USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Lives of the eminent dead and biographical notices of prominent living citizens of Montgomery County, Pa. > Part 23
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It is also related of him that on the organization of the Gas Board he was put in as one of the directors, but some transac- tion occurring which he thought was not according to the Golden Rule he resigned the trust, preferring to retire rather than to share a responsibility for what he did not consider was right.
On the demise of Mr. Mckay the vestry of the church took action, and among other resolutions passed the following :
That in the removal from our midst of Mr. Mckay the vestry and church have sustained the loss of a faithful and efficient member, and one that cannot be filled.
That through the forty-two years of his connection with this church he never swerved from the path of duty; that in his straight- forward and christian demeanor he won the confidence and regard of all; that his many virtues, his acts of kindness and charity, his untiring zeal in the work of the church, and his devotedness to her
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JOHN Y. CRAWFORD.
sacred services, are worthy of our emulation and regard, and should stimulate us to more active work in the cause of Christ and his church.
There were also eulogistic notices of his death in all the public journals of the locality, and on the occasion of his fu- neral the stores of the town, as by a common impulse of the proprietors, were closed as the procession passed.
Mr. McKay's remains lie beside his wife's in the cemetery of St. John's Church, Norristown.
JOHN Y. CRAWFORD.
Death rides on every passing breeze, And lurks in every flower .- Heber.
The Crawford family is one of the most respectable and wealthy in Montgomery county. Its original progenitor was Scotch, or Scotch-Irish, and the tradition is that previous to our Revolutionary era he had settled on land purchased of the Swedes, near Swedes' Ford. About the commencement of the present century there were two families, probably cou- sins, settled on both sides of the Schuylkill a little below Swedes' Ford. The one on the left bank was Alexander, who left to his sons a very large tract of land, embracing all the Cooke estate, the Mogee lime quarries, and that owned by the daughter of the late Hugh Crawford, now intermarried with Charles Earnest. His children were: Alexander, whose two sons, John and Alexander, removed to the West; Andrew, who built the Cooke mansion; Harriet, married to Samuel Detwi- ler; Emily, married to Dr. Rutter; Hugh, and William. The family on the west side of the river occupied a homestead on land at present owned by William B. Rambo. The children were: Elizabeth, intermarried with Hugh Long; Samuel, who recently died in Norristown, leaving numerous heirs; Andrew, who died a bachelor in 1870, in Lower Merion; William, who died also unmarried in 1844, in the same locality; and Joseph, the father of the subject of this memorial.
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JOHN Y. CRAWFORD.
Another cousin of the family we have been describing, Jo- seph Crawford, lived and died near Shannonville, in Lower Providence township, whose daughter was intermarried with Hon. Abraham Brower, and whose other descendants are af- filiated with numerous respectable families of that locality.
John Yocum Crawford, the subject of this biography, son of Joseph and Hannah Yocum Crawford, was born at Prospect Hill, Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, May 14th, 1822. His mother being a Yocum, his descent on the mater- nal side was Swedish. In his boyhood he received the usual common school instruction. Later he was sent to the board- ing-school of Joshua Hoopes, at West Chester, and afterwards to Treemount, Norristown, under Rev. Samuel Aaron.
Having acquired a good academical training, he resolved, shortly after attaining his majority, to devote his life to farm- ing, to which he had been raised. His father dying not many years after left considerable landed estate. This homestead of his father John Y. purchased, and also bought two or three other farms, including the celebrated " Brookfield" property near by, and pushed farming with great energy for several years. Being located on Prospect Ridge, several hundred feet above the river, and within less than a mile of its banks, there was no mode of reaching Conshohocken by a convenient road- way. Mr. Crawford's cultivated, practical mind saw the neces- sity to both the growing village and the farmers of Lower Merion of a good highway to the river. Since the first settle- ment of the country no better ascent from the Schuylkill had been afforded than over rocks and boulders up a ravine, which was often the bed of a rushing torrent. In the face of much opposition from parties who were really to be benefited but did not see it, Mr. C. got several juries to report in its favor; and now a wide, smooth, graded highway renders intercourse easy between those whom nature has made neighbors, but who, for previous want of communication, were almost strangers to each other. This road will ever stand a monument of Mr. Crawford's foresight, enterprise, and pluck. The writer hap- pened to be on one of the juries, of which there were several, and he was struck with the cogent, forcible speech made by
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JOHN Y. CRAWFORD.
