Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 132

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 132

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HU.Clark

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Lewisberry, York Co., Pa., March 5, 1807, and Catherine Clark, was born Jan. 13, 1832, and died Sept. 10, 1893, in Indiana county. and died Aug. 23, 1845. She was the daughter of Samuel Grove of Susan Clark, the fifth child of Virtue and June 13, 1834, and died Feb. 17, 1882. She was a very estimable woman. She married William Hamilton, of Montgomery township, and her children were Ada, Frank, Anzon- ette, John and Aubrey. that place, and her grandfather, Samuel Catherine Clark, was born at Lewisberry, Grove, was born in Germany, near Holland, where he was a large land owner. He came to America, landing in New York, and emi- grated to Lancaster county, Pa., where he followed gunsmithing and manufactured edged tools in Fairview township, near Lew- Sylvester Clark, the sixth child of Virtue and Catherine Clark, was born Dec. 19, 1835, and died July 23, 1837. isberry borough. At the time he built his shop there the Indians were still numerous. He married Katy Ensminger. Their son, Sam- uel Grove, married Hannah Reinhart, a native of New York, daughter of Joseph and Susan (Danner) Reinhart, and they had a family of twelve children.

Samuel Clark, eldest son of Virtue and Catherine Clark, born March 30, 1828, died April 2, 1891. After reaching maturity he engaged in lumbering and farming. He was also an expert riverman, being known as through pilot on the Susquehanna river, tak- ing timber rafts down the river its entire length. This was considered a very hazard- ous undertaking and anyone competent to engineer safely one of these rafts was much sought after, and his services were always in great demand. He had numerous narrow escapes from total destruction, both of life and property, intrusted to him, but always managed to come through safely with both. He married Lavina Bostic, to which union four children, one daughter and three sons, were born, Jeanetta, Edward, Merrel and James. At the outbreak of the Civil war lie enlisted in the 206th Pennsylvania Volun- teer Infantry for one year. This regiment was with the Army of the Potomac. and saw some severe service.

Jane Clark, the second child of Virtue and Catherine Clark, was born Aug. 9, 1829. Early in life she allied herself with the Methodist Protestant Church and engaged very earn- estly in all church work. She was noted for her Christian attitude during her whole life, and was much thought of and looked up to by her neighbors and associates. She mar- ried Dec. 24. 1850, George Rank, of Mont- gomery township, Indiana Co., Pa., and their children were two sons and two daughters, Ira C., Anzonette P. (Mrs. A. C. Rankin), Malinda Jane (widow of Dr. H. H. Jacobs) and Samuel K.

James Clark. the third child of Virtue and Catherine Clark, was born Oct. 20, 1830. and died April 24, 1859.

Hannah Clark, the fourth child of Virtue

Luther M. Clark, the seventh child of Vir- tue and Catherine Clark, was born July 1, 1837, taught school for several years, and then entered mercantile life, establishing a general merchandise store which proved suc- cessful and is still conducted by his daugh- ters. He was also engaged in the lumber business. He married Elmira Hazlett, to which union one son and five daughters were born : Alpheus B., Cora J., Mary, Sibyl, Blanche and Dolly. Mr. Clark died aged sixty-five years.

Alpheus Bryan Clark, the eighth child of Virtue and Catherine Clark, was born Oct. 9, 1839, and became a farmer and lumber- man. When the Civil war broke out he en- listed in the 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry for three years or during the war. This regiment was with the Army of the Po- tomac and saw fierce fighting. He was en- gaged in fifteen severe battles and innumer- able skirmishes, serving under Gen. George B. MeClellan and others who succeeded him un- til the battle of Gettysburg, and was in the thick of the fighting at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Charles City Cross Roads, Second Bull Run, Chantilly Court House, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg. Chickahominy, Chancellors- ville, Manassas Gap and numerous others. At Gettysburg he was wounded, and was mus- tered out about six months after the bat- tle owing to disability caused by his wound. His graphic description of his ex- periences and all that goes along with a life amid such stirring events is both entertain- ing and interesting. In 1906 he moved to Maryland, where he is now engaged in farm- ing and stock raising. In 1868 he married Larue Thompson, of Indiana county, Pa. His children are Minnie V., Earnest B., Wilbert T., Charles E. and George A.

