USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 114
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Soon after his admission to the bar he be- gan to take an interest in the development of the coal fields of Indiana county. Indeed, he may very properly be regarded as a pioneer in the development of the coal industry in this county. In connection with Henry and George Prothero he laid the foundation for opening up the mines of the Cush Creek re- gion in 1887 and has been interested in that section from that time to the present. After several years of effort they succeeded in hav- ing the Cush Creek branch of the railroad built from Mahaffey to Glen Campbell. They sold to the Glenwood Coal Company the lands operated by them near Glen Campbell, and thus began the operations which since that time have been extended in every direction in that part of the county. He believed then, and believes now, in the profitable operation of our coal lands, and has always been willing to back his faith by making investments in different sections of the county. The future of Indiana county is bright and promising and no one has greater faith in that future than the subject of this sketch. Mr. Elkin has been successful in his business affairs as well as in his professional life. His energy is untiring and his industry great. He is preeminently the architect of his own fortune, as he in- herited nothing but a strong body and a good mind. He possesses the qualities of energy 38
and decision and his success in life bears testimony to what can be accomplished by one who, possessing these qualities, knows how to use them.
Mr. Elkin is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia, of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, of the Clover Club, and of other fraternal and social or- ganizations.
He. made his first appearance as a public speaker in the campaign of 1878, when he was not yet nineteen years of age. This was at a time when the Greenback party was on the crest of the wave of popular approval all over the country. He took his position against the fallacies of the new party, and has always stood for sound money as the only basis to give substantial and enduring national and individual credit. In 1880 he stumped the county for Garfield and from that time until his retirement from political activity, in 1904, he participated in every State and national campaign. He believes that young men should cultivate the habit of public speaking, and the earlier they begin the sooner will they acquire facility of expression and ease of manner. It matters not how simple the start, or how unimportant the occasion, but there must be a beginning, if a young man ever ex- pects to become a public speaker. The old- fashioned literary society, and the debating club of the country school, were admirably adapted for developing a taste for public speaking. Mr. Elkin, in his teaching days, al- ways made use of the literary society and the debating club as the most available means of creating popular interest in the cause of edu- cation in rural districts. He believes in the country boy raised on the farm, or in the liomes of those who work for a living, and his experience has taught him that no boy so raised need despair of success if he has the ambition to succeed and the application neces- sary to work out results.
ELKIN FAMILY.
WILLIAM ELKIN, late of West Mahoning township, may be said to have been the head of the family in Indiana county. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, Feb. 3. 1804, and died at his home in the above named township May 28, 1896, aged ninety-two years, three months, twenty-five days. He was twice married, and raised two families. He was first married to Martha Beattie, who died in Ireland in 1849. Her children were: Francis, intermarried with Elizabeth Pratt; William, with Mary Elkin;
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James, with Jane Elkin; Henry, with Agnes eration are in professional life in England at Potter; Eliza, with John Bond; Anne, with the present time. Spencer Barrett, and Sarah, with James Chap- The authorities on genealogy hold widely dissimilar views regarding the origin of the surname Elkin. In "The Domesday," gen- erally regarded as an authoritative record in England, the name is said to be a combination of "Ella" and "kyn" and was used to desig- nate the followers of Ella, the leader of a band of Saxon invaders who landed in south Britain about the year 514 A. D. He be- man. Four years after the death of his first wife William Elkin married Jane Rippey, in 1853. The children of the second marriage were: David, intermarried with Etta Lowe; Martha, with Thomas Ralston; and John, with Emma Sprangle. All of these children lived in western Pennsylvania, where many of them with their families still reside.
In 1850 William Elkin made a visit to his came king of the South Saxons and with his son Francis, who lived in Pittsburg, Pa., and who had preceded his father to this country. After remaining here nine months William returned to Ireland and two years later came back to Pittsburg with his family. In 1854 he purchased the old homestead in West Mahon- ing township, upon which he spent the re- mainder of his life.
