Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume II, Part 16

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 972

USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume II > Part 16

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ber business, which he continued when he came back to Jefferson county, joining his father. This was his principal occupation until 1885, from which time for a period of ten years he was internal revenue collector of this district, meantime engaging to some extent in lumbering and also taking a prominent part. in borough affairs, as mayor of Punxsutawney.

When the County National Bank of Punx- sutawney, the third financial institution to do business in the borough, was founded William J. Brown became president, with J. R. Pantall as vice president and J. E. Pantall as cashier. The bank opened for business Oct. 10, 1910, and has had a prosperous existence, with no change among the executive officials except in the vice presidency, now filled by H. Meade McGee. The directors, besides these three, are : W. S. Blaisdell, P. L. Brown, N. S. North, J. N. Kelly, H. L. Grube, E. W. Smith, J. D. Williams, H. D. Widdowson and W. F. Brown. Miss Ruth Sprankle and J. Carlton Miner are assistant cashiers. The bank is capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars, and the de- posits in September, 1916, had reached eight hundred and thirty-six thousand dollars.

Mr. Brown married Margaret Elizabeth Zeitler, daughter of the late George Zeitler, pioneer merchant of Punxsutawney. They have one daughter, Bertha, now the wife of Maurice Coulter, chief engineer for the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal & Iron Company at Punxsutawney.

JAMES M. CANNING is a name which stood for substantial worth and merit among business men in Brookville. To all of his fel- low citizens his career was an example of the success which follows industry and undeviat- ing adherence to strict principles. Forty years ago he began merchandising in a small way. and at the time of his death, on June 27, 1916, his establishment had the distinction of hav- ing been longer conducted under its original name than any other in the town, and was one of the largest mercantile houses in the town and county. Mr. Canning won his way to such standing by means which made him in his other relations in life an agreeable and desirable companion. With honorable stic- cess and the respect of his townsmen to show after a lifetime of endeavor, he occupied an enviable position, and deserved all the good which came to him.

married at Paterson, N. J., and then removed to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he spent the re- mainder of his life, dying in the year 1854. By trade he was a stonemason, and he fol- lowed that and other labor. Mrs. Canning eventually moved to Brookville, Pa., where her death occurred in 1884. They were the parents of four children: James M .; Mary, who died young; Thomas, born Oct. 31, 1853, who was employed in the lumber business in Jefferson county, where he died in May, 1881 ; and John Francis, who died young.

James Dooner, a brother of Mrs. Bedelia (Dooner) Canning, served in the Civil war, enlisting from Pittsburgh in Company H, 63d Regiment, and serving under Col. R. B. Hays. He was born in Ireland, and died in Pitts- burgh.

James M. Canning was born in Pittsburgh Feb. 12, 1849. and being so young when his father died had restricted advantages for schooling. He commenced work when a mere child, and was but eleven years old when he came to Brookville, where he was variously employed for a number of years. At one time he drove the old stagecoach which plied in this section, over what was known as the Wilderness route, from Luthersburg to Brook- ville. By economy he accumulated a little cap- ital. and on Oct. 3. 1875, he engaged in the grocery business in a modest way in Brook- ville, at the site on Main street where the Pfaff meat market is now located. In time he enlarged the scope of his enterprise, opening a dry goods department, and, as prosperity came to hini. continued to widen out. In fact, this store has for a score of years and more had the reputation of being one of the most completely stocked houses of the kind in Brookville. The service and attention to cus- tomers have shown careful study of the requirements of the trade and of obliging methods which could not fail to satisfy even the most exacting. Thuis the establishment attained a prestige unrivaled in the county, and Mr. Canning may well have taken pride in what he accomplished, for the town as well as himself, the advantage of stores of this class being very apparent to the community which supports them. From his original location he removed to the storeroom now occupied by Stewart & Porter, and about twenty years ago purchased the Dr. Rodgers block on Main street, a large brick building with two store- rooms, the lower floors of which have been used for his business since May 17, 1902. He rented the rest of the building for offices. For

Mr. Canning was of Irish extraction, his parents. John and Bedelia (Dooner) Canning, having been born in Ireland, whence the father came to this country about 1845. He was a number of years Mr. Canning had his son

JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

associated with him in the operation of the business, which is now entirely under the con- trol of the younger man, who in respect to both personality and correct business policies shows every promise of being a worthy suc- cessor. The strong attachment which existed between father and son was one rarely equaled, and in view of that and of the feeling entertained for Mr. Canning by all his asso- ciates, we arrive naturally at the conclusion that the closer the association the more intense the esteem he animated. Moreover, the kind- liness of his relations extended to all who knew him. His prosperity made it possible for him to gratify his philanthropic instincts to an enjoyable degree, and though he avoided pub- licity in his benefactions his known generosity was a characteristic which endeared him to many. At the time of his death it was said: "He was very generous, but he never allowed his left hand to know what his right hand was doing. He was always watching for the needy and those in distress. It was his delight to assist them, but he never spoke of this and the world will never know the large number that he aided. It is a secret between lips that are now closed forever and the recipients of his benefactions." His success was but a logical result of the well directed energy and attention which he gave practically undivided to his business. Though not of robust appearance he had good health until his last illness, and he rose early and applied himself effectively to whatever he had in hand. It was nothing unusual to see him before his store as early as six in the morning. and promptness was another marked trait of his business system. Delays of any sort were against his nature. hence he was able to keep his affairs in order up to the minute, and he had a gift for detail that was shown in his intimate knowledge of all the little points of information valuable in the conduct of his large business. He never sought public honors or office, though always ready to aid in the cause of good government and giving his support to the best candidates and measures. Politically he supported the Democratic party. He never joined a church, although in the last few years of his life he gave much attention to the religious phase of his life. It was his intention to become a church member and he had expressed a desire to place his membership in the local Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his family were all members. His ill health and untimely death prevented this wish from being accomplished.

Mr. Canning died at Brookville after four months' illness with heart disease, from which

the best physicians in this part of the State could give him no relief. His popularity among his extensive circle of acquaintances was strongly evidenced in the widespread grief which manifested itself when the news of his passing away was given out to the community. During the funeral obsequies, which were held in the afternoon of Friday, June 30th. all busi- ness in Brookville was suspended as a mark of respect to one whose life had been bound up so closely with all its interests. He was buried in the Brookville cemetery.

On Sept. 17, 1874, at Corsica, Jefferson county, Mr. Canning married Lillie F. Scrib- ner, the ceremony being performed by Rev. J. Stevenson, of that place. Two children were born to this marriage: Cora C., born June 4, 1878, became the wife of Paul Hughes, and died Dec. 6, 1903. James S., born Sept. 19, 1880, married Carolee Hawthorne, daughter of James F. and Sarah Caroline (Johnston) Hawthorne, on Sept. 17, 1906, the thirty- second anniversary of the marriage of James M. Canning and wife. They have three chil- dren, James Hawthorne, Thomas Scribner and Robert Johnston. Mrs. Canning has long been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is held in high esteem by her many friends in the borough.

Alexander S. Scribner, Mrs. James M. Can- ning's father, was engaged in the hotel busi- ness at Brookville for some years, and later kept the "American Hotel" in Pittsburgh for about fifteen years. He died June 28, 1897, at Brookville, and his wife, Cynthia B. (Cheese- bro), died April 10, 1884, at the home of her daughter Mrs. Canning; their remains are in- terred in the Brookville cemetery. They had a family of four children, Frank L., Lillie F. ( Mrs. Canning ), Samuel A. (of whom special mention is made elsewhere ) and Emma, the last named dying in infancy. Lillie F. was born Feb. 10, 1855, in Kalamazoo county, Mich., and was seven years old when she moved with her parents to Brookville, where she has since had her home.

