Indiana County, Pennsylvania; her people, past and present, Volume II, Part 29

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 884

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania; her people, past and present, Volume II > Part 29

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

eighteen years was one of the leading build- Ruth Gertrude, born in November, 1878, ers and contractors of the locality, erecting married Clark Steele, and lives on the home- residences, schools and churches. After the death of his father, in 1898, he moved to the

stead; Lottie Myra, born in December, 1880, married J. T. Crawford, and lives in Wash- Point Breeze farm, and is now devoting his ington township; Wallace Edwin was born time to operating his property and handling in July, 1883; John Paul, born in March, 1888, is at home; Mary, Louise, born in March, 1891, is a student in the normal school at Indiana, Pennsylvania. his lumber business, as he has contracts for supplying the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad Company with all kinds of lumber required by the road. He owns portable saw- mills and has operated with them in different parts of the country.

Wallace Edwin Hopkins, son of William Work Hopkins, began his education in the public schools of his native place, and taught school for two terms, after which he attended the State normal school at Indiana, being graduated therefrom. Then he taught in the winter in various districts, and the summer school at Marion Center until he entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated with the degree of M. D. by reason of solid worth, and deserves the in 1912. He is now an interne in the Uni- versity hospital at Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In addition to his other concerns, Mr. Hop- kins is interested in the Farmers' Telephone Company of Armstrong, Indiana and Jeffer- son counties, and served as its treasurer for three years; he has been its president for the past three years. Mr. Hopkins is essentially a self-made man, one who has risen steadily good fortune that has attended him. His farm shows that he takes a pride in its appearance, as its buildings are in excellent shape, well adapted for their several purposes, and his equipment is thoroughly modern.

was formerly a Republican, but with the organization of the Prohibition party he felt that its platform more nearly embodied his principles and he now gives it his hearty support. A temperate man himself, he lives out his own ideas, and exerts quite as much

The family is of Irish origin. Robert Park, great-grandfather of John Thompson Park, influence through his example as by his pre- was married in 1775 in County Down, Ire- cepts, although he is a good talker and knows land, to Jane Bailey, and they had three

how to present convincing arguments in favor of his cause. It is such men as he who are bringing about a more sane view with rela- tion to the liquor traffic and teaching the people what intemperance is costing the country in every respect. Mr. Hopkins is also very prominent in church work, serving as elder and trustee of the United Presbyterian Church, and is a popular Sabbath school teacher. His influence over young men is especially powerful and it would be difficult to say just how many he has convinced of the error of wrong living and turned into paths of rectitude and right.

children, namely: John and Mary, twins, born Jan. 12. 1776, in Baltiwalter, County Down; and Elizabeth, born there in 1782. In 1794 this family removed to Philadelphia. where Robert Park instructed classes in mathematics, navigation and surveying. He died, however, about a year after his location there, in 1795-96, and his widow and children removed to Greencastle, Franklin Co., Pa., Mrs. Park marrying Col. James Johnston, the surveyor, who resided near Greencastle, and whose name is associated with the early sur- veys of northern Indiana county. Mrs. Johnston died in Johnstown, Cambria county, at the age of 108 years.

On Dec. 27, 1877, Mr. Hopkins was mar- ried to Laura Bell Ewing, a daughter of John Park, born Jan. 12, 1776, in the town Thomas Ewing, of Nebraska, and she is a of Baltiwalter, County Down, Ireland, came devoted wife and mother and a consistent to this country with his parents. He studied member of the United Presbyterian Church. surveying with his father and stepfather, and The children of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are: received a commission as deputy surveyor for

JOHN THOMPSON PARK is the owner of Park Place farm, a beautiful tract of 110 acres overlooking the borough of Marion Cen- ter, Indiana county, where he has passed July 2, 1845, son of Robert and Margaretta (Thompson) Park. The Park family has

Mr. Hopkins takes a deep interest in the a school director, and was secretary of the board. He has also been auditor of his town- ship, as well as supervisor. Politically he been closely associated with the history of the town from the very beginning, Mr. Park's grandfather, John Park, having laid out the place, and they have always held high stand- ing among its best citizens.

local schools and for sixteen years has been practically all his life, having been born there

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the western district of Pennsylvania from replaced in 1834 with a waterpower flouring- Governor Snyder. To quote from a history of mill, with a capacity of thirty bushels per day. His son James had a cabinet factory mill for several years.