Martha Beattie, first wife of William Elkin, was the granddaughter of Joseph Hill, who died in Ireland in 1844 at the ripe old age of 107 years.
three sons and followers ruled those people for a long term of years. He was universally conceded to be the head of all the subsequent settlers in Britain-the first Bretwalda. In the history of the Northmen we find that "Ella" and " Alla" were used as interchange- able words and had the same meaning. Frequently the words "Ellakind" and " Alla- kind" were used in the sense of being synony- mous with "Englishman." According to a slightly different view the name Elkin, while used to designate an Englishman, is a modi- fication or corruption of "Alchen," a Shrop- shire land holder in the reign of King Edward the Confessor, the last of the Saxon kings of England. There can be but little doubt that the name Elkin is of Saxon origin and that it was used to designate the people who followed the fortunes of King Ella. According to Fer-
Francis Elkin, eldest son of William and father of Hon. John P. Elkin, died in Smieks- burg, Pa., Dec. 12, 1882, leaving to survive him a wife, Elizabeth (Pratt) Elkin, and six children : Elizabeth Caroline, intermarried with William Elkin; James Henry, with M. Ella Oberlin ; John Pratt, with Adda P. Proth- ero; Martha Cordelia, with W. D. McHenry; guson, a recognized authority on the origin of William Francis, with Ersie C. Maugans; and Margaret Alicia, with Robert Mckibben.
Martha (Beattie) Elkin, grandmother of Hon. John P. Elkin, had several brothers and derer. In this connection there appear in the sisters, but none of the old stock emigrated to old German language "alja," "Ello," and America. Her brothers, Henry, Robert, and John, were men of literary ability and became distinguished scholars. Henry was gradu- ated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1847. He won several scholarships during his uni- versity course in competitive examinations, and was graduated with distinguished honor. He took a theological course and became a clergyman in the Church of England. He The name Elkin is therefore of Teutonic and married the daughter of a bishop and resided near London, his children still living there. His brothers, Robert and John, followed in his footsteps in the matter of acquiring an education, but did not become clergymen. They prepared themselves for the profession of teaching and for many years were leading instructors in the Queen's naval schools. The Beattie family was inclined to intellectual pur- suits and its members took high rank in the The members of the Elkin family who set- tled in western Pennsylvania belong to the branch that emigrated from England to Ire- various callings and professions in which they became engaged. Many of the younger gen-
names, "Ella" is derived from the Gothic words "alius" and "alja," meaning a person from another country, a foreigner, or a wan- "Ella," and in the later German these words appear in their diminutive forms as "Alikin" and "Elikin"; while in the Anglo-Saxon these words appear as "Alchen" and "Elkin." From these words and their derivatives we learn two facts: 1. That the Saxon kings and their followers were inhabitants of the Con- tinent before they became invaders of Britain. not of Celtic origin. 2. That the original name was "Elkin" and not "Elkins," be- cause in all of the derivatives and roots there is no indication of the addition of the letter "s," which was probably added in England at a much later date. The two forms are used interchangeably and mean the same thing. Both branches of the family belong to the old Saxon stock.
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land in the seventeenth century. The exact 1880, it is recorded that Samuel S. Stephens, date of the settlement of the Elkin families in who lived in Brushvalley township, married a Ireland is not known. The best authenticated Rebecca Elkin in the early part of the nine- teenth century. This Rebecca Elkin was no doubt the daughter of Robert Elkin, who set- tled there soon after coming to this country. William Elkin, a nephew of Robert Elkin, emigrated from Ireland and settled here in 1853. He made a visit to Ohio for the pur- pose of locating the family of his uncle Robert, but found they had left there and moved to Missouri. It is known that Robert Elkin had a large family and numerous descendants, who no doubt live in different States of the south- west, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and southern Illinois. There is a large Elkin fam- ily in that section of the country and no doubt many of them are the descendants of Robert Elkin, the first of the family to settle in this country. tradition is that in the seventeenth century some members of the Graham, Ramsey and Elkin families emigrated from England to County Tyrone, Ireland, and settled near Omagh. Among those who thus settled in Ire- land was a certain James Elkin, of whose sub- sequent history little is known. Robert Elkin was the head of the chief branch of the family in Ireland. He came from England about the middle of the eighteenth century and settled near Omagh. He married Marjorie Woods, of County Fermanagh, where some of her relatives still reside. There is no definite in- formation concerning this Robert Elkin, but he had brothers and sisters and no doubt was closely related to the James Elkin mentioned above, who also came from England some years before. It is also very probable that he was a member of the family of William Elkin men- tioned in English history as an alderman of London, and also of John Elkin, one of the subscribers to the London Company's Colonies in America, 1609, and a merchant of London, where many members of the Elkin family of England lived.