SAMUEL A. RINN is a name which stands for leadership in Punxsutawney, where there are a number of distinguishing local institu- tions wholly or in part the result of the force- ful personality of this one man, who has spent most of his mature years there. Undoubtedly Mr. Rinn is best known in business circles for his success in the development of coal prop- erties, which have engaged his attention prin- cipally since young manhood, and in that asso- ciation he has a reputation among operators

TI'T NIN VOPK

JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

the country over as an authority on mines and mining. In his particular section of Pennsyl- vania his is one of the master minds which have dictated the banking policies now pre- vailing, with such wholesome effect on all busi- ness operations. But it is in his home town, the place where all his varied interests have centered, that his worth is best appreciated. There the effects of his stimulating influence have permeated every avenue of activity opened up by public spirit, and the prosperity of many an enterprise of utmost importance may be attributed without question to his energizing impulse and wide guidance. For it is noteworthy that although Mr. Rinn has been carrying large undertakings of his own forward for years, their demands have never turned him from the call of good citizenship, of which he has been an example throughout his residence in the borough. Punxsutawney is proud of his achievements in big business and grateful for the industrial impetus they have given to the locality. But it is no less sensible of many other acts inspired solely by goodwill toward his fellows and an unselfish desire to aid such projects as may be of service to a great majority of his townsmen. To these his talents and executive ability have been devoted as freely as to his private concerns.

Though almost a lifelong resident of Jeffer- son county, Mr. Rinn is a native of the adjoin- ing county of Indiana, where his grandfather, Daniel Frederick Rinn, settled when he came with his wife and family from Germany. They located on a farm in Rayne township, where the grandparents lived to a ripe old age.

John Rinn, father of Samuel 1. Rinn, was born in Germany, and was seven years old when the family came to this country. He grew to manhood in Rayne township, and what little education he received was obtained in the public school of the home locality. He was very young when he commenced to work, being employed in the timber and at anything else he could do. At the time of his marriage he settled on a farm of his own in North Mahoning township, Indiana county, and later bought and moved to a farm in Perry town- ship, Jefferson county, where he died in 1894, when sixty-seven years old. In Indiana county he was married to Margaret Haag, a native of Germany, who came to America with an older brother and a younger sister. Mr. and Mrs. Rinn were reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church, and joined the Evangelical denomina- tion. He was a Republican in political opin- ion. Six children were born to this worthy

couple : Mary A., Mrs. Walter llunter, now deceased ; Samuel .1. ; Daniel Frederick, a suc- cessful business man of Indiana, Pa .; Sarah, Mrs. William Brumbaugh ; Jennie, Mrs. Jacob Lingenfelter, deceased; and Lizzie, Mrs. Humble, deceased.

Samuel A. Rinn was born on the farm in North Mahoning township, Indiana county, and was six years old when he came with the family to Jefferson county, where he acquired his education in the common schools. When he commenced work it was in the employ of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal & Iron Com- pany, and in a humble position. But before long his ability and character so commended him to the good graces of his superiors that he was promoted steadily, and in five years had attained the post of superintendent, in which capacity he remained for ten years, during which time his services were uniformly satisfactory. It was while so engaged that he opened up the mine at Eleanora, Jefferson county, which came to be considered the best bituminous coal mine in the United States. Coming from there to Punxsutawney, he took charge of the mines at Adrian and Walston, but in 1898 he severed his connection with the Rochester & Pittsburgh Company to de- vote his time to his own interests, which had been increasing steadily in importance. In 1892 he had entered into partnership with T. M. Kurtz, of Punxsutawney, under the firm name of Kurtz & Rinn, for the purpose of operat- ing coal properties, and their business grew to such an extent that he eventually resigned to give all his attention to it. Besides, he acquired ownership of a coal mine at Adrian which produced five hundred tons daily. With this as a foundation, Mr. Rinn has advanced to a foremost position among the business 'men of the county. Upon his initiative the organi- zation of the Summit Coal Company, of Day- ton, Armstrong Co., Pa., was effected, their workings being the first coal development in all that region. The output is now fifteen hun- dred tons daily. Mr. Rinn is president of this company, and has other extensive holdings in the same locality. He is also president of the Bowersville Coal Company, in Gaskill town- ship, Jefferson county, whose daily produc- tion is five hundred tons. He is the largest independent coal operator in this county. whose daily production is three thousand tons.