Indiana county issued in 1891, "Marion (post office Brady) is on Pine run in the southern and carpenter shop in connection with the part of East Mahoning township, and is the largest town north of the purchase line in Indiana county. It was laid out by John Park in 1842 and incorported as a borough in 1872. 'Marion is situated on a tract of land which originally embraced 408 acres, the pat- ent of which was issued to James Johnston, a deputy surveyor, on the 31st of January, 1798. In the patent the tract is called "Greenland," and is described as situated on the waters of Pine run. In 1795 John Park side of West Main street, and is the property

came to this portion of Pennsylvania to make surveys under the direction of Mr. Johnston. In 1798 he purchased the "Evergreen" body

of land, though he did not get his deed until erected by James Park for James McKelvey, the 2d of December, 1803. In 1799 he erected the first blacksmith. . .. The first painter a log cabin 16x20 in what is now the south -. was Linton Park, whose experience has justly west end of the village, on the lot now owned entitled him to be designated as the master of by the Ritchey heirs. The Ritchey house the craft in the Mahoning Valley." stands on the old foundation. This is said to John Park died Aug. 10, 1844. In 1807. have been the second house erected in this in Greencastle, Franklin county, he married section north of the purchase line. Elisha Chambers, Hugh Thompson, Fergus Moor- head, Jacob Shalleberger, William McHenry, five Seneca Indians, a squaw and a papoose were at the raising. The Indians, according to tradition, would not work until the bottle of whiskey was passed and each had drunk a portion thereof. Then, upon a signal from the chief, who shook energetically a gourd partly filled with corn, they went to work with much awkwardness but good-naturedly, and in a few hours the lone cabin had risen.

" 'It is said that when Mr. Park first came to this region he encamped on the site of his cabin. Near it was a fine spring. On the opposite bank of the run were some Indians who had erected their wigwams there, no doubt on account of the spring, as well as the abundance of game in the surrounding forest. After the raising they all went to Hugh Thompson's place, about two and one-half miles down Pine run, where the Indians and the whites had a grand frolic. The red men danced to the music of the shaken gourd, and there was naught to disturb the harmony of the hour.'

".John Park was the life of the settlement that was gathering around the site of his fu- ture town. In 1810 he built a tanyard" (which was patronized by settlers and hunters for twenty and twenty-five miles around, for moccasin and shoe leather), "and soon after- wards built a horsepower gristmill, which he

"Marion was laid out by John Park in August, 1842, and the first sale of lots oc- curred in the succeeding month. The plat embraced eight acres, with one main street and two rows of lots on either side. The first house erected after the platting of the town was the residence of Hezekiah Wood, the pioneer chair and spinning-wheel maker. This is still standing" (until recently), "on the south of John Riddle" (now belonging to Dr. Shields). "Mr. Wood worked at his trade in James Park's shop. The second building was

Mary Lang, daughter of Rev. James Lang, a Presbyterian minister, of White Spring, Franklin county. She died in 1864, when eighty-one years old. Mr. and Mrs. Park were Presbyterians in religions connection. They had the following children: Margaret H. married Samuel Craig; Robert, born Jan. 6, 1810, is mentioned below; Jane R., born Dec. 30, 1812, married Alexander Sutor ; Mary B., born Feb. 11, 1814, married Joseph Brady ; James L., born Aug. 25, 1816, married Susannah Early and (second) Anna Loughry ; Ann E., born Dec. 13, 1818, married James Martin ; Amanda, born May 5, 1821, married Robert Barbour; John, born Dec. 21, 1823. married Martha Curtiss (or Wibort) ; Linton, born Dec. 16, 1826, was for six years in the United States service, one year of which he was a member of the "President's Guards," 2d Regiment, District of Columbia (he en- graved the broad-axe presented to Lincoln in 1860). Of this family, sons, sons-in-law, etc .. there were thirteen in the Union army during the Civil war, two dying while in the service, and two others being wounded.