The history of the second generation in Ire- land may very properly start with the children of Robert Elkin and Marjorie Woods, his wife. They were five in number: Robert, David, Francis, William and Mary, and were born at Mullinatomagh. The parents were stricken with fever and died when the children were comparatively young. They were taken into the family of William Smith, a neighbor, whose daughter Catherine afterward married David Elkin, the second son of Robert. David and his wife by their industry and thrift were soon able to purchase the farm known as Kil- buck, which has remained as a homestead in the Elkin family from that time to the present.
Robert Elkin, the eldest son of Robert and Marjorie (Woods) Elkin, came to America in 1794 and made his first settlement in Brush- valley township, Indiana Co., Pa. He was the first of the Elkin family to emigrate to America from Ireland. He was a farmer in Ireland and evidently decided to follow the same occupation here, and no doubt selected a farm in that section of Indiana county for this purpose. For many years he wrote an occasional letter to his friends in Ireland, but nothing was heard from him later perhaps than 1825, except that he had moved from Indiana county to the central part of Ohio. In the history of Indiana county published in
Francis Elkin, the third son of Robert and Marjorie ( Woods) Elkin, was born at Mullina- tomagh-the exact date of his birth is not definitely known, but was perhaps in the year 1784. He married Nancy Park, and to this marriage three children were born, William, Mary and Sarah. He died in 1864 and was buried in Lower Langfield cemetery, where his brothers David and William were also buried. In 1905 Hon. John P. Elkin, while on a visit to Ireland, caused a monument to he erected in the cemetery at Langfield to the memory of Francis Elkin, who was his great- grandfather, and also in memory of his grand- mother, Martha (Beattie) Elkin, who was buried at Cappah in 1849. Francis Elkin had the reputation of heing industrious, thrifty, intelligent and loyal to friendships, princi- ples, convictions and faith. He was a man of affairs and had the respect and confidence of his neighbors, relatives and friends. He lived a long and useful life and died contented and happy at the old homestead in Ireland. It was a matter of regret to him that most of his immediate family had emigrated to America, but he was reconciled because he thought they had greater opportunities here than they could have in the old country. He lived and died a member of the Church of England, the faith of his fathers.
William Elkin, familiarly called "Orange Billy," was the fourth son of Robert and Marjorie (Woods) Elkin. Mary Elkin, the fifth child, was intermarried with a Mr. Hun- ter, and many of the descendants of this fam- ily live in Canada.
That members of the Elkin family were en- gaged in various occupations and professions
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appears from the fact that in 1559 a certain Christopher Zug, who for reasons best known George Elkins was graduated from Oxford
to himself found it convenient to dispense with and became a clergyman of the Church of the services of Francis Elkin. This changed England; and a William Elkin was made vicar of the parish at East Cloyden, Bucking- hamshire, in 1405. Another William Elkin is mentioned in connection with his daughter Ursula, who married Sir Roger Owen, a promi- nent member of Parliament from the County Salop. The widow of this William Elkin afterward married Thomas Owen, father of Sir Roger, and a judge of the court of Com- mon Pleas during the reign of Queen Eliza- beth. The members of the original Elkin family lived in the south and east of England, especially near Cheltenham and in London. In the "Munimenta Gildhalae Londoniensis" there is a reference to a Robert Ellkyn, thus retaining in part at least the early form of spelling, a combination of "Ella" and "kyn." He was an office holder during Sir Richard Whittington's mayoralty in the sixteenth cen- tury. In 1547 a coat of arms was granted to Richard Elkins, and in 1593 another coat of arms was granted William Elkin, who was an alderman of Cripple Gate, London. About the same time the family coat of arms was authorized to be registered and is still adopted by the English branch of the family.
In western Pennsylvania the Elkin people are very generally engaged in agricultural pursuits. They are industrious, frugal, thrifty instrumental in building more than forty years and reasonably prosperons. They are loyal ago. In later years she attended Christ Church, Indiana, where she was much es- teemed by those who attended the services there. to friendships, devoted to their families and maintain correct standards in the domestic re- lation. They pay their debts, keep their con- tracts and save their earnings. They live the simple life and find recreation and enjoyment in wholesome things.