Naturally Mr. Rinn has taken a hand in promoting other enterprises established for the convenience of local merchants and manu- facturers. The Board of Trade was brought into existence and fostered largely through his

JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

efforts, and he has served as president. He is president of the Punxsutawney National Bank, the leading bank in the county, and his per- sonal reliability has been to a great degree responsible for its strong position in financial circles, for had the privilege of control fallen to others less capable and conscientious, this depository could easily enough have taken lesser rank among the foremost banking houses of Pennsylvania. This substantial institution came into existence in 1901, and has since then occupied perfectly appointed quarters in the Kurtz block, at No. 114 East Mahoning street. When the Central Bankers' Associa- tion was founded, its territory embracing the counties of Jefferson, Clearfield and Indiana, with a membership of fifty-two banks, Mr. Rinn was installed president, and is still a member of the executive committee. From the time of its organization he has been a director of the Indiana Street Railway Company. He was one of the organizers of the Punxsutaw ney Wholesale & Retail Hardware Company, and has been its president from the beginning.

Mr. Rinn's practical foresight has enabled him to judge accurately the value of various movements started with the idea of benefiting the community, and he is justly considered a safe guide in such matters. Whatever he favors is looked upon as worthy of support. He has been one of the moving spirits in the Hospital Association, which he has served as president, and he has been vice president of the Punxsutawney Fair Association, which has flourished principally through his influence. For four years the grounds of the association had been out of use, and the buildings had almost fallen into decay. Mr. Rinn, to insure the rehabilitation of the property, purchased the grounds and was instrumental in organiz- ing the new association, cooperating with a number of the most progressive men of the town and county. Their efforts were success- ful, and a number of profitable fairs have been held under their auspices. Other local affairs have had the benefit of his assistance. always disinterested, for he has not sought public honors or position. His church rela- tions are with the Central Presbyterian con- gregation, which he is serving officially as trustee, and to whose maintenance he has been a gracious contributor.

In 1884 Mr. Rinn married Annie M. Kurtz, and they have an ideal home, famous for its hospitality and good cheer among the many friends Mr. Rinn has made in the course of his active career. Some twenty years ago he built what is generally considered the finest resi-

dence in Punxsutawney, and a popular center of entertainment in the borough, where his wife shares his popularity thoroughly. Three children were born to them: Mary Viola, now the wife of Thomas Dawson and living at Scottdale, Westmoreland Co., Pa. (they have one child, Clara Blanche) ; Margaret S., wife of Eugene Winslow, of Punxsutawney (they have two sons, Samuel R. and John C.) ; and I da Pauline, wife of Dr. Daniel Ritter, a physi- cian of Punxsutawney and member of the staff of the Adrian Hospital.

DR. WILLIAM FELTWELL BEYER, of Punxsutawney, has a long record of success in the general practice of medicine and sur- gery, which he has followed at that borough since 1879, when he graduated in medicine from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He prepared himself for college at Dayton Academy, in Armstrong county, studied medi- cine in Plumville, Indiana county, with the late Dr. Christopher McEwen, and located in Punx- sutawney in 1879, having been actively en- gaged in the practive ever since that time. In 1892 he spent five months in Philadelphia in post-graduate study, taking up the diseases of the eye, in Wills Eye Hospital.

Dr. Beyer was born in Indiana county, near Smicksburg, and was a son of the late Samuel Beyer and Caroline (Feltwell) Beyer. This branch of the Beyer (or Baer) family are descendants of Abraham Beyer, who came to Norristown, Pa., in 1734 from Holland, whither he, with other eastern Pennsylvania German stock, had emigrated from Silicia, Austria (now Germany). Dr. Beyer very soon after locating in Punxsutawney estab- lished a large practice in both medicine and surgery, and for fourteen years was surgeon on the Bells Gap railroad. He became a men- ber of the Jefferson County Medical Society in rSSI, and was elected as president of that society in 1887. He was made a member of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society in 1888 and represented his county society in the State meetings on several occasions, being a member of the house of delegates in 1916. He also became a member of the American Medical Association in 1894 and is still active in the study and progress of medical research.