Robert Park, son of John, born Jan. 6, 1810, passed all his life on the farm where his birth occurred, dying there July 10, 1899. He attended common school in the locality. His first marriage, which took place in Jan- mary, 1836, was to Mary Cannon, by whom he had four children: IIugh, who died in infancy; James, who died in infancy; Mary

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

L., born March 20, 1838 (now deceased), who his principal business after settling in his married E. H. Griffith and became the mother new home was farming, he having purchased of C. R. Griffith; and James (2), born June a place which he cultivated until his death. 10, 1839. By his second wife, Margaretta Daniel McGregor, son of Alexander, was (Thompson), whom he married in 1842, and born in Bedford county, where he grew to who died April 13, 1851, Mr. Park had chil- manhood, meantime learning the carpenter's lived in Washington township for four years, at the end of that time moving to Porter township, Jefferson county, where he made a permanent home, remaining there until his death, which occurred in April, 1880, in his eighty-ninth year. He followed farming. In religious connection he was a Baptist. dren : Matilda J., Mrs. A. W. Lang; John trade. Coming to Indiana county, Pa., he Thompson, mentioned below; Benjamin F., born June 12, 1847, now a resident of St. Louis, Mo., who was in the signal corps during the Civil war (he married) ; and Robert L., born July 18, 1849, who died May 10, 1851. For his third wife Mr. Park married Martha Caruthers (sister of Rev. John Caruthers), on May 28, 1866, and she died in 1885. They had no children.

John Thompson Park spent his boyhood and youth in the manner of the average farm boy, receiving a common school education in the home locality. On June 26, 1863, he en -. listed in Company A, 2d Battalion, Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry, for six months, and on Aug. 26, 1864, again enlisted, this time in Company A, 206th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for one year. He served until the close of the war. Most of the time his regi- ment was stationed in front of Richmond, being the first regiment to enter the city.

Returning home after the war was over, Mr. Park went to farming, and upon the death of his father became the owner of the home place, the management of which he had assumed long before. He is a typical repre- sentative of a family which has long stood high in the community. On Dec. 25, 1873, Mr. Park was married to Caroline Ryckman, of Marion Center, daughter of Tobias and Susan (Stoops) Ryckman, and they have had of the Presbyterian Church.

six children, namely: Franklin; Bertha M., wife of Dr. W. C. Byers, of Webster, Pa .; Howard; Margaretta, deceased; Charles, at home; and Dorothy.

Mr. Park is a member of the M. E. Church. In political opinion he is a Republican, but he is independent in his support of the men and measures he approves.

WILLIAM H. MCGREGOR, now engaged in business in the borough of Indiana, is the second son of James McGregor, for many years a prominent public official of Indiana county. The McGregor family is of Scottish origin, and its first representative in America, Alexander McGregor, was born in Scotland, and on arriving in this country settled in Pennsylvania, near Bedford, in Bedford county. He was a millwright by trade, but

Mahlon McGregor, one of the sons of Dan- iel, was born in 1810, in Bedford county, Pa., and when in his twenty-first year moved to Jefferson county, settling in Porter township. He was there engaged in farming and stock raising until 1869, when he moved to Cowan- shannock township, Armstrong county, pass- ing the remainder of his life there, engaged in the same line of work. His death occurred July 12, 1873. He was an enterprising and capable business man, and gave all his at- tention to his private affairs, taking no part in public matters. He was a Republican in politics. His wife, Margaret (Chambers), was born in Perry township, Jefferson Co., Pa., daughter of John Chambers, a wealthy farmer of Jefferson and Indiana counties, Pa., who also carried on the general mercantile business. Mrs. McGregor died Feb. 4, 1845, in her twenty-sixth year. She was baptized and married by the same minister, Rev. John. Carothers, who also preached her funeral ser- mon. Mr. and Mrs. McGregor were members

James McGregor was reared on his father's farm and attended the public schools of the neighborhood. When thirteen years old he went to work in a brickyard, where he was employed for one year, and he also continued his studies, three years later commencing to teach. He was thus engaged for one year, and then became clerk in a store. After seven years' experience in that capacity he em- barked in the mercantile business on his own account and in connection therewith also dealt in live stock, at Marion Center, Indiana county. In 1884 he was honored with election to the office of sheriff of the county, beginning his three years' term Jan. 1, 1885. In 1889 he was elected county register and recorder, taking office on the first Monday in January, 1890, and being reelected at the close of the term, served another, having six years of continuous service in that office. He has also

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

held local offices, having been school director for his ability and intelligence as well as of the borough of Marion Center for a long liked for his congenial disposition, which has won him many friends among his associates in the various relations of life. He is a Republican on political questions. period and justice of the peace five years. In every position to which he has been chosen he has justified the confidence of his fellow citizens, his ability and integrity having been On Aug. 24, 1899, Mr. McGregor married Julia Smith, of Cherrytree, Indiana Co., Pa., and they have two children: Paul Smith, born May 19, 1901 ; and William H., Jr., born March 20, 1903. demonstrated in a long career of successful business and official activity. His courtesy and invariable fairness in dealing with all made him exceedingly well liked in his various public capacities. He has always been a