John W. Clark was given the best education obtainable in the country schools and at an early age demonstrated his business ability by saving what little money he could earn and investing in timber and coal lands. When

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

he was twenty-five years old he was exten- pany, of Sapulpa, Okla .; Sapulpa Refining sively engaged in rafting booms, spars, square Company, of Sapulpa, Okla .; Bull Moose Oil Company, of West Virginia; MeKim Oil Com- pany, of West Virginia; United States Land & Lumber Company, property located in the State of Durango, Mexico ; South-Mere Farms & Fruit Company, of Indian River, Fla .; Arcadia Water Company, of Arcadia, Pa .; Arcadia Land Company, of Arcadia, Pa .; Indiana County Street Railways Company, Indiana, P.a .; Diamond Glass Company, of Indiana, Pa., and the Farmers' Bank, of Indi- ana, Pa. He was one of the chief factors in the reorganization of the Farmers' Bank of Indiana, in which his brother, J. O. Clark, is a director. and round timber on the West Branch of the Susquehanna river, some years handling as many as seventy-five rafts of square tim- ber and 15,000,000 to 18,000,000 feet of round timber, which was marketed at Lock Haven, Williamsport, Havre de Grace and Baltimore, Md. After the disastrous flood of 1899 Mr. Clark ceased operations on the Susquehanna river and gave most of his time to the purchase and development of coal lands in Indiana county. He and the late Col. E. A. Irvin, of Curwensville, Pa., sold and leased the coal lands where the towns of Arcadia and Wilgus are located. He was actively en- gaged in real estate operations on a large On Aug. 24, 1890, Mr. Clark married Verna scale. His ability as a financier led to his L. Darr, daughter of A. W. and Jane E. Darr, being chosen president of the First National Bank of Glen Campbell, Pa., which institu- tion opened for business July 24, 1899, an office which he held continuously from the date of its organization until his death. Dur- ing his administration the bank prospered in an exceptional degree, paying dividends in excess of one hundred per cent in less than six years.

On Aug. 13, 1867, Mr. Clark was married to Adah S. Hiddleson, and to this union were born: Harry Edgar, Feb. 16, 1869; Joseph Oscar, Sept. 7, 1871 ; James H., July 27, 1874 (died Ang. 20, 1879) ; Samuel L., June 13, 1879; Edna R., Feb. 6, 1883.

HARRY E. CLARK, son of John W. and Adah S. Clark, was born Feb. 16, 1869, in Mont- gomery township, Indiana Co., Pa., and was given the best educational advantages obtain- able in the locality, attending the Cooper school, and later studying at Dickinson Sem- inary at Williamsport, Pa., for a term of three months. In the pursuit of business Mr. Clark has followed a vigorous policy, char- acterized by enterprise and daring, which have won deserved success. His larger in- terests are now in his lumbering operations, carried on chiefly in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, his dealings in lumber having reached such proportions that he manufactures and handles from forty-five to fifty million feet annually. He main- tains wholesale offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburg, Pa. The numerous other success- ful enterprises with which he is connected in- clude the Clark Brothers Coal Mining Com- pany, of Philadelphia, Pa .; Hillsdale Coal & Coke Company, of Glen Campbell, Pa .; Elec- tric Coal Company ; Laurel Oil & Gas Com-

and they have had children as follows: John W., Jr., born July 28, 1891, who graduated from the Wharton School, the financial de- partment of the University of Pennsylvania; Mary R. and Martha B., twins, born Oct. 6, 1893, who graduated in June, 1913, from the Birmingham School for Girls, at Birmingham, Pa., with the highest honors of the class of twenty-three members; Ruth E., born Sept. 22, 1895; and Woodward D., born Sept. 5, 1898.