In the development of the resources of Punxsutawney and surrounding country Dr. Beyer has been active. He helped to organize the first electric light company in this part of the State and was president of the Jefferson Electric Light, Heat and Power Company for twenty-three years.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Dr. Beyer was married in 1880 to Margaret Ann Mitchell, of Punxsutawney, and his fam- ily consists of three children : Samuel Meigs. Mary Elleanor and Margaret Virginia. Mrs. Beyer died in 1911. The son, Dr. S. Meigs Beyer, is now a partner with his father, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907, and has been appointed by the com- missioner of health of Pennsylvania as county medical inspector for Jefferson county, which position he has filled for the past five years, also having charge of the free State dispen- sary for the treatment of tuberculosis in Punxsutawney. Dr. S. Meigs Beyer was mar- ried in 1916 to Anna Eva Alexander, of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Mary Elleanor is mar- ried to John C. Mahaffey, of Cherry Tree, and Margaret Virginia is at home. Politically Dr. Beyer is a Republican. The Beyer family have been Methodists for several generations, and the Doctor is no exception, being a mem- ber of the First M. E. Church of Punx- sutawney.

WILLIAM D. J. MARLIN. A publica- tion of this nature exercises one of its highest and most important functions when it enters memorial tribute to so influential and honored a citizen as the late William D. J. Marlin, who passed his mature life in Jefferson county. He was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer fam- ilies of this section of the State, and was long one of the most liberal, progressive citizens of the borough of Brookville. To the develop- ment and advancement of that borough he contributed in large and generous measure, there having been no citizen to whom a greater debt of appreciation and honor is due in this respect. He was a leader in popular sentiment and action, initiated the movement which gave to Brookville its fine waterworks system, and one of his most noble and praiseworthy works was his earnest and devoted service in the developing of the beautiful Brookville ceme- tery, to which he gave years of thought and action, holding his association with the enter- prise virtually as a sacred trust in the twenty- three years he was secretary of the Brookville Cemetery Association. During the last thir- teen years of that time he had entire control and management of the affairs of the beautiful "God's Acre" in which so many Jefferson county citizens have found sepulture. He assumed the position of secretary of the ceme- tery association on the 25th of December, 1863. shortly after its incorporation on the Ist of the preceding April, and he remained the val-

ued incumbent of that important executive office until about two years prior to his death.

Mr. Marlin was born in Indiana county, Pa., Nov. 13, 1831, and was summoned to eternal rest at his beautiful home in Brookville on the 15th of November, 1888, "a man among men and faithful to the end." His mortal remains rest in the cemetery over which he so long kept earnest watch and ward, and his memory is revered in the community in which he lived and labored to goodly ends, with exalted ideals, with strong and virile mind and with an integrity of purpose that was ever manifest in his faithful stewardship in all of the rela- tions of life. Reared to manhood under the conditions that obtained during the pioneer era in the history of this section, Mr. Marlin waxed strong in mental and physical powers. He duly availed himself of such advantages as the common schools of the locality and period afforded, receiving his education in his native county, and was not denied the practi- cal discipline of which is begotten enduring appreciation of the dignity and value of honest toil and endeavor. He came to Brookville in the year 1850. As a young man he formulated definite plans for a future career, and in con- sonance with his ambitious purpose he began the study of law, to which he applied himself diligently under effective private preceptor- ship, with the result that he grounded himself thoroughly in the principles of jurisprudence and proved himself eligible for the bar, to which he was admitted in May, 1868. He then engaged in the practice of his profession at Brookville, where for a time he was associated with the late John Conrad and later with William F. Stewart, who were his honored professional coadjutors. He won a large measure of prestige and success in his chosen vocation and continued in active practice many years, as one of the essentially representative members of the bar of his native county. His preparation for the legal profession was begun while he was serving as justice of the peace, an office of which he continued the incumbent for ten years and which he made in his admin- istration worthy of its title.

All things pertinent to the welfare and progress of his home town and county ever lay close to the heart of this honored citizen. Under his fostering care the Brookville ceme- tery was developed from a straggling and unkempt burying ground into one of the most beautiful cemeteries in this section of the State. In the office of secretary and superin- tendent of the cemetery association he was constant, faithful and watchful, and his wise

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Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume II, Part 16

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers Number of Pages: 972

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 972