Mr. C. on that occasion, actually eclipsing the attorney on the other side who was employed to resist it. As of matters in which himself and the public were jointly concerned, so in his private farming he was an improvement-man, availing himself of the advantages of all new things in agriculture. He accord- ingly soon had his home beautified with evergreens and other ornamental trees, constructed a fish and ice-pond near by, and so on.
On the 19th of September, 1867, Mr. Crawford married V. Virginia, daughter of Archibald and Jane Wright, of Philadel- phia, but later of West Chester, Pennsylvania. The children of this union are Mary Virginia, Annie Elizabeth, John Yo- cum, and Andrew Wright.
For many years Mr. Crawford's bachelor uncle, Andrew, was a noted money-lender on bond and mortgage, and as he grew old felt the necessity of being relieved of the care of his estate. So, having full confidence in the integrity and capacity of his nephew, J. Y. Crawford, he appointed him his attorney in fact to manage his whole business. This he did for some eight or ten years, making the old man's wealth grow much more rapidly than he could have made it himself. When the uncle died in 1870, Mr. Crawford was the executor of his will. It was a matter of remark at the time that he had the old gen- tleman's estate, amounting to some $225,000, so well in hand that he had it all settled up and divided among a number of collateral heirs and his account filed within three months after his decease. To J. Y. Crawford's fidelity, carefulness and accu- racy, was this result achieved without quarrels or law suits among claimants, a result rarely reached under similar circum- stances.
Though a strict business man, and constantly seeking the advancement of his own fortune, he was a gentleman of con- siderable public spirit, ever willing to contribute to objects of general welfare, as shown by his giving five hundred dollars towards the spacious school-house erected near his dwelling. He and his excellent lady were and have been the generous patrons of Mount Pleasant Sunday School, that for a long time has been held in the said building near their residence. Their
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JOHN Y. CRAWFORD.
annual picnics or donation gatherings at Mr. Crawford's ex- pense will for long years be among the sunniest memories of very many children of the locality. It was only necessary to enlist Mr. C.'s heart in a work of this kind to secure his most liberal beneficence.
As a further illustration of Mr. C.'s public spirit it may be added that when ladies of Lower Merion, during the late war, procured a costly flag, he was selected to make the presenta- tion speech. During the Congressional canvass that secured the election of Hon. Alan Wood, Jr., Mr. Crawford rendered efficient service, making a number of popular addresses.
Previous to the late revulsion in business Mr. C. had made large profits by investments in stocks in various companies, and when the First National Bank of Conshohocken was being organized he was a considerable subscriber to its capital, and chosen a director, remaining such until the time of his death.
In 1874 Mr. Crawford found his health declining and took a trip to White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, where he remained some time and returned greatly improved. His former vigor, however, was not regained, and he died of neuralgia of the heart on the 15th of April, 1875, in the 53d year of his age. The Bank Board attended his funeral in a body, and the re- mains were conveyed to Montgomery Cemetery, Norristown, followed by a large concourse of mourning friends. To the estate, which was large, Mrs. V. V. Crawford, administered, as her husband left no will. She and the children still (1878) re- side at the homestead.
To the foregoing a brief notice of John Y. Crawford's father, brothers and sisters, will not be inappropriate. Joseph and Hannah Yocum Crawford had five other children, as follows: William H., occupying an adjoining farm to Mrs. V. V. Craw- ford, and married to Eliza Broades; Martha Y., intermarried with Dr. Isaac Anderson, of Lower Merion; Annie M., dead; Hannah Emily, the wife of Hagy Yocum, also of Lower Mer- ion; and Elizabeth.
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ELIAS HICKS CORSON.
ELIAS HICKS CORSON.
And in thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty .- L' Allegro.
E. H. Corson, son of Alan W. and Mary Corson, of White- marsh township, Montgomery county, was born Second-month (February) 19th, 1816. His father, a distinguished mathema- tician, botanist and scholar, and for many years himself en- gaged in teaching, was able to give Elias the best opportuni- ties of instruction. To these primary stores of knowledge he added all his life by reading and observation.