Mrs. McGregor's great-great-grandfather, stanch Republican. For over forty years he James Smith, arrived in Ireland with his has been a member of the Methodist Church, cousin, the Prince of Orange, and remained and he has been one of the most effective there. All the male members of this connec- workers in the congregations with which he tion were in the English army. One uncle

has been associated, having served as presi- dent of the board of trustees of the church at Marion Center, and a member of the building committee which erected the present church

there. After removing to the borough of sons, James and William, one of whom died Indiana, in 1884, where he has since lived, in a Spanish port, while captain of an Eng-

he was elected to the same position he had held at Marion, and was one of a committee which had charge of the building of the hand- some Methodist parsonage there, in 1888.

On Sept. 20, 1860, Mr. McGregor was mar- ried to Catherine Pounds, daughter of John Pounds, of East Mahoning township, this county. Mrs. McGregor died March 11, 1880, leaving a family of eight children: Daniel E., William H., James C., May O., Clara L., Alice C., Anna D. and Harvey M. On March 14, 1883, Mr. McGregor married (second) Mrs. Agnes A. (Duncan) Sutton, and of the chil- dren born to this marriage three survived, two sons and one daughter, John, Frank and Ola A.

William H. McGregor was born at Marion Center in May, 1865, and received a public school education, attending until he reached the age of nineteen years. He then engaged in the livery business at Greensburg, Pa., continuing same for several years, from that place moving to Indiana, where he embarked in the same line, in 1901 selling his interest. For the last several years he has been en- gaged in the manufacture of lightning rods at Indiana, and he is also interested in the oil business, being president of the American Independent Oil Company, producers of high- grade Pennsylvania oils and greases, dealers in petroleum and its products; the offices of the company are in the Marshall building at Indiana. Mr. MeGregor is also one of the stockholders in the Savings & Trust Company, of Indiana. He may truly be called a self- made man, for he has attained a high position through his own efforts, and he is respected .

of Mrs. Smith's father was a quartermaster general in the British army and died leaving large possessions in London, England; his estate is unsettled. He was the father of two

lish frigate.

Mrs. McGregor's great-grandfather Smith was a captain in the English army. His brother David was taken prisoner at York- town, during the war of the Revolution, and his brother Robert was at the burning of the church in New Jersey, and was taken pris- oner at Saratoga while serving as a soldier in the English army.

William Smith, Mrs. McGregor's grand- father, was born in Ireland. He was a soldier during the rebellion of 1798 in that country. On May 25, 1829, he sailed from Dublin with his wife, Ellen (Finney), and their eight children, four sons and four daughters, for Quebec, Canada, where they arrived in Au- gust. One of the daughters died and was buried on the Island of Newfoundland. Ac- companying the family were three of William Smith's brothers, David, John and Andrew, and another brother, Robert, had preceded them, coming across the Atlantic as a soldier under General Pakenham; he was at New Orleans when "Old Hickory" defeated the British in 1815, and remained in this coun- try, settling at Otsego, New York.

William Smith brought his family to Schuylkill county, Pa .; he and his wife died in Clearfield county, this State. Two of their sons served their adopted country as soldiers, William in the Mexican war under General Taylor, and Robert in the Civil war as a vol- unteer under General Hunter.

David Finney Smith, son of William and Ellen (Finney ). Smith, was born May 3, 1821, in County Leitrim, Ireland, and came to America with the family, and passed the re-

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

mainder of his life in western Pennsylvania, becoming one of the leading lumber merchants of that region. He married twice, the second time to Hanna E. Thompson, of Clearfield, by whom he had eight children, Mrs. William H. McGregor, of Indiana, being the eldest daughter. She obtained her education in the public schools at Cherrytree and at the Indi- ana (Pa.) State normal school. The Smiths are Episcopalians in religious connection.

REV. FRANCIS LEO WIECZOREK, pas- tor of St. Francis' Church, at Rossiter, Pa., has been in Indiana county continuously since entering the priesthood. He is a native of Germany, born April 11, 1879, in Silesia, and there obtained his early education. He fur-

brought him into friendly relations with all his parishioners, and his devotion to their welfare, temporal as well as spiritual, has won him the affectionate esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. The diversity of nationalities, and consequent difference in temperament and sympathies, with which he has to deal, entails unusual responsibility in the management of his people, for he has had to overcome many prejudices and control racial tendencies not always easy to handle. But he is an untiring worker, and never dis- couraged in the task of keeping the various elements harmonious and working together for the general good.