JOSEPH O. CLARK, son of John W. and Adah S. Clark, was born Sept. 7, 1871, in Montgomery township, Indiana Co., Pa. He began life on the farm and received his edu- cation in the public schools, Dickinson Semi- nary, at Williamsport, Pa., the Germantown Academy, of Germantown, Pa., and Eastman Business College, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. At the early age of eighteen he engaged in the mercantile business, which he successfully conducted until the bituminous coal strike of 1894, heavy losses incurred during that year resulting in a sale of the business at a sacrifice. During the latter part of 1894, without capital, but with a determination to succeed, he engaged in the lumber business, at Glen Campbell, Pa., with M. C. Watson, Esq., of Indiana, Pa., forming a partnership under the title of Watson & Clark.

In 1899 Mr. Clark took an active part in the organization of the First National Bank of Glen Campbell, serving as director of that institution until the year 1905, when, by unan- imous vote, he was elected president, succeed- ing his father, who died in the early part of 1905. Mr. Clark is actively interested in many other successful enterprises, in various parts of the country, such as the Clark Broth-

SL daw

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ers Coal Mining Company, of Philadelphia, and later at Glen Campbell, working in the Pa .; Hillsdale Coal & Coke Company, of mercantile store of S. J. Smith mornings and Glen Campbell, Pa .; Electric Coal Company; evenings. In the fall of 1896 he entered Laurel Oil and Gas Company, of Sapulpa, Bucknell Academy, at Lewisburg, Pa., grad- uating in the class of 1899. It was about this time that the First National Bank of Glen Campbell was organized. and he took up the duties of bookkeeper in the bank. About a year later the cashier of the bank secured a position with a larger bank in Pittsburg, and Mr. Clark was tendered the position of cash- ier, which he accepted with much gratification. He administered the affairs of his position Okla .; Sapulpa Refining Company, of Sa- pulpa, Okla .; Bull Moose Oil Company, of West Virginia ; MeKim Oil Company, of West Virginia ; United States Land & Lumber Com- pany, property located in the State of Durango, Mexico; South-Mere Farms & Fruit Company, of Indian River, Fla .; Arcadia Water Company, of Arcadia, Pa .; Arcadia Land Company, of Arcadia, Pa .; Indiana County Street Railways Company, in a healthy and satisfactory way to both stock- Indiana, Pa .; Diamond Glass Company, of Indiana, Pa., and the Farmers' Bank, of Indi- ana. Pennsylvania.

Mr. Clark is a member of the various bodies of the Masonic fraternity, viz., Indiana Blue Lodge, No. 313; Williamsport Consistory : Ze- rubbabel Royal Arch Chapter, No. 162, Pitts- burg, Pa .; Jaffa Temple, Mystic Shrine, Altoona, Pa .; also a member of the Pennsyl- vania Society of New York, and the Manufac- turers' Club of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Clark has a well-balanced nature, de- veloped in his years of varied experience. He was only a young man when he lost heav- ily through business reverses beyond his control, but he set to work resolutely to re- trieve his losses, and the same spirit has marked all of his subsequent career. He has the faculty of conserving his energies, using time and strength to the best advantage. His influence and kindly assistance liave often been extended to start others on the road to success, or give a friendly lift when it would be of value, and he is invariably charitable to the deserving. His genial manners and friendliness toward all have gained him an enviable reputation as one who has none but kind feelings for all of his fellowmen.

On Sept. 24, 1895, Mr. Clark married Win- ifred J. Patchin, daughter of Aaron W. and Elizabeth Patchin, of Patchinville. Clear- field Co., Pa., and to this union three sons have been born: Aaron P., Nov. 23, 1897; an infant son, July 19. 1906, deceased ; and Joseph Oscar, Jr., March 9, 1908. The family home is a magnificent residence at Glen Camp- bell, delightfully situated on a hill, and many visitors are welcomed and entertained there.