About the time of his majority he engaged in the lime-burn- ing business in Chester county, but soon came back and com- menced the same in Plymouth, where he continued it with en- ergy and profit till his death, which occured Eleventh-month 5th, 1877. Being of a peculiarly bland and pleasant turn of mind, and of remarkably clear judgment, he did a very heavy business for many years, partly exchanging lime for cord-wood, which farmers in the northern line of the county brought to his kilns. This wood he used for burning the best descrip- tions of lime for building purposes in Philadelphia and else- where. He was also extensively engaged in the general lime and coal business. Thus his works were annually adding value to and developing both city and country at the same time, as also yielding him a steady profit. A farm of ninety-three acres belonged to the quarries he worked, and which he tilled to its fullest capacity.
After he was well settled in business, he married Emily R. Harris, of Philadelphia, on the 13th of Third-month, 1845. The children of this union were Mary, Henry H., George, Charles A., Ellen W., Gertrude H., Emily, Martha, Walter H., Carroll, and Percy H. Of these, Mary, Charles A., Ellen W. and Gertrude, are deceased. Henry H. now resides at Minne- apolis, Minnesota, being there engaged in business.
"Hicks Corson," as he was usually called (having been named after the famous Quaker preacher, Elias Hicks), was educated a Friend, and, as befitted his name, of the Hicksite branch of the society. He "married out of the meeting," how-
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ELIAS HICKS CORSON.
ever, a lady who had been bred a Baptist, but, like himself, of a kindly, genial temper. The union was a most happy one. Notwithstanding his breach of the rules of the society he never lost membership in Plymouth Meeting, but continued an act- ive and efficient worker in the same until his death. Few men had more humane, generous sympathies than Elias H. Corson, or were more true to all the reforms, such as anti-slavery, tem- perance, peace, and the like. Many a kindly expostulation he employed with his brethren, who, as he thought, often relied on the plain coat and speech instead of standing up in word and deed to the "testimonies of Friends." He was eminently fitted for that particular work, for no amount of opposition and inconsistency of others could draw him into unbecoming vio- lence, or prevent his reproving them if he thought it deserved. He ever had the same caustic but pleasant rebuke to adminis- ter to those who shirked what he thought to be duty, and per- haps he did more of what we may characterize as "Quaker fighting," without making enemies, than any other man whose history we can recall. He rarely employed the direct and ag- gressive mode of disputation with an opponent, but the satiri- cal and inferential, thus laughing him out of his views rather than driving him to the wall as an enemy. Rarely was an ob- ject of charity or a scheme of public improvement commended to his judgment but received some favorable response at his hands.
He took a lively interest in matters connected with agricul- ture, and was a director of the Montgomery County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In common with most Friends, he was all his life a total abstainer from alcoholic drinks, and his health as a consequence, up to the time of his death, had been good. In person he was tall, stoutly built, and the picture of robust health.
Early in the autumn of 1877 he was taken with a slight rheu- matism, which developed into acute peritonitis, resulting in death after a month's sickness.
A general sketch of the origin of the Corson family is found elsewhere in this volume.
As an indication of the confidence of the business commu-
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ELIAS HICKS CORSON.
nity in Mr. Corson, we append the testimonial adopted at the time of his death by the officers of the First National Bank of Conshohocken, of which he was a director:
CONSHOHOCKEN, Wednesday, November 17th, 1877.
At a special meeting of the Board of Directors of the First Na- tional Bank of Conshohocken, held at the banking house, the fol- lowing paper was unanimously adopted :
It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we have been called upon to record the death of our associate, Elias H. Corson, who has been from the organization of this bank one of its most faithful officers.
Mr. Corson's unflinching integrity, extensive information, punc- tuality, and conscientious discharge of every duty devolving, made him a most valuable bank director.
His devotion to right in the face of every opposition, his meet- ing all questions with intelligence, thought, and investigation-his firm adherence to his convictions-made his opinion and advice reliable, trustworthy and influential upon all points brought before us.
We shall feel his loss in the deliberations of our Board with a pointedness that time and circumstances cannot entirely obliterate.
We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family, where the af- fectionate husband and loving father has left a vacancy in the hearts of that stricken household and happy home that nothing on earth can fill; and we commend them to the God of all grace who alone can heal the wounded heart.
We agree to attend the funeral of our former associate and es- teemed friend.
It i's ordered that a copy of these proceedings be signed by the officers of the bank and forwarded to the family, and also be pub- lished.
