Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 148

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 148

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).

On Oct. 1, 1857, Mr. Crawford married Mary R. Gourley, who was born Jan. 27, 1841, on the place where she now lives, in West Mahoning township, daughter of James and Margaret (Travis) Gourley. Her grandpar- ents, George and Rosanna (McNiel) Gour- ley, came to America from Ireland in 1816, and first located in Nova Scotia. They came to Pennsylvania, settling near Sinking Val- ley, Blair county, where Mr. Gourley followed his trade, that of blacksmith, for a time. Later he bought a farm in Indiana county, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying Sept. 6, 1853; his wife died Sept. 9, 1853 (both died of dysentery). He was a sincere member of the Presbyterian Church, and used to go eight miles through the woods on horseback to attend services. His children were born as follows: Thomas, Oct. 28, 1805 ; John, May 19, 1808 (died in May, 1891) ; James, Aug. 23, 1810 (died March 21, 1867) ; Margaret, Jan. or June 24, 1812; Alexander, June 4, 1814; George, March 17, 1816 (died Jan. 23, 1846) ; Rosanna, June 12, 1819; Arm- strong, Sept. 15, 1820; Robert, May 27, 1822; Nancy, Nov. 23, 1823 (died in August, 1871) ; Mary Ann, Sept. 18, 1826.

James Gourley, father of Mrs. Crawford, the Scottish hero. She was born in October, was born Aug. 23, 1810, near Londonderry, 1790, and died April 30, 1864. Seven chil- dren were born to Moses and Mary (Jamie- son) Crawford, namely : Archibald J. T., born Aug. 21, 1819, a well-known citi- zen of North Mahoning township, died Sept. 6, 1904; he served many years as justice of the peace. Rachel, born March 22, 1821, died in December, 1879. Margaret C., Porn Sept. 19, 1822, died Jan. 5, 1907. Isa- belle A., born Aug. 15, 1824, died Oct. 2, 1903. William Huddleson is mentioned below. Mar- tha, born in October, 1828, died Oct. 9, 1904. Moses Scott, born in September, 1830, died Feb. 7. 1910. Ireland, and came to Nova Scotia with his parents in 1816. He accompanied them to Pennsylvania, learned blacksmithing and fol- lowed that trade, and also engaged in farm- ing, owning a farm in West Mahoning town- ship, where he died March 21, 1867. He en- tered the Union army during the Civil war, and his health giving out was assigned to hos- pital duty, serving to the end of the struggle. In politics he was originally a Whig, later a Republican. He first joined the Presbyterian Church, later becoming a member of the M. E. Church. His wife, Margaret (Travis), was born Dec. 7, 1818, and died Jan. 1, 1889, at Paxton, Ill. Her parents, William and Mary ( Gahagan) Travis, were of Irish and Ger- man extraction, respectively, and stanch Pres- byterians in religious belief. I Mr. Travis

William Huddleson Crawford lived at home until the time of his marriage, meantime at- tending the local subscription schools. For the twelve years following his marriage he lived in East Mahoning township, in 1869 set- owned a gristmill and a farm in West Mahon- tling in West Mahoning township, where he ing township, at what is now the site of Good- made a permanent home, his widow and chil- ville.

770

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

James and Margaret (Travis) Gourley had and came to what was then a part of West- a family of six children: Louisa, born Feb. moreland county, now Blacklick township, 16, 1837, died Sept. 23, 1867; Mary R., Mrs. prior to the Revolutionary war. He became Crawford, was born Jan. 27, 1841; Margaret the owner of a large tract of land, which was Ann, born May 5, 1843, died Aug. 25, 1882; first owned by Thomas Taylor and later by Joseph T., born July 7, 1845, now resides in a Mr. Brooker, the next owner being a Mr. Colorado; John McNiel, born Aug. 3, 1847, is Dixon, from whom Mr. Gibson acquired it by living in Illinois; William S., born Nov. 5, 1850, died Sept. 18, 1853.

To Mr. and Mrs. Crawford were born twelve children, all of whom were educated in the home schools, namely : Ella May mar- ried Robert A. Dilts, who lives near Trade City, Pa .; Vianna M. married Clark Halo- well, of Dubois, Pa .; James L., formerly a teacher, is now a hardware merchant in Burns, Kans. (he married Myrtle Swengel) ; Lena married Dr. E. S. McIntosh, of Burns, Kans. ; Joseph P. is engaged in the mercantile busi- ness in Sylacauga, Ala. (he married Minnie Stewart) ; Emily Louise married Frank Lor- ing, of near Dayton, Pa .; Frank Earl, of North Point, West Mahoning township, is a farmer and manufacturer of cider and vine- Margaret Sloan. gar, and is serving as justice of the peace (he married Mary Barrett) ; William H., a har- nessmaker, of Armstrong, Ill., married Edna Smith ; Mary B. is on the home place ; Charles H., of Birmingham, Ala., superintendent of delivery for the Steelsmith Dry Goods Com- pany, married Olive Williamson; Martha Ruth, who lives at home, has been an invalid for several years; John G., who is engaged in farming on the old homestead, married Maud Hicks.