SAMUEL LUTHER CLARK, son of John W. and Adah S. Clark, was born in Montgomery township, Indiana Co., Pa., June 13, 1879, and received his early education at the Clark school, attending summer school at Hillsdale 44

holders and depositors until 1908, when he was obliged to withdraw to take up actively his personal matters. However, he was elected a vice president, which office he has since held. In 1908 he moved to Torresdale, Philadelphia, taking active charge of the Clark Brothers Coal Mining Company's bitu- minous coal business. In 1910 he purchased a home in Camden, N. J., where he now re- sides, still continuing his office in Philadel- phia. In addition to his coal business and banking interests, Mr. Clark is largely inter- ested in timber lands and crude oil produc- ing properties.

In 1900 Mr. Clark married Margretta Irland Stadden, daughter of David I. and Annie K. Stadden, whom he had met while attending school at Glen Campbell, Pa. To this union there have been born three sons and two daughters: David Stadden, March 28. 1901; John Willard. Dec. 11. 1902: Sam- uel Luther. Jr .. Sept. 17, 1904; Adah Hiddle- son, June 28, 1906 (who died Dec. 25, 1908) ; and Annie Kohler, Jan. 20, 1911.

Mr. Clark is a member of the F. & A. M., having joined John W. Jenks Lodge, No. 534, Punxsutawney, Pa .. in 1901, and is also a member of the Scottish Rite at Williamsport, Pa .. and the Mystic Shrine of Altoona. Pa .: he is also a member of the I. O. O. F .. Glen Campbell. Pa .; the Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia, and the Camden Republican Club of Camden, New Jersey.

DILL. The Dill family, in whose honor Dilltown. in Buffington township, is named, has been represented in various sections in Pennsylvania since Colonial days. The an- cestor of the branch in Indiana county to which Harry Royer Dill, a resident of Buffing- ton township, belongs was Col. Matthew Dill, one of the first settlers of the vicinity of Dills- burg, York Co., Pa., where he located about

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

1740. He came from Monaghan, Ireland, and burg is built, and another part is a valuable was of Scotch-Irish descent. The name Dill is Danish. The ancestors moved to England and some of them from there to Scotland, during the time of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell.