PROF. CHRISTOPHER A. CAMPBELL, thered his studies at Rome, completed his for thirty-five years a teacher in the schools of Indiana county, is a native of this county, having been born in September, 1859, at Ar- magh, in East Wheatfield township, son of James Campbell.

theological course at St. Vincent's College, Beatty (Latrobe), Westmoreland Co., Pa., where he was ordained to the priesthood by the Rt. Rev. Regis Canevin, Bishop of the Pittsburg diocese, June 28, 1908, celebrating James Campbell, father of Prof. Chris- topher A. Campbell, was born on the old homestead in Indiana county, and followed farming all of his life. He became the owner of the homestead, which he cultivated and on which he made numerous improvements. He died in 1873, and was buried in Bethel Church cemetery, in West Wheatfield township, on Sept. 27, 1873. Mr. Campbell married Lethica Murphy, daughter of George Murphy, and she died in 1876 in Armagh, and was buried beside her husband. They were members of the United Presbyterian Church, and the par- ents of eleven children : Jennie, born July 2, 1837, who died Oct. 20, 1861; Mary, born March 27, 1839, who died young; Elizabeth, born Jan. 4, 1841, who died April 5, 1864; Annie, born Feb. 23, 1843, who married John D. Dreppo; Mary (2), born Jan. 21, 1846, who married William Southwick, of Armagh ; John M., born Feb. 14, 1849, who died Oct. 29, 1861; James, born Sept. 1, 1851, who died Oct. 20, 1861; Martha, born June 15, 1854, who died March 1, 1860; Thomas Jef- ferson, born Dec. 1, 1857, who died Dec. 26, 1861; Christopher Alexander, born Sept. 6, 1859; and Margaret I .. born Nov. 11, 1862, who married Rev. Mr. Dorer. his first mass at Mammoth, that county. The Bishop first appointed him pastor at Iselin, Indiana county, where he administered to the spiritual wants of his parishioners for a year and a half, after which he was stationed at Indiana borough as missionary pastor to Father McNelis, as such attending to the mis- sions in Clymer, Homer, Graceton, Coral, Josephine, Lucerne, Ernest and Chambers- ville, Pa. In 1910 he was appointed pastor of St. Bonaventure Church at Josephine and of St. Francis' Church at Graceton, Homer and Lucerne, both of Indiana county, where he labored zealously in the interest of the two parishes under his charge. His duties there were many and arduous, the parish of St. Bonaventure embracing Blacklick and Jo- sephine, and the parish of St. Francis Grace- ton, Lucerne, Coral and Homer City, with a membership in the former of three hundred and in the latter of five hundred. A number of nationalities are represented, and Father Francis, as he is popularly known, was par- ticularly well adapted to the work because of his ability as a lingnist, having several languages at his command. He resided at Josephine, in one of the houses of the Jo- sephine Furnace & Coke Company, of whose Christopher A. Campbell received his pre- liminary education in the schools of East Wheatfield township, following which he at- tended Dayton Academy, under Professor Love, and a select school at Armagh, under Prof. D. H. Tomb and Rev. Mr. Wilson. He employees (with their families) the popula- tion is practically composed. From that charge he was transferred July 18, 1912, to the present church at Rossiter, Pa., where in a short time he built a rectory and made many improvements in this parish and church. taught his first school at the age of eighteen Father Wieczorek's genial personality has years, in Buffington township, one of his

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

pupils being Prof. J. T. Stewart, the scholar and historian, who later was Professor Camp- bell's assistant in conducting summer nor- mal schools, the principal ones being at Ar- magh and New Florence ; he taught two terms at Hutchinson, twenty terms at Armagh, four years at Greenville, and seven at Mechanics- burg. Professor Campbell is known through- out the counties of Indiana and Westmore- land, and has been the instructor of thou- sands of young men and women who are to- day occupying honorable positions in the world of business and social life. In his po- litical belief he relies upon his own judgment as to which candidates to support, irrespec- tive of party connection, and has been elected to positions of trust and responsibility in his native township. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is an elder and Sunday school teacher, having a Pible class. Fraternally he is connected with the I. O. O. F. Lodge (No. 50, at Johnstown), the Jr. O. U. A. M., and the Royal Arcanum.

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania; her people, past and present, Volume II, Part 29

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 884

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 884