Miss Mary B. Crawford taught school for ten years in East and West Mahoning town- ships and Clearfield county, and since giving up her profession has devoted all her time to caring for her invalid sister Ruth and looking after her farm interests. The old home place has been improved in various lines, including the setting out of a fruit orchard of 450 trees, apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry and apricot, in fine condition.

IRA EVERETT GIBSON, educator and agriculturist of Blackliek township, Indiana Co., Pa., belongs to one of the old families of this section, and was born on the Hugh Gib- son farm in Blacklick township Jan. 24, 1872, a son of James Gamble and Margaret (Fair- man) Gibson.

purchase. In company with Randall Laugh- lin he was captured by the Indians, but man- aged to make his escape and lived to reach the age of sixty-six years, dying in 1816. IIe was an extensive land owner, became prominent in township affairs, and was widely known throughout this section. His wife, Jane (Lowry) Gibson, died in 1837, in her nine- tieth year. They were the parents of the following children : Hugh, who married Mar- garet Gamble; Nancy, who married William Ilenry; William, who married Elizabeth Me- Fadden; James, who first married Mattie Gamble and later Ellen Bruce; John, who married Margaret Blakely; Esther, who mar- ried John Cochran; and Joseph, who married

Ilugh Gibson, son of John Gibson, and grandfather of Ira Everett Gibson, made his home in Blacklick township, where he fol- lowed farming all his life, and owned the land which is now operated by the Taylor fam- ily and by his grandson. He became a well- known agriculturist, took an active interest in the affairs of his community, and spent his life within the confines of his native county. He married Margaret Gamble, who also died here, and they became the parents of several children, among whom was James Gamble.

James Gamble Gibson was born on the old homestead in Blackliek township in 1826, and there received his education in the public schools. He was reared to agricultural pur- suits, and grew up on the old homestead, on which he was engaged in farming throughout his life. He owned and operated 130 acres of choice land, on which he made extensive im- provements, and there he continued to follow his chosen vocation until his death, which oc- curred March 29, 1910, when he was laid to rest in the Jacksonville cemetery. James G. Gibson was noted for his industry and fixed habits. He possessed quiet and unassuming characteristics and was of a retiring dispo- sition, his greatest interest in life being bound up in his home and his family. He was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church, attending at Bethel. Mr. Gibson married Margaret Fairman, who was born in 1840 and who now makes her home on the homestead,

The Gibson family is of Scotch-Irish ex- traction, and the founder of this branch in Indiana county was one John Gibson, who was born in the Conococheague valley, Pa., and they had a family of four children, as

771

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

follows: William, who was born in 1863, Stunkard; and Emma, married and living at married Laura Marsh and resides on the Northpoint. homestead; Jennie M., born in 1865, died in

Thomas S. Neal, the Doctor's father, is also 1911, at Seattle, Wash .; Ira Everett is men- a lumberman and farmer by occupation, giv- tioned below; Anna, who was born in 1875, married Arthur L. Repine, of Blacklick town- ship.

Ira Everett Gibson, son of James Gamble Gibson, received his education in the public schools of Blackliek township and at the In- diana State normal school. He adopted the profession of teaching, and in 1895 became instructor in the public school at Ferguson. Following this he taught for six terms in Blacklick township, one term at Jacksonville. and also the MeComb school in Center town- ship, becoming one of the best-known and most popular educators in his locality. Af- ter the death of his father, with whom he had been in the meantime engaged in farming, the family moved to the State of Washing- ton, on the Pacific coast, and there remained one year. At the end of that time they re- turned to the old homestead and again took up farming, and here Mr. Gibson has since carried on general agricultural work. He is a Prohibitionist, giving his stalwart support to the principles and issues of his party, and at all times advocating temperance. His re- ligious connection is with Bethel Presbyterian Church, in which he is an elder and a teacher in the Sunday school. He also served as over- seer of the poor and in numerous ways ren- dered signal service to his township.

In 1901 Mr. Gibson was married in Center township to Pearl E. Rothmire, who was born in 1878 in that township, daughter of Joseph Rothmire, and they have had one child, James Harold, born in 1902, who is at home.