ore bank. He was also granted a tract of land in Washington county, Pa., known as "Dill- wood." He married twice. Late in life he moved to Fairfield, Adams county, where he died-in April, 1812-and was buried. He During the troubles immediately before the French and Indian war Col. Matthew Dill I, the settler, was one of the five com- missioners-one of whom was Benjamin Franklin-appointed to make a treaty with the Indians at the Crogan fort, which was located near the Susquehanna, in the lower end of Cumberland county, Pa. He after- ward took part in the French and Indian war, commanding a company against the Indians. In 1749 he was one of the eight justices of the left six sons, Col. Matthew Dill III (ancestor of the family in Buffington township, Indiana county ), Maj. James Dill, Col. John Dill, Capt. Thomas Dill, Dr. Armstrong Dill and George Dill, all of whom entered the Con- tinental army. Capt. Thomas Dill, student at Princeton College, was wounded at the battle of Brandywine. He was afterward presented by his father the tract of land called "Dill- wood," where he moved. His daughter, Jane Dill, married Henry Wilson, from whom de- peace and justice of the court of Common scended Rev. Thomas B. Wilson, and whose Pleas of York county. He died Oct. 13, 1750, aged fifty-two years, and his remains rest with those of many of his descendants in the fam- ily graveyard (which is Presbyterian) a short distance west of Dillsburg; the spot is marked by a marble slab. He had seven sons, and a daughter, Mary, who married Col. Richard McAllister. children are Rev. Maurice Wilson, of Balti- more, and Rev. Calvin D. Wilson, of Harford county, Md. Dr. Armstrong Dill (son of Col. Matthew Dill II), a graduate of Princeton College, died Dec. 31, 1788, at the age of twenty-seven years. His widow, Ann Dill, married Dr. John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Col. Matthew Dill II, one of the sons of Col. Col. Matthew Dill II also had six dangh- ters, as follows : Elizabeth, who married Thomas Sanderson, and settled in Brushvalley township, Indiana county, where some of her descendants now live (two of her great-grand- sons are Dr. John Dill Robertson and Dr. William Robertson, of Chicago, Ill.) ; Jean, wife of John Calhoun; Abagill, who married Adam Richey; Martha, who married a Mr. Dixon ; Nancy; who married a Mr. Armor, and Mary, who married a Mr. Williams. Matthew Dill I, the settler, was very promi- nent in York county during the Revolution. In October, 1764, he was appointed justice of the peace and the court of Common Pleas, under the Colonial government, and continued in the same office upon the adoption of the constitution of 1776. He served in the Gen- eral Assembly in 1777-78-79. During the year 1779 he was appointed sub-lieutenant of York county to organize the county militia, and served in that office from January, 1781, to Col. Matthew Dill III was born in York county, Pa., and settled in Indiana county, on what is now the old Dill farm near Dill- town, some time prior to 1784, remaining there until his death, some time after 1829. He and his wife were both buried in the old Mathews graveyard in East Wheatfield town- April, 1783, during which time he paid to various captains of companies $2,136, in gov- ernment money. The names of these persons, most of whom lived in the upper end of York county, according to his account, paid by the government July 1, 1788, were William Dodds, Alexander Nesbitt, John O'Bleanes, ship. He married Ann Crane, daughter of Andrew Wilson, Thomas Gould, John Mc- Richard Crane, of Cumberland county, Pa., and they had eight children: Matthew IV, mentioned below; Richard, who married Martha McCartney, and died some years later in Wisconsin (their daughter Eliza married Ephraim MeKelvy) ; John and George, who both went West when young men, and all trace of them was lost; Parmelia, who mar- ried James Findley and settled in East Wheatfield township; Harriet, who married Robert Luther, of Ligonier, Pa .; Ann, born in 1799, who married David Faloon, and settled Master, William Coulson, William Ashton, Daniel Williams and Peter Spese. On March 30, 1780, he was appointed one of the three commissioners to seize the personal effects of Tories in York county. For a short time after the war he was president of the court of Com- mon Pleas. Colonel Dill commanded the 5th Battalion of York county for three years, and was one of the framers of the State constitu- tion in 1790. For his services in the army he obtained a free patent for a tract of land three leagues square, on part of which Dills- in East Wheatfield township; and another

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

daughter who married and went to Chicago, business in the manufacture of shooks. For Ill., but whose name cannot be learned.

Matthew Dill IV, son of Col. Matthew Dill IHI, was born Oct. 3, 1785, in what is now Buffington (then Wheatfield) township, and in 1803 learned the trade of spinning-wheel- wright with Thomas McCartney, the first sheriff of Indiana county. Spinning-wheels of his make (with his stamp "M. D." upon them) are highly prized as relics in the neigh- borhood. His first marriage, in 1807, was to Margaret McCartney, daughter of Joseph Me- Cartney, and by her he had one child, John Galbreath, born Oct. 10, 1808. His wife died Sept. 18, 1809. On Nov. 15, 1810, he married (second) Mary McCartney, a daughter of George McCartney, a wine merchant of Dub- lin, Ireland, and who came to America about 1780 and settled in what is now Blacklick township, Indiana county, near the present town of Jacksonville; she was no relation whatever to his first wife's family. Matthew Dill IV and his wife settled on the land now known as the "old Dill farm" in Buffington township, which he purchased from his father in 1810. He brought the first cooking stove to this section of the county. They remained on this farm until his death, March 25, 1847. Mrs. Dill lived with her son James until her 1885, at Dilltown.