William McDermott, Cashier; George Bullock, President; Evan D. Jones, William Davis, Jr., George Sampson, Michael O'Brien, A. D. Saylor, Lewis A. Lukens, Samuel Pugh, Directors; Charles W. Holmes, Teller.
The Universal Peace Union, of which Mr. Corson was a member, also adopted an extended and flattering memorial, which, handsomely engrossed, and signed by Lucretia Mott, the venerable President of the Pennsylvania Peace Society, Alfred H. Love, President of the Universal Peace Union, and others, conveyed their sorrow and condolence to the family. After referring to his active benevolence, the testimonial quotes the following stanza as descriptive of the man:
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HON. PHILIP S. MARKLEY.
Such was our friend. Formed on the good old plan,
A true and brave, and downright honest man !
His daily prayer-far better understood
In acts than words-was simply DOING GOOD. So calm, so constant was his rectitude, That by his loss alone we know its worth,
And feel how true a man has walked with us on earth.
There were also extended obituary notices of his death in the Norristown Herald and other local papers. The Friends' Journal, of Philadelphia, in quite a lengthy notice of him, says :
" His conversation and presence were magnetic. Those who knew him well will never be able to call him dead. To them he will ever remain a bright memory and a spur to good and noble deeds in the cause of humanity. On the day of his funeral men and women came by scores from the surrounding region, as well as. from Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties, and from Philadelphia, to testify the sorrow which they felt for the great loss to themselves and society."
HON. PHILIP S. MARKLEY.
Of all the phantoms fleeting in the mist of Time, though meagre all and ghostly thin, most unsubstantial, unessential shade, was earthly fame .- Pollok.
There is perhaps no eminent family in Montgomery county which has filled a larger space in the public eye during the pres- ent century than that of the Markleys. The original progeni- tor we have not been able to accurately name, but are assured that most of the family in this county, perhaps all, have de- scended from a common head who came over from Germany with the Protestant exodus between 1730 and 1740, and set- tled in Whitpain or Worcester townships, as many are interred at St. John's Lutheran Church, Centre Square. The first of the name who became prominent in public stations were Ben- jamin Markley (maternal grandfather of Hon. B. Markley Boyer), who was appointed Associate Judge in 1791, and John Markley, chosen Sheriff in 1798, and who in 1800 was United States Collector of distillery taxes, a very important office at that time. John was very shortly afterwards interested, possi- bly as County Commissioner, in the construction of the bridge
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HON. PHILIP S. MARKLEY.
over the Manatawny at Pottstown, as his name, with those of Philip Boyer, Christian Weber, Philip Hahn and Thomas Hum- phrey, are chiseled on the date-stone. Late in life, in 1824, he was appointed Register and Recorder by Governor Shulze, and again in 1826.
This John Markley was one of the most eminent and influ- ential business men that ever figured in Norristown annals. He probably removed here when elected Sheriff, and it is sup- posed founded and occupied for a number of years the cele- brated tannery where the Slemmer Brothers' oil works now stand. He also became the owner of a large amount of valu- able real estate beside the tannery, including the Egypt Mill (the old part of which he erected), the Judge Wilson mansion (site of Oakland Female Institute), as likewise owning what has recently been called the "Elijah Lewis farm," north of the borough. This last tract was then very heavily wooded, and estimated to be worth four hundred dollars an acre on account of its timber. After being cleared, however, and under the subsequent war prices, it was sold to Mr. Lewis for about forty dollars per acre. Mr. Markley traded it for Barbadoes Island .*
For many years John Markley lived on Main street above. Swede in the house which had been built by William Moore Smith, and afterwards in the dwelling now the Derr mansion, where he died July 28th, 1834. John Markley was the first really enterprising and successful business man that located in Norristown, and for nearly forty years was the leader in that linc.
Mr. M. was not only a man of careful speculation in busi- ness, but of public spirit also. He largely assisted the Ridge turnpike road enterprise by taking many shares of its stock, as most other works of a public nature. In his domestic inter- course with neighbors and friends he was charitable to all, many poor men enjoying his free bounty as long as he lived. He was twice married, first to Elizabeth Swenk and afterwards to Elizabeth Henderson. By his first wife there were born to him eight children: Samuel, Betsy, John (who died young), Hannah, Philip S., Sally, Molly, and Hetty.
