppressing the Rebellion, he enlisted, and being of manly appearance was able to deceive the enrolling officer as to his age. He was assigned to Com- pany C, Sixty-second Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, under Col. Samuel W. Black, of Pittsburgh. He served with his regiment in the army of the Potomac, until the battle of Gaines' Mills, Va., where he was wounded in his right foot, and thus being disabled for further service he was discharged and returned home, and after his recovery was employed in Pittsburgh, Penn., as a traveling salesman. While visiting Parker City, Armstrong Co., Penn., in 1870, he be- came interested in the workings of an oil well, and immediately turned his at- tention to that business which he has since followed. He was one of the pioneers of Millerstown, Butler county, operating extensively in that section, as well as in most of the lower oil fields. He removed to Bradford in 1879, where he has since made his home, and has here been associated with some of the largest operators. Mr. Shannon has taken an active interest in politics in the ranks of the Republican party. In 1873 he was elected burgess of Millers- town, and in 1876 he was nominated on the Republican ticket to represent his district in the Legislature, but on account of a strong feeling against the oil men the vote of the oil portion of the county was thrown out of the convention,

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thereby defeating him. In 1885 he was elected mayor of Bradford, and being firm in his convictions in favor of morality and in enforcing the law, he gained considerable popularity and credit for such successful administration. His brother, ex sheriff Irwin M. Shannon, of Clarion county. is as strongly Demo- cratic as he is Republican. Mr. Shannon married June 18, 1881, Miss Hattie M. McIntosh, daughter of George W. and Anna (Evans) McIntosh, and they have one child, Hazel M., born May 28, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Shannon are members of the Episcopal Church congregation, of which church he has been a vestryman seven years at Bradford. Mr. Shannon is a prominent Mason, hav- ing attained the thirty second degree. He is member of Union Lodge No. 334. F. & A. M. ; past high priest of Chapter, No. 260, R. A. M .; member of Bradford Council, No. 43; past eminent commander of Trinity Commandery. No. 58. K. T., all of these bodies located at Bradford: he is also a member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, thirty second degree, sitting in the Val- ley of Pittsburgh, Penn., of the N. M. J., U. S. A.

S. R. SHEAKLEY, superintendent of the Forest Oil Company, Bradford, was born in Butler county. Penn., July 14, 1846, a son of John and Catherine (Keep) Sheakley, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. His father died in 1852, leaving a family of seven children, of whom S. R. was the fourth. He was reared on a farm and was given good educational advantages, attend- ing Dayton College in Armstrong county, and Union Academy, from which he graduated in 1866. He then went to Kentucky, where he was engaged in the oil business. From there he proceedel to West Virginia, thence to Ohio, and from there to MeKean county, Penn., in 1877. Mr. Sheakley was married in November, 1882, to Nellie C. Cameron, daughter of John Cameron, and they have two children: John C. and Fannie. Mrs. Sheakley is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In politics Mr. Sheakley is a Republican, and he is a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity.

W. P. SHOEMAKER, M. D. (deceased), was born in Armstrong county, Penn .. June 6, 1848, a son of Jesse and Snsan (Brubaker) Shoemaker, both natives of Pennsylvania, and of German descent, former of whom died, in 1856, in Armstrong county, where he spent his entire life. Dr. Shoemaker was the seventh in a family of nine children, of whom the three youngest were phy- sicians. He was given fair educational advantages, attending for a time the State normal school at Millersville, Penn. Choosing the profession of medi- cine, he began its study, and finally gradnated in 1874 from the Michigan Uni- versity (Department of Medicine) at Ann Arbor. He first located in Ontario, Canada, where he remained three years, when he returned to his native State, settling in the oil regions. In 1880 he came to Bradford, Mckean county, where he soon had a good practice. He afterward took a post-graduate course at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City, and in 1884 went to Eng- land, where for a year he practiced in the London hospitals. Returning to Bradford in 1885, he was for some time surgeon for the Erie, the New York & Pittsburgh, and the Bradford, Bordell & Kinzua Railroads. He was a mem- ber of the State and County Medical Societies (being president at one time of the latter), and also of the American and International Association. He was a Knight Templar. Dr. Shoemaker was generous in the bestowal of his chari- ties, and left at his death a large circle of friends to mourn his loss.

HENRY J. SIEGFRIED, druggist, Bradford. was born in Mercer county. Penn., March 5, 1853, the eldest son of Daniel M. and Anna (Myers) Sieg- fried, natives of Berks county, Penn., of German and English ancestry, who now live in Dakota. After leaving school Mr. Siegfried began clerking in a drug store at Franklin, Penn., and later took up the study of pharmacy. In

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

1880 he removed to Bradford, where he became established in business for himself, and has built up a large trade. He makes a specialty of compound- ing physicians' prescriptions, and has a goodly share of that branch in the drug business in the city. He is recognized as a careful and reliable pharmacist, and his honorable and upright dealings with his enstomers have gained the confidence of the community. Mr. Siegfried was married August 11, 1885, to Miss Marion Baker, daughter of Daniel Baker, of Allegheny City, Penn. Mr. Siegfried is a member of the German Reformed Church; his wife of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. Siegfried is a Democrat. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

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Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320