PRATT FAMILY.
ELIZABETH PRATT ELKIN, mother of Jus- tice John P. Elkin, was the youngest daughter of John and Elizabeth (Carden) Pratt. She was born on the old homestead in Queen's County, Ireland, July 16, 1833, and died at her home in Indiana, Pa., Jan. 2, 1913. She left Ireland in her eighteenth year and settled with friends in the city of New York, where she remained a few years, and then came to Pittsburg, where she first met and subsequently married Francis Elkin. The newly-married couple lived in Pittsburg, where the husband was employed as superin- tendent of the iron mills of John Lindsey, his uncle, who died suddenly during a visit to Ireland. The death of Mr. Lindsey left the business in the control of a junior partner,
the plans of Mr. and Mrs. Elkin, and during a visit to William Elkin, his father, who then lived in West Mahoning township, Francis Elkin concluded to buy a farm and engage in agricultural pursuits, which he did. Francis Elkin and his wife thus found their way into Indiana county and began their career here. They were industrious, saved their earnings and prospered. After spending several years on the farm they moved to Smieksburg, where they spent the greater part of their lives, re- maining until the death of the husband. Mrs. Elkin was a helpmate to her husband in every sense of the word, and loyally supported him in all of his undertakings. In adversity she cheered him; in sorrow she comforted him; and in success she rejoiced with him. She was loyal to his every interest and always willing to bear her share of the burdens. In religion she adhered to the faith of her ancestors, who for centuries were steadfast in their allegiance to the Church of England. She was confirmed as a member of the church in Ireland before departing for America and for more than sixty years remained true and devoted to the church of her choice. Her body lies at rest near the entrance to the little Episcopal Church at Smicksburg which her husband was
The Pratt family of Ireland were devoted followers of Oliver Cromwell, and were ranked among his favorite soldiers at the time of his invasion of Ireland. Prior to that time they had lived in England, but following the for- tunes of "Old Ironsides" they found their way into Ireland and became possessed of a considerable portion of the fair lands of Queen's County. John Pratt, father of Eliza- beth (Pratt) Elkin, was familiarly known as "Cromwell Pratt," because of his devotion and loyalty to the cause of the Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. The Pratts aided Cromwell in the storming of Drogheda in 1649 and some of them won dis- tinction for acts of valor in that engagement. This was a tradition in the family, passed down from one generation to another, the mention of which was always sufficient to stir the fighting spirit of the Pratts. John Pratt had a family of thirteen children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest. They
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scattered to the four corners of the earth, and spent the happiest days of her life among the their descendants may be found in Australia, people out there and it seemed most fitting New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and in that her body should rest where her heart was. several sections of the United States. All of the brothers and sisters predeceased Mrs. Elkin. It was always a matter of keen re- gret to her that she was separated from her brothers and sisters, for whom she had the deepest affection, but this was the fate which befell many an Irish family.
Justice John P. Elkin, who bears the name of his maternal grandfather, during a visit to Ireland caused a monument to be erected in the churchyard at Rathdowney in memory of John Pratt, who was buried there. He also caused another monument to be erected in the graveyard at Skirk, in memory of his grandmother, Elizabeth (Carden) Pratt, who survived her husband many years and died at eighty-nine. The Cardens were a large fam- ily and much respected. Some members of this family emigrated to Canada and were in professional life there.
The Pratt family were of Norman stock, and the tradition is that they came into England with William the Conqueror. After the Con- quest the Pratts and their numerous descend- ants lived in England for many centuries. A large branch of the family still resides there.
Mrs. Elkin came to this country in a sailing vessel, was shipwrecked, and after many trials and vicissitudes finally landed in New York harbor, having spent nearly three months on the ocean. It was an adventurous voyage and left her in dread of the storms of the sea. She never overcame this feeling, and as a result she was unwilling to revisit the old friends in Ireland whom she dearly loved and often talked about. In her bedchamber in the old home at Smicksburg hung the picture of an Irish maiden who had come to this country, underneath which were printed the following lines, no doubt expressive of her own senti- ment :
Erin, my country, though sad and forsaken, In dreams, I revisit thy sea-beaten shore; But alas! In a far foreign land I awaken,
And sigh for the friends who can meet me no more.