HARRY BEECHER NEAL, M. D., gen- eral medical practitioner of the borough of Indiana and one of the proprietors of the In- diana hospital, is a physician whose energy and aggressive activity have marked him for usefulness in the community in which he has settled. He was born May 17, 1882, at North- port, Indiana Co., Pa., son of Thomas S. Neal, and grandson of John Neal.

ing most of his attention to lumbering. He married Anna Oberlin, and they have had eight children : Preston, now deceased; Nioma, wife of Dr. George E. Simpson; Law- rence : Salina, wife of Ezekiel Barbor; Irene, wife of Joseph C. Buchanan; Grace, deceased ; Harry Beccher, and Walter.

Harry Beecher Neal attended public school at Indiana and later the State normal school in that borough, graduating from the latter in the year 1901. He took post-graduate work in the normal the following year, 1902, and then entered the medical department of the Western University of Pennsylvania, at Pitts- burg. from which he was graduated June 12, 1906, the same year beginning practice, at his present location. He associated himself with Dr. George E. Simpson, and in 1908 they established the Indiana hospital, for general medical and surgical treatment, which they own in partnership. The institution has proved a boon to the community and has been well patronized from the start, its suc- cess demonstrating the need there was for a hospital. Dr. Neal has the confidence of his patrons and the respect of all his fellow citi- zens. He is a member of the Indiana County Medical Society, socially belongs to several college fraternities, and is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Indiana. His religious connection is with the Lutheran Church.

On June 20, 1911, Dr. Neal married Roxie L. Widdowson, daughter of Harvey R. Wid- dowson, of Rochester Mills, Indiana county.

WESLEY ASKINS, who is engaged in carrying on agricultural pursuits in Cherry- hill township, Indiana Co., Pa., was born on the farm on which he now resides, Oct. 26, 1850, son of Thomas and Jane (Stephens) Askins.

Joseph and Lovina (Pickett) Askins, the paternal grandparents of Mr. Askins, were born in Ireland, and on coming to the United States first settled in Philadelphia, whence they came to Indiana county in 1805 and set- tled on a farm located within a mile of the present property of Wesley Askins, there re- maining until they died. Of their six children who grew to maturity, Thomas was the eldest, the others being: Joseph, William, Nancy, Eliza and Lovina.

John Neal was born in Indiana county and followed farming here all his life, also engag- ing in the lumber business. He had a large family, viz .: George, who is deceased; Cyn- thia, wife of James Coon; Sarah, wife of Peter Stear; Thomas S .: Rawl; Josiah; Aaron; Martha, wife of William McKallip; Thomas Askins, son of Joseph, and father Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Austin of Wesley Askins, was born in Philadelphia,

772

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Pa., in 1802. He was reared to agricultural Mrs. Askins, was born in Ireland, and came pursuits, and when a young man purchased to the United States in his youth, settling in West Wheatfield township, where he was mar-

494 acres of land, for which he paid $22.371/2 for the back taxes and costs. Later in life he ried to Catherine Jamison, a native of Brush- sold 150 acres of this property for $600, the valley township. Joseph Brendlinger, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Askins, and his wife, Susan (Walbach) Brendlinger, were also early settlers of West Wheatfield township. balance being divided among his children. Mr. Askins passed away Aug. 26, 1872, at the age of seventy years, and his township re- garded his death as the loss of one of its best citizens.

The maternal grandparents of Wesley As- kins, Shadrach Stephens and his wife, whose maiden name was Patterson, were early set- tlers of Indiana county, settling in Cherryhill township, where they spent their lives in farming. They had a family of eight chil- dren, as follows: William, Alexander, Jane, Thomas, Mary, Nancy, Margaret and one other. All are deceased, Mrs. Askins dying Sept. 7, 1877.

John St. Clair, son of Samuel St. Clair, and father of Mrs. Askins, died Sept. 28, 1902, and his wife passed away Feb. 28, 1897. They were the parents of seven children, as follows : Amanda, the wife of Armstrong Cunning- ham; Catherine A., who married Mr. Askins; Joseph, a resident of New Florence, West- moreland county; Emma, who is deceased ; Margaret, the wife of Joseph Henderson, a resident of West Wheatfield township; Re- becca, who married James Duncan, of Johns- town, Pa .; and John F., of West Wheatfield township.