three years he resided at Johnstown, Pa., where he was in the insurance business. Mov- ing back to Dilltown, he passed the remainder of his life there. In 1850 he laid out on the William Stephens land the town which was originally called Franklin, the name being changed to Dilltown in his honor, and he es- tablished a general store there in 1858. He also had an interest in a general store at Ar- magh, in East Wheatfield township, and was one of the leading merchants of this section in his time. IIe was considered the best edu- cated man in southern Indiana county, and was consulted by many on questions of all kinds, so great was the confidence his fellow citizens had in his judgment. He was the first justice of the peace of Buffington town- ship, serving two terms in that office. For one term he served as auditor of Indiana county. He was connected with the Baptist Church at Brushvalley and was a liberal con- tributor to its support, and his wife gave the ground for the present Baptist Church at Dilltown in 1897; he was superintendent of the Union Sunday school at Dilltown for a number of years. In political opinion he was a Republican. His death occurred Nov. 22,

On Feb. 3, 1851, James C. Dill married Re-

death, which occurred June 28. 1871. They had three children: Elizabeth, who died at becca Conrad, who was born March 12, 1830, the age of twelve; George, and James C. in Huntingdon county, Pa., daughter of Rev. Matthew Dill IV and his two wives were Samuel and Catherine ( Mattern) Conrad, and buried in East Union cemetery.

died Nov. 23, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Dill are buried in the Armagh cemetery in East Wheatfield township. They had children as follows : (1) Laura Mattern, born Nov. 9, 1851, died Jan. 5, 1910. She married Nathan B. Westbrooke, of Montgomery county, Pa.,

James Coulter Dill, younger son of Matthew Dill IV and his wife Mary (McCartney), was born June 22, 1825, on the old Dill homestead in Buffington township, and began his educa- tion in subscription school there. Later he became a student at the Indiana Academy, and had four children: Charles B., who has and pursued his higher studies at Washington been married three times, to Bertha Shaffer (deceased), Lucy Row (deceased), and Mabel Tazewell, respectively; Carrie, who married W. Hanrattie and after his death Phillip Fox, who is also deceased; Harry, deceased. who married Abbie Simkins; and Ida, who died when twenty-seven years old. (2) Ilarry Royer is mentioned below. (3) Caroline Maud, born Oct. 5, 1856, died Aug. 26. 1905. She married John Lowman, and resided at Johnstown, Pa. They had children: Bertha, Roy Leyton (a lieutenant in the United States navy), Mary, Helen, Rose and John. (4) Lizzie Rebecca. horn Oct. 7. 1858, married William G. Stewart. (5) John Barvey, born Feb. 3, 1864, died Nov. 28, 1871. (6) Rose and Jefferson College, Washington, Pa., and Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., graduating from the latter institution in 1849. He was a classmate of Chauncey M. Depew and Ches- ter A. Arthur, and a member of the Ade- phorum fraternity. His special studies were in civil engineering. Returning to his native town he became one of its most prominent · citizens. Farming was his principal business, and he was highly successful in that line, ac- quiring the ownership of nearly 840 acres of farm and wood land, the resources of which he turned to good account. Besides cultiva- ting the arable land, he was extensively en- gaged in cattle raising, did a large amount of lumbering and teaming, and did quite a large Lee, born March 6, 1867, resides with Mrs.

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

W. G. Stewart; she has been an invalid for head nurse at the Conemaugh Valley Memorial the last eight years.

HARRY ROYER DILL, son of James Coulter comer, who on Dec. 25, 1912, married Edith Dill, was born March 13, 1853, on the old Dill Flo Mack, daughter of Robert and Ida Mack,

homestead at Dilltown, and began his edu- cation in the common schools of Buffington

George Dill, second son of Matthew Dill IV township. Later he attended select school at and his wife Mary (McCartney), was born in

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 132

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930