She was a devoted wife, a good mother, a loyal friend, and steadfast in her convictions and faith. Her wish was that she be buried by the side of her husband in the old church- yard at Smicksburg, and this was done. She
LOUGHRY. In the mercantile circles of the borough of Indiana no name has held more honorable place than that of Loughry, still represented there by the members of the firm of W. R. Loughry & Co., the leading general merchants. In former years James A. Loughry and Samuel Lucas Loughry, broth- ers of William R. Loughry, both of whom died in their prime, were also in business there, the latter as junior member of the firm of W. R. Loughry & Co., the former for some time associated with the original house from which this grew and later on his own account.
William Loughry, the great-grandfather of William R., James A. and Samuel Lucas Loughry, was born in the North of Ireland and came to the United States when a young man. He was a farmer by occupation. He was a member of the famous Boston Tea Party, and served as a soldier during the Revolution.
James Loughry, son of William, was born in Indiana county, Pa., in the early days of the settlement of this section, and became a farmer. He died at the age of about seventy. He married Anna Wilson.
William Loughry, son of James and Anna (Wilson), was for many years a school teacher in Indiana county, becoming very well known in that connection. He was endowed with high musical talents and was quite noted as a singer. For many years he was prominently identified with the Queens Presbyterian Church, which he served for several years in the capacity of deacon. He died in Sep- tember, 1859, aged forty-six years. In 1838 Mr. Loughry married Margaret Lucas, who was born Ang. 18, 1818, in Indiana, danghter of John and Susanna Lucas, and spent most all her life at her native place. Mrs. Loughry attained the great age of ninety-four years, dying Dec. 13, 1912, at her home on North Sixth street, Indiana. She was buried in Oakland cemetery. She was survived by one brother, William Lucas, of Willet, Indiana county ; by only two of her ten children, Wil- liam R. and Mary E. Loughry; and four grandchildren. At the time of her death Mrs. Loughry was the oldest member of the In- diana Presbyterian Church, and though in her closing days not often able to attend ser- vices continued her interest in the welfare of the congregation, among whose members she was sincerely beloved. She belonged to the
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various church societies and took an active Bank, remodeled to suit his special needs. Mr. part in the work of the congregation, having Loughry's methods were always above re- proach, his transactions square and satisfac- tory to all concerned, and he commanded a full share of patronage in the borough, where he was universally liked and . esteemed. Though he died when only forty-two years old he had been in poor health for the two years previous, and the best medical aid to be obtained in Indiana and Pittsburg afforded him only temporary relief. About a year before his decease he went to New York City, where for several weeks he was under the care of a leading specialist, but the improve- ment in his condition was only slight, and he failed rapidly until the end, July 18, 1896. His death occurred at his home on North Sixth street. Mr. Loughry's demise was looked upon as a loss to the whole community, and there were many demonstrations of sym- been associated with its life in, the three build- ings occupied in the last century. Though feeble in body in her later years she retained all her mental faculties to the end. Constant reading, in which she took deep enjoyment, kept her informed on the current happenings, and her excellent memory enabled her to re- call many things pertaining to the early his- tory of the town and county, particularly life and customs in the early days of the borough. She could remember when the present site of the place was a wilderness, and had watched all its prosperity and growth to its present importance. Her kindly disposition endeared her to a large circle of friends, and her pleas- ant life and the many happy associations of her early years made her a cheerful and de- lightful companion. The ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Loughry were: Susanna, pathy and grief from his various associates. who died in infancy; William R., head of the He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in Indiana Lodge No. 313, of the Royal Arcanum and the Cosmo- politan Club, the members of the latter or- ganization attending his funeral in a body. He was buried in the Loughry family lot in Oakland cemetery. firm of W. R. Loughry & Co., now living on East Philadelphia street, Indiana; Matilda A., who died young; Elnora, deceased; John E., who died at Harper's Ferry, Va., in 1863, when only sixteen years old, while serving as a Union soldier in the Civil war (his death was due to hard service and exposure) ; Rhoda J., deceased; Mary E., in partnership with her brother William in the firm of W. R. Loughry & Co., now living at the old home in Indiana; James A., deceased; Samuel Lu- cas, deceased; and Clara L., deceased.
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