Wesley Askins was the youngest of nine children born to his parents, the others being: . Mr. and Mrs. Askins have had eight chil- William, who is deceased; Matthew, deceased, dren, namely: Elizabeth Jane, deceased, who was the wife of William Rose; John S., a traveling salesman, living in Center county, who married Susan Turner; Joseph W., liv- ing in Allegheny county, Pa., who married Kit Bunting, of Washington county, and has three children, Bessie, Ruth and Clair; Mar- garet, the wife of John Engle, of Johnstown, Pa .; Stella, the wife of William Tyger, of

who was a member of Company F, 55th Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry, and died in the service at Point Lookout, July 28, 1864; Shadrach, who died July 31, 1867; Mary, de- ceased, who was the wife of William Ray, also deceased ; Anna, the wife of David F. Stewart, both deceased; Lovina, who died Dec. 27, 1858; and Eliza and Margaret, who died in childhood. A son of William Askins, of this Canoe township, Indiana county, who has five family, William Duncan Askins, formerly a children, Twila, Dale, Vera, John Wesley and school teacher in Indiana county, is now a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Wesley Askins received his education in the common schools of Indiana county and Pine-1 flats academy, and at the age of sixteen years began his career as a school teacher. He con- tinued as an educator in Pine, Green and West Wheatfield townships for three years, after which he followed farming several years, and then again hecame a teacher, having schools in West Wheatfield, Cherryhill and Pine townships. After another short attend- ance at Pineflats academy, he was in charge of schools for eight years, then taking charge of the hotel which is now known as the "Kin- ter House," of Indiana, for one year. Farm- ing soon called him back to the land, however, and since that time he has been engaged in tilling the soil, and in selling fertilizer.

Margaret V .; Charles V., a resident of Pitts- burg, Pa., who married Jennie Burr, and has two children, Charles B. and Henrietta V., twins ; Milton R., a resident of Punxsutawney, who married Nettie Stiver, and has two chil- dren, Irene and Orin LeRoy; and Orin D., who for some time was engaged in teaching school in Indiana county and now resides at home.

· Mr. Askins is not an office seeker, but has fulfilled his duties of citizenship by serving as a member of the board of school directors and township auditor of Cherryhill township. He is ever ready to lend his support to those movements which his good judgment tells him are tending to promote education, morality, religion and good citizenship, and is recog- nized as a man who has had an honorable career, and whose integrity is unquestioned. With his wife he attends the Mount Zion county.

Mr. Askins was married in June, 1869, to Catherine A. St. Clair, who was born in West Lutheran Church of Pine township, Indiana

Wheatfield township, Indiana Co., Pa., Dec. 28, 1851, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Brendlinger) St. Clair, natives of Indiana WILLIAM A. EVANS, who has been farm- county. Samuel St. Clair, the grandfather of ing in White township for over twenty years,

773

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

was formerly a resident of Cherryhill town- on the old Evans farm, and was always en- ship and has lived all his life in Indiana county, having been born April 3, 1841, in Brushvalley township, where the founder of the Evans family in this region settled over a century ago.

The Evanses are of Welsh extraction. Hugh Evans, grandfather of William A. Evans, was a native of Cardiff, Wales, and crossed the Atlantic when a young man, working to pay his passage on the vessel. Among the passen- gers was a young English girl with whom he fell in love, and they were married when they landed at Philadelphia. They came west to the Welsh settlement near Ebensburg, in Cam- bria county, Pa., where they remained for a short time, until they came to Indiana county, locating in Brushvalley township. They were among the first settlers there. Locating in the wilderness, Mr. Evans built his log cabin and set to work clearing up the land. He re- mained but a short time on his first farm, buy- ing a 400-acre tract, all brush and timber, near the site of Mechanicsburg, upon which he settled down to farming. Much of this land is still in the family name. Here he built a dwelling house and barn, and also erected a saw and grist mill-the first of the kind in William A. Evans was educated in Brush- valley township, where he lived until 1864. That year he moved to Cherryhill township, of which he was a resident for twenty-five years, owning a farm there. In 1889 he came to his present location in White township, buy- home. Farming has always been his principal occupation, and in connection therewith he has been successfully engaged in the breeding of Holstein cattle, of which he has made a specialty, being now quite extensively inter- ested in that line. For nine years he also carried on dairying. He is a go-ahead farm- er, and is recognized all over the county as Brush creek valley. The mill was of stone, and stood on Brush creek about three-quarters of a mile below the present site of Mechanics- burg, and for many years was a prominent landmark. He also owned a distillery. He worked hard and faithfully, prospered in his ing the farm upon which he has since had his own affairs and did his full duty as a citizen, being one of the enterprising and progressive men of his day and generation. IIe was a strong abolitionist. He died on his farm in 1849, at the age of seventy years, and was buried in what is known as the Evans grave- yard in Brushvalley township. He was a member of the Baptist Church, the first Bap- tist to settle in the township. Ilis first wife, an intelligent worker along the best modern Hannah, died leaving children as follows: methods. In 1893 he was manager of the In- diana County Fair Association, and when it changed its location to the present grounds he superintended the moving. He has served his township in the offices of school director, supervisor and overseer of the poor, and in every position he has been called upon to fill has justified the confidence placed in him by his fellow citizens. Ann, who married John Kelly and (second) James Stewart; John; Hugh, who died at Altoona ; Mary, who married Henry Grumb- ling; Elizabeth (Betsy), who first married Joseph MeNutt; Evan, who lived in Brush Valley ; William : and James, who died in Cen- ter township. Mr. Evans married for his second wife Esther Creswell, and she bore him three children : Ellen, Rebecca and Lu- cinda (who married Rev. A. B. Runyan, a well-known Baptist minister of Mechanics- burg).