*These statements are given on the authority of the late Zadok Thomas, Esq.
17
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HON. PHILIP S. MARKLEY.
These descendants are further described as follows: Samuel, the eldest, studied law, but soon after entering upon practice left it as not to his taste, when he removed to his father's tan- nery, married Mary Harper, of Chester county, and there were born to them John, Ann H., Elizabeth S., and Hetty. Of these John married Eliza Holt, of Doe Run, Chester county, and they now (1878) live retired from business in Germantown. Ann H., the wife of Samuel Hartman, is deceased, leaving one son, John M., and two daughters, Kate and Mary, the former of whom is intermarried with J. Evans Isett.
It may be added here of John Markley Hartman, just men- tioned above, that he is quite an eminent mechanical and civil engineer, doing business on North Front street, Philadelphia. He has constructed or planned a great number of blast fur- naces that are scattered all over this country, South America, and Mexico. He has also been a frequent contributor to sci- entific periodicals on matters connected with furnaces and on metallurgical subjects.
Elizabeth S., daughter of Samuel, and granddaughter of John Markley, is the wife of Charles Lewis, and they have four children: William H., married to Mary Hartenstein; S. Mark- ley, intermarried with Eliza Taylor; E. Taylor; Mary E., wife of R. G. Calvert, of Delaware county. Hetty, the youngest daughter of Samuel Markley, was married to Isaac Lewis, and is now deceased. She had a number of children, who survive her.
We return to describe the other children of John Markley. Betsy died unmarried. John died young, and without heirs. Hannah, who was intermarried with Bernard Drum, also died young of consumption, and childless. Philip S., the proper subject of this memoir, studied law, and became very eminent both as an attorney and a politician. His public life is de- scribed below. He married a widow lady named Helen Plum- sted, who survived him. They had born to them two daugh- ters, Elizabeth and Jane. The sixth child of John Markley was Sally, the wife of Rev. R. U. Morgan, a minister of the Episcopal church. They have had a large number of offspring, as follows: James, who, like his father, is an Episcopal clergy-
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HON. PHILIP S. MARKLEY.
man; Heber, Bankson, Richard, Anna L., the wife of Hon. J. L. Getz, of Reading, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth P., Ellen R., and Mary M. The seventh child of John Markley was Molly, who, at middle life, was intermarried with the late John Boyer, Esq., President of the Bank of Montgomery County. The young- est of John Markley's children was Hetty, who died a maiden lady at advanced life a few years ago. She, as her sister Molly had been, was eminent in works of charity as a member of St. John's Episcopal Church.
Having given the personnel of the family we return to de- scribe Philip S. Markley as a public man. He was quite dis- 'tinguished as a lawyer, being admitted to the bar in Novem- ber, 1810, and had a large practice, but soon fell into the whirl of politics. His father before him had been a very influential Democrat, and he, walking in his footsteps, became active in party matters. So in 1819 he was appointed Deputy State's Attorney, probably serving during the whole of Governor Findlay's term of office, or from the spring of 1818 till 1821; though, by the record, he was nominated for State Senate and elected in 1819, continuing there till 1824. It would seem, therefore, that persons were then eligible to both offices at the same time, for we have ascertained to a certainty that Mr. Markley was Deputy State's Attorney in 1819 and 1820, when, as appears also by a newspaper announcement which lies be- fore us, of the date of January, 1821, that "Alexander Moore was appointed District Attorney vice Philip S. Markley re- moved." Soon after the conclusion of his service as State's Attorney and Senator, he was taken up by the party for Con- gress and elected in 1823, serving during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Congresses, from 1824 to 1828. His term in the national House of Representatives was during the famous rise of what was known as "Jacksonism," when Hon. Nathaniel B. Boileau and Hon. Jonathan Roberts, the great early lights and leaders of the party, retired from their places in disgust at the dawn of what was called "mere military statesmanship."
At the conclusion of his Congressional term, or shortly after, on the 17th of August, 1829, he was called by Governor Shulze, near the close of his administration, to fill the post of Attorney
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HON. LEVI PAWLING.
General of the State, which he held one year, till the accession of Governor Wolf, in January, 1830. This was the last public office he occupied, but he continued at the bar till 1834. While attending an arbitration at Spang's hotel he dropped in a fit of apoplexy, and died instantly, in his 46th year.
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