William Evans, son of Hugh, was born in Brushvalley township, passed all his life

gaged in farming and milling. He owned 135 acres. In politics he was a Whig, and he took considerable interest in the fortunes of his party and in local public affairs, serving as judge of elections and as school director. In religious connection he was a Presbyterian. He died in 1857. in his fifty-third year. His wife. Susan (Wilkins), who was born in Brushvalley township, daughter of Andrew and Elinor (Robinson) Wilkins. the former an early settler in Indiana county, died in 1871. She was the mother of eight children, five sons and three daughters, namely: Dr. John, late of Homer City, where his family now reside; Andrew W., deceased. who served nine months in the Civil war; Samuel W., de- ceased : William A .; Nancy E., who married Jerry Rhodes (both are now deceased) ; Su- san Jane, widow of W. Scott McCormick, of Indiana; Sarah Elizabeth, deceased; and George W., deceased (his family live in In- diana borough). Of this family John and Samuel were in the Union service during the Civil war for three years, and William was drafted, but did not have to enter the army because his three brothers were soldiers.

Mr. Evans was the first carrier on the mail route from Indiana to Mechanicsburg, in Brushvalley township. His father had the contract, and William A. Evans, then a youth of fifteen, did the work.

In 1865 Mr. Evans married Flora Stutchill,

774

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

a native of Greenville, Indiana county, daugh- tive ability of an unusual order, and knew how ter of Alexander and Martha (Evans) Stut- chill, and granddaughter of ex-Sheriff Evans, of Indiana county. Mr. and Mrs. Stutchill lived in Indiana county from an early day. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Evans: Nettie is the wife of James A. Simp- son, a farmer of White township, and has four children, Florence, Mark and Martha (twins) and Isabelle; Mary lives at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Evans and their fam- ily are members of the Presbyterian Church of Indiana, in which he serves as elder.

JOHN H. ROCHESTER, until recently a member of the leading mercantile firm of Marion Center, and one of the oldest business men in Indiana county, was born in West- moreland county, Pa., near New Alexandria, in 1845, a son of John C. Rochester.

to handle affairs of magnitude. Selling his interests at Rochester Mills to Benjamin Duffie and I. H. Rochester, Mr. Rochester retired and made his home at Marion Center, where he enjoyed his declining years in the midst of the comforts his own acumen and foresight had provided. He died in 1890, aged seventy- five years, and his remains were interred in the cemetery at Marion Center. First a Whig and later a Republican, he was honored by those parties, and not only was postmaster at Rochester Mills but also held the same office at Marion Center when it was called Brady, taking charge of the office in 1857 and serving several years. Although his own educational advantages had been so meager, he took a deep interest in the public schools.

While living in Westmoreland county Mr. Rochester was married to Eliza Duffie, daugh- John C. Rochester was born in Virginia in 1815, coming of English stock. Leaving home in boyhood, his education was acquired hy self-instruction and experience in the school of necessity. Going to New York, he obtained ter of Patrick Duffie. She died in Marion Center in 1889, and is buried in the cemetery at that point. Mrs. Rochester was a consist- ent member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Rochester had the following chil- employment on the Erie canal, but later he dren: Charles died aged twenty-two years; went West, and worked at different callings. Agnes died in infancy ; Margaret is the widow

of B. F. Laughlin and resides in East Mahon- ing township; John H. is mentioned below ; Benjamin Duffie, who was a soldier during the Civil war, married Laura Wells and re- sides in East Mahoning township; Anna M. married Dr. W. S. Shields, of Marion Center; Emma married Silas C. Weamer; Harriet married John W. Frampton, and resides